Vietnamese Pho Soup

I can't find veg Pho anywhere in Orlando and I've been craving it for years(!), so I finally cooked up my own:




Broth ingredients:

2-3 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 pods of star anise
1 medium size onion cut into several large chunks
8 cloves of garlic, halved
1 inch piece of ginger, coarsely sliced
8 cups vegetable broth (I use Vegebase and water)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
salt to taste


Soup ingredients:

1 package of cooked rice noodles
8 oz package of seitan, cut into slices
a few scallions, finely chopped
2 cups of bean sprouts
one bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
hoisin sauce



Put the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, onion, garlic and ginger in a large sauce pan and cook over medium heat until everything is slightly charred. Now and the broth and soy sauce and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth into another dish with a fine mesh sieve and dispose of the cooked spices/veggies.

Put some cooked rice noodles in a large bowl and top with some seitan. Ladle broth on top and add desired amount of sprouts, chopped cilantro, and if you'd like, a little fresh lime, hoison sauce, and/or crushed peanuts.

Veggie, lime, & cilantro soup

3 TBS of oil
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped,
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 TBS of garlic powder
1 1/2 TBS of chili pepper

5 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1/2 bag of frozen peas
2 cans of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed


Heat the oil in a pan then add in the carrots, onion and celery along with the garlic powder and chili pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the broth, corn, peas, and beans and let simmer for 20 minutes. Squeeze juice from one fresh lime and stir in a generous handful of fresh chopped cilantro. Now eat it up!

Caponata

Ingredients:

1 medium size eggplant, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 yellow pepper. seeded and sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
4 ounces of black olives
15 fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 ounces olive oil
1 tsp black pepper



Directions:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook for about 30 minutes on medium/low heat, stirring occasionally.

Once it has cooked down, take off heat and spoon on toasted bread and top with whatever veg cheese you'd like. Eat. And then eat some more. :)


(Variations: Can serve over pasta, or if you'd like it more as a stew, add some vegetable broth and veggie sausage)

Stir fried veggies with peanut sauce

Peanut sauce (i'm guessing measurements here. i usually just add things to the consistency and flavor i want):
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/3 cup of hoison sauce
1 cup of water
a few dashes of cayenne

stir into a small saucepan and heat until melted together




For the Stir fry (which I just sort of made up as I went):
2 TBS vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 chunk of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 seeded jalapeno, minced
2 carrots, sliced
1 head of fresh broccoli, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 C of snow peas
Vermicelli rice noodles

(You can use whatever vegetables you like, I just used what was in the fridge.)

Put the skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes then add the vegeatble and cook for about 10 minutes until veggies are softed but still have some crispness to them.

Last thing to do is cook the vermicelli rice noodles. Just get some water boiling in a saucepan and add in the noodles as soon as it comes to a full boil, then take off the heat right away. Allow to sit for 4 minutes then dump the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Now get yourself some noodles, veggies, and top with the peanut sauce and there you have it!

Channa Masala

Got this straight from here - http://www.route79.com/food/channa-masala.htm (has step-by-step pictures). So yummy :)

2 tins of ready-boiled chickpeas - rinsed in a colander
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 large onion chopped into long thin strips
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
Chunks of frozen, pre-pulped garlic, ginger and green-chillie
Spices: Turmeric (halidi), Garam Masala, Ground Coriander, Salt
Seeds: Onion seed and Cumin (Jeera) seeds.
A large large pot in which to pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil


Heat the oil in the pot until hot. Add the onion and cumin seeds and watch them pop and fizzle for around 20 seconds. Then add the chopped onions and fry until they are lightly browned. Then add the frozen (and by now thawed) chunks of pulped ginger, garlic and chillie. Stir fry on medium heat.


Then add the tin of chopped tomato and stir-fry for about 5 mins on medium-to-high heat until the oil starts to separate from the onion/tomato mixture - and then add the spices:

2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of garam masala
1.5 teaspoons of haldi (turmeric)

Stir it all thoroughly on medium flame.

Then add the chunks of potato - stir until well coated in spices. Then add around 3 smallish glasses of water into the pot - and put the lid on and bring to boil. Let it simmer on a very low flame for around 20 mins with the lid on. This will soften the potato.


After about 20 mins - check to see that the potato chunks are soft - and then add the drained (already-boiled) chickpeas. Stir it all up - and add another small glass of water to the pot. Bring to a fierce boil and then turn the flame down to simmer the pot for a while - with the lid partially on.


After about a further 15 mins of simmering - add some freshly chopped (or frozen) fresh coriander leaf and stir it all in. Keep it simmering for about 10 mins more. After that - turn off the heat - put the lid on tight - and let it it stand for around 15 mins whilst you make some basmati rice - or warm some pitta bread etc. It's then ready to serve!


Channa Masala!

Enjoy.

Mango Black Bean Salsa

Ingedients:

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 of a 15oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 medium mango, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I used red)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin


Mix everything together in a bowl and eat it all up with corn chips :)

Jamaican "Beef" Patties

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 dash salt
1/2 cup earth balance margarine
1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons margarine
1 12 oz package of morning star farms veggie "burger" crumbles
1 small onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 veggie bouillon cube (I used maggi brand)
1/2 Cup water


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a large bowl or food proccessor, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt. Mix in 1/2 cup margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.
Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in the package of "beef" and season with curry powder, thyme, black pepper, and chilli poweder. Crumble in bouillon cube, stir, add water, then stir again. If it's too liquidy just simmer until enough liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Use a fork to press edges then bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:
3/4 C unsweetend soy milk
1/4 C earth balance margarine, softened
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C plus 2 TBS water
2 TBS cornstarch
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1/2 C earth balance margarine, softened

Glaze:
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 C sifted confectioners' sugar
4 TBS unsweetened soy milk

Heat the soy milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, cornstarch, and the soy milk/margarine mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes (I put mine in a food proccessor instead of kneading).

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture (if you want you can add in some raisins or nuts).

Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal.



Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 2 lightly greased rounds pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Let rolls cool a few minutes then drizzle with glaze.



Serve warm and enjoy the yuminess :)

Fiesta Soup

Fiesta Soup

1 C cooked rice
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 zucchini, chopped
3/4 C edamame
2 C veggie broth (I used 2 Maggi bullion cubes dissolved in 2 C water)
1 15 oz can of corn

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onion, carrots, zucchini, edamame, garlic powder, and chili powder for 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the broth, corn, and rice. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes to get the edamame a bit soft.

Note: I really love the way this turned out. The chilli and garlic adds the perfect amount of spice so that you can still taste the flavor in each of the veggies (mmmm, especially the sweet corn). Also, if you you don't have the veggies called for just do what I did and throw in whatever you have :)

Sweet & Spicy Nuts

Sweet & Spicy Nuts

2 1/2 C almonds
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F then spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes. Combine sugar, salt, and cayenne in a large skillet and melt over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture and be sure to keep the sugar from burning. Once the sugar has melted toss in the almonds and make sure they all get coated. Let the nuts cool completely in a single layer on a baking sheet then store in an airtight container. They should keep for 2 weeks.

Snow Ball Cookies

Snowball Cookies

Cream together:
1 C earth balance vegan margarine
1/4 C powdered sugar
2tsp vanilla

Add:
2 C flour
1 tbsp water
dash of salt
1 C chopped pecans

Roll dough into balls and bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes. Once baked, roll the cookies in powdered sugar then cool completely on a cooling rack before rolling once more in the sugar.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C Earth Balance vegan margarine
3/4 C white sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp cornstarch
4-5 tbsp water
1 1/2 C Tropical Source choclate chips
1 C chopped walnuts
One large handful of rolled oats (not instant)

Cream margarine, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Next, add in cornstarch and water until smooth. Then mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, and oats then spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 F for 9-12 minutes then cool on cookie sheets. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

The BEST Veggie Pot Pie

Veggie Pot Pie - The best vegan pot pie recipe ever :)

3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 an onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 tbsp earth balance vegan margarine
1/2 C flour
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 C plain silk soy milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 C frozen peas
3/4 C frozen edamame

Saute celery, onions, and carrots in butter for 10 minutes.
Add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute
Add broth and milk to mixture while stirring constantly
Cook over medium heat until bubbly then stir in the peas, edamame, salt, and pepper.

Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish and top with crust.

Bake at 375 F for 30-45 minutes


Pot Pie Crust


1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup earth balance
2-3 tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt together, cut in shortening, add the water, then shape into a ball and chill. Once it's chilled roll out the dough to fit the casserole dish.

"Stove Top" Stuffing

5 slices of white bread, cubed
4 slices of wheat bread, cubed
3/4-1 cup of water
1/4 cup of vegan butter (I really like Earth Balance)
1/4 large (or 1/2 small) onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder


Heat the butter in a large pan then saute the onion, celery, bouillon, and spices until the veggies are soft. Next stir in the water and mix in the cubed bread. Pull the pan off the burner and let it sit for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Macaroni & "Cheese"

Macaroni & "Cheese"

1 3/4 C macaroni noodles
1/4 to 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch turmeric
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
bread crumbs
a few sprinkles of parprika


Cook the macaroni and set it aside in a colander. In a saucepan melt the margarine over low heatthen mix in the flour with a whisk and continue whisking over a medium flame until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in the boiling water, salt, soy sauce, garlic powder, and turmeric. Mix it well to dissolve the flour mixture and cook until it thickens and bubbles. Stir in the oil and nutritional yeast. Add the noodles to the sauce and make sure all the noodles get coated. Next pour the mixture into casserole dish (I used a 3 in deep 5"x7" pan), top with bread crumbs, and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350†F.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls

Cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, carrots, a few green onions, cilantro, mint leaves, rice vermicelli noodles and a package of summer roll wrappers (very different from the egg roll wrappers that are in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. Summer roll wrappers are transparent and brittle).

Next, cook the vermicelli in boiling water for several minutes, then transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water.

Cut the vegetables into thin sticks or strips so that they fit nicely in the transparent wrapper.

Dip the dry summer roll wrapper into cold water until soft and pliable (not too long though or it will tear too easily). Then fill and roll each wrapper before moistening the next.

Start by placing some vermicelli half way between the middle and edge of the wrapper. Next add some sprouts, sliced carrots, lettuce, cucumber, a bit of cilantro, and a strip of green onion. Roll it up once around, then tuck both sides in neatly. Roll once more and set aside on a plate. Only make enough rolls for one sitting as they wil dry out very very quickly.


Peanut Sauce

1 Cup of peanut butter
1 Cup of hot water

Whisk together in a pan over low heat. Then add:

1/4 Cup of soy sauce
1/4 Cup of molasses (regular, not blackstrap)
1/2 Cup of white vinegar
1 Tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 Tsp of ground ginger
2-4 TBS of sugar (depending on what you like, just taste as you go)

Stir it all together then put it in a bowl/dish and get it cold in the fridge before serving. It makes a lot of sauce so feel free to cut the recipe in half. Enjoy :)