Diner Style Skillet

This meal was amazing. Basically, its an awesome variation of the traditional diner style skillet you could find at any greasy old spoon except way better. There is a real hearty potato hash with a vegan omelet/frittata/scramble topped with some homemade vegan cheese. Try this dish anytime you have a hankering for something delicious and filling.


Diner Style Skillet

4 med russet potatoes, diced
1-2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 med onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups diced seitan or seitan sausage
3 tbsp tamari mixed with 2 tsps liquid smoke
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp good chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
3 cups spinach or greens
salt
black pepper

1 block of silken tofu
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk
2 tbsp arrowroot
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 diced onion
1 clove garlic
3/4 cup vegan cheese (that melts), sliced or shredded
4-5 green onions sliced thinly on bias
black pepper
salt
oil to coat pan

For the hash
Start with the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the potatoes. Cover and let cook for a while. After about 5-10 minutes add the onions, garlic, seitan, smoke and spices. Let cook and get brown for about 5-10 minutes. Add the spinach to wilt and splash with tamari and season with salt and pepper. Serve trying to get a good mixture of everything. We also added some broccoli chunks in that we had on hand.

For the tofu
Blend all ingredients in the blender except brocolli, cheese and oil. After the mixture is smooth add brocolli and process until only small bite sized chunks are left. Heat a pan to get it real hot, add the oil, then add the mixture to the pan. After about 2 minutes turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Add cheese. Let it melt or broil in the oven to get it browned on top. Tofu is ready whenit gets firm.

Stuffed Tofu, Wheat Berry Succotash, Purple Cauliflower Puree

So I have been missing in action for quite some time now. I would like to say that I have been busy, but the truth is I have just been quite lazy (both in the kitchen and in life). However, i was inspired by the farmer's market bounty and decided to make a nice dish. The tofu takes on a similar texture and flavor to that of a cordon bleu without the cruelty or environmental destruction. The succotash is reminiscent of a light summer chili and the sauce offers up a rich creamy contrast to the smoky tofu and crunchy-spicy succotash.







Garlic Scape Stuffed Tofu, Wheat Berry Succotash, Purple Cauliflower Puree


Garlic Scape Stuffed Tofu
1 block tofu, pressed and sliced into 6 slabs
4 Tbsp tamari
3 Tsp liquid smoke
pepper


1/2 shredded cashew cheese
3 garlic scapes finely sliced
salt
pepper


Brown both sides of the tofu slices in a bit of olive oil. Splash with tamari and liquid smoke just before transferring to a tray to cool. Season with balck pepper and let cool.

Get the same pan and saute the garlic scapes in oil over low heat. Once just brown remove from pan and mix with cashew cheese. Slice a pocket in the tofu and stuff with the cheese mixture then bake at 350 for about 15 mins.


Wheat Berry Succotash
1 cup wheat berries
salt
2 cloves garlic


1 med onion, diced
1 zuchinni, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 handful cauliflower florets
1 cup of chickpeas,
1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
4 Tbsp of sunflower seeds
salt and pepper to taste


Boil wheat berries, garlic and a pinch of salt in 4 cups of water until cooked.

Saute onions, carrots and zuchinni for about 5 minutes in some oil. Add chili powder, chickpeas, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add sunflower seeds and cooked wheat berries. Mash up the garlic and mix that in too.



Purple Cauliflower Puree

1 head purple cauliflower, steamed until well cooked
2 cloves garlic, steamed or boiled with cauliflower
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbsp light miso
salt
pepper


Puree all ingredients in blender until well pureed. Serve over tofu and succotash.

Vegan Cheese

Holy cow!

I think I finally mastered the art of making vegan cheese without using any sort of aging process. The trick is to use already fermented ingredients to lend the flavor without actually spending the time or risking a moldy waste of good ingredients. So here is my recipe.

Beautiful Vegan Semi-Firm Cheese

2 cups raw cashews
3/4 cup raw pine nuts
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 safflower oil
3tbsp sea salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 heaped tbsp white miso paste
1 pinch cardamom
1 tbsp onion powder
1 pinch cumin
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 package silken tofu
1 tsp xanthum gum, optional

1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp agar agar powder

Method

Blend all the ingredients (except the water and agar agar from the bottom) until very smooth. You can soak the cashews and pine nuts if you would like, but it is fine without that step. Meanwhile, simmer the water and agar agar powder for about 10-15 minutes until completely dissolved and thickened, stirring continuously.
Get a vessel, mold, dish, or whatever fits all your cheese mixture ready by coating it with oil or nonstick spray. I used a ceramic loaf pan. Avoid metal for this because it may impart some weird flavors.
Now, add the not agar agar mixture into your blender with all the other ingredients and blend until very well combined. Scrape down sides, blend again. Pour mixture into prepared mold and chill for at least two hours.

Enjoy!

Vegan Donuts!

Instead of cake for my birthday, I wanted donuts. So I got them. What, I mean it is MY birthday right? These are the best damn donuts of all time. so amazing. Super easy to make too. Basically a milk and fat enriched yeast dough that is deep fried then covered with icing or sugar, and filled with pastry creme or jelly or a hole I guess. All I know is that there is little in this world of sugary delights that is as satisfying as a freshly made doughnut.

Deep fried love.

I think this is what is meant by Christ has risen.

Filling, resting, eating, powderedsugar-ing, simultaneously.

We used that chopstick alot.

The first one done and ready for its photo shoot.

Heavenly.

Up close and personal.

Confetti fun.

We got the whole gang together.

Sprinkles make me happy

Oops! I ate one (dozen).

Boston cream in your face

The whole assortment

I cant get enough sprinkles in this weird exposure

Untitled

The outfit.

Vegan Yeast Doughnuts

base dough

4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1 pkg instant dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup Earth balance melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup warm soymilk
3 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 4 tbsp warm water

Mix all ingredients to from a dough. Knead for about 8 minutes. Form into a ball and let rise for about 1.5 hours. After this, form small pieces of dough into donut shapes ( with holes and without) Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour before frying in 375F canola oil. You need a decent amount of oil, depending on the size of your pot (around 4 cups) , and I recommend using a thermometer to check oil temperature.

After you fry for about 2 minutes per side, the doughnuts should puff up and be golden brown, place on a paper towel to drain. Cover with your favorite frostings, sprinkles, or glaze them in vanilla icing. We made boston creme, jelly filled, and glazed doughnuts with sprinkles.

Arugula done up cooked and raw

This dish was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe in which he went out and picked wild vegetables all around the inner city in London. He found wild fennel, arugula and a bunch of herbs, which makes me want to start looking around Urbana a whole bunch more for wild food stuffs. I got my arugula wild picked at Trader Joes.

Arugula and Wild Mushroom Spaghetti, Cashew Creme Sauce, Smokey tofu, Arugula Salad

for the pasta

1/2 lb ww spaghetti
3 cloves garlic sliced thin
2 cups wild mushrooms, sliced ( I used shiitake, cremini, and oyster)
2 large spring onions, sliced lengthwise to mimic the pasta shape
1 bunch arugula
1 cup cashew creme
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 block of smokey tofu, sliced into strips, or cut into triangles
salt + pepper to taste (easy on the pepper because the arugula is quite peppery)
olive oil

for the salad

1 bunch of arugula
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Smokey tofu

1 block of tofu, pressed and drained, sliced into 8-10 slabs
1/4 cup tamari
3 tbsp liquid smoke
black pepper

Marinate tofu for about an hour. Reserve marinade. Fry tofu in a pan until brown on both sides, then splash with leftover marinade. Throw on a sheet tray and into a 400F oven for about 30 mins.

Cashew Creme

1/2 cup cashews
1 cup water

Add cashews and a half a cup of water to a blender. Blend until smooth adding more water if needed.

Start out by making the smokey tofu. Then start your boiling water and throw your pasta in. Get a pan hot add oil and crisp up your mushrooms, cook for about 5 minutes, add sliced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes. Add your sliced spring onions. Then add your arugula. Make sure not to over cook. Add cashew creme and nutritional yeast. Add cooked pasta and a little pasta cooking water to thin out the creme.

When ready to assemble make the salad by dressing the arugula with the oil, lemon juice and salt. Plate the spaghetti on the bottom. Sprinkle your sliced smokey tofu and then top with the arugula salad. Garnish with toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy right away.