February 24, 2012
Making Toddy
Coffee is something I drink at least once a day and I don’t always have time to brew a fresh batch every morning. I also don’t always want hot coffee, especially when it is well over a hundred degrees outside. My solution was making toddy which is cold brewed. Toddy tends to be a lot stronger than regular coffee and provides me with the kick I need in the morning.
Another benefit of toddy is the change in taste. Well, if you use a decent and fresh bag of beans. If you are new to buying coffee or maybe new to good coffee take a look at the beans should be oily versus dry. Googling a brand before purchasing can also be beneficial, for instance I prefer beans grown outside of Columbia because they tend to be less acidic. Fair Trade and organic brands are also good things to consider when looking for a good brand of coffee. Cold brewing coffee, good coffee, provides a completely different taste. Many of the good brands will have more of a chocolate mocha type taste to them. Of course we all have different tastes so be sure to try out different brands and find the one you like best. I like to use First Colony or High Desert brand. If you find ones that work well be sure to post them in the comments below!
I forgot to mention time is another large benefit for Toddy drinkers. I brew a huge batch on the weekend and store it in a pitcher in the fridge and it lasts me through the entire week. Just pour it in your mug, adding nondairy milk and sweetener as needed.
How to Make Toddy:
(Makes About 2 Liters of Toddy)1. Place a coffee filter inside of a strainer and place it on top of a wide mouth jar or pitcher
2. Grind 1 1/2 cups of coffee beans (good ones)
3.Place ground beans inside of filter
4. Slowly pour 1-2 cups of cold water evenly over the ground beans
5. Wait! Let first round of water sit for 30 minutes, this allows it to sort through the bean oil. Don’t panic, you only have to do this once.
6. Slowly pour another 1-2 cups of cold water over the beans and wait until water has filter through.
7. Repeat step six until your container is full (about 2 Liters).
Don’t forget! Toddy is much stronger and tastier than regularly brewed coffee. Depending on your tolerance you may want to water down your toddy prior to drinking it 
February 22, 2012
Simple Vegan Pudding
I’ve bought vegan pudding a handful of times and never been all that impressed. I also had never considered making pudding on my own and stumbled upon it by accident. For more on the accidental discovery check out the second paragraph in my Winter Veggie Casserole post.
A few things to keep in mind when making the pudding. Depending on how thick you like your pudding you can add more tapioca pudding (just add it in slowly and allow to heat up). There also a number of ways you can flavor your pudding. Be create with it and post what you like!
Pudding Mix:
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
1-2 Tablespoon of tapioca flour (other flours work also, may not thicken as well)
1 1/2 cups of nondairy milk (soy, coconut, almond)
2 Tablespoons of sweetener or more to taste (maple syrup, agave, sugar)
Add in 2 Tablespoons of cocoa, 2 teaspoons of vanilla or anything you think may taste good)
Directions – Grab a saucepan and melt the nondairy butter on low heat then quickly whisk in 1 tablespoon tapioca flour (30-60 seconds). Slowly add in milk and whisk. Increase heat to a medium low and whisk until thickened. Add in more tapioca flour as needed or wanted until desired thickness is reached. Stir in cocoa, vanilla, or flavor of choice. Remove from heat and then cool for 10 minutes. Pour into bowl and let chill in fridge for 4 hours or until firm.
February 20, 2012
Winter Veggie Casserole
Winter vegetables make for a great combo of flavors. Of course I’ll make anything with parsnips in it. I put a few other vegetables in there too. Among the mix was two plump potatoes, a quarter of banana a squash and the two largest parsnips I could find in the Sprouts produce section. I suggest trying the banana squash, this was my first time trying it and it was delicious!
Now for the sauce I kinda messed up a bit and ended up with something that looked and smelled similar to tapioca pudding. My advice, don’t heat the sauce for too long and keep a close eye on it. If you accidentally let it get too thick don’t worry, just throw in some sweetener, vanilla or cocoa and throw it in the fridge. In a few hours you’ll have pudding to serve for dessert
For the Veggies:
2 potatoes
2 parsnips
3-4 cups of squash (pumpkin, butternut, banana…)
Here’s what you do – peel everything up and cut it into bite size pieces. In the mean time, start boiling a large pot of water. Once the veggies are done let them boil for about 8 minutes or so and drain out water. *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups of nondairy milk (soy, almond…)
1 Tablespoon of nondairy butter (Earth Balance)
1 Tablespoon of flour (I used tapioca)
Pinch of nutmeg and black pepper to taste
For sauce – put the butter in a small pot on low heat till melted. Throw in the flour and whisk constantly until combined, about 60 seconds. Then, slowly and in the soy milk. Whisk until the sauce starts to thicken, you don’t want it too thick! Take it off the stove and add in the pepper and nutmeg.For crumbs:
2 slices of bread (rye is good)
1/2 cup of roasted cashews
1 teaspoon of nondairy butter
Throw it in a food processor and blend it up til well combined and crumbly.Put it all together
Grab a oven proof dish and put in veggies. Stir in the sauce and then sprinkle on the crumbles. Bake for 30 minutes.
December 31, 2011
2011 in review
Thanks everyone for another great year!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 22 trips to carry that many people.
December 2, 2011
Pizza in a Pot: The Sequel with a Kick
There are times when I don’t have the time or energy to whip up a batch of my awesome vegan pizza crust but still crave pizza. On those days (especially the cold ones) I settle for a vegan version of what my mom used to call Pizza in a Pot. Since boiling noodles is a lot easier than mixing up a batch of dough I can get dinner ready in a lot less time.
In the interest of trying something new I picked up a package of Daiya Vegan Cheese instead the Follow Your Heart brand I usually buy. The Daiya Cheese is a well liked brand I just don’t usually buy it because I’m cheap and it’s expensive. To be honest they were out of the Mozerella style of my usual brand so I figured why not. To add to adventure the only type of Daiya they had was spicy pepper jack and I still bought it despite knowing I’m a complete wimp. Keep in mind I involuntarily tear up with ketchup so I think you will be okay 
Here’s what you need:
1 lb. of entertaining pasta
1/2-1 cup of daiya pepper jack cheese
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2-1 cup of tomato sauce
1 batch of 60 Second Tempeh60 Second Tempeh (Sausage Style)
1 package tempeh
1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme, sage, fennel, fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of veggie bullion (liquid not dried)
Variations: add liquid hickory smoke and/or maple syrup, for non-wimps cayenne and/or crushed red pepper to liking
Directions: crumble tempeh in small bowl and add all other ingredients desired. Use fingers or forks to mix until combined.Kickn’ Pizza in a Pot Directions:
Preheat oven to 525 degrees. Boil for noodles. While noodles cooking noodles make tempeh sausage. In a large oven safe bowl combine tempeh sausage, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce and daiya cheese. Drain cooked noodles and add to bowl. Mix ingredients, cover with foil and place in oven. Cook for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
July 22, 2011
Dillweed Ranch Style Seitan Salad
We have all tried the popular mayo style chicken (hopefully mock) salad or even the fancy curry version. I have used tempeh before but I also really enjoy using home-made seitan instead. I thought a ranch style sauce infused with dill would make for a great salad. This dish is perfect for those hot summer months. Throw it over a fresh bed of veggies and enjoy!
Dillweed Ranch Dressing:
1 Cup veganaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dillweed (2 tablespoons of fresh dill)
Directions: Mix everything together in a bowl. Add milk slowly, add more for dressing style and less for sandwich style seitan salad.Home Made Seitan
Seitan:
1 3/4 Cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 Cup Nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 Cup water
1/4 Amino Bragg (soy sauce or tamari works too)Broth:
12 Cups of water
3 cloves garlic, cut ends and remove peel
2, 1 inch squares of fresh ginger
3 Green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Cup of Amino Bragg (soy sauce or tamari work too)
Directions: First, start with broth and bring to soft simmer over low to medium heat. Then for seitan, mix all dry ingredients well. Mix all wet ingredients separately and add to wet ingredients, mix well. Knead ball until well combined. Divide seitan into 3-5 balls (I like to additionally knead each individual ball to ensure its tight) and place in broth. Bring broth to boil momentarily then bring back to simmer. Do not allow to boil again, this will ruin seitan and make it soggy. Simmer for 45 minutes to one hour or until desired firmness is reached.Dillweed Ranch Style Seitan Salad
2-3 balls of cooked seitan (cooled)
Dillweed Ranch
3 green onions chopped
1 bowl of freshly prepared greens ( I suggest red leaf lettuce, spinach, cucumbers and carrots)
Directions: Cut seitan into small cubes. In medium-sized bowl combine cubed seitan, green onion and ranch dressing. In another bowl prepare salad greens. Chill both for best results before serving. The Dillweed Style Seitan should be spooned over fresh bed of greens but of course can be used for sandwiches as well.
June 30, 2011
Faking the Bacon
There isn’t much that beats a sandwich spread with veganaise, piled on with freshly cut veggies and a few crispy strips of smoked goodness. Obviously bacon is dirty word as far as vegans go but there are all sorts of delicious ways to satisfy those crispy smoked desires. Of course, we could always run out to the store and grab some Morning Star Veggie Bacon Strips (which are not vegan due to egg whites) or Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips which I highly recommend. However there are many benefits to making your own. You can avoid the high costs of premade foods as well as pesky things like preservatives and high amounts of sodium. Also, for folks with food allergies it’s difficult to avoid things like soy or wheat gluten with purchasing premade foods. Plus when we make our own foods, especially things like sauce and so on, we can boost the outcome by catering to our individual tastes.
There are two main components involved in making crispy smoky strips; the actual strips and the sauce. We have lots of room the experiment within the realm of strips and sauce but obviously you must have both to make it work.
The Strips. There are many possibilities when it comes to strips. I will list the main ones I enjoy using and I hope that you will post others that you have tried and enjoyed.
Wheat & Grains- Premade seitan or tempeh work well and are rather inexpensive. When using seitan, you first have to steam the tempeh for a few minutes in order for the sauce to catch on. I suggest using the Lightlife organic tempeh. For seitan, I make my own using vital wheat gluten and then thinly slice and soak it in sauce. Both taste best when cooked in a skillet with a little olive oil until browned and crisp. The longer you soak the strips in the sauce the more flavourful they become.
Vegetable Alternatives- As I mentioned before, folks with food allergies often have difficulties with soy, wheat gluten or other ingredients involved in tempeh and seitan. Some healthier and more simple alternatives would be eggplant, I also would like to try cucumbers. Peel the vegetables and then cut into 3 to 6 inch long pieces about a quarter-inch thick. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for ten minutes on each side or until browned. Allow to cool and then dip in the sauce and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on your strips while in the oven, especially if you don’t like them extremely crispy. All varieties of strips work well and I’m sure there are many more out there that would be great. Be sure to post if you have tried one that works well.
The Sauce. Sauces can be as easy or complex as we want. I have made ones that consisted of simply liquid smoke and soy sauce to a combination well over a dozen ingredients. The key ingredient when making strips of crispy goodness is the liquid smoke. I prefer Wrights brand of Hickory Seasoning. Whole Foods carries the Wrights brand. Common ingredients for BBQ sauce include fire roasted tomato, ketchup, tomato, molasses, maple syrup, onion and so on. Just throw them in a blender and you’re good to go. If you’re short on time, I suggest using Annies brand. Be creative, there are lots of great sauce combinations yet to be discovered.
These babies are great for everything from sandwiches to toppings for pizza and salads. Have fun making crispy smoky strips!
June 22, 2011
The Ultimate Seitan Burger
This burger was actually the third in a series of experiments resulting from my girlfriend telling me that her mom was in need of a veggie burger that didn’t feel or taste like a veggie burger but a regular beef burger. I thought it would be fun to see how close, well as close as a vegan can guess, to a beef-like vegan burger. There were two major factors involved in making this a success, mimicking both taste and texture. And so The Ultimate Seitan Burger was born. The taste is very similar (as far as I remember), though, I am still working on the texture, because the seitan actually turned out to be much firmer than it’s not so vegan burger alternative. So please give it a try and let me know what you think. As I mentioned before, I wouldn’t simmer it as long as I did but it’s up to you. Enjoy!
For burgers:
- 1 1/2 Cups of vital wheat gluten
- 4 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour
- 1 1/4 Cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of amino bragg
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of ketchup
For broth:
- 9 Cups of water
- 1/4 Cup soy sauce
- 1/4 Cup amino bragg
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of veggie bullion
- 1/4 cup of ketchup
Instructions:
- Combine all broth ingredients in large pot and bring to boil over low to medium heat.
- While broth is heating mix all dry ingredients for burgers and mix in all wet ingredients.
- Once burger mix is well combined knead into patties of size desired, remember seitan will expand when simmering.
- Place patties into water and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat so that broth is simmering.
- Do not allow broth to boil again, it will affect the texture of the seitan.
- Let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes or until firm to the touch.
June 20, 2011
Pizza in a Pot
My mom used to make this for my siblings and I when we were kids. It’s almost everything you look for in a recipe; fast, simple, fun and delicious! Feel free to mix things up and throw in whatever your favourite pizza toppings might be. I think next time I may try some home-made tempeh sausage instead of Big Stick Pepperoni from Vegan on the Cheap. Have fun and enjoy! Be sure to post any other combinations you’ve tried.
What you need:
- 1 pound of your favourite noodles (I used Gemelli)
- 1 jar of tomato sauce (or marinara, whatever your preference)
- 1/2 a block of shredded Follow Your Heart mozzarella Chreeze
- 1-2 cups of your favourite pizza toppings!
Instructions
- Fill large pot with water and bring to boil, add noodles and boil until done (7-10 minutes)
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees (hot enough to melt chreeze)
- In a large oven safe bowl combine all ingredients and mix.
- Cover bowl with foil and cook for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly.
June 17, 2011
Tomashew Burgers
Looking for a down to earth burger that’s packed with flavour? You should really try this one. They are fun to make and even more fun to chow down on. I highly suggest slicing up some fresh tomato, red onion, sprouts and spring lettuce mix to dress up your burger. Don’t forget the veganaise!
Here’s what you need:
- 1 Cup of cashews
- 3/4 Cup of xtra firm tofu
- 1/3 Cup of sunflower seeds
- 1/3 Cup of sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon of sage
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 Cube of veggie bullion
- 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 – 1 Cup of water
- 1/2 Cup of tapioca flour
Instructions
- Blend together all ingredients EXCEPT tapioca flour.
- Blend until reach desired consistency (add water slowly as needed).
- Transfer blended mixture to bowl. Stir in tapioca flour.
- Heat skillet to medium heat, add small amount of oil or Earth Balance.
- Form burger mixture into patties.
- Cook patties in skillet until evenly browned on both sides.
