Our Veggie Kitchen

Enchiladas are a real treat around our house. It's one of the few things that everyone in the house will eat. Today, I made the kids' favorite enchilada sauce and paired it with nacho sauce and a filling of broccoli, pico de gallo, brown rice and pinto beans. The filling was really good, but I think I would have preferred my black bean mole sauce.



Cheezy Broccoli Enchiladas
10 flour tortillas
1 recipe California Chili Enchilada Sauce or Black Bean Mole
1 cup nacho cheeze sauce (1/2 recipe)
Filling:
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 cup pico de gallo
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

For the filling, steam the broccoli and plunge into cold water and drain.  An easy way to do this is to put the florets in a glass bowl, add a half cup of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 or 6 minutes.  Combine the cooled broccoli with the remaining filling ingredients, then stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of enchilada sauce, enough to make the filling a little saucy.  Set aside.

Add a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce into a 9x13 casserole, just enough to cover. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into a pie dish For each tortilla, dip into the sauce and flip, so both sides are coated. Add 4-5 heaping tablespoons of filling. Wrap each tortilla and place tightly into the casserole.

Heat the nacho sauce in a sauce pan or microwave. Pour over the enchiladas. Then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

5 Servings:  582 cal (16g fat, 101g carbs, 17g protein)

One of my first posts, and one my most popular early posts was for Black Bean Enchiladas with Nacho Sauce. I didn't have a vegetarian, let alone a vegan, enchilada sauce, so I used canned. I did do some research and came up with a delicious nacho sauce, which I posted yesterday. Since that post, I've posted four different enchilada mixes and three different sauces.

Cheezy Tofu Enchiladas (Below): I've made this a couple of times, now, with a couple of different sauces. I really like the texture. The tofu is simmered in sauce and mixed with brown rice. You'll some extra filling, though, so nibbling at the stove with some corn chips is perfectly all right.

Black Bean Enchiladas: Black Beans, onions and corn make up a simple filling. The emphasis is really on the sauces. As enchiladas go, this one is pretty simple to make. Just don't skimp on the sauce.

Spinach Enchiladas: These have no cheese or cheeze sauce and they don't need it. They are delicious with the tex-mex enchilada sauce. I like to use fresh spinach, but a box of frozen spinach would work fine as well.

Sweet & Citrus Enchiladas: These may be my favorite. They've got mango and sweet potato and brown rice cooked in a citrus sauce. It's sweet, tangy and delicous and a ferfect match with the California Chili Sauce.

And speaking of sauces, I've come up with three that I've used, mixed and matched with any of the enchiladas listed above. Here they are:

Tex Mex Enchilada Sauce: This is my all time favorite sauce. Originally made with massive quantities of lard, I've refined it, made it vegan and a bit healthier. If I had some strange Rule 34 fetish, it would be with this sauce.

California Chili Enchilada Sauce: This takes some time to make, but its got a simple, refreshing flavor, its low in calories ... and its my kids' favorite.

Black Bean Mole Sauce: Yes, I know. Moles aren't vegan. But this thick sauce is super tasty and very nutritious. My favorite use of this sauce is still as a dip for corn chips, but its great on tacos or enchiladas too.



Cheezy Tofu Enchiladas
10 medium flour tortillas
1 lb tofu, drained & crumbled (12 or 14 oz is ok)
1 red onion, chopped
4 oz can sliced olives
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chunked
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup nacho sauce
1 recipe California Chili Enchilada Sauce (3 cups).

Cook the brown rice, then set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the veggies and tofu. Add 1 cup of enchilada sauce to a pan along with the onion, olives, zucchini, salsa and crumbled tofu. Simmer until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice and set aside.

Add a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce into a 9x13 casserole, just enough to cover. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into a pie dish For each tortilla, dip into the sauce and flip, so both sides are coated. Add 4-5 heaping tablespoons of filling. Wrap each tortilla and place tightly into the casserole.

Heat the nacho sauce in a sauce pan or microwave. Pour over the enchiladas. Then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

5 Servings: 582 cal (19g fat, 86g carbs, 19g protein)

Lasagna is a big deal. It just is! The closest thing I've come to streamlining the process is to do as much multi-tasking as possible, or to make the different parts ahead of time and refrigerate them. Still, it's an ordeal. Luckily, sometimes it's worth it because a good lasagna is so good.



Veggie Lasagna with Fennel Marinara
1lb lasagna noodles
10 oz spinach, chopped (or frozen)
4 cups broccoli florets
2 zucchini, chopped
2 tbs almonds, ground

Marinara:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white wine
28 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Bechamel:
2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/4 tsp salt
Ricotta:

1 lb firm tofu, drained & crumbled
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs miso
1/4 tsp salt
1 small lemon, juiced

For the Marinara:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, fennel and carrots. Saute until the onions are soft, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for another minute or so, until the garlic becomes aromatic then stir in the wine, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil and set aside.

For the Bechamel:
Melt the margarine in a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, until it begins to bubble. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until the flour begins to brown. Remove from heat and add the soy milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As soon as the sauce comes to a boil, remove from the heat and set aside.

For the Ricotta:
Crumble the drained tofu into a bowl. Stir in the oil, miso, salt and lemon juice.

For the veggies:
Rinse and chop the spinach and add to a saute pan with only the water that clings to the leaves. Cook over medium high heat until the spinach has completely wilted and the water has mostly evaporated. In batches, press the spinach between two saucers to drain and set aside. If using frozen, thaw, chop, squeeze out the water and set aside.

Add the broccoli and zucchini to the saute pan with about half a cup of water and cover. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli softens. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Assembly:
Cook the pasta until the noodles are pliable, but not completely cooked. Pour off most of the hot water and add enough cold water or ice so you can grab the noodles with your hand.

Add enough marinara to coat the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. Add a layer of noodles (1/4 of package), then half the broccoli and zucchini, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the bechamel and 1/4 of the remaining marinara.

Add another layer of noodles, followed by the spinach, 1/3 of the ricotta and 1/3 of the bechamel.

Add another layer of noodles, then the remaining broccoli and zucchini, the remaining ricotta mixture and 1/4 of the marinara.

Finally, add the remaining pasta, then the marinara, then the bechamel. Top with ground almonds. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until bubbling, probably 30-45 minutes. Bake time will be longer if the sauces have been refrigerated. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

8 Servings: 585 cal (16g fat, 86g carbs, 35g protein)

I've been wanting to make these for a while but, for one reason or another, never got around to it. My middle girl loves enchiladas, but I thought these may be a bit spicy for her. I was wrong. She wolfed three enchiladas and had leftovers for lunch.



Spinach & Black Bean Enchiladas
10 flour tortillas
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
8 oz spinach, chopped
1 can black beans
4 oz can olives
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 cups enchilada sauce (see below)

Saute the onion in vegetable oil. Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is thoroughly cooked. Add the black beans, olives, cooked rice and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Add a few more spoonfuls of sauce into a 9x13 casserole, just enough to cover.

For each tortilla, add 3-4 heaping tablespoons of filling. Wrap each tortilla and place tightly into the casserole. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until bubbling.

Note: The sauce for this recipe is very thick. If you like your enchiladas more saucy, add another cup of water to the sauce.

5 Servings: 569 cal (23g fat, 78g carbs, 16g protein)

I had a couple reasons for making spanakopita. The first, and most obvious, is that I like spinach and feta and flaky crust. The second reason is that I'd never worked with phyllo dough and I've been looking for a replacement for pie crust.

You see, I had unwittingly been making tofu quiche with lard-filled pie crusts for some time. And the other options aren't too appealing. Most lard-free pie crusts have trans fat. Making a pie crust from scratch is more effort than a quiche is worth. Maybe phillo dough was the answer.

The crust turned out light and flaky; even better than any pie crust I'd had. I didn't mess with folding up individual pastries and I'm glad I didn't. The pie was perfect. The only thing I might change next time is the spice mix. As I poked about the internet, I found that there were a broad range of spices used, but most went with dill or oregano. My wife thought it was a bit off. I liked it and it was even better the next day. But, next time, I may go with dill instead.



Spanakopita
1 lb baby spinach (or 2 bunches spinach, washed & stemmed), chopped
1 bunch green onions, whites only, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbs fresh)
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 1/2 tbs fresh)
1 tbs ground flax seed
1/2 small lemon, juiced
8 oz phyllo dough
1/2 recipe Betta Feta Tofu(see below), crumbled

For the filling:
Add the spinach, onions, parsley, spices, and garlic to a saute pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbled Feta Tofu, lemon juice and ground flax. Set aside until the pie crust is ready.


For the pie crust:
Individually, brush each piece of phyllo on both sides lightly with olive oil. Place the first piece of phyllo in the pie pan so that about half of the sheet hangs over the pie dish. Brush the next piece place it so that it mostly, but not completely, overlaps the first piece. Working this way, fan the sheets around the pie sheet until the bottom is covered and you've run out of phyllo sheets.

Assembly:
Fill the pie dish with the spinach filling. Fold the overhanging phyllo sheets over onto the top of the pie. Spray the top with olive oil spray, just to coat. Put the pie in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and flaky.

4 Servings: 404 Cal (21g fat, 42g carbs, 12g protein)

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Betta Feta
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 cup water, + more to cook tofu
1/2 cup light miso
3 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt

Cube tofu into 1" cubes. Submerge in boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain. Whisk together the water, miso, vinegar and salt. Put cubes into a marinade container and pour marinade over the tofu. Stir gently and refrigerate. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 days or up to 1 week. Shake the container periodically until used. To use, remove from the marinade and crumble each cube with your fingers and use in place of feta. Use within 2 weeks.

Source: The Uncheese Cookbook

Is it wrong to want comfort food so soon after Thanksgiving? The truth is, we just really like mashed potatoes. I made ten pounds for Thanksgiving, then bought another ten pound bag this weekend. With Shepherd's Pie, I always pile on too may taters and the filling ends up gushing over the sides. Inverting the process resolves that problem and leaves room for some tater tots. This isn't necessarily the healthiest thing that I've made, but it was sure good.



Upside Down Shepherd's Pie
6 cups mashed potatoes
1 lb tater tots (half a bag)
Filling:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Melt margarine in a sauce pan. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until soft. Stir in garlic and broccoli and cook until the garlic is aromatic. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a couple minutes longer. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and remove from heat and set aside. The sauce should have thickened a bit.

Spread mashed potatoes in a 9 x 13 casserole, spreading some of the potatoes up the sides. Pour in the gravy and veggies. Spread tater tots over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the tater tots are browned and the gravy is bubbly.

This can be made with any combination of veggies that you want and can be as simple as mixing a bag of frozen veggies with gravy and adding a can of beans or seitan strips. Just make sure you have five or six cups of filling. Also, I kept the nutritional yeast to a minimum at my kids' request. I ended up sprinkling some extra over the top for myself. You may just want to add some more.

6 Servings: 607 cal (18g fat, 100g carbs, 16g protein)

With beef, pork, and veal; whole milk, butter and cheese; I can think of few things that are less vegan. Bolognese sauce was also one of my favorites. I made it a while back with minced portabella mushrooms instead of meat and it was good. I made it yesterday with seitan hamburger. It made me happy. The sauce makes for a delicious spaghetti and, for a potluck yesterday, I combined it with a rich bechamel and some tofu ricotta to veganize my latest challenge: Vegan Bolognese Lasagna.

I brought the lasagna and cooked at the pot luck, so I don't have a finished photo. The bolognese sauce looks good, though. I'm glad my wife can bake. The cupcakes were good, especially the frosting.




Bolognese Lasagna
12 strips dry lasagna noodles

Sauce:
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
4 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1/2 onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 links seitan hamburger, minced
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
28 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce

Bechamel:
4 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 cup flour
4 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp salt

Rocotta:
8 oz firm tofu, pressed
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbs miso

Sauce: Put dried mushrooms in a small bowl and, cover with water, then losely wrap the bowl with seran wrap. Microwave for about a minute, until the mushrooms are soft. Set aside. Melt margarine in a large sauce pan. Saute onions, celery and carrot until soft. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Add seitan and cook until warm. Add soy milk and boil until the liquid has been reduced, about 15 min. Add wine and boil again, until liquid has been reduced. There should be very little liquid in the pan and should be incorporated into the mince. Squeeze the excess liquid from the porcinis into the sauce. Mince the mushrooms and add them to the sauce, along with the reserved liquid. Add the tomatoes and sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about half an hour. Set aside and allow to cool a bit.

Bechamel: Heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture turns a light, golden hue, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in soy milk (preferrably room temperature). Allow to simmer, stirring frequently until no lumps remain and the sauce thickens a bit. Stir in salt and set aside. Allow to cool until a bit. Stir about 1/2 cup bechamel into the tomato sauce.

Ricotta: Crumble tofu into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and, with your fingers, thoroghly mix.

Pasta: Just before you are ready to assemble, cook pasta in boiling water just until pliable. Drain and plunge into cold water.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. layer 1/3 of the noodles, then spread 1/3 tomato sauce, 1/2 tofu mix and 1/3 bechamel. Repeat. Top with a final layer of noodles, tomato sauce and bechamel. Cover and bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

8 Servings: 551 cal (18g fat, 65g carbs, 26g protein)

And, for your viewing pleasure. Here's a pic of the birthday cupcake for a guy turning 38!

It's been a long time since I've had something on my plate that stared back. This weekend, I elected to go with the reprehensible and wholly inedible. For a week, my wife had been saying "you're not actually going to do that are you?", "why are you doing that?", Do I need a divorce?" The answers were "yes!", "IDK, therapy maybe?" and "might be a good plan"



I can't explain myself, but ever since learned about vegan jello, I've had an uncontrollable urge to build a mass of suspended jiggly, I don't even know. I'd once seen a picture of corn dog jello and I wanted to try to duplicate that feat. I also intended to make a Mexican fiesta of Orange jello, refried beans, and birds eye chili peppers and, maybe a peanut butter and olive platter. Vegan jello gels faster than actual jello and I wasn't quick enough so you'll be spared all but the corn dog masterpiece. Morningstar's Corn Dogs aren't vegan, but, I'm not sure you can even call this food. Oh well, it was fun.



I also made funeral potatoes. If you have any Mormon friends, there's a good chance you know what funeral potatoes. Basically, they're a quick casserole of butter (like a cube!), cheese, sour cream, Campbell's Cream of Something soup and frozen potatoes. I ran some recipes through my cookbook and some topped out at over 60g fat per serving and were definitely Not vegan.

In my version, I used homemade mushroom soup, homemade nacho sauce and Tofutti sour cream and it tasted pretty good. And if you've got everything in the freezer, it's just as quick.

Funeral Potatoes
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz frozen potato cubes
2 cups cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sour cream (why does Tofutti have trans fat?!)
1 cup nacho sauce, warmed if refrigerated
1 1/2 cups corn flakes
2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, melted

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Remove from heat and stir in mushroom soup and sour cream. In a 9x13 casserole, add frozen potatoes and stir together with nacho sauce. Fold in the mushroom mixture. Toss the cornflakes with margarine and sprinkle across the casserole. Bake, uncovered for an hour in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees.

Feta Cheese, Parmesan, an eggy, creamy bechamel sauce and, of coarse, fresh eggplant and zucchini; these were the cornerstones of my favorite Moussaka. It's a little non-vegan, though, and a little on the fatty side. I've wanted to recreate this for a while and finally had cause to do so.

Recently, I've had a couple of breakthroughs that lead me to revisit this dish. First, I stumbled upon a fake feta in the Uncheese Cookbook that I had to try. I made a batch, used some in a spinach/kalamata calzone and had lots left over. Second, I'd been playing with ground flax and was wondering if I could make a custard-like bechamel with flax.

This vegan moussaka is firm and flavorful, not at all greasy, and adds a nutty flavor. The flax made the sauce more creamy than custard-like and flavored the sauce in a very positive way. The tofu feta has a flavor and texture similar to real feta. The tomato/lentil sauce is subtle and not at all overpowering. The eggplant is a predominant flavor.

Please note, though, this moussaka is an endeavor. The 'feta' marinades for, at least, a couple days. You'll spend an hour chopping and baking veggies, and it'll bake in the oven for another hour. Moussaka takes some work and planning, but it is well worth it for a treat or special occasion.



Vegan Moussaka
Layers:
2-3 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced (1/2" slices)
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 recipe 'Betta Feta' (Recipe follows)
1/4 cup ground almonds
Sauce:
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs white wine vinegar
14 oz diced tomatoes
14 oz can lentils, drained
1 tbs oregano, chopped
2 tbs parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Bechamel:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
3 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs ground flax seed

VEGETABLES: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and leave in a colander or propped baking sheet. Allow to drain for 20-30 minutes. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread potatoes evenly on the sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until slightly browned, turning once. Slice the zucchini and set aside. Thoroughly rinse the eggplant slices, pat dry and bake in the same way as the potatoes, for about 30 minutes. The zucchini need not be cooked, so long as it is sliced very thin, around 1/8 inch. If you like thicker zucchini slices, bake the slices until they begin to soften. I don't like soft zucchini, so I don't precook them.

SAUCE: Saute the onions, adding garlic just before done. Cook until fragrant and add the vinegar and let reduce. Add the tomatoes, including juices and 1/2 can of lentils (and ½ of the juices), and the oregano, parsley and cinnamon. Let simmer for about 15 minutes and set aside.

BECHAMEL: Melt the margarine and stir in the flour, stirring out the lumps. Remove from heat and add the milk. Return to heat and cook the sauce until it thickens. Set a side and let cool slightly. Stir in ground flax seed.

TO ASSEMBLE: Layer the eggplant in a 9 x 13 casserole. Add the Potatoes and zucchini. Pour the tomato/onion sauce evenly over the potatoes, then spread the crumbled feta. Repeat with eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, tomato/onion and feta. Pour the bechamel over the top and sprinkle with parmesan the ground almonds. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes.

6 Servings: 421 cal (15g fat, 55g carbs, 20g protein)

Betta Feta
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 cup water, + more to cook tofu
1/2 cup light miso
3 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt

Cube tofu into 1" cubes. Submerge in boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain. Whisk together the water, miso, vinegar and salt. Put cubes into a marinade container and pour marinade over the tofu. Stir gently and refrigerate. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 days or up to 1 week. Shake the container periodically until used. To use, remove from the marinade and crumble each cube with your fingers and use in place of feta. Use within 2 weeks.

Source: The Uncheese Cookbook

These enchladas are filling and delicious. I usually make them a day ahead of time and pop them in the oven for an easy weeknight dinner.

My tried and true enchilada sauce was a TexMex masterpiece that was made with a pound of lard. It was neither nutritious nor vegitarian. I've experiemented with different sauces, but haven't arrived on any yet. For now, I'm just using Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce. If you have your own, use a couple of cups, or a little more.



Black Bean Enchiladas:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (or 1 1/2 cups frozen)
1 1/2 cups nacho cheese sauce
10 medium tortillas
1-2 cans (14 oz) enchilada sauce

Saute the onion in oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic. Combine in a mixing bowl with the beans and corn. Stir in a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce and set aside. This is the filling for the enchiladas. Add a few more spoonfuls of sauce into a 9x13 casserole.

For each tortilla, add 2-3 heaping tablespoons of filling, followed by 1-2 tablespoons of nacho sauce. Wrap each tortilla and place tightly into the casserole. Spoon another tablespoonful of nacho sauce over each enchilada and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until bubbling. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.

5 Servings: 508 cal (17 g fat, 75g carbs, 18g protein)