Our Veggie Kitchen

Last May, I made an amazing batch of Tomato Chutney (recipe here). It was so good, that I ate a bunch of it over plain rice and even a few spoonfuls straight while leaning over the sink. I knew at the time that I needed to find a way to make it into a main dish. I remembered this as I was eating Aloo Gobi at a local Indian restaurant. This dish was simmered in a spicy tomato sauce and I knew a similar batch cooked in the tomato chutney would be perfect. . . and it was.

I used 4 serrano peppers and this batch was very, very mild. I've been fooled by mild peppers before, claiming that this Rajma recipe was mild (it was the first time), with each successive batch being fiery hot. So, what I would suggest, and did with this batch, is to simmer the peppers, then, to control the heat, mince some or all of them and stir them into the finished dish.



Aloo Gobi
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon black mustard seed (yellow is OK)
1 tbs ginger, grated
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch of asafetida (hing) (optional)
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup water
6 medium tomatoes, diced
4 serrano peppers, with slits cut down the sides
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a stock pot or deep saute pan. Add the cumin seed and mustard seed and stir until the cumin begins to sizzle. Stir in the ginger, bay leaves, paprika, turmeric and asafoetida. Cook for just a minute or so, then stir in the potatoes and cauliflower. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir to coat the veggies and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until the potato begins to soften. Add the tomato and peppers. Cover again and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 15 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower has softened and the tomatoes have released much of their liquid.

Mix together the sugar and cornstarch with a little water. Stir into the sauce and add the cilantro and salt. Allow to rest for a couple minutes before serving.

4 Servings: 212 cal (8g fat, 34g carbs, 6g protein)

Mussaman curry evolved with the emigration of Indian Muslims into Thailand. So it began with infusion of a North Indian pallet with Thai ingredients and technique. It is usually associated with beef and potato curries and its especially good with root vegetables.

For this soup, I brought the flavors closer to India by using amchur (dried green mango) instead of lemongrass and lentils instead of beef. Duh! The flavors blended so nicely with elements of sweet, bitter, hot and creamy. And it is neither Indian nor Thai.



Mussaman Lentil Pumpkin Soup
1 tbs vegetable oil
Whole Spices (see below)
1 cup shallots, chopped
1 tbs galangal, chopped (you could use ginger)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbs amchur (dried green mango powder) or 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
1 small pumpkin, peeled and cubed (about 5 cups)
2 quarts water
4 cups potatoes, cut into large cubes
6 carrots, diced
1 cup lentils
1 bunch spinach, stems removed, chopped (or 1 package frozen & drained)
11 oz coconut milk (2 small cans)
1/4 cup golden mountain sauce (or soy sauce)

Whole Spices:
3 dried hot chili peppers (I used arbol), seeds removed
1 tbs coriander seed
1/2 tbs cumin seed
4 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 tsp peppercorns

Heat oil in a cooking pot over medium heat. Add the whole spices and saute for a few seconds, until the cumin begins to pop. Stir in the shallots, galangal and garlic along with the turmeric and amchoor (or lemongrass if using) and saute until soft. Add the pumpkin and water, bring to a boil and simmer until soft. In batches of about 2 cups each, thoroughly blend. If you don't blend in small batches, it will be difficult completely blend the whole spices.

Return the blended mixture to the cooking pot and add potatoes, carrots and lentils. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, stir in the spinach and simmer another 10-15 minutes, until the potato, carrot and lentils are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and golden mountain sauce and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and serve.

6 Servings: 448 cal (15g fat, 68g carbs, 16g protein)

I developed this in an attempt to make a lentil dish that was easier to digest, because my body likes lentils so much less than I like lentils This is packed with veggies, and I've added asafoetida, fenugreek and turmeric, along with a host of other spices. You may substitute store bought curry powder for mine (listed at the bottom), but if you have it, add a little asafoetida. It's pungent aroma is a great addition to dals, and it's supposed to make them easier to handle in the end. (literally!)



Sabzi Dal
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs ginger
3 cloves garlic
10 curry leaves
1 tomato, grated
1 bunch spinach (or 10 oz frozen), chopped
1 cup soy yogurt
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup lentils
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 small head cauliflower
2 tbs spice mixture (or curry powder)
4 cups water
1 1/2 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan set to medium-high. Add the onion and saute, stirring often until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and curry leaves, cook for a minute, then add the grated tomatoes and the spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Stir in the yogurt, chickpea flour and spice mixture, then add the lentils, potato, cauliflower and water. Cover and simmer until the lentils and potato are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove the curry leaves (or left in as garnish) and stir in the peas and cook just until the peas are warm. Serve over rice or with naan or roti.

4 Servings: 400 cal (10g fat, 63g carbs, 19g protein)

Curry Spice Mixture
This spice mix is probably a bit hotter than your store brand, but not overly hot. It also has a goodly amount of pungency from the fenugreek and asafoetida. It's perfect for lentils, pulses or beans. You can substitute regular curry powder with a touch of cayenne and, if available, asafoetida.

Ingredients
2 tbs coriander seed
1 tbs cumin seed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tbs black mustard seed
1/2 tbs fenugreek seed
6 cloves
2 arbol chilies, including seeds
1/2 tbs paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp asafoetida

Heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Break apart dried chili peppers and add the whole spices. Dry fry, stirring constantly, or shaking the fry pan until the spices take on a slightly toasted aroma. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to a a spice or coffee grinder, along with the paprika, turmeric and asafoetida. Grind into a fine powder. Makes about 5 tbs.

I'd forgotten the immense feeling of satisfaction I used to get when dipping crispy french fries into a bowl of clam chowder. Like napalm in the morning, it smelt like victory. Today's meal was definitely a throw back meal, satisfying & delicious. And all the deep fried clam strips & tartar sauce, it took me an hour just to get off the couch and start typing.

This is, of coarse, not real clam chowder. But it does capture the essence. The seitan, made of nothing but wheat gluten, has a springy texture. And the broth, while not tasting clammy, has the flavor of the sea. It may not be real, but it is definitely more than glorified potato soup.



Vegan Clam Chowder
6 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, Divided
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup flour
4 cups potatoes, peeled & diced
1 quart unsweetened soy milk
1 quart kombu broth (see below)
1 1/2 cups seitan clams, minced (see below)
6 sprigs thyme
12 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Blend the chopped onion and garlic with 2 tbs melted margarine and set aside. Melt 2 additional tbs margarine in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery and saute until it begins to soften. Add the onion mixture and stir until the garlic is aromatic. Add the flour and stir for a couple minutes. Slowly add the soy milk, stirring constantly until the flour is incorporated. Add the broth, bay leaves and potatoes. Tie together the parsley and thyme with a piece of string and add to the soup. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft, but still firm.

Stir in the seitan clams, the remaining 2 tbs margarine, along with the lemon juice and the salt & pepper to taste. Stir for a couple minutes and remove from heat. Serve.

8 servings: 282 cal (11g fat, 34g carbs, 14g protein)



Seitan Clams & kombu broth:
1/4 cup kombu, chopped
1/4 oz shiitake mushrooms
1/4 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

Add all ingredients (EXCEPT vital wheat gluten) to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an our. Pour the contents through a strainer and return to the pan. Remove six tablespoons and chill.

Bring the broth back to a simmer. Mix the 6 tbs chilled broth with the vital wheat gluten. Kneed until the dough gets springy. Break into three or four pieces. For each piece, press and stretch to make the thinnest 'cutlets' you can. Add to the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from both and when cool enough, cut into thin strips and mince. If necessary, add enough water to make 4 cups of broth.

Both the clams and the broth can be refrigerated and saved for later or even frozen. Do not discard the broth.

This soup is an explosion of flavor. It's got a mild heat from the curry paste and jalapenos, the tang of lemon grass and lime juice and the delicious aroma of kaffir lime leaves. It's coconut creamy with the contrasting textures of celery, mushrooms and potatoes. It is truly an experience to savor.

You may want to consider a couple ingredient alterations. First, increasing coconut milk and decreasing broth will make a creamier soup, but at the expense of (many) more calories. Fat is so tasty. Second, adjust green curry paste according to your taste. Two tablespoons make a mild soup. My preference is three. You may want even more. It can be stirred in at the end.

This is one of my favorite special occasion soups.



Thai Chowder
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 red jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
1 lb mushrooms, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs glanagal, grated
2-3 Tbs green curry paste
4 cups chicken flavored broth
11 oz coconut milk (2 small cans)
2 stalks lemon grass
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled & cubed
2 cups frozen corn
2 limes, juiced

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, jalapeno peppers and celery and saute until the onion has softened. Add the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms begin to release their moisture. Add the galangal, curry paste, and garlic and stir until aromatic.

Pour in the broth and coconut milk. Bruise the lemon grass stalks by pressing firmly with the side of a knife or giving them a light whack with a rolling pin. Tie together with string and to the soup. Rip each kaffir lime leaf in several places. It's easiest to make tears up to the central vein, so the leaves are left in tact. Add to the soup. Add the diced potatoes and frozen corn. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

Add the limes, one half at a time, testing the flavor after each lime. Two limes will make it quite tangy, which contrasts the other flavors nicely. You may want a little less, though. Remove the lemon grass and lime leaves and serve.

6 Servings: 446 cal (17g fat, 68g carbs, 13g protein)

Here's a nice curry recipe. I was originally shooting for a 30 minute meal, but decided that adding some diced potato was worth the extra 15 minutes in cooking time. This is a somewhat mild curry (depending on the peppers) that's easy to make. If you like it hotter, add a little cayenne. Serve over rice.



NOTE: I've made this a couple times since this post. The first time, with 4 peppers, the dish was very mild. Batches that I made later on were hotter, one was quite spicy. One way to control the heat is to cut slits into the peppers and simmer them whole.  Then, at the end, mince them and add some or all of the minced pepper back into the dish. For those that were surprised by a not-so-mild batch, I apologize.

Rajma Chawal
2 Tbs vegetable Oil
1 tsp cumin seed
2 medium onions, chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ginger, minced
1 tbs coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2 cans (15 oz ea) kidney beans
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 smallish potatoes, diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup soy yogurt

Add the oil to a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Add the peppers and onion and cook until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, stir until aromatic, then add the spices. Stir to combine, then add the beans, tomato and potato. Saute until the tomato begins to soften. Add the water, cover and simmer until the potato is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro, bring back to a boil and remove from heat and serve over rice.

4 servings: 394 cal (9g fat, 66g carbs, 16g protein)

I made this korma this weekend as a part of an Indian feast and it turned out to be my favorite. I was shooting for a mild sauce, something that would suit a wide mix of people, and this korma was certainly that.

I've made this korma a couple of ways. Instead of the yogurt, you can add another can of coconut milk. This is delicious for sure, but adds a little more fat than I'm usually willing to make. Also, If you like a little heat, cut 2-3 dried red chili peppers in half, pour out the seeds, and simmer them with the sauce.



Potato Korma
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp brown mustard seed (or yellow)
1 tsp cumin seed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fenugreek seed (optional)
1 tbs coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
pinch asafoetida (optional)
1 tomato, grated
1 cinnamon stick
8 cardamom pods
6 oz coconut milk (small can)
1 cup plain soy yogurt
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup almonds, ground
2 lbs red potatoes, in large dices
1/2 cup lentils

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the cumin and mustard seed and cook until they begin to pop, a few seconds. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to caramelize and turn brown. Add the ginger and garlic, along with the coriander, garam masala, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and salt. Stir until the garlic and ginger are fragrant and add the tomato. Allow the tomato to simmer, then add the remaining ingredients.

Simmer, covered until the lentils and potatoes are tender, about half an hour. Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick before serving. After biting down on one too many missed cardamom pods, I've started wrapping them in cheesecloth or putting them in a tea ball. Whatever you do, be diligent.

5 Servings: 477 cal (23g fat, 59g carbs, 15g protein)

I was reminiscing with my old roommate from High School about the crap that we used to eat. We both worked at McDonald's and ate there three or four times a day. We would stack 2 or 3 1/4 pound patties on top of bacon and several slices of cheese and, maybe, a tomato. We'd make a basket of french fries just for ourselves, use mayonnaise by the cupful and eat fish sandwiches dripping with tartar sauce. It's a wonder we survived.

Well, it's his birthday this week, so I thought I'd revive one of his favorites, and mine. It was a greasy, dripping mess of sausage, eggs, potatoes and cheese and it left a pit in your stomach, especially if you overindulged, which we usually did. It was something that we really dug. McFarland: Potatoes McFarland. And Happy Birthday!

So, in my ongong attempt to veganize, here's my healthy version of that nostalgic classic that should have never passed our lips. (Pictured here with Ranch Dressing and Tabasco).



Potatoes McFarland
2 Pounds New Potatoes, cubed
3 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Recipe Tofu Scramble, made concurrently
1/2 lb homemade or store bought meatless sausage links
1/2 cup Chedda Cheeze Sauce

Heat enough oil to liberally coat a large fry pan over medium high. There should be enough oil so that the potatoes do not stick. If the potatoes stick to the pan, add some more oil. Add the potato cubes and fry, turning as they brown. I use a sloped fry pan and toss them occasionally. Fry until the potatoes are browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.

While the potatoes cook, prepare the tofu scramble as described here. Cook the sausages along with the tofu scramble. When they are done, cover and remove from the heat.

To assemble, stir the tofu scramble into the potatoes. Drizzle with the cheddar cheeze sauce and gently fold into the potato mixture. Serve with catsup, Tabasco and/or ranch dressing. If necessary, wear a bib =)

5 Servings: 449 cal (17g fat, 50g carbs, 25g protein)

We had friends over this weekend and the adults unanimously agreed that we wanted Indian food. There were a couple of things that I immediately thought of. I knew absolutely that I wanted koftas (Indian meat/veggie balls). And I just had to make parathas, and chapatis for the kids. After ignoring the health factor and considering the pain-in-the-butt factor, I added pakoras to the menu. Each of these was beautiful and delicious.

The problem, was that Indian food is not typically kid friendly. We were to have six kids in the house and three of those are insanely picky. I didn't want them to subsist on deep fried pakoras and flat bread, so I needed to add something else . . . and something the adults would like as well . . . and something Indian.



So I started with a curry sauce, adding a bit of this and a bit of that. I abandoned the idea of low fat, so I used coconut milk, and some yogurt to keep things mellow and came up with this curry. It has a creamy, subtle flavor, an undercurrent of cumin and no heat whatsoever. Two of the picky kids wouldn't try anything Indian. They ate rice, carrots bananas. The third said later "yeah I ate your crap!" He's so cooperative. The other three ate it without hesitation . . . and it was a hit with the adults too.

I'll post more from the meal later this week.



Kid Friendly Curry
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp whole cumin seed
1 tsp whole mustard seed
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
10 curry leaves (optional)
14 oz coconut milk
1 cup plain soy yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced
2 medium carrots, cut into batons
1/2 head cauliflower florets

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until they begin to pop, then add the onion. Saute until the onion softens and add the ginger, garlic and chili pepper. Saute for another minute and add the remaining spices. Stir to combine and add the coconut milk and curry leaves. Bring to a boil and stir in the soy yogurt and lemon juice.

Blend the entire contents and return to the pan. Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil. Pour contents into a 9x13 casserole and cover. Bake until the veggies are cooked, about 30 minutes. Serve with rice, roti or naan.

4 Servings: 500 cal (25g fat, 42g carbs, 8g protein)

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)

This post marks a milestone and a couple of almosts. I almost have 20 posts for this Vegan Month of Food. I almost added a nifty label cloud today. Instead I whipped the template code into a frothy, pudding soaked glarg... but that's another story.

I've been at it for a little over three months now, and this is my 50th post (and there was much rejoicing). I've cleaned up some of my early posts, and now have a totally vegan blog. I figured out how to make a good tofu scramble, brought back some good old comfort food, and I've made some delicious food that screams "There's no way thats vegan!"

And today, I have potato salad. I used red potatoes, haphazardly pealed, the skins add some color, and some purple onion, celery and pickles for texture and mixed in a dressing of veganaise, mustard, a little vinegar and soy creamer. I omitted salt, then shook it on later, I'm guessing I added 1/4 tsp, but you can add more, if necessary. I garnished it with thyme leaves and, in the future, I'll do the same. I like thyme.



Potato Salad
3 lbs red potatoes
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 dill pickle, chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup veganaise
1/4 cup soy creamer
2 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 tbs thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp ground celery seed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Boil the potatoes until you can press the tip of a knife through with some resistance. Drain, submerge in cold water and cool until they can be handled. Roughly peel, then cube the potatoes. I just tore off the skin that came off easily so, maybe half of the skin remained. Gently stir in the onion, celery and pickle.

Mix the remaining (dressing) ingredients and gently fold into the potatoes, stirring to distribute the dressing. Refrigerate until needed. They were better the next day, so give the flavors some time to blend.

6 servings: 294 cal (10g fat, 47g carbs, 5g protein)

I haven't been keeping up too well this week. My laptop crashed on Saturday and I spent Sunday (my normal cook/prep day) working on computer [expletive]. But I did get make some wonderful meals inspired by some of the many great bloggers out there. But before I get to that, I'm going to rant.

I bought an ASUS laptop almost two years ago. This weekend I plugged it into a wall socket that has a tendancy to spark. Needless to say, I fried my motherboard. It was my fault for being a dumbass. I called ASUS and they gave me an RMA and said they'd fix it. They even said they'd fix the hard drive that died when i tripped over the laptop while running for a beer between commercials during March Madness. I shipped my computer on Monday and I got it back on Thursday. Four days! including shipping! for something that I BROKE! AMAZING!

My assistant needed a new computer anyway, so I decided to buy a computer that I could use while mine was RMA land, then pass it on. I bought an HP at circuit city. I went against my better judgement, I've had a long history or receiving poor support form Compaq and HP and bought another. It was a lemon. The Network adaptor only works intermittently. I insisted it was a hardware issue. Linksys insisted it was a hardware issue. My brother, the network administator insisted it was a hardware issue.

Circuit City plugged it in saw that it worked and blamed my network. I told them all the things I've checked, including swapping network hardware, and messing with DHCP settings, checking client tables, etc. They said "It works here, there's nothing wrong." Did they not hear INTERMITTENT?? Did they not hear that I have some knowledge and that I talk to experts?? Oh, did I mention that I spent 90 minutes on hold with HP tech support and never got through!

So I am boxing up the computer and return it to Circuit City, being as assertive as I know how. If they refuse to return it, I will leave it in thier care and sick VISA on them. I've learned my lesson. And my word of advise: Dont' by a HP Desktop. Again, DON'T BUY HP! DON'T BUY HP! DO NOT BUY AN HEWLETT-PACKARD DESKTOP COMPUTER.

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Now that that's off my chest, I did take some photos of some pretty decent meals. None are my own creation, but things that looked good (and tasted good) out there in the ether.

Monday night, I was oging to make some split pea burgers, but they take a while to simmer, so I went for an easier aternative. I made Veganomicon's Black Bean Burgers. They were a bit bland, but had a nice meaty bite and, with good rolls, and chunks of avocado, cilantro and tomato, they really hit the spot. The roasted red potatoes with White Basil Sauce were a perfect addition.




I'd planned on making Tofu Mom's Vegan Pesto and that came on Wednesday. Knowing that I had no time to cook, I whipped the pesto ahead of time and had dinner on the table in 20 minutes. The only thing I do differently, is that I hold out half the basil leaves and hand mince them. Blend everything else with a little water, then mix in the rest of the basil. I add miso sometimes too. It is really good. I served it with bread and a spinach salad drizzled with yummy sauce.



Last night, I tried something that looded and sounded really good, and it did taste really good. So here is Omadsa's Pumplin Chili. I followed the recipe verbatim (except I was out of kidney beans so I used pinto), adding 1/4 tsp pepper and 3/4 tsp salt. I tested the sauce and was determined that it deeded something else. Turns out, it needed beans. Once I had a spoonful of everything I was sold. It's even better the next day. Great job Omadsa!



Well that's about it today. I did finish the modificaitions to my vegan cornbread muffins. Finally, they held toghether and tasted good all at the same time. I'll post them shortly.

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.