Monthly Archives: March 2010

“Microwavable” Quinoa and Basmati Pilaf

Rice and Quinoa pilaf

My niece is on Spring Break from college, and we were talking about the access to good vegan food while living in student housing.  She said I was tantalizing her with recipes that she couldn’t make.  Poor hungry girl.  I admit, most of my recipes would be pretty hard to prepare without an oven.  :\

She needed nutritious and delicious food that could be made on a tight budget, with little effort.  So, she came over to my kitchen and helped me create a recipe for when she returns to her dorm.

This is a simple rice and quinoa blend with a creamy almond sauce.  It’s filling too.

The entire dish can be made with just a blender and a microwave, in about 25 minutes.  And, it boasts just 10 ingredients that most people will have in their pantry.  Okay, maybe not most people, but the ingredients are pretty common vegan staples.

The entire experience was also very helpful for me, because my oven actually broke the other day.  (Yes, I totally freaked out).  Happily, I have learned that it is  possible to cook quinoa and rice in a microwave; therefore, there is no need to panic if you are without a stove.

So, this post is dedicated to all of you wonderful readers -without ovens or rice cookers – who are hungry for a yummy home-cooked meal.

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Adzuki Bean and Cabbage Soup

adzuki bean and cabbage soup

Spring is here!

This post is kind of a “farewell to soup”.  Well, maybe not a farewell, (because I will be devouring mass gazpacho this summer), but warm soup is my absolute favorite part about Winter. And, I almost exclusively reserve soup for cold weather.  So, for me, a farewell to Winter is a farewell to soup.

Now that Spring has sprung, I am looking forward to fresh raw veggies, warm sunshine,  and long days in the garden.  Birds are singing, frogs are chirping, flowers are blooming…

But, I’m not going to get too ahead of myself.  Since it is still a chilly 40 degrees in my neck of the woods… Soups on!!

~Welcome  back Spring… I missed you so. <3

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Cheezy Polenta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

cheezy polenta with sundried tomatoes

Here’s a super easy and delicious way to use up that bag of cornmeal in your cabinet.  It’s fun (and economical) to make your own polenta, and you can add all sorts of mix-ins.  I just added the basics for a rich flavor, but feel free to mix in a medley of stuff at the beginning of cooking (sauteed veggies, peppers, herbs, Tabasco sauce, tempeh… you name it).

Looks, feels, and jiggles just like the stuff in the tube-bag from the grocery store.

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Fava Bean Dip with Caramelized Onions

fava bean dip

I am about to say something I thought I would NEVER say… I found a dip that I love more than hummus.  It sort of chokes me up to admit that, but it’s true.

I was browsing the internet trying to figure out a way to use my bag of dried fava beans, when I came across a mention of a “hummus”  using favas.  The idea was intriguing, so I ran to the kitchen, proceeding as though I was making hummus (minus the tahini).  From what I saw briefly on the web, it seems like a popular way to use fava beans.  I was too impatient to research and just let my imagination lead the way. Thoughts of a new and exciting staple food danced wildly in my head…

The outcome was good.  Very very good.  But, sadly, “staple” it will not be.  It just took too damn long to make.  And, my fingers sort of hurt from skinning all those beans.

I could just suck it up and admit that some of life’s finer pleasures take a little more time and effort to produce.  Then I think about how easy it is to soak and cook some chickpeas and end up with some killer hummus in no time. :\

Would I make this dip again? Absolutely.  Will it replace my daily hummus?  Not unless my husband is willing to dedicate an hour of his day to the prep-work of the beans.

I would really like to try this using fresh favas.

Here’s how I did it:

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Chocolate Avocado Banana Bread

chocolate avocado banana bread

This is a fun twist on an old favorite.  I have been making this recipe for years and it always turns out perfectly. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was the first recipe I came up with “all by myself”.  :)

To make it gluten-free, I just subbed out a few different flours where I usually used all-purpose flour.  Feel free to re-glutenize it by subbing the 2 cups of AP flour back in, and leave out the xanthan gum.

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Super Sticky Clementine Cake

vegan gluten free clementine cake

Okay, when I say this cake is super sticky… I mean it is super friggin’ sticky.  See how the cake kinda dips in the center?  I’m not exactly certain why this happened. :|

My guess is: incredibly moist (and heavy) cake with crispier ( therefore lighter) edges = cake that sinks in the middle.  But the taste and texture totally trump any weird looks this thing may get.

I still have a lot of gluten free cake making in my future, but at least now I can say I have mastered a flavorful, wet, gluten free cake that will stick to the bottom of your plate. Good start.

The clementine filling/topping adds an extra layer of super sticky that I find over the top perfect for this cake.

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Vegan Star Crunch!

vegan star crunch

As a child, did you ever love a food so much that you would risk the wrath of your huge and terrifying older brother to sneak the last one?

The other day my husband and I were reminiscing about childhood junkfood favorites, and I remembered how much I desperately loved Little Debbie Star Crunches.  I had a sick obsession with these things.  This most likely caused me to block all thoughts of them from my memory after I went vegan. Once my memory was triggered, though, I became dead set on the idea of making them myself.  I needed a way to once again enjoy the taste/texture of the individually wrapped treats that I used to stash everywhere: lunchbox, pocket, fridge, freezer, bookbag, dresser drawer.  It was kinda out of control.

I loved them primarily because of their gooey and crispy and hard to explain texture… which oddly enough gave them most of their flavor.  I think sans the strange texture of a Star Crunch, we would be left with pretty much just  “sweet”.

To recreate these things I needed a great filler, because the crispy rice and chocolate part is easy.  The answer was the Medjool date!  Dates are absolutely magical… I am super happy to have discovered the many uses of them.

These cookies are definitely close enough to an actual Star Crunch to satisfy my craving… without the long list of creepy ingredients and eternal shelf life.

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