There are only two kinds of people in this world, those that LOVE Tuna Casserole and those that HATE Tuna Casserole. Interesting side note here, would it be the same people who love or hate Christmas fruit cake…..I LOVE both 🙂
This recipe uses mashed chick peas as the Tuna substitute. I mashed them with a fork so that they did not get too smooth.
The “fishy” taste comes from dulse flakes, a mild seaweed with a fresh salty side to it, perfect for this recipe.
Enjoy,
Classic Tuna(less) Casserole
Serves 4
1 can chickpeas drained and mashed with a fork
2 cups cooked pasta (I used mini lasagne noodles)
1/2 onion finely diced
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 or 2 Tblspns dulse flakes (depending on how much of a “fishy” taste you like)
1 tspn lemon pepper
crushed potato chips (enough to cover top)
2 Tblspns nutritional yeast
Combine all ingredients except potato chips and nutritional yeast,
Put in casserole dish. Cover with crushed potato chips, sprinkle with nutritional yeast,
Bake uncovered in 325 F oven for 20 mins till bubbly.
Wow, here we are at day six already, time is flying by as usual. There should be a term “mofo time” kind of like tropical island time, but the opposite. In mofo land, time speeds up and flies by before you know it.
Beefless Wellington
Anyway back to mofo day six and our prompt “Re-create a restaurant meal”. I have two restaurant meal recipes for you. The first is Beefless Wellington. You see this at high end restaurants and I wanted to try and replicate the concept of roast beef smothered in a mushroom garlic pesto then wrapped in puff pastry and baked to perfection.
KFC (Kentucky Fried Cauliflower)
The second is a take on KFC, but this time it is Kentucky Fried Cauliflower. Now, there could be a debate on whether KFC is a restaurant, but I am not going there. Last summer I did a post on this and explained how I live one block “down wind” of a local KFC and the aroma that greets me almost on a daily basis has me drooling in my driveway. So for this post, I will link back to that post for the commentary regarding KFC and here for a recipe to satisfy your “finger licking good” cravings.
Enjoy,
Beefless Wellington
Beefless Wellington
Serves 4
1 beefless roast
2 Tblspns Dijon mustard
2 Tblspns olive oil
1/2 lb mushrooms cleaned and sliced
4 Tblspns dry red wine
3Â cloves garlic crushed
1/2 tspn thyme
6 – 8 slices vegan chicken or turkey
1 packet vegan puff pastry
2 Tblspns non dairy milk
Beefless Roast
1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
4 Tblspns chickpea flour
4 Tblspns nutritional yeast
2 tspns onion power
2 tspns garlic powder
1 Tblspn vegan worsteshire sauce
1/4 tspn ground pepper
1Â Â cup water
1 Tblspn olive oil
1 Tblspn tamari
1 tspn browning liquid (optional)
8 cups vegetable broth for simmering
Combine all liquid ingredients. In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients to dry and mix well. If necessary add a little more chickpea flour to make a dough like ball. Knead for 5 mins to develop gluten. Form into a loaf. Wrap in cheesecloth loosely and tie the ends.
Bring vegetable broth to a boil, lower dough in and bring back to a slow simmer. Cover and simmer (do not boil) for on hour turning occasionally. Allow to cool in broth. When cool, remove from broth and put in a Ziploc bag with 1/4 cup of broth and refrigerate overnight,
Brush roast with mustard on all sides. Preheat oven to 400 F,
Lay out piece of plastic wrap on counter. Place turkey/chicken slices on top overlapping to make a square that is slightly wider than your roast and long enough to wrap completely around.
Spread mushroom pesto on top of turkey slices. Place roast in the middle and wrap with turkey slices using the plastic wrap to help you roll it up. Tuck in ends as you go. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 mins.
Lay pastry down on lightly floured surface and roll out to a rectangle slightly larger than the previous turkey square.
Place roast in middle of pastry and roll up inside pastry, securing the ends and making sure the roast is completed encased.
Place seam side down on a baking tray. lightly score the top with slits to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk, bake in oven 25 – 25 mins until golden.
Beefless Wellington
Let sit 10 mins before slicing and serving with your favourite gravy.
Day three of MoFo and all is well……. Well, sort of.
Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce
I was browsing around the internet, soaking in all the wonderful vegan posts, and wham, go attacked by a computer virus. Basically the virus attached a secret encryption to all my files and the only way to get my files back was to go to a website and pay to get the secret code…………..I think not……. fortunately I do regular back ups, so a quick loading of the original dvd’s that came with the computer, everything is wiped off and reloaded. Thank goodness for external hard drives and backups. A little inconvenient but nothing too serious.
Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce
Continuing on with the theme of quick and easy (didn’t take too much time or effort to restore my computer) and delicious, todays recipe is for Zucchetti with Sundried Tomato Marinara Sauce. You could sub out they zucchetti (spiralized zucchini) with a pasta of your choice if you prefer.
This meal can be totally raw or if you like (as I did) you can add in fried mushrooms.
Enjoy,
Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce
Serves 2
2 or 3 zucchini spiralized (or 2 cups of cooked pasta of choice)
1 Cup sun dried tomato’s soaked in 1/2 cups hot water for 10 mins (reserve water)
1 Tblspn olive oil
2 plum tomato’s
1 handful fresh basil
1 garlic clove
Sauteed mushrooms and nutritional yeast if desired to garnish
Place spiralized zucchini on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
Combine drained sun dried tomato’s, olive oil, plum tomato’s, basil and garlic in a blender or food processor. Process until fairly smooth. Add reserved tomato soaking water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Vegan Mofo is here…….and I have decided to go with a theme of Soups paired with different breads. When I first thought of this, I was only thinking how great all the soup and fresh baked bread would be. I didn’t really consider the fact that if I make and post about 20 different soups, that will also mean I will be baking 20 different breads. Well, I will certainly be busy, but one thing I know for sure…… my kitchen is going to smell great for the next month at least.
So here we are with the first soup and bread recipes for MoFo.
Packed Minestrone Soup
There is something wonderful about Minestrone Soup. it is so rich and full of flavours. Indeed a meal in itself. To enjoy with this wonderful soup, I have made a warm onion bread roll, full of whole wheat goodness. I will be making some Gluten Free breads as well during the month and will have an All Purpose Gluten Free Bread Flour mix for you as well in the coming posts.
Enjoy,
Packed Minestrone Soup
Protein Packed Minestrone Soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into bite size pieces
1 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
1 handful fresh chopped parsley
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry quinoa – rinsed
1 cup dry pasta
1/2 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Add in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, water, parsley, rosemary, thyme, granulated sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil, add quinoa and pasta then reduce heat to medium and allow soup to gently simmer, uncovered until pasta is cooked al dente, about 12 minutes.
If necessary add additional water to keep soup at desired consistency.
Add cannellini beans, chick peas, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.
Protein Packed Minestrone Soup
Whole Wheat Onion Breadsticks
Makes 14
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 Tblspns sugar
4 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tblspn sea salt
2 Tblspns coconut oil, melted
For the Topping
3 Tblspns unsalted butter melted
1/2 tspn coarse sea salt
1/4 tspn onion powder
pinch of dried oregano
Place 1/4 cup warm water and sugar in a mixing bowl, stir to dissolve sugar, sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 10 mins.
Add the flour, coconut oil, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tblspns warm water, mix using dough hook attachment of mixer, or by hand until slightly sticky dough forms, approx 5 mins (mixer), 10 mins by hand.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5 mins or until smooth and soft.
Roll into a 18 inch log and cut into 14 equal pieces.
Knead each piece and then shape into 7 inch breadstick. Place on parchment lined baking tray, leaving 1 – 2 inches spacing.
Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, approx2 hours
Preheat oven to 375
Topping:
Brush the breadsticks with half the melted butter and sprinkle sparingly with coarse sea salt. Bake until lightly brown, about 15 mins.
Mix together the remaining salt, onion powder and oregano.
Brush breadsticks with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with onion oregano mixture.
Growing up in Australia, Asian food was readily available and totally delicious. I love all Asian food, but especially Vietnamese and Thai. These cuisines are vibrant both visually and in taste. Fresh lime juice, cilantro, peppers and lemon grass all work to give amazing fresh tastes.
Pad Thai is one of my favourites, and I am trying to keep my diet as clean as possible at the moment so this is perfect.
The sauce is very rich, so add a little to the veggies and taste. If you want more, add it in. If there is any left over, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. I am not sure if it will keep longer than a week, as I can never get it to last that long.
Enjoy,
Raw Pad Thai
Raw Pad Thai
Serves 4 – 6
Sauce
1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup tamari sauce
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup raw cashews roughly chopped plus extra for garnish
2 tblspn hot pepper flakes
4 tblspns water
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
Noodles
2 zucchini
1 small daikon radish thinly sliced
1/2 small red cabbage shredded
2 red peppers cut into thin strips
1 yellow or orange paper cut into thin strips
1/2 cup green onion thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
fresh lime juice
Place all sauce ingredients in blender and process until thickened and mostly smooth. Place in fridge to chill while preparing
using a spiralizer or mandolin, cut the zucchini into thin strips (noodles) and place in a large bowl. Add in the daikon radish, red cabbage, red and yellow peppers, green onions and cilantro. Mix together well.
Add the sauce and mix to coat the veggies well. If you do not use all the sauce, it can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for a week.
Place a mound of vegetables on a plate, sprinkle with extra raw cashews and drizzle with fresh lime juice.
Spring is in the air…..well, not really, but I have now offically had enough of Winter. It is the last month or so of Winter that I find the hardest and the easiest all at the same time. It is hard because with the lack of sunshine I become very slugish and unmotivated but it is the easiest because I start to dream about the Summer to come. I am already planning out my garden in my head. deciding what veggies to plant where and dreaming of lazy days on my back deck………:)
In the lead up to Spring and Summer I have decided to drop a few pounds as most of my clothes are a little tight at the moment. I have fallen into the Vegan trap of eating a lot of the unhealthy Vegan foods. Potato chips, pasta’s, etc. so I decided I would do the Eat To Live 6 week plan. This plan is primarily vegetables, fruit and legumes, perfect for me to get back in shape. Now I also decided I needed to include regular daily exercise. I spend the majority of my time at a desk and it was time to add in the exercise habit.
Co incidentaly, my car (Sophie, a yellow VW New Beetle) picked this exact time to break down (again, she has had a lot of issues over the last couple of months, but she is 13 years old, so no big surprise). My mechanic headed south to a tropical destination right at that moment, so I was left without a vehicle for a week or two. This was perfect, now I was forced to walk everywhere and in fact, now I am seriously considering not fixing/replacing Sophie right away. I am enjoying walking to work each day getting my sunshine, exercise and fresh air all together.
So for the next few weeks I will be posting recipes that I come up with that are Eat To Live friendly as well as vegan. To start off I made this delicious pizza. The crust is a mixture of cauliflower and chickpea flour. The sauce is roasted eggplant and nutritional yeast. You can top with whatever veggies you have on hand. On this particular night I had cherry tomato’s, a bag of baby spinach/kale mix and mushrooms.
Enjoy,
GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato
Gluten Free Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato
Makes one 12 inch pizza
2 cups cauliflower florettes
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 Tblspn ground flax disolved in 2 tblspns water
2 tspns dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
1 small eggplant
1/2 head garlic
2 Tblspns nutritional yeast
sliced tomato
baby kale and/or baby spinach leaves
1/2 small onion
sliced mushrooms
Combine cauliflower, chickpea flour, flax (disolved), oregano, salt and pepper in food processor. Process until a dough like consistancy. You will need to add a little water.
Spread out on parchment paper lined baking tray into a circle approx 12 inches in diameter.
GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato
Bake for 20 mins in 325 F oven until firm and starting to brown.
At the same time, place whole eggplant (after piercing multiple times with a knife) on baking tray and bake with the crust. Wrap 1/2 head of garlic in foil and place next to eggplant to bake as well.
Remove crust from oven when done and set aside. Check eggplant by inserting knife. Eggplant is done when soft all the way through. Remove eggplant and garlic from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Cut eggplant in half and scoop out soft flesh, place in food processor. Squeeze soft centres from garlic cloves and add to eggplant. Add nutritional yeast and process until smooth and creamy.
GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato
Take approx 2/3 of the eggplant mixture and spread on pizza crust. Top with kale/spinach, sliced tomato, mushrooms and thinly sliced onion. Add a little water to thin the remaining eggplant mixture and then drizzle over the top of pizza toppings.
Return pizza to 325 F oven and bake for 10 – 15 mins to heat through.
Love is in the air. Next week is Valentine’s day and I was inspired to create a romantic dish for the occasion. What better way to show your love than to make a wonderful creamy Fettucine Alfredo and to have it “heart healthy” at the same time.
There is nothing in this delicious rich pasta sauce that is even remotely bad for you. The secret loving ingredient is the faithful cauliflower. This vegetable is a wonderous creation. Low calorie, crunchy when raw, perfect for dipping, smooth and creamy when cooked and pureed. I used brown rice pasta but if you wanted to take it even one step further in the health department you could use thinly sliced or spiralized zucchini or other hard vegetable.
Fettucccine Alfredo Amore
When I was dreaming up this dish, I had visions of lots of tiny red hearts sprinkled over the top. I would “cut” the hearts out of red peppers, simple…….not really. As you can see in the pictures the final result has three hearts. While they do look very nice, it is not exactly what I had in mind. These were more difficult than I imagined. Wether you make one, three or more, the thought is still the same, and, as they say, “it’s the thought that counts'”
Enjoy,
Fettucccine Alfredo Amore
Fettuccine Alfredo Amore
Serves 6
1 medium cauliflower
1/2 Tblspn olive oil
3 large garlic cloves minced or grated
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tblspn lemon juice
2Â tspns onion powder
1/4 tspn ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
8oz dry fettuccine of choice, I used brown rice fettuccine
red pepper for garnish
parsley for garnish
Separate cauliflower into florettes. Place in large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 – 10 minutes until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly before processing further.
Heat olive oil in pan on low and saute garlic very gently for 5 mins. Do not let garlic brown.
Add cauliflower, garlic, half the almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, pepper and salt to food processor ( you may have to do this in two batches). Pulse, scrapping down sides until everything is incorporated. Slowly add the remaining almond milk and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy, approx 3 – 5 mins. Set aside.
Fettucccine Alfredo Amore
Fill large pot with cold water, place on stove and bring to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling add dry pasta and cook according to directions on the packet.
Once cooked, drain and rinse.
If making red hearts, cut small piece of red pepper that is fairly flat. Using a sharp pointed knife, cut out hearts,
Add Alfredo sauce to drained pasta and toss together. Place serving on plate and top with red pepper hearts and parsley.
The temperature has plummeted again here, back down to the -30’s (-40’s with the windchill) so yesterday I put a nice pot of chilli on in the slow cooker in the morning before leaving for work. What a wonderful welcome when I got home, mouthwatering aroma of chilli cooking away.
A quick look around the fridge found a sweet potato and some other “fixins”……and so, the Chilli stuffed sweet potato was born.
I really must use the slow cooker more often. It is great to know supper is waiting for you when you get home. Chilli makes a great meal either served with fresh bread or, as here, with a baked sweet potato. I slathered on some Cauli Cheez sauce and topped it all off with sliced cherry tomato’s, green onions and jalapeno peppers, delish.
Peel then bake or microwave sweet potato’s until soft. If baking use 325 F oven for approx 40 mins. If using microwave follow manufacturers instructions for time (mine took approx 8 mins) Make sure you prick the potato’s thoroughly before cooking in the microwave to prevent them from exploding.
Remove potato’s and allow them to cool slightly before stuffing.
Combine onions, garlic, canned tomato’s, kidney beans, tomato paste, chilli powder, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.
Prepare Cauli Cheeze sauce.
Scoop about an inch of flesh of the cooked sweet potato out of the middle and set aside for another use. Pile cooked chilli into potato and pile up on top. Slather with Cauli Cheez sauce then top with sliced cherry tomato’s, green peppers and jalapeno peppers if using.
Lots of cold weather and snow bring the need for a hot veggie casserole. The oven is on, the house is wonderfully cozy and warm despite the winter outside. The aroma of onions and garlic fill the kitchen and 70’s music is playing. What a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.
As you probably know, (if you have visited before), Sunday, is cooking day at my house. I spend the afternoon making a couple of dishes that I put into serving size containers. Then, during the week, I grab one or two and take them to work for lunch. This week, it is a potato corn soup and this delicious Roast Veggie Casserole.
I am a leftover lover. I love eating any kind of leftovers cold straight out of the fridge (especially anything with potato or pasta), so I don’t even bother to reheat this dish, it is great hot or cold.
Speaking of cold, I hope we don’t go back into the frigid temperatures here again anytime soon. We have had a couple of really cold weeks (in the -30’s C) and this Aussie is ready for some warmer (comparatively speaking, anything north of -20 would be great) weather. One consolation is being able to cook up a storm in the cold weather, it feels very comforting and toasty with the oven on.
Enjoy,
Roast Veggies With Tomato & Lentils
Roast Veggies with Tomato & Lentils
Serves 4
2 onions roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1Â medium sweet potato chopped
1/2 acorn squash peeled and roughly chopped (or any other squash of choice)
1 red pepper chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 pint cherry tomato’s halved
2 Tblspns olive oil
1/2 head cauliflower broken into florettes
6 – 10 cremini mushrooms roughly chopped
1 cup green beans cut in half
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (green are the best as they hold their shape, but any can be used)
1 cup vegetable stock
1Â Tblspn dried tarragon
1Ttblspn dried marjoram
In large bowl, toss together onions, garlic, sweet potato, squash, red pepper, zucchini, tomato’s and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Place into large casserole or baking dish. Bake uncovered  375 F for 40 mins, stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven, carefully add all remaining ingredient and stir thoroughly. Return to oven for 15 – 20 mins, or until vegetables are cooked to your desired tenderness.
Christmas is here already. Time has just flown by. With all the presents wrapped and under the tree, the only thing left is the Christmas Feast tomorrow. I will try to take some photo’s but I have a feeling, that may not happen. I did a practice run for the centrepiece, the Krispy Skin Festive Roast and it turned out wonderful. This is a seitan roast, so unfortunately will not be suitable for gluten intolerant people. I have experimented with eliminating gluten from my diet, and I do not notice any difference, so for special occasions, I will include it. I still have a suspicion it is healthier to limit the amount of gluten in your overall diet.
The recipe for the roast is below, along with the links to all the other goodies that I have already posted previously, just click on the menu items to be taken to the recipes.
One note regarding the roast. When I made it the first time, I did not stuff it. I have just finished cooking the roast for tomorrow in the simmering broth and it is cooling in the broth as we speak. Tomorrow I will add the Krispy Skin and bake it before serving. I did stuff this one, so am very interested in how it will turn out. I will keep you posted.
Speaking of the Krispy Skin, this is fantastic, it is deliciously tasty and crisp but with no guilt. I have taken the concept of this from Chef Skye Michael Conroy (who I recently discovered). His site is amazing and full of wonderful vegan goodies, especially cheeze. I have asked Santa for one of his cookbooks for Christmas.
I wish you all a fantastic Christmas and hope you get to enjoy spending time with your friends and family.
In large stock pot, combine 1/4 cup tamari, sea salt, garlic, onion and vegetable stock. Add 4 cups water. Heat stock to boiling then reduce to simmer until ready to add roast.
In large bowl combine vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, whole wheat flour, ground raw cashews, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, poultry seasoning and vegan gravy mix.
Make well in centre of dry ingredients, quickly add vegetable stock and mix together. The dough should be moist and not dry. Add additional water if necessary. Knead the dough for 10 mins. This is necessary to create the desired texture.
Place two thicknesses of moistened cheesecloth on counter, place dough on middle of cheesecloth and shape into a loaf. Securely wrap loaf completely in cheesecloth. Tie securely with twine, wrapping it around every two inches.
Add wrapped loaf to the simmering stock. Add additional hot water if necessary to ensure the loaf is completely submerged. The loaf will sink to the bottom of the pot. Let loaf simmer gently (do not boil) until it floats, approx 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Turn off heat and allow loaf to cool in the broth. You can prepare the roast up to this point the day before. Store overnight in the refrigerator either in the broth or, in a plastic bag.
Remove cheesecloth. Preheat oven to 375 F
Combine the  vegan butter (melted) with remaining tamari and set aside.
Soak enough rice sheets to completely cover roast twice, in warm water.
Brush roast with melted butter/tamari mixture, cover with soft rice paper and smooth. Repeat with butter and rice paper, finishing with butter, reserving some to use during cooking.
Place roast on oven tray and bake uncovered for 45 mins basting every 15 mins until crispy.
stairway to vegan 