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 š
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.
Make and/or eat some thing inspired by a book or film.
Day seven of Vegan MoFo and it is the delightful Bridget Jones Diary inspired, Blue Leek and Potato Soup.
The Diary of Bridget Jones is one of my favourite books and movies. I love how imperfect she is. If you want a good laugh, then this is the movie for you.
Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup
Now, of course you do not have to turn the soup blue……I did , just for fun with a couple of drops of blue food colouring. Poor Bridget had the misfortune of using blue string to tie upĀ the leekĀ in her soup which gave her the blue version.
blue-soup
This soup is delicious in either colour.
Enjoy,
(Blue) Leek and Potato Soup
Serves 4 – 6
2 Tblspns olive oil
5 medium potato’s peeled and roughly chopped
3 leeks, trimmed, thoroughly washed and sliced
4 cloves garlic chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tblspn lemon juice
salt to taste
finely chopped green onionsĀ for garnish if wanted.
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (or you can wait until the soup cools a little then place in small batches in a blender and process. Be Very Careful that the soup is not too hot or it could explode out of the top of the blender and cause serious burns).
Add coconut milk, lemon juice and stir to combine.,
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 andĀ hereĀ 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
3Ā 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
1Ā Ā 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.Ā 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) forĀ 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.Ā 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 aĀ 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 five of Vegan Mofo and we are sharing the best sandwich ever.
Toasted Ruben
Before I was vegan, I loved a good toasted Ruben sandwich. Layers of corned beef topped with sauerkraut, cheese, russian dressing and mustard, yum.
Toasted Ruben
Obviously, I no longer have the corned beef, but, through the wonders of seitan, I can now make a very close replica of this iconic sandwich.
Enjoy,
Toasted Ruben
Toasted Ruben
Bread of choice
Vegan Cheese
Saurkraut
Mustard
Corned Beefless
1 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Tblspn dried onion flakes
1 Tblspn smoked paprika
1 Tblspn ground fennel
1 Tblspn ground caraway
1/2 Tblspn salt
1 tspn dry hot mustard powder
1/2 tspn ground cloves
1/2 tspn white pepper
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tblspn Maple syrup
1/2 Tblspn balsamic vinegar
Russian Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn Dijon mustard
1 tpn grated onion
1 Tblspn hot chilli sauce
Toasted Ruben
Prepare Corned Beefless:
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix together to form a dough. Knead for 2 -5 minutes to develop gluten strands.
Shape into a log and wrap in cheesecloth loosely, tying the ends.
Bring large pot of water to aĀ boil (if you want to add additional flavour, add a cut onion, a few chopped garlic cloves and 2 or 3 tablespoons of soy sauce to the water). Place gluten log into the boiling water. Bring back to a slow simmer and allow to continue simmering (not boiling) for 1 1/2 hours. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool in simmering liquid.
When cool, remove from cheesecloth and place in Ziploc bag with 1/4 cup of simmering liquid. Place in the fridge and leave overnight. When ready to use, slice thinly.
Russian Dressing:
Blend all but the olive oil together in a blender. Once totally combined, very slowly drizzle the olive oil in while continuing to blend on high.
Toasted Ruben
To assemble,
Toast bread slices of choice, top with multiple slices of Corned Beefless,Ā Ā add a generous amount of sauerkraut. Top with vegan cheese, mustard and Russian dressing.
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.
So, I am cheating a little with this one. Technically, I did not have Mac and Cheese when I was a child. Growing up in Australia it was not something I was aware of, however, once I moved to Canada, I soon found this warm, gooey, cheesy, pasta and fell in love at first bite. I soon made up for lost time and probably consumed an entire childhoods worth in the first couple of years livingĀ here. So, I guess this is my “second childhood” meal memory.
Roasted Red Pepper Mac and Cheese
As a vegan, I searched around for a great version of this dish and finally found this recipe by Isa Chandra at the Post Punk Kitchen. If you have not yet visited her site, you should head on over there pronto.Ā The recipe Roasted Red Pepper Mac and CheeseĀ is so good, when I made it, I ate the entire pot full.
Enjoy,
Roasted Red Pepper Mac & Cheese
By Post Punk Kitchen
Yield: 2 large servings
1/2 pound macaroni or other small pasta
3/4 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons organic cornstarch
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1 roasted red pepper (jarred or homemade)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons pizza seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2. Boil a large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta. Once boiling, cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender along with the vegetable broth, corn starch, nutritional yeast, red peppers, tomato paste, pizza seasoning, salt, mustard and turmeric. Blend until very smooth. Scrape down the sides every 30 seconds or so and test for smoothness.
4. Transfer the sauce in the blender back to the sauce pot where you cooked the onions. Turn the heat up to medium and let cook, stirring very often, until thickened. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes. Taste for salt. It should taste slightly salty because youāre going to be pouring it on the pasta.
5. The pasta should be done while the sauce is thickening, so drain and place pasta back in the pot you cooked it in. Set aside.
6. When sauce is thickened, add it to the pasta in the pot, and use a large slotted spoon to mix well, taking care not to break the pasta.
With the new format this year of daily topic prompts we get to have an even better sense of community and connection. So, I am excited to see what my fellow Vegan MoFo’ers are having for breakfast.
For me, breakfast is not usually a daily occurence, I am more the “coffee till noon” type of gal. However, on special occasionsĀ (the start of MoFo for instance) or lazy weekend mornings I do like to have all the goodies.
For today, I have a fresh juice guaranteed to wake up your taste buds and energize your cells.
Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice
Next, it is timeĀ for protein packed pancakes with fresh berries, a dollopĀ ofĀ aquafabaĀ (a relatively new phenomenonĀ sweeping the vegan cooking scene) and a drizzle of local home-made maple syrup.
Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFaba Cream
Then you add a little high quality, organic coconut oil and blend it all together, the flavour of the coffee seems to intensify and become richer and the texture is wonderful. I couldn’tĀ resistĀ addingĀ aĀ dollopĀ of theĀ AquaFabaĀ Cream and it magically transformed into a latte/cappuccino.
CocoLatte
Thanks for sharing breakfast with me.
Enjoy,
Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice
Makes 2 servings
1 english cucumber
1 appleĀ cored
1 orange peeled
2 carrots peeled if not organic
handful baby spinach
1 inch nob of fresh ginger
Process all ingredients through a juicer. Drink immediately.
Ā
Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFava Cream
Banana White Bean Pancakes
8-10 servings
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cupĀ white beans
1 banana
1 tspnĀ psylliumĀ husk
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/3 cupĀ Ā soy or almond milk
1/2 tspn vanilla
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Mix chia seeds with water and let sit overnight (or at least 1 hour)
Combine all ingredients together inĀ bowl and mix or blend to pancake consistency.
Cook over medium heat untilĀ lightly browned on both sides.
Serve with fresh berriesĀ AquaFabaĀ CreamĀ and maple syrup.
AquaFaba Cream
Makes approx 2 cups
Liquid from a large can of chickpeas
1 tspnĀ cream of tartar
1 tspn vanilla
1 Tblspn (or more depending on taste) fine sugar
Beat the chickpeaĀ liquid and cream of tartarĀ on high for at least 15 minutes. The liquid will turn into a stiff “egg white” merengueĀ type texture. Add vanilla and then the sugar gradually while continuing to beat until totally combined. You may need to adjust the amount of vanilla and sugar depending on your preference.
Use as a topping for your pancakes and also to add the foam top to your CocoLatte.
Ā CocoLatte
CocoLatte
Makes 1 cup
1 cup strong back freshly brewed coffee (I use an espresso bend)
1 teaspoon organic coconut oil
Add the coffee and coconut oil to a blender. Blend on highest speed for 30 seconds till frothy.
Pour into coffee cup and enjoy as is orĀ top with AquaFaba cream.
I cannotĀ believee it has been almost a year since my last post. Time sure has a way of slipping by. I could say that I was so busy with work and famiy (both very true), but the reality is, I took some time off to recharge after last years MoFo, and I never really got back into the swing of posting.
2014 MoFo was great fun, but I definately over-extended myself when I chose to do the theme of soup and bread. The concept was very exciting, but the reality was like doing double duty, with each post requiring not one but two recipes. As bad as that was, the other result wasĀ me eating all my creations, which was wonderful, but also way too much food. Needless to say, by October, none of my fitted clothes fit š¦ which was another good reason to stop posting (and then eating) for a while.
Well, that is all behind us now and MoFo 2015 is about to start, and me with it.
MoFo 2015
I just love the new concept this year of having a prompt each day for us all to use. I have already starting preparing some of the foods I will be sharing with you. I need to get organized ahead of time as September is one of the busiest times in my work (Financial Planning) and I am attending our annual conference (this year it is in Vanouver so I will be taking advantage of visiting the other side of Canada and extend my stay by a week) right in the middle of MoFo.
With all that said, I will be up and posting regularly as of September 1st, in the meantime, I am enjoying the wonderful last days of summer, sitting on my deck and savouring a fantastic cup of coffee that looks and tastes like a dairy laden latte, but in fact has no dairy and is good for you. I will be sharing this with you on September 1st as part of my “breakfast” post.
The last day of MoFoĀ and it is time to celebrate. Another month of blogging comes to anĀ end. I will miss my morning fix of radomofo, browsing the blogs and seeing all the great recipes, ideas, pictures and funny stories.
While I will miss MoFo, I will also enjoy a short break. Just enough time to recharge the batteries and get the creative juices flowing again.
In the meantime, I have finished my month of “Soup and Bread” with a dessert.
This soup is nice and cold. It is not overly sweet, but the addition of the PalmiersĀ will add in the sweetness. Confession time: the recipe uses Tapioca Pearls, however, I could not find any at my store today and had runĀ out of time to look further, so I substituted them for OrzoĀ pasta. I think the Tapioca would have given the soup a nicer, creamier taste. I also added a dollopĀ of cashew creme and a few fresh Lemon Verbena leaves for garnish.
Enjoy,
Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers
Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup
Serves 8
4 cups water
1/4 cup tapioca pearls
9 cups strawberries (frozen can be used)
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup Champagne or sparkling white wine
6 mint leaves, plus more, for garnish or lemon vegans leaves
1 cup cashew creme (soak 1 cup cashews in water overnight, drain, blend with equal amount of cold water in blender until creamy and smooth)
In a saucepan, bring water, tapioca, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Champagne to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add mint leaves. Let cool to room temperature.
Blend together with an immersion blender or in a standing blender, then strain through a sieve. Chill in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 hours.
Serve soup in glasses with a dollop of cashew creme and garnish with mint or lemon verbena leaves.
Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers
Vegan Palmiers
Serves 8
1 cup Ā sugar
1 pinch salt
1Ā sheet PepperidgeĀ Farm puff pastry (double-check, but I found this brand to be vegan), defrosted but still very cold.
PreheatĀ the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the sugar and salt. PourĀ 1/2 cup of the mixture onto a pastry board or other flat surface covered with parchment paperĀ and spread it around. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto theĀ parchment and pourĀ the other half cupĀ of the sugar mixture on top, and spread it evenly to cover the puff pastry.Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper andĀ using a rolling-pin, roll the pastry until itās a 12ā square and sugar is pressed in all around. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.Ā Fold the sides of the pastry square toward the center so they go halfway to the middle point. Then fold one half over the other, like closing a book. You should have 6 layers. Slice the pastry ābookā intoĀ 8 slices and place them cut-side up on parchment-lined baking sheets leaving plenty of space between each one.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes or until caramalizedĀ and brown on the bottom. Then turn and bake for another 3-5 minutes until caramalized on the other side. Transfer to rack to cool.
Well, it is hard to believe it is already the second last day of MoFo. Time has really flown by. I have enjoyed reading all the new blogs I have discovered and have a list a mile long of recipes I want to try.
I am ending the traditional soup recipes with a vegan version of a favourite of my children. When they were young, my son and daughter loved Hamburger Soup. This soup was filled with tasty vegetables, barley and ground meat.
This vegan version is equally tasty with finely diced mushrooms replacing the ground meat. The soft pretzels are fantastic. They are soft and light with a slightly sweet taste. Perfect for dipping in the soup.
My last post for September tomorrow will be a dessert.Ā StrawberryĀ Champagne PearlĀ Soup with Cashew Creme and Palmiers. A fitting finale for this years Vegan MoFo.
Enjoy,
Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels
Mushroom-Burger Soup
Makes 6
1 Tblspn olive
1 Tblsp vegan butter
750g white mushrooms finely diced
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly diced
1/2 cup barley
1 (28 ounce)Ā can dicedĀ tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups vegetableĀ broth
1 (10.75 ounce) canĀ condensed tomato soup
1 bay leaf
1Ā Tblspn parsley
1 tspn minced garlic
1/2 tspnĀ dried thyme
ground black pepper, to taste
HeatĀ olive oil and butter in Ā large soup pot over medium-high heat, add mushrooms. CookĀ stirring until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid.
Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, and barley. Pour in diced tomatoes, water, broth, and tomato soup. Season with bay leaf, parsley, garlic, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover; simmer forĀ 1 hour, stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels
Soft Pretzels
Makes 6
1 cup non dairy milk
1 package active dry yeast
3Ā Tblspns packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2Ā TblspnsĀ vegan butter, plus more for greasing
1Ā rspn fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse salt
Warm the milk in a saucepan until it’s about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450Ā and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.Ā Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
stairway to vegan 