...

Vegan and Vegetarian in Nashville & Middle Tennessee

Posts Tagged ‘Recipes’

Gingerbread Latte Syrup

November 23rd, 2011

The holidays are here and while you may love a Pumpkin Spice Latte you’re ready to move on. Moving on means Gingerbread Lattes. Yes, Starbucks is the most popular hub for getting your gingerbread latte but who really wants all of that artificial and unknown goop they pump into your “grande” cup? Why not make your own syrup at home and use fresh spices? You can do it!

This is just an alteration of my Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup recipe. Again, only use fresh spices. You don’t want to have a flavorless or bland syrup. This syrup uses fresh ginger for a little ginger bite. Not only are you going to get great coffees from this syrup but your kitchen is going to smell wonderful when you make it!

Gingerbread Latte Syrup

1 cup Water
1 cup Vegan Cane Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
2 TBS Whole Allspice
2 TSP Ground Cinnamon
1 TSP Ground Cloves
2 TSP Ground Ginger
4 pieces of fresh ginger, about 1 inch long each peeled and crushed (use the back of a knife or large spoon)
2 TBS Molasses
1 TSP Peppercorns
1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract

In a small pan heat the peppercorns over high heat until they begin to pop. Add the water, peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and both gingers to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add sugar and molasses. Return to a boil for one minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in vanilla. Strain with a fine strainer or cheesecloth into a sealable bottle or other container. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of syrup.

I like to use about 2 tablespoons for a typical 2 shot latte. Adjust to your taste.

No comments »

Posted in Coffee, Recipes, Starbucks

Seitanic Dumplings

November 3rd, 2011

When the weather cools down I crave comfort foods. Even better is a one pot comfort food. Nothing is quite as comforting and filling as dumplings. For this recipe I made my own seitan. Making your own seitan is quite easy and you can find plenty of recipes for doing it. I’ll post my seitan recipe later but if you don’t already have a recipe or you’re just not comfortable making it yourself you can always buy it pre-made. You can usually find it beside the tofu in Whole Foods or other grocery stores if you’re so lucky to find one that carries it. It’s very expensive to buy pre-made seitan versus making it yourself so if you start to rely on seitan for much of your cooking you’ll want to get into making it. Your cash flow will thank you.

This recipe is one I made from my little of this, little of that method and worked it to the right spot. I posted this recipe a few years ago but have tweaked it since and I think it’s worth posting again. Try this one on a cold, damp day.

Seitanic Dumplings

4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups water
1/3 cup Earth Balance
1/3 cup flour
16 oz seitan torn into small pieces
1 small onion finely diced
2 medium carrots peeled and diced into small cubes
2 medium potatoes peeled and diced into small cubes
1 TSP salt
1/2 TSP black pepper
2 TSP marjoram

Melt Earth Balance in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Remove onion and set aside. Add flour to the melted Earth Balance remaining in the pot and create a roux. Add water and stock gradually stir or whisking to remove any clumps. Add all other ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

For the Dumplings:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 TBS shortening or Earth Balance
1 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP salt
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 TBS lemon juice OR 1 TBS apple cider vinegar

Add vinegar or lemon juice to the soy milk and set aside. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Using a fork cut in the shortening or Earth Balance and mix until only small clumps remain. Add the soy milk. Mix with a spatula or fork until a large wet dough ball forms. You’re needing a sticky mass not a dry clump. If your dough is too dry add a little more milk. Roll out dough on a floured board until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut rolled dough into 1 inch wide strips and cut strips into smaller lengths, about 2-3 inches long. Place dumplings on top of soup and let cook covered on medium-low heat undisturbed for 15 minutes. After cooking stir dumplings into soup and cooked covered for another 30 minutes on medium-low heat stirring occasionally.

Makes 6-8 servings.

No comments »

Posted in Cooking, Earth Balance, Recipes, Seitan

Tags: Comfort Food Dumplings Food Recipes Seitan Seitanic Dumplings Soup vegan

Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Dip

October 6th, 2011

Fewer ingredients hit a popularity during a certain season like pumpkin does in fall. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice lattes all hit a high during this time of year. One of our favorite snacks to make involves a generous taste of sweet pumpkin. Pumpkin Pecan Dip is a quick munchie that can be made on a whim and will have even the meat eaters asking for more.

As with all of the recipes I post don’t skimp on the ingredients with a cheaper version of something thinking you’ll get the same flavor. It doesn’t work. I’ve tried this with different brands of pumpkin spread and vegan cream cheese and the flavors just aren’t there. You’ll find the Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter at Williams-Sonoma and Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Plain Cream Cheese is available at most Whole Foods stores. Again, don’t skimp if you want the best flavor. You’ve been warned.

Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter and Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Plain Cream Cheese

Two of the main ingredients: Williams-Sonoma's Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter, Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Plain Cream Cheese and Lightlife Smoky Tempeh Strips (not pictured) are important ingredients in this recipe. Don't skimp on these as they lend the perfect flavor to this dip. I've tried others and they're just not as good.

Also, as with most of my recipes, they’re not really hardline recipes. For the most part, I don’t use recipes in my cooking and food preparation. I’m a little of this and little of that food creator. I have developed some of my “this and that creations” into traditional recipes to share and I plan on doing more of that in the future. People keep asking me for recipes of the things I post pictures of on Twitter and I tell them there’s no recipe. Some have said that I’m just not willing to share. No, I say that because I don’t have a recipe for the vegan cornbread that will destroy the milk and egg cornbread your grandmother makes, the vegan biscuits that make those from “that local joint, you know the one” seem like flavorless hockey pucks (they are) or the barbecue tempeh that’s full of perfect flavor all the way through that I like to have once a week. I say that because it’s true. I could write down general guidelines but it wouldn’t be in recipe form. Some of the best things you’ll ever eat will come from a little of this/little of that approach. Damn the recipe!

With that said, here’s the….recipe.

Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Dip

1/2 tub (4 oz) Galaxy Nutritional Vegan Plain Cream Cheese

1/3 cup Williams-Sonoma Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter

2 strips Lightlife Smoky Tempeh Strips

1/2 cup Pecans

2 tbs chives or green onions, chopped fine

Toast the pecans until lightly and fry the tempeh strips until crisp. Finely chop both the toasted pecans and tempeh strips, set aside. Spread the Vegan Cream Cheese evenly on a small plate about 1/2 inch thick. Spread the Pecan Pumpkin Butter evenly on top of the vegan cream cheese. Sprinkle the toasted pecans and tempeh strips on top of the pecan pumpkin butter. Top with chopped chives or green onions.

Serve with crackers such as wheat thins. I prefer Trader Joe’s Everything Crackers.

No comments »

Posted in Cooking, Food, Lightlife, Recipes, Trader Joe's, Williams Sonoma

Tags: Cream Cheese Dip Fall Galaxy Nutritional Foods Lightlife Pumpkin Recipes Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Dip

Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

November 6th, 2010

This time of year brings out the candy coffee lover in people and most make a line to Starbucks and other coffee places that have decided the Pumpkin Spice Latte is the coffee flavor of the season. They are very good, although Starbucks isn’t vegan and Panera’s is, but they are very expensive. At and average of $4 for a Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte it can add up quickly if you become addicted. You could opt for a store-bought syrup. Williams-Sonoma sells a very good Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup. At $10 for a small bottle that can also get expensive if you’re enjoying a pumpkin spice latte once or twice a day. With home espresso makers more affordable than the 5-time-a-week or more trips to the coffeeshop having a way to make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte at home should be as easy.

I created my own Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup after both my wife and I decided there was something about a cold morning and a spiced coffee that just fit. It is very simple but extremely tasty, better than any you’ll find at Starbucks, Panera or any other coffeeshop I’ve ever had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from and without all of the added preservatives you’ll find in those syrups some of the coffeeshops use. Even better, your wallet won’t be taking that ridiculous $4-plus hit with each drink.

High quality, fresh spices make all the difference in this recipe as they do in all. Cheap or old spices will give a weak flavor and a bad syrup.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

1 Cup Water
1 Cup Vegan Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
2 TBS Whole Allspice
2 TBS Whole Cloves
1 TSP Ground Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Ground Ginger
1/2 TSP Fresh Ground Nutmeg
1 TSP Vanilla
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

In a medium pan bring water, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and add sugar. Return to boil and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add pumpkin, return to boil whisking until pumpkin is well blended. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool. With a slotted spoon or strainer remove cloves and allspice. Cool completely, add vanilla and pour into jar or bottle for storage. When making your latte use two tablespoons, or more for a stronger flavor, for an 8 ounce latte. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of syrup.

14 comments »

Posted in Coffee, Cooking, Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup, Recipes, Starbucks, Williams Sonoma

Tags: Coffee Cookig Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup Recipes

Oprah, Slate and Five Spice

May 22nd, 2008

For the past few days there has been talk of Oprah Winfrey going vegan for 21 days on the advice of author and advisor Kathy Freston and her book Quantum Wellness which excludes sugar, gluten, alcohol, meat, chicken, fish, eggs and cheese for a “21 Day Cleanse”. Oprah is very influential over people, especially 40-60 year old women. This could be good or bad, Oprah could end this at 21 days and make this the new Oprah fad diet. She will choose the book by Freston as her book club book. This will kick of the phase of every 40-something housewife thinking veganism is cool without looking at the longterm benefits only to stop at the 21 day mark. Maybe I am wrong and Oprah will come to the end point only to realize how good this is for her and continue. Either way it is good that veganism is getting the attention it needs. Tofu will start flying off the shelves once Oprah gets started. I have seen more than once the past day or so someone stating “Oprah goes Vegan!”, if you take vegan to mean absolutely no animal products then they are not making a true statement. Oprah is still wearing leather. She is wearing silk. Nowhere has she stated she has gone vegan, just a vegan diet. So those people should say “Oprah Eats Vegan!”, not that she consumes a vegan but, well, you understand and I am being picky. So, to put it the proper way, “Oprah has decided to eat vegan for three weeks.” Does this mean vegan chefs will appear for the next three weeks on Oprah? Vegan guests?

Oprah’s blog has a link to recipes for “The 21-day Cleanse”. One recipe, Artichoke and Oyster Mushroom Rockefeller, has alcohol listed as an ingredient. Oversight?

Hopefully, Oprah will be able to educate people about the advantages of a vegan diet. And maybe she’ll be able to stick with it beyond 21 days.

Also making the rounds for the last week is an article at Slate written by a vegetarian . The writer talks of going vegetarian at 18 and announcing it to the cringes of friends and family. While the article can be entertaining he has one glaring point that I am in disagreement with. When mentioning bacon and whether he craves bacon he says:

“We’re not insane. We know meat tastes good; it’s why there’s a freezer case at your supermarket full of woefully inadequate meat substitutes.”

No, I don’t think or know meat tastes good, and I am not insane. Don’t speak for all of us. That is the most asinine statement I have heard in some time. If he thinks the substitutes are inadequate then why is he bothering with them? Also, he needs to look a little harder as there are some great items that he apparently hasn’t found. There are some good points in the rest of his little essay but that one rubs me wrong.

On the cooking front I haven’t made anything groundbreaking. I did make stir-fry last night using whole wheat spaghetti in place of udon noodles. It works quite well. Just cook the spaghetti until still tough and uncooked in the middle, not quite al dente, drain and fry along with your veggies in sesame oil and the seasoning you prefer. I used Chinese Five Spice sauce of which I bought about five jars of on my last trip to Trader Joe’s. Five spice is overall my favorite Chinese sauce and I have made it myself but the Trader Joe’s version works well. If you do decide to make your own you will need star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and fennel. Some variations alternate fennel for ginger. The basic recipe I use:

2 Star Anise

1 TSP Cinnamon

1 TSP Fennel

2 TSP Szechuan Peppercorns

1 TSP Cloves

Heat the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry pan for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat until you can smell the aroma. Place all of the spices in a grinder and grind to a fine powder. This makes enough for one use usually. You can make in bulk and store tightly covered. To make a sauce from the spice mixture add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1/2 cup of water in a pan along with the spice mixture and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens a bit.

Now off you go to Whole Foods for some Szechuan peppercorns and be sure to watch out for Oprah fans in the tofu aisle.