Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores

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BREAKFAST BURRITO – A Fast & Easy Dinner!

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Who doesn’t love breakfast food for dinner? By then, we’re wide awake enough to enjoy it. Plus, the last thing I want to do in the morning is cook – which is why my breakfast consists of tea & biscuit.

Breakfast Burritos are more a concept than a specific recipe. Generally, they include scrambled eggs, but after that – the sky’s the limit: avocado, tomatoes, cheese, peppers, “sausage”. Whatever you have on hand.

Awww – I hear the murmuring.  “Sausage”??? Isn’t this a vegetarian blog? Note the quotation marks around sausage – that means imitation. You might cringe at the fake stuff, but “sausage” is one of those imitation products that tastes amazing. I use Morningstar’s Sausage Patties, and even my carnivorous brother loved them (I didn’t tell him ahead of time).

It’s best to have all your ingredients chopped and tortillas warmed, so that when the eggs are done you can stuff and go. Of course, you can zap them in the microwave, too.

BREAKFAST BURRITO

  • tortillas, warmed
  • eggs
  • imitation sausage patties, cooked per instructions
  • stuffings: avocado, tomato, peppers, etc.
  • cheese (pepper jack, cheddar – whatever you like)

Warm tortillas in microwave and keep in plastic gallon sized bag, foil, or tea towel.

Scramble eggs and add in torn up “sausage” patties.

Layer eggs/”sausage” on tortilla, followed by your other add-ins. (Don’t overstuff or you’ll never be able to wrap the tortilla.) Top with cheese and fold up tortilla.

 

 

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APPLE RICE SALAD – The Perfect Side Dish!

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With the approach of Autumn, we bid farewell to one red fruit (the tomato) and hello to another (the apple).

There are a large number of apple orchards in my neck of the woods, and it’s been a long tradition in my family to trek to the foothills for the annual apple festival. I like to take advantage of locally grown produce – not only does it taste fresher and more flavorful,  but I believe in supporting farmers in my area.

Note: There’s a fabulous article about apples by Helen Nichols, 34 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Apples, that will inspire you to try not only my Apple Rice Salad, but many others as well. Of special interest is a description of the various types of apples, and the dishes in which they work well.

Besides the usual apple pie, apple fritters, apple sauce, and apple juice, one of my favorite uses for these red beauties is Apple Rice Salad. It’s a great company dish because it’s best made ahead of time (I love those recipes! Who needs more tasks to do as company’s arriving?!)

Be sure you make plenty, because this is a crowd pleaser!

APPLE RICE SALAD – makes 2½ cups

  • 66g (1/2 cup) uncooked brown rice blend
  • 15g (1 T) balsamic vinegar
  • 6g (1/2 T) olive oil
  • 7g (1 tsp) honey
  • 6g (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tart red apple (I use Fuji) chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 50g (1/2 cup) 1 stalk celery,  chopped
  • 35g (3 T) raisins
  • 2 T sunflower seeds, lightly toasted (optional)

Cook rice in water. Let cool when done.

As the rice is cooking, mix the dressing. In a small bowl blend the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon, garlic, and salt.

Mix together the cooled cooked rice, apple, celery, raisins, and dressing. Refrigerate.

At serving time, stir in the sunflower seeds, if using.

 

 

 

 

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Want A Spicy Date? Try SWEET & SPICY STUFFED DATES!

SWEET & SPICY STUFFED DATES

SWEET & SPICY STUFFED DATES

I love to entertain. Even though I plan mass quantities of food for the meal and desserts (notice the plural – there are always at least 3 desserts), hors d-oeurves are a fact of life. There has to be a selection of tidbits to tide everyone over because guests arrive at various times and, quite often, cooking takes longer than expected (sigh!).

My criteria for appetizers is that they don’t fill everyone up and can be made ahead of time. (There are exceptions to the last rule – but only when I don’t have a hundred things to do during meal prep.)

SWEET & SPICY STUFFED DATES are a delightfully diverse combination of sweet and tangy, creamy and crunchy…with a kick! The filling is easy to prepare, and the dates can be stuffed ahead of time. Apply the pistachio nut topper at the last minute to make sure it’s nice and crisp.

NOTE:  Cayenne pepper is potent stuff – a little goes a long way. Vary the amount to suit yourself. But bear in mind, the spiciness gets diluted by the date, so don’t just try the filling – put some on a date to taste-test.

SWEET & SPICY STUFFED DATES – makes about 19

  • 18-20 dried dates (I used 19), pitted
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese
  • 1½ rounded T pistachio nuts
  • 18-20 additional pistachio nuts for topping
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I use 1/2 tsp)
  • 2 T capers with 1/4 tsp of the liquid

Slice open each date by sticking the tip of a blade of your kitchen shears into one pit hole and cutting lengthwise to the other pit hole (see photo).

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Finely chop (but don’t grind)  the 1½ T pistachio nuts. (I used the small pitcher of my Oster blender since I hate to chop).

Mix together the cream cheese, chopped pistachios, cayenne pepper, and capers.

The easiest way to stuff the dates is to spoon mixture into a pastry bag (see photo) and squeeze the filling out. This works great, especially if you’re making a lot. But you can, also, just use a spoon to fill the dates.

Hold open slit date and squeeze in filling.

Hold open slit date and squeeze in filling.

If you’re not serving these immediately, cover and refrigerate. To serve, top each with a whole pistachio nut.

 

 

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CHINESE “CHICKEN” CASSEROLE – An Old Favorite Vegified

CHINESE “CHICKEN” CASSEROLE

Sometimes I find myself in a meal-time rut, especially when I’m busy (which is a frequent occurrence as a wife, mom, actress, and writer). So every now and then I rummage through my recipe box for forgotten gems. Many of these are from my carnivore days of yore.

But now, with the advent of some very tasty imitation meats, I’m able to substitute the fake stuff for real beef, chicken, ham, etc. CAUTION: Not all of these products are created equal. Some are excellent, some are nasty. Try different brands to see which (if any) appeal to you.

A bonus to using imitation meats is that they’re already cooked. When I used to make the original Chinese Chicken Casserole, it would take me 30 minutes to boil the breasts, then they’d have to cool, and finally I would cube them (an unpleasant job). All that took about an hour. By using faux chicken, this recipe becomes one of those throw-everything-into-a-casserole dish, mix, and bake recipes. Fast and easy – my favorite!

Note:  My fake chicken of choice is by Worthington (see photo). It may seem a little pricey at first glance, but unlike real chicken, every bit is edible – no skin, fat, or bones in this baby! Plus it’s already cooked. Of course, there are other brands out there that are also good.

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CHINESE “CHICKEN” CASSEROLE

  • 425g (3 cups) (15 oz) cubed fake chicken
  • 227g (8 oz) pineapple rings (save the juice), cut into bite sized pieces
  • vegetable stock – about 400g (1.75 cups) – homemade or purchased
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 153g (2/3 cup) (5.5 o) dry sherry
  • 70g (1/4 cup) (2.5 oz) soy sauce
  • 35g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 35g (1/3 cup) (1 oz) slivered almonds, toasted

Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Add in enough water to equal 484g (2 cups).

Into a casserole dish combine all the ingredients.

Cover with lid or foil and bake at 375º Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes, stirring now and then.

Serve over rice.

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CHOCOLATE PUDDING – The Mac ‘N Cheese Of Desserts!

Creamy CHOCOLATE PUDDING!

Creamy CHOCOLATE PUDDING!

Good ol’ Chocolate Pudding – the ultimate comfort food dessert. It’s chocolaty. It’s creamy. It’s a wonderful finish to a filling meal. Much as I love cakes, cookies, and pies, quite often nothing hits the spot like Chocolate Pudding.

If you like, you can even dress it up by swirling in raspberries or bananas, baking a graham cracker crust in custard cups then pouring in the cooked pudding, sprinkling on pound cake cubes, or piping on a cloud of whipped cream, topped with a cherry. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Puddings can be made with eggs, gelatin, flour, or (my preference) cornstarch. Also, they can be steamed, baked, or cooked on the stovetop (again, my preference). I’ve come up with what I believe is the perfect blend of ingredients.

Note: Take the time to smash out all the cocoa lumps by making a paste with the milk BEFORE you begin cooking. Then you’ll have a nice, smooth pudding.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING – makes 2 cups

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 T cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk (I use nonfat)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 T butter

In a saucepan mix together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the milk (you don’t have to measure). Using a flat headed stirrer (see photo), blend the milk into the cocoa mixture, smashing out all the lumps.

Flat-headed wooden stirrer

Flat-headed wooden stirrer

As the mixture becomes too thick to blend, add a little more milk. You don’t want to add too much milk until all the lumps are smashed – otherwise they’ll just float on top and you’ll never get rid of them. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the milk, making it a thick paste, add in the remaining milk.

Over a medium flame, cook pudding until thick, stirring frequently – about 10 minutes. At approximately 8 minutes, you’ll notice it begins to thicken. Keep going until the boiling point. Remove from heat and add in butter and vanilla.

Pour into serving containers and cover to prevent a skin from forming (unless you like skin).

 

 

 

 

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PARMESAN BISCUIT SLICES – Cheapness Wins Again!

PARMESAN BISCUIT SLICES

PARMESAN BISCUIT SLICES

I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve created due to my frugality (aka, cheapness!). For last week’s blogpost, Parmesan Pasta Salad, I needed Parmesan cheese (duh!). Normally, I would never buy grated or shredded cheese (once again – cheap). I would purchase a block and do it myself.

However, when I went to select the Parmesan wedge, there – beckoning me like a siren, RIGHT AT EYE LEVEL! – was a bag of powdery, grated cheese. It would take some doing on my part to get cheese this fine. So, in a Thelma & Louise moment, I grabbed the bag and didn’t look back.

Once the Parmesan Pasta Salad was bagged, tagged, and logged (I watch a lot of Law & Order, SVU), I found there was quite a bit of leftover cheese. Which is where my frugality came into play. I had to use up the stuff.

I decided to make biscuit sticks (like bread sticks, without the yeast), incorporating Parm into the dough AND sprinkled on top. Well, as you can see from the photo above, they didn’t come out at all like I envisioned, but I actually like these ‘slices’ better.

Being a biscuit rather than a bread, there’s no need to wait for rising dough, so they’re fairly quick to put together. Including baking time, start to finish is around half an hour. Not bad!

Note:  I chose to use grated Parm, but you could also use shredded.

PARMESAN BISCUIT SLICES – makes about 20, depending how you cut them

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1/4 cup chilled butter (salted) – you can use more if you’re feeling decadent
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup milk (I used nonfat)
  • about 1/2 T butter, melted for brushing
  • extra grated Parmesan for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and Parmesan.

Add in chilled butter, crosscutting with 2 knives until the texture becomes pea-like.

Pour in milk and mix with a fork until most of the flour is incorporated.

Knead the dough 10 times. Count! You don’t want to overmix. You can either empty the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead, or knead directly in the bowl by pushing the dough down with your well-floured knuckles, folding the far half on top of the close half, turning the bowl 90º, and repeating process. TIP:  I always count aloud so I don’t lose track.

Pat the dough into a rectangle using well-floured hands. Then, using a well-floured rolling pin (are you getting the idea the dough is sticky?), roll the dough to 1/2″ thick.

Cut the dough into 1/2″ wide strips using a pizza cutter or knife.

Preheat oven to 450º Fahrenheit.

Generously grease a cookie sheet (even nonstick). Place the strips cut side down (and up) at least 1½” apart. Brush sides and top with melted butter, then sprinkle on the dusting Parmesan. Gently pat cheese into dough.

Bake at 450º F for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest 1 minute. Remove to wire rack or directly to serving basket.

 

 

 

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PARMESAN PASTA SALAD – It’s The Simple Things

 

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Sometimes you want a little something to go with that sandwich. Nothing fancy, just…..well, a little something. I’ve got just the thing – Parmesan Pasta Salad.

This is a recipe I came across years ago, before I knew much about cooking. There are only four ingredients: pasta, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and salt. What’s not to like? Not only is this a kid favorite, but even adults have specifically requested it for potlucks.

This a tasty delight only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, no matter how much you’re making. Fast, easy, and delicious – the three best adjectives in the cooking world!

PARMESAN PASTA SALAD – makes 2 1/3 cups

  • 1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (sometimes called short or salad macaroni)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Cook pasta until it’s done to your liking (about 10 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Mix together the pasta, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and salt. Chill.

 

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ZUCCHINI TOMATO STIR-FRY – Why, Yes, I’d Love Some Zucchini!

ZUCCHINI TOMATO STIR-FRY

ZUCCHINI TOMATO STIR-FRY

We’re in the throes of summer and that means only one thing:  ZUCCHINI! Lots of zucchini. If you’re not growing it, then your neighbors are. “How’s it going?” has been replaced by the hopeful, “Need any zucchini?”

Overnight, that perfect 7″ summer squash balloons in size to something that looks like it came out of a science fiction film. It needs to be eaten, and it needs to be eaten FAST! It’s just wrong to throw out perfectly good food – gargantuous as it may be.

“Isn’t there something else I can do with zucchini?” you ponder, trying to squeeze one more loaf of zucchini bread into the freezer.

Look no further! I have a zucchini side dish that’s easy, it’s delicious, AND it’s low in calories! But, wait….there’s more! It uses tomatoes, which are also in abundance right now. Stop the madness!

ZUCCHINI TOMATO STIR-FRY – makes 3 servings

  • vegetable oil for stir-frying
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp crushed dried rosemary
  • 1/8 tsp oregano
  • 2 cups zucchini, chopped in whatever shape you want
  • 1 cup tomato, chopped
  • optional:  grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

NOTE:  To easily chop parsley, use your kitchen shears:

It's easy to finely chop parsley using kitchen shears

In a skillet or wok, heat a teaspoon or so of oil – just enough so things don’t stick. Add in the garlic, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, rosemary, and oregano. Cook at medium heat (375º Fahrenheit if using a wok) for a few minutes, until onion browned – stirring often.

Add in zucchini and tomato, continuing to stir-fry until the zucchini is done to your liking. This takes about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle on cheese, if desired, and serve.

 

 

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TANGERINE “TURKEY” (or TOFU) SALAD – Not Just A Pretty Picture!

Colorful MANDARIN TOFU SALAD

Colorful TANGERINE TOFU SALAD

Not all salads are created equal. There are dinner salads, meant to whet the appetite. There are fruit salads, often eaten in lieu of French fries (so we can justify dessert). And then, there are meal salads. We feel proud of ourselves when we eat a meal salad. They fill us up with healthy stuff (so we can justify dessert).

My friend, blogger Angie Thompson at Peas For Two, posted a mouth-watering photo of a chicken salad from Umalu restaurant in Hawaii. People post a lot of food on Facebook, but this photo grabbed me like an iron vice.

Thanks to the internet I was able to find Umalu’s menu, read a description of the salad, and then promptly changed several things to make it vegetarian and mine.

As you may have noticed, I called this salad “Turkey” (quotation marks denote imitation) OR Tofu. That’s because they both work and are tasty. My husband and I prefer the fake turkey in this recipe, but I know there are those of you leery of imitation products. Tofu is rather bland and doesn’t really add much tastewise to the salad, whereas the faux (I’m feeling posh) gives a nice turkey-ish flavor and texture.

NOTE: There are lots of imitation turkey products out there. Some are fabulous, and some taste like cardboard. Don’t give up if you don’t like the first brand you try. My favorite is by Worthington and it’s called Meatless Smoked Turkey Roll (See photo below). Don’t be put off by the price – this baby weighs in at 4 pounds and it’s all edible. It comes frozen so I let it thaw enough to cut it into meal sized portions, then refreeze it. And, no, they’re not paying me to promote it.

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My favorite fake turkey!

The only real work to producing TANGERINE “TURKEY” SALAD is pan frying the “turkey” (or tofu, if you choose), and the tortilla strips – but neither of these steps is too time consuming. For the most part, this salad is fast and easy.

Of course, me being the perennial DIYer, I made the tortillas myself, which added a bit of extra work. I see you rolling your eyes, thinking that I could just pick up a pack of pre-made tortillas and save the trouble. Hear me out! Those tortillas come in packs of 12 and I only needed 1 or 2 (depending on size). Unfortunately, tortillas don’t freeze well. So I made only what I need and there’s no waste. As you may have noticed by now – I hate waste! I included the recipe for flour tortillas below – they’re really easy.

TANGERINE “TURKEY” (OR TOFU) SALAD – makes 3 servings

  • about 6 oz tofu or imitation turkey (3/4″ slice of Meatless Smoked Turkey)
  • 2  6″ flour tortillas (recipe below, for the adventurous)
  • about 3 cups red leaf lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 cucumber, skinned, seeded, and sliced
  • 6 scallions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, shredded (about 2 carrots)
  • 1  11-oz can Mandarin oranges, drained
  • 2-3 T spicy peanuts
  • Ginger Mandarin Dressing (see photo) or a similar oneGINGER MANDARIN DRSG

Cut “turkey” into two 3/8″ thick discs. If using tofu, slice three 3/8″ pieces. Dredge the “turkey” in flour and shake off excess (you don’t have to do this with the tofu). It’s best to use a nonstick skillet if you’re using tofu – even with oil it tends to stick to pan. Fry in oil, browning both sides. Remove to paper towel and cool. Slice into bite sized pieces.

Slice the tortillas into 3/8″ wide x 1½” long strips. A pizza cutter works really well for this task. In a small saucepan or wok, put at least 1/2″ of vegetable oil and heat to 375º Fahrenheit. Deep fry small batches of the tortilla strips until they’re browned on both sides. Remove to paper towel.

NOTE:  You can reuse the deep fry oil by pouring it through a fine sieve into a container. Store in the fridge.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, scallions, carrots, oranges, and “turkey” or tofu. Add dressing (don’t be stingy) and mix well.

Just before serving, sprinkle in the peanuts and tortilla strips.

FLOUR TORTILLAS – makes 2 tortillas

  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 2 T water

I used my food processor to mix the dough, but because this was such a small amount, I had to keep stopping the machine to scrape the sides and bottom. Instead, you can just mix everything together by hand, kneading until it’s well mixed.

Divide dough into 2 balls, cover, and let rest for 1/2 hour. (If you don’t do this, the dough will resist rolling.)

On a well floured board, roll out each dough ball into circles 6″ in diameter.

Either use a tortilla cooker or a 10″ dry skillet. One at a time, cook the tortillas, flipping often. You DON’T want to brown them or they get crispy – they need to be flexible. Each one will take about 1 minute total. Transfer into a plastic bag to keep them moist until ready to use.

 

 

 

 

 

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MINI LEMON PIES – A Flavor Explosion!

 

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ZINGY MINI LEMON PIES

While I’m a confirmed chocoholic, sometimes I like to shake things up a bit. So when my friend, George, gave me several lemons from his tree, I decided to make a lemon pie. And I didn’t want just a hint of lemon…I wanted LEMON! Toe curling lemon!

The key to achieving lip smacking lemony flavor is using plenty of lemon zest. For you newbies, zest is the very outer layer of citrus – where the color is (not the white rind part). Use the smallest holes on a cheese grater and cautiously scrape away. One lemon produces about 1 packed teaspoon.

Portion control being my motto, individual pies baked in custard cups were in order. When I make a standard sized pie, I have a tendency to cut myself a slice, then (because it wasn’t a perfect cut) “clean up” the raggedy edge left behind, then (after inhaling said piece) slice myself “just a wee bit more”.

If something is already preordained as a portion, I seem to have better control over myself. (I remember the days when I could eat half a cake, do 10 jumping jacks, and not gain an ounce. Sigh!)

While the graham cracker crust is briefly baked, the pie isn’t. Rather, the filling is cooked on the stovetop, poured over the crust, then refrigerated. For optimum taste, Mini Lemon Pies should be made the day before serving so they’ve properly set and chilled.

MINI LEMON PIES – makes 4 custard cup pies

Crust:

  • 3 T butter, melted
  • 6 graham crackers (3.2 oz), well crushed (no chunks!)

Mix butter and graham crackers together with a fork. Divide evenly amongst 4 custard cups. Pat down to fill the bottom of each cup. To do this faster and easier, I use a 5th custard cup to press down the crust, rather than my fingers or a spoon.

Bake at 350º Fahrenheit for 7 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool.

Filling:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp packed lemon zest (don’t be stingy!)

Melt butter and set aside to cool down a little while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Put water in the bottom half of a double boiler. Don’t overfill or the water will sputter out.

Into the top half, put the eggs. Beat well with an egg beater or whisk. Add in sugar, lemon juice, zest, and butter. Turn flame on medium. Adjust heat as needed to keep the water from boiling over.

Stir well and frequently until thickened – about 10 minutes. (At around 7 minutes you’ll notice the mixture begins to thicken.)

NOTE: The filling will firm up in the fridge.

Remove the top pot from the water bath, wipe off the dripping water, and pour the filling evenly into the 4 custard cups. Let set on the counter at least half an hour to cool, then refrigerate in a covered container.

Top with whipped cream, if you like, and serve.  Then try and restrain yourself from indulging in another.