Southwest Chipitole Soup

I modified Rachel's Ray's Chicken, Chorizo, and Tortilla soup to make this vegan alternative.

Southwest Soup

Ingredients

•       1 package Gardein chick n scallopini 

•       Salt and pepper

•       1 package Field Roast Chipotle sausage.

•       Vegetable spray (recommended Spectrum brand)

•       3 cloves garlic, smashed

•       1 red bell pepper, chopped

•       1 medium onion, chopped

•       6 small red potatoes, diced

•       1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes (recommended: Muir Glen)

•       1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained

•       2 teaspoons hot sauce (omit, if you like things less spicy)

•       1 quart chicken stock made from Better Than Bouillon -  No Chicken Base

Directions

1.  Preheat large soup pot over medium-high heat.

2.  Slightly thaw and chop scallopini into bite-size pieces.

3.  Chop chipitole sausage into small pieces.

4.  Spray pot twice with vegetable oil

5.  Add chick n scallopini to pot.

6.  Lightly brown chicken 2 minutes, then add the chipotle and garlic.

7.  Cook another 2 to 3 minutes

8.  Add peppers, onions and potatoes. Cook 5 minutes, 9.  Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, hot sauce, and chicken stock and bring soup to a boil.

10.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour.

The Best Balsamic Vinegar - from Olives and Grapes

OK, today's blog is a product review of "from Olives and Grapes" balsamic vinegar.  If you haven't heard, balsamic vinegar is a great antioxidant as well as providing a potential list of benefits from "possibly" lowering cholesterol levels to boosting energy.  However, I like it because it tastes wonderful and is a great non-fat alternative to salad dressing.

I was waiting for my son to finish with a play practice in Historic Cocoa Village and decided to check out the store "from Olives and Grapes."  I am really glad my son was late, because this store carries the best balsamic vinegar that I've ever tasted and I tasted a lot of these vinegars on a recent trip to Italy.  The store carries numerous flavors of the vinegar as well as oils and if you live close by, you can go in and actually taste them before buying.  My favorites to date are the Traditional 18 year-aged Balsamic Vinegar and the Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar.  You can enjoy these vinegars on salad or as a bread dipping sauce.

If you'd like to check them out, see:http://www.fromolivesandgrapes.com If you'd like to visit them, they are located in Historic Cocoa Village at: 12 Oleander Street

Celebration Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

I discovered the company "Field Roast" from the Ellen website.  I used the roast recipe from her website, but modified it to make it less work and low fat.  I think the result was still great and my kids and husband loved it.  If you want the original recipe, here is the link.  It sounds complicated, the the entire meal took an hour to make.

Ingredients:

1 cup red wine (cabernet, merlot, etc.)
1 C vegetable broth
1 T Better Than Bouillon, No Beef Base
2 C water
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 onion diced
16 small mixed carrots
Salt
3 T whole wheat white flour
1 tsp thyme
1tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Field Roast, Celebration Roast
5 large Yukon potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled.


Directions:


Start the sauce about an hour before you want to eat.


1. Add 1/4 red wine to a heated saute pan.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender.  
2. Stir in 3 T of flour
3. Add the rest of the wine, water, no beef base, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.
4. Let simmer on low heat for an hour, stir it occasionally
5. After an hour, strain the sauce into another pan.  (You can actually save the carrot/celery/onion mixture that will be left in the strainer and use it in wraps for lunch.)


Start the potatoes about 30 minutes before you want to eat.

1. Place potatoes in a large pan of boiling water and cook until fork tender.
2. Drain potatoes in a colander.
3. Transfer potatoes to a bowl.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and mash with the potatoes.
5. Add more broth until a creamy texture is achieved.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Start the carrots.

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Spray a cookie sheet with vegetable oil.
3. Place carrots on the pan.
4. Spray the carrots with the vegetable oil.
5. Sprinkle about 1tsp salt over the carrots.
6.  Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.


Cook the roast.


I used my panini to grill the roast.


1.  Cut the roast into 8 equal pieces.
2.  Place on the grill and brush tops with the beef sauce.
3.  Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn the pieces over and repeat the process.


Assemble on the plate.


1. Drizzle 2 T of sauce on four plates.
2. Arrange two scoops of potatoes on each plate. ( I used an ice cream scoop)
3. Place two pieces of roast on the potatoes in a v.
4. Arrange carrots close to the roast.
5. Place remaining beef sauce on the table for folks to use.

Vegan No Gluten Low-fat Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 C Agave Nectar
1/4 C Coconut Oil
2 C organic plain pumpkin puree
2 C gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Xanthum Gum
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg
1/3 cup rice milk
1/3 cup hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Oil a 12-cup muffin tin
In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients.
Stir until batter is smooth.
Scoop batter into muffin tins.  I use an ice cream scoop to make this easier.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Let stand in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition Facts * Calculated on Sparkpeople  Makes 12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		201.9
Total Fat		10.0 g
	Saturated Fat	5.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.4 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		451.3 mg
Potassium		87.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate		35.4 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.7 g
	Sugars	17.1 g
Protein		2.5 g

Favorite Vegan and Vegetarian Cookbooks

When I first started down the almost vegan path a year ago, I checked a lot of cookbooks out from the library to get ideas and try something new.  Here are some of my favorites that I decided to purchase. I've listed them in the order that shows the cookbooks I use the most.

Veganomicon - The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Vegan Fire & Spice 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes

The (Almost) No Fat Cook Book Everyday Vegetarian Recipes

New vegetarian cuisine - 250 low-fat recipes for superior heath

Low-fat Vegetarian Cooking

babycakes - Vegan, Gluten-Free and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked - About Bakery.

lick it! Creamy, dreamy vegan ice creams your mouth will love

Vegetarian/Vegan Products that I like

I'm living in a place that has no Whole Foods, no Trader Joes, and limited vegan products through really small health food stores or the grocery.  As a result, I have to order a lot of products online.  I use Amazon for a lot of my canned goods.  However, they don't carry everything.  Here is my growing list of some interesting online sources and products that I order.

Better Than Bouillon - This is a great source for vegan bouillon.  I have used both their vegan chicken and beef in soups and stews.

Field Roast - These folks make a really tasty seitan line of products.  I've used their apple sausage, and celebration roast with great success.

Gardein Protein - I can actually find this product in my grocery store.  It seems to be a combination of soy and seitan.  I use their chicken in a vegan chicken soup and their beef tips in Chinese dishes and beef stews.

Ultimate Vegan Queso - When an award-winning Texas chef goes vegan, everything good happens...except for the cheesy Tex-Mex cravings that wouldn't go away. 

NutsOnline - These folks carry just about any nut or dried fruit that you can think of as well as a variety of other products that can be used in power drinks and smoothies.

Pennsey's Spice - I've been ordering from these folks for years and have found their spices and herbs a step up from what you can find in the grocery store.  A favorite mix of mine is their pasta herb sprinkle.  It is great in any Italian dish.

The Vegan Store - I've had really great luck with these folks in ordering just about any vegan product.

Quinoa Pasta with Vegan Smoked Apple Sausage

Sausage Quinoa Pasta

Serves 4, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total cooking time 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 box Ancient Quinoa Harvest Pasta

1 package Vegan Field Roast Smoked Apple Sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups yellow squash, diced

1 cup zucchini, diced

12 button mushrooms, sliced

1 red pepper, diced

1 large ripe tomato, diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 T olive oil

Directions:

1. Prepare quinoa pasta per package instructions and drain in colendar.

2. In an electric non-stick wok or large non-stick pan, sauté oil,  onion and garlic on until onion is translucent.

3.  Add oregano and basil.

4.  Add vegetables and sauté until tender.

5.  Add sausage and sauté until everything is heated through.

6. Arrange 1/4 pasta on a plate.
7. Spoon 1/4 of sausage mixture on top of the pasta.
8. Sprinkle a little vegan parmesan cheese on top.

9.  Repeat for three more plates.

Nutrition Facts*

1 Serving
Calories    533.4
Total Fat    16.2 g
Saturated Fat    1.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat    0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat    3.4 g
Cholesterol    0.0 mg
Sodium    614.6 mg
Potassium    554.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate    25.2 g
Dietary Fiber    22.1 g
Sugars    8.5 g
Protein    33.0 g
* Nutrition information derived from sparkpeople.com recipe tool.

Favorite Online Recipes

Here is a growing list of favorite vegetarian and vegan recipes that I've found on the internet and that everyone in my family enjoys.  I'm putting the links here for a quick reminder to me.  If you also find them useful, that is great.

Favorite Vegan Hamburger Recipes

• Curried Eggplant, Lentil, and Quinoa Burgers
• Red Bean Chipotle Burgers

Favorite Lentil Dishes

• Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew 

  Notes: This recipe calls for Garam Masala.  I couldn't find this in my grocery, but made my own from Allrecipes.com

• Mexican Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro (Vegan)

• Lentil Joes or Snobby Joes

 Favorite Breakfast Dishes

• Better Blueberry Pancakes 

  Notes: I substituted buttermilk for soymilk or greek yogurt. 

• Golden Spice Pancakes

• Vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake 

  Notes: I cut the sugar requirements in half and substituted agave nectar for the dough. I haven't figured out how to cut the sugar for the topping.  Any ideas would be appreciated. 
  

Favorite Gardein Recipes

If you haven't tried this product it is worth a look.  You can find it in your freezer section.  It seems to be a cross between soy and seitan.

• Vegan Pot Pie

• Beefless Stew

Favorite Quinoa Recipes

• Quinoa Vegetable Paella

Seitan Fajitas

This dish is probably one of the favorites in my household right now. The southwest seitan recipe follows the fajita recipe.

Seitan Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 lb. southwest seitan sliced into 3" x 1/2 inch pieces.
2 thinly sliced green, yellow, or red peppers (I use what ever I have available)
1 thinly sliced onion
1 T olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp ground adobo pepper (add more if you like it spicier)
Juice of two limes
10 whole grain tortillas

Directions:

I cook this in my electric wok, but any pan will work.

1.  Heat a nonstick pan and add oil.
2.  Saute onions until soft.
3.  Add the peppers, adobo, salt, and pepper and continue to saute until onions are caramelized.
4.  Add the seitan and continue to saute about 2 minutes.
5.  Drizzle lime juice over everything.
6.  Serve in tortillas with salsa, guacamole, vegan cheese, and olives (or what ever you like on fajitas).

Southwest Seitan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 C vital wheat gluten
1 T  organic taco seasoning
2 T nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T tahini or cashew butter
1 T soy sauce
3/4 C water

Directions:

1.  Combine first five ingredients in a bowl.
2.  Whisk together tahini and soy sauce.
3.  Add 3/4 watter to the tahini and soy sauce.
4.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients.
5.  Kneed dough a few times.
6.  Shape dough into a 6" x 9" rectangle and place in a baking dish.
7.  Cook at 350 for 25 minutes.

You can use this right away or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Seitan Hot Dogs

My kids were really missing hot dogs, so we came up with this meat alternative.  It seems to be a hit.  This seitan is baked, not boiled.  I never have had success with the boiled version.

Seitan Hot Dogs 

Ingredients:

1 C vital wheat gluten
2 tsp paprika
2 T nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 C water
2 T tahini
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 T soy sauce

Directions:

1.  Combine the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl.
2.  Whisk the tahini, soy sauce, liquid smoke and water together in a separate bowl.
3.  Combine the liquid and dry ingredients.
4.  Kneed the seitan a few times.
5.  Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
6.  Roll into hot dog shape.
7.  Place in a glass baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable spray.
8.  Cook for 15 minutes at 350.
9.  Flip hot dogs and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Eat just as you would regular hot dogs.

Italian Pasta Dish with Seitan

Italian Pasta Dish with Seitan

This dish uses a seitan recipe that my husband derived from other sources.  It tastes the best of all that we have tried.  The recipe is given at the end of this blog post.

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 lb Italian seitan (recipe follows)
1 cup cubed zuchini
1 cup cubed yellow squash
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cubed yellow pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 T olive oil
1/4 dry white wine
10 oz. pasta of your choice
Either:
1 T dried basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
or 2 T Pensey's pasta sprinkle

Directions:

1. Place 3 quarts of water in a stock pot and bring to boil.
2.  Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes.
3.  Drain and set aside.
4.  In a saute pan, add olive oil, wine, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes.
5.  Cook for 2 minutes.
6.  Add peppers and saute for another two minutes.
6.  Add all other vegetables and cook until tender.
7.  Add the cubed seitan and basil, oregano, and thyme.
8.  Cook until seitan is warmed through.

Serve over pasta.

Seitan with Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350

Incredients:

1 C vital wheat gluten
2 T Pensey's pasta sprinkle or 1 T basil, 2 tsp oregano, and a pinch of thyme
2 T nutritional yeast - Yeast Fine Flakes
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 T tahini
1 T soy sauce
3/4 C water

Directions:

1.  Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl.  
2.  Whisk together tahini, soy sauce, and water.
3.  Combine ingredients.
4.  Knead the dough a few times to ensure all ingredients are mixed.
5.  Spread dough in a 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" dish that has been coated in vegetable spray.
6.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Note: You can place seitan in plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until you need it.

corn chowder

Rosemary Garlic Potato Soup

This recipe was inspired by a Green's Restaurant roasted potato recipe.  It worked great in the crock pot, which is a necessary tool in my busy household.

Serves 8

Advance preparation:

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil.

Ingredients:

Two large yams
Two large yukon gold potatoes
One large sweet onion
One head of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 cups of water
1 qt. Vegetable Broth

1. Peel and cube potatoes, yams, and onion.
2. Break apart garlic but leave skins on.
3. Spread out garlic, potatoes, yams, and onion on a cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle rosemary on both sheets of potatoes.
5. Spray vegetables two times with vegetable spray.
6. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until potatoes are turning golden.
7.  Remove from oven and place garlic into a separate bowl.
8.  Place everything else, including the corn, in the crockpot.
9.  Squeeze the garlic out the skins and place it in the crockpot.
10. Add vegetable broth and water to cover everything.
11. Add pepper to taste.
12. Cook on low for at least 4 hours.
13. Right before serving, use a hand blender to mix the soup into a creamier texture.  I leave some chunks for texture.

Mexican Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro (Vegan)

This is a really great soup recipe for cold days.  Everyone in my family likes it.

Mexican Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro (Vegan)

Vegan Oatmeal Fruit Bread

I started with my Mom's date bread recipe, but took out the fat and sugar and added a lot more fruit.  I think you can use any dried fruit in this recipe, but my quantities seem to work. I usually double this recipe to last the week.

Ingredients:

4 oz dried dates
4 oz dried apricots
4 oz raisins
4 oz whole walnuts
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 ENGERG egg replacer
1 1/2 c oat flour

Directions:

1. Place dates, apricots, and raisins in a bowl.
2. Pour 1 cup boiling water over the fruit
3. Add baking soda
4. Set the mixture aside until cool.
5. Mix in EZ egg replacer, vanilla, and salt
6. Add flour and walnuts and mix
7. Pour mixture into a bread pan lined with parchment paper
8. Cook at 325 for 1 hour
9. Let cool on a rack

Slice and enjoy.

Curry Lentil Soup and Naan Bread

Slow Cooker Curry Lentil Soup

Combine the following in your crock pot:

2 cups lentils any color. I had yellow on hand so this is what I used.
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 onion chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 large potato cubed
32 oz vegetable stock
4 cups of water
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Let simmer all day. Just before serving add 1/2 cup coconut milk. (If you are going for no-fat, leave out the milk).

I served naan bread with this. I used this recipe as the source but made modifications to make it vegan. I replaced the egg with EnerG egg replacer, left out the milk, and did not use the butter.
I cooked the bread in my panini and it worked great.