TVP Ragu Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 1 carrot minced
• 1 celery stalk minced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup TVP
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 24oz tin crushed tomatoes
• Bay leaf
• 2 tsp marmite
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt to taste

Hydrate TVP per directions.

Sautee carrots, celerey, garlic in oilive oil on med-low heat until fragrant.  Cover and cook on low heat for a few minutes to steam vegetables until just getting soft. Add in all other ingredients and simmer on low heat for 2 hours.  Stir every few minutes to prevent burning.  

Ginger Miso Tofu

This recipe is for 2 lbs of extra firm tofu, as my family has a healthy appetite. 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Miso
1/2 cup mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 bunch of scallions chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
2 lbs extra firm cubed tofu
1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions
In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients except the tofu, i.e. miso, mirin, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, chili flakes (optional).

Gently toss the tofu in with the sauce - making sure the tofu is covered.  Let the tofu marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a non-stick skillet and add the canola oil.  Add the tofu mixture.  Cook over medium-low heat, and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens.  This should be about 20 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Easy Mafe Sauce

Mafe is a Sengalese dish that consists of a rich sauce served over various root vegetables, cabbage, short grained rice, and chicken.  Here is a simple version of the dish.

Mafe Sauce Ingredients

2 cups plain tomato sauce

3/4 cup peanut butter
Chili sauce to taste (I use Sriracha)

Salt to taste

Directions
Cook over medium low heat the tomato sauce and peanut butter until just simmers. Whisk while it is cooking so it doesn't burn. The sauce will turn into a deep orange color when cooked.  Add chili cause and salt.

Serve over grilled chicken breasts, boiled root vegetables (e.g. potatoes, yams, turnips), boiled cabbage, and short-grained rice.

Curried Gluten-Free Quick Bread

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I usually make my own vegan buttermilk)
3 eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped raw cashews
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or raisons)


Preheat oven to 350
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, curry powder, salt).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (milk, eggs, canola oil).
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Stir in cashews and cranberries
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan

Bake for 40-45 minutes

Gingerbread Flavored Granola

This recipe makes 10 cups of granola.

Ingredients
6 cups regular rolled oats uncooked
4 cups raw nuts in bite-sized pieces (walnuts or pecans, etc)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
3 cups dried cranberries

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

Using a wooden spoon, combine the oats, nuts, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a large bowl, until spices are evenly distributed.

Whisk together oil, molasses, vanilla, and salt.

Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir until everything is evenly distributed.

Divide the mix evenly between the two baking sheets.  Spread out the mix over the whole baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Take out and stir and spread the mixture.

If top rack browns faster than the bottom rack, switch the sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and stir and spread the mixture.

Bake for 5 minutes or until desired brown color.

Divide the cranberries evenly between baking sheet and stir into granola.  Spread the mixture one last time to cool.

Store cooled granola in air-tight containers for up to 2 weeks.

Vegan Pecan Pie (with chocolate chips and whisky)

I wanted to make an egg-free Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving this year.  So, I took my previous recipe, combined it with a vegan recipe I found online (http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/best-vegan-pecan-pie/) and came up with this.  I also added a little whisky to this version.

Pie Dough

• 1¼ c flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 7.5 Tbsp vegan butter, chilled
• 3-5 Tbsp ice water

Filling

• 2 c pecan halves
• 1/3 c dark chocolate chips
• 10 whole wheat crackers, crumbled
• ½ c water
• 2 ½ Tbsp canola oil
• 1¼ c sugar
• ¼ c agave syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp bourbon (optional)
• 3 Tbsp applesauce or pumpkin puree
• 3 Tbsp corn or tapioca starch

Instructions

Pie Crust

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until pea-sized.
• Sprinkle with 3 Tbsp ice water and stir until dough comes together in a ball, adding more ice water as needed.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface or between wax paper
• Transfer to 9" pie plate; trim and shape edges as desired.
• Prick crust with a fork and fill with pie weights; bake for 5 minutes.
• Remove pie plate from oven and set aside.

Filling

• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Roast pecans for about 15 minutes.  Don’t burn them.
• Turn off heat and let pecans cool
• When cool, take ½ the pecans and chop up
• In a small bowl, stir together crackers and water.
• Let water absorb, then put mixture in a food processor with oil, sugar, agave nectar, vanilla, applesauce or pumpkin puree, and starch.
• Process until mixture is relatively smooth.
• Pour mixture into saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• When mixture boils, lower heat slightly and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to make sure nothing burns to the bottom of the pan.
• Fold in pecans and chocolate chips , bourbon, and let chocolate melt
• Remove pie weights from crust, then pour filling into crust.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Let cool before serving

Chickpea and eggplant stew

My favorite Lebanese restaurant serves something like this and calls it Moussaka.  It looks nothing like the Greek Moussaka that most people are familiar with.

2 eggplants
1 1/2 cups dried chick pea
2 small cans tomato paste
Water
2 tablespoons garam masala
salt
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut eggplant in 1/2.  Brush all sides with olive oil.  Bake at 400 until soft - about 45 mintues.  When cool, dice the eggplant.

Cook the chickpeas.

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan.  Add garlic and eggplant and saute for a few minutes.  Add tomato paste, water, garam masala, salt to taste.  Simmer at least 20 minutes.

Serve warm on basmati rice and optional tahini sauce.

Tahini sauce
=========
1 cup tahini
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 lemons juiced and zest.
Water to thin to desired consistency
salt to taste

Whisk together all ingredients.