Orange Tofu

Since the Chinese New Year is only one day away ( February 3rd ), I thought I'd share with you guys one of my favorite fast food inspired recipes. This orange tofu tastes exactly the way I remember orange chicken to taste but of course is about half the calories and much healthier for you.

I also made some kung pao gardein chicken but it did not turn out as planned. I still need to experiment some more before I can share that recipe with you. Don't you just hate when that happens? I get so excited for a dish to only find out that it did not turn out as planned. What did work though was my fried rice. I used this recipe and it will continue to be my favorite fried rice recipe for awhile.

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Orange Sauce

* 1 Tb minced fresh ginger

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 1 Tb canola oil

* 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

* 3 green onions, chopped

* 1 Tb mirin

* 3 Tb soy sauce

* 2 tsp brown sugar

* 1/4 cup rice vinegar

* 1/4 cup orange juice

* 2 Tb cornstarch or arrowroot, dissolved in 3 Tb water

* 1 lb firm tofu, press and drained

* canola oil spray

Directions

First prepare the sauce...

1. In a small sauce pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes, green onion and mirin and cook for another minute.

2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and orange juice. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

To prepare the tofu...

4. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

5. Cut the drained tofu into bite sized pieces.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the tofu and spray the top of the tofu with canola oil.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until tofu becomes golden brown at edges. Turn over tofu 10 minutes into baking.

8. Toss tofu in orange sauce and serve warm.

Barbecue Baked Tofu

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. I've been so busy and then I got the flu..I stopped cooking for about half a week and now that I began to feel a little better, I chose to make my favorite barbecue sauce from Veganomicon's cookbook.

After trying this sauce a year ago, I have never bought barbecue sauce again. Really cheap to make and a lot tastier than many sauces that I have tried in the past. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

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Makes 8 cutlets

Ingredients

* 2 pounds firm tofu, drained and pressed, cut widthwise into fourths

* 4 cups store bought barbecue sauce or homemade ( see recipe below )

* 4 Tb peanut oil

* 2 Tb tamari

Barbecue Sauce

* 1 Tb canola oil

* 1 yellow onion, diced finely

* 4 garlic cloves, minced

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

* 1 ( 28 ounce ) can crushed or diced tomatoes

* 1/3 cup molasses

* 1/3 cup white vinegar

* 2 Tb brown sugar

* 1 Tb yellow mustard

* 1 tsp liquid smoke

Directions

First prepare the sauce...if using store bought, skip to step 6

1. Over medium heat in a saucepan, heat the oil and place the onions in the pan. Saute until browned, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

3. Add the salt, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, molasses, white vinegar and sugar. Cook for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the mustard and liquid smoke. Cook for 5 more minutes.

5. Puree using an immersion blender if desired.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

7. In a large baking sheet, dredge the tofu in the peanut oil and tamari to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for 15 more minutes.

8. When the tofu is done baking, pour the sauce over it, smothering it all over. Return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

I just wanted to share some recent shots of Taffy. He found a new spot in the yard and has been sleeping cuddled up by this tree for the past couple days. Oh and I also created him a facebook, if anyone wants to add him, here's his link : ]

webcam fun!

Chipotle Bean Burgers

I absolutely love chipotle peppers because of the extra heat it brings to a dish and its unique smokey taste. I had the idea of adding a couple peppers to an already good but a bit simple, bean burger recipe. Its funny how one extra ingredient can totally change the flavor of a meal.

Feel free to play around with the number of peppers added if you want something more mild or spicy. I added two peppers and it wasn't spicy at all. Leave the seeds in if you really like spicy. Anyone else love making their own patties? Boca burgers have nothing on my patties : ]

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Makes 8 patties

Ingredients

* 1 yellow onion, diced finely

* 1 carrot, grated

* 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

* 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobe, seeded and minced

* 1-2 tsp adobe sauce, optional

* 2 tsp olive oil

* 1 ( 15 ounce ) can of pinto beans

* 1 ( 15 ounce ) can of black beans

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp dried oregano

* 1/2 tsp cumin

* 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

* hamburger buns

* lettuce, tomatoes

* vegan mayo and ketchup

Directions

1. Heat a small pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, chipotle pepper and adobe sauce and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Mash the pinto and black beans in a large bowl. Stir in the onion mixture, salt, oregano and cumin.

3. Sprinkle the wheat gluten a little at a time over the bean mixture and knead. Continue adding the gluten a little at a time and kneading until all is incorporated. You should knead no longer than 5 minutes.

4. Shape mixture into 8 patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coat each patty with cooking spray or brush oil on each patty.

5. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes or until browned and heated through.

Slow Cooked Jambalaya

This is my Jambalaya recipe with a twist. The twist would be the substitution of spelt grains instead of the traditional long grain rice that is used. Spelt is low in calories but very high in protein, at about 11 grams per cup.

I cooked mine for 3 hours on high and then, because it was still a bit watery, I tilted the lid off the slow cooker slightly to allow some of the moisture to evaporate for the last hour. You can even get fancier for this dish and add some vegan shrimp made from Vegetarian Plus. I hope you like this meal as much as I did.

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Serves 6

Ingredients

* 6 cups vegetable stock or vegan "chicken" stock ( try Better than Bouillion )

* 1/4 cup olive oil

* 1 cup finely chopped onion

* 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice

* 2 stalks celery, cut into small dice

* 1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 circles

* 1 Tb garlic, minced

* 3 Tb tomato paste

* 1/2 cup vegetable broth or cooking sherry

* 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

* 1 bay leaf

* 1 Tb fresh thyme leaves

* 2 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp pepper

* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

* 1/2 lb cubed vegan sausages or seitan

* 2 cups spelt

* 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Saute the sausages in 2 tablespoons of olive oil according to the packaged directions. Or 4 to 5 minutes for the seitan, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from pot and set aside.

2. Add the remaining olive oil to the pot and then add the onion, green pepper, celery, zucchini and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.

4. Stir in the vegetable broth or sherry to deglaze the vegetables and cook for 30 seconds.

5. Stir in the rice and cook for another 4 minutes.

5. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a slow cooker. Add the sausage, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, all the herbs, salt, pepper and the 6 cups of vegetable or "chicken" broth.

6. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.

7. Remove the bay leaf, stir and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Mexican Chili

I was given a slow cooker as one of my Christmas gifts, having never owned one before, I just had to test it out with this recipe. This recipe requires very little work..just some roasting of the chilies and cooking the boca crumbles. Then you simply pour all the ingredients in the slow cooker and walk away until its ready. You can also cook this over the stove but the flavors won't be as intense. Everyone should try out this recipe, I promise you won't be disappointed.

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Serves 6

Ingredients

* 1 Tb canola oil

* 1 pound soy ground crumbles or shredded tempeh

* 1 onion, diced

* 2 ( 15 ounce ) cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

* 1 ( 15 ounce ) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

* 2 cups of corn kernels, fresh or frozen

* 1 ( 14.5 ounce ) can Mexican style stewed tomatoes

* 1 ( 14.5 ounce ) can diced tomatoes

* 1 ( 14.5 ounce ) can tomatoes with chilies

* 4 anaheim chiles, roasted and diced ( directions for roasting here )

* 1 recipe taco seasoning

For Serving

* Tortilla Chips

* Vegan Sour Cream

* Vegan cheddar cheese, shredded

* Green onions, chopped

* Pickled jalapeños

Directions

1. In a medium sized skillet, add the oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the soy ground crumbles and the taco seasoning, mix well. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Transfer the soy ground and onions to a slow cooker or a large stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, anaheim chiles. Cook on low in a slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for 1 hour on the stove.

4. To serve, ladle soup into six individual bowls. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapeños. Serve with tortilla chips on the side.

Cholent

This has to be my favorite stew recipe and my favorite recipe from Veganomicon. I did not include the TVP chunks because I try to stay away from processed food as much as possible. I served it over brown rice with some freshly baked French rolls. The perfect meal for a cold winter night...comfort food to the max!

I am assuming most of you own a copy of Veganomicon? If not, I urge you to run out and buy it. Even though it has been out for awhile, I have not come across a cookbook that I enjoy as much as I do this one.

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Time : 45 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

* 2 Tb olive oil

* 1 large onion, cut into medium size dice

* 3 cloves garlic, minced

* 1/2 tsp tarragon

* 1 tsp caraway seeds

* 1 tsp salt

* Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

* 1/2 cup red cooking wine, water, or vegetable broth

* 2 bay leaves

* 1/2 cup French lentils, rinsed

* 1 cup peeled, sliced carrots ( about 1/2 inch thick )

* 4 medium sized potatoes ( about 1 1/4 pound ) peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

* 1 ( 15 ounce can ) tomato sauce

* 3 cups water

* 1 cup TVP chunks ( I did not include this )

* 1 cup frozen or canned and drained lima beans ( green peas are fine also )

* 1 ( 15 ounce can ) kidney beans, drained and rinsed ( 1 1/2 cups )

Directions

1. Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the oil until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, tarragon, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Saute until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute more.

3. Deglaze the pot with the red wine.

4. Add the bay leaves, lentil, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, water, and TVP chunks. Mix together. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

5. Remove the bay leaves. Add the lima and kidney beans and cook until heated through.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great Christmas. Please forgive my absence but I've been going through some things at home and it has made it very difficult to blog. I feel so bad because I didn't do my usual step by step pictures for this post. But I promise to go back to my usual blogging starting tomorrow.

I love the idea of this pie because it is a great twist to one of my already favorite desserts, apple pie. I adore the fruit combination of cranberries and oranges, so I knew adding this to apple pie could only make it better. The added toasted oats on top, gives it a nice crunch but please do make sure to keep your eye on it while it bakes. I was running around preparing Christmas' dinner and didn't notice that the top was beginning to burn. I would say, let it bake no longer than 30 minutes and then cover it loosely with foil to prevent that from happening.

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Ingredients
Crust ( From Veganomicon )
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 Tb sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/3 cup nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
* 1/4 cup cold water, plus 2 Tb if needed
* 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Filling
* Juice of 1 orange
* Zest of 1 orange
* 5 cups of peeled, sliced apples ( about 5 apples )
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp cinnamon

Topping
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 Tb oats
* 2 Tb vegan butter, melted
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions
1. Prepare the crust by following the directions here.

2. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3. Making the toppings by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

4. Add filling to cold pie crust and scatter the toppings over the filling.

5. Bake at 400 F until the juice in the center of the pie is bubbling, about 1 hour. ( If the crust or toppings is becoming too dark, cover the pie loosely with foil ).

6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.