Archive for January, 2011
Lemon Cashew Stuffed Crepes w. Whole Berry Sauce
I’m lucky enough to have a very awesome vegan meetup group to belong too where I live. My friend Dianne had taken over the group a few months ago and we’ve had lots of nice events so far. Some of my favorites are the potlucks. My favorites being the brunch potlucks. Its very rare for a vegan to attend anything brunch related and be able to eat anything on the menu/at the party/event/whatever so having a dedicated VEGAN brunch is just amazing. We can fill our plates up with whatever we want and not have to worry about animal products being in the way. The group has so many wonderful and creative cooks that the food is also always amazing.
For our last brunch potluck I was very undecided on what to bring. It got to a point that I didn’t even have time to shop for ingredients so I had to find something to make that I had all the ingredients for already. While flipping through my copy of Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz I found her recipe for Lemon Cashew Stuffed Crepes w. Whole Berry Sauce. I wanted to make these so bad when I saw them! I quickly scanned the ingredients and amazingly already had everything I needed to make them. So after a lovely dinner out with a few members of said vegan meetup group I got down to business and started on the recipe.
This recipe is so insanely easy to make. The batter? All you have to do is dump everything in a blender/food processor and blend then you put it in the fridge for an hour or so. The Lemon Cashew filling? Pretty much the same thing as the crepe batter…combine and blend (after soaking the cashews for a set amount of time)*** The whole berry sauce? Combine in a saucepan and cook. Simple! Actually making the crepes? Well I would say “simple!” but I had a job in 2 restaurants where I would sometimes make crepes for hours and hours on end so it was simple for me. If you’ve never made crepes before then this part might not be so simple but don’t be afraid to try making them. I promise you’ll get the hang of it and will be making crepes like a pro in no time just make sure you have a really awesome nonstick pan and it’s heated when you pour the batter in. I made everything for this dish the night before. While the batter was chilling I made the cashew filling and while I was making the cashew filling I made the whole berry sauce. The next morning I assembled the crepes and filling and cut them into thirds and plated them on a round plate.
I’m happy to say that they were a hit at the potluck and I can’t wait to make them again!
***The recipe says to soak the cashews for 8 hours or so. I only soaked them for maybe 3 hours. It worked out fine for me.
January 30th, 2011
Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Cinnamon Scones
We have been having a lot of snow here in NJ this past month and by a lot I mean A LOT! We have yet to have a day this year that there wasn’t any snow on the ground. There is no place to put the snow anymore and our front yard has a snow pile that is way over the top of my head. Its ridiculous but I don’t mind because I love the snow plus I have nowhere to go usually so I’m completely fine with being snowed in. On most snowy mornings I like to make us scones for breakfast. I always make the same ones and I call them Blizzard Scones. They have chocolate chips, coconut and lots of cinnamon in them. I usually top them with cinnamon sugar before popping them in the oven but was lazy this last time. These things are so good. I always say I’m going to make a different flavor scone and always end up making the same ones over and over again.
On this particular snow day I also made us one of my favorite tofu sandwiches….
Lemon-Mustard Tofu Sandwich
Unfortunately somewhere after making the above scones and turning off the oven and then turning it back on to bake the tofu my oven broke. It was devastating. I had tofu marinating in a great lemon and mustard marinade to bake off in the oven and couldn’t. I ended up searing them on the stove top which made them still delicious but it’s not the same as that slow baked tofu texture that I love. I make this tofu a lot in the summer months when I want to make my French Sandwich which is just a riff off of a vegetarian sandwich I became obsessed with while I was in Paris once many many years ago. That sandwich contained hard boiled eggs and this tofu is a great replacement for it. The above sandwich is not the French Sandwich however. I’ll make a post on that sandwich in the summer months when I can get great fresh/ripe veggies for it (hopefully from my garden). The sandwich above is just a simple mini baguette spread with veganaise and some whole grain mustard, mesclun greens and the tofu. A simple sandwich for a simple day stuck inside because of the snow. Here is my recipe for the tofu:
Lemon-Mustard Tofu
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed (I use and swear by my Tofu Xpress)
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Combine and whisk all the ingredients, except for the tofu, in a small bowl. Cut tofu in 1/2 so you have two rectangles. Place each slab of tofu on its side and slice each piece into 4 slices. You’ll have 8 rectangle pieces of tofu. Pour 1/2 of the marinade in a large shallow baking dish and place the tofu on top of the marinade. Pour the rest of the marinade on top and place in the fridge for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a sheet tray covered with parchment paper ready and transfer the tofu onto the sheet tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip over each piece of tofu and bake for 20-25 minutes more.
Let cool and use however you like.
January 27th, 2011
V’con Spaghetti and Bean Balls
With another winter storm headed our way tomorrow all I’m thinking about are warm and comforting meals. One of my favorite’s is the Spaghetti and Bean Ball recipe from Veganomicon. I’m a sucker for kidney beans and have been adding them to everything lately but my favorite way to eat them is in this bean ball recipe. Something magical happens to them when they are fried up in oil and then covered in your favorite sauce. Before I’ve even smothered them in a tomato sauce I’ve eaten at least 3 of them. I just can’t get enough.
My real favorite way to eat them is as leftovers. I smother a ciabatta roll with softened butter and garlic which I then toast in the oven a la Garlic Bread and heat up the leftover bean balls and sauce on the stove. Once bread and balls are done cooking I make one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.
January 10th, 2011
21 week belly
I’ve been cooking up a new baby for the past few months and not much else, hence the poor participation during VeganMoFo this year and other sporadic posts. By the time dinner time comes around I’m DONE for the day. We have been eating a lot of pasta dishes and rice and beans. I’ve been feeling better lately so hopefully i’ll be up to some more creative cooking soon.
One of my favorite types of meals lately is the bean, vegetable, rice or pasta and peanut sauce combo. It comes together in mere minutes and helps with my protein needs for the pregnancy.
one of said current favorite dinners
Peanut sauce is so easy to put together. My favorite ingredient to add to the sauce, if I have some on hand, is orange juice. It gives it such a bright and wonderful taste. I also make sure to add a lot of ginger powder as well. Just writing about peanut sauce is making me want to cook up a pot of rice and eat it plain with some peanut sauce on top.
Anyway…back to the cooking baby in my belly. He is due May 14th. We found out just before Christmas that we are having a BOY! Reno really wanted a sister but I was able to trick her into thinking a brother was the best thing ever. She seems to be on board now. We went shopping for some boy clothes the other day which she was excited about. She did pretty good helping pick out some onesies and such until she started picking out pink outfits and then she wanted to name him Olivia. She also wants to name him Fun Guy Fun Guy, which is the name of her horse toy that she can ride on. Just like with Reno we won’t be sharing the name with ANYBODY until the kid is on the outside. So don’t ask! 
January 5th, 2011