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From: Bryanna (NewVeggies.vegsource.com)
EASTER SOUPS AND SIDE DISHES: BRYANNA’S CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP Serves 4 ALLERGY NOTE: If you can't eat potatoes, substitute about 2 c. of drained cooked or canned white beans. 1 medium onion, chopped For Garnish: plain soy yogurt, or Tofu Sour Cream; a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil; minced fresh parsley, mint, basil or cilantro; paprika; curry powder; croutons; dillweed; chopped green onions or chives; etc. In an oiled (preferably nonstick) medium pot over high heat stir-fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, adding a splash of water only as needed to keep from sticking. Don’t brown.. Add the vegetables, potatoes, broth, salt and optional seasonings (except lemon juice). Bring to a boil, cover, turn down, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables and potatoes are tender. Puree right in the pot with an immersion hand blender, OR, with a slotted spoon, transfer all the solids to the food processor or blender and puree until smooth (IMPORTANT CAUTION: leave an escape in the lid for steam, or else hot veggies will explode all over you!). Add a bit of the broth, then stir the pureed mixture back into the pot. Taste for salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, if using. Serve with one or two garnishes. Spring Vegetable Possibilities: leafy greens (10 oz. chopped frozen); asparagus; fresh shelled baby peas or frozen petit pois. BRYANNA’S DELICIOUS ZUCCHINI BISQUE serves 6 This is absolutely delicious—try it! 2 and 1/2 lbs. zucchini (unpeeled), cubed (any size, but with tender skin, that you can scrape easily with your fingernail) Heat the olive oil in a medium pot. Add the zucchini cubes and garlic and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Don’t brown it. Add the broth and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Puree 2/3 of the mixture in a blender (take the middle part of the lid off to allow hot steam to escape and cover it loosley with a folded tea towel) and then add back to the pot. OR you can puree it right in the pot with a hand immersion blender, leaving it slightly coarse. Add the “cream”, and taste for salt and pepper. Heat briefly. Serve with soy parmesan sprinkled on each serving. ***************************************** SEE RECIPES ABOVE, POSTED AS COMPONENTS TO THE ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD RECIPE. ********************************************** If you have access to very tiny, freshly-picked early peas, by all means use them in this dish. Otherwise, use frozen petite pois (tiny baby peas), not mature peas. All peas are an excellent source of fiber. In place of the traditional fatty prosciutto or pancetta ham, we use chopped vegetarian “Canadian back bacon" or ”ham”. Make this dish at the last minute. 2 10 oz. pckgs. frozen petite pois, thawed In a large heavy skillet, cook the peas with about 1/3 c. water over medium heat, covered, for (5 minutes for frozen, about 10 for fresh) or just until tender and still bright green. Drain off any remaining water. Stir in the parsley, "back bacon" or “ham”, and the margarine. Toss well with salt to taste and a few twists of the pepper mill. Serve immediately. BRYANNA’S FLORENTINE STUFFED BAKED POTATOES serves 6 6 medium baking potatoes, baked (see pps. for quick baking methods) chopped parsley, salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the soft insides out into a bowl. Place the potato skin halves, empty-sides up, on a cookie sheet. Heat the oil or margarine in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they start to soften. Raise the heat and add the mushrooms. Saute until they brown a bit. Set aside. Mash the potato in the bowl well with a potato masher. Beat in the sauce or sour crème. Add the chopped greens and sauteed onion and mushrooms, and any optionals. Add the sou Parmesan and mix well. Taste for salt and pepper and add parsley as desired. Pile the misture generously back into the potato skins. Spray the tops with oil from a pump sprayer. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until hot all the way through. Serve immediately. BRYANNA’S ROASTED POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY (AND VARIATIONS) This may serve 6 as a side dish, but these are so delicious you may decide to eat nothing but the potatoes and a bit of salad for your whole meal! 3 lbs. Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the potatoes for about 30 minutes, turning them with a spatula from time to time, and salting them. When they are tender inside and golden brown on the outside, grind fresh pepper over them and serve immediately. VARIATIONS: GREEK-STYLE ROASTED POTATOES: Omit the rosemary and use orgeano instead. Squeeze the juice of one or two lemons over the potatoes, along with the olive oil. ROASTED BABY (NUGGET) POTATOES: Select the smallest potatoes you can find and bake as directed above, but at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or til tender. We like to add whole peeled cloves of garlic to the pan and sprinkle them with coarse (kosher) salt. This makes a delicious appetizer. ****************************************** 1-2 T. extra-virgin olive oil Heat the oil in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet. Add the flour, potato slices, onion, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the onions and potatoes start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, stir and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or til the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. ************************************* BRYANNA’S TOFU "BATTER PUDDINGS", "YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS", WHATEVER! Makes 12 Heat oven to 450 degrees F. In food processor mix: Process til it's a very smooth batter. Divide equally between the hot muffin cups. Bake 15 minutes, turning the pan after 5 minutes if your oven has "hot spots". After 15 minutes, flip the "puddings" over with a fork and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until crispy on the outside. They don't puff as much as the egg ones, or stay puffed forever, but they do have a crisp outside and a soft inside with air pockets, and they taste really nice. VARIATION: For "Toad in the Hole", a British dish, place a half of a browned vegetarian sausage in the bottom of each muffin tin before pouring in the batter. For a Sweet Batter Pudding, place sliced pitted dates at the bottom of the tins. ********************************* Stuffed grape leaves are as beloved in Greece and the Middle East as stuffed cabbage leaves in Slavic countries, with as many variations! Although Greek restaurants in North America usually feature them with a meat stuffing, a rice stuffing is also traditional. Look for jars of grape leaves in brine in delicatessens, Middle Eastern or Greek markets, or large supermarkets. If you have a grape arbor, you can pick tender grape leaves in June and use them fresh (just blanched for a minute), or blanch them and freeze them for later use. These should be served at room temperature, so they can be made ahead of time. NOTE: You can add some vegetarian “hamburger crumbles’ if you want a “meaty” version. 12 oz. jar of grape leaves (you need 36 usable leaves) FILLING: TOFU MINT SAUCE: Prepare the grape leaves by carefully separating them and rinsing them under cold running water as you work. Pour boiling water over them, then drain and rinse again. Place any broken or torn ones, or very small ones, on the bottom of a heavy cooking pot. You should have 36 usable leaves. To make the Filling, To fill the leaves, Mix together the lemon juice and broth and pour this over the rolls. Place an inverted dinner plate over them, to keep them weighted down a little and prevent them from opening up. Cover, bring to a boil, then turn down low and simmer for 1 hour. Carefully remove the rolls from the pot (using tongs, if possible), place them on a serving plate and garnish with the lemon wedges and greens. Allow to cool. Make the Tofu Mint Sauce ********************************************** VEGETABLE: a choice of-- STUFFING: In a large heavy nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and any trimmings, etc. that you are using. Saute until the onions are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. *************************************** BRYANNA’S VEGANIZED TRADITIONAL AMERICAN HOLIDAY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE 2 (10 oz.) pckgs. frozen French cut green beans Place beans in bottom of 9x12 inch baking dish. Layer in order: mushroom soup, salt and pepper, water chestnuts, Melty Chedda Cheeze, onion rings (or alternate suggestions). Bake in 350 degrees oven until slightly brown. This recipe is adapted from the book “Whole Foods for the Whole family” (NAL Books), a la Leche league international cookbook, for which I served as an editor. The recipe is a combination of recipes of mine, and 3 other contributors. THICK WHITE SAUCE BASE: 2 T. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine ADDITION: Saute the onion and mushrooms in a little oil or margarine until soft. Set aside. Melt margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Whisk in the “milk” slowly. Whisk and cook until thick. Stir in the onion and mushrooms. This makes great grilled cheeze sandwiches and quesadillas , and can be used to make cheeze sauce (just add non-dairy milk to taste). The nutritional yeast adds protein and lots of B-complex vitamins! (1/4 c. contains about 58 calories and 2.6 g fat, with oil. Made with tahini, the calories are slightly lower and fat is about 1.6 g per 1/4 c..) Place the water, yeast, cornstarch, flour, lemon juice, salt, and garlic granules in blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan or medium microwave-proof bowl or beaker. Stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then let bubble 30 seconds and whisk vigorously, OR microwave on HI 2 minutes, whisk, then microwave at 50 percent power (MED) for 2 minutes, and whisk again. Whisk in the water and optional oil (this adds richness and helps it melt better, and still comes out to only 2.6 g fat per 1/4 c.). Drizzle immediately over pizza or other food and broil or bake until a skin forms on top; or refrigerate in a small rigid plastic covered container (round, square, rectangular, or wedge-shaped in a storage container meant for a piece of pie) for up to a week. It will get quite firm upon chilling, but will still be spreadable. You can spread the firm cheeze on bread or quesadillas for grilling, or heat it to spread more thinly on casseroles, etc.. VARIATION: MELTY CHEDDA CHEEZE: Use 1/3 c. nutritional yeast flakes and add 1/4 tsp. EACH paprika and mustard powder. Use only 1/4 tsp. salt and add 1 T. light soy or garbanzo miso to the blended mixture. ****************************************** BRYANNA’S SOY SCALLOPED POTATOES Serves 6-8 as a side dish; 4-6 as a main dish 8 large potatoes, peeled and thinly-sliced VEGAN ALCOHOL AND SUBSTITUTES FOR ALCOHOL: SPARKLING WINES FOR CELEBRATIONS; According to The Vegetarian Network of Victoria (Australia), Dom Perignon Champagne is vegan. Also Moet & Chandon, and Mumm. sparkling wines: http://www.ecowine.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi NON-ALCOHOLIC: WHY ISN’T ALCOHOL NECESSARILY VEGAN? Wine is clarified, or cleared, after fermentation. Some of the ingredients used include: Their approved list of wines and spirits; http://www.ecowine.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi http://www.greenculture.com/ps/pp_wine.html Organic Grapes into Wine Alliance (they may be able to give you info on vegan wines) http://www.vegansociety.com/html/info/info28.html http://sbvdesigns.com/veg/veganwine.htm http://www.freywine.com/freywine/index.html Australian site with list of alcoholic beverages suitable for vegans; 2 T. Grand marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur= 2 T. rum or brandy= 1/2 to 1 tsp. rum or brandy extract and 2 T. white grape juice or apple juice 2 T. amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur= 1/4 to 2 tsp. almond extract (use only pure extract) 2 T. bourbon= 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract (obviously only for baking) 2 T. sherry= 1 tsp- 2 tsp. vanilla (in baking) OR 2 T. orange or pineapple juice 2 T. Kahlua or other coffee or chocolate-flavored liqueur= 1/2 to 1 tsp. chocolate extract plus 1/2 to 1 tsp. instant coffee or espresso (or coffee sub) with 2 T. water 1/4 c. port, sweet sherry, rum, brandy or fruit-flavored liqueur= equal measure unsweetened orange juice or apple juice plus 1 tsp. of corresponding flavored extract or vanilla 1/4 c. white wine= equal measure broth (in savory dishes), light juice or nonalcoholic wine 1/4 c. red wine= equal measure cranberry juice, apple cider or nonalcoholic wine (or broth in savory dishes) OR you can also add a splash of balsamic vinegar to any of these, as well NOTE: Add either white grape juice, apple juice or broth to the flavoring substitute, if necessary, to get the volume of liquid specified in your recipe.
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