Soy Curl Pepper Steak

I haven't been able to find my favorite steak substitute anywhere lately. I'd put pepper steak on my menu for the week, but forgot that I'd never located the Gardein beef tips. I decided to see what I could do with some soy curls, since they're a pretty versatile substitute. This was really tasty!!! It got a 5 out of 5, which is super rare! It's not low fat AT ALL, but it is high in protein, fiber, iron, and vitamin C and it still beats takeout from pretty much anywhere.

Sauce Ingredients:

3 TBS tamari

4 TBS rice wine

2 TBS corn starch

1/3 cup low sodium faux chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS freshly ground black pepper (yes, a whole tablespoon!)

Into the wok, in this order:

1 TBS peanut oil

1 TBS canola oil

4 servings of soy curls, soaked in hot mushroom bouillon (faux beef would work, too)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

1/2 cup of chopped leeks

1/4 cup raw cashews

Instructions:

First, make the sauce. Just put everything into a bowl, whisk it together, and set it aside. 

Add the peanut and canola oil to the wok and get it super hot. Drain and squeeze the soy curls, then toss them into the wok (carefully) along with the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes - the soy curls should brown. Add the peppers, onions, leeks, and cashews and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the sauce and cook for 1 more minute, 

Serve on top of a bed of rice. 

Nutrition (per 1/5 recipe - about 1 cup each serving):

Calories: 235
Fat: 14 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fiber: 16%
Sugars: 6.39 g
Protein: 9.5 g
Vitamin A: 16%
Vitamin C: 87%
Iron: 69%
Calcium: 1%

Mac & Cheese

I think the holy grail of vegan food is mac & cheese. It's something that nearly everybody loves and misses. I've made many versions of it - nutritional yeast-based, fake cheese-based, and others, but this is the stuff that I've served to my daughter's friends knowing it would pass as the real thing. Vegan cheese is an acquired taste, but this is pretty darn good. It's not health food, so it's not intended to be made daily, but then neither is regular mac & cheese (no matter what your kids tell you)!

Recipe:

9 ounces of uncooked pasta

2 TBS margarine

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard (the dry powder spice version, not the wet kind)

1/4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie's and Wizard are both good, most other brands contain fish.)

2 cups plain soy milk

1 block of Follow Your Heart cheddar, shredded (I do not like their shreds as well as their block - the shreds have a chemical taste - and my boyfriend hates Daiya's texture, so this is our favorite option).

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko with a generous helping of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dill, and some sea salt).

Ground pepper, to taste

Boil the pasta in one pan, then get to making the sauce in another. Oh, and heat the oven to 350. Melt the margarine in a big saucepan, then whisk in the flour, salt, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.Very gradually add the soy milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Once it is all added, boil while continuously whisking for about a minute, then add the cheese. Cook and stir frequently until it is melted. 

Drain the cooked pasta, then add it to the cheese mix and make sure everything is nicely coated. Pour it into a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Makes 8 servings and is best served with broccoli, because then you can mix them together and have cheesy broccoli too. :)

It gets a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

Calories: 281

Fat: 13 g

Carbs: 33.4 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sugars: 2.9 g

Protein: 7.7 g

Vitamin A: 2%

Calcium: 10%

Iron: 11%

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Many, many years ago, when I was a teenager, I went to a wedding and they were serving pumpkin curry. I thought this sounded pretty terrible, but once I tried it, I was hooked! This version is pretty close to the other, though as an adult I feel like I'd prefer it to have some texture. Still, we gave it a 4 overall because it was nice in spite of its smoothness!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

I used the recipe here, but with a few changes: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/hotsoups/r/crmpmpknsp.htm

My version:

1 T. olive oil

1 mediucm chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium-sized leek, white parts only, chopped

1 cup peeled and chopped apple

2 T. sugar

1 TBS curry powder

¾ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. ground ginger

¼ t. ground mace

½ t. salt, plus more to taste

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup plain soy milk

Pepper, to taste

Cayenne, for garnishing

In a large pot, lightly brown the onions in the olive oil. Add the garlic, leek, and apple, plus the sugar and spices and cook until the leek is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and water and cook for 15 minutes, then transfer to the blender and puree until smooth. Add back to the pot, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 5 more minutes on medium heat, until flavors have come together.

Serve with bread - I used the cornbread biscuit recipe from the Vegan Brunch cookbook (Moskowitz) because it's slightly sweet, so it went with the sweet/savory theme.

I garnished the adult bowls with cayenne (this is nice!) and the teenager's bowl with some coconut milk to make it creamier.

I decided this made 4 large servings - about 2 cups each. So, for 1/4 of the recipe, the nutritional information is:

Calories: 255
Fat: 12 g
Carbs: 37.1 g
Fiber: 11.5 g
Sugars: 23 g
Protein: 5.4 g
Vitamin A: 526% CRAZY!
Vitamin C: 15%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 13%

Vegetable Paella

I know this won't win any authenticity awards, but I thought this was a tasty vegan take on a classic dish.

1 cup arborio rice (the kind you use for risotto)

1 TBS olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

8 ounces of artichoke hearts, broken apart

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 cup green peas

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup of carrots, cut into thin rounds

12 asparagus spears, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

some saffron threads (to taste/budget)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne (or more if you like spicy stuff)

salt to taste

Cook the pepper and onion in the oil until the onion is translucent. Add carrots and cook for another few minutes, allowing the carrot to soften. Add everything except for the peas and asparagus, and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. You may need to add more broth, depending on how thirsty your rice is. Add the peas and asparagus and cook for another 10 minutes or until rice is done.

We loved it and rated it a 4.5 out of 5.

It makes 4 generous servings.

Calories: 274
Fat: 3.9 g
Carbs: 53.4 g
Fiber: 11g
Sugars: 10.3 g
Protein: 8 g
Vitamin A: 119%
Vitamin C: 116%
Calcium: 7%
Iron: 24%

Portobello Mushrooms, Polenta, and Butternut Squash

Tonight was pretty much a no-fuss sort of night. I made portobello mushrooms in the oven, polenta in the pressure cooker, and butternut squash on the stovetop. I didn't do anything terribly fancy, and my plating is horrible (sorry, it tastes better than it looks!), but it was a nice, satisfying meal anyway.

Mushrooms: 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

6 cloves of garlic

3 TBS olive oil

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cracked rosemary (or 1/5 tsp whole rosemary)

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch sharp paprika or cayenne

5 portobello caps, cleaned and with stem and gills removed (use a spoon to take out the gills, it's the easiest way!)

Mix all of the ingredients except the mushrooms in a bowl. Place mushroom caps upside down in a baking dish (the place the gills used to be should face upward) and pour the marinade over the mushrooms, making sure every shroom is covered. Let sit for 20 minutes (or however long you have) and heat the oven to 375.  bake until they look ready, flipping about 10 minutes in, and spooning marinade over the tops. It took about 20 minutes for them to get a little flatter and wrinkly. 

While all of that is happening in the background, make the polenta. I made it in the pressure cooker by putting 3/4 cups of polenta, 3 cups of hot water, and a pinch of salt into the cooker. I whisked vigorously for a minute, then cooked it at high pressure for 10 minutes, with a natural release. You can make this stuff on the stovetop, but it's all stirring, all the time. Once it was done, I added a generous bit of a low sodium garlic and spice salt blend called Garli Garni by Garlic Festival. It needed me to be more generous; I've learned that polenta can take pretty intense flavors! Next time, I'll add some crushed garlic after cooking, to make it nice and strong.

As the pressure cooker was releasing pressure, I made the squash. I bought frozen cubed butternut, and dumped that whole bag (theoretically 5 servings, ha!) into a pan with some water. When it was hot, I added a tablespoon of coconut margarine and a tablespoon of brown sugar to give it sweetness and depth.

Remember that polenta starts out runny, but firms up once it hits the plate, so put it on the plate first. Serve with steak sauce for the shrooms and more garlic salt for the polenta.  

It gets a 3.5/5 from us.

Nutritional info for the plate, which is half of all of the recipes ^:

Calories: 497

Carbohydrates: 90

Protein: 15.3

Fat: 11.6

Fiber: 5.7

Sugars: 12.9

Vitamin A: 686%

Vitamin C: 87%

Calcium: 15%

Iron: 28%

Peanut Noodles

Yesterday did not work as well as I'd hoped. It was my first high school open house, and it was longer and crazier than I'd imagined. I was craving something rich and was just going to grab a quick bite out, but was thwarted by inconvenient restaurant hours. I whipped up some peanut noodles instead.

The peanut sauce I made will be good for other recipes, though there was some flavor missing that I can't quite place. It hit the spot, though, and makes 6 servings, so there's plenty leftover!

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup water

3 TBS hoisin sauce

2 TBS lime juice

1 TBS soy sauce

1 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS chili garlic sauce

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Sriracha

Then I boiled up 1.25 servings of rice noodles while I was pan frying 3/4 of a red bell pepper and 1 cup of petite green beans in 1/4 tsp sesame oil and splashes of water and lime juice to deglaze. I served it all together with a little Sriracha heart on top.

The whole thing, noodles, vegetables, and 1/6 of the sauce recipe was hugely satisfying. It wasn't the healthiest option out there, but it's still in range for most people, calorie-wise. If I'd had more time/energy, I'd have added another few vegetables, since that's always good at making meals heartier and healthier. 

Calories: 517

Carbs: 81 g

Protein: 12.2 g

Fat: 17 g

Fiber: 10 g

Sugar: 15 g

Vitamin A: 7% 

Vitamin C: 335%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 23%

Fajita Bowl

Tonight I decided to make fajita bowls since I had bell peppers on the brain and was quite hungry to boot!

This meal was a pretty simple one, and while the bowl was an attractive vessel, it wasn't the ideal one. Next time, I'll serve it on a plate so it's easier to mix everything up!

2 cups of cooked rice
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow onion, julienned
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 servings of Beyond Meat Southwest Style (or 2 servings of any faux chicken of your choice)
1.5 TBS olive oil
1 TBS Fajita Seasoning (I use Penzey's)
1 TBS lime juice, plus extra as needed
2 TBS Tofutti sour cream
2 TBS salsa
2 TBS guacamole

Cook the bell peppers and onions in 1 TBS of the olive oil until very soft - about 20 minutes. Stir frequently, spritzing lime as needed to keep the bits from sticking. After 15 minutes, add the garlic to the pan and cook until it is browned.

While all that is happening, whisk together the rest of the olive oil, the fajita seasoning, and the tablespoon of lime juice. Then get another pan and add the Beyond Meat and the sauce you just made. Cook it over medium-high heat until it looks somewhat blackened and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve with hot sauce.

Serve in two bowls (or plates if you want it to work better!) with half of the rice, the pepper/onion blend, and the Beyond Meat. Top with 1 TBS each of the sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. This is a huge meal; I couldn't finish mine.

We rated it about a 3.75 - the lack of ability to mix stuff made some bites a little too homogeneous.

Nutritional Info:

527 calories
66 g carbs
27 g protein
19 g fat
488 mg sodium
6.1 g fiber
6.8 g sugar
7% Vitamin A
244% Vitamin C
10% Calcium
37% Iron

Shepherd's Pie

I'll be honest - I've never actually had an actual shepherd's pie. When I was a kid, the whole combination sounded gross and weird. So, when I went to make it myself tonight, I wasn't really sure what recipe to follow. I combined elements from many and added my own special touches. I'm sure it's nothing authentic, but I liked it and Aaron thought it was pretty good and it's hard to beat when it comes to amount you can eat for the calories.

We rated it a 4 out of 5.

Recipe:

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 TBS margarine
1/4 cup plain soymilk
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 package Boca crumbles
1/2 TBS olive oil
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 celery rib, finely diced
1 cup chopped green beans
3/4 cup corn (I used fire roasted corn)
1.5 cups diced roasted tomatoes
1 cup unbeef broth
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp marjoram

Make mashed potatoes out of the russets either by boiling until they're soft or by pressure cooking on high for 5 minutes with quick release. Mash them with the margarine and soymilk and set them aside. Set the oven to 375.

Heat the olive oil and add the onion, Boca crumbles, carrots, celery, and beans. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then add all of the other ingredients (except the potatoes). Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Put the contents of the pan in a deep pie pan, then spread the potatoes on top. Spritz the top lightly with olive oil. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the peaks on the potatoes have browned lightly.

Makes 4 servings. Yeah, a serving is 1/4 of a pie!

Nutritional Information:Calories 270
Total Fat 5.9gSodium 626mgCarbohydrates 40.2g
Fiber 9.9gSugars 8.0gProtein 22.7g

Vitamin A 121%
Vitamin C 39%

Calcium 21% 

Iron 25%