Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

Cooking on the stovetop or in the oven when it's hot just turns me off. I don't want anything to do with any extra heat sources. But I simply couldn't bear the thought of consuming another raw tomato/pepper salad. Summer and humidity be damned I had to cook something.  So I figured the faster I could cook it, the better.  I  used a large frying pan to quickly cook down the tomatoes and green pepper. They take the longest to cook. The smaller peppers and garlic took no time at all. Total cook time was only about 15 minutes. Still it has the feel of something that was simmering for a while.  The wide open cooking area of the frying pan reduces the liquids quicker, provides more intense heat to the ingredients and simulates the slow stewing process pretty well considering how little time the ingredients actually spent on the stovetop.  It results in variations of textures and nuances of flavor that raw preparations simply can't. It was a welcome change.  Ingre...

It's been very hot here. Don't much like to cook when it's very hot. But I always like to cook. Faced with this conundrum I figured I'd try something that didn't require cooking.  Everything is better with a good sauce. So, how about a no cook vegan sauce? It's really simple, but quite tasty . Also tried a technique I've seen used on some cooking shows. Drizzled/spattered the sauce using a whisk. Just to try something  a little different.  The sauce itself is amazingly easy to make. Took just a few minutes.  1/2 cup hummus (use your favorite flavor) 3 tbls soy sauce 2 tbls sriracha 2 tbls red wine vinegar Whisk together all in a small bowl. That's it. You've got sauce. 

 Corporate America fails to understand its patrons on a regular basis. Their mindset is such that if we provide some mediocre product that fits into the loose guidelines of their beliefs then they will pay us for it. That may well be a true factor for many customers.  But vegans and vegetarians are a different breed.  We're not going to give money to corporations that are responsible for the slaughter of countless animals simply because they've offered us a plant based alternative.  Whether or not this food is convenient or delicious is irrelevant.  Contributing to the profits for companies that participate in the mass torture/murder of thousands upon thousands of animals daily is not something we can stomach. 

 I haven't done an interesting puree in a while. Power outage anxiety makes me disinclined to use high powered kitchen electrics during the summer. Even though my rational mind knows my one food processor can't cause the system to fail, the irrational fear is not assuaged. I really hate power outages. A lot.  But it wasn't too hot today and I had a flash idea that sounded really good. Had some frozen edamame that I really wasn't sure what to do with and also some nice fresh arugula that was on sale. If you think that sounds like a great combination you are correct.  Pesto Ingredients 1 jalapeno 1 serrano 5 cloves garlic 1 10 oz. package edamame, cooked and shelled 1/2 a 5 ounce package arugula 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tbl olive oil 1 tbl white vinegar 2 tbls water Cook the edamame partially according to the package. Mine said to microwave for 4.5-5 minutes. I did 3 minutes. It's a lot easier to shell if it's not piping hot.  Add all ingredient to your foo...

  Had an urge for something 'creamy'. Said to myself, "What do I have that's creamy?" Self answered, "Hummus!" So this is a kind of riff on tuna salad and that sort of thing. It resulted in a really beautiful sauce.  Ingredients 1 can chick peas, rinsed, drained 3 tomatoes, diced 1 poblano, slivered 3 cloves garlic minced 7 dill gherkins, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 1 serrano, minced 2 Tbls pickle juice 1 Tbl white vinegar 1/4 cup hummus 1 Tbl sriracha 2 tsps olive oil 1 1/2 Tbls salt 2 tsps black pepper 2 tsps dill 2 tsps garlic powder Combine all. Let rest for at least a few hours in the fridge. The tomatoes will release their juice.  Add a little more hummus to tighten the sauce if it's gotten too loose.  Good food. Cruelty free. 

Trying to come up with something to do with some stray tomatoes yielded this sudden flash of inspiration.  I've done various bean purees and some tomato purees too. Why not see what happens if they're combined.  It's a pretty tasty result.  Ingredients 1/2 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed 2 medium sized tomatoes, chunked 1 jalapeno, rough chopped 1 serrano, rough chopped 3 cloves garlic, smashed 1 tbl prepared horseradish 1 tbl olive oil 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper Cook down the tomatoes, jalapeno, serrano, garlic, oil and salt over medium heat in a medium sauce pot with a lid on it. Let it go for 10 minutes to tenderize the veg.  You can use a food processor or a stick blender. A food processor will give you a smoother puree than a stick blender will. A stick blender is less equipment to clean up, but it does tend to spatter some. Dealer's choice.  Add the remaining ingredients to the cooked mixture and puree with your tool of choice.  It's a somewhat d...

  My quest for tender and savory vegan biscuits has reached a new echelon. While these are not what I would consider perfect, they are very near to it.  A while back, I discovered by experimentation that oats make a great egg substitute. I use them often as a binder in baking and faux meat burger/ball making. When you use a food processor to buzz them up they absorb liquid in the dough and create structure without making the final product dense or chewy.  You can use vegetable shortening as a wonderful substitute for butter and achieve a tender, flaky dough. But I prefer not to use vegetable shortening. It's just not good for you. You could also use vegan butter or margarine, but that's essentially the same thing as using vegetable shortening.  So I've been causally messing around with combinations of ingredients to see what else might work in the same way.  I was making some cookies which were good, but sweet enough when I realized the dough I'd made would make...