I simply adore Mexican food! The rich, sassy, spicy flavors captivate me and keep me coming back for more. Can it be just as tasty if it's totally vegan? I submit to you that yes, it can. Here's a totally healthy, fiber-filled, protein-packed, tongue-tickling meal! Real cheese gets replaced with heart-healthy nut spread, and meat takes a back seat to crumbled tofu. Don't let the fact that there's a couple of steps trip you up. In the end, it will be totally worth it.
Awesome Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
For the nut cheese: (start the day before!)
2 cups cashews
1 cup filtered water
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, diced
2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Sea salt (to taste)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
For the Chili sauce:
1/2 pound soft, silken tofu
1/2 cup safflower oil or grapeseed oil
1/4 cup Shoyu (this is similar to soy sauce, and can be found in health food stores)
1/4 cup poblano chilis, soaked and seeded
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in 1 3/4 cup hot water, until soft
1 3/4 cup sundried tomato soak water
1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon Jalapeno pepper, roasted, seeded and minced
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Casserole:
12 corn tortillas
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 package tofu, extra firm
1 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (I love Salsa Lisa)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons tahini (a sesame seed paste, found over by the olives usually)
2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 1/2 Tablespoons shoyu
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (this can be found at the health food store)
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
and of course, the nut cheese and chili sauce
Directions:
For the nut cheese:
Blend the cashews with the water until VERY smooth. Place in a glass container with a bit of room in it, cover tightly with plastic wrap and secure that with a rubber band. Cover with a towel and keep in a warm place overnight.
The next day, pour the mixture into a large bowl and combine with the other ingredients. Not so hard, eh?
For the chili sauce:
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Easy!
And now, the casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oil in a large saute pan on medium high. Add onion, pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain tofu of water, squeeze out excess water in paper towels, and crumble it into the pan. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Put all of this in a large mixing bowl with the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
Lightly oil a 9X13 casserole dish. Layer with 1/3 of the tortillas, top liberally with chili sauce and 1/2 of tofu mixture. Top that with 1/2 of the nut cheese. Repeat with 1/3 more of the tortillas, another liberal spread of chili sauce, the rest of the tofu mixture and the rest of the nut cheese. Place your last tortillas on top of that, and dump the rest of the chili sauce on top. (Be careful not to let it overflow the dish, like I did the first time!) Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, if you can bear it.
Make some fresh guacamole and serve with crisp corn chips, if you like. Here's a fast recipe for great guac: Smoky Guacamole
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday, May 21, 2010
Cheeseless Cheesecake!
Say cheese! And then remember that while our palates may have a love affair with the stuff, our bodies certainly do not. More and more people are realizing they are lactose intolerant, and if your body is telling you it does not want something (and it gives you signs like pain, diarrhea and excess mucous) then common sense would tell you to stay away from it. Even if you don't experience these symptoms, all scientific evidence points to cheese as an artery-clogging substance.
But I LOVE cheese! I don't want to give it up! Well, the good news is, nobody has to completely abolish the stuff from their diets. Our bodies can handle moderation. Using a substitution like this will translate into less cheese consumption. A double treat!
This recipe is for those cheesecake lovers out there that don't want to be without. Again, this was inspired by Angela Elliot and her raw dessert book. Can soaked nuts really stand up to cheese, delicious cheese? I shared this dessert with my friends, and they all went cuckoo! It is super easy to do, and if you don't have a spring form pan, just make this baby up in whatever pan you have.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups macadamia nuts
6 pitted dates
1/4 cup dried coconut
The Cheesecake:
3 cups soaked cashews
3/4 cup lemon juice
9 pitted dates, soaked in enough water to cover them
3/4 cup coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
Strawberry sauce topping:
1 pint fresh strawberries
6 pitted dates, soaked and drained
extra strawberries for garnish
Directions:
Get the cashews and dates soaking. You should soak them for at least 1 hour.
Line a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut (or whatever pan you're using)
Process the macadamia nuts and dates in a food processor. Press over dried coconut.
Process cashews, lemon juice, dates (with the soaking water), coconut oil, salt and half cup of water until it is smooth like cheese.
Pour over the crust and shake the pan to settle the ingredients.
Freeze for 2 hours.
At the end of the 2 hours, process your pint of strawberries with the soaked, drained dates until smooth.
Remove cake from freezer and place on a plate, or if you used a cooking pan, you can just leave it in there. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake and decorate with more strawberries.
This will keep in the fridge for about a week. And if you keep it in the freezer, it keeps even longer of course!
*A note about coconut oil: If you don't have this stuff in your cupboard, you are really missing out! It's packed with nutrients and tastes delicious. It gives depth to stir-frys and desserts and is crazy good on popcorn. When you purchase the oil, you will notice it is hard, like vegetable shortening. To use it in this recipe, stick the oil jar into a bowl of hot water to melt it a bit, and pour out the 3/4 cup you need.
But I LOVE cheese! I don't want to give it up! Well, the good news is, nobody has to completely abolish the stuff from their diets. Our bodies can handle moderation. Using a substitution like this will translate into less cheese consumption. A double treat!
This recipe is for those cheesecake lovers out there that don't want to be without. Again, this was inspired by Angela Elliot and her raw dessert book. Can soaked nuts really stand up to cheese, delicious cheese? I shared this dessert with my friends, and they all went cuckoo! It is super easy to do, and if you don't have a spring form pan, just make this baby up in whatever pan you have.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups macadamia nuts
6 pitted dates
1/4 cup dried coconut
The Cheesecake:
3 cups soaked cashews
3/4 cup lemon juice
9 pitted dates, soaked in enough water to cover them
3/4 cup coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
Strawberry sauce topping:
1 pint fresh strawberries
6 pitted dates, soaked and drained
extra strawberries for garnish
Directions:
Get the cashews and dates soaking. You should soak them for at least 1 hour.
Line a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut (or whatever pan you're using)
Process the macadamia nuts and dates in a food processor. Press over dried coconut.
Process cashews, lemon juice, dates (with the soaking water), coconut oil, salt and half cup of water until it is smooth like cheese.
Pour over the crust and shake the pan to settle the ingredients.
Freeze for 2 hours.
At the end of the 2 hours, process your pint of strawberries with the soaked, drained dates until smooth.
Remove cake from freezer and place on a plate, or if you used a cooking pan, you can just leave it in there. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake and decorate with more strawberries.
This will keep in the fridge for about a week. And if you keep it in the freezer, it keeps even longer of course!
*A note about coconut oil: If you don't have this stuff in your cupboard, you are really missing out! It's packed with nutrients and tastes delicious. It gives depth to stir-frys and desserts and is crazy good on popcorn. When you purchase the oil, you will notice it is hard, like vegetable shortening. To use it in this recipe, stick the oil jar into a bowl of hot water to melt it a bit, and pour out the 3/4 cup you need.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
This Dish Needs a Name!
The other night, my girlfriend had a fun dinner party and served cabbage rolls. They were amazingly delicious. She had filled them with turkey, rice and the usual things that I have found in cabbage rolls. It got me thinking...I'd like to make a cabbage roll that is completely vegan, and I'd like to switch out the typical Italian taste and go for something a bit more Thai inspired. Would it work? I wasn't sure, I hadn't heard of anything like it before (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist). I peeked in my fridge and looked in my cupboards to see what I had on hand (I was much too tired to go out shopping) and here is what I came up with...Please understand that I am not the best at measuring, so these are "guessstimates". I don't think you can go wrong, and feel free to adjust the flavors to your liking. Me, I like food to be a little fierce, to go "Pa-POW!" So if this is too intense, go ahead and add a little less garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes...
Title goes here... (Can you help me give this dish a name?)
1 head of cabbage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 inches of fresh ginger, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 leek, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 handfuls of deluxe mixed nuts, finely chopped (I just threw them in the food processor and pulsed a bit)
1 handful of arame, soaked in water for 10 minutes, then drained
1 cup cooked rice (measured after cooking)
1 cup cooked red lentils (measured before cooking)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
Juice from 1/2 lemon
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon "Better than Bullion" mushroom bullion
2 cups of water
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon of Sate, from Penzeys Spices
(Sate contains salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, tumeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayennne red pepper and lemon grass)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
To start, cook the red lentils in the water with the mushroom broth. While this is cooking, mince the garlic and ginger, or if you are feeling lazy, throw it in a food processor. Chop the onion, celery and leek.
Drizzle the olive oil in a large pan and heat to medium. Toss in the garlic, ginger, onion, celery and leek and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is shimmery.
Add in the soy sauce, mirin, red pepper flakes, arame, mixed nuts and lemon juice and saute for another 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cooked lentils and remove from heat.
To get the cabbage leaves off the head without ripping them, boil a large pot of water and remove the core of the cabbage. Toss the cabbage into the pot for 10 seconds, remove from the water, and gently peel the leaves off. Repeat as necessary until you have all of the leaves you need. Heap a spoonful of the good stuff from the skillet into each leaf, roll up, and place in a 13X9 baking pan.
In a small pot, whisk the coconut milk and Sate together, and warm thoroughly. (If you want to take more time in the oven, skip this step. I was starving and didn't want to wait.) Pour over cabbage rolls and cover. Bake for 45 minutes.
A couple of notes:
I used Sate because my girlfriend suggested to add curry with the coconut milk, and I didn't have any curry on hand. So I would imagine curry would work equally well.
The red lentils cooked into a mushy paste, which I liked, however you can use the green or brown lentils instead, and I would imagine they would be a little firmer and hold their shape, which may also be nice.
Title goes here... (Can you help me give this dish a name?)
1 head of cabbage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 inches of fresh ginger, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 leek, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 handfuls of deluxe mixed nuts, finely chopped (I just threw them in the food processor and pulsed a bit)
1 handful of arame, soaked in water for 10 minutes, then drained
1 cup cooked rice (measured after cooking)
1 cup cooked red lentils (measured before cooking)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
Juice from 1/2 lemon
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon "Better than Bullion" mushroom bullion
2 cups of water
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon of Sate, from Penzeys Spices
(Sate contains salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, tumeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayennne red pepper and lemon grass)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
To start, cook the red lentils in the water with the mushroom broth. While this is cooking, mince the garlic and ginger, or if you are feeling lazy, throw it in a food processor. Chop the onion, celery and leek.
Drizzle the olive oil in a large pan and heat to medium. Toss in the garlic, ginger, onion, celery and leek and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is shimmery.
Add in the soy sauce, mirin, red pepper flakes, arame, mixed nuts and lemon juice and saute for another 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cooked lentils and remove from heat.
To get the cabbage leaves off the head without ripping them, boil a large pot of water and remove the core of the cabbage. Toss the cabbage into the pot for 10 seconds, remove from the water, and gently peel the leaves off. Repeat as necessary until you have all of the leaves you need. Heap a spoonful of the good stuff from the skillet into each leaf, roll up, and place in a 13X9 baking pan.
In a small pot, whisk the coconut milk and Sate together, and warm thoroughly. (If you want to take more time in the oven, skip this step. I was starving and didn't want to wait.) Pour over cabbage rolls and cover. Bake for 45 minutes.
A couple of notes:
I used Sate because my girlfriend suggested to add curry with the coconut milk, and I didn't have any curry on hand. So I would imagine curry would work equally well.
The red lentils cooked into a mushy paste, which I liked, however you can use the green or brown lentils instead, and I would imagine they would be a little firmer and hold their shape, which may also be nice.
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