Anything chicken can do, tempeh can do better. At least that’s my motto in the kitchen. I like to browse through omnivore cooking magazines for meals that I can veganize. I came across a chicken marsala recipe and it seemed ripe for the veganizing. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually had anything marsala, to tell the truth, so I don’t know how close this tastes to the “real thing”, but it was a damn fine tempeh dish.
Read MoreMeatless Monday - Curried Coconut Spinach & Chickpeas
It seems that no one has told Mother Nature that March is here and spring is just around the corner, because the cold weather just doesn’t seem to stop. This recipe for curried coconut spinach with chickpeas is hearty and comforting and perfect for chilly evenings. This is a thick curry that can be eaten with a fork, rather than a spoon. Serve it over baked sweet potatoes or brown rice for a complete meal.
Read MoreSpicy Stuffed Peppers
These stuffed peppers are really simple to make, but since they look all fancy-like, you can let the people you cooked them for think you slaved away in the kitchen for hours!
Read MoreTofu Frittata
I’m often asked what vegans eat for breakfast, which is kind of a weird question. I guess for most people, breakfast does usually include foods like bacon and eggs, which vegans eschew. Tofu a good stand-in for eggs, and there are plenty of vegan bacon products now on the market.
Read MoreMeatless Monday – Curried Carrot Soup
We’re about to face another cold snap here in NJ, so warm soup is definitely on the menu for the upcoming week. This recipe was inspired by the pounds and pounds of carrots I receive biweekly in my Purple Dragon Co-Op share.
Read MoreMeatless Monday – Temeph Fricassee
It is cold here in New Jersey, and I’ve been craving warming comfort foods, like this Tempeh Fricassee. For those of you unfamiliar with tempeh, it’s a traditional Indonesian food made with soybeans, and it’s perfect for use in recipes that usually call for meat. Since tempeh is fermented, people have told me that the taste is too strong for them, and I usually recommend that the steam it before adding it into the dish that they’re making. Steaming cuts downs on the fermented taste and allows for the tempeh to readily absorb the flavors of what it’s being cooked with.
Read MoreMeatless Monday - Soy Lime Seitan Tacos with Mango and Chipotle Aioli
Over the weekend my friend Jenna and I did a cooking demo at the Bethlehem VegFest in Bethlehem, PA. We made Jenna’s seitan tacos, which the crowd really enjoyed. If you’re not familiar with seitan, it’s a “wheat meat” that can be used in recipes that call for chicken or beef. Packaged seitan can be found in grocery stores near the tofu, or you can make your own.
Read MoreBroccoli Slaw
Cole slaw is quintessentially Jersey to me, as it always conjures up images of late night trips to the diner for a club sandwich with a side of fries. This broccoli slaw is a healthy twist on the diner classic, and is the perfect side dish for your summer time cookout.
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Meatless Monday - Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad
August can be a strange
month, as even though we're still in the throws of summer, signs of fall
peeking around the corner are visible. Hearty squash can be found alongside
fresh peaches at the farmer's market, and the weather can be unpredictable with
temperatures in the low 70s followed by scorching hot days in the 90s. This
Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad combines both worlds, with both summery greens
and autumnal roasted root veggies.
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Meatless Monday - Memorial Day Grilling
Whenever I’ve mentioned
the words “vegan” and “barbecue” in the same sentence, people tend to ask,
“What do vegans grill?” I’ve even been asked by fellow vegans! The backyard
barbecue grill can be used to cook a plethora of foods, and just a few of them happen
to be meat, so the question really should be “What don’t vegans grill?”
The truth is that anything can be grilled, from veggie burgers and tofu pups to corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Grilling brings out the flavor in vegetables, so foods like zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper taste great after a few minutes on the barbecue. And fruit! Don’t even get me started on fruit. The perfect summertime dessert is a peach, sliced in half and pitted, grilled until it’s softened slightly and then drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar. Try it. You’ll thank me later.
Since today is the unofficial start of summer and people across the nation are hitting their backyard to fire up their barbecues, I thought I’d share some of my favorite meatless grilling recipes.
Grilled Romaine
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (flavored oilswork well with this dish)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (flavored vinegars also work well with this dish)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the grill to medium-high.
Leaving the stem on, slice the lettuce in half lengthwise. Rub each half with olive oil.
Grill the lettuce for 3 or 4 minutes, flip and grill the other side for 3 or 4 minutes, until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Grilled Asparagus
- One bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Heat the grill to medium-high.
Toss the asparagus with the oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at about the halfway point.
Grilled Tofu and Pineapple Kebabs
- 1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
- 2 cups pineapple chunks, about an 1″ square
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons agave
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- metal or bamboo skewers
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
Thread the tofu, pineapple, bell pepper and onion onto the skewers. Depending on their size, you will have somewhere between 4 and 8 kebabs.
Place the kebabs in a baking dish and pour the marinade over them. Place the dish in the fridge and let marinate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.
Lightly oil the grill and turn the heat on to medium-high. Once it’s hot, carefully place the kebabs on the grilling grate and close the grill’s lid. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the kebabs once.
Remove the kebabs from the grill and serve. Be careful with the skewer – it will be hot!
For more delicious meatless-grilling recipes, check out Grilling Vegan Style by John Schlimm and Grills Gone Vegan by Tamasin Noyes.
Meatless Monday - Papa Ganache Wins Cupcake Wars
I know that people think vegan baked treats aren’t any good. Cupcakes probably taste like cardboard and cookies must be similar to sawdust wafers, right? Wrong!
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