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meatball sub!

June 3, 2013

by eatafood

what what what?

i love meatball subs! i’d never made one, or meatballs, but my gut knows what it likes and i followed it’s lead through this recipe. and you what my gut did? it cooked me a delicious sub.

most of the sandwiches i’ve had use beanballs but i’ve had a hankerin’ for seitan so these are seitan and lentils! this takes a while, so it’s not a bad idea to make the meatballs ahead of time (you can even freeze them).

makes 3 subs and extra meatballs for freezing. halve the recipe to make just enough for the sandwiches.

“MEAT”BALLS

2 carrots, grated

1/2 an onion, diced fine

1/2 c. red lentils

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tsp bragg’s or tamari

1 tsp each: basil, sage, oregano

2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

1/3 c. nutritional yeast

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 3/4 c. vital wheat gluten

1 – 1 1/3 c. hot broth (start with 1 c.)

bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the red lentils with the bayleaves until soft (about 15 minutes). strain and rinse with cool water (discard bay leaves). get a large steamer ready while you prep the rest!

in a large bowl, mash them up, then add all ingredients except broth and wheat gluten. now i must admit that i wasn’t being the most exact measurer in this instance, but i would add 1 cup of hot broth and stir with a fork, then slowly add the vital wheat gluten and it should absorb and become stretchy and alive. if it’s powdery dry, add broth bit by bit just to moisten. you want a stretchy moist ball of weird dough. shape mixture into 1 inch balls. then wrap in squares of tin foil. i bring two opposite corners together, fold the edge over, then bring the two remaining corners up and twist. you can do it however you want so long as it’s well sealed! steam for 35 minutes (until firm). if you have a very crowded steamer it could take up to 10 minutes longer.

MARINARA

oil

1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1/2 onion, cut fine

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

big pinch chili flakes

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste.

saute onion in a small pot until translucent. add garlic, stir and cook until fragrant. add remaining ingredients, bring just to a boi then simmer for 15 minutes.

THE SUBS

1 wide wholewheat baguette

jack style daiya wedge

3-4 meatballs per sandwich

marinara

nutritional yeast for sprinkling

so, i feel the jack style wedge is pretty integral in this particular recipe. it melts in a way that the shredded stuff doesn’t, and makes the sub magical. cut your baguette into 3 sections, the slice almost all the way through. toast in the a warm oven while you prep the meatballs. in a large pan, fry the meatballs with a couple tbsp of oil until just browned, then add the marinara and cook for 10 minutes on medium-low. once the bread is toasted, arrange slices of cheese on one half of each section, then return to the oven and broil for a minute or two (just until it begins to melt). top with meatballs and evenly distribute the sauce. sprinkle with nutritional yeast. eat!

twice baked potatoes with broccoli, spinach and cheese

May 24, 2013

by eatafood

comments 2

broccoli / comfort / greens / meals / potato / tasty trash

i love these, i’ve been making them forever. when i was in school and insanely busy i would make 6 at once, freeze them, then take them out when i needed a quick filling meal.

they taste trashy but they’re really just good for you.

3 baking potatoes

olive oil

3/4 c. chopped broccoli

1 c. chopped baby spinach, packed

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dijon

1/4 c. almond milk

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

black pepper + salt

1/3 c. daiya shreds, or any other melty vegan cheese

(optional for treat: 1 rounded tbsp sour supreme)

Scrub potatoes then poke with a fork and bake at 400 directly on the rack for 45 minutes to an hour. once softened, cool the potatoes so you can handle them.

meanwhile saute broccoli with half the garlic until just green. turn off heat and stir in spinach to wilt.

slice the top quarter of the potatoes off and then carefully, using a small spoon, scoop out the tater guts into a bowl. you want to take out as much as you can while still having the structure of the potato intact. pictured below are the resulting little potato shoes.

mash the potato innards with dijon and almond milk until smooth (you can add more if need be, you want them a tiny bit on the thin side). add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste. then add the sauteed spinach and broccoli, remaining garlic and daiya. mix it up, then spoon it back into the potatoes, carefully pressing it in to avoid air pockets. if you wanted to freeze some, now would be the time.

bake again on a pan at 400 for 15, then broil for a minute or two until tops are lightly golden.

collard wraps part 2: salad rolls with almond satay sauce

May 15, 2013

by eatafood

comments 4

appetizer / greens / meals / nuts / sandwiches / tofu

remember when i was going on about how i love collard wraps and how i made salad rolls with collards? well HERE IT IS. the future becomes the present.

this is a weird take on salad rolls, the collards give it an earthy green taste that isn’t there otherwise, but if you are into that (which i am) then make these! another twist: almond satay sauce instead of peanut. why? because i don’t like peanuts.

SALAD ROLLS

fresh basil leaves

6 collard leaves

3 small carrots (or 2 large), ribboned or julienned

2 handfuls bean sprouts

1 c. of vermicelli, cooked

an avocado, sliced

3 scallions, sliced

coconut oil for frying

1 block medium firm tofu cut in half and then into long slices

4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, a few drops sesame oil

firstly: combine soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. use this to marinate tofu while you prep the rest.

prep collards as described in the last post. put aside. fry tofu in a bit of coconut oil until browned on both sides. assemble your rolls! spread basil leaves in a single layer down the centre of each collard green. then distribute other fillings evenly. leave enough room at either end to fold in and then roll tightly.

ALMOND SATAY SAUCE

1/2 c. almond butter

1 heaped tbsp hoisin

a few drops sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp chili paste

zest of 1 lime and 1/2 the juice

mix it together! you can thin it a bit with warm water if you need to. IT IS DELICIOUS.

collard wraps!

May 12, 2013

by eatafood

comment 1

greens / meals / mushrooms / quick / one-pot / sandwiches

so i’ve been meaning to try collard wraps for eons, but this week my grocery store finally got big nice collards so i seized the opportunity. now i’m HOOKED. collard EVERYTHING! this recipe is for a simple wrap but the ideas are endless. i want to try to use them in place of tortillas in enchiladas! i used them instead of rice paper wrappers to make delicious salad rolls! cabbage rolls! anything you wrap, you can wrap with collards.

they are way tougher than any tortilla i’ve ever seen, and unless you nick it with your knife, it won’t tear or bust open. as a chronic overfiller (and exploder) of wraps, it’s a very exciting discovery.
I’ll give you the low-down on how to prep them for wraps, you can really put anything you want in them. I did this one with mushrooms, tahini-ish soycurls, tomato and lettuce.

COLLARD WRAPS

a large collard leaf per wrap

8 mushrooms, quartered

1 tomato, diced

1 c. rehydrated soycurls

a bit of oil

3 tbsp tahini

1/4 c. water

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. bragg’s or tamari

a handful romaine lettuce, chopped

couple shakes of nutritional yeast

HOW TO PREP COLLARDS

trim ends off of greens, then carefully cut down the stalk so it’s flush with the leaf on both sides. Bring a pot of water to a boil, once it’s hot dip each leaf in the water for a few seconds until it JUST softens and becomes bring green. put aside until you’re ready to use!

FILLINGS

sautee mushrooms and garlic quickly in a couple tablespoons of oil until slightly browned. put aside. heat another couple tbsp of oil and grown soycurls with mustard seeds. once browned a bit, then mix the water, tahini and water then pour into the pan. turn down heat, add nutritional yeast and stir to coat.

put it all together! tomato! lettuce! mushroom! soycurls! whatever you like eating!

Avocado fries

May 5, 2013

by eatafood

comments 7

appetizer / quick / savoury / snacks / tasty trash

I know that hot avocado seems weird but give it a chance! These fries are so good and seem sort of fancy even though they’re the easiest.

AVOCADO FRIES
2 ripe avocados
3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
salt and pepper (maybe a dash of cayenne if you’re feeling spicey)

1/2 c. unsweetened milk (I use almond)
3 tbsp flour

Preheat your oven to 400.
Cut your avocados in half, remove the pit and carefully scoop it out with a spoon (in one piece!). Quarter each half (or into 6 if its a big avo). In a bowl combine panko, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. In another bowl whisk together almond milk and flour.

Dredge each slice in the milk mixture then in the breadcrumb mixture making sure it’s evenly coated. Put on a baking sheet. Repeat until they’re all done (if you run out of either mixture just add a bit more milk when it’s low or a handful of panko to stretch it out). Bake for 20 minutes ubtil golden, flipping once.

Make a dip! I like to make an aoli style dip with smoked paprika but just plain old ketchup is pretty good too.