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black bean and chickpea chili with sweet potato

December 3, 2012

by eatafood

for anyone who ever attended a Thor Fest or lived with me in the last 4 years, you’ve probably already eaten this chili.

and maybe you liked it! if so here is how i make it. i’m pretty set with this recipe, it never goes wrong and it makes great leftovers and hearty meal on the CHEAP. you can quadruple this and feed a ton of people for very very little money.

this is using canned beans for convenience and because i didn’t plan. if you want to use soaked dried beans go ahead!

CHILI

1 large red onion, chopped

2 tbsp coriander seeds, whole

2 tbs chili powder (if mild, add 1 tsp chili flakes or cayenne)

1 tsp chili flakes if you like it hot, which i do (in addition to the chili powder)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp mustard seeds or powder

pinch of cinnamon

6 large cloves garlic, minced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 large sweet potato, cut into bit sized hunks

1/4 c. quinoa

2 c. broth

1 lime, zested and juiced

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

in a big pot, saute onion. add spices and stir until fragrant then add beans half the garlic and sweet potato, stir to coat. add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. add quinoa, turn down and simmer until potatoes are cooked (25 minutes?). stir in lime zest and juice, remaining garlic, and nutritional yeast. season with salt or braggs to taste. serve right away, or keep on minimum with the lid on for up to a couple hours (so long as you stir it every 10 minutes).

SERVING IDEAS

top with cilantro, green onions, daiya and/or sour cream.

my ideal serving is with those toppings, on macaroni and topped with “tofu crunchies” (i take firm tofu, squeeze it out, dice it very small, then pat dry and fry quickly until they are crunchy little cubes). i usually couldn’t care less about macaroni, but there is something about the crunchies, macaroni and the cheese with the chili is just the best combination.

scalloped potatoes (and eggplant and mushrooms and spinach)

December 2, 2012

by eatafood

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eggplant / meals / potato

i have never actually had scalloped potatoes. so this is my take on scalloped potatoes so far as i understand them. whatever it was, it was delicious. katie and i ate the entire dish in one sitting.

THE TATERS

1 large indian eggplant (the long ones),sliced thinly at a slight diagonal
1 red onion halved
2 large potatoes

THE SAUCE

oil
6-8 brown mushrooms
3 tbsp vegan butter or oil
1/3 c flour
2 c hot broth
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c unsweetened almond milk
Lots and lots and lots of fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 c vegan cheese of your choosing
1/4 c nutritional yeast
big handful of spinach, chopped

1 tbsp capers

first off take your eggplant slices and lay them out on a clean dishcloth. salt them generously and let them sit for 15-20 minutes. then press them with another towel to blot out all the moisture. i like to use coarse salt because then i can just brush it off easily after. meanwhile slice potatoes thinly and slice onion into thin half circles. arrange them upright in rows in a 7×11′ oven safe dish, alternating evenly. i know (now) that scalloped potatoes are typically staked in horizontal layers, but i did it vertically. i think i like it this way.

once they’re all stacked in tight make your sauce.

heat oil in a saucepan and saute mushrooms. put aside. heat butter in the same saucepan until melted then whisk in your flour (you’re just making a roux). slowly add the hot broth, whisking to make sure there are no clumps. then add everything else, and your mushrooms. whisk and heat through just until cheese is melted in the sauce. pour over the potatoes and eggplant evenly, it’s ok if the top bit of some of the potatoes are sticking out. cover dish with a lid or foil and bake at 375 for an hour or until potatoes are cooked (fork test them). remove foil and broil just until the edges sticking out are browned the the top of the sauce bubbles.

garlicky broccoli cheddar soup

November 29, 2012

by eatafood

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broccoli / meals / quick / one-pot / soup / soups

if you haven’t noticed yet, i love soup. I JUST LOVE SOUP YOU GUYS, OK!? i also love broccoli. so obviously i love broccoli soup, here is a tasty one you can make and eat and love and hold too. it also has the added benefit of being full of things that are good for you at the same time as being creamy and comforty.

BROCCOLI SOUP

1 large bunch of broccoli, or 2 small (stalks and crowns)

1 red onion, diced

2 small potatoes

3 bay leaves

2 tsp mustard seeds

big pinch of chili flakes (or 1 big tsp of chili paste)

1 bunch spinach, stemmed and chopped

8 large cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. nutritional yeast

6 c. broth

2 c. unsweetened plain almond milk

tons of black pepper

2 heaped tbsp dijon

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. vegan cheese (i use cheddar daiya. if you want to go cheeseless, this soup is super good without, so it’s not a must. maybe increase your nutritional yeast to 1/2 c.)

sauté onion in a large pot with olive oil. cut the florets off of your broccoli and put aside. then cut off the waxy outer skin from the stalks, then dice. throw in with the onion. sauté with a pinch of salt, add mustard seeds, pepper, half of the garlic, chili flakes, potatoes and florets and stir until coated. add bay leaves and then broth. bring to a boil then simmer.

you want to potatoes to cook and everything to soften nicely. once the potatoes are cooked, add almond milk, mustard, nutritional yeast, zest and balsamic. remove bay leaves and with an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup (you can wait for it to cool a bit, or just be careful/willing to risk getting splattered with hot soup). or do it in batches in a blender.

return to pot and add cheese and remaining garlic, heat through until the cheese is well melted and incorporated into the soup. season with salt and tons of fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

DONE! i recommend eating this with crusty bread. also this freezes really well for future treats.

shredded brussel sprouts, delicata squash, nuts and apple on smashed potatoes

November 25, 2012

by eatafood

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meals / nuts / potato / squash

all the fall hits! this is a big warm salad sort of tasty treat.

this is one of those many-component hanging out in the kitchen meals. if you are in a hurry, make something else.

1 delicata squash, sliced lengthwise, seeds scooped out and cut into half-rings

broth

8 nugget potatoes

1/2 block pressed tofu, cubed

1/3 c. pecans, walnuts or almonds

1/2 apple, cubed

a big bag of brussel sprouts (20?), bad bits picked off and ends removed, shredded thin

4 cloves garlic, grated

zest of 1 lemon

juice of half a lemon

step 1. roast squash. a teeny bit of oil, salt and pepper, a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (maybe less, just until browned on both sides).

step 2. cut potatoes in half, add broth just to cover and boil until potatoes are cooked.

ste 3. in a medium sized frying pan, toast your nuts (no oil!). remove from pan. using the same pan, heat up a bit of oil. fry tofu until golden, then add apples. put aside in a dish.

step 4. once potatoes are done, drain (and save) broth. heat up a bit of oil and put potatoes in a single layer. squash them down with a fork (so they flatten but don’t mush). flip once. they should be nice and crispy on both sides. season with salt and peper. place on a platter or in a large serving bowl.

step 5. keep your pan hot, add brussel sprouts and sauté with lemon zest and garlic until the green darkens but it still has crunch. squeeze lemon over it and stir around quickly, deglazing your pan. mix with everything except the potatoes and toss with dressing. plate over squashed potatoes.

done! eat!

DRESSING

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/3 c. broth from potatoes

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

2 tbsp flour

juice of half a lemon

pinch of salt (or 1 tsp of bragg’s)

mix all together.

“eggs and bacon”

November 22, 2012

by eatafood

comments 3

breakfasts / kale / meals / savoury / tempeh / tofu

this is a breakfast i have been meaning to make for a long time. one of the things that i’ve missed as a vegan is egg runny egg yolk. a while back i bought Vegg and have used it here and there but not to make a fried egg yet. UNTIL NOW.

also on the menu was my old pal: tempeh bacon. served with sautéed kale, roasted garlic hash browns, baked beans, garlic stuffed olives and oranges.

this makes 4 eggs and lots of bacon for a very generous breakfast for 2.

first off, marinate your tempeh.

1/2 square of tempeh (i used 7 grain), sliced

2 tbsp bragg’s

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

5 shakes of liquid smoke

pinch of brown sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sriracha (optional)

mix it all up in a shallow dish and lay your tempeh strips down to marinade (flip them after 10 minutes if they aren’t covered).

remove the tempeh from the marinade and shake off excess. fry until browned on both sides.

EGGIES

1 pkg medium firm tofu

pinch of truffle salt

a shake of nutritional yeast

lots of black pepper

1 tbsp chopped dill

1 1/2 tsp Vegg

1/3 c. hot water

this is the funny part. cut the tofu into 4 slabs and then scoop out a hole in the middle. then cut the outside so it’s something closer to a circle than a square, so you have sort of a tofu doughnut. lastly, cut it down on an angle a bit out towards the bottom edge, so it slopes like a little eggy volcano. blot the tofu gently but don’t press. once it’s in the weird final egg shape it’s quite delicate so be careful with it. at this point they come together quite quickly, so if you have potatoes or other things cooking, get them done first. you don’t want cold eggs.

get a non stick pan hot, put in olive oil so it coats the bottom and then put int your tofu volcanoes. fry unti browned and spotted on the bottom, then carefully flip once. add dill, yeast, salt and pepper. continue to cook for a couple minutes.

in a blender, combine the water and Vegg powder and whiz it up until it’s smooth. these are your yolks.

plate your tofu volcanoes and pour the yolks into the holes. top with extra black pepper. DONE DEAL.