Rhymes With Vegan

Raising Awareness

I had vowed to myself long ago that I would not use my blog as a platform for anything other than sharing recipe ideas; however, it's time to break that rule because of something I strongly care about.

One week from today I will set out on a 300 mile bike ride to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.  I don't expect it to be easy, but rather a challenge to my body.  And so I am asking all of you wonderful people who have continued to support my blog (even though I haven't posted in far too long, but we'll leave that for another day) to please consider making a contribution.

I am so very close to hitting my goal and am now in the final stretch.

Here is where you can donate.

The video below was for the opening of the 5th Annual Red Ribbon Ride...just to inspire you a bit.  If you know of someone who cares about this or any organization, please also encourage them to donate.  Every dollar makes a difference!

Thanks in advance, and I promise to have new recipes soon!!!!

 

Happy Holidays!

a very happy and compassionate holiday to everyone from my dog and me...see you in 2010!!

a vegan thanksgiving day 4 - roasted kabocha squash soup w/ crispy fried leeks

a friend of mine had been reading alicia silverstone's new book and told me that her favorite squash was the kabocha.  she was curious what it tasted like and suggested i make something with it.

naturally soup seemed like a good, quick option.

this version is so rich and creamy, and topped with crispy fried leeks and the toasted seeds makes for a wonderful starter or side for the holidays.

raosted kobacha squash soup w/ crispy fried leeks

 

serves 6-8

1 medium to large kabocha squash

2 cloves garlic – chopped

½ yellow onion – chopped

2 celery ribs – chopped

1 carrot – chopped

4 cups broth

½ cup dry sherry

1 cup cashew cream sauce

1 leek – sliced

seeds from the squash

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

olive oil

½ cup canola oil

salt and pepper

hot water (in case you need to thin out your soup a bit)

 

heat your oven to 400 degrees.

peel your squash and seed and cut into 1-inch pieces.  toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and the garlic, and roast for 40-50 minutes, or until soft.

 

in the meantime, in a medium pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and your onions.  cook until transparent.  add your dry sherry and reduce for 5 minutes.  You can now add you carrot and celery.  cook until slightly al dente.  add the broth and continue to cook on medium to low.

 

in a small saucepan, bring the canola oil to a higher heat and add your leeks.  Let them fry, stirring constantly until they brown just slightly.  remove and drain.

 

once the squash is finished, add it to your broth.  add your curry and turmeric.

toss your seeds in a little olive oil and throw them into the oven for 20 minutes, or until browned.

 

remove the soup from heat and with an immersion blender, blend until silky smooth.  put back onto a low heat and add your cashew cream sauce.  if you should need to,  add hot water or broth to thin the soup should it be too thick.

 

add salt and pepper to taste.

garnish with the leeks and seeds.

serve with a crisp white wine.

enjoy!

a vegan thanksgiving day 3 - "turkey" style roulade

no need to show up to thanksgiving without a center piece, right?

this "turkey" style roulade has a wonderful texture and taste.  served with some creamy smashed potatoes and stuffed with an herbed stuffing, this also makes for wonderful hot sandwiches the next day.

vegan “turkey” style roulade

 

serves 6-8

dry ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

 

wet ingredients:
1 package firm tofu
¾ cup water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
½ tbsp olive oil

 

1 cup veggie broth

2 cups grandpa earls stuffing

 

heat your oven to 250 degrees.

 

in a blender, combine your wet ingredients.  in a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients.

 

in a larger mixing bowl combine the wet with the dry. knead together a ball for approximately 10-12 minutes.  split the ball in ½ and make 2 rolls.  flatten each roll out as much as possible without tearing.  add to each flattened roll, 1 cup of stuffing.  roll up the flattened ball into a large log with the stuffing running throughout the middle (like a pinwheel).  seal the gluten and be sure there are no holes.

 

place the logs onto a greased baking sheet.  cover with a little broth, just enough so that they are both moist.  cover with foil and bake for 2 ½ hours.  turn over after 2 ½ hours and cook for another 30-40 minutes covering with broth again.

 

once they are cooked and slightly browned, remove and let sit 15-20 minutes before slicing.

 

serve with your favorite sides and a glass of red wine.

enjoy!

 

a vegan thanksgiving day 2

for my second thanksgiving idea, i present creamy smashed baby reds with a white wine, carrot and rosemary gravy.

can we say yum?

 

creamy smashed baby reds w/ white wine, carrot and rosemary gravy

 

for potatoes

8-10 medium sized baby reds – peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

2 tbsp. vegan butter 

handful of fresh chives - chopped

½ cup soy creamer 

salt and pepper 

½ cup vegan sour cream 

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

 

for gravy

½ yellow onion – chopped

1 clove garlic – chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

3 carrots – chopped into larger pieces

1 celery rib – chopped

3 1/2 cups broth – veggie or no-chicken (reserve ½ cup for thinning of gravy)

1 tbsp fresh rosemary – chopped

1/2 cup white wine

salt and pepper to taste

 

in a stockpot, heat your oil and add your onions and garlic.  cook until transparent.  add your carrots and celery and broth.  cook until the carrots are very tender, approximately 10-15 minutes on a low/medium heat. 

in the meantime, peel and chop potatoes into small cubes. place into boiling salted water and cook until easily pierced  with a fork. drain. 

add vegan butter and soy creamer, and mash until smooth. add garlic powder, salt, and 

pepper to taste. add sour cream until desired texture is achieved. fold in chopped chives. 

now, with an immersion blender, blend the contents of your carrot/celery mixture together very well; until pureed.  add the white wine and rosemary and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until all of the favors have blended together. Add salt and pepper to taste to your liking.  use the ½ cup of hot broth reserved to thin the gravy should it be too thick.

garnish with fresh chives.

enjoy!

a vegan thanksgiving day 1

the holiday's can be a stressful time for everyone, especially when others are concerned about "what to make". so, for the next week i plan on posting simple recipe ideas for you to use or share with family and friends. 

i hope each of these recipes will make things a little less stressful for you and yours.

my first recipe i would like to share is from my late grandfather. 

we call it grandpa Earl's stuffing. 

it is so rich and flavorful that your family will want the recipe to have as their own.

 

grandpa earl’s stuffing

 

2 tbsp olive oil

½ yellow onion – chopped

½ tube gimme lean – sausage style (or you can use mushrooms)

2 celery ribs - chopped

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

1 tbsp poultry seasoning

½ bag herb seasoned croutons

2-3 cups no-chicken broth (or you can use veggie or just water)

3 tbsp earth balance

salt and pepper to taste

 

heat your oven to 375 degrees.

in a medium pot, heat your broth or water with the celery until the celery is soft.

set aside.

add your olive oil and onions to a medium skillet.  once the onions are transparent, add your gimme lean sausage, small pieces at a time, the rosemary and the thyme.  cook until slightly browned.

remove from heat and set aside.

in a large mixing bowl add your croutons and poultry seasoning.  slowly add your broth/water and mix until the croutons have softened quite a bit.  (you may not need to use all of your broth/water)you can now add your sausage and onions and fold together well.

pour into a casserole dish, top with the earth balance 1 tbsp at a time. 

pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is a crispy brown.

 

serve with a delicious homemade gravy.

accidental entrepreneur - vote for RWV!!

hello all...The Huffington Post is doing a story about what they call "accidental entrepreneurs" and Rhymes With Vegan is one of the 31 posted.  Let's show the world that vegan entrepreneurs have what it takes to build a great business and a better world!

Please follow this LINK, take a look and give us a vote...we promise to keep cranking out good recipes and giving out great vegan food.

Thanks in advance!!

^{Rhymes with Vegan - delivering plant based, organic, local foods to friends and aquaintences in Minneapolis, MN.}

beer battered buffalo tofu skewers w/ creamy cucumber sauce

some good friends of mine sent me a text late in the evening to ask a last minute favor of me.  they were headed to a vegan dinner the following day and were to bring an appetizer to share...enough for 7 adults, and wondered if i could whip something up for them.

well, i love the excitement and since they already had an idea of what they wanted to bring (another friend had suggested it) i said bring it on.

i cranked out a deep brown beer batter, rolled it in some panko, fried 'em up and, well, there you have it.  served with a delicious vegan buffalo sauce on the side and a creamy cucumber sauce (straight from the garden) makes for one delicious appetizer tray.

    

 

beer battered buffalo tofu skewers w/ creamy cucumber sauce

serves 6-8

 

for the buffalo sauce

4 tbsp earth balance

¼ cup franks hot sauce

 

for the creamy cucumber sauce

1 small cucumber – peeled, ½ chopped, ½ blended

1 cup vegenaise

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp garlic powder

½ tbsp celery seed

¼ cup fresh chopped chives

salt and pepper

 

for the beer batter

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup brown beer - enough to get the flour to a medium consistency, not too runny

1 tbsp old bay seasoning

1 tbsp paprika

½ tbsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

 

for the tofu skewers

1 large package of super firm tofu – excess water drained

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

2 cups rice flour

16 skewers

2 celery ribs, for garnish

 

in a small sauce pan, heat your earth balance on low to medium.  once melted, add your hot sauce and emulsify until combined.  set aside

 

in a medium mixing bowl, combine your creamy cucumber ingredients, doesn’t matter what order, and whisk gently together.  put in fridge to cool.

 

heat your deep fryer to 375 degrees.

 

in a large mixing bowl combine your batter ingredients. whisk together until blended well.

 

slice your tofu into 2 in x ½ in fingerlings.  roll each skewer into the flour, to the batter to the panko.  add 2 or 3 into the deep fryer and fry for 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown.  remove, drain and let cool.  do this until you have approximately 14-16 fingerlings.  once they are cooled, you can slide the skewer into them.

 

serve with buffalo sauce on the side as well as the creamy cucumber sauce, celery sticks and of course a cold beer.

enjoy!

 

up north

i'm heading up north for the week, off to the family cabin to spend some time working on new recipes.

have a great week!

 

red thai curry w/ steamed edamame and jasmine rice

this was another lunch delivery idea...hmmm...either way i just had to make it...a warm, creamy red curry with a kick of heat at the end, followed by the nuttiness of the edamame pop (as i like to call it)

in the curry was roasted mock duck, bamboo shoots, spinach, pea pods, red peppers and thai basil...simmering for about 20 minutes...and let's not forget the steamed jasmine rice....this is all making my mouth water as i write this....i am now going to wipe the drool off of my face and post the pics and recipes...

red thai curry with steamed edamame and jasmine rice
(serves 5)

1 small can of red thai curry paste
2 cans coconut milk
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp thai basil - freshly chopped
2 tbsp vegetarian fish sauce (use tamari if you don't have the fish sauce)
1 tbsp organic raw sugar
2 cups roasted mock duck (or you can use tofu, if you prefer)
2 cups fresh peapods
1 cup fresh spinach - chopped
1 small red bell pepper - sliced thin
1/2 small red thai chili pepper - chopped
5 cups steamed jasmine rice - cooked per directions on the packaging
1 large bag of edamame - in the shell
sea salt

in a large skillet, heat your oil and add your garlic.  let the garlic become very aromatic and then add your curry paste.  mix together the paste with the garlic until smooth, then add your coconut milk.  wisk together well.  add your fish sauce, sugar, thai chili.  cook for approximately 10-15 minutes on a low to medium heat.

clean your pea pods, red pepper, basil and spinach.
set aside.

in a medium pot, cover your edamame with water and let cook until tender to the bite.  approximately 10 minutes.  remove from heat, drain and sprinkle with sea salt.

open your roasted mock duck.   rinse under water in a strainer.  chop into small bite size pieces.
you can now add this to your curry mix.  cook for approximately 5-7 minutes.

you can now add your vegetables.
let cook for approximately 8-10 minutes.

pour your curry onto some rice with a little edamame on the side.

serve with a pinot noir.
enjoy!