I can’t help it. I just love comfort food. I’ve tried Amy’s Non-Dairy Pot Pies in the freezer section of my grocer and they’re pretty damn good. But after the holidays, I found my fridge full of some basic food ingredients and decided to experiment with my crock pot. Well, after a couple of attempts, this recipe wound up baking in the oven instead which turned out to be a godsend as I was able to brown the top with the broiler – something I would not have achieved in the crock pot. So here’s what you’ll need:

FILLING:
1 1/2 cup of chopped tatties
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
1 cup onions
1/2 cup canned peas
1 cup veggie broth

Preheat the oven to 400 and then go ahead and prep / combine all ingredients above in a medium sized casserole dish. The make the gravy below and add that too.

GRAVY:
1/2 cup flower
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups of water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Measure the ingredients for the gravy above carefully – it’ll be runny when you are finished but will thicken with heat. Bake the well-mixed gravy and filling in the casserole dish with lid on for about 45 minutes or until gravy is bubbly and thick.

TOPPING:
Non-dairy baking mix (Southern Glory Biscuit Mix)
Non-dairy butter substitute (Earth Balance)
Non-dairy milk (Almond Milk)
1 teaspoon of cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar because that’s all I had; it was fine.)

Make the biscuits according to the recipe. Depending on the biscuit mix you choose, you may have to let the dough thicken for about 25 minutes. This is where the vinegar does its job, leavening the dough-ball and making it springy.

Once your dough is ready to go, take gob fulls and roll out into small blobs with your hands. Place the dough lightly on the surface of the filling until it’s almost covered (but not totally) with biscuit dough. You should see some of the gravy through little open areas. Put back into oven (this time with lid off) and bake for about 22 minutes at 375. The turn your broiler on high for 3 minutes and brown the top.

Let sit for about 5 minutes to cool and serve.

Tamales are both an exotic and economical treat in the vegan household. Preparation can be done in parts but the whole process takes close to 3 hours – and it’s worth it. This traditional Latin American dish is traced to the Mayan Civilization and can be made in large batches then frozen for future meals. Here’s what you’ll need:

Equipment:
Steam pot with fitted steel colander

Covering:
20-50 corn husks

Dough:
2 cups of masa
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of water

Filling:
12 oz package of vegan chorizo or protein crumbles
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can corn
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped

The first thing you’ll need to do is invoke the Mayan god of food, Ah Mun, the “Lord of the Forests.” This deity was the god of corn and agriculture. Once you see a red-orange glowing blob hovering in your kitchen, go ahead and soak the husks for about an hour.

You can prepare the filling as the husks soften from their aqua bath. Brown the chorizo and then add all the veggies and cook for about 10 minutes on medium. Then put the filling in the freezer to cool and harden for about 15 minutes.

Next, prepare the masa by combining all ingredients and mixing until you get a doughy batter. Let sit for 5 minutes. By this time, the husks should be soft so gently pat each one with a towel to dry it.

Wrapping the Tamales:
Spread open each husk and tear a strip of each side to use as the ties for the top and bottom of the tamale. Then place a dollop of masa on a flattened husk, evenly spreading it into a circle or oval. Make sure to leave plenty of husk space on all sides of the dollop.

Next place a small amount of filling directly in the center of the dollop leaving plenty of dollop space around the edges of the filling so when you roll the tamale, the dolloped masa’s sides fuse together, encapsulating the filling.

Try rolling the tamale like a joint (most of you know how to this..come on) and be sure the filling is totally enclosed in the masa. Then tie off each end and place aside.

Depending on the size of your pot, stand up as many tamales as possible in the steel colander part. You can see how I did it from the recipe picture. Space the tamales apart so they all have a chance to steam evenly. Make sure the base part of the pot is filled with enough water where it is not coming through the bottom of the colander. Place the colander in the pot, attach lid and set the temp on high.

Steam the tamales for 90 minutes and then set aside for 15 minutes to cool / harden. Once they are ready to eat, ask Ah Mun for strength because you might want to freeze or give away some tamales, and let’s face it. You can’t do that if you eat them all yourself.

Although this dish is a fresh change from a southwestern  scramble I usually cook, the shirachi keeps the spice in my mornings. Here’s what you’ll need:

3/4 pound of firm tofu
1 & 1/2 cups of cooked rice
2 tablespoons of Tahini paste
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Tumeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 small diced onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 avocado
2 dollups of Tofutti sour cream
2 generous squirts of shirachi
olive or canola oil

While the tofu is pressing, mix the Tahini paste and nutritional yeast together in a medium size mixing bowl. Crumble to tofu into the bowl and add Tumeric powder and salt. Stir ingredients delicately and completely coat the tofu.

Coat the frying pan with oil, heat, and cook onions until they are translucent. Then lightly brown tofu.   Add pepper, milk, and spinach. Stir until well combined. Empty tofu into a serving bowl and cover.

Mix paprika with rice and cook in frying pan until browned but not crispy. Serve tofu on top of rice, and cubed avocado on top of tofu. Add the dollop of sour cream and the squirt of hot sauce next to each other on the side.

This tastes great with a piece of toast on the side too! Enjoy!

In Daytona Beach, I visited my dad last week.  Zen Bistro, the Thai restaurant we ate lunch at, offered a tofu option for almost all of their dishes.  I selected a delicious, tofu pumpkin curry. That dish inspired me to make what you see above.

The tofu’s texture was tough on the outside and chewy inside.  After cooking so many tofu dishes, you’d think I would be able to make the same fried texture but it’s always a work in progress. I did find a wonderful, pre-packed fried tofu at my local Asian grocer,  Fooks, and created what you see above.

You’ll need a pre-mixed vegetable curry paste, coconut milk, broccoli, olive oil, and fried tofu.  Takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

First, heat a non-stick frying pan. Cook the curry mix and a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat for a minute.

Stir one 15 oz. can of coconut milk into the hot mixture. The sauce will be a light orange color. Then, add the fried tofu and broccoli in. Heat the dish to a boil and then turn to simmer and cover for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Serve on white rice.

]]> http://veganbyproxy.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/broccoli-tofu-vegetable-curry/feed/ 0 Veganbyproxy Tofu Curry http://veganbyproxy.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/vegan-brownies/ http://veganbyproxy.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/vegan-brownies/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:42:11 +0000 fulcrumwritingstudio http://veganbyproxy.wordpress.com/?p=80 Continue reading →]]> First, let me say that I am not a true vegan. My interest in vegan and vegetarian cooking is born out of a love of food and good health. I like to eat vegan and vegetarian dishes several times a week, but I also eat seafood, poultry, and dairy. This delicious brownie recipe came about when I was preparing a meal for some friends of mine who are allergic to wheat, dairy, and eggs. As it turns out, it’s a favorite in our house as the brownies are moist and chocolaty—like brownies should be. Since they contain fruit instead of dairy, they are really high in fiber, which makes them deceptively nutritious.

Vegan Brownies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup unsweetened, all natural apple sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted vegan shortening (like Earth’s Best)

2 cups all-purpose baking flour*

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp salt

*If you want to make these wheat/gluten-free, I recommend using 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour in place of regular flour. I have found it to be the best gluten-free flour substitute out there. You will also need to add 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum as an extra leavening agent.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt). In a separate bowl mash the bananas, then add the oil (or melted shortening) and apple sauce. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Spread evenly into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool before cutting into squares.

Note: I find that these keep longer and stay fresher if I keep them refrigerated.