What's in a name: Vegan Portabella Pizza's

When most meat-lovin American people hear the word "Vegan" their nose crinkles, their mouth turns to a frown, and they start to shake their head as if their brain can't comprehend such an atrocity. If you can't picture what I am trying to say, try this:

Then comes the following sentence: "No meat? No cheese? No eggs? Nope. Nope. Nuh uh. Can't do it. That's just freakin crazy!" Then the expression that preceeds looks a little like this:

Kristin Wigg knows what I'm talking about. 

Well I've got news for you. It is not scary. Or gross. Or depriving. In fact, it is magically delicious--more so than the Lucky Charms I stole that slogan from. I have been eating a plant based diet, i.e. Vegan, for about 2 months now and I think I have eaten more delicious food than when I wasn't. That is not a lie. I am telling Abe Lincoln style truths here. Tonight, for example, I tried out a new recipe I found while lazily browsing Pinterest on the couch in my sweat pants(is there any other way to do so?). 

I always tweak recipes. Even new ones I have never made or tried before. It is not in my nature to follow someone else's directions involving food and not add my own spin on things. I guess I think that if I don't then it isn't my own? I don't know. Let's leave that one for the therapist, shall we. Anyhooo....

I found a recipe for Vegan Portabella Pizzas and thought it sounded pretty tasty. We like pizza and mushrooms. Plus if you have ever eaten a portabella it is like eating a big fat steak. It is massive, and meaty, and leaves you feeling full and satisfied. Sorry if that sounds inappropriate. I swear I am talking about portabella mushrooms.

You might be thinking, "Whoa, Amanda, pizza has cheese, idiot?! I thought you said these were vegan?!" Well, you potty mouth, it does have a "cheese" and it is made out of cashews. The texture and flavor is like basil seasoned ricotta.  Before you decide I am crazy and go back to reading your Facebook news feed, hear me out. THIS IS DELICIOUS AND YOU SHOULD TRY IT. There. That's all I have to say. 

Doesn't it look so tasty!!

Easy Stuffed Portabella Pizza in a Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Portabella Mushrooms (mine were the size of my stretched hand)

• 2 cups pizza/spaghetti sauce (give or take)

• Vegan Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce (see recipe below)

• 1/3 cup of each: green, orange pepper, diced

• 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced

• 2-3 large basil leaves, finely diced

• 3/4 cup roasted red peppers, sliced

*I would like to note that I did not measure out any of my veggies, I just chopped and sprinkled them on until it looked good. 

Directions: Preheat oven by setting the broiler on low. Take a baking sheet and cover with a silicone non-stick baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up. Make your Vegan Cashew Basil cheese sauce by using the recipe below. Set aside. Remove stems of Portabellas and gently rub Portabellas with a wet cloth to clean. Sprinkle round side with garlic powder and salt. Place Portabellas ‘belly’ side up on the baking sheet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each Portabella, or more if needed to sufficiently cover the surface of the shroom. Now spoon about 2 teaspoons of Vegan Cashew basil Cheese Sauce on top of the pizza sauce (see recipe below). Grab a cutting board and knife and chop the onion and pepper and then sprinkle onto Portabellas. Lay slices of roasted red pepper on top. Finally, sprinkle finely diced basil on top and finish with a sprinkle of salt and garlic powder. Broil in the oven on the lowest temperature setting on the middle rack for about 12-18 minutes, watching closely as broiler temperatures vary, until mushrooms are cooked through. Serve immediately and enjoy! Serves 3-4.

Vegan Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp EVOO

• 1 fresh basil leaf

• 1 small clove garlic

• 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions: Place 1 cup of raw cashews in a bowl of water, cover, and soak overnight, or 8 hours,  in the fridge. When cashews are ready, drain and place all ingredients (cashews, sea salt, EVOO, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice) into a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of processor as necessary. If it is not very creamy or balls up like dough, slowly add water by the teaspoonful while the processor is on until it is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Place any leftover cheese in a container in the fridge and enjoy with chopped vegetables, crackers, bread, and chips!

My fork totally murdered this. Yummy town.

Here is the original recipe, without my tweaks, gotta give props to the creator:

http://ohsheglows.com/2010/08/31/mushroom-masters-a-tournament-of-taste/

I'm Back, with Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

Ok. I know. I haven't blogged on here in a while. Things have been a little crazy on the home front. Now I am back to business, and will hopefully be bringing the 3, maybe 5 people that actually read this, some tasty recipes. 

When ever I check my mail and find that my cooking magazines for the month have arrived, I have a brief moment of Christmas-like feeling of Joy in my heart. I love my magazines and have the collection to prove it. I know I can get the recipes online, but it isn't the same. There is something about the tangible feeling of the high gloss paper, the colorful spreads, and the hour it takes for me to sit and lose myself in the culinary world. 

This month was no exception. 

The recipe I have for you today is courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine. When I read the recipe, I was like "Whaaaaaat?! No Way! I gotta try that!" And I did. 

After a little trip to the year-round farmers market (that's right, be jealous), I was ready to begin. 

I give you: Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

1 C. Old Bay seasoning

1/4 kosher salt

2 yellow onions, quartered

6 garlic cloves

3 lemons, halved

2 1-lb. heads of cauliflower, cored, trimmed into 2" florets

Cocktail Sauce

  

   

Combine Old Bay, salt, onions, garlic, and 6 quarts of water in a late pot. Squeeze juice from lemons into pot and add lemon halves.

Set pot over high heat and bribing liquid to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes to let flavors meld.

I would recommend turning on your overhead vent. The spices made me sneeze like crazy.

Using slotted spoon, remove the onions, garlic, and lemons from the broth; discard. Return liquid to a rolling boil.

Add cauliflower

Turn off heat, cover pot tightly, and let stand until cauliflower is crisp-tender, 5-10 minutes.

Mine took 9. 

Drain. 

*I drained over a very large bowl so I could save all of that delicious broth for another batch. No use wasting those tasty spices!

Spread out cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely. This can all be made 1 day ahead.

Cover and refrigerate. 

Serve with cocktail sauce for dipping.

So after I finished making the "shrimp", and they were chilled. I made myself a little plate and dipped my first piece in my homemade cocktail sauce (recipe below). 

It was fantastic. Obviously it lacks that seafood shrimpy flavor that comes with actual shrimp, but this is a dang good substitute. Especially for a strict vegetarian/vegan or someone with shellfish allergies. 

Here is the cocktail sauce recipe: Low sugar ketchup, fresh horseradish, and lemon juice. This really is just to taste. Obviously the ratio of ketchup to horseradish is like 4:1, unless you like it really spicy and intense. The lemon juice is added at the end, just a few teaspoons. 

So there you go. A recipe. Now go try it and let me know what you think!!!

Actually Delicious Gluten-Free Brownies

Okay, so in the last while I have developed a very low tolerance for gluten. Also, I love chocolate-- By love I mean a love that burns with the heat of a thousand suns. That much. This lovely and strange recipe combines the best of both worlds. 

I tried to do some variations to make them a little more calorie friendly, however, they tasted like crap. So, stick to the recipe.

 Here it is:

Gluten-Free Brownie Town

In a blender combine:

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

3 Eggs

2T Oil (I used canola)

1/4C+2T Cocoa powder

1 pinch of salt (I used Sea)

1t Vanilla extract

3/4C Sugar--DO NOT USE SPLENDA

3T Ground flax seed (Or omit this and add an extra T of oil)

1t Instant coffee (optional-I did not use this)

 Here are all of the lovely layers pre-blend.

 This is what it will look like. Just like good ol' gluten-full brownies. 

 Pour the blender contents into an 8x8 pan that has been lined w/ foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 C Chocolate Chips (Maybe more :))

 One of the great things about this recipe is the amount of dishes you'll have upon completion.

 Bake at 350 for about 23-30 min--depending on your oven temp and elevation etc. When the top is dry and the sides pull away from the pan, they're done. Try really hard not to overcook these.

This is the final, delicious, product.

The texture is a little different, but it is a really great substitute for brownies. 

Let me know if you try this and what your thoughts are. I am going to go make some...then proceed to eat at least 1/3 of the pan. Don't tell anyone.

Indulge Me...

Hello Readers of this here blog. See how I capitalized the word "Reader"? That's because you're important. Keep on reading important person. Maybe you'll be inspired.

Let me start off by saying I want to be healthy, and dang it I'm trying. I am hoping that by changing my eating habits I can feel better and in the process, change my circle shaped body into a curvy line instead. I have have spent the past couple of months battling illness. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to feel any better. I tried everything. The last thing I tried, which in retrospect should have been my first, was to change my diet. By change, I don't mean watch my calories and stop eating fast food. Change for me, came in the form of cutting out gluten and dairy products almost completely. Some of you might be thinking "Whoa, that's nuts!" Maybe it is, but let me tell you, I feel FANTASTIC. I am on day 5 of practicing basically a vegetarian, gluten-free diet. Is it hard? Yes. Do you have any idea how many things are NOT gluten-free? Let me put it this way, even McDonalds french fries contain traces of gluten. So, yeah. It has been fairly easy for me to stick to it and not even be tempted because I feel great and don't want to jeopardize that. That just shows you how BAD I felt before. 

Anyways, this post might be a little boring. Sorry for that. Sometimes I am lazy and want to eat stuff that is quick and easy. I just felt like sharing some of the things I have been eating this week. I wanted to show how easy it is to omit the aforementioned items and still eat delicious, healthy stuff. 

For example, my lunch on Tuesday was oven roasted broccoli and red peppers, a little scoop of leftover spanish rice rolled up into a lightly fried corn tortilla. It was so tasty I had the same thing for dinner. 

This is my new favorite snack. Apples are in season right now so they are cheap and oh so tasty! I also have always loved raw almonds so I usually cut up my apple and munch on an almond in-between bites.

Sweet potato fries!! Slice a sweet potato, spritz with cooking spray, sprinkle with sea salt, bake, eat! I also dipped some in a little sugar-free maple syrup and WOW. You definitely should try it.

 

So there you go. Things I eat. Delicious things. Healthy things. 

For those who doubt their own ability eat this way, let me tell you I have lost 3 lbs this week already. How's that for motivation?

Coming soon, as promised, gluten-free brownies. 

Almost Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Alright people, I am not a Vegan. However, I realize it may seem that way due to the fact that I posted a Vegan recipe last week and I am right now. This is purely coincidence. I love cheese, milk and on occasion, an egg white omelet. I don't think I could ever give those things up. Ever. So, anyways here is the recipe: 

Preheat oven to 325. 

1C. Sugar

1/4C. Butter flavored Crisco

1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 C. mashed bananas

2T. Milled Flax Seed

6T. water

2t. vanilla extract

2C. unbleached AP flour

1 1/2t. baking powder

1t. baking soda

1/2t. salt

1C. Dark Chocolate Chips <------- THIS IS THE NON-VEGAN INGREDIENT

 

~Cream the shortening and sugar. Add the applesauce, bananas, flax, water, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. It should look something like this:

 I like to use an ice cream scoop so the final products are uniform in size.

 Bake them for about 22 minutes, depending on your oven temperature.

Then take them out and eat them. Who cares if they're cooled off or not.  

You're Welcome.

Meat Schmeat

So here I am, starting another blog when I can't even seem to post on my other. Let me defend my choice by saying THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT. This one is all about FOOD. Not just any food, but my food. I like to treat my pantry like a basket on the Food Network show, Chopped. I pride myself in my ability to make food out of random things I have on hand and a little creative inspiration.

Something I want to do that will make this different than a regular "Hey check out my food!" blog, is I am trying to use little to no meat. (Go ahead Wyoming readers, let out that loud gasp you're holding back). I don't like meat. Sorry folks, but I don't. On occasion I will have a bite of something meaty, or throw some in a dish, but for the most part I just want veggies and carbs. I do however, like seafood. SO if I use a protein that isn't meat, beans, or nuts, it will be fish or shrimp. What I am trying to do here is limit my options in order to expand my ability. Make sense?
If anything, this will just be a good way for me to keep track of my made-up recipes so I can make them again.

To start things off, I would like to share with y'all what I made for dinner. Drumroll please....

It is Vegan, it is tasty, it's a curry mouth party I like to call:

Random Indian Bulgar Pile of Yum.

Creative title, right? Here goes:

First I sliced an acorn squash, cleaned out the seeds and guts, sprayed the slices with some Olive Oil Pam, and sprinkled them with some curry powder. In to the oven they went, 375 degrees, for 30-40min. I know my slices aren't uniform, but give me a break, Acorn Squash is hard to freakin cut!

 Next, I prepared some bulgar wheat. I use the cheater 'quick cook' bulgar. That way, I don't have to plan ahead too much if I don't want to. There are a bunch of health benefits to bulgar like low-fat, whole grain, blah blah you know the drill. Anyways, I just follow the package directions for this one. 2C water to 1C wheat. Boil, simmer, and viola!

 OOh, don't forget to season it a little. I used a dash of EVOO (Which by the way I use in pretty much everything) and then a pinch of sea salt.

 This is my EVOO of choice. Don't have a Trader Joe's? Too bad for you, because it is amazing. Seriously. Pretty much everything in this meal was purchased there.

 This is what it looks like when it is all done: a big pot of brown cooked wheat that slightly resembles ground meat.

 Then, into my heated skillet went some more olive oil. Gotta get in all of those monounsaturated fatty acids!!

 Then I looked in my fridge for some stuff. I found Onion, Cabbage, and some Grape Tomatoes. I sweat the onions first with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, then added some Julianned cabbage. In case you don't know what Julianne is, besides a nice name, it looks like this:

 In went the tomatoes and I cooked it down a little.

 I then sprinkled a little curry powder (1t ) and a few generous dashes of Goya hot sauce in my pan of random.

 In went scoops of cooked Bulgar.

 I am going to guesstimate 2 cups. Who needs to measure anyways?

By the time I got all of this done, the squash was nice and tender and starting to brown a little on the edges. I just love oven roasted veggies. All of those natural sugars come out and caramelize and the FLAVOR, OH THE FLAVOR! Mmmmmmm!!

 Now, since I am a fancy pants, I created a nice presentation with a garnish of Cilantro, WHICH by the way, ended up complimenting the curry so I grabbed a few more sprigs while I was eating my plate and threw it in the mix.

 Here is proof that a man can and will eat a meatless, vegan meal, and think it is delicious.

Anyways, I hope that this will be slightly successful and maybe, just maybe, a little inspirational for others.

Coming soon: Gluten-Free Brownies!!