Veganized New Joe's Special (Tofu, Mushrooms, Spinach)

Have you guys ever heard of New Joe's Special? It comes from a restaurant in California called Joe's.  Joe's became New Joe's after it burned down. The special at New Joe's was a dish with lots of spinach and ground beef and egg. My mom figured out the recipe, and made it all the time. I grew up eating it. But ever since I've gone vegan I've craved it. Not in the OH I NEED MEAT kind of way but in the "this is a comforting food from my childhood" kind of way. So I decided to veganize it. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces tofu
• 6 cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2 cups water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Mix the flax seed and 6 tablespoons water in a bowl. Put in the fridge to gel.
2. Drain the tofu by putting it between two paper towels and pressing out the water. 
3. Chop the tofu into cubes. 
4. Fry the tofu in the oil in a large pan on high heat.
5. Once it has browned, add the mushrooms and garlic.
6. Stir until brown. 
7. Add spinach and stir.
8. Take the bowl of flax seed water out of the fridge and add the nutritional yeast. Stir in the rest of the water slowly until the nutritional yeast/flax is dissolved. 
9. Move the spinach/tofu/mushrooms mixture to one side of the pan and add the nutritional yeast to the other side.
10. Slowly incorporate the two sides of the pan. 
11. Stir until the nutritional yeast is no longer sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper and serve!

Read More

Curry Chickpea Burgers

This recipe is very similar to the vegan meatballs I made the other day, but they taste completely different. Simple, quick, and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 cups bread crumbs 
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 6 tablespoons water
• Olive oil
  

Directions:

1. Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Place in the fridge to gel while you make the burgers.
2. In a blender, blend chickpeas until smooth. It's okay if it is a little chunky.
3. In a bowl, mix together chickpeas, bread crumbs, garlic, and curry powder.
4. Add flaxseed mixture and incorporate with your hands.
5. Form patties.
6. Preheat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
7. Fry patties until golden brown.  

Read More

Vegan Meatballs

I've never made vegan meatballs before, but I was really craving spaghetti so I threw some things together and voila! They turned out so well!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 cups bread crumbs 
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sage
• salt, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• half of a tomato, chopped into small pieces 
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 6 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 345 degrees fahrenheit. Start water boiling for pasta. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Place in the fridge to gel while you make the meatballs
3. In a blender, blend chickpeas until smooth. It's okay if it is a little chunky.
4. In a bowl, mix together chickpeas, 1 cup bread crumbs (set aside the other cup), garlic, and spices.
5. Mix in tomato pieces. 
6. Put the rest of the breadcrumbs in a separate, smaller, bowl. Get the flaxseed/water from the fridge.
7. Form chickpea mixture in to golf ball-sized pieces (or smaller, if desired).
8. Coat balls in flaxseed/water, then breadcrumbs, and place on the baking sheet.
9. Bake for 15 minutes. Halfway through, roll the balls over to bake the other side. 
10. Heat pre made spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan. 
11. Serve meatballs over pasta with tomato sauce.

Read More

Homemade Raspberry Poptarts (Vegan AND Gluten Free!)

I didn't realize how much I missed poptarts until I made these. Oh man.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup vegan butter or margarine
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 1 and 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (filling)
• 2 tablespoons water (filling)
• 3 tablespoons sugar (filling)
• 2 cups powdered sugar (icing)
• Raspberry water (from filling, used for icing)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Prepare baking sheet by covering with parchment paper.
3. For the filling, place raspberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of water. 
4. Once the berries have melted and broken apart, add the sugar and mix well. 
5. Drain the excess raspberry juice/water into a bowl (this will be used for the icing). Set both saucepan and bowl aside.
6. For the crust, mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until well incorperated and crumbly. (I didn't have a pastry cutter so I used a hand-held potato masher and that worked just as well).
7. Add four tablespoons of water and mix until dough is forms a ball.
8. On a lightly floured countertop, roll out dough using a rolling pin until it is only about a centimeter thick. 
9. Using a butter knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into evenly-sized rectangles (not sure of dimensions, but you know how big poptarts are, right? Also, clearly mine are not evenly sized. Oh well.)
10. Place half of the rectangles on the baking sheet. 
11. Spoon filling onto the center of the rectangles. 
12. Cover the filling with the other half of the dough rectangles. Pinch sides together to seal.
13. Poke about six holes in the top of each poptart with a toothpick or small skewer.
14. Spread a thin layer of butter over each poptart
15. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden-brown
16. Mix leftover raspberry juice with powdered sugar for the icing/glaze. You made need more sugar, depending on how much juice there was.
17. Glaze poptarts once they are cool.

Read More

Broiled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

First of all: I love sandwiches, and this one was just YUM.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 portobello mushroom cap
• a few pieces of lettuce
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 2 pieces of bread, toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler on high. 
2. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder and rosemary in a small bowl. 
3. Place mushroom in a glass baking pan. Pour soy sauce mixture over mushroom. Coat well. 
4. Broil mushroom 8 minutes on each side. 
5. Toast bread
6. Use some of the extra soy sauce mixture on the bread.
7. Put mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatos on the bread.

Read More

Cashew Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is perfect if you're craving Kraft mac n' cheese. Kids and adults alike, will love it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews (I soaked them for 12 hours but it isn’t necessary, just use more almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, depending on the consistency of the cashews
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt, to taste
• Steamed veggies of your choice (I used carrots and zucchini but I’ve used broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms before. They’re all good)
• Pasta of your choice. It really doesn’t matter what kind. I’ve used elbow, spaghetti, and the curly kind. Gluten free works too, but is optional.
• 4 to 8 ounces tofu (optional)

Procedure:

1. Start the water boiling for the pasta.
2. Start the vegetables steaming.
3. Blend cashews in a blender until smooth, adding almond milk, vinegar, and lemon juice as you go. (if you have an awesome blender this should be easy. If not—like me—you might have to only put in a few cashews at first, and add a few at a time. I have a crappy blender).
4. Add garlic, blend
5. Blend in mustard, nutritional yeast, and salt.
6. The water will probably have boiled at this point. Put in the pasta.
7. Cook tofu however you want. I fried it in a little bit of olive oil. You can bake or grill it if you’d like. 
8. Once the pasta is done, drain. Put the pasta in a large bowl (or back in the pot you cooked it in. Add the cheese sauce, veggies and tofu to the pasta, mix well.

Read More

Tortilla Pizza with Soy Cheese, Tofu, and Mushrooms.

This was so simple. Mainly because the crust is just a tortilla. You could use a pita, a slice of bread, or pre-made dough and it would have pretty much the same effect.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tortilla
• 1/4 cup soy cheese (I used Sheese)
• 4 ounces firm tofu
• 2 small mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Olive oil
• Tomato sauce (I didn't measure how much. Enough to cover most of the tortilla will do)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 345F. 
2. Saute tofu in olive oil until brown and crispy. Add mushrooms. Stir until cooked. Set asid
3. Grate cheese if needed.
4. Place tortilla on a baking sheet and spread evenly with tomato sauce. Add cheese evenly.
5. Sprinkle oregano over cheese.
6. Add tofu/mushroom mixture on top of cheese.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese has melted. 

Read More

Homemade Granola

This stuff is so addicting. It makes about six servings and we finished it in a day. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup chopped up walnuts
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds (you can substitute these for any nuts)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons agave
• 1 tablespoon vegetable/canola oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 to 2/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
2. Mix oats, flax, almond meal, and nuts in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a saucepan, mix salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, agave, oil, and cinnamon over low to medium heat until melted together.
4. Pour liquid over dry ingredients until coated.
5. Spread mixture on a large pan and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
6. This stuff is good on ice cream, or with soy milk (like cereal). Enjoy!

Read More

Tofu Scramble

Have you ever missed scrambled eggs? I know I have. I don't miss causing suffering of hens or the killing of male chicks anything, but I miss the quickness of just whipping something up that only takes a few minutes. Miss it no more, for I bring you tofu scramble! This stuff is addicting. Whenever I make it, I wish I had made more. The great thing about it is that it is so versatile. You can add veggies to it, use different spices, eat it plain, put it in a wrap. You can eat it for any meal, or just a snack. I can't promote tofu scramble enough!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces soft tofu
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 tsps cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• Olive oil

Procedure:

1. Drain and press tofu. Because it is soft, it will most likely crumble and be squishy but that doesn't matter. 
2. Cut up tofu in whatever size pieces you feel like. They can be all the same size, or different sizes. They'll break apart when you cook them anyway.
3. Fry the tofu with a little bit of oil in a frying pan. Stir often.
4. Once tofu starts to brown, add seasonings and nutritional yeast. Stir to incorporate. 
5. It's ready to eat as is, or put it on a sandwich or something! 

Read More

Chinese-Style Tofu Noodle Soup

This was ridiculously simple to make. It only took a few minutes. And Kate, my six-year-old cousin (who is rebelling against me by refusing all vegan food all the time) loved it. She kept going "Christy this is so good. Can you teach me how to make it? It's so good! Put it on your blog!" 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 16 ounces firm or extra firm tofu
• 8 ounces rice vermicelli
• 3 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• Olive oil

Procedure:

1. Drain tofu and press between two paper towels to eliminate water.
2. Fry over high heat in a little bit of olive oil until gold brown.
3. Add garlic and ginger to the tofu. Set aside.
4. In a medium sized pot, combine broth, water, soy sauce, and vinegar.
5. Add tofu/garlic/ginger, broccoli and vermicelli to the pot.
6. Cook on high heat until vermicelli is soft, and broccoli is cooked. 

Read More

Soy Cheese and Black Bean Quesadilla

This recipes uses the same black bean mixture as the Tofu Black Bean Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Tortilla 
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 small mushrooms
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 cup soy cheese (I used Sheese brand, but I would have much rather used Daiya)
• Olive oil

Procedure:

1. In a frying pan, heat some olive oil on medium to high heat. Once hot, add onions and fry until translucent. 
2. Add peppers and mushrooms to the frying pan, stirring until cooked (mushrooms will have turned dark brown and peppers won't have the raw crunch anymore, and be slightly translucent). 
3. Add beans and stir. Add cayenne pepper and other spices according to taste.
4. In a separate frying pan, spread oil around until it coats the bottom. Place tortilla in ban and spread 2/3 of the grated soy cheese over half of it. 
5. Spread the black bean mixture on top of the cheese, then top with the remaining cheese. 
6. Fold the tortilla over and press with spatula. 
7. When you notice the cheese starting to melt, flip quesadilla.
8. Once both sides are golden brown and all the cheese is melted, it is ready to serve! 
9. Serve with salsa or guacamole!

Read More

Tofu Black Bean Wrap

Today's lunch was so delicious, I wanted seconds!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tortilla 
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 small mushrooms
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 Tomato
• Hummus or your spread of choice
• Tofu 
• A couple pieces of lettuce or kale
• Olive oil

Procedure:

1. Drain for slices of tofu about the size of dominoes. Press between two paper towels to get all the water out.
2. In a frying pan, fry tofu until golden-brown with a little bit of olive oil. Set aside.
3. Cut up red pepper, mushroom, and onion. 
4. In a frying pan, heat some olive oil on medium to high heat. Once hot, add onions and fry until translucent. 
5. Add peppers and mushrooms to the frying pan, stirring until cooked (mushrooms will have turned dark brown and peppers won't have the raw crunch anymore, and be slightly translucent). 
6. Add beans and stir. Add cayenne pepper and other spices according to taste.
7. Spread hummus in the middle of the tortilla.  Cut up tomato and put on top of hummus. Pile the tofu, lettuce, and black bean mixture on top.
8. Roll up and serve! 

Read More

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Its time for the first recipe! This cake is to die for. It's so chocolate-y. It's pretty much just layers and layers of chocolate. Not even kidding.

Ingredients for the cake:

• 1 and a half cups of gluten free all-purpose flour (or normal wheat flour, if desired)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cocoa (more or less according to taste)
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 tbs oil (canola or sunflower)
• 1 cup water

Ingredients for the icing: 

• 4 tbs coconut oil
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup agave
• 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
• 2 tbs corn starch/corn flour
• 1/2 tbs water
• 1/4 cup almond or soy milk

Procedure for the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cocoa. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, mix vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well.
5. Prepare two circular cake pans by coating bottom and sides with a little bit of oil or vegan butter. 
6. Pour batter evenly into pans
7. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Set aside to cool while preparing the icing

Procedure for the icing:

1. In a saucepan, melt coconut oil, cocoa and agave over medium heat until smooth. Stir often. Set aside.
2. In a separate saucepan, heat raspberries, water, and corn starch until thick, like a jam. 
3. Once cakes are cool, remove one from its pan onto the serving plate or platter. 
4. Spread a thin later of chocolate icing on the cake (use about 1/4 of what you have).
5. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over the icing.
6. Remove second cake from its pan and place on top of the other one (the raspberries will probably seep out. It's okay.
7. Spread a thin layer of chocolate icing (about 1/4 of the original amount) and raspberry jam on top. 
8. You should have half the amount of chocolate icing that you started with. 
9. Put the chocolate icing back on the stove over medium heat. Slowly stir in almond milk until the color has turned from almost black, to brown. 
10. Pour evenly over entire cake, making sure it coats the sides. It will most likely cover the plate as well. 
11. Cool in the fridge until dessert!

I, and my omnivore relatives, love this recipe. It isn't perfect, so if you feel like you need to change something, feel free, and let me know in the comments! I hope you like it!

Read More