Fresh Rolls

Blog #14 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Thai is my favorite type of food (Indian is a close second) and I love eating in Thai restaurants. Since going gluten free, it has been more challenging to find Thai places that can cater to me. I have not yet tried to go to my favorite Thai place because I am scared that my favorite dishes won't work for me any longer and then I'll be crushed.

I am not great at making Thai food as a whole, but I think we have Pad Thai as well as a few others down. Generally, we like it much better out. One of our favorite things, however, is to make are fresh rolls, also known as summer rolls, with tofu at home. We often make sushi, fresh rolls, and miso soup and call it a dinner.

We were recently craving these rolls and decided to make them for dinner. We generally vary our ingredients each time we make them. In this particular instance, we used the following for our rolls.

• Rice paper wrappers
• Thin bean thread rice noodles
• Extra firm tofu
  
• Carrots
• Green leaf lettuce
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Sauce- made of up gf tamari and agave nectar
  

In case you have never made them before, here is the process we use. Begin by cutting the tofu into strips, spray a little Bragg's amino acids on the tofu and bake until just starting to brown. While the tofu is baking, wash and prepare the herbs and lettuce and set them aside in separate containers. Follow the instructions on the package for the noodles. In the meantime, warm water in a tea kettle or on the stove. When it is hot, but not too hot to touch, pour it into a large bowl. The bowl should be big enough for the rice paper wrappers.

Now you are ready to begin putting the rolls together. Start by dipping the wrappers into the warm water. When they soften, pull them out. You don't have to let them get too soft. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds depending on how warm the water is. If you notice the wrappers are taking longer to soften, warm up more water and add it to the bowl.

Place the softened wrapper on a hard surface, and place the lettuce down and then top with the other ingredients. We usually do- lettuce, noodles, carrots, tofu, and then herbs on top. Any order will work, you just have to try it and see what works best for you. Make sure you place all of the ingredients in one section of the wrapper, close to the edge. Once all of the goodies are in place, it is time to fold.

I didn't take a picture of my best work here. The ingredients should be more towards
the edge of the wrapper towards the bottom of the picture

Fold the sides on the left and right over about an inch in. The sides folded in should not touch. Note that if you have too much on the inside, it will rip or fall apart. It might take you a try or two to get the amount correct. Don't worry, you can just keep using the same wrapper.

Again, not my best work. The ingredients should be more towards
the edge of the wrapper towards the bottom of the picture

Next, begin folding the end with the ingredients over toward the opposite side that is empty. When you get to the end, you don't need to do anything as the wrapper will be wet and sticky enough to hold together.

I usually tuck in any folds that are sticking out before serving.

Then repeat until you have finished all of your ingredients. It is good to let them sit for about 15 minutes before eating. You can use this time to mix your dipping sauce. Sometimes we use a peanut sauce. This time, we used a soy based sauce. I mixed a tablespoon or two of low sodium, gf soy sauce with a little agave nectar. Get creative and add in what you like to taste on your rolls.

And there you have it- completed fresh rolls! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream Frosting

Blog #13 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Anyone else out there as obsessed with vegan cupcakes as I am? When I found out that I had to go gluten free (gf), my heart broke. I instantly thought to myself "no more vegan cupcakes!" At that point, I was trying to work my way through Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and was crushed to learn I'd have to give that up. I had gotten about seven or eight recipes in, even though I only blogged about four of them.

In taking a closer look at the cookbook, I located two gf recipes. So, I decided I would try the chocolate cupcake one. Most of the frosting recipes are gluten free, so I went with one of my favorites- Peanut Buttercream. I paired that with the chocolate gluten free cupcake recipe and we were good to go!

I have learned not to be optimistic about gf baking. It is so difficult, especially when you add in the vegan element. We have had our share of failures since trying vegan, gf baking. Luckily, this is a post about a success!

I had some female friends over for a clothing swap and I made the cupcakes for the group. Before deciding whether they were edible, John and I split one to make out own assessments of this experiment.

Hello! This cupcake is amazing! I would never be able to tell that this cupcake was gf!! I decorated the top with a carob chip and set them out for my friends. I got very positive reviews and compliments about the cupcakes. I am sure to try Isa's other gluten free cupcake recipe. Thank you, Isa!

Leek and Artichoke Risotto

Blog #12 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Risotto is a dish that I enjoy, but never order it when out. Many restaurants refuse to make it vegan. (I say refuse because it is extremely easy to make vegan). Even one a local vegetarian restaurant has a risotto dish and it is the only dish on the menu that isn't/can't be made vegan. I have yet to find a vegan risotto on a menu.

Several years ago, we started making risotto. Since then, we have the main concept down and often make it without a recipe. It is made with about four to five cups of hot vegetable broth to one and a half cups of uncooked arborio rice. We have several favorite risotto's that we make such as leek and artichoke, sun dried tomato and basil, and pumpkin and sage. I tend to like risotto on a cool evening.

It had been a while since we made leek and artichoke risotto. The recipe is adapted from the weight watchers vegetarian cookbook. We used homemade vegetable broth, frozen artichoke hearts, two fresh leeks, rosemary, and vegan parmesan cheese. As a side to the dish we had sauteed garlic, lemon, and butter tempeh along with cut up bell peppers. I love the creaminess of risotto and it goes especially well with the sweet artichoke hearts.

Don't be afraid to get creative and put your favorite combination of vegetables, herbs, and spices together.

A Vegan MoFo Blogger Survey

Blog #11 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Many of the other VeganMoFo bloggers have posted answers to a MoFo survey and I thought that I would do the same. It is kind of fun!

What is one food you thought you'd miss when you went vegan, but don't?

Cheese. After learning about all of the horrid treatment that dairy cows go through, it is hard to miss cheese. I can't even picture eating it without gagging.

What is a food or dish that you wouldn't touch as a child, but enjoy now?

I liked a lot of foods as a kid, but the one thing I disliked was kidney beans. I have learned to really like them as an adult.

What vegan food or dish do you feel like you should like but you don't?

This is a tough one, I like most all vegan dishes. The one thing I keep trying to like is sweet potatoes. I am getting much better at it and have been eating a lot of them recently. Yay for fall!

What beverage do you consume the most of each day?

Water and a bit of espresso in the morning!

What dish are you famous for bringing to gatherings?

Cupcakes. Since becoming gf I have found it more difficult, but I'm not giving up. I made killer vegan gf cupcakes last night for a gathering.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

Not at all. I don't mind my food touching or mixing. I am pretty weird about texture though.

What's one food or dish that you eat too much off when it's in your home?

Mac n Cheeze!

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available repackaged?

Vegetable broth. It is such a rip off in the store when it is virtually free to make at home and a lot healthier b/c I can control the ingredients.

What ingredient or food is worth spending extra money on to get the good stuff?

Organic berries and fair trade, organic coffee

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?

Ohh heck yah I am! I snack way too much. I love tortilla chips and salsa, gf pretzels, pickles, olives.

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?

Diaya cheese, pineapple, onion, and pickled hot pepper rings. It is the best combo!

What's your favorite fruit and vegetable?

Raspberries and spinach

What is the best salad dressing?

I adore goddess dressing. I am so happy to have found a gf version.

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

Soy cream cheese and tomatoes

What kind of soup do you turn to on a chilly day or when you don't feel well?

Lentil

What is your favorite cupcake and icing flavor?

I have several. Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, pumpkin chocolate cupcakes with cinnamon drizzle.

What is your favorite type of cookie?

Oatmeal raisin

What is your most-loved weeknight meal?

I don't have a favorite. I crave variety. We are always eating new things.

What is one food or dish you enjoy but can't get anyone else in your house to eat?

I can't think of any. John likes pretty much everything.

How long on average do you spend in the kitchen each day?

About 1.5 to 2 hours.

There was my survey! I would love to read yours too.

Vegetarian Restaurants- Asheville

Blog #10 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Several weekends ago, we went to Asheville with vegetarian friends. Asheville is one of my favorite places because it is so very vegan friendly. There are a few vegetarian restaurants and many veg friendly places in the area. I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about each place, but provide the highlights. I recommend you try all of those listed below, if you ever find yourself in Asheville, NC.

Firestorm Cafe. This is a book store, cafe combo. It is all vegetarian, it would be all vegan except they do offer milk as an option for their coffee drinks. Otherwise the rest of the place is vegan. This is a lovely tempeh sandwich that several of us ordered. Mine was made on vegan, gluten free bread. The picture shows the gluten bread.

Laughing Seed. This is a full restaurant with a lunch, dinner, dessert, and brunch menu. We went here twice while in Asheville. They are all vegetarian and mostly vegan. Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan. Many options are gluten free or can be made that way. I have never had a bad meal here and am always glad to return here. I will warn though that I ordered a gluten free dish one night and got sick afterward. I believe it was because they fried some of my dish in oil that wasn't gluten free. I would still eat there, but will ask more follow up questions even when something is labeled gf. The pictures below are from our brunch on Sunday.

Rosetta's Kitchen. Rosetta's has a counter where one walks up and orders. When the food is ready, it is brought to the table. They have a lot of American favorites that they have veganized. The food is all vegetarian and I think everything can be made vegan. They have a list of the food that is gf or can be made gf. I truly love this place. This is a place that I would recommend when you want comfort food. Pictured below is a grain burger with sweet potato fries, their vegan mac n cheeze, and my personal favorite- their pad thai with a peanut sauce. All around awesomeness!

Lentil and Spinach Soup

Blog #9 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

I love lentils and spinach. I don't have a favorite food, but if I were to rank order my favorites I am sure they would both be in the top ten. Not only do I LOVE the flavor, I love how many vitamins and minerals that they provide our body. Spinach contains vitamins A, C, K, iron, calcium, magnesium, and folate. Lentils are high in protein, folate, iron, thiamine, magnesium, and phosphorus. They also contain other vitamins and minerals not listed here. Neither contain any saturated fats, they are not high in sodium, and don't contain any cholesterol.

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed spinach. I think I was the only grade school kid who would proclaim "SPINACH!" when asked "what is your favorite vegetable?" Maybe I am a descendant of Popeye or maybe I knew good, healthy food as a kid. Even though my parents are not vegetarian (my Dad is not even close), we always had two to three vegetables at dinner along side meat. Vegetables were way more of a focus than meat and they were commonplace to me. When I became a vegetarian at age 14, I had a head start because I already liked my vegetables.

Lentils came into my diet after I became a vegetarian. I also loved them from first bite. It wasn't until I was in graduate school that I started cooking with them on a regular basis. I enjoy experimenting and pairing them with many other foods.

Now that the weather has started to get cold (although you wouldn't know it this week), I have been craving warm soups. They are hardy, easy to cook, and provide food for several meals. So, when we planned our meals last week, we were excited to incorporate a lentil soup into a dinner. There are really so many ways to make a lentil soup. Instead of posting a recipe, I'll just highlight the ingredients we used. You can get creative, put any vegetables and grains into your soup and let it simmer until ready to serve.

On this particular night, we used:

• Homemade vegetable stock, no salt added
  
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lentils (any color will do)
• Spinach
• Black pepper
• Cumin

The soup was delicious and provided a dinner and several lunches for us. Go on now, get your soup on!

Gluten free and Vegan Mac n "Cheeze"

Blog #8 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Do you ever just want comfort food? I don't think it is a good habit to eat it on a regular basis, but sometimes it is fun to have. Sometimes you want fattening food, knowing it is fattening. Like many of you, I want the comfort food without the cruelty. I love it when I am able to recreate a classic comfort food to be vegan. My go to classic is Mac n Cheeze. I want it cheezy, warm, and baked! We recently came across and perfected a recipe that we love. I guess I can technically call it our recipe since we made changes. Note that it is adapted from The Virtuous Vegan cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of gluten-free or regular pasta, we used Quinoa spirals
  
• 1.5 cups shredded vegan Cheddar Cheese
  
• 1.5 cups shredded vegan Mozzarella Cheese
  
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 cups unsweetened vegan soy or almond milk
  
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Couple of dashes of hot sauce
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
• Slice of gluten free bread, ground to make crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cook the pasta for only half of the time listed in the instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. When melted, add in the soy milk and 3/4 cup of the cheddar and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella. Cook on low-medium heat until melted, stir frequently. When this is melted, remove from the burner and add the spices, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce. Pour the pasta into the sauce and mix together. Then add in the remainder of the cheese and stir. When combined, transfer the mixture to a prepared 8x8 pan or casserole dish. Top with the bread crumbs and back for 30 minutes uncovered. The top should be slightly brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the Parmesan.

The end result is a warm, comforting bowl of baked heaven. This is the closest recipe to conventional baked mac and cheese that we have made. You can add more heat or spice to this recipe. It is also tasty with lightly steamed broccoli. Make sure to cut the florets small though.

Whatever you do, just enjoy it and remember that it is ok to indulge in comfort food!