Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Quicky salad recipe!

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste
• balsamic vinegar, to taste
• olive oil, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well. 

Truffle Mac 'n Cheese Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

When I see fancy adult mac 'n cheese on menus, it's always some kind of truffle mac 'n cheese. So, I thought, why not make that vegan. To be honest, this cheese sauce was pretty good compared to my other disastrous vegan cheese sauces I have made in the past. I was starting to think I'd never get a good mac 'n cheese sauce down. This was a very tasty dinner!

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

Truffle Mac 'n Cheese Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients (for mac 'n cheese):

• 1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat elbow noodles
• 5 tbsp vegan butter*
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp sweet rice flour*
• 2 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated*
• 3 tbsp dry white wine*
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2-1 tsp white truffle oil*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for breadcrumb topping):

• 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs*
• 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to taste
• 5 heirloom tomatoes (or more)*

* Recipe:

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

1. In a pot, cook the elbow noodles in salted water until al dente. Strain, run cool water over then, set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a deep skillet, add 1 tbsp of the vegan butter and cook the onions until translucent over medium heat. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another few minutes until garlic browns. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of vegan butter to the skillet and the sweet rice flour. Whisk the butter and flour mixture with a whisk (easier than using a fork or spoon).
5. When combined, slowly add the 2 cups of non-dairy milk a little at a time, stirring with whisk continuously.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and continue whisking. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to low heat (continue whisking so not to get clumps). The sauce should be thick and similar to regular mac 'n cheese sauce at this point. 
7. In a bowl, add the cooked noodles. Laddle the cheese sauce a bit at a time to the noodles and mix until well combined. Add as much of the cheese sauce as desired, but not too much as to make it soupy. Add the onions and garlic and mix.
8. In a smaller bowl, combine the topping ingredients (exclude the tomatoes). Add enough olive oil just to make the crumbs stick.  
9. Cut the top of each tomato and take out the core. Add the mac 'n cheese to the tomatoes then top with the breadcrumb mixture.
10. Place tomatoes on a small baking dish. Also place the tomato tops in the dish, but not on top of the stuffed tomatoes yet. Drizzle everything with a bit of olive oil.
11. Put in oven and let bake for about 5-10 minutes until you notice the breadcrumbs starting to brown. Remove from oven and using a fork, add the tomato tops back to the tomatoes covering the breadcrumbs. Return to the oven and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes seem soft and baked. If it seems like it is taking a while, put the oven on a high broil and broil for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes look done.
12. Top the baked tomatoes with vegan Parmesan, sea salt, and fresh chopped basil.

* Note: For vegan butter, I used Earth Balance olive oil version. Sweet rice flour can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. You could try using regular all-purpose flour in this, I would imagine, but the sweet rice flour is good because it has a gelatinous effect that will make the sauce more "cheesy". For non-dairy milk, I used almond milk as that is what I prefer. You could use ground nutmeg, I just happened to have it fresh. Make sure your white wine is vegan! White truffle oil is something that a little goes a long way. Be sparing. Some Italian breadcrumbs contain dairy in them so be sure to check the label. I used Whole Foods brand. Originally, I was going to make this with panko breadcrumbs, but I was out. I still think it would have been better with panko! You may need more tomatoes than what I suggest here. I only made 2 at the time and then two mini bowls baked (using only half of the cooked noodles and a lot of cheese sauce left over). You could make a casserole if you just don't want to keep putting it in tomatoes. 

Tabbouleh Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

Tabbouleh is a really great naturally vegan Mediterranean dish. I ended up baking the tabbouleh in a seasonal heirloom tomato which was a major yum! The side dish in the picture is Viana vegan gyro meat over a lettuce with Vegan Miss' tzatziki sauce.

Tabbouleh Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

 

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

* Prep Time: several hours 
* Cook Time: 20 minutes 
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur wheat*
• 2/3 cup tomatoes, diced*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium cucumber, diced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• several heirloom tomatoes depending on size (4-6)

* Recipe:

1. Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out water from the bulgur wheat.
2. In the bowl the bulgur was soaking in, combine the remaining ingredients and soaked bulgur wheat except the heirloom tomatoes. Add more olive oil and lemon juice as you mix the ingredients to taste.
3. Place tabbouleh in the fridge covered for several hours. The longer the salad soaks and marinates, the better. Toss before stuffing in tomatoes.
4. When ready to make the stuffed tomatoes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Slice the top off the tomato. Hollow and core out the middle and place several tablespoons of the tabbouleh into the tomato. 
6. Place on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Place the tops next to the stuffed tomatoes, drizzling the tray then laying the tops on top of the olive oil (to prevent sticking). 
7. Cook for about 10 minutes or so, then remove from the oven and place the tops back on the tomatoes. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes look squishy and cooked through. If still not cooked through, broil for a few minutes.

Note: Bulgur wheat is found with grains at the grocery or in the Middle Eastern section. For diced tomatoes, roma or plum would work best.

Grilled Mushroom, Onion, & Spinach Truffle Oil Flatbread Pizza and Cherry Tomato Salad

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe! There has been a lot of things happening in your blog doll's life over the last two months that have prevented her from cooking in a kitchen. Sorry for the long delay and there will be more recipes on the way!

Grilled Mushroom, Onion, & Spinach Truffle Oil Flatbread Pizza

* Prep Time: 1 hour
* Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
* Ingredients (for flatbread dough):

• 1 tsp sugar*
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• flour, for dusting

* Ingredients (for pizza topping):

• 8 (or more) cippolini onions, sliced
• 2 cups mushroom assortment (shiitake, button, cremini), sliced
• 2 cup fresh spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for sauteing
• salt and pepper, to taste
• truffle oil, to top, drizzled

* Recipe (for flatbread dough):

1. Follow package instructions to activate yeast. You will use the sugar and part of the warm water in this step (1/4 cup water). Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. While yeast is activating, combine the flours and salt in a mixer or bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the olive oil, warm water, and yeast. Combine until dough climbs the bread hook.
4. Leave in bowl covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour to let dough rise. Once risen, punch it so it collapses.

* Recipe (for pizza topping):

1. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Once onions start to become translucent, add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
2. As the mushrooms begin to cook, add the spinach and basil (if using).
3. Once the leaves have wilted, turn off pan and set aside.
4. Heat a grill frying pan over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Dust a counter and your hands with flour. Roll out the dough on the counter and cut into four pieces. 
6. Roll out one piece of dough until a long flatbread shape is made.
7. Place on grill pan and cook until grill marks begin to appear. Flip and cook the other side. 
8. Top flatbread with pizza topping and drizzle sparingly with truffle oil (a little goes a long way).  
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with another piece of dough. 

* Note: Make sure your sugar is vegan!

This recipe will give you about half the dough leftover. I drizzled some olive oil in a freezer ziplock bag, dusted the dough, rolled the dough in the olive oil within the bag, and froze the leftover. If you want 4 pizzas, just double the topping recipe or you could cut the dough recipe in half as well.

Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Basil Dressing

* Prep Time: 20 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients: 

• 3 cups cherry tomato assortment, halved
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Combine the milk and vinegar in a bowl and place in fridge for 10 minutes. This will let the milk curdle.
2. While the milk mixture is in the fridge, let the uncut red onion soak in an ice water bath. This will give the onion less of an abrasive taste when in the salad.
3. Combine the tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. 
4. Add the sour cream to the milk mixture and beat until all lumps are out. Combine with the tomato salad.

* Note: I used flax seed milk for non-dairy milk. Feel free to use whatever you prefer. The vegan sour cream I used was Tofutti.   

Baked Tomato with Tofu Spinach Basil Ricotta & Panko Topping

Before I begin, Vegan Miss is now on Instagram! Follow "veganmiss".

I had 3 organic tomatoes sitting in my fruit bowl and had been pondering what to make with them. Too much tomato in a salad isn't my taste and there were not enough to make a good sauce for pasta or lasagna. Then I thought, hey, why not core them and bake like a pepper? I used a ricotta filling that could be used in a vegan lasagna and topped with panko for a nice crunchy finish.

Baked Tomato with Tofu Spinach Basil Ricotta & Panko Topping

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
* Ingredients (for filling):

• 1/2 block firm tofu (12 oz.), mashed
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp spinach, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp non-dairy milk*
• 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp vegan Parmesan*
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for topping):

• 1/3 cup panko crumbs
• 1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to taste

* Ingredients (remaining):

• 3 or 4 medium tomatoes
• olive oil, to top
• vegan Parmesan, to top
• salt, to top

 * Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mash the tofu and add the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Add enough olive oil just to make the crumbs stick. 
4. Cut the top of each tomato and take out the core. Add the filling to the tomatoes then top with the panko mixture.
5. Place tomatoes on a small baking dish. Also place the tomato tops in the dish, but not on top of the stuffed tomatoes yet. Drizzle everything with a bit of olive oil.
6. Put in oven and let bake for about 5-10 minutes until you notice the panko starting to brown. Remove from oven and using a fork, add the tomato tops back to the tomatoes covering the panko. Return to the oven and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes seem soft and baked.
7. Top the baked tomatoes with vegan Parmesan and salt. 

Instagram photo

* Note: For non-dairy milk I used almond milk. Feel free to use whatever you like. The vegan Parmesan is optional but I enjoy it which is why it is in this recipe. I used Galaxy topping.

Mango & Lychee Tofu Stir-Fry

Down in Springfield, IL, I like to get the mango dish at Osaka. See my review of the restaurant here. I get a lot of Thai here in the city, but I never see a mango entree like I do down in Springfield which is disappointing! I tried to recreate it, but alas Osaka's is better, I think. Here is the recipe anyways (I added lychee too)!

Mango & Lychee Tofu Stir-Fry

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1/2 package (12 oz.) firm tofu, triangular cut
• sesame oil, for cooking, to taste
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 1/3 cup red and yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 1/4 cup baby corn
• 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 can (14 oz.) mango pieces
• 4 lychee (from can), sliced*
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar*
• 1 tbsp vegetarian fish sauce*
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lychee juice (from can)
• 1 tsp mango juice (from can)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt, to taste
• fresh parsley, to top
• green onion, sliced, to top

* Recipe:

1. Before starting the recipe, prepare all the vegetables so they are ready to go in the wok when needed.
2. In a wok, fry the tofu on both sides until golden in some sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Add more oil and fry the onions until translucent. Add the rest of the veggies in order of what takes longest to cook (i.e. carrots first) and salt and cook until tender. Toss in the tofu.
4. In a bowl, mix the liquid ingredients for the sauce. Add to the vegetables and cook until reduced in half.
5. Top with parsley and sliced green onion and serve with rice.

* Note: Lychee is an Asian fruit that can normally be found canned and in the Asian aisle of the grocery. You could choose to make this with just mango if you want. Make sure your sugar is vegan. Vegetarian fish sauce is something you can find at an Asian grocery store, usually. It may be called vegetarian oyster sauce as well. You could make it yourself too.

Southwestern Skillet

I've never actually had a traditional Southwestern skillet before, vegan or otherwise. I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods, Tex-Mex-style food, and I never ate eggs prior to being vegan. My friends wanted to try and make this for a brunch, so behold the Southwestern Skillet.

Southwestern Skillet

* Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for potatoes):

• 5-6 red potatoes, cleaned and cubed
• 1/2 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium green pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp parley
• salt & pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to coat entire bottom of skillet

* Ingredients (for scramble):

• 1 package (16 oz.) firm tofu, water pressed out
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp tumeric
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium tomato, diced

* Ingredients (for sausage):

• 1 box (8 oz.) vegan sausage crumbles*
• 1 tbsp olive oil

* Recipe (for potatoes):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, and sautee for 1 minute.
2. Add potatoes and seasonings. Cook until brown and tender.

* Recipe (for scramble):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sautee onions until soft.
2. Add garlic, crumble tofu into skillet, and add spices.
3. Slightly brown tofu and add diced tomatoes. Sautree for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked.
4. Top with cheese and cover with lid to melt.

* Recipe (for sausage):

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the sausage crumbles with olive oil and cook until brown.

* Recipe (for assembly):

1. Assemble by layering potatoes on the bottom of a plate then the sausage and "scrambled egg" and cheese.
2. Top with salsa and chili peppers if you like spice. Serve with a side of toast. Perfect for brunch for two or as hangover food!

* Note: For cheese, I used Daiya cheddar shreds. One could shred other brands by hand. The sausage crumbles were Upton's Natural's brand that I chopped up fine. One could use Boca crumbles, Yves, or Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage in replacement. Lastly, feel free to add some veggie bacon to this too such as Yves Canadian Bacon or Lightlife Smart Bacon.  

Homemade Pickled Fried Green Tomatoes & Fried Pickles

Once and awhile, I have pickling parties. Yes, pickling parties. Pick what you would like to pickle and we go to it. Two months ago or so, we pickled beets, cauliflower, white pearl onions, button mushrooms, pickle spears, pickle slices, cherry tomatoes, and green tomatoes. Thus was born the idea of pickled fried green tomatoes and fried pickle spears. 


Homemade Pickled Fried Green Tomatoes & Fried Pickles

 * Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp citrus spice*
• pinch of cayenne
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 egg replacers, followed to box instructions*
• vegetable oil, for frying
• pickle spears
• pickled green tomato wedges

* Recipe: 

1. Make sure the pickled green tomatoes and pickles are cold. Keep them in the fridge until you need them.
2. Heat the oil you'll need for frying either in a large skillet on medium heat or in a deep fryer (which I used).
3. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, paprika, citrus spice, cayenne, and salt and pepper.
4. In another large bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Place in fridge and let chill for at least five minutes.
5. Combine the egg replacer in a small bowl and add to the bowl with the buttermilk. Mix well.
6. Coat the green tomatoes and pickles in the dry mixture, then the buttermilk mixture, then coat in the dry mixture again until completely covered.
7. Fry in oil until golden brown.
8. Drain on a paper towel.
9. Serve with vegan ranch or hot sauce and a lemon wedge.

* Note: I used a citrus spice I got at Whole Foods. I love it! It's so good. For non-dairy milk, I prefer almond milk. For egg replacer, I use Ener-G.

I'm not sure if you can find pickled green tomatoes in stores, but you could always use fresh tomatoes. These were so fantastic - a real southern treat!