Crusty Cauliflower and Ricotta Casserole

Wow, so it's been a while. A long while. Although I am no longer vegan, I am still vegetarian and have been attempting to cook at home more frequently again. So here's my attempt to start this blog back up. Tonight Brett and I made Crusty Cauliflower and Ricotta Casserole, which is a recipe I got out of one of my favorite new cookbooks by Jeanne Lemlin, Quick Vegetarian Pleasures.

Crusty Cauliflower and Ricotta Casserole

Takes about 1 hour and serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c finely diced, drained tomatoes

1 medium cauliflower, cut into small flowerettes (about 6 cups)

3 large eggs

1 c part-skim ricotta cheese

3/4 c milk

1/4 c grated parmesan

1 tbsp freshly minced parsley

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

dash cayenne pepper

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 c grated Muenster cheese

1/4 c bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Do not brown the garlic. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the cauliflower and toss to coat all over with tomato mixture. Pour in a few tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Mine took a lot longer, probably about 12 minutes, but I kept my heat pretty low to avoid the spitting. Let sit for several minutes, until it is warm or room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 12 x 7 x 2 inch ovenproof dish or other shallow 2 1/2 quart baking dish. I used a 3 quart dish and it was fine.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the ricotta, milk, parmesan cheese, parsley, nutmeg, cayenne, pepper, and Muenster cheese. Stir in cauliflower mixture. Spread in the prepared dish and sprinkle on the bread crumbs.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Do not overcook, or the casserole will dry out.

5. Enjoy!

Hungry? Pin this recipe for later!

Vegan Slow Cooked Bombay Potatoes

Another fabulous recipe from my lovely friend, Katie Boswell. I actually made this a couple weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it now. It was super simple and very tasty!!! Will definitely be making again.

Slow Cooked Bombay Potatoes

Takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 4-6 hours to cook. Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

3 lbs potatoes

1 can chick peas

1 medium onion

4 tomatoes

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garam masala

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp dried chili flakes

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 tsp kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

coriander (or flat-leaf parsley)

Directions:

1. Preheat your slow cooker.

2. Mix up all seasonings, except the mustard seeds, in a bowl. Don't worry if you already accidentally added the mustard seeds. I did too. It still turned out.

3. Mince the onion. Peel, wash, and cube the potatoes.

4. Wash the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and chop 'em up. Don't worry about peeling them.

5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the mustard seeds, and wait for them to start popping.

6. As soon as they pop, add the onion. Cook for a minute or until the onion turns translucent.

7. Add the spice mixture and cook for another 3 minutes.

8. Add the potatoes and mix, making sure every potato gets some of the spice mixture.

9. Transfer the potato mix to your slower cooker and add the tomatoes, can of chick peas, and the salt & pepper. Stir together.

10. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours, depending on your slow cooker. When done cooking, add the corriander or parsley all over and serve with rice.

Savory Crispy Tofu

Simple. Quick. Delicious. These little tofu bites would pair great with steamed broccoli or any other steamed veggie. They're light and have a great flavor. I'm excited to see how they do as leftovers tomorrow.

Savory Crispy Tofu
Source: Whole Foods Recipe App.

Takes at least 3 hours to marinate, a total of 20 minutes, max, to prepare, and 10 minutes to bake. Serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz package of extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup sweet and hot mustard
• 1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
• pinch of chile peppers
• olive oil or cooking spray

Directions:

1. Cut tofu in 3 equal sections lengthwise.  Then cut each section in half lengthwise and then again in half widthwise, for a total of 12 pieces.
2. Arrange several pieces of paper towel on a plate and place the tofu on top. Cover the tofu with several more pieces of paper towel and press lightly to remove excess water from the tofu.
3. Arrange the tofu in a container large enough to store the pieces in a single layer.  Using a knife or brush, spread the mustard evenly on all sides of the tofu.  Cover container and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
4. After tofu is marinated, preheat oven to 375.
5. Transfer bread crumbs to a large plate.  Add pepper flakes and stir together. Coat each piece of the tofu in the bread crumb mixture and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

Cleanup Factor:
Once again, LIGHT!  Pick up scraps and wash cutting board, baking sheet, plate, and other small misc utensils.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Ohhhh, my goodness!  This was delicious AND easy!  Technically, it should be served with pasta and marinara sauce, but I ate it as is, and I don't regret it one bit.  Completely wonderful.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Source: 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman

Takes about an 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake.  Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 cup panko-style bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground into a powder
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbs dried basil
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for brushing
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or foil.
3. Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. You can peel the eggplant or leave it unpeeled. If you leave it unpeeled, the coating won’t stick to the skin on the edges, but there will be plenty of coating on the flesh.
4. In a bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, walnuts, nutritional yeast, basil, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.
5. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil liberally and then coat in panko mixture.
6. Place on a baking sheet and top with a thinly sliced tomato.
7. Baked for 20-30 minutes.
8. Serve on its own or with your favorite marinara sauce.

Cleanup Factor:

LIGHT. Easy to make and to clean. Amazing!

Reheat or Street:

The bad news about this recipe that it should probably not be reheated.  I brought this bad boy to work for lunch today... and well, let's just say, I was hungry today.  The truth is that it gets really soggy and weird. Best if eaten immediately.  

Easy Tofu Scramble

My lovely friend, Gina, sent me this recipe months ago and I've finally gotten around to whipping it up. It's an easy one that can be done even on your laziest day.  I didn't have many veggies in the house, but feel free to add as many as you like to this delicious scramble.

Tofu Scramble
Source: Regina Leal

Takes about 15 minutes, tops.  Serves 1 person.  For more, double the ingredients below.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 package of extra firm tofu
• 1/4 onion (mushrooms or spanish would also be great in here)
• light coating of nutritional yeast
• dash of ground turmeric
• dash of mustard powder
• some garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Begin by sautéing the veggies with a few drops of olive oil until they are slightly brown.
2. Crumble the tofu with your hands into the pan with the veggies.  Note: Do NOT squeeze the access water from the tofu, as the tofu will stick to the pan if it is too dry.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of nutritional yeast in the pan and stir.  Cook on medium for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. Next add the remaining seasonings and serve immediately.

Sautéed Kale

Went for a second run this week with this sautéed kale.  To be honest I didn't really like it.  The flavor was great, but the texture of the kale... I wasn't a big fan of.  I've only had kale once before at The Green Cafe, but it was much softer and easier to chew.  I do, however, think it turned out how it was supposed to, and my roommate gladly ate it for me.  He enjoyed it and said that kale definitely has an acquired taste.  Here is the recipe nonetheless!
Sautéed KaleSource: Vegan's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Takes about 20 minutes to make and serves 1-2 people
Ingredients:

• 4 stalks of fresh kale
• 5 baby Portabella mushrooms
• 1/4 onion
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/2 lemon
• olive oil
• sea salt

Directions:

1. Wash kale and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.  Place in a bowl.  Squeeze the lemon half onto the kale and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Pour a splash of olive oil in a large skillet and heat on low.  While heating, rinse and chop up the remaining veggies. 
3. Sauté all veggies until cooked.  Serve immediately.

Creole Stuffed Peppers

First recipe went well!  It took me a long time because I have terrible knives and the smallest cutting board in the world (siiiggghhh, I guess I could invest in better kitchen-ware).  The recipe for the filling made A LOT, so when stuffing your peppers, make sure to fill them very generously.  I had some filling left over, which I plan to use in a salad.  Or better yet, perhaps in place of taco filling...nomz.  Anyway, this dish was great.  I didn't prepare any sides with it, but it was fine alone.  I will definitely be making this again in the future!

Vegan Creole Stuffed Peppers
Source: Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Takes about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how quickly you can chop veggies.
Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 jalapenos, sliced thinly
• 2 15oz cans of black eyed peas, drained
• 1 15oz can of chopped tomato
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried paprika
• 1 tsp dried basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x11 pan with olive oil.  Cut the peppers in half, the long way.  Try to keep the stem on one side for appearance.  Gut the center and boil in a large pot of water.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onion, carrots, garlic, and jalapenos.  Stir and cover.  Let cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the black eyed peas, tomatoes, and spices. Stir and cover.  Let cook for 10 minutes.
4. Place the peppers in the greased pan and fill peppers with veggie, bean mix.
5. Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve immediately.

The First Post

What do people do when a new year approaches and last year's grease and grime needs to be polished and shined?  They create new year's resolutions.  (Yes, I rhymed to mimic the cliché concept of a new year's resolution.)  Not to be one of those people, but I simply thought starting something new, fresh, healthy, whatever you want to call would be good for me.  2011 was a rough year and I'd like to be more active in the world around me.  In other words, I feel like I need to experience things more thoroughly.  Therefore, I've taken it upon myself to document one of my goals in hopes of staying more in touch with it.  This goal, er new year's resolution, is to make a unique vegan meal at least once a week, every week for the entire year.

Yeah, this seems small to some, but to those who know me, this will be a project.  Although I maintain a pretty much vegan diet (I eliminate dairy and eggs from my vegetarian diet, but I do still eat honey), most days of the week I eat cereal or pb&j for dinner.  I knoooowwwww, it's terrible and I knnoooowww, I'm completely unhealthy, but fooock, I'm tired when I get home from my one hour, three bus transfers, commute home from Washington, DC.  And yeah, I realize some have it way worse, but that's why I'm trying to change!  I want to eat healthy and I think by preparing a well-balanced vegan meal at least once a week, I will have left-overs and possibly gain more experience in cooking, which could lead to more willingness to cook food that doesn't come out of a box several times a week.

I bought a couple vegan cook books and consolidated my vegan recipes from the past.  The goal is to make something unique every week.  I do not want to make the same thing twice!!  If I do make a repeat, that meal will not count as a my one meal for the week.

So here it goes.