Y'know, I get really frustrated with this computer sometimes...especially when it's my own fault and I click the wrong button at the wrong time, and post a post before it's ready, lol. I bet you've done that once or twice, also, right? Sure ya have...and if you haven't, I'm sure you will!!!
I don't remember if I posted this last week or not, but Saturday afternoon I went back to my doctor, for refill prescriptions and the results of the CT scan. First of all, whoever has been praying for me, thank you, thank you, thank you! The mass in my kidney was just a cyst, praise God. But. Check this out: I have kidney stones! Huh? Me? Ummm, no, thank you, I do NOT want them, lol. So far they haven't bothered me at all, and I was totally astounded to see that I had them. I also have some hardening of the arteries, which I don't like.
And I don't remember if I posted this or not, but because my old washing machine was dying, slowly and painfully, I put it out of its misery last Friday, and had a "new" one delivered and hooked up. And it works, and it looks good. So I'm pleased.
For whatever reason, I got up at 3:30 this morning. Mainly because I was tired of waking up, going back to sleep, waking up, going back to sleep, ad nauseum, sigh. Now it's about 7:45am, Eastern time, and so far this morning, I have washed two loads of laundry. The white load is folded and put away, and the dark load is hanging up to dry. Changed the linens on the bed. Swished the toilet and swiped the sink, and mopped the bathroom floor. Took the trash out. Washed the dishes. Swept and mopped the kitchen floor. And of course I'm dressed, complete with shoes and...ugh...bra. Even put on a little makeup this morning, but have no idea why. I'm not going anywhere today...at least, I HOPE I'm not going anywhere today, lol. Now I'm hungry, and just about ready to fall asleep right here at the computer, lol. But first, a recipe for you, using TVP, which I've recently discovered, and really and truly enjoy using. I found this recipe on www.vegweb.com
and it was donated by "peppermint stix." The honey and the liquid smoke that I added weren't in the original recipe, but they were suggested by a couple people that had critiqued the recipe. I read about ten, I think, and every one of them really loved this stuff.
TVP is textured vegetable protein, or soy protein, if you prefer, and I have no idea how it's made. It is used as a vegetarian/vegan meat substitute, but don't expect to actually taste any meat when you use it, even tho it does have a pleasant flavor, and I love the texture. I found mine at Kroger, in the natural foods/health foods department, so if you grocery shop at Kroger, or, a big supermarket, chances are good that you'll find it there, rather than having to make a special trip to a health foods store. Which I would LOVE to do...mainly to Sevenanda, in Little Five Points, Atlanta. Anyway.................................
TVP Sausage Crumbles
2 Tbs. soy sauce or Tamari
1 tsp. EACH onion powder and sage
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp EACH fennel seeds and thyme
1/8 tsp EACH cayenne pepper and black pepper
salt to taste
1C boiling water[I also added 1 tsp. liquid smoke and 2 tsp. honey, right in the water, to mix it evenly with the other ingredients.]
1C TVP
2-3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except Tvp, water, and evoo. Pour the boiling water, with the liquid smoke and honey[IF you choose to use them], over everything, and mix it together. Add the cup of TVP, stir well, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Taste to see if seasonings need adjusting.
Put the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mixture, and fry until well browned. You may need more oil if the pan becomes too dry.
These are great on pizza, in spaghetti sauce, and with scrambled tofu.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Variation: form into 2 inch balls and flatten slightly into patties, then fry.
Now, I hate to tell you this, but, unlike the glowing reviews this got on vegweb.com, I didn't like it very much at all. There was too much fennel flavor, for one thing, and the two peppers made it too "hot" for me. I made a gravy out of it, with half water and half soy milk, using cornstarch as a thickener, and spooned it over hot, buttered biscuits. Making the gravy helped to lighten the spice taste somewhat, but still not enough. But, even so, I ate it again the next night, and rather than throw it away, I froze what I didn't eat right then. It's a meal, and I really do hate to waste food. Will I make it again? Probably, but I don't think I'll use any cayenne at all, just the black pepper, and either much less fennel seed, or, none at all.
Last Friday I gave you a recipe for Chickpea Cutlets, and when I made them myself, I had two left over. I put those in a baggie, and then in the refrigerator. Last night I hauled them out, diced them fairly small, and made an onion gravy with them. Now, THAT was good. That was VERY good. All I did was to fry a thinly sliced medium onion, then add the small cubes of the cutlets, and let them both brown up some. Then I covered the cutlets with a healthy dollop of Kroger brand "1883" steak sauce, their version of 57 Sauce, and is very good. Once that was all stirred thru the onions and cubes, I dumped about two cups of water into the whole shebang, and then a mixture of cornstarch and water, to thicken it all, which it certainly did. In fact, I had to use more water, as it was pretty thick. I spooned a good bit of it over a hamburger bun, heated some canned corn, and dined like royalty, lol. It was very good, and to my delight, there is some leftover, so guess what supper is tonight?!?!?
Since I'm starving, and I can't think of anything to say, I'm leaving you! Until next time, Happy Eating!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Chickpea Cutlets(vegan); Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches(vegan)
No rain today, but I really wish it would, lol. You know I love rainy days. But, it's lovely out there, which is probably the way most folks prefer it. Besides, if it were raining, I might not get my "new" washing machine delivered this afternoon, and I'm really looking forward to having it.
BTW, I just posted another favorite website for you to browse, if you wish, another non-food blog. The name of it is "The Unclutterer," and it's extremely interesting reading, not the usual how-to unclutter and get organized for life type of thing at all. I did get a couple of really good ideas from it, tho, and some links to some other good sites, as well. Check it out when you have time.
I don't know if I've mentioned on here or not that I don't like chickpeas(garbanzos), but for years and years, I did NOT like them. Strangely enough, my taste seems to have changed, because suddenly, I think they're pretty darned good. Go figure, right? Both recipes today...LOL! I hear rain on the skylight, no kidding!!!...use chickpeas, and both recipes are keepers. The Chickpea Cutlets are from "Veganomicon," and the Chickpea-Hijiki recipe is from "Vegan with a Vengeance," and both books, as you probably already know, are by Isa Chandra Muskovitz, and Terry Hope Romero also co-wrote "Veganomicon." So, without further chatter, here are the recipes:
Chickpea Cutlets
Makes four cutlets
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup EACH plain bread crumbs and vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a microplane grater
1/2 tsp. EACH lemon zest, dried thyme, and Hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp. dried rubbed sage
olive oil for panfrying.
In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or castiron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile divide the cutlet dough into four equal pieces. To form the cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 X 4-ince rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to first form a rectangular shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.
Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They're ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.
Just in case you were wondering, you can also bake these, too!! Baking these patties gives them a toothsome chewy texture and firm bite. Preheat oven to 375ºF, lightly oil baking sheet. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, place on sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8-10 minutes until firm and golden-brown.
Well, I just found out why mine were so soft and chewy on the insides, lol: I didn't notice the part that says to turn them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Duh. Even so, they were good, and I enjoyed them. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was to cut the soy sauce to 1 tbs. instead of 2, as I'm not crazy about soy sauce. I made, of all things, some homemade tartar sauce to dip the cutlets in, and scarfed down two without any problem at all, and yup, will definitely make them again.
I think these would be good with just about any other kind of bean you like, and when I make them again, there's a good chance that I'll use either canellini or pintos, my two favorite beans. I also think that with the addition of some diced onion, and maybe some shredded carrot, the recipe would make great burgers, too.
As I said, I made tartar sauce, but some of the recommendations in the book were mustard sauce, mushroom gravy, and an onion gravy. They all sound good to me, but you can use whatever you like...of course!
Before I start the chickpea and hijiki recipe, for anyone that doesn't already know, hijiki is a type of sea vegetable...in other words, seaweed. I don't have any hijiki, but I do have dried wakame, which is also a sea vegetable, so that's what i used. The salad is wonderful, and is quite apt to become a regular sammich filling for me. This one comes from "Vegan with a Vengeance." Enjoy.
Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches
Makes four sammiches
1 Tbs. dried hijiki
boiling water
1(15-oz.)can chickpeas, drained
3 Tbs. Vegannaise
2 Tbs. EACH apple cider vinegar and minced onion
1/2 C peeled and shredded carrot
salt and black pepper to taste
sammich fixings(lettuce, tomato, and onion0
8 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Place the hijiki in a small bowl and pour boiling water over it to cover. Cover the bowl with a plate and let the hijiki sit for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl mash the chickpeas with a potato masher until no whole beans are left. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. when the hijiki is ready, drain and combine it with the chickpea mixture. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes; serve on toasted whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
And that's all there is to it. It's awfully good, there's nothing else I can say about it, lol. The only thing I can add is that altho I'm still clueless as to what hijiki tastes like, I like the flavor of the wakame. I grew up in the state of Maine, and spent a fair amount of time around the ocean, so the wakame smell and taste sort of makes me a little homesick. And, my "new" washing machine is here, so I'm thru for today. Until next time, Happy Eating!!!!
BTW, I just posted another favorite website for you to browse, if you wish, another non-food blog. The name of it is "The Unclutterer," and it's extremely interesting reading, not the usual how-to unclutter and get organized for life type of thing at all. I did get a couple of really good ideas from it, tho, and some links to some other good sites, as well. Check it out when you have time.
I don't know if I've mentioned on here or not that I don't like chickpeas(garbanzos), but for years and years, I did NOT like them. Strangely enough, my taste seems to have changed, because suddenly, I think they're pretty darned good. Go figure, right? Both recipes today...LOL! I hear rain on the skylight, no kidding!!!...use chickpeas, and both recipes are keepers. The Chickpea Cutlets are from "Veganomicon," and the Chickpea-Hijiki recipe is from "Vegan with a Vengeance," and both books, as you probably already know, are by Isa Chandra Muskovitz, and Terry Hope Romero also co-wrote "Veganomicon." So, without further chatter, here are the recipes:
Chickpea Cutlets
Makes four cutlets
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup EACH plain bread crumbs and vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a microplane grater
1/2 tsp. EACH lemon zest, dried thyme, and Hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp. dried rubbed sage
olive oil for panfrying.
In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or castiron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile divide the cutlet dough into four equal pieces. To form the cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 X 4-ince rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to first form a rectangular shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.
Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They're ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.
Just in case you were wondering, you can also bake these, too!! Baking these patties gives them a toothsome chewy texture and firm bite. Preheat oven to 375ºF, lightly oil baking sheet. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, place on sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8-10 minutes until firm and golden-brown.
Well, I just found out why mine were so soft and chewy on the insides, lol: I didn't notice the part that says to turn them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Duh. Even so, they were good, and I enjoyed them. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was to cut the soy sauce to 1 tbs. instead of 2, as I'm not crazy about soy sauce. I made, of all things, some homemade tartar sauce to dip the cutlets in, and scarfed down two without any problem at all, and yup, will definitely make them again.
I think these would be good with just about any other kind of bean you like, and when I make them again, there's a good chance that I'll use either canellini or pintos, my two favorite beans. I also think that with the addition of some diced onion, and maybe some shredded carrot, the recipe would make great burgers, too.
As I said, I made tartar sauce, but some of the recommendations in the book were mustard sauce, mushroom gravy, and an onion gravy. They all sound good to me, but you can use whatever you like...of course!
Before I start the chickpea and hijiki recipe, for anyone that doesn't already know, hijiki is a type of sea vegetable...in other words, seaweed. I don't have any hijiki, but I do have dried wakame, which is also a sea vegetable, so that's what i used. The salad is wonderful, and is quite apt to become a regular sammich filling for me. This one comes from "Vegan with a Vengeance." Enjoy.
Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches
Makes four sammiches
1 Tbs. dried hijiki
boiling water
1(15-oz.)can chickpeas, drained
3 Tbs. Vegannaise
2 Tbs. EACH apple cider vinegar and minced onion
1/2 C peeled and shredded carrot
salt and black pepper to taste
sammich fixings(lettuce, tomato, and onion0
8 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Place the hijiki in a small bowl and pour boiling water over it to cover. Cover the bowl with a plate and let the hijiki sit for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl mash the chickpeas with a potato masher until no whole beans are left. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. when the hijiki is ready, drain and combine it with the chickpea mixture. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes; serve on toasted whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
And that's all there is to it. It's awfully good, there's nothing else I can say about it, lol. The only thing I can add is that altho I'm still clueless as to what hijiki tastes like, I like the flavor of the wakame. I grew up in the state of Maine, and spent a fair amount of time around the ocean, so the wakame smell and taste sort of makes me a little homesick. And, my "new" washing machine is here, so I'm thru for today. Until next time, Happy Eating!!!!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rainy day, which is fine with me, as long as I don't have to go out in it, and I don't! I don't have to leave the house again, if I don't want to, until Saturday afternoon, around 1:45pm, as I have another doctor's appointment. And, since my boss gave me the option of taking either Saturday or Sunday off this week, and since I chose Saturday, I have three days off in a row this week, sort of a mini-vacation!!!
This week I have a recipe for you that I think is great: Tofu Sloppy Joes. I made it Tuesday for my supper, and loved it, and will most definitely have it again. It came from the Savvy Vegetarian site, and with all due apologies to the owner of that site, I don't have the URL for this. This is one that I copied by hand, when I first started hunting for vegetarian recipes to try, and at that time I didn't stop to think that it would be a good idea to provide the URL and a link. So, again, I'm sorry for this.
Tofu Sloppy Joes
Makes 4-6 buns worth:
1 lb. firm tofu
2 Tbs. oil
1Tbs. chili powder
2 Tbs. EACH minced green pepper, onion, and parsley
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 C water
1/4 C ketchup
2 tsp. EACH cider vinegar and brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Mash tofu, and mince onion, green pepper, and parsley.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan, and fry tofu withe chili and veggies for 5 minutes, on high.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 10 minutes.
Serve over buns with fixin's.
Ok, first of all, there's no mention of draining and pressing the tofu, but I did it anyway. You do what's easiest for you. The oil I used was half olive oil and half Earth Balance "butter." My tastebuds say that the dish needs more of both the vinegar and the brown sugar, but again, whatever works for you. My side dishes were mashed potatoes and spinach, so I didn't use the buns. Maybe another time I will, but I really liked it with the potatoes. Bread would be good, too, I think.
Now a little news to share with you, which you may or may not already know. I don't make scratch biscuits, I think you've read that here, and instead of scratch, I've been using a box mix: Pioneer Buttermilk brand, and love it! But, for you vegans, it's not vegan. I read on a vegan site the other day, tho, that Bisquick IS vegan. Yesterday at Kroger, I checked the ingredient list for Bisquick, and yup, it's vegan. It's quite a bit more expensive than the Pioneer brand, tho, so I'm not sure if I'm going to change to Bisquick or not.
The other thing I wanted to share with you is about Blue Bonnet margarine, which as I think you already know, is what I use. It's not vegan, tho, but I do NOT like Earth Balance, so haven't changed margarine brands. But. On the same site that I found the Bisquick information, I also read that Blue Bonnet LITE margarine is vegan. Yesterday at good ol' Kroger I checked the ingredient list on the LITE, and yup, it's vegan. So, if you choose to do so, you vegans can use the Blue Bonnet LITE, which is a WHOLE LOT cheaper than Earth Balance. And, it's good, too!
I can't think of anything else to say, and I'm hungry, so, until next time, Happy Eating!!!
This week I have a recipe for you that I think is great: Tofu Sloppy Joes. I made it Tuesday for my supper, and loved it, and will most definitely have it again. It came from the Savvy Vegetarian site, and with all due apologies to the owner of that site, I don't have the URL for this. This is one that I copied by hand, when I first started hunting for vegetarian recipes to try, and at that time I didn't stop to think that it would be a good idea to provide the URL and a link. So, again, I'm sorry for this.
Tofu Sloppy Joes
Makes 4-6 buns worth:
1 lb. firm tofu
2 Tbs. oil
1Tbs. chili powder
2 Tbs. EACH minced green pepper, onion, and parsley
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 C water
1/4 C ketchup
2 tsp. EACH cider vinegar and brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Mash tofu, and mince onion, green pepper, and parsley.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan, and fry tofu withe chili and veggies for 5 minutes, on high.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 10 minutes.
Serve over buns with fixin's.
Ok, first of all, there's no mention of draining and pressing the tofu, but I did it anyway. You do what's easiest for you. The oil I used was half olive oil and half Earth Balance "butter." My tastebuds say that the dish needs more of both the vinegar and the brown sugar, but again, whatever works for you. My side dishes were mashed potatoes and spinach, so I didn't use the buns. Maybe another time I will, but I really liked it with the potatoes. Bread would be good, too, I think.
Now a little news to share with you, which you may or may not already know. I don't make scratch biscuits, I think you've read that here, and instead of scratch, I've been using a box mix: Pioneer Buttermilk brand, and love it! But, for you vegans, it's not vegan. I read on a vegan site the other day, tho, that Bisquick IS vegan. Yesterday at Kroger, I checked the ingredient list for Bisquick, and yup, it's vegan. It's quite a bit more expensive than the Pioneer brand, tho, so I'm not sure if I'm going to change to Bisquick or not.
The other thing I wanted to share with you is about Blue Bonnet margarine, which as I think you already know, is what I use. It's not vegan, tho, but I do NOT like Earth Balance, so haven't changed margarine brands. But. On the same site that I found the Bisquick information, I also read that Blue Bonnet LITE margarine is vegan. Yesterday at good ol' Kroger I checked the ingredient list on the LITE, and yup, it's vegan. So, if you choose to do so, you vegans can use the Blue Bonnet LITE, which is a WHOLE LOT cheaper than Earth Balance. And, it's good, too!
I can't think of anything else to say, and I'm hungry, so, until next time, Happy Eating!!!
Friday, May 29, 2009
TVP Taco Recipe; Summer Sammich Ideas
This has been a pretty good week. I found $50 that I thought I had lost, one of my cyber-sisters sent me a Terry Blackwell book in the mail: "True Light," the Imaging Center where I had the ultrasound and the CT scan sent me a cute little "thank you" card, AND a check for $10(evidently I overpaid my c0-pay for the ultrasound!), went to the library yesterday which is always a joy, and best of all, Wednesday afternoon at work, I had the time to sit and snuggle with my nine-week old great-grandson!!! He was trying so hard to tell me about the nasty doctor that had stuck the nasty and painful needles in his little legs, bless his heart. So, I told him I understoon how he felt, and that I don't like needles being stuck in me, either. I'm sure he understood me, too. LOL!!!
I've spent the last five hours browsing three new-to-me websites, which mostly don't have much to do with food or cooking. The three of them have been added to my list of favorite websites, on the left of the page, and as of this moment I haven't checked them to see if the links work, but I will, and if they don't, I'll fix them. One is EasyEarth, and that one does have a section about food, and a few vegetarian, not vegan, recipes. The main reason I went there, tho, was to find some recipes for homemade, and "green," cleaning supplies, which I did find. Another site is TheSimpleDollar, and is one man's blog about being frugal, which another subject near and dear to my heart. The third one is Yes!magazine, and it's, well, it's about all sorts of things. I linked to it from the SimpleDollar, I think, to check out an article called "Sustainable Happiness," lol. And have signed up for the newsletter...as well as the newsletter from TheSimpleDollar, too. EarthEasy has one, but for reasons of my own, I chose not to subscribe to theirs.
About three weeks ago, I went into this little town's only...as far as I know...health food store, and altho I was extremely disappointed in it, I did fine some TVP, and some, um, wakame, I think...maybe it was dulse, but I don't think so. Anyway. So, I've been looking around for recipes using TVP, and while I've found several, this one really seemed like a good one, so I made it last night. Yup, it's a good one, and it comes from about.com, thanks to Jolinda Hackett, the vegetarian pages blogger. She does a fantastic job, and if you've never checked the vegetarian pages out over there, do yourself a favor, and do so. Sometime today. Anyway....
Ten Minute TVP Taco Recipe
2 cups each TVP and water
2 Tbs. each soy sauce and olive oil or vegetable oil
1 package taco seasoning
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 cup salsa
flour tortillas or hard taco shells
In large skillet, heat water, over medium heat and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.
Add oil, soy sauce, peppers, and seasoning, stirring well. Allow to cook another 3-5 minutes.
Serve wrapped in tortillas or hard taco shell. Eat as is, vegan, or add tomatoes, lettuce, refried beans, sour cream, cheese.
I made some refried beans with diced onions in them. Spread a tortilla with a goodly amount of plain chevre goat cheese, plopped on some of the beans, and covered it all with a good bit of the TVP taco mix. Rolled it all up, heated the tortilla until lightly browned on two sides, and ate. I will most definitely do this again. In fact, there's a fully made and rolled up tortilla in the freezer right now, as well as a fair amount of the taco mix still in the refrigerator. I think I'm going to top a couple small baked potatoes with it and some cheese for supper tonight, along with some kind of vegetable. I can also tell you that the taco mix and a couple slices of the vegetarian smoked provolone cheese make on helluva great grilled sammich, too!!!!
Yesterday at the library, I checked out another cookbook: "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook," by Cathe Olson, and while I no longer have little kids at home, the book is definitely a winner, seriously. One of these days I'm going to try to find it, and add it to my home collection of cookbooks. One section of her book is called "Sandwiches and Quick Lunch Ideas," and some of these sammich ideas sound really, really good. Now, for the most part, you know I won't post a recipe here unless I've tried it and can vouch for it, but this is one of those times I'm going to break my own rule(hey, at my age, that's subject to happen a LOT!!), and give you three or four sammich recipes that I think look like they would be awfully good. It would take me quite a while to get around to trying all of them myself, so, I decided to post them. And, here goes:
Spinach-Hummus Wrap...vegan
1 large whole grain tortilla or slice flatbread(lavash)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Hummus
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 to 3 Tbs. each diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and/or shredded carrots(all optional)
Liberally spread tortilla or flatbread with hummus. Layer vegetables over hummus and roll up. Wrap tightly with wax paper, foil, or plastic wrap until ready to eat. It will keep for couple of days wrapped and refrigerated. Makes 1 serving.
Veggie-Apple Melt...can be made vegan
2 slices whole grain bread.
2 tsp. EACH Dijon mustard and mayonnaise(regular OR vegan)
4 apple slices
2 Tbs. shredded carrots
2 to 4 cucumber rounds
2 Tbs. alfalfa sprouts
2 thin slices cheddar cheese(dairy OR non-dairy)
Preheat toaster or conventional oven to 375ºF. Spread one slice of bread with mustard, the other with mayonnaise. On mustard side, place apple slices and carrots. On mayo slice, place cucumber slices and sprouts. Cover each with a slice of cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
My apologies, because that's only two sammiches instead of three or four. I had forgotten that it was necessary to go to other pages in her book for more recipes for a couple of those sammiches, such as Beanballs for the Beanball Sub I was going to post, sigh. I'm just too darned lazy to look it up, so, again, my apologies. If you do try either of these sammiches, tho, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me a comment. Until next time, Happy Eating!
I've spent the last five hours browsing three new-to-me websites, which mostly don't have much to do with food or cooking. The three of them have been added to my list of favorite websites, on the left of the page, and as of this moment I haven't checked them to see if the links work, but I will, and if they don't, I'll fix them. One is EasyEarth, and that one does have a section about food, and a few vegetarian, not vegan, recipes. The main reason I went there, tho, was to find some recipes for homemade, and "green," cleaning supplies, which I did find. Another site is TheSimpleDollar, and is one man's blog about being frugal, which another subject near and dear to my heart. The third one is Yes!magazine, and it's, well, it's about all sorts of things. I linked to it from the SimpleDollar, I think, to check out an article called "Sustainable Happiness," lol. And have signed up for the newsletter...as well as the newsletter from TheSimpleDollar, too. EarthEasy has one, but for reasons of my own, I chose not to subscribe to theirs.
About three weeks ago, I went into this little town's only...as far as I know...health food store, and altho I was extremely disappointed in it, I did fine some TVP, and some, um, wakame, I think...maybe it was dulse, but I don't think so. Anyway. So, I've been looking around for recipes using TVP, and while I've found several, this one really seemed like a good one, so I made it last night. Yup, it's a good one, and it comes from about.com, thanks to Jolinda Hackett, the vegetarian pages blogger. She does a fantastic job, and if you've never checked the vegetarian pages out over there, do yourself a favor, and do so. Sometime today. Anyway....
Ten Minute TVP Taco Recipe
2 cups each TVP and water
2 Tbs. each soy sauce and olive oil or vegetable oil
1 package taco seasoning
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 cup salsa
flour tortillas or hard taco shells
In large skillet, heat water, over medium heat and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.
Add oil, soy sauce, peppers, and seasoning, stirring well. Allow to cook another 3-5 minutes.
Serve wrapped in tortillas or hard taco shell. Eat as is, vegan, or add tomatoes, lettuce, refried beans, sour cream, cheese.
I made some refried beans with diced onions in them. Spread a tortilla with a goodly amount of plain chevre goat cheese, plopped on some of the beans, and covered it all with a good bit of the TVP taco mix. Rolled it all up, heated the tortilla until lightly browned on two sides, and ate. I will most definitely do this again. In fact, there's a fully made and rolled up tortilla in the freezer right now, as well as a fair amount of the taco mix still in the refrigerator. I think I'm going to top a couple small baked potatoes with it and some cheese for supper tonight, along with some kind of vegetable. I can also tell you that the taco mix and a couple slices of the vegetarian smoked provolone cheese make on helluva great grilled sammich, too!!!!
Yesterday at the library, I checked out another cookbook: "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook," by Cathe Olson, and while I no longer have little kids at home, the book is definitely a winner, seriously. One of these days I'm going to try to find it, and add it to my home collection of cookbooks. One section of her book is called "Sandwiches and Quick Lunch Ideas," and some of these sammich ideas sound really, really good. Now, for the most part, you know I won't post a recipe here unless I've tried it and can vouch for it, but this is one of those times I'm going to break my own rule(hey, at my age, that's subject to happen a LOT!!), and give you three or four sammich recipes that I think look like they would be awfully good. It would take me quite a while to get around to trying all of them myself, so, I decided to post them. And, here goes:
Spinach-Hummus Wrap...vegan
1 large whole grain tortilla or slice flatbread(lavash)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Hummus
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 to 3 Tbs. each diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and/or shredded carrots(all optional)
Liberally spread tortilla or flatbread with hummus. Layer vegetables over hummus and roll up. Wrap tightly with wax paper, foil, or plastic wrap until ready to eat. It will keep for couple of days wrapped and refrigerated. Makes 1 serving.
Veggie-Apple Melt...can be made vegan
2 slices whole grain bread.
2 tsp. EACH Dijon mustard and mayonnaise(regular OR vegan)
4 apple slices
2 Tbs. shredded carrots
2 to 4 cucumber rounds
2 Tbs. alfalfa sprouts
2 thin slices cheddar cheese(dairy OR non-dairy)
Preheat toaster or conventional oven to 375ºF. Spread one slice of bread with mustard, the other with mayonnaise. On mustard side, place apple slices and carrots. On mayo slice, place cucumber slices and sprouts. Cover each with a slice of cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
My apologies, because that's only two sammiches instead of three or four. I had forgotten that it was necessary to go to other pages in her book for more recipes for a couple of those sammiches, such as Beanballs for the Beanball Sub I was going to post, sigh. I'm just too darned lazy to look it up, so, again, my apologies. If you do try either of these sammiches, tho, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me a comment. Until next time, Happy Eating!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Vegetarian Reuben Sammich...non-vegan
Good afternoon...really rough day at work, holiday(Memorial Day), and we were very busy, very. I'm exhausted, and everything hurts, so I'm not going to take a lot of time here today.
First of all, this past Thursday, I had a CT scan for my kidney, but of course don't know the results yet. My doctor should get the results either tomorrow or Wednesday, and then he'll decide which specialist to send me to. I don't care. I just want to find out what's wrong, and how serious it is or isn't, and what can be done about it. Again, please keep me in your prayers. Thanks.
Once again, I don't really have a recipe for this veggie version of a Reuben sammich, but I odn't think it really matters. Sammiches are so much our own individual likes, that you can use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like, or you can add something, leave something out, whatever. This is just one more case of taking a "recipe" and making it your own.
Vegetarian Reuben Sammich
Peel, core, and thinly slice an apple. I chose a Red Delicious for this, but you can use any apple you like.
Peel an onion, cut it in half, and then thinly slice into half moon shapes.
Put the apple and onion in a skillet with some margarine or olive oil, and saute until the apple is soft and the onion has browned somewhat.
Throw in some sauerkraut, I guess I used about half of a 15-oz. can, and stir it all together until the sauerkraut is good and hot.
Spread some brown mustard on two slices of bread...I used sourdough...and put as much cheese as you want on one slice. I used the soy-based vegetarian Swiss-style cheese I found last week, but you can use any kind you want, or leave it out entirely. Up to you!
Spoon a goodly amount of the hot apple/onion/sauerkraut mixture onto the cheese, so that the cheese will soften and almost melt, put the other slice of bread on top, and there ya have it. How easy was that, eh? And if you feel energetic, you can butter the outsides of the bread and grill the whole thing, altho I didn't bother.
Next time, I've got a couple more for you, and may even have more of that, but don't know yet. Until next time, Happy Eating.
First of all, this past Thursday, I had a CT scan for my kidney, but of course don't know the results yet. My doctor should get the results either tomorrow or Wednesday, and then he'll decide which specialist to send me to. I don't care. I just want to find out what's wrong, and how serious it is or isn't, and what can be done about it. Again, please keep me in your prayers. Thanks.
Once again, I don't really have a recipe for this veggie version of a Reuben sammich, but I odn't think it really matters. Sammiches are so much our own individual likes, that you can use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like, or you can add something, leave something out, whatever. This is just one more case of taking a "recipe" and making it your own.
Vegetarian Reuben Sammich
Peel, core, and thinly slice an apple. I chose a Red Delicious for this, but you can use any apple you like.
Peel an onion, cut it in half, and then thinly slice into half moon shapes.
Put the apple and onion in a skillet with some margarine or olive oil, and saute until the apple is soft and the onion has browned somewhat.
Throw in some sauerkraut, I guess I used about half of a 15-oz. can, and stir it all together until the sauerkraut is good and hot.
Spread some brown mustard on two slices of bread...I used sourdough...and put as much cheese as you want on one slice. I used the soy-based vegetarian Swiss-style cheese I found last week, but you can use any kind you want, or leave it out entirely. Up to you!
Spoon a goodly amount of the hot apple/onion/sauerkraut mixture onto the cheese, so that the cheese will soften and almost melt, put the other slice of bread on top, and there ya have it. How easy was that, eh? And if you feel energetic, you can butter the outsides of the bread and grill the whole thing, altho I didn't bother.
Next time, I've got a couple more for you, and may even have more of that, but don't know yet. Until next time, Happy Eating.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Angel Hair w/Zucchini and Bread Crumbs(Vegan); Homemade Coleslaw(can be vegan)
My Dad left to fly back to Maine Monday the 11th, and Sunday, which was Mother's Day, he wanted to find a bookstore so he could pick up a book to read on the flight home. So, after I got off work, he and I went to Borders. He found a couple paperback westerns, and I bought myself a copy of the magazine, "Vegetarian News," and one of Nava Atlas's cookbooks, "The Vegetarian Family Cookbook." This book is terrific. I'm only about halfway thru it, but have already found lots of good-sounding recipes I want to try(y'know, I don't think there's going to be enough time to try all the recipes I've found so far, as well as the ones I keep finding, almost daily, lol!). Ms. Atlas raised two sons on vegetarian meals, so I figured that if the kids would eat it, then the recipes in the book had to be pretty good, lol. The one I tried last night proved my point!
..............................Angel Hair w/Zucchini and Bread Crumbs...................................
4 slices whole-grain bread
10-12oz. angel hair pasta(cappellini)
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 small zucchini, sliced, or 2 medium zucchini, quarterd lengthwise and sliced(about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 C dry white wine, vegetable stock, or waater
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the bread in a food processor and whirl until it becomes fine crumbs.
2. Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly boiling water until al dente, then drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a wide skillet. Add the bread crumbs and cook over medium-high heat until they turn toasty brown and crisp. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet. Add the garlic and saute over los heat for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Stir in the zucchini and wine. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. When done, remove the garlic cloves.
5. Combine the pasta and zucchini in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and serve, topping each serving with some of the bread crumbs.
Ok, I didn't have any wine of any kind, so I used a couple splashes of white wine vinegar, and another 1/4-1/2 cup of water. I turned the heat up high under the zucchini and vinegar, so that it simmered away. The vinegar did the trick, it gave the dish a little added push that I liked, and didn't taste vinegary at all. I also added vegetarian Parmesan cheese to the crumbs, and then some more once I had it plated. Did I like this? Yes, very much, very much indeed. Will I make it again? Probably. It's somewhat labor intensive, but the end result is well worth it. It would make a good dish for a company dinner, I think.
The sidedish I chose was coleslaw, so I made some, first time in years, too. It turned out pretty good. Once again, no real recipe here. Recipes, as a general rule, aren't really needed for a lot of things. I'll find a recipe I think I'll like, and almost always do something to it to make it mine. That's one of the things I enjoy so much about vegetarian cooking, the fact that so many times I can look at a recipe and think of how to change it around just a little bit, but yet enough to make it mine. And, I'm digressing..."Going 'round Robin Hood's barn" is what my dear grandmother used to call it, lol. On to the coleslaw:
I used about a quarter of a medium head of cabbage, and one large carrot. Grated both of them into a mixing bowl, and added black pepper and mayonnaise. Well, that just seemed to be a tad too bland, so I added some apple cider vinegar(just a splash or two), a couple teaspoonsful of sugar, some garlic salt, and a splash of soy milk, mixed it all together, and that did it. It was excellent, and I loved it. It went nicely with the angelhair and zucchini, too.
One last thing I'd like to tell you before I go, is that I tried another of the vegetarian soy-based "cheeses" this week: Swiss flavor. It is surprisingly good, and tastes very much like the real thing. I'm glad I took the chance, and if it makes as good a grilled sammich as the smoked provolone flavor does, I'm gonna be doing the happy dance, lol. Until next time, Happy Eating!!!!
..............................Angel Hair w/Zucchini and Bread Crumbs...................................
4 slices whole-grain bread
10-12oz. angel hair pasta(cappellini)
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 small zucchini, sliced, or 2 medium zucchini, quarterd lengthwise and sliced(about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 C dry white wine, vegetable stock, or waater
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the bread in a food processor and whirl until it becomes fine crumbs.
2. Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly boiling water until al dente, then drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a wide skillet. Add the bread crumbs and cook over medium-high heat until they turn toasty brown and crisp. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet. Add the garlic and saute over los heat for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Stir in the zucchini and wine. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. When done, remove the garlic cloves.
5. Combine the pasta and zucchini in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and serve, topping each serving with some of the bread crumbs.
Ok, I didn't have any wine of any kind, so I used a couple splashes of white wine vinegar, and another 1/4-1/2 cup of water. I turned the heat up high under the zucchini and vinegar, so that it simmered away. The vinegar did the trick, it gave the dish a little added push that I liked, and didn't taste vinegary at all. I also added vegetarian Parmesan cheese to the crumbs, and then some more once I had it plated. Did I like this? Yes, very much, very much indeed. Will I make it again? Probably. It's somewhat labor intensive, but the end result is well worth it. It would make a good dish for a company dinner, I think.
The sidedish I chose was coleslaw, so I made some, first time in years, too. It turned out pretty good. Once again, no real recipe here. Recipes, as a general rule, aren't really needed for a lot of things. I'll find a recipe I think I'll like, and almost always do something to it to make it mine. That's one of the things I enjoy so much about vegetarian cooking, the fact that so many times I can look at a recipe and think of how to change it around just a little bit, but yet enough to make it mine. And, I'm digressing..."Going 'round Robin Hood's barn" is what my dear grandmother used to call it, lol. On to the coleslaw:
I used about a quarter of a medium head of cabbage, and one large carrot. Grated both of them into a mixing bowl, and added black pepper and mayonnaise. Well, that just seemed to be a tad too bland, so I added some apple cider vinegar(just a splash or two), a couple teaspoonsful of sugar, some garlic salt, and a splash of soy milk, mixed it all together, and that did it. It was excellent, and I loved it. It went nicely with the angelhair and zucchini, too.
One last thing I'd like to tell you before I go, is that I tried another of the vegetarian soy-based "cheeses" this week: Swiss flavor. It is surprisingly good, and tastes very much like the real thing. I'm glad I took the chance, and if it makes as good a grilled sammich as the smoked provolone flavor does, I'm gonna be doing the happy dance, lol. Until next time, Happy Eating!!!!
Two-Bean Vegetable Soup(Vegan); "Beefless" Stew w/Dumplings(probably vegan)
Good morning, beautiful, sunny day here in the metro Atlanta area, and I'm hoping it's a good day where you are, as well. About 30 minutes ago, I called my doctor, and kinda wish I hadn't, sigh. I think I mentioned a while back that I had to have a renal ultrasound, because my creatinine levels are too high, which means my kidneys aren't working right. So, I had the ultrasound, and this morning, Doctor told me that it shows a mass in my right kidney. I am NOT pleased. This is NOT what i wanted to hear, not today, not yesterday, not any day at all, ok? Doctor is going to call my insurance company for me today, and get the referral for either a CT scan or an MRI, and I'll see him tomorrow, as I need my pain med 'script rewritten. Needless to say, I'm scared. Maybe it's just a cyst. Whatever. Please keep me in your prayers. Thanks.
Yesterday was a really good day, one of the best in a long time, as far as feeling good physically goes. It's probably a combination of the thyroid med starting to kick in, and still being quit from smoking. Whatever it is, I'm not hurting as much as I was, and I had quite a bit of energy and accomplished, for me, quite a lot. Swished and swiped the toilet and sink, stripped the bed and washed the linens, washed and dried and put away two loads of laundry, remade the bed, washed the dishes, took out the trash, and vacuumed the living room and bedroom. Had time to read quite a bit, play on the computer, and cooked supper, too. Today all I plan on doing...all that's really needed, in fact...is washing dishes again, and watering my plants.
I love beans and lentils, and I love soups, so I make quite a few bean and lentil soups/stews, even in warm weather. In one of my last few posts I said that I was going to make a bean/barley/vegetable soup, but I didn't, not exactly. It was basically the same as the recipe I've posted for the bean/barley/vegetable soup, but just a couple variations. No real recipe needed here, just as you like it/to taste.
...................................Two-Bean Soup................................................................
One can each pinto beans and cannelini beans
Onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme...all to taste
Potatoes, celery, carrots...as many or as few as YOU like.
Drain and rinse the beans, set aside. In a large pot, saute the diced onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for about five minutes, or until the onion starts to get tender and is translucent. Add the peeled and diced potatoes, the two types of beans, and about 6-8 cups of water w/veggie buillion cubes or veggie broth or plain water. Season with dried thyme and the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, and allow to simmer until the veggies are tender enough to suit you, probably about 30 minutes or so. I like mine really smooshy, so I let it simmer for closer to an hour. Your choice...I won't know, and it's fine with me. The soup can be left the way it is, or, if you like, and I do, use a potato masher or fork to mash up some of the veggies, which will thicken the soup somewhat. Serve this with a pan of hot, buttered, biscuits. Or cornbread. Or grilled cheese sammiches. Or just saltines or bread and butter. Your choice.
...........................JB's World Famous "Beefless" Stew, this time with dumplings....
Ok, ok, so it's not really world famous, and altho I never once looked at a recipe to come up with this lentil stew, I have no doubt that there are several thousand recipes just like this, or very close to it. There are probably enough variations of lentil soup to make a different one every day for at least three years out there, seriously. The important thing, tho, is that it's good, and even confirmed meat-lovers will ask for seconds, no kidding. Again, no real recipe needed, it's to taste/as you like it, ok?
Enough dried lentils for your family. Lentils don't need to be soaked, btw. You can just use them right out of the bag. And I don't recommend using canned ones, if there even is such a thing. I don't think I've ever seen canned lentils, just canned lentil soup, and that was just plain nasty. Anyway, I digress........
Put the lentils in a colander, pick them over and take out any little rocks or bad lentils, and rinse them really well. Set aside.
In a large pot, saute onions, carrots, celery if you like(I don't), and garlic. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and dice some potatoes, and then add them to the rest of the veggies. Add the lentils, a bay leaf, and enough water to cover all of it by about three inches or so. If you want to, you can use veggie broth or add veggie buillion cubes to the water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Lentils will cook that quickly, in case you've never used them before, which is just one of the reasons I like them so well.
Now for the dumplings, and I'll give you a REAL recipe for them, right off the box of biscuit mix. So, this is where it stops being vegan, because the biscuit mix has small amounts of casein and buttermilk listed in its ingredients. Dumplings can be veganized, but you'll have to use your own biscuit recipe for them, as I don't have one. I suppose self-rising flour, shortening, and soy milk would do it, tho, right? Anyway...
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 qt. broth
Mix first three ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls into boiling broth. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Yield: 16 servings.
I used much smaller portions for myself, and didn't use the poultry seasoning, I just left them plain. And instead of broth, I dropped them, using an infants feeding spoon, on top of the lentil stew.
This was a really good meal. The dumplings were small and good, and just set the stew off to perfection. In fact, when I heat up the leftover two-bean soup, I'm going to make dumplings again, instead of biscuits.
Until next time, Happy Eating.
Yesterday was a really good day, one of the best in a long time, as far as feeling good physically goes. It's probably a combination of the thyroid med starting to kick in, and still being quit from smoking. Whatever it is, I'm not hurting as much as I was, and I had quite a bit of energy and accomplished, for me, quite a lot. Swished and swiped the toilet and sink, stripped the bed and washed the linens, washed and dried and put away two loads of laundry, remade the bed, washed the dishes, took out the trash, and vacuumed the living room and bedroom. Had time to read quite a bit, play on the computer, and cooked supper, too. Today all I plan on doing...all that's really needed, in fact...is washing dishes again, and watering my plants.
I love beans and lentils, and I love soups, so I make quite a few bean and lentil soups/stews, even in warm weather. In one of my last few posts I said that I was going to make a bean/barley/vegetable soup, but I didn't, not exactly. It was basically the same as the recipe I've posted for the bean/barley/vegetable soup, but just a couple variations. No real recipe needed here, just as you like it/to taste.
...................................Two-Bean Soup................................................................
One can each pinto beans and cannelini beans
Onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme...all to taste
Potatoes, celery, carrots...as many or as few as YOU like.
Drain and rinse the beans, set aside. In a large pot, saute the diced onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for about five minutes, or until the onion starts to get tender and is translucent. Add the peeled and diced potatoes, the two types of beans, and about 6-8 cups of water w/veggie buillion cubes or veggie broth or plain water. Season with dried thyme and the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, and allow to simmer until the veggies are tender enough to suit you, probably about 30 minutes or so. I like mine really smooshy, so I let it simmer for closer to an hour. Your choice...I won't know, and it's fine with me. The soup can be left the way it is, or, if you like, and I do, use a potato masher or fork to mash up some of the veggies, which will thicken the soup somewhat. Serve this with a pan of hot, buttered, biscuits. Or cornbread. Or grilled cheese sammiches. Or just saltines or bread and butter. Your choice.
...........................JB's World Famous "Beefless" Stew, this time with dumplings....
Ok, ok, so it's not really world famous, and altho I never once looked at a recipe to come up with this lentil stew, I have no doubt that there are several thousand recipes just like this, or very close to it. There are probably enough variations of lentil soup to make a different one every day for at least three years out there, seriously. The important thing, tho, is that it's good, and even confirmed meat-lovers will ask for seconds, no kidding. Again, no real recipe needed, it's to taste/as you like it, ok?
Enough dried lentils for your family. Lentils don't need to be soaked, btw. You can just use them right out of the bag. And I don't recommend using canned ones, if there even is such a thing. I don't think I've ever seen canned lentils, just canned lentil soup, and that was just plain nasty. Anyway, I digress........
Put the lentils in a colander, pick them over and take out any little rocks or bad lentils, and rinse them really well. Set aside.
In a large pot, saute onions, carrots, celery if you like(I don't), and garlic. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and dice some potatoes, and then add them to the rest of the veggies. Add the lentils, a bay leaf, and enough water to cover all of it by about three inches or so. If you want to, you can use veggie broth or add veggie buillion cubes to the water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Lentils will cook that quickly, in case you've never used them before, which is just one of the reasons I like them so well.
Now for the dumplings, and I'll give you a REAL recipe for them, right off the box of biscuit mix. So, this is where it stops being vegan, because the biscuit mix has small amounts of casein and buttermilk listed in its ingredients. Dumplings can be veganized, but you'll have to use your own biscuit recipe for them, as I don't have one. I suppose self-rising flour, shortening, and soy milk would do it, tho, right? Anyway...
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 qt. broth
Mix first three ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls into boiling broth. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Yield: 16 servings.
I used much smaller portions for myself, and didn't use the poultry seasoning, I just left them plain. And instead of broth, I dropped them, using an infants feeding spoon, on top of the lentil stew.
This was a really good meal. The dumplings were small and good, and just set the stew off to perfection. In fact, when I heat up the leftover two-bean soup, I'm going to make dumplings again, instead of biscuits.
Until next time, Happy Eating.
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