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the amateur vegan

this is my little way of sharing my love for all the awesome food I've found through veganism. I hope to inspire you a little to try to live an animal product free life :)

Fresh from *your* oven - Bagels!

On more than one occasion, I've had a head shaken at me when I divulge my culinary adventures. Usually it's the homemade dish that elicits this reaction - homemade donuts (pumpkin to be exact. they are so. good. I'll put that recipe up in a month or so), pretzels, peanut butter cups (don't worry, I plan on these being my next post. they are even better than the donuts). Basically, anytime I make a junk food at home. I never really ate fast food, and now that I'm vegan, it's ridiculously hard to eat out period. You just never know.. is there egg in this? milk? unicorn tears? you get the picture. Plus, I always liked what Michael Pollan said about junk food: “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” It's a lovely rule of thumb.. and tastier too.

I picked up Isa's Vegan Brunch cookbook from the library, and I was delighted to find a recipe for bagels! I love a bagel. I find them very snuggly. This is a great recipe. It's simple, and the bagels are really very good. They have a nice shell on the outside with a squishy inside... kind of like a turtle protecting its tender middle... :) yep, just like that.

Bagels
makes 12
3 T. sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
(1) 1/4 oz. packet of active dry yeast (just one packet.. not 1 1/4 oz of yeast)

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve 1 T. of sugar in the lukewarm water, and then add the yeast.


4 cups all-purpose flour
2 T. vital wheat gluten
2 tsp. salt


In a separate, large mixing bowl, mix together the all the other ingredients, including the remaining 2 T. of sugar. Add the yeast mixture and knead for a good 10 minutes. The dough should be neither dry nor wet but nicely tacky (kinda like that sweet sweater you wore at Christmas).

Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let sit for an hour or so. It won't rise much but it should be nicely springy.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Turn dough out onto a dry surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then use your thumbs to poke a hole through. The hole should be about 3/4 in. wide.

Reduce your boiling water to a gentle simmer, and add a couple bagels. Simmer for one minute, flip, and simmer another minute. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon, and place them on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Now is the time to add any topping to them that you'd like - sesame or poppy seeds, cinnamon-sugar, etc.

Bake the bagels for 18-20 minutes , until nice and amber brown. Remove and let sit for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

*This picture is our actual batch of bagels, as are all our pictures the actual pictures of the food we've made. On more than one occasion this has been questioned, but in truth, we're just that good! ha.


Read More 0 comments | Posted by ann | edit post

Grilled Herb Tofu Sandwiches with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

yep. It's as tasty as it sounds.

One thing I could never really enjoy when I was a non-vegan was a good sammy. I was never a real meat eater, and I'm admittedly picky, so I just couldn't get down with the lusciously stacked sandwiches I would admire. I found this recipe in Real Food Daily, and I was pumped to try it. I was pumped even though I shy away from a "pesto," and to be honest, I shy away from "sun-dried tomatoes." Look, I don't have a reason for these things, okay?!


If I have any one bad thing to say about this dish, it's the texture, but that is kind of a given since it's tofu. I'm a weirdo when it comes to texture, so the softness of the tofu was a little cringe-worthy for me, but the crusty ciabatta bread combated that. I def recommend serving this on a nice bread that you like - ciabatta is my fave.

You'll need to marinate the tofu for at least 4 hours so plan ahead - this lack of reading has burned me on more than one occasion. Oh, reading. such a hassle!

this is the original recipe - Joe and I cut ours in half.
Grilled Herb Tofu
2 (12 oz.) containers water-packed extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup evoo
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 T chopped fresh dill
1 T fresh ground pepper

Drain the tofu and save the containers. Halve each piece horizontally, and pat dry with the paper towels. Cover a large baking sheet with more dry paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet and let drain for 2 hours, changing the towels after 1 hour.

Whisk up your marinade, and pour some into your saved tofu containers. Place 1 tofu slice, top with marinade, layer another slice, etc. with the remaining tofu and marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare a medium-hot grill or pan or skillet if need be. Grill the tofu, brushing with the marinade from your containers, for 4 minutes on each side, or until the tofu is heated through. OR, you can bake your tofu at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on each side.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup nuts (okay, it calls for pine nuts, but I'm pretty sure we used almonds)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the tomatoes, cover, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the soaking liquid. Combine the tomatoes, basil, nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor (or blender) and blend until the tomatoes and basil are minced. With the machine still running, slowly add your oil. Blend in about 3 T of the reserved soaking liquid to form a thick and creamy spread.

Add the toppings you'd like - sauteed red onions and greens are what the book suggests. Serve warm :)
Read More 0 comments | Posted by ann | edit post

Cozy couscous


Welcome to my new favorite food obession. "Moroccan" couscous with roasted vegetables. Let me be up front about something. I spend a lot of my money on food, but at the end of the day, I am president of the Society of Cheap Spenders and Bargain Hunters (SCSBH) - "scuz-buh-huh" for short. I'm pretty sure what makes this dish "Moroccan" is the saffron threads, but there's no way in hell I'm dishing out that much money for saffron threads. It's like $20 / oz! Who do I look like? Oprah?! Phil Donahue?! (okay, okay.. maaaaybe Phil Donahue).

Regardless, this dish is super yummy, and it's my current favorite recipe to make. I know you might think roasted vegetables in the summer time is wacky, but trust me on this one. You only roast them for about 25 minutes, so it's not too big a deal. Minus the chopping, this recipe is very quick and easy, has lots of veggies, and lots of flavor - with or without the magical threads of saffron! (I mean, really, does it turn to gold in your mouth? why is it so freakin' pricey?)


Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups yellow onion, large dice
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the squash, onion, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula about midway through.

While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, saffron, and salt to taste. Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.

Scrape the roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add the couscous. Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over the couscous mixture all at once. Cover tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.

Enjoy!
Read More 0 comments | Posted by ann | edit post
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