Vegan potluck burgers

I always fuss over what to make for potluck. I'm gonna do a dessert for sure to satisy the potluck police, but also want to bring a main dish. I decided on burgers.... 3 diff kinds. I'm doing the touchdown burgers from last year's Super Bowl Party, Greek burgers (same idea just w feta and kalamata and oregano), and these. Something for everyone. I hope my newly vegan friend is there this week to enjoy these.



Vegan Lentil Walnut Burgers

2 cans drained lentils
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c mashed potatoes or 6 TBS instant potato flakes
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp mustard
12 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c minced onion
1 c wheat germ
3/4 c soy milk
2 TBS EVOO S/P to taste

Mold and pat into hefty burgers. About 4 minutes each side in a HOT skillet.

Cranberry Bars

We've been having evangelistic meetings at our church lately and last night one of the ladies made these for a snack afterwards. This isn't her recipe, but oh my goodness they were yummy!! I could taste shortbread bottom, cranberries and real butter and maybe oatmeal topping? I'm on my way to hunt down a healthy yummy alternative or maybe come up w one myself :) But for now, lookee what we ate!



For the crust & struesel

* 10 1/2 oz. (1 cup plus 5 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
* 1 c. granulated sugar
* 3/4 tsp. table salt
* 2 large egg yolks
* 14 1/4 oz. (3 cups plus 3 Tbsp.) unbleached all-purpose flour

For the cranberry topping

* 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over, rinsed, and drained
* 1 cup granulated sugar

Make the crust: Line a straight-sided 13×9-inch metal baking pan with foil, letting the ends create an overhanging edge for easy removal. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt. Whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough. Transfer about 2 cups of the dough to the prepared pan, and press the mixture evenly into the bottom. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until dough is firm.

Meanwhile, position a rack near the center of the oven and another near the top. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the dough until the crust begins to set but does not brown at all on the edges (the center will not be firm yet), about 20 minutes. While the crust bakes, prepare the streusel and the topping.

Make the streusel: With your fingers, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with the reserved dough until crumbly. The mixture should hold together when pressed, but readily break into smaller pieces.

Make the cranberry topping: In a medium saucepan, bring the cranberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to boil until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool 5 to 10 minutes — the syrup will continue to thicken as the mixture cools.

Make the bars: Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the hot crust. Scatter the streusel over the cranberries (don’t crumble the streusel too much or the texture will be sandy). Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake the bars near the top of the oven until the streusel is golden and set, about 25 minutes. (Baking these bars at the top of the oven helps the streusel brown faster without overbrowning the crust.)

Place the pan on a metal rack to cool until the crust is completely firm, at least 1 hour. (For faster cooling, put the bars in the fridge once the pan is no longer piping hot, or even outside in the winter.)

When the bottom of the pan is cool, carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer them to a cutting board. Separate the foil from the bars by sliding a spatula between them. Cut the bars into 1 3/4-inch squares. They will keep at room temperature for 1 week.

Makes about 35 bars.

BBQ Tofu

Posting this for Julie.... I can't find the recipe I was looking for, but maybe this will get you started :)



Ingredients

2 lbs. extra-firm tofu, pressed and diced, or skillet fried/ baked
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce -- I use the Bragg's
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste



Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Serve on a bed of lettuce or on a hoagie roll.



Non-crockery goodness :)

The BBQ sauce is adapted from Slashfood, this is the tweaked version...

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground mustard seeds
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup sparkling apple cider;recipe calls for bourbon. Check here for other subs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

In a large fry pan over medium heat, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add salt, mustard, parsley and paprika and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then puree in blender until smooth. Use immediately, or store in refrigerator for up to a week.

A very happy tofu birthday :)

Good morning, everybody! Was going to try to be good and make this for my birthday today, but went with the second one instead. Girl does need her chocolate, y'know :)



Pina colada cheesecake

• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust, unbaked (your preferred recipe)
• 12 ounces organic firm tofu
• 4 ounces soy cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 bananas, preferably very ripe
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped, dried pineapple ring
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
• coconut, enough to mix thru the batter, and extra to sprinkle across the top

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Bake the graham cracker crust for 6 minutes and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the tofu, soy cream cheese and sugar and puree until smooth. Add the banana and continue to puree until fully combined.
Pour into the prepared pie crust and spread the dried pineapple and macadamia nuts evenly across the top of the pie. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight. Wrapped, this pie will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.






1/4C graham cracker crumbs (or just buy a cookie crust)
3/4C egg substitute (equivalent to three whole eggs)
10.5 oz silken firm tofu, drained and cubed
8T granulated sugar
1T lemon juice
1t vanilla
1C nonfat ricotta cheese
fresh berries (as you can see, I'm going for the nutella chocolate sauce instead)

Preheat oven to 325
Spray bottom of an 8" springform pan or pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Evenly spread graham cracker crumbs on bottom of pan. (OR - Take lid off of premade crust - discard)
Blend egg substitute, tofu, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and ricotta in a blender until smooth.
Pour into pan and bake 35-40 min. (I needed to leave it in for more like an hour...it just refued to set in the middle). Remove from oven and cool 15 min at room temp. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr. Top with fresh fruit (or chocolate sauce!!)

Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings

1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crusts
4 apples peeled, cored and halved
8 teaspoons butter, divided
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla


1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Mix cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl. (I rather choose to combine the spices and use apple pie spice and cloves and ginger to make it taste more like a real apple pie) Prepare crusts as directed on package. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly on surface of each crust. Cut each crust into 4 equal pieces. Place 1 apple half in center of each piece of crust. Fill center of each apple half with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Carefully fold crust up over apple half, pinching seams together to seal. Place dumplings, seam-side down, in greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

2. Bring sugar, water and 2 tablespoons butter to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla; set aside.

3. Bake dumplings about 10 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pour sauce over dumplings. Bake 40 to 45 minutes longer or until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Vegan Gelatin

agar = agar-agar = agar agar = dai choy goh = kanten = Japanese gelatin = Japanese isinglass = Chinese gelatin = Chinese isinglass = vegetable gelatin = angel's hair

Pronunciation: AH-gur

Equivalents: Each of these amounts will firm two cups of liquid: 3 tablespoons agar flakes = 2 teaspoons agar powder = 1 kanten bar

Notes: Since gelatin is made from animal tissue, many vegetarians rely upon this seaweed derivative as a substitute. Like ordinary gelatin, agar is flavorless and becomes gelatinous when it's dissolved in water, heated, and then cooled. Agar, though, gels more firmly than gelatin, and it sets and melts at a higher temperature--it can even set at room temperature. Agar, like gelatin, is full of protein (though incomplete), but it also contains the rich array of minerals one would expect from seaweed. To use agar, just soak it in the liquid for about 15 minutes, bring it to a gentle boil, then simmer while stirring until it's completely dissolved. The liquid will gel as it cools. Acids weakens agar's gelling power, so if you're firming an acidic liquid, use more. Like gelatin, agar will break down if exposed to the enzymes of certain raw fruits, like kiwi fruit, papayas, pineapple, peaches, mangos, guavas, and figs. Cooking these fruits, though, destroys the enzymes. If you plan to add any of these fruits to a gelatin salad, it's a good idea to buy them in cans, since all canned fruit is pre-cooked. Agar comes in flakes, powder, or bars.

Substitutes: gelatin (Substitute one tablespoon powdered gelatin for every tablespoon of powdered agar. Gelatin is made from animal by-products.)

Crock pot meal on a busy Monday....

Crockpot Mediterranean Stew

1 eggplant -- chopped
2 zucchini -- chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded/chopped
1 onion -- chopped
3 large tomatoes -- chopped
2 cans garbanzo beans -- (14 oz.) drained/rinsed
1 Tbs oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1 can artichoke hearts packed in water -- (14 oz.) drained/quartered
1 package egg noodles -- cooked
Crushed red pepper flakes -- to taste/opt

Add all ingredients except for noodles to the crock pot and stir well. (Sometimes I also add a Tbs of tomato paste for a thicker stew.) Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over the cooked noodles. 4 Servings.

Chick-it

I just made inside out chicken pie and realized it was time to make more chicken seasoning. I don't think I've posted this here, so here you go. I use it in everything. Mashed potatoes, breading for frying, gravies, sauces, the lemon herb sauce for the manicotti gets this. I use it ALL. THE. TIME. I also tweak it, of course, with extra garlic, celery flakes, etc. Got it from my friend Mindy -- enjoy! :)



Chick-it Seasoning:

Blend:

1/4 c. Salt
1/2 c. Nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 to 1/2 t. Turmeric
1/2 to 1 t. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1/2 t. Marjoram
1/2 t. sage or summer savory
1 T. Parsley

Blend thoroughly to a powder-like consistency.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

How to substitute agave for sugar

How to Substitute Agave Nectar for Sugar

Many people want to avoid sugar for personal reasons and so they turn to more natural sources which have not been as refined. Honey and agave nectar are two popular sweeteners which can be used instead of sugar, but honey is made through beekeeping, and some vegans want to avoid it. Other people simply do not like the flavor. Agave nectar is the answer, it has a light flavor which will not overpower other flavors in a dish. This means that you can successfully substitute it in your cooking for honey or sugar. Since it is a liquid, you cannot do an even switch for sugar, refer to the information below for how to have success in all of your recipes which substitute agave nectar for sugar.

1. Examine your recipe to make a note of all of the white and brown sugar and the liquid (milk, water, juice) you need. Also find the temperature the dish will be baked at in the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 25 degrees F below the temperature named in the recipe. Agave nectar browns faster than sugar. Without lowering the temperature, the food will brown too quickly and be dark on the outside and undercooked inside.
3. Add the total amount of added sugars needed for your recipe and multiply it by 2/3. For example, if your recipe requires 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar add these together to get 1 cup total sugar. Multiply this by 2/3 to get the replacement amount of 2/3 cup agave nectar. For every 1 cup sugar in a recipe, you will use 2/3 cup agave.
4. Reduce the total amount of liquids in your recipe by 2 tbsp. for each 1 cup of sugar you replace with 2/3 cup agave nectar. This means that if your recipe only has 1/2 cup sugar, you will replace that with 1/3 cup agave and put in 1 tbsp. less of liquid.
5. Bake your dish in the oven, but increase the cooking time by 6 percent at 25 degrees F lower than required in the recipe. For example, if your recipe says to bake a cake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees F, you will bake it at 325 degrees F for 64 minutes.

My Best Zucchini Bread

This is by far the best I've ever had. It came out light and moist and deliciously flavorful! Deb, I'm sending one with you on the ATL trip. This one's a definite keeper!



My Best Zucchini Bread

2 cups sugar **See note**
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla - might be 3 tsp. LittleOne was helping me make this and she might have spilled a little extra into the bowl :)
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup diced apples ** see note**
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350*. In large bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add zucchini, apples, applesauce and orange juice; stir well. Combine flour with next 5 ingredients. Add to zucchini mixture; stir well. Add nuts; stir gently to combine. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9in loaf pans. Bake for 60-70 mins; till toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely.

** Sugar Note**
Substitute agave for sugar


**Apple Note**
(I used one of the little lunch pack fruit cup diced apples, drained. They're already soft and after the first run thru with this recipe, I was looking to make it a little lighter and more moist. The first try came out heavy. Well-flavored, but heavy and dense. These apples just happened to already be in my pantry for school lunches, so I grabbed one and it was PERFECT. The only pic I could find was the diced pears, which would be a yummy substitution for sure!)