Beenie Weenies

1 can pinto beans
1 tomato
1/2 onion
1/2 pound Seitan
Basil
olive oil
3 TBSP BBQ sauce
choice of meat seasoning(pork is preferred)

Sautee onion and Seitan in a pan with poultry seasoning and just enough OLIVE OIL TO COVER pan.

wash and drain beans. add to Seitan and turn off heat.

Meanwhile, dice tomato and mix with just enough Olive oil to cover them. add BBQ sauce and more seasoning to taste.

Once tomatoes have gotten mushy, add beans to tomatoes and stir over medium heat until combined.

Chocolate cake (with a vegan twist)

½ cup melted Earth Balance spread

1 cup Florida crystals (or other white sugar)

¼ cup vegan brown sugar

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups finely shredded zucchini

½ cup water

Frosting
5 tablespoons Earth Balance
¼ cup vegan powdered sugar
~ 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. For cake, mix together the melted Earth Balance, sugars and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini, and mix in water. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake springs back when gently touched.
   

4. For the frosting, cream the Earth Balance and powdered sugar with whisk or mixer. Add the cocoa and vanilla. Whisk in non-dairy milk (a teaspoon at a time) until frosting is desired consistency.

Vegan Clams!

In thinking up my favorite family dish to veganize I found myself torn between two old favorites; my mother's very basic clam dip or my Nana's linguine and clam sauce. To that end I created something versatile enough to be used for both and much much more!

Seitan Clams.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/4 cup Garbanzo Flour
2 tsp Seaweed - I crumbled half a sheet of toasted nori
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
1/4 tsp ground Mustard
1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper - no salt variety is best
2 tsp Malt Vinegar (can use Brown Rice Vinegar as well), separated
1 tsp HP Sauce or vegan Worchestiershire Sauce
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp Maramite
3 cups and 6 Tbsp Water, separated
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube or Watered down stock at a 2:1 ration water to stock

Directions
Bring the 3 cups of water, 1 tsp vinegar and the bullion to a low simmer in a 2 quart pot. Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk to blend it thoroughly. Mix the small wet mixture into the dry to incorporate well. Kneed for 2-4 minutes. Drop by flattened and pinched pieces into the slowly simmering broth. These should be about the size of your thumbnail and flat. Simmer in the broth for five minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the broth for 15-30 minutes.

At this point you have a chewy small mouthful vaguely resembling the sea flavor of clams. You can utilize them in a multitude of recipes as noted below!

Mom's Clam Dip
Ingredients
Half a batch of Seitan Clams, minced if desired
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Garlic Salt
8 oz Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, softened

Directions
Blend all the ingredients together well, stirring the cream cheese well first then incorporating everything else. Serve with Wheat Thins or Fritos.


Nana's Linguine and Clam Sauce
Ingredients
1 batch Seitan Clams, minced if desired
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, minced
1/4 cup Garlic, fresh minced
1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/2 cup Seitan Clams broth liquid
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Lemon Juice
8 oz linguine or other pasta of choice
1 -2 cups water

Directions
Make the clams and removed them with a slotted spoon to reserve for later. Ladel out half a cup of the broth and reserve this for later as well. Bring the cool broth up to a boil, adding 1-2 cups of water if needed. Cook the pasta in this watered down broth. Saute the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute a minute more but do not brown! Add the butter, clams and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broth a bit at a time to make enough sauce to coat the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked move it with a slotted spoon or tongs into the clam pan. Shake and flip to combine the two well. Season with salt, pepper and lemon. Serve hot and garnish with lemon slices.


The best thing about these clams are that they do not have that rubbery or gritty tooth feel. They are lightly chewy with a hint of ocean from the seaweed but mostly just a rich flavor from the broth. You can also fry these rather than simmer them, making them a great appeziter to pop right in your mouth or dunk into tartar sauce. I also envision the ability to make clam chowder, adding these at the very end to make a realistic addition.

Steak Stew

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 tbs. olive oil
12 oz. of your favorite steak strip substitute, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. onion, coarsely chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 c. celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1.5 c. potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (I used a mix of red, yukon gold, and russian blue)
8 c. favorite mushroom soup (I used Imagine Organic - 2 boxes)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
salt to taste
optional: for a creamier soup, stir in a few tablespoons of vegan sour cream before serving

Directions:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot until shimmering. When the oil is ready, add the steak strips and onions, cooking until onions begin to brown. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to give up liquid. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Check seasonings and add 'sour cream', if desired. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Scallops

Scallops:
1 block (12oz) Tofu, firm but not frozen
1/4 c Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1/2 t Miso paste
1/2 t Lemon Pepper
1/2 t Salt
1 t Lemon Juice
1 T Vegetable Oil
1 Vegetable bullion cube
1/4 c Seaweed, crumbled
1 c Water

Directions for Scallops:
Blend the margarine, miso, lemon pepper, salt, and lemon juice into a thick paste. Cut the tofu into thick blocks and cut into circles with a biscut cutter, washed can or shot glass. Spread the paste all over the tofu circles and let sit 30 minutes in the fridge. After that time bring the oil to medium heat in a grill pan and add the scallops. Sear on both flat sides until golden. Add the bullion, seaweed and water and poach in the hot liquid for 10 minutes, stirring and spooning the broth around and over the tofu. Remove the tofu and strain the liquid to use in something else, like a side dish or vegetable. Return the pan to the stove and return to medium heat.

Seafoodesque Stuffing:
1 c Tofu Scraps made from cutting the circles out
1 c Garbanzo beans, cooked and drained
1 T Veganaise Mayo
1 t Garlic powder
1 t Onion powder
1 t Brown Rice Vinegar
1 t Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Pepper
1/2 t Mustard powder
1/2 t Celery seed
1/2 t Mustard seed
1/2 t Basil
1/2 t Smoked Spanish Paprika

Directions for Stuffing:
Mash together well and set aside.
(Note: This makes a lot more than is needed by the scallops above. Reuse the rest by adding more condiments and enjoy!)


Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Scallops
1 or more batches of soaked, browned and poached scallops.
1 batch Seafoodesque Stuffing
1 package Smart Bacon by LiteLife
2 t Vegetable Oil

Insert the stuffing into the scallops by cutting halfway through the poached circles and inserting a small amount with a spoon. Press the flat sides together, compressing the stuffing slightly. Wrap the bacon strips around the circumfirence of the scallop and secure with a toothpick. Shallow fry the bacon on the edges in the oil until browned all over and crispy. Remove the toothpicks before serving!

‘Nana Split Ice Cream Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe from Vegan Ice Cream Paradise blog, but with changes)

1 c. light coconut milk
1 c. soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
3/8 c. sugar
1 T. arrowroot
1 t. vanilla extract

Mix 2 Tbsp of soy milk with the 1 tablespoon of arrowroot and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, soy milk, and sugar together in a saucepan. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount; it will be thicker when it cools).

Stir in vanilla extract.

Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool in fridge.

Graham Cracker Crust:

½ box graham crackers smashed to crumbs (Keebler brand Original are vegan, I believe)

¼ cup Earth Balance, melted

Mix the EB and graham cracker crumbs, then press into pie plate

Set aside.

Pie Assembly:

1 or 2 bananas, sliced

Handful of strawberries, sliced

Chocolate ganache ( 2/3 cup of chocolate chips melted in ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp warm soymilk)

Chopped peanuts

Layer the sliced bananas in the crust. I did one layer with one banana, but it depends on how big your banana is (hehe). Do the same with the strawberries. Pour the ice cream mix over the strawberries and bananas (there might be extra). If you don’t mind waiting around, you could let the ice cream freeze a little before doing the chocolate layer, but if you’re anxious to finish the pie (waiting for desserts is no fun) just carefully pour the chocolate over the top of the ice cream layer, garnish however you like with bananas, strawberries, and chopped peanuts and then stick it all in the freezer til frozen. Let it soften a little before slicing. Eat!

Coconut Lime Pie w/ Whole Wheat Oat Crust

Pie Filling:
2 1/2 cups fresh shredded coconut
3 1/2 T lime zest
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 T vanilla
1 T agave nectar
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup non dairy milk (coconut or 1/2 coconut 1/2 vanilla soy)

Crust:
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup ground oats
1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat Oven to 425F. Mix the dry ingredients for the crust. Cut in the margarine and add the water to the dry. Knead until blended and smooth, then roll out on a generously floured surface to fit the size of your pie pan. You can also just use an unbaked store bought vegan pie crust. Put the crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling. Mix everything for the filling together, except for the cornstarch and milk. Blend the cornstarch and milk together until smooth. Add that to the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well. Pour the filling ingredients into the chilled pie shell and bake for 60 minutes. Cover the edges with foil if they begin to brown too quickly. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool (or else it may be a little runny), slice and serve. Enjoy! :)

Minty Mudd Pie

Crust

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted EB or vegan margarine

22 oreos, finely ground (approx. 1 1/4 cup crumbs)

Directions:

1)Crush oreos.

2)Stir in melted marg.

3)Press firmly into pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

2 Layer Filling

Ingredients:

2 Deep Forest Mint chocolate bars, broken into pieces

1/2 cup vegan choc chips

1 box silken tofu

1/2 container tofutti

2 TB EB or vegan margarine

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Topping

1 cup vegan choc chips melted or chocolate shavings, mint leaves, etc….as garnish.

Directions:

1)Blend silken tofu until smooth in processor.

2)Melt chocolate bars and 1/2 cup choc chips in microwave until smooth. Stir every 30 seconds to prevent burning.

3)Pour melted chocolate into processor with tofu. Blend until fully incorporated.

4)Pour chocolate mixture into crust and chill until firm (about 2 hours).

5)To make mint crème layer, blend tofutti cream cheese with EB.

6)Blend in peppermint extract.

7)Slowly blend in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

8)Spread on top of chocolate layer and chill.

9)Drizzled on melted choc chips as garnish.

Chocolate Banana Coconut Crème Pie

Macadamia Graham Crust

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely ground macadamia nuts(unsalted)

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers

3 TBS sugar

1/3 cup EB melted

Mix all crust ingredients together well. Press firmly into pie plate. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

2 Layer Pie Filling

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 12oz box of silken tofu

8 oz vegan choc chips

1 3.5oz package of vegan vanilla pudding mix

1 1/2 cups coconut milk or soymilk(for making pudding)

I/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

1. Slice bananas and place in a single layer on bottom of pie crust.
2. Blend tofu in processor til smooth.
3. Add choc chips to microwave safe bowl and microwave 2 minutes, stirring every 30 secs until smooth and melted.
4. Pour melted chips into processor with the tofu and blend until completely incorporated.
5. Pour this chocolate mixture into crust covering banana slices.
6. Place in refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours or until set.
7. When choc layer is almost set, begin making the pudding layer.
8. Make pudding according to directions on box. (This should involve adding liquid to the mix and heating) *When making pudding for pies, I always use just a little more than half the liquid called for in directions. This makes a nice thick and flavorful pie filling.
9. Remove pudding from stove and stir in 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. Allow pudding to cool to room temperature.
10. Pour pudding on top of choc/banana layer. Chill.
11. Toast shredded coconut in a skillet over med heat. Stir often and don't let it burn. Sprinkle on top of pie before serving.

PMS Pie

1 9” graham cracker crust

Peanut Butter Brownie
¾ cup flour
½ cup cocoa
½ t baking powder
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 T oil
1 ½ T flax meal mixed with 4 T water (let stand a few minutes until gummy)
½ t vanilla
½ cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, soy milk and flax mixture.
Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and mix until combined- batter will be thick.
Scrape into graham cracker crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 26 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out relatively clean. Let cool; prepare cookie dough.

Cookie dough
1 cup flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup margarine
4 T soy milk
1 t vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Cream brown sugar and margarine, add margarine and soymilk and combine, add flour and optional chocolate chips and mix well. Spread dough over cooled brownie and refrigerate while you prepare mousse.

Mousse
½ block extra firm tofu (about a cup)
1/3 cup sugar
2 ½ T cocoa
½ t vanilla

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, creamy, light and fluffy. Depending on the strength of your processor this could take a couple of minutes…there should be not traces of tofu at all. Refrigerate for an hour or so then pipe decoratively on pie.

Tropical Delight Pie

Crust:
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 T sugar
2 T margarine (soft)

Mix almonds, coconut and sugar in bowl. Add margarine and mix in until mixture is the consistency of damp sand. Press mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of 9” pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly golden.

Let cool and proceed to pie filling;

2 cans coconut milk
2/3 cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot
1 ½ water
1 t vanilla
¾ cup drained crushed pineapple
¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Optional:

½ cup shredded unsweetened toasted coconut*
1 cup diced mango
1 thinly sliced kiwi

In a bowl combine sugar, vanilla and water; set aside.

In a med largish saucepan bring coconut milk to a boil. Once coconut milk has come to a boil add cornstarch to sugar mixture and whisk until smooth and satiny. Stir into the boiling coconut milk. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat while stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon. Filling should become very thick and creamy. When done remove from heat and mix in pineapple and non-toasted coconut, pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer it chills the better. Garnish if desired with mango, kiwi and toasted coconut.

• To toast coconut- add to dry skillet over medium heat moving coconut constantly ..should only take a minute or too. Due to fat content coconut will continue to cook when removed from heat so be careful not to burn.