"Tuna" Noodle Casserole & Deviled Carrots

It's been years since I had (or could eat) this dish...
Time to make a version that I can DEVOUR!!! Muahahahaha! Okay, now seriously--I was having a craving for foods that I used to enjoy when I was a little girl, and of course, my mind landed on this particular comfort dish and wouldn't budge. I used to be a BIG fan of the little Stouffer's frozen tuna noodle casserole, even though it grosses me out now to think about the mystery fish that was lurking in between the noodles, 3 slices of mushroom, and slathered cream sauce--but it was oh so good!
I decided to pair this mellow, creamy dish with a spicy carrot side (original recipe found by Jessica K located here). Anything spicy (or covered in "cheese") will always make Dane happy!

"Tuna" Noodle Casserole:

1/2 package of Fusilli, cooked
1/2 onion, chopped
1 c. celery, sliced thin
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. frozen baby peas
2 T. Earth Balance margarine
1 c. unsweetened soymilk
1 T. arrowroot powder
a dollop each of veganaise and vegetable broth
cubed tofu, as much as you want
2 c. crushed corn flakes
soy cheese
garlic powder
thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a skillet, melt margarine, saute onions and celery until soft. Add the mushrooms, peas, and let cook while you make a slurry with the soy milk and arrowroot. Add this slurry to the mixture and add veganaise and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir in as much soy cheese and tofu as you want, add spices to taste. Pour into a foil-lined 9x13 dish and cover with corn flakes. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, 375 for 10. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

"Chicken" Stuffed Poblanos

Dane and I went to Grand Central Market yesterday...
Talk about a crazy experience! The hustle-bustle of a large crowd of people amongst the brightly colored stands of the now hispanic market replaces the old-timey original market built back in 1917. Not necessarily a bad thing because I really enjoyed looking (and purchasing) all the cool and unique beans that were sold at a particular stand towards the center--the nice man even threw me handful of free, fresh bay leaves with my purchase! I told Dane to pick out something he'd like me to experiment with, to which he picked out a few Poblano chiles--strange, but I don't think I've ever had one knowingly, and they're not uncommon. So, today I did some research on how to prepare these mild chiles and found that they are usually stuffed with rice or made into soup. 'Zaar helped me come up with the final decision on the preperation of this dish. PaulaG's non-vegan recipe was the greatest influence of them all. I'm going to take the Diz approach here and turn this rice-stuffed, deep-fried dish into something a little less cumbersome--soy "chicken" and cheese stuffed goodness laced with the earthiness of shroomies and the sweetness of tomatoes--all over a bed of saffron rice!

"Chicken" Stuffed Poblanos:

3 Poblano chiles, medium-sized (sliced from stem to tip, seeded, membrane removed)
1 T. olive oil (plus a tiny bit more to rub chiles)
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. soy "chicken" tenders, diced
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. tomatoes, diced
a pinch each of:
paprika
cayenne
onion powder
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
soy cheese

Preheat oven to 35o F.
In a skillet, saute onions until translucent, add garlic, "chicken", mushrooms, and tomatoes. Stir. Cook for a few minutes until mushrooms have softened and the tomato juices are well incorporated into the mixture. Set aside. In a loaf pan lined with foil (soy cheese can mess up non-stick surfaces when baked for too long), spread a tiny bit of olive oil on the bottom, use this oil to rub onto the outside of each chile. Stuff with mixture and top with cheese. Bake covered for 30-35 minutes, 10-15 minutes uncovered. Serve with hot rice.

Easy Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) & Diz's Spring Rolls

Pho is the THE dish you think of...
When you want authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It comes most often as Pho Bo (the beef version) but the chicken version seems to be a little more gingery in taste--definitely lighter. Believing this, I wanted to test my cooking skills and transform a traditional Vietnamese soup dish originally made with tons of chicken bones and meat into a vegan version of tastiness--of course with a convenient twist because I have a limited amount of time to prepare dinner on the weekdays. I have made a vegan version of Pho Bo before, but never a chicken one. My mum would be so proud of me right now!
For the spring rolls, I replaced the typical iceberg lettuce with baby lettuce mix. I feel that there is more flavor this way, and aside from that, I LOATHE iceberg. I think of it as the most insignificant tasting lettuce there is and my rabbit can't even eat it! Also, instead of the traditional addition of shrimp or a vegan restaurant's version that adds sliced tofu, I added some soy fish for extra flavor. Spring rolls are my mother-in-law's (Holly's) favorite!

Easy Pho Ga:

Soup:
2 pho spice cubes (the ones at the asian grocers with no beef or chicken, just spices)
as much water as you'd like
1 small onion, charred on stovetop or in toaster oven, sliced into big chunks
1 t. vegan chicken base
1/2 t. ginger paste
dash each of:
clove powder
allspice
cinnamon
black pepper

For topping soup:
a few vegan chicken strips sliced thin diagonally
fresh mint leaves
thin sliced onion (bulb and green)
hoisin sauce
Sriracha chili sauce

as many rice noodles as you want pre-soaked in warm water until softened, then drained

In a large pot, add all soup ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Set aside until ready to use. In another pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Using a small rounded sieve, place as many noodles as you want into it, then lower into boiling water. Cook noodles until softened (watch out because they overcook easily!). Dump into a large bowl, ladle soup onto the noodles, top with desired toppings (bean sprouts are traditional, but I don't like them), and enjoy!

Diz's Spring Rolls:
(no exact measurements)

Spring roll wrappers (banh trang)
boiled rice vermicelli (important! ask if you're unsure if it's the right type for spring rolls)
baby lettuce mix
fresh mint leaves
lightly dry pan-fried soy fish cut into strips

For dipping:
hoisin sauce
sriracha
chopped peanuts

Dip wrappers into warm water briefly, until slightly softened. Lay on a flat surface and place vermicelli, lettuce, mint, and soy fish slightly off-center towards you, leaving about an 1 or 2 to fold away from you. Fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Repeat until all rolls are finished.

Diz's Easy Butter Pecan Rum Cake

I couldn't decide between...
a butter pecan, cinnamon swirl, or rum cake--so I mixed them all together with a yummy french vanilla base! This layered bundt cake was created out of indecisiveness and curiosity.

Diz's Easy Butter Pecan Rum Cake:

Cake:
1 box of vegan french vanilla cake mix
4 Ener-G egg replacers
1/2 c. 50/50 mixture of Smart Balance Light and expeller-pressed canola oil
1/2 c. REAL rum
1/2 c. unsweetened soy milk
1/2 c. toasted pecans
vegan "butter" flavored spray

Streusel:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. Smart Balance Light

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine first five cake ingredients, mix well. Set aside. Mix together the streusel ingredients in a pourable cup, like a measuring cup. Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with the butter flavored spray and sprinkle the toasted pecans onto the bottom in an even layer. Pour a half of the cake mix on top of the pecans, then pour the streusel mixture on top of it. Lightly and evenly pour the remaining cake mix in. Use a spatula to smooth and level out if necessary. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool off for 20 minutes before removing cake from pan. I thought serving it with fresh strawberries was exquisite!

Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup, Potato & Eggplant Soup Dippers, and Sauteed Radishes

Every Wednesday...
I go to a farmer's market held over on the boundaries of Culver City and Westchester. Here, they have a hippie stand at the corner flashing peace signs to sell patchouli, the plant man down the way sells hardy little plants 6 for $5 and doesn't hesitate to give you gardening advice, the little Asian woman at the smallest stand sells gigantic sweet onions for seventy-five cents a pound, and the California citrus spill over almost every produce stand. I love to support a particular organics stand that has a very nice man that saves "top-off" greens for my bunny. Somehow, he manages to keep a smile on his face every time I see him even though I know that staffing an entire stand by himself must be overwhelming! This is the same stand where I buy my carrots, broccoli, green beans, and especially the little Indian eggplants only they carry on the strip. Radishes have been a a big thing the past few weeks at the market, so I decided to make something that screamed "Farmer's Market Supporter" this evening. I had an abundance of carrots, resulting in the formulation of a new carrot soup. I got the idea of using those cute little eggplants and purple potatoes as soup dippers (kinda like oyster crackers) because I didn't have any bread or crackers lying around and the thought of kneading bread seemed too strenuous. The radishes, well, they're radishes, but they are particularly tasty this evening!

Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup:

3 large carrots, peeled, sliced thin
1/2 c. sweet onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
2 T. Smart Balance Light margarine
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth (low-sodium is a plus)
1/2 t. ginger paste
1/2 c. unsweetened soy milk
1/2 T. arrowroot powder
1/4 t. cumin powder
1/8 t. cayenne
a few dashes of hot sauce (optional)

In a medium pot, melt margarine, add carrots, onion, and celery. Saute until soft. Spoon mixture into a food processor and add about a 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth and blend until you get a nice thick paste. Return mixture to the pot and add in the rest of the vegetable broth. Add ginger paste, stir. In a bowl, mix together the arrowroot and the soy milk. Add to the pot along with the cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Soup will thicken as it sits.

Potato & Eggplant Soup Dippers:

Purple Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
Indian Eggplant, salted, rinsed, and blotted, sliced 1/4" thick
a sprinkling each of:
cumin, cayenne, onion, garlic, black pepper
expeller-pressed cooking oil spray

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with oil. Lightly sprinkle spices on the oil and place potatoes and eggplants in a single layer. Lightly spray the tops with oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until desired crispness.

Sauteed Radishes:

1 bunch of radishes, cleaned and halved
1 T. Smart Balance Light margarine

In a little pan, melt margarine and add the radishes. Saute until slightly tender and golden.

Vegetable Indian Curry & Baked Vegetable Samosas

Ooooh yeaaahh...
Dane and I did the whole super low-fat thing yesterday night and for today's lunch so: it's time to give in to a little bit of spicy goodness and puff pastries! Of course, I had to go on the lighter side and omit the coconut milk in the curry and bake the samosas instead of frying them, but it turned out yummy anyhow. I miss my mum's Indian curry, but I didn't have the time to prep her version (veganized) this evening...oh well, sometime soon!
About the samosas, I decided to chop the potatoes a little bigger than usual, and left them unmashed for texture. I just felt like adding extra spices and not having a mashed potato stuffed pastry this evening, but I like both versions.

Vegetable Indian Curry:

12 baby potatoes (red), scrubbed, unpeeled, halved
2 carrots, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut into pieces
1 small sweet onion, sliced in medium-sized chunks
1 (4 oz.) Golden Curry package
1/2 t. Madras Curry powder
5 c. water
pinch of vegan beef base (optional)

In a large pot, saute onions and carrots on medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender--about 30 minutes. (Suggestion: Serve with fresh parathas, chapati, or any loaf bread for dipping!)

Baked Vegetable Samosas:
Makes 5

5 square puff pastry sheets, thawed (or one large sheet cut into squares)
4 baby potatoes (white), diced
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. frozen baby peas
1 T. Earth Balance margarine
1/2 t. Madras Curry
1/8 t. ginger paste
pinch each of:
Garam Masala
coriander
cumin
salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Saute potatoes and onion with the melted Earth Balance, and cover briefly to steam until softened. Add peas, stir, and saute for a bit longer--until peas thaw out a bit. Throw in the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and set to the side. Set puff pastry down on a flat surface and spoon the sauteed mixture into the pastry. Wet edges, fold over diagonally, and press edges to seal shut. Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all pastries are filled. Make sure each one is at least an inch apart, pop sheet into the oven and bake until golden brown--about 10 minutes.

Low-Fat Cream of Celery Soup & Diz's 10-Minute Creamy Cajun Noodles

This week's theme: Savory Soup Week...
After Eclectic Americana week, I feel like I need to go on a light diet for a little while...that's why I think that it would be a grand idea if this week happened to be a (main-course) soup week! We're going from last week's "meat" and carbs to, well, more carbs, but with hearty vegetable goodness in every meal.
I decided to start the week out with one of the best "diet" foods: CELERY. I can't imagine just eating an entire plate of raw celery, nor do I like the idea of eating the stalks with plain old peanut butter--so soup it was! This low-fat recipe was inspired by a non-vegan, high-fat version found on 'Zaar by Lorac. The consistency is not as smooth as I originally intended it to be--I had a blending accident which made such an incredible mess--but please do blend away if you'd like. Just remember: If you're using a blender, do so in SMALL batches or else you will end up under a rain of very hot celery soup...which does NOT feel pleasant on the face.

Low-Fat Cream of Celery Soup:

2 T. Smart Balance Light margarine
2 c. celery stalks, sliced thin
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 T. flour
2 c. water
1 c. unsweetened soymilk
1/3 t. vegan chicken base (optional)
3-4 drops of hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste

In a pot over medium heat, melt margarine, saute celery and onion until soft. Add garlic, stir, and add flour. Cook for a minute or two. Add the water, base, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and blend in a blender until smooth. Return to pot and add the soy milk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer until ready to serve.

Diz's 10-Minute Creamy Cajun Noodles:
(No exact measurements)

Sauteed carrots and onions (optional)
Non-hydrogenated margarine
Your choice of boiled noodles, as much as you'd like
Splash of non-dairy or soy creamer
A couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast
A bit of mellow yellow miso paste (this is a tastier salt replacer)
A dash each of:
Old Bay
Cayenne
Onion
Garlic

Melt as much margarine as you'd like in a pot, add the noodles, stir, then add all other ingredients. Mix well and serve hot.