Vegan Mofo #14: Peruvian Corn Puree with Fried Tofu...

Corn is a staple food in Peru, it’s been around since the time of the Inca’s. There are two main varieties, one that grows near the coast that has a slightly bland flavor, and one that grows in the mountains that has a sweeter flavor. Though I don’t typically eat much corn when I’m at home, we did eat quite a bit of it while we were there. It’s cheap, filling and plentiful which makes it such a relied upon crop. Fish too is a staple food in Peru, what with Peru having such a long coastline fish and seafood are abundant. Peruvian cuisine is an interesting blend of South American tradition, Inca influence, Spanish influence, with some Indian and Asian influences due to various waves of immigration over the years.

For this recipe I used tofu in place of fish, and though it doesn’t have an overly fishy taste I think ti works really well here. I kept the tofu a little on the bland side because the corn puree has so much flavor. The planks of tofu make the perfect little scoops for eating up the corn. Though this is a relatively simple dish you’ll be immediately impressed by the powerful flavor punch!

Peruvian Corn Puree with Fried Tofu 

2 tsp Olive Oil (or more as needed)
1 16oz Bag Frozen Yellow Corn thawed
2 ½ Cups Water (or more if needed)
½ Bunch Cilantro
1 Red Onion Diced
2 Vegan Chicken Bouillon Cubes
½ tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Smoked Salt
1-2 tsp Sriracha
1 lb Extra Firm Tofu drained and pressed for 1 hour.
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Kelp or Dulse flakes if desired
Lime Juice and extra Sriracha to serve

- Place the thawed corn in a high-speed blender with 1 cup of water and blend on medium for a few seconds until you have a chunky puree.

- Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until nice and golden. Add the cumin, smoked salt, bouillon cubes, sriracha and a ½ cup of water. Whisk together and simmer for 2 minutes or until bouillon cubes have dissolved.

- Add the corn puree to the pan with the onions and spices and stir to combine.

- Blend the cilantro and the remaining 1 cup of water together on high, until completely smooth. Add the cilantro mixture to the pan and stir to combine with the corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and heat and adjust seasoning as needed.

- Divide the corn puree among serving bowls, wipe out the pan and fry your tofu.

- Heat the remaining oil in your pan over medium high heat.

- Slice your slab of Tofu into 3 pieces. Slice each piece into 3 more pieces so you have 9 planks of tofu.

- Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with sea salt, pepper and either kelp or dulse.

- Dredge each plank of tofu through the flour until it’s coated on all sides.

- Carefully place each plank of tofu into the hot pan and fry until golden brown on each side. About 5-6 minutes a side. Make sure to flip at least once, to prevent burning or sticking.

- Serve each bowl of Corn Puree topped with a few planks of tofu, a drizzle of lime juice, and a bit of extra sriracha if you like things spicy. Enjoy!

Summertime Kale and Seaweed Salad...

All that talk about sea vegetables yesterday really inspired me!  After writing the last post there was nothing more I wanted then a big ‘ole salad full of goodness and sea veggies. I know I’ve been kind of slacking this year, school, work, the new job, and then finally being done with school and just needed to relax and veg out - I’ve neglected this blog. Sure I’ve posted, but most of my posts these days tend to be restaurant, or product reviews. Otherwise they’re posts about what I made for the holidays but no original recipes. I feel bad about that, but the truth is that my eating’s been erratic. I’ve either eaten really healthy - but boring, thus not worthy of being blogged about. Or I’ve gone really over the top, but using the recipes of others. I’m really going to try to change that. I want to post recipes again, I want to be more active here again, and so here’s a start.

Unfortunately when I was making my lunch yesterday I wasn’t doing so with the intention of posting the recipe. I just whipped some stuff together and didn’t really measure anything. So take the measurements as suggestions and approximations and adjust as you see fit. Even if you add a little more of ‘this’ or a little less of ‘that’ I know you’ll enjoy this salad. It’s rich in high-quality nutrients, and packed full of flavor. It really hits the spot mid-afternoon afer a long bike ride, or a good yoga session. Enjoy while sitting out in the summer sun, with a nice cool glass of water or your favorite kombucha!

Summertime Kale and Seaweed Salad 

3 Big Leaves Kale torn into bite sized pieces
1 Medium Carrot peeled and julienne
½ Cucumber peeled and julienne
Red Onion sliced thin (about 1/4 C or to taste)
½ C Corn (Fresh or Frozen)
½ C Frozen Edamame
2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
Small handful Arame ( 1/4 C or less) Soaked in warm water for five minutes. Then drained and rinsed, then patted dry.
1-2 Sheets Nori (to taste) torn into bite sized pieces
2 Garlic Cloves minced

1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Rice Vinegar

Dressing 

2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Tamari
1 Tbsp Mirin (or Agave)
½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
Sriracha to taste
Water as needed to thin
Salt and Pepper to taste -  optional

- Place your torn kale into a large bowl, drizzle the sesame oil and rice vinegar over top and massage thoroughly with your hands utnil the kale breaks down a bit. Set the bowl aside and continue making the rest of the salad.
- Heat a small pot of water on the stove, when boiling add the Edamame - and if using frozen corn add that too - boil for 2-3 minutes until Edamame and Corn are cooked through. Drain and let cool.

- Mis all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

- Assemble the salad. To the kale add in the julienne carrot, cucumber, sliced red onion, minced garlic cloves. Corn, edamame, Hemp seeds, torn nori sheets, and arame. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss a few times to make sure all of the vegetables get evenly coated.

*** Note - Gluten Free if using GF Tamari.***

Vegan Mofo #29 - Terry’s Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo),,,

Vegan Mofo #29 - Terry’s Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo)

The Region - Chile
The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo)
Page # 144
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 1 hour 15 minutes or less depending on how fast you chop.

We’re really zig-zagging across the globe now as I scramble to wrap up the last of Mofo. From India, to France, and now back to South America with a Chilean dish known as Pastel De Choclo. Apparently a version of this dish also exists in nearby Argentina and Peru but Terry’s version is more akin to the Chilean variation.

Traditionally the dish is made using the new sweet corn which is ground and seasoned with fresh basil. The filling is typically made up of minced meat - gross- vegetables and seasonings, then topped with a blended corn mixture and poured into individual earthenware bowls where it is then baked. Since it was only my husband and I eating, and I didn’t feel like getting very fancy with it I took Terry’s suggestion and cooked the entire thing in a big casserole dish rather then individual bowls, and I think it turned out pretty great, though the pictures make it look more like a lasagna then a pot pie - oh well.

I was pretty ecstatic to try this dish as I’d been eying it with curiosity ever since I originally bought Viva Vegan! I don’t know why it takes me so long to make some recipes but that seems often to be the case. Maybe the long ingredients list threw me off, but really this dish doesn’t take so long to prepare. The filling is a hearty mix of potatoes, tempeh, onion, carrot, cumin, oregano, paprika, vegetable broth, red wine, soy sauce, pepper and the classic combination of raisins and green olives. I love the sweet addition of raisins into a savory dish, and the slaty olives make for a good contrast as well. I think the only thing I would do differently is add a little heat, maybe a tsp or two of Taymer’s Bajan seasoning or a few dashes of cayenne pepper. Also for my tastes a tad more salt would have worked wonders.

Once the filling is prepared and layered in your casserole you top it with a blended mixture of sweet corn, cornstarch, non-dairy creamer, garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil, and a pinch of sugar. Once the filling is placed over top you bake until golden brown. I think next time I would add a bit more garlic to the topping as well as some unblended corn kernels as I like the texture of whole corn. Other then that I think it was a really fantastic dish. I like that it’s unique, and different to what I normally eat, and I love how fast and easy it comes together. Most of the cooking time is just waiting on the baking to be finished which is always nice as it gives you time to prepare a side salad, do some homework, or read a book. I also love that this dish is pretty healthful, low fat, and doesn’t contain any processed ingredients - well besides the cream but if you make the cream yourself as I did then no problema right? It makes it a delicious, virtually guilt free dinner that you can feel good about.

Vegan Mofo #22 - Celine & Tamasin’s Navajo Tacos...

Vegan Mofo #22 - Celine & Tamasin’s Navajo Tacos 

The Book - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!
The Author - Celine Steen & Tamasin Noyes
The Recipe - Navajo Tacos
Page # 47
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 30 minutes

I was intrigued by this recipe from the first moment I opened this book. The picture is scrumptious looking and the recipe sounded easy and delicious. I couldn’t wait to give it a try though I’ll admit I was initially daunted at the prospect of making my own bread. Not that I’m not capable of making my own bread but whenever I do it always seems to be such a long process. Not so in this case. This entire recipe is super simple to throw together even with the bread. The dough is simple, only has to rest for fifteen minutes and then it cooks up quickly fried in a pan of hot oil. The dough recipe is suppose to be enough for 4 pieces of bread but I found it was really only enough for two, two plate sized pieces.

As for the other ingredient’s it’s somewhat traditional taco fare all piled onto a piece of fried bread. Perhaps it’s not technically a sandwich but as it is on bread, and as I do believe I mentioned including taco’s in my Mofo theme, and as the recipe does appears in a book of vegan sandwiches I feel it was appropriate.

So what goes onto the bread? Shredded lettuce, corn salsa, tomato salsa lime wedges, avocado, cilantro and chorizo chickpeas. However I changed this around since I didn’t have any limes I just squirted some bottled lime juice over top. I also didn’t have any corn salsa and couldn’t find any organic corn salsa at the store so I just used organic frozen corn - thawed of course - and extra tomato salsa instead. The chickpeas however are the real star of the show, and I have to say - chorizo chickpeas are probably my new favorite thing ever!!

They’re quick and simple to prepare. They’re spicy and sweet. Basically you pan-fry canned chickpeas in a medley of spices - paprika, cayenne, sea salt, onion powder, minced garlic, olive oil, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and cumin. Until the liquid has been absorbed then you pile them on your taco and voila! Delicious! It’s nice to have both a soy and gluten-free option for a vegan chorizo that is nice and wholesome like that.

By far one of my newest favorite meals, you must try it!

Vegan Mofo #13 - Jenny & Heather's Southwest Black Bean and Corn Mini Burgers with Smoky Paprika Cashew Cheese...

Vegan Mofo #13 - Jenny & Heather's Southwest Black Bean and Corn Mini Burgers with Smoky Paprika Cashew Cheese

The Book - Spork-Fed
The Author - Jenny Engel & Heather Goldberg
The Recipe - Southwest Black Bean and Corn Mini Burgers with Smoky Paprika Cashew Cheese
Page # 79-80
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 30 minutes - longer if you prefer to bake your burgers as opposed to frying them

I made these for two reasons 1) I was really craving a simple bean and grain sort of veggie burger, and 2) I’ve hardly used this cook book since I first purchased it. The promise of a smoky cashew cheese didn’t hurt either I might add.  I wasn’t sure how these burgers were going to turn out, and since my husband does not like beans very much I wasn’t sure if he’d like them, turns out I needn’t have worried because these mini burgers are incredible! They’re so good in fact that my husband loved them and went back for seconds! He even liked the cashew cheese!

What I really appreciate about these burgers is their simplicity and their emphasis on simple whole food ingredients. These burgers are a mixture of black beans, corn, garlic, onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, chipotle powder, lemon juice, agave, rolled oats, and bread crumbs. At first I thought the addition of oats was a little strange but It’s actually one of the things I ended up liking best about these burgers. The oats give the burgers a great taste, and wonderful texture. They’re hearty, and grainy but in the best way possible. These burgers actually taste a bit like a regular burger, I bet you could even give one of these to someone and they wouldn’t know the difference.

The Cashew cheese is also really simple and utilizes pantry staples like cashews, garlic powder, sea salt, agave, smokes paprika, vegetable oil, lemon juice, thyme, soy or almond milk and black pepper.

I think I may have played around with the spice amounts for both the burgers and the cheese to suit my personal preference but otherwise I followed the recipe by the book. Except I chose to bake these rather then fry them to avoid excess oil. I actually think baking them was a great idea, it really melded the flavor.

To serve I put them on pretzel slider buns with a bit of vegan mayo, a lot of arugula, a dollop of the cashew cheese and some pickled jalapenos. The pickled jalapenos really bring it to another level although if you don’t like heat you could easily serve it with some tomato instead.

This is pure good food, just the way I like it!

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa...

This salsa is amazing! Or as some of my younger friends might say it’s Fire! And I don’t say that lightly. I’m a big fan of salsa’s and pico’s, especially strange ones, and I’ve certainly sampled my fare share of them, but this is hands down one of my favorites.

I made it for the first time a couple of months ago, right before my husband and I went on vacation. I don’t remember what possessed me to make it, but I think it had something to do with having an abundance of Fresh corn on the cob and avocados that needed to be used before we went away. Grilled corn is a favorite dish of mine particularly in the summer and so I thought why not use my favorite method for cooking corn and combine it with one of my favorite summer time accompaniments? Thus grilled corn and avocado salsa was born. Not that I’m claiming it’s a totally original concept - I’m sure someone, somewhere has thought of it before - but it is nonetheless delicious.

I know that we’re near the end of summer now and you’re probably thinking to yourself why didn’t I post a summer recipe during the heart of summer? Well, as it happens I forgot to take a picture the night I first made this delicious salsa, then I forgot to write the recipe down too! With no recipe and no picture there wasn’t much to post about, and there weren’t even any leftovers to take a picture of the next day because we gobbled the whole thing up.

Luckily my Mother-In-Law was having a get together with some of her girlfriends today and she requested that I make the Grilled Corn Salsa for her little party. I said sure, and then worked from my memory of what I did the last time to make it all over again. It came out exactly like I remember, a beautiful blend of bold flavors, with lots of potent garlic, tangy lime, and creamy avocado, not to mention that fantastic ‘just off the grill’ flavor from the corn.

This time around I made sure to take a photo, and write the recipe down. Oh and the best part? This Grilled Corn Salsa is totally omnivore approved! It was a big hit at my mother-in-law’s party and there wasn’t a vegetarian to be found amongst them - let alone a vegan - so make it for your next gathering or party and be prepared to wow your friends/family.

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa 

4 Ears of Corn with Husk on
4 Large Garden Tomatoes diced
8 Cloves Garlic minced (or more to taste)
1 Red Onion finely diced
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
½ tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper (more if you like more heat)
1 ½ tsp Sea Salt (or more or less depending on your taste)
Black Pepper to taste
3/4 - 1 tsp Smoked Paprika (to taste)
1 Large bunch Cilantro minced
4 Large Avocados Diced

- Soak corn in a large pot of salted water for 1-2 hours.

- Remove corn from the soaking pot and shake off excess water. Using a medium heat grill corn until husks are blackened and corn kernels are bright yellow. Depending on your grill and your heat setting this can take as little as 8 minutes or as long as 20 keep an eye on it!!!

- Remove corn from grill and place onto a plate to cool. Once sufficiently cool to the touch remove the husks and any silk. Cut all the corn away from the cob and place it into a large bowl. Discard any kernels that may have burned during grilling.

- Add all the remaining ingredients except cilantro and Avocado to the salsa. Mix until thoroughly combined.

- Add in the Cilantro and Avocado mix gently until just combined. Taste for seasonings and flavor and adjust as needed. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and for a lovely presentation garnish with thin slices of avocado and big leaves of cilantro. Enjoy!

*** Note - This recipe makes A LOT! So if you’re just making it for a couple of people, or just yourself, then half the recipe. However if you’re making it for a party or gathering this is a perfect amount. It will get eaten I assure you! Also this is super easy to make in advance. Prep everything in the morning or even the night before, then add the cilantro and avocado in at the last minute right before serving.***

Ancient Inca Tri-Quinoa Stew...

Yesterday was a relatively chilly day, it was also a rather busy day for me, coming at the end of a busy weekend. I wanted something warming, and hearty for dinner that wouldn’t take all that much effort or time on my part, and I wanted to incorporate Quinoa. I’ve been really craving this delicious little grain over the past few days, and as I never seem to eat enough of it, I really wanted to make a dish that would showcase it prominently.

For those of you unfamiliar with Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) it is a grain like crop, hailing from the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia and Peru, where it was domesticated for human consumption roughly 4000 years ago. Quinoa is a very nutrient dense food, containing all the essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein! It’s also a good source of fiber, calcium, phosphorus and iron. The Incas held this crop as sacred and referred to it as the "Mother of all Grains" and is it any wonder? A 100g serving of Quinoa contains 7g of fiber, 14g of protein, 35% Iron, 55% Magnesium, 65% phosphorus, 33% Zinc, and many B Vitamins as well as Vitamin E. Amazing! Quinoa was also called the "Gold of the Incas" because they recognized and utilized it’s value. Inca warriors would often sit down to a big dish of Quinoa just before battle because they believed this grain made them strong and powerful.

What I really love about quinoa - aside from it’s delicious flavor of course - is it’s versatility. You can use it in any way that you’d traditionally use rice, barley, cous cous or other grains. I’ve seen people make Greek Dolmas with Quinoa, and it’s becoming more and more popular to make sushi with it as well. You can steam or stir-fry veggies to spoon over top of it, use it in stew, soup or chili, toss it into salads or even eat it as a breakfast porridge instead of oatmeal as the Inca did. Quinoa is also very quick to cook, in roughly 20 minutes you can have a big steaming pot of it ready to go. Personally I like to cook mine in low-sodium vegetable broth - as I do with rice and cous cous - but water is totally fine too. So if you haven’t tried quinoa you absolutely must, and if you have tried it an liked it you should try to make it a staple in your diet for it’s wonderful health benefits! Just make sure you rinse your Quinoa first to remove any bitter residue.

As for this stew, I wanted something with a South American flair that would compliment the Quinoa’s region or origin, but at the same time I wanted a stew that was lightly seasoned. Too often our food is overly spiced and so the natural flavors don’t get the chance to truly shine through. In this dish I wanted to be able to taste the nuttiness of the Quinoa, the sweetness of the corn, the tanginess of lime and the acidity of the tomatoes. However if you want the stew to be a little more spicy or a little more sweet or a little more tart feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your preference, oh and while I’ve listed the avocado as being optional I definitely recommend it. It pairs so beautifully with the stew and lends a wonderful mouth feel to have creamy raw avocado mixed in with your hot grainy stew. Although a dollop or two of guacamole would probably be just as good if you’d prefer.

Okay, before I get to it let me just say that I know this is going to look like a lot of ingredients but trust me when I say this dish is actually really simple and comes together very easy. You hardly have to do any chopping and most of the cook time is spent with you just sitting around waiting for the stew to finish simmering. There Is so much you can do in that downtime. Shower, read, check your e-mail you name it. It’s the perfect after work dinner. Throw everything in a pot and go!

Ancient Inca Tri-Quinoa Stew

1/4 C Vegetable Broth
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
10 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 Large Red Onion
1 Orange Bell Pepper
6-10 Baby Bella Mushrooms chopped
½ C White Quinoa
½ C Black Quinoa
½ C Red Quinoa
3 ½ C Vegetable Broth
1 ½ C Corn Kernels
1 15 oz Can Black Beans
1 28oz Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
3 tsp Chili Powder
3 tsp Ground Cumin
2 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp White Pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
Black Pepper to taste
3-4Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Bunch Cilantro minced
Sliced Avocado (Optional but highly recommended)

- Pour quarter cup of vegetable broth and 2 tbsp of lime juice into a soup pot. Add minced garlic, onion, and bell pepper and saute on medium until veggies are soft and translucent. About 5-7 minutes, sprinkle with black pepper to taste, add in mushrooms and saute another 3-4 minutes.

- Add all quinoa to the pot along with the fire roasted tomatoes and remaining 3 ½ C vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Let boil for five minutes then reduce heat and let simmer for 35 minutes.

- Add in Corn kernels, black beans, chili powder, cumin, oregano, white pepper, and smoked paprika and let simmer another 15-20 minutes.

- By now Quinoa should be fully cooked and expanded and the amount of liquid in the pot should have decreased some. If this is not the case then let simmer an additional ten minutes. Otherwise add in Cilantro, the last 3 tbsp of lime juice, and agave nectar. Stir to combine, simmer for 5 minutes and then serve.

- Garnish with half a sliced avocado per bowl, and serve with a side salad or a hunk of cornbread. I decided to serve mine with cornbread. The basic recipe for which I got from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s book "The Joy of Vegan Baking" However I added in a 1/3 C of minced cilantro and 2 Tbsp of minced Jalapeno for a little Latin kick.

***Note: I realize not all of you may have access to so many different types of Quinoa, so if you don’t, don’t fret. It’s perfectly all right to use whatever kind you have and I don’t think the flavor of the stew will suffer for it. Although Black Quinoa is my absolute favorite so if you can find it I highly recommend you grab some! Also you can use any bell pepper you have, I would have used red but orange was the only kind I had at the time.***

Sloppy Joe Casserole...

The first time I ever ate a Sloppy Joe was the first time my husband ever cooked for me. Except he wasn’t my husband then, hell he wasn’t even my boyfriend! He was just a friend, a good friend, the kind of friend you share feelings with but are too afraid to act on, in that particular moment, you know? Actually that night he wasn’t just cooking for me, but for my family as well, or at least my mother and step-father, I don’t recall my brother being there but he might have been.

It was March, he was on Spring Break from University, he had literally just met my family a couple of days before, and there he was standing in the kitchen of my childhood home completely lost and entirely unsure of how to use an electric stove. It’s all gas in Chicagoland you see. I was excited, and impressed that a man was interested in cooking for me, and of course I was very curious to try this strange thing called a Sloppy Joe. With a little direction from my mother and I, as to where various kitchen tools were located, and how to use the stove, dinner arrived, and it was good. It was strange, but good and I enjoyed it all the more because he had made it for me.

Over the years he would make me Sloppy Joe’s whenever we got a hankering for them, and they always bring me back to that moment in our history together. To those first blooming buds of love and romance. Since going vegan I have found many delicious recipes for Sloppy Joe’s and though I’m the one to make them now, rather then him, they are still delicious and still bring back those sentimental moments.

Sloppy Joe Casserole however is another beast entirely. I had never even heard of it until after we were married. Like the beef stroganoff I posted about yesterday, this is a dish my husband recalls fondly from his childhood, and again it’s a dish I was exposed to frequently after marriage. Though I didn’t hate it as much as beef stroganoff, I didn’t love it as much as a plain ole’ Sloppy Joe either. I guess, if I’m being honest here I just never really got the point of it. Maybe I’m just not a casserole person - no scratch that, I know I’m not a casserole person - but this dish just never appealed to me the way it did my husband. I guess it didn’t help either that after eating it I’d always feel heavy, bloated and usually ill, as did my husband more often then not.

However how could I refuse his request to make a vegan version for his birthday? I couldn’t, and it just so happens that the day I made it, I was kind of in the mood for something really, really bad. I was really in the mood for some carbs and oozy gooey cheesy goodness, so it worked out, and much to my surprise this vegan version was pretty damn good. It definitely satisfied that craving for gooey badness, and it also came very close to what I remember Sloppy Joe Casserole tasting like. Except it wasn’t greasy which I loved. It had a much cleaner taste then your regular beef casserole, a much smoother natural feel and flavor. The other great thing about this dish is even though it’s definitely a ‘stick to your ribs’ kind of meal, it doesn’t actually bog you down and make you feel bloated. Neither my husband or I felt ill after eating it which is a nice change from how we’d often feel after eating the typical beef version. My husband absolutely loved it and devoured two plates of it, and though I would rather have made a more impressive dinner for his birthday, it is exactly what he wanted. I would be happy to make this again for him upon his request.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

1 Tsp Olive Oil
6 Cloves Garlic minced
1 Large Onion Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper Diced
1 Tube Gimmie Lean Ground Beef Style (Or other faux beef alternative)
1 Faux Beef Bouillon Cube + 1 ½ C Water
1 6 oz can Italian Seasoned tomato paste
1 6 oz can tomato juice
2 C Fresh or Frozen Corn Kernels
2 Tsp Ground Chili Powder
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (more if you like heat)
1 Package Daiya Cheddar Cheese (Or other non-dairy Cheese)
10oz Rotini Pasta
Salt and Pepper to taste

- Pre-heat your oven to 350'F

- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

- Meanwhile heat oil in large pan, add garlic onion and bell pepper and saute for 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Add in Gimmie Lean Ground Beef, and use your spatula to break it up into ground beef sized chunks. Continue to Saute over medium heat for another 5-8 minutes until Gimmie Lean is nicely browned.

- Meanwhile dissolve your faux beef bouillon cube in water and set aside.

- Add Chili powder, cumin and cayenne to the Gimmie Lean mixture. Stir to combine. Add in tomato paste, tomato juice and faux beef bouillon mixture. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

- Add in corn kernels, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

- Add in cooked pasta and stir gently until well combines and all pasta is covered with sauce. Pour into a medium sized casserole dish and spread the Daiya Cheese over top.

- Place in the oven and bake at 350 for roughly 20 minutes until daiya is nicely melted. Serve and enjoy!

*** Note - Gluten-Free if made with Gluten-Free non-dairy cheese, faux beef, and noodles. I actually used Brown Rice Rotini, and Daiya is naturally GF. Can also be soy-free if you use soy-free faux beef. Daiya is also SF***

Vegan Mofo # 25 Terry’s Pan-Seared Sweet Corn...

Vegan Mofo # 25 Terry’s Pan-Seared Sweet Corn

The Book - Clean Start
The Author - Terry Walters
The Recipe - Pan-Seared Sweet Corn
Page - 102
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - 30 minutes

This is another one of those dishes that I’ve been wanting to make for a while, but it seems that every time I was geared up to make it in the past something happened to foil my plans. That is until last night, when everything finally came together. This dish is phenomenal, hands down amazing!

Like most of Terry’s recipe this dish is quick and easy to prepare however it does require some advanced planning. Mainly just making sure you have the corn on the cob and set aside the time to soak it. Also like most of her recipes the ingredients are few, but the flavor is loaded. In this wonderful dish there is the most perfect blend of sweet, heat and a delicate twist of sour from the lime juice.

Though this dish is listed in the fall chapter I think this would be a perfect dish to serve as a side during Spring, Summer or Fall. It would be perfect to bring to a bbq to serve alongside some veggie burgers and potato salad. It’s wonderful as part of a Thanksgiving feast, or serve it with something simple. I ended up serving it alongside Terry’s Sauteed Greens with Leeks and Garlic and it was incredible.

As far as recipe alterations go all I did was add a full onion and a full red pepper rather then a half of each. I also added in a squirt more lime juice and a pinch more chili powder. Otherwise I followed the directions exactly. Seriously this Pan-Seared Sweet Corn is a must try!

Vegan Mofo #13 - Isa’s Lentil Eggplant Chili Mole with Fresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread...

Vegan Mofo #13 - Isa’s Lentil Eggplant Chili Mole with Fresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread

The Book - "Appetite for Reduction"
The Author - Isa Chandra Moskowitz
The Recipe - Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole with Fresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread
Page # 242-243
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 15 minutes prep time, 45-60 min cook time for Chili - Roughly 15 minutes prep time, 30-45 minutes cook time for cornbread.

I love Chili! It’s another one of my favorite meals from growing up. There’s nothing better then having a big pot of fragrant chili on the stove during those long cold winter months. However as much as I love chili, I don’t make it that often anymore. See my husband is not a fan of beans, how anyone can not like beans I don’t know! And I love beans in my chili, the more the merrier, so making two pots of chili isn’t always worth the effort.

When I first saw this recipe in ‘Appetite for Reduction’ I thought, great! A Chili recipe with no beans! It had lentils which I love and my husband tolerates and Eggplant which my husband loves and I tolerate. You see Eggplant is one of those rare vegetables that I only like if cooked certain ways. Too often I find it to be too chewy, too tough, too waxy or too bitter. However when cooked just right eggplant is delicious, so I was very curious to try this recipe. Though despite my curiosity I must admit I was also skeptical. The recipe calls for 2 medium eggplants which is a lot of eggplant, not to mention it also calls for cocoa powder and cinnamon. I’d actually never had a mole sauce before trying out this chili, but I know adding cocoa and cinnamon to chili is a common thing in Mexico. I’d just never had chili with cinnamon or cocoa in it, and honestly cocoa and cinnamon just don’t sound like they belong in chili. Yet despite my reservations I decided to give this recipe a try because what’s the worst that could happen? You don’t like it? Big deal. The best thing that could happen is that it becomes your favorite meal, and that’s almost always a risk I’m willing to take.

I was seriously surprised with this recipe. It was so much better then I even imagined it would be. The flavors worked really well together and both the cinnamon and the cocoa were subtle. The eggplant too was hardly noticeable as it cooks down a lot. Trust me on this, when you cut up two large or medium eggplants it’s going to look like A LOT, but it will cook down almost into liquid, so don’t be tempted to use less! I did make a couple of changes to the recipe. First of all I used slightly less cocoa powder. I’m sure the 2 tbsp would have been fine but I was erring on the side of caution. I also added more cumin, chili powder, garlic and oregano then she suggests. As much as I love Isa’s recipe I find I generally have to add more seasoning because I like my flavors really bold. However I suggest you cook it the directed way and then taste it before adding in more just incase the spicing is good enough for you. You can always add more after all but once it’s in there you can’t take it away.

I must say I really am surprised at just how good this chili was. Who knew? I particularly loved the addition of lentils, lentils are a wonderful food, a favorite of mine so adding them into anything always pleases me. Though oddly I don’t think it ever would have occurred to me to add lentils into chili on my own. This chili is also particularly good wit the suggested fresh corn and scallion cornbread, in fact making that cornbread to serve with this chili is a must! Not only is the flavor phenomenal but it really rounds out the chili. They really compliment each other beautifully.

What I love about this cornbread recipe is it’s creativity. Using fresh corn and scallions in a cornbread recipe is not something I would have thought of. This is a revelation, and now I can’t wait to try and add all kinds of things into my future cornbread recipes. Subsequently this is also the recipe that turned my husband from a cornbread hater to a cornbread lover, so I gotta be happy about that. I followed the recipe as directed except I added a bit more corn kernals and green onions to the batter, just a personal preference.

Then I served the chili topped with a pinch of daiya cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro. With a triangle of cornbread stuck in the side. It’s the perfect fill your gut, stick to your ribs meal for any cool fall or winter evening.