This was one of my first Thug Kitchen recipes and it was great!
Lentils, onion, vinegar and some spices combine to make a tasty gravy on homemade biscuits. The biscuits were superfun to make - baking is so fun! Though the recipe calls for wheat flour, we used all-purpose and they turned out fine. The recipe calls for coconut oil as well but it's not too overwhemling, though refined coconut oil might be better. We also only pureed the gravy a bit so it still had some texture, but smoother might be more gravy-like. These would be great served with some steamed greens for a full meal! This recipe and more are in Thug Kitchen Eat Like You Give A F*ck
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I LOVE BREAD. Carby, carby goodness all the time.
This is a soft crusted bread that is absolutely perfect for soup. Especially tomato soup, which I've actually never made but am realizing I should fix that... This recipe is from Isa Does It and I made it after the success of my french baguettes. Perhaps one day soon I'll master the art of shaping bread so it's not so lumpy, but while it might not be bakery store worthy, it was damn tasty. I would definitely recommend this olive oil bread for soup and dipping, but it's probably too soft to be a sandwich bread. These are so much fun to make! A simple mix of tempeh, ketchup, spices and panko breadcrumbs from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Isa Does It.
Whenever I'm cooking something that needs to be "formed into the shape of a ball" I imagine the mix crumbling between my fingers in an informercial-like moment of drama. I'm happy to say that in this case, the neatballs came together easily even in a cast iron skillet, which I still sometimes struggle to use. Isa has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of tempeh. I used to think it was too bitter, too weirdly moldy and devoid of flavor to use in anything I'd want more than one serving of. In this recipe (and others) she transforms tempeh into delicios protein goodness. This recipe also comes with the recipe for spaghetti sauce which you can make or just grab a jar instead. This is also another good one to make double and freeze some of the neatballs. If I gave out stars, this would be a 5 out of 5! Bread! I had no idea how these would turn out, having never made bread before and believing it involved a small machine to constantly knead the dough. These are graciously crafted with the "no-knead" method, which I beleive just involves more yeast, though I'm not 100% sure.
There's not too much to say on this one, they turned out better than expected. Perhaps a bit lumpy, but that all comes down to how well you can shape the loaf. I also slightly undercooked these, but they were still delcisos with some strawberry ruhbarb jam. Not quite tall enough for a typical sandwich loaf, but a very successful baguette. From: The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner Look at that creamy goodness!
If you know me, you know that I LOVE chickpeas - I want them on everything. I especially love them on salads. The ingredients here are simple: romaine lettuce, red potatoes, an avocado ranch, cucumbers and smokey chickpeas. I think I've realized I just don't like steamed potatoes - it's like eating wet styrofoam in my opinion. However, I did like the dressing on this salad, and the chickpeas of course. I would recommend this as a summer side salad and would lightly sear the potatoes, or just perhaps serve with potato spears on the side. The dressing makes a good dip! This is a recipe from Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Here's a two-for-one! Eggless mayonaise from The Homemade Vegan Pantry and the Korean BBQ Portobello Burger from Isa Does It.
The mayo was an interesting experiment - I've always heard that it's a fickle condiment to make, especially in the home kitchen. This was sweeter than I expected and took a long time to thicken - about ten minutes. When it did thicken, you definitely still couldn't flip the jar upside down without expecting a mess. It held together for a few days then separated into a vinegar-y sauce. I'd try this again, maybe in a smaller quantity. Now, the burger was pretty good. The bbq sauce recipe is worth making on its own and I used it to marinate some tofu later in the week. However, the burger recipe calls for kimchi, and as much as I love fermented things, kimchi just doesn't do it for me. If kimchi is your thang, this burger recipe is great! For me, I'll probably keep the bbq sauce and just make some marinated tofu sandwiches. Seitan takes on the main role in this Seitan and White Bean Stew from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Seitan is a deliciously chewy "wheat meat" that is packed with protein and flavor. Combined with some onion, carrots, white bean and rice it's a very hearty stew.
Personally, I might add a bit of red wine vinegar (or just red wine) or lemon to the broth to brighten it up a bit. This recipe also takes some time from start to slurp because it involves making the seitan from scratch. That said, if super-hearty soups are your thing, this is a great choice. As you can see, I added some raspberries for dessert! Fruit is always a lovely dessert - on it's own or with some kite hill yogurt. Recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz These bad boys are AWESOME.
Another great recipe from The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner These are a simple blend of med-firm tofu, seitan and some spices. The only step that's a bit complicated is the dredging to get the breadcrumbs to adhere to the nugget. My hands were super messy so I didn't get to post a good photo of that. You'll also notice that the nuggets don't look super browned, and that's because I took the healthier route of baking them rather then frying them in oil - but that step is totally up to you. This is another great veganized familiar favorite, especially for kids or just feeding your inner child. As you can see, it makes about two trays (almost 50 nuggets) so it's great to make ahead and use throughout the weeks. Enjoy! This recipe from Keepin' It Kind seemed intimidating when I first came across it, but the pictures were so enticing that I had to try it.
There are a lot of steps - prepping the cauliflower, creating a dredging station with the chickpea flower and sauce, three cooking rotations - that I thought I’d be in the kitchen all day. However, it comes together pretty easily when you lay everything out. I would recommend making the tofu blue cheese sauce while the cauliflower is in the oven for its first bake, for the best use of your time. Also, don’t burn it! As you can see in the photo, my first pizza got a little crisp. The sauce on the cauliflower can burn pretty easily so keep an eye on it. Also, I generally avoid recipes that call for “fancy” ingredients (meaning ones I can’t name at least two other recipes I’d use them in) but I make this so often I’ve used up most of my chickpea flour that I bough specifically for this. You can get really great cornmeal crusts in SF (Vicolo is my favorite!) and I’m sure at other grocers. It’s a good in-between of thin and thick crust and has a slightly sweeter taste than normal dough which balances the spicy cauliflower. This is a super fun recipe with a cool presentation (if it’s not burnt) it’s also the perfect size for one! It's also gluten free. Growing up, brussel sprouts were served with a heaping spoonful of Cheez Whiz sauce. I could barely recognize the tiny cabbage-like veggie beneath the bright yellow sauce.
In adulthood I rediscovered brussel sprouts but only cooked them one way: sliced in half, roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until nice and crispy. A little salt and pepper on top and I had a great side dish. This brussel sprout fried rice is a great addition to the brussel sprout line up. Mixed in with some carrots and herbs it really plays on the cabbage-y bite. Adding in the rice and a nice sauce rounds out the dish. You’re supposed to make it in a cast-iron skillet, and though it turned out okay in my regular pan, I think it would be better if the brussels were a little more seared. This is a great dish to take to-go for lunch or a picnic, it keeps pretty well. |