Jess and I make a trip up to Ithaca, NY every month or two. We pick up some grocery items that can't be found in Corning and stop for a bite to eat at one of the many veg-friendly restaurants, such as the famous Moosewood. One of the items we pick up nearly every visit is a container of Macro Mamas' peanut noodles.
Here I create peanut noodles that don't require my wife and I to travel 45 minutes. This dish is absolutely delicious and goes together quickly and easily.
Ingredients:
1 package (~10.5 oz) soba noodles
1 cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
6 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup peanut butter (I like crunchy variety for texture)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1-2 Tbsp Siracha hot sauce (depending on your taste)
sesame seeds
Cook soba noodles according to package directions, running under cold water afterward to halt cooking.
Place noodles in a large mixing bowl along with carrot, peppers, and green onion.
In a second bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients to create the dressing. Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables.
Toss it all together, sprinkle a few pinches of sesame seeds on the top, take a bite, and imagine you've been whisked away to the magical land of Ithaca.
(Also, baking some tofu to throw into the mix would be a pretty tasty decision, too, but baked tofu is a post for another day.)
This is probably the unhealthiest meal I have ever prepared. I got the original (non-vegan) recipe from an old boss of mine. I honestly don’t know if the original was better or worse, but he even went as far as to top it with crushed Cheese-Its! I often bring this dish to parties with omnivores. No one ever knows that it’s vegan unless they know that I brought it. It’s always a huge hit!
There isn’t a picture with this recipe because I didn’t want to be tempted to eat it. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and I have to face the dreaded scale! Next time we make this, we'll be sure to update this post, though!
Ingredients:
1 lb macaroni
1 stick Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/4 - 1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper (depending on your taste)
3-6 Tbsp flour
1 pint of soy creamer
1 bag of Daiya cheddar or mozzarella style shreds
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the macaroni al dente and transfer to a greased 9" x 13" casserole dish.
Melt the Earth Balance in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.
Add salt, thyme, and crushed red pepper. This may seem like a large amount of salt, but it is needed to counter the sweetness of the soy creamer. Taste the sauce while putting it together and add more salt or crushed pepper if needed.
Add the flour and cook until thickened and bubbling – about 4-5 minutes. Stir constantly under low flame. Don’t let it brown or burn.
Add slowly, but stir voraciously at first, the soy creamer. Keep stirring until all of the creamer is in. Increase the heat to medium flame and bring to a simmer.
Add the Daiya to the sauce and continue to stir over heat until it has melted. The sauce will separate easily at this point, so stirring constantly is important.
Pour into the casserole dish over the cooked macaroni and stir until the sauce covers the pasta evenly.
Cover the casserole with bread crumbs. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy! (But in moderation, Hahaha.)
Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. That means it’s time to celebrate the sliver of Irish blood that courses in my veins. I may not have matured all that much, but I’ve matured just enough so that I won’t be taking the day off from work to drink it away with my friends like I have in prior years. So, instead of overindulging in holiday appropriate beers and liquors, I overindulge in holiday appropriate foods.
Nothing says St. Patty’s Day like corned beef and cabbage (besides perhaps soda bread, but I have to save something to post for the holiday next year). So, I’ve come up with this recipe for the vegan-friendly alternative, corned seitan.
This seitan would go outstandingly roasted up with some cabbage, or sliced thinly and put onto some rye with some sauerkraut for a fantastic vegan reuben.
Ingredients:
1 c. vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash clove
dash allspice
1/4 c. vinegar (white or apple cider)
1/4 c. yellow mustard
1/4 c. gin
2 Tbsp olive oil
Firstly, this can be cooked in a couple different ways. You can either simmer the seitan in a pot of water, or if you have a steamer basket it can be steamed. In my experience simmering will provide a lighter, less dense texture—that my wife prefers—while steaming makes the seitan a bit meatier—which I prefer. So, get a pot of water on the stove on high to come to a boil—three inches deep or so if you plan to simmer, only about one inch deep if steaming.
While the water is heating, combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients thoroughly (I sieve all ingredients through a mesh colander too, just to ensure there’s no clumps). In a second bowl, mix the wet ingredients and stir together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until uniformly moistened. Knead the mixture for 2 minutes. Then form into a loaf-like shape and wrap into either some cheese cloth.
If simmering, drop the wrapped seitan into the water and simmer for 40 minutes. If steaming, set the wrapped seitan onto the steamer basket and steam for 30 minutes.
Once the 40 or 30 minutes are up, remove the seitan and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Unwrap the seitan and cut it up in thick slices for the dinner plate or thin slices for sandwiches.
Hope you enjoy! May the road rise to meet you!
