4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 3

Tonight's recipe is one of my favorites that I happen to make all the time, although the addition of mushrooms was a new touch. Most people think they can't make this at home and will pay lots for it. That's right, I'm talkin' about ...

Recipe 4: Mushroom and Avocado Sushi
Ingredients -
Nori sushi wraps (found at a local oriental market)
1/2 Avacado, cut into long slices
1 large portobello mushroom, cut into long slices
Sushi rice (white or brown rice will also work, but it's not as sticky)

-Lay out the nori wrap with the rough side up -- there should be little perforated lines facing up towards you, showing where to fold
-Make rice and use a wet spoon or spatula to flatten the rice on top of the wrap. Having a wet utensil is important so the rice will not stick to it and cause frustration
-Leave a small border along the outside of the nori, like so ... 

 *The rice isn't discolored because I rolled this up and then realized I hadn't taken a picture and then unrolled it .... absolutely not... 

-Line up the ingredients on one end . From practice you will be able to determine the right amount of ingredients -- Too little and the roll is very seaweed-y, too much and it will rip and burst
-Roll tightly, but be gentle! The hot rice steams the nori and it should be flexible and easy to roll
-Use a wet, sharp knife to cut the roll into slices

This can be made with virtually any ingredients. Another favorite of mine is asparagus, avocado, and a dab of tufutti "cream cheese".

Sayonara,
Kate 
 

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 2

 

I didn't mention it in my last post, but all four mushrooms were prepared the same way -- with olive and balsamic. 

Now that we have THAT cleared up, time for another recipe! I know I've already presented a pizza recipe, but when is there EVER enough pizza in the world? (Don't answer that... the answer is never). Some friends were over eating pizza so I thought I'd make my own vegan version, but with a twist! The portobello mushrooms alone are fabulous, but sometimes I'm craving spiciness... 

Recipe 2: Spicy Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients - 

Trader Joe's Pizza Dough, garlic herb (I keep these on hand in the freezer at all times)

Sweet basil tomato sauce

Daiya brand mozzarella "cheese"

1 large portobello mushroom

2 cloves garlic

As much white onion as desired

As many jalapenos as desired (Mine were in a jar in slices)

-Let the pizza dough rest for 30 minutes in a room temperature environment (otherwise when you roll it out, it will morph back into it's original shape)

-Use the back side of a spoon to spread the tomato sauce evenly on the top of the dough

-Add Daiya "cheese"(it's not necessary to use so much that you can't see the sauce, the rest of the ingredients will make this pizza filling)

-Cut up the cooked mushroom into cube bite-size pieces

-In a frying pan with a small amount of oil on medium heat, add the garlic (gone through a garlic press) and onions -- I let those soak up most of the oil before adding the jalapenos 

-Add all ingredients to the top of the pizza!

-Cook in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes (until the cheese is melted and the crusted starts to brown -- with this variety of pizza dough, it doesn't golden much so be aware)

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 1

Now that I'm starting to get more comfortable with blogging, I thought I'd start a new feature called 4 ways, in which I take an ingredient or combo of ingredients that you can buy/make in bulk, and then use it in 4 different ways. Being a vegan can be really difficult those weeks when a million things are going on and you don't have time to prep a good meal in the evening. Hopefully this feature can enlighten on-the-go vegans such as myself (and busy non-vegans too!).

The first item of this feature are Portobello Mushrooms! I bought four extra large ones with the intention of making a snack with them when my friends were in town, but unfortunately it never happened. Lucky for me, they inspired this feature and now I get to eat them all week long. For anyone that knows me, I used to have a terrible mushroom "intolerance" (my nurse mother assured me it wasn't the same as being allergic) in which I would go into terrible vomiting fits. Gross, right? Well since becoming vegan, I've slowly been trying to introduce mushrooms into my life, and we are definitely a love match again. They were my favorite as a kid and now they're back in full force.

This first recipe is super simple and good for you because of my favorite super-food, quinoa. And I'm proud to say I made up this recipe myself with leftover things around the kitchen.

Recipe 1: Quinoa and Wild Rice Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients -
1 Portobello Mushroom, marinated for 30 minutes in a bowl with a generous pour of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
1 cup quinoa
1 cup wild rice (I used a wild and brown rice combo)
4 cups water
A dash of crushed basil leaves and rosemary
Daiya mozzarella "cheese"

-Combine the dry quinoa and wild rice in a rice cooker with 4 cups water. This could also be done on a stove, but I love rice cookers because I can walk away and be doing laundry and homework. It took about 40 minutes.
-Snap off the stem of each mushroom. I put them into a bag for later - I hear these stems make excellent mushroom stock for Japanese soups! Then delicately wash the mushrooms under warm water -- be gentle!
-Place the mushroom (or mushrooms) into a large bowl or ziplock bag and marinate in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I read online you can marinate up to 2 hours with this particular mixture, but 30 minutes was plenty to give it a rich flavor.
-When the rice is about done, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the marinated mushrooms on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Roast the mushroom(s) for 20 minutes. I freaked out when I smelled burning but it was only some leftover balsamic that had leaked about, so don't fret!
-Next is assembly! Pile on the quinoa/rice mixture, then sprinkle rosemary and basil on top. For added flavor I put some Daiya brand cheese on top, yum! Next time I would cook them a little more with the cheese so it'll melt -- just a friendly suggestion.

And Voila! Delicious! And don't be fooled by that fork so neatly positioned on the side there. I picked up this baby with my hands and ate it like a taco. It's okay, no one's looking.

Shameless,
Kate

Weekend Food Diary

Whew! Time to catch my breath! Things have been busy lately in Kate's Vegan World. A final review in my architecture studio, working, and my best friends (T, A, L) were able to come to SLO as a recent-birthday getaway. Amazing enough, 3/4 of us are vegan, so I did my best to chronicle (or make L chronicle) the food we ate! Her little point and shoot did the trick just right; Thank goodness she doesn't leave her camera at home like I do.
 *Note: Most of the food is eaten or half eaten because a) we're forgetful and b) it was seriously so good that even after we remembered, sometimes we kept eating anyway. SLO is lucky to have such vegan delights!

Friday evening: The biffs got into town despite a terrible rain/hail storm that tried to drive them away. What troopers! I had dinner waiting for them, but unfortunately didn't take any pictures.
Tempeh Tacos:
-One block tempeh, broken up and simmered in water for 15 minutes
-One large red potato, cut into cubes and boiled for 10 minutes, then added to the tempeh
-Next I added some minced white onion, taco seasoning, and some fresh cilantro
-On the side, I had wheat tortillas, vegan sour cream, jalapenos, and some mango salsa I've been itching to try.
Afterthoughts: The sour cream was tofutti brand, and I wouldn't particularly recommend it. I've bought another brand before and it was much better, although I can't remember the name. The mango salsa was delicious, but wasn't perfect for the flavor palate of the tempeh -- I'm still seeking a good recipe for it. Overall, this dish was super easy and it satisfied my weary traveler friends.


Saturday: To aid our power shopping, a lunch break was a must. We stopped at Firestone's first, a local favorite, known for their amazing tri-tip. L the non-vegan was excited to try the tri-tip salad, an old favorite of mine. Her boyfriend P came along and got the tri-tip sandwich. My mouth was slightly watering, I must admit, but I resisted and the three vegans got ourselves some vegan -- and terribly unhealthy -- french fries. This aren't just any french fries; they are literally covered in crack. There is no other reason they could be so addicting.

We took these babies over to the Natural Cafe, and ordered "the local", a sandwich easily converted to vegan with the substitute of veganaise (everyone should have this in their fridge!). The other girls also got some split pea soup, the vegan soup special of the day. Mmm!

 

Saturday evening we went to Big Sky Cafe, another local favorite known for it's vegetarian/vegan friendliness. The three non-vegans got Lobster Mac and Cheese, a grilled chicken dish, and Lamb Shank (really L? really?? A lamb's leg? haha she got lots of teasing for this..). 

The three vegans shared the Sustainable Local Veggie Plate, which exactly like it sounds included locally grown vegetables, literally piled high. It had everything from brusselsprouts to cabbage to artichoke and it was all prepared amazingly. I had a grilled tofu dish that came with sticky rice balls. Oh. My. God. I need to learn how to make those, STAT. It was this crazy fried indulgence that I basically inhaled. (*Immediately following is an example of eating almost the whole dish before taking a picture.. oops)

 

Sunday: The group went to New Frontiers (SLO's version of a Whole Foods) and bought a variety of granola mixes (vanilla, coconut, and pumpkin+flax seed oh my!)We went hiking in the beautiful Montana de Oro and ate our lunch (vegan deli salads) on top of Valencia Peak.

 

After we got all cleaned up I took them to Vegan Spices, SLO's only completely vegan restaurant. It was overwhelming for us vegans to be able to order ANYTHING off of the menu! We're used to only having a couple of options. To say the least, we went a little crazy, getting appetizers, fried rice dishes AND meals. We would have gotten dessert if there was any room left on the table (or any more money in our wallets). 

Crab Curry Fried Rice (Sweet and spicy.. perfect)

 

"Calamari" (So good! We couldn't figure out what it was made of!)

 

Mongolian "Beef" with Brown Rice

Honorable Mentions:

-"Cheese" Puffs (FAVORITE vegan cheese dish, hands down. T considered ordering more to take home with her)

-Pineapple Fried Rice with "Shrimp"

-Spicy Cashew Nut with "Chicken"

Basically, if you're ever coming through SLO, you must visit Vegan Spices. It's a local mom-and-pop Asian restaurant, and my vegan and non-vegan friends have all raved about it. Embodied amazingness.

That concludes my weekend food diary! I miss you already, T, A, and L! 

Dreaming of Sticky Rice Balls and Cheese Puffs,

Kate

Happy Valentine's Day!

This video is so sweet.. especially those two geese!

"That cupcake wasn't vegan, it had a REAL oreo on it!"

Cupcakes. For those of you that really know me, they are a huge passion. They were one of my favorite things to bake, even before I was vegan, and when I thought I had to give them up, I may or may not have thought  my life would be over. But hey, vegans are superheros! We can do anything! And that includes making vegan cupcakes that don't only look like the real thang, taste as good/better than the real thang. Yep, "thang".
So far all of my cupcake recipes have come from this book by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I saw the book online, and bought it right away without even seeing what was inside. I mean check out that cover! How could a cupcake connoisseur like myself not be hooked? Anyway, I highly recommend this book, her recipes are easy to read and use pretty common ingredients (although it did take me walking down the same isle at New Frontiers four times to find molasses). My only critique: a lot of the recipes only make 12 cupcakes. Heck, I could eat 12 by myself, so I usually have to double everything. ;)
As I mentioned earlier, cupcakes are easy in the trickery department. I happen to have a very stubborn anti-vegan friend who ate my cookies and cream cupcake (maybe more than one even) and was in complete shock when I told him they had no eggs or butter in them. He insisted that Oreo on top was real (Thanks Newman-O's!). Mwahaha, tricked you Steve!
Enjoy cupcakes with friends and loved ones this Valentine's day! <3

 

*Sorry about the blurriness.. still working on that whole food-photography thing.

African Sweet Potato Soup

I made this dish two nights ago, and oh. my. goodness. I ate it for dinner, then lunch, then dinner again. Yeah, that good. I can't say that all my cooking experiments end successfully, but this one was a winner and a half. You may look at the ingredients and think "Kate, you're no cook, you just got lucky with random ingredients". Think again, reader. Think again.
I adapted this recipe from Holy Cow Vegan Recipes, which is a blog I whole-heatedly recommend to everyone, vegan or not. Besides having amazingly creative recipes, she can also photograph her food well.. A skill I'm still working on. If my pics come out blurry and yellow, you'll still try it, right?

Ingredients
 
2 cups water
3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I used 1 1/2 because my potatoes were medium sized)
2-4 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs. I used cilantro, and I loved the complexity of it with the other flavors
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp curry powder





Heat the soy sauce and 2 cups water in a large saucepan.

Add the sweet potatoes and onions and make sure they are mixed well, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are softened.

Add the carrots and cook another five minutes.

Add the tomatoes, herbs, peanut butter and curry powder.

Stir, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for another 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.

Sprinkle more fresh herbs on top. I served it over a wild/brown rice combo.

If you'd like a heartier soup, use less water or add beans such as white or chickpea. They were in the original recipe as well as red pepper, but I didn't want to go out to store that night. And red peppers aren't really my cup of tea.

Power to the Soup People,
Kate

Yummy!

Boy did I pick a busy week to start blogging ... Some of you followers may be aware I am an architecture student (so the topic of architecture may sneak it's way in here), and I had a critique this week. That means lots of on-the-go meals with a quick prep time and easy storage since I bring it into my studio with me to work long into the night.

Here's a couple phone snap shots of yummy things I've had lately!

This is a delightful slice of vegan cake from the Natural Cafe in San Luis Obispo. It was the perfect moist-ness and the taste was unbelievable! I've made a few batches of vegan cupcakes since I've "crossed over" and I have to say, the baked goods are probably the least noticeable when it comes to tricking my meat/cheese/BUTTER loving friends. I'll make a post about cupcakes soon.

This is a home-made vegan pizza that I made the other night when I knew I'd be in a constant rush for the next couple days ... It's super easy, no special ingredients needed, and it stores well so I can eat a slice here and there as meals (this pizza is very filling!). I will be posting a recipe of this soon as well (super cheap and easy, trust me).











Once the craziness of this week subsides, I hope to post more regularly. It keeps me wanting to make interesting new foods that I haven't tried before.

Happy Eating!
Kate

Here we go...

Here it is folks - blog post numero uno. As an avid follower of too many blogs to count (let's just say my toolbar is more than full -- with several pull-down tabs), I never thought I'd be sitting here writing my own. It's a little intimidating trying to compete with the Rumi's, Elsie Flannigan's and Jenna Corray's of the blog-averse, but I'll give it my best shot.
As of January 2, 2011, I became a vegan. The whole thing was sort of impulsive, but to be honest impulse pretty much rules every decision in my life. One of my best friends, Taryn, has been vegan for about a year now, driven by health-consciousness. Another best friend, Amy, decided to take the plunge for the New Year, 2011. Upon hearing about it, I was in too, before even picking up a book or looking at a recipe. Stupid? Maybe. Unprepared? Definitely. But I can honestly say it was one of the best accidents -- err, decisions -- I've ever made. It completely revolutionized the way I live and think about food (which for me, are synonymous).
I'm not here to convince anyone to adopt the vegan lifestyle. I'm here to start conversation -- veganism principles, recipies, being vegan on a college student's budget, coping strategies for new vegans (I MISS CHEESE!) -- and maybe we can all learn a little something about ourselves along the way (I'm starting to get a little cheesy... from the withdrawls).
Oh, and if you're going to follow this blog, you'll have to put up with my terrible jokes.

Vegans Unite,
Kate