Vegan Pizza

Today I made two vegan pizzas, one for us (mostly for Nancy, since the pizza is full of those nasty nightshades), and one for a friend. I mostly followed the recipe from the Minimalist Baker http://minimalistbaker.com/my-favorite-vegan-pizza/ 

The pizza crust I made was from the Food Republic website http://www.foodrepublic.com/recipes/best-basic-pizza-dough-recipe/

INGREDIENTS

2 12-14 inch pizza crusts

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped or cut into strips

8-12 oz button mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt

1/2 cup or more of vegan Parmesan 

Pasta or marinara sauce

For the crusts:

1 cup warm, not hot, water

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing

2-1/2 to 3 cups flour, plus some for dusting rolling pin and surface where roll out

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees F. 

Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add onions, peppers, and seasonings. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, adding mushrooms for final 5 minutes.

Place prepared pizza dough on parchment paper on a pizza pan (the pizza pan is for support before and after the pizza goes into the oven, it does not go into the oven with the pizza). Brush crusts with olive oil. Spread desired amount of sauce on crusts. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan. Add half of sautéed vegetables to each crust. Sprinkle with additional parmesan.

I baked me pizzas separately. Place the pizza and the parchment paper into the oven. Using just parchment paper instead of the pizza pan helps the crust to crisp up better. Bake about 15 minutes.

For the crust:

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add sugar, oil, and salt. Stir. Gradually add flour, stirring gently as go. When proper consistency for kneading, place on floured cutting board or table and knead for awhile. Crease bowl with olive oil. Form dough into ball and place in creased bowl. Rub some olive oil on top. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in warm place for about an hour.

Cut dough into two. Knead each briefly, then roll out into 12-14 in circle. Place on parchment paper.

Vegan Parmesan

This is a very simple recipe for making a vegan Parmesan to use on pasta or pizza, etc.  This is from the Minimalist Baker blog, and she modified other recipes to get this one. http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese/  

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup (90 g) raw cashews
• 3 Tbsp (9 g) nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh. Lasts for several weeks.  Makes 1 cup.

Creamy Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage (Vegan)

Another vegan recipe. I'm pretty sure this is one I'll make next week for my dinner delivery. It is from the Cookie and Kate blog, http://cookieandkate.com/2014/creamy-vegan-butternut-squash-linguine-with-fried-sage/.  The vegan Parmesan recipe is a separate blog post.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh sage, finely diced

2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped

1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cups vegetable broth

12 oz linguine

Vegan Parmesan 'cheese'

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large (read: 12 inch) skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get crispy before transferring it to a small bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with sea salt and set the bowl aside.
2. Add squash, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
4. Once the squash mixture is done cooking, remove it from heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Reserve the skillet. Purée the mixture until smooth (beware of hot steam escaping from the top of the blender), then season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Combine pasta, squash purée and ¼ cup cooking liquid in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Serve pasta topped with fried sage, more black pepper and shaved Parmesan/Pecorino and/or smoked salt, if desired.

Red Lentil Soup

This recipe is from The Kitchn blog, http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-red-lentil-soup-recipes-from-the-kitchn-212392.  Elbert's has organic red lentils in bulk.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 large stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 cup red lentils

4 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth

Salt to taste

1 whole bay leaf

1 tsp garam masala, Italian blend, or other spice mixture to spice up flavor (optional - I didn't do this)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil over medium heat in 2-3 quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover and let veggies sweat about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent.

Add lentils, water or broth, bay leaf, and other spices if using. Stir to combine. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, stir, remove bay leave from soup, and serve.

Vegan Mushroom, Chestnut, Cranberry Tart

The recipe below is adapted from a Jamie Oliver gluten free and vegan holiday tart recipe using grams and milliliters instead of the cups we are more used to using. His recipe can be found at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/vegan-mushroom-chestnut-cranberry-tart/

Because most gluten-free all purpose flour contains potato starch, which is a nightshade, which I am better off not having, I made my own - used one cup in this recipe, and saved the other for another recipe. 1-1/2 cups brown rice flour, 1/4 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup arrowroot powder, and a scant 1/4 cup corn starch.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread

1/4 cup coconut oil

1-2 Tbsp cold water

FILLING

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5-6 carrots, grated

1 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced

1-1/2 cups cooked, peeled chestnuts, diced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 cup non-dairy cream cheese (I used Daiya, since it is soy-free as well as dairy free)

2 Tbsp garlic or walnut oil

1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp dried cranberries

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley (optional)

GRAVY

1 Tbsp walnut or garlic oil

1 Tbsp redcurrant jelly

1-1/4 cups hot vegetable stock/broth

1 heaped Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder mixed with 2 Tbsp water

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put baking sheet on top shelf in oven. Gather large skillet, small skillet, small saucepan, and tart baking pan.

Place flour, xanthan gum, buttery spread, and coconut oil into food processor. Pulse until makes small pellets. Add water and pulse until form dough. Remove dough. Kneed a few times. Form into ball. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Roll out with rolling pin - round and size of tart pan. Remove top layer of plastic wrap and flip into tart pan. Press into pan, repairing any places where dough tears or gets too thin. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions and sauté until soft. Add garlic, carrots, thyme, and half of the two kinds of mushrooms (reserving the other halves for the tart topping). Cook until all the mushroom juices are absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add the non-dairy cream cheese and half of the chestnuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir until cheese is softened and heated through, and all are mixed together well. Pour into crust in tart pan and smooth out.  Place tart on baking sheet in oven. Bake about 40 minutes, or until crust is crispy done. Remove from oven.

While tart is baking: Heat 1 Tbsp walnut oil in skillet. Add remaining mushrooms and sauté about 4 minutes. Add remaining chestnuts and cranberries and sauté an additional couple of minutes. 

Add 1 Tbsp walnut oil to small saucepan and heat. Add 1 Tbsp red currant jelly. Heat and stir until well mixed. Add hot vegetable broth and cornstarch/water mixture. Stir constantly while heating, until 'gravy' becomes good consistency.

Once tart is out of the oven, spoon the mushroom, chestnut, cranberry topping over it. Serve with the red currant gravy.

Jamie Oliver's recipe includes making roasted potatoes to go with the meal and the gravy. 

Asian Hot Pot

I'm experimenting with some recipes that either are, or can easily be made, vegan. This recipes is modified from Real Simple, http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/asian-hot-pot. I was pretty lazy tonight and used a couple of chicken boullion cubes instead of broth, water, and a scant 2/3 cups of coconut aminos for my broth. I didn't use any hot pepper or hot chili sauce, just some ginger, salt, and pepper for seasoning. Adding Sirachi or hot sauce is optional. One can make this vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water

2/3 cup coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce)

1/8 tsp dried ginger, or 1 Tbsp minced/grated fresh ginger

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 oz thinly sliced mushroom caps

4 scallions, thinly sliced

4 carrots, thinly sliced

8 oz fresh green beans, ends removed and cut into 2 inch pieces

4 oz rice noodles or cellophane noodles, broken up

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

In medium saucepan, bring water to slow boil.

Heat oil in small skillet. Sauté mushrooms (2-3 minutes). Set aside.

Add coconut aminos, ginger, salt, pepper, scallions, carrots, and green beans to pot. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add noodles and simmer until cooked, about 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.