Mushroom and Kale Polenta

18 May 2011 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

We love polenta! It cooks so quick and you can do so many fun things with it 🙂 You can probably guess from many of my recipes that I love kale and mushrooms and they went SO well with the polenta. This an easy dish that also makes great leftovers.

Some other polenta goodness: Polenta with Nectarine-Blackberry Salsa, Vegan Creamy Polenta, Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce, Slow Cooked Corn Polenta and Chiles and Polenta Vegetable Casserole.

Here are just a few other mushroom recipes if you love them too! Mushroom Stroganoff, Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff, Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna, Raw Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche, Vegan Creme of Artichoke and Mushroom Soup with Pesto, Thai Coconut Bliss Soup, Easy Tofu Scramble, Raw Mushroom Cream Sushi and Chopped “Liver” Spread.

Mushroom and Kale Polenta

1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (any mix)
1 – 2 cups kale, washed and chopped
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the cornmeal, whisking continuously. Add corn, thyme, and salt and pepper, turn heat to low and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes. If the polenta becomes too stiff, add a little more water. (1/4 cup at a time.)
  3. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and continue to cook for 5 minutes; the mushrooms should be giving off some liquid.
  4. Add kale and about 2 tablespoons of water to the mushrooms, then cover the skillet for about a minute, until the kale softens up.
  5. Add everything in the mushroom and kale skillet to the polenta. Mix the nutritional yeast into the polenta, and spread the mixture into a glass baking dish.
  6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Either serve right away or chill and cut into squares.

Braised Asian Tofu

15 May 2011 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

In the past I had cooked meat for Michael and I enjoyed the challenge of making new dishes with different techniques. I no longer cook meat at all, but still like the challenge of trying new techniques 🙂 This was a fun way to make tofu that we both really enjoyed. It was Super perfect with my Sweet Roasted Broccoli.


Braised Asian Tofu
1 block firm tofu (I used light), cut in half lengthwise, and then sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon sesame seed, crushed and toasted

  1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add tofu slices and be careful not to overcrowd. Brown each side, 2-3 minutes per side. When golden, remove to a plate. Continue cooking all tofu until done.
  2. After the tofu is cooked and removed, add tamari, water, sesame oil, scallions, garlic and chili powder. Stir and place tofu slices back into the pot. During the cooking process the liquid will eventually cover all of the tofu.
  3. Place the pot over medium heat. Cover. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
  4. Top with sesame seeds and enjoy 🙂

Sweet Roasted Broccoli

12 May 2011 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

I love roasted veggies! I decided to go more the sweet route with the broccoli tonight. The result was deelish crispy and sweet! Roasted veggies are super easy. Prep the veggies, toss with some seasonings, pop in the oven and prepare the rest of dinner while they are roasting away. Perfect!

See here for other roasted Broccoli Recipes 🙂 Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli,  Roasted Broccoli and Simple Roasted Veggies. Also check out Garlic Broccoli Rabe or Raw Broccolini with Garlic and Olive Oil.

So bright and green!! Before Roasting.

After Roasting. Sweet & Crispy goodness.

Sweet Roasted Broccoli
5-6 servings as a side

3 bunches of broccoli, cut into florets and peeled and chopped stem
drizzle of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)
drizzle of agave (about 3 tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a baking dish combine all ingredients, mixing well.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff

10 May 2011 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is another Stroganoff recipe. The first one was such a hit but I still always love to experiment. I whipped this one up super fast and it was great! It was very different from the first one since I included the crumbles and vegan sour cream. Try both and see which one you like best 🙂

Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff
Makes 4 servings

1-lb. pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-lb. pkg. Morningstar burger crumbles (or your favorite soy crumbles)
1 cup vegan (I used Hain Pure Foods Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti)
3/4 cup white cooking wine

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling water.
  2. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the onions and mushrooms until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
  3. Drain the pasta, and serve the sauce over the noodles.

Caramelized Tofu and Brussel Sprouts

05 May 2011 7 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

We love all things Brussel Sprouts and this one was a real winner 🙂 definitely on the sweet side, so you may want to tone down the brown sugar, but it was very tasty the way we made it. Pecans went perfectly with the sprouts. For my go-to brussel sprouts I normally use pine nuts (although once I made with pistachios) so this was a nice change. Plus I loved using the same pan to have a great one-pot meal. Fast to make, Easy to clean up and Really yummy to eat!

Caramelized Tofu and Brussel Sprouts
adapted from 101cookbooks.com
Serves 2 – 3 as a main, 4 as a side

1 block extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
4-5 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Cook the tofu cubes in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.

Combine and Enjoy!!

Super Bright Green Brussels 🙂

Tofu and Pecans

Kitchari Challenge – Recipe #2

03 May 2011 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , ,

This is a mung dal kitchari which balances all three doshas. It is particularly beneficial for the stomach, lungs, liver, and large intestine.

This Kitchari was completely different from the first one I made Kitchari Challenge – Recipe #1 and we loved it. We loved the first one too but it was nice to have a different one.It was perfect I made such big batches as we were happy to eat them all week-long. YUM! (and that I am still happy to make others too :))

Do you have a Kitchari Recipe that you love? Please let me know, I want to try more!

Kitchari Challenge – Recipe #2
adapted from ‘Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing’
Serves 8-10
2 cup yellow mung dal (split or whole)
2 cup basmati rice
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
5 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 cup water
5 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon bark
5 whole cloves
8 crushed cardamom pods
15 black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
12 cups water

  1. Wash the mung dal and rice until water is clear. Soaking the dal for a few hours or overnight helps with digestibility.
  2. In a blender, put the ginger, coconut and 1/2 cup water and blend.
  3. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add the oil, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and bay leaves. Stir for a moment until fragrant. Add the blended items to the spices, then the turmeric and salt. Stir until lightly browned.
  4. Stir in the mung dal and rice and mix very well.
  5. Pour in the 12 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, then turn down the heat to very low and cook, lightly covered, until the dal and rice are soft, about 30-35 minutes if mung beans are split, and 1 hour if whole. Add water if needed.
  6. Unless you love a spicy bite – be aware of the peppercorns, bay leafs, cloves and cardamom – pick them out :

Spices

Before adding the water

Baked Freekah Risotto

01 May 2011 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I just recently tried out Freekeh “free-kah”. To me it was a new product but I have read that it has been around forever originating in the Middle East. It used to be only found in Middle Eastern markets but now it is popping up in restaurants in NYC and can be found in Whole Foods. Freekeh is a roasted green wheat and can be used in place of rice, bulgur or any grains and substituted in recipes for salads, pilaf, tabbouleh, or soup. I made a baked risotto with the freekeh and it came out sooo good! I used the whole grain version (instead of the cracked) which had a really nutty flavor and texture.

Baked Freekah Risotto

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest of one lemon
1 medium onion
sea salt
1 1/2 cups freekeh
1 cup tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 recipe Pinenut Parmesan (below), divided or Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

Pinenut Parmesan from Raw Crisp Caesar Salad Recipe

1/2 cup pinenuts
1/2 cup whole cashews or macadamia nuts
2 teaspoon good oil or fresh water
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
pinch dried garlic granules or powder
pinch Celtic or sea salt

In a food processor or blender: Chop pinenuts and cashews into a fine meal. Drizzle in a touch of oil or water. Chop in pulses until moist and ground. Add nutritional yeast, dried garlic and salt and chop in pulses until crumbly.

 Baked Freekah Risotto

  1. Preheat oven to 400F, with a rack in the top third. Spray non-stick oil over a 8×8-inch baking dish and sprinkle with lemon zest.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat combine the olive oil, onion, and a couple pinches of salt. Cook until the onions soften up and begin to become translucent, a few minutes. Add the freekah, stir until well-coated, and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the tomato sauce and the broth. Bring just to a simmer, remove from heat, and stir in about 3/4 of the Parmesan. Carefully taste a bit of the liquid, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Transfer to the baking dish, cover with foil, poke a few slits in the foil, and bake for about 55 minutes or until the grains are cooked through. Uncover and add remaining Parmesan a cook for a few for minutes.

Kim’s Vegan Sugar Cookies

28 Apr 2011 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My wonderful friend and reader, Kim, has shared some really great recipes with me in the past. I am super excited to have her Guest Post here 🙂 These cookies look absolutely amazing!!!! I think these would be great for any holiday or event as they are so versatile!! YUM!!!!

———————————–

So I always find family holidays a bit tough because they always revolve around candy and sweet baked goods.  So every year I usually try out a new recipe of some sort to see how it comes out and to test it on my family.  My goal is to find the perfect vegan holiday recipe that not only will I enjoy, but my family will as well (and they are picky eaters).  So I found this recipe in VegNews and decided to give it a go.  Not only did it come out fantastic but my family can’t get enough of them.  My Grandmother and myself were up to our elbows in cookies for Easter, with frosting everywhere.  We spent a good amount of time trying to design the perfect cookie to be photographed, but got so tired by the end of the night that we only shot a few cookies and decided that we would just slap some frosting on the rest for the family.  They are so delicious that we didn’t think the family would mind or notice.  Hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as me and my family does.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
3 teaspoons ener-g egg replacer, mixed with 1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup vegan sour cream
4 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:
1/4 cup vegan margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons soymilk (I use almond milk)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
(for the frosting I think they messed up the amount of milk. It  makes
a crumbly consistency so i usually follow it and once it’s mixed I
slowly pour in more milk until it becomes a nice smooth frosting)

  1. To prepare cookies, preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream margarine and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg replacer, vanilla, and sour cream and mix well.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry mixture to wet
  3. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes or until combined then roll dough into large ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes
  4. Remove dough from fridge and roll out 1/2 inch thick on floured board.  Cut using cookie cutters.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden.  Allow to cool before frosting.
  5. For frosting mix all ingredients with mixer on medium speed until creamy and soft (will need to add more milk I have yet to calculate how much I usually add so just eye it)
  6. This makes a lot of cookies and I usually put the dough in the freezer  while each batch is in the oven so that while your waiting the dough doesn’t get too soft ( just don’t leave it too long or else you will have iced cookie dough)

And be warned these are addicting, be prepared to eat at least 5 before you even offer them to anyone else because they are that good. My grandmother ate at least 2 handfuls by Easter and she doesn’t usually eat that much sweets.

Vegan Passover 2011

26 Apr 2011 6 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This Passover was extra special with an addition of some new recipes! YUM!!!

We always eat a lot of quinoa, salads and veggies. And of course I also get to have the treat of Matzah & Earth Balance. So simple, yet amazing of course!

Last year we tried these vegan matzah balls but they disintegrated when left in the broth. This year my friend Lisa Dawn has been experimenting for a few weeks for the perfect Passover recipes. Thanks to Lisa Dawn and to Nava Atlas for these new amazing Matzah Balls and Matzah Brei recipes!! And thanks to my Mom and Mother-in-Law for making these amazing matzah balls for us. And Michael and I loved the Brei! YUM!!!

Also check out these recipes as well 🙂

photo from http://lisaprojectvegan.blogspot.com since we didn't photo them from my Mom and Mother-in-Law

Matzah Balls
Makes: About 24

The main difference with these matzah balls are you don’t boil them, you bake them so they stay intact!  The quinoa flakes bind them together and adds protein, how fabulous! These were amazing!!! And now I see what Lisa Dawn was saying how quinoa flakes are her new best friend!

1 cup quinoa flakes
2 cups boiling water
One box (2 packets) Streit’s or Maneschewitz Matzo Ball Mix
1/4 cup light vegetable oil (like safflower)

In a large mixing bowl, cover the quinoa flakes with the water. Let stand for 2 or 3 minutes.  Stir in both packets of matzah meal mix along with the oil, and mix until well blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Just before baking, preheat the oven to 275º F.  Roll the matzah meal mixture into approximately 1-inch balls; don’t pack them too firmly. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, carefully turning the matzah balls after 10 minutes, until firm to the touch; don’t let them brown.  If making ahead of time, let the matzah balls cool completely, then cover until needed. Warm them briefly in a medium oven and distribute them among the soup bowls, allowing 3 or 4 matzah balls per serving.

Vegan Matzah Brei
Makes 4 servings
Adapted from Nava Atlas and Lisa Dawn

I have only seen recipes for vegan mazah brei with tofu and was sooo happy when Lisa Dawn posted this recipe from Nava Atlas. More of our new best friend Quinoa Flakes! This was so good and I added the sugar so it tasted just like my mom’s growing up! YUM!

6 sheets of matzah, crumbled
1 cup quinoa flakes
4 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar

Boil the water.  In a bowl, mix the crumbled matzah and the quinoa flakes.  Pour the hot water over it and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes.  It is ready when the water is absorbed.  In a skillet, melt Earth Balance and pour the mixture in.  Sort of flatten it down a little and sprinkle with salt and sugar.  When it has been going for a few minutes, scramble it a little to give all sides a chance to crisp up. Just scramble for a few more minutes and then serve and Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Nuts

25 Apr 2011 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I love the ‘Skinny Bitch in the Kitch’ Ladies! This is such an amazing and deelish meal and beyond healthy and nutritious. Of course love that too 🙂

Great Combo! We love all things Kale. We have been eating it so many times a week lately and just can’t get enough of this super nutrient-rich green. Expect a bunch more kale recipes coming up soon, but typically we steam it and mix it with some tamari or sea salt and enjoy just like that. So good! But if you want a little something extra, check out some of my other ways to enjoy this amazing vegetable: Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce, Kale Chips, Sunshine Joy Soup, Green Goddess Pasta and of course Everyday Green Juice.

And Spaghetti Squash is always so fun. It really adds a substantial and tasty addition to any meal. I remember as a kid loving to have fun with this one. See here for an extra Simple Spaghetti Squash Recipe.

See the other Skinny Bitch Recipes I have played with and enjoyed here: ‘Chicken salad’ sandwich, Green Goddess Pasta and Vegan Summer Garden Pasta

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Nuts
adapted from ‘Skinny Bitch in the Kitch‘
6 servings

4 lb spaghetti squash, scrape out seeds
water
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced or 2 jalapenos or other hot chiles, seeded and minced
2-3 bunches kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or combo, cut into 1/2 in. strips
2 cup vegetable stock
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375
  2. Place the squash flesh down in  baking pan. Add 1/2 inch water and bake for about 1 hour, until squash is easily pierced with a fork.
  3. Heat coconut oil in a 4-6 quart stockpot over medium. Add garlic and chiles and cook for 1 min.
  4. Add the greens, stirring until they’re all in the pot. Add 1 cup or more of the stock, 1 tsp of the salt and the raisins. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, cook until greens are tender, about 10-15 min (15-20 for collard greens) (If pan gets dry before cooked, add more stock a bit at a time, 2 tablespoons as a time)
  6. Stir in the pinenuts.
  7. When the squash is done, use fork to separate the strands into a large bowl. Add olive oil and salt and toss gently.
  8. Transfer “Spaghetti” to plates and top with greens mixture. Garnish with pine nuts and serve.

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