Happy 2012!
There’s nothing quite like a new year, full of promise and unlimited possibilities to make me feel like winter isn’t so bad. I love anticipating all the exciting and tantalizing things I’m going to experience in the coming twelve months. 
A vacation on the horizon or a new flavor of gourmet cookies, organic brownies or vegan fudge to look forward to each month, can be great motivators to propel you through the stressful or challenging times that will almost certainly accompany the good times. Plus the 15% monthly club member discount will help take the stress out of gift giving for as long as you’re a monthly club member, since it’s automatically applied to every order you place!
In this new year, as we strive to live healthier, happier and more conscientious lives I have great hope that the positive forces working for compassionate and humane treatment of animals in this country and worldwide will increase and grow. 
Let’s strengthen the already expanding vegan revolution, one sweet bite at a time. Introduce your friends, colleagues, and loved ones to just how excellent (both in flavor and in health) animal-free eating can be. One step at a time, one person at a time, one meal at a time. It’s so easy to eat vegan, especially when the options include outrageously awesome vegan recipes and cookie of the month flavors like Vanilla Almond and Double Chocolate Chunk.
From Allison’s kitchen of heavenly delights: Happy New Year!
Better With Veggies Vegan Baked Ziti
We love a good, warming meal, and is there anything warmer than a baked ziti? Well, possibly, but it sure doesn’t get much yummier! Heather Blackmon, one of our featured guest bloggers during the best month ever–Vegan MoFo– takes a crack at Allison’s Baked Ziti for this week’s recipe. Check it out, try it yourself and let us know how you make it your way over on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Ciao!
Friday nights are often pasta night here at the Blackmon house, as we typically have long runs on Saturday mornings. 
I’m actually not one to believe carbo-loading is necessary, but it gets to be a habit and we just enjoy pasta! The funny thing is we actually met my parents out for dinner tonight, but I wanted to be sure you still tonight’s VeganizeIt meal as scheduled – so we’ll be enjoying this dinner another night! 
Tonight’s creation is Baked Ziti, created by Allison Rivers Samson and originally published in her (2011 Award winning) VegNews Magazine column, “VeganizeIt!”.
Preparation of this pasta steps is a bit more labor intensive than I typically like my pasta dishes. Save yourself some time and remember to pre-soak the macadamia nuts the night before. I had originally hoped to cook the pasta last night, but this step tripped me up and set me back an extra day (always pre-read recipes, rookie mistake on my part!). None of this recipe is difficult, it just takes some time to allow the tomato sauce to simmer adequately (45 minutes total) and then baking the combined dish (30 minutes). I would say a total of 1:30 from start to finish, including chopping of the ingredients (but minus the pre-soaking of the nuts).
The macadamia nuts were the main ingredient in this ricotta cheese sub – look at how beautiful this turned out!
After mixing together the tomato sauce, ricotta, and cream sauces – into the oven for 30 minutes. Out of the oven, this looks like a classic Italian Ziti:
I sliced this up into 6 servings immediately, quick photo session, then Kirk and I sampled the goods:
Flavor on this was good – much like the original. This isn’t a stand-out meal to me, but it’s a good hearty option, good flavor, and packed with nutritional value. I love that this includes two different kinds of nuts – one for the ricotta & one for the cream sauce. Pasta doesn’t really have that sexy look on the plate, but this is a solid recipe.
Thanks, Heather!
Monday Yumday: Shepherd’s Pie
This hearty and finger-lickin’-good recipe offers several chances to decide just how “from scratch” you want your baking to be. The vegetable broth can be either homemade or store-bought, as can the French lentils. 
Even if making everything from scratch, the preparatory steps, cooking the potatoes, cooking the lentils, and making the broth, can be done well in advance. (I love making vegetable broth, it’s a great way to use peels and end of veggies that would normally go in the compost. I make stock every couple of months and freeze it for later use. See our March Newsletter for Allison’s broth how-to.) Once the preparatory steps are done, the rest of the recipe is fairly simple and comes together rather quickly.
Shepherd’s Pie
From “Veganize It!” in VegNews Magazine
by Allison Rivers Samson
Serves 6
3 1/2 cups yellow potatoes, diced, cooked and mashed
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons barley flour
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cups cooked French lentils, drained well
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons tamari
1/2 cup frozen peas
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes with margarine, 1 teaspoon salt, and non-dairy milk. Set aside. I used russets potatoes, which weren’t quite as creamy, and you can see the skins. Also, I only had vanilla flavored milk, so I just used extra margarine. It worked, but I think the potatoes were a little stiffer and harder to spread without the liquid.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add oil and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add flour (I used spelt flour because it’s what was in my pantry) and stir until absorbed. Stir in marjoram, celery seed, thyme, paprika, remaining salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then stir in broth (I used homemade). Continue to stir frequently until the mixture comes to a slow boil. 
Stir in lentils (I used canned black lentils and it tasted great!), parsley (I left this out, not a parsley fan), Worcestershire, tamari, and peas, then remove from heat.
3. Transfer mixture to a deep pie dish or a 9 x 13-inch casserole. Spread the reserved mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable mixture in the dish. Use the tips of a fork to rake across the top of the mashed potatoes, making a rough surface to facilitate a brown, crispy top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are browned. Serve hot.
Voilà! This pie was so delicious it was gone in no time! If you have a big family or are feeding a crowd, I recommend a double batch!
Allison’s Veganizing “Top Chef: Just Desserts”
Last Week's Veganized Recipe: Vegan Battleship Chocolate Bundt Cake with Sour Cherry Compote and Frozen Soy Yogurt with Orange Flower Water
In case you’re out of the loop, our friends at vegansaurus! have been putting a vegan spin on the Bravo show “Top Chef: Just Desserts.” Here’s how it works: each week on the show the contestants create these crazy desserts and one (or several) of them win that night’s challenge. Then, vegansaurus! gives the winning recipe (or one of them) to a Top Vegan Chef to veganize.
This has been going on for weeks with amazing veganized recipes from the likes of Terry Hope Romero, Alexandra Jamieson, and Melisser Elliot. The final episode of “Top Chef: Just Desserts” aired on Wednesday night and our very own Allison is hard at work creating a vegan version of one of the winning desserts as I write this. For now, which recipe she’s working on is top secret, but the smells coming from our test kitchen are making it hard to concentrate…
what was I saying… oh yeah – Check out vegansaurus! on Monday for Allison’s complete recipe and photos!
Monday Yumday: Herbed Ragu Bolognese
Even though I never got to cook with my Italian Grandmother, through the wonders of genetics, I was lucky enough to inherit her flair for cooking. My guess is that she’d be surprised by my take on traditional Italian dishes and my hope is that she’d be intrigued.
Here’s what it takes to make this rich sauce (serves 4)…
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons diced celery
- 2 tablespoons diced carrot
- 8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic, minced (feel free to use more!)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil (I was out of dried, so used 2 tablespoons fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fennel seeds (gives a “sausage” flavor)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc, but Chardonnay works too)
- 1/2 cup Brazil Nut Cream (see recipe below)
- 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (I used fresh this time)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
- 4 cups pasta, cooked (our family likes Tinkyada organic brown rice pasta)
To make about a cup of Brazil Nut Cream (do this before you get started with sautéing so it’s ready to go when you need it):
Soak (if you can) 1/4 cup raw Brazil nuts in water for 4 hours or more. In a blender, process Brazil nuts and 2/3 cup water until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth for a smooth cream. (Feel free to make extra and add to your favorite vegan cocoa mix for an amazingly rich and chocolaty experience.)
1. In a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil, margarine, onion, celery, carrot, and tempeh. Sauté for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, and bay leaves, and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add wine and simmer for 3 minutes, until the alcohol has evaporated. Add Brazil Nut Cream and nutmeg, and simmer for 3 minutes, until cream thickens. Reduce heat to low. Stir in tomatoes and cover loosely.
3. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta and garnish with fresh parsley.
Monday Yumday: Grilled Tempeh Reubens
These are by far one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Not only was this meal super easy to prepare and relatively quick to make (about 40 minutes from prep to assembly), it’s also unbelievably satisfying.
Here’s what you need to make these delicious grilled tempeh reuben sandwiches (makes 4 sandwiches):
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
- 8 ounces tempeh, sliced into 8 large, 1/8-inch thick sheets
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 slices light rye bread (I used 12 grain)
- 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
- Thousand Island Dressing (see recipe below)
- 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
- 2 avocados, mashed (I completely forgot to mash my avocados!)
1) In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and tempeh, browning tempeh on each side. Remove tempeh from the pan and set aside.
2) Add remaining oil and onion. Brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return tempeh to the pan and stir in garlic, bay leaves, paprika, caraway, dill, salt, vinegar, tamari, and black pepper. Add water and simmer for 30 minutes or until the water has evaporated and tempeh is infused with flavor and coated with a glaze. Remove bay leaves.
While the tempeh is sauteing you will have plenty of time to prepare the Thousand Island Dressing. It’s so easy! In a small bowl combine the following ingredients: 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, and 3 tablespoons dill pickles, chopped. That’s it!
3) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread two slices of bread with margarine. Grill for 3 minutes, until browned on one side only. Repeat for the remaining slices of bread.
4) Between the ungrilled sides of two pieces of toast, layer Thousand Island Dressing, sauerkraut, 2 pieces of tempeh, onions, and avocado. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve with a crisp, fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette dressing and a Hefeweizen beer. (I didn’t make the salad or have the beer. But it was still delicious!)
Monday Yumday: Italian Frittata
This is the first time, in my four years of being vegan, that I’ve attempted to make anything like this amazing frittata. At first I was intimidated and thought for sure that this venture into the unknown was going to leave me crawling away with a scary looking plate of goo. Au contraire! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this recipe was in addition to discovering a new taste and texture that makes for a nice change from my usual go-to breakfast scramble recipe. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this Italian frittata will surely become one of your favorites.
Make sure you give yourself some time to prep this one as it does require a 2-hour ‘chill out’ in the refrigerator before baking. But that aside, overall prep time was a cinch! Here’s what you need (serves 6 — and lasts for several days in the refrigerator):
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour
- 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 cup onion, quartered and cut into thin slices (I used half of one medium-sized onion)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I didn’t have this. Doh!)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (I couldn’t find this at the store so used pink Himalayan salt)
- Oil a 9-inch tart pan. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add water and salt. Gently whisk in the garbanzo bean flour to combine completely. Whisk occasionally as the mixture begins to boil to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As it begins to thicken, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, place a sauté pan over low-medium heat and add margarine and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes, then add basil and marjoram and cook for another 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked garbanzo bean mixture, vegetables, and kala namak until well mixed. Spread evenly into oiled dish. Cool completely in the refrigerator for two hours. This step imparts the egg-like texture, so don’t skip it. **I refrigerated mine over night and cooked it in the morning. It came out beautifully.**
- Preheat oven to 350, then bake frittata for 20 minutes, until hot in the center. Move frittata up to the top oven rack, turn on broiler, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the top has browned. Serve warm with your favorite brunch side dishes.
Check out more of Allison’s recipes on our website, here. If you make any of Allison’s recipes we’d love to see some pics – post ‘em to our Facebook or Twitter pages so we can bask in the glory of vegan food together.
And if you’re the visual type…
