Kyle wanted tacos last night and he wanted to help in the kitchen. I took a break from my freezer diving activities to accomodate him. Since, seven year olds aren't the most efficient kitchen helpers, we kept things simple.
For the taco filling we diced some onions, grated some carrots and sauteed them both until the onions were limp. We added in some tvp, water, crushed tomato and taco seasoning (recipe courtesy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette) and let this all simmer while I tried my hand at making something resembling a tortilla.
I used my favorite crepe recipe as a jumping off point because all the tortilla recipes I found said you had to let the batter rest a few hours. I substituted cornmeal for 1/2 the flour but discovered after pouring my first one out that I needed some kind of binder to hold the wanna-be tortilla together. I added in 1/4 cup flaxseed meal and this solved the problem nicely.
We rounded out the meal with Spanish rice. Kyle was tickled and I even was able to sneek in some garlic scapes from the freezer.
Yesterday after school I was presented with the squishy banana conundrum yet again. For those of you without kids, this occurs when your child brings home a throroughly beat up banana he/she no longer wishes to eat. I try not to send bananas in for precisely this reason. But yesterday I had a stroke of genius and solved the banana conundrum once and for all. Gather round moms and dads, this one will make your day.
I announced that the banana in question was perfect for banana pudding. I had my son peel the squishy banana into a bowl with high sides and smash it the rest of the way with a fork. We added a tablespoon of carob powder and a tiny drizzle of maple syrup (you don't really need to add this but it adds "oo.." value from a kids perspective). Once my son mixed these in, we added 6 dark chocolate chips (I don't know how we arrived at 6 chips, I just didn't want to give him a lot and when I offered 6 he agreed). Viola, banana pudding!
Its definitely a hit because its been made three times since yesterday. How's that for a simple desert?
Showing posts with label tvp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tvp. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Thursday, November 01, 2007
It Must Be a Tradition
I was just looking back in my archives to see if I had posted my leftover Halloween candy solution and I discovered that I made the exact same meal this year as last year! Apparently vegan sloppy joes are a Halloween staple at my house. Who knew?? I guess this underlines the need to have a repertiore of a few quick and easy meals to pull out for nights that spiral out of control.
This year I served the sloppy joes with baked potatoes instead of bulgur. I used homemade ketchup that I made and froze this summer in the recipe. The boys loved it more than storebought ketchup. Jim did not but he ate it anyway. (The girls ate at friends' houses so I have no input from them yet.) That's how it always goes!
Ruthie posted a Quick Raisin Bread recipe that I'm itching to try after work today. Conveniently, we've run out of quick grab breakfast items so it fits in nicely with my plans.
After a week of running around like a mad woman, my errands are all done. I've even put the car issue to bed and I did it all by myself. (Ladies, let's all stand up and sing a rousing chorus of "I Am Woman Here Me Roar") I have to confess, after 17 years of marriage, I prefer working as a team to flying solo on big decisions. (Although Jim was involved in the research at home, I was the one doing all the leg work.) I'm glad that's over and done with.
BTW, speaking of women roaring, does anyone else hate the image of the very pregnant woman that cafemom uses in all its ads? There's something about it that just irritates me. There's never a mom with a child, just a very pregnant woman. We're not all pregnant, all the time. It reminds me of a book Jim's been reading, The Terror Dream, about how images of women in post 9-11 America have been presented.
This year I served the sloppy joes with baked potatoes instead of bulgur. I used homemade ketchup that I made and froze this summer in the recipe. The boys loved it more than storebought ketchup. Jim did not but he ate it anyway. (The girls ate at friends' houses so I have no input from them yet.) That's how it always goes!
Ruthie posted a Quick Raisin Bread recipe that I'm itching to try after work today. Conveniently, we've run out of quick grab breakfast items so it fits in nicely with my plans.
After a week of running around like a mad woman, my errands are all done. I've even put the car issue to bed and I did it all by myself. (Ladies, let's all stand up and sing a rousing chorus of "I Am Woman Here Me Roar") I have to confess, after 17 years of marriage, I prefer working as a team to flying solo on big decisions. (Although Jim was involved in the research at home, I was the one doing all the leg work.) I'm glad that's over and done with.
BTW, speaking of women roaring, does anyone else hate the image of the very pregnant woman that cafemom uses in all its ads? There's something about it that just irritates me. There's never a mom with a child, just a very pregnant woman. We're not all pregnant, all the time. It reminds me of a book Jim's been reading, The Terror Dream, about how images of women in post 9-11 America have been presented.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
The Unmotivated Cook
I've noticed that after a weekend of intense cooking, I sometimes have trouble getting in the mood to cook dinner for a few nights after. I think its because I get caught up in projects that I didn't have time for while the massive cooking was going on. It also is linked to days where I don't get home until after 3pm and I have to immediately get involved in homework help.
I've always felt that if its 5pm and you've just begun to think about making dinner, you're in big trouble. Yet I've found myself in this position the last two nights. I've rebounded from it but it hasn't been easy. Today I'm taking no chances. I'm putting some red lentil soup into the slow cooker before I leave for work. I find if I have part of the meal cooked its easier for me to get motivated and fill in the blanks when I get home.
Last night I combined Sunday nights leftover split pea soup with Monday nights leftover pasta with sauce and the tomato juice leftover from Friday. I threw in a teaspoon of celery seed and wound up with a very delicious soup to go along with the veggie burgers that I made last night. Always test your combinations before dumping things together. I put a little bit of everything I'm considering combining on one spoon so I can taste and see if the flavors blend, or don't blend.
I used the veggie burger recipe from VwaV as a springboard. (I know I've said it before but this is an awesome recipe!) I had neither the time nor the ingredients to follow the recipe to the letter so instead I measured out the water, olive oil, tamari, mustard, spices (substituting garlic powder for the garlic and onion powder for the onion), and subbed ketchup for tomato paste. I whisked this together, added in the dried tvp and a few tablespoons of flaxseed meal. I microwaved it for 2 minutes, to get the tvp rehydrated. I used an ice cream scoop to shape these into equal sized balls which I pressed into burgers on a hot cast iron griddle.
I'm thinking about premixing the dry ingedients of these burgers together to decrease my kitchen time during the summer, or any other hectic time. My fear is that all the spices would wind up in the bottom of the container and you'd get some bland burgers and some overpowering burgers. Perhaps I'll do them in single batch containers.
I've always felt that if its 5pm and you've just begun to think about making dinner, you're in big trouble. Yet I've found myself in this position the last two nights. I've rebounded from it but it hasn't been easy. Today I'm taking no chances. I'm putting some red lentil soup into the slow cooker before I leave for work. I find if I have part of the meal cooked its easier for me to get motivated and fill in the blanks when I get home.
Last night I combined Sunday nights leftover split pea soup with Monday nights leftover pasta with sauce and the tomato juice leftover from Friday. I threw in a teaspoon of celery seed and wound up with a very delicious soup to go along with the veggie burgers that I made last night. Always test your combinations before dumping things together. I put a little bit of everything I'm considering combining on one spoon so I can taste and see if the flavors blend, or don't blend.
I used the veggie burger recipe from VwaV as a springboard. (I know I've said it before but this is an awesome recipe!) I had neither the time nor the ingredients to follow the recipe to the letter so instead I measured out the water, olive oil, tamari, mustard, spices (substituting garlic powder for the garlic and onion powder for the onion), and subbed ketchup for tomato paste. I whisked this together, added in the dried tvp and a few tablespoons of flaxseed meal. I microwaved it for 2 minutes, to get the tvp rehydrated. I used an ice cream scoop to shape these into equal sized balls which I pressed into burgers on a hot cast iron griddle.
I'm thinking about premixing the dry ingedients of these burgers together to decrease my kitchen time during the summer, or any other hectic time. My fear is that all the spices would wind up in the bottom of the container and you'd get some bland burgers and some overpowering burgers. Perhaps I'll do them in single batch containers.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Another Baked TVP Variation
A while back, Imixed up a batch of the taco seasoning recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It seemed like a good idea but it just sat on my spice shelf. In retrospect I wasn't even sure what to do with it since my days of browning ground beef and ripping open a package of taco seasoning are so far behind me. This weekend, I finally came up with a use for it while making a Mexican inpsired dinner for our non-veg house guest this weekend.
I made white bean chili, roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes) and this variation on Russell's tvp recipe:
Taco TVP
3 cups tvp
3 cups water
1 Tbs taco seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2-4 Tbs tamari
As always, I grease the cookie sheet and then combine all the ingredients on it. Less dirty dishes are always a good thing! I baked it at 425 degrees until browned. I took it out when it wasn't completely browned and gave it a taste with the intention of adding more taco seasoning if it needed it but it was perfect for our taste. If it had needed more kick I would have just sprinkled the taco seasoning over the top and stirred it around before returning it to the oven to finish browning.
We served this with tortilla chips, salsa and seasoned bulgur (using the seasoned rice recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette.) I would have made rice but I discovered I was out of it and bulgur worked just fine.
I made white bean chili, roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes) and this variation on Russell's tvp recipe:
Taco TVP
3 cups tvp
3 cups water
1 Tbs taco seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2-4 Tbs tamari
As always, I grease the cookie sheet and then combine all the ingredients on it. Less dirty dishes are always a good thing! I baked it at 425 degrees until browned. I took it out when it wasn't completely browned and gave it a taste with the intention of adding more taco seasoning if it needed it but it was perfect for our taste. If it had needed more kick I would have just sprinkled the taco seasoning over the top and stirred it around before returning it to the oven to finish browning.
We served this with tortilla chips, salsa and seasoned bulgur (using the seasoned rice recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette.) I would have made rice but I discovered I was out of it and bulgur worked just fine.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The Race Is On!
The first rule my life seems to be, when time is short, something will happen to make it even shorter. Yesterday was no exception, I got stuck at work until 4:00pm. Once home, I put my cooking plan into action. In truth, I was pooped and it wasn't much of a plan but it got the job done.
Dinner was the first order of business. I decided I needed to make enough to cover lunches the next day, so that's why the proportions seem huge.
I put some tvp in the oven to bake. I've taken Russell's tvp recipe and whittled it down to this:
6 cups tvp
6 cups water
1 Tbs oregano
1 Tbs basil
4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup tamari
This fits nicely on my largest cookie sheet. In fact, I grease the cookie sheet and then combine all the ingredients on it. Less dirty dishes are always a good thing! I bake it at 425 degrees until browned. I like to get it in the oven first to maximize browning time.
Next, I put up a pot of water to boil for the pasta. I chopped some onions and some carrots and tossed them into a pot with a little olive oil. Once they began to soften, I added some garlic. I sliced some collards into thin ribbons and tossed them in as well. I let the collards wilt and finally, I added a large can of tomato sauce plus a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I let this simmer while the pasta finished cooking.
Dinner made it to the table with a little time to spare, although I had to eat standing up. I dashed out the door to knitting and made it there on time. Score one for me.
I did drive past Stewarts on the way home, but I couldn't bear the thought of buying bread knowing I already had lunches covered. Breakfast was the final challenge and I was too tired to do anything about it last night. Time for plan B.
This morning I set the griddle to heat while I mixed up a batch of pancake batter, with currants and sunflower seeds for better holding power and nutrition. At this point, I can make pancake batter with very little thought or effort. In about fifteen minutes I had the first round of breakfast done. I made a double batch so we'll have tomorrow morning covered as well.
I've put the last two kids on the bus and now I'm just taking a moment to catch my breath. If I make enough of tonight's dinner to cover lunches tomorrow, I'm in the clear. Whew!
I'm definitely getting some bulk cooking done this weekend!
Dinner was the first order of business. I decided I needed to make enough to cover lunches the next day, so that's why the proportions seem huge.
I put some tvp in the oven to bake. I've taken Russell's tvp recipe and whittled it down to this:
6 cups tvp
6 cups water
1 Tbs oregano
1 Tbs basil
4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup tamari
This fits nicely on my largest cookie sheet. In fact, I grease the cookie sheet and then combine all the ingredients on it. Less dirty dishes are always a good thing! I bake it at 425 degrees until browned. I like to get it in the oven first to maximize browning time.
Next, I put up a pot of water to boil for the pasta. I chopped some onions and some carrots and tossed them into a pot with a little olive oil. Once they began to soften, I added some garlic. I sliced some collards into thin ribbons and tossed them in as well. I let the collards wilt and finally, I added a large can of tomato sauce plus a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I let this simmer while the pasta finished cooking.
Dinner made it to the table with a little time to spare, although I had to eat standing up. I dashed out the door to knitting and made it there on time. Score one for me.
I did drive past Stewarts on the way home, but I couldn't bear the thought of buying bread knowing I already had lunches covered. Breakfast was the final challenge and I was too tired to do anything about it last night. Time for plan B.
This morning I set the griddle to heat while I mixed up a batch of pancake batter, with currants and sunflower seeds for better holding power and nutrition. At this point, I can make pancake batter with very little thought or effort. In about fifteen minutes I had the first round of breakfast done. I made a double batch so we'll have tomorrow morning covered as well.
I've put the last two kids on the bus and now I'm just taking a moment to catch my breath. If I make enough of tonight's dinner to cover lunches tomorrow, I'm in the clear. Whew!
I'm definitely getting some bulk cooking done this weekend!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Quickie Cooking
Since it felt like spring in NY, we spent the weekend doing spring cleaning. The Christmas ornaments are put away, the garage has been reorganized and we've even repaired and moved around some furniture that we'd been meaning to get to for the last several months. As a result there are several boxes waiting to go to our local Salvation Army thrift store.
We kept our cooking simple this weekend to allow for maximum time cleaning. (Personally, I hate cleaning so when the mood strikes I have to run with it.) Lunch on both days was simple sandwiches or leftovers from the night before. Dinners were Cold Thai Noodles and vegan sloppy joes with black bean soup.
Vegan Sloppy Joes
Saute in a little water or olive oil:
1 onion, diced
1 cup or more of any of the following; chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped peppers, chopped kale or collard stems - Use whatever you have on hand.
Stir in:
3 cups of tvp
3 cups of water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve over buns or rice. I think it tastes great cold for lunch the next day too.
We kept our cooking simple this weekend to allow for maximum time cleaning. (Personally, I hate cleaning so when the mood strikes I have to run with it.) Lunch on both days was simple sandwiches or leftovers from the night before. Dinners were Cold Thai Noodles and vegan sloppy joes with black bean soup.
Vegan Sloppy Joes
Saute in a little water or olive oil:
1 onion, diced
1 cup or more of any of the following; chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped peppers, chopped kale or collard stems - Use whatever you have on hand.
Stir in:
3 cups of tvp
3 cups of water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve over buns or rice. I think it tastes great cold for lunch the next day too.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
A Leftover Casserole Creation
The weather is getting colder, it must be casserole time! I love casseroles because they are a great way to use up leftovers, they dirty only one pot and the heat of the oven warms the kitchen.
Earlier this week I combined leftover Vegan Sloppy Joe's with 2 large, uncooked, cubed sweet potatoes and put this mixture in a greased 9" x 12" baking pan. I topped this with some leftover mashed potatoes and a sprinle of paprika. I cooked it in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, until the top was beginning to brown and the sweet potatoes were tender. I'd imagine you could cut your cooking time down if your sweet potatoes were already cooked.
The result was very much like a sheperds pie but with a tomato based gravy.
Earlier this week I combined leftover Vegan Sloppy Joe's with 2 large, uncooked, cubed sweet potatoes and put this mixture in a greased 9" x 12" baking pan. I topped this with some leftover mashed potatoes and a sprinle of paprika. I cooked it in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, until the top was beginning to brown and the sweet potatoes were tender. I'd imagine you could cut your cooking time down if your sweet potatoes were already cooked.
The result was very much like a sheperds pie but with a tomato based gravy.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Vegan Sloppy Joes
The candles were a big Halloween hit at the gym, although one member did ask why we didn't do Tootsie Rolls instead. She wasn't unhappy with her candle, she just had a Tootsie Roll jones and needed a fix. Personally, I never liked Tootsie Rolls, give me real chocolate rather than rubber chocolate substitute any day.
The neighborhood goblins were happy with the chocolate and pretzels that we gave out. I let the girls take all their candy to school today. I just want it out of the house. One option for chocolate candy is to cut them into small, chip size pieces. Place these in the freezer and use them in place of chocolate chips in cookies. The results can be quite unique.
Take out restaurants must make a fortune on Halloween. I know I was the only person cooking in my neighborhood last night. I mentioned yesterday that I had an excess of produce in the fridge from last weeks CSA pick up. The majority of it was greens. I have a repertiore of strongly seasoned recipes that hold up well with the slightly bitter flavor that can accompany some greens. Last night rather than use beans, I opted to make Vegan Sloppy Joes.
There are a lot of variations on this recipe but my favorite is based on a recipe from Feed Your Family For $12.00 a Day by Rhonda Barfield. Here's the recipe:
In a heavy pot over medium heat combine:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion or leek diced
1 large bunch of kale, chopped with stems or chopped celery, or beet greens, chopped with stems or collards chopped with stems or 1 large celeriac, peeled and chopped or any combination of the above.
Let this cook for about 3 minutes stirring frequently. If you've used a lot of leafy greens, cook them until they wilt down. Add in:
3 cups tvp
3 cups of boiling water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
2-4 Tbs brown sugar (I started using 4, now I use 2)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
I love to serve this over bulgur.
The neighborhood goblins were happy with the chocolate and pretzels that we gave out. I let the girls take all their candy to school today. I just want it out of the house. One option for chocolate candy is to cut them into small, chip size pieces. Place these in the freezer and use them in place of chocolate chips in cookies. The results can be quite unique.
Take out restaurants must make a fortune on Halloween. I know I was the only person cooking in my neighborhood last night. I mentioned yesterday that I had an excess of produce in the fridge from last weeks CSA pick up. The majority of it was greens. I have a repertiore of strongly seasoned recipes that hold up well with the slightly bitter flavor that can accompany some greens. Last night rather than use beans, I opted to make Vegan Sloppy Joes.
There are a lot of variations on this recipe but my favorite is based on a recipe from Feed Your Family For $12.00 a Day by Rhonda Barfield. Here's the recipe:
In a heavy pot over medium heat combine:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion or leek diced
1 large bunch of kale, chopped with stems or chopped celery, or beet greens, chopped with stems or collards chopped with stems or 1 large celeriac, peeled and chopped or any combination of the above.
Let this cook for about 3 minutes stirring frequently. If you've used a lot of leafy greens, cook them until they wilt down. Add in:
3 cups tvp
3 cups of boiling water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
2-4 Tbs brown sugar (I started using 4, now I use 2)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
I love to serve this over bulgur.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
My Vegan Swedish Meatball Experiment
Just when you think things are letting up they get a little more complicated again. I've been unbelievably busy this week because Jim is working nights. Fortunately, my work schedule has eased up a bit. I even had some time to experiment with a recipe last night, although having been through two blissful weeks of having food on hand in the freezer, it wasn't as thrilling as I thought it might be. I'm definitely bulk cooking this weekend.
I tinkered with a recipe for Swedish Meatballs from Grandma's Wartime Kitchen. I'm not certain why this recipe intrigued me so but I'd wanted to try it for a long time. 5 out of 6 family members really enjoyed this. The 6th family member was neither thrilled nor disgusted about it.
My only complaint with the recipe was I thought there should be more sauce. This problem could easily be solved by doubling the sauce portion of the recipe. Here's my recipe:
Combine:
3 cups TVP
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs vegetable broth powder
1 cup bread crumbs
3 Tbs flaxseed meal whisked into 6 Tbs water
Grease a 9" x 12" pan and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a scoop to shape the mixture into about 24 balls and place them in the pan. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. They should be firm and a bit crispy on the outside. Remove from oven and let cool while you do the next step. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Combine the following in a small saucepan:
1 1/4 cup soymilk
2 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable broth powder
Stir constantly over medium heat until thickened. Use a pancake turner to loosen the balls from the bottom of the pan and pour the sauce mixture over the top of the balls. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I tinkered with a recipe for Swedish Meatballs from Grandma's Wartime Kitchen. I'm not certain why this recipe intrigued me so but I'd wanted to try it for a long time. 5 out of 6 family members really enjoyed this. The 6th family member was neither thrilled nor disgusted about it.
My only complaint with the recipe was I thought there should be more sauce. This problem could easily be solved by doubling the sauce portion of the recipe. Here's my recipe:
Combine:
3 cups TVP
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs vegetable broth powder
1 cup bread crumbs
3 Tbs flaxseed meal whisked into 6 Tbs water
Grease a 9" x 12" pan and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a scoop to shape the mixture into about 24 balls and place them in the pan. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. They should be firm and a bit crispy on the outside. Remove from oven and let cool while you do the next step. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Combine the following in a small saucepan:
1 1/4 cup soymilk
2 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable broth powder
Stir constantly over medium heat until thickened. Use a pancake turner to loosen the balls from the bottom of the pan and pour the sauce mixture over the top of the balls. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
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