fried okra

ingredients:
okra, sliced
cornmeal (at least 1 cup)
salt and pepper
canola oil (2-4 cups)

directions:
1)   preheat canola oil in a large pot on medium high.
mix cornmeal, salt, and pepper in a large shallow dish.
2)  wet okra slices in cold water, drain.
3)  roll okra slices into cornmeal mixture.
4) fry okra slices until golden brown.

vegan cornbread muffins

ingredients:
2 cups of almond milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup of fresh corn

directions:
1) preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) combine milk and vinegar in bowl.  set aside and let curdle.
3)  in a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.  add soy milk/vinegar and corn.  mix well.
4) spray muffin pans with nonstick spray.  spoon in cornbread mixture.  place in oven and bake for 30-32 minutes.
**adapted from Veganomigon.

vegan gumbo

1/3 cup of vegan butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced thinly
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10 oz package of okra, sliced thinly
1 (28 oz) of can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (16 oz) kidney beans
1 bag of fresh chopped collard greens
2 carrots, diced
4 cups of vegetable broth
3 tblsp tomato paste
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp allspice
2 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
louisana hot sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1)  in a large pot, on medium-low heat, melt butter and add the flour.  cook the flour mixture and stir frequently until you smell a toasty aroma.  this will take about 10 minutes.
2)  add onions and peppers.  cook on medium high for 12 minutes.
3)  add the celery, garlic, carrots, and okra. cook for 6 minutes.  add the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and vegetable broth.  stir completely.
4)  add all of the seasoning ingredients.  raise the heat and bring to a boil.  then lower the heat and cover.  simmer for 35 minutes.
5) add the collard greens.  cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
6) spoon over rice and serve piping hot.

** recipe adapted from Veganomigon**

portobello avocado sandwich

ingredients:
1/2 portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
4 slices of red bell pepper
spinach

olive oil
whole wheat bread

directions:
1)  brush olive oil on mushroom and bell peppers.
2) on medium- low heat, cook the mushrooms and bell peppers in a pan.   set vegetables aside.
3)  brush olive oil on bread.  toast bread in pan.
4)  assemble sandwich by layer a slice of toast, avocado, spinach, peppers, mushroom and the other slice of toast.

vegan pho

i love pho!!! pho is a vietnamese beef noodle soup garnished with mint, basil, lime, and bean spouts.  i researched on different pho recipes online and put this recipe together. 

this is my first attempt trying to cook pho.  with all the spices that are used in this dish, it was quite overwhelming and discouraging.  although i could have easily gone down the street from my place and ordered vegetarian pho for $4.00 (pho broth is usually made with beef broth and there's no compassion in that!), i was determined to make this dish!   not only was it DELICIOUS but it's VEGAN!    when you're actually making the broth, the spices may seem overpowering but when all the ingredients come together at the end, it all seems to balance out nicely. 


broth ingredients:

1 filter ball

5 star of annise

1 tbsp corriander

1 tbsp fennel

6 whole cloves

1 dried cardamon pod

1 cinnamon stick

3 inch sticks of ginger, peeled

1 white onion halved and peeled
8 cups of vegetable broth

garnish:

jalepenos, sliced
lime, sliced
basil
mint
cilantro, chopped
1 stalk of green onions, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
sriracha hot sauce
vegetarian hoisin sauce



Rice Stick Noodles:
Banh Pho Viet Mien Lao
** soak for 25 min

directions:

1)  in a large pot bring vegetable broth, onions, and ginger to boil.  add all of the spices, except the cinnamon stick, into the filter ball.  add the filter ball to the broth mix and the cinnamon stick.  cover and turn the heat down to medium low.  simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  when the broth is finished, take out the filter ball and spoon out the ginger, onions, and cinnamon stick.
2)  while you're waiting for the broth to cook, prepare soup garnish and soak rice stick noodles with warm water in a large bowl.
3)  in another pot, boil water and add noodles.  cook briefly for about 3-5 minutes.
4) when the noodles are soft, drain and spoon into a large bowl.  add the pho broth and garnish with

fresh guacamole

ingredients:
1 large haas avocado
1/2 roma tomato, diced
1/4 white onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, diced (add as much pepper depending on how much heat you want)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1)  spoon out avocado in a bowl and smash with a fork until there all the lumps are out.
2)  mix in the rest of the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.

tempeh fajitas

ingredients:
2 oz of tempeh
2-3 cups of spinach
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 of a medium onion, sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green onion, chopped
1/2 package of fajita seasoning
1/4 cup of water
chopped cilantro and serrano peppers, to your tasting
whole wheat tortillas
2 tsp of olive oil

directions:
1) heat olive oil in pan on medium heat.
2) saute onions, tomatoes, and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
3) add tempeh, water, and seasoning.  cover and simmer on medium low for 3 minutes.  constantly stir.
4) add the mushrooms and bell peppers.  cover and cook for 3 minutes.
5) add spniach. cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.  lastly, add the green onions, serrano peppers, and cilantro.
6) wrap in a tortilla and garnish with fresh guacamole.  see posting for guacamole recipe.  enjoy!

back in the kitchen...

for the past couple of weeks i've been studying for the art cset and have gone back to my college ways of eating!!!  with not enough time to cook during the week i've been dining out like it's nobody's business!!! not only do i feel like i've gained a hundred pounds but i've been neglecting home cooked meals and updating my blog.

i just got back from the bahamas last week and it's time to get back in the kitchen!!!