Sage Biscuits

It is really hard to find food that highlights an herb itself. Usually it's the herb highlighting another food. So I was so pleased when I ran across this (American) biscuit recipe at TheHerbalGarden.com!



The best part is, they're super easy, fast, and tasty! And can easily be halved or doubled.

2 C self-rising flour (DIY recipe)
1/4 C vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 C non-dairy milk

Optional extra herbs to throw in: chives, parsley, thyme, dill, or sage
I added fresh thyme in this recipe


1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. It will be a bit sticky.


Learn from my mistake, do NOT use a whisk!


2. Divide the dough into the cups of a 12 compartment greased (or non-stick) muffin pan


Silicone liners means no oil!


3.Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees, until a light golden brown.


Addicting!

Taco Casserole

At first, "Taco Casserole" kinda seems like one of those dishes that comes from one of those families who make cheeseburger-roni with tater tots on top...
But let me tell you, this is pretty tasty and you can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you like!



You will need:

3 cups meat substitute such as:
-vegetarian beef crumbles
-TVP (small crumbles)
-tofu
-choice of beans
(or a combination of any)

Taco seasoning
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 1/2 C biscuit mix (DIY recipe)
1 C non-dairy milk

Any optional toppings you want such as:
Tomatoes, chopped
Lettuce
Black olives, sliced
Chili peppers
Avocados
Salsa
Vegan cheese
Vegan sour cream
Etc.

1. Heat oven to 400F (200C) and grease an 8" baking dish.

2. Follow the taco seasoning directions and mix with any or all meat substitute combinations. Stir in kidney beans.


I used tofu and TVP

3. Once everything is combined and seasoned, put the delicious bean mixture into the baking dish. (If using vegan cheese, sprinkle this on top now).


I added a can of chilis on top

4. In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix and non-dairy milk. One mixed, pour over top the mixture.

5.Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown on top.


As an afterthought, I decided to add a little Tofutti cheese

6. Add toppings and serve!


Tomato, avocado, salsa verde, lettuce.

This makes about 6-8 delicious portions.
Just writing about it makes me want to go make it again. Perhaps I will!

Creamiest Vegan Mac n' Cheez EVER

Now, I stole this from Lindy Loo of Yeah, That "Vegan" Shit who stole it from RosemaryAmey, and I'm stealing the whole thing so I ain't gotta type nuttin' out.

Lindy Loo personally warned me about how amazing and addicting this recipe. First you start with a little sneaking sauce out of the pan, then you progress to eating it before it's even baked. Soon, you're eating it just to feel normal and you're stealing money out of your mom's purse to go buy more elbow macaroni.



Now, I like nutritional yeast sauces, but even the claims of the best weren't that good (like Veganomicon's for example. AWFUL), so I took her words wth a grain of salt. I usually stuck with actual vegan cheez to make my Mac fixes. And MaMa Ronin always made it in a crock pot. I never ate baked macaroni! Especially not with, good Lord, CRUNCHY bits on top!

I did not heed Lindy Loo's words, and now I keep shoveling it my mouth despite my stomach not being able to hold any more of it. YOU WILL BE A BELIEVER!


Vegan macaroni and cheese

You will need to have three pots bubbling away on the top of the stove
First pot: Pasta

2 cups uncooked macaroni
water

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add pasta.
3. Cook until done.
4. Drain.

Second pot: White sauce

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups vegan soydrink

1. Combine margarine, flour, and salt over low heat.
2. When it bubbles, gradually add the soydrink.
3. Cook and stir until it is thick and begins to bubble.
4. Remove from heat and add the "cheese" from the third pot.

Third pot: "Cheese"

1/4 cup "good tasting" nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Mix nutritional yeast, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a small saucepan.
2. Add water, oil, and mustard.
3. Cook and stir until it thickens and bubbles.
4. Add it to the white sauce from the second pot.

**Note from VR: I like to add a little paprika or hot sauce here, just to give it something extra**

Putting it together

cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix cooked pasta with "cheese" sauce.
3. Pour into a greased casserole dish.
4. Top with cracker crumbs or bread crumbs.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.


Note: The leftovers start to thicken up, but at this point in the addiction, it won't matter to you. You'll be scooping it out of the fridge cold in a fit of midnight cheez sweat.



You may notice some green bits in there. I was so hopped up on sauce that I had to mix elbows and tri-color fusilli (corkscrews) just to get my full fix.

Personal macaroni baked dishes:

Mapo Dofu/ Mabo Tofu

This is the best I've ever had! And smells divine!
This dish is popular in China and Japan. Spicy and warm with the smoothness of tofu.



1 box silken-firm tofu
1/2 C beef-style crumbles (or TVP bits, slightly moistened)
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1 chili pepper, minced (or 3 Tbsp mild chili powder)
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/2C water

green onions for garnish

If you don't have silken, a regular tub of tofu is fine. Also reg oil is fine too, still yummy! Exactness is just for optimum results! Honestly, it's just as good without the crumbles.


1. Carefully wrap tofu in a tea towel or paper towels to soak up the excess liquid. Set aside.

2. Heat oil on medium heat and add garlic, onions and chili pepper. Fry until onions are soft.

***NOTE: To regulate spiciness, use chili powder. Start step #2 with 1 Tbsp of chili powder. Add an additional 1 Tbsp for every step until spiciness is desired.***

3. Cut tofu into about 1 cm squares while waiting (about 48 squares)

4. Add vegetarian "beef" crumbles until it darkens a bit.

5. Add soy sauce and sugar mixture.

6. GENTLY add tofu. Silken tofu is very very delicate. Lightly push everything around to mix.

7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on med-low heat.

8. Add cornstarch and water mixture. Gently stir, it will thicken immediately.

9. Taste, and add chili powder/hot sauce to your liking.

10. If you like, garnish with green onions and serve alone or with a side of rice.

ENJOY!

If you are pressed for time or are lazy, you can buy a pre-made Mapo sauce pouch in varying spiciness at any Asian grocer. Usually vegan, but you always double check don't you my beautiful readers? Just add your own tofu and crumbles!

General Tso's Tofu

Well bite my ass and call me Sally! I had another recipe lined up for today, but last night was such an incredible success, I couldn't wait to share it. I figured out how to make restaurant-style General Tso's Tofu. Ready?



2 C dried bean curd skin/peel
2 C broth (1 bouillon cube = 2 C broth)
1 C cornflour
1 C General Tso's Sauce (recipe)
vegetable oil for frying
1 green onion, chopped (or regular onion)
some dried chili peppers (or slices of red pepper)

This makes 4 good portions.

(notes about ingredients following recipe)


Instructions:




You'll probably serve this with rice, so start it now to make sure it'll be ready

1. Boil 2 C of water and add bouillon cube. Stir until dissolved.

2. Put dried tofu in a bowl. Pour 1 C of broth over to cover tofu. Stir around.

3. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (whenever you don't feel any hard parts). You may need to add more broth as needed.

4. While soaking, chop your green onion/onion and dried chilis/red peppers. Place cornstarch in a tall bowl.

5. Heat 1/4" of oil in frying pan on Med/Med-High heat. Drop an onion chunk in. When it sizzles, it's ready. (BE CAREFUL OF NOT GETTING ANY LIQUID IN THE OIL!)

6. When tofu is ready, drain the excess broth.

7. One at a time, place about 10 soaked tofu bits in the bowl of cornstarch. Gently swirl it around to cover completely. They should look dry. If moisture is coming through, give them another swirl.

8. Gently place in the oil. Fry each side about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.



9. Repeat 7 & 8 in small batches until all gone (duh).

10. On your last batch, heat up another frying pan and on low-med sauté your onion and peppers.

11. When veggies are soft, add the fried tofu chunks and sauce. Mix around until sauce is heated.



Serve hot with a side of rice!



NOTES:
*Dried tofu skin is ideal. I bought mine at an Asian grocery store.

You could also rehydrate other types of tofu and have this still work I'm sure.

*Vegetarian chicken bouillon works the best.

*Save your leftover broth for another recipe, or for a base for a small bowl of soup.

*I use IRON CHEF brand General Tso's Sauce. It's got the right kick to it and it doesn't use high fructose corn syrup.

*OIL PRECAUTIONS! Make sure your pan is completely dry before adding oil. Make sure your hands and any freshly rinsed utensils are DRY. One accidental water drop in the oil will cause it pop and splatter! You or someone else could get burned or ruin your favorite shirt! No one needs that.

*It's very easy to half or double this recipe, so do as you please! =)

QUICHE

The basic recipe to work off of is here.

Ingredients

1 ready made pie crust-pre cook for 10 minutes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. your choice veggies (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, red peppers, etc), cooked to just done
Any add ins like vegan ham or cheeze
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Cook your veggie of choice until just soft. Cook onion and garlic until golden, and add veggie and heat through. In blender, puree tofu, soymilk, mustard, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and soy cheese, until smooth. Pour into large bowl and add the onion and veggie mixture. Combine well. Taste for seasoning. Pour into pre-cooked pie shell, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes or until quiche is set (you may need to put foil around the crust if getting too dark). After 25 minutes, brush top of quiche with olive oil to brown. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

HINTS FOR THE BEST

SHELL:
I use a pre-made pie shell. Follow the directions for baking and cook it empty for a little under its directions (ie- cook 12 min. you should only cook it 10).
Depending on your oven, you may need to add some foil or a pie ring around your crust to keep it from getting too brown.

QUICHE:
1. The BEST is 1 tub of water packed soft tofu (not silken though). If you can't get that, firm is still perfectly fine.
2. Press the tofu
3. Puree with the spices.
4. Fold in all the veggies.
Add some chopped up veggie meat and veggie cheese in it too. num num.


This was filled with portobello, spinach, onion, and broccoli.
I brought this baby to Lindy Loo's (of Yeah That "Vegan" Shit fame) big to-do. An omni couldn't tell it was vegan, so that's a sign of a great quiche. And you're lookin' at it!

Other photos:

THE lasagna

From top to bottom: topless, top on, sliced

Make it yourself, there is no going back!
Sometimes I will even just make the cheez to use on other things it's so amazing. I usually up the 'butter', 'mayo' and nutritional yeast. It just makes it tastier!! Silken tofu does work best texture-wise, but regular style is just as delicious.

Breakfast Buddies Pot luck

I have given these guys their official name, Breakfast Buddies! Let the "mc" rule your language no more! I made mini Breakfast Buddies with Gimme Lean sausage for a potluck. They were a big hit and that makes me very happy! My recipe is super easy. Try them with any of your fav fixin's!

Fish and Chips

Made VGML's Fish and Chips for my British omni monkey and my mom. Success!

THE Tofu Omelet

It takes about 20 minutes, but it’s worth it.



The Omelet.
What you need:
1 tub of silken tofu (firm is ok too)
1/4 C flour
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pre-sautéed veggies of your choice
Lightly oiled large skillet/frying pan
Blender/food processor


1. Press the tofu.

2. BLEND tofu flour, baking powder, oil, soy sauce, turmeric, and garlic until creamy.

4.Mix! You may need to add more flour, just enough so it’s thicker and kind of sticks to itself.

*POINT* Turmeric and soy sauce are the key points in making delicious egg replicas.

Pour in a lightly oiled frying pan on low heat. Smooth out as much as possible.




Soon, the edges will start to look suspiciously like egg. It will turn more yellow, and the top will dry out. When it is firm to the touch, and doesn’t jiggle when you give the pan a shake, its done!




**While this is cooking, start the hash browns below, and sauté the veggies you want to use as well.**

Slide it out of the pan and add the veggies. Fold over.


(Blended)



(Hand mixed)




DEVOUR!



As seen above:
Campfire Hash browns.
I’ve been using the “campfire” foil pouch technique a lot lately. Simply chop yr taters, drizzle with the slightest of oil, and a pinch of salt. Wrap those babies up in foil and throw in the toaster oven. Put it on the highest heat (hey, it’s replicating a campfire!) for about 15 minutes.