Lemon Tofu with Green Beans

I love tofu. Sometimes I think I can't say that enough. With so much bad press being put out using bad research, I like to openly express how much I like tofu, as an attempt to counter the misinformation. And by the way, this is really delicious!

Lemon Tofu with Green Beans

Zest and juice from two lemons
One can of coconut milk
4 or more garlic cloves, minced
2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. thyme
1/2 t. salt
Black pepper
One package extra firm tofu, frozen, boiled, pressed, cut into cubes
One package frozen cut green beans

Mix everything together in a large pot and stir to coat well. Heat to almost boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

This is a really refreshing and light simple salad.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

2 c. green beans, either fresh and cut into 2 inch pieces, or frozen
One tomato, sliced into 12 wedges
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 t. soy sauce

Steam the beans until tender, or cook according to package directions. Add the beans and tomato to a large bowl. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, and soy sauce together, and pour over the vegetables, Stir gently to coat well. Marinate at room temperature for about an hour. Serve. Enjoy!

French Style Green Beans

I've been reading several books lately about the way the French eat. It's been pretty enlightening, really. Their super power lies in portion control. That way they still get to drink wine with meals. ;)

Provençal refers to anything related to Provence. It is the birthplace of salade Nicoise, a salad that contains as one of its ingredients something called haricots verts. That translates to green beans, but they are skinnier, and more expensive than what most of think of as green beans. So this recipe uses regular green beans. If you wanted to make it more "French", you could hunt down some haricots verts.

French Style Green Beans

One pound green beans, ends snipped and then cut into 1 inch pieces
One can of diced tomatoes
One onion, chopped fine
Two cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add them, plus the oil, to a crock pot. Add the green beans and tomatoes to the crock pot, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, cover, and cook on low for about six hours. Serve. Enjoy!

National Green Beans Day

Today is National Green Beans Day. I typically associate them more with summer, but since I can buy them year round frozen and canned, I guess every day can be a green beans kind of day.

April 4 is International Carrot Day. I know a lot of people who will eat them raw, but not cooked. It's a consistency thing, apparently. I like them both ways. So, if you miss eating this dish today, you can make it for that day.

Or, you could just make it any darn time you like!

Carrots and Green Beans with Ginger

1-1/2 lbs. carrots, sliced
1-1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
1/4 c. vegan butter
2 t. freshly grated ginger

Boil carrots and green beans separately, about 7-10 minutes each. Drain. Melt butter in a skillet or Dutch oven. Add the ginger and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and carrots to the melted butter/ginger mixture and stir to coat well. Serve. Enjoy!

Nicoise Salad with Spring Vegetables

Nicoise salads always sound so posh. But really, they are just a salad with a little extra. More like a cold side dish than a salad. But pretty tasty!

Nicoise Salad with Spring Vegetables

12 small red potatoes, quartered
2 c. green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 container vegan plain yogurt
1 T. basil
1 onion, sliced
1 can vegan tuna
Black olives
Romaine lettuce

Boil the potatoes about 10 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Add the green beans and cook about 5 minutes more. In a food processor, add the yogurt and basil and whir to blend. Set aside.

In a large bowl, place the romaine leaves on the bottom. Add the potatoes and green beans, the onion, tuna, and black olives. Dollop the yogurt mixture on top.

Before serving, mix it all together, to make sure the salad is coated with the yogurt dressing.

Serve. Enjoy!

Gingered Carrots and Green Beans

Gingered Carrots and Green Beans

1# carrots, sliced
1# green beans, trimmed
1/4 c. vegan butter
2 t. freshly grated ginger
1/2 t. salt

Boil the carrots until just tender, then add the green beans. Continue boiling until carrots are tender. Drain. Set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter and add the ginger and salt, cooking over medium heat for a minute or two. Add the carrots and green beans to the skillet, and stir to mix everything well. Serve. Enjoy!

Herbed Tomatoes and Green Beans

Herbed Tomatoes and Green Beans

3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2# green beans, trimmed
1/4 c. vegetable broth
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 t. oregano
1 t. parsley
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the green beans and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and seasonings and heat through. Serve. Enjoy!

Hamburger Helper, Vegan Style

When I told my daughter I was making a vegan style of Hamburger Helper for supper, she informed me that at least some of the Hamburger Helper mixes were already vegan. Even though I haven't verified this myself, I know mine will still be better - no weird stuff!

Okay, okay, some vegan stuff is considered weird by non-vegans, but we know better!

Hamburger Helper, Vegan Style

One package of vegan ground beef
One onion, chopped
One clove garlic, chopped
4 c. vegetable broth
One package penne pasta
One can diced tomatoes
2 cans green beans, drained
One small can tomato paste
2 t. oregano
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. ground cinnamon

In a skillet, saute the vegan ground beef, onion and garlic until just softened. Add the vegetable broth and penne pasta and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Drunken Bean Stew

My ancestry is both Irish and German, with plenty of Viking thrown in for good measure. One would think that I could drink anyone under the table. Surprisingly, I'm not fond of the taste of strong liquor, and I've never actually acquired a taste for beer. Unbelievable with my ancestry, right? I like Belgian beer, because they are sweet, and my son concocted what my dad later told us is known as red beer. Beer mixed with tomato juice. I can drink that.

All of that aside, I really like cooking with alcohol. I'm not sure why I like the flavor it imparts food, but don't like drinking it straight. So when I come across a recipe that lists alcohol as an ingredient, I tend to want to try it.

Drunken Bean Stew

One can green beans
One can black beans
One can kidney beans
One can lima beans
One can pinto beans
One can corn
One quart of V8 juice
One can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
One small cabbage, diced
2 T. barley
3 cloves garlic, diced
One bottle of dark beer

Combine all the ingredients except for the beer in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. Add the beer and simmer another 45 minutes to an hour. Season to taste. Serve. Enjoy!

What I like about this stew is how adaptable it is. You can add or subtract the veggies to suit your taste. It is one of those recipes for a cold day and you don't want to go to the store, so you raid your pantry and freezer. Kind of like add a rock and you have stone soup.

Serve it up with some cornbread or a crusty bread that invites you to tear hunks off and slather with some vegan butter, and you've got a great filling meal.

Crockpot Mushroom and Green Bean Stroganoff

I seriously love the convenience of crockpots. And there is nothing more inviting than walking into the house and smelling some scrumptious. It makes your mouth water just anticipating what you are about to dine on!

Crockpot Mushroom and Green Bean Stroganoff

Olive oil
One package sliced mushrooms
2 T. tomato paste
2 c. vegetable stock
One onion, chopped
One green bell pepper, chopped
2 T. flour
1-1/2 T. Hungarian paprika (yes, it does make a difference!)
One bag frozen green beans
1/2 c. vegan sour cream

Saute the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper in the olive oil until softened. Whisk in the flour. Remove from heat. Add this mixture to the crockpot. Add paprika and green beans on top of mushroom mixture. Mix the tomato paste with the vegetable stock and pour this on top of everything. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. When done, stir in the vegan sour cream. Serve with wide noodles. Enjoy!

Cajun Fried Tofu, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Creole Green Beans

In my pre-vegan days, it was not unusual for my husband to stop off at a local chicken place and bring home dinner. I was actually often grossed out by it, and tended to consume more of the rice and beans and biscuits than anything else. The spicy flavors, however, I did like.

I decided the other day I wanted some crispy fried tofu. Remembering those days of spicy goodness, I decided to try out something new.

Cajun Fried Tofu

One package extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, sliced
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. hot sauce
1/4 c. water
1 c. flour
1 t. salt
Oil for frying

Combine mustard, hot sauce and water in a large ziploc baggie. Add the tofu pieces and let marinate overnight.
Combine flour and salt in another ziploc baggie. Add the marinated tofu pieces and shake until the tofu is well covered.
Fry in the hot oil until nicely browned on both sides.

My kids loved this, but I'll admit to it being much spicier than I like.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

9 potatoes, baked
1/4 c. vegan butter
3 T. horseradish
2 T. vegan sour cream
2 T. non-dairy milk
1/2 c. Daiya cheddar shreds
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

When potatoes have cooled, cut in half and remove the pulp. In a large bowl, mix the potato pulp with the remaining ingredients and mix well until it resembles mashed potatoes. Serve with a sprinkle of fake bacon bits.

Don't worry about the horseradish - it is very mild in this and you might not even really notice it.

Creole Green Beans

1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/2 of a green bell pepper, chopped
2 T. flour
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. dry mustard
One can diced tomatoes
One can cut green beans, drained

Saute onion and green pepper in olive oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are dissolved and everything is well mixed. Cook until sauce is thickened.

National Macaroni Day

National Macaroni Day was July 7, but a series of distractions prevented me from taking advantage of the day. Not to be denied, I made my mac and cheese, finally, last night. I had to rescue some of it from my son for my lunch today. Otherwise, he couldn't stop eating it. He plans to go buy all the ingredients just so I'll make it again this weekend. Probably all for him! LOL!

In addition, to round out the meal, I made a couple of different mixed vegetable dishes.

Macaroni and Cheese

One package elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2-1/4 c. rice milk
1/2 t. salt
Dash of black pepper
One package of Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk and some of the Daiya until creamy. In a lightly greased casserole dish, layer the macaroni, then Daiya, the macaroni, then the sauce and top with more Daiya. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Summer Garden Vegetables

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 T. butter
2 c. fresh or frozen corn
3 tomatoes, cut into chunks
4 small yellow squash, sliced
1 t. salt
3/4 t. dried oregano leaves
1/4 t. pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

King of the Jungle Vegetables

Handful of carrots, sliced
Olive oil
One package of frozen green beans
One package of frozen cauliflower florets
One bunch of green onions, sliced
2 c. water or vegetable broth
Dash of garlic powder

Saute the carrots in the olive oil until beginning to soften. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

National Fried Chicken Day

I love these foodie themes for days, weeks or months. They make it kind of fun to plan my meals. Today is National Fried Chicken Day. I'm not sure how the day originated, but since it is also National Picnic Month, maybe it started there. Seems like a perfect opportunity to fry up a cruelty-free version, don't you think? I served mine up with some mashed potatoes and green beans.

Fried Chick'n

1 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 t. pepper
1 t. garlic powder
2 c. flour (I used whole wheat)
2 T. nutritional yeast
Rice milk
One package of extra firm tofu, frozen in package, boiled, sliced into wedges

Mix everything but the milk and tofu in a shallow bowl. Pour the milk into a separate shallow bowl. Dip the tofu wedges in the milk, then coat well in the flour mixture. Fry over medium high heat in olive oil until nicely browned.

Tex Mex Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. potatoes, cut into chunks
Vegan butter
Rice milk
One package Daiya Pepperjack Cheese
1/4 c. green onions

Boil the potatoes until soft (about 20-30 minutes), drain. Mash them together with some salt and pepper, vegan butter, rice milk and the pepperjack cheese. Mix in the green onions and some vegan sour cream, if you like.

Country Green Beans

Vegan bacon (I used three slices), cooked
Half an onion, cut into chunks
3 cans of whole green beans, undrained
1/2 t. pepper

Mix everything in one medium to large sized pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Green Food for Green Thursday

Today Catholics all over the globe celebrate Holy Thursday. In the Czech and German traditions, it has another name: Green Thursday. They celebrate it by eating large green salads, so I thought, well, let's expand on this a bit. So, I made an all green supper.

Green Goddess Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Green, leafy lettuce
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
Tomato - cut into bite sized pieces
Half of a red onion, chopped
One can of black olives
1/4 c. pine nuts, roasted
Fresh parsley, chopped
Green Goddess Dressing
Faux Feta

Mix salad ingredients together and toss well to coat.

Green Goddess Dressing

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. tahini
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and blend well in a food processor. Add to salad.

Faux Feta

One package firm tofu, drained and pressed and frozen, boiled, pressed again
2 T. olive oil
2 T. water
1/4 c. red wine vinegar (actually a little less, we thought it turned out a little tangy)
Fresh basil, chopped
1 t. salt
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. dried dill
1/4 t. black pepper

Crumble the tofu and mix with remaining ingredients. Let marinate at least an hour.

Green Beans with Brazil Nuts

Frozen or fresh green beans, steamed
2 T. olive oil
One onion, chopped
1/4 t. salt
Brazil nuts, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Lemon juice

In the olive oil, saute the onion, nuts and basil. Add the green beans and salt, sprinkle in a dash of lemon juice, mix well and heat through. Serve.

Okra Strips in Lemon-Tarragon Viniagrette

Frozen whole okra, thawed, ends trimmed and pods cut in half lengthwise
Flour mixed with Cajun spices of choice
3 T. lemon juice
1 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
One clove garlic, minced
1 t. dried tarragon
8 T. olive oil

Coat the okra in the flour mixture and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a frying pan and mix well. Heat to medium high and add coated okra. Cook until brown. Serve.

The plated food looked really lovely, even if it was heavily green!

Vegan Paella

I never made paella before I became a vegan. I would see the recipes and think, ooh, that sounds good! But I never actually got around to making it. I'm glad now, because that's one less dish with meat that ever got made. It still amazes me at the wealth of recipes that can be made vegan. Kind of exciting, really!

Vegan Paella

Four cups uncooked rice, cooked in whatever fashion you prefer
One bag frozen cut green beans
One bag frozen petite green peas
Olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 c. raw cashews
One red bell pepper, diced
One green bell pepper, diced
One can diced tomatoes
One container vegan plain yogurt or sour cream
Salt to taste
A dash of: cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, ground cloves

Saute in the olive oil the onions, bell peppers, cashews and garlic. Add tomatoes and yogurt, stir to mix well. Add green beans and peas and two cups of water. Bring to a boil, add spices, reduce to simmer and cook until everything is well blended, about 20 minutes. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Serve. Enjoy!

Paella is actually a cooking utensil, similar to a flat frying pan with handles on both sides. Peasants of Valencia would use the pot to cook rice, and add in available ingredients. It evolved depending on the cook's inspiration. Rice originated in Asia and, along with pasta, was brought to the Mediterranean by the Moors. When the Moors invaded Spain, they brought both products with them. The Moorish casseroles of rice and fish established the custom of eating rice in Spain. By the 15th century, when Spanish Catholics expelled the Muslims from Spain, rice had become a national staple.

Paella traditionally is made with saffron. Saffron grows wild in Spain, and not only gives a rich and unique flavor to the rice, but a deep yellow color as well.

You will note I did not add saffron to my paella. Feel free to add it if you like. Saffron comes in threads (expensive) or powdered (cheaper). I do very much like saffron rice and may do that the next time I make this dish.

You can use fresh green beans and tomatoes in this dish if you like, but I'm about quick, easy and convenient. I also used spices common in garam masala. You can use that in place of the spices, too, if you'd like. So, play around with it and make it yours!

Green Bean and Mushroom Stroganoff

We all have our comfort foods, usually associated with our childhood, something Mom would make that made us feel loved and all warm and fuzzy inside. I have several. Most were served over wide egg noodles.

Green Bean and Mushroom Stroganoff

1 pound of green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 T. olive oil
One onion, chopped
One package of sliced mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry
1 T. paprika
2 T. flour
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. vegetablel broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Vegan sour cream

Steam the green beans and set aside. Or buy frozen cut green beans and skip this step.
Saute onion in olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices. Add paprika and flour and cook, stirring until flour is well mixed. Add tomato paste and wine and stir until smooth. Add the green beans and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Blend about one cup of broth with the sour cream and add back into the stroganoff.
Serve over noodles of choice and enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff or Beef Stroganov is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with smetana or sour cream. From its origins in 19th-century Russia, it has become popular in much of Iran, Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, Lebanon, Portugal and Brazil, with considerable variation from the original recipe.

The origin and history of Beef Stroganoff dates backs to 19th century. Elena Molokhovets' classic Russian cookbook (1861) gives the first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju "Beef à la Stroganov, with mustard" which involves lightly floured beef cubes (not strips) sautéed, sauced with prepared mustard and bouillon, and finished with a small amount of sour cream: no onions, no mushrooms. Some have suggested it had probably been in the family of Count Pavel Stroganoff's for some years and had become well known through his love of entertaining. Count Pavel Stroganoff was a celebrity, a dignitary at the court of Alexander III, a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, and a known gourmet. Given it's history, it is doubtful that Beef Stroganoff was his or his chef's invention.

An 1890 competition is sometimes mentioned in the dish's history, but both the recipe and the name existed before then. A 1912 recipe adds onions and tomato paste, and serves it with crisp potato straws, which are considered the traditional side dish in Russia. The version given in the 1938 Larousse Gastronomique includes beef strips, and onions, with either mustard or tomato paste optional.

Me? I like mine cruelty-free, thank you! No beef, just yummy plant foods! Feel free to play with it, adding or subtracting ingredients as you please.

Easy Minestrone

The temps are dropping all over the country and folks are hunkering down. I don't get snow where I live (no, really, there is like a bubble over my neighborhood - when my friend 10 minutes away can build a snowman and we didn't get a single flake, I can say that), but we do get freezing temps. When those days come, we light up the fireplace, make up some hot chocolate or cider (or in my case, tea!) and enjoy a good soup or stew. This one does that nicely!

Minestrone

1 T. olive oil
One onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried marjoram
1 t. salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 t. allspice
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 bay leaves
1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh rosemary
4 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
Half a bag of frozen corn
Half a bag of frozen green beans
1 bag of pasta, shape your choice (I used vegetable spirals)
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper and allspice. Stir until onion begins to soften. Add tomatoes, beans, bay leaves, rosemary, stock and water. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil. Add corn, green beans and pasta, cook about 10 minutes until pasta is almost cooked. Add additional thyme and oregano and more water is necessary. Enjoy!

Be sure to watch the water, as mine initially turned into more of a stew than a soup. If you have kids, use a fun shaped pasta instead of traditional pasta. We served ours with buttered toast, but garlic bread would probably have been a perfect accompaniment (note to self: next time make garlic toast).