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You can click the image above and read the Wikipedia page about broccolini but my math is all you need to know. The tender, slender form of asparagus combined with a slightly subtler flavor of broccoli equals my new favorite veggie! I was hoping that it would make every dish delectable but our second recipe turned out only “pretty good”. The best thing we’ve done so far was to simply blanch for a few minutes to get it nice and green (and hot) and then cover with salt, pepper, “butter” and a little lemon juice. Delicious all on its own!

It looks like broccolini has been around in the States since the mid-90′s but I’d only heard of it recently. It also doesn’t help that broccolini is a trademarked name and most grocers label it generically as “baby broccoli”. But whatever you want to call it, try it!

This cucumber kimchi recipe was so easy to make especially since I already had the Korean brand red chili flakes (handy in cooking in general).  We had a bunch of cucumbers from Farm Fresh Delivery that were starting to go bad.  I was thinking I wanted to make dill pickles out of them, but then kimchi popped into my head instead.  The thing about kimchi versus dill pickles, for me at least, is kimchi almost always sounds good, but dill pickles I need to be in the mood for.  I swear I should’ve been born Korean My mp3 player thinks I was!

So first step was googling since I was at work, I also checked one of my Korean cookbooks when I got home, but I ended up sticking with the one I found online for a reason i have since forgotten.  I have made a cabbage kimchi before and this was a lot easier in my opinion.

Cucumber Kimchi recipe

What I did differently

• used non-Asian cucumbers
• Let them sit out with salt longer just because I didn’t get back around to them when they specified
• cut the green onion up thinly instead of big pieces like the recipe photos show
• I missed the part about letting the jar sit out 24 hours before refrigerating until I reread it as I made this post. oops! still yummy!

If you make some please share!  I plan to make more tomorrow!

I’ve refrained from cooking with eggplants because I’ve heard that if you screw it up they’re really bad.  I just need to throw that idea out the window because they’re so yummy and cool looking!  Last night we made Eggplant Paprikash from FatFreeVegan.com.

The only real changes we made were maybe not using enough eggplant or peppers (we had a green pepper) and using store bought Tofutti sour cream.  As we made it I worried it wasn’t going to turn out right, but in the end it was really delicious!

I have leftovers for lunch and I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  No really, I mean that!

Her recipe can be found at the above link with a yummy looking photo, but this is what she has (please still see her site, lots of great recipes!)

Eggplant Paprikash by fatfreevegan.com

1 large onion, halved and cut into thin wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper (optional)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
1 1/2 – 2 lbs. eggplant (about 2 medium) cut into 1-inch cubes
2 bell peppers, any color, sliced (I used red and yellow)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted)
1/8 tsp. Liquid Smoke flavoring
1/2 cup tofu sour cream (see below)

Tofu Sour Cream:

1/2 package (about 6 ounces) lite silken tofu
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. cashew butter or tahini
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Blend all the ingredients for the tofu sour cream until completely smooth, and set aside in the refrigerator until needed.

In a large, non-stick saucepan, sauté the onion in a small amount of water until it begins to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, and red pepper (optional), and stir for one minute. Add the salt, eggplant, peppers, vegetable broth, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer until the eggplant is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

When the eggplant is done, check the seasonings and add more salt if necessary. Stir in the Liquid Smoke (optional) and the sour cream, and cook for another minute, until warmed through. Serve over pasta (I used Tinkyada Pasta Joy brown rice noodles) or rice. Serves 4.

We got avocados & tomatoes in last week’s Farm Fresh delivery bin (they should sponsor us haha) so I decided to make guacamole.  The recipe book that came with our Vita-mix had a recipe which we followed other than  leaving out the cilantro.  It turned out great, yet slightly bland, but not knowing what it needed, we left it alone.  I take that back, we added some Korean red pepper to spice it up.  We bought the makings for the next salsa attempt, but since it’s all canned I’m waiting.

Here’s the recipe

Guacamole
Yield: 1 1/2 cups (360 g)

Speed: Variable
Time: 15-20 seconds

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
1 medium tomato, halved
1/2 cup (10 g) fresh cilantro leaves

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to 3.
4. Blend for 15-20 seconds, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
5. You may need to stop the machine and run a spatula around the inside of the container to integrate ingredients.
6. Do not over mix. Leave chunky. Serve with tortilla chips.

Optional:Garnish with diced tomatoes and parsley.
Health Classification: Diabetic Friendly, Low Carb, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Meal Type: Appetizers

We signed up for Farm fresh Delivery due to a coupon offer and got our first delivery Weds 05/26. I had missed the customizing option so we got what they sent me and I’m totally happy with that. We got stuff we wouldn’t have picked and because of that we’re learning new stuff! Tonight I’m going to attempt this recipe for Radish Curry with some modifications so we don’t have to buy some of the spices.
Ok well that wasn’t what this post was going to be about, but I got distracted. I brought up Farm Fresh delivery because we got a bunch of fruit so I made a smoothie yesterday and today for breakfast. I just threw stuff in and blended and luckily they were both great! Yesterday was strawberries, blueberries, ice and agave nectar. Today I did and orange, strawberries, blueberries, ice, flax seed, and honey.

It turned out pretty good, but how wrong can you go with blended juice drink?

Katy checked out The 30-Minute Vegan cookbook from our local library and — after having fallen in love with the thick, sticky mochi as a dessert — I was more than ready to try out Mochi Pizzettas. Our track record with vegan pizza has been a mediocre mix of tasty and sloppy so the thought of making tiny, self-contained pizzas seemed promising.

As you should expect from a cookbook with “30-Minute” in the title, the recipe is pretty simple assuming you can find a package of mochi. We’ve only spotted the thick sheets of compressed brown rice at Jungle Jim’s but once you’ve found it you’re a quarter of the way done. About half a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, mozzarella (be it real, a substitute or a packet of Road’s End Chreese sauce in our case), some diced pepper (we used an orange bell), and any spices you might like at the end.

The mochi “crust” is a formidable substitute for dough; it’s much thicker, more filling and doesn’t burn or come out undercooked (and potentially harmful) without some serious negligence. The dollop of sauce, cheese, peppers and spice make for a nice 3 or 4 bite mini pizza and following the recipe we each had 6 pizzettas to ourselves. That turned out to be almost too much but we both devoured our plateful in record time.  I didn’t think to time the whole procedure but it’s definitely a quick and easy recipe that’s produced fantastic results on our first try! Compared to the flour-tossing, dough rolling, runny cheese damming of our previous vegan pizza attempts I’m ready to hand the grand prize to these wonderful East-meets-West Mochi Pizzettas!

VeggieMealMaker.com came through again!  Our second recipe attempt was Eggplant Parmigiana and it was easy turned out great.

Description

This breaded eggplant recipe is my stab at mimicking Olive Garden’s Eggplant Parmesan – which I love! I had never cooked eggplant and I’m glad that I did – this dish rocks! Don’t let the big purple vegetable scare your from going gourmet at home. Give this dish a try!

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/3 c cornmeal
• 1/3 c nutritional yeast
• 1/3 t basil
• 1/3 t onion powder
• 1/3 t garlic powder
• 1 pk spaghetti
• 1 cn pasta sauce (or jar)
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1/3 c whole wheat bread crumbs*
• dash Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside. Heat pasta sauce in a medium sauce pan until warm.

2. Peel and slice eggplant into 1/4” rounds.

3. Combine dry ingredients mixing thoroughly.

4. Press eggplant rounds in bread mixture coating each side thoroughly.

5. Bake breaded eggplant on a lightly oiled cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15-20 min on each side or until golden brown.

6. Serve eggplant topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese over spaghetti.

*Bread Crumbs:
Finely chop 2 pieces whole wheat bread in a food processor or blender low. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 6-8 min or until dry and crunchy.

Notes

For a vegan option, omit the cheese or replace with a suitable alternative.

Lightly misting eggplant with h20 will help the bread crumbs to stick to the eggplant.

Our tweaks:

• swapping for vegan cheeses
• We used whole wheat bread crumbs we had on hand rather than preparing them.
• I dipped the eggplants in water rather than misting them because misting wasn’t enough to make a difference

VeggieMealMaker.com should totally give me a free subscription so I can just make everyone else want to use it!

Last night Shawn & I made the Black bean & zucchini soup recipe I got from a week trial of the site VeggieMealMaker.com.  This soup was really easy to make & was very tasty!  I’m looking forward to the leftovers for dinner tonight!

Recipe:

Description

This black bean soup is so tasty – you would never guess it was so easy to prepare! Try it topped with crunched up tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 2 cn black beans
• 1 zucchini – chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 diced tomatoes
• 1/2 onion – chopped
• 2 clv garlic – minced
• 2 c water
• dab oil
• 1/2 t chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 t oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Wash and prep veggies.
2. Combine water, tomatoes & black beans in a large pot and bring to a boil.
3. Saute onions, peppers, garlic & seasonings in a dab of oil until onions are clear. Add to pot.
4. Carefully (soup is hot!) blend / puree 2 or more cups of soup mixture. Return blended mixture to pot, mix well & serve hot.

Notes

If you have picky eaters that don’t like “chunks,” blend or puree the whole batch.

We had to ad-lib a couple times, for example, it doesn’t say how to cut the peppers, so I chopped them (also we used both whole peppers instead of half).  The other part it doesn’t mention is when to add the zucchini.  I added it in step 3 and that worked great.

Here are some photos:

Step 2:     
Step 3:     
combined:

eat! :        

We ate this soup with a dollop of Tofutti Sour Supreme & some Trader Joe’s Organic tortilla chips.  If you make this comment and let us know!

The Cantonese name yàuhjagwái literally means “oil-fried ghost” and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against Song Dynastyofficial Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general’s demise. Thus the youtiao is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple.

o_O* Uh, wow. I just thought they were like Chinese Churros. Turns out what I made into a dessert here is traditionally eaten at breakfast with just a dusting of salt to go along with some rice congee or soy milk. It’s understandable, then, that they’re also called Chinese doughnuts but even as a vegan I just had to turn them into a monstrous dessert. This particular brand, which I found at Jungle Jim’s, comes in a six-pack of approximately 12-inch long, pre-fried crullers that require little more than a few minutes’ toasting at 350 degress.

I covered them with chocolate syrup, some agave necter, a dusting of cinnamon and some powdered sugar. They had a slight freezer-burnt-fried-food flavor but mostly tasted good, especially covered with all the sweet stuff I could find in our kitchen. Total time from freezer to plate? About 6 minutes.

Bonus Tip! If I’m going to use a refrigerated ingredient like chocolate syrup I like to pour it into a metal ramekin and sit it on top of the oven (or toaster oven in this case). It gets syrupy stuff warm and runny and heats it up so it doesn’t instantly cool off whatever you’re about to pour it on.