Gack Yack

This recipe from Vegweb is a good side dish for Thanksgiving when everyone fails to understand why you don’t eat turkey. Enjoy.

What You Need:

1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 carrots, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound leeks, cut lengthwise into eighths (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 russet potatoes, cubed
1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound chard, rinsed and ribbed
4 large garlic cloves, diced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the Brussels sprouts, leeks, and potatoes in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place them in a baking pan. Arrange kale in a layer in another baking pan. Roast kale, and potato mixture, for about 15 minutes. The potatoes should be golden and the kale should be crisp.
2. While potatoes and chard are roasting, saute the garlic in the sesame oil until it is soft and fragrant. Remove from stove and stir in balsamic vinegar.
3. Place roasted vegetables in a bowl and stir in the garlic-balsmaic dressing. Serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!

Recipe from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton.

Dreena’s Recipe Introduction: This recipe began as a more generic roasted vegetable roll. I needed more flavor, and remembered the flavors of Moroccan cuisine that I love so much – including cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. I changed a few elements, and the result was vegan magic! Serve as an elegant meal, drizzled with the Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and pair with a mixed green salad. Or, make smaller rolls and serve as very impressive appetizers (see notes below).

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS (OR MORE AS APPETIZERS)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups combination of yellow, red, and orange bell peppers, chopped

2½–3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, cubed

1–1¼ cups onion, chopped

1½–2 cups fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 medium bulb)

½ cup dried apricots (preferably unsulfured), chopped (or if in season, 1 cup fresh figs, stems removed, and halved)

5–6 large cloves garlic, minced

1½–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1½ tsp cumin

¾ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp paprika

¾ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup cooked chickpeas or white beans

½ cup (packed) fresh basil (or parsley) leaves, minced

8 to 12 sheets phyllo pastry sheets (see notes)

2½–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (to brush phyllo)

1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds, lightly toasted (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a wide-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bell peppers, zucchini, onion, fennel, apricots, and garlic on sheet, and toss with oil, cumin, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 35–45 minutes, tossing once or twice, until veggies are caramelized in some spots and softened. Remove from oven, toss in chickpeas or white beans and basil, and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190ºC). Line a baking dish or sheet with parchment paper. Place a lightly dampened dish towel over phyllo sheets to keep moist while preparing rolls. Lightly brush top of one sheet with oil. Place another sheet (not brushed with oil) on top. Spread ¾–1 cup roasted veggie mixture (see note) down the center of top sheet, leaving 1–2-in (2½–5-cm) space from edges. Fold left side over filling and roll up, tucking in sides as you go. Brush with additional oil and place in lined baking dish or sheet. Repeat process until all phyllo and mixture are used; you will have 4–6 rolls (see note). Bake for 24–28 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, drizzled with Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and garnished with almonds.

Cooking Notes:

1. For wheat-free option, use spelt phyllo pastry.

2. Use 8 sheets to make generously stuffed rolls or 12 sheets for smaller ones. If the roll is quite full, it may tear while baking. This of course won’t ruin them, but will affect the presentation (if that’s important to you).

3. As appetizers: Make smaller rolls or bite-sized phyllo triangles. For the latter, brush one sheet with oil. Then, with a sharp knife, cut 4 strips lengthwise down length of sheet. Place a small spoonful of filling at the base of one strip. Then, fold that corner over to form a triangle, and continue to fold back and forth until you reach the top. Repeat process until you have used up all the filling. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Serve with Balsamic Maple Sauce (page 76) as a dip.

Balsamic Maple Sauce:

This tangy, sweet sauce will perk up any vegetable or grain, and… it’s a breeze to make! Serve warm over steamed green vegetables or baked sweet potatoes, or use for dipping tempeh, potstickers, spring rolls, and more! It’s also an absolute must to serve with the Moroccan Chickpea-Vegetable Phyllo Rolls (recipe above).

YIELD: 4–5 SERVINGS (ABOUT ½ CUP)

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt

1 tsp arrowroot powder

3 tbsp tamari

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan on low heat, combine syrup, vinegar, Earth Balance spread, garlic, and salt, and heat for several minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine arrowroot and tamari, stirring through until well incorporated. Add tamari mixture to saucepan, whisk to combine, and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil, stirring continually. Let boil gently for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let cool slightly (the mixture will thicken more as it cools down).

Cooking Notes:

Leftovers can be refrigerated. This sauce is delicious chilled and drizzled over steamed or sautéed veggies or leafy greens, as a dipping sauce for pan-fried tempeh or tofu, tossed into whole grains or noodle dishes, or topped on sandwich ingredients.

You can also use gluten free noodles for this.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (8 ounce) package capellini pasta
* 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
* 1 red bell peppers, sliced
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; add mushrooms and pepper during last 2 minutes of cooking.
2. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, oil, and ginger to make dressing.
3. Drain pasta and vegetables. Transfer to a serving bowl; combine with dressing. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

If you cook with or eat veggie or vegan cheese on a regular basis, then you know it’s not easy to find a good one that melts the way regular cheese does. I’m always on the lookout for a healthy cheese option, and I found one a few days ago: Lisanatti’s RiceCheeze®.

To begin with, I didn’t know that rice could be used to even make cheese. I went to Newflower market on Manchaca in search of something that could breathe a little life into my toasted tofurkey sandwich. Part of me wanted to cheat and just get regular cheese, but then I saw the price for it: $6.49 for 10 slices of regular, bad-for-you cheese? No thanks. Resorting to my old stand-by, I wandered over to the Veggie Cheese section and noticed the RiceCheeze®. After reading the ingredients, I decided to give the Pepper Jack a shot. I figured it couldn’t be as bad as some of the other veggie cheeses I’ve tried.

It turned out to be awesome! It melted like actual cheese and had great flavor. And it was low in fat–3 grams for 1 oz, and 8 servings for the block. A block of regular cheese would be a lot higher and have saturated fat. I’ve only tried the Pepper Jack, but I highly recommend it. It’s gluten-free, cholesterol-free and soy-free. Below is the blurb from their website:

“Organic Basmati and brown rice are custom-blended for our RiceCheeze® chunks and MUNCHEEZE Snack Sticks™. When it’s cooked, our entire building fills with a wonderful aroma and popcorn becomes the snack of the day. This formulation has a light flavor and creamy texture that’s tasty cold or cooked. MUNCHEEZE are terrific for healthy, on-the-go snacks and lunches that the young, and the young at heart, enjoy. Try shredding the chunks in your favorite macaroni & ‘cheeze’ recipe for a deliciously healthy change!“