Vegan Pumpkin Pie made with Tofu

I'm getting into the Thanksgiving spirit with pumpkin pie!  Just like traditional pumpkin pie, but using tofu as a binder instead of eggs.

Recipe

Mushroom Risotto

Further proof that you don't need butter, cream or cheese to make risotto rich and creamy if you use tasty, fresh ingredients and good quality risotto rice and vegetable stock.

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
6 large brown mushrooms
225g risotto rice
1 litre vegetable stock
A little thyme
Splash of soy sauce

This served 3, with a tiny portion left over. Last time I made this I also added a few green soybeans (edamane), which was also nice

I followed a similar process to my pea and mint risotto recipe: fried the ingredients in a little olive oil, added the rice and fried for a further two minutes, then added the stock a little at a time, stirring constantly to help the rice take on the right consistency without sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Pea or Broad Bean and Mint Risotto

This is the best vegan risotto recipe I know of.

During cooking...

The finished product...

Creamy (without the cream), yet light and refreshing. The addition of fresh mint livens up a nutritious meal of rice and peas (and/or beans).

Ingredients (to serve four)

300 g risotto rice
200 g green peas, soya beans, or broad beans (or a mixture of all three)
1 small white onion
1 litre vegetable stock
2 handfuls chopped fresh mint

Pea (or Broad Bean) and Mint Risotto Recipe

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil in a high-sided frying pan or wok.
2. Once the onion is soft, add the risotto rice and fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
3. Add about half the stock and the peas or beans
4. Bring to a gentle boil and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more stock as the rice gradually absorbs the liquid.
5. Close to the end of cooking, stir in the chopped mint. The risotto is cooked when the rice and peas are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Serve on dishes, bowls or plates with a mint garnish.

Want more vegan risotto recipes? Check out these tasty vegan risottos:

• Vegan Mushroom Risotto

Dill Vegetable Soup

I've been looking for something to liven up vegetable soup for a while, and this recipe was just the thing! It has everything you would expect from a hearty soup - plenty of veggies, beans, onions and garlic - but the key ingredient is a large dose of fresh dill. It's delicious and surprisingly easy to make.

This soup recipe hails from goodveg.squidoo.com, a great new online vegetarian magazine, full of delicious recipes as well as articles about going vegetarian or vegan, and veggie lifestyles. The aim is to get the word out there that veggie food can be great food and to push this lifestyle into the mainstream:

Check it Out!

Parsnip Nut Roast

A delicious nut roast made with cashew nuts and parsnips. I think this would be a great candidate for a vegan Christmas dinner.

The recipe is here - the original recipe calls for an egg, but it's easily veganized by substituting the egg with some starch.

I'm currently staying with my parents for a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to swapping recipe ideas with my mother. My parents have drastically cut down their meat consumption since I introduced them to vegan food. Tonight I plan to make a stuffed butternut squash for them.

Parsnip Cashew Nut Roast Recipe

Pink Quinoa-Beetroot Salad (with Crunchy Kale)

See previous posts for Crunchy Kale Recipe. Otherwise, this is really easy: simply boil some quinoa and beetroot together in a pan. If you use pre-cooked beetroot, you can add it at the same time as you start boiling quinoa. If you use raw beetroot, you will need to cook it for 20-30 minutes on its own first (cutting the beetroot up small reduces the cooking time). Meanwhile, slice up some raw yellow peppers and tomatoes. Great dressed with lemon/lime and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and/or parsley.

It's pink quinoa! What more could you ask for?

Want more vegan quinoa recipes?

• Vegan Quinoa Parsley Salad
• Brown Rice and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
• Vegan Bean-Tomato Sauce With Quinoa and Brown Rice
• Quinoa Veggie Medley with Lentils and Pumpkin Seeds

Why is quinoa good for you? Quinoa is one of the many good vegan protein sources that help you to stay healthy as a vegan.

The Best Vegan Hot Chocolate

1 tsp plain cocoa powder
some powdered ginger
tiny pinch of chilli powder

Half fill mug with boiling water, stirring to get powder to dissolve. Top up with unsweetened soy milk. Microwave for 1 minute.

Tastes like drinking Green & Black's Maya Gold chocolate.

I think I died and went to heaven.

Vegan Wedding Food

Last weekend I attended a friend's wedding.  I was a little worried about being able to eat vegan, but fortunately the venue were very accommodating.  This is what I got:

• A mixed salad with lots of different types of leaves, tomatoes and peppers with delicious dressing.  The only problem with this is - it was huge!  I know vegans need to eat more food than omnivores, but if I'd packed away all of it, I'd have popped out of my dress!
• Pea and asparagus risotto.  This was the same as the vegetarian option, minus the cream/cheese that formed the base for their risotto.  I'd be interested to know what was used to make this, because it tasted very rich (although not creamy).  Anyone have any vegan risotto recipes?
• Mango and lemongrass... jelly? with fresh berries.  Except it was firmer and more solid than jelly, so I'm not sure what to call it.  But oh wow, it was good.  I was too full to eat all of it, but just the smell was heavenly.  I wanted to bottle it and send it to Original Source so that they could make a fabulous vegan body wash out of it (I'm somewhat in love with their existing products, particularly the mint and lime flavours).  I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have any recipes for really intensely flavoured vegan jelly?

Unfortunately, I was too hungry to wrestle the camera out of my boyfriend's hands for long enough to take pictures.  Next time I'll take my own little camera and go to town.  Turns out we do have a picture of the magic wonder of deliciousness, unfortunately only after I'd half-demolished it:

Share your experiences with vegan food at special events?  Bonus points if you were smart enough to take pictures.

Vegan bolognese (lentils, mushrooms and bell peppers)

Recipe:
*Boil 100g red lentils.
*Fry onion and garlic, add roughly chopped mushrooms and bell pepper and sautee for a few minutes.
*Add 1 can chopped tomatoes and the cooked lentils.
*Season with oregano, basil and a small amount of chilli.
*Serve with spaghetti.

Squidoo

In addition to blogging, I've also recently started writing lenses on Squidoo, a free publishing platform.

Here is my latest: How to make your own Soymilk, Tofu and Okara.

Expect tofu and okara recipes in the near future!  I make a mean sweet potato and okara burger.

Veggie Kale Stir-Fry with Toasted Sesame Seeds

I had kale left over so I stirfried it with mushrooms, carrots, onions, ginger, garlic and toasted sesame seeds.  Then added lime juice and soy sauce.

<3

Quinoa Parsley Salad with Crunchy Kale

Crunchy Kale
The directions I used for making crunchy kale are from Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat Cookbook. Although not advertised as a vegan (or even vegetarian) cookbook, I would estimate that at least 80% of the recipes are vegan, including some great smoothie and soup ideas, as well as full-blown vegan feasts.

The kale is cooked in the oven and takes on a delicious crunchy texture, along with kale's characteristic flavour.  It's great for snacking on, as well as for sprinkling on salads like this.


Why did it take me so long to discover kale when it's so tasty?

Salad

The rest of the salad is very simple.  It consists of:
50g (dry weight) quinoa
50g chickpeas
chopped parsley

Salad Dressing

I dressed this salad (as I do most salads) with lime juice and Flaxseed & SesameOil.  You could use olive oil, but I prefer the deeper flavour of the flaxseed/sesame mixture.  Also, I rely on this product for Omega 3, which is in short supply in most vegan foods.

Lentil and Quinoa Veggie Medley with Pumpkin Seeds

Quick dinner tonight: I had some leftover rice and quinoa, so I combined it with red lentils, turmeric, veggies and pumpkin seeds to make this colourful medley.

Bean Tomato Sauce with Brown Rice and Quinoa

For the sauce (makes 2 portions)
1 onion
1 clove garlic
3 mushrooms
1 can kidney beans
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp Vegan Bouillon Powder
basil

Directions:
Simple.  Fry the onions and garlic until lightly browned, add the mushrooms.  Add cans of beans and tomatoes along with bouillon powder and basil to taste, and allow to cook down for 10-20 minutes.

I was originally going to serve this with pasta as a kind of vegan bolognaise, but after eating bread all weekend I decided to go for a wheat-free accompaniment.  I find rice and quinoa quite monotonous to eat on their own, so mixed them together with some red lentils (and a few peas thrown in for colour) for someting slightly more interesting.

One thing I like about this meal is the variety of protein sources.  As a vegan, it's important to eat a wide variety of different beans and pulses to get all the essential amino acids.  Quinoa is also a good source of protein.

Sesame Stir-Fry Recipe

I love Asian cooking, particularly stir-fry.  In this meal I combined toasted sesame seeds with chewy chickpeas, crunchy broccoli, fresh lime, ginger and soy sauce for a wonderful fusion dish.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 clove garlic
fresh ginger
3 mushrooms
1/2 can chickpeas
30g sesame seeds
few florets of broccoli
dried crushed chilli (optional)
juice of 1 lime
soy sauce

Recipe:
1. Toast sesame seeds and set aside
2. Fry onion, garlic and ginger in a little oil
3. Add mushrooms and broccoli
4. Add chickpeas and sesame seeds
5. Flavour with crushed chilli, lime juice and soy sauce to taste
6. Serve with rice and green tea

I like to add turmeric to my rice to turn it a fun yellow colour.  Turmeric is also very soothing to the digestive system as it has anti-inflammatory properties.

Cook Books

I enjoyed making my last post, with the food photos and recipe.  There's something about photographing food before you sit down to eat it which makes you appreciate it, not just as something to fill up a hungry stomach, but a work of art that has been lovingly prepared.  I will probably be including more recipe posts in future.

I love cookbooks, and get a lot of ideas and recipes from The Cranks Bible - a great resource for staple vegetarian meals.

My other two favourite cookbooks are opposites of each other:

Cranks Light - Full of healthy, fresh, colourful food that leaves me feeling light and energised.

Are You Sure That's Vegan? - For when I want to indulge myself.  Whenever I get nostalgic for dairy/egg/meat recipes, I turn here for a vegan alternative.  Also good for feeding non-vegans who are wary of trying new things.

Quinoa and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers

I'm a little fazed by where to start with this blog, so I'm going to begin with a tasty picture of the stuffed peppers I made for dinner today.

Recipe:

* Boil equal amounts brown rice and quinoa.

* Fry an onion, garlic and ginger.

* Mix together, with canned tomatoes and cumin.

* Fill peppers with mixture and place in pre-heated oven for ~30 minutes, or until peppers are cooked through and rice mixture is dried out and crunchy on top.

* I also added some sesame seeds on top of some of the peppers - if you do this, place under a grill for a few minutes to toast the seeds.

* I served them with salad, hummus and my favourite salad dressing: flaxseed and sesame oilmixed with lime juice.

Verdict: Delicious.