Let me preface this post by saying that I am obviously not a food blogger, nor am I a very good photographer. I'm trying to work on that because VOMD bought me a pretty awesome camera and I want to put it to good use, but I think that I might just not have the eye for photography. Maybe I need to get a photo editing program or something. If you have any suggestions, please share! Nonetheless, I wanted to start sharing some of the delicious vegan food that we eat around here.
So, I thought I would start sharing at least one meal/recipe a week to show the amazing yummies that VOMD and I eat. One of our dinners this week was a take on your standard 'meat' and potatoes meal, but with an obvious twist. It's not the prettiest, but it is soooooo good.
Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, Creamy Mashed Taters, BBQ Cauliflower 'Steak' and Maple Braised Carrots!
Also, portion control is for chumps.
Here's how you do it: WARNING I like to wing it, so when it comes to measurements, sometimes things get a bit weird. Just go with it.
Hummus Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Ingredients
2 large portabello mushrooms (get ones with big stems)
1/4 cup (or just like...a couple scoops) home made garlic hummus (I'll post that recipe some time, but you can just used store bought...or wing it)
1 medium onion, diced
1 handful (or so) nutritional yeast
A dash of organic basil (it just tastes better)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Diced the stems of the portabellos and fry the heck out of them and the onions in a cast iron pan. Cast iron is the shit because if properly seasoned (google that) it is naturally non-stick. Also, cast iron pans will stay usable for the rest of your life, and beyond! Then add the basil, salt and pepper. Add the hummus and nutritional yeast and mix up. Then, scoop that crap onto your mushrooms (smooth side down, of course) and place on an oven-safe pan. If you want the top super crispy, mix some crushed organic corn flakes with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and a little bit of salt, and put on top. Bake for about 15 minutes (or longer, depending on the size of your mushrooms). They should be tender and juicy when ready.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients (makes 2 huge servings with some leftovers for breakfast)
About 8 medium sized white potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (about 4 cups all cut up?) (it really depends on the size you have)
2 scoops of vegan mayonnaise (we use Vegenaise in this house, but use your favourite)
A splash of unsweetened almond milk (or whatever milk alternative you like)
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatoes until a fork slides through easily. Drain water (you can use this for soup or gravy, if you're doing that, so don't waste it if you don't need to). Add vegenaise and almond milk and mash it all to hell with a masher. If you have a hand mixer you can use that too, but don't mix too much or it will get all gluey. Nobody likes gluey taters. Stir in salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. I like mine really peppery, but go with your own taste buds. To make them super awesome, put them in a cast iron pan or other over safe dish and broil in the oven for a few minutes until the top is golden and beautiful like the ones above!
BBQ Cauliflower "Steak"
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower (you're not going to use it all, but start with a whole one to get the best "steaks")
Your favourite BBQ sauce (I'll share my recipe some time, but for now, go with what you like best)
A little olive oil
A little sriracha sauce (to give it a little extra kick)
Salt and pepper to taste (if your BBQ sauce is missing a little)
Preheat oven 400 degrees (you're already doing this for the mushrooms anyway, right?). Slice cauliflower into thick slices, through the core so taht you end up with three or four slabs. You will have some extras that break off and aren't "steaky", so put that back in the fridge or throw it into a bag in the freezer to make soup or something like that. Put a little oil on a pan and place those suckers on the oil. Wiggle them around a bit, and flip so that both sides are a little oily. Slather as much BBQ sauce as you want on them (I don't use a ton, but it's really up to you) and then, if you want, squirt some lines of sriracha on there too. Sprinkle a pinch of pepper on each, and maybe some salt, and throw in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (depending on the size). They should be forkable when done, but not mushy.
Cheaters Maple Braised Carrots (its cheating because its not actually braised)
Ingredients
About 3 large carrots, sliced into "dollars" (about 2 cups...or something)
A glug of maple syrup (maybe three tablespoons)
A little (or big) scoop of vegan butter substitute (like vegan Becel, or Earth Balance). I only use about a table spoon.
Salt and pepper to taste
A sprig of Rosemary
Boil carrots until just slightly forkable. Drain the water (or use for that soup you're planning) and put back into the still hot pot on the still on element. Add syrup, vegan butter, Rosemary and a little salt and pepper, stir, and let bubble a bit until really forkable. Then serve! (you can put that used rosemary sprig in your soup base too, if you want!)
Ta da!
Happy Friday!
-J
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