Mini Tofu Quiches

I never liked quiches before I was vegan but I decided to give a vegan quiche a go even though I was doubtful because tofu when cooked in certain ways comes out remarkably similar to egg. I came up with this recipe after searching many other recipes and not being able to find the perfect quiche for the ingredients I had on hand.
They turned out great, and are tasty hot or cold. I also like the fact they have no crust because I can never be bothered to make the crust and is one reason I rarely make any type of pie/flan/quiche.



makes about 12 mini quiches

Blend in food processor until very smooth:

1 12 ounce pack regular/firm tofu (not the silken kind)
1 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon cornstartch
enough soymilk (about 1/4) to give smooth consistency. Add the soymilk slowly, you want to texture to be like a thick cream cheese, not watery.


Then saute:

1 garlic clove minced
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 - 1 red capsicum finally chopped (depending on size)
1/2 cup very finely floretted broccoli
a good sprinkling of seasoning eg. herb salt/stock

when the vegetables are soft add:

Finely chopped sundried tomatos (about 4-5 you want just enough to give flavour but not overtake)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 table spoon fresh chopped basil

Stir for a few minutes more then add the tofu mixture and mix to combine. Drop into a well greased cupcake pan and press a slice of fresh tomato on top.
Cook about 30-40 min in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius or until the top is begining to brown and the tomato is  starting to shirvele.

Thai Red Curry and Lentil Soup

This interesting mix of cuisines produces a soup which is wonderfully fragrant, spicy and very moorish. The red lentils melt into the soup and produce a lovely richness. The recipe is one I got from my mother, and I'm not sure where exactly she got it but she said it was from a Donna Hay book.





Serves 4-6

2 tsp peanut oil

1 T Red Thai Curry paste (you can add more if the one you are using is not very spicy but remember the nature and heat of the soup itself will intensify the heat of the chili)

4 cups vegetable stock

2 cups coconut cream

4 Kaffir lime leaves (scrunch these a bit to release the flavour before adding but try not to rip them as it will be hard to remove them later)

1 cup red lentils

100g button mushrooms, quartered (optional)

400g can baby corn, drained (or 100g fresh)

80g snow peas or green beans, halved and cut into 2 cm lengths

1 T sugar


1. Fry the curry paste in the oil for 2 min.
2. Add the vegie stock, coconut cream, Kaffir lime leaves and lentils. Bring to the boil then simmer until lentils are cooked - about 20 min.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, simmering for 3 min or until vegetables are tender.

Cornbread

This cornbread recipe turns out good each time I've made it. I often omit the oil and it's still quite soft and spongy the next day :) The recipe is from the Post Punk Kitchen http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/vegan-cornbread/

It is not a sweet bread, but a bread to be savored with soup or smothered with guacamole. You can of course adjust the sugar/salt to your liking or add other flavourings like green onion, corn, chili powder etc. For best results, use old-fashioned cornmeal.

Makes 12-16 squares

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups soymilk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350, line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray the bottom lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, wisk together the soymilk and the vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt).
Add the oil and maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Wisk with a wire wisk or a fork until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix together using a large wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Slice into squares and serve warm or store in an airtight container.

Vegan Feijoada (Brazillian Style Black Bean and Smoked Tofu Stew)

This is a very delicious and hearty stew full of flavours and different textures. The recipe is from Veggie Belly http://www.veggiebelly.com/2010/10/brazilian-style-black-bean-smoked-tofu-stew-vegan-feijoada.html and is great served with cornbread.You can find a great vegan cornbread recipe under polenta/cornbread lable on my this site http://veganreciperesource.blogspot.com/search/label/Polenta/cornmeal

Serves 2

For the smoked tofu
4 oz smoked tofu (I used Soyboy brand), cut into small cubes (about ½ cup when cubed) (OR use regular tofu and just add a few drops of liquid smoke to the stew)
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the stew
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon paprika (I like to use smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
One 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
3 cups water
Salt

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the tofu cubes and cook on medium-high heat till the tofu is browned and crispy – about 6 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, carrot and bell pepper. Sauté on medium heat till the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add cumin, paprika, and oregano. Stir for about 20 seconds.

Add the black beans, water and salt. Bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or till most the liquid has evaporated. Mash some of the black beans using the back of a wooden spoon. Add the reserved tofu and cook another 5 minutes.

Top with your choice of chopped tomatoes, red onion, parsley, cilantro, orange zest, sour cream or grated cheese. Serve with cornbread. 

Middle Eastern Chickpeas with Couscous

Recipe  adapted from Woman's Day Magazine, May 14, 2002, page 170

Serving Size : 4 

1 tbsp water
1 medium yellow squash cut in half lengthwise then crosswise in 1/2-in.-thick slices
1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise then crosswise in 1/2-in.-thick slices
29 ounces diced tomatoes with onion and garlic -- (canned) OR use diced tomatos plus add one onion and 2 cloves garlic at the beginning
19 ounces chickpeas -- rinsed
20 pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup raisins (note, i actually used currents here and thought they went well)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander -- (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 5/8 ounces boxed couscous with toasted pine nuts -- (5.6 ounces)

 or you can also try it with rice or some other grain.

1. Heat water in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic if using. Add yellow squash and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Add remaining ingredients except couscous; stir to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover skillet and simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.

3. Uncover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes longer until liquid is reduced slightly.

4. Meanwhile prepare couscous and toast some pinenuts if you want to add them.

5. Serve chickpea mixture over couscous

Raw Avocado Lime Pudding

You wont believe how amazing avocado pudding can be! Other flavours easily mask the avocado taste, but the avocado itself produces such a rich creamy smooth texture, its a real treat. Try this slightly sweet, slightly tart pudding for a quick but filling breakfast, as a easy snack during the day or as a delicious and healthy dessert! I found the recipe on this website http://wholefoodeater.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/raw-key-lime-pudding/ though of course I would not recommend using honey.


The recipe is so easy:

- one avocado
- one bannana
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 tablespoon of agave syrup (you could also try rice syrup or maple syrup perhaps)

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy. Chill in refrigerator for a little while. You can decorate the top with fruit or I like to sprinkle on some coconut.

Breakfast Bars

These  cereal bars are very addictive and much nicer than any packaged store broaught bars. They make a great snack of breakfast to munch on the run. The recipe comes from "THe Everything Vegan Cookbook" by Jolinda Hackett and Lorena Novak Bull, RD.

3 cups breakfast cereal, any kind (i used rice bubbles)

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup tahini

1 cup maple syrup ( i used rice syrup as the cheaper option)

1/2 t vanilla

2 cups muesli

1/2 cup flax meal or wheat germ

1/2 cup diced dried fruit or raisins

1. Place creal in a sealable bag and crush partially with a rolling pin but you can skip this step if you are usuing smaller cereal. Set aside.

2. Combine peanut butter, tahini, and maple syrup in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring well to combine.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool a bit so that the cereal wont go soggy and then mix in the cereal, muesli, flax meal or wheat germ and dreid fruit or raisins.

4. Press firmly into a baking/casorol dish and chill for about 45 min before cutting into bars.

* After making this a few times I have found sometimes the bars come out dryer and more crumbly than others and don't hold together and I think it may depend on the brand of peanut butter you use and how dry or oily it is and also perhaps on the tahini. So you may want to add just a little  extra peanut butter to reach desired moistness. The moistness/dryness of the bar will also depend on the cereal you use. The first time I used rice bubbles and later I used the larger sultana bran and found that rice bubbles are better.