Chick'n Scallopini With Lemon Caper Sauce On Spaghetti Squash

It's been a busy busy busy past few weeks.  I've had back to back meetings and I am exhausted but yoga has helped roll out the kink in my back!  I enjoy cooking dinners for hubs each day I can but we've both been working so much that my time is limited.  Thank goodness for Gardein products.  They have made my life so much easier.  I prepared the Chick'n Scallopini as directed on the package and made an awesome lemon caper sauce to top over the spaghetti squash I cooked in the microwave in 10 minutes.  This dish was easy and fast!  I melted 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter on a heated skillet, added 1 tablespoon of garlic, 2 tablespoons of capers, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, pinch of Himalayan salt, pinch of pepper, a teaspoon of agave syrup and some chopped scallions.  I stirred the mixture for about 2 minutes and poured over my chick'n scallopini and spaghetti squash. 

Eggplant Lasagna With Ricotta Cheese - Vegan

I had some lovely eggplant in my fridge and wanted to make an eggplant lasagna casserole.  I wanted to slice the eggplant lengthwise as thinly as possible with my mandolin slicer.  Then the worst thing happens.  I accidentally put the tip of my finger through the mandolin slicer.  The laceration was about a half inch deep horizontally and I debated whether or not to go to Urgent Care on a Sunday evening but the thought of a tetanus shot was lingering in my head.  Did I want to take the risk of not going?  Did I want to wake up with lockjaw the next day?  No.  So I decided to go and take advantage of the health insurance my husband was paying for.

Then I had another freak out.  I sliced the finger on my right hand and I couldn't right my insurance information on the paperwork so I needed my Jase to take me to Urgent Care but he wasn't home!  He was playing in a basketball league and although he wasn't playing a game for another hour I needed his help to get me dressed.  I asked my friend Kim if she could forward me the number to Jase's friend who played in a similar league on Sunday evenings.  Kim found out that his friend wasn't playing that evening and she offered to take me to Urgent Care.  I felt so bad because she was having a dinner date with her boyfriend, Cesar but they were so kind to pick me up and take me.  By the time Kim and Cesar picked me up, Jase finally called back and told us he would meet us at Urgent Care.  Then I felt even worse because Kim and Cesar left their date to pick me up.  I'm so sorry and thank you, guys!  I really appreciate your help.

When we arrived at Urgent Care, they told us that they were closed and I could try going to the ER at the hospital next door.  Urgh!  Nightmare.  I felt horrible and told Kim and Cesar that Jase would take me to the ER since I knew the wait there would be long.  There were no available seats in the ER waiting room and there must have been 50 people waiting in that room.  When we asked the receptionist how long the wait would be, she sighed and said she couldn't give us an answer.  By this time, Jase searched for a 24 hour Urgent Care a little further from our home and when we got there, there were only 5 people in the waiting room.  Whew!  Three hours later, I was able to see someone and by that time, the blood had clotted and my wound had stopped bleeding and closed.  I saw a physician and she told me that I didn't have to get a tetanus shot since I received a Tdap vaccine a few years ago.  My old doctor wanted me to get a Tdap a few years ago for pertussis but I didn't realize that a Tdap vaccine also covered tetanus as well so I was in the clear.  Now I just have to put up with Jase for the whole week about how he missed his basketball game to get a very expensive band aid. 

Yesterday, I started out with two eggplants and today, I just had one left.  I put away my Le Creuset baking dish and pulled out my lovely ramequins and decided to make 3 individual servings since I had to halve the measurements in my recipe.  You can double the measurements in this recipe and it should be good to be placed into a 9x12" baking dish.


Eggplant Lasagna With Ricotta Cheese - Vegan

Serves 3 - Use with three ramequins 4" diameter

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant cut horizontally into 1/2 inch thick pieces
• 2 cups of marinara sauce (see recipe below)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ( I used Follow Your Heart)

1. Place the sliced eggplant onto a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.  Cover the eggplant with foil and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 
2. Spoon a layer of marinara sauce into the ramequin.
3. Place 2 slices of eggplant on top of the marinara sauce.
4. Add about two tablespoons of ricotta cheese.
5. Spoon a layer of marinara sauce over the ricotta cheese
6. Add 2 more slices of eggplant.  Layer with ricotta cheese, a layer of marinara sauce and top with shredded mozzarella.  
7. Place the filled ramequins onto a baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let the the eggplant lasagna sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.  The cheese and sauce should stop bubbling by then.

Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 chopped roma tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon vegetarian bouillon power or chickn' bouillon seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup
  
• 20 chopped basil leaves
• 1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms

1. In a heated skillet, add olive oil and minced garlic.  Stir until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes, bouillon powder, oregano, thyme, nutritional yeast, agave syrup, basil leaves and crimini mushrooms to the skillet.
3. Let it simmer for about five minutes.  You can spoon the marinara sauce out of the skillet into the ramequins.

Vegetarian Tuna Steaks With Spicy Garlic Sauce

Happy New Year!  I decided to splurge on yummy seitan for our dinners during the past week and I bought some vegetarian tuna steaks.  It's seasoned seitan wrapped in seaweed and it does have a hint of fishy flavor.  There are about 2 dozen tuna steaks in the package I found in the freezer section of the grocery store.  This amount should serve at least 8 folks.  If you are not cooking for a large party, you can separate the tuna steaks into smaller portions and place them in ziploc bags in the freezer.

I thawed the seitan in the fridge for a day and seperated the pre-cut pieces just to make sure I was able to throw them on my skillet all at once.

I added about 1 tablespoon of oil onto a hot skillet or pan and sear each side of the tuna steak until golden brown.  

Set aside while you make your garlic sauce.

 

I had to make two different batches of the garlic sauce because the first batch would be too spicy for our guests.   In the second batch, I added less chili sauce and threw in some chopped tomatoes for some acidity.  The garlic sauce can be served over fried tofu as well.

Spicy Garlic Sauce

Serves 4 (for one dozen tuna steaks or 8 ounces of fried tofu)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 1 teaspoons of vegetarian bouillon powder or chickn' bouillon powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
• 3 chopped roma tomatoes
• 2 stalks of chopped green onions/scallions
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Heat oil on a skillet or a pan and add garlic.  Stir until fragrant and add vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, tamari, vegetarian bouillon powder, maple syrup, chili sauce, vinegar and cornstarch + water mix.  
2. Bring to a boil until sauce has thickened.
3. Add tomatoes and scallions.  Stir for about 2 minutes for tomatoes to soften.
4. Turn heat of the stove and add sesame oil to the sauce.  Stir sesame oil into the sauce and pour over fried tuna steaks or tofu with brown rice.  You can also serve the sauce on the side.

Veggie Dumplings - Xiao Long Bao

I have been experimenting different recipes for a vegetarian version of xiao long bao.  The hubs hates waiting in long lines at various dumpling establishments throughout the San Gabriel Valley so I figured I would make some at home.  Jase certainly did not have to wait in long lines but had to help me with clean up and the dishes.  He kept to his word and helped me clean up last night for our Chinese New Years Eve dinner!

The tricky part of making the filling for these dumplings were to keep it moist enough just to mimic the taste of juicy soup within the dumplings upon biting into them.  My first attempt of creating the soup was to add agar agar powder to vegetable stock and let it cool and set into a jelly substance.  I hoped that the jelly substance melt and create a soup like effect after the dumplings were steamed but upon biting into them, but they were dry because the dumpling wrapper seemed to absorb the moisture mixed with agar agar.  In my second and third attempts without the agar agar mix, I opted to add more cabbage and mushrooms to ensure that it would add more moisture to the filling and the fourth attempt was perfect!  I created the illusion of biting into a juicy dumpling with flavors that implode in your mouth. 

I also experimented with different types of seitan for the dumpling fillings and the mock duck version tasted the best.  Mock duck?  I know, it sounds strange right but we purchased the mock duck in a can from the Asian grocery store.  The seitan is stewed in a light brown sauce.  I know it looks strange but I placed the seitan in a food processor and chopped them into small pieces.  It looked just like ground seitan and no longer duck after placing it through the processor. Flavor wise, this combination of mock duck with leeks was the winner out of my experiments. 

The dumpling wrappers were purchased from the Asian grocery store as well.  I will attempt to perfect the dumpling wrappers in the future but the long hours at the office makes my cooking time at home limited.  I purchased a 9" bamboo steamer at the grocery store for $8. You will also need a large wok to steam the dumplings in.

Vegetarian Dumplings - Xiao Long Bao

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 can mock duck (drain seitan from can and ground seitan in a food processor)
• 1 minced leek
• 3/4 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
• 1/4 cup strips of dried wood ear fungus (soak the mushrooms for at least 2 hours in water then drain)
• 3/4 chopped cabbage
• 2 tablespoons of ground rolled oats (ground into powder in a processor)
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon 5 spice powder
• 2 teaspooon vegetarian bouillion powder
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• Napa cabbage leaves to align the bottom of bamboo tray
• 1 package of 3" diameter dumpling wrappers (mine came in a set of 50 wrappers)
• Dumpling sauce (julienne some ginger, black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili paste)

1. In a large bowl, add mock duck, leek, oyster mushrooms, dried wood ear fungus, cabbage, rolled oats, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, tamari, maple syrup, 5 spice power, vegetarian bouillon, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and vegetable stock.  Stir until all ingredients are mixed in and set aside.
2. Align the bottom of the bamboo trays with napa leaves as shown on the picture below.
3. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling into the dumpling wrappers.  Grab all ends of the dumpling wrapper together, pull upwards, pinch and the twist ends.  Place the dumplings over the napa cabbage that align the bamboo trays.  Try not to place them so close together as I did because the dumplings will inflate and stick to the surrounding dumplings.
4. Add about one inch of water to the bottom of the wok.  Bring to a boil.  Place bamboo tray onto the wok and the water should not be touching the bamboo steamer.  Cover the bamboo tray with a lid and steam for about 10 minutes.  Serve immediately and dip the dumplings in dumpling sauce before consuming.

Not Yo Mama's Minnesota Hot Dish

I know I'm a little late with my posts.  I have just been incredibly busy at the office, leaving me with just a small window of time for friends.  Last night, I got a chance to see my lovely friend, Angie and it's therapeutic to catch up with her and talk about a whole lot of nothing.  Well nothing is what we tell our boys.  :)

Some of the dishes I make are inspired by my two mums.  That's Jase's mama, Flo on the left and my mama, Lynn on the right.  And the thing they have in common other than being our mothers is that they both have really big toes.  Thanks for the hereditary genes mums.  Now our babies will have big toes too but it's okay.  We still love you! 

Our mama's are the heart of the kitchen.  The first thing we want when we stop by their home is a nice hot dish by Mama Flo and Mama Lynn.  This week, Jase reminded me of how much he missed his mama's Minnesota Hot Dish.  So naturally, I tried to tweak the dish with vegetarian ingredients.  Mama Flo usually makes the MN Hot Dish with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and tater tots.  My version includes ground seitan or ground tofu, some kale, hash brown potatoes and a frozen pie crust.  Mama Flo doesn't serve her hot dish with a pie crust but my version is slightly salty and the flaky pie crust balances out the flavors nicely.

Not Yo Mama's Minnesota Hot Dish

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped brown onion
• 1 cup ground firm tofu (I prefer the tofu version) or ground seitan (I use TJ's Beefless ground beef)
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of vegetarian bouillon powder
• 1 kale leaf thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped crimini or white button mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup cream of mushroom soup (see my non-dairy version here)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper or ground black pepper (Mama Flo does not like it spicy so I use black pepper for her dish)
• 3 cups of frozen shredded hash browns (I use Trader Joe's Shredded Hash Browns found in the frozen section)
• 1 frozen pie crust (whole wheat crust is yummy too)
• 1/2 cup grated or shredded non-dairy cheese (I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheddar or Mozzarella Cheese)
• 1/4 dried parsley flakes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. On a heated skillet, add butter, minced garlic and onion.  Stir until onions are translucent.
3. Add tofu/seitan, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, tamari, nutritional yeast, vegetarian bouillon powder to the skillet and stir for about 3 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, kale, bell pepper, peas, carrots and stir until the kale is slightly wilted (about 2 minutes)
5. Turn off stove.  Fold in cream of mushroom soup, paprika and cayenne/black pepper to the mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into a frozen pie crust and sprinkle the frozen shredded hash browns over the mixture.  Cover the mixture completely with shredded hash browns.  You want to pack the shredded hash brown into a mound over the top because the potatoes will shrink after it bakes.   
7. Cover the entire pie with foil to keep the crust from browning and to slightly steam the potatoes on top of the pie. 
8. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. After 35 minutes, take the foil off of the pie. 
9. Top with some grated/shredded non-dairy cheese, sprinkle with dried parsley flakes and broil uncovered pie for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
10. Cut into wedges and serve!  The tofu mixture falls apart easily so I use a large spoon to serve.

Steaming hot ground seitan, kale, and mushroom mixture in frozen pie crust.

Mound of shredded hash brown and sprinkled with nutritional yeast flakes instead of cheese.

MN hot dish with shredded cheddar cheese.

MN hot dish with shredded mozarella and dried parsely flakes.

Spicy Garlic Eggplant and Tofu

Happy Happy Birthday to my friends, Duong and Cees!  I hope you both had a wonderful day whether you were working or lounging around the house.  I would have baked you guys a cake but I doubt you would be interested in a vegan cake.  :) 

It was another busy day of work so I hardly had time to cook a nice dinner for hubby.  I figured I would whip up a quick stir fry to serve with some brown rice.  This dish is tangy, sweet and spicy!  You can omit the chili peppers if it's too much spice for you to handle.  I think that one pepper has just enough spice.  I absolutely love eggplants!  I don't think hubby has ever had eggplant before he met me and I'm so glad he is easy to please.  I think my mum has mentioned that it would be easy to cook for him too.

Spicy Garlic Eggplant and Tofu

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 large eggplant sliced into one inch pieces
• 8 ounces of fried tofu cut into one inch pieces
• 1/2 cup of chopped red bell peppers
• 10 basil leaves
• 1 thai red chili pepper minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup

1. Fry tofu until golden brown and set aside
2. Mix together vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, tamari, apple cider vinegar, agave syrup in a bowl and place aside
3. In a heated wok, add oil and stir in garlic until fragrant
4. Add eggplant and stir fry for about 5 minutes so that it is lightly softened
5. Add tofu, bell peppers, basil leaves, thai chili pepper and sauce mixture from step two
6. Stir fry for about 3 minutes until sauce is coated over all ingredients
7. Serve with brown rice and enjoy

Saltado de Vegetales

My husband introduced me to a lot of different types of foods when we first dated.  It was a match made in foodie heaven.  On our fourth date, Jase took me to a Peruvian restaurant named El Rocoto and the flavors were orgasmic!  I never knew that a fusion of Latin and Asian flavors would taste so good!  The hubs certainly missed eating Peruvian food on a weekly basis since he used to have it at least once a week before we met.  So I decided to recreate the Saltado de Vegetales dish.  The saltado is usually served with meat and french fries but I decided to substitute it with tofu and sweet potato fries.  The Peruvian chili pepper, Aji Amarillo tastes like it's got 10 times the spice of a yellow or red bell pepper.  It's got great flavor and the pepper or paste tastes awful good in stir fries.  We found the aji amarillo paste at the local Latin American market.

Saltado de Vegetales

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 10 ounces of whole wheat pasta, brown rice or tofu noodles
• 6 ounces of sweet potatoes fries (I use Trader Joes frozen sweet potato fries and bake them until crisp)
• 16 ounces of fried tofu (cut into thin one inch pieces and fry in oil until golden brown)
• 4 tomatoes cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 Spanish onion cut into strips
• 5 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
• 2 stalks of chopped green onions
• 1 handful of chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons of aji amarillo paste
• 2 tablespoons of vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoon of shoyu
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice

1. Prepare noodles or rice and set aside but keep warm
2. Fry the tofu in oil until light golden brown and set aside
3. Fry or bake sweet potato fries until they are crisp and set aside
4. Turn stove on high.  In a hot wok or pan, add one teaspoon of oil, minced garlic and onions.  Stir for one minute.
5. Add musrooms, tomatoes, tofu and stir for about 3 minutes.
6. Add aji amarillo paste, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, shoyu, maple syrup, lime juice, green onions, cilantro and stir for 2 minutes.
7. Turn off heat from stove and gently fold in sweet potato fries.
8. Serve over rice or noodles.