Gonna Go Walk the Dogs

November Happy Birthday Wishes Over Vegan Manicotti

November means Autumn, Thanksgiving and a special time to celebrate friends having a birthday . I know quite a few friends that have a November birthday and I wish you all the best! The usual greeting on order is a cake but this year I decided to mix it up. That is right, I am celebrating your days with pasta! And not just any pasta either. I recently made some seitan sausages and thought how wonderful they would taste stuffed into a shell with my artisan mozzarella and then bathed  in a handmade tomato sauce. Thus this dish was created.

Let's start with my basic recipe and then I will discuss how I pumped it up!

Apple and Aubergine Seitan Sausage & Mozzarella Manicotti

1 (12 ounce) package manicotti, uncooked
1 (22 1/2 ounce) container Tofu ricotta cheese (buy Tofutti or make your own...recipe is in my book)  
3 cups cashew mozzarella cheese (about 10 balls)

2 links seitan sausage, diced

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup grated Rice parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups spaghetti sauce

Chives


Mix tofu ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cup of the mozzarella , 1/4 cup of the parmesan , parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon mixture into uncooked manicotti shells, using at least 1/3 cup per shell. Place filled manicotti shells in a single layer in greased 13X9 inch baking pan.

Pour spaghetti sauce over manicotti shells.

Sprinkle with chopped chives and 1/4 cup Rice parmesan cheese, bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until hot.

Feeds 6-8 birthday gals!

For the seitan sausage, I chop and salt 1 cup of eggplant and add 1 grated apple. Mix 1 cup chopped seitan with the eggplant  and season with pepper, fennel, basil and oregano. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 clove minced garlic, a dash of paprika, a sprinkle of rice flour and mold into links, wrapping in foil. Refrigerate an hour and then bake or fry in olive oil. I like to cook then and then add to the manicotti.

My sauce is a fresh tomato and basil sauce:

8 -10 tomatoes, chopped well

8 basil leaves, chiffonade

Salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic and 1/4 cup minced shallot

EVOO

I  saute the shallot and  garlic in a little olive oil and then add the rest of the ingredients - simmer an hour or two to develop flavor!

 

Hope that you all enjoy this meal - serve it with a glass of vino and Celebrate!

 

A Perfect Autumn Day

Today was one of those warm Autumn days, a slight chill in the air upon getting up this morning, but the day quickly warmed up - in the 8os. Blue skies, a walk on the beach, and what to eat for lunch...

Last week a friend brought over pomegranates, so I thought, why not make a nice salad. And why not kick it up a notch -- I had some nice leftover cashew cheese and portabella mushrooms as well. I veganized this recipe from a Pomegranate website ....it is really simple and so fresh!

I marinaded the mushrooms and then put them on the grill - so much fun living in California (wink). Then I started to stack. Man, it was sooooo good. This one is a keeper.

 

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Baby Greens, and Pomegranate Viniagrette with Herbed Cashew Cheese

4 medium portobello mushrooms

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

½ teaspoon each of basil, Italian parsley, rosemary and thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste 

Herbed Cashew  "Goat" Cheese

½ teaspoon each of basil, Italian parsley, rosemary and thyme, chopped

¼ lb Cashew cheese

1 tablespoon Tofutti cream cheese

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

½ cup pomegranate juice 

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste 

Salad

2 cups baby greens 

Garnish

¼ cup pomegranate seeds  

 

Combine 1/4 cup of the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, half of the minced shallots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each of the herbs in a bowl. Remove the stems from the mushroom caps, and marinate the caps in the herbed oil and vinegar mixture for 30 minutes to one hour. Remove the portobello from marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Grill each side for approximately 2 minutes, or until tender. 

***

Preheat oven to 425° F. Combine the remaining herbs, garlic, cashew cheese and Tofutti cream cheese. Spoon the mixture onto a cookie sheet in 2-1/2 to 3 ounce dollops. Place the cheese in a preheated oven, and bake it for 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Remove the cheese from cookie sheet, and place it into center of serving plate.

***

Prepare fresh pomegranate juice. Combine the pomegranate juice, rice vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Slowly whisk it in oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper

***

Add the remaining shallots in equal portions to the baby greens, and toss with the vinaigrette. Place the mushroom on top of cheese with a small portion of the salad. Garnish with seeds.

 Bon appetite!

 

 

Fall Back....into Thai Coconut Soup

It is definitely soup weather and as Daylight Savings Time ends, I am reminded that the days will be shorter... and cooler -- last weekend I was craving soup, soup, soup. I made a nice posole (see my FlickR post for that), and I wanted a good coconut soup - you know - a spicy sweet and hot soup with lemongrass and lime undertones. All this week I kept thinking that I would use tofu, but when I opened my frig this morning I remembered that I had May Way's vegan shrimp - that was it!

I pulled out the cutting board and put my skillets on the stove - and hauled out my favorite soup pot. The secret to making a good vegan shrimp ingredient is how it is cooked - if not done correctly the product gets very chewy. I took some sesame oil and chopped a red onion (only because I had run out of shallots- please use shallots for this recipe), then diced some thai chilies, ginger and sauteed the shrimp quickly then deglazed it with lime juice and zest and added mushrooms. Boy the kitchen smelled delicious!

After that I prepped the bamboo shoots, rest of the chilies, ginger, and brought the coconut milk to a simmer with the lemongrass. I added the rest of the ingredients into the pot and simmered gently 30-40 minutes -- garnishing with cilantro just before serving. This recipe will feed 8-10 easily. Ready to make your own batch?

Here we go:

 

1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 1/2 cup chopped shallots 1 stalk lemon grass, minced 2 teaspoons sirracha 2 thai chilies, sliced 4 cups vegetable broth broth 3 tablespoons tamari 1 tablespoon agave syrup

3 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk 1/2 pound fresh shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced 1 pound vegan shrimp 1/4 cup bamboo shoots, sliced   Fresh lime juice of 2 limes Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute and stir the onion, shrimp, chilies,mushrooms and ginger - deglaze with the lime juice. Slowly pour the vegetable broth over the mixture, stirring continually. Stir in the tamari and agave syrup. simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and lemongrass; simmer all ingredients another 15 minutes, adjusting seasoning to taste. Garnish with cilantro.