Isa Test Kitchen: Oven Baked Onion Rings

Andrew LOVES to cook. He gets such joy out of it. Especially when you have to painstakingly dredge onion rings in batter ONE by ONE. It's the most fun one could possibly have, right?

I'm lying. Obviously, no one likes battering stuff like that. It takes forever, and it's boring. Andrew and I tried to tag in and out so we could rest our minds from the bland abyss. But it doesn't help a whole lot. So, if you're ever going to a potluck and think making onion rings for 100 people sounds like a good idea -- don't. It's not really a good idea. I mean, it is. But it's a lot of work.

We made do though. MAYBE everyone didn't get onion rings. But I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

This recipes comes from www.theppk.com. I think they have a new low-fat, weight-lossy vegan cookbook coming out to counter the years we've all been cooking from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. And rightfully so. The recipe was super easy. We used Italian bread crumbs instead of just plain ones. We thought it'd be a little bland without all the oil and fatty deliciousness. We also cut the salt a little since a few commenters thought they were too salty. Give 'em a try!

I'm Still Here

These are the "Oysters" Rockefeller from The Conscious Cook. They're absolutely amazing if you ever need a fancy appetizer for something. A lot of time goes into them, but it's worth it. Coincidentally, The New York Times has an article questioning why vegans shouldn't eat oysters. It's a silly point, mostly because oysters do have a simple nervous system. But you might want to check it out none the less. Some interesting comment discussion.

Anyway, life has been busy and thus the blog has been vacant. Andrew is fighting at the end of April, so he will need to cut weight. We're transitioning his diet this weekend to a low carb vegan diet. Any suggestions!?

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Andrew has been sick with a cold since last Friday, so I haven't really cooked much. I've just been getting takeout and trying to make him feel better, while simultaneously feeling like crap myself. I finally went back to work on Tuesday while Andrew stayed home and played Left 4 Dead all day. Butthead.

Anyway, LAST week I was really craving spinach artichoke dip and apparently Andrew and I have completely different memories of the non-vegan version of this dip. Whenever I had it, my mom bought it from Trader Joe's or something and it came all smooth in a container. It wasn't super chunky or cheesy. It was like a smoother, kinda chunky dip. If that makes sense. And I guess Andrew always got it at restaurants, really chunky, coated with lots of cheese. He called this more of an artichoke pesto. But it's not. There's no oil, and it's thick and creamy with cream cheesy goodness.

So, if you have Andrew's memory, then this isn't really the spinach artichoke dip of your dreams. You could probably make it chunkier and add a bunch of vegan cheese. I'm not in love with vegan cheese, so I stay clear. It is, however, a really great flavorful dip or spread. I put it on a sandwich with some Italian marinaded tofu.

[[Spinach Artichoke Dip]]

1 container of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 large chopped shallot
3/4 cup of jarred and drained artichoke hearts with 1 tbs marinade
1 packed cup of spinach
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
salt and pepper to taste

-- In a blender, mix cream cheese, garlic, and shallots until smooth.
-- Then add the salt, pepper, artichoke hearts and marinade, plus half of the spinach. Blend it all roughly but not into a smooth consistency. You want some chunks of artichoke still.
-- In a medium sized sauce pan, add the rest of spinach and cook until wilted. Add the contents from the blender and warm on the stove. Serve warm with chips or crostinis.

Yes, I do eat brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on the daily now.

Vegan MoFo Day 9: Pesto Crostinis

So, after being completely discouraged by pesto, I finally had a great success! I only made pesto one other time. It was some crazy internet recipe that called for nutritional yeast and spinach and all sorts of crazy nonsense. That was the first time I ever tried pesto, too, which made me think I just didn't like pesto. I've now realized what everyone else already has-- pesto rules! This time, I just did bare bones pesto, and it was perfection! [[Thanks for the encouragement]]

This is a really pretty way to serve pesto-- a slightly thicker pesto, spread on a crispy bread with olives. You can make your own baguette [[I hear it's pretty easy]], or kroger sells some multi-grain ones like this.

Here's what I did: I bought some fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and a mini baguette. For the pesto, I blended garlic, salt, and pepper with equal parts basil and pine nuts while slowly adding extra virgin olive oil in a blender, pulsing. I refridgerated it for an hour. For the crostini, I sliced the baguette and put them under a high broiled for about a minute [[watching them]], and then flipped them over for another minute. They should be cripy, not burnt, but almost stale feeling. Then, I spread the pesto on the crostinis and topped them with sliced kalamata olives.

Cooking by Numbers: Garlic Cheesy Bread

My mom didn't cook much growing up. It's one of those things she developed later in life. Probably out of boredom like most people.

We did have a lot of "dinner parties", though; usually on holidays or when family came into town. She'd get a bunch of wine, lay out salami with cheese and crackers, and make this phenomenal cheesy garlic bread. I don't actually know how she made it. I can only guess from years of subconsciously watching her during mindless kitchen chit chat. But it tasted spot on. Considering that it's vegan now, I think that's pretty good.

I'm not going to lie to you either. It's pretty fatty. But, like I said, she made this for holidays and special occasions. And if it's just a little appetizer, it's not that bad.

Right now, we're staying at his parents place-- house sitting while they're in Italy. I didn't have my light box or tripod, so the pictures will be slightly less than excellent. But I think they get the job done.

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First, slice the the bread in half hot dog style. I got a whole grain mini loaf from Kroger. They're so little!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.










Melt [[<--that much]] earth balance in a pan. It's about two large tablespoons. Add about 1/4 tsp garlic. Cook each half in the butter until slightly crispy. Only cook the cut side. About 2 minutes.









Grill each half in the earth balance, cut face down. Do not grill the back side. Remove after about 2 minutes when saturated and crispy.
















Get about 1/2 tsp minced garlic.














Add 1/4 cup vegenaise.












Add about a handful of shredded Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella cheese. Mix together with some fresh black pepper.

Spread on the grilled bread [[cut side]]. Top with dried or fresh basil and bake for about 15 minutes.

Check on it at 8 minutes. It should be melty and sizzly and crispy [[like the picture at the top!]].

Twice Baked Red Potatoes

Somehow, Andrew has gone his whole life not knowing what a twice baked potato is. Which was cool for me, because he thought I was freaking awesome for "inventing" these.

The meat and dairy based twice baked potato uses Russet baking potatoes, bacon bits and grease, lots of butter, sour cream, and milk. Plus more butter [[I feel like that stupid Julia Child movie now]]. Topped with lots of salt. And then some green onions. With a side of sour cream for dipping.

They're not the best thing for you. And as a vegan, it'd be really easy to make these just as bad, sans the cholesterol, but just as bad still. I think we forget that sometimes.

So, in an attempt to make these still taste awesome, but not feel so guilty, I used red potatoes and tried to keep it light on the other stuff. I wouldn't go out and eat these every day. But they're not that bad.

[[Twice Baked Red Potatoes]]

Potatoes
4 russet potatoes, washed and halved
1 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs earth balance
2 tbs vegan gourmet sour cream [[it's the best and healthiest]]
3-5 tbs soy milk, unsweetened
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Cheesy Sauce
1 tbs earth balance
1.5 tbs chickpea flour [[or all purpose flour]]
3/4 cup milk
3 tbs nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Optional: a dash or two of chipotle powder

Garnish
vegan gourmet sour cream
fresh cilantro
finely chopped red onion

Preheat oven to 400 F
-- Wash the outside of the potatoes and slice into halves along the longest part. Coat in olive oil, and bake face down on a baking sheet or in a glass baking dish for 30-45 minutes. A fork should easily pierce the center.
-- The last 20 minutes of baking, make a cheesy sauce.
-- Heat butter on medium heat. Once melted, with the heat still on, slowly whisk in flour.
-- When it becomes a creamy paste, add milk. Whisk thoroughly together on medium high heat. After 10 minutes, it should start to bubble and thicken.
-- Add the nutritional yeast and seasoning, stir, and set aside.
-- For the last 2 minutes of potatoes baking, put the broiler on low to make the "shell" crispy and slightly tough.
-- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Don't turn the oven off yet.
-- With a small spoon, gently remove the inside potato, so you are left with a little potato lining the skin, like a potato bowl.
-- With a potato masher, add the butter, sour cream, and milk and mash into a smooth, creamy texture. It should be slightly creamer than mashed potatoes. Add seasoning and mix.
-- Then, with a small spoon, scoop the mashed mixture back into the shells. Top with 1 tbs cheesy sauce and sprinkle some finely chopped red onions on top.
-- Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
-- Remove, top with 1/2 tbs sour cream, and some cilantro leaves.

Basil Oven Roasted Tomatoes on a Tofu Wrap

Roma tomatoes before roasting

This is my "I'm sorry, let me bust out the most awesome meal ever" lunch wrap. I got short with Andrew on Friday and I felt bad, so while he was napping I tried to think of the most deliciously decadent wrap ever. This wrap is loaded with great stuff - a basil cream, roasted roma tomatoes, sauteed baby bellas, red onions, and cornmeal fried tofu. The result is a sweet and savory combination of flavors with a hint of garlic and basil.

If you've never roasted tomatoes at home, you should definitely try it. Your house will smell like garlic-y, basil-y goodness. They're also one of the simplest ways to make something instantly beautiful and fancy looking.

[[Basil Roasted Roma Tomatoes]]
This is enough for 2 wraps. You can also serve these as an appetizer. If you wanted to get crazy, when they're done roasting, grate some Follow Your Heart Mozzarella and leave under a low broiler for about 2 minutes.

one roma tomato, in 5 slices
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs dried basil
2-3 gloves of garlic, minced or pressed
a dash of salt

-- Preheat the oven to 300 F
-- Slice roma into 4-5 thin slices and place on a baking sheet
-- Coat each slice with olive oil, front and back
-- Season with garlic, basil, and salt
-- Roast in oven for about 15-20 minutes. They should look slightly withered and be sizzling.

Roma tomatoes after roasting on top of cornmeal tofu. See, doesn't it look fancy?

[[Crispy Cornmeal Tofu]]
This also serves 2 people. I've been using chickpea flour a lot lately when I batter and fry things. I have to say, it works amazingly well. Before, I would just dip it in the bread crumbs or whatever I was breading with and it would fall apart in the pan and burn. Even white flour and water mixtures didn't seem to work well. This is by far my best experience I've had with battering.

1/2 block of tofu
chickpea/water slurry

• 2-3 tbs chickpea flour
• 4-5 tbs water

cornmeal mixture

• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 tbs cholula seasoning, or any Mexican spice medley
• a dash or two of chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

vegetable oil for frying

-- Wrap tofu in a cheese cloth or in paper towels and place something heavy on top. Press for about an hour to remove excess moisture and to ensure a nice, firm texture. It will fry a lot better if you do this, but it's not necessary.
-- If you're making the whole wrap, start this while your tomatoes are roasting. Cut tofu into 2 inch rectangular cubes.
-- Create a batter station, with the chickpea flour slurry and cornmeal mixture. Heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat.
-- Dip tofu is slurry then cornmeal mixture, then fry on eat side about 1-2 minutes.


For the wrap, I just chopped some raw red onions and sauteed a handful of chopped mushrooms in olive oil. Then I mixed some tofutti sour cream with lemon juice, basil, and parsley to make an Italian-y cream sauce. I wrapped it all in a whole wheat tortilla. Add a little romaine lettuce for some texture contrast and it's perfect.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I wish I came in contact with these sooner. Before this, my only encounter with fried green tomatoes was the book my grandma gave my mom on her 40th birthday [[coincidentally it's about being middle aged and lesbianism -- so that was weird]]. It turns out, it's actually something delicious they make in the south. And from what I can tell, one of the easiest things you could veganize from the south. They aren't very vegan friendly down there [[lots of shrimp and andouille sausage]], so it was neat how easy it was to make them.

They aren't terribly low calorie or low fat or low carb, but that's to be expected with anything fried... and personally, I don't care about calories or all that. They are really high in fiber and protein and loaded with vitamins [[from the cornmeal and green tomato and chickpea flour]], which I do care about. And pretty freaking awesome in moderation. Like a fun appetizer? I'm reaching.


[[Fried Green Tomatoes]]
I thought it was funny that you're supposed to dip these in ketchup [[because it's a tomato?]]. We also had some Organicville ranch from the Clintonville Community Market.

one large green tomato [[I found them at Kroger]]
2-3 tbs chickpea flour mixed with 2-3 tbs water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp chipotle powder, or an any chili powder
a little salt and pepper
1-2 tbs vegetable oil for frying

-- Traditionally, I think you're suppose to cut these 1 inch thick. I cut mine into about 1/2 inch slices. Andrew thought they should be thinner. I guess it just depends on your preference in fried to substance ratio. I found slicing them into 1/2 inch slices to be pretty perfect.
-- Make a slurry with the chickpea flour and water. This you have to eye ball. Make sure it's slighty runny. You don't want it to be a thick goop, but you don't want it too watery. Aim for slightly thinner than cake batter. Set that aside in a shallow bowl.
-- Mix cornmeal and spices in a shallow bowl and set aside next to the slurry so you have a little batter station.
-- Heat oil on medium to high heat in a wide pan. Dip your tomato slices in the slurry first, allowing all excess to drip off. Then firmly press eat side in the cornmeal mixture. Make sure it's completely coated, but brush off any excessive clumps. Those will just fall off in the oil and burn.
-- Cook each side in the heated oil about 2 minutes until crispy.
-- Serve with ketchup or vegan ranch.

Alfredo Pizza and Garlic Bread Sticks

I remember when all the pizza places started coming out with crazy pizza toppings. Specifically, Round Table came out with this "white sauce" chicken pizza that sounded god awful to me. I was a plain sauce and cheese kinda girl, and the thought of combining two perfectly good dishes together -- chicken alfredo and pizza -- seemed so stupid. Anyway, the point being -- I tried it and loved it, and it quickly became my favorite kind of pizza. Nothing beat a "white sauce" chicken pizza with some garlic bread sticks. Plus a pepsi of course.

But alas, I no longer enjoy the fruits of suffering, and pepsi is my vice. So these days I enjoy a vegan alfredo sauce pizza topped with creole seitan. Plus water of course.

For the pizza I used my standard whole wheat crust recipe, topped it with my alfredo sauce and creole seitan recipe, with one crown of broccoli finely chopped, 1/4 white onions chopped, and a handful of chopped baby bellas sauteed lightly in oil seasoned with a little chili powder, and finally some chopped scallions, chopped tomatoes and shredded Follow Your Heart mozzarella.


Garlic bread sticks are fun. You just get to play with the dough, twist them up, grease, and season-- no need to worry about tossing and stretching and all that. For these, again, I used the other half of my whole pizza dough recipe plus the standard tomato sauce recipe. I stretched out the dough into 6 5 inch strips, and grease the tops with olive oil. I spread some minced garlic on top. Then I twisted them so the oil was tucked inside and the garlic was all embedded in the dough. Then I greased the tops and seasoned with garlic powder and onion powder plus some oregano. Baked these guys at 500F like the pizza for about 8 minutes.

This dinner was originally going to break our fast on Thursday, however, it's important to wean yourself back onto proteins and solid foods. Instead we ate smoothies for a couple meals and made this on Friday night. This pizza was out of this world. I know I probably don't have to tell you what to put on your pizza, but this is one of those things that was so good, you should try it.

Artichokes - A Super Food

We went over to whole foods last week and perusing the the produce section, I noticed these babies. I had artichoke growing up quite often, with a little side of butter [[I think everyone else used mayo, but that was too disgusting for me to try-- gobs of mayo in your mouth? yuck!]].

Uncooked artichoke.

This weekend I also built a light box. The photo above was taken in it while the photo below was taken in my kitchen. I'm constantly in awe of what our little camera is able to accomplish and that light box is down right beautiful. It's sitting in our living room next to the bookshelf and our stacked bikes and Andrew's tower of magic. Our living room has turned into more of a study/work studio. We're so hip. Sort of.

As pretty as it looks raw, I had to figure how to actually prepare it. I read a lot of online tutorials before trying to cook these and they all came to the same points:

• Trim the spikes off of the leaves-- or pedals I suppose, it is a flower
  
• Cut the top off about an inch
• Cut the stem so it can stand up straight
• Rinse and clean them well
• Steam them, OR bring about 4 inches of water to a boil and place artichokes inside stands up so that no water will get trapped in the leaves, cover -- leave for about an hour
• Throw one clove of garlic in with the bowling water to add a garlic-y flavor to them-- it's delicious
  

These were all great and very helpful points. My artichokes were not fully cooked after an hour, but I suppose it would have worked better if I had a steamer. This tutorial was really helpful, with great photos, and it also has pressure cooker instructions.

Artichoke with smoked paprika vegenaise and melted earth balance

I served it with a side of vegenaise [[mixed with a little smoked paprika and lemon]] and some melted earth balance. Andrew had never had artichokes this way, so I thought I'd offer up bother dipping options.

If you're worried about eating these covered in fat, don't. Artichokes increase your body's production of bile, which helps the digestion of lipids. Also, they rule with a whopping 10.3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 0 grams of fat per serving. PLUS, they're a super food complete with antioxidants. You rock artichokes.

Anyway, this was just a little post to offer up some help with artichokes. They're a strange and elusive plant, at least to me, but they're one of my favorites.

Aaand, it was also to show off my cool, new light box. Enjoy. :)

Baked Pita and Black Bean Dip

I love chips and dip. It's usually lays potato chips and an onion dip-- those are the most delicious to me. I'm trying to stay away from chips for obvious reasons, and I'm pretty sure your standard store bought dips are loaded with creams and cheeses and fats.

In my attempts to make a healthy alternative [[besides corn chips and salsa, which are not that bad]], I made pita chips with a black bean layered dip. It was really easy and fast. If you ever have dinner parties or just want to do something nice for someone you love, this turns out really pretty while being incredibly delicious.

[[Seasoned Pita Chips]]
I know you can just buy these, but they're always made with white flour pita. This way you can control preservatives and crispiness and make them whole wheat. Andrew and I ate it all and then we were too full for dinner, so this is probably a good appetizer for four people. :)

2 pieces of whole wheat pita bread, sliced into triangles
about 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
a few dashes of salt and pepper

-- Preheat your oven to 375 F
-- Lay your sliced pita out on a cookie sheet so you have one layer. Drizzle with oil. If you have a spray bottle, that may work better to get an even coat.
-- Sprinkle with seasoning and bake for about 10 minutes. It may need more or less time. Check them periodically to be sure they're not too hard or soft for your taste. It'll be around 10 minutes though.


[[Bean Dip]]
You can use another chili powder. Chipotles just have a great smokey flavor that really stands out in a dish. I recommend getting some. This looks really pretty in a glass dish so you can see the layers. Regular tortilla chips would work well with this, too.

1/2 can of black beans
1/2 container of tofutti sour cream
1/4 cup pico de gallo [[we just got some fresh from whole foods, but it's easy to make]]
1 tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
a few dashes of chipotle pepper powder
2 tbs chopped green onions

-- In a serving bowl, place on layer of cooked black beans. Then, a layer of pico de gallo.
-- In a seperate bowl, mix the lime and cayenne pepper with the sour cream. Place that mixture on top of the pico de gallo layer.
-- Top with a few days of chipotle pepper and the chopped green onions.
-- Serve with a side of pita chips.