Category: Vegan Recipes

Vegan Recipes

Grilled Tofurkey Sandwich w/ Chipotle-Fried Potatoes & Baby Bok Choy (V)

Crystal Fleming

Photo Oct 11, 7 44 26 PM

This poor blog is feeling awfully neglected with the constraints of my work load and schedule.  All I have time to post are 1-line spiritual musings and vegan food porn.

In lieu of a real update, let me just say the following: 1) I’m incredibly happy in this moment 2) Some really exciting, beautiful things are flowering in my work and personal lives right now 3) I am so grateful for the friends, mentors and connections that are breathing synchronicity and joy into my everyday and 4) I’ve found my life’s purpose.  No fucking kidding. My life’s purpose.  No time to tell you about it now, but we’ll chat about it soon.  I promise.  Now back to food.

* * *

The thing I like about posting the the vegan sorta-kinda-recipes is that although they may be merely impressionistic descriptions – rather than the full-on step-by-step instructions you might be accustomed to on a food blog – they do convey 1) the sheer beauty of the meals 2) some creative ideas about how to have your delicious, healthy cake and eat it too and 3) a certain veganish je ne sais quoi.

Truly though, the reason I still share some of my meals is that I really fuckin’ love cooking.  It’s something I stopped doing for a while — between travel and work stress and laziness, I fell off the vegan wagon . . . But now that I’m back on, cooking has brought more balance, artistry and health into my life.  I gained no less than 10 lbs over the last few months from eating out so much and so often (and my goodness.. I consumed some really delicious food).  Now I’m in the kitchen again and getting back into the rhythm of living an active life.  Hot yoga, cardio boot camp and the elliptical are regular visitors on my weekly calendar.

Tonight’s epic vegan masterpiece was absofuckinlutely amazing.  Pretty easy too.

Grilled Tofurkey Sandwich with Chipotle-Fried Potatoes & Baby Bok Choy

Ingredients

– Hoagie spread (you know, the jar of peppers)

– Vegan mayonnaise

– Whole wheat bread

– Tofurkey links of your choice

– 1/2 red onion

– 2 potatoes

– 1 clove of fresh garlic

– 1/2 chipotle pepper (de-seeded)

– EVOO

– salt and pepper

– herbes de provence

– 1 baby bok choy (chopped, grilled and marinated)

– ketchup

– hot sauce

Directions

  1. Slice potatoes, onion, chipotle and garlic
  2. Cut Tofurkey links lengthwise, then again through the middle, to create 8 smaller links
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet
  4. Grill Tofurkey for about 5 minutes (turn)
  5. Toss in potatoes, onions, chipotle and garlic – cook until nicely browned
  6. Meanwhile, chop and grill your bok choy in another skillet (I confess I bought mine pre-made and marinated from my favorite Thai restaurant)
  7. Remove Tofurkey from skillet, set aside
  8. Add bok choy to the potato/onion mixture
  9. Reduce heat
  10. In another skillet (are we up to three now?) – heat one tablespoon of EVOO and 2 tablespoons of herbes de provence. Add whole wheat bread and toast (turn so both sides are grilled)
  11. To make the vegan sandwich spread: In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise with as many tablespoons of hoagie spread (peppers) as your stomach can handle
  12. When your bread is toasted, dress one slice with the vegan sandwich spread, layer with tofurkey and drizzle with ketchup
  13. Serve the potato/bok choy mix on the side
  14. If you are from the south: Garnish with ketchup and hot sauce
  15. ENJOY … LIKE A BOSS!!
Food, Vegan Recipes

Sauteed Spinach & Stewed Yams Over Rainbow Quinoa (V, GF)

Crystal Fleming

image

Part of my self care regimen on the tenure track is scheduling time to cook healthy, nutrutious vegan meals on Sundays. During the week, I regularly work between 9-12 hours a day on research and writing projects, which means I have very little energy left over to cook .. and getting takeout every night isn’t an option unless I want to gain a million pounds.

So…. Here’s one of two delicious meals I made today:

Take a yam. Peel it. Chop it up and boil it.

Meanwhile: bring 1 cup of rainbow quinoa to boil in 2 cups of water. I toss in a cube of vegetable buillion. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside.

When the yam is tender, strain and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon of EVOO with 1/4 cup of almond milk. Stir in yams, drizzle with agave and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.  Stir in 3 large handfuls of spinach and a dash of salt. Optional: sautee the spinach with fresh garlic before adding to the yams.

Spoon the yam/spinach mixture over the quinoa. Savor.

Yummmmm..

Vegan Recipes

Romaine lettuce, antipasti & chipotle horseradish dressing

Crystal Fleming

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Vegan. Raw. Gluten Free. 

Got the idea of making a creamy, vegan chipotle dressing from a meal I had at the ridiculously amazing Cafe Blossom in Chelsea.  Everything on their menu is fantastic, but the “Crispy cake of yukon gold potato and black eyed peas, topped with chipotle aioli” almost made me lay right down on the floor in the fetal position and writhe with pleasure.  I asked my server how they made that amazing chipotle aioli — and the words “vegan mayo” danced from her lips to my ears.  It so happened that I had a jar at home that I had only used, very unimaginatively, on vegetarian burgers.  When I finally got down to business in the kitchen, I kicked the spicy factor up a notch with a few spoonfuls of horseradish.

For the dressing: combine vegan mayo, horseradish, apple cider vinegar, 1/2 of reconstituted, de-seeded chipotle pepper and freshly ground black pepper in a food processor.  For the croutons: toast 2 slices of gluten free bread in 2 tablespoons of EVOO with nutritional yeast, sea salt and thyme.  For the antipasti: go to the fucking grocery store. You think I marinated those olives myself? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Kiss me now. Thank me later.

Academic Musings, Vegan Recipes

Black Bean, Melon & Chipotle Salad w/ Quinoa

Crystal Fleming

Trying to remember to eat these days has been challenging. Working ridiculous hours, losing track of time & trying to get tenure.. Writing. Reading. Analyzing data. Trying to remain sane. A familiar story.

Last week, I spent the entire day working only to realize, around 5 pm, that I’d yet to consume a single meal. And I didn’t get that meal until 7.

It is possible that I might have had half a glass of red wine on an empty stomach, nonetheless..

Anyway. It was a big wakeup call that as I try to make headway with my writing, I have to make a concerted effort to reinforce my self care. Take breaks. Drink water. Breathe. Stretch. EAT.

Given that I don’t have much time, or much of an appetite these days, self care takes planning. So this weekend I set aside some of my Sunday afternoon to cook a few meals for noshing during the week

One of the best things I made was this salad. It was super easy and delicious. Chopped up half a red onions and half a melon. Threw into a bowl. Drizzled with apple cider vinegar and added a touch of sea salt. Tossed in some corn, bell pepper, chipotle and cilantro … Voila! An amazing summer salad. Vegan, organic and raw.

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Vegan Recipes

Kale, Tofu & Pinenuts in Tomato Basil Peanut Sauce (V)

Crystal Fleming

I haven’t really been in the cooking mood lately.  In fact, my vegan-ish eating experiment took an unexpected turn about a month ago when I decided to start eating a little bit of meat again, after a 120 day hiatus.  I will blog about that decision another time, but for now I will simply note that my experiment taught me that I feel much more aligned and balanced with a plant-based lifestyle, which is why I am still about 90% vegan, despite the occasional foray into meat and dairy.

That said, for the past few weeks, I haven’t had it in my to spend much time cooking.  I had a big conference in Amsterdam at the end of June and focused my energy on work, writing, household projects and exploring New York City.  In the interim, I started doing something very unusual — eating at restaurants and ordering takeout!

Anyway, today I finally got back in the kitchen and whipped up this fab meal up for lunch.

Anatomy of a dish: basil, roma tomato, red onion, lemon, garlic, pinenuts, kale, almond milk, sea salt, peanut sauce. Wine for the cook.
Anatomy of a dish: basil, roma tomato, red onion, lemon, garlic, pinenuts, kale, almond milk, sea salt, peanut sauce. Wine for the cook.

Kale, Tofu & Pinenuts in Tomato Basil Peanut Sauce

Serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients

  • EVOO
  • Coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup of tofu – chopped
  • 1/4 sliced red onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
  • a handful of pinenuts
  • 2-3 cups chopped kale
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • sea salt
  • herbes de provence
  • Braggs’ aminos
  • Peanut sauce
  • 2 cups Jasmine rice
  • falafel (optional)

Directions:

Cook jasmine rice according to instructions. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan, warm EVOO on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and a squeeze of lemon.  After a few minutes, pour in about 1/4 bottle of peanut sauce. Add a little filtered water and vinegar.   Add pinenuts, tomato, tofu and a touch of almond milk.  Layer on the basil and sprinkle sea salt and herbes de provence to taste.  Stir continuously and reduce heat.

Simmering.
Simmering.

While the sauce is cooking up, chop and rinse the kale.  Pour 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a medium sauce pan and add the kale.  Squeeze with lemon juice and add a little sea salt.  Add the kale to the sauce, then add the sauce to the rice.

I complemented this with Trader Joe’s vegan falafel – which really made the dish amazing.

Yummo

 

 

Food, Vegan Recipes

Split Pea & Cilantro Soup w/ Herbes de Provence Tortilla

Crystal Fleming

Split Pea Soup

I’ve never thought of myself as a soup person, but my veganish experiment has afforded me ample opportunities to step up my soup game and find combinations of flavors that tickle my fancy.  Sadly, I don’t remember exactly how I made this masterpiece, but it was amazing.  What I know for sure is that it involved cooking up some split peas the old fashioned way — in a pot — then blending it down in the Vitamix with cilantro and some liquid (maybe almond milk? water? I have no idea).  Next, I poured the mixture back into a pot and stirred in black beans, marinated tomatoes, apple cider vinegar and an assortment of spices. Grilled a spelt tortilla in EVOO and nutritional yeast, then sprinkled with herbes de provence.

Yeah. Fucking amazing.

Food, Vegan Recipes

Mango-Orange Sorbet in St. Germain

Crystal Fleming

First time using the Vitamix to make a frozen dessert. Came up with this organic, sugar-free, vegan sorbet cocktail .. It was ahhhhmazing!

2013-06-09 17.54.35
Summer: I salute you.

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

  • 2 cups of ice
  • 2 cups of frozen mango slices
  • 1/2 orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 packets of Stevia

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to Vitamix
  2. Turn on low then set to high for 1-2 minutes
  3. Use tamper to press down ice and fruit
  4. Scoop sorbet into glass or bowl
  5. Drizzle with liquor

Used St. Germain (elderflower liquor) for my cocktails. Talk about a perfect summer drink. Yes Lawd.

Vegan Recipes

“Creamed” Spinach w/ Cashew Cheese, Grilled Onions & Chili Pepper

Crystal Fleming

Creamed spinach

Made this delectable dish the other night.  Grilled onions in EVOO and added a few scoops of my homemade cashew cheese.  Poured in about a half cup of rice milk and spiced the mixture up with a touch of nutmeg and sea salt.  Tossed in a few handfuls of fresh spinach and garnished with pepper.  Served over jasmine rice.  It was so good, I almost cried.

 

Food, Vegan Recipes

Serenity Salad: Kale, Avocado, Tomatoes & Polenta

Crystal Fleming
Yum
Too beautiful to eat. But I ate it anyway.

I’ve never been a huge fan of salads – unless it was a Caesar salad with lots of dressing. And if we’re really being truthful here, the the only reason I ate Caesar salads to begin with was to eat Caesar dressing.  In the past, I would buy Romaine lettuce or baby spinach because I knew I “should” eat salad.  But because I hated salad, the lettuce would inevitably go bad.

Since I began my veganish journey, I made a conscious decision to embrace all of my food preferences.  Instead of trying to force myself to like things I did not like, I simply paid attention to what my body craved.  I turned walking through the produce section into a spiritual and sensual experience.  I would literally stand in front of the piles of fruits and vegetables and practice conscious breathing until it became evident what I wanted to get.  I listened to my soul’s urge as I gazed intently at mangoes and rainbow chard.  I noticed that there were certain things I’d never tried before – some vegetables I didn’t even know the names of.  I paid attention to what I felt attracted as I mindfully touched and smelled cabbages, baby bok choy, tomatoes and radishes.  I looked at other people’s vegan recipes and asked my Twitter followers for grocery shopping advice.  When they mentioned items that piqued my curiosity, I’d try them.  If something didn’t resonate, I didn’t bother.

With regard to salads, I began to notice that I was not against all salads per se – I was against most of the salads I had made – and eaten – in the past.  I was dismayed with unimaginative salads, salads where the vegetables were not cut up into bite-sized appetizing portions, salads that were bland.  But as I became more conscious about my eating, I began to notice that there were often salads that looked and tasted quite delicious to me at restaurants or friend’s homes.  What made them so good?  Well, the house salad at my favorite Thai place incorporated delicious dressings with ingredients I love (like ginger) along with tiny bits of tofu.  Why did I like the tofu?  Well, it added a bit of dimension and texture to the dish.  Thinking about texture is particularly important for a plant based diet.  When you give up meat, you have to think more carefully about getting various degrees of crunch and chewiness into your food.  I began to see that many of my favorite vegetarian and vegan dishes in restaurants and recipes added texture with fried tofu, nuts, crunchy bits like chia seeds, peppers and so on.

So little, by little, I began to find a path toward salads that I could not only live with, but deeply enjoy.  Being a Condiment Queen means I must have sauces, spices, herbs, dressings and tiny bits on hand that I enjoy.  I realized that I really love salad leaves (cooked or raw) when they are drizzled with lemon juice.  A sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper also makes me my mouth happy.  I also began to notice that the reason I hated most salads is because most of them are cold. I tend to like my vegetables a bit warm.  I’m not sure why, it’s just the way I am.  So in the spirit of giving myself what I want, I whipped up this half-cold, half-hot Serenity Salad, made with raw avocado and tomatoes layered over grilled kale and polenta.

Marinated tomatoes
Baby Roma tomatoes chillin’ in ACV, sea salt and lemon juice

Ingredients (2 servings)

  • 2 baby Roma tomatoes
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 avocado
  • 3-4 handfuls of kale
  • 1/2 lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • polenta
  • sea salt
  • black pepper

 

Grilled kale
Be careful to grill your kale on low to medium heat and stir often to avoid overcooking.

Directions

1) Marinate organic Roma tomatoes in apple cider vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, along with sea salt and black pepper. Chop up one avocado. Set aside.

2) In a large skillet, grill four handfuls of chopped kale in EVOO with fresh garlic over low to medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning the leaves. Season to taste and set aside.

3) Slice up two servings of polenta, grill in EVOO.  Sprinkle with black pepper and a touch of sea salt.  After about 5 minutes, add in the kale and cook on low heat for another 3-4 minutes.

4) In a bowl, layer the kale and polenta with the tomatoes and avocado.  Drizzle with dressing.  I used my homemade mango-berry vinaigrette.  Devour.

Serenity Salad