Meatless in the Mountains

Roasted Cauliflower and Brown Rice Casserole

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

I didn’t get any cooking done last weekend because…. we were tearing through the season’s last powder piles at Alta. It was incredible! We hiked Devil’s Castle and had some of the best turns yet, all under bluebird skies. Therefore, I have to pull a recipe from the archives to share this week. Here is my creamy (non-dairy) casserole made with roasted cauliflower and roasted garlic, mixed with brown rice and an almond-milk cream sauce. Yum! Of course, my favorite optional topping would be truffle oil. I also like to serve this with a simple green salad and add in different nuts, seeds and veggies. Hope you enjoy!

Hike to Devil’s Castle in Alta

Made it to the top, now choosing our lines down

Fresh powder in April!

Now back to that delicious casserole……

1/2 head cauliflower; chopped in florets

3 cloves garlic

salt & pepper

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 cup brown rice (uncooked)

2 TBS earth balance vegan butter

1 TBS flour (I used wheat)

1 cup almond milk (unsweetened and non-flavored)

pinch of nutmeg

3 TBS breadcrumbs

3 TBS nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Optional: Truffle oil

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cauliflower florets on a sheet pan and add the garlic cloves – keep the peels on the garlic cloves! Drizzle the cauliflower and garlic with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 35-40 minutes while the rice cooks. Check on the cauliflower every 5-10 minutes or so and give a little stir around the pan.

Cook the brown rice according to directions (I added a sprinkle of salt and 1 TBS earth balance after the water boiled)

While the rice and cauliflower cook, you can whip up the white sauce. Heat the almond milk in the microwave for 45 seconds and set aside. Next heat 1 TBS earth balance in a small pan, then whisk in the flour. Cook for a couple minutes then whisk in the almond milk. Keep whisking until no lumps exist. Stir in a sprinkle of salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Next mix the breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast topper together and set aside in a bowl.

Handsome kitchen helper!

When everything is ready, smoosh the garlic out of the peels (let them cool first!). Now you can add everything into a pie pan (or any baking dish). Start with the rice, then add in the cauliflower and garlic, then the sauce. Mix well and top with the breadcrumb/nutritional yeast combo.

Drizzle some EVOO on top then bake for about 20 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of truffle oil and a green salad, enjoy!

Posted in Entrees | 1 Comment

Blueberry Blondie Brownies

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Happy weekend! I’m starting the weekend on a bright note and sharing this blueberry brownie recipe. Any dessert that has blueberries in it makes me think of sunny days and summer time. It’s supposed to be sunny and bluebird out tomorrow, so we’re heading to Alta for maybe our last ski day of the season, which is always bittersweet! So when I was creating this recipe, I was trying to make a vegan blueberry cake, however, the consistency came out to be more like brownies! So, the name blueberry blondie brownie was created. Of course you can serve warm with some type of ice cream (I used vanilla bean coconut ice cream in the picture) but I actually enjoyed these the most just at room temperature.

4 TBS (1/4 cup) earth balance vegan butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 flax egg (1 TBS ground flax mixed with 2 1/2 TBS warm water, set for 10 min)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour (I used wheat)

1/2 cup almond milk

Small container of blueberries

Heat the oven to 375 degrees, then start by making your flax egg, then setting aside. Next, mix the earth balance and sugar in a large bowl.

Next mix in the flax egg, salt, baking powder, vanilla & flour into the bowl, a wooden spoon works best for this gentle mixing. Next add in the almond milk and mix some more until the batter comes together.

Grease an 8×8 baking pan with either some earth balance and/or coconut oil spray (I was sooo excited to find this in the grocery store). Add the batter to the baking dish and form into place with a spatula (or your hands). Gently push the blueberries into the batter, the more the better!

Bake for 35-45 minutes. I did 35 and really enjoyed the brownie like texture – and the best part about vegan baking is you don’t have to be afraid of the doughy “raw” texture, because there are no raw eggs! Hope you enjoy : )

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Domino Bean Burgers

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

It was crazy windy in the mountains today! There’s a storm rolling in (woohoo) that’s supposed to bring 1-2 feet into the Wasatch. It’s starting to snow now… and the anticipation is high!! To stay calm during the howling winds, I’m staying in, drinking whiskey, and making vegan burgers. I named these “domino burgers” because I used black beans and white beans! This was one of those “let’s throw everything in the fridge & cabinet into a bowl” type of experiments that ended up being quite delicious. These would be perfect with a bun and some avocado, both which I didn’t have, so I mixed some hot sauce & veganaise together for a tasty topper. Hope you try these!

1/2 cup canned black beans (or more, that’s all I had)

2 cans white beans (cannellini beans)

1 flax egg (1 TBS ground flax mixed w/ 2 1/2 TBS warm water, set for 10 min)

1 carrot, grated

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1/4 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 TBS chia seeds

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used a combo of breadcrumbs & nutritional yeast)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees, then start by making your flax egg and set aside. Next, prep the veggies by grating the garlic, carrot and dicing the celery and onion. Cook for a few minutes in a skillet with the EVOO and a sprinkle of salt & pepper.

Next drain & rinse the beans, and smoosh most of them with a potato masher in a large bowl.

Now you can start adding all the ingredients into the bowl. Mix well, and do a taste test to see if you need to adjust any seasonings (the best part about cooking vegan, you don’t have to worry about tasting “batter” or “raw” food!)

Next divide your mixture into equal size patties. You can do this by flattening out the mixture in your bowl, and then with a knife make equal slices to divide by 8. Then you just scoop those triangles out with your hands or spatula and form them into patties.

Spray your baking sheet with EVOO spray, place the burgers down and then spray on top of the burgers as well. Bake for 30 minutes. I enjoyed these with some arugula and cauliflower & rice casserole. Instead of baking, you could also cook these in a fry pan with some EVOO for a couple minutes on each side until crispy and delicious!

Bluebird hike with Bowie yesterday – the calm before the storm…

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Jamaican Jerk Veggies, Tofu & Rice

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Happy Friday! The sun was shining in the mountains today so I went for a hike with Bowie & a couple friends after work. It was wonderful. All this sunshine makes me think of beachy vacations, so it seemed perfect to share this recipe tonight. My parents have the best neighbor ever in Connecticut, her name is Debbie, and she’s from Jamaica! She recently mailed us a bottle of her favorite authentic jerk sauce from Jamaica! We were so excited. I made veggies, tofu & rice to enjoy with the sauce, and it was delicious! It was, however, soooooooooooooo flipping spicy!!! So you may want to test-taste your sauce first to know what you’re getting yourself into : ) Also, I had fresh chopped pineapple in my fridge the entire time I made and ate this meal and I was so excited (and dying from heat) that I forgot to use it! So I would definitely add some cool, sweet, refreshing pineapple to this dish if you’d like, either sauteed with the veggies, or just as a fresh topping.

Jamaican Jerk sauce

1 block extra firm tofu; drained & pressed

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 TBS earth balance vegan butter

1 tsp ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

sprinkle cinnamon

1 cup rice

2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

sprinkle black pepper

1 TBS EVOO

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pepper any color or combination

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and get started prepping the tofu. Once it’s been drained & pressed to remove most of the moisture, slice about 1/2 inch thick, and place on a baking sheet covered in foil. Put the vegetable oil in a small bowl, and have the jerk sauce on deck. With your hands (I found it easiest this way) spread a little oil and jerk sauce on each piece of tofu, then flip & repeat on each side. Set in the oven and bake for an hour.

When the tofu is done, it will be golden in color, slightly crispy and have a firm texture.

Next up: the rice. In a small pot, add the earth balance and start to melt on medium heat. Add in the ginger, 1 clove of garlic and cinnamon and saute for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the rice and saute a few more minutes. Add the water or broth, sugar, salt & pepper and cook/simmer according to rice package directions, or until liquid is absorbed.

Last step: the veggies. Chop all your veggies and start by heating up the EVOO in a large skillet. Start with the onions & garlic, and saute a couple minutes then add in the carrots, celery and a spoonful of jerk sauce. Cook for a couple minutes more then add in the rest of your veggies, and a couple more spoonfuls of jerk sauce – taste as you go (I did not, holy mouth on FIRE).

When everything is done and spicy as hell, pile your rice down first, then add a scoop of veggies, top with some tofu slices and sprinkle on some fresh cilantro. Close your eyes and imagine you are in Jamaica eating this delicious meal!!!!!

Although we’re not in Jamaica, Bowie thinks the view here isn’t so bad….

Posted in Entrees | 3 Comments

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with nacho cheese sauce, and I think I’m ready to share a version (this is a vegan, non-dairy version of course!) Its purpose was to be poured over nachos and quesadillas, but this would be great over a baked potato or broccoli… or really anything you’d like smothered in cheese sauce…

1 cup diced/peeled potatoes (I used organic russet)

1/2 cup diced carrots

1 TBS diced onion

2 TBS almond milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 TBS lemon juice

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

Place potatoes, carrots & onion in a small sauce pan. Add just enough water to cover the veggies, and boil until tender (test by sticking a fork into a potato every couple of minutes).

Steal about 1/4 cup of this boiling water and add to a high speed blender with the rest of the ingredients.

When the veggies are ready, drain and pour the mixture into the blender to join the other ingredients.

Blend until smooth, and add a little bit of water if needed to reach the consistency of nacho cheese!

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Spring Vegetable Lasagna

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Happy April Fool’s Day! Happy Birthday to my cousin Mike! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week. Easter is now 4 days away and you don’t need to eat ham or lamb!!! Here’s a spring vegetable lasagna recipe (vegan) that I created last weekend which would be a perfect Easter main dish. I was really happy with the way it came out – flavorful and filling, and I love all the colors of the fresh veggies. Hope you give this a try! There’s apparently a cold front coming to the mountains to take away our spring summer, so maybe we’ll get a white Easter?? Wishful thinking – Enjoy the rest of your week!

1 box lasagna noodles of choice

2 TBS EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

3/4 cup frozen corn

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

1 cup carrots, thinly sliced

1 cup asparagus, chopped

salt & pepper

nutmeg

3 cups almond milk

3 TBS earth balance vegan butter

3 TBS flour of your choice

1 package extra firm tofu, drained & pressed

1 TBS nutritional yeast

2 flax eggs (2 TBS ground flax mixed with 5 TBS warm water, set for 10 min)

2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella

4 TBS vegan parmesan

2 handfuls fresh basil leaves, chopped/sliced/chiffonade

Optional: Truffle Oil

Cook noodles according to package, then drain, run over cold water & lay out on wax paper until ready to use.

Chop all your veggies, then heat the EVOO in a large skillet. First, add the onion, carrots, asparagus, sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cook until veggies start to soften. Next, add in the mushrooms, peas, corn, garlic, another sprinkle of salt and pepper, and this time add a small sprinkle of nutmeg. Cook until all veggies start to soften.

While the veggies are cooking, you can whip up your tofu ricotta. Mix the drained & pressed tofu in a bowl with 1 tsp salt, the nutritional yeast and the flax eggs.

Next you can put your topping together – in another bowl mix together the vegan mozzarella, vegan parmesan and basil.

When the veggies are softened, take off the heat and set aside with your tofu ricotta and topping. Time to make the cream sauce. Heat the earth balance in sauce pan on medium and whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for a few minutes to cook away the flour taste. Put the almond milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to warm slightly. Whisk in the almond milk to the flour/earth balance mixture. Keep whisking to avoid lumps! Keep the heat on and stir until the sauce thickens slightly – it’s ok if it doesn’t get super thick. Take off the heat and sprinkle in some salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste to make sure it is delicious! Adjust the salt/pepper/nutmeg to your taste.

Time to make lasagna! Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Get a large 9×13 baking dish ready.

Mentally divide all your layers in thirds… then start your first layer by spreading a third of each in this order: white sauce, noodles, couple dots of tofu ricotta, sprinkle of veggies, and finally sprinkle of the mozz/basil topping.

Repeat this 2 more times, ending with the mozz/basil topping. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. Take out of the oven the last 10 minutes to melt the cheese on top. Let stand 10 minutes before attempting to make that first cut in… Don’t forget about the optional topper, my favorite ingredient, truffle oil! Hope you enjoy!

Posted in Entrees | 2 Comments

Italian Easter Pizzagaina

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Easter is just around the corner and always brings back lots of memories for me. I remember wearing matching Easter dresses with my sister with shiny white shoes and bonnets (with that annoying/painful elastic strap around our necks)… and lots of delicious food! There was always homemade gnocchi, pizzagaina and lemon cookies. The lemon cookies would lose their ball-shape for Easter and would be made into Easter baskets and twists. These would be frosted and decorated with colored sprinkles, and we could eat them for breakfast (cookies for breakfast, yay!). I went out on a limb here and have attempted to make a vegan pizzagaina. The original is just loaded with animal products and I was convinced I could create (somewhat) of the same thing, cruelty free! It worked. I hope you try it. The recipe below will make two pies. Although I will be in the mountains for Easter (trying to ski on those last patches of snow) my thoughts will be on the East coast with my family…xoxo

My sister Lisa and I in some of our Easter best… oh man.

1 package vegan Italian deli (or something similar)

1 package vegan bologna (or something similar)

1 package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

3/4 bag of vegan mozzarella cheese

2 flax eggs (2 TBS ground flax mixed with 5 TBS warm water; sit for 10 min in bowl)

2 organic vegan 9″ pie shells (the ones I found were called ‘wholly wholesome’)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional, no worries if you don’t have it)

1 TBS vegan parmesan cheese

The lifesavers… (literally, these products save animals lives!)

Start by following the instructions on your pie shells. The ones I bought (which were frozen) said to defrost on the counter first for 10 minutes, then prick all over with a fork then cook in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, then take out and rest for another 10 minutes before adding the filling.

While the pie crust is doing its thing, you can get the filling ready. First put your flax egg together and set aside. Next, chop all the vegan meat into cubes and set aside.

Don’t be scared of this… be scared of the real thing!

Next, take half of the vegan mozzarella and chop into smaller pieces and set that aside. In a mixing bowl, crumble the (drained & pressed) tofu with your hands so it resembles ricotta.

Next, add in the salt, pepper, nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan to the crumbled tofu. Mix well with your hands (if you don’t mind). Next add in the chopped mozzarella, flax egg and the vegan meat. Combine well (hands are best).

Divide the mixture in half and spread in each of the pie shells, using a spatula to flatten the top. Top each with the remaining vegan mozzarella cheese.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45 minutes (depending on what your pie shell package may say). Keep an eye on them so as not to burn the crusts.

When they’re done, let sit for a good 10-20 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

It’s possible – a VEGAN pizzagaina!

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Mini-Quesadillas

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

It’s awfully warm in the mountains this month… winter is deciding to make an early (unfortunate) exit, but the itch for hiking, biking, camping & climbing is starting to spread through town. To celebrate the warm weather as well as a house full of birthdays, my neighbors threw a pot-luck fiesta this past weekend. I was assigned an appetizer, and so the mini-quesadillas were created. Although delicious on their own, I think they’re best served as a vehicle for guacamole and/or salsa.

1 TBS EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

MIM Ocho Spice Mix (sprinkle of each: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 TBS salsa

Earth Balance vegan butter

Mini tortillas

Vegan shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Warm the EVOO in a large sauté pan and add the onions, peppers and MIM Ocho Spice Mix. Cook for several minutes until veggies start to soften.

Add in the beans, salsa and more MIM Ocho Spice Mix and mix well. Using a strong fork, mash most of the beans in the pan. Add more salsa if the mixture starts to become too dry. Take the pan off the heat and set to the side while you prep the tortillas.

Rub earth balance all over two sheet pans. Place down your tortillas and add the vegan cheddar, and then a scoop of the bean and veggie mixture. Fold each over and rub the tops of the tortillas with more earth balance. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the quesadillas and bake for another 10 minutes. Hope you enjoy!