Kale Potato Pie

Everyone loves comfort food! And when I think comfort, I think potatoes. French fries, hashbrowns, and my favorite mashed potatoes! One of my favorite meals with potatoes my mom used to make was shepherd pie. Her recipe was essentially mashed potatoes, corn, ground beef and spices. This one is veganified, and made a little more healthfully (just a little :P) I think it's pretty good. It features loaded garlicky oniony mashed potatoes, kale, veggies and tempeh! Ummm so good. (Those of you allergic to soy note that cannelini beans are a pretty good sub for the tempeh!) Hope you guy's enjoy. This one's a little more involved, but I think it's worth it. It will definately warm you up on a chilly fall evening!


Kale Potato Pie
Approx 25min prep, 30min baking time
Serves 4-5

6-7 Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed well and cut into 1/16ths
2-3 tsp garlic
3-4 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1/2 cup hemp milk (or any other milk alternative)
2-3 tblsp vegan butter/margarine
1/2 head Kale (destemmed, ripped into small pieces)
1 package tempeh
1 cup veggie broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 can corn
2 carrots
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1 sage leaf thinly sliced



1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and salt well. Add diced potatoes. Bring to a boil and let cook 20-25 minutes until nice and tender. (They'll crumble when stabbed with a fork)

2. While potatoes are cooking, in a large skillet add tempeh, broth, tomato sauce, carrots, and spices , mix well. Add kale, and let wilt on top. Once wilted, mix in with other ingredients. Let simmer on med-high until most of liquid is absorbed by tempeh (or until you're done with your mashed potatoes)

3. Once potatoes are done, strain and return to pot. Mash until desired consistency. (I like my mashed potatoes super smooth, and my mother loves em chunky...up to you!) Add hemp milk, butter, garlic, pepper, and green onions, mix well.


4. In a 9x12 glass sheet pan add tempeh mixture. Cover this layer with corn. Finally add mashed potato mixture to top, and using a spoon, smooth until you have a nice 3 layer pie! Then.....


5. ....Pop in the oven uncovered 30 minutes. Allow to cool just slightly, and serve warm! No need for any side dishes, this is a meal all in one!

Chocolate Sunflower Butter Cups

Ok, so as a person with a special diet will know, coming accross candy we can eat is a rare thing. Halloween just doesn't feel the same anymore. It's especially hard for children who get to watch their friends and siblings down snickers bars and peanut butter cups, while all their left with is all that crummy candy nobody wants (or none at all!). There are also very few options available in stores that are appealing, let alone affordable.

So I have decided that enough is enough. Candy can't be that hard to make right?? I invented this recipe awhile ago, when I had a huge craving for some peanut butter cups. It's super simple, quick, and makes a ton to share with family and friends at your next get together. Maybe make them in lieu of cupcakes?? I will add more as I go along....currently thinking about making my own version of an almond joy! (Pictures will follow soon!)

Chocolate Sunflowerbutter Cups
Makes 12 big cups, 24 small
Approx time: 15min, 1hr freeze time

1 package vegan chocolate chips (careful, read all ingredients, beware of labels like "made on shared equipment with ..." etc)
1-2 tblsp vegan margarine/butter (I prefer Smart Balance Light because I'm allergic to soy and pea protein)
1 cup (roughly) of sunflower butter (I like trader joe's brand)
Muffin tin, and liners (Feel free to use festive halloween paper cups for extra fun!)

1. Line a regular or mini muffin pan with muffin cups. (Regular for big cups, mini muffin pan for bite sized, you get the picture)

2.. In a double boiler heat chocolate chips and butter until smooth, easy to work with consistency (not too runny, not too thick) . (Note: For those of you, who like me, don't own a double boiler all you need to do is this: Grab two small pots (one must be smaller than the other and fit inside the other). Boil water in the bigger pot, while floating smaller one on top. Add chips and butter to smaller floating pot. Voila! Perfect home made double boiler!)


3. Pour about half the chocolate into the cups, creating a thin layer in bottom (save enough for top layer!) Return to double boiler--gotta keep that chocolate warm!

4. Spoon about a teaspoon of sunflower butter onto first layer of chocoalte. (Sunflower butter usually melts nicely, forming a smooth layer...but if it's cold, feel free to flatten with spoon)

5. Add second layer of chocolate, and move cups to freezer. Let freeze about an hour or more until cups have solidified (don't leave them in there too long, or the chocoalte will lose some of it's flavor!) Voila! Serve to anxiously awaiting friends and family! Ummmmmm.....

Sushi

A long time ago, back when I worked for a heartless corporate bookstore which shall remain nameless, I bought my brother a $10 sushi bargain bin kit. It came with a sushi matt and a dvd on making sushi, as well as a recipe book. Being a lover of all things Asian, I thought it the perfect gift for my brother. Sadly, I don't know if he's ever used the kit, but he did learn to make sushi, and has patiently taught me. (It took about 2 times of carefully watching him before I got it). And once you know how to make the rice (really the only complicated part), it is so simple, fun and delicious!

In the following recipe I will attempt to explain the steps involved in making sushi. Don't fret if you burn the rice the first time (I still do that), or if your rolls end up severely lacking in rice near the ends (I usually just snack on those while I'm cooking, and save the pretty ones for guests). All that matters is that it tastes good. While I promised you quick recipes, this one is a little more involved, and I highly reccomend making rolls in advance to take for lunch in that cute little bento box your brother got you for your birthday. (Thank you Max!)

Sushi Rolls
(Should make 4-5 rolls, or serve 4-5 people)

2 cups sushi rice (has to be short grain rice)
3 cups water
4 tblsp brown rice vinegar (found it in whole foods, good to have on hand)
2tsp sugar
5 sheets nori (paper made from seaweed, can be found in most grocery stores)

Suggested Filling (s) :

Jane's Favorite:
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 package tempeh (make sure it's the gluten free kind!), sliced thinly
1tblsp olive oil
1tsp crushed red pepper
1tsp crushed garlic
5-6 stalks asparagus, cut into bite size pieces

Spicy Pear ( I like to serve as a desert) :
1 small bartlet pair, sliced into matchstick size pieces
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tblsp raisins
1/4 cup toffuti better than cream cheese

To Make Rice:
1. First, place 2 cups rice into very fine mesh collander and run water over rice until the water underneath comes out clean. (If you don't have a fine collander, you can do this in a bowl with your hands, very carefully draining, watching to make sure your rice doesn't slip through your fingers into the sink)

2. In a large pot, combine rinsed rice and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 min or until most of liquid is absorbed. Making sure to stir rice so it won't burn. (While rice is cooking this would be a good time to make your fillings)

3. When rice is done cooking pour into sheet cake pan, spread with back of wooden spoon or spatula, and allow to cool slightly. While the rice cools, combine rice vinegar and sugar in a small pot. Allow to simmer until all sugar is dissolved into vinegar.

4. When rice has cooled, and can be easily handled, pour vinegar/sugar mixture all over rice, and fold in until well combined. Your rice is now ready to be used in sushi.

To Make Fillings:
Jane's Favorite:
Heat olive oil on medium high. Carefully add tempeh, asparagus, garlic and pepper. Allow tempeh to brown on all sides, and asparagus to get tender. Set aside and let cool.

Spicy Pear:
Simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for use in sushi.

To Roll:

1.Once your rice and fillings are made, you are ready to roll the sushi. Lay a piece of nori on a cutting board surface, shiny side up. Carefully spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto the sheet of nori, and spread evenly accross the square using spoon or spatula. Once that is done carefully place a portion of your ingredients along one of the shorter sides of square (ex, 5-6 pieces of tempeh, 3 slices of avocado, 3-4 pieces asparagus and a sprinkling of onion per roll).



2.Carefully lift the side covered in ingredients, and fold over itself, then continue to roll until you reach the end of the square.

3.Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll as you would a baggette, into small bite sized pieces. (If your knife is a bit dull, wetting the knife with a little water helps to slice more smoothly)

4.And there you have it! You're own sushi roll! Decoratively plate, and serve with your favorite sauce, (Mine's by Thai Kitchen!) and a sake cocktail!

Hope that wasn't too hard. Once you get the hang of making it, it really becomes quite easy, and it's such a fun, fancy looking party food! It's also lots of fun to invite your friends over to make the sushi with you! Warning: the fresh ingredients are so tasty, they might not make it to the plate!!

Tomato Joe's Pizza!

Tomato Joe's Pizzeria: A Review

I was a little offended by what Stephen Colbert said about vegan food not tasting good on his show last night, but then I realized his error was he had probably never been fed good vegan food. (I dont want to believe he's a pig headed traditionalist that rejects veganism purely based on America's meat-eating tradition). It is a little hard to prepare good vegan food if you don't know where to find good recipes. And finding a restaurant with good service, vegan and gf options, and most importantly good food, is damn near impossible at times. That's why i've decided every time I come across a gem of a restaurant I'm going to blog about it!

I thought i'd start off the blog with one of my local favorite haunts since it opened a few years ago, Tomato Joe's! I can't tell you how much I had missed the thrill of ordering up a pizza. The wonderful smell, the ooey gooey first bite of cheese, and the crunch of the crust. So when Tomato Joe's started offering gf/vegan options I was the most excited I had been in years. Vegan cheese, a gluten free crust??!! This had to be some dream...nobody could care that much about poor little me!! But it's really there! Gluten free thin crust and all!! (They also offer vegan pepperoni and sausage, but sadly are not safe for those of us allergic to gluten).

Now, every other tuesday or so (when i'm not totally broke) I treat myself to a gf, vegan cheese, red sauce, artichoke heart, roasted garlic, and spinach pizza. It's become my little tradition of self indulgence. As of this writing, every tuesday they have a buy one full price, get a free regular cheese pizza free (sadly, Bryan has still not committed to being vegan, so he eats the regular and I eat the vegan....which is crazy cuz it's divine). Yummy....just thinking about it is making me regret the fact that I ate the last slices for breakfast and there will be no more in the house for awhile! (I usually eat the whole 14" by myself in about an hour.....)


For those of you who are uber concerned about possible contamination, know that the gf crust is made outside the facility by a gf company, so there is very little chance of exposure. I will have to contact them and ask them about whether or not they put the gf crusts in the same oven as the non-gf's, but I personally have never had even a slight reaction (and i'm pretty damn sensitive). Will do more research!! But I highly recommend everybody go out and try Tomato Joe's and support them, because they're supporting us by offering vegan/gf options! Tomato Joe's is a shining star of hope, in a town that's as backward thinking and corporate minded as Santa Clarita! Four stars Tomato Joe's, keep up the good work! Everybody else: go get yourself a pizza!!!

Corn Chowder and Kale Chips

On days like this, when summer is on it's way out, and the first hints of fall can be felt on the breeze, it's time to break out a good ol' fashioned comfort meal! For awhile now i've been looking for a corn chowder recipe that reminds me of the one my mom used to make pre-allergy discovery. It was so creamy and hearty, one bowlful was enough to warm you all over and leave you feeling stuffed! Most of the ones I have found however have been too thin, not creamy enough, or were severely lacking in flavor.
.
Tonight I decided to try a recipe that came in my email from vegetarian times. Their recipe incorporates quinoa, which adds that missing heartiness, and helps fill you up better. Quinoa is an ancient grain that is mild, soft and just a little chewy when cooked. I modified vegetarian times recipe a bit. For example, I used hemp milk instead of soy milk (unflavored, easy to find at health food stores and oh so good), green onions instead of shallots and I cracked lots of black pepper into it after it cooked. I highly recommend following this link and trying this super healthy corn chowder recipe for yourselves:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9694?section=

While the soup was heating up I whipped up a batch of one of my favorite new snacks, kale chips!! I found the basic recipe online, and modified it to make my own oh so yummy version. Now I pop these babies in the oven whenever I get the urge for something rediculously healthy, quick, and delicious.

Kale Chips

1 head Kale (stems trimmed, ripped into bite size pieces)

2tsp minced garlic

2-3 pinches freshly cracked pepper

3tbls olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine all ingredients and toss (I usually just use my hands for this part, but if you dont want your hands to smell like garlic for hours, use tongs).

On a non-stick cookie sheet lay out kale, making sure most of the pieces are evenly spaced. Place in oven and cook 10-15 minutes. The chips are ready when they crumble easy, and have flattened out quite a bit. Keep an eye on them, as they are delicate and can burn easily. I usually turn the oven off after 10min and just let the kale sit in there until my other food is ready, that way they stay warm, and excess moisture is evaporated out.

Serve immediately! They wont save well, but they're so good, there won't be any left to save :P

Tacos

I live in Southern California, the best place to find Mexican food, this side of, well, Mexico! So it goes without saying that tacos have been a family tradition since before I can remember! But who says tacos have to include some nasty animal by product! All you need is a few tasty plant based ingredients to make a whole meal, that takes less than 30min to prepare! I would be lying if I said I didn't get lazy and make these more than once a week as a lunchtime snack, or with a little rice for dinner! For those of you with soy allergies, I find refried black beans are a delicious alternative to the tempeh here! And if you dont want to be a fatty like me, go ahead and just heat your tortillas up instead of frying them!

TACOS, VEGAN STYLE!

Ingredients:
(makes about 6 tacos, feel free to double it!!)

6 yellow corn tortillas ( I personally love mission's)
1/4 + 3tblsp cup corn oil (for frying)
1/2 tsp salt
1-package tempeh, cubed into bite size pieces
2 tsp chili powder
2-3 jalapenos, chopped into tiny pieces
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (can never get enough garlic!)
4-5 leaves romaine lettuce
5-6 small tomatoes (cherry works best!)
1/2 red onion sliced into small pieces
One avocado, sliced
*toffuti's soy sour cream, your favorite salsa, and chopped fresh cilantro all make great additional toppings! Experiment!

In a medium pan (big enough to hold one tortilla at a time with room for flipping) pour 3 tblsp of the corn oil, heat up on medium high. Meanwhile cut up your romaine into taco sized strips, and quarter your tomatoes, and slice the onion and avocado. When a little tortilla strip bubbles in the oil your pan is ready for frying.

Place cubes of tempeh,chili powder, jalapenos, and garlic into oil and fry on all sides (will take about 5-7 minutes) until golden brown. (Makes sure garlic and spices get fully incorporated into tempeh) . Turn off heat, cover and set aside. (soy free peeps, skip this step entirely)

Prepare a plate with papertowels on it to wipe off excess oil. In a separate pan heat up 1/4 more of corn oil. Carefully place one tortilla at a time into the oil, flipping after about 20 seconds (or when the outside of the shell seems to begin to brown a little, and it has puffed up) and sprinkling with just a dash of salt on each side after it has been in the oil. Place on paper towels after both sides of tortilla have fried.

Fill corn tortillas with tempeh (or warmed refried beans for soy free), lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado and any other toppings you like! Voila! Super simple, super fast vegan meal for a weeknight!

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Hello there! I'm Jane and this is my blog, created by me and my boyfriend Bryan! Together my bf and I have spent many hours in the kitchen coming up with recipes that are gluten free, vegan and, most importantly, tasty! While I know there are lots of gluten free blogs, and lots of vegan blogs, I have yet to find many that do both!! After all, why should those of us with allergies never get to enjoy a vegan lifestyle!? Preposterous!

My goal for this blog is to provide all of you out there with quick, easy recipes that are cheap to make (perfect for the on the go college student, trying to juggle work, school and a social life!) I also hope to include a section on restaurant reviews for vegan gluten free dining! We all know how difficult this can be, and how unhelpful some restaurants are! Here I hope to put some of your fears aside, as I will have tried the food/service first!

One of my main goals though, is for the food to taste good! Bryan has not officially come over to the Vegan side yet (he will occasionally eat something with eggs or milk, despite my evil glares and my lectures about how "I dont know how someone with your intelligence can be so blind!") but when we are home, he always eats my vegan meals with never a complaint, and often will come up with tastey veganized versions of old favorites I never would have thought of!

My entire family suffers from food intolerances (minus my youngest brother, lucky bastard!) and some in addition to being allergic to milk, dairy, eggs, peanuts, fish, and gluten, are also allergic to soy, so for many of my recipes I will try to include a soy free alternative! (That's the plan anyway! Helpful comments are always appreciated!) My sister will be joining us every now and again to add some of her delicious soy free recipes to our blog! Keep a look out for those!!

So this is it! Welcome to my blog!!! I hope you enjoy it, I will try to keep posting frequently to provide you all with new meals to add to your repetoire!

Happy Eating,
Jane