Splatter Chili

Hello, everyone!  Sorry about the extended absence.  I've been caught up in a lot of personal stuff, and I've been hit really hard with a startling lack of energy.  I haven't done anything for about a month, which has led to the destruction of my garden, the shambles of my home, the boredom of my Blessings, the backlog on my computer, and all the guilt that goes along with that.  I've since bought some vitamins that G and I think I may be lacking in, and I've forced myself to start exercising again after taking the month off.  So, hopefully, this will pass.  I apologize for not being here and for not commenting on your amazing blogs.  But, I am coming near my 200th post, which means another giveaway, so I'm going to try very hard to keep up on posting.  I hope all has been going well with all of you.  Now, on with the food!

I first made this dish when G and I were first married eons ago.  His workplace had a chili cook-off, and he wanted to show off his young wife's chili culinary skills...to a bunch of carnivores...that worked at a sewage treatment plant...yes.  Oh, don't worry, this gets better - I have yet to post my spaghetti recipe that G had me make for a fundraiser at said place of employment - mine was the only dish, by the way: the sole source of fundraising.  Oh, the faith he had in me as a newlywed.  So, anyway, he named my home-famous chili Splatter, called me the Veggie Vixen, stuck an apron on me, and said, "Make!"  Sadly Splatter did not win there that day but has since won the hearts of many people at church and in my homeschool group that have had various meal needs over time.  As a matter of fact, every single time I've made this chili for someone, all of whom have been decidedly non-vegan, they've wanted the recipe.  It is thinner that most chilis; that's because I added the liquid from the cans directly in the pot - you can always drain them for a thicker meal.  I've also slightly updated my original recipe for you.  Instead of writing "half a bag of frozen corn," leaving us to wonder what size bag I was using, I changed it to "one cup."  I also just apparently eyeballed my spices because they are listed by name with no amounts.  That has been modified as well.  I've thawed frozen tofu for the recipe: if you don't know it, doing that creates a crumbly texture, which I like here.  I mentioned some time ago that years before I started the blog, I created a cookbook for my loved ones in Word, so that is where this recipe has been culled and updated for the blog.  Sniff, Splatter's growing up.  Hope you enjoy it!

Splatter Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 - 1.25 or 1.5 oz. packet of vegan chili seasoning mix, such as by Lawry's or McCormick in the spice section of the grocery store
1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, water-packed, frozen and thawed
2 - 15 oz. cans tomatoes with green chilies
2 - 15 oz. cans pinto beans with liquid
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans with liquid
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 - 10 large mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Squeeze water from the tofu, put in pot and mash.  Cook for ten or so minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu just starts to brown or all the liquid has evaporated.  Add the chili packet and stir.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Continue to cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil.  Turn down to medium low and cook for one hour.  Can top with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and chopped red onions, if desired.  Serve alongside some crackers for a comforting meal.  Splatter on!  Serves five hungry vegans.

Avocado Strawberry Toss

Aren't these beautiful colors?  Avocados and strawberries are in their peak season right now over here, and their flavors just pop with intensity.  I just knew I had to see what they tasted like when combined.  I cut up one ripe avocado and quartered six juicy strawberries and tossed them together in a small bowl.  I debated whether I should sprinkle a little salt or drizzle a little lemon juice over the top, but then I thought that any dressing would compete with the two flavors of the fruits.  The creaminess of the avocado is a perfect complement to the sweetness of the strawberry.  But, alas, I was the only one in my family who even tried this dish.  No one else would attempt it.  Will you?  I adjusted the recipe to feed five hungry vegans...in my dreams.

Avocado Strawberry Toss

Ingredients:

3 avocados, chopped
2 - 3 cups of quartered strawberries

Directions:

Add fruit together in a large bowl and gently toss.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy it!  Feeds five hungry vegans, supposedly. 

Tofu Ranchero

I love spicy food, so I decided to try my take on a classic dish and veganize it.  We loved how this turned out, and I will definitely add this to my breakfast rotation.

Tofu Ranchero

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 pkgs. extra-firm tofu, packed in water, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 packed cup chopped cilantro
1 - 29oz. can vegetarian refried beans
3 jalapenos, either fresh or pickled Mexican-style, sliced in rings
Your favorite salsa

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for ten minutes, until they soften.  Add the tofu and mash directly in the pan.  Cook for twenty minutes or until tofu begins to brown.  Add the spices and cilantro and cook for another five minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the beans up in a separate small pot.  Serve tofu mixture over the refried beans and top with jalapeno slices and salsa.  This is great with English muffins on the side.  Enjoy!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Fava Bean and Green Chile Succotash

Fava beans are in season now, and I've been playing around with different recipes featuring them to see if I could really present them in a way that I like.  They are big and meaty, and that tends to turn me off when it comes to beans.  But, I wasn't giving up, and I came up with something that I really like, and I hope you will too.  It's my version of succotash, and even though I wanted to dump a can of tomatoes in the dish - because tomatoes makes everything taste better - G had been eating tomatoes for days and wanted a break.  Can you believe him?  Anyhow, I was skeptical that I would like fava beans without tomatoes around, but this is a very flavorful dish, and the green chiles add just the slightest punch.  Served over quinoa, it makes for a complete meal.

Fava Bean and Green Chile Succotash

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 head garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 - 12 to 15oz. can of corn, drained
1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 cup shelled fava beans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup quinoa, prepare according to package directions

Directions:  

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for about ten minutes, until they are fork tender, stirring occasionally.  Add the corn, green chiles, fava beans and seasonings, and cook for another ten minutes, until beans are softened, and everything is cooked through, stirring occasionally.  Serve over quinoa.  Surprisingly tasty!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Freezing Asparagus

I am planning on doing a lot more food preserving to save money and enjoy foods at their freshest when they are not in season.  In keeping with that, I decided to preserve asparagus in the tastiest way possible: by freezing them.  If I have to eat non-fresh veggies, I prefer them frozen, rather than canned, especially asparagus.  (Unless they are pickled!)  Anyways, I brought an extra twenty dollars to the farmer's market and bought eight bunches of asparagus.  Follow these super easy steps to freeze your own!

Here are those bunches of beautiful asparagus.  My family eats two bunches at dinner, so that is how I will prepare and freeze them.

If I'm making asparagus for dinner, I usually just snap off the tough ends of their stalks.  But, since I was working with such a larger quantity, the quicker way to do this was to simply cut off about an inch off the bottom.  To make it a neater process, keep them banded together while cutting.  Afterwards, you can take the bands off and rinse them.  Save those tough ends to make broth,or chop them small and add to a soup!

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  Carefully put the asparagus in and leave in, or blanch, for about one minute.  It's okay if you somehow forget and the time creeps up to two minutes, but try not to leave them in beyond that.  You don't want mushy, boiled asparagus.  The water will inevitably stop boiling when you put the asparagus in.  That's okay; do not leave them in waiting for the water to come back to a boil.  Simply start your timer when they go in.  Bring water back to full boil before adding your next batch, however.

Use tongs to remove asparagus from pot and place in colander.  Rinse under cold water for another minute or so to stop the cooking process.  Shake as much excess water through the holes as possible when done.

Place in freezer bags, two bunches at a time, if you are freezing them in the same quantities I am.  Press the air out and seal the bags.  Freeze until you are ready to prepare them for a meal.  Simply thaw and cook as usual.

I hope this was a useful step-by-step program on how to preserve delicious springtime asparagus.  Look for more tips coming up soon!

Walnut Cake with Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cake for Mother's Day for my mom.  She doesn't really have a sweet tooth, so I knew I had to create something that wasn't overpowering.  This turned out really well.  It is moist and has a texture that was appealing to everyone.  I used ingredients I had on hand (meaning I didn't have an inordinate amount of powdered sugar), so the frosting came out differently than my normal ones, but I really like it.  It comes off as seemingly too thin at first, but it sets up well, especially if you chill it for about ten minutes after spreading.  I also forgot to cream the sugar and margarine together, as is normally the custom - I whisked the sugar in with the dry ingredients instead.  Realizing my goof, I just added a bit of oil to the wet, and all turned out well.  In fact, I kept this "mistake" in my directions.  (I also used Trader Joe's vegan cream cheese instead of Tofutti, so the frosting isn't very white.)  Hope you and yours enjoy this, my latest original recipe.  

Walnut Cake with Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting

(unfortunately on a plain cake carrier for traveling)

Slice of that wonderful cake

(on a nice plate :-) )

Walnut Cake with Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

Non-stick spray
Flour for dusting
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegan or raw sugar
3 cups almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, that have been chopped small

Frosting:

1 - 8oz. pkg. vegan cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely ground walnuts

 Directions:

 For the cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two round cake pans with non-stick spray and lightly dust them with flour.  Set aside.  Whisk together in a large bowl the flour through the sugar.  Add the almond milk through the vanilla extract.  Blend with a hand mixer on medium low speed until well mixed, about three minutes or so. Stir in the walnuts.  Divide batter between the two cake pans.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.  Set on cooling racks for fifteen minutes.  Remove cakes from pans, and continue cooling on racks until completely cooled.

For the frosting:  In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese and vanilla extract with a hand mixer on low speed.  Add the powdered sugar and continue blending.  When well blended fold in the walnuts with a spatula.  Spread a generous amount of frosting on the top of one cake.  Add the second cake on top, and finish frosting.  It's easiest if you frost the top first, then take a non-serrated butter knife or a narrow spatula to spread the sides.  This frosting seem a tad runny at first, but chilling the cake for a few minutes after the frosting has been spread will help it set up.  This is very good and different.  Feeds five hungry vegans and a couple of grandparents with leftovers to boot.

Classic Tomato Sandwich, Toasted...or Not

I was still trying to use up my farmer's market tomatoes this week, and what better way to do that but to make the all-time tomato lover's sandwich: the humble but delicious Tomato Sandwich?  Before I met G, I had never had a sandwich where the tomato was the lone star of the show, but he showed me how they can stand on their own, and I've been eating them ever since.  As the post title says, you can either toast the bread or not; it's delicious either way.  And just to show you that is the case, I've taken pictures of both versions.  All the work I do for you!  So, behold the Classic Tomato Sandwich in both glorious forms.

Classic Tomato Sandwich, toasted

Classic Tomato Sandwich, untoasted

Classic Tomato Sandwich, Toasted...or Not

Ingredients:

A ripe, red tomato, sliced thickly
Vegenaise
Good bread that can stand up to a wet ingredient - we used sourdough
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

If you are doing the toasted version, toast your bread slices until they are light golden brown.  If not, just continue from this point. :-)  Spread a generous layer of Vegenaise on both slices of bread.  Top one slice with tomato slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking.  Top with the other slice.  Bite.  Is good with chips or baby carrots or pickle spears on the side.  Use a couple of more tomatoes to feed five hungry vegans.