My Gourmet Vegan Cooking With Pics! :-)

CHILLA (pancakes)

2 cups lentil flour (chickpea or urad or moong)
2 tablespoon ground sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
3 cup milk
Cooking oil (around 1 tablespoon)

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. You can use a spoon or hand blender.

Use a heavy flat bottom frying pan. Heat the pan and oil the bottom. Spread
half cup dough in the pan using a large spoon. Let it cook for about 1/2 minute. Adjust the heat so that the pancake cook slowly and does not burn. Sprinkle a little oil on the top and then turn the pancake. Cook the other side in the same way. Repeat the process for other pancakes.

These pancakes make a very nice breakfast.

pancake recipe correction - Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl except cooking oil.

Thanks.

I'm going on a three-day Asian fest. lol Last night was Sushi (rice wraps with avocado, cucumber, orange and red bell peppers, and chow mein noodles) with a side of ginger sesame salad and sliced fruit:

reply to post by AshleyD


Looks yum. ^_^

I am making some seitan: one for fajitas and one to set overnight so I can make No-Killy-Philly cheesesteaks tomorrow. The second is a really yummy recipe, especially the cheese sauce. The recipe is here:



oddpenguin

reply to post by oddpenguin


Oh snap that looks good!

I was craving a Philly sandwich this past weekend and didn't realize there was a vegan version.

Thanks so much for sharing that with me! I've been eating toasted veggie subs but that will probably get boring eventually so it was perfect timing for you to share that.

reply to post by AshleyD


You are quite welcome. ^_^

Several months ago I was craving one and found that recipe. It has become quite a staple for me; the cheese sauce is really nice, as well.

I noticed that for many dishes, like toasted sandwiches and such, baked or smoked tofu or sliced, sauteed seitan works quite well for a filling. I like making simple veggie-seitan fajitas quite often. I found that seitan can be ground up (not pureed) in a food processor and used like ground beef in sauces and casseroles.

oddpenguin

reply to post by AshleyD


Very nice looking food. Did you cook yourself? If so can you share the recipe for veg sushi?

reply to post by GargIndia


Yes, I made everything you see in this thread by myself with the exception of the cupcake. lol

For the sushi, this is what I did:

1). Cook sushi rice as instructed. Make sure it is sushi rice because it will give a 'sticky bond' needed to bond the roll- especially if you are not using seaweed. I've never tried making it with regular rice.

2). For the filling, I cut up very fine strands of orange and red bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, and to give it a little crunch, chow mein noodles.

3). There are sushi rolling mats but I do not have one. So I used one of my son's Disney plastic place mats. lol You can also use a magazine. Lay down something flat on the counter top. Then lay down some plastic wrap like Saran wrap.

4). Using a spoon, spread out a layer of rice. It will be sticky so I keep a glass of water to constantly dip the spoon in to help smooth out the rice. The size of the rice rectangle I made was about 1 foot by 5 inches.

5). Place all your filling length-wise on top of the rice. I think I drizzled a little bit of ginger sesame dressing on before rolling.

6). Slide the plastic wrap with the ingredients on it to the edge of the mat. Start rolling and press firmly (but don't squish it) so the roll will bond. Do this until you are out of ingredients. The other night I ended up with three rolls. Cut the excess saran wrap. When you roll, make sure you do not get a lot of the saran wrap into the roll. A little edge- about 1/2 inch- is perfect. Any more than that and you will have to pull it out and possibly undo your roll.

7). I placed them into the freezer while preparing the salad and the fruit. It will help cool the ingredients and finish the bonding process.

8). Remove from freezer, gently remove the saran wrap. Cut into sections as pictured. I served with soy sauce and wasabi.

Good luck! Rolling was a bit tricky for me the first time but you'll turn pro at it once we get the hang of it.



Last night's pineapple stirfry on brown rice and hot and sour soup! The sweet, tangy stirfry dish goes so well with the spicy, salty soup!

Okay I am in no way a vegan but if I do not have home raised meat available, I eat tofu. I grow a lot of soy beans and make my own tofu but I am having a real issue with the okara. I have found recipes to which not a one tasted good at all! Not even the recipes in the dessert department. Do any of you make your own tofu or soy milk? What can I do with the okara besides feed it back to my animals?



Maybe I can dry and powder it for something? I just don't know. I did a veggie burger recipe from this and it was like eating a paste patty.

To complete my Asian trifecta (lol) here is a Thai stirfry I just made tonight. Lawd have mercy if it wasn't a bit spicy. lol
Sure was good although there is room for improvement. Noodles with stirfry vegetables, crushed peanuts, red peppers, and peanut sauce. It looks a little bland. Should have taken a photo before sprinkling the peanuts on.



A little burned out on Asian food now lol so I'll try different kinds soon.

reply to post by Hollie


I don't know how to make homemade tofu/soy milk. I just buy non-GMO tofu from the store. I totally commend you (and am a little jealous) you have the capability to make your own!

Hopefully someone else can help you. I'm curious, too.

Originally posted by AshleyD

Hopefully someone else can help you. I'm curious, too.

Peanut sauce... is that Sriracha and peanut butter by chance?

Girl tofu is so easy to make and cheaper than store bought and even better tasting. Tofu takes about 20 minutes then you press it in anyway that you want. All it is is dried soybeans, water, and a few TBS. of lemon juice If don't want to make tofu just omit the lemon then you have soy milk The byproduct is all of that okara though.


I made this earlier. For firm tofu press it for 20 minutes I would say. One cup of dried beans makes about a pound of tofu and close to a gallon of soy milk. Soy milk is outrageously priced. But ohhhhhh all of that okara!!! Gahhhhh it's painful to just toss it out to already fat animals

reply to post by Hollie


Awesome! I really try to avoid relying too much on soy and eat it maybe every ten days or so. But I'd still like to know how!

I'm not a garden whiz like you seem to be so growing my own are out of the question. Are soy beans available at regular grocery stores or would I need to go to a health store?

You sound very self-reliant for food- that is so awesome!

reply to post by AshleyD


You know Ashley, I just don't know if they are at grocers or not? Maybe someone else in here might know? I would never buy soy on purpose LOL. Plus I have not been to a grocer in years. You have to use the dried white soy beans however. Even if you do not eat soy, you can basically make anything from it like glue, soap, animal feed, and candles, etc. I am not an advocate for soy because it is not my favorite, but its uses are amazing. Same for coconut though, which I have almost a hundred of the damned things on my porch Soy just grows really well where I am at. All of the nasty stuff grows good here.

For one pound of tofu:

One cup of dried soy beans. Soak them overnight in a lot of water.
Once plumped, wash and drain the beans.
Use a food processor or blender and pulp them babies down to a paste or very fine mash.
Add some water to help mash them.
Throw 10cups of water in a pot with the pulp and bring it up to 200 degrees.
Hold it to 200 degrees for 20 or 30 minutes.
Drain it through cheese cloth.
The pulp is okara. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from it.
You are left with soy milk, almost a gallon of it.

If all you are after is the milk then stop here and add sugar and/or vanilla or chocolate!!! Also you can add water for desired consistency.

For the tofu part, do not add anything and just put the plain milk back into a pot.
Bring temp back up to 200 degrees and add your coagulant which is the juice of one whole lemon (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
Give it a stir and pull off the heat.
Let it sit for ohhhh about 15 minutes or so and what you are left with are curds and amber looking water.
Drain into a cheese cloth and put in a mold.
I just use a small plastic bowl with holes poked in it.
Place a weight on it and leave it until desired firmness.
Silken only takes a couple minutes of weight while extra firm takes about 20 minutes.

Easy peasy.

reply to post by Hollie


I used to make tons of tofu and had tons of okara. I used to add it to soups and stews, sauces, muffins, bread, scrambles, etc., and sometimes I toasted it with spices and topped casseroles and such with it, or sprinkled it over dishes.

This site has some good recipes using it; if you need more, let me know. ^_^

okaramountain.blogspot.com...

oddpenguin

reply to post by oddpenguin


This is definitely THE recipe site for okara! There are only a few sites around for okara and this one I landed on and made this recipe , but I used my own black beans, replaced can chilies with fresh habaneros, replaced canola with lard and the result was a punch in the face, mealy, did not hold well, and not good at all. Sticky crust outside and mooshy mealy on inside. Way too much corn and starch in this recipe for sure. It was the first recipe I tried with this stuff and I do not suggest it. I also made a pancake recipe, gag, which is on allrecipes I believe. No amount of maple could fix the pancake.

I wonder how okara would be toasted with some cinnamon/sugar or something? I dunno, maybe make some sort of granola bar thing out of it? Ever thought about that penguin?

I know soy beans can be made into flour, but I think you have to roast the whole soy bean and mill it? I do not think the okara will work. What says you penguin?

Throw a recipe that has been tried by you would be nice. I will cook it tomorrow!

Originally posted by rickymouse
You shouldn't be cooking Vegans, that is inhumane.

Damn....That stuff sure looks good.

edit on 1-6-2013 by rickymouse because: (no reason given)

It does look good. My problem with veganism is that I could eat the food in EVERY pic and will be starving an hour later. I once tried eating only fruit for breakfast while working in construction. I was sooo hungry after two pears and two apples, it was like I didn't eat anything at all.

reply to post by jiggerj


I know exactly what you're talking about believe it or not. I experimented with veganism last year but was STARVING by dinner time. My own ignorance ended up being to blame. I thought veganism was all about raw fruit/veggies and handfuls of nuts and seeds. But it is so much more than that. I also realized I wasn't eating nearly enough or as much as I thought I was once I started to track calories.

Also, eating one macro nutrient per meal, especially carbs, will be digested very quickly as in your case of your apple/pear meal being just carbs. Mix it up with other macros like one pear, one cup oatmeal, 1 oz of crushed nuts, and 1 cup vegan milk for a good mix of carbs, fats, and proteins. It will be digested more slowly.

Even then I will still make a dish where I am hungry too quickly thereafter. I'll then tweak the recipe next time and make it more hearty. If I'm still left feeling hungry, I chunk the recipe from my repertoire.

Finally, some of those photos are cropped on the entree. For instance, the raviolis were served with salad, cake, and 'cheesy' garlic toast. The enchiladas were served with Spanish rice, beans, and guacamole. Etc.

Sometimes I have to undo my pants after dinner time. lol

reply to post by Hollie


The granola bar idea is definitely something I would try; I have an affinity for (good) granola bars. ^_^

I have tried using dried, ground okara as flour for a few things like cornbread, muffins, and cookies, but I have not tried it for bread or pastries, so I cannot comment on those.

As for recipes I have tried, I made the chili and lasagna from this site (I know I made a few others, too but it is been a while). You might like them.

okaraproject.blogspot.com...

I plan on making this sometime this weekend. One of my favourites as a child, but this is the vegan version. ^_^

mouthwateringvegan.com...

oddpenguin

reply to post by AshleyD


I see this a lot on ATS, the same information posted multiple times, but only acknowledged once. Normally I chalk it up to members with more posts being widely known, but that doesn't seem to apply in this instance.

Praytell, what was it about my tofu recipe you did not appreciate? My inability to embed pics?

Don't mean this to be offensive, I really do want some constructive criticism to help my future posts here.

As one who has failed multiple times at going vegetarian and as one who has a loved one who should really adopt this sort of lifestyle - I really admire your dedication and commitment to not give up.

What sort of health benefits have you personally experienced that might inspire us wannabes? Did your husband's heart health show dramatic improvements as well?

You sure do make it look yummy!