Caldo Verde with Crumbled Tempeh

I have been cooking up a storm lately, just not blogging much. I have decided that to catch up, each time I post something new, I need to also post something old!

John picked this recipe from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. I am not a huge fan of tempeh but was excited that he was helping out with meal planning!

It turned out so good. I was not sure what to expect, but it is a soup (I now know that Caldo Verde means green soup!) that is spicy and tangy and really filling. It consists of onion and garlic, fennel, thyme and red pepper flakes, along with veggie broth, potatoes and kale (recipe calls for chard). The tempeh is boiled to remove the bitterness and flavored with lemon and tamari.

I did skip the step at the end where you are supposed to puree half the soup for a more creamy consistency. I just did not have the motivation to get the blender out and then have to wash it. Regardless, this soup is fantastic.

Two dinners from my cast iron skillet

Last week, I made dinner two nights in my cast iron skillet and both turned out quick and delicious.

First, Sicilian Skillet Pasta Pie from Vegan Italiano. Here is the recipe. I did make a few adjustments. Because I was out of olives, I made a batch of seitan chorizo crumbles. Also, I did not have spaghetti noodles so instead I used elbow macaroni. The pieces, obviously, did not 'slice' as the recipe says they should. We spooned portions out and devoured them!

We also shredded a bit of Mozzarella Sheese on top of the monster portions.

Second, Tempeh Helper from Appetite for Reduction. Because I have never eaten real Hamburger Helper, I can't really say whether it is comparable or not. But, it was really good.  I do think I added a bit too much seasoning to my cheezy sauce because it was quite salty and a little overpowering. Here is the recipe. 

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

So much for eating less soy! John put his foot down this week exclaiming, "But I love tofu!" It is very difficult to argue with him considering how supportive he is of my vegan cooking. It isn't like he is asking for hamburger!!! I still plan to "limit" our consumption, but for now, it is on the menu to stay!

So, I followed this recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook and it was perfect. Spicy and tangy. I was never a fan of tempeh until I was introduced to the "steam out the bitterness" technique. Now, I enjoy it almost as much as tofu.

On the side, Cornmeal Roasted Cauliflower (The original recipe includes garam masala and other Indian spices. For this batch, I substituted basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes) and Salt and Vinegar Potatoes (I am obsessed with these!)

I was a little sad while preparing this post as I noticed nothing green on the plate!!! But, the left-over tempeh was absolutely delicious the next day heated and served on a bed of mixed greens.

Spicy Black Bean and Tempeh Tacos

Over the weekend, John and I went to the Asian market and bought soy sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and other staples. They had a huge block of fresh tempeh and John was practically drooling over it. Although I am trying to minimize our soy consumption, we agreed that we would put it on the menu once a week. I followed this recipe for the tacos. It was really simple. We did not include vegan cheese but made a batch of guacamole instead and used chopped cabbage instead of lettuce. We also topped the tacos off with salsa.

Three Scrambles in Three Days

I decided to try three of the scrambles in Vegan Brunch this weekend. Because it is a long, holiday weekend, we had time for a new scramble on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

First up, Saturday's scramble was the Basic Scrambled Tempeh. I steamed the tempeh first, removing the bitter taste from it. I have discovered steaming first is the only way that I enjoy eating tempeh. I substituted the Swiss chard for spinach. On the side, peanut butter toast.


On the menu for Sunday was the Pesto Scrambled Tofu with Grape Tomatoes. Tofu sauteed with onion and tomatoes, then covered in pesto! This is John's favorite scramble to date. On the side, Chevapcici, which is a very enjoyable soy based sausage substitute.

And finally, Monday's attempt was the Puttanesca Scramble. I had to practice saying Puttanesca a few times before it stopped sounding like Poo-tanesca because John said that made it sound very unappealing. This was my favorite of the three. It went well with fresh ciabatta bread.

Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls, Yamroom Rolls, and Spinach Sesame Rolls

I realized that last time I shopped for supplies to make sushi, I bought way too much stuff!!! So, I made another batch of vegan sushi but followed the recipe in Veganomicon for Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls, "Yamroom" Rolls, and Spinach Sesame Rolls. All three were fantastic and very unique.

One the side, blanched green beans with toasted hazelnuts, sesame seed oil, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Happy Vegan St. Patrick's Day!

I decided to make a feast for St. Patty's Day and it started with Irish Creme Kisses from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I didn't actually make these for John and I but instead, for him to take to work and share with his co-workers. It is becoming a bit ridiculous how easily I can find an excuse to make cookies from this cookbook. The frosting was very sweet, so I put it into a pastry bag and just gave each cookie a pretty squirt. I got really tired of shaving the chocolate, so some had nice, thick curls and some just had broken bits. The cookies have a combo of whiskey, espresso powder, and chopped walnuts that will make these a yearly tradition!


So, the dinner menu consisted of Tempeh Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Irish Lemon Soda Bread, and Potato Leek Soup. For dessert, Irish Oatmeal-Apple Crumble with Whiskey Cream Sauce. Here is a picture of my dear husband sitting patiently at the set table while I take pictures of everything!


The mushrooms were stuffed with the Tempeh Sausage from Vegan Brunch. John and I absolutely love this recipe because it resembles sausage in texture and spice-flavor and can be successfully added into so many dishes. It tastes amazing in pasta, on puff pastry, in a vegan omelet, by itself, or stuffed in things!




I had to buy a few ingredients to make this bread, but was SO glad I did! Originally, I was going to make a basic soda bread but felt it was a) not super nutritious and b) boring. After a little internet noodling, I found this recipe and felt it would be perfect with soup. It is slightly sweet, lemon-y, crunchy, and delicious! I discover that Weizenkleie is Wheat Germ and Goldhirse is Millet. I also bought this cute new bread pan! It makes longer, thinner loaves and I think it will be fun for sweet breads like banana, zucchini, etc.


I have made the soup recipe before and it never has failed me. After watching and reading Julie and Julia, I realized there was ONE Julia Child recipe that could be made vegan, this soup. It is so easy but, when cooked for a long time, has the best flavor imaginable. Last time, I used vegan cream. This time, vegan butter. Both turned out equally scrumptious.


And, for dessert, I though something fruit based would be a nice change from the recent overload of cookies and cupcakes I have occupied my time making. The whiskey cream was really, really good! And by really, really good, I mean, "drink with a straw" good.

Vegan Sausage and Ricotta Ravioli

For breakfast a few days ago, I made a huge batch of the vegan sausage that is featured in Vegan Brunch and a part of the recipe for Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs. There was a ton leftover and I also had leftover tofu ricotta in my freezer that I wanted out. So, I made homemade pasta, rolled out into ravioli sheets and stuffed with the two. It was served with a basic tomato sauce (a can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, a splash of red wine, oregano, and other seasonings, salt and pepper) and blanched green beans. We also bought a half loaf of Ciabatta bread from the Naschmarkt that lasted about 20 minutes!

Vegan Brunch (for dinner!)

This was going to be our brunch spread this Saturday but we decided to go out of town this weekend, so I made it for dinner tonight instead. All recipes are from the cookbook Vegan Brunch. I think I can safely say I intend to make every recipe from this book based on the awesomeness of the ones I have tried so far.




Normally, when I made some sort of meat-substitute, John comments on how delicious it is but makes sure to tell me it tastes nothing like the "real thing." It has been so long since I have had meat that I always swear soy-bacon tastes exactly like real bacon. Anyway, I made the Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs and both John and I agreed, "This tastes like sausage!" It has something to do with the combo of tempeh texture and the seasonings, especially the fennel seeds. We ate the entire batch (18!) and I guarantee these will be making future appearances. My only change next time will be to buy regular puff pastry as opposed to light. They did not puff up as much as the picture in the cookbook but the flavor was so fantastic, like little thin crust sausage pizzas. It was my first baking experience with puff pastry and at first, I was really nervous because the sheets of pastry are so flat! But sure enough, they did puff.



We also had Roasted Butternut Squash. It was easy to prepare and very sweet. Next time, I will throw in a little sage to numb the sweetness a touch.



And finally, Pumpkin Pancakes topped with berries and soy whipped cream. I have made vegan pancakes in the past but like this recipe because a majority of the moisture comes from the pumpkin and therefore they don't need a huge amount of flour. Also, it has a large variety of spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for a scrumptious flavor!

Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes with Caesar Salad

This is a recipe from Vegan Brunch but I thought it sounded so good with a salad for dinner tonight, so I went for it. I am normally not a fan of tempeh, but this recipe includes a technique for making it less bitter. It worked for me!

I chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and red peppers and covered them in a dressing of 5 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp white wine, and 4 garlic cloves sauteed together. I also sprinkled some leftover bread crumbs on the salad for texture.

I also made the remoulade which was spicy and fantastic!

Barbequed Tempeh and Zesty Quinoa

Tempeh is a nice alternative to tofu. They are both made from soybeans but Tempeh has a different look, taste and texture. The consistency is more of a bean loaf than the smooth texture of tofu. I sliced strips and added them to a mixture of green peppers and red onion sautéed in olive oil with lots of salt and pepper. I cooked it until the Tempeh lightly browned on both sides; then added about 1/2 a cup of Annies Barbeque sauce.

The Zesty Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah :-) turned out so flavorful with a few adjustments. Instead of using olive oil to sauté the onion and garlic, I used the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. I also substituted the dry white wine for Marsala wine in equal amount (simply because I had Marsala wine and no white wine!) I did not roast the cashews, just sprinkled raw, crushed on top.

I added the spinach leaves and Annie's Goddess Dressing last minute because it looked too "red" on the plate! The coolness of the spinach and dressing was a good addition to the rich quinoa and tangy barbeque sauce.