Comely Creatures
Vegan kidney bean and cornbread sliders. This recipe is pretty much my crowning achievement. I was starving and had a really weird assortment of groceries lying around when this idea came to me. I’ve never had a kidney bean burger, let alone tried to make one, but they turned out even better than I expected. Recipe: Rinse and drain a can of kidney beans and pour them into a bowl. Smoosh them up real well; you could use a food processor if you have one but I don’t so I used the back of a wooden spoon which worked just fine. You can leave it a little chunky but it should be mostly pasty. Add a couple of tablespoons of chopped onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a tablespoon or two of diced red pepper, if you like. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder and set aside in the fridge while you make the cornbread. In a tiny bowl combine 1 tbs flaxseed with 2 tbs nondairy milk. In another, much larger bowl, whisk together 1 c cornmeal, 1 c flour, 2 tbs brown sugar, and 1 tbs baking powder. Fold in 1 c nondairy milk, the flaxseed mixture, and 1/4 oil (vegetable or canola). Don’t overmix! Pour into a prepared cupcake pan and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes. While the muffins bake go ahead and finish up your burgers by adding about 2 tbs of breadcrumbs to the kidney beans. The mixture should form a ball easily without sticking to your hands too much. Form into patties and fry in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until they look brown and slightly crispy and pretty much hot throughout. Let the cornbread muffins cool a minute or two before slicing them in half then throw on your patties. You could add toppings if you want but I actually preferred mine plain.
Posted 3 days ago with 7 notes
I made vegan peanut butter blondies but I didn’t have the right kind of baking pan so I used a cupcake pan instead. Recipe (from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar); Beat together 3/4 c peanut butter, 1/3 c oil (canola or vegetable), and 1 c brown sugar. Stir in 1/4 c nondairy milk and a big splash of vanilla. Fold in 1 c flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and a little bit of salt. Press into a greased 8x8 baking pan (or cupcake pan if you wanna be like me) and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
Posted 6 days ago with 5 notes
Vegan potato salad with creamy avocado-mint dressing. This is one of those dishes that tastes way better than it looks. I lost my food stamps card a few days ago which means while I wait for a new one to be mailed to me I’m forced to use up whatever leftovers are lying around. Necessity breeds creativity and thus this dish was born. But you should really try it; I think I like it more than any potato salad I’ve ever had. Throw a big pot of water on the stove to boil your potatoes in. While that’s heating up go ahead and make your dressing by combining the flesh of an avocado, some lemon juice, some balsamic vinegar, a clove or two of smooshed garlic, a nice glug of olive oil, and some chopped fresh mint in a bowl. Mash with a fork until smooth and creamy and roughly the consistency of yogurt. Stick it in the fridge while you cook your potatoes (which should take 15-20 minutes). Drain the taters, rinse in cold water, and pour into a bowl. Add the dressing and gently toss til combined. I recommend chilling it at this point and letting all the flavors meld for awhile but if you’re in a hurry you can serve it right away. Just before eating add a little salt to taste but don’t overdo it! The flavors are meant to be light and mild so the salt should be an accent and not overpowering.
Posted 2 weeks ago with 4 notes
Peanut noodles are one of my favorite quick and easy meals for when I’m feeling lazy. The sauce is just a combination of peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin if you have it on hand (it’s a sweet rice wine that definitely rounds out the flavor but isn’t absolutely crucial), a little bit of brown sugar, and water to thin. You can throw in some ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes too if you’re feeling fancy. Stir-fry some veggies (I use frozen because I’m terribly lazy), toss in some cooked pasta (I usually use ramen noodles because they’re hella cheap), then add your sauce. Serve hot or cold, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.
Posted 1 month ago with 11 notes
One problem with growing up with 5 siblings is that I am incapable of cooking in reasonable quantities. (Vegan chili-basil rice noodles.) Recipe; Boil some thai rice noodles. Crumble some firm tofu and soak it in soysauce. Meanwhile saute some garlic in olive oil. Add a bunch of chopped basil and cilantro (I used those handy little frozen cubes, 4 of each). Throw in the tofu and heat through. In a small bowl combine roughly equal parts of sriracha and white sugar plus a couple tablespoons of water. Stir til the sugar dissolves. Add the noodles to the garlic mixture then throw the sauce all over the whole thing and toss til combined. Top with chopped scallions and peanuts if you have them.
Posted 2 months ago with 5 notes
Vegan coconut milk caramel with salted cashews. Recipe Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and pour down a single layer of roasted, salted cashews (about 3/4 c) and set aside. In a big heavy-bottomed saucepan combine 1/2 c coconut cream (you know, the really thick stuff that collects on the top of a can of coconut milk) and 1/2 c white sugar. Bring to a boil, stir constantly, and cook until it starts to brown (but be careful because it won’t get as dark as its dairy-filled counterpart!). Then run it through the cold spoon test; chill a small metal spoon in a bowl of ice water. Dip into the sugar mixture and then put back in the ice water for a minute or two, then give it a nibble. It should be firm and chewy. Once it gets to that point whisk in a tsp of vanilla and pour over cashews. Let cool to the touch, then put the whole thing in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once totally cool you can break it into pieces and either eat right away for a crunchier treat or let soften at room temperature back to caramel-consistency.
Posted 2 months ago with 6 notes
My sisters and I made vegan chocolate-glazed yeasted donuts and cinnamon sugar donut holes. Recipes here and here.
Posted 2 months ago with 20 notes
Spinach, strawberry, and mango salad with ginger-basil dressing. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp minced fresh ginger, 2 tbs chopped fresh basil, 2 tbs mirin (sweet rice wine), 1/2 tsp lemon or lime juice, and one tbs olive oil. Allow at least 30 minutes for the flavors to mingle then toss with 4 cups of washed spinach. Garnish with mango and strawberries.
Posted 2 months ago with 23 notes
Oh, and chocolate fudgy oatmeal cookies and peppermint tea too.
Posted 3 months ago with 4 notes
Vegan mac and cheese. Throw a big veggie bouillon cube (the kind that’s meant to make 2 cups of broth) in a mug with 1/2 c of water and set aside to dissolve. Heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan. Add 1/2 c of diced onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes or so. Add 1 heaping tbs nutritional yeast, 1 tbs flaxseed (totally optional, I just like to add it so I can pretend like I’m healthy), and 2 tbs flour. Stir until crumbly and cook for about a minute to get rid of that gross starchy flour taste. Whisk in your veggie broth and keep stirring until it’s perfectly smooth. It’ll probably be pretty thick at this point so slowly whisk in 1 c unsweetened soymilk and keep cooking over medium heat until it thickens into a smooth sauce. You might want to add a bit more soymilk to mellow out the saltiness but remember that you’re putting it on pasta which will dull the flavor a whole bunch. Add some black pepper at the end and pour over 1 pound of cooked pasta. Variations; This recipe is infinitely customizable depending on what veggies you add. Just toss them in while you’re cooking the onion and get crazy! If I’m feeling super lazy I add 1/2lb of assorted frozen vegetables and call it a day. You could also add ground beef style crumbles and go for a cheeseburger version. For this one I went with 2 tbs diced roasted red peppers, 2 tbs diced sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 c sweet peas. It was divine.
Posted 3 months ago with 19 notes