Daily Vegan: oats

Showing posts with label oats. Show all posts

Alright - With the new year comes a new format. I've found that the weekly plan ahead wasn't working very well so I'm just going to post recipes as they come. If you found the weekly posts with menus and shopping lists useful please let me know but if there not helpen' anybody then we'll just move on.

We've had some pretty great meals lately that have left me feeling even better then before. It makes so much more sense that if you want to stay alive then you eat food that is alive. That said, this recipe may not be the best one to start out with but it sure has brought a smile to my face.

The first day I was going to go raw I started out doing a bunch of research. I had a weeks worth of meals planned out and I was going full steam ahead - 100% raw freakin vegan!....that lasted until breakfast when I had to have my toast. (remember the blog about cravings and eating your neighbor?)

The next day I was talking to some friends (all carnivores) about my latest vegan fiasco. I told them about how I had made raw vegan hot dogs. My friend said, " you eat raw meat?" He still can't wrap his brain around someone not eating meat...I'm working with him.

The next day my father - in - law (dad) was in town and I told my mother - in - law I would take him lunch. My dad is an Idaho meat and potatoes guy but he has been gracious enough to "quietly gunk down" some of my "concoctions" as to "not offend his favorite daughter - in - law" (his words, not mine) So, with raw vegan hot dog in hand I went to his work and gleefully handed it to him. He must have been really hungry because he ate it up, almost like he liked it!

So I know the suspense is killing you so without further adu, I give you, the Raw Vegan Hot Dog - who knows, maybe next we'll try raw vegan spam :)

1 1/2 c almond meal

1 small onion
1-2 c oats
1 large carrot
1 cloves garlic
2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp hickory smoke flavor
1 t marjoram
½ t celery seed
½ t salt
red pepper flakes

Blend everything together in a in food processor till smooth adding the oats as needed to make a soft dough you can mold in your hands.

Form dough into hot dog shapes and dehydrate till firm but not hard.

As you can see, somone was ready to eat!

I'm not really a fan of Chick-fil-a, for obvious reasons. But I always thought their advertising was kind of cute. I could kind of relate. Now I eat, and spell like a cow. For all my critics out there lets just let that one go.

Chicken was the first thing to go when I started going vegetarian. After killing a chicken there is no going back! But with all the blood and guts aside, chicken is a very tasty meat....minus the whole meat part. This recipe makes a great breaded chicken patty that any herbivore would be happy to eat.

Vegan Chik -fil-A

1 c cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 c cooked rice
1/2 c bread crumbs
2 vegan chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
1 clove garlic
2 tb soy sauce
1 pinch sage
1 pinch paprika
2 heaping tb vital wheat gluten
1/4 c oats

In your lovable food processor process the garbanzo beans, rice, and oats. You may need to add just enough water to make it creamy. Now in bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, adding the vital wheat gluten last. Knead into a dough. Roll out and cut into squres. cook in oil till golden on both sides.

Matthew and I have this sandwich that we really love. It's a sweet, salty tangy refreshing sandwich that unfortunately calls for feta cheese. We loved feta because it was great on so many things. So here is the end to our feta-less life woes. Some of you may recognize this recipe from my vegan cheese post. It's pretty much the same just with a little twist to make it feta-ee.

Vegan Feta Cheese

1/4 c garbanzo beans
1/4 c cooked rice
1/4 c cashews
1/4 c oats
1 c water
1 tb red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 clove garlic

You know the drill. Throw it all in the food processor till smooth then heat on the stove till creamy. Now, Pour the cheese into a loaf pan that is lined with plastic wrap. completely cover and place in the freezer over night. Then pull out of the freezer and let thaw in the fridge. The cheese should crumble or cube very nicely now and can be used as feta cheese.

Yes, even as a child I was a food geek. I remember when my family would eat out at mick-e-dees. While the rest of the family ordered the usual quarter pounder with cheese, I went for the fillet o' fish. When they called for the big mac, I went with a salad. What can I say, I have sophisticated tastes.

I've always liked fish. Even when I first went vegetarian I didn't go all the way because I couldn't let go of my fish sticks. Now that I've found this substitute I'm happy to wave good-bye to my finned friends. This is way easy and tastes pretty authentic too. Try it with some white sauce, crumbled potato chips, and green onion for a gourmet version or pack it as a lunch.

Vegan Fish Fillets

1/4 c oats
1 c bread crumbs

(panko is best)
salt to taste
2 thingys of celery
1/2 red onion
2 russet potatoes raw
mustard
lemon juice
soy sauce
1 tb vital wheat gluten
1 pinch sage
1 pinch dill weed
1 tb veganaise
1/4 c cooked rice

In your magical food processor, quickly pulse your potatoes, celery and red onion. Now place in a sieve with a bowl under it and let sit for about an hour to let all the juice drain off. Or, to speed up the process you can wring it out in some cheese cloth. You must drain off the liquid or it will be too moist to stay together. Now put your oats, cooked rice, and all your dry ingredients (except the wheat gluten and bread crumbs) into the food processor and pulse. In a large bowl mix everything together, kneading it into a dough. Once it's a dough, roll it out between wax paper, cut into squares. cover with bread crumbs and fry in a pan with oil. These freeze really well! Serve on a bun with fresh tartar sauce.

In Amerikan Samoa we've learned that fresh veggies don't last long for three reasons:

1-humidity
2-bugs
3-"compost"

When we first arrived we were really frustrated that we couldn't get lettuce.We almost had to special order it. One day we found some and bought a bunch. Then we found out why they don't carry it. By the time we got it from the store to our house it had wilted and was on the verge of unusable. I was seriously considering another attempt at lettuce soup (don't ask). We learned that when you buy lettuce you must be planning on eating it as soon as you get home. Spinach seems to hold up a bit better but not by much.

We also learned that ants, geckos, rodents, and all sorts of creeping things like veggies as much as we do. There is nothing like walking into a black swarm of fruit flies in the morning to say "welcome to Samoa....here have some bananas"

Finally, if the humidity and the bugs don't get to your fruit before you do, the mold and rot will. It is probably a combination of the two mentioned above, but produce goes rotten very quickly here. Which puts us in quite the dilemma. Since the shipment of produce comes once every two weeks, the natural inclination is to stock up and buy two weeks worth of produce but this is quite impossible when the produce will only last a few days at best. Thus we are considering changing the name of our blog from "daily vegan" to "Vegan in Samoa.....what the h-e-.. were we thinking?" What do ya think?

Now to the point....We had quite a few fruits and veggies that were on their last leg and this smoothie was the answer. We even froze it and had it as a sorbet the next day. Yummers! The power part comes from all the great nutrition from the spinach and chia seeds. With those two ingredients alone this smoothie packs a nutritional punch.....but wait till I get going.....where was I? Oh yes....here ya go

Power Smoothie

2 big handfuls spinach
1 apple
1 papaya
1 kiwi
1 banana
1 orange (just the juice)
1/4 c oats
1/2 c frozen raspberries
2 tb chia seeds

Place everything in a blender. Now take two steps back and admire all the colorful nutrition that is about to be assimilated into your body. Take a deep breath and appreciate the beauty that is before you. Now blend the heck out of everything till smooth.

My family has often accused us of being "granola." Matthew and I prefer the term "free lance granola-ers"...It implies more natural freedom in choosing our causes instead of going with the crowd.

Since we moved to Amerikan Samoa I have found that those granola, bra-less, more hair, less makeup days come more frequent, much to Matthews displeasure. But he doesn't seem to mind as long as when I say "I'm going granola" I make some granola too.

This is My dad's recipe for granola. One of 3 things that he was allowed in the kitchen to make, but when he made something he made it very well! See for yourself.

Dad's Granola

8 c oats
6 c wheat anything (flakes, pressed...whatever)
2 c wheat germ
3 c shredded coconut
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c brown sugar
10 dates
1 c oil
1 c water
4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond
1 tsp nutmeg
nuts & dried fruit optional

In a food processor blend the oil, water, dates, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed, coat with the wet mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 till golden brown, turning regularly.

The other day I left all my research up on the computer when Matthew came in to use it. From the other room I hear " um...hey hon - what's all this stuff about satan?" I must admit, I was a bit taken back. I thought for a moment and realized. " ah, it's pronounced se-tahn" Matthew was confused but relieved.

When I first started researching seitan I thought, "no way, anything pronounced satan can not be good and must be avoided at all costs." But now I know it's called that because it's so tempting!

Seitan is basically vital wheat gluten but Seitan sounds so much more rebellious and on the edge. My adventures with it have been less then successful, except when it comes to vegan spam.

Now, I know you're asking yourself, why would you want to eat something who's name sounds like satan and, if you're going to go vegan and take the time to make faux meat why on earth would you spend the time on SPAM? well, I'll tell you - MUSUBIES! I haven't met one I didn't love or met anyone else who didn't love them either. In fact, when I was doing research on vegan spam (yes, there are others like me out there) all of them wanted to make spam for the purpose of filling their musubie craving! One lady even made it with peanut butter in the shape of a can. That's so cool! I'm a little less adventurous.
In a state where seven million cans of spam are consumed every year (that's an average of 16 cans per person per year) and they even have a spam festival to celebrate this celebrity meat, "it wouldn't, it couldn't, it musn't, it wouldn't" be poly week without musubie.....

Vegan Spam
1/4 cup cooked pasta
1/4 c cooked rice
1/4 c oats
1/4 c soy sauce
1 bullion cube
1 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped celery
1/4 -1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1 tb water

Start a large pot of boiling water. In the food processor blend the pasta and celery with enough water to make it smooth. In a large bowl mush the rice with a fork till it's um, mushy. Now add everything else, adding the vital wheat gluten at the last. Now form your dough into a loaf and wrap it in tin foil. Add the tablespoon of water, wrap it up and put it in the pot of boiling water. Cover with a lid. The spam is finished when it has expanded to fill the tin foil (about 40 min).

Musubies

cooked rice
vegan spam
nori, or seaweed paper
Slice your vegan spam about 1/4 an inch thick. Saute it in a pan with EVOO till both sides are brown. Make a ball out of the cooked rice (having wet hands helps to keep the rice from sticking to you) keep kneading it till it sticks together. Place the spam on top of the rice and wrap in nori. This makes for a great portable lunch, just wrap in plastic wrap and go.

This recipe was actually given to me by a carnivore. My Samoan auntie is the one who got us thinking of going vegan, so we have her to thank for all of this. She told us to watch "foods that kill" on youtube, and what Auntie says, you do! She served this recipe to her family and they really liked it. These freeze very well! I always have some in the freezer for a quick meal. And, like the rest of my recipes, is a great way to use up left overs.

Burgers

1 can stewed tomatoes blended

1 carrot shredded

1/2 onion chopped

any left over veggies

enough oats to make it hold together

Fries

5-6 potatoes

cooking oil

salt

pepper

Tony's Seasoning (optional)

In a big bowl mix all your ingredients for your burgers. Add oats till you can form it into a patty. You can also add leftover rice or beans. Form into patties and place on a well oiled cookie sheet. Bake on 350 till they are brown, turning once. Be sure to cook them before you freeze them.

Cut potatoes length ways to make fries. Coat with oil, salt, pepper, and seasonings. Place on a cookie sheet and broil, turning frequently till they are brown on all sides.

Alright carnivore, stop right there - move along - there is nothing to see here. Just go back to your happy little life with your cheese and your sour cream and pretend that everything is okay...keep moving. This post is for vegans ONLY! Ya, it's a private club. Now beat it.

If you're vegan you understand. Vegan cheese is an "acquired" taste. If you're not committed, don't even try. I've heard that there are some great new vegan cheeses that have come on the market back in the states but being out here in never never land with the lost boys I haven't had the pleasure of experimenting for myself. As for now, I am stuck with what the local corner market can supply; but, after much research I've developed something that seems to work. In my research I have come across two types of cheese -
1. tofu/soy
2. non tofu/soy (usually made with nutritional yeast and cornstarch)
I try to avoid soy whenever possible.....hormonal reasons, don't ask........I said don't ask alright? sheesh....Anyway, since soy is not an option we had to try something else.

Well, I tried the cornstarch variety and while it tasted ok my brain couldn't quite swallow it. So, mine is more of a rice cheese.

Now, this is not my first attempt at cheese making. When Matthew and I were first married we were gifted some Kefir grains. We Loved Kefir....that is until I neglected the poor dears and we got a sour batch. Well, not wanting it to go to waste, I came up with the brilliant idea of making cheese out of it. I researched it online and found I was well on my way to a perfectly delight cheesy substance. I watched it like a hawk for days, if only I had given it this kind of attention when the grains were still good. Finally, I summoned Matthew into the kitchen to try my first of what I hoped to be many batches of Kefir cheese. I sliced off a delicate morsel of a ball that was the consistency of soft cream cheese. We both took a bite and realized.....I had made alcoholic cheese. It fizzled like rootbeer and smelled like a drunk on new years eve. Okay, so not my best.

So Kefir didn't work, that's alright. I then got into sprouting and heard that you could make cheese out of rejuvilac left over from soaking wheat. Now what could go wrong with wheat? It's not alive...so to speak, no way to kill it. This one was sure to work. After several days of anticipation I called Matthew into the kitchen again to taste my new cheese. I guess the memory of the last experience was still a little too fresh in his mind, or maybe it was the mold that was growing on the outside of the cheese; whatever, it was, I was able to convince him that mold was part of the cheese making process....like blue cheese, this was just a sign of my success. Unfortunately, he wouldn't agree to be the guinea pig this time so we agreed to try it together. We then concluded that no, this was not the right kind of mold.

As I'm re-reading this I realize this is not the best intro to get you to try my vegan cheese but look at it this way, with all this experience behind me I now know what NOT to do. That's got to count for something. So, try it if you dare. I tried it on the vegan pizza for an upcoming post and it is heavenly! So, if nothing else, try it on the pizza.

Vegan Cheese
1/4 c cashews
2 potatoes
4-5 carrots
1 onion
1-2 c celery
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C nurtitional yeast
1 c water

In a pressure cooker cook potatoes, carrots, celery, water, and onion for 10 minutes. When finished add all the ingredients to a blender to make it creamy. Use while its hot. You can also use it cold as a cheese spread.

Add ins: for nacho cheese add bottled salsa and a hit of Tabasco
or, add broccoli and vegetable stock and serve over potatoes

At my house as a child we had what was lovingly referred to as "clean out the fridge" meatloaf. When the fridge was over-run with leftovers my mother would blend them all up in the food processor, add a pound of ground beef and whatever spices she thought it could handle, say a prayer as she put it in the oven, and bake it. My mother is a genius in the kitchen and often her concoctions turned out to be fabulous. But, because it depended on the leftovers, her meatloaf was NEVER the same twice. I believe our favorite was leftover macaroni and cheese, onion soup, and homemade rolls as the breadcrumbs. Others were less then desirable (which might be a contributing factor to why I am now vegan....I'll have to explore that later) but being my mothers daughter, I do find myself in concoction mode on a regular basis - my husband may say a little too regular. This recipe is owed to my "creative" mother.

Meatloaf
leftover Hawaiian Chili
leftover rice
2 c plain lentils
1-2 c cooked barley
2 large cans mushrooms drained (fresh is always best)
1 pkg onion soup mix
oats
garlic powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)

In a blender or food processor blend up your leftover hawaiian chili till smooth. Now blend the rice, barley, lentils, and mushrooms. Add to the chili. Add onion soup mix, garlic powder and salt. Mix that together. Now mix in enough oats so you can form it into a small meatball and it holds together (tender but not falling apart). Fill a greased bread pan and bake on 350 for about 40 minutes or till you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. Let it sit out of the oven for a few minutes to firm up. Serve with chili sauce or gravy. If you have more "meat" left over they make great meatballs!

Pages

In The Raw: Raw Vegan Hot Dogs

Day 77: Vegan Chick Fillet

Special: Vegan Feta Cheese

Day 71: Vegan Fillet o' Fish

Day 60: Power Smoothies

Day 59: Granola

Day 48: Musubies - Spam Sushi

Day 12: Burgers & Fries

Special: Vegan Soy Free Cheese Updated

Day 7: My Momma's Meatloaf

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