Mbelle*ish: February 2011

Sweet Potato Casserole Oatmeal

It is safe to say that Marcus' favorite food is anything that includes sweet potatoes. We make Sweet Potato Casserole at Thanksgiving (or any random day for that matter), Sweet Potato Fries, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Pancakes, he's bought Sweet Potato chips and also Sweet Potato Beers. Knowing this bit of information I knew that I had to make this recipe for him so he can start his day of great!

His review of it- "It's really flippin good!! But, that is bad for you cause your going to have to make it now every morning for the rest of our lives!!"

I am not worried cause it didn't involve too much and I can easily double it and make a big 9 x 13 inch pan for the whole week!

Sweet Potato Casserole Oatmeal
adapted from Oh She Glows

Oatmeal:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups soy milk (or non dairy milk of choice)
1 small sweet potato, peeled & chopped
1 large banana
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Crunchy Pecan Topping:
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons Earth balance butter
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in the peeled/chopped sweet potato. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

Give the pot a quick rinse and then add in the oats, milk and chia seeds. Whisk well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

With a potato masher, mash in the cooked sweet potato and the banana into the pot. I left some chunks for texture. Now stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, nutmeg and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Cook on low for another few minutes.

Make the crunchy pecan topping by mixing together the pecans, flour, Earth balance and brown sugar with a fork until very clumpy.

Pour the oatmeal into a 8x8 inch pan and spread out evenly.

Now sprinkle on the pecan topping.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. After 20 minutes set the oven to Broil and broil for a couple minutes, watching carefully so you don't burn the topping. Remove from the oven and serve. I prefered to pour a little bit of Rice Milk over the top before eating. I love the differance of temperatures!

TBLT's

When I saw the recipe for Tempeh Bacon I knew I needed to try it! Pre-vegan I was definitely a bacon fan and just the smell would start a drool-fest in my mouth! Those that are/were bacon fans know what I am talking about. But besides being the flesh of an animal it is also high in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol. Enter tempeh...it has so many health benenfits to it and when marinated with the tamari, maple syrup and liquid smoke it adapts a wonderful resemblance of bacon. The only thing it lacks is the crispy/crunch factor of the almost overdone bacon but I have to say, it does the trick!!

TBLT's (Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce & Tomatoes)
adapted from The Vegan Table

1 package tempeh
1/4 cup tamari
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup water
canola oil, for frying

Slice the tempeh into thin strips (not too thin or they will fall apart with handling and not too thick or they will not resemble bacon).

Steam the tempeh in a steamer basket for 10 minutes.

Once steaming is complete place tempeh and the tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup and water into a large ziploc bag and place into the fridge for atleast 30 minutes.

Be sure to move the tempeh around in the bag a few times during the marinade process.

After the tempeh has marinated, heat the pan and oil over medium-high heat. Fry the strips until they start to brown/caramelize and crisp up. Spoon a couple tablespoons full of the marinade into the pan while cooking for bolder flavor.

Once tempeh is done, spread Veganaise onto your buns and begin assembling your TBLT's however you would like!

Corn Dogs

I am always trying to think of differant creative meals for Mela for lunchtime and for some reason, lunch time always seem to be my obstacle. I'm not sure if it is because I am bored with the same old options (pb & j, hummus quesadillas, chik'n fingers/fries) or if it is the fact that what normally sounds good to me (salads, soups) for lunch is not usually what a two year old wants to eat. Either way, I came across a recipe for Corn Dogs that I thought would be a sure winner. It is a finger food-check, eating it involves dipping-check and it is something she hasn't had since before she was vegan (1 years old) and I'm sure her memory can not remember it sooo this is a brand new meal to her, check!

Corn Dogs
adapted from Wing It Vegan

2 tablespoons oil for frying
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
A dash or two of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup soy milk (or almond, rice, hemp etc)
1 tablespoon mustard
6 veggie dogs

Pour the oil into a frying pan and preheat over medium-low (closer to medium than low).

Whisk together all the dry ingredients.

Whisk together the milk and the mustard.

Pour the milk/mustard into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth, but don't over stir.

Drop a veggie dog into the cornmeal mix and use a spoon to thickly coat it all around. Using two forks, transfer the veggie dog to the preheated pan. Let them cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms look golden brown.

Flip them over to another side and cook for another 2 minutes. The veggie dogs themselves are round but the batter cooks flat around them creating three sides as you flip them over, so they end up looking like a rectangular prism.

Flip them over once again to cook the third side for another minute or two. Remove from pan and let dry/cool off a little bit on a few paper towels. Serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Nanaimo Bars

Don't let these little bars fool you!! The recipe may call for only an 8 x 8 size pan but your will make the same mistake I did if you assume you will be eating "normal" size portions! My freezer is still stocked with them because I underestimated how rich they really are so I made a double batch. A little goes a long way with these babies!

Vanilla Nanaimo Bars
adapted from Oh She Glows

Bottom Crust
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons warm water, mixed)
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup almonds, processed fine
1 cup unsweetened coconut

Middle Layer
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
2 tablespoons coconut milk (full-fat, not light)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

Top Layer
4 oz non-dairy chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
Shredded coconut, to garnish (optional)

1) Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper and grease with butter on all sides. Leave a few inches of parchment hanging on the two ends so you can easily lift it up out of the pan when firm.

2) Middle Layer: Begin with making the middle layer first so it will be ready when your bottom layer is pressed into the pan. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut milk, vanilla and cornstarch. Stir until smooth.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Now add in the coconut milk/vanilla/cornstarch mixture and beat for a few minutes. Gradually, add in the confectioner's sugar and beat for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Set aside.

3) Bottom Crust: In a small bowl mix the flax egg together and set aside for a few minutes to allow it to thicken up. In a saucepan, whisk together the butter, sugar and sifted cocoa powder. Heat on medium to low and stir frequently until smooth.

Now add in the gelled flax egg and stir well. It will develop a strange gel-like consistency now. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, processed almonds and graham cracker crumbs. Stir well and then mix with your hands.

Press this mixture into your prepared pan, ensuring that you press it down very firmly and as evenly as possible. I used the back of my metal spoon to smooth it out.

4) Take your middle layer of frosting and spread it over the top of the bottom layer. Smooth it our as evenly as possible. Place into the freezer until firm, about 45 minutes.

5) Top Layer: Melt your chocolate and butter in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. Stir well until smooth and all clumps are gone. Remove the pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate quickly over the top. Sprinkle with coconut on top if desired. Smooth out as much as possible and then place back in the freezer for about 1 hour until set. Once it is set and you are ready to serve, take it out of the freezer and pull the Nanaimo Bars out of the pan by grabbing the parchment paper and placing them onto a cutting board. Cut the bars into your desired sizes and they are ready to eat!!

FYI- the middle layer will soften more and more as it gets closer to room temperature so these are best right out of the freezer/fridge.

Raspberry Almond Nanaimo Bars
adapted from Oh She Glows

Bottom Crust
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons warm water, mixed)
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup almonds, processed fine
1 cup unsweetened coconut

Middle Layer
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
2 tablespoons coconut milk (full-fat, not light)
1 1/2 tsp raspberry extract
2 teaspoons red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

2) Middle Layer: Begin with making the middle layer first so it will be ready when your bottom layer is pressed into the pan. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut milk, almond extract, cornstarch & red food coloring. Stir until smooth.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Now add in the coconut milk/extract/cornstarch mixture and beat for a few minutes. Gradually, add in the confectioner's sugar and beat for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Set aside.