Mushroom Gravy

There are a lot of fancy mushroom gravy recipes out there with many ingredients and sometimes hours of cooking time. This recipe is a for a basic mushroom gravy with only four ingredients and minimal prep and cooking time. Makes about 1 to 1.5 cups, enough for two to three people.



Ingredients:

1 8oz package of white button mushroom (similar types of mushrooms should work too, like portabella or cremini)
1 cup water
1 cube Edward & Sons organic "not-beef" bouillon *
1 TBSP non-gmo or organic corn starch **

Wash the mushrooms, remove the stems, and cut them into pieces roughly the size of a nickel or quarter and 0.25" thick. In a saucepan, heat the water over high and add the bouillon cube, stirring to dissolve. When it boils, add the mushrooms, stir, cover with a tight fitting lid, and reduce the heat to medium or so. Allow the mushrooms to cook until they are quite tender, at least 15 minutes but probably longer (just check them periodically). Once they mushrooms are done, removed them from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to medium and a small whisk to stir in the corn starch. Keep whisking gently over medium heat until the liquid becomes somewhat translucent and thickens. Stir in the mushrooms, remove from heat, serve hot and enjoy!

* This makes the gravy salty so do not use this and serve with food that is already salty. If you want to use this gravy with salty food or are watching your sodium intake, try using only part of the cube or use a low-sodium bouillon or broth instead.

** This amount of corn starch gives you a thin gravy. For a thicker version, just increase the corn starch a bit. Other thickeners, like tapioca starch or arrowroot, will have different results so you may need to make adjustments for those.

Enter the Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomato Soup and Chili Throwdown

A while back, Muir Glen sent me some of their canned tomatoes. I'm not that big a fan of most canned tomatoes so it was a real surprise when I tried their Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes in a pot of chili and LOVED them! If you haven't tried them yet then you are missing out.

Muir Glen just contacted me again about a recipe contest featuring, you guessed it, their Fire Roasted tomatoes! I am happy to pass this info along to my readers so you can enter your best tomato soup or chili made with fire roasted tomatoes.



Take a peek at the nice prizes the winner gets:


Not pictured: the title of "Muir Glen Soup and Chili Master" and an honorary plaque.

Here are the details:

"Are soup and chili your claim to fame? If so, we’re challenging you to put a twist on your tried and true recipes using Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes in our first annual Soup and Chili Throwdown. Get your creative juices flowing for a chance to win your own stash of soup and chili-worthy Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes (recipient of the 2012 Bon Appétit Seal of Approval), a tomato red Le Creuset stock pot and a set of tomato serving bowls. Plus, the grand prize winner will walk away with the title of Muir Glen Soup and Chili Master and an honorary plaque, which will be yours to defend in next year’s Throwdown. Contest ends 2/28."

Enter at http://www.muirglen.com/connect/sweepstakes

I would love to hear about your entries but make sure you actually visit that link to submit them.

Perhaps you have a winning tomato soup or chili recipe up your sleeve! Good luck!

Pumpkin Pancakes

These delicious pumpkin pancakes aren't quite as fluffy as my plain or banana pancakes because the pumpkin makes them dense. That being said, they taste amazing spread with vegan margarine and dripping with maple syrup!

2 cups unbleached flour
4 tsp baking powder (measure generously or add a tiny bit extra for fluffier pancakes)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup agave
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups plain or unsweetened nondairy milk (almond works well)
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree or canned cooked pumpkin
vegan margarine or oil for frying

Combine the flour, baking powder, and spices in a large mixing bowl and stir. Add the agave and 1 1/4 cups of the nondairy milk, stir until the lumps are gone, and then stir in the pumpkin. Add the extra nondairy milk as needed to reach pancake batter consistency, probably about 1/4 cup or so depending on your how much liquid is in your pumpkin (you will need to add some but not necessarily all so do this slowly, stirring in a spoonful or two at a time). Add a little bit of vegan margarine or oil to a frying pan at slightly below medium heat. Pour the pancake batter into the pan to form 3-4" cakes. Flip the cakes when a few bubbles form on top and the bottom is light golden brown. Cook on the second side for just a moment and then enjoy topped with vegan margarine and grade B maple syrup!

Muir Glen Organic Reserve Kit Giveaway!

Annually, Muir Glen Organic offers a limited number of tomato Reserve Kits made with special Harvest Sunset tomatoes.

Chosen specifically for their exceptional sweetness, the Harvest Sunset™ Reserve--a blend of yellow and red tomatoes, offer unique but complimentary textures, colors and flavor profiles.

This year's kit contains:

One 14.5 oz can Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
One 14.5 oz can Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Diced Tomatoes
One 14.5 oz can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
One 14.5 oz can Muir Glen Organic No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
A recipe booklet featuring a variety of recipes created by award-winning chefs from around the country made with the 2011 Reserve Tomatoes

I don't know about you, but this is making me hungry for some soup or maybe some chili (fire roasted tomatoes in vegan chili, anyone?).

Each kit has a retail value of $10 (not including shipping). I will add details of how to order your own as they become available.

In the meantime, you can enter to win a Reserve Kit! Muir Glen has generously offered to give away one Reserve Kit to each of 5 lucky readers!

Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Please note that I need to pass along contact & shipping information from the winners to Muir Glen very soon after this giveaway closes so winners will need to check and respond to email promptly!

Guest Post by Erica of Cult of Kale: Tempeh Tacos with Roasted Artichokes and Spicy Sriracha Dipping Sauce

Today's post is the first ever guest post on The Vegan Kitchen blog! My friend Erica recently started a great blog called Cult of Kale (see details at the bottom of this post) and so I invited her to do a guest post here. She selected a tasty looking recipe from her own collection & I hope you all enjoy it!


I have to admit, I'm a little obsessed with Tempeh. When we lived in
NY, we would buy it in bulk from our local food co-op. When we moved to Arizona,
I was very disappointed that it was not carried by most
grocers in the area. We occasionally find it at an Asiana
marketplace, but mostly I buy it from Trader Joe's.

What is tempeh? Tempeh is a fermented cake or patty like product made
up of soybeans and sometimes grains. You can get them flavored, deep
fried, but usually double sealed in the refrigerated section
of a grocery store near the tofu. 

For this Meatless Monday, I was in a Mexican-food mood, so I decided
to make Tempeh Tacos with Roasted Artichokes and a spicy Sriracha
Dipping Sauce!

Tempeh Tacos

For this recipe you'll need:

• 1 package of tempeh
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  of choice
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper of choice,
  chopped
• 2 tablespoons of taco
  seasoning
• 3-4 flour tortillas or 6-8
  taco shells

Directions:

1. Prepare the tempeh by cutting into crumble size chunks and boiling
   in a small saucepan for 5 minutes with a dash of salt and a bay leaf.
   Dump water and bay leaves when finished.
2. While tempeh is cooking, saute the chopped onion and
   pepper with a little oil of choice.
3. When the onions are just starting to turn translucent, turn down
   the heat to medium and  toss the tempeh.
4. Let the tempeh cook with
   the onions and peppers for a few minutes then add soy sauce and
   seasoning.
5. Toss until tempeh is well coated, cooking a couple minutes longer.
   Turn off heat and place the lid on the pot, allowing it to sit on the
   burner for 5-10 minutes.
6. Stuff your tortillas or taco shells, add additional taco toppings
   like salsa, hot sauce, tomatoes or lettuce and enjoy!

Artichokes

For this recipe you'll need:

• Artichokes, as many as you want! My recipe is built for two, so
  adjust measurements as needed
• 2 cloves of garlic, whole
• 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/2 a lime
• oil, for roasting pan

Directions:

1. This is best to start before anything
   else, since you can get back to it while other foods are cooking.
   Place artichokes in a pot large enough to hold them and fill the pot
   with water.
2. Bring water to boil. Add two cloves of
   garlic, a tablespoon of red pepper flakes and a quarter cup chopped
   fresh cilantro.
3. Once boiling, cover the pot with lid and
   turn heat down to simmer. Allow to cook for 30 minutes.
4. Prepare roasting pan with a little bit
   of oil. Turn on broiler or oven up to 500°F.
5. Carefully remove artichokes from water
   with tongs and carefully place on a cutting board. Slice artichokes
   down the middle. 
6. Squeeze juice from the lime into the
   exposed inside of the artichoke halves.
7. Place the artichokes with the cut side
   down on the roasting pan and place carefully into oven. Cook for 5
   minutes.
8. Pull out of oven and allow to cool.
   Serve with favorite dip or some spicy Sriracha dip!

Sriracha Dip

For the dip you'll need:

• 1/2 cup of vegan mayo
• 2 tablespoons of Sriracha
• 1 finely diced clove of garlic (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients.
2. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! You can find me on Facebook
and Twitter, as well as
right on my blog Cult of
Kale!

Erica D. is a longtime vegan studying Urban Horticulture and
Sustainability. Her blog, Cult of
Kale is a green lifestyle blog covering urban gardening, vegan
cooking and general tips on leaving a smaller footprint on our planet.
She lives with three kitties and her husband in sunny Arizona.

Maple BBQ Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Recently I happened to try a BBQ rub & discovered that it tastes amazing on sweet potatoes. I first tried it on sweet potato fries and then decided to see how it would be in instead of just on so I made these maple BBQ mashed sweet potatoes. I still want to try this rub on other veggies and other dishes, but I think this recipe is a keeper!

2 cups of sweet potato, baked & scooped from the skin
2 TBSP maple syrup, preferably grade B
1 TBSP Bella's Backwoods BBQ Rub

In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher; this would probably work in a food processor, but where is the fun in that? Stir in the maple syrup and the BBQ rub. Serve hot.

If you are interested in trying this recipe, Bella's Backwoods BBQ Rub is available from Rocco's Country Spice on Etsy.
Obviously, I did ask whether it was vegan before buying it. When I decided to post this recipe I asked him to give me a little more information about the rub so I could share it with you. Here is what Rocco had to say:

"A love for all things BBQ and a need to serve some of my vegan friends at our church dinners led to Our very own spice blend that is completely free of animal derived products and very minimally processed. Kosher salt and a special blend of spices sourced as local as possible, including FSC certified maple syrup, oragnic raw cane sugar, smoked paprika and a healthy dose of garlic are just a few ingredients in this unique blend. Bella's Backwoods BBQ rub is always made in small batches, and of course, made with a respect for those we serve."

Please note that the BBQ sauce he sells is not vegan; I have already checked.

This product was not provided for a review, I just happened to try it & love it & want to share it! Sorry for the lack of a photo, it was eaten before I got to take one. I may add one later.

Mom's Oatmeal Goes Tropical

I was at a diner/cafe not long ago with my family & ordered oatmeal. I was not expecting the "oatmeal" I was served; it was nothing like what I think of as oatmeal! Apparently some people think oatmeal should be gluey, slimy, goop. I disagree! My mom has always made oatmeal that is flavorful & a little bit chewy, and after the diner I found myself looking forward to a bowl of oatmeal like my mom makes. This recipe is a variation on the way she cooks oatmeal with a bit of a tropical twist.




1 cup water
1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick cooking)
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh pineapple, diced or cut into small chunks
1/4 cup walnut halves, broken into pieces
1/8 cup raisins *
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup vanilla coconut milk (like Silk or So Delicious brand)
1/8 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B **

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the oats, walnuts, raisins, pineapple, and cinnamon. Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook until the oatmeal is softened but still a bit chewy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Allow the oatmeal to sit for a few minutes before serving but don't allow it to get cold.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups cooked. Obviously, use more or less cinnamon and maple syrup as you prefer!

* 1/8 cup is 2 TBSP so just use your TBSP if you don't have a 1/8 cup measure
** Grade B maple syrup is darker and has a stronger maple flavor. If you can't find any you can use Grade A, but I promise Grade B is worth looking for!