Indonesian Tempeh with Peanuts and Green Beans over Rice Noodles

The word is that in Indonesia, tempeh is sold as a street food on sticks with dipping sauce. Unfortunately that trend hasn't made it's way to my city (oh but don't worry, you can get vegan maple bacon doughnuts and waffle ice cream sandwiches. Who figured?) Until that Asian specialty comes over to the U.S., this recipe works as a great substitute with the addition of rice noodles and green beans for a full meal.

Two Years Ago Today Stuffed Onions Inside Stuffed Peppers

Pan-fried tempeh simmered in coconut milk, peanut butter, ginger, chiles and garlic and served with fresh green beans, water chestnuts and slippery rice noodles.

Indonesian Tempeh with Peanuts & Green Beans over Rice Noodles
serves 3
4 tbl coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil), divided
1-8oz package tempeh, small dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chiles, seeded, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1-1" piece fresh ginger, minced
3 tbl soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1-15oz can coconut milk
2 tbl natural peanut butter
1 tbl palm sugar (or organic light brown sugar)
1 tbl sambal chile sauce
2 handfuls fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1-6oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
10 oz rice noodles
3 tbl chopped toasted peanuts

Saute the tempeh in 2 tbl of oil until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining oil to the pan, along with the garlic, chiles, shallot and ginger. Saute until fragrant and toasted, 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cook the tempeh until the water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 cup of water along with the coconut milk, peanut butter, palm sugar, sambal and stir to combine. Add the green beans and water chestnuts, bring to a boil and cover.
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. While this is cooking, cook the rice noodles.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove from the heat and add the noodles. Let the noodles soak for 8 minutes then drain.
Toss the noodles with the tempeh and garnish with peanuts.

Fennel Rubbed Sausage with Pomegranate Reduction, Sweet Potato & Carrot Mash, Green Beans

Store bought vegan sausages are easily adaptable to more and better flavor with a simple spice rub. Mine combines fennel, garlic and cumin that pairs great with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots mashed until creamy and a sweet and sticky reduction of shallots and pomegranate juice. Serve with lightly sauteed green beans and you have a full and colorful meal.

Fennel Rubbed Sausage
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tofurkey Italian sausages, halved lenghwise
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 large handful fresh green beans, ends trimmed

Combine the crushed fennel, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub over the sausages.
Heat the oil in a saute pan and brown the sausages on both sides until brown and crisp. Remove from the pan, add the green beans and toss in any left over oil and spices. Cook for 4 minutes to keep the beans crisp.

Pomegranate Reduction
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
juice from 1 large naval orange
3 tbl turbinado sugar
1 tbl red wine vinegar
1 tbl vegan butter
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the shallot, pom juice, orange juice and sugar in a small pot. Boil for 15 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove from heat and add the vinegar and butter. Whisk to combine and melt the butter. Season with salt.

Sweet Potato & Carrot Mash
2 carrots, small dice
1 large sweet potato, peeled, small dice
1 small shallot, small chunks
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the carrots, sweet potato and shallot with all of the spices and oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes or until soft. Whip until smooth.

Vietnamese Coconut Soy Curls with Red Rice and Pole Beans

Soy curls can be found in natural food stores in both bulk sections or in an 8oz bag. They have a dried consistency and are great to use in meals with broths, braises or soups because they suck up all the flavors you put into it. If you can't find them near you, try buying some online at Food Fight. 


Braised soy curls in a savory broth brimming with fresh coconut flavor, ginger, spices and lime.

Vietnamese Coconut Soy Curls
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 bunch scallions, small dice, green and white parts separated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl organic light brown sugar
juice of one lime
2 tbl tamari
1 cup coconut water
1-15oz can coconut milk
4 oz soy curls
1/2 cup Bhutanese red rice (or any other kind you find available), cooked
4 oz pole beans, ends trimmed, lightly steamed

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and white parts of the scallions. Season with red pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and toast for 2 minutes. Add the soy curls and brown,  5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, lime juice, tamari, coconut water and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
Garnish with the green parts of the scallion and serve over red rice and steamed pole beans.

Rosemary Smoked Tofu and Red Potatoes, Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter and Fig Reduction

Today is my blog's first birthday! Oh how they grow up so fast... *tear*
A year ago I started this blog because so many people were always asking me for recipes and I wanted to be able to share them with anyone who wanted to make delicious vegan food.
324 posts and over 800 recipes later, I think I made a pretty good indent in the vegan blog world. I hope to one day be celebrating my 5 and even 10 year blog anniversary with you guys. I always love suggestions or requests of food to make because sometimes it can get hard to not repeat old dishes or to come up with new ideas, so keep them coming!
For today's post I decided to re-do and re-work my very first post For the Love of Rosemary.

Rosemary and hickory smoked marinated tofu and potatoes served with green beans roasted and topped with homemade hazelnut butter and dried fig reduction.

Smoked Rosemary Tofu and Potatoes
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed for 30 minutes, sliced into 1/2" steaks
3 red potatoes, cut into wedges, each wedge pricked all over with a fork
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 stem of fresh rosemary
juice and zest of 1 small lemon
.6 oz fresh rosemary (one pack)
1 lb applewood chips

Combine the pressed tofu and potato wedges in a zip lock bag with the garlic, shallot, white wine, oil, salt and pepper, 1 stem of rosemary, lemon juice and zest. Press out as much air as you can and let marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight. I used a food saver bag and my machine to suck all the air out and it worked awesome to really push the flavors into the tofu.
Soak 4oz of fresh rosemary and wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Drain and prepare a smoker. Heavily oil the grates. Place the tofu and potatoes on the grates far away from the smoke, cover and smoke for 2 hours over medium-low.

Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter and Fig Reduction
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and lay green beans on an even layer. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on beans and toss. Roast in oven for 10 min or until slightly browned.

Hazelnut butter-
1/4c earth balance, softened
2 tbl shallot, finely chopped
1 tbl lemon zest
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/4c hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients together and chill to firm back up.
Optional-Form a log wrapped in seran wrap to cut pretty discs once hard.

Fig Reduction-
3/4 cup roughly chopped dried figs
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tbl maple syrup
1 cup apple juice
2 tbl balsamic vinegar
salt

In a small pot, combine the figs, water, maple syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until the figs are soft. Transfer figs and liquid to a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain.
Bring back to the pot and add the apple juice, balsamic and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until reduced my half and it's thick and syrupy.

Dandelion Salad with Hazelnuts, Green Beans and Orange Citronette

If you aren't going to weed 'em, eat' em!
Dandelions aren't particularly amazing. I don't sit at home and dream about meals filled with dandelion flowers, but they are quite nice dusted in a bit of cornmeal and crisped up on top of salads...best of all, they're free! Just make sure you don't pick any ole dandelion. Get them from yards where you can be assured they aren't covered in weed chemicals. Make sure to trim off all the little green leaves near the top of the flower because they are super bitter. I love the way they look and I love being able to pick my own food, win win!

Sweet roasted acorn squash and green beans, tossed with orange slices, toasted hazelnuts, greens and crunchy dandelion flowers dressed in a bright orange citronette.

Dandelion Salad
1 acorn squash, thinly sliced
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
25 green beans, ends trimmed
15 dandelions
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1/4 cup unsweetened oat milk
3 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 orange, supremed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
peanut oil, for frying

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the squash with oil, maple syrup, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Turn each slice over, add the green beans and roast 15 minutes more.
In a small saute pan, pour a 1/4" layer of peanut oil and preheat to 350 degrees. Trim all the green leaves off the dandelions, keeping the stems on. Dip the dandelions in the milk then coat in a mixture of cornmeal, salt, pepper and ginger. Drop into the oil and cut off the stem. Fry for 2 minutes until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
In a large bowl combine the arugula, hazelnuts, orange slices, fresh thyme and green beans. Toss with orange citronette, to taste. Arrange on a plate with squash slices and fried dandelions.

Orange Citronette
2 tbl fresh orange juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 basil leaves
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and creamy.

Eggplant Gyoza, Orange Tempeh with Udon Noodles & Green Beans

Gyoza is a dumpling popular in Japan similar to a potsticker. Cooking methods vary. They can be steamed, deep-fried, boil or pan fried. Gyoza wrappers are slightly thicker than wonton wrappers and are circles rather than squares. Since it is Valentine's Day, I sealed them then stamped them out with a heart cutter (festive I know). I prefer to boil my gyoza but pan-frying them afterwards to crisp and brown the bottoms adds a nice touch. Since the orange tempeh in this dish is pan-fried, I kept these gyoza soft from just a quick boil.

Caramelized eggplant, jalapeno and thai basil stuffed in gyoza wrappers and quickly boiled. Sweet and spicy orange tempeh, marinated first then fried until crispy and coated back in the thick, fresh orange sauce. Served with crisp green beans and udon noodles.

Eggplant Gyoza
Japanese potstickers
1 eggplant, peeled, sliced into 1/2" slices
4 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, minced
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbl black sesame seeds
8 thai basil leaves, chiffonade
gyoza wrappers

Heavily salt both sides of the eggplant slices, lay on paper towels and let the salt draw out the excess moisture for 30 minutes. Pat dry and dice into small cubes.
Saute the onions and jalapeno with 2 tbl oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant, 7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and sugar. Toss. Add the eggplant and remaining 2 tbl of oil and saute over medium-high heat until the eggplant is soft and has caramelized, 10 minutes. Add the sesame oil, black sesame seeds and basil and remove from the heat and let cool.
Lay out 10 wrappers and wet the borders with some cold water. Fill the center with 1 tsp of filling and add another wrapper on top, sealing the sides down. Continue until all the filling has been used.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 5 or 6 gyoza at a time and boil for 4 minutes or until they float to the top and the wrapper is cooked through. Drain and serve hot.
Optional- Heat 2 more tbl of oil up in a saute pan and quickly brown both sides to crisp after boiling.

Chinese-Style Orange Tempeh
Sauce:
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
zest of one orange
4 dried red chilies
2 scallions, both green and white parts, roughly chopped
1 cup organic dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbl lemon juice
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbl tamari
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 square tempeh, cut into cubes
1/2 cup ap flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbl cornstarch
2 tbl water
1 orange, sliced thinly for garnish

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to thicken. Pour over the tempeh cubes and marinate for at least 2 hours.
Drain the tempeh from the marinade, reserving the sauce.
Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl or bag and toss the tempeh to coat.
Pan fry in olive oil until crispy. Drain on a paper bag or towel.
Combine the cornstarch in water in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
Wipe the excess oil out of the pan and add the reserved marinade, bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch slurry and whisk to combine until dissolved. Add tempeh, reduce the heat to medium low and and cook the tempeh for 5 minutes in the sauce.
Garnish with orange slices and scallions

Udon Noodles and Green Beans
6oz fresh udon noodles
8 oz fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Arrange the green beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 10 minutes until slightly charred but still crisp.
Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain and serve hot with orange tempeh.

Hearty Mushroom & Potato Cabbage Rolls, Braised Green Beans

For all the mushroom lovers out there, this is the meal for you! I wanted to make cabbage rolls for dinner but with a less traditional mushroom based sauce instead of tomato. These rolls are filled, braised and smothered in cremini mushrooms, homemade stock and mushroom gravy.

Tender cabbage filled and rolled up with seitan, smashed yukon golds, cremini mushrooms and fresh zucchini. Braised in homemade mushroom stock and smothered with mushroom gravy studded with more creminis, the rolls are then served with a side of crisp braised green beans.

My mushroom stock recipe is one of my most prized recipes. I suggest doubling or tripling this recipe and keeping the extra in the freezer or fridge for future use. It packs incredible flavor and would be great to use instead of commercially made stock.

Mushroom Stock-Yield 4 cups
1 carrot, cut into large chunks
1 onion, cut into large chunks (peel, core and all!)
1 leek, green parts only, stem and leaves, in large chunks
1/4 lb white button mushrooms, halved
1 cup cremini mushrooms, halved
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4c fresh parsley, torn
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 tbl dried sage
1 tbl dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tbl sea salt
1 tbl pepper
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and add all stock ingredients. Toss with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until the vegetables are slightly browned with crispy edges.
Transfer all of the ingredients to a large stock pot and fill with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Continue to add one cup of water at a time every 30 minutes as the stock reduces up until the last 30 minutes of cooking. (Three cups total)
Drain the stock from the vegetables and pour stock back into pot. Set aside.

Cabbage Rolls
1 head savoy cabbage
2 large yukon gold potatoes, medium dice
3 tbl vegetable broth
2 tbl olive oil
1/2 white onion, minced
1 pack seitan, shredded
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup small diced zucchini
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups mushroom stock
1/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed

Fill a large pot half way with water and bring to a boil. The pot needs to be big enough to fit the entire cabbage head. Cut out the core from the bottom of the cabbage, and add the cabbage to the boiling water on its side. Boil for 10 minutes, then flip to the other side and cook 10 minutes more. Remove with tongs and let rest until cool enough to handle. Remove the leaves and cut the thick inner stem from each leaf. Set aside and make the filling.

Bring a pot of salted water and the diced potatoes to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and mash the potatoes with vegetable broth half way so they are still chunky. Set aside.
In a large pan, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the seitan, salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium-high heat until the seitan is crispy, 10 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and herbs saute 5 minutes more. Taste and season more if needed.
Add this mixture to the smashed potatoes and sour cream and mix to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Overlap each cabbage leaf on the cut end. Add 1/3 cup of mixture to each leaf and roll up like a burrito (sides in first then roll up and away from you).
Pour 1 cup of mushroom stock in the bottom of a baking dish. Tightly pack all of the rolls together and pour the remaining cup of stock on top. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the green beans on top of the rolls and in all the crevices and baste one last time.
Top with mushroom gravy.

Mushroom Gravy
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, small dice
1 cup thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig
4 tbl whole wheat flour
2 cups mushroom stock, warm
1 tbl soy sauce

In the same pan you cooked the roll filling in, saute the oil and shallots until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the mushroom and cook until they are golden brown. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Whisk in the flour to coat the mushrooms and continue to whisk for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Whisk in the warm mushroom stock and soy sauce and cook over medium-low heat until the gravy thickens, 2-3 minutes.

Asian Style Terrine

I went a little mad scientist with this dinner. Half way in I didn't think it was going to work, but I put it together anyways and it came out great. All the flavors meld and mix together so there is a little of everything to taste, spicy, sour, sweet and salty.

Crispy tamarind potato, spicy green beans, cilantro corn cake, compressed marinated avocado, garnished with crunchy asian slaw, black sesame, scallion and soy glaze.

Corn Cilantro Pudding Cake

3 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz extra firm tofu
2 tbl fresh chopped cilantro

Line a loaf pan with foil covering the bottom and entire sides and spray with cooking spray.
In a small sauce pot, add the corn and coconut milk, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a blender and add the tofu. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Stir in the cilantro and pour in the loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the corn cake just barely moves when you shake it. Let cool completely then chill for 1 hour.

Tamarind Potato

2 large, wide russet potatoes, whole and peeled
1/4 cup water
2 heaping tbl seedless tamarind paste
1 shallot clove, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 serrano pepper, halved vertically
2 tbl organic light brown sugar
2 tbl tamari


Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, with the whole potatoes and boil until they are completely cooked. Cut to square off the potatoes. Once square, cut into large 1/4 inch slices. Lay all the potato slices in a baking dish and make the marinade.
In a small sauce pot, heat up the water and add the tamarind paste. Mash and whisk until it dissolves into a paste. Add the shallot, garlic, pepper halves, brown sugar and tamari. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour over the potato slices and let cool. Cover with seran wrap and let marinade for 2-6 hours.

Compressed Avocado

1 tbl sesame seeds
4 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl mirin
4 tsp tamari
1 tbl sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 avocado, sliced thin

In a small bowl combine all of the marinade. Divide in half and set half of the marinade aside for the slaw.
Place the avocado slices in a small plastic bag. Pour one half of the marinade and gently massage to combine. Close the bag and make sure all the air has been shut out. Let sit for 10 minutes to marinate.

Green Beans

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 cup green beans, ends trimmed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the green beans with oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper on a baking sheet.
Roast for 5 minutes until just starting to get tender but still crunchy.

Crunchy Asian Slaw

1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 tbl fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 of the compressed avocado marinade
1 tbl black sesame seeds

Combine the cabbage, carrot and cilantro with the marinade. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Top the terrine and garnish with black sesame seeds.

Assembly:
In a loaf pan lined with foil on the bottom and coming up both sides (enough to then cover over the top of the terrine to wrap), lay the marinated potato on the bottom, then the green beans, corn cake and avocado. Wrap the side foil over the top tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Serve with the slaw and garnish cold or at room temperature.

Tofu Lettuce Cups, Hot & Spicy Green Beans with Water Chestnuts

Crisp tofu tossed with garlic, ginger, red chili and shiitake mushrooms in a thick sauce of lime, hoisin and tamari served in soft butter lettuce cups. Tender green beans glazed with ginger, hot chilies and water chestnuts.

Tofu Lettuce Cups

2 tbl canola oil
1 tbl sesame oil
10 oz fresh firm tofu, very small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
1 small red chili, minced
1 tbl minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c grated carrot
2 scallions, small dice
1c shiitake mushrooms, minced
juice of 1 lime
1/4c tamari
2 tbl hoisin sauce
1/2c bean sprouts
1/4c roasted and salted peanuts
1 small handful cilantro, roughly chopped
butter lettuce cups

In a large saute pan, combine both oils and add the cubed tofu. Saute until the tofu starts to brown, 7 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until the onions soften, 5 minutes. Add the chile, ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, making sure the garlic does not burn. Add the carrot, scallions and mushrooms, saute 5 more minutes. Add the lime juice, tamari and hoisin sauce and simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Right before serving, add the bean sprouts, peanuts and cilantro. Serve in butter lettuce cups.

Hot & Spicy Green Beans with Water Chestnuts

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1 tbl canola oil
1 tbl sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbl ginger, minced
2 tbl tamari
2 tsp red chili paste (sambal)
1 tbl rice vinegar
1 tsp organic sugar
1/4c water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

Fill a large saute pan with 1/2 inch of water, bring to a boil. Add the green beans, cover with a lid and let steam for 4 minutes. Drain water and add both oils. Saute over medium heat and add the garlic and ginger, saute 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the sauce reduces a bit and becomes thick, glazing the beans, 5 minutes.