Vegan MoFo 2: Paella or a Risotto? You tell me.

I must confess, I did not make this dish today or even this month. Not even last month. I made it when I decided to try chard for the first time this past summer, when it was still in season. I opted for rainbow chard because, seriously, it's such a beautiful green. The inspiration for this dish was similar to both risotto and paella- I hydrated the rice with broth instead of water, I threw fresh veggies in to steam and cook within the rice instead of serving it on top, and it had a creamy consistency that typically characterizes those two dishes.

This recipe is my favorite kind. It involved throwing in a random assortment of vegetables that can be found in any vegan's fridge. Rice dishes are a great, one-pot way to use up a good deal of produce.



Random Dinner/Lunch Rice

1 cup short grain brown rice
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves chiffonade and stems diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 tsp paprika
1 tbs Bragg's liquid aminos
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried paprika

Saute onion and garlic in 2 tbs olive oil on medium heat in a small pot until onions are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes give off juice. Add brown rice and broth, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook rice for about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for peas and cook for another fifteen minutes, covered. Add peas and cook an additional 10-15 minutes, yes, covered. Serve with some kind of legume or tofu.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

This recipe is almost entirely based on It Ain't Meat, Babe's Broccoli Rice Casserole. As described in Jo's post, this is a great and comforting meal to make when you've had a long day and don't feel like being in the kitchen all night. Cauliflower got added to the equation when I had a bit leftover from pickling. The original recipe says to cook the rice before you add it to the baking dish, but you can just cover it with foil when you bake it. The only things you really need to cook are the garlic and onion. The tahini-nutritional yeast sauce simulates cheese better than any other homemade cheese sauce I've ever made! The creamy texture, the combination of the nutty flavor the tahini yields and the naturally cheesy flavor of nutritional yeast-perfect. This recipe is really great for feeding a group with minimal effort or keeping leftovers for a few days.

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Zucchini Risotto

This was definitely one of those meals in which I ask myself "Self, what produce do you have lying about that is going to expire any day now?" Risottos are great because it's one of those dishes that you can just incorporate whatever produce you might have and it will definitely be delicious. I've been on this bazaar zucchini kick lately, and despite the season, it's been pretty easy finding good squash around here. Most people that I talk to are a little intimidated by risotto because it's kind of notorious for needing a lot of attention. No, don't retreat! I promise it's worth the effort.

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Zucchini Risotto

1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sauteing
1 cup arbrorio rice
1 bunch asparagus, rough ends discarded
1 medium zucchini, diced
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
broth amount will vary

Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat in a large pot until onions become translucent. Add the remaining vegetables and cook until they begin to give off juices. Add rice and coat with oil and juices from the vegetables, then add 1/2 cup vegetable broth and spices. Reduce heat a tad. When rice begins to absorb broth, add in another 1/2 cup broth. Repeat this step until rice is soft and risotto has achieved desired creamy consistency. DO NOT COVER YOUR RICE! It won't cook correctly if you do. You're looking at adding 1/2 cup broth in about every 5-10 minutes, so just keep an eye on it. It's a great one pot meal.

Some Not-So-Recent Fewd Endeavors.

The concept for this dish derived from a certain sous- chef of mine screaming, "This is FRY AND BREAD EVERYTHING NIGHT." It totally was. Totally. I used the Breast of Tofu recipe from Everyday Dish but instead breaded it with garbanzo flour. This gave it such an awesome flavor. I opted to bake the tofu this time around, but I have to say, frying it is definitely the more successful method. The breaded zucchini was a bit of an experiment. It was also breaded with garbanzo flour. I used Ener-G egg replacer in the coating the breading process.
















Next to ramen noodles, casseroles are the ultimate comfort food for me. Not to mention this dish had rice, broccoli, garlic, and an awesome cheeze sauce consisting primarily of tahini and nutritional yeast. Where else could I have found such nomz other than It Ain't Meat, Babe. I was surprised the sauce was as flavorful as it was because it is thinned with water. I found a way to sneak garbanzo flour in this dish, too! Primarily for thickening the sauce. This was really quick and easy. I recommend it as a quick drunken meal or a side dish.

Bean Burritos with Spanish Rice

Hai frandz. Long time no post. I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately mainly due to the fact that I have been in the process of moving/settling into a new apartment. On with the fewdz.

I developed a love/hate relationship with these burritos. I loved them because they were forking delicious and simple to make. I hated them because I stuffed my face so hard that it made drinking later that night miserable and damn near impossible. :(

These burritos were completely improvised which means the measurements aren't exact, but rough estimates. I initially intended on making black bean burritos, but after realizing I had failed to buy a can of black beans during my most recent Kroger excursion, I resorted to that pound of pintos I had sitting in the back of my cabinet. Still. So. Good.

Bean Burritos with Spanish Rice

Ingredients:
1 lb pinto beans
6 cups water (for hydrating beans)
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbs paprika, cayenne, ground cumin
tortillas of your choosing
salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste

If you are planning on making these burritos, I recommend preparing beans the night before. In a medium saucepan, boil the water and add the beans. Let boil uncovered for about 30 minutes. Add garlic and spices. Reduce heat and cover. Let beans cook for another hour. I prefer to let them sit over night in the refrigerator so they build up the right consistency. After they have sat, add the bell pepper. What you do next with them is entirely your choosing. You can either mash them with a potato masher for refried beans or you can add about another 1/2 cup water and reheat them on the stove top.

For the rice:

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1 tsp turmeric, or a thread of saffron if you're fancy like that
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin, plus more for the rice
black pepper to taste

Prepare basmati rice as directed on packaging, (usually 4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice with 1-2 tbs of Earth Balance, plus 1 tsp cumin.) After you uncover the rice when it is nice and fluffy, turn of heat but leave saucepan on burner. Add spices first because the tomato paste makes it more difficult to work with and incorporate the spices well. Enjoy!