"cook the pantry" + chipotle corn chowder + giveaway

Today is the day that Cook the Pantry (Amazon, B&N), by Robin Robertson , is available for sale! Robin does it again! Simple, easy and quick vegan cooking! Cook the Pantry contains over 100 recipes of fast easy and delicious recipes.

Cook the Pantry is based on Vegan Unplugged, a previous book by Robin, that focused on emergency cooking when the power goes out. That guide contained 70 or so recipes and this new book revamps about 30 of those recipes, using fresh ingredients and newer techniques. Even if you have Vegan Unplugged, this book has about 70 new recipes! That is 70 more ideas for making dishes in a snap.

Here are some of the dishes I made using Cook the Pantry:

This bowl meal is full of protein and deliciousness! The sauce is so good that my kid was eating the cheese sauce right out of the container, while she was impatiently waiting for the rest of the meal! We added some leftover tortilla chips and a few slivers of scallions. Why not? Cooking the pantry is about using what you have available.

What a gorgeous salad this turned out to be! Flavored rice, topped with hearts of palm, cucumbers and slivers of nori. A sushi roll turned inside out and assembled right into a bowl. Since I had some green beans that needed to be used up, I figured this would be the perfect place. This dish continues to show the versatility of Cook the Pantry.

Apparently we really were on a Mexican food kick, because we chose this Nacho Pie, which is actually unbaked, so it was a snap to make after soaking the nuts. It is filled with pinto beans, olives and homemade pickled jalapenos and homemade salsa fresca. Simple to throw together and very tasty. Again, I had a few produce items to utilize, the tomatoes and scallions, so onto the pie they went.

I think out of the several dishes we tried this week, this was one of our favorites. It is a Chickpea-Artichoke Cake served with an easy Lemon-Thyme Aioli. So good! I was going to save a few for the lunch box, but nope, it was all gone. Very tasty and, again, easy and quick.

All in all we ate pretty well this week - and dinner was ready in 20 minutes, as promised. There were the occasional soaking of the nuts, but that is something that can be done in the morning, or as Robin suggests, soaking in boiling water for a few minutes.

The book is full of Annie Oliverio's (yes, another book by her!) gorgeous food photography and it is in full color. It is printed by Vegan Heritage Press, which has been making full-color, photo-packed cookbooks over the last few years, which pleases me to no end. The quality of the book is exceptional, making this a wonderful addition to any home.

Easy, delicious, quick recipes, full-color book, beautiful photos and top notch publishing. Robin has written over 20 cookbooks, and this book is another one in a long line of exceptional recipe development by one of the most beloved vegan authors.

Try a recipe for yourself! Vegan Heritage Press is sharing the recipe below from Cook the Pantry, for Chipotle Corn Chowder.

But before you do, let's do a giveaway of Cook the Pantry, Robin style! To enter to have a chance to win, leave a comment below telling me what obscure ingredient you have in your pantry, freezer or fridge. For a second chance to win, like me on Facebook or follow on Pinterest. Once you've done that, come back here and leave a second comment (not in the same comment as before) telling me what you did: facebook or pinterest.

Contest is open to US residents and ends Monday at midnight, October 19. Good luck! I will choose the winner at random and make the announcement in a new blog post soon after the contest is over. It is helpful if  you are following this blog via email or RSS feed (link) to be sure to receive the notification.

Chipotle Corn Chowder
Makes 4 servings

This sweet, satisfying chowder is made with frozen whole kernel corn. The garnish of pimientos and parsley adds a dash of color. (Recipe from Cook the Pantry © 2015 by Robin Robertson. Photo by Annie Oliverio. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press LLC.)

1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 medium onion, minced or shredded
1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded
1 russet potato, finely chopped or shredded
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked for 3 hours, then drained
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 (2-ounce) jar chopped pimientos, drained

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and potato. Cover and cook for 4 minutes to soften. Stir in the celery salt, broth, corn, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, stir in the coriander, liquid smoke, and almond milk, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, combine the drained cashews and chipotle in a blender with 1 cup of the simmering broth from the soup. Blend until smooth and creamy, then add 1 more cup of the soup and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and pimientos.

tempeh-bacon and black bean burger

Day 9 Burger Bonanza Extravaganza is my Tempeh-Bacon and Black Bean Burger with Jalapeño Aioli. This is a simple burger, with classic flavors. It is served with grilled onions and lettuce on an English muffin. Easy!

The aioli is cashew based, with a grilled jalapeño that is cooked alongside the onions. The whole thing comes together on a toasted English muffin, which offers contrast and crunch.

The burger is smoky, a bit salty, a bit sweet and a bit spicy, therefore containing all the important elements of flavor, including bitterness from the lettuce and umami from the nutritional yeast.

In case you missed it, there are two cookbook giveaways closing in the next few days: Vegan without Borders, HERE, and Everyday Vegan Eats, HERE.

I served my burgers with Creamy Macaroni Salad (Tex-Mex Variation, EVE, page 98). You can get the recipe HERE and, of course, in Everyday Vegan Eats.

TEMPEH-BACON AND BLACK BEAN BURGER PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Tempeh-Bacon and Black Bean Burger with Jalapeño Aioli

Makes 6 burgers

 

1 tablespoon neutral oil

1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 (15-ounce) can black or kidney beans, rinsed and drained well, divided

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

1 onion, sliced thick into 6 rounds

6 lettuce leaves

6 English muffins, split and toasted

Jalapeño Aioli, recipe below

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in half of the beans, garlic and nutritional yeast. Cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the tamari and liquid smoke. Remove from heat and stir in the oatmeal. Cool slightly.

2. Cook the onion in a grill pan over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes per side. Cook at the same time as you are grilling the jalapeño.

2. Add the mixture to a food processor and process until fine but not into a paste. Add the remaining beans and pulse to combine, without breaking up the beans too much. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.

3. Form the mixture into 6 patties. Cook the burgers in a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat until golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side.

4. Make the burgers by adding a lettuce leaf to a bottom of a muffin, adding a burger, a slice of grilled onion and the aioli. Top with the other side of the English muffin and serve.

Jalapeño Aioli

1/2 cup cashews

1 cup water

1 jalapeño

2 tablespoons unsweetened plain vegan milk

2 teaspoons lime juice

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine the nuts and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse.

2. Grill the jalapeño in a grill pan over medium heat. Cook until soft and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the stem and seeds and chop.

3. Combine in a personal blender the cashews, milk, lime and process until smooth. Add the jalapeño and blend until almost smooth. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

 

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pizza burger

Day 7. You knew it was coming. No Burger Extravaganza worth its salt would omit a Pizza Burger. Am I right, or am I right? This burger is a sausage-style patty, simmered in tomato sauce, smothered in vegan cheese and served between two pieces of fresh focaccia. Mmm, that's right.

The patty is made with tempeh and gluten and is baked before being simmered. The focaccia dough can sit overnight in the fridge to rise and your sauce can be cooked and stored for future use. As you can see, the burger, the sauce and the dough can all be made in advance.

Just as the previous burgers, these didn't last long, either. And although my family claims that they don't like tempeh, I beg to differ with them based on the empty plates.

Don't be afraid to make your own Focaccia Bread because it really is simple and easy. When you turn the dough out onto the baking sheet, be sure to poke the dough all over with your fingers. And I mean HOLES - deep holes all the way down through to the pan.

When the dough rises a final time, most of the holes will fill in, but you will still have the characteristic dips and valleys in the bread. I added a few slices of thinly cut tomatoes, but you can add a few slices of olives ...or nothing at all.

A few contest reminders before I share the recipe....

Vegan Heritage Press is giving away a copy of "Everyday Vegan Eats" (my cookbook). Enter to win HERE. Contest ends September 14.

Have you entered to win "Vegan without Borders," the soon-to-be-released cookbook by Robin Robertson? Contest ends September 14. Enter HERE.

And now for the Pizza Burger....

PIZZA BURGER WITH FOCACCIA PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Pizza Burger on Focaccia Bread

Makes 6 burgers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, grated

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 cup vital wheat gluten

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

3/4 cup vegetable broth

Tomato Sauce, recipe below

3/4 cup shredded vegan cheese

Focaccia bread, recipe below

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the fennel, chili flakes and oregano. Cook until the onion is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tempeh, garlic and salt. Cook until tempeh is golden, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool the mixture completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 300-degrees F. Add the gluten and bread crumbs to the mixture. Mix well. Add the broth and knead until the gluten forms threads, about 3 minutes.

3. For the mixture into 6 burgers and arrange them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flip and continue to bake them for another 30 minutes.

4. Warm the tomato sauce in a large skillet (if cooled) and add the burgers, coating them in the sauce. Cook until the burgers have softened, about 8 minutes.

5. Remove as much sauce as possible to a bowl and add the vegan cheese to the tops of the burgers. Cover and cook until the cheese melts.

6. Cut the focaccia into squares large enough for the burgers and top one focaccia with the cheeseburger and add another piece of focaccia on top. Serve.

Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Natural sugar, as needed

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, basil, oregano and salt and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and sugar. Cool or use immediately. Sauce will keep for 3 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Focaccia Bread:

1 cup warm water

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast

2 teaspoons dried Rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Coarse salt

1. Combine the water, 2 tablespoons oil, yeast, rosemary, oregano and maple in a small bowl. Set aside to activate the yeast.

2. Combine the flours and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the yeast mixture and process until a dough is formed.

3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about 1 hour.

4. When doubled, knead the dough right inside the bowl until smooth and elastic. Cover again and allow to rise until doubled. This may be done overnight in the refrigerator.

5. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a baking sheet. Without deflating the dough too much, transfer the dough to the oiled sheet and flatten using your hands. With your fingers make holes in the dough, all the way through to the pan. Cover the pan with wrap and set aside to rise, about 30 minutes.

6. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the top of the dough and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan as soon as possible to keep crust crisp.

 

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck. 

 

burger break + "vegan without borders" giveaway

Robin Robertson's brand new vegan cookbook "Vegan without Borders" is almost available (9/9/14)!

I am very excited for this book for a number of reasons:

1) this is an international cookbook spanning the globe.
2) the recipes are AMA-zing!
3) I tested for this book, so I KNOW it is AMA-zing!
4) the photography is just as spectacular as the recipes.
5) this is a gorgeous hardcover cookbook.

I have been a devoted recipe tester for Robin for many moons, now, and I have to say that this is one of her most ambitious endeavors. If there is anyone who can pull it off, though, it's Ms. Robertson.

I worked with her on this book just before I started working on my own cookbook (shameless plug: "Everyday Vegan Eats"), so it could have been a bit challenging, but since the recipes are typical Robin-style [EASY], I had no problem testing and living life.

Best, yet, however, this book is spectacular in both appearance and taste.

A few examples of the recipes I tested and LOVED:

Middle East: Ajvar

Greece: Greek Tomato Bruschetta

South America: Chimichurri-grilled Vegetables

Eastern Europe: Seitan Jagerschnitzel

France: Vegetable Pan Bagnat

Japan: Tofu Tonkatsu

Enough teasing! Let's get to the giveaway!

To enter:

1) Leave a comment
2) Follow me on Twitter, like on Facebook or subscribe in an RSS feed .
3) Leave me a comment with a way to reach you in case you are the winner.

[NOTE: BLOGGER IS HAVING ISSUES WITH COMMENTS. IF YOU CANNOT COMMENT, SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH YOUR CONTACT INFO AND I'LL ADD YOU MANUALLY. zsu [at] zsusveganpantry [dot] com ]

Contest open to US residents and the winner will be chosen on my next giveaway post next Sunday, September 14, via random.org. Contest closes right before I write the post late Saturday night, so don't procrastinate - it won't help you win.

Good luck! Join me for more Burger Extravaganza via VeganMoFo next week! What kinds of vegan burgers can there be left to make?!? Find out!

hungarian twice-baked potatoes + blog tour summary

Growing up, my mother used to make mashed potatoes loaded with caramelized onions and paprika. This is a complete comfort food for me and when my kids asked for twice-baked potatoes, I was instantly reminded of those potatoes.

When I think of traditional twice-baked potatoes, I have flashbacks of lots of cheese, butter and bacon. Loaded with fat. The beautiful thing about these potatoes is that they are flavorful without all the added fat. I also added spinach to my filling to increase the nutritional element. Very happy I did! The kids loved it and this is a wonderful version of a baked potato. 

Use an ice cream scoop to remove the inside of the baked potatoes, but take care to leave enough potato in the skins to maintain the integrity of the walls of the potatoes, otherwise you'll wind up with a floppy potato skin, one difficult to stuff. 

HUNGARIAN TWICE-BAKED POTATOES PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

As I am sure some of you know, my cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats, hit bookstores and Amazon earlier this week. To launch the book, we are celebrating with a blog tour, one going from Canned-Time to Robin Robertson's Global Vegan Kitchen. Most of the stops along the tour are offering a chance to win my cookbook, so I hope you have maximized your chances of winning by entering every single one!

Along the tour, you've had a chance to sample recipes from the cookbook and I couldn't be happier! 

A word of note, though, many of the giveaways are ending in the next few days, so don't delay. Click the links and enter to win!

TOUR STOPS:

VegKitchen.com, featuring Portobello Mushroom Fajitas with Poblano Cream Sauce:

Canned-Time.com, featuring Fudge Brownies:

GIVEAWAY ends May 20th.

Photo by Angela McKee

VeggieGirl.com, featuring Scampi Pasta:

GIVEAWAY ends May 19th.

CadrysKitchen.com, featuring Baked Mac and Cheese:

GIVEAWAY ends May 20th.

Photo by Cadry

VeganAppetite.com, featuring Corn Muffins:

GIVEAWAY ends May 22nd.

Photo by Tamasin Noyes

Global Vegan Kitchen, featuring Mediterranean Quinoa with Fresh Herbs:

GIVEAWAY ends May 22nd. This is a double giveaway in that Robin is giving away my book AND her new More Quick-Fix Vegan cookbook. Win them both!

Oakland Veg featured my Pad Thai recipe:

Mrs. Pine Nuts also wrote up a review on her blog. She was one of my amazing testers and she runs down the dishes she made. Her post is HERE.

If you do not win, don't fret! Either buy your own copy or wait for more giveaways coming next week. GiGi at Veganville and Maggie Muggins at The Vegan Cookbook Aficionado will be our next stop along the blog tour, with giveaways at both stops.

As a reminder, if you haven't entered the giveaway for Tamasin Noyes' and Celine Steen's Vegan Finger Foods cookbook, make sure to enter HERE.

I am linking to these recipe parties: The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks. I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons. 

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck. 

 

Pin it!

beef-style stew with gremolata

A few years ago I made a vegan beef stew for a friend of mine who was going vegetarian. He had said that it was beef stew he was really missing. It was his comfort food. I made him the version below. He wound up saying it was too much like beef stew and therefore couldn't eat it!

While I think the dish came out pretty good, I can say without a doubt that there is no beef in it at all, and while it is nostalgically reminiscent of beef stew, there is no cow anywhere.

I make this stew using seitan, but Beyond Meat chicken strips work just as well - or simply adding more vegetables. Since this is not an animal-based stew, it is not dependent on meat for the flavor or thickness, therefore you can sub for the seitan with ease.

I cooked celery, carrots, onions, peas and potatoes in this dish, but any root vegetable would be equally delicious (if not better) - parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, fennel or even sweet potatoes.

For an added zing, make the gremolata. Gremolata is a mixture of minced parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest. It offers a fresh and piquant flavor to the earthy and rich-tasting stew. You could also serve the stew over cooked pasta. So good!

BEEF-STYLE STEW WITH GREMOLATA PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

If you haven't entered the giveaway for Robin Robertson's More Quick-Fix Vegan cookbook, go do it now! Contest ends May 1.

I am linking to these recipe parties: The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons.