What are you cooking tonight? Vol. 1

[papaholmz]

I've seen threads like this on other forums/message boards. On a beer forum I frequented in the past, there was always a thread going where people posted what they were drinking that night. I figured this would be a bit more constructive and could help the community.

 

Basically the idea is to post anything you're cooking/making whether it's something new-to-you or a tried and true go-to that you make all the time.

 

Things you can include in your post...

1) Ingredients and amounts

2) Preperation and cooking instructions and times

3) Macro counts

4) Variations

5) Picutes (if you're so inclined; I'm a horrible photographer)

6) Source for the original recipe (if you remember where you got it from), unless you're gifted enough to create recipes yourself

 

I'll go first...

 

Ok, last night I made grilled portobello mushroom and zucchini sandwiches with homemade pesto (dairy-free). This makes 4 servings (we had my parents over). But I've made it before, and this stuff is just as good warmed up, so you can make the batch and get enough for 4 meals.

 

Ingredients:

For the mushrooms...

4 portobello mushrooms, tops scrubbed clean, stems removed

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano

 

For the zucchini...

4 medium sized zucchini, ends removed

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 large lemon (or 2 small lemons), zested

juice from the lemon(s) you just zested

 

For the pesto...

2 tsp pine nuts

2 tsp cashews

1 large clove garlic

8 tsp olive oil

4 tsp nutritional yeast

8 - 12 fresh basil leaves, depeding on size, more if needed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 

Preparation:

For the mushrooms...

1. Place mushrooms in a shallow baking dish with the smooth side (cap) facing up

2. Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, and oregano in a small dish, wisk together to combine well

3. Pour mixture over mushrooms, making sure to spread the dried herbs around the caps and not just let them clump up

4. Let mushrooms marinate at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours if you have the time)

 

For the zucchini...

1. Cut zucchini length-wise in 1/4 inch thick strips, or just quarter them into spears, 4 spears per zucchini (I find that the stips to better on the sandwich because they lay flat, but spears are easier to cut)

2. Combine lemon zest, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a small dish and briefly stir to combine

3. Put the zucchini stips in a large zip-lock bag and drizzle in the olive oil and them lemon zest mixture; shake bag around until zucchini is well coated with oil and lemon zest mixture

4. Let zucchini marinate at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours if you have the time)

 

For the pesto...

1. Put nuts in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, untill they start to brown slightly

2. Add nuts, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, basil, salt, and pepper to a food processor and process until smooth

3. Taste and add salt and/or basil leaves as needed

 

Cooking:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium heat

2. Once grill is hot, add mushroom caps (smooth side facing up) and zucchini strips

3. Grill mushrooms for about 6-8 minutes per side, checking to make sure they don't burn

4. Grill zucchini for about 4-6 minutes per side, checking to make sure they don't burn (pull zucchini out of the bag as opposed to just dumping the contents of the bag on the grill, that way you leave most of the oil in the bag instead of dumping it all over your grill)

5. Add more time as needed depending on how soft you like your veggies

6. When mushrooms and zucchini are done, pull off grill and set aside in bowls, allowing to sit for 5 minutes.

7. Lightly toast some whole wheat bread (I use Rudi's brand as it's always dairy free)

8. Spread the pesto mixture on each piece of bread, add one mushroom, about 1/4 of the zucchini, and a few slices of tomato per sandwich

9. Enjoy!

 

Variations:

1. If you're trying to watch your oil consumption, don't use any oil with the mushrooms, the balsamic vinegar will be enough

2. If you don't have dried basil and oregano, just use a total of 2 tbsp of whatever dried herbs you have

3. You can substitute other nuts in for the pine nuts and cashews if you like, or just use all of the same nut

4. You can substitute other fresh herbs in for the basil when making the pesto if you like

5. If you don't have a grill you can use a griddle or even a skillet and just watch the mushrooms and zucchini to make sure they don't burn

6. Once the sandwich is made you can lightly brush both sides with olive oil and put in a panini press if you have one

 

Macro Counts:

I'll come back and add them, I need to calculate them

 

Sources:

The mushrooms and zucchini are just something I came up with on my own (it's not too hard to through oil, vinegar, and dried herbs together, lol).

The pesto is based on this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-vegan-pesto-classico/?scale=4&ismetric=0

 

Cheers,

John

 

EDIT: One additional thought. You can leave out all the oil (skip the pesto completely) if you're trying to watch the fat intake. I've done that many times and it tastes just as good. I made it this way last night because the parents were coming over and I wanted it to taste nice and rich.

[Mini Forklift]

Looks good !!!!

 

I have a thread running, it's a pretty good resource.

 

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=28292

 

You should take a look Papa

[papaholmz]

I have a thread running....

 

I saw that thread and have read through most of it, lots of awesome stuff in there. I just didn't want to hijack your thread, especially since it's called "MF's Recipes..." I couldn't just go adding mine in there, that wouldn't be proper

[Mini Forklift]

Haha, thanks for the consideration. I do appreciate that John!

[papaholmz]

Last night I made tempeh tacos. They turned out pretty good. Here are the particulars...

 

Ingredient:

1 large red pepper, seeded

1 large green pepper, seeded

1 large sweet onion, outer skin removed

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

1 package taco seasoning mix (low-sodium if possible)

2 packages of tempeh (8oz each)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can refried beans

soft taco shells (I use gluten free soft shells)

hard taco shells (I prefer blue corn, I think it's crispier, but that could all be in my head)

 

Preperation:

1. Process peppers, onion, and garlic in food processor to desired consistency and set aside in a bowl (I personaly don't like big chunks nor do I like it pureed, but this is a personal preference)

2. Crumble tempeh into small chunks and set aside in a bowl

3. Mix taco seasoning per package directions and set aside

 

Cooking:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat (I use a non-stick Green Pan) and add peppers, onion, garlic, and salt; satuee until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes), set aside in a bowl

2. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to the skillet as well as the crumbled tempeh; sautee untill slightly browned (about 5 minutes)

3. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic back in, stirring to combine

4. Add the can of fire roasted tomatoes, stirring to combine

5. At this point, you can add a half cup of water if need be to get everything to mix well

6. Add the prepared taco seasoning mix, stirring to combine and then cover and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 3-5 minutes)

7. Bake hard taco shells according to package (usually 2-3 minutes in oven at 425 degrees F.)

8. Warm refried beans in pot on stove (or microwave)

9. Coat the inside of a soft shell with refried beans, then wrap the soft shell around a hard shell and fill with the tempeh taco filling

10. Enjoy!

 

Variations:

1. You can use any combo of peppers/onions you want depending on how hot you want it

2. Instead of using a pre-packaged taco seasoning mix, you can use chili powder, cumin, and salt and make your own

3. Of course you don't have to make it a "double decker" by adding the bean coated soft shell

4. You can add any other toppings you want (salsa, fresh avacados, soy based "sour cream," etc.)

 

Macro Counts:

Will count and come back and add (still need to add them to my previous post). But the tempeh has close to 90 grams protein and the refried beans add a lot more protein as well.

 

Sources:

No source in particular. I've seen stuff like this before on websites, but I put this one together without a specific recipe.

 

Cheers,

John