Before you run away screaming,please,try a little bite of my Fake Cheez-adilla....

"C'mon", you say, "there is no substitute for cheese!" And I couldn't agree more. The thought of eating soy cheese, as is, plopped on a cracker and washed down with a fine Cabernet, is frankly absurd or gross or probably both. Soy (or rice) based cheeses are not meant to be eaten as though they were an aged cheddar or an artisanal camembert. These cheese wanna bees were invented to assuage the cravings of even the most committed vegan for the most iconic foods of our lives. Pizza! Tacos! and yes, Quesadillas! 

If you google the word "quesadilla", 99% of the definitions say that a quesadilla consists of a flour tortilla filled with CHEESE and other ingredients. Here's what Merriam Webster dictionary says about the origins of the word, "quesadilla": "American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, type of cheesecake, from queso, cheese, from Old Spanish, from Latin cseus."
But in defining the term quesadilla, Webster calls it "a flour tortilla, filled with savory items, folded and usually fried. No mention of cheese...Hmmm.
I once made the stupid error of attempting to order a cheeseless quesadilla in a restaurant, only to be told by the 19 year old know it all "culinary expert" waitress that "you can't make a quesadilla without cheese! Cheese is what holds it together!" So I timidly ordered the fajitas instead but was distracted by my ponderings about possible vegan versions of this yummy and easy to make Mexican dish.
I suppose one could hold it together with re fried beans but there is something irresistible about the cheesy cheesy flavor of a freshly crisped on the outside, gooey on the inside, quesadilla.
What is a life long cheese lover, like myself to do when you crave an easy to prepare delicious old time favorite...but without the cheese? A relatively new company called Daiya Foods Inc out of Vancouver, Canada makes a very nice cheese substitute that comes in 3 flavors: cheddar,spicy monterey jack and mozzarella, and it comes already shredded. As the label boasts, it is dairy, lactose, gluten and soy free. It is also (relative to real cheese) low in fat at 6 grams of fat per 1/4 cup serving.

Boy, they must of had some long nights figuring this thing out because unlike many soy based cheese substitutes, it also melts and stretches! So what could possibly be in it you wonder? Daiya is made from tapioca and arrowroot flour, canola, safflower and coconut oil, yeast and really, no kidding, natural flavors.
And while I would never recommend eating any cheese substitute as though it were real cheese, this particular product is simply great when you need the melty, nutty idea of cheese to bring together an old favorite dish.

Quesadillas lend themselves to a lot of improvisation, so you can add your favorite veggies. Sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini are great additions, depending on your taste buds and what you find in season. The recipe below is quick, super easy and we love it! My hubby and I like these, the traditional way, topped with a good spicy salsa, vegan sour cream and sliced avocado.

Fake Cheez-adillas con Vegetales 

4 large Flour Tortillas
1-1/3 cup Daiya Cheddar or Spicy Monterey Jack
1 medium Onion
1 small sweet Red Pepper
1 diced Jalapeno  (optional)                                         serves 4
2 cups chopped Spinach
2 chopped Scallions
1 handful chopped Cilantro
Salsa
Tofutti sour cream
ripe Avocado, sliced

Saute the onion in the olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the chopped peppers and saute until soft, about another 5 minutes
Add the chopped spinach, stir and turn off the heat
Place a tortilla on a clean work surface
Spread 1/4 of the veg mixture, 1/3 cup cheddar, 1/4 of the chopped scallions and cilantro on each
Carefully fold tortillas in half
Spray a cast iron pan with extra virgin olive oil and carefully place one or two (depending on the size of your pan) tortillas on the pan
Lightly brown on both sides, pressing gently down with a spatula to seal it together. Use care when turning them so the filling doesn't fall out.
Serve with salsa, vegan sour cream and sliced avocado.

Hope you enjoy.
Luv, R

If it's Sunday, It Must be Tofu Scramble

Every Sunday morning after a blissfully quiet and solitary hour or so with a cup of coffee and the Sunday Times, I make tofu scramble for my family. It is a comforting and delicious ritual that I thoroughly enjoy and can now perform with ease. It also serves as my husband's alarm clock since the scent of a sizzling onion rarely fails to rouse him from even the deepest, most peaceful slumber.
Contrary to the weekly morning routine when he arrives in the kitchen disgruntled and mumbling a complaint about one thing or another, on Sundays he is happy. "I can't believe I slept this late!" he exclaims, having  no recollection of having slept this late every Sunday for the past umpteen years. He delivers a cheerful "Good morning", uncovers the skillet and happily states with surprise, "Oh you made breakfast!", as though it was the first time it ever happened.
Even though he's not one to gush with praise, I know how much he appreciates it and I delight in his utter enjoyment as he lathers yet another piece of toast with tofu cream cheese and promptly wolfs it all down with gusto.
Many devoted egg eaters love this dish and are mystified by its resemblance to "the real thing". Turmeric is the trickster here, converting a white, flavorless slab of tofu into a heap of scrambled yellow deliciousness. And once you have made the spice blend a few times, tofu scramble comes together very easily.
This dish lends itself to a lot of variation and is enhanced by the addition of mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes or whatever is in season. I like the scramble with a lot of veggies in it. Use your own judgment as to quantities  I love it with  fresh chopped spinach which  I stir in just as I turn off the heat at the end of cooking.

Tofu Scramble

1 block Firm Tofu, drained
1 Tbs Olive Oil                                                     (Serves 3 or 4)
1 medium Onion, chopped
! small Red Pepper, chopped
1 small Green Pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped****(optional)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over a low to medium flame and add the chopped onions sauteing them for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, place the tofu between 2 plates and place a weight on top to squeeze water out. This can be done while you go through the next few steps. When a puddle of water is expressed around the block of tofu, spill the water out and turn the whole thing over, replacing the weight on top.

Add the chopped peppers and any other optional veggies to the onions and saute this mixture about 10 minutes till everything is nice and soft.

While the veggies are cooking, make the spice blend by mixing them together in a small bowl.

Crumble the drained tofu into the skillet, breaking it up as you do so and mix it into the veggies.

Add the spice blend and mix it all together.

Fresh herbs and/or chopped spinach can be added at the end of the cooking process.

This can be enjoyed just by itself with toast or home fries. It is also very good in a wrap. We like it spiked with a little of Melinda's hot sauce and some sliced avocado on the side.

****If you've never cooked with jalapeno or other spicy peppers, be careful! The juices can burn. I had the unpleasant experience of touching my nose after chopping one of my first jalapenos and it burned for several minutes afterward. Some chefs recommend wearing rubber gloves. I usually don't but am careful not to touch my face and especially my eyes or nose. Of course, if you don't care for the hot stuff, you can eliminate the jalapeno and cayenne altogether.

I hope you enjoy this dish.

Luv to you all,
R

Really, You're Vegan? What do you do for Protein?

Tired of Thanksgiving leftovers, my hubby and I ate out 2 nights in a row during the weekend following the holiday. After all the planning and hub bub involved in preparing a huge feast for the holiday, I am tired of cooking and depleted of the energy and inspiration to be creative in the kitchen. Blah! I think...the mess, the work, the chopping, the wine drinking! Let's just eat out again!

But then I look in the refrigerator and can't help but notice all the food that's in there, waiting to turn all colors of the rainbow as it morphs into something even my dog wouldn't eat.  I realize I have to cook some of it or face the terrible guilt I feel each time I have to throw food out. Noting that I have some cooked black beans in the freezer, I decide that I actually have the taste for my old reliable three part meal, rice, beans and a green vegetable.

It is a win, win, win. type of meal. Everyone in the family likes it, it's undoubtedly nutritious, contains all the food groups and is easy to prepare. After all the rich and varied foods and flavors of the holiday, it is so nice to get back to something simple. And it works perfectly to mix and match any whole grain with any type of beans and your favorite green vegetable. This meal also makes great leftovers for breakfast, lunch or dinner the next day.

 It is best to cook your own beans, for the freshness and so you have control of the taste. As I wrote in an earlier post, it is easy to make a huge pot of beans and freeze them. Then, at times like these when you may be a little desperate for ideas and ingredients, you can just pull some beans out of the freezer and whip them up into something hardy and nutritious.

Beans are very versatile and are easily made into soups, stews, dips, pattys or casseroles. They can have a creamy texture and can be seasoned to produce an endless variety of flavors. Latin, Soul, Italian, Indian, American, African, Caribbean, and even French recipes for all sorts of bean dishes abound.

The beginning of winter is a perfect time to stock your freezer with a variety of your favorite legumes. My most favorite is black beans and I also like to have a supply of cooked garbanzos, and white beans (like cannelloni or great northern) on hand. Pinto and kidney beans are great to have at the ready as well. This makes the possibility of throwing together a 3 Bean Chile an easy potential reality . 

I cook my beans in water and freeze them unseasoned. That way, you can season them as you need them according to whatever recipe you are making. It is important to freeze foods safely and properly so they retain their flavor and moisture. For ideas on freezing methods and types of recommended freezer containers, you can go to this website:  http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/freezing-food/  or get a copy of The Green Kitchen Handbook by Annie Berthold-Bond.

 To prepare the beans for cooking, spread them out on a large tray or cookie sheet. Remove any wrinkled up beans or little stones and then pour the beans into a  pot and rinse them in a few changes of water. Put them in a pot and cover them with 3 inches of water and let them soak overnight. Before cooking them, disguard the soaking water, rinse the beans again and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil and then simmer, covered for the designated amount of time. Different types of beans will require varied cooking times and you can find this information in many different vegetarian cookbooks or on the internet.
I will often let the beans soak in water on a Saturday night and then start cooking them up when I get up on Sunday morning. You can let the beans bubble away while you sip your morning coffee and read your morning paper.
 Some cooks recommend cooking beans with kombu, a sea vegetable that enhances the flavor and nutrients in cooked beans as well as makes them more digestible (as in less gas producing). I have not yet tried this but I will soon and I'll get back to you with "my findings" on the "gasometer".

One of my favorite preparations for black beans is Robbie Robertson's "Cuban Black Beans". This is a bit spicy, and it is very hardy and warming and I love it with Basmatii Rice and any green veggie. Broccoli sauteed in olive oil and garlic is a family favorite. I usually double this recipe.

Cuban Black Beans

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 medium Onion finely chopped
1 small Carrot finely chopped
1 small Red Pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 14.5 oz can diced Tomatoes
1-1/2 cups cooked Black Beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced Scallions
1 Tbs chopped fresh Parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and garlic. Cover and cook till softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except the parley) and simmer for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are saucy. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.

Enjoy.
Luv to you all,
R







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