Showing posts with label Easy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easy. Show all posts

Dec 12, 2020

chicken-free rice soup


Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large pot, rice cooker


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Tasty! I thought I would have leftovers of this meatless, vegetarian and vegan dish, but wound up needing to make a second batch. It's easy, too, so that wasn't a big deal.

This is really just a simple rice soup with a delicious broth. I used brown rice, so that always makes it take 15 minutes longer, using Instant Pot, so something to keep in mind.

The recipe calls for Easy Savory Broth Mix which you can find HERE or use any chicken-like broth mix, but don't skimp on it if the flavor is a bit bland. 

I used Gardein today, but I can see this with tofu, beans, zucchini or green beans or a plethora of other vegetables, so don't be afraid to try different ingredients. Keep the broth and rice and substitute your heart out.

Enjoy!





Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • Start the rice first.
  • Cook the scallopini using a lid. 
  • Chop the vegetables while it cooks. Add the vegetables and then take out the scallopini to avoid using another dish.
  • Use a lid to cook the vegetables and soup, too.
 


Chicken-Free Rice Soup

Makes 4 servings 

easy


1. Rice: Cook the rice as desired, in a rice cooker or Instant Pot.

1 cup rice, any kind

2. Protein: Spray the bottom of a large pot with oil. Add the scallopini and cook, covered, over medium heat, until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to the cutting board and chop when cool.

oil spray

4 Gardein scallopini

3. Soup: Add the oil and vegetables to the now empty pot. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stir as needed:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt

4. Broth: Add the seasoning to the Soup and cook for 1 minutes. Add the water and cover. Cook over medium-high heat until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

2 tablespoons Easy Savory Broth Mix**

8 cups water

5. Finish: Add the Rice, Protein and greens. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve

4 cups baby spinach or baby kale

 

 

 

** Substitute for Savory Broth Mix: 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon sage and 1 teaspoon oregano. 




© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.



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Nov 21, 2020

french dip

 


Overview

Time: 20 minutes
Dishes: medium pot 


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I offer you another meatless, vegetarian and vegan family favorite - and very fast to prepare, too! The only catch is that you need to have the seitan ready. I highly recommend making the Easy Simple Seitan since it is very simple to make and fast. A loaf can be done in 45 to 60 minutes and costs a fraction of commercially available setian.

Good news on the seitan, besides that it is easy and fast, is that it freezes very well, so make it and freeze it for later use. 

The au jus here is just perfect for this sandwich. I recommend making your own Worcestershire sauce because it is easy, fast and much cheaper. It also tastes better, which dominoes into making the dip taste better, too. However, use bottled if you don't have the time or desire.

NOTE: It is important to the toast the roll well, otherwise the dip will become too soggy.

Enjoy!



Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • Put the broth on to bring to boil first. Reduce to simmer.
  • Add the seasoning as you get them ready; no need to wait to bring to boil first.
  • Slice the seitan as thin as you can while the broth simmers. 
  • Toast the bread while the seitan simmers in the au jus. 




French Dip Sandwich

Makes 4 servings 

easy

 

1. Au Jus: Combine the broth, thyme, oregano and vegan butter in a medium or large pot. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.

3 cups vegetable broth (or 3 cups water and 1 Tablespoon mix)

3 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2. Seitan: Add the seitan to the Au Jus, return to simmer and cook for 5 minutes:

1 (16-ounce) loaf Easy Simple Seitan, sliced as thin as possible 

3. Serve: Split 4 rolls, toast and fill with equal portions of Seitan from the Au Jus. Serve with the Au Jus on the side: 

4 hard rolls or Aquafaba rolls

Sliced Seitan 

Au jus







© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.





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Nov 14, 2020

seitan picatta


Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large skillet, 2 pie plates (or shallow dishes), measuring cup, lemon juicer


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I've blogged about Picatta a few times before, so if you haven't given it a try, yet, it really seems I would like you to. This meatless, vegetarian and vegan version is the fastest I can come up with, while keeping the recipe as delicious. 

This is seitan in a lemon-broth sauce and is really delicious. I've mostly seen it with capers, so toss in a few teaspoons if you are a caper fan, but I like to keep it simple. No capers here. 

We always have mashed potatoes with this and garlic greens, and all told, dinner was on the table in 45 minutes. The Picatta itself took 30 minutes, so I started the potatoes and even the brussels sporuts, first. 

I used my large skillet for the greens so had to settle with a medium skillet for the seitan and, thus, had to brown the seitan in three batches. Even with this additional timing for the extra batch, the dish was ready in 30 minutes.

Because some breading falls off while cooking, you might need to wipe the pan with a towel between batches to remove the burnt breading. 

We had a diner come a little late to the table, to his woe; all the "seconds" were gone. It really is that good. 

Enjoy!





Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • If making mashed potatoes, start those on the highest/strongest burner first. Then move to a lower burner when cooking the seitan (to allow the stronger heat for cooking the seitan).
  • Use a cake pan for the breading and coating.
  • Prepare the breading, coating and cut the seitan. 
  • When breading the seitan, add the slices right from the coating and shimmy the pan back and forth to coat the pieces. This will avoid having to flip them.
  • When cooking the seitan don't worry about getting everything evenly browned; it'll all go away with the sauce.
  • Prepare the broth and lemon juice while the seitan browns.
 


Picatta

Makes 4 servings 

easy

Serve with mashed potatoes and greens. 

1. Seitan: Cut a loaf of Easy Simple Seitan into 1/4-inch thick slices.

14-ounces Easy Simple Seitan (1 loaf)

2. Breading: Combine the ingredients in a cake pan and stir well:

1 cup dried regular breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Coating: Combine the ingredients in a second cake pan and stir:

6 tablespoons unsweetened nondairy milk

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Dredge a few slices of Seitan in the Coating and then in the Breading. Add to the skillet. Repeat with as many slices as will fit. Cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes, and remove to a plate. Repeat until all the seitan is cooked. You might need to wipe the pan between batches to avoid burnt breading.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5. Sauce: Add to the empty skillet the broth and lemon juice. Cook until reduced by about a third, over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

6. Serve: Add the Seitan to the Sauce and cook for 2 minutes to thicken the Sauce. Serve.  

 


 



© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.




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Nov 7, 2020

southwest vegetable soup


Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large pot 


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This meatless, vegetarian and vegan soup is so delicious and it is so easy to make! It's a take on Chili's restaurant's version and I can see why it is popular. It is full of vegetables and it has just the right amount of thickness. The soup is thickened with corn tortillas so it is super easy. 

A few tips: 
  • Since the recipe uses 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, freeze the rest for later use, if you have any leftover. 
  • Chop the tortillas small because they have to dissolve to thicken the soup. 
  • Use zucchini or green beans here; makes no difference. 
  • You can use water and Better Than Boullion - 8 cups water plus 2 tablespoons boullion. 
  • Don't drain the beans; the kidney bean aquafaba is perfect here.

Add plenty of vegan cheese or diced avocado and broken tortilla chips - here's where to use up the bottom of that chip bag we always seeem to be left with.

Enjoy!




Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • Start the broth, diced tomato and tortillas first. Heat over high heat to get them boiling fast. Use a lid.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients as you have them ready. Don't drain the beans.
  • Cook the soup over medium heat so that it is simmering at a good pace throughout - none of that lightly simmering stuff; you need the tortillas to disintegrate. No lid here.
 


Southwest Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 servings 

easy


1. Base: Add the broth, tomatoes and tortillas to a large pot. Bring to boil over high heat with a lid. Reduce to a low boil/strong simmer. The tortillas need to dissolve to thicken the soup.

8 cups vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

6 minced corn tortillas

2. Soup: Add the rest of the ingredients to the Base as they are ready:

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (do not drain)

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 (4-ounce) can diced chiles

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

3. Cook the Soup at a strong simmer until the tortillas disintegrate, about medium heat, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

4. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top as desired:

Shredded vegan yellow cheese

Diced avocados

Broken tortilla chips

Minced cilantro 






© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.






Oct 24, 2020

creamy lemon pasta with cripsy lentils


Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: medium pot, large pasta, air-fryer

Heads Up! lemon and lentils


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

How about a little sunshine as the sun begins to recede to winter? Lemon is a fall/winter crop, so this is actually a perfect meatless, vegetarian and vegan dish for this time of year. This is lemony but nothing overwhelming, and it is creamy and delicious. The crispy lentils give it a nice contrast. Together they provide protein, iron and Vitamin C. All good things!

Make sure to zest your lemon before you juice it to save headache later. To zest, I just used a peeler and made sure to only get the yellow part of the fruit and not the white pith, which is bitter. Then I used a knife to mince the peels. 

The juice is added to the cooked and drained pasta so it absorbs the flavor perfectly. 

If you want (I would have but I didn't have any at the time) add 8 ounces of baby spinach to the pasta water a minute before you drain it, for some leafy green action. 

I air-fried the lentils, which proving to be very effective at making it crispy, but take care not to overdo it. I accidentally left them in the fryer for 15 minutes and they became a bit too crispy. Eight to thirteen minutes should suffice, but keep an eye on them and use your judgement.

All in all, an easy dish to prepare that was fast and tasty. 

Enjoy!




Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • Start the water for the pasta first. The water needs to boil and the pasta will take about 10 minutes to cook. 
  • Drain the lentils while the air-fryer preheats. 
  • Cut the onion first, start cooking it. Then peel and mince the zest. Garlic can come last.
  • Use a lid for all pots.
  • Always zest before you juice the citrus.
 



Creamy Lemon Pasta with Crispy Lentils

Makes 4 servings 

easy

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com


Preheat air-fryer to 400-F

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water, until   al dente. Drain the pasta, return to the pot and add the lemon juice. Stir well; the pasta will absorb the juice:

12 ounces fettuccine or spaghetti

2 tablespoons lemon juice (zest lemon first) **

2. Lentils: Rinse and drain the lentils. Add to the basket of an air-fryer and season with salt. Cook until crisp but not dried out, about 8 to 12 minutes:

1 (15-ounce) can green or brown lentils

3. Onions: Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and lemon zest. Cover with a lid and cook until the onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Stir as needed.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 lemon zested**

4. Sauce: add the flour to the Onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the milk and stir until there are no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and the cheese, if using, and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. needed.

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups plain, unsweetened nondairy milk

2 slices or 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)

5. Serve: Add the Sauce to the Pasta and season with black pepper. Toss well and divide into bowls. Top with Lentils and serve.  



** 1 lemon. Use a peeler to peel zest very thin, not peeling any white pith. Then mince the zest strips. Then juice the lemon.



© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.




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Oct 3, 2020

kung pao tofu


Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large skillet, oven, baking pan or cake pan, measuring cup

Heads Up! teriyaki sauce


Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This meatless, vegetarian and vegan dish is an old favorite recipe of ours, but it calls for brown rice syrup. Since that ingredient is hard to come by, I wanted to recreate it with more readily available ingredients and a simpler preparation. This is sweet and as spicy as you like it, but was on the table in 30 minutes, plus an extra 15 for my brown rice. It's always the brown rice holding things back!

If you have time to press the tofu (and you do if you are making brown rice) do so, otherwise, just bake it as is; it'll still be great.

This is such a quick, easy and delicious recipe that I wonder why we don't have it more often. Oh, yeah, the brown rice syrup. With the easy substitution of using molasses and maple, the syrup doesn't have to be searched for any longer. If you have it and prefer that, omit both the molasses and the maple and substitute an equal amount of the brown rice syrup.  

Enjoy!




Speedy Cooking Tips:

  • If you are serving rice, start that first
  • Press tofu for 10 minutes (optional) while oven preheats
  • Prepare the tofu and bake
  • Prepare the sauce and chop vegetables
  • When tofu is 10 minutes out, start the Vegetables section in the recipe
 



Kung Pao Tofu

Makes 4 servings 

easy


Preheat oven to 350-F

Serve with Rice and Steamed Broccoli 

1. Tofu: Combine the tofu and teriyaki sauce on a 9X9 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

1-pound (pressed preferably) tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2. Sauce: Combine the ingredients in a measuring cup and stir well:

3 tablespoons Blackstrap molasses

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3. Vegetables: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, until peanuts are golden, stirring often:

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2/3 cup peanuts

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

4. Add the Tofu and Sauce to the skillet, stir and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve with rice and broccoli.




© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.