seitan schnitzel

European Night

My parents were restaurateurs their entire lives and they operated Hungarian restaurants exclusively. Wiener Schnitzel was on the menu at every place we had that I can remember. Not that Schnitzel is Hungarian originally, but let's face it, Europe is not a huge continent and its countries are not expansive; food travels over borders without much exception.

I haven't checked, so I hope it has been a month since the last time I made fried food. Schnitzel is a breaded and deep fried dish. I made the Tender Seitan and cut it as thin as I could and in a way that got me the biggest slices that I could get. I dredged them in flour, then in diluted yogurt and in a seasoned bread crumb mixture. I deep fried the slices at 390 degrees for 3 minutes. This was a throwback to my childhood - my Dad would serve these huge slices of Schnitzel, almost as big as the plate it was placed on.

I did good.

I served these with parsley potatoes, something my Mom used to make, and with a Hungarian Tomato and Cucumber Salad. The tomatoes are from our garden; they are Hungarian Heart heirlooms. Just thought I'd brag a little.

Cost Breakdown:

potatoes: $3

parsley, Earth Balance: $2

tomato: $2 (from store)

cucumber: $1

onion: $.50

seitan: $3

bread crumbs, yogurt, flour: $3

coconut oil: $3

Total to feed 8 people:

$17.50

incrediburger with chipotle cream and shaved cucumber

I had these Incrediburgers in the freezer since July and needed something quick to make for lunch. These came out of the freezer, went into the toasted oven, got a little splash of olive oil and tasted fantastic.

This proves that Incrediburgers are great frozen - so go and make yourself a batch to have when you crave a burger.

In case you don't know, Incrediburgers are out of American Vegan Kitchen by Tamsin Noyes.

I made a Chipotle Cream sauce for my burgers using the peppers in adobo - again, I freeze what I don't use of the can to have when I want it - and Better Than Cream Cheese. I seasoned it, sprinkled some cilantro into it and slathered my Incrediburger with it. To keep the party cool, I added some seasoned shaved cucumbers.

They are in a pita because... you guessed it, I had some pita frozen.

You'd think I haven't been to the grocers yet this week!

Cost Breakdown
burgers: $3
cucumber: $1 (sale!)
chipotle: $.50
pita: $2
cilantro and cream cheese: $2
Total to make 5 burgers:
$8.50

raw thai salad

Raw Night

I needed something quick for dinner - I am in the middle of cleaning my house from top to bottom, so this is what I came up with: cucumbers, peeled and sliced into thin strips with the peeler to the middle where the seed  are. I added strips of red pepper, thin slices of red onion and grated a carrot. I made a dressing using a young coconut meat, agave, nama shoyu, lime juice, olive oil, chilies and cilantro. To add some crunch I chopped up some almonds.

This was excellent - I really enjoyed it. Refreshing, cooling for the summer, quick and tasty. The dressing was especially nice - the young coconut is a very mild coconut flavor but just enough.

Cost Breakdown:

cucumber: $3

young coconut: $2

red pepper: $1

carrot, lime, cilantro: $2

almonds: $2

Total to feed a family of 4:

$10.00

falafel

Picnic

Probably the only thing better than eating falafel at a picnic is making falafel - once you find an easy, quick, tasty recipe, that is.

If you are searching for the perfect falafel recipe, look no more.

For those that are unaware of what falafel is, it is ground chickpeas, parsley and carrots, made into balls or patties and are typically fried in plenty of oil. Not here, oh no! Frying them in a teaspoon or two will get you crispy and delicious flalafels. This recipe is not any more complicated than opening a can of beans into a food processor along with the veggies. Buzz, form into patties and pan-fry.

The tahini sauce is made with yogurt, garlic, homemade tahini (much cheaper than buying at the store), lemon juice,a little olive oil and a dash of sweetener.

The kids loved it. I loved it. David will love it, too.

Cost Breakdown:

pita:$1.50

chickpeas: $2

vegetables: $3

tahini and yogurt: $1

lemon: $.50

Total to make 10 patties, 5 servings:

$7.00

jamaican veggie purses

Jamaican food is African inspired, so it is appropriate for our Tuesday Night meal. This one comes out of Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. I picked up this book when Vegan.com spread the word that it was on sale for $8. This  has to be one of the better cookbooks out there. I've had great success with many of his recipes, and this one is no exception.

He uses coconut butter in the crust and coconut milk in the recipe. There are fresh cut corn, fresh shelled peas (CSA), carrots and shredded cabbage. The salad is cucumbers and tomatoes in a dressing of lime, lemon and orange juices, from the same book.

Excellent meal, although Cat does not like coconut milk - tastes too odd. The other two gobbled it up.

Cost Breakdown:

crust: $2

vegetables: $2

coconut milk: $1.50

salad: $2.50

spices, onion, garlic: $1

Total to make 6 purses:

$9.00

We have a bunch of blueberries and since blueberry season is almost over, and since GiGi at Veganville blogspot has a recipe for said blueberries and coconut milk, it was destiny.

Great dessert; thanks GiGi!