Now, this is sort of cheating, because I have adopted this recipe from this link here. However, it's really basic, versatile, and I use it a lot, so I'd like to share it. Plus, of all the vegan pesto recipes, I like it the best. Non-vegans will like it and won't even know the difference, which is why I hesitate to give it the 'vegan' label that tends to scare people away. It would be great in Alletta's recipe for the Pasta with Goat Cheese and Walnut Pesto.
Ingredients:
About 2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping cup nuts (pine nuts are best, but they're pricey, so we usually use walnuts, pecans, almonds, or a mix of whatever we have)
5 cloves garlic (I usually use 7 or so, because I'm a garlic lover)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
All you do is mix well in a food processor until it's a lovely, tasty green mush. Usually I have to stir it around a few times to get it just right. My quantities are a little different than the recipe linked to because I like to have a little extra. Why? Because it freezes excellently. I always have some in my freezer to quickly de-thaw and easily add to a meal. It usually lasts us several weeks, then I make more. Trader Joes has a great plastic tub of basil you can buy, if you aren't growing any.
Here are some ideas on what to do with pesto:
-mix with noodles (I like the gluten-free brown rice elbow noodles) and a little nutritional yeast, and maybe a splash of Braggs for some yummy pesto macaroni and "cheese" - or add mozzarella cheese if you prefer.
-spread on a whole wheat tortilla with mozzarella cheese (or vegan "cheese") and grill yourself a pesto quesadilla (or you can use slices of bread to make a grilled cheese sandwich ). Add fresh tomato to make it Caprese style! In fact, it's great as a spread for pretty much any sandwich.
-add globs of it as a pizza topping, or spread it on a pizza crust instead of tomato sauce.
-eat it as a dip with pita chips (this was discovered on accident at one of the 4th of July beach house gatherings). Mmm!
-mix it in with a salad instead of using dressing.
As you can see, it's very versatile, easy to make, easy to store for later, and yummy, which makes it an A+ in my book. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Greetings!
Hello! This is Linda. I was privileged to work with the lovely Alletta last year at a Portland area law firm, and we quickly realized our mutual love for cooking and vegetarianism, among other things. She's entrusted me with the title of co-administrator of this recipe blog, and while I don't think I am quite on par with Alletta's cooking and experience, I'd love to have a place to deposit my "recipes" (if for any reason, because I need to start writing things down more). Maybe I'll start my own blog one of these days, but right now I'll add things as I think of them.
What I eat is really important to me, and pretty much nothing will make me "too busy" to take the time to prepare (or sometimes, let's face it, purchase) a half-decent meal. As a law student though, it's hard to do this, so my focus on recipes is centered around 1) what is relatively quick to make (I say relatively, because I don't count microwaving as making something), 2) what keeps well as leftovers for us to take to work/school for lunch (remember the "student" part? I have no money). We don't eat meat, and generally avoid dairy as well. As a result, we usually end up making some variation of a brown rice stir-fry, but I'll try to be more creative with what I post here :) I also enjoy baking vegan treats, so I might add some of those in here, too. My next foray will hopefully be into the gluten-free baking world.
Anyways, that's me, and hopefully I'll post a couple recipes here soon!
What I eat is really important to me, and pretty much nothing will make me "too busy" to take the time to prepare (or sometimes, let's face it, purchase) a half-decent meal. As a law student though, it's hard to do this, so my focus on recipes is centered around 1) what is relatively quick to make (I say relatively, because I don't count microwaving as making something), 2) what keeps well as leftovers for us to take to work/school for lunch (remember the "student" part? I have no money). We don't eat meat, and generally avoid dairy as well. As a result, we usually end up making some variation of a brown rice stir-fry, but I'll try to be more creative with what I post here :) I also enjoy baking vegan treats, so I might add some of those in here, too. My next foray will hopefully be into the gluten-free baking world.
Anyways, that's me, and hopefully I'll post a couple recipes here soon!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Smoky Vegan Chili
We've been making variations of this delicious tomato-free chili for a couple of years. You can vary the ingredients a lot and it will still come out great. It is very quick and easy to make and everybody loves it (meat-eaters included). If you want to use a crock pot, cook the veggies in a frying pan first and then throw it all together.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
4 sticks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
8 cups of beans, cooked (I like a mix of kidney and black beans)
1 cup of roasted or fresh red peppers, chopped
1 tbs of mesquite seasoning mix
1 tsp of whole cumin, crushed
1/2-1 tsp of Chipotle (or regular hot) chili powder
pinch of smoked salt
2-4 cups of water
dash of Braggs amino liquids
In a big pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and carrots and continue cooking, stirring frequently. After vegetables are softened, add beans, peppers and seasonings. Next, add just enough water to create a chili consistency (not enough to fully cover beans) and add a little Braggs to taste. Cover the pot and let the chili cook for 30+ minutes on medium heat, or as long as you want on a very low simmer (eg. crock pot).
Tips: If you want to make this recipe even more hearty, you can add some TVP (textured vegetable protein) or tempeh right before you add the water.
Once you are ready to serve it up, you can dress up this recipe with some sour cream and cilantro, or even fresh avocado slices. For a full meal, serve with some salad and fresh cornbread on the side.
This should serve about 4.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
4 sticks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
8 cups of beans, cooked (I like a mix of kidney and black beans)
1 cup of roasted or fresh red peppers, chopped
1 tbs of mesquite seasoning mix
1 tsp of whole cumin, crushed
1/2-1 tsp of Chipotle (or regular hot) chili powder
pinch of smoked salt
2-4 cups of water
dash of Braggs amino liquids
In a big pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and carrots and continue cooking, stirring frequently. After vegetables are softened, add beans, peppers and seasonings. Next, add just enough water to create a chili consistency (not enough to fully cover beans) and add a little Braggs to taste. Cover the pot and let the chili cook for 30+ minutes on medium heat, or as long as you want on a very low simmer (eg. crock pot).
Tips: If you want to make this recipe even more hearty, you can add some TVP (textured vegetable protein) or tempeh right before you add the water.
Once you are ready to serve it up, you can dress up this recipe with some sour cream and cilantro, or even fresh avocado slices. For a full meal, serve with some salad and fresh cornbread on the side.
This should serve about 4.
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