Bay Area Vegetarians

Recipes

Enjoyed the food at one of our Vegan Food Parties?? Or missed a VFP? Well, here are some of the recipes from our Vegan Food Parties. If you attended a Vegan Food Party, please remember to share your recipe with us! We are especially interested in recipes for entrees that are suitable for new or wannabe vegetarians to bring to future VFPs. We've also got a yummy menu with recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. And check out our gourmet camping trip recipes!

Vegan Food Parties

At our most recent summer VFPs (Star Gazing June VFP, hosted by Carla, Sand-n-Surf 4th of July VFP in Montara, hosted by Tammy & Chris, July VFP hosted by Wendy), there was a wide range of foods shared, lots of fun, and lots of eating! If you attended a VFP, you are encouraged/welcome to contact us with your recipe to share with others.

July 2004 VFP

4th of July: Wacky Cake, Plum Ginger Cookies, Tracy's Simple Pesto Potato Salad, Vegan Quick Bean Chili, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Edamame Salad, Rocket Chili, Noodles with Peanut Sauce

July VFP: Wendy’s Vegetable Tofu-Ricotta Lasagna, Macaroni and Cheese, Veggie Pate, Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

HMB Camping trip: Phenomenal French Toast

Wacky Cake

Prepared by Joanna

465 g / 1 lb self raising flour
2 t of cocoa
310 g / 11 oz of sugar
1/4 t bicarbonate of soda
155 g / 6 oz of melted margarine
385 ml / 13 fl oz hot water
1 t of vinegar
w drops of vanilla essence

Sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well until it is all thoroughly mixed. Pour into a very well greased/lined cake tin. Bake at 180C/350F for 45 minutes. back to top

Plum Ginger Cookies

Prepared by Mike Warner

Plum Jam, or plum puree from fresh plums
Apple Juice
Lemon juice
Date pieces
Crystalized Ginger
Salt
Oatmeal
Flax seed
Sesame Seed
Walnuts
Pumpkin Seed
whole wheat flour
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Boil down fresh plums to make a thick puree. Add date pieces and crystalized ginger to plum puree.Put aside half the puree to top the cookies later.Add apple juice and lemon juice to half remaining puree to dilute. Heat this liquid further to low boil as you roast your oat flakes in a iron skillet. Stir oats until toasty brown. Add salt to oats.
Place hot oats in mixing bowl and pour liquid over. Stir to mix.Add Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Place flax and walnut pumkin and sesame seed in hot skillet and roast. Grind this hot seed mixture in food processor.
Mix with oats. Add whole wheat flour to make mixture thick.

Heat oven to 375. Oil cookie sheets. Form cookies by rolling mixture into balls . Flatten and hollow out the center with fingers. Spoon plum mixure in hollow. You can place extra piece of crystalized ginger in center of plum puree.

Bake for 20 minutes or so

Tracy's Simple Pesto Potato Salad

Prepared by Tracy

6 potatoes
2 stalks celery
Vegan mayo
homemade or store bought pesto sauce (mine was home made)
Cook potatoes until just tender. Rinse under cool water. Chop up celery. Mix enough mayo to cover potatoes and stir in 3 to 4 tablespons pesto. Mix in with the potatoes and celery. Chill. EAT!

Vegan Quick Bean Chili

Prepared by Doug

(Shop Trader Joes for most items!)
1 tbsp. Vegetable oil
½ cup Wheat Bulgur
1 med Onion, chopped
~¼ cup Chili powder
1tsp-2 tbsp Ground cumin (to taste)
½ tsp. Salt
1 tbs. Garlic powder (or less to taste)
¼ tsp. Ground red pepper (sub cyanine)
¼ tsp. Ground pepper
28 oz. Can whole peeled tomatoes un-drained
16 oz. Spaghetti tomato sauce (TJ’s Basil)
16 oz. Can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. Can cannelloni (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. Can black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. Can Garbanzo beans or other.
1-2 Greed onion, sliced thin (optional)

Instructions:
1. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add Bulgur and cook, stirring for ~1 minute.
3. Add Onion and cook, stirring often for ~5 minutes or until softened.
4. Mix chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic, red pepper, and black pepper. Add to pan and cook, stirring for ~1 minute.
5. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon.
6. Stir in tomato sauce and beans.
7. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
8. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally till thickened. About 5 minutes.
Server topped with green onions. Or. Server in taco shells with chopped tomatoes with the green onion. Good over corn bread or rice.
For milder version, reduce the chili powder to 2 tablespoons, the cumin to 1 tablespoon, and ground red pepper to 1/8 teaspoon. Or optionally cut out the cumin.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Prepared by Alicia

1 ea. Graham Cracker Crust (2 extra servings size)
12 oz. 1 box Mori-Nu lite Tofu (firm) pureed
8 oz Tofu Cream Cheese (Tofutti is best)
1 cup Pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1 cup Unrefined cane sugar
3 Tbs. Unbleached flour
1 ½ tsp. Ground cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground ginger
½ tsp. Ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Sea salt
¼ tsp. Baking soda

Instructions:
1. In a food processor, combine: Tofu, Cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and blend it.
2. Add flour cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda and blend some more till smooth.
3. Pour into crust and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. May want to wrap edges of crust with foil to prevent burning.
4. Cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

Edamame Salad

Recipe from Kathy of Trader Joe’s Store in Emeryville
Prepared by Carla

· 1 cup basmati brown rice, uncooked
· 1 pkg frozen shelled edamame beans (can even be found at Safeway!)
· 1 can unsweetened white cut corn
· ½ cup chopped walnuts
· 1 cup chopped celery
· 2 stalks green onion, chopped

Dressing
· 6 Tablespoons canola oil
· 3 T. red wine vinegar
· ½ T. dried basil
· ½ T. lemon juice
· salt & pepper to taste

Cook rice in 2 cups of water until done. Cool until warm. Cook edamame as directed on package (make sure you don’t overcook). Combine all salad ingredients and toss with dressing.Good at room temperature or as a warm side dish. Enjoy!

Rocket Chili

adapted from 'Mexican Chili' from Vegetarian Tastes of Toronto
Prepared by Tammy (triple recipe, generously serves 12)

This was a work in progress recipe... I took the original recipe (serves 4), and tripled everything but the chili powder... I mistakenly used the 'hot' chili powder and although I had not put the full amount, it was incinerator hot according to my taste tester. So I 'doctored' it by draining some of the liquid, adding more water & TVP and more of the other spices, resulting in a flavored and well-seasoned chili with a kick, fire extinguisher not required. The ingredient list below represents the starting quantities that I used (already tripled)

6 tbsp tomato paste (organic, Muir Glen)
7 ½ cups of water
3 - 28 oz cans organic Muir Glen tomato products (used whole tomatoes & cut up, plus chunky tomatoes)
3 cups TVP flakes
2 ¼ c water
3 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp dired basil
3 tbsp ground cumin
6 tbsp oregano
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 - 15 oz cans of organic pinto beans
3 - 15 oz cans of organic kidney beans

Stir tomato paste into water (or you can use vegetable stock), and mix in large pot with tomatoes. Add dry TVP, water, & sugar. Add the spices, adding the chili last so you can adjust it to your taste, and bring slowly to a boil.

Add diced onion, garlic, and rinsed beans, and simmer gently for an hour.

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Prepared by Paula Rickert

This recipe serves 3-4. It was doubled for the VFP.

1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
3 tablespoons water (plus more as needed)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 large clove garlic, pressed
8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 medium carrot, julienned
½ cucumber, peeled and julienned

1. Following package directions, cook the spaghetti in boiling water until al dente. Rinse well with cold water and drain well.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and stir together until creamy and smooth.
3. Toss dressing with noodles and vegetables.
4. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Wendy’s Vegetable Tofu-Ricotta Lasagna

Prepared by Wendy

1 box whole-grain lasagna noodles (10 oz)
Prepare according to directions

20 oz firm tofu
1 – 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 tbsp lemon juice
several basil leaves (to taste)
2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves of garlic
Process in a food processor until it resembles and tastes like ricotta cheese

One large zucchini
½ bunch of spinach
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic
several basil leaves
1 cup crimini mushrooms
1 green bell pepper
Process (or shred) in food processor until desired consistency

1 can crushed tomatoes (15 oz)
One 25 oz jar of Spaghetti sauce (I use TJ’s Organic Tamato Basil Marinara)

Layer all of the above ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Macaroni and Cheese

From The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook
Prepared by Chris as well as Mary

In a funny coincidence, both Mary and Chris made the same entree, from the exact same cookbook! Here is the original recipe from the cookbook.

Cook 3 ½ cups elbow macaroni

In a saucepan, melt ½ cup margarine over low heat. Beat in ½ cup flour with a wire whisk and continue to beat over a medium flame until the mixture (called a roux) is smooth and bubbly. Whip in 3½ cups boiling water, 1½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of turmeric, beating well to dissolve the roux.

The sauce should cook until it thickens and bubbles. Then whip in ¼ cup oil and 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes.

Mix part of the sauce with the noodles and put in casserole dish, and pour a generous amount of sauce on top. Sprinkle top with paprika and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Put in broiler for a few minutes until cheeze sauce gets stretchy and crisp.

(For his preparation, Chris used organic soybean oil & organic whole wheat pasta purchased at Trader Joe's, and organic whole wheat pastry flour.)

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

from The Post Punk Kitchen
Prepared by Kim
prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 10 minutes per batch | makes 3 dozen

These are brownie-like and chewy. Be careful not to overbake them, they may seem like they aren't done after 10 minutes but they are! See the variations for Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies and Chocolate Hazelnut (or
almond or walnut or whatever) Cookies at the bottom of the directions.

Update: Ryan at Vegblog mentioned that you might want to use a hand blender to mix these instead of your hands. What can I say? We're punk we don't need no hand-mixers, but if you want to use one before adding the chips, then go for it (but you will lose punk points).

Equipment:
Baking Sheet, Blender, 2 large bowls, mixing spatula, cookie sheets

Ingredients:
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon whole flax seeds
1/2 cup soymilk
2 cups all purp flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grind the flax seeds on high in a blender until they become a powder. Add soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds or so. Set aside.

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a seperate large bowl cream together oil and sugar. Add the flax seed/soy milk mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients in batches. When it starts to get too stiff to mix with a spatula, use your hands until a nice stiff dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and mix with your hands again. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into a disc that's about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations:
For chocolate chocolate chip cherry cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with almond extract, and replace 1/2 the chocolate chips with dried cherries.

For chocolate nut cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with a nut extract (almond, walnut, what have you) and replace the chocolate chips with 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts all are good).

Recipes from Previous Vegan Food Parties