Saturday, August 28, 2004
Mushroom, Black bean, and Spinach Burritos
"Burrito" or small burro isn't a worthy appellation for this hardy interpretation of Mexico's favorite wrap.
Ingredients
1 large white onion, diced
8 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tbls vegetable oil
1/2 lb fresh spinach
1 tsp garlic, diced
1 can black beans, drained
1/4 Cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
4 ounces of soy pepper jack cheese
4 fresh tortillas
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
Preparation
In a heavy pan heat vegetable oil and saute diced onion, garlic and mushroom until slightly browned. Add the drained black beans, water, cumin, salt and spinach, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Divide the filling between 4 tortillas and top with pepper jack cheese. Wrap the tortilla, place the burritos in an oven safe baking dish, coat with sauce and cook covered for 1/2 hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
serves 2
vegan
Ingredients
1 large white onion, diced
8 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tbls vegetable oil
1/2 lb fresh spinach
1 tsp garlic, diced
1 can black beans, drained
1/4 Cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
4 ounces of soy pepper jack cheese
4 fresh tortillas
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
Preparation
In a heavy pan heat vegetable oil and saute diced onion, garlic and mushroom until slightly browned. Add the drained black beans, water, cumin, salt and spinach, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Divide the filling between 4 tortillas and top with pepper jack cheese. Wrap the tortilla, place the burritos in an oven safe baking dish, coat with sauce and cook covered for 1/2 hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
serves 2
vegan
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Thursday, August 26, 2004
Onion mushroom pot stew
excerpt from: A Vegetarian Cooks' Book, The Green Cutting Board, 2004
Yes, we know this looks like onion soup, but trust us, the mushrooms and flour make it a hearty 'noreaster' stew.
Ingredients
1/2 baguette, 6-3/4" slices
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls soy spread
1 large white onion sliced
1/2 lb button mushrooms quartered
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup red wine
2 Tbls flour
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 ounces soy mozzarella
Preparation
Coat the baguette slices on one side with olive oil and toast until golden brown, set aside.
Melt soy spread in a heavy pot on the stove top to carmelize the onion. Add garlic, mushrooms and vegetable paste, cover and cook at medium heat until the mushrooms give up their moisture and create a sauce. Add wine and reduce by 1/2.
Dissolve 2 Tbls of flour in cold water, add fresh ground pepper, stir out the lumps and add to the mushroom mixture. Cook 20 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened.
Place 1 toasted baguette topped with a slice of mozzarella in the bottom of an oven proof bowl, cover with onion/mushroom soup and cook uncovered for 20 minutes at 385 degrees Fahrenheit. Garnish with toasted bread slices and serve hot.
serves 2
vegan
Yes, we know this looks like onion soup, but trust us, the mushrooms and flour make it a hearty 'noreaster' stew.
Ingredients
1/2 baguette, 6-3/4" slices
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls soy spread
1 large white onion sliced
1/2 lb button mushrooms quartered
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup red wine
2 Tbls flour
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 ounces soy mozzarella
Preparation
Coat the baguette slices on one side with olive oil and toast until golden brown, set aside.
Melt soy spread in a heavy pot on the stove top to carmelize the onion. Add garlic, mushrooms and vegetable paste, cover and cook at medium heat until the mushrooms give up their moisture and create a sauce. Add wine and reduce by 1/2.
Dissolve 2 Tbls of flour in cold water, add fresh ground pepper, stir out the lumps and add to the mushroom mixture. Cook 20 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened.
Place 1 toasted baguette topped with a slice of mozzarella in the bottom of an oven proof bowl, cover with onion/mushroom soup and cook uncovered for 20 minutes at 385 degrees Fahrenheit. Garnish with toasted bread slices and serve hot.
serves 2
vegan
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Sunday, August 15, 2004
Southern Comfort/ Peach Crisp
excerpt from: A Vegetarian Cooks' Book, The Green Cutting Board, 2004
Ingredients
1 Ripe peach pealed and sliced
2 Plums sliced
1 Tin Pillsbury Original crescent rolls
2 Tbls soy spread
1/2 Cup brown sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375
unroll dough on a non-stick baking pan
coat with soy spread and brown sugar
place sliced peaches and plums alternating in rows
bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown
serves 4
vegan
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Thursday, August 12, 2004
In Hurricane Charley's sights
In the box with two hurricanes approaching Florida's west coast, the first time on record that has happened, anywhere, it seems like a good time to do what all good journals do and publish a community advisory, so here goes.
Let me begin by telling you that I've lived and worked on the Gulf Coast now for 8 years and this is our fourth hurricane advisory. That being said I still am not entirely sure what it means. Our County is for the most part at sea level with Florida's densest population and a peninsula with only one major land road to the mainland evacuation is an unlikely option.
In years past a few major storms have touched this part of the gulf coast as they have virtually every other state on the Gulf of Mexico. It comes as no surprise then that locals tend to take storm warnings seriously and make preparations accordingly. Old timers warn of a repeat of the big one in 1935 or the suddenness of the "no name" storm in 93 which killed 26 people in Florida and caused more damage to the US east coast than Andrew.
Storm surge is the heart of the matter. Ocean water pushed by the storm into a bulge rapidly builds as it is squeezed between the storm from behind and the rising sea floor. A two foot swell can quickly rise to 12 feet or more as it breaks over the shore line and onto land. Millions of tons of water moving at upwards of 40 miles an hour rapidly overwhelm and destroy anything in its path. Storm surge is also the least predictable of all aspects of a hurricane, even a miss on land can result in a hit by the surge if tides and wind conditions are right.
As to what constitutes cautionary reaction to a hurricane threat? Obviously,
pay attention to weather warnings and storm predictions. The last 5 years have seen a quantum advance in technology. Fixed earth watch satellites and computer modeling now provide increasingly accurate storm path predictions, but remember that a prediction is just that. At 200 plus miles a variance from center by 70 miles in either direction is equally likely to be the strike zone. At 140 miles the target is wider than the Florida peninsula. At this moment as "Charley moves on shore in Cuba the mouth off Tampa Bay is 200 miles north and dead center the predicted storm path, Bottom line, we'll know better tomorrow.
It's 3:16 in the afternoon and County authorities just ordered the mandatory evacuation of 675,000 residents by 6 PM this evening. In other words the entire county and a good portion of Tampa proper. Our county has a little over 70,000 capacity in shelters and none of those accept companion animals. Authorities urge residents to shelter evacuees in private homes not in the flood area.
A final note regarding the other hurricane, "Bonnie." Bonnie has, within the last hour, gone ashore in the panhandle of Florida and is sending waves of rain into our area 200 miles to the south. These are huge storms even at category 2 and not to be taken lightly. Good night and we'll publish an update tomorrow.
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Sunday, August 01, 2004
Key lime pie, not just for vegan conchs
Conch (pronounced "konk"), a resident of the Florida Keys
Key lime (small, tart, green lime)
vegan (...no animal or dairy products)
Key Lime Pie
excerpt from:A Vegetarian Cooks' Book, The Green Cutting Board, 2004
Ingredients
1 can sweetened condensed soya milk*
1/2 cup key lime juice (bottled is fine)
8 oz soy cream cheese
1/2 cup dissolved agar agar (allow to cool slightly)
1 8" graham cracker crust (use vegan version)
1/2 pint soy creamer
1 1/2 Tbls vegan sugar (for the whipped cream)
Preparation
Blend milk and cream cheese until smooth. Add cooled agar agar and lime juice, mix thoroughly. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate overnight. Top with vegan whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.
Serves 6
vegan
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*Sweetened Condensed Soya Milk
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 cup instant soya milk powder (not the kind that needs boiling)
("Better Than Milk" works great)
2/3 cup white vegan sugar
3 tablespoon non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1/3 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Mix the soya milk powder and vegan sugar in a bowl
2. Melt the margarine into the water
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
4. Beat with an electric mixer 2 minutes
5. Refrigerate overnight
6. Keeps 1 week refrigerated
Makes the equivalent of 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.
Key lime (small, tart, green lime)
vegan (...no animal or dairy products)
excerpt from:A Vegetarian Cooks' Book, The Green Cutting Board, 2004
Ingredients
1 can sweetened condensed soya milk*
1/2 cup key lime juice (bottled is fine)
8 oz soy cream cheese
1/2 cup dissolved agar agar (allow to cool slightly)
1 8" graham cracker crust (use vegan version)
1/2 pint soy creamer
1 1/2 Tbls vegan sugar (for the whipped cream)
Preparation
Blend milk and cream cheese until smooth. Add cooled agar agar and lime juice, mix thoroughly. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate overnight. Top with vegan whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.
Serves 6
vegan
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*Sweetened Condensed Soya Milk
compliments, Veg Web
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 cup instant soya milk powder (not the kind that needs boiling)
("Better Than Milk" works great)
2/3 cup white vegan sugar
3 tablespoon non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1/3 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Mix the soya milk powder and vegan sugar in a bowl
2. Melt the margarine into the water
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
4. Beat with an electric mixer 2 minutes
5. Refrigerate overnight
6. Keeps 1 week refrigerated
Makes the equivalent of 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.
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