The vegan bachelor - brunch edition

I have only seen my friend prepare food on rare occasions.  She owns 1 pan, I think.  I don't know if she has cooking utensils.  Mostly, she eats take out.  She describes it as eating like a "vegan bachelor".

So I have been putting together a repertoire of easy, fast, relatively cheap recipes.

This is a breakfast that the vegan bachelor has dubbed "Cinnamonnummies", (pronounced as Nemo pronounces anemone).

Easy and delicious.

Cinnamonnummies.

Cinnamonummies Ingredients:

1 Package of crescent rolls (most are vegan)
2Tbsp (approx.) EarthBalance "butter" (melted)
Sugar
Cinnamon


Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp almond milk (start with 1, add more if you want it thinner)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cinnamonummies Preparation:

1. Unroll crescent rolls onto cooking sheet.
2. Paint with melted "butter".
3. sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon.
4. Roll up and bake according to package
5. After they cool for a few minutes, drizzle them with glaze.  
 

 

The Vegan Bachelor (volume 2)

I have only seen my friend prepare food on rare occasions.  She owns 1 pan, I think.  I don't know if she has cooking utensils.  Mostly, she eats take out.  She describes it as eating like a "vegan bachelor".

So I have been putting together a repertoire of easy, fast, relatively cheap recipes.

This combination of prepackaged foods takes less than 5 minutes and requires no prep.  And the packages dont need to be refrigerated beforehand, so I keep them in my car, my desk at work, etc, so I always have something on hand to make when I have a microwave handy.


Easy Indian Cuisine:  potatoes, chickpeas and rice.

Easy Indian Cuisine Ingredients:


TastyBite microwaveable package Bombay Potatoes
1 package microwaveable basmati rice (especially amazing with Target's saffron rice with cashews).

Burrito Preparation:

1. Microwave each package one at a time.
2. Pour potatoes over rice.
3. Make coworkers wildly jealous.

Total Time:  3 minutes, serves 1-2

Corn Chowder

I combined the creamy cauliflower base from a Post Punk Kitchen recipe with my own explorations in corn chowder making from college.  Its a good summer food, when the corn is fresh, and I usually serve with fresh bread.  Rosemary olive oil bread from whole foods made a nice combination.

Corn Chowder Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florettes
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Big pinch fresh thyme
Lots of black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 ears fresh sweet corn, uncooked and scraped from the cob with a paring knife
1 to 2 cups diced golden potatoes
1/2 diced sweet onion
1 diced red pepper
1/2 cup (more or less) of unsweetened almond milk
Fake bacon



Corn Chowder Preparation:

1. Preheat a 4 quart stock pot over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil for about a minute, being careful not to let it burn. 
2. Add cauliflower, 3 cups of broth (alert! only 3 of the cups! you’ll be adding the last cup in a bit), salt, thyme and several dashes fresh black pepper. Cover pot and bring to a boil, stirring every now and again for about 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
3. Vigorously mix together the final cup of broth and the cornstarch until dissolved. 
4.  Lower heat a bit so that the soup is at a slow boil. Mix in the broth/cornstarch and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened. stirring often. 
5. Remove from heat. Use a blender to puree until smooth. Taste for salt and seasoning.
6. Return to the stove over medium heat and add the potatoes, corn, and onion, cover and let cook for until tender. 
7. Add the red pepper and almond milk and cook until red pepper is tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve with crumbled fake bacon, or bacon bits, on top.

PPK Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

I didn't actually need to modify this incredibly easy and deeply satisfying recipe for my favorite summer sweet from Post Punk Kitchen for strawberry rhubarb pie.  I only note that 1.  it really is juicy and doesn't hold shape terribly well (may be better as a strawberry rhubard crisp?), and 2.  I had so much filling that it made two whole pies.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Ingredients:

1 unbaked single pie crust

Filling:
3 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 cups strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Combine all of the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients for the topping. Drizzle in the margarine and use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine, just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs.
4. Add filling to the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb topping. Cover loosely with tin foil and poke a few holes in the foil to let steam escape.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes at 425 F. Lower heat to 350 F, and remove the tin foil. Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, filling should be bubbling and the crumb topping should be golden. Place on a cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Asopao de gandules

Last summer, I spent a month living in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I lived right down the street from a restaurant called Bebo's Cafe.  The decor was reminiscent of a hospital cafeteria.  But the food was incredible.  Very few tourists went there, and they served traditional Puerto Rican cuisine that appealed to the local residents.

My favorite was a rich chicken stew unique (I believe) to Puerto Rico, called Asopao De Pollo.
Over the last year, I have failed to make a version that I liked, partially due to not being able to find good sofrito (a sort of liquidy garlicy spice mixture), and largely due to the fact that all the recipes I found called for a large amount of green olives and capers.  I really dislike both.

So here is my successful attempt to make a modified vegan version of a traditional Puerto Rican dish.  (Puerto Rican food isn't very spicy, so you may find you need to add some spices if that's what you like.  And by all means, add olives.  Just don't offer me any.)

Asopao de Gandules, modified from this recipe from whats4eats.com.

Asopao de Gandules Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Rice
6 cups Water
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 small sweet Onion, finely chopped
1 Green pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Oregano
1 can diced tomato, not drained
1 can pigeon peas (gandules), drained (check the latin foods section.  I found them at walmart).
1/2 cup Dried lentils
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
2 Tbls fresh thyme
2 packets Sazon (Goya has MSG in it, but you can find other brands that do not, like Badia)
Salt and pepper (or adobo, or mrs. dash) to taste

Asopao de Gandules Preparation:

1. Mix the rice and water together in a large bowl and let it soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer to cook down somewhat, 5-7 minutes. Then stir in the rice and its soaking water and the pigeon peas, lentils, cilantro, thyme, sazon, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice and lentils are cooked through. Add water as necessary to keep asopao stew-like (I added 2-3 cups over the course of cooking). Adjust seasoning and serve.