The recipe thread...

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Simple Tofu Scramble

250g block tofu(I use cauldron 'cos it crumbles really well so it's ideal for scrambles!)
One onion, diced
1 heaped tsp turmeric
4 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
6 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste

-saute the onion in 4 tbsp olive oil in a pan over a high heat
-crumble the tofu in with your fingers
-sprinkle the turmeric and nutritional yeast over the top, then the other 2 tbsp olive oil, then stir till it's well absorbed
-stir-fry for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, then serve over toast and sprinkle with sea salt

Creamy mushroom sauce
(serves 1-2)
150g mushrooms, sliced(I used button, but most varieties would do I think)
15g vegan margarine(I used Pure)
1 clove of garlic, crushed (or equivalent garlic paste)
8 tbsp soya cream(I used Granose Soya Creem)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

- fry the mushrooms and garlic with the margarine in a pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cooked through

-add the soya cream, nutmeg, salt and black pepper, and simmer for a few minutes, then serve

~serve this over some stir-fried tofu, or over pasta, or with a baked potato, or whatever you like! ~

Chilli
(serves 2-4)

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
75g textured vegetable protein
1 stock cube, dissolved in 100ml boiled water
1 can chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
3/4- 1 heaped tsp chilli powder(to taste)
1 pinch curry powder
1 square high cocoa content dark chocolate or 1 tsp pure cocoa
optional vegetables (you could use chopped mushrooms, jalapeno peppers(sparingly! They're hot, so cut the chilli powder content!) or bell peppers)
Top Tip!- if someone you’re cooking for is a spice wimp and doesn't like their chilli quite so burn-the-roof-of-mouth-and-make-eyes-water hot as the others, the solution to this, is to move their milder portion of the chilli to a seperate pot once you've cooked it, then add extra spice to the other pot, then let simmer separately. Just remember which one’s which!

-saute onion and garlic (and vegetables if using) in olive oil until transparent
-add tin of chopped tomatoes, vegetable protein, kidney beans, tomato puree, stock, chilli and curry powders, and chocolate, and bring to the boil, simmer for 15 mins and serve!
~ideal served with rice, tortillas or other grains~
~alternatively, omit tvp, use only 15ml of boiled water to dissolve stock cube, and use a drained can of chickpeas or other beans, to make a bean chilli~

"Cheese" sauce
(serves 4)
This works best in bakes- see serving suggestions

115g vegan margarine
55g cornflour
285ml hot water
570ml unsweetened soya milk
2 tbs soy sauce
55g nutritional yeast flakes(sold under Engevita brand name in health food stores)
pinch of sea salt and black pepper
-melt marge in a large saucepan
-add cornflour, water and soya milk, keep stirring (so it doesn't go lumpy!) over a low heat till thickened and bring to the boil
-add soya sauce, yeast, salt and pepper

~make a macaroni pasta bake by covering 350g pasta(cooked), sprinkling some more yeast and/or breadcrumbs on top, and heating in 180 C oven for 20-25 mins... alternatively you could make a cauliflour and broccoli bake or layer with lasagne sheets and the bolognese sauce to make a lasagne~

Coffee Pecan cake
300g SR flour
200g sugar
100g pecans (60g in pieces for cake, 40g to garnish)
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
6floz oil
4 tsp instant coffee in 1/pt boiled water, left to cool
-sift dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, then add 60g of the pecan pieces
-add wet ingredients and mix well, then pour into a greased cake tin
-bake at 190 C for 40 mins
-leave to cool, then turn out and ice, then garnish with remaining pecans.
~make 12 cupcakes by using 200g SR flour, 135g sugar, 40g pecan pieces, 1tsp nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 4floz oil and 3tsp coffee in 200ml boiling water, and bake for just 25-30mins. Ice cupcakes with icing sugar mixed with cold coffee instead of water, and garnish with pecans~

For coffee icing

50g vegan margarine
4 tbsp coffee
175g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence or flavour
- melt marge over a gentle heat, then add other ingredients and mix thoroughly, then leave to cool
-beat with an electric mixer or whisk, then spread over cake.

Thanks for sharing.

My main recipe consists of mixing hummus with anything. I use it as a cheese substitute. I put in on bread, mix it with rice, mix it with pasta. Or I mix it with any vegetables.

I make a green bean casserole with it. (green beans, kidney beans, mushrooms, hummus, sauteed onions, french fried onions...) Etc.

There's a movie called Don't Mess with the Zohan (Adam Sandler) where he uses hummus like this. Dips a candy bar in it at the beginning and finally puts out a fire in a building with a huge vat of it at the end.

Actually it took 5 years but I'm finally getting a little tired of hummus.

I was inspired to find out more about Panch Phoron, after reading the interesting letter about it, which was printed in the latest copy of Vegan Views.

I like spices, it's nice to have extra things to play with in the kitchen and spices are abundant in variety.

Quote :

[Panch Phoron] is a spice blend used in Bangladesh and Eastern India, especially in Bengali, Assamese, and Oriya cuisine. In Assamese and Bengali, panch phoran, and in Oriya, panch phutana, literally mean "five spices", referring to the following ingredients:

* Fenugreek (মেথি methi)
* Nigella seed (কালো জিরা kalo jira)
* Mustard seed (rai or শরষে shorshe) or radhuni in Bengal
* Fennel seed (সঁওফ saunf or মৌরি mouri)
* Cumin seed (জিরা jira)

Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_phoron

I had a look with Google to find an intriguing recipe, and found this one -

Quote :

PAN-ROASTED POTATOES WITH PANCH PHORON

This is one of the basic ways of cooking vegetables in eastern India. The
vegetables are first cooked in a broth scented with Panch Phoron and
then pan-roasted. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, are
particularly well suited to this technique but you can use any seasonal
vegetables, remembering to adjust the cooking time. For great flavor
and color use purple or Yukon Gold potatoes. For a hotter dish, stir in
1 teaspoon chopped chiles or 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper with the
Panch Phoron.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Panch Phoron
1 1/2 pounds small waxy or new potatoes, left whole or halved
1/4 teaspoon powdered asafetida or minced garlic
Coarse salt and black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add
the Panch Phoron and saute until the spices turn several shades darker.
Add the potatoes and sprinkle with asafetida.
Fry the potatoes, turning and tossing until evenly coated with spices and
lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and bring to a
boil. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender,
about 20 minutes. Uncover and pan-roast until the excess moisture has
evaporated and the potatoes are browned.
Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Source :
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/panchphoron.html

I feel that someday I shall try blending this myself, Panch Phoron....
It will be a fun experiment.

I bought a pressure cooker and have been making some very simple things. White beans with a couple vegetable cubes. Red kidney beans with vegetable cubes, tomato sauce and a touch of garlic.

Fresh garlic makes such a difference by the way. But my wife says my breath is atrocious. So I usually don't use it.

I'm surprised at how satified I feel by these two meals though. In past I wouldn't have been. Maybe I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing down.

People assume they'll get awful gas just eating in such a manner. But I've none. It's a matter of eating such long enough that your body adjusts.

The pressure cooker was a good buy. It can otherwise be a pain to get the beans to easily soften. I've never been able to bother with soaking them overnight. I used to live at 7000 feet altitude and damm, I wish I had bought a pressure cooker then. As at that altitude here and there I futilely tried to make lentils, etc. And the temperature of boiliing was so reduced that even after 2 hours they were still kind of hard. With the pressure cooker I just let them go, and come back in an hour, and even chickpeas are nice and soft.

I also bought canning jars. Was hoping to can hummus but most of what I've read online says I can't. I don't really want to risk my life. But it really seems that I ought to be able to can hummus with a pressure cooker.