Vegetable Pot Pie

I wouldn’t consider this recipe a health food by any means, but I would definitely say it has a way of making life a little better. It warms the insides and is a good, hearty favorite when you are feeling down. Thus, I decided to make it: The weather here in San Francisco is chilly and deserving of a classic warm meal.

For crust:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
½ cup water
⅔ cup shortening

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Once well combined, add shortening and beat with a hand mixer, on low, until the mixture is crumbled. Slowly add water while mixing with a spoon or rubber spatula. You may not need the full ½ cup of water; The mixture will be tacky but you will be able to form a ball with it. The mixture should not be watery.

Split the dough in half, making two separate balls. With one, roll it out to fit the bottom AND the sides of your pie dish. Set other ball aside. (I like to put the remaining dough in the fridge so it doesn’t sit in the warm kitchen getting gooey!)

For filling:
2 tbsp EVOO
1 Medium-Sized Red Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup diced celery
3 red potatoes, cubed
½ cup chopped white mushrooms
½ tbsp parsley
2 tsp nutritional yeast
2 Cups Water
1 tsp turmeric
½ black pepper
1 tbsp arrowroot
2 tbsp unbleached flour

Preheat oven, 350 degrees.

In a large skillet on medium heat, add chopped onions and minced garlic with the EVOO. Heat until translucent.

Add carrot and celery and cook until vegetables are tender, not mushy. Then you can add the mushrooms and red potato. I like to add these last because I like my vegetables to retain firmness before going into the oven- the potatoes and mushrooms will retain the seasoning better this way.

Once your potatoes start to become tender, add the water, parsley, turmeric, black pepper, and nutritional yeast. Simmer for about two minutes. Add the arrowroot  and flour (this acts as a thickening agent.) Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

Add your filling to the pie crust. The filling will heap in the center. Roll out the remaining pie crust dough, and place on top. Pinch the edges of the top crust to the crust from the sides.

Cook until golden brown and flaky, 35-40 minutes.

Let the pie cool for about five minutes before cutting into it. I made the mistake of diving in right away and got a crumbled (yet still delicious) mess on my plate!

Enjoy!

Taco Tuesday

My husband and I have a favorite meal. Luckily for myself, it's simple yet delicious every time. Plus, there are so many different ways to prepare it. Tacos. Tacos in many shapes and sizes. Living in San Francisco has only fueled our obsession as there are so many amazing taquerias.

With that being said, expect many variations of tacos on a series that will be running for the next few months: TACO TUESDAY.  

Tofu Tacos with Cabbage and Jalapeño Relish

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu
1 tbsp olive oil

Taco Seasoning:
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
a pinch of salt

Cabbage and Jalapeño Relish:
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
2 Jalapeños, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:
Drain tofu and cut into 8 strips. Before cooking the tofu, it is best to press the water from it, in order for proper texture and seasoning to occur. To press the tofu, place a stack of paper towels on a plate and lay the tofu strips across the paper towel. Then layer another stack of paper towel on top of the tofu, and weigh it down with a heavy-bottomed skillet. Allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes, the pressure of the pan will give enough weight to press the water out of the tofu. After the 15 minutes, the tofu should be moist, however yield no drainage when pressure is applied.

While the tofu is being pressed, mix the taco seasoning spices in a small bowl. 

Discard the paper towel and then cut the strips of tofu into cubes.

Toss the tofu in the taco seasoning until well-coated. In a large skillet on medium heat, heat the olive oil just until it starts to pop, reduce heat to low and add the tofu.

While the tofu is cooking, mix together the ingredients for the cabbie and jalapeño relish. Cook the tofu on low heat, stirring often to avoid burning, until golden brown and firm. 

Serve the cabbage and jalapeño relish with the tofu on fresh corn tortillas with your favorite taco additions! I enjoy a salsa and daiya cheese. The ones pictured above are served with spinach and sweet potatoes.  

What's your favorite taco topping?

Veggie Noodles with Light Basil Pesto

Lately I've been experimenting with making pasta out of vegetables. Blame it on my attempts to cut down on bready carbs, or simply on obsession with my julienne slicer. ​

Some of my favorite veggies to make into noodles are zucchini and carrots.​ Pictured to the left, the noodles are tossed with a fresh basil pesto.

This pesto, is light AND vegan. Made with a cashew parmesan cheese, the pesto tastes great on pasta, or even mixed into a chickpea salad. 

Basil Pesto:​
2 cups (packed) fresh basil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cashew parmesan
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

​Method: pulse in a food processor until well combined and smooth. 

Zucchini and Carrot Pasta "Noodles":
2 zucchini
2 carrots
1/2 tbsp salt

Method: Slice vegetables using a julienne slicer/peeler. (The one I have been using can be bought here.) After the vegetables are peeled, place in a colander in the sink and rinse with warm, running water for a few seconds until well saturated. Once the water has drained, sprinkle them with the salt. 
Then, allow the vegetables noodles to sit in the colander for about 20-25 minutes. This is how the veg will develop a noodle-like texture. 

At this point, the vegetable noodles can be served cold or if preferred, you can add them to a pot of boiling water for about 3-5 minutes to give them a spaghetti temperature. Bear in mind, if you leave them in the pot too long, you could overheat giving the vegetables a soggy texture.​

Hope you enjoy!

What ways will you use your veggie noodles?​

Cashew Parmesan

I love my cheeses but more recently I've been attempting to cut them out of my diet little by little. This is a personal choice simply on the way cheese makes me feel after. I love the way it tastes, don't get me wrong, but after eating most dairy I begin to feel tired and weighed down.

In my attempts to cut-down on my dairy intake, I've been experimenting quite a bit with cheese substitutes. Sure, there are plenty of store-bought options, however a lot of those contain many preservatives. One great substitute has been nuts. Especially cashews. Nuts give the heartiness of cheese and in many cases can be more flavorful—adapting with the foods that they are combined.

​I use this in a lot of my recipes. It's fairly simple to make and lasts quite a while stored in an air-tight container. 

1 cup raw cashews
6 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp salt

​Spread cashews on a large baking sheet so they are not overlapping. Bake the cashews in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, stirring and turning halfway through the timing. 

Immediately move cashews to a bowl and allow to cool. Once they are cool enough to the touch toss the cashews in a coarse salt until well-coated. In a food processor, combine nutritional yeast and cashews, pulsing until crumbled.​

Enjoy your cashew parmesan as a topping on pastas and salads, or even use it in a pesto sauce! ​

Chickpea Hash

​1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tbsp. dried chives
1 egg or egg replacer
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 chopped red onion
4 baby red potatoes, cubed w/ skins
1 1/2 tbsp. white truffle oil
Pepper to taste ( I used cubeb pepper)

In a large skillet, add truffle oil and garlic on medium heat until the oil becomes fragrant and garlic has browned, then add the onions. Onions should be cooked in the oil until they are slightly transparent and thinned.

Turn heat down to low to reduce the popping of the garlic and oil.Add cubed red potatoes and cook until the potatoes yield to gentle pressure and are slightly browned, about ten minutes. 

While the potatoes are cooking, drain and rinse your can of chickpeas. Chickpeas (once drained) should still hold some moisture- do not pat dry. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a potato-masher to squish chickpeas. They do not need to be completely mashed! If some chickpeas are still intact, that's ok!

Crack an egg into the mixture or add your preferred egg replacer. When cooking, I prefer ground flaxseed. (1 tbsp. ground flaxseed to 3 tbsp. water is the equivalent of one egg) Add the parsley and chives to the mixture. Stir until well combined. 

Once the potatoes have slightly browned, add the chickpea mixture to the skillet. Cook the hash for another five-ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The chickpea mixture will become golden brown. Remove from heat and top the mixture with pepper to taste. 

Served over top was a salsa I made using ​half of a diced heirloom tomato and one green chili pepper and a dash of lemon juice. (Really! That's it! and it tastes great!)