Inari Sushi

In college I met a couple from Japan that were here studying business. They were such awesome, kind, and funny people and we became close friends. We would spend afternoons cooking for each other and sharing our favorite foods. Ever since then, Japanese food has been a favorite of ours. We love ramen, kinpira, sushi (veggie for me), seaweed, kabocha squash (a small Japanese pumpkin), and burdock root. Every now and then, when I am especially missing my friend (they moved back to Japan after graduation), I cook some of the recipes that she shared with me. The flavors bring me right back to the time we spent together.

Inari sushi is one of those dishes. It is very simple, yet  really captures that umami flavor with the right balance of sweet, savory, and salty. Granted, this is more of an idea or technique than a recipe as it is so simple and the directions are on the seasoned tofu package, but it really is such a yummy vegan food, that I had to share.

You can find seasoned fried tofu at King Soopers, and below I linked to the one that I buy. About once a year, I go to the Pacific Mercantile in Denver. It is a grocery store specializing in Japanese foods and goods. I love it there. I always stock up on sushi rice, seasoned tofu, dried mushrooms, pickled ginger, and gomashio. Their prices are about half of what I find buying these specialty items at regular grocery stores. If you have a speciality grocery store like this near you, it really can be worth the trip. If you end up paying more, think of it in terms of the cost of the dinner. Even with $7.00 for the seasoned tofu, that I don't know how to make at home, plus the cost of rice and vinegar, isn't too much for dinner.

Inari Sushi (Vegan)

Ingredients:

Two cups sushi rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
Seasoned fried tofu
Optional toppings: pickled ginger, gomashio, or toasted sesame seeds, wasabi mixed in soy sauce is also very yum!

Directions:

First, you need to measure out your rice and put it into the saucepan or rice cooker. Then add enough cold water to cover the rice. Swirl the rice around in the water a few times to rinse it. You will see the water get white and cloudy. Drain of the water, and repeat until the water runs clear. My Japanese friend Noriko showed me this, and said she would never cook rice without this step. It makes the grains of rice not stick to each other.

Then add the 2 1/2 cups of water to cook the rice. Just cook it according to the package directions.

Once your rice is cooked, fluff it with a large (preferably wooden) spoon and let it start to cool off. You want it to be more warm than hot.

Next you add the rice wine vinegar and toss again to distribute well.

Finally, drain the tofu and open them to be like little pockets. Usually, one side it open to separate the two sides and one side is sealed. Then put a couple of tablespoons of rice in each one. That's it, add any toppings that you like. Super delicious and really easy.

Better Pumpkin Bread

Last year I created a recipe for better banana bread that had healthier swaps for the sugar, flour, and margarine. The results were amazing as it was still moist and delicious, but much healthier than the original version.

This morning, while researching pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins, I decided to make a better pumpkin bread. Typical pumpkin bread recipes have a lot of sugar (often 1 1/2 cups per loaf, which is about 1/8 cup of sugar per serving)! This better pumpkin bread is sweet too, but sweetness coming from dates and maple syrup seems a much better bargain than from cane sugar. This swap works for me, because you still get the fiber and other nutrients from the dates.

Better Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup whole dates
2 tsp water
1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin

1 cup oat flour (grind whole oats in a blender or spice grinder, until it is a fine powder)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of ground ginger

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside to thicken.

Blend the dates into a paste in a powerful blender. You may need to add a tsp or two of water depending on how moist your dates are. Add the maple syrup to the blender and blend until it is well incorporated and the dates are almost completely broken down. Next, put the date paste into a mixing bowl and add the coconut oil and brown sugar. Mix to combine well and then add the pumpkin and soured soy milk to the batter and mix again.

Now you are ready to add the dry ingredients. Add in the oat flour, whole what flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Mix until it is just combined. Fold in the raisins, if you like and then bake for 1 hour.

For 12 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 93 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  267 Calories from Fat  90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  10.0g 15%

Saturated Fat  8.1g 40%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  208mg 9%

Potassium  262mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates  44.1g 15%

Dietary Fiber  3.2g 13%

Sugars  25.6g

Protein  3.0g

Vitamin A 64% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 4% • Iron 9%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This is my son's favorite muffin. He loves it when I make these on the weekend and is happy to take them in his lunch during the week.

This is one of the few recipes where I prefer the chia seed egg replacer, because the chia seeds are reminiscent of the poppy seeds. I typically use flax seeds as a binder as they are cheaper and work very well.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin

Ingredients:

2 tbsp ground chia seeds (I use a spice/coffee grinder for this)
4 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)

1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Zest from 1 lemon

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Alternately, you can use cupcake papers to ensure they come out of the pan easily.

Zest a lemon and then juice it. Reserve the zest and measure the amount of lemon juice. Add enough water to the lemon juice to equal 6 tbsp and then stir the ground chia seeds into the lemon juice and water. Set it aside to thicken.

Pour the soy milk into a measuring cup and add the vinegar. Set that aside to curdle.

Next, cream the sugars, margarine and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Add the zest and mix to combine. Add the chia seed and water mixture to the margarine and sugar and stir well. Then add the curdled soy milk and stir again.

Now you are ready to add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Then fold in the poppy seeds. Fill your muffin tin with the batter and bake for 18 minutes.

For 12 muffins. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 57 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 182 Calories from Fat 82

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.1g 14%

Saturated Fat 1.4g 7%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 245mg 10%

Potassium 88mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 23.7g 8%

Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5%

Sugars 11.8g

Protein 2.5g

Vitamin A 7% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 6% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade C-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Pesto Pizza

Making your own pizza dough is totally worth the effort. I love getting my hands on the dough and kneading it, I love the smell of it baking, and I love the fresh taste.

This recipe does have several steps, but if you plan it out, it is totally manageable. Your hard work will be rewarded with a delicious meal at the end that is sure to impress even the most discriminating omni palette.

Right now fresh basil and tomatoes are at the peak of the growing season in Colorado and the fresh ingredients make this pizza stand out.

Vegan Pesto Pizza

Plan for the following steps:

Make the pizza dough - 24 hours ahead
Blend the pesto
Chop the veggies
Bake the pizza

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 package active dry yeast (1 tbsp)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Pizza Dough Directions:

Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to start foaming.

Next, stir in the olive oil, salt, whole wheat flour, and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. This should start to pull together into a shaggy dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured board and knead it for 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary so it doesn't stick. You are working towards a soft elastic dough that is slightly sticky. You add just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the board and that's it.

Form the dough into a ball and put it in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and turn the dough in the bowl a few times to coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm spot for an hour or two. You want it to double in size. Punch the dough down and form it into a ball again. This time cover and refrigerate the dough for 24 hours.

Pesto Ingredients:

3 cups basil
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup vegan parmesan (I prefer GoVeggie brand)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
pinch of salt

Pesto Directions:

Dump it all in a powerful blender and blend until well incorporated but not completely smooth.

Pizza Directions:

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Punch down your dough, and divide it in half. Roll out the dough on a floured board and spread the pesto over the dough. Add any other toppings of your choice; fresh tomato, onions, and mushrooms are some of my favorites. Bake in the oven on a pizza stone or cookie sheet for 12-14 minutes.

For 12 pieces. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 80 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  241 Calories from Fat  104

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  11.6g 18%

Saturated Fat  1.6g 8%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  402mg 17%

Potassium  72mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates  26.8g 9%

Dietary Fiber  1.2g 5%

Sugars  0.8g

Protein  6.9g

Vitamin A 12% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 8% • Iron 10%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Dried Plum Cookies

Oatmeal and dried plums pair up to make an oatmeal cookie that is a nice twist on the original. Add both sunflower and flax seeds, and it is a cookie that does not do too much diet damage.

These make a great afternoon snack with some cold soy milk.

Vegan Dried Plum Cookies

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground flax seeds (flax meal)
3 tbsp water
1/2 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1 cup vegan sugar
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch allspice
1/2 cup chopped dried plums
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your cookie sheets.

Put the flax meal in a small bowl and add the 3 tbsp of water. Mix well and let sit while you start the cookie dough. It will thicken up and work as a binder in the cookies.

First, combine the wet ingredients which are the margarine, sugar, molasses, and vanilla. Mix or beat really well, until it is completely incorporated and light and fluffy. Add the flax meal and stir to mix it in.

Next you add the dry ingredients, so in goes the flour, oats, baking soda (press it into the palm of your hand before adding to ensure you have no clumps of soda), salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Mix in the dry ingredients until there is no more visible flour, and then fold in the chopped plums and sunflower seeds.

Roll the dough into balls and drop onto the greased cookie sheets. Lightly press the cookies to flatten them out and put them in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes.

For 20 cookies. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 36 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  134 Calories from Fat  51

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.7g 9%

Saturated Fat  0.9g 4%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  145mg 6%

Potassium  51mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates  19.6g 7%

Dietary Fiber  1.1g 4%

Sugars  10.2g

Protein  1.8g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 4%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Whole Wheat Pasta with Smoky Tahini Sauce

I have been following Bonzai Aphrodite for quite a while now, at least a couple of years. Recently, she posted a link to a raw tahini dip that "done stole her heart". After I made this dip I was hooked too. I kept imagining all the ways that I could incorporate more smoky tahini flavor into my life, and dreamed of a creamy pasta sauce. I also have Robin Robertson's cookbook, Vegan Planet. In it she has a Tahini Rotini recipe that is pretty good. I figured these two recipes could morph into something wonderful and happily they did.

This pasta is smoky, creamy and totally addictive. Okay, so it won't win any beauty contests, but a blind taste test, maybe :)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Smoky Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

13 oz whole wheat medium shells

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp liquid smoke
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 - 1 cup water (you can reserve some from cooking the pasta)
black sesame seeds (optional for serving)

Directions:

Boil the pasta in heavily salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking you can start your sauce. Melt the margarine in a non-stick pan over medium heat, and add the flour. Stir to make a paste and cook for a few minutes to brown the flour. Then add the tahini, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic powder.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix to combine. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over each serving of pasta and add some black sesame seeds to make it look pretty.

For 8 servings: nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 121 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  364 Calories from Fat  158

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  17.6g 27%

Saturated Fat  3.3g 17%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  327mg 14%

Potassium  224mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates  43.5g 15%

Dietary Fiber  8.2g 33%

Protein  13.9g

Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 11% • Iron 30%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Pumpkin Flax Oatmeal

I am starting my pumpkin obsession a bit early this year, but fall itself seems to be coming on fast. I really appreciate all the seasons, but fall just might be my favorite. I love watching the leaves turn, getting out my warmer clothes, and adding an extra blanket to my bed. The seasonal produce is also fantastic right now. My mom's garden is overloaded with cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. Mine is doing okay too, with the carrots and beets getting pretty big. 

Pumpkin is the ultimate fall flavor though, so I wanted to start enjoying it now to help usher in the season right. I really love pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but figured this would be a healthier way to get my pumpkin fix. This has high fiber, good amount of protein and iron, and a ton of vitamin A. I like to make a batch of this and heat it for breakfast during the work week. 

Pumpkin Flax Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin (plain - not the pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup water

1 cup soy milk

pinch of salt 

1 tbsp molasses

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cardamom

5 tbsp maple syrup

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

3 tbsp flax seeds

Directions:

Heat the pumpkin, water, soy milk, and salt in a saucepan over low-medium heat. When it starts to simmer, add all the other ingredients (except for the flax seeds). Stir and continue to cook for about two minutes. Take it off the heat and add the flax seeds. That is it...you've got yourself some easy peasy vegan food.

For 5 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 215 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  286 Calories from Fat  46

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.1g 8%

Saturated Fat  0.8g 4%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  67mg 3%

Potassium  445mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates  52.8g 18%

Dietary Fiber  7.2g 29%

Sugars  18.2g

Protein  8.3g

Vitamin A 153% • Vitamin C 4% Calcium 7% • Iron 24%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet