Vegan Recipes

Here are a few Vegan Recipes from the book. If you like them, buy the book and get the rest!

• Chocolate Zuchinni Bread (as seen in the video)
• California Carrot Soup (available in the book)
• Faux Cheese Sauce (available in the book)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Two loaves of bread, about 8-10 servings each (depending on how hungry the vegans are)

The key to making zucchini bread that isn't soggy is to press the grated zuke in between towels. We generally lay a big cutting board on the counter, put a (cloth) towel on it, then a layer of paper towels. Spread out the grated zuke on the paper towels, and then add another layer of paper towels on top. Put another towel on top of that and then another big cutting board. (Most vegans have a lot of cutting boards!) Then put a bunch of big heavy books on top.

While you're mixing everything up, the zucchini, releases the moisture into the towels. When you are ready to add the zuke to the mix, undo the pile and dump it into the bowl.

Ingredients

• 3 "eggs" worth of egg replacer
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup soymilk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1.  Grate and press zucchini as described above.

2.  Chop the walnuts and spray two 9" x 5" pans with cooking oil.

3.  Beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, soymilk and sugar.

4.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cocoa.

5.  Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and mix together.

6.  Stir in the zuke and walnuts.

7.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top (if desired).

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Makes 2 loaves (10 servings each). Per serving: 262 calories, 11g fat, 5g protein, 38g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 266mg sodium. Thanks to Marilyn Wadum, RD, of Methodist Hospital (Omaha), A Fare of the Heart program, for analyzing the nutritional content.

California Carrot Soup

About 4 main-dish bowls, or 6-8 smaller servings.

For this soup, there’s about 10 minutes of peeling and chopping work, but after that it’s just simmering and blending. An immersion blender makes this recipe go even more quickly.

You can make this soup ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to three days. Just make sure to heat it well before serving. If you want to try something fancy, you can swirl a teaspoon of vegan sour cream into each bowl right before serving.

In case you haven’t used one before, an immersion blender is a device with a long handle and a small circular blade at the bottom. It’s  great tool to make your cooking life easier. You just put the wand in the soup, flip the switch, and blend right in the pot. The soup might not be quite as silky smooth as the kind you liquefy in the blender, but it’s still good, and there’s a lot less cleanup.

Ingredients

• 8 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated orange peel)
• 1 juice of an orange
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 5-8 fresh basil leaves

1.   Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, and cook the onions over medium heat until they are translucent.

2.   Add the carrots, and stir for 2 minutes.

3.   Add the potatoes, and stir for 2 more minutes.

4.   Add the orange zest, garlic, ginger, and basil. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so nothing sticks.

5.   Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables, and simmer covered for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

6.   Stir the orange juice and brown sugar into the mixture.

7.   Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth, or use an immersion blender right in the pot.  Add more a little more water if the soup is too thick.

8.   Serve very hot.

Faux Cheese Sauce

Makes about 2 cups.

Once again we use the “jar method” to blend the tahini, flour, and water together. This recipe actually doesn’t call for any vegan cheeses, since we devised it years ago before vegan cheeses were widely available. If you want a cheesier version, add about 1/4 cup grated vegan cheese. And yes, it works great as a sauce for macaroni, if you yearn for that kiddie mac and cheese experience.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons oat flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 tablespoon tahini

1.   Put flour, tahini and water in a jar. Cover, and shake vigorously until the tahini is dissolved.

2.   Put the mixture in a small saucepan and heat on medium.

3.   Stir in the remaining ingredients until mixture begins to bubble.

4.   Turn heat to low and continue stirring until sauce thickens