Agave Roasted Red Potatoes and Owlets

These Agave Roasted Red Potatoes are a simple yet delicious side dish suitable for any meal. Literally! You could serve these alongside some grilled tofu and a kale salad or as part of a fancy dinner party. Heck, these would be great for Thanksgiving too! They’re sweet, but not too sweet (thank you, chili powder!), and you can make them as crispy as you like.

So, this is pretty cool. About a month ago I was walking along a trail (I’m not going to say where, the reason for which I’ll explain in a minute) when I glance up into a tree and happen to see an owl. A great horned owl, to be precise. I can’t even remember the last time I had seen an owl, let alone in broad daylight, so I stood there for at least 10 minutes just watching him from a respectful distance. He was awesome.

I didn’t spot him again until 2 weeks later, this time he was with his mate! Great horned owls mate for life, which is really neat. I’ve actually become a bit of an expert on these amazing birds. For instance, did you know that their average life span in the wild is only 13 years, yet in captivity they can live for more than 28 years? It’s very sad that up to 86% of GHO deaths are caused by mankind (shooting and trapping, hit by cars, electrocuted by high power lines).

This past Sunday I was meandering by and saw the one adult owl, and as I was admiring him I saw movement just below him, where I then saw two owlets! Baby owls! So cute! This is a terrible picture that I snapped with my iphone:

It’s terribly fuzzy but you can see how the two babies are snuggled up to each other. The one on the right kind of looks like a puppy, haha.

I went back last night with my “big girl camera” (this is the dramatic part of the story)… I saw one of the adults, but no sign of the juveniles. I stayed quite far from the tree the adult was in, assuming the owlets were in the same one. I was circling it, looking for them while keeping an eye on Mama (or was it Daddy?) when allofasudden I look up and right in front of me is one of the owlets! It was so close I almost could’ve touched it! But I’m not crazy, and I saw the wings start to flap so I turned and crouched and got the heck out of there as quickly as I could. I don’t want any owl talons in me! And I felt horrible for inadvertently disturbing them. I would never have gotten so close if I realized where the birds were. From now on, I’m staying on the path!

I did manage to snap a picture though! Isn’t he beautiful!? Not sure how how old he/she is, but it’s definitely a juvenile so it must’ve been born earlier this spring.

Here’s Mama/Daddy. You don’t need to be an owl mind reader to know what he’s thinking…

In case you’re wondering why I made a point of not sharing the location of this trail, it’s because of idiots like this. You suck, Gazette.

Agave Roasted Red Potatoes (4 side servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb red potatoes
1/4 white onion
3.5 Tablespoons agave
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon+ chili powder (more to taste!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
a couple pinches of freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and cut into large bite-sized chunks. Chop the onion as well, somewhere between a dice and a chop (a large dice?) and set both aside.
In a medium bowl mix the remaining ingredients together until completely blended. Add potatoes and onions and mix until coated.
Spray an 11×17 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour in the potato mix. Bake at 375 until the taters are tender, 30-40 minutes, stirring two or three times during. Give another sprinkle of sea salt before serving.

Enjoy!

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Easy Korean BBQ Tofu and Kimchi Fried Rice

I found the original tofu recipe on Pinterest, but of course had to change it up a little bit. Perhaps you remember my Korean BBQ tacos? Or the Korean BBQ pizza? They both included Sriracha pineapples (as mentioned in the LA Weekly a while back), and I knew that my version of the Korean BBQ Tofu would have to include some of those as well. And as expected, they combined perfectly! This was my first time making Korean BBQ with tofu (I’ve always used seitan in the past), but it wont be my last. By using the extra firm and pressing it for an extra long time, you ensure the tofu will have a nice firm texture. The BBQ sauce is just a little sweet (and you’ll definitely want to use Korean, not American, BBQ sauce!) which adds a wonderful balance to the spiciness of the Sriracha pineapples.

I also finally got around to buying a bottle of vegan kimchi. I had looked for it last spring when I first got on my ‘Korean Cooking Kick’ (TY, Shawna!), but all the brands I found had some sort of fishy nastiness going on.

Not sure why it never occurred to me to check Whole Foods. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

Anyhoozle, I finally did and I got me a bottle of Zuke kimchi which is some of the best kimchi I’ve ever had. First on my list of things to make with it was Kimchi Fried Rice. Shawna is always talking about how yummy it is, so I had to try it.

And she was right. The rice had so much flavor! I know that not everyone loves the taste of kimchi, but it wasn’t overly strong in this dish.

If you’ve never tried kimchi, it’s fermented pickled vegetables. The veggies are crunchy and the flavor is a combination of sour and spicy. It also has a very pungent odor. It’s delicious, but for many is an acquired taste.

And now, the recipes!

Korean BBQ Tofu with Sriracha Pineapples (serves 2 hungry vegans)

Adapted from averie cooks

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 3 hours
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1+ Tablespoons Sriracha
1 cup Korean BBQ sauce (I always seem to use Bibigo, or make my own)
Aluminum foil and non-stick spray

Directions:

In a small tupperware, combine the pineapple and Sriracha. Cover and shake until all the pineapple is covered with sauce. Taste, and add more Sriracha as needed. If you added too much, you can rinse the pinapple and start over again! Set in the fridge until you’re ready to add it.
Slice the tofu into 8 strips, then place in a bowl with the BBQ sauce, stirring until coated. Let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, although the longer the better.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with the non-stick, then lay out the slices of tofu. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then flip and put back in for another 15. Sprinkle your Sriracha pineapples over the tofu and place under the broiler for just a couple minutes, and then you’re done!

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice (serves 2 as a side dish)

If you have some, you should definitely use leftover rice that is a day or two old. If you don’t (I didn’t), just whip up a batch of brown rice, it’ll still work!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup diced sweet onion
Sprinkle garlic powder
1 cup kimchi, chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups brown rice
Handful of chopped green onions

Directions:

Water sautee the onion (with garlic powder) 2-3 minutes, then add the kimchi. Stir well and let sit over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce and rice and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Ideally you want the rice to get a little crispy, but if it’s fresh it probably wont.
Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

There are plenty of ways to enjoy asparagus, especially now that warm weather is arriving, but I need to strongly recommend that you give Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus a try.

Or, as I like to call it, Sesaparms ‘spargus. Go on say it. It’s fun!

I made this the same night I gorged on Somer’s Vegan Orange Sesame Seitan and they went together perfectly. I feel like asparagus is the quintessential spring/summer vegetable and would go perfectly with anything, really. Grill it, roast it, steam it, boil it… you can’t go wrong!

Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

One bunch fresh asparagus
Olive oil for drizzling
S&P
Sesame seeds
Nutritional yeast

Directions:

Wash your asparagus, then chop off the woody ends at the natural breaking point (you know, where it snaps when you bend it)
Arrange on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and drizzle with just a bit of olive oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then place under the broiler (on low) for 6-8 minutes, turning once. Keep an eye on it! Don’t let it burn!
Plate the ‘gus and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and nutritional yeast, and serve while still warm.

Enjoy!

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Revisiting Old Friends

Partly because I was without a camera last weekend (when I do much of my cooking for the week ahead) and partly because I haven’t been the most inspired home cook lately, I decided to visit some old friends.

We had Cauliflower n’ Cheese twice (gawd do I love leftovers!):

I rekindled my romance with some Korean Sweet Potato Noodles:

I also whipped up some “Cheater Pho“:

And these little maple-angels also made an appearance- I only wish I had made more of them:

And that’s about it- a week of visiting with old food-friends

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Grilled Sriracha Sweet Potatoes

Sriracha + Agave may sound like a familiar combination- I’ve shared it with you before, and as good as it was with tofu it might be just a tiny bit better with sweet potatoes.
I brought these to a recent potluck, the one hosted by cattle ranchers. The one where everyone LOVED my butternut squash mac n’ cheese! I dare say these were a hit as well- I think there was just one lonely little tater slice left at the bottom of the bowl.

They’re also really delicious chopped up and added to your salad. They’re spicy though… don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Grilled Sriracha Sweet Potatoes (Serves 4 as a side)

Ingredients:

1 medium large sweet potato
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup (plus a couple extra squirts) of Sriracha
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Heat grill to medium
Wash and peel the potato, then slice into 1/2 inch thick circles
Mix sriracha and agave, and brush onto one side of the potatoes. Spray the grill, then place the potatoes brushed-side down. Leave for about 8 minutes, then brush the other side with agave-sriracha mixture and flip and leave on for another 6-8 minutes. The exact time will really depend on the temperature of your grill, so make sure to keep an eye on them. Each time I make them, I also like to pull one off and cut into it with a fork to see how soft it’s getting. Top with any extra sauce!

Enjoy!

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Pesto Pasta with Vegan Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

If you have time- please go vote for me! I entered my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas in Ethical Ocean’s Summer Recipe contest. You do need to sign up in order to vote, but it just takes a sec- and it’s actually a pretty cool website! Tons of vegan clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.

Pesto Pasta with Vegan Sausage and Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Yet another recipe originally spotted on Pinterest, destined to be veganized. So yes, if you were wondering, I do troll pinterest, looking at all the meat & dairy-infested pictures. And yes, it can be really gross and disconcerting. But! I also derive quite a bit of inspiration from it, so I suppose it’s worth it. I guess I’m just able to see past the animal products to the dish’s true potential… plus it’s really fun to veganize dishes and have them taste even better than the original

I’m pretty sure the Universe wanted me to make this: the day after I spotted the original recipe I was at the store and saw Field Roast sausages on sale, then turned the corner and saw that Brussels sprouts were also on sale! What are the chances? I stocked up on those silly little sprouts (half were destined to be smothered in tangy mustard and grilled), grabbed a package of the Apple Sage sausage (my fave!) and headed home. Then I realized I had forgotten pine nuts, so it was back to the store and then… well, I wont bore you with the details. I eventually made it home with (all of) the goods.

After trimming and blanching, I sliced the sprouts in half and grilled them on a piece of aluminum foil to make it easy, but you could certainly bake them (or grill them using a skewer)… whatever works for you. I let them get just a little crispy, which was perfect. Amazing, actually, when paired with the pesto and the sausage.

Oh that sausage! Oh those crispy Brussels!

Pesto Pasta with Vegan Sausage and Brussels Sprouts (Serves 4 at least)

Adapted from non-vegetarian/vegan recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
A couple pinches of powdered garlic
1 sheet aluminum foil, for grilling
1 lb bowtie pasta
1 package (4 links) Field Roast Apple Sage vegan sausage, sliced
1/3+ cup pesto
Pine nuts, for sprinkling if desired

Directions:

Rinse of your sprouts, then drop them into a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove immediately and place into an ice bath- this stops the cooking process.
Trim off the stem and any dark outer leaves, and slice in half and place in large bowl. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt and garlic.
Heat grill to medium, place aluminum foil over the grates and pour out the Brussels/oil mix. Leave on for about 10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. Let them get a little crispy, but don’t let them burn!!
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and lightly sautee sausage just until warm. Add to cooked pasta along with pesto and grilled Brussels. Stir well and serve sprinkled with pine nuts, if desired.

Enjoy!

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Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard

Before we get started… Ethical Ocean is hosting a Vegan Summer Recipe contest, and yours truly was invited to join- so please go vote for me! I entered my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas… Remember these? Yum!

Voting is open for 21 days, and you can vote for me once a day, and each time you’re entered in a prize drawing too! Win-win! You do need to join in order to vote, but using the link above will give you instant access (you can sign in using FB or with your email/password)

Okay, enough schilling!… back to today’s recipe!

By now you all know that I’ve become a bit of a grill master, and perhaps you’ve also noticed that I’ve already shared a couple recipes for Brussels sprouts (here and here), but none that were grilled. Until now. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to give it a try, even if that meant buying an entire bottle of stone ground mustard just for this. Of course, now I realize that I love stone ground mustard, so it wont be going to waste!

These little suckers got SO crispy and SO full of that deliciously tart mustard flavor- and the addition of sea salt was perfection. Look at the little mustard grains!

And look at the crispy char!

I wish I had made more.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard (Serves 4)

Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons stone ground/whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Rinse of your sprouts, then drop them into a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove immediately and place into an ice bath- this stops the cooking process.
Trim off the stem and any dark outer leaves, and set aside.
In a medium bowl mix the remaining ingredients (except the spray), then stir in the sprouts. Let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Place 8 wooden skewers into water to soak while the sprouts are in the fridge- this keeps them from burning on the grill.
Heat the grill to medium, divide the sprouts evenly between the skewers, then spray the grill and place the skewered sprouts.
Give the sprouts about 5-6 minutes on each side, brushing them with the remaining mustard sauce mix periodically (this part is important for maximum flavor!). Make sure they don’t burn, although you do want the outer leaves to get crispy and darkened.
Remove from the grill and let cool for just a minute, then serve immediately!

Enjoy!

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Fruity Quinoa Salad with Pecans

This is one of my favorite summer dishes, and probably my absolute favorite thing to make when serving a large group. We all know how insanely good-for-us quinoa is, and this dish combines that goodness with crisp celery, sweet apples and raisins, tangy cranberries, crunchy pecans and just a hint of cilantro. Oh, and because I made it, you know there’s some chili powder in there too

I highly recommend it for your next summer gathering or office potluck- or even just whip some up this weekend and enjoy it all next week! If you follow the directions, the apples stay crisp and fresh for days in the fridge, I promise!

Before I share the recipe though, I wanted to share some shots of the crazy storms we had last week- Thunder and lightening, rain and hail. I read that we got 4 inches in less than 3 hours on Wednesday night, and on Thursday we got hammered (literally) with ping pong sized hail. Insane!

This was the view from my front door:

(Those Salvia plants lost pretty much all their purple )

This was my view out the back door:

(those potted flowers absolutely did not make it)

And here’s a close-up of a piece of the Wednesday-night hail:

We had hail that size for almost THREE HOURS! Thankfully the cars were in the garage, but some of the neighbors were caught a little more off guard- I could hear an alarm going off down the street. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I rushed out to try and save my basil plants (which died anyway) and got bonked on the head a few times by those monsters… And that wasn’t even the worst of it- the following night they were even bigger! Here’s a shot of one, that had already started to melt. Not sure if you can really tell, but it was almost twice the size:

Yikes.

Anyway, back to the Quinoa Salad…

Fruity Quinoa Salad with Pecans (5 servings)

Adapted from this Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried quinoa, prepared per package instructions
2 apples, chopped (but not peeled)
3/4 T white rice vinegar
2-3 T lemon juice
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced in half lengthwise, then chopped
3/4 cup mix of dried cranberries (I used Craisins), white raisins, and regular raisins (many stores carry a mix like this in their bulk section, or near the produce section)
1 t chili powder (I used a NM blend)
2 T oil (I used Sesame, but you could sub EVOO)
Sea salt as needed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Prepare your quinoa, per package instructions, then set aside to cool.
In a tupperware, mix your chopped apples with the vinegar and lemon juice. Make sure there’s enough liquid to coat the apples, but not enough to cover them. Put the lid on, shake lightly (you don’t want to bruise the apples), and set in the fridge.
In a large bowl mix the cooled quinoa with the onions, celery, cranberries, chili powder and oil. Taste, then add salt as needed.
You can now mix the apples and the vinegar/juice back in with the salad. The salad will keep for days in the fridge, but don’t add the cilantro and pecans until you’re about to serve it for the first time.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Have you checked out my Buffalo Wing Tacos with Seitan yet? Deeelish, if I do say so myself However, vegans cannot live on seitan alone… sometimes we need vegetables too! And because of that, I thought I should share with you my recipe for roasted Brussels Sprouts.

But before I do that, let me share with you the one truth about Brussels that no one ever told me: Avoid the frozen kind, no matter what! I don’t care if they’re on sale. I don’t care if they’re free. I don’t care if someone is paying you to take them! They will turn out mushy and gross and you will be sorely disappointed. You will also have wasted the time you spent prepping and baking them, so just don’t do it.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs FRESH Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed off
2-3 T olive oil
1/2 T red pepper flakes (more to taste)
Dash of powdered garlic
3/4 t sea salt (more to taste)

Directions:

Mix everything together in a large bowl until the sprouts are nice and coated.
Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, stirring them around 2-3 times during. If you want to add more salt, add it when they come out of the oven. They should be crisp and slightly charred on the outside.

Enjoy!

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Spicy Pasta Salad

This was another one of the dishes I prepared for the BBQ-turned-dinner-party last weekend. A (seemingly) pretty basic pasta salad recipe with vegenaise, tomatoes and sweet basil, the “secret” ingredient here is Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce! That spicy, smoky flavor added by the peppers and the sauce takes this dish from “just another side” to “THE side”.

The original (non-vegan) recipe called for just the sauce, but I wanted to make mine a little hotter so I added 2 big peppers, chopped up, to the bowl. You can see one hanging out in the bowl, right by his friend the tomato:

As you can see, I left mine a bit chunky, which adds to the heat level. You can mince yours more finely, or just stick to the sauce itself if you don’t want too much heat.

I’ll be making this again this summer, mark my words!

Spicy Pasta Salad (Makes 8 servings)

Adapted from a non-vegan recipe

Ingredients:

12 oz pasta (I used one of those “trio” mixes, but any salad-type pasta would work)
3/4 cup Vegenaise
1/8 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
4 T apple cider vinegar
2 t Adobo sauce from can, PLUS 2-3 chopped peppers (if you like heat)
1 t sea salt
black pepper (if desired)
10 oz grape tomatoes, sliced in half
15-20 sweet basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions, then rinse with cold water.
Mix Vegenaise, coconut milk, vinegar, salt, pepper and adobo together, and taste. Add more heat, salt, etc.
In a large bowl mix everything together, including the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!