Seitan Salad Sandwich with Creamy Portobello Mushroom Soup

Cook Book: Students Go Vegan Cookbook

Serves: 2 with leftover soup

Despite the fact that I have a pile of started books on my desk, I almost insist on buying myself a new/used cookbook from Amazon every now and again. It's my treat, Aaron has dark chocolate and records, and I have my garden and new cookbooks. This book was almost like an impulse buy at the checkout because I was actually buying one book on Macrobiotics and another vegan essential, This Crazy Vegan Life. The Students Go Vegan Cookbook came up for something wild like $4.00 in the "Other Customers Bought This" section right before I checked out. How could I NOT get the book for that price. Anyway, so ever since I got it, I've been to Boston and Nashville and finally this week, EARTH WEEK (by the way), I get to cook from it. The recipes are awesome, considering they are for small portion quantities, 2-3 for most, 4 for a few, and the best part is, is that they are easy and fast. I picked this pair together because Aaron's usually the sandwich picker and I wanted to make one and when I saw the mushroom soup, I thought they would compliment each other quite nicely. The sweet tangy wasabi hinted pita sandwich turned out to be a perfect match to the rich, creamy cayenne pepper kicked mushroom soup. 1/2 hour max to make all together, SCORE.

Sandwich Ingredients:

4oz seitan

1/4 - 1/2 of a small apple, cored and diced

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 small scallion thinly sliced

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

1-2 teaspoons of minced fresh parsley

1-2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

3 tablespoons silken tofu
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of wasabi powder (or more to taste)
1 pita cut into half (or 2 mini pitas)
2 slices romaine lettuce
(my twist: 4 slices vegan bacon)

Directions:
Toast pita and set aside.

Place all ingredients except for the pita and lettuce into a food processor and pulse for about a minute or until desired texture is reached.
Stuff romaine lettuce and optional vegan bacon into pita. With a spoon or spatcula, scoop out the seitan mix from the food processor and stuff pita.

Soup Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 portobello mushroom, chopped (about 4 oz)

1/4 teaspoon dried majoram

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
Parsley for garnish

Directions:
Warm the oil in a 3 to 4 quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, portobello, salt and majoram. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Put1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into a 1 cup container and add the flour. Mix well to make a smooth paste. Set aside.
Add the remaining 3/4 cups of vegetable broth, soy milk, soy sauce and cayenne pepper to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil. Slowly, and I mean slllooooowwwwly, pour the flour mixture into the soup, stirring constantly. As soon as the flour mixture is added, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 miutes, stirring occasionally.
Let cool a little before serving.

Chili Mac

Cook Book: Foods that Cause You to Loose Weight

Serves: 8

Calories: 170

Before I was a vegan, I was a failed dieter, or fantasy dieter as I termed myself. I would be all gung ho in the beginning, buying health books, stocking up on celery, subscribing to web newsletters to keep me motivated, talking about it with all of my friends so they KNEW I was dieting, but after 2 weeks I was back to ice cream and coffee binges. Not to say I'm not still either, but becoming a vegan has really helped me with my weight and making feasible steps. This recipe, one of the first ones I made, comes from a book I bought long before I was a vegan. Obviously I did not read the book, otherwise I would have been eating vegan long ago. What attracted me to this recipe is the simplicity of it, what the book calls a kid favorite, and how truely cheap it is to make for the amount of servings you're going to get. Pair it up with a salad and it makes a good midweek meal, and if you pace yourself and can hold on to a bowl, I'm sure you will be surprised to knoe that when served cold with vegan parm on top, this baby cures that hangover stomach.
It's a win/win.

Ingredients:

8oz pasta spirals

1/2 cup of water

1 onion chopped

1 small bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup textured vegetable protein (you can use seitan, too)

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz can kidney beans including the liquid

1 15 oz can corn including the liquid
3/4 cups of water again (read the directions all the way through before starting!)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4-6 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is tender. Drain and rinse, set aside.
Heat 1/2 cup of water in a large pot then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the onion in tender, about 5 minutes. Add the textured vegetable protein, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, corn and an additional 3/4 cups of water. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and salt, then simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta and taste to adjust the seasonings. Add more chili powder if a spicier dish is preferred. Toss a dash of salt on each serving and enjoy!

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

Cook Book: Tofu Cookery

Serves: 8 to 12

Calories: 125

Super quick, great tasting and healthier than any meal your friends on weight watchers would make. When Taryn and I started being vegan we were amazed (and still are to this day) at what you can do with tofu. This meal is a testament to great tofu dishes. These stuffed tomatoes are also for those of us who want a fat kids meal without the guilt. Paired with some pasta with marinara and some garlic bread this meal is complete.

Ingredients:

8 to 12 small ripe tomatoes

2 TBS Olive Oil

1 Onion Diced

1/2 Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper

1 Pound Firm Tofu, Mashed (Freeze it for an even "meatier" texture)

1/4 Fresh Parsley, Minced

1 TS Soy Sauce

1 Garlic Clove

Panko Bread Crumbs for garnish

Directions:

Cut or scoop out a hollow on the stem end of the tomatoes. Remove the seeds, leaving about 2/3's of the tomato a hollow receptacle. Heat the olive oil in a medium-size skillet or saute pan over low heat. Cook and stir the onion and green bell pepper in the heated oil over medium heat until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and oil a 9-inch square baking pan. Mix the tofu, parsley, soy sauce, and garlic clove in a medium size bowl. Stir the oino and bell pepper into the tofu mixture and then spoon it into the hollow of the prepared tomatoes. Place the stuffed tomatoes in the prepared baking pan. Top each one with a sprinkle of dried panko bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned on top. Serve hot or chilled.