vegan – Page 8 – morestomach

inside out peanut butter cups – raw & vegan

Published on October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach23 Comments

i’m fairly sure that when
i scaled back my dairy intake
my soul shrank a little
at the thought of never having
peanut butter cups again.
i truly believed i’d never eat them again,
at least not with dire consequences.
that is,
until i discovered justin’s ,
and then i tried my hand
at making them.
all was right with the world.
now i just eat spoonfuls of peanut butter
and shove chocolate chips in my mouth
and call it a day.
it’s called natural progression, friends.

halloween is at the end of the week
are you dressing up?
i think i am,
i’m pretty sure i am.
either way,
these are going to be around
and i’m going to shove them in my mouth.
breakthrough, y’all.

inside out peanut butter cups – vegan
raw, 4 ingredients
makes 6

PB layer
6 TBL creamy peanut butter, i use the wegman’s organic brand
4 TBL coconut oil, liquid but not hot
3 TBL powdered sugar

chocolate layer
4 TBL chocolate spread, i used SOOM‘s chocolate sesame butter
1 generous TBL powdered sugar

for the PB layer, mix everything in a bowl. make sure it’s fully incorporated. pour about 2 tsp of the mixture into silicone cupcake liners (if you use paper, put them in muffins so that they keep their shape). put in fridge to firm up, about 30 minutes. if you’re in a rush, put in freezer.

meanwhile, make the chocolate layer by mixing the chocolate spread with the powdered sugar. the consistency will be firmer than that of the pb, it’ll be almost like play doh.

when ready, take the cups out and add the chocolate layer. you can spread it out to make distinct layers, or keep the edges clear so that the pb can be poured over it to cover. up to you.

add the final layer of PB over top and fridge. when firm, take out of liners and serve immediately or keep in covered container, IN THE FRIDGE. these are not shelf stable and will soften at room temp.

BAM!

i received a jar of chocolate sesame butter, courtesy of SOOM. all words & opinions are my own.

three bean chili -vegan

Published on October 13, 2014October 19, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach19 Comments

it began with a simple idea:
lunch.
what can i make that will
last a week in the fridge,
will warm us through,
be easy peasy to put together,
and still be delicious
by the very least,
4th day,
ideally 5th day?

chili.
stew.
soup.
same thing.

as i told dw
“we are going to have stoupli
the entire winter.
prepare thyself.”
this is likely going to be
an ongoing theme around these parts.
~~sorry about that~~
bring on the cold!

what do you have for lunch?

three bean chili
as inspired by will cook for friends and something for sunday

*note: it’s early in the season, or late, but i was able to use all fresh vegs. as the season progresses i will likely turn to canned tomatoes and the make up of the recipe will differ slightly depending on what vegs i can get at the market. adjust accordingly, use your best judgement.
**note: we don’t do canned beans, we’ve been trying our hand with dried beans. by all means, for convenience and preference, use canned if that works for you!
***note: the use of cocoa powder and coffee is not new. for Cincinnati chili, it uses a very generous amount of cocoa and wendi once fed me her commitment chili that has coffee in it. it adds a dark richness to the stew. if you’re against caffeine, or darkness and whatever, use broth or water.

a swirl or two of olive oil, enough to coat the pan/pot
1 cup dried black beans (soaked overnight, cooked for approx 2 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans (soaked overnight, cooked in crockpot on high for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried navy beans (soaked over night, cooked for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 huge, gigantore ripe tomato, rough chopped (a can of whole tomatoes is fine)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 red bell peppers, diced
1 big tomato, rough chopped (a can of tomatoes is fine if not using fresh)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
2 bay leaves
2 heaping tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 TBL spoons italian seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp, more or less, smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 cups strong black coffee
1-2 cups leftover cooked bean liquid (or water or stock is fine)
salt/pepper to taste

one of the things that i’ve learned from watching cooking shows and competitions: season well! for every layer of vegs that i add to the pot, i sprinkle in salt & pepper.

in a big pot, heat olive oil at medium high heat. add in the diced onion and saute until translucent. next add in the other vegs, being sure to season between layers and allowing each veg proper saute time. you’re building flavors, don’t skimp.

add in the dry seasonings and mix thoroughly.

pour in liquids, coffee and bean liquid (or water), bring to a boil. lower temp to gentle simmer and cook until beans are soft, up to 45 min – an hour.

*if using canned beans, don’t add the beans until the final 30 minutes. but do allow the other vegs to simmer in the liquids.*

this is even better the next days when all the spices mingled and got merry.

serve with toast, sometimes i added diced avocado if i was feeling fancy, other times, i ate it simply.

BAM!

quinoa sushi rolls

Published on September 15, 2014September 14, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

last weekend i was in
the Dirty South,
for work,
and for play,
and then i ended up
staying for longer than
expected,
or wanted,
and i stressed about what
dw would eat for dinner
while i was away.

nevermind that he’s
a grown ass man
who lived for upwards of
36 years without me
and he turned out ~~just fine~~ perfect.
nevermind that i
left the fridge
and pantry
well stocked.
nevermind that he
successfully made it to
market day
and replenished further
said stocked
fridge & pantry.
i’m a natural stresser
when it comes to
feeding dw.

it might surprise you,
or not,
given the last
paragraph,
but i stress about
what to make for dinner
every night.
so i polled my FB friends
to make the decision for me.
this was one of the options.

quinoa sushi rolls with quick pickled ginger
gluten free and vegan
makes about 6-7 rolls

*note: i used whatever vegs we had in the pantry, use what is in season and what tickles your fancy. also, i used red quinoa, use whatever quinoa you have on hand, it tastes all the same to me.

sushi vinegar dressing, to dress the quinoa and for the ginger
4 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL water
2 tsp agave (or superfine sugar)
healthy pinch of sea salt
a few drops of pickled beet juice (very optional, for aesthetic purposes only)

mix all together until well incorporated. reserve half to dress cooked quinoa, the other half to pickle ginger.

a knob of ginger, about 2-3 oz

peel ginger and slice it as thin a you possibly can.
salt and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.
wash & rinse thoroughly, squeeze and pat dry.

in a glass bowl, cover ginger slices with dressing. fridge it for at least an hour. will keep for about a week.

sushi filling
1 cup of quinoa, cooked to package instructions (it’ll come out to about 3 cups cooked). i cooked the quinoa with water to keep vegan, but i won’t judge you if you cook it with stock/broth, dressed with half the vinegar, it should be lukewarm to the touch
prepped stick vegs: carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, if you’re fancy: avocado, raw sushi
sushi nori sheets

using a sushi rolling mat, place nori sheet on top. spread a thin layer of quinoa, leaving a half inch space on either side.

place ingredients on top, along the length. don’t get crazy, you want to be able to roll with ease and keep these bite size.

roll carefully and evening away from, pressing firmly. cut into 1″ pieces.

BAM!

spice poached pears

Published on September 8, 2014September 3, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

girl, you make my speakers go boom boom
dancin’ on the tailgate in a full moon
that kinda thing makes a man go mmm hmmm

everyday this week
i’ve been jamming to
Luke Bryan
based on his website
he has FIVE albums out
which leads me to believe
that he’s been around awhile
and i’m behind the times
and i have catching up to do.

one would think
with those lyrics
i’d be slightly embarrassed
but nay.
in the privacy of my office,
or car,
or shower,
when the BOOM BOOM part comes on,
you better believe
i’m shaking my ass.

meanwhile, i’d like to think
that these spice poached pears
would make a man,
or anyone,
go mmm hmmm.

spice poached pears
makes 2

*note: if you have a tall/narrow pot, you can cut back on the liquid amount, but seeing as how i have just a simple sized saucepan that’s what i used. the key is to get as much of the pear submerged as possible, though if you cut the pear in half, submerging isn’t a hardship. if you keep it whole, add in more water & sugar, adjust according to taste.

6 cups water
½ cup sugar, slightly over
4 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
palm full of whole cloves
juice of one lime, if organic, a strip of the zest would be nice
2 bosc pears, peeled

in a saucepan, add the water & spices and lime juice. bring to a boil. lower heat and gently add in the pears. keep an eye out and gently simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

your goal is to soften the pear but not to mush. gently remove the pears and allow to cool. you can cut in half, or get fancy with the swirly cutting.

reduce the liquid until it’s slightly thickened, like a simple syrup. drizzle over the pears & garnish with some chopped almonds.

we keep the syrup to add to fizzy water when it tickles our fancy.

BAM!

previous pear adventures:
honey roasted pear salad & red and white wine poached pears

peach ginger scones – vegan

Published on August 27, 2014August 26, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach13 Comments

you can be the ripest,
juiciest peach
in the world,
and there’s still going to be
somebody who hates peaches.
– dita von teese

and that’s all
that’s got to be
said about that.

peach ginger scones – vegan
makes 12 scones

*note: bake time is tricky. i’ve baked them for as low as 13 minutes before, and they came out super soft and cake like, and then i baked them upwards of 23 minutes, where they came out dryer and crisper. you can top with a simple glaze after they’ve cooled, or you can go the lazy route and sprinkling these with sugar prior to putting in the oven. it may come out looking super rustic like various spots looking all sugar-clumped, but you know, whatever.

2 cups spelt flour
1 TBL baking powder
3 TBL sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 TBL frozen coconut butter (i put 2 TBL worth of coconut oil in a silicon muffin liner, make 2, and freeze. it makes for much easier extraction. rough chop into smaller pieces)
1 peach, diced into small pieces and frozen, about a cup’s worth
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped sugared ginger
1 container vegan yogurt (6oz) + 2oz of nondairy milk (or water) mixed to thin (i used almond dream)

preheat oven to 425F.

sift flour, baking powder, salt & sugar into food processor, process for 6 seconds to combine. add in the frozen coconut oil, process for another 12 seconds. transfer mixture to into a big bowl.

add in the thinned out vegan yogurt and mix until dough forms. then add in the peaches and ginger pieces, mixing gently, try not to overmix.

dump it on a clean counter. there is no saying this pretty: it’s a mess. i use a dough scraper to keep things together, form a circle or rectangle and cut into desired shapes. i’ve cut in to triangles and i’ve cut with round biscuit cutters. work quickly, coconut oil has a very low melting point so do what you can to not keep it out too long, or handle with your hands as your body temp will soften/melt the oil.

bake on cookie sheet for 20-23 minutes.

BAM!