Check out these brilliant vegan recipes from Save the Earth, a great comforting vegan chickpea soup, and a spicy vegan bean curry!

INGREDIENTS:
Comforting Chickpea Potato Spinach Soup

* Chickpeas
* 1 onion, chopped finely
* 1 large tomato (or 3 small tomatoes), cut into small pieces
* 2 potatoes, cut into small pieces
* Spinach, cut into large pieces
* 3 garlic cloves, cut into small pieces
* 2 tablespoons bouillon powder
* 1½ tablespoons paprika powder
* 1 liter water
* Olive oil
* Salt
* Pepper

Exotic Spicy Black-Eyed Bean Curry

* Black-eyed beans
* 1 onion, cut into pea size
* 3 tomatoes (or 6 small tomatoes), cut into small cubes
* Ginger slices
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1½ teaspoons turmeric powder
* Coconut milk
* Olive oil
* Salt
* Pepper
* Coriander (to garnish)
PREPARATION:
Comforting Chickpea Potato Spinach Soup:

1. Boil water with 2 tablespoons of vegetable bouillon.
2. The water boils. add the chickpeas.Stir it a bit.Turn down the flame so it can simmer until it is done.
3. Put olive oil in the pan.When it’s warm, add the onion, and the garlic.Stir fry till golden brown.
4. Add the potatoes then the paprika powder; and a little bit of water so the potatoes can be cooked quicker.The potatoes must be cooked until they are just done.Puncture it with a fork once in a while to see if it’s done. When the water is evaporated, add a bit more.
5. When the potatoes are cooked, add the mixture to the soup.Turn up the heat for the soup a bit, and cook everything until it is done probably take 10-15 minutes.
6. When the soup is completely done, add the tomatoes and spices (salt and pepper), season to taste.Turn off heat.
7. Add the spinach at the end.

Exotic Spicy Black-Eyed Bean Curry

1. Pre-cooked the black-eyed beans for 1 hour in the pressure cooker.
2. Put olive oil in a pan, wait a bit until the oil is hot. Add the onion along with the ginger into the pan, stir fry them.
3. When the onion is golden brown, add the black-eyed beans.Add a little bit of water so that it doesn’t burn.
4. Season the beans with 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and with 1½ teaspoons of turmeric powder. Stir it well.
5. Then add the tomatoes.Keep stirring until the tomatoes is done.
6. Add in the coconut milk.Leave the pan on the stove for 10 minutes.
7. Turn up the heat a bit, and then wait until the curry is done.Put the lid on the pan so that it’ll cook faster.
8. When it’s done, season it with salt and pepper.Add more or less according to taste.
9. If it’s not spicy enough, add more chili powder.

video link: http://suprememastertv.com/veg/?wr_id=574&goto_url=&page=16#v (In Dutch)

Brrr!  Winter is cold.  We all know it and there’s nothing we can do about it.  But even on those harsh winter days we can snuggle up by the fire and have a big bowl of hot Mexican soup.  This recipe is strait from Garrido’s, one of my favorite eateries in Austin, Texas.  Give it a try and let us know how you like it!

What you need:

4 dried pasilla chiles, wiped clean, stemmed and seeded

2 dried chiles de arobl, stemmed
1/2 LB tomatoes, quartered
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 quarts veggie stock
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon fresh epazote, chopped
3 cups canola oil for frying
12 corn tortillas cut into strips
1 avocado, cut into slices

Toast chiles in a dry pan over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until pliable and slightly changed in color (about 30 seconds).  Don’t use a non-stick for this job.
Roast quartered tomatoes, onion and garlic in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until they are all nice and mushy.
Purée tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles de arbol (including seeds) and remaining 3 pasilla chiles with 1/2 cup stock in a blender or with a hand mixer, you can do it directly in your soup pot.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until it simmers, then cook purée, stirring often until reduced by half and beginning to stick to pot (15 -20 minutes). Reducing means to let half the liquids evaporate so that you end up with less product, but a heavier, more concentrated flavor.  Then,  stir in remaining 7 1/2 cups of stock, chopped epazote, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered for about half an hour or so.

While soup simmers, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees (F) in a deep, 10-inch heavy skillet, then fry tortilla strips a handful at a time until golden (30-45 seconds per batch). Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season lightly with salt.
Divide tortillas and avocado among soup bowls and ladle in soup.

These muffins are a beautiful addition to a Valentine’s Day breakfast-in-bed.  In fact, they are perfect addition to anything.  Delicious, chocolate-y, and just the right amount of sweetness from the strawberry.  You won’t want to eat just one!

Makes 1 doz.

What you need:

2 cups AP flour

1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon salt

1 Cup cane sugar

1 3/4 Cups vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

1 1/4 Cups vegan chocolate chips (to make them “triple” chocolate, I use half dark chocolate and half vegan white chocolate)

Muffin cases (12)

First, heat your even to 400F.  Place your muffin cases into a muffin tray and lightly spray with baking spray.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.  Whisk in the soy milk, vanilla, veg oil, and finally, add the chocolate chips.  Once you have mixed everything perfectly, spoon your batter into the muffin cases evenly.  Bake for about 20 minutes (while you wait, you can make your Strawberry Smash Frosting), check with a toothpick, and bake a few minutes more if the toothpick doesn’t come out clean on the first try.

Place the muffins on a rack to cool.  When they are cooled, using a soup spoon, drizzle the Strawberry Smash Frosting over the top of each muffin.  Serve!

This is one of my favorite vegan dessert frostings not only because its so easy to make, but also because it tastes so fresh and the flavor of the strawberries really pops.  I love to use it for cupcakes and sugar cookies, but this frosting works well for a vegan cake as a drizzle topping, too!

What you need:

1/2 pint strawberries (rinsed and trimmed)

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons vegan butter

4 cups powdered sugar

You will need to macerate your strawberries the night before or at least a couple hours before you do any baking.  That basically means, chop them up, sprinkle the granulated sugar over them and place in the fridge.  This will bring out the natural sweetness of your berries and make them a little softer and mushy for crushing.

Next, remove the strawberries from the fridge and drain any excess liquid.  Using a blender, hand blender, or a potato masher, crush the strawberries into a pile of mush.  Then, using a mixer, whip the butter until smooth and begin adding the powdered sugar, all while continuing to mix.  As you being to run out of sugar, you will see that your frosting is beginning to take shape.  Then, add the mashed berries and mix thoroughly.

And there you have it, an amazing vegan recipe for Vegan Strawberry Smash Frosting!

This recipe makes 4 personal pot pies. I baked them in ceramic pot pie dishes which are basically oversized dessert ramekins. You can also buy mini pie tins from the grocery store and use those.

First, preheat the oven to 375. Then you’ll want to pre-bake your bottom crust. I make my own pastry crust from the MyVeganPlanet recipe, found here.  Once you’re ready to use your pastry dough, pull it out of the fridge and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut the dough to your liking to create a bottom crust for each pie and a top crust. If you’re really ambitious, you can make a lattice top for the pot pies by cutting strips of dough and “weaving” them together to form a tic-tac-toe board type of topping. It looks cute and will make old ladies go “awwwwwww, how precious!”. Spray your pie pans or dishes with a little baking spray. Place your bottom crusts in the pie dishes and bake until they are golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

*Note* The bottom crust thing is totally optional. Personally, I like a lot of crust in my pot pie, which is why I have a top and bottom. Also, if you don’t feel like making your own pastry dough, you can use ready-made puff pastry, which works just as well and tastes pretty damn good. Again, this is all up to you and how much time you have.

Here is the recipe for the filling:

-2 potatoes, cut into small cubes and boiled until tender, but not mushy (you should be able to stab them with a fork without them turning to mush)
-olive oil
-3 or 4 carrots, small diced
-1 yellow or white onion, minced
-about 1 cup of frozen peas (or more, or less, depending on how much pea you can handle…you can also add fresh or frozen green beans, just make sure they are chopped to 1in. in length…if you use fresh, steam them a little first to soften them up)
-1/3 cup vegan butter
-AP flour (about 1 cup)
-1 quart soy cream and soy milk mix (half and half)
-salt and pepper
-veggie bouillon powder (optional)
-extra vegan butter (optional)

To start, add about 2 teaspoons of oil to a frying pan and begin cooking your onion and carrot. Once they about halfway done, add the frozen peas and green beans and cook until everything is soft and tender. I add a little knob of butter about halfway through this for extra flavor, but not enough to really add extra liquid. Once this is done, add the potatoes. Cover the sauté mix with a lid and set aside.

In a medium saucepan on medium/high heat, melt your butter. Once its melted, start whisking in the flour until you get the consistency of peanut butter, but not quite as dark as a roux. Then, turn the heat down to low/medium and start whisking in the vegan half and half slowly. What you’re looking for here is a thick white liquid about the consistency of thick potato soup, almost too thick to be soup. This is the step where I add the  bouillon powder just for a little extra kick. Its totally optional, but highly recommended. Just keep in mind that most seasonings like this contain salt, so remember that when you’re doing the final seasoning at the end.

Start pouring your cream sauce into the veg mixture. (If your sauté pan isn’t big enough, you can transfer this step into a large mixing bowl.) Stir it as you pour and keep an eye on your cream sauce/veg ratio. You don’t want it to be too goopy, but a good amount of saucy goodness is delicious. If you have any filling left over, you can freeze it for future use. Taste your filling for correct seasoning and add a little salt and pepper accordingly.

Spoon the filling into the pie dishes, on top of the bottom crusts. Make sure each pie is equal and then place your unbaked pot pie crusts on the tops. If you chose to use a cut-out instead of lattice, poke it a few times in a cute pattern with a knife so that air can pass through. If you made a lattice, air will pass through ok on its own.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the filling is all bubbly around the edges. Cool for about 20 minutes and serve!

Happy Cooking, Folks!

Lately, I’ve been craving quiche.  I loved the stuff before I chose to give up all the animal products and I never could wrap my brain around using tofu to create something like an egg.  However, for all of you skeptics out there, this recipe is THE BOMB.  I’ve played with it just enough to get it right and I think you’ll love it.  Once you get it down, there are so many variations of quiche that you can make.  So, get ready to be eating breakfast/brunch food pretty much every day for a while.  You’ll get hooked!

What you need:

1 nine inch pie crust (you can use our recipe or buy it from the store, just make sure to read the ingredients)

olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

about 3 cups broccoli, finely chopped (seriously, chop it up small and don’t worry about it falling apart)

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon salt

fresh black pepper

pinch of dried thyme

1 1/2 regular packages firm tofu (extra firm is okay, too)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2/3 cup crumbled or shredded white vegan cheese (see note)

thin tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes for decorating the top

*Note* I prefer to use Cheezly White Cheddar when making this recipe, however, you can use any vegan cheese product you like.  The point is to find a cheese that works for you!  I like the white cheddar version because it doesn’t add any extra yellow to the color of my quiche and it melts nicely to add that creamy texture that wouldn’t otherwise be there.  If you aren’t into the fake cheese thing, you can substitute 2/3 cup ground cashews, which will also give it that creamy feeling.  Just make sure they are ground as fine as possible.

First, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 350F.  Start out by pre-baking your pie crust.  If you’re using a store-bought one, just poke a few holes in it and pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes.  If you’re using your own, roll out the chilled dough and fit it properly into the pie pan.  Again, poke a few holes with a fork and bake it for about 15 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large frying pan and with a little olive oil, sauté your onion and garlic until its tender.  Then, add the broccoli, tumeric, thyme, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until everything is soft.  In the mean time, use a few paper towels to get rid of any excess water from the tofu and place into a food processor and pulse until its all a big pile of mush.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a potato masher and do it in a large mixing bowl.  About halfway through, add the mustard.  When finished, add your vegan cheese (this is where you non-cheesers would add the cashews) and mix well.  Then, add the broccoli sauté mixture and stir well.  Taste and adjust seasonings if you like.

Using a big spoon or spatula, transfer everything into your pie crust and mash it down so that it has a flat surface.  Then, using your tomatoes, decorate the top of the quiche.  (I like to layer the thin tomato slices in a circle around the edge of the quiche, but you can do your own artsy-fartsy thing here.)

Bake for about 45 minutes and let cool for about another half hour before you eat it.  OM NOM NOM.

P.S.  Its good cold, too.  :)

This is a great vegan appetizer that will leave your guests shocked that its actually vegan.  Or hell, eat them as a main course because they are big and tasty enough to steal the whole show.  Makes 8 mushrooms.

*Note*  This recipe can be gluten free, all you need to do is use gluten free breadcrumbs!

What you need:

8 portobell0 mushrooms, stems pulled off and gills removed (you can scoop that part out with a spoon easily)

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup vegan butter, melted

2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)

1 1/4 cup walnut pieces

about 3 cups breadcrumbs (any kind is fine)

2 packages Cheezly brand white cheddar “cheese”, shredded (you don’t have to use this brand, but I recommend it)

chopped parsley for garnishing

salt and fresh black pepper

First and foremost, preheat your oven to 400 F or 200 C.  In a large casserole dish, place the mushrooms bottom side up and toss half of the garlic in the little scooped out areas.  Lightly drizzle about 1/3 cup of the melted butter over the ’shrooms and do the same with the lemon juice.   Bake for about 15 minutes to soften and then set aside.  Leave the oven on.

In a large mixing bowl, toss in your vegan cheese and mix with the walnuts and about 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs.  Equally divide the mixture among the mushrooms and set aside once more.

Now, with the leftover garlic, melted butter, and breadcrumbs – mix together and add the parsley.  Mix again.  Season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust seasonings however you prefer.  Cover the stuffed mushrooms with the breadcrumb mixture and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Serve hot!

This is just about as easy as 1-2-3.  A simple pie crust for all of your quiche and homemade pie needs.  You can also use it for dessert empanadas!

1 1/2  cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup cold vegan butter

1 T cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the cold vegan butter in chunks.  Mix with your hands and in the middle of it, add the cold water.  Once you have a big ball of dough, you’re ready.  Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour before using.  You can do this up to 24 hours in advance, too.

When you’re ready to pull it out and use the pie crust, just sprinkle a little flour on your surface and remove the ball of dough from the fridge.  Knead it a few times with your hands to get some of the flour on it and then roll it out with a rolling pin to fit the pie pan that you are using.  Or, if you are making small pastries or empanadas, this would be your cue to cut it into the shapes you will be needing.

Happy Cooking!

Tofu recipes come and go, but here is a great spin on a Japanese-style kebab classic.  If you aren’t feeling the tofu thing, you can easily substitute with big mushroom pieces or tempeh.  Makes 12 skewers.

What you need:

1 dozen bamboo skewers, soaked overnight in water to prevent burning

2 packages extra firm tofu (or mushrooms/tempeh)

1 bunch green onions (scallions)

Shichimi Togarashi (seven flavor spice)

2/3 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons sake or dry white wine

1 Tablespoon corn starch or all-purpose flour

You’ll want to start first by making the sauce.  Whisk the soy sauce, sugar, sake or wine into the flour or corn starch and pour into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil while stirring often and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Reduce the liquid by about 1/3 of the volume.  Basically, you just want it to be a little more thick and concentrated in flavor, not watery.  Set aside away from heat.

Remove your tofu from the packaging and pat dry with a few paper towels.  Its important to remove as much of the water as possible.  Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 inch.  Set aside.  Next, cut the green onions into 1 inch pieces, or a little larger if you like.  Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C) and heat your bbq grill or grill pan.

Using the skewers, alternate pieces of tofu and green onion until the skewers are full, but leave about an inch or two on each end so that they aren’t too overloaded.  Brush your grill with a little oil (we like sesame!) and start grilling while its red hot.  Wait a few minutes until you turn each skewer so that you have nice grill marks on your tofu, but while you’re waiting, brush the sauce all over the tofu skewers.  Keep doing so until you have grilled all sides, then remove from the grill and place on a flat baking sheet.  Brush once more with the sauce and place in the oven to finish.  We do this because tofu is tricky.  It doesn’t always cook thoroughly on the inside when its grilled.  So, in order to achieve perfection, you want to get nice grill marks and charred onions, and then finish in the oven until the tofu is firm to touch, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with sake and a little cold soba and cucumber salad.  Yum!

Recently, I went to an amazing vegan/veggie restaurant in Amsterdam, in the historic Jordaan district called De Bolhoed.  One of the most highly recommended items on the menu was their mushroom paté, which I had to order out of curiosity.  Today, I attempted to make my own version of this delicious savoury starter and it was a wild success!  So, without further ado, here is the recipe:

What you need:

2 packages small brown or chestnut mushrooms

vegan worcestershire

juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

1/3 package firm tofu, drained and patted dry

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon veggie bouillon powder

pinch of dried herb mix (I use an Italian blend because its what I have on-hand)

salt

First, you’ll want to heat your oven to 350 and drizzle the lemon juice and a little olive oil over the cleaned mushrooms (stems removed).  Bake in a small dish until they are soft and drain the excess liquid.

Next, after the mushrooms have cooled, chop them into small pieces.  Then place all of your other ingredients except the vegan worcestershire into a bowl and blend.  I do this with a hand blender in the bowl, but you can use a food processor if you have the means.  In which case, you would simply place all of the ingredients into the food processor and puree everything.  Once everything is totally mixed, the consistency will be light and fluffy, almost like a mushroom mousse.  Then, add a few drops of the vegan worcestershire and taste.  Season with salt and taste again.  Once your seasonings are adjusted to your liking, zap the mix again one more time with the blender or processor.  Spoon your paté into a serving dish (I put mine on a small platter and mold it into a rectangle) and chill.  Serve cold with crackers or bread.

This is also an AMAZING spread on sandwiches!

Enjoy!