Pesto!

It's Basil season, which is good, because you need lots of Basil to make Pesto. And right now, we have lots of Basil.

Basil is pretty much the only key ingredient that I use in my Pesto recipe that is in traditional Pesto... I mean, ya know aside from salt & olive oil and lemon or lime or whatever.

Speaking of ingredients:
Clockwise, starting at 6p: Serrano Pepper (which I recommend not using), Garlic, Basil, Cashew pieces, Nutritional Yeast, Arugala, and Lemon in the middle.
Not pictured is Salt & Olive Oil.

The traditional Pesto recipe I know is non-vegan. I know it be as follows:
Basil, Walnuts, Salt, Olive Oil, Parmesan... Lime...?

But whatever, I like Cashews & Nutritional Yeast better than Walnuts & Parmesan, and they're cheaper.

On to the Unorthodox Vegan Pesto.
I have noticed that what you put down first affects the consistency of the recipe, like with the Raw Soup, Tomatoes first.

For some reason, Garlic & Cashews go first.
That's the consistency I like I guess.

Next is the Basil & Arugala, and the Serrano Pepper.

Followed by Nutritional Yeast & Lemon

And finally, Olive Oil.
I forgot to add Salt. But that's what taste tests are for.

Process.
You may have to use a rubber spatula or something to shove down some of the ingredients that were violently thrown up on the side of the reservoir, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get a nice even consistency.

Give it a taste.
You guessed it, needs Salt.
It is also, at this point, that I realized I would not recommend Serrano Pepper.

As it turns out, we have plenty of room so we can do it all over again with the ingredients we want in another layer.
Garlic, Cashews, Basil, Arugala, Salt, Lemon, Olive Oil, Nutritional Yeast

And process...
Taste test results are excellent, much better than before and maintains the same consistency, so this totally blows my theory about order of ingredients out of the processor.

But lo, we have more room for yet more Pesto.
So lets do it again. That last layer combo seemed to work.

Garlic, Cashews, Basil, Arugala, Lemon, Salt, Nutritional Yeast.

Taste test.

Yep, that works.

This goes good with Pasta, Toast & Crackers, but I'm making this for a stove-top version of Veggie & Rice Casserole, because the oven is still broken, which will be my next post.

Vegan Lasagna

Okay everybody's been doing pretty well so far with the recipes I've thrown at you, so now we're going to step it up a bit and do something a little more intense.
Vegan Lasagna.
And it's the real vegan, not like the vegan-except-for-the-chicken-and-the-egg kinda vegan.

So the Tempeh is optional, but if you're going to put it in you should start with it.
It's basically ground Beef in the form of crumbled Tempeh.
This is the recipe I use for Tempeh Tacos for our Spanish Immersion nights... or whenever, but especially then.
Start with these:
Tempeh, garlic, hot pepper, coconut oil (or whatever oil).

Heat oil, saute chopped Garlic & Pepper.
Crumble Tempeh as best you can, but don't worry it'll break down nicely as you cook it.

Tempeh is kinda dry, or spongy or whatever, so you need to be adding oil as you go as it's needed.
That's what the white chunks of love are in the pan, un-melted coconut oil.
Season it.
I use: Black & White Pepper, Paprika, Turmeric, Tamari & Balsamic Vinegar.
That vinegar bottle has a spray top. That business only works with rabbit food. That's why my finger is over the top, because spraying is ridiculous and I don't want to flood the Tempeh.

So once it's seasoned you basically cook it like ground beef.
This is what ground beef looks like.
For the record, I do not vouch for, nor endorse 'pinch my salt dot com.'
First of all, they don't use iron skillets, and it looks like most of their ingredients come from the can.
meh.
They do have better lighting though.

On to the sauce!
Gather the Veggies & Fungi.
As you can see there is a jar of what looks like Trader Joe's Sauce. I have been assured that it is not TJ's, but rather the leftovers of another batch from scratch who happened to re-use the TJ's jar.
This is what actually inspired this week's dish.
Thanks Lee, you are such an inspiration.
Also thanks for the kick-@$$ vacuum & the paint.

Anyway, clockwise spiral into madness starting at noon; Shiitake Mushrooms, Zucchini, Asparagus, Jalapeno Pepper, Heirloom Tomatoes, Garlic.

Chop all but the Tomatoes & saute on low in another pan.
You don't want to over cook the stuff. It still needs to simmer with the Tomatoes and then bake for 40 minutes.

So, in theory, any tomato will do, it just depends on what you're going for.
I am going for no less than awesome, and that is why I am using Heirloom Tomatoes.
If you are unfamiliar with Heirloom Tomatoes, treat yourself & familiarize yourself with them.

They are beautiful...

...and tasty
Other than that I don't know much else about them. I'm sure there's a history and stuff behind them.
Yep, there is. Thanks Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato

Well, enough with the past, we're here, and the time is now.
Chop them Tomatoes, we're gonna make their ancestors proud.
I actually only needed the 2 big ones because we're also using Lee's homemade sauce.
I'm not sure what he put in it, but I spied a few Artichoke Hearts.
Mix it up real good and simmer.
You don't need to cook it much, because it will, like I mentioned above, be baking for 40 minutes.

Now add the herbs.
That's Basil at the top, left to right we have Tarragon, Sage and of course Arugala.

You may have noticed that there is no Oregano. That's because Oregano is cliche and only posers use it.
But of course everything is optional. It's your stomach, put whatever you want in it. No judgment.

So chop up & add the herbs and let simmer for a minute or two more.

Then give it a taste.

Holy bawls.
That is awesome.

Turn off the heat and move on to your final asset.
Vegan Cheese sauce.
Counter-clockwise starting with the Lime: Lime, Honey, Tofu (firm), Nutritional Yeast, Egg, Coconut Milk.

I'm just kidding about the egg.
I was just checking to see if anyone would notice.

Throw everything in the Food Processor.
If you don't have a food processor, a blender will do, but good luck.

Yeah. Where's my wish list?
I wish I had a food processor.

Now, we assemble the masterpiece

Grease the pan.
Again, I have no idea if this works or not.

I still don't know the dimensions, but it serves 4-6.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to pre-cook the Noodles.
The sauce is usually saucy enough to soften them.
However, you may have difficulty getting the Noodles to fit in the bottom of the pan.
Fracture as necessary.

Add Sauce.

Add Tempeh.

Another layer of Noodles.

More Sauce.

Another layer of Noodles
Generally, 2 layers of Noodles is enough, but there were exactly enough Noodles for one more layer.

Add faux Cheese Sauce.
Spread it around.
Cover.
Stick it in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375-400.

Check it after 30.
I usually poke it with a fork.
The top layer of Noodles are not quite as tender as I like.
Re-cover and put it in for 10 more minutes.

So, I think there wasn't enough Sauciness for the amount of Noodles that were put in.
So, let's say it's cooked to your desiring.
Bake for a bit with the top off.
In theory, you bake it with the top off to brown the cheese, since we're not using real cheese, it almost seem like a moot point.
But, meh.
May as well brown the faux Cheese.

Whoah, look at that shadow.
Trippy.

Serve.
Whoah.
Trippy.

Okay here it is in normal lighting.
Serve with Beer & Garlic Bread.
Or Wine.
Ya know whatever.

And viola.

It was pretty good actually. The Tempeh really added to the mix.
The texture/consistency wasn't quite what I usually get, and I think it was because of the extra layer of Noodles.
The idea, as it makes sense to me, is that there is a layer of Sauce on top of each layer of Noodles, so the moisture from the sauce cooks the Noodles as it's baking.
More Sauce next time.

So the layers should basically be like this:
Noodle - Sauce - Cheese.

You do that twice.
That's basic lasagna as I understand it.

Most people put the (faux) Meat in the Sauce rather than having it's own layer like I did, but ya know, it really doesn't matter.

You do whatever you can get away with.
Noodle - Sauce - Meat - Noodle - Sauce - Noodle - Faux Cheese

Whatever works.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

I'm not gonna lie to ya, baking is pretty easy.

For awhile, when my sister and i were living in the same town, we took turns hosting the other on Tuesday nights, which involved dinner & a movie, or Scrubs, or a board game.
There was a short time when we took some of our favorite casserole/hotdish recipes and updated them so they were more in accordance with our current diet.
This is yet another updated version of my dad's famous Chicken & Rice Casserole. When my dad made this it was just chicken & rice & cream of mushroom soup.

Okay well enough trivium & neuroses.

Chop your veggies and put them in a pan like the one pictured below.
I'm not sure the dimensions, but it's rectangular & serves 4-6 people.
We have a couple vacancies in our house and we're courting a potential housemate and having a nice house meal together.
*Update: we totally got her. This dish IS a winner*

Anyway, the veggies are the usual suspects: peas in the pod, broccoli, asparagus and shiitake mushrooms.
You don't need to add a bunch. In fact if you do you could over flow your pan.
Heat makes stuff expand ya know.
See, I even refrained from using all the mushrooms I had.

I also rubbed olive oil all over the pan. I don't know if that matters at all.

Last summer we built an herb spiral and the herbs are kinda going crazy right now, which is awesome.
Here we have the freshest herbs you can get: sage, thyme & tarragon.
And the not as fresh (but still fresh): garlic, basil & serrano.
Finely chop them.
Chop them all!
Yeees. Like that.

Now would also be a good time to season the dish.
Again, the usual suspects: black and white pepper, paprika, turmeric, tamari.
Cumin would also work, but I haven't been too into that lately.
Curry would be pretty good too because of the following step.

So, as some of you know, I generally don't do dairy. But for some reason, when I do something 'dairy-free' this translates in my head to 'vegan.'
I was telling folks this is a vegan chicken & rice casserole. Which it is... except for the chicken & the egg.

The 'dairy-free' part of this 'vegan-except-for-the-chicken-&-egg' dish comes from coconut milk & nutritional (or brewer's) yeast.
I recently got into pasta, not because pasta is inherently good (it's actually not as it turns out), but because there's this place just down Hawthorne, Pasta Works, that makes the best fresh pasta ever.
Growing tired of marinara sauces, I desired the alfredo sauce, but alas, too creamy from dairy.
Anyway, I found this vegan alfredo sauce that is as follows: 1 can coconut milk, 1/4 C nutritional yeast.

Don't use more than 1/4 C nutritional yeast to 1 can coconut milk.
Don't.
It's easy to do, but don't do it. You may think you like nutritional yeast, but you don't like it this much. Stick to the ratio. If anything, go less.
Learn from the mistakes of others.

Okay. Well, enough of that.

Add rice.
I can't remember how much I put in. I think it was 2 C.
I also added an equivalent amount of water, which I feel was unnecessary. I'm sure half that would have worked.
Noted: rice:water = 1:1/2

This is probably also unnecessary, but whatever.
Add an egg.
Beat it first.
I don't know why, I just like throwing an egg into things. I think it somehow affects the structural integrity or something, like it brings all the ingredients together.
But whatever, I don't need to justify my egg usage to you.

Okay now stir all that business up nice & even. Then slip in the chicken fillets.
Trust me, they're in there.

Cover it & Bake it.
Since this isn't in the recipe books, I'm just gonna go with 375 for about 30 or 45 minutes (or so I thought).

So 30 minutes goes by and I check the corner... still a bit liquidy.
45 minutes, still liquidy.
I turn it up to 400 and check in another 15 minutes... still liquidy.
This is getting ridiculous.
I finally just pull it out, it's been in there for an hour, its definitely cooked.

Well, as it turns out, all the stupid liquidy stuff is congregating in the corners, which is the only part I was checking.
Der.
In retrospect, I should have cooked it uncovered after a half hour, which I knew, just kinda didn't think of then.

Let it cool.
Or not.

Serve with beer & garlic bread.
Mmm.

It was pretty good.
I feel there was too much nutritional yeast.
Everybody else liked it (except Bob, he's not that kind of 'vegan').
The only comments were that the chicken was in fillet form rather than diced & evenly distributed, which seems weird to me. My dad always put real chicken parts in there for us to find and rip apart.
At least I used fillets.
To each their own.

So, if you're taking notes on this dish, use less water & cook uncovered for a bit.
Lesson learned.