Vegan MoFo: Strawberry-rhubarb mini pies (gluten-free)

Today's Cooking the Rainbow color: red

I had intended today's post to be about making your own pickled beets.  But things are still post-wedding crazy (i.e. heaps of thank yous to finish writing), so instead I bring you strawberry-rhubarb mini pies.  I already had these little cuties photographed and was going to blog about them soon anyway.  And I swear one of these days I'm going to get my lightbox corner set up so I don't have to snap photos with my smartphone.  One of these days...

I made these pies when I was testing out recipe ideas for our reception.  They're delicious but a little too time-intensive when you've got a wedding cake and several batches of cupcakes to make as well.  Yes, I made some of the desserts for my own wedding reception.  Yes, I realize that's crazy and a little sadistic.  But the vegan bakery options in my area are extremely limited - there are no dedicated vegan bakeries, and the regular ones that offer some vegan items just don't do vegan well.  While I toyed with the idea of supporting them because at least they thought to offer vegan treats (and also maybe encourage them to develop some better recipes after they found the vegan stuff sells), in the end my inner bridezilla demanded better goodies.  If I was going to expose my guests to vegan baking (a first for many of them), they were going to have to be exceptional.  "I can't believe it's vegan"-worthy.  But I digress.

These pies, IMHO, fall into the "I can't believe it's vegan" category.  Mr Pescador devoured them and asked for more.  Begged, really.  There's enough dough to make a regular-sized pie if you're pressed for time.  Just bake it longer.

Filling
3 c. rhubarb, washed and chopped
3 c. strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. lemon juice
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix well and set aside.

Crust (from YumUniverse)
2 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. cold water (I usually measure out 1/3-1/2 c. water and add ice, then measure my 5 Tbsp. from that)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a standard muffin pan (or line the muffin cups with parchment paper).  In a food processor or stand mixer, add everything but water.  Mix until combined but crumbly.  Add water 1 Tbsp. at a time until the crust comes together - it may still look a little crumbly but if you squish it it sticks together.  Roll out on a floured surface and cut out circles (using a small bowl or other object about 3-4 inches in diameter).  Transfer to a muffin cup and gently mold to the cup.  Repeat for all muffin cups.  Prick the crusts a few times each with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.  If you want to top the pies with a piece of dough cut into a shape (like the hearts I used), cut these out while the crusts bake.

After crusts have baked, fill each with some of the strawberry-rhubarb mix.  Top with the dough shape, if using.  Put back in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.  Let cool and then gently lift each pie out using a butter knife or fork.  Try not the eat them all at once.  :)

Nutrition benefits
Strawberry: folate, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese
Rhubarb: magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, manganese

Vegan MoFo: Summer berry salad with agave-mustard vinaigrette

Today's Cooking the Rainbow color: blue/purple

I can't believe the first week of MoFo is almost over already!  Today I have a light and easy salad that takes advantage of summer berries before they're gone (in my neck of the woods at least).

Spinach, washed and torn (or salad green of your choice, or even a mix)

1 avocado, diced

Strawberries, washed, drained and sliced

Blueberries, washed and drained

Blackberries, washed and drained

Sliced almonds (optional: toasted)

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1-2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. agave nectar (or maple syrup)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk together vinegar, oil, mustard, agave, salt and pepper.  Adjust to taste.  Toss all produce together.  Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

Nutrition Benefits

blueberry: vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese

blackberry: vitamin E, folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese

Vegan MoFo: Foil veggies

Today's Cooking the Rainbow theme color: white

OK, I stretched a little bit because I'm calling the mushrooms white even though they're cremini (baby bella) and not buttons.  But I like the taste of cremini better, so in the packet they went.  I also sliced everything so I could use the leftovers on a sandwich with some pesto cream cheez - yum!  This recipe makes enough for 2-3 servings, depending on what else you have with the meal (and how hungry everyone is).

1 lb baby potatoes, washed and sliced
1/2 container (3-4oz) cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium zucchini, washed and sliced
optional: add onion, carrot, summer squash, etc.
olive oil
soy sauce
vegan Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder
ground oregano
ground thyme

Preheat oven to 450F.  I sliced up all the veggies and put them in a large bowl.  Then I added enough olive oil to lightly coat the veggies (but not so much that it pooled in the bottom of the bowl).  I sprinkled on some soy and Worcestershire sauce (probably about 1/2 Tbsp each) and the spices (around 1/2 tsp each).  I stirred everything together to combine and then poured it out onto a sheet of aluminum foil.  I put another sheet of foil on top and rolled all the sides together to create an airtight packet.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.

Meanwhile, I cooked an ear of corn to have on the side.  Now I was raised to cook corn by removing the husk and all those little strands of silk (which is a pain), and then putting the ear in a pot of boiling water.  When I heard there was a microwave method where you leave it in the husk to cook, I had to try it out.  It promised that after cooking, you could just cut off the bottom of the ear and the corn would slide right out, sans husk and annoying silk strands.  Part of me was skeptical - it seemed too good to be true - but the promise of not getting silk strands all over the kitchen was too tempting.  And guess what - it works!  You just put the ear in the microwave (I cut off the exposed silk sticking out of the top; and I had to cut some of the end off because my ear was too long to fit in the microwave) and cook for about 3 minutes per ear.  Take it out (using oven mitts because that ear is HOT!), cut off the bottom at the widest part, and squeeze.  The ear comes out with minimal fuss.  Mine did still have a few silk strands attached, but they were easily picked off and discarded.  I may never boil another pot of water for corn on the cob again!

Nutrition Benefits

potato: vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese

cremini mushroom: protein, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium

Vegan MoFo: Sweet potato & chard dal

Today's Cooking the Rainbow color: orange/yellow

This time of year we're usually still waiting for the heat of summer to break and give us a hint of fall, so I find myself turning to the slow cooker to prepare meals.  This dal made the house smell so good I forgot to take a photo until I was about halfway done eating.

Dal (adapted from The Vegan Slow Cooker)
3/4 c. red lentils, washed and picked through
2 c. water
1 cube bouillon
1 medium yam, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4-1/2 c. onion, diced (depending on how onion-y you like things)
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. turmeric
a pinch of chili powder
3-4 large leaves of chard, chiffonaded

Add the lentils, water, bouillon and yam to the slow cooker.  Add the olive oil, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder to a pan and heat on medium-low.  Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft and translucent.  Add to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over rice and with some naan.  Or as Mr Pescador calls it, "nom."

Nutrition Benefits
yam: vitamin C, potassium and manganese
lentils: protein, iron, phosphorus, copper, folate and manganese

Vegan MoFo: Artichoke-spinach dip

Let the MoFo begin!  Today's Cooking the Rainbow color is green, so for my green food I've got a delicious and easy slow cooker artichoke-spinach dip.

10 oz spinach, chopped (thawed and drained if frozen)
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 c. non-dairy cream cheez
1/4-1/3 c. non-dairy sour cream
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all the ingredients in a greased slow cooker.  Stir to combine, then spread out into an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve warm.

Nutrition Benefits
artichokes: niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and manganese
spinach: protein, vitamin C, thiamin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium

September - Vegan MoFo!

Next week starts the 6th annual vegan month of food!  Basically it's a worldwide blogging event about all things vegan.  You can find a list of everyone who officially signed up here.  I've had a crazy-hectic-weird year (and it's not over yet!), so I'm going to use this MoFo to re-launch my blog.

To help me focus my effort, I've chosen a theme for this wonderful month of vegan inspiration: Cooking the Rainbow.  Each post will feature food(s) of a specific color as the main ingredient:

Monday: green

Tuesday: orange/yellow

Wednesday: white/brown

Thursday: blue/purple

Friday: red

There will be full-on meals, snacks, juices, and even some canning.  Why a rainbow?  Each food has different nutrients, so the more diverse your plate, the more nutrients you're getting.  Plus it's fun to discover new favorite foods and recipes!

Veganized Rachael Ray: Mushroom-spinach Bread-zagna

Mr Pescador is a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy.  Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray (in my opinion) has mastered comforting, home-style recipes that appeal to the Standard American Diet.  So I’ve started veganizing her recipes to make healthier foods that still have the flavors Mr Pescador is used to.  When I first made this recipe, I followed her directions exactly and I wasn’t crazy about the bread slices on the bottom of the casserole – completely mushy and gross.  I’ve since modified her recipe to make it more of a crostini-style recipe, which is more to my taste.  If you prefer, you can follow her original recipe.

Vegan Mushroom & Spinach Bread-zagna

Original Rachael Ray recipe here

2 c unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (I used rice)

¼ c nutritional yeast

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

6 slices peasant-style bread, cut into 1” thick slices

¼ c olive oil

8 oz cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, chopped

4 c spinach leaves, chiffonaded

¼ c shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp dried ground thyme

¼ c dry white wine

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, combine milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder.  Whisk until well combined.  Soak bread slices, put in greased casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 30-45 min (until bread is golden and crispy).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Brown the mushrooms until tender and dark.  Add shallots and garlic, and cook until softened.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, add the thyme, and cook until wine reduces and becomes thick.

To serve, scoop mushroom-spinach mix over top of the bread.