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Archive for May, 2012

Black Bean and Mango Salad/Salsa

2 tsp veg. oil

1 ear of Corn – cooked and cornels cut off

1 Mango

1 can black beans, rinsed

4 scallions chopped

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 small jalapeno pepper, finely diced

1 lime, cut in half and squeeze juice out

¼- ½   tsp Cumin

¼- ½  tsp Salt

¼ – ½ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove finely chopped

 

–          Mix all ingredients together and serve as salsa with chips or serve over brown rice for a tasty and fresh light meal.

VEGG REVIEW:

Having been a vegan for the past 22 years, I have to admit that I can’t even remember what an actual “egg” tastes like.  That said, I was very excited to try recipes that I haven’t had for years.

When I first blended the Vegg powder with water, I was struck by how close it resembled an actual egg.  After being turned off by “eggs” for so many years, I had to actually overcome the smell and look to begin cooking with it.  After consulting with my non-vegan husband, he confirmed that the look and consistency was as close as possible to a “real” egg yolk.   It is easy to prepare (simply blend powder with 1L water in the blender).  The down side is that it is a large quantity that you then need to refrigerate or freeze (there is no easy way to blend a smaller portion).

 

I used the Vegg in two different recipes to get an idea of how it tastes and how easy it is to work with.

1)      Almond French toast: DELICIOUS!!!!!!

–          5 tsp Vegg

–          1 C vanilla soy or almond milk

–          3 Tbs flour

–          ¼ tsp salt

–          ½ tsp baking powder

–          ½ tsp almond extract

• Thickly sliced French bread
• Vegetable oil & vegan margarine for cooking
• Wisk together Vegg, milk, flour, salt baking powder and almond extract.
• Dip and soak bread in mixture
• Place slices in a shallow dish and refergirate (if time)
• Heat oil & margarine over medium heat and fry bread on both sides until browned
• I topped with fresh berries and drizzled with maple syrup

 

2)      Home-made egg rolls:   The homemade egg roll wrappers were a bit of a challenge to make.  It’s a delicate process that will probably take a few more times to master!  They turned out tasty – but the wrappers were a little too thick which I think I will remedy with practice.

–          1 Tb Vegg

–          ¾ C cold water

–          ¼ tsp salt

–          7/8 C flour

–          Peanut oil for cooking

• Wisk together everything but oil.
• Heat nonstick pan to high heat, then lower to low once hot.
• Add oil to pan
• Scoop in ¼ C of four mixture – immeadietly spread out mixture to a thin layer – in under a minute the edges will begin to curl and the wapper is done
• Place on paper towel to cool
• Once cool – fill with filling and wrap.  (I used cabbage, carrots, scallions, bean sprouts and fresh ginger lightly sautéed with a dash of braggs/soy sauce)
• You can then fry or bake eggrolls – I sprayed mine with oil and baked on 400 until browned

 

Overall, the Vegg is a fantastic addition to the Vegan kitchen.

 

 

The folks at Vegg were nice enough to send a free sample of their product for me to review. 

Thai cashew stir-fry  – better than take-out! 

 

3 Tbs vegtable oil

1 Package extra firm tofu, cubed

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced

2 Tbs thai Chili sauce

9 Tbs Braggs amino acid (or soy sauce)

3 Tbs brown sugar

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 green pepper, cut into strips

5 scallions or 1 onion

½ Cup cashews

Optional: pineapple

Optional: fresh basil

 

–       In a small bowl, mix together: Braggs, brown sugar and chili sauce

–       Heat part of the oil in non stick frying pan. Pan fry cubed tofu until crispy

–       Heat the rest of the oil in a large skillet or wok.

–       Add garlic & ginger and cook for a minute or two

–       Add vegetables and stir fry for just a couple of minutes

–       Add Braggs mixture to vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes or until peppers are softened

–       Add Tofu, cashews, pineapple & basil and mix.

–       Serve over rice.

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Most Thai food restaurants use fish oil and/or fish broth in their stir-frys.  This recipe is VEGAN and just as tasty!