My Mom's Cornbread

So after making my last corn bread recipe with taco soup I had a hankering for my mom's corny corn bread that I mentioned. So I emailed her and got the recipe. It was as good as I always remembered. Super sweet (no agave or butter needed), dense, and about two inches tall. I had some for breakfast this morning :)

1/2 C Earth Balance, melted
1 C Corn
1 1/3 C Turbinado sugar
4 Tbs Ground flaxseeds
12 Tbs Warm water
2 C Unsweetened almond milk (or rice...)
2 Tbs Apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
2 C Corn meal
2 C Flour (I used whole wheat, but it is really good with white too)

Mix ground flaxseeds with warm water in a large bowl and set aside. Blend can of corn in blender or food processor until the consistency of creamed corn. Combine this with the flaxseed mixture and mix in Earth Balance, corn, and sugar.

Whisk almond milk with vinegar and baking soda and let sit 5 minutes. Add to the flaxseed and corn mixture with the rest of the ingredients.

Stir just until blended. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the sides start to pull away from the pan.

Recipe idea thanks to:
My mom

Strawberry Muffins

Nothing like breakfast in bed. Friday night Ben and I were out until 2 am with friends having a 'Japanese night.' Ben and I made miso soup and ginger udon with vegetables. Unfortunatley we didn't get any pictures, but that just means we will have to make it again soon :) Saturday morning I slept in until 11:30. Ahhh! I woke up to Ben shoving a muffin in my face. What a doll. These muffins are super tasty and I love that they are whole wheat. It made them very dense and substantial.

1 ½ C Whole wheat flour
½ C Turbinado sugar
¼ tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
¾ C Vanilla coconut milk (or almond, or rice...)
1/3 C Canola oil
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 C Frozen strawberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease muffin tins.

Sift together dry ingredients. Beat the milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl for 2-3 minutes. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry, be careful not to over-mix. Fold in strawberries.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe thanks to:
Sugar Punk

Chili

Back to cooking beans, beans, and more beans. Chili was next in my bean use-up strategy. I know it is similar to my taco soup recipe that I made just a few days ago, but it was tasty all the same. Mostly I am just exited for our brand new red wood table - you can see it in the background of this photo. It is gorgeous and I love it!

1 Tbs Olive oil
1/2 Medium onion, chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Cumin
2 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbs Salt
2 Stalks celery, chopped
2 Green bell peppers, chopped
2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional, this made the chili VERY spicy)
3 Cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 oz cans Chopped green chili peppers, drained
3-28 oz cans Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1 C Ground seitan (see my recipe here)
1/4 C Chili powder
1 Tbs Black pepper
1-15 oz can Kidney beans, drained
1-15 oz can Garbanzo beans, drained
1-15 oz can Black beans
1-15 oz can Corn

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender. Mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers (opt), garlic, and green chili peppers. When vegetables are heated throughout, mix in the seitan. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes, chili powder and pepper into the pot. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes (if you are using dried beans for this, cook up to 1 1/2 hours). Stir in the corn and let simmer 5 minutes more before serving.

Recipe idea thanks to:
All Recipes

Taco Soup

Recently Ben and I have been trying to get rid of the extravagant collection of dried beans we have. I don't where or when we collected all them, but they take up a TON of room! With two new roommates moving in Ben and I are down to one third of the kitchen space we had previously and are having a hard time fitting all of our stuff in. I really think we own more kitchen stuff than anything else. So beans it is. Beans, beans, and more beans. (Though we used dried beans I listed canned below for simplicity). So, taco soup found its way to our menu. We made a large batch of ground seitan for the soup and froze about twelve cups. We then made some cornbread and some agave butter for the side and bought some Daiya cheddar cheese shreds and tofutti sour cream for the top. The result was AMAZING! This is one of my all-time favorite meals now. The soup has the perfect amount of heat and with the sour cream mixed in has the loveliest flavor, and crushed chips in soup are always a plus. The corn bread was great soaked in soup or just with agave butter on top. I will definitely be making this many times in the future.

2 C Ground seitan (see my recipe here)
1 medium White onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbs Canola oil
1 - 14 oz can Corn (including all the liquid)
1 - 14 oz can Kidney beans (including all the liquid)
1 - 14 oz can Pinto beans (including all the liquid)
1 - 14 oz can Hominy (including all the liquid)
1 package Taco seasoning ( I like Simply Organic Southwest Taco)
2 1/2 Japapenos, diced (mine were about 1 1/2 in long)
1 - 4 oz can Diced green chilies
1 - 28 oz can Diced tomatoes
1 cup Medium salsa

In a large pot combine the corn, kidney beans, pinto beans, hominy, taco seasoning, jalapenos, green chilies, diced tomatoes, and salsa. Turn pot onto medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Place ground seitan, diced onion, minced garlic, and oil in a large frying pan. Saute on high heat for five minutes or until the seitan begins to brown.

Mix the seitan mixture into the bean mixture and simmer until beans are cooked, adding more water until your desired consistency. This soup is great with cornbread (as you can see in the background), see my recipe here. Top with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and vegan shredded cheese.

Recipe thanks to:
Vegweb

Agave Butter

This is my veganized version of a childhood favorite, honey butter. Traditionally honey butter is made with whipped butter and honey.

1/4 C Earth Balance
1/4 C Agave

Melt Earth Balance in the microwave or on the stove until liquid. Mix in the agave. Place in the refrigerator and cool until solidified. Remove from the fridge and 'whip' with a fork until fluffy.
This is really great on cornbread. See my cornbread recipe here.

Cornbread

I grew up eating a more corny-type-cornbread that I always really liked. It was fluffy and sweet, with a can of creamed corn in the batter for a bit of texture. The below recipe is one I found online from a trusted source. It is nothing like the cornbread I grew up with, but I actually really enjoyed it. It is really tasty with my version of honey butter, agave butter (butter meaning earth balance) or soaked in soup. It is not sweet or fluffy, but rather very dense.

2 C Cornmeal
1 C Whole wheat flour

2 tsp Baking powder
1/3 C Canola oil
2 Tbs Maple syrup

2 C Almond milk
2 tsp Apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt



Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk and the vinegar and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

Add the oil and maple syrup to the almond milk mixture. Whisk until foamy and bubbly (around 2 minutes). 

Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix together.

Pour batter into the baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with agave butter - see the recipe here. I made this with taco soup and it was good (you can see the taco soup in the background), it would also be good with some kind of chili. See my taco soup recipe here.

Recipe thanks to:
The Post Punk Vegan Kitchen

Ground Seitan

Dry ingredients:
1½ C Vital wheat gluten
2 Tbs Nutritional yeast
½ tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Onion powder

Wet ingredients:
½ C Vegetable broth
½ C Water
2 Tbs Tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbs Olive oil

Spices:
1 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and gently combine with your hands. The mixture should be firm but spongy. Knead a few times. Do not over knead, it will make the gluten fluffy and bread-like. Let the gluten rest for 5 minutes.

Gently stretch the gluten until it is about ½ inch thick. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and prick gluten all over with a fork, then put it back in the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Take the gluten from the oven and fold it up into a large zip lock bag. Leave in the bag for 30 minutes to even out the moisture.

After 30 minutes, tear the seitan into chunks and grind it in a meat grinder like the one in the above picture. Meat grinders have adjustable settings so you can grind large or small pieces. You can also pulse it in a food processor until you reach the desired consistency.

Mix the ground seitan with the above spices until evently mixed.

The recipe makes about 4 cups of ground seitan. Seitan stays good in the refrigerator for about a week, and around 4 months in the freezer.

Recipe thanks to:
My mom

Mint and Cacao Shake

3 C Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island
2 C Vanilla coconut milk (I like So Delicious brand)
24 Mint leaves
2 tsp Spirulina (optional)
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/4 C Raw cacao nibs
Ice (as much as you want, depending on the consistency you prefer)

Place all ingredients except cacao nibs in blender and blend until smooth. Add cacao nibs and pulse a few times until they are chopped up to your preference. Garnish with Mint.

Recipe idea thanks to:
Diana Stobo's blog

Tzatziki Sauce and Flaffel Try #3

I have been on a quest to make some really good vegan tzatziki sauce for flaffel. For those of you that don't know what tzatziki sauce is, it's a greek sauce often used for souvlaki and gyros. It has a strained yogurt base and cucumbers; but from there it varies from sauce to sauce.

About a year ago I tried putting together a tzatziki sauce from memory after my experiences with tzatziki sauce while in Europe last summer. I used a homemade yogurt recipe I had and the result was disgusting. It didn't help that I tried to bake the flaffel instead of deep frying it. Ew. That constituted try #1.

But I could not give up, I LOVE tzatziki sauce and flaffel so much! So a few months ago I tried a recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen that had red onion, mint, lime, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper.  But try #2 it turned out extremely watery and I wasn't a huge fan. The recipe said to finely dice the ingredients so it was kind of more like a minced coleslaw type thing than true tzatziki sauce. I also made my flaffel from scratch, but again, baked it so it just didn't have that nice deep fried taste.

So this week I decided to try a new recipe, try #3. Ben purchased some of the Whole Foods bulk flaffel mix a few weeks back and I was just waiting for an evening off so that we could experiment again. Last night turned out to be the night. Instead of looking for a vegan recipe I found a recipe for 'the world's best tzatziki sauce on a blog called Kalyn's Kitchen. I used it as sort of jumping off point but added things from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen recipe and a few things I thought would be good as well.

I first tried making a mint-only sauce and a dill-only sauce separate. But, after mixing them and discovering it was much better that way I made a mint-and-dill sauce that I am pretty happy with. It was still a bit watery because of the yogurt, though. I attempted to strain it as instructed in the original recipe but I soon realized that coconut yogurt does not strain like regular yogurt seems to. I also probably could have let the  cucumbers sit salted a bit longer.

2 Medium cucumbers

3 Garlic cloves
1 Tbs Salt
2 tsp Black pepper
Juice from one lemon
1/8 Red onion
2 Tbs Dill
10 Fresh mint leaves
16 oz Plain yogurt (unsweetened if you can get it)

Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon and scrape out the seeds. Slice the cucumbers and place them in a colander over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 Tbs salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.

In food processor place cucumbers, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, onion, dill, and mint leaves in a blender or food processor. Process until well blended or leave chunky if desired. Stir the blended mixture into the yogurt. Taste for spices and add more salt and pepper if needed. 

Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.

To assemble a flaffel pita sandwich, I spread hummus (store bought or home made, I will get around to posting my hummus recipe eventually) on a whole wheat pita. I then filled the pita with chopped red cabbage and tomatoes and put 2-3 flaffel balls in it. I then drizzled (soaked) the whole thing in tzatziki sauce.

One thing I hate about home made pitas vs. restaurant pitas is the pita bread itself. Flaffel in the restaurant is is wrapped in a kind of naan-esque bread. See, this is what my flaffel pita looked like once I tried to bite into it. THIS is why I hate pitas!

 

So, though in the end I would chalk the tzatziki sauce and flaffel try #3 up to a success, I think it could be better. I want to make tzatziki and flaffel like I had in Paris! or Greece! So, thus begins my quest for the perfect flaffel sandwich.

Eight Layer Bean Dip

It was really hard to get a picture of this because of the layers... so bear with me. But it was SO GOOD.

2 cans Refried beans
Chili powder, to taste
Ground cumin, to taste
2 C Vegan cheddar cheese, shredded (I used one package of Daiya cheese)
2 C Vegan guacamole (or just mashed avocados)
2 C Vegan sour cream (I like tofutti brand, they make a 70% organic sour cream as well)
1 1/2 C Salsa
1/2 C Olives, chopped
1/2 C Yellow onion, chopped
1/4 Scallions, chopped

Heat the refried beans in a medium pan. Stir in enough water until the beans get a creamy consistency, about 1/4 of a cup. Mix in the chili powder and cumin to taste. The avocadoes and sour cream will 'cool down' the dip, so the beans can be kind of spicy.

Once the beans are hot and bubbly, spread them over the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Immediately sprinkle the cheese evenly over the beans so that it melts. If the beans cool down too fast you may have to broil the cheese and beans at around 400 for a few minutes.

Next, evenly spread the guacamole over the cheese. Follow that with the sour cream and then the salsa. Sprinkle the olives, onions, and scallions over that. Serve while the beans and cheese are still warm with tortilla chips. (This is also really good cold. Ben and I put the left overs in the fridge and had them for lunch today, it was still very good!)

Brownies

3/4 C Unbleached flour
1/2 C Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 C Unrefined sugar (like turbinado)
1/4 tsp Sea salt
1/2 C Soft tofu
1/2 C + 2 Tbs Water
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
2 Tbs Ground flax seeds
1 C Vegan carob chips
2 Tbs Canola oil

Preheat oven the 375 degrees. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Stir in sugar and salt, and mix well. In a food processor or blender combine tofu, water, vanilla, and flax seeds.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place 3/4 C carob chips in a glass or ceramic bowl and place it over the pot to make a sort of double-boiler (unless you have a double boiler). Make sure that no water gets into the chips at it will make them seize up and they will be come difficult to work with. Melt the chips and then scrape them into the food processor/blender with the tofu mixture. Puree until smooth, scraping the sides a few times.

Stir the tofu mixture into the dry mixture. Add canola oil and stir until just well combined. Pour batter into a lightly oiled 8x8 baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C chips onto the top of the batter.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Recipe thanks to:
The Everyday Vegan you can also visit Dreena Burton's (the author of The Everyday Vegan) blog here: Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Home Made Bread (and Split Pea Soup)

Be warned: this recipe came from my mother. She has six children and cooks like she is a supplier for Costco. This recipe is quite large and makes four big loaves of bread. If you want to half or even quarter it, it may be a good idea. However, if you have a big enough bowl, I suggest making the whole thing. The bread will stay good frozen for probably about a month and defrosts well if you just let it sit out on the counter. In the photo you will see my split pea soup in the background, you can get the recipe here.

6 1/2 C Hot water
3/4 C Evaporated cane juice
3/4 C Unsweetened applesauce
5 tsp Salt
16-18 C Whole wheat flour
1/2 C Warm water
3 Packets yeast

Mix hot water, sugar, applesauce, salt, and 8 cups of flour in a large (I mean HUGE) bowl. Mix the warm water with the yeast in a separate container to proof (sprinkle a little sugar over the yeast to give it something to eat. If it starts to bubble and grow into something foamy looking its good to go. If nothing happens, you need new yeast). Add yeast mixture to dough. Add the remaining 8 - 10 cups flour to make a soft dough (it should be a little sticky). Place dough in bowl and cover with a cloth. Let raise 1 hour. Split dough into four equal pieces. Put in four greased loaf pans and let raise again 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes.

Recipe idea thanks to:
My Mom

Split Pea Soup (and Home Made Bread)

Last night Ben and I made split pea soup until like 1 a.m. Oh the things you will do when you are avoiding final papers. But the soup is amazing. I paired it with some home made bread we made last week (you can get that recipe here) and it made a great rainy day meal! Except its not raining. But it might as well be because it's finals week. Comfort food.

1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Bay leaf
5 Cloves garlic, minced
2 C Dried split peas
1/2 C Barley
3 tsp Salt
9 C Water
3 Carrots, chopped
3 Stalks celery, chopped
3 Potatoes, diced
1/4 C Dried parsley
1 tsp Dried basil
1 tsp Dried thyme
2 tsp Ground black pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the oil, onion, bay leaf, and garlic for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add the peas, barley, salt, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, basil, thyme, and ground black pepper. Simmer for another hour uncovered (add more water if necessary), or until the peas and vegetables are tender. 

Recipe idea thanks to:
All Recipes

Lemony Quiona with Butternut Squash and Pine Nuts

Next week is finals so Ben and I are trying to put together some meals that stay good and are quick to heat up. We decided to pull out an old favorite to save the day. I also happened to harvest my own chives in the past few days so we had some fresh chives on hand! I am amazed at how nice it is to have herbs growing and be able to pick them at whim. 

1 medium Butternut squash
Juice from one lemon (about 4 Tbs)
1/2 C Regular quinoa 
1/2 C Red quinoa (you could also do one full cup regular quinoa, I just like the color of the red)
1/4 C Yellow onion, chopped
5 Cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Thyme
2 1/2 C Vegetable broth
1 Tbs Lemon zest
2 tsp Pepper, more to taste
2 tsp Salt, more to taste
1/2 C Pine nuts
2 Tbs Fresh chives, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings. Peel and cut into 1-inch cubes and toss with the 2 Tbs of lemon juice. Place the cubes on a non-stick baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse it well and then drain it. Heat a large, non-stick pot. Add onions, garlic, and 1/4 C water. Cook on high, stirring, until onions soften slightly. Add the quinoa and toast it until it dries out and smells toasty. Add the baked squash, thyme, and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Add the remaining lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a separate pan, toast the pine nuts on medium high until they are brown. Stir in the lemon zest and the chives. Serve with toasted nuts and chive mixture sprinkled on top.

Recipe thanks to:
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Last night I had the biggest craving for chocolate. I wanted brownies, but we didn't have any tofu and it was after 10 p.m. So Ben and I racked our brains for chocolatey things we could make... and then we remembered. We stole my mom's chocolate zucchini bread recipe while we were at her house last week. YES! So Ben ran to the kitchen and I curled up in bed with Harrison Ford in The Fugitive (it was one of those nights). The resulting bread was to die for. I had two huge slices and then woke up this morning and had two more with my breakfast tea.

1 C Canola oil
2 C Evaporated cane juice
1 Tbs Baking soda
1 Tbs Cinnamon
2 1/2 C Whole wheat white flour
2 C Grated zucchini
9 Tbs Water mixed with 3 Tbs ground flax seeds
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 C Cocoa powder
1 Tbs Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and zucchini. Beat together. Add remaining ingredients and stir until no lumps remain.

Grease two small loaf pans and divide dough between them. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe idea thanks to:
My Mom

Lentil Soup

2 C Green lentils, rinsed
7 C Water
14 oz Frozen mixed vegetables
8 oz Potatoes, cubed
2 Vegetable bouillon cubes (I like Rapunzel brand)
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Crushed rosemary
3 Bay leaves
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
14.5 oz can Crushed tomatoes
1 tsp Liquid smoke
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Place lentils, water, and next 7 ingredients into a large pot. Bring to a boil, stir well, cover pot, and cook over low heat until lentils are tender, about an hour (add additional water if it begins to dry out).

Add tomatoes, pepper, and salt. Taste to check seasonings. Cook uncovered for at least 15 minutes, adding more water if it seems too thick, and stirring from the bottom often. Stir in vinegar just before serving.

Recipe thanks to:
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Tortilla Samosas with Mango Dip

These are so good! They are super easy to make and to assemble in a jiffy for lunch of after work snack. Ben and I have been enjoying them for a few days now and only just got around to taking a photo.

Tortilla Samosas:

3 C Potatoes, mashed
2 tsp Curry powder
1 C Frozen peas, boiled
6 Whole wheat tortillas
Salt to taste

Creamy Mango Dip:

1 Large mango
3 Tbs lime juice (about one lime)
1/4 C Canola oil
1 Tbs Agave nectar
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Salt

Mix together the potatoes, peas, curry powder, and salt to taste and set aside. Blend mango dip ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan. Spread half of each tortilla with potato filling, fold over, and grill until toasted on each side. Dip in mango sauce.

Recipe thanks to:
Your Vegan Mom

Blueberry Muffins

2 C Whole wheat flour
1/3 C + 1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 C Rice milk (or soy...or oat...)
1/4 C Vegan margarine (I like earth balance)
1 Tbs Ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbs warm water
1 tsp Lemon juice
1 C Fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a muffin tin. Rinse blueberries and place in a bowl with 1 tsp sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the soymilk, margarine, flax seeds, and lemon juice and stir until combined (the mixture should be pretty thick). Gently stir in the sugared bluberries.

Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each cup no more than 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Recipe idea thanks to:
About.com

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

Today Ben and I went up to visit my grandparents at their lovely lodge above Fairview. They recently became 'flexitarians' after reading The China Study (a great book on diet and degenerative diseases). We are immensely enjoying exchanging recipes, favorite brands, etc. While at the lodge we made them this tasty quiche that my they couldn't say enough good things about!

'Cheesy' part:

14-ounce Package firm or extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 C Plain, unsweetened rice milk (or soy...or oat)
2 Tbs Nutritional yeast
1 Tbs Cornstarch
1 tsp Tahini
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric
3/4 tsp Salt


Vegetables:

1 Bunch asparagus (about 12 ounces)
1/2 C Yellow onion, minced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Green bell pepper, chopped

Olive oil spray
 2 Pie crusts

Put first 8 ingredients (tofu through salt) into the blender. Puree until completely smooth.

Preheat oven to 350. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut off the top 3 inches and set aside. Chop the remaining stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.


Spray a medium non-stick saucepan with olive oil and heat. Add the onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, asparagus stalks (not the tips), and two tablespoons water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, and 2 more tablespoons water. Cover and cook 2 more minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two until most liquid has evaporated.

Distribute the vegetables evenly (excluding the asparagus tips) and spread on top of your crusts. Pour the tofu mixture over each of the crusts and spread evenly over the vegetables. Arrange the asparagus tips over the top and spray lightly with olive oil.


Bake for 60 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe thanks to:
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen