10 Celebrity Vegetarian Recipes For The Holidays: Kate Pierson’s Cosmic Carrot Cake November 24, 2009

Kate Pierson’s Cosmic Carrot Cake
For dessert, why not sample Kate Pierson’s, (founding member of The B-52′s), delicious Cosmic Carrot Cake! This recipe, once again, comes to us from “PETA’s Celebrity Cookbook.” Via Ecorazzi.com

INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
2 cups grated carrots
1½ cups raisins
2 cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
1¼ cups maple syrup
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 ½ tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¾ cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
2 (8-oz.) containers plain non-dairy cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted margarine, room temperature
4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan. Cook the carrots and raisins in the water over medium heat in a big pot, until the raisins are soft, about 7 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Add the oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt; stir and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and walnuts. Add the carrot mixture and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The cake is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat all the ingredients for the frosting until smooth and creamy. Spread on cake.

10 Celebrity Vegetarian Recipes for the Holidays: Kevin Nealon’s Chickpea Tacos November 24, 2009

Kevin Nealon’s Chickpea Tacos
Via Ecorazzi.com

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3 – 5 tablespoons salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 dash cayenne pepper, or to taste
8 – 10 taco shells

In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.

Cook onion, celery, and green pepper until softened. Add chickpeas, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and cook until warmed. Mash chickpeas slightly with a fork for better texture.

Fill shells evenly with mixture from sauté pan. If desired, top with any of the following: chopped tomatoes, shredded soy or rice cheese, low-fat guacamole, shredded lettuce, hot sauce, or salsa.

10 Celebrity Vegetarian Recipes For The Holidays: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Thanksgiving Gnocchi November 24, 2009

Via Ecorazzi.com

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Thanksgiving Gnocchi

In her latest edition of the GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth Paltrow offered this tasy gnocchi dish to serve as either a side or main for a vegetarian Thanksgiving. The recipe itself, like many others, is derived from another source; in this case “The River Cafe Classic Italian Cook Book”. But Paltrow decided to use sweet potato instead of pumpkin.

Serves: 4

* 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
* ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
* ½ teaspoon dried oregano
* coarse salt
* ¾ pound baking potatoes
* 1 egg, very well beaten
* about 1½ cups all-purpose, unbleached flour, plus more for rolling out
* freshly ground black pepper
* parmesan cheese for serving

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix together the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, chili, oregano and a large pinch of salt in a roasting tray and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until very soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the regular potatoes in boiling water with a large pinch of salt until cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and quarter.

Pass the sweet potatoes and the boiled potatoes through a ricer or a food mill into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the egg and a large pinch of salt. Gradually add the flour, stirring first with a wooden spoon and then your hands, until a dough forms. It is essential to do this quickly, otherwise the gnocchi will become very heavy if overworked.

Lightly dust a clean board or counter with flour. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Dust each piece with flour and roll until it’s about ¾” in diameter. Cut into 1″ long pieces. At this point you can leave the gnocchi as is or roll them on the tines of a fork. Stash the gnocchi on a flour-dusted cookie sheet as you continue rolling and cutting the rest.

When you’re ready to eat, bring a pot of water to a boil with a large pinch of salt. Cook the gnocchi, about a dozen at a time, for 4-5 minutes (let them cook for a minute or two after they float to the top). Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a warm serving dish and serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, a generous grating of parmesan, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

10 Celebrity Vegetarian Recipes For The Holidays: Emily Deschanel’s Seitan Piccata November 24, 2009

Emily Deschanel’s Seitan Piccata
Via Ecorazzi.com

Taken from The Millennium Cookbook – Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine

Makes 6 servings

Herb Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/3 cup polenta
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 servings (1 1/2 pounds) marinated seitan, cut into medallions
1/4 cup canola oil

Piccata Sauce:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 paper-thin lemon slices
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups dry white wine (you can use non-alcoholic wine)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
Thin lemon slices and minced fresh parsley or chives for garnish

In a shallow bowl, combine all the ingredients for the herb crust. In another shallow bowl, combine the soy milk and mustard. Dredge the seitan with the crust mixture, dip in the soy milk mixture, then dredge again in the crust mixture. Cook the seitan in a dry nonstick pan over medium-high heat until lightly brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Keep warm in low oven.

To make the sauce: Wipe out the pan and place it over medium heat. Add the garlic and toast until lightly browned. Add the lemon slices, the remaining sauce ingredients. Boil until the volume is reduced by almost half. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened. Serve the hot sauce over seitan. Garnish with more lemon slices and parsley.

Recipe: Garlicky Baked Fries November 19, 2009

Yet another yummy recipe from The Purple Foodie: Garlicky Baked Fries, delicious and not fried!

Garlicky Oven Fries
Adapted from: Lottie + Doof

8 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges
3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 225°C/475° F.
2. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl, warming it until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to the baking dish, coating it well.
4. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the garlic mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.
5. Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat.
6. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Serve with ketchup, mayo or sour cream.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes November 15, 2009

I’ve been asked by several friends what I am going to serve for Thanksgiving in lieu of a Turkey. We are fortunate to live in an area where we can buy a stuffed Tofurky roast, which will be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table. However some people do not have access to one or prefer using something less turkey-ish for their main course. My suggestion in this case is for you to buy the most beautiful Pumpkin or giant Squash you can find, and make it the centerpiece of your meal. You can stuff it with traditional stuffing and it will look beautiful on your table. Below are several links to different recipes for you to peruse, I hope you’ll find some that fit your needs. There’s even a couple of recipes for home made Tofu Turkeys. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving recipes from the NY Times http://bit.ly/1GJFWU

Tofu Pumpkin Pie (Vegan) from Alicia Silverstone’s website: http://bit.ly/3WmGI8

A gazillion links to Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes from Suite 101

Various Thanksgiving recipes from the Organic Consumers Association

From Vegetarian Times Magazine, a recipe for a Stuffed Tofu Turkey

From About.com Vegetarian, a collection of links for Thanksgiving Recipes, (including a homemade tofu turkey and a TVP and Tofu loaf)

From Epicurious.com, a Pumpkin Stuffed with Vegetable Stew

From NPR.com, menu for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving by Nicole Spiridakis

A slew of Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes from Vegweb.com

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu ideas from Allrecipes.com

A Vegan Thanksgiving menu from VegCooking.com

Recipe: Quick 15-Minute Ma Po Tofu November 15, 2009

This recipe comes to us from Passionate Eater , I am so glad to have found a quick recipe for Ma Po Tofu, one of my favorite Chinese dishes.

Quick Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu
2 tsp of vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp of ginger, finely minced and with brown skin scraped off with a dull spoon
2 tbsp (heaping) of hot bean paste
1 tsp of soy sauce
2 containers of firm tofu, diced (can use silken, but add it later and do not mix it as vigorously to prevent “breakage”)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 medium scallions, green section sliced on a bias and white section roughly chopped

Heat the pan to high heat, and add the oil just until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. Cook until it begins to brown. Add the hot bean paste and soy sauce, and stir briefly. Add the diced tofu, and cook until the flavors seep through the spongy tofu crevices, just a few minutes.

Turn off the heat, drizzle the sesame oil over the tofu, and sprinkle the green parts of scallions on top.

Serve with leafy green vegetables stir-fried with chopped garlic, and that’s what I call a “quick vegetarian” meal!