Lentil-roni

Easy and Yummy!

Ingredients:
8-oz dry macaroni 
32-oz (4 cups) vegetable broth 
1 diced onion 
3 minced garlic cloves 
¼ cup tomato paste 
1 cup dry red lentils
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cool water. Set aside. 
3. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. 
4. Add tomato paste, broth, and lentils.
5. Cover and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. 
7. Combine mixture with cooked macaroni. 
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Per serving: 434 calories, 2.8g fat, 78.7g carbs, 20.7g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 26.6g protein
• serves 4 

Multigrain Biscuits

In my effort to make things I enjoy so that I will choose to eat them again, I decided to make my Homemade Multigrain Biscuit Mix.


Ingredients:
For mix:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup spelt flour 
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats 
1/2 cup wheat germ 
1/2 cup powdered coconut milk
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 cup stevia
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cold vegan buttery sticks, (short time in freezer helps) 

For biscuits:
1 cup biscuit mix
1/4 cup water or more
1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk, optional

Directions:

1. For the biscuit mix, in a large bowl, mix the flours, cornmeal, rolled grains, milk powder, baking powder, stevia, and salt. When well combined use a grater to shred the cold butter or margarine into the bowl, tossing with the flour to coat. Squeeze the mixture in handfuls to break up the butter or margarine into small pieces. Store in zipper-top bags in the refrigerator or freezer. 
2. (If frozen, measure what you want to use and let it come to room temperature for an hour before proceeding.)
3. To make 4 biscuits, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Measure 1 cup of the mix into a large bowl. Quickly stir in 1/4 cup water or enough just to moisten; don't overstir. Flatten the dough in the bottom of the bowl and cut it into 4 wedges. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased baking pan. Brush the tops with milk (if desired), and bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Other Details:

• Makes 5 cups biscuit mix, enough for about 20 biscuits. 
• Subsitutes: kamut flour for spelt flour; rolled oats = rolled rye = rolled barley; wheat germ = rolled quinoa; almond milk = any milk. Use gluten-free flours for gluten free option. powdered coconut milk = soy protein powder.
• According to My Fitness Pal, nutrition per biscuit is 149 Calories, 19g carbs, 7g fat, 3g protein, 2g fiber.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Off the bat, nothing compares to Preston Rolls (original and vegan.) But, if you need something a little easier to make - like so much easier and less pressing, these fit the bill. They are also a different type of cinnamon roll. 

These should be served warm and as fresh out of the oven as possible. You can do most of the prep the night before and finish putting the rolls together and baking the next day - or a couple days down the road if you have a lot of baking/cooking ahead of you. It is okay to freeze these as well. 

Ingredients:

1 quart almond milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

additional flour

1/2 lbs (2 sticks) Earth Balance

1.5 - 2 cups sugar

cinnamon

Maple Frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maple Extract

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup brewed coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Heat until steaming heavily. Turn off heat and leave to cool to lukewarm, 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Once mixture is lukewarm, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add both packages of Active Dry Yeast across the top. (Not a single pile.) Let this sit for a minute. 
3. Add 8 cups of all-purpose flour, slowly. Stir mixture together.  For first 4-5 cups, use regular mixing arm. Use dough hook once dough starts for form. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
4. After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and refrigerate until you need it. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
5. To prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. 
6. Take half the dough and place on floured surface. Roll the dough in a rectangular shape (longer side nearest you) and thinning the dough. 
7. Drizzle 1 stick or so melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar over the Earth Balance followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
8. Roll the dough lengthwise on the long side of the rectangle (so you have a long roll of buns rather than a short and very fat stick.)
9. Use cooking spray or extra Earth Balance to grease pans. Cut the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and place in the buttered pans.
10. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check often.
11. For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. Viscosity will vary. Thicker is better, as long as it pours. Taste and adjust as needed. Pour over the rolls.

Notes:

• You can also add other fillings, such as chocolate chunks or caramel. 
• You could also line your baking pans with foil, and turn them upside down after the frosting has soaked in. This creates more of a sticky bun feel.

Scotch Oat Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping (vegan)

Where to put this? It's cake, so that implies dessert. But, it's like a coffee cake in that you would serve this crumbly confection with coffee. Does that mean it's breakfast or bread? I'll keep it as a dessert. 

I based this off a cake I made several years ago. I made the recipe vegan, and I altered some of the ratios. Very tasty. I brought it to work so that I would not eat the entire thing myself. Nearly every person I gave a piece to said how good it is. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or bulgur wheat
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
3 tablespoons vegan stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil, then add the oats or bulgur. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool, uncovered. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix lemon juice with almond milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9-inch square baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. 
5. In the medium bowl add oil, vanilla, and oat mixture to the milk mixture. 
6. Mix into the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. 
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the cake bakes, make the topping. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, salt, and walnuts. When the cake is done, place it on a cooling rack. 
9. Turn the oven to broil, and put a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Drop spoonfuls of the brown sugar topping over the cake, spreading it gently and leaving 1/2 inch bare around the edges. 
10. Broil with the door open, watching closely, just a minute. When the topping is bubbling and melted, take it out to cool. 
11. Serve warm, after the topping has set.

Other details:

• Serves 8 

Vegan and Gluten-free

The Roehrich Recipe Codex has labels to help you find what you want to find. You may be here to eat any sort of specialty item. All recipes that are labeled or gluten-free are. They either call specifically for vegan or gluten-free products or a vegan or gluten-free item (ex. milk, graham crackers) is assumed. 

Chocolate Chunk Buckwheat Cookies (Vegan)

I made a version of these before. These are a vegan adaptation of them. I think these turned out better. The top photo is of the dough on the pan, and the bottom is of finished cookies cooling on the rack. They are yummy warm or cooled. They are yummy two days later. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground flax seed
3 tbsp water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch chucks

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 375°F.
2. Make flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp ground flax seed with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl. Put into fridge for 15 minutes. It should then have an egg consistency.
3. In a stand mixer or bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until well mixed.
4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and buckwheat, and add to the butter mixture, beating to incorporate. When the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate and stir until combined.
5. Drop 2-tablespoon-size balls of dough onto ungreased sheet pans, leaving 3 inches of space between the balls. The cookies will spread while baking.
6. Bake for 6 minutes, reverse the position of the pans in the oven, then bake for 4 to 6 minutes more. A pale, soft center surrounded by golden brown cookie is the desired result.
7. Let the cookie cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks with a spatula. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other Details:

• Makes a dozen cookies 
• Although I got a baker's dozen

Fajita-topped Baked Potato

Honestly, this could be served on a tortilla, but a baked potato is a fun base. 

Ingredients:
4 potatoes
16-oz frozen peppers & onions 
1 fajita seasoning packet 
2 cups prepared black beans (1 can)
1 cup corn 
8-oz guacamole

Directions:

1. Bake potatoes.
2. Place frozen peppers and onions in a skillet and start cooking, stirring constantly to defrost the vegetables. 
3. After a few minutes of stirring, whisk seasoning packet with 1 cup water (or as directed) and pour over vegetables. 
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring every so often, until peppers and onions are warm (but still crisp) and liquid has thickened.  (Stir in water to thin if it gets too thick.) 
5. Mix in beans and corn. 
6. Top with fajita mixture and guacamole.

Notes:

• Per serving: 432 calories, 11.2g fat, 71.9g carbs, 14g fiber, 12.1g sugars, 11.1g protein
• Serves 4 

Sweet Pea Risotto

I love risotto, but it is hard to come by as a vegan.

Ingredients:
3 cups (24-oz) veg broth
1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
16-oz riced cauliflower
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cups cooked quinoa
garlic powder
2 tbsp miso paste
2 cups green peas
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Stir in riced cauliflower and cook 5 minutes, adding splashes of broth to prevent sticking and stirring occasionally. 
3. Stir in 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, remaining broth, and cooked quinoa.
4. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 
5. Uncover and stir in miso. 
6. Stir in peas, and keep stirring until any excess liquid cooks off (risotto should be soft, ie risotto consistency). 
7. Turn off heat and add milk to cream it up, adding more milk as desired. 
8. Cover and let rest for a few minutes. 

Notes:

• Per serving: 402 calories, 5.1g fat, 68.8g carbs, 17g fiber, 9.3g sugars, 26.3g protein
• Serves 4