The Green Spork

2014 Texas VegFest

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This Saturday is the 2014 Texas VegFest in Austin, Texas. I am fortunate enough to be an Austinite so having this festival in my backyard has me giddy with anticipation!

Last year we attended and had a blast. We ate, shopped, ate, watched demos, ate, walked, ate, met new folks and sampled tons of new tasty plant based grub.

There are so many things to see and taste. My tastebuds have been waiting for this festival all year! So if you are in the Austin area come and see us at the VegFest!

I will share pictures next week. Happy weekend fellow Veggies!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

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stuffed peppersQuick and Easy! This dish freezes well and also makes great leftovers or lunches all week.

Stuffed Red Peppers

 

by The Green Spork

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

 

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 8 red bell peppers cut vertically, stem and seeds removed
  • 1 1/2 cups precooked rice of your choice (wild rice is especially tasty)
  • 1 package tempeh, crumbled
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450F

Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 13x9 glass pan. Place your pepper halves, cut side up, in the pan so that they are not touching each other or the sides of the dish. Set aside

In a skillet over medium high heat, add a few tablespoons of water. Whisk the tomato paste into the water until dissolved.

Add the crumbled tempeh, onions and mushrooms and simmer 3-5 minutes or until the veggies begin to soften.

Stir in the precooked rice.

Add the garlic, cumin, poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to your taste. Stir well to incorporate and simmer 5 more minutes adding a bit more water if needed so that the mixture does not cook dry.

Remove the skillet from the heat and begin scooping spoonfuls of the mixture into the pepper shells until they are evenly filled and slightly heaping with filling.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the peppers have softened and are beginning to brown in places.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Elegant Eggless Salad

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Egglesssalad

Perfect served on crustless bread as tea sandwich for those spring baby and bridal showers, Mother's Day brunch or even Easter. Colorful, simple, delicious and cholesterol free!

 

Elegant Egg{less} Salad

by The Green Spork

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. extra firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water, crumbled
  • 3 Tablespoons hummus
  • 2 Tablespoons yellow miso
  • 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup almond milk, original flavor, unsweetened
  • juice of 1 lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
  • 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons pickles, finely chopped
  • 2-3 Tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped

Instructions

Crumble the pressed tofu into a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk the next 8 ingredients until combined.

Pour the mixture over the tofu.

Add the pickles, onions and celery to the tofu mixture and stir to combine and coat evenly.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For tea sandwiches: Spread a layer of salad over bread of your choice. Trim away crust and cut into triangles, squares or rectangles. Garnish with herbs, tomatoes, or microgreens

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Fiesta Taco Salad with Avocado Goddess Dressing

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Taco SaladEven salad isn't safe from my love affair with tex-mex food. This salad is so good on it's own, but its even better over a bed of spanish rice. You can easily swap out black beans for the edamame or jazz this one up any way that sounds tasty.

Give the Avocado Goddess Dressing a try. It makes a great salad dressing, but its also a very nice dip for a veggie tray.

Avocado Goddess Dressing

Fiesta Edamame Taco Salad

by The Green Spork

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 1 1/2 cups frozen edamame, shelled and thawed
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 orange bell pepper (or any but preferably not green), diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup of sliced black olives
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 tbls. cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
  • mixed greens of your choosing
  • Avocado Goddess Dressing

Additional ideas/options

  • black beans, rinsed and drained
  • chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • chopped jalapeño for a spicy version
  • ANY fresh or frozen veggie, thawed and cubed

Instructions

This salad is fast and foolproof and only takes as long as dicing the vegetables. Don't bother measuring anything (the measurements are just guidelines) just dice as many of the veggies as you would like. More tomato and less bell pepper? Sure!

Pour the frozen veggies into a colander placed in a slightly larger bowl. Fill the bowl with warm water and allow the veggie to thaw while you dice the fresh veggies.

After dicing the fresh vegetables toss them into a large salad bowl, along with the thawed and drained frozen veggies, and the mixed greens (as many or few as you like).

Pour the dressing over and toss.

Serve over a bed of microwavable spanish-style brown rice (available in the frozen food department) and with a handful of tortilla chips.

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Avocado Goddess Dressing

by The Green Spork

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients (dressing for 1 large salad)

  • 1/2 large avocado
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tbls. cilantro, chopped
  • jalapeño, chopped (between 1 tsp. and 1 pepper depending on your taste)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • dash of black pepper
  • 1 tbls nutritional yeast
  • 1-3 tbls. water, if needed for consistency

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients except the water into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Adjust seasoning to taste.

If the the mixture is too thick add as much water as need to dilute to consistency desired (thinner for a salad dressing, thicker for a dip or spread).

Serve and enjoy!

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Stacked Portobello Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and Coconut Yogurt Drizzle

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StackedPortobelloEnchiladas

I wish I could describe precisely how this dish tastes because I know you would be in love, but word simply cannot do it justice.
It's meaty (portobellos), chewy (tortillas and kale), creamy (dairy free béchamel sauce), tangy (balsamic and tomatillo salsa), spicy (tomatillo salsa), crisp and bright (fresh cilantro and onions), and even a touch sweet (creamy coconut yogurt drizzle). These enchiladas have got it all!

Stacked Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

 

Ingredients

    For the creamy drizzle

    • 1 4 oz. container of coconut milk plain yogurt
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1/4 cup almond milk

    For the enchilada filling

    • 3 cups of chopped portobello mushrooms
    • 1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped (I used purple)
    • 2 Tablespoons of vegan butter
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 3 Tablespoons flour
    • 1 cup almond milk, original flavor, unsweetened
    • 1 cup tomatillo verde salsa
    • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • corn tortillas tortillas

    For garnish

    • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
    • 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350F

    For the creamy drizzle

    In a small bowl whisk the coconut yogurt and lemon juice and almond milk until smooth and creamy.

    For the enchilada filling

    In a large skillet heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat.

    Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, stirring occasionally until evenly brown. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

    Add a drizzle of oil to the skillet and allow the oil to heat up. Add the kale and cover skillet for 1 minute.

    Remove cover and sauté, stirring to toss, until all of the kale has wilted. Remove the kale from the skillet, add to mushrooms and set aside.

    Melt the butter in the skillet.

    Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. About 30 seconds.

    Add the flour and whisk until the flour is incorporated and the mixture begins to turn golden.

    Add the almond milk and balsamic and stir to blend.

    Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatillo verde salsa.

    To assemble

    Dip a tortilla in the sauce so that it is evenly coated. Place the tortilla in the enter of an oven-safe plate.

    Spoon on about 1/4- 1/2 cup of the mushroom and kale filling on top of the tortilla.

    Drizzle with about 1/8 cup of sauce.

    Dip another tortilla in sauce and place on top of the stack.

    Repeat layering tortilla, mushroom/kale, sauce and top with a 3rd and final sauce coated tortilla.

    Repeat these steps on a second plate for the second serving.

    Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until heated thoroughly and bubbly.

    Remove from oven, and drizzle with creamy coconut yogurt sauce.

    Sprinkle with onion and cilantro. Serve immediately.

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