Nyra's Recipes

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Lemon Tofu with Brocolli over Brown Rice Fusili

1t Olive Oil
1c Onion, diced
2 Lemons, zested and juiced
1lb Regular Firm Tofu, drained and pressed then diced
1c water
1 bullion cube (Knorr Veg)
2c Brocolli florettes, fresh
8oz Pasta
2T Earth Balance Margarine

Bring large pot of water to boil, add pasta.
Saute olive oil, onion, tofu, 1/3 zest and 1/3 juice over med-high heat for 5-10 minutes or until tofu gets browned on all sides.
Add water to deglaze the saute pan, add bullion cube, 1/3 zest, 1/3 juice and brocolli florettes. Cover and simmre 5 to 10 min to desired veg crispness.
Drain cooked pasta.
To saute pan add remaining zest and juice as well as margarine and pasta. Stir gently to combine.
Serve hot with spirals of zest as garnish.

((OOC: Yup, I actually make this regularly and it is a recipe of my own making! Its delish!))

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Fruit Dip

1 package Vanilla Pudding Mix by Mori Nu
1 tub Sour Supreme by Tofutti
2T Vanilla Soy Milk by Silk

In a bowl blend the pudding and soy milk until smooth. Slowly add in the Sour Supreme until well combined. Chill for 1 to 12 hours. Serve with fruit to dip into it.

(Note: Sour Supreme is a sour cream substitue and tastes very good! Mori Nu is a maker of silken tofu and the pudding mixes can generally be found alongside their small aseptic cardboard boxes of tofu on a shelf in a health food store.)

Yes you could make this with gelatin infused Jello Pudding and antibiotic laden baby cow juice but who wants all that icky stuff?!

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Portabello Wellington

Ingrediants:
2T Olive Oil
2T Balasmic Vinegar
1 Bullion Cube
1c Water
1c Onion, diced
1/2c Leek, diced finely
1/4c Celery, diced finely
1/2c Mushrooms, diced finely (Button are fine)
1 or 2 sheets Pepridge Farms Puff Pastry (defrosted)
2 large Portabello Mushrooms, stem removed and sliced in half to make two rounds
1c Spinach, fresh diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, (Strip cut roughly the size of the Portabello)
2 thin slices of Eggplant, sweat with salt then rinse
2 thin slices of Zuchini
2 thin slices of Carrot
2 thin slices of Tomato, no juices
2 thin slices of Soy Cheese or Brie (*OPTIONAL)

Directions:
Saute the onion, leeks, celery and diced mushrooms in 1T each Oil and Balasmic until onions are translucent. Add spinach, water, bullion to the pot and simmer on med-low.
Brush the portobello, bell pepper, eggplant, zuchini, and carrot with remaining oil and balsamic and grill (or broil) for 10 minutes each side.
Spread out the puff pastry sheet and in the middle lay the top cap of the portabello, 1T of sauce with spinach, cheese*, tomato, carot, 1T of sauce with spinach, zuchini, 1T of sauce with spinach, eggplant, 1T of sauce with spinach, bottom round of portabello.
Gently fold the pastry around the stack, pinch edges together forming an envelope with no holes. Place in a baking dish with a touch of olive oil on the bottom to prevent sticking. (It should be placed pinched bottom side down so the pretty top with no pinches gets golden brown.)
Repeat with remaining veggies.
Brush gently with olive oil.
Bake at 350 for 10 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.


Notes:
Cheese is optional but Soy Moon makes a wonderful Gouda that would be fabulous here. The veggies that go in the stack with the portabello should be roughly the same diameter as the mushroom. Making one layer equal to the others in shape. If you cannot find the right shapes either by cutting on a diagonal or finding really round veggies, use several thin slices together.

This is an amazingly tastey and beautiful dish. It can be difficult to get into once its on a plate, but a knife solves the problems easy. The sauce is savory and not so much of it to make the pastry soggy.
Enjoy!

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Vegan Mushroom and Chard Quiche!
1t Olive or Canola Oil
1/2c Onion, diced
1/2c Leek, diced finely
1c Chard, diced finely, no stems
10oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, diced finely
1c Water
1 Bullion Cube, Knor Veggie
1 box Silken Tofu, Firm (Mori Nu)
1/4c Soy Milk
2T Mustard
3T Nutritional Yeast or Veggie Parmesan
2T Basil
Rice Crust or Pie Crust

Saute the Onion, Leeks, Chard and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add water and bullion cube and simmer on low. Puree tofu, soy milk, mustard, nutritional yeast and basil. Add to the veggies and combine gently. Pour into crust and bake 40 minutes at 350degrees. Allow to set 5 to 10 minutes after being removed from oven.

Rice Crust:
2cups Cooked Rice, warm leftovers or freshcooked and hot
2T Margarine (Earth Balance)
1 1/2t EnerG Egg replacer (for 1 egg)
2T Water (for 1 egg)

Mix all ingrediants, spread in a casserole dish along the bottom and half way up the side. Bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes until set firm.


((I got this recipe from a www.vegweb.com and adapted it into the mushroom and chard goodness. I honestly have never had non-vegan quiche, but this tastes fabulous and even omnivores like it! The trick is to use SILKEN tofu and puree in a blender till smooth and creamy.))

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Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

2 cups Graham Cracker and/or Honey Graham Cookie Crumbs
2T Earth Balance Margarine
1/4t Cinnamon
1/4t Nutmeg

3 Dark Chocolate Bars (Endangered Species Brand is amazing)
8oz Tub of Tofutti Non-Hydrogenated Better than Cream Cheese
1 box Mori Nu Firm Silken Tofu
3/4c Sugar
2T Pure Maple Syrup

12 cupcake liners
12 mini cupcake liners

Crush the crackers and/or cookies into fine crumbs, add spices and mix with the melted margarine. Drop 1 to 2 Tablespoons into the liners and press down firmly with a clean spice bottle. I found a firm tap tap tap worked best. Repeat for mini sizes with 1 to 2 teaspoons and a smaller bottle, perhaps a small diameter perscription size but with a flat bottom.

Melt the chocolate over medium low heat in a double boiler. This way you dont have to stir or pay much attention to it.

In a blender or food processor mix the sugar and cream cheese. Slowly add the tofu and blend until smooth and creamy. Add in the completely melted chocolate quickly and blend until evenly colored. Drizzle in the maple syrup and blend a bit longer.

Carefully fill into pastry bag or plastic bag that you cut the tip off of once full. Squeeze into the papers neatly. The bags help you get everything into the cups with no added mess.

Drizzle with any remaining chocolate you can scrape up and refridgerate for 48 hours before serving.



You can use 12oz of Chocolate Chips but these bars are so much yummier than any chips I have ever found! These do take 2 full days to set to a firm consistency that I prefer but they are worth it. I am sure you could freeze these as well.