VeganMoFo: Grandma's Cinnamon Apples

Recipe: Cinnamon Apples
Family Member: Grandma D

Brief Description: Okay. This really shouldn't be called a recipe, but it's still a special dish to me. When my grandparents lived in Pennsylvania, their property was home to a couple of apple trees. After picking the apples, my grandma would chop them, toss them with cinnamon and a little sugar, and stick them in the freezer, to thaw and eat throughout the year. At least I think that's how she made them! I spoke to my grandma a couple of weeks ago and she couldn't quite remember. What she did remember was how much she loved having the apple trees, and how incredulous she was that the next occupants of the house cut them down (I know!) She was thrilled to hear that Doc and I are planting two apple trees in our yard come February. I love my grandma! She's an incredible, funny, loving woman, and she'll be 90 years old this month!

VeganMoFo: Aunt W's Baked Oatmeal

Recipe: Baked Oatmeal [GLUTEN FREE]
Family Member: Aunt W

Brief Description: Tasty and hearty, with a hint of sweet, baked oatmeal is a truly comforting breakfast dish, perfect to warm you (and the kitchen) on a cold morning. This Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, comes from my Aunt W who lives near Amish country. She's a great cook and this is one of my favorite recipes of hers. My dad made this for Doc and me when he came to visit us in Philly. Soooo Yummy and I don't even really like oatmeal!

Original Ingredients:
1½ cups Oatmeal (not instant)
1/3 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup raisins
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups skim milk
1 egg
1 tbsp oil
½ peeled apple chopped or shredded

Original Directions:
1. Mix all dry stuff together in a mixing bowl
2. Mix all of the wet stuff, egg and chopped apple together
3. Pour the mixed wet stuff, into the mixed dry stuff and mix
4. Pour mixture into a baking dish or pie plate, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow oatmeal to soak-up the milk
5. Preheat oven to 350F
6. Take it out of the fridge and sprinkle with a little cinnamon
7. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes until firm
8. Slice into wedges. Serve in a bowl with fresh sliced fruit and milk, or plain with maple syrup
9. Enjoy!

Vegan Notes: I used vanilla almond milk in the place of the diary milk and applesauce with a dash of EnerG Egg replacer to replace the egg. I also halved the recipe since it was for just the two of us. We topped the DELICIOUS baked oatmeal with vanilla almond milk and maple syrup.

VeganMoFo: Bubbie's Potato Salad

AKA THE BEST potato salad.

My family dish today is special because my dad actually found a hand-written version of the recipe from my Bubbie, who is no longer living. Thanks for scanning it for me, Dad!
That may be a little hard to decipher so here's what it says:
"boil Potatoes
juice from sweet mixed pickles
pour over warm potatoes
1 tsp mustard yellow
gently mix up
mustard seeds a few
when cool
chop mix pickles
celery and onion
chopped
mayo + mix
salt + pepper"

As you can see, there aren't exact measurements, and some of these steps can be taken several ways. This is what I came up with in recreating it:
The sweet mixed pickles are really the star ingredient. Soooo yummy! You've gotta try it- and feel free, as I did, to use each ingredient to taste.

VeganMoFo: Root Veggie Soup and a Sundae

I decided to take a very short break from my MoFo theme to bring you Fill-up-a-pot-with-leftover-veggies-from-farm-share Soup, starring heirloom leeks, beets, green onions, carrots, oregano, and parsley, along with cans of kidney beans and diced tomatoes, splash of extra virgin olive oil, and a bit of salt and pepper. You see, Thursdays are pick up days for our weekly farm share. I wanted to use up the remaining "old" stuff to make room for the new.

I also couldn't resist showing you the awesomeness that is the pumpkin/chocolate soft serve sundae I picked up at Back to Eden today. I had mine topped with housemade caramel sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and chopped peanuts. By the time I got it home to snap a photo of it, the sundae was a tad melty, but still so tasty.

PS- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND JASON!

VeganMoFo: Grandma's Noodles Romanoff

Recipe: Noodles Romanoff
Family Member: Grandma Jane
Brief Description: Another staple from my childhood, Noodles Romanoff is a salty, gooey, mass of noodles in white sauce. The best part in my pre-gan days was the ton of parmesan cheese solidified on top after baking.

Original Ingredients:
1 bag egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions
1 cup large curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
4 tbsp minced white onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Tobacco sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese (you know, the kind in the green plastic shaker)
Original Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients, save the parmesan cheese. Place in a casserole dish. Top with a ton of parmesan cheese.
2. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes, until the parmesan cheese is slightly browned on top.

Vegan Notes: For the cottage cheese I made a mixture of crumbled firm tofu, vegan sour cream, a dollop of vegan plain yogurt, vegan cream cheese, nooch, and salt. I used vegan equivalents of the other non-vegan ingredients, including rotini pasta in the place of egg noodles and “Vegan Grated Topping” and some nooch in place of the parmesan. I used quite a lot of the Worcestershire and hot sauces, and it came out tasting pretty much exactly like how I remember, but it was a bit drier. I would bump up the liquids by using the whole container of sour cream or adding unsweetened soy milk. Tasty!

VeganMoFo: Bubbie's Tabbouleh

Recipe: Tabbouleh
Family Member: Bubbie
Brief Description: This side dish needs very little introduction. Tabbouleh (or “tabouli”) recipes vary in the amount of each ingredient used, but generally include the same contents. This recipe is heavier on the parsley. Tasty with the perfect balance of flavors, I’ve enjoyed it all of my life. Perhaps it’s cheating a little, but this one is also naturally vegan.

Original Ingredients:
¾ cup bulgar wheat
2 chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 cups chopped parsley
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Original Directions:
1. Place bulgar wheat in a heat-safe mixing bowl. Pour boiling water on top until it’s 1 inch above the bulgar wheat. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Strain the bulgar wheat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve chilled.

Vegan Notes: None! Enjoy this along with your favorite homemade hummus and pita!

VeganMoFo: Welcome and Chili Con Corey!

Welcome to the fourth annual Vegan Month of Food!!

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the temperature is dropping and the skies are turning gray and drizzly. Much to the surprise of my neighbors, I kind of love this weather. For one thing it almost necessitates comfort food like the following meal. Not only are many of the recipes I'll feature this month rich, cold weather food, but they have a way of transporting me (or Doc) back in time. My MoFo theme this year is “Veganizing Family Recipes,” and I’m having a ton of fun sifting through my recipe cards, asking relatives questions about their famous dishes, and often challenging myself to come up with vegan solutions to hurdles like “corned beef.”

Mostly, I’m just super excited to read fellow bloggers’ posts this month! Ahh Vegan Mofo; ever inspiring; ever drool worthy. Have fun, folks!

PS- Unfortunately, I do most of my cooking at night...the photos are going to suck.


Recipe: Chili Con Corey [GLUTEN FREE, depending on the faux meat used]
Family Member: Dad
Brief Description: I remember, fondly, eating this dish winters, and even summers when visiting my dad. Of course, in those days, I preferred a pile of cheese sky-high.

Original Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
24 oz crushed tomatoes
Crushed red pepper flakes
Ground cayenne pepper
Salt
Black pepper

Original Directions:
1. Brown turkey in a medium soup pot over medium heat 15 minutes. Drain well.
2. Add to pot with ground turkey: onion, green and red peppers, garlic, beans, and crushed tomatoes. Slowly “heat-to-taste,” adding crushed red pepper flakes, and ground cayenne pepper. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Cover pot, stir periodically and simmer over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes until vegetables are soft.
4. Serve over white rice and top with cheddar cheese.

Vegan Notes: Since I was using a dry faux crumble, I added about ½ cup water during the first step, as well as a splash of olive oil since meat is pretty greasy. I didn’t soak the crumbles prior to cooking because I wanted them to retain some chewiness. Plus they were going to stew with the rest of the ingredients in step 3. I forgot to account for the wet weight of the crumbles. 1 lb of dry crumble is too much! It still came out very tasty, though! Topped it with cheddar Daiya.

This is the faux crumble I found at an Asian supermarket in town.