Leftovers and quinoa coffee cake

I've been so excited about cooking, with so many ideas running through my head, that the refrigerator is now full to the brim with leftovers. Last night we needed a quick meal before heading off to a meeting, so I took advantage of the ready-made food. We finished off the last of the tomato bisque from Tal Ronen's The Conscious Cook and I made grilled cheese with FYH cheddar, Papa G's BBQ tofu, and spinach. I used the end of the "new French bread" from the previous night-- sliced like a sub roll for maximum filling surface area-- for Erik's sandwich.

The seminar let out early and I still had lots of cooking energy. Since quinoa has been such a success for us, I decided to try the quinoa coffee cake in The Gluten Free Vegan. I had my eye on the recipe when I made quinoa Yumm bowls the other night, but as soon as I read the recipe (trying to do more of that before I start into it!) I saw that it's quinoa flour, not the whole grain. Luckily I am fully stocked on flours.

The recipe was straightforward with minimal steps and quite healthy with quinoa, applesauce, and agave instead of sugar. Except for the topping, which uses brown sugar. I subbed in oats for the nuts, as I love their texture in coffee cake. I also added allspice and freshly grated nutmeg-- always when it's just cinnamon called for.

It was difficult to go to bed without tasting the results, the warm smell of cinnamon wafting up the stairs to taunt us in bed. I even woke up with hunger pangs around 4am. Luckily, the excitement of waking to fresh coffee cake made the morning more welcome, and it was worth the wait. The cake is moist, springy and absolutely delicious. I can't wait to try more recipes from the book.

Lightning salsa mac & cheez

Okay, this might not count as a recipe. You know when you get home at 7:30pm and you're so hungry that the cats' food starts to look tempting?

That's why we keep a few boxes of Roads End Organic Mac & Chreese in the pantry. We tried the brown rice pasta version a few years ago and didn't like it much. Luckily, it's gotten better or I've gotten better at preparing it. We gobbled this up and Erik asked for seconds, but there was none left-- we ate it all in one sitting.

There are many ways to riff off this recipe-- try a different salsa, change out the veggies, add different spices to go along with the flavor theme. You can also take it from a near-instant dish to a rather swank meal by forgoing the boxed mix and making a cheesy sauce from scratch. Here are three good ones:

• Easy macaroni & cheeze from FatFree Vegan Kitchen


• Mac & Cheese from Vegan Yum Yum


• Macaroni & Cheese from VegNews

Lightning salsa mac & cheez

vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients

• 1 box Roads End Organic Penne & Chreese (with gluten-free brown rice pasta)
  
  That's 6oz of pasta or about 1 1/2 cups dry if you want to use your own.


• 6oz of salsa
  
  That's 1/2 jar of Trader Joe's salsa verde, my favorite in this recipe.


• 1 cup faux ham, chopped (or other faux meat, soy product or beans)


• 1 cup broccoli, chopped (or spinach, or something green)


• 1/2 red pepper, chopped (or carrots, or something red, orange or yellow)


• 1 tsp ground coriander


• 1/2 tsp ground cumin


• 1/2 tsp ground chipotle


• a handful of fresh minced cilantro

Directions

• Boil pasta according to package directions. With wheat-free pasta it is CRITICAL not to overcook. Test at the shortest given time and every 30 seconds thereafter until ready, then drain and rinse for 2 minutes in cold water.


• While the pasta boils, saute the faux ham and broccoli over medium heat in a covered nonstick frying pan. You might have to add a tablespoon or two of water to cook the broccoli all the way.


• Melt 2 tbsp margarine in a saucepan and add the cheeze mix powder, or make your own cheeze sauce.


• Add the spices to the saucepan, stir and heat through.


• Now dump everything together in whichever pan will fit, mix thoroughly, and serve.


• For an extra treat, smooth into an ovenproof casserole dish, cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs (I have yet to find a panko replacement), sprinkle with sweet paprika, and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Orange chicken stirfry

I was scouring Food Fight grocery store the other day for wheat-free faux-meats and came across a frozen box of Vegan Orange Chicken By Vegetarian Plus. They have a number of yummy-looking products, but only the orange chicken and the vegan Kung Pao chicken appear to be made without wheat.

These pre-made or marinaded saucy meat substitutes make for a great meal idea launch pad. You can extend or change the sauce, but you have a good flavor base to start with. I tasted a bit of the orange chicken sauce and found that it wasn't quite as salty as I like, but other than that, I tried to mimic the tangy, just-sweet flavor when I added ingredients to cover the whole dish in sticky orange sauce. I also wanted to keep the dish quick and easy, so I stuck to the basic veggies-- broccoli and red pepper-- but you can use anything.

The Vegan Orange Chicken chunks themselves are stringy and chewy in a way I really enjoy. The flavor isn't as meaty as some faux meats; it's more an intense version of the sauce. I will definitely buy it again.

Here's the basic recipe.

Orange Chicken

vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients

• 10 oz dry or enough for 3-4 servings of thin, flat rice noodles, like the kind used for pad thai


• 1 box of Vegan Orange Chicken By Vegetarian Plus
  
  (or 10 oz or 1 1/2 cups of faux meat of your choice, plus triple or more of the sauce ingredients later)


• 1/2 an onion, sliced to make long strips


• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed


• 1-2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli


• 1/2 a red pepper, cut into strips


• cilantro for garnish (about 1/4 cup)


• mung bean sprouts for garnish (about 1/4 cup)


For the sauce:


• 1 tbsp tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)


• 1 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate


• 1 tbsp rice vinegar


• 1 tbsp brown sugar or mirin

Directions

• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions while cooking the veggies. Err on the side of less cooked noodles, since we'll add them to the stirfry later.


• Prepare your wok or pan-- drizzle with oil and heat to medium-high.


• Add onions, stir til just browning, about 5 minutes.


• Add garlic, stir for 1 minute.


• Add faux meat, stir for 3-5 minutes.


• Add broccoli, stir for 3 minutes.


• Add all sauce ingredients, stir for 1 minute.


• Add cooked rice noodles, stir til coated with sauce. Leave for 3 minutes, stir, leave for 3 more minutes.


• Add red pepper, stir for 1 minute.


• Turn off heat, add garnishes.