dennetmint

E.R. peanut butter noodles

For all the grad students with hardly a shred of time, here’s a recipe I finally wrote down three years ago:

My PB noodles recipe has traveled with me far and wide, through college to Peace Corps to Portland and now Grand Rapids [and also NYC and Boston]. It’s a family recipe of the no-food-in-the-pantry variety: quick and easy.

For the first time ever, I heard of someone messing up PB noodles. THE HORROR! To ensure that this atrocity never happens again, here are the basic ingredients. And remember, compensation is key.

INGREDIENTS

  • Peanut butter
  • Soy sauce
  • Honey (maple syrup, agave and brown sugar works for vegans)
  • Hot water (I usually reserve a little bit of pasta water for this)
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Start with peanut butter and honey.
  2. Add soy sauce and mix until you have an even consistency.
  3. Add enough water for the desired creaminess and stir till incorporated. You’ll need to add water even if you like thick sauces because without water, the butter compound won’t coat anything.
  4. If it tastes too peanuty, you probably need to add more soy sauce. If it’s too salty, then more honey. If you like some heat in your food, sprinkle in pepper flakes. Keep compensating to taste!

Recommended noodles: Angel hair, soba. Rice noodles tend to get sticky fast, so they’re actually a bad choice unless you have tons of sauce, made just enough for the first round and don’t plan on having leftovers.

This can also act as a quick dressing for julienned salads (i.e.: cucumbers, carrots).

hello2heather

These sausages were a staple item while my (then) vegan sister was living with me. I hadn’t made them until now because, who has the time, right? Post punk kitchen told me exactly what I needed to hear: In case this is your first time making a vegan sausage, here’s what’s going down: You’re going to mash some beans in a mixing bowl and then throw in the other ingredients and mix. Then you’re going to roll ‘em in tinfoil like a Tootsie Roll, and steam them. And then, like magic, you will have vegan sausages. Easiest thing in the world! Exactly.

These sausages were a staple item while my (then) vegan sister was living with me. I hadn’t made them until now because, who has the time, right? Post punk kitchen told me exactly what I needed to hear:

In case this is your first time making a vegan sausage, here’s what’s going down: You’re going to mash some beans in a mixing bowl and then throw in the other ingredients and mix. Then you’re going to roll ‘em in tinfoil like a Tootsie Roll, and steam them. And then, like magic, you will have vegan sausages. Easiest thing in the world!

Exactly.

hello2heather

White beans browned in olive oil with Rosemary, garlic and kale - this has become a new go-to recipe for nights when there’s nothing ready to eat in the fridge and I have to eat RIGHT NOW. Served on toast, as I feel most things should be. 

White beans browned in olive oil with Rosemary, garlic and kale - this has become a new go-to recipe for nights when there’s nothing ready to eat in the fridge and I have to eat RIGHT NOW. Served on toast, as I feel most things should be. 

keokaye

Chris and I have been eating lots of brussels sprouts.  They are super delicious and often forgotten without being mindful.  thanks vegan challenge!

Chris and I have been eating lots of brussels sprouts.  They are super delicious and often forgotten without being mindful.  thanks vegan challenge!

dennetmint

Fancy NYC vegan eats

Blossom Restaurant

  • Parsnip cappeletti - savory whipped parsnip and crushed potato ravioli, shiitakes, truffle oil
  • Cauliflower risotto - diced cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, polenta croquettes, baby spinach emulsion, lemon confit
  • Port wine seitan - pan-seared seitan cutlets, port wine & mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, tempura onion, sautéed spinach
  • Apple cinnamon sticks - apple slices tossed in cinnamon and baked in phyllo dough. Brandy caramel drizzle and vanilla ice cream on the side

apapcreations

Storage

Hey all, I ran into a unique problem last night. I make a batch of delicious kale chips and in order to preserve them for future use, put them in a ziploc bag (unzipped). This morning, they were basically back to being soggy kale. What happened?! Any tips on how to store kale chips?

dennetmint

Vegan tattoos

Wait say whaaaat? That was my thought, too.

During the weekend Civic retreat to Western Mass., we had a round robinette of non-vegan surprises: marshmallows, glue and… tattoos? An Internet search will pull up several sites on the topic, but it turns out that regular ol’ tattoo ink can contain animal products (charred bones, glycerin), and none of it is regulated by the FDA.

Now those things are not necessarily deal breakers for everyone (Alton Brown has a thing or two to say about the FDA), but if you also count yourself an environmentalist, take heed!

rdrgdvs

roasted eggplant, potato and coriander stew slice an eggplant into strips, drizzle with oil and roast for 25 mins. slice and par-boil potatoes with the skins left on. fry onions and add garlic, ginger, tomato puree, ground coriander and a little cayenne pepper. add the roasted eggplant, potatoes and some vegetable broth, and stew for 30-45 minutes. garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rye bread from hungry ghost in northampton, ma. 

roasted eggplant, potato and coriander stew

slice an eggplant into strips, drizzle with oil and roast for 25 mins. slice and par-boil potatoes with the skins left on.

fry onions and add garlic, ginger, tomato puree, ground coriander and a little cayenne pepper. add the roasted eggplant, potatoes and some vegetable broth, and stew for 30-45 minutes.

garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rye bread from hungry ghost in northampton, ma.