awesome sauce – The Vegan Love Project

Stewed Summer Tomatoes

Stewed Summer Tomatoes

10 tomatoes (roma or plum), split length wise in 1/2

2 teaspoons salt

1 small onion, medium dice

1 clove garlic, sliced

2T extra virgin olive oil

1 cherry bomb pepper, sliced *optional

3-4 large leaves of fresh basil

1-1/2c boiling water

Heat up a large cooking pot; add the olive oil and onions and sauté just until translucent. Add the garlic slices and tomato halves to the onions. Cover with hot water. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium to medium-low and continue to cook uncovered for 30 minutes or so. The tomatoes should remain intact. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes if not using right away to store. Remove from the pot to a jar or glass container and while still warm, add the fresh basil. If eating immediately, add the fresh basil in at the end before serving and drizzle with more salt and olive oil.

Serve fresh or you can freeze them. I eat them over crusty bread as a snack hot, warm or cold. I also use them to make a delicious dish; Baked Pasta with Stewed Tomatoes. AMAZE.

Delicious Quicky Potato Salad

Delicious Quicky Potato Salad

I literally had one large potato starting to grow eyes staring at me from the hanging basket – I needed to use it soon! So today was the day! A few weeks back when I was on my scallion cream cheese kick, I planted a bunch of scallions in a pot so I could keep harvesting scallions as I needed them- not wanting to cut into a whole onion for my 1 potato salad salad, a cut the tops off from my potted scallions and was good to go. I had cut into a fresh lemon this morning and thought I could use that in place of vinegar for a bright fresh taste. The added nutrition of a Real Pickle fermented dill pickle to give the salad a bit more dimension, balanced with a hint of sweet makes this salad SUPER easy, super quick and super delicious….

1 large potato, peeled, steamed whole

(1c water, pinch salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and steam

partially covered for 10-15 minutes or just until tender)

2 scallions, minced

2T Real Pickles Dill Pickle (1 spear, minced)

1t maple syrup or agave

1/4c Veganaise or another prepared vegan mayonnaise

½ lemon, juiced

1/2t salt

1/4t ground black pepper

Pinch smoked paprika

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In a bowl, combine the dressing ingredients together; the scallions, minced pickle, sweetener, Veganaise, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust for seasonings, more sweet, saltier etc.

Slice the potatoes in 1” inch pieces into the bowl- I like my potato salad chunkier but slice how you like.

Mindfully mix the potatoes into the dressing, trying not to smash the potatoes. Adjust the seasoning before serving. Sprinkle with a bit more of the paprika.

Serve warm or chilled garnished with fresh scallion.

FRICKEN YUM

Ellen’s Crazy Super Salt

I have been using Crazy Mixed Up Salt on everything since I rediscovered it so I decided to make my own using beautiful organic herbs and pink salt crystals. The result came out AMAZING. You can vary the amounts in any way you are moved to do so, more heat, dried lemon zest would be SO good in this and to use it for baking, roasting and grilling O M G….It makes a under two cups, and I store it in a beautiful little glass jar in the cabinet. Makes me happy. I am making “Simple Tastes Like Chicken Tofu” as we speak!!!

Ellen’s Super Salt

1/4c -dried onion powder

1/4c-dried garlic

3T-dried parsley

1T-dried oregano

1T-dried thyme

2t-dried celery seed

1t-smoked chipotle powder

1t-smoked paprika

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1c pink coarse salt crystals

In a blender or Vitamix, blend the salt to a powder. Remove the salt and add all of the other ingredients and blend until the desired consistency is reached- I don’t blend mine to a powder so there is some texture to the salt.

Add the salt back in and mix on low until the salt is well incorporated. Transfer to an airtight container and use for everything! Soups to salads, casseroles to tofu cutlets, I LOVE this salt!

Cheesy White-Bean Béchamel Sauce

I had just enough Red Sauce and Tofu Ricotta Filling left over for a personal sized lasagna and I also had cooked some Baby Lima Beans this weekend that I had made Escarole & Beans with hanging out in my fridge so I thought about experimenting with a white cheese sauce. White beans have such great creamy texture that it made making this delicious Béchamel style sauce easy and delicious to boot. I layered it in and topped it with sautéed kale and the whole beautiful party is in the oven. This sauce on its own over a bowl of pasta or noodles would be an exceptionally satisfying and protein filled dish.

Cheesy White-Bean Béchamel Sauce

1c baby Lima or Canelini beans, cooked, drained

1/2c cashew nut milk

1T mellow white miso

2t brown rice vinegar

2t ume vinegar

2t Dijon mustard

1/4t pink salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

1T coconut oil

1T extra virgin olive oil

2T nutritional yeast

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In a blender or vitamix, add all of the ingredients and blend until super smooth and creamy. Adjust the seasonings as neccesary.

Broccoli Mushroom Onion Black Olive Red Pepper Tofu Ricotta Lasagna with Red Sauce

I love lasagna. I love it. I have my Nana’s small and large lasagna pan. Usually by the fall I am ready for some serious food- This. Is. Serious. Food. I created a twist on my favorite tofu ricotta with some little local beauty peppers, including a cherry bomb, my favorite of all peppers. It makes for a subtly spicy kick that is perfect with the creaminess of the lasagna. In all lasagnas, its about the components. The sauce, the filling (tofu cheese), the veggies. I make it so each component has a ton of flavor so when put together, they all make this symphony of flavors. You can use this recipe as a guide but it is so easy to change out the components to suit your taste.

I have used the Red Pepper Tofu Ricotta Filling and the basic Red Sauce recipe for two of the components. I will list the others in recipe below but feel free to create!!!

Components:

Sautéed Broccoli & Garlic
basic Red Sauce
1 box of lasagna noodles, cooked ( I used Gluten-Free)
Red Pepper Tofu Ricotta Filling
Mushroom, Onion & Black Olive Filling
Vegan Cheese* optional ( I use Monteray Jack by Have a Heart, shredded)

Putting it together:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
ladle in about 1 cup of fresh sauce in the bottom of the baking dish
place down one layer of noodles
layer in the tofu filling
layer in broccoli
layer in noodles
layer in sauce- some vegan cheese if using
layer in mushroom filling
layer in noodles
layer in sauce
layer in tofu filling
layer in last layer of noodles
cover the top layer with fresh sauce
top with vegan cheese if using
Cover with tin foil and bake for 45-55 minutes.

Mushroom, Onion & Black Olive Filling

1 pound of Crimini or Button mushrooms, dry dusted, trimmed and cut into quarters or slices

1 medium onion, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can organic pitted black olives

2T mirin or white wine (mirin is sweet)

2T extra virgin olive oil

1/2t pink salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

1/4t red pepper flakes

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Heat up a large cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until golden and aromatic. Add in the mushrooms. Pan fry until the sear and get browned on all sides. Season with the salt and peppers. dd in the mirin and sauté off heat for a minute then resume back over the heat. Add in the olives, crushing them with your hand as you add them in. Cook until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Sautéed Broccoli with garlic

1 bunch broccoli, washed, trimmed, and cut into smaller size pieces

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4t cayenne pepper flakes

2T extra virgin olive oil

1/4t salt

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In a large skillet (could be the same pan from above) heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the garlic just until golden brown. Add the salt, red pepper, and then add the broccoli. With a fork or a pair of tongs, move the broccoli around the pan cooking until bright green and tender. Remove from the heat. When cooled, coarsely chop the broccoli and set aside.

Herbed Tamarind Dipping Sauce

A delicious and fresh tasting sauce perfect for dipping or over savory rice and lentil dishes.

Tamarind Dipping Sauce

1/4c fresh cilantro

2T fresh mint

1T fresh parsley

2/3c tamarind paste

½” piece of fresh ginger

1/4c water

2T coconut sugar or sucanat OR 3-4 dates

1/4t pink salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

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2T fresh cilantro, parsley, mint, minced

In a blender, process the herbs with the ginger, salt, pepper, and sugar/dates until well blended. Add in the tamarind paste. Pour the contents of the blender into a bowl, and mix in the additional fresh minced herbs, Refrigerate until use.

Chickpea Chana Masala

Chana Masala

You can make this as spicy hot or mild as you prefer, I LOVE a good kick so I put a whole hot pepper into it- whole, so I can fish it out after cooking so as not to mistake it for a cooked tomato. You can use canned or jar tomatoes with this but with local tomatoes still abundant, I made this using fresh. If you do use canned or jarred, you may need to add a little bit of sugar (maple syrup, sucanat, agave) to offset the bitterness.

3T coconut oil

2c-cooked chickpeas

1 onion, small dice

2 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1T ground cumin

2” fresh ginger, grated

1 hot pepper, sliced or chopped

2t mustard seeds

2t turmeric OR 1T Fresh grated

2t curry powder

2-3c fresh tomatoes, diced

2t pink salt

1t black pepper

2c water

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4c fresh baby spinach- reserve until serving.

1c fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped- reserve until serving.

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the coconut oil, onions, garlic and spices and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chickpeas. Cover with about 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and the let the mixture cook and mingle until the water has reduced and it looks more like a stew. Just before serving, add the spinach and the cilantro. Serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice.

Homemade Fermented Sriracha Sauce (sweet hot chili sauce)

This stuff is STRAIGHT UP AWESOME. Fermented, local, fricken amazing….I used my fermented hot sauce as the base and tried to get it taste like my favorite sulfite sugar laden bottled stuff…..I NAILED IT. I gather you could make this simply using fresh peppers, garlic etc, but the fermented aspect gives it a flavor unlike anything just raw can do…. I use this sauce on everything, from beans to rice, tofu, tempeh, sandwiches- EVERYTHING….I’m sorta in shock I made it taste so good….. 🙂

See for yourself and tell me how it goes!

Sriracha Sauce

3C fermented hot peppers or 2c blended fermented hot sauce

1c raw local honey or raw agave

2T heaping mellow white miso- more if needed

1 clove garlic

1/2t pink salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until completely smooth. Taste for sweeter or adjust for more salt. Bottle and refrigerate.

Makes 5-6 5oz bottles, or just one really giant awesome home batch.

Easy Peanut Butter Sauce

This sauce can literally transform everyday foods into new meals, on veggies, grains, noodles- I created this recipe while living in New York City. I had the tiniest kitchen, I cried my first night, not because of being homesick but because of my new kitchen! I had two jars of peanut butter which were clearly taking up too much real estate so instead of consolidating the jars, I made the sauce with what ingredients I had in the apartment in-the-jar, and then the jar became the storage container for the fridge! Use it over noodles, it pairs amazingly well with Grilled Tofu over a fresh bed of crisp greens and sprouts as a dressing, and inside fresh rolls (which is what I will be making today!) are just some of its uses- it is a fantastic, big flavor sauce. Spice it to your liking, I add a fresh hot pepper into the mix cuz I like it hot! It literally takes 5 minutes to make and is worth keeping in the fridge at all times.

Peanut Butter Sauce

1/3c organic peanut butter, natural style, crunchy or creamy

1T shoyu or tamari

1″ fresh piece of ginger, more if desired

1 small fresh chili or 1/2 fresh jalapeño pepper

1T fresh lime juice *opt -makes it taste more awesome but so not needed

2T cilantro *opt-makes it taste more awesome but so not needed

1T prepared ketchup

1T hot sauce or sriracha sauce

1/3-1/2c water

1T maple syrup or raw agave or raw local honey

2t hot toasted sesame oil

Black pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into a blender, start with a smaller amount of water to get it going, and add more if needed. Blend until completely smooth and to your desired consistency, more liquid for a sauce, less liquid for use as a dipping sauce. It’s your sauce, make it awesome!