Portabellas Stuffed with Pesto-Mashed Potatoes
Inspired by Catherine's lucious-looking Portobellos Stuffed with Lentils, Stilton, & Walnuts, these are a unique way to serve mashed potatoes.This is more a side-dish than an appetizer, though you can pick them up and eat them with your fingers. Don't let the weird color fool you--they're really tasty! If you enjoy leftovers, make two batches!
(serves 3 as a side dish)
10 ounces small potatoes (I used 5 or 6 fingerlings)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup walnuts
1 cup basil, packed
1 tbsp. vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
2-3 tbsp. plain soymilk
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts or toasted pinenuts (optional)
sprinkling of vegan parmesan (optional)
6 medium-sized portabella mushrooms
Boil the potatoes until they are completely tender. I pressure cooked mine for 6 minutes and let the pressure come down naturally. While they are cooking, make the pesto:
In a food processor, puree the garlic, 1/4 cup walnuts, and basil, using a tablespoon or two of water to make the blades run smoothly. Mixture should be coarsely chopped, not completely smooth.
When the potatoes are done, remove them to a mixing bowl and mash them thoroughly. (I chose to leave the skin on mine, but you may peel them first.) Add 2-3 tablespoons of soymilk, until they achieve a creamy yet still stiff consistency. Add the pesto mixture, 1 tablespoon of vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste; blend thoroughly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts or pinenuts, if desired.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Clean the portabellas and remove the stem and any fluffy flesh that surrounds it. Brush a baking dish with a few drops of olive oil, and use the same brush to brush the bottoms of the mushrooms. Fill the mushrooms with the potato mixture, heaping it in the middle, and set them in the baking dish. Sprinkle the tops with the parmesan, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and potatoes are beginning to brown. Serve hot.
No-Queso Quesadillas
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To make a fairly authentic-tasting vegan version, simply use one of the packaged vegan cheeses that are becoming more widely available.
For a lower fat version, skip the packaged cheese, and make quesadillas with a nutritional yeast-based cheese. These no-queso quesadillas don't really taste like cheesy ones, but they're great, melty and full of flavor. But because they don't taste like cheese, please don't go out and make these for your non-vegan friends, they'll come away with the impression that vegan food is even weirder than they thought it was. But, if you like nutritional yeast sauces, I think you'll find these as tasty as I did.
These quesadillas taste best when they're filled with something in addition to the cheesy sauce. I made them both plain and with spinach, but you can experiment with other fillings. Just don't add too much or the whole thing may fall apart as you flip it. And be sure to pre-cook any vegetables that you don't want crunchy.
Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lowfat soymilk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon stoneground mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons salsa
4 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
optional fillings: spinach, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, potatoes, black beans, etc.
Put all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium non-stick saucepan, add the salsa, and stir as you bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring, for at least 2 minutes after boiling. Sauce should be thick and smooth. Set aside.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet. Place 1 tortilla in the skillet and cook until brown spots begin to appear on the bottom. Flip over. Spread half of the "cheese" over the tortilla. (If you are adding any other fillings place them on top of the cheese.) Cover with another tortilla. Cover pan and cook for a minute or two, until the bottom tortilla is golden browned. Carefully flip the whole thing over and cook until the bottom tortilla has browned. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into four triangles with a pizza cutter.
Makes 4 servings (2 pieces each). Per serving: 201 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 659mg Sodium; 7g Fiber. Weight Watchers 4 Points.
Tip: The tortillas used contained 3 grams of fat each. If using other tortillas, adjust fat content accordingly.
There are a lot of good vegan quesadilla recipes that don't try to imitate cheese at all. Here are a few that look delicious:
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato Quesadillas from Show Me Vegan
- kidney bean, spinach, & potato "quesadillas" from happyveganface
- Vegan Quesadillas from Bok Choy Bohemia
- Refried Black Bean and Rice Quesadilla from Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings
- Butternut Squash Quesadillas from La Belle Vegan
Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches
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I don't have a lot to say about this recipe. I mean, there are only so many ways I can say something's delicious—Mmmmm! Yum! Wow! Awesome! Kid-Friendly!—without sounding like a 4th grader.
These use silken tofu in quiches was inspired by the frittata Kaji's Mom did recently. (Hers looks excellent, by the way. Be sure to check it out.)
These are extremely versatile: Good hot or cold, you can eat them for breakfast, put them in a lunchbox, or serve them for dinner. If you're throwing a party, try making them in mini muffin cups, and they'll be the perfect finger food. (Reduce the baking time for smaller quiches.) Try them with different vegetables, but be careful not to add too many or they may not hold together. Most importantly, plan to either hide them from your family or make enough to share!
olive oil spray
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste
1 12.3-ounce package lite firm silken tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray. (I used silicone cups like these.)
Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.
Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.
Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you're using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy! They're light, so plan on making more of these—or serve hearty side dishes—if you're serving more than 3 people.
4 mini-quiches contain: 96 Calories (kcal); 3 g Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); 11 g Protein; 8 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 459 mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber
Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
The easy dip of artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers dip is flavorful and filling and (WARNING) extremely spicy with two cloves of garlic. You may want to tone down the garlic but keep the rest of this tasty recipe.
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (these get very strong, so I advise moderation)
1 tbsp. tahini
1/8 tbsp. white pepper
salt to taste
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve as a dip for fresh vegetables (baby carrots, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) or pita bread.
Green Olive Hummus
This low-fat recipe uses less tahini because the olives contain fat and cuts down on the spices so that the olives carry the flavor. If you like olives, you'll love this hummus!
(makes about 4 cups)
3 large cloves garlic
2 cans (or 3 cups) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup green olives (stuffed with pimentos)
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 tsp. sumac
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
5-6 more olives
Chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the chickpeas and lemon juice, and coarsely chop. (If more liquid is needed to get the blades moving, add a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth.) Add the green olives, tahini, and seasonings, and process until everything is mixed. (This will not be a smooth type of hummus, but all ingredients should be well-distributed.) Taste for saltiness, and add salt if needed (the olives make it pretty salty already.) Process to blend in the salt, and then add the remaining olives. Pulse a few times just to barely chop the olives. Serve with crackers, pita bread, or crudités as desired.
Artichoke Tapenade
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If you're not concerned about fat content, a quarter cup of pinenuts would probably push this recipe closer to the mouthwatering ecstasy of the original.
Artichoke bottoms have a denser texture for this, but artichoke hearts will also work.
1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and rinsed well (or 8 ounces fresh artichoke hearts)
1 tablespoon capers
1 1/2 ounces kalamata olives (about 3 tbsp. pitted, halved olives)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice (optional; use more for fresh artichokes)
Put all ingredients except lemon juice into food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down sides a couple of times, until everything is finely chopped. Taste and add lemon or lime juice, if needed. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving. (It's even better if you let it rest overnight and bring to room temperature before eating.) Spread on good bread or crackers.
Makes 4 servings or about 20 tablespoons. Per tablespoon: 9 Calories (kcal); .5g Total Fat; (56% calories from fat); trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 82mg Sodium; trace Fiber.
One-fourth of recipe contains: 47 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (56% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 412mg Sodium; 1g Fiber. Weight Watchers 1 Point.
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