Linda's Literary Home

Tag: cooking

  • The Rustic Vege-Table:  100 Vegan Recipes

    Image: The Rustic Veggie-Table: 100 Vegan Recipes

    The following excerpt offers the introduction to and includes a list recipes from each section on my cookbook  The Rustic Vege-Table:  100 Vegan Recipes.

    Welcome to my kitchen!

    I enjoy watching the cooking shows on TV, and as I watch, I constantly muse on how to convert their traditional uses of meat, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese to vegan versions.  An example of this musing resulted in my “Vegan Meatloaf” that looks a lot like the meatloaf my mother used to make and tastes as yummy.

    In addition to following a vegetarian diet, I also try to eat more alkalizing than acidifying foods.  Most vegetables and fruits, some nuts, and pseudo grains are alkalizing; therefore, my recipes frequently call for sprouted grains to replace regular whole grains; however, I do use whole-wheat flour and unbleached organic flour occasionally, especially for biscuits and gravy.

    I replace regular salt with sea salt, refined sugar with agave nectar, stevia, or raw sugar, depending on the recipe, and soy milk with coconut milk.  

    This kind of cooking requires experimentation, and these webpages, as well as my published cookbook, feature the recipes that I have tried and deemed successful—although I continue to think of my cooking as experimental because I hardly ever make a dish the same way twice. 

    And my dishes always have a rather ragged look about them that I call rustic.  The pictures that accompany some of the recipes will show you exactly what I mean by “rustic.”  They are tasty, however!

    Thank you for taking this experimental culinary journey with me!

    Buon Appetito!

    Blessings,
    Linda Sue Grimes

    One Hundred Vegan Recipes

    The following list features a sampling of the recipes from each section on my cookbook The Rustic Vege-Table:  100 Vegan Recipes. I am in the process of placing links to the recipes in my Veggie Recipes room:

    BREAKFAST

    Avocado Breakfast Sandwich
    Biscuits & Gravy

    BRUNCH / LUNCH / DINNER / SUPPER

    Homemade Pasta
    Fettuccini Salad
    Chana Masala – Indian Chick Peas
    Quick Eggplant Parm
    Bean Burrito Bake

    SAUCES & DIPS

    Nutty Sauce
    Curried Tomato Sauce-see Chana Masala
    Tomato Sauce Italiano-see Quick Eggplant Parm
    MexiCali Chili Sauce-see Bean Burrito Bake

    SWEETS

    Pie Crust-see Chocolate Pie
    Chocolate Pie
    Pecan Spice Cake
    Strawberry Ice Cream

  • Linda’s Original Recipe: Veggie Pizza

    Image: Linda’s Original Recipe: Pizza – Photo by Ron Grimes

    Linda’s Original Recipe: Veggie Pizza

    Pizza Sauce

    Ingredients

    • 1 tbs olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
    • sea salt, oregano, basil, rosemary to taste
    • 4 cups veggie juice (like V8, I use Knudsen Very Veggie, tomato juice also works)

    Instructions

    1. Sauté onion and tomatoes in olive oil until tomatoes begin to fall apart.  
    2. Add spices.  
    3. Add veggie juice.  
    4. Simmer for 20 minutes.

    Toppings

    Spread over Pizza Dough generous amounts of the following

    1. Pizza Sauce
    2. Mushrooms – (I use jarred, but fresh is ok if you prefer) 
    3. Green peppers (sliced or diced, depending on your taste)
    4. Onions – (again, sliced or diced)
    5. Cheese – (any kind of cheese you like, even vegan)

    Whole Wheat Pizza Dough 

    Ingredients

    • 1 packet dry active yeast
    • 1 cup warm water 
    • 1 tsp honey (maple syrup or agave syrup)
    • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
    • 2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
    • 1 tbsp corn meal

    Instructions

    1. Stir yeast and honey (syrup) into water. Let bloom for 5 minutes.
    2. Place flour, salt, oil, and yeast  into stand mixer, fixed with bread hook.
    3. Knead for 8 minutes until dough comes together.
    4. Let dough ball stand in buttered bowl for 50 minutes.
    5. Turn out dough ball onto surface sprinkled with corn meal.
    6. Shape into desired form and place on pizza pan.
    7. Bake in 500° over for 5 minutes.
    8. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
    9. Add sauce and toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes at 500°.