God, I love polenta. It’s cheap as sin and delicious in that warm, gooey, stick-to-your-ribs way. I made a batch last night and it turned out great, so I thought I’d share.
Mushy Bowl o’ Polenta
Ingredients
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- tablespoon or so canola or vegetable oil
- kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon each dried oregano and thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 cup polenta
- 1 can cheapo tomato sauce
- vegan margarine
- balsamic vinegar
Heat oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add onion, garlic, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt and sauté over medium heat until onions soften. Add herbs and continue to sauté for a couple minutes, until the whole house smells AMAZING.
Add water, a couple more pinches of salt, and polenta. Stir constantly until thickened. Clamp on a tight-fitting lid (if yours is less than perfect, wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around the underside of the lid – this should close the leaks), turn heat as low as it’ll go, and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring at least every 5 minutes.
To serve, mix about a cup of the prepared polenta with a tablespoon of tomato sauce, a wee bit (like maybe a teaspoon?) of margarine, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
I have been watching *a lot* of Alton Brown recently, so you’ll have to excuse any culinary big-headedness. Just excited about being able to make up my own recipes is all. =D
I’m making this right now, and I needed to get myself out of the kitchen because I’m waiting for the pasta to cook and the sauce is done and *delicious* and it’s all I can do to keep from gulping it down like a little piggy.
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz whole wheat medium-sized pasta (like rotini), cooked al dente
- 1/3 cup margarine or oil
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups rice milk
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- kosher salt, to taste (three pinches or so)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast, plus some for topping
- good quality extra-virgin olive oil
If you have a dutch oven or any other oven-safe pot that will hold the dish, it’s nice to use that to build the sauce, then pour in the pasta and bake it all without dirtying an extra dish. If you don’t though, a casserole dish does just fine.
Preheat oven to 325°. Over medium-high heat, melt margarine (or oil) and add flour when hot. Stir to get rid of any lumps, and cook until the mixture has slightly deepened in flavor and smells nutty, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, dissolve miso paste in hot water and set aside.
Add rice milk in installments, whisking constantly. Stir in water/miso mixture, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Lower heat to medium-low and cover until thickened and boiling, stirring occasionally. Stir in nutritional yeast and add pasta. Pour into casserole dish if you need to.
Top with a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast and a good drizzle of olive oil. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating or you’ll burn your tongue off.
If it seems like I’ve disappeared, dear readers, it’s because concocting this perfect recipe required utter isolation for weeks on end.
If it seems like I’m silly, it’s because I’m running on two hours of sleep and am due at the bus stop six minutes ago.
The no flax seed, apple sauce, ener-G, banana, or other silly egg replacement vegan pancakes
makes 12 4-5″ discs o’ goodness
Ingredients
- 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted or at least sprinkled into the measuring cup by hand, because if you don’t it’s gonna be like WHOA inaccurate measurement
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ kosher salt (or a wee pinch of regular salt)
- ¾ to 1 cup rice milk — I use a full cup, but i like my batter thin
- 1/3 cup oil or melted margarine, plus a bit for the pan
- Optional fun stuff: good handful of chocolate chips, blueberries, or whatever makes you happy.
1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Add the wet ingredients.
3. Stir just enough to get a dumpy-lumpy batter.
4. Cook up some pancakes! (Medium-high flame + cast iron skillet/griddle + little bit of cooking fat + scant ¼ cup batter. Flip when sides look dry and bubbles on top have become little holes.)
5. Yell “pancakes are ready!” and renew the bonds with your family, friends, roommates, and anyone else who happens to be around.