Mushroom Crepes August 7, 2011

I always loved mushroom crepes, and wanted to make sure I could have a tasty vegan alternative. These are great! Very gourmet and French, but really not difficult.

Serves 4

Crepes

1 cup regular or whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup plain soymilk (unsweetened preferably)

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Vegan butter for cooking

To make the crepes, mix all the ingredients together and cook in an 8 inch nonstick pan with a little vegan butter melted into it.

Cook both sides.

Filling

3 tablespoons olive oil

10 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons herbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

T0 make the filling, saute all the ingredients until lightly browned.

Sauce

2 tablespoons vegan butter substitute

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup unsweetened plain soymilk

Pinch of nutmeg

Garnish

1/3 cup shredded nondairy cheese

To make the sauce, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and cook 4 minutes.

Stir the milk in slowly and mix until smooth. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens and is smooth.

To assemble, fill the crepes, fold the sides over and flip, placing them into a 9×13 pan.Top with the sauce.

Pour the mixture over the crepes. Garnish with the cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Hearty Mushroom Stroganoff

Perfect for people who like a filling, yet healthy, meal that’s traditionally full of
saturated fat and cholesterol. This is the kind of meal you should prepare and eat at
least once a week!
Serves 4

8 ounces uncooked pasta (rotini, etc.) + 1 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 ounces) silken tofu
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley and/or basil
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large or 1 small white onion, chopped
5 ounces white, Crimini, baby Bella or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (about 2 cups
chopped)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 ounces vegan meat crumbles

2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped, for garnish
Salt, pepper and vegan Parmesan for garnish

Cook the pasta. Add one teaspoon salt to the cooking water. Drain the water when the
pasta is cooked, saving 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
Puree the tofu in a food processor or blender until creamy. Add the 1/4 cup fresh
herbs and pulse until the herbs are mostly pureed. Set aside.
Sauté the garlic and onion in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat until the onion is
translucent but the garlic is not brown.
Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, stir and cook another 3-4 minutes.
Add the crumbles and cook for about 6 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.
Lower the heat and stir in the tofu-herb mixture.
Add 1/3 cup of the cooking water to the mixture and stir.
Toss with the pasta.
Garnish with the chopped herbs, salt, pepper and vegan Parmesan.
Serve immediately.

Tofu Feta

My grandmother lived at the Greece/Bulgaria border, and the whole side of the family has a taste for Feta cheese. My mother’s vegan version was like this:

1 block firm regular tofu, drained and cut into cubes

Mix salt, the juice of 2 lemons or more, and pour over the cubes

Let sit refrigerated in a container. overnight

Mash with a fork the next day and use in salads, pastas, my mother’s vegan spinach pie which I will post sometime soon, etc.

Keep refrigerated.

Curried Appetizer Spread

I’m in the process of posting a lot of my recipes. I think this is something my mom made.

2 cups tofu sour cream

3/4 cup finely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped green peppers

3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon vegan worcestshire sauce

2/3 cup crushed rich round crackers (16 crackers)

2 tablespoons vegan butter substitute, melted

 

Line a 3 cup bowl with plastic wrap

In a bowl combine sour cream, olives, celery, green pepper, onion, lemon juice, curry, salt and sauces

In another bowl combine crackers and vegan butter. Spoon 1/3 of the sour cream mixture into the lined bowl. Sprinkle with half the crumbs. Repeat layers, ending with sour cream mixture.

Cover and chill several hours or overnight. To serve, turn out the serving plate and remove wrap. Garnish with additional olive slices. Serve with crackers.

 

Vegetarian Moussaka

My mother used to make this for holidays. It’s a really hearty, meat & potatoes dish. I often make short-cut versions when I don’t want to make each layer separate, by cooking eggplant and the veggie crumbles together with the sauce and garlic, sometimes adding mushrooms.

6 potatoes, sliced thinly and fried until light brown

2 eggplants, peeled, sliced thinly, sprinkled with salt and placed in a colander for 1/2 hour, washed, dried and fried in olive oil separately until softened and light brown

1/2 package of vegan meat crumbles or firm tofu, crumbled

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

Approximately 6 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

Salt & pepper to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until light brown. Add the crumbles and keep cooking.

Add the parsley and tomato mixture. Continue to sauté for 1 minutes, and add spices.

In a 9×9 square pan, layer from the bottom as follows: eggplant , potato, crumbles, eggplant, potato, crumbles, and top with eggplant.

If you desire the moussaka to be more moist, you can make more tomato mixture and pour it on top of the layers.

Bake at 350 F for 1/2 hour.