Eggplant-Noodle Gratin

The original recipe called for egg noodles, which says right in the name why vegans will want to stay away. The best substitute I found, was wide Chinese lo mein noodles, which are only made of wheat flour and water, but have the same long flat shape as egg noodles. So use those in the recipe below.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 cups coarsely chopped, peeled eggplant, 1 cup chopped yellow onion and 1 cup chopped red bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add two cups chopped tomato and 3 minced garlic cloves and cook another minute.

Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups cooked lo mein (or other wide flat noodle), 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, one tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh), 1/4 tsp. salt and a dash of black pepper.

Spoon into an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with 2/3 cup shredded vegan cheese in place of the provolone that the original recipe called for - if I was at home in New York, I would use the vegan mozzarella block, which shreds really well, but I'm on Martha's Vineyard and the only soy cheese in the supermarket here was sandwich slices of mozzarella from Tofutti. While I was happy to find vegan on the Vineyard (yay!), this variety doesn't really shred or melt as well. Sorry; it's the best I could do!

Each one cup serving is 230 calories.

Cost:
eggplant $1.50
yellow onion $0.85
red bell pepper $1.74
tomato $0.95
noodles $2.29
basil (free from the pot in my mother's patio - gorgeous!)
vegan cheese $3.69

Two-Tomato Gratin

Yum - a simple side dish highlighting summer's tomatoes.

In a food processor, combine one garlic clove and 3-oz of torn French bread. Pulse until the mixture equals about 1 3/4 cups crumbs. Drizzle with two teaspoons melted vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) and pulse until moist.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup chopped shallot and cook 3 minutes. Add a pint of grape tomatoes and a pint of yellow pear tomatoes (check your local farmer's market for this latter variety especially!), along with 1/4 tsp. salt and a dash of black pepper. Cook another minute and a half until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons chopped parsley.

If your skillet is ovenproof, leave the mixture right there. If not, transfer to an 11x7 baking dish. Either way, sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumb mixture, and lightly coat the top with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

You'll have 6 side servings of 2/3 cup and 90 calories each.

Cost:
French bread $1.29
shallot $0.52
grape tomatoes $2.99
yellow pear tomatoes $3.49

Herbed Lemon-'Buttermilk' Dressing

Here's another all-purpose dressing, similar to Ranch Dressing. If you have company coming for Labor Day weekend, toss it with some greens and they probably won't even know it's vegan!

The base of the original recipe was buttermilk. As I've pointed out in other posts, vegan buttermilk is just one cup plain soy milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice added to "clabber" or sour/thicken it. Add the lemon juice, stir with a whisk, and let stand five minutes. Then pour 3/4 cup of the 'buttermilk' into a bowl. (Discard the remaining 1/4 cup or save it for another use).

To the bowl, add: 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise (try the Light Canola mayo from Spectrum), one tablespoon grated lemon rind, one tablespoon finely chopped onion, a teaspoon chopped fresh chives, a teaspoon chopped fresh basil, a teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt and one minced garlic clove.

As you can see, this is also a great way to use up any fresh summer herbs you might have, but for all three (the chives, basil, thyme) you can substitute 1/2 tsp. dried instead of fresh if you prefer.

You'll have 1 1/4 cups of dressing, that will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Just stir well before using! A tablespoon is about 20 calories.

Cost:
soy milk $1.00
lemon $0.89

Double-Squash Basmati Gratin

I told you I'd be making several different vegetable gratins toward the end of this month... This one focuses on sister squashes: zucchini and yellow squash. To slice both varieties, cut each zucchini/yellow squash in half lengthwise and thinly slice to equal two cups, so the pieces are small.

In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini, 2 cups thinly sliced yellow squash, one cup thinly sliced leek, 2 tablespoons vegetable broth, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and 2 small minced garlic cloves. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes until the squash is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. (While the squash cooks is also a good time to cook basmati rice according to package directions, since you'll need a cup and a half of cooked rice in the steps below).

In a large bowl, combine another 1/4 tsp. salt, another 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 cup vegan sour cream (such as Tofutti), 1/3 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk), and the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer of your choice (i.e. Ener-G). Combine well with a whisk.

Stir in the squash mixture, 1 and 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice, 1/2 cup crumbled vegan feta cheese (such as Sunergia), 1/4 cup grated fresh 'parmesan' (try the vegan mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and one teaspoon chopped fresh oregano. Combine well.

Pour into an 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place 12 melba snack crackers in a food processor and process into coarse crumbs. Add a tablespoon of melted vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), and pulse three times until the cracker crumbs are moist. Sprinkly evenly over the rice casserole. I was delighted to find an organic version of melba crackers with all vegan-friendly ingredients, from Devonsheer Organics. If you prefer, buy onion or garlic flavored melba toasts.

Bake it all in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Let stand for ten minutes before serving. Each one cup serving is 260 calories.

Cost:
zucchini $2.71
yellow squash $2.07
leek $2.12
vegetable broth $2.69
sour cream $2.49
basmati rice $1.16
'feta' $4.19
'parmesan' $3.39
melba crackers $2.69

Individual Corn Custards with 'Bacon'-Potato Crust

I almost hate to admit this, but I'm on a vegan bacon kick. Even though I know this is the last product in the world to feel guilty about, I still can't help but think its cheating! Oh well, because these little custards are delicious.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add 3 strips of vegan bacon (such as Smart Bacon). Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until crisp; crumble and set aside.

To the skillet, add 2 cups fresh corn kernels, 1/4 cup chopped onion, one seeded and finely minced jalapeno and one minced garlic clove. Saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Place a final cup of fresh corn kernels (you'll have needed about 5 ears total for the recipe) in a food processor or blender, along with 1/4 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk). Process until smooth and pour into a large bowl.

Add the sauteed corn mixture, one more cup plain soy milk, 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and the equivalent of 2 eggs using the egg replacer of your choice (such as Ener-G). Stir to combine.

Divide evenly among 6 (6-oz) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a 13x9 inch glass baking dish, and fill the dish with an inch of hot water. Cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; a knife inserted into the center of each custard should come out clean.

Mix your pre-made vegan bacon crumbles with 1/3 cup crushed baked potato chips (try the organic variety from Michael Seasons' brand: www.seasonssnacks.com). Sprinkle about a tablespoon and a half of the topping mixture over each custard. Return them to the oven at an increased temp of 'Broil' and broil for one minute until the tops begin to brown.

Each custard is 160 calories.

Cost:
vegan bacon $2.50
corn $3.98
jalapeno pepper $0.12
baked potato chips $2.50

Creamy Truffle-Scented White Bean Soup

What's interesting about this recipe for vegans is that the word 'creamy' in the title doesn't refer to a dairy product at all, even in the original version! It's pureeing the beans that makes the soup 'creamy'.

The other ingredient in the title - truffles - are truly one of the priciest foods out there - $55 per one-ounce jar of black truffles, $45 for a one-ounce jar of the white variety, according to various internet sources I checked out. I've heard of them selling for over a hundred dollars per ounce in seasons with poor yields! But if you want the delicious taste of truffles without all that expense, a small vial of truffle oil - such as this recipe calls for - is a great alternative. Although higher priced than other oils - olive, canola etc. - truffle oil has a strong taste, so a little goes a long way. That one vial will last you quite some time! I bought mine a little while back for about $14. But as you can see, it's only about as tall as my cell phone :)



For the soup tonight, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add one cup chopped onion and saute 2 minutes. Add one tablespoon bottled minced garlic and 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and saute another 2 minutes. Finally, add a teaspoon and a half of chopped fresh rosemary; saute a final 30 seconds.

Add 2 cups vegetable broth and 2 (19-ounce) cans of cannellini beans (rinsed and drained). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in two tablespoons lemon juice and let stand five minutes.

The recipe called to blend this in a blender in two batches. It was when I went to fetch my blender from the cupboard that I remembered I'm currently using it as a vase for some beautiful flowers my boyfriend brought home the other day. (It's the only vase-shaped vessel I have that was big enough for the bouquet!) So in a pinch, I used my hand blender, which I'm happy to report worked just as well in making this soup smooth and creamy.

Ladle one cup of soup into each of four bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/4 tsp. of truffle oil (remember: a little goes a long way). Each serving is 230 calories.

Cost:
rosemary $2.99
broth $2.69
cannellini beans $2.37

Apple-Kiwi Dressing

Here's a simple dressing that you can refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days - try tossing it with a crunchy vegetable salad for lunch at work.

In a blender or food processor, combine 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons apple juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 tsp. raw sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 pound kiwifruit (about 2-3 kiwis) peeled and cut into chunks, and one small garlic clove. Process until smooth.

It's as easy as that! A tablespoon of the dressing is 20 calories, and you'll have about a cup.

Cost:
cider vinegar $3.39
apple juice $1.99
kiwifruit $0.50