• ANIMAL-FREE SOUS-CHEF™ •
PAN-FRIED ZUCCHINI AND YELLOW SQUASH
Pan-fried green and sweet red peppers and onions with zucchini and yellow summer squash. Use as a side dish or as a topper for rice or potato, or in Zucchini And Peppers Fajitas. Or serve over JUST EGG scramble for breakfast!
Makes 6 cups
You know those huge, thick broccoli stalks that are attached to fresh broccoli?
DON’T THROW AWAY THOSE LONG BROCCOLI STALKS
This is what I now do with fresh broccoli that comes with long stalks.
Since I don’t like the texture feel of raw broccoli buds, unless they’re used as dippers in a creamy dip, and even then they’re not fun to chew.
I don’t mind tiny pieces of buds in a salad with a creamy dressing, but again they’re not an easy chew.
So I steam the buds and use them in side dishes or salad. There’s nothing wrong with putting steamed veggies in a salad along with other easier to chew fresh veggies – steamed till tender, but not soft.
First, wash the whole head in a large bowl of tap water, swishing it back and forth. Drain the water, then fill it again and swish some more.
Cut the head off where the buds meet the main stalk.
Separate the buds, cutting down into the smaller, tender stalks, then steam.
Take the large bottom stalk and cut a piece off the stalk at the bottom. Usually only about a quarter inch, but if it needs more removed due to damage, then cut higher up.
Using a potato peeler, peel the entire stalk, taking the gnarly nubs off with it.
Now, using a broad, sharp knife, starting at the bottom, cut tiny disks 1/16-1/8 inch thick. Use these broccoli disks raw in salads, or as a snack.
I was surprised at the tender-crisp aspects of the stalks. A delightful chew!
Now I get the benefit of raw broccoli along with the steamed, so I’m happy all around.
SOFT TOFU CAESAR SALAD:
Mix baked soft tofu cubes with broccoli disks in Daiya Creamy Caesar Dressing. Mound on romaine lettuce leaf. Top with additional dressing, Follow Your Heart parmesan shreds and fresh cracked black pepper. Serve with lemon wedge.
SmokeHouse Almond Tofu Topper
Tofu cubes tossed with cracker meal made from Gluten-free SmokeHouse Almond Crackers by Blue Diamond, then baked till crispy! Top a salad, add to soups or chilies, use as the protein source in pita pouch sandwiches, tortilla wraps and tacos, in potato and/or macaroni salads or serve as a snack! Get creative. You decide!
Makes about 3 cups cubes
A great-tasting and great-textured crouton. Sweet, salty, peppery and eggy! Use over salads, in soups or as a delicious snack. You may think of other uses. Experiment!
Makes about 2 cups
SLOPPY SOMETHING
Sloppy Something is really SOMETHIN’ Sloppy Something wasn’t expected to be really SOMETHIN’. But Sloppy Something wanted more than Something. So Sloppy Something turned Something into REALLY SOMETHING’!
Makes 5 cups
FRESH MUSHROOM SAUTE TOPPER
Fresh mushroom, green pepper and sweet onion sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. Seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika! Simple yet delicious!
Makes enough for 8-12 toppers or serves 4 – 6 as a side dish
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. diced sweet onion, 3/8 inch squares
1 c. diced green pepper, 3/8 inch cubes
8 oz. pkg. white button mushrooms, washed, stems trimmed and sliced
1 t. pink Himalayan salt
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. smoked paprika
fresh grind black pepper
In large skillet, over medium heat, melt oil.
Add onion and green pepper then saute while you’re slicing the mushrooms.
Add the mushroom along with salt, garlic, smoked paprika and fresh grind black pepper. Saute till tender, keeping some of the liquid extracted from the mushrooms during the cooking process, so the topping won’t be too dry. Remove from heat.
Serving Suggestions: Serve over grits, mashed potatoes, baked beans, rice, home fries, scrambled tofu, over plant meats, on sandwiches and subs, as a pizza topping, or as a side dish with just about anything. Use on tacos, in tortilla wraps and on and on.
OLD BAY BAKED TOFU CUBES
Makes about 4 cups, depending on size
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2, 14 oz. containers water-packed extra firm tofu – rinse, pat dry, then wrap in cloth towels and place a brick or heavy object on top to press for about 1 hour – when ready, cut the blocks into 3/4 inch cubes
1 T. OLD BAY DRY RUB sifted to remove hard bits
1 t. salt
1 t. mild Hungarian paprika
2 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
In large mixing bowl combine sifted OLD BAY RUB, salt, paprika, onion and garlic powders. Stir well to mix.
Place tofu cubes in bowl and flip the bowl with some wrist action till cubes are coated.
Place 2 cooling racks over two baking sheets. Lightly oil the racks using paper towel with a little oil drizzle on it.
Place tofu cubes away from each other on the racks. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven 20 minutes. The higher rack will cook sooner, so check to see how they’re doing. I went 10 minutes longer, since I was looking for a drier cube.
Remove from oven and cool at room temperature before removing from rack to storage container. Refrigerate till ready to reheat to use. Or use cold.
When ready to reheat to serve, do it in a skillet with a little oil on low heat, covered. It won’t take long. Or microwave them – also won’t take long.
Serving Suggestions:
1 – To add protein content to a green salad, add a few baked tofu cubes as a topper – warm or cold.
2 – Mix into macaroni or potato salad.
3 – Mix in with any vegetable saute.
4 – Top a bowl of soup with a few cubes.
5 – Use in sandwich wraps as the protein ingredients in place of plant meats.
6 – Or serve as a snack with toothpicks.
CANDIED EVERYTHING CROUTONS
It’s a party crouton! Pick a salad of greens or a coleslaw and make everybody’s day by topping it with these candied bread croutons. They’ll rave and you’ll be the star of any gathering! They taste like they were grilled over an open-flame – a little marshmallow taste as well!
Serves 7
ALMOND WALNUT CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE
A salty, nutty, smoky sweet crumble to use as topping on desserts and hot or cold cereals, or simply as a light snack!
Makes approx. 2 cups
Makes 1-1/2 cups crumbles
LIGHTLIFE BEYOND CRUMBLE
BEYOND and LIGHTLIFE beef and sausage crumble. Use as topping for pasta dishes, pizza, salads, tacos!
Makes about 4-5 cups depending on the size of the crumble
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
16 oz. Beyond Beef PLANT-BASED GROUND, thawed
14 oz. tube Gimme Lean Meatless Sausage by LIGHTLIFE, thawed
salt and pepper as needed
In extra-large skillet, over medium heat, melt olive oil.
Add BEYOND GROUND, breaking it off into the skillet.
Add GIMME LEAN SAUSAGE, pinching it off into the skillet.
Using a pancake turner, chop and flip to moisten all surfaces with some oil, while making the plant meats crumble into the same size.
Keep cooking them till all surfaces are cooked and they resemble a true meat crumble.
When done, turn off the heat and let set till the crumble cools to room temperature. Then pack in covered containers and either refrigerate or freeze.
If frozen, I remove them for the freezer and let them stay out for about an hour.
Then I place them in a glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
Either put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds for further tightening, or not. Microwaves cook up differently depending on wattage.
If you don’t have a microwave, lightly oil a skillet or pan, and once thawed, saute them till hot and they reach the desired texture\tightening – over medium-low heat, uncovered. Covering traps moisture and makes the crumble too soft.
Each time you remove the crumbles from refrigerator\freezer, reheat the same way.
WALNUT PASTEY CRUMBLES
Walnuts sweetened with brown sugar, then flavored with hickory smoke, vanilla and salt. Processed till pasty crumbly! Serve on top of desserts, salads or spread on your favorite toasted breads.
Makes 1 cup
Okay, so this is a new one for most of you, maybe all of you.
I bought a second pepper mill just so I could fill it with dried soy bacon bits and grind them onto whatever I want. It keeps me from experiencing the hard bits to the teeth and gums and allows for the potent flavor of the bits to emerge without having to soften them in a recipe first.
It’s just a different way to garnish, that I happen to like.
Powdered soy bacon you could call it. Nice.
ALMOND CHOCOLATE COCONUT COFFEE CRUMBLE
Top a slice of oatmeal breakfast pie or any hot cereal in a bowl. Top your favorite cake, pudding or ice cream; sprinkle onto the whipped topping on your favorite dessert. Or, eat it a teaspoon at a time as a snack right from the jar!
Makes approx. 3-1/2 cups
SMOKED GINGER BEER WALNUTS
Delectable morsels of pure pleasure. How did I live without these? A delicacy for sure, yet made from a common nut that most people overlook.
Makes 2 cups
SMOKY CANDIED CIDER WALNUTS
Everyone will be impressed by these delectable smoky sweet nut meats! Perfect topper or snack. You’ll want to triple or quadruple this recipe!
Makes 1 cup
1/3 c. apple cider
1/3 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 t. pink Himalaya salt
sev. twists fresh black pepper grind
light sprinkling powdered ginger
a few drops liquid smoke
1 c. walnut halves
1 lg. scoop granulated sugar
In medium skillet, over med.-low heat combine cider, brown sugar, pink salt, black pepper and ginger. Stir well and reduce by about 1/3rd.
Add liquid smoke and walnuts. Stir well to coat evenly, then let the liquid cook down, while stirring often.
When liquid evaporates and walnuts are still moving about loosely in a minimal amount of syrup, remove pan immediately from heat.
When walnuts are at room temperature and skillet is at most lukewarm, add a large scoop of granulated sugar to skillet and move walnuts around to coat.
Transfer skillet to counter top, and taking your time, separate each walnut piece and thoroughly coat with sugar before placing in wire mesh strainer.
When done, shake strainer to remove excess sugar and lay walnuts out on a plate in one layer to further cool to room temperature.
Use to top a dessert, a salad, sauteed veggies; or put out as a snack. Or give as a gift.
Notes: Smoky Candied Walnuts make a great host/hostess gift! Pack in a recycled jar with no print on the lid. Wrap it in a ribbon or whatever. Slide it into a gift bag with a thank you note in advance!
Everybody has walnuts on sale during the holidays. Do something memorable with them. These are memorable!
YVES BACON-GARLIC CRUMBLE
This will be a conversation starter around any table or at any event that serves food. An exciting, new, nothing like it condiment that turns palates!
Makes 1-3/4 cups
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BLACK RUSSIAN CROUTONS
Bakery-style black bread makes superior croutons for soup or salad. Why not give it a try next time you see some authentic Russian black bread!
Makes as many as you want
preheat oven to 250 degrees
1/2 loaf bakery-style Russian black bread or pumpernickel, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Place cubes on wire rack over baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 25o degrees for 30 minutes. or till crisp throughout.
Cool at room temperature, then bag, seal and store in dry place.
Use for soups and salads.
One half loaf made about 3 cups croutons.
FRESH BREAD CRUMBS. Many of you have blenders and/or food processors and will make your fresh bread crumbs in that. For those of you who don’t have either, here’s another efficient way to make them: Shred partially frozen French or Italian bread over very large holes of a vegetable grater, using firm pressure and long strokes. The bread shreds very nicely, then thaws instantly into perfect fresh bread crumbs. Although I have a blender, I didn’t always, and this method worked perfectly every time.
For fresh-frozen breadcrumbs, process frozen crusts in food processor till crumbly, not mealy. Use as directed by recipe. White bread works best. Or, process into crumbs while bread is still fresh, then freeze to use later.
Save leftover bread crusts. Freeze crusts in a plastic bag. When you want croutons for your salads, cut the frozen crusts into cubes, place on baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees till dry. Season as desired.
PANKO BREAD CRUMBS are a great creation for all chefs. You get the fresh bread crumb texture, in an already crisped state that only requires a drizzle of melted margarine and/or oil, so you don’t have to worry about soggy crumbs.
For stuffings, bring home those rolls or soft bread sticks from restaurants. Instead of eating them with your meal, freeze them, then when you get a bunch, either crumb or cut into stuffing cube size and use as you would store-bought stuffing mix. Make a moist stuffing by using as is, or if you want to dry them a little, place them in 325 degree oven till they’re dry as you like. Use your own seasonings. You’d be surprised at the various textures you can achieve in your stuffings using various bread pieces. Dark, white, whole grain etc.
Make your own soup croutons. All you have to do is toast a slice of bread and cut it into small squares. They don’t have to be hard throughout. Perfect for soup!
MAKING NUT CRUMBLES
