Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup large TVP chunks
• 2 ounces tomato paste
• 16 ounce can chopped tomato pieces
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• taco seasonings to taste
• dash of Tabasco or chili powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ounces soy cheese shredded

Directions:

1. Place the TVP cubes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to reconstitute. You just need enough to cover the cubes.
2. Chop the onion.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. Slice the zucchini and grate the cheese.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan.
6. Saute the onion until they become soft and glassy.
7. Add the risotto and allow it to absorb some of the flavors, it will begin to look transparent (about 2 minutes).
8. Add 1 cup of water and the tomato paste.
9. Stir well to spread the flavors.
10. Add the garlic.
11. Add the tomato pieces and stir.
12. Add the taco seasonings and chili powder if using.
13. And add the reconstituted TVP cubes.
14. Lower the heat and allow the rice and TVP to absorb the tomato and flavorings.
15. Season to taste with salt and pepper, Tabasco or chili powder.
16. In a separate pan, heat the other tablespoon of oil and saute the zucchini slices.
17. Place the risotto mixture on a serving plate and the sauteed zucchini on top.
18. Sprinkle the grated soy cheese on top and place in the oven on broil for a couple of minutes to quickly melt the cheese.
19. Serve directly with a nice salad on the side.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice, cooked
• 4 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and steamed
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• dash cayenne pepper
• Greek oregano
• fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 150 grams tofu
• 1 tablespoon oil for searing
• ‘soy’ romano cheese sauce* see below

for the cheese sauce:

• 3/4 cup non dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon light miso
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
• pinch cayenne or splash Tabasco
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:

For the casserole:

1. Cook the rice and lay in the bottom of a casserole dish to for a bed.
2. Make the tomato sauce by sauteing the onion in the oil until soft and glassy.
3. Add the minced garlic and the can of crushed tomatoes.
4. Season with Greek oregano, thyme cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
5. Steam the cleaned spinach.
6. When the spinach has wilted, lay it on top o the bed of rice in the casserole dish.
7. Place a generous layer of tomato sauce over the spinach.
8. Make the cheese sauce.
9. Cut the tofu into medallions.
10. Lightly saute or sear the tofu medallions until golden brown on the outside.
11. Lay the tofu medallions on top of the tomato sauce.
12. Drizzle a dollop of cheese sauce over each tofu piece and here and there on the top of the meal.
13. Place in the oven and bake at 220 C / 428 F for 10 minutes until the cheese sauce has become golden brown.
14. Remove from the oven and serve with crusty wholegrain bread or an olive chiabatta.

To make the cheese sauce:

1. Mix the ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook until thick and creamy and remove from the heat.
3. This will make about 1 – 1.5 cups. It’ is more than you will need for this recipe, but a very tasty sauce that can be used n many recipes.

Notes:

Saganaki is a Greek, baked feta meal. We adapted this to include nice fresh steamed spinach, rice, tofu and a lovely cheese sauce.

Inspired by http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2010/04/scallop-saganaki.html

This was a really great meal. It was easy to make vegan, just by using soy yogurt. It’s basically a korma curry which is very tasty, and we used home made rhubarb chutney. The recipe makes a lot so we will be enjoying a nice meal of left overs sometime this week.

We found this recipe at the Virginia Apples website. We did not do the microwave as we prefer to cook on the stove top. We cooked the rice traditionally and added a bit of curry powder to the water while the rice was cooking. We then sauteed the onion with curry powder and added the apples sauteing until hey were soft. Mixing them into the rice gently, and at last the raisins that had been soaking. We used a mild curry powder. The dish was a lovely addition to our meal and we look forward to enjoying it throughout the fall. This would even be a good recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed wild and white rice
• 1 eggplant, cut in small pieces and sauteed
• 1 zucchini, cut into matchstick sized pieces
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced in rings
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and cut into small pieces
• 10-12 green olives, deseeded
• 10-12 black olives, deseeded
• 1 cup vegetable bouillon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 2-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• small bunch dill, chopped as garnish

Directions:

1. Wash the rice and cook in 1 cup of vegetbale bouillon and 1 cup of water.
2. When the rice is done, put it into a large bowl and allow to cool.
3. Cut the eggplant into small cubes and saute lightly.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
5. When cooled, add the eggplant to the rice.
6. Slice the zuchiini into small matchsticks and add to the rice.
7. Cut off the bottom core of the fennel and slice the fennel in thin slices, then add to the rice and mix well.
8. Add the black and green olives.
9. Add the chopped basil and parsley.
10. Using a blender, make a dressig from the olive oil, garlic, salt pepper and lemon juice.
11. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
12. Allow the salad to season for an hour before serving.
13. Shortly befor serving, slice and desssed the tomato and add to the salad.
14. Garnish with some chopped dill and a few dill sprigs.

Yield: 30- 40

Ingredients:

for the rice:

• 2 cups sushi rice
• 2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons mirin

for the sushi:

• 5-6 sheets nori
• 1 cup water
• 8 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1-2 carrots, sliced thin, either steamed or raw
• 3-4 mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 avocado in thin slices and sprinkled with lemon juice so as to not brown
• 1 med zucchini, cut in long thin slices
• 1 beet, steamed or raw, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 sweet potato, steamed and thinly sliced

dipping sauce to serve:

• 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

To make the rice:
Rinse the rice 3-5 times.
Place rice in a strainer to drain.
Place the rice in a pot with the 2 cups of water.
Bring quickly to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cover the pot and DON’T touch it until the end, NO PEEKING.
Cook for 15 minutes before removing the pot from the heat but keep the lid CLOSED.
Let rice rest for 10 min and then remove the cover.
While rice is cooking, combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mirin together in a bowl and mix well.
Place in a bowl to cool and add the vinegar mixture.
Mix rice gently, so as to be careful not to break it.

While the rice is cooling, prepare the vegetables.
Slice all of the vegetables in long thin slices.
Steam the sweet potato, peel and slice in long thin slices.
Aim to have all the ingredients prepared and placed on separate plates and bowls ready to go when the rice has cooled.

To assemble the sushi rolls:
In a medium sized bowl, (large enough to dip your hands in), mix 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons rice vinegar. This will be used to keep your hands and equipment moistened, and thus keeping the rice from sticking to everything, while you are making the rolls.
When the rice is cooled enough to handle (room temperature), you can begin to make your rolls.
Place the bamboo rolling mat so that it rolls away from you.
Place one sheet of nori on your mat, shinny side down.
Using a spoon, take a large spoonful of rice and place in the middle of the nori.
Dip your hands in the water and vinegar solution.
Spread the rice by patting it over the the nori closest.
The rice should be about 1/4″ thick. Leave a small edge of the nori empty, without rice, it will be the section that seals the roll.
Place your chosen vegetables in a strip about 1/3 to 1/2 the way toward the center.
2 or 3 various vegetables is nice.
Now start rolling. Lift the edge of the mat closest to you, and roll it over the vegetables in a rolling fashion. Once the roll is started, pull back the mat and continue rolling. If the roll doesn’t seal completely, you can use a finger dampened in the water and rice solution to help it.
Dampen a very sharp knife in the water and vinegar solution and cut the rolls into the size desired.
Serve with the sauce and and enjoy.
Makes about thirty 3 cm (1 1/3″) long rolls or forty 2.5 cm (1″) rolls.

There are many versions of the salad. This one comes from I love the finger lakes. Everything about it was delicious, I wouldn’t change a thing. It makes a lot, so we are looking forward to having leftovers for lunch tomorrow, it will probably be even better after it’s seasoned overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup risotto rice
• 2 cups vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Cook the rice in the soy milk and sugar, stirring.
2. When the rice has absorbed the soy milk and has become soft, spoon into individual serving bowls.
3. Drizzle chocolate vinegar over and garnish with a cherry.

Notes:

This form of rice pudding is creamy when warm, and sets hard when cooled.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 200 grams white rice, cooked
• 1 med. zucchini, cut in very thin slices
• 1/4 cup vegan pesto
• tomato and chives as garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the rice and allow to slightly cool.
2. Make the pesto (I chose basil but you can use any green pesto of choice.
3. When the rice has cooled, make sure there is not extra water, if so drain the rice.
4. Mix the pesto into the rice.
5. Using a pastry ring, fill the lower 1/4 with the “green” rice.
6. Place a layer of the zucchini over the rice and then another layer of rice, followed with a second layer of zucchini.
7. I topped the tower with rice, and garnished with a tomato and a few chives.
8. However, if you wish, it is also pretty topped with a layer of zucchini and garnish of choice.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 cups apple cider or apple Juice
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3 apples, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 tbs. cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 tsp. allspice, ground
• 2 tbs. Italian herbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package (12 ounces ) spicy tofu pieces

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in oil, add the bell pepper
2. Add the cider or apple juice and bring to a simmer, cook until hot.
3. Add rice, stir in 2 cups hot water; bring to simmer.
4. Add the pumpkin chunks and cook for 5-10 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
5. Add tofu pieces and mix well.
6. Add apple; cook 1 t0 2 minutes more. Add the chillies or Tabasco and season to taste with salt and pepper.