Everyday Vegan EatsFamily Favorites from My Kitchen to Yours

Zsu Dever has been involved in the restaurant business most of her life. She hails from a long line of culinary professionals and restaurateurs. The publisher of the food blog Zsu’s Vegan Pantry is passionate about teaching new vegans how to succeed with their newly chosen diet and become lifelong vegans. A vegan for nearly fifteen years, Zsu is a homeschooling mother of three teenagers and resides in San Diego, CA. Find her online at zsusveganpantry.com.

 

Pad Thai

Corn Muffins

Fudge Brownies

 

 

Pad Thai

Serves 4

 

You don’t have to go to a Thai restaurant to enjoy some great pad Thai – you can make it in your own kitchen. Tamarind is a sour, tangy fruit that is used frequently in Indian and Thai cuisine. Check international aisles, Indian grocery stores, and other Asian grocers for tamarind or find it online.  This recipe is from Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever © 2014, Vegan Heritage Press.

 

1/4 cup reduced-sodium tamari

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons tamarind liquid or 1 teaspoon tamarind paste mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup natural sugar

8 ounces rice noodles

4 tablespoons grapeseed or sunflower oil, divided

1 pound soft or firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and crumbled

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 medium carrot, shredded

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Thai red chili paste

1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Cilantro leaves and lime wedges, to garnish

 

In a small bowl, combine the tamari, lime juice, tamarind, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.

 

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the noodles, toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and set aside.

 

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the tofu, nutritional yeast, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the tofu is dry, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the tofu to a bowl, season to taste with salt, and set aside.

 

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili paste, and bell pepper, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the noodles, spinach, bean sprouts, peanuts, reserved sauce, and reserved tofu. Cook, stirring, until the noodles are tender but not overcooked, the sauce has been absorbed, and everything is heated through. Serve hot garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

 

 

Corn Muffins

Makes 10 muffins

 

These cornbread muffins do not crumble. They are light and buttery and taste delightfully of corn, as any cornbread should. Serve these for breakfast with maple syrup or with chili, slathered with a little vegan butter. These are equally good sweet or savory. If desired, you can substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for the unbleached all-purpose flour. Use soy-free vegan butter and milk to make these muffins soy free.

 

3 tablespoons vegan butter, as needed

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed if frozen

1 cup plain unsweetened vegan milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons applesauce

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-muffin tin by generously greasing 10 of the tins with vegan butter.

 

Combine the thawed corn, milk, vinegar, sugar, and applesauce in a blender. Blend for 10 seconds to break up the corn kernels. Set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda. Whisk to combine.

 

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the milk mixture. Fold together gently to combine; do not overwork the batter.

 

Transfer 1/4 cup batter to each of the 10 buttered muffin tins. Bake until they are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin in the middle tin comes out clean, about 15 minutes.  Cool the muffin tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins to the rack and continue to cool them for 5 more minutes before serving.

 

 

Fudge Brownies

Makes 12 small brownies

 

These rich and decadent brownies are easy to prepare but make sure not to over- or under-cook them. Some crumbs should still be clinging to the test toothpick when the brownies are ready.

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup (2 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup grapeseed or sunflower oil

2 tablespoons mashed ripe banana

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup natural sugar

1/3 cup plain unsweetened vegan milk

1 tablespoon flax seed meal

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1/3 cup finely chopped toasted nuts (optional)

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with a long strip of parchment paper, folding the paper as needed. The paper should hang out of the top of the pan; when the brownies are baked you then lift up on the two opposite edges of the paper to cleanly remove the brownie from the pan. Alternatively, generously oil the pan and set aside.

 

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in the salt and set aside.

 

Melt the chocolate chips and oil in a small bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals until soft. Alternatively, melt the chips and oil in a double boiler. Stir the chips and oil until combined.

 

Using a blender or electric hand mixer, blend the melted chips and oil, banana, vanilla, sugar, milk, and flax meal until combined. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the nuts, if using.

 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out with a few moist crumbs attached but no wet batter, 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the kind of pan you use. Glass baking dishes need longer baking time. If your toothpick comes out completely dry, the brownie has over-baked, but is still tasty. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

 

Remove the brownies by pulling up on the parchment paper overhang. Cut into squares.