A Busy Bear

This bear admits it...sometimes life gets busy and messy.   The one constant is, thankfully, the food.  This year kind of got out of control, but in a good way!  Here are a few food adventures that took place over the year.

 Sweet potato salad.

 Vegan pizza on a tortilla.

 Chili, which happens to be a fan favorite.

 Stuffed green peppers with pearl couscous.

 The Hungry Vegan Bear favorite-waffles and maple syrup.

 Taco salad.

 Kohlrabi salad.

Spicy pasta with vegan cheese.

Stuffed portobello's-made on the grill.

Broccoli & pasta with fresh herbs.

A Hungry Vegan Bear Thanksgiving!

There are a few spices and herbs that I find are an absolute must during Thanksgiving, such as, thyme, rosemary, and sage.  And I cannot live without cinnamon and nutmeg in a pumpkin pie, oh my!  The best part of Thanksgiving is not only the food on the table, but the enticing aroma’s, so don’t hold back when it comes to herbs and spices and, most importantly, have fun!

I like to do some preparation work the evening before, because our kitchen is modest in size.  Prepping the evening before also eliminates being overwhelmed on the holiday.  I plan to enjoy the day with friends instead of making myself crazy bouncing between the kitchen and grill.  I began the pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and the stuffing together the night before the big day.  Also, I’m a huge fan of marinating, so I threw the Portobello’s together and set them in the refrigerator overnight.

And, just in case one of my veggie dishes did not turn out, I had an alternative veggie dish waiting in the wings.  My advice during Thanksgiving, any holiday really, is don’t sweat it and ask for help, if you need it, after all this is what family and friends are there for and, in my opinion, Thanksgiving is not a spectator sport.

Portabella Mushrooms

3 cloves garlic

½ bottle Cabernet Sauvignon

Black pepper

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

Dash of salt

Begin by cleaning up the mushrooms a bit with a dry paper towel and cut a little off the stems, if desired.  Set the mushrooms in a Tupperware container and pour the wine directly over the mushrooms, add the crushed garlic, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and salt to the mix.  Cover the container and refrigerate.  

Place the mushrooms on the grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

1 container firm silken tofu

25 oz pumpkin

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Dash of salt

3 Tbsp Flax seed (as egg replacement)

1 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp molasses

Begin by preparing the crust by crushing the crackers into tiny pieces.  I used a hammer to crush the crackers, but you can use a rolling pin or, if you're bored, your car.  Add the melted margarine to the crackers and if you think the mix is still a bit dry, add a smidgen more margarine.  Bake the crusts on 325 for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Once the crusts are done baking, set them on a cooling rack, and begin prepping the wet mixture for the pie.

I used a blender for this mix, because it makes the process go very quickly, which I absolutely adore.  Begin with the tofu and then proceed to add the rest of the ingredients.  I like a spicy pie and I have a tendency to add more cinnamon and nutmeg, because I can't quite help myself.

Makes 2 pies

Bake 30-40 minutes at 350

Graham Cracker Crust

Little less than 2 packages of graham crackers

¼ c margarine (until crackers are moist)

Stuffing

1 bag bread cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp margarine

Fresh sage

Fresh rosemary

Fresh Thyme

Black pepper

1 box of veggie broth

½ pack of soy sausage

2 c celery

½ medium red onion

Begin by emptying the bag of bread cubes into a large plastic bowl and set that to the side for a moment.  Next, take a large frying pan and drop in the margarine.  I use a higher setting on my stove top, not quite on high, but enough to make a nice sizzle when I begin to add in the celery, soy sausage, and onion.  Add in the fresh and dry spices.  Once the soy sausage, onion, and celery is golden brown, add in half the box of the veggie broth.  Then dump the heated mixture on top of the bread cubes.  The next step is entirely up to you, if you would like to heat the rest of the veggie broth, you may do so on the stove top, but I did not heat the rest of the broth and opted to dump the rest of the broth into the bowl. 

Finally, dump the contents into a deep cake pan and cover with foil.  Place the stuffing into the oven and cook at 375 for about 30-45 minutes.  Every so often stir the stuffing to ensure that it does not stick to the pan.

Cranberry Sauce with Apples

2 Gala apples

1 bag of cranberries

¾ c brown sugar

Bit of water to cover the base of the saucepan

I love cranberries, I love cranberries, because I can cook 100 other things in my kitchen while the sauce is cooking.  Begin by peeling the apples and cutting out the core.  Next, add a bit of water to the base of your saucepan and then slice and dice the apples into the pan.  Take the bag of cranberries and empty them into a strainer-wash the berries and look for any stems that might have made their way into the bag.  Then dump the clean cranberries into the sauce pan.  Stir the apples and berries together in the saucepan and then set the mix on the stove.  Cover the saucepan and set the temperature to high.  Then as the boiling process begins, drop the temperature down to low and add in the brown sugar.  A wonderful thing will occur as you are attending to a half dozen other things...the sauce will begin to go from a thin liquid to a nice thick sauce.  This year I decided to experiment a bit and use apples in the sauce instead of oranges.  The consensus at the end of our dinner was, "it's great, but the oranges are better."  Needless to say, if you're like me, and looking to branch out with your Thanksgiving menu then give this recipe a shot.

Fennel is Fantastic!



Fennel is refreshing, especially during the warm
days and nights in my neck of the woods!

Fresh fennel is a tad sweet, quite hearty and, oddly enough, very filling for a vegetable.  And what I enjoy most about fennel is that there is no need to over season with this veggie, because of its own aromatic flavor.

Tools
knife
cutting board
tin foil 
grill (optional)

Ingredients
1 fresh fennel bulb
2 sm zucchini squash
1 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp canola oil

First, peel back the thicker fennel leaves and discard them.  Next, chop the green ends off of the bulb and cut out the hard center.  I cubbed the fennel into bite sized pieces.  Also, I sliced the squash, but since the squash cooks a bit faster than the fennel, I made sure that my squash chunks were a bit thicker-I didn't want the squash to overcook. 

This recipe can be created by using a grill, which is what I did, or by baking in the oven.  Place the veggies in the tin foil, add the oil, and basil.  Once it is mixed together, seal the foil and place over the grill.

The cooking time on the grill was about 8-10 minutes.  I had it over very hot coals.  My advice, if your grill is running hot, is to set the veggies to the side and allow them the time to steam without buring. 

Blackened BBQ Tempe With Shallots & Garlic

After my brief hiatus to the Bay Area, The Hungry Vegan Bear is back and cookin'!  And this week my featured item is Blackened BBQ Tempe, which I quickly found out is one of my favorite recipes.  The great thing about tempe is that a block of tempe goes a long way.

Tools
grill
knife

Blackened BBQ Tempe Ingredients
1 block of tempe
5 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp margarine
corn tortilla's

I brushed the sauce on one side of the tempe and then placed it on the grill.  Next, after that began grilling a bit, I added sauce to the opposite side.  Don't forget to flip the tempe to ensure that both sides of the block are equally blackened.  Tempe doesn't take a long time to grill-be sure to keep an eye on it as you're cooking, because you don't want the tempe to dry out.

While the tempe grills, take the shallots, garlic, and margarine combination and wrap it in foil and then place it on the grill.  Next, grab a couple corn tortilla's and place them on the grill to heat while your tempe cooks.

The block serves about two, but if you have a salad or other items on the grill this could serve three.  The approximate cooking and prep time took about 20 minutes. 

The Hungry Vegan Bear's Badass BBQ Sauce Ingredients

.

5/8 tsp black pepper medley

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp chili powder
3oz tomato paste

1 Tbsp Jack Daniels

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp molasses

2 dashes hot sauce
1 tsp mustard

2 dashes salt

1 clove garlic

1/4 water

1/2 tsp pepper flakes

1/3 crushed sweet onion

Veganpendance Day Extravaganza!

 Frozen Vanilla Soy Dessert Topped With Toasted Coconut Doused In Cognac And Drizzled With Warm Chocolate

The Hungry Vegan Bear couldn't help but
have seconds of this cool tasty treat.

Ingredients

1/2 bag of coconut

frozen soy dessert

1/2 bar of dark chocolate

I toasted a half a bag of coconut in the oven on broil, stirring the coconut until it was golden brown.  Once the coconut was ready I added it to a skillet on a medium high setting on the burner.  Next, take the cognac and add in enough to cover the coconut.  Make sure that you are not standing directly over the skillet as a high flame will shoot up once the cognac hits the pan. 

Remove the skillet and coconut from the burner.  The flame will die out once the pan is off the heat.  Top the cognac doused coconut to the frozen soy dessert.  I used a dark chocolate and warmed it over the stove top.

This recipe will serves three, of course, all of us had seconds.

Cactus On The Grill

Ingredients

1 lb cactus

salt

black pepper medley

Ceyanne pepper

First, use a knife or peeler to strip the cactus of all the needles.  I managed to stab myself in the paw with one of these buggers, which lodged itself under my skin, but was quickly popped out like a splinter with a tweezers.  I don't recommend getting one of these prickly spears in your paw, so be carefull as you are working on these nifty plants.

I used a pound of cactus and boiled it on the stove for about a half hour.  Once the cactus is boiled, handle the cactus to ensure that all of the needles have been extracted from the plant.  After the cactus was tender and ready to serve, I squeezed lime over the top of the cactus and then added salt, black pepper medley, and Ceyanne pepper to the cactus while it was on the grill. 

Veganpendance Day!

When the 4th of July comes around I'm always excited.  And this year I'm especially happy, because I've created a few menu items to celebrate our independence in style.  This is part one of my 4th of July Vegan Extravaganza on The Hungry Vegan Bear.

The Menu

The Hungry Vegan Bear's badass barbecued steak skewers

potato salad with a violet kiss

cactus on the grill

corn on the cob

watermelon
frozen vanilla soy dessert topped with toasted coconut doused in cognac and drizzled with warm chocolate

I love the 4th of July, because it brings with it so many great family memories, celebrating at the cottage, dad blowing up the fireworks...dad blowing up the grill.   My father, who passed away in March, was a kid when the 4th rolled around each year.  He would always get the work out of the way first, mowing the lawn, dumping and grating gravel down Kuehlman Lane, and sometimes tinkering on some quirk or another on the fishing boat.  Then at some point, he'd light his pipe, and grab a Miller from the refrigerator.  Once he did this we all knew that he was about to start the grill.  We used charcoal and dad had an affinity for using an obscene amount of lighter fluid.  But, you have to give him credit, he only ever had to use one match.  This style of grilling he most certainly past down to me as I still find myself using charcoal and an over abundance of lighter fluid, of course, using only one match.

In honor of my father I came up with this menu for the 4th of July, which I think he would have appreciated.

Happy 4th of July!

-The Hungry Vegan Bear

All right, not everyone has time to make barbecue sauce, but I had some free time and I'll admit it when I have a beer or six I tend to get my ass in some trouble.  During this trouble makin' time I conjured up a little recipe for a badass spicy BBQ sauce that I think my dad would be proud of as he had a deep appreciation for bbq sauce.

Once the sauce is complete you can brush it over the skewers or, if you so desire, over your corn on the cob.  The recipe below makes about a cup of sauce.

Badass BBQ Sauce Ingredients
5/8 tsp black pepper medley
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp chili powder
3oz tomato paste
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp molasses
2 dashes hot sauce
2 dashes salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 water
1/2 tsp pepper flakes
1/3 crushed sweet onion


The Hungry Vegan Bear had her paws full with these vegan delights.


I've tasted a lot of different vegan potato salad recipes, but I've always longed for one that was traditional and closer to my mom's potato salad.  This year I opted to combine the traditional with a new twist using purple sweet potatoes.

Potato Salad With A Violet Kiss
3 Russet potatoes
2 sweet purple potatoes
3 lg celery stalks
1/4 lg white onion
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 c Vegenaise
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugar
couple dashes of salt
1 tsp black pepper medley
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 handful's of fresh dill minced
1 handful of fresh chives finely chopped

Boil the potatoes for about a half hour and then refrigerate prior to peeling the potatoes.  Cube the potatoes and toss into a bowl with the chopped onion and celery.  Once the potatoes and veggies are chopped and in a plastic bowl, begin the preparation on the dressing.  Begin with the Vegenaise and vinegar and then proceed to add the dry and fresh spices.  Coat the potatoes and veggies with the dressing and then stir together.  Refrigerate prior to serving.  This is a great recipe for potlucks and can serve about 10 to 12 people.

South By Southwest Grilled Bell Peppers

The Hungry Vegan Bear highly recommends this recipe for grilling out in the summer with friends and/or family!  They're delicious and quite drool worthy.

Tools
knife
bowl
salad spinner
plastic spoon
cutting board
grill
plate

Prepared stuffing for the bell peppers.

Stuffing
3/4 c Trader Joe's Roasted Corn
1/2 c onion
1 Tbsp vegan margarine
1 c sweet grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 limes
1/2 bunch cilantro
pinch of salt
black pepper medley
cayenne pepper
1 avocado
1 c brown rice
1 can black beans
3 large red bell peppers

Defrost TJ's roasted corn then stir in the tablespoon of margarine until it is melted.  I like to add in the margarine to give a nice creamy taste to the corn.  Chop the onion and tomatoes, adding to the corn.  Press the garlic cloves into the mixture and stir.  Then squeeze the lime into the mix.  Rinse, dry, and mince the cilantro. Once the cilantro is prepped then add into the bowl.  Add the salt, black pepper medley, and cayenne pepper to the mixture.  Again, The Hungry Vegan Bear is addicted to spice, so it kind of gets tricky here, because I tend to go overboard, so add the pepper to your taste and if you're not tasting along the way then it's not enticing you with it's aroma, which should be a sign you're doin' something wrong.  Next add the black beans and cooked brown rice.  Lastly, I add in the cubed avocado, because I don't want it to get mushy.

The raw red and green peppers I snagged on
a sweet summer deal at Sprouts.

I steamed the brown rice with a tablespoon of margarine, a couple dashes of salt, and some chili powder.  If you prefer to skip all that, you are welcome to do so, but I wanted the rice to take bring a little something to the table instead, so I spiced it up.

If you have time allow all of these ingredients to marinate together overnight then do so, but, if not, no worries.  The recipe will be tasty either way.

Next, clean, gut, and slice the red bell peppers horizontally.  Stuff the peppers and then place on the grill for about 10 minutes or until the peppers are nice and brown.

Achy Breaky Artichokie's

Grilled on a charcoal grill.

The Vegan Bear cannot survive the summer months without artichoke's on the grill.

Almost every time I visit one of my friends in the OC we go shopping for artichoke's, crossing our fingers that they are on sale and in season.  And when we throw these babies on the grill the result is always a round of "oooh's" and "aaahh's" from vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.

The group of artichoke's I made last night were from Sprouts.  They had a 4 for $5 sale last weekend and the temptation was too great to resist.


Tools
scissors
large kitchen knife
quart size pot
garlic press
quart size plastic bags or large bowl
grill

Ingredients
2 lemons
2 limes
2 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
pinch of salt
lemon pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 large artichoke's

Take the raw artichoke's and snip off the pointed ends and cut off a bit of the stem.  Normally, I only snip the discolored portion, because the stem is delicious and you don't want to waste any of it, if possible.

Begin to fill up the quart size pot with water.  Sprinkle a dash or two of salt into the water.  Once the water has begun to boil, add the artichoke's, then reduce the heat and allow the artichokes to simmer for 30 minutes.  If you have a steamer, then use the steamer, I don't have one large enough to handle these beauties, so I make do with what I have available in the kitchen.

After the artichoke's are ready (send a knife through the base as a test-the knife should slide in/out of the veggie without sticking), empty the water and allow the artichoke's to sit and cool down for about 10 minutes.  Once the artichoke's are cool enough to handle, slice horizontally.  Place the artichoke's into a large bowl or quart size plastic bag for the marinating process.

Add the canola oil, lemon juice, lime juice, and pressed garlic over the artichoke's.   Finally, add the lemon pepper.

Allow the marinated artichoke's to sit over night in the refrigerator.   Of course, you don't have to over night the artichoke's, I have marinated in the morning prior to grilling in the afternoon and they still managed to absorb the mixture.  Also, if you don't want to grill or you don't have the time, it's okay, since the artichoke's are already cooked they're good to eat anytime you wish.

Next, heat grill, and place the artichoke's over the heat for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.