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.

A Summer Salad With A Perky Protein, Quinoa

The Hungry Vegan Bear thinks quinoa is keen!  Please excuse my fork in
this photo, but it's better than seeing me with my paws full of quinoa...
not so pretty on the fur.

Last weekend an ex-flatmate of mine swung by the great metropolis of Culver City for a visit, food, and softball.  It's true that The Hungry Vegan Bear does enjoy a good game of catch even though it takes a lot of work for her paws to fit into a softball glove.

Since we were burning a lot of energy (I'll admit it-mostly me running from the overthrown tosses.  She claimed it was accidental, but I think it was punishment for forgetting to invite her over for my Saucy Stroganoff.), she brought over a coconut to keep us hydrated and I decided that we should have some quinoa for protein lest we pass out at the park.  And, really, The Hungry Vegan Bear had absolutely no desire to spend time at a hospital for dehydration.

Tools
hammer
cutting board
knife
flatware knife
glass

Obviously, The Hungry Vegan Bear has a favorite hammer, but the knife was brought to my apartment via my old flatmate who knew better than to trust the plethora of knives in my apartment.

Use the large knife to shave off the top of the coconut.  Once you are at the shell, use the hammer and knife to crack open the exterior.  Next, pry open the shell with a flatware knife in a circular motion.

After our workout in the park, we decide that the grumbling in my stomach had to cease, so we began to cook dinner with, naturally, a beer or two and some fresh raspberries to tide us over until dinner was prepared.

Tools
knife
cutting board
plastic spoon
1 quart kitchen pot
glass bowl
garlic press

Veggie Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes
3 Italian squash
1/2 sweet onion

Dice the tomatoes, squash, and onion and toss into a bowl.  Then begin preparation on the quinoa.

Quinoa is a very simple grain to cook.  We opted not to add any oil,  vegan margarine, or salt, but if you are working with quinoa you can improve the flavor as it cooks by adding in one of the above while it simmers.  Also, I like to add spices to quinoa while it is cooking, too.  Basically, I think a way to enhance the flavor of quinoa is to add spices while it is over the heat.  This grain is great for salads, side dishes, or, in our case, a main course.

Dressing Ingredients

3/4 c soy yogurt

1/2 avocado

3 minced basil leaves

2 garlic cloves

sage

thyme

Cayenne pepper

black pepper medley

rosemary

1/2 lemon

Add the soy yogurt into a bowl and then mash in the avocado until it is smooth.  Begin to add in the minced basil and pressed garlic.  I used a couple little fluffy balls of sage into the mix and followed this with a few dashes of thyme and several dashes of cayenne pepper, because, as I may have mentioned before, I love a wee bit of spice.  Next, add in the lemon and black pepper (use your judgement).  I had some fresh rosemary handy, so I plucked off some of the spikes from two twigs.  Again, it is not necessary to use fresh spices, however it does add a POW to the dish that dried spices just cannot accomplish.

Finally, add the quinoa to the veggie mixture and then pour the dressing over the top.  Mix the dressing, quinoa, and veggies until they are coated entirely.

This recipe will serve about 8 people.  Of course, if you were running after a few softballs it might feed less.   

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.