Cheza - Beef and eggplant (vegan)

This dish is a sort of combination of the NYT's "Eggplant Adobo" and "Black pepper beef and cabbage stir-fry", without real beef and without the cabbage. I was trying to reconstruct "Beef cheza" but make it vegan. It turned out delicious.

 

Steps	Ingredients
	Eggplant
1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the remaining eggplant. OR bake in oven: Heat the oven to 230c and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Toss the eggplant cubes in oil and salt, place on the tray and bake for 15 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, coconut milk, vinegar, sugar, ½ teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of water; mix well. 3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. 4. Add the browned eggplant and soy sauce mixture and toss to evenly coat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the eggplant is tender but still has structure, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and nicely coats the eggplant, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.	5 tablespoons oil 3/4 Kilo eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes Kosher salt and pepper ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1 white onion, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, minced
Meanwhile, prepare the "steak"	Vegan beef
5. Add pepper, garlic, brown sugar, cornflour, and 1 teaspoon salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add sliced steak and toss to coat. 6. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high. Add steak and cook, stirring frequently, until some of the edges are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add soy sauce and toss beef to coat for about 1 minute.  7. Pour the eggplant into the wok, stir well and heat together for about 1 minute. Serve over steamed rice.	1 tsp crushed black pepper 3 garlic cloves, grated 2 teaspoons light brown sugar 1 teaspoon cornflour Kosher salt 2 packets (320gm) Beyond steak pieces (vegan) 3 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Potato Kugel (one very large latke in the oven)

I love latkes, but they are individually fried in oil. This recipe is easy, cooked in the oven, and still satisfies the craving. It also heats up well. Serve it with a stew or anything else with a rich gravy.

(original recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/204133/old-fashioned-potato-kugel/)

Ingredients	Steps
§  1 Tbsp vegetable oil §  10 medium potatoes, peeled and grated, and put in a sieve to drain §  2 medium onions, peeled and grated §  5 large eggs §  1/3 cup vegetable oil §  2 tsp salt §  1 tsp black pepper	1.  Prepare the vegetables. 2.  Heat the oven to 150 0 C (350 F). 3.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1 Tbsp oil. 4.  Combine the grated onions and potatoes in a large bowl. 5.  Mix in eggs, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper until well combined. 6.  Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. 7.  Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crisp on top, 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Potato salad

This is easy, but the dressing is important. I cut down on the use of mayonnaise, so this is made with a vinaigrette dressing.

Ingredients

Steps

§  1 Kg potatoes, peeled and cubed §  2-3 shallots, finely diced Dressing §  7 Tbsp olive oil §  3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar §  1 clove garlic, crushed §  ¼ tsp sugar §  ½ tsp Dijon mustard §  Salt and pepper

1.  Put the cubed potatoes in a large pan, add salt and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then lower to a medium heat. 2.  Cook for 15 minutes and then test. If not cooked, add another 5 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes too soft. 3.  Meanwhile, chop the shallots and put in the container you’re storing the salad in. 4.  Drain the potatoes and leave them to air dry for 3-5 minutes. 5.  Make the dressing and shake well to emulsify. 6.  Add the still hot potatoes to the bowl, then the dressing, and toss. You need the potatoes hot so they absorb the dressing.

 

Spinach with tofu and sesame

 I love this dish. It's so easy to make and very quick.

Ingredients	Steps
§  1 Tbsp oil §  1 package firm tofu, diced §  1 large clove garlic, minced §  1 tsp fresh ginger, minced §  ¼ tsp red chili flakes §  Soy sauce to taste §  200g baby spinach, rinsed §  2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional) §  1 tsp sesame oil	1.   Heat the oil over a medium to high heat in a wok. 2.   Add the tofu and fry until it’s lightly coloured (3-5 minutes). 3.   Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking, while stirring, for about 1 minute. 4.   Add the soy sauce and then then spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute. 5.   Stir in the sesame seeds and sesame oil. 6.   Add more soy sauce if required.

Vegan Spinach Quiche

I wanted to make a spinach quiche for Shavuout (Pentecost), but it had to be vegan. I found this recipe, used it for the pastry and tofu part, and then used my Indian spinach recipe (without the ginger) for the main part of the filling. It's really tasty. BTW, I think it would be fine without the crust.

Pastry Ingredients >  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour >  2/3 (80g) cup marge or vegan butter, cubed >  1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water. Left to stand 5 mins.) >  Pinch of salt >  pinch of turmeric >  1 Tbsp vegan cream to brush the pastry  Filling Ingredients Spinach >  800 gm of frozen spinach >  3 Tbsp olive oil  >  1 Tbsp mustard seeds >  1 large onion,chopped >  4 cloves garlic, crushed >  ½ tsp turmeric >  ½ tsp ground cumin >  1/3 tsp chili powder  >  1 tsp ground coriander Tofu >  350gm silken tofu >  1 Tbsp cornstarch >  2 Tbsp nutritional yeast >  200 gm vegan feta cheese >  Salt and pepper to taste

Steps Pie crust 1. Sieve together the flour and salt into a large bowl. 2. Add the flax egg and marge, and knead until the dough starts to clump together. 3. Transfer to the work surface and continue to knead until a smooth dough forms. 4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 5. Roll out on a floured surface until about 4mm thick. 6. Line a 9 inch greased pie dish and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Spinach 1. Defrost the spinach. This can be done in the microwave. Put into a fine sieve and let it drain. 2. Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a large frying pan.  3. Add the mustard seeds to the pan and cook until they start to pop. 4. Add the onions and garlic, and fry until golden. 5. Add the turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and coriander, and stir fry for one minute. 6. Add the spinach stir well and fry for another 2 minutes. 7. Cover the pan, and let it cook for a further 5 minutes, on a slightly lower flame. 8. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool. Tofu + final steps 1. Heat the oven to 220C 2. In the blender, blend the tofu, vegan feta, cornstarch, and nutritional yeast. Season to taste. 3. Add the spinach mixture and combine well. 4. Pour the filling into the prepared pastry case and place it in the oven. 5. After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 180C and bake for another 30 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is lightly golden.

Vegan Spanish Paella

Taken from https://simpleveganblog.com/vegan-spanish-paella/. For a healthier version, this recipe uses basmati rather than the regular short-grain rice.

Ingredients §  2 Tbsp olive oil §  4 cloves of garlic §  1 medium onion, chopped §  1 red pepper, chopped §  2 tomatoes, chopped §  1 cup frozen artichoke hearts (120 grams) §  1/2 cup frozen green beans (75 grams) §  1/2 cup frozen peas (65 grams) §  1 1/4 cups Basmati rice (240 grams) §  4 cups vegetable stock (1 liter) §  2 tsp turmeric powder §  1 tsp sweet paprika §  Salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Steps 1.    Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and when it’s hot, add the garlic, onion, and red pepper. Cook until golden brown. 2.    Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes. 3.    Add the frozen veggies and cook 5 minutes more. 4.    Add the rice and cook until it begins to be translucent. Pour the vegetable broth (hot), add the turmeric powder, the sweet paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste. 5.    Stir the paella until all the ingredients are mixed and cook over medium or medium high heat for 15 or 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add more vegetable broth if the rice is hard and dry. 6.    Let the paella stand (covered) for at least 5 or 10 minutes.

Vegan chocolate cake with icing

Made for my vegan granddaughter's birthday. I made this as a larger rectangle cake so it was shallower and needed a bit less time in the oven.

Ingredients - cake >  1 1/2 cups white flour >  1 cup white sugar >  1/4 cup cocoa powder >  1 tsp baking soda >  1/2 tsp salt >  1/3 cup vegetable oil >  1 tsp vanilla extract >  1 tsp balsamic vinegar >  1/2 cup water >  1/2 cup soy milk Ingredients - icing >  1 cup sugar >  6 Tbsp cornflour >  4 Tbsp cocoa >  1/2 tsp salt >  1 cup water (or mix with vegan cream or milk) >  2 Tbsp oil >  1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Steps 1.Heat oven to 170 deg. C and lightly grease a 9"x5" loaf pan 2. Put a sieve over a large bowl and put in all the dry ingredients. 3. Shake the sieve until all the ingredients are in the bowl. 4. Add the wet ingredients and mix together until smooth 5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for ~40-45 minutes. 6. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool. Icing 7. In a medium size saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornflour, salt and cocoa 8. Whisk in the water.  9. Heat over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until it is thick and starts to boil. Boil for one minute only. 10. Remove from heat and stir in the oil and vanilla. 11. Cool and only then spread it on the cooled cake. 12.Decorate with hundreds and thousands, etc.