Friday, May 28, 2010

Teese Challenge (Part 2)

Do you remember the Teese Challenge I mentioned at the end of March? I was able to create two additional dishes with what the Chicago Soy Dairy folks sent me.



At the end of April, with the contents of my fridge and pantry, I whipped up this unusual pasta dinner. First, I grated half a package of Teese mozzarella. Then, while I cooked a pot of quinoa elbow pasta, I soaked half of a bag of Soy Curls in boiling water. Once the Soy Curls had soaked for about ten minutes, I drained them and sauteed them with about half a bottle of Follow Your Heart Balsamic Spicy Barbecue Sauce over medium heat until heated through. When the pasta was al dente, I drained it, returned it to the pot in which I'd cooked it, then tossed in the Soy Curls and Teese, mixing well. Served very hot, this meal was spicy and creamy; good for an off-the-cuff meal.



The Saturday after my birthday, our vegan friends had a potluck birthday party for me and a fellow vegan Taurus. My contribution was a layered dip using my remaining Teese. In a glass 8"x8" pan, I spread a can of Trader Joe's refried black beans with jalapenos, the second layer was a package of Teese Creamy Cheddar-Style Sauce, the third was two cans of rinsed and drained black beans, the fourth was a package of Mild Nacho-Style Teese Sauce, and I topped it with a package of Teese cheddar that I shredded. I covered the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil to transport it to the party where I put it in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I removed the foil and returned the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes to melt the top layer of Teese. Served with tortilla chips, this was a fantastic potluck contribution! I will definitely make it again.



Thank you to Chicago Soy Dairy for providing me with Teese for experiments. I understand that there is a new formula of Teese that melts better and stretches. Since one of our local vegan-friendly pizza places carries it, I'm looking forward to trying it soon!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Happy Herbivore Yellow Dahl



It's the end of May and I have much to share to you, including the vegan fare I enjoyed on the gorgeous island of Jamaica, the vegan extravaganza that was my birthday week, and a couple great classes at Spork Foods. However, I'm feeling like writing a short post tonight about what I whipped up for work lunches the next few days. This is quinoa (simply cooked in water), steamed Southern greens (a Trader Joe's mix of collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and spinach), and Yellow Dahl. The Yellow Dahl is a terrific recipe from the upcoming Happy Herbivore cookbook, which the Amazon pre-order page states is due in January 2011. Trust me when I tell you that this cookbook is full of delicious, healthful recipes with something for everyone.