We would like to help create, be a part of, a regional/national/international vegetarian/vegan community network where anybody travelling to another town or city, or anybody living in any town or city will have the resources at their fingertips to easily find local veg options, groups and such. We want to be here to help those transitioning, interested in transitioning, or even just wanting to learn more about this compassionate, meaningful and satisfying way of life. __________________________________________________________To contact us outside of myspace please email: [email protected] --We're also on facebook at... http://www.facebook.com/people/Bangor-Vegetarian/611023799 ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________- --------------------------- NEW FOR 2009 ------- ------------------------Though we prefer to use Myspace for our main page as it allows much more room than Facebook for posting information, as well as being very easy to access, Facebook does have a nice feature which lets you update on what you're doing (or in our case, cooking) whenever you happen to log in. So we've decided to begin posting those Facebook food entries of ours on here as well, as often as possible, for additional meal ideas. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 4/5/09 - Bangor whipped up a fresh batch of Falafel and served it on wide eggless pasta ribbons with Tahini-Miso-Garlic sauce drizzled all over. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 4/4/09 - Bangor warmed up a batch of Madras Sambar as well as Indian Peas, Garbanzos & Mushroom curry and scooped both on lovely Jasmine rice for dinner last night, can't wait for that one again. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 4/1/09 - Bangor marinated fresh organic tomatoes, garlic & basil in olive oil & sea salt tonight, and then later scooped it on top of penne pasta tossed with Earth Balance, baby spinach & nutritional yeast, with some excellent locally made multigrain sourdough bread on the side. So easy & yummy ! ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/31/09 - Bangor made tofu salad sandwiches tonight, with crumbled tofu, diced celery, onion, turmeric, dill, sea salt, Vegenaise & green leaf lettuce on toasted Maine multigrain bread, with marinated lima beans on the side. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/30/09 - Bangor made 4 vegan pizzas with soyrizo, green olives, baby spinach, onions, nutritional yeast & marinara w/burgundy wine sauce for friends last night, no leftovers :-) ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/29/09 - Bangor savored the Aloo Tikki, Veggie Pakoras, Chana Masala, Veggie Biryani & Naan bread at the Bahaar Pakistani restaurant downtown last night, so yummy. Plus we can bring our own wine which cuts the bill way down. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/26/09 - Bangor made a hearty breakfast of veg-breakfast patty and Tofutti cheese slice biscuit sandwiches, with spinach, onion & crumbled smokey tomato field roast homefries on the side. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/21/09 - Bangor made zesty soft tacos last night, with Melissa's Soyrizo, pintos, black beans, onions, shredded organic lettuce, avocado spread, Tofutti sour cream & taco sauce ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/19/09 - Bangor just crafted a yummy Asian stir-fry of sauteed tofu, seitan, scallions, green peas & rice noodles with sesame oil, Braggs, chili sauce & fresh cilantro on top. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/18/09 - Bangor tried out the new Yves "veggie-chorizo" from the NLC tonight, sauteed with onions, pintos, tomatoes and garlic on pasta shells with Nutr.yeast & olio, yum ! ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/11/09 - Bangor made mexican-seasoned pinto beans, onions & tvp whole wheat roll-ups with shredded lettuce, avocado spread & salsa last night, and the leftovers are yummy :-) ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/8/09 - Bangor made organic whole wheat ziti with diced tomatoes, spinach, chopped garlic, white beans & chopped Field Roast Italian links with nutritional yeast on top. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/6/09 - Bangor is cleaning out the week's leftovers by making sweet potato, black bean, avocado, onion & chipotle seasoned seitan burritos tonight. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/2/09 - Bangor whipped up some yummy thin crust vegan pizzas with sweet basil sauce, green olives, onions, soyrizo & nutritional yeast ! ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 3/1/09 - Bangor loved last nights asian stirfry of tempeh, tofu, onions, steamed broccoli & carrots on noodles seasoned with sesame oil, Braggs & hot chinese mustard. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/27/09 - Bangor is whipping up a batch of falafel, as well as curried rice with garbanzos, minced garlic, green peas, onions & minced pickles, with naan bread on the side. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/26/09 - Bangor is munching on a Maine-made Blue Mango veggie burger on toasted Maine-made 7 grain "Daily bread" with Vegenaise, lettuce & pickles. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/24/09 - Bangor is stuffed after making spaghetti tossed with Nutritional yeast, Olive oil & Earth Balance, with Nate's "meatless meatballs" and basil tomato sauce piled on top, yum! ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/23/09 - Bangor is steaming organic bok choy, green peas & broccoli to go along with the sauteed tofu & seitan, as well as the fresh scallions & cilantro in tonight's asian stir-fry. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/21/09 - Bangor is sauteeing a skillet full of Gnocchi, sliced Field Roast Italian links, fresh diced garlic, diced onion, baby spinach, roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes, basil & olive oil. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/21/09 - Bangor is about to prepare a batch of Ployes pancakes with almond butter, organic bananas, blueberries and maple syrup for breakfast. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/20/09 - Bangor is looking forward to meeting friends at Paddy Murphy's pub tonight for veggie burgers on foccacia & sweet potato fries. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/19/09 - Bangor is whipping up a batch of savory herb stuffing integrated with sauteed onions and crumbled "Smoked Apple Sage" Field Roast links. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/18/09 - Bangor is sauteeing tofu for a yummy garbanzo, onion, tomato, spinach & tofu Indian coconut curry with warm Nan bread ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/17/09 - Bangor is munching on a lovely sandwich of Sunflower seed butter & Blackstrap molasses slathered on toasted Anadama bread. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/15/09 - Bangor is serving his valentine a belated dinner of succulent Celebration Roast, mashed taters w/homemade gravy & sauteed spinach, garbanzos, garlic, olive oil & dill salad. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/14/09 - Bangor is scarfing down hickory smoked Tofurky subs with organic green leaf lettuce, onion, tomato, green olives, pickles, Vegenaise, olive oil, pepper and Tofutti cheese slices, with french fries on the side. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/13/09 - Bangor is serving friends an Asian stir-fry with sauteed organic green peas, broccoli, scallions, extra firm tofu, Chinese braised gluten, Hannaford wide pasta ribbons, sesame oil, Braggs & Chinese hot mustard. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- 2/12/09 - Bangor is simmering a pot of Maine-grown Marifax beans, with organic onion, mustard, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup & tvp "bakon" bits, yum ! ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- 2/6/09 - Bangor is whipping up a yummy batch of homemade burritos stuffed with sauteed onions, peppers, black beans, chipotle seasoned-tofu, mexican diced tomatoes, shredded green leaf lettuce, cilantro, avocado spread & tofutti sour cream. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- 2/5/09 - Bangor is sauteeing tofu, soyrizo, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, red peppers & baby spinach to toss with thin spaghetti, oregano, cumin, sea salt, olio & nutritional yeast. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- 2/4/09 - Bangor is so satisfied after warming up a triple whammy of pre-made Indian dishes...Bhindi Do Piazi, Punjabi Chhole & Andhra Veg Pulao, with some Tandoori Nan bread. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 2/3/09 - Bangor is enjoying ziti with sauteed tofu, baby spinach, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, basil and olive oil, and a glass of merlot on the side :-) ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- 1/28/09 - Bangor is relaxing after enjoying butternut squash ravioli with avocado/white bean pesto sauce & garlic bread. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------More recipes are listed below the nutrition info... ___________________________________________________________ Here's some good nutrition information, more nutrient details are posted below the restaurant list on the left side of the page.->The following are good Sources of Protein, Iron, Calcium & Vitamin B12->>> _______________________________________________________ -PROTEIN-: almonds, black beans, brown rice, cashews, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, green peas, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, pinto beans, seitan, soybeans, soymilk, sunflower seeds, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, vegetarian hot dogs and burgers, nutritional yeast. _______________________________________________________ -IRON-: black beans, bran flakes, cashews, Cream of Wheat®, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), green peas, GrapeNuts, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soybeans, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, tomato juice, whole wheat bread, blackstrap molasses. _______________________________________________________ -CALCIUM-: almonds, black beans, broccoli, calcium-fortified orange juice, collard greens, great northern beans, kale, kidney beans, mustard greens, navy beans, orange juice, pinto beans, sesame seeds, soybeans, soymilk, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, blackstrap molasses. _______________________________________________________ -VITAMIN B12-: RedStar VSF Nutritional yeast, fortified Soymilk, Ricemilk, Hempmilk, Almondmilk, fortified breakfast cereals. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ VEGETARIAN/VEGAN RECIPES ___________________________________________________________S CRUMPTIOUS SPAGHETTI & SAUCE-Ingredients- 1 package Gimme Lean “sausageâ€style (available at most major grocery stores in the produce section near the tofu, as well as at most Natural food stores), 4 or 5 cloves fresh Garlic, 1 can Italian style diced Tomatoes, Bertolli Marinara & Burgundy Wine or other pasta sauce, 1 can Cannellini or small White beans, 1 box Whole grain Spaghetti or other form of pasta, Olive oil, Dried or fresh Basil, Nutritional Yeast. Directions- In non-stick skillet drizzle and heat some oil, cut casing off of Gimme Lean and crumble it into the oil, let sauté and toss regularly. When almost cooked throughout, move Gimme Lean to one side of pan and open, drain and pour Cannellini beans into clear side of pan, let sauté for a few minutes. Scoop beans onto Gimme Lean and pour canned Tomatoes into clear side of pan, let sauté a few minutes. You can then mix all ingredients in pan together, add chopped Garlic into pan, as well as pasta Sauce, Basil and another splash of Olive Oil and mix well. Let simmer in pan on low heat. Boil and drain Spaghetti (or other pasta), return to pot and toss well with a couple splashes of Olive oil and Nutritional yeast. Scoop pasta onto a plate, sprinkle some more Nutritional yeast on pasta and then scoop sauce from skillet onto the pasta and enjoy the goodness ! Garlic bread always goes well. ___________________________________________________________ -YUMMY BLACK BEAN & RICE WRAPS- These really hit the spot. Ingredients- 1 can black beans, 1 onion, 1 pack white mushrooms, 1 box Gardenburger flame grilled burgers, Basmati white rice, Earth Balance or other veggie butter (I make my own from olive oil, flax oil & coconut oil),Cumin, Onion powder, Chipotle seasoning, Sea salt, Nutritional Yeast, Olive oil or vegetable oil, Soft Tortillas. Directions- Bring water to boil for rice, add rice and cook. In the meantime heat your skillet, splash with oil and add flame grilled Gardenburgers. We used two burgers, could always use more. Saute until both sides are cooked, then chop up burgers in skillet with spatula. Slice mushrooms, chop onions and layer both in skillet, melt a scoop of veggie butter amidst them and mix around while they saute. Once mushrooms are soft move everything over to side of skillet, drain canned black beans and layer beans in skillet, saute for a few minutes. Then sprinkle onion powder, cumin powder, chipotle seasoning and sea salt over everything, mix well and move over to side of skillet. When rice is done, scoop desired amount into skillet, drizzle with oil and add a scoop of veggie butter, stir well and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle a good amount of nutritional yeast over the rice, along with the above mentioned seasonings, stir well. Lay out soft tortillas, layer rice in tortilla, then scoop bean mixture over rice, roll up and enjoy the goodness. We also slathered our homemade avocado spread and Tofutti sour cream on them, delish! ___________________________________________________________ -TOASTED TOFURKY-LETTUCE-TOMATO sandwiches- The summer sandwich season is upon us, and we've been whipping up some goodies ! This one goes as follows... Ingredients-Garlic-Dill "Daily Bread" slices (available at local natural food stores), Hickory Smoked Tofurky slices (can be found at the NLC or Hampden Natural), Green leaf lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Nayonaise or Vegenaise. Grill the garlic-dill bread in a skillet with a little veggie butter or olive oil, when toasted remove and spread Vegenaise or Nayo on both slices, layer Onions, Tomato, Tofurky and Lettuce on one slice, cover with the other slice and dig in! We had ours with some oven-baked Extra Crispy Ore-Ida french fries :-) ___________________________________________________________ -TASTY CHIPOTLE BLACK BEAN & SWEET POTATO BURRITOS- These are easy to make, loaded with protein, iron and vitamin A, and delicious. Can be either burritos or tacos. -INGREDIENTS- 2 or 3 Sweet Potatoes or Yams, 1 Onion, 4 or 5 cloves of fresh Garlic, 1 can Black beans, 1 pack soft burrito or taco shells, Vegetable or Safflower oil, Tabasco Chipotle sauce. -DIRECTIONS- Bring a pot of water to a boil, cut the ends off of the sweet potatoes, dice into chunks and add to water. Boil until able to slide a knife thru the chunks easily, do not overboil or they will fall apart. In the meantime heat a skillet, splash with a bit of oil, and then peel, slice, dice and add half an onion or more to the skillet. Saute onion until almost soft, then open, drain and add can of black beans to the onion and saute together. When the potato is done boiling, drain and add chunks to skillet as well. Saute everything for a few minutes. When done, drizzle Tabasco chipotle sauce into bean mixture and add fresh chopped garlic, mix well, scoop bean mixture into burrito shells, scoop potatoes in, roll up and enjoy ! I drizzle extra Tabasco sauce on, my wife likes to scoop some salsa and Tofutti vegan sour cream on them. Other options include adding cilantro, scallions or sauteed mushrooms as well. ___________________________________________________________ -ITALIAN "WHEATBALL" SUBS/HEROES- The NLC (Natural Living Center) & the Main St. Shaws in Bangor, as well as Edwards in Hampden, carry Nate's "Zesty Italian" Meatless Meatballs, these are some of the best vegi-meatballs ever, we call them "wheatballs" in our house. We've tried to make them from scratch but they never seem to come out quite as great as Nate's. Recently we cooked some up in the skillet, sauteed some onions with them, added some pasta sauce to the mix, and when they were ready we served them on oven toasted Barking Cat baugette bread with Earth Balance, Nutritional yeast & fresh chopped Garlic for some fantastic Italian "Wheatball Subs". They are also great on Pizza, in all of your favorite pasta dishes, lasagna, in Pita's, etc. The bag says to just put them in sauce as it cooks, but we always like to saute them in the skillet for a bit first in order to crisp up the outsides a little. ___________________________________________________________ -ULTIMATE ASIAN STIRFRY- This dish always turns out delicious, and is always enjoyed by everybody we share it with. -INGREDIENTS- 1 block tofu, or 1 pack Tempeh, or 1 box Seitan, or 2 cans braised Gluten (we usually use a combo of two of that group, it all depends on your preference. Tonight I used Tempeh and Seitan), 1 bag Hannaford Eggless Pasta Ribbons (could also use rice or asian rice noodles), 1 bunch Broccoli, 1 bag Green Peas, 1 Onion (white or red), Mushrooms (if desired), Safflower or vegetable oil, Braggs or Soy sauce, Toasted Sesame oil (we always use Kadoya, it's the best), Chili oil or Sriracha (if you want to spice it up a bit). -DIRECTIONS- Bring water to boil in a pot, add noodles, cook till soft, drain and set aside. Splash a bit of oil into the noodles and stir well so noodles don't clump together. Heat skillet, splash with oil and add sliced tofu, tempeh or seitan and saute until golden on each side. Remove, chop onion and slice mushrooms and add to skillet and saute till soft. Now, for the broccoli and peas I like to steam them on the stove and then add them to the mix. But if you prefer you can just saute them in the skillet as well until soft, steaming is known to be a better cooking method that helps preserve some of the nutrition and such of various veggies. Either way, cook those, and then add everything (tofu, tempeh, seitan, onions, shrooms, broccoli & peas) together in the skillet (we use a high-sided non-stick electric skillet in our home). Drizzle sesame oil and braggs (or soy sauce) over the mixture and stir well. Add a portion (your choice how much or little) of the noodles to the mix, drizzle more sesame oil and braggs (and chili oil if you want to spice it up) on it and stir well again. Serve warm and enjoy all the goodness ! ((Side note- tonight, to boost the dish up with even more great nutrition for my pregnant wife and our baby-boy-in-progress, I steamed some bok choy and collard greens as well and added them to the mix, those ingredients also went very well. The sesame oil & braggs/soy sauce combo makes a great flavoring for so many different ingredients)). ___________________________________________________________ -YUMMY TOFU SCRAMBLE- The possibilities for tofu scrambles are wide and varied, we whipped this one up the other morning and loved it. A new Soy-Feta cheese appeared in the fridge section at the NLC so we tried it out with the scramble, and were pleasantly suprised. -INGREDIENTS- 1 block firm or extra firm Tofu (our two preferred brands are Soyboy or Wildwood, both make excellent products and are available at the NLC. They also carry a big 3 pound block which is a good value and decent quality.), 1 jar Roasted red peppers, 1 package Sunergia Soy Feta (at the NLC, they have either mediterranean herb or tomato garlic varieties, either would work fine, we used the tomato garlic for this recipe),1 Onion, 1 cup Sausage-style TVP (texturized vegetable protein) crumbles (available at the NLC, could also use the Gimme Lean sausage-style, which is available in all grocery stores near the tofu in the produce section, or could use crumbled up Gardenburger, Morningstar or Boca breakfast vegi-sausage patties, though the TVP is much less expensive), Baby or regular Spinach(we use the organic baby spinach), Earth Balance veggy-buttery spread(we use organic Earth balance, could also use organic Smart balance which is available in all stores and is the same thing, just beware that some of the other, non-organic, Smart balance varieties contain fish and dairy products), Nutritional Yeast, Onion powder, Turmeric, Safflower or Vegetable oil, Iodized Sea salt. -DIRECTIONS- Boil some water and pour onto sausage-TVP granules in a bowl, let sit to rehydrate. Heat non-stick skillet, splash with oil and crumble block of tofu into pan. Spread evenly throughout the pan. Toss every few minutes until tofu begins to turn a little golden. When almost cooked move tofu to one side, scoop some Earth balance butter into the pan and as it melts chop up the Onion (half or whole onion depending on your preference) and spread out in pan butter to cook alongside tofu. Drain TVP granules of all excess water and toss them into pan with onions, mix well and let saute. Slice up the Soy-feta, we used one third of the block but could have easily used more, and toss the slices in with the tofu. When the onion softens a bit then mix all the ingredients together well, reduce heat in pan. Add Roasted red pepper strips (or cut into strips and add if they came as whole sections in jar, lots or little depending on preference) and a handful of Spinach to mix, sprinkle with a little Turmeric(not too much), shake a healthy amount of Nutritional yeast onto it, sprinkle some Onion powder and Sea salt in as well and mix it all together thoroughly. The turmeric will turn the mix yellow and it will resemble scrambled eggs. If you'd like a more buttery consistency then add a couple more scoops of earth balance and mix in thoroughly. You may want to add a bit more of any of the various seasonings depending on personal taste, we always use lots of nutritional yeast. Serve with bagels or toast, homefries, or as a breakfast burrito, etc. and enjoy the goodness ! ___________________________________________________________ -TOFURKY ROAST- There are many ways to prepare this great vegetarian roast, and this is our method, which always comes out delicious. We usually reserve purchasing these for holidays, but every now and then (including last night) we splurge. -INGREDIENTS- 1 Tofurky (we always buy the single Tofurky, as opposed to the whole kit which is quite a bit more expensive. We make all the fixins from scratch). Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Orange Juice, Braggs or Tamari or Soy sauce, Lipton Onion soup & dip mix. -DIRECTIONS- Set out and defrost the Tofurky throughout the morning. Once defrosted, carefully cut open the casing and remove Tofurky, place into a baking dish or bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice up/quarter the potatoes, onions & carrots, place all around the Tofurky. Poke top of Tofurky with a fork or knife in several places. Pour some Orange juice and some Braggs/Tamari on top of it, then sprinkle some Onion soup mix on as well. Cover with foil and place in oven. The directions say to bake for 1hour and 15 min, but it usually takes longer. About halfway thru, take it out of the oven, turn roast over and baste with OJ, Braggs & mix again, cover and finish baking. We usually make a homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, green peas and yams to go with it. A very tasty and satisfying meal. ___________________________________________________________ -Incredible ZESTY SOYRIZO PENNE- In case you're not familiar with SOYRIZO, it is one of the most delicious veggie-sausages available. It's very similar to the Spanish Chorizo sausage, but is not made from animal parts, has no cholesterol and far less saturated fat. It's available at most Hannaford stores, as well as Edward's in Hampden and Super Wal-Mart. Located in the produce sections by the Tofu, it is two red links in casings with a small paper strip around them that says Soyrizo on it. This stuff livens up many dishes, from tofu scrambles to homefries to rice & bean dishes to nachos, burritos & tacos to pastas, and makes an incredible pizza topping. The easiest way to store and use it is to put it directly into the freezer when getting home from grocery shopping, that way when you are ready to use it all you have to do is snip the casing in between the links and just easily peel off the entire casing from each link. If not, then the filling must be squeezed out of the casing, which gets a little messy now and then. Recently we prepared it with the following... --Ingredients-- 1 pack SOYRIZO, 1 Onion chopped, 1 can Pinto beans, 1 can Diced Tomatoes, Several cloves fresh chopped Garlic, 1 partial jar Roasted Red Peppers, 1 box Barilla or other Whole Grain Penne pasta, Cumin powder, Chipotle seasoning, Nutritional Yeast, Olive oil, Earth Balance veggie butter, Iodized Sea Salt. --Directions-- Heat non-stick skillet and splash with a little Olive, Vegetable or Safflower oil, snip Soyrizo casing in between the two links and squeeze filling out of each link into pan, be sure no casing shreds fall into pan. Saute for about 10-15 minutes stirring and turning every few minutes. Once the Sorizo seems thoroughly heated and a little crispy on the edges, move it off to the side of the skillet and add the chopped onion, saute until softens, then add the can of Pintos, saute for a bit, then add the diced tomatoes, saute for a bit, then add several strips of roasted Red Peppers and mix it all together well. Finally, sprinkle a little Cumin powder and Chipotle seasoning into it, add the fresh chopped Garlic and mix well again, reduce heat and let sit until pasta is ready. In the meantime boil water for pasta and cook pasta until done. Drain, put pasta back in pot, add several spoons of Earth Balance or other veggie butter as well as a few splashes of Olive oil, mix well. Then add a good amount of Nutritional yeast and a few shakes of Sea salt into the pasta and mix well. Scoop the pasta onto a plate, scoop a healthy amount of the Soyrizo sauce on top of the pasta and enjoy the delicious meal. Sprinkle extra Nutritional yeast on top if desired, we always do :-) ___________________________________________________________ -Easy TAHINI-MISO dressing & dip-We threw this together the other night and it came out great. A food processor helps tremendously in making this and many other dishes easy, if not then a lot of hand stirring will do the job. -Ingredients- TAHINI- this is sesame seed paste, one of the main ingredients used in making Hummus. Can be obtained in cans or jars from most grocery stores. We got ours from the refrigerated bulk department at the NLC, which is less expensive than the other varieties, and just as good, MELLOW WHITE MISO- we used the Westbrae Natural organic variety, acquired from the NLC, the least expensive brand available, FRESH GARLIC, SAFFLOWER OIL- reputed to be one of the better oils for human consumption and use, other oils such as Olive or Vegetable can be used instead if necessary, WATER. -Directions- Scoop 4 large tablespoons of Tahini into the food processor, then scoop 2 large tablespoons of Miso in as well. Peel, cut off the hard ends, and then toss several cloves of fresh Garlic into the mix, drizzle some Oil in, close the cover and pulse until the garlic chops down and mix thickens. Then start adding water and pulsing until you reach a preferred consistancy. We drizzled this dressing on a Quinoa-sweet potato-vegan-feta salad, as well as dipped pieces of Barking Cat bread into it, delicious and nutritious. Would go great on many types of salads, can be used as a dip for all veggies, crackers, pita or bread wedges, slathered on Veggie Burgers, etc. Can't wait to try it as a Falafel wrap/sandwich sauce in the near future as well ! ___________________________________________________________ -COUSCOUS & QUINOA SALAD--Ingredients- 1 cup Couscous, 1 cup Quinoa, 1 bunch Cilantro, 1 Onion, Half a jar of Sundried Tomatoes, Flax oil, Iodized Sea Salt, Nutritional Yeast, 1 Lime (optional). -Directions- Boil enough water to pour over and just cover Couscous, set aside. Bring more water to a boil and pour Quinoa in water, boil till soft. Drain and toss Quinoa & Couscous together in large bowl, stir well. Chop Cilantro, Onion & Sundried Tomatoes, add to mixture and mix well. Once mixture is cool to room temperature, sprinkle with Sea Salt & Nutritional Yeast, drizzle Flax Oil over it all and mix well. Add more Salt or Yeast to taste and serve. Squeeze Lime juice on as well if desired. Delicious and nutritious ! ___________________________________________________________- ZESTY MEXICAN TOFU & PINTOS PASTA--Ingredients- 1 Block Extra Firm Tofu, 1 can Pinto beans, 1 Onion, Several cloves of fresh Garlic, 1 can diced Tomatoes (or Rotel tomatoes for a spicy mix), 1 box or bag Pasta (we used the Extra Wide Eggless Pasta Ribbons from Hannaford, you could also use ziti, rigatoni, macaroni, etc..), 1 package Taco seasoning (we used Shaws brand), Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic powder, Nutritional Yeast, Bakon yeast (optional), Olive oil, Vegetable oil, Organic Earth Balance or Organic Smart Balance buttery spread. - Directions- Heat non-stick skillet, drain tofu and slice through middle from end to end so there is a top layer and a bottom layer, then slice from side to side into strips. Splash veg oil in skillet and saute tofu until golden, turn all strips and saute other side until golden. In the meantime boil water in a pot, add pasta and cook until done. Drain pasta, return to pot, drizzle Olive oil over the pasta, scoop some Earth Balance into it and mix well. Sprinkle some Bakon Yeast in it and a healthy amount of Nutritional Yeast as well, mix well and let sit. After the tofu is golden sprinkle taco seasoning, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder on it and toss well. Remove from skillet temporarily, add chopped onion to skillet and saute until soft, drain and add can of pinto beans and saute a little longer, add chopped fresh garlic and can of diced tomatoes, saute a bit longer. Then add all the tofu back into the rest of the mix, add more cumin and onion powder and toss together really well. Scoop pasta onto a plate, sprinkle a layer of Nutritional Yeast on the pasta and then cover with sauce from skillet. Enjoy ! ___________________________________________________________- FABULOUS VEGAN STUFFED SHELLS-I made this for a family gathering recently and everybody enjoyed it. Part of the recipe is from the PostPunkKitchen site.. -Ingredients- 1 block firm tofu (I used two blocks and made a bunch)- 2 tsp lemon juice- 2 tsp olive oil- 1 clove garlic, minced (or garlic powder)- 1/4 tsp salt- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (available at the NLC)- handful fresh basil leaves, chopped fine (i used dried basil)- dash fresh black pepper- 1 roll Gimme Lean veg-sausage (available from Shaws, Hannafords or the NLC)- 2 jars Bertolli Marinara & Burgundy Wine pasta sauce- 1 box pasta Stuffing shells- -Directions- Drain the the tofu and then in a large bowl mush it up with your hands, till it's crumbly. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and basil. Mush with hands again, this time you want it to get very mushy so squeeze through your fingers and mush until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. May take 2-5 minutes. Add olive oil, stir with fork. Add nutritional yeast and combine all ingredients well. Use a fork now, because the oil will make it sticky. Cover and refigerate until ready to use. In the meantime boil the Shells until done. Also heat your non-stick skillet and lightly coat with oil, crumble up the Gimme Lean veg-sausage and saute, turning frequently until cooked throughout. Add the cooked veg-sausage crumbles to the tofu-ricotta mixture and stir well. After the shells are done drain them and spread them over the cookie sheet so they can cool quickly. After they are cool put them back in a bowl, spread pasta sauce over the cookie sheet and begin stuffing the shells with the tofu-ricotta mixture and placing them in the sauce. When finished, pour the remaining sauce over all the shells. Make sure to have enough sauce on hand to cover everything fairly well. Heat your oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle a thin layer of nutritional yeast over everything and then place in oven and bake until shells begin to get firm on the exposed edges. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit before serving. _________________________________________________________-AW ESOME AVOCADO SPREAD-Here's a very simple, yet super nutritious and delicious recipe. -Ingredients- 2 Avocados, Nutritional Yeast, Flax Oil (or Olive oil if Flax is not available , but try to keep the Flax oil on hand as it's a superfood), Iodized Sea Salt. -Directions- Slice the Avocados open, remove the nut and scoop out the filling into a bowl. Drizzle a good amount of Flax oil into the mixture, scoop lots of Nutrional Yeast into it as well, sprinkle in some Sea salt and stir it all together until creamy. You can add more Yeast or Salt to taste if desired. Toast up some nice multigrain, olive, rosemary or other type of bread, spread the mixture on the toast and enjoy. Absolutely delicious ! You can also dip veggies into it, toss pasta with it, scoop some into salads, spread it on burritos or tacos, etc. ___________________________________________________________- EASY PIZZA-We threw this together recently and it came out great... -Ingredients- 1 bag frozen Nate's Meatless Meatballs (available at the Bangor (NLC) Natural Living Center, Brewer Hannaford's or Bangor Main St. Shaw's stores), 1 box frozen Dominex vegan breaded Eggplant cutlets (available from the NLC), 1 can Tomato sauce or Pizza sauce, 1 bag George's large white Pita/Flat bread (from the NLC, these are big), Olive Oil, Oregano, Onion & Garlic powder, Nutritional Yeast & Galaxy vegan parmesan shake cheese (both from the NLC). -Directions- Heat non-stick skillet, splash with olive oil and saute eggplant cutlets & meatless meatballs until outside is crispy, turning regularly. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place 1 large Pita in round pizza baking pan (this covers the whole pan), brush olive oil on pita, spread sauce on pita, sprinkle onion & garlic powder, oregano & nutritional yeast throughout, sprinkle vegan parmesan throughout, and place slices of the eggplant cutlets and meatless meatball halves throughout. Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove, let cool for a few minutes and enjoy ! Using the large pita gives it a nice, thin crispy crust, and saves having to make the dough ahead of time if time is limited. The sauteed eg-gplant cutlet and Nate's meatless meatball combo on the pizza is delicious ! You could also add fresh onion, garlic, spinach, peppers, etc. if desired. We only made 1 pizza and saved the rest of the ingredients for later in the weekend, but there is enough for at least 2 or 3 pizzas in this recipe. __________________________________________________________-V EGGIE DOGS IN A BLANKET-A great, animal-free, version of this traditional holiday snack, we used one pack of the Yves "Good Dogs", which we consider the best veggie dogs out there. I sauteed those for about 10 minutes in the skillet, turning regularly, then cut them in Halves. Opened one can of Pillsbury Original Crescent rolls (one of the few brands without lard or beef fat), layed the rolls out, placed the veg dogs in them and then rolled them up. Place on a baking pan and bake at 375 for about 10 or 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on the bottoms to make sure they don't overcook. The rolls will puff up, turn golden and they will be done. We dipped them in Guldens spicy brown mustard and scooped homemade sauerkraut (grown by our good friends Gabe & Celena) on them, delicious ! ___________________________________________________________- FANTASTIC PANCAKES-A simple, delicious and nutritious breakfast that we enjoyed recently- Ingredients- 1 cup PLOYES mix (Ployes are Buckwheat flour pancakes, the mix is produced in Northern Maine and sold in grocery stores throughout the state. They are great because all you add is water, and don't need to cook them in butter or anything, just pour the batter in a hot skillet and that's it.) 1 Bag frozen or fresh blueberries, 1 container Almond Butter (preferably Little Lads brand if you are in Maine, that is the absolute best, available at Natural Foods Stores, Almond butter is like Peanut butter but much tastier and more nutritious), Maple Syrup, and Flax Oil or Earth Balance buttery spread. -Directions-- Mix 1 cup Ployes mix with 1 and a quarter cup water, mix well and let sit 10 minutes. Place frozen blueberries in a pot on the stove on low heat, stirring occasionally. Heat non-stick skillet on high and when ready pour moderate amounts of Ployes mix throughout skillet and let form into pancake circles. When they are bubbly you can flip them and cook the other side for a minute. Remove from skillet to plate and continue with additional batches until done. When the Ployes cool on the plate a bit then either drizzle some flax oil on them or spread some Earth balance, the Flax oil is super nutritious so I try to recommend that as often as possible. You could even add both if you like. Then spread Almond butter over the Ployes, sprinkle the Blueberries over that and drizzle Maple syrup over everthing and enjoy ! You will not believe how delicious the Almond Butter-Blueberry-Maple syrup combo is. For another delicious twist use sliced Bananas instead of berries. __________________________________________________________-A N AMAZING SANDWICH- What seems to be an unlikely combination of ingredients are truly satisfying, delicious & nutritious. -Ingredients- Almond Butter, Whole Grain Bread or Pita Bread, all your favorite veggies (lettuce, tomato, onion, shredded carrots, sliced black olives, pickles, etc.)-Directions- Toast bread or warm pita bread, spread almond butter on both slices of bread or insides of pita, layer olives, carrots, onions, tomato, pickle and lettuce, top with other slice of toast or close pita and enjoy ! This sandwich is served at the various Little Lads vegetarian restaurants and is called the "Garden Of Eating". ___________________________________________________________V EGETARIAN BBQ IDEAS- A number of friends of the Bangor Veg page recently requested some good vegetarian barbeque ideas, so here's a selection of what we found on the net- Quick and Easy ideas- Try throwing these naturally flavorful foods on the grill for a no-hassle and no-recipe vegetarian barbeque:* PINEAPPLE RINGS (sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar)* PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS (brush with oil and serve like a veggie burger with all the condiments) * SWEET POTATOES or YAMS (wrap in foil, or, slice in half, pre-bake, brush with maple syrup for extra sweetness and grill)* ASPARAGUS (soak in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling)* CORN ON THE COB* APPLES (slice in half and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar or drizzle with maple syrup)*. Here's a recipe for **GRILLED SWEET POTATOES WITH PEACHES- - Ingredients:1 28 ounce can vegetarian baked beans, 4 sweet potatoes, 2 peaches, sliced, 1/2 cup onion, diced, salt and pepper to taste. Preperation: Wash potatoes and pierce potato skin several times with a knife. Place potatoes on paper towels and microwave on high power for 10 minutes or until soft. Cut eight 12-inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil. Slice potatoes in half and scoop out small portion of potato to make a narrow boat, reserving the scooped out potato. Place one potato half on each foil square. Mix baked beans, peaches, onion and reserved sweet potato into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place mixture in potatoes. Bring up top and bottom edges of foil, leaving a little space for steam expansion during cooking. Seal potatoes in foil and place on the grill. Cook 20 minutes over indirect heat, or until warmed throughout. **SWEET AND SPICY BARBECUE TOFU- Ingredients: 1 pound extra firm tofu, well pressed and sliced into 3/4 inch rectangles, 3/4 cup barbeque sauce, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 3/4 cup orange juice concentrate, salt and pepper to taste. Preperation: Whisk together the barbecue sauce, sugar, chili powder, pepper and orange juice over medium low heat until well combined, about 3 minutes. Place the barbecue sauce mixture in a wide flat dish, and place the tofu in the sauce, coating both sides well. Allow to marinate for at least two hours. Grill for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, brushing with additional sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper just before serving. ___________________________________________________________