Marilyn


Squash Enchiladas                                                                         


Double wrap the corn tortillas for a heartier wrap, by heating 2 together in the sauce. Double wraps prevent tortillas from tearing. Cashew Sour Cream, Spanish Rice and Guacamole (recipes in the book) complement this meal.

1 Kabocha squash, about 3-3/4 pounds, or you can bake Butternut squash
2 tablespoons liquid aminos                      Garnish mix (for step 11)
2 cups onions, diced small                        1 cup red pepper diced small
1 teaspoon garlic, minced                         1 cup yellow pepper, diced small
1 can olives, chopped (4.25 ounces)          3/4 cup green scallions, sliced thin
24 corn tortillas (2 packages – 12 each)     3/4 cup cilantro leaves, minced fine
olive oil spray for bottom of casserole
                                                            
Green Enchilada Sauce

12 Anaheim Peppers, roasted under broiler until browned, remove skins & tops
10 Tomatillos, medium – Steam in a covered pot for 3-5 minutes, until soft
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 – 1 teaspoon (heaping) Jalapeno Pepper (to taste – some like it hot!)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup steam water, pure, or vegetable broth

Directions for Sauce
Blend ingredients in either a food processor or blender. Yield about 4 cups
Directions for 12 Enchiladas
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
2.    Bake the squash in the oven for about 1-1/2 hours or until tender.
3.    Cut squash lengthwise and discard the seeds.  Put squash in medium bowl. 
4.    Sauté onions and garlic in liquid aminos.  Mix and stir until they caramelize.
5.    Add the sautéed mixture to the bowl with the squash and add olives.  Mash until all of the ingredients are well mixed together.
6.    Spray all sides of a 14” x 10” Pyrex casserole and pour in 1/2 cup sauce.
7.    Slowly add the remaining sauce in a pot and heat on very low heat.
8.    With tongs, dip 2 tortillas into the sauce, drain.  Place 1/3+ of the filling inside and roll gently.  Don’t let the sauce get too hot or it will tear the tortillas.
9.    Place the tortilla seam side down into the Pyrex casserole dish.  Repeat step 8 until all of the tortillas are filled with the mixture & layered in the pan.
10.Pour the remaining sauce over the top of all the enchiladas with sauce covering each enchilada.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Cover lightly with tin foil. For a crisper enchilada take off the tin foil for the last 5 minutes.

11.Serve hot & top generously with Cashew Sour Cream & Garnish Mix.

Excerpted from Vegan Bite By Bite book by Marilyn Peterson
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Marilyn


Marinara Sauce Zucchetti

Zucchini noodles are recommended for this raw tomato sauce.  If you do not own a Spiralizer, they can be purchased at a kitchen shop.  The Spiralizer is used as a garnishing machine. You can also use a grater when you opt for a raw “spaghetti” meal made from zucchini. The (Spiralizer) zucchini noodle-like spaghetti is more fun to eat.  Perfect meal for these hot summer days!

Zuchetti Noodles
2 zucchini, large, equals 6 cups spiralized (or shredded)

Sauce
10 button mushrooms, medium (4 cups) sliced and marinated. See step #1.
1 tablespoon olive oil (for marinating the mushrooms)
1 tablespoon nama shoyu soy sauce (for marinating the mushrooms)
15 small, ripe, roma tomatoes, quartered (3-3/4 cups)
2 jars (8.5 oz.) sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
15 sun dried olives, pitted, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup fresh basil (4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) minced fine
3 tablespoons garlic, rough chop
2 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon red crushed chile pepper seeds
2 teaspoons sea salt
garnish basil sprig
garnish pine nuts (optional)

Yield 7-1/2 cups sauce

Directions
1.  In a large mixing bowl, marinate sliced mushrooms in one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon of nama shoyu soy sauce.  set aside.
2.  Cut tomatoes in quarters and add them to the food processor.  Pulse until chopped. Add to the mixing bowl.
3.  Pulse sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in food processor, add to tomato blend in bowl.
4.  Chop olives and hand fold in minced basil and add them to the mixture in the bowl.
5.  Add remaining ingredients, thoroughly mixing until fully folded together.
6.  Spoon the sauce over the zucchini noodles and serve.
7.  Garnish with a basil sprig and pine nuts on top of sauce.

Yield serves 4 - 5

You can heat the plates in the oven at 350º before serving, or you can put the noodles in hot water for 3 minutes.  Nama Shoyu is an unpasteurized soy sauce.   

Excerpted from Vegan Bite By Bite by Marilyn Peterson

My neighbor gave me a huge Zucchini from an organic garden!  Here it is in the spiral machine.


Here's a pic of the Zucchini noodles, before adding the marinara sauce.


 

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Marilyn

Vegetable Stir Fry 

1 Brown Rice recipe serves 4
4-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pound extra firm *tofu, drain 1 hour, cubed 1/2”       
1 cup red onion (1/2 large) sliced thin
2 cups (8 medium) shitake mushrooms, sliced (de-stem)
2 cups celery (2 stalks) cut diagonally, sliced thin
1-1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced, 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3/4 cup baby carrots, cut diagonally 1/4”
1 small red pepper, deseeded, sliced thin strips
2 cups broccoli (1 small head) cut into florets
2 cups cauliflower, broken into florets 
2 cups eggplant (1 small) 1/2” cubes *(sprinkle salt on eggplant to draw out water)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt   *(salt and pepper seasoning for tofu Step 2)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, ground
1 medium head bok choy, sliced diagonally into thin strips
10 asparagus spears, sliced diagonally
5 large cloves garlic (3 tablespoons) sliced very thin (step 5)
3 cups bean sprouts
Sauce
2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 tablespoon ‘hot & spicy’ *Szechuan sauce (optional)
7-8 tablespoons nama shoyu soy sauce (to taste)
4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
Thai basil, 30 small leaves, sliced fine (use regular basil if you can't find Thai Basil)
Garnish: black sesame seeds
Directions
1.    Keep brown rice and *tofu warm until the stir-fry is ready for serving together.
2.    In a medium skillet, heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil over medium-high heat, 3 minutes, add tofu and *seasonings, brown evenly while continuously shaking pan.
3.    Reserve *tofu for later use.  In your wok, or extra large non-stick skillet heat 2 tablespoons of remaining sesame oil on medium heat.  Add onions, *eggplant and mushrooms.  Do not stir for 4-5 minutes, letting the mushrooms and onions brown.  Stir in minced ginger and garlic.
4.    Add carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower. Do not stir. Turn up heat, 5 minutes, let vegetables brown, al dente. 
5.    Add bok choy, asparagus, red pepper, garlic slices and bean sprouts, turn up heat full high, add remaining tablespoon of sesame oil.  Brown 3 minutes, stir vigorously, flipping vegetables in pan and tossing gently, 3-5 minutes.
6.    In a tiny bowl mix sauce ingredients.  For 'Spicy' add Szechuan sauce)
7.    Turn heat down to simmer, add and stir sauce for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat and serve with Brown Rice recipe.  Place the warm tofu on top of the vegetables.   

Yield serves 4-6+
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Marilyn

Eggplant Roll-ups

For variation, you can use different herbs for this recipe, such as dried Herbes De Provence to baste the eggplant. Mushroom Cashew Gravy recipe goes good with this dish if you want an alternative to the Mushroom Marinara Sauce recipe.

2 eggplants, medium, peeled and sliced=14 slices about 3/8” thick) See step #2
1-3 ounce package *sun-dried tomatoes (soaked for 30 minutes) drain and mince
1 pound tofu, firm (press out water)
3 tablespoons liquid aminos
2 tablespoons garlic, rough chop
1 tablespoon+1-1/2 teaspoons Italian herbs, sprinkled on top of rolls, before baking
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (mix in with dried herbs, above)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
olive oil spray
Sauce: 2-3 tablespoons Mushroom Marinara Sauce per roll

Directions
1.    Preheat oven to 350 º F.
2.    Slice the eggplant stem to bottom, (not side-to-side) into 14 slices, about 3/8” thick.
3.    Spray 2 large cookie sheet pans with olive oil and lay out eggplant slices.  Bake for about 30 minutes covered with tin foil. Turn the slices over and drizzle olive oil and *dried herbs on top and continue baking about 5 minutes more, until almost tender. The eggplant needs to be tender enough to fold, but not break apart.
4.    Blend tofu, liquid aminos, lemon juice and garlic until smooth and add the mixture to a medium size mixing bowl.
5.    In a food processor, pulse sun-dried tomatoes until chopped fine.  Spoon the tomato
     mixture into the mixing bowl with the tofu, gently folding in the fresh minced basil.
6.    When the eggplant is cool, lay out the slices, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon measure of filling on top of the smaller end of the un-seasoned side of the eggplant, rolling it up until the other side is met.  Place eggplant rolls in a 9” x 12” oil-sprayed Pyrex baking dish. Bake the roll-ups seam side down, so that they do not come apart, for 25-30 minutes.
7.    Place 2-3 tablespoons of the heated Mushroom Marinara Sauce recipe on top of each of the eggplant rolls and serve.  

Yield 14 rolls

*Assemble rolls so that dried herbs are on top, for presentation.
Instead of soaking *sun-dried tomatoes, you can also purchase an 8.5 ounces jar from Trader Joes.  Drain oil, mince l/2 cup and add in step 5.
To press water out in tofu, place a plate or board on the bottom and top and put a heavy weight on the top for about one hour.

Excerpt from Vegan Bite By Bite by Marilyn Peterson
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Marilyn


White Bean - Sun-dried Tomato Pate

Soak 1 cup of white navy beans the night before, and rinse the beans in the morning, and drain.

1 c. white navy beans
5 c. water
2 bay leaves

Bring beans and bay leaves to a boil and turn down heat, and cook until tender.  Skim any white foam off of the top and discard.

In a food processor add:
cooked white navy beans
1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes  (if using a jar, drain off oil)
1/3 c. basil, fresh (packed tightly)
1 tsp. garlic, fresh
1/2 - 1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. Kalamata olive juice
1 -2 squirts of lemon juice (to taste)
Season with sea salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions
Blend mixture together until smooth and then fill a small bowl with the bean pate.

Garnish
Garnish with slices of red, yellow and orange peppers around the bowl.

This pate can also be served on sliced cucumbers or filled inside celery stalks and served as an appetizer.


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Marilyn


Jazzy Vegetable Soup 

1 ½ c. celery root, chopped
2 c. onion, white, diced
4 c. carrots, sliced
3 ½ c. potatoes, red, cut bite size
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 – 28 oz. can tomatoes, diced
1 c. marinara sauce
12 c. water, pure
3 lg. bay leaves
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tbsp. cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 c. miso, white
2 tbsp. Namashoyu sauce
Season to taste – sea salt and black pepper

Directions
In a 5 quart soup pot add the first four ingredients, adding a tiny amount of water to the mixture and sauté until the onions are golden brown. Add all of the remaining ingredients including garlic, (except miso) liquids and veggies and bring them to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer. Add the cumin and coriander at this time. 

Cook until all vegetables are tender and the flavors are meshed together.  Add miso at the end of cooking time, thoroughly dissolving the miso into the soup. Add the remaining seasonings.  
Season to your taste.  Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.


Below is a picture of how I stored the soup for the freezer.  Although glass is the healthiest way to store frozen foods, plastics are practical to conserve freezer space because of the way they easily stack. 


Although oils do add to the flavors and richen the recipe, many people today are doing their best to cut down and even eliminate un-necessary oils in their diets. For this reason I made up this recipe with a water saute, rather than using oil.
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Marilyn



These recipes are an excerpt from the book Vegan Bite by Bite by Marilyn Peterson

Udon Noodles-Broccoli-Tofu with Spicy Peanut Ginger Sauce


This recipe makes a delicious entree or side dish served hot, or re-served cold. There is economical and nutritional value in peeling the broccoli stems and cutting and slicing them, utilizing the whole vegetable rather than just the florets when preparing broccoli.
        
Noodles-Tofu & Broccoli
1- 8 ounce package Udon noodles, (follow directions on package)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 pound tofu, firm, cut into 1/2” square cubes
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
6 medium (1 cup) shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small, 1/4”-1/2” dice
2 cups broccoli florets, pressed tightly in a measuring cup
2 medium carrots (1 cup) shredded
2 tablespoons nama shoyu soy sauce
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
3 green scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons peanuts (dry roasted) chopped

Directions
1.  Prepare Spicy Peanut Ginger Sauce recipe.
2.  Noodles-Tofu & Broccoli: Cook Udon noodles until tender, rinse and drain. Toss noodles with 1/2 of the peanut sauce in a large bowl and set aside.
3.  In a large sauté pan, sauté tofu in sesame oil.  Add nama shoyu sauce.  Brown on all sides over medium heat.  Add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, red bell pepper and broccoli and cover with a lid and cook until slightly browned. (Al dente)
4.  When the vegetables are almost done and feel slightly tender, toss in carrots, stir around a few times, and take the mixture off of the heat.
5.  Combine the Udon noodles and the vegetables with the remaining peanut sauce until the noodles are evenly coated.
6.  Serve immediately and garnish with bean sprouts, scallions and toasted peanuts, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Yield serves 4 - 6

Spicy Peanut Ginger Sauce

Almond Butter can be used instead of Peanut Butter if you prefer.  For any leftovers, this recipe goes well with any type noodle or steamed green vegetable.  This sauce goes with the Udon Noodles-Broccoli-Tofu recipe.

1 cup peanut butter, unsalted
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3/4 cup water, pure
3 tablespoons nama shoyu soy sauce
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red crushed chile pepper seeds
Directions
1.    In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
2.  Serve over selected recipe choice.

Yield 1-1/2 cups

Note:
This sauce is best made into a medium thick consistency. 

EXCERPT FROM VEGAN BITE BY BITE BY MARILYN PETERSON  


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Marilyn


This multi-colored mini pepper and purple kale salad keeps beautifully for about one week in a ziplock bag, sealed tightly.  The lower picture shows how it is stored in the refrigerator. I personally like a Tahini Dressing or any creamy dressing to compliment this colorful garden bouquet.

Ingredients
1 bunch purple kale, washed and thoroughly dried and torn fine.  Remove stems.
4 each mini size yellow, red and orange peppers                          
4 green scallions, sliced
8 medium radishes, sliced
2 c. red cabbage, sliced fine
1/2 c. celery sliced fine

After making up the salad in a large bowl, put it in a ziplock bag for storage in the refrigerator.  Save cut stems in a small ziplock bag for a stir-fry or for steaming.


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Marilyn



Tofu Medley

This medley can be served over any whole grain, or noodle.

1 – 16 oz. package tofu, medium firm, cubed (in a separate skillet)
(To drain tofu, place tofu between 2 plates with paper towel underneath,
placing weight on top for about 30 minutes). 
1 tbsp. olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Saute  cubed tofu in a separate skillet until golden brown on all sides, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In another skillet
3 cups brown onions, cubed
2 cups peppers, multi-colored, sliced
1 box mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 tbsp. garlic, fresh, minced
3 cups spinach, fresh, washed and drained
1/2 tsp. olive oil for mixture
season with sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
1.   Add olive oil, onions and sauté until golden brown.
2.   Add peppers until slightly tender.
3.   Add mushrooms and garlic
4.   When above mixture is al dente, add spinach and mix throughout, shutting off heat.
5.   Drain liquid, and gently mix in tofu.
6.   Re-season if necessary.
7.   Serve hot.

Note
You can also substitute diced potatoes for tofu.


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Marilyn


Cinco de Mayo Nachos



These nachos were made up for guests at Cal-a-Vie resort & spa in Escondido, California, where I worked with Rosie Daley. (Oprah's Chef)  I designed and prepared the special diets dishes for vegetarian and vegan celebrities.

The 5th of May is Cinco De Mayo, and celebrations are made up of dishes like nachos (above) and enchiladas (below)  tacos and margaritas are often added to this celebration, as a part of the traditional Mexican festivities.

Nachos
Organic corn chips
Vegan cheese shreds, Daiya pepperjack, or your flavor preference
Diced onion
Black olives, sliced
Red bell pepper, diced
Black beans, seasoned with vegan taco seasoning
Vegan ground beef crumble, seasoned with taco seasoning
Vegan sour cream, see recipe below for cashew sour cream
Guacamole
Salsa

Layer organic corn chips in a lotus flower style design and top the chips with sprinkles of Daiya cheese.  For this recipe I would suggest Pepperjack style shreds. Garnish the nachos with pieces of red pepper and sliced black olives.  Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts and serve hot. Optional toppings also include black beans and/or vegan mock ground beef crumble, seasoned with taco seasoning, salsa, vegan sour cream, etc. 


Cashew Sour Cream
1 cup cashews, whole and raw
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup water, pure

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy consistency is reached. Chill in refrigerator.

Guacamole
2 avocados, ripe
1/4 cup onions, diced small
1 tomato, diced small
1 lime, fresh squeezed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt, as needed

Scoop out avocados in a small bowl and mash. Add in onions, tomato, and lime juice and mix, leaving as lumpy or mixed as you like. Add in red pepper flakes and salt as needed.


Prepping for Cinco de Mayo celebration!

If you would like to view a picture and see the recipe for Fiesta Tostada, go to www.veganbitebybite.com and sign up for the newsletter before May 1, 2013, as it will be included in that month's newsletter.  Also included in the newsletter will be fun facts about Cinco de Mayo, a great article on vegan celebrities, as well as information about Mother's Day and Memorial Day.