Stuffed Artichokes

Stuffed Artichokes
Vegan; 1 hour 30 minutes

Finding artichokes on sale at the grocery store the other day, I picked some up. I love this, since it's one bowl and one pan it makes cleaning SO easy! Prep time is a little longer, since you do have to snip the pointed tips off each artichoke leaf.

4 artichokes
1/2 cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (use gluten free)
1 Tablespoon melted earth balance
4 Tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic minced
2 teaspoons basil, parsley, crushed rosemary

1. Rinse artichokes. Cut about 1.5 inches from top (point). Cut off stem and reserve. Artichokes should sit flat by removing stem. With kitchen shears, clip the end from each leaf to remove thorn. Rinse. With point down on a hard surface (counter top) press down to spread leaves. Place artichokes in bowl of lemon water to keep from turning brown.

2. In a medium bowl combine ingredients, mixing till well combined.

3. Press about 1/2 cup of stuffing into each artichoke. Tightly pack stuffed artichokes together in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add enough water to reach half way up artichokes. Steam for 45 minutes. During the steaming process, sprinkle artichokes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. As artichokes cooks, baste often and don’t let liquid evaporate. As liquid steams away, add more water. This liquid turns into a delicious sauce. Artichokes are done when you can pull a leaf off easily.

Mini No-Meat Loaves

Mini No~Meat Loaves
Vegan; 1 hour total

I made these to be part of the Christmas Day feast. They came out great, but only last for a few days as left overs. They get to be really dense, so at a certain point you feel like you're eating a hockey puck.... Honestly, these were great the first two days... (I doubled the recipe, so there would be enough for everyone!)
Inspired by a meatball recipe in The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

1 cup tomato sauce
4 Tablespoon almond butter
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 very finely diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon vegan Worcestershire

Glaze: combine the following in a small container:
1/2 cup organic ketchup
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Vegetable broth saute the onion and garlic until the onion is nearly translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Whisk tomato sauce, almond butter and Worcestershire together. In a separate bowl Mix dry ingredients together including spices. Combine the dry and wet ingredients with a wooden spoon, then add the sauteed onions and garlic.

3. Lightly spray half or place a parchment cupcake liner of a 12 cup muffin tin, this will make 6-8 mini “meat” loaves. Press the mixture into the tins, then top each mini “meat” loaf with some of the glaze. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini
Serves 4

When I made this the other night, I only scooped out 1 zucchini. However, I'm finding large ones at the Farmers Markets. I ended up forgetting to add the tomatoes while cooking the veggie mix, so I added it at the end with bread crumbs and the crushed red pepper. Bruce loved the non-dairy cream cheese mentioning that it made the dish. You decide.... Happy Wednesday.....

1 large zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and the "meat" scooped out and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tomato, diced
3 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I used the green tops-leaves from the one I picked up from the farmers market)
2 Tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 8oz. container of non-dairy cream cheese, (I used Follow Your Heart; Vegan Gourmet)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil in glass casserole dish. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized skillet (I use my beloved cast iron) over medium-high, heat remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic and onion, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms, cooking for about 3 more minutes. Finally add the zucchini (and tomatoes) cooking for about 2-3 minutes, adding the non-dairy cream cheese and black pepper. Once the non-dairy cream has melted, stuff the zucchini shells.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, and at the ten minutes sprinkle with bread crumbs and crushed red pepper. If you forget the tomatoes (like I did) sprinkle the tomatoes on first, before the other toppings. Chopped walnuts are nice too....

Serve with some crusty garlic bread and some dry white wine.... Enjoy!