Smashed Oven-Fried Okra (WFPBNO)

This is SO good!!! I found this recipe in my latest Southern Living magazine and knew I had to make it WFPBNO. The original recipe called for egg, salt and canola oil. This uses none of those things. We are growing okra again this summer and we have more than we know what to do with and I've already picked 1 quart jar and 3 pints. So I've made this about 3 times already. I was just saying how much I missed fried okra and lo and behold, Southern Living came through for me. I bake this delicious okra in the toaster oven so I don't heat up the house. If you give this a try please come back and leave me a comment. 

• 1/2 cup plant milk, I used soy
• 1 egg replacement, I used Bob's Red Mill
• 2/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• fresh okra pods
• Creole Comeback Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 450F. Whisk together milk, 1/3 cup water; add the egg replacement and stir well.

Add the cornmeal and creole seasoning to a bowl that will accommodate the okra pods.

Working with 1 pod at a time, place the pod on a clean work surface.

Crush with a rolling pin until split in places. 

Repeat with remaining okra. I only cooked what we were going to eat that night. I have not tried to reheat them yet, but I think they will reheat in the oven just fine.

Set up a dipping station. Dip each pod in the milk mixture. Then add to cornmeal mixture and toss until coated. Then add to a parchment covered baking dish.

Before going into the toaster oven.

Bake until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 20 minutes in total. Carefully turn them over at the halfway mark. Remove from oven and lightly sprinkle with salt if desired.

I served these with the Creole Comeback Sauce, baked potato covered in queso sauce, sliced tomatoes and fresh corn on the cob.

Creole Comeback Sauce:

Stir together 1/4 cup each homemade mayo, plain vegan yogurt, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!!!!

Coconut Rice

I made this coconut rice to go with roasted vegetables we had one day last week. It turned out delicious, but it made a lot of rice. If you are cooking for just two people you may want to reduce the recipe or have plans of other things to do with it, like a rice pudding would be delicious! I would say this is 6-8 servings depending on how much you eat. I made roasted fall vegetables and served it over this rice with Siracha.

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• ginger root, a slice about 2 inches long and about 1/8 inch thick, no need to peel
• 1 bay leaf

I rinsed to rice until the water ran clear, about 3 times, to get rid of excess starch.

Then soak the rice about 30 minutes. Then drain the rice and set aside.

In a heavy pot with a tight lid add the coconut milk, water, bay leaf and ginger. Give a quick stir on turn to medium heat.

Add the rice. Cover with lid and cook according to package directions. You don't want the steam to escape. That steam helps cook your rice. Turn heat to medium low. After about 20 minutes check to see if the rice is done and all the liquid has been absorbed. If there is still liquid in the pan add lid and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat once it's done and let it sit for 5 minutes.

 Lift the lid and serve.

Enjoy!!

Buffalo Broccoli (WFPBNO)

I made this to serve with mac and cheese for dinner the other night. It would also be a delicious appetizer. Fresh broccoli dipped in a batter and then panko and baked until crispy, then coated with Frank's Buffalo sauce. Oh my goodness, so yummy! You could also do this with cauliflower for a wonder meal. Just look at that deliciousness. 

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened, I used almond milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs, vegan
• Frank's Buffalo Sauce

Chop the broccoli into bite sized florets. Preheat oven to 425F.

Measure milk and add vinegar and give it a stir. Let sit to thicken for a minute.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir in flour, cornstarch and salt. 

Add the milk/vinegar mixture to the bowl and whisk to create a wet batter.

In a separate medium bowl add the panko.

Now dip each floret in the batter, let excess drip off and then roll in panko. Add to a parchment lined baking dish. Give each piece a little space

Bake for 15-20 minutes until nice and crispy. You may want to flip them half way through cooking.

Transfer to a serving bowl.

Add the buffalo sauce and give it a toss. Serve immediately as the sauce will get soaked up by the breading and it will become a little soggy. But still delicious.

I served these with homemade mac and cheese for dinner.

Enjoy!

Baked Ginger Garlic Tofu (WFPBNO)

This tofu recipe is so easy and delicious. I made it last night and added it to a Sushi Bowl, be sure to check back next week for that recipe. It would also be good in any stir-fry or salad. The flavor is not overpowering. I used a super firm tofu but I think a firm or extra-firm would work better. Just be sure to press it to get all the liquid out of it and then marinate it. The longer the better. You can also gently press down on the tofu as it marinate using a storage container and the tofu will act like a sponge and soak up a little extra marinade. Honestly as soon as this came out of the oven and was cool enough to not burn my mouth I snacked on a few pieces. 

• 1 16-ounce package tofu, firm or extra firm, organic
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 inch ginger, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Put all ingredients except for the tofu in a blender and blend until fairly smooth. Set aside. Cube tofu into bit sized pieces and add to a container to marinate. 

Pour marinade over the tofu and toss until each piece is coated.

Preheat oven to 400F. Cover sheet pan with parchment paper. Add tofu to pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add more marinade to the top of each piece.

Return to oven and bake another 10-12 minutes. 

Serve however  you wish.

Spicy Chili garlic Edamame

 Ya'll know we love the heat, give me some spicy food. If you aren't a fan just use much less of the chili garlic sauce. We have made this for a snack, as a side dish an as an appetizer. So fast and easy using frozen steam in bag in shell edamame. Go make it now!!!! Seriously, it's so easy it's not even a "recipe" - LOL

• 1/4-1/2 coarse salt
• 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 bag steam-in-bag whole edamame

Steam the edamame according to the package directions. Pour into glass bowl.

Add salt and stir.

Add the chili garlic sauce and stir well. Consume immediately!

Enjoy!!!

Convection Oven Taquitos with Cauliflower & Black Beans

 I use my convection oven and a tray that has a wire rack to act as an air-fryer. It works really well, but if you have an air-fryer just use that. I loved taquitos before we went vegan and WFPBNO and these didn't disappoint. You can make these for a snack, to eat during a football game or eat as a light meal. I garnished with some leftover 7-layer dip, guac and pickled jalapenos. 

• 1 8-ounce container baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4-5 teaspoons taco seasoning, reduced sodium
• 1 package riced cauliflower, cooked according to package directions
• 1 package flour tortillas, fajita size
• Garnish: salsa, guac, pickled jalapenos, etc

Preheat convection oven to 325F. In a large skillet add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic and water saute in about 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes. If it starts to stick add a tablespoon of water at a time to keep everything moving.

Stir in beans, tomato paste and taco seasoning. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add cauliflower and stir well.

To make taquitos, lay a tortilla on a clean surface. Add 1/3 cup or a little more, depending on the size of your tortillas.

Spread this on the lower third of the tortilla in a line.

Begin with the edge closest to you and roll up the tortilla. Place in your pan, seam side down. REpeat  until you've used all the tortillas. I had a lot of filling left over and stuffed zucchini with the mixture for dinner a different  night. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes. You want them to brown up a little around the edges. 

Serve with garnishes.

Enjoy!