Oven Roasted Chili-Crusted Cauliflower

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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baked cauliflower, cauliflower, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, healthy meals, oven roasted cauliflower, vegan, vegan meals, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Impoverished Vegan is not dead. I promise. I had a really crazy past few months and had to take a little break from cooking and writing. I had to take a school trip to Washington DC at the end of the semester with finals falling as soon as I got back; I was also in the middle of a huge job change. Things have finally settled down. Enough with the personal details. Let’s cook some cauliflower!!

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower ($0.99)

1 tbsp vegetable oil –

1½ cups vegan sour cream ($0.75)

1 lemon, zested and juiced ($0.10)

2 tbsp chili powder ($0.20)

1 tbsp cumin ($0.05)

1 tbsp garlic powder ($0.03)

1 tsp curry powder –

2 tsp sea salt –

1 tsp black pepper –

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the olive oil evenly over a baking sheet. Peel the green leafy stems from the base of the cauliflower. Cut the base level and flush with the florets so the cauliflower will sit evenly on a flat surface. Stir together the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, sea salt, and black pepper until fully combined. Dunk the cauliflower into the marinade and spread it across all the florets. Make sure the whole head is covered except the bottom. Place it on the baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned and slightly crispy. The marinade will create a dry crust across the cauliflower. Let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing it into wedges. Enjoy!

You can use vegan yogurt instead but make sure it is plain

I added extra cumin and garlic powder for an extra KICK!

Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty to spread the marinade!

Yeah… the marinade looks goopy and gross before it is baked

I use a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the baking tray clean

Baking for a little bit extra will make a very crispy crust!

Feel free to experiment with your spices! Use dill and parsley!

For an Indian twist, use more curry powder!

You can cut it into fourths to share with others…

…or just eat the whole thing yourself! (I did.)

Vegan Alfredo

09 Monday Sep 2013

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alfredo, alfredo sauce, bragg, college, eating, fitchen, food, health, healthy, healthy meals, humor, lifestyle, nutritional yeast, pasta, vegan, vegan alfredo sauce, vegan pasta, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Smooth, creamy and savory, this vegan Alfredo sauce will send your tastebuds into a cheesy, buttery frenzy. It is hard to believe it is vegan because it actually tastes better than many non-vegan Alfredo sauces.

Ingredients:

1 c. coconut milk ($1.82)
½ c. nutritional yeast ($1.66)
1 medium clove of garlic ($0.26)
1 tsp. dried basil ($0.05)
1 tsp. sea salt
a dash of black pepper

vegan alfredo sauce, vegan, alfredo, dairy free alfredo,

Asparagus pairs very well with this creamy Alfredo sauce.

Preparation:

Peel and mince the garlic. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Heat on medium, stirring frequently until almost boiling. Continue to simmer 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. The longer the sauce boils, the thicker it will become. Pour over your favorite pasta. This quick and easy sauce costs $3.79 and will quickly become a new favorite.

This recipe came from The Fitchen. They specialize in healthy eating that is “sometimes raw, usually vegan, always organic.”

Experiment with this recipe. Serve with some freshly steamed veggies or use a different herb or spice instead of basil.

Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient in this recipe. While the coconut milk provides the creamy base, the nutritional yeast adds a fistful of flavor and nutrients like the B-complex vitamins. These vitamins, like Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Pyridoxine, are hard to come by with a vegan diet. It is a magical product sent from above. This delicious seasoning can be used in sauces and as a topping for popcorn, potatoes, vegetables, rice, salads, and bread! BRAGG® Nutritional Yeast Seasoning has been around for over 100 years and can be found in most grocery and health food stores.

Vegan Pizza! Vezza!

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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college, eating, health, healthy, healthy meals, humor, lifestyle, pizza, toppings, vegan, vegan pizza, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian pizza, vegetarianism, vezza

Seriously, is there anyone on this earth that does not enjoy a greasy, melty, savory slice of pizza? I doubt it. Satisfy your craving with a vegan take on the classic pizza.

Ingredients:

1 ready-to-bake pizza dough ($1.14)
1 cup of flour ($0.02)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil ($0.02)
½ of a red pepper ($0.55)
½ of a yellow pepper ($0.43)
½ of a can black olives, drained ($0.54)
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced ($0.66)
1 jar of pizza sauce ($1.67)
1 bag of vegan soy cheese ($2.89)

vegan pizza, vegetarian pizza, vegan, pizza, toppings, vegetarian, vezza

Colorful veggie toppings! Get creative with your
favorite toppings for your vezza.

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. Lay out some flour in a thin layer. Roll the uncooked pizza dough around in the flour to coat all of the outside surface. Flatten and spread the dough out. Coat the bottom of a baking tray with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Place the dough on the tray, spreading it to all the edges. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the sauce. Add the veggie toppings evenly. Cover the veggies with the rest of the cheese. Place the vezza in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Soy cheese takes longer to melt than dairy cheese. Remove the vezza when the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Eat up!

Costing $7.92, this pizza will serve 4…or 2 starving, impoverished vegan college students. Eating out is the most costly manner of dining nowadays so enjoy how inexpensive it can be to make vegan alternatives to everyday omnivore food.

Did you know?

What could go better with vezza than an ice cold can of BEER?! Steel Reserve is a good beer for impoverished vegans because it is considered a high gravity beer. At 8.1% ABV, alcohol by volume, Steel Reserve is an inexpensive yet alcoholic beer.

Beer is old. Traces of pots containing ancient beer have been traced back almost 5,000 years. Theories exist that the manna from the Old Testament of the Bible was actually a bread-based beer called wusa. I hope this is true because 40 years of walking around the desert can be miserable without any manna beer. Beer became an everyday staple for people of all social statuses in northern and eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. Grapes for wine were not easily cultivated there, so beer became the dominant adult beverage. Beer was consumed instead of water for sanitary purposes. The boiling required for the brewing process decontaminated the beer, so why not drink beer instead of contaminated water?

The Kalevala, a Finnish epic poem of collected oral traditions contains more lines about the origin of brewing beer than the origin of mankind itself. The patron goddess of brewing in ancient Sumer was called Ninkasi. In Egyptian mythology, the immense blood-lust of the fierce lioness goddess Sekhmet was only sated after she was tricked into consuming an extremely large amount of red-colored beer. She became so drunk that she gave up her hunt altogether.

If you are over the age of 21, feel free to enjoy (responsibly) a nice glass (or gallon) of beer with your vegan pizza. You will feel at least 80% more American, but 100% better about being cruelty-free! Save Animals, Eat Vezza.

Quick and Easy Vegan Stew

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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college, eating, food, health, healthy, healthy meals, humor, lifestyle, quick and easy vegan stew, stew, vegan, vegan stew, vegetarian, veggie stew

Described as ‘ohmygod’ good, this hearty stew was thrown together by my good friend Emily Moore.

quick and easy vegan stew, vegan stew, veggie stew, vegan, vegetarian, stew, healthy, lifestyle, college, healthy meals

Emily’s succulent stew

Ingredients:

1 can black beans ($0.99)
1 can petite diced tomatoes ($0.62)
1 can mixed tomatoes and okra ($1.59)
3 shakes of garlic powder ($0.02)
a dash of salt ($0.01)

Preparation:

Place the contents of all three cans into a large saucepan. DO NOT drain or rinse the contents of the cans. Heat on medium high until stew begins to bubble, then turn heat to medium. Add a few shakes of garlic powder and a dash of salt. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and serve!

By using the bean, tomato, and okra juices, the result is a thick, hearty stew base with just a hint of okra to round out the flavor. This thick base also satisfies non-vegans in the family because it mimics the thick, beef-based broth of a Brunswick stew. Eww, meat. Can you believe they used to put squirrel, rabbit, chicken, cow, roadkill, and other assorted meat products into food for dinner? Meat is not only expensive but unethically sourced and sometimes fatal. If consumed, consult your physician when side effects include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, bacterial contamination, elevated hormone levels, upset stomach, indigestion, fatigue, or cancer. For only $3.23, this incredibly filling stew contributes positively to your body and all animals everywhere. Lending itself to experimentation, try adding some corn or a different type of bean. If you have some fresh banana peppers, slice those–uncooked–on top for a bowl of crunchy goodness. If you enjoy a bit of spicy heat, sprinkle a bit of crushed red pepper flakes over the finished product. Enjoy with pita slices, bread, crackers, or breadsticks for a super carb-ed meal. As if this stew could get any better, try serving it over a bed of rice for a well-rounded dinner sensation! If you are feeling really crazy, try everything that is suggested and your tastebuds will implode with satisfaction.

My attempt at this delightful stew.
It was super thick and almost chili-like.

I also added steamed jasmine rice and banana peppers!
This added just the right twang for a good ole southern stew!

About the contributor:

Emily Moore is an independent freelance editor and writer. She has always supported our veganism, or veganity, as I like to say. I do not know the correct noun but it is super fun to say ‘veganity’. Emily has been ever faithful to this blog by editing and organizing my jumble of thoughts into coherent sentences, paragraphs, and blog posts. Many thanks to her and if you are ever in need of editing or writing, she is your gal. Here is her website.

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and pictures!