After a busy and eventful number of years, life somewhat calmed down in our second home, and Deniz and wanted to get back into testing recipes. So we decided to test try a new international dish from a different country every week, in search for new and interesting tastes and textures to titillate our taste buds. This Nigerian Akara is the first we tried. It’s simple yet surprisingly unique. Mild bean taste in a deep fried bread ball texture. It’s normally eaten for breakfast, yet, with some spices or sauce, I can see it making a great and fun fusion snack or appetizer.

I love carrot cake. After being diagnosed with diabetes, it became a mission of mine to find a healthy recipe that also tastes great. This recipe uses whole wheat flour, applesauce to reduce oil, (reduced) honey instead of sugar, and sugar free white chocolate chips. It’s the perfect balance of fluffy muffin texture, fall spice, crunchy nuttiness, with the right amount of sweetness. And I found that cake pop sized balls of carrot cake are perfect to get maximum enjoyment without overindulging. Deniz and Kelin love the recipe and the muffin balls disappear quickly in our house. Despite the reduced sugar, we all find it perfect for dessert.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
•  1 t baking soda
•  1 t ground cinnamon
•  1/4 t ground nutmeg
•  1/4 t ground ginger
•  1/2 t salt

Wet Ingredients:

•  2 T butter, melted, or olive oil
•  1/3 c honey or sugar
•  1 egg, lightly beaten
•  1 t pure vanilla extract
•  1 c unsweetened applesauce, if using sugar instead of honey, add 3 T applesauce

Add-ins:

• 1 c shredded carrots (about 2-3 medium carrots). You can also use shredded zucchini for a less sweet zucchini muffin alternative.
• 1/4 c no-sugar white chocolate chips (we like Lily’s White Chocolate Style Baking Chips that are Stevia sweetened)
• 3 T coconut flakes
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts, toasted

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the walnuts in a quart-sized ziplock bag and break into 1/5th sized chunks with a rolling pin. Place the crushed walnuts on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, toast the walnuts, approximately 5 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure the walnuts do not burn.
• Spray cake pop tray cups with cooking spray and brush so that the entire indentation has oil.
• In a large bowl whisk together the Dry Ingredients.
• Beat the egg lightly in a small bowl.
• Make a small well in the center of the Dry Ingredients and add the Wet Ingredients.
• Stir ingredients together until just combined and there are still some spots of flour remaining.
• Fold in the Add-Ins just until combined (don’t overmix or the balls will be dense).
• Distribute the batter evenly among the cake pop tray. I use a melon baller to scoop even amounts of batter and to reduce mess. Bake for 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake pop comes out clean.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. These cake pops can be frozen. They can also keep covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

I’ve never been a big fan of quiche because of the eggy and heavy taste.  But after having brunch at a French eatery, I realized that quiches don’t have to be eggy or fatty.  So Deniz and I created this delicious and easy to make quiche that is lower in fat than normal quiches and not so eggy in taste.  It was so tasty, we documented the recipe and have made it many times since.

Makes 2 quiches.

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Fusion Veggie Quiche with Feta

We created this delicious and easy to make quiche that is lower in fat than normal quiches and not so eggy in taste.

Servings 2 quiches

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 2 pre-made deep dish pie crusts in a pie tin thawed for 10 minutes and holes poked into it with a fork.
• 3 Morningstar Brand Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 small red pepper diced
• 2 large carrots peeled and diced
• 1 small head of broccoli broken into florets and then diced
• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 T cooking oil
• 2 T water
• 5 oz feta cheese crumbled
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 4 eggs beaten

Instructions

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Prepare Ingredients as described above in the Ingredients list.
• Bake pre-made crusts in the oven for 11 minutes or per package directions until slightly browned. Also place the veggie sausage patties into the oven at the same time on tin foil and bake for 13 minutes.
• Take crust and veggie patties out of oven and reduce the heat to 350°F.
• Heat cooking oil on medium high heat in large saucepan.  Add diced veggies in the following order:  carrots, onions, pepper, broccoli.  Allow to cook for 2 minutes.  Add water.  Cover and cook on high until steam comes out of the slides of the pan/lid, approximately 7 minutes.  Turn the heat off and let stand for 10 minutes with the cover still on.  Drain any remaining water.   Add 1/2 t salt and mix to combine.  Remove to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.
• Crumble the extra firm tofu using a fork until it is the consistency of scrambled eggs.  Add to the bowl of veggies and mix to combine.
• Break the sausage patties into pieces using a fork until they are a small ground beef consistency.  Add 1/2 t salt and mix to combine.  Add to the bowl of veggies/tofu and mix to combine.
• Add the pepper, beaten eggs, and 1/4 of the feta cheese to the bowl of veggies and sausage patties.  Mix the bowl ingredients to combine.
• Scoop the veggie-sausage-egg mixture into the baked pie crust. Add the remaining crumbled feta cheese to the top.  Place into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and quiche is set.

Everytime I see musubi in a Hawaiian market or potluck, I get so jealous.  Looks so yummy with its sweet soy fatty topping wrapped in a cute nori package.  So I decided to make a vegetarian version!  Below is what Deniz and I created over the weekend, turned out tasting great!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 c sushi rice
• 5 sheets nori, cut in quarters lengthwise
• 1 recipe of Seitan O’ Greatness, molded as described below
• Furikake, to taste (I usually buy the nori komi furikake, since it’s typically the only vegetarian version)

Marinade

• 3 T cooking oil
• 6 T soy sauce
• 4 T mirin
• 4 T sugar

Instructions:

Prepare 1 recipe of Seitan O’ Greatness, shaping it into one rectangular log where the log cross section matches the shape of the musubi mold prior to baking.

Cook the sushi rice to package directions.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Heat the Marinade ingredients in a large bottomed saute pan over high heat.

Slice off the hard outer skin of the seitan.  Then slice the seitan into ½ inch slices that will eventually be placed onto the musubi.  Place the slices into the boiling marinade, making sure not to overlap the slices, so you get even coating.  After 30 seconds, flip the seitan over and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.

Lay a strip of nori lengthwise on a clean surface. Moisten lower half of musubi maker with water, and place on lower third of nori. Fill musubi maker with rice and press flat until the rice is 3/4-inch high. Sprinkle rice with furikake. Top with slice of marinaded seitan. Remove musubi maker.

Starting at the end towards you, fold nori over seitan and rice stack, and keep rolling until completely wrapped in the nori. Slightly dampen the end of the nori to seal it. Repeat with the other seitan slices, making sure to rinse off musubi maker after each use to prevent it from getting too sticky.

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t many savory pancake offerings.  I love the texture of pancakes, but don’t much like sweet in the morning, especially cloying syrupy sweetness.  I’d always wished pancakes were salty instead of sweet.  So when I found Lail Hossain’s Bangladeshi Chapri recipe, I decided to try making it using pancake batter.  The results were so delicious, we’ve made it many times, and also tried other savory pancake concoctions.

Ingredients:

• 3 c Krusteaz Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancake mix
• 2 c water
• ½ T garlic, chopped
• ½ t ginger paste
• ½ T cumin
• 2 c cilantro, chopped
• 1 c onion, chopped
• 1 Anaheim chili, chopped
• 2 dashes cayenne powder

Instructions:

Prepare the ingredients as described above

Blend together the pancake mix and water until there are little to no lumps.

Add the remaining ingredients into the batter and mix to combine well.

Heat a large griddle/frying pan on medium high heat.  Spray or brush oil it.  Sprinkle a little salt on the oil.

Pour about ¼ c of batter onto the griddle.  Sprinkle a little salt on the top of the pancake.  Once bubbles appear throughout the pancake and the bottom is golden brown (about 1 min 15 seconds), flip the pancake and cook the other side until the other side is golden brown.

Deniz loves Mexican food.  I mean REALLY loves Mexican food.  When we first started dating, I once caught him with beans smeared all over his face and a pile of empty bean cans rolling on the floor.  I think he’d be making daily excursions to Taco Hell if left to his own devices.   So when we got married, I had to find a quick and easy way to make him tacos or risk seeing the sad puppy dog face.   Below is our vegetarian recipe, which can be slightly modified for breakfast, lunch, or dinner applications.  Deniz loves it more than anything we can get at the best Mexican restaurants.

Ingredients:

• 10 Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties
• 5 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into small ¼ to ½ inch cubes
• 3 cups raw spinach leaves
• 2 medium red onions, sliced
• 1 c black olives, sliced
• 1 T capers (optional)
• 1/2 c frozen corn, cooked to package directions (optional)
• 1 + 1 T taco seasoning
• ½ + ½ T + ½ T salt
• 20 corn tortillas
• cooking oil

If making breakfast, also include:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup of cream
• 1 t salt
• ¼ t pepper

Optional:

• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced in circles
• 1 t garlic, chopped
• ½ T salt

Garnishes

• Cilantro, chopped
• ½ cabbage, shredded (lunch/dinner only)
• 1 tomato, chopped (optional)
• Mayo (optional)
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Enchilada sauce (optional)
• Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions:

Toast the veggie sausage patties in the oven for 13 minutes on 350°F. Pulse the toasted patties a food processor (or chop manually) to a ground beef consistency.  Heat 1 T cooking oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat.  Add the ground patties, 1 T of taco seasoning and ½ T of salt.  Stir fry until browned/toasted (about 2 minutes).  Set aside in a large (1 gallon) container.

Put the chopped potatoes in large 1 gallon zip lock bag.  Add 1 T cooking oil, 1 T taco seasoning and ½ T salt.  Zip the top of the bag and tumble/massage the bag to coat the potatoes evenly.  Pour the mixture into a large 6 cup or greater Pyrex container.  Create a small depression in the center to facilitate cooking in the center.  Microwave covered on high for 5 minutes.  Mix well.  Microwave covered for another 3 minutes on high.  Add to the sausage patties in the large container.

Heat 2 T of cooking oil in the saute pan on high heat.  Add the red onions and ½ T salt and stir fry until slightly wilted (about 1 minute).  Add the olives, capers, spinach, and cooked corn.  Continue to stir fry until the spinach is wilted.  Add to the potato-sausage mixture in the large container, and mix to combine well.  Salt to taste.

If making breakfast:  Blend the breakfast items (beaten eggs, cream, salt and pepper) to combine well.  Heat 1 T of cooking oil in the saute pan on medium high heat.  Pour the egg mixture in the pan.  Push/flip the cooking mixture around to make scrambled eggs.  Turn the heat off and remove from the heat when egg liquid is no longer visible in the pan.  Do not overcook.  Set aside and use as a garnish.

Optional carrots: Heat 2 T of cooking oil on medium high heat.  Add the carrots and garlic and stir fry.  If the carrots become dry, add ¼ c water.  Continue cooking until the carrots are soft.  Add the salt and butter and stir fry for 30 seconds more.  Remove from heat and use as a garnish.

Microwave the corn tortillas on high for 20-30 seconds.  Add the sausage-potato-vegetable mixture.  Add garnishes as desired.  Eat until a smile warms your whole face.

It is convenient to microwave a breakfast burrito, or grab a bagel on the way to work.  But nothing is so hearty as a vegetarian sausage breakfast hash.  We much prefer this over going out to a restaurant for weekend brunch.  This is the basic recipe that we make during the weekend for brunch.  We often also mix in some of the week’s leftovers, scrambled eggs, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and/or taco seasoning during cooking to add a different flavor dimension.

Ingredients:

• ~25 tater tots
• 3 Morningstar veggie sausage patties
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• ~8 olives, sliced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• handful of fresh spinach leaves, ripped into small pieces (optional)