Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce

These were SO much better than I expected them to be! The sauce totally made it for me. Hubby thought the sauce was pretty good, but didn't feel it was absolutely necessary. My most picky eater liked them the most, believe it or not!

Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce

Recipe from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Great Vegan Food for Special and Everyday Celebrations

Dreena’s Recipe Introduction: This recipe began as a more generic roasted vegetable roll. I needed more flavor, and remembered the flavors of Moroccan cuisine that I love so much – including cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. I changed a few elements, and the result was vegan magic! Serve as an elegant meal, drizzled with the Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and pair with a mixed green salad. Or, make smaller rolls and serve as very impressive appetizers (see notes below).

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS (OR MORE AS APPETIZERS)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups combination of yellow, red, and orange bell peppers, chopped
2½–3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, cubed
1–1¼ cups onion, chopped
1½–2 cups fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 medium bulb)
½ cup dried apricots (preferably unsulfured), chopped (or if in season, 1 cup fresh figs, stems removed, and halved)
5–6 large cloves garlic, minced
1½–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tsp cumin
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chickpeas or white beans
½ cup (packed) fresh basil (or parsley) leaves, minced
8 to 12 sheets phyllo pastry sheets (see notes)
2½–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (to brush phyllo)
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds, lightly toasted (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a wide-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bell peppers, zucchini, onion, fennel, apricots, and garlic on sheet, and toss with oil, cumin, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 35–45 minutes, tossing once or twice, until veggies are caramelized in some spots and softened. Remove from oven, toss in chickpeas or white beans and basil, and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190ºC). Line a baking dish or sheet with parchment paper. Place a lightly dampened dish towel over phyllo sheets to keep moist while preparing rolls. Lightly brush top of one sheet with oil. Place another sheet (not brushed with oil) on top. Spread ¾–1 cup roasted veggie mixture (see note) down the center of top sheet, leaving 1–2-in (2½–5-cm) space from edges. Fold left side over filling and roll up, tucking in sides as you go. Brush with additional oil and place in lined baking dish or sheet. Repeat process until all phyllo and mixture are used; you will have 4–6 rolls (see note). Bake for 24–28 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, drizzled with Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and garnished with almonds.

Cooking Notes:

1. For wheat-free option, use spelt phyllo pastry.
2. Use 8 sheets to make generously stuffed rolls or 12 sheets for smaller ones. If the roll is quite full, it may tear while baking. This of course won’t ruin them, but will affect the presentation (if that’s important to you).
3. As appetizers: Make smaller rolls or bite-sized phyllo triangles. For the latter, brush one sheet with oil. Then, with a sharp knife, cut 4 strips lengthwise down length of sheet. Place a small spoonful of filling at the base of one strip. Then, fold that corner over to form a triangle, and continue to fold back and forth until you reach the top. Repeat process until you have used up all the filling. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Serve with Balsamic Maple Sauce (page 76) as a dip.

Balsamic Maple Sauce:

This tangy, sweet sauce will perk up any vegetable or grain, and… it’s a breeze to make! Serve warm over steamed green vegetables or baked sweet potatoes, or use for dipping tempeh, potstickers, spring rolls, and more! It’s also an absolute must to serve with the Moroccan Chickpea-Vegetable Phyllo Rolls (recipe above).

YIELD: 4–5 SERVINGS (ABOUT ½ CUP)

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1 tsp arrowroot powder
3 tbsp tamari

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan on low heat, combine syrup, vinegar, Earth Balance spread, garlic, and salt, and heat for several minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine arrowroot and tamari, stirring through until well incorporated. Add tamari mixture to saucepan, whisk to combine, and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil, stirring continually. Let boil gently for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let cool slightly (the mixture will thicken more as it cools down).

Cooking Notes:

Leftovers can be refrigerated. This sauce is delicious chilled and drizzled over steamed or sautéed veggies or leafy greens, as a dipping sauce for pan-fried tempeh or tofu, tossed into whole grains or noodle dishes, or topped on sandwich ingredients.



The only thing that varied on was the chickpeas. I smashed them before adding them to the roasted veggies because my kids don't like whole chickpeas. Oh, and as usual, I doubled it.

	She was sick

Spinach Lingine with Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

My first dish from Veganomicon!

Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED this dish, as did my husband. SO good! It was kinda hit and miss with the kids, though. They were all willing to eat it (minus the artichoke hearts, which I figured, because they all hate artichoke hearts) but not all really wanted to. lol

It's pretty much as it says...spinach linguine with a basil and cilantro pesto. Of course, there was no cheese in this pesto. I need a better food processor. My pesto was a bit crunchy from the nuts in it. (It doesn't taste nutty, though, I promise!) It didn't make it bad, it just made it...different. lol The kids rated it based on the agreement that the artichoke hearts don't count towards the rating...otherwise it would have gotten a zero from all of them because artichoke hearts apparently make things inedible. (Crazy kids!)

Brussel Sprouts

So, I had myself convinced that my kids loved these brussel sprouts that I made a while back, so I made them again tonight. Upon seeing them, pretty much every kid said, "Oh man, brussel sprouts again?!?!?!? I hate brussel sprouts!" I have only made brussel sprouts that one time, so they seem to remember not liking them. I remember them liking. I KNOW my brussel sprout hating husband liked them, and he remembered liking them, so at least that's good. In fact, my husband, who doesn't like veggies at all, told me that if he rated things, he'd give it a five, which is HUGE because he doesn't think anything I make is all that great. LOL

So, after the kids ate it tonight, it turns out I WAS RIGHT! HA! So THERE! Okay, so maybe I'm gloating a little. lol

Shmooed Food: Best Brussel Sprouts

The name says it all! These sweet-and-sour sprouts are wonderful hot or at room temperature.

serves 4

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half
2 TB olive oil (or 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB margarine)
salt to taste
¾ cup vegetable stock or water
2 TB sugar
2 TB apple cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil or oil and margarine in a sauté pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are turning golden, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add ½ cup of the stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered with a lid left slightly ajar, until the Brussels sprouts are almost completely tender and the stock or water has been cooked away, about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the last ¼ cup of stock or water, the sugar, and the apple cider vinegar. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature.





















Look! New picture of the baby!

I'm so excited!!!

Our state tax return came in th is past week. Yay! So, I went out and bought two cookbooks that I've been dying to get! I got Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook and Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock.

The good thing about this: I have lots of new recipes with amazing reviews to try!
The bad thing about this: Due to copyright, I won't be able to share the exact recipes with you.

Up until now, I've gotten all of my recipes from the internet, or just made them up, so I could share them with you. However, it's not cool to share recipes out of a cookbook without the author's permission. Doing so would take away the revenue they would earn from selling you their book. Why buy the book when you can get the recipes for free, right? So, I'll post the name of the recipe, what my kids thought of it, and if you think you're interested in enough of the recipes and want to try them out, go out and get the books!

I can't say if I recommend them yet or not because I haven't tried any of the recipes. From my first glance (well, reading them for about an hour last night during my girl's taekwondo classes) they seem well put together, friendly, and helpful. Isa (the author) speaks as though she's talking to a friend, hanging out in her kitchen with her. I've enjoyed reading just the introduction and some of her tips so far. If nothing else, I know they will be helpful because they include silly things that I never remember, like how to cook quinoa, how long to soak beans, etc. If, after trying a number of the recipes, I find that I really recommend the books, I'll post links on the sidebar so you can easily find them. :)

Baked Ziti

From Vegan.com



INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces whole grain ziti or other tube-shaped pasta of choice
8 ounces firm or extra-firm regular tofu
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons agave nectar or brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons onion powder
¾ teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
¹/₈ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup stemmed and chopped spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1½ cups bottled marinara sauce or other tomato sauce of choice
¼ cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese or other vegan cheese of choice

DIRECTIONS:
To cook the ziti, fill a large pot two-thirds full with filtered water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, according to the time on the package instructions or until tender.

Meanwhile, crumble the tofu into a large bowl using your fingers. Add the nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, agave nectar, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and mash with a fork until completely smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan or casserole dish. Drain the ziti in a colander and add it to the tofu mixture along with the chopped spinach and parsley. Stir until well combined.

Place half of the ziti mixture into the prepared pan. Top it with half of the marinara sauce and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layering procedure with the remaining ziti, marinara sauce, and cheese. Sprinkle a little additional cheese or nutritional yeast flakes over the top, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned around the edges. Serve hot.