Cooking with Abandon

From How It All Vegan!

This is a new favorite of mine even though I smelled like garlic for literally four days. I can't really speak for Brett, but I think he likes it as well.

Spicy Garlic Toss for Noodles
4-6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 tsp Braggs or soy sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 dried thyme
1/4 dried pepper
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cayenne pepper

In a small saucepan, sauté garlic in one (1) tablespoon of oil on medium-low heat until garlic is translucent, taking care not to burn. Add the water, remaining oil, Braggs/soy sauce, basil, thyme, pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 8-15 minutes. Toss with noodles of your choosing and serve with veggies & tofu, by themselves, or whatever you like.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Modifications

I added about 1/2 teaspoon more of extra virgin olive oil, used fresh ground pepper, and added more basil and thyme just because I like a hearty flavor. I also used chili powder in place of cayenne pepper since that's all I had on hand.

Brett and I picked up some Chinese style noodles from the produce section in the grocery store. Definitely worth the find because that really made the meal.

We also got some egg roll wrappers, a pre-prepared cabbage mix, and some duck sauce and fried our own veggie egg rolls.

Boy am I glad we got that spice rack (and other kitchen gadgets) as a wedding gift! It makes cooking so much more enjoyable and tons easier.

When baking vegan, you don't have any of the usual binders like eggs and dairy to make your baked goods light and fluffy.

Here are some tips to make baking vegan a happy experience (thanks to the ladies of How It All Vegan!):

SIFT
Using a sifter (FYI, I LOVE our sifter!!!) or a whisk to mix together all the dry ingredients helps keep things light. Always mix dry ingredients together first before adding anything wet.

DON'T OVERMIX
I have a problem with overmixing. When you do, your baked goods end up flat and heavy. Mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands until just mixed or blended is the way to go.

KEEP IT MOIST
Put a small pan of cold water in the oven while baking. I thought it was kooky at first, but it really works!!

DON'T EXPECT STORE-BOUGHT BAKED GOODS
Baking vegan is definitely an interesting experience with less-than-perfect results, but isn't that true about all baking? That being said, even though it doesn't look pretty, it doesn't mean it doesn't taste delicious.

Seriously. Best tip is the one above. There have been many times when I've made something and it looked gross and not pretty at all, but at the same time was one of the best tasting things I've ever made.