Thursday, July 7, 2011

Summer grub if you dare turn on your oven...

Howdy all!  Summer has hit California in full swing.  Basically it's been...HOT!   We don't have air conditioning in our home but at least we have ceiling fans in every room.  Luckily it cools down at night so we can sleep comfortably.
How are all of you dealing with the heat in your area?

Since it's been quite hot I haven't been using our oven but if you are, here are couple of recipes that are summer worthy.

Stacked Sweet Corn, Bean and Tempeh Casserole

The original recipe for this casserole was found in Better Homes and Garden magazine.  I was eyeing this recipe for quite a while before I made it.  Now that corn is in season it's perfect...you can always use frozen though.  Dave and Keaton loved this meal and it's so easy to make.  Click here for the original recipe.  Listed below are the items I used in replacement of animal products.

I used:
Soyrizo instead of chorizo
8 oz. tempeh (you could use veggie crumbles as well) vs. beef 
chili verde sauce vs chunky green salsa (I couldn't find chunky green salsa)
Daiya cheddar vs. dairy cheese

I then topped it off with fresh cilantro and tomatoes.  Isn't it pretty?
Next time I'm going to try using some Daiya pepperjack cheese.  If you haven't tried that flavor yet it is better than the cheddar...that's what we think anyways.

 Blackberry Galette
(Pre baked pic)
(Baked)

For the crust you can use your favorite pie crust.  Then in a mixing bowl add the berries,
sugar, a couple of Tbsp. organic cornstarch or flour to thicken while it bakes.  Bake in oven at 375 degrees until berries are cooked and crust just starts to turn a light brown.  This will take about 40 min.

Stay cool and enjoy!

7 comments:

  1. Ohhhh, how I long for such heat! It's been 1.6C here in Canberra lately, and it makes me miserable! How I long for warmth and fresh berries...

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  2. You are far braver than I to turn on the oven without the cushion of air conditioning. Yikes! Looks like it would still be worth it though... Yum.

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  3. I finally moved to a place where I have air conditioning. I only use it on super hot, heatwave kind of days though. I normally don't use the oven in the summer, but both of these dishes look too yummy not to try. :-)

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  4. Hannah and Chow Vegan- When it's 100 out there is not way the oven is going to be turned on. lol! We usually have cool evenings here so I use the oven every now and again through the summer. The tortilla casserole could probably be wrapped in foil and then put on a grill since all of the ingredients are cooked...it's just to soften the tortilla and to melt the non-dairy cheese. I may just try this out soon.

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  5. You are amaze me that you'd even think of turning the oven. The grill is my best friend in the summer!

    You're so right, that picatta from Veganomicon is wonderful!

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  6. Tami- We did go through a spell of not turning on the oven because it was so hot but it usually cools down alot in the early evenings.

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  7. Oh wow, that casserole looks delicious! I can't wait until I'm done with my juice fast to make something like it!

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