Vegan Natura

Tostones, or Fried plantains

2010-05-18T17:05:00.001-07:00

Tostones, or Fried plantains is a side dish in Latin Amercan countries. Like french fries are served here. It is basically a unripe plantain fried twice. I use the ripe plantains too. They come out tasting sweet, almost like a funnel cake.

1/2 to 1 Green plantain per person
oil

Heat oil. Slice into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick pieces. Place in the hot oil and let them lightly brown on both sides. About 5 to 6 minutes. Take them out dry some of the oil off. Let cool and then smash them. Put them back in the oil and let fry for another minute of two till they brown again. Let cool a little. If you are using the green plantains the traditional topping is salt or a garlic sauce. Some people even put cheese on them. So if you find a vegan cheese to make a cheese sauce out of you could try that.

I have never tried them with cheese.

When I use a yellow plantains I eat them without a topping, kinda as a dessert. But you could serve with powder sugar, vegan vanilla icecream, homemade vegan caramel. But I still enjoy them plain. :)

Easter Dinner side Dishes

2010-04-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Alot of stuffings have chicken, turkey, clam or pork in them. So make sure to get a brand that doesn't. Watch out for milk additives too. I can find stuffing but regular bread crumbs normally have milk & egg listed.

Vegan Sausage Stuffing

1- Light Life Vegan Sausage
4- Servings Stuffing Bread of choice
Veg Broth
Vegan Butter
Olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Cook the light life sausage while breaking it up into small pieces about the size of the stuffing. Brown & set aside.
I make mine in the microwave normally. Even though our bag doesn't give instructions for the Microwave. I use the bread & broth measurements on the bag. I Put the Veg Broth & a Table spoon or 2 of butter into the microwave till it boils. Bring out and add the bread stuffing. Mix well make sure it is all wet and that there is enough moisture to make it soft. Then pop it back into the Microwave for a few more minutes. After taking it from Microwave place the Casserole lid over it to keep the moisture in to soak into the bread.

Baked Cauliflower

Whole Head Cauliflower
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic- Optional

Preheat oven to 350F
Cut up the whole head of cauliflower into bite size pieces around the same size.
Place in a large bowl and drizzle with enough oil to coat all florets. Add your salt & pepper. I add garlic by just crushing a few cloves and throwing them in. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. I also turn it at least once so it can brown more.

Baked Sweet & White Potatoes

2 Sweet Potatoes
2 White Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Herbs- Optional

Preheat oven to 350

Chop Potatoes into bite size wedges. Place in bowl with drizzled Olive Oil to coat. Add salt & Pepper. Add the herb of choice. I used Oregano. Turn at least once or twice. To help brown. Bakes for about 1 hour. ( These are actually very pretty when cooked. Don't look at he blurry picture and think it wasn't. Just a crappy photo :) oops. )

BBQ Burgers, Homemade Onion Rings , BBQ Sauce

2010-01-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

BBQ Burgers

What you need

Boca's Vegan Burgers -This is the brand they use. But they don't use a vegan version.
1 Recipe of Onion rings- Listed below
1 Recipe of BBQ- Listed below
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Olive oil
Kaiser Buns or Bread

Poor small amount of oil into your frying pan. De-thaw burgers in microwave. Then fry the burgers up. nicely. Vegan burgers don't have really any fat in them to make them brown So the oil will make them brown nicely. Now you can add a little BBQ sauce to each burger and caramelize it or just take it out of the skillet. At the restaurant they don't caramelize the burgers with BBQ sauce but it is really yummy. Toast your buns, with butter in the skillet or plain in the toaster. Put some yummy BBQ sauce on the bun, then add the burger, lettuce, and tomatoes, and don't forget to put some onion rings on the sammie. I also put a little BBQ sauce in a small cup for dipping. If you don't want to toast your bread before you make the sammie its also a great Idea to put this sammie in a panini press. It is really yummy!

Homemade Onion Rings

All you need

A couple baking sheets or cooling racks
1 Medium onion Per person - This make a good amount
A couple cups of flour
A couple cups of Bread crumbs
And some non-dairy milk. I used almond milk.
And any seasoning you want to add to the flour for extra taste.

Very easy. No measuring. Just enough to role the onion rings around in. Don't put to much in your bread crumb bowl at once though. If the bread crumbs start clumping they will not stick to your onions any more.

So slice the onions in sections so that it makes rings. Place them in a bowl and set aside. Put the flour, bread crumbs and milk in separate bowls for dredging. Place the onions in flour then milk. after the milk put them into the bread crumbs get a good coating. Then put them back into the milk and bread crumbs again. Lay the ring aside and do the same thing with all the rings. I lay the on a baking sheet or cooling rack. After you are finished. Leave them in a single layer on the baking sheet to freeze. It will not take long for them to freeze and they will keep at least 3 months in an air tight container.

The left over ends I chop up and place back in the fridge so I can use them that week. Or you can freeze them to be used later.
To cook these fresh preheat the oven to 425F and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch them for the last 5 minutes. Depending on the amount of bread crumbs and the thickness of the ring it will take various baking times. You can bake the rings the same way from the frozen state. The first couple times you bake them. watch them to make sure you do not burn them. Turn your oven down to 375F if you oven is a "hot" oven... These do come out tasty but they do not have any oil. So they can be a little dry. I like them this way though. If you want you can use oil spray and spray them before you put them into the oven. This way they do fry a little from the oil.

To fry just heat oil. Test to make sure it is hot. I like to use a wooden spoon. Place the handle in the hot oil. If the oil bubbles its ready for the food. Ok put the fresh onion rings in for 3 minutes. If frozen add on extra minute. Just take them out when brown. try not to leave them to long. They will soak in a good amount of oil.
Organic BBQ Sauce

So this again is quick and easy. This is a double batch. So just chop it is half for just one dinner. Or freeze it for when ever you want it.

Tip put it in an ice tray and then pop it out into a baggy. Then you have individual serving sizes.

1 Cup Organic Ketchup
1 Cup Organic Agave ( It calls for Kero syrup which is corn syrup, you take your pick, Make sure the brand you use is thick)
1/2 Cup Vegan worchestershire, Like Annies or the Wizard one
1/4 to 1/2 cup Organic apple cider vinegar (Depends on the taste you like)
2 Tbsp Organic Chili powder

Combine all ingredients into a pot. Heat till it bubble. Stir. Turn back to a simmer. Let cook for a few minutes while stirring. Take off heat and place in fridge to cool. It will thicken back up. If you want a really thick sauce while it is still on the stove add a little cornstarch. This will make it pretty thick.

Roasted Edamame Salad

2010-01-12T09:36:00.001-08:00

Roasted Edamame Salad
From Elton Brown's Edamame Show

Recipe link above. I skipped the scallions & the basil and this still turned out tasty. Wasn't a big hit the first time I ate it. but the next day I craved the red wine vinegar that was all over the salad but I really liked it on the tomatoes and that more I ate of it the more I enjoyed it. It's a nice fresh crisp taste. But would also be great to take on a trip or as a picnic, or maybe just for lunch. It was really nice. I will definitely make it again. But I will still leave out the basil.

Can't wait to have this as a nice side dish in the summer.
But its good all year round!

Sweet Potato & Bean Burritos- Makes 4 Burritos

2010-01-02T16:01:00.001-08:00

Mashed Sweet Potatoes- for the burrito

1 Large/1.5pd Sweet potato or Yam

Prep One
Peel Sweet Potato and slice into thin, round disks.
Bring big pot of water to boil.
Drop in Sweet Potatoes and let boil 15 to 20 minutes, till fork Tender.
Put in boil and mash into a smooth mashed potato.

Prep Option 2- Preferred Method
Preheat oven to 400F
Peel Sweet Potato and cut into small, square chunks, or disks. Place in bowl with 1 to 2 tsp oil, coat well. Place flat on a baking sheet. Bake till soft. Depending on size of pieces 30-50minutes. You can let them caramelize a little bit but don't let them burn. Cook cover for the first 15 minutes, Flip potatoes. Uncover, Put them back into the oven and bake for another 15 minutes take out and flip. Keep doing this till they are done and somewhat carmalized. Take out and Mash. Add a small amount of water if needed.

Optional: You can add a small amount of chili seasoning to these when you add the oil. If you do this don't let the chili seasoning burn.

If you leave them plane and made double you can use them to make Sweet Potato Perigees the next day. Of just leave them in chunks and eat as a side dish.

A facebook friend put these instructions up for cooking Sweet Potatoes that I have never tried. This is exactly what she said..."i can give you a tip on cooking sweet potatoes that I have used for years... I think it is easier then peeling them first and then boiling.... plus.. you don't boil all the nutrients out of the potatoes..... Bake them at 400 for about 30 to 45 minutes.... then peel them... peeling is so much easier :-)"

So there are many ways to cook them. Or just purchase a canned or frozen sweet potatoes.

After they are mashed set aside.

Preparing Dried Kidney Beans

Pour dried beans into a colander. Pick through to make sure there are not rocks. Rinse the beans. Put the beans a a bowl 3 times as deep as the beans. Fill the boil with water that goes over the beans by a couple inchs. Let set over night. Check to make sure the beans have not sucked up all the water before you go to bed. If they have add more water. It is better to have to much water then not enough. The beans will double in size.

Drain them inthe morning. Put in fresh water in a pot. Place on stove and let simmer 4 to 6 hours. Try not to over cook them if you are going to freeze the extra. They will get mushy and not unthaw good. Take off stove when they are tender and the texture is palatable.

This works for most beans. Different beans have different cooking times though. So keep a watch for doneness.

Re-fried Beans

1/2 Small Onion, chopped
Water, to simmer onions in
1 Clove Garlic
2 Cups prepared Kidney beans, Beans only
1/3 to 2/3 cup of water
1/2 Tsp Cumin, ground
1 Tbsp Chili powder
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
1 tsp Mustard
1 Tbsp Soy sauce, Reduced Sodium

Cook on Medium heat
Put oil in the pan, Let it heat, add onions and garlic. Don't burn the garlic it will be bitter. Cook onions till soft. Add the beans and mash with a potato masher of the back or a ladle of big spoon. Let cook a few minutes. Then add half the water. It will look pretty liquidy at this point. But when you let it simmer a little it will thicken. The more water you add the longer it will need to simmer to thicken up. If you only add half or 3/4 of the water it will only need like 10 minutes. After the water has heated add the seasonings, mustard, and reduced sodium, soy sauce. Let simmer till desired thickness is reached.

Now to bring it together.

Flour Tortilla
Vegan Butter, I use Smart Balance light

Heat a skillet with a small amount of butter. Place tortilla shell on top of butter and move it around so the outside of the shell is covered. Add some Sweet Potato mash & beans to the shell; Less potatoes then beans. Take a fork and fork your shell into a burritos and after the under side gets some round toasty marks flip so the top can do the same.

Or you can warm the flour shell and put the potatoes & beans in. Place in a casserole plate and stick into a 350F preheated oven. Top with some vegan cheese like Daiya. And let it melt in the oven for about 10 minutes.

You can use corn tortilla shells to. Fry them, Lawyer them into a casserole dish with the topping and bake till desired doneness.

You can also turn this into a liared dip. And dip freshly made chili tortilla chips.

Or make it as a pizza topping or calzone adding daiya cheddar cheese. And ater it comes out you can add veggies like: lettuce, tomatoes, etc... and taco sauce.

Nother Use for Mashed plain sweet potatoes.. Yummy Sweet potato Pasta sauce!

Saurkruat w/ Veggie dogs & Fruit Crisp

2010-01-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

There are 2 basic ways I know of that you can cook Sauerkraut. Or you can eat it the way it is cold. But you can simmer or fry it. I usually simmer mine. Just dump it and the juice straight from the packaging into a simmering pan. Add the sliced up veggie hot dogs or just eat it alone. Let it simmer long enough to get warm or hot. If you let it just get warm alot of the vitamins will stay intact. Then serve. If you would like you can cook the veggie dogs first then through them in while the sauerkraut heats that way the veggie dogs are nice and cooked. Then serve with mashed potatoes and roles... Yum!

Or you can fry it. I have never had it this way till this New Years. I simmered mine and seen that my mother had fried hers. So I went home and took some of my left overs and fried them. It does soak up a fair amount of oil. So it can be fattening. It takes alot more of the veggie dogs flavor when you fry it. It drys out and turns a little brown. My mom cooks hers alot more even past what my picture shows. I liked it but to me it just had a little to much oil. Serve with you mashed potatoes and roles again.

I also had a ton of apples that needed used. So for dessert I made a very yummy Fall Fruit Crisp. I used the recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking; PG 142. But I made a few minor changes. I used almonds instead of walnuts and I added ground Flax for an Omega- 3 Boost. Next time I will make double the topping. The picture in the book looks like there is a ton of topping but in a 8x8 baking dish it only puts a thin layer. The almonds worked very nicely with the recipe. Also I cut up the entire 8 cups of apple and it wouldn't fit in my baking dish. So if your dish is 8x8 or 9x9 and isn't more then 2 inches deep don't cut up the whole 8 cups. I put the extra in a separate small baking dish and made another double serving. So I didn't waste any. The topping although kinda thin was really yummy and could be used on the top of any crisp. Or even a topping or side for just a plane baked apple or other fruit. The texture was really nice too. I really enjoyed it.

If you click the link above it will take you to google books. This is a cool feature that lets you browse through alot of different books. It will take you straight into The joy of vegan baking to the cobbler & crumble page. Scrole down to page 142 and the recipe is there.

Incase that link moves here is another link to the recipe another blogger has listed it out. The blog is called Gastronomers.

Potato Soup

2009-12-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

1 to 2 large Potatoes per person, Peeled & Chopped; I like Yukon Golds
Water
1 Medium Onion, Chopped; Optional

Almond Milk
Vegan Butter; I like Smart Balance Light
Salt & Pepper

This is very easy and can be made for any number of people without a real recipe change. Use 1 to 3 large potatoes per person. I like to make extra so I can have left overs.
Place large pot full of water on stove. Bring to boil while You and peeling and chopping the potatoes & onion. Boil the potatoes in water till they are fork tender but not falling apart. Drain.

Put onion in bottom of pot with a small amount of water. Let the onion cook till translucent. Then add potatoes back. Cover the potatoes with Almond milk. Let the almond milk be about 1 to 2 inches above the potatoes so you have enough soup for all potatoes. Let the milk heat up but not boil. Boiling could curdle the milk. Add a couple Tbsp of butter to the soup. About 1 Tbsp for every 2 people. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with Saltine crackers.

You could also wilt some kale down into the soup; Potatoes & Kale are always yummy together
Or peas would be really good too
You could also thicken the Milk w/ a roue of butter & flour or oil & flour and add the peas to have Peas & Potatoes in Gravy. Which is also really good.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

2009-12-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

Berry Filling

2- 12 to 14oz bags of frozen Organic Berries (Fresh organic berries about 4 to 5 cups)
1/2 to 3/4th cup sugar (depends how tart you like your berries. Only add 1/2 cup if they are really sweet berries)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Cobbler dough

1-1/3 cups (165 g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (40 g) granulated sugar, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (70 g) Vegan butter (I use Smart Balance light)
1/2 cup (120 ml) Almond, soy, or other non dairy milk

If berries are not frozen put all ingredients in and set aside so berries get juicy. Even if the are frozen you can do this. Preheat oven to 375F.

To make dough. add all dry ingredients to bowl. Crumble butter into flour till it feels like wet sand. Then put in the almond milk. Mix till it makes a sticky dough.

Place the Berries into a non oiled 8x8 pan or a Pyrex container for baking. Make sure its atleast 2 inchs high. Place a pan under it in the oven to make sure it doesn't boil over. Place berries in baking dish. Take your fingers or a spoon and pull apart the dough and place on top of the berries. Take a little extra almond milk and brush the top of the dough.

This needs to bake a good 45 to 50 minutes. Let top brown. Make sure the underside of the dough is done! This will be the last part of the cobbler to finish cooking. And it does take dough a pretty good amount of time to cook in the top of a cobbler.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Flax Celery Stuffing

2009-12-26T10:36:00.000-08:00

These potatoes turn out sweet and yummy. They are easy & you will never miss the Heavy syrup canned version. This also allows you to use Organic which I jump at the chance for with most veggies, fruits, & legumes.

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 or 3/4-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup Organic Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F

Peel, Rinse, & Chop Sweet Potatoes into nice bite sized pieces. About 1/2 inch cubes. ( I wear gloves because they dye your hands orange. But its not necessary.)Throw them into a Medium Mixing bowl. Then add all the Ingredients listed above and toss together till all potatoes are nice & coated. Place on a 9x13 in baking sheet. Cover with Aluminum Foil and place in Preheated oven. Let bake for 15 Minutes covered and then uncover & stir place back in oven uncovered. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again. Then bake another 15 and stir. They are done when they are tender and some are being caramelized.

Celery Flax Stuffing
Super easy & quick!

4 Cups Dry Bread stuffing
Broth
Vegan Butter
1 Cup Celery
4 Tbsp Flax Ground

If you use plain bread add 2 tsp poultry seasoning, its just mixed herbs

Add oil or vegan butter to a pan and saute celery until tender. Put butter & broth into baking dish and add the celery & flax (You can hold the flax till the end if you don't want to put it in the oven, If has more nutritional value if its not heated.) Bake as directed on bag.

Smoky Barley & Veggies - 4 ways, Crock Pot, Speedy, Bake, Pie

2009-12-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

Crock Pot Smoky Barley & Veg Soup

This is almost basically a "rock" soup. Meaning you just throw in everything you have. This is a basic recipe. You can add or take out any of the veggies or barley. Add A little more paprika if you want a little more flavor. This will fit tight in a 5qt Crock pot.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Oil
6 Carrots, Chopped
4 Celery, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic
3 Potatoes, Chopped
1 Cup Corn, frozen or Canned
3 Cans Beans, Drained (I use Kidney & Black beans)
1 Cans Chopped Tomatoes
6 Cups Veg Broth
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Hot sauce ( add an extra if you like it hot, I use the smoky Tabasco)
3/4 Cup Pearled Barley
Salt & pepper to taste

You could also fold Kale into this soup.

Cook covered.

Heat Crock pot for 15 or 20 minutes. Put oil in bottom of Crock pot. Chop up all veggies and put them in the crock pot with the oil, paprika, corn, garlic, & bay leaves. Mix up well. Then add the drained beans Tomatoes, Veg Broth, & Hot sauce. Let cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Add the barley 15 minutes before you are getting ready to eat. But even if you leave it cook longer the barley will hold up pretty good. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Quick Stove top Fix

Heat pot on stove. Add oil. Add all veg, garlic, paprika, & bay leaves. Let cook till veggies are tender. like 15 minutes. Add Everything else including the barley. Cook covered. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

All Done!

I like to take toasted bread & let it soak up some of the broth. It is very yummy!

Bake/ Pot Pie/ or Shepards Pie
You can also turn this into a cake. Follow instructions as listed above. Except just let veggies start to get tender. Don't let them get totally tender. You can add the barley or not. It you add the barley. Add an extra 3/4 Cup. Let in soak up all the liquid.. Put in oven and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check done ness of veggies to know when it can come out. About 10 to 15 minutes before it comes out of the oven add the vegan cheese (such as daiya). Let it melt and slightly brown. Then it is ready.

You could also cook it like the pot pie below. Have everything done and stick in oven just to melt the cheese. But this won't carmalize the tomatoes and cheese on the sides. And that cruchy top is yummy.

You could also put biscuits on top to bake.

Or Mashed Potatoes like a shepards pie! Add a little Boca crumbles or other crumbled vegan meats.

Pot Pie
You could also turn this into a pie. Don't add all the broth & barley if you are going to do this. Only use like 2 to 3 cups broth. Cook till veggies are done. If the broth hasn't cooked down and thickened from the potato starch add some oil & flour mixture. Heat the oil like 20 sec in microwave. For every Tbsp of oil add a tbsp of flour. For every cup of liquid you want to thicken add 1 tbsp each. After this thickens put into pie crust. With a bottom and top crust. And bake till crust is browning.

If you are topping with crust, bread, or potatoes it is a good idea to take out the barley so that there are not as many carbs in the meal.

I will be back to add some links to some crust & biscuit recipee....

An Indian Rice Recipe with Veggies & nuts & Roti

2009-12-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Indian Rice w/ Veggies & Nuts

1 1/2 Cups Long Grain Organic Brown Rice
1 Tbsp Smart Balance Light or Vegan butter of choice
1/4 tsp Cloves or 4 whole Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick, small
1/2 tsp Cardamom or 3 to 4 Cardamom pods
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Veggies, Like carrots, peas, corn, green beans
1/4 cup chopped nut of choice ( I like cashews or almonds)
1/4 Cup Organic white raisins
2 1/2 tsp salt
3 to 3 1/4 cups water

Let rice set in water for 30 minutes or longer. Strain and let rice dry out some. Heat the pan with the butter. Add he rice. Let the rice soak up the butter and fry a few minutes then add spices (Not Turmeric). After a minute add the Turmeric and let cook for another 3 minutes. Add Veggies, Nuts, salt, & water. Bring to a boil and let cook for 30 minutes with a lid on. After the 3o minutes if there is no water visible and there are wholes in the top of the rice, take the lid off and cook for 5 minutes. To let some of the water evaporate. Put lid back on and let set for 10 minutes. Make sure there is water left before you leave it open on the stove for those 5 minutes. Stir it if you see water then leave it on the burner. If not take it off and just let it set for the 10 minutes with the lid on. This way it will not burn. Fluff with a fork and then it is ready to serve.

Roti- Indian flat bread

Will make 12 small Roti or 8 Big Roti

4 Cups flour
1 1/4 Cup water
Smart Balance Light or other vegan butter

Mix flour & water into a dough. Knead then set aside for 15 minutes. Break into 12 balls and the role each bowl out with a rolling pin. Put butter on the skillet and fry each piece of Flat bread on each side. Let small sections brown. If there is a small amount of flour left on bread when done that is ok.

You can also serve this with Curry & a protein source. We normally have tofu or tempeh.

Another good way to eat this bread that isn't so good for you is with butter & sugar. It is very yummy! :)

Crock Pot Chili or A Quick Chili

2009-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

Crock Pot Chili - 5 QT

3- 15oz Cans Chili Beans w/ liquid
2- 15oz Cans Chili Beans w/ liquid
2- 15oz Cans Mixed Beans w/ liquid
6 Carrots, Chopped
4 Stocks Celery, Chopped
2 -28oz cans Chopped Tomatoes (1 w/ liquid & 1 w/o)
2 Simply Organic Mild Chili Packets
1 Tbsp Chili powder
Paprika- Optional to taste

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot and set on High for 4 to 6 hours. Its done as soon as the carrots & celery ate tender & the flavors have combined.

Quick Pot chili

Same ingredients but add 1 onion. and 1/2 a small can or tomato paste.

Place chopped carrots, celery, & onion into pot w/ a small amount of oil. Cook till tender. About 10 minutes. Add Tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add all the other ingredients. Let cook on stove at a simmer for about 30 min- to 1 hour. Just long enough for the seasoning to grow and share its flavor. Then you are ready to eat!

Chili is even better the 2nd day. The flavors have time to come together some more and the sauce thickens a little more. It is so good!

You can also add pasta, rice, quinoa, barley, etc.If you do this make sure you don't let it cook for to long after wards.
Kale & other hearty green would be good to wilt in at the end as well.
You can also turn left overs into pot pie!
You can also pot ground flax in this recipe for some Omega-3
Or you could add some Vegetable puree like sweet potato or chuncks of sweet potato to add to the nutrient spectrum.

Wraps

2009-12-07T15:58:00.001-08:00

Wraps are easy and quick here is a couple super quick and easy choices.

Vegan Riblet Wrap

1 Morningstar Riblet
2 Trader Joes Lime Jalapeno Flour Shells (Very yummy!) or shell of your choice
1/2 Tsp Smart balance light (or other vegan butter)
Corn

Cook the riblet in the microwave as directed. Heat up pan and take the shell to smear around the butter. Place the shell in pan to start browning. Put the riblet in a bowl and pick apart into small pieces. Place half the riblet & sauce on the shell. Place corn either in the shell or on the plate. The corn is really good with this. Let the shell brown nicely and get crisp not floppy. This is so yummy and addicting.

There are so many more concoctions you can come up with

Ideas:

Vegetarian refried beans w/ tomato, lettuce, & sauce
Vegetarian refried beans with tofurky slices

Tofurky slices & vegan ham slices w/ vegan swiss cheese (opt)
Tofurky slices w/ Dijon mustard

Left over tofurky roast w/ stuffing, corn, green beans (any side you had) w/ a cranberry dipping sauce.
Tofurky, Ham, Dill slice (kinda like a Monti cristo w/o the egg & cheese) w/ a soy gravy mustard sauce
Scrabbled tofu
The omelet from Vegan brunch
Grilled or roasted veggies: green peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc with a dipping sauce
PB&J
Vegan Sloppy Joes
Vegan Burger fried w/ simply organic taco seasoning w/ tomato, lettuce, etc w/ optional tofutti sour cream
Vegan burger whole or crumbles w/ caramelized onions & sauteed mushrooms
Vegan burger whole or crumbles cooked. Add BBQ sauce & onions rings
Vegan crumbled burger fried with peas, carrots, green beans, vegan worcestershire sauce, pepper, etc ( Kinda like a Shepard's pie in a wrap)
The Monti Cristo Idea form above w/ a Vegan coleslaw both cooked inside the shell
Indian food would go good in these also. Alot of Indian food is eaten with bread kinda as a spoon. These breads are normally Roti /Chapati or Parantha. Which you can prepare easily and use almost just like this instead of like a spoon. For a more authentic taste & feel.

You can also do desserts.

Like cooked apple w/ Cinnamon & vegan butter of choice. Put between two shells and toast in pan.
Semi- Sweet chocolate chips or carob chips with peanut butter

The possibilities are endless!

Almond Milk recipe

2009-12-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Almond milk instructions.

Basically you:

Measure out 2 cups or 10oz of almonds and soak them over night.

Then you drain them and put them in the blender with 6 cups of water. You blend it all together with a high speed blender.

Some people like it plain others add some dates for a sweeter end product. I'm sure you could add other sweeteners like agave nectar if you would like.

After it has been blended you poor it through cheese cloth or something similar to remove the almond pulp.

Then you have the milk. It will keep for 3-7 days.

After you strain the pulp either freeze the almond pulp for cookies and such or dry it with a dehydrator and make flour! So there is really no waste.

Thai Peanut Butter Sesame Noodles w/ Tempeh

2009-11-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

Thai Peanut Butter Sesame Noodles w/ Tempeh

1 Package any pasta, Try Soba, They are really yummy buckwheat noodles that are used in Asian food.

1 Pack Tempeh per 2 or 3 people

Sauce
4 Tbsp Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
4 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy soy
1 Tsp Ground Ginger

Start Preparing pasta. And start frying Tempeh. While everything is cooking mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Coat noodles in sauce.

To make the Tempeh make a half recipe of the sauce. Coat tempeh in sauce and then mix tempeh into pasta. This way there is a nice kick of sauce on the tempeh.

This dish is good cold and hot. I really like it cold. I also really like it with Broccoli, bean sprouts, shredded carrots and/or snap peas. Tofu is good to.

Easy Pizza Sauce

2009-11-10T16:37:00.001-08:00

Easy Pizza Sauce w/Flax

2 or 3 Stewed Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Whole Roasted Red Bell Pepper
1/3 Cup Chickpeas (optional)
2 Tbsp Flax, Ground
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Pizza Spice

Blend all and the put on Pizza.

Chocolate Brownie Cake

2009-11-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

Made a Chocolate Brownie cake this year for my lil Sisters B-day. I used the very easy Chocolate cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, actually I made 2 double recipes for 2- 9x13 cakes. But after that I got lazy and used some boxed items. Duncan Hines Family style brownies. (which to my knowledge are vegan. If I'm wrong please someone tell me.) And some Duncan Hines chocolate & vanilla icing which are both vegan. Normally I make icing. But I was running short on time, energy, and powder sugar. Oops... lol. But it turned out really good. Everyone loved it! (The photo was taken at my parents house).

To replace the egg in the Brownie mix I used 1 Tbsp Flax with 3Tbsp water. And for the 2nd egg I used 1/4 cup Raspberries apple sauce with 1 tsp baking powder. (Actually I accidentally used corn starch.. but I meant to add baking powder ...oops ). They still turned out though. You do need to cook them a few minutes longer. The apple sauce must really up the most. So cook longer or maybe add a small amount of flour or Arrowroot. I do have a problem with them getting done around the edges before they get done in the middle too. If anyone has any ideas like turning down the heat and maybe cooking them longer... let me know. I made these in a 9x13 pan and they turn out thin. So you might want to try 2 boxes. Although they work best in small batches. But they turn out thin even when my Mom makes them with eggs. They do have a slightly different texture. But they are not as bad as some of the other vegan brownies I have tried. They still taste great and if you get them at the right temperature they bake nicely. Still working on just the right concoction to equal the texture of eggs though.

Vegan Sloppy Joed Dogs w/ Omega 3

2009-10-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Vegan Sloppy Joed Hot Dogs w/ Omega 3

1 Pound/Pack Vegan hot dogs
1 or 2 Medium Green Pepper
1 or 2 Medium Onion

Chop all. Cook hot dogs till drown. Put in Green peppers & Onions. Cook till Soft.- Sauce listed Below.

Sauce

1- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
3 Tbsp Brown Suger- (Depends on desired sweetness. I don't add quit that much)
2 Tbsp Flax Seed- (You can add more or less- Its optional. But you don't even taste it!)
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp hot sauce- I like them hot but my husband doesn't
1Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Worchisire sauce ( I was out so I used some steak sauce, John eats it on Vegan boca
burgers. lol. Strange I know. But I did miss the W- Sauce tang)

After the Hot dogs are brown and the Peppers & Onion is soft dump in the sauce. Let it heat up good then your done. Put on Toasted hot dog bun or toast and enjoy!

Taco Burger Roles

2009-08-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Makes 7 to 9

1 loaf frozen bread or enough dough to make a loaf
1 packet simply organic taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 to 1 & 1/2 packs of morningstar or boca crumbles

Try these with oven roasted tomatoes and then dip them into taco sauce. Or just eat them plane.

Follow instructions on all packets. Then put the burger into the dough and fold around the filling. Grease baking sheet. Make sure you let them raise a 2nd time. Then follow bread instructions for baking.

Variations:
Light life peperoni
w/ pepper sauce
w/ soy cheese
Burger crumbles
w/ oven roasted tomatoes
Tofurky sausages
w/ peppers

There are a ton of different things you could try.

Recipe Testing Pics- Color me Vegan

2009-08-10T10:39:00.001-07:00

I had mentioned that I was picked as a recipe tester for Color Me Vegan, Colleen Patrick- Goudreau's new cook book which comes out in 2010. I thought I would post some pictures of a couple of the recipes I have had the opportunity to make. So there are no recipes with these pics. The link I have to offer you today leads you to Colleens Website but no recipes. But Check her site out!!!

This is just a couple pf the recipes. I wish I had taken more pictures. But the camera has been lost & left at various places. Sorry..

Beet Burgers

Sugar & Spice Almonds

Parsnip soup

Strawberry Pie, Blueberry pie, Coffee cake, boiled peanuts

2009-07-05T12:14:00.001-07:00

The Strawberry Pie was my fav dessert this year. It was nice and sweet but had that tang at the end from the lemon. It was nice. I wish I would have had some rhubarb though.

Preheat oven to 425F
5-7 cups of strawberries (depends if you want a pie that
domes or is flat.)
2-3 T Lemon juice
1 T Lemon Zest
1/2 - 3/4 C Sugar
3 T Corn Starch
2 Pie Crusts

I used half frozen half fresh but you use which ever works best for you. Thats just what I had on hand. If you use frozen let the berries thaw and dump the water off of them. Then put mix all ingredients and let them set for 10 -15 minutes before you dump them into the pie. After the 15 minutes dump into the shell place top shell on. Make sure you cut a vent hole.

Bake at 425F w/ edge of crust covered for 30 minutes. Then lower the temp to 350F for 40 minutes of until crust starts to brown. Don't let it burn. Uncover the edge of the crust about 15 minutes before you take it out.

The Blueberry cobler cake from the book " The Joy of Vegan baking" this was Johns fav. This link will take you to the recipe. This recipe I also used half fresh/ half frozen and it turned out great.

The Coffee cake came from " The Joy of Vegan baking" aswell. If you haven't guess thats my goto dessert book. All of the recipe I have made from it have turned out great. I made this primarily for my Non-vegan mom. She always goes out and buys donuts before the parade on the 4th of July. So I thought if I made this it might hold her off of buying the not so animal friendly donuts. It turned out nice and she really liked it.. and guess what.. No donuts were bought.. :) I should have got a picture after I took it out of the pan..oops.

Boiled Peanuts.... My husband was born and raised in Charleston, SC.. So that is were the peanuts come in. It has been I think 3 years since we have been down there. So to bring a little bit of the south to him I made him some boiled peanuts. We stop at the road side stands and convenience stores every time we are down there. At the convenience store they sit right beside the sweet tea just asking to be eaten...so he has me hooked on them aswell. It has been hard trying to find raw peanuts around here but just by luck last week we ran into them at an International Store in Morgantown. We bought 2 1/2 pounds. So I thought I would surprise John and make them for the 4th. They turned out really great. They are a little extra salty but I will cut that back in the recipe I post on here. They are super easy to make. So everyone should try these. And if you ever go anywhere Down south they are a big thing for locals so try them their aswell.

2 1/2 pounds raw shell on peanuts
1/2 to 3/4 cup salt

Rinse all the peanuts in their shells.
Fill pot of water. I used the pot I make my soups & beans in. Its just the 6qt pot I think. The biggest pot that comes with a set. lol... Add salt and peanuts. Cover. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Then let simmer for around 4 hours. Check the bigger peanuts when they are soft not crunchy they are done. Check the little nuts aswell to make sure they are not getting to done. You don't want them totally mushy. But 4 hours should do it. Store them in your refridgerator in there liquid. If you think they are still a little salty put them in half their cooking water and half fresh water to set in the fridge.

You can also make cajun. They are really good too.

Vegan Hot Dog Sauce
When I was younger and still consumed meat I still didn't eat ground meat. So I never ate hotdog sauce. But I made this a few years ago but veganised and loved it. I even eat it like a sloppy Joe.

2tsp salt
1tsp Tabasco sauce
3tsp Paprika
2tsp Chili powder
1 small onion, optional
2 1/2 cups water
2T Vinegar
2T Brown Sugar
4T vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 small Bottle Katchup 12oz
1 small can tomato paste
2 packs Boca or Morningstar ground burger ( I used one of each). Brown, add 2 cups water & onion. Let the water cook out. Then add all other ingredents. Let cook till it thickens. Which shouldn't be that long. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes after it thickens. This makes 3 to 4 cooks. It freezes well.

Recipe Tester for "Color Me Vegan"

2009-06-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

I was picked to be a recipe tester for Colleen Patrick- Goudreau New cook book "Color Me Vegan" which will be in stores net year.. !I am so excited. I have already tested one recipe and now have the next three....!!! I will update more later!!!!

Lima Beans & Corn, Sweet Potato Pasta, Oven Zucchini, Breaded Fried Tofu

2009-05-30T08:34:00.001-07:00

Lima bean & Corn - Makes 5 cups

I had these at the dinner after my Grandfather's funeral. They were really good. Although I am really hoping they did not have chicken broth in them...! I am really kinda wondering now if they did. I had never had lima beans before and this has quickly become a go to side dish me me. Or if I am home alone I boil up some beans add some frozen corn and eat it as a meal... I like to boil the limas in advance and freeze them. that way it doesn't take an hour and a half to cook them first or a $2 can of beans.

3 cups g Cooked Lima beans
2 cups g Frozen corn
Enough Veg broth to cover all the beans and corn
1 tbsp Vegan Butter of choice
1 tbsp Flour
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Bring veg Lima beans, Corn , Veg broth, & Pepper to a boil. Melt Better add the flour to it and add to boiling pot. Make sure not to let it clump. When it thickens which should be fast it its done. Maybe about 10minutes all together if the beans where cooked in advance.

Sweet Potato Pasta

This was an accidental find. I was going to have some buttered noodle and beans for diner but accidentally opened the wrong can. But I love it. I really like to have it as a side to the Morningstar Farms vegan BBQ riblets. Or I just like it plain. It is a nice replacement for Mac & Cheese. I don't really like the nutritional yeast mac & cheese. But this turns out creamy and yummy... and sweet... :)

Box of whole wheat Pasta
1/2 cup Sweet Potato Puree
1/4cup soy milk
2 tbsp Smart Balance light
Salt to taste

Cook pasta as normal. Put the sweet potato puree in a pot with the soy milk and smart balance light. Let come together. Stir a little. Then add it to your pasta. If you don't want to make it on the stove top you don't have to. Just put it in a boil and stir together. If you put it in the microwave make sure you don't spoil the soy milk.

Oven Baked Zucchini

I love oven baked zucchini and though it is probably easy for everyone but me... I still make it. I have a horrible track record. I seem to either always forget about it and it turns into burnt zucchini chips or I get impatient and take it off early and eat it...

Zucchini - 1 whole for each person
Onion
olive Oil
salt

Preheat oven to 400. Slice onion and chunck up zucchini into bite sized pieces, or slices. Or you could just leave them cut long ways in to two or four pieces. the bigger the pieces the longer they take to cook. Put a little oil on the veggies and mix. lay on baking pan add salt. Then bake for 30 minutes or till desired doneness.

Tofu Nuggets- Pictured above with Zucchini

This recipe has been converted from the Deceptively Delicious Cook Book.

1 Cup Bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Flaxmeal
1 tbsp Vegan Parm like galaxy- optional- or try nutritional yeast
A pureed veggie of your choice. Depending on what you make it with.
1 tsp paprika
Egg replacer mixed with water- enough for all tofu
1 Pack extra firm tofu- this may work with tempeh
1/2 salt
oil

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix egg replacer with veggie puree in another bowl.
Slice tofu into bight sized chucks. Heat the oil. I like using thawed tofu. But tofu that had been frozen to give it more texture. Then dip into bread crumbs. Then put in pan with just a Tablespoon of oil. Do not use to much oil. They will fall apart or just be totally soked with oil. Then enjoy with your fave dip.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2009-05-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

It is quick & simple. The only thing you really have to do is chop and wait.... The pie looks super full after you add everything but it cooks down really nicely.

This has become one of my favorite desserts coming in only behind Pumpkin pie and Black Berry coobler. There are tons of recipes out there for rhubarb and I have been wanting to try some. This pie I have made 3 times now and it has turned out perfect each time. The recipe came from Vegan-licious.blogspot.com. Check back for more Rhubarb recipes because I have a ton of it to use and maybe even some more where that came from. The last picture was taken when the pie was cut and it was still warm... I couldn't wait... But it does set up very nice when you put it in the fridge.

Kale & Potato Enchiladas w/ Chips Plus Potato & kale soup

2009-05-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

There are tons of recipes for Potatoes and Kale and I know why.. Because they go so well together.

Kale & Potato Enchilada's
Make sure you buy the book it is Great!

This recipe came from Veganomican..... and it is really good. It takes a little time but it is worth it. This was the first time I have ever had enchiladas so I am sure you figured out that this is the first time I have made them. The mix in Potato and Kale mix was so Yummy and the sauce was a good topper. But It can be kinda messy... But like I said well worth it.

We also made chips out of the rest of the corn tortillas. They were a nice salty & crunchy extra.

Tortilla Corn Chips

Just cut the tortilla
Spray with oil
Sprinkle / salt
Put in the oven at 350F
and bake till browned and crispy.. Between 7 and 15 minutes..

There are also so many different toppings you can add. The possibilities are endless.

Kale & Potato Soup

I loved this recipe from Vegan Vittles. It turned out awesome. It was supper easy and I made it two days in a row when I was sick. It is definitely a comfort food..! I don't know what else to say about this one.. Just TRY IT! You will love it... Buy the book!!!! All the comfort food you could ever want... Plus potatoes and Kale are both super cheap and you can make a ton of it. I think I will have this for dinner today.

CousCous, Pasta & Beans, Vegan white sauce & Brussel Sprouts

2009-04-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have been cooking sorry I have neglected posting. I have been totaling busy. But with no further ado.... Here are some of the recipe I have made lately...

Corn & Couscous salad from the Martha Stewart living web page.. Out of all the couscous recipes I don't know why I chose this one but sadly I did. I am not a big fan of curry powder alone. And this tastes alot like curry powder. John and I both really did not like it... But here is a link incase you would like to try it.... Martha Stewarts Corn & Couscous salad

Next up is Pasta with a Northern Bean white sauce. I make this when I want something quick and easy.. very quick and easy. I throw spinach in also. Just to round it out a little.
I take a can of northern beans and drain it.
Put half the can into the blender of food processor and add a good amount of pepper and some water or soy milk. You might want to try some nutmeg too. Thats the spice that is in dairy white sauce. You aso might want to try so light smart balance in the mix.
I put the rest of my beans in the pasta. Mix in the spinach and then poor the sauce over. 15 minutes and dinner is served....

Sometimes I also just use the white beans, pasta & spinach. Just melt some smart balance light and some salt and pepper.. That way you have far less dishes and done even quicker. Fast and simple for those of the go days..

I have also recently become a fan of Brussel sprouts having my first one just a month or so ago. I used the recipe from Vegan Lunch Box Names Best Brussel Sprouts and John and I loves them..! I could have just had a dinner of Brussel...!!! they were awesome. But we had it with Roads end soy mac and soyrizo. This is also the first time I have also had soyrizo. In this pic they are not mixed together. But we mixed it with the Roads end and made Chili make and it was pretty good too. The soyrizo is pretty spicy. I was kinda surprised.

Lately I have also tried the soy chreese packets on my Popcorn too.. It is pretty Tasty.. And I am not a big soy cheese fan.

Found the camera!!!!!

2009-03-11T14:37:00.001-07:00

This is the first post in sometime..... oops.... But I will get straight to the point.. Food!!!

1st a snack I love to have....

Banana's, berries, w/ peanut butter Rye Crackers

Quick simple and is really tasty. I'm not big on the rye crackers by them selves but w/ the peanut butter and bananas....I love them. They are high in fiber and protein!!!! Plus you can get a couple servings of fruit with them.

4 Rye Crackers
1 Tablespoon peanut Butter
1 Banana
Berries of you liking

Fried Tofu w/ sweet & sour mixed veggies & lo mien

1 pack firm tofu (drained, frozen. thawed and redrained)
Sweet snap peas or Green beans
carrots
Red, orange sweet peppers
Pineapples (fresh or canned in pineapple juice)
Lo mein noodles
Sweet & sour sauce

I fry my tofu ahead of time. It can sit for a while. I cook it when I feel like it the same day I am going to eat it. Then later when I want to through the rest together it is all done. I normally used frozen peas & beans so unthaw them. Throw all the veggies in together. Boil the lo mein seperaly. When the lo mein is almost done throw in with the veggies and it will finish cooking off in there. Add the tofu so that it reheats and then add your S&S sauce.

Banana Bread

This recipe turned out great. It came from the PPK website. Its one of Isa's recipes so you now its going to be good!

Baby Bella & carmalized onion sammies

This sammie is from Sarah Kramers book The Garden of Vegan. The only thing different I do is I purchase baby bella's and slice them up thin. I don't like the mushroom texture or the black oil that portabellas leak off. Plus I don't ass the goddess dressing. But these are really good try them. The recipe is on page 56.

Strawberry Cake w/ tofutti cream cheese icing

This strawberry cake turned out pretty good. It came from The Joy of Vegan Baking the Strawberry Cupcake recipe on page 87. The tofutti cream cheese icing came from the same book page 231. It was a tad bit liquidy though. I added extra toffuti cream cheese to get it to thicken up some. When you mix up the batter to this came it is an awesome red. I wish it would stay that color. But the flavor is good and it turns out a light pink brown color. The toffuti cream cheese icing is awesome on it. I can't wait to try it on a carrot cake!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip muffins

These are from the book Vegan with a Vengeance. This recipe always turns out yummy and very chocolatey. Definitely try this recipe! (Sorry I can't list the page number I can't find my book...)

Shepard's pie

This recipe originated from Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals. But I changed it up a lot. So I am going to post my recipe and click on her name for the link to her recipe.

Ingredients

Potato Topping
2 to 3 pounds Pototoes
2 Table spoons tofutti sour cream or cream cheese (I used the Toffuti sour cream)
1/2 cups Veg stock or soy milk (I used stock this time)
Salt & pepper

Filling
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pack ground boca crumbles
3 Carrots
1 Cup sweet peas
1 onion
1 pack tempeh of choice
2 Tbsp Smart Balance Light
2 Tbsp flour
1 Cup veg broth
2 Tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp Paprika

Instructions
Boil potatoes. Strain and add the tofutti sour cream, stock, salt, & pepper and mash.

while potatoes ate boiling. Add oil to skillet over medium heat. Add the Onions to cook down some and after onions sweat down some add the carrots so they can become tender. After carrots get tender but still have some texture left add Boca burger and tempah to brown. Add peas. Let cook 5 minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add smart balance & flour let cook a minute. Whisk in veg broth & vegan worcestershire sauce so that it forms a gravy. Pour mixture into an over safe pan if you didn't cook it is one. Place the mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle w/ paprika. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes. Till the potatoes are crusty. Serve....

Pinto Beans
I just started cooking beans from scratch. This batch turned out great. I froze a big bowls full. And then I made these for dinner.

Pinto Beans- Boil water then turn off. Let set for an hour or two in the hot water with a cover over it. Strain and rinse. Let cook for 3 to 4 hours. Don't cook till done if you are going to freeze them. Freeze in there broth.

Pinto beans w/ bread or Corn bread
Finish cooking beans with pepper, salt, and onions. (Onions are optional). Cook beans till desired tenderness. In a cup or bowl melt smart balance or add oil and some flour. I part butter to one part flour. Depending on how much bean broth you have to thicken. About 1 Tbsp of Flour & oil pour cup of fluid. Add some water to you cup to thin out flour mixture. Then add slowly to beans. This will thicken them. Make sure the broth doesn't scald the flour mixture because then it will not mix in and will leave chunks of flour throughout your food. Which is not good..... Add a good amount of pepper.... This serves really good with corn bread. But when I don't feel like making corn bread we have it on regular buttered bread. Even when I do make corn bread I make the sweet corn bread and I have it for dessert and have my beans on regular bread. After it thickens it is ready to serve.

LOst My Camera

2009-03-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

LOst My camera when I find it... which hopefully will be soon I will start posting again!!!! Keep coming back!

Soup, Home Fries, Sage "Butter" & Pasta, & Quick unPot Pie

2009-02-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy lately. But I have still been cooking so here is some of our dinners. Sorry It has taken me so long to update. I was staying at a family members house while my Grandfather had surgery. So here are some of the quick easy meals I made while there.

Rock Soup- Which basically means everything but a rock will do.

1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 to 3 Medium Potatoes
2 to 3 Carrots, Chopped
2 ribs Celery, Chopped
1 diced Onion
1 1/2 Cups Green Beans
2 Cans Beans (Great northern, kidney, black beans, garbonzo, etc.)
1 1/2 Cups Corn
Or use a bags of Mixed Frozen or canned veggies - I always just add a bag if I need extra to fill the pot.
6 Cups Vegtetable broth or no- chick broth
1 or 2 Cubes No- chick Bouillon cube- to taste- not necessary
1 to 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
15 oz Can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
3 Cloves Garlic- Fresh or in jar

This soup is really easy. Get a big put. Chop onion ans throw in on medium heat till translucent. Add the Chopped Carrots & Celery and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add chopped potatoes. (remember after you add the potatoes you don't want to over cook them and make them mushy). Let cook 3 minutes and add the paprika, garlic, beans, frozen veggies. Let cook till carrots slightly soften. Add the Broth, tomatoes, and hot sauce. Bring simmer. Take small about of broth out and add the bouillion cube and let it dissolve and add back to pot. You can also add extra cubes & water or broth. Just make sure you don't water the seasoning down to much. Let simmer till potatoes are soft. I like to eat this with toasted bread or buns. They soak up the broth so you can taste it so much more in every bite.

This will also freezes well. Just do not fully cook potatoes. That way when you unfreeze it you can finish cooking it without the potatoes getting mushy.

Home Fries

1 1/2 Medium potatoes per person
Olive oil
salt
Paprika or other spices if wanted. (endless options)

Heat oven to 450 F
Bake for about 30 minutes- flip half way through- bake till browned

Cut into wedge. make sure they are dried off good. Coat well in olive oil. Add salt and spice to taste. Play around with these. They can go with so many different meals. And are better for you then those frozen fries that are cooked in oil.

Sage Butter w/ Pasta, Cabbage, Potatoes & Onion

1 onion
1 head savory cabbage, cord & chopped
1 box Rotini whole wheat Pasta
4 cloves Garlic
4 Sage leafs
2 large or 4 medium Potatoes
8 tbsp Smart Balance light or other vegan Margerine
1 tsp Pepper
Save 3/4 cup water when cooking the poatoes

Dice onion and cook on medium till translucent. Do not burn or brown oils they will be bitter in this dish. In a separate pot boil chopped potatoes for 3 minutes than add pasta, Cook till almost done about 8 minutes, set aside. Add chopped cabbage to the onions and cook till tender then add the potatoes, let cook for around 5 to 8 minutes. In the pot that the potatoes where in melt down your margarine and add the garlic, bay leaves, pepper, and about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the potato water. Let simmer for 5 minutes then strain while adding it to pasta mixture. Mix thoroughly. Make sure potatoes and pasta finished cooking through. And now your ready to eat!

Quick unPot pie

Ever want the pot pie but don't want to take the time to make it homemade. Well this will give you that pot pie taste with out all the time.

Pot pie mix

4 Cups veggie stock or no chick broth -boullion cubes & water will work as well just add an extra cube for more flavor. So Like 5 or 6 Cubes to 4 cups water.
1 Bag Frozen or canned veggie mix, the kind with carrots
1 can or 1 1/2 cups Canned or frozen corn
1 can or 1/2 cups Canned or Frozen green beans
1 or 2 cans Beans (your choice)
1 pack Tempeh ( Can up protein)
salt & pepper
6 tbsp Flour
6 tbsp oil or Margarine

Biscuits from scratch or bisquick is fine too. Follow instruction just use soy milk, make a double batch.

Add stock, all the veggies, beans, & tempeh. Let simmer for 15 minutes. about 3 minutes before the end of the 15 In a separate small pot heat oil and add the flour to it. You are making a roux. Make sure it is not thick. Let cook a 1 or 2 minute to get rid of the floor taste. Add a half cup of your broth from the other put to your roux. Let thicken do this a couple more times till it is not really thick. The add to your veggie mix. Let the broth thicken. Pour on top of biscuits. and you have an unpot pie.. :) Enjoy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also make you rough in a coffee sup. Just mix the flour and oil. Put a little stock in it. then pour into your veggie mix try to make sure the roux does not clump when you pour it in.

You could also make dumplings directly in with your veggies near the end of cooking. Just don't over cook the dumplings.

Or use drop biscuits. Preheat oven to desired temp. When the timer has about 7 or 8 minutes left to cook put pot pie mix into a casserole dish. Put drop biscuits on top. Put into oven and follow biscuit instructions.

One last one. Make pie crust chips. Make your pie crust. Cut it into wedges and throw onto cookie sheet. Follow instructions on heat. But watch because they will be done a lot faster then the instruction say. This is a really great option. I love the recipe from Vegan with a vengeance. That pie crust is flacky, buttery, and just yummy!!!

Refried Beans and Crumb Cupcakes

2009-01-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

Refried Black Bean or Pinto beans

Makes about 4 or 5 Burritos

Oil- optional
Water, veg broth, or the liquid from your beans
1/2 Red onion
1 green pepper
1 can of beans ( I used black beans, I like pintos better though)
1 or 2 cloves garlic
salt

Dice the onions. Put about a little oil or water into you pot. Cook onions till translucent or carmalized. Depending if you want the sweet carmalized taste or not. Dice the green pepper. Add peppers & garlic to onions when you have cooked onions to about half there desired doneness ( do not burn the garlic it will be bitter). Drain and wash beans. Once the onions and peppers and soft add the beans and warm. If you would like some smokiness or tang add a little chipolta pepper sauce or the peppers themselves. Put all of pot contents into a blender or food processor. Processor till your like the consistency. Then add salt to taste.

Next, Today I was having sugar cravings so I decided to make apple crumb cupcakes/ muffins. They turned out really tasty but I little off looking. I didn't know that they would expand so much either so I put them in a small cupcake sized bunt pan. OOPs. So now I have to eat the out of my bunt pan with a plastic spoon.. But thats ok they are still super yummy! So make sure you don't bake them in a bunt pan!!! :)

Cake Batter: makes 12 cupcakes or 1 small cake
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tsp vinegar
3 Tbsp apple sauce, unsweetened if you have it (I used Raspberry apple & Strawberry apple sauces)
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Topping:
3 to 3 1/2 Tbsp Smart balance light of other vegan margerine
1/3 Cup flour
1/3 cup Sugar (Brown sugar would by a yummy alternative!)

Preheat over to 375F
Place milk and vinegar in a bowl and beat. Place oil, apple sauce, and apple juice in the same bowl and mix till well combined. Add sugar and mix again. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Pour the flour mixture into your liquid mixture and combine. pour into pans. Mix topping ingredients with fork then sprinkle a good amount on each cup cake. Bake for about 15- 18 minutes.

These are yummy warm or cold. To add texture cut up an apple into small pieces and sprinkle into cake batter. Or cut apple into rings and place one on top then place the crumb topping over the apple! Or cut into slices and fan across the top of the cup cake. Play with the apple and make you cupcakes gorgeous. This cupcake was not baked with the bunt pan. And you can actually see the crumb topping alot better!

Sweet & Sour Tofu

2009-01-20T11:19:00.001-08:00

After having the tofu for the general Tao's tofu I had to try it with Sweet & Sour dish. So last night I finally pulled the tofu out of the freezer and made it. John and I loved it so I had to blog about it today. So here is the what I used...

Carrots
Sweet peas
Pineapples- 1/2 cup
Red sweet peppers= 1/4 cup
Sweet & Sour sauce recipe or Jar (I was lazy and use the jar last night)
Frozen tofu ( Has a great texture and works really well)
Corn starch
Egg replacer- 2 Tbsp
Water- 6 to 8 Tbsp
Oil
Rice

Start your Brown rice about 15 to 20 minutes ahead of time. If you are using white you could just add in in with your veggies to cook.

First defrost your tofu and let it drain. Piece it up. Mix water and egg replacer to a good consistency. Make sure its not lumpy and that it isn't thick but not runny. Right in the middle. :) Coat your tofu a little at a time and place in cornstarch. This takes a good amount of corn starch. Just start with a bowl full. Cover in corn starch and place in a hot skillet w/ a small amount of oil. These cook more even when you only do say 10 at a time. But you can do them all at once. They are just not a pretty. You can cook this and set it aside or cook it while you cook your veggies. You can steam or boil the veggies till carrots are soft but not mushy. The sweet peas should still have a slight crunch. Put all the veggies, tofu, and enough sauce to cover all in to the veggie pan.
Warm up the tofu and then serve over your rice.

Freezing tofu: Something I like to do with my tofu is freeze it in the size I will need later. When you freeze it in small pieces it freezes faster and thaws quickly. Break apart into bite size pieces and freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. After it is totally froze place in a freezer bowl or baggy. Tofu after setting in towels for about 15 minutes. This is one package of Nori Tofu. The kind that has the water around it in the cooler section of the grocery store. This kind has a better texture then the tetra packaged tofu. I cut it in half. So that more water would come out faster. Take the tofu and break into pieces or cut into sections. Place on wax paper in a single layer. The tofu takes on a yellow color when it is completely frozen. Do not try to cut the tofu when it is semi frozen. The way the ice crystals form it will just kind of break up. Place it in you storage bag or bowl and you have it when you need it!

To use place frozen tofu on a towel to soak up the extra fluid that drains off. Just defrost in microwave or just let thaw on its own. Let water drain well. Then its all ready to use. I don't know how long it will stay good in the freezer. I don't leave mine in there to long. Probably about 2 months is the longest I have had the small pieces in there.

Corn Dog Chili muffins, Mac & Cheese, & Fajitas

2009-01-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

Well the last week hasn't been to interesting. But I have tried a few recipes off line and mixed some old favorites up a bit.

Starting off.... John loves veggie corn dogs and has been asking me to make them for a while. But instead I made these corn muffins for his lunch and added the chili and vegan smart dogs to them. They turned out really good. Something new and interesting for his normally mundane lunch.

Vegan Chili Corn Muffins
Used this Chili recipe from Vegandad.blogspot.com
Used this Cornbread recipe from Isa on PPK

Then I added some uncooked Smart Dogs (which I am not a fan off) to the chili. Made a little well in the center of the corn muffin and scrapped my spoon into it. I used paper in my muffin tins but that isn't a good idea they stuck really bad. The extra corn bread I put into a mini pie pan. It turned out really good and didn't stick. I think I will add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup next time. They just were not sweet enough for me. The corn bread recipe cooked for about 18 to 20 minutes and made 12 cupcake sized and one mini pie size corn bread. O 'yeah you might want to try to add some Vegan Teese Cheddar cheese. That would probably turn out really good.
The chili wasn't bad. I am not a big fan of cocoa and cinnamon in my chili. But alot of people like that. I will have to post my normal chili recipe soon. I used Boca & Morningstar crumbles instead of TVP. I used some of the chili for fries as well as freezing 2 bowls of it.

Delightful Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipe
Late last week I also tried a vegan mac & cheese recipe from vegweb.com. I have never found a vegan mac & cheese recipe that I will eat and I definitely haven't come across one I can say that I like. This is just another one to add the list of weird concoctions. That again some people may like but it just wasn't for me. It had a taste similar to what I remember some breaded chicken to taste like. But then again it has been a very long time since I have had meat so... maybe I am imagining things. It did taste ok. I just couldn't eat more then 10 bites.... But it does have a ton of good reviews so try it you my like it.

Last... I also had a veggie "Fajita" Kinda. I just cooked down a red onion till clear or further till carmalized and 2 green peppers. Added some garlic and that its. Easy and kinda dumb to blog about, but not bad.

General Taos Tofu

2009-01-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have tried and failed miserably with tofu on more then one occasion. I keep it in the pantry just in case I get a wild hair to try it again. But I am glad I did. See I have had tofu I like. When we go to whole foods (which is only like once a year) we normally eat at their salad/ hot bar which I know is very expensive but its a treat. I had some tofu there that I really liked and couldn't figure out how to make it at home. But I have finally figured out a recipe (that isn't dessert) that I can cook the tofu myself. I am so excited!!!! I can try it this way in so many recipes. Only a couple times a month though because of all the grease. But This opens my eyes and tells me that I can eat tofu without gaging...lol So here it is...

General Taos Tofu from Veg web.....
I added some green peppers and used low sodium soy sauce instead.... Click the link above to get the recipe.
The tofu Fried. After being dipped in egg replacer and cornstarch....Yummy. I could yet this without anything. But it is pretty greasy so I will definitely restrain myself.
This is after everything was added. Right before plating. And last but not least the yummy finish.. We loved this stuff. John is even taking the left overs for lunch tomorrow... Go try this recipe.. Its really good.!!!

Update: As I sit here eating my left overs I do miss all the sauce from last night. So If you are going to leave some of this for left overs make extra sauce ( If your sauce was thick like mine).

Faux Tuna Sammies & Ginger Rice & Broccoli

2009-01-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

I don't normally write about English Muffins but these are really good. They are from Food for life. They are the cinnamon raisin version. If is flour less and is made out of sprouted whole grains. I toasted it put some tofutti cream cheese and organic strawberry jelly.. It was so good....

OK now on to cooking.....

For dinner tonight I made something quick & easy. John really liked it and I will definitely make it again.
Rice w/ Broccoli Ginger sauce

Rice
1 1/2 cups Brown long grain rice
3 cups water

Broccoli & Sauce
Bag of Frozen Broccoli or 2 or 3 heads Fresh
3 tsp to 2 tablespoons- Garlic (Depends how much you like garlic
1/8 Cup soy sauce
1 tsp Ginger
3-4 Tbsp Sugar
1 cups Veg stock or water with veg bullion
1 cup water (only if you use veg stock, not bullion)
1.5 Tbsp Corn Strarch
2 Tbsp Cool water

Brown Long Grain rice takes about 45 minutes to cook so make sure you start it ahead of time by about 15 to 20 minutes. Follow rice instructions.

While rice is cooking in a separate pot place your broccoli on high heat and cook away the extra water from being frozen. After that brown it just a little. Don't burn or it will leave a nasty smell and taste... Add your vegetable stock, water, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. Add some pepper flakes for a little heat. Like 1 0r 2 tsp. Let boil for 10 minutes uncovered. The sauce will begin to cook down. Add the cornstarch water mixture to further the thickening. Let boil a few more minutes. Then serve over rice.

You can also make the broccoli in another pan. This way it does not boil as long. Just do everything the same and add the broccoli the last 5 minutes of boiling the sauce. This way the broccoli can take on the taste of the sauce.

If you like this kind of sauce make double the recipe. I make double sauce and add sliced carrots and sometimes mushrooms.

JOHN's Fave Faux Tuna Salad- He loves this stuff.... ( Don't look at the white bread.. its very bad for you.. I just couldn't find anything else in my town the other day... and I was to lazy to bake..lol. )
Very simple lunch. Something you probably had before you became veg or vegan. Pretty much the same just with chick peas. I make a good amount to have in the fridge for his lunch sammies. This recipe makes about 6 sammies.

2- 15 oz cans of chickpeas, Drain and rinse
4 Tbsp Nasoya or other Vegan mayo sub
4 tsp mustard
2 Tbsp sweet relish, the pickle kind...lol

For the mustard you could use spicy, regular, or grainy....

Mash the chickpeas ( I leave some chuncks) Feel free to put it in a food processor if you like if smooth. Add the Nasoya, pickles, & mustard. Than mix..... and your done. You could also use shredded carrots or celery to mix in. Add to sammies, wraps, pitas, etc...... Here is a better pick with Food for life bread :)

TODAY

2009-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today I am starting the rest of my life. I know that sounds a little overly dramatic... But I have finally gone totally vegan. I have been a vegetarian for about 9 years and for the last 2 pretty much 80% Vegan. But as of this year I am totally vegan and so is my husband. We just have to finish the remaining non-vegan veggie burgers and we are there... I am very excited. So I have started this new blog. It is exclusively for vegan food and food ideas. I also have another blog Respectlifeeatveggies.blogspot.com which is about food, animals, and everyday life. Later this year I intend to have menu ideas. So that when you go out and purchase food for a week and you want to try new recipes or just have a plan made it will be there. Plus I will work on making all the recipes coincide so that left over veggies do not spoil in your fridge. In other words if we use half a head of cabbage one day then within that week we will use the other half. These post will be labeled simply as "Duo Dining" until I come up with a better name. On this blog I am also going to work on posting more recipes, links to the recipes, or names of the books that the recipes came from so that you can use or find the recipe to use. Stick with me for a couple of months so that I can start putting some of those recipes together. I also have many other ideas for columns . So please stick with me...!!!! I also promise the pictures will be alot better then the ones listed below.... :)

I am also getting ready to start a store at Etsy.com which I am also extremely excited about. I still have to get organized and get a few more things pieced together before I do. There will be "Vegan " stuff, food, baby stuff, animal stuff, and who knows what else.....But stay tuned and for my blog readers I will leave discounts for my stuff.

I am so excited to start off this blog and because it is the first day of 2009 I have some food to leave you with. Its not alot but this is what I fixed today. I know that these two foods are not the best and they are super easy but stick with me for healthier foods.

"Butter Soy Milk" Dumplings

This is quick and simple and you can add veggies and tempeh or some other protein source. Or you can just leave them plane.

2 to 4 Cups- No- Chicken broth or Veg broth
2 Cups- Flour
1/4 Cup Canola oil or Vegan Butter
2/3 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 tsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda

Put broth in pan and bring to a boil.
Put the vinegar in your soy milk and let it set till it looks spoiled... Then add the oil to the other liquids. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix. Mis till just combined or your dumplings will be tough. Flatten and cut into small pieces like an inch or inch and a half wide. Lay in boiling broth. Turn once they fluff up. Take one out and check after a few minutes to see if it looks like a fluffy biscuit on the inside. Make sure there is no doughy stuff left. If you over cook them they will turn into flat hockey pucks. But they still will taste ok. But try to check one out of every bunch you throw in the pan. Don't put more than say 5 in at once. That way if you mess up you have more to try. Plus if you put to man in it will cool the broth and it will stop boiling. These turn out really good though. Hope you like them. This recipe can also be used for biscuits. Thats basically what a dumpling is just boiled... :)
If you want to add some protein like tempeh take the tempeh let it marinate in some broth to taste. Then put in the center of the dumplings. You can also do this with veggies.... They both turn out great.

Of course to start the new year off with good luck you have to eat something from the greens family. So I normally have sour kraut but today I chose to change it up... With....

Cabbage No- Roles
This is very simple. I was not a huge fan of it but John (my husband) liked it. O well. I have another recipe for cabbage roles that turns out great. I will list it later.

Half of a 3 pound Head Cabbage, shredded or Chopped
1- 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 dry Rice white, brown or wild ( just very in cooking time)
3 cups water
Salt
Pepper

OK... The rice. White long grain rice only take 15 to 10 minutes to cook so you can throw it in. But Brown and Wild rice take upwards of 40 to 45 minutes to cook so you will need to partly cook it in advance. Leave about 20 then throw it in with the rest. So throw the rice in with the tomatos and cabbage. The rice will puff and take on the tomato taste and the cabbage will cook down. Depending on how small your cabbage is cut down will determine how long this cooks. Cook till cabbage is tender and the rice is done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Now starting the year off right I will do one of the Duo Dining meals... So what do you do with a half head of cabbage? duh.. you make another cabbage meal. So here is one. I will post the pictures later.

Pasta & Cabbage
Cabbage, half 3 lb head, shredded ( long shreds or to hide it put in a food processor)
1 box wheat pasta, rotini
3 potatoes, chopped
4 oz Smart Balance light or other vegan butter
3 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped, depends on how much garlic you like
2 or 3 fresh or dried sage leaves
1 tsp black pepper

Bring water to boil. Put in your shredded cabbage let cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes for about 5 minutes and then add the wheat pasta cook for 12 more minutes. In a separate pan while this is cooking add the butter to melt down with the sage leaves, garlic, and black pepper. Take 2 ladles of the starchy water and add to the butter. Let cook down a little. But do not scorch your butter. When your cabbage, pasta, and potatoes are done add the sauce mix to it. And again.. your done... We love this stuff !!!!!!

But stay with me. The blog looks rough right now but I will work on fixing it up...!