mostly vegan always vegetarian

Pumpkin Muffins

2012-01-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

During the fall I bought a few pie pumpkins and prepped them then froze them, so when I wanted delicious pumpkin during the winter months I would have it without having to buy canned pumpkin. Today I decided to make some pumpkin muffins and a loaf of pumpkin bread.

This bread recipe is my basic sweet bread, the recipe originally came from my Mother, I have modified it to be vegan and has a bit less fat in it than my Mothers recipe. Although the base recipe is the same I modify the fruit or vegetable content added.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• the equivalent of 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/3 cup nuts ( I usually use walnuts but today I used almonds, and it was delicious)

• 3 cups pureed pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together the dry ingredients well. Add the oil and the egg replacer mix lightly, add the pumpkin and the vanilla mix well, at this point the mixture should have no lumps. Add the raisins and nuts lightly mix. If you are baking muffins it should be about 22 to 25 minutes If you are baking bread it will be about 45 minutes.

Yum and done!

Chocolate Buttercream

2012-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I just wanted a cupcake! So to break from tradition I made a chocolate buttercream, I usually do a vanilla, the results were delicious. I have been working with buttercream for a long time now but it was not until recently that I started to experiment with stiffer frosting. The stiffer it is the more vertical you can take it when decorating! If you would like a frosting that is a bit less dense feel free to reduce the sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup vegan butter at room temperature
• 2 tbsp soy milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (dutch processed or regular)
• 3 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
Directions:
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer mix butter and soy milk, then add the cocoa powder 1/4 cup at a time, mix well, add the vanilla and mix again. Add the confectioners sugar about 1/2 cup at a time and mix. By the time you add the last half cup of sugar the frosting should be very stiff, if you need to you can add more at this time.
If you are going to be applying the frosting via a pastry bag, it works best at room temperature.

Yum and done!

The Bread Project: Cottage Loaf

2012-01-14T05:05:00.000-08:00

This is the next installment in my voyage into bread making from the book The Bread Bible, authored by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter and I plan to bake my way through it this year. This is another english bread called the Cottage Loaf. It is not baked in shops much these days, the book sites room bring the main issue. But it can be ordred on request.

This was a simple ingredient bread consisting of bread flour salt yeast and water, but something tells me I have not perfected the fine art of knowing when needing is done. This loaf tastes good but I think the traditional cottage loaf should be more hollow on the inside and not as dense. This particular bread was proofed twice and on the second rising it was placed under glass pyrex to keep from expanding to much. Before it goes in the oven the whole in the top was pushed in by my thumb I suspect it is to kind of glue the loaves together during baking. Also this recipe does expand in the oven by a sizable amount.

here it is ready to go into the oven!

from the side

more of a top view:

Yum and done!

The Bread Project: Poppy-Seeded Bloomer

2012-01-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Bread is such a big part of our lives. And it occurred to me that other than dessert breads my skills in bread making are somewhat vague. So I am staring a new cooking project focused on bread making from around the world. I purchased The Bread Bible, authored by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter and I plan to bake my way through it this year. This is my first attempt at it. It was a relatively simple recipe consisting of bread flour, yeast water salt and some poppy seeds for garnish. The results were pretty good although I think I need to knead more in the future.

my dough post first kneading

I had to knock back the dough twice. If you are not familiar with knocking back it is the process of beating it back and kneading it again after it has risen. After this process I had to shape the bread and I feel this is where my skills could use some improvement. But considering I will be making many more recipes I think I have some time to perfect them.

the bread formed but not garnished

the bread garnished with a salt water mixture and poppy seeds

the finished results tasty but a bit misshaped

Yum and done!

Green Soup

2012-01-03T05:47:00.001-08:00

Looking back on my blog posts for the last year I have realized I have posted a lot of sweet stuff. Mainly because I like those recipes they are fun and I am proud of the tasty results. But I realize I am not painting an accurate picture of living a meat free lifestyle. So be prepared to see more green this year starting with this tasty little number. I call it green soup, look at the finished product picture to see why.

For this soup I decided to use seitan for the protein, this batch of seitan I made and froze in December. If you are not familiar with seitan feel free to use beans or even firm tofu.

Ingredients:

• 4 scallions diced

• 1 full head garlic minced

• 3 carrots chopped

• 8 to 10 ounces of fresh spinach diced

• 7 to 9 stalks of asparagus chopped

• 4 medium potatoes pealed and diced

• 24 to 30 ounces of veggie stock

• 5 slices of jalapeno pepper diced

• 3 to 4 tbsp flour (for thickening)

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

All veg prepped and ready to go!

Directions:

In a soup pot heat the oil and add the garlic, cook the garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add the stock. Bring to a boil then add the veggies.

veg added

Then stir until all the veg has been coated in the stock. Add a bit of salt and pepper and reduce heat to low medium, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Stir and taste if you would like more pepper or salt add, now add your protein, I used seitan for this, but remember beans or tofu would be fine too. Reduce heat to low and cover let cook for another 20 minutes.

The soup ready to be thickened

Next add the flour 1 tbsp at a time and whisk. Add another and whisk again, make sure there are no clumps in the soup. After the flour is incorporated cover and cook for another 5 minutes. After this I cut the heat and kept covered for another 5.

Yum and done!

Cupcakes!

2011-12-31T04:30:00.001-08:00

I made these cupcakes for a very special two year old. Her birthday is today and I hope they are truly enjoyed. The theme of the party was monkeys so I decided to do a banana vanilla and then for those less adventurous I also did a plain vanilla.

They both have a butter cream that I created very stiff so they wouldn't fall during travel, and now that I have done the cream that stiff I don't think I will ever do it any other way! I garnished the banana vanilla with a dried banana chip and the vanilla with rainbow sprinkles.

Here is the vanilla

Here is the banana vanilla!

Yum and done!

Oatmeal Date Walnut Chocolate Cookies

2011-12-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

Well with a long name like that you get hungry just remembering it right? These cookies are a spin on the traditional oatmeal rasin cookie. I had a bunch of dates and figured I would give it a spin and the results are delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (all-purpose will do fine)

• 2 cups quick cooking oats

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup veg shortening

• 1/4 cup water

• the equivalent of 3 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups dates (pitted and chopped)

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients in a stand mixer or with a hand held until combined well. In a separate bowl mix the egg equivalent, vanilla, shortening, and water until combined well. Add to the dry ingredients about 1/4 cup at a time. Add the walnuts, dates and chocolate chips mix lightly. Spoon tablespoon fulls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown!

Yum and done!

Seitan Burgers and Homemade Buns

2011-11-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

I have been experimenting with different ways to make and prepare seitan. It is the protein portion of wheat and is used in many vegetarian and vegan recipes for a meat substitute. We recently got a grinder for our Kitchenaid and what better thing to grind than some seitan! For this meal I also made burger buns. The recipe for those is below. I think I want to modify it further to get a more true to form bun. But they were tasty!

Ingredients

1 cup unflavored soy milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups flour half all-purpose half wheat
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg or egg replacer equivalent

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm. When that is warming up in a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg replacer. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes or about 4 to 5 minutes with the Kitchenaid kneading attachment.

There they are just placed on the baking sheet

Then divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 35 minutes.

After the rising process

Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Here they are pulled apart and waiting to be used!

For the seitan: it was ground with the attachement and then shaped into burger forms. The seitan was naturally a bit sticky so I did not use anything to bind it. Then over medium high heat on a cast iron skillet they were cooked for about 6 minutes or until golden brown.

Just processed

Placed on the stove

Golden brown

Complete with tater-tots!

Yum and done!

Pesto Tomato Baguette

2011-11-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

I made this on a whim the other evening and it was so tasty I had to post it. I used it as a supplement for a bit of asparagus ravioli we had. And it was amazing, super easy and could be scaled up or down depending on how many you are cooking for!

Ingredients:

• 1 mini or half baguette

• 1 tomato diced

• 4 tbsp pesto

• parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Dice tomatoes and slice baguette in half

the baguette pre-sliced

Divide the pesto evenly and spread on both baguette halves

Pesto spread

Next add the tomatoes and if you like the cheese.

vegan option on the left and cheese on the right

In a toaster oven toast for about 6 minutes, if you are using a regular oven bake at 300 for about 5 to 6 minutes.

Here it is with the pasta!

Yum and done!

Edamame Hummus

2011-11-06T03:59:00.000-08:00

This is a new creation for me. Not my idea originally but I put my own spin on it. The regular chickpea hummus is getting kind of old so lets try to hummus other things. I think there is some white bean hummus out there somewhere. This edamame hummus it a tasty alternative, and it is such a vibrant bright green it is really beautiful in the bowl, although my photos don't do it justice.

Ingredients:

•28 ounces of edamame (in pod)

• 1/2 (aprox) tahini paste

• 1/3 (aprox) cup water (more or less depending on the constancy you want

• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic

• the juice on 1 lemon

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil the edamame as stated on the package instructions, it is usually about six minutes or so.

here they are boiled and ready to be shucked

Next shuck the beans, there are pre-schucked beans out there but they are more expensive so I take the time and do it myself, plus they are great for the composter!

finally done shucking!

Next put the beans in a food processer, you could use a blender here but trust me a food processer works much better.

here they are in the food processer

when the beans looks pretty corse add the garlic and tahini mix well, add the lemon juice, mix again. After this set of mixing you can add the water, if you add to much your dip will be runny not enough it will be very thick, I found 1/3 cup gave me the desired results.

I was going for a thicker constancy

Next add salt and pepper to taste. I find it best to let the dip rest for at least an hour, but will stay fresh when in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days!

Here it is ready to go to the fridge! I really enjoy pita chips with it!

Yum and done!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

We had our annual halloween party this past weekend. And we made a lot of food here is a rundown along with some pictures!

Various hand made chocolates, from chocolate covered pretzels to dioramas, even a white chocolate skull.

A peanut butter filled chocolate rat!

Bone shaped sugar cookies

edamame hummus (like regular hummus but made with edamame instead)

Dates, nuts and apples

French onion dip with a kick

Spinach artichoke dip

Cheese coins

A very strong tiki punch

and finally a skull cake!

the rat!

one of the chocolate dioramas

the sugar cookies with the white chocolate skull

the punch is back there, and it is strong!

the other side of the table

a wider shot of the table

straight on shot of the table

hey save that for the guests!

a couple closer shots of the cake!

Spooky Cake!

2011-10-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

We had our anual Halloween party this year. And I taught my husband how to work with fondant. He has done a bunch of sculture and painting so he was a total natural! I wanted to post pictures of his first cake. I made the cakes and advised on sculpting technique! The base cake was vanilla and the skull/zombie was pumpkin walnut! And there is a thin layer of buttercream under the fondant!

base cake covered and getting trimmed.

The hair is always hard!

The finished results before they were on the serving dish!

Cupcakes anyone?

2011-10-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love cupcakes? These little vegan beauties are based off two recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Which is a super fun cupcake book for any vegan baker. They both have a basic butter cream frosting, made with vegan butter.

The Green topped ones are Pistachio Rosewater; for the butter cream I put a slight flavor of almond in it, it was a nice counterpoint to the rosewater. They are also topped with chopped pistachios.

The chocolate ones are the basic chocolate recipe from the book but I added two teaspoons of orange extract, a tablespoon of orange juice, and about a tablespoon of orange zest. So they went from plain chocolate to chocolate orange! The topping for this is again vegan butter cream, with vanilla extract added, which was a great counterpoint to the orange. Then topped with some sprinkles.

The cupcake tower is by Wilton and is most likely pretty available in most craft stores. It is pretty fun to make these tasty treats go vertical and they are very easy to take off the tower as well.

Yum and done!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

2011-10-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have said it before I will say it again, I love peanut butter! So for my a dessert of peanut butter and chocolate is great. This is quick and easy and the oats are a good binder. Some people like to use confectioners sugar but I didn't want the extra sugar. Plus I think the taste of the peanut butter and the dark chocolate is wonderful, no reason to sweeten it up even more.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peanut butter (choose your favorite but I like a chunky for extra texture)

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks

Directons

Mix the peanut butter and oats together well.

mixed pretty well but I gave it one more pass

In a double boiler melt chocolate. As that is melting down take an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 pan ( 8x8 will give you a bit of a thicker bar) and spread the peanut butter oat mixture evenly. When chocolate is melted pour and even out over the mixture.

pretty even if you ask me

chocolate spread, and now all over my phone

Let the chocolate temper do not put in the fridge until very set. When chocolate is set you can put in the fridge if you want a cold treat! Enjoy!

Yum and done!

Ratatouille

2011-10-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this ratatouille came from Food & Wine October 2011. The original recipe was put together by Melissa Clark arthor of Cook It Now. What I found most fascinating about her recipe is that she cooks the ingredients in smaller batches to cook faster thus not spending a ton of time doing a traditional ratatouille which can be hours. This in contrast with prep time took about an hour. It can be made in advance and heated up and will keep in the fridge, the directions below are for four servings. To keep it vegan hold the goat cheese! And with any stew you need some nice toasted bread to go along with it, and it helps if that bread is garlic!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant peeled and diced

• 1 small yellow squash

• 1 small zucchini

• 1 medium onion diced medium fine

• 10 to 12 ounces cherry tomatos cut in half

• 1 pound canned or stewed tomatoes (mine were canned from the garden)

• 1/2 cup basil chopped and loosely packed

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 5 cloves garlic minced

• about 1/2 cup olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put about 1/4 cup olive oil in a dutch oven and heat until shimmering over medium heat. Add the diced and peeled eggplant cook stirring regularly for five minutes add two cloves of minced garlic and cook another five minutes, adding a bit of salt and pepper. Remember eggplant loves salt so don't add to much.

some of my ingredients waiting

eggplant starting to cook down

Next let the eggplant rest in a bowl, I would suggest pulling it out with a slotted spoon to keep any olive oil in the dutch oven. Add a a bit more olive oil to the same pot and next add the onions, after the onions have cooked to be translucent add the squash and zucchini.

Squash and zucchini just added

After about five minutes still over medium heat add the cherry tomatoes and two more cloves or garlic and half the basil.

Just added

Let the tomatos cook until the are releasing a lot of juice and then added the stewed tomatoes.

More tomatos added

Add the last clove of garlic and cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes then add the rest of the fresh basil cook for another five minutes. Plate and enjoy, seen below with goat cheese and garlic bread!

Yum and done!

Grilled Asparagus

2011-09-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

I know fall just started but I miss summer already. This tasty little treat is a quick summer favorite in our house. But if you can find good asparagus and a warm fall day fit for grilling you can keep the dream of summer alive! The most important part of this recipe is to blanch the asparagus before you try to grill it.

Ingredients:

• 12 to 14 ounces of asparagus (this was meant for two people as a main side, if you have others you can feed more people from it)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Set water to boil and prep and wash asparagus. I like to cut most stalks in half.

asparagus waiting

When water is boiling place asparagus in it for one minute only. We are not cooking it fully we are just blanching it, the grill will do most of the work!

blanched and ready for the grill

Next lightly add the olive oil and grind some salt and pepper remember you can always add more later! Place on the grill.

grilling away!

It will take about 10 minutes to cook depending on your grill temperature. The best thing you can do is taste test!

Here it is with grilled corn and veggie ribs!

Yum and done!

Curious about seitan?

2011-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite resturants in the entire world is Candle 79 in NYC. It is totally vegan and truly amazing. They published a cookbook link below

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/book-id-0609809814.aspx

We made their seitan and although it was good, it was not near as good as being in the restaurant. For those of you not familiar with seitan it is the protein portion of wheat. It is used in many vegetarian and vegan recipes for a meat substitute. Below are some pictures of our process.

It requires a lot of flour!

and it requires a lot of kneading!

and some chilling...

and a lot of cooking...

but it is very delicious!

Yum and done!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2011-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
the equivalent of two eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup veg shortening
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Mix dry ingredients by hand or in a stand mixer. Add the egg replacer and shortening. Mix well, then add the water mix again. Finally add the chocolate chips. Preheat oven to 350 and spoon the mixtures out by the tablespoon full onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, let cool and enjoy!

before they were found by the family!

and after they were found!

Yum and done!

Zucchini Pasta

2011-08-30T05:46:00.001-07:00

I had seen zucchini pasta before but never tried it myself. I knew the basic premis but had to feel inspired to do it myself. Well I finally did and it is amazing. It is just as filling as wheat based pasta but without the super full feeling after. I am hooked and I can't believe how easy it is! This particular meal is made with my homemade pasta sauce (recipe published about this time last year in my blog) and soy meatballs (which is in a much earlier blog post as well).

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large zucchini (a medium is enough for two people)

• pasta sauce of your choice

• some garlic bread if you are so inclined

• soy meatballs (optional)

Directions:

On a mandoline slicer or you could do this by hand slice the zucchini to the thickness of regular spaghetti.

sliced and ready to go!

Boil water, make sure the water is at a full boil and place the preped zucchini in the water.

cooking in the water

Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, depending on how firm you want the pasta. Taste test around 6 minutes to get an idea of its texture. When it is done drain well. I can't stress this enough, the zucchini is like a sponge so drain well, I used a hand strainer and tossed it well draining, it got it pretty dry. I would recommend against pushing it down by hand as you might break the zucchini in the process.

Yum and done!

Huckleberry Blueberry Muffins

2011-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

At the start of summer I purchased a huckleberry bush and it just keeps giving more and more huckleberries. I like to eat them as a snack or in soy yogurt, but I found out that they can be a great addition to a muffin!

here are a few before being washed

here is a closer look, they look similar to blueberries but are more tart

Ingredients:
• 1 cup huckleberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tbsp egg replacer dissolved in 6 tbsp warm water
• 4 Tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup rice milk
• 1 lemon zested and
• 1 tsp cinnimon and cup of blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix egg replacer, rice milk water, vanilla together add the zested lemon. Encorporate the wet and dry ingredients together about a half cup at a time add the berries place in muffin tin about 2/3 full and bake for 25 to 28 minutes at 350!

Yum and done!

Chocolate Raisin Bars

2011-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

So I have a lot of quick cook oats, I am trying some recipes to use them up! I was craving something sweet but at least semi-healthy and this is what I came up with. The inspiration for the recipe came from runners world magazine. They used egg and honey in theirs, I like brown sugar in cookies and bars more I feel they keep moisture better. I think they also used less chocolate and more oil. Thank you runners world for the inspiration although I have not made yours I think I would like mine more!

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4cup mini chocolate chunks
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients except for the chocolate and raisins in a stand mixer or large bowl by hand. Set this aside, then mix the soy milk, egg replacer, oil and vanilla together, incorporate the dry ingredients about a half cup at a time keep mixing on a low setting.

starting to mix the dry stuff

Add the chocolate and raisins and mix again. Bake at 350 for 22 to 25 minutes and enjoy!

talk about tasty!

they are so yummy I needed a closer look!
Yum and done!

Lime-aid

2011-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is a time for tasty drinks and lime-aid is one of them for sure! It is still a refreshing tart drink without the predictability of lemon-aid. Don't get me wrong I love lemon-aid but mixing it up a bit is fun!

Ingredients

• 7 medium limes (about one cup lime juice or a bit more)

• 3 cups water

• 1/2 to one cup agave nectar (depending on how sweet you want it)

• ice

• fun straws

Directions

Before cutting the limes roll them this will release more juice when squeezed. Cut and squeeze them, I like a hand squeezer but any method is fine.

Then add the water, stir, then add the agave a quarter cup at a time, you will need at least a half cup, after every addition stir well, sweeten to taste. Pour over ice and insert fun straw... enjoy!

They are so tasty even Vivian wants some!

yum and done!

Vegan Coleslaw

2011-07-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than a cold salad on a hot summer day? The only thing that makes this vegan is that I use vegan mayonnaise, Nayonaise is very popular but I have used Veganaise by Follow Your Heart. I like the texture for salads like this a bit more.

Ingredients:

• 1 small head of cabbage

• 3 large carrots

• 1 long green onion

• 2 1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup vegan mayo

• 3 TBSP sugar

• 1 TSP pepper

• 1/2 TSP salt, or to taste

• pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

Shred the cabbage and carrots, I use a mandoline slicer but use whatever method you like. Dice the onion very fine. Toss these together well.

pre-tossed veg

Add the salt pepper and cayenne and sugar. Mix again, finally add the wet ingredients and mix well. Chill for at least an hour for the flavors to mingle serve and enjoy!

Coleslaw, with vegan ribs and corn!

Yum!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

2011-07-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's summer and hot pasta just doesn't cut it. So this cold pasta salad is the perfect summer dish for the pasta lover. It keeps well in the fridge so I make a big batch and have it for lunches a few days in a row. The flavors are super together and it's pretty easy to make. The vegetarian version uses goat cheese, the vegan version uses a dried tofu! You can dry tofu by taking an extra firm brick of tofu breaking it up into small chunks and placing it on cheese cloth in the fridge for a few hours this will reduce the moisture and gives it a more goat cheese like texture. Feel free to season to taste!
Ingredients:

• 1 box pasta of your choice I like penne but you can experiment for sure

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 chives

• 10 kalamata olives

• 1 brick of dried tofu or 8 to 10 ounces of crumbled goat cheese

• 1 to 2 medium tomatos (depending on how much you like tomatoes)

• 20 or so medium basil leaves, if you love basil feel free to add more

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Start water to boil pasta. Well water is coming to a boil mince garlic, slice olives, dice tomatos, crumble tofu or goat cheese, chop basil leaves, and thinly slice chives. Don't forget to put your pasta in! In a large mixing bowl whisk olive oil and balsamic add a small amount of pepper and the garlic, whisk well. Let this mixture sit until the pasta is done, drain and cool the pasta. Add the other veg to the oil mixture stir well to make sure the other veggies are coated add the tofu or goat cheese and mix well, finally add the pasta. If it seems to dry add a bit more olive oil, add salt to taste!

Yum and done!

Sweet Potato Dog Treats

2011-07-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I hate sweet potatoes, I have never liked to eat them. I realize they have great nutritional benefits but I am just not a fan. But as much as I hate them my dogs love them. They are a great low calorie high vitamin treat for them. You can go to any companion animal shop and find a plethora of different types of treats from dehydrated to freeze dried to long dried-ish fry form. My recipe would be considered a dehydrated. I bake them for a long time on low heat.
Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 medium sweet potatoes washed, but not pealed

Directions:

This is much easier with a mandoline slicer but can be down with a sharp knife. Cut about 1/32 to 1/16 inch slices. The wider the slices the longer they will take to dehydrate, so you could go to 1/8 if desired. Prep a baking sheet and lay flat, don't let them touch if you do they could bake together. Which is not so bad but then you have to break them apart. Bake at 270 for 60 to 90 minutes or until crunchy. Let cool and let your four legged friends enjoy!

Declare Your Food Independence

2011-07-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

On this July 4 I implore you to take steps to be more responsible and independent with your food. One of the easiest and most fun ways is to grow fruits veggies or herbs. By doing this you form a closer relationship with the things you consume. You depend less on corporate farms. You are also developing a important skill that has been lost by many Americans. And its fun, I have a great sense of pride in my garden and most people I have talked with do as well.

You might say I live in a city I don't have a yard. There are wonderful resources out there for potted gardens. Even if it is basil and rosemary in a window you are taking steps to understand your food better. No green thumb? There are many forgiving plants out there especially herbs go ahead try it and I bet it will taste better than anything you can buy at the grocery store.

If you just don't have the time the space and the desire to grow something please consider shopping at local farmers markets. The food at the majority of farmers markets comes from a 100 mile radius which cuts down on pollution from transporting food. The money you spend at a farmers market stays local and helps out smaller farms so it is a win win!

My personal gardens were small this year mainly because I moved into a new location and was not sure how things would grow. Next year will be a huge expansion for my gardens, they will be eight times larger and have more variety. Here is my list of current garden offerings.

Herbs:
Rosemary, lavender, basil, dill, chives, parsley, marjoram, mint.
Fruits and Veg:
Tomatos, peppers, cucumbers, asparagus, huckleberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries and peanuts.

our first tomatos from garden 2011!

Mini Fruit and Pudding Pie

2011-06-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have been on a mini pie kick this summer. And here is my latest creation. It is a graham cracker crust with tofu pudding and fresh fruits arranged on the top! You can experiment with other fruits but the ones on the top of mine are some of my favorites! Who am I kidding I love all fruit, you might say I am nuts for fruit... :)
Ingredients:

• one block firm tofu

• 1/2 cup agave nectar

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• pinch of salt

• 6 to 7 graham cracker mini pie crusts

• various fruits sliced

Directions:

In a blender blend tofu first. Add agave and the extracts, and blend well. Add the salt and cinnamon blend well. Let rest in fridge for at least 5 minutes but up to 30 if you have the time. Evenly divide the pudding into the crusts and arrange the fresh fruit!

Yum and done!

Chocolate Mini Pies!

2011-06-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

What is better than chocolate dessert, quick and easy chocolate dessert! I love tofu pudding any flavor but I find that even tofu haters will eat chocolate tofu pudding. The twist on these mini pies was that i blended two bananas in with the tofu and chocolate. This gave it a more traditional pudding like texture.

Ingredients

• 1 block firm tofu

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

• 2 ripe (but not over ripe) bananas

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• pinch of salt

• 6 mini graham cracker pie crusts

Directions

In a double boiler melt chocolate when the chocolate starts to melt blend in a blender the tofu bananas and vanilla. After the chocolate is melted with the blender on add the chocolate about a third at a time on the last third add the pinch of salt. Depending on your blender you might have to scrape the sides and blend until all is incorporated. Let the mixture rest for about five minutes and fill with crusts. I prefer to do a little swirl on the top of mine!

yum and done!

Mom's Birthday Cupcakes

2011-05-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

These were cupcakes for my Mother's birthday. The recipe came out of the Joy of Vegan Baking and it has a simple butter cream frosting on top, the butter cream is also vegan. I used star cupcake tins to keep with the star motif. They were a hit! So I thought I would share the picture!

Blueberry Pie

2011-04-22T18:43:00.001-07:00

This post is all about the filling. I have posted crust recipes a couple of time but we need to focus on filling. I used frozen blueberries that I picked last season. If I had used fresh they would have been a bit less watery and I could have gotten away with less corn starch.
Ingredients:
• 1 and 1/2 quarts blueberries
• juice of half lemon
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• pinch of salt
• one pie crust
Directions:
Put berries on low heat add the agave and salt cook for 8 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and corn starch. Use a whisk to incorporate the corn starch. You will have to whisk until there are no more lumps of starch. Then cook for 10 minutes or until berries are thick. Place in crust and cover bake for about an hour on 400.

berries in the crust

pie covered and finished with my signature leaves

finished and ready to eat!

A new cake creation!

2011-04-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

This is a new cake creation that I made for my Mother-in-law for her birthday. It was a vanilla almond cake, with buttercream under the fondant. The buttercream was flavored with a slight touch of almond as well. Then it was fondant covered and the flowers were hand made by me as well as the leaves. It turned out very nice and tasty!

Kale Chips

2011-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have a confession, I love kale chips! They are amazing. The kale is bitter like it usually is so they are not for everyone, but kale is cheep so try them out and if you don't like them you are out less than two bucks!
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

• 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Directions:

Wash and cut kale to bite size chunks toss with the oil and vinegar then dust with salt and pepper. Cook at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp!

the finished chips cooling... yum!

Boneshakers I miss you!

2011-03-20T04:52:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest things I miss about Brooklyn is this place Boneshakers @ 134 Kingsland Ave.

Below we see two of our favorite offerings, The Merckx Werkx - tofurky, sham, olive tapenade, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, on a ciabatta hero and The Magnus - veggie patty, tempeh bacon, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, on toasted rosemary foccacia. To say the least these sandwiches are brillant! I highly recommend if you are in Brooklyn stop by these are just two of the tasty things they have on the menu! It is fully vegetarian and most offerings are vegan denoted on the menu with a v

And here is a link to the menu!

The Merckx Werkx

The Magnus

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels

2011-03-04T08:17:00.001-08:00

I will be the first one to say that these little gems are not really testing my culinary skills but they are quick easy and a great snack! I have been experimenting with adding things to the chocolate, and I am really happy with cinnamon and salt in these!

Ingerdients:
• 2 cups pretzel nibbs or something that has some sort of a divot in it (for the peanut butter)
• 10 oz dark chocolate for melting
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• about 1/2 cup peanut butter
• dash of salt

Directions:
Put a small amount of peanut butter on each pretzel and place on a lined baking sheet after you have peanut buttered all the pretzels place in the freezer for about 30 minutes longer if you like. The reason these are placed in the freezer is so the peanut butter doesn't fall off when dipped in the melted chocolate.
Next melt the chocolate, I prefer a double boiler, but feel free to use whatever method you like, just don't burn it! mix in the cinnamon and salt mix well. Then dip the pretzels in the chocolate mixture and place back on the lined baking sheet to cool. Then enjoy!

The Honey Cake

2011-02-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

This is a cake I made for my husband for Valentines day! It turned out pretty nice with the help of Zoe, some of her work can be seen here!
http://redvelvet.shutterfly.com/
This was a pretty complex cake dealing with many layers and sculpting of bees! The cake was chocolate espresso with a butter cream between the layers.

it started with stamping a lot of flowers and all the smaller flowers have stamens put into them this took a very long time, I think it was about 75 flowers that constructed and stemmed!

Next came the bees, they were constructed from a mixture of fondant and gum paste. They were then wired so they could "fly" around the cake!

I also gave them stamens for their antennae

Here is the base, it is in total six layers. Two for the green base and 4 for the hive. There are wooden dowels balancing it down the center and in kind of a star pattern on the base. This is covered in fondant with a thin layer of buttercream under the fondant.

There are also 21 daises on the cake their centers were dipped in corn meal to make them look more real.

In total there were seven bees flying off the cake!

finished!

finished different angle

In total about 100 flowers seven bees and one honey! I would say all in all about ten hours of work!

Calla Lily Cake

2011-01-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have been taking a wonderful fondant and gum paste class with a great instructor Zoe! Some of her work can been seen here http://redvelvet.shutterfly.com/
This was my final for the class and I think it turned out really well, but you can be the judge of that!

The cake is a white cake with an orange glaze and torted with an orange butter cream. Then I covered it with fondant, and the flowers are made out of a mixture of fondant and gum paste.

my palate!

The start of the side work (I love leaves in fondant or butter cream!)

I decided I needed more of them further up on the cake so it wasn't so empty

This was the start of the spray, I thought the leaves helped the flow

Here it is placed but not finished yet

A little closer view

the finished product!

and again!

Baked Asparagus

2011-01-09T04:39:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty simple side dish with tasty results. I also do a grilled asparagus but the baked version is great when you have other things in the kitchen to take care of. As with any asparagus recipe always clip the tough ends off. If I am unsure where the toughness starts I will do a knife test, which is pressing my knife softly into the stalk if the knife starts to go through with little to no effort that is the good part if the knife meets resistance i know that is part of the tough part!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of asparagus

• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut washed asparagus into about finger length bits discarding the tough ends (they are great in compost). Put preped asparagus into prep bowl.

Add the olive oil and salt and pepper, bake at 350 for about 15 to 18 minutes. Testing fork will come out tender when it is done!

ready for the oven!

Wreath Cake

2010-12-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

This is a cake I made and decorated the cake was cinnamon orange and all the flowers were made out of royal icing! After it set it was transfered to a lovely glass pie plate, sorry no pictures of that. I would like to thank my Wilton instructor Zoe for all the new found skills

I have in decorating yummy stuff!

first a drizzle and some dusting of wilton sparkle

most of the leaves done

the start of the flowers

close up!

yum and done!

ten out of ten family members agree... YUM!

Preparing a Fresh Pumpkin

2010-11-29T05:56:00.001-08:00

Canned pumpkin is a quick alternative to fresh but once you have fresh pumpkin the canned stuff just won't cut it. It is easy to prep a pumpkin the oven does most of the work! And here is what you have to do!

1. Cut a pumpkin in half and take out the seeds. You want just the pulp to cook so any of those little stringy things remove as well

2. Place pumpkin on baking sheet and cook at 330 for about 80 minutes, more or less depending on size. You know it is done when you can easily stick a butter knife in to the thickest part.

3. Let it cool it will be very hot and will collect steam under the skin! After the pumpkin is cooled remove the skin by peeling, it will come off very easily. Make sure you get it all off.

4. Either with a hand or stand mixer beat well until smooth and use as you would the canned stuff. So much more tasty!

pre-mixed

about half mixed

Tomato Sauce from Scratch

2010-11-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

Okay so the only thing I didn't do here is grow the veg, but everything else was done by me and although it is a bit time consuming the results are delicious! And the crock pot does most of the work anyway, about 12 hours of it! This is a big recipe it is meant for a big gathering or to freeze and use when needed. It freezes well and is great for a quick meal!

Ingredients:

• 10 pounds of fresh tomatos, I like roma because they have less water content, but feel free to use your favorite type

• 1 red bell pepper minced

• 2 large minced purple onions

• 3 scallions chopped

• 5 to seven cloves of garlic (you can add more or less depending on your love of garlic)

• 3 12 ounce cans of tomato paste

• fresh oregano

• fresh marjorm

• fresh basil

• 1 tbsp sugar

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil water to pour over tomatos to slip the skins, this is the process of removing the skins of the tomato because they become stringy in the sauce. I use my sink and put the hot water over the tomatos and let them sit, you might hear a small pop, but you can tell when they are ready by the skins becoming loose and easy to remove.

tomatoes in water, not ready to be slipped

Next it is time to remove the skins and cut the tomato into quarters removing where the stem was attached as well.

believe it or not this part goes pretty fast!

Remove any excess water by squeezing the tomatoes and place in your crock pot on low. And now it is time to prepare your veg! Mince the onions and pepper press or mince the garlic cut the scallions and mince the fresh herbs.

some of my progress here!

Add everything but the seasoning and the tomato paste to the crock pot.

added (sorry it is dark)

About two hours in add your first can of tomato paste and then the other two about three hours later. Add the herbs and seasoning at about hour nine and do not over salt! Tomatoes love salt and will suck it up fast add a bit then stir well then taste then add more if desired. When you get the flavor you want take an immersion blender and blend to the texture wanted, I like a thicker sauce but some really like the sauce to be thin with no noticeable veg in it.

in the process of blending!

super yum!

The Halloween Munchies!

2010-11-03T06:04:00.001-07:00

So I had a little party for Halloween and it was all vegan except for the bees wax in some of the chocolate candy I made. The centerpiece of my munchies was the cake. It was a pumpkin walnut pound cake (the skull) and a vanilla walnut cake for the base, with a vegan butter cream frosting!Here are some pictures!

before it was on its base on the table!

yum yum give me some!

I am a total slacker!

2010-11-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have no excuse on why it has been so long sense I posted but I need to get back into the swing of things! I am going to start posting some pictures and not recipes yet! I have been taking a Wilton cake decorating class with a great teacher Zoe! A link to her Facebook page is here!
http://www.facebook.com/cakedecorating

And here are some of my fun designs from our classes!

cupcake day: vegan cupcakes with a vegan butter cream frosting!

This was my favorite one!

This was the base for my final cake...

This is my final! It is supposed to look like a Day of the Dead skull

I added a bunch of leaves because they are my favorite thing to make!

Thanks Zoe!

Boiled Peanuts

2010-08-06T07:39:00.001-07:00

I am a sucker for these salty treats! What I think I like most about them is experimenting with the recipe, to add a little kick to the traditional boiled peanut recipe! When I was first offered a boiled peanut I was a bit scared, it looked kind of puffy and wet, not what I was used to in the world of peanut consumption! But after trying them I was hooked! The nut inside never become soggy just delicious.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw peanuts

• 5 cups water

• 1/3 cup kosher salt

• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Add the peanuts to the salted water and bring to a boil then add the pepper stir and reduce heat to low, cook for three to four hours stirring occasionally.

just to a boil and pepper added

after being cooked for about an hour

Taste after three if the nuts are not the correct texture and flavor keep cooking if desired at this point add more cayenne pepper for an extra kick!

finished and yum!

Fruit and Yogurt Pie

2010-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is a great summer pie, it is easy it keeps well and it is light! The only problem I have found with it is that you have to really drain the yogurt to make it more like a custard constancy.

Ingredients:

• 9 full graham cracker sheets

• 3 tbsp vegan butter

• 32 ounces of vanilla or plain soy yogurt

• 2 plums sliced

• 1 peach sliced

• 1 strawberry sliced

• 7 or so blackberries

Directions:

The yogurt:

Drain in cheese cloth over night in the refrigerator. The yogurt will loose its water and become much thicker and this is the base of your pie!

The crust:

In a food processor grind the crackers up to a very fine consistency,

crackers processed

melt butter and mix with the crackers. Press into a pie plate, and bake at 300 for 9 to 11 minutes. Let chill.

fresh out of the oven!

The pie: Place yogurt in the crust do not blend to much keep it as stiff as possible. Arrange sliced fruit in any pattern you please!

Ready to enjoy!

Cherry-Gooseberry Pie

2010-06-20T12:44:00.001-07:00

The season on Gooseberries is so short you need to grab them when you see them. They freeze well but are not commercially grown it is always in my experience a local independent farmer what brings them to market. A good Gooseberry is tart and firm, they make a great counterpoint to a sweet fruit like a Cherry! This particular pie is one of my all time favorites because of all the wonderful flavors in it. I am a fan of the tartness of the Gooseberries if you want a sweeter pie add more sugar or sweetener of your choice. This pie crust is an old family recipe made vegan by me commercially prepared pie crusts are available for people that don't have the time to make their own but I promise mine is much more tasty so try your hand at it and let me know what you think!

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of unbleached flower

• 3/4 cup cold vegan butter

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 9 tbsp ice water

Directions:

Before you start chill everything even the dry ingredients. I use my kitchenaid mixer for this recipe but you can do it by hand or use a food processor as well. Mix all dry ingredients together until well mixed. Add a small amount of the butter about a tablespoon mix until there are lumps in the dough then add another tablespoon until butter is all mixed in. The dough should be lumpy. Then add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until water is all added. Dough should be cold and a bit tacky. Do not over work the dough, it will get very gummy. After dough is mixed place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but up to an hour if you are not pressed for time. Remove dough and place on a floured surface to roll with rolling pin, its best to dust the rolling pin as well. Roll to about 1/3 inch thick place in bottom of your 9' pie pan.

the crust rolled out

Filling:

• 1 1/2 quarts cherries pitted (there are gadgets that stone your cherries for you in all the kitchen stores, but I am a fan of a large paper clip sanitized, and bent into an S, these are the easiest for me to work with, and take up a lot less room than a big cherry stoner)

• 1 quart gooseberries

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 3 tbsp flour (as a binding agent)

these cherries are pitted!

gooseberries added

Directions:

Mix sugar and vanilla together well, add the cherries and gooseberries, mix well. Place in large pot on low heat for about 10 minutes, this will release the juices in some of the fruit, add the flour and stir well, be careful not to break any of the fruit. Place in pie dish over rolled out dough.

ready for the oven!

For lattice work cut remaining dough in 1/2' strips and weave over top of pie. The leaf pattern in the middle was done by eye using left over dough, not necessary but pretty! Bake at 400 for about an hour or until berries are soft when poked and crust is a golden color.

Done and yum!

Vegan Bon Bons

2010-06-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

So it is officially hot and what better way to combat the hot weather with Bon Bons! A traditional Bon Bon is made of ice cream and chocolate and most of the time pretty high in fat. Well these little beauties are full of potassium and not as much fat!
Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks

• 2 tbsp agave nectar

Directions:

In a double bolier start melting one cup of chocolate. To prepare the bananas blend in blender until smooth along with the vanilla and agave nectar then add the chocolate that has been melted, blend until an even color is reached. Freeze this mixture for two or more hours.

frozen mixture

Then with a either a spoon or melon baller make either full round or half rounds. You have to work quick you don't want the mixture to melt in your hands! Then place in the freezer again this time for 30 minutes or longer. Double boil the other cup of chocolate. Remove from heat and drop the rounds in the chocolate, I find it is best to use a fork to get an even coating and not to much clumping. The chocolate will make a hard shell around the mixture and they are ready to enjoy!

Refreshing and Yummy!

Seitan Jerky

2010-05-10T05:26:00.001-07:00

This is a quick easy snack that keeps well in an air tight container. It is highly modifiable so if you like spicy go for it, I am going with more of a savory flavor with a little kick. The only rule is don't over cook the strips because they get to crunchy and hard and no one likes hard jerky!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces seitan sliced thinly but evenly

• 1/2 cup tamari

• 1/3 cup water

• 2 tbsp ketchup

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp mustard powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp honey

Directions:

Slice seitan thin and even so there is less of a chance of burning parts of it, and set aside.

Then mix the wet ingredients together and whisk, add the dry ingredients, as seen below,

Then add the seitan, and mix well, I use my hands to get full coverage, but have a towel handy because the mix is a little sticky. Let the seitan marinade for at least 20 minutes

seitan marinading

Cook at 200 for 20 to 25 minutes, you want the strips to be stiff but not crunchy!

yum!

Banana Almond Breakfast Bread

2010-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from a friend who can't stand bananas but will eat them in bread! I decided to make a breakfast bread. You might be asking why is this is a breakfast bread well technically I guess it is not but it is got four bananas in it and about 2/3 cup of almonds, which is a lot of protein. It is also low in sugar so I think it's a perfect for breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup canola oil

• 1/2 cup water

• 4 ripe bananas

• 1 tsp vinalla extract

• 2/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together with electric mixer or stand mixer. As seen below.

dry ingredients only

Then add the oil and water one at a time mix well, add the bananas next followed by the vanilla mix well. Finally add the almonds and mix lightly you don't want the almonds to get to mashed up.

almonds added but not mixed yet

Place in one loaf pan that has been sprayed or lightly greased.

ready for the oven!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out and is clean. Below is the finished loaf just out of the oven!

Enjoy!

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

2010-03-29T04:51:00.001-07:00

I recently had a mass marketed lemonade and thought it tasted super nasty, but at the same time I really wanted a lemonade, so I decided to try my hand at making my own! Through some research I realized the way to go is to use simple syrup not just sugar alone it mixes better and I think has a better flavor. There are different types of simple syrup I used the two to one ratio which is called the rock candy mixture. And to be honest squeezing lemons seems to be a great arm exercise, so it's a win win!

Ingredients:

• the juice of 10 lemons about 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice

• 2 cups sugar

• 6 cups water

• ice cubes

• lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

Squeeze those lemons don't be shy when squeezing you can get a lot of juice out of them, and the skins are great for compost!

lemon juice only

Next take a medium sauce pan and put the sugar and one cup of water in whisk and put on medium heat, you want this mixture to come just below boiling. It will not look clear because all the sugar has not disolved but don't let it boil, after a while it will crystalize to the pan if it is allowed to boil. Whisk into the lemon juice.

sugar whisked in

Next add the remaining water about 1 1/2 cups at a time and whisk well.

water added

Finally add ice cubes to a glass and pour over, makes about four tall glasses add a lemon wedge for garnish and some fun straws!

enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-03-25T04:26:00.001-07:00

I am a total sucker for Italian food! First of all there are tons of vegetarian options and second it is so tasty! Eggplant parmesan is simple to make and delicious to eat. I make it a couple different ways, the way I am showcasing today is frying the eggplant you can also slice it very thin and cook it raw within the dish but that is for another day!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant sliced in half inch rounds

• 1 large tomato sliced in about half inch rounds

• 12 oz mozzarella cheese (if you are going vegan I recommend the Follow Your Heart brand)

• 16 to 20 oz tomato sauce

• 3/4 cup bread crumbs

• 3 tbsp corn starch dissolved in

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 sprig of fresh basil

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp sage

• 1 tsp pepper

• kosher salt

• olive oil

• Parmesan cheese for the top

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 375. Place eggplant on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle a bit of salt on the top, let set for about 20 minutes and then wash the salt off. This will take some of the liquid content out of the eggplant and give it a better texture when cooked. Then dip the eggplant rounds in the corn starch and water mixture followed by dipping it in a bowl with the bread crumbs, oregano and sage, the two bowl system is needed here for sure. Next mince the garlic and place in large skillet with about 3 tbsp olive oil (you might have to add more after you turn the eggplant) after the garlic is cooking down nicely start adding the covered eggplant rounds as seen below.

half done!

The will have to be fried on each side this will take about 4 minutes per side, you should be able to easily slide a fork into them when they are cooked. Be watchful of this you don't want them to burn! Next let the rest on a paper towel, this will remove any excess oil.

eggplant drying

Then its time to stack! I like to use a loaf pan because I like a tall stack and I am only cooking for two you can experiment with other dishes but this is the one I prefer. Start with about 1/2 cup of sauce of the bottom, then add a layer of eggplant, a little overlap is fine but you want this to be one layer.

yum!

Then add a layer of cheese, then tomato, then this time about 1 cup sauce then eggplant then cheese then tomato... you get the point right

almost finished stacking!

Keep stacking until you run out of pan or ingredients! Sprinkle the top with parmesan and fresh basil! Add a little more sauce then you think you need to the sides, a lot of it will dissipate during cooking. Cook at 375 for about 40 minutes, you want your cheese to be slightly browned! After taking out of the oven let set for at least 10 minutes! Sorry I don't have a final picture it doesn't last to long around our house!

ready for the oven!

Vegan Minestrone Soup

2010-02-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

So this week was tough for me, I was sick, first a cold then a stomach thing. I find nothing more comforting when I am sick than soup. A nice slow cooked soup fills my home with great smells, when I can actually smell them, and it is not to demanding on preparation. This Minestrone recipe is pretty typical but feel free to add or subtract herbs as desired. Also feel free to experiment with the veggies used, don't like parsnip, use celery, no need for pinto beans if you want to use navy! The recipe below also makes eight servings so cut it down if you want to make less, this will stay good in the refrigerator for up to five days as well, but you might have to add more veggie stock or water when reheating in the microwave. One more thing because I was sick I only took a picture at the end so sorry more blogs with more pictures soon to come because I am feeling better now!

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of crushed tomatos (I can during the summer but if you don't there are 28 ounce cans available at the market)

• 5 cups of vegetable stock, you might need up 1 more cup depending on the moistness of your tomatos

• 3 medium large carrots, diced

• 1 medium large parsnip diced

• 5 mushrooms your choice, I used baby portables

• 1 medium onion diced

• 1/2 cup white cooking wine

• 2 cups pinto beans (I prep from dried but if you are buying canned one can drained is fine)

• 1/2 box pasta (I used Ziti because it was open but any short pasta will work)

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary

• 5 sage leaves

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat in a large stock pot the olive oil and add the onion and garlic cook over medium for about five minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and parsnip cook for another five minutes add the cooking wine, and cook for about another three minutes. Add the vegetable stock, tomatos, herbs and seasonings. Cook for about 45 minutes add the beans and simmer on low, about a half hour before you want to serve add the pasta. When the pasta is cooked its time to eat! Enjoy!

yum!

Kind Of Low Fat Chocolate Mint Cookies

2010-02-20T08:51:00.001-08:00

Well what can I say, I love to cook and I love to bake, mainly because I love to eat. It is the middle of winter here and although I have good milage on my treadmill cutting out some fat is a good idea for anyone that feels a bit house bound in the cold and snow. This is a recipe that I am currently modifying to cut out more of the fat and calories, this is attempt number three, I fell that by number five I will have cut out all I can and still have it be a tasty cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer dissolved in

• 2 tbsp warm water

• 1/4 cup vegan butter

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp mint extract

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients well, except the chocolate chips, the picture below is not mixed enough yet.

getting there

Next add the Egg Replacer dissolved in water and the applesauce, mix again, add the vegan butter and the extracts. Depending on the consistency of your applesauce you might have to add a bit more water up to 3 tablespoons should do the trick, but only add this is the mixture seems to stiff. Next add the chocolate chips and mix one more time.

just a little more mixing needed

Use a tablespoon and place on a cookie sheet, should yield 14 to 18 cookies depending on how large you make them. Bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes. When you stick a toothpick in them and it comes out clean they are done. Do not over bake they become to dry and not that fun to eat!

ready to enjoy!

Sweet Savory Barbecue Sauce

2010-02-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before I have been really into the idea of making my own sauces, instead of using the store bought sauce. This is my second attempt, and although my first attempt was a success I decided to back off a bit on the heat for this time around. I also decided to use crushed tomatoes instead of ketchup it feels fresher and a bit more hardy this way. But the downfall is that it is not as thick so if you baste on the grill expect to baste more. This sauce can be made in advance and be stored up to two weeks in an air tight container in the refrigerator!

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions:

In a large pot mix the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar over low heat for about five minutes, add the other ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium for about another 30 minutes. It's ready to enjoy!

yum yum yum!

Tomato Parmesan Love Bones

2010-02-01T13:49:00.001-08:00

February is the month of love and our companion animals need love too, not to mention treats! This is a special recipe that I call Love Bones, because of their red color. They were made to welcome our new addition to our family Posey, a black Brussels Griffon rescue! And they are a hit both Posey and Vivian love the Love Bones!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 cup corn meal

• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 12 ounces of tomato paste

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Place flour, cheese and corn meal into a kitchenaid or blend by hand.

before blended!

Add the tomato paste, egg and water and mix well. If the dough seems a bit sticky add up to 1/4 more cup of flour. The dough should not be very tacky to touch. Remove and place on floured surface and roll with rolling pin until about 1/2'' thick.

ready for rolling!

rolled!

Use desired cookie cutter to cut, re-roll the excess and cut again and again and again!

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes flipping half way to assure even baking on both sides. Let cool well and give to your favorite pooch with a kiss and a pat on the head!

nothing says love like a hand made treat!

Corn Chowder

2010-01-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

It is one of the coldest winters I have ever experienced. It's a great excuse to make delicious chowders soups and stews! And I love love love a good corn chowder. What makes this a chowder is that it is a thick soup with a lot of veggies. A traditional chowder would have milk and bacon but this is as always a Vegan version!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups corn ( have blanched and frozen some from our garden, but if you don't have that luxury frozen is fine just make sure its no salt added)

• 3 medium to large carrots cut in about 1/2'' rounds

• 3 stalks celery

• 1 pepper (I used green but red is fun too)

• 1 medium onion diced

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• 3/4 cup flour, used as thickener, you might need more or less depending on the water content of your veg

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp sage

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot, until the onion is translucent, add the other vegetables except corn and saute for about five minutes, carrots should be tender. As seen below.

yum tender carrots!

Then add the stock and corn and bring to boil.

the ingredients boiling

Then add your spices and whisk. Simmer for about an hour.

spices added

After an hour of simmering add the flour 1/4 cup at a time stir well, it should offer up some resistance every time more flour is added, if you want a thicker chowder add a bit more a thinner a bit less, just make sure you do not have any flour clumps they are no fun to eat!

Thickened and ready to enjoy

Yum and yum!

Cinnamon Sugar Nuts

2010-01-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is a winter favorite great around the holidays and is perfect for any party snack. I enjoy making a large batch and eating them as a sweet and protein filled snack. If you do the same make sure to store them in an air tight container, but in all honesty they most likely won't last that long!

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups mixed nuts

• 2 1/2 cups sugar

• 3/4 cup water

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Place sugar water cinnamon and salt into a stock pot over medium heat, when sugar liquifies at a boil, add the vanilla, and cook for another three minutes stirring regularly.

ready for nuts!

Incorporate nuts and make sure all nuts are covered well, then spread on a foil lined cookie sheet,

nuts about to be mixed

bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes, they will be done when the liquid has dissipated. Cool and enjoy!

ready for the oven!

Vegan Bar-B-Que Sandwich

2010-01-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

2010 is the year of vegan Bar-B-Que, bet you didn't know that. I really want to start experimenting with different types and sauces. This is my first attempt at Bar-B-Que sauce from scratch and I have to say I am truly happy with it, its an amalgamation of a bunch of different recipes. This particular mixture has a kick to it for sure, if you want it to be more mild cut down on the cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

Bar-B-Que sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove minced

• 12 ounces ketchup

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup white cooking wine

• 2 tbsp liquid aminos

• 1 tbsp dry mustard

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 coriander seeds

• 1 tsp liquid smoke

• 1 brick of tofu

• 1 seven grain roll for each sandwich

• pickle for garnish

cold slaw

• 1 medium carrot shredded

• 1/2 small cabbage shredded

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo

• 1 tbsp vinegar

• dash of sugar

• 1 tsp yellow mustard

Directions:

For the sauce: Take the oil heat in a sauce pan and add the onion and garlic cook until the onion becomes transparent about 4 to 5 minutes. Then add all the other ingredients and cook for 20 minutes. The sauce can be prepared early and you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

the ingredients added before stir

Cold slaw: mix cabbage and carrots with the mayo stir well add the other ingredients and mix, add salt and pepper to taste, if you like a more liquid slaw add more mayo or sweeter add a bit more sugar.

cabbage and carrots shredded

I prepared the tofu as baked tofu nibbles, as previously explained in my blog. I then take the baked nibbles put them in a medium heat skillet with about 2/3 of a cup of the sauce combine well and stir regularly if you don't stir the sauce will start to stick to the pan.

tofu nibbles and sauce

Cut roll and toast if desired, add some tofu nibbles, cold slaw, and pickle for garnish. Sadly I did not make the onion rings but they were a tasty addition to the meal!

finished and yum!

It's 2010 and this is what I am going to do about it!

2010-01-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

So a new year and a new dedication to to cooking. I have finally accepted what I have known for a long time, I am the happiest when I am cooking. There is something that makes me so complete when I am in the kitchen; now that might have something to do with eating after I cook :)

I have decided after a lot of deliberation that I will be trying new and different recipes from many different sources as well as doing my personal modifications on recipes I find to make the vegan. I cannot promise that they will all be good, and I cannot promise that I will post everything I am doing, but I can promise this, in 2010 I will be experimenting more, honing my skills and taking more risks in my cooking and baking, which is a little scary, but at the tail end of 2010 I will be a better vegan chef!

Reindeer Munch

2009-12-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is a cute little treat that I make around the holidays and give to friends and family in decorative bags! It's very very yummy and pretty easy. The hardest part of this particular recipe is getting the chocolate even over all of the cereal, but I have a trick... put the mix in a ziplock bag and shake shake shake! This sweet snack mix is also good for parties!

Ingredients:

• Box of Crispix cereal or similar (about nine cups in a box)

• Package of dark chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a double boiler melt down chocolate then add peanut butter (I use chunky but smooth is fine too) and mix well.

chocolate and peanut butter coming together

Start adding the cereal about two cups at a time and mix well, after all the cereal is incorporated then take mix and put in large gallon ziplock bag and shake then add the powdered sugar and shake some more, if it seems clumpy open the bag and break apart and close and shake again!

before ziplock

in ziplock

You get the point there will be a lot of shaking, shake until it looks evenly coated with chocolate and sugar! Let cool and enjoy!

Super yum!

Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Bread

2009-12-13T04:11:00.000-08:00

This is a variation on my Mothers zucchini bread recipe. I find the chocolate chips really give it a new attitude! I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips and love them! If I add things to breads such as nuts or chocolate chips I like to place a row of them on the top so potential eaters know what they are getting into! This recipe is enough to make two loafs so prepare two loaf pans by greasing the bottoms and sides so you can remove the bread after it cools!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 cups shredded un-peeled zucchini

• 4 1/2 tsp "Energ" egg replacer dissolved in

• 6 tbsp water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

dry ingredients about to be mixed

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then add the egg replacer and oil, mix well, next add the zucchini and mix again. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts if you want them. Pour half into each greased pan,

ready for the oven

and bake at 350 for about an hour, check after 40 minutes, if the bread is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean you are done let cool and enjoy!

my bread just loafing around... and cooling!

Vegan Beer Burgers

2009-12-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

I hear meat eating friends talking about beer burgers and I think I bet I can maybe a vegan version, well I did and they were tasty! Not to mention easy! The only problem I had was to get the correct amount of beer so the Gimme Lean had the correct texture, but I have it figured out now!

Ingredients:

Made for two burgers

• 1 cup Gimme Lean

• 1 medium onion diced

• 1/2 cup beer

• 2 tbsp bread crumbs

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• dash of salt

• for garnish thinly sliced tomato and some lettuce

• a bun of your choosing, I am using the Whole Foods 365 whole wheat sesame buns

For the topping I am using my Super Secret Vegan Sauce from my blog posting on March 25, 2009: Vegan Rubin Sandwich

Directions:

Prepare the Super Secret Vegan Sauce and refrigerate

Next mix the Gimme Lean, onion, salt, pepper and garlic together I found using my hands works well, all be it they will get very sticky so have a towel handy.

Thanks Gimme Lean for making Vegan burger making easy!

Now add the beer and mix again then after that is mixed well add the bread crumbs, the picture below is before the beer has been mixed in.

the beer just poured in

If the burger feels to loose add more bread crumbs, it should be a little loose but not fall apart in your hands. Preheat a skillet over medium with about one tablespoon of oil so the burgers do not stick. Over medium heat they will have to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side,

when flipped they should have a even brown color as seen on the burger on the right in the pic below, the other i flipped to soon to illustrate the difference.

almost yum time!

Prep your bun with sauce, lettuce, tomato and vegan cheese if desired, I love onion rings with a burger, so I was baking those as I was preparing the burgers! Build and enjoy!

Successful Vegan Beer Burgers for the YUM!

Pasta with Spinach and Veggie Meatballs

2009-12-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a great quick meal if you happen to have left overs they warm up well! The veggie meatballs are my recipe previously in my blog, I always make a double batch and freeze some. This is also a good recipe for kids that don't always want to eat green things because the spinach cooks down they don't even know it is in there! You can chop the spinach to be "hidden" even more for picky eaters.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic minced (more or less depending on your love of garlic)

• 1 medium onion chopped fine

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 28 oz crushed tomatoes (I use canned from our garden but store bought is fine too)

• 8 oz tomato paste

• 1 bunch of spinach washed and dried

• about 8 veggie meatballs

• box of pasta of your choice

Directions:

Start the pasta water and bring to a boil as you are doing the sauce, when it boils add the pasta, keep an eye on it when you are doing the sauce! Heat a large sauce pan over medium with the olive oil, then add the garlic and onion, cook until onions become transparent, about 4 to 5 minutes, make sure you stir this you don't want the garlic to burn. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well, add the salt, pepper, and sugar (we add the sugar to add to the sweetness of the tomatoes, its a trick I use in pasta sauce too). Add the tomato paste and stir well. When the sauce is thickened with the paste add the spinach.

spinach added

The spinach will have to be cooked down for about 5 minutes, it should look something like the picture below.

spinach cooked down!

Make sure you are keeping an eye on the pasta, it should be about done, feel free to drain it and let it sit for a few minutes in the strainer.

Add your veggie meatballs! And cover if they are frozen like mine are they will have to re-warm for about five minutes covered.

Veggie meatballs added

Add the pasta and stir, feel free to serve with soy cheese or vegan parmesan and garlic bread!

Dinner time YUM!!!!!!!!!!

Chickpea Cutlets from the "Veganomicon"!

2009-11-08T04:14:00.000-08:00

The Veganomicon is a great Vegan cook book, one of my all time favorites! I am looking for other protein packed main dishes and what better than chickpeas! This is almost directly out of the book the next attempt at these I will modify the ingredients a bit more for a different flavor but liked the texture, look and taste of these for sure! The recipe is doubled for leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten

• 1 cup plain bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• 4 cloves of garlic minced

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 tsp hungarian paprika

• 1/2 tsp sage

Directions:

Mash chickpeas and oil, I used a potato masher, you want to make sure there are no whole chickpeas it will resemble a paste. Add all other ingredients and first mix until all ingredients are combined then knead until the gluten becomes a bit stringy. I prefer hand kneading it will take about three to five minutes.

ingredients on top of chickpeas

about to be kneaded

Form into cutlets about 6 by 4 inches and 1/2 to 3/4 thick, this will make six or so depending on how thick you make them. I chose to bake my cutlets at 375 for 20 minutes then turning and baking for another nine. The Veganomicon also recommends frying instead of baking but I chose to bake so I could spend time making my other sides! This was served with caramelized brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes!

Super Yum!

Spook-tacular Ghost Cookies

2009-10-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is a fun recipe to do with kids! It's pretty spooky but fun! The cookie itself is a cake like cookie and the white frosting is white Almond Bark, but any vegan white chocolate will do! You can cut the cookies down as well to make smaller cookies as I have prepared them it made twelve.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/3 cup baking cocoa

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 4 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer dissolved in

• 6 tbsp water

• 3/4 cup vegan butter

• 1/4 cup water

dry ingredients mixing

dough mixed ready to be formed

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add honey and dissolved Ener-G Egg Replacer. Then add the vegan butter, mix again then add the water sparingly, you might not use the full 1/4 cup. You want the dough to be tacky but not to sticky. Form into long triangles, about 1'' thick as seen below.

formed ready for the oven

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 375 let cool completely. Place on parchment paper after cooled, melt Almond Bark or white chocolate to a smooth constancy easily spreadable. Cover cookies fully, and place two dark chocolate eyes!

let cool and enjoy!

Bagels!

2009-10-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite breakfast foods. Either with some peanut butter, almond butter or tofu cream cheese and sprouts! Bagels are super easy to make and I think homemade tastes better than store bought for sure! They are great hot out of the oven or kept in the fridge or freezer and toasted later. I did the math and it costs about 20 cents to make a bagel at home, now if that is not a savings I don't know what is!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of bread flour

• 2 tbsp salt

• 2 tsp instant yeast

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 tsp sunflower oil you can also use vegetable oil if you like

• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup war water, about 80 to 85 degrees

Directions:

Although it's not necessary because I use instant yeast I dissolve the yeast in 1 1/2 cups of warm water and add the sugar after about two minutes. So the yeast has something to eat! Take the flour and salt mix together add the oil and mix in the wet water yeast sugar mix. If the dough seems a little dry add another 1/4 cup of water. Knead on a floured surface for about ten minutes. After kneading cut the dough into 8 balls and let rest for about 15 minutes!

dough balls resting

Put some water in a large pot and set on medium heat to boil. Take each dough ball and roll out into about a 6 to 7 inch cylinder, take the cylinder and connect the ends to make a circle bagel shape, it takes a bit of practice but don't give up on it they still taste good even if they are miss-formed!

rolled bagel

They now have to rest again for another 15 minutes. Now pre heat the oven to 425. After they are done resting you need to boil them them on each side for one minute if you want to put toppings such as sesame or poppy seeds put the seeds in a shallow dish and place bagels in after they are boiled! Cook for 9 to 11 minutes and then turn over and cook for another 9 to 11 minutes, until golden. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying!

SUPER YUM!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

2009-10-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

I do my best not to eat processed food and I try to the same for my companion animals. This particular recipe is one of Vivian's favorites for sure! I usually make a big batch and give them to Vivian's doggie friends as well. They seem to be a big hit will all four legged creatures of the canine variety! Plus they are super simple to prepare and keep well in an air tight container!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flower

• 1 cup corse ground corn meal

• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk

• 1 cup peanut butter (I used smooth but chunky is good too)

• 1 tbsp baking powder

cut out in fun shapes!

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients and mix lightly, then add the soy milk and mix well, then add the peanut butter and mix again. If the mixture seems to sticky for rolling with a rolling pin add a bit more flower up to 1/4 cup. Roll to 1/2 inch thick, and cut out with cookie cutters. I use little bones and stars but if you don't have access to them you can hand cut into squares or other shapes as well. Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes.

ready to enjoy and made with love!

Baked Tofu, Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Potatoes In Under 30 Minutes

2009-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Lets face it not everyone has hours to spend cooking or baking a tasty vegan meal! This is one of my favorite go to meals when I am busy. It is packed with protein and vitamins and did I mention its super tasty!

By far the star of this show is the Brussels Sprouts, I can't get enough of these little guys. And I get asked often how do you cook them. There are many different ways to add them to any meal but I prefer the method explained below. It not only cooks them all the way through (it is the worst to bite into a half cooked sprout), and it also brings out the natural flavor of this amazing veg!

I do however have to apologize for the pictures, I was timing myself on the preparation of this meal and neglected photo mastery!

Ingredients:

prepared as a meal for two

• 1 brick tofu (extra firm)

• 4 to six medium potatoes

• 1 pound brussels sprouts

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup white cooking wine

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp pepper

• 1 package of Road's End Organics Savory Herb Gravy

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Dice potatoes and toss with 4 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper, place on baking sheet and into oven. Then cut tofu into nine equal squares or there about and place in a shallow baking dish with two cloves of garlic minced, the water and the soy sauce. Place in the oven with the potatoes. The potatoes will take a bit longer to cook that is why they went in first. The potatoes will take about 25 minutes and the tofu about 20.

Tofu ready for the oven

Next prep the sprouts by cutting the bottom of them off to expose the tender part, then de-leaf any loose leafs, and cut in half as seen below

looking good sprouts!

Then melt your butter in a pan be careful not to burn it after butter is liquified add the sprouts. What will happen next is that the sprouts will start to caramelize where they are making contact with the pan. This is a bit tricky because you don't want them to burn but you want to them to brown down nicely. Turn them over so both sides can get a bit cooked, about five to seven minutes into this process add the cooking wine and cover. This will kind of steam the inside of the sprout, and make them tender but the outside will be nice and browned. And the best thing is they are cooked all the way through no tough sprouts here!

sprouts just placed in pan

Prepare the Road's End Organics Herb Gravy as directed on the package. And drizzle over tofu and you are ready to serve!

There it is 28 minutes and change for a great vegan meal!

Late Summer Veg and Pasta

2009-09-19T14:52:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty simple dish that uses the fresh veg that we have right now. It is what I like to call a two dish meal, meaning that you boil pasta in one and in another cook the veg that is it, clean up is a breeze! You can use any veggie you happen to have the combo below is my favorite but feel free to experiment!

Ingredients:

• 1 box angel hair pasta

• 2 medium to large tomato

• 2 medium summer squash

• 2 green pepper

• 2 red pepper

• 2 medium onion

• 1 handful of sun dried tomato

• 5 cloves of garlic

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dice all veggies as seen below

Start the water for the pasta. Take the oil and let it heat up in your pan. Press or mince garlic and let that cook with the onion until the onion is soft and kind of translucent. As seen below.

Don't forget about your pasta water when it comes to a boil put the pasta in! Then add the rest of the veggies to the other pan. As seen below

The vegetables will take about as long to cook as the pasta which is about 9 to 11 minutes. If the veggies get done before just put them on low heat and place a cover over the pan. When pasta is done and drained mix with the vegetable mixture, as seen below.

Plate and enjoy!

Breaded Tofu Nibbles

2009-09-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Tofu is a chameleon, it can take on the taste of anything and I have turned it into a lot of things! This is a simple recipe that lets the tofu be itself for the most part with a little help from Japanese Panko flakes and some back up from a few spices.

Ingredients:

• about 6 ounces of panko flakes

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 tbsp corn starch

• 2 tbsp spicy mustard, or any of your choice

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• one brick tofu

Directions:

Cut the tofu into eight rectangles. Then take the first three ingredients and place into a shallow bowl. Now take everything else and place in another shallow blow. The mustard mixture will be the first thing you dip the tofu in, make sure its good and moist. Then dip into the panko mixture make sure its fully covered. After that place in a baking dish, and cook for about 30 minutes at 350. Enjoy as a side dish or a main, if you are eating as a main dish I suggest green beans as a perfect side!

the two mixtures

dipped in flakes!

ready to enjoy!

Vegan Walnut Orange Coffee Cake

2009-09-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

This is for a little end of summer party with some friends. It is a great mix of summer flavors and autumn hardiness! Coffee cake is so versatile and yummy feel free to experiment with variations on this recipe and get back to me if you come up with something great!

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice

• 1/3 cup vegan butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 3 tsp egg replacer dissolved in

• 4 tbsp warm water

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cup flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 cup walnuts

• 1 tbsp orange zest (grated orange peel)

Topping:

• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup vegan butter

• 3 tbsp orange zest

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

dry ingredients in mixer

wed ingredients added

Directions:

Mix oats and orange juice in a small bowl until softened and set aside. In large mixing bowl cream butter and sugars, then add the egg replace and vanilla until well combined. Next add the flour about a half cup at a time then add the baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the oat mixture in next that you previously set aside. Finally add the walnuts and orange peel. Pour into a greased 13'' by 9'' pan, bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

cake done

topping ready!

When your cake is almost done about five minutes or so left start on the topping. Put sugar butter, orange zest and juice in a small sauce pan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and walnuts. Broil for about two minutes or until topping is browning nicely. Enjoy!

finished and yum!

Super Summer Yummer Salad

2009-08-30T12:49:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite times of year! Not only is it nice and warm and flip flops are a must but summer gardens are in full production! And we have to find creative things to do with all the garden gives us.

Super Summer Yummer Salad is a cold salad perfect for a warm day, its easy prep and refrigerates well so make it in the morning and enjoy it in the afternoon, and don't worry if you have leftovers they are good the next day for lunch. Word of warning, I love garlic so my Pesto mixture is full of garlic if you want to cut the garlic down you may do so by a clove or so remember garlic becomes more potent as it sits so what might taste a bit to spicy today might turn into super garlic tomorrow!

Ingredients:

• aproximently 8 ounces of fresh basil, about the amount you would buy in the store

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 4 tbsp olive oil (2 used in pesto the others in the salad mixture)

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 box pasta (your choice, bow ties are pretty fun for this salad)

• 3 to 5 fresh tomatoes depending on size

• 12 to 16 oz vegan mozzarella or cows milk mozzerella (if you are using vegan I suggest Vegan Gourmet by Follow Your Heart)

Directions:

Start by boiling the water for the pasta, you want the cooked pasta to be cool when you put the toppings on it so feel free to do this first or prep the topping and place in the fridge. On to the Pesto: clean and de-leaf the basil and place in to your blender or food processor along with 2 tbsp olive oil and blend until the leaves are in small pieces. Then chop your garlic and add along with the salt and pepper to taste. If the pesto seems a little dry feel free to add a bit more olive oil. Remove from your blending tool and set aside.

Pesto ready!

Next dice tomatoes and cheese separately. Put pesto cheese and tomatoes in large mixing bowl, and mix well with a spoon.

mixed and ready for pasta

After your pasta is cooked and cooled mix into the mixing bowl a small amount at a time for even distribution over pasta, add the other 2 tbsp olive oil for ease of mixing.

in the middle of mixing.

Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Super Summer Yummer Salad

Blueberry Betty

2009-08-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

This blueberry betty is a great quick recipe and super tasty! I always pick way more berries than I need and freeze some for future use the blueberry freezes nicely as long as you don't have to much water in the bag make sure you let them dry a bit after washing them before placing in the freezer otherwise you have some nice blueberry flavored ice in your bag too! This particular betty was made with frozen berries.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of blueberries

• 3 tbsp sugar (optional, use if you like a sweeter betty)

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup quick oats

• 1/4 cup vegan butter cold

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp cinnamon

berries and vanilla waiting for the topping

Directions:

Place berries and vanilla in a bowl and mix lightly set aside. Mix dry ingredients by hand until mixed throughly. Place maple syrup in and mix again then take small chunks of the vegan butter and fold in make sure its cold. this will give you lumps in your mixture which you want. Do not over mix, if you do so the butter will start to melt. You want a nice lumpy mixture here for sure

check out those lumps!

place berry mixture in a 8'' by 8'' or 9'' by 9'' and put topping over it poke some of the topping down with a fork for a more textured landscape! Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Allow cooling time and serve warm or cold it is great either way!

ready for the oven!

Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

2009-08-15T05:27:00.001-07:00

I have a confession, I love almond butter! It is the best thing sense peanut butter! It has a little less saturated fat and a bit more carbohydrates than peanut butter. But for me its just the rich smooth taste and the texture! It is great with everything, for your next peanut butter recipe switch it up and use almond butter, I bet you will enjoy the results!

As far as this cookie goes, its pretty amazing. Because of its light color people usually think it is just a chocolate chip cookie but its much much more! The best tip I can give you is use good chocolate chips they really accent the almond butter, I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 Ener-G egg replacer dissolved in

• 2 tbsp warm water

• 1/4 cup vegan butter

• 1 cup almond butter

• 1/4 cup soy or rice milk

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients then add the egg replacer. Add the milk, and the butter, add the almond butter slowly about 1/4 cup at a time and mix, after that add the vanilla. When that mixture is smooth add the chocolate chips slowly about 1/2 cup at a time. Drop onto a lightly greased cookie sheet a tablespoon at a time. Bake at 375 for 9 to 11 minutes, check after 7 as to not burn them!

done baking now cooling!

Spinach, Vegan Sausage and Pasta

2009-07-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is a super simple summer recipe. Won't get the kitchen to hot and doesn't take to long to make! You can add other veggies besides spinach, such varieties on this recipe I have tried are mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and basil with tofu and even broccoli and spinach! Feel free to experiment with versatile recipe!

Ingredients:

• head of spinach

• 4 BOCA sausages thawed and sliced thin

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp crush red pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup of water

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 16 oz of pasta, your choice on variety

Directions:

Start the water to boil for pasta. Prep spinach and start to steam. When both pasta and spinach have about 10 minutes place 2 tbsp olive oil, boca sausage, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a large pan over medium heat. Flip sausage slices after five minutes. After garlic is soft add spinach and the water simmer for two minutes, then add the pasta after drained and also add the other 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss and add the red pepper.

done and ready to serve

Strawberry Shortcake

2009-07-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

This is a great summer recipe. The strawberries are in season and have the most wonderful flavor. The biscuits are easy to make and have a short bake time.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flower

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup vegan butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup milk

• can of vegan whip cream

• 2 pints of strawberries

berries cut and waiting to be cooked

Directions:

Biscuits: Place all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix in wet ingredients one at a time. Roll dough out on a flowered surface and cut with cookie cutter of your choice. Bake at 425 for 12 to 14 minutes.

dough ready to be cut and cooked

Strawberries: Clean and cut, place in large sauce pan and cook on low until they are soft. They will also release a lot of liquid.

berries cooked down

Place one biscuit down followed by some berries and then some vegan whip cream and enjoy!

A great summer treat!

Spicy broccoli and capers

2009-07-10T07:25:00.001-07:00

This is a great lunch dish or side for dinner. I enjoy it by itself, and hot although it is good packed cold for a picnic lunch. The one thing to watch out for so blending the corn starch well if it is not blended well there will be corn starch lumps which do not hinder the taste but don't look that pretty.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb broccoli steamed

• 2 tbsp capers

• 3 tsp corn starch

• 3/4 cup water

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste if you would like it more spicy)

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Last five ingredients added and corn starch whisked into water

Directions:

Start the broccoli steaming, when it has about ten minutes left start on the mixture. Whisk water and corn starch together place on stove on medium heat add garlic powder, red pepper and black pepper. When this mix gets a bit sticky and bubbly add capers.

capers added on stove

mix well, and reduce heat to low. When broccoli is finished add to stove mixture about 1/3 at a time to insure proper covering. You want a good covering on the broccoli. Turn off stove and let sit for at least two minutes, dish and enjoy!

broccoli ready to be mixed

Yum lunch is ready!

Apple Pie

2009-06-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am sure you are thinking what is so not vegan about apple pie right? Well it's the crust and below is a great recipe for vegan crust along with my apple pie mixture! This is just as flaky and tasty as any other pie crust but its vegan!

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of unbleached flower

• 3/4 cup cold vegan butter

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 9 tbsp ice water

Directions:

Apple Mixture Ingredients:

• 9 crisp apples peeled and cored

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and place over rolled dough.

For lattice work cut remaining dough in 1/2' strips and weave over top of pie. The leaf pattern in the middle was done by eye using left over dough, not necessary but pretty!

Bake at 400 for about an hour or until apples are soft when poked and crust is a golden color.

ready for the oven

done and cooling

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream Bars

2009-06-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

I always get the same reaction from non-vegans that try these for the first time, which goes something like this, no these can't be vegan they are to good, or to rich or to creamy. Well they are and not to mention a show stopper for sure. The hardest thing about this recipe is letting the chocolate temper correctly without getting it to cool to fast. If this happens the chocolate will get a white film on it, much like if you open a candy bar that might have gotten a little hot in the sun and then cooled. This does not modify the taste of the treat just makes it look a bit funny. I find it best to let the pan sit on a table for a couple of hours before placing in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces of natural peanut butter

• 2 cups of confectioners sugar

• 3 cups of corn wheat or rice cereal, your choice

• 1 package (12 to 16 ounces) dark chocolate chips (remember to check the back for milk fat if you are preparing for a strict vegan)

Directions:

Put the chocolate in a double boiler to melt on low heat. As that is melting prep the mix by placing the three remaining ingredients in a bowl and mixing I usually add the peanut butter first followed by half the sugar then half of the cereal then the other half of the sugar and the other half of the cereal. Mix well and place in a 9' by 13' pan, press down with a flat surface but not to hard.

the mix ready for the pan

When the chocolate is melted poor over the mix in the pan. Make sure to get the corners they sometimes can get skipped easily. Then take a fork punch into the mix, this will allow the chocolate to mix with the peanut butter, do as many pokes as you want! After they cool cut in small sections because they are very rich!

Mix ready for the chocolate

cooling... then yum!

Vegan No-Meatballs

2009-06-02T07:36:00.001-07:00

These are great in pasta, in a sandwich, just with sauce! I love love love these no-meatballs so much, I usually make a big batch and freeze what I do not want to use right away. They keep well in the fridge for up to a week too. I think freezing is a better way to go because they naturally will thaw and warm in a sauce cooking on the stove.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (14 oz) of "Gimme Lean" Ground Sausage Style Meat Alternative by Lightlife

• 3/4 cup gluten flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 tbsp "Frenche's" French Fried Onions

• 1 medium onion chopped

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs

• 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped fine (dried is also usable but fresh has a better flavor)

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt

one big no-meatball!

Directions:

Combine Gimme Lean and onion and mash, I use my hands to get the mixture mixed. It will be sticky so if you want put a bit of gluten flour on your hands so they don't get to much stuck on them. Next add the gluten flower and water, the dough will become gummy in places where the gluten flower and water are not mixed with the rest, keep mixing until no gummy parts exist. Add bread crumbs and the French Fried Onions keep mixing finally add the spices, and combine into one large ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer (the refrigeration is used to stiffen the dough to make it easier to form into balls, in a pinch I won't refrigerate but have a harder time forming the balls). Next form into smaller balls between 2 and 3 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes flip and bake for another 12 minutes. Then enjoy!

just out of the oven

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones

2009-05-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

These tasty tidbits were made for a friends birthday and they were much enjoyed! The original recipe came from "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Which is a must have for any vegan baker! I have modified the recipe for a little bit of a different taste then straight out of the book, my modifications are a darker chocolate chip and some cinnamon in the dough along with a bit less sugar and vegan butter.

the dough ready to be rolled and cut!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer

• 2 tbsp water

dissolve the replacer in the water and set aside

• 2 3/4 cups unbleached flour

• 4 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup vegan butter

• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (the darker the better!)

• 1/2 cup soy milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• extra cinnamon and sugar and soy milk to brush the tops

almost ready for the oven

Directions:

Take the dry ingredients (flower, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt) and mix well. Add butter a little bit at a time, keep mixing until no butter pieces are larger than peas. Add the milk and the egg replacer mixture, until it resembles a bread dough. Don't over mix the scones will get tough! Then add the chocolate chips. Gather dough into a ball and place on a flowered surface, roll dough to about 1/2' thick. Then cut into desired shape, I usually do triangles. Place on baking sheet and brush the tops with the soy milk, sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes!

cooling after out of the oven!

All Olive Tapenade

2009-05-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

All olive tapenade is a great condiment for sandwiches good on pasta or even with crackers. Most olive tapenade is made from Kalamata olives, but I enjoy a mix of olives. For this particular patch I am using spanish also known as manzanilla with pimientos, picholine, kalamata, and ponentine olives. The long part of this process is pitting the olives. Having a food processor or an immersion blender helps a lot too!

Ingredients:

• 20 to 25 olives depending of size

• 2 tsp capers

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Pit all olives and toss in the food processor chop until they are small pieces. Then put the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and chop again until fine. Place in an air proof container, it will keep for up to a week! Super easy and tastes great!

just olives everything (after the olives are chopped)

Vegan Apple Brown Betty

2009-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a vegan variation on the Apple Brown Betty I enjoyed as a kid. It is probably a bit less sweet then what my Mom makes. It's a super easy and tasty dessert, served straight out of the oven or cooled! The trick here is get a firm apple, I enjoy using macintosh for this recipe, but have thought about doing a granny smith and maybe putting a touch of maple syrup in the mix. But that is for another post this is just straight up Vegan Apple Brown Betty!

apples prepared

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick oats

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

• 1/2 cup unbleached flour

• 1 tbsp cinnamon

• 1/3 cup vegan butter (I enjoy "Earth Balance Original Whipped")

• dash of salt

• about 6 to 7 cups of firm apples, pealed, cored and sliced (I cut into quarters and then cut each quarter in a half vertically and horizontally)

topping mixed

Directions:

Combine oatmeal, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, mix lightly. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly, I use my hands to mix this up well, you want it to be crumbly but yet still flaky. After its mixed set it aside. Place apples in a square baking dish (8 by 8 or 9 by 9), and sprinkle the mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the apples are soft.

ready for the oven!

Finished and ready to eat!

Egyptian Chickpea Soup

2009-05-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

The time for soup is almost over soon I will be favoring lighter foods, but I had to put this recipe up before soup season is done. It is more of a hardy stew full of great veggies and plenty of protein from the Chickpeas, and there are a lot of them!

chopped veggies and garlic

Ingredients:

• 2 T oil

• 1 T butter

• 1 T cumin

• 1/4 C flour

• half a head of garlic (more to taste)

• 1 small onion (I enjoy a bunch of scallions)

• 1/2 of a bunch of celery

• 1/2 of a bunch of carrots

• 8 cups vegetable broth (you might need more if the soup is to dense)

• 28 oz. diced tomatoes (can be canned, I use the tomatoes I canned from the previous season)

• 56 oz. of chickpeas (this is four cans or if you are using dried that you will rehydrate its about four cups dried)

salt and pepper for taste

• 1/2 C raw rice

lemon wedges

grated parmesan (optional)

ingredients in large pot

Directions:

Fine chop of garlic, onion, celery and carrot. Saute in oil and butter until onions are wilted. Sprinkle with cumin and flour, coating evenly. Add broth, stirring with a whisk. Then add chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir until liquid comes to a boil then cover and simmer two hours.

At two hour mark add rice and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Use an immersion blender to puree part of the soup making sure to leave some big chunks and whole chickpeas (do as much as you like!). Serve with chopped parsley, cheese and lemon wedges as garnishes.

Yum time!