Pasta E Fagioli with Spinach

I made this dish last night, and although it isn’t a recipe of my own, I wanted to make sure you could enjoy it, too! This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Appetite for Reduction. I HIGHLY recommend that this book become a staple in any vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian kitchen. The recipes are simple, use ingredients that are easily found in any market, and are very low-cal/diet friendly. This pasta is literally a foodgasm and a half!

Pasta E Fagioli with Spinach:
From “Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (get it here! http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333376773&sr=8-1)

Active Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans (about 1½ cups), drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces whole wheat small shells or orecchiette
• 1 pound baby spinach leaves, washed well

DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

In the pan, saute the garlic in oil for about 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, wine, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the beans and then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, add the pasta to boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Once the sauce is thickened, simmer over low heat to keep warm.

Drain the pasta. In a bowl, alternate adding batches of pasta, beans, and spinach to the sauce, stirring with a pasta spoon to incorporate, until the spinach is completely wilted. Mix well and serve.

NUTRITION
Per Serving (1/4 Recipe):
Calories: 440; Calories from fat: 30; Total fat: 3.5 g; Saturated fat: 0.5 g; Trans fat: 0 g; Totalcarb: 85 g; Fiber: 21 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 23 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 690 mg; Vitamin A: 250%; Vitamin C: 110%; Calcium: 25%; Iron: 45%

Valentine's Cupcakes!

I made these cupcakes yesterday because I wanted something that would be "pink" to go with the spirit of Valentine's Day! Not only are they insanely easy, but they're insanely delicious as well! So, here's my simple recipe for Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting!

Danielle's Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 Cup Vegan Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Sunflower or Canola Oil
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 Cup pureed strawberries (I thawed frozen strawberries and threw them in the food processor for a bit)
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1-1/2 Cups Flour, double sifted

Preheat oven to 325 and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a food processor, combine sugar, oil, vanilla, and strawberries until mixed well. Sift together the remaining ingredients (salt, baking powder, flour) in a large bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until well-combined, but avoid over-mixing so your cupcakes are light and fluffy. Pour batter into cupcake liners. Put in oven for 22-25 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle of the cupcakes and remove it clean.

Set aside and allow to cool while preparing the frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 Cups Vegan Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Soy Free Earth Balance Margarine
1-1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Cream margarine, vanilla, and milk together with a small handheld mixer. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until frosting reaches proper consistency.

(For the pink, I added just two drops of red coloring while mixing).

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Yes, it's been quite some time since my last post. My mother is still in a very critical state of being, and the kind words of encouragement on this page, my facebook page, and my email have been overwhelming and very meaningful. I've been working on a recipe that is Christmas-y, while incorporating some of my mom's favorite things to make for her this holiday season, and I think I have finally created the "Mom's-favorite-things-Christmas-Dessert"! So without further adieu, I give you my Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting!




Brownies
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz red food coloring **sidenote, look for a red food dye that is made with Red #40...this is derived from coal and not insects)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) Earth Balance, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated vegan sugar
2 egg replacements (I use Orgran Gluten-Free No Egg, but a lot of folks like Ener-G egg replacement as well)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) Earth Balance, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz vegan white chocolate, melted (I used Vegan Sweets Vegan White Chocolate Chips)
1 – 2 tbsp vanilla almond milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8″x8″ baking pan with non-stick aide.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste, almost like toothpaste. Set aside.

With a hand mixer or bowl mixer beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg replacement, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.

Cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in almond milk 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Easy Cream Cheese Banana Bread!

Alright, so I've definitely been having my share of fun with this next recipe...using it to make bread....muffins...adding chocolate...glazes...you get the picture!

So the other day, I had a terrible craving for pancakes, but I wasn't feeling too well and didn't feel like whipping them up from scratch, so it was off to the grocery store for me to track down a vegan pancake mix. I stumbled across Aunt Jemima's Whole Wheat Blend mix, saw that it was vegan and brought it home. Well, by the time I got home, this Gemini mind of mind had changed and didn't want pancakes anymore! So now I have this box of pancake mix that, unless I do SOMETHING with it, will sit in my pantry from now until eternity. So, I started rummaging around the kitchen looking for something to do with it, and let me tell you, not only did I have major success, but everyone I work with was absolutely salivating over these muffins they were so delicious! So without further blabbing from me, here's the super-easy recipe!

Danielle's Cream Cheese Banana Bread (or Muffins, your choice!)

2-3 bananas, ripe
8 oz. (1 container) Galaxy Cream Cheese Alternative
2 egg replacers (I use Orgran Gluten-Free No-Egg but I know lots of people like Ener-G too)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. vegan white sugar
2 c. Aunt Jemima's Whole Wheat Blend Pancake Mix
1 tblsp. Cinnamon
Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Preheat Oven to 350.

Soften the cream cheese and mix with the sugars until smooth and creamy. Add in your bananas and your "eggs" and mix until smooth and well incorporated. Add in pancake mix, cinnamon, and anything else you care to add (walnuts, chocolate, etc.) and mix well.



Pour into breadpan or muffin pan. For one loaf of bread, bake for 45-50 minutes. For muffins, bake for 18-20 minutes.

Enjoy!


(For the glaze that I made on the muffins, I used 1 c. vegan confectioners sugar (I find it at Whole Foods) and mixed it with 3 tablespoons of organic apple juice....delish!)




Nutrition Facts Per Serving (surprisingly low-cal!)

Calories: 186
Sodium: 415 mg
Fat: 6g
Protein: 3g
Fiber: 3g
Carbs: 29g

Cream Cheese Mexican Pizza!

(Sorry for the crummy photo, had to take it on my crummy phone because my crummy camera didn't feel like turning on :-()

So I was rummaging through Whole Foods the other day, and noticed that they sold vegan pizza dough made in-store! Obviously, being the pizza fiend that I am, I HAD to pick some up! I decided to make a Mexican-style pizza with a cream "cheese" base instead of sauce and it was to...die...for! So, here's what's included:

Cheesy, Creamy Mexicali Pizza
Whole Foods Vegan Pizza Dough
Galaxy Cream Cheese Alternative - 1 Container
Taco Seasoning (many have milk products, so make sure it's vegan!)
Black Beans (I used canned this time, because I found some canned with jalapenos!)
Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles - 1 Can
Lightlife Mexican Style Grounds - 1/2 package
Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar block
Chipotle-Style Tabasco Sauce

Preheat your oven to 425.
Roll out your pizza dough into whatever shape you can get it (I can't make mine round for some reason, so I mold it into a baking sheet!).
Mix about half the packet of taco seasoning with the container of cream cheese until incorporated. Spread evenly on pizza crust.
Spread the beans, tomatoes and green chiles on the pizza.
Mix the remaining half of the taco seasoning with half a block of the Smart Grounds. Toss onto the pizza.
Shred about half a block of Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar and sprinkle on your pizza. Drizzle with some Chipotle-Style Tabasco sauce and toss a few sliced olives on there, if that's your flavor.
Throw in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown.

Throw down some tequila and enjoy!

Easy, Cheesy, Low Cal Caulipots!

Hello Blogosphere! I know it's been a while, but I've taken on a new task in my baking and cooking, and have had to test numerous recipes trying to make them perfect for my readers. My newest task has been to reduce, reduce, reduce! I'm trying to make ALL of my dishes either low/no-fat or low-cal or BOTH! While this may seem easy, because people have an impression that vegans only eat grass and carrots, it's actually been quite a task! But, I made some DELICIOUS Caulipots last night that I am so excited to share with you! At only 142 calories per serving and less than 1 gram of fat, these are the perfect addition to any meal. Hell, you can have them FOR your meal if you choose to! I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Easy, Cheesy Mashed Caulipots (Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes)

3-4 Medium sized Russet Potatoes, sliced into 3/4 inch slices
1 Medium head of Cauliflower, broken into florets

NEW Low-Cal/Low-Fat Cheese Sauce! (Modified from Happy Herbivore)
1-1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

Place the potatoes in cold water, with about 4 inches of water on top of them in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the cauliflower florets and bring down to a simmer. Let simmer about 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Drain and bring back to the pot to mash with a potato masher.

Cheese Sauce: Whisk together all ingredients over medium heat, until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and stir continuously until sauce thickens. Incorporate into the Caulipot mixture, add some chives and parsley, and enjoy!

Easter Breakfast Tarte

Simply Delicious!

Let me preface this with the fact that this is probably one of THE easiest recipes you'll ever make, and yet it will make you the superstar of any brunch you bring this to! It's simple, and you can use any flavor fruit preserve in it that you like for a different flavor.

Boysenberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Tarte

1 roll of Pillsbury seamless dough (yes, it's vegan! And if you can't find it, their croissant dough works fine, too)
Boysenberry Preserves, or whatever flavor jam or preserve you choose
Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese


Way Better than Tofutti!!!

Preheat oven to 375. On a cookie sheet, place wax paper down to avoid the tarte sticking to the pan. Roll out dough into a long rectangle onto the wax paper. On one half, spread the Galaxy Cream Cheese evenly throughout. On the other half, spread evenly your fruit preserves.




Fold in half the long way, and poke holes in the top with a fork. Press the edges closed so all the yummy goodness doesn't seep out while baking.



Place in the oven, and let bake for 12 minutes, until the crust is a golden brown. Let cool, and serve!

Told 'ya it was simple and delicious!!!

Simplicity at it's finest!

Simple Lunch:
1 Gardein Scallopini
1/8 cup artichoke hearts, drained
Drizzle of olive oil
A few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes
=
Perfect simple lunch!

Huba-Huba Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake

So I've been drooling over an image over at VeganPandaMonium's blog for a while now, and while I had an excellent cheesecake recipe, I couldn't STAND the taste of Toffutti's cream cheese substitute. WELL, my grocery store finally started carrying the NEW cream cheese substitute made by Galaxy Nutritional Foods, so I figured it couldn't possibly be as nasty as Toffutti's, so I finally gave it a chance. Now, the idea for this cheesecake is definitely not original, but I used my cheesecake recipe instead of the one on Veganpandamonium's blog, just because I'm more familiar with the outcome. Just incorporated some of her smooth moves to make it pretty, and I must say this was probably one of the easiest, tastiest desserts ever. Seriously simple, and the Galaxy Cream Cheese substitute is not only amazing, but PERFECT for this recipe!


Huba-Huba Chococlate-Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake

16 ounces, or two tubs of Galaxy Non-Dairy Cream Cheese
1/2 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pie-crust (Danielle got lazy and bought a pre-made vegan one this time!)
Strawberries
Vegan Chocolate Chips

Preheat your oven to 350. Put the "cream cheese", agave nectar, lemon juice and vanilla in a blender and blend on low until smooth. Add in the cornstarch and blend until incorporated. Pour mixture into your piecrust, reserving about 1/4 to 1/3 of the batter. Add the cocoa powder to remaining batter and blend until incorporated. Pour into piecrust, and swirl together with a knife. Bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven time, until the top is a golden color. Let sit for about an hour, then put in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating.



While cooling, melt down some chocolate chips in a double boiler (or, place a heat-resistant bowl over the top of a pan of water on medium heat). Slice the stems off your strawberries diagonally, making the heart-shaped top, then slice lengthwise, to get perfect strawberry hearts. Dip half in your melted chocolate and set on wax paper to cool. Add to your cheesecake as a garnish.

"Bacon" and Petite Pea Creamy Risotto

Risotto - One of those things you really can't go wrong with. If you enjoy risotto, I think you're going to love this deliciously creamy, simple dish!

Bacon and Petite Pea Creamy Risotto
Serves 2:



1 and 1/3 cups orzo rice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small diced onion
4 slices vegan bacon, I use Lightlife Smart Bacon.
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
1 litre vegetable stock, I made mine with 1 tsp marigold vegan bouillon powder
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast, I like to grind mine to a finer powder in a mortar and pestle so it dissolves more easily into the risotto.
smoked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan then add the onion, fry on low heat until soft and transparent. Add the dry rice and stir, making sure all grains are coated in oil for about 2 minutes. Start adding the stock a little at a time, making sure all liquid is absorbed between additions.

Meanwhile, fry the Lightlife bacon in a tiny bit of oil until heated through, about 2 minutes a side. Remove from the pan and chop up.

When you have a bit of stock left add the petite peas and when all the stock is added and the rice is tender stir in the nutritional yeast and bacon. You may need to add a bit more water if the rice isn't cooked. Season with the smoked sea salt and black pepper.


Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM is all I have to say about this recipe! Enjoy!




Grillin' up those onions!


The best "bacon" alternative out there!



Fryin' up that vegan bacon!



I wish you could scratch and sniff, because this smelled delicious!

Vegan Breakfast - Biscuits and "Sausage" Gravy!

I took a recipe for biscuits and gravy from one of my favorite blogs to read, Vegan Pandamonium and had to try it, because this was seriously my favorite food - period - before going vegan and I've been trying and failing when it comes to making a good substitution. I didn't follow the recipe exact, as I used things I had around the kitchen. I used Pillsbury rolls (vegan!) instead of the Publix ones she used (is that a store???) I used Rice Milk instead of soy, and I used Lightlife Smart Grounds instead of the sausage substitute she used.




I think the photo speaks for itself. Seriously delicious. You MUST try these!

Recipe Here!

Godfather-Approved Easy, Cheesy Broccoli Alfredo

I'm pretty sure that the creamy alfredo sauce I concocted last night in my kitchen laboratory was so good even the Godfather himself would approve! And seriously folks, this is easier than mixing together that chalky mac n cheese powder with cold butter that we all grew up learning to love. Yes, it really is that simple!

Godfather-Approved Easy, Cheesy Broccoli Alfredo

1/4 c. Earth Balance or your favorite vegan butter
1/2 c. Tofutti Vegan Chive Cream Cheese
1-1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2/3 c. vegan milk (I use Rice)
1/2 c. Nutritional Yeast

While the noodles of your choice are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Once melted, whisk in the cream cheese until it is melted as well. Whisk in the garlic powder and milk and when everything is nicely combined, whisk in the nutritional yeast, whisking until it's combined well and thickening up a bit.

Steam up some of your favorite veggies (I used broccoli), drain your pasta (I use rice fettuccini) and toss it all together for a meal you'll want to write your Italian Grandmother about...even if, like me...you don't even have an Italian grandmother! Simple, delicious, and I promise, this will become a comfort food staple!



While you're here, be sure to stop by my giveaway! There's still time to enter!!!!

Back from the *almost* Dead

Hello? Heellllooo??? HEELLLOOOOO?! Anybody out there?? I know it’s been a while, but I’m going to attempt to get this back up and running. I apologize for bolting like I did, but I had to deal with a series of unfortunate events and needed to really scale back on everything in my life and literally focus on one thing at a time so as not to go completely out of my mind. I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday season (I had some amazing vegan dishes, ate at some great vegan places and had lovely vegan treats…but unfortunately lost all my photos due to a tech glitch…damnit!) and I hope you all have high hopes for this New Year. I’m trying, too.



Anyway, I saw this recipe the other day on the Gardein website, and just knew I had to try it…it looked so simple, so hearty, healthy and just plain delicious. Plus, with all the snow and cold, a good soup is always the way to go. Now, you can use canned beans and tomatoes like it calls for and this soup will literally be done in a flash (I believe it said like, 10 minutes!) or you can go old school like me since I try to avoid canned anything and used dried beans and whole fresh tomatoes. I soaked my beans overnight, then cooked them for about 6 hours on low in the slow cooker while I was at work before draining and adding to the soup. For the tomatoes, I just drizzled the tiniest amount of olive oil on them and threw them under the broiler until they were blackened, mushed them up a bit, and added them to the soup. Delish! Also, I only used half a package of the Scallopini instead of the entire package like it calls for, and it still worked great. Please click here to be directed to Gardein’s recipe for this amazing Gardein Chik’n and White Bean Soup!

Hearty White Bean Stew

(Finally got my camera fixed, so hopefully no more cameraphone pics!)
With the weather getting colder by the day, I am finding my mind and body to be drawn towards warm, hearty meals….soups, chilis, etc. Yesterday, I had about half of our “turkey” loaf left from Thanksgiving, so I decided to make a nice stew with it. Now, if you have ever read anything on this blog, you know that I’m a lazy cook. I like to put things together, but I like for something else to do the hard work for me. Which is why I’m so in love with my crock pot. Seriously. I can throw a bunch of stuff in it before work, pop that sucker on low, and when I come home not only does the house smell amazing, but dinner is already ready! Which, on a night like last night (I had a hysteroscopic resection of two fibroids so needless to say I was sore and a little out of it) it was nice to come home to dinner already made so I could eat and go straight to bed. The only prep on this meal is soaking some beans the night before.

Hearty “Turk’y” Stew

1 cup of dry navy beans
5 cups strong vegetable stock
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon marjoram
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t like spicy)
1 onion, diced and caramelized
½ “turk’y” loaf or one package of seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces


The night before making this, take your one cup of navy beans and soak them overnight.

Rinse the soaked beans, and add them, the stock, basil, marjoram, garlic powder and cayenne to your crock pot. Place on low for about 7 hours or high for about 4 hours.

When you have about 30 minutes of cooking time left, add your caramelized onion and seitan/loaf.

Salt and pepper to your liking (don’t add salt while it’s cooking, as this makes the beans harden and crumble), garnish with some chopped basil, and enjoy on its own or poured over brown rice. Yummy!


Seriously folks, it doesn’t get much easier than that!

Thanksgiving Feast

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and spent some quality time with all of your friends, family and loved ones. After a rocky start (5.5 hour car ride that ended up being almost 12 hours!), and a broken phone (had no idea how I was going to call all my family that I don’t live around), I was a little stressed for the holidays, but all in all, it turned out to be okay! And aside from a few snarky comments from my anti-vegan, vegetable loathing father, it really wasn’t as terrible as I had imagined it could be. And, once he realized, after telling my man how “disappointed” he was in him for not eating meat three times and receiving no response, he finally gave up and decided to leave him alone. But, enough about big bullies who think they know everything, let’s get to the food!


I must say, our KIND food was absolutely delicious! My dad’s wife had invited her brother and his three kids, and they all tried and loved my super delicious vegan goodies…including my “turkey” roast, which I will be getting to today. The vegan spread included: Vegan Turkey Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom gravy, Cranberries, Stuffing, Vegan Green Bean Casserole, “Butter” rolls with Earth Balance, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. A kind feast fit for a king!


I’ll be putting up the recipes as I have time this week, but I’m going to start with the Turkey Loaf, as it was my first time ever making anything like this, and it was absolutely delicious, and fairly simple, too! The recipe is from Ellen Degeneres’ website, and I hope it will be part of many of your celebrations to come!

Ellen Degeneres’ Vegan Turkey Loaf

Ingredients:
4 Cups vital wheat gluten
1 Cup bread crumbs (I make my own by toasting three slices of my favorite bread then throwing them in the food processor with some herbs)
1 Cup nutritional yeast
3 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 large onion small dice and caramelized
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
4 Cups strong Vegetable Stock
1 full sheet of cheesecloth
Butcher's twine
Blackening spices
Earth Balance butter

Instructions:
Caramelize the onions over medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the onions to the dry ingredients and mix.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a loose batter forms. Shape the batter into a loaf.

Unroll about 24" of cheesecloth on to a clean dry surface. Unfold the cloth completely and then fold it in half to form a two-ply piece of cloth.

Place the loaf in the middle of cloth and roll it up, leaving enough space to tie off at both ends.
Now tie two more pieces of twine over the center of the roast.


Place the roast into a large pot of boiling water and simmer for at least two hours (My dad’s kitchen is small and I wasn’t allowed to take up space cooking my “weird” food, so I was unable to use the stove for this part. However, I put it in a crock pot on high for the two hours and it worked just fine).

Carefully remove the cheesecloth and place the roast on a small sheet tray and rub the roast with Earth Balance butter and sprinkle with blackening spices. Bake roast at 350 for 20+ minutes or until golden brown (25 seemed to work well for mine). Allow roast to rest a few minutes before slicing.

Thanksgiving Taters....Oh Yeah, Baby!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve started experimenting with different dishes that I want to make on the *big* day. Well, a few weeks ago, I saw a recipe posted by The Veggie-Full Kitchen that I KNEW would be on the list! I love chunky. I love creamy. I love potatoes. And honestly, what Thanksgiving celebration is complete without overloading on the starches?! This recipe was super simple and way easy and not to mention delicious. In the few weeks since this recipe was posted, I have made it twice, and cannot wait to make it again for Tofurky Day. So enjoy!


Chive and Cream Cheese Smashed Red Potatoes by the Veggie-Full Kitchen
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, washed and cubed
water for boiling
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
4 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (I used their garlic and herb flavored when I made it for an extra oomph)

Directions
1. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender. Check with a fork.
2. Drain the water and mix in the 'cream cheese', and chives and stir with a large spoon, breaking up the potatoes as you mix. You could use a potato masher, but like I said, "I like 'em chunky".
3. Salt to taste.

Seriously simple. Seriously delicious. Try this one now. You won’t regret it!


Really, how can you resist chunky, yummy goodness like this?!

Pan-Fried Mochi Goodness

Wow…I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve updated. I do apologize, but you all know how life is I’m sure. I needed to take some time to step away from the computer and away from life for a bit and re-connect with myself. But I’m back and have some rockin’ recipes for you!

Let’s talk about mochi. I absolutely am obsessed with mochi. All it is is brown rice formed into a block that you chop up and use to your heart’s desire. You can put the pieces in a waffle maker and make light, fluffy, delicious waffles. You can bake the little squares up in the oven, which has always been how I have made it. However, I’d wanted to try pan-fried mochi like the recipe in my favorite cook book The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. So, I decided the other day to just do it already! And now I don’t know why the heck I waited so long to try this most delicious treat! It was seriously heavenly, and a delicious lunch with a nice, big, green salad. Yummy!

Alicia Silverstone’s Pan-Fried Mochi Squares

1 package of plain mochi
A few tablespoons of olive oil (or whatever oil you want to use I suppose)
Shoyu or a nice Soy Sauce

Cut the mochi into 1 inch by 1 inch squares.


Heat the oil in a skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. When hot, drop in the mochi squares, and give them room without touching each other, as they will expand.

Let them sit for exactly four minutes. After four minutes, flip over and place a few drops of shoyu on each piece. Let sit on this side for exactly four minutes. Remove from the pan (they will be fluffy and will have morphed into funny shapes…don’t worry, this is how they are supposed to look!)



Let cool just slightly (trust me on this, I STILL have a blister on the roof of my mouth from being overly excited to try them) and enjoy these fluffy, chewy, savory goodies. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. They are so simple, and truly delicious and a great pairing with a nice salad, or would probably be delicious in a soup…which is what I’ll be trying next!

Mock "Tuna" Chickpea Sammie

Sometimes, you really can’t go wrong with a good ole’ sandwich like your momma used to make! I was in the mood the other day for something different to put in between some pieces of bread, and I remembered that a few months back I had made a mock “tuna” out of chickpeas that I recalled getting from the Kind Diet book. Well, even though my book was 15 feet away, I was too lazy to get it to re-create the recipe, so I ventured out on my own to make a yummy chickpea sandwich. Well, let’s just say that I made quite a bit, had one sandwich, and when I went to put the rest away, I had realized the man had already inhaled the rest of it on THREE SANDWICHES…so yeah. I’m gonna say it was a successful recipe! I don’t think I’ve had a real tuna sandwich since I was probably 12 or 13, but the texture of this was awesome, and I think it will do the trick for anyone looking for a sandwich in that style.


Chickpea Salad Sandwich

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Brown Mustard
Sea Salt
Garlic
Pepper
Celery, diced
Pickle Juice (optional)

Pop the all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until chunky, but blended. Spread on your favorite bread and top with your favorite sandwich “fixin’s”…enjoy the hell outta this sandwich!


By the way, none of the ingredients were measured…I just added to the food processor and continually tasted until the flavor was what I wanted. Start with small quantities of each ingredient so you don’t overdo it, and add until it suits you.




As always, check out VeganMoFo for lots of fun vegan food blogs!

Seitan-Worshipper Eggplant Stirfry

Well, it’s nearing the end of the week when the pantry is a little thin and the veggies are holding on to their last bits of life. Last night when I went to cook dinner, I noticed we had some vegetables that more than likely were not going to make it until today, and we do everything possible not to throw food out, so I did one of my favorite things…stir-fry! To me, this is the absolute easiest way to use up those veggies before having to send them to the compost graveyard. I looked at the veggies that needed to be used, and although I didn’t really know how they’d do in a stir-fry together, I gave it a shot anyway, and the man and I were more than impressed at the flavor combination we created! Here is what was in my end-of-the-road stir-fry:


*Eggplant
*Summer Squash
*Green Beans
*Edamame
*Peas
*Leftover Seitan


Throw these in a wok with a little bit of olive oil, shoyu, a splash of white wine, minced garlic and crushed red pepper, toss it over some brown rice, and you have a delicious meal…AND you didn’t waste those precious veggies! I had never actually put eggplant in a stir-fry before, but it was actually really good and gave a nice texture to the mix. What are YOUR favorite veggie-stir-fry combinations??


Happy Vegan MoFo!!

Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Noodle Soup...Yes!

Sometimes, no matter how hard you wish for something, it just isn’t possible. Take this week, for example. I have wanted nothing more than to come home from work each night, grab a towel, and lay poolside through the sunset. Well, we’re supposed to get snow today, so like I said, sometimes your wishes just aren’t possible. ANYWAY, the cooler weather, if you haven’t noticed from my last couple recipes, puts me in serious soups, chilis, and desserts-mode. Last night, I was on a super tight schedule, since both the man and I were hungry, and we only had an hour from the time that we both got home until when he had to leave again, and I didn’t want him going to rehearsal on a cold night with nothing but a pb&j in his belly!

So, we looked through the pantry, and I realized that we had all the ingredients for one of my favorite soups by one of my favorite food bloggers, Happy Herbivore!! Not only that, but it’s one of the QUICKEST soups you can possibly put together, it’s super hearty and filling, and it just plain warms the soul! I took the recipe and added a bag of frozen mixed veggies to it since we didn’t have any mushrooms (the frozen mixed veggies were totally our lizard’s food, but he didn’t mind! [and yes, I do realize it’s absurd to feed a lizard organic Trader Joes frozen veggies, but he’s spoiled…don’t judge me!]). The best thing about big pots of soup like this is that you can jar it up and have it for lunches the rest of the week…yummy! Now, on to the recipe!

Chickpea Noodle Soup by Happy Herbivore
1 whole carrot, skinned
2 whole celery stalks, sliced
1 small onion, diced
10 whole cremini (brown) mushrooms (we subbed the frozen mixed veggies)
8 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp yellow miso paste
1 tsp tamari
2 whole bay leaf
4 ounces whole wheat pasta, uncooked
15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions:
Line a large soup pot with broth, about 1/4 cup. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute over high heat until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and more broth if necessary. Continue to cook over high heat until the mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining broth, bay leaves, miso and tamari. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and reduce heat to medium. Cook for another 6 minutes, or until pasta is al dente (adjust time accordingly). Stir in chickpeas and taste test. Add more miso or salt if necessary or desired. Allow soup to thorougly heat the chickpeas. Fish out bay leaves and serve.



I didn't get to feel the sun on my face lying poolside, but I did get to enjoy the warmth and goodness of this soup deep in my soul!



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