Happy Birthday to me!

Delicious

I guess I lied when I said no more cupcakes since I had to make some for my birthday last night!

Strawberry Almond Cupcakes:
1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines)
1 container strawberry soy yogurt
1/4 cup softened vegan margarine
2/3 cup water
1 and 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer mixed into the water above
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup diced strawberries

Pre heat to 375. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Fold in strawberries gently. Bake 18 min.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 container tofutti cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
zest of lemon
1 TBS lemon juice
one drop red food coloring (optional but awesome)
16-18 half strawberries for decorating

Thanksgiving!

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People can't imagine what I eat on this meat-heavy holiday. There are lot's of things I can think of and this year I made corn bread stuffing with apples, celery, carrots, onions and apple sage field roast sausage. Below is the yummy and healthy meal we had at my aunt's house. She of course had a free-range organic turkey but she also made me eggplant Parmesan-vegan style! She baked slices of eggplant that she dredged with plain soy milk and then dipped in plain breadcrumbs. She then sauteed mushrooms and garlic and layered them on top of the eggplant. We made a spicy sauce with onions, hot red pepper, garlic and capers and tomatoes and baked it until heated through. She also served super tasty brown bread with smart balance, steamed green beans, acorn squash puree, roasted baby potatoes with pearl onions! I made cranberry orange sauce which was great with the squash and on the brown bread. Everything was healthy and delicious! We of course had apple pie (made with Pillsbury crusts that are vegan) and a strawberry rhubarb crumble!

Sweet potato chilli and scallion corn cakes

Delicious

Chili:
2 sweet potatoes
1 onion
2 red or orange peppers
2-3 cups kale leaves torn into bite size pieces
1 can black beans
2 small cans tomatoes and chillies or fire roasted tomatoes and separate can of mild green chillis. (just use whatever combination you want)
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder

Cut potatoes into small squares. saute in EVOO until soft. Add diced onion, peppers until soft. Add chipotles and spices and cook with veggies for a minute. Add canned tomatoes, chillis and beans and cook for 20-30 minutes until thickened. 15 minutes before serving add kale and make corn cakes. Optional Toppings: hot sauce, guacamole, soy sour cream, cilantro, scallions, black olives

I used the veganomicon corn bread recipe here and added a handful of frozen corn and 4 chopped scallions to the batter and then used the batter like pancake batter to make 8 pancakes to go on top of chilli.

Chickpea Cutlets

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These cutlets are from Veganomicon and are delicious with roasted potatoes and peppers and a light salad. Just wanted to share the recipe and picture:

Cupcake craziness!

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The month of October should have just been re-named cupcake month in my life. I made 52 cupcakes for my Halloween party and I made cupcakes on at least 3 other occasions! The best part about these cupcakes is that their are a lot of short cuts out there. Below I have listed some cake mixes that are vegan and how to replace the ingredients they tell you to add with vegan ingredients. This makes cupcakes an easy option that everyone loves! Above is the picture I took of the Halloween cupcakes, chocolate, vanilla, and apple spice (I colored those orange to be festive). I am bummed I don't have a frosted picture because they looked very cute decorated with orange, black, green, and purple for Halloween but everyone was too busy eating to take any pictures! I frosted them with Duncan Hines home style vanilla and chocolate fudge frosting which are vegan but in no way healthy for you =)

There are a bunch of mixes that are vegan-PETA's website lists Duncan Hines chocolate devils food, traditional yellow cake, and some other flavors. Just double check the ingredients as some varieties do contain milk ingredients. Cherry Brook Kitchen makes a gluten free mix and a vegan mix, but they cost like $6 a box, I also found an organic mix at whole foods. Based on what the box wants you to add this is what I would do:

Milk=soy milk
Egg=ener-g egg replacer for 1 egg and 1/4 cup soy yogurt additional eggs Ex: Duncan Hines wants 3 eggs replace with one ener-g egg replacer egg and 1/2 cup vanilla or plain soy yogurt
Oil=Oil or applesauce or combo OR melted smart balance
Butter=Smart Balance
Water=obviously you can use water but in the apple spice cupcakes below I replaced this with apple cider-yum!

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:
Mix together one box yellow cake mix and add 1 TBS molasses, 1 tsp each ground cloves, cinnamon, and allspice, and two peeled and diced Macintosh apples. Bake according to box directions and frost with cream cheese frosting (1/2 container tofutti cream cheese, 1/4 cup icing sugar, dash vanilla extract)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting:
Mix one box chocolate cake (I like Duncan Hines devil's food) and add 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips into the batter (it would be great to find non dairy peanut butter chips too but I haven't found any yet). Bake according to package directions. For frosting either use Duncan Hines home style fudge frosting (this is horrible for you BUT it's a cupcake so RELAX!) mix about 1/2 the container with 1/4 cup of peanut butter and frost away! OR make some peanut butter frosting with 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 1/4 cup icing sugar, and 2 TBS tofutti cream cheese. I'm sure there is a way to add melted chocolate and make a chocolate/peanut butter concoction but I am definitely not a frosting expert-yet! I brought these to my friends birthday party and again I was too busy eating to get a picture but I can say that with soy vanilla ice cream OR fresh from the oven, these bad boys are delicious!

So that was my adventure into the world of cupcakes which I will put on hold for awhile as I try out more pies and cakes for the holiday season. Cupcakes are fun and the combinations seem endless. Post any of your fun cupcake ideas or anything you would like to add to my thoughts here!

Black Bean Chipotle Soup

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Great soup for cold weather. Uses up leftovers from your fridge and is a nice twist on chilli. Serve with corn bread or good bread for dipping or flax seed tortillas as I did here.

Ingredients:
Box of vegetable stock/broth
1 can black beans
1 small can diced fire roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes and green chilles
1 red onion
2 ribs of celery
2-3 carrots
1 zucchini
2 cloves garlic
2 chipotle peppers
1 TBS cumin
1 tsp coriander
1tsp chille powder
3-4 cups kale leaves
1 cup frozen corn
2-3 small potatoes cooked (I had some leftover baked potato)
cilantro and scallions for garnish
salt to taste (note about salt: make sure to salt each layer of the dish so it is not over or under salted. ie. salt veggies while cooking, then add liquid, taste, and salt again if needed, cook then taste salt again and so on. I find if you salt components as you cook them you wont need much when liquid is added and remember the more spice and flavor the soup has the less salt you need.)

Saute onion until soft, add diced celery, carrots and zucchini. Add garlic and cook together for 5 min. Add chipotles, salt and spices and cook for an additional minutes. You can do this sauteing in EVOO I like to use just a little and if pan gets dry add some of the canned tomato liquid. When all veggies are soft add broth, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil and cook together for 30min. Add cooked potatoes, frozen corn and kale 15 minutes before serving. You could also put pasta in here or really any veggies you have on hand. Spinach, peppers, squash, sweet potato and peas come to mind! Happy fall!

Italian Flag Pizza

Delicious

Obviously named because of it colors, this pizza is satisfyingly tasty and pretty healthy.

1 package pizza dough regular or whole wheat
Spinach pesto (recipe below)
sundried tomatoes
kalamata olives
fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup extra firm tofu crumbled and mixed with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Spinach pesto:
2 cups baby spinach
handful basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1-2 TBS EVOO
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red chile flakes

Combine in blender or food processor until smooth. Spread on prepared pizza base and add toppings in order listed above. Bake according to package directions ours was 12min at 425.

Grilled Vegetables

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One of the best parts of this summer was grilling lots and lots of local vegetables. While it's still grill weather outside, check out your local farm stand and get grilling! I grilled 2 portobellas, 2 local white eggplants,, 3 local zuchinni, 4 peppers. Spray all veggies with EVOO and salt and pepper and a little balsamic vinegar and grill until tender. Keep in a container and use all week (some ideas below).
Ideas for grilled vegetables:
Mixed with cous cous or quinoa, EVOO, fresh herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper (pictured)
Chopped up in a stew or chili
in a pita pocket with hummus and tahini or falafel
A topping on veggie burgers
Veggie fajitas with guacamole and salsa
On a salad
Layered in a baguette with meatless meatballs and sauce for a yummy health sub!

Peach Molasses Corn Muffins

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Inspired by last weeks brown sugar peach muffins from Vegan Yum Yum, I decided to make a corn bread based version to go with our chili last night. Again, this is based off of Veganomicon's skillet corn bread, but with no oil and molasses added also a little more sweetener!

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
4 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup oil (I filled the cup half with apple sauce and half molasses)
1 large peach chopped into pieces

Set oven to 350. Mix soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add maple syrup, molasses, apple sauce (or oil) to soymilk mixture. Mix wet into dry until combined. Fold in peaches and spoon into sprayed muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 min. This recipe made nine muffins.

Chipotle Chilli and Corn Bread

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As the weather starts to get colder here, a lot of people start panicking about the winter ahead but I get super excited for all the warm cozy foods I get to make in the fall and winter! Below is my basic chili kicked up a bit with Field Roast sausage and a yummy, crunchy, slightly sweet corn bread topping. This should get anyone excited about the cold weather!

Chipotle Chilli
1-3 links mexican chipotle field roast sausage (or TVP of your choice)
1 red or sweet onion
4 peppers
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup beer (optional-drink rest of beer with this meal =))
1-3 chipotle in adobo peppers (use just one if using sausage because they are spicy)
1 TBS cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and 1/2 TBS coriander or use a pre-made spice packet
1 small can diced tomatoes with green chillis (hunts and rotell make this)
1 small can roasted diced tomatoes
1 TBS tomato paste
1/2 small can diced green chillis
1 can red kidney or black beans
1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn
Scallions and cilantro chopped for garnish

You will need one cast iron skillet (or 9in sq baking pan or similar small pan to bake chilli in) and large soup pot or whatever you would make chilli in. In skillet, saute crumbles of sausage until lightly crisp outside and set aside. In large pot saute diced onion until soft (in about a tsp of oil) then add diced peppers. When everything is soft add garlic cloves and spices and cook for another minute. De-glaze pan with beer if using or just add two cans of tomatoes. Add tomato paste, beans, diced chipotles and cook down about 30 min on simmer. While chilli is cooking down, prepare corn bread below.Note: you do not have to use any TVP in this meal and can just add extra veggies (I like squash and zucchini) and use 3 chipotle peppers or chipotle hot sauce for extra chipotle flavor.

Corn Bread This is the Skillet Corn Bread recipe from Veganomicon but I have cut out some of the oil, used maple syrup instead of sugar, and made half the amount to accomodate the chilli in the pan, but feel free to double this recipe and bake it as a side dish in skillet.

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup oil (I filled the cup measure with half green chillis and half canola oil)
1/3 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 sliced scallion

Set oven to 350. Mix soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle (I know gross, right? but it's not. You're making your own buttermilk-like substance) In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add maple syrup, chillis and oil to soymilk mixture. Mix wet into dry until combined. Add corn and sliced scallion if using.

Assembly
Add sausage crumbles, frozen/fresh corn and cilantro or scallions to chilli. Spoon chilli into skillet about 1/2way up sides. Pour cornbread mixture over and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes. You will see cracks in cornbread and slightly browned edges. Spoon and enjoy!

Banana Walnut Oatbran Muffins

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My dad has been making oatbran muffins for the last 15 years as a way to lower his cholesterol. I made these muffins from the book The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure vegan with a few easy swaps. The banana keeps them from being too dry like normal oat bran muffins but Tom says they taste very "healthy". My mom and I love em as a healthy breakfast before the gym in the morning. Remember, not everything can be a chocolate chip muffin (although those are good too!)

Banana Walnut Muffins:
2 mashed ripe bananas (riper the better)
1 cup soy milk
1 TBS molasses
2 TBS applesauce or 2 TBS canola oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
Ener-g egg replacer equal to one egg
2 1/4 cup oat bran cereal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1 TSP cinnamon

Mix wet in one bowl dry in another. Add wet to dry. Pour into 12 muffin cups. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes. These freeze well and reheat in the microwave a 1 min or 30 seconds if you keep in the fridge. My dad puts peanut or almond butter on these for protein. I like them with ice cold soymilk.

Muffin Madness

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This week I made two types of muffins for Tom to take to work. The first is a Banana Chocolate Chocolate-Chip muffin (picture above) based off of a recipe in Eat, Drink and be Vegan by the great Dreena Burton. Her's uses barley flour which I did not have and I added chocolate chips. The Second recipe Brown Sugar Peach muffins is from Vegan Yum Yum with some additional molasses and less oil.

Banana Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins:
1/2 cup and 2 TBS soy milk
2 TBS flax meal
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1/4 organic unrefined sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 baking soda
1 cup mashed banana (you can leave this a little chunky so there are yummy lumps of banana in the finished muffin)
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS canola oil
1/4-1/3 cup semi sweet chips

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tins with PAM. Mix soy milk and flax meal and set aside. In a seperate bowl mix flours, sugar,cocoa, spices, baking soda and powder and salt. To the flax mixture add, oil, banana, syrup, vanilla and stir until combined (there may be some banana lumps). Fold wet mixture into dry. Don't over mix just fold until dry ingredients dssappear. Add chocolate chips. and bake for 16-18 min.

Brown Sugar Peach Muffins:
2 cups Flour (white whole wheat or all purpose)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup soy milk plus 2 TBS
1 TBS molasses
1/3 canola (I used 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 canola)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup fresh peaches or nectarines (I left the skin on the nectarines but not the peaches)
Extra Brown Sugar, for sanding

Preheat oven for 400 and spray muffin tins. Mix wet in one bowl and dry in another. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Fold in most of the peaches saving some for tops of muffins. Fill muffins 2/3 full and top with additional chunks of peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Bake 16-18 min

NOTES: I found the cook times in both the original recipes WAY OFF and almost burned the peach muffins. It might be my oven so while I cooked both muffins for 16 minutes you may need to go to 18 or 20 min. We'll see how these work when we move and have a new oven. oh and here's a really bad picture of the peach muffins:

Blackened Tofu Tacos

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Tom and I are finally moving to Cambridge and we're really excited to be living in an area so close to great restaurants and shops. One of our favorite places in Cambridge is called Christopher's. They have great organic beers and good veg food. The last time we went there the fish tacos caugth my eye and they were happy to make them for me with blackened tofu instead of fish-delicious! They also have a great chicken taco salad that they'll make for you with tofu instead of chicken and tofu fajitas. Definitely a great place for vegans who want to have real food! Note: They have a sister restaurant called Cambridge Commons which has a black bean burger that is vegan.

Last week I decided to make my own tofu tacos. Below I've included what I served these with but feel free to add your own additions.

Tofu: Wrap tofu in paper towels and clean dish towel and press with something heavy like a cast iron skillet for about 20min. Cut into 6 slices and then again in 2 to make squares. Press lightly in blackening seasoning on both sides. I used spicy steak seasoning (which I found pleasantly ironic) but you could use a mixture of black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder or paprika, and red pepper flakes (HOT). Cook tofu on medium high heat for 5 min on each side in a non stick pan sprayed with PAM.Mango Slaw: Slice flesh of one mango into thin strips. Combine with 2 cups shredded cabbage, 1/4 thinly sliced red onion, 2 TBS fresh cilantro and 2 sliced scallions. When cutting mango cut over a bowl to collect any juice and squeeze leftover skins to get out any more juice. Combine this with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a 1/4 tsp cumin. Toss and let sit for 30min. I found this a perfect mix of sour and sweet but if it is not sweet enough for you add a little agave syrup.

Spicy Black Beans: Warm one can of black beans in a sauce pan. Add more blackening seasoning and finish with scallions and cilantro right before serving.

Serve on flour or whole wheat tortillas with tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, avocado, greens, or any of your favorite toppings.

Trail Mix Cookies

Delicious

This healthy cookie is a great afternoon pick me up or even an on the go breakfast! They taste like trail mix and really spicy oatmeal raisin cookies-yum!

Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup instant/quick cooking oats
2/3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:
1/3 cup flax meal
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 TBS almond butter (or any nut butter)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS molasses
1 TBS canola oil
1/8 cup unsweetened coconut
3-4 TBS nuts (I used sliced almonds and sunflower seeds so they were small. Roughly chop if you use whole nuts)
1/3 cup mixed dry fruit soaked in rum for an hour or more (I used 1 TBS mango rum and 1 TBS regular and soaked a mixture of raisins, cranberries, and prunes for about 10 hours. I included the soaking rum in the mixture. If you can't or don't want to do this I do not think the recipe would suffer)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a seperate bowl or stand mixer. Slowly add dry ingredients. Make 10-12 golf ball sized cookies and slightly flatten on lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 12 min. Transfer to plate and let cool.

Tofu BLT

Delicious

I used the technique here with a slightly different marinade to make a great sandwich filling. I think this baked tofu would be great in burritos or on salads, but I really like it on crusty bread!

First drain and press your tofu (directions in link) and preheat oven to 425. Slice tofu thinly and brush both sides with marinade and place on silpat on baking sheet. Let soak in for 10min and brush on any additional marinade. Bake for 20 min and flip slices to bake for 5 min more. Serve on bread with sliced tomato, greens, red onion and avocado as well as one of the below spreads.

Marinade:
2 TBS miso
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 TBS saricha hot sauce
1/2 TBS agave syrup or honey
juice of half a lemon

Aioli:
Combine 2 TBS vegan mayonnaise and either a handful of cilantro and clove of crushed garlic OR handful of basil and 1 roasted red pepper in a blender with a squeeze of lemon.

Store tofu in a plastic container and eat every day =). This is honestly the best sandwich I've had since becoming vegan.

Crispy Chik'n Salad

Delicious

If I'm being truthful sometimes I miss salads with crispy chicken so I decided to make a really delicious salad and flavorful dressing to satisfy my craving for lunch the other day.

Apple and Almond Crispy Chicken Salad:
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup mixed greens
1/2 Green Apple sliced thin
1/2 red onion or 2 scallions sliced thin
1 TBS slivered almonds
1 TBS dried cranberries
3-4 vegan chik'n nuggets (I like Trader Joe' soy nuggets or Health is Wealth version) cooked until very crispy (cook a min or 2 longer than directions)

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette:
1 bulb of garlic roasted
1/4 cup balsamic
1/2 cup EVOO
Combine in blender or food processor
you could also use the dressing here

Combine all ingredients with dressing and place chopped chicken nuggets on top. Enjoy! Some other good additions to this salad would be: avocado, jicama, thinly sliced bell pepper, bacos, black olives

Pancakes!

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I really should call this recipe "The fastest and most versatile pancake recipe ever" because I've started making 1/2 this recipe during the week as a yummy treat in lots of different combinations of flavors. Below is the basic recipe as well as some fun flavors.

Pancakes
Makes 10-12
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup soy milk (vanilla flavor is good or you can just add a tsp of vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons canola oil
*1 cup applesauce

Mix dry ingredients together and add wet. Whisk together and set aside. Warm up non stick skillet to med heat. Spray with pam and scoop approx 1/4 cup batter. Cook for 2-3 min on each side. Serve with maple syrup and vegan butter.

*Sub one of the below
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup pureed berries

Also feel free to add in blueberries, coconut, chocolate chips or cinnamon with any of the above! My favorite so far is applesauce and cinnamon or banana chocolate chip. Update: I made banana chocolate pancakes by mashing two bananas adding 1 TBS coco powder and 2 TBS of soymilk ( you can add more or less till batter it is thinned out enough to scoop easily)

Brownies

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These brownies are better than a lot of non-vegan versions and seem to be a hit. Below I've included a plain and cream cheese swirl version!
Chocolate Chip Brownies:
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1 TBS vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1 and 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi sweet vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl beat applesauce, water, oil, vanilla, cocoa and sugar. When smooth sift in four, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth. Spread in a 11x7 pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and serve!

UPDATE: Thanks to Sarah for making a gluten free version by replacing 1 cup flour with rice flour and the other 1/3 cup flour with almond meal!
Cream Cheese Brownies:
Make the above brownies and before you put it in the oven swirl in the below mixture.
Beat 4 oz tofutti cream cheese, 2 TBS sugar and a splash of vanilla extract. Spread on top of brownie mixture and swirl together. Add chocolate chips and bake as directed above.

Asian Entertaining

Delicious

Thai Fresh Rolls
Rice paper wrappers
cucumber seeded and in matchsticks
red pepper
shredded carrot
sliced jicama
mint leaves
optional or other additions
cilantro
alfalfa or bean sprouts
pea shoots
avocado
tofu

Fill a low dish or pan that a rice paper wrap will fit in with hot tap water. Place wrapper in hot water for 20 seconds until soft. Place on a clean dish towel to soak up water and fill with a little of each veggie. Wrap and place in fridge until ready to serve. I topped mine with wasabi flavored sesame seeds.
This is really more of a technique than a recipe. Thai rolls often have shrimp and lots of veggies in them and are dipped in peanut or sweet chile sauce. Use your imagination and creat lots of different kinds!
Sesame Noodles
1 red pepper sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup sliced jicama
1 cup shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1-2 scallions sliced
1 TBS fresh ginger
1/4 cup peanut sauce
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS toasted sesame oil
8 oz noodles (I used Thai rice noodles but whole wheat spaghetti or a vegan asian noodle would work. The rice noodles actually got a little hard the next day so I think I will use a different noodle next time)

Combine all liquids and oils in a bowl, add ginger and stir. Add vegetables and toss to coat while you cook noodles. Drain noodles and toss with veggies. Let marinate for an hour and eat cold. This recipe was adapted from cook yourself thin a tv show on lifetime. You can make the dressing with peanut butter but I had some peanut sauce already in the fridge. Here is the original recipe.
Mooshoo Vegetable Rolls
Traditional mooshoo vegetables have eggs and shredded cabbages in them but these have the addition of shitake mushrooms and no egg. Rather than making wraps with traditional pancakes I wrapped them in wonton wrappers so they are easier to eat at a party.
1-2 cups shredded cabbage white and red
1 cup shredded carrots
10-15 shitake mushrooms sliced
1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 scallions sliced
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
clove crushed garlic
1 Teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon hoisen sauce
6-8 wonton wrappers

Pre-heat oven to 350. Saute mushrooms in oil, add ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Add soy sauce, and hoisen sauce as well as cabbage and carrots. Cook until slightly wilted about 5 minutes. Add scallion and let mixture cool for 10-15 minutes. Wrap 2-3 TBS of mixture in wrappers and place on a spraed cookie sheet. Line up rolls and spray the tops with cooking spray so they crisp up but aren't greasy. Serve with extra hoisin sauce for dipping
Pomegranate Mojito
Muddle 4-5 mint leaves at the bottom of a tall glass. Squueze and drop in half a lime. Add one shot clear rum. Fill glass rest of the way with Trader Joe's sparkling pomegranate juice or use a combination of sparkling water and juice.

Becky's Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

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When I tell you this is the best carrot cake, you need to believe me. They have won over non vegans and even carrot cake haters alike. They hold a special place in my heart because my friend Becky took the time to make up the recipe so I would have a yummy snack at a morning meeting one day! She adapted it from Joy of Cooking and with the addition of bananas it is the moistest most delicious cake I've had since becoming vegan. I added "Cream Cheese" frosting when I made these for Becky's Birthday which was yummy!
Carrot Cake
2 ripe medium bananas
2/3 cup vegetable oil (you can do apple sauce in stead or 1/2 and 1/2)
1 cup sugar
1-1/3 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat for the 1/3 cup)
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt (I didn't have cloves)
1 and 1/2- 2 cups shredded carrots

preheat to 350 line muffins tins with baking cups and lightly spray. Combine bananas and oil in bowl or stand mixer with whisk attachment. Add sugar. Sift in dry ingredients and combine. Fold in carrots. Fill muffin 2/3 full and bake 20-25 min (mine were 20) Let cool before frosting. Mine were fine over night.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz vegan cream cheese
3/4 confectioners sugar
2 TBS smart balance or other vegan butter
2 TBS soy milk

Combine on stand mixer. Yum! This made enough frosting or twice the cupcakes so I would cut it in half next time.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Delicious

Can't tell if these are muffins or cupcakes but I had 3 ripe banana I needed to use! I used THIS recipe and copied what I did below.

3 Ripe Bananas
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 teaspoon Salt
Replacer equal to one egg (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)

1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup Soft Whole Wheat Flour (I used 1 cup white 1/2 whole wheat)

1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Pieces

Preheat the oven to 350º.
In a large mixer, cream the bananas with the oil, sugar and vanilla.
Prepare the egg replacer as to the package directions and add it and the salt to the banana mixture.
Once well combined, add the baking powder and soda, followed by the flour, adding it in two batches, followed by the chocolate

Oil and dust a 12 muffins and bake 18 min

Check bounce at the center of the cake or insert and remove a toothpick. The cake is moist but it should come out fairly clean.

There are additional directions on making a cake or loaf if you click on the link. These were delicious and about 190 calories per muffin. You could replace the oil in the recipe with apple sauce which would make each 150 calories and low fat.

Mexican Torta

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A Mexican torta is a traditional sandwich with meat and cheese and yummy Mexican accompaniments. Well I love sandwiches and I love Mexican food so I decided to give myself a version I could eat!!! While I love the traditional sandwich roll I thought veggies might do better in a open face sandwich and decided to use the technique I used to make naan to make a fake version of Mexican fry bread but healthier. See this post to see how the bread is made. Then I just layered on this filling:

3 portabello mushroom caps sliced and sauteed until tender and giving off their juices (add a bit of salt to encourage mushrooms to give up their liquid). Add 1 thinly sliced zucchini to mushrooms and mushroom juice and turn heat up to medium high. Liquid will cook off and you can saute mixture until zucchini is cooked through. Add 1 chipotle and adobo pepper sliced and tsp cumin then add 1/4-1/2 cup frozen corn and some chopped cilantro and cook until heated. This would also be a great burrito or taco filling and is quite yummy on it's own.

To layer torta:
Mexican fry bread (or you could use a tortilla or tostada)
2-4 TBS Amy's re-fried black beans (soooo good-use leftover as bean dip for veggies or chips!)
Veggie mixture
Any or all of the following: salsa, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, black olives, chopped avocado, scallions or sliced red onion

Use all leftovers to make some kick-ass nachos the next day! Update: Picture of nachos below with re-fried black beans, veggies, pickled jalapeno, black olives, cilantro, tomatoes, and oh yes I sprinkled bacos on it! SO GOOD! Serve with salsa and guacamole if you want.

Indian Night

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So I love Indian food but have never cooked it. Sarah got me a great albeit huge Indian cookbook for my wedding and I was a little daunted at first but decided to try some things out. The first thing I made was curried potatoes with tomatoes. It was good but I wanted to do something more creative, so having a better understanding of the flavors, I made the curried cauliflower and okra with tomatoes below and made a potato and spinach curry from Vegetarian Times also listed below.
Curried Okra and Cauliflower
1/2 head cauliflower
3 or 4 cups okra rinsed with ends trimmed and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 large or 3-4 small compari tomatoes
1 jalapeno or serrano chile deseeded and finely diced
1TBS vegetable or olive oil
salt to taste
1 TBS coriander
1/2 teaspoon each cumin turmeric paprika
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Saute okra in non stick skillet with out oil until lightly brown. Meanwhile steam or boil cauliflower until tender. Drain cauliflower and add to skillet. Lightly toast cauliflower until it gets a little color. Then add oil, chopped tomatoes, diced chile and cook together for 1-2 min. Add spices and coat veggies. I added a little water because I needed to cook the veggies until softer. when water evaporates add cilantro and serve.

Potato and Baby Spinach Masala from Vegetarian Times April 2009
1 lb potatoes boiled or microwaved until tender cut into cubes/chunks
1-2 TBS canola oil (I used EVOO b/c I always do)
1 yellow onion sliced (I diced a sweet onion)
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 TBS grated fresh ginger
1 jalepeno diced
1tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can light coconut milk (I didn't use the whole can)
1 bag baby spinach
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (I can't find this in a regular grocery and I'm too lazy to go to the Indian market-I used some grocery chile powder eek!)

Heat oil on medium. Add onion and cook until golden. Add garlic, ginger, jalepeno and cook for an additional minute. Stir in spices and add potatoes to coat for a minute. Add coconut milk and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and cook sauce down. Stir in spinach 2-3 minutes before you serve. You can add lime juice and cilantro but I didn't.

The last part of the meal was the best part, because I LOVE naan but was bummed to learn it's made with yogurt so I haven't had it in a LONG time. I saw this technique on the internet but I can not remember where. I used Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough which I thought was great. You can splurge and make it with regular dough but I like the heartyness of whole wheat.
Skillet Naan
Pizza or bread dough
Cast iron skillet or griddle that is well seasoned/or you can use a little pam
Vegan butter (I like Smart Balance)
Garlic and chopped cilantro optional but highly recommended

Take a small amount of dough maybe 2/3 cup and stretch into a circle. Place in pre-heated skillet on medium. Cook until side is brown and grilled looking. Flip and cook on the other side. Spread butter and crushed garlic on bread and sprinkle with cilantro. Use to sop up yummy juices.

So overall this was a successful experiment and we especially like the naan. I want to get some more spices and try some more adventurous stuff in the book, but this was a yummy meal and I can't wait to see what other things I can make!

Breakfast Bars

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These are great for breakfast or a not too sweet dessert or snack.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
2 Cups instant oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup agave syrup
6 TBS smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup-2/3 cups jam any kind- I LOVE raspberry
juice of 1/2 lemon

Pre-heat oven to 425. Coat a 8x11 pan with non-stick spray. Combine first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and combine into crumbs with fingers. Add agave to coat mixture and combine. Put 2/3rds of mixture in bottom of the pan and press down. Should be about 1/4 in thick (add more if you need it). Mix jam and lemon juice together and spread on top of oat mixture. Sprinkle remaining dry ingredients on top and bake for 18min. Let cool for about an hour and cut into squares. If you cut this into 10 squares each one is 200 calories.
Apple Walnut Bars
2 Cups instant oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup agave syrup + 1TBS
6 TBS almond butter
1 apple shredded
1/2 cup apple sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
chopped walnuts optional

Make crust the same way as above. Make apple filling by combining apple, lemon, apple sauce and TBS agave. Spread over crust, sprinkle with remaining crumbs and walnuts if using. Bake in the same way as above.
Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
2 cups instant oats
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup agave
8 TBS raw almond butter

Mix together above ingradients and press into 9x9 pan. Bake @ 400 for 15 minutes. Spread with strawberry rhbarb jam and top with 1-2 cups sliced strawberries when cool. This is a great summer dessert with or without soy ice cream.

Falafel

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I have an addiction to confess. I am OBSESSED with falafel. I don't know what it is but it is my new favorite thing. Wait that's a lie I know I love it because it's fried =( I have a weakness for fried things and have cut most fried food out of my life just by being vegan, but falafel still haunts my dreams. So needles to say after slowly going from having one falafel a month to twice a week a couple weeks ago I knew I had to STOP THE MADNESS! These baked falafel are a good substitute with strong flavors. The garlic cilantro tahini also adds so much flavor that you might not miss the fat of the real thing! Stuff with lots of veggies like cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts and avocado (for some good fat) and you have a healthy meal and a happy mouth =)

Falafel: makes about 8 patties
1 can chick peas
1/2 red onion
1-3 cloves garlic (depending on the flavor you like. I love garlic and could eat it all day)
big handful cilantro and parsley
1TBS EVOO
1TBS white or whole wheat flour or chickpea flour
salt and pepper to taste
juice and zest of one lemon
cumin and coriander to taste (I recommend 1 TBS each)
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Combine in a food processor until chunky but you can form it into golfballs. Roll into balls and flatten a little. Bake at 350 for 45 min. Serve in whole wheat pita with veggies and cilantro tahini:
1-2 TBS sesame tahini
1-2 TBS water
juice of half lemon
big handful cilantro
1 clove garlic crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Combine in mini food processor and serve over falafel.

Memorial Day: Tofu BBQ and Skinny Bitch cookies

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Tom and I went Kayaking this morning with the idea that if we did something hard in the morning we deserved to drink and eat junk food in the afternoon. Makes sense, right? On the menu this afternoon:

Tofu Dogs with fixins'-we used veggie dogs not bad when topped with mustard, relish, and diced onion (my husband likes ketchup-ick)

Baked lentils -
1 cup dry lentil cooked for 30min in boiling water until tender and drained
1/2 red onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1-2 diced chipotle in adobo depending on heat level
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1TBS brown sugar
1 TBS molasses
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Sautee onion until soft, add crushed garlic and diced chipotle and cook for 1-2 min. Add balsamic, sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce. Cook for 5 min on low. Pour over lentils in baking dish and bake at 350 for 45min. You can also do this with navy beans but I like the unusual use for lentils.

Tomato Basil salad-some grape tomatoes, diced red onion, evoo, basil, salt and pepper

Strawberries and "hard" iced tea-Iced green tea with mint leaves, lemon, and a shot of vodka or honey liquor if you are a vegan who eats honey (I know there is much debate over this). Add some agave if you opt for the vodka for sweetness. SOOO good and refreshing. Best served over ice, outside with a bowl of strawberries.

Not a bad or unhealthy meal until... we decided we were hungry and bored by 5pm and decided to make chocolate chip cookies from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Let me start by saying I love love LOVE chocolate chip cookies. I think they are the perfect cookie and I have not had a suitable vegan version for almost a year now. These make the cut especially when still warm and chewy. The next day they are more crunchy and crispy but still very good. I will try to adapt the recipe to be a little less oily but the recipe below is as it is in the book. I subbed canola oil for coconut which might be why.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut oil (i used canola)
1/4 ice water. I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 10 oz package of semi sweet chocolate (i used 1/2 the pack)

Scoop 2 TBS of dough about 2 in apart on a sprayed cookie sheet or one with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 min at 375. Cool about 20 minutes and enjoy!

White bean pesto burgers

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Ingredients:
Kalmata olives
Basil
2 Cloves garlic
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
2 TBS EVOO
1 Can white beans
1/4 cup whole wheat or regular breadcrumbs
1 lemon
Ciabatta rolls
Red pepper Aioli (in this post)
Put olives, basil, garlic, tomatoes and 1TBS olive oil in a mini food processor. Add some pepper to taste. Mash white beans in a bowl with other TBS of EVOO. Add pesto paste and mix with the zest and juice of half a lemon. Add bread crumbs and lightly pan fry burgers and serve on toasted ciabatta with aioli and arugala dressed with lemon juice.

Vegan Tappas

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I've talked about my friend Sarah before, she's the one with the awesome guacamole that I never have the patience to make. Sarah moved to Chicago about a year ago and I really miss cooking with her, but she came into town last month and I knew we should throw an awesome party!
Grapefruit Confetti Salad
Use a food processor to grate two raw peeled beets, and three large carrots (or just but the pre-grated carrots like I did). Supreme one large grapefruit and reserve the juice in a bowl and set sections aside. Add 1TBS EVOO to grapefruit juice as well as 1tsp cumin and chopped cilantro. Whisk together and pour over the shredded vegetables. Let sit for a couple hours and then scoop veggies into endive leaves. Place a grapefruit section on top of each one.
Zucchini Fritters and Red Pepper Aioli
Rinse off that food processor and grate two white potatoes, 1 large zucchini, 1 small sweet onion. Place mixture in bowl and coat lightly with cornstarch (a little less than a 1/4 cup), salt and pepper liberally. About 20 min before you want to serve add about 1/4 cup water and 1/4 flour to make a pste/dough consistency. Scoop a couple of TBS of mixture into a hot skillet with evoo. Fry about 4 at a time and drain on a paper bag or paper towels.
Serve with Red Pepper Aioli:
2 Roasted red peppers (from a jar or do it yourself)
1 Clove garlic
3 TBS fresh parsley
1-2 TBS vegan mayonnaise (optional-I've tried it both ways and both are good)
Green Olive Crostini
Combine 1 cup pitted green olives (not in a jar), 1 clove garlic, a large handful of parseley, 1-2 TBS EVOO, and zest of one lemon. Pulse in a food processor and spread on slices of baguette. Bake for 15 min in a 350 oven. Top with half a cherry tomato and serve.
Sweet Potato Quesadillas
These were the hit of that party from what I heard so make A LOT! This recipe was enough for 27 pieces and I'm sure if I had give my friends more they would have eaten them. Bake 3 LARGE sweet potatoes or four regular ones in the oven for 1 hour until they are tender. Peel off skin, and put in food processor ith 1/4 cup cilantro and 2 chipotle peppers in adobo. Blend until smooth and fold in 1 can black beans. Spread mixture on 1 half of a flour tortilla and fold over. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray and bake at 350 for 15 min flipping halfway through. Cut each tortilla into 3 pieces and serve with guacamole.
Chocolate Truffles
10oz dark chocolate chopped finely (we used the food processor)
3/4 cup coconut milk (not light)
2 TBS cointreau or vanilla depending on which truffle you want to make

Heat coconut milk until very hot but not boiling. Pour milk over chocolate in a glass or stainless bowl. Stir in the extract or liquor and then let chocolate set and cool in fridge. Scoop with a melon baller then roll into balls with hand. Then roll in topping of your choice. We made a double batch and made three kinds of truffles.

Vanilla rolled in toasted chopped almonds
Vanilla rolled in coconut
Cointreau rolled in cocoa

The party was a great success and we all enjoyed seeing Sarah. She also took these great photos! Thanks Sarah and we miss you!