My Vegan Wife

5K Fundraiser

2010-05-08T14:32:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

As you may or may not know I have been volunteering with a wonderful therapeutic riding program for the past few months (learn more about Lovelane from the link and video below). By volunteering I have experienced great joy and I now have the great opportunity to give back! On June 13th Tom and I will be running a 5K to benefit Lovelane and the many families they help. It's going to be a really fun day with kids activities, food, and of course running. I'd love it if you could be there to cheer us on with a donation and/or in person.

Love

Lauren and Tom

Watch this video Learn more about Lovelane Here Donate Here

Tacos and Brownies

2010-05-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm tacos and brownies... we are the pictures of health right now. Honestly I cook and eat incredibly healthy but I don't post that stuff because really who wants to see me have hummus and veggies and salads everyday. After a LONG week of running and a marathon rock climbing session today with Tom we decided to make something fun for dinner. I haven't had tacos in forever and Tom loves cream cheese brownies so we went to Whole Foods, got some supplies and settled in on this rainy night to cook and watch movies (Zombieland is awesome!).

Tacos:
Mix one jar of taco sauce with, 1/2 can black beans, 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh corn, and 1/2 package of yves meatless grounds or taco stuffers in a saucepan. Heat until slightly thickened. Serve in taco shells with avacado, shredded lettuce, salsa and guacamole and of course anything else you might want.
Brownies:
Ghiradelli chocolate chip brownie mix
1/3 cup water mixed with 1&1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer
1/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1/3 cup melted smart balance

Cream Cheeze (whisk together):
8oz Tofutti
3 TBS smart balance
1/3 cup sugar
2TBS vanilla soy yogurt
tsp vanilla

Set oven to 325. Mix brownie stuff together and pour 1/2 in 9x9pan. Add cream cheese mixture and the rest of brownie mix. Swirl together and bake 45min. Let cool and cut! TIP: line pan with parchment paper and spray with pam. When cool lift brownies out and chill in fridge 30min before cutting.

Here are some pictures from our deck-Tom and I just moved into the city in October and hadn't had a chance to spend much time on our deck. With all the nice weather we've been spending more time out there and thought we would try our hand at growing some stuff!

Derby Day: Chips, Dips, and Big Hats

2010-05-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge Kentucky Derby fanatic or anything but in my family, any excuse for food and drink is great! My aunt hosted a great party with hats, snacks, a little betting, and lots of family fun! I brought a layered that was pretty popular (we started scarfing it before I got the picture).
It is easy peasy to make:
1. Tofutti cream cheese mixed with 2-3 TBS taco seasoning (Trader Joe's has a spicy one)
2. Amy's re-fried black beans mixed with a little hot sauce
3. Chopped black olives and pickled jalapenos
4. 1/2 cup black beans (make sure to rinse and dry these or they will make the dip wet)
5. Guacamole
6. Fresh salsa
Just layer everything in a nice shallow dish. You can get creative about what you use. Serve with chips and veggies. We also a great dinner with roasted veggies and a rice and bean salad with herbs, spices and veg and LOTS of Gin and Tonics!

Here's a picture of the ladies lookin pretty! My hat is so big I couldn't see!

Quesadillas and Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

2010-04-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by Vivacious Vegan's post on quesadillas here. You can make them with almost anything, but I used a low carb tortilla with refried black beans, fresh salsa from whole foods, black olives, and jalapenos. I thought about sauteing some spinach but I was soooo hungry. I served it with a simple tomato, cucumber, avocado salad dressed with some lemon juice and zest. Fold in half and toast in a non stick plan-I did not use oil but I guess you could. TIP: if you need to make a lot of quesadillas for a party (see my Superbowl post on sweet potato quesadillas) set the oven to 350. Lightly spray a cookie sheet and place quesadillas on it. Flip after 5 min and cook 5-7 minutes more. Let cool a bit and slice with a pizza cutter.

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and we will be going out to western MA to party hardy with my family. I wanted to bring something yummy but not too sweet for an afternoon garden party. I've made a lot o cookies lately and so I decided to make my favorite muffins. I made these a lot this fall because they are great around the holidays, but I missed them so they are coming out one last time before summer!
Pumpkin Cranberry Orange Muffins
2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ea. cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg
1 cup maple syrup
1 can of pumpkin
1/2 c applesauce
Juice of 1/2 orange and zest of whole orange
1/2 cup orange flavored cranberries (from Trader Joe's or just use regular ones)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
NOTE: You can use pumpkin pie filling and omit spices and 1/2 cup maple syrup

Set oven to 350. Mix wet ingredients, then add dry, fold in nuts and berries, and fill lightly greased muffin cups 1/2 way. Bake 14-17 min.

Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies

2010-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

I made these from the Whole Food website. They are super easy and come together in the food processor. Instead of grinding down the almonds I just pulse the oats and then add almond meal, flour, oil and maple syrup and blend together. I used blackberry jame because it is Tom's favorite. We also made oatmeal raisin cookies from "The Joy of Vegan Baking"

Almond Joy Cupcakes

2010-04-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are gluten free and taken from a recipe my aunt made last week. The frosting is from Licking the Beaters, a low fat vegan cookbook. You really don't need the frosting because the cakes are moist and delicious and healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

Gluten Free Almond Coconut Cakes:
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup organic unrefined sugar
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

2 TBS canola oil
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 TBS flax seed meal mixed with 3 TBS HOT water (Let sit for 10min before adding to wet ingredients)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Add wet to dry, and mix until combined. Fill lightly sprayed foil muffin liners with a heaping TBS of batter. Bake 20 min. Makes 6-8 muffins.
Note: Using these muffins for breakfast would be great since they are pretty healthy. I would like to try adding some cinnamon and raisins.

Chocolate Almond Butter Frosting: Lickin' The Beaters: Low Fat Vegan Desserts by Sue Moffat
Combine the following ingredients in the bottom of a sauce pan:
3 TBS soy milk
2 TBS almond butter
4 TBS cocoa
6 TBS maple syrup (I used agave nectar because I didn't want the taste of maple)
Whisk together the ingredients until smooth. In a separate bowl mix together 4tsp arrowroot powder and 1/4 soymilk. Pour into chocolate mixture in pan. Heat on medium low and stir occasionally until thickened for 10 minutes. Let cakes and frosting cool before frosting.

Shepards Pie

2010-03-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is something I never actually had when I wasn't a vegan so I have NOOO basis for comparison but I served it to my husband and my friend from England, Craig. They are boys, they ate it, they asked for more so... win!
Filling (use any or all of the following):
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Zucchini
Peppers
Saute veggies until soft and then add 2-3 cloves garlic. Season with 1 tsp fennel seed and some crushed red pepper. Add small can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and one bay leaf. Cook together for 15minutes. Add your favorite TVP or saute gimme lean breakfast sausage in a seperate pan and then add to sauce. I stirred in 2 cups of baby spinach, and 1/2 cup each frozen corn and frozen peas. Cooked until spinach wilted. Transfer to a quiche or pie plate.
Topping:
3 cups small red potatoes
1/2 cup tofutti sour cream or for lighter potatoes add plain soy milk
2 TBS vegan margarine
2tsp garlic powder, salt and lots of black pepper

Spread potatoes on top of filling and bake at 375 until potatoes start to brown (didn't get a picture out of the oven only before it went in). This would be good served with some corn muffins. I had some pumpkin cranberry muffins that the guys like with their dinner! Enjoy this dish before the weather gets warmer (Yay!) Here's a picture of the filling:

Vegan Superbowl II (and the best cupcakes EVER made)

2010-02-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

Geaux Saints!!!

That was a great game and we had some good food, beer and cupcakes!!! We had the standard food: Chips, dip, hummus, trail mix, and chili (I used smart start breakfast sausage in my typical veggie and bean chili. People seemed to like this-just crumble the sausage and crisp it up nicely in a saute pan and add to chili at last minute). The picture below doesn't show one of our treats because frankly by the time they came out of the oven, anyone who cared about taking a picture (me) was two beers and a lot of potato chips in the hole!

Sweet Potato and Spinach Quesadillas:
Makes 18 pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes roasted at 350 for 45min until mushy
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
3 cups baby spinach
1 chipotle pepper in adobo or 2 tsp chipotle hot sauce

Peel sweet potatoes when cool and place flesh in food processor with spices and chipotle. Meanwhile sautee spinach in 1tsp EVOO and crushed garlic until just wilted. Process until smooth. Remove mixture to a bowl and fold in half a can of black beans. Spread filling on half of a tortilla (you can get all different colors/flavors) and fold in half. This should fill 6 tortillas. Spray baking sheet with canola or olive oil spray and bake these for 5-7 min on each side. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Slice with a pizza cutter into three pieces and serve with guacamole. The smokey sweetness is great with the cold tangy-ness of the guacamole!

For dessert we had the yogurt pineapple cake from Eat Drink and Be Vegan which was very good with fruit and soy whip cream (this stuff tastes just like Redi-whip so I didn't get any complaints!) and I made some special cupcake pictured below. It is a known fact that I could eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches all day but don't (I can't keep peanut butter in the house anymore because I really will eat a jar every 3 days) so this is my all out tribute to peanut butter plus chocolate. How could anyone NOT like these????

Banana Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Peanut Butter Chocolate Mouse Frosting:

Cake:
1 Box Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake or chocolate devil's food
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
2 ripe bananas (brown almost black)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup water
Ener-g egg replacer equal to one egg mixed into water
1/2-3/4 cup vegan semi sweet or dark chips
Combine ingredients and bake according to package directions (16-18 minutes)

Frosting: This frosting comes from a peanut butter pie recipe HERE. It is damn good as pie or layered in a martini glass with any of the following: banana slices, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, crushed cookies, and topped with soy whip cream for a fancy looking trifle OR eaten straight out of the Tupperware you put the leftovers in (whatever!)

1 12 oz container firm silken tofu (yes it sounds like a contradiction but it is real I got mine at Whole Foods)
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use the real stuff and always pour off the initial layer of oil before stirring. I like Trader Joe's organic creamy)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup vegan semi sweet chocolate melted

In food processor process tofu and maple syrup until smooth. Add peanut butter and bleand again, completely scraping down the sides of the bowl until everything is smoothly combined. Then add melted chocolate and process until uniformly creamy and delicious. This makes more than enough to frost the 18 cupcakes I made but weirdly it disappeared by Monday night!

Here's a picture of the peanut butter filling in a pir crust with crushed chocolate covered pretzels. I think it would be prettier topped with soy whip cream and chopped chocolate. I'll make one and update soon =)

Black Bean Tofu Cakes with Pineapple Mango Salsa

2010-01-22T06:16:00.000-08:00

I made these around Christmas as a veggie alternative to my mom's pork roast which was accompanied with the same salsa. They are a little hard to flip and might benefit from some more bread crumbs but they were good.

Saute a combination of diced vegetables. I used mushrooms, zucchini, peppers. Add garlic, cumin and coriander to taste. Meanwhile blend 1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs and extra firm tofu, salt and pepper in food processor. In a bowl fold together 1 can black beans, tofu, and vegetables. Form into patties and cook in EVOO about 3 minutes on each side. TIP: wait until one side is brown to do the flip. It's hard to do but easier if one side is firm. You can keep these warm in an oven at 200 until ready to serve.

Salsa:
1/2 cup pineapple diced
2 mangoes diced
1 avocado diced
1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced
juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Vegan Brunch

2010-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

By oldest and bestest was in town this week from L.A. and I thought a ladies brunch would be a great way to celebrate seeing her. It was a great morning with old friends just drinking coffee and soy hot chocolate while the snow came down outside!
Fruit and yogurt parfait-layer vanilla soy yogurt, strawberries, granola, yogurt, slivered almonds and drizzle of agave syrup
Fruit Salad
Salad with pears, walnuts, and cranberries. dressing here.
Sausage-Saute pieces of field roast apple and sage sausage and serve with mustard
Crescent rolls with jam
Roast potatoes with vegetables-Saute onions, peppers, zucchini and broccoli in pan while you roast small potatoes in oven. Mix together and bake before serving. You could also add field roast sausages to this mixture.
Pumpkin pancakes-Pancake recipe here. Substitute pumpkin pie filling for the apple sauce in this recipe. We actually ran out of soy milk and used some soy eggnog as well. The spices in the nog worked out really well.
Bagel Sandwiches-Mini whole wheat bagels, spread with hummus and layered with vegetables

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-12-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T05:41:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-16T09:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-30T18:23:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Spinach and Eggplant Muffaletta

2009-04-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

The muffaletta is a specialty from New Orleans where we went to college. Traditionally it is filled with Italian meats and cheese but more importantly it is dressed with an olive salad and olive oil that soaks into the bread. We love the city and LOVE the sandwich. This is a meat free version stuffed with roasted eggplant, spinach, tomato. If you can buy olive salad in New Orleans go ahead but below is my "jazzed up version" which is not necessarily traditional but adds a lot of flavor to a meat free sandwich.

One loaf very crusty bread (you don't want olive salad soaking all the way through)
Tomatoes
Baby spinach
One eggplant sliced and salted then baked for 25 minutes at 375 (spray with pam and flip halfway through baking)
*Roasted red peppers, zuchinni, or red onion would also be good additions here

Olive Salad:
1 cup kalmata olives
1 cup small green olives
1/2 jar Giardiniera (pickled vegetable salad usually in the international food isle)
2 or 3 pepperoncini peppers or banana peppers
3 TBS sundried tomatoes in oil
handful Italian parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder or clove fresh garlic if you want it strong
1 teaspoon oregano and basil
Splash red wine vinegar
2-3 TBS EVOO

To Assemble:
Cut bread into top and bottom. Scoop out some of the doughy part from the top to fill with olive salad. Scoop 1-2 cups of salad into the top and set aside. On the bottom layer eggplant, spinach and tomato or any other veggies. Put the two parts together and wrap in plastic wrap. Let sit 2 hours or more in fridge to let flavors meld. Cut into quarters and serve or just call it a day and eat a whole damned half!

Serves 2 (when you are very hungry!)
Tip: Use extra olive salad and mix into hummus. Eat with slices of cucumber or pita chips!

Taco Night

2009-04-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Tom and I were feeling nostalgic about taco nights when you were a kid and got to make your own tacos. Set these fillings up and any more you like and have a great Mexican night with friends.

Salsa or Pico de Gallo

Guacamole or fresh avacado slices

Black beans simmered with diced red onion and cilantro

Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic, cumin and chilles

This filling is good, sloppy, and recalls the classic taco filling without all the fat and meaty-ickyness:

Simmer one jar of taco sauce (if you buy a kit with hard or soft tacos they usually supply a packet of the stuff) and one TBS tomato paste in a pan on medium heat, add 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn and your favorite textured vegetable protein. Cook until thickened. Add hot sauce and scallions and serve hot!

Funky Monkey Cookies

2009-03-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

These cookies are banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted to name them something fun!

Ingredients:
2 mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup soy milk
3/4 cub light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour (or you can do 2 1/3 cups all purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each all spice and nutmeg and salt
1 1/2 cups instant or rolled oats
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray 2 cookie sheets.
In a bowl combine banana, maple syrup, sot milk, vanilla, and brown sugar. You might want to use a hand mixer or stick blender to get the banana "smoosh" smooth and incorporated. Sift in all dry ingredients except oats. When a dough forms fold in chocolate chips and oats. Form into walnut sized balls and bake 10min. They will be soft and not look done but let them cool (slightly if you can't wait) and they will become chewy and delicious! Enjoy with ice cold non-dairy milk or coffee!

Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Oven Fries

2009-03-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of my favorite meals because I LOVE burger and fries. Honestly the ketchup and fries make it so good you can use pre-made veggie burgers if you want but this is worth the trouble. I recommend Amy's Texas burgers if you want to use a frozen burger. Below I included two recipes for black bean burgers. The first is from Veganomicon is a little "bready" so i made an open face sandwich and the second is inspired by my fried Sarah (of Sarah and John's famous guacamole).

Burgers:
1 can organic black beans
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten*
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin and coriander
1/4 cup water*
1 table spoon tomato paste
1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 red onion finely chopped

Mash beans with a fork and then add other ingredients. Combine until you can form four patties. Spray a non stick skillet with Pam and cook 5-10 min each side. Serve with guacamole, tomato, lettuce and onion or ketchup mustard and pickles!

To make Sarah's version omit * items. The burgers will be softer so be gentle turning them.

Fries:
Set oven to 375. Cut two sweet potatoes into fry shapes. Toss in EVOO and spread out on a baking sheet. Lightly dust them with cumin, salt, and chili pepper. Bake for 20 min, flip and bake another 20-30min until crispy.

Make dipping sauce by combining ketchup, one clove fresh crushed garlic, Tabasco sauce, and minced cilantro. This is also great on burgers!

Rustic Mushrom and Carmalized Onion Flatbread

2009-03-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

This uses Tom's pesto recipe as a base for delicious mushrooms, caramelized onions, sun-dried and diced tomatoes.

Pesto:
Kalmata olives
Basil
Pine nuts
1 clove garlic
handful of baby spinach

Combine a small handful of each ingredient in food processor and add 1-2 tablespoons EVOO
Spread on pre-made pizza dough and add toppings.

Topping:
Sauteed mushrooms
Caramelized onions
Sun dried tomatoes
1/2 jar Trader Joe's bruschetta sauce or diced tomatoes

Thai Stir Fry

2009-02-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is an easy meal to do with different veggie combos or any veggies you have left in the fridge after the week. I have done the one above with Green beans, squash, peppers, and strips of carrots. But below I have a picture with red onion, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple. To me pineapple is a must in this dish and blends wonderfully with the spices.
Star by sauteing vegetables in order of how long they take to cook. Onions, then eggplant mushrooms and peppers.
Once vegetable are softened add garlic and lemon grass to mixture and cook lightly.
Add soy sauce, ginger and a little brown sugar or you can use Trader Joe's Soyaki which has all of these ingredients.
Add Saricha sauce based on how hot you like it.
Then add green beans or pea pods so they cook but stay crunchy (bamboo shoots are good too).
Add fresh pineapple chunks and a TBS or so of their juice.
Once sauce is cooked down and veggies tender, add chopped Thai basil and mint and grate some lime zest over the top.
Serve with brown rice and any sides you would like. I served the above one with pan fried tofu and peanut sauce for wrapping in lettuce leaves.

Minestrone

2009-02-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

In Boston it is pretty cold, and while I wish it was spring, I try to enjoy the winter with hearty soups and stews. The minestrone is great because you can put any veggies you want in it. Here is my version

Ingredients:
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
3 leeks
1 yellow squash or zucchini
2 cloves garlic
5 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (you can get some flavored with italian spices and balsamic and those would be good here)
1 can garbanzo or kidney beans
1 cup pasta of your choice
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil and spinach (optional)
Bread for dipping (optional)

Clean leeks by cutting off dark green parts of leaks (discard or save for stock). Chop white and light green parts into rounds about 1 inch thick and then in half. Place in a sink filled with cool water or bowl so sand will fall to bottom of bowl. While soaking cut up celery, carrots and squash into bite size pieces. Start sauteing carrots in TBS of EVOO and when they start to soften add squash, celery and drained leeks. Cook for 2 min and add 2 cloves crushed garlic, hot pepper flakes, bay leaf and oregano. Cook for 1 more min and then add veggie broth. Bring to a boil and add beans and tomatoes and cook for a bout 20 min so flavors can develop. About 8minutes before serving add pasta (check cooking time on your pasta) then 3 minutes before add fresh spinach and basil. Serve with forcacia for dipping!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

The day before Valentine's Day we had some people over to watch a scary movie because it was Friday the 13th.

We made chocolate covered caramel corn, vegan raspberry brownies, and had kettle corn to snack on, but we needed a really great cocktail to keep everyone happy during the scary movie!
Strawberry Mojito:
Muddle frozen or fresh strawberries with 3 or 4 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass
Pour in one shot white rum
Top with sparkling berry lemonade (from Trader Joe's)
You can use any lemonade but the one from TJ's is pink and has a nice berry and lemon flavor.

After a great night with friends and getting scared out of our minds watching The Descent, we woke up hungry. This was an easy breakfast to make the next morning that showed Tom how much I love him!
Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas:
2 Whole Wheat tortillas
natural creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 banana cut into rounds
handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium. Spread 1/2 of each tortilla with peanut butter, lay on 1/2 of the banana slices and sprinkle 1/2 of the chocolate chips on each. Fold each tortilla in half and warm in skillet outside is soft and inside melty. Cut with pizza cutter.

I also cut some Trader Joe's vegan banana waffles into heart shapes with a cookie cutter!

Vegan Superbowl

2009-02-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ah Superbowl Sunday. Time for Americans to gather together and pretend they care about a game they don't understand in order to drink and eat in excess. I refuse to allow being vegan to keep me from my beer and snack food so I had a bunch of people over (who don't care about football) and fed them junk food they didn't expect with vegan eating.

Menu:
-Supremely Spicy Sabra Hummus with pita chips and veggies
-Chips and salsa, guacamole, and pineapple salsa (pulse fresh pineapple, red onion, jalepeno, lime juice, and cilantro in food processor)
-Layered Dip (Layer Amy's re-fried beans, black beans, guacamole and salsa. Top with scallions and cilantro. Scoop and enjoy with tortilla chips!)
-Chili Bar with toppings (olives, scallions, bacos, hot sauce, jalapenos)
-"Pigs" in a blanket (wrap tofu pups or any vegan hot dog or sausage with Pillsbury crescent dough)
I try to eat healthy but woohoo! Bacos and crescent dough are vegan?! That is crazy! (now I will immediately forget that so I can go back to brown rice and veggies). Use this menu whenever you want to pig out and are drinking beer (and then go to the gym).

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

2009-01-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

I received my first issue of Vegetarian Times from my sister-in-law last week and was inspired by these lettuce wraps. The original recipe calls for water chestnuts but I used shitake mushrooms instead. Other good additions would be bamboo shoots sliced up. The recipe below is from the magazine with my addition of the mushrooms and a little substitution I made. Make it with what you like!

Filling:
2 TBS olive oil or vegetable oil
1 red onion
1 package shitake mushrooms
1 can water chestnuts or bamboo shoots (optional)
1 TBS ginger*
1 TBS lemon grass
2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
1lb Xtra firm tofu
4 TBS soy sauce*
4TBS hoisen sauce*
1-2 squirts vegan chile sauce
Shredded carrot
2-3 chopped scallions (white and green parts)
Chopped mint and Thai basil

* I cheated and found a sauce at Trader Joe's called Soyaki which had all of these ingredients in it already and used that instead.

Saute mush rooms and diced onion in oil. When cooked add lemon grass ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4min. Next crumble in tofu and add sauces. Cook for an additional 5min until warmed through. At the end add shredded carrot and chopped scallions as well as mint and basil.

Optional toppings:
crushed peanuts
lime wedges
peanut sauce
chille sauce
additional mint or scallions

Serve with Boston lettuce leaves and any additional toppings so people can make their own wraps. This would be a fun and easy entertaining menu if you rounded it out with some good Asian inspired appetizers like vegetable pot-stickers or veggie sushi.

Coco-Pineapple Sundaes

2009-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Another little Vegetarian Times idea. Pineapple+coconut sorbet+mint. The original had mangoes instead of pineapple. I think you could make a tropical sundae with bananas, pineapple and mango, but I loved this flavor combo especially with the chopped mint. Pair with tofu lettuce wraps for a light Asian inspired meal!

Spaghetti Squash and Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce

2009-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

My co-worker Liz and I both saw Rachel Ray make spaghetti squash about 2 months ago and came to work the next day excited by this new idea and ready to try it. Well Liz made it multiple times and I of course found other things to distract me until now. I have to say that this is really good and very fun to make. The squash is very healthy and not too heavy like real pasta which means you can have big honkin' portions which makes me happy!

To make squash roast one spaghetti squash halved and brushed with olive oil at 400 for about 45min to an hour. When done use a fork to scrape out inside (ohmigod it looks like spaghetti!). One squash makes enough for 3 LARGE servings.

For the sauce you can use anything you want but I think the squash needs something really savory and salty. My sauce:

2 TBS EVOO
2 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
3 TBS capers
Red wine
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalmata olives
Fresh basil

Saute garlic and red pepper to taste in EVOO for 5 min add capers and red wine and let cook down. Add tomatoes and cook on medium until thickened. Add olives and basil right before serving on top of squash.

Vegetable Enchiladas

2009-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Enchiladas
1 small red onion
2 bell peppers (any color)
1 yellow squash or zucchini
1/2 small can diced tomatoes and chillis or jalepenos*
5 flour or corn tortillas
1 can Amy's re-fried black beans or other vegan re-fried beans
Optional: chopped cilantro, scallions, and black olives

Sauce
small can tomato sauce
1/2 small can diced tomatoes and chillis or jalepenos*
Cumin
Chili powder
Cinnamon
Hot sauce or chipotle sauce
Saute squash, onion, and peppers in a bit of olive oil until soft. when vegetables are tender about 15min add tomatoes and chiles and 3-4 TBS of chopped cilantro. Cook for 5 more min. While Veggies are cooking combine sauce ingredients to taste in sauce pan add only a small pinch of cinnamon. Bring to a light boil. To assemble the enchiladas spread a layer of beans on each tortilla and put 1/5th of the veggie mixture in each. Roll and place each seam side down in baking dish. Pour sauce on top and bake at 350 for 15-20min. When it comes out of the oven top with scallions cilantro and black olives if you like!

Caramel Popcorn Delight

2009-01-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so its probably no surprise that I love Trader Joe's and one of the many reasons is because they have a whole lot of vegan products and it is easy to find them thanks to the list on their website. I'm sorry if you don't have a TJs by you but don't worry you can usually find everything I use at a regular grocery store. This delicious treat uses TJs fat free caramel corn which is vegan, peanuts, and dark chocolate. This is the only vegan caramel corn that I know of that you can buy so if you are not near a Trader Joe's you will have to make your own caramel corn. I'm not sure you can even call this cooking, but it's awesome and everyone will love you if you bring it to a party!

Spread caramel corn and peanuts (optional) on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Melt 1 and 1/2 dark chocolate bars in a pan on low heat and drizzle melted chocolate over the peanut and popcorn mixture. Place in fridge for 45min and then break into chunks. Try not to eat it all.

Veggie Pizza

2009-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows my husband knows he is a pizza addict. Of course with me being vegan his opportunities to eat pizza have dwindled. Now I'm no claiming that this pizza is as good as the "real thing" but the savory sauce really makes this pizza satisfying. I used Trader Joe's herb and garlic pizza dough but if you know how to make your own go ahead!Preheat oven to 425 and take pizza dough out of refrigerator for 20min. While you wait saute one package of sliced baby portabella mushrooms also called crimini. To make sauce saute 1/2 a sweet onion, add 1 small can diced tomatoes, 2 TBS sun dried tomatoes and 1 small handful chopped kalmata or black olives. When the sauce has thickened (about 15min) add 2 cloves crushed garlic, a pinch of dry oregano and 2 or 3 leaves fresh basil. You want to add the garlic at the end to make it more strong when it cooks in the oven. If you don't like the taste of fresh garlic you can omit it or put it in when you add the onions so it cooks and mellows, but I think it makes the sauce more pizza-y. Roll out dough on a cookie sheet sprayed with pam or pizza stone. Add sauce, mushrooms, spinach and any veggies you like.

*Trader Joes makes a fresh pizza sauce (in the refrigerator section) that is pretty good and makes this meal easy. Just add the sun dried tomatoes, olives, and garlic on top or combine before hand. Their Bruchetta in a jar is also a really good pizza sauce as well.

Pumpkin Cookies

2008-12-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

We all know I'm not a great baker but last week we had a big snow storm and I needed a project and wanted to have cookies for my sister-in-law and husband for the holidays!

ingredients:
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 tsp all spice or ginger
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flower (or 2 cups all purpose whatever)

icing:
3 tbs canned pumpkin
icing sugar

Beat sugar, pumpkin, oil and vanilla.

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to liquid mixture in 3 or 4 parts. Mix until smooth like a thick mixture.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes (I thought they were better cooked less)

While they cook mix together frosting and frost cookies when cool. I included iced and un-iced cookies although Tom says that iced is the only way to go.

Simple Veggie Chili

2008-12-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
2 or 3 bell peppers (I like to use different colors for fun)
small can green chillies
2 or 3 chipotles in adobo sauce (international foods isle in a small can)
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 small can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans or dark red kidney beans
2tsp each cumin, chili powder, cayenne and whatever else you like
your favorite textured vegetable protein I like quorn or yves meatless taco stuffers (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro and red onion or scallions for garnish

saute diced onion in evoo and add diced peppers when onions begin to soften. This would also be the time to add any other veggies you want (carrots, zucchini, squash). Once ingredients gain some color, crush garlic in and stir for 1 minute. Add diced chipotles with as much of their sauce as you want (HOTT). Add all cans and spices. Cook on medium until sauce is thick (about 30min). Mix in vegetable protein if you want at the end and serve with garnish and multigrain chips!

This takes a little longer to cook but is great to make on weekends and bring for lunch.

Prep time: 15min
Cook time: 30-40min

Spinach and Squash

2008-12-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

This is a great side dish for a pasta or a light dinner. Split acorn squash into four pieces or like me have someone stronger do it. Toss with evoo and roast at 375 for about 1 hour. Scoop out flesh and place in blender with a 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves, 1TBS smart balance, salt, pepper and a dash of cinnamon. Meanwhile saute 2 shallots in evoo put baby spinach on top and steam until just wilted so it stays green. Serve on top of squash puree.

Tom's Easy Pesto

2008-12-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

I call this Tom's Pesto because he's become an expert at making it on nights I'm coming home late. This is really easy and economical but is also tasty enough to serve to guests. I served this to my dad with a salad, roasted squash, and a nice glass of wine and we were all happy!

In food processor combine 2 handfuls kalmata olives, an equal amount of basil, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 or 3 tablespoons pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Add extra virgin olive oil and pulse until smooth. Toss with warm whole wheat pasta and add sun dried tomatoes.
UPDATE: add half the sun dried tomatoes into the food processor and blend then mix in the rest with the pasta.

Time: 15 minutes make pesto while boiling water and pasta mix and serve! This is why Tom likes it so much

Wine party book club

2008-12-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have 3 friends who are some of the smartest, coolest women I know and in an effort to get to see them more, despite our busy schedules, I started book club. Now you should know that this is really more of a wine and food club and part of my plan to feed people delicious vegan food. I am not a very fast reader and would rather cook, go out or shop than read on a typical day so I, of course, finished the book the day of and spent the rest of the day prepping the italian themed party. This actually ended up serving as a light meal for four people.

Spinach salad
Dressing:
2 TBS EVOO
1.2 TBS dijon mustar
1/2 TBS agave syrup
splash of blasamic vinegar
lots of black pepper

This dressing is sweet with a slight tang and should be thick enough to coat the leaves nicely. Add candied walnuts or pecans and dried cranberries.

Stuffed mushrooms
These were made the same way as in this post: Italian Entertaining
although I used red wine instead of white.

Polenta and eggplant rounds with balsamic onions and tomatoes
I haven't worked with much polenta but I was interested in it when I saw organic polenta at Trader Joe's. It comes in a tube which makes slicing it in rounds easy. I sliced pieces about 1/4in thick and toasted them up in a non stick skillet. I then took slices of salted eggplant and pan fried them. For the sauce I caramelized one onion in EVOO for about 30min on low heat. I then added 1TBS of balsamic vinegar and 4TBS of diced canned tomatoes and let cook down about 15min. Place polenta rounds on baking sheet top with fried eggplant and about a TBS of sauce. Place in oven for 5 min before serving. For extra flavor and a contrast to the sweet onions add an oil cured black olive to the top or on just some in case people don't like olives (crazy).

Roasted garlic and white bean dip with crostini and veggies
While the mushrooms were baking I roasted a whole head of garlic. To do this, cut off the top of the garlic head, create a pouch of tin foil and place garlic inside with a drizzle of EVOO before closing up the pouch. After 45 min in a 350 oven, remove from pouch and squeeze out roasted garlic into the food processor. Add one can of cannellini beans, 2 TBS EVOO, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crostini (brush slices of bread with EVOO and toast for 10min in oven) and raw veggie sticks.

Olive crostini
Blend kalmata olives, basil, EVOO and fresh garlic in a food processor. Spread slices of bread with kalmata olive pesto and bake in 350 oven for 10min. So yummy with wine!

Vegetable Panini

2008-11-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

Tom and I got married 2 years ago and when you get married you get a lot of stuff/crap. Granted it's crap that you want or at least you wanted it after two hours of walking around linen's and things with a laser gun (so fun), but soon you realize that maybe you don't need every appliance, bowl, and wine glass known to man. This is the case with our most highly debated appliance: The Panini Press! I wanted it more than life itself, Tom thought it was unnecessary. Needless to say it was only used once at our very popular "make your own panini party", but now that I'm vegan it is back and better than ever. We've used it a lot to make these delicious panini's.

The most important and delicious part of this sandwich is the black olive spread. I make it by combining kalmata olives, fresh garlic, basil, and olive oil in the food processor (another appliance we registered for). Spread this on half of your bread. For the picture above we used forcaccia.

For the filling we used roasted red peppers, sauteed portabello mushrooms, fresh spinach and fried eggplant. Once filed with your favorite topping press in panini press or place in skllet with a heavy pan on top to press and toast bread. Eat and enjoy.

Lasagna Pasta

2008-11-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

After the success of the lasagna earlier this month I was inspired to make something that incorporated the same flavors but was easier to make. I used to make this with sausage and ricotta so that was out of the question but this is really just as good!

Sauce:
I made a basic tomato sauce but added big mushrooms, olives, and frozen spinach in order to mimic the flavors of my lasagna. At the end of cooking I added meatless meatballs to simmer and warm through. You could also add your favorite fakey sausage.
Ricotta:
Pulse firm tofu, olive oil, and basil in food processor until crumbly in texture. Do not add fresh garlic like in previous recipes as the flavor will be too pungent. You could add roasted garlic but I added mine in the sauce.
After sauce is cooked take off the heat and fold in tofu ricotta. Serve over whole grain pasta.
Prep and cook time:45min

Sarah and John's Guacamole

2008-11-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

I'm honored to be a guest blogger on the site and contribute our guacamole recipe (as referenced in this post). We had a housewarming party last night and made a good amount of guac(4 avocados worth!), but it was devoured in less than an half an hour.

2 scallions (green onions), finely chopped
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, cored and finely chopped
4 avocados
juice of 2 limes (we like ours pretty limey)
a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro (to taste)
salt and pepper

Chop up the scallions, tomatoes and jalapenos first and put them in the bowl. Then, slice and chop up the avocados and put them in the bowl and immediately add the lime juice to prevent browning. Then, mix and mash until you reach your desired consistency, adding the cilantro, salt and pepper along the way. (You don't need to mash it that much; John prefers it to be more of a relish than really smooth). Cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to serve.

Tip: You can keep the avocado pits in the guacamole at the end which also makes the presentation interesting and keeps it from browning, but only one or two pits is really necessary. =)

Enchilladas

2008-11-03T17:05:00.001-08:00

I was intrigued by this soy chorizo which is a new product at Trader Joe's that came out about a month ago. I'm typically wary of "fake meat", but this was pretty popular with Tom and I admit it is good. I also think these would be great with just a veggies and black bean filling or with lentils. It is super cheap and easy to make and very satisfying as comfort food. If you don't like the refried beans used below just add your favorite beans to the filling.

Filling:
1 package soy chorizo
1 clove garlic
1/2 small can roasted green chilles spicy or mild
1/2 can diced tomatoes and jalepenos or chilles
2 or 3 diced scallions
handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 can vegan refried black beans (Amy's are sooooo good)
Flour or corn tortillas

Sauce:
1/2 small can roasted green chilles spicy or mild
1/2 can diced tomatoes and jalepenos or chilles
1 jar hot taco sauce
1 pinch cumin, peprika, and chille pepper or whatever spices you like
1 pinch cinnamon

Combine all sauce ingredients and let thicken on medium heat in a saucepan while making the filling.

Heat skillet and warm chorizo (unwrap chorizo from its plastic package). Add clove of crushed garlic. Add chilles and tomatoes and jalenpenos. Once warmed through add cilantro and scallions. Spread each tortilla with a thin layer of refried beans and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of chorizo fillng. Roll up and place seem-side down in a baking dish. Pour sauce on top and bake for 30 min at 350.

Prep: 15min
Cook: 30min

Italian Entertaining

2008-11-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Spinach and Eggplant Lasagna
This lasagna is time consuming but well worth it. It is a crowd pleaser and in Tom's opinion "The best fake-out meal" thanks to the delicious tofu "ricotta".

Tofu Ricotta (adapted from "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"):
One package of firm tofu
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons EVOO
4 or 5 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach (this is my edition and really makes it yummy)*

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until it is grainy in texture and a beautiful bright green. Refrigerate and save for later.

Eggplant:
Take one Italian eggplant and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Lay out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides lightly with salt. This will remove some of the bitterness by drawing out the bitter liquid inside the eggplant as well as season them. Let these sit for 30minutes to an hour to give off their liquid. Warm EVOO in a skillet and pan fry the eggplant untill light brown and nice and soft. This makes the eggplant smooth and delicious.

While the eggplant is salting (not a word) prep your sauce and boil a package of whole weat lagagna noodles. I made a sauce with onions, garlic, capers, kalmata olives, crushed red pepper and crushed tomatoes and fresh basil, but you can use a jar sauce if you're lazy (I'm judging you).

Layer the lasagna in a baking dish as follows:
a ladle of sauce on the bottom
noodles to cover
ricotta
fried eggplant
sauce (I like a lot)

Continue untill you have about 3 layers and end with noodles and a bit of sauce on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes with foil on top and then uncover for the last 15-20min. Let cool about 20min until you cut and serve.

Prep time: 60min
Cook Time: 60min and 20min cool time

Spinach Stuffed Mushroom
This is adapted from my grandmother's recipe that uses a lot of parmesian cheese. These are just as good and with the added benefit of spinach.

1 Package white mushrooms (you can use stuffing mushrooms but I wanted small ones)
1 shallot diced
2 cloves garlic
3 or 4 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup while weat bread crumbs
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach*

Clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems and reserve for later. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet sprayed with pam and bake at 350 for 15 minutes to pre-cook them. They will give off some liquid which you should reserve. Set aside caps to cool.

Sautee diced stems and shallots in EVOO untill soft. Crush 2 cloves of garlic into the mixture. When it becomes fragrant add the white wine and mushroom liquid and cook down. Then add spinach. Turn off the heat and add bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be crumbly but wet enough that it sticks together. Use it and stuff into caps. Bake at 350 for 10 min or untill tops get crispy. Serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Prep time: 30min
Bake time: 10min

*To defrost spinach place in microwave safe bowl. Take spinach and place in clean dish towel and squeeze out water until spinach is drained.

Portabello Fajitas

2008-11-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

I love fajitas and the taste of these meaty mushrooms makes this easy meal very satisfying. Just start by sauteing one onion (sweet or red is great) when they start softening add some peppers and sliced portabellos. Once all items are cooked add chile powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Warm tortillas in a warm skillet until soft and top mixture with your favorite toppings. I like:

black beans (warm organic black beans in a pot and add fresh cilantro and scallions)
fresh salsa
pickled jalapenos
and Sarah and John's famous guacamole!

This is a fun meal and you can set up a topping bar and have a fajita party with friends!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Check out this link for a list of vegan candy: http://www.petakids.com/candy.html

September Entertaining Menu

2008-09-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Cranberry Pear Salad
Our friends Joanna and Dan came over this weekend for my first entertaining experience since being a vegan. I decided to serve them a three course meal and started with this salad, which turned out to be something that I would eat any day of the week!
This salad is easy but so pretty so the key is getting really great ingredients. I used locally grown red leaf lettuce, organic frisee and red pears. Tear the lettuce and slice the pears as thin as you can. The dressing is a shallot vinaigrette of one part balsamic, two parts EVOO, one sliced shallot and a little agave syrup. The really special part of this salad are the toppings, and although they are simple and easy to find they really make it more impressive. Sprinkle sliced toasted almonds, dried unsweetened cranberries, and fried onion pieces from Trader Joe's. I had never had these before as my family never had this "green bean casserole" I've heard so much about, but they are totally delicious. RELAX about the calories and remember that you're entertaining and it is supposed to be indulgent and remember you're probably eating a small amount.

Lentil Soup
The next course I served was lentil soup. Below is the recipe for the soup and the garlic croutons on top!
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 a diced onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1Tsp cumin
1Tsp cayenne
3/4 cups green or brown lentils
1 cup of canned peelled tomatoes and their juice (about three of the tomatoes)
4 cups low sodium organic vegetable broth (I used Trader Joe's)
1/2 head escarole
Cilantro or parseley (optional)

Start by heating the EVOO and sauteeing the onion untill translucent. Add crushed garlic, cumin, cayenne, and brown lentils. Stir untill garlic is fragrant but not browning, then add liquid (tomatoes and broth). Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for about 40min. Then add the escarole to cook and finish with cilantro or parseley before serving.
This soup has a lot of room for variation and as long as you keep the ratio of 3/4 cup lentils to 5 cups liquid you could use whatever you like to flavor it. I was thinking next time I might use some leeks instead of onions or add some potato (sweet or otherwise) after adding the liquid. enjoy making the soup anyway you like!

Roasted Garlic Croutons
1/2-3/4 loaf french bread day old or fresh
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup EVOO
Tbsp Lemon juice
salt to taste

Roast garlic for about 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees or untill cloves are light brown, soft and yummy! Mix EVOO, lemon juice, and garlic into a paste using a fork. Toss to coat bread and lay in one layer on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 tossing every five minutes.

Three Berry Crisp
This dessert is adapted from a rasberry rhubarb crisp in What To Have For Dinner: The Best of Martha Stewart Living it can be done with almost any kind of fruit but I wanted to utilize the last of the summer berries.
3 Cups strawberries
1 pint rasberries
1 pint blackberries
1/3 cup evaporated organic cane sugar*
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest of one orange

1 cup all purpose white or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
8 Tbs unsalted butter substitute
1/2 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350
Combine strawberries, zest, juice, cane sugar in a bowl. In another bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use your fingers to incorporate butter until large crumbs form. Add oats and combine. Pour the strawberry mixture into a baking dish, 1 and 1/2 quart is suggested, and scatter rasberries and blackberries on top. Add crumb mixture evenly and bake for 45 minutes until top is crisp and juices bublling. Let cool for 10minutes before serving with your favorite non-dairy ice cream.

*If using rhubarb or green apples, increase evaporated cane sugar to 2/3 cup

The Real Lauren

2008-09-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

In case any of our 3 readers are thinking to themselves: 'Gee, this Lauren girl is cool, but what is she REALLY like?' I have a picture that sums it all up. Imagine, if you will, that you have recently been married (as our good friends, Josh and Rachelle were, just a couple weeks ago). You've just returned from your honeymoon, and you've started reviewing your wedding photos. You are lost in the memories, adrift in a sea of smiling friends and family, all calmly posing for the camera in honor of the greatest day of your life.

And then you get to our table:

That's my wife. And that's why I love her so damn much.

Vegetable Puttanesca Sauce

2008-09-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Tom and I went to my parents, and in my mom's never ending quest to find out what I can eat and feed me, she made some delicious veggie pasta sauce. She sent me home with some veggies from her garden and I also had a lot of leftover odds and ends in my kitchen, so I decided to re-interpret my mother's sauce with a little more salt and spice. Puttanesca sauce has hot pepper, black olives (oil cured or kalamata), capers, garlic and anchovies. My vegan version has all of that, except the anchovies, and a lot more veggies which makes it a nice healthy meal. I started caramelizing one and a half sweet onions and when they were about halfway done I added thin strips of red and yellow peppers and diced carrots (it sounds weird but they get nice and sweet). Once those had softened, I added diced kalmata olives, capers, and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. This would be the time to add some crushed red pepper if you like it spicy (which we do). I then de-glazed the pan with some left over red wine (yay there was a glass left for me). I added a jar of Trader Joe's pomodoro sauce, but you could use any jar sauce or a large can of crushed tomatoes.

I served the sauce over some special pasta that our friends, Sarah and John, brought us from Italy. (Which reminds me: Big thanks to both of them for designing the look of our blog!)

Prep Time: 1omin (to chop everything)
Cook Time: 20min

Mustard Tarragon Potato Salad

2008-09-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Jenelle came over tonight. We both love animals and she is a vegetarian. She owns an amazing spa in Lexington called Jenelle Marie Esthetics (http://jenellepetit.com/) and I wanted to make her a healthy spa-like meal. I started by boiling some red potatoes (the littlest ones I could find). Once they were close to done I added the broccoli for 5 minutes and then added some green beans just for a minute. The point here is to just soften the veggies. Make sure they stay nice and bright green. While the water was heating up to boil potatoes I made the dressing with EVOO, Dijon mustard, a splash of red wine vinigar (or lemon juice), taragon, dill, and some diced red onion. Once the veggies were done I drained them, cut the potatoes in half, added some fresh plum tomatoes and tossed with the dressing. Easy peasy one pot meal that is light and delicious.

Chocolate-y goodness

2008-09-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've become a vegan I've been really happy. Along with animal products, I also cut out refined sugar, white flour, and processed foods. This is great for me, but less fun for those around me - especially the ones I work with. I used to bring donuts to meetings, have junk food parties during really stressful parts of the year, and have "ice-cream Fridays" in the summer. Now I eat soup, salad, lentils, veggies, tofu and fruit. So this post is for them. I made something I've heard some people call "monkey munch". I just call it yummy:

I melted two 3.5 once dark chocolate bars. Once it was smooth and creamy, I took it off the heat and stirred in some puffins cereal and slivered almonds. I spread a thick layer on a baking sheet lined with with wax paper and cleared some room in the fridge. Once it hardened, I broke it up and packaged it for my favorite co-workers! Some people make this recipe and add peanut butter during the chocolate-melting stage and put powdered sugar on it once hardened. I like to think that this version is a little healthier and could be good with raisins or cranberries in it. Think of all the anti-oxidants!

Prep time: 10min
Cool time: 45min

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

2008-09-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

WARNING: you will not like this post if you like cooking with a recipe. I promise when I do more formal meals I will write a recipe but during the week I just don't cook like that. I don't shop with a list either just an idea of what I want to cook that week, so sorry guys you're out of luck.

So obviously this week I was feeling inspired by the idea of stuffing things because I bought some crazy big tomatoes at the farm stand this weekend with an intention of stuffing them and some peppers this week. You've seen the peppers now here are the tomatoes:

I cut the very bottom of the tomatoes off (just a little) so they would not roll around and cut the top off in the same way and proceeded to scoop out the inner cell walls and seeds. I set them into a baking dish with a little EVOO at the bottom. I made the filling by sauteing onions and garlic and putting in semi-cooked (pre-al dente) brown rice. I added everything in my fridge that I thought had some Italian flavors (I'm Italian so I'm allowed to make those kinds of decisions): Eggplant tapenade, capers, some of that olive salad, and crushed red pepper flakes. Basil would be good, too, but I didn't have any. I stuffed the tomatoes and baked them at 350 for 30min. I also stuffed an extra pepper I had cause I'm a rebel like that!

I think the stuffing here would be a really good side dish. It was salty spicy and pretty good for a rice dish which I think are often bland. The tomato kind of exploded in the baking process but was really sweet and yummy. I served this to Tom in a vegetable bisque soup from Trader Joe's. Would also be good in their red pepper tomato soup or squash soup or just plain with a salad.

Prep Time: 20min
Cook time: 30min

Peppers Stuffed with Mexican Pilaf

2008-09-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight I used a new product: Trader Joe's Multigrain Pilaf. It has millet, soybeans, and cracked wheat as well as southwestern spices, and some tomato (paste, I'm guessing). I started by sauteing an red onion, adding crushed garlic, then the pilaf, which I microwed for 1/2 the time recommended since it will cook in the oven later. When it was all heated I added fresh cilantro and a half-cup of olive salad I picked up from our farm stand, and then stuffed the whole mix into the peppers. The filling completely stuffed 3 peppers, which was great because we had one left over for lunch. I sprayed the red pepers with cooking spray and baked them for 30 minutes at 350, flipping halfway through (tricky).

This is a great light meal with a salad and Tom felt that the "filling gave it a meaty texture." We both felt it could use more of a spicy kick, but then we go through hot sauce like water. You could stuff a tomato or any kind of pepper with this mixture, and if you can't find the pilaf you could use brown rice (just don't forget to spice it up). Make your own olive salad with olives, oil, vinigar, garlic, parseley, lemon juice, hot pepper (and this one had walnuts).

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Welcome

2008-09-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

I think it is time to hear from the "crazy" wife in question. It's true. I am probably the most unlikely vegan out there, because I love meat. I didn't use the past tense, because even though I haven't eaten it in 8 weeks I KNOW I STILL LOVE it, but not eating it has made me happier healthier and sexier than ever before. The other upside to this whole lifestyle switch is that I have been completely re-inspired to cook and create new dishes. Like many I had fallen into a routine of the same weeknight dinners and even the same dinner party menus. I LOVE entertaining and cooking even more than I used to love meat (see I can let it go), and I want to chronicle my journey of finding new dishes. Tom and I will post here with our reviews for vegan convenience foods (garden burger riblits you are dead to me), easy meals, and entertaining menus. I hope you enjoy but really I hope I just keep losing weight!

Why Reading is Dangerous

2008-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

About 6 weeks ago, driving back from a relaxing vacation with my family on the outer banks, somewhere along the New Jersey turnpike, my wife turned to me and said:

"I think I'm going to become a vegan."

Had she ever shown interest in being vegetarian, let alone vegan before? Nope. In fact, I was vegetarian when we met, and she convinced me to stop.

"Ummm... You do know that you have mercilessly teased every vegetarian we've ever known, right? I kind of remember you once saying that you thought vegetarians were a 'lesser form of people.'" She really did say that - in her defense, it was mostly humorous. I think.

"I've been reading this book Skinny Bitch, and it says we all eat way too much meat. And you'll shit a brick when you see how much weight you lose by not eating dairy." My wife has always had trust issues with dairy. "Plus, the meat industry is really cruel to animals, and its bad for the environment."

And that's how it began. My wife has been scouring the web for vegan recipes, trying different meat substitutes (her vegan chili is excellent) and generally dragging me along through this experiment. I have to admit, she's done some pretty impressive stuff so far, though there were those faux-ribs that, as she put it, 'tasted like crying'. We aren't perfect about it - there's been some cheating - but we're getting pretty good. This blog is our attempt to share what its like to try and throw away everything you've ever known about eating and start over again. It's about eating better, and how an otherwise totally normal (OK, mostly normal) couple gets by eating vegan in a meat-obsessed society. It's about how to do all that and still eat stuff that tastes really good.

Mostly it's about why you shouldn't let your wife read.