Sunday, November 4, 2007

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
3 ounces vegan cream cheese, cut in cubes
2 teaspoon water
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg replacers
1/4 cup melted vegan butter, hot, about 175°
1/2 cup soy milk (plus a little extra if the batter is dry)
1 cup blueberries
paper muffin cup liners

Preparation
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°. Line the cups of a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Set aside.

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl
Stir well; set aside.
2. Using metal blade in food processor, process cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla in food processor until smooth.
3. Add eggs and process 15 seconds. Scrape down side of container with a spatula.
4. With processor running, pour hot melted butter through food chute gradually, but within 10 seconds. Process another 10 seconds.
5. Add milk and process 5 seconds.
6. Add dry ingredients to container and mix with 4 to 6 half-second pulses.
7. Add blueberries and fold in with a spoon.

Pour an equal amount of batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.

Potato and brussel sprout gratin

I ordered a load of local brussel sprouts and local potatoes. Since I don't even like them that much, I figured I have to do SOMETHING with them. So I found a recipe that sounded quite good. And it is!

Potato and brussel sprout gratin
about 5 or so yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
About 3/4 lbs of brussel sprouts thinly sliced
vegan butter to saute brussel sprouts
onion powder or onions to saute with the sprouts
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup soy milk
vegan parmesean cheese


Saute brussel sprouts, onion powder, and butter for about 8 minutes. Add white wine, and soy milk. Grease a casserole dish and layer potatoes, salt, pepper, brussel sprouts, and cheese, ending with a layer of potato and cheese.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Oatmeal Pear Muffins

I used the recipe on the back of the soy milk carton, and added a pear, because it was going south. Maybe I should have added 2...

Oatmeal Pear Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1.25 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 egg replacers
1/2 c apple sauce
1 cup soy milk
1 pear, chopped into bite-sized chunks

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together and bake in muffin tin for about 15 minutes.

Pancakes

Because my boyfriend mentioned pancakes one day, I now have to cook them for breakfast on Sundays. I love having a little decadance once in awhile. I've been experimenting with using what I have, since I'm moving soon. It's easier to move less. Plus, more economically sensible to use what you have. :-)

Last two pancake recipes.

Banana Pankcakes (last week)
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
some frozen blueberries
vanilla extract to taste (optional)

5 Minute Pancakes (today)
1 cup flour (whichever kind you prefer)
1 tablespoon sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup soymilk
some blackberries and blueberries
some uncooked oatmeal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Squash and beans

It was supposed to be white beans and kale and squash. It turned into black beans, swiss chard, rice, and squash. I do that sometimes....

2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-3 lb butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups canned vegetable broth
1 bunch swiss chard, thick stems trimmed and leaves cut crosswise into 2 inch strips
1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
1 (15 ounce) can white beans
1 can black beans
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 cup brown rice
salt & fresh ground pepper


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the crock pot (I highly suggest sauteeing the onions and garlic first... Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours.

"Creamy" pasta sauce

So I got this idea from one of my livejournal communities. I had a ton of leftover hummus, and a disaster with the groceries that did not come. So I decided to make some "creamy" pasta sauce. I got some natural pasta sauce from the ghetto-mart (even had eggplant in it, spiffy) and put in some of my red-pepper hummus. It makes it nice and creamy tasting, imitating, well, cream sauces. It was quite good, and quite quick. As of now, my groceries have come...

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Lentils and turnips

I won't go so far as to call my lentils dal. I don't think I do a good dal. But I did make some lentils in the crockpot. I got the recipe from about.com (go figure) and made a few alterations.

Curried Lentils and Turnips

1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 cup lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice
1 17-ounce package chopped turnip greens with turnips
5 cups vegetable broth
salt to taste

Put brown rice in crockpot with broth and turn on high for about an hour. Prep everything else. Add everything else to crockpot and make sure there's enough broth to cover all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours. If you have longer, you can cook on low for about 8 hours.

Muffins and toothpaste

I've been using Tom's of Maine natural toothpaste. I have to say, it gets my teeth squeeky clean and doesn't taste bad either. Much better than the conventional stuff. Although I do use that at school. Yes kids, I try my hardest to brush 3 times a day, which usually means twice at school.

In other news, the latest muffin installation was pure experiment. Although lazy, because I used the box.

Red Pepper Corn Muffins
2 boxes cornbread mix - follow directions on box. Add minced red bell pepper to cornbread. Add about 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake and enjoy.

They do have a certain interesting taste. And they were all eaten up at work today, so I suppose they were good. :-)

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Muffins

I've been making muffins and/or cupcakes every Sunday for school. Here are the latest creations.

Banana Bread Muffins
Preheat Oven to 350 F
Blend til creamy: 1/2 c vegan butter (melted), 1 c organic granulated sugar
Beat 3 Tbs hot water and 2 tsp Egg Replacer; add to above
Add 4 mushed up bananas (the older the better)
Add 2 c flour, 2.5 tsp baking powder, .5 tsp salt
Add a hand-full or more of goji berries(or anything else you want)
Bake about 45 minutes in muffin tin.

Sunny (Raspberry) Corn Muffins from VwV
Preheat oven to 400 F
1 c flour
1 c cornmeal
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c sugar (brown)
1/2 c vegetable oil
3/4 c soy milk
one small container soy yogurt (I used fruit on bottom raspberry)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.25 c dried blackberries.

Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In separate bowl whisk oil, soy milk, yogurt, vanilla. Fold ingredients into dry. Fold in the blueberries. Don't overmix. Bake fore 20-25 minutes.

More from last week

For the rest of the week took some Wild Rice Soup I'd had in the freezer forever and heated that up. Suprisingly, it was wonderful still. Very creamy, like it's intended to be.

Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
6 T. margerine
2 medium onions (stew cut)
8 strips vegan bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 c. veggie broth
3 c. water
1+ c. carrots (stew cut)
2+ c. red potatoes, unpeeled (stew cut)
1 1/2 c. uncooked wild rice (not the quick cook kind)
5 T. flour
1 c. non-dairy milk
1/2 - 3/4 c. nutritional yeast

Directions
1. Melt butter in large soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces and onions; saute until onions are cooked and bacon starts to brown.
2. Add broth, water, carrots, potatoes, and rice. Cover and cook on medium until rice is chewy and done (about 40-45 minutes).
3. Combine flour and non-dairy milk in a tightly sealed jar and shake well; add to soup. (If this is too thick at this point, add a bit more water.)
4. Add nutritional yeast.
5. Enjoy! Serves at least 6.

Last week

There's nothing better than being able to have a soy mocha and a bagel with soy cream cheese and local jelly on the weekend. I feel a little bit pretentious. But there IS a street taco van outside my door. So it makes me feel more...grounded.

Anyway, life has been hectic. Last Sunday I cooked some African Peanut Stew for a friend and finished it for lunch for a few days. Definitely decadant....

African Pineapple Peanut Stew
I made this tonight and it was SO good. My kale was a little wilted, so I'm glad I could use it all up (I froze it, don't ever do that).

African Peanut Stew

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1-2 bunches kale (4-8 cups sliced)
1 cup, about 5-6 small red potatoes, quartered
about 2-3 portobello mushrooms, sliced into small chunks.
1 can crushed pineapple in juice
1 can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup crunchy, natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
I used dried parsley and oregano
salt to taste


Boil the potatoes in a pot, covered with water for about 10 minutes, to get them soft. Drain.

Prepare the kale by washing it and removing the large center stem from each leaf. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and slice them into one-inch thick slices.

In a large, wok sauté the onions for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic, and stir for another minute.

Add the pineapple and tomato and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and mushrooms. Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, (This makes about 4-6 servings).

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Stuffed, Baked Kabocha Pumpkin

Cut a hole in the top of a medium-large kabocha pumpkin/squash, like you were making a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out the insides and save the seeds for baking. Bake (with top back on) for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Meanwhile, cook the stuffing.

2 cups water
2 cups veggie broth
seasoning: cinnamon, tumeric, pepper, coriander
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup jasmine rice

Boil for about 15 minutes. Add more water so it's moist.

Also, cut up some veggies for the stuffing. I used local white eggplant, green zucchini, shitake mushrooms, and toasted pine nuts. I didn't, but I reccomend, stir-frying the eggplant and zucchini for a few minutes to brown them. I also reccomend, but didn't, seasoning the veggies before you mix them with the stuffing.

Mix everything together. Stuff the pumpkin and put the remaining stuffing in a casserole. Bake the stuffed pumpkin again for 45 minutes at 350. Add casserole to the oven with 15 minutes to go.

Cut open pumpkin in slices, like a watermelon and serve with lots of stuffing. Don't forget to peel the pieces!

Bake the seeds for about 20 minutes, turning every so often. Top with salt!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Cashew Butter Cupcakes

Sorry folks, for forgetting the cupcake recipe! I adapted it from the Joy of Cooking.

Chocolate Satin Frosting
Boil (in microwave) 1 cup milk
Add 1 round of Abuelita Mexican Chocolate - cover and let sit for 10 minutes without stiring.
Scrape into food processor and add:
1.5 c sugar
6 Tbs (soy) butter
To taste if it's not sweet enough:
some maple syrup
some more sugar
Process until pefectly smooth.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cashew Butter cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine in food processor:
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 c brown sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c milk
1/3 c cashew butter
1 egg
1 tsp (soy) butter
1 tbs veggie oil
4-5 tsp chocolate powder


Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 the way full. Bake about 25-30 minutes.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Crock pot Chili

Today shall be a day for cooking. I love cooking, and since I've got nothing to do but study, and play soccer later, I thought I'd cook up a storm! I made (non-vegan) french toast for breakfast. And I'm making almond nut butter cup cakes later today. I will post a recipe for that. For now...

I’m in the “get rid of food and use what you have and spend less money” mode. So I threw together this one pot chili from some leftovers and a bit of fresh vegetables.

Crock pot veggie chili

1 can red beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 large can (any heat) salsa (I used Pace brand) + a bit of leftover salsa
1 small zucchini, cut into quarter chunks
1 package fresh mushrooms (no idea what variety they were)
10 baby carrots, cut into bite sized chunks
½ package veggie crumbles (I used Yves brand)
left-over (frozen) rice
1/2 bag frozen fiesta mix (corn, black beans, onions, green and red peppers)
6 oz can tomato paste
water to allow for absorption


Dump everything into a crock pot and cook on low all day. If you’re in a hurry you can also cook it on high. Everything’s pretty much pre-cooked anyway, the flavors just need to blend together.

Risotto Helper

I've never had hamburger helper, but I imagine this is pretty much what it would have been like. I sorta made up this recipe on the spot. I was cooking at a friend's house, it was quite fun. We should do it more often! I love one pot meals as well. It was quick, and easy.

Ingredients
1 package butternut squash risotto (I forgot the brand): add water & soy milk
1/2 package veggie crumbles
1/2 large zucchini
a bit of olive oil
onion powder
garlic powder


1. Start cooking the risotto according to the directions in a medium size pan.
2. Break up the crumbles so they look like hamburger meat.
3. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and add the crumbles. Saute until browning and add the onion and garlic powder.
4. Cut up the zucchini into bite-sized pieces. Add to the risotto when there are about 10 minutes left to cook time.
5. When risotto is finished (still a little gloopy) add the crumbles.
6. Mix well and serve. Would be wonderful with some (veggie) grated cheese as well.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Lunch in the Gardens

Today we took our students to the Botanical Gardens. It was hot and we walked a lot. But I had some great energy food with me! The recipe stems from a few online recipes I encountered last night when I discovered I didn't have any jelly.

Tortilla Nut Sandwhich
1-2 soft corn tortillas (depending on how neat you are)
some nut butter of choice (I used cashew)
raisins (I used dark raisins)
honey (or other sweetner)
1/2 apple sliced up with lime juice to preserve color

Lather the tortilla(s) with nut butter, then raisins, then sweetner, then apples. Fold or roll and enjoy. You may need to wrap in another tortilla if things seem to be falling apart. They did for me!

I also had some cheerios and a separate apple. And a lovely student bought us juice! They're so sweet!

Quinoa and Lentils

I had made this some time ago and froze it for the time when I was low on cash and motivation. Now was the time. It turned out quite tastey still after being frozen! Hurrah!

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup dry lentils (I used brown)
8 oz fresh muchrooms, chopped (I used rehydrated oyster mushrooms)
~1 cup water
Bunch of spinach(remember it reduces when cooked)

1. Cook lentils in a pot w/ vegetable broth as directed on package (~15 minutes for red)
2. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms - mix in quinoa - cook 5 minutes
3. Add above to pot w/ lentils - cover and cook 20 minutes.
4. Add water as needed so mixture doesn't stick.
5. Remove from heat. Shred spinach and gently mix into pot. Cover and sit for 5 minutes.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Mexican rice and vegetarian mole

My friends are visiting for the weekend. So I decided to cook for them. I love cooking, so why not? I used my mother's recipe for rice Mexicano, and a few different recipes and my own doctoring for mole.

Arroz Mexicano
1.5 cups long grain white rice
1 large tomato
1 large clove garlic
1 small onion
1/4 cup canola oil
1 packet of sazon (goya brand)
3.5 cups veggie broth
1 grated carrot
1/2 bag frozen fiesta mix vegetables (peas, corn, black beans)

1. soak rice in hot water for about 15 minutes, drain well
2. blend tomato, onion, and garlic in blender
3. fry rice in oil until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Add tomato puree and sazon. Stir until almost absorbed, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the broth, carrot and fiesta mix. Stir
6. Cover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
7. When chimneys appear place a large piece of terrycloth over the surface.
8. Continue to cook over very low flame for about 5 or 10 minutes.
9. Set aside for about 30 minutes, do not open it!

Quick vegetables and mole
1 tbs olive oil
1 small minced onion
1 clove garlic
3 tbs ground dried chiles (ancho, pasilla, etc)
1 cup veggie broth
1 oz (one round) Mexican chocolate
1/8 c smooth hazelnut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
a bit of powdered cloves
about 1/4 cup salsa
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 package frozen fiesta veggies
10-12 baby carrots, sliced in rounds and steamed
1 can black beans, drained.

1. Sautee onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer 20-25 minutes.
3. Stir in frozen veggies and carrots.
4. Serve warm

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Quick Chilli

So I got back from Europe, where I spent a ginormous amount of money. So I'm trying my best to eat in as much as possible. I call it, the quick chilli, since it was a quick meal.

1 glass jar of Newman's Own tomato and garlic spagetti sauce
1 bag spinach
2 cans beans (kidney and chilli in my case)
1/2 packet of veggie crumbles (forgot the brand)
spices to season

1. Put the spagetti sauce and raw spinach in the blender and blend until well chopped and smooth.
2. Dump it into a pot and add beans and crumbles and spices.
3. Heat until warm.
4. Serve! I made some jasmine rice, but also served it over leftover pasta.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Hiatus

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated last. I've been eating out loads. I'm off to Europe on Tuesday! I can't wait, loads of wonderful food and drink! I celebrated my birthday at a wonderful Thai restaurant! When I get back I'll be cooking lots more, I promise! Cheerio!

I promise to post one recipe from Tuscana, Italia.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

I want a fun-guy

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't try to make up witty titles. I had 8 oz of chanterelle mushrooms to use up, so I googled what I could do with them. I ended up making:

Chanterelle and fire roasted tomatoes over whole wheat pasta.
Ingredients
8 oz chanterelle mushrooms
1 small onion
20 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
dried basil
dried oregano
dried rosemary
splash of red cooking wine

Cut chanterelles into bite sized pieces. Place in buttered baking dish. Dice one onion over top of mushrooms. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Add all other ingredients and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve over whole wheat pasta.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Southern Night

After a nice run and swim combo I was imagining a really yummy Southern inspired meal. I had BBQ Riblets in the freezer (Garden Burger) and wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I made this recipe from FreshDirect.
Mashed Cauliflower
6 cups water
Kosher salt
1 pound cauliflower, separated into medium-sized florets
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated cheese (Vegan version)
White pepper


1. Pour the water into a heavy bottomed pot, add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the florets and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

2. Return the florets to the pot over low-medium heat and cook for 3 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid. Add the Earth Balanc, oil and cheese. Break up the florets and incorporate the other ingredients with a potato masher, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add small can canned corn (I used just regular sweet corn, I bet creamed would be even better).

I also made the store-brand boxed corn muffins and veganized the recipe.

All in all, it turned out quite good!

I like the mashed cauliflower better with a little mustard mixed in as well.

Grilled Tempeh Tacos

I had a friend over on Sunday and we decided to cook and watch a film. We ended up with Vanilla Sky. It would have been cool to have a Vanilla theme, but we didn't. We played a little with Vegan Planet's "Soy Meets Grill" recipe and ended up with Tempeh Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa.

Tempeh:
Boil in enough water to cover tempeh for about 10 minutes.
Coat with spices and grill about 10 minutes.

Spices:
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne or other red pepper

Grill for about 10 minutes. Also grill a mildly spicy pepper to add to the salsa.

Tomatillo Salsa
3 small tomatillos, broiled in the oven for about 10 minutes until they begin to pop.
3 small red tomatos
1 grilled mild/spicy pepper
cilantro
juice from lime

Cut the tempeh into strips and fold into a tortilla (corn or flour). Top with salsa and enjoy!

We also steamed some beets to have as a side dish! Delicious!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Leftovers galore

I've been going out a lot lately, so I've tried to be wise about the leftovers. I tried to reuse a tofu dish I didn't really like, and I still didn't really like it.
Yesterday I invented a yummy dish that worked wonders for some OTHER leftover tofu. The tofu was in spicy sauce. I stirfried it a bit more to make it firmer. Then I added a can of goya green peas in coconut milk and some Thai spicy sauce. It was quite yummy! Sort of a creamy spicy sauce. Then I put some jasmine rice in the microwave, which I don't reccommend doing, since you can't monitor the soaking up process.

I had a half of a leftover burrito to which I added the rest of my refried beans (finally using them up). It was better the first time, but full of the protein I need! Things will calm down a bit perhaps this week and I'll get to try the magic out in the kitchen!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Park Picnic

So in an effort to save the evening after a dissapointing rejection from Shakespeare in the Park my friend and I had a little picnic in the park. We made pita sandwiches, and had some carrot sticks

Pita Park Sandwiches
whole wheat pita bread
Hot Pepper hummus
kalamata olives
raw spinach

Then I went to a FREE screening of "Talk to Me," the story of Petey Greene the radio DJ. I proceeded to devour a box of Raisinettes. But hey, the box tells me they're a great source of antioxidants! But like my friend says "the box can say anything it wants that's a matter of opinion". So it does! :-)

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Summer means SALAD!

Inspired by Yahoo! no less, I whipped up a scrumptous salad. I'm known to rave endlessly about my salads, but really, it was yummy!

What's in the fridge? Salad
raw spinach
grapes
kalamata olives
cherry tomatoes
baby carrots
green pepper
5 pieces of vegetarian pepperoni
dry toasted sesame seeds
Pathmark salad topping-garden vegetable

Quick Salad Dressing
olive oil
walnut oil
raspberry balsamic vinegar
seaweed and sesame seeds
white pepper
sea salt
onion powder, garlic powder

In an effort to use up some other ingredients, I made a burrito/quesadilla with some refried black beans and questionable cheese.

Restaurant Hiatus

This weekend I tried a few (new and old) restaurants. It was heavy on the soy, which isn't bad, but not always good to load it up. One interesting experience I had this morning...

Since it's 95 degrees I really wanted some iced coffee with soy milk. But since I work in the far corners of the Bronx, there's no establishment (such as Starbucks) that sells such a product. So after asking 3 separate places, I had to go to the grocery store and BUY a small carton of soy milk (Vanilla, I was feeling festive). Then I went to Dunkin Donuts and ordered a medium hazelnut iced coffee (about half full) and poured my own soy milk in it. The guy at DD was quite nice and even gave me a discount. But boy was that a trip! Sheesh!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Quinoa and Chard Pilaf

I had to use up some chard in a major way. See a trend? Yes, I tend to buy too many things...

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup dry lentils + ~4c water/broth
8 oz mushrooms, chopped (I used dehydrated mixed wild mushrooms)
~1 cup water
Bunch of chard (remember it reduces when cooked)

1. Cook lentils in a pot w/ vegetable broth as directed on package \
2. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms - mix in quinoa - cook 5 minutes in large pot
3. Add above lentils to above pot - cover and cook 20 minutes.
4. Add water as needed so mixture doesn't stick.
5. Remove from heat. Shred chard and gently mix into pot. Cover and sit for 5 minutes.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Lazy Days

Since I took a nap today, I didn't really feel like cooking for myself. So I just plopped in some tortellini with spinach and cheese. I took some Amy's Organic Basil Tomato sauce and added a bit of my quickly going south spinach. It was a quick and easy meal. I supplemented with leftover Arugula Visscysois (sp?).

Then I got the urge to use up some bananas because, for some reason, I bought too many bananas. So I made a vegan banana bread to bring to work tomorrow. I used my momma's recipe, and veganized it.

Veg*n Triathlete's Momma's Banana Bread
Preheat Oven to 350 F (not 400 like I did today)
Blend til creamy: 1/2 c vegan butter (melted), 1 c organic granulated sugar
Beat 3 Tbs hot water and 2 tsp Egg Replacer; add to above
Add 4 mushed up bananas (the older the better)
Add 2 c (whole wheat) flour, 2.5 tsp baking powder, .5 tsp salt
Add a hand-full or more of dried blueberries (or anything else you want)
Bake 1 hour

Then I felt the need to use up the remaining salvagable spinach. It only turned out to be about a cup. So I used my momma's pesto recipe as a very rough base, since I had nothing it called for except pine nuts and garlic. I call it:

Spinach and Arugula Pesto
1 c spinach + 2 handfulls arugula
1/4 c Hazelnut oil
1/4 c pine nuts
1/4 c vegan parmasan grated cheese
1 clove garlic

Whirl all together in a small food processor. I froze it for later.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A dinner in 3 parts

The first part was an attempt to do something interesting with arugula. I don't even particularly like arugula but a) I need more leafy greens, b) I was told to buy local produce and that's what was in stock, c) it's good for you!

Behold Arugula Vichyssoise

1/4 cup chopped white and pale green part of leek, washed well
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small russet potato, peeled, grated coarse and reserved in water to cover
2 cups low salt chicken broth
2 cups packed arugula, washed well and spun dry
3 tablespoons soy milk


In a small heavy saucepan cook the leek with salt and pepper to taste in 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the garlic, the potato, drained and the broth and simmer the mixture, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potato is very soft. Stir in the arugula, simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 minute and in a blender puree it in batches for 2 minutes, or until it is completely smooth. Transfer the puree to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, stir in the half and half and chill the soup, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it is cold. Serves 2

The second part was a quest for some quick cooking carbs. I settled on Israeli couscous again and was going to serve it with leftover curry slop that I made the other day. Only that smelled funky. So...

The third part turned out to be a veggie burger cooked on a skillet with some cheddar cheese melted over it. Not classy, but yummy. I served that on top of the couscous.

Lastly, to drink, I had some Goji Juice. Goji is a Tibetan fruit which has lots of potassium, protein, and amino acids etc. Good for you anyway. Oh, and made some iced green tea...decaff...

Monday, June 18, 2007

Asian inspired grilling and stir fry

So I decided to try my free George Foreman type grill for the first time (I got it probably 3 years ago). I marinated some tofu, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a mixture of soy sauce and mago chili sauce. I put them on the grill for about 20 minutes. I cooked up some spelt and had it all together. It was a real meal! Balanced and everything.

I put the leftovers (minus the tomatoes) in a wok and fried it all up. I added a small zucchini, diced, and a whole bunch of diced pistachios (finally!). I put some ginger and garlic and onion powder in and mixed it all up! I'll take that for lunch. Both incarnations are wonderful. Cherrio!

Coulda been vegan pizza

I had some pizza dough from Trader Joes that got soggy in the fridge. So I was forced to buy Philsbury pizza dough. Not thinking it was vegan, I decided to also buy some cheese while I was at the store. So I made some pizza with Philsbury dough, which turned out WAS vegan, and real cheese. I even had some vegan cheese in the fridge...Oh well.

Ingredients
Philsbury Pizza Dough
Veggie Pepperoni rounds
(organic) mushroom
Annie's Organic tomato-basil tomato sauce
(store brand) shredded mozarella and cheddar cheese

Form the dough however you would like. Mine turned out slightly thick (and undercooked). Bake in 400 degree oven for 6 minutes. Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake again for 11-15 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned. Let cool, cut, and enjoy!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Middle Eastern Fusion

Magic! It's the name I have for the stuff I make up.

The meal started off wanting to sautee pistacchios. I forgot to do that (teehee). But I did use up some leftovers in the fridge and made a spicy slightly curried stew. I really threw everything together, so everything is an approximation.

Middle Eastern Fusion Stew with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
A bunch of cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 small zucchini, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 packet veggie crumbles
leftover tempeh cacciatore
leftover 3 C soup
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of yellow mustard powder
black pepper
sea salt

Israeli couscous (cooked like rice in veggie broth)

Saute everything in a large pan (wok).
Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Dosa Hut

So today I went with the Vegetarian Meetup Group to the Dosa Hut. As I've said, I'm trying to carbo-reduce for a few days. So I didn't want to get a fried dosa. Instead I ended up with some roasted cashews and a very thin lentil soup. I was dissapointed with the lentil soup, and the cashews just didn't do it for me.

::sigh::

Starting tomorrow I get some more carbs...

Monday, June 11, 2007

3 C Soup

3 C Soup features cauliflower, chickpeas, and carrots. Oh, and curry. So perhaps it's the 4 C soup?

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-sized chunks
about a handfull (or more if you wish) baby carrots, halved lengthwise and then horizontally
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
7-8 cups veggie stock
various spices to taste: onion powder, garlic powder (or real onions and garlic), cumin, tumeric, curry powder, salt, pepper

Boil all ingredients for about 15 minutes until the carrots and cauliflower are soft. Then put into a blender/food processor to make creamy.

Serves about 4.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Sunday

I'm getting ready for a carbo-reduction for three days, and then a carbo-replenish for 3 days right before my race. So today I was eating my "last" carbs. Plus, when recovering from a night of drinking, it's important to refuel "properly".

For "breakfast" at 11:30 I had a poppy seed bagel and cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts, some calcium fortified OJ, and coffee.

For dinner I had a big ol' bowl of Tempeh Cacciatore from the Vegan Planet cookbook with spinach fettucine. I'd post the recipe, but I'm too lazy, and I made it a few days ago. My first recipe posting will be tomorrow...

Welcome!

Welcome to my new recipe blog! Everyone else is doing it, so why not me? Plus, when I search for recipes, I want my blog to come up! :-) Everyone who knows me knows I love to cook and eat. So this blog will be dedicated to my recipes, and perhaps some thoughts on local restaurants and food. You might even get tired of hearing what I had for lunch, but at least you can find that recipe for Mexican Arroz you had the other day at my house!