Mmmm... meatless

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Curry

2010-11-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 large leek, white and green parts, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala
2-3 large sweet potatoes, diced into about 1/2" cubes
1 large head of cauliflower, divided into bite size pieces
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 c. vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. powdered coconut milk mix
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic in olive oil til soft. (If you don't have leeks, substitute regular onion, it's just something I had on hand that needed to be used up.)

Add all the spices, cook another minute, then stir in your sweet potatoes to get them good and coated.

Add the veg broth, lower the heat to a simmer, cover your pot and cook for 5 mins.

Next add your tomatoes, chickpeas, and cauliflower and continue cooking until the cauliflower is soft enough to your liking. I like mine with a little bite to it, so I cook it for 15 more mins. It doesn't need to be covered by the liquid, it's going to steam.

Add the coconut milk mix at the end. If you can't find that, you can use unsweetened coconut milk. It might make your curry a little soupier unless you cook it without the lid for a while. Let it sit off the heat with the lid on for about 30 mins just so all the flavors can get really absorbed.

This would be a great time to make some basmati rice to go with your curry. Naan is also an excellent addition. ^_^

Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

2010-02-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

I couldn't find a recipe for these that I liked, so I just modified the Golden Vanilla Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I will probably continue to play with this recipe since I'd rather have it be more strawberry-y.

I took 12 frozen strawberries, put them in a saucepan with 1/2 c. soy milk and 1/4 c. raw sugar and cooked it til the sugar dissolved and the strawberries were unfrozen. Let it cool down a bit, then puree it in a blender. Measure out 1 c. of it and save the rest to throw into the frosting or you could use it in a smoothie or just use less liquid I suppose. Either way, the cupcakes need 1 c. of liquid, not more than that. If you end up with less than that, just add more soymilk to the finished puree.

To the puree, add 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar and set it aside to curdle a bit. I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but it is a necessary part of the recipe, and the finished cupcake tastes and smells nothing like vinegar. Also, if it doesn't curdle (b/c mine didn't) don't worry about it, it should still be fine.

In a small bowl, sift together:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

In larger bowl, beat together until fluffy, but not longer than 2 minutes:

1/2 c. vegan margarine
3/4 c. granulated sugar (I used 1/2 c. raw sugar and 1/4 c. granulated sugar, I dunno why)

Then add to that, 2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp. almond extract
This is another part I will be playing with in the future.. if I can find strawberry extract, I think that will make it more strawberry-y, so if you have it, add 1 tsp of that and 1 tsp of vanilla.

Then alternate beating the flour mixture and the strawberry puree mixture into the butter mixture. Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees or until golden on top. Wait a few mins then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For super strawberry-ness, cut a hole out of the top and fill with strawberry preserves. I used a kind that is made with only strawberries and fruit juices. You want something that tastes like all strawberry and not like a mouthful of sugar.

Then top it off with strawberry frosting, I just bought some from the store that didn't have milk or egg products in it. They do exist, so check that out.

Mmm fall

2009-09-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

In honor of fall, I made two new recipes! Both super easy to make.

Stuffed sweet dumpling squash

2 squash, cut in half carefully, spoon out the guts

- Place cut side down on non-stick foil on a baking sheet in the oven at 425 degrees for about 25 mins or until you can stick the outside with a fork and it goes in easily

1 bag of boil in bag brown rice (approx. 2 cups cooked)
1 - 2 c. morningstar farms "sausage" crumbles (depending on how meaty you want it)
1 large onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium sized apple, i used gala, diced
salt, pepper, sage

- Cook rice. In skillet, saute onion and celery with spices til onion is translucent. Add apple and sausage. Saute til sausage is thawed. Stir in your cooked rice. Stuff your cooked squash, place back in the oven for about 10 mins to get it slightly browned on top.

Hominy Griddle-cakes

1 can hominy
bisquik
vegan butter (earth balance, check the label, they aren't all vegan)

-Drain hominy, saving the liquid in a bowl for mixing later. Saute the hominy in a skillet with 1 Tbsp. vegan butter til lightly toasted. Mash it with your reserved liquid, there will still be lumps, it's ok. Stir in enough bisquik to make a thick batter. Cook like they are thick pancakes, you want them golden and crispy.

S'Mores Cupcakes

2009-07-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

Makes 12 cupcakes
From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Ingredients:
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4 c. soy yogurt
1 1/4 c. soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- You need 2 bowls, 1 for wet ingrediants and one for dry.
- Mix the brown sugar, oil, molasses, yogurt, soy milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl and mix. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix it up again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Your batter will still probably be a little lumpy unless you made the graham cracker crumbs really fine. Lumps are ok though.
- Fill cupcake liners almost full. Sometimes mine spill over a bit, but it might just be the pan I'm using. So either take your chances on filling it all the way up, or leave a little space and have extra batter left over.
- Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.

- I use fluffy white whipped frosting from the store.. read the ingredients to make sure there are no dairy or egg products. Or you can make your own, see recipe at the end.
- So generously frost the cupcakes with your white frosting, or if you really want a sticky awesome cupcake, look for vegan marshmallow fluff at whole foods.

- Then you will drizzle chocolate on.. mine is usually more like a pool of chocolate. See recipe that follows.

- Then I usually break some more graham crackers into 1/8 and stick them in the top, for decoration.. or you can crumble some on top.

Quick Melty Ganache
- 3 Tbsp soy milk
- 1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips (they sell vegan chocolate chips at whole foods, not expensive, or check the ingredients.. i think dark chocolate generally doesn't have dairy in it)

- heat milk to simmer in a small pot or in the microwave, then remove from either, and add chocolate, stir til completely smooth. let cool about a minute, then drizzle onto cupcakes. it will solidify slightly, but never harden completely.

Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 c. nonhydrogenated shortening
- 1/2 c. nonhydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance)
- 3 1/2 c. confectioners sugar (sifted)
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 c. soy milk

- Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for 3 more minutes. Add vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
- You can pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes by putting it in a sandwich bag and cutting off one corner. No mess! :) Nice.

Moon Burgers

2009-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I came up with this recipe on my own. Season to your own tastes!

1 package extra-firm tofu, drained well
1/2 c. brown rice (measured before you cook it)
10 oz. pack baby bella mushrooms
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2c. - 3/4c. quick oats
1/4c. - 1/2c. dried packaged breadcrumbs (i use the italian kind for more flavor)
Salt, pepper, season salt, garlic powder, cumin, liquid smoke (just a drop of two), bragg's amino acids (or soy sauce), chili powder, vegan worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast (optional)
-keep in mind, i just started throwing in things that sounded good to me, feel free to experiment and taste test a little as you go

-Boil rice in 11/2 - 2 c. water until soft. Set aside to cool slightly.
-Mince mushrooms in a food chopper/processor, then saute in pan until soft and juicy. Put in large bowl with drained tofu and mash until all big lumps are gone. Add rice.
- Saute onions and galic until slightly carmelized then add to tofu mixture.
- When cool enough to handle, mix it all together with your hands. Add spices to your liking. Then make burger sized patties. This makes somewhere around 8 - 10 patties depending on the size you make them. They freeze extremely well!
- Place patties on oiled baking sheet in oven at 400 degrees for 10 mins, flip and bake another 10 mins. (If you want to freeze the rest for later, let them cool completely then wrap in seperate plastic wrap and baggies; when ready to eat go to next step)
- Saute them on both sides until you have a nice golden color and they are ready to eat.

Pap & Sheba

2009-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

On spring break, we went to the Boma restaurant in Florida. It was an African buffet and a little pricey (almost $30 per person) but worth it! Great atmosphere too. It was so amazing! They had a large amount of vegetarian food, but also had carnivore stuff too. They had this one dish that was so good, I decided to try to find a recipe for it online after we got home.

- prepackaged polenta (I've found this in the refridgerated section where the biscuits are and also in the produce section where the tofu is, so it might take some looking around, you could also make your own, but I haven't tried doing that b/c I think it's probably difficult. Oh! There is a brand I've tried that is called Corn Mush, but it's the same exact thing.)
- cut into 1/2" slices then quarter each slice so you have bite-sized peices.
- saute' about 3 mins on each side in a skillet with non-stick spray until golden on both sides.

- 1 large onion, chopped (about a cup)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

- saute' onion and garlic with a dash of olive oil. when softened, add other ingredients and cook until hot and thick. serve over cooked polenta. you can serve this with rice or alone.

Sweet and Sour Tofu with Pineapple

2009-03-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

-1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into large bite-sized chunks (the smaller the chunk, the chewier it is, which isn't really a great thing so maybe like 1/2" pieces here)
-large amount of cornstarch, not sure of the exact amount, maybe a cup or so, just be prepared to need more

-1 fresh pineapple (you can tell if the pineapple is ready if it smells like a really good pineapple.. yeah, you have to sniff the pineapple in the store - be prepared to be looked at weird, lol. if you can't find a good pineapple, resort to a can of all natural pineapple in its own juices, not the weird syrupy junk)

- you can buy good sweet and sour sauce or make your own. if you are making it, the ingredients follow: juice from 20 oz. can of pineapples, probably about 2/3 c., 3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. ketchup, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 Tbsp. warm water until dissolved. Boil softly in small saucepan until thickened slightly. Play around with it until it tastes the way you like it. It will thicken a bit more after it cools.

In a skillet, heat whatever kind of oil you want, cover the pan by 1/8". Cover your tofu cubes in cornstarch and saute' in oil until light golden brown and drain on paper towels. Fry in small batches. This can sometimes be risky as I found out when I made this on our recent trip to Florida. After a while, the oil started smoking so bad, we had to stop and air out the room. It was horrible! That certainly never happened when I've made this at home.

Wipe out pan and saute' pineapples until darker yellow and warmed through. You can also add sauteed green bell peppers if you'd like.

Combine all with sauce and serve over rice!

Short update

2009-01-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

I've been making the same old thing over and over again lately. I guess I was feeling uninspired.. and a little sick. I've had some insane cold/allergy/sinus mix going on for about a month it seems :/ Boooo. But, after making my homemade veggie soup a couple of nights ago and then my quinoa black bean chili last night, I'm back in cooking/experimenting mode! I bought a sushi kit from Whole Foods that I may be just brave enough to try tonight. My fillings will be odd though since I didn't like the suggestions I found. I am going to try jicama, carrot, mushroom and tofu.. and maybe throw in some other veggies I have lying around XD I may also toy with the pancit recipe I got from my brother-in-law Raul. AND I am going to try a recipe I found online for sweet and sour tofu and add fresh pineapple, yum! I will post the recipe later if it's awesome ^^

Mmm salsa

2008-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Fresh Salsa *uncooked and juicy*

3 vine ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small (about 1/2") jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped *wear gloves!!*
1/2 c. red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
plenty of salt

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl (because plastic and metal both leave flavors in the salsa) and refrigerate for atleast 30 mins to let the flavors mingle. It gets really juicy before long but I like that.

*It is very important to get fresh cilantro for this. Since you are buying it, you might as well buy a lot of tomatoes and just like quadruple this recipe ;) That being said, you need to make sure you are getting good tomatoes. Rubbish tomatoes that come out in the winter will not do.. unless you manage to find some really good hydroponic ones or something. (Expensive) It just depends on how badly you want salsa. Also! The jalepeno must be fresh. They are cheap and you only have to buy one tiny one. But you really need to have gloves for chopping it up! Seriously. I thought, oh it's just a jalepeno, those aren't even that hot. But I regretted it later when my hands were burning and nothing made it go away. I tried milk, baking soda, lotion, aloe vera, soda.. I dipped my hands in just about everything to make it go away. It sucked a lot. So take it from me and buy some gloves!

Mmm Sweet Potatoes

2008-11-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Sweet Potato Wedges
*This is really the only way I like sweet potatoes.. atleast that I've found so far.

4 med. sweet potatoes
spray cooking oil
salt, pepper, cumin

Wash and cut lengthwise into 6 wedges per potato. Soak in cold water 10 mins, drain, and dry with paper towels. Spray potatoes with oil and coat with spices.

Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and back at 425 degrees for 45 mins, turning halfway through. Potatoes will be brown and crisp.

*Side note, cumin is the best spice in the world (in my opinion) and it is definitely the best spice for sweet potatoes. Yum!

Mmm.. Ricey

2008-11-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

Spanish Rice *got it off the back of a V8 can like forever ago*

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 large chopped red onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 c. uncooked rice
3 1/2 c. V8 vegetable juice

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add veggies, garlic, and pepper. Cook until tender-crisp. Add rice, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add V8 and heat to boiling. Cover and cook on low 20 mins or until rice is tender. Let stand 5 mins and serve.

Mmm Tofu

2008-11-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Tofu Eggless Salad
*I got this recipe from the Meat-Out in Indianapolis and added my own touches*

1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained
1/3 c. fat free mayo or vegan mayo
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/3 c. finely diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. finely diced bell pepper
1/4 c. finely diced celery
1/4 c. finely diced baby dill pickles
season salt to taste

-Mash drained tofu with a fork then mix in all the ingredients. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Mmm Stroganoff

2008-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

"Beef" Stroganoff

2 Tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 c. finely diced yellow onion
package of egg noodles
12 oz. package frozen hamburger-style crumbles
1 c. non-beef broth (found at Kroger in natural food section) or veggie broth
*it is worth it to buy the non-beef bouillon cubes at Kroger!*
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 c. fat free or vegan sour cream

- In large pot, melt margarine. Add garlic and onion. Saute until soft.
- At the same time, boil a package of egg noodles.
- Add 12 oz. package of frozen Morningstar Farms or Boca hamburger-style crumbles, non-beef broth or veggie broth, and mushrooms. Cook for about 15 mins.
- Add sour cream and salt and pepper. Cook 5 mins on medium-low heat.
- Mix with egg noodles until well coated. Serve.

Mmm Pecans

2008-11-12T10:04:00.001-08:00

Pecan Rice
*I found this recipe when I was looking for a new side dish to have at Thanksgiving. Now my Nana requests it every year. And it goes great with lentil loaf!

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp. margarine

- Place in large dish, cover, and microwave for 20-25 mins. Let stand, covered, for 5 mins.
- In seperate dish, combine:

1/4 c. margarine
2/3 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped green onion (or regular onion)
2 Tbsp. minced parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

- Microwave on high for 1-2 mins or until veggies are tender-crisp.
- Pour it into your rice, stir and serve.

Mmm Lentils

2008-11-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

Lentil Loaf

9 oz. uncooked lentils (in the dry bean aisle)
18 oz. veggie stock
2 Tbsp. dried bread crumbs
8 oz. mild shredded chedder (you can sub vegan chedder)
1/4 c. finely chopped green onions
4 1/2 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
3 oz. fresh bread crumbs (or 1 1/2 oz. dried)
1 Tbsp. dried parsley or 2 Tbsp fresh parsley (if you have it)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 eggs lightly beaten (you can sub with ener-g egg replacer)
Salt & Pepper to taste

- Bring lentils to boil in veg stock, cover and simmer on low for 20-25 mins or until liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft. *If your heat is up to high, it will evaporate without fully cooking the lentils, so keep an eye on them and add more liquid if it starts drying out too soon!*
- Line a loaf pan with release foil (if you want to make it easier) or butter it up or spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with dried bread crumbs.
- Stir cheese, onions, mushrooms, fresh crumbs (or dried), and parsley into the lentils. Then stir in the eggs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
- Spoon it all into your loaf pan and sprinkle dried bread crumbs on top.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before cutting or it will be more difficult.
*This is a great recipe for fall and winter because it is so hearty and filling. It is also excellent for holiday meals.

Mmm Cottage-y

2008-11-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

My Cottage Pie
*This totally reminds me of Renaissance fairs and peasants. It is very filling and makes about 8 servings.

1 large onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
about 1/4 cup carrots, finely diced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
12 oz. hamburger style veggie crumbles
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn
1 can mushroom gravy
about 8 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. vegan margarine
salt and pepper to taste

- In a large pot, saute veggies, garlic, salt, and pepper until onions are translucent. Add hamburger style crumbles, peas, corn and gravy and cook until warmed through.
- In a separate pot, boil potatoes until soft. Drain and mash with margarine. Add some salt and pepper for more flavor. Voila, mashed potatoes. You want them sort of thick so they hold together okay.
- In a 13x9 baking dish, pour in veggie mix then cover in a layer of mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 35 mins until potatoes start getting golden on top and gravy is bubbling up around the potatoes at the edge.
*Some people line the baking dish with mashed potatoes first, then the filling, then more potatoes on top, but I find that unnecessary. If you want to do this anyway, you'll obviously need to make more mashed potatoes. ^^
*For a special treat, mix in some vegan cheese with the mashed potatoes!

Mmm Chili

2008-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

My new favorite veggie chili recipe!
*You can buy quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) at Whole Foods for pretty cheap, everywhere else it is expensive. It is in the rice aisle.*

1 c. uncooked quinoa (it's a grain that looks like a little seed)
2 c. salted water
- Combine in 2 qt. pot, boil, cover and simmer 15 mins until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

1 c. diced onion
1 c. diced green bell pepper
1/2 c. diced celery
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can chili beans, with spicy liquid
1 can black beans, drained
2 cans petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 or 2 Tbsp. cumin
1 or 2 Tbsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper

- In soup pot, cook veggies and garlic in oil until tender.
- Add spices, beans, and tomatoes.
- Simmer for 10 mins or so.
- Add cooked quinoa when the quinoa is ready and simmer for about 15 more mins so the flavors will meld.
- Serve with crackers :)

In the beginning...

2008-11-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to start this blog b/c I love cooking. I'm always on the search for a new awesome recipe to try out. I am not saying that I created all of the recipes I post, some of them are a combo of recipes I've found and modified.

I've been a vegetarian since I was 13, which is now half my life, so I feel like I know a few things. Hopefully you will all find this blog helpful and enjoyable! ^^