Kale and Macaroni

Again, who thinks of these combinations? I added kale because I love kale, spinach would work too. This is such a great dish. It tastes cheezy with out using soy milk or nutritional yeast!!! This is a keeper!!!

12 oz elbow macaroni (I used brown rice)
1 medium bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices (I used red potato because that is what I had)
salt and pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews, roasted
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used gluten free)

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Steam the kale until tender. Squeeze any moisture from them and set aside. Lightly oil a 9 X 13 baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and potato. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and cook until the veggies are softened, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of the broth, the turmeric, and 1/2 tsp of the paprika and continue cooking, uncovered, until the veggies are very  soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Grind the cashews in a high speed blender. (I use hand held) Add the onion and potato mixture, the remaining broth, lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary.
Combine the sauce with the cooked macaroni and steamed chard and transfer to the prepared casserole. Sprinkle  with the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 tsp paprika and drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Bake until hot and golden brown on top, about 3o minutes. Serve immediately.

Beans Bourguignon

The sauce is thick and rich! Serve with red wine (burgundy) and crusty bread or on a bed of noodles.
2 tbsp earth balance
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp oil
3 medium shallots, diced
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup veg broth
1 cup dry red wine
2 (15.5 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper

In a small bowl, combine the margarine and flour and knead until incorporated. Refrigerate until needed.
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots, and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes more.
Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, broth, and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add the remaining wine, beans, and salt and pepper.
Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered., for 10 minutes. Pinch off pieces of the margarine/flour mixture and add it to the stew, stirring after each addition to thicken. remove bay leaf.

"Eggs Benedict" with that amazing 'hollandaise' sauce

Brunch for Steph and I

This is another crowd pleaser. This recipe is easy to put together. I wish I took a picture of Steph eating it ...the muffin flipped and sauce was all over nose...too cute.

1 lb extra firm tofu, drained
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Pinch turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
6 slices tempeh bacon (I had to use soy couldn't find tempeh)
3 english muffins, split
1 tbsp earth balance
1 large ripe tomato
Vegan Hollandaise Sauce (recipe in previous post)
minced fresh parsley

Cut the tofu horizontally into six 1/4 inch slices. Using a 3 inch cookie cutter, cut the tofu slices into circles.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, and pepper.Mix well.
Dredge the tofu in the flour mixture and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden on both sides, turning once, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same skillet, adding more oil if needed, cook the bacon until browned on both sides.
Toast the English muffins and spread with the margarine. Place one muffin half on each of 6 plates. Top each muffin half with a slice of tomato, followed by a piece of tofu and a slice of bacon. Spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Gomae and Fingerling Potatoes

I roasted the Fingerling potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Saute'd some spinach and added a sesame sauce to it. I am trying to get it to taste like my favourite sushi restaurant but I'm not quite there.

This is my recipe for Gomae:
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted, and grind to paste add 3 tbsp shoyu, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar (I used a bit of agave syrup and 1/2 tsp salt blend until smooth. It's good but still needs tweaking.

Delicious Onion Pastry Puffs

These are so good and they look great too!

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen vegan puff pastry, thawed

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with rosemary and salt and pepper. Cover and cook until very soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 2 inch circles, about 2 dozen.
Arrange the pastry  circles on baking sheet and top each with a heaping tsp of onion mixture, patting down to smooth the top. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Potato Salad with home made vegan mayo

I don't measure when I am creating recipes on my own. I usually use the items I have in stock. So for my potato salad I used fingerling potatoes that I roasted with a bit of oil and salt and pepper. When cool I cut them up a bit, added Yves fake bacon. I tried to find tempeh bacon but couldn't, Add a few slices of the yves bacon that I cut up, some celery, some green onions, a tiny squirt of yellow mustard and a whole bunch of my home made mayo. Oh and some salt and pepper. It is in the fridge now and when cool I will taste and adjust.
IT TASTES AWESOME, PERFECT and oh so YUMMY.

Vegan Mayo
Blend all these ingredients together , taste and adjust seasoning. Then stick in the fridge. This should last about 5 days.
1 (12oz) pkg silken tofu, drained
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
a big squirt of agave nectar (or 1 tsp sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne

even though I like veganaise better, this is not bad at all, way cheaper and very very easy to make.

"CHEESE CAKE" never tasted so good! with strawberry sauce

WOW I'm in heaven...this is amazing

1 1/2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup earth balance margarine, melted
2 (8oz) containers vegan cream cheese, room temperature
1 (12oz) pkg firm silken tofu
1 cup sugar (I know, I don't use sugar any more but I did in this recipe, next time I will substitute with agave or sucanut but I wanted to see how it turned out following the recipe first.)
1 tbsp cornstarch (I used arrow root b/c that's what I had)
2 tsp pure YES pure not artificial stuff, vanilla extract

Preheat the o en to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Place the crumbs in the bottom of the pan,add the margarine, and mix with a fork until blended. Press the crumb mixture into bottom and sides of pan and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, tofu, and blend until smooth. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and blend until very creamy.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven and leave inside for another 10 minutes.
When done, edges should be golden and starting to pull away from sides of pan and centre should be set.
Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Strawberry Sauce
2 cups thinly sliced hulled strawberries
1 tbsp sugar

In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar, stirring gently to combine. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow juices to form.

Johnny Cakes

Sweet and oh so good.

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups boiling water

grapeseed oil for frying

In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and sugar and mix well. Slowly stir in the water, mixing until smooth. Add up to 3 tbsp of additional water if the mixture is too thick.

On a griddle or large skillet, heat a thin layer of oil over medium heat, adding enough oil to coat. Drop large tbsp of the batter onto the hot griddle and cook until small bubbles appear on the top, about 5 minutes. Do not burn. Flip the johnnycakes and cook until the second side is browned another 4 to 5 minutes.

Top with earth balance and maple syrup.

Artichoke & Chickpea Loaf with "Hollandaise Sauce"

I never thought food could taste so good and I am thrilled that the food I love is whole food and not processed. The "hollandaise' sauce is incredible. Well no wonder it is made with cashews. WOW WOW WOW. I read on someone else's blog that she could bathe in it and now I understand. My omnivore husband thought it was great, especially on veggies. This loaf is great. It has everything you need, protein, carbs, veggies add the 'hollandaise' sauce on top and your mouth will be singing. I served it with veggies and more sauce. What a HAPPY dinner. Mmmmmmm

Serves 6 to 8

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 15oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tbsp tahini

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup wheat gluten flour

2/3 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 inch loaf pan. Steam the potato until tender. Drain well. Set 2 artichoke hearts aside, chop the remaining artichoke hearts and set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the steamed potatoes and artichoke hearts.

Spoon the potato and artichoke mixture into a food processor. Add the chickpeas, broth, tahini, soy sauce, and lemon juice, and blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine both kinds of flour, yeast, spices and stir to combine well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, parsely, and reserved chopped artichoke hearts and mix until well combined. Scrape the mixture inot the prepared pan. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 1 hour. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.

Serve with "hollandaise sauce"

Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

3/4 cup unsalted raw cashews

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 cup hot water

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric

Pinch ground cayenne

3 tbsp vegan margarine

In a high speed blender, process the cashews to a fine powder. Add the nutritional yeast, water, lemon juice, mustard, salt, turmeric, and cayenne and blend until smooth.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat and add to the other mixture. Blend until smooth. Serve as is or return the sauce to the same saucepan and heat, stirring, over low heat. If not using right away, cool the sauce to room temperature, transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Properly stored, the sauce will keep for 3 days. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan on top of the stove over low heat.

Saffron Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Almond Sauce

Another great one. AGAIN I could hardly stop eating it. The sauce is good but it is also really good with ketchup.

Serves 6 - 8

A small pinch of saffron threads

3 tbsp plain soy milk (I used almond milk b/c that's what I had)

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium size onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1 medium size Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch slices (I used red potatoes and peeled them because I was to lazy to wash them properly)

1 1/2 lbs soft tofu, drained

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

Dash of cayenne pepper (Next time I will add black pepper too)

Place the saffron threads and soy milk in a small pan, heat until almost boiling. Stir and set aside for at least 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes, onions and 1/4 cup oil until well coated. Pour into an oven proof skillet. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, till onions are very soft and the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a food processor blend till smooth the drained tofu, garlic, and remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Strain the soy milk mixture with a fine-mesh sieve and add to tofu along with salt and cayenne pepper. Blend till creamy.

When the potatoes and onions are tender, remove from oven. Pour the tofu mixture into the pan and gently fold the potatoes and onions into the tofu mixture. With a rubber spatula, smooth the top.

Spray the top of the omelet with olive oil and return to the oven. Bake for 50 minutes till the top is deep yellow the lightly browned in spots, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 20 minutes.

This is good both warm and at room temperature.

Roasted Red Pepper - Almond Sauce

3 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, seeds removed, and torn into chunks

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp sugar (I used agave syrup)

Salt to taste

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until thick and creamy.

Sunday Dinner

My Dinner... Creamy Cauliflower and Pasta With CreamyAsparagus Sauce. It is colourful and a balanced meal, the pasta is organic brown rice and there are white kidney beans for protein. Both are loaded with veggies, very low fat and spiced perfectly. AND they taste amazing

Pasta With Creamy Asparagus Sauce & Creamy Cauliflower

What great FOOD! The creamy cauliflower is a nice change to mashed potatoes and the whole casserole is only about 200 calories, that's the WHOLE casserole. It has a great kick from the cayenne Mmmmm.

Asparagus is one of my favourite veggies. This tastes so good!

Pasta with Creamy Asparagus Sauce

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

1 cup cooked or canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

Plain unsweetened soy milk, as needed (I used almond milk)

1 lb penne or any pasta you have

Steam the asparagus until just tender, about 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, 1 minute. Stir in the wine, basil, salt and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Add half of the steamed asparagus along with the beans and stir to combine.

Transfer the asparagus and bean mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth, adding a little soy milk if too thick. Transfer the sauce to a large saucepan and add the reserved steamed asparagus. cook, stirring over medium heat until hot. Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER

I medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup soy milk

2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cayenne

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tbsp minced fresh chives or green onions

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a casserole and set aside. Steam the cauliflower until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Rinse the cauliflower under cold water and drain well. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a food processor. Add the soy milk and margarine and process until smooth. Add the salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and chives and puree until blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole and sprinkle with paprika. Bake until hot, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

ICED "COFFEE"

Forget Starbucks...I make my own CAFFEINE FREE iced coffee. I mix almond milk with a few drops of Agave Syrup and Krakus Instant Coffee Substitute. It is really good. The coffee is a caffeine free product made from roasted barley, rye, chicory and beet roots. Great drink to enjoy on these hot days.

BURRITO

It is very hard to find vegan food. Vegetarian means COW! Don't eat breast milk meant for calves. AMY'S burrito is vegan and organic and delicious. Always read the label and the ingredients. They are 300 calories and 10g of protein and did I mention delicious???

Shiitakes in puff pastry

These taste the best right out of the oven 2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 sheet frozen vegan puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and green onions. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until the veggies are soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Unfold the pastry sheet onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 12 X 15 inches. Cut the pastry into 3 inch squares and press them into the bottoms of mini muffin tins. Spoon about 1 tbsp of the mushrooms into the center of each pastry cup. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

COOKIES!!! Really GOOD cookies..gluten free

These cookies are so good. They are gluten free, no sugar and no animal parts or products. The cookie dough is really good too. So instead of getting 3 dozen I got 2 dozen :)

Orange-scented coconut cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies or 1 really big cookie

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped

2 tsps fresh orange zest

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 pure maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

Orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside. In a large bowl combine the pecans, coconut, rice flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In a blender combine the dates, orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Blend until smooth.

Mix the wet into the dry until well blended to form a stiff dough.

With wet hand, shape the dough into small balls and place them on the baking sheet. Flatten the cookie and make an indentation in teh center with your thumb. Fill centers of cookies with a small spoonful of marmalade.

Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and String Beans

While this is cooking, it will fill up your house with a great aroma! So good! The maple syrup makes the dish. Especially good at room temperature.

2 lbs small Yukon gold potatoes, halved

1/2 lb string beans, halved, ends cut off and discarded

1 yellow onion, thickly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp shoyu

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the vegetables in a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish. In a mixing bowl stir together all the other ingredients until the mustard is dissolved. Pour over the vegetables and mix well until everything is coated. COver with foil and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and toss everything; use a spoon to drip the sauce over the veggies. Turn oven down to 350 degrees, and cook for 25 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven, toss again, cook for 25 more minutes uncovered. Serve and enjoy.