Vegan Granola Bars

These granola bars are so versatile - you can really add whatever you want. I made some with a sprinkle of white chocolate chips for my kiddos and another pan with semi-sweet choc chips for my hubby. Turned out pretty yum.

Vegan Granola Bars (adapted from 500 Vegan Recipes - I have adapted so many things though that I think this might be my recipe now~)
8 t flax meal
3 T warm water
4 T brown rice syrup (or other liquid sweetener - I use honey sometimes even though it's not vegan. For those who have browsed my site know I still use honey sometimes. I don't see it as a health risk...)
1 t vanilla
4 T coconut flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dry oatmeal

Coat loaf pan with cooking spray. Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix flax and water. Stir. Add brown rice syrup and vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients. Fold in coconut, oatmeal and chocolate. Press into loaf pan. Bake 20-30 min. Let cool. Cut into bars.


Just a note, I made the burritos that I have listed on my menu but forgot to take a picture! Ahh! They were fabulous and are a slightly modified version of Morgan's Beans (http://littlehouseofveggies.blogspot.com/). So yummy wrapped up in a tortilla with jalepenos, lettuce, and whatever else you like to stuff a burrito with! Visit Morgan's site for her exact recipe. My modifications are as follows:

Crockpot Pintos

2 cups cooked pinto beans
1/2 cup water
1 T minced dried onion
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp dried coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pinch of pepper
2 T extra virgin olive oil

To Make: Add all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low 3-4 hours.

Vegan Jam Surprise Muffins...Vegan Cheezy Crackers...Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These turned out really yummy. I am out of whole wheat flour but have some oat flour on hand which has 3 grams of fiber in each serving so it is better than white flour! And it works really well in most things. Very yummy in this recipe. I used a variety of jams - homemade peach butter, mango-passion fruit jam, and blackberry jam.

Jam Surprise Muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
4 T flax meal
6 T water
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soy milk
1 t vanilla
jam of choice
Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In separate bowl, mix flax and water. Let sit 2-3 min. To flax mixture add oil, milk and vanilla. Add to dry mixture. Divide among 12 muffin cups. Place a dollop of jam in the middle of each muffin. Bake 15-20 min or until golden.

I am constantly trying to come up with good snacks to make for my hubby and my kiddos. I modified this recipe a bit because I didn't have all the ingredients. They are slightly cheesy in flavor, due to the miso I think. These crackers are seriously delicious - the only problem is they are a bit higher in fat than I would like them to be. Next time I would greatly reduce the amount of fat in the recipe and replace it with additional milk probably to help the dough stay together (I have put my modifications below). These were a hit and made enough for several days of snacks for all three boys!

Savory Cookies All' Italiana (adapted from 500 Vegan Recipes)
1/4 t Italian seasoning
1 T white miso
3 T oil
1 cup flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup oats
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 T vegan shortening
6 T unsweetened milk
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Use a mixer to add wet to dry until tacky dough forms. Divide into 12 portions. Press down on each portion to form a thin patty, using flour if needed to prevent sticking. Place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining portions. Bake at 350 for 12-15 min or until lightly browned.
I made these cookies when I tried a month of veganizing couple years ago. They are so delicious! Melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (adapted from...oops I am not sure which cookbook. I copied a page out of a book and not sure which one!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 t sea salt
1 cup flour
3 T cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 -2 1/2 T agave or more maple
1 t vanilla
1/4 cup peanut butter
Preheat oven to 400. Combine wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients. Use mixture to add wet to dry. Fold in chocolate chips. Place spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. B ake 8-10 min.

Rice and Bean Sliders...Seitan Sausage...another one of Keith's creations!

A couple months ago I made some lentil rice burgers from the Candle Cafe cookbook. They weren't overly exciting but they were pretty good. I froze some of the mixture as the recipe made quite a few burgers. I am glad I did because they made an easy meal for us yesterday! I doctored them quite a bit and made some pretty tasty sliders. I have copied the recipe for the burgers so you don't have to find the previous post. This recipe will make quite a few burgers. I have adapted the toppings to reflect making the entirety of the burgers (rather than the small amount I made with my leftover burgers). I served the slider with a simple coleslaw and some baked tortilla chips and guacamole. Yum!

Brown Rice and Lentil Burgers (adapted from Candle Cafe Cookbook)
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup brown rice
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 chopped onion
1 t sea salt
1 t chipotle chili powder
small buns for serving
In saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil. Add lentils, reduce heat, cook until soft. About 15 min. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil, add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender. About 40 min. Set aside. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic and onion until browned. Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine rice, lentils, onion mixture, salt and chipotle powder. Mash slightly to help hold mixture together. Make slider-sized patties and place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 15 min.

Toppings:

BBQ Mayo
1/3 cup vegan mayo
2 T bbq sauce
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients and spread over buns.

Baked Onions
Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut up 1 large onion and place slices on baking sheet. Bake at 405 until onions are browned and crispy. Toss with hot sauce of choice (I used a chipotle hot sauce).

Assembly:
Take small bun and spread 2 t bbq mayo over both halves. Place a lentil burger on top and top with a mound of onions. Serve.

Baked Tortilla Chips
Spray 10 corn tortillas with cooking spray. Cut into wedges. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 10 min or until crispy. Serve with guacamole.

I really wanted to make breakfast burritos yesterday morning but didn't have any wheat gluten to make seitan bacon crumbles, no tofu for scrambled tofu, no peppers - I was out of so much!!I did, however, have some boiled seitan in the fridge. So I got creative and was so pleased with the results. I think this is the best sausage I have made.

Seitan Sausage
3/4 cup boiled seitan, pulsed in food processor until resembles coarse crumbs/burger-like consistency (this is hard to measure unless it is cut up so just estimate)
1 t canola or olive oil
1/2 t dried sage
1/2 t fennel seed
1 1/2 t ketchup
1 t liquid smoke

Heat skillet and add oil. When oil is hot, add seitan and cook until browned - 5-7 min. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined and heated throughout.

My creative Keith-boy asks to make a creation every time I enter the kitchen. Though I love his budding creativity and love for cooking, it can become a bit exhausting! I did, however, let him come up with his own lunch yesterday. His creation consisted of a crushed tortilla that was baked and sprinkled on a small bun. He then cooked a vegan hot dog with some mayo, mustard, ketchup, and bbq sauce and put that on his bun. Pretty funny! He ate it all and his little brother had a few bite too :-)

Potato Kale Soup and Breadsticks...Mu Shu Veggie Rolls

Not that photography is my strongpoint anyway but these pictures really didn't turn out good at all! But, they are better than no pictures so...I have posted them anyway :-)
This soup is slightly like my vegan version of Zuppa Toscana but I think this had a little more flavor. Very mild, warm, perfect with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and hot breadsticks. I put mine in my crockpot so it would be ready when we got home from church. My house smelled delish and all I had to do was throw in the kale, pop the bread in the oven, and put together a quick salad. Perfect!

Potato-Kale Soup (adapted from Cooking Light Oct 02)
 2 tablespoons vegan butter
 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
 1 garlic clove, minced
 7 cups faux chicken broth
 4 cups coarsely chopped peeled potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1 bay leaf
 6 cups chopped fresh kale (about 3/4 pound)
 1 teaspoon dried basil

Preparation
Place butter, onion and garlic in crockpot and turn on high. "Cook" in crockpot for 10 min, allowing butter to melt and mix with onions/garlic. Add remaining ingredients except kale. Stir and let cook 3-4 hours on high. Add kale. Cook additional 10-15 min (depending on how done you like your kale). Serve topped with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper if you like a little spice.

Soft Breadsticks (adapted from recipezaar)
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place warm water in bowl along with yeast. Allow to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients. Use dough hook to knead dough for 5-7 min. Cover and allow to rise 1 hr. Form into breadsticks or rolls. Bake at 400 for 10-15 min or until lightly browned.

I have made mu shu veggies for years and though I oftentimes added chicken, the rest of the recipe didn't really need veganizing. It is simple, low in fat, full of veggies and very yummy! I used to serve it in tortillas since I didn't want to take the time to make Chinese pancakes (like are served with mu shu at Chinese restaurants). This time I decided to use rice wrappers instead. Worked perfectly! Cheaper and lower in fat than tortillas, I will definitely use these again!

Mu Shu Veggie Wraps
4 cups chopped veggies of your choice (I used cauliflower, onions, cabbage, carrots)
1 T sesame oil
2 clovoes minced garlic
2 t Chinese five spice powder
2 t ground ginger
1/2 t salt
1 T soy sauce
hoisin sauce
rice papers (soaked according to package instructions)

In large skillet, heat oil. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients except hoisin and rice papers. Cook until veggies are tender. You can add a bit of water if the veggies aren't getting done or are sticking to the pan. We like our veggies on the crisp-tender side - you can cook them as long as you like though. Working with one rice paper at a time, take a soaked paper and spread 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce over the surface. Place large scoop of veggies into middle of wrapper. Roll up. Repeat until all filling is gone - the number of rolls will depend on how big you want them to be. As I was making mine, I turned my oven on low and placed my rolls on a plate as I completed making them. This kept them warm and also dried the rice papers out a bit as they get pretty soft and wet during the process of making the rolls. They were perfect this way. Serve with additional hoisin if desired.

Potato Kale Cakes with Horseradish Cream and Baked Onions

I have been working hard on creating recipes that do not require specialty ingredients are are very penny-wise, in addition to being low in fat (thus my menu theme and the items on it!). I made up this recipe and I must admit, it turned out pretty tasty! It was easy, cheap to make, low in fat, and I had everything I needed on hand. The baked onions were especially delish!!

Potato Kale Cakes with Horseradish Cream and Baked Onions

Baked Onions
1 large onion
oil for brushing
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper

Slice onions into rings. Spread on cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Use pastry brush to brush oil on onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 415 for 20 min or until crisped and brown.

Patties
2 cups cooked potatoes
2 cups cleaned, cut kale (try to cut this pretty small or else it will be more difficult to form patties)
1 T vegan butter
3 cloves minced garlic
2 t spicy brown mustard
1 t sea salt
1 t fresh black pepper
In a skillet, heat butter. Add kale and garlic and cook until garlic barely starts to brown and kale becomes bright green and slightly tender. Add potatoes to kale mixture. Cook 2-3 min. Remove from heat. Mash mixture and add remaining ingredients. Form into 4 large patties (or small ones if you would rather). Place patties on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 415 for 15 min.

Horseradish Cream
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1 t spicy brown mustard
2 t vegan horseradish

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

Assembly:
Place potato patty on plate, spread thin layer of horseradish cream over patty and top with a mound of baked onions. Enjoy!

Snacks

After getting about 7-8 inches of snow yesterday, we are happily stuck inside...but I am getting a bit tired of this nasty weather. Ok, not a bit, a LOT! I don't have much in the way of snacks right now and needed to make some for the hubby and the kiddos. I decided to put a new spin on some granola bars and try out a new recipe for crackers as a salty snack. Both turned out pretty nicely and have been well-received by my family!

Peanut Butter Crackers (loose adaptation from 500 Vegan Recipes)
1 1/2 t soy sauce
1 t hot chili oil
1 t canola oil
2 T peanut buttr
1 T tahini
1/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 T cornstarch
1/8 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cream together soy sauce, oils, and peanut butter and tahini. In bowl, mix remaining ingredients exept milk. Mix wet ingredients into dry alternately with milk to form tacky dough. Roll out to 1-2in thickness between 2 pieces of wax paper. Use cookie cutters or slice into pieces with a knife. Place crackers on baking sheet and bake 12-15 min or until lightly browned on bottom.

Coconut Granola Bars
8 t flax meal
3 T warm water
4 T brown rice syrup
1 t vanilla
4 T coconut flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup oats
1/4 cups roasted and chopped almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
Coat loaf pan with cooking spray. Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix flax and water. Stir. Add brown rice syrup and vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients. Fold in oats, nuts, and coconut. Press into loaf pan. Bake 20-25 min. Let cool. Cut into bars.

Kylea's Healing Soup...and my fellow chef!

I was feeling a bit off this morning...actually have been feeling a bit off a lot recently. Not sure why, just not myself healthwise - not sick at all, just a little blah. So, for lunch today I decided I needed to make something super easy, light, calming on my tummy and low in fat. I used Alicia Silverstone's recipe for her Healing Soup and Nabeyaki Udon Soup as a jumping board for what I wanted to add (and hence the name Kylea's Healing Soup :-) ! ). Then I just totally made it up from there! It was perfect for my "blahness"! When I mentioned I was going to make some soup, Keith (my 4 1/2 yr old) begged me to let him cook lunch. I agreed to let him create his own soup if he would be willing to eat it. He was beyond thrilled! We had so much fun in the kitchen together! His soup actually turned out quite tasty and his little brother was quite fond of it as well! Keith then asked to eat his soup with chopsticks! Too funny! He drank the broth when he was done with his chopsticks - cleaned off the entire bowl! His soup consisted of faux chicken broth, edamame (which he patiently popped out of the pods prior to cooking!), cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, orzo, spaghetti noodles, italian seasoning, onion powder, a splash of soy sauce and fresh minced ginger. An interesting combo but pretty tasty!

For my soup, I soaked 5 shitake mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for about 15 min. Then de-stemmed them and chopped them into pieces. I poured the soaking liquid into a pot along with one more cup of water and added the shitakes, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1 t chopped fresh ginger and 1/2 cup sliced green onions. A few months ago I received a sample box fro Edwards and Sons (see review at right of the blog) and one of the samples was miso soup mix - basically a packet of powder that you add to water. When I tried it the first time, it was a little too bland and I mentioned in my review that it might be good when I needed a mild soup if I was sick. Even though I wasn't sick, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out another packet. So, I added 1 packet of miso soup mix to the water. I let this cook about 10 min. Then I added 1 cup sliced cabbage and 1 cup chopped celery. In a separate pot, I cooked some spaghetti noodles (I think this would have been even better with rice noodles or udon noodles but I didn't have any so spaghetti worked fine). I placed about 1/2 cup cooked noodles in my bowl and ladled the soup over them. Then I put about 3 splashes of soy sauce on top and sprinkled the whole bowl with Gomasio. Seriously yummy, mild yet flavorful, and full of veggies. This will be my new chicken soup!

Upcoming menu...

I have found in recent weeks that I am making meals with far too much fat in them! In upcoming menus (starting with this week's menu) I will be focusing on lower-fat meals. This is NOT to say they will be fat-free (as I believe most fat-free dishes are also taste-free unless they are naturally fat-free!), just lower in fat. I oftentimes find myself using extra fats as a way of ensuring the vegan dishes I make are flavorful and enjoyed by my family members! In addition to the focus on lower fat meals, I will also be focusing on meals that are affordable and do not require lots of special or expensive ingredients. See my upcoming menu at the right of my blog. Enjoy!

Crusted Seitan Wraps with Sweet Mustard Slaw...Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Cookies

I needed a quick and relatively simple dinner idea so I made up these wraps. They were very tasty. I used a new seitan recipe as I am out of nutritional yeast. I found a recipe that doesn't require it - I think it turned out pretty well. Next time I would probably dip the seitan in something like a milk or sauce mixture before dipping it in crumbs - it was hard to get the crumb mixture to stick. I sliced the seitan very thin and then pressed it into panko crumbs mixed with some homemade seasoned salt. Then I pan-fried it. Meanwhile, I heated some flour tortillas and whipped up some slaw. For the slaw, I sliced cabbage and mixed it with some vegan mayo, mustard and some honey (for those who are stricter in their veganizing, you could sub brown rice syrup or agave instead of the honey. I still use honey in some things). To assemble the wraps, I layered the seitan and slaw and drizzled with bbq sauce inside the tortilla. Very tasty. The downside was the fact that the seitan was fried. In my new menu, you will see there are no recipes with fried dishes. See the menu section for what's coming up!
I really need to stop finding yummy dessert recipes and work on that sweet tooth of mine...ahhh! These cookies were absolutely delicious. Very chewy and yummy. Yet another keeper from Joni Newman!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Cozy Inside)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup original almond milk
1 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla
baking powder
1/2 t baking soda

Combine all ingredients and mix until goopy dough forms. Heat oven to 350. Drop spoonfuls of dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 min. Make sure you space your cookies - these really spread out.

Orange Chip Scones

Absolutely delicious! Original recipe called for topping these with icing - I didn't think they needed any extra sugar so didn't make any. Perfect without the added sugar!

Orange Chip Scones
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 T grated orange zest
1 cup canola oil
1 cup soymilk (pour 2 t vinegar into cup measure before soymilk - fill remainder of cup with milk to form "buttermilk")
4 T flaxmeal mixed with 6 T water
1 t orange extract

Mix flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix oil, milk,orange extract flax "eggs". Add wet to dry. Stir just to combine. Stir in zest and chocolate. Drop 1/4 cup-fuls of batter onto greased baking sheet to form 24 scones. Bake at 350 for 18-22 min.