Zucchini Pasta...Vegan Chick-un Enchiladas...Zesty Tofu Wrap

I've made some pretty fun things this week...trying lots of new recipes. I've seen recipes in several places that use zucchini or yellow squash "ribbons" in place of pasta and I have been wanting to try it. I have been looking through Brendan Brazier's cookbook "Thrive" and this recipe was in it (except it used yellow squash, not zucchini but I had zucchini!). It turned out pretty yummy.

Summer Squash Fettuccini with Lemon Pepper Cream From Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier, p. 226
4-5 medium long yellow summer squash
1 tsp + 1/4 tsp sea salt, divided
2/3 cup cashews, soaked in water 1-2 hours
3/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp or more ground pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil (I used canola)
1 leek, thinly sliced (I used an onion)

Trim the ends of the squash. Using a hand-held vegetable peeler, carefully strip the squash, layer by layer, into noodle-like pieces and gather into a colander. Toss squash strips with 1 tsp of sea salt and place the colander over a large bowl to catch excess moisture. Let rest for 15-20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and press water out using a clean kitchen towel. Place the soaked, soft cashews in a blender with the water, lemon zest, vinegar, freshly ground pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp sea salt. Blend for several minutes on high until a very smooth cream has formed. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the leeks. Cook until softened, reduce heat to low and add the blended cream to the pan. Stirring constantly add squash to the pan and heat through. Serve immediately garnished with freshly cracked black pepper. When I made my April menu, I went through my binder of recipes that consists of all the recipes I have torn out of magazines, newspapers etc. There are so many recipes in that binder that I frequently forget to go through it and pull out new recipes to try. I found several to try for April, some of which were recipes I had made in my pre-vegan days that I wanted to veganize. The recipe for these Chicken Enchiladas was one of them. I remember them being very delicious and I hoped I would be able to create a yummy vegan version. Thankfully I was successful!

Vegan Chick-un Enchiladas
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 t garlic powder
1 8 oz package vegan chickun tenders (I used Trader Joes Crispy Chickun)
1 can chipotle diced tomatoes with chiles or 1 cup salsa
4 oz vegan cream cheese
2 T chopped cilantro
2 t cumin
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups white or pinto beans, cooked and drained
8 flour tortillas In a skillet coated with cooking spray, cook onions until soft. Add garlic powder, salt, cumin, cilantro and 1/4 cup tomatoes or salsa. Add beans and stir to combine. Add cream cheese and stir to combine thoroughly until all is incorporated. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook chickun tenders according to package instructions. Chop cooked chickun into small pieces and add to bean mixture. Spoon filling evenly into 8 flour tortillas, roll and place in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray (seam down). When all enchiladas have been filled, top with remaining salsa. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min or until tortillas are lightly browned. These were delish! I served them with corn and kale salad and a broccoli salad for a fabulous lunch!

Zesty Tofu Wraps with Olive Tapenade (recipe adapted from Cooking Light April 2002)

 Tapenade:
1/2 cup green olives
1/4 cup black olives
1 t grated lemon rind
1 t oil

Wraps:
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1 lb tofu, drained and pressed
1 large onion, sliced
 3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T honey or agave
1 t rosemary
1 t oil
2 t spicy brown mustard
1/4 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
4 flour tortillas
2 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried

To prepare tapenade, add all ingredients to food processor and pulse to mince. Do not puree. Set aside. To prepare wraps, combine 2 cups boiling water to the sun dried tomatoes. Let stand 30 min. Drain and chop. Set aside. Cut tofu into slices. Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray. Add onion and cook until soft. Add balsamic vinegar and stir. Remove from heat and set aside. In the same pan, add the tofu and 1 t oil. Cook until browned on both sides (flipping slices in the middle of cooking). In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, cider vinegar, honey or agave, rosemary, mustard, salt and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Pour over the browned tofu and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. To build the wraps, take a tortilla and layer it with 2 T of tapenade, 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, 1/3 cup onions, 1/2 cup spinach and 3-4 slices of tofu. Fold and enjoy!

Birthday!!

My sweet baby turned 4 today! For breakfast he requested pancakes so I made him a "4" and a "B" for Braedon. Braedon requested a "Landrover cake" and since I am not creative enough to make a cake in the shape of a Landrover, I made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and some of his little Matchbox Landrovers on top. It was very delicious and my little guy was perfectly pleased with it! Happy Birthday sweet Braedon!

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

I have recently been trying to come up with delicious breakfast foods that don't include sugar or gluten - mainly because we are trying to cut back a little on gluten and a lot on sugar! The smoked tofu, kale and potato dish that I posted recently has become a favorite but I was tired of it and I was out of kale so I came up with this scramble. It can hardly be considered a recipe but here's what I did: I browned diced potatoes in a bit of canola oil until browned and mostly soft. Then I added a package of extra firm silkin tofu and crumbled it as I added it to the potatoes. I sprinkled this mixture with a bit of tumeric, cracked black pepper and sea salt as well as a few sprinkles of nutrional yeast. Once this was nicely browned, I added some diced green peppers and cooked about 5 more minutes until the peppers were crisp tender. It was delicious and my boys loved it.

Crossfit Craziness and Workout Protein Drink

My husband gave us a very tough workout today...100 push-ups, 100 crossfit situps, and 100 air squats for time. Wow!! We were dying!! Awesome challenge though. I'm not much for smoothies or protein drinks but my hubby has been drinking shakes for years and loves them as a workout recovery drink. We use the best one available in the protein drink world though which is Juice Plus Complete. Mixed with a banana, some almond milk and some natural peanut butter, it makes a killer shake and is FULL of healthful ingredients. Even I enjoy it (though I have discovered that my hubby makes the absolute best shakes and mine are definitely sub-par!!)! I forgot to take a picture until I was half done with my shake but you get the general idea. Yum!! I am powered for the day - love working out with my awesome trainer:-)

Breakfast love...Crossfit Worthy Tofu and Kale...Tofu Fritatta...Waffles featuring Vegan Whipped Cream

Over the past few months, the hubby has successfully recruited me to his world of Crossfit. I was very reluctant to start and oftentimes I complain about the intensity of it but I love the fact that we work out together on a daily basis and I feel like I've worked hard every time...my muscles complain almost daily! As Frank says, I'm beginning to catch the Crossfit Fever! I couldn't do it without my patient husband and his awesome training and motivation!! We have been attempting to come up with some delicious breakfast menus that are not sweet but rather offer a good dose of protein and a bunch of healthy veganness!! This combo is simple and so delicious. All I do is toss together some smoke tofu (cubed), some chopped kale, cubed potatoes (I have recently used leftover ones that are already roasted and just need to be heated), a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, a drizzle of canola oil, and a splash of cider vinegar. I eat mine with jalepenos and Frank uses some hot sauce. Delicious!



I made a heart-themed breakfast on Valentines day, complete with tofu fritattas and heart-shaped toast. The boys love these fritattas (recipe from Peas and Thank you) sprinkled with vegan cheese - quite a yummy alternative to eggs!


I have recently discovered coconut cream whipped cream and it is so yummy! I followed a recipe the first few times but now that I know the basics, I just throw it together. The keys to making awesome vegan whipped cream with coconut cream are to be sure your coconut cream is chilled and also that your mixing bowl and beater attachment are also chilled. Trader Joes sells coconut cream in cans which makes the process even easier. After chilling your can of coconut cream, open the can and drain off any liquid that is present...there is very little in a can of pure coconut cream. I save the liquid for another use. Scoop cream into chilled bowl, sprinkle with a tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Perfection!!

Birthday Boy!

I can hardly believe my sweet Keith is 7!! We had an awesome time celebrating with him and I made him the carrot cake from Peas and Thank you and it was undoubtedly the best carrot cake I have ever made. Keith has had carrot cake for his Birthday every year since his first Birthday. Truth be told, for his first Birthday, I was trying to come up with the healthiest option for a Birthday cake and carrot cake was the closest thing I could come up with - the tradition has continued! Delicious!!

I've been cooking away this week...trying lot of new things. I had to take a picture of the beautiful colors in my crockpot today - I was making veggie broth and it just looked so bright!! I recently checked out a book from the library called Detox in a Weekend (Maggie Pannell). It's a very interesting book and I will likely use the detox method sooner or later. However, for now I have decided to incorporate some of the super healthy meals in the book into my menu planning. I made a delicious salad today for lunch - a funny but yummy combination of ingredients (artisan lettuce blend, tomatoes, oranges, and asparagus drizzled with olive oil and balsamic). I also made a veggie bean soup that was simple in flavor but tasted really good and wholesome. I also recently checked out Artisan Vegan Cheese (Miyoko Schinner) and am loving trying some new vegan cheeses. The recipes are a little tough to master but I finally was able to successfully make a batch of cashew yogurt. The yogurt separated a bit but all I had to do was whisk it thoroughly to smooth it out. I hope to have some success with many more vegan cheeses!

Chick-Un Divan Casserole

Growing up, Chicken Divan was a family favorite - wow my mom made the best divan on the planet!! Over the years, my mom, my sister and I all made slight adjustments to the recipe (making everything from scratch instead of using canned soups, adding spinach to the dish as well as the broccoli, increasing the curry powder in the bread crumbs etc). When I decided to start cooking vegan fare, I decided I must try veganizing this dish and I successfully made a delicious version (see previous blog post for the recipe : http://veganizingfun.blogspot.com/2010/12/breads-cookies-and-more.html). I have made the veganized version many times and today I decided to give it a makeover with a few changes to the recipe! The results were fabulous and I might add that this will likely be the way I make it from here on out! My 3 year old ate 3 helpings! This dish is usually served over rice but this time I mixed the rice into the sauce with the broccoli and "chicken" and baked it all together. Wow!!

Chick-Un Divan Casserole

Sauce:
5 T vegan butter
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 T faux chicken boullion ( I like Better Than Boullion brand)
2 t curry powder

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until thick paste forms. Slowly add soy milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Continue to stir until thick and bubbly. Whisk in water, boullion, and curry powder. Stir until mixed, thick and bubbly. Set aside.

Remaining ingredients:
4-5 cups cooked brown rice (use 4 cups if you want a saucier casserole and 5 if you want a little less saucy casserole - either way will yield a creamy casserole)
4 cups chopped broccoli
1 package Gardein "chicken", chopped (the scallopini will work, the mandarin or terriyaki will work too, just keep the sauce for another use)
2 1/2 T canola oil, divided
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t Italian seasoning

Steam broccoli until crisp tender. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Place in a large bowl. Add the rice and the sauce (recipe above) and stir to incorporate. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 T canola oil in a skillet and add chopped Gardein. Cook until browned (about 5-8 min). Add Gardein to the rice mixture. Stir to incorporate. In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1 T oil, bread crumbs, curry, salt and Italian seasoning. Stir until spices, oil and crumbs are well mixed. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and transfer rice mixture to pan. Smooth top. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top of casserole. Bake at 400 for about 20 min or until bubbly. Serve with extra veggies on the side!

Strawberry Parfait

I made several yummy meals this week but didn't do a good job at taking decent pictures! This delightful creation doesn't require a recipe but it was so delicious I figured I would at least post a picture and a "how to". I have recently discovered Almond Milk Yogurt and our family really likes it. It resembles dairy yogurt more closely than some of the other vegan yogurts and is less sweet but more tangy. I made granola this week and strawberries were on sale so a parfait was just waiting to be made. All I did was layer the plain yogurt, granola and strawberries and it was fabulous! Such a delicious breakfast!

Taco Salad with BBQ Citrus Drizzle

Taco Salad is nothing new to us...in fact it is a frequent staple at our house. Everyone in the family likes it and it is easy to throw together. However, my usual taco salad consists of seasoned pintos, seitan crumbles, lettuce or cabbage, salsa, guacamole and vegan sour cream on occasion. I've recently been in the mood to make up fun new recipes so this week I spiced up my taco salad with some citrus-y flare! Turned out pretty yummy!

Taco Salad with BBQ Citrus Drizzle
(makes 2 dinner-sized portions or 4-6 smaller side salad portions)


Dressing:
1/8 cup canola oil
1/8 t garlic powder
juice from 1 lime
1 T orange juice
1/2 T agave
1 T bbq sauce
2 T vegan mayo
2 T fresh cilantro
Combine dressing ingredients and stir or shake until well mixed. Set aside.

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine or lettuce of choice
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
1 large or 2 small avocados, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sliced olives
3/4 cup pinto beans
3/4 cup corn
1/4 t each garlic powder, chili powder, cumin
1/2 t salt
1 T chopped jalepenos (fresh or canned)
2 T salsa
Tortilla chips (I used tortilla chips with a hint of lime - delicious!)


Divide lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and olives between two large salad bowls. In a separate bowl, combine beans, corn, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, jalepenos, and salsa. Stir to combine. Divide bean mixture between salad bowls. Drizzle with dressing and serve with tortilla chips.