Vegan Grilling

Our weather has been so nice recently and we have been eating outside a lot! I decided to grill last weekend and made a yummy bundle of things without heating up the house. I grilled garlic bread, brussels sprouts tossed with a bit of oil, sea salt, a squeeze of fresh lemon and dill, fresh corn and summer squash with a little butter, salt and pepper, and big slices of vidalia onions put directly on the grill. It was fresh and yummy - and we ate outside.

Red Lentil Curry

I love Indian food so much and this Red Lentil Curry was amazing! My mom was in town yesterday and we had a very fun day at the zoo. Before we left to head to the zoo however, I wanted to put something in the crockpot for our dinner so I didn't have to whip something up when we got home. I am so glad I did - we came home to delightful aromas!! This dish was fantastically delicious. I served it atop jasmine rice with naan, cabbage and fresh fruit to the side. I tweeked the recipe as usual :-)I forgot to take a picture until I had put the food away so this is a picture of leftovers of it! Not as pretty as the original dinner plate but gives the general idea!

Red Lentil Curry (adapted from Allrecipes)
1 cup red lentils
1 T canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1-2 tablespoons curry paste ( I used about 1 T and it was spicy but not too spicy.
 2 T will likely give you a VERY spicy dish so add according to your taste)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
 1 teaspoon minced garlic
 1/2 t dried ground ginger
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilis (like Red Gold or Rotel)
1 cup water
 In crockpot, combine all ingredients except lentils and water. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Cook lentils according to package instructions (usually they take about 15-20 min to cook). Add lentils and water to crockpot during the final 15 minutes of cooking to heat thoroughly. Serve over rice.

First Harvest!

This year I purchased the coolest thing ever - a Tower Garden. This vertical garden is seriously an awesome contraption that makes gardening a breeze - and I harvested my first batch of lettuce this week. Delicious and fresh! If you have never seen a tower garden, they really are awesome...I have included a couple pictures. I love to make meals out of things I have grown. Yay for easy gardening!

Easy Tempeh Salad

I have discovered that I absolutely love tempeh! Not only have I found out how easy it is to make my own tempeh bacon (and how delicious it tastes!), but I have also realized several other ways of enjoying it. The flavor is so nutty and yummy. I recently made a fabulous salad with some some leftover tempeh cubes. I used the cubes in another dish - I simply rolled tempeh cubes in some flour and then browned them in some oil in a skillet. For the salad, I heated the tempeh cubes and then tossed them with some Louisiana hot sauce. I made a salad of baby cucumbers, tomatoes, petite peas and peppers (any veg combo will do!) and then tossed the salad ingredients with the tempeh and a bit of vinaigrette dressing. Sounds a bit strange but it was fabulously simple and absolutely delicious!!

Penne with Caramelized Cauliflower...Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

I always love finding new delicious Brussels Sprouts recipes! This one was a winner for sure. The carmelized cauliflower pasta was also really yummy and super simple. Two definite make-agains! Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries (adapted from Everything Vegan) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 1 1/2 T walnut oil (or other mild oil) 1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half 1 cloved minced garlic Salt to taste 1/4 cup craisins Heat oil. Add garlic and Brussels. Cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned but still crisp. Sprinkle with salt and cook just until crisp tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with nuts and craisins and toss. Penne with Caramelized Cauliflower (adapted from Everything Vegan) 4 T oil 1 small head cauliflower, cut into large florets 1 cup fresh parsley leaves 1 T freshly grated lemon zest 1 T capers, drained 1 lb penne pasta 1/2 t red pepper flakes sea salt Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and lay cauliflower over surface. Drizzle oil over cauliflower and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Roast at 440 degrees for about 15 min or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and set aside. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside. In food processor, combine parsley, lemon zest and capers and pulse until chunky sauce forms. Toss cauliflower, pasta and sauce together. Sprinkle with pepper flakes. Serve.

Vegan Waldorf Salad

This simple salad was fabulous! Perfect as a spring or summer side dish! Classic Waldorf Salad (adapted from Vegetarian Times 4/12) 3/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted 4 celery stalks, sliced (I didn't use these because my hubby doesn't like celery) 2 red-skinned apples, cored and diced 1 cup red grapes Dressing: 1/2 cup vegan mayo 1 T lemon juice 1 T chopped fresh parsley 1/2 t honey (not vegan - use agave if you would rather or omit) Stir dressing ingredients together. Mix salad ingredients. Toss with dressing. Serve

Vegan Camping!

Our family went camping on Friday night for a trial run with all four of us - we had a fun time but got no sleep at all. Cows mooing, loud and obnoxious other campers, and not enough blankets to keep us warm, the night was very rough but it was still a fun family time. I had a blast coming up with a vegan menu, though a few of my creations need work before we venture on a camping trip again!






We roasted our corn on the grill and it got a bit too done on one side but was still very delicious. We put our sweet potatoes in the coals and cooked them that way which turned out super tasty. The "hot dogs" I made were more like burgers in consistency - yummy flavor but really tasted nothing like hot dogs. I started out with a recipe but ended up improvising a lot because I didn't have the exact ingredients I needed. Unfortunately, it would be hard for me to duplicate the recipe. The marshmallows were nothing like marshmallows - again I had to improvise a bit with ingredients and equipment (I didn't have a candy thermometer) - there are so many recipe for them that I will just need to play with them and find a winner. These marshmallows ended up being like cream filling in a cookie (like oreo filling) and though they made good graham cracker cookie sandwiches, they tasted nothing like smores. I made graham crackers and they were yummy - I have made that recipe before. Breakfast was a winner. I browned potatoes and Gimme Lean Sausage balls before leaving home and then heated them in foil over the fire for breakfast along with bread to the side and fresh fruit. Super delish and loved by the whole fam. So, I have a challenge to create the perfect vegan camping food by the next time we go camping!

Vegan BLTA...Corn Fritters...Hot Rice with Cold Lemon and Tomatoes...

I ate a bunch of leftovers today, including Hot Rice with Cold Lemon and Tomatoes and Corn Fritters. Both of these dishes were tasty, although I would probably tweak both recipes next time. My usual corn fritter recipe has a bit more flavor and it moister. I did enjoy the fun flavor that the Old Bay Seasoning added to the fritters (this recipe can be found in Vegan Yum Yum). The Hot Rice was super creamy but the blend of flavors was just a bit different. I love the creaminess of the Arborio rice and this recipe is not a risotto requiring time consuming stirring and adding of liquids.

Hot Rice with Cold Lemon, Tomato, and Basil (I didn't use basil because I didn't have any fresh)

From "The Kind Life" by Alicia Silverstone
Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

*1 cup Arborio rice
*2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
*3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*3 pinches of fine sea salt
*2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper
*1/2 cup (or as much as you want) fresh tomato, large dice
*2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions
Serves 2

Place the unrinsed rice in a saucepan with 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes (until mostly tender but still a little firm in center of the grain). Drain any of the water that wasn't absorbed and transfer rice to a mixing bowl.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, and and salt and pepper to taste (add a little bit at first and then add more if you need it). Mix well, add tomatoes, sprinkle with basil, toss to combine, and serve.


I made Urban Vegan's Spaghetti Carbonara a couple nights ago and the recipe calls for vegan bacon. The last time I made it, I used the pricey Fakin Bakin made by Lightlife. Though the Fakin Bakin has a strangely delicious flavor, it is pricey and I have always wanted to try making my own. I decided to courageously attempt my own homemade tempeh bacon, using a Vegetarian Times recipe (recipe can be found here http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10560). I am happy to announce that the result was delicious and my boys kept coming into the kitchen asking for more "bacon" while I was cooking dinner. I was so thrilled at their enthusiasm and enjoyment of it. I will never buy store-bought Fakin Bakin again because mine turned out just as yummy as store-bought for a fraction of the cost. All of that to say, I made myself a Bakin, Lettuce, Tomato, and Avocado Sandwich tonight using some of this bakin. It turned out very yummy!!

My baby is 3!

My youngest turned 3 last week - so hard to believe! Braedon loves tractors so I made a cake with such decor...used the following recipe. Yum!



Chocolate Cake (Source: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into 8x11 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting (adapted version of Hershey's Cocoa Chocolate Frosting Recipe)
1/2 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/8-1/4 cup almond milk (add gradually until desired consistency reached)
1 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixer and cream until smooth.

Biscuit Topped Beefless Pot Pie

It has been dreary and rainy in Kansas City for the past 3 days and last night I wanted to make some warming comfort food. This Beefless Pot Pie fit the bill . You can use any veggies you like...mushrooms would have been a great addition but I didn't have any. You can also top this with pie crust instead of biscuits.

Biscuit Topped Beefless Pot Pie
2 T canola oil
3/4 cup cleaned leeks, chopped
5 carrots, peeled and diced
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups washed, chopped green beans
1/2 cup canned or frozen corn
2 cups mushroom broth (or veg broth)
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup flour
3 t faux beef boullion
2 t dried thyme
1 t cracked black pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add leeks, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until beginning to brown. Add green beans and cook until veggies are tender. Add 1 cup broth and stir to continue cooking. Slowly add remaining cup of broth to flour in a small bowl to create a slurry, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add milk and boullion to flour mixture. Slowly pour flour mixture into veggies. Stir until thick sauce forms. Add more broth if needed to thin sauce if too thick. If sauce is too thin, combine small amount of flour and more broth to create more slurry. I didn't measure so might need to be adjusted a bit. Pour mixture into a large pie plate or casserole dish. Set aside while biscuit dough is made.

Biscuits (adapted from Kind Diet recipe)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup bran
1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soy milk

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine milk and oil in separate bowl. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry until dough forms. Pat dough out on a cutting board to about 1/2 in thickness. Use biscuit cutter to cut about 7-8 biscuits. Top pot pie with biscuits.

Bake at 425 until pie is hot and bubbly and biscuits are browned lightly.