speedvegan

Cheesecake with Mango-Strawberry Coulis, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

1 9-in unbaked vegan pie crust
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
4 tbsp lemon juice
rind of 1 lemon
12 oz firm tofu
2/3 cup apple juice
1 banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 mango, peeled and shopped
1 cup chopped strawberries

1. put the chopped dates, lemon juice, lemon rind and water into a pan and bring to a boil. simmer for 5 minutes until the dates are soft, then mash them roughly with a fork.

2. place the mixture in a blender or food processor with the tofu, apple juice, mashed banana, and vanilla extract and process until the mixture is a thick, smooth puree.

3. pour the fofu puree into the unbaked vegan pie crust.

4. bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until lightly golden. cool, then chill thoroughly before serving.

5. place the chopped mango and straberries in a blender and process until smooth. serve it as a sauce with the cheesecake.

BLP Wraps and Pasta Salad, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

For lunch, I decided to be a little adventurous. Jose likes bacon (barf). So I made a variation of the classic BLT. I used red peppers instead of tomatoes, vegan mayonnaise and wheat wraps. Jose likes pasta salad too, so I made that as a side dish.

Pasta Salad:
8 ounces macaroni pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup canned peas
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
cumin

BLP Wraps:
2 tbsp olive oil
8 vegan bacon strips
2 leaves romaine lettuce
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 wheat tortillas
toasted sesame seeds

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until it is tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Drain well and turn into a large bowl. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside. Allow to cool completely before mixing with the other ingredients.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large pan. Cook the vegan bacon until golden brown.

4. Place one lettuce leaf on a wheat tortilla. Add 4 strips cooked vegan bacon strips and half of the red pepper strips. Top with 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise and sesame seeds. Fold wrap and set aside.

5. Add yellow pepper, red pepper, red onion, cucumber and celery to the pasta. Mix in the vegan mayonnaise.

6. Add peas to the mixture. Mix carefully since peas are tender.

7. Add salt and season with ground pepper and cumin (remember: a little bit of cumin goes a long way !). Serve with BLP wraps and enjoy !

I also added an Italian dried herb mix to the pasta salad this time. Try it if you want extra flavor.

Sweet Cornmeal with Raisins, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Jose had a craving for cornmeal, but not just any cornmeal. He wanted something with a slight ethnic twist. So I had to do a little homework (thanks mom). I had to make a few substitutions to “veganize” this dish.

1/2 cups raisins
1 cup soy creamer
1 cup water
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
salt

1. Place raisins in small pot with some water (enough to cover raisins). Cook over low heat until soft.

2. Place 1/2 cup soy creamer, 1/2 cup water, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil.

3. Combine cornmeal, cinnamon, salt and remaining 1/2 cup soy creamer and 1/2 cup water. Pour into boiling mix. Stir constantly.

4. Cook until thickened. Cover and continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes.

5. Drain raisins and add to cornmeal. Serve hot !

Jose thought it was yummy ! If the cornmeal appears too dry, mix in some of the raisin water.

Gyros, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
4 vegan sausages, cut into 1/4 inch diagonal slices
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce, “NOT half a bottle”
crushed red pepper (to taste)
4 whole wheat pitas

1. Heat olive oil in large pan or wok. stir fry onion, red pepper and green pepper over low-medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Add vegan sausage and stir fry for another 5 minutes. Mix in soy sauce and hot sauce and let cook for another minute. If you want an extra “kick” in your dish, add some crushed red pepper.

3. Serve in whole wheat pita bread.

Hummus, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

14 ounce canned chickpeas
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1 large lemon
6 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
cumin
salt and pepper
paprika
black olives
whole wheat pita bread

1. Drain chickpeas. Reserve a little of the liquid. Put the chickpeas, garlic and a little of the liquid in a food processor and process. Add remaining liquid and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

2. Spoon the hummus into a large serving dish. Sitr in the tahini and all but 1 tsp of the olive oil. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

3. Smooth the top and drizzle remaining olive oil. Garnish with paprika and olives.

4. Cut whole wheat pitas into wedges and serve together with the hummus.

Seitan Fajitas, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp tabasco sauce
4 ounces seitan, cut into strips
2 wheat tortillas

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add shredded carrots, yellow pepper strips, red pepper strips and onion and stir fry for 5 minutes.

2. Add soy suce and tabasco sauce. Stir fry for another minute.

3. Reduce heat and add seitan strips. Stir occasionally for 2 minutes.

4. Heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds.

5. Spoon the filling onto each tortilla and roll up.

Guacamole, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1 tsp olive oil
cumin
salt

1. Put the avocados in a large bowl and mash them roughly with a fork.

2. Add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and cumin. Mix well and serve.

Curried Potatoes and Chickpeas, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I love Indian food, so I chose a curry dish for tonight.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp chopped gingerroot
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp chili powder
2 fresh green chiles
3/4 cup water
1 large potato
chickpeas, 1 can, drained
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Reduce the heat and add ginger, ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic, chili powder and fresh green chiles to the pan and stir-fry for a minute.

3. Add the water ad stir well to mix.

4. Cut the potato into small dice. Add the potato and drained chickpeas to the mixture in the pan. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

5. Add the lemon juice over the curry and stir. Serve immediately with rice.

most of the time, my mind is in chaos. you can tell by the way i express myself. it’s worse when i speak (no backspace, delete or undo). that’s why i like running. running de-fragments my mind.

it’s been over a month since i ran. i want to get back in my shoes and hit the pavement. i tried yesterday, but fright paralyzed my legs. i’m terrified of getting hurt again. it’s like driving after an accident or getting back on your bike after a fall.

i will try again tonight.

Jose and i shopped for housewares this weekend… again. does anyone see a pattern ? should i be scared ? anyway, i’ve been trying to cook every night that we are together because it’s healthier and it’s nice to be able to eat together in the comfort of my apt. my pots, however, were not making the job easy. so we got new pots ! yay !!

they are awesome ! nothing sticks and they’re not teflon, which Jose said was a no-no. and, they were on sale ! i’m so excited about the new pots and the idea of being able to cook whatever i want, that i’ve decided to start blogging my meals.