i recently purchased Sarah Kramer’s awesome book La Dolce Vegan. i’ve been reading through it on my “spare” time – haha. i left it on my futon the other night and when Jose and i walked back into the room, we saw our kitty napping on it. it was definitely picture worthy. i just HAD TO share it with Sarah and she actually posted it in her blog.
I asked Jose what he’d like for breakfast. He said “cereal is fine.” I told him I was thinking about making muffins and asked if he’d like that. Well, he might drive a Miata, but he’s no fool. He smiled and said “YES !” I made his favorite: blueberry. This recipe is a variation of the Banana Blueberry Muffins in La Dolce Vegan.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar or substitute
2/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp molasses
1 cup frozen blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine soymilk, yogurt, oil, molasses and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
4. Gently combine dry and wet ingredients. Fold in blueberries.
5. Spoon evenly into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Allow to cool completely (about 10 minutes).
These turned out to be really moist. Jose loved them.
I felt like having something Mexican for lunch, but Jose and I had a late breakfast so we were both stuffed around lunch time. I made this dip and we ate it with blue corn chips. He loved it.
1 15oz can refried black beans
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp mexican seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
cayenne pepper (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until smooth. Serve with chips !
What do you do when you get home and scour your refrigerator only to find one green pepper and a faux sausage ? Well, considering these items are still good, you have some options. This is one of them !
8 oz whole wheat penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 vegan sausage, cut into 1/2 inch diagonal slices
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet/pan over medium heat.
3. Saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add pepper and sausage and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Drain pasta when done and place in a large bowl. Stir in spices.
5. Add sausage and peppers to pasta and mix well. Serve immediately.
This was easy to make and it satisfied our hunger. Can’t beat that !
This recipe was inspired by a salad I recently had at a local restaurant. I love roasted vegetable salads. I like the hot-cold combination for some reason.
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed
Vegetables:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 summer squash, chopped
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, mined
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp parsley
salt (to taste)
Veggie Patties:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 veggie burger patties (defrost if frozen)
bragg liquid aminos
Dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
sesame seeds (to garnish)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine pepper, zucchini, squash, eggplant, garlic and onion in a large bowl.
3. Stir in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley and salt. Mix well making sure to cover all veggies. Don’t discriminate !
4. Transfer to large glass baking dish. Bake covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, to make veggie patties, heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Spray (or brush) each patty with braggs. Place in oil and cook each side until golden brown. Cut each patty into 4 pieces.
7. To make dressing, whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
8. In a large bowl, toss spinach leaves and dressing.
9. To serve, make a bed of spinach on a large plate. Cover with roasted veggies. Place 4 patty pieces on or around the veggies. Top with fresh ground pepper and sesame seeds.
I really liked this salad. It was actually better than the one I had at the restaurant. I suggest using portabello mushrooms in your roasted veggies. I can’t use them because Jose hates mushrooms, but try it if you have nothing against them !
Jose recently became vegetarian. Although he was never a big cow eater, he was a bit addicted to the bird. I know I’ve said this about a million times. Well, it’s true ! What’s worse is that he misses the bird and occasionally asks me to make faux bird in a specific way. My latest mission was to make cornflake crusted “chicken.” Hmm…
8 oz seitan, cut into large pieces
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups cornflakes, crushed into 1 cup crumbs
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (or to taste)
salt (optional, to taste)
1. Put seitan pieces, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat. Cook until all the water has evaporated. Allow for the seitan pieces to cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a glass baking dish.
3. Place vegan sour cream in a small bowl.
4. Mix the cornflake crumbs, oregano, fresh ground pepper and salt, if desired. Place in a separate bowl.
5. Dip each seitan piece in the sour cream and then in the cornflake mix. Place in the baking dish.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until flakes look toasted. Serve with spiced baked fries or broccoli as a “healthier” alternative.
These turned out well. I tried various binding ingredients but found that sour cream works best. As far as spices, use your favorite !
Jose and I had talked about going out for dinner last night, but then decided to stay home and make a curry. It was a swim night for me and the weather was disgusting. By the time I got home I was tired from my work out and from fighting traffic in the pouring rain and flooded streets. I just wanted to have dinner, finish watching Domino and go to bed. I didn’t have much to make a decent dinner, but eventually, something started to come together in my mind. It actually turned out to be one of the best curries I have ever made.
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 cup plain soy milk
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
1 cup frozen peas
1. Boil potatoes in medium size pan for about 10 minutes.
2. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet/pan over medium heat.
3. Saute garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add spices and mix thoroughly.
5. Add soy milk and stir constantly.
6. Add agave nectar, coconut extract, salt and pepper. Stir until dissolved.
7. Add peas and potatoes. Mix carefully. You don’t want to “mash” the potatoes. Serve immediately.
This dish goes very well with Sarah Kramer’s Cumin Spiced Bread recipe in La Dolce Vegan or you can have it with rice. Either way, it’s absolutely delicious.
I made a sausage pizza this week and had some leftover veggie ground sausage, so I decided to make a scramble this morning.
1 large potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 green pepper, chopped
6 oz ground sausage
1 small tomato, chopped
16 oz extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp mexican seasoning
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
bragg liquid aminos (to taste)
1. Boil potatoes in a medium size pan for about 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Saute the garlic and onions until softened.
4. Add green pepper and ground sausage. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add potatoes when done. Mix in the tomato and crumbled tofu.
6. Stir in the spices. Mix well and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.
If at any time you need to de-glaze the pan, add some water (one tsp at a time).
“People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.”
- Mother Teresa, the Big Mama of missionaries
One of my friends is engaged to one of Jose’s friends. She and I have gym-dates twice a week. Last week, we decided to have dinner after our workout. Jose was burning the midnight oil so it was just the three of us. My friend’s fiance ordered mushrooms and I noticed she squirmed when they arrived. Apparently, he loves mushrooms and she despises the texture. I happen to love mushrooms, but Jose, sadly, hates them also. I asked them to come over for dinner so that I could prepare my favorite mushroom dish. So this weekend, they came over and I made Bowtie Pasta with vegetables (for her and Jose) and mushrooms (for me and her fiance). She was nice enough to write down measurements while I tried to make three dishes at the same time.
Pasta:
16 oz whole wheat bowtie pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
Vegetables:
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
8 oz carrots, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
Mushrooms:
3 portabella mushrooms, washed and sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp red wine
1/2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine pepper, carrots and broccoli in large bowl.
3. In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil and oregano.
4. Add mixture to veggies until they are fully coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and place in oven safe dish (preferably glass).
5. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
6. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, start preparing the mushrooms.
7. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, balsamic vinegar and lime juice.
8. Put mushrooms in medium size bowl and cover with the marinade you just prepared.
9. Transfer mushrooms to heated medium size pan. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
10. Add wine, hot sauce, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Drain pasta when done and transfer to large bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. mix well.
12. To serve, combine pasta with vegetables or mushrooms or both !
I was really happy with the way the mushrooms turned out. I will have to invite them over more often !
