Merlin Kitty

My cat Merlin has recently taken over my dog, Cleo's, bed.

Eggplant Parmesan?

I had a couple of eggplants sitting around. What to do? Make Eggplant Parmesan, if you can call it that.

Preheat oven to 375.

You will need a cookie sheet and one small casserole dish ( I used a 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inch).

Should serve 4 people.

Bread crumbs if making homemade:

2 cups. bread crumbs -seasoned with:

1 tsp. thyme, dried

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. basil, dried

1 tsp. oregano, dried

1 Tbsp. vegan parma (Eat in the Raw)

3 tbsp. melted earth balance

Mix the above ingredients together, set aside.

Marinara sauce with fresh basil added.

2 eggplants

Slice into 12, 1/2inch thick rounds. Salt the slices if you wish and set in colander for about 30 minutes to take out the bitterness. Then rinse off.

Tofu filling:

1/2 cup pine nuts plus 1 tbsp.

1 7.5 oz extra firm tofu (I used this because it's what I had on hand)

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/4 c. soy milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp rosemary

t tsp. salt

I got the idea to use the pine nuts in the filling from Veganomican's pine nut cream recipe. In food processor blend 1/2 cup pine nuts, until creamy. Then add olive oil, tofu, soy milk, dried herbs and salt. Next mix mix by hand 1 Tbsp. whole pine nuts.

First take your eggplant slices and you can dip them in water or non-dairy milk, then press the bread crumbs into each slice. You really have to press the breadcrumbs into the eggplant to get it to stick. As you can see in the picture it didn't get all around the edges but that is okay. Put them on cookie sheet and spray them with olive oil, this will help coat the eggplant that is not covered with the breadcrumbs. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until soft. Flip carefully after about 10 minutes.

Layering: In your casserole dish coat with marinara sauce then layer one row of eggplant. Next add a light layer of marinara, then all of the tofu ricotta filling, then more marinara. Top off with the rest of the eggplant and cover with the rest of your marinara sauce. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes.

When done serve with your favorite pasta.

Potato & Kale Soup

It's been rainy and cold so to warm us up I made Potato & Kale soup from Veganomican. The only change I made was that I added a can of Cannelinni beans. The Drop Biscuits are from the Joy of Vegan Baking.

Juicing

So I've started to use my juicer again that I received as a gift from my brother over a year ago. I'm determined to juice at least once a day. There's nothing like the taste of fresh juice! You can throw so many vegetables and fruits in a juicer and "wallah" you have a glass packed full of vitamins and antioxidants! It also tastes so good. My son asked for a glass the other day when he wasn't feeling well and this is what I made him.
One sweet potato, a large carrot, 4 celery stalks and 2 small apples.

Vegetable Pot Pie

I have made alot of pie crusts. But this one didn't fall apart on me, finally! I think it was due to the whole wheat pastry flour.

The crust:
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 C. Earth Balance (preferably stick form), cut into pieces
6 tbsp. cold water

In a food processor add first 3 ingredients and pulse to combine. Next add the earth balance, pulse to form crumbles. Lastly, add the cold water and pulse until a smooth dough forms. (If you don't have a food processor you can do this by sifting flour and salt into mixing bowl. Then add the Earth balance using a fork or pastry blender. When it resembles a crumbly mixture add the cold water. Then knead until smooth). Divide dough into two flattened disks, wrap in plastic and chill in the refridgerator for at least 45 minutes.


Vegetable Filling:
4 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. Earth Balance
2 medium onions, yellow chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup soy milk
1 1/4 cup carrots, chopped to preferred size
1 1/4 cup potatoes, chopped to preferred size
1 1/4 cup butternut squash, chopped to preferred size
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1 c peas
1/4 cups italian parsley
2 tbsp. thyme, fresh
2 tsp. romemary, fresh or more if you'd like
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 375. Take out a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.

In a medium pot, boil salted water. Once water is boiling add potatoes, carrots and butternut squash for 10 minutes. In the last 3 minutes, add zucchini. Drain in colander and set aside.

In large pan, heat oil. Once oil is heated add onion and cook until soft, about 10 min.
Add garlic and stir for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp earth balance, then stir in flour to make like a roux for about 2 minutes or so. Next, slowly pour in white wine, vegetable broth, soymilk and bay leaf. Heat until boiling, then reduce heat and stir until thickened. (sometimes I use more broth if I want it more saucier). Once sauce has thickened add the boiled vegetables, peas, thyme, rosemary and parsley. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Next take out dough, lightly flour your surface and roll until desired size and thickness. Drape the first rolled out dough on bottom of pie dish. Next add the vegetable filling. Finally drape over second rolled out dough and decorate as desired. Score the top of dough a few times so steam can escape. Bake for 35 minutes or until crust is light brown.

The cool thing about vegetable pies is that you can use any vegetable you'd like and it still tastes yummy.

My first time posting on my new blog!

I've been following many of your vegan blogs for a couple of years now and I finally decided to make my own. Bare with me while I try to get this blog completed and the kinks worked out.
My first recipe will be posted soon.