Warm Curry and Sweet Potato Tacos

Happy Saturday!  I hope everyone is staying nice and warm this winter.  It's finally raining out here in California.  It's been a cold winter for us so far, so this rain warms it up...a bit.  I know for some of you reading this it is summer where you live. 

Moving on to some warm and yummy food.

                                                           Coconut Vegetable Curry w/Tofu
This is a mild curry but that's only because I had a mild curry powder on hand.  The nice thing about curries are that they are pretty versatile.  You can find recipes for curries all over the internet.  I just read a few recipes and then made my own.  I can tell you the ingredients but not sure about how much of each ingredient. 
Coconut Vegetable Curry
2 small russet potatoes, white sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, white onion, curry, coconut milk, vegetable broth, cilantro(optional), 2 chopped Roma tomatoes.

Sweet Potato Tacos

Let me just say that I LOVE TACOS!  It's actually rare for me not to like a taco but Dave and I really enjoyed these.  These sweet potato tacos are from Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick Goudreau.  Another great cookbook from Colleen.  I highly recommend her cookbooks along with her website and podcasts.  Her podcasts were such a great find when I changed to a plant based diet.  She really helped me from the start and opened my eyes to the realities of factory farming, facts about protein, how to respond to people who aren't vegan, etc.  I can't say enough about Colleen so check out her podcasts if you haven't already.  

Enjoy your Saturday.

Garden Loaf with Sweet Potato Salad

Garden Loaf

Sweet Potato Salad

I'm back again! It's the end of the school year and we've been busy, busy, busy!

We have a couple of favorite veggie loaves that we really like but it's always nice to try something new. As you have noticed I posted and will continue to post recipes from Karina's Kitchen and especially now that we are trying to eliminate more wheat from our diet. You can get the recipe for this very tasty Garden Loaf with Apricot Glaze at Karina's Kitchen. The only change I made was to this recipe was that I added more spinach and since it needed to stick together more, I added extra ketchup and agave. That was it! This is so delicious!!! I love the use of Quinoa and the apricot glaze is perfect on top. It's kind of sweet but the flavors are just so......lovely. It was a bit soft to plate but once it's cooler it slices really nice and it made some great sandwich's and lettuce wraps the follwing day. You really need to give this a try!

Now for the sweet potato salad... this was so good! My mother-in-law, son and I were ordering lunch at the local health food store and we saw this wonderful potato salad sitting behind the glass that the gal let us try and it ROCKED!!! We had to get some to go and I will be making this on my own because we wrote down the ingredients that were listed...hee hee. Since the salad is already sweet and the dressing has agave in it, I don't think they used very much. The dressing on here is very, very light, just enough to coat it and you can taste just a hint of dijon, but not too strong. Here are the ingredients if you would like to try this one out.

Sweet potatoes, olive oil, dijon, agave, red onions-very thinly sliced, parsley, salt to taste. I'm not sure if there was any vinegar, if so there not alot.

Grilled Seitan Cutlets with Cilantro Lime Sauce and Summer Corn Saute

Blog issues...The photo of the flowers below and the Summer Corn Saute are only showing part of the picture and it's not letting me delete it and re post a new pic.  Frustrating!  Oh well, It's Friday! 

I'm still working from our laptop, I prefer our desk top PC.

Certified Organic Flowers from the Farmers Market

Grilled Seitan Cutlets with Cilantro Lime Sauce

When you are looking for something with texture, flavor and something to satisfy that carnivore in your life, grilled seitan smothered in a sauce seems to do the trick.  For a quick seitan recipe I love to use the Seitan Cutlets from Veganomicon.  Dave loves grilled seitan smothered in some kind of sauce.

Cilantro Lime Sauce

In a food processor I blended 1/3 C. cilantro(don't be shy make sure the  cup is packed high), 1/4 c. sweet onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 jalepeno, juice of 1 large lime, 1/4 C. olive oil and s & p to taste. 

In a small casserole dish I poured about 3/4 of the sauce over the seitan cutlets and let it sit for about an hour.  Use the rest of the sauce over the grilled seitan.

                                                                 Summer Corn Saute

This kind of reminds me of a succotash but there are no beans.

The market down the street was selling locally grown corn 3 for 98cents and the cashier said they were so sweet and good we bought a few more.  I usually use up fresh corn the day I buy it because the older it gets the more starchy and less taste it has. So just make sure to wrap it up well and store in the refrigerator if not using the same day you buy it. Thinking of how to use the rest of the corn besides grilling it again, Succatosh came to mind.  I didn't have any bean to use in it so I just thought of what would go well with it and I ended up with a sweet and flavorful dish.

Summer Corn Saute

3 fresh corn on the cob, corn sliced off into bowl
1 T. olive oil (if more is needed use water a little at a time instead)
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 Italian red pepper, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1-2 T. chives
1/4 c. cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

In a small saucepan heat water and add sweet potato, cook until almost done.  Strain and set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet and add 1 T. olive oil, you will probably want to use more oil but I usually add some water a little at a time instead.  Next add the onion and garlic, saute until just translucent. Then add the Italian pepper, corn and sweet potato, cook until corn is fully cooked. Add the tomato and oregano, stir until soft. Turn off heat and stir in the chives, cilantro salt and pepper.
Enjoy!

Warm sweet potato and corn stew

My mother-in-law subscribed me to Better Homes and Gardens a while back and I found this recipe last month that I've been wanting to veganize. The magazine itself is adding more vegetarian recipes but many are not. This recipe is actually called Sweet Potato and Hominy Stew. Hominy can look a bit scary looking, it is actually corn without the hull or processed corn, not everyone likes it and if you do you have to really be in the mood to eat it. So I decided to use corn to replace the hominy. Below are the changes that I made to the recipe. The stew has a nice sweet and subtle flavor you can also add beans if you'd like.

Ingredient:
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 14-oz. cans vegetable broth
2 cups water
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped ( 5 cups)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 lg bag frozen corn
1 large red sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
10 oz. seitan, sliced(store bought or homemade)*
bbq sauce
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Directions
First prepare the seitan. If you are using pre-made slice up and add bbq sauce. If homemade seitan, I made the seitan cutlets from VCON and then browned in a skillet. Next I sliced 4 of them and added bbq sauce. Let it sit for at least 3 hours.

1. In saucepan or Dutch oven cook garlic and onion and red pepper in hot oil until tender. Stir in broth and water; add sweet potatoes, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, and cumin. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in corn and sliced seitan. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through.
2. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and Cumin Polenta. Makes 8 servings.

Cumin Polenta: In large heavy saucepan combine 2, 14-oz. cans veggie broth and 2 teaspoons ground cumin; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in 1 cup yellow cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon EB. Season with salt and pepper.

Another holiday meal idea Roasted Root Vegetable Enchiladas with Chipotle Cashew Cream

Whew!  It's that time of year again when we are all figuring out what to make for Thanksgiving.

The other night I made the Roasted Root Vegetable Enchiladas with the Chipotle Cashew Cream from VegNews 2008.  Talk about AMAZING!  One more Enchilada recipe on my list of favorites.

Don't these look soooo goood?  These are some left overs that I packed for Dave's lunch along with Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice which is a favorite of ours.
I know there are those of you who turn your noses at cilantro but we love it. lol!
The recipes for all 3 are down below. You can make everything in advance too.

In some of the parenthesis there I wrote what I used or added to original Enchilada recipe. 

Roasted Root Vegtable Enchiladas
VegNews Nov/Dec 2008 issue
Makes 10 Enchiladas

2 1/2 pounds yams, parsnips, and beets, peeled and diced(I used 1 Lg. white sweet potato, 1Lg orange sweet potato(yam) 1 lg. parsnip and 2 garlic cloves chopped)
1 large yellow onion(1 1/2 Lg. onions)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups Chipotle Cashew Cream (see recipe below)
10 corn tortillas
14 ounces mild green or red enchilada sauce(There is a homemade Enchilada sauce below that someone from Daves work gave him that I finally made, it's definitely less costly to make and quite easy)
(I also added a small can of diced green chilis)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss vegetables, onion, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper.

Spread veggies evenly on prepared sheet pan. Roast for 50 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned, flipping mixture after 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes and in a large bowl toss roasted veggies with 1 cup of cashew cream. Turn oven down to 350.

In a shallow plate, pour roughly half the enchilada sauce. Dip a tortilla into sauce to coat each side, spread 1/4 cup of roasted veggies into the tortilla, roll up tightly, and place into a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas, fitting two rows of five enchiladas each.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over rolled enchiladas, and drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup cashew cream. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes to heat and lightly brown the cashew cream.
(You could also add a white or black bean to this as well)

Chipotle Cashew Cream
Makes 1 1/2 Cups

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
1 canned chipotle pepper(I only used about 2 chipotles because it can be extremely hot by adding a whole can.  Use your own judgement on this ingredient)
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

In a blender puree all ingredients until smooth.

Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice  (I cut this recipe in half because the full amount makes ALOT.  This will serve at least 5)
Makes 5 cups
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems, rinsed and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Zest and juice of two limes
3 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups long-grain brown rice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender puree onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, lime zest and juice, and water.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and rice, and lightly toast for 3-5 minutes. Stir in cilantro mixture. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  When the rice boils, place saucepan into oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Remove cover and fluff rice with fork before serving.  (I like to transfer the mixture into a baking dish with a lid before I bake in the oven).

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
This is  how you make it:

4-5 Lg garlic cloves, minced
1 T. cumin
Grind if you want this smooth or just stir together until well mixed.

Heat a thin layer of oil to cover entire skillet(this doesn't have to be very thick). 
Once heated whisk in a 1 oz. pkg of California Chili Powder(or another mild chili powder).
Then whisk in 2 T. flour.  Continue whisking and add in the garlic cumin mix.  Next add vegetable broth to create the consistency you desire.
Wallah!  A quick and easy enchilada sauce that's alot less expensive than a canned version.

How's your Thankgiving meal ideas coming along?
Next post:  Making New Holiday Traditions and GF cornbread and stuffing.

I'm calling this a potato frittata?

The rain has let up for now and my mother in law has left so it's back to posting.

After the holidays I still had quite a few potatoes left that I  didn't want to go to waste, don't freak out I made this meal a few days after Christmas, so I thought I would attempt a potato dish my mom used to make that she learned from my Romanian grandmother, whom I was never able to meet, she died before I was born. Wow, was that like the longest sentence ever?  The original recipe is made using layers of sliced potatoes, eggs, onion, salt and pepper, cooked in a big cast iron skillet than put into the oven to completely cook through.  A squirt of ketchup on the side and you are good to go!  I would spell out the name but I don't know how to and as it is I don't think I was ever able to prounounce it correctly.  Anyhoo!  I guess you could call it a type of fritatta but it's really thick and frittata's are not 2-2 1/2 inches thick.  Although if you have a smaller skillet it would turn out thicker.  Anyways I guess it's more like a potato casserole or something.  I give up!

So my version is using spinach in it and it is not as thick as my moms.  Next time I will add lots and lots more potatos for sure!  It still tasted yummy and you could not tell it was missing the eggs.

 

Here is my version of a potato frittata, vegan style.

Recipe:

olive oil

1 large sweet or white onion sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 large red potatoes, sliced

3/4 C. non dairy milk

19 oz. firm tofu

1/4 C. nutritional yeast

8 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and chopped

1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

pepper to taste

     Prep:

Preheat oven to 325.  In a large cast iron skillet add olive oil and then sautee onions, garlic until soft.  Add in potato slices and 1/4 tsp salt. and cook until starting to brown.  Stir in chopped spinach until heated through, turn off heat.

In food processor blend tofu, nutritional yeast until smooth.  Next add nutritional yeast, milk and s & p to taste. Once blended through stir into potato mixture, smooth on top.  You can brush on some olive oil if you wish before you put into oven to brown on top. 

Bake for about 50 min. -1 hr until top is firm, slightly brown and cooked through.

Squash season has arrived!

It's that time of the year when the wonderful sweet tasting squash's are a plenty. The other night I made a wonderful lentil loaf with acorn squash and served with a sweet potato gravy but forgot to take a picture of it. Oh well, next time.

For lunch the next day I used what I had left of acorn squash and heated it up a bit and threw it on a bed of mixed greens, pecans and cranberries. Drizzled with a balsamic vinegrette. Wallah!

I know this looks kind of a mess, I used a spatula that was too small and so it broke apart as I was getting out of the casserole pan. This is a spinach and white bean enchilada which I have made many times, the fam loves it and it's so easy to make. This was served with a side of butternut squash and yukon gold potato, roasted with olive oil, oregano and salt.

More useage of squash to come!

Breakfast, lunch & dinner, plus getting ready for Bake Sale for Haiti

I've been cooking but nothing too exciting.  I've also been holding off on baking due to all of the baking I'm going to be doing tomorrow.  Why do you ask?  The vegetarian/vegan meetup group of San Luis Obispo is getting together and we are having a bake sale for Haiti this Sat. the 30th, outside of Vons Grocery Store located on Broad St.  I figured we would get more help having it up their in SLO because most of the group is from that area.  I'm looking forward to meeting some of the people in the group to which I've not gotten a chance to as of yet.  Let's hope this is a success and I'll let everyone know how we did afterwards.

 

This morning I whipped up a tofu breakfast for my son do to being out of non-dairy milk, bagels, bread, (this was our last slice of bread), bananas, etc.  I have to get to the store today.  Since I had a short time to make this breakfast I thinly sliced up a sweet onion and potato, sauteed it in a pan with olive oil.  Then threw on some thyme and salt.  Set aside then in the same pan sauteed up some thinly sliced sprouted tofu and chard.  Next I added back the potatoes for a quick reheat and wallah!  A yummy filling breakfast.  Oh and 1 piece of toast! :)

You know that tempeh salad I made the other day and had it in a salad?  This is how I ate it the next day.  One toasted spelt english muffin(these muffins rock)!  Smeared on some avocado, lettuce, tempeh salad and topped with a pretty red roma tomato.   The tomato was pretty tasty so what I didn't put on the sandwich  I just ate.

Since it's been rather cold in the evenings I made some chilli since I haven't made it in a while.  This is a sweet potato chilli with kidney beans, cannelini and a little bit of black beans.  Chilli always hits the spot and makes me all warm inside. It always taste great the next day as well.  So I leave you this and will be back soon!
Oh, quite a while ago I had made some coconut cookies that I never posted or at least never posted the recipe.  What made me think of this is because I was just looking through some recipes and stumbled upon the coconut cookie recipe.  So I'll be posting about them next post!  Until then.  Have a great day!

White Bean Veggie Burgers

Didn't really feel in the mood to cook. But I've been wanting to try these cannellini bean patties from, the show Emeril Green, on Planet Green channel. They were okay. I would add more seasoning next time, if I do make them. I served them with a mix of sweet potato and white potato baked fries with a creole seasoning. These called for eggs but of course I didn't use so I just left that out. They held together rather well without it. like to load my burgers with lettuce, tomato, avacodo, etc. These whole wheat buns are perfect because they are on the smaller size so the burgers are a perfect fit. Here is the recipe.

Emeril's White Bean-Veggie Burgers
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Yield: 4 veggie burgers
Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (I only used a couple of tsp. of oil due to the juice of the veggies)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped celery1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon minced chives

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup dry unseasoned breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence or other Creole Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hamburger buns, for servingSliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce leaves, pickles, avocado, etc., for garnishing, as desiredCondiments for serving, such as ketchup or salsa, mayonnaise, mustard, as desired

Method:In a nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute‚ the onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, mash the beans with the back of a fork. Stir in the cooled vegetables, , chives, parsley, breadcrumbs, and seasonings and mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 patties. Wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

When ready to serve, heat the remaining olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and cook the burgers until golden on both sides and heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve hot, on lightly toasted buns, garnished with desired condiments.

Green Curry with Vegetables

For those busy days and not alot of time to make dinner, sometimes a jar of sauce on hand does the trick. You can still lightly saute fresh vegetables and then pour in the sauce. I'm really not into premade sauces and I have to say I only have this one in the pantry every once in a while. It's Trader Joes Thai Green Curry Sauce. It's actually pretty good and has a nice kick to it. The veggies I used were sweet potato, russet potato, red bell pepper, snow peas & brocolli. A half block of tofu and the brown rice is under there somewhere. Enjoy!

Flax Milk?

This post has a bit of this and that. 

 I'll start off with the other day when I was visiting another blog, Vegan Crunk, she did a review on Good Karma Flax Milk.  I couldn't wait to try it.  That afternoon I went down to our local health food store and low and behold....

Good Karma Flax Milk was sitting right there along with the other non-dairy milks. 

Does this taste like flax?  At first sip it doesn't have much flavor but then you get a very suble taste of flax, very subtle.  It has more flavor than rice milk, just thought I'd mention that.  There is 1200mg of Omega-3 per serving.  Thats huge!

Another great non-dairy milk to add to our rotation.

For lunch yesterday I had a chopped romaine salad, with tomatoes, brocolli, carrots, radish, green onion, sesame seeds and a  homemade ginger dressing.  This is a great dressing and tastes like the one they use at a Japenese restaurant.  I filled 1/2 C. with 1/3 of canola oil and the rest water.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Hazelnuts and Arugula

My mother in law had a recipe that I made for Thanksgiving(I know it's January).  I'm not sure where she got the recipe from but it turned out great!  I love the addition of the hazelnuts.  I can't wait to have company over to make it again and it looks so pretty. 



Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Hazelnuts and Arugula

3 or 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges(I used white and orange sweet potatoes)

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/2tsp salt or to taste

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 C. hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

2 C. arugula

balsamic syrup(thick balsamic) -the recipe called for 2-3 T. apple cider vinegar

Heat oven to 400F.  Peel and cut potato wedges then put onto baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt.

Roast for about 20 min., then turn over and roast for 20 more minutes or so until golden brown.  Open  oven and mix in the chopped garlic and hazelnuts.  Roast for another 5min.

Take out of oven, plate in on a serving plate and top with arugula and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Merry Christmas! Homemade gifts

Hi everyone. 

I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Remember to enjoy your time with family and friends because that's what this time of year is truly about. 

Our tree this year.  We always buy a Grand Fir because it smells amazing!!!
 

 

Tamales for Christmas.  Red Chile Seitan, Sweet Potato Black Bean and a Red Chile Tofu(instead of seitain).  The recipes are taken from Viva Vegan.  These are a bit time consuming to make but who wouldn't want a homemade tamale!

Personally I think there is nothing more sweet than homemade gifts made with love and from the heart.  Vegan baked goods are always great to give out not only because most everyone enjoys a great tasty treat but they can also see and taste how delicious vegan goods taste.  These cookies above are Russian Tea Cakes recipe from Manifest Vegan.  These are gluten free but you couldn't tell.

There were a few changes I made to the recipe.  I used flaxseed instead of xanthum gum and pecans instead of almonds.

Caramels. I make these only one time a year because they are time consuming especially the cutting and wrapping part but everyone loves them!

One of my girlfriends made me this delicious granola and put it in this cool vintage mason jar.  I have a love for jars.  Two of my  favorite things!

This paper wreath is made from old music sheets.  Cute right?  Pretty easy to make just takes a little time or a lot of time like it did me because I was watching one of my all time favorite movies Summertime with Katherine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi.  I've been waiting for that movie to come back on and what a great early Christmas present.  Oh and then Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck was on too! I'm a classic movie junkie. I grew up watching them and I just love how intense the acting is.  Okay I'm losing track but you all have your favorites too right?  You can make these different sizes.  How cute to add a small one to a package.

 

I save wine corks and I'm always looking for things to make using them.  I've made cork coasters that I gave out last year.  This year ornaments! 

Give as a set or adorn on a package.

 

May you all have a safe Christmas Eve and a very Merry Christmas.

 

Peace and light to you all.

 

Grilled Falafal & Veggie Wrap

These pictures aren't very good, I really need a better camera, but you can get the idea of what the falafel wrap looked like cut in half. I broke out a book I bought during the holidays called The New Vegetarian Grill, Revised Edition: 250 Flame-Kissed Recipes by Andrea Chesman . The book has everything from individual grilled veggies to sandwich's and noodle dishes. It's pretty neat since our bbq will be in use for the rest of the summer. It's been about 100 degrees or hotter out and with weather like that we eat later and don't want anything to heavy.

My first recipe was the Grilled Falafels. These were so very easy to make and pretty tasty too! I sprayed them with olive oil before I put them on the grill, they held together great. I then grilled up, sweet potato, sweet onion, red bell pepper and zucchini. Sliced some tomato and avocado. For the tahini dressing I made the one from VCON but halved the recipe, I didn't have fresh dill so I just added a little bit of dried. Then I wrapped some rice tortillas in foil and heated them up on the bbq for a few minutes. Rice tortillas worked perfect for this because they don't get soggy like a flour tortilla. You can obviously use pita to if you wish. Assembling: I smothered a rice tortilla with tahini dressing, then on one side I layered the falafel and veggies then folded over, cut in half and served with a salad. One half of the falafal wrap was the perfect amount of food but the whole wrap would be fine if you are a bit hungrier and it still wouldn't weight you down.

Below are my changes to the recipe taken from:

Falafel

recipe from The New Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman

3 C. cooked chickpeas (or two 15oz. cans), drained

4 slices sandwich bread, sprouted whole grain

8 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp. ground cumin

]1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground red chile pepper (I used flaked chile pepper) or to taste

s& p

2 T. Olive oil

Puree the chickpeas and bread in a food processor. Scrape into to a large bowl. Then puree the scallions, cilantro, parsley and garlic. Add to the chickpea mixture along with the spices. Mix thoroughly adding olive oil. Use your hands to completely mix if needed.

Form the mixture into patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Brush with olive on both sides or use a spray olive oil/canola oil like I did.

Heat the grill or bbq up to a medium heat, about 375. Grill the falafel about 4 minutes on each side, just until grill marks and cooked through.

Note: I think the recipe calls for the bread because it helps bind the ingredients together so they don't fall apart on the bbq.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with compassion and GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

It's that time of year again when our kitchens are smelling of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin!
So comforting and warm these smells are.

Yesterday I made an attempt to make a Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread that I added some chocolate chips to.  The end result was fabulous!

Keaton came home from school and had a piece. He said he didn't know it was gluten free.
I must admit that the texture is really light and moist without the any grainy texture that you can
find a lot with gluten free baked goods due to some of the flours used.

Before I post a recipe I'll need to make this again to fine tune the measurements.

Well Thanksgiving is just next week and some of us are still trying to figure out what we are making.
We are going to my in-laws house so it won't be an all vegan meal.  Maybe one day.
Here is a wonderful video by Colleen Patrick-Gourdreau that talks about celebrating a compassionate Thanksgiving.  She has such a way with words. This is a great video to share with family and friends.


Let's make new traditions...ones that do no harm. With this in mind how about serving up some amazing vegan food to share with our family and friends who aren't vegan. What will you be serving?  I think I may be serving up a mushroom stuffed puff pastry along with Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Arugula or roasted root veggies with a rich sauce.  I might make Pumpkin Cheesecake too.   Some other suggestions are Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas or Roasted Root Enchiladas w/Cashew Cream Sauce(this is my favorite).  The list goes on with Butternut Squash Risotto to
Butternut Squash Lasagna(used non dairy milk instead)which I may save this for Christmas.

Have a wonderful day!

Dogs, treats and quinoa stuffed peppers

This month of May is starting off beautifully!

 This past weekend was a busy one for us.  My in-laws and grandmother-in-law came up last Thursday and stayed until Sunday.  Friday was grandparents day/Greek Festival at Keaton's school.  Then on Saturday we celebrated my in-laws 45th wedding anniversary.  We took them to see Keaton's guitar teacher's band play  and then had some friends drive up to surprise them and stay over to celebrate with us. They were truly surprised so that worked out perfectly!!!  Then on Sunday we all went to breakfast then everyone went home.  The house was so quiet after that.

Since it was so beautiful out and I didn't want to laze around inside the 3 of us headed up to Cold Springs Tavern to listen to some live music and have a drink.  We ended up meeting a Russian couple along with their son and it ends up the husband is the bass player for a popular Russian band called Mumiy Troll. Of course when we got home we had to look that band up on line.  lol! They were really nice people and love it here in America.

Oh and Cleo turned 8 on May 1st as well.  I don't know how the rope toy got around her neck but she didn't seem to mind it.

Yesterday when I went to pick up Cleo's dog food  I found these cool doggy snacks.

Dehydrated sweet potato.  At least it takes them a few minutes to chew these up instead of one or two crunches then they're gone.

Alter Eco Pacific white and red quinoa.  This is before it was cooked.

I mixed the white quinoa with the red and look how pretty this is.  This is after it was cooked.

A few weeks ago I saw Cheryl Crow on a morning show along with a Chef that she made a cookbook with.  The recipe they showed was one for Quinoa Stuffed Pablano Peppers.

When they are cooked and plated it's so pretty.  What I liked about this recipe is that it's a really light meal do to using quinoa instead of rice.  So it is perfect for Spring or Summer.  This is probably the first time I followed a recipe exactly, well pretty much. lol!  It was kind of on the bland side I think because there is no salt used.  I ended up adding just a bit of salt because I felt it needed it and next time I would adjust the seasonings and kick up the heat.  Oh and I didn't use any type of cheese on top.

  I loved the Romesco Sauce but it needed a bit more heat and a bit of salt as well.  I didn't want the leftover sauce to go to waste so I was using it on everything from wraps to veggie "sushi" rolls.  I'll definitely make this sauce again
 

You can find the recipe for this dish by clicking here.

Vegan MoFo day 15/ Warmer weather calls for some grilling!

First let me start off by saying I'm the winner of a Trader Joe's gift card!!!   Woohoo!  They just called me and thanked me for bringing in my bag and told me the giftcard will be waiting for me.  It's funny the last trip to TJ's my husband Dave asked me when I was going to win cuz I've been filling out those slips for many many years now.  YAY!

A heart sliced beet.  That just shows how good beets are for you.  I usually juice beets but once in a while I roast them in the oven.  I also love the taste of beet greens, do you?  If you never have used them give them a try and let me know what you think.  They don't last long in the refrigerator only a couple of days or so.

Recently I've been finding that I'm not alone in craving salads again. I think it's the warmer weather we are having.  Fall salads are actually really yummy using seasonal veggies.  I grilled a large white sweet potato, russet potatoes, red  and yellow bell peppers, asparagus, carrots and beets.  I used the balsamic dressing from the other night to drizzle on top.  Served on the side of the salad are stuffed portobello mushrooms.  These mushrooms are so flippen good and is a great recipe to make for company.  The recipe is from the Candle Cafe but of course I make my adjustments.  To cut down on oil for the sauteeing of the onions and garlic I use water.  I add more garlic, cuz garlic is good, and more onion.  The rest of the ingredients are bread crumbs, sage, thyme, spinach and walnuts.  I don't use a measuring cup I just eye it. 

Goodnight!

Spring rolls...so easy!

Our laptop is back and working wonderfully! 

How's everyone's summer going?  We are really having a nice one.

My son, Keaton, left last week to spend time with his grandparents.  He comes back home on Thursday. 

Oh how we miss him!  In the mean time with him being gone Dave and I have been able to hang out together which is really nice.  We spent one day at Avila Beach.  Saturday I spent the day with a friend at the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice...everyone was so nice and check this out...One of the food vendors there was Strictly Vegan Jamaican Cuisine.  They were very busy which was great to see.  I had the wrap with Jerk Gardein strips.  The wraps are loaded with vegetables and not too much gardein which I really liked. They top it off with a mango type salsa and serve with chunks of plantain. Yum!  It was fun people watching too.  Sat. night Dave and I went out to the brewery in town, listened to good music and ate the best sweet potato fries..ever!  They were crispy and crunchy, due to just enough sea salt.  Oh and of course we had us some beer!  Good times.

Now that we are having warm weather I've been cooking alot lighter. 

I finally made spring rolls.  I don't know why it took me so long because they are so easy to make.

Softened rice paper wraps are filled with marinated and grilled tofu, a mixture of julienned vegetables...red bell pepper, carrots, scallions, daikon, cucumber, cilantro and pea shoots.  These vegetables were first julienned, put in a bowl,  then mixed with a lime marinade.The marinade consists of lime juice, liquid aminos(coconut aminos, soy sauce or tamari), ginger, agave, sesame oil. 

These are served with a side of peanut sauce.  In a blender add organic peanut butter, ginger, garlic, braggs liquid aminos,  cilantro, red onion, lime juice, sesame oil, a dash of sriracha hot sauce and water to thin out.   With the leftover sauce you can use on noodles and such.

Have you made spring rolls before?  If so what do you like to put in them?\

Enjoy your sunny day!

Grilled Vegetable Salad

We love grilling vegetables on the bbq when the warm weather hits. We kind of bbq all year long but since the move it gets a tad bit colder here so we didn't bbq as much this past year during the winter. Freezing while you grill isn't too much fun. You can grill any vegetables you want and then toss them in a salad. Here are the vegetables and dressing I used for our salad.

First, in a medium bowl I added a nice mixed green lettuce, with tomato and green onion, then put back in the refridger to stay cold.

Vegetables: 2 lg portobello mushroom(kept whole),
1 lg zucchini, sliced long ways
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 lg sweet potato, sliced
2 lg red potatoes, slice 1/4 inch thick
1 lg carrot(grilled carrots rock
1/2 bunch of asparagus
In a small bowl mix olive oil, 3 garlic cloves ( or more)minced, balsamic, salt and pepper. Brush portobello with marinade then toss together the rest of the vegetables with the marinade and set aside.
While the veggies are marinadeing and the grill is heating up, prepare dressing.

Balsamic dressing: Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. You can add a bit of sugar or agave to sweeten up more if you wish.

I also thinly sliced some organic rustic french bread and brushed with some olive oil on both sides.

When the grill is at a medium heat, grill vegetables until done then grill the french bread on both sides.

Chop up vegetables, slice up an avocado. To prepare plates add lettuce, vegetables, avocado, then drizzle balsamic dressing and serve with grilled french bread. I broke up my bread and tossed it in my salad, it was like croutons but so much better!

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.

Heart healthy cookies & tempeh stew....

I found this cookie recipe on the Vegetarian Times website.  Of course I made some adjustments to it. lol!

It's nice not to have any added oils in it.  Just wholesome chewy goodness.  My son at first wasn't digging the carob but he was quickly back for more and really liked these alot!  Next time I will make them with chocolate.  These are completely gluten free when using gluten free oats. The recipe below has their version in parenthesis.

The Heart Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Vegetarian Times)

adapted by dreaminitvegan

3 Tbs. applesauce (3 Tbs. canola oil)

2 cups walnuts
2 T. water
1/2 cup agave syrup 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (1 cup light brown sugar)
1T. molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. oat flour plus 1/4 c. brown rice flour (1 ½ cups oat flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
(¼ tsp. ground cinnamon)
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 c. raisins
3/4 c. carob chips-just cuz I didn't have any chocolate chips available
(3 3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1½ cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.))

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

2. Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add applesauce (canola oil), and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.

3. (Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil.) (Pour brown sugar mixture)  In mixing bowl add 2 T. water, agave syrup, sugar, ground walnut butter, vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.

4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and (cinnamon) in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 minutes. Fold in oats, rasains and carob chips (chocolate chips).

5. Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

A nice warm stew with chunks of tempeh.  I have on loan from our library the Vegan Table Cookbook and I used the stew recipe as a basis for this one.  I changed up some of the herbs, added a sweet potato and some red wine to give it a heartier, richer taster.  Served with the drop biscuits from The Joy of Vegan Baking that are so quick and easy to make.