Vegan Curry (Crockpot)

3 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans garbonzo beans, drained
4 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 package frozen chopped spinach
4 TBSPs Patak's mild (or hot!) concentrated curry paste

optional - you can throw in some cubed tofu just before serving, just enough time to let it get warm.

Cook on low 5-8 hours. Serve over rice with chutney (Patak's Major Grey is great!)

Prep Time: 10 min

Vegan Split Pea soup (crockpot)

1 bag split green peas
6 cups water
3 vegan bouillon cubes (I use Edward and Sons "Not Chick'n" or Rapunzel's "Vegan with sea salt and herbs"- sometimes i mix them together)
1/2 package of MorningStar fake bacon cut into little pieces

Put in Crockpot on Low for 5-8 hours, serve with fresh bread.


Prep Time: 3 min

Chicken Pot Pie

Ok, I don't make this one very often, but it is a delicious treat when I do!

4 chicken breasts, frozen
Veggie or chicken broth or bullion

Slow cook the chicken in the crockpot all day.

2 large potatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped

Saute in butter or olive oil until soft.
Add two packages of frozen mixed vegetables. Cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Take chicken out of crockpot and cut up or shred. Mix in with potatoes and mixed veggies. Distribute evenly between 4 Marie Calendar's pie crusts.

In separate saucepan, make the white sauce:
3 TBSPs butter
4 cups milk
1/4 c flour

Melt butter and whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in milk and simmer until slightly thickened. (Will thicken more in oven). Season with salt and pepper.
Pour white sauce over veggie and chicken in pie crusts. (I don't use a top, saves a bit on calories)
Bake at 400 degrees for 20- 25 mins.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe

1 c frozen blueberries
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp orange zest

Mix together and reserve.

3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Mix together and reserve.


Dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together.

Wet ingredients:
1/2 c packed brown sugar
4 TBSP canola oil (can substitute 2 TBSP for butter, but I try not to keep that around. Once I used a TBSP of soy butter substitute)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c plain nonfat yogurt

Beat together with mixer.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Spread half the batter into 8 inch square glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle half the sugar/walnut mixture over the top. Spread all the blueberries with zest.
Spoon the rest of the batter on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Finished until knife comes out clean. Unmold and allow to cool completely.

For glaze:
1/3 c powdered sugar
2-3 TBSP fresh orange juice

Mix together with mixer, keep adding juice until the consistency is drippy. Drizzle over the top of the coffee cake.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry with Homemade Chutney (Vegan)

Chickpea, Spinach and Tofu Curry

1 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add seeds and saute until aromatic (about a minute).
Add:

1 lb fresh spinach

Cook down.
Add:

3 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans garbanzo beans
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsps garam masala
1 tsp salt

Simmer for 15 min on low to soften chickpeas.
Add:

2 packages extra firm tofu, cubed

Simmer until tofu is heated. Serve over rice with homemade chutney.

Crockpot Peach Mango Chutney

1 jar sliced peaches, drained
1/2 package frozen mango chunks
2 TBSP minced onion
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 cider vinegar
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Slow cook for 3-4 hours. (I wasn't completely satisfied with this recipe - not spicy enough and a little too runny. Stayed tuned for experimental updates!)

Salmon Cakes with Ginger Sesame Sauce with Scalloped Potatoes and Dirty Broccoli

From my favorite cookbook Ellie Krieger "The Food You Crave". She has never let me down!

Salmon Cakes

6 slices whole wheat sandwich bread made into bread crumbs (I just buy the breadcrumbs in a container and use about 1/2 - 3/4 cup)
Three 15 oz cans of salmon, drained and picked over for skin and bones (these are cheap at Trader Joe's- brought some with us!)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch of scallions (5 or 6), chopped white and greens parts
1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 tsp olive oil

Flake apart salmon in a bowl, add eggs and mix well. Add chopped scallions, chopped water chestnuts, pepper, cilantro and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands and shape into patties. Heat oil in nonstick skillet and cook patties about 5 min each side on medium-high heat. Serve with Ginger Sesame Sauce, below:

Ginger Sesame Sauce

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt or 6 tbsp plain Greek-style nonfat yogurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil (I usually skip this one because it is very expensive and this is the only recipe I use it for so it goes bad before I use it up. Tastes great without it.)
1 tsp soy sauce

Mix together and put in fridge before making patties. Can use leftovers as a vegetable dip or over baked potatoes instead of sour cream. I aslo served last night....

Dirty Broccoli

2 bunches broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
4 gloves garlic, minced
1/3 c plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and fresh ground pepper

Cook broccoli how you like (I like to boil mine). Drain. Saute minced garlic in oil until slightly browned. Add breadcrumbs and toast them in pan until browned. Add salt and pepper and oregano. Toss with broccoli and serve.

Scalloped Potatoes (Family recipe)

4 large baking potatoes, sliced
2 large sweet onions, sliced
flour
milk
butter, (or soy butter substitute in our case)

Layer of potatoes, onions, 1 tbsp flour, a few dollops of butter, salt and pepper. Repeat for several layers. Our milk in to cover the whole thing. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 or 2 hours. Put a pan under the bowl in the oven to catch the overflow as it tends to bubble.

Tuna Fish Casserole

This is an old family standby. I usually keep the ingredients on hand and make on a night like Monday night where planning gets away from me and I have to scrouge around in the cupboard and throw something together. Not vegan, but always delicious and comforting.

1 package wide egg noodles, cooked. (I did not have these on hand so I used all the leftover pasta we had in the cupboard- some penne, elbow macaroni and thin spaghetti)
2 cans tuna fish
3 cans cream of mushroom soup (again, I didn't have 3 cans so substituted one can of cream of potato)
1- 2 cups milk (I just pour it in until it seems creamy enough and not too dry)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 bag frozen peas (optional)

Mix all together and cover with layer of cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs to make a nice crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min. Can broil at the end to crisp the crust. Serve with Lawry's seasoning salt and a veggie of your choice.

Vegan Tacos/ Burritos and Spanish Rice

Vegan Tacos

1 package SmartGround soy crumble meat substitute (either comes in Mexican flavor with spices included or get Original and add a package of Lawry's or McCromicks Taco seasoning)
2 cans vegetarian refried beans
1 can tomato paste
1/2 c water

Saute together until mixed and warmed through. Serve with flour or corn tortillas, we usually have guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese options.

Spanish Rice

1 large onion, diced
2 cups rice

Saute in tiny bit of oil until onion is translucent and rice is getting clear.
Season with:

Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic salt

Add:
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups water

Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat. Cook for 20 min.

For our vegetable I sauted a onion with sliced zucchini and seasoned with Creole salt.

Vegan Loaf and Corn Salad

Vegan Loaf

1 onion, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
6 baby carrots, chopped

Saute on stovetop until translucent. Season with:

1 tsp poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Mix in bowl with following:

2 cups cooked lentils
3 cups wild rice mixture
2 eggs, beaten (can use egg substitute to be truly vegan)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 TB whole wheat flour
2 TB rolled oats
1 TB minced onion
2 tsp worchester sauce
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Form into two loaves and place in glass pan with sprayed on oil. Cook 20 min at 350, covered. Remove from oven and spread over the top:

1 1/2 cups ketchup mixed with
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard

Cook uncovered additional 20 min.

Serve with mashed potatoes. We also had:

Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

3 cups corn kernels, frozen, thawed, microwaved or boiled then chilled
2 avocados, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
1/2 c thinly diced red onion

Dressing:
1 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 TB lime juice (about one lime's worth)
1/4 c cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste.

No Oil Banana Bread

Adapted from "Online Cookbook", a random website.


3 c flour (can do a mix of whole wheat pastry and white flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar

Mix in large bowl.

4 eggs
4 ripe bananas
1 c applesauce

Mix with electric mixer until combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.

1 c chopped walnuts
1 c raisins
1 sliced up banana (chunks)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Mix in raisins, walnuts and banana. Pour into bundt pan sprayed with oil. Bake 45 - 50 min at 350 degrees. Done when knife inserted comes out clean.

For vegan version:
Omit eggs.
Increase baking soda to 2 tsp
Increase bananas to 5.
Add 2 TB ground flaxseed with water (flax eggs).
Add 1 TB apple cider vinegar to wet ingredients.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Crockpot)

Adapted from "Crock Pt Slow Cooker Best Loved Recipes"

4 organic boneless skinless chicken breasts (Costco) - can put them in frozen
4 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can hot green chilies (I don't add these to the crockpot, I put them on the table since only the boys like them)
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper

Add to Crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours. Can also cook on HIGH 3 hrs.

8 corn tortillas, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 avocado, diced and tossed with lime juice.

Can add the cilantro and tortillas to the crockpot just before serving, but I prefer to put them all on the table in little bowls for people to choose what they want. Also, the tortillas tend to get too soggy for leftovers if they are mixed in with everything.
You can also use a dollop of sour cream on each bowl.

I served this tonight with a simple salad with grape tomatoes and a few tbsps of frozen corn kernels. I made a dressing by mixing the juice of one lime with 1 tsp of white sugar and tossed. Refreshing! My camera ran out of batteries so no pics of this delicious meal.

Vegan Goulash

1 large onion
1/2 bag carrots, shredded
2 jars of Heinz Chili sauce
1 package soy crumble meat substitute

Saute onion and carrots until soft. Add crumble and sauce and let simmer 10-15 min. Serve over toasted English Muffins with choice of side veggie. Tonight we had broccoli and a salad with mandarin oranges, avocados and rice vinegar dressing.

CaribBEAN Sweet Potato Stew (Crockpot)

Modified From "Best-loved Slow cooker recipes"

3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsps Caribbean jerk seasoning ( I didn't have this so I used some allspice and a little more cinnamon, a sprinkle of cayenne)
1/2 c toasted almond slivers

Combine in crockpot cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Serve over rice topped with toasted almonds (unless you burn them like I did! :()

Potato Broccoli Pea Quiche

3 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, cut in small pieces
2 cups broccoli florets, cut in small pieces
1 cup frozen peas
6 eggs
1 c part skim ricotta cheese
2 c milk (fat free or 1%)
salt and pepper

Saute the potatoes, onion and broccoli in butter or oil until soft. (approx 10-12 min). Can also add a bit of water and cover with a lid for several minutes to steam them. Add the frozen peas and saute until frozen. Salt and pepper to taste. Grease two glass pie pans or quiche pans with spray oil or butter. Spread the mixture evenly between the two pans. Mix the eggs, milk and ricotta together and pour evenly over both pans. Bake at 375 about 40 min, until knife inserted in middle comes out clean and it is not visibly liquid. Serve with salad, applesauce or garlic bread. We ate ours tonight with leftover salad with apples, walnuts and raisins in a balsamic dressing.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes (Vegan with Vegetarian Option)

I've decided to post our nightly dinners as a way to share recipes with friends. We eat alot of vegan/vegetarian optional meals. And I will quote sources where needed. Please post any of your recipes in the comment section! Easy to hard, variety is key!

Note: I'm an approximate cook. I add "enough" and "so it looks about right" but I've tried to be aware of actual estimates on quantity.


1 1/2 cups pitted Kalmata olives (Costco), cut in half
1 c julienned sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained (Costco)
1 package Ronzoni or other brand of orzo pasta
4-5 leaves of fresh basil
3-4 red peppers
2-3 tomatoes (my mom doesn't eat red peppers so I substituted tomatoes for her)
Feta (vegetarian option)
Veggie bullion

Boil orzo according to package directions for al dente. Add 2 veggie bullion to the water for more flavor. Cut the tops off the red peppers and seed them. Make a cut on the bottom so they are flat and stand up straight (ok it they are open on the bottom). Drain the pasta and mix together in a bowl with olives, sundried tomatoes and basil. Core the tomatoes and add the pulp to the mixture (don't want to waste it!). Stuff the peppers and tomatoes and place in ungreased glass baking dish. Pour about a cm of vegetable broth into the bottom of the pan and cover with tin foil. Bake on 400 for about 45 min. I used separate glass pans for the red peppers and tomatoes and put the tomatoes in about 20 min behind the peppers since they take less time. Serve with garlic bread. Sprinkle with feta for vegetarian option.