Monday, September 24, 2012

Veggie Paella

From Vegetarian Times website

1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
3 cups veggie broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tap crumbled saffron threads
1 cup short-grain white rice
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
12 pitted green olives, 12 pitted black olives
1 lemon, wedges
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Saute red pepper and green onions. Stir in broth, garlic and saffron. Bring to boil and simmer 10 min.
Sprinkle in broccoli and peas, tomatoes and olives. Cover and cook 8 min. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Chickpea and Date Tagine (Vegan)

This is a North African dish from Vegetarian Times.

1 large onion, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (I also added some cumin seeds.)
1 tsp ground coriander (I also added some coriander seeds, I like the pop of flavor they give)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 15 oz cans crushed or diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup pitted dates, halved or chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 c cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Saute onion in olive oil. Add garlic and spices, stir.  Add tomatoes and chickpeas with 1/4 cup water. Simmer 10 min to soften chickpeas. Stir in lemon juice and dates and warm. Prepare couscous. Serve over couscous with chopped cilantro on top.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Random Vegan Meal #1

I decided to post some of my "throw together" dinners that are not planned, they just appear with what I happen to have in the fridge. I am not organized enough to plan every night of the week, plus I think I just like the spontaneity of tossing stuff together. However, we do get some random combinations. Like tonight for instance! I wouldn't have planned to put all these flavors together, but it ended up being a satisfying meal.

 1. Sautéed cabbage and kale with onion and facon (fake bacon). Sauté chopped onion, chopped cabbage and chopped kale. Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable broth and simmer for 10 min until soft. Add chopped up fake bacon (I like Morningstar) for delicious flavor.

 2. Hummus with whole wheat flour tortillas. (I do make hummus to have on hand sometimes, but tonight I bought it)

 3. Baked sweet potato mash. Bake sweet potatoes at 400 for one hour. Peel off skin and mash. For vegan dish, add orange zest or 2 TB orange juice concentrate to give it a fresh flavor. For non-vegan dish add 1TB butter and sprinkle of brown sugar.

 4. Quinoa salad.
Mix together:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 15 oz can black beans
1 package frozen corn kernels
1 small purple onion, chopped small
(Optional diced red pepper.)
Dressing:
3/4 c seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 TBs agave nectar

 5. Dessert: Fresh berries!

Cherry Tomato and Yellow Squash Crumble

Credit: Vegetarian Times, August 2012

 I think what made this so delicious was that I made fresh bread crumbs for it. I used Prairie Grain Honey Whole Wheat bread and processed it in my handheld mini-processor (love that thing!) and they are so moist and crispy after baking - yum!

 Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. I used two glass pie pans and made one vegan and one vegetarian.

Add these to processor and process together:
3-4 slices of bread
2 TBs parsley
1 tsp olive oil
Set aside.

Saute until soft:
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups (about 4) yellow squash, diced

Add until warmed:
3 cups cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced

Season with salt and transfer to prepared dishes.
Add:
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese to vegetarian dish.

Layer breadcrumb mixture over both dishes and bake 30-35 min.

Vegan Chimichurri Tacos

Credit: Vegetarian Times, Chef Chloe

 These were Delicious! I think the fresh herbs are the key.

 Taco Filling:
1 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
15 oz can of black beans 

Saute onions and mushrooms and drain off water. Add beans and warm.

 Chimichurri Sauce: (I made this in my little cuisinart food processor that came with my immersion blender.)
 4 cloves garlic, peeled (mince this first in the processor, then add the other stuff)
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup italian parsley leaves
1/8 c olive oil (I decreased this from the original recipe)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 TBs agave nectar
1 tsp salt
1/2 ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

 Process until consistency of a sauce. Pour sauce over filling and serve with warm tortillas. Reserve some sauce for extra on the table. Serve with Spanish rice.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Veggie Bake

This doesn't even count as a recipe, it is just a dinner we eat, usually when I look in the cupboard at 3 o'clock and chuck a bunch of stuff in the oven.

2 sweet potatoes or yams, cut into large rounds
1 bag small red potatoes, cut in half
2 onions, quartered

Place in glass baking dish and spray with cooking spray, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 45min- 1 hour.

In separate glass baking dish spread out a package of butternut squash, cubed (from Costco or Trader Joe's). Place a little water in bottom of pan and cover with tinfoil. Bake 20-30 min at 400.

Mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 T brown sugar

And sprinkle over butternut squash. Toss with a handful of toasted pecans and serve.

I usually sauté some strips of tofu lightly dusted with garlic salt for a little protein.

Maple Nut Oaties

Another favorite for Brent's lunches. Adapted from "School Time Recipes" by Heather Eats Almond Butter

1 cup toasted rolled oats (just toast them at 350 for a few minutes on a cookie sheet- or skip this step if you want!)
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries (can sub any dried fruit you'd like)
1/2 cup choc chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix and refrigerate for 15 min. THen take out and form into balls or bars, whatever your preference. Place on parchment paper or greased cookie sheet and cook at 325 10-12 min until beginning to brown. Cool and store in saran wrap or tinfoil.

Oat Fruit Bars

I make these for Brent's lunches. Adapted From "School Time Recipes" by Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten free.

2 cups oats
2 T falx seed meal (optional)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried figs (can sub dried apricots, cherries or any fruit of your choice)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pecans)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix together.

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup agave nectar ( can sub maple syrup or honey)
2 T water

Mix wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry. Take half mixture and pulse in cuisinart until mixture is chopped and sticky. Mix back with the rest of batter. Press into square glass pan sprayed with cooking spray an d bake at 350 for 15-20 min until golden brown. Let cool completely and then cut into bars and wrap in saran wrap.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Vegan Loaf #2 and Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

I made up this vegan loaf recipe and we ended up liking it better than our other one. (Two things are not technically vegan about it, the eggs and the worcester sauce which apparently has anchovies in it)

1 medium onion, sautéed
10 baby carrots, chopped and sautéed
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 pkg soy ground fake meat
6 Morningstar sausage patties, chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup soy milk
2 TBSP worcester sauce
2 eggs, beaten
salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix together ingredients and shape into a loaf in a glass pan. Bake for 20 min at 350. Take out and spread with mixture of:

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry ground mustard

Bake again 10-15min at 350 until ketchup is bubbling. Serve!

These Zucchini Crisps are our favorite way to eat zucchini. Add if you have a picky veggie kid this is a sure fire way to get them in!
Courtesy of my favorite, Ellie Krieger.

3 medium zucchini, cut into rounds
1 TBSP olive oil ( I might use a little more than this, I estimate)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Fresh ground pepper and salt

Mix together in bowl. Prepare baking sheet with tinfoil and cooking spray. Spread zucchini in a single layer. Pinch up the leftover topping in the bowl or between the rounds and sprinkle it over the rounds. Bake at 450 F 20-25 min until crisp and brown. Serve immediately. Delicious!!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Vegetable Ragout with Polenta slices (Vegan)

I modified this from a food network recipe (mine is much more simple)

1 onion, chopped
1 stick of celery hearts, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 yellow squash, cut into half coins
2 zucchini, cut into half coins
1 eggplant, cubed

1 small can tomato paste
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tube of cooked polenta (store bought)

Saute veggies in tsp of olive oil until soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste and 1-2 cans full of water (enough to thin the consistency a bit) and fresh herbs and simmer for 5-10min. Slice polenta into rounds and lightly sauté to warm through on both sides. Serve rounds covered in ragout.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Creamy Asparagus Soup (Vegan)

I modified this from a weight watchers website.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
6 cups water and 3 vegan bouillon
2 bunch of fresh asparagus
1 package of silken tofu

Boil potatoes and onion in veggie broth until soft. Add asparagus until tender. Turn off heat and blend with immersion blender. Add silken tofu and blend until smooth. Could also use upright blender. Salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Healthy Date Hops (Vegan)

My Grammie used to make Date-Hop cookies each Christmas. Not much to look at, but they are chewy and delicious, it just wouldn't be Christmas without them. This is a "healthy" no bake version that makes a great snack and incorporates the same flavors. I plan to use them to tempt Great Aunt Ally to come for another visit soon. :)

1 c pitted dates
1/2 c raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
tiny shake of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend in cusinart until combined. Form into little bite sized balls, wrap in saran wrap and enjoy!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Cherry-Almond-Nutella Balls

This was adapted from the Smart School Recipe ebook, a recipe by Kat from ( www.keepnthefaith.com). She suggested shaping these into little heart shaped treats. Since I was pretty sure my dear husband would not eat little heart shaped treats, I opted for balls.

1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/8 cup sunflower seeds

Melt nutella over stove until it is just soft and oozy, then add all the other ingredients and stir until combined. Cool slightly before forming the balls and wrapping each n tinfoil. Store in fridge and pop them in your lunch for a hearty treat!

Raisin Bran Muffins

My mother-in-law makes a muffin with Raisin Bran cereal that you can keep the batter in the fridge and make fresh muffins over the course of a week. This is a version of that that I have doctored (Ellie Krieger style) to cut the fat and add some omega-3s to make a hearty breakfast muffin.

Dry:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 cups raisin bran cereal (I used Cascade organic)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup raisins

Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately then combine. Stir in the raisins. Drop into muffin pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 12-15 min.

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

Yum, yum, YUM!! What is the downside of Falafel? It's too dry! You have to slather it in hummus to counteract the dryness (which isn't all bad, I admit). This recipe makes moist, slightly sweet falafels that are so delicious I don't think I've ever make regular falafel again. And they are baked so much better for you then the fried version.

I adapted this from a recipe by Joanne of Eats Well with others (www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com) that I found in a free online book called Smart School Time Recipes by Alisa Fleming (www.godairyfree.com)


1 box falafel mix (the original recipe calls for garbonzo bean flour, which I couldn't find and the box has all the spices in it anyway!)
4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 ground coriander
1 bunch cilantro (optional, I skipped this)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400. Wash and puncture sweet potatoes and bake until soft, about 45 min (you could do this before hand and refrigerate them, or as my sister-in-law showed me, 6 min in the microwave will cook a sweet potato to perfection). Mix falafel mix with water as instructed on box. Add minced garlic, cumin, coriander, cilantro and lemon juice. Mash sweet potatoes into mixture. Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. I like to line with tinfoil and spray the tinfoil with spray, it makes clean up easier. Form patties (a cross between a ball and a pancake) and place on sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake 8 min then take out and flip over. Bake another 8 min.

Serve with pita or flatbread and sauce as follows;

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 c tahini paste
1 c Greek Yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon's worth of lemon juice.

Did I mention, YUM?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Quinoa Veggie Mix (Vegan)

This is my go-to dish when I haven't really planned dinner and need to throw something together.

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water

Bring to boil then simmer, covered, for 15 min until water is absorbed.

1 onion, chopped
1 eggplant, cubed
1 carton extra firm tofu, cubed
approx 1/4 cup Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce

Saute until onions are translucent and eggplant is soft. Add tofu and cook for 1 minute until warmed through. Add Soy Vey teriyaki sauce to coat.

Handful of almonds, chopped
Handful of raisins
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
4 sticks of celery, chopped

Mix it all together and enjoy!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Ginger Apple Squash Soup (Vegan)

I got this from a Weight Watchers website and modified it. I am loving my new toy - an immersion blender! Easier than putting batched in the blender.

3 Golden delicious apples, peeled and diced
2 packages frozen organic butternut squash
2 TBSP grated fresh ginger
4 cups water with 2 vegan bouillon cubes

Boil water and add apples, squash and ginger. Simmer until soft. Blend with immersion blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve! We had this with sourdough bread and a mandarin orange/avacado salad with rice vinegar dressing.