Marianne's Goulash~pg 134

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Ingredients for seasoning mix. (page 305)

I know this wasn't one of our required recipes, but I love to play with herbs and spices!

That's a big pot of goulash!

I have made this before and made a few adjustments. Well, as you can see I didn't have enough elbow macaroni so it's a combo of shell and elbow. I only used 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the spice mix; my husband doesn't like things too spicy! I like to use stewed tomatoes-I snip them up with my kitchen scissors. The mixture  seemed too dry for me so I added 3/4 cup of water. This  reminds me of my grandma. She would always make a big pot of goulash whenever we stayed with her. It's warm, comforting and homey. I think we will be having leftovers tomorrow! Good thing we have a catch-up weekend so I can spread things out.

Wolffie's Delicious Dressing~pg 99

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I have made this dressing before and found it to be a good, all around salad dressing. For the other 1/4 cup of oil I used flax. It's really handy to give it a good shake in a canning jar! I am serving this with a baby spinach, romaine, red onion, tomato and celery salad.

Mixed Berry Puddin'~pg 207

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Dessert for two!

 I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.  I'm always hesitant to make cooked pudding but this was surprisingly easy and it tastes yummy. This will be a fun dessert to make for my grandkids.

Chunky Corn Chowder~pg 120

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

My "mise en place"; that's just fancy French for "gettin' ready to cook!"

I served this with toasted Kalamata & Sundried Tomato Bread (see yesterday's post). I like a few chunks in my soup so I didn't blend all of it. I love my little hand blender; you don't even have to take the soup out of the pot to blend. I like the flavor of this chowder. The 1/2 tsp. of black pepper gives it just the right amount of kick. Easy and delicious! Just how I like to cook.

Kalamata & Sun-Dried Tomato Soda Bread~pg 265

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes; now I love them in bread, too! I toasted a couple pieces and spread them with Earth Balance margarine. Then I tried spreading on a little Caesar Dressing I had left over-delicious! I ate this with my favorite kale salad from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's book, "Vegan's Daily Companion." It is called "Massaged Kale Salad" because you massage an avocado into the kale salad and it acts as the oil in the dressing. Wow! I can't believe we've almost made it through a month of recipes. This challenge has really helped me to eat alot healthier; even with the desserts we've made I've lost a couple of pounds!

Kim's Peach-zza~pg 232

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

It looked so cute I didn't want to cut into it; but I did and it was mighty tasty! I love the pie crust recipe. It is so easy to make in the food processor. I'll have to try it with apple or cherry filling next time!

Caesar Salad Dressing~pg 93; Frying Pan Croutons~pg 298

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Getting Ready to Cook!

Argggh! This reminds me why I don't make salad dressings! Too much work and too messy. I don't know where you find whole blanched almonds so I used blanched slivered almonds. Okay, how many slivered almonds make up 40 almonds? I counted out 40 almonds, weighed them (approx. 2 oz.) so I used 2 oz. of slivered almonds. First, I tried blending in my food processor until smooth and creamy (as per instructions). I still had little chunks of almonds, so then I transferred that mess into a bowl and tried using my hand blender causing a splattered mess! It didn't make it any more smooth and creamy. Anywhoo, the flavor of this dressing is not enough to knock my socks off that I would make it again.

Frying up the croutons! I used cracked wheat sourdough bread.

These are dangerous. I could eat a whole bowl of them just like popcorn.

The finished product!

I served this salad with Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (Chicken Caesar Salad!) and a baked potato. 

Quick Miso Soup for One~pg 103

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Ahhh! After having major dental work on Monday the whole left side of my face still hurts! This soup was very warm, soothing and soft to eat. I ate the whole pot by myself. Instead of a piece of ginger, I used jarred organic minced ginger by The Ginger People, so I couldn't take it out with a slotted spoon since it kind of just dissolved in the water. That was good because it made the soup extra gingery! I used chopped baby spinach for my greens. A very quick, healthy lunch. Now it's time for a nap!

Raspberry Walnut Pancakes~pg 38

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love raspberries-any kind of berries! I was planning on making these for supper tonight along with hash browns and vegan sausage patties; but my grandson is one year old today so we are going to help him celebrate! I gave them a quick taste and I thought they were quite delicious, especially with some maple syrup drizzled on top. I don't cook my pancakes like Sarah describes in her directions. I've never heard of putting a cover over my pancakes, so I just cooked them on my griddle like I usually do. I put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and stuck them in the freezer. After they are frozen I will put them in a container and take out for future breakfasts!

Sara's Tangy Black Bean Salad~pg 76

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

As you can see, there are some pinto and kidney beans peeking out! I had some left over from the Mexican Burrito Pie we made last week. I hate to waste food, so I threw them in the freezer (in a container of course!) and decided to add them to this salad. There is always some variation of this salad wherever you go here in Arizona. I think some cilantro would be mighty tasty in it; I love cilantro in just about anything! Now my salad is just chillin' out in the fridge waiting for supper. I'm going to serve it with Gardein Crispy Tenders and Wolffie's Cornbread (see LDV page 268). The best cornbread Ever!

Melissa's Stuffed Mushrooms~page 58

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Yummy! I topped my mushrooms with a little Daiya cheddar style shreds and cooked them for 5 minutes longer to melt it. I served them with pasta, marinara sauce, some mixed veggies and Faux Parmesan garlic bread.(See Another Awesome Seasoning post). I think I can get my husband to eat these if he mixes them in with his pasta. Mushrooms aren't his favorite. But I enjoyed them!

#16 Cherry Cobbler~pg 230

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Hot and bubbly from the oven!

I love using this particular baking dish as it was my Grandma Violet's. I remember her always in the kitchen rolling out dough, making pies and other yummy stuff! Thank you Grandma for giving me your love of cooking. I miss you.

Day 15 Soba Noodle Miso Soup~pg 103

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Nori and miso are not usually on my shopping list; this was one of the recipes I was dreading to try. But it tastes pretty good. I snipped my noodles into pieces because I hate trying to eat soup with long, stringy noodles hanging! Now what do I do with a whole pkg. of seaweed?! My omnivore husband probably will not like this-it's too far off the meat and potatoes path for him. Also, I did do an experiment on myself-I  made miso soup a long time ago and it seemed to make my skin itch; so I want to see if I have an allergic reaction again (I might be reaching for the Benedryl!) Miso and tempeh seem to bother me-it must be the fermentation process. We shall see!

Here is a closeup after garnishing with gomashio.

Day 14 Cool Cucumber Salad~pg 83;Creamy Soygurt Dressing~pg 94

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Nice and refreshing salad. I usually don't like to leave the skin on my cucumbers but the English ones are nice and thin and don't taste bitter.  I noticed that Sophie at My Vegan Blog decided to drop out of our challenge. I'm sorry to see her go. It has been really great seeing how other people cook,eat and live vegan.

Day 13 Stephanie's Asteroids~page 209

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

These taste good but even after refrigerating and even sticking in the freezer they still are sticky and messy. Since my husband likes anything sweet he will still eat them though. Probably won't make these again. Not much more I can say about that! I'm glad this was an easy cooking day because I've had a killer headache all day.

Day 12 Cumin-Spiced Brown Rice~page 190

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love the flavor of cumin; using the seeds gave it extra cumin flavor! I don't particularly like the taste of fresh parsley so I used 2 tsp. dried parsley which I added with the rest of the ingredients.

I just had to show off my new red plates!  I served the Cumin Rice with Tofu Aloo Gobi (cauliflower & potato curry) from Nava Atlas' cookbook "Vegan Express." I seasoned everything with a good dash of Braggs Liquid Aminos.(I love that stuff!)

Day 11 Karen's Mexican Burrito Pie ~page 157

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Wow! We're are out of the triple digit temperatures here in AZ; still hovering close though. This spicy pie fits right in to the way we like to eat here. I have made this before and we love it.

I used my 9.5" pie plate and 10" flour tortillas and it made a nice little crust up the side of the dish.

I'm sorry but I did not whip up a batch of Faux Sour Cream just so I could use 1 Tbsp. of it. I used Tofutti Sour Supreme sour cream. I also used Pace Picante sauce in place of the homemade salsa. I can whip up a mean salsa but not tonight! I'll share the recipe later with you. This pie was hotter than last time I made it because I used extra-hot pickled jalapenos. I used a blend of pinto, black, and kidney beans for variety. For the vegan cheese I relied on my favorite Daiya shredded; I combined a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella flavor. This pie would have been good with the Cumin Rice I'm making tonight.

Day 10 Espresso Chocolate Cake-pg 247 & Chocolate Glaze-pg 260

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Before the taste test!

I used 1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder dissolved in 1.5 oz of hot water for my "shot" of espresso.

After tasting I could have used more and added some to my glaze, too. This cake is rich and delicious!

I apologize  for the glare and bad photos; not a professional photographer.

But I must say I could be a professional eater and I am really glad this recipe only made a small cake!

Day 9 Noodle Salad with Spicy Nut Dressing ~page 81

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Gathering ingredients for my salad!

I couldn't wait to serve chilled. It was so yummy I had to eat it lukewarm! I love rice noodles. After I rehydrated the package of noodles I cut  them up in pieces with scissors. I didn't use the whole pkg. so I froze the rest for another use.(I don't know if that will work but we will find out!) I used almond butter and toasted almonds. My grocery store had a poor selection of napa cabbage so I just used regular green cabbage and it worked fine. I also topped mine with some Braggs Liquid Aminos seasoning. I have now officially made a mess on my cookbook. Picture forthcoming!

Day 8 Baby Spinach & Apple Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette ~pg 77

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I have made this before and added chopped red onion and sprinkled with gomashio seasoning. I like the extra little zing it gives to the salad. To make the dressing, I used agave nectar for the sweetener and flax oil for the other 2 Tbsp. of oil.



Day 7 Blueberry Dilip ~page 228

My crust was a little chewy-maybe I cooked it too long?

 I probably won't make this again; I've had better fruit cobblers.

Breakfast! ~with a cold glass of soymilk.

Day 6 Simple Leek and Potato Soup ~page 109

Vegan Culinary Blog La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

This is the way I like to cook! Simple and delicious. No frou-frou ingredients or fancy decorations. I have over 40 vegan cookbooks and Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan! and her two other cookbooks are my favorites; down to earth, not trying to be some "gourmet chef" style cooking. I made this for my lunch today, my husband likes a little more substantial meal in the evening.

I like a few chunks so I used my hand blender and blended about half of the soup.

Day 5 Estrellasoap.com Peanut Butter Fudgie Mounds ~page 208

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Cookbook by Sarah Kramer Challenge:

These will disappear way too fast in our house! When you are craving something sweet these are quick and easy to make. I always make mine smaller and I get about 18 mounds.

Day 4 Gerry's Artichoke Heart & Basil Pasta ~page 132

Here is today's offering for the Vegan Culinary Institute's La Dolce Vegan Challenge:

Since I love garlic, I added two extra cloves to my pine nut saute'. I had some leftover vegan eggplant parmesan that I served along with my pasta.

I had to show a side view of my dish-another beautiful handmade piece by Jeanette Zeis.

Day 3 Portobello Pot Pie-pg. 168 and All Purpose Crust-pg. 262

Hot from the oven!

For the vegetable broth I used Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base. It gives it a richer, heartier taste. I am always afraid of making pie crusts. (I don't know why) but making it in the food processor was so easy! I rolled it out between 2 sheets of wax paper and it worked wonderfully.

I just had to show off my handmade pottery plate by Jeanette Zeis; I love her stuff. I served this with a side of frozen organic green beans sprinkled with the No Salt Seasoning I made yesterday.  Dee-licious!

Faux Parmesan

Since we are on the subject of seasonings today I just had to share my favorite go to topping for garlic bread. I probably make it 2-3 times a week. I know-lots of carbs! My husband would eat this every night if I let him. I use Oasis Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread from Sprouts Farmers Market, Earth Balance Margarine, garlic powder and  Faux Parmesan Cheese topping from Sarah Kramer's cookbook "How It All Vegan!". The recipe combines sea salt, nutritional yeast and toasted sesame seeds into a delicious topping for anything you can think of! I grind batches in a coffee grinder I save for that purpose; don't do it too long or it will turn into butter.

To make garlic bread: spread sourdough bread with margarine, sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and a generous sprinkling of Faux Parmesan. Broil until slightly bubbling & lightly browned (be careful it won't take long!)

Day 2 No-Salt Shaker-pg. 303

Before

After

This has a little spicy kick to it! I save store bought no salt blend containers and reuse for homemade blends. I like to label things so I use my trusty Dymo labelmaker on everything.

Day 1 Banana Blueberry Muffins-pg. 274

Getting Ready to Bake!

I made it! After doctors' appointments all morning, grocery shopping, and my car breaking down in 110 degree temps. with groceries in the trunk I still found time to make these muffins and supper. Whoo! Hoo! I am allergic to raw bananas but I can eat cooked bananas so I will be indulging in these.

My husband will probably finish off most of them.

Quick Fixins' for Supper

Baked potatoes topped with Amy's Vegan Chili, Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese, red onion and cilantro with a side of frozen mixed veggies.