Black Bean Tortilla Chip Soup with Avocado Tomato Salsa~pg. 123,297

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Well, I tried to get all the recipes done before the end of March. But my annual bronchitis finally caught me! I thought I was going to get away without it this year-no such luck. I'm so glad I worked up the strength (ha) to make this soup; it was warming and delicious.

Avocado Tomato Salsa

I could eat a whole bowl of this myself!

I didn't have any vegetable stock for the soup so I used 2 Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos mixed in with the 2 Cups of water. It tasted really good. I'll have to remember that next time I run out. I topped mine with some Daiya shredded cheddar.

Daniyell's Banana Pancakes~pg. 40

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I had to sprinkle some walnuts on top-tastes just like banana bread.

 I like making pancakes because I can freeze the leftovers for future breakfasts.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler~pg. 229

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Another yummy dessert! Easy to make using frozen fruit.

Oh Baby Onion Dip~pg. 61

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Valley Vegan had a good idea to use this on baked potatoes. We're having a family dinner at my Mom & Dad's house tonight and I'm going to take this to put on my baked potato!

Simple Crunchy Granola~pg. 48

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I must admit I still had the jar of muesli (pg. 46) we had made earlier. So I halved this recipe and used my muesli to make this granola. I don't know why I get weirded out by eating 'raw' oats but this toasted granola is much better!

Edamame Hummus~pg. 62

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Love this hummus! I've made it before at Christmas along with the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and traditional chickpea hummus. The red, green and white make a pretty display. I only used 1/4 C. tahini and added 1/4 C. Vegenaise and reduced the oil to 3 Tbsp. instead of 4. I also decreased the salt. All of these recipes seem to have way too much salt for me. This hummus always reminds me of guacamole. Good with tortilla chips.

Open-faced Edamame Hummus Sandwich!

Sassy Sandwich Bread (pg. 271), Edamame Hummus, cucumber, red onion, mushrooms, tomato, and alfalfa sprouts. Messy but delicious!



April 2012 Challenge Recipes!

My backyard is blooming!

Another month has flown by! Have fun cooking!

April 2012 La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:
Sun. 04/01: Tofu Roast-170
Mon. 04/02: Wolffie’s Pumpkin Pie-257
Tues. 04/03: Breakfast Couscous-49
Wed. 04/04: Spicy Corn Chip Popcorn-66
Thurs. 04/05: Carob-Covered Mini-Pretzels-69
Fri. 04/06: (duplicate recipe) substitute: Stephanie’s Sugarless Power Muffins-276
Sat. 04/07: Sarah’s Sandwich Spelt Bread-266
Sun. 04/08: Sleepy Sunday Scramble-44; Cajun Tomato Potatoes-45
Mon. 04/09: Mint Chocolate Fudge-201
Tues. 04/10: Wolffie’s Black Bean and Lentil Salad-72
Wed. 04/11: Jessica’s Cure What Ails Ya Garlic Soup-102
Thurs. 04/12: Daniyell’s Peanut Butter Cookies-219
Fri. 04/13: Beauty and the Beet Borscht-116
Sat. 04/14: Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette-79
Sun. 04/15: Rachel’s Chocolate Chip Cookies-222
Mon. 04/16: Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta w/ Kalamata Olives & Capers-126
Tues. 04/17: Peachy Pecan Muffins-238
Wed. 04/18: Sherri’s Black Bean Chili-164
Thurs. 04/19: Leftover Taco Salad-90; Fresh Basil & Tomato Vinaigrette-95
Fri. 04/20: Fruit Dipping Sauce-65
Sat. 04/21: Phebe’s Mushroom Stroganoff-136
Sun. 04/22: Wolffie’s Pineapple-Coconut Layer Cake-251; Wolffie’s Cream Cheese Frosting-259
Mon. 04/23: Teresa’s Garlic Shoot Stir-Fry-138; Tahini Sauce-176
Tues. 04/24: Aloo Gobi Potatoes & Cauliflower-141
Wed. 04/25: Stephanie’s White Diamond Cookies-223
Thurs. 04/26: Eggplant Bharta-144
Fri. 04/27: Magnificent Mixed Beans & Bulgur-149
Sat. 04/28: Catch-up Weekend (add Brown Rice Flour Banana Bread-279)
Sun. 04/29: Catch-up Weekend
Mon. 04/30: Kathleen’s Mom’s Tortilla Chip Soup-122

Roasted Root Vegetables~pg. 195

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Before roasting!

I got creative and cleaned out my fridge for this one. I used a Yukon gold potato, didn't have a beet, used butternut squash, baby bella mushrooms and a red bell pepper that had seen better days! Delicious-love roasted veggies!

Dinner tonight!

Roasted Root Vegetables, Cumin Rice Flour Dinner Muffins and sauteed spinach.

Cumin Rice Flour Dinner Muffins~pg. 277

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Interesting texture. I've never made muffins with rice flour before. They have a lighter, fluffier consistency, but they fall apart when you try to pick them up to eat them-I used a fork! I love the cumin flavor of these though.

Colleen & Hobart's Melt in Your Mouth Crumbcake~pg. 254

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I know, I know-I said I wasn't going to make any more of these sugar-laden desserts. I just can't help myself. This one is definitely a crumbcake. I ended up dumping it in a bowl and using a spoon to eat it! The bottom layer turned out kind of like a pudding texture; maybe because of the applesauce?

Shook 'n' Cook Tofu~pg. 57

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I was excited because I wanted to try out my new TofuxPress tofu press. It worked really well on water-packed tofu. You can't use it with silken tofu because it will fall apart. I don't like frying food; too messy. I used coconut oil to fry these and ate them while they were still hot. Didn't like the consistency of them, too mushy. They tasted better after they sat and cooled off!

Colcannon and Shook 'n' Cook Tofu

Of course I wanted to make this for St. Patrick's Day but I've been so busy I am a few days behind! The colcannon is made with Yukon Gold potatoes, kale and seitan. Another great recipe for kale. You can find the recipe here: http://veganyumyum.com/2007/10/colcannon/

Jen's Ginger Butternut Lentil Soup~pg. 113

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

This is similar to a few other soups we've made. I've made this one before and like the flavor of the butternut squash and ginger together. I served it with Sassy Sandwich Bread (pg. 271) and Mushroom Pate'-Veggie Spread for my husband! (pg. 60).

Mushroom Pate'~pg. 60

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I wasn't going to make this because my husband says he doesn't like mushrooms. Who's going to eat all of this then? But I went ahead and made it. I only used button mushrooms instead of shitake because I couldn't find any. It was delicious! Great flavor to spread on crackers, bread or whatever. I served it with the Sassy Sandwich Bread (pg. 271) and soup for supper. I told my husband it was a 'veggie' spread to put on the bread. He ate it and loved it! LOL!!

Mushroom Pate' on Sassy Sandwich Bread

Sassy Sandwich Bread~pg. 271

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Love the smell of baking bread! Who doesn't? I used unbleached white whole wheat flour this time. I've never used it before; it tastes a little lighter than regular whole wheat.

I wish it would have risen more. I probably didn't knead it long enough. It still tasted good though!

Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake~pg. 253

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Hmmm! Another coffee cake; at least my husband likes to eat these with his banana for breakfast. The vegan sour cream made this one extra moist. I think I needed to cook it the full 35 minutes though; it was almost not done on the bottom.

Holy Frijoles Beans~pg. 188

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love the smell of the liquid smoke-is that weird? It gives these beans a great flavor; nice, easy side dish.

Florida Slaw, Holy Frijoles Beans and soft tacos made with Boca Ground Crumbles.

Florida Slaw~pg. 85

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Wasn't sure I would like this one (shredded cabbage and fruit?) but it was delicious. I messed up on the dressing the first time; luckily I still had enough vegan sour cream left to try it again! I didn't include the bananas and marshmallows and it still tasted great. It made a large quantity so this would be a good potluck dish.

Apple-Walnut Pudding~pg. 51

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I don't really consider this a pudding.  It's more like a crunchy, chewy blended crisp. Whatever you want to call it, it was yummy.

Especially yummy with some vegan vanilla ice cream on top.

Clean out the Freezer Stew!

Ridiculously Easy Lentil and Vegetable Stew

(click above for the recipe)

 

I had printed this recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen and couldn't believe I had everything I needed to make it. I love Susan Voisin's recipes; though I don't always make mine totally fat free. I added some olive oil to saute' my onions in this one. I didn't have smoked paprika so I added a tsp. of liquid smoke, used my leftover Rainbow quinoa, leftover frozen pumpkin and some frozen Italian blend veggies. I love when I don't have to run to the store for an ingredient.

Tyler & Phoebe's Perfect Pesto Pizza~pg 152; Faux Feta Cheese~pg 292

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:
Skipping around the month of March's recipes for the challenge. I had alot of basil I needed to use so I chose to make the pizza from 3/24.

This pizza is very low-calorie! (if you believe that. . . . )

Faux Feta marinating. (pg. 292)

I only used half the recipe for my pizza.

Tyler & Phoebe's Perfect Pesto Sauce (pg. 177)

Delicious recipe-lots of olive oil! I could have used a little more basil;

it seemed too oily this time. It made the pizza a little oily.

Pizza Crust (pg. 301)

Have used this recipe before and it makes a delicous crust. But I must remember that it makes alot of pizza dough! I should have split it between 2 12" pans or 1 extra large industrial size pan! What was I thinking.

The finished product!

You can see it is about ready to explode off the pan. I baked the pizza for about 17 minutes to get the extra thick crust done. The flavors are delicious. Love the Faux Feta; gives it a tangy bite. Yep, next time 2 pans. I would like to buy one 24" pan though. That would be fun to make an extra large pizza-pie-a!

I "forced" myself to eat 2 slices of this.



Sesame Roasted Asparagus~pg. 185

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Getting ready to roast!

This is one of my favorite veggie recipes in the book next to the Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts. I served the asparagus with Eggplant Parmesan (pg. 145) with potato gnocchi and Faux Parmesan (How It All Vegan-pg. 160) Garlic Bread. The Faux Parmesan recipe is listed in my Seasonings category.

Aloo Mattar Potatoes & Peas~pg. 142

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

This is a little mild for my taste. I added a healthy dose of Sriracha sauce and some Bragg's Liquid Aminos to mine. I love quinoa and found some Rainbow quinoa (red, black, and white) at the store the other day. Love it!!! It has a little more texture and crunchiness to it rather then just the plain white quinoa. I would rather eat it than brown rice.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta~pg. 126

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I've made this pasta several times; I love the fresh basil in it. I do like the other cherry tomato pasta recipe in the book better though.  My March posting of recipes might get a little out of order because I am trying to do better at using up what I have in my refrigerator, pantry and freezer! Also, it depends on when I'm going to a get-together or whatnot. So I am posting them when I make them and not going to try to get them all in order. Never fear, all of March's recipes will be finished by the end of March (hopefully LOL)! Just have fun cooking and don't give up!!!

Apricot-Walnut Coffee Cake~pg. 252

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Quick and easy to make and tastes yummy. But now I've got the rest of the soft tofu to use. I hate when that happens. I usually end up throwing the remainder in a smoothie the next day for breakfast.

My husband likes to eat this for breakfast.

Teresa's Dressing~pg. 92

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I'm glad I made only half the recipe because this is sooo good! It even tastes good spread on some bread and I would be eating way too much of this dressing.

Wolffie's Cocoa Cake~pg. 250; Chocolate Fudgey Frosting~pg. 259

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Well, I've been trying to cut out some sugar in my diet but I just had to make this chocolate cake. Whoo, does it have some sugar in it. My in-laws will be visiting tomorrow so they can help us eat it!

I added 2 tsp. espresso powder and used dutch cocoa to make it extra rich and delicious.

My frosting was more like a glaze, maybe I didn't cook it long enough. But it was still rich and chocolatey.

Harvard Beets~pg. 187

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Yum! These reminded of the pickled beets my grandma always made for me. She knew I loved them so whenever I stayed with her she would make sure to have them for me. I've never eaten them warm, just chilled.

Another filling, delicious vegan dinner! Faux Fish with Tartar Sauce, Harvard Beets, steamed zucchini, and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries.

Faux Fish~pg. 286; Veganica.com Cajun Sweet Potato Fries~pg. 186

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I breaded these in the Shook 'n' Cook Breading-pg. 56 and followed the directions for the Fried "Chicken" on pg. 289 to cook them. Excellent! I made a tartar sauce to go along with my Faux Fish:

Tartar Sauce:
1 C Vegenaise (or other vegan mayonnaise)
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
*combine all ingredients and chill at least an hour.

This is my second attempt to make these fries. The first time they were too oily and salty. This time I only used 1 Tbsp. of oil and they turned out much better. Delicious!

Breakfast Brown Rice Pudding~pg. 52

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

What a wonderful, relaxing day. I enjoyed a nice, quiet day at home cooking and baking. I have this quotation from Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Savor" hanging on my kitchen wall. I like to read it before I eat:

This was a good, hearty breakfast cereal. It was a little soupy at first because I used freshly cooked brown rice. It would probably be better with cold, day old rice but it was still good. The leftovers will be better in the morning!

Eileen's Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry~pg. 148

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Very good over brown rice. I made a few substitutions-no bean sprouts at my grocery store so I used snow peas (a much better sub anyway); instead of straight tahini sauce I only used 2 Tbsp tahini and subbed about a teaspoon of sriracha chili sauce and about a Tbsp of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (again, a much better addition).

Now that's a healthy looking plate of food! I steamed some fresh broccoli and made Middle Eastern Chopped Salad from Nava Atlas' cookbook, Vegan Express.