Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tu-No Open-Face Sandwich~pg. 159

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Ok, I call these tu-no melts! My mom always used to make us tuna melts. And then I would make them for my kids (pre-vegetarian and vegan days). I used English muffins (next time I'll toast them a little first) topped with the Tu-No mixture. I used a can of chickpeas which I drained, rinsed and mashed with a pastry blender instead of the allergy producing tempeh. Then I topped that with a sliced tomato and Daiya shredded cheddar. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. I served my tu-no melts with some sweet potato fries. This recipe was okay but next time I'll use one of my favorite chickpea salad recipes for the topping. See the recipes under 'Chickpeas' label.

Mock Beef & Rice Noodle Toss~pg. 135; Teriyaki Marinade~pg. 300

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Delicious! I've made this before using the Faux Beef (seitan) but this time I had some Gardein Beefless Tips I needed to use. They marinated perfectly in the Teriyaki Marinade. I also ended up using the whole recipe of the marinade because I added extra veggies. Clean out the fridge! I had an organic zucchini and some organic kale begging to be used. I sauteed the zucchini with the onions and added the kale with the edamame at the end.


Served this on top of rice noodles~yum!

My Big Fat Breakfast!

We had gone out for dinner the night before and there were very few options for vegans. Let's just say I had a generic salad with questionable Italian dressing and a big plate of french fries with ketchup and tabasco. Needless to say, the next morning I was craving a big, filling breakfast. I found this tofu scramble recipe "My Big Fat Greek Scramble" in Julie Hasson's cookbook, Vegan Diner. It did the trick!


Nothing smells better and gets the appetite going than the aroma of sauteeing onion, red bell pepper, Kalamata olives and garlic-mmm mmm!


I served my big fat scramble with hash browns, Food for Life 7 Sprouted Grains bread toasted and slathered with Earth Balance margarine and apricot preserves. Wow! I'm getting hungry just looking at this. :)

Pumpkin Puff Cookies~pg. 224

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


These have a really yummy pumpkin spice flavor but I tried baking them on the convection setting of my oven; I was trying to keep my kitchen cool. They were a little gooey but still tasted good enough to eat! I'll have to try these again on the regular setting and see if they turn out any better.

Leek & Potato Soup with Cilantro~pg. 109

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Well it's been awhile since I've posted. My computer crashed and had to get a new one. So now I'm back up and running. I've been cooking and taking pictures so I can do one big post!


Such simple ingredients for an easy, delicious soup.


I topped the soup with some Daiya mozzarella shreds.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic

My favorite recipe I turn to for brussels sprouts is from La Dolce Vegan (Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts) so I thought I would switch it up tonight and make these yummy ones from Vegan With a Vengeance. The crispy bits do taste a little bit like popcorn. They're my favorite part!


I steam the brussels sprouts to crisp-tender before roasting; otherwise they are still too raw for my taste.


I served the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with La Dolce Vegan's "Vegan 'Sausage' Hash" made with Soyrizo, frozen hash browns and topped with Daiya cheddar shreds. No leftovers tonight!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Claire's "Cheeze" Sauce~pg. 175

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Whoo! Hoo! Now this definitely satisfies my cheese cravings. Rich, creamy and delicious. I chose to make a simple mac & cheese dish tonight. I used 1/2 C. Daiya cheddar and a 1/2 C. Daiya mozzarella for the cheese. I can't wait to make some more dishes using this sauce. I'm thinking a pasta dish with grilled asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and Gardein chicken to start. Mmm mmm!


I served my mac & cheese with a side of sauteed Swiss chard. I sprinkled a little Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning on top for some extra flavor. This is the kind of macaroni & cheese I can make for the grandkids when they come to visit.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Gerry's Quick Broccoli & Hot Chili Pepper Pasta~pg. 128

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I knew I needed to make something quick for supper last night since we were babysitting the grandkids. I had some broccoli in the fridge that needed to be used so I decided to try out this recipe.


I chose to use udon noodles for the pasta and added 1/2 C. cubed tofu that I had stir-fried in a little sesame oil. The recipe called for 1/3 C. flax oil and that seemed like an awful lot so I reduced the oil and it turned out perfect. It still needed some spice and seasoning so I added some Bragg's and Sriracha sauce to mine since my hubby likes his mild! 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Sausage-Zucchini Pizza


Quick and easy pizza for supper!

I like meals that are healthy and quick to make when I don't feel like cooking. This is really easy to put together and tastes great!

Freschetta Artisan Thin Pizza Crust (it's vegan)
your choice of pizza sauce and amount
1/2 C. Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage-sauteed and crumbled
1/2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/4 C. red onion, chopped
      -lightly saute' zucchini and onion in small amount of oil until crisp-tender
3-4 red sweet mini peppers, sliced
1/2-3/4 C. Daiya mozzarella shreds

Layer all ingredients in order and cook following pizza pkg. directions.

Bran Muffins~pg. 272

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Love this muffin recipe~hearty, healthy and delicious. I can put these in the freezer for a quick breakfast.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Power Salad!

This is usually what I have for lunch every day if I don't have any good leftovers from the night before! Organic spinach and romaine lettuce; red onion; tomato; organic cucumber; peperoncini; garlic-stuffed green olives; dried cranberries; pepitas (pumpkin seeds); sliced sweet mini pepper. It's all topped off with a little of Annie's Tuscany Italian or Goddess dressing and a few croutons. Delish! Sometimes I'll switch out the cucumber with organic celery and use sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts.

Groovy Garden Vegetable Casserole~pg. 155

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

All the yummy veggies for the casserole.
 I love that this has kale in it. I'm always looking for ways to get more greens in my life!


The top of the casserole looked so naked so I sprinkled some Daiya mozzarella on top and put back in the oven for a few minutes to melt. Then I garnished it with sliced sweet mini peppers.


This is a nice, comforting casserole.
I like my food a little spicier so I topped mine with some Sambal Oelek chili paste. Yum!

Wolffie's Peanut Butter Cookies~pg. 223

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Everyone needs a homemade peanut butter cookie every now and then, right?!


These were just as good as Daniyell's Peanut Butter Cookies on pg. 219!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Shirley's Cajun Red Beans & Rice~pg. 151

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Garden of the Gods-Colorado Springs, Colorado

Seems like forever since I added a post. Being in a place like this makes the time disappear! It was nice to get back home though so I could cook my own  meals again. It gets old trying to scrutinize a menu every time you go out to eat. Back to reality now!


This was a nice, easy recipe to get back into the groove of cooking.


One pot meals~my favorite!