Saturday, December 29, 2012

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tortilla Casserole

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

I have a confession. I am a CHEESE addict. So when I find a vegan recipe that satisfies that craving, gives my brain chemicals the 'happy dance' and doesn't leave me with a hangover, headache and intestinal distress the next morning-WHOO HOO! Believe me, I have caved in  several times and ordered pizza and I am not a happy person to be around for a couple of days! I know there are some vegan purists who poo poo at "fake" cheese but not this CHEESE addicted girl. I cannot even keep CHEESE in the fridge for my hubby; it calls my name... He's better off without it anyway. So all of that to say-this is one heck of a delicious casserole that I will even serve to those who eat CHEESE!

Before the delicious cheesy sauce.
I always tear my corn tortillas into pieces; much easier than layering them.
 

Mmmm-after baking with the delicious cheesy sauce. Could not live without Daiya; I keep packages of it in my freezer. I never want to run out; never! For this recipe I used half cheddar and half mozzarella flavors. I have made many, many enchilada casseroles in my pre-vegan/vegetarian days and this beats them all. I know what we're having for leftovers tomorrow!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tortilla Casserole and Sauteed Asparagus & Broccolini
 
I ate two helpings of this but that is much better than stuffing myself with CHEESE pizza!! I have three more recipes I plan on making out of this awesome cookbook. I've never made black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day and I'm starting the tradition at our house this year-Hoppin' John, Garlicky Greens and Green Chili Cornbread. Thanks Nava, for putting out such excellent cookbooks. I still have her cookbook "Vegetariana" from many moons ago!
 

Sauteed Asparagus and Broccolini

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 
My local Sprouts market had some organic broccolini and bell peppers. This was the perfect recipe to use them along with the asparagus. It also calls for olives or sun-dried tomatoes; I love Kalamata olives so I chose to toss those in along with the lemon juice. I did add some dried garlic while the veggies were sauteeing. I feel you can never have enough garlic!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Roasted Squashes and Peppers

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

Mmm-roasted peppers and squash!
 
Love the smell of roasting veggies. Now that the holiday season is almost over it's time to focus on some good, clean eating. Too many sweets-ugh! Next month the Veg Cookbook Club is cooking out of Kris Carr's new cookbook "Crazy Sexy Kitchen." Of course that is one of the few vegan cookbooks I don't have yet and being the cookbook junkie that I am, I immediately ordered it. She is such a powerful example of what clean, healthy eating can do for you. I'm trying, I'm trying! I can't quite get into the green juicing (yet!) I need to add a juicer and maybe a Vitamix to my wish list. :)

 
I served my roasted veggies with Swiss Chard with White Beans & Barley.
Here's to a new year of eating healthy and getting back in the gym!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 
Quinoa and kale-two of my favorite power foods! I've never tried red quinoa before and also cooking it in the vegetable broth gave it lots of good flavor. This pilaf tastes delicious warm or cold.
 
 
I served the pilaf with a cucumber, red onion and tomato salad tossed in Amy's Tuscany Italian dressing.
 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Chocolate-Orange Cake

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 
I bought this awesome Yule log pan by Nordicware and wanted to make a cool Yule log cake for the Winter Solstice Friday. It looks beautiful but I think you could actually sacrifice this Yule log cake on the fire as a real log! Hee, hee-I need to figure out how to bake in the pan next time. The cake flavors are wonderful but I had to bake it for over an hour to get the middle of the cake done. By then the outside was brick hard. Someone told me to wrap wet terrycloth around the pan to keep the edges from getting so done. I'll have to do a little research and try it again. I do want to make the cake recipe again using a regular Bundt pan. I love orange and chocolate together.


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Agave and Mustard-Glazed Green Beans

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 
The recipe for this dish says you can use fresh brussels sprouts or green beans. I had some organic frozen green beans that I needed to use and they tasted delicious with the agave/mustard glaze and toasted pine nuts. Can't wait to try this with brussels sprouts.

 
I served my green beans with Gardein Chick'n Tenders and Roasted Holiday Vegetables from La Dolce Vegan. The roasted veggies have carrot, potato, onion and sweet baby yams. Yum!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Spinach/Arugula Scrambled Tofu

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:


Love me some scrambled tofu! This recipe calls for baby spinach or arugula; so I used arugula this time. I didn't have any red bell peppers but it tasted just fine without them. I remember the first time I ever heard about or tasted tofu. We were visiting a friend and he made a salad for us with some weird looking white square things in it. I thought it was some kind of cheese but he told us it was tofu-soybean curd. Thus began my 30 year-long love affair with all things veg!



Sunday, December 16, 2012

"Three Sisters" Stew

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

Squash, corn, and beans~the 'three sisters' in Native American mythology. Love it! I had half a butternut squash left over from the Coconut Butternut Squash Soup I made the other day so this stew was perfect. All of the other ingredients are staples in my kitchen; even the cilantro :)

 
I served my stew over brown rice. You'll notice some extra green surrounding the stew. I had baby bok choy in the fridge that needed to be cooked so I sauteed it with some olive oil and garlic. Yum, it added texture, color and crunch to this dish.
 
 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Spiced Southern Tofu Wrap

I was just browsing through my cookbooks looking for a particular seasoning blend recipe and found this recipe I had marked in Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. There are so many great vegan recipes I've made in the past that I want to make again. So many recipes, so little time. It was lunchtime and I was hungry and I knew I had everything to make this...and I love the flavors in it!

 
The recipe calls for 2 cups spinach but I thought I would try my new favorite green-arugula! She also includes a recipe for the "Steak" Seasoning. It's a great blend to have on hand when you want to add a little kick to something. You toss the sauteed tofu with some lemon zest and juice, capers and the greens.

 


 
I wrapped my mixture in some warmed up Food for Life's Sprouted Grain Tortillas. The arugula was a hit. It added to the lemony, peppery, spicy flavor of these wraps. We're watching the grandkids tonight so it will be frozen vegan chick'n nuggets, Amy's vegan mac & cheese and some mandarin oranges-their favorite! Can't think about cooking when I'm chasing after a one-year old and a two-year old. :)
 

Monday, December 10, 2012

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 
Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. I've just been cooking old stand-bys and frozen vegan convenience foods. This is what I have been busy doing: Having fun making lots of good-smelling things ~ seasoning mixes; herb teas; bath salts; aromatherapy sprays; dream pillows; herb sachets and incense. Other than cooking and baking, this is my passion!
 
 
 
So now I finally got around to making a recipe from this month's cookbook. I'm glad butternut squash has a long shelf life because I have had it sitting on my counter for awhile!

 
I didn't pre-cook the squash; I just peeled and cubed it and added about 10 minutes to the cooking time.  I also used full fat coconut milk-oops! I wasn't going to cook the garnish but I'm glad I did. I used a new ingredient that I have never bought before -arugula! I loved it raw on my bean burritos and I thought I would try it cooked with the sauteed red onions for my garnish instead of the kale. It was delicious! It added some texture to the smooth and creamy soup. I quickly added it to my grocery list for my next shopping trip. Can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.