Popeye Pasta ~ pg. 139

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Mmmm! garlic, basil and spinach; what could be better? Another quick and delicious recipe from Dreena. I made sure to use plenty of garlic in this; you can even see bits of it in my pic! The recipe called for 1/3 C red or white wine and I didn't have any so I left it out. It didn't affect the flavor of this dish one bit. I also added chopped fresh basil to garnish. I want to try her Olive Oyl Pasta now!

Gimme Chimis~pg 128; Cinnamon Lime Quinoa w/Apricots & Almonds~pg 156

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Gimme Chimi mixture-lots of great spices in here; never thought of using cinnamon and cloves along with chili powder, oregano and cumin! The recipe calls for tempeh, but I'm allergic to the fermented tofu so I used Morning Star Farms Chik'n Strips cut into pieces. I didn't feel like frying AND baking my chimichanga so I just rolled the mixture up into warmed flour tortillas and called it a burrito. I topped each burrito with cilantro and Daiya cheddar shreds. Love the flavors in this and it's easy to make. 

 Cinnamon Lime Quinoa- I probably would have never made this recipe but Dreena suggested it as a side along with the Gimme Chimis. I used rainbow quinoa; it seems to have a little more texture than just plain white quinoa. A very interesting combination of lime, tamari (Bragg's), cinnamon, nutmeg, dried apricots and almonds! It complemented the spicy burritos with a sweet, salty, citrusy flavor. 

Cinnamon Lime Quinoa with Gimme Chimis (Burritos)

Olive & Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus~pg. 50

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

I love any kind of hummus and this recipe calls for my usual pantry staples. So easy to whip up in the food processor and so yummy. 

I served the Olive & Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus at our 'family karaoke night'! It was a hit as were the 5-Spice Almond Cookies. I used the leftovers as a sandwich spread with tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers. 

5-Spice Almond Cookies~pg. 180

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

I bought 5-Spice powder just to try these babies out! Wow, great choice; these have a nice, sweet and spicy kick to them. The recipe only makes about 10-12 cookies so I doubled it and got about 2 dozen. 

These cookies didn't stay around long at our house!

Lemon-Broiled Green Beans~pg. 160

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Fantastic! I usually roast my veggies instead but they are so much quicker under the broiler. The recipe only called for 1/4 lb. of green beans but I quadrupled everything and did up a whole pound. I'm glad I did. These are yummy; my hubby thought he was eating roasted asparagus! The lemon juice really brightens up the flavor of the green beans. This is the only way I'll cook fresh green beans from now on.

A quick supper~ Lemon-Broiled Green Beans; Yukon Gold potatoes with Daiya cheddar and Gardein Turk'y cutlets.

Brown Rice 'n' Beans "Jumble-aya" ~pg. 123

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

What a great one pot meal. All the ingredients I usually have in my pantry. The recipe called for file powder which I didn't have. But I didn't even miss it. The vegan Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, paprika and cayenne gave this dish a smoky, spicy flavor. My rice took forever to get tender though. I added some Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce for some extra hot smokiness. My hubby and I almost ate the whole pot of this!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

My favorite spot in the world ~ Sedona! I was here instead of home cooking. I had plans to make a few recipes while we were there but we were too busy working on our cabin by Oak Creek. It needed alot of hard work and TLC! So last night I made one of my all-time favorite comfort pasta dishes. I found the recipe here: thatwasvegan.com. It's a combination of a white sauce made with spices and Daiya mozzarella tossed with sauteed spinach and artichoke hearts. 

It's so rich and creamy you almost feel guilty eating it! Her recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes but I only use 1 tsp. and it's plenty spicy for us. I served the pasta with steamed organic zucchini and yellow squash seasoned with my Italian seasoning mix and some Faux Parmesan garlic bread. Yum! 

Roasted Tomato-Fennel Pasta with Pine Nuts & Capers~pg. 142

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Excellent pasta dish! Love the roasted Roma tomatoes, fennel and garlic. I know this is a keeper when my hubby says "you can make this one again"! I served the pasta with Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts from La Dolce Vegan and  Faux Parmesan Garlic Bread. 

Palak Soyabina Panira ~ pg. 137

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

I had alot of spinach I needed to use up and this recipe called for a pound of spinach! Make sure you use a large pot to cook this in. 

I love the spicy-sweet flavors of Indian food and the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice and cloves sauteing were mouth-watering. This is a delicious and easy way to enjoy those Indian flavors. I served  the tofu and spinach with Nava Atlas' Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, naan bread and mango chutney.

Bean & Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado ~ pg. 120

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

I really like how Dreena gives menu suggestions at the beginning of many of her recipes. It makes it easy to put a whole meal together without thinking too much.

Layering the lasagna. 

I usually don't use avocados in a hot dish so we'll see how this goes. It's easier to cut the corn tortillas into strips and place them in the dish. Here in Arizona we call these enchiladas not lasagna! 

Hot from the oven with melted Daiya cheddar on top.

Served the "lasagna" with chopped cilantro and lime and

 mixed greens salad topped with Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette. I really enjoyed the spicy flavors in this dish. Still not too sure about hot, baked avocados though!

Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette ~ pg. 80

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Lots of ingredients for dressing. Got to use my Vitamix blender to try this one out. Worked great! 

Love the flavor ~ sweet and tangy; tastes great on a mixed greens salad.

Lemon Poppy Seed Crackle Cookies ~ pg 198

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

These cookies are divine! I'm partial to lemon flavored anything though. 

I sprinkled coarse turbinado sugar on top before baking to give them a little extra crunch.

Just the right amount of chewy and crunchiness to these cookies. I'm disappointed because the recipe only made 15 cookies. Next time I'll double the recipe!

Tamari Tease Chickpea Spread ~ pg 114

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Wow ~ This is so ridiculously easy and delicious!

 I added a clove of garlic to my mixture and used Bragg's instead of the tamari. 

I spread the Tamari Tease on some Greek pita bread and layered tomatoes, sliced avocado and romaine lettuce for a quick, yummy lunch.

Zucchini Spelt Muffins~pg 40

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:


These muffins have just the right amount of sweetness to them. I added chopped walnuts for a bit of crunch and the recipe made nine big muffins. I like to freeze the muffins and then I can have one for quick breakfasts.

Look at those little flecks of green zucchini!

A basket full of warm Zucchini Spelt Muffins

Simple Swiss Chard~pg. 166

VegCookbookClub July recipes from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton:

Looking forward to cooking out of the same cookbook with everyone this month. There are alot of great recipes I want to try out of here!

I'm constantly looking in every cookbook I have for ways to cook greens. This recipe for Swiss chard is, like the title says, a simple and easy way to cook them. I like the flavor of the toasted sesame oil, tamari (I used Bragg's) and lemon juice. 

It always amazes me how such a big bunch of greens can be reduced to just enough for two people!

I served the Simple Swiss Chard with Vegan 'Sausage' Hash from La Dolce Vegan. I've got to give another shout-out to Jeanette Zeis for my awesome "Vegan" handmade pottery plate. Love her stuff!!