Almond Bulgur w/Black Beans, Tomatoes, & Kale

Hmm ~ I've had this cookbook for quite awhile now and this is the first recipe I have made out of it. Could I possibly have too many cookbooks?! Never! I have a list of recipes to try now out of this one. Have I mentioned I love one dish meals?!  The only ingredient I needed to buy was some almond butter. I try to keep peanut butter out of my pantry; too tempting with some jam and bread. 

The sauteing onion and spices smell heavenly ~ smoked paprika, black pepper, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I love all those "c" spices! 

Black beans, kale, green onions, tomatoes, and bulgur soaked in vegetable broth. 

A mixture of almond butter and lemon juice is stirred in after cooking. 

Don't forget the toasted almonds on top. The dish needs their crunchiness. Yum!

Fishless Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema and Kale Salad

I was so excited to see this package of organic kale salad at Fry's. There is even a simple dressing recipe on the back; sweet and sour with rice vinegar and sugar. I added extra lemon to make it more tangy. 

Oooh, Gardein fishless filets! Target store carries a lot of meatless products. I knew I had to make some 'fish' tacos. So easy. 

I adapted a non-vegan recipe I found for a tasty Lime-Cilantro crema to top my fishless tacos. 

LIME-CILANTRO CREMA;

1/4 C thinly sliced green onions

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp Vegenaise

3 Tbsp vegan sour cream

1 tsp grated lime peel

1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, minced

***combine all ingredients and use as topping for fishless tacos. 

I used a plain old white flour tortilla as my wrapper; layered two fishless filets, shredded cabbage, sliced mini peppers and some Lime-Cilantro Crema. I also added a few dashes of chipotle pepper sauce to mine.

~ Fishless Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema and Kale Salad ~ 

Yum!! The hubby really liked these; he said I could make this again. 

Chickpea Veggie Soup

Another great recipe from OATrageous Oatmeals.

This is definitely a pantry-friendly easy to make soup along with some carrots, sweet potato and kale. I like the addition of steel-cut oats to give the soup some texture and thickness. I've never added oats to a soup before. I used to use barley quite a bit but found out it really bothered my stomach. So now I can use steel-cut oats! 

~ Chickpea Veggie Soup ~

This recipe made 8 servings so we enjoyed it the first night and then I froze the rest for a quick supper later. 

Lentil Soup with Greens & Tiny Pasta

Another great recipe from Wild About Greens.

This recipe doesn't use vegetable broth; just water. The oregano, basil and thyme along with some fire-roasted tomatoes and red wine gave it lots of flavor though. I used a bunch of chopped lacinato kale for the greens. This made a big pot so I froze the leftovers for a quick supper later. 

Lentil Soup with Greens & Tiny Pasta

I served the soup with some garlic bread made with sourdough bread, Earth Balance margarine, garlic powder and nutritional yeast sprinkled on top and broiled. 

Noodles and Greens

Looking for recipes to use my new shipment of udon and soba noodles from Eden Foods and I found this one in Vegan Vittles by Jo Stepaniak. I've had this cookbook a long time and I still keep finding great recipes to make out of it. I'm challenging myself to not buy any new cookbooks! I've got so many that I have never even used yet. That's part of my New Year's resolution; I'm focusing on reading all of the books I have stashed in cupboards, bookcases and drawers and not buying any new ones. I've been using my local library again, too. So far, I've done really well. Yay! 

This is such an easy recipe, yet so tasty! The recipe calls for collard greens or you can substitute kale. I had some lacinato kale I used this time because I couldn't find any organic collard greens at the store. Instead of umeboshi vinegar I used plain rice vinegar. I've never tried the umeboshi but the rice vinegar worked just fine. Instead of the smoked tofu I used Cajun Baked Tofu. You shred it in the food processor and top the noodles and veggies with it. It was nice and spicy! 

Broccoli Pesto Pasta & Garlicky Spinach

Vegcookbookclub January 2014

~from Everyday Happy Herbivore: Garlicky Spinach

Lots of garlic in the Garlicky Spinach. I used a half and half mixture of spinach and lacinato kale. You saute' the garlic (6 cloves!) in a small amount of vegetable broth and then add Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes for seasoning. Very tasty!  

 ~from The Happy Herbivore:  Broccoli Pesto Pasta

After steaming the broccoli it is blended with 3 garlic cloves, fresh basil, tofu and other seasonings. It is then tossed with cooked pasta. I added the optional kalamata olives, some capers and quartered cherry tomatoes for extra flavor. Basically, it is an uncooked pasta sauce so the raw garlic is quite potent. We had a "garlicky" dinner tonight. Along with the garlic in the spinach and pasta I also made garlic bread! Whew! Good thing we were both eating it!

Minestrone with Kale

Vegcookbookclub December 2013 ~  

Color Me Vegan:   This soup recipe is in the "Rainbow" section of the cookbook; but I had to take a picture of this brilliant "green" parsley. I usually just use dried parsley in my recipes but for this I bought this lovely bunch of organic parsley. It keeps for a couple of weeks when I store it this way in the fridge. I trim off the ends of the bunch, stand it in a glass of water and cover it lightly with the plastic produce bag. I change the water once or twice and it stays nice and fresh.

Kale, cannellini beans, bay leaves and fresh parsley.

I used lacinato (dinosaur) kale for this. It's a little less bitter and blends more smoothly into the soup.    

I've made another version of minestrone from Betty Goes Vegan. Now I can say I prefer this one. It has less ingredients and even tastes better. The only seasoning in the recipe is garlic, parsley, bay leaves, salt and pepper. I added a teaspoon of my Italian seasoning and it was perfect.

This made a big pot of soup so I froze the leftovers for a quick future meal. 

Cumin-Roasted Cauliflower & Kale

This sounded so tasty in Wild About Greens; cauliflower, red bell pepper, kale and cumin seeds; but it was rather bland. I sprinkled some Slavo Salt on top which helped. Eh, probably won't make this again unless I doctor it up alot. 

I served the roasted veggies with sauteed mushrooms, sliced Yukon Gold potatoes and Gardein Chik'n Scallopini. 

The Incredible Green Monstah Casserole ~ pg. 166

VegCookbookClub August recipes from Betty Goes Vegan by Annie & Dan Shannon:

Yum! I could eat this with a little salad dressing just as it is. I think a better name for this dish is "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" casserole or "Clean Out the Fridge and Freezer" casserole! I know the recipe calls for whole wheat pasta shells; I've tried and tried to like them but I just can't do it. The same with gluten-free pasta - yuch! If I'm going to eat pasta it will be good old-fashioned 'white' macaroni.

I prefer to make my own seasonings and spice blends but she keeps referring to this particular blend. I always see it on the shelf at the grocery store so this time I finally bought it. It's got a nice spicy kick with the red and black pepper and chili powder in it.

I'm glad I followed the directions and used my big lasagna pan because this makes a Huge amount. We will be eating leftovers for a few days! I don't think this would freeze very well. I might have to try a little and see how it defrosts. I had to add just a little Daiya cheddar and mozzarella on top.

The sauce for this is quite tasty. The addition of the liquid smoke really brings out all the flavors. I garnished my pasta with some chopped green onions. 

Cooking In the Cabin

Our cozy little cabin in Sedona. It's been in our family for over 40 years! My hubby and I have been working hard as she's been neglected the last few years. We've spent many hours giving this old girl lots of TLC! 

Cooking in the cabin is an adventure. Lots of vintage cookware and utensils; I had to update a few of them. The stove is half functioning as the gas stovetop works but the oven doesn't. So any meals I cook right now are one-pot meals. 

Here is the extent of counter space I have for cooking. Just enough room for my cutting board and ingredients. My hubby installed the undercounter light this time. It was a black hole before and you took your life in your hands trying to chop veggies in the semi-dark! 

I brought a couple of cookbooks; Sarah Kramer's Vegan A Go-Go and an extra copy of How It All Vegan. I ordered another copy of La Dolce Vegan (my favorite cookbook) to keep at the cabin. And my three ring notebook with copies of some of my favorite recipes. I didn't want to try any new recipes from the Veg Cookbook Club cookbook this month. I'll save that for more familiar and larger surroundings. 

From Vegan A Go-Go I made Creamy Curried Veggies. 

A mixture of cauliflower, carrots, onions, cremini mushrooms,coconut milk and lots of curry powder and spices. The recipe called for peas but I used edamame instead. I served this over soba noodles and garnished it with chopped cilantro. Mmm, mmm! This made plenty for leftovers. There is an awesome natural foods store in Sedona- "New Frontiers". I'm in heaven as soon as I walk in the door! All the organic veggies you could ever want and anything else you can think of. I even got to finally try some Daiya Havarti Wedge cheese. Yum! The only Daiya I can get where I live is the shredded. 

The other recipe I made was Smoky Tomato & Kale Soup from VegNews-Nov/Dec 2012 magazine.

This makes a big old pot o' soup! 

Onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, yellow potatoes, canned tomatoes, quinoa and kale makes a hearty, filling soup. We ate leftovers a couple of times and then I froze the rest and brought it home for a future quick meal.

I served the soup with some sourdough garlic bread toasted in my new toaster oven.

Can't wait for more adventures in "Cooking in the Cabin!"

Black Bean Soup with Kale and Rice~pg. 200

VegCookbookClub May recipes from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson:

Loading up the slow cooker with all the yummy ingredients.

I love using the slow cooker; the delicious aroma of everything cooking all day is wonderful. Great tasting soup that I served with my "Faux Parmesan" Garlic Bread. This recipe made quite alot so I froze the leftovers in portions for future quick meals.

Mashed Garlic Potatoes with Kale~pg. 94

VegCookbookClub April recipes from How It All Vegan! by Sarah Kramer & Tanya Barnard:

I'm still trying to get back my energy from being sick so long. My ND put me on some detox supplements and a restrictive diet to help kick-start my body! This was a quick meal to fix for supper tonight. 

What an easy, yummy recipe! I'm always looking for ways to eat my greens. I served the potatoes with a black bean burger from Crazy Sexy Kitchen. I made the burgers when we were cooking from Kris Carr's cookbook. I froze the extra burgers for future quick meals. 

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.

 

Kale Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing

VegCookbookClub November recipes from Forks Over Knives The Cookbook:

 

I'm finally making my first recipe from this month's cookbook. I've been trying to clean out my fridge, freezer and pantry and use what I have; still working on it. :) I'm always looking for new ways to use kale so I thought I would try this salad recipe. It makes a Big salad-I had to dump it in a larger bowl to get it mixed up.

 

 

I added a little more lemon juice to mine. The acidity helps cut the bitterness of the kale. This will taste better the next day after the flavors marinate and the kale softens up a little. Still not my favorite kale salad; my favorite is Massaged Kale Salad. I probably make that one once a month. But I will make this again and add more lemon juice and maybe some apple cider vinegar. I served the kale salad with some Vegan 'Sausage' Hash.

 

Garlicky Greens

VegCookbookClub recipe from Chloe's Kitchen:

I tried a different kind of kale this week. I usually buy curly kale but I found some good looking organic dinosaur kale (Lacinato). I found that the flavor is milder than curly but it does need more cooking time. It was a little tough to chew but still tasted good and garlicky!

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!

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!

Gingered Green Grains

Love this recipe! It has all my favorite foods~kale, chickpeas, quinoa and brown rice (oh, and cilantro!) The husband also loved it; another plus. I'm really, really trying to get more greens in our diet. This is the first recipe I've tried from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook.

All of these recipes use absolutely no oil. I'm not that hardcore; I used some olive oil spray along with the water to saute' my veggies. I think we all need a little oil in our lives-keeps the joints from creaking-hee hee!

Emira's Speedy Gourmet Kale & Tofu Delight~pg. 148

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love this recipe. I usually have all the ingredients to make it and it is simple and delicious. It has just the right amount of heat (red pepper flakes) and acid (balsamic vinegar) to take the bitterness out of the kale and the pine nuts give it a nice crunch. I had some baby bok choy I needed to use so I added that as well this time. I served it over my favorite grain-quinoa. I did add a  dash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos for a little extra flavor.

Tip-Top Tofu Loaf~pg. 154; Maryland's Kale

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

It seems like it's been forever since I've posted a recipe. I guess life happens. My niece's 'celebration of life' memorial was on Saturday and on Sunday we surprised my mother-in-law with an 80th birthday party. Lots and lots of people hugged and loved on for two days. I wasn't looking forward to making this 'loaf' again because I didn't really like it the last time. The flavor is good but the consistency and texture is like a spread for crackers. Plus, my poor hubby wouldn't eat it:(  I think he's got a mental block about tofu!

I served my "loaf" with roasted butternut squash (olive oil, coriander, cumin, cinnamon) and Maryland's Kale from Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon. The kale recipe has Old Bay seasoning and fresh lemon-easy and delicious. When I ate everything together the tofu "loaf" tasted good. I'll just have to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.