One Post for February!

I thought I better blow the cobwebs off my blog so I could get one post in for this month! The past five months have been a wild ride with sinus surgery, the bipolar rollercoaster, thyroid issues, and falling off the veggie wagon. After having extensive bloodwork I can see the proof of what a plant-based lifestyle does for my health. My cholesterol and triglycerides were ridiculously high. Some of the anxiety and OCD was from my thyroid being way too high. I've been working with my naturopathic doctor to get that straightened out and I climbed back up on the veg wagon to start anew.

I found this soup recipe in Vegan Food Gifts. I wanted to try it out before I made it as gifts. 

~ Hearty Pasta Soup with Chik'n Mix ~

It has tri-color pasta, seasonings (along with 1/2 cup vegetable broth powder), lentils, and soy curls. 

I'm glad I tried this myself first because the directions say to just throw everything into the pot and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the pasta and lentils are tender. Well, the pasta was tender way before the lentils softened so I had to let it simmer until the lentils were no longer hard. By then, I ended up with mushy pasta. The soup did taste really good so if I make this again I think I will cook the lentils first before adding them into the pot! 

Tater Tot Casserole

This is the first new cookbook I've bought this year! I'm so proud of myself but I couldn't hold out any longer. I love the recipes in here. Easy, recognizable ingredients and lots of photos. 

I knew the first recipe I had to try was the Tater Tot Casserole. I grew up on those little processed spuds! I did buy organic Cascadian Farms Spud Puppies for this; so they're a little healthier. There are a few steps to this recipe before you can put it all together and get it in the oven. First, I had to make my Savory Broth Mix which will be used in future dishes. 

The Savory Broth Mix has 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes and thirteen other spices and seasonings in it! You whirl it all up in the blender and it makes about a cup. 

The next step is preparing the soy curls. They simmer in the Savory Broth, drained and then are browned in a little oil. 

A sauce is made with onions, soymilk and a tablespoon of the Savory Broth Mix. Then it all gets mixed together with the soy curls and some peas and topped with the tater tots. This makes a big 9x13 pan so we have plenty of leftovers. 

Mmm! mmm! A yummy, meaty down-home casserole. The hubby loved it. 

Szechwan-Style Chicken with Asian Salad

Love the recipes in this cookbook! They are all so easy to prepare with familiar ingredients. 

This recipe uses my favorite faux meat-Soy Curls. The meaty texture holds up even after cooking and simmering. The szechwan sauce is a mixture of tomato paste, lemon juice, Braggs, sugar, ginger and cayenne. It could have used a little more cayenne for my taste. 

The Soy Curls with snow peas, water chestnuts and green onions. 

Szechwan-Style Chicken and Asian Salad

I served the chiken over brown rice and added a little Sambal Oelek to mine for some hotness.

I had a lovely photo of my Asian Salad but somehow it got deleted. Anyway, the salad has romaine, cabbage, cilantro, green onions, cucumbers, carrots, edamame and chow mein noodles. It is served with a dressing made with sugar, lemon juice, Braggs and oil; kind of a sweet and sour taste.  This recipe made so much we had leftovers for three days! 

Bar-B-Q Chicken Sandwich and Coleslaw

Two more delicious recipes from Give Them Something Better. I love BBQ sandwiches and coleslaw and when I attend a big event it always seems to be the usual fare along with pinto beans so I'm left with nothing to eat.  Now I can enjoy this meat-free version anytime! 

The pre-soaked soy curls along with onion and green bell pepper. 

This recipe makes a very tasty BBQ sauce for the soy curls without all the additives in a store-bought bottle. 

The coleslaw is very easy to make. After shredding the cabbage in the food processor you add carrot, vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onion, sugar and salt. Yum! It tastes just like my grandma used to make. The hubby really, really liked this meal. It's a keeper. 

Chik-Style Salad

I've been wanting to try this recipe using my Butler Soy Curls.  It is absolutely delicious! I crave chicken salad every once in awhile and this satisfies that craving. You can find the recipe here. 

The usual ingredients in a chicken salad-sweet relish, Vegenaise, garlic powder, celery, onion. It also has some Butler Chik-Style Seasoning to give it extra flavor. 

Chik-Style Salad with romaine on whole grain bread. 

The hubby really likes it!

Mexican Chorizo

Vegcookbookclub January:

The last recipe for January's cookbooks from The Happy Herbivore!

This recipe used either TVP or quinoa as the base for the chorizo. I chose to use my Butler Soy Curls. They make a meaty and delicious substitute for a taco filling. My hubby loves them and so do I. The soy curls are unadulterated dried soybeans with no additives and they don't give me intestinal distress! 

Toppings for the soft tacos~Daiya cheddar, cilantro, green onions, cabbage and cherry tomatoes. 

~ Yum! ~

Potato, Greens, and Soy Curls Curry

I could get used to these slow cooker days! Another great recipe from Kathy Hester's Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just For You. I wanted to use up the rest of my soy curls and this was perfect. I made a commitment to myself to use up all the grains, beans, legumes and other assorted ingredients I have hanging out in my pantry before I buy anything else. The only groceries I'm going to try and buy are fresh veggies (hopefully!) 

This recipe has quite a few ingredients but goes together quickly in the morning. Lots of spices-garlic, ginger, garam masala, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander and cardamom. Thirty minutes before serving you stir in a cup of minced kale, more fresh garlic and ginger, some vegan sour cream and salt. Instead of the pureed tomatoes (which I didn't have) I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. It gave it some extra smoky flavor.

I had these packages of Quinoa & Brown Rice I used instead of the basmati rice. 

Yum! I added a generous helping of sriracha sauce on top for some more spice.

Carolina Barbecue Soy Curls

I love this new cookbook from Kathy Hester. The recipes make smaller portion sizes which is perfect for me and the hubby. And I LOVE my baby Crock Pot! It's a 2 quart size; now I have four Crock Pots! This was so easy to throw everything in and let cook all day. I had some Butler Soy Curls that were getting ready to expire so I thought I would try this recipe.  Instead of the cayenne pepper, I used some of my Cajun Spice seasoning. 

BBQ Soy Curl Sandwich
The flavors are sweet and spicy and the soy curls give it just the right texture of a BBQ sandwich. I spooned a little more of the simmering juice on top of mine. Hubby really liked this one; next time I'll double the recipe!

Vegan Sloppy Joes~pg 112

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

I had made these a long time ago and didn't care for the seasonings; too salty. I like my sloppy joes a little sweeter. I had a package of soy curls I hadn't tried using yet so I decided to try this recipe again and tweak a few things. Instead of using a large pickle (I assume it's a dill, she didn't specify) I used 2 Tbsp. of sweet pickle relish. After rehydrating the soy curls, I cut them up into smaller pieces. I tasted the mixture after simmering for awhile and decided it needed some more flavor so I added about 1/4 cup of Annie's BBQ sauce. Just right! I love the texture and taste of the soy curls in this; better than using crumbled TVP. Served my Sloppy Joes with some sweet potato fries. This recipe made alot so I froze the remaining mixture for a future quick meal.