French Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Chard

Second recipe from One-Dish Vegan! The only thing I don't like about this cookbook is that there are no pictures. I like to get a finished look before I dive in and make something. So far, two out of two recipes have been winners. I love making dishes that incorporate some kind of greens in them; this one has Swiss chard. 

Simmering the lentils and sweet potatoes in some vegetable broth and white wine. It smells wonderful with the garlic, onion, thyme, and wine. 

I usually never keep wine at home because I'm allergic to the sulfites. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of white wine so I bought some Frey wine which has no added sulfites. I tried drinking a glass while I was cooking and even one glass causes me to flush and get hot! Ugh! At least I wasn't sneezing and itching. Anyway, the wine gave this dish a rich, sweet flavor that it needed. 

~ French Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Chard ~

My Vitajuwel pitcher soaking up some sun! I have the Wellness vial which has amethyst, rose quartz, and rock quartz in it. Love drinking my water after it has been vitalized with the crystals. 

Baked Leek and Sweet Potato Gratin

I must be craving sweet potatoes because it seems like I've made a lot of recipes lately using them. I found this one here at vegetariantimes.com. I did a few minor adjustments to the recipe after reading some of the comments.* 

 I love the sweetness of cooked leeks. *I used six leeks instead of three. 

 Lots of fresh rosemary and garlic-yum! *I added 3 cups chopped spinach to the sauteed leeks and let the spinach wilt. 

 Thinly sliced sweet potatoes.

 Instead of Italian seasoned bread crumbs and Romano cheese *I used Panko bread crumbs (6 instead of 3 Tbsp), 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning, fresh chopped rosemary and 2 Tbsp. vegan parmesan. It smelled and tasted heavenly. 

 The recipe calls for using a 10" round pan; *I used a 2 qt. dish and it worked just fine. 

~ Baked Leek and Sweet Potato Gratin ~ 

I served the gratin with a green salad and some Gardein Crispy Tenders. The hubby really liked this. 

I made a long time favorite this week ~ Spinach Artichoke Pasta and served it with another favorite ~ Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic from Vegan With a Vengeance.

I made a quick and easy meal last night of Lentil & Black Bean Soup which I had previously frozen and Wolffie's "Buttermilk" Cornbread from La Dolce Vegan. 

Rosemary Potatoes & Collard Greens with Vegan Sausage

I'm so glad I had a couple of Tofurky Italian sausages in the freezer so I could make this dish. I found the recipe in Wild About Greens and it has my favorite greens in it-collard! 

I pre-cooked my potatoes a little too much and they started falling apart. 

Fresh rosemary, paprika and red pepper flakes give this a just right spicy seasoning. 

 ~ Rosemary Potatoes & Collard Greens with Vegan Sausage ~

My big cup of rosemary! I just transplanted it into this giant teacup; it had outgrown the little container it was in. 

We went to a neighborhood potluck this weekend and my friend made a vegan dish just for me! A curried butternut squash and brown rice casserole. So sweet! I knew there wouldn't be much else in the way of veggie food so I made a huge green salad with lots of veggies. I also brought containers of walnuts and dried cranberries to toss in the salad. I wanted something sweet to bring so I made a double batch of "Raspberry Apple Crisp" from La Dolce Vegan. Instead of just raspberries I used frozen mixed berries. Everybody loved the crisp (crumble). All of the other desserts were heavy, rich and sugary so it was nice to have a lighter dessert to offer.

Organic apples washed and ready for the crisp! 

5-Spice Fried Rice with Sweet Potatoes

 I love the flavors in Chinese 5-spice powder and this recipe from Thug Kitchen looked so good I had to try it. First I made a batch of their recipe for "Basic Big Pot of Brown Rice." You saute the dry rice in a little oil until it smells nutty. I've never done that before with brown rice. It does smell nutty! This makes four cups of rice which is what you need for the Fried Rice recipe. 

The fried rice has sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green onions, and some arugula. 

We needed a little 'meaty' addition so I added some cooked Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips.

~5-Spice Fried Rice with Sweet Potatoes~

I loved the flavor of this fried rice but I guess I really tested myself and my brown rice allergy. A little while after eating a big bowl I started the usual allergic itching! Ugh!!! Disgusting! What's the deal? I can tolerate gluten but not yeast. I can tolerate bulgur wheat but not barley or brown rice. *Sigh*

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. 

Aloo-Yoop Curry Potato Wrap

 Found this great curry flavored recipe in Vegan A Go Go. 

 Lots of yummy flavors-potatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk, peas. 

~ Aloo-Yoop Curry Potato (Wrap) ~

This was too soupy to eat in a tortilla so we ate it in a bowl and used the rolled-up tortilla to use as a scoop. I garnished the bowl with some chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce. This works much better as a wrap filling the next day after it has a chance to thicken up. 

Hoisin-Glazed Collard Greens & Sweet Potatoes

A new favorite collard greens recipe! 

Wild About Greens has lots of inventive ways to use greens. 

The hoisin-glazed sweet potatoes offset the bitterness of the collard greens. I spiced it up a little with some dried red pepper flakes. 

I served the collard greens and sweet potatoes with a Gardein Turk'y Cutlet and some sliced mini peppers. 

Trying to Get Back to Normal (Whatever That Is)

I did manage to try some new recipes this last week. This month has just flown by it seems. Now I'm fighting another stupid sinus infection which leaves me not wanting to do anything. Onward and upward! I made this tasty soup from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. It makes a big pot of soup using frozen veggies and canned beans. I thought it needed some green so I added a big handful of chopped spinach and some fresh basil. I took this over to my mom and dad's for their supper while my mom is recovering. I served it with some garlic bread. 

Fast Minestrone

My brother and sister-in-law had a Memorial weekend BBQ swim party on Saturday. I brought my veggie dog, cookies and coleslaw. I made my favorite coleslaw from Give Them Something Better. Even my 9 year old nephew loved the coleslaw! I also made these yummy cookies from Meet the Shannons; here is the recipe. I usually like a chewy cookie but these were more of a dry, baked texture like I think of store-bought cookies. Loaded with dried cherries, chocolate chips and walnuts, they're yummy with a cup of hot tea.

Cherry, Walnut & Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made another soup/stew this week. This is from The China Study Cookbook. This one is packed with protein with chickpeas, lentils, bulgur and sweet potato. The cayenne and coriander give it a nice spicy kick.

Zesty Bulgur Stew

I bought too many fresh berries last week and they were going bad so I thought "hey, make a crisp!" I always look in La Dolce Vegan first because I've made just about every recipe out of there. I used the Raspberry Apple Crisp recipe and instead of just raspberries I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I doubled the recipe and made a big 9x13 pan. We were babysitting the grandsons and they ate a big bowl of it. Yummy! Delicious for breakfast, too.

Berry Apple Crisp

Sweet Potato Tacos~pg. 62

VegCookbookClub February recipes from Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau:

Before I get into this month's cookbook I had to share some goodies I just got in the mail-

Just had to try the new The Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk, vegan bacon bits, Bee Free Honee and soy curls. So far I've only used the honee. I tried it on some cornbread; it has a thicker consistency like honey with just a slight hint of apples and more flavor than using plain agave. The only ingredients in it are apple juice concentrate, water, beet sugar and lemon juice; even my hubby likes it. I'm going to try making some french toast with the vegan egg yolk and for the soy curls (which I've never used) a stuffed peppers recipe I found at http://thatwasvegan.com . I'll let you know how everything turns out!

 Lots of great recipes in here!

ORANGE

Since I had a couple of sweet potatoes I opted to make the Tacos recipe first. I wasn't too sure how these would turn out with the flavor and texture but they were delicious! Another thumbs up from the hubby. I served the taco mixture on a warmed corn tortilla with chopped cilantro and Sesame Roasted Asparagus from La Dolce Vegan. 

Here is another recipe I have made previously from Color Me Vegan: Spanish Squash Saute'~pg. 124

Black Bean & Roasted Sweet Potato Burger~pg 133; Green Chili Guacamole~pg 231

VegCookbookClub January 2013 recipes from Kris Carr-Crazy Sexy Kitchen:

Green Chili Guacamole

Love guacamole anytime! Two of my favorite ingredients are in this-cilantro and limes. I added a little salt to mine.

Toppings for the burgers~

romaine, red onion, tomatoes and yellow bell pepper

Browning the burgers.

I doubled the recipe because I wanted to freeze some for later. There must be a misprint because direction #4  said to form six 6-ounce patties so I thought since I doubled the recipe it would make 12 patties. Well, I used my scales to weigh the mixture and I still only got 6 patties plus one small one. Hmm, I still froze four patties so I guess we're good. Love the flavor of these; they are kind of messy though. I would like to know how to get the outside of the burgers really crispy.

Black Bean & Roasted Sweet Potato Burger with Green Chili Guacamole

Wow! My burger looks as good as the one in the cookbook. For lunch today I spread some of the leftover guacamole on a sprouted grain tortilla-Yum!

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!

 

Vegetable White Bean Hash

VegCookbookClub November recipes from Forks Over Knives The Cookbook:

Leeks, red bell pepper, garlic, turnip, sweet potato....sounds like this would be a yummy fall weather meal. Ugh-then I added the zest and juice of one orange; neither myself nor my hubby liked that addition! It seems like quite a few of these recipes rely on some type of citrus to add flavor. Doesn't always work though. And I sauteed my leek and pepper in olive oil-I feel so naughty when I use oil and/or salt now. I'm about done with this cookbook for now. I'm eating healthy enough as it is; I need some oil, salt and spice. :)

Sweet Potato and Chard Dal

More recipes from this month's cookbook for the VegCookBook Club. The Vegan Slow Cooker~

 

I love Swiss Chard; this is an easy way to get those greens! I had two slow cookers going today. Dessert in the 1 1/2 qt. size and dinner in the larger one.

 

I served my Sweet Potato and Chard Dal over brown rice. I had some brussels sprouts I needed to cook so I made my favorite b.r. recipe from La Dolce Vegan ~ "Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts" . The dal  had a great creamy texture but I like mine a little spicier so I added some sriracha sauce on top.

Roasted Holiday Vegetables~pg. 194

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Don't wait for a holiday to try these roasted veggies~they're too good to wait! The molasses and cinnamon makes these smell great while cooking.

Served my roasted veggies with my favorite  Kale Salad (I added some yellow sweet mini peppers in the salad this time) and Morning Star Farms Hickory BBQ Riblets. I like to keep some convenience foods in the freezer to help me round out a meal or just when I don't feel like cooking!

Faux Fish~pg. 286; Veganica.com Cajun Sweet Potato Fries~pg. 186

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I breaded these in the Shook 'n' Cook Breading-pg. 56 and followed the directions for the Fried "Chicken" on pg. 289 to cook them. Excellent! I made a tartar sauce to go along with my Faux Fish:

Tartar Sauce:
1 C Vegenaise (or other vegan mayonnaise)
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
*combine all ingredients and chill at least an hour.

This is my second attempt to make these fries. The first time they were too oily and salty. This time I only used 1 Tbsp. of oil and they turned out much better. Delicious!

Margo's Veggie Peanut Stew~pg. 116

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

My verdict:  Peanut butter should stay in sandwiches and cookies~not soups!

Cinnamon-Spiced Roasted Veggies with Couscous~pg. 139

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Mmm, I love the smell of roasting veggies; especially when they have cinnamon, coriander and cumin on them!

The butternut squash and sweet potato tastes delicious with the couscous.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos~pg 158

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Betty's Salsa~page 63

This is a very tasty salsa-anything with cilantro in it is tasty to me! Instead of 2 large tomatoes, I used a  

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained.

Sweet Potato Mash

Black Bean Mixture

Toppings: Betty's Salsa, Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes

Before folding!

After folding!

This is definitely a big burrito-might have to use a fork on this one! I have made this before and used the filling on corn tostada shells which was very good also.