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

Blueberry Banana Bread Pancakes ~ pg. 41

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

Nothing like the aroma of banana scented pancakes on the griddle! A late morning breakfast today. I keep overripe bananas in the freezer for recipes like this. The batter was quite thick; you can't pour it onto your griddle. I scooped some out and spread the batter out with the back of a spoon. You don't need much maple syrup as the banana and blueberries give these some natural sweetness. Two of these pancakes and you're ready to start the day. The recipe made about nine pancakes so I froze the rest for easy future breakfasts.

Zucchini Apple Bread ~ pg. 326

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

I'm so excited we're cooking out of this cookbook this month! I don't know why it appeals to me so. Maybe it reminds me of my grandma and mom and watching and helping them cook in their kitchens. And I love the movie Julie/Julia. It just makes me want to cook through the entire book! We're heading to Sedona again but I'm taking this cookbook with me and try and do some cooking or at least enjoy reading through all of the delightful stories and recipes.

I wanted to make some bread to honor Lammas, the first of the season's harvest festivals and this recipe sounded perfect. It has zucchini, Granny Smith apple, applesauce, walnuts and uses whole wheat flour.

I used the convection setting on my oven for a cool kitchen and these loaves still took almost an hour to bake. I cooled them completely and then wrapped them in foil like she suggested and stored them in the refrigerator. After they chilled, I sliced the loaves. Moist and delicious, and it is better if you keep these in the fridge. I love the addition of the Granny Smith apple for a little bit of texture and extra flavor.

Even my grandsons loved this bread and got their veggies, too!

Apricot-Walnut Coffee Cake~pg. 252

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Quick and easy to make and tastes yummy. But now I've got the rest of the soft tofu to use. I hate when that happens. I usually end up throwing the remainder in a smoothie the next day for breakfast.

My husband likes to eat this for breakfast.

Maple Flax Squares~pg. 213

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

These squares tasted just like pecan pie but with walnuts!

Wolffie's Spinach-Walnut Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette~pg. 78

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Look at that luscious red raspberry dressing! Much better than store-bought varieties.

Love this recipe-I usually eat a big spinach salad for lunch every day so now I can use this Raspberry Vinaigrette for my dressing.

Wolffie's Cow Pies~pg. 205

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love chocolate-covered raisins but these were a little too rich and chocolatey for me. I'm sure my husband will enjoy them! I chose to use the vegetable shortening instead of margarine when making them because I knew it would help firm them up better. They turned out perfect.

Emily's "Meat" Loaf~pg. 166; Carmelized Onion & Fennel Mashed Potatoes

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I have this recipe permanently marked in my cookbook. I have made it several times; I use it when I miss having 'real' meatloaf. I like when people ask me if I can eat meat. My answer is "yes, I can eat meat, I just choose not to eat meat." I grew up eating meat and potatoes, cooking meat and potatoes and I still crave meat and potatoes. I chose to give up the meat for the animals, for the environment and for my health. I remind myself of that whenever I think about eating meat again. But I still eat potatoes!! I used a recipe in "The Garden of Vegan", pg. 116-Carmelized Onion & Fennel Mashed Potatoes. A tasty alternative to plain mashed potatoes.

Mama Mayhem's Perfectly Easy No-Bake Cookies~pg. 220

Not much to say about these. They were so-so; won't be making these again.

Raspberry Walnut Pancakes~pg 38

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I love raspberries-any kind of berries! I was planning on making these for supper tonight along with hash browns and vegan sausage patties; but my grandson is one year old today so we are going to help him celebrate! I gave them a quick taste and I thought they were quite delicious, especially with some maple syrup drizzled on top. I don't cook my pancakes like Sarah describes in her directions. I've never heard of putting a cover over my pancakes, so I just cooked them on my griddle like I usually do. I put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and stuck them in the freezer. After they are frozen I will put them in a container and take out for future breakfasts!