Kathleen's Mom's Tortilla Chip Soup~pg. 122

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

What a quick, easy, delicious meal! I usually have all the ingredients this recipe calls for in my pantry, fridge and freezer. Instead of one 19 oz. can of black beans I used one 15 oz. can black and one 15 oz. can tri-blend (kidney, black and pinto). It made the soup more the consistency of a chili. It was good for scooping up with tortilla chips.

Thanks to Jeanette Zeis  http://vesselsandwares.blogspot.com/p/vegandish-store.html for the awesome pottery dishes!

June Challenge Recipes

June 2012 La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:
Fri. 06/01: Catch-up Weekend
Sat. 06/02: Catch-up Weekend
Sun. 06/03: Catch-up Weekend
Mon. 06/04: Wolffie's Derby Pie-258
Tue. 06/05: Salsa Scramble-45
Wed. 06/06: Mocked Clam Chowder-119
Thu. 06/07: Banana Coconut Pudding-206
Fri. 06/08: Gerry's Quick Broccoli & Hot Chili Pepper Pasta-128
Sat. 06/09: Faux Beef-135; Mock Beef & Rice Noodle Toss-135;
                  Teriyaki Marinade-300
Sun. 06/10: Sue's Chocolate Brownie "Cheesecake"-243
Mon. 06/11: Tu-No Open-face Sandwich-159;
                     Quick & Easy Faux Mayonnaise-293
Tue. 06/12: Tracy & Emma's Fresh Basil Tomato Bread Soup-115;
                    Crispy Garlic Croutons-298
Wed. 06/13: Beautiful Blueberry Strudel-226
Thu. 06/14: Gillian's Lentil Dip-61
Fri. 06/15: Banana Currant Rice Flour Muffins-272
Sat. 06/16: Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Cake-246
Sun. 06/17: Pasta with Fish Friendly Tapanade-63
Mon. 06/18: Maury's Roasted Root Vegetables-194
Tue. 06/19: Creamy Tropical Fruit Salad-86
Wed. 06/20: Red Lentil Pasta-137
Thu. 06/21: Spiced Nuts-68
Fri. 06/22: Marshmallow Popcorn Balls-66
Sat. 06/23: Vanessa's Lentil Quinoa Stew-117
Sun. 06/24: Choice of salad with Creamy Basil Dressing-91
Mon. 06/25: Quick "Anything Goes" Ice Cream-210
Tue. 06/26: Red Bean Coleslaw-84; Creamy Coleslaw Dressing-93
Wed. 06/27: Pasta with Fresh 5-Minute Basil Tomato Sauce-127
Thu. 06/28: Roasted Holiday Vegetables-194
Fri. 06/29: Black Beans on Toast-42
Sat. 06/30: Catch-up Weekend

More Greens!

I love getting ready to cook~I feel so organized!

 The Swiss chard is chilling out in the fridge;

the barley is cooking; just waiting for the hubby.

Before Swiss Chard

After Swiss Chard

"Swiss Chard with White Beans and Job's Tears"-you can find the recipe here: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/05/swiss-chard-with-white-beans-and-jobs-tears.html  I've never seen nor heard of Job's Tears so I substituted barley. Can you tell I like one-pot meals? Great flavors in this~fire-roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, balsamic vinegar~yum!

Served with some crusty bread topped with Earth Balance margarine, garlic powder and Faux Parmesan (see under Seasonings label "Another Awesome Seasoning")

Magnificent Mixed Beans & Bulgur~pg. 149

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:


Well, it's obvious that I'm working on this challenge at my own pace. It's almost the end of May and I'm still trying out April's recipes!

The title of this recipe should have been "Beans, Bulgur and Eggplant".  Loved this easy to put together meal. I usually have everything to make this except the eggplant so when you're looking for a quick meal and flipping through cookbooks you need eggplant in the title I think.  This calls for 1/2 tsp. dried mint and it really adds a unique, fresh taste to this dish. I served my beans, bulgur and eggplant with "Sesame Roasted Asparagus" (LDV pg. 185).

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!

Aloo Gobi Potatoes & Cauliflower~pg. 141

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Easy to make and delicious. I didn't add the hot pepper or the cayenne; I thought I would be nice to my husband since he doesn't like his food too spicy! I served this over rainbow quinoa which I love even better than brown rice. I made my favorite brussels sprouts recipe-"Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts" (pg. 185 of LDV) to serve with it. I topped my potatoes & cauliflower with some sriracha sauce for a hot, spicy kick!

Peachy Pecan Muffins~pg. 238

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

These are yummy! Make sure you let them cool before trying to take them out of the muffin pan or they will fall apart.

Sleepy Sunday Morning Scramble~pg. 44; Cajun Tomato Potatoes~pg. 45

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Still plugging away at this challenge thing. I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted anything. It might have to do with the fact that I reinjured my back trying to be productive and do some manual labor! I've got 2 herniated discs in my lower back and it makes it kinda hard to cook or sit at the computer when all I can do is lay on the couch-ugh! So finally today I felt like making brunch. My husband doesn't really like scrambled tofu so I made these recipes for myself with enough left over for tomorrow's breakfast.

Of course this tasted even better with a little Daiya cheddar sprinkled on top.

Teresa's Garlic Shoot Stir-Fry~pg. 138; Shoshana's Spectacular All Purpose Tahini Sauce~pg. 176

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I've never seen garlic shoots! I did a little research and found out that you can substitute chives or the green part of green onions. I chose the green onions. I also used snow peas instead of snap or sweet peas.

I love the tahini sauce-it's nice and creamy. I enjoyed this stir-fry; alot of the stir-fry recipes always call for spicy ingredients. This is a nice green, creamy comforting stir-fry!

Daniyell's Peanut Butter Cookies~pg. 219

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

It's been a rather challenging week. My 92 year old grandma passed on Friday. We got to see her last Sunday. We're sad because we'll miss her but she was ready for her next 'adventure!'

There is nothing more comforting than some good old-fashioned peanut butter cookies and a cold glass of 'soy'milk.