Fish-Friendly Tapenade~pg. 63

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I had made this before and spread it on toasted bread; which was delicious. The challenge suggested using it on pasta. Didn't know how that was gonna turn out. After blending all the ingredients in the food processor I tasted it and whoo was it salty! Well, it did have Kalamata olives, capers and 1/4 tsp salt; next time I'll leave the salt out. I went ahead and boiled my pasta, stirred in the tapenade and added one cup of Daiya mozzarella shreds to lighten up the taste of the tapenade. It did wonders! It tasted even better when I chopped up my roasted asparagus and ate that mixed in with it. So, in the end, I will probably make this again with my additions and less salt!

Vegetable Biryani~pg. 150

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Lovely one pot dish! I added 2 cups chopped baby spinach with the peas and used dried mint instead of fresh. This was rather mild for my taste so I added sriracha sauce and a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos to mine. My hubby thought the flavor was just right. I'm running out of recipes to cook out of La Dolce Vegan besides desserts (which I don't need too many of those)! So I'm trying to get organized for the week and make a list of things to cook for supper. Hopefully, I'll succeed and not succumb to a crappy veggie delite sandwich from subway-ugh! If I don't have things planned out in advance I fall right into a funk and take the easy way out. Blame it on the bipolar and OCD! My husband took me grocery shopping yesterday so I can stock up for the week. Whew! By the time I got home and put everything away I took a 3 hour nap-I guess that happens when you had back surgery only a week and a half ago.

Peanut Butter Pecan Bark~pg. 205

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I was craving something sweet; probably because I haven't been able to exercise and get my endorphins going (good excuse)! This was really easy to whip up and satisfy the sweet tooth and it didn't make very much either.

I used my double boiler so I wouldn't accidently burn the mixture. The recipe said to chill in fridge for at least an hour and then break apart. I don't know what the consistency of 'bark' is supposed to be but I just used a knife and sliced it into little nuggets of sweet deliciousness! Let's just say between my hubby and me these didn't last long.

Tracy & Emma's Fresh Basil Tomato Bread Soup~pg. 115

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

The end of the month will be my one year anniversary of starting this blog. I started it with the intention of participating in the LDV challenge. But it has given me so much more incentive to eat and cook healthy and vegan than I ever thought possible! It's also wonderful to communicate with other vegans out there. So here is another recipe from the challenge:

I only had two tomatoes so I added a can of stewed tomatoes and reduced the vegetable stock by 1/2 C. I also had some garlic croutons I used instead of the bread. I'm so proud that I got to use some of my own homegrown basil! I have been babying that plant through these hot, summer days-a high today of 111 degrees and on Monday it's supposed to be 113! I am so thankful for A/C :) Anyway, the soup had a fantastic flavor but I don't really like soggy bread in my soup. I did eat two bowls of it though! I don't think my hubby thought too much of it either. Poor guy.

Chili Stir-Fry

Here's another post-surgery quick and easy meal! In the past I've either used baked potatoes or brown rice and topped it with canned chili, cheese and onions. Now I just dump it all in one pan-LOL!

Well, first I had about a pound of baby spinach that I needed to use so here is the recipe:

Chili Stir-Fry

approx. 1 lb. organic baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic in jar, or minced fresh garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 C. pre-cooked brown rice (I had a packet of Uncle Ben's)

1 can Amy's Organic Spicy Vegan Chili

Daiya Cheddar Shreds

chopped onion  

Saute' the spinach and garlic in olive oil until slightly wilted. Add rice, chili and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well, cover and simmer until heated through. Serve in bowl topped with Daiya cheddar and chopped onion.

   Of course I like mine even spicier so I added a little Sambal Oelek (chili paste) on top. That condiment is quickly replacing my other favorite hot topping-sriracha sauce!

I usually prefer to make fresh meals instead of opening cans and packets but I'm just thankful my pantry was well-stocked before surgery. Can't wait to start cooking up some more labor-intensive, fresh, healthy meals. Gee, I never thought I would say that!

Spinach & Artichoke Frittata

I've been wanting to make this recipe for the last six months! I had a can of artichoke hearts in my pantry that I knew I needed to use. Now, since I can't drive for six weeks because of my back surgery I had the perfect opportunity to use those darn artichoke hearts. And I just happened to have 2 cartons of Mori-Nu tofu and some fresh spinach. This recipe comes from Everyday Happy Herbivore.

You just blend everything except the spinach and artichokes in the food processor and then pop it in the oven. Deliciously easy! I was surprised that the consistency reminded me of an egg dish.

Served my frittata with Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts from La Dolce Vegan and some bread spread with Earth Balance margarine, sprinkled with some garlic powder and a little nutritional yeast and broiled. I think I'll have the leftovers for breakfast!   I'm running out of fresh veggies-someone's going to have to take me to the store. :)

Books and Boredom

I feel the need to blog! I had back surgery last Wednesday for some herniated discs that have been bothering me for 10 years. Now I'm just trying to heal and not do anything strenuous-ugh! Not too much pain but I'm not supposed to bend or twist my back. Meals have been pretty simple around here. The first night I was home my sweet daughter brought us homemade tostadas and spanish rice. Yum! And can you believe it the next night I actually cooked supper. My husband did all the bending and moving around getting pots and pans-I just stood there and chopped the veggies-what a great guy! He even did all the laundry and mopped the floors. Wow! Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew-the recipe is here: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/03/irish-white-bean-and-cabbage-stew.html I forgot that this recipe makes a ton of soup. So we had enough for leftovers and I put a whole container of it in the freezer. So we had leftovers of soup and tostadas for a couple of days after that! I hate to do it, but last night everything we ate came out of the freezer pre-made. Gardein Chicken Tenders, Alexia Waffle Fries and frozen mixed veggies. Oh, and for dessert-double stuffed Oreos. Hee! Hee! Good thing those Oreos are gone now-I probably hadn't bought any in over a year. Anywhoo, to get back to the title of my blog-I was so inspired by http://donteatoffthesidewalk.com/2012/07/31/a-cookbook-addicts-guide-to-vegan-cookbooks/ that I had to take a few pics of my own bookshelf. I drool at the sight of books-I mean real books; with paper pages you can turn and even  the smell of books! These are just my vegan cookbooks; I've got alot more vegetarian cookbooks that aren't even on the bookshelf. I found that I got tired of looking through them and weeding out the dairy and eggs. That will be my next project-digging all of those books out and reminiscing-some of them are quite old!

These are just some good reads, not necessarily cookbooks.

And I think I still need more!