Courtney's Vegan Journal

Chick*n

2012-01-30T18:58:00.000+01:00

One of the blogs that I follow - Vegan Dance if You Want To - recently posted a link to a brand of vegan chicken that she recommends. She also commented on the 'mysterious pink mechanically seperated meat' that any and everyone on Facebook has seen. Nasty!

While I have eaten this brand before, Gardeins, it is not available in Denmark. We do have some interesting replacements here though.

I am a fan of a brand called goodsoy. They sell dried soy products. I especially love them because they have an incredibly long shelf life, come in a variety of sizes (crumbles, bites, nuggets, fillets, etc.) and come back to life with a bit of veggie broth. I have bought the 'steak' variation as well. Same flavor, different color.

Here are a few meals I have made using the goodsoy dried soy products.

Chick*n Parmesan: Noodles, fillets breaded in breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, and seasonings, tomato sauce and shredded vegan mozzarella.

Super Easy Vegan Chili (soygood crumbles)

Breaded fillets: breadcrumbs and seasonings

Caldo Verde with Crumbled Tempeh

2012-01-30T18:31:00.000+01:00

I have been cooking up a storm lately, just not blogging much. I have decided that to catch up, each time I post something new, I need to also post something old!

John picked this recipe from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. I am not a huge fan of tempeh but was excited that he was helping out with meal planning!

It turned out so good. I was not sure what to expect, but it is a soup (I now know that Caldo Verde means green soup!) that is spicy and tangy and really filling. It consists of onion and garlic, fennel, thyme and red pepper flakes, along with veggie broth, potatoes and kale (recipe calls for chard). The tempeh is boiled to remove the bitterness and flavored with lemon and tamari.

I did skip the step at the end where you are supposed to puree half the soup for a more creamy consistency. I just did not have the motivation to get the blender out and then have to wash it. Regardless, this soup is fantastic.

Carbonara Style Spaghetti

2012-01-07T16:17:00.000+01:00

This recipe was 1) so good and 2) so easy that we not only made it for dinner but then again for lunch the very next day!!!
The basics are spaghetti, a cream sauce and vegan bacon.

The cream sauce consists of an onion cooked in coconut oil and a blend of 6 oz rice milk, 1.5 oz shredded cheddar style 'cheese', and 4 TBSP soy creamer. When the sauce is poured into the hot spaghetti, the 'cheese' melts down a bit and it thickens up nicely.

I made a batch of eggplant bacon and it was absolutely perfect sprinkled on top. I can see this recipe showing up weekly around here now!

'Veef' Stew

2012-01-07T15:13:00.000+01:00

John made dinner tonight! I suggested a vegan beef stew to use up the 'Veef' that we had in our freezer. I Googled and found this recipe, although it was incomplete. John said it listed several ingredients that were never in the instructions. I guess it was not difficult to figure out when to add them but still annoying no less.

We used shallots instead of onions and sweet potatoes and no celery seed. Here is the recipe. It really was excellent. Very hearty and flavorful and filling!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:57:00.002+01:00

This was the view from our patio last night! Hundreds of people were setting off fireworks all over the city for hours!

This poor blog has sat neglected for far too long. I have been taking pictures of nice meals I have made; they just have not made it up! Eventually I will catch up, or more likely, not even try! But I am going to start posting more regularly!

...starting with our New Years Eve dinner. We had a frozen piece of 'salmon' that I just kept putting off. I guess mainly because I had no idea what to do with it.

We finally decided it would be nice pan fried with jasmine rice and Hollandaise sauce. On the side, roasted Brussels sprouts in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The sauce was great. The 'salmon' was what I expected. It was covered in a layer of seaweed to give it a fish-like flavor. Appearance wise, it looked just like salmon. But it was mushy and had that universal 'fake meat' flavor. I would have no problem eating it again, but it will not make it into a permanent rotation around here.

Walking Table - Crepes

2011-08-12T15:45:00.000+02:00

My friend Per and I decided to name our style of dinner parties 'Walking Tables' because generally everyone is up and preparing food together and we just sort of eat stuff as soon as it is ready. So we started picking themes and everyone brings ingredients to prepare their own version of whatever our theme is. We take turns preparing and eating while someone else then works on their contribution. It is fun, social, and takes the pressure off one person to do all the work. ;-)

Our first Walking Table theme was Crepes and it was a huge success! Here is Per featuring one of our crepes (and here is the crepe recipe!):

Here is what each of us came up with:

John: Tofu ricotta, sauteed garlic, mushrooms and spinach:

Per:Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce:

Miriam: Black beans, corn, fresh tomato, taco seasoning, avocado, Sriracha hot sauce:

Courtney: Roasted peaches with cinnamon oatmeal crumble and whipped cream:

Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon

2011-08-12T15:11:00.000+02:00

This eggplant bacon is definitely something to write home about.

The salad consists of lettuce and a Caesar Chavez Dressing (shallots, cashews, tahini, miso, lemon juice, dijon, capers, water, salt and pepper blended) from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. Here is the recipe for the dressing.

The eggplant bacon is very simple (but burns easily and is then disastrous!) and includes only 3 ingredients: eggplant, soy sauce and liquid smoke. The eggplant is sliced, roasted for 8 minutes, flipped, roasted again for 3 minutes, then cooled. After it is cooled, it is dipped in the soy/liquid smoke mixture, roasted for 3 more minutes and ready to eat!

Broccoli Bistro Soup

2011-08-12T14:34:00.000+02:00

A super fast, delicious soup recipe. Rosemary and parsnips really make it pop. Here is the recipe from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. I sprinkled toasted pine nuts on top.

Thai Green Curry - 2 ways

2011-06-13T19:24:00.000+02:00

We make different varieties of Thai curry for dinner at least a few times per week, so we buy the curry paste in large quantities. Recently we ran out of green curry paste and replenished our stock from the Asian market. I was so irritated to realize, after getting it home and cooking with it one time, that this brand contained shrimp paste! Fortunately, the market also carries a brand that is vegan and my friend Miriam was more than happy to take the other off my hands.

We generally make the curry sauce the same: green curry paste, coconut milk, a little vegetarian stir fry sauce, and a little palm sugar. Sometimes a splash of Mirin or soy, sometimes extra ginger and garlic. The veggies are typically onion, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant, and whatever else seems good at the time.

The most recent variations:

Red Rice and 'Veef' (vegetarian beef)

Noodles and Vegan Shrimp

Bread Pudding, Cupcakes and Cookies

2011-06-13T19:06:00.000+02:00

Here are a few favorite desserts made within the past few months, all packed into one delicious post.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding from Veganomicon. I made this to take to a brunch and became a fan of bread pudding for the first time in my life.

Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I opted for a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of frosting.

Vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World topped with strawberry jam, a strawberry, and a drizzle of powdered sugar icing (powdered sugar and oat milk).

Dark Chocolate Chunk Marzipan Cookies from the blog 'seitan is my motor'.

Manhattan Glam Chowder with Tomato-Parmesan Crackers

2011-06-13T18:43:00.002+02:00

This recipe has been on my mind since I bought the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. I have never in my life eaten clam chowder so it isn't because I miss the 'real thing'. For some reason, it just appealed to me.

I did learn that Manhattan Clam Chowder is tomato based and New England is the creamy version. I am definitely a fan of a thin, veggie flavor over a heavy creamy one.

The soup was great, the texture was fun (the 'clams' are chewy shitake mushrooms and the 'ocean' flavor comes from nori sheets!) and the crackers added a nice crunch. I followed this recipe but used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup fine corn meal. I added dried tomato flakes and sesame parmesan to the mix.

On the side, mixed greens, sunflower seeds, marinated red peppers, garlic and olives, and the leftover roasted veggies and chickpeas from dinner a few nights ago.

Vegan Eating in Malmö, Sweden

2011-06-13T17:35:00.000+02:00

John and I recently spent a long weekend in Malmö, Sweden. It is a little over a three hour train ride from Aarhus, Denmark (where we live). We took our bikes, crashed at a friend's apartment, and enjoyed the surprisingly perfect weather all weekend.

Before starting the trip, we checkout out the Happy Cow website and were so relieved to find a variety of vegan restaurants and health food stores. I give Malmö a thumbs up for vegan friendly city.

For breakfast, Chez Madame was a great choice. It had a granola, fruit, salad, and baked goods type buffet. They also make a heavenly soy latte.

I can't say enough about the vegan pizza at Pizzeria Algarve. We each got a pizza - taco for me, kabob for John - and devoured it. The menu has so many choices and they have homemade sauces to go with each. Without question, this is the best vegan pizza I have ever eaten, in the world.

Here is my taco pizza...

...including melty cheese.

And the unique kabob pizza. They even have a huge chunk of 'meat' on a big stick that they shave off for the pizza. So authentic.

We had dinner at Vegegarden one night. We decided to order the pre-set "Dinner for two" menu, which was delicious but way too much food!

On our way to the train station to head home, we stopped at Astrid and Aporna to pick up some supplies. They had a huge selection of vegan meats, cheeses, and goodies.

Licorice, chocolate, and cookies:

Instant soup (lunch for me on days when I can't stomach the canteen) and rice mayo:

New soy cheeses to try (Mozzerella, Blue, Edam, and White Cheddar):

A smorgasbord of vegan meats (Veef, chicken nuggets, salmon, shrimp, and Tzay: something made by monks):

And dried soy nuggets in a variety of sizes and colors (brown for beef, strips, nuggets and wafers):

An Unintentially Orange Meal

2011-06-13T15:33:00.000+02:00

I had a pumpkin that was beyond the point of 'possibly using for dinner tonight' and on to 'if we don't cook this tonight, it is getting thrown away'. So, I made mashed pumpkin, followed this recipe (minus the cayenne pepper), and felt really happy to not see it go to waste. Instead of boiling the pumpkin, I chopped it in half and roasted it in a baking dish with shallow water.

I initially thought I would stuff the pumpkin with a pilaf but decided on a risotto instead. After the pumpkin was roasted it had completely lost its shape and would not have held anything, hence the mashing.

A few days ago I made a batch of sesame Parmesan that I can't get enough of. I googled Parmesan risotto and settled on this recipe for Parmesan-Carrot Risotto that was easily made vegan. Along my vegan parm, I used risotto rice instead of white, veggie broth, and vegan margarine.

Akara, Fufu, and Chili-Tomato Relish

2011-06-13T12:43:00.000+02:00

We spent Easter this year in Hamburg with our friends, David and Julia. They introduced us to fufu: a staple food of West and Central Africa. Last time I was at the Asian market grocery shopping, I was really excited to find a box of plantain fufu flour.

Julia warned me that making fufu can be a bit challenging and it takes practice to get it right. I definitely don't think ours turned out perfectly this time. It had the consistency of very dry, instant mashed potatoes but with a powdery flavor. I think I will get some advice from David and Julia before giving it another go.

Interestingly enough, while trying to figure out what to make with the fufu, I grabbed the August 2009 issue of Veg News and flipped to the page I, at some point in time, marked with a pink post-it note. It is an article called Marvelous Mali and discusses fufu and other African foods. It was one of those really odd moments of 'way too much of a coincidence to believe'. But it quickly became part of the dinner menu for the night.

Clockwise: Garlic bread, Akara, Relish, fufu, eggplant, roasted veggies and chickpeas

Akara (Black-eyed Pea Fritters) are a nice combo of black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, chile and bell peppers, and lots of spices. They are coated in cornmeal and fried. Ideally, they become round, fried, deliciousness. Mine basically melted and became slop. We determined that they required more of a 'deep fried' technique versus the pan frying that we attempted. We just threw the second batch in the oven instead of frying. They were pretty terrible but at least remained in 'ball form'.

The Chile-Tomato Relish was fine, but too spicy and nothing to write home about. Below is the relish and fufu (sprinkled with fresh cilantro).

Fortunately, my friend Thea brought over lots of veggies, chickpeas, and bread to save the meal!

The eggplants were sliced, sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, herbs, and paprika and baked.

We chopped a red and yellow pepper, broccoli, and onion along with some chickpeas, sprayed it with olive oil, sprinkled dried tomato flakes and sesame Parmesan and roasted it.

And, the best part was the bread! Thea started with frozen rolls, thawed a bit and sliced in half. She spread a layer of dijon mustard, grated a little garlic, sprinkled fresh parsley and sesame Parmesan and baked it. The combo of flavors was fantastic.

Tofu scramble and Banana Bread

2011-06-12T18:40:00.000+02:00

The thought of catching up has been so overwhelming, so I have neglected this blog far too long. I have loads of pictures and recipes that I am slowly but surely going to get posted...

...starting with breakfast this morning! We were asked to join a group from John's office to hike in a National Park here in Denmark today. To get us started I made a tofu scramble and some banana bread - that also became a nice snack on the hike.

The tofu scramble was a modified version of this recipe. I have a huge batch of sesame Parmesan - that I have literally been eating with a spoon - so I added a huge sprinkle of that, along with dijon mustard, turmeric, salt, pepper, and oat milk.

The veggies were sauteed in olive oil with a sprinkle of dried tomato flakes, basil, fennel, salt and pepper.

And the banana bread...so good! I added walnuts, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate chips, and coconut. I sprinkled oatmeal on top. Note: I am not the "Courtney" as mentioned in the recipe. Sheer coincidence.

Banana Pancakes

2011-04-22T11:31:00.000+02:00

I decided to give the waffle iron a rest today and found this easy and delicious recipe for banana pancakes! I also added pecans to the batter. We topped the pancakes with vegan butter and agave syrup.

Burgers, Potato Salad, and Veggies

2011-04-20T11:43:00.004+02:00

We bought a grill last weekend and last night was supposed to be our first night grilling! Unfortuanately, we didn't have charcoal or lighter fluid. Two trips to the store and we still couldn't get the grill going! So, we ended up cooking the food on the stove and in the oven. Definitely not the same appeal, but we are more prepared for next time now.

On the menu:
Grillable Black Bean Burgers (I used red beans. They fell apart when cooked on the stove. I would not trust them on a grill.)

Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing (I used agave, not honey. Next time, I will double the sauce. I like a lot of flavor.)

Marinated Veggies (They were going to be Kabobs but instead were roasted in the oven.)

The Vegan Bucket List

2011-04-19T09:16:00.000+02:00

I subscribe to the VegNews magazine. Since I do not live in the U.S. anymore (and because I love the idea of less trees dying so that I can enjoy the magazine) I receive the electronic version. It took me a long time to get used to it, but now I like it even more. Before, I would fold corners, leave in post-it notes, and more often than not, forget what I wanted to make from the magazine as it got lost in the shuffle. Now, I take screen shots of things I am interested in, want to make and/or buy, and read on the fly. It works out really well for me.

Anyway, I happened to visit the VegNews website today and found this list: The Vegan Bucket List. I think it is fantastic and I want to do everything on it...eventually!

The things I have already accomplished include:

Ask your (non-vegan) family or friends to try a vegan meal, day, or week. It's the perfect birthday gift!

Visit Portland, Ore.’s vegan mini-mall. Leave with a tattoo, cookie, message t-shirt, and a few snacks for the road. (okay, I seriously did consider a tattoo here...even met with one of the artists! But, didn't actually go through with it :-(
Meet your vegan superhero. Whether it’s Gene Baur, John Salley, Kathy Freston, Wayne Pacelle, or Tal Ronnen, go to one of your favorite star’s public events and thank them for their work. (Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Heather Mills)
Be vegan until 6pm, and then stay vegan until the following day. Repeat. (I have been repeating for over 2 years!)
Dine at Candle 79 in New York and Millennium in San Francisco, not on the same night. Go with people whom you truly adore, and feast on appetizers, salads, entrees, drinks, and desserts (multiples of each). Share everything so you get to taste it all! (I am half way here...My dad and I ate at Millennium.)Inspire at least one person to become vegan. (My adorable mom)
Help the environment by opting for a bicycle or running shoes over a car. (I bike to work daily.)
Cook an entirely vegan holiday dinner for your friends and family. (3 Thanksgivings in a row now!)

Start a balcony herb garden.

Become a vegan hostess extraordinaire by throwing holiday parties, brunches, bonfires, barbecues, fondue nights, and so on. (And, we just bought a grill!!!)

Spend a week at The Gentle Gourmet B&B in Paris. (2 meals...Love this place!)

Visit the Chicago Diner and feast on The Radical Reuben, mashed potatoes, and cookie dough peanut butter milkshake.

Find a vegan restaurant in every city you visit, no matter how remote! (Or at least something vegan on the menu!)

Attend (or, even better yet, have!) a vegan wedding. (Not 100% - I grew up in the mid-west! But, we did have a vegan main course option and all dessert was vegan!)

Veggie Potpie Stew

2011-04-16T11:52:00.000+02:00

From Appetite for Reduction, John made this for dinner and said it took exactly one hour to prepare, as the recipe states. It was really good; it tasted exactly like what I would expect a potpie to taste like! But, I have to be honest, I did miss the crust. We had bread on the side, but it just wasn't quite the same! Here is the recipe.

Pumpkin Soup, Salad, Veggies and Cobbler

2011-04-16T11:35:00.001+02:00

Pumpkin Soup
Even though fall is over and spring is finally here, I can't stop buying the little organic pumpkins that I keep finding in little shops around town. I made a few alterations to this recipe including: carrot instead of apple/pear and oat milk instead of soy/almond. We sprinkled spicy paprika and cilantro on top. The soup went really well with these Bread Sticks. They are quick, versatile, and have a great texture.

From the Vegan Italiano cookbook, I also made Asparagus with Tomato Vinaigrette. It sat in the fridge overnight and was very marinated by the time we ate it. It was served at room temp.

I am really in love with this recipe for Roasted Eggplant. It is so fast and tastes really good!

I have made this salad before. In my opinion, it is the perfect combo of flavors: pasta, white beans, sundried tomatoes, fennel, olives, and more. Trattoria Pasta Salad with White Beans.

And, for dessert. Pear Berry Cobbler. This recipe is officially in my permanent mix now!

Special Delivery: Liquid Smoke

2011-04-04T14:56:00.000+02:00

My mother in law mailed me two bottles of liquid smoke! I was never able to find it here in Denmark, so this supply should last for a very long time!

Thanks Mom and Neil! We love you guys.

First recipes I will try now that I have the stuff:
Eggplant Bacon
Chipotle Lentil Burgers

Two dinners from my cast iron skillet

2011-04-04T14:42:00.001+02:00

Last week, I made dinner two nights in my cast iron skillet and both turned out quick and delicious.

First, Sicilian Skillet Pasta Pie from Vegan Italiano. Here is the recipe. I did make a few adjustments. Because I was out of olives, I made a batch of seitan chorizo crumbles. Also, I did not have spaghetti noodles so instead I used elbow macaroni. The pieces, obviously, did not 'slice' as the recipe says they should. We spooned portions out and devoured them!

We also shredded a bit of Mozzarella Sheese on top of the monster portions.

Second, Tempeh Helper from Appetite for Reduction. Because I have never eaten real Hamburger Helper, I can't really say whether it is comparable or not. But, it was really good. I do think I added a bit too much seasoning to my cheezy sauce because it was quite salty and a little overpowering. Here is the recipe.

Anniversary Dinner!

2011-03-24T10:27:00.000+01:00

John and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with this lovely dinner. I did most of the prep work the day before (Sunday) so I could have it on the table at a decent dinner time (Monday). The meal included:

Cashew Nut Loaf stuffed with Garlic and Mushrooms
Silky Chickpea Gravy
Butternut Coconut Rice
Green Beans with Truffle Oil and Sea Salt
Lemon Macadamia Nut Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

So, the loaf is excellent. My mother-in-law made if for Christmas dinner last year and John specifically requested it for this meal. Instead of making a stuffing (an option in the recipe), there is a layer of sauteed garlic and mushrooms in the middle (assembly process shown below). I have always shied away from nut loafs because of a previous, bad experience. Fortunately, this one has turned me back on to the concept.

I used a combo of almonds, pecans, and cashews. For the bread crumbs, I used a combo of panko and crushed spelt crackers (I didn't realize that I didn't have enough crumbs until it was too late to go buy more! But, it worked out very well.)

The gravy is rich and thick and salty and sage-flavored. It went nicely with the loaf.

I do not have a link to the Butternut Coconut Rice, which is a complete shame because it was the highlight of the meal! I am not a huge fan of rice, but I will make this recipe any and every time I can find a butternut squash at the grocery store! It is a combo of garlic and ginger along with sesame oil, shallot, lime, red pepper flakes, and topped off with creamy coconut milk. We also sprinkled toasted coconut on top. It is addictive stuff! And even better, the recipe is from Appetite for Reduction.

The green beans were sauteed in a touch of truffle oil and sea salt.

And finally, the dessert! I bought new cupcake liners (silicon) and was really excited to try them out. They worked very nicely, left no paper waste, released the cupcakes very easily and in perfect shape, and were easy to clean.

The recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The cupcakes are tangy and fruity while the macadamia nuts are crunchy and delicious! I did substitute almond meal for the macadamia nut meal and, in the frosting, coconut oil instead of shortening.

We also had Tofutti Strawberry flavored icecream. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. The flavor was so bad we are considering writing the company. John even suggested that we somehow got a 'bad batch' because of how awful it tastes. It is reminds me of some horrible chemical strawberry flavoring. It is organic and I am usually not disappointed with the brand (LOVE the icecream sandwiches). But, in this case, we will never buy this product again!

Pad Thai Salad with Peanut-Lime Dragon Dressing

2011-03-22T08:40:00.000+01:00

I strongly believe this salad recipe has potential, but I ruined this potential with bad lettuce and too much hot sauce! First, the lettuce I bought was extremely tough. It was organic romaine but has the consistency of cabbage (for the white part) and kale (for the green). Not appetizing!

The dressing was delicious before I discovered my bottle of Sriracha had a little blockage, which quickly became unblocked when I applied a little pressure. The result was about 4 times the amount I can stand! Even John was struggling with it.

We had spring rolls on the side (not pictured) and they helped immensely by offering a bit of cool relief.

The recipe is from Appetite for Reduction.

Old-Fashioned Chelsea Waffles

2011-03-20T12:29:00.001+01:00

One of my new kitchen purchases since finally moving out of furnished housing was a waffle iron! I have wanted one for a long time and am now the happy owner.

I have tried at least 5 recipes for waffles in search of the perfect 'soft on the inside, crisp on the outside' texture that John and I love.

Today, we came VERY close! I followed the recipe in Vegan Brunch but made a slight adjustment. I have been reading that the trick to great waffles is seperating the egg and gently stiring the egg white in last. Since there is no egg or egg replacer in this recipe, I decided to cut a bit of the milk out and try the above steps with an egg replacer. And it worked really well!!! I whisked the replacer into a foamy consistency and lightly stirred only until I couldn't see it anymore.

The result:

We also included what we refer to as 'Key West Coffee' because this is the way they served it while we were vacationing there. It is coffee brewed normally, then added coconut milk and agave. And, notice the adorable mugs by Bodium that John found at an antique store here in Aarhus!

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

2011-03-20T12:11:00.000+01:00

I cleaned out my freezer yesterday and found a batch of cashew cream sauce in there from...who knows when. I also had a box of lasagna noodles in the pantry, also from that time frame! So, I bought a box of garlic flavored tomato sauce (I stopped buying canned since reading this article), a bunch of fresh basil, garlic, spinach, and mushrooms. I topped the lasagna with shredded Mozzerella Sheese.

It came together in under 20 minutes, baked for about 30 and was really delicious!

Scrambled Tortillas

2011-03-20T11:51:00.001+01:00

Definitely comfort food! But, also healthy (well, maybe not if you and your husband eat the entire 'serves 4' in one sitting!)

The recipe calls for corn tortillas. I had originally planned to make my own, but I ran out of time and settled for tortilla chips instead. They totally worked!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz describes it as 'little morsels of heaven' and I couldn't agree more! She also says it does not photograph well. Don't let that stop you from trying it though!!!

Courico Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

2011-03-20T11:41:00.000+01:00

Last time I was in the U.S. I bought two jars of chipotles in adobo sauce (Embasa brand) because they are impossible to find here in DK. Now, I am really stingy about using them because I want them to last! But, this recipe has been one I have wanted to try for a long time.

Here is the recipe.

We do not have a grill, so we just sauted the pineapple for a while, letting the outsides brown a little.

Instead of wrapping it all up in tortillas, we opted for taco salad style with tortilla chips. The courico is very spicy but in a smokey, vinegary, and sweet way. We had a little avocado on the side to cool things down!

Hoison-Mustard Tofu with Unfried Fried Rice

2011-03-20T11:22:00.000+01:00

The original recipe for the tofu includes lettuce wraps. That would have been delicious, but we did not have the right lettuce. So, we just served it alongside the rice and were very happy!

Both recipes are from Appetite for Reduction (my other cookbooks have been getting dusty lately!)

The recipe for the tofu is here. I bought a huge jar of hoisin sauce from the Asian market a few weeks ago, so fortunately we really enjoy the flavor!

The Unfried Fried rice is nothing really special, just rice cooked with sesame oil, shallot, garlic, ginger, soy and green onion. We added carrot and snow peas.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans & Toasted Cumin Seeds

2011-03-20T11:10:00.000+01:00

I have made almost half of the salads in Appetite for Reduction. This was good but not my favorite. I had such high expectations for the flavor of toasted cumin seeds. The book says they taste smoky, but I did not get that effect.

At any rate, it was an extremely quick recipe that includes quinoa, toasted cumin seeds, tomatoes, lime juice, agave, black beans, scallions, and mixed greens.

I also made Chickpea cutlets :-)

Trattoria Pasta Salad with White Beans

2011-03-20T10:55:00.000+01:00

The salads alone make the cookbook Appetite for Reduction worth the purchase. Everything else is great also, but the salads...yum! They are meals. They do not leave you with the feeling, "All I had for dinner was salad..."

Pasta, northern white beans, arugula, red onion, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, pepper and a Sun-dried Tomato-Walnut dressing make this meal complete.

The dressing blends the flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, fennel seeds, shallots, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and marjarom.

Catalan Couscous Salad with Pears

2011-03-20T10:38:00.001+01:00

John made this salad, from Appetite for Reduction, for dinner one night and it was delicious and filling. The basics include spinach topped with whole wheat couscous, toasted almonds, pear slices, and Romesco dressing.

The dressing is oil-free and addicting! It consists of almonds, shallots, roasted red peppers, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, agave, salt, pepper, and water.

The salad takes very little time to put together and has the combo of sweet (pears) and savory (dressing).

Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash with Silky Chickpea Gravy

2011-03-20T10:27:00.000+01:00

Wow. I haven't blogged for a long time! Life has been, as always, busy. We moved into a different apartment in Aarhus, Denmark. Both John and I have permanent contracts here now, and we are settling in to stay for more than 8 months!

For the first time in 2 years, we are in an unfurnished apartment (we were previously in furnished, company housing), meaning we had to buy all new stuff. I was able to pick up some really fun kitchen items. Although I do miss my old stuff (it is still in storage in Portland, Oregon), I am adjusting nicely.

I have actually cooked a lot in the past month, but many of the things I made have already been posted, or the cameral was packed, or I forgot, or I was lazy!

This meal was one of my favorites for a variety of reasons. 1) John did the cooking AND cleaning! 2) Brussels are my fav. 3) Silky Chickpea Gravy...no more words needed.

The recipes are from Appetite for Reduction.

Here is a recipe for the gravy. Also included in this link is a recipe for Caulipots from the same cookbook. I have not tried them yet!

Here is the recipe for the hash. The flavors of garlic, thyme, and lemon are fantastic.

Veganism and cancer treatment: One success story

2011-02-23T16:04:00.000+01:00

The question: Can you follow a vegan diet if you have cancer?

The answer: Yes – but even the most devoted vegans must be prepared to significantly alter their lifestyle.

The experts: Debbie Farrell is a two-time cancer survivor. As part of her treatment program, she follows a strict vegan diet, one she will remain on for the rest of her life.

Shani Fox, ND, specializes in treating cancer patients. While Fox did not treat Farrell, she believes there are strong benefits to following a plant-based diet during cancer treatment.

Four years ago, Debbie Farrell, 54, was diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer. Surgery was successful, and chemotherapy was recommended. However, Farrell chose not to undergo chemotherapy and instead opted for a vegan diet consisting of carrot juice and a product called Barley Green. This is all Farrell ate for the next six months. After that, she followed the completely vegan Halleluiah diet: 85% raw food, 15% cooked.

Farrell says, “Unfortunately, after a couple of years, we got off track and went back to the standard American diet. I believe this was the cause of the return of my cancer” in April 2010.

While Fox is not aware of any definitive studies proving that a vegan diet prevents certain kinds of cancer, there are studies that show hormonal cancers, like breast and prostate, can be linked to animal-based diets. “Antibiotics can be powerful drivers of hormonal cancers,” she says.

Because vegans avoid animal products, they are less exposed to antibiotics, which may prove beneficial in terms of long-term health. “You can find studies of the harmful effects of animal products. You can derive that avoidance leads to a better position,” Fox adds.

What is true of any cancer treatment: Nutrition is critical. And reducing inflammation is key, Fox says.

“The most important role when fighting cancer is to keep inflammation down.” One cause of inflammation is an animal-based diet that includes meat, dairy, and eggs. Eliminating these foods “is an advantage for a vegan diet,” Fox says.

Farrell’s Cancer Returns

Last spring, following an abnormal blood test, a PET scan revealed a half-dollar sized tumor between Farrell’s spine and rectum. She was told by her oncologist the cancer was “treatable but not curable.” Not willing to accept this diagnosis, Farrell chose a homeopathic doctor in Carson City, Nev. who practices a form of treatment called IPT: Insulin Potentiation Therapy.

Along with IPT, Farrell followed an extremely strict, all-organic vegan diet from the book Healing the Gerson Way.

Her diet, then and now, consists of oatmeal and raisins for breakfast and a salad and soup for lunch and dinner. Farrell prepares the soup with potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, onions, and distilled water.

Juicing is also a main component of the diet. The book identifies this “as being your medicine,” Farrell explains.

Although the book advises 13 8 oz. servings per day, Farrell’s protocol has been modified to eight. She begins with orange juice in the morning, then consumes five servings of a carrot- apple juice combo throughout the day. She also drinks a green juice twice daily. Farrell’s recipe includes raw ingredients such as beet leaves, red leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, red cabbage and one apple.

Farrell once asked her doctor how long she had to follow this diet. His response: “You will never eat like your neighbor again.”

The monotony is worth it to her: Four weeks after beginning treatment for her second bout of cancer, Farrell is again in remission. She is convinced that the IPT, plus the vegan diet, has saved her life.

Cancer and the vegan diet: More than raw vegetables

Fox says the main concern with following a vegan diet during cancer treatment is ensuring the patient is getting enough digestible protein. This is important because many factors in cancer treatment cause the breakdown of tissue. Protein is necessary to tissue repair.

During treatment, “It is possible to be vegan and consume enough protein, but it is more challenging without animal products. There could be a place where a vegan diet is outweighed by the need for protein,” Fox explains, but this would be carefully planned with the patient in order to “stay with their ethical concerns as to why they are vegan in the first place.”

Chocolate Chip Chai Spice Shortbread

2011-02-03T20:18:00.000+01:00

The flavor of these cookies was great but they did not turn out as well as I had expected. I did not have vegan shortening, so I substituted extra vegan margarine instead. The dough was extremely soft and I had to add extra flour. This caused the dough to taste too much like flour! So, I added more powdered sugar. All in all, they turned out fine. But, my chocolate spread out a lot while baking and the shape of the cookies is not as neat as it should have been.

The recipe is from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Dip and Veggies

2011-02-03T20:09:00.000+01:00

I used a package of precooked soba noodles. They are sauteed in sesame oil. The dressing (delicious!) consists of peanuts, oatmilk, soysauce, tahihi, sesame oil, sake, maple syrup, ginger and garlic, all blended in a blender. We served it with sauteed veggies. The recipe is from Love Bites.

Lentil Daal with Basmati Rice

2011-02-03T20:03:00.000+01:00

This recipe is from my new cookbook Love Bites by Heather Mills. It was very easy to prepare and was filling because of the veggies, lentils, and rice.

I soaked the lentils overnight so they cooked very quickly. The sauce consists of coconut oil, cauliflower, tomatoes, onion, lime, cilantro, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt and tumeric. It is served over basmati rice.

Carrot, Apple, Ginger Soup

2011-02-03T19:55:00.000+01:00

I roasted 4 large carrots and 2 apples with a bit of olive oil and salt. I sauteed 2 pieces of celery and an onion along with about a tablespoon of shredded ginger. This was all added to around 4 cups of veggie broth and cooked for a while. After it cooled for a bit, I put it all in a blender and it turned out really good! On the side is a Gluten free roll that I found in the frozen food section. Four come in a pack and they have a great flavor, lots of seeds, and the texture is not any different from any other frozen roll we have ever bought.

Polenta Stuffing

2011-02-03T19:48:00.000+01:00

This is definitely on the menu for Thanksgiving this year! It is from Appetite for Reduction and is really good. Polenta is cooked and cooled flat so that it can be cut into squares. It is then cooked with an onion, celery, garlic, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. It tastes so much like the traditional stuffing my mom used to make!

Salsa Scramble

2011-02-03T19:42:00.000+01:00

Tofu sauteed in olive oil with nutitional yeast, oat milk, yellow mustard, salt and pepper.

Potatoes roasted with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

Roasted veggie and salsa.

Tortilla chips.

A fantastic breakfast!

Herb-Roasted Cauliflower & Bread Crumbs with Salad

2011-02-03T19:37:00.000+01:00

Continuing on with our salad kick...The cauliflower is chopped, coated with seasonings and bread crumbs, and then baked. The recipe is from Appetite for Reduction and in the recipe it suggests tossing the cauliflower into a salad. To the lettuce I added red pepper, zucchini, carrot shavings, and pumpkin seeds. The dressing is the following added to a blender and blended until smooth: a shallot, red wine, agave, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. The salad reminded me of a healthier version of panzanella because of the breadcrumbs on the cauliflower.

Braised Cabbage with Seitan

2011-01-22T22:59:00.000+01:00

John bought a huge head of cabbage that we have been slowly working our way through, we had leftover seitan from a stew recipe earlier in the week and leftover brown rice. So, this came together really quickly. We were out of garlic so I sprinkled garlic powder and onion soup in for flavor. The recipe is from Appetite for Reduction (Big suprise! I have been making something from it almost everyday since I brought it home).

Portobello Pepper Steak Stew

2011-01-22T22:45:00.000+01:00

I am working my way through the recipes in Appetite for Reduction and have not been disappointed with one so far. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants more veggies in their diet, no (or less depending on who you are!) meat, and lots of low-fat nutrition.

As for this recipe, it will be made again...many times! We dumped the stew over crusty ciabatta rolls. The flavor of red wine, fennel seeds, and portobello mushrooms was mouthwatering.

Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale with Chili-Lime Rubbed Tofu

2011-01-22T22:36:00.000+01:00

The tofu was great. The concept of "rubbing" the spices on saves the time of marinating. The mushrooms and kale were very tastey also. Both recipes are from Appetite for Reduction and there is a nutritional bit about kale that states it provides around 10% of our daily requirement in one cup. Because kale shrinks down so much, it is easy to eat 4 or 5 cups in a meal.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu

2011-01-22T22:21:00.001+01:00

So. Good. Another score from Appetite for Reduction. The salad is topped with a Peanut-Mint Gremolata that is heavenly. The dressing is sweet and spicy with soy and lime flavors. A combination of tofu, lettuce, vermicelli noodles, veggies, and mint made this salad such a satisfying meal.

Chickpea and Chorizo Style Soup

2011-01-22T22:13:00.001+01:00

When we were in London in December we went to an Animal Rights Fair. Heather Mills was there selling her cookbook, Love Bites, so I bought an autographed copy (all profit goes to charity). The first recipe I followed from it was this really delicious soup. Coconut oil is used in most of the recipes and I love the subtle addition of the flavor. The ingredients for the soup are tomatoes, chorizo style sausage (I made this recipe), onion, garlic, celery, kale, chickpeas, veggie stock, salt and pepper. It all cooks into a really flavorful and filling soup. Half of it is blended in a food processor for a bulkier base.

Many of the recipes call for a specific brand of meat substitute, one I think Heather Mills was a part of creating. Because I do not have access to the brand, I will figure substitutions out. The cookbook is full of curries, salads, soups, dumplings, tarts, and really simple recipes.

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma

2011-01-22T21:54:00.000+01:00

This curry recipe is very basic (flavored with curry powder, garlic, ginger, and other spices) but pleasantly a low-fat version from Appetite for Reduction. We served it with Basmati Rice. The cook book says active time is 20 minutes and total time is 30. It took the full 20 prep minutes just to wash and chop all the veggies. So again, these times are not realistic for us! But, I still say the recipes are worth the extra few minutes they take us.

Hodge-podge meals this week...

2011-01-22T19:41:00.001+01:00

I have been in a slump so cooking has been very simple recently. John and I pooled our energy one night to make roasted veggies, tofu, and sauteed cabbage.

The veggies were coated in a mixutre of white wine, dijon mustard, oregano, and pepper and then (over)roasted. The green beans shriveled up a bit too much!

The tofu was cooked on the stove with olive oil and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

The cabbage was cut into shreds and cooked on the stove with an onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

This is quinoa salad with sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives. The dressing is a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

And we had this for breakfast one morning. A tofu scramble consisting of red peppers, broccoli, spinach, garlic and a splash of soy. The potatoes are diced sweet potatoes roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chipotle Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

2011-01-09T10:01:00.000+01:00

When I was in the U.S. recently, I bought two cans of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce because they are awesome, so many recipes I have call for them, and they are nowhere to be found in Denmark.

This was the first recipe, from Appetite for Reduction, that I cracked a can for and it was fantastic! It recomfirmed my love for the peppers and the sauce. Smokey, spicey, and stores well in the freezer because you will never use the entire can in one recipe.

I must say, I continue to love each recipe that I make from this cookbook but I am ready to acknowledge that the time estimates are not reasonable for me. This chili said that it should take 20 minutes to prepare but it took me significantly longer. Washing and/or chopping, dicing, or slicing an onion, 4 garlic cloves, chipotle peppers, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts was well over the 20 minute mark for me! And that didn't include the measuring and adding of the other ingredients. With that said, I am not bothered by the extra time, it is just worth noting to others that might expect something this delicious in an overly impressive amount of time!

Baked Falafel and Black Bean Hummus

2011-01-09T09:31:00.001+01:00

John had a "guys night in" and I was recruited to make snacks. I kept it simple with chips, salsa, and homemade guacamole. Then I added a bit of complexity by making Baked Falafel from Appetite for Reduction, Black Bean Hummus from this recipe, and Whole Wheat pita bread from this recipe.

The falafel (gluten- and soy-free) had a nice flavor but due to the lack of oil, it was a little dry. I also started with dried chickpeas, soaked and boiled them. I feel like this is a cost-effective technique for salads and things that use the chickpeas whole. But, for a recipe requiring the chickpeas to be creamy, canned seems to work better for me. For a low fat version, I give it a thumbs up. If you are expecting greasy, crisp falafel, find a different recipe!

The Black Bean Hummus was a little bland. I am not sure what it needed, but I will find a different recipe next time.

I have only positive things to say about the pita! I can't imagine ever buying pita again knowing how easy it is to make.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad

2011-01-09T09:11:00.000+01:00

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this salad! Both John and I want to reduce our portion sizes this year and eat more salads. And, this is going to be easy and delicious now that we own Appetite for Reduction! There is an entire section dedicated to salads that are complete meals on their own, or could have tofu or a side veggie added, if you are really hungry or serving it to guests.

My favorite part of this salad is the sliced pieces of a Nori sheet. Combined with rice, edamame, veggies, and a homemade Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette, it is like eating an open faced sushi roll and getting salad greens at the same time!

The salad is also completely gluten-free.

Bhutanese Pineapple Rice with Red Thai Tofu

2011-01-09T08:44:00.000+01:00

Both recipes are from Appetite for Reduction and both are delish! When I make each of them again it won't be together. They both use basically the same spices and flavors: garlic, ginger, red curry paste, etc. The green beans are simply roasted with salt and pepper and a light spray of olive oil.

I have been cooking many recipes from this cookbook and none have failed me so far. I have noticed a significant difference in the amount of oil that remains in the bottle since I brought the book home. One of my goals for this year with cooking was to reduce our use of oil...check!

Christmas Presents for the Vegans in Your Life

2011-01-02T21:41:00.004+01:00

For Christmas, my adorable sister-in-law, Terra and my brother, Craig bought us the cookbook Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. We LOVE it! So far, I have made three recipes but can't wait to try them all. The ingredients lists are short and simple, but packed with flavor. Nutritional information is included with each recipe. And, a majority are soy and gluten free, or give alterations to make them such.

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad ( because you could eat this EVERYDAY and never get tired of it!!!)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Lotsa Veggie Lentil Soup

And, they also bought us a milk frother! So, John made Oat Milk Lattes today.

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-02T20:57:00.000+01:00


John, me, Sarah, Thea, Morten

We celebrated New Year's Eve with our neighbors, Thea and Morten. Thea made the BEST vegan meal! Her and Morten are not vegan so it was incredibly thoughtful and considerate that she made everything vegan! Not to mention, delicious!

For dessert, vegan Cream Cheese brownies and Baked Apples. Happy New Year!!!

Vegan Travel Highlights: Florida

2011-01-02T20:30:00.001+01:00

I lived in Florida for 3 years but was not a vegan during that time. So, we did a lot of planning before we left. We started in Orlando and attending the wedding of one of my absolute favorite friends, Debbie. Her and her family are not vegan or vegetarian but are very open to the fact that I am and they do not take my dietary choices personally. So, I had fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, lots of salad, and roasted veggies and tofu for dinner.

We then drove down to the Florida Keys and stayed on Key West for four nights. For breakfast, we ate at a cute place called Help Yourself. They had great wraps, including a tempeh breakfast wrap and vegan french toast along with salads and curries.

They also had a section of ingredients available for purchase. And, these little raw, chocolate coconut bites! We managed to get through two containers in our 5 days there!

Our favorite dinner spot is called The Cafe. We ate there three nights in a row! Here was our meal one night: Stuffed Peppers and Seitan Sandwich with bean salad.

We left the Keys and drove to Central Florida where John's mom and step father live just in time for Christmas. They are over 90% vegan so we had an amazing vegan Christmas dinner together. The menu included Nut Loaf with Mushroom Gravy, Steamed Asparagus, Eggplant Tart, Sweet Potatoes, and Pumpkin Pie. I will link to the recipes when I get them from John's mom!

Vegan Travel Highlights: London

2011-01-02T19:55:00.000+01:00

I am finally home in Denmark after a month of traveling. London, Portland, Key West, and Central Florida were my destinations and ALL had yum vegan food to offer. Here are a few of the highlights!

London Restaurants:

Beatroot: Great lunch spot. You select a small or large box and they fill it completely full with delicious vegan salads, sides, and entrees. Cheap and very filling.

Rootmaster: Gourmet vegan food served on a street car. FUN! A bit on the pricey side but the service was excellent and the atmosphere was priceless!

Mildreds: Small restaurant but cozy and a huge menu with simple, comfort food or gourmet-feeling choices. Busy and slow service but awesome food.

Zilli Green: I think this place is owned by the same guy as Mildreds. We ate so much delicious vegan food while in London but I particularly remember this meal. Sure, it could be the cheesecake! But everything was just so good.

Saf Restaurant: Sunday roasts are a big deal in London and this place offers one vegan style. We had brunch here and started with the Raw Vegan Cheese plate. Amazing. We also had an excruciatingly expensive almond milk shake. Good but not $9 good.

Ms. Cupcake: We seriously chased this lady down! She doesn't have an actual store; instead she sells at other stores or markets. We found her at an animal rights fair. Really, really good cupcakes and a huge variety of flavors!

We also went to the Borough Market. Really cool place to walk around...and EAT!

Soup (can't remember the name of the stand but they had a dozen soups to choose from and the ingredients were very clearly displayed...lots were vegan.)

The Veggie Table: Heavenly vegan burger!

And finally, worth mentioning but the photo didn't turn out: Vitao. Vegan and raw buffet.

London is vegan paradise for eating out. Such an awesome city!

Vegan Travel: Easier than you think

2010-12-16T00:35:00.004+01:00

With all the drama involved in traveling today: long lines, pat downs, dwindling leg room, worrying about food is the last thing any vegan wants to deal with when on vacation.

Whether you are traveling domestically or internationally, the key to successful vegan travel is planning ahead. Recently I spoke with two travel agents who shared helpful suggestions for how vegans can prepare for a trip and manage hurdles along the way.

Lisa Foster, owner of Boring, OR-based LT Travel, and Donna Zeigfinger, owner of Green Earth Travel, based in Cabin John, MD, recently shared helpful suggestions for vegans planning a domestic or international trip.

The two travel experts say that putting in the time to research your destination before you leave will make all the difference.

Snacks are essential: Zeigfinger says to bring a sandwich, nuts, dried berries, and yes, even chips. It is better to purchase these items ahead of time when you have control of the selection. But she warns to be careful with fresh fruits and vegetables that may go bad or not be allowed depending on where you are traveling.

If you are flying to your destination, “contact your travel agent or the airline to establish if a meal will be served,” Foster says. Most flights under four hours don’t include a meal but allow you to bring certain food items on board. But keep in mind that airlines are becoming more strict regarding the weight of bags, both checked and carry on.

Most overseas flights do serve meals and the airport code VGML (strict vegetarian) is appropriate for vegans. Zeigfinger also says to reconfirm your meal status 24 hours before the flight to ensure that your meal will be on board.

Foster recommends bringing an icepack and lunch sack if you do have perishable items. No liquids over 3 oz are allowed through airport security. However, you can bring an empty water bottle – 12 oz or better – and fill it up once you clear the check point.

Zeigfinger says, “Recommendations are the best.” Contact local vegetarian societies, buy travel guides, go to websites to learn about the country, see what their cultures are and how they eat.

You can get a free vegan language guide here.

After you make your hotel reservations, contact the chef or concierge and tell them what you can and cannot eat. Ask if they know of a vegan restaurant near the hotel, or a health food store that offers vegan options.

Foster says, “Make a list of where you can shop and eat at your destination.” Do your research before you leave to save yourself time and discomfort when you arrive. “Not everyone knows what it means to be a vegan,” she adds. Communicating your dietary needs can be tough, so she suggests buying a Vegan Passport. It identifies in 73 different languages what a vegan can and cannot eat. This makes ordering food at a restaurant very easy because the Vegan Passport also asks politely if the restaurant can accommodate a vegan diner.

Both experts say that in big cities, vegans will not have as many issues. But, in smaller cities, Zeigfinger suggest sticking with side dishes, salads, and fruits.

“It should really not be a problem,” Zeigfinger says. She also recommends two websites that will help you locate restaurants in cities where you are staying: http://www.happycow.org/ and http://www.vegdining.com/.

“Food should never keep someone from traveling,” Zeigfinger says. “It is only fuel to get us there and to keep us going. In the techno days we have now it is so much easier to eat and travel as a vegan.”

Vegan MoFo: Z is for Zucchini in London

2010-12-01T22:28:00.000+01:00

At last, my final post for Vegan MoFo! I had a fanastic time finding new recipes for each letter of the alphabet, but it really did wear me down. So, I am excited for December because I will be traveling the entire month and plan to post about all the interesting vegan restaurants I find along my way...while also enjoying a break from cooking!

Currently, we are in London on vacation and we ate dinner at a really good Chinese/Thai Vegetarian buffet and they had roasted zucchini as an option.

Here is another picture of a successful trip to the buffet.

And, here is a picture of the restaurant. It is called Cai Cafe. We found it on the Happy Cow website.

Vegan MoFo: Y is for Yogurt Cake

2010-11-29T22:30:00.000+01:00

I have to be honest...I had zero energy to cook and/or bake tonight! But, with 2 letters and 2 days remaining in November, I decided not to push it. So, I found this recipe but did not have the lemon zest. Instead, I had fresh oranges that supplied orange zest and juice. I thought the addition of semolina was interesting. And it is no lie that this cake smells terrific while baking!

The texture of the cake was really nice. There was a thin, crisp layer to the top and edges, while the inside was extremely moist, fluffy and a bit grainy but in a very appealing way! I enjoyed the orange flavor (I also used walnuts instead of almonds) but I will also try it again with lemon someday.

Vegan MoFo: X is for Xoriatiki (Greek Village Salad)

2010-11-28T21:18:00.000+01:00

X is a tricky one! But, this salad was fantastic. I made another batch of vegan feta and topped the salad with zucchini and orange pepper instead of cucumber and tomatoes.

Vegan MoFo: W is for Walnut and Mushroom Pâté

2010-11-28T21:07:00.000+01:00

I have never eaten non-vegan pâté and am not a huge fan of the vegan versions I have had in restaurants. But, this sounded really good and I knew that even if I didn't like it, John would. As it turns out, we both loved it and ate the entire bowl with a loaf of bread!

Here is the recipe.

Vegan MoFo: V is for Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip

2010-11-28T20:57:00.000+01:00

The recipe is from Veganomicon and made an excellent lunch. I followed this seitan recipe. Instead of cucumbers, we added zucchini slices.

I also substituted mayo with leftover sauce from the Kibbeh we had on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-26T17:53:00.000+01:00

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving with delicious food, fun friends, and lots of wine.

To start, I made Pumpkin Hummus and toasted pita bread. The hummus was my attempt to make the version I had in Thailand earlier this year. It included: chickpeas, pumpkin, tahini, salt, garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and green onions. I chopped up pita bread that I made earlier this week and toasted it in the oven for a few minutes. The hummus has potential but I think I will experiment a bit more before I call it a success.

Next, I made Onion Soup Gratinéed with Cream-Truffle Mashed Potatoes.

I also made a Kibbeh with Apples, Walnuts, and Fake Feta cheese. The recipe is in a magazine from a grocery store I used to shop at in Eugene, Oregon. It is vegetarian but easily made vegan. For the feta, I followed this recipe.

Joy made two salads that were fantastic. One consisted of couscous, apples, raisins, and almonds. The other was kale and shredded beets. If we are lucky, maybe she will post the recipes in the comments section for all of us to enjoy :-)

And finally, for dessert! Hannes made a yummie Apple Crisp and I made Sweet Potato Blondies.

And, here are the place mats and napkins that I made to decorate the table. I found nice quality fabric remnants at IKEA and put them to use.

Vegan MoFo: U is for Udon Noodle Stir Fry

2010-11-26T17:05:00.001+01:00

John made dinner tonight because I was busy making placemats for the Thanksgiving table.

My original plan was to make homemade Udon noodles but I bought a pre-cooked package over the weekend as backup. They were a lifesaver!

John mixed the leftover Thai Peanut-Burgers, crumbled, and peanut sauce from last night's dinner, into the pasta along with zucchini, carrot, onion, and orange pepper.

Vegan MoFo: T is for Thai Peanut-Burger Wraps

2010-11-23T20:11:00.004+01:00

Here is a link to the recipe posted by another blogger. I forgot to put the cilantro in the burgers so we just stuffed it in the pita with the lettuce.

The burgers were so good. Lots of flavor, good texture, and the recipe says that it makes 4 large burgers but I ended up with a dozen!

I did not follow the recipe for the spicy peanut sauce. Instead, I mixed equal parts of soy, agave, and peanut butter.

I made a batch of pitas. I am telling you! Homemade pita bread is mouthwatering!

Vegan MoFo: S is for Soup

2010-11-23T17:33:00.001+01:00

I can't recall ever having tasted Split Pea soup, so I figured it would be a nice effort for S.

I made the vital error of waiting until the night I was going to make my soup to send John to the grocery store to get split peas. First of all, the store didn't have them. Second, they would have taken hours to cook and this was all going on around 6pm. So, the soup took a dramatic turn and changed from Split Pea and Tomato Soup with Spinach (from the Vegan Italiano cookbook) to Frozen Pea and Tomato Soup without Spinach (John made the soup and forgot to put the spinach in!!!)

At any rate, the soup was so delicious. It is a winter wonderland here in Denmark right now, so hot soup is very comforting. The soup consisted of a basic broth, the usual veggies (celery, carrot, onion, tomatoes), garlic and spices, and tiny elbow macaroni pasta. One cup of chopped spinach is supposed to go in shortly before it is served, but if you forget, the soup is still wonderful!

Vegan MoFo: R is for Raspberry Sorbetto

2010-11-23T17:29:00.000+01:00

Another hit from Vegan Italiano! The recipe is actually for Cherry Sorbetto, but I had frozen raspberries and a desire to fulfil my R duty.

Very simple ingredients: water, sugar, orange juice, vanilla and almond extract, and frozen raspberries.

No icecream maker required. I froze the blended mixture and poured it into ice cube trays to freeze. Then, into the blender and voila! Tangy, sweety, fruity sorbetto.

Vegan MoFo: Q is for Quiche

2010-11-21T13:39:00.001+01:00

I have made quiches before, but this quiche is the king of quiches. It took me an hour and 45 minutes to prepare, contains pricey and unique ingredients, and packed so many flavors in that I figured today was the perfect day to spend making it.

While I was preparing the crust I was thinking, there are easier crust recipes out there. But, it really was worth the effort. I love the addition of flax seeds and chickpea flour. I used dried herbs instead of fresh.

For the sauteed filling, I used half a red and half a yellow pepper. And for the blended part, I used cornstartch instead of arrowroot, sesame parm, and one slice of Tofutti Mozzerella style cheese.

The crust got a bit too dark while baking but the center took longer to get firm than the 40 minute recommended bake time. It didn't taste burned though!

All in all, I would make this again for a brunch or other special occasion but probably not just for John and myself. Also, the 1 TBSP of red pepper flakes is too much for our liking; next time I will use a teaspoon. And finally, John tried to eat one of the baked lemons. This is not recommended!

Vegan MoFo: P is for Pomegranate Pancakes

2010-11-20T23:01:00.000+01:00

I had pomegranate seeds leftover from the Kiwi Salsa that I made earlier this week. The recipe for the syrup calls for juice, so I put them in the blender and strained the inner seeds from the juice.

The pancake recipe is from Vegan Brunch. It is very cinnamon-y! John made the pancakes silver dollar style.

I made the Pomegranate Syrup from this recipe.

It was good but not great. And, after sitting for a while, it got thick and sticky. It reminded me of jam and I thought of making it again and spreading it on bread.

Vegan MoFo: O is for Onion Soup Gratinéed with Cream-Truffle Mashed Potatoes

2010-11-20T22:23:00.000+01:00

My new favorite soup...in my new heart-shaped ramekins. Here is the recipe.

Vegan MoFo: N is for Not-tella

2010-11-18T19:39:00.000+01:00

The Danes love chocolate and bread. Although Nutella is popular here, more traditionally they have thin sheets of chocolate that they lay on slices of bread and eat for breakfast.

Unfortunately, Nutella contains milk. But, this easy recipe solves that!

Vegan MoFo: M is for Mac Daddy and Peas

2010-11-18T18:14:00.000+01:00

This has been a very stressful week at work. 3,000 people were laid off at the company both John and I work for (fortunately, neither of us!) and this has caused me to feel emotionally exhausted. Nothing like a little comfort food to cheer me up!

This vegan version of Mac and Cheese is awesome. I did not have regular tofu, so I used olive and tomato flavored. It added a nice flavor. I also sprinkled peas on the pasta before mixing in the sauce. Here is the recipe.

Vegan MoFo: L is for Lentil Tacos

2010-11-18T18:02:00.000+01:00

These tacos were made to accompany the kiwi salsa, with the help of our guest chefs!

I had leftover flour tortilla dough in the freezer that thawed in the fridge all day and was ready to go! John rolled the tortillas out and Kat fried them.

I followed this recipe for the Lentil Tacos. I liked the fact that it had a variety of veggies included. I substituted the refried beans with black beans. I also didn't use a substitute for the cheese. The kiwi salsa was enough.

I was not in the mood to chop all the veggies, so I gave them a whirl in the food processor and saved a load of time!

Vegan MoFo: K is for Kiwi Salsa

2010-11-18T17:43:00.000+01:00

I love having people over for dinner because they always want to help out in the kitchen. And, it usually ends up that they make a significant portion of the meal! I think it is brilliant. So tonight's guest chefs: friends (that I happen to work with) Kat and Frud.

Frud made the kiwi salsa. Strangely enough, we put a small portion of an extremely hot jalapeño pepper in, but the salsa did not have any spice to it. It was a bit bland except for the sweet burst of pomegranate seeds. Next time, I will add a splash of hot sauce instead of the jalapeño pepper to ensure a bit of heat.
Here is the recipe. I would like to make it again and experiment with the flavors. I love the concept of it.

Here are the chefs, hard at work.

Vegan MoFo: J is for Jelly Donut Cupcake

2010-11-15T20:51:00.001+01:00

I had such high hopes for this recipe, but I was sadly disappointed. First, as you can see in the picture, my jelly did not "sink to the center" of the cupcakes. Second, I was not impressed with the flavor of strawberry jelly I bought. And third, although the cupcake was really delicious, I just didn't taste jelly donut.

At any rate, here is the recipe.

My lovely husband did comment that even my worst cupcake is delicious. :-)

Here is a picture before they were baked.

Vegan MoFo: I is for Imam Baildi

2010-11-15T20:45:00.000+01:00

I googled "foods that start with i" and found something called Imam Baildi. It is eggplant, fried, then stuffed with tomatoes, onions, and garlic and baked. Sold.

Here is the recipe I followed.

I also made Jasmine Rice from this fantastic recipe.

Vegan MoFo: H is for Hash

2010-11-14T20:40:00.000+01:00

John and I like the show Weeds and this season Nancy has been making hash although a much different variety than the Spicy Sweet Potato Hash I made for breakfast today! I also made Pan Seared Breakfast Mushrooms.

Both recipes are from Vegan Planet. For the hash, besides the sweet potatoes there is onion, red pepper, burger crumbles (seasoned with chili powder and crushed garlic), cayenne, and salt and pepper. Very simple but both sweet and spicy.

The mushrooms are pan fried with a tablespoon of each, olive oil, soy sauce and agave. I was very unsure of them while they were cooking. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of sweetener. One is plenty for my taste. Although I won't make them again, they were a nice compliment to the hash.

Vegan MoFo: G is for Gas Station Pies

2010-11-14T20:23:00.000+01:00

I have always loved the idea of this recipe! It is a vegan (and actually good!) version of Hostess Fruit Pies.

The recipe is in the cookbook The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes. It calls for apples but I chose to used mixed berries instead. The crust was so delicate and buttery, but not at all greasy. I did not have a brush to apply the glazing so I ended up using the back of a spoon. Not as smooth and pretty, but these pies were eaten so quickly, no one noticed! Heaven.

Vegan MoFo: F is for Fattoush

2010-11-14T19:49:00.000+01:00

Fattoush is to the Lebanese what Panzanella is to the Italians.

Plus, it was an excuse to make homemade pita bread! Here is the recipe I followed. Very easy, less expensive, and such a fresh flavor. I thought I couldn't top homemade flour tortillas, but these pitas have now stepped into the number one spot of "make it yourself" fantasticness.

I found the salad recipe in Vegan Planet. The dressing is a simple combo of garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt and cayenne.

For the veggies: zucchini (recipe calls for cucumber but I am highly allergic), tomatoes, yellow pepper, red onion, lettuce.

And the extras: chickpeas, fresh parsley and mint, and kalamata olives.

I chopped up 2 of the pitas for the salad and we ate 4 plain! I think I will make hummus this week for the 2 leftover.

Vegan MoFo: E is for Empanadas

2010-11-14T08:58:00.001+01:00

Wow, I can't believe how far behind on my goal I have slipped. But, I have nutritious and delicious plans for the week to catch me up...starting with Black Bean and Banana Empanadas.

Here is the crust recipe that I used. It was easy to prepare and sat in the fridge while I made the filling.

For the filling, I followed this recipe. I didn't have ground coriander so I ground a sprinkle of fennel seeds instead. I know it is a completely different flavor, but it worked. Also, I really wanted to use my new and super cute mortar and pestle. I found it in Hamburg. I also added half a cup of thawed spinach which we really enjoyed.

And, a little avocado salad on the side consisting of chopped avocado, tomato, salt, and a splash of lemon juice.

I have wanted one of these since my trip to Thailand where we used it to make curry paste. :-)

Vegan MoFo: D is for Devil's Food Cupcakes

2010-11-04T20:28:00.000+01:00

Today is John's birthday so I used my letter d to make him birthday cupcakes. I followed this recipe but did not make the filling part. I made cream cheese frosting from this recipe.

We are leaving tomorrow for Hamburg, Germany to spend a long weekend shopping and relaxing with friends and then we will see Jamie Lidell perform Monday night! So, I will have to pick back up with my alphabet postings when I return.

Vegan MoFo: C is for Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Casserole

2010-11-03T20:37:00.000+01:00

This recipe popped up on my blog roll a few days ago and I knew it was perfect for day three: C. It is from a blog called Easy as (Vegan) Pie. I made a basic crust instead of using puff pastry. The crust consisted of flour, vegan butter, salt, and water.

I was feeling very lazy and have a headache so I ran the cauliflower through the food processor instead of taking the time to chop it. I still roasted the tiny pieces and think it was a fantastic move. The flavor was still there but the texture was completely different. The cauliflower blended more with the tofu mixture than I think it would have if it was in bigger chunks.

I also used flavored tofu: one package olive, one package vegetable. And finally, no cheese substitute. I just sprinkled paprika on top before baking. So many wonderful flavors in this casserole!

I also made a salad that consisted of lettuce, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, veggie chicken nuggets, pumpkin seeds, and for the dressing, a splash of the olive oil that the sun dried tomatoes were soaking in and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Vegan MoFo: B is for Bagel Sandwiches

2010-11-02T21:31:00.001+01:00

I have always wanted to make the bagels from Vegan Brunch but never found the perfect excuse...until today! I didn't worry too much about the shape because I was so nervous about the dough. But, they came out so good and tasted exactly like bagels! I was worried they would just taste like round rolls of bread with a hole in the middle. Fortunately, that was not the case.

I roasted some tomato flavored tofu and added lettuce, fresh tomato, and dijon mustard to make bagel sandwiches.

I also made some pumpkin, quinoa and veggie soup. I followed this recipe from the Fat Free Vegan blog. I did not add the lentils though. For the veggies, I included the fresh version of the following: carrot, celery, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, and green onions.

Vegan MoFo: A is for Apple-Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars

2010-11-01T21:50:00.004+01:00

My peanut butter mixture did not "drizzle" the way the recipe describes that it should. But seriously, who cares! These bars are fantastic.

Saffron Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2010-11-01T21:46:00.001+01:00

A is also for Arborio rice! I made risotto tonight which is so much easier than I ever imagine it could be. A diced onion is sauteed in olive oil until translucent. Add 1/2 cup arborio rice, 1/4 cup dry white wine, a pinch of saffron, a dash of salt and pepper and 1/2 cup veggie broth. Stir and cook until the broth is absorbed and add additional 1/2 cup increments of broth, stir until absorbed, totaling 2 cups.

I also roasted a batch of brussels sprouts. They are washed, the stem is cut off and they are chopped in half. In a casserole dish, add a splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and roast until crispy. This is our absolute, no questions asked, favorite vegetable.

Mini Broccoli Quiches

2010-10-31T20:27:00.000+01:00

We had brunch this weekend with our friends Hannes and Joy. They made fantastic Blueberry and Banana pancakes from the cookbook How it all Vegan and served fresh fruit. We made spicy roasted potatoes and broccoli quiche.

I do not have a pie dish so I made the quiche in a square casserole dish. It was fine, but more shallow than it would normally be. Therefore, I had a lot of leftover broccoli/tofu mixture. So, this morning I made mini quiches.

Pumpkin and Wild Mushroom Lasagna

2010-10-31T20:04:00.002+01:00

The original recipe, from Vegan Planet, calls for butternut squash, not pumpkin. But, because it is Halloween and I was able to find pumpkin and not squash, I thought it would be a very creative and delicious swap. It was!

Here is the recipe. The tofu that I used had basil in it and I left out the vegan mozzarella completely. I used 2 cups of fresh, white mushrooms and 1 cup of a re-hydrated blend of wild mushrooms.

It seemed that there was too much of the tofu blend when I was assembling the dish, but after it baked I was not disappointed. We dug in before it had sufficient time to cool so the pieces didn't come out so beautifully!

November is Vegan Month of Food

2010-10-31T16:02:00.000+01:00

I am going to participate in this fun project called Vegan MoFo: Vegan Month of Food. For the entire month of November, my goal is to make something new for each letter of the alphabet (this idea was stolen from the Vicki Vegan blog site! Thanks Vicki!)

So, stay tuned for 26 new and hopefully fabulous recipes, beginning tomorrow!

And, check out the website behind this fantastic concept here.

Chilean Corn and Un-Turkey Chowder

2010-10-31T08:41:00.005+01:00

Holidays are my favorite excuse to make elaborate, often expensive, and always gourmet meals that take days to plan and prepare. So, with Thanksgiving only 26 days away, I have already begun the search for the perfect meal!

When I was growing up, holidays were a big deal in my family. We would gather, eat the traditional foods, play games, eat more, and basically spend the day together catching up. Because John and I live so far away from both our families and rarely make the trip back during any of these peak days, friends are crucial to the plan. This year: Hannes and Joy!!!

Anyway, I found this recipe while re-reading the Vegetarian Times Nov/Dec2008 issue. The timing was just right because Joy wanted to make a batch of baked seitan (from this recipe!!!) and seitan was the perfect "un-turkey" for the chowder. Additionally, an important lesson was learned: Gluten flour is NOT the same as Vital Wheat Gluten and will NOT make seitan!

I ran out of veggie broth but substituted water with a few herbs sprinkled in. I used dried thyme instead of fresh and added a carrot and spinach but left out the avocado and cilantro.

The chowder was very hearty and creamy and rich. The flavor of lime was strong, in a good way!

Tofu Tikka Masala with Red Rice

2010-10-31T07:58:00.012+01:00

During one of my latest trips to the Asian Market, I found a jar of Tikka paste and set my sights on Tikka Masala! Tikka means chunks of; masala means a mixture of spices.

There is a speedy recipe on the jar that calls for 500 grams of chicken, but tofu was the perfect vegan substitute. The tofu is marinated in the following for 2 hours: 4 TBSP Tikka paste, 1 TBSP soy yogurt, 2 TBSP vegan butter.

After marinating, pour the tofu and sauce into a pan, add veggies and cook to the desired vegetable consistency.

While I was in Thailand in August of this year, my absolute favorite Thai meal was served with red rice. I was extremely excited to find red rice in Denmark.

Breakfast Burritos

2010-10-23T21:17:00.007+02:00

We ran into friends, Joy and Hannes today. Vegetarian, fans of Portland, stellar taste in music...all around our kind of people! The topic of brunch came up and made me so hungry for something brunch-like, such as breakfast burritos.

Actually, more like tacos. But, our intention was to make burritos! We didn't realize how tiny our tortillas were when we were rolling them out and cooking them but when it came time to fill them, it became very obvious! We also spent very little time worrying about making them perfect circles. Because this recipe is so fantastic, it has been easy to stick to my guns and not buy tortillas.

The burrito buffet included: roasted potatoes; tofu (pressed, then sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with sesame parm); roasted veggies: carrots, red pepper, zucchini, red onion, and mushrooms; sauteed spinach and garlic (which I mixed with the roasted veggies after it was finished cooking); black beans mixed with salsa; fresh tomatoes and Sheese Mexican Style spread (great on tacos or other things with various flavors but too strong to eat on its own or as a dip).

Chickpea and Potato Soup

2010-10-23T21:10:00.003+02:00

So simple but so much flavor! Here is the recipe.

On the side, Poppin' Popovers from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes.

Braised Seitan with Brussels and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2010-10-23T20:44:00.006+02:00

The recipe, along with the recipe for the seitan, are from Veganomicon. It calls for kale but due to the fact that we couldn't find kale at the store, we left it out. There was discussion about substituting spinach, it just didn't happen. I made the seitan the day before. Here is a link to the actual pages from the cookbook, also including the recipe for chickpea cutlets (best. things. ever.) I love this seitan recipe because it is very easy and unlike the recipe for Simple Seitan, the cutlets bake, not boil.

We spooned it all over rice and really enjoyed the flavors of the sun-dried tomatoes, wine, brussels, shallots, and everything else! Easy and delicious.

Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Stew with Chickpeas

2010-10-23T20:39:00.006+02:00

I swear I have made this recipe before but I can't find it on my blog anywhere! So, here it is again. I made it for dinner tonight and John brought home a loaf of fresh bread. The recipe, from Veganomicon, says to serve it with polenta. I opted for bread because I thought polenta would be too much food! Everyone (including me) has been talking about eating less and slimming down lately.

Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

2010-10-10T18:09:00.009+02:00

I had such a craving for pizza today. When I was young, we would order pizza almost every week. I don't feel guilty about eating this pizza though! I used spelt flour for the crust and loaded a ton of veggies including yellow peppers, red onion, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes. I used a boxed tomato sauce and made a batch of Seitan Chorizo Crumbles. I also added black olives.

And finally, I added a few slices of this cheese alternative, broken up into bits and spread out over the crust. It melted and added a really nice, tangy flavor.

Cholent

2010-10-05T19:47:00.003+02:00

Yet another excuse to use my newly acquired TVP, this recipe is from Veganomicon. Great flavor and extremely filing. Also, lots of leftovers.

I made a batch of homemade crackers seasoned with nutritional yeast and topped with poppy seeds. It was a perfect addition to the meal.

Meaty Burgers and White Bean Salad

2010-10-05T19:28:00.004+02:00

I finally found TVP here in Denmark so I was able to try this recipe from the blog, Your Vegan Mom. The burgers were chewy, like seitan, but the chunks of TVP made some bites spongy. I really liked the texture compared to some of the softer, pastey consistency bean burgers I have made in the past.

I made the buns from this recipe. They are so easy to make yet John still gives me a strange look for making hamburger buns. "Normal people just buy buns." Whatever.

Also from the Vegan Mom blog, I made Teriyaki sauce to top the burgers with. So freaking good!

And finally, I had cooked white beans that needed a nice recipe and this one fit the bill. I also added diced sun dried tomatoes.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Potpie with Black Olive Crust

2010-10-05T18:40:00.008+02:00

Good cook, bad blogger. I have been busy with work lately and making a lot of old favorites. This was a new one though from Veganomicon. John's first reaction, nicely done. We then proceeded to eat the entire casserole in one sitting! Here is the recipe.

Roasted Veggie Chili and Corn Muffins

2010-09-06T19:26:00.004+02:00

I have made the chili and corn bread recipes in the past. This time, I added a large batch of roasted veggies to the chili, including red and green peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and eggplant. I only used black beans, no kidney. I also left of the TVP.

Yeasted Zucchini Pie with Herbed Pepita Cream Cheese Filling

2010-09-01T06:14:00.009+02:00

Today was my first day back to work in 15 months! There has been quite a bit of household tension when the topic of "sharing the household responsibilities" is brought up. This morning I got up early and made the crust for this lovely dish. It says to let it rise for an hour; mine was given about 11! I have always been big on planning our meals for the week in advance, and I know this trait is going to make dinner/life much easier as I get deeper into my new job. It is extremely important to me that we continue to thoroughly enjoy vegan meals with new and interesting recipes.

Here is the recipe that I followed. The author is not only a fantastic vegan cook; her photographs are equally as appealing as her recipes!

I used regular tofu, not smoked and soy sauce instead of miso. For the crust, I used spelt flour and my herbs consisted of the following: dried basil, oregano, and tarragon.

The flavor was fantastic but the filling never firmed up like I expected it to. Next time, a bit more chickpea flour. Also, it may have had something to do with my lack of pie pan (it broke in our latest move :-( ) I think the square casserole dish did the job just fine though!