Spinach and Mushroom Crepes

The latest addition of VegNews (such an excellent magazine!!!) has a recipe for Louie's Cannelloni, No Baloney! It looks so amazing and we are having a few people from John's work for dinner this week so I think it will be a hit. The problem, I can't find Cannelloni at the grocery store. I do find Manicotti but after a little research, although they are often confused, they are not the same. A little more research found that Cannelloni and Crepes are very similar. So, before I attempt this recipe for guests, I thought I would give vegan crepes a try to see if it was a possibility.
I followed this recipe simply because it was the first to show up on a Google search. It doesn't have egg substitutes and includes very common, simple ingredients. I used almond milk instead of soy. I also added about a tablespoon more water to the batter after 3 very thick crepes were finished. It helped so much! My biggest challenge was feeling like I was getting the batter thin enough in the pan. The recipe says it will produce 16 crepes. Mine made 6! I am not sure how it would be possible to get 16. But, I was extremely happy with the 6 that came out! The flavor was sweet, doughy, and melt-in-your-mouth fresh.
My friend Miriam left me some tiny tomatoes and basil before she left town so I thought it would be nice to create something for the crepes out of these ingredients. I started with olive oil and half a red onion. I added 2 large garlic cloves and 1 large Portobello mushroom chopped. I sliced the tomatoes in half and chopped the basil and added these along with salt and pepper and a handful of spinach. This sauteed on low while I made the crepes.
I sprinkled Sesame Parm inside the crepe before wrapping them up.
I feel confident in making the Cannelloni's now that I am comfortable making crepes!

Eggplant "Parmesan"

My friend Miriam gave me an eggplant before she left town and I desperately wanted to use the leftover Bechamel sauce from the Vegetable Pot Pie I made a few days ago. The recipe I followed took quite a while to put together but it was absolutely delicious and worth the time. I cut the eggplant slices as thin as I could possibly get them (much thinner than 1/4 inch as the recipe suggests). Instead of soy parm, I made a batch of Sesame Parm. The only adjustment I made to the tomato sauce was a double dose of garlic and a few whole, fresh basil leaves. And, I used the leftover bechamel sauce instead of making the cheese sauce. For the bread crumbs, I toasted 2 Ezekiel 4:9 Hot Dog Buns at 350 for about 25 minutes. I added the buns and 1/4 cup Sesame Parm to the food processor until it resembled bread crumbs!

"Chicken" Salad Sandwiches

I needed a favor from John during his lunch break, so I bribed him with tasty sandwiches! Safeway has this "English Muffin Bread" that is surprisingly vegan and so moist and delicious. The "chicken" is from the company "It's All Good", of which I am addicted. 4 slices come in a package, I used 2 packages and heated them in the microwave for 2 minutes per package. I used the exact same recipe that I used for the potato salad I made a few weeks ago but substituted chicken for the potatoes . I added avocados to the sandwiches and they were awesome.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Usually I am able to search for a recipe online and add a link to it (saving me the time of typing the recipe out!)but this recipe is from the latest addition of VegNews and I made it within the first few days of receiving the magazine in the mail. So, it seems others haven't posted it online yet. Maybe I am the first!
We had a small dinner party that included this Veggie Pot Pie and a delicious side salad full of fresh veggies. For dessert, I made another batch of Carrot Cake Cupcakes. It was all very delicious. The crust was flaky and because the potatoes were boiled ahead of time, they became soft and slightly mashed in the veggie mix. The rich, creamy Bechamel sauce made a huge batch so I have leftover for another dish sometime in the near future. Here is the recipe:
For the vegetable filling: 4 tsp coconut butter, 3 cups onion chopped, 1 1/3 cups carrots 1/4 inch diced, 2 cups mushrooms, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 1 tbsp salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 cup peas, 2 1/2 cups potatoes 1/4 inch diced and steamed for 15 minutes.

For the Bechamel sauce: 3/4 cup cashews, 3 cups water, 2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 6 tbsp coconut butter, 1/2 cup barley flour.

For the crust: 2 cups barley flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1 tsp salt, 6 tbsp coconut butter, 11 tbsp water.

1. Preheat oven to 375. For the veggie filling, in a large saute pan, melt coconut butter and add onion. Saute for 5 minutes. Add carrots and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add paprika, basil, marjoram, salt, and pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peas and steamed potatoes. Set aside.

2. For the Bechamel sauce, in a dry blender, grind cashews into a super fine powder. Add water, salt, mustard, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt coconut butter, then add barley flour. Cook for 3 minutes, until roux is bubbly and begins to brown. Stir in cashew cream mixture and cook 10 minutes, stirring regularly until thickened. Pour sauce over sauteed vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon into a 9x13 baking dish.

3. For the crust, in a large bowl using a fork, stir together the barley flour, tapioca flour, and salt. Blend coconut butter into flour mixture until it resembles a course meal. Slowly add water and stir very lightly. On a floured board, roll out crust into a 1/3 inch thick rectangle. Carefully cover vegetable and sauce mixture with crust, then slice 10 vent holes into the top of the crust. Bake for 40 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 for 10 additional minutes to brown the top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
(I didn't get a picture during the first serving so this picture is a leftover piece that has been microwaved! Still yummie but not as pretty.)

Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

A really quick version of a cinnamon roll but still with the soft gooey center! I have no idea how I got the recipe card originally but it is from a company called "Grandma's Kitchen" and it is dessert card 26. The recipe is also posted at recipezaar.com. It is not a vegan recipe but was easily converted. Instead of 2 cups all-purpose flour, I replaced one with barley flour. I used Safflower oil instead of vegetable and soy creamer instead of buttermilk. For the butter, I used Earth Balance and I did not pour milk over the biscuits after they were finished baking. I didn't think soggy biscuits sounded good, but maybe?!

Mixed Berry Pie

We are off to a BBQ today and I have a ton of berries left over from my trip to the Farmer's Market last Wednesday. I have had this recipe for a long time and although it only calls for blueberries, I am also adding strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It looks mouthwatering! I am also taking Creamy Vanilla Organic So Delicious to scoop on top! I made a few substitutions to the original recipe. Instead of salad oil, I used Safflower and instead of cornstarch, I used arrowroot.

Marinated "Chicken"

Another product from "It's All Good" and very versatile. This "chicken-like" protein marinates well in anything. I let it sit for a few hours in a mixture of garlic, ginger, olive oil, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, and garlic chile sauce. While this was marinating, I also let a can of artichokes marinated in a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. The chicken was baked in the oven and the artichokes were cooked in a skillet on the stove. When the artichokes were finished cooking, I tossed the spinach in same skillet and allowed it to absorb some of the same flavor.

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

I have made mushroom stroganoff in the past. Although I have no recollection of ever eating "real" stroganoff (beef?), this is a fantastic tasting meal. It was a different recipe from the one I followed last time, but I wanted to try this new one because of the vegan sour cream. It turned out very rich and creamy. I enjoyed it over rice versus noodles because, as I try to empty out our cupboards for our upcoming move, I realize we have a ton of rice! One the side is tofu that has been marinated in Gyoza sauce and garlic and baked in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes. The only thing missing....greens! I need to find a farmers market asap!

Mini Fruit Pizzas

We have a dinner party tonight and John signed us up to bring dessert. Of course, my first thought was cupcakes! But, there is a fantastic farmer's market on Wednesdays a block away from our apartment and the berries looked fantastic. (I also bought cherries and plums.) I decided to take a break (just a short break!) from cupcakes. I have made fruit pizza in the past, but one large. This time, I thought it would be cute to make little mini pizzas. The crust is a vegan sugar cookie recipe that is so delicious! The "sauce" is a mixture of 8 oz. vegan cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. I chose raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi for the toppings. Yummie!

Tofu Stir Fry

My friend Miriam was the lucky recipient of a friend's interesting collection of kitchen staples when he moved back to China. Lucky for me, she invited me over to create a meal using some of these ingredients. We were able to come up with a really delicious combination that included veggies and tofu stir fried and served over Chinese Black Rice.
We started with olive oil, some sort of hot, peppery oil (I will have to ask her more specifically what it was), diced ginger and garlic, and half a red onion. When the onion was translucent, we added 4 chopped green onions, a chopped carrot, and a few handfuls of dried mushrooms that had soaked in water and were chopped. I think they were shitake, maybe. After this cooked for a few minutes, we pour the thickest soy sauce I have ever seen over everything and stirred it together. It was dark soy sauce and was almost like a syrup. We tossed in cubed tofu and let it absorb some of the flavor. Meanwhile, we boiled water and cooked the Chinese Black Rice. It turns the water a purple-ish color while cooking and is so beautiful! The flavor was subtle, yet delicious but I think I would like to add a little rice wine vinegar next time for a sweet flavor. It was a good meal, and great company!

Lasagna Casserole

Based on random ingredients hanging out in my fridge and cupboards, this recipe came together really quickly. I started with garlic and half a diced onion sauteeing in olive oil. I added a package of Smart Ground burger crumbles. Next, a jar of Rising Moon Organics Garlic and Chantrelle Mushroom Pasta Sauce and a handful of freshly chopped cilantro. I let this simmer while I boiled the pasta. It was the mini lasagna style. Natural Value makes an organic version. When the pasta was finished boiling, I started with a layer of the pasta sauce, then a layer of the pasta, and finally a layer of Tofutti Soy Mozzarella Flavored Slices broken up into thirds. It took about 3 slices to make a complete layer. I repeated this and ended with a layer of the sauce. I then sprinkled a mixture of Panko Whole Wheat bread crumbs mixed with a bit of vegan butter, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and dried basil. After it was all put together, I let it sit for a while, waiting for John to come home from work. When we were ready to eat, I baked it for about 30 minutes on 350, long enough for the cheese to melt into a nice and gooey layer.

The Most Amazing Potato Salad

The title does not lie! I googled "vegan potato salad" and this was the second recipe option. I picked it because it did not have vegan mayonnaise in it. I do like Vegenaise on sandwiches and in dips but not as a main ingredient. Next time, I will double the tahini. It was perfectly creamy as soon as I finished but a few hours later, it wasn't as creamy!

Cookies and Burgers

We are heading to a BBQ today and, along with the potato salad, I made my favorite chocolate chip cookies. The potato salad seemed light and full of herbs, not calories, so I justified the treat! We are also taking Vegan burgers from Boca that grill nicely and some Vegan mozzarella cheese to melt (curl upward) on top. Should be tastey!

"It's All Good"

I am not a huge fan of processed foods but I really like this line of fake meats. The "Santa Fe Good Stuff" is basically a chicken-like substitute stuffed with beans and corn and a red sauce. Good flavor and heats up in under 2 minutes! The pasta is mixed with onion and garlic sauteed with olive oil and a handful of spinach and chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper. I added a bit of vegan butter toward the end to give it a rich, creamy taste.

Baby Broccoli

My latest veggie addiction is baby broccoli. Last night we paired it with Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Bread Crumbs. I have made this pasta recipe in the past but used pine nuts instead of almonds this time. The baby broccoli was washed, the ends were trimmed and it was cooked on the stove with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. My acupuncturist told me when eaten raw, it can prevent heartburn. Not so much though with red pepper flakes!

Olive Tapenade

I ate this entire bowl in a day and a half along with an entire loaf of Olive Ciabbatta bread!!! I had never been a fan of olives until we went to a friend's house for a BBQ and someone brought a container of olives. John basically forced me to eat one and I have been addicted ever since. Last time I was at Whole Foods, I went a bit crazy at the olive bar. I filled up one of their largest container with black, green, and kalamata olives. I added these olives to the food processor with about a third cup of sun dried tomatoes in oil, 5 cloves of garlic, a bunch of basil leaves, and a sprinkle of vegan sesame parmesan cheese. I pulsed this about 5 times and it was absolutely heaven.

Mexican Millet, Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu and Pesto Hummus

This was my first attempt at millet and I loved it! It is very delicious, light, slightly crunchy, and much more appetizing and less filling than rice. The recipe came from the Veganomicon Cookbook, easily becoming one of my favorites. The tofu is Chile Cornmeal-Crusted also from the same cookbook. I did not use the Old Bay Seasoning (the recipe in the cookbook also does not call for it). The hummus was what brought the meal together though! It seems like an unlikely match to the flavors of the other items in the meal but it actually was perfect with the tofu. I added to the food processor a can of garbanzo beans, a large bunch of basil, lots of olive oil and the surprise ingredient, Gyoza dipping sauce. The recipe that I started to follow but quickly strayed from called for soy sauce of which I did not have. I decided to give the Gyoza sauce a try and it was delicious. I didn't have to add any salt or additional seasonings to the mix.
The circular "rock like" item on the plate was my attempt at cheddar dill scones. One I will not be trying again any time soon!!!

Sun Tea

With a week of 100+ degree weather, nothing was more appealing to me than Sun Tea! I had a bunch of fun flavors to choose from but settled on Mango Passion Fruit from the Stash herbal tea sampler collection. I put 4 tea bags in the pot and set it in direct sunlight for about 4 hours. I let it cool a bit and added it to a glass of ice. It was very refreshing!

S'mores

We recently went on a camping adventure to Mt. St. Helen's. So far, as a vegan, I have not found anything I could not veganize or find an acceptable substitute for. Knowing we were going to have a campfire, I decided to challenge myself with the task of making vegan S'mores! It was pretty simple once I found the marshmallows. Many people don't realize what ingredients are actually in real marshmallows but let me assure you, they are not vegan!!! Food Fight, a completely vegan grocery store, had Dandies Vegan Marshmallows available. They are small, not the miniature version but smaller than a regular sized marshmallow. Health Valley makes an Oat Bran Graham Cracker that is also smaller than an average graham cracker so it went perfectly with the size of the marshmallow. We added a bit of mint chocolate to the fire toasted marshmallow and had an insanely good camp treat!

New To-Go Ware

We are fans of the To-Go Ware line of products that replace traditional (and wasteful) "doggie bag" style containers at restaurants. We decided to get a second set for John to use to carry his lunch to work daily. This particular style is 2 tiered but can be carried as a single container also. It comes with a little sauce container that is very handy.

Mango Parsley Green Smoothie

Definitely not our favorite Green Smoothie so far! The mango was very stringy, almost like drinking something with hair in it!!! 2 mangos (peeled), 1 large bunch parsley, 2 cups water. Blend and drink (if you can stand it!!!)

Mac & Teese

I continue my search for a vegan cheese that is actually good. I am not saying it has to be exactly like cheese. I gave up cheese long ago and truly have lived very happily without it. But, the one consistent comment I get from people is, "I could never give up cheese." I guess because of how often I hear this comment, I continue to seek out a replacement that, even if it doesn't taste exactly like cheese, serves the same function in a recipe. With all that said, I feel that the cheeses I make myself are much more satisfying than the ones I have purchased from the grocery store. My latest splurge (vegan cheese is very pricey!) is called Teese. I mixed it with some Quinoa pasta. I was not impressed. For the record, I do not eat imitation foods, like meats and cheeses, because I miss the real thing! I like a diet that varies in flavor and texture. These imitations are generally great sources of protein and add nice flavors and consistencies to meals. The quest continues!

Chocolate Mint Cupccakes

Favorite cupcakes ever!!! It all started with a trip to my favorite grocery store here in Portland, Food Fight. I noticed they had these really cute pastel M&M like candies. They are called Whizzers Chocolate Beans. I remembered seeing them on top of a mint flavored cupcake in my cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The mission began to put these cute little candies to use. The one problem I came upon was the green food coloring that was called for. I did not want to buy regular food coloring because I have found many different sources that identify disgusting animal ingredients and/or chemicals used to create the coloring. I wanted a vegetable based source but let me tell you, this was not as easy as I was hoping! Thanks to google, I ended up finding a company called India Tree that makes vegetable based food coloring. I called every grocery/kitchen store in the area and no one had the product! I was just about to give up when I decided to take a trip to Whole Foods and search their shelves myself. On my way, I passed a fancy kitchen store, Sur La Table, and decided to check. Sure enough, they had exactly what I was looking for! Three colors come in the set and they mix together to make a variety of other colors. Now, I have to be honest about one ingredient, glycerin. The yellow and blue contain this ingredient. My assumption is that the glycerin is vegetable based considering the whole concept of the coloring is vegetables! But, I have not done any research into the actual origin of the glycerin. Therefore, I can't say for sure if it is vegan! But, I feel 100% confident that even if it isn't vegetable based glycerin, it is better for me that the chemicals in regular green food coloring.
So, I finally had the ingredients I needed and decided to make these delicious cupcakes for John and his co-workers, otherwise I would have eaten all 12 of them myself! The cupcake is the Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe but includes 1 teaspoon of mint extract added to the wet ingredients. The recipe for the mint icing is on page 73 of the cookbook, if the link doesn't take you directly to that page. The chocolate on top is the same Rich Ganache I used on my 4th of July cupcakes. Again, these cupcakes are irresistible. I highly recommend having somewhere to take them or others to give them away to or you will probably devour them all yourself!

Spiced Banana Pancakes

Taken from the Vegan Planet cookbook, this recipe was the perfect way of getting rid of 3 very, very ripe bananas! The recipe that the link above takes you to is a bit different from the one in the cookbook and I followed the original. I used All-Purpose flour instead of Whole Wheat and Almond Milk instead of Soy. I also used Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of All Spice because they are very close and it is what I had! I doused my pancakes in Maple Syrup. Unfortunately, it was Canadian syrup. In the future, I will support PETA's request to boycott Canadian syrup in support of the efforts to stop the slaughter of seals. I know, I know, I usually don't get involved in PETA issues. But, I did a little research and felt it was the absolute least I could do for the poor seals.

Chocolate Creme Filled Cupcakes

These also went to the 4th of July BBQ. I worked for almost an hour at a cute icing flower for the top of them, but failed miserably! So, I settled for red sprinkles. The chocolate cupcake recipe is so good, moist, and basically never fails. It is from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook. I put a filling in the cupcakes that consisted of a stick of Earth Balance vegan shortening, a tub of Ricemellow Creme (be careful! This stuff is addicting), powdered sugar, and a little vanilla and salt. These ingredients got tossed into the food processor and mixed. I then squirted them into the cupcakes until they started to break apart. I have since purchased a better device for filling that will hopefully prevent so much cracking of the cupcakes. The frosting is from the same cookbook and is called Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping. It is ridiculously good. Boil 1/4 cup almond milk, remove from heat. Add 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped, and 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Mix until chocolate is melted. Set aside at room temp until ready to use.

Asparagus Pasta Salad

We took this dish to a BBQ for the 4th of July. It was on the cover of VegNews Magazine. The Feb 09 issue. The odd thing was that the recipe did not appear anywhere in the magazine! I did some searching online and found that it mistakenly was left out. Fortunately, VegNews put the recipe online. I did not put a full cup of pine nuts in, probably closer to a half cup. I thought a cup would be a bit much. It is an awesome recipe with fantastic flavors, especially for asparagus lovers like me!!!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

We have a birthday party to go to tomorrow night so I decided to make Peanut Butter Cupcakes to bring. The recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I made a few changes. Instead of soy milk, I used Almond and instead of canola oil, I used safflower. I also substituted dark molasses for maple syrup.

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

I always laugh at the title of this recipe because they mention cheese TWICE and there is absolutely no cheese in these enchiladas! On a positive note, they are the richest, creamiest, most delicious enchiladas I have ever eaten. They make a huge batch so I usually freeze half of it for a later dinner, unless company is coming for dinner. The first few times I made my own enchilada sauce but have recently just been purchasing it to save time. It is nice because you can make them mild, medium, or spicy based on the sauce you choose.


I made guacamole and served chips on the side. The guac recipe is in an earlier post.

Summer Delight Green Smoothie

My friend Debbie introduced me to the book Green For Life. It is a nutritional plan based on the diet of chimpanzees that requires the blending of lots of greens and fruits. I was so happy when John jumped right on board with replacing a meal a day with a smoothie. He also found me a fantastic industrial strength blender on Craigslist for $10! First, the smoothies are unbelievably delicious. Second, it is so fast and easy to get a variety of nutrients from greens and fruits by drinking them versus taking the time to cook and/or eat them. Third, nothing is lost, as is sometimes with juicing, and it is raw, whole, fiber and vitamins. It can get pricey, but it is worth it to buy organic.

This smoothie is a combo of 6 peaches (no pit), 2 handfuls of spinach, and 2 cups of water blended smooth.

Asparagus Quiche with Tomatoes and Tarragon

Not only was this meal so delicious but it looked really cute! It did take a few hours to put together but was worth the time because we had a lot of leftovers that heated up really nicely the next day. I have been on an asparagus kick lately but have just been cooking it in a little olive oil, stovetop. The asparagus is pureed in this recipe. The baked tomatoes on top added a perfect additional flavor.

I am not sure I would call it a quiche in front of people that are non-vegan. It did not taste like, have the texture of, or resemble a traditional quiche. In my experience, if you use a non-vegan name for something that has been "veganized", people expect it to be like the traditional dish.


On the side, we had a simple Caesar salad. The highlight was home-made croutons. I found the recipe here. I used Ezekiel Bread and left the onion powder out because I didn't have any. The dressing was from an earlier post.