Tofu and Vegetable Hash

Officially my second favorite vegan breakfast of all time! First being French Toast. We toasted a few Ezekiel English Muffins on the side and fell in love! I found the recipe in Vegan Bites but made many changes. I began by making Scrambled Tofu. Normally, I add turmeric to make the tofu yellow like eggs, but this time left it out and added a few splashes of Tamari, a teaspoon of red curry paste, and a teaspoon of dried dill. In a larger frying pan, I browned 3 red potatoes, diced, in olive oil. Once the potatoes looked like they had a crispy outside I added the following: 2 small white onions, a green pepper, a dozen mushrooms, all diced, fresh spinach leaves, 1/3 cup frozen peas, 4 garlic cloves, a sprinkle of parsley, 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast, 3 Tofurky Breakfast Links, salt and pepper. After cooking all of this down for about 10 minutes, I added the scrambled tofu and stirred it together.

Nana's NO's!

For a variety of reasons, I have found it very beneficial to have small snacks available throughout the day. Normally, I would shy away from purchasing a bunch of packaged items, but because of time constraints, I have been searching for healthy, reasonably priced choices. I get tired of the same ol' thing, want something that feels like a treat, but that isn't just sugar to my system. These little cookie bites by a company called Nana's are very tasty, vegan, and contain no refined sugar. So far I have tried 3 different kinds, Fudge and Ginger Spice are my favorite. The Lemon are so-so. I have only seen them at Market of Choice, but have not really searched for them elsewhere. They are a tiny treat but buy me just the right amount of time in between meals.

Peace Cereal

Golden Temple is a local, Eugene company. They make many products we love such as Peace Cereal and Yogi Tea. John listened to a business presentation from a senior employee and has a great amount of respect for their philosophies toward promoting and supporting peace along with organic, vegan ingredients in all their products. The apple cinnamon cereal is my favorite!

Vegan Shampoo/Conditioner and Nail Polish

Since moving to Eugene, I have been using this shampoo and conditioner (I was not able to find their website). I love the way it cleans my hair and both John and I enjoy the way it smells! I have tried the raspberry, lemon, and green apple and continue to rotate the scents. I was excited when I realized they were vegan. Normally, they are quite pricey but lately I have been finding them on sale, and stocking up! On average, they are anywhere from $5-$7 each....I know! But all "chemical-free" shampoos, that I am not allergic to, are at least that much. And, it is less than salon products typically cost.

Also, with summer coming and sandals on my mind, I found this nail polish that is free of many chemicals normally in other brands, like formaldehyde and toluene. They claim to be healthy alternative products, but do not specify if they test on animals. I have emailed them and will re-post when I hear back!

Quick and Spicy Lentils

I was excited to try this recipe because I had Black Beluga Lentils from Trader Joes in the fridge. They come pre-cooked which is such a bonus. I was working late so John made the recipe for us, along with some tasty Brussels sprouts. I was not able to finish my bowl because it was so spicy! Next time, we will use less cayenne pepper. We also did not have the right chiles and substituted Embasa Peppers. Yikes! They were ridiculously hot. I have to say, not a fan! All in all, I will make this again for a quick meal but will severely tone down the spice!

Banana Nut Bread

What to do with 2 super squishy bananas? Make bread! I took this recipe from my Vegan Bites cookbook. On the side is a new kinds of Earth Balance butter. It is not on their site, that I could find. We really like the flavor and it is made from olive oil.
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour ( I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup spelt flour)
2/3 cup unbleached cane sugar or beet sugar (I used sucanat)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 large banana ( I used 2 medium)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp safflower oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup chopped nuts ( I used walnuts)
Preheat the oven 350. Lightly oil 8x4x2 loaf pan. Combine the first 6 ingredients. Whisk mashed banana, water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Sprinkle the nuts on top and gently press them in with fingers. Bake 20-25 minutes (I had to bake for closer to 40!!! It was dark on the outside, but very moist on the inside). Will keep for 3 to 5 days.

Golden Vegetable Noodle Soup

Because I needed to use leftover veggies that had been used as stock in a gravy last week, this soup came together so quickly. The veggies had been cooked in red wine, shallots, and other seasonings adding a rich, savory flavor to an already tasty soup. I made a few changes to the recipe. I did not blend any of the ingredients only because my veggies were precooked and very soft already, ready to absorb and/or release flavor. And because the description of the soup says it is similar to chicken noodle, I added chicken flavored seitan. It almost makes me feel like getting sick to stay home from work and eat this all day!!!

Tofutti Ice Cream Sandwiches

Unless it is a special occasion, I normally do not buy pre-made desserts. I love to bake or go out for dessert and having things around the house is dangerous, because they will get eaten quickly! Have I ever mentioned in this blog how much of a "sweet tooth" I have?! Anyway, I saw these and curiosity made me put them in the cart. Tofutti Cuties are a dream come true. Vegan ice cream sandwiches. 8 come in a pack but they are small and I found it difficult to eat just one! I will buy these again for sure, but won't keep them in the freezer regularly!

Rosemary and Hazelnut Encrusted Seitan

I found this recipe a few months ago but didn't make it for fear that it was going to take too much time. It is marinated, then breaded and fried. Then there is a gravy to add and it just seemed a bit overwhelming. I am happy I finally made it though because it was delicious. I was a tad turned off in the beginning of the meal because John made the comment that the seitan tasted like chicken livers. (deep breath). I rolled my eyes and moved past the comment, focusing on the rich, red wine flavored gravy, the smooth, rosemary infused breading, and the chewy texture of the seitan. Next time I make this, I will add mashed potatoes to soak up more of the gravy. On the side, we added steamed broccoli with a dollop of Earth Balance Buttery Spread.

Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

On a quest to buy more cat litter, I decided I needed a snack! We stopped at Market of Choice and asked at the bakery counter what vegan options were available. Selection was limited on freshly baked items that are actually made by their bakers...if I recall correctly, these were it! They do have yummie pies made by a local company. Anyway, these vegan thumb print cookies were soooo good. John did not feel they were sweet enough, and I am not crazy about jam, but the cookie part was very nutty and the fruit filling was thick, not gooey. I will look for them again...I highly recommend trying them if you can find them!

Supreme Seitan Cheesesteaks

While John was out of town, I spent a lot of time at the bookstore! I can get vegan lattes, correct papers, meet interesting people, and buy books!!! I picked up Vegan Bites Recipes for Singles. I was drawn to it because the serving sizes are generally 2-3. Now, I know in the past I have given recipes a few extra points if they provide me with a delicious lunch serving the next day, but lately we have had too much food in the fridge! My first pick from this book was a vegan version of Philly Steak and Cheese sandwiches. Vegans really can have it all!!! I substituted the seitan for Trader Joe's Steak Strips. (Cant find a picture or link..I will take one of the box next time I buy them!) They don't have much of a flavor alone, but in recipes, add a great texture and absorb flavors nicely. On the side is Mac and Cheese, made mainly because we had so much extra cheese sauce! To be honest though, I am finished making mac and cheese for now. This attempt was MUCH better than the last disaster!!!! But still, just did not hit the old mac and cheese spot. In the bowl, spinach and Annie's Goddess Dressing, still my favorite dressing of all time.

Supreme Seitan Cheesesteaks
8 oz seitan
1/2 cup yellow onion, mushrooms, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 submarine rolls or hot dog buns (I used Ezekiel 4:9 Hot Dog Rolls)
2 slices vegan cheese or 1/2 cup shredded (used the cheese sauce listed below)
Remove seitan from its package and drain. Pat dry and slice. Cook the veggies on medium heat with the olive oil 2-3 minutes. Add seitan, cook 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients, cook 1 minute. Assemble into buns and add cheese!

Quick Melty Cheese (From Vegan Homestyle)
1 cup water
2 oz pimentos
1/4 c nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 c cashews
2 T arrowroot powder
2 T oats
2 t salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 c boiling water
Blend the first 8 ingredients until smooth. Bring 1 1/2 cup water to boil. Turn heat to low and add blended mixture to water, simmer, stir constantly until thick.

My New Favorite......Steamed Edamame!

I love adding edamame to dinner. It is super fast: boil some water, add frozen or fresh edamame and a little salt, cook for about 3 minutes (until bright green), drain and serve! It is also fun to eat because you pop the little beans out of the shells and it creates all kinds of conversation and giggles (at least it was that way at our dinner table!)

The other food in the picture is my second attempt at Lemon Rosemary Tofu with brown rice. The last time I made it, the picture was very blurry! This picture is better and I adjusted the seasonings a bit to make the flavor better too! More lemon, less rosemary.

Roasted Potato and Garlic Soup w/ Green Beans

This is the second time I have made this soup...the first time I did not get a picture though (dinner guest situation!) It was equally as good this time but I did change a few things. First, I used three different kinds of potatoes instead of one: red, Yukon golds, and purple. I also used a yellow onion which made the soup a tad sweeter. The green beans are also the same recipe as before....my favorite way to prepare them!

Vegan Sushi and Potstickers

The Potstickers are frozen, then fried in Safflower Oil. The sauce we used to dip them in is a tangy Dumpling Dipping Sauce. Both were purchased at Sunrise Asian Market off Willamette Street. I don't remember the brand name of the Potstickers, but I am pretty sure it is the green bag in the freezer if you click on the link!

For the sushi, our good friend Ananda taught us how to make delicious sushi rice, which is the key to successful rolls.
* 3 cups Niko Rice or anything that says sushi rice
* 3 1/4 cups water
* 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
* 3 tbsp sugar
* 1 tsp salt

PREPARATION:
After washing the rice well, cook it by pan or rice cooker. Prepare sushi vinegar by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.
Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate by spatula. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice very quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

We purchased a Bamboo Mat to fold and wrap the rolls. The process was fairly simple:
1. Lay a piece of Nori on the bamboo mat.
2. Spread a thick layer of sushi rice onto the Nori. Leave about a 1/2 inch strip rice-free on the top of one side to use to seal the roll.
2. Carve a space in the rice down the center to fit the veggies in.
3. I put avocado and slightly steamed green beans and carrots in mine.
4. Start rolling, using the bamboo mat to tighten it as you roll.
5. Wet the rice-free strip of the Nori and seal the roll.
5. Slice the pieces with a wet knife.

On the side we had pickled ginger, Soy Sauce, and Wasabi to dip the rolls in. Please note the "tail" on the sushi roll that John made. Very creative :-)

Enchilada Bake

For some reason, the recipe is completely incomplete! It was pretty easy to figure out the missing pieces but the baking time was a mystery. 20 minutes worked for me. I did not use Fritos on top, tortilla chips instead. In substitute of the cheddar cheese, I used creamy mozzarella (Yes! Still using the original batch up!) Also, I made the enchilada sauce from a recipe I copied out of a Rachel Ray cookbook a few years ago. I am not sure which one.
Enchilada Red Sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1 T olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
a pinch of cinnamon
salt
Cook over low heat while preparing the casserole.

Quinoa and Potato Croquettes and Kale with Lemon-Balsamic Butter

Both recipes are from a Cooking Light magazine. Before becoming a vegan, I made the croquettes with cheese and egg. We really like the recipe, although I do remember it taking a long time to prepare. I was very nervous to make them without the ingredients that I assumed had made them so tasty the first time. The croquettes were a bit of a challenge to make vegan because they call for both cheddar and cottage cheese along with an egg. I substituted the cheddar for 3 tablespoons of the Creamy Mozzarella cheese that I made for a pizza a few days ago (the recipe made a ton!). Instead of cottage cheese, I made Tofu Ricotta. And for the egg, Orgran No Egg egg replacer. They turned out so delicious and neither John nor myself could remember them being any better with the cheese and egg.
The kale is time consuming to clean and de-stem, but well worth it. We generally make an entire pound and have never had left-overs! I leave the raisins out.

"Cheesy" Vegan Pizza

The dough was pre-made from Capella. It had rosemary mixed in so not only did it taste excellent, but the smell was wonderful while baking. The tomato sauce is a large can of diced tomatoes, onion and garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. The toppings include spinach and mushrooms sautéed in garlic, and artichoke hearts. The cheeses are homemade Tofu Ricotta and Creamy Mozzarella. We spread the dough out over an olive oil covered pizza pan with a sprinkle of corn meal, piled the sauce, cheese and toppings on and baked at 425 for about 20 minutes. It was as good as any vegan pizza we have ordered!

Creamy Mozzarella (from Vegan Homestyle)
2 c water
1 c cashews
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 t garlic powder
1 T arrowroot powder
1 T onion powder
1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 t salt
2 c water
Blend first 9 ingredients. Add remaining water. Place in saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.

Vegan Camping

John and I decided to travel south to the Redwoods National and State Parks for Spring Break. We car camped the entire time and decided beforehand that bringing a cooler of food would be our best guarantee of having healthy, vegan selections at all times. To make things easy, we pre-planned stir-fry meals by washing/chopping the veggies and buying jars of sauce that could be cooked on our camp stove. We also brought pasta and tomato sauce along with a log of Polenta. And, for an easy night, a can of soup and vegan hot dogs to cook over the fire. All meals were very tasty, quick, and most important to me, healthy and vegan! For lunch, we brought whole wheat tortillas, pre-chopped lettuce and red peppers, and hummus. (We were also supposed to have vegan steak strips for the wraps but I forgot to throw them in the cooler!) Snacks included rice crackers and hummus, Larabars, Kettle Chips, tortilla chips and salsa, and Rice crispy treats (recipe below!). Breakfast was simple: cereal (just the plastic bag, to save room in the cooler), Almond Milk, and coffee with soy creamer. Everything fit into a cooler, along with two bags of ice, and one canvas bag.

Puffed Cereal Bars
1/2 c honey (I used agave)
2 T vanilla
1 c coconut
1/2 cup almond butter (I used peanut butter)
3 c crispy rice cereal
2 c raisins (I used chocolate chips!)
Heat agave, almond butter, and vanilla until liquid. Put other ingredients in a bowl and pour liquid over top. Stir well. Press into 9x13 pan. Chill for 1 hour. Cut into squares.

Fruit Pizza

I am sad that I did not get a picture of this delicious dessert. The recipe site has a pretty photo though, for those who have never seen a fruit pizza. My mom used to make these a lot when I was growing up. I have recently found out how easy they are, how impressive they look, and how vegan-friendly they can be. This one was made to accompany an evening brunch. (Did I just make that meal up?!?!) We made Breakfast Burritos, Garlic Fries, and Cara brought mimosas and her cappuccino machine! My substitutions include:
Earth Balance instead of butter. For the eggs I used Orgran No Egg. And instead of cream cheese, Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (I like the Non-hydrogenated plain kind).
For the fruit, I used apples, oranges, strawberries, and kiwi.

Sweet Polenta Pie

So delicious and sweet and tasty. It did not take too long to make. I took the recipe from the How it all Vegan cookbook. Next time I will let the polenta crust sit for a while longer to cool before I top with the veggies. Leftovers are going to make a wonderful lunch tomorrow!

Carrot Cake

I took this recipe from the cookbook How it all Vegan. I will use sugar next time, not sucanat. It definitely changed the flavor. I enjoyed the cake but will search for a different topping next time. I am happy that I kept it on the side verses spreading it on the cake. It has stored better in the fridge and allowed me to skip it all together! John really enjoys the topping on his cake though.
Country Carrot Cake
1 1/2 cup flour (I used spelt)
3/4 cup dry sweetener (I used sucanat)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4-cup soy milk (I used almond milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-cup oil
egg replacer (to equal 1 egg)
1/2-cup carrot, finely shredded
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Heat oven 350. Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix until "just mixed" but don't over mix. Pour into a greased cake pan and bake for 25 minutes.
To-Fruity Cream Cheese
1-cup soft silken tofu
1/4-cup cashew pieces
4 tsp sweetener (I used agave)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-cup fruit (I used strawberries)
Mix in a blender.

Sautéed Potatoes

I took a 2-hour nap when I got home from work tonight, which left me very hungry, and not in the mood to prepare anything fancy. So, dinner was quick and easy: Tempeh with red and green peppers sautéed and dowsed with Annie's BBQ sauce, baby spinach with Annie's Goddess Dressing and avocado, and Sautéed Potatoes. I have taken many recipes and added/substituted ingredients. This was tonight’s version:
6 small red potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
2-3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves (this seems like a lot, but we love garlic!)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
Heat the oil, add the garlic, cook a few minutes. Add the onion, cook a few minutes. Add the rest, cover and cook until the potatoes are finished. I like to cook it a little extra to make some of them crispy!

Pumpkin Lentil Lasagna

Sorry the picture is blurry. I have been using my camera from work to take photos lately but forgot it at school this weekend. John's camera won't even turn on and mine just takes lousy pictures. The recipe page shows a much prettier picture of the meal.
I made quite a few changes to suit our tastes. First, I left the olives out. Secondly, instead of feta on top, we added a homemade ricotta. Next time I might add the ricotta as a layer instead of just plopped on top because it tasted excellent. I didn't put greens on top but that was just because we were really hungry and ready to eat! The lentils I used are Black Beluga Lentils. I found the beans pre-cooked at Trader Joes. For the noodles, I found DeBoles Organic Artichoke Flour Pasta. It had a great consistency, not mushy, and tasted...well, like what you would want pasta to taste like! We added steamed broccoli to the side and fresh Ciabatta Bread.
My lasagna turned out a little on the "soupy" side. I will cook it down a while longer before adding it to the layers of noodles next time. The taste was delicious and there are tons of left overs!

Tofu Ricotta (from theVegan Homestyle Cookbook.
2 lb. firm water packed tofu, mashed. (I used silken)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T. onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 T. basil
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. salt
Mash tofu. Add remaining ingredients, mix, chill.

Blueberry Pancakes

Yikes, it has been a while! I have not been cooking lately at all. In fact, I don't think I have even been to the grocery store for 2 weeks! We have had company in town, been reheating leftovers, and eating out A LOT! It has been a nice break but I am ready to start cooking again.

My friend Debbie gave me a cookbook to borrow for a few weeks, How It All Vegan. I found a recipe for pancakes that sounded great this morning. Very simple recipe, nothing that a kitchen in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store wouldn't have! I also liked that the recipe didn't included sugar. I added 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (partially thawed, then chopped) for additional flavor. We spread Earth Balance Buttery Spread and maple syrup on top. I have to say, I have been addicted to this butter for a while now. Last week at school we had a luncheon. I was responsible for rolls and butter. Not an easy or inexpensive things for a vegan to shop for but I found great rolls at Market of Choice. I won't go into details on how my cats destroyed half of them as they sit on the counter top..still infuriates me! Anyway, back to breakfast. On the side we tried Smart Bacon. I was convinced immediately that there must be bacon fat or something authentic in this product because it tasted exactly how I remember bacon to taste. (note: It is over 10 years since I have eaten real bacon...) John felt differently and I notice in many reviews of the product other people agree with him. Anyway, I am very excited to try BLT's. Finally, we had coffee on the side. I have given coffee up except for weekends and special occasions. We add Silk Creamer and it gives it a creamy flavor.
I made a few changes to the recipe noted in parenthesis.
Classic Pancakes
2 cups flour (barley flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups soy milk (a little bit less because I didn't have quite enough)
2 tbsp oil (3 tbsp to make up for the milk I didn't have enough of)
Sift dry ingredients. Add milk and oil. Don't over mix. Cook on hot non-stick pan.

Vegan French Toast

I didn't have all the ingredients (bread!) for the recipe so we walked to Safeway. It's definitely one of my least favorite grocery stores, but it's close. They had french bread but the ingredients were very sketchy. I googled L-Cysteine, from my phone (thank goodness for wifi!). It made me very uncomfortable. I wanted to make the french toast for breakfast but I didn't want to settle for that crappy bread!
Being the trooper that John always is, he said, "Let's put it back and go to Capella." A little further from our apartment, but such a great selection of fresh organic and vegan foods. Also, they sell bread from Metropol Bakery. So we spent an extra half hour getting the ingredients but it was well worth it. The french toast was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It had a sweet, almond flavor. The recipe made 8 pieces and between John (6) and me (2), we had no leftovers!
I did not make any changes to the recipe. I used coconut oil instead of shortening but could not find "Coconut Shortening" and the oil is the same consistency as shortening...so I think the recipe meant to say Coconut oil!!! It tasted great. The Spectrum brand was a little pricey. I found a local organic, cold pressed brand that I purchased instead.

The sausage on the side is Smart Links Breakfast. It was very dry. We both agreed that it would be perfect in gravy for another round of Biscuits and Gravy, but not to be eaten alone.

The juice is oranges and apples (I meant to put blueberries in it also, but I only had frozen and forgot to thaw them in time!!!)

Biscuits and Gravy

Although we love tofu scrambles, John made one yesterday and I was ready for something different this morning. I have never eaten biscuits and gravy, the gravy just never appealed to me. This gravy was phenomenal though! Both recipes came from the Vegan Homestyle cookbook. The gravy was a creamy white color until I added the sausage. We only had Soyrizo, (Meatless Chorizo) not my first choice. It added a great flavor though, and turned the gravy into a caramel color. It is spicy in a "heartburn" way, not a burn your tongue way, and full of garlic.
Drop Biscuits
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup almond milk
Preheat oven 475. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together oil and milk. Add to dry ingredients and mix until all flour is absorbed. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. (Should make 9 biscuits.) Bake for 12 minutes (mine baked for about 14).

Cashew Gravy
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 T. arrowroot powder
1 T. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
2 T. Bragg liquid aminos
Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking until thick. Add sausage.

Spicy Caribbean Ginger Stew and Gingered Pumpkin Scones

The flavor of ginger has recently become one of my favorites! It goes really nicely in stir-fry dishes, mixed with green beans, and in desserts. I originally planned to serve this soup with crusty bread. But plans changed when I decided to make these scones for breakfast.
The soup was really easy. I used an extra clove of garlic and probably double the amount of ginger it called for. For the seitan, I used White Wave Chicken flavored wheat meat. The soup is spicy but not over the top!

The scones were also very easy; ready in about 45 minutes, start to finish. I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups spelt flour, Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for the butter, a few extra "sprinkles" of ginger powder, and a 15 oz can of Pumpkin Pie Mix for the pureed pumpkin. (It was a little under in amount for what the recipe called for but it is what I had in the kitchen and it worked!!)

The meal had a great combination of spicy and sweet ginger flavor!

**Update** John did not agree with the combination of scones ("They are for breakfast!!!") and soup. So, the scones are being eaten with coffee/tea at breakfast or for a snack and crusty bread will be purchased to eat with the remaining soup!

Information about Chocolate

I haven't been baking much lately, so yesterday when I was at the grocery store, I wandered down the baking aisle to see what the vegan selection was. I found some Bakers Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares that are 100% Cacao! I felt so confident that this meant they were 100% vegan that I bought them. When I got home I wanted to check for sure and found this great site, All About Chocolate, that gives a list and little description of many different varieties of chocolate and their "vegan" status! Look for a posting of something in the area of “chocolate goodness” soon!!!!

Hummus

My friend Susan gave this recipe to me a few years ago. It is delicious "as is" or can be made into a variety of flavors: sun-dried tomato, roasted red pepper, black bean, curried.
As a simple appetizer, I cut whole wheat tortillas or pita bread into triangles. A pizza cutter works nicely for this. Brush a little olive oil on top, sprinkle with seasonings and bake at 350 for about 6 minutes.

Hummus
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 large garlic clove
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of ground nutmeg
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend smooth.

Veggie Pot Pie

The first words out of John's mouth were, "This is a keeper!" I made a few adjustments to the recipe. I was a little confused with the directions. First, it said to cook the veggies and then it said the potatoes should be raw. I decided to steam everything (potatoes included) for 8 minutes before adding it to the crust and this worked wonderfully! I also added 3 celery stalks and half an onion to the veggie mix. I used frozen corn and peas.

For the crust I used whole wheat flour and Earth Balance shortening. It turned out flakey and crisp. And the perfect amount for both top and bottom to be thick enough to hold everything in. I followed the tip to cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning and it seemed to work nicely, no burning!