A Salad of Sorts...

Alrighy, then.  Let's see, you'll need a base of chopped iceburg/lettuce.
Toppings are warmed:
Rice
Sun dried tomatoes
Cooked onion, carrot, broccoli
Raisins
Shredded low-fat coconut
Avocado

Drizzle with sugar free maple syrup, and sprinkle with nooch.

Adapted from The Tolerant Vegan

Carrot & Sesame Burgers

Adapted from Maple Spice

Saute up 1/2 chopped onion and 1 cup grated carrots.  Put half of this mixture aside, and the rest in a blender with:
1 tbsp flax meal soaked with 1 tbsp water for 5 min
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cumin
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup water

blend until pretty much uniform, and then add water/bread crumbs as needed.
Stir in remaining chopped veggies, and form into patties.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through.
Serve on hamburger buns, with avocado, arugula, and red onion slices.

Pink Tofu + Cranberry Salad

For the dry fried tofu: cube & press a brick of tofu.  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Fry the tofu in a dry pan, pressing on it gently, until a nice firm crust develops.

For the cranberry sauce: This recipe, using stevia (chunky version)

Heat the fried tofu with cranberry sauce and a drizzle of maple syrup.  Serve over lettuce, with diced avocado and pecans.

Adapted from HHL

Lunch Wrap + Blueberry Muffins

Double whammy today! 
A) I'm proud of myself for starting to be braver about eating raw foods - like onion.  I used to be so scared to eat raw foods like onion and cabbage, because I thought it would mess up my stomach (don't ask).  However, my courage is slowly returning.  Thus, I put raw onion in my lunch wraps, and am loving it!
B) Have been searching for frozen blueberries for a llllllooooong time, and finally found them!  I don't like fresh blueberries (I know, don't hate), but decided to try frozen.  Voila, I like 'em!

And with all of that...

Muffins are from HHL, changes are whole wheat flour, baking blend stevia in place of sugar, omitted orange juice and oil, gingerbread cookie tea, and no almonds.  24 mini muffins at 35 calories per muffin.
The wrap is adapted loosely from VegBurgers.  It consists of:

• avocado
• raw red onion slivers
• silken tofu blended with lemon and cilantro,
• iceburg lettuce
• smoky cashew-pesto cheese, using this pesto recipe (omitting the oil, using water instead, and omitting the miso), and adding sun dried tomatoes to it
• tofu, pressed, cooked on the panini press after being smothered in bbq sauce (omitting the oil, omitting the bourbon and adding vegan worchestire sauce and rum extract)

And I suppose that I should go ahead and add in here that I made a pizza with the bbq sauce:
Pizza crust topped with bbq sauce, paninied mushrooms and red bell pepper, arugula, and the cheese from above.

Black Bean and Nut Burgers

Hey, guys.  I'm back from the dead.  (All that SCHOOL WORK.  I literally have died 3 times since I last blogged)

 

 

With a really, really good burger.

 

And a single serving hamburger bun!  It's perfected!

 

Single serving bun, adapted from CCK:

 

Mix together:

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• a teensy bit of salt

Plop all of this on a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you want.  Stick into an unpreheated oven, and turn the oven to 420.  Bake for about 11-13 minutes, until it feels hamburger bun-like.  Done!  That was easy!

For the burgers (adapted from Oh She Glows):

Mix together, form into patties, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes:

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped, sauteed
• 1 clove garlic, minced, sauteed
• 2 1/2 tbsp flax seed + 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (make sure they are vegan - some brands aren't)
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• Soy sauce, cumin, oregano to season

Serve on buns with avocado and pickles

What's Up In My Kitchen - Recipe Round-Up (Finally!)

Ok, go glance at this article.  It will make you smile.

Blended chia pudding: if you don't like the texture of chia pudding, just blend it!  Makes all of the lumps go away, and it has the texture of yogurt.  Here, topped with piles of granola.

 

Made a batch of tofu feta.  Only this stuff is better than your normal tofu feta, because it's a LOT firmer.  Changes: 1/3 cup agar flakes, 3 tbsp olive oil (I ran out).  Wow, this stuff was good on a salad!

 

Pancakes... Mmmm... Sans frosting and raisins (which I left out and added a few pepitas), these make 2 292 calorie servings.  And the servings are HUGE!  I wanted to make the frosting, but forgot to chill my can of coconut cream... :(

 

 

 

Roasted Veggie Salsa - my first shot at homemade salsa.  I would recommend using less lime juice, but otherwise I loved this recipe.  Oh, and I used hatch chilis instead of jalapenos.  Because I have ALWAYS wanted to use those things...

 

Quinoa/Adzuki bacon.  Dang, this stuff smelled SO good in the oven.  Changed: cooked the beans, cooked up 1/3 cup quinoa to replace the buckwheat, Italian seasoning instead of thyme, and no oil.  It was a bit crumbly, but that was OK by me.

 

As for lunches... well, I've made a wrap with peaches, basil, lettuce, avocado, and sugar free blackberry jelly - yum!  Lots of fruit!

 

 

 

My other wrap has been peaches (can you tell I like peaches?) with the tofu feta, bacon, lettuce, and avocado.  Again, yum!  (adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

 

 

 

Another new b-fast food: banana bread in a bowl.  Blendm, let sit for 45 minutes or so, and it's like ice-cream for breakfast.  Did I mention you should top it with chocolate (which turned out very good, by the way!)

 

 

 

 Salad dressing!  Good for using up a surplus of basil... Fat free and creamy basil blast for your salad!

 

And, finally, 100% whole wheat strawberry pepita muffins (adapted from Chocolate and Carrots)!  Mix:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup pepitas

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup stevia baking blend

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup chopped frozen strawberries

 

Pour into muffin tins and bake (I have only a mini muffin pan - this made 24 muffins, 250 calories for 7 muffins.  Bake for about 17 minutes for mini muffins, probably 27 for regular)

 

 

Beany Salad

Adapted from Vegan Belle

• Lettuce (arugula + iceburg)
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Avocado
• Croutons (dice bread and stick it in the oven until dry and crisp.  Yup, it's that easy!)
• Carrot sticks

Simple Soba Salad

You really can't get much more clean-out-the-fridge-before-vacation than this dish.

 

 

Man, you should have seen the inside of the fridge after this.  It was 99% empty!  Almost scary...

 

Adapted from Maple Spice

 

Sauce: blend

•  1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• a pinch of dried ginger
• stevia extract to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
 

Grill tofu slabs drizzled with sauce, broccoli, red onions, red bell peppers, and carrots.  Serve over soba noodles, topped with avocado and leftover sauce.

Nacho-Themed Quinoa

Weee!  Nachos!  Erm... nacho quinoa.  Nat 'cho quinoa! 

 

 

Did I just make any sense at all?  I made that traditional bad pun there, at the end.  Can you tell?  (sorry, I'm really tired at the moment.)

 

Anyhoo, this was fun to make and eat.  Can't beat quinoa and avocado, can you now...?

Enjoy!

Adapted from Sketch-Free Eating

Mix quinoa with a very generous amount of chili powder.
Cook chopped bell pepper and onion on a panini press.
Top with heated black beans, crisped (in the oven) tortilla strips, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, salsa, and the best cheese in the world.

Limey Wild Rice and Broccoli Salad

I hope you like lime...

Because I have a pile of lime-intense food for you today.

If you don't want to be BLASTED with lime, I would cut it down drastically... same goes for the lemon.  All kidding aside, though, this was one unique dish!

Adapted from The First Mess

Cook up some wild rice.

Chop and grill on a panini press onion and broccoli.

The dressing was... (all blended in my lovely Mr. V)

1 orange

1 lime

1 lemon

~6 oz tofu to thicken

a few drops stevia extract

a large handful of fresh basil leaves

The whole shebang got topped with sunflower seeds and chopped avocado.

Leftover Magic: Open Face Rice and Bean Sandwiches

Ok, guys.  THIS.  IS.  INTENSE.

Like, I mean, the best thing I have eaten in a long time.  Including desserts.  I think...

I mentioned making this cheese before, but I never really wrote about it.  IT IS AMAZING GO MAKE IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There.  Got that out of my system.  Now, really.  Go make it.

Going from bottom to top:

Buns

Cheese

Leftover rice and bean patties

Diced avocado

Rice 'n Bean Burgers

What's that?  You're tired of seeing burgers, you say?

Meh. 

My burgers, though, are like snowflakes...

Each one is different! ;)

Adapted from HHL

Mash up 1 1/2 cups red kidney beans until only a few remain whole.  Mix with 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, a generous 1 cup mashed sweet potato, ~1/4 cup nooch, ~3 tbsp chili powder, liquid smoke, paprika, a few tbsp bbq sauce, a splash of cider vinegar, and sauteed garlic and shallot.  The mixture should be fairly sticky - if not, throw in some sugar free maple syrup (or just add some anyway...).  Now, drop the burgers (like drop cookies, only bigger!) onto a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or so.  They should be nice and crunchy!  Serve on buns, with pickles, avocado, and tofu mayo.

Peach & Tofu Salad

These are a few of my faaavourite things:

Tofu and almonds and avocado and peaches...

Quick, healthy... summer!

Adapted from HHL

Base of iceburg, topped with sliced peach, avocado, raw almonds, and tofu slathered with bbq sauce and grilled.
Dressing... yeah.  Just throw on whatever you happen to have - something light.  The bbq sauce will provide most of the dressing, just add a splash of mirin or balsamic vinegar.

Was that easy enough for you? ;)

BBQ Tofu Salad

Yay!  Tofuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!



 You have no idea how long I have been wanting to say that.

Yup.



I'm dead serious.

Adapted from Keepin' It Kind
First up, tofu: Cut one slab of tofu per person, press, and then slather with this bbq sauce (using 6 oz tomato paste, not 4, and no need to cook it).  Bake for 30 minutes at 375, and slather with more bbq sauce.
Base: lettuce.
Add in the tofu, black olives, canned mandarine oranges, broccoli, avocado, and top with this dressing.

Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Simple salad.

Totally cut myself on my immersion blender today, so that wrecked ALL cooking plans.  Luckily, I dug around for a quick, simple recipe and this one fit the bill.

Little did I know it would taste so good!
Adapted from The Vegan Crew

Base: Blend of iceburg/shredded cabbage/shredded carrots (you know, the stuff that comes in the bags that's pre-washed)
Toppings: roasted chickpeas (tossed with chili powder, roasted at 400 for 30 minutes), carrots, broccoli, raw almonds, avocado
Dressing: balsamic vinegar and mirin

Quinoa Salad

I finally had potatoes tonight.  How UTTERLY exciting!  I have been wanting them for a while, but have never really gotten around to making anything with potatoes.  So, here goes!

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

Saute 1 finely chopped red onion and a chopped clove of garlic.  Add 1/2 cup quinoa and 3/4 cup water.  Simmer for 25 minutes.
Grill chopped onion and bell pepper on a panini press.
Mix together finished quinoa, black beans, cubed/boiled yukon golds, smoked paprika, nooch, oregano, fresh cilantro, and the grilled veggies.  Serve topped with avocado and tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu + lemon juice)

Roasted Chickpea and Watercress Salad

Summer in a bowl...

Adapted from Robin Robertson

Chickpeas: mix cooked chickpeas with soy sauce, maple syrup, nooch, liquid smoke, onion powder, paprika, and salt/pepper.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Dressing: mix 1/2 cup mirin, 3 tbsp lime juice (2 small limes), liquid smoke, agave, and dijon mustard.
Mix watercress and iceburg lettuce, and top with chopped avocado, pineapple, dressing, and chickpeas.