Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Adapted from Cookie and Kate

Saute up some garlic and broccoli.  Toss with cooked whole wheat pasta, chopped sundried tomatoes, black olives, nooch, lemon juice, chickpeas, and a bit of arugula.

Was that easy or what ;)

Sweet Potato Balls and Spaghetti

So, I've got some pasta for you guys tonight!

 

 

Although I made this ages ago, I seem to remember that is was super yummy, sooo..

Quite a good first 'meat'ball recipe for me!  They stuck together, which was really nice.

 

Sweet Potato Balls from Fat Free Vegan

Sauce from Ambitious Kitchen

 

For the sauce: blend until smooth, and heat:

• 1 roasted hatch chili pepper
• 28 oz can salt-free tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped onion, sauteed
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped, sauteed
• 2 cups water
• Chick'n bouillon for 2 cups of broth
• Cumin to taste
• ~1/4 cup cilantro

For the 'meat'balls, mix together, shape into balls, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes:

• 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms, sauteed
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled, boiled, mashed
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 onion, chopped, cooked
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped, sauteed
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1 tbsp nooch
• oregano, paprika, fennel, sage, liquid smoke to flavour

Serve sauce over pasta, topped with 'meat'balls

 

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

Rice, Chickpea, Lettuce Salad

You want dinner.  And you want it NOW!

 

 

I'm sure we've all been there.

 

Salad to the rescue!

Adapted from Cookie and Kate

Alright..

• Lettuce (iceburg + arugula)
• chickpeas
• carrot curls (made with a vegetable peeler)
• cooked brown rice
• feta (LINKY HERE)

Dressing here - minus the oil, and use tofu in place of yogurt.

Falafel

I haven't made falafel in AGES!

 

 

Whaaat?  That shouldn't be legal...

 

But, I shall avoid those darn falafel police! ;)

Yummmmmy baked, herbed falafel... you know, I actually was going to throw some parsley in these,but totally forgot...

Adapted from Cookie and Kate

Blend:
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup cilantro
1 sauteed shallot
1 sauteed clove garlic
a bit of cumin
a bit of cinnamon
a few tbsp water

shape into patties, bake at 375 for 25 minutes, and serve over lettuce, with grapes, and dressing...

Dressing (adapted from Healthy Vegan Recipes), blend:
2 peaches/nectarines (no need to peel, just pit them... I actually had some that got a little bad spot on them, and I froze them to use in situations like this!)
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh basil
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Rice Burgers with Fancy-Pants Cole Slaw

... I think that this was an excellent way to use up some old pineapple...

Yummm...

And, hah, nothing but teensy buns left in my freezer, so I elected to do an open face so I could have a decent amount of burger.

Adapted from HHL

For the cole slaw, mix together:

• finely diced pineapple
• shredded cabbage
• finely diced carrots
• pisachios
• sugar free maple syrup

For the burgers, blend until mostly smooth:

• ~1 1/4 cups chickpeas
• small handful sesame seeds
• ~2 tbsp nooch
• ~3 tbsp sugar free maple syrup

Stir with 1/4 cup dry brown rice cooked, ~3 tbsp chopped onion cooked, 1 scant tbsp flax meal mixed with 2 tbsp water, and enough maple syrup to make things stick together.
Shape into somewhat patties, and bake for 25 minutes at 350.
Stick 'em on buns, and top with cole slaw... I chose to do an open face, since my bun was sooo teensy!

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Better the next day?

I think so!

You know, it was kind of funny-  M said the broth tastes buttery.  Why?  Don't ask me... -_-  No clue.  It's good though...

Adapted from MyRecipes

Veggies: carrots and onion (duh), garlic

Seasonings: veggie chicken bouillon, chopped fresh parsley, bay leaves, juice of 1 lemon, Spike seasoning, dried majoram

Finished with whole wheat shell pasta, cooked chickpeas, a cornstarch slurry, and seitan

What's Up Wednesday #4

Chocolate Covered Katie's granola bars - dipped in my strawberry sauce (the picture, however, is just jam)!  (Used sugar free maple syrup, added cinnamon, and all applesauce, comes to ~800 calories for the whole recipe)

Spent waaaay to much time watching Gurren Lagann

Better picture of ramen noodle soup ;)

Ohmygosh this article is so sobering: on yahoo.

I made chickpea flour in my Vitamix.  Oh, the NOISE killed me -_-

And then used it in this setian recipe to put in soup, baking at 350 instead of steaming, and omitting the anise and beef flavouring.  That seems to give it a better texture, in my opinion - less rubbery.

And I also made this setian, again baking it, omitting the oil, using 1 tbsp corn starch in place of the tapioca, and using water in place of the wine.  Really good in a sandwich!

Fresh corn on the cob!  First time in years I have tried corn.  My dad would eat corn with fish, so I always associated the two together.  However, the food pantry that I volunteer at got some fresh corn in - I'd say about 1000 ears.  I spent about 2 hours shucking that stuff last Friday... and I was like "I should try corn again!"  So I did a bit of homework, and found this nice little article on Fat Free Vegan.  Shuck the corn, bake at 350 for half an hour.  AMAZING!

Did you guys know that your body does not absorb the calories from fiber!?!?!  Yay!  You learn something new every day.  Here's a good article about it.

And, finally, I made a tasty salad dressing with the last dreggs of the pineapple juice.  First I boiled the juice for a few minutes to reduce it, and then blended that with tofu, fresh oregano, and fresh basil in my Vitamix.  Yum - great summer 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

Soup

Is it pretty?

No.

Did it taste really good, MUCH better than expected?

YES!

Adapted from Eating Well

Sauteed carrots, garlic, and onion, then soaked pinto beans.. followed by lotsa water, nooch, sumac, a few dried herbs, veggie chicken bouillon.  Added in whole wheat linguine, torn/stemmed spinach, corn starch slurry, and setian.  Served with a large dollop of pesto (subbing mirin for the olive oil, and adding sunflower seeds to thicken)

This was super good - it kind of reminds me of restaurant wedding soup!  I've been wanting to recreate this flavour for a while, but this totally happened by accident.

PS - I might get a Vitamix soon!

PPS - I totally cut my finger reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally badly on my immersion blender today.  Was trying to clean the blade out, and then I accidentally pushed the button to make the blade spin.  OOOUCH!

Pineapple Chickpea Stir Fry

Sorry... What?  You haven't had pineapple in a stir fry?

Try it.

Seriously.

Adapted from Peas and Thankyou

Sauce: Soy sauce, mirin, pineapple juice, corn starch, rice vinegar, maple syrup
Veggies: garlic, ginger, onion, carrots, broccoli, pineapple, chickpeas.
Served over brown rice.

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.

Simple Alfredo Chickpea Spaghetti

Look out world, my basil plant is grown!  Since M killed my old basil plant (looong story), I didn't have one for the longest time.  This spring we bought one, along with oregano, watercress, and arugala.  I used the first from the plant in this recipe...   Adapted from Book of Yum.

It's really easy.
Cook up some whole wheat spaghetti.
Grill red bell pepper on a panini press.
Saute 1/2 cup finely minced onion until browned in a pan coated with nonstick spray.  Add 1 tbsp flour and 1/2 cup soy milk.  Stir well, and let thicken.  Add in enough soy milk to make a sauce.  Add in 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas.
Chop fresh basil and parsley.
Serve: pasta, sauce, pepper, herbs, pine nuts.

This was not super WOW, but it really hit the spot for me tonight.  I think the addition of some extra seasonings, more bell pepper, and perhaps some sauteed mushrooms would have made this even better.  This is a great spring board for so many combinations...

Lentil and Chickpea Soup

I also made this soouuuupppp!  It was souper thick.  And souper flavourful.  Puns intended.
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.

Veggies were chopped onion and carrots, and minced garlic.  I also added brown rice, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.  Seasonings were caraway seeds, Perfect Pinch Sweet and Smoky seasoning mix, oregano, and vegetarian chicken bullion.  Other stuff included liquid smoke, soaked brown lentils, and soaked chickpeas.  This was simmered until the chickpeas were soft, then frozen peas and a corn starch slurry were added.  Served, as always, with fake meat.

Irish Casserole

Yeah, ok, so maybe I'm not ready for summer yet... it's getting warm, but not too much for this casserole!  This is epic comfort food... adapted from Vegan Dad.

Small dice 2 yukon potatoes, and boil them until tender.  Heat a kettle, and saute 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots, 4 slices shallots, and 4 large cloves chopped garlic.  Add in 1 cup beer and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Lightly boil for 10 minutes or so, until the liquid is mostly reduced.  Stir together 1 tbsp flour and 1/3 cup nondairy milk, and add to the veggies.  Add in cooked potatoes, 2 cup cooked chickpeas, 1 tbsp ground sage, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tbsp ground fennel, and a few shakes of liquid smoke.  Mix everything well, then remove from heat and add 1/4 cup chopped parsley.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Thinly slice 1 yukon gold (as thin as possible, a mandoline would be useful), and spread the slices over the casserole like a lid.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Roasted Chickpeas in a Trail Mix

So, I decided to make a trail mix type thingy for my lunch to go with my sandwich...

It was a mixture of roasted edamamme, almonds, rice crackers, and these chickpeas, inspired by the Book of Yum.

The chickpeas were mixed with chili powder and baked for 40 minutes at 400F.  That's it... literally.  And they were quite good, but next time I would let them bake a bit longer because they could have been a bit crunchier.  Other than that, winner!

Chickpea and Pasta Soup

This soup had a very memorabe flavour.. :)

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

The veggies were onion, carrot, spinach, and broccoli.  Spices were vegetarian chicken bullion, and lots of smoked paprika and Italian seasoning, fennel, and a vegetable bullion cube.  I also added spiral whole wheat pasta, chickpeas, and vegetarian ham.  Thickened with cornstarch slurry... wow!  Flavourful, much...

Chickpea and Onion Patties

Sorry, no picture tonight.  It'll be up tomorrow!

This has been my lunch for this week, and it's YUMMMMYYY!  :)
I put one burger on this bread, which I slather with tofu mayo.  Shredded carrots go on the other half of the sandwich.

Adapted from here.

Mash 2 cups chickpeas, and stir in 1 small sauteed onion, 3 cloves sauteed garlic, parsely, cumin, nooch, coriander, sumac, pepper, lemon juice, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 cup Italian flavoured bread crumbs.  Add about 1/3 cup mirin and/or some water until it holds together.  Shape into patties and bake.

Broccoli, Rice, and Chickpea Casserole

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan.

Cook 1 generous cup brown rice.
Saute 1 medium, finely chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 small bell pepper, and 5 cups broccoli florets.  Mix in rice, and 2 cups cooked chickpeas.
In another small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup nooch, lemon juice, cooking sherry, smoked paprika or paprika.liquid smoke, 2 T Spike seasoning, dried mustard, and pepper.  Mix this into the rice mixture. 
Spread into a casserole dish and top with a thin layer of tofu mayo (18 oz silken tofu, partially cooked, blended with 1/4 cup lemon jucie).
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so, until you are ready to eat.

Fancy Cabbage Soup

There's really not much to say about this soup - it just has tons of cabbage, along with a lot of other soupy things like potatoes and carrots.  The chickpeas were a very nice addition, I thought, and the noodles really topped this soup off as delicious and filling.

Fancy Cabbage Soup

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Serves 8

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, coined
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
8 cups water
3 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
3 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp sage
2 bay leaves
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp corn starch
3 cups vegetarian mutton
2 cups spaghetti or other pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat, and add the onion and carrots. Sauté for a couple minutes, and then add the garlic and cabbage. Sauté until the cabbage is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add through the bay leaves, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Mix together the corn starch, miso paste, and a couple tbsps water, and then add to the soup with the remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat through, and serve, topped with parmesan.