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)

Simple Veggies, Pasta, & Pesto

Could "cooking" get any more simple than this?  Just roast carrots and broccoli at 375 for 15 - 20 min, and toss with pasta and pesto.  Not even a recipe, really... but a great way to use up leftover pesto and pasta, and it tasted a-mazing!  Good food to refuel with...

Adapted from Sketch Free Vegan

Onion Soup + Extras

Well, I can't just have onions!  Soup must have carrots.  And beans.  And rice.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Saute onions sliced into half rings (or whole rings, if you are feeling patient) and carrots. 
As far as seasonings go: vegetable and veggie chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, butter extract, fresh basil and parsley.  Then came wild rice.
At the end of cooking, I added cooked gargantuam lima beans, red kidney beans, and pinto beans, along with a corn starch slurry (using up random beans, can you tell?)
Served with fake meat, toasted bread, and cheese, French onion soup style. ;)

Wheat Berry Salad

This salad makes you feel healthy.  No, really, I'm not lying.  Those are the first words that popped out of my mouth when I tasted it...  Btw - this has A LOT of protein.

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Dressing: blend together 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, 1/4 cup Silk, a bit of olive oil, 1/4 cup nooch, garlic powder, juice of 1 lemon, and 1/3 cup mirin. 
Cook a generous 1/2 cup wheat berries, then mix with 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, dressing, sauteed onion, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic, and chopped parsley.  And wilted spinach.  Mix well. ;)

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.

Chai-Nana Milkshake & Chia Seed Pudding

So, this isn't much of a post.. no pictures either.  I make Chocolate Covered Katie's Chai-Nana Milkshake for dessert last night.  It was pretty good - better than I would have thought possible!
So, I'll just send you over there...
Just one thing I want to say about it: it's pretty strong, so drink slowly..

And on another note, I tried chia seed pudding for breakfast this morning.  It didn't taste all that great.  I mean, it was alright, but it had a sort of funny aftertaste.  So, I will continue to experiment... Alas, the breakfast challenge continues!

Ricotta & Pesto Pizza

Mmm... pizza... pesto... mmm...

Adapted from HHL

Pesto: blend together 1/2 cup walnuts, 1 packed cup basil leaves, 1 hefty cup spinach leaves, 1/4 cup parsley, a bit of nooch, juice of 1 lemon, and enough mirin to make it a pesto consistancey.
Tofu Ricotta: Press and crumble tofu, and mix with lemon juice, Italian seasoning, nooch, and garlic powder.
Grill chopped red onion and mushrooms on a panini press, and wilt some spinach.
On a pizza crust, spread a layer of pesto, followed by spinach, mushrooms, and onions, and lastly the ricotta.  Cook/heat for a few minutes on the panini press.

Spicy Tomato and Black Bean Pasta

Erm.  I'm really not feeling that hot today, so this was a nice quick dish to throw together without much effort.  I was super surprised, however, at how much it made - lots of leftovers!  But it gets a golden star from me and M, so it's all good...

Adapted from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Roughly slice and saute 4 cloves garlic.  Blend with 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 cup tofu mayo, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/3 cup nooch, 14.5 oz can tomato sauce, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.  Add in 1.5 cups black beans, 4 oz can green chilis, and 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Allow to heat through and serve over pasta.

Old Bay Soup

Here's an old favourite of mine.  No one can say this isn't flavourful!  Oh, and don't be shy of using green beans in soup - I was at first, then I was like "Oh, this is perfectly fine"
Adapted from I Eat Food

Veggies: Onion, carrots, garlic, green beans
Then came tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, a bit of soy sauce, water, veggie bouillon, celery seed, thyme, Old Bay seasoning, a spicy spice mixture, and quinoa.  And pinto beans.
Lastly, thickened with a corn starch slurry, and served with veggie meat... and I am happy.

Sweet n Sour Stir Fry

WOWOWOWOWOOOOWWW!  This one was a good one.  M, who <3s stir frys, said this was one of the best ones I have ever made.  I don't think I will argue with her on that...

Adapted from Papillon

Sauce: hoisin sauce, mirin, soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch
Veggies: onion, bell pepper, broccoli, pineapple (!), fried tofu
Served over brown rice with chopstick ;)

Ranch Pizza

Mmm, Friday pizza night!

Adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

I used this pizza crust, cooking it on the panini press
Topped with a vegan ranch dressing: tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu + lemon juice), a bunch of green dried herbs (think basil, majoram, oregano, etc), onion powder, and garlic powder
The came bell peppers and onions grilled on the panini press
Then tofu marinated in pinapple juice, soy sauce, and maple syrup, then grilled on the panini press
A few olives
And FYH mozzarella cheese/
All cooked together on the press.........

Quinoa Salad

Erm.  Not much to say tonight.  I'm rather tired.. although the salad was pretty good and easy.
I totally meant to add tofu - had it in the micorwave and everything!  Then I forgot.  I had just finished my portion, and then I was like "Oh my gosh, the tofu!"  But it was super good, none the less...

Adapted from HHL

Ok, so:
Quinoa + finely chopped sauteed onion, cooked in half orange juice and half water, mixed with nooch and spicy seasoning + paprika
Shredded carrots, chopped oranges, sliced avocado
Walnuts
Tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu blended with lemon)

Lentils, Brussels, and Onions

Using up leftovers today... You know, I had the last of my AP exams today.  When I was not testing, I was literally in a stupor, staring at the wall... and thinking about this recipe.  It took me all day to come up with it.  Shows you how well my brain is working right now...

HEAVILY adapted from Taste Space

I combined cooked brown lentils and leftover grilled onion and brussels sprouts with a sauce of maple syrup, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and orange zest.  This was all heated in a wok, then topped with pecans, and served.  Make sure to use the orange zest, because that totally makes the dish awesome!

TVP Sliders

Burgers make me feel like a rebel...

Adapted from HHL

Finely chop and saute 1/3 cup onion, 1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, and 2 cloves garlic until all the liquid is gone.  Chop a bit of parsley.  Mash 1 1/2 cups canellini beans.  Then mix all of this stuff together with 1 1/2 cups TVP, 1/2 cup nooch, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp smoky/spicy seasoning, 1 tbsp Spike seasoning, 1 tbsp veggie bouillon, and 1 tbsp mirin.  Stir in a scant 1 cup hot water, so the TVP soakes it up.  Add in whole wheat flour as needed - I used a couple tbsp.  Shape into patties and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Serve on buns with pickles, vegan cheese, and ketchup!

Avocado Quesadilla + 300 Posts

Wow.  It's hard to believe this is post #300!!  It really doesn't feel like that many dishes... here's to more cooking, blogging, and eating!

And more avocado... buttery, healthy bliss.

Adapted from HHL

Mash up half an avocado on one tortilla.  Drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with nooch, spicy seasoning, and butter extract.  Grill for a couple minutes on a panini press, slice, and serve with salsa.  Fun stuff!

Tropical Salad

This was super light... and fun to make/eat.  The macadamias were a real treat!

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Base: iceburg lettuce
Stuffs: chopped banana, pinapple, mango, macadamia nuts, shredded coconut
Dressing was a bit of tofu mayo mixed with balsamic vinegar, mirin, and agave nectar.

That's it.  Honestly!

Brussels Sprouts Pizza!

Yes, I know this sounds super weird.  But, honest to goodness, when I took my first bite I started stuttering: "Oh my gosh... oh my gosh... this is so good!  Mmm!  Yum!" ect. It was that good.

Adapted from HHL

Chop brussels sprouts in half; chop onions.  Grill on a panini press until tender.
Mix tofu mayo with balsamic vinegar, orange juice (I used the stuff from the mandarin orange can...) and barbeque sauce.
Mix pizza dough with rosemary, and shape into a crust.  Grill on the panini press until done, ~5 minutes.  Spread crust with mayo mixture, top with veggies, sprinkle with FYH mozzarrella, and nooch.  Grill for a few minutes to heat everything, and then serve.

Brussels Sprouts + French Toast

So, I have odd combinations for dinner.  It tasted good.  Any questions?

Brussels from 101 Cookbooks; Toast was from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Both were fairly simple.  The brussels were tossed with mirin, garlic, oregano, and fresh parsley, and then roasted at 375 for 25 minutes.
The French toast... mix together 1 smaaallll mashed banana, 1/3 cup soy milk, and cinnamon.  Dip bread in the mixture and cook in a frying pan until done.  It will smell very good and bananay.  Yes, that is a word.  It came into existance just now.  Mmm... I will probably be making this stuff again soon, it was sooo goooooddd.....

Catching Up! Macaroni Pasta Salad

Heh, my AP US History exam is over... I literally feel like a ten pound weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  So, now I can do more IMPORTANT things, like blog. ;)

This recipe is adapted from HHL, I believe, but I can't find the link... (found it, 15 minutes later!)

Base: whole wheat pasta
Veggies: torn basil, chopped sun dried tomatoes, olives, roasted red bell pepper
Dressing: tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu blended with lemon juice), mirin, garlic powder, nooch, Spike seasoning, chopped parsley
Served over chopped iceburg lettuce.

Easy Vegan Ramen Soup

Yay ramen noodles!  So good for the hot summer days...
Although, you really have to be careful.  Both M and I H-A-T-E seaweed.  We checked the ingredients list on the ramen to make sure it didn't have seaweed, and it didn't.  But it did have "dried vegetables".  So, I dumped the packet in the soup.. and spent the next 20 minutes picking out seaweed from the soup.  Blech.  Oh well, it was still pretty good.  I've made this soup sooo many times, and it's always tasty!

** update: I didn't use the seasoning packet with the next round.  No duh.  Instead, I added dried ginger, white sugar, chili bean paste, veggie bouillon, garlic powder, and vegetarian mushroom/fish sauce.  It was super yum - probably better than with the seasoning packet!  And I felt a BIT better eating it... no weird chemicals.

It pretty simple: saute carrots, onions, and cabbage.  Add in 2 cups veggie broth (to give the soup body), and then enough water to make soup.  Add in 2 packages ramen and their seasoning packets (not the oil packets), vegge bullion, dried ginger, and a little spicy stuff.  Cook until the noodles are done, and serve with fake meat.

Tofu Quinoa Tortilla

Totally a happy accident that I made this on Cinco de Mayo...
Who cares, really, if the food matches the holiday.  I just want it to taste good.  Don't you agree?

Adapted from HHL

So, first cook ~ 1/2 cup quinoa.  Mix that with wilted spinach, chopped parsley and cilantro, chipotle chili powder, nooch, lime juice, agave, and liquid smoke.
On a tortilla, lay a bit of the quinoa mixture.  Top with salsa, avocado, and tofu bacon.  Wrap and eat.. with a napkin...

Single Serving Use Up Leftovers Soup

Despite the purpose of this soup... it turned out really yum.  Much better than expected, which is always a NICE surprise.
Speaking of... I could use more nice surprises.  Couldn't you? ;)

Veggies were carrot, garlic, onion, and broccoli.  Spices were veggie chicken bullion, Spike Veg-It seasoning, Italian seasoning, and cooking sherry.  Other stuff included orzo, fake meat, red kidney beans, and corn starch slurry to thicken.

Pinapple Stir Fry

Oh, gosh.  NO PICTURE!  I feel really bad... but my camera ran out of power before I got anything, and there weren't any leftovers.  Boohoo.  Oh well, most stir fries look the same, anyhoo...

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Mix together 1/3 cup pinapple juice, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup, and 1 tbsp agave.  Cut two slabs of tofu, press, and marinade overnight in sauce.  **So, Wednesday I thought I was going to make this dish, and I got the tofu marinading, but it turned out that I didn't have the energy to throw this together.  So I let the tofu marinade overnight, and made the dish Thurday.  Wow, flavour boost much!  I think, when possible, I will let the tofu marinade overnight, as it soaks up so much more flavour.
The next day, saute onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, broccoli, and spinach.  Grill tofu on a panini press.  Mix corn starch with the leftover marinade, and use as the stir fry sauce.  Serve over wild rice.

Loong Recipe List

This was a school project.  We had to do a 'self portrait'.  I was like "I can't draw/paint"... so I asked my teacher if I could cook something, and she said that was fine.  So here are the fruits of my labour! (Apologies for the funky formatting... I copied and pasted from Word, so that usually messes things up)

Adapted from (in order)
Chocolate Covered Katie
Chocolate Covered Katie
HHL
Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen

Minted Brownies

Mix together ¼ cup mint cocoa powder, ½ cup whole wheat flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ½ cup sugar.  Add in 3 tbsp blended silken tofu, 1/3 cup applesauce, 1 tbsp oil, and 2 tbsp soymilk.  Stir well, and pour into a loaf pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes at 325, until firm.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Mix together 5 tbsp whole wheat flour, ¾ tsp soda, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 tbsp brown sugar.  Mix in ½ cup peanut butter and 2 tbsp applesauce.   Refrigerate overnight.  Shape into small balls, and bake at 350 for 12 minutes, until firm.

Vegan Cobb Salad

Base: lettuce.  Toppings: mandarin oranges, black olives, broccoli, kidney beans, cheese, and tofu bacon.

Tofu Bacon

Press tofu for 30 minutes in a towel between two plates to get out extra moisture.  Slice.  Marinade in ½ cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp ketchup, and 1 tsp liquid smoke overnight.  Grill on a Panini press until completely flat.

Cheese Sandwiches

Spread white bread with tofu mayo and add soy cheese slices.  Cut into squares and serve.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Cream Cheese Wraps

Preheat the oven to 375.  Chop a red bell pepper in half, and then knock out most of the seeds, and take off the stem.  Place the pepper, skin up, on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until the skin is blackened.  Set aside to cool, then peel the skin off, and cut into strips.

Spread a thin layer of Tofutti herbed cream cheese on a wrap, and add bell pepper strips, and fresh basil.  Cut into slices and serve.