Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Saturday Morning Waffles


I was in the mood for waffles this morning and they turned out great! They are so easy to make, just whip up the batter and toss into a waffle maker. Here is the recipe I used:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups soy milk
1 cup applesauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp maple syrup

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a different bowl. Combine and mix until just mixed up.

Spray waffle maker with non-stick spray and pour in batter.

Happy Birthday to ME!!


Thanks to my dad and Mud Pie Vegan Bakery, http://www.mudpiebakery.com/, I got to enjoy this yummy looking cake when we went to visit Kansas City. This picture does no justice to what is waiting inside, 2 layers of Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting between and all around topped with a chocolate ganache top!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Wise words from a wise man

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

Albert Einstein

Ahhhhhh-MAZING!! Meat-less-ball Subs!


Found a great vegan meatball, Nate's, so decided to give it a try as a sub today with lunch.

Toasted a bun, with Diaya Mozzerella on top.
Added meatballs, that were heated in pizza sauce.

Quick, easy, and delicious!!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Italian in Ft. Lauderdale

We were recommend an Italian restaurant to try while on vacation, Cafe Vico's (http://www.cafevicorestaurant.com/). This place is very unassuming, hidden away in a strip mall, but it is a gem to be discovered!!! The food was fantastic! It is a family owned business who puts all the little details into making your meal outstanding. First they start you with bread and oil, but not just plain old regular oil. They chop fresh garlic, add spices, and let it marinate before serving you this amazing little starter. How anyone doesn't fill up on this alone amazes me?!!?

For dinner I ordered the Angel Hair Marinara, they served it with a rose carved out of a fresh tomato. My husband ordered the Mushroom Risotto, which is fresh and light, but amazingly delicious!


Finally for dessert they had many different flavors of Sorbet, but the presentation is was what really put it over the top. They served the Sorbet in the shell of the fruit flavor you picked, meaning I ordered orange and it showed up in a frozen orange.


If you are going to be in the Ft. Lauderdale area, this place is a MUST on your dining list!!!

Our recent trip to Ft. Lauderdale turned up some great places to eat


BurgerFi, http://www.burgerfi.com is a great new burger chain that opened up just down the street from our condo. With a appealing exterior we decided to give it a try for lunch one day. It was AMAZING! They have a vegetarian burger that without the cheese is vegan, the patty is made from quinoa. It was perfect and of course we had to get an order of the fries and rings!

Eating Vegan.....

"And I'd simply like people not to cringe when I tell them the cupcake I'm offering them happens to be vegan. You don't have to be a vegan to eat like a vegan. You don't have to be a vegan to put together a vegan meal. You don't have to be vegan to like vegan food!"

A quote from the cookbook Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits

Homemade biscuits, GimmeLean Sausage, Diaya Cheese......Yummy in my tummy, I love breakfast!!

Having the right tools for the job

Sometimes inspiration comes in the strangest forms. We had our Cutco rep out to sharpen our knives and while talking he mentioned that my cheese knife (shown in below picture), which doesn't get much use anymore obviously, is great for cutting tomatoes and potatoes. This made me remember a recipe that I have been wanting to try, Potatoes auGratin. You have to slice the potatoes very thin which can be difficult, unless you have an amazing Cutco Cheese Knife!!
If you are not familiar with Cutco, I suggest giving Mike a call. www.cutcomike.com


Potatoes auGratin



4 medium potatoes (3 lbs), sliced very thing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz vegan cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2-3 1/2 c soy creamer
7 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven 375 degrees.
In 2 qt casserole dish, evenly layer 1/2 of the potatoes, sprinkle with 1/2 salt, 1/2 pepper, and 1/2 cheese. Add remaining potatoes.
combine creamer with cornstarch, whisking. Pour over potatoes. Use spatula to press potatoes into cream. They should be submerged-if not add more cream.
Sprinkle with remaining salt, pepper, and cheese. Cover and bake 45 mins. Remove-push potatoes into cream again. Sprinkle cornflakes, bake uncovered 30-45 mins.

Pesto Kissed Tomato Sauce


A nice change to basic red sauce pasta, this one mixes in pesto.

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c tomato paste
One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c vegan pesto
Any pasta noodle of your choice, I did Linguine

Heat Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10-15 mins. Shortly before serving, blend the pesto into the sauce.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Breakfast Casserole



It doesn't need to be morning to make a great breakfast. Tonight I made a breakfast casserole that we all enjoyed, the flavorful smell that filled the house was amazing! This is a great recipe because you can make it the night before so you have a wonderful breakfast ready and waiting for you in the morning.

2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 c chopped or crumbled soy sausage (I like LightLife in the white package)
One 16 oz package soft tofu, pressed and crumbled
2 c soy milk
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground fennel seeds
Salt and Pepper
8 slices bread

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cover, and cook until soft, about 5 mins. Add the soy sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a bowl, combine tofu, soy milk, thyme, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, then blend in the sausage mixture and set aside.
Tear the bread into bite size pieces and place in a oiled 9x13 baking dish. Pour mixture evenly over the bread and set aside, at least 20 mins, up to overnight (if refrigerating overnight, bring to room temperature before baking).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until puffy and lightly browned, about 45 mins. Let stand 10 mins before cutting into squares.

With summer here nothing satisfies like a fresh fruit smoothie. While you can throw just about anything in to make a good smoothie, I have found a recipe that I really like. A nice trick is using frozen banana slices instead of ice cubes because it won't water down the smoothie, but gives it that nice chill.

1 c strawberries
1/2 c blueberries
1 c cranberry juice cocktail
1 sliced frozen banana

Blend first 3 ingredients together, then add the banana and blend to desired consistency.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Egg-less Salad Sandwich


After a very long hiatus I was browsing through a cookbook and found a new recipe that I wanted to try. Oh baby was it a good one and perfect for those summer time picnics.

16 oz package firm tofu, drained, pressed, and crumbled
1 piece of celery, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 large dill pickle, minced
Pinch of turmeric
1/2 c Vegenaise
Salt and Pepper

Mix everything in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend the flavors.

To make a fantastic sandwich:
Toast bread, spread a small amount of Vegenaise on one piece, place a piece of lettuce, then sliced tomato, then mixture on the bread and enjoy!

You have to love summer and all the beautifully colored fresh fruit that comes with it!

Sweet Art, the Lunch Edition



After many trips to Sweet Art for breakfast, David and I finally made it for lunch. I ordered the BLT, which the picture does it NO justice, and it was superb. David ordered the Philly Cheesesteak, while he said it was good there were so many other things on the menu that sounded great he can't wait to try something else next time.

Oh and if this sounds yummy and you find yourself there, pick me up a brownie!!

Homemade Vegan Corn Dogs


With some great memories from my childhood I decided to make something my mother used to make, but with my own special vegan twist. I made my super yummy cornbread (which you should try if you haven't yet) and put vegan hot dogs in the bottom before baking. While it doesn't look as pretty as a corn dog it tasted like it, just a bit better ;)

Inspiration that is IRRESISTIBLE

With some beautiful foods looking me in the face I couldn't help but take pictures and share them with you all!


While in Chicago we stopped to grab a late breakfast at The Chicago Diner, www.veggiediner.com. I ordered something that I have missed so much since going vegan, biscuits and gravy. While sceptical I was very excited to try them and they were fantastic!!


As we were getting ready to leave I noticed they have vegan milkshakes, yay!!!! Who could resist? I ordered the Peanut Butter Chocolate Milkshake. OH DEAR LORD DELICIOUS!!!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Match Meat Heaven



As stated in a prior post I am a new fan of the brand Match Meat. Tonight we tried their crab cakes and they did not disappoint. Really simple and easy to make and they tasted great. Really good if you want to serve your meat loving friends something that they would not guess is vegan!! Another plus is they only take about 10 mins to cook, perfect if you are short on time to make something.

Superb Sammies (Sandwiches)


Wanted to make a quick, light dinner tonight. Decided to make a Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich served up with some fresh Corn on the Cob. Hope it sounds yummy to you too!

Lovin' the Quinoa


After deciding to add some more protein into my diet I thought we should give Quinoa another try. It is considered a perfect protein but I had yet to find a recipe where I love it. Found a recipe to try, Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes with Mushroom Sauce. While the Croquettes were not the best the Mushroom Sauce over a bed of Quinoa was AWSOME!!!

Mushroom Sauce

3 Cups vegetable broth
2 TBSP arrowroot powder
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
fresh black pepper
1/2 c white cooking wine
3 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 c nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 c plain soy milk

In a small bowl whisk the arrowroot into vegetable broth until dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 3 mins. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the white wine and turn the heat up high to bring to a boil for 3 mins. Add the soy sauce and the broth/arrowroot mixture. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the nutritional yeast and whisk until dissolved. Add the soy milk and whisk for another minute or so. Let cool for a few mins before serving.

Serve over a bed of warm, cooked Quinoa.
Or you could add 1/4 cup flour to the broth and arrowroot mixture making it more gravy like and serve it over pasta.

Lasagna Spirals



Tonight for dinner I made a version of Lasagna, it was individual spirals. It turned out fantastic, while the prep took a bit of time it was easy and worth it!!

1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
16 oz package firm tofu, drained and crumbled
3 oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c vegan pesto
1/3 c fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, cover, cook until softened, about 5 mins. Transfer to food processor and add the tofu, sun dried tomatoes, pesto, bread crumbs, salt, and cayenne. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 mins.

1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
1/4 c dry red wine
One 14.5 oz can plum tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c minced fresh basil leaves
12 lasagna noodles

Heat Olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the wine, tomatoes, and sat and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 mins, then stir in the basil. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

Cook the lasagna noodles. Drain and spread out on a work surface to prevent them from sticking together.

Preheat oven to 350. Divide the chilled filling among the noodles, spreading it evenly over the surface of each noodle. Roll each up tightly into a spiral shaped roll. Place seam side down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Lightly cover the rolls with sauce, saving a little for later. Cover with foil and bake until hot, about 20 mins.

To serve, spread a small amount of warm sauce on plate and place rolls in sauce.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dinner Party with DESSERT!!



We had some friends over for dinner and it turned out amazing!! Looks a bit like my Thanksgiving meal, but it was soooo good it needed to be repeated. This time I made homemade bread with dinner and for dessert we had Apple Walnut Crisp with Ice Cream!!! The Apple Crisp taste like an Apple Pie and easy to make. Served up with Soy Ice Cream it's a great Vegan Dessert!

Apple Walnut Crisp

Oat-Nut Topping-you might want to make a bit extra to put on top
1 c walnut halves-chopped into small pieces
3/4 c rolled oats
2/3 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c maple sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 TBSP Canola oil
2 TBSP water
1 tsp cinnamon-for dusting the top
1 tsp maple sugar-for dusting the top

Apple Filling
3 pounds apples, Honey Crisp are nice and sweet, peeled, cored, sliced, and chopped into chunks
1/2 c dried cherries or cranberries (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 TBSP maple syrup
2 TBSP maple sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 c apple juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss together oats, flour, sugar, walnuts and salt. Drizzle in the oil and water, stirring lightly. Topping should be crumbly, like wet sand. Set aside.

Toss together all the filling ingredients and pour into 9x13 pyrex baking dish.

Sprinkle the Oat-Nut Topping over the apples evenly, completely covering the apples; sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.

Bake 15 minutes at 400, then reduce to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the topping is cooked and the apples are tender.

Remove and let it cool. Serve with Soy Vanilla Ice Cream.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Pancake Nirvana


I love pancakes but have never been able to make that perfectly round, fluffy & light, golden, delicious pancake. But I have recently found the light.....if this is something you suffer with as well, join me and I will tell you how to reach pancake nirvana.

Step One: Have the right tools for the job! I recently aquired an electric pancake griddle and it makes the job so much easier!! 6 pancakes at a time and you can control the degrees temperature, which is vital for a golden pancake. I have found 325-350 degrees is just about perfect, but you might need to play with it a bit.

Step Two: When mixing your batter be careful not to over mix, this will make your pancakes tough and chewy (a few lumps are okay). And more importantly, after mixing the batter let it sit for about 10 mins before starting to make the pancakes. This allows the gluten in the flour to relax and makes for lighter, fluffier pancakes.

Step Three: To get round and similar sized pancakes, use a 1/3 measuring cup to pour the batter. Works great every time!

Step Four: Wait for the pancake top to start bubbling before flipping. If it is getting too brown turn down the temperature.

Step Five: Enjoy the best pancakes ever!!

Perfect Pancake Recipe-has a great sweet taste

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 to 1 1/4 cups plain rice or soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP pure maple syrup

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Add wet to dry, mix until just combined. Let sit 10 mins.

Meanwhile preheat griddle for about 2-3 mins. You will know the griddle is ready by flicking a few water drops onto it, if they sizzle, it's ready.

Make your super yummy pancakes and remember to invite me over for some!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I love Match Meat



If you are looking for a great meal without much effort you should look to your frozen section of Whole Foods. There you will find a product called Match Meat, they make meat substitutes. They have many options, but one that we love is their Stuffed Chicken Breast. I served it with home made bread and steamed veggies.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011


Tonight we decided to pick up dinner from Whole Foods while we were grocery shopping. If you haven't tried their Chinese you should, it's amazing!! Even though it isn't on the menu they can substitute any meat for tofu. Personally I LOVE the Kung Pao Tofu with brown rice. Since they make it when you order it is so fresh and delicious!

Small Adjustments

Many people are intrigued by the idea of Veganism but feel that it is too overwhelming of a commitment to take on. To those of you I suggest trying to make small adjustments in your everyday life. Try switching from milk to a milk substitute, such as Almond Milk or Soy Milk. Try making one dinner a week meat free (I know a great place to get some easy recipes, wink wink).

I heard a wonderful motto the other day by a fellow vegan, Kathy Freston. She said, "Progress, not Perfection" it's all about making small adjustments in our life to try and make ourselves and the world better. What a wonderful point. You can always stick your toe into the world of being Vegan, nothing says you have to jump all the way in!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

20 Minutes to Delicious!


Tonight's dinner was so quick and easy to make! It required no more than a pot for pasta and a pot for the "topping". It would be a great meal to attempt if you have a limited kitchen or are looking for something fast (start to finish this meal took 20 mins to prepare). Don't let it's simplistic nature fool you, it tasted wonderful!!

Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

8 oz Fettucini
1 Cup Raw, Unsalted Pepitas (Pumpkin seeds)
2 TBSP Oil
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
6 Large Handfuls Spinach, torn
3 TBSP Soy Sauce or Tamari
3 TBSP Maple Syrup
2-3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs, optional
3/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

Cook Fettucini according to package directions.

Put pepitas in food processor until pretty finely chopped (or hand crush in a bag). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, the tamari and maple syrup, and the thyme if you’re using it. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything up really well. Turn heat to low (or just turn it off and cover it until your pasta is cooked).

Drain pasta and add it to your skillet. Add crushed pepitas and toss well until everything is coated. Taste a noodle and see if you need an extra splash of tamari and/or maple syrup. The noodles should look like they don’t have a sauce on them, but they’ll taste like they do.

Serve immediately.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have missed fresh, hot out of the oven, chocolate chip cookies. I found a recipe that tastes just like what I used to love, but Vegan! These cookies are perfect right out of the oven, still hot.

1 c vegan margarine (Earth Balance makes sticks)
1 1/4 c sugar
1 TBSP molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c chocolate chips (I like Sunspire)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not let the batter fool you. It will be very loose, like you forgot a liquid.
Form into balls by pressing in hands. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, until ever so slightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack (or your mouth).

New Year's Resolution


One of my New Year's Resolution's was to make things that intimidate me. I have always wanted to make homemade pizza dough so tonight I did. We had homemade BBQ Pizza with Boca Crumbles, Pineapple, Onion, Red Peppers, and Daiya Mozzarella Cheese. I was shocked at how easy it was, but I did use my food processor.

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 c warm water
1 c cake flour
1 cup plus 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP EVOO

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 mins.

In a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour, and salt and pulse 3 or 4 times.

Whisk 1 TBSP of the olive oil into yeast mixture. With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Pulse the machine 10-15 times to knead the dough. The dough should clean the insides of the bowl but will be slightly sticky.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with 1 TBSP oil. Dust your hands with flour and remove the dough from the food processor. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough in half and roll out.

Add sauce and toppings.

Cook at 450 degrees for 12-15 mins, or until edges are brown.

I love baked potatoes and had an idea tonight on how to jazz it up a bit. Before wrapping the potato, I added sliced onions and peeled garlic. Then I wrapped everything up and tossed it in the oven. It smelled great and tasted even better!!

Simple but Oh-So-Satisfying



For a treat tonight I made a Chocolate Ganache. Served with some fresh fruit and graham crackers for dipping, it was a perfect dessert to satisfying that chocolate craving!!

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 c soy milk
4 oz grain sweetened chocolate chips (I like Sunspire brand)
2 TBSP pure maple syrup

Bring soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup. Whisk until fully melted and smooth. Serve!!

It couldn't get much easier, or better!

Good Breakfast in STL!!!




I am always in search of vegan breakfast, which seems to be the most limited thing possible! We found a new place to add to our short list, MoKaBe's Coffeehouse (http://www.mokabes.com/). I had the Scrambled Tofu Burritto which was FANTASTIC!!! David ordered the scrambled tofu and french toast with a side of vegan sausage patties. The scrambled tofu had a great seasoning to it.
You know you are in the right place when the chef brings out the food and says, "Thanks for ordering this. Best thing I have got to make all day so far."

Monday, January 3, 2011

Fettucini I'm-Alfredo-Not


Tonight I made a Fettucini Alfredo recipe. While it was tasty, it did NOT taste like a creamy alfredo sauce. Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try. It is very good but do not think it is Fettucini Alfredo!

1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2-4 Cloves of Garlic
Black pepper

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Boil pasta according to directions, and drain. Pour sauce over pasta and serve!
I added steamed broccoli to mine and it tasted great!