I'm still here, still vegan, still loving it!

If you are wondering where I went, we have moved, remodeled our kitchen, my charger for my computer stopped working so I had to order a new one, and I'm pregnant!! Through all of that I have still been cooking and taking pictures. I have finally been able to post them, so I hope you enjoy all the new recipes! Let me know which ones you can't wait to try!

Pineapple Baked Tofu with Seared Pineapple Rings

This dish looks so beautiful once prepared, it looks like I put a lot more effort into it than I did!! Give it a try if you are looking to impress!

1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed and sliced into 8-10 rectangles
3/4 c pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple rings)
1/4 c tamari
1 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
3 TBSP peanut oil, divided
1 TBSP Old Bay Seasoning, divided
8 pineapple rings

Preheat oven to 400. To make marinade, mix pineapple juice, tamari, rice vinegar, peanut oil, and 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning. Place tofu in marinade so it covers the slices. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping over after 10 minutes.
To make the pineapple rings lightly oil a very hot skillet and sear the rings, both sides, until nicely colored. Set aside until ready to serve.
Remove tofu from oven and place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, reserving the marinade. Increase the oven to 425 and bake for 20 mins, flipping after 10.

I served mine with brown rice, then steamed spinach, then tofu, then pineapple rings, drizzling left over marinade over the top.

Twice Baked Spaghetti

This is a great alternative to traditional spaghetti and is great for a cold night!

1 lb cooked spaghetti
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 c marinara sauce
1/2 c vegan mayonnaise (I like Veganaise)
8 oz nondairy cream cheese (I like Tofutti)
1/4 c nutritional yeast (this can be found in the bulk section on Whole Foods and is very cheap)
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Combine tomatoes, marinara, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and nutritional yeast. Mix in spaghetti and transfer to a 9" square baking dish. Smooth out the top.
Sprinkle the top evenly with the panko. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake 1 hour, or until the topping is just beginning to brown. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Side note-I would use a little less cream cheese next time, a bit too creamy for my taste.

Orange Ginger Baked Tofu

I like my tofu to have a little more dense, chewiness to it. To achieve this freeze the tofu and then let it thaw completely before draining and pressing it.

Marinade: I doubled this recipe so that I would have more than enough
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c dry white wine
1/4 c maple syrup
4 tsp soy sauce (I prefer Tamari)
2 tsp vegetable oil

1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine all ingredients (except tofu) in a small bowl and whisk.
Cut tofu into 10-12 slices. Pour half the marinade into a baking dish and dredge tofu slices. Pour the other half over the tofu, let sit about 10 mins.
Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 20 mins, remove from oven and flip pieces over. Cook 15 more minutes uncovered.
To give the tofu more chewiness, remove from marinade and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Broil the tofu for 3-4 mins on each side, until desired toughness achieved.

I served mine over brown rice with roasted brussel sprouts.

New York City!!

My husband and I recently went to New York City. This can be completely overwhelming for a mid-western vegan, all the options!! So many all-vegan restaurants, how does one decide?

Well after landing we went straight from the airport to BabyCakes (www.babycakesnyc.com) an all vegan bakery, spent $55, and then to the hotel to check in. As you can see, we had our priorities lined up and this was not going to be "the healthy vegan adventure"!!

Now I can tell you where we ate, but as you can see I do not have many pictures of what we ate. I could pretend it was because the lighting in the restaurants was not condusive to taking pictures of the food, but really it all looked so amazing we devoured without a thought of stopping for a pic.

For dinner we went to Blossom and Candle 79. For lunch we went to Terri's, both days-yes, it was that good. The sandwich you see below was from Terri's, it was a Bacon, Cheddar, Ranch, Chicken Sandwich!! Oh and I got a Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake with it, yummmmmmmm!!

I can't wait to go back again and try so many other things that we didn't have time for!

Super Fast Mini Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is so easy to make you don't even need to measure anything!!

Rolls:
1 (8 oz) tube Crescent Rolls (I use Pillsbury, which are suprisingly vegan)
Butter
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar

Icing:
1 tsp Maple Syrup
1 TBSP soy milk
2/3 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven according to Crescent Roll directions. Take half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch the seams together, flip and do again on back side. Use a rolling pin to smooth out seams.
Melt about 2 TBSP of butter and brush onto dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, use a much or little as you like.
Roll into a log and cut into about 8-9 pieces. Place pieces into greased mini cupcake pan.
Repeat with other half of dough.
Bake according to package directions. While baking, mix up icing.
Remove rolls from oven, let cool for a few mins, and top with icing. Enjoy!

Mushroom Potpie

While this dish took a bit of time to prepare, it was worth the effort. My mushroom mixture made more than I planned filling up a 9x13 rather than an 8x8, so I had to roll out the top a little thinner than desired. It still turned out great but would be better with a "thicker" pastry top.

Olive Oil
1 1/2 lbs mushrooms (I used a combo of cremini and button) halved, or quartered
4 carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 celery stalks, sliced 1/4" thick
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and Pepper
1/3 c all-purpose
1 1/2 c vegetable broth
1 c frozen peas
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (most are vegan, just check ingredients list)

Heat oven to 400. Heat 2 TBSP oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 12-15 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the broth and peas; bring to a boil.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to an 8x8 baking dish. Lay the pastry on top and cut several vents in it. Bake until the crust is golden 20-25 minutes (place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet incase of overflow). Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Dressing up a side dish of corn

Sometimes just dressing up a side dish can make it go from ordinary to extraordinary!! I took a package of frozen corn, cooked it and added:

1/2 c chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper

It turned out beautiful and tasted even better!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!

I have been on the hunt for a chocolate chip cookie that tasted like the ones I use to eat. I have tried probably 4-5 recipes without much luck, but now have found one that taste better than I even remember!! I got the recipe from Chef Chole, she won Cupcake Wars with her VEGAN cupcakes!!! She is an amazing chef with a cookbook coming out soon that I can not wait to get my hands on.

The recipe is for Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches, but I just made the cookies. If you are feeling adventurous, go for the sandwiches and let me know how they turn out!

http://chefchloe.com/sweets/chocolate-dipped-ice-cream-sandwiches.html

Side note-this recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies so make sure to have some people over to share them with.....or not!!

BBQ Tofu and Onion Skillet

I love how tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. This recipe was so simple and delicious, my 5 year old couldn't get enough.

One special note about cooking with tofu, the more your press/drain it the more it can take on the flavor of what you are cooking it with. Take the time to properly drain your tofu and it's much more enjoyable!

2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced (Vidalia was delicious)
1 (16 oz) package extra-firm tofu, well drained and diced
1/2 c BBQ sauce (you can adjust this amount to your desire)

Heat oil in skillet. Add the onions and saute over med heat until golden. If your not in a hurry, cook them over very low heat to caramelize them.

Add the tofu and BBQ and turn the heat up to med-high. Use enough sauce to coat the tofu. Cook for 6-8 minutes.

I served mine over brown rice with a side of roasted cauliflower.

Orange Glazed French Toast

My husband loves French Toast! Now you might think that we can not indulge in such a thing, it's made with raw egg!! I have found a recipe that we all love, and it's MUCH healthier for you.

1 c soy milk
1 c OJ
2 TBSP powdered sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 loaf of bread (I like italian or a french baguette pre-sliced and stale or slightly toasted)

Mix everything together. Melt butter on pan and place dipped slices of bread into pan, flip once browned.

Serve with powdered sugar, syrup, strawberries, blueberries, etc!!

Mini Baked Doughnuts

After reading about and craving vegan doughnuts I decided to try and make some myself. They were surprising easy and turned out delicious.

**Warning** The recipe makes about 24 and you might end up eating them all in one sitting

You will need a petite doughnut pan for this recipe, you can find them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Dillards, etc.

1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 shake of cinnamon
1/2 c soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Egg substitute for 1 egg
4 TBSP Earth Balance Margarine

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 6 ingredients and whisk.
In a sauce pan, combine last 5 ingredients over med-low heat and mix until margarine is melted. This mixture should not get too hot; you should be able to stick you finger in the mixture and feel slightly warm.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. It should form a very soft dough or thick batter.
Using a spoon, scoop out the dough into the ungreased, nonstick mini-doughnut pan. Smooth out the top of the doughnuts with your finer, clearing off the post in the middle of each one. This will make for a prettier doughnut. Do not overfill or your doughnuts will come out looking more like a muffin.
Bake for 12 minutes until the doughnuts are almost browned on top and a toothpick come out clean.
Remove doughnuts from pan onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before decorating (except powdered sugar ones which need to be rolled in sugar while still warm.

For Chocolate dipped I simply melted chocolate in microwave and dipped.
For Glazed I mixed 1/2 c powdered sugar with 1 TBSP soy milk and dipped.
For Powdered Sugar I rolled doughnut while still warm in powdered sugar.

Great Food Blog

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. If I am ever looking for an easy, quick, simple recipe I always check out:

TheVeganStoner.blogspot.com

The recipes only have a few ingredients and are always quick to make. I tried the Enchilada Rolls the other night and they were great! Since his pic turned out a LOT prettier than mine, I though I would share the link:

http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post_17.html

Hopefully you can find some yummy things to make also!

Picadillo & Cornbread

My mom used to make this dish when I was younger so I thought I would give it a try, turned out great! I have a recipe for a great cornbread, refer to Dec 5 2010 post.

1 green pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp butter (I like Earth Balance)
2 cans (15 oz) red kidney beans-do NOT drain
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 c tomato sauce (small can)
1/4 c raisins

Prepare and bake cornbread, set aside.

Saute peppers, onion, garlic in butter 5-8 mins. Stir in kidney beans, cumin, red pepper, tomato sauce, and raisins. Cook 10-12 mins over med high heat.

Serve cornbread, pour sauce over each serving.