Friday, April 13, 2012

Mongolian BBQ Seitan


This is another recipe from the AMAZING Chef Chloe's new cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen. It just might be one of my favorite recipes I have made. She uses a great combination of shiitake mushrooms and seitan with a delicious sauce to bring it all together. Throw in some snow peas and scallions and serve it over brown rice and you have dinner!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza


The other day I was craving California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza so I decided to make my own VEGAN version. It turned out fantastic!!

1 whole wheat pizza crust, half cooked (Whole Foods makes a delicious one)
1/4 c tomato paste
1/2 c BBQ Sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 bag of Gardein "Chicken" Nuggets, cooked and chopped
pineapple chunks
1/2 red onion, sliced
Daiya Shredded Mozzarella "Cheese"

Preheat oven according to directions on pizza crust. Combine tomato paste, BBQ Sauce, and oregano and spread onto pizza crust. Top pizza with "chicken", pineapple, onion, and "cheese". Cook 10 mins or until cheese has melted and crust is brown on edges. Enjoy!

Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts


This is a great recipe with no measuring needed (just adjust to how many you are making it for), this super simple side dish is sure to please any audience. The sweetness combined with the crunch from the nuts makes it a great dish!!

Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
**Toasted Hazelnuts
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place brussel sprouts in glass baking dish and lightly coat with Olive Oil, season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook for 15 mins, stir and cook 15 more mins. Drizzle with Maple Syrup and cook 15 mins. Remove from oven and stir in toasted hazelnuts. Serve.

**To toast any nut you can either do it in the oven or on the stove top. Oven: preheat to 350 degrees and toast nuts on baking sheet for 12-15 mins or until browning. Stove Top: heat skillet over med-high heat, add nuts stirring occasionally for 5-7 mins or until browning. Be careful not to brown too much or they will burn.

Avocado Pesto Pasta


This was such a simple recipe and it looks so pretty with the sun-dried tomatoes on top, and the avocado gives the pasta a nice creaminess.

1 lb linguine
1 bunch fresh basil
1/2 c pine nuts
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c olive oil (I would use a little less, just add last and keep an eye on your pesto not getting too oily)
Salt and pepper
Sliced sun-dried tomatoes

Cook pasta, set aside.

In food processor combine basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss pasta with pesto and garnish with sun-dried tomatoes.

Oreo Ice Cream Pie


AMAZING, just AMAZING!! Who thinks a vegan eats like this??!! Inspiration struck after I made my Banana Splits. I was sitting thinking, hmmmm....what else can I do with my leftover hot fudge. Oreo Ice Cream pie? Why, of course.

Oreo Crust
Soy Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sauce (see Banana Split post for recipe)
Crushed Oreo's for topping
Vegan Whip Cream
Maraschino Cherries

Let Ice Cream soften for about 45 mins, then spread into Oreo Crust. Refreeze for about 2 hours, then top with a layer of Hot Fudge Sauce and refreeze for about 4-6 hours. Add toppings as desired. NO COOKING NECESSARY!!

Chef Chloe Inspiration


I have been waiting with much anticipation for Chef Chloe's new cookbook to come out. Thank heavens I finally got my copy in the mail and I have been cooking from it since. She has so many great recipes it was hard to decide where to start. Because she is Italian I thought I would start with a pasta and man was it delicious. I made her Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce, sounds fancy right??!! It was so easy to put together! Little tip: use a pastry bag (or ziploc bag with corner cut off) to stuff shells.
Here is the link if you would like to purchase or just look at her cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen http://www.amazon.com/Chloes-Kitchen-Delicious-Recipes-Making/dp/1451636741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334329804&sr=8-1 It's a great buy with so many wonderful looking recipes and great looking desserts too!! You can also check out her website www.ChefChloe.com where she has great recipes, her blog, and other great info.
Below I have 2 pictures, one without the sauce so you can see what the stuffed shells look like and one with it ready to go into the oven.




I made her recipe, Artichoke-Walnut Pesto Crostini, for an appetizer. Looks amazing, taste amazing! Even better the next day once the flavors have all had a change to marinate together. If you want the recipe you will just have to come over for dinner :)