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 :)

Homemade Banana Splits with Caramel, Hot Fudge, and Cherries

With all this warm weather I have started craving some of those good old fashion desserts. Lately I have had Banana Splits on my mind so I decided last night it was finally time to make my own. Of course neither caramel sauce or hot fudge is vegan so I found recipes for both and the whole thing turned out perfect!! Next time I might have to try some homemade whip cream!!

Both these recipes were surprisingly simple to make. I made them before dinner, which worked out nice because they both had an opportunity to cool off a bit so they didn't melt the ice cream.

Caramel Sauce

1 c soy milk
3/4 c brown rice syrup
1/3 c maple syrup
3 TBSP water
2 TBSP arrowroot powder or 1 1/2 TBSP cornstarch (I used arrowroot)
1 TBSP vegan margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first 3 ingredients in saucepan. Heat over medium heat until boiling, whisking often to prevent sticking. Boil about 10 mins, until lightly coats the back of a spoon. Mix water and arrowroot in a small container. Add to boiling mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in margarine and vanilla extract. Allow to cool before using.

Hot Fudge

1/2 c canned coconut milk, mixed very well before measuring
1 c semisweet chocolate chips (dairy free)
1 TBSP Agave
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, heat coconut milk over medium high heat until it just boils. Turn the heat to low and whisk in chocolate chips. Let cook, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in agave and vanilla.

Assemble Banana Splits and enjoy!

Both sauces can keep in the fridge for about 5 days, if they last THAT long!! You could always use any leftover sauce to make some really yummy milkshakes, hmmm.....I see another post in the very near future!!

Smoked Tempeh and Carrot Pesto Pizza-AMAZING!!!

I recently attended a vegan cooking class at Whole Foods where we made this pizza. It was AMAZING!! I really can't say enough about it. If you are like me, you read the description and thought....nahh! DO NOT sleep on this recipe, it is worth the time and effort. Bonus: it's even better the next day cold!!

If you don't believe me you can always go to the class, she is having it again!! Follow this link to sign up: http://stlveggirl.com/Classes.html

Smoked Tempeh and Carrot Pesto Pizza

1 whole wheat pizza crust rolled/kneaded out to 16" on an oiled pan or pizza stone, cooked halfway (whole foods makes a great one)

Smoked Tempeh Crumbles
1 package tempeh
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP tamari
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
salt and pepper

Cut tempeh into 1/2" pieces. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour into a ziploc bag, adding tempeh, to marinate while prepping the rest of the pizza.

Carrot Pesto Sauce
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 c parsley
2 TBSP chopped red onion
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well mixed, set aside.

Hummus Cheese Sauce
3/4 c hummus (I liked plain or garlic with this recipe)
4 TBSP nutritional yeast
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

To assemble pizza:
On your 1/2 baked crust, spread the carrot pesto. Sprinkle the tempeh and some sliced red onion in an even layer. Pipe on the Hummus Cheese by putting it in a ziploc bag and cutting off one of the corners (make the cut small to pipe it on).
Bake for 25-30 mins at 350 degrees, or until done.

Tofu "Steaks" with Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Broccoli

While the recipes calls this a tofu steak, I think I might refer to it more as marinated tofu. Very simple recipe with just a few ingredients makes it an easy meal to make.

Extra Firm Tofu, sliced (drained and pressed)
10-16 oz Sliced Mushrooms
1/4-1/2 c soy sauce
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Place the tofu and mushrooms in a skillet. Add soy sauce and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 10 mins, turning once to brown both sides of the tofu.

Mac N Cheese

I recently came across this recipe which I wanted to try because it doesn't use any "fake" processed ingredients. I have always avoided making a mac n cheese, thinking it was not worth the time. I gave it a try and it was not as much effort as I though, plus it might be my favorite! This recipe makes a full 9x13 dish, but I seperated it into 2 8x8's and froze the second one.

4-5 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1/4 c + 2 TBSP vegan margarine
1/4 c + 2 TBSP unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/2 c boiling water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of tumeric
2-4 TBSP canola oil
1 c nutritional yeast flakes
paprika to taste for topping


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cook pasta.

In a saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Beat the flour in with a whisk, and continue to beat over a medium flame until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Whip in the boiling water, salt, soy sauce, garlic powder and tumeric, beating well to dissolve the sauce. Cook until it thickens and bubbles. Whip in the oil and nutritional yeast flakes.

Mix part of the sauce with the cooked noodles and pour into 9x13 dish. Pour remaining sauce on top and smooth out. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 15 mins. Heat broiler and broil until the "cheese" sauce starts to bubble.

Crispy Cajun Kale

I served this as an appetizer the other night. It is super quick and easy to make, not to mention very healthy!!

1 bunch of kale (de-stemmed and torn into 1-2" pieces)
Olive Oil
Cajun Seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350.
Toss the Kale lightly with oil (easiest in a bowl, using tongs). Sprinkle with Cajun Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper.
Bake for 10-15 mins, until crispy.

Sweet Art's New Menu

Sweet Art has recently changed their whole menu. Not to worry, they still have a great selection of cupcakes and brownies!! Pictured is their new Sloppy Joe Sandwich served with a side of Mac N Cheese. The new menu rotates daily and there are quite a few things I can't wait to try.