Potato Cakes

'Ello, blogosphere!
What has it been now...a month since my last post? For those of you who I'm close to in real life, not just the wonderful world wide web, you know about all the craziness that has gone down the last few months. Everyone else, just know that I'm back. I'm cooking again, I'm baking again, and I'm sharing again!

My best best BEST friend, Marissa (teacup tattoo!), has a wonderful man in her life who happens to be from England. The three of us chat quite a bit (thank you, Blackberry...) and Mr. England talks about British food all the time. I don't know if it's because he's aware I'm a fat kid at heart or if he wants to show off all the tasty treats England has to offer. Either way, you won't hear me complaining!

Last week, I was home in New Hampshire when he mentioned Potato Cakes with Mushy Peas. I'm not going to lie: if I read that on a menu somewhere, I wouldn't order it. Maybe just the Mushy Peas part of it. I do love a good Latke, though, so after he went on about Potato Cakes, I decided I was going to whip up a batch for my mother and I.

THEY CAME OUT SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Even the Mushy Peas! So good, in fact, I brought some to my sister and she wanted the recipe. Then I brought one into work this week and forks were coming in from all angles. My boss started expanding on the idea: Sweet Potato Cakes, anyone? Adding scallions? Sour cream?

The possibilities are endless. And inexpensive. My kinda dish!



Potato Cakes with Mushy Peas
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes

3 large potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled
2 tbsp Earth Balance soy butter, plus 2 tbsp for frying
2 tbsp - 1/4 cup unsweetened, full-fat soy milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 tbsp parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup unbleached flour

*I know the measurements aren't really exact. Since potatoes come in different sizes and starch levels, each batch might use a different measurement.

1. After you boil the potatoes, mash together the soy butter, milk, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. You're basically making mashed potatoes here! Add the flour, starting with 1/4 cup. You're looking for a doughy consistency. It shouldn't stick to your hands but it shouldn't be too dense.

2. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining soy butter. Form pancakes with 1/2 cup of the dough. You want them to be about 1/4-inch thick. Fry till a dark, golden, crispy brown and flip. When the other side is crispy, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Mushy Peas
Prep time: 2 minutes

2 cups frozen peas
2 tbsp soy butter
2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Duh! Mush everything together! :) Serve with the freshly made Potato Cakes. I like my Mushy Peas right on top so each bite gets an equal amount of deliciousness.



Please promise me you'll try to make these! I'm a girl on a budget now and these are inexpensive, delicious, and you can make the dough and stick it in the fridge! You can eat them just like this, or maybe make them for breakfast like a hashbrown, or even a late night snack! Enjoy, ladies and gents!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

At a time like this, ladies and gents, a girl needs cupcakes. Chocolate and vanilla and cream filling...OH MY!!!
It's been a crazy summer. Not awesome, not exciting, just crazy. Things are very different and everything is upside down, but I'm still baking and I'm still vegan, so here we are!

These cupcakes are fancy! They take a bit more work than regular cook-and-frost cupcakes, but they're worth it. I promise. They're in three parts: the cupcake, the filling, and the ganache. It's work, but you'll love them!



Boston Cream Cupcakes
Prep time: 20-30 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook time: 20 minutes

Golden Vanilla Cupcake

1 cup plain soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.

3. Beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.

4. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way (I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make sure they're all even) and bake for 20 to 22 minutes till done. Transfer to a cooling rack.

(Just so you guys know what Agar Agar looks like...here's a picture of the kind I use. It's in the Asian section and is a must for any vegan kitchen!


Vanilla Vegan Pastry Creme

1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp agar powder or 1 1/2 tsp agar flakes
4 tsp arrowroot
6 oz soft silken tofu (half of a Mori-Nu package)
1/3 cup superfine or castor sugar (I just blended regular sugar until it was the right consistency)
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pour 1/3 cup soy milk into a small saucepan; keep the remaining soy milk in the measuring cup. Sprinkle agar powder over the soy milk in the saucepan and cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and continue to cook for about 4 minutes. The agar will be dissolved when the soy milk appears smooth, and a spoon dipped into the mixture does not have any undissolved agar flakes or powder flecks sticking to the spoon.

2. Whisk the powdered arrowroot into the remaining soy milk in the measuring cup. Pour the arrowroot mixture into the agar mixture in a steady stream, stirring the whole time. The mixture will cook and get very thick in 1 to 2 minutes, and when done it will resemble a very thick pudding. Remove from heat and set aside. Place it in the refrigerator and allow it to set for at least an hour.

3. Crumble tofu into a blender, add the sugar, salt, and cooked arrowroot mixture. Blend till creamy. Add vanilla extract and blend again. Scrape mixture into a container, cover, and put in refrigerator to chill and firm up, at least an hour.

Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping

1/4 cup soy milk
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1. Bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup. Use a rubber spatula to mix the chocolate until it is fully melted and smooth. Set aside at room temperature till ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Make a hole in the center of each cupcake by poking with your CLEAN finger (just sayin'.). Very gently press the sides and bottom of the hole to make it a little larger. You'll want the space to be able to fill in with lots of custard.

2. Fit a pastry bag with a large round or star-tipped nozzle, then fill bag with firmed pastry creme. Fill only halfway to make handling the bag easier.

3. Fill each cupcake with pastry creme, trying to get as much filling as possible into the cupcakes. Cupcakes should feel noticeably heavier. Remove any excess creme on top by wiping with a knife or finger. Spread tops of cupcakes with ganache. Chill until ready to serve.

There you have it! A little bit of Boston, no matter where you are.

Is there anything you want to see used in a recipe? Some crazy ingredient or a dish that you really want to try vegan?

PS: Stay tuned for a long-overdue giveaway!!!

Lentil Loaf with Basil Mashed Potatoes

June has been a faboosh month! I like to think that it's because of my Rob Pattinson calendar. My thoughtful & loving husband gave me a Rob calendar for Christmas and every month on the first, when I turn the page over to see a new picture of Robby, I pretty much know what kind of month it's going to be. This picture brought an insanely awesome June:



I've been able to spend time with family, reconnect with old friends, attend the final PDub, saw Iron Maiden and Dream Theatre, went camping. I'm going to see a whooooooole slew of old friends in three days when we go to watch two of our friends get married (I get to sing at their wedding and spend it with my husband in a tuxedo. :)), then the rest of the month is spent planning and shopping and cleaning and FREAKING OUT for my Marissa's arrival on July 1. It's been seven years since I've seen her beautiful face and I couldn't be more excited to spend a few days with her!!! And heck...with July starting off like that, it has to be a good month, right? We'll see, Edward. We'll see.

Other good things that have happened this month? The food.
I can't lie, it's been amazing! I've got some pretty awesome recipes to put up...from foreign desserts to camping food. Another reason July should be great. :)

This next recipe is pretty awesome! It kinda made me feel like the wife I was 4 years ago: making full-course, full-fat, meaty, cheesy, standard American meals. I might sound like I hated this, but I didn't. I didn't know any better then, and cooking was how I really started showing my husband how much I loved him. I wanted to make all the delicious foods my mom made us, too. As I got better with cooking, I did it more. I think that has a lot to do with why I stayed so heavy for so long. Anyway, I digress. This meal is such a healthy alternative to the traditional meatloaf dinner. We had to use some basil from the garden (yesssss......), so I decided to try a basil butter to put in the mashed potatoes. Huge success. :)

Lentil Loaf
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes



Tomato Topping

1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp onion flakes (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)
1 tsp garlic salt

Lentil Loaf

Lentil Loaf

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 block extra firm tofu
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp Tomato Topping (recipe above)
3 tbsp yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup lentils, cooked and drained (I used black lentils!)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Mix the tomato topping together first because you're going to need a tablespoon to mix into the lentil loaf. The rest will be set aside to coat the loaf when its assembled.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions and the peppers. Let cook until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool.

3. In a food processor, chop oats for 5 quick pulses. Set aside.

4. Drain tofu well and press with hands until all excess water comes out. In a mixing bowl, mash tofu with a fork or use grater to coarsely grate. In the same mixing bowl combine cooked onions and peppers, 1 tablespoon of tomato mixture, oats, corn meal, lentils, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon olive oil, thyme, cumin, chili powder, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic salt, onion powder, ground mustard and mix until well combined.

5. Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray to form loaf on, place on cookie sheet. On top and in the middle of tin foil form loaf mixture into loaf that is 2 1/2 inches high and 4 1/2 inches square. Coat top and sides with tomato mixture. Cook loaf for 20 minutes, then cover with tin foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.



I have to admit, I didn't LOVE meatloaf growing up. In fact, I think it was in the bottom 10 meals. Not that it wasn't good, I was just convinced that I didn't like onions or peppers. You can only lie to yourself for so long!

As far as the mashed potatoes go...I just put 1/4 cup of Earth Balance with a pinch of garlic salt and about 1/3 cup of fresh, packed basil leaves in my little food processor. I blended it until smooth and used that instead of regular butter along with soy milk to mash my potatoes.

Now a few questions for you!

It's officially summer. How do you plan on spending it?

Picnics?


Camping?


Running off to Mexico?


Some other fabulous way you can't wait to tell me about?

Focaccia Bread

I'm a huge fan of bread. It's almost as if no matter how full I am, there's always room for one more piece of bread or one more biscuit or one last roll. Especially if it's fresh-out-of-the-ove-homemade-delicious-bread.

I've been making this focaccia bread for years. It used to get topped with both mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I pair it with pasta, make panini with it, and it's so easy, even Cody has made it before! That should tell you something. If you're looking for something to go with dinner tonight, why not whip this up? You'll thank me later.





Focaccia Bread
Prep time: 5 minute, plus 20 minutes rise time
Cook time: 15-20 minutes

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and warm water.

2. Continue kneading in the electric mixture until it becomes elasticy and smooth. If mixing by hand, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elasticy and smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl (I just use the bowl I mixed it in!), place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450° F. Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick circle. Brush top with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

That's it! That's all there is to it. If you don't make this bread, you're silly. That is all.

Banana Nut Muffins

This blog goes hand-in-hand with my recent Ener-G Egg Replacer Giveaway. It's a regular recipe made vegan with the help of this amazing product. They're extremely moist and full of flavor. I'm all about buying bananas just so I can bake with them. Keep this recipe in your back pocket if you happen to be one of the FIVE lucky winners of the giveaway.



2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Earth Balance
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tbsp water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease 2 muffin tins.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk (like my beautiful KitchenAid), whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, Ener-G, water, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

3. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Try not to eat them all at once.

That's it! Easy, delicious, and vegan. :)

Spaghetti & Neatballs

On top of old smooooooookey, all covered with...nutritional yeast.....
Come to think of it, that song is pretty gross altogether, so let's move on.

I had a 5K race yesterday: the Shamrock Shuffle. I've been sick for the last week, haven't been running, the weather was freezing and windy, and the course was hilly and not-so-fun. I made the best of it, though, despite my obvious whining, and came in 6th in the 20-30 age group (which is a rather large age group, no?). Since this blog is less about running (and whining) and more about food, let me tell you how I loaded up on carbs the night before.

I've never been a huge pasta lover. Maybe it was the whole "tomato sauce" thing, or maybe pasta always filled me up to fast...whatever the reason, I just never really cared for it. My love for Eggplant Parmesan has changed all of that, though. I was going to make this meaty dish for my pre-race meal, but I wanted something different. I opted for meatballs.

This recipe is not only vegan, it's gluten free! Bellies rejoice! It is extremely tasty and full of flavor, and surprisingly soy free. It's even better as leftovers!



"Neat"balls
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used French Green Lentils, because I am franÇais. Oui oui.)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (Soy sauce will work fine)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (I think it's really important to have this, so if you don't, get some!)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp molasses
2 tsp dry mustard

1. It is extremely important that both lentils and rice are cooked well. No al dente here; slightly mushy is what we're going for. Check out how to cook lentils here and how to cook brown rice here. Once both are prepared and perfectly cooked, head on to step number two!

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 300° F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Using about 2 tbsp of mixture, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven using top rack positions. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for 15 minutes more. Voila! Neatballs!



This recipe doubles easily, so it's great for having people over. I paired it with angel hair pasta, roasted garlic tomato sauce, and some homemade focaccia bread (<----recipe to come!). My brown rice wasn't cooked as much as it could have been, which is why step 1 contains the disclaimer. Some of the pieces were a little chewy. Still tasty, but chewy. As leftovers heated in the microwave, though, it softened them out. Go to your local market now and get some lentils and brown rice out of the bulk section and get started! You won't be disappointed...I promise!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Sometimes I just want soup. In a bowl, in a mug, whatever the case may be, soup is as soothing to me as a glass of wine in hand while taking a bubble bath. Ok, not that soothing, but soothing nonetheless.

I'm also a huge fan of butternut squash. Mashed up like potatoes, cubed and roasted, or in ravioli, I have a soft spot for this yummy fruit-veggie. Combine my love of soup and butternut squash and you have one happy vegan. This soup was fairly simple to make, plus, all I had to go out and get was the squash!



Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes, plus 10 minutes

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium head garlic
6 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain soy yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables. Roast in the center of the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

3. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth if necessary. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in vegetable broth. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soy yogurt. Remove bay leaf and serve hot.


*I double checked this recipe and its analysis. It is correct. 111 calories. It's a little high in sodium, but if you use low sodium vegetable broth, that'll knock some of it outta there for you!

This soup had the sweetness of the butternut squash and brown sugar with the pungent flavor of the curry topped with the smoothness of the yogurt. It was even better the second day. Pair it with a samich or some homemade bread and you've got yourself a meal. Enjoy!

Sweet Cardamom Bread

Cody & I went grocery shopping a few weeks ago. If you know anything about me, you'll know this is one of my favorite things. I make my list, organized by store (because we go to three different stores), grab my adorable reusable bags, and venture out to buy ingredients for tasty treats. I love shopping and I love cooking, so this works out really well for me. One of the items on my list was cardamom, a spice I needed to make Chai Tea Cupcakes. Cody was NOT impressed with the price; for a regular spice-sized bottle it's about $12. I needed it, though, so we got it.

The next day at work I was telling my amazing boss about his reaction to the price. She was telling me how she doesn't really like cardamom, nor does she really like chai tea. She did, however, tell me about this bread that the original owners of the restaurant used to make: Sweet Cardamom Bread. She loved it. (What's that you say? A challenge? Oh, how you know me.) Obviously I had to make this bread.

I searched around on the wonderful world-wide web and found a few recipes that I sort of combined and the end result was, well, beyond perfection.



Sweet Cardamom Bread
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp full-fat, unsweetened soy milk
3/4 cup melted butter (Earth Balance)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp salt


1. Mix flour, yeast, and cardamom in your mixing bowl.

2. Heat soy milk and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add the milk and sugar to the flour mixture. Add 1/2 cup melted butter, too. Mix on low until a nice sticky dough forms.

4. Change out the mixer blade and use a dough hook. Knead for a few minutes and then stop. Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes with a light cover over it. When the twenty minutes is up, begin kneading again and knead in the salt.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into three equal parts. Let them rise for about 30-45 minutes. Roll the dough balls into ropes and braid them on a greased baking pan. Tuck the ends of the braid under. (You're literally going to braid this like you braid your hair.)

7. Preheat oven 350° F. Brush the braided loaf with remaining soy milk and sprinkle it with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Enjoy with a cup of coffee, toasted with butter, a glass of chai tea, or whatever your heart desires.

Now, I'm not one to toot my own horn (I do honk at other drivers, though. I'm a New Englander at heart.), but this bread is probably the best bread ever. Ok, maybe not ever, but it's the best I've ever made. It was gobbled up at work and my boss was even told she now has competition. I don't know about that since she runs one of the most successful restaurants in Albuquerque, but I'll take it as a complement and roll with it. Then braid. Then repeat.

Crazy times calls for crazy foods!

WOW!
We have had a really busy couple of weeks. Between trying to get 100 miles ran in the month of January (only getting 93...sad...), school starting back up, the loss of a very dear friend, and traveling to Colorado, we have been a little out of sorts. I feel awful I've been neglecting my blog.

I just put six different food pictures on my desktop so every time I get on my computer, I'll be reminded that I have a blog to write! This one is going to be pretty short and sweet.

Have you watched Man v. Food yet? We get it on our instant stream and I have to admit, I love watching this show. 1. It reminds me why I've chosen a vegan lifestyle. 2. It makes me laugh when I realize how many places in America are all about how much food you can shove down your gullet. 3. It sometimes makes me want to recreate the food. Sometimes. Plus, I think Adam is adorable in a Fred Savage sort of way.

Anyway. Adam went to Detroit to taste some Coney Dogs (which I've always called a Chili Dog, but tomato, tomaaato.) and it made me really really really want one. Lucky for me, Cody is always in the mood for my CHILI, so I made a batch, knowing there would be leftovers. I went to my favorite Sunflower Market the next day, picked up some Smart Dogs and buns, and created my own Coney Dog.

Cody pointed out that the Smart Dogs aren't all that great. If you are fond of the taste of meat bi-products, you might not like these mock dogs. I, however, think they're swell. I fried them up in a pan over medium heat, put them in a toasted bun, then smothered them with hot chili and yellow mustard. The chili and the mustard is enough to cover the slightly-bland taste of the Smart Dogs and the amount of protein and potassium you get is outrageous. Plus, when you read the label to your Smart Dogs, you know and are familiar with every. last. ingredient. Amazing, right?



I'm Elizabeth Bond, and today, in the battle of Woman v. Recreating Food, Woman definitely won.

BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Ever since my beautiful friend, Living and Loving In L.A., posted a recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza, I've had a craving for it. I would shamelessly plug her recipe here like I'm known to do, but this is more or less a recipe for the BBQ Sauce itself. :)

To start this pizza off right, I highly recommend THIS pizza dough recipe. It works even better in my new KitchenAid mixer. Woo hoo! For the chicken patties, I highly recommend Cluckphrey Chick-A-Roos. Cluckphrey is a great vegan chicken product. If you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

Anyway, the key part of any BBQ Chicken Pizza is the BBQ Sauce! I always have SOME kind of BBQ sauce lying around in my fridge, so I decided to jazz it up and make it my own.



Honey Habanero BBQ Sauce
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

6 Habanero Peppers
5 garlic cloves
6-7 scallions
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke
1-2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 to 2 cups plain BBQ sauce
Any other spices you think might be tasty!

1. HEY! If you don't know this, make sure you read carefully. WEAR GLOVES WHEN CUTTING HABANERO PEPPERS!!! I'm not even kidding you. These suckers are HOT and will burn your life. But they're not so hot you won't be able to eat the sauce.

2. Trim the peppers of stem & seeds. Add the peppers, trimmed garlic, and scallions in a food processor and blend until finely, finely chopped. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the chopped vegetables. Cook until they start to brown.

3. Add the honey, sauces, mustard, liquid smoke, BBQ sauce, and whatever else your heart desires! Stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens up.

That's it, folks! After making the tasty dough, I spread it out onto a pan, brushed the crust with some olive oil, ladled on some BBQ sauce, added the Chick-A-Roos (that I heated a minute or two in the microwave to dice up easy) and then topped it with some thinly sliced red onion. It cooked for about 15 minutes and was pure heaven. The spice of the habanero was followed by a deliciously sweet honey flavor. Yes, I eat honey. I'm deathly allergic to bees, so I've never really seen them as anything else but death machines & honey makers. I don't feel that makes me any less vegan.

This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so you will have leftovers. After snacking on the pizza for 2 days, I made some Southern Fried Tofu to dip. And we still have leftovers. Hooray!

Biscuits & Gravy

Two weeks ago, my husband & I ventured to Oklahoma to pick up my Christmas present...A KITTY!!! Yes, I know, Oklahoma??? Cody insisted we get a Scottish Fold. Sister-in-law has one, Ms. Kitty, and she is the most amazing kitty. So he spent some time searching online for a Scottish Fold...all across the country! We finally found a tiny little kitty in Oklahoma, and because we would be driving so far, he was free. This was our first picture of our kitty:



When we got there and picked him up, he was shaking, so I put him on my lap in the car to snuggle him & warm him up. That's when I noticed he was covered in fleas. Not just a few, but so many that you could see them swimming under his fur. He was also really skinny & when we fed him, he acted like he'd never eaten before. After bringing him to the vet twice, it turns out he also has ear mites and worms. He was definitely a rescue kitty.

Here is a picture of our almost-healthy kitty, Magnus.



So back to food. On our drive home from Oklahoma, we passed a brunch billboard. Cody made a comment that he "missed Awase", a golf course restaurant that we used to go get brunch at all the time in Japan. They had the best biscuits & gravy. As a treat, the following day, I decided to cook up some vegan biscuits & gravy. OH my goodness...AMAZING!!!



Biscuits & Gravy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

"Buttermilk Biscuits"

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup Earth Balance
¾ cup plain soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and Earth balance. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, combine until the mixture becomes crumbly. The pieces should be pea-sized.

2. In a measuring cup, measure your soy milk and add the apple cider vinegar. Let this curdle...yum!

3. Slowly drizzle the "buttermilk" mixture into the flour mixture and combine until just mixed. If you combine too much, you won't get the flakiness you're looking for! On a lightly floured surface, roll out to about 1/2-inch thick and cut into either 12 2-inch circles or 6 3-inch circles.

4. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. They won't look too golden on top but they will be on the bottom.

"Sausage" Gravy

5 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
4 Boca Breakfast Patties
sea salt to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, if you like spicy
1 teaspoon black or white pepper

1. In a large saucepan, cook the sausage patties over medium heat. When heated through, put on a dish and crumble with a fork.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the same saucepan. Add the flour and wisk until smooth. You need to cook this until it turns a caramel brown color. Add your pepper here...LOTS of pepper!

3. Slowly wisk in the soy milk. This will thicken really fast, so be careful! Turn the heat down to low, add salt to taste and red pepper flakes, and the sausage.

4. On a plate, arrange your biscuits and smother with gravy.



So it's not that healthy for you, but it's still a B-. Every now & then it's OK to have a not-so-good for you breakfast! Eat like a king for breakfast! Plus, it's so tasty you just won't mind.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! xoxox

The Best Chili Ever!

This time of year always makes me think of my grandparents house. After all the families opened up presents, ours included, we would head over to Nana & Grampa's. There would be cousins and aunts and uncles galore. Eggnog and coldcuts and cookies and stained glass. The adults would pass around "the doctor"...Doctor McGillicuddy, that is. A little Peppermint Schnapps to warm the soul. There would also be chili on the stove. My grampa made some of the best chili on the face of this planet.

As you all may know, I've been a little sick the last few weeks. I can't seem to fight it, no matter how hard I try to take care of myself. Chili sounded like a pretty good companion for el sicko, so I cooked up half a batch (and still had leftovers). This chili is hearty, spicy, and is even better the next day!



The Best Chili Ever!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: As long as you want!

1 package Boca Crumbles
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-oz can pinto beans (with liquid)
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
1/2 cup diced green chili (2 chilies)
1/4 cup diced celery (1 stalk)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp cumin powder
3 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups water

1. Heat the Boca Crumbles in a large pot over medium heat. Add all the other ingredients, including the onion, and let simmer for at least an hour!

*I should add that Cody & I like really hot chili. I added some habanero powder (that Cody made) and some red pepper flakes. Just so you know.



That's all there is to it, folks. Easy. Delicious. Pair it with some corn bread or rice. Eat it the next day over tofu dogs. It's just that easy.

Vegetable Pot Pie

This week has been one of those weeks where I look in my pantry/fridge and think, "What can I cook for dinner tonight?" Cody & I are really frugal when it comes to grocery shopping; we make one big trip a month and just go to the market for odds and ends. We've been waiting to go this month since MY SISTER & HER DAUGHTERS ARE GOING TO BE HERE TONIGHT!!!

I spent the entire day Sunday cleaning my house, inside and out. I didn't really feel like cooking something crazy, but I also was famished and knew a sandwich wouldn't do. I took a few peeks in the fridge and this is what I came up with.



Vegetable Pot Pie
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes



1 15-oz can peas & carrots, drained
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups plain soymilk
2 tsp Vegetable Better Than Boullion (or two boullion cubes)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water to make slurry
1 Pillsbury Crescent Creations

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium sauce pan, add potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain; combine with peas & carrots.

2. In a small sauce pan, heat the soymilk, boullion, oregano, and black pepper (and any other spice you think might go well!). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Slowly add the slurry, making sure to stir. Boil until desired thickness.

3. Place the vegetables in a casserole dish. Cover with the sauce, then cover with the Pillsbury Crescent Creation, making sure to cover the vegetables completely. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.



I must say, this was super easy & super tasty! There were a few too many peas in there for me as they are not my favorite, but it was still good. Especially as leftovers! Yum!

Veggie Sausage Gumbo

This weekend I got a few texts from someone I've known for years, talking about all the vegan goodness they made this weekend for their family. My friend, Melissa, is a Marine, a wife of a Drill Instructor, and a mother of 2. She's someone who has always said that she might be able to go vegetarian, but she'd miss seafood too much. Well, I'm happy to announce that Melissa has started to test the waters of vegetarianism! Yes, this is a vegan blog, but since this recipe is vegan AND I'm overly impressed with her decision to give this lifestyle a whirl, Melissa is guest blogging today to share her first recipe and her first experience. Thanks, Missy!

For someone who is married to a guy from Louisiana I have come to love a good seafood gumbo. But, since I'm gonna be embarking on this whole vegetarian thing I figured I would need to find a new way to make it! I stumbled around the internet for a while and came upon this recipe (I would share the site but I don't remember what it is, and there really wasn't anything else yummy looking on there). It's super easy and doesn't take long (I added time on just to get the celery how I wanted)! Not to mention it's really good! It hasn't been tested by the husband yet, but I'm pretty sure he is going to like it! (He has been a bit skeptical of my whole decision to go veggie, but he is coming along for the ride, he ate tofu scrambled "eggs" this weekend...and actually liked them!) On the recipe it said that it serves 4, but it made a lot more than that (yay, leftovers)! So, for those that are like me and don't know what the heck they are doing yet and want to make something easy, this is a good start!



Veggie Sausage Gumbo

1 cup frozen okra
16 oz veggie "sausage links", cut into 1" pieces
2 tbs whole wheat flour
2 tbs vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 lg onion chopped
1 lg green pepper chopped
2 cloved garlic chopped (I used a bit more than this, but I love garlic!)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (I just put as much as I thought I needed)
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (I used a lot more, but I wanted it spicy)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup celery chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
salt (opt)
tabasco (opt)
2 cups cooked rice

1. Fry the okra, set aside. Lightly fry the sausage, set aside.
2. Combine tlour & oil in large pot, stirring constantly. Saute over medium-high heat for 1 min. Add okra, onion, pepper, garlic, thyme, ground pepper. Cook for 1 min on med, stirring.
3. Stir in veggie sausage, tomatoes, celery, vegetable stock. Cook for 15 min or till done. (I set it on low and let it simmer for about 30-45min. The celery took a while to soften up)
4. Serve over rice.



Melissa

Mac & Cheeze

Growing up, I loved macaroni & cheese. My mom made a really good casserole with fresh pieces of ham and Ritz cracker crumb topping. For the last 4 years of my wonderful, fun-filled marriage, macaroni & cheese has also been a staple. When I don't really feel like cooking but know Cody won't settle for just a sandwich, I make macaroni & cheese. It's so great because you can really get creative. Throw in tuna fish, peas, green chile (now that we're in New Mexico), and whatever else you need to get out of the fridge. Alas, those days have been over for me for a while.

Not anymore, my friends! The beautiful women of How It All Vegan! have brought this tasty meal back into my life! I found a recipe for Easy Breazy Cheezy Sauce that I made for a fondue party a while back. It was quite cheezy, so I decided to make some and mix it over some shell pasta that I had in the pantry. With a little bit of Frank's Red Hot on top, it was perfect and made leftovers for days!



Mac & Cheeze
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 box pasta of your choice
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tbsp flour
4 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch (I used cornstarch)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard

1. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to desired texture.

2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the yeast, flour, arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), and salt. Add the water and oil and continue to whisk thoroughly. Stir over medium heat until sauce becomes thick, then stir in the mustard. Heats for 30 seconds more and serve.

That's it!!! Can you eve believe how simple that is?? Now let's take a look at it's nutritional value...I'm going to do a little comparison for you so you can see the nutritional value of THIS mac & cheeze vs. the blue box of mac & cheese.

Here is the nutritional value for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese...


...and here we have vegan Mac & Cheeze.


I would like to point out a few things:
Serving Size is a bit larger for my mac & cheeze...
The calorie count is lower...
The saturated fat is lower...
The sodium...holy crap, is the sodium lower...
The cholesterol is higher, but that's because nutritional yeast contains HDL, which if you know your stuff, is the good cholesterol that reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol...
The iron count is a lot higher, too, but the the vitamins are a tad on the lower side.

Which would you rather eat or feed to your munchkins?

Vanilla Cupcakes!

Today is my friend & coworker's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I took it upon myself last week to make some delicious lemon cupcakes for another coworkers birthday; I love baking for people and celebrating birthdays AND I figured if they brought a cake in for her (which they did) it would not be one I could partake in. So I'm doing the same today. Any excuse to bake!

I decided to get store-bought frosting that doesn't contain milk...accidentally vegan, as I like to call it...and put it on top of some vanilla cupcakes. I found the recipe HERE and decided to give them a whirl. I'm kind of nervous...I haven't tried them...and my coworker's wife apparently makes the best vegan cupcakes. I hope they at least live up to her standards!!

I know, I know...there is a lone cupcake sad & unfrosted. One of the guys at work doesn't like frosting. Or puppies or unicorns or rainbows.


Fluffy White Cupcakes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 scant* cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract (I used almond...I have to tell you, the batter was awesome!)

*scant: just under 1 1/2 cups!

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray 15 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners (I like to spray the inside of the muffin papers with nonstick spray to help the cupcakes release). Set aside.

2. Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soymilk to equal 1 ½ cups. Stir well and set aside (yes, it's curdling...it's supposed to!).

3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together the soymilk mixture, canola oil, vanilla, and coconut (or almond) extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Fill each muffin cup with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

5. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

They're baking as I blog, ladies & gents. They smell delicious, and as I said, the batter was killer. I will post an update after they are devoured (or politely eaten) by the coworkers!

NOTE: If you haven't noticed by now, I don't post the nutritional value for desserts. They're desserts for a reason...enjoy them without feeling too guilty because you deserve them!

DOUBLE NOTE: I am happy to announce that these cupcakes were a hit. Profanity was used, lips were licked, and all the cupcakes were eaten. I have to admit, they were some of the best cupcakes I've ever had!!!