Stuffed Banana Berry French Toast

Level of Difficulty: Requires a bit of effort
Pots/Pans Used: 2! (4 if you make the sauce)

Ingredients

French Toast
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 TBL sugar
1 loaf of day old bread (recipe recommends sourdough, I used French country loaf)
2-4 tsp Earth Balance margarine
1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 firm, ripened bananas, sliced
1 pint blackberries, blueberries or raspberries (your choice)
maple syrup, to serve
Powdered sugar, to serve

Strawberry Syrup (optional)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup powdered sugar

This is the first recipe I've tried from Lauren Ulm's new cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum! This book is really great because it not only has awesome recipes, but it also displays a photo of each meal (which I love).

This recipe serves about five people so it's a really nice, quick idea if you're having friends over for breakfast. Yet it's easy enough that I would make it for myself one morning (If you do this, just remember to change the measurements accordingly). Also, I know the strawberry sauce is extra work but it's really simple and definitely worth the extra effort. But of course, plain old maple syrup would do the trick. I found that both drizzled over top is the best way. If you are making the strawberry sauce for a lot of people, I recommend doubling the recipe because it's really only enough for maybe three to four servings. As far as the bread goes, I bought a loaf of French Country from Whole Foods. The recipe has you slice your own bread so that you can create a little pocket to stuff berries inside. But honestly, if you wanted to buy an average, already sliced loaf, I say go for it. It will taste just the same.

French Toast- First, whisk soy milk, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice and sugar together in an 8x8 (give or take) inch brownie pan (But any pan with high sides will do). You want to whisk until it appears frothy. If you're slicing your own bread, slice 1 inch slices. Then, slice each of those slices in half, about 3/4 of the way through (this is creating the pocket for the berries so you don't want to slice all the way down). Let the bread slices sit in the the batter for a few minutes on each side. While the bread is in the batter, you can heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt a tsp of margarine in the pan (when it bubbles, it's ready). I melted a tsp of margarine each time I fried a slice of french toast, but if your pan doesn't need it, then just do it the one time. Take a slice of bread out of the batter and stuff a few berries deep into the back of the pocket. You don't want to completely stuff it at this point, just stick a few berries in. If you put too many berries inside, they may fall out when you flip your french toast. Brown the bread on both sides in the skillet. Then transfer them to the serving plate. I did one slice at a time. When I was making this, I put the slices in the oven in a cake pan on very low heat (170 degrees) so that they would still be warm by the time my guests arrived. However, if you're making this for just yourself, you don't need to do that. Finally, fill and top with more berries. Then finish it off with some maple syrup and/or strawberry sauce and powdered sugar. Soooooooo good!

Strawberry Sauce- Put the cup of strawberries and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in a blender or food processor. Then, transfer to a small saucepan and let it simmer. You could always make this ahead of time as well.

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Leftover Pizza

Level of Difficulty: EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 2!

Ingredients
1 package of pizza dough
Tomato sauce (whatever kind you usually use)
1/2 pkg of Gimme Lean Sausage (optional)
Soy Mozzarella (I like Follow Your Heart)
your favorite veggie toppings
olive oil
flour

I have been making pizza for a while now, and I'm just finally getting it right. When I first made it, it stuck to the pan, then I could never get the dough completely cooked. Lucky for you, I finally figured it out so that you don't have to go through all the trail and error. Not only is this a lot of fun to make, but it's simple and way cheaper than ordering in. I decided to call this "Leftover Pizza" because I usually end up using odds and ends of vegetables I have leftover from meals I've made throughout the week. With this particular pizza I used yellow pepper, chopped tomato, fresh basil and onion. I also made a pineapple pizza for the first time! For the record, it's delicious on pizza and I recommend trying it if you haven't yet...

You're going to start by preheating your oven to 500 degrees. I've found that having the oven really hot is the best way to get your dough completely cooked (I know some people will pre-cook their dough but that didn't really work for me). When you roll out your dough, throw some flour on it, so that it doesn't stick to your board. Then, you're going to transfer your dough to a baking sheet that has been well coated with olive oil (VERY IMPORTANT! otherwise, you're pizza will be stuck to the pan. believe me, I speak from way too much experience). Meanwhile, you're going to start to saute your sausage in a small pan over med-high heat. Next, spread out a thin layer of tomato sauce on your pizza. Start out in the center and move your way out to the edges. Remember to leave about 2-3 inches so that you have room for your crust. Grate some mozzarella over the pizza and then top with all your veggies and sausage. Once everything is piled high, fold over the remaining crust. Then it's in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let it cool about 10 minutes before slicing up and serving. enjoy!

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No Bake Orange Cake

Level Of Difficulty: Easy as pie, except easier, and it's cake
Pots/Pans Used: NONE! well, maybe a utensil or two

Ingredients
1 Frozen Amy's Organic Orange Cake
1 tub of Pillsbury Cream Cheese Frosting (Caution: has been brought to my attention that this may contain milk now)
1 orange (optional)

So this recipe was recommend to me by my friend, Scott Armetta. It's a super simple solution to needing a quick dessert for a party (specifically, a small party) or just satisfying your sweet tooth. Plus, if you're vegan, you know that pre-made vegan baked goods are very hard to come by without taking a trip to Whole Foods. With this recipe, there is absolutely no baking involved! All you have to do is decorate (which is the fun part anyways). Amy's cakes can be found in your local Publix, so it's not a hard find. It also comes in a chocolate cake as well. However, for this recipe I prefer the orange cake and cream cheese frosting combo.

All you have to do is let the cake thaw, then cut it length-wise down the center. Put a layer of of frosting down the center, then stack the top of the cake back on. After that, you just frost the entire cake and top it with some orange zest. I don't think it get's much simpler than that. I kid you not, it took me about five minutes to make this delicious dessert!

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Avocado & Bean Quesadillas

Level of Difficulty: EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 1! (+ a cutting board)

Ingredients
Flour tortillas
1/4 can refried beans
1/2 Avocado
salsa (optional)
Tofutti's Better Than Sour cream (optional)

I probably make this meal about twice a week simply because it is so incredibly easy and takes very little time, effort and ingredients. I just use beans and avocado as a filling, because I'm never satisfied with the way vegan cheese melts (or more importantly, doesn't melt).

Now, just start out by putting a medium-sized frying pan on low heat with the tortilla laying flat in the pan. Then, spread about 1/4 can of the refried beans on one half of the tortilla (I used to heat up the beans separately in a sauce pan, but they heat up just the same on the tortilla). Then, you are going to mash up half an avocado with a fork (if you like your avocado in slices, that's fine. I just prefer a guacamole texture). When the beans are heated throughout, spread the guacamole on top of the beans. Then, fold over the other half of the tortilla on top of the guacamole & beans half. By this point, the tortilla should be nice and crisp. Then, flip the Quesadilla over to let both sides heat nicely (about 1 min). Finally you're ready to slice them up and serve them with your favorite condiments such as sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

NOTE: This recipe is for a half order of Quesadillas. If you want a full six pieces, just stack one tortilla on top of the other instead of doing my "folding-over" method.

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Tofu Scramble

Level of Difficulty: EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 1! (with the exception of a cutting board)

Ingredients
1/2 pkg of extra firm Tofu
1 tbl. olive oil
1 medium chopped onion (about 1 cup)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. salt

If you are vegan, chances are, you're no stranger to tofu scramble, and you may already have your own recipe down pat. However, this is a fairly easy one, recommended to me by Ms. Tess Bath (thanks!). Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, and once I became vegan I figured it would probably be pushed aside. However, this is a great replacement! Now, if you don't already have these spices, it may seem like a lot to purchase, but I know they've been getting used on a regular basis since I bought mine. Also, if you are unfamiliar with nutritional yeast flakes, you need to get familiar. You can buy them at Whole Foods and possibly Publix Greenwise (but don't hold me to it). I LOVE NUTRITIONAL YEAST (you may even find that 1/4 cup just isn't enough). Plus, it's a great source of B vitamins from what I've read. Also, if you aren't a fan of onions and mushrooms, you can certainly add any of your favorite veggies into the mix. It's also delicious with some sausage (I recommend Gimme Lean Sausage). But anyways, on to the directions...

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Next, saute onions until soft, then add mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes. Add the garlic (saute 2 mins.) and then the spice blend. Mix everything with the spice blend for about 15 seconds. Then, add 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the pan. Combine in the drained tofu by crumbling it into large chunks (it will break up more once you cook it) & mix well. let this cook for about ten minutes, adding splashes of water if it sticks too much. Finally, add the nutritional yeast. You can eat it alone, or on a bagel like I've shown here (Unlike mine, I recommend serving your bagel right side up).

NOTE: You may want to change the measurements of spices based on your own tolerance of those flavors.

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Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter-Basil Sauce

Level of Difficulty: EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients
1 pkg. Frozen Butternut Squash Ravioli (I used Rising Moon Organics)
2 tbl. Earth Balance
2 tbl. White wine
2 tsp. Basil
1 tbl. Sour cream (I like Toffuti, Better Than Sour Cream best)
salt & pepper to taste

It’s difficult to find a ravioli that’s vegan, but I spotted Rising Moon Organics Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Whole Foods once and decided to try it out (I've also seen it at Publix). The package is a little stingy if you're serving two very hungry people, but it's well worth a try in my opinion.

Preparation of the pasta is fairly self explanatory... just follow the directions. The Ravioli will take only about 8 minutes. While the ravioli is going, put a medium-sized frying pan over low heat. Add the butter, and let it melt down completely. Then, add the white wine & basil and mix well (Due to my inability to keep basil alive, I didn't have fresh basil on hand, but I'm sure either would work just fine). Next, add the sour cream and mix until the sauce becomes a milky color. Now, the sour cream is meant to add a bit of texture to the sauce, but if you don't have it on hand, this recipe is just as satisfying without it. Finally, toss the drained ravioli in the frying pan to thoroughly coat with the sauce, and you're ready to eat! If you would like to get some veggies in there as well, I recommend mixing some asparagus heads in with the ravioli before serving. All in all, it takes about 10-15 minutes.

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