Tempeh Enchiladas

So before I go into the recipe, I wanted to share a few personal stories with you. First, I just finished reading Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet last night.

The first half of the book is a little over 130 pages of literature and the other half of the book is full of yummy looking recipes which I will hopefully try and post in the future. The book starts by talking about the benefits of a "kind diet". She also breaks down how to meet all your nutritional needs which I found really helpful. Its a very user-friendly book and was jam packed with everything I could possibly want to know. Then, she sets out plans for three different approaches: Flirting (for those testing the waters, but aren't looking to make any commitments), Going Vegan (self explanatory) and finally, Superhero (which is a combination of a vegan and macrobiotic diet). Since going vegan, I may feel like I'm eating more ethically, but I haven't felt particularly healthy and I'm pretty unhappy with my body. Therefore, I'm going to do my best to become a superhero, cutting out white sugar, flour and highly processed foods and focusing more on protein, grains and vegetables. I can't tell you how excited I am to start making healthier decisions in my cooking. In celebration of my new endeavors, my boyfriend and I had an awesome and guilt-free meal consisting of fancy grapefruit cocktails and chips n' guac. That was followed by tempeh enchiladas, corn on the cob and a heaping pile of kale chips (my new fave!). Anyways, I figured I would let you know about my new plans because it will most likely be represented in the recipes I post.
On a side note, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about a gift I received for valentine's day.... a box of vegan chocolates by Rose City and OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!! They're particularly cool because all the sugar used in making these chocolates is processed from the sugar beet! I've been trying to ration myself one chocolate a day, but three is proving to be more realistic. They are incredibly delicious and I totally foodgasmed over the strawberry cream. F'real... check it out and buy yourself some ASAP! I couldn't be happier.

Okay, now on to what we're all here for (not being done much justice by this picture):

Level of Difficulty: some assembly required
Pots/Pans Used: 3

Ingredients

1 pkg tempeh
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can beans of your choice (I used vegetarian refried beans)
flour tortillas
nutritional yeast to garnish (optional)
1 jar of any tomato sauce

This recipe was shared with me a long time ago by one of by bffl's, Lindsey Mills. I have made it numerous times since and it is seriously soooooo good. It's nice and mildly spicy not to mention suuuuper hardy and filling!
Preheat oven to 350. In a large saute pan, saute the onion and garlic with a little olive oil until fragrant and translucent. Add the can of tomatoes and crumble in the tempeh. Mix in the taco seasoning and let it all incorporate for about 5-10 minutes. In a separate sauce pan, let your beans heat up. Once the beans are hot and the tempeh mixture is settled, start assembling your tortillas. I like to spread the beans on first and then add the mixture. Roll it up, and place in a casserole dish. Repeat. I was able to fit five enchiladas in a casserole dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the enchiladas. You don't need the whole jar, just enough to cover them evenly. Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. That's it! if you really wanna go wild, try adding some vegan cheese and sour cream :)

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Me, slightly more aggressive...

In general, I try to never come off as preachy towards others about veganism. This is mainly because I'm an extremely non-confrontational person (thanks, mom). There are a billion reasons why people would choose a vegan diet including health and the environment. While those are both extremely important issues to me, animal cruelty is certainly what made me make the transition. Being overly aggressive is obviously an immediate turn off to people. However I will say, as aggressive as peta is, watching one of their videos is the reason I decided to become vegan. After watching a video about how animals are farmed for food, I felt like it should almost be mandatory for everyone to watch. Even if you still decide to eat meat afterward, I could respect that decision more if I knew you were at least completely informed. I mainly just wanted to write this post because I just watched "Earthlings" which is a documentary (available here if you're interested) that investigates animal cruelty in pets, food, entertainment, clothing and science. I decided to watch it because although I've seen videos on food before, I wasn't as familiar with the other four topics. Even though it was no doubt the most difficult thing I've ever had to watch, I walk away from it feeling even more proud of my decision to maintain this lifestyle and i will continue to find out what more i can do. If anyone who reads this blog has been flirting with the idea of becoming vegetarian or even just cutting back on meat consumption a little, I strongly urge you to please do some research or watch a video. That way, no matter what decision you make, you can make an informed one.

Thanks,
Sammi
(p.s. Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section and... more recipes to come!!!)

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Cookie Sandwiches

Level of Difficulty: some assembly required
Pots/Pans Used: 2 bowls


Ingredients

1 cup Earth Balance
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegan white sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBL molasses
2 egg substitutes
2 tsp vanilla
1 can Pillsbury cream cheese frosting (Caution: Has been brought to my attention that this may contain milk now)
chocolate chips to your hearts desire

This is an awesome recipe to show off to someone who doesn't think vegan food can be delicious or taste better than cardboard. So I made these for my boo and I on Valentine's yesterday... hence the pink frosting. I was actually really pleased with these cookies. So, if you're just looking for a cookie recipe this works great too. I have been eying babycakes nyc's cookie sandwiches for quite a while. Because I don't have the means to try them, I decided to come up with my own easier and way less healthy recipe.



First, put the frosting in the refrigerator so it can firm up!!!! Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream earth balance with all sugars. Then add egg substitute, molasses and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking soda. Add the dry mixture in gradually with the wet mixture. Once well mixed, add the chocolate chips. On an ungreased baking sheet, make tablespoon sized drops of batter a couple inches apart. bake for 15 minutes. Once the cookies are cooled, you can start assembling the sandwiches. Pour a glass of soymilk and enjoy!

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Curried Chick'n Salad

Level of Difficulty: SIMPLE
Pots/Pans Used: two!

Ingredients

1 pkg Morningstar chic'n strips (or aother chicken substitute you prefer)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup red grapes, cut in halves
3 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup vegan mayo
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Unfortunately, this meal is soooooo not being done justice by this photo. I couldn't wait to take a picture so I ate most of it and pretty much photographed the left overs. I first had a vegan version of curried chick'n salad at "The Cafe" in Key West, FL. It was so ridiculously good I decided I had to try and recreate it as soon as I got home. Surprisingly enough, I somehow managed to create what I think is almost an exact replica. Seriously, the flavors are right on and it is amazing on a sandwich with some lettuce, tomato and avocado. Please TRY!

First, satue your chick'n strips in a pan with a little oil on medium heat until heated throughout. Refrigerate them for about 30 minutes or until nice and chilled. Take the chick'n and chop it into bite size pieces. In a large bowl add the chick'n, mayo, spices, agave nectar and mix well. Then add the grapes, almonds and celery. When mixed together well, refrigerate until ready to eat. I like it best on a sandwich with some really hearty slices of bread. Yummmm

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CHEESECAKE!!!

Level of Difficulty: EASY as cake
Pots/Pans used: just a blender!

Ingredients

2 80z containers of Tofutti Better Than Cream Chesse
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL lemon juice
5-6 TBL coconut milk
2 TBL cornstarch
1 9" precooked pie crust
fruit (optional)


I LOVE cheesecake so much. I've really only had it lately at vegan restaurants, so needless to say, I don't get it often enough. I decided it was time to add a cheesecake recipe into my repertoire and Voila! I plan to work on some more creative variations on cheesecake including some different flavors. But for now, it's hard to argue with the original... ;)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend vanilla, cream cheese and sugar in a blender or food processor (I used a blender). Add lemon juice and coconut milk and continue to blend. Finally, add the cornstarch and blend again. Pour into your pie crust and bake for 45 minutes until slightly golden on top. Set it aside to cool. Once cooled completely, you can decorate it with some fruit and refrigerate until ready to eat. If you can contain yourself, I recommend giving it at least an hour to refrigerate so that it gets an opportunity to set up properly.

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