V e g a n P a n d a m o n i u m

What I Made Over The Holidays...

2012-01-28T17:26:00.003-05:00

So you may or may not have noticed that I took a bit of an impromptu blog break over the holidays. The holidays can be tough as a veggie, so I hope you all made it out alive and well. Personally, I had a great break, which I spent eating awesome veg food with family and friends. The highlight of my break was finally getting to meet my lil' baby cousin, Charlie. Isn't she cute!?

To make up for lost time, here are a few recipes that I created over the break that I hope you all enjoy.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegan Earth Balance, softened

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp almond extract

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp peppermint extract, according to taste (or any flavored extract)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 TBL almond milk (as needed until you get the consistency you want)
Food coloring optional

Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean you can't make these awesome sugar cookies. In fact, if you have some heart-shaped cookie cutters, these would be perfect for Valentines Day. Bake em' up for your sweetie (or yourself if you don't have a sweetie) cause they're yummy AND CUTE!

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Combine flour and baking powder in one bowl. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in vanilla & almond extracts, and apple sauce until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet and beat until soft dough forms. Divide dough into two balls. Roll out on floured surface about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes and repeat until all douhg is gone. I got about 30-35 cookies with one batch. Transfer onto baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes (or until lightly browned around edges). Let then cool and then transfer to a wire rack.

For the icing, I used peppermint extract for the holidays but you might want to try something different, or nothing at all. With whatever flavoring you use (ESPECIALLY peppermint), add the TINIEST bit at a time cause it can very easily overpower the icing. Add the almond milk into the powdered sugar until it is the desired texture and then add the flavoring. Finally, decorate!

Second, I offer up this awesome pairing of Bruschetta and Olive Tapenade...

Ingredients

french bread

Bruschetta:

tomatoes, diced

garlic, minced

fresh basil, chopped

balsamic vinegar (drizzle)

daiya (optional)

Olive Tapenade:

artichoke hearts, chopped

jalapeno-stuffed olives (or regular), diced

capers

lemon juice

olive oil

black pepper

vegan cream cheese

Everyone LOVED these when I made them over the holidays, especially the olive tapenade so I highly recommend making it.

Both preparations are really simple. I didn't really measure, so you're gunna have to try and go with your gut. You're going to want to start by slicing your bread, brushing some olive oil on it, and then popping it in an oven at 350 until it gets toasty.

For the bruschetta, just combine tomato, garlic, and fresh basil in a bowl. The garlic and basil should just be accents to the tomato, so don't go overboard. Then, scoop it on top of the toast and (if you want) sprinkle some Vegan Mozzarella Daiya Cheese on top and stick them under the broiler until it melts. Then drizzle some balsamic vinegar over top.

For the tapenade, I recommend having 1/2 artichoke to 1/4 capers to 1/4 olives. But you can obviously play with the measurements. Combine in a bowl and sprinkle some lemon juice and black pepper on top. You probably wont need to add any more oil to it, but if it's looking dry, add a drizzle. Spoon them over toasts that you have spread cream cheese on and voila!

Third, my new favorite way to eat Salad

Ingredients

arugula

Gardein "Chik'n" Scallopini

sliced Hearts of Palm

nutritional yeast

Dressing:

olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper

It's so simple, many of you are probably already doing it. But my Aunt taught me her way of preparing salad over the holidays that was so yummy, I haven't stopped eating it since. Basically it's just a salad of Arugula (my new favorite thing), that you dress with a squeeze of fresh lemon, drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkling of salt & pepper. It's so easy, so fresh, so bright... i love it. She makes it with shaved parmesan over top so sometimes I'll sprinkle some nutritional yeast over top instead. As you can see, I have jazzed it up with some sauteed vegan chicken and pan-seared hearts of palm.

Vegan Seafood

2011-12-13T17:31:00.004-05:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: one

Ingredients

Sohpie's Kitchen Vegan Squid Rings
Worthington Vegetable Skallops
Ener G Egg Replaser
soy milk
panko bread crumbs
olive oil
s&p

I used to LOVE fried calamari. I mean, it seriously might be my most missed non-vegan dish. Needless to say, I was really excited to see they sold Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Squid Rings in the frozen section of my Whole Foods. In my opinion, they tasted a lot like calamari... which really just means that they were super chewy. Another new discovery was Worthington's canned Skallops (which I had to get at a health food store). I wouldn't say I was a huge fan of scallops before, but these didn't really taste much like scallops to me anyways. That being said, they were delicious. Not at all fishy or too chewy... just all around good.

My friend came up with a pretty simple method of frying them. First, dredge them in a bowl with combined Ener G Egg Replacer, a bit of soymilk (about 2 TBL), and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then dip them in a bowl of panko and fry em' up in a frying pan with hot oil until golden. Let the oil drain by placing them on a paper towel. Serve with marinara sauce and a lemon wedge, over pasta, or even with a homemade tartar sauce. Yum!

Breakfast Burritos

2011-12-09T19:56:00.002-05:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

If you're vegan, you've probably got a tofu scramble recipe down pat. But this is just a fun way to jazz up your breakfast routine. All you have to do is fill a flour tortilla with tofu scramble, (veggie bacon, sausage, and/or hash browns are always welcomed additions) and top with my go-to cream sauce and a dash of paprika. I always make my scramble a little different, but essentially it's some combination of veggies, tofu, seasonings, Earth Balance, and lots and LOTS of nutritional yeast.

As for the cream sauce...

2 TBL Earth Balance
1 TBL flour
3/4 cup unsweetened almond/soy milk
2 TBL nutritional yeast
pinch s&p

Melt 2 TBL Earth Balance in a sauce pan over medium high heat and then whisk in the flour. whisk in the milk a little bit at a time as it thickens up into a nice sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and s&p to taste.

Assemble your burritos and top with a pinch of paprika. I served mine with some sauteed kale and fruit salad on the side.
Best. Breakfast. Ever. :)

A THANKSGIVING FEAST!!!

2011-11-20T18:05:00.005-05:00

Being a vegan on holidays isn't always the easiest. Luckily, I have a very accomodating family that makes sure I'm always well taken care of at the dinner table. However, if you're the only vegan at the table, don't settle for just bread and grilled veggies... cook your own dishes and show everyone just how decadent being a vegan can be! These are a couple of recipes I whipped up that are sure to please both vegans and omnivores alike...

Green Bean Casserole PIZZA

Level of Difficulty: time management required!
Pots/Pans Used: 3!

Ingredients

pizza dough
3 pieces chopped Smart Bacon
1 heaping cup chopped fresh green beans
8 0z sliced mushrooms
2 TBL white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBL fresh chopped sage leaves
1 TBL Earth Balance
panko bread crumbs
french fried onions
pinch salt, pepper, & thyme

Sauce:
2 TBL Earth Balance
1 TBL flour
3/4 cup unsweetened almond/soy milk
2 TBL nutritional yeast
pinch s&p

Originally this was going to be a traditional green bean casserole and then I realized... why not put it on a pizza? I couldn't come up with a good enough reason to not try it, so I went for it. And I am sincerely glad i did. Unfortunately, for a lot of vegans, Thanksgiving dinner just means eating a hodgepodge of various sides, but this is a great way to turn a side into something more substantial and filling.

Preheat oven to 450. Roll out your dough and place it on either a pizza crisper (ideal) or a well greased baking sheet. Precook the dough in the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until golden. Then take it out. Meanwhile, start out by melting the Earth Balance in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the smart bacon and shallots. Let them cook a couple minutes and then add the garlic, sage, salt, pepper, thyme, and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms begin to sear and release their liquids, add the white wine and cook another couple minutes. Meanwhile, toss your green beans into a pot of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Drain them and run a little cold water over them so that they stop cooking. Add the green beans into the skillet with the rest of the vegetables and lower the heat while you make the sauce. Melt 2 TBL Earth Balance in a sauce pan over medium high heat and then whisk in the flour. whisk in the milk a little bit at a time as it thickens up into a nice sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and s&p to taste. Pour over the vegetables and stir well. Spread the mixture onto the precooked pizza crust and then top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, panko, and french fried onions. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

per usual...

Cornbread Stuffing

Level of Difficulty: simple!
Pots/Pans Used: 2ish!

Ingredients

2 cups dry cornbread cubes
2 tbl fresh chopped sage leaves
2 tsp thyme
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBL nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup warm water + 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
olive oil

As a result of being the only vegan at the thanksgiving table, I usually end up making single servings of sides for myself so this is a relatively small batch of stuffing. It should easily feed three people, but if you're feeding a large vegan group (which is GREAT!), I recommend doubling or even tripling it. Okay, full disclosure... I've never really been a stuffing girl. But after making it, and possibly really trying it for the first time, I don't know what was wrong to me. It's so comforting and homey... I finally understand why it's a classic. I bet this recipe would also be great with some diced apples tossed in.

Preheat oven to 350. You're going to want to make your cornbread a day ahead of time so that it gets a chance to dry out a bit. I went the easy route and used a package of Betty Crocker's Cornbread & Muffin Mix, but it shouldn't be too difficult to make from scratch either. Put your dried cranberries into a cup of warm water and set aside to soak. Dice up the cornbread into bite sized pieces. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook for five minutes and then add the garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook another few minutes until fragrant. Add the cranberries (with the water), and cornbread. Gradually mix in the veggie broth. Transfer the stuffing into a greased baking dish. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden on top.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake

Level of Difficulty: requires self control
Pots/Pans Used: 1 blender

Ingredients

2 8oz cartons of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 almond/soy milk
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL cornstarch
1 9" precooked pie crust

Cinnamon swirl:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice

I got an email from a VP reader who specially requested a pumpkin cheesecake. So Gincy, I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as Oliver and I did! I think it came out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, pumpkin, milk, agave, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and then blend in the cornstarch. Pour batter into the pie crust, leaving about 1/2 cup in the blender. Blend 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp allspice into the remaining batter. Pour into the rest of the batter and quickly swirl it throughout with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Once golden brown, take it out to cool completely. Then transfer it to the fridge to sit for at least an hour... or until you just can't stand it anymore :)

Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope with these recipes you can show off how tasty cruelty-free food can really be!

Post a comment below about what your menu is going to be this year, or better yet, post a picture of your creations on our facebook page.

Sweet Potato & Oatmeal Casserole

2011-11-12T18:55:00.002-05:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: one!

My friend, Blake (of Blake Bakes), made me this seriously fantastic breakfast casserole for one of our potluck brunches. It was so good that I decided to make it myself. I modified the recipe slightly by using coconut milk instead of soy/almond milk, and walnuts instead of pistachios. I also reccomend doubling the topping because it's definitely the best part! This recipe is sure to be a big hit and a great option for Thanksgiving day morning! You can find the recipe here.

Halloween Snack

2011-10-31T00:19:00.003-04:00

Ingredients

1 bag of popcorn
vegan chocolate chips
Allspice

If your Halloween is anything like mine, you'll be spending the night in, eating junk food, and having a scary movie marathon with your dog. I offer up this perfect snack to complement your festive night in.

All you have to do is mix some chocolate chips in with your hot popcorn and sprinkle some allspice on top! I don't think you'll find an easier recipe... so get to it!

AaAaAhHhHhHh!

What's your favorite vegan popcorn?

Benny & Flo

2011-10-18T11:55:00.003-04:00

Level Of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

Extra Firm Tofu
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tbl soy sauce
few squirts liquid smoke
1/4 c water
3 tbl Earth Balance
2 tbl flour
unsweetened almond milk
pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, chili powder
nutritional yeast
kale
tomato

This is sorta like an Eggs Benedict meets Eggs Florentine... sorta. It's yummy regardless of what you call it. To keep it light and healthy, I replaced the bread with a tomato slice but it's up to you!

You start by pan-searing your tofu. I only used about 3/4 of the package. Cut the tofu into thin slices and then place them in an oiled pan over medium-high heat. Brown both sides. Combine maple syrup, liquid smoke, water, and soy sauce. Spoon over the seared tofu and let the sauce thicken and thoroughly coat the tofu. Once that's done, set it aside. Then throw some washed and torn kale into the pan. Season with some salt & pepper. Once the kale is steamed and softened, it's done. To make your hollandaise sauce, melt some butter in a sauce pot over low-medium heat. Then whisk in your flour. Gradually whisk in your milk until it thickens up to the desired saucy consistency. Add as much nutritional yeast as you want (I usually do about 2 tabelspoons). Add a pinch of s&p, red pepper flakes, paprika, and chili powder. Now that all the components are done, it's time to assemble!

Take a slice of tomato, then top with the kale, then tofu, then drizzle the sauce on top. Now dig in!

NYC4E

2011-09-30T00:06:00.006-04:00

So it happened again...

I ended up in New York City. I think that the Fleet Foxes concert had a lot to do with it.

It was amazing... in case you were wondering.

After the concert, it only seemed right to head over to Foodswings. You might remember them as the vegan junk food joint from my last NY visit. I tried the Punk Fries AKA cheese fries with bacon bits!?^&*^*(!!?~?>!!#&*

Corn Dog (The thyme in the batter was a nice surprise!)

And Creamy Mac n' Cheese (which was actually pretty disappointing)

Then my friends and I went to The Organic Grill for a Sunday brunch. Admittedly, I wasn't super impressed with most of the stuff we ordered. That being said, it's worth a visit just to try the VEGAN OMELET! (filled with your choice of veggies and vegan cheese!)

The Indecisive Breakfast Plate came with tofu scramble, blueberry pancakes, and soy sausage

The waffles were way too dense for me, but my friends seemed to like them.

More tofu scramble

On my last day in New York, we decided to watch Chocolat. By the time it was over, I could hardly contain myself... I NEEDED to get to Cocoa V and order their signature hot chocolate stat. I seriously can't say enough about this vegan chocolate shop.

Another reason I love Cocoa V is for their Vegan Cheese Plate. Ummm... What!? yeah, I know! Okay okay, so it's kind of an investment. But I loved it and thought it was worth every cent.

Look, it's spreadable!

Then, my bestie and I headed to Chinatown for a dim sum date at the Vegetarian Dim Sum House. It was so inexpensive and yummy.

We got the Pan Fried Dumplings...

Then the Taro Treasure Boxes (They were so good! They had sweet mashed taro inside with a mock meat center)

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't warn you about the next dim sum we got. It was the mushroom one, but it came in this strange gelatinous casing. Apparently, they have a few on the menu that come like this but they don't indicate it in the description at all. I'm not gunna lie... it was pretty unpleasant. I just kept imagining I was eating a jellyfish :(

And last, but certainly not least, were these airy little mock pork dumpling. They really didn't taste meaty at all, which was kind of nice. They were just really light and sweet.

So in summation, I'm pretty full. Now I will leave you with a message from Fleet Foxes... ;)

Happy Anniversary!

2011-09-13T18:17:00.004-04:00

I realized that today is the 2nd Anniversary of the very first VeganPandamonium post. Now VP has reached 100+ recipes and I just wanted to extend a big "thanks!" to everyone that reads the blog. It means a lot to me...

:) Sammi

Green Tea and Mango Sandwiches

2011-09-12T14:54:00.003-04:00

This was a complete experiment that resulted from me wanting to try my hand at some matcha green tea powder. I love, love, LOVE matcha-flavored baked goods and drinks so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out, these ended up tasting awesome! I highly recommend trying this recipe because although these sandwiches may seem complicated upon first glance, they're actually extremely simple!

This dessert would pair well with a cup of afternoon tea or even just a nice cold glass of soymilk. Check out my recipe here, along with other great vegan articles on onegreenplanet!

Sweet & Savory VEGAN DOG TREATS!

2011-09-07T12:43:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy!
Pots/Pans Used: Just a bowl and some measuring instruments

This cooking video I made will demostrate:
a.) How easy these recipes are...and b.) How cute Oliver is

BBQ Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
6 TBL vegetable oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

*Note: You may want to add a couple more TBL of veggie stock to get the right consistency. Also, set aside some extra BBQ sauce to glaze cookies with.

Glazed Blueberry & Banana Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
6 TBL vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup blueberries (you can use frozen)

The glaze is optional but I just combined powdered sugar, water, and cinnamon until it was an icing texture. Once the cookies are cooled, you can spoon the glaze on top.

*Note: After making this recipe, I realized it may have been beneficial to first puree the blueberries. Not only did they not stick to the batter well, but Oliver seemed to eat around them. Similar to the other recipe, you may need to add some extra water to get the correct consistency.

Massaged Kale Salad

2011-09-03T10:14:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Massage skills a plus, but not required
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

8 cups kale (destemmed and then ripped into bite-size pieces)
couscous
mozzarella Daiya cheese (optional)
bacon bits (optional)

For The Dressing

1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise
1/2-3/4 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Oregano
3 Tbl Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce

Although I love eating massaged kale salads, I've never actually attempted being a kale masseuse myslef. Essentially, by massaging the kale, you are naturally breaking it down so that it is less tough, and easier to eat. Feel free to add more veggies into the mix. I would have loved to mix in some shredded carrots, however my produce drawer was really lacking the day I made this. Also know that you don't have to use all the dressing if you don't want to. It just depends on how creamy you'd like your kale salad to be. The dressing keeps well in the fridge to use in other recipes as well.

Start by combining all dressing ingredients except for the milk in a bowl. My recommendation is that you add the milk gradually because you may need more or less depending on what type of mayo you use. Whisk together until your dressing is the consistency of a ranch dressing. Put in the fridge to thicken up a bit while you make the rest of the salad. Start making your couscous. I made a box of couscous and ended up using about 1-1/2 to 2 cups. I recommend starting the salad once the couscous has finished cooking. Prep the kale and then place it in a large bowl. Add the dressing a little at a time. Massage thoroughly with your hands. You will see that the pile of kale will reduce in size by about half once it begins to break down. Once your kale is all relaxed and you've got it as creamy as you like, toss in the couscous and a sprinkling of bacon bits & mozzarella. The great thing about this salad is that it actually gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to keep it in the fridge and use as a side throughout the week!

Strawberry Basil Jam

2011-08-25T12:47:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: In need of a watchful eye
Pots/Pans Used: 1-2

Ingredients

6 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped
2 1/4 cups vegan sugar
4 TBL fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 TBL fresh basil, finely chopped

Last week I made jam for the first time. I think I was inspired by my North Carolina trip this summer after seeing tons of interesting jam flavors in all those quaint little country shops. I loved canning so much that I think I might even start selling some fun jams on my etsy shop. Would anyone be interested in something like that? For those vegans that are strict on sugar, you'll be happy to know that all the jams I sell will use certified vegan sugar! But first, I'd love to get some feedback from you guys...

This makes a relatively small batch of jam (about 3 8oz jars). While you're making your jam, I recommend putting your jars in a big pot of boiling water. Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large skillet and bring to a boil. Continue to stir as it thickens up. After about 8 or so minutes, lower the heat once it's begun to thicken up a bit. You can test to see if it's gelled up by dabbing a bit on a cold plate and tipping it after a few seconds to see how slowly it runs. Once it's begun to gel, stir in the basil and let it cook another 2-3 minutes. Now, it's done and you can fill your jars. In order to preserve the jam longer, you can submerge the now full jars (tops on!) in a big pot of boiling water for ten minutes. I made some Whole Wheat Biscuits from The Kind Life cookbook (I love them and they're so easy!) to pair with the jam. Enjoy!

Nothing Beets Pink Lemonade

2011-08-13T12:30:00.008-04:00

First off, sorry for the delay in posting... I was on vacation!

If you didn't take the hint, this Pink Lemonade involves a secret ingredient... BEETS! I was first introduced to beet-dyed pink lemonade during my time in New York and decided to recreate it at home. Truthfully, I didn't actually write down measurements, but I think I can make fairly accurate approximations. My lemonade came out extremely tart, which is how I like it. However, my mom found it overly tart. So you might want to change up the measurements (for example, using less lemon juice) to suit your own taste buds anyways.

Here's a rough estimate of what I did:

Ingredients

fresh lemon juice
agave nectar
water
1 red beet
fresh mint

I combined about 2-3 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 1/2 cup of agave nectar. Then I diluted it with (give or take) 8-9 cups of water. Next, I stirred in shaved pieces of a red beet until it was the perfect pinkness! Finally, add some fresh sprigs of mint and call it a day!

Salad Pizza

2011-07-29T14:48:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy as usual
Pots/Pans Used: one

So guess what!? I am now a monthly contributor for Onegreenplanet.org! I decided to make my debut with this pizza recipe simply because it's one of the best pizzas I've ever had AND it's simple AND it involves a delicious HOMEMADE vegan Ranch dressing!

Even Oliver is putting on his most pathetic puppy face for it...

Dizayum this pizza was good. Check out the recipe here and get cookin'!

Print Shop!

2011-07-26T19:48:00.003-04:00

It's official... VeganPandamonium now has its own etsy shop!

Eventually, I hope to sell food items but for now I am offering a few limited edition prints. Hope you guys enjoy looking around!

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

2011-07-20T18:56:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: so easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

So, before we get into the ingredients and instructions... lemme preface this by saying that this is a Paula Deen recipe... dun dun dun. I mean really, NEED I SAY MORE? This may in fact be the most un-vegan-iest vegan recipe EVER. So, if you feel like being reeeeaaalllly bad, make this cake because it's totally insane (and surprisingly simple).

Essentially, its an entire cake comprised of buttermilk biscuits that have been filled with cream cheese, dipped in melted butter, and rolled in sugar...(crickets)...
.....
.......
............
................
................... I know, that's what I said!!!

Anwyays, I threw a little Summer dinner and dance party shindig and this cake seemed like the puuuuuurfect dessert. Plus, that way I knew I couldn't eat it all myself. Not to mention, this recipe is a great conversation starter. I overheard a couple people saying "I know, isn't it awesome? Did you hear what's in it?!"

So here ya go, the now infamous vegan recipe... (To vegan-ize, I just used store bought buttermilk biscuits that were coincidentally egg/dairy free, Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese, and Earth Balance).

Stay tuned because I have lots more recipes from my summer dinner party coming!

New York Food Tour - Take Three!

2011-07-16T14:20:00.004-04:00

Finally, we've reached the last leg of our food tour. My favorite day in New York was definitely when Tess and I rode our bikes up the Hudson River Greenway, napped in Central Park, and ate one of the best vegan meals I've ever had at........

Peacefood Cafe!

If you go, I HIGHLY recommend getting the following items. It was the perfect meal to share with someone and every dish went together so well...

Potato Salad!

A Veggie Savory Biscuit with vegan butter (amazingly good!)!!!

a "PFC" Un-Chicken Basket with Chipotle Dipping Sauce!!! (SO SO SO GOOD)

Cesar Salad with Smoked Tempeh!

Now on to the dessert case. Admittedly, dessert was my least favorite part, but I think my mistake was in not getting the Tiramisu.

Strawberry Short Cake - The Cream filling was a little too savory and the biscuit was too dense.

If you LOVE peanut butter, I recommend the peanut butter cheesecake. It was a little too much peanut butter for me though :/

Then, In true VeganPANDAmonium fashion, we saw Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox of Animal Collective) perform in Williamsburg.

It was a really excellent show. This was my favorite song of the night...

Now, any vegans interested in indulging in some seriously unhealthy vegan junk food need to head over to Foodswings. It was our last stop on the food tour and we were so dedicated to eating at Foodswings before we flew home that we lugged all of our luggage to the restaurant (as we were cutting our flight very close).

It was everything I had hoped for AND MORE. I was most excited when I saw the long list of french fry sides they had. They had everything from bacon and cheese fries to gravy fries. I opted for the "Metal Fries" which were (a little overly doused) in blue cheese dressing and buffalo sauce.

Then we had the Chick'n Bacon Ranch burgers with a hot dog (they even had vegan corn dogs!!!)

A Butterfinger shake (INSANE!!!!)

and a "My Little Pony" shake (strawberry ice cream with orange juice)

Aside from the awesome food New York has to offer, my favorite thing about the city might be all the dogs. I saw so many great dogs that I almost considered starting a dog blog. Plus, Tess had some pretty adorable critters in her apartment too. Meet 'Cow'...

But at the end of the day, I'm so glad to be back home with my boy...

New York Food Tour - Take Two!

2011-07-10T02:07:00.008-04:00

So we're back for part two! Let's start off with the fantastic grub we ate at Rockaway Beach. First, we stopped for some tofu tacos with an insanely good guacamole at Rockaway Tacos. I honestly can't think of a more perfect snack for a beach day.

For those of you that don't know, Babycakes now has a spot RIGHT ON Rockaway beach. Not only did they have mini doughnuts, but they also had gluten-free pizza AND freshly made HOT WAFFLES!!!!! Obviously we both opted for the hot waffles, topped with sweet cream, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. We also tried a slice of pizza and a mini coconut doughnut. Absolutely amazing. I mean... vegan tacos and waffles on the beach?! sold!

inevitable beachy food coma...

If you're looking for a quick bite in the city, I also recommend Little Atlas Cafe. We had a truly yummy No-Chicken Salad Sandwich there.

If you are in the Chelsea area, you HAVE to stop by Cocoa V, a vegan chocolate, dessert, and wine shop. It would be a super cute place to have a date, because they even have a cashew cheese and dried fruit platter on the menu (fancy!). It is a little on the pricey side, but even if you just stop in for hot chocolate it's worth it. I mean it... it was THE BEST hot chocolate I have ever tried! Tess got their Signature Hot Chocolate and I had their Spiced Hot Chocolate. They were both absolutely out of this world good!! I felt like I had found the hot chocolate I have been searching for all my life. They also had an assortment of adorable chocolate truffles.

As great as everything looked, there was no avoiding the vegan butterfinger bars. I found this version more "peanutbuttery" than the original, but still really, really tasty.

For the 4th of July, Tess and I met up with our friend, Julia, for brunch at Bliss Cafe in Williamsburg. All in all, this place might have been my least favorite meal while in New York. That being said, everything was good, just nothing special.

We started out with the quesadillas as an appetizer.

Julia had the Citrus Sensation Seitan... tasty, but too pricey for how little seitan they gave you.

Tess and I each had the tofu scramble and tempeh bacon on a bagel with a side of homefries.

Later that night, we attended a vegan potluck in Brooklyn and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset on the roof followed by the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks show in Manhattan.

Believe it or not, I've decided to make this a three-parter. That's right, I ate THAT much food in New York. You won't want to miss the next post because it includes THE BEST meal I had in New York/my life!

New York Food Tour - Take One!

2011-07-02T22:55:00.009-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS! I have been in New York for Five days at this point and eaten some of THE best food I have had since being vegan. I've been taking so many pictures that I am going to break my trip up into two posts to make it a little more manageable.

Okay, lets start at the beginning. First off, it's important that you know that the whole reason I'm in New York is because I'm visiting my best friend, Tess. You might remember her from my Fancy Cake post.

Okay, I arrived Tuesday afternoon and the first place we hit was Cafe Viva Herbals Pizzeria. We tried the Plain Cheese, Veggie, and Seitan Delight (with artichokes and caramelized onions). Everything was good, but the Plain Cheese pretty much stole the show.

Then we OF COURSE headed to Babycakes NYC. I have been wanting to go there ever since I first heard about it. I think I always imagined my first visit would end up going something like this...

Expectations were definitely met once I bit into an AMAZING Cookie Sandwich and Salted Caramel Glaze Doughnut!

The next day we started off at Lula's Sweet Apothecary.

Yes, That's a vegan ice cream shop. Yes, they have soft serve. And yes, more specifically, they have cake batter-flavored soft serve. I got that in a sugar cone and Tess got a cake batter shake with ricemallow fluff and caramel topping. Words cannot express just how amazing it was. I'm still dreaming about it.

Then we found a cute little secret garden right next to Lula's where we got sassy...

And then sleepy...

Then we waddled over to Vegetarian's Paradise 2 Where we started out with Lindemans Framboise Lambic Raspberry Beer, followed by Sugarcane Drumsticks (Breaded Soy Protein and Fresh Herbs Wrapped Around Raw Sugarcane. Served With a Spicy Thai Sauce...), a Steamed Soy Bun (Steamed Whole Wheat Roll filled with Soy Protein and Fresh Vegetables...), and a Dijon Chick'n Sandwhich...

Somehow we managed to finish everything

It wasn't easy

Well I will see you soon for the second installment of the food tour! It gets even crazier, trust me

Barbari Bread

2011-06-27T12:28:00.002-04:00

As I have mentioned before, my roommate, Rana, is from Iran. Sometimes I am lucky enough to indulge in some of her Iranian cooking. She recently found this recipe for Barbari Bread, which she told me is a very traditional Iranian bread. She has made it twice so far and it has been so unbelievably good both times, that I had to share it with you guys. Although I haven't actually made it myself yet, the ingredients and directions seem pretty simple. You can even get creative with toppings. For example, the recipe only calls for poppy seeds, but I know Rana added some spices and sesame seeds ontop of her bread. Personally, I like to enjoy mine dipped into a little olive oil with Italian seasonings.

Lemme know if any of you try this or come up with yummy variations!

Banana Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

2011-06-18T13:09:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: it's a smoothie!
Pots/Pans Used: just a blender

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 Frozen Bananas
1 cup Almond Milk (I used Unsweetened, but that's up to you)
2 TBL Cocoa Powder
2 TBL Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Agave Nectar

OH MY GOOOODDDNESSSSS. This tastes like a super decadent milkshake without any of the guilt. In fact, you could have this for breakfast... like all the time.... :^O!!!!! Just blend all ingredients in a blender and then indulge in the best smoothie EVERrRrRrRrRrR!

Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Curry Sauce

2011-06-10T13:48:00.006-04:00

Pots/Pans Used: two

Level of Diffuculty: Whisking muscles required!

Ingredients

3 Zucchinis, peeled
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 TBL nutritional yeast
pinch tumeric
pinch paprika
s&p to taste
red pepper flakes to garnish (optional)

Okay, I'm putting the "Mexican Stuffed Shells" post off for a hot minute because I made this for dinner last night and I just had to share! A few months ago, I decided to stop buying pasta. It had become my go-to easy dinner and I knew I was eating too much of it. Surprisingly enough, I ended up losing almost ten pounds as a result! That being said, I still always crave pasta. I mean, it is my comfort food. So I'm always looking for ways to satisfy the craving with alternatives. For example, sometimes I make Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash, or just season brown rice the same way I would pasta. But I have been wanting to make my own zucchini noodles for a while now. It was so simple! And yummy! Once you've made the cream sauce, you could season it however you want really. You don't necessarily have to do a curry sauce.

Now lemme get this straight... I can eat as much as I want without the guilt? yes, please!

First, peel long strips of the flesh of the zucchini. Toss them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and then drain. Meanwhile, you can start on the sauce. Melt the Earth Balance in a large saute pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour so that it absorbs the butter. Then, gradually whisk in the milk. I would add it 1/4 cup at a time and once it would begin to thicken, I would add another 1/4 cup. Once it reaches the consistency of an Alfredo sauce, add the curry, turmeric, s&p, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and paprika. Mix well and then add the noodles into the sauce. Toss until well coated. Then, serve with some nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, and paprika to garnish. Voila!

Babycakes NYC in Downtown Disney!

2011-06-08T00:39:00.003-04:00

I realize I've been doing a lot of reviewing lately so I'm trying to dedicate more time to cooking and less time to eating out. That being said... I've gotta get this outta my system! I just had to show off the pictures from my first visit to Babycakes while I finish writing my Mexican Stuffed Shells recipe post (which will be up in the next couple days... so stay tuned!).

Last week, I was in Orlando with a friend seeing Bonnie Prince Billy play. I'm not usually in that area, so I made sure to take a quick trip to Downtown Disney after the show was over. The original location of Babycakes is in NYC, but they recently replaced a MCDONALDS (!!!!!!!!) in Downtown Disney.

The actual store was tinier than I was expecting, and after seeing all the charming photos of the NYC shop, I was a little underwhelmed with the presentation. That being said, I'm sure they had more restrictions with this location. Besides, you get the charm of DISNEY!

We tried the Red Velvet Cupcake and the Cookie Sandwich. Both were excellent but the cookie sandwich definitely stole the show. I'm not even really a "cookie person" seeing as I don't usually really like a cookie unless it's either almost burnt or doughy and undercooked. But this cookie was thin, had a nice crunch to it, AND came complete with super yummy frosting inside... so I had no complaints!

One thing I thought was kinda neat was that it was the only dessert option in the cafeteria-like setting. So, lots of people were flocking to it, not even knowing it was vegan. I just secretly wish all the customers found out at some point though... Preferably after they "oohed and awed" about how good the cookie sandwich was ;)

All in all, it was a really good experience for ma taste buds! Besides, where else can you eat a vegan cookie sandwich AND see Planet Hollywood's Gizmo replica all within walking distance from each other??? (<<< um, my heaven) Worth it! :D

Simply Spiced Cucumber Salad

2011-05-30T22:40:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: "easy" just doesn't cut it
Pots/Pans Used: zero!!!!!!

Ingredients
(for a single serving)

3/4 to 1 whole cucumber, sliced
2 TBL Miso Mayo
1/4 tsp lemon juice,
pinch of black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of turmeric
pinch of curry powder

In my basket of local veggies last week, I received a few delicious cucumbers which I started slicing up and taking to work for lunches. At first, I just topped the sliced cucumber with a little miso mayo and black pepper. Honestly, that was delicious enough on it's own but I decided to spice it up a bit. I was running low on miso mayo, so I was only able to make enough dressing for maybe one whole sliced cucumber. But if you have the ingredients in excess, I recommend playing with the measurements a bit to please your palate.

Just mix ingredients miso mayo thru curry powder and then toss it with sliced cucumbers until well coated. That's really it! So good while staying so simple! And yes, I totally licked the bowl :P

Dinner and a Movie!

2011-05-21T01:15:00.009-04:00

This isn't technically a "recipe" per se... but instead it's more like a cute dinner idea. Anyways, a couple weeks ago, my mom and I had a marathon of the new HBO mini series, Mildred Pierce. The series has five parts and is about Mildred Pierce (played by Kate Winslet), a single mother who takes a job as a waitress during the depression to take care of her two daughters. Her love of cooking develops into her own restaurant where she features only two dinner options: chicken & waffles or chicken & vegetables. As my mom and I sat there getting hungrier and hungrier, I realized I had everything to whip up a vegan version of what we were seeing on screen!

I baked Gardein's Chiptole Lime Crispy Fingers until crispy and sauteed with some BBQ sauce. I threw some frozen vegan waffles in the toaster and then I steamed some corn, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms in a pan. I added some Earth Balance, s&p and nutritional yeast to the veggies, topped the waffles with maple syrup and voila!

I had to share because it seemed like such a cute movie night or date night idea. Not to mention, the food and series were excellent! :)

Vegan Finds at Non-Vegan Restaurants

2011-05-17T00:24:00.007-04:00

Gardein is in the (Yard) House!
I heard a while back that Yard House restaurants added Gardein options to their menus. Being that Yard House has quite a few locations, I thought it would be a great place to do a review. So Eva and I headed over there for happy hour after a relaxing day at the beach (being on summer break is really hard).

I will extend a slight warning though - Just because there's Gardein on the menu, doesn't mean it's all vegan. So, when you see "jack cheese" and "ranch dressing" being thrown around, try not to get too excited... and double check with your server to be certain you know what you're getting.

We started out with the Veggie Boneless Wings which you can order as Buffalo, Firecracker, or Jerk. We went with Jerk. They were definitely good, and the portion was generous, but I'd be interested in trying the other flavors to see how they compare.

I feasted on this INSANE BBQ Chicken Salad.

Lemme start by saying that I almost never order a salad as my entree. But I think these photos serve as proof that this salad was EXTREME. It was mixed up with grilled "chicken" strips, avocado, pasilla peppers, corn, tortilla strips, tomato, pinto beans, a side of citrus BBQ sauce, cilantro and topped with a heaping portion of fried onions. It also came with jack cheese and a chipotle ranch dressing that I asked them to take off. I substituted with a Thai Peanut Dressing that paired surprisingly well with everything else. I could eat this pretty much everyday.

Eva ordered the Lettuce Wraps Appetizer complete with stir fried, smoked tofu, pine nuts and green onions with three dipping sauces and shiitake & portabella mushrooms. Again, really delicious!

It may not be the cheapest vegan meal I've ever had, but I think being able to go to a "regular" restaurant and have good vegan options makes it worth it. Lemme know if any of you have tried their other dishes!

My second restaurant experience was in Clearwater, FL at the Island Way Grille. The reason I tried this restaurant out was because my Aunt Nancy was visiting on business and invited me out to dinner. I don't think I've mentioned yet that a significant portion of my family works in the cheese business. So, ironically enough, I found myself ordering vegan food at a table of about ten cheese makers and salesman from all over the world. The company was great and surprisingly enough, I didn't get too hard a time about my "special" diet from anyone. I can't say that the Island Way Grille had a ton of veg options, but they did have a very helpful staff that was willing to work with me and (my favorite) a sushi menu!

I started out with an Avocado Roll with tempura crunch on top. SO GOOD! I also tried a really delicious radish roll that my uncle ordered.

Then, I tried the Pasta with Tofu and Vegetables with garlic bread. They were nice enough to substitute olive oil instead of butter. Truthfully, I added some leftover soy sauce from my sushi to it to give it some extra flavor. It also came with a really nice salad (specify no cheese!)

If the past few weeks have been any indication of how my summer dining is going to go, I'd say I'm pretty excited!

Strawberry Cheesecake Truffles

2011-05-07T20:30:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
2 tubs Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese
1 TBL agave nectar
Box of Graham Crackers
Bag of Chocolate Chips

I HIGHLY recommend spoiling your mothers tomorrow with these decadent little truffles! I came up with them when I was going to a potluck last week and was trying to come up with a unique dessert idea. I thought back to one of my biggest crowd pleasers, Oreo Truffles, and realized I could make a lot of different variations of them. Once I landed on the idea of making them into strawberry cheesecake truffles, there was pretty much no turning back. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but these are INSANE.

Put about 15 Graham Crackers in a bag and crush them. Mix the graham crackers, cream cheese, strawberries, and agave in a large bowl.

Lay out a piece of parchment on a baking sheet. Roll the mixture into small balls and set on the baking sheet (this is a pretty sticky process but just power through). Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. Using some fancy spoon maneuvering, roll the cheesecake balls into the chocolate. Don't worry so much about them looking pretty, cause they taste great regardless. You can make two different varieties by rolling some of them in crushed graham crackers. Place them back on the parchment and let them firm up in the refrigerator.

Pina Colada Pancakes

2011-04-30T17:00:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 1

Ingredients

Topping:
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 TBL Earth Balance
2 TBL coconut milk
pinch black pepper
pinch cinnamon
maple syrup

Pancakes:
1 & 1/4 cup Aunt Jemima's Original Pancake & Waffle Mix
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 TBL vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
(makes about 6 medium-sized pancakes)

Saturday was my first official day of summer. So I woke up and decided to celebrate by turning my favorite summertime drink into pancakes. Um yeah... they turned out kind of crazy good.

In a small bowl, mix together oil, baking powder and two TBL water. In a large bowl, combine the baking powder mixture with all remaining pancake ingredients. Melt a little butter in a skillet over medium heat and pour about a 1/4 cup of batter into pan. Once it bubbles, flip. Repeat!

Now that you've gotten all your pancakes accounted for, start on the topping by melting 1 TBL butter over medium heat in the same skillet. Add the pineapple and saute for a few minutes. Then, add the pepper, cinnamon, and coconut milk to the pan. Saute another minute and let the coconut milk thicken up a bit. Spoon the pineapple topping over the pancakes and drizzle with some warm maple syrup. Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup

2011-04-21T16:22:00.008-04:00

Level of Difficulty: soupa easy!
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

2-3 TBL Olive Oil
8 cups Vegetable Stock
12 (more or less) Vegan Meatballs
3/4 cup Celery, chopped
3/4 cup Carrots, chopped
2 cups Fresh Spinach
1 medium Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, strained
1 TBL Ground Italian Seasoning Herbs
1 & 1/2 cup Orzo
2 TBL Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
Nutritional Yeast to garnish

Thanks everyone for the great ideas!!! I've got plenty to keep me busy for a while, but feel free to keep posting any ideas that come to you. A lot of you seemed interested in a new soup recipe so I thought I would oblige. This specific soup idea actually came from Melina... Thanks Melina! Seriously, it turned out so great! It's got a nice amount of heat to it too, which I personally like. Another thing I like about this recipe is that you can totally make it gluten-free if you want. I used gluten-free vegan meatballs and you can substitute a gluten-free pasta for the orzo if you wish.

Now about the meatballs... I used a new brand that I had never tried before. They're gluten and soy free I believe. They're called Bahama Vegan Rice-Meatballs and I found them in the freezer section. I think they were actually pretty good in this soup HOWEVER they're not particularly flavorful by themselves. They had a good texture, but didn't taste "meaty" at all... which some of you might prefer. But if you already have a favorite vegan meatball brand, feel free to just use that :)

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic a few minutes until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and Italian seasonings. Saute 5-10 minutes or until soft. Add the veggie stock, tomatoes, and orzo. In about five minutes, add the meatballs. The soup should be simmering, not boiling. In a separate saute pan, saute the spinach with a little olive oil. Add spinach and lemon juice to the soup. Add salt to taste and let it simmer for a few minutes so that the flavors can combine. Serve in a large bowl with some nutritional yeast sprinkled over top. Finally, enjoy and go back for second helpings.

*NOTE: When I came back a little later, I found that the orzo had soaked up all the broth. When I reheated it the next day, I just added more broth to it and it was fine. However, if you'd like to avoid this, I suggest cooking the orzo separately and then adding it to each serving. But if anyone has any tips on how to avoid this, leave a comment below!

Hi, Can I Take Your Oder?

2011-04-19T10:07:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, I have been lacking in the inspiration department. So I had an idea... why not ask you guys what you'd like to see more on VeganPandamonium? For example, is there a dish you've been craving lately? How about your favorite meal that you haven't been able to have since you went vegan? Just leave a comment with a dish you'd like to be veganized and I'll get to working.

Order up!

Apple Ebelskiver

2011-04-07T00:25:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Let's just say it's easier with an Ebelskiver pan than without
Pots/Pans Used: ONE (plus some mixing bowls)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Flour
2 TBL Brown Sugar
1 TBL Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 TBL Vegetable Oil
1 & 1/4 cup Almond Milk
1 & 1/4 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Powdered Sugar to garnish
Apple Pie Filling

Necessary Utensils

Wooden Skewer or a Knitting Needle

So for those of you asking, "what's an ebelskivermajiggy?"... they are essentially little fluffy spherical pancakes stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. If you're Danish, or someone that has had the non-vegan classic version, just know that mine are going to be a little denser in texture due to the omission of egg whites. HOWEVER, they're still kind of awesome.

Anyways, As I mentioned, CSN stores approached me about reviewing a product. I skimmed their site a bit, thought long and hard about getting a doughnut pan, but I just kept coming back to this... an Ebelskiver Pan. It arrived last week and I am really happy with it. I was pretty intimidated at first, but this really isn't hard at all.

Now, I could tell you how to make them... but why would I do that when I can show you!?

SURPRISE!!!!
(I'm sorry in advance for slaughtering the name)

As for the cinnamon dipping sauce, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 to 2 TBL of almond milk and a few pinches of cinnamon!

Over and Out!

Oliver Hearts VP

2011-04-01T01:46:00.005-04:00

Sooooo0o0o0ooo an exciting new post and SURPRISE is in the works. I'll be working on it this weekend, so expect it sometime next week. In the meantime, I just had to show this picture I snapped of Mr. Oliver showing off his VeganPandamonium pride!

He's trying to convince me to let him do a guest blog post about how much he loves popcorn but I have to keep telling him NO.

BBQ Chick'n Pizza

2011-03-26T02:18:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Some assembly required!
Pots/Pans Used: one!

Ingredients

pizza dough
BBQ sauce
2 cutlets of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
1 TBL Bacon Bits
handful of Kale, ripped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 green apple, sliced

White Sauce:
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL nutritional yeast
3 TBL Flour
1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

I saw a version of this recipe on the Food Network and thought it looked very... "veganizable". At first, I was going to leave the apples out all together. However, I decided to give it a try. This recipe would be good either way... but if you're feeling adventurous, try the apples! They're not nearly as invasive as you would expect. In fact, they add a nice and subtle sweet note.

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out pizza dough and lay out on a pizza crisper (If you don't have a pizza crisper, you can use a greased baking sheet. However, you may need to pre-bake the dough longer in order to get it nice and crisp). Pre-bake dough for about 5 minutes and then take it out. Meanwhile, saute your chik'n cutlets in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Brush the cutlets with some BBQ sauce. Set cutlets aside. Using the same pan, you can start on the white sauce. Melt Earth Balance in the pan and then whisk the flour in gradually. Continue to whisk as you add the milk. Once it has reached a thick/cheezey/saucy texture, it's done. Add the onion powder, salt, and nutritional yeast.

Now you can start assembling the pizza. Spread about 3 TBL of BBQ sauce on the dough for the base. Then spread out the cheezey white sauce. Top with the BBQ chik'n (cut into bite-sized pieces), apple slices, kale, and bacon bits. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Yet another Oliver-approved recipe!

Vegan in Milwaukee!

2011-03-15T00:07:00.004-04:00

I know, I know... it seems I'm a bit of a jet-setter these days. Just know, this really isn't the norm for me. I just happened to visit two different states this month. The reason for this getaway was a little reunion of my high school friends. We all met in Milwaukee and stayed with my friend, Shannon, who attends The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. We pretty much spent the weekend dancing, drankin and eating some mighty excellent vegan food. Jus sayin... We are kind of all-stars at doing all these things. Go big or go home.

I have to give my friend Je$$ props because she did the majority of the cooking when we weren't eating out. My favorite dish she made was this cheezey vegan version of a hamburger helper.

Let's start at the beginning. First, we ate brunch at the Riverwest Co-op...

I started out with an AWESOME Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie ( t'was ridonkulous). Then, I was so excited when this landed in front of me... A Philly Cheezesteak Sandwich

INSANE Mac & Cheeze

French Toast

Ranchero Plate- Spiced brown rice, seasoned black beans, scrambled tofu served with corn (gluten-free) or flour tortillas, salsa and avocado

I have to say, the Biscuits N' Gravy were probably my least favorite. The biscuits were a little too dense but still purtty good.

Then we had a Sunday brunch gathering with some of Shannon's friends at Beans & Barley. We had probably THE sweetest server ever! I would give her a shout out if I only I knew her name :(

Don't worry... I didn't consume all of the following food alone.

I started out with one of my favorite drinks, a Sweet Matcha Latte

Jess got a cup of Pumpkin Peanut Soup. I'm not a fan of peanuts in savory food, so I'll reserve my opinion. However, I will say that she finished it!

Then she got the Tempeh Rueben. It was good, but a little on the dry side.

A bunch of us ordered the Pesto Scrambled Tofu with parsley shallot potatoes.

I also tried yet another plate of Biscuits n' Gravy. I have to say, Beans & Barley's were better in my opinion.

Flippin' fantastic Pancakes!

Then on our last day, we did lunch at Comet Cafe. Lemme just say, we were all so enthralled in how unbelievably good our own entrees were that there was very little talking and sharing going on...

A few of us just had to try the Beermosa. Yup, sounds super gross but is surprisingly awesome. I swear!

Eva got the Vegetable-Heaven Salad with marinated tofu and ginger dressing...

Plus a side of Tofu Scramble

Jess had the Vegan Meatloaf Sandwich topped with mashed potatoes, grilled tomatoes, and beer gravy.

Julia got the Vegan Gyro with housemade seitan.

Last, but certainly not least, is what I ordered (and the reason Comet Cafe will forever hold a special place in my heart). Now, if you haven't noticed by now, I am a vegan who tends to enjoy the occasional faux meat product. I know a lot of vegans aren't into that so please don't hate me for gushing about the following entree... Vegan Deep Fried Ribs. Here's the thing, no one I talk about this to seems to think this sounds good at all. Admittedly, it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen. But come on, I figured this was probably my only chance to get this... so like I said... go big or go home. Seriously, it was AAAAAAAAMMMMMMAAAAAAZZZZZIIIIIINNnNnnnNggggg! It was beer battered vegan riblets with hand-cut fries, vegan chive mayo, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. I mean... just... yeah... i can't.... I have no words....

All in all, if you're looking for excellent vegan fare, GET YOUR VEGAN BUTT TO MILWAUKEE!

And yes... now that I'm home, I will resume cooking!

Artichoke with Hollandaise Sauce

2011-03-08T10:31:00.004-05:00

Level of Difficulty: So Simple
Pots/Pans Used: 1 plus a blender

Ingredients

Artichokes!

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
3/4 cup of soft tofu
2 tsp mustard
4 TBL nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup soymilk
1 TBL olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
pinch paprika
pinch turmeric
salt & pepper to taste

The inspiration for this came while watching Julie & Julia. I believe it was the first recipe that Julie Powell tries from the Julia Child's cookbook. Anyways, in the movie it looks ridiculous! Artichokes have always been one of my favorite meals. Eating it requires more participation that the average veggie, but in my opinion, it's a small price to pay!

Steaming the artichoke is very simple. Basically just cut off some of the stem and steam the artichoke in a pot for about 15-20 minutes or until the leaves pull off easily. Meanwhile, you can start on the Hollandaise Sauce. I just stole this recipe from my "Eggless Benedict" recipe. You just throw it all in a blender and flip dat switch! This may make more than you want but the sauce is great over pasta. That's what I always do with the leftovers.

I am also really excited because CSN approached me about doing a product review for them. I have been looking at all the stuff they have on their websites and it goes way beyond kitchen supplies. In fact, if anyone is in the process of remodeling their kitchen, they have some pretty cool lighting options. Their Pendant Lighting fixtures are very unique and simple. Anyways, stay tuned for that review coming soon!

Vegan in Vegas!!!

2011-03-01T02:37:00.004-05:00

That's right... my mom and I went to Las Vegas. I happily returned home from my trip last night with a tummy full of yummy vegan food and 33 dollars in penny slot winnings. So... all in all, being a vegan in Vegas is not too shabby in my book. Technically, my mom was actually there on business so we were lucky enough to stay at the Bellagio hotel. I can't speak for other hotels, but the room service chef was really excellent in trying to accommodate my special diet. He came up with a vegan breakfast menu that included more than just fruit! Honestly, some of the food was hit or miss, but it was awesome that they at least tried to get creative.

Here's what we feasted on and where you can get it. I also took the liberty to include a few fun pictures from the trip.

As soon as I arrived, I spoke to the chef on the phone and he sent up a couple midnight snacks. First was a veggie roll with very snazzy leaf-shaped wasabi... Ooh la la!

And some fantastic Thai Spring Rolls that came with two dipping sauces

My first morning in Vegas, I feasted on a Vegan Frittata with hash browns and a grapefruit

This grapefruit was seriously fantastic. It had burnt sugar on top that made it like the most delicious little Grapefruit Brulee!

For Lunch we walked over to the Wynn hotel. I did some research before my trip and found out that Mr. Wynn is in fact a vegan. That means that all of his restaurants offer an optional vegan menu. However, I had seen pictures from Little Vegan Planet's Vegas trip and decided I HAD to get the pizza. I kept it simple with caramelized red onions, mushrooms, and red pepper. It WUZ Gr8!!!!

Then we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and I got my picture taken with my idol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seriously, It's about time you all knew that I LOVE Buffy! My life is now complete. Unfortunately, Leo Dicaprio was not in the building :(

The next morning they sent up some vegan pancakes and some beautiful fruit! Honestly, the texture of the pancakes were a little weird - very thin and chewy. At least they tried...

Another morning I tried the breakfast burrito which was a big disappointment. It really had no flavor.

The buffet was alright... but if you don't like veggies and Japanese food, you're pretty much screwed.

Lemme just say, if you can do anything while you're in Vegas, go on the Pink Jeep tour to the Valley of Fire. It was truly amazing. These pictures really don't do it justice...

Yay! Me and my mama!

For our last night in Vegas, my mom and I had dinner at this fantastic Chinese restaurant called "Fin" in The Mirage hotel. Unfortunately, by this point my camera had died so I had to take pictures with my phone. The staff was so helpful in putting together a great vegan meal for us.

We started out with our favorite dish of the night... Crispy Shitake Mushrooms

Spicy Eggplant

Hot and Sour Soup

Moving on to the entrees... we shared a Tofu Clay Pot, Vegan Fried Rice, and Kung Pao Tofu

Alright, if you're not already packing your bags for Vegas, you may want to get on that........................................ now!

The Quintessential Banana Bread

2011-02-23T12:26:00.003-05:00

Level of Difficulty: Some measuring required
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

2 1/2 Bananas, mashed (I got about 2/3 cups plus 2 TBL when mashed)
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance
5 TBL French Vanilla Soy Creamer
2 cups Bread Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (i used hazelnuts!)

So I actually have been cooking quite a bit lately despite the lack of updating. This is one of my newest creations I whipped up by modifying my Grandmother's famous banana bread recipe. The texture is perfect... not too dry and just moist enough. Would be ideal with some Earth Balance or Jam. Stay tuned because I'm currently conceptualizing a vegan "ricotta"-stuffed banana bread french toast... mmmm!

Preheat oven to 350. With a mixer, cream together your sugar and Earth Balance. Then add the mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, combine all your remaining dry ingredients. Then gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet. Next add the creamer. Fold in the nuts. Pour into a greased bread loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Valentine's Cheesecake

2011-02-14T17:54:00.006-05:00

Level of Difficulty: super easy
Pots/Pans Used: around two

"Cheesecake, Gobble, Gobble, Cheesecake" Um... Nuff said!

Basically, here is a last minute dessert idea if you're looking to jazz up your night. And if you are alone this Valentine's, own it. Not only did I buy myself tulips this year but I will probably be consuming most of this cheesecake on my own. So, whether you have a valentine or not, treat yourself today.

I made a marble cheesecake. Essentially, I made a plain vanilla cheesecake and then set aside 1/3 cup of batter, added some cocoa, and swirled it in. Then I shaped some strawberries into hearts (easier than you'd think) and dipped then in chocolate. It looks impressive but takes no time at all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Avocado Drizzled with Soy Sauce... I'm Serious.

2011-02-03T00:35:00.007-05:00

Okay, hear me out. I know this isn't exactly a "recipe", but I wanted to share it, because really simple food can often be the best... and it deserves the spotlight sometimes too!

Sooooo.... This is really just another no brainer snack idea... THAT FOR SOME REASON NEVER OCCURRED TO ME until a friend made it one night. As an extreme Japanese food enthusiast and someone who could literally eat 4 orders of avocado rolls in one sitting... lemme just say that no two things were more meant for each other than avocados and soy sauce. Like... this totally resonates with my taste buds on every level.

I don't know, maybe my enthusiasm is just the result of being a hardcore avocado roll groupie... MmmmmmmmmMMMMmMMmMmmmm!

Are you guys already making this on a regular basis?

What's your favorite no-brainer snack recipe?

Mediterranean Quesadilla

2011-01-30T14:32:00.004-05:00

Level of Difficulty: SO SIMPLE
Pots/Pans Used: one

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Fresh Spinach Leaves
1/4 Roasted Red Pepper, Chopped
Balsamic Vinegar
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sprinkle of:
Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, and Ground Oregano

I literally JUST finished eating this for lunch and had to post it right away simply because it was so yummy. This is one of those "I desperately need to go grocery shopping... let's see what I can make out of the few ingredients left in my fridge" recipes. Honestly, i want another one!

In a skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Let it saute for a couple minutes. Next, add the spinach. Once the spinach has reduced significantly in size, sprinkle a pinch of the pepper, red pepper flakes, and ground oregano on top. Saute 30 more seconds. Set aside the Spinach. In the same pan, place one tortilla. Top it with a generous portion of Daiya cheese, the sauteed spinach, the roasted red pepper, and drizzle some balsamic vinegar over top. Then sandwich the other tortilla on top. Flip the tortillas. You'll know that it's done once the cheese is completely melted and the quesadilla is browned on both sides. For presentation purposes, you can drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top and garnish with a small spinach salad!

Breakfast of (Indecisive) Champions!

2011-01-24T23:49:00.005-05:00

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

Ingredients

Pancake mix (I used Aunt Jemima's Original Mix. However, you can always make yours from scratch)
Egg Replacement
Gimme Lean Sausage
Maple Syrup
1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, drained
1/2 Onion, chopped
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Curry Powder
Turmeric
1 TBL Earth Balance
1 tsp Soy Sauce
Cheddar Daiya Cheese (optional)
s&p to taste

This little gem came to be while watching an episode of Man V. Food. We've all been there.... do you want pancakes for breakfast or eggs with sausage/bacon? Sweet or savory? Well, a restaurant came up with a dish to satisfy everyone's taste buds. That's right, the sausage is cooked INTO the pancakes and then topped with scramble. It's a fun way to jazz up a classic meal. Now, the non-vegan version is basically a heart attack waiting to happen. The vegan version is just as filling but relatively guilt-free. Hope you guys have fun with this one...

I started out by making the tofu scramble (This makes an entire package of scramble so you can keep some for leftovers). In a skillet, melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Once they're translucent and fragrant, add the mushrooms and let them get nicely seared on either side. Add soy sauce and mix well. Crumble the Tofu into the pan and mix it all up. If you want to, add some Daiya cheese at this point and let it melt into the scramble. If you feel the scramble is too dry, feel free to add a TBL of water. Add the curry powder, sprinkle some turmeric for color, nutritional yeast and s&p. Meanwhile, brown a few sausage patties. When you're making the pancakes, just let it cook for a few seconds and bubble. Next, place the sausages into the batter and after a few more seconds, flip the pancake like you normally would. To assemble, top the sausage pancake with some maple syrup and a generous serving of tofu scramble. Feel free to sprinkle with some Daiya. Ta Da!

Biscuits in Sausage Gravy

2011-01-14T01:15:00.006-05:00

oh yes, I went there...

Level of Difficulty: Easiest of easy
Pots/Pans Used: ONE

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1 package Publix buttermilk biscuits (totally vegan! I think the kind I bought was "hearty layers" or something. Just double check the ingredients to make sure you're getting the right one!)
1 package Gimme Lean Sausage (you don't have to use the whole package if you don't want to)
1/4 cup flour
Earth Balance
s&p to taste

Finally! At long last, my cooking mojo is back in full swing. I'm back in Tampa now, and pretty much obligated to start cooking for myself again. Regardless, I've missed it quite a bit. I am spending tomorrow planning recipes and grocery shopping so be prepared for regular postings again!

This specific recipe is so incredibly easy. In fact, I don't think I've showcased a recipe on here that was more deserving of the "Quick N' Easy" tag. However, I can't take much credit for it. It came from this neat little cookbook my friend got as a gift, Hot Damn & Hell Yeah/ The Dirty South Cookbook. This is the only recipe I've tried from it so far, but the cookbook seems to be jam packed with cute illustrations and yummy down home meals. I decided to make it because on the last day of my holiday break, I had a very small "Goodbye Brunch" with a few friends. We had mimosas, fruit salad, curry tofu scramble, and hash browns. However, these were definitely the star of the show. Seriously, MAKE THESE! THEY'RE SO GOOD! You'll actually want to expand your stomach capacity just to make room for more. They're THAT good.

All you do is heat some Earth Balance in a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, you can follow the biscuit instructions and bake them in the oven. In the end, everything should be ready at about the same time. Break up the sausage into little pieces and brown it in the pan. Then add the flour. Let it coat the sausage and then add a little more butter to help it stick to the sausage and brown more. Then gradually add in the soy milk a little at a time while stirring constantly. I had serious doubts when I read the recipe that it would thicken up enough, but it TOTALLY does. I was kind of amazed. Keep adding milk until it's the perfect gravy texture. For me, this ended up being about 2 1/2 cups of milk. You may need more or less. Finally, season with salt & pepper and pour over the biscuits. Serve immediatley!

Sweet Potato Fettucini

2010-12-27T16:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know, I know... December hasn't exactly been plentiful with new and exciting blog posts. However, I promise after the holidays, VeganPandamonium will be back in full swing again!

Since I'm home for the holidays, I honestly have just been going out to eat a lot and enjoying a little break from the kitchen. Don't worry, I'll get the itch to cook soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, check out this yummy Sweet Potato Fettucini I picked up at the West Palm beach Farmer's Market. It's sooooo simple. All I did was toss it in a bit of melted butter, nutritional yeast, Italian herbs, and s&p. Simple food is really where it's at.

I know it's not THE most exciting recipe ever, but it was just too pretty and yummy to not post.

White Trash... Veganized

2010-12-18T18:50:00.005-05:00

Level of Difficuty: Too easy
Pots/Pans Used: only ONE!

Ingredients

parchment paper
1 8oz bag of semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
1 TBL vegetable oil
2 cups of pretzels
2 cups wheat chex cereal
1 cup peanuts
shredded coconut
cinnamon/nutmeg
red & green sugar and/or sprinkles (optional)

You know that feel-good recipe that your mom ALWAYS makes around the holidays? Well my mom makes White Trash every year. Apparently, it's a pretty popular recipe. Traditionally, it is made with white chocolate (hence the name, "White Trash"). However, since vegan white chocolate is hard to come by, I've made this jazzed up dark chocolate version. It's just about one of THE easiest recipes you will ever make.

Using a double boiler, Melt an 8 oz bag of dark chocolate chips with the oil. Add the pretzels, cereal, and peanuts into the melted chocolate. Stir until it is evenly coated. Spread it out onto a cookie sheet covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Flatten the trash out as much as you can. Sprinkle cinnamon and/or nutmeg on top. Then sprinkle the coconut. I like to add either red and green sugar on top or sprinkles just to give it a pop of color and make it a little more festive. However, that step is optional. Now let it harden in the fridge. Once it has set up, break into pieces and store in Tupperware. It's that easy, people!

Pan-Seared Tofu with Kale

2010-12-06T17:36:00.003-05:00

Level of Difficulty: Real simple
Pots/Pans Used: just 1!

Ingredients

1 pkg extra firm tofu
head of kale, ripped into bite-size pieces
olive oil
sesame oil
soy sauce
drizzle maple syrup
sesame seeds
red pepper flakes
s&p

Tofu Sauce:
1/4 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce
TBL maple syrup
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 TBL olive oil
1 tsp buffalo wing sauce (or you can use regular hot sauce... just don't use as much)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
pinch of ginger

Look! Even Oliver can hardly help himself!

It's the end of the semester and that means I am unbelievably busy with final exams and printmaking projects. It seems that the more time I spend at school, the more my diet suffers. I end up eating quick and convenient meals and now that the craziness is dying down, I have to turn to one of my favorite meals to make when my body needs some nourishment and TLC. While this may not sound like THE most exciting meal, it's surprisingly delicious and has weaseled its way into becoming one of my go-to dinners. It's mainly a great meal when you feel your diet has been lacking in the protein/veggie department. Plus, you get your fill of calcium from the kale!

It's pretty simple, and to be honest, I never really measure so it turns out a little different every time. That being said, feel free to just trust your instincts here... if you want to change up the measurements on these seasonings and marinades, by all means be my guest! It's certainly not set in stone. Anyways, you want to start by coating your non-stick pan with olive oil and turning the heat to high. Take a block of tofu, drain it, and slice into small squares. Once the pan is hot enough, add the tofu to the pan. You want it to rapidly sizzle and sear nicely on both sides. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl or cup. Once all the tofu is nicely seared on both sides, add the sauce to the pan. Once it has thickened and is completely absorbed by the tofu, the tofu is done. Set it aside and add the kale to the same pan. Saute the kale with some soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, drizzle of maple syrup, and sesame seeds. Sorry, I didn't measure this part, just kind of seasoned to my liking. Take artistic license and go crazy!

I also wanted to mention that I was contacted by Melissa Dion, owner of the new eco fashion site, ecolissa, and she was nice enough to offer a 20% off discount to all VP readers. So for any of you looking to treat yourself or get some holiday shopping in, just use the code "vegan20" at checkout! Thanks Melissa :)

Vegan on Board!

2010-11-30T18:10:00.005-05:00

Vegan on a cruise? Yes, it's possible.

My cousin and I just turned 21, so we went on a cruise to the Bahamas with our family to celebrate. I thought I would share my experience being vegan on the cruise with you all in case you were curious. Seriously people, it's so possible!

First, you should know that we took the Norwegian Sky Cruise, so I really can't vouch for any other cruise lines. However, I can't imagine that they would be very different as far as trying to accommodate alternative diets. Let me start by saying that not only was there plenty for me to eat, but the food was actually good.... like... excellent even!

Now, the buffet gets a little tricky to navigate because you can't be certain exactly what's in everything. However, if you eat at the restaurants and let them know what you can't eat ahead of time, they will make special accommodations for you. Seriously, they actually said "what would you like us to make for you?"..... so you don't just have to settle for fries and a salad. Just to be safe, I fibbed and told them I was allergic to eggs and dairy. That really hit home because they made sure to ask the chef about all the ingredients. So to the best of my knowledge, everything I ate was 100% vegan.

Since it was a 21st celebration, we have to start out with drinks. This was their special drink one day called, "Cool Runnins" (best movie) which was a combination of fresh bananas, pineapple and rum.

Then of course there's my favorite, the pina colada...

For appetizers I had some spring rolls that were out of this world. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, but trust me, they were pretty too. Other than that, I had pineapple that was marinated in Rum with a mojito mint syrup and topped with shaved coconut. This was actually served with a cream, but they were nice enough to make me a dairy-free version from scratch.

Then another night I had the Mediterranean fruit with Amaretto... complete with Peaches, Plums and Grapes!

They also offered vegetable tempura on the menu. However, their batter had egg so instead they brought me lightly steamed and seasoned veggies with an excellent scallion-ginger dipping sauce and wasabi rice wrapped in nori...

Salad with a Sherry Walnut Dressing and Candied Walnuts

Moving on to entrees...
They brought me a spread I couldn't believe. One plate was enough.... but three!? Can you tell we were in awe?

First they brought out spicy veggies with crispy fried tofu. I know, it looks kind of boring but it was so much more delicious than I expected...

Obviously it was good judging by the left overs ;)

They also prepared me a tofu curry, a potato lentil stew and rice

...Complete with naan and lentil crackers

Vegan dessert is hard to come by anywhere let alone out at sea. However, two nights they offered a delicious sherbet. The first night was a decadent strawberry and then the last night I had lime (pictured below). If sherbet won't cut it for your sweet tooth, I recommend doing what I did and bring along a couple vegan chocolate bars or candy so you can fulfill that craving.

And here we all are, incredibly stuffed, posing with the waiter that was nice enough to accommodate me!

All in all, being vegan on a cruise is possible. I even ate better food than I normally do. So my advice is, talk to someone ahead of time, let them know your dietary restrictions, and they will take good care of you from there.

Thanksgiving Ideas

2010-11-21T15:49:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Squash Soup

Level Of Difficulty: Easy but some prep work required
Pots/Pans Used: 3

Ingredients

3 cups butternut squash, cubed
olive oil
2 pinches cinnamon
s&p

2 TBL Earth Balance
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
1 can chickpeas
2 cans of pumpkin puree
1 can coconut milk
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp cinnamon

There is this tea house in Tampa that makes an awesome Pumpkin Soup and I decided it's probably as good a as time as any to try and make a version of it. My version is actually pretty different, but still packs a bunch of Autumn punch. Hope you enjoy it...

First you want to preheat your oven to 400. In a bowl, coat your cubes of butternut squash with a couple TBL of olive oil, 2 pinches of cinnamon, and salt & pepper. If you want, you can cube the whole butternut squash, bake it, and just set aside whatever you don't use for the soup. That's what I did. If you do decide to do that, I provided a quick little recipe below this that you can use the extra squash in. Lay the cubed squash out on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, move them around, and then another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, you can get the soup started. First, melt the Earth Balance and saute your onions and carrots. Once tender, add chickpeas, coconut milk and pumpkin. Let this simmer a couple minutes and then add the veggie stock, ginger, curry powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon (Whenever your squash is done, add that into the mix as well). Let the whole thing simmer for 20-30 minutes and then serve! I like it best with a side of rice to dunk in.

Leftover Squash?

Now, like I said, if you want to bake the whole squash to take for lunches or use in other recipes, that's great too. Here is a really simple recipe I whipped up to bring to work as a lunch. Just combine the squash with some brown rice. Sprinkle some cinnamon and drizzle some maple syrup over top. Mix it up and you've got a delicious side.

Sweet Potato Balls

Level of Difficulty: Quick and Easy but you will get messy!
Pots/Pans Used: 2ish

Ingredients

1 pkg Sweet & Sara Toasted Coconut Vegan Marshmallows (or you can use plain vanilla)
4 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup maple syrup
cornflakes (frosted or unfrosted, up to you!)

Here is a dish that can easily replace a sweet potato casserole, while still providing that ooey gooey marshmallow goodness. This recipe was recommended to me by one of my friends, Lindsey Mills of soul food, a while back. It's actually originally a Paula Dean recipe (if you can believe it), but it's super simple to veganize. Here is my version...

Makes about 12 Sweet Potato Balls

WARNING: you will get messy. In either an oven or a microwave, soften your sweet potatoes until they are mushy and good for mashing. Remove the skin and in a large bowl, mash em up. Add the orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup and stir well. Preheat oven to 350. Then take your marshmallow and form a ball of mashed sweet potato around it. This is the really messy part because it seems to stick to everything. Now roll the ball in cornflakes and set it on a baking sheet. Repeat until you run out of sweet potatoes. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, because the marshmallow will expand and sometimes burst out of the ball. Once they're done, dig in!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Central Florida Veg Fest!

2010-11-17T17:43:00.006-05:00

So a few weeks ago, I headed over to Orlando with some friends for the Central Florida Veg Fest. It was definitely bigger than the Tampa one and there was plenty of vendors to choose from. I ate so much delicious food and I thought you veg foodies would appreciate a show and tell. Okay, let's just cut to the chase and get on with the food porn...

We started out with this scrumptious Meatball Sub from Ethos Vegan Kitchen

Then we headed over to Z-Cafe for some Spicy Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos with Veggie Slaw

and......... A FREAKIN' VEGAN HOSTESS CUPCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we took a much needed break to walk around and look at other booths. Finally, once we had room in our tummies for more goodies, we moved on to Khasiyat for this Indian Platter... complete with rice and chickpeas, a samosa and a fried dessert... thingy.

Then we finished it off with this Chocolate Cupcake with Rosewater Frosting and Marzipan Filling from Raphsodic Cooperative Company.... AMAZING!

I Heart Veg Fests!

Check out more Pictures from the Fest on VP's FB !

Lita's Famous Spaghetti Sauce

2010-11-07T19:44:00.003-05:00

Level of Difficulty: easy!
Pots/Pans Used: one

1 large can tomato puree
1 large can whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 to 1 can full of water (use the empty tomato puree can. Whether you use 1/2 to whole can depends on the texture you want your sauce to be)
6 oz can tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste

My grandmother, aka "Lita", gave me official permission to share her famous spaghetti sauce with all of you. This has been a coveted McKeon family recipe for a while now. Lita also shared with me the story of where it came from... Apparently, when she married my grandfather she was primarily a baker with absolutely no cooking experience. This is pretty mindboggling because she has turned out to be a pretty fantastic chef. Anyways, her and my grandfather were friends with an Italian couple. When Lita expressed a need to learn some simple recipes, the wife of the couple came over and showed her how to make this authentic Italian spaghetti sauce. The cinnamon in the sauce really makes it unique and brings out some flavor pizazz. You could use it for lasagna, eggplant parm, anything.

Saute vegetables with some olive oil in a large stock pot. Add all the ingredients. Heat well for a few minutes without bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low simmer for three hours. Add water if needed to thin. If you want, you can double the recipe. My family usually makes a big batch and freezes the extra sauce. From my family to yours... enjoy!

Blue Basil Smoothie

2010-10-25T18:37:00.002-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Flipping a switch
Pots/Pans Used: 1 blender

Ingredients

1 cup spinach
3-4 large basil leaves
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 sliced rings of pineapple (plus some juice)
1 banana
1 cup plain soymilk

I'm on a healthy food kick right now (knock on wood) and I recenlty stocked up on everything I needed to make green smoothies for breakfast. Ironically, this turned out to be a blue smoothie, but it still has enough green ingredients to make your body love you. I got the idea to add basil after having a green smoothie at a raw restaurant that consisted of spinach, basil, parsley and various fruits. It was delicious! I have to say the same applies for this little creation. Luckily, there is hardly any prep, and it's a good way to get some fruits and veggies in on a day that you haven't been very kind to your bodacious bod. Lemme know what you think...

All you've gotta do is throw it all in a blender and ta da!

Nori Burritos!

2010-10-20T15:08:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: super easy! assembly required.
Pots/Pans Used: probably one. maybe more.

I got the inspiration for these burritos from The Kind Diet cookbook. I thought I would share this super easy and filling meal with you. The best part is, you can be as creative as you want to or just stick to whatever ingredients you have on hand. Like a burrito, you just stuff all your delicious ingredients into a sheet of nori seaweed paper and enjoy. I've found that it's a great idea for lunches when you're on the go...

For my burritos, I went pretty simple. I stuffed mine with brown rice, avocado slices, and pan-fried tofu that I whipped up a quick marinade for. My favorite tofu marinade is this one from Vegan Yum Yum. I highly recommend it! Then it's sprinkled with a little soy sauce and sesame seeds, topped with miso mayo (it makes the burrito in my opinion! Otherwise it's too dry) and served some sauteed broccolini on the side. A totally guilt-free and delicious meal :D

Pumpkin Carrot Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze

2010-10-12T16:57:00.004-04:00

Pots/Pans Used: Basically two plus measuring utensils
Level of Difficulty: As long as you enjoy measuring, it won't feel like work!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground all spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 1/2 cup pumpkin
2 1/3 cups dark brown sugar

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
maple syrup
soymilk

So, I haven't been posting as often and that's actually not at all because there is a lack of cooking going on in my kitchen. In fact, I've been experimenting a lot lately. But in all honesty, everything has turned out to be kind of disappointing. Regardless, I hope you'll find that this recipe will make up for lost time! Moving on.... After that delicious pumpkin ice cream I had at Veg Fest, I have totally been in the Fall spirit. I mean, there's barely so much as a breeze here in Florida, but that doesn't seem to stop me. It's all cinnamon tea, pumpkin bagels and fall-scented candles in my apartment. I got some great suggestions on VP's facebook on ways to experiment with pumpkin and Heather White suggested that I try a pumpkin carrot cake. This turned out to be the perfect idea, because I have a monstrous bag of carrots in my fridge left over from my food sculpture that I don't know what to do with. So this recipe is loosely based off of Blake Martin's carrot cake recipe over at Blake Bakes. She suggested that maybe I sub in the pumpkin for pineapple in order to keep the moisture. Now, while this cake turned out to be hella dense, it's also hella moist so watch out! Paired with a maple glaze and you're totally set to go! Yay for Fall!

Preheat oven to 350. Grease your bundt cake pan and add some flour. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda & powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Then add the brown sugar, oil, apple sauce and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, mix it until its completely combined. It will be very thick and very un-cake battery-like but don't worry! Then add the shredded carrot and pumpkin and mix well. Spoon into the cake pan and spread out evenly. Because it is so dense, it takes a long time to cook throughout. Mine took about 1 hr and 15 minutes to bake. My recommendation is to just keep an eye on it and at around 50 minutes of being in the oven, try sticking a tooth pick to see if it comes out clean every now an then. Once that happens, you can take it out of the oven to let it cool. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't let mine cool long enough (probably), but I had to do a little reconstructive surgery on mine as it fell apart a bit on the top. I would just recommend letting it cool completely before popping it out of the tin. In the meantime, you can start on the maple glaze. In a bowl, combine one cup powdered sugar with the vanilla. Gradually add maple syrup to get it to thicken up. If you feel it is too thick, add a little soymilk. If it's too thin, add more maple syrup. Continue this process until it's the consistency you're looking for... almost like honey. Drizzle it over the cooled cake and that's all!

If you want to make cupcakes, I set aside batter in order to make two cupcakes so that I could get an idea of how the batter would work as a cupcake and how much time they would need to bake. it took about 30-35 minutes (again, it's a dense cake), to cook throughout. I recommend topping them with a spiced cream cheese icing. All that entails is just adding allspice into the your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe to give it some Fall flava. Then you can sprinkle with some cinnamon after frosting the cupcakes. Ta da!

Tampa Bay's First Annual Veg Fest!!!

2010-10-03T16:12:00.008-04:00

So this weekend, my friends, Scott and Eva, visited me for the first annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest...

Luckily, there was an awesome turn out and some really yummy food to boot. It took place at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park right in downtown Tampa. It was a really great location because it was on the water... plus dogs were welcome (so Oliver made some friends)! Anyways, I thought I would share some of the food we ate because it was pretty great.

Okay, so we started out at the Grass Root's booth, which is an all vegan restaurant in Tampa. I need to do a food review of them sometime! We got a BBQ sandwich with spicy mayo and a side of quinoa tabbouleh... it had a nice amount of spice and I had never seen quinoa in tabbouleh before. Both ended up being really delicious!

and curried potatoes (so good and smokey!)

Naturally, we couldn't leave without trying some sweets from Sherrel White, the Healthy Chef and up and coming vegan baker in Tampa. We tried these mini peanut butter cheesecake bites (with a layer of chocolate and a nutty crust). They were SO GOOD! If only they weren't mini!... and uh, how adorable is my food model, Eva?!

And a gluten-free vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting

We topped the experience off with an unbelievably yummy pumpkin ice cream from Three 2 OH. I have to say, Fall flavors are probably my favorite. This thing seriously got my wheels turning. I need to figure out how to make this now that we're entering Fall. Mmmm mmm mmmm!

And just in case you still aren't sold yet on how good the food was... check out Oliver who could hardly help himself from jumping on the table and digging in!

Overall, it was a really great experience full of good people, dogs, and food.

Anyone else have a really good veg fest in their area coming up? Next year I hope to have my own booth and maybe sell some baked goods and VP t-shirts. We'll see if I can get my act together in time. I'll let you know!

In summation, GO TAMPA!

White Pizza

2010-09-25T15:35:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: reaaaalll simple
Pots/Pans Used: 1!

Ingredients

NUTRITIONAL YEAST***
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
pizza dough
Daiya mozzarella cheese
Gardein seven grain crispy tenders, chopped

***I'm sorry to anyone who already made this, I made this pizza today and realized I forgot to say to add nutritional yeast. Add it after the milk. I would say to start out with a couple tabelspoons at a time until it reaches the desired texture. If it gets too thick, no worries! Just add some more milk!

The fact that I can't even look at the pictures I took of this pizza without letting out little shrieks and groans of longing speaks volumes to how GOOD THIS IS! Before I was vegan, I loved white pizza with white sauce. Until my friend, Tess, made me the pizza the other night it had never even crossed my mind to veganize it. Considering there are like... no vegetables on this pizza you might wanna make a super veggie-heavy side dish because the last thing you wanna feel while eating this is guilty. Seriously, it's just too good to not enjoy to the fullest extent. But by all means, pile the veggies on. It's entirely your call!

Preheat oven to 425. In a saucepan on low-medium heat melt the Earth Balance. Then while whisking, gradually add the flour. The flour will soak up the butter and begin to clump up. Then add the almond milk gradually and then the nutritional yeast until it becomes the consistency of a thick cheesy sauce. Roll out your dough so that it is the desired size and then spread the white sauce on as if it were tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella and the chopped crispy tenders. (I microwaved the tenders for a minute and then chopped them). I baked mine on a pizza crisper and it took about 15 minutes or so. I don't think the time would be affected that much if you're using a baking sheet but just keep an eye on it and REMEMBER to oil the pan first otherwise the pizza will be impossible to get off. I am speaking from experience. And the last thing you want is deliciously smelling ooey gooey pizza that you can't eat because it has conjoined with a large metal rectangle. And if you can believe it, I think it actually tastes even better the second day.

Food As Art

2010-09-22T13:04:00.005-04:00

(left to right: leeks, onions, radishes, red cabbage, beets)

The topic of my last sculpture assignment was food. Whether the piece was made out of food or had to do with food conceptually was up to interpretation. Since it was of common interest, I figured I would share it with you guys... especially because it involves a recipe!

So about my piece...
Obviously when I got the assignment I thought, "This is a perfect project for me!". Not only am I really into food, but being vegan, I had a lot to say about it. To my surprise, I didn't make the piece about veganism at all. I tested out different concepts that would confront the audience about their relationship with meat, and most of which involved using meat. But I really just couldn't justify buying meat for the project. That, plus I couldn't come up with anything that felt good enough. So I decided to just go to the grocery store, find some really beautiful veggies and start chopping them in hopes of creating a formally interesting sculpture. So as far as the actual sculpture goes, it's purely formal. I wanted to create movement by using the repetition of shapes and also create a natural gradient of color. Like, where the onions turn pink is from rubbing them on beets.
However, the overall concept of the piece is about Synesthesia. For those that don't know, Synesthesia is a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in another. So for example, people with this condition might see the color green every time they see the letter "S" or the number "12". The other half of the piece was that I then made the sculpture into a soup which was consumed by my fellow classmates during critique while looking at photographs of the sculpture. So this is a loose representation of Synesthesia in that we were experiencing the sense of taste and relating it to forms and colors we were seeing in front of us. As it turns out, the soup was actually pretty good!

Here are some detail shots of the sculpture:

No but really, how insane is red cabbage!?

So if you're interested in participating in the piece (or just craving a comforting soup), I have provided the recipe for the soup I made. I tried to keep the seasoning to a minimum so as to keep the integrity of the vegetables intact.

Synesthesia Soup

Level of Difficulty: Lots of chopping
Pots/Pans Used: 1!

Ingredients

1 cup radishes
2 cups onion
1 1/3 cup leeks
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup beets
1/2 cup red cabbage
8 cups veggie stock (I had to serve a lot of people, you could use less)
shake of hot sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
salt to taste
olive oil

*I think this soup would be great if you added some rice to it. The only reason I didn't is because I thought it would distract from the veggies too much. If you try adding rice let me know what you think!

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add the leeks and onions and let them cook until tender and translucent. Add the radishes, beets and red cabbage and let them cook until tender. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the spices and hot sauce. I went to add paprika and the top wasn't screwed on so I'm not entirely sure how much I added since it all just came pouring out. So, just feel free to play with the measurements until it tastes right to your taste buds. Now just let the soup simmer so that the flavors can combine. When you feel it's good to go, serve!

And in case you were curious, here is the aftermath of all the veggies I had to chop for that sculpture

Simple Smoothie

2010-09-18T11:29:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Anyone (with a blender) could do this!
Pots/Pans Used: just a blender

Ingredients

1 banana
1 cup strawberries
the juice and flesh of one grapefruit
1 cup ice
2 tsp agave nectar (optional)

I happen to love smoothies but rarely make them. Contrary to what the photo makes it look like, this is not a rose-infused smoothie (although that's an interesting idea I should work on)... the roses I had in my apartment were just too pretty to not utilize in the photo. I decided to make this really simple smoothie because I had some fruit that only have a few days left and needed to get put to good use. The great thing is that you can really mix it up and add whatever you have. You could add some spinach and make a "green" smoothie, do whatever. If anything, this is just a reminder of how simple and awesome smoothies are.

All the effort required is blending all ingredients. Ideally, I like to use frozen fruit so that I can bypass using ice. Usually the ice never breaks down enough and so you're left with little chunks. If your fruit is frozen, usually that's enough texture to thicken up the drink. Now go and get your smoothie on.

Fancy Cake

2010-09-13T19:45:00.006-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Some assembly required!
Pots/Pans Used: two-ish

So it looks fancy, but it's actually really easy. I figured this would be a good post for anyone going to a party that wants to bring something impressive. Whenever I go to a party where I'm asked to bring something vegan (usually because there will be very few vegans there and they want to make sure I'll be able to eat something) I admittedly like to go all out. I see it as an opportunity to break the stereotype that vegan food can only be cardboard. So, if you have something coming up, offer to bring the cake and then show up with this! They'll think you slaved over it when in reality it takes minimal effort.

So this isn't my original recipe, but you can find it here. If anything, this is more of a cake decorating tips post. The original measurements were for a loaf pan, so the only thing you need to change is to double all the measurements so that it fits perfectly into two basic 9" round cake pans. While the cakes are in the oven, you can start making the chocolate covered strawberries. I used baker's chocolate to melt but you can use chocolate chips or whatever else you can come up with. Place the chocolate-covered strawberries on wax paper and set them in the fridge to set up.

Once the cakes have cooled, layer the cakes on top of each other so that you can trim some off the top tier until it's the desired size. Cut each layer lengthwise down the center. Spread some frosting on one side and add some sliced strawberries. Top it with the other half. Do the same thing to the top tier. This helps to infuse some strawberry flavor into the chocolate cake and add another texture. Frost the cakes (which in my opinion is probably the hardest part... it never looks perfect!! But don't worry, Once you're done decorating, you won't notice any frosting mistakes). Then all you do is pile on the chocolate-covered strawberries how you see fit and sprinkle on some chocolate shavings.

On a more personal note, I specifically made this cake for my best friend of almost fifteen years, Ms. Tess Bath who is moving to New York. Any of you NY followers, feel free to say 'hi' if you see her out and about since I cant anymore (tear). She'll be the mega-hottie with the hot pink backpack. Now I'm going to get a little sentimental and share some BFF moments with you. I know I don't usually put up personal pictures, but I know I always like it when people do that on other vegan blogs I read so I figured why not...

Good luck in New York, Tesser!!! <3 xoxoxo

Banana Muffins with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping

2010-09-06T14:06:00.003-04:00

Level of difficulty: average as far as muffins go
Pots/Pans Used: 3 bowls!

Ingredients

1/2 cup agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
1 tsp molasses
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour

Topping:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup & 1 TBL maple syrup
1/4 cup & 1 TBL unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup flour
mini chocolate chips

Basically, I was watching Cupcake Wars on the Food Network and avoiding my sculpture project when the need to bake came over me. I had some super ripe bananas and very little baking ingredients so I improvised. The reason I call these muffins instead of cupcakes is because they came out much more dense than I was expecting. I'll probably try and tweak this recipe to get a more fluffy cake, but these were yummy enough that I decided I might as well share them with you. And if you're not a fan of peanut butter, the muffins are good enough by themselves!

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine your flour, baking soda and powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients (agave, vanilla, veg oil, molasses and mashed bananas). Then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Lumps are okay, don't over mix! Next, fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 25-27 minutes, until they are cooked throughout. Let them cool. They will probably sink a little, but no worries!

As for the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and either whisk or blend to combine. The reason I added the extra TBL of maple syrup and soymilk is because that's what gave me the texture I wanted. But you can always start out with the 1/4 of each and see if you want to add more. Top the muffins and sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top. If you want to make them look extra impressive, just melt some chips and then drizzle some chocolate on top and garnish with sliced bananas. Now demolish them!

Fresh Tacos and... Potatoes?

2010-09-02T01:29:00.010-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easay
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

Tacos:
1/2 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
romaine lettuce
avocado, sliced
tomato, diced
1 can black beans
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
olive oil

Roasted Red Potatoes:
3 red potatoes, diced
2 TBL Earth Balance
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil

"Sour Cream"*:
1/4 cup veganaise
1/4 cup cream cheese
s & p

*- Just know that I made this sour cream because I wanted to use what I had on hand. However, you can certainly just buy Toffuti's Better Than Sour Cream instead of buying the ingredients to make this version.

So I made this the other night when I had no tortillas, but I originally got the idea from raw taco recipes I've tried which use the romaine in place of a wrap. Obviously this version isn't raw but you could certainly tweak it if that's something you are interested in. This is just a jumping off point. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand. I couldn't believe how full I got. In fact, it took all my will power to just finish the three of these. So you kinda get two recipes in one with this one. I had these red potatoes in my fridge so I decided to make them into a side dish. They were delicious with the sour cream on top! Keep in mind, this would be a good recipe for anyone who is gluten-intolerant.

Empty the black beans into a medium-sized sauce pan and turn up to low-medium heat. Let the beans heat throughout and then add all the spices from Cajun seasoning thru red pepper flakes. Let them simmer a bit and let the spices combine. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a saute pan with the four cloves of garlic over medium heat. Add the onions and let them caramelize. Once they're done, set them aside and move on to making the red potatoes using the same pan...

Melt the Earth Balance in a medium-heat saute pan and add the remaining garlic (yes, this is a very garlic heavy meal). Once fragrant, add the potatoes and let them saute until they are cooked completely. At some point, go ahead and toss in the basil. If you choose to make the "sour cream"-like condiment, just combine all ingredients together. Serve up in romaine lettuce leaves and pile on all the toppings!

Recipes that Make My Life Easier

2010-08-24T17:41:00.008-04:00

I've been compiling a few of my favorite, quickest recipes after getting a considerable amount of emails from people just getting into the vegan lifestyle that were a little intimidated by cooking. The truth is, cooking vegan food isn't harder than cooking any other type of food. Of course, some vegan cookbooks can be overly complicated and require a lot of specialty ingredients. It's no wonder you feel like you're entering into a whole new world and you don't speak the language. In all honesty, the only specialty ingredients that I think I ever have in my kitchen are nutritional yeast, agave nectar, Earth Balance and Daiya vegan cheese. Not everyone may find that they use those ingredients enough for them to become your constants, but you just have to search around a bit to find the ingredients that become staples for you when embarking into vegan cooking.

Unfortunately, the truth is that unless you live in a major city, eating out as a vegan isn't always convenient. So, it really is beneficial for you to learn to cook for yourself if you haven't already started. I know I really didn't start getting into cooking until about 2 years ago when I went vegan... I didn't even cook this much when I was a vegetarian. But the reality is, not everyone loves cooking or is particularly skilled at it. Here are some recipes that are really simple, can help to segue into vegan cooking, and can easily become staple meals for every week... I know they already are for me!

But wanna know the best news of all? They ALL only require one pot or pan!

Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

Pots/Pans Used: maybe one

Sad but true, I rarely ever get two minutes for breakfast. Usually I just pop Vans maple infused frozen waffles (vegan AND gluten free!!!) into the toaster and drizzle some agave nectar on top, throw a Luna bar in my bag on the way out the door, or just go without. I know, I need to work on that. Anyways, one morning when I had ten whole minutes for breakfast, I decided to make this jazzed up oatmeal. One of my besties, Lindsey Mills of Soul Food, specializes in what she calls "Fancy Oatmeal". She's mixing up oatmeal on a regular basis. I've had her carrot cake oatmeal and lemme just say, it was delicious. I decided to take a stab at it and came up with this super easy and quick breakfast, Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal.

All you need is oatmeal and.... Dark Chocolate Dreams (peanut butter blended with rich dark chocolate) You can find it in most health food sections at Publix.

Prepare oatmeal according to instructions and then add 1-2 TBL of the chocolate peanut butter spread and mix up. That's all. If you're looking for other ways to use this spread, it's great on a slice of toast or for dipping strawberries in.

Pizza

Pots/Pans Used: maybe one

Pizza is one of the easiest things to make for dinner. Plus, it's fun to make with your significant other on a cozy night in. Or if you have kids, let them pile the toppings on so they feel involved. The nice thing about making pizza is that you can really work with what you've got. All you really need is pizza dough which you can pick up in the bakery section of most grocery stores (Pillsbury brand of pizza dough is vegan too), a jar of tomato sauce and various veggies.

For this pizza, I first rolled out the dough, and pre-baked in a 450 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can saute whatever veggies you want to use. In this case, I sauteed some mushrooms with soy sauce and garlic, added some artichokes and topped with kale (which gets crispy as it bakes!). Take the dough out of the oven, spread out tomato sauce, sprinkle some Daiya mozzarella cheese on top (optional!), and pile high with veggies. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts or the crust seems thoroughly cooked. By the way, I HIGHLY recommend getting a pizza crisper. I got one as a Christmas gift and it really gives you a crispy crust that just can't compare with a regular baking sheet. But by all means, if you're just testing the waters, use the baking sheet!

Spanish-Inspired Grits

Pots/Pans Used: one

When I REALLY don't feel like cooking or am short on time, I make grits. Usually I just season with a little butter, nutritional yeast and s&p. Then I serve vegetarian baked beans and sauteed kale on the side. And if I'm really lucky, I have some veggie bacon in my fridge to toss in the mix. But let's get real, I'm never that lucky. The other night, I didn't have baked beans, but I did have black beans... so I decided to make Spanish-Inspired Grits. This certainly isn't the prettiest dish I've ever posted, but that's no indication of how it tastes. I was actually surprised by how yummy it was!

You'll need:
grits
3 TBL veganaise
3 TBL Earth Balance
4 tsp taco seasoning
2 TBL nutritional yeast
1 can black beans, drained
s&p to taste

All you have to do is cook the grits according to their instructions, then add the butter and veganaise and mix well. This will get it nice and creamy. Then mix in the taco seasoning and nutritional yeast. Finally, add the drained black beans and season with salt and pepper. Done and done!

Sushi

Pots/Pans Used: one!

Making sushi is so much easier than you think! It seems like a really intimidating endeavor but seriously... it's actually kind of a no-brainer type recipe. I'm kind of a Japanese food freak and I could easily eat sushi every day of the week. My favorite roll? just a simple avocado roll. Seriously, you can't go wrong. However, the nice thing about sushi is you really can get creative and fill it with your favorite ingredients. All you have to actually cook is the sushi rice and the rest is assembly. I swear it's easy! Here is a previous sushi post that provides an instructional video on how to roll your own sushi.

You'll need:
nori sheets
sushi rice
sesame seeds
bamboo mat
saran wrap
veggie filling

Onion Dog

Pots/Pans Used: one

You'll Need:
Smart Sausages (Italian Style)
bun
onion
mustard
condiments

This is a great, quick lunch if you're craving something filling but want to put forth minimum effort. Dice up some onion and saute it with olive oil over medium heat until they begin to caramelize. Add some Dijon mustard and coat the onions in it (optional if you don't like mustard). While the onions are being taken care of, you can toast the hot dog bun. Set aside the onions and saute the sausages in the same pan. Just top the sausages with the onions and whatever condiments you like!

Quesadillas

Pots/Pans Used: one

This is absolutely the easiest of my recipes and the one I make most often. Sometimes I just crave that melty cheesey goodness that you rarely get on a vegan diet. This is when I turn to my trusty quesadillas. I can't deny it's been my favorite midnight snack on more than one occasion. All you do is place a tortilla in a pan, pile high with Daiya cheddar cheese, shake some hot sauce and garlic powder on top then sandwich with another tortilla. Let it get crispy on both sides and let the cheese melt completely. That's it!

Hope that was helpful! Even if none of these recipes suit your fancy, most of the recipes on this blog are just as easy. Good luck cooking vegan :)

Seasons 52

2010-08-21T15:10:00.007-04:00

My mom and I went out for lunch at Seasons 52 in Palm Beach Gardens, FL yesterday. It's not an exclusively vegan restaurant by any means, but if you ask your server, they offer a great vegan menu. You can check out their alternative menus here. Their specialty is preparing really fresh seasonal food. You wont find any vegan mac & cheese or cheesecake on this menu. It's more about preparing fresh and healthy food than replicating non-vegan favorites. So if you're watching your figure, craving lots of veggies or just looking for yummy vegan food without any guilt... Seasons 52 is a great option. My mom and I started out with the Edamame which were steamed and served hot with Japanese green tea salt. Green tea salt!!!!! I know, it was so awesome! I definitely need to track some down. It was significantly less salty than normal salt and packed a surprising amount of green tea flavor. Delicious!

For my entree, I got the Market Vegetable Plate. It came with a plethora of roasted veggies including asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, onions, golden beets and broccoli. It was also served with corn on the cob, Ponzu-Glazed Tofu, and Almond Tabbouleh which had fresh mint, lemon, cucumbers, tomatoes and toasted almonds. It was absolutely delicious and so filling considering the fact that it consisted of mainly veggies. By the time I finished my meal, I felt like I had done something good for my body.

As of right now, Seasons 52 is located in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
They're also opening up new locations in:

Costa Mesa, CA
Plano, TX
Coral Gables, FL
North Bethesda, MD
Indianapolis, IN
Phoenix, AZ
McLean, VA

If you want to check to see if Seasons 52 is located in your city, check their website. Just fair warning, they're not a cheap restaurant, as you'll notice just from the picture. Still, you can easily make it an affordable meal. It's not ridiculously priced, I just don't want you to go expecting $6 entrees. Our edamame was only $5 and I believe my entree was $13. With two appetizers and an entree, our meal was a little under $30. So all in all, it's not like you have to spend a fortune. If any of you have been, or end up going, let me know what you liked that you ate!

Mixed Fruit Kanten with Cream Sauce

2010-08-18T15:56:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: simple but with a fair amount of chopping involved
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup agar agar flakes
4 cups apple juice
2 mangoes, skinned and diced
1 pint strawberries, sliced
3 plums, skinned and diced

Tofu Cream Sauce:

1 lb silken tofu
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBL vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk

Alicia Silverstone recently posted about a kanten with plums and blueberries she made on her site, thekindlife.com. If you are like me and had never heard of a this kind of dessert before, it's basically a thick jello type texture with fresh fruit floating throughout. I had been wanting to do a healthy dessert for a small dinner party I was throwing and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The only thing was that I didn't have her book on hand to look at the recipe. So I did a little searching on the internet at other Kanten recipes and improvised a bit. You can easily change up this recipe to fit the fruit you have on hand or for what's in season. Since I had mangoes, strawberries and plums in my fridge already, I went with it. It's not an incredibly sweet dessert, but I personally loved it. It's light, refreshing and would be perfect for dessert or breakfast. Agar agar is the only specialty ingredient in this recipe, and you can find it at Whole Foods. This is what gives the dish the gelatinous texture so it's an essential ingredient. If you're wondering, the dinner party consisted of my Broiled Stuffed Mushrooms, asparagus, salad, and Eggplant Parmesan. I felt I was craving lots of veggies so this meal was perfect.

For the tofu cream, combine the tofu, sugar, and vanilla in a food possessor. While it's on, add the almond milk. Pour into a bowl and let it firm up a bit in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
In a saucepan, combine the agar agar flakes, and 2 cups of the apple juice. Just set it aside for 10-15 minutes so that the flakes can soak. Meanwhile, combine the remaining two cups apple juice and mango chunks and puree in either a blender or food processor. If it's a little chunky, don't worry about it because mine wasn't a smooth puree either. Just set that aside for the time being. Now bring the agar agar flakes and apple juice mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Let it simmer until the flakes disintegrate completely. Next, combine the agar-apple juice mixture with the mango puree and process again. Pour into a large tupperware container and then drop the strawberries and plums inside. Let it refrigerate until it firms up. This happens somewhat quickly, within an hour even. This makes about 8-10 servings. It keeps great in the fridge so you can have it for breakfast the next day. Just serve with a couple spoon fulls of the tofu cream sauce and you're set!

Gnocchi with Rosemary-Butter Sauce

2010-08-16T15:11:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: so simple
Pots/Pans Used: only two!

Ingredients

1 pkg gnocchi
1/4 cup vegan margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary, ground
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

The fact that I haven't been grocery shopping in at least a month is a testament to how basic and easy this recipe is. I managed to whip up this recipe with the few ingredients left in the far depths of my pantry. It's incredibly simple, only takes a few minutes to make, just sounds impressive AND it's delicious to boot! I used rosemary but you could easily experiment with a thyme-butter sauce or even a sage-butter sauce. Take artistic license!... Even if you're only doing it because you're out of rosemary :)

Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions. It generally only takes about 2-3 minutes to cook. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Then add the garlic and let it get tender and brown a little... about 4 minutes. I ground my own dried Rosemary with a mortar and pestle. I wouldn't recommend not using ground, otherwise the whole leaves get stuck in your teeth and overall it's just not a pleasant texture. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and stir up for about 20 seconds. Finally, add the nutritional yeast. It will absorb most of the liquid and flavor and begin to clump up. Don't worry, this is supposed to happen. Add the gnocchi into the pan and stir up. You will see that the heat and moisture from the gncchi help the sauce melt a little and coat all the gnocchi. Keep stirring until you feel it is completely coated well. That's really all there is to it. Feel free to garnish with more s & p and nutritional yeast. I don't recommend garnishing with rosemary leaves like me. It was mainly just for the sake of getting a pretty picture. Enjoy your gnocchi!

POM Wonderful

2010-08-10T23:32:00.005-04:00

Sorry these posts have been going up slower than I would like lately, but I've been busy moving into a new apartment. No worries, that's over and done with and I have an even larger kitchen now to do my experiments in!
In other news...
POM wonderful was nice enough to send me a case of blueberry pomegranate juice in the mail to try out. Because I was already a fan of POM juice, I was really excited for it to arrive so that I could start trying it out in some recipes. I tested a few out, but these were definitely the favorites. Best part about them? You don't have to clean any pots and pans!

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Level of Difficulty: no brainer
Pots/Pans Used: none

Ingredients

5 TBL POM blueberry pomegranate juice
3 TBL apple cider vinegar
1 TBL agave
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 TBL mustard
s & p

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Serve over a salad with some sliced Gardein chik'n nuggets.

Pomegranate Lemonade

Level of Difficulty: see above
Pots/Pans Used: none!

Ingredients

(this is for a single serving)
1/2 cup lemonade
1/4 cup limeade
1/2 cup POM blueberry pomegranate juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
fresh strawberries and mint to garnish

I recently went to Olive Garden and they're featuring these new fancy lemonades which was the inspiration for this drink. I got a strawberry-mango lemonade and it was pretty amazing. All you do is combine ingredients lemonade through pineapple juice and serve with ice. Garnish with strawberries and fresh mint. Depending on the flavors you like best, you can mix up the measurements. You can also chop up an assortment of fruits and add them into the drink. Enjoy!... this drink compliments the Florida heat pretty perfectly.

Drunken Bananas

2010-07-31T17:48:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: supa easy
Pots/Pans Used: uno!

Ingredients

1 1/2 bananas, cut into quarters
1 TBL vegan margarine
1 TBL agave nectar
1/4 TSP vanilla extract
1 TBL spiced rum
1 1/2 tsp crystallized ginger, minced
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
garnish with shredded coconut

I LOVE bananas foster and although this is pretty close to the traditional dessert, I've changed it up slightly. I didn't have any ice cream, nor did I really need the added sugar so I left it out. However, if you want ice cream, I recommend it since bananas foster with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream is just about as close to nirvana as you can get. This was really more like a single serving, maybe enough for two not very hungry people. If you wanted to add more bananas I think that would be fine, there's definitely enough sauce for it. If anything it will just be more substantial and less soupy.

In a small saute pan, melt margarine over medium heat. Add the agave nectar and turn to high heat so that it begins to bubble, thicken and brown a bit. Once the color starts changing, turn the heat to low and add bananas. Add the vanilla extract and stir until the vanilla aroma begins to subside. Next add the rum and let it cook down for a few minutes. I tried lighting mine on fire so that the bananas would caramelize but it didn't work. Still, the alcohol wasn't too strong so it didn't seem to matter very much. Add the crystallized ginger and the pumpkin pie spice and stir up well. Garnish with shredded coconut and indulge your sweet tooth!

Chickpea & Artichoke Salad

2010-07-24T16:22:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty:EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 1!

Ingredients

1 13oz can Chickpeas, drained
1 can marinated artichoke hearts
2 TBL olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
sliced almonds (optional)

Dressing:
2 TBL olive oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
s&p

You're not crazy, your are in fact experiencing déjà vu right now. This is a recipe I posted when VP just started that I revisited for dinner yesterday and decided to re-work. If I can, I like to change up recipes rather than just copy them and paste them in a blog. So this is a recipe from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook that I decided to add a dressing to in order to mix things up. I'm not someone who normally opts to have a salad for dinner but this was so surprisingly hearty. It completely filled me up and I even had enough for leftovers. This could have really benefited from a squeeze of lemon, but I didn't have any on hand.

To start, put a large saute pan on medium-high heat with 1 TBL olive oil. Once hot, add the drained chickpeas to the pan. Move them around occasionally just to make sure they don't burn. You want them to be an even golden-brown color (will take about 10 min). Once they are golden, put them aside in a bowl. Next, drain the artichokes. Add another TBL of olive oil to the pan and then toss in the drained artichokes. Again, you want them to get a nice brown on each side. Once those are done, add them into the bowl with the chickpeas. Mix all the dressing ingredients together, pour over the chickpeas and artichokes along with the basil and toss up so that everything gets nicely coated. The original recipe calls for parsley so if your prefer that to basil, go for it. Top with sliced almonds for a nice crunch.

Cinnamon Carrot Muffins

2010-07-22T14:48:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown (or white) sugar
5 TBL vegan margarine
1 cup almond milk
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

I can't really take any credit for these muffins because my roommate, Rana Falahat, made them. They were so delicious that I had to put them up here for you guys to try. She adapted the recipe from one she found online. Rana added a lot of cinnamon which went along with the carrots perfectly. You can get creative too by adding walnuts or raisins or really anything that your heart desires ....Thanks Rana! :)

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat the margarine, vanilla and sugar separately until frothy. Gradually add the dry ingredients and the milk to this, alternating them. End with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth and thick. Finally, fold in the shredded carrots. Spoon batter into baking cups and bake 20-25 minutes. Perfect with a cup of tea for breakfast or dessert...

Pasta Puttanesca

2010-07-19T19:08:00.004-04:00

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

Ingredients

2 TBL olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
10 green olives, chopped
2 TBL capers
14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
whole wheat angel hair pasta
1/2 tsp dried basil (fresh is best if you have it)
season with pepper and/or nutritional yeast

I had a version of Pasta Puttanesca a while back at Sublime restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Aside from the traditional anchovies, it seemed like a fairly easy dish to veganize. Plus, its a good way to spice up your pasta if you're tired of always eating spaghetti with tomato sauce. This recipe has a surprising amount of kick. I did add a couple chilies to it (not sure what kind) so that might account for most of it. Either way, if you hate spice, I recommend leaving the red pepper flakes out. If you love spice, this is the dish for you!

In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers and red pepper flakes and let them cook a couple minutes for the flavors to combine. I got my olives from the self-serve section of Whole Foods. They were green and kalamata olives mixed with some chilies. So I also chopped up two of the chilies and threw them in for some extra heat. Next, add the entire can of tomatoes (don't need to drain). Add the basil to the sauce and then bring it to a simmer. Meanwhile, prepare your pasta. Since the pasta only takes 3-5 minutes to cook, the sauce should be done by the time your pasta is done. I cooked 1 lb of pasta but only ended up using about half of it because there wasn't enough sauce. So I either recommend doubling the sauce recipe or only cooking half of the box of pasta. Once you have drained the pasta, add it to the sauce and mix well. Season with pepper and nutritional yeast.

OH YEAH, WE DID!

2010-07-17T22:55:00.004-04:00

Yes! We finally meet...

So five of us Florida bloggers and our friends came together for a lunch at Trang Viet Cuisine in Tampa on Wednesday. The food was so/so but the company was beyond great. I really wish all of you could have come but I'm confident there will be another get together in the future.

The bloggers present were Krystina of Organically Me, Trinity of Haiku Tofu, Lindsey Mills of Soul Food and Blake Martin of Blake Bakes. So yeah, it kind of felt like a meeting of the gods.

Some of the food we feasted on...

(the appetizers were BY FAR the star of this meal)

Steamed bun and fried bun, both filled with veggies and imitation meat.

Just about the best spring rolls I've ever had

Vegan Noodle Pancake

Strawberry cheesecake

So we feasted and talked.
After all that action, it was clear what we needed... a nice nap

See you all at the next one! Recipes to come, I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Official!

2010-07-13T17:34:00.004-04:00

See you there!

*Your eyes are not playing tricks, it said June 14th and I fixed it

Darbster Waterside Bistro

2010-07-09T13:32:00.010-04:00

Onward to VP's second official restaurant review! And here we are with a new(ish) restaurant in my home town... Darbster!

loctaed at:
8020 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, Florida 33405

Darbster is a relatively new restaurant to the West Palm Beach area. One thing I will say is that they are constantly improving on their dishes and mixing up the menu. To be honest, when I first ate at Darbster (when they were fairly new), I thought it was just okay. Between my first and second visits, they had clearly been listening to customer feedback and tweaking the recipes because the second time I went (and every time since), I am always just gushing over the food.

One of my FAVORITE things about Darbster is their Sunday Brunch. Whenever I'm visiting home, I try and go every Sunday. I wish more places would offer vegan breakfast food! The atmosphere at Darbster is probably one of my most favorite things about it. The restaurant is technically all outdoors. They have a bar and some tables under a canopied area and then a patio area with tables overlooking water. Somehow it feels so relaxing and I truly feel like I'm on vacation when I'm eating there. They often have really nice live music and you can always bring your dogs! (Oliver loves Darbster too!) They were so nice and even grilled up some vegan chikn' for him once. In general, Darbster is just the kind of place you would want to become a regular at.

Now let's talk about food... All of my pictures are of dishes on the brunch menu.

Palm Cake Sandwich with Aioli, Lettuce and Roasted Red Potatoes. Oh god, where do I begin?!? The palm cakes are clearly one of Darbster's signature dishes and rightly so. If you go to Darbster and only get one thing... get the Palm Cake Sandwich. I believe this sandwich is only offered on the lunch menu or during Sunday brunch. However, palm cakes are always offered on the dinner menu as an appetizer or entree with a lemon pine nut sauce. Are you salivating yet?

Last Sunday, I got one of their specials, the Tofu Scramble Paired with a Hollandaise Sauce, Lentil Cake, Sausages and Roasted Potatoes. OH MY GOD. I have been waiting for a dish like this all my life. Nuff said.

My boyfriend got another one of their specials this week, the Spicy Orange Chipotle Chick'n Skewers with Corn Salsa and German Potato Salad. So light and flavorful. Yet again, another home run!

My mom had another special. I can't remember exactly what was on it it, but I know it was a Steak Sandwich. It had some kind of horseradish spread with veggies and German potato salad on the side. It was really yummmmy...

Lets not forget the French Toast with Fruit and Vegan Whipped Cream (a little melted but still delicious)!

And we HAD to finish with something sweet, The Bananas Foster. Bananas Foster is one of my favorite desserts so I'm easy to please. This was especially good because I think they used a scoop of coconut ice cream that really worked with the dish. I could be wrong, but I think it was coconut. I was so excited about digging in, that I forgot to take a picture... so this is halfway through when I realized...

I'm also partial to the Fried Chikn' Sandwich, Sliders, French Fries & Onion Rings, and Raw Tostadas!

In summation, go to Darbster if you live in the area... or even if you don't! It's moderately priced, the staff is always friendly, and the food is always good. They offer gluten-free and raw dishes as well so there's really something for everyone at Darbster. Here is a link to their facebook where they update often about specials and events going on. Let me know what you think if any of you visit...

Summer Berry Crumble (Plus an Independence Day Feast!)

2010-07-03T15:41:00.015-04:00

Level of Difficulty: quick and simple
Pots/Pans Used: two!

Ingredients

Filling:
1 1/2 cups blackberries
1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Crumble:
2/3 cup oats
1 cup ginger snaps, crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 1/2 TBL melted vegan margarine

I know, I know... leave it to me to do a 4th of July post on the 3rd. Late as usual, but yummy nonetheless. Hopefully, some of you have time to make some of these dishes for your get togethers tomorrow but if not... who cares. They taste good no matter what day of the year you make them on! This cobbler is really quick. I did make it in a rather small dish so I would say it might serve 4-5 people. You could always double it if you're making it for a large group. Good luck!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine filling ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil so that it gets thick. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all the crumble ingredients except for the margarine. Finally, add the melted margarine last and mix up the crumble so that it is all well coated and begins to stick together. Pour the filling into your small glass dish, then top with the crumble. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet lined with tin foil (it WILL bubble over). Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool and serve with some ice cream!!

I've compiled some of my VP recipes that I think would make for a great 4th of July feast.

For a refreshing drink you could offer these "Pina Colada" Smoothies to your guests

As for some light appetizers you might try...

Broiled Stuffed Mushrooms

or Homemade Crispy Pita Chips with Guacamole

For the main dish, I would go with something simple like my Homemade Bean Burgers. You could always jazz em up with avocado, "cheese" and other condiments. French fries wouldn't hurt either ;)

This Strawberry & Spinach Salad would be PERFECT!

and of course, end on a good note with this red, white and blue Summer Berry Cobbler or even my Cheesecake recipe which you could decorate with strawberries and blueberries for the 4th of July spirit.

Enjoy and happy 4th!!!!!

Sassy Ginger Whoopie Pies with Lemon Icing

2010-06-27T16:13:00.008-04:00

Level of Difficulty: really easy and so worth it
Pots/Pans Used: 2

So I made these cookies from my roommate's blog (try the cobbler, it's fantastic!). I had tried these cookies when she made them and thought they were awesome. Plus, I wanted to use up my left over lemon frosting from my Lemon Poppy seed Cupcakes. I figured the lemon would pair really nicely with the ginger. I'm going to experiment with making these green tea cookies cause my other roommate just got some matcha green tea powder in the mail that I've been itching to get a hold of (with her permission of course!...). Anyways Blake mentions in the recipe that the dough is very sticky, in fact when I made them, the dough resembled more of a cake batter. So I changed the recipe slightly. Here is the original recipe. My only adjustments were that I used half margarine/half canola oil and added 1 cup white flour. Oh! And I didn't sift anything because I never sift anything.... :/ too lazy. Damn, they were SO good. If I ever open my dream bakery, there is NO way these babies aren't going on the menu! My cookies resemble more of a whoopie pie as they are more cakey and dense where as Blake's original recipe produces thinner, softer & chewier cookies. Just depends on your preference. Either way, MAKE THESE! They are so yummmmyyyyy!!!!!!! And yes, it is sugar rolled in sugar and then filled with sugar! It's no wonder they're so good!!!

Blogger Meet Up...

2010-06-23T23:18:00.007-04:00

Hey all,

So just to make this easier, would everyone that is interested in doing a Tampa, FL blogger lunch meet up (or something to that effect), either leave a comment below with your email address or send me an email at veganpandamonium@aol.com. That way when I start coordinating something, I can just do it through email rather than blog posting. I'm thinking mid/late Julyish. I don't know... we'll figure something out!

And because this post looks too boring without a picture, I HAD to include this. This is my friend's little kitten, May, that I had the pleasure of babysitting. Yes, she is adorable and itty bitty... just look at those tiny whiskers!

And so Oliver doesn't feel left out...

WHATTABUM! It's as if he's trying to look pathetic

And i'll leave on that note.

Thanks!

Sammi

Cupcake Contest - Lemon Poppy seed Cupcakes

2010-06-22T14:18:00.010-04:00

On June 18th, Etsy invited people to throw their own Etsy craft parties all over the globe to celebrate their birthday. Tampa just so happened to be having the third largest Etsy party. Did anyone else attend Etsy craft parties??? Etsy's cute invite pictured below:

One of the events at the party was a cupcake decorating contest and I brought these babies. That's right, Super Mini Gulp Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes. Yeah, that's a mouth full... har har. bad joke.

Anyways, when I arrived I found out the contest had been canceled which was kind of a bummer. BUT I had a lot of fun making them and now I can just pretend I won. If you're interested in making these cupcakes all you need is crystal sprinkles in various colors, Redvines for straws (I found Redvines at Target, because Twislers aren't vegan), and 5 oz white kitchen cups (I made the little labels in Photoshop).

Not only were the cupcakes cute, but they tasted pretty spectacular so I thought I would include the recipe for you guys.

Lemon Poppy seed Cupcakes

Level of Difficulty: pretty easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2-3ish

Ingredients

2/3 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 light agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBL poppy seeds

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups vegan margarine
1/8 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp lemon extract

I really wanted to make sugar-free cupcakes, and although the actual cupcake batter is sweetened with agave, the frosting obviously calls for powdered sugar. Almost every recipe I found for agave-sweetened frosting required soy milk powder which I haven't been able to find, or some other kind of specialty ingredient. Anyone have a good sugar-free frosting recipe? This frosting is a little more like an icing. I recommend letting it set up in the refrigerator because it's a little runny. This recipe only made about 9 cupcakes, so I if you want more I recommend doubling it.

Okay! Start out by preheating your oven to 325. Mix almond milk with apple cider vinegar and let it sit for five minutes, until it begins to bubble. Whisk in the agave, oil, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds. Whisk until smooth. Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake 22 minutes. Meanwhile, you can start on the frosting. Just blend all ingredients together with an electric mixer, adding the powdered sugar gradually. Fini!

*Just a side note: If you're avoiding sugar, they make great muffins without the frosting!

Broiled Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-06-17T17:58:00.012-04:00

Level of Difficulty: really easy and quick
Pots/Pans Used: uno

Ingredients

1/2 cup carrots, minced/ish
1 small onions, minced/ish
2 garlic cloves, minced no ish
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, drained
1 TBL sesame oil
1 TBL soy sauce
1/2 tsp fresh minced fresh rosemary
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 TBL olive oil
14-16 large cremini mushroom caps
miso mayo!!!

I have finally tried Miso Mayo and dayuuuuummmmmmm! It really makes the dish in my opinion. I say that for anyone who was wondering if they could leave it out of the recipe. It's not super cheap, was like $4 and change. But by all means, if you can't get a hold of Miso Mayo and still wanna try out the recipe, go for it. You might even be able to come up with your own fancy topping. I was so hungry, I forgot to actually try one without the mayo on top so I really don't know how they are without it. I'm no expert, but I think this recipe is fairly macrobiotic friendly. I feel so accomplished! I'm totally prepared for someone to shatter my reality in the comments section... but I'll just have my moment for now :D Oh! and I don't think I mentioned how damn delicious these are!!!!!

Turn the oven to broil. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Saute for a couple minutes, until translucent. Add carrots and saute another 5 or so minutes. With a fork, mash the tofu as if you were making a scramble then add it to the veggies. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce. Saute about 10 minutes so that the tofu gets a chance to brown a bit. Toss in the rosemary and saute another 30 seconds. Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms caps and then place the mushrooms on a baking sheet. Top the caps with breadcrumbs. Broil the mushrooms about 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs begin to brown. Mine actually looked almost burnt but it didn't effect the flavor. Finally, top with a generous drop of miso mayo. You now have the perfect appetizer or light meal! Lemme know what you think...

The Loving Hut!

2010-06-14T18:05:00.007-04:00

I've been wanting to start doing restaurant review posts occasionally and I'm finally doing it. Don't worry, this will remain a recipe blog, just with a very sporadic veg eating out post every once in a blue moon. Where is our first veg place? The Loving Hut

Have any of you heard of them before? Apparently, they are an international vegan chain! I'm so glad that even exists. Well, the only one I can really vouch for is the one they JUST opened in Tampa (located at: 1905 East Fletcher Avenue Tampa, FL 33612). Most of the food is Asian, but they also offer some non-traditional dishes like Spaghetti with Meatballs, a Philly Sub, Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo (yes they have vegan shrimp and I can't wait to try it) and Tofu Scramble.

It's only been open about two weeks and they are still working on their menu. I've already gone twice since Saturday. It's seriously inexpensive and the staff is so nice! They even had us try a recipe they are thinking about putting on the menu and were open to our feedback. I took some pics of the yummy food with my camera phone, so please excuse the poor quality.

Okay so what I ate...

Actually, let's talk about what I drank, an Iced Rose Cappuccino. First, it's beautiful and second, it was delicious and a flavor combo I've never had before!

We got the Golden Nuggets as a starter (YUM!)

My boyfriend got the Energy Wrap, which was a pretty standard veggie wrap, but had a nice helping of avocado which gave it a great creamy texture. Wasn't dry like wraps can often be.

I was also able to try the Philly Sub, which if you're vegan is quite out of the norm. It had a really good creamy sauce, carrots, "steak" and cilantro. That was DELICIOUS! It was pretty spicy though so beware. Usually I think I can handle spice, but this might have been a little too much for me. However, someone else I was with wasn't too bothered by the spice so... maybe I'm just a wimp

Next there was the Sweet and Sour Joy. The sauce was really nice and the "pork" was really good, I just wished there was even more of it. It was also served with peppers, pineapple and a side of white rice.

Finally... the Scrambled Tofu with potatoes, peppers and onions. You have NO IDEA how happy I am that there is FINALLY a vegan breakfast option in Tampa! I love love love love love going out for breakfast and am always jealous of my Gainesvillian friends who get to eat tempeh scramble to their hearts desire at Bagels Unlimited whenever they please. Regardless of how happy I was to have a breakfast option, it was actually pretty fantastic! The potatoes were just like home fries and the scramble had so much more flavor than I expected. Granted it's the only breakfast option and they don't actually open until 11am but I'm not complaining!

They are still planning for their grand opening, so look out for it! By the way, I would love to meet some of you. All us Tampa people should plan a big meet up for lunch or something :) Feel free to email me if you're interested in doing something like that.

THE Carrot Dill Soup

2010-06-11T18:19:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: minimal effort
Pots/Pans Used: two

Ingredients

2 lb. carrots, sliced (about 5 cups)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

1/4 cup vegan margarine

2 49-oz. cans vegetable broth

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

1/4 cup snipped fresh dill

s&p to taste

My mom found this recipe from recipe.com and made it for one of my birthday parties a while back. My guest's reactions to it were pretty strong. One of my friends, Kyle, felt the need to hug her after taking his first sip. After that, I had friends calling her and asking me for the recipe constantly. What I'm getting at is... this soup is kind of a celebrity.

In a 6-8 quart dutch oven, cook the carrots and onion in the hot margarine until they're tender. Next add in the broth and the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Let it cool a little to that you can start transferring it in batches to a blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. That's it!

Sesame Lime Udon

2010-06-07T16:23:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: super simple
Pots/Pans Used: one!

Ingredients

2 packages of Udon noodles (7.22 oz each)
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, thinly slices
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TBL sesame oil
1 tsp mustard
the juice of half a lime (about 1 TBL)
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 TBL sesame seeds
olive oil

Told ya you would see some savory! I make this all the time for lunch... usually with a Gardein cutlet on the side. Although, I usually just saute the udon noodles with sesame seeds and some soy sauce. I decided to jazz it up a bit and this is what I came up with. Takes only minutes to make and ends up being a reasonably filling and healthy meal.

In a skillet, saute garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Turn up the heat and add the udon noodles, so that they can brown a little. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ingredients ginger thru hot sauce and stir well. Now that the noodles have some color, pour this sauce on top of the noodles and saute for 1-2 minutes. Finally, add the sesame seeds. Serve hot or even cold! Makes 2-3 servings.

Quick Mini CINNABUNS!

2010-06-03T13:24:00.009-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Easier than it looks!
Pots/Pans Used: one

Ingredients

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 TBL vegan margarine
1 tsp salt
1 TBL baking powder
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBL cinnamon
2 tsp melted margarine

Icing:
powdered sugar
vanilla almond milk

So I decided to post this a little early cause I can think of a few of my friends that have been a little blue lately and might be in need of a comforting treat. If you haven't noticed, VP has been on a pretty frequent dessert kick recently. Don't know what that's all about... Believe it or not, I haven't been eating only sweets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Trust me, I've already got plenty of savory dishes lined up! I had a printmaking critique this morning and wanted to whip up some food for my fellow classmates. I found this recipe on vegweb.com and had all the ingredients already on hand. As you can see, I've changed up the recipe slightly. Of course, a cream cheese frosting would have been ideal in this recipe, but I didn't want to fall too off the nutritional deep end. But by all means, go for the gold!

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the margarine and using your fingers, kind of massage the butter into the dry ingredients. Next, pour in the milk until the dough gets thick and soft. I find it's easiest to work the dough with my hands. Ball the dough up and set it on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a long rectangular shape. Brush the top with melted margarine and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

From the long side, tightly roll it up. Then cut into 1 inch rolls (this recipe makes about 15 buns). Place the rolls in a greased baking dish. I found that a glass pie dish was the perfect size for me. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until puffy and golden. Meanwhile, you can start your icing. Feel free to just eyeball the icing. Start with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and add the milk a TBL at a time until you reach your desired thickness. I prefer a thicker icing so that it really stands out. The first icing I made was too thin and you could barely tell it was there.

Before

After (bubbly goodness)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chai Cheesecake

2010-06-01T17:52:00.002-04:00

Level of Difficulty: really easy
Pots/Pans Used: one blender!

Ingredients

2 80z containers of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 block of extra firm tofu
2/3 cup agave syrup
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL cornstarch
1/4 cup and 1 TBL chai concentrate
1 9" precooked pie crust
chocolate chips

This is another recipe from my LOST finale dinner. Someone expressed interested in me reworking my cheesecake recipe so that I could substitute the sugar. In this case, my sub is agave nectar. This cheesecake is not sugar-free because there is sugar in the cream cheese ingredients and of course chocolate chips. However, If you're looking to cut back a little this is a good recipe. Plus, you can always leave out the chocolate chips and it will still be yummy. Cheesecakes can be really fun to make because you can get creative... oreo cheesecake... tiramisu cheesecake... pumpkin cheesecake... blueberry cheesecake... I'm sure some of those are bound to be in VP's future.

Preheat oven to 350. In a blender, combine cream cheese, tofu, agave, vanilla and chai concentrate. Next, blend in the cornstarch. Make a layer of chocolate chips on the bottom of your pie crust. Then pour the blended mixture into the pie crust, on top of the chocolate chips. Bake for 45 minutes until the top is nice and golden. For best results, refrigerate it for a few hours so it can firm up. But if you can't contain yourself, give it an hour at the very least. Enjoy!

"Pina Colada" Smoothie

2010-05-26T12:47:00.006-04:00

Level of difficulty: just flip a switch and pour
Pots/Pans Used: one blender

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh pineapple
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup shredded coconut (optional if you're not crazy about the texture)
2 cups ice cubes
1 TBL agave nectar
the juice of one lime
2 bananas

"ahhh summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my miiiiiiiiiind ba da da da da dum"... Sorry, I just couldn't be more happy that it's finally summer (despite the florida heat). However, it doesn't truly feel like summer until I get my fruity frozen drink on. For me, that drink has always been a pina colada. I know, I know... super girly. Regardless, I am just pretty much obsessed with coconut at this point and therefore I wanted to make a simple smoothie version of the popular drink.

If you typically like a thicker smoothie, I recommend freezing the fruit. If that's the case you can probably go light on, or even omit the ice. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. To make it fancy, you can garnish with a slice of pineapple and some toasted coconut.

Smashed Peas & Soybeans with "Ricotta" Toasts

2010-05-24T01:49:00.012-04:00

(YAY! If you can't tell, I finally saved up enough to purchase my new camera!)

Level of Difficulty: Effort Required
Pots/Pans Used: 3ish

Ingredients

1 16 oz pkg frozen sweet peas
1 12 oz pkg frozen sweet soybeans, shelled
1 TBL olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 TBL lemon juice
1-2 tsp coarse black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
french baguette, sliced and toasted

Ricotta cheese:
1 pkg extra firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 TBL lemon juice
1 TBL basil

My mom found this recipe in the February issue of Better Homes and Gardens and together, we found a way to veganize it. Being that Sunday was the LOST finale (tear), we had some friends over and made a great spread of food which started with this as the appetizer. Any fellow LOSTies out there?

Start by microwaving the peas and soybeans and then transfer them to the food processor to puree. Should resemble this texture...

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook sliced garlic until tender and browned. Mix the pureed mixture with the garlic, s & p, mint and lemon juice.

To make the ricotta, place all the ingredients in the food processor. Process until it resembles the texture of ricotta cheese. Place the ricotta on the toasted baguette slices. Drizzle the pea mixture with olive oil and sprinkle some extra black pepper. Spread the mixture on top of the ricotta toasts and you've got a colorful and healthy appetizer.

Coconut & Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

2010-05-21T22:51:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: You just have to know how to measure!
Pots/Pans Used: 1 or 2

Ingredients

1 french baguette, ripped into bite-size cubes (makes about 5 cups)
1 can coconut milk (1 3/4 cups)
1 cup original soy creamer (can probably sub soymilk)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

My first ever attempt at a bread pudding was a banana bread pudding and I was extremely underwhelmed. So when attempting round two I had some skepticism. Let me tell you, forget my first failure, this bread pudding rules! Seriously, it was so moist and rich and totally satisfied my sweet tooth. My only critique is that it needs more coconut, but I pretty much can never get enough coconut. If you don't like coconut, you can easily make this recipe without, and the same goes for the chocolate chips. Happy Baking...

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine ingredients coconut milk - vanilla and whisk together. Submerge the bread cubes in the liquid and let them soak for five minutes. Then, mix in the chocolate chips and shredded coconut. Pour the mixture into a small, greased casserole dish. Sprinkle some more coconut and chocolate chips on top. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. After 30 minutes, check on it to see if the coconut is toasting and the bread is getting golden. Mine needed about 10 extra minutes. Serve warm and be prepared to slip into yet another food coma.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

2010-05-12T14:46:00.004-04:00

( Sorry for the poor quality! My camera broke, so I had to use my computer's camera. When I can afford a new fancy camera, I'll re-shoot it :D)
Level of Difficulty: too easy
Pots/Pans Used: only 1 or 2 bowls

Ingredients

1 bag of spinach
Carton of strawberries, sliced
Toasted sesame seeds
Dill

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, because it's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard
2 tsp agave nectar

Let me start by saying that I am so not a salad person. I mean, salads are okay, but certainly nothing I ever look forward to. This however, is a salad of a whole different sort. This is my grandmother's recipe. It's one of those dishes that whenever you bring it to a gathering, people always ask for the recipe. The dill, strawberry and sesame seeds marry so well together. Not to mention, it pairs perfectly with the summer season!

Okay it's a salad, so you know it's simple to make and you probably don't need my guidance but just in case here's how I prepare it... In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together (you wont use all the dressing but you can always refrigerate the extra and use it again). Combine the strawberries, spinach and sesame seeds (up to you how much you want to use). Dress it all and mix well. I mix in the dill at the end. Fresh or dried dill will be fine. Like the sesame seeds, the amount of dill you use is completely up to you. I love serving this as a light lunch with a few slices of bruschetta. Okay... I don't know about you but I'm salivating! Enjoy!

Comfort Pasta

2010-05-07T15:29:00.006-04:00

Level of Difficulty: incredibly simple
Pots/Pans Used: 2!

Ingredients

1 Pkg of your favorite pasta (I love bow tie best)
garlic, minced
Earth Balance
nutritional yeast
olive oil

This is certainly not the most exciting dish out there. That being said, when I'm tired or stressed this dish is exactly what I need and crave. It's really paying homage to when you were little and would just ask for noodles with butter and parmesan cheese. I almost didn't post it because it's so simple, but I've found that simple recipes can often be the best kind. I hope this dish is as much a comfort to you as it is to me. I'm curious to know...what's your ultimate comfort food?

I never really measure anything when I make this dish, I pretty much just taste it as I go along. For example, I go pretty heavy on the garlic and nutritional yeast because that's what really makes the dish for me. But feel free to experiment with your ingredient ratios. First, cook your pasta accordingly (you don't have to use the whole package, I usually just make it for myself, so I rarely do unless I have company). In a large saute pan, heat a couple TBL of olive oil over medium heat. throw your minced garlic into the pan and let it get nice and fragrant. Drain your pasta and then transfer it to the saute pan. Put a couple TBL (more or less) of Earth Balance into the pasta and stir it up so that it gets a chance to melt and coat all the pasta. Finally, add the nutritional yeast and mix up until it tastes perfect. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, simple as it may be!

French Apple Tart

2010-05-02T20:00:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: way easier than it looks
Pots/Pans Used: 1 plus a food processor

Ingredients:

Dough
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp stevia
12 TBL Earth Balance
1/2 cup ice water

Filling
3-4 Granny Smith apples
1/4 agave nectar
4 TBL Earth Balance
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 TBL water

I saw this recipe a long time ago on Ina Garten's, The Barefoot Contessa. It looked SO DELICIOUS and really simple to create a healthier, vegan alternative. I excluded the boatload of sugar the recipe called for and used a whole wheat crust. It would be an awesome recipe to bring to a get together because its actually pretty easy to make but looks really impressive! Would be amazing with a scoop of ice cream.

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and stevia. Pulse it a few times. Then add the 12 TBL of Earth Balance and pulse about 10 times. As you continue to pulse the mixture, pour in the ice water until the dough begins to come together (You may not need all the water). On a floured board, knead the dough quickly into a ball and wrap it in clear wrap. Let it refrigerate for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can peel, core and slice your apples. Preheat the oven to 400. When the dough is ready, roll it out on to a floured board into whatever shape you desire. Mine was sort of an oval. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Start assembling the apples, leaving 1-2 inches for a crust. You can make overlapping diagonals, circles or whatever pattern you want. Fold the edges of the dough on top of the apples to create a crust. Brush the agave on top of the apples and place dabs of the remaining earth balance all over the tops of the apples. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the crust and apples begin to brown on the edges. In a small saucepan, heat the apricot preserves and 2 TBL of water over low heat. Brush it over the apple tart. You probably wont use all of it. Serve hot or cold... nom nom nom

VBLT

2010-04-27T19:16:00.003-04:00

Now, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by telling you how to make a BLT. It's just that, I went to a restaurant recently and ordered a Vegan BLT for the first time since I have been vegan, vegetarian even. In fact, I'm still not sure that I have actually EVER had a BLT before this experience. Regardless, If you are like me and haven't realized this is available, slap yourself. You might as well do it now, because THAT'S how dumb I felt when I had a VBLT and realized how unbelievably good they can be. I couldn't believe I hadn't been making them on a regular basis. If you're curious, I WILL say that I recommend smart bacon and veganaise. Surprise yourself and just do it.

P.S. More recipes to come soon, just gotta bite the bullet and go grocery shopping... :/

Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh with Fried Plantians

2010-04-22T18:47:00.005-04:00

Level of Difficulty: pretty easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2!

Ingredients

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 8 oz pkg of tempeh
olive oil
plantains (opt)
cinnamon (opt)

I got the vegan cookbook, Fire & Spice, over the holidays and finally decided to make something from it. This recipe is inspired by the Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets recipe, but I changed it up slightly to make it more "lazy cook-friendly". Pair it with some yellow rice and fried plantains and it was THE perfect dish. It's really filling AND takes less effort than you would think. I just about doubled the spice measurements from the cookbooks but if you aren't keen on spice, you could always tone it down or experiment with similar flavors that are less spicy.

First, you might want to start preparing your rice if you're having it. Next, heat some olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Crumble the tempeh into the pan and let it brown on both sides. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients from garlic powder thru thyme in a bowl. Spinkle the spice mixture over the browned tempeh and let it get thoroughly coated. Continue to mix it up for about a minute and it's done. Set it aside and heat more oil in the pan on medium-high heat so that you can fry up for plantains. I cut my plantains into slices then press or smash them down with a fork. Once the oil is really hot, add your plantains to the pan. Be careful that they don't burn. Once they're nicely browned and crispy on either side, place them on a paper towel so that the oil can drain. Sprinkle some cinnamon over top. Serve your rice, tempeh and plantains all mixed up together on one huge plate and eat your heart out!

Mushroom Bruschetta

2010-04-19T20:07:00.008-04:00

First I wanna say "welcome!" to the batch of new followers. I seriously appreciate you all so much. As you can see, I've been updating the site a bit to make it a little more user-friendly. Hope you like it!

Level of Difficulty: As usual :)
Pots/Pans Used: one

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms (or your favorite vairety), sliced
2-3 TBL Earth Balance
1/2 onion, chopped
crusty bread slices of your choice
balsamic vinaigrette
olive oil
basil

So this recipe arrived onto my menu when I got home from the grocery store and realized I had bought everything to make bruschetta but forgot the tomato. So.... I improvised. Now, tomato bruschetta is delicious, but this one is just as good if not better. It's definitely hardier and any mushroom lover will be able to appreciate it. Please, tell me how it works out for you.

Okay...
Slice your bread and put it in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes so that it can get nice and crisp. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. First toss in the onion and garlic. Let the onion get translucent and then add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are nicely seared, add the Earth Balance. Let it melt and coat the mushrooms and onions. Then, add as much dried or fresh basil as you want (I used dried because I didn't have fresh. However, fresh would be ideal for this recipe). Spoon the mushroom mixture on top of the slices of bread. Drizzle some balsamic vinaigrette on top. That's it!

Argentine Milanesa

2010-04-14T19:25:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: easy
Pots/Pans Used: 1

Ingredients

1 pkg of 4 Gardein chick'n filets
3 TBL water
1/4 cup lemon juice ( plus a lemon for garnish)
1/4 tsp oregano
whole wheat bread crumbs
flour
3 TBL oilve oil
pinch of salt

My mom grew up in Argentina, so when we went back to visit when I was seven, all I remember eating was milanesa with a side of papas fritas and a fanta. I ate that probably three times a day and I now find myself missing it occasionally. It only seemed right to try and veganize it. Basically, milanesa is a very thin cut of usually beef (but sometimes chicken or veal), battered and shallow-fried in oil. Lemon and oregano are popular ways of seasoning the meat. Now, my version is very loosely based on milanesa (you'll know what I mean if you google image search it) but I assure you, the flavors and yumminess still remain.

In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, water and oregano. Take each chicken breast and dredge it in flour, then the lemon juice mixture and then coat it in bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry each chick'n breast a couple minutes on either side until golden brown. Place the breast on a paper towel to let the oil drain. Sprinkle the chick'n with a pinch of salt. Serve with your favorite veggies and slices of lemon.

Dynamite Sushi Roll

2010-04-10T23:48:00.004-04:00

Level of Difficulty: Seriously easy... don't be intimidated!
Pots/Pans Used: one!

Ingredients

nori seaweed sheets
sushi rice
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
red onion, minced (only need a tiny bit)
1/2 cup vegan mayonaise (If you use veganaise you're gunna have to trek to whole foods. Otherwise, I found this brand which is available at most health food sections of Publix)
1 TBL vegan cream cheese ( I prefer Tofutti)
1 tsp hot sauce
sesame seeds
capers
soy sauce, wasabi & ginger (optional)

for assembly you will need:
bamboo mat
plastic saran wrap

While home last weekend, I went to Sublime in Ft. Lauderdale with my mom and good friend, Scott. We ordered the dynamite sushi appetizer and it kind of blew all of our minds. Completely inspired, I made it the very next night. I tried to come as close to it as I could without having the Sublime cookbook. In my opinion, the spicy mayo really makes this sushi... and I am so NOT a mayo person. Now if the task of making sushi seems daunting, you've got it all wrong. It's so much simpler to make than you might realize. If you don't believe me, watch the video I linked to below before committing to making the sushi plunge. There's barely ANY cooking involved and you will definitely impress all of your friends.
Start by cooking your sushi rice (directions should be on the bag. I made 2 cups worth). Once cooked, let it cool so that you can handle it. In the mean time, you can prepare the spicy mayo topping. In a bowl, combine the vegan mayo, vegan cream cheese and hot sauce and set it aside. Cover your bamboo mat with a sheet of saran wrap. Here is an instructional video on how to assemble your rolls. The only difference is that you should sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the rice before you add the cucumber. (For the record, I really wanted to make a video myself but I don't have an awesome camera or an editing program... maybe in the future?)

............Congratulations! You just made sushi!!! See? not hard at all. Now spoon a dollop of the spicy mayo on top of each roll. Sprinkle the red onion, capers and additional sesame seeds on top. Serve with a side of soy sauce, wasabi & ginger.

Oreo Truffles

2010-04-04T22:42:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: anyone can do it
Pots/Pans Used: one

Ingredients

1 package oreos (yes, they're vegan. Or you could use a cookie of your choice of the healthier variety)
2 tubs plain Tofutti vegan cream cheese
1 bag vegan chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet Ghirardelli)

Variations: you could try rolling them in coconut (yum!), nuts or sprinkles!

Lemme get one thing straight: this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not on my diet and in no way healthy for you. That being said, they are absolutely heavenly. Seriously, this recipe makes a lot so if you don't want the temptation around, just try a couple and give the rest as a gift. trust me, who ever you gift them to will be eternally grateful. Or you could always be selfish and indulge for once. Either way, try this recipe.......now!!

Simple as this: crush the entire bag of cookies. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with all the crushed cookies. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Make doughnut hole sized balls out of the cream cheese/cookie mix and lay them out on the paper. Using a double broiler, melt the chocolate chips. Using two spoons, spoon the melted chocolate over the balls, until well coated. Repeat with all, placing them back on the parchment paper. Let them cool in the fridge until the chocolate hardens. The hard chocolate shell coating and the surprisingly creamy center is the perfect combination of decadent textures. I have no doubts you will love this recipe!!

Bean Burgers

2010-04-02T01:35:00.003-04:00

Level of Difficulty: So easy, you can do it in rollerskates!
Pots/Pans Used: 1/2

Yes it's true, this recipe was so simple I made most of it while wearing roller skates. I just bought a pair and am using every opportunity to get used to them. I was lucky enough to have my bestie 4 life visiting me over the weekend, Ms. Tess Bath, so I wanted to cook us up something delicious without losing out on any qutality time. I'm so glad I found this recipe! My only real adjustment was that I only used sage leaves for my herbs of choice, but go crazy. This easy recipe can be found here. Forget the whole wheat bun and avocado, the burgers were good enough to eat by themselves! However, I must say it was damn good with some rosemary wedge french fries.

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-03-26T14:02:00.008-04:00

First, Let's talk about Daiya cheese...

I decided a couple weeks ago that it was time to finally treat myself to some Daiya cheese. Let me begin by saying, everything you've heard is true... it's AMAZING! Yes, while somewhat pricey, it's more than worth it! What's most amazing is how much the texture actually resembles cheese when melted. I've included some pictures of a cheese quesadilla to prove it! I ended up making eggplant parmesan with my mozzarella Daiya (which was amazing, so scroll down for the recipe!) and a bunch of quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches with my cheddar Daiya. highly highly highly recommended!

Now on to the main event:

Eggplant Parmesan

Level of Difficulty: fairly easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2/3

Ingredients

1 pkg extra firm tofu
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian herbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 TBL lemon juice
1/2 cup whole wheat Japanese panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 large eggplant, sliced
olive oil
1 jar tomato sauce (I used a spicy tomato sauce. It was nice to have a bit of heat in the dish)
Daiya mozzarella (optional)

I haven't had eggplant parmesan in so long that i actually forgot what it tasted like. I knew this dish was good because with my first bite, all the eggplant parm flavors rushed back to me and it was an extremely nostalgic experience. Comfort food just rules!

Preheat oven to 350. First mix your panko, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and bread crumbs (I recommend making your own bread crumbs) in a bowl. Just a WARNING: you will have a lot of breadcrumbs left over. I use mine to put on top of baked mac and "cheeze". I'll figure out a more exact measurement the next time I make it :) ! Brush some olive oil on the sides of your eggplant slices and coat them in the crumb mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, you can begin your ricotta mixture. In a food processor, place the remaining 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and ingredients tofu thru lemon juice. Process until it resembles the texture of ricotta cheese. Now begin the layering process. In a casserole dish, spread a little tomato sauce, then eggplant slices, then spread out all of the ricotta mixture, then more eggplant, more tomato sauce and finally as much Daiya cheese as your heart desires. Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. I was completely floored by how yummy this was! I'm pretty sure I gained five pounds in one meal because I simply just couldn't stop eating it!

Grapefruit Two Ways!

2010-03-22T02:28:00.005-04:00

#1 Broiled Grapefruit!

#2 Candied Grapefruit Peels!

I was inspired to try out these recipes because of my overwhelming love of the grapefruit. I seriously can't get enough of it. So I figured it was time to start exploring new grapefruit territories. Since I am trying to get rid of sugar I tried to figure out a way to candy grapefruit peels without it, but decided I might as well go big or go home, right? Still, I wanted to even it out with another sweet grapefruit recipe that doesn't rely on sugar. This is where the broiled grapefruit comes in. I highly recommended these. Oh! and If anyone can recommend a grapefruit recipe, please do!

Broiled Grapefruit
Level of Difficulty: too easy
Pots/Pans Used: 1

Ingredients

1 grapefruit, halved
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl mix the agave and vanilla together. Pour it over the halves of grapefruit. Broil in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until you see the tops begin to caramelize and they look like this:
(Notice my dog, Oliver, lusting over them in the background) :)

Yeah... it's really that easy.

Candied Grapefruit Peels
Level of Difficulty: takes time, but easy
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 grapefruits
extra sugar to coat (I used some fancy vanilla bean infused sugar that I got as a gift, but regular sugar will be fine)

Start out by cutting the peels off the grapefruit and cutting them into strips.

You're going want to remove as much as the bitter white part as you can, but don't freak out about it.

Next, put them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then drain off the peels to cool and then boil again. Repeat another two times for a total of 4 times being boiled. After that step, put 1 1/2 cups of water, the brown sugar, and the peels in a pot to simmer.

Simmer until they are translucent and the water and sugar mixture reduces and thickens a bit. This may take 30 minutes to an hour. Drain them again and spread the peels out on a drying rack with paper underneath to catch drippings. Let them dry and cool for several hours. Once you feel they're ready, coat them in sugar. Ta da!

Shirin Polow (aka Sweet Rice)

2010-03-14T01:51:00.008-05:00

Level of Difficulty: moderate
Pots/Pans Used: surprisingly, only 2!

Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
2 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup orange skin, sliced
1/2 cup unsalted pistachio, slivered
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 TBL agave nectar
½ teaspoon powdered saffron
5 TBL olive oil
3 TBL salt
Potato, sliced
Dash of cinnamon

Right now is a very special time for my room mate, Rana Falahat, because it is the Iranian new year, "Haft Seen". In preparation for the new year, she was kind enough to make this dish for my mom and I last weekend. It was sooooo delicious that I had to tell you all about it! My absolute favorite part is the orange peel. Seriously, it's amazing! She served it with an awesome vegetable soup and crisp potatoes. It was my first time eating Iranian food, but it definitely won't be my last. Believe it or not, this was one of Rana's first recipe attempts. Without a doubt, it was a HUGE success. It is somewhat time consuming, but if you have the time to spare and feel like experimenting with a new cuisine, this recipe isn't really that difficult at all. Also, I know that saffron can be expensive so I'm sure this meal would still be good if you decide to leave it out. Lemme know how it goes...

You can prepare the rice however you want, but I’m just going to include the way Rana did it. She washed the rice a few times then soaked it in four cups of water with the salt for 2 hours. If you prefer a faster method, by all means, go for it.

Start by preparing your orange slices (my favorite). Peel the orange skin and remove the white layer and cut into slivers. In a small sauce pot, place the orange slivers with a cup of water and boil for 5 minutes. Then, drain.

In a saute pan, add 2 TBL oil and saute the cranberries for a couple minutes. Then saute the carrots for a couple minutes, and then add the orange slivers, pistachio and almonds. Add the agave nectar to the pan with 1 cup of water and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Next, add the liquid saffron (powdered saffron dissolved in 2 TBL hot water) and cinnamon.

In a large non-stick stock pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Drain the rice and pour into the rapidly boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. According to Rana, “the rice should be soft on the outside, but still firm in the center.” Strain and rinse again with cool water. Return the pot to the heat with 3 TBL oil and put slices of potato on the bottom of the pot. This prevents the rice from sticking and burning to the bottom and you’re left with deliciously crispy potatoes at the end! mmm. Then add the rice into the pot. Make 2-3 holes in the rice to release some steam. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat. Once steaming, lower heat and steam rice for an additional 50 minutes.

The way Rana served this dish was by putting a layer of plain rice in the bottom of a casserole dish, then mixing some rice with saffron and putting the saffron rice as the top layer. Then she poured the delicious mixture on top. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but let me tell you, the results are well worth it.