Friday, November 16, 2012

Crock Pot Bow Ties and 'Cheese'

I was craving my Mom's mac and cheese today.  I put this together, and it turn out to be this rich, creamy dream of a dinner... with lots of leftovers.


In your crock pot, add and stir together:
250 g whole wheat bow ties (about 8 oz)
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar
4 cups soy milk
1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella
2 cubes of veggie bouillon, crumbled with your fingers
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Let cook for 1 hour.  Stir, and check to see if the pasta is tender.  If not, stir and check every half hour.  Mine took 1 1/2 hours to cook.

Next time, I'm adding chopped broccoli. 


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Grilled 'Cheese'

Joy and trumpets!  Vegan cheddar cheese that melted!

I ordered mild cheddar style Sheese from Le Monde Vegan and tried it for the first time.  It tasted great.  I will never go back!

This afternoon, I used it to make a grilled 'cheese' sandwich, using vegan margarine and whole grain vegan bread.  Awesome.  Topped it off with a cup of homemade vegan veggie-lentil soup, and felt like I'd hit the jackpot.






Individual Pumpkin Spice 'Cheesecakes'

Perfect for Fall entertaining!  So elegant!




Crumble a few vegan graham crackers or other dry, vegan cookies into the bottom of 4 pretty, little bowls.  I used my favorite cookies in France, called Speculoos.


In a food processor, blend until creamy and smooth:
275 g (10 oz) firm silkened tofu
1/4 cup maple syrup 
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and a tiny pinch of ground cloves)

Pour mixture over crumbs.  Chill and serve.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Vegan World

I just received my first order from Un Monde Vegan today.  Lots of yummy vegan cheeses to try... and 'faux gras'.  That's funny stuff!  I couldn't be happier.  Everything came well packaged and on ice.  Fast!

There website is http://www.unmondevegan.com/index.cfm.  I have no connection to them at all.  But I will be ordering from them again soon.


Mashed Potato Cakes

This is in honor of my mother, who used to make a non-vegan version of these when I was growing up.  It's the perfect way of getting rid of leftover mashed potatoes.


Prep some breading by mixing some bread crumbs, some nutritional yeast (if desired), parsley, salt and pepper in a dish.

Heat some oil in a frying pan.  Oil your hands.  Spoon some vegan mashed potatoes into your hand and form a patty.  Bread both sides, then cook in oil until golden.

Serve with plain soy yogurt.  

You can also get creative with this by adding other ingredients or toppings as you want.  Chives, spring onions, mustard, etc.  So good!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Shepherd's Pie

This is now my very favorite vegan meal.  No joke.  I could live on this.

Lentils take the place of the meat in this dish, making it rich and filling, perfect for a cold night's dinner.


Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).

Make vegan mashed potatoes, using vegan milk and butter.  I had leftovers.

Also, if you are not able to find canned cooked lentils in your grocery, you will need to precook a cup of dry lentils following package instructions.

Saute until tender:
1 diced onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 
1 stalk celery, chopped

Add the lentils, a small can of corn (if desired), 2 tbsp tomato paste, and a tbsp of soy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until a thick gravy forms.  Spoon this into a medium sized baking dish.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast (if desired) and parsley.  

Placed dish on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly.


Saturday, November 10, 2012

Cinnamon Rolls

These were very easy to make, and a very nice snack on a Fall day.


Preheat oven to 185 C (350 F).  Flatten refrigerated vegan pizza dough into a rectangle.  Butter surface with vegan margarine.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Roll up from long side for small rolls (in photo), or from short side for large rolls.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces, reshape into rounds, and place on an ungreased baking sheet cut side down.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden.  Let cool.  Top with a drizzle icing made by mixing powdered sugar with a tiny bit of soy milk.

You could add raisins if you'd like.  It's all good.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Roasted Veggie Pasta

This was so easy to make.  I just chopped up some veggies I had leftover from the week, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme, and roasted while the pasta cooked.  Very yummy, and the kids loved it.



Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F).  I chopped an eggplant, 3 tomatoes, and an onion, but use what you have.  Also, add a few pealed cloves of garlic.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Spread out on a baking sheet, and roast for about 20 minutes until they are all carmelized and yummy looking... like this.


Pick out the garlic and smash with a bit of salt until it forms a paste.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta in salted water until al dente.  I used whole wheat spaghetti for extra nutrition.  Drain, and toss with veggies and garlic paste.  Top with nutritional yeast.  

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fudge!

My 7 year old son said, "Mama, I'm bored!  Can we make fudge?"  Why yes.  Yes we can!




You will need:
3 1/2 cups of superfine sugar (if you only have regular, blend it for a minute in your food processor)
4 oz (115 g) vegan chocolate, chopped
1 cup soy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp vegan margarine, plus more for greasing the pan



Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Combine the sugar, chocolate, cream, and salt in a saucepan.  Cook on medium, stirring constantly until the sugar and chocolate are melted.  Stop stirring, and let continue to cook until it reads 240 F (115 C) on a candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and margarine.

Let sit 5 minutes.  Then beat with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes (yea, I know, this is how you work off the calories).  Pour into the greased pan.  

Let cool for 30 minutes.  Precut.  Then let cool completely.  Yum!


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These worked!  And, seriously, my kids didn't know the difference!!!


Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  

Whisk 2 tbsps finely ground flax seeds with 6 tbsps of warm water.  Set aside for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix:
1/2 cup (125 g) vegan margarine, softened
2/3 cup (150 g) sugar
1/2 cup (150 g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Add flax seed mixture and mix well.

Then sift in:
2 1/4 cups (330 g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

Mix just until blended.  Do not over mix.  By hand, add 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips and mix in.


Drop by tsps onto a non-stick baking sheet.


Bake for about 7 minutes until the edges are golden.


Bean, 'Cheese', and Veggie Fajitas

These were amazing and so filling. 



Just heat a can of beans with its juice, add 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup of fajita sauce from a jar.  Meanwhile, saute sliced green and red pepper, and onions in veggie oil until tender.

Fill tortillas with beans, peppers and onions, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocado.  Enjoy!