Day 54!

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to show you the recipes for a Sweet Potato with Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Bisque, Brazilian Stroganoff and a Vegan Veggie Burger.  I am also going to do a product review inside one of the recipes.  I also wanted to say that I do a lot of Brazilian style cooking, my husband is Brazilian and I have adapted to normally cooking this style of food, and I do really enjoy it.  I also have been to Brazil and have experienced this cuisine first hand, its a mixture of all different cultures, it is quite spectacular.

So here it goes

Sweet Potato with Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper:
3 Red Peppers
6 Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
2 Idaho Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
1 Carrot, Peeled and Diced
1 Head Cauliflower
1 Onion, Thin Sliced
2 Fresh Minced Garlic
6 Cups of Water or Veg. Stock (I used water, but veg. stock is good too!)
1 Teaspoon Coriander
Vegetable Oil for roasting
1 Tablespoon Tandoori Masala (This will turn the cauliflower a pinkish color, which I like.)
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (First time working with it for me!)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Put a pot on the stove and add the sweet potato, Idaho potato, carrot, onion, garlic, coriander to the pot and cook until tender about 30 minutes.

Do these at the same time:
While that is cooking take the head of cauliflower apart and roast it off for about 10 minutes at 350.  Before it goes in the oven sprinkle with oil, tandoori masala and nutritional yeast.  Make sure cuts of the cauliflower are the same size for cooking purposes.

Slice the Red Pepper, you are going to want the cuts to look similar for presentation wise.  Coat with oil, salt and pepper and roast for 10-15 minutes at 350.

Once the pot on the stove is cooked and your cauliflower and red pepper is roasted, take half of the cauliflower and half of the red pepper and add it to the pot.  Take your immersion blender and blend up, now if you don't have an immersion blender, add in increments to a food processor.  Add Salt and Pepper  Once it is blended together, add the rest of the cauliflower and roasted red pepper, leaving it in chunks.  Check for seasoning, making sure everything takes great!

Voila! Quick, easy, and delicious!  Enjoy!

Brazilian Stroganoff:

1 Box of Gardein Chick N Strips (Vegan version of chicken, tastes just like it)  Cut up into bit size pieces.

 

I absolutely love this, you would have no idea this is actually meatless, I believe it has quinoa and things like this inside of it.  Meatless!

3 Tablespoons Earth Balance Butter

1 Can of Heart of Palm

1 Ear of Fresh Corn, with the Corn removed from the cob

7 Marinated Mushrooms, Quartered

5 Fresh Minced Garlic (3 for the stroganoff, 2 for the rice)

1/2 Onion Small Diced

1/2 Red Pepper, Small Diced

Spoon Full of Mustard

Spoon Full of Ketchup

Spoon Full of Soy Sauce

1 1/3 Cup Of Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoon Corn Starch in 1/2 Cup Water

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Oil to coat pan

1 Cup of white rice

2 Cups of Water

Get the rice working first.  Get a pot on the stove coat bottom of pan with oil and add garlic, cook until tender add the rice and coat in the oil and cook for about 1 minute like that.  Add 2 Cups of waters bringing to a boil, adding salt for flavor and cook down until you can see the rice, place the lid on and turn heat down to low and cook until al dente.

Get a pot on the stove, put heat to medium.  Add the butter, heart of palm, corn, mushrooms, 3 garlic, onion, red pepper, cook until 3/4 way done.  Add the vegan chicken to it and cook for 3 minutes.  Get a wooden spoon and fill with ketchup and then mustard and then soy sauce, stirring into the mix.

In a sauce pot add the coconut milk and bring up to heat,  get the corn starch and water ready (In culinary world this is called a slurry and used virtually every day to thicken sauces and soups, nice trick to have when a sauce is to loose or watery, the sauce or mixture has to be hot though for it to work.)

Whisk the slurry into the coconut milk, thickening up.  Add it to the pot of stroganoff.  Stirring in, add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot over the rice.

This is a very filling dish, perfect for a cold night and it's so hearty!  Enjoy!

Vegan Veggie Burger:

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Carrot

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Celery

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Red Pepper

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Onion

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon Coriander

1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds

1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seeds

1/8 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 Cup Cooked Chickpeas

3 Tablespoon Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Oil to coat pan

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a pan adding the carrot, celery, red pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until tender.  Add parsley, coriander, fennel seeds, celery seeds, smoked paprika, garlic powder and red pepper flakes cook for 1 more minute.  Put aside 1/2 cup of the quinoa and 1/2 cup of the chickpeas

Put the veggies, rest of the chickpeas and quinoa into the food processor, adding the flour to it and pulse until  it all comes together. Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.  Just do one more pulse.

Remove from food processor and then add the 1/2 cup chickpea and quinoa and pulse until chopped small.

Mix all together in a mixing bowl, form patties and sear in a pan and adding to a oven at 450 for 5 minutes, making sure searing hot.

You can use whatever you like for a bun and same thing for toppings.  I like to put a tomato chutney on top!  That recipe is for another time though!  

Enjoy!

So that is all for today,  for next time I have a recipe for vegan pot pie!

I would also love to hear feedback from anyone, so let me know how you like it!

Namaste,

V

Day 53!

Hello!

I have been harboring up recipes like there is no tomorrow!  My culinary creativity has been exploding lately.    I must say I do love cooking vegan,  I feel such a sense of self accomplishment when I do.  When I began veganism, I think I was more looking at the health concerns and curiosity when I started to do it.  I did also do it because of the animals, and how awful it was for them, but now...I feel like a true vegan when I got upset about something at work and was thinking to myself how these poor animals had to die, so that people who did not understand food come in and send it back, mainly out of their lack of knowledge towards it.  I do love being a vegan to, absolutely love it.  Any who, so back to recipes.  Today I am going to share with you three recipes, and since I am off tomorrow I am going to add three more recipes after that, but as of right now I am going to share with you Vegan Eggplant Lasagna,  Vegan Pizza, and Spaghetti Squash.

Vegan Eggplant Lasagna:
1 Eggplant,  Peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
1 Package Vegan Mozzarella (I found at Stop N' Shop)
1 Package of Lasagna Noodles ( I also found at Stop N' Shop,  just read ingredients)
1 Can Sans Marzano Tomatoes (I know I use ALL THE TIME, but I <3 it)
1/2 Can Small Tomato Paste
3 Cloves, Fresh Minced Garlic
1/2 Onion, Small Dice
2 Tsp Oregano 
Oil to coat the pan
Red Pepper Flakes, to your liking
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Get a pot of boiling salted water on the stove.  Get this going before you start sauce, so its ready when you are finished with the sauce.  Remember you want the water salty, like the ocean.  (That's what they used to say while I was in culinary school. )

Get a pot on the stove put on medium, coat the pan with oil (- I should probably mention this, when cooking do not use olive oil when needing to cook things in a pan or to saute stuff,  it was a high smoke point and will smoke out your kitchen in no time,  I usually use vegetable oil when cooking and add olive oil to stuff afterwards if needed, olive oil is for the taste-)

So anyways coat the pan with oil, bring to heat.  Add the garlic and the onion and cook until tender.  In a food processor add your can of sans marzano tomato and pulse, leaving a few chunks in there.  Add to the pot on the stove,  fill can 1/3 way up with water and put into the mix.  Add half a can of tomato paste, making sure to stir it in so it isn't clumpy. Add Oregano (Oregano is my favorite seasoning to use in Italian cooking,  usually I use dry, but when I am feeling it I buy the fresh, which is absolutely amazing and I recommend you try it someday!)  Season with Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes, depending on your ability to handle heat.

Put the lasagna noodles into the water and cook according to the directions.  (I actually do not follow the directions, I just keep an eye on it until its Al Dente.  If you are unfamiliar with lasagna though, I recommend you follow the directions, you do not want mush for your lasagna noodles ).  Place on a plate when pulling out of the water.

Get a pan out to cook your lasagna in.  Coat bottom of pan with sauce, then add a layer of eggplant, lasagna noodles, sauce, cheese, eggplant, lasagna noodles, sauce cheese, etc.  Ending with a layer of sauce on top of lasagna noodles (If you want you can add some cheese to the top.)

Bake in the oven 25-35 minutes, keeping an eye on it, every oven is different

Sooo good, and you don't even realize its completely vegan.  Enjoy!

Vegan Pizza:

2 Cups Flour
1 Pinch Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Single Package Yeast

Pizza sauce of your choice (You can use the above recipe for sauce, that's what I used)

Toppings of your choice ( I used a vegan mozzarella, vegan cheddar, oregano, and sliced fresh tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 550.  ( I know insane, but it really worked like that)

Directions For Dough:
Place flour, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl, stir with your hand just to incorporate everything.  Then add the water, mixing again with your hands, work the dough in the bowl moving around in the bowl for about 10-15 minutes, until the dough stops sticking to your hand.  You may need to add a bit more flour to it, just keep an eye on it.  After it is mixed and not sticking, let rise for 30 minutes, cover with a damp paper towel.

After the dough is risen, punch down.  Flour a clean surface and flour a rolling pin and roll very thin.  Add sauce, cheese and your toppings.  

Place on a pizza pan, bake for 10 minutes.  Before eating let cool for 5 - 10 minutes, the cheese will fall right off if you don't and you can burn the roof of your mouth.

Enjoy!

So last one here is really easy, and I made the spaghetti squash with the lasagna, because I thought it was funny how it really looked like spaghetti.  

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Get a pot of water boiling and add the spaghetti squash, cook for 45 minutes- 1 hour.  It is done when you can stick a knife through it like a potato.  Cut it down the middle, lengthwise and remove the middle gunk and the seeds.  Take a fork and pull the squash out, it will look like spaghetti strands.  Now you can put whatever you like on it, I have heard of people putting tomato sauce, salsa, etc.  I just used good old olive oil and salt + pepper.  It is really filling and so delicious.

I just wanted to add this one culinary tip when boiling anything you want to start cooking in cold water anything from the ground (Potatoes, Carrots, Etc.)  So you would want to add the water and the item to the pot at the same time, but you are going to want to start cooking anything not from the ground in hot water, it just comes out better that way,  so you would add item after the water has come to a boil.

That's all for now, I am definitely going to update more with includes a Sweet Potato Roasted Cauliflower and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque,  Vegan Brazilian Strogonaff and a Vegan Veggie Burger made from scratch!

Namaste,

V

Day 46!

Hello!

Today I am going to be sharing with you a couple recipes.  The first one is a Brazilian version of an empanada, that is completely vegan, its actually called a pastel.  These are eaten normally in Brazil, they can be served with anything inside of them, I have had them while on the road travelling through Brazil, everywhere has them, diners, gas stations, its just how they do there, but I did my own spin on it today, which includes Bacardi, which helps the dough rise!  The second recipe I am going to sharing with you, is a carrot-coconut soup, that's so good and creamy!  Its great for a cold winters day!  This soup can also be served cold as a gazpacho, but today its served hot.

Carrot Coconut Soup:

6 Carrots, Peeled and Small Diced

1 Small Onion, Small Diced

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Garlic

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 1/2 Cups Water 

2 - 14 Oz. Cans Coconut Milk

Shredded Coconut to Garnish

Salt To Taste

Get a pot on the stove, add the carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, curry powder, cinnamon and water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, making the carrots and onions tender.  Take a hand held immersion blender and blend.  (If you don't have one add it to your food processor in increments, but I would let the soup cool down a bit before doing that, you don't want to burn yourself.)

Add the coconut milk to the puree and bring back up to heat, adding salt if needed.  Garnish with some greens or some shredded coconut.

Micro greens on top with some shredded coconut.

Beyond Easy!  Quick and barely anything to it.

So onto the next recipe!

Pastel Dough:
2 Cups Flour
1 Pinch Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Bacardi

Filling:
Corn
Heart of Palm (Can be found in the Goya section)
Earth Balance Butter (Awesome vegan butter)
Siracha
Salt
(This is what I chose for my filling, you can pick anything your heart desires, a vegan mozzarella would be fabulous, but I did not have any on hand.)

Directions For Dough:
Place flour, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and Bacardi into a mixing bowl, stir with your hand just to incorporate everything.  Then add the water, mixing again with your hands, work the dough in the bowl moving around in the bowl for about 10-15 minutes, until the dough stops sticking to your hand.  You may need to add a bit more flour to it, just keep an eye on it.  After it is mixed and not sticking, let rise for 30 minutes, cover with a damp paper towel.

After the dough is risen, punch down.  Flour a clean surface and flour a rolling pin and roll very thin, do not do the whole dough at once, take a bit of dough at a time.  Once thin take a pot lid, usually a smaller one and press out the circle from the dough.

Filling Recipe:
Get a pot on the stove add butter, heart of palm, corn and salt.  Stir and bring up to heat, put a little siracha in for heat (You don't have to do this if you don't like spicy food.  Set aside in a bowl.

Add filling to it and fold over, press the edges down with a fork.

I would assemble every pastel you have, before frying.  Once you are done assembling get a pot on the stove and add oil, enough to fry the pastel in.  Have the heat on medium-low, it will burn if on to high and fry on both sides of the pastel.

This recipe makes a bunch of them so you can switch up the flavors.

Here is the inside of mine.  Enjoy!

Thank you all, I will be posting more recipes this week!  I would love to hear any feedback from you guys, like if you tried a recipe or have any comments, I would love to hear them!

Namaste,

V

Day 41!

Hello all,

I haven't been able to post for a week, we have been preparing for the mayhem that still continues of valentines day.  I wanted to share with you a vegan pizza and a stir fry that was amazing!

Vegan Pizza

1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Bread Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoon Yeast (I like to use fresh, but had only instant on hand)
1/2 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon good olive oil
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Any Sauce of Your Choice
Any Toppings of Your Choice

Put the flour,sugar,salt, oregano, and garlic into a food processor, and pulse a few times.  Put the yeast into the water and let activate for 5 minutes.  Turn the food processor on and slowly stream in the oil, it will form a ball ,make sure its not the wet looking, if so add a bit more flour, put into a oiled bowl and cover with a semi wet towel and let rise for a hour.

Once risen, punch down and roll out onto a floured surface.  Add whatever toppings and sauce you want! Oven should be 350, bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.

Voila! Vegan Pizza! 

Super easy!

So onto the vegan stir fry, since becoming vegan I have discovered rice noodles, and they are my absolute favorite, I don't trust any place to buy them since the one time I did they came smothered in eggs, so that's a no.  You can buy them anywhere I think I found these at H Mart, but I have seen them at Market Basket.  Anywhoo.

Vegan Stir Fry:

Rice Noodles

Can of baby carrots(Can be found in Asian sections)

Sugar Snap Peas

Heart of Palm (Can be found in either Asian or Goya section)

Crimini Mushrooms, sliced

Chili Garlic Sauce

Soy Sauce

Rice Vinegar

Oil to coat pan

Boil the rice noodles, depending on the directions.  In another pot coat the bottom of the pan with oil, and add carrots, peas, heart of palm and mushrooms, and cook until tender.  Hit the pan with soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce, toss in the noodles, make sure there is enough sauce to coat the noodles with.

Yay!

I wanted to take a second to talk about how veganism has changed the way I do reiki, I know this is off topic but here it goes.

I am now a advanced reiki practitioner as of a few days ago, and I wanted to say how being a vegan really has changed the way I do reiki, I feel like it doesn't weigh me down and that my gutters are not clogged, and has changed the way I experience it, like the whole thing just comes naturally.  

That's all for now!  I will post more soon, including an empanada recipe!

Namaste,

V

Day 32!

Hello!

I have been so swamped with work lately that I have not had the time to make a blog post, I have a ton of pictures and recipes I am storing up to put on here.  Today I am going to show you fresh homemade vegan gnocchi in a eggplant pomodoro sauce, rice pudding, and I am going to review a product I had, pictures included. 

Fresh Homemade Gnocchi
2 Lbs of Baking Potatoes (Any kind you like will do)
1 Cup Four
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Eggplant Pomodoro Sauce
1/2 Onion Small Dice
1/2 Eggplant, Peeled, and Small Diced (Always peel and eggplant, the peel is bitter)
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Can Sans Marzano Tomatoes (Can you tell I love this?)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
Vegetable Oil to Coat the Pan
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes

Eggplant Pomdoro Sauce:
Get a pot on the stove,  put heat on medium high, coat pan with oil add the onion and eggplant, cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Put the Sans Marzano Tomatoes and pulse a few times in a blender, you still want some chunks in there.  Into the eggplant, onion, garlic mixture add oregano, stir and then add the tomatoes.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, and get your gnocchi working during this process.  Salt and Pepper to taste, and adding red pepper flakes to your liking.  Easy Peasy.

Gnocchi:
Get a pot of cold water on the stove, bring to boil, peel and rough chop the potatoes, tossing them in and cooking until you can stick a knife easily through.  When draining, save the potato liquid.

Mash the potatoes in a bowl.

Add 1/4 c of flour at a time, folding into the potatoes.  If it gets to dry add a bit of the potato water.  Fold in salt, oregano, garlic powder.

Pinch off small rounds of the gnocchi dough and press against the back of a fork, getting the ridges, slightly rolling the gnocchi down the fork. 

Get a pot of fresh water boiling and salted. (Always salt water when cooking pastas, makes the flavor better, in culinary school they would always say salty like the ocean.)

Cook a few gnocchi at a time to make sure it holds up in the water, wait for them to bob to the surface, pull out of water and add to the sauce.

They will be like little clouds, not dense like the store bought.

Vegan Rice Pudding:

1/2 Cup Sushi Rice

7 Cups Almond Vanilla Milk

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

Rinse the sushi rice thoroughly at least 3-4 times.  On a pot on stove add 1 cup milk, cinnamon, sugar Sushi rice and salt.  Cook over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Gradually Add 5 more cups in increments to the pot, cover and let simmer.  After 20 - 25 minutes uncover and add the remaining cup of milk in it, bring to heat.  Serve warm, or cold your choice.  Super easy right?  And you can use the leftover sushi rice from the other week.

                                                                    Delish!

So I am going to do my first product review,  my husband found this at market basket and it was amazing!

Absolutely amazing, like I can't even tell you.  I am so happy with this, I made a double burger one day cause I was starving and it was so easy to make, I took out of the freezer, put a pan on the stove seared it on both sides on low, so it could unfreeze and it came out perfect.

I used:
Whole Wheat Bun,
Little Pickles
Red Onions
Tomato and Avocado, that I salted. 
I smothered it in a barbecue sauce I found that I can have
Kale
Absolutely great, I recommend everyone try this.

That's all for now, I'll update tomorrow!

Namaste,
V