Pin It I've Got Crabs!

Crabs...cakes, that is! I'm not sure if I've ever eaten them but I've been intrigued for some time about whether they could make a good vegan snack. Sure do! I'd like to keep experimenting with egg replacers, but these turned out pretty egg-cellent if I must say so myself!

I made some Asian cole slaw on the side -- inspired by an Asian slaw served alongside real crab cakes in Real Simple magazine. I shredded red cabbage in the ol' food processor and added rice vinegar, sesame oil and salt to taste. A perfect compliment to the fried cakes!

Vegan Crab Cakes

2 cups zucchini, shredded
1/4 cups tofu, crumbled
Egg Replacer for 1 egg (I used ground flax seed mixed with water)
1 tbs. vegan mayo
1 1/2 tbs Old Bay Seasoning (found it at Safeway)
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp parsley, chopped fresh or dried
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 cup minced white onion or thinly sliced chives
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 sheets Nori, crushed into little pieces (or more to taste "more fishier")

First, place your shredded zucchini in a collander and sprinkle with some salt. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then squeeze out as much water as you can, using paper towels if needed. Mix zucchini, tofu, egg replacer and panko well. Then add the rest of the ingredients, shape into small, flattened ovals. Try coating these patties in a layer of plain panko. (I found it tasty with and without this step)

Fry until well done and crispy. Drain on paper towels. I served with some vegan Russian dressing (vegan mayo mixed with ketchup). This worked excellently, but any creamy, sweet sauce will do!

[Edit] I recently tried vegan tartar sauce with this and it was great! Just mix vegan mayo with some pickle relish, finely chopped onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Pin It Chick Pea Paradise!

Well, I made fresh chick peas yesterday. It's usually the only thing I'll eat canned, but oh my, have you tried these things fresh lately? Sooo nutty and flavorful. I fried a bunch up with salt and paprika in olive oil --- heavenly. And then used the rest for this hummus recipe. I used very little water because I like my hummus thick (like my men...j/k!). It was really great, and such a treat to eat warm. I finally broke out my food processor, after MUMBLE MUMBLE years. And so far, what a treat! It took like five minutes to make the thing. What a powerful machine! I really look forward to using it more.

Anyways, so a tip in case you lose track of your measurements along the way (which I did), is that 1 cup dried chickpeas = 2 cups cooked. Easy! I soaked them over night and then cooked as the directions called. It didn't take long at all to cook -- I wonder if using a smaller pot than I usually use to cook beans was the reason? Another tip -- after I brought it to a boil, I skimmed off the foam.

I left out the pine nuts because I'm not a huge fan.

Pin It And...We're Back!

We just started up Organics2U again and I thought I'd share a rad recipe that Lady Martha Stewart conjured up...and I veganized!

With Thanksgiving coming up, I would really give this recipe a try. Its fun, festive looking...and my picky-beyond-the-pale toddler actually took several bites, too. Success!

This Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash was pretty awesome! I used squash and onions from my O2U box. All I had to substitute was cheddar soy cheez for the parmesan (I just sprinkled a bunch of daiya pre-shredded cheez to taste), I used a whole onion, and I used a boatload of Earth Balance to sautee it in. Really, try this -- you'll look super fancy pants while serving your guests something hearty and vegan!

Pin It

Verde Vegan

Tonight I threw together an Italian dish inspired by a recipe in Real Simple magazine this month. I love this mag! I got it for $5 for a year subscription on Amazon. It has so many helpful tips, and quick recipes. This recipe is so easy, I won't type out the measurements and all. All you have to do is boil up some linguine while you sizzle some garlic in olive oil in a pan. Then you add chopped bite-sized pieces of asparagus and saute until almost done. Then add chopped fresh spinach. When pasta is done, drain and return to its pot. Mix in asparagus/spinach/garlic mixture and add some garlic salt and red pepper flakes. Voila! I also steamed an artichoke that we picked at as a side dish. Sometimes I make dinner into WAY too much of a production. Who has the energy every night? Throwing something like this together made me realize that dinner can be cheap and easy if I just keep it Simple. Real simple. Hhahahahahaha!

Pin It

Makin' Takeout

I made a really good Chinese dish tonight - - and what's up with me making things that taste like meat lately? My husband has never "complimented" my cooking by saying it tasted like meat EVER. He likes vegan food, but he's pretty bummed I he never comes home to some steak and potatoes. So yeah, he told me he could have been fooled this was chicken! It was good anyway :)

If that's the taste you're going for, I would recommend a heavy, sugary sauce, like a General Tsao's. Or use this in place of chicken strips -- maybe dipped in some BBQ sauce? Organics2U items in red as usual.

Tofu "Chicken" and Broccoli with Baby Bok Choy

1 block tofu

1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets

4 baby bok choys, ends chopped off, leaves separated (the more the better)

Cornstarch (see directions)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup mirin

1/4 cup rice vinegar

4 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sesame oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced

sesame seeds (opt.)

red pepper flakes (opt.)

2-4 cups rice

Slice tofu into width-wise pieces about 1/2 inches thick. Place pieces on a large plate, cover with 3 paper towels and cover towels with a large soup pot and frying pan for weight. Leave while chopping veggies, mixing the rest of the ingredients for the sauce, and preparing rice in the rice cooker.

Remove paper towels and cut each slice into thirds to make 3 squares. Cut each square into 2 triangles. Place triangles in a plastic ziploc baggie. Shake in a little cornstarch. Gently shake bag so cornstarch to lightly coats tofu triangles. If you need more, add more sparingly. 

Cover the bottom of a large frying pan generously with olive oil. Heat on medium until  hot and then carefully add as many triangles that fit comfortably. Be patient and leave them to fry on one side until that side looks well done. Then flip with a thin spatula. Do the rest in batches and remove to a paper towel-lined plate when done. Meanwhile start steaming the veggies. Be careful, as they will steam quickly. Take out when about 3/4 done. Add to frying pan with more oil or water if needed. When done to your liking, add sauce to warm and then add tofu. Plop on generous helping of tasty rice. Spoon on extra sauce if needed.

Oh, and if you don't have it -- you gotta get a rice cooker! Perfect every time. I have a Zogirushi and I love it. Make sure to follow their recommendations and 1) rinse rice and 2) when done, fluff rice and then close cover again for a bit to re-steam.

Pin It

You Can't Beet 'Em 

It's been a while, but I had to share a dish I made for dinner tonight. It's probably more of a side dish, but we ate it as our main meal. I could've used a bit more, so doubling the recipe would be a good idea if you want to serve two people a hearty meal. I'll bold the organicstoyou items again just for fun.

Middle Eastern Side Dish with Green Chard

1 bunch of Green Chard 

4 beets (roots only)

1 can chick peas

1 avocado 

4 or 5 cloves of garlic, smashed and then minced

1 small bunch of parsley, chopped

lemon juice 

soy sauce

garlic salt

cayenne pepper

paprika

olive oil

Wash off excess dirt from beets, place in baking pan and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until a fork can go in about half way or more easily.

Meanwhile: Rib the chard and discard the ends only. Chop ribs into small pieces, rinse, and put aside. Do the same for the leaves and keep separate. Chop garlic. Drain and wash out chickpeas. Chop parsley. Halve avocado, pit, carefully remove "meat" and slice lengthwise into about 6 slices per half. 

When beets are done, dunk in a bath of very cold water and then peel the skins (should come off fairly easily with fingers).

Sautee garlic in olive oil. When half done, add beets and chard ribs. Cover and cook until mostly soft. (this took longer than I expected!) Add chard leaves and cook until mostly wilted, then add chickpeas and cook through. Add a touch of paprika and cayenne pepper according to desired spice level, garlic salt to taste, a splash of soy sauce, and then shut off heat and add several generous splashes of lemon juice and the parsley.

Garnish plates with avocado.

The whole mixture will turn nicely pinkish -- this was fabulous!

Pin It What else is in my magic box?

The next veggie in the OrganicsToYou box...kale (o2u vegs in red)! This ultra-nutritious veg made a great tofu omelet. I steamed the kale beforehand, but a saute with some garlic would have been divine.

Then I gave Baby V a soft, juicy pear. Loved it. One left.

My husband had a blood orange (yum!) and a tangerine. And all the apples.

And last night I made the broccoli with some garlic as a side dish...with Tofu Chicken Cutlets.

OK, I have never said this before but I almost could have been fooled by these cutlets. They tasted sooo much like the ones my mom made when I was growing up. I don't miss meat, but it was still good, and quite a trip down memory lane. So here it is. It's not the most exact recipe, but you'll figure it out. It sounds involved but it seemed to come together pretty quickly.

This recipe served two of us but we could have used some more, so you might want to double it. Also, I didn't freeze/defrost the tofu in advance but that might help, even though these were perfect! You might be able to stick to fatter pieces that way, and still remain very firm.

Extremely Realistic and Quick
Fried Tofu Chicken Cutlets

1 lb. tofu
panko breadcrumbs
nutritional yeast
flour
basil
oregano
cayenne pepper (optional)
Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Imagine No-Chicken Broth

Slice tofu block into 1/4 or 1/8 inch slices (1/4 will be more meaty, 1/8 will have a firmer texture). Cut those slices until you have about 6 rectangles per large slice. Arrange in one layer on glass baking tray. Cover with broth and put in fridge for as long as you can. 1/2 hour was all I had and it was fine. A day would have been better.

When done marinating, put in 375 oven and bake until juice is gone and tofu is firm. When cool, arrange 2 plates -- one with plain flour and one with nutritional yeast, panko, basil, oregano and garlic salt. Be very generous with the garlic salt and spices. So, the plate should be mostly nutritional yeast, a little less Panko, and flavor it all with the spices so that it's very flavorful to taste. If you like a kick, add cayenne pepper. Make a small bowl of Bragg's mixed with a touch of broth.

Dip cooled strips into flour, then Bragg's mix, then panko mix. Fry in veggie oil until crispy. Remember, you've baked the tofu already so you just need to quick-fry the outsides. Easy.

This doesn't need sauce or anything, since it is extremely flavorful. A blander side dish should balance it out. A creamy vegan mac and cheez might be nice for a vegan junkfood night!

Pin It OrganicsToYou...IHeartYou!

OK, I've only received my first box so far, but I'm loving my OrganicsToYou! Wow! A big box filled with organic, and mostly local, vegetables and fruits is just so exciting to me. I feel like this is really going to force me to use fresh produce in ALL of my cooking. C'mon lazy bones, let's do this!!!
So I went a little buck wild and used a bunch of the ingredients in one meal last night. This soup was cozy, filling, delicious, and easy. On a rare snowy night here in Oregon, what else can you ask for?
P.S. - I'll highlight in red what was from THE BOX!


IHeartOrganicsToYou Hearty Chickenless Soup

2 turnips, peeled and cubed
1 onion, peeled and cubed
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 leek, white part only, chopped (would have used a couple more if it had been in there)
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 small, cute carrots, chopped into rounds
1 beet, peeled and cubed (this was a great addition, so if you have more beets, I would add a beet or two)
1 1/2 boxes of Imagine No-Chicken Broth
Nutritional Yeast to taste
4 squirts of Bragg's Aminos
2 squirts of Lemon Juice
Paprika to taste
Garlic Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pat of Earth Balance
Olive OilS

Sautee onions, leeks and garlic in Earth Balance and Olive oil until translucent. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients. Sautee for a bit. Add Broth, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all is cooked but firm.

Pin It Well, looks like I haven't posted much for the month of December. My excuses include the fact that I didn't have internet for much of the month, and that Baby V was teething and had a cold and has decided he can go whole days without a nap at not even 1 year old.

But to recap...baking fever came over me this month! From what I hear, this condition is normal around the holidays. The only cure: sugary, fatty delicacies. The cool thing is, instead of dialing up the internet to see what the ol' gal has to offer, I found recipes on backs of boxes and in newspapers and magazines... and veganized them to death! Being limited to less than infinity was fun and strangely liberating!

So here is one particularly successful one - Chocolate Biscotti from Parade Magazine, which was inserted into The Oregonian. Here is my suggestion though -- for Biscotti you have to bake the dough twice. However, I of course did not have the willpower to resist tasting after the first baking and it was SOOO delicious at that point. So, while it was great and crunchy as biscotti, I would suggest just baking the dough as cookies. I don't even usually like chocolate cookies and I was in heaven.

My final note before the New Year is that I spent an obscene amount of money at the grocery store the past two times I went, due to holidays and gift cards and just loading up the cart. I'd like to try this challenge and see how it goes. I've done something similar before, and it's actually pretty fun -- you have to get creative! My loving husband got me Organics To You for my birthday this week, so I will have fresh veggies, but I vow to do little to no shopping besides that! I think I might be needing some more olive oil and earth balance, though. But no shopping besides that! Probably.

Chocolate Biscotti (Or better yet...Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies)

(Instructions note: "In a pretty tin, these twice-baked cookies keep their crunch for over a week")

2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened (I used the dark chocolate variety)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp. (3 oz) earth balance, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1- Sift together dry ingredients. Beat earth balance and sugar together until very smooth, then mix in applesauce well. Mix in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in chips.
2- Divide dough; put pieces on opposite sides of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape each into a 12-inch-long, 1/2-inch thick log. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes; cool 20 minutes.
3- Slice into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Stand them up on baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4- Devour!

Pin It

Well well, we had quite the traditional Thanksgiving day over here...if Asian food is your traditional Thanksgiving!!! And I bet it's NOT! I guess if you're not eating turkey, nor seeing your family, and you and your spouse are lazy and busy with an infant, it makes sense that we ended eating a few Asian appetizers for the Day Upon Which We Give Thanks.

So, I made a couple of Korean dishes that I love, and one very interesting take on a traditional Thanksgiving appetizer, courtesy of Veganomicon {a book I don't (but need) to have!}


This spinach salad was really good. The only alterations I made is that I salted the boiling water, and I left the spinach in a tad longer than indication. Also I toasted the sesame seeds before using. This is one of my favorite Korean appetizers and I was so happy to make it myself!

This cucumber salad is so refreshing and delicious. Alterations is that I doubled the recipe, I cut the cucumbers into half moons by cutting it lengthwise and scooping out the seeds and then chopping each half. I didn't use cilantro because I despise the stuff in general. I marinated in the fridge for a while before adding sesame seeds. And I added a dash of sesame oil to taste.

The piece de resistance was truly the panko stuffed mushrooms. I've had some panko breadcrumbs in my cupboard for a while now so it was a perfect way to use them. I didn't use much daikon but it didn't matter -- this was really a treat! I probably could have cooked the mushrooms a bit longer but I thought the stuffing was getting dried out/burnt. If I was less distracted I would have tested to make sure. Oh, and I used red pepper flakes instead of white pepper and it was fine, with a nice tiny kick.

Next year we'll do the usual. Having a baby and no family for thousands of miles has sure shook things up a bit. But next year Baby V will be more aware, and I like the traditions because they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside -- turkey corpse be damned.

Pin It I love, love, love Thai Food. And Pad Thai is so yummy. I decided to whip up a batch with the Thai noodles I got for real cheap with my Whole Foods coupons/sales. It really tasted authentic! My Pad Thai freak of a husband loved it -- eaten as leftovers (this makes a ton!) the day after because he got too full of beer at an after-work function to eat dinner...and passed out on the floor with the baby crawling around and pulling up on him. This was my Friday night.

Ah, romance.

Vegan Pad Thai

1 medium onion diced
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 block tofu, crumbled
10 oz. Pad Thai (or medium sized rice) Noodles
4 tablespoons Tamari
4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 packet of miso soup paste (my Annie Chun's soup had an extra packet in it. I'm sure about an oz. or two of miso would function the same)
1/3 cup raw sugar or an equal amount of tamarind
lots of red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
vegetable oil
toasted sesame oil

Boil water for noodles and, in a separate pot, steam broccoli until done. Sautee onions and garlic in mostly veggie oil mixed with a bit of sesame oil until almost done. Push this mixture to one side of the pan, and on the other, add crumbled tofu and sautee until firm and cooked into a scramble. Pour in the broccoli. Whisk the rest of ingredients in a small bowl vigorously until smooth. Prepare noodles as indicated on package. Then add noodles to mixture and mix. At the very end, toss in the sauce. Add more spice if desired.

Pin It I made a quick n' easy tamale pie last night, inspired by the tamale pie recipe on the back of the cornmeal box -- but way easier.

Alls I did was layer thin slices of those prepared tubes of polenta with Soyrizo crumbles (on sale at Whole Foods)that I sauteed with onions, garlic, some tomato sauce and tobasco sauce. In between the layers I added a bit more tomato sauce. Topped the whole thing off with tons o' soy cheddar, and baked it at 325 for 10-15 minutes. Easy! Quick! Yum! Non-vegan husband loved this and he is somewhat picky and hard-to-fill.

Pin It I've always been frugal (read: cheap/poor as h-e-double hockey sticks), but nowadays I am really focusing on how to save the most money...especially on food. I had no idea there were so many wonderful blogs that detail EVERYTHING about sales and coupons, where to get them, links etc. I haven't looked too hard, but I have had some trouble finding health food ingredients. So I thought I'd add a few coupons I find every once in a while. I live literally a few blocks from Whole Foods, and even though it is rightfully nickmamed "Whole Paycheck" by all my friends and the media -- it really is a pretty good store. And I find I can get things at a basically reasonable price if I 1)Only shop sales 2) combine with coupons. I almost never buy anything full price here because otherwise we will be in La Maison Pauvre (Chez Pauvre?) tout de suite.

I really made out like a bandit with the coupons they give out in their flyers the last two months. For instance, this month I paid about 80 cents for Lara bars, my quick brekkie fix for when I'm on the go. I have never spent that little, and in fact, I have spent as much as $2.50 for them in a pinch at a bodega in NY. Whoopsie.

But anyway, here are a few deals I found.

Annie Chuns soups were 2 for $4 (trader joe's is cheaper but doesn't have the same selection of flavors) - this came with a mail-in offer for Buy 10 get 1 Free. Also came with $1 off 2 bottles of Honest Tea coupon. (Did you know Honest Tea started out as a university project? I think it was Harvard School of Business.)

Any Earth's Best cereals or teething bars have a buy 10 get $1 off coupon for their jarred baby food, which I occasionally use when out of fresh ingredients -- Baby V actually really enjoys these!

Now for the coupons. Look for booklet-type things out in front of the store. (I'll only mention food ones and only those that are vegan):

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER WHOLE FOODS COUPON BOOKLET ("The Whole Deal")- abridged for vegans

$1 off 365 Everyday Value Maple Syrup
This was on sale for $6.99 last I checked. $5.99 is pretty darn cheap for maple syrup these days

$1 off 365 frozen waffles
eh, i'd rather make pancakes from scratch

75 cents off Thai Kitchen product
I bought rice noodles which were on sale cheap already. You could conceivably get their individual soup mixes that are like 95 cents and barely pay anything.

$1 off Back to Nature product
Never ate these

75 cents of Scharffen Berger or Dagoba products
Yum! Quick fact -- Steve? Scharffenberger is a doll. In my career days he sent me lots of free chocolate and was a very nice person. Did I mention he sent me free chocolate?

$1 off Lundburg rice
Not sure if this is a good deal

$1 off 2 Tasty Bite Products
The Bombay Potatoes with chick peas are da bomb! They were on sale for $2.50 each so these coupons made them only $2.00. Sweet.

$1 off Cascadian Farm cereal
Why is cereal so expensive? So cheap and easy to make your own granola.

$1 off Earthbound Farm Packaged Salad
This was already on sale so I got one. My confession: I am not a huge salad person, even tho people seem to think vegans all are.

75 cents off Imagine products
Got a veggie broth for my husband - he makes a fun veggie potato soup.


$1 off Vans waffles
Again, fro waffles not my style. These are good and vegan tho, if you like.

$1.50 off 2 health valley products

$1.00 off 3 Luna Bar products.
Used three of these and got 9 bars. They were already on sale for close to $1 so it was a steal!!! Even cheaper than Trader Joe's, which always have Luna and Clif Bars for $1 each.


Happy Health Food Shopping!!!

Oh! And here are some great coupon/savings sites. Will add more later:

moneysavingmom.com

babycheapskate blog

Budgetsavingmom.com

thefreebieblogger.com

anallamericanfamily.blogspot.com

Pin It I just wanted to give a quick shout out to a great resource for baby vegans.

Wholesomebabyfood.com is SO detailed -- perfect for a nervous new mom like myself. Breaks everything down by each and every veggie, fruit, grain, and protein and how to prepare,recipes, nutritional info, at what age it is safe, and any safety issues surrounding it. While not 100% vegan, this site is truly amazing and the main place I get my baby-feeding info (along with Dr. Sears' "The Baby Book" -- though not nearly as comprehensive).

Pin It I made this dish courtesy of Food & Wine magazine tonight. I rarely even find veggie dumplings at the Chinese joints out here -- and I'm sure I wouldn't be impressed. No offense, Chinese joints in PDX -- but your food is lackluster at best. Just a conduit/front for your bars and your lottery machines. Sad but true. Veggie dumplings and/or fried rice used to be my staple delivery item in NY for when I was feeling ill or just hungry. Ahh delivery...another thing I miss. The ultimate in laziness and debauchery -- sitting in my bed watching cable TV waiting for the Chinese dude to climb 5 flights of stairs to bring me my doughy, delicious dumplings alongside sweet and vinegary "dumpling sauce," and then proceeding to gobble them down in said bed in front of said cable TV, sauce dripping down chin. Yeah, I was a dynamo back in my single NYC days for sure...

Anyhoo -- My substitutions were: frozen spinach instead of fresh, dried red pepper flakes instead of jalapenos, tamari instead of regular soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil instead of regular. I put the frozen spinach in a collander and ran hot water over it, pressed it into the collander and squeezed as much water out as I could. Then I sauteed everything first, since I have a phobia about frozen foods not being cooked, or cooked enough. So it was all cooked twice, but was still really delicious. Stumbling upon this recipe reminded me of the time I went on a press tour to Whole Foods in Chelsea in NYC. They were just starting to roast their own coffee in store -- Allegro brand. The Food & Wine peeps were on the tour and they were pretty cool. I couldn't be jealous of their jobs though because as a vegan I could never work at a "real" foodie mag. But I digress. The toasted sesame oil really makes this dish and -- truthfully -- any Asian dish IMHO.

Pin It One of the best, cheapest places for a veggie to do brunch in NYC is Kate's Joint on Avenue B. So many delicious memories of stumbling in there hung over from the night before, or just the work week, and being served a sumptuous vegan breakfast, Sunday sun shining through the windows, rock on the speakers and coffee brightening my spirits. Yup, bottomless coffee and a veg bloody mary came with all the breakfast specials! Inevitably I would get the breakfast burrito with tofu scramble instead of egg. Served with rosemary potatoes and some fresh made salsa, it always hit the spot. The other day I decided to make my own breakfast burrito and it was surprisingly good -- almost better in a way!

All I did was sautee some crumbled tofu in earth balance with nutritional yeast, a little turmeric and paprika. Then I added a well-drained 3/4 can of black beans and mixed it all up. Threw it into a pre-made tortilla. Whirred up some nori-mu tofu with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt and maple syrup -- this would be the soy sour creme. Was overzealous with the lemon juice but it didn't matter much once spread in the tortilla. Served with jarred salsa. I bet soy cheddar would have made it over-the-top awesome. I could tell that Kate's froze and thawed the tofu beforehand, and seemed to add parsley. But this version was fine, too.

Now to make the rosemary potatoes WITHOUT rosemary (used to pick this vile weed off each and every potato ). And soon I will start up my bloody marys again. I make some great vegan ones. Easy peasy recipe to come.

Pin It I have a very emotional attachment to Israeli Cous Cous, as my Nanny made it for us many times throughout my childhood, just litely browned and with margarine. That reminds me - I have the instructions for stuffed cabbage I got from her a while ago and I need to veganize this treasure.

So, since acorn squash is popping up everywhere...here we go with a stuffed acorn squash recipe! Oh, and I didn't, but this would be great and healthier (actually, the correct term is more healthFUL. A person is healthy. A food is healthFUL. How's that for nerdity?) with another green veggie added in.



Israeli Cous Cous Stuffed Squash
1 acorn squash
1 1/4 cups Israeli Cous Cous (mine from TJ's)
2 large red onions
earth balance
olive oil
many cloves of garlic
nutritional yeast
garlic salt
ground pepper

Cut acorn squash in half with knife and hammer. (Yup! Only way I can do it, but maybe I'm a weakling.) Put halves face down on baking dish with 1/2 inch water. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or more.

Prepare cous cous according to package. Fry up with olive oil, onions, garlic and spices. When squash is ready, scoop out most of it (throw away or roast seeds and discard the yuck-yuck) and, in another pan, sautee in butter, spices until a nice consistency. Add as much of the cous cous mixture to this as you think you'll need to fill the 2 halves. Fill the halves with the mixture of cous cous and squash and grate soy cheeze on top of each (be generous -- it's delish and not overwhelming at all!) Bake for about 10 more minutes to set. Enjoy! This was really yummy and tons of yum Israeli cous cous mixture left over.

Pin It This time of year, the cravings start for decadent desserts, too! I made these brownies recently, and they were as chocolatey and chewey as I remember "real" ones to be. Veganized!!!

Brownies with "Buttercream" Frosting

1 cup white flour
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's extra dark)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup melted earth balance
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

Frosting ingredients:

1/3 cup earth balance
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons vanilla soy milk


Mix dry brownie ingredients and wet separately, then combine. Will be pretty thick and gooey. Grease a pan with a l'il earth balance and bake at 350 until a fork or toothpick comes out dry from the center and the edges seem somewhat hard and crispy (and delicious!).

Meanwhile, beat all frosting ingredients except sugar, syrup and soy milk. Then slowly beat them in in that order. Experiment with maple syrup and sugar amounts because I had this hurtin-my-teeth sweet.

Take brownies out of oven. Here's where you got options. If you want a glazed look and feel -- spread icing on brownies while hot. Let cool. If you want thick frosting, leave brownies to cool overnight and frosting in fridge. The next morning, beat the thickened frosting until smooth and spread. Either way it's great! I did both because I couldn't wait.

Pin It My husband loves a hearty meal, especially when colder weather comes around. Here is an easy, cheap favorite that always lasts at least 2 days.

Chorizo Pasta

1 package soy chorizo (Trader Joe's or Soyrizo)
1 lb penne rigate pasta
3 or 4 yellow squash, cut into small pieces
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tomato sauce of choice
red wine to taste
nutritional yeast to taste.


Start boiling water for pasta. Sautee garlic, onions in olive oil in a large frying pan. Brown chorizo. Add squash, wine, a little water, and tomato sauce and cover. Cook until squash cooked thoroughly. Add nutritional yeast. Serve over pasta.

Pin It
Growing up, we never ate anything called a "casserole" or even a "pie" for that matter. My Bronx-born-and-raised mom just didn't make that sort of thing. Except a frozen chicken pot pie on nights when she just wanted to give up on us kids. Anyway, as a vegan, I've really enjoyed making veganized versions of such things (thank goodness no cream of mushroom soup involved - ew...). And when I scored some yummy-looking summer squash at the farmer's market, I thought a squash casserole/pie would be a good idea. And mmm was it ever!



Vegan Summer Squash Pie/Casserole
7 small-to-medium squash (I used a mix of zucchini and yellow but either alone would be fine, I'm sure)

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic
cheddar soy cheez (I used Follow Your Heart)
earth balance
olive oil
1/4 sleeve ritz-style vegan crackers

Wash squash and chop into thin rounds. Chop onions into half rings. Mince garlic. Preheat oven to 350F.

Sautee first the onions, then the garlic, and then the squash, in 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 earth balance to generously cover bottom of large frying pan. Add salt to taste if you like.

Spread one layer of sauteed ingredients in glass baking pan (I used a pyrex pie plate) and cover entire layer in shredded cheddar soy cheez. Do the same with the next layer(s) until done. Add crushed crackers to top layer of cheddar. Bake at 350 until cheez is bubbly and top is crisp. My stove took about 15 minutes.

I ate this by itself but it seems like something they would tell you to "serve with crusty bread." Enjoy! This is simple but really, really tasty.