Garlicky Garbanzos and Friends, Redeux

I made this again recently and made a couple of slight changes. Seriously, this dish is so quick and easy and yummy. Definitely a good one when you have little time.

The original recipe is posted here.

This time I added about a teaspoon of savory with the other herbs, and a sprinkling of black pepper to the finished dish. I think I liked it even better.

You can also dice up potatoes, rather than using the canned variety, if you have some potatoes hanging around, begging to be used. Just cut them in a small dice and cook as the recipe suggests, and they should come out soft.

You can also cut the ingredients in half quite easily.

Milano Lemon Chick'n

I had a package of chick'n breasts in the freezer and debated about what to do with them. I wanted something kind of simple, not too complicated, but yummy. And had to use ingredients I already had at home, which wasn't much. I really need to go grocery shopping...

Anyway, this was the result.

Milano Lemon Chick'n

One package favorite vegan chick'n breasts
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 t. thyme

Lay the breasts in a frying pan. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and thyme together, and pour over the chick'n. Bring to a boil. When it boils, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. About halfway through, flip the chick'n over. Serve. Enjoy!

You can lightly panfry the chick'n in butter before you add the sauce if you like, but I didn't. It came out very juicy and tender - and lemony!

I snuck one as a leftover for my lunch the next day.

Tarragon Chick'n Salad

Whole Foods makes about four vegan chick'n salads. I've tried three of them, and they are delicious! I asked an employee about what chick'n they used, and when she went to show me, the product wasn't there. She couldn't remember the name of it, just what the package looked like.

So I cozied up to Google.

I discovered that Whole Foods uses (or at least is purported to use) a particular brand for a couple of the chick'n salads. Lo and behold, about a week later I find that very chick'n at my Whole Foods! Yay! So I bought it, and I have to say I'm pretty sure this must be the chick'n they use. And it's fabulous!

Tarragon Chick'n Salad

One package Delight Soy Nuggets, baked per package directions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 onion, diced
Vegan mayonnaise
1 t. tarragon
1 t. parsley
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used cashews, but you can use pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.)

Mix everything in a bowl, with enough mayonnaise to coat and mix but not overwhelm. Serve as a salad or on a sandwich with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

This was my first time to use the Delight Soy Nuggets, and I will definitely use them again. I liked the smell, the taste, the ease of them.

Corn Pudding

When I hear the word pudding, I certainly don't think of corn. Or anything savory, truth be told. But this was really delicious.

Corn Pudding

3 c. vegan milk
1/2 c. soft tofu
One bag of frozen kernel corn, thawed
1/3 c. bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
Salt to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste

Heat milk in a pot until just boiling. Place tofu and 2 c. of corn into a food processor and process until almost smooth. Add remaining ingredients to the milk and stir to mix. Place everything in a lightly greased casserole dish, stir again to mix well. Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 45 minutes, or until slightly firm to touch. Serve. Enjoy!

Baked Sweet and Savory Mashed Potatoes

My family is not crazy about sweet potatoes. While I can't say they are my favorite food, I do like them. Somewhat. This is one of those ways I like them, and in this case, my family really did, too.

Baked Sweet and Savory Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. potatoes, cut into chunks
One 29 oz. can sweet potatoes in syrup, drained and mashed
One container vegan cream cheese
One container vegan sour cream
2/3 c. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegan bacon bits

Boil the potatoes in water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return the potatoes to the pot, and add the sweet potatoes and cream cheese. Mash until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, broth, salt and pepper and bacon bits. Place this in a casserole dish and bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Caribbean Dressing

My husband and daughter-in-law love coconut. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I try to find dishes for them that I think I will like, too. This is one of those dishes.

Caribbean Dressing

One loaf of bread, cut in cubes
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. chopped garlic
2 T. tarragon
2 onions, chopped
1/2 c. celery, diced
2 c. mango, cubed
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
One package vegan Italian sausage
1/2 c. vegetable stock
1/4 c. shredded coconut

Mix the bread cubes with the olive oil, garlic, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake it for 10 minutes at 350. In a skillet, sauté the onions, celery, mango, and cilantro. Add the baked bread cubes to the skillet briefly, then place everything in a bowl. In the same skillet, sauté the sausage with the vegetable stock. When sausage is browned, add this mixture and the coconut to what is already in the bowl. Stir to mix everything well. Place this new mixture in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Relish

A new Whole Foods opened in town recently, and we all piled into the car to check it out. While there, my daughter informed us of another, slightly similar but not as cool, store located just across the street from the new Whole Foods. I had friends who had been employed at this other store, so I had a knowledge of its existence, but had never visited. So, we did.

While there wasn't anything  new or exciting about it, there was one exception. A lady was giving out samples of foods to entice people to order complete dinners. We got to sample a cranberry orange relish and it was fabulous! I have always made a cranberry dish for Thanksgiving, but its always the same dish, every year. This recipe was quite different. I had to find a way to make it.

Cranberry Orange Relish

One navel orange, unpeeled and cut into chunks
One bag of fresh cranberries
3/4 c. stevia (see note)
Chopped pecans

Place everything except the pecans in a food processor and chop until finely chopped but not pulverized. Place the mixture to a bowl and add the pecans. Stir to mix well. Cover and chill overnight. Serve. Enjoy!

Note: As much as I love stevia, it did not sweeten this very much. In fact, it was quite a tangy dish. I later added a can of pineapple to it, and it greatly improved the sweetness.

Oven Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

A friend of mine from Germany came to visit recently. We spent a lot of time discussing all things vegan. She shared with me two of her own recipes for vegan cheese. I can't wait to try them out myself! She stayed with another friend of ours while here, and the three of us together was so much fun! On one of our outings, I was introduced to colored carrots. Of course, I had to buy some! They worked beautifully in this oven roasted vegetable dish.

Oven Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

Parsnips (as many as you want), chopped
Carrots (as many as you want), sliced
Shallots, chopped
One red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, halved
2 T. olive oil
2 T. vegan butter
2 T. fresh rosemary

In a baking dish, combine the vegetables. Combine the oil, the butter (melted), and the rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle this all over the vegetables and toss gently to coat. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for an hour. You want to see the vegetables just to begin to brown, and be fork tender. Stir it occasionally to even cooking. Serve. Enjoy!

16 Bean, Leek, and Sausage Soup

Long before the Shannons published their very awesome cookbook, Betty Goes Vegan, my daughter and I have been fans of their website. So when the holidays came around and family was visiting, I wanted to feed them something not only delicious, but warm. We've had some cold and rainy days here. Soup was definitely the answer.

I chose the Shannon's 16 Bean, Leek, and Tofurky Kielbasa Soup. With a few changes. For instance, I substituted Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage. I also used eight cups of vegetable broth instead of their suggested six.

Needless to say, it turned out beautifully and was happily gobbled down by everyone. Give it a try and see for yourself. Also, I highly recommend their cookbook. My daughter and I both own copies of it and we love it!

Quick Jambalaya

I visited New Orleans a few years ago with my mom. It was with a tour group, so much of our food was decided for us. I lucked out because I simply asked at each location if they had any vegan options. I was not disappointed once. It was a lesson I learned - don't be afraid to ask. You could and probably will be very pleasantly surprised.

One of our dining experiences was with a chef. I talk a little about the experience here. As much as I love to cook, it is unlikely I will ever be as good as a chef. Probably because I go for quick more than fancy. Emphasis on quick. Like this dish.

Quick Jambalaya

Vegan meat of your choice (I went with sausage and tofu)
One onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
One green bell pepper, chopped
2 T. olive oil (peanut oil, if you have it)
1/2 c. vegetable broth
3 c. cooked rice
One can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Your favorite Cajun seasoning

In a Dutch oven, saute the vegetables in the oil until soft. Add the vegan meat and heat through. Add the broth, rice, tomatoes, and bay leaves. Add seasoning to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent anything from sticking. Remove the bay leaves. Serve. Enjoy!

Frickles

The first time I heard the word *frickles*, I kinda giggled. C'mon, admit it, it's a funny word! I couldn't find an original source for the recipe, but all of them were the same. They aren't pretty, but they are kinda tasty!

Frickles

One package of egg roll wrappers (make sure they are vegan!)
One jar of pickle spears
One package vegan lunch meat
One container vegan cream cheese

Lay out the eggroll wrapper at a diagonal. Spread with a thin layer of cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with a slice of lunchmeat. Lay the pickle at the bottom corner of the lunchmeat, and begin to roll the eggroll wrapper around all the layers, tucking in the sides as you go. Dampen the edges to make sure it all sticks and stays stuck. Fry in oil, seam down, until it begins to brown, then flip to the other side to brown. Drain. Serve. Enjoy!

Carrots with Dill

My family is not a fan of cooked carrots. They'll eat the heck out of raw carrots, but cooked? They'll pass. I like them, though, so will find numerous ways to cook them that just might appeal. This got half to say they liked them, the other half still said no. But I liked them!

Carrots with Dill

One bag of frozen, sliced carrots (you can use fresh, but I went for quick here)
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. fresh dill (or sprinkle on dried dill)

Cook the carrots according to package instructions. Drain. Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the cooked carrots. Stir in the salt and cook until everything is coated with the butter. Sprinkle on the dill. Serve. Enjoy!

Corn Casserole with Jalapenos and Cheese

We decided to try the Daiya cream cheeses. Hubby likes to buy bagel chips and dip it in cream cheese, and I like to dip pecan halves in. We had some left over and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I used it in this recipe. It turned out quite yummy!

Corn Casserole with Jalapenos and Cheese

2 cans corn, drained
One container of Daiya Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Style Spread
1-3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a covered casserole dish, and mix well. Bake, covered, at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Asian Pasta Salad

Have you ever looked at your mom's cookbooks, and kind of laughed at the recipes that are labeled Mexican or Asian, read the ingredients and wondered how they ever came to that conclusion? I have. And living where I do, in a place that has some of the BEST Mexican food in the country, I am almost offended by some of those recipes that suggest they are ethnic but are anything but.

And then there is this recipe. Okay, it is called Asian. It isn't. But the flavors are still divine.

Asian Pasta Salad

8 oz or thereabouts package linguine, broken in half
4-5 green onions, sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced (I used colored carrots - purple, yellow, orange)
12 grape tomatoes, cut in half
One head of broccoli, sliced
1/2 c. vegetable or sesame oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 t. hot sauce
2 T. sesame seeds

Cook the linguine according to package directions, rinse with cold water, drain, and add to a large bowl. Add the vegetables. Combine the remaining ingredients in a closed container and shake well to blend. Pour over the salad, toss gently. Serve or refrigerate. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chick'n

2014 was very much a roller coaster year for me. Other than the fact that my daughter got married, I am not sorry to see the year end. I know, I know, how many times do you see someone say that, or how they are glad the day, month, etc. has ended. Depressing. But I am looking forward to this new year, and hoping for many great and wonderful things to happen! I am starting it off by returning to my blog and posting that which I very much enjoy - cooking!

I posted a picture of this on Facebook months ago, and had several people ask for the recipe. So, here you are!

Mediterranean Chick'n

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 T. olive oil
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. pitted black olives
1 t. granulated garlic
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
One package gardein chick'n scallopini

In a bowl, combine mushrooms, green onions, oil, garlic, sauce and paste. Add wine, olives and spices. Place chick,n in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce. Bake 50 minutes at 375 degrees, uncovered. Serve. Enjoy!

This really was delicious!