Island Tofu

Like I said previously, I love tofu. It is the absolute most versatile ingredient and favorite meat substitute. I know some people, especially those new to plant based eating, who don't like it, and I can guarantee it's not the tofu, but the way it's prepared. Try this and you'll change your mind!

Island Tofu

1/2 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. brown sugar
1/8 t. ground allspice
One package extra firm tofu, frozen, boiled, pressed, cut into rectangles or triangles
One green bell pepper, cut into strips
3 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
One jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Two tomatoes, chopped
One can of pineapple chunks, about 1 c., drained
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
2 t. lime juice

Mix the cornstarch, thyme, marjoram, salt, cayenne, paprika, brown sugar, and allspice in a bowl. Coat the sliced tofu in the mixture thoroughly, and cook in oil over medium heat until a nice golden b brown. Set aside.
In the same skillet, saute the bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and jalapeno in oil until softened. Add the tomatoes, pineapple chunks, soy sauce, water, and lime juice and simmer until flavors blend.
To serve, spoon the mixture over the tofu. Enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

My dad told me he doesn't like pasta salad. I told him he has never tried mine. I can make a convert of anyone!

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

One package vegetable spiral pasta
1 c. vegan mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. stevia
1 t. garlic powder
One bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 c. vegan bacon bits
One head of cauliflower, chopped
One bunch broccoli, chopped
One red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. shredded vegan white cheese

Cook pasta per package instructions, drain and let cool. Mix all ingredients in one very large bowl and stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Stir again before serving. Serve. Enjoy!

Chickpea Dip

New Year's Eve is just a day away, so plans are already underway for celebrations. In our house, we stay home and have our own little party. And, of course, there is always food.

Chickpea Dip

3 green onions, white parts only
One lemon
2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
1 T. parsley
6 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the lemon in half. Add remaining ingredients to a food processor, and squeeze the lemon halves over it. Give it a whir until everything is well blended and not too chunky. Serve with pita chips. Enjoy!

Gazpacho Salad

My husband loves tangy cucumber and onion kinds of salads. I was pretty sure he would like this version, and I was right. He had three helpings.

Gazpacho Salad

2 cucumbers, diced
Handful of sliced mushrooms
Green onions, sliced
1 T. dried parsley or 1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, diced
One green pepper, sliced thin
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 t. soy sauce
1/8 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. basil
1/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. celery salt
5 T. olive oil

Add the vegetables and the parsley to a large bowl. Mix the vinegar, olive oil and herbs and spices together and pour over the vegetables. Mix well to coat. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Add a sprinkle of vegan cheese, if you'd like, and serve.

Black Beans and Rice

You can never go wrong with beans and rice. They are such a staple at my house. I can always fall back on beans and rice and no one complains, they love it that much. I guess it is like a comfort food. Normally I do something simple like black eyed peas and yellow rice. But every now and then I like to change things up a bit. Since my son absolutely loves black beans, I know I can make them any time.

Black Beans and Rice

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed well
1-1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 T. Braggs aminos
1 t. chili powder
One can diced tomatoes
Green onions, chopped
One can corn, drained and rinsed
One green bell pepper, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
One avocado, diced
Cooked rice

Cook the beans with the broth, Braggs and chili powder. Add the diced tomatoes and heat through. Serve the beans over the rice with the green onions, corn, bell pepper, cilantro and avocado spooned on top. Enjoy!

This was simple and delicious, and the leftovers made it into wraps the next day.

Pete's Nacho Awesomeness

I have to say it - my youngest is pretty awesome. He will often come home from work and offer to cook. How many kids do that? And the beauty of it is, he's really pretty good! Not only is he gorgeous, but he can cook, too!

One of his specialties is a very simple nacho dish. We eat it a few times a year, and he decided to make it the other day. I can't explain it, but for some reason, this time he made it it just seemed exceptionally good! I told him we were officially changing the name of the recipe to Pete's Nacho Awesomeness!

One bag of corn chips
One green bell pepper, diced
One bunch of green onions, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
One can of sliced black olives
2 avocados, diced

Lay the corn chips on a baking sheet and top with the green pepper, green onions, tomatoes and black beans. Broil about 7-10 minutes, but watch closely to make sure the corn chips don't burn. Top with olives and avocados and serve.

You can sprinkle some Daiya shreds on it you like, or add some vegan sour cream. You can do this, of course, but honestly these nachos are so good without them you might decide not to.

Have extra chips on hand, because you won't want to lose a bit of the tasty veggies.

Enjoy!

National Hot Dog Month

I guess it figures that National Hot Dog Month would coincide with National Picnic Month. I'm not one for using a public grill (ew!) but I know many who will. I bought myself an adorable little hot dog cooker a few years ago. Granted I don't use it very often, but it's still cute!

It's actually kind of rare that I get a craving for a hot dog. Jokes abound (and are probably true) about the mysteries of what is IN a hot dog. It's also why I'm glad my hot dogs are cruelty free! Nevertheless, I don't make a habit out of eating them. They might be cruelty free, but it is still a hot dog!

After shuffling through and organizing my monumental piles of recipes into something inherently more usable, I found I did need to create a section for hot dogs. Not that many recipes, but enough to warrant a separate section. At least now for those times I desire a hot dog, it will be something other than the usual.

Barbecue Hot Dogs

One package vegan hot dogs
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1/2 c. pineapple juice
3/4 c. barbecue sauce
1/4 t. chili powder

Score the hot dogs 4-5 times. Combine everything in a skillet and bring to an easy boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes. Spoon some of the sauce over the hot dog in your bun.

Enjoy!

National Junk Food Day

July 21 is National Junk Food Day. Because the next day was my son's birthday, and he loves the occasional night of snack food dining, I decided to wait. Okay, so we didn't celebrate Junk Food Day on Junk Food Day, but doesn't every day hold the honor of being a junk food day? Well, at least in some form? ;)

The good news is my birthday boy loved the snacks, and that's the most important thing!

I can't count how many potlucks or get togethers I've gone to where someone brought tortilla rollups. Such a simple and pretty thing, but I've never made them before. This offered me the perfect opportunity to correct that.

Tortilla Rollups

One container vegan cream cheese
5 green onions, chopped
2 small cans of chopped black olives
1/4 fake bacon bits
2 T. black bean salsa (see below)
1 t. cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
Flour tortillas

Soften the cream cheese in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour tortillas, and blend well. Spoon some of the mixture on a flour tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down on a plate, and stack them on top of each other. Cover and chill. Before serving, slice into rounds.

Black Bean Salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. red onion, diced
One green pepper, chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 T. lime juice
2 T. vegetable oil
1-1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
1/2 t. salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Don't buy the canned stuff. This bean dip rocks!

Tex Mex Dip

3 green onions, chopped
One can vegetarian refried beans
One can corn, drained
One package Daiya Pepperjack
1/2 c. beer
One package taco seasoning mix

Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Stir occasionally until everything is mixed well and heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spicy Cheese Crisps

1/2 c. vegan butter, softened
One package Daiya Pepperjack
2 c. whole wheat flour
Pecan halves

Beat butter, cheese and flour together until well mixed. Cover and chill overnight. Shape into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Use a glass to smash the balls into flat rounds. Top with a pecan half. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until browned slightly. Let cool. Enjoy!

Eat More Kale

Eat More Kale is actually a website dedicated to eating local, eating healthy, and by all means promoting the yumminess of kale. Dried into chips is one of the best ways to eat it, imnsho. Better than store bought potato chips any day!

Researchers have identified over 45 different flavonoids in kale. This broad spectrum of antioxidants has been linked to cancer prevention, and kale is a star. Steamed kale is fiber rich and cholesterol lowering. If you have never tried kale before, the health benefits alone should put it at the top of your grocery list.

There are so many ways to prepare kale, but one way we found was to add it to a hummus sandwich.

Hummus with Kale Sandwich

One bunch of kale, rinsed, drained and leaves torn away from stems
Hummus, either homemade or store bought - we prefer roasted garlic hummus
Green onions, chopped
Half a bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
One lemon

Put the kale in a pot filled with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Shake the colander to be sure you've gotten most of the water out. Drizzle the drained kale with the lemon, squeezing as much juice from it that you can.

Mix the green onions and cilantro into the hummus, and spread over toasted bread. Top the hummus with a handful of the kale. Add another slice of toasted bread on top and enjoy!

My son discovered he liked adding thinly sliced lemons to his sandwich. I thought it made it too tangy, but you might try it both ways and decide which you like best. I used thin sandwich buns for the bread, but you could also use a pita, if you prefer.

National Picnic Month

One of the designations for July is National Picnic Month. Pretty much any month that isn't cold is well suited for a picnic. I mean, do you really need an excuse to go on one?

The hubby took a week off for some vacation down time, and decided we would all go as a family to a water park. He and I had never been to this one, so barring rain, we were going. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Despite the delay in getting our food, due to someone (I won't mention any names...) shutting the keys to the car in the trunk and having to have someone come out to unlock the car for us, it was a great day and the food turned out fantastic!

I like to shop the food section at Marshall's because I always find the coolest pasta. I was originally only going to make one pasta salad dish, but the recipe on one of the packages just sounded too good, so I decided to make both.

Walnut Chick'n Salad

1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
One container plain soy yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 c. cooked vegan chicken, your choice
One apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add some vegan mayonnaise if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto your favorite slice of bread and enjoy!

Sesame Pasta Salad

1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/3 c. water
3 T. soy sauce
1-1/2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. white vinegar
One package of pasta, your choice (mine looked like margarita glasses), cooked and cooled
1 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. radishes, chopped

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fishy Pasta Salad

One package of pasta, your choice (this one was shaped like lobsters), cooked and cooled
3/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot sauce

Again, mix everything in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fruit Salad with Mint

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into small pieces
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
One pint of strawberries, hulled and quartered
One pint of blueberries
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in a food processor until well blended. Add all of the fruit together in one large bowl, pour the sugar sauce over it and mix well. Refrigerate.

Add some iced tea and you've got a great picnic meal!

National Macaroni Day

National Macaroni Day was July 7, but a series of distractions prevented me from taking advantage of the day. Not to be denied, I made my mac and cheese, finally, last night. I had to rescue some of it from my son for my lunch today. Otherwise, he couldn't stop eating it. He plans to go buy all the ingredients just so I'll make it again this weekend. Probably all for him! LOL!

In addition, to round out the meal, I made a couple of different mixed vegetable dishes.

Macaroni and Cheese

One package elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2-1/4 c. rice milk
1/2 t. salt
Dash of black pepper
One package of Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk and some of the Daiya until creamy. In a lightly greased casserole dish, layer the macaroni, then Daiya, the macaroni, then the sauce and top with more Daiya. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Summer Garden Vegetables

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 T. butter
2 c. fresh or frozen corn
3 tomatoes, cut into chunks
4 small yellow squash, sliced
1 t. salt
3/4 t. dried oregano leaves
1/4 t. pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

King of the Jungle Vegetables

Handful of carrots, sliced
Olive oil
One package of frozen green beans
One package of frozen cauliflower florets
One bunch of green onions, sliced
2 c. water or vegetable broth
Dash of garlic powder

Saute the carrots in the olive oil until beginning to soften. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

Better Ramens

Every college student knows about ramen noodles, and often have found numerous ways to jazz them up a bit. They are inexpensive and simple to make, and while I wouldn't recommend a steady diet of them, they have their uses.

Better Ramens

4 packages ramen noodles, broken up
A handful of green onions, chopped
One can (14 oz) bean sprouts
Toasted sesame oil
1 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
6 T. rice wine vinegar
Seasoning packets from ramens
1 T. soy sauce

Add the noodles to boiling water and cook for one minute. Add chopped onions and bean sprouts to a colander, and drain the noodles on top of them. Dump the colander contents into a big bowl. Heat a little of the sesame oil in a small frying pan and add the nuts and seeds. Stir, stir, stir until they look just a little browned, then add them on top of the noodles. Add the vinegar, 2 T. sesame oil, ramen seasoning and soy sauce to the noodle/nut mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Cover and let stand for the flavors to blend about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

One word of caution - not all ramens are vegan! Be sure to closely read the ingredients before you buy to make sure you don't get something objectionable.

I had no leftovers. My hubby and youngest went back for thirds.

Japanese Fried Rice and Seaweed Salad

A few weeks ago my kids and I happened upon a sushi place and decided to check it out. Some of the food was served conveyor belt style and you just grabbed the dish as it went by. One item we tried and fell absolutely in love with was the seaweed salad. Another item that we had to order off the menu was their Japanese fried rice. We agreed it was the best rice we have ever had. If we do fried rice takeout, that is the place we are going to go!

So the other night I'm home alone and craving the rice and seaweed salad. As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients in my pantry! So here are my versions of Japanese fried rice and seaweed salad.

Japanese Fried Rice

6 c. cooked rice
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, cut up, green parts also
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 t. ground ginger
Soy sauce to taste
Sesame oil

Saute the green pepper, green onions and garlic in the sesame oil. Add rice one cup at a time, mixing well.  Mix in the ginger. Sprinkle in soy sauce to taste.

I thought later how bean sprouts would have been nice, but I didn't have any. I'm not sure what makes this Japanese, as opposed to Chinese fried rice. I did later come upon some recipes that included sake. Maybe that is the secret, but I rather doubt the restaurant used it in their fried rice. I really want to go back now and see if I can figure out if and how their's may have differed.

Seaweed Salad

One package dried wakame seaweed, shredded
4 T. rice vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
4 T. soy sauce
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 T. white sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 T. black sesame seeds, untoasted

Soak seaweed in warm water for 5-6 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sesame oil, soy, ginger, sugar, green onions, and garlic. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss drained seaweed with dressing and sesame seeds. Let sit for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

This stuff sells for about $5 at the grocery store for the equivalent of a single serving. I made my own for much less and got a lot more.

Shredded Veggie Rice

I have several vegan cookbooks. There isn't a one I don't love. So I'm going to trip through some of them and introduce others to the fantastic variety out there!

Shredded Veggie Rice

This tasty and very simple dish is courtesy of Rice & Spice by Robin Robertson, one of my favorite vegan cooks. This fried rice is loaded with veggies - squash, zucchini, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, etc. She suggests using tamari, but I used Braggs Aminos instead. The ginger gives it a really nice kick. I didn't mince the garlic, I just allowed it to be shredded with the rest of the veggies.