National Pizza with Everything (except anchovies) Day

Today is, believe it or not, National Pizza with Everything (except anchovies) Day. And I am totally down with this. Honestly, though, almost every day could be pizza day for me. My local Whole Foods makes several vegan pizzas that are amazing!

Fresh Vegetable Pizza

Your favorite vegan crescent rolls dough
1 container vegan sour cream
1 T. vegan horseradish sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
Sliced mushrooms
Chopped tomatoes
Broccoli florets
Chopped green onions

Spread your dough on a cookie sheet, pressing and smooshing to make one big roll of dough that covers the entire pan, and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, until brown. Let it cool completely.

Mix the sour cream with the horseradish, and spread this over the top the of baked crust. Top with the chopped vegetables, and cut into squares. 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!

Tofu in Pecan Sauce

If you aren't a fan of tofu, it's probably because you've never had it made well. Those squishy, marshmallowy squares really aren't very enticing, I gotta admit. I never make it that way.

Tofu in Pecan Sauce

One package extra firm tofu, frozen, boiled, pressed, sliced
One onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. oregano
1/4 c. chopped pecans
Vegan butter
3 T. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. vegan sour cream

In a frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until softened. Add the pecans. Into the sour cream, mix the flour and seasonings. Add this to the onion mixture. Lay the tofu on top of this sauce, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes. Turn the tofu over to get sauce on the other side. Cover again and let simmer a few more minutes. Watch the sauce doesn't burn. Serve over noodles. Enjoy!

I admit I was a little worried the tofu would be bland, not having marinated beforehand, but it absorbed this sauce readily and was absolutely delicious! The only thing I would do differently is to double the sauce.

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Since we've been eating salads the traditional way, in a bowl with a fork, I decided to change it up a bit and make one you can eat on lettuce or in a sandwich.

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Vegan chick'n - I used Trader Joes chick'n strips - sautéed and diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
4 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/4 c. vegan sour cream
1 T. dill
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. coarse ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serve. Enjoy!

We ate ours on bread topped with lettuce. Everyone wanted at least two sandwiches each!

Beer and Cheese Potato Chowder

It has been one rollercoaster of a year so far. Health issues, the death of my beloved Siamese, Fergus, and just general mayhem. I am determined that this second half will be better. My daughter is getting married, so it most definitely will be grand!

With all that has been happening, I have sorely neglected my blogs. That ends today. I have had several friends asking for this recipe, so here it is!

Beer and Cheese Potato Chowder

2-3 lbs. potatoes, diced
One onion, diced
One stalk of celery, diced
One clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. pepper
16 oz. vegetable broth
One can of beer
2 c. shredded vegan cheddar cheese
1/2 c. vegan sour cream

Add all ingredients except for cheese and sour cream to a crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Stir in the cheese and sour cream and cover until it melts. Serve. Enjoy!

I added garlic and onion croutons, but it didn't really need it.

Dips and Savories

I have a fondness for delectable finger foods. Especially at Yule. Christmas Eve. New Year's Eve. Any day that ends in y. We refer to them as fun food. Sometimes we buy up a bunch of several different prepackaged kinds, but after awhile they become boring. Making my own ups the fun ante and the plus side is I get to experiment with new recipes.

Tiny Taco Tarts

30 individual frozen mini phyllo shells, thawed
1/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
6 T. vegan sour cream
1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix
1 T. lime juice
Toppings of choice (we used cilantro)

Bake the phyllo shells at 375 for 10 minutes. Let cool. Mix the remaining ingredients (except for toppings) and spoon into the cooled shells. Top with chosen toppings and serve.

These were very tasty, but don't use too much of the mixture in the shells, or you'll taste more mayonnaise than anything else. Use a smaller amount and the mix of creamy ingredients with phyllo crunch is perfect.

Black Bean Dip

Half a red onion, cut in quarters
1 c. cilantro leaves
2 cand black beans, rinsed and drained
4 t. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. ground red pepper
1/2 c. orange juice

Add onion and cilantro to a food processor and whirl until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except for orange juice and whirl again until well mixed. Place in a bowl, add orange juice and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.

I would have liked the beans to be more mashed than they were, so would whirl it all a little longer. This, however, did not stop it from being devoured. Also, more than half an onion overwhelms all other flavors. Add more if you like that.

Cilantro Pesto

2 c. cilantro
2 T. walnuts
1 T. lime juice
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. water

Combine everything in a food processor and whirl until well mixed. Serve with raw veggies. We used cucumber and celery.

I initially left out the sugar, but discovered it really was needed to tone down the tartness. While it went well with the raw veggies, I found out the next day it went even better over pasta.

I woke up the next day really expecting leftovers. I should have known better serving these to a house full of twenty somethings. Everything was gone but for just over a tablespoon of the cilantro pesto.

Non-traditional Thanksgiving

You could say our Thanksgivings have been anything but traditional since we became vegan. Despite the lack of a turkey centerpiece, I still love the multitude of dishes that are made for the day. Leftovers!

This year we went to my parent's to celebrate with them. My father has had a turkey aversion for a few years now, after getting sick after eating some. While I would say that suits me fine, it hasn't stopped my parents from having some meat dish for the day's meal. This year my mom settled on ribs. Knowing that the vegans in my family wouldn't be eating any, and that I would be cooking later in the day for a second feast (my kids work retail and wouldn't be home until evening), I volunteered to make a couple of sides to accompany my mom's choice of macaroni and cheese (non-vegan, of course!)

I went with potato salad and coleslaw. Completely non-traditional, but certainly an accepted accompaniment for ribs.

Dill and Sour Cream Potato Salad

3 lbs. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 T. fresh dill
1/2 t. black pepper
2/3 c. vegan mayonnaise
2 t. fresh parsley
One container vegan sour cream
1/2 t. salt

Boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain and cool. Refrigerate them until ready to mix with remaining ingredients.
When ready, add remaining ingredients to the chilled potatoes and mix well. Refrigerate again until serving time.

Tri-Color Coleslaw

One head red cabbage, shredded
One head green cabbage, shredded
One bunch kale, shredded
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. pumkin seeds
Vegan mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients together with enough mayonnaise to coat well, but not too juicy. This makes a LOT of coleslaw, so make sure you are feeding a crowd!

My mom loves potato salad and my dad loves coleslaw, so the choices were a success. My husband thought the potato salad needed more salt (I tend to use less because of his propensity for salting at the table before tasting) and my dad doctored his coleslaw servings with more mayo (he likes his creamier), but everyone else thought the dishes were just right.

Personal preferences aside, try these out at your next cookout or non-traditional feast. Enjoy!