Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Cashew spread

I made this garden herb spreadable "cheese" this week and it is fantastic! You wouldn't guess that it is soy free and cashew based. Its delicious spread on bagels like cream cheese...a great breakfast option for me since I avoid soy in the morning and therefore can't use the Tofutti cream chrese. I've also used it as a salad dressing and mixed it into pasta sauce....yum!

Here is the link: http://vegnews.reach.li/c/6sgTHm/


Sunday, December 16, 2012

What does a pregnant vegan eat?

 Whatever she wants!

I'm in a pretty good place right now, as far as life balancing goes. Between work, appointments, friends, family and the approaching holidays, I am still managing to get some me time and some cooking done! I think my nesting phase is starting slowly but surely (organizing cupboards and closets).

Vegetable Lasagna- Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Foods

This lasagna is layers of noodles, sauce, tofu ricotta, spinach, zucchini, carrots and cheese. I also threw in Yves ground round to the sauce for Billy. It was delicious! I had mine with a side of lemon garlic kale. Billy did not...more for me and the baby!

 Chocolate Candy Cane Ice Cream- A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise

 The flavour of this ice cream (recipe here) was great. I loved the little chunks of candy cane. The texture was not my favourite. I think it was my error and not the recipe's because I've made similar recipe's before without the problem. It was just too soft, and even after days in the freezer it was melting within seconds of being served. However, it was still a nice holiday flavoured treat!

Split Pea Soup-The Vegan Table
French Bread-Food.com
 









I liked this soup. Very comforting. Nothing spectacular in terms of split pea soup but delicious and filling. I liked that there is no sauteeing of the veggies first. You just throw all the ingredients in the pot and simmer, which makes it a great soup to make in the slow cooker as well. I'll be making a few batches in my slow cooker to freeze before Baby arrives.

I served the soup with homemade French bread using this recipe. The dough mixed and rose in my breadmaker and then all I had to do was roll it out, let it rise again and bake. There is nothing better than fresh baked bread!!  I'd also like to make a few of these and freeze them.



Santa's Favourite Christmas Bread- La Dolce Vegan

And for my weekend baking, I made this delicious loaf. It's like banana bread but also has walnuts, coconut, oranges and chocolate chips. It also called for dried cherries but I didn't see any at the store and didn't want to make a separate trip to Bulk Barn. This is excellent as my afternoon snack with a cup of (decaf) coffee.










I've made a meal plan for the upcoming week but with the holidays around the bend we shall see if I get around to posting!



Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Magical Mint

Loving, loving, loving summer! With the heat, comes the diminished desire to cook things in the oven so I've been having cold things like smoothies and taco salad, but there has been some cooking going on. I went to see Magic Mike this weekend with the girls, and we decided to get together before hand on my deck for some drinks and snacks...

My signature drink for the evening was the mojito! We have tons of mint growing in our yard (hint: if you want to grow mint, grow it in planters, or it will infest your yard!), so this was a great way to use it up. First, I made mint-infused simple syrup.

Mint-Infused Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
handful of mint leaves

Stir the water and sugar together in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir for about a minute, til sugar dissolves, then remove from heat. Add in the mint leaves and allow to sit for an hour. The mint adds a nice little touch to the syrup. I prefer making cold drinks (mojitos, lemonade) with simple syrup rather than granular sugar because then you don't have crunchy bits of sugar in your drink.











And to keep the calories low, I also made a sugar free mint simple syrup using sucralose instead. Its not as good, it doesn't thicken as much as the regular syrup, but once you're one or two mojitos in, you don't really notice ;) Can't wait to make this for my sister in law!

Then it was time to assemble the mojitos (sorry no pictures of this fabulous drink!)

In a glass, pour 1 oz. of simple syrup and add a small handful of mint leaves. Muddle together (mush the leaves). Add crushed ice, 1.5 oz of rum, the juice of half a lime and top with club soda. Garnish with a straw, a lime wedge and some mint leaves.

These were so yummy and refreshing on a hot evening....and definitely made Magic Mike seem better than it really was (what were all those scenes with people talking???? :P)

Now, I'm a good hostess. I don't booze up my guests without providing something to snack on too! I served fruit, veggies and hummus and I also roasted three heads of garlic to spread onto toasted baguette rounds. Mmmmm. 


 I also made up a little goody bag for my friends. Since I've got so much mint, I made a bouquet of it for each girl, along with a handwritten booklet of some great uses for mint. They included tea/iced tea, air freshener, pore reducer, foot scrub and a link to some recipes. As I make these things myself I will blog about them!



Rosemary Lentils over Polenta- Supermarket Vegan
This is a very tasty dish...and it made me like polenta. Billy liked it too. It's a very visually appealing meal and feels fancy when you're eating it.











Look what I found at Value Village! An old popcorn popper! I've bought some from WalMart before but they always break :( They just don't make things the way they used to. This thing looks like it was made in the 80's and it still works great. I'm a popcorn fiend, as in: I have it as my evening snack almost daily. I was popping kernels in brown bags in the microwave, but a popper is less wasteful and makes delicious popcorn without the use of oil. I paid 4$ for it. 


More cold food, since its 29 degrees today...leftover grilled veggies with guacamole on a whole wheat tortilla. Yum!









Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Summer Time!

School's out and that means I now have a lot of time on my hands! So hopefully, my blog posts can be a little more regular. I'm aiming for once a week.

Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
I decided to make breakfast for dinner one night when we were running low on food. I made these about 3-4 inches big and froze the leftovers. They were great to just pop in the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack. The recipe is here.

 Pan Seared Tofu Scallops with Basil Cream Sauce over Linguine- Veganize This!
The recipes in this book are such a mouthful! This was a really nice meal. I absolutely loved the way the tofu was prepared (marinaded in a seafood broth, then pan seared in Earth Balance Butter til crispy). I will be using it again. It felt really fancy :)


 Tempeh Sausage Breakfast Squares- Vegan Brunch
I wanted to make a warm breakfast item and use up the puff pastry in my freezer, so this recipe was perfect. I used the maple tempeh bacon strips, and its sauteed with red peppers and seasonings and then baked on puff pastry squares. Delicious! You can find the recipe here.
 Tomato, Basil and Arugula Bruschetta- The Vegan Table

Billy likes to have a BBQ night every once in a while, and who am I to complain if it means less work for me?!? So we had barbecued meatless chicken (grilled to perfection) with bruschetta and fiddleheads. The bruschetta is fabulous. It's a great way to sneak some greens in.  And it held up pretty well as leftovers.


Lemon Pepper Tofu- Vegan Brunch
These tofu slices are really simple to make. I sliced mine thinner than the recipe calls for, just as a personal preference. They are rubbed with oil and lemon pepper and then baked. I had mine on toasted tomato sandwiches.


DIY- Father's Day
I guess I should have posted this yesterday on my DIY post. For our dads this year, I made homemade rubs for barbecuing. I know that the end result is not vegan, but my part of it is! :P I made greek rub, brown sugar rub, and all purpose spice rub. A quick google search will give you tons of recipes if you're interested. I'd love to try the greek rub on some President's Choice Meatless Chicken. I got the magnetic spice containers at Bulk Barn.


 Strawberry Shortcake- Skinny Bitch UEC
This consists of a sweet biscuit layered with sweetened strawberries and Rice Whip. I liked it, Billy loved it (I think I got 2 of the 9 or so). I wouldn't say it's super desserty as the biscuit kind of comes out like a pancake, but its a nice light end to a meal.
 Santa Claus Melon
When I saw the name of this melon at the store yesterday, I had to buy it! You prepare it the same way you would honeydew or cantaloupe. And its very similar to those melons. It's mellow and very sweet and juicy. Very refreshing on a hot day! (It beats the freezies I used to have instead, which I have since banned from the house lol)

Tempeh No-Meat Loaf- Skinny Bitch UEC
I followed the variation in the cookbook, to cook them in muffin tins for individual portions. Like most vegan meatloafs I've made, it doesn't really hold up and ends up crumbling, but it was still very tasty, especially served with ketchup.

I am off to the library to stock up on some summer reads! :D

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

DIY mondays: homemade fragrance oil

Yes, a day late but we were out of town for the Canada Day long weekend. In this instalment of DIY Mondays I will show you how to make your own fragrance oil for reed diffusers.
I have three or four diffusers around the house. They are a great way to add some light scent and decor to your home. However, when all the oil has evaporated what do you do? Based on the popularity of these things I am guessing many people throw them out and get new ones. I have tried to find just the oil refills before but with no luck. Internet to the rescue!

Here is what you will need:
-Safflower oil (grocery store)
-Vodka (I used my standard Stoli but if you dont keep vodka on hand buy the cheap stuff)
-essential oil or combination of oils of your choice (I bought mine at the health store, mmmm grapefruit)

For a small container like the one pictured, fill it up halfway with the safflower oil. Then add 20-25 drops of essential oil and 1 teaspoon of the vodka. Stir it all around and add the diffuser sticks.

I just finished making mine so I will update later on how it worked. Grapefruit isnt really a strong scent so I am thinking this will lightly scent the house with citrusy yumminess :)

Monday, June 04, 2012

DIY Mondays

Since I've been experimenting with do-it-yourself household products, I thought I'd start a DIY Mondays series for whenever I discover something new that I'd like to share. There are many reasons that one might want to make their own cleaning and beauty supplies: environmental concerns, health, money...At the moment, I am doing it to cut down on the grocery bill, but I love how eco friendly it is...and easy!

The first homemade product I tried was toothpaste. At first, I tried a basic baking soda recipe but it was very salty. Then I found a recipe that was smoother and had a nicer mouth feel. The recipe can be found here. All you need is vegetable glycerin, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and essential oil (I use peppermint). For a sweeter paste, you can also use stevia extract. This is super easy and quick to mix up and cleans great. I haven't bothered to calculate how much a batch costs, but I know its much cheaper than store bought vegan toothpaste, which can run upwards of seven dollars. For a nice fresh aftertaste, I rinse with homemade mouthwash which consists of water mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil.

 

Next, I experimented with homemade laundry detergent. I was having a hard time (and wasting many hours) finding a DIY detergent that didn't contain borax and was vegan. Then, one day while visiting my parents and flipping through a Chatelaine magazine, I came across an article that had a recipe for it. Its safe for high efficiency machines and since switching over we haven't noticed a difference from store bought soap.





 

The baking soda and coarse salt get mixed into the hot water and then you pour in the Castile soap. Voila! I don't have a pot big enough to hold 7L of water at a time, so I make a half batch and it fills two laundry containers and lasts a long time. Again, I haven't yet calculate how much this costs per load, but its much cheaper than vegan, eco-friendly store bought detergents. Castile soap seemed really expensive at first (17$ for the big bottle) but I've used it for many things and its still not half empty. I've used it as shampoo, dish soap and even tooth paste in a pinch!

I also made a DIY dishwasher detergent, but it was not successful, it left a scum. If anyone has had success with a recipe that does not contain borax, please share!

On to the food!
I made Billy his favourite type of lasagna...far from healthy. Just meat sauce (Yves ground round) layered with Daiya cheese...fantastic!


We went to my parents' camp a few weekends ago to help prepare for their renovations. We arrived for a late dinner and I made "chicken" and dumplings. Yum! Comfort food at its best....











 Me and Dill on a cuddle break!










Peanut Pasta Salad with Fried Tempeh Bits- Skinny Bitch UEC

 Make this! Its so delicious. The recipe is posted here, so make it, and when you love it, go out and buy this book. I'm sad that I'm running out of new things to make from this book.



Greek Style Chickpeas and Spinach with Rice- Supermarket vegan 

 A simple and quick weeknight meal. There's a nice lemon flavour in this.


Potato Spinach Squares- Vegan Brunch 

I was craving some hot breakfast foods last week, so I decided to make these. Turns out they taste better cold, but nonetheless they are a nice hearty meal to start your day. Potatoes, spinach, lemon, oregano, and panko breadcrumbs make for a portable breakfast!


 Zucchini Muffins- Vegan Brunch

These are supposed to be made with spelt flour, but I didn't have any so I just used regular wheat flour...gasp! Billy, the professed zucchini hater, enjoyed these immensely despite the fact that "you can see the zucchini!" Lightly spiced and moist, these are great on their own or with a bit of jam. 



 Chocolate raspberry ice cream- A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise 

I got this recipe from a blog full of ice cream recipes! This is a very nice ice cream, although there's little gritty pieces that are either cocoa or unmelted chocolate chips. Despite that, its still very good. Next up on the ice cream menu is rhubarb!










I got to try fiddleheads this week! I was so excited to see them in the grocery store since it seems whenever I see them on blogs or food shows, they're not available. I boiled them in salted water and then topped them with a bit of melted Earth Balance butter and some pepper. They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. A bit like asparagus and broccoli.


Jamaican Style Black Bean Bake with Cornbread Topping- Supermarket Vegan

Yum! This was quick to assemble and tastes great. I used almond milk instead of coconut milk for the cornbread. Billy really liked this dish too. The recipe is posted here, but doesn't seem to credit the cookbook, although its the same recipe.




I had some leftover Daiya mozzarella and veggie ground round from pizza night, so I decided to make these little meat tarts for lunch this weekend. I mixed ground round, cheese and salsa, with a little bit of Vegan Parm, and then baked them in premade frozen tarts. They really hit the spot!

 
And last but not least, dinner tonight was glazed balsamic "chicken" using PC's meatless chicken breasts, served with whole wheat linguine. I used the recipe here but made a few changes to veganize it. Instead of chicken stock, I used vegetable stock and instead of honey I used agave nectar. I will definitely be making this glaze again, but I think I'd prefer it served with mashed potatoes instead of pasta. Billy really liked this one too.


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May."

 I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted...it sure doesn't feel like it! We have been keeping busy with outdoor projects, but the cooking continues (even if the meals have been simpler lately).

Southwest lasagna- Supermarket Vegan
A very simple lasagna, featuring corn, refried beans, salsa, and hominy. This was my first time using hominy, which appears to be soaked corn (but tastes much better than it sounds!). Billy and I both really liked this dinner.

 


 








Yellow Basmati Rice with Chickpeas- Supermarket Vegan

Another simple dish that really hits the spot. Basmati is my absolute favourite rice, it is so fragrant! So far, the cookbook does not disappoint.


Southwest Pasta- Supermarket Vegan
Pasta tossed with black beans, tomatoes, peppers and corn....it doesn't get any better. This pasta dish is very fresh!  













Banana Muffins- Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

LOVE these muffins! They've got a nice moist flavour with a cinnamon sugar topping. I left out the nuts so that I could eat them at work (nut free school). I was going to make them for our upcoming camping trip, but apparently bananas attract mosquitoes, so I'll have to find a different recipe.  You can see the recipe for these here.



Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies- Vive le Vegan

Billy was craving some cookies a few weekends ago. Since Christmas, we've both been paying more attention to our diets and exercise routines, so I haven't been baking much or buying much junk food. But he wanted a much deserved reward and decided (with a push from me) to make them, so that I wouldn't have to, and be tempted to eat them! I had one, and it was fantastic. I have made this recipe countless times and it is always delicious. The author has posted the recipe here.


Spicy soba noodles in peanut sauce- Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food 

 This dish was good. It had more veggies than noodles, which from a health standpoint is good, but from every other point is kind of disappointing. Mind you, we are calorie counting (with great success), so it is no one's fault but my own for not adding extra noodles! I did not make my own peanut sauce, I used a storebought packet, but instead of adding coconut milk, I added soymilk. Mmmm....



Spaghetti with tomatoes, broccoli and white beans
This was made later in the week, when I'd already made all our planned menus and just wanted to wing it. Very comforting!!


  










Linguine with cream sauce- Skinny Bitch UEC

 The recipe actually calls for spaghetti squash, but Billy wasn't really feeling it, so I decided to use whole wheat linguine instead. The sauce is delicious, and I think next time I make it, I'll make it with pasta for Billy, and with the squash for me. A soymilk-based sauce with baby spinach, diced tomatoes, garlic and onion. There's also supposed to be vegan parm but I was all out.



Stewed Rhubarb 

Our backyard has two HUGE rhubarb plants that grow at an exponential rate. As such, I was able to harvest some stalks that were already ready to eat. I stewed the diced rhubarb with some sugar and water for a quick and easy dessert that is reminiscent of my Grandma Helen's strawberry rhubarb freezer jam. I cannot wait for this summer!!













And since I am clearly so awesome in the kitchen, I've decided to venture into the DIY world of household products, to challenge myself, but mostly to save money. Landscaping is expensive!! I have made a homemade toothpaste and mouthwash that I enjoy (post to come) and also have had success with a homemade laundry detergent (borax free). I will save the recipe for an upcoming and separate post. Here's a picture of the laundry detergent. It works just as well as store bought but it is way cheaper.