Vegan MoFo Day 16

Rotini With Tofurkey Brautworst in Tomato Basil Sauce

Ingredients

Ronzoni Garden Delight Rotini - this pasta has one full serving of veggies per serving - cooked according to box instructions

Tofurky Kielbasa

Newman's Own Organic Tomato Basil Sauce

1 shallot chopped

2 cloves of garlic

oil for sautéing shallot, garlic and Kielbasa

Parma Vegan Parmesan

Dinner was supper easy with these ready made ingredients. I added some extra flavor with the shallot and garlic.  Best served warm :)

Vegan MoFo Day 15

Seitan Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Super yummy and filling, these sandwiches were fast to prepare and even faster to disappear off the plate.

I topped my sandwich with Daiya cheese sauce from the Vegan Zombie but Pablo preferred to have his dry.

Ingredients

Oil to coat a pan
Bell Pepper sliced
Onion sliced
Mushrooms sliced
Seitan (I used Sweet Earth)
salt to taste
SPICES (coriander seed, sage, celery salt & black pepper)
2 larger rolls

1. Heat oil in large pan or skillet on medium heat
2. Add bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms
3. Season with salt and spices and cover with lid
4. After about 5-10 minutes veggies will have cooked down and released some water
5. Add seitan and heat for another 5-10 minutes on medium heat
Now ready to serve
At this point you can spread some Follow Your Heart vegenaise on your roll if you'd like and warm it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes.

Fill roll and cover with sauce and enjoy :)

Add caption

Remi 10-14-12

Vegan MoFo Day 11

Burgers and Potatoes

I had some fingerling potatoes from the other day and I  had to try the other burgers aptly named "Best veggie burger in the world" by Hilary's Eat Well.  Hope they are just as good as the adzuki bean burgers.  But first a run on the treadmill.

Ok, I'm back and I just ate a very delicious burger.  I'm gonna make this post quick because now I have to wash dishes and get ready for tomorrow.   I don't want to wake up late an NOT be able to get my run in again.  Anyway to the burger.  It was awesome.  And Pablo agrees. YAY!  He said we should stock up.  I served it on Rudy's Organic Burger Buns.  Another awesome bread company that makes a lot of great vegan bread (but not all are vegan so read the label).  For the fingerlings I just cut them in half and added a little grape seed oil, salt and pepper and popped them toaster oven (15-20 mins at 450F).

Vegan MoFo Day 10 --- Extra Extra

Vegan Hot Pockets - Tofurky Pepperoni & Daiya Cheese

These were so yummy.  

Recipe to come, sorry for the terrible pictures

Vegan MoFo Day 10

Vegan Menudo...Si Se Puede

Did I mention my sauce from my enchiladas recipe makes the best broth for Vegan Menudo.  All you have to do is add enough water to make it soupy and a couple more pinches of salt.  If you've never had menudo then really i consider you lucky.  Just the thought of what it actually is makes me squeamish but I loved the flavor of the broth (just spicy enough) and the crunch of the fresh onion and oregano.  To mimic the look of the "meat" I use oyster mushrooms.   This is the perfect meal for a nice autumn evening.  And having the sauce ready ahead of time will have you eating dinner in 15 minutes.

Vegan Menudo

Sauce from Vegan Enchiladas
Water, enough to dilute sauce to make a soupy broth
Salt, to taste
Oyster mushrooms (a produce bag full), rough chopped
Oil
1 can of hominy, drained and rinsed

Heat just enough oil to coat a large stock pot and sautee mushrooms until just a bit cooked down add  hominy, sauce and water.  Taste before adding salt.  Heat until boiling.  Ready to serve.

Additional condiments

diced white onion
mexican oregano
lemon (optional)
cilantro (optional)

oyster mushrooms

ready to devour

topped with onion, and oregano (cilantro optional)

and one with my cat dish :)


Let me know if you try this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went.  

Vegan MoFo Day 8 & 9

Day 8

Coconut "Bacon"- recipe from VeganBrew.  I first tasted coconut "bacon" at Cafe Gratitude in Santa Cruz in their I AM EXTRAORDINARY  which is a vegan version of a BLT sandwich with avocado.   So I wanted to make some myself.  The recipe from VeganBrew is super easy to make and I only had to buy the flaked coconut from Whole Food.  I had the other ingredients on hand.  I made these for kicks and i will be adding them to my salad, and sandwiches throughout the week. 

If you'd like to try the sandwich from Cafe Gratitude they have a few locations in California including two in Los Angeles. 

soy sauce, coconut flakes, smoke seasoning, maple syrup, and black pepper

All mixed up an marinating for 15 minutes

Cooked up and crispy

Potato, Green chard,  & Mushroom Enchiladas

I also made some enchiladas. I learned how to make these from my mum a long time ago but have since modified it to make them faster and healthier.  I no longer fry the tortilla or sauce or individually dip the tortillas in the sauce.  And of course I used vegan cheese and vegan bouillon.

For Sauce
3-4 Chile California (washed)*
1-2 Chile Ancho (washed)*
2-3 Chile del Arbol (washed)*
1 cube of vegan bouillon
2 cups warm water
1/4 of an onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon Mexican Oregano
salt to taste

*Soften dried chilies by boiling them in a some water for 5 minutes.  Discard this water.

Add softened chillies and remaining ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed.  Sieve this sauce to remove seed.

You can also add a few different ingredients to change up the flavor and add more complexity to the palate of this sauce if you have the time.  For instance you can added toasted sesame seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds,  roasted garlic or even increase the number of chiles del Arbol you use (these are the spiciest of all the chilies listed).

Filling: I filled these with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and green chard all sautéed in a little bit of grape seed oil.  I chose fingerling potatoes because they are already tiny and chopping is minimal.

Fill your tortillas, top with sauce and cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes to melt cheese and warm through.

tortillas being filled

drenched in sauce

cheese and my special sauce :)

fresh out of the oven

 

I also made some pinto beans which I smashed without oil so technically they are not refried and some guacamole.  

Lunch at Cherry Bean, Old Town Salinas

I wanted some coffee and I also wanted to try out this burrito made by Sweet Earth made locally in Pacific Grove so I actually went out for lunch.  Filled with scrambled tofu and seitan this burrito is awesome.  It also won best of show by VegNews at the Natural Food Expo 2012. 

burrito and iced soy cappuccino 

 Deep Fried Avocado Tacos for Taco Tuesday

Batter for avocado
Beer (I used Lagunitas Day Time  a fractional IPA)
Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs seasoned with dried garlic and salt.
Enough oil for frying in a small deep pan.


I used about 4 tablespoons of flour and enough beer to make a batter that was not too runny.  If it's like pancake batter add more flour.  Dip avocado slices in batter and roll in bread crumbs.  Fry in oil.  These will fry up very fast so be prepared with a plate lined with napkins to soak up any excess oil.

I topped these tacos with shredded cabbage, diced onion & tomato and a chipotle mayo sauce.  

The best thing aside from getting to eat these tacos twenty minutes after I walked into the house was that I got to drink the left over beer! Yay for me!

Week 1 Day 4 --Vegan MoFo

Ice Cream for breakfast...yes I'll have some.  As I've mentioned in my earlier post, I have been making smoothies for breakfast and I also said I hadn't tried adding ice to my concoctions but this morning I ran out of fresh fruit and reached for the frozen stuff.  I also added Vega Smoothie in Vanilla Almond.  This combo made for a great breakfast...ice cream...I mean smoothie.  Seriously though, I use unsweetened almond milk and don't add sugar.  The sweetener in Vega is stevia and the rest of the sweetness comes from what ever fruit I use.   I didn't feel any guilt drinking it down especially after another 5 mile run.   Did I tell you I have a streak going.  15 days of running.

Calorie breakdown

2 cups Unsweetened Almond milk - 80 cal

1.5 scoops Vega Smoothie mix - 138

1 cup frozen fruit (I used mango this morning) -90

1 teaspoon Udo's essential oil - 40

Total calories - 348

If your thinking about doing the whole protein shake thing I would recommend Vega.  

For dinner, Pablo and I had burgers.  I found these new burgers made by Hilary's Eat Well at Whole Foods.  I'm always looking to try a new veggie burger.  I was very impressed with the texture, not mushy, not dry and the spices were just right. These burgers are made with whole millet, adzuki beans and quinoa.  I served these on whole wheat bread with vegenaise, pickles, super greens and tomato. Their website says you can even throw them into your toaster.  What an awesome idea. Quick, easy and wholesome.  Check them out!

Have a great night! 

Week 1 Day 3

I had a long miserable day at work, so I need something comforting plus the weather turned cool over night and my taste buds craved something light and flavorful so I made soup. Rice noodle Soup ready in 15 minutes.  

This soup is easy to make and fool proof.  All you'll need is the following:

Water

vegetable broth concentrate

Your choice of vegetables (I used broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and mushrooms)

couple pinches of sea salt

Rice noodles

Fill your pot 3/4 full with water and turn the burner up full blast.  Once boiling add vegetables and noodles.  They will cook all at the same time.   Should be ready in about 5 minutes. 

I added sriracha to spice it up.  

It's Taco Tuesday! But first comes breakfast and lunch.  I had my usual (lately) protein smoothie and a large salad.  I've been running a lot lately ... actually I have a streak going ... and a protein shake has just been so easy in the morning.  Plus with this heat it keeps me cool & keeps me from being extra tired.  No unnecessary energy expended on digesting.  Well anyway onward with breakfast.

Breakfast 
Strawberry Vanilla Banana Protein Smoothie (makes 1 shake)
1 scoop or packet of Vega Performance Protein in Vanilla flavor
1 cup of strawberries tops removed
1/2 banana
1 1/2 cup of almond milk

Throw it all in a high speed blender and blend away.

there are 3 cups of almond milk in blender since I was doubling the recipe

I haven't tried ice yet since i don't normally like cold drinks but you can certainly add it.  I like Vega protein because it's a blend of pea, hemp and rice protein and the it's founder is a vegan athlete.

Lunch 
My lunch looked a lot like yesterdays only I added jicama for an extra crunch.

Pablo's Lunch
I made him a sandwich again with Tofurky and all the trimmings. See below pic below.

Smoked Tofurky on whole wheat with vegenaise, tomato, red onion, spinach and mustard 

It's Taco Time

Dinner

So easy you don't need a recipe and was it ready in twenty minutes. For the meat substitute I used Sweet Earth Chipotle Style Seitan. First, I sautéed some mushrooms in a little oil then added the seitan.

As a side dish I microwaved Trader Joe's rosemary baby potatoes (below).

 I also made two quick dressings or spreads for the tacos (pictures above).  Both were made with veganaise as a base.  One with smokey paprika and cayenne pepper and the second with fresh pressed garlic and both went well with the seitan.

Taco toppings: purple onion, tomato, super greens

                                                 

tortillas

I don't have any pictures of a taco all ready to eat because I was to busy eating.
Thanks for reading,

 Enjoy!

Beefless Broccoli & Mushroom with Zucchini and Tomato Stew

Yay!!! October is here and it's time for all the great things the end of the year brings.  Clear nights and beautifully colored leaves even here in the Monterey Bay.  This morning started out as most mornings. Opened my eyes to the sound of my soft alarm clock and got up to get dressed for a run.  Out the door by 5 AM.  I didn't have the best run but worked through it nonetheless.  Managed 5.5 miles in 55 minutes.

For breakfast I made my husband and I a couple of blended drinks.  I made him a vanilla, strawberry protein shake with almond milk and I had a chocolate-strawberry smoothie made with 1/2 banana and vega one chocolate protein powder.  This one was also made with almond milk.  I totally forgot to take a pic but I'm sure you can imagine what it would look like. 

For lunch I made my husband a plain Tofurky and Daiya cheese sandwich on whole wheat.  And for myself I made a giant salad pictured below dressed with a herb de Provence dressing I found at whole foods.  

For dinner- my plan was to make Gardein beefless and broccoli, but it has been so long since I had made it and since my husband was starving, i just threw some ingredients together and ended up with Gardein  beefless broccoli with a gravy sauce served over brown rice.  I served this with a dish of stewed zucchini and tomatoes that my mom used to make.  Mmmm, it took me back :)  The recipes are below.  

Zucchini and Tomato Stew

1 large tomato chopped

1/4 onion chopped

2 gloves of garlic diced

1 large zucchini chopped

2 teaspoons oil or water

Daiya cheese (optional)

Heat a medium sized deep pan over medium heat.  Add oil, wait a minute or so, until the oil is heated add all the ingredients and heat through.  Cover with lid and lower heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes until zucchini has softened.  Add Daiya cheese and cover with lid, cheese will melt in a few minutes. 

Beefless Broccoli & Mushroom 

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Broccoli florets or cauliflower florets 

1 bag Gardein Beefless tips

For sauce (basic gravy)

1 cup vegetable broth (better than bouillon vegetable base) this will be warm

2 tbs flour

2 tbs Earth Balance

In a large shallow pan, sauté mushrooms in a little bit of water and cook until soft.  Remove mushrooms from pan. Making roux for gravy: add flour and butter to pan and cook until the mixture turns color (pale to beige)  The mixture will also smell toasty.  Add broth and mix quickly to break down any lumps.  add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes with lid.  Add Gardein and cook for an additional 10 minutes until Gardein is heated through.  Ready to serve

I served this over brown rice which I bought frozen from Trader Joe's.  

Sorry for the terrible pictures but I will be using my iPhone until my husband lets me borrow his fancy camera.  

Thanks for reading. 

Chiles Rellenos made by my mommy for my 31st B-Day.  These chiles poblanos were filled with potato, onion, tomato and salsa (green & red) and topped with Daiya cheese.  Props to my neighbor Joey who drove my mom to Fresh Express to buy Daiya. It was a great surprise.

Gearing up for VeganMoFo

I'm working on a list of recipes to veganize or create during this vegan month of food. My husband is not vegan therefore i must create food yummy enough to satisfy his palate. He's not into sweets, so mostly every main dish will be savory. i on the other hand do have a sweet-tooth and given this is my favorite time of year I will be baking =)  I'd love to hear your suggestions. Thanks!