Flakey Spinach Pockets

For a Christmas appetizer, we made these savory pastries with phyllo dough, spinach, and crumbled tofu.

First, steam the spinach and chop it, then mix it with crumbled firm tofu (I just used a fork in a large bowl). Add salt, pepper, spices, garlic, etc. to taste.

Melt some Earth Balance vegan margarine and lay out the phyllo dough layer by layer. Brush the butter between each layer of phyllo dough (about 5-6 sheets per batch). Then we used kitchen scissors to cut the dough into little squares and put a spoonful of the spinach mixture on the filo square. Then pinch the filo into a little pocket and brushed more butter over the top. Just bake on 375 for a few minutes, until they turn a nice brown color.

Hearty Shepherd's Pie

This would be a great main-dish for a holiday dinner or cozy winter night. But I also enjoyed it on a random wednesday in August. For this shepherd's pie, I was inspired by a recipe on VegNew's website.

First, start boiling 4 yukon gold potatoes, cut in pieces. Then, saute a chopped yellow onion and carrots, along with some garlic in a skillet. Once the onions and carrots have cooked for a few minutes, add the veggie crumbles and continue to saute.

For the gravy: Bring 2 cups of veggie broth to a boil with a dash of tamari. Reduce heat to low, and add a mixture of arrow root and water and stir continuously for about 3 minutes. The sauce should thicken to become a gravy.
Add the gravy and 3/4 cup of frozen peas and mix together. Lightly oil a casserole dish and add the veggie mixture.
For the mashed potatoes: Combine Earth Balance vegan butter, almond milk, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme and mash well.
Top with veggie mixture with an even layer of the mashed potatoes.

Finally, sprinkle bread crumbs and olive oil over the top and cover with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes on 350, then remove foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
We were so pleased with this dish. It was really tasty. The best part was that it was even better as left-overs!

Homemade chiken nuggets

This was my first experience making seitan... so bare with me!  We made a really simple seitan recipe using my food processor's dough-blade (just combine vital wheat gluten and water, then boil in vegetable broth for about an hour).  Then we sliced the seitan, dipped them in almond milk and panko, and fried.

panko and almond milk

I'm definitely going to need to keep experimenting with seitan, but my first attempt was mostly successful!  I was surprised how easy it is to make.  And I love chiken nuggets!  The rosemary mashed potatoes on the side were good too.

Easy Vegan Lasagna

If you are looking for a vegan lasagna that reminds you of classic meaty-cheesey lasagna, this is it.  Plus, it's really easy to make. 

Ingredients:
Lasagna noodles (I like De Boles brand of rice noodles because they don't need to be pre-cooked!) 
Marinara sauce
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Frozen veggie crumbles
Olive Oil
Basil, oregano, salt, pepper, splash of agave nectar, dash of cayenne pepper
Extra-firm tofu
Daiya vegan cheese

First, make some tofu-ricotta.  Just combine extra-firm tofu, salt and pepper, olive oil, and italian spices in a food processor until smooth.
Next, saute the chopped onions and garlic in a little oil.   After a few minutes add the veggie crumbles and cook until they start to brown.  Add the sauce and extra spices.  Finally, add the mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes. 

In a casserole dish, start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.  Then place a layer of noodles, tofu ricotta, sauce, and sprinkle cheese.  Repeat with noodles, ricotta, sauce, cheese.  3 layers is best.  Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes on 350.  Take the foil off and broil for about 10-15 minutes to get the top nice and brown.   

Peach berry cobbler

My mom and I made this peach-blackberry cobbler while I was visiting in Knoxville. I forgot to get a good picture of the finished product... oops! But it was fun and easy to make. I got this Fresh Peach Cobbler recipe from www.chooseveg.com and I added blackberries and a little less sugar than it called for. It was a great recipe!
http://www.chooseveg.com/display_recipe.asp?recipe=214

Here is a picture of the cooked peaches right before adding the buscuit dough on top, then baking it for about 25 minutes.

Coconut milk ice cream on top was a good choice!

BBQ Tofu, Homestyle Potatoes and Broccoli

The other night we made fried tofu with BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli and carrots, and oven-baked homestyle potatoes.

First, the potatoes were sliced and then put in a casserole dish, added some Earth Balance vegan butter and spices, and let it all bake for about 15 minutes. Then we added some whole wheat bread crumbs (I just put a slice of bread in the food processor and pulse for quick crumbs) and let it all bake for about 10 more minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and it all looks brown and yummy. The bread crumbs make it crunchy.


For the tofu, it is a good idea to press it between paper towels for a few minutes to get the excess water out. Put a couple of layers of paper towels around the block of tofu then set something heavy on top. (I let it press for a couple minutes while I cut up the broccoli and carrots.) Then we sliced the tofu in triangles and fried it in some coconut oil until slightly brown. Next we poured BBQ sauce on top and put it in the oven for about five minutes.


It was a hearty dinner!

Typical summer lunch

Did I mention that I love braised greens and quinoa?  Oh, I already did?  Oops.  The pic is kind of blurry but the lunch was fresh and delish!  On the side is avocado, tomato, and french bread with hummus.  My favorite lunch.

Spinach Pasta with Tomato Sauce

I've seen this locally-made pasta made by Decio Pasta sold at farmers markets and Whole Foods, so I thought I'd give it a try. They have many different flavors, and I decided on "Spinach Basil Garlic" infused linguine. (Upon visiting their website I realized this is their #1 seller). In just four minutes the noodles are perfectly al dente. The flavor isn't over-powering, but the essence of spinach, basil and garlic was there.


I also sauted some onions and garlic, then added sliced veggie italian sausage (Lightlife brand Smart Sausage). A friend gave me some cherry tomatoes from her garden, so I sliced them in half and sauteed them before adding a jar of organic pasta sauce.


I can't wait to try other some of the other pasta "flavors" made by Decio. It was delicious!