Orange Chik'n over Noodles

If you have read my blog before, then you know that I am a huge fan of the different "faux meat" products that are on the market. Some of the best I have tasted are by Gardein-- both the texture and taste is spot-on!

When we didn't really feel like cooking the other night, I was glad that I had some Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n in the freezer, and some black bean noodles in the pantry. Easy. Yummy. (Next time I won't be so lazy and we'll add some veggies...)

Southwest Tofu Scramble

Today we made a Southwest Tofu Scramble for Easter brunch.  It was also the perfect dish to sample Daiya's newest flavor of vegan cheese: pepperjack!  Thanks, Daiya, you've done it again! 



Ingredients:
1 Block extra firm tofu
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 green pepper, diced
sliced baby bella mushrooms
shredded Daiya vegan pepperjack cheese
Spices: smoked paprika (good for giving some color too), cayenne, cumin, salt/pepper

Start by sauteing the onion in a little oil, then the garlic, then the green pepper.  Drain the tofu, crumble, and add to the pan.  Add spices and mushrooms.  Saute a little longer, then when it's almost done sprinkle on the vegan cheese and put a lid on it to melt the cheese.  Of course I love it with a side of wheat toast and Earth Balance vegan margarine.

Steamed Artichoke

There are few veggies I love more than the artichoke!  Great on pizzas, in salad, in a dip, or just steamed and eaten leaf by leaf.  The other night I was cooking for one so I splurged (3.99 each.. dang!).

I chopped a clove of garlic, drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled sea salt over the artichoke. I also poured some beer on top (Brooklyn EIPA) before steaming for about 45 minutes. 


When the leaves come off easily, you know it's ready to eat.  I just love the process of scraping the "meat" off the leaves, and then the heart is like a little prize at the end :)

Melty Lasagna (again)

Lasagna is an absolute FAVE of mine. I love its melty, gooey, cheezey taste and each batch we make is better than the last. I have posted lasagna before but it deserves another.



Prepare a sauce by sauteing onions and garlic, (I like to add Boca crumbles to give it a traditional meaty-ness, but you can add other veggies instead like zuccini) then adding your favorite marinara sauce. I always add the sliced mushrooms last.

For a tofu ricotta, just crumble a block of extra-firm tofu + salt + italian spices + olive oil and process in the food processor until smooth.

I prefer the DeBoles rice noodles. They don't need to be pre-cooked which is convenient.

In a casserole dish, layer the sauce, noodles, tofu-ricotta, daiya mozarrella vegan cheese, repeat.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 mins on like 375 i think? (read the directions on the noodle box) then remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
Let cool before you eat! So yummy. (p.s. don't over-do it on the daiya.)

Cheezey Chik'N wrap

These wraps are fool-proof and they please omnivores just as well as vegans. I take a Boca Spicy Chik'N patty and fry it in a little oil, then put shredded Daiya and cover to let it melt. Warm up a tortilla, spread some Vegenaise, and add the chik'n and veggies (kept it simple with spinach and cherry tomatoes). This is a five-minute meal that will have you wondering if it's truly vegan. mmmmmm melty.

Stuffed Mushrooms

For the Superbowl, I made stuffed mushrooms from a recipe in my "Vegan Planet" cookbook by Robin Robertson.  This was my first attempt at stuffed mushrooms, and it was pretty easy (also note that I adapted the recipe a bit to my taste because I suck at following recipes). 

Ingredients:

Baby bella mushrooms
Bread crumbs
Diced garlic
Chopped Italian parsely
Diced onion
Diced jalapeno
Oil
Splash of veggie stock
Spices (salt, pepper, Italian spices)

First, take off the mushroom stems and chop them, set aside.  Make breadcrumbs by pulsing a few pieces of bread in the food processor.

Next, heat a little oil in the pan and sautee the mushroom caps for a minute to soften them.  Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet.

Saute the onion, garlic, and jalapeno until translucent, and add the parsely, breadcrumbs, mushrooms and a little veggie stock to moisten the mixture.  Mix ingredients.

 
Scoop a spoonful of the mixture and spread over each mushroom cap.  Bake on 400 for about 10-15 minutes, until the mixture gets crispy on top.   

Sweet potato quesadillas

These vegan quesadillas were inspired by a recipe from the cookbook "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  It is a fantastic cookbook with healthy, veggie-filled recipes for all occasions.  In their recipe, they recommended using yuca in the filling, but unfortunately couldn't find it so I improvised with a sweet potato and fingerlings I had on hand. 

I used a large sweet potato, a few small fingerling potatoes cut in pieces and boiled for 20 minutes. 

Then I sauteed diced onion, garlic, and diced red pepper in a little oil and added spices such as cumin, salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne.  

Mash the potatoes with a little Earth Balance vegan margarine, then add the cooked veggies.  I also had some red chard already cooked, so I added it to the mix as well.  (See my post about braised greens.)

Next, I lightly buttered the inside of a tortilla and spread the mashed-potato mix on one half. Fold the tortilla and butter the outside as well.  Place in a heated skillet and grill until brown on each side. 

Bagels in my belly

If you are lucky enough to live in the ATL, I urge you to try the bagels at Belly General Store. They are the best bagels I've ever eaten in my life-- and I have always been a bagel fan. My favorite kind is the "everything" bagel, because it's loaded up with garlic, rosemary, poppy and sesame seeds, sea salt, and black pepper. Don't be surprised if you find a huge chunk of garlic in there. Yum! To save money, I like to buy a couple bags of the day-old bagels and slice them before I put them in the freezer to keep. When I'm ready for a sandwich I just pop it in the toaster oven. Today I topped my sandwich with hummus, spinach, cherry tomato, and red onion. Thank you, Belly! (Maybe one day you'll start to make vegan cupcakes, too.. A girl can only dream!)