Cool Kelp Noodle Salad

I have had these kelp noodles sitting in my refrigerator, waiting and waiting to be eaten. They were just so mysterious. What will they taste like? What should I make with them? How should I prepare them? Finally, I just had to go for it! After opening the package and tasting a noodle, my first thought was "Mmm, crunchy!" They are a raw food and all you do is rinse them and they're ready to eat.

So I decided to make a cold salad with the kelp noodles and a bunch of veggies. First, I tossed the noodles in a simple garlic-tamari sauce. This kind of noodles doesn't really have much flavor on their own. Along with the veggies, the result was kind of like an Asian-inspired coleslaw and I thought it was delicious.


Ingredients:
Kelp noodles
Shredded savoy cabbage
Roasted beets (see below)
1/2 Diced shallot

Diced carrots

Sauce:
Tamari (soy sauce)
Fresh minced garlic (2 cloves)
Sriracha hot sauce
Red pepper flakes
1 tsp oil

About the beets: Beets might be my new favorite veggie. First of all, you get 2 veggies in one (the greens and the roots) and I love me some braised beet greens! In this recipe, I could have used raw beets, then it would have been a completely raw dish. But, I had already roasted the beets yesterday so I used those. Fresh roasted beets are awesome. Just wrap the whole thing in tin foil and bake on 400 degrees for about an hour. You can just put them directly in the fridge and they will store for a couple days if you don't want to use them right away. You will need to peel the outside skin before eating.

Vegan Shrimp? Interesting...

I must admit that I have mixed feelings about Vegetarian Plus brand Vegan Shrimp. On one hand, its appearance and texture really do bring back fond memories of delicious shrimp that I once enjoyed. On the other, it's lacking in taste and isn't quite as tender as I'd like. My conclusion is that vegan shrimp is more of a fun novelty vegan food, but worth a try if you used to like shrimp like me. (I would like to try mixing it in a food processor to see if i can make something like a krab cake or krab rangoons. We'll see how that goes later.)

For this pasta, we used whole wheat angel hair noodles, diced red pepper, sliced crimini mushrooms, diced onion, fresh garlic, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. I let the shrimp thaw before tossing it in with the other ingredients, then at the end mixed in the noodles and let it all cook together for a minute at the end.

(There is Daiya vegan cheese garlic bread in the background... so good.)

Quick Falafel Pitas

We made some yummy Falafel Pitas the other night. For quick falafels, I just use the box falafel mix that you mix with water. After about 10 minutes you just form little balls and fry them for about 10 minutes in some oil. Stuff the whole-wheat pitas with falafel balls, tomato, lettuce, (yes, i put Vegenaise on mine too...), diced dill pickle and Sriracha hot sauce. Cucumber would be good but I didn't have any. I also made some brown rice and heated up the indian "Bombay Potatoes" and garbanzo beans made by Tasty Bite. It was a quick and tasty dinner.

Brownies and Ice Cream

Vegan baking can be a little tricky sometimes... So this is a fool-proof vegan desert that even I can master! Yes, they come from a box (sorry, Mom), but these brownies turn out great every time.
I use Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie Mix. They are amazingly vegan and gluten-free. Top them off with some Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream (cookie dough) and you have a bad-ass desert! It's kind of like Ben&Jerry's "Half-Baked"-- used to be my favorite flavor-- but waaaay better.

Breakfast Tofu Scramble

I used to really love eggs before I became vegan. Now, I make tofu scrambles instead. It has a similar texture to scrambled eggs, and it is so much better for everyone involved.

Ingredients:
Sliced red potatoes
Diced red onion
Minced garlic
Diced red pepper
Minced jalapeno
Extra-firm tofu
Salt and black pepper
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Smoked paprika

(Other ingredient options include sliced mushrooms, soy-chorizo, cilantro, green pepper, etc. depending on what's in the fridge).

Start with some oil in a skillet (I used a wok with a glass lid) and add the potatoes. Let them cook under med-low heat for a few minutes.

Next, add the onions and garlic, cover, and simmer until the onions are translucent.


Use your hands to crumble the tofu as you add it to the mix. Add peppers and seasoning, mix, and cover to cook for a few more minutes.

When all of the ingredients are cooked/heated thoroughly, turn up the heat and brown a little.
We also toasted olive bread and buttered it with Earth Balance, and I sliced up some heirloom tomatoes on the side. Oh, and washed it down with Chocolate Almond Milk. :)

Hoagie Sandwiches

Who isn't a huge fan of sandwiches? I had to take some pics of this hoagie I made because it was just too good! The hoagie bread is made by Breadsmith (sold at the local farmers markets and Whole Foods). FYI my favorite type of vegan deli slices are Tofurkey Hickory Smoked.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you! The tomatoes were orange. and beautiful! I added green leaf lettuce, Vegenaise (a must), and I think I may have spread a little tofu ricotta on there too, because I made these a couple days after making the manicotti and I had some left over.

Dee-lish!

Not your mom's manicotti

This stuffed manicotti uses tofu ricotta cheeze, topped with a faux meaty sauce, and served with Daiya cheezey garlic bread. Such good cookin and all vegan.
Here's what you need:


First, boil the noodles for about 10 minutes and set aside. Then, make the tofu ricotta

Tofu Ricotta Ingredients:
1/4 Diced shallot
Minced fresh garlic
Extra tirm tofu, drained and crumbled
Salt/pepper
Basil
Oregano


Combine all ingredients in a food processor until it has a creamy, ricotta-like texture.


Stuff the manicotti noodles with the tofu ricotta (We had to slice them to make it easier to stuff).



Then make the sauce

"Meaty" Red Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 Diced onion
Minced fresh garlic
Olive oil
Frozen ground crumbles
Sliced crimini mushrooms (or whatever type)
Organic tomato sauce
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Salt/pepper
Cayanne (just a little)
Agave nectar (just a little, to cut the acidity)

Saute the onions and garlic first in some oil, then add the frozen crumbles. When they are warm, add the sauce and the rest of the ingredients.


Then top the noodles with the sauce, grated cheeze, and a little bit more tofu ricotta.


Cover with tin foil and bake on 375 for about 35-40 minutes. Remove the tin foil at the end so that it melts.


We also made cheezy garlic bread because we went to whole foods today and got 2 types of Daiya! Yum!



The whole meal was so delicious words can't even describe!
My plate:

Chris' plate:

Braised greens and quinoa (again)

Tonight I made myself a nice healthy dinner and made sure I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I used red quinoa, braised kale and red chard, and a 3 bean salad from Trader Joe's, which I served cold. I love Trader Joe's.


All in all, it was just perfect. It didn't leave me feeling heavy, but it still is a hearty meal. Plus, I almost always have these ingredients on hand so it's a great fall-back meal that doesn't require too much prep time or cooking time.

Sorry this pic is weird, I had to use my phone... :/

Also, I want to recommend this veggie "beef" stock that I use when making both the greens and the quinoa. The cubes are really convenient and I like this brand Edward & Sons.