Green Salad with Beyond Meat Strips and Easter, 2015

Easter this year was, as usual, a wonderful holiday to celebrate with family and delicious food.  Our gathering was smaller than usual; for dinner I brought a large green salad topped with chopped Beyond Meat chicken-style strips.  It went over really well, and one of the reasons was that I put a lot of goodies in the salad.  See below for our cuisine of the night.  I hope everyone else had a good holiday, too.

Green Salad with Beyond Meat Strips

My dinner plate: We had vegan stuffed shells, broccoli, garlic bread, olives, and homemade pickles with garlic, and my salad.

For dessert, everyone brought vegan desserts!  Is that awesome or what?  From the left we have: Cranberry Almond bars, Almond Cookies, Gingerbread, and my Chocolate Chip Pecan Bars .

Green Salad with Beyond Meat Strips

Ingredients:

2 heads of hearts of Romaine or one large Romaine head
6 large button mushrooms, halved and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly
1 cup of parsley, chopped small
1 - 15oz. can garbanzos, drained
2 cups of broccoli florets, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pkg. Beyond Meat chicken-style strips
1 Tbs. olive oil

Favorite vegan salad dressing

Directions:

In a large bowl, put all of the ingredients from Romaine through tomatoes.  In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Chop the strips into thirds.  When the oil is hot, add the strips, and cook until browned, about five minutes or so.  Drain from the pan, and pat dry, if necessary.  Add to the salad.  Serve and top with your favorite dressing.  Very good and filling.  Feeds five hungry vegans and several of their relatives.

Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms

The poor lighting in this photo does not do this dish any sort of justice.  Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms was so good, I couldn't stop eating it.  Only putting the leftovers away saved my stomach from exploding.  This was easy to prepare and even easier to eat.  I'm sure your taste buds would agree.

Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. Coconut Oil
2 Carrots, chopped small
8 to 10 Asparagus spears, ends trimmed, and chopped small
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 head of garlic, sliced thin
2 cups of leftover, cooked brown rice
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped peanuts

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When oil is melted, add the carrots, asparagus and mushrooms.  Stir-fry for five or so minutes, until just fork-tender.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Add the rice, soy sauce and ginger.  Cook another five minutes, until heated through.  Add the peanuts and stir.  Serve immediately.  So, so good.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

This was another recipe inspired from Deceptively Delicious, which I renamed, veganized, changed ingredients up, the usual.  Still, the idea behind the original recipe was good: pureeing sweet potatoes for the sauce to get the kiddos to each more veggies. This also has chopped up celery and carrots, as well, so it's nice and healthy. This came out tasty, and the fam liked it, so all is good.  I puree my veggies ahead of time, bag and freeze them, and then thaw them out for recipes.  So, my sweet potatoes were already boiled, peeled and pureed for this recipe. This makes a lot of sauce, plenty for leftovers. Give this one a go, and let me know how it works for you.

Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used penne)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 onions, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 carrots, chopped small
4 stalks celery, chopped small
2 - 10 oz. pkgs. soy chorizo
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4 - 29 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 oz. can Del Monte petite cut tomatoes with chipotle chilies
1 - 32 oz. box Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 Tbs. vegan sugar
2 cups prepared sweet potato puree (boiled first)

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions midway through making the sauce.  For the sauce, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chorizo and salt and pepper, and cook for another five minutes.  Add the tomatoes, broth and sugar.  Lower heat to medium low and cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the sweet potato puree, and stir well.  Continue to cook until heated through, about ten minutes.  Serve over pasta.  This makes a bunch!  I froze about half the sauce for a later meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans and then some.  Very good.

Pasta with Artichokes and Broccoli

This is a quick, easy and delicious dinner I made the other night.  G usually just gulps down what I make with nary a comment, unless he really doesn't like or really does like something.  This one earned a comment for the latter, so I knew it had to be blog-worthy.  The ingredients are few, and the simple seasonings brought out their wonderful tastes.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy it, too.  What is your favorite thing to toss in a pasta sauce?

Pasta with Artichokes and Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound of thin spaghetti
1 Tbs. of olive oil
2 cups of broccoli florets, coarsely chopped small
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced thin diagonally
2 - 14.5 oz cans of Del Monte diced tomatoes with rosemary and oregano
1 and 1/2 cups of marinated artichoke hearts, sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tbs. sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the broccoli and carrots and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the tomatoes and artichoke hearts and cook for another three minutes, until heated through.  Add the sesame oil and salt and pepper, stir and let simmer on medium low for five minutes.  Top pasta with sauce and enjoy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Hidden-Veggies Brownies

Hello, and long time no see!  Where have you all been?  I'm sure it's you that's been away, am I right?  Anyhow, I wanted to put up this post before another major holiday came and went because I made these brownies for Easter.  (Did I just say that?  Easter?)  Yes, Easter!  Argh, anyways, I'm back, I'm back.  A few years ago, both my mom and SR gave me the same cookbook for my birthday.  I kept SR's because she inscribed hers, and traded Mom's in for something else.  Anyhow, it's by Jessica Seinfeld, ol' Jerry's wife, and she made a cookbook hiding pureed veggies in food for her kids, Deceptively Delicious.  I've tried making several of the recipes, and some have turned out "eh," and some have turned out "yikes!," and some have turned out "mmm."  I will share my veganized versions of the "mmm" ones with you.  I did get the idea for my Banana-Flax French Toast from her.  So, like I said, I've veganized these recipes and adjusted the ingredients to suit our tastes, etc.  One important note on these brownies, she says not to eat them warm; I will go so far as to say, eat them CHILLED.  They are a completely different flavor room temp versus chilled.  Yuck versus yum.  I brought these over to the family at Easter and told none of the relatives the secrets hidden within, and all they could taste was deliciousness and cocoa.  They were very surprised when they found out these were healthy!  Yeah!  Enjoy, and I hope to be more regular here, without Miralax!

  Hidden-Veggies Brownies.  These are the brownies cut into 24 squares, and they are huge.  You can easily make 48 squares and be satisfied.  Serve them chilled!

Hidden-Veggies Brownies

Ingredients:

Non-stick spray

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking squares

2 cups of carrot puree (about 4 or 5 carrots steamed then pureed)

2 cups of spinach puree (about 8 or so cups spinach steamed then pureed)

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup cocoa powder

2 Tbs. margarine, room temp or softened

2 Tbs. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan with the non-stick spray, and set aside.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring frequently, being careful not to burn it.  In a large bowl or large pot (you'll need something large!), whisk together the chocolate, carrots, spinach, brown sugar, cocoa, margarine and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  You can use a hand mixer on low, if you wish.  Add the flour baking powder and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended.  Pour the batter in the pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool completely on a cooling rack.  Can cut into 24 large squares or 48 smaller ones.  Must be chilled before being enjoyed.  Do not eat at room temperature in order to appreciate the full-deception.  Kids and grandparents alike will love these!  Feeds well more than five hungry vegans.

 

Tofu Ranchero

I love spicy food, so I decided to try my take on a classic dish and veganize it.  We loved how this turned out, and I will definitely add this to my breakfast rotation.

Tofu Ranchero

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 pkgs. extra-firm tofu, packed in water, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 packed cup chopped cilantro
1 - 29oz. can vegetarian refried beans
3 jalapenos, either fresh or pickled Mexican-style, sliced in rings
Your favorite salsa

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for ten minutes, until they soften.  Add the tofu and mash directly in the pan.  Cook for twenty minutes or until tofu begins to brown.  Add the spices and cilantro and cook for another five minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the beans up in a separate small pot.  Serve tofu mixture over the refried beans and top with jalapeno slices and salsa.  This is great with English muffins on the side.  Enjoy!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Fava Bean and Green Chile Succotash

Fava beans are in season now, and I've been playing around with different recipes featuring them to see if I could really present them in a way that I like.  They are big and meaty, and that tends to turn me off when it comes to beans.  But, I wasn't giving up, and I came up with something that I really like, and I hope you will too.  It's my version of succotash, and even though I wanted to dump a can of tomatoes in the dish - because tomatoes makes everything taste better - G had been eating tomatoes for days and wanted a break.  Can you believe him?  Anyhow, I was skeptical that I would like fava beans without tomatoes around, but this is a very flavorful dish, and the green chiles add just the slightest punch.  Served over quinoa, it makes for a complete meal.

Fava Bean and Green Chile Succotash

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 head garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 - 12 to 15oz. can of corn, drained
1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 cup shelled fava beans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup quinoa, prepare according to package directions

Directions:  

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for about ten minutes, until they are fork tender, stirring occasionally.  Add the corn, green chiles, fava beans and seasonings, and cook for another ten minutes, until beans are softened, and everything is cooked through, stirring occasionally.  Serve over quinoa.  Surprisingly tasty!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

Here is an easy way to use up leftover rice.  I always make a big batch of rice because JK likes it for lunches, and I also like to use the leftovers in soups or other dishes.  The veggies in this dish are usually those that you may have on hand at any given time.  Enjoy!

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped small
3 carrots, chopped very small
4 stalks of celery, chopped small
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 to 3 cups of leftover rice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce or another favorite sauce; this time I used: OrganicVille Island Teriyaki sauce, which is also gluten-free

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add all the veggies and cook for five minutes or so, until fork tender.  Add the rice, and stir well, breaking up any clumped up, cold chunks.  Cook for another five minutes or so, until the rice is heated through.  Don't stir constantly, but let it sit for a minute or so to slightly crisp and brown, and then stir.  Once well heated, add the sauce and stir.  Cook for another minute or so, and then it's ready to serve.  Very tasty.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Glorious Green Salad

I like to have a lot of fun with salads for my clan.  Sometimes, we'll have big salads on individual plates, and I'll holler from the kitchen, "Who wants carrots?  Who wants garbanzos?," and so on.  I pretty much know by now who likes what and not, but sometimes my  Blessings have changing tastes, so it's good to be reminded.  Sometimes, I'll make one huge salad that's the meal itself, with maybe crackers or something to go with it.  That's when I really load up the toppings to make the salad as varied and crunchy as possible with a symphony of flavors to tease and please younger palates.  The one I made on this night was served alongside of homemade bread sticks and dipping sauces, and everyone was well pleased and full. Below, I've listed the toppings I heaped on, just to give you a new idea or two.  Having fun with your salads is the takeaway moral of the story.

Glorious Green Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine, chopped
Canned quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
Red onion, slice thin
Canned garbanzos, drained
Tomatoes, cut in small wedges
Fresh spinach leaves, torn if large
Jarred julienned pickled beets
Carrots, shredded
Celery, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Purple cabbage, chopped small
Raw sunflower seeds
Favorite dressings and oils and vinegars on the side

Directions:

In a big bowl, layer the ingredients, except for the dressings.  I do not like to toss my salads before serving because all the goodies get hidden under the lettuce.  Instead we scoop straight down in order to get equal amounts of everything.  Drizzle your favorite dressing on top - sometimes we sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of that - and dig in.  Served with bread sticks or crackers or toast makes for a filling meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Royal Platter (with soy)

When my girls were much littler, I loved to make snacks for them on divided plates that were full of a variety of goodies. (And, I still do!)  What I quickly found out was that G appreciated these snacks as much as they did.  So, one night I was struck by a unique idea for dinner: to have a large platter of a variety of foods requiring no utensils, save for a couple of toothpicks for spearing.  Dipping sauces and plenty of napkins were always nearby.  Because at that time we only had daughters, I named these dinners Princess Platters.  And, they were a huge hit with all of us.  The combination of foods were endless.  Just like when we have nachos family-style, I put the platter on a tray or ottoman, and we would watch a movie in the living room.  What was also nice was that the girls would eat things that they normally would turn their noses up at because it was in the fun presentation of the Princess Platter.  So, I could sneak in healthy foods that way, too.  When JK came along, I changed the name to the Royal Platter.  This version is called "with soy" because sometimes I use baked tofu for the main protein.  I love making the platters as much as they love eating from them, and no two are ever the same.  Here is just our latest version.

Royal Platter (with soy)

Ingredients:

Possibilities are limited only to what you can think of.  This is what we had one night:

Gimme Lean, sausage style, cut into rounds and sauteed
8 - 10 red potatoes, quartered and roasted, seasoned with salt and pepper
Celery, sliced into strips
Carrots, cut into sticks
Marinated artichoke hearts
Pickles
Olives with peppers and garlic
Walnuts
Chocolate Chunks
Ketchup, BBQ sauce, and vegan Worcestershire sauce for dipping

Directions:

Once all the food has been prepared, put it into a large divided dish.  Pair up similar foods with each other, or ones that will go well with a partner or two.  Skewer a few items with toothpicks.  Keep dipping sauces and napkins handy. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Winter Veggie Stir-Fry

Here's a simple but delicious stir-fry using the bounty from Winter.  Feel free to sub any of your favorites in that you find in the farmer's market.  This combination was just perfect.

Winter Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced (both halves)
3 carrots, sliced in diagonal
3 celery sticks, sliced
1 green bell pepper, quartered and sliced
2 small turnips or 1 large, thinly sliced
2 King oyster mushrooms, halved width wise and thinly sliced into long strips
2 cups of baby dino kale, chopped
Soy sauce to taste
Cooked brown rice

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  When hot add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper and turnips.  Stir frequently for five to seven minutes, until they just become fork-tender.  Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional two minutes.  Add the kale and soy sauce and cook until the kale just starts to wilt and turns a bright green, about two or three minutes.  Serve over brown rice.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Salad Bar Night!

As most of you probably do, we eat plenty of salads with and for dinner.  With children, I like to keep it as fun as possible, for even though they're vegan, they're still kids and don't always want to eat a salad every day.  So, Ill make a variety of salads from different regions, or have big individual salads loaded with their favorite toppings, or like this version: I'll have a salad bar with familiar and unfamiliar things to top whatever greens are the base that night.

My dear mother, bless her heart, gave me three heads of iceberg lettuce.  Just like home, ah, the memories.  The only time we usually eat iceberg now is when we're over at my parents or when she drives over to bring me three heads of it.  So, there it is, the star of our show, and it's thumbing its nose at Romaine, red leaf, butter, endive, and radicchio.  Let it have its crunchy glory, I say, surrounded by all sorts of goodness!  Below, I'll list the toppings left to right, just to give you an idea of what you can have.  Add or take away at your taste bud's pleasure. 

The Salad Bar

What my plate looked like loaded up.

Salad Bar Night

Ingredients:

Nice big bowl of lettuce, chopped
A variety of ingredients with proper handling tools provided.  We had:
  Pear tomatoes
  Finely grated Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, Monterey Jack style
  Green onions, sliced
  Carrots, grated
  Celery, chopped
  Raw turnip, grated
  Radish, grated
  Green bell pepper, diced
  Parsley greens, chopped small
  Sliced almonds
  Marinated artichoke hearts

A variety of dressings, olive and sesame oils, red wine and balsamic vinegars and lemon juice

Directions:

Top lettuce to your heart's content with the goodies.  Add the dressings to season lightly.  Eat!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Vegetable Salad

When I was a kid, my mom often put me in charge of making the family salad for the dinner table.  Everyone seemed to appreciate how many goodies I added to the iceberg lettuce that was always the base for our salads.  As I grew older, my penchant for goodie-filled salads sustained itself, and I found myself always digging around for the extra yummies I put in.  One day it dawned on me what I was doing, and I thought: why don't I just make a salad from the goodies themselves?  It was so obvious!  So, the Vegetable Salad was born, and it has enjoyed a showing quite often.  Of course you can use any combo of goodies you like; these are just the ones I used for this particular salad.  Free your inner goodie-lover!

Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

1 can of green beans, drained
6 mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tomatoes, wedged
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup sliced roasted red bell peppers (jarred)
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
Your favorite dressing or lemon juice

Directions:

Dump all ingredients, except the dressing, in a large serving bowl and toss well.  Serve with your dressing.  Enjoy the goodies.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Radical Rice Salad

I like to jazz up different ways to make salads, so they're not boring.  This is one way to do that, that I make several times a year.  The more goodies tossed in this particular salad, the better, in my opinion!  I threw together a veggie dish on the side that tasted way better than I anticipated, so I will post that easy recipe next.  Enjoy!

Radical Rice Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked brown rice, prepared according to package directions
3 cups fresh veggies - we used: broccoli florets, chopped small; carrot, grated; green onions, sliced; tomato, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts in water
1/2 can garbanzos, drained
1/2 cup of your favorite salad dressing - I used a tangy French dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Once rice is cooked, add it and all the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  Best served chilled but can be served at room temperature in a pinch.  If chilling, use non-breakable bowl before putting in refrigerator.  Stir before serving.  Serve with a side of sauteed veggies.  Feeds five hungry vegans well. 

Pasta with Sauteed Veggies

Here is another easy way to use up leftover pasta. It works great, as well, if you make pasta fresh and just want to jazz it up.



Pasta with Sauteed Veggies

Ingredients:

About a pound of leftover or freshly cooked pasta - we used linguine
3 cups of your favorite veggies - we used:
2 carrots, cut on the diagonal
2 zucchini, cut on the diagonal
2 bok choy, cut into thirds and sliced thinly
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Tbs. canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbs. garlic powder blend or plain garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot or skillet on medium heat. When hot, add veggies and cook until tender, about five minutes. If using long pasta, cut into thirds or quarters. Add your pasta to the veggies, along with the seasonings. Lower heat to medium low and cook for another five minutes or so, until all is heated through. Simple and good. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Tempeh with Kale and Carrots in Miso Peanut Sauce

I've been playing around with tempeh lately, a food that until recently I wasn't super crazy about. Now that I've figured out how to temper its bitterness by sauteeing it, tempeh and I are becoming good friends. So, now, I'm having fun trying out creative dishes with it, and this is my latest one. It has a sauce that's reminiscent of my Chunky Miso Soup, which is the first dish that I mixed miso and peanut butter. I think you should definitely try that combination because they really go well together. Throw in some inexpensive carrots and some garden-grown kale, served alongside some mac and chreese, and you're looking at an affordable, yet filling, meal. Hope you like this as much as we do.



Tempeh with Kale and Carrots in Miso Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. canola oil
3 pkgs. tempeh, diced in one inch cubes
1 cup of carrots, sliced diagonally
2 cups of kale, chopped or torn
2 Tbs. miso
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 and 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. When hot add the tempeh and saute for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the carrots and cook for another five minutes. Add the kale and cook for three more minutes. Whisk the miso, peanut butter, water and garlic salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the pan ingredients and cook for another two minutes, until all is coated and warmed through. A new kind of taste! Feeds five hungry vegans.

Big Salads with Tempeh Bits

Here is another one of my big salad ideas. Every now and then I like to serve big, individual salads for each of us for dinner as our complete meal. To top these salads, I made tempeh bits as a sub for store-bought bacon bits, and I really like the nutty result. The tempeh bits even passed the test with some meat-eatin' friends with kids at a different meal, so that's great! I also like to blanch my broccoli sometimes for salads, instead of serving them completely raw. They seem to go down easier for my blessings that way. So, below I've listed what's in our most recent big salads, including a short recipe for the tempeh bits and also a note on blanching broccoli, if that's new to you. Enjoy!

Big Salads with Tempeh Bits

Ingredients:

2 Hearts of Romaine or one big head of Romaine, chopped small
1 block of tempeh
1 Tbs. canola oil
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of chopped broccoli florets
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves chopped
1 can of water-packed and quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 avocados, quartered and sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered and cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, sliced thin and quartered

Directions:

For the tempeh bits: Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Crumble the tempeh into the pan in its individual bits. Sprinkle just a bit of garlic salt and pepper over the tempeh. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure you get the tempeh to brown before you are done cooking it. It eliminates any bitter flavor and releases a wonderful, nutty taste. Very good!

For the blanched broccoli: Heat a few cupfuls of water to boiling in a medium pot. Add the broccoli and boil for three minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

For the salad: Use the lettuce as a base on each plate, and add the toppings as desired. Drizzle your favorite salad dressing on top. Eat up! Delicious. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Potato Scramble

This is a dish that I came up with a couple of months ago and have found that I really like it for its taste and versatility. It's great for either breakfast or dinner, and you just need some basic ingredients - whatever of that type you have on hand, and go for it. It's easy on the pantry and wallet, as well. Nutritional, fast and scrumptious. Good stuff!

Potato Scramble

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, baked or boiled the night/day before
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 - 15 oz. can of beans, undrained (here we used kidney beans)
1 bunch of greens, chopped coarsely (here we used spinach leaves, which you can leave whole)
1 cup of chopped veggies (here we used carrots and peas)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

I've found I like the texture of the potatoes in this dish if they are boiled or baked prior to frying them. This avoids a super crispy skin, which can be great in other dishes, and an overabundance of oil. If you boil the taters first, you can either peel them or not. Baking them, you would probably leave the skin on afterwards. In any case, chop them up into large bite-sized pieces. Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, and cook until they just begin to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients (the liquid from the beans adds just enough moisture to keep the food moving around without sticking), and cook until the greens wilt and the veggies are tender, ten to fifteen minutes. I've used a variety of beans, greens and veggies in this dish, and they've all been delicious. Have fun with the variety and using up what you have on hand. It's filling and yummy. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Big Salads with Soy Strips

I want to start off by saying "Thank You" to everyone who commented and wished us the best on my last post about our sweet dog, Earl. Tomorrow it will be one week, and our home and backyard just hasn't been the same. I was really moved by how many people took the time to send their thoughts our way - the online world can be very wonderful.

Well, it's time, I think, to post a new dish. Every now and then we love to have big individual salads for dinner. It's our only course, and so the salads are meals in themselves. They are chock full of wonderful, crisp, crunchy veggies. I have themes, of course, for them, and this one is with soy strips. I found a brand I really like, and in fact, I use them in several recipes. So, you can obviously change up the veggies any way you like. Below, is just our latest version, and it was delicious!



Big Salads with Soy Strips
Ingredients:

2 tsp. canola oil
2 pkgs. of Morning Star Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips
Your favorite veggies on hand. We had:
1 big head of Green Leaf lettuce, chopped
Red cabbage, chopped
Mushrooms, halved and sliced
Marinated red bell peppers, halved and sliced
Carrots, grated
Vegan cheese, finely grated (we used Vegan Gourmet, cheddar style)
Celery, chopped
Green onions, sliced
Your favorite salad dressing (one of mine is Annie's Naturals Shitake & Sesame Vinaigrette)

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat in skillet. Add the strips and cook until browned, about five minutes or so. Once the strips have browned, let them cool a few minutes. Prepare the veggies while waiting and while the strips cool down. Chop the strips into small, bite-sized chunks. On individual plates, serve up the lettuce and the veggies and strips into whatever quantities everyone wants. Add a couple of tablespoons of salad dressing, and dig in! Very easy. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Seitan Noodle Soup

Here is definitely a family favorite - one of our top five dishes we love. My oldest daughter actually requested this when she got one of her extremely rare colds recently. It's good and chunky and so yummy. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Seitan Noodle Soup
Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 packages of seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 - 6 ounce pkg of very small pasta, like stars or alphabet noodles
1 - 32 ounce box of vegetable broth
water to cover
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the seitan and veggies and cook until the seitan begins to brown and the veggies just become tender, about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. In a separate small pot, cook the noodles according to package directions; set aside. In a large pot, put in the seitan, veggies, broth and spices. Add enough water to cover an inch or so. Cook over medium heat for another twenty minutes, or until the veggies have become more tenderized. Add the noodles to the pot and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Add more water if necessary. Serve with oven-heated rolls. Deeeelicious! Feeds five hungry vegans.