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.

Joe's Special with Beefless Strips

I know, I know, this is one more dish to add to my Joe's Special repertoire.   I made this sausage version in December.   I think I'm trying to recapture a magical time from my childhood.  Anyhow, you can see any of my other variations of this dish to know that I first had this with my father on long-distance bike trips.  He used ground beef, but I've changed it up any number of times.  Here's my latest version.  This is great by itself or served with pasta and fresh fruit on the side.

Joe's Special with Beefless Strips

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 pkgs. of Trader Joe's Beefless Strips or something similar
2-3 cups of quartered mushrooms
4-5 cups fresh spinach leaves, large ones torn

3 Tbs. soy sauce
4 to six drops liquid smoke

Directions:

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the strips and mushrooms.  Cook for five to seven minutes, until the strips are browned and the mushrooms are softened.  Add the spinach, and cook for another five minutes, until it is wilted.  Add the soy sauce and liquid smoke, turn heat down to medium low, and cook for two to three minutes longer.  Serve by itself or over pasta with fresh fruit on the side. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Joe's Special-Inspired Sausages

A while back, I mentioned in my post Joe's Special with Tofu , how I came to love this dish.  I also now believe, although at the time I was uncertain, that my Toasted Joes must have derived from the same origin at some point: the dishes are too similar.  Anyhow, I've made Joe's Special at home several times with various versions of soy products, but I wanted something different and unique for my blog.  I thunk and thunk on my thinking log with my pot of vegan honey close by and was struck by the idea of making sausages with these ingredients. Ta dah!  These came out really tasty with very few ingredients, and the texture was very pleasant.  Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Joe's Special-Inspired Sausages

Ingredients:

6 oz. bag of spinach leaves, chopped small, approx. 3 cups chopped
3 cups mushrooms, chopped small, approx. 10 mushrooms
1 - 14 to 16 oz. pkg, tofu, water-packed, drained
2 and 1/2 cups water, divided
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 and 1/2 cups gluten flour

Directions:

In a large pot, steam the spinach and mushrooms over medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes, until shrunken and tender.  Meanwhile in a blender, break up the tofu and add, along with two cups of the water and the seasonings.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl, and add the veggies. Stir well.  Add the gluten flour and stir.  Knead for a minute or so, just until everything is well incorporated and there are no overly wet or dry spots.   Tear fifteen pieces of aluminum foil and set aside. Take a clump of dough, about 1 and 1/2 times the size of a golf ball, and stretch out into a sausage shape on a strip of foil.  Roll the foil over at least three times, making sure you press it gently around the dough. Twist each end shut.  Place in the pot you used to steam the veggies.  Do the same with the rest of the dough.  Steam for 45 minutes over medium heat.  Near the end of the steam time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Pour 1/2 cup of the water onto a baking sheet that has a lip around the edge.  Add more water if needed to make sure the baking sheet has a thin layer of water.  When the sausages are done, carefully unwrap each one and lay on the baking sheet.  Bake for thirty minutes, turning the sausages halfway through.  Add a bit of water to the baking sheet, if it's all evaporated.  They are ready to be served with a nice vegetable and grain for a hearty meal.  These are very tasty!  Makes 15 sausages.  Serves five hungry vegans for dinner and for lunch the next day.

Pizza for Grown-Ups

Recently I made pizza for the G, the Blessings and I again.  I used my typical pizza crust from my Quick Veggie Pizza recipe. I divided the dough in five balls, as usual, but this time for mine and G's pizzas, I decided to go for toppings that the sweet Blessings would not find appealing at all.  Not only could we indulge in spicy goodness, but it also assured us that our leftovers would be untouched by grubby, greedy littler hands.  I usually have a variety of toppings for us all to choose from, but I decided to pull out red onions and jalapenos, which I knew only G and I would have.  Whereas the Blessings top their own crusts, G just trusts my topping instincts to have me make his own.  He was delighted with the finished product.   With onions and hot peppers, at least in our home, this is definitely pizza for grown-ups!

Here's a shot of Pizza for Grown-Ups still on the baking pan after coming out of the oven.

A close up of all those delicious goodies.

Pizza for Grown-Ups

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 pkgs. or 1 and 1/2 Tbs. of active dry yeast
2 cups of warm water
4 cups of flour
1 and 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/2 Tbs. vegan or raw sugar

Grown-Up Toppings:

We used:
Organic pizza sauce
Daiya cheddar shreds
Daiya mozzarella shreds
Red onion, chopped coarsely
Sliced black olives
Mushrooms, sliced
Artichoke hearts, chopped coarsely
Pickled jalapenos, chopped small
Vegan pepperoni slices

Directions:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let rest for ten minutes. Combine the remaining crust ingredients in a large bowl, along with the yeast mixture, and mix well. Cover bowl with a damp towel, and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into five sections. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out one section of dough to about the size of a plate. Pick up and gently toss with your hands, until it's at least one and a half times its original size. Put on your baking sheet or pizza pan, and load with toppings. Bake for 20 minutes. While baking, make your next pizza. I can bake two pizzas at a time side by side; a bit of one baking sheet rests on the edge of the other, but it doesn't affect the end result. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before slicing. So good and easy! Feeds five hungry vegans or two vegan grown-ups and kid-friendly toppings for the rest of the gang.

Peppery-Garlicky Gravy

G was hankering for some gravy the other morning, so I looked around in the pantry and fridge for some ingredients to rustle something together.  Since the Blessings had spent the night with Gramma and Poppy, I knew I could make it as spicy and un-kid-friendly as I wanted.  I really liked what turned out.  Even though I normally serve a white gravy over biscuits, the end dish tasted very good.  But, this won't be my "official" biscuits and gravy recipe; you can serve this gravy over biscuits, mashed potatoes, seitan cutlets, and more.  G would have preferred I left the shitakes out of the pot, so consider those optional. Also, the garlic I used in this recipe I had just purchased from the Farmer's Market, so they're not you're regular supermarket version.  They were more like one large clove each, very much arranged like small onions, and they were delicious.  But, I love garlic enough, that I would still use the same amount from the store.  Enjoy!

Peppery-Garlicky Gravy.

Peppery-Garlicky Gravy over biscuits.

Peppery-Garlicky Gravy

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 red bell pepper, diced small

5 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 - 6oz. can of sliced shitake mushrooms, drained (optional ingredient)

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 Tbs. vegan margarine

6 Tbs. flour

3 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the red bell pepper, garlic, and shitakes.  Saute for five minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another minute or so, stirring frequently.  With a spatula, move all the ingredients to one side of the pot.  Add the margarine to the cleared sign of pot, and melt it.  Add the flour to the margarine, and whisk together.  Slowly pour the broth into the roux (flour mixture) while whisking.  Try to whisk any clumped up flour bits, so you have a smooth gravy.  Eventually the other ingredients will get mixed in, and that's okay.  Continue whisking until everything has been mixed together well.  Whisk continually at this point until gravy boils and thickens, anywhere from three to ten minutes.  Serve over biscuits, mashed potatoes, seitan cutlets and more.  Nice kick to the flavor.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Warming White Bean and Kale Soup

Here is a classic soup with my own twist on it.  For the kale, I used kale that was left over from the previous night's dinner, but you can certainly use fresh kale.  Also, I normally use fresh mushrooms, but I bought several cans worth at a discount store, so I put a can in; again, you can use fresh if you have them.  This hit the spot for me, and I hope it does for you too.

Warming White Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound white beans
Water to cover
2 russet potatoes, chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained, maybe six ounces?
1 pkg. SmartBacon, chopped
2 cups cooked kale, or 4 cups fresh, chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sort the beans for grit and place in a large pot with water about three inches above the beans.  Cook on medium heat for two hours, adding water as needed, to keep the level at least two inches above the beans.  Stir occasionally.  Add the potatoes and cook for another fifteen minutes over medium heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients, and turn down the heat to medium low.  Cook for another fifteen minutes.  Hits the spot on a cold day. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers

Hah, I guess we're traveling through Burgerville.  If you'd like to join the trip, then All Aboard!  Right after enjoying our delicious Chili Cheese Burgers , I whipped up a batch of my Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers, another easy recipe.  I'm into easy these days, I guess.  I like to keep the condiments simple on this one, so as not to compete with one of my favorite things to eat: the beloved mushroom.  Served with a side of veggies, it makes for a complete meal. Enjoy!

Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
12 - 14 button mushrooms, halved and sliced
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying
3 pkgs. of vegan Boca Burgers - enough for seconds and/or leftovers 
1 red onion, sliced into rings
Vegenaise
Mustard - I love me some plain yellow here
Favorite burger buns

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  When heated, add the mushrooms.  Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding the seasonings.  Let them reduce a bit first.  After adding the seasoning, cook for another few minutes, until they are tender and you can't resist them anymore.  In the meantime, heat the canola oil in large pan over medium heat.  When hot, add enough burgers to make a layer in the pan.  Cook for three to five minutes, then flip, and continue with another three to five minutes, until they have browned.  Finish with the rest of the burgers.   Spread your Vegenaise and mustard on the buns.  Add a burger, some onion slices and a couple of spoonfuls of your shroomies.  Top with the other bun half.  Open wide and bite.  So good!  Serve with a side of veggies.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Splatter Chili

Hello, everyone!  Sorry about the extended absence.  I've been caught up in a lot of personal stuff, and I've been hit really hard with a startling lack of energy.  I haven't done anything for about a month, which has led to the destruction of my garden, the shambles of my home, the boredom of my Blessings, the backlog on my computer, and all the guilt that goes along with that.  I've since bought some vitamins that G and I think I may be lacking in, and I've forced myself to start exercising again after taking the month off.  So, hopefully, this will pass.  I apologize for not being here and for not commenting on your amazing blogs.  But, I am coming near my 200th post, which means another giveaway, so I'm going to try very hard to keep up on posting.  I hope all has been going well with all of you.  Now, on with the food!

I first made this dish when G and I were first married eons ago.  His workplace had a chili cook-off, and he wanted to show off his young wife's chili culinary skills...to a bunch of carnivores...that worked at a sewage treatment plant...yes.  Oh, don't worry, this gets better - I have yet to post my spaghetti recipe that G had me make for a fundraiser at said place of employment - mine was the only dish, by the way: the sole source of fundraising.  Oh, the faith he had in me as a newlywed.  So, anyway, he named my home-famous chili Splatter, called me the Veggie Vixen, stuck an apron on me, and said, "Make!"  Sadly Splatter did not win there that day but has since won the hearts of many people at church and in my homeschool group that have had various meal needs over time.  As a matter of fact, every single time I've made this chili for someone, all of whom have been decidedly non-vegan, they've wanted the recipe.  It is thinner that most chilis; that's because I added the liquid from the cans directly in the pot - you can always drain them for a thicker meal.  I've also slightly updated my original recipe for you.  Instead of writing "half a bag of frozen corn," leaving us to wonder what size bag I was using, I changed it to "one cup."  I also just apparently eyeballed my spices because they are listed by name with no amounts.  That has been modified as well.  I've thawed frozen tofu for the recipe: if you don't know it, doing that creates a crumbly texture, which I like here.  I mentioned some time ago that years before I started the blog, I created a cookbook for my loved ones in Word, so that is where this recipe has been culled and updated for the blog.  Sniff, Splatter's growing up.  Hope you enjoy it!

Splatter Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 - 1.25 or 1.5 oz. packet of vegan chili seasoning mix, such as by Lawry's or McCormick in the spice section of the grocery store
1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, water-packed, frozen and thawed
2 - 15 oz. cans tomatoes with green chilies
2 - 15 oz. cans pinto beans with liquid
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans with liquid
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 - 10 large mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Squeeze water from the tofu, put in pot and mash.  Cook for ten or so minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu just starts to brown or all the liquid has evaporated.  Add the chili packet and stir.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Continue to cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil.  Turn down to medium low and cook for one hour.  Can top with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and chopped red onions, if desired.  Serve alongside some crackers for a comforting meal.  Splatter on!  Serves five hungry vegans.

Mushroom Gravy, G's Birthday and a Contest

G's birthday was a few days ago, and once again, I made it through that sketchy period, where for two weeks I'm too old for him.  Whew!  As usual, he asked for a very simple birthday dinner - no fuss, no muss.  Everything he requested, I made for him.  I wasn't thinking in terms of posting any recipes, so I didn't take a clear shot of the gravy.  I wish I had taken a picture of it in a ladle or in a gravy boat, but eh, I didn't think about it.  But, looking at the roasted potatoes, you kind of get the idea.  It's an easy, yummy gravy, chock full of mushrooms, really!

G's birthday dinner (my) plate: Roasted potatoes with Mushroom Gravy, Boca Chik patties, green, purple and orange cauliflower.  (He asked for a vegetable medley, and I thought this looked colorful.)  On G's plate, his gravy was on his patties, too.  The boy wanted gravy!  The lighting isn't too great in this picture to show off everything as good as it was.

G's birthday lunch was at our usual go-to place for either his or my birthday.  Queen Sheba's has an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet during the week, so it's really cost-effective with five hungry mouths.  Since he works from home on Friday's, we took his lunch a day early.  Their information is: 1704 Broadway, Sacramento, ph: 916-446-1223, www.queenshebas.com .

G's birthday cake.  He told me he wanted it in Captain America colors, JK's favorite superhero of the minute, so it's a white cake with cherry and blueberry filling.  This was a hit with everyone, even my mom, who isn't crazy about sweets.

Slice of same cake.  The true color of the cake is actually reflected in the picture of the whole cake.  Again, the lighting wasn't the greatest on my table.

 
 

Also, someone nominated me to be one of the top 25 veggie mom bloggers at Circle of Moms.  I'm not one normally for self-promotion, and I'm a bit shy, but G goaded me on to accept this.  So, if you want to vote for me, you can do so once a day until February 14th.  I don't have Facebook or Twitter or MySpace to my advantage, just you, my wonderful, kind, insightful readers.  This blog is my only venture into the cyber world beyond my e-mail.  Thank you in advance!  And thank you to whomever nominated me.  :-)

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced small
8 to 10 button mushrooms, chopped small
6 Tbs. vegan margarine
4 Tbs. flour
3 cups of vegetable broth
2 Tbs. soy sauce
5 to 7 drops of liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat oil on medium heat.  When hot, add the onion and cook for ten minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes more, stirring frequently.  Move the onions and mushrooms to one side of the pan, and add the margarine on the other side.  Let it melt.  Add the flour to the margarine, and either whisk the two together or use a fork to blend them into a kind of paste.  Add the broth to the paste while continue to whisk.  It's okay if some of the onions and mushrooms sneak on over and blend in.  When all the broth is added, the whole pot of ingredients will be mixed together.  Add the remaining ingredients, and continue to stir gently with whisk until gravy comes to a boil.  It will thicken very rapidly at this point.  If it's too thick, you can add a touch more broth.  Serve hot over roasted potatoes, or anything else you like.  If the leftover gravy congeals overnight in the refrigerator, simply warm up with a little extra water, and it's good as new.  Feeds five hungry vegans and a couple of guests.

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.

Kale with Oyster Mushrooms and Garlic

I'm a BIG fan of mushrooms and always have been.  Of course I love the humble white button and its cousin the brown crimini, portabellos big or small, shitakes, straw shrooms, a woody-eared shroom, and enoki, but, I've never had oyster mushrooms before.  So, when I saw them for sale at the farmer's market, I thought I'd give them a try.  I brought them home with some fresh kale and made a fantastic dish for lunch that took less than ten minutes to cook.  The mushrooms released an incredibly savory liquid that added so much flavor to the dish.  I am definitely sold on oyster mushrooms now!

One thing on the recipe: I normally like to list ingredients by measurement not weight, but the vendor sold her shrooms by weight, and I didn't think to see how much of a cup they were.  I'm thinking a cup to a cup and a half.  But, you can just guesstimate.

Kale with Oyster Mushrooms and Garlic

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 pound of oyster mushrooms, bottom end trimmed, approx. 1 and 1/2 cups
1 lg. bunch of kale, approx. 8 to 10 cups, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the garlic and cook for one minute, until the garlic releases its fragrance.  Add the mushrooms and saute just for five minutes.  Add the kale and mix well.  Cook until kale just starts to wilt and is a beautiful bright green color.  Season lightly and serve immediately.  So addictive that it's hard to stop eating from the pan after you're supposedly done.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Joe's Special with Tofu

When I was twelve and fourteen years old, my father took on me long-distance bicycle trips: one was the California coast border to border and the other was Seattle to San Francisco.  He and I did a lot of shorter long trips together, but each of the two long-distance ones took us one month to accomplish.  They were literally the best times I had with my father growing up. We could talk, we saw sights and heard sounds that people in cars whizzing by missed.  We slept mostly in hiker-biker parts of regular campgrounds, but sometimes we found ourselves in a sheep farm, or a hidey-hole up a steep trail, or the rare hotel to wash up.  We met some great people on these trips, and if they were bikers going the same direction as us, we found ourselves meeting up at the next campground 50 to 75 miles away the next evening.  Sometimes we would get to know other travelers over a week.  It was a wonderful time for me.

One of the things that was commonplace was to share our meals with each other and develop a sort of outdoors banquet.  This is when I first had Joe's Special.  It was actually my father's contribution, but I don't recollect him making it other than on these trips.  We usually had it at least once a week on the road, and my belly always welcomed it.  The other campers brought whatever they had to contribute and would gather around the fire that was heating our meal; the smells were an invitation for everyone to join in.  My father made his with ground beef, mushrooms and spinach - we would carry the food and pans right in our panniers, our bicycle packs.  He seasoned it simply with just salt and pepper - the outdoor air and the moon and the crickets fed the rest of the senses.  I've made a vegan version in different ways over the years, and this is my take on it with tofu.  I've added liquid smoke to try and recapture the essence of being in the woods, the campfire lights sparking into the air, but I don't think anything will quite compare to the memories I treasure.  This is as close as I can get it.

Joe's Special with Tofu

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. of canola oil
2 pkgs. of extra-firm tofu, drained of water, cubed into approximate 1/2" squares
8 to 10 mushrooms, sliced thickly or quartered, depending on size
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the cubed tofu and cook until it browns, about fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and cook for another five minutes.  Add the spinach and seasoning and cook until the spinach wilts, just a couple of minutes.  Served with baked potatoes, this makes a complete meal.  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.

Roasted Veggies

Roasted veggies, you say? Well, I decided to do a post on this wonderful way of preparing vegetables because just as no one is born knowing how to blanch veggies (and some people have mentioned their thanks to me that I've written brief notes on how to do that), so also is no one born knowing how to roast them either. So, this is more of a short guide, rather than a recipe. By the way, I only began roasting vegetables regularly about a year ago. I usually steamed or stir-fried them, but now I think roasting is my favorite way to prepare them. Below is my all-time favorite combination of veggies to roast: asparagus, broccoli and mushrooms - and they all fit so nicely on a large cookie sheet! Have fun roasting!

Hot Roasted Veggies right out of the oven - see the steam?

A close-up of said veggies

Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

Several cups of your favorite vegetables, chopped or left whole, according to your preference
Non-stick Spray
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Spread out your prepared veggies over the cookie sheet. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables, less or more depending on your taste. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all. I have found to keep seasonings to a minimum: when I used more herbs and spices, it hid the flavor that the roasting brings out. Bake for fifteen minutes. If you have harder vegetables, like cauliflower, you may need to bake for an additional ten minutes. You do not want them mushy when done, yuck - just barely fork tender, leaving a nice crunch. Mm-mm-good. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Breakfast Potato Skillet

Years ago, there was a Sacramento restaurant that G and I went to for breakfast. SR was just a baby and toddler at the time, so she just nibbled off our plates. But, I loved to order their potato skillet. It was a big plate of home fries covered with veggies, ham, cheese and a fried egg on top. By the time I had them leave off the ham, cheese and fried egg, I was left with home fries and veggies. I still loved it, though, because we could actually go out to breakfast on a Saturday morning, a rare treat for a vegan! But, then my frugal mind started adding up the money that I was still paying for the invisible ham, cheese and fried egg, and I began to wonder if I could duplicate this at home, but even more awesome than theirs. And what do you think I did next? You got it - experiment in the kitchen! Yay for my guinea pig family! So, the trick was to get that secret, elusive home fry flavor down: you know what I'm talking about - crispy potato square on the outside with a fluffy center. Just frying potatoes wasn't cutting it. I had to haul out my Big Daddy deep fryer. I deep fry about once or twice a year, so I'm not ashamed, I tell ya! Anyways, the potatoes were perfect, and by adding veggie hot dogs, vegan cheese and just the right veggies, it did the trick. I now have my scrumptious version of the Breakfast Potato Skillet! (Imagine that name echoing a few times.) Mine ends up being baked, and I don't think the restaurant did that; hence their "skillet" name, but I've kept that moniker for some good memories. That restaurant is now out of business, but we're still in the business of chowing down in the Blessed Vegan Life home. Come share in our food!

Breakfast Potato Skillet out of the oven

A steaming serving of this delight

The serving bowl after being attacked by hungry vegans!

Breakfast Potato Skillet

Ingredients:

9 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
Enough canola oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
1 and 1/2 cups of broccoli florets, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 - 6 mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. of your favorite vegan hot dogs (use eight of them)
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 pkg. of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, cheddar style, finely shredded, divided
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hot sauce or ketchup, optional

Directions:

Prepare the deep fryer. Gently put in three of the potatoes, diced, in the deep fryer. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels and salt according to your taste. Repeat two more times with the remaining potatoes. I will do this step often the night before so as to save time in the morning. Put potatoes in a large baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, put the broccoli, bell pepper and mushrooms in a medium pot with about an inch of water and a steamer basket. Steam for about ten minutes, just until the broccoli is fork-tender. You do not want to overcook them. When ready, put them in a medium bowl, along with the tomatoes. While the veggies are steaming, prepare the hot dogs according to package directions - I bring water to a boil, turn the heat off, add the hot dogs and let sit for two minutes. Slice the hot dogs into 1/2" rounds. Add the hot dogs and half of the cheese to the bowl with the veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir the whole thing very well. Pour on top of the potatoes in the baking dish, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese all over the top. Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and turn on the top broiler, and broil for 3 to five minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with hot sauce and/or ketchup. Mm-mm goo-ood! Feeds five hungry vegans with leftovers for lunch...maybe.

Sauteed Dino Kale with Criminis and Tomatoes

I have a love affair with kale. The only greens I grew up eating were iceberg lettuce and canned spinach, so when I first tried greens, it was tentatively. I didn't really like them at first because I thought they were bitter, and some are still harder for me to eat, like mustard greens, but I'm friends with most greens now. But, when I tried kale, I couldn't believe it! It was love at first sight: I loved chewing it, and it loved being digested by me. I've been growing kale now for a couple of years and try to incorporate it and other greens into as many different meals as I can for my children. They are so darn healthy for us! But, my kale plants are not lush right now, so I bought some fresh dino kale from the store and made a super simple veggie medley. I used that ultra-delicious garlic blend from Gilroy again, so you can use garlic powder or another blend, if you wish.

For those that have been wondering about the Blessings Question of the Day that I promised in my 100th post, I did do a couple, but it's on hold for right now. Apparently, I didn't pass the idea through to the Blessings before I announced it on my blog. I already mortify my girls on a daily basis just by being their mom. They think I'm too friendly to strangers: in the store I smile at people, horrors! I'll help someone randomly if they appear to need help, how could I?! I'll chat up someone in line if they seem receptive, oh, Mom, stop! So, as you can see, I've gotten myself in hot water with them with my little question of the day idea. Suffice it to say that most of the girls' questions were how I would rather be trampled by one animal or another, escape from death-defying situations, what body part or sense I would rather be without, etc. JK's were faves from colors to animals to foods to wrestlers, etc. Sigh. If things change, I'll let you know. Thanks to those who briefly played along!

Sauteed Dino Kale with Criminis and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cups of crimini mushrooms, sliced
10 cups of dino kale, stripped from their stems, and either coarsely chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp. good garlic blend or garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, halved and halved and again, and cut into "mini" wedges

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kale in big handfuls, stirring for a few seconds to slightly wilt kale before adding next big handful. Add the spices. Cook for another three to five minutes, until kale is evenly bright green and slightly wilted but not overcooked. Add the tomatoes and stir until well mixed. Serve and eat immediately. Feeds five hungry vegans. Yum!

Quick Veggie Pizza

This was my first time making pizza dough from scratch, and I really liked it! I found a recipe on allrecipes, changed it slightly and doubled it for my family. Even though it uses yeast, the rising time is only thirty minutes, which was fantastic for a weeknight meal. The only flour my recipe uses is all purpose, and I thought the crust came out great. The dough was incredibly soft to work with and a cinch to roll out. The girls really wanted to see if I could toss the dough, so I did, and to my amazement, it stretched out amazingly. The dough stayed uniformly round when I rolled it, but changed into interesting shapes when I tossed it three or four times. So, that was a fun twist. Some shapes fit on my pizza pan, and some had to be baked on a large cookie sheet. I thought by doubling the dough recipe that I'd have just enough for five mini pizzas, but instead, I ended up with five full-size pizzas, yum! It was the tossing that did it. After the short rise time, the dough already had a sourdough-y fragrance, and I found that very appealing. One thing I will do differently next time is to not make all the crusts ahead of time: even with plenty of flour in between layers of uncooked crusts, they all stuck together, and I had to re-roll and start over. But, it was so quick, it wasn't that big of a deal. There is sugar in this recipe, and some sort of sweetener in all the recipes I searched, so I just decided to put it in. I think I'll give it a try without the sweetener next time, and see if there's a marked difference. With the simplicity of ingredients and the quickness of the meal, I can definitely see me making homemade pizza frequently in our home!

A close-up of Quick Veggie Pizza

What my dough looked like after rolling.

How big it got after a few tosses!

Its fun, quirky shape straight from the oven! What was fun for the Blessings, is that everyone's pizza had a unique shape.

Quick Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 pkgs. or 1 and 1/2 Tbs. of active dry yeast
2 cups of warm water
4 cups of flour
1 and 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/2 Tbs. vegan or raw sugar

Your Favorite Veggie Toppings:

We used:
Organic pizza sauce
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, cheddar style, finely shredded
Tomatoes, halved and sliced
Can of black olives, sliced in thirds
Dino kale, stripped from stems and torn or coarsely chopped
Mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let rest for ten minutes. Combine the remaining crust ingredients in a large bowl, along with the yeast mixture, and mix well. Cover bowl with a damp towel, and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into five sections. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out one section of dough to about the size of a plate. Pick up and gently toss with your hands, until it's at least one and a half times its original size. Put on your baking sheet or pizza pan, and load with toppings. Bake for 20 minutes. While baking, make your next pizza. (I did not try to bake more than one pizza at a time because I thought they may stay undercooked, and I wanted this first time to be a success. However, I may do that the next time I make these to test my theory.) Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before slicing. So good and easy! Feeds five hungry vegans, with leftovers for lunch the next day!

Seitan Pasta Sauce Over Angel Hair

Here is a very hearty pasta sauce that goes a long way. I used homemade seitan, but feel free to use your favorite store bought brand. If you've never added fennel seed to one of your pasta sauces, I highly recommend it. The heavy sauce is balanced out by the light angel hair pasta. I served it alongside my Summertime Corn Salad for another light addition.




Seitan Pasta Sauce Over Angel Hair
Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 and 1/2 cups of seitan, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, chopped small
4 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 - 29 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 - 4.25 oz. can chopped olives
1 - 7 oz can diced mild green chiles
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 lb. pound angel hair pasta

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the seitan, green bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute for several minutes until the bell pepper softens and the mushrooms release their liquid. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the noodles, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook for at least another two hours, stirring occasionally. A few minutes before the sauce is ready, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Serve the sauce over the pasta. I recommend a light pasta and a light side dish to offset the heartiness of the sauce. Makes a big pot of sauce, definitely enough to feed five hungry vegans!

Garbage Tofu

Ah, yes, Garbage Tofu, a very common dish in our home. For a while, a brief while, I had the name changed to Variety Tofu to give it more dignity, but my children resoundly outvoted me, and so the moniker Garbage Tofu lives on. This meal is different every single time I make it because it is comprised of anything and everything that I happen to have on hand, including leftovers of any kind, small portions of casseroles, nuts and seeds, strange sauces, beans, veggies, small bags, jars or boxes of stuff that need to be used up, you just never know. Now, I do try to make it tasty. I won't add blackberry jam with leftover green curry sauce...or will I? Usually, I add one to two cups of various ingredients with the tofu, stir it with a sauce or a smattering of seasonings, and put it on the table. Those are the times it's really fun being a mom and wife, watching your family eat what you place in front of them. But, let's not be cruel, let's try to make it taste good, people! Below, you will see my latest version, which actually went over so well, that my oldest blessing forgot it was the garbage dish and asked for it again! So, this one might be a keeper.

Garbage Tofu

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. of olive oil
2 pkgs. of extra-firm, tofu, water-packed, either diced or smashed - this time I diced my tofu
Any one to two cups of oddball ingredients that you are brave enough to throw in the pan. For this dish I used about 1/2 cup leftover cauliflower, 1/2 cup leftover fried potatoes, about 1 Tbs. of capers, 1 4oz. can of sliced mushrooms, 1 Tbs. ground flax seed, and 2 Tbs. soy sauce.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the tofu, being careful not to get hit with splattering water/oil. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally, until tofu begins to brown, about ten minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, lowering heat to medium. Cook for about five or so minutes, until everything is heated through. Depending on what you throw in, it can be served alone or over rice. I served this one with a fresh fruit salad made with apples, mandarin oranges, bananas and strawberries. It can be very tasty, if you've begun to master what flavors blend well. Feeds five hungry vegans.