Baking Up a Storm!

Last night my co-ed fraternity had a potluck to wrap up the year, and as always, I volunteered to make dessert. At most potlucks, because there is nothing else for me to eat, I have delicious, sweet treats as a dinner. I don't do it on purpose, I swear. Okay, maybe I do.
This year my brothers actually did an excellent job bringing some vegan-friendly food (I've trained them so well!). There were strawberry salads and fresh potato wedges galore, but I couldn't end the night without some cupcakes and pie!

 

I take my new-found love for carrot-cake as a sign that I'm getting older. As a kid the thought of carrots and cake together seemed absolutely disgusting despite it being served on grandma's birthday every year (yeah, maybe that doesn't help the "only old people like carrot cake" argument"). I'll be sure to give this to my kids straight out of the womb to train them early. The cakes themselves are the perfect sweetness, and the vegan cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement. This recipe comes straight from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over World (I know, I know, buy it already). 

 

This cheesecake was a definite improvement from my first attempt in terms of firmness. The cookie crust was a nice touch, but a bit of warning, this is very rich and filling! I got this recipe from bittersweet and I'd definitely recommend it. 

You're pretty much set for any summer gathering, so get baking! 

Meal Round-Up

Yeeehaw! Here's some random meals I've had lately.

Today I'm in bakerella mode, so just wait, this stuff is golden. You'll be drooling all over your keyboard and may have to replace it. Just sayin'.

 

Fried asparagus! So easy, just use the same method as my jalapeno poppers (without the cream cheese, unless you want to. Hey! That sounds good...). I made a dipping sauce from soy sauce and spicy mustard, and it was a nice complement. I had a basic salad to go with it so my heart didn't stop from all the fried goodness. That's a valid medical fear.

 

Lately I've been on a potato kick. By lately, I mean my entire life. Why are potatoes so gooood? My favorite is to bake them, using howtobakeapotato.com. They seriously always come out perfect when using that method, unless of course I get too impatient. 1.5 hours seems like a lifetime but it's so worth it for that perfect potato. I put a little vegan sour cream, some Daiya pepperjack shreds, and a touch of Lowry's seasoning salt on top. Again, to try and bring the healthy scale back to earth, I ate this with some steamed spinach and mushrooms. This meal is perfect for one of those cold, summer nights. Wait a minute... Is California the only state with seriously weirdo weather right now?

Well, I need to get back to cupcakin' (oh man, ruined one of my baking surprises) and studying (Environmental Control Systems final today at 1pm). 

Enjoy the day!

Kate

German Chocolate Pancakes

 

Paaaancakes. Pre-Vegan Kate didn't like pancakes so much, but since making the plunge I've had an odd craving for them. We always want what we can't have, don't we? Well, too bad that's not a problem anymore! I was feeling ambitious last week and decided to pull out the cookbook (thanks AGAIN, Isa Chandra!) to make some coconut pancakes. I had some fresh coconut to use up before I move out at the end of this week and this seemed like the perfect application. 

However, after taking one bite, I decided to make a little revision. Who says the dish is done once the first bite is taken?!

 And so I give you... 

I suggest picking up a copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook right away and making these delightful cakies with a little added powdered sugar and chocolate chips. This blog will be coming to an end soon and then what will you devoted readers eat without my help?! Just joking, I'm sure you're all very capable cooks. ;)

Cheers!

Kate

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata

Last week I found myself in the predicament of a group brunch with nothing to eat! Temptation can be hard when surrounded with bacon, buttery scones, and scrambled eggs. The solution? Make something so good, there's no need to stray. I only had eyes for this frittata, let me tell you. Also, this stores well if made in a pie tin, so you can make it the day before and heat it up when you want. Fabulous.

This is a slightly adjusted recipe from Isa Chandra's Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook (Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata).

 

Ingredients

1 pound extra firm tofu (no need to press, just squeeze over the sink)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

Stalks of asparagus (I used about 5, Isa Chandra suggests 3), discard tough ends and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, finely chopped

Mushrooms as desired (I used about 12 mushrooms, cut into thirds. Isa Chandra's recipe does not include mushrooms)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup basil leaves (I used dried, Isa Chandra suggests fresh, cut up)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Squeeze the tofu through your fingers into a bowl until it resembles ricotta cheese, and then mix in the mustard, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast. Set aside.

In a pan or skillet, saute the onions in olive oil until slightly browned, and then add the tomatoes and mushrooms. After about three minutes, add the asparagus, garlic, and turmeric, saute for another minute. Add the lemon juice and let the mixture simmer until the asparagus looks done and tender. Turn off the heat.

 

Once slightly cooled, mix the skillet mixture into the bowl with the tofu. Fold in basil.

Transfer the mixture into a pie tin and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Switch to the broiler, and let the top brown about 2 minutes. Careful not to let it burn!

Let it cool about 10 minutes, and then it's ready to eat, or store for later. 

Never fear brunch again!

Kate

I'm baaaack! With moody soup!

This blogger has been quite the busy lady the past couple of weeks, but I'm returning with lots of food-spirations, just for you. It's almost dead week around here, which means deadlines are rapidly approaching, but my favorite procrastination techniques always involve food, so I have many a recipe to share with you over the next couple of days. I have photos loaded from as far back as three weeks ago. Oops.

I meant to have this soup post weeks and weeks ago, but completely forgot about it until I stumbled upon my photos. Which I have to admit, I think these are my best moody-food pictures.
Kate, amateur food photographer, specializing in moody soup.
I think it has a little ring!

I managed to have two different bowls of homemade soup in one week, so I thought they were worth sharing. The first one was a sweet potato soup I improvised with my dear friend Kelsey (who loves when I cook for her! A fan! Hooray!). The second is a cauliflower basil soup. While I can't remember or find recipes for these soups, I promise that soups are very easy if you have a blender and some hearty vegetables! I usually start by roasting up whatever vegetable I want as the main ingredient with some oil and seasonings. Put the veggies in a blender with some veggie or mushroom stock and blend! Be creative, and then take your own thought-provoking soup pictures.

 

 

My friends and I have many inside jokes including soup. We're weird. 

But everyone loves soup. 

SOUP,

Kate

Breakfast for Dinner: Johnnycakes

 

Unfortunately, I was informed by tales of me and the husband (check her out, she's hilarious) that blogger crashed yesterday. Which would explain why my post on johnnycakes suddenly was no more! 

Honestly, I'm crazy busy at the moment and don't have time to completely redo the post, but I will tell you Isa Chandra's amazing johnnycakes can be found here, with the only adjustment I made being to use vanilla almond milk instead of regular. On the side, I just fried up some potatoes and some veggie protein sausage and voila, a breakfast for dinner that makes a girl feel a little baaad, in a good way of course. Breaking the laws of breakfast is what I do best.

Until next time,

Kate

CUT THE TOFU, TURN THE PLATE

My best friend Amy sent me this video and I could not stop laughing. It's a little hard to sit through the heavy metal, at least for me, but the instructions are just hilarious and his utensils are beyond awesome.

Proof that the vegan lifestyle is way hardcore.

XX,
Kate

Vegan Cheesecake?

We'll start this post with a little title correction...

I learned a very important lesson this past weekend. When taking a recipe off the internet, read the review and comments first. :)

I've been looking at vegan cheesecake recipes for the few days prior of making this beauty, and they all had very different ingredients. I chose this one because the ingredients were the most simple and I already had a majority of them. However, if I would have read the comments, I'd know that it tended to be runny. One of the comments suggested added some cornstarch to thicken it up.

In a last minute effort to save this cheesecake, I added a small tub of vegan cream cheese that I had in the fridge because surprisingly it didn't have any sort of cream cheese at all (a lot of the other recipes did).

I've never made a cheesecake before, vegan or not, so I had my roommate taste it for accuracy. While he said it didn't taste like cheesecake, it was delicious and could easily pass as a custard. Well shoot folks, look at that; the custard pie was born!

Graham Cracker Crust (I got this recipe from my off-brand graham cracker box)
Ingredients 
-10 graham crackers
-1/2 cup canola oil
-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
-greased pie tin

Simply add the crackers, oil, and syrup into a food processor until the graham crackers are a fine texture. Press the crackers into a greased pie tin and then cover with desired filling! This crust has a maple flavor, so account for that in complement with the filling. Also, wearing a glove (or my ghetto version, wrapping your hands in plastic wrap) helps to keep the crust from sticking to your fingers.

Custard Pie Filling (adapted from the recipe linked above)
Ingredients
1 pound soft tofu, drained
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 small tub of Tofutti Cream Cheese

Again, mix the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and then pour into the crust. Bake in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes (or longer, if you feel it's needed). Let it cool and then leave in the fridge overnight. I added strawberries to the top, but experimentation with other fruit is encouraged!

Cheers all,
Kate

Celebrating with a Vegan Reuben!

I have good news, friends! I'm officially going to be studying at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany next year!!! For my readers that aren't architectural nerdies, this place is packed with history and to actually attend a place I've learned about in class is insane. I couldn't be more excited. The whole going abroad scenario has been such a roller coaster of a ride, with mostly downs, but it will all be worth it when I'm exploring Berlin, Dresden, and the many other cities and countries I hope to dip my toes into. Eeeeeep! (I actually squeal like this when I'm crazy excited. It's weird).

I'll most likely be making another blog to document my travels, but more on that later. I have plenty of time to set that up, and it will more of a travel journal than anything for myself and my family to look back on when I have to re-assimilate into American society again. Dessau is a very small town (smaller than my hometown!... which is small) and the locals do not speak English, so I've already got my interactive cd's ordered. If anyone has any German to teach me, please share!

To celebrate, I decided to create my own version of a Vegan Reuben. While the origin of the Reuben Sandwich is a little hazy, it is said to have been invented by a German (possibly in the US?) in the 1940's, and it includes one of my favorite German ingredients: sauerkraut! I simply don't know enough dishes that include this treat, but hopefully while abroad I can pass on some recipes that will be more authentic than this one. I've seen many Vegan Reuben on the blog scene but I think mine's pretty darn good, so give it a shot and you won't be disappointed. :)

 

Ingredients:

Rye Bread (this really makes the sandwich, I swear it) 

Earth Balance spread

Tofurky, smoked flavor (amount desired)

Dash of olive oil

About 2 spoons Sauerkraut

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 of an onion, diced (or desired amount)

Veganaise spread

Pinch of pepper jack flavored Daiya "cheese"

I used both a small frying pan and griddle for this sandwich. I started by throwing the garlic and onion into an oil-greased frying pan for about 5 minutes. Once browned, I added the sauerkraut just to warm it slightly.

In the meantime, I spread Earth Balance on one side of each rye slice, then Veganaise on the other. I placed the EB side down, V side up. I added tofurky slices to one slice, then added the sauerkraut mixture on top of that. 

Add a pinch of Daiya, and then put the empty rye slice on top and press. Flip and press again. 

Serve with a side of fruit or kettle chips, and enjoy! The bread and sauerkraut really make that classic reuben taste that I love so much!

Got to run to work! Auf Wiedersehen!

Kate

Some beans, some kale, and some unconventional pudding.

Hello Blogoverse!

I'm in quite good spirits after a wonderful and much needed yoga session this morning followed by some hilarious episodes of Weeds. I've got some lunch ideas on the brain, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share a good meal.

Been trying some fun recipes this week! I'd like to share my dinner from a couple nights ago. I did not make up any of these recipes but I did make some slight adjustments.

That brown pile of deliciousness is the Lemon Garlic Fava Beans and Mushrooms recipe from Post Punk Kitchen (once again, mad props Isa). Probably one of my favorite vegan recipes I've ever tried, no joke. The flavors were really multi-dimensional and so rich. A note of warning: don't watch television while you eat it, because the feeling of looking down to an empty serving with surprise is heartbreaking. Haha, I realize I always end up sharing my embarrassing relationships with food. No judgement.

The only tweek I made was cutting out the thyme, simply because I didn't have any, and I let the final product sit on the stove on simmer awhile while my rice was cooking to get it nice and thick. I don't prefer soupy, but that's a personal choice. I served over brown rice and it was filling and satisfying.

For my greens I decided to whip up some Kale Subzi from Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes because I had a ton of kale in the fridge. Silly me went out and bought fresh coconut just for the recipe but then forget to add it in at the end! So what we have here is coconut-less Kale Subzi, but delicious and healthy Kale Subzi regardless.

I topped it off with a big glass of almond milk. Oh yeah, get that good stuff.

You didn't think I'd forget dessert did you?! What kinda girl do you think I am?

 

Chocolate Pudding! Made from avocados! Wait.. what?

I've read some different recipes for this on the internet and was floored. I had to make it myself.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding 

(I won't even put avocado in the title because you can't taste it!)

Ingredients:
1.5 medium ripe avocados (because that's what I had), diced
1/3 cup raw agave nectar (or another sweetener of choice)
2-3 Tbsp pure cocoa powder (start with two and add for a more chocolate-y taste)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
A pinch or 2 of sea salt (to taste)
2 Tbsp water (I mixed the other ingredients first then added as I went to get the texture I wanted)
Sprinkle fresh coconut on top

All I did was combine the ingredients in my handy magic bullet and ta-da! This makes 2 servings, so my first attempt was without coconut, and the aftertaste of avocado was still slightly there (probably because I was thinking about it so much). On the second go, I added the fresh coconut and it made a world of difference. It added texture, masked the avocado flavor, and it was pretty to look at.
You! Must! Try! This!

Experimentor Extroidinare,
Kate

Wraps at Sunset

I've been trying new products lately! Hooray for me! I will do a little showcase and review of these products later this week. I think I can attribute my experiments to finally starting to become comfortable with the vegan lifestyle. I'm at a point where I can view it as a part of who I am, and not just as a diet.

However some sad news: I'm still waiting to hear back from my university as far as where I'll be studying abroad next year, and chances are I may have to take a vegan break during my travels. I'm sad by this... I have become so accustomed to feeling light and guilt-free about the origins of what I put on my plate, but I know if I were to live with a host family, or in a country where I don't speak the language, being picky about my food may not be an option. I'd like to think that foreign countries (at least in the lesser populated areas that I could be living in like Dessau) treat their animals with more respect than the money-hungry Americans that push livestock through death rows with a blindfold on. I'll have to do more research on that and get back to you.

So far my living situation for next year comes down to:
Copenhagen, Denmark (one of the most environmentally friendly places in the world!), 1 year
Florence, Italy, 1 year
Dessau, Germany, 7 months
Canberra, Austrailia, 1 year
Switzerland (traveling class), 10 weeks

Every afternoon I come home from school, day-dreaming about living abroad and my stomach literally does somersaults. So I do the practical thing, and feed my turning stomach with good food!

One night this week I made some veggie wraps and spicy sweet potato wedges (made like any other potato wedges, but with the addition of a lot of sweet cayenne pepper, mmm). I got the wraps at a local Asian market next to the nori and I had to give them a try. They are great for on the go because they easily fit in a to-go container, and they can be filled with anything!

Some of my favorite combos:

Fresh carrots (peeled)
Romaine lettuce
Sprouts
Lemon juice
Sesame wrapper

Avocado (good with everything, let's be real)
Spinach
Tofutti cream cheese
Sprouts
Yellow wrapper (I'm not exactly sure what the flavor was! But I'll reveal it on my product post)


Happy eating, and dreaming!
Kate

It's Poppin'.

Hello hello!

Work, school, and design competitions are taking over my life as of late. However, I've still been finding time to squeeze in a little pan-fryin'. There's always time for that.

On a side note, is anyone out there in the blogoverse as obsessed with Pushing Daisies as I am? Thank you to my roomie for introducing us! I watched the entire (and only) season in such a short amount of time, that it's embarrassing to say. I think I may watch it again.

Ready for some writing-magic? I'm going to tie these two complex thoughts together..

I had a really good night recently that involved jalapeno poppers, my favorite of fried foods, and Pushing Daisies! Don't believe me?

 

See! I told you!

This appetizer is really fun to make as long as you're wearing long sleeves, or actually have a deep fryer. 

Ingredients:

Fresh jalapenos, cut in half length-wise and gutted of most seeds (I leave in some for the spicy kick)

Tofutti Better-Than-Cream-Cheese, original flavor

Panko Bread Crumbs

Bowl of water

Bowl of Flour

-Cut the jalapenos in the long direction and gut as instructed above. Leave the desired amount of seeds inside

-Fill the "jalapeno canyon" with Tofutti

-Submerge the entire jalapeno half in the bowl of water (don't leave underwater too long, just enough to cover), then roll in the flour

-Let the jalapeno half dry for about ten minutes (I put them on a paper towl while I did the others)

-Submerge the half in water again, then roll in the Panko bread crumbs. Let dry.

-You may want to repeat the Panko step again to get it as covered as possible. 

-Heat a large skillet with raised sides, filled with vegetable oil

-When it starts to pop, add the jalapeno poppers and rotate about every 5 minutes until they are a golden brown color

-Let them cool on a paper towel to absorb some of the extra oil

-Eat those suckers!

These are feel-good.

Promise,

Kate

Galapril's Pancakes

This morning I stumbled upon a Danish girl's blog while procrastinating doing my taxes... oops. She doesn't seem to be completely vegan as some of her older posts include tuna and milk, but those Vegan Chocolate Chip pancakes look delish in her current post's video! Check her out!
April is an aspiring photographer and high school student. Plus, she's just way adorable and her english is so cute!

Today is April 4, the day that architecture students here must commit to their abroad programs. I'm anxiously waiting to hear from the Copenhagen program to see if I got spot. Eeeep!

Kate

Happy April everyone! Sorry I've been gone so long, once again. This past week was my university's spring break, and I spent mine in snowy, cold Minneapolis. It's not the typical spring break location, filled with beaches, booze, and booty. And by that I mean treasure. Many tropical locations have hidden treasure.

You sick minded people.

 I was in Minneapolis for a co-ed fraternity convention, and one would think it would be difficult for a vegan to eat in a convention setting; I believe I was one of two vegans out of 150 people! But once again, veganism proves itself to rule harder than ever. Someone at every meal expressed jealously over my creative dishes. Who needs soggy piece of fish when you could have sweet tomato and tofu curry? Who needs plain old white cake when you could have a giant martini glass of fresh berries and raspberry sorbet? I could go on, but you get the idea. Us vegans even got different dishes from the vegetarians, which is strange and seems to cost more for the caterers, but whatever. Vegans 1, Everyone Else 0.

There was one night where dinner was not provided for us, so I convinced my hotel roomies to venture into the freezing cold in search of a vegan restaurant. I have to admit I was skeptical, considering vegan almost seems like a foreign word outside of hippy California, but we ended up finding the most delicious vegan pizza I've ever tasted!

Let me now present...
Pizza Luce Downtown! in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I started off with the "cheesy" garlic bread that was made with a tofu-nut mixture. It was SPICY! But the chronic heartburn was so worth it. 

As a main dish I got the Athena Pizza: Their special cheese substitute, spinach, olives, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes, all on a garlic-y crust. 

The environment of the place was just too cute. High bar stools, local art for sale, and a sports bar, it definitely had a warm vibe. And look at those to-go boxes! Mm! My friends opted to get the all-meat pizza, of course. Sigh, carnivores. But it goes to show this restaurant is perfect for anyone and everyone - they even had gluten free options. BIG WIN!

This place definitely got my mind working on some new creative pizza ideas.

In other news, I just hit my -20 lbs mark today! I've been stuck in the 15-18 lb range for a while so it was a big surprise when I hopped on the scale this morning. And I just came back from a vacation... What what?! I'm feeling more motivated than ever to work out harder and watch my sugar intake for the upcoming bikini season. Yesterday the central coast reached a whopping 80 degrees and the beach was covered with tanning, swimming, college bodies. And to think it all worked out on what happened to be a school holiday as well!

Thank you, Mother Nature. You're the best, and I love you,
Kate

Happy Birthday Abby!

This last Wednesday was my good friend Abby's birthday! I decided to whip up some Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows for the occasion. The recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's new book Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar. I haven't ordered this book yet, but it's on my wish list! Their last dessert book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World changed my life, basically. You can see some of my cupcake creations here.

Back to the crack-cookies... The recipe makes 2 dozen so you have plenty to go around (making any less would be a literal crime). They've been tested by ages 7-45, and all responded with "mmm!", "ahh!", and "can I have another one pleeeease?" (that last quote was by a 20 year old, not a 7 year old). I highly recommend these sweets and buying Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar, and no, Isa Chandra isn't paying me to say that. Are you out there Isa? I do accept cash.

Num,
Kate

Sweet, Crumbly, Banana Heaven

When my neighbor offered to give my roommates and I several bunches of bananas, I was skeptical. Don't get me wrong, bananas are my number one favorite fruit, but what was I going to do with several bananas, all nearing the end of their very short lives. Eat three at once for breakfast, of course!
I read a lot of crumble recipes and have to say I was not very satisfied with what I was seeing, so I decided to make one up myself. I'm not sure if it is a real certified "crumble", as I didn't bake anything, but what the heck, I'm running this show. So a crumble it is.

This breakfast treat is sweet and DELICIOUS, and I honestly could not take more than three snapshots before the drool was down to my knees and I had to dig in (slight exaggeration). Also, easy easy easy. I say that a lot, but really. This took me less than 5 minutes with virtually no prep-time.

Ingredients:
Three bananas, cut into circular slices
A spoonful of Natural Balance "butter"
1/2 cup oats
A spoonful of Brown Rice Syrup
A spoonful of brown sugar

-Start by heating up a frying pan and throwing in that spoon of Natural Balance. I let it melt, about thirty seconds, then cut up the banana right over the pan and letting the slices roll around in the pools of butter. Mmmm. I threw a little brown sugar over the top, but just a pinch, and the bananas instantly started to brown and get soft.
-Let the bananas sit about three minutes total while on the side in a small mixing bowl, add the oats, syrup (a natural sweetener that I have to say I don't use enough), and brown sugar. These proportions can be played with. I mixed it all up until I liked the consistency.
-Pour the bananas into a bowl, the oats mixture on top, and voila! You have a crumble! Sort of...

Eat it while warm, it's dangerously good, and could easily be a dessert also.
Try adding any other type of fruit you may have around! I imagine apples or berries would also be the bee's knees.

Still in heaven,
Kate

Oops..

Has it really been 13 days? I swear that I have eaten these past two weeks, although in the midst of dead week and now finals week, it hasn't been much besides the occasional binge on sourdough pretzels, mixed nuts, and rice cream. Ummm...

You (all 6 of you!) may have noticed I'm in the middle of a little blog makeover. I figured as a design student I should probably make my blog more "design-y" (hey, I'm no english major). And that means minimal. This banner is only temporary until I complete a better one. Spring break project!

Anyway, back to my last two weeks -- to clarify for those that are unfamiliar with my strange terminology: Dead week (the week before finals) at Cal Poly is a big deal; the architects are in studio, day and night, every day and night, because our projects are due during dead week. All other majors basically camp out in the library. It's not a fun time, but we get through it with the help of a little comfort food!

My plan of survival for dead week was to make a large dish of comfort food to last me through the week. This plan was both successful and unsuccessful. It lasted about 4 meals, but honestly with each day the taste faded. It's definitely best on day 1, and I'd recommend this dish when serving a group of people.

I chose to make vegan mac+cheese because anyone who knew me b.v. (before vegan) knew I was a sucker for mac+cheese -- like literally when I was on my last $20 for the month I'd buy a costco case of kraft. Disgusting, right?

I like to think I'm reformed. A graduate of mac+cheese rehab.

I guess that would make this a relapse. But a much healthier relapse! And I'm okay with that. WINNING!

 

Ingredients: 

1 cups soy milk

3 packets nutritional yeast

2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (very salty, you can add less of this, or omit extra salt)

2 ounces block firm (not silken) tofu

2/3 tablespoon garlic powder

2/3 tablespoon paprika

2/3 tablespoon salt, optional

1 dollop mustard, optional

1 bag macaroni noodles (1 lb)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Boil water and cook noodles until tender
-Combine all ingredients besides noodles in blender to make "cheese sauce"
-Pour over noodles in a baking dish and bake until crispy, about 15 minutes. Adding break crumbs would be divine, but I didn't have any at the time.
*Note: I added a little Vegan Mozzarella on top for some extra cheese. The same affect could be achieved with more yeast (a main component in the cheesy flavor!).


Hopefully my schedule will be readjusting itself soon, and more regular meals will surface once again. I will be traveling some in the next few weeks and will hopefully have some creative out-to-eat dishes to share!

Gotta get that Cheese Fix,
Kate 

March Mushroom Madness continues...

This was totally unintentional, but last night I once again feasted with my good friend, the mushroom. Perhaps my subconscious responds well to clever alliterations referencing college basketball. Or maybe I just really love mushrooms. True love, indeed!

Get these:

 

 Really. Tasty. 

So because I had work last night and was feeling on the quick-n-easy side, I defrosted one of these babies and came up with a new creation. This may have transformed into a real burger real quick if only I kept hamburger buns on hand instead of a plethora of sourdough loaves. A girl's gotta have her sourdough.

Mushroom Melt

Ingredients - 

2 sourdough slices, lightly toasted with some Natural Balance (vegan butter)

1 Light Burger Mushroom Veggie Protein patty, cut in half and warmed with some cooking spray in a skillet

Raw (or cooked if preferred) onion slices

Jalapenos(of course, I feel like you know me by now)

Daiya mozzarella cheese, melted on top of the patty

See how I did that? Include directions in the ingredients? Efficient, it's my middle name. 

I served up this banging sandwich with some left over green beans and fresh sweet potato wedges. Oh, you want to know how to make those too? Well since I'm feeling generous...

Sweet Potato Wedges

Cut 1 medium sized sweet potato (or more if you're feeling really hungry) into long wedge shapes, started by cutting it in half long-ways. In a large bowl, combine a pour of veggie oil (very precise), some salt and a little red cayenne pepper. Toss the wedges in the oil mixture, throw onto a cookie sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. They came out somewhere between soft and crispy, perfect for me! If you'd like them extra crispy, I recommend leaving them in another 10 minutes. 

Vegan Americana at it's finest,

Kate 

PS! If any of you reading this were considering veganism to lose weight, I wanted to share my most recent progress! I'm currently down 3 belt holes (yippie!) and my pants are getting pretty baggy in the legs. I'm officially down 17 pounds since I became a vegan on January 2, 2011.  :) 

 *Those black lines are from where the buckle previously sat. 

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 4

 

It's finally time for the fourth and final recipe of the 4 ways - portobello mushrooms feature! This last one is a little more ambitious than my previous recipes, but rewarding all the same. 

Recipe 4: Mushroom and Garlic Ravioli (from scratch) 

I've heard making pasta from scratch could be hard, but with my Monday classes canceled for the day, I thought I'd give it my best shot (fiiire aaawaaaay! Pat Benetar, anyone?). 

Ingredients - 

For the dough (from go vegan meow!), makes 10 very large ravioli

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (and some for dusting)

1 1/2 cups semolino flour 

3/4 cups water

1 tsp EVOO (I'm channeling my inner Rachel Ray)

For the filling (makes 5 very large ravioli, could serve 2)

1 large portobello mushroom, cut into cubes

1/4 cup pine nuts 

4 cloves garlic (I love garlic, and these were definitely spicy)

Quick pour of EVOO

Pinch of dried basil leaves and oregano

-Simply mix all the ingredients for dough together in a large bowl and knead together until you get a smooth ball. Add flour or water as needed to get a nice doughy texture. Covering the bowl with plastic wrap, let it sit for 30 minutes. I got to work on the filling in the meantime. 

-Add all filling ingredients into a food processor and blend! It's that easy! The pine nuts were not completely obliterated, but I think that's a good thing -- it gave the filling some texture.

*right before processing

-Take the dough in pieces (rolling out the entirety of the dough gets too crowded on one cutting board) and roll into a thin sheet (emphasis on thin because mine were pretty thick and were way too filling)

-Use a small cookie cutter or glass to cut circles in the dough

-Scoop desired amount of filling onto the circle, then add another circle on top and press the edges together with a fork (make sure you flip it over and do the same on both sides)

-Cook in boiling water for 7-10 minutes and you have a pasta meal! 

I made mine large so 3 filled me up and I had plenty for lunch the next day (and then some). The recipe I pulled from on Go Vegan Meow (link above) made much smaller ravioli. This is a preference call. 

The amount of filling I made covered 5 ravioli. For the remaining ones I added together EVOO, pine nuts, soy feta and olives for a Mediterranean flavor. They were good, but the mushroom garlic ones still came out on top. Mushrooms are the champions, my friends. 

 

The finals are coming the finals are coming! May this week be filled with productivity and good food.

Busy and Full,

Kate

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 3

Tonight's recipe is one of my favorites that I happen to make all the time, although the addition of mushrooms was a new touch. Most people think they can't make this at home and will pay lots for it. That's right, I'm talkin' about ...

Recipe 4: Mushroom and Avocado Sushi
Ingredients -
Nori sushi wraps (found at a local oriental market)
1/2 Avacado, cut into long slices
1 large portobello mushroom, cut into long slices
Sushi rice (white or brown rice will also work, but it's not as sticky)

-Lay out the nori wrap with the rough side up -- there should be little perforated lines facing up towards you, showing where to fold
-Make rice and use a wet spoon or spatula to flatten the rice on top of the wrap. Having a wet utensil is important so the rice will not stick to it and cause frustration
-Leave a small border along the outside of the nori, like so ... 

 *The rice isn't discolored because I rolled this up and then realized I hadn't taken a picture and then unrolled it .... absolutely not... 

-Line up the ingredients on one end . From practice you will be able to determine the right amount of ingredients -- Too little and the roll is very seaweed-y, too much and it will rip and burst
-Roll tightly, but be gentle! The hot rice steams the nori and it should be flexible and easy to roll
-Use a wet, sharp knife to cut the roll into slices

This can be made with virtually any ingredients. Another favorite of mine is asparagus, avocado, and a dab of tufutti "cream cheese".

Sayonara,
Kate 
 

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 2

 

I didn't mention it in my last post, but all four mushrooms were prepared the same way -- with olive and balsamic. 

Now that we have THAT cleared up, time for another recipe! I know I've already presented a pizza recipe, but when is there EVER enough pizza in the world? (Don't answer that... the answer is never). Some friends were over eating pizza so I thought I'd make my own vegan version, but with a twist! The portobello mushrooms alone are fabulous, but sometimes I'm craving spiciness... 

Recipe 2: Spicy Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients - 

Trader Joe's Pizza Dough, garlic herb (I keep these on hand in the freezer at all times)

Sweet basil tomato sauce

Daiya brand mozzarella "cheese"

1 large portobello mushroom

2 cloves garlic

As much white onion as desired

As many jalapenos as desired (Mine were in a jar in slices)

-Let the pizza dough rest for 30 minutes in a room temperature environment (otherwise when you roll it out, it will morph back into it's original shape)

-Use the back side of a spoon to spread the tomato sauce evenly on the top of the dough

-Add Daiya "cheese"(it's not necessary to use so much that you can't see the sauce, the rest of the ingredients will make this pizza filling)

-Cut up the cooked mushroom into cube bite-size pieces

-In a frying pan with a small amount of oil on medium heat, add the garlic (gone through a garlic press) and onions -- I let those soak up most of the oil before adding the jalapenos 

-Add all ingredients to the top of the pizza!

-Cook in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes (until the cheese is melted and the crusted starts to brown -- with this variety of pizza dough, it doesn't golden much so be aware)

4 Ways - Portobello Mushrooms, Recipe 1

Now that I'm starting to get more comfortable with blogging, I thought I'd start a new feature called 4 ways, in which I take an ingredient or combo of ingredients that you can buy/make in bulk, and then use it in 4 different ways. Being a vegan can be really difficult those weeks when a million things are going on and you don't have time to prep a good meal in the evening. Hopefully this feature can enlighten on-the-go vegans such as myself (and busy non-vegans too!).

The first item of this feature are Portobello Mushrooms! I bought four extra large ones with the intention of making a snack with them when my friends were in town, but unfortunately it never happened. Lucky for me, they inspired this feature and now I get to eat them all week long. For anyone that knows me, I used to have a terrible mushroom "intolerance" (my nurse mother assured me it wasn't the same as being allergic) in which I would go into terrible vomiting fits. Gross, right? Well since becoming vegan, I've slowly been trying to introduce mushrooms into my life, and we are definitely a love match again. They were my favorite as a kid and now they're back in full force.

This first recipe is super simple and good for you because of my favorite super-food, quinoa. And I'm proud to say I made up this recipe myself with leftover things around the kitchen.

Recipe 1: Quinoa and Wild Rice Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients -
1 Portobello Mushroom, marinated for 30 minutes in a bowl with a generous pour of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
1 cup quinoa
1 cup wild rice (I used a wild and brown rice combo)
4 cups water
A dash of crushed basil leaves and rosemary
Daiya mozzarella "cheese"

-Combine the dry quinoa and wild rice in a rice cooker with 4 cups water. This could also be done on a stove, but I love rice cookers because I can walk away and be doing laundry and homework. It took about 40 minutes.
-Snap off the stem of each mushroom. I put them into a bag for later - I hear these stems make excellent mushroom stock for Japanese soups! Then delicately wash the mushrooms under warm water -- be gentle!
-Place the mushroom (or mushrooms) into a large bowl or ziplock bag and marinate in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I read online you can marinate up to 2 hours with this particular mixture, but 30 minutes was plenty to give it a rich flavor.
-When the rice is about done, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the marinated mushrooms on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Roast the mushroom(s) for 20 minutes. I freaked out when I smelled burning but it was only some leftover balsamic that had leaked about, so don't fret!
-Next is assembly! Pile on the quinoa/rice mixture, then sprinkle rosemary and basil on top. For added flavor I put some Daiya brand cheese on top, yum! Next time I would cook them a little more with the cheese so it'll melt -- just a friendly suggestion.

And Voila! Delicious! And don't be fooled by that fork so neatly positioned on the side there. I picked up this baby with my hands and ate it like a taco. It's okay, no one's looking.

Shameless,
Kate

Weekend Food Diary

Whew! Time to catch my breath! Things have been busy lately in Kate's Vegan World. A final review in my architecture studio, working, and my best friends (T, A, L) were able to come to SLO as a recent-birthday getaway. Amazing enough, 3/4 of us are vegan, so I did my best to chronicle (or make L chronicle) the food we ate! Her little point and shoot did the trick just right; Thank goodness she doesn't leave her camera at home like I do.
 *Note: Most of the food is eaten or half eaten because a) we're forgetful and b) it was seriously so good that even after we remembered, sometimes we kept eating anyway. SLO is lucky to have such vegan delights!

Friday evening: The biffs got into town despite a terrible rain/hail storm that tried to drive them away. What troopers! I had dinner waiting for them, but unfortunately didn't take any pictures.
Tempeh Tacos:
-One block tempeh, broken up and simmered in water for 15 minutes
-One large red potato, cut into cubes and boiled for 10 minutes, then added to the tempeh
-Next I added some minced white onion, taco seasoning, and some fresh cilantro
-On the side, I had wheat tortillas, vegan sour cream, jalapenos, and some mango salsa I've been itching to try.
Afterthoughts: The sour cream was tofutti brand, and I wouldn't particularly recommend it. I've bought another brand before and it was much better, although I can't remember the name. The mango salsa was delicious, but wasn't perfect for the flavor palate of the tempeh -- I'm still seeking a good recipe for it. Overall, this dish was super easy and it satisfied my weary traveler friends.


Saturday: To aid our power shopping, a lunch break was a must. We stopped at Firestone's first, a local favorite, known for their amazing tri-tip. L the non-vegan was excited to try the tri-tip salad, an old favorite of mine. Her boyfriend P came along and got the tri-tip sandwich. My mouth was slightly watering, I must admit, but I resisted and the three vegans got ourselves some vegan -- and terribly unhealthy -- french fries. This aren't just any french fries; they are literally covered in crack. There is no other reason they could be so addicting.

We took these babies over to the Natural Cafe, and ordered "the local", a sandwich easily converted to vegan with the substitute of veganaise (everyone should have this in their fridge!). The other girls also got some split pea soup, the vegan soup special of the day. Mmm!

 

Saturday evening we went to Big Sky Cafe, another local favorite known for it's vegetarian/vegan friendliness. The three non-vegans got Lobster Mac and Cheese, a grilled chicken dish, and Lamb Shank (really L? really?? A lamb's leg? haha she got lots of teasing for this..). 

The three vegans shared the Sustainable Local Veggie Plate, which exactly like it sounds included locally grown vegetables, literally piled high. It had everything from brusselsprouts to cabbage to artichoke and it was all prepared amazingly. I had a grilled tofu dish that came with sticky rice balls. Oh. My. God. I need to learn how to make those, STAT. It was this crazy fried indulgence that I basically inhaled. (*Immediately following is an example of eating almost the whole dish before taking a picture.. oops)

 

Sunday: The group went to New Frontiers (SLO's version of a Whole Foods) and bought a variety of granola mixes (vanilla, coconut, and pumpkin+flax seed oh my!)We went hiking in the beautiful Montana de Oro and ate our lunch (vegan deli salads) on top of Valencia Peak.

 

After we got all cleaned up I took them to Vegan Spices, SLO's only completely vegan restaurant. It was overwhelming for us vegans to be able to order ANYTHING off of the menu! We're used to only having a couple of options. To say the least, we went a little crazy, getting appetizers, fried rice dishes AND meals. We would have gotten dessert if there was any room left on the table (or any more money in our wallets). 

Crab Curry Fried Rice (Sweet and spicy.. perfect)

 

"Calamari" (So good! We couldn't figure out what it was made of!)

 

Mongolian "Beef" with Brown Rice

Honorable Mentions:

-"Cheese" Puffs (FAVORITE vegan cheese dish, hands down. T considered ordering more to take home with her)

-Pineapple Fried Rice with "Shrimp"

-Spicy Cashew Nut with "Chicken"

Basically, if you're ever coming through SLO, you must visit Vegan Spices. It's a local mom-and-pop Asian restaurant, and my vegan and non-vegan friends have all raved about it. Embodied amazingness.

That concludes my weekend food diary! I miss you already, T, A, and L! 

Dreaming of Sticky Rice Balls and Cheese Puffs,

Kate