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Testing yummy recipes!
For the past month or so, I have been “secretly” testing recipes for a new and awesome vegan cookbook. The wonderful recipes were created by Quintessence Challis of Tess’ Organic Catering. She just happened to be featured recently on vegcooking.com.
I have been taking lots of pics and loving all the recipes I have tried. I will let you know when the cookbook is released. You are gonna want a copy!
Here are some pics of my faves:
Lowfat Basil Linguine
Luscious Lemon Bars
I’m drooling just remembering how good those were…
Out, out ganglion cyst!
Finally! Finally! After almost a year of baby-ing my scrawny, puny, irrationally sensitive wrist, I have seen noticeable improvement in my ganglion cyst.
Never heard of a ganglion cyst? Good for you, because they are torture. A ganglion cyst is defined as “a swelling that often appears on or around joints and tendons in the hand or foot. The size of the cyst can vary over time, often becoming more inflamed if irritated. It is most frequently located around the wrist and on the fingers.” In other words, a pain in the tucus…er wrist…
I searched the web for a home remedy but surprisingly found none. I spoke to my family doctor and she referred me to a specialist who could fix the bump with injections or surgery. Neither of these seemed all that pleasant to me. So, I decided to find my own answer.
Wanna hear my brilliant solution? Get ready, here it is: I quit drinking coffee…seriously. After about 6 weeks of caffeine free mornings, the cyst is considerably smaller and I have begun to bear weight on it without extreme pain.
Unfortunately, I can’t locate any conclusive evidence that caffeine consumption is directly related to ganglion cysts. In my personal experience, it would appear to be. I would say giving up caffeine is worth a try if you are experiencing cyst trouble or just hoping to improve your overall joint and bone health. If you know of any other ways to naturally heal ganglion cysts, I would love to hear!
Now, if you please excuse me, I am going to have some caffeine free tea.
Best wishes, Michelle
You like me, you really, really like me! Well, at least 6 of you do…
I was very surprised and honored to find out that my recipe won the Vegan Chef Battle for March! How awesome!
You may be asking yourself, “So what exactly is a Vegan Chef Battle?”. Well, it is a cool little contest started over at VegWeb and now open to the world (well, to the world of vegans, that is). Each month contributors create a recipe based on that month’s theme ingredient. At the end of the month, viewers can vote for their favorite. Fun!
The Battle is open to anyone anywhere. So if you like to cook, eat, vote, lurk around or create new vegan recipes then hop on over and check it out!
Here is my winning Cabbage recipe.
Super Hoagies!
Oh gosh, where to begin? I was inspired to make these hoagies one day while daydreaming about my very first job ….. a waitress(of course) at a little dive restaurant in a super small town. The only good thing about that job was unlimited access to the sundae machine
and a fabulous hoagie that inspired these tasty sandwiches.
Hope you enjoy!
1)First off you are going to want to whip up some coleslaw…
Sweet Poppyseed! Coleslaw
6-8 cups(loosely) shredded cabbage
1 cup of vegan mayo (my fave is Nasoya-Original.)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Pinch of salt
Splash of soymilk
Ok, ready. Put everything in a big bowl and stir it up. All done!
Place in the fridge for an hour before serving.
2)Then you will need a patty…..
Smokin’ Oat ‘n Bean Patties
White kidney beans(cannellini beans) could possibly be my favorite bean. They have a wonderful flavor that makes a quick and easy patty.
1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 TBS dried onion
1 TBS dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup quick oats
1)Empty beans into medium glass bowl. Use masher or fork to smash until mostly smooth.
2)Mix in salt, pepper, dried onion, and dried parsley. Heat mixture in microwave 1 min.
3)Stir in oats. Heat an additional minute in microwave.
4)Let mixture sit a couple of minutes while you heat the griddle or oven.
5)Form into patties and cook on oiled skillet for about 5 minutes each side. Turn gently. (You can also bake these at 350 for about 25 minutes. I’ve put them into greased muffin tins and made tiny little loaves.)
Finally, you will need to assemble you Super Hoagie! Take a pumpernickel hoagie roll, slice it in half, add a piece of vegan mozz or swiss. Heat in microwave about 30 seconds to slightly melt cheese. Add tomato slices, then patties. And the best part of all, top it with a huge helping of coleslaw. Now, do your very best to shove it all in your mouth, its worth it!
My babies are growing!
Finally, I have growth activity…and lots of it! So far I have brussel sprouts, squash, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, chard, broccoli and lots of basil. I am eagerly awaiting the birth of my peppers. However, I have yet to see any sign of life from of them…bullets!
I love starting seeds. It is truly amazing. Every time I start, I can’t help but think “This can’t possibly grow…it just a tiny little seed and some dirt…” But they always do. It is a miracle!
My favorite part is checking on the seeds every morning and evening. You will be amazed at how quickly a microscopic hint of something can suddenly burst forth into a true seedling in just a matter of hours.
Even if you don’t have room for much, I suggest you try starting just a few seeds in a pot on a windowsill. You will be amazed at how interesting it is to watch them grow. Plants that are easy to grow in a windowsill garden include small lettuces, flowers, basil and other herbs. Have fun!
Macadamia Crusted Tofu
Macadamia’s are amazing nuts. They make a tasty, crunchy coating for this sweet and tangy baked tofu.
Macadamia Crusted Tofu
Ingredients:
1 container extra firm tofu, sliced into 6 slices, drained
10 oz jar of apricot preserves
3 TBS Dijon Mustard
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
pinch of saltDirections:
1) Mix preserves, dijon mustard, curry powder, and soy sauce in skillet.
2) Simmer tofu slices in sauce about 5 mins per side.
3) Dredge tofu in chopped macadamia nuts. Coat thoroughly on all sides.
4) Bake in greased pan at 350 degrees for 40 mins.
5) Serve with remaining sauce.
Getting over the Flu and makin’ Apple Pie!
This past week I’ve been fighting off the flu…arg…
Today, I was finally feeling perkier…well good enough to whip out a pie. I made this from a delicious recipe on VegWeb call “Death by Apple Pie”. Find it here
Between headaches and wooziness, I also found time to plant some seeds…exciting! Now, hopefully they will grow… but for safety’s sake let’s just focus on the fabulous looking pie. It’s yum!
Vegan Clam Chowder
For a while now I have been fondly thinking of a chowder I used to make many years ago before becoming vegan. Gosh, it was good…
I searched online but was unable to find a vegan version that could meet my needs.
So, I headed to the kitchen and whipped up this little creation. The oyster mushrooms are soaked in a “sea” flavored broth prior to cooking. I think they fill in for the clams quite nicely.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup dulse flakes
1 cup hot water
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups oyster mushrooms, chopped1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 Tbs vegan margarine
4 cups potatoes, cubed small
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery, sliced
1 tsp sea salt2 - 15oz cans cannellini beans, undrained
1 cup soymilk
3 Tbs margarine
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepperSplash of red wine vinegar.
Directions:
1) Mix first five ingredients in glass bowl. Nuke 3 mins and let stand.
2) Saute onion in margarine over medium heat while you chop remaining veggies.
3) Add potatoes, carrots, and celery. Saute five minutes.
4) Pour mushroom mixture into pot with veggies. Add enough water to almost cover (about 1 cup). Simmer until tender.
5) In processor or blender, add beans, soymilk, margarine, salt and pepper. Blend several minutes until very smooth.
6) Add bean mixture to veggies, heat thru 5-10 more minutes. Season with red wine vinegar and more salt and pepper if you like.
7) Serve with vegan soup crackers. Enjoy!
Strawberry Cream Muffins
These make a tasty spring breakfast treat!
Strawberry Cream Muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
2 Tbs sugar4 oz(1/2 tub) vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberry jam2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbs baking
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cup soymilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanillaDirections:
1) Chop strawberries. Gently coat with 2 Tbs sugar. Set aside.
2) Cream together vegan cream cheese and powdered sugar.
3) In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4) In separate bowl combine applesauce, soymilk, brown sugar, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla.
5) Gently add wet to dry ingredients. Then fold in strawberries.
6) Pour half of batter into greased muffin tins. Add 1 Tbs cream cheese mixture to each and then add 1 tsp jam. Top with remaining batter.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Granny’s Buckwheat Pancakes
When I was little, my grandma made homemade buckwheat pancakes every Saturday morning. I grew up loving that taste and decided to create a tasty vegan version. You can get Buckwheat flour at the health food store and many large grocers. It has a unique and wonderful flavor.
Ingredients:
1 cup soymilk
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
3 TBS oil
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
4 TBS all purpose flour, unbleached
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS baking powder
Directions:
1)In measuring cup, mix soymilk with vinegar and let sit while you mix dry ingredients.
2)Mix flours, sugar, salt, and baking power.
3)In medium bowl, whip together the oil and soymilk mixture.
4)Gently stir in the dry mixture. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Do not over stir. Let batter sit 10 mins.
5)Heat oiled griddle to med-high. Pour batter and cook approximately 3 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn them! I usually turn the heat down to a little over medium for best results.