Baby Bella burgers

I know, I know... It's been soooooo long since my last post, but in my defense I was working way too much and battling some very chronic bronchitis. Plus no one reads this blog. Anywhoooo.... I've been hunting for the perfect burger as a vegan for about two years now. And I've found it. Mind you, it's not the closest in taste or texture but it has the most delicious flavors of any vegan burger I have had yet to try. They can be a little tricky to stay in patty form but its so worth it. I usually just eat these wrapped in some lettuce and topped with a little sliced avocado.

1/3 c bread crumbs
8 oz cremini our baby bella mushrooms
12oz brown rice
1 tsp paprika
1tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
1/3 c vital wheat gluten
2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp bbq sauce
Pepper

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Preheat oven to 450 

Grind mushrooms in food processor
Stir in remaining ingredients and mash until wheat gluten becomes stringy, binding the mix together.

Shape into patties and lightly spray each patty with cooking spray,

bake for 7-10 minutes, or pan fry for about 3 minutes on each side over medium heat with a little cooking spray.

Cheesy Vegan Nachos

So with the Superbowl happening the other day, I was of course invited to parties....I don't like sports, and I don't care about football....but I do love a chance to spend time with my friends, so I created these awesome little individual nacho bites to take with me...they were a hit! most people that went back for seconds and thirds weren't even vegan. this is a spin on a recipe I saw posted from Wildflower food truck in NYC....but of course, you know me, I had to add my own flair....

1 bag Tostitos Scoops
1 can black beans
1 1/2 c Trader Joe's fire roasted corn
Lettuce of your choice (I used romaine because its so leafy)

1 recipe for cheesy sauce ( I cheated this time and bought it from the store, Wayfare Mexicheddar Cheese Sauce...sooooo good!!!)

Quinoa filling
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp dry sage
1 Tbsp dry thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp Soy sauce

For the quinoa mixture, in a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until hot. Add onion, garlic, sage, thyme, oregano, red pepper, chili powder, and cumin and mix well. saute for 3-5 minutes. Add quinoa, soy sauce, black beans, corn and mix well. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 5-7 minutes, add salt to taste.
To prepare nacho bites:

I placed a small leaf of lettuce into the bottom of each scoop.... for multiple reasons. It looks cute, its easier to eat, and it kept the chips from getting soggy from the quinoa and cheese mixtures. After the lettuce, fill each scoop with a spoonful of the quinoa mixture and top with cheesy sauce.

Super easy tasty waffles

I was really craving some waffles the other day so I scoured the Internet....all I found were really involved recipes using flax seeds and half whole wheat flour with mashed bananas and applesauce and ground nuts.....what? I just want an unhealthy white fluffy waffle smothered in maple syrup....so this is what I came up with, and they came out super yum!!!

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
berries, to taste, optional
chocolate chips, to taste, optional
1 cup nondairy milk (I use almond)
Substitute for two eggs (used ener-g egg replacer)
1tsp oil

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with berries or chocolate chips, if using. Mix the wet ingredients in a different bowl. Combine and mix until just mixed up.

2. Preheat waffle iron and spray with some nonstick spray

3. Cook according to the waffle maker's instructions

4. Top wit your fav waffle topping, i used maple syrup this time, but some other favorites are vegan whip cream, some powdered sugar and strawberries for a really decadent breakfast!

Serves: 2-3, Preparation time: 5 + waffle iron time

Chick Pea Cutlets from Veganomicon

some times you really just crave a big ole piece of protein with some veggie and starchy side like mom used to make, i busted this recipe out and decided to try it because I had heard such great things...and I was NOT disappointed, as usual i tweaked it just a bit by adding some cayenne pepper into the mix which gave it just a little kick. The recipe calls for frying or baking, when fried they tend to remind me of chicken fried steak, or in this case chicken fried chickpeas :) You can also bake them which is a much healthier option than soaking them in oil...and equally as tasty. For the fried version you can southern it up by adding a white gravy you can follow this amazingly simple and delicious recipe here, though these cutlets need no sauce nor gravy to make them, they are good all on their own, but sometimes you just want something nostalgic.

I think next time i will divide them into nugget size!

I paired mine with my raosty potatoes, recipe Here and some sauteed fresh asparagus in olive oil with a little garlic and sea salt

1 c. chickpeas
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs
1/4 c. vegetable broth or water
2 T. soy sauce
2 garlic cloves , pressed or grated
1/2 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. Hungarian paprika
1/4 t. dried rubbed sage
to taste olive oil , for pan frying or baking
to taste cayenne pepper **optional

DIRECTIONS

Mash the chickpeas and oil together until no whole chickpeas remain. Add remaining ingredients and knead for 3 minutes until strings of gluten have formed. Preheat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece and stretch to roughly 4" x 6"

PAN-FRYING: Add a thin layer of olive oil to to the pan. Place cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minute They are ready when lightly brown and firm to the touch.

BAKING: Preheat oven to 375°F, and lightly oil baking sheet. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8 to 10 minutes until firm and golden brown.
 

:)

Brad's Raw Kale Chips

Alright, so this is not a recipe, but every now and then you come accross something too awesome not to shout from the rooftops, and these kale chips my friends, should be blasted from every rooftop. I was shopping at my fav local store The Heritage and they had these out for sampling... I died, soooo good! delicious crispy little pieces of fresh kale a little spicy, a little salty, but not cooked so all the nutrients remain in tact. I have since purchased way too many boxes and and ate them all. you can find a local retailer in your area here

Now go find some and snack guiltlessly!!!!

Vegan Meatball Subs

alright folks, so this is a real easy one...as a matter of fact, you dont actually have to do anything beyond hitting a button on the microwave and pushing the broil option on your oven... But this is a quick easy and surprisingly filling meal. I make these when I want something that makes me feel like I just ate a home cooked meal but only have about 10 minutes.

vegan sub or hoagie rolls
vegan meatballs (I use Trader Joe's brand meatless meatballs)
marinara sauce (I like to use an arrabiata sauce to give it a little kick)
Daiya Mozzarella style shreds

I use my pizza stone when baking these delicious sandwiches...keeps the bread on the bottom from burning.

cook meatballs according to directions (mine just pop in the microwave for 1 minute)
i like to put a layer of sauce on both sides of the bread to keep it from browning too much...but if you like your subs crispy you can skip this step. put a layer of sauce over the meatballs and top with cheese more or less to your preference. put oven on the broil setting and pop in until cheese is melted and edges of sub roll is crispy.

http://www.daiyafoods.com/

Vegan potato and cheese perogies

Perogies....yum yum yum, I came across this delicious recipe and made a few tweaks, it is soooooo goooooood. My boyfriend ate practically the whole batch! of course this is one of those vegan recipes that completely disproves the theory that all vegans eat healthy, so please make and eat these sparingly in your diet!

Ingredients

Perogie dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:
4 Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1 or 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds (personal taste)
Earth Balance

Directions

To make dough, mix ingredients together and knead until smooth. If mix is dry, add 2 tablespoons warm water. This will form a slightly sticky ball. Leave in a bowl covered with a towel for 30 minutes.

Saute onion and garlic with Earth Balance. When they start to brown add mashed potatoes and stir in more Earth Blance to your taste (use enough to make potatos creamy). Add Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds (again to your personal taste)and stir until just melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once dough has rested for 30 minutes, take half of the dough and roll it out until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter or cup to cut round pieces from the dough.

Take each round piece and roll it out so it is even thinner. Then take a small amount of the potato/Daiya Style Shreds filling and place near center of the circle. Fold the circle in half and press around the edges with a fork to seal them.

**do not over fill or they will not seal. Repeate for each circle.

To cook, place perogies in a pot of boiling water until they float (this will only take a few minutes). Once they float, remove from water. Placed boiled perogies in frying pan with Earth Balance and fry until brown.

Serve with your favourite perogie toppings. I recommend topping with vegan sour cream, finely sliced chives and bacon bits (as pictured above).


http://www.daiyafoods.com/

Nay-Nay's roasty potatoes

affectionately named by my niece and nephew (they call me Nay-Nay) these potatoes are so simple and super tasty. always a great side (I had some tonight with green beans and Morningstar BBQ riblets) also a great side to bring to potlucks or family dinners.







1-2 bags (depending on how many you plan on feeding) baby yukon gold potatoes (I find really awesome extra small ones at Trader Joes.
olive oil
dried dill
sea salt
garlic salt
black pepper

There are no measurements because it varies by taste and amount.
preheat oven to 450

place potatoes in a large bowl and coat them thoroughly in olive oil. Sprinkle dill, sea salt garlic powder and pepper on top and mix well until all potatoes are evenly coated.

place on large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes (potatoes will whistle)

serve with your favorite dish!!!

Forks over Knives

So I just have to take a short paragraph to let everyone know how amazing Forks over Knives is, seriously, it changes lives, I have friends whose whole families are going vegan now. If you have some free time please take a moment and watch this intriguing inspiring documentary. It's currently streaming free on Netflix.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Forks over Knives is a documentary about the dangers of the foods we eat, mainly animal products and byproducts and the health and life benefits of solely eating a whole foods, plant based diet.

http://forksoverknives.com/

Creamy cheesy vegan butternut pasta bake

So my best friend is getting married in like 36 hours...out of town. Naturally i'm a little stressed... making sure I have everything I need, speech written etc... Normally I don't post my "idonthaveanythinginthehousesoimjustgonnathrowsomethingtogether" recipes on my blog, but this one turned out so good and was so easy, it would be a sin not to share! now the butternut squash soup is a brand I see often in most stores and is vegan, I just happen to keep some in my house at all times because of it's yum factor, I've included a pic of the brand I used. Also, I eyeballed the ingredients as I was preparing this since I was in a hurry so I guessed on the exact measurements, you can add more to taste as underestimated to prevent overdosing on a particular ingredient.


1 package elbow style pasta (I prefer DeBoles artichoke)
1 box vegan creamy butternut squash soup
1/4 cup earth balance
1/2 cup tofutti sour cream
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style cheese shreds
2 tsp paprika
2tsp sage
sea salt and pepper to taste
bread crumbs

preheat oven to 350

prepare pasta as directed
meanwhile pour soup into large pan and bring to simmer on med heat
add butter, sour cream, nutritional yeast and stir well. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add spices and let simmer about 5-10 minutes. Pour soup mix over pasta, top with breadcrumbs and bake about 10 minutes... YUM!!!