Day 56

On the Menu Today...

Medley of Stir Fried Curried Vegetables

Spiced Steamed Brown Rice

Fresh Tossed Salad with Tahini Dressing..

Chopped your Favorite Vegetables ..  ( I used Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Asparagus,  Cabbage, Yellow Peppers, Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Red Onion, Red chard,  fresh Garlic and Ginger root)

Stir fry onions, garlic and ginger in a large wok, add chopped vegetables and stir fry until al dente. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper, 1 Tbsp. curry powder, and Chili powder, to taste,  and mix well.  Drizzle in 1 Tbsp Agave Syrup and 1 cup of coconut milk, stir well to coat and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on .   Serve hot over rice

Day 54

On Today's menu......

Vegetable Fried Rice

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 head broccoli-cut into florets

1/2 head of cabbage chopped

8-10 stalks of Asparagus, sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 medium red onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic sliced

1 1/2 " piece of ginger, finely minced

2 Jalepeno peppers minced

1/2 cup Tamari

1 tsp. Sesame Oil

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek

salt and pepper to taste

In a large wok, fry onions and garlic til done and add remaining vegetables and stir fry until al dente.

combine Tamari, sesame oil, sugar, sambal Oelek and sugar in a small container and stir until sugar has disolved.

Once Vegetables are ready, push to the side of the wok and add cold rice and stir fry combining with rice. Add Tamari mixture and continue to stir fry coating all rice well, until hot!

Day 53

Sunday Lunch

Whole Grain Bowtie Pasta Salad

1 small box whole grain Bowtie Pasta cooked until tender

1 small container cherry tomatoes-sliced in halves

1 large handful of fresh spinach chopped

1 small red onion, minced

1 small red pepper, minced

1 small avocado, chopped and dredge in lemon juice

Combine all ingredient

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Extra virgin Olive oil

8 -10 leaves fresh Basil

1 large clove garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar

3-4 sun dried tomatoes

Put all vinaigrette ingrediate in a mini-blender and blend until thick and  creamy.

Right before serving , pour vinaigrette over pasta salad. Toss well and serve!

Day 50

On the Menu Today...

Cauliflower & Carrot Subzi

Sweet Potato Yam, and Spinach Curry

Sesame Carrot & Avocado Salad

Cauliflower & Carrot Subzi

1 small Organic Cauliflower, cut into small florets

3 Large carrots, cleaned and sliced

1/2 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup vegetable stock

2 Tbsp. Tomato paste
2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 red onion, diced
 5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp canola coconut oil 

Fry the in 2 tsp coconut oil. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 1/2 minute or so
Add the turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin powders and stir into the oil.
 Add the vegetable stock and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes
Add the cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots stir well to coat add salt to taste. When the  vegetables are cooked but not mushy. 

Day 47

A little side dish is in order today, to go along side the left overs from the last  few cooking escapades.

This is a delicious way to use up your leftover greens!

Steamed Red Chard with Hot Garlic Dressing

1 large bunch Red or Swiss Chard including stems,, sliced into bite size pieces

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

5 Large Garlic Cloves sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1/2 piece of ginger minced

2 tsp. Organic sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

Wash Chard and let drain or dry in a salad spinner. Steam the chard and stems in a steamer for 3 -4 minutes and set aside.

In a sauce pan heat oil and when hot add onions. Turn down heat to low and carmelize onion until translucent. add garlic and ginger and continue to cook on low until onions are slightly brown and garlic is cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat up the pan and add the apple cider vineger, salt and sugar and cook for 45 seconds. add water and cook down to reduce, about 2 minutes. add back in the onion mixture. and pour over the steamed chard. Toss well to evenly coat. Serve Warm!

Day 46

Vegan Ma Po Silken Tofu with Vegetables

original recipe adapted from Meatless Mondays! DELICIOUS!

1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black bean sauce
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, to taste
1 (14 ounce) can low sodium vegetable broth, as needed
2 green onions, thinly chopped
1 fresh Serrano chili pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 small red onion , sliced
½ cup carrots, shredded
½ cup red bell pepper, sliced
½ cup broccoli florets, chopped

4 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons canola oil, as needed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, freshly ground

---

Drain the liquid from the package of tofu. Slice the tofu in two, horizontally. Silken tofu is very delicate and easily breakable. Gently cut the tofu into 1/2-inch square cubes. Set aside.

Mix the tapioca starch, soy sauce, about 1/3 cup of broth, chili garlic and black bean sauces. Set aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, add a teaspoon of garlic. As the garlic becomes slightly golden, stir-fry the green beans. When the color becomes almost translucent, season with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. This will help keep a nice green color. Cook for about another minute. Don't overcook the vegetables as they will continue cooking in the broth later. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the same procedure three times (oil, garlic, stir-fry the vegetables, season with salt, transfer to a plate) with the bell pepper, the carrots and shiitake mushrooms. Set the plate aside.

In the same wok, drizzle a little more oil. Place the slices of Serrano chili. This will help bring a nice fragrance to the dish. Add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil. Mix the tapioca mixture to prevent the starch from sticking to the bottom of the wok. Add the tapioca liquid to the boiling broth. Continuously stir the broth as it will thicken very quickly.

Pour the vegetables and cubed tofu into the wok. Check the texture of the sauce, it should be thick and syrupy. If you find the sauce to be too thick, add 2 to 4 tablespoon of water. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the sliced green onions. Stir gently as the silken tofu can break.

Sprinkle with black pepper and the chopped cilantro. Drizzle with sesame oil.

Serve with Steamed rice.

Day 45

Spicy Vegetable Panaang with Soba Noodles

Stir-fry Your Favorite Vegetables in a wok. * I used Carrots, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Cabbage, Oyster and Shiitake Mushrooms, Onions, Garlic, Ginger and Onion*

Cook Soba Noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain and rinse with Cold water.

Add noodles to Stir-fried Vegetables, add Panaang sauce and toss and coat.

Serve Warm

Panaang Sauce

1/2 cup Tamari

1/2 cup water

3 cloves garlic, dices

1 " piece of fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp. Panaang Curry

1 Tbsp. vegan fish sauce

1 small habanero minced

2 tsp. Black bean paste.

1 tsp each Lemongrass and Thai Basil

1 Tbsp. sugar

Bring all ingredients in a small pot to boil, reduce by about 1/3 and thick.

Pour over noodles and vegetables and enjoy!

Day 44

Crispy  Whole Wheat Flatbread

 filled with Spicy 3 Bean Salad, Romaine, Red onion, Fresh Avocado chunks and Fresh Salsa, topped with Creamy Cool Vegan Sour Cream!

Whole Wheat Flatbreads

1 1/2 Cup Stone Ground whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Water to form a dough

Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and olive oil together in a bowl, rub with your fingers till cornmeal like consistency. Add water, mixing with your fingers. Just enough to form a dough.

Scrap out of bowl and knead for 3-5 minutes until smooth. add additional flour if too wet.

Divide into 5 pieces and round each piece into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out each piece into a flat round approx. 8" each in diamter. let rest while preparing pan.

Heat a frying pan that has been wipped with an oiled paper towel,  on med-high heat and dry fry each piece until brown and bubbly, lightly cripsy on the outside but still soft and pliable!

Fill with your favorite toppings and enjoy!  Black bean recipe, listed in my recipe index.

Midnight Gaspacho

It's nearing midnight, and I'm in need of a little snack.. Something cool, fresh and spicy

Time to whip up some....................

 Midnight Gaspacho!

1 can of Organic Whole Tomatoes

2 fresh tomatoes-small dice

2 cloves of garlic- minced

1/2 seedless english cucumber-finely diced

1 organic orange pepper-finely diced

1 small habanero -minced

1/4 red onion-minced

1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

salt and cracked pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes, garlic, habanero and onion in a large bowl and blend with a burr-mixer,

or use a blender and puree, leaving it somewhat chunky.

Add remaining ingredients to taste. It's delicious right away, but will be even better tomorrow!

Day 42

Today's Menu

Vegan Pad Thai

Stir Fried Broccoli with Garlic

Vegan Pad Thai Ingredients:
•4 green onions, white parts sliced and kept separate from green
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 tsp.  ginger
•1 fresh habanero pepper
•3-4 "heads" of baby bok choy, or other Chinese cabbage, roughly chopped
•2-3 cups bean sprouts
•1/3 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
•1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

•PAD THAI SAUCE:
1.5 Tbsp. tamarind paste, to taste •
1/4 cup vegetable stock•3+1/2 Tbsp. Tamari
•1 tsp. Sambal Oelek

•3 Tbsp. brown sugar, or more to taste
•1/8 tsp. black pepper

•OTHER:
•3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
•2-3 Tbsp. vegetable stock
•lime wedges

.Bring a pot of water to a boil and switch off heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 4-6 minutes, or until limp but still too firm to eat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tip: Noodles must be under-cooked at this stage in order to come out right (they will finish cooking later when they are stir-fried).
.Combine 'pad Thai sauce' ingredients in a cup, stirring well to dissolve the paste and sugar Set aside.
.Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus the white parts of the green onion (reserve the rest for serving), garlic, ginger, and chili. Stir-fry 1 minute to release the fragrance.
.Add the bok choy plus stock. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until bok choy is bright green and slightly softened.
If pan is dry, push ingredients aside and add a little more oil to the middle. Add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together 1-2 minutes using 2 utensils and a gently tossing motion (like tossing a salad). Keep heat between medium-high and high, reducing if noodles begin to stick or burn. Keep adding sauce and continue stir-frying in this way 3-6 more minutes, or until sauce is gone and noodles are soft but still chewy ('al dente') and a little sticky.
Switch off heat and add the bean sprouts, folding them into the hot noodles. Taste-test, adding more soy sauce for more salt/flavor. If too salty or sweet for your taste, add a good squeeze of lime juice. If too sour, sprinkle over a little more sugar.
 Sprinkle with reserved green onion, coriander, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side.

Day 39

Today's Menu

Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms & Eggplant in a Brown "Butter" Sauce

For the Polenta

1 Cup Organic cornmeal

3 cup lite coconut milk

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

Heat milk and water and salt and bring to a boil, add the cornmeal slowly beating vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from the side of the pot, pour into a serving dish and keep warm.

1 lb. Assorted wild mushrooms ( i used wild mushrooms, shiitake, and Oyster mushrooms)

1 large red onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium eggplant, diced and roasted for 20 minutes

1/4 cup Vegan butter

2 Tbsp Tamari

2 Tbsp Agave syrup

1 cup water

2 tsp. sambal olek

salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions for several minutes, add green peppers and cook another 3 minutes or so, add garlic and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are soft, add roasted eggplant, then set aside.

heat vegan butter  and cook down till bubbly and a shade darker, add tamari and agave, sambal olek and salt and pepper to taste, add water and cook down until glaze consistency, adjust seasonings and water if necessary.

Day 36 continued......

Vegan Jamaican Patties!

A little tinkering with my original Caribbean beef patty recipe resulted in a  delicious, whole wheat, Curried Cabbage Stuffed Patty! Baked or Fried, they were fantastic!

For the Dough:

3 cups Organic whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp olive oil
 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Mix the ingredients and rub the oil into the flour with your hands to get a coarse, grainy texture. Using just enough water, knead into a soft, smooth, pliable dough.

Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 8 and shape into balls.

For the Filling:

1/2 head small green cabbage, shredded and chopped

3 carrots, shredded and chopped

1 cup water

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 habanero pepper, finely diced

1 Tbsp Jamaican Curry powder

1 tsp. Cumin seeds

1 tsp. asoefetida

1 tsp. Sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Fry the onion and garlic with a little oil, until onions are translucent, don't let garlic burn, add habanero and stir fry with the curry, cumin, sugar and asoefetida

add carrots and cabbage and 1/4 cup of the water. Cook on medium heat, until water has evaporated and add 1/4 cup more, continue to cook down like this until all the water is absorbed and cabbage and carrots are soft. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as neccesary. Cool before filling the dough.

Roll out each dough piece to a 5-6" round, place filling in the center and brush edges with water and seal. Fill all 8. and  either bake of fry till done.

* You can also fill the dough with a spoon full of filling and seal, then roll out roti style, and cook over a hot griddle.

Day 36

Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Pumpkin

Trying something new in the kitchen today.

This recipe, adapted from Vegalicious, has been on my list to try....and once again, I've come up somewhat dissappointed. I found the Soy ricotta unpleasant and a bit off-putting.

If I were to re-make this dish, I would substitute cashew cheese in place of the soy ricotta.

It was pretty to look at though... '

My Vegan Jamaican patties on the other hand, were delicious, but more on that later.

Ingredients:
•15 large pasta shells
•2 cups fresh pumpkin, cut in small cubes
•1 package fresh spinach- about 4 cups, cleaned'

for the soy ricotta:
•1 cup soy yogurt
•1/4 cup nutritional yeast
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•2 tablespoons tahini
•1 tablespoon miso
•pinch salt and pepper
•optionally paprika and dry mustard as desired

for the tomato sauce:
•1 can crushed tomatoes
•1 tablespoon oil
•1 onion, chopped
•1-2 cloves garlic
•1 tablespoon Italian herbs
•splash lemon juice
•salt and pepper
•splash Tabasco (optional)

Directions:
Begin by making the soy ricotta.
In a medium bowl, mix the soy yogurt, nutritional east lemon juice, miso salt and pepper.
Season to taste with additional spices as desired
Steam the small pumpkin cubes al dente, remove from the heat and set aside.
Steam the spinach, when wilted and soft, place the spinach in a medium bowl.
Chop with a knife and fork as you would on a plate.
Drain any extra liquid that comes from the spinach.
Add the soy ricotta a tablespoon at a time. At about 2 or 3 tablespoons, it should be the right consistency for your filling. The rest can be used as dollops on top of the shells and around the baking dish.
Make the tomato sauce.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan.
Saute the onions.
Add the tomatoes, herbs and garlic.
Season to taste with a splash of lemon juice, Tabasco, alt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
Put the pasta shells in ad cook about 5 minutes until al dente. Be careful to not over cook, as they will become too soft to fill and tear.
Place a bit of the tomato sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
Remove the shells from the boiling water. Drain and extra water that may be in the shell.
Fill the shell with about a tablespoon of spinach mixture and add the pumpkin cubes.
Place the shell on the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Continue filling all the shells.
Place any extra tomato sauce around the shells and dollop some of the soy ricotta.
Place a lid or aluminum foil over the top of the baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Day 35

It's been an un-eventful week in the kitchen. Oh Yes, I've been cooking, but only things
I have made before.  So no new posts, when there are no new recipes...but tomorrow.....

Vegan Adventures in the kitchen continue..........

New Recipes that I'm working on for tomorrow....

Vegan Pasta Shells, stuffed with soy ricotta, Spinach and Butternut squash

Vegan Jamaican Patties

and Thai Satay Sauce, for this week's Soba Noodle salad..

Recipes and photos tomorrow....