Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Bok Choy

Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Bok Choy

Delicious and light for a warm spring day. Served with steamed broccoli and applesauce.

Melissa

Miso Soup

Yummy miso soup with edamame. The whole family loved this one. Even the picky 3 year old.

Melissa

Wasabi Roasted Asparagus

Wasabi Roasted Asparagus. Delicious!

Melissa :o)

Cuban Black Bean and Potato Soup

Not a very pretty picture. However, it was delicious. It made enough to feed an army. I love having enough to freeze for future dinners.

The recipe comes from Vegetarian Times.

What you need:

1 medium onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)

1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

1 small green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

(I used two yellow bell peppers because that's what I had in my crisper)

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

6 cups cooked black beans, divided (I used canned, so I didn't have to cook them first)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (2 1/2 cups)

2 Tbs. white wine vinegar

1 Tbs. ground cumin

1 Tbs. fresh oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. salt

Diced red onion and green bell pepper for garnish (I omitted this part, hence the not so pretty picture. The magazine photo is gorgeous).

What to do:

1. Saute onion, bell peppers, and garlic in saucepan with a little water or vegetable broth over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Transfer to blender, and puree until smooth. Add 3 cups beans and 6 to 7 cups water; puree until mixture is consistency of thick soup.

2. Return mixture to saucepan, and add remaining beans, potatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaf. Garnish each serving with diced red onion and green bell pepper.

Melissa

Melissa

Chickpea and Greens Curry Soup

From Vegetarian Times. Served with mango and salad with vegan ranch dressing.

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cups chopped fresh spinach, beet greens, mustard greens, or kale

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 medium tomato, chopped

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water (I used 2 cups of water, 2 cups of broth)

1 15-oz can low-fat coconut milk (I used a carton)

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

8 Tbs. plain low-fat Greek yogurt, divided, for garnish (I omitted this part)

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric, chili powder, nutmeg, and onion, and gently stir. Add spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in chickpeas, tomato, broth, and coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour, skimming as necessary. Add cilantro, and garnish with 1 Tbsp. yogurt.

Delicious!

Melissa

Black Bean and Edamame Sliders

I got this recipe from my March Vegetarian Times magazine. Of course, I forgot to take pictures. So I had to snag these pictures from another blog. The recipe is listed there too. Delicious! Definitely will make this again.

The whole time I cooked this, Adam Sandler's Sloppy Joe's song was in my head. Enjoy.

Melissa

Enchilada Bake

This recipe is amazing. My 12 year old had 3 servings in one night. He ate more for dinner the next day and for lunch the day after that. He said, "I just can't get enough of this mom!".

It's from the Vegetarian Starter Kit.

What you need:

1 12oz bag Morningstar Farms brand "burger" crumbles (I used Boca's brand)

1 pkt. taco seasoning

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 cup minced scallions

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup vegetable stock

2 cans pinto beans, drained

2 cans enchilada sauce

12 corn tortillas

1 bag shredded cheddar soy cheese (I used Follow Your Heart brand and shredded it myself)

1 4.5-oz. can diced green chilies

1 bag Fritos, crushed (I used reduced sodium)

What to do:

In a bowl, mix the burger crumbles with the taco seasoning and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and cook, stirring, to achieve a smooth consistency, about 1 minute. Add the pinto beans and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of the enchilada sauce. Layer 4 corn tortillas and the pinto bean mixture on top. Follow with part of the soy cheese and half of the green chilies, more enchilada sauce, and 4 more tortillas. Add the burger crumbles mixture, more soy cheese, the rest of the green chilies, and more enchilada sauce. End with the remaining tortillas, enchilada sauce, and soy cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the Fritos, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Melissa

Sweet Potato Kugel

This recipe is from Healthy Bitch Daily

Yummier than it looks. I don't know why mine doesn't look like their picture. Oh well.

Melissa

Ginger Tea

What's a girl to do when she is home sick and feeling miserable? Try this tea of course. Then hope it works.

Here's the recipe: Ginger Tea

Melissa

Lahmajoon

Lahmajoon, also known as Armenian pizza, is one of our favorite Armenian meals. I haven't found many Armenian meals turned vegan. I was thrilled to find this recipe. It's typically made with lamb. I haven't found any faux lamb, so I used faux ground beef crumbles from Boca.

I made it for my son's immigration project. My family loved it and my son said his classmates said it was delicious and wished they had more.

Preparing this meal is fast, cooking it takes a long time, simply because you can only fit one or two pizzas in the oven at a time. My great grandmother used to prepare the pizzas and my great grandfather would sit in front of the oven. His job was to take the done pizzas out, and put the new pizzas in.

Enjoy!

Melissa

Italian-Style Brown Rice Salad

This recipe comes from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen.

Makes 4-6 Main-Course or 8 Side-Dish Servings

3 1/3 cups vegetable broth, low sodium

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 cup thawed frozen baby green peas

1 (7 1/4 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped

1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions (6 to 8), white and green parts, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup green Italian-style olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or basil

2 TBSP drained capers

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pine nuts or slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Combine the vegetable broth and rice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to the heat to low, cover, and cook until all of the broth has been absorbed, 30-35 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let stand uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Combine the rest of the ingredients, minus the nuts in a large salad bowl. Add the warm rice and toss well to combine. Sprinkle with the nuts. Serve warm or room temperature.

Melissa

Baked BBQ Black Eyed Peas

My husband got me a new cookbook for Christmas, Vegan Soul Kitchen. Since Black Eyed Peas bring good luck for the New Year, I decided to make this recipe.

We had veggie burgers and french fries with the beans. It was such a good dinner and very kid friendly. My kids loved the burgers. My husband said they were really good and reminded him of the burgers they served at his elementary school cafeteria. He swears this is a compliment, but I'm not so sure.

The beans took time, but the recipe was easy. I will make this again for sure. It would be a wonderful potluck contribution as well.

The next day, I was reheating some beans and my husband and older son were in the room. They both stared at my plate and said, "those beans were so good!". My three year olds thoughts, "Mama! You know I don't like beans! Why'd you put these on my plate!?!?". Oh well, maybe next year he'll like beans. No good luck for him in 2011.

Melissa

Hearty 'Beef' Cassoulet

This recipe came from Peta's Vegetarian Starter Kit.

Serves 4 (but we had left overs). This was so good. The husband, 12 year old, AND the 3 year old loved it and have requested that I make it again someday. The husband and I think the "beef" had the texture and taste of real beef that has sat in the crock pot all day.

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped onions (I did less because the husband doesn't love onions)

1 Tbsp. dried thyme

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. dried rosemary

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup peeled and sliced carrots

3/4 cup sliced celery

1 cup cubed potatoes

1 cup diced tomatoes

3/4 cup cubed seitan

2 Tbsp. molasses

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained

1 15-oz can navy beans, drained

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs mixed with 3 Tbsp. olive oil

I used safflower oil instead of olive oil.

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large pot, saute the garlic, onions, thyme, bay leaves, marjoram, and rosemary in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.

Add the wine, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the seitan, molasses, mustard, beans, salt, and pepper. Heat through.

Transfer to 6 15-oz oiled casserole dishes (I just did one large one). Top with the bread crumbs, cover, and bake for about 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Fudge Pie

Got this bad boy from 24 Carrots

Best pie ever.

Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Soup

This was better than I thought it would be. My 12 year old had seconds.

I will definitely make this again and I highly recommend. Very peanut buttery.

You can find the recipe here.

Melissa

Pumpkin and Raisin Biscuits

I found this lovely recipe here.

I didn't roll them out and make them perfect. I just did them like cookies. They tasted just as good and were a lot quicker to make. The orange icing was probably the best part.

The kids really enjoyed them.

Melissa

Vegan Banana Bread

This is an amazingly moist banana bread recipe. I couldn't eat it because I'm allergic to bananas. But I'm told it was delicious.

Melissa

Delectable Chili

Serves 6. This recipe comes from Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way.

1 TBSP olive oil (I used safflower)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 (14 oz cans) red kidney beans

1 (15 oz can) chickpeas

4 cups tomato juice

2 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP cumin

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion and garlic till onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Simmer on medium-low heat for 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy. My meat eating dad had some and he said it was very good.

Melissa

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

I found this amazing vegan pumpkin pie recipe. It was delicious. My non vegan dad loved it. So did my boys and my husband.

Melissa

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

I found these on a great blog called, "Hell Yeah it's Vegan". That's what I wanted to say when I took these to work. People loved them.

My advice to you is to double the recipe. It didn't make as many as it claimed. Also, the consistency was more like muffins than cupcakes.

My 12 year old begged me not to take them to work.

Melissa