Tonight was a good spaghetti and meat sauce kind of night
This is something we had often before we went vegan so I quickly found a way to adapt the old recipe to our new eating habits
The first thing i do is use Ronzoni Garden pasta made from veggies and then I chose a vegan sauce like Meijers organic sauces and I add my own touches. I get Meatless Crumbles and fry them in olive oil and garlic and add them to the sauce with some fresh mushroom and basil. Then I let it simmer for an hour or so. This give a jar sauce a good home made taste. I serve over pasta and add some soy cheese.
One of the main things I did when I decided to convert the whole family was try to find ways to make the same meals we were accustom to but with vegan substitutes. That way it was not so hard for my family to get used to. Luckily we like trying new dishes and i have purchases a few vegan cookbooks and I try about two to three new recipes every week. It has really made a huge shift in how we few food. It seems like an adventure!
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Fried Tofu and Stir Fried Cabbage
Last night I tried something different. I have been trying to use what the farmers market has in plentiful supply as well as limiting our rice/pasta intake. I have found that with the vegan cooking that we can get into the habit of eating way too much pasta and rice. I use only a low glycemic index pasta that is made from vegetables and I try to use brown rice but still the best way to get the most out of the choice to be a vegan is to limit those starches and try to go with meals of fresh veggies.
I always use a firm or extra firm tofu to fry and about 30 min or longer before I am ready to fry it I take it and drain the water out off of the tofu, slice it or cube it and lay it on some paper towels. Then I cover with paper towels and put something heavy on top of it like a pot or a plate to try to soak up as much water as I can. Then I take a frying pan over medium heat and add some olive oil plus some minced garlic. I place the tofu into the pan fry on both sides until golden brown.
I remove the tofu and put it on a plate to wait for the veggies to cook. The add a little more oil and garlic to the pan and I threw in a half a head of shredded cabbage and some match stick carrots. Fry while stirring until cabbage is soft and wilted. I put the lid on to keep some of the moisture in.
At the end of the cabbage's cooking time you can throw the tofu back into the pan with the veggies to warm it up or serve them separate. You can also serve this over some rice and splash with soy sauce before serving.
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I always use a firm or extra firm tofu to fry and about 30 min or longer before I am ready to fry it I take it and drain the water out off of the tofu, slice it or cube it and lay it on some paper towels. Then I cover with paper towels and put something heavy on top of it like a pot or a plate to try to soak up as much water as I can. Then I take a frying pan over medium heat and add some olive oil plus some minced garlic. I place the tofu into the pan fry on both sides until golden brown.
I remove the tofu and put it on a plate to wait for the veggies to cook. The add a little more oil and garlic to the pan and I threw in a half a head of shredded cabbage and some match stick carrots. Fry while stirring until cabbage is soft and wilted. I put the lid on to keep some of the moisture in.
At the end of the cabbage's cooking time you can throw the tofu back into the pan with the veggies to warm it up or serve them separate. You can also serve this over some rice and splash with soy sauce before serving.
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, June 27, 2011
Vegan applesauce cake
Tonight I tried a new recipe for an applesauce cake and it was great!
One of the things I have found about vegan cooking is that the baked items are not nearly as good as they were with real eggs. I have tried a ton of egg substitutes from flax seed to Ener-g. I know there is a ton of chemistry involved in cooking so I am still working on getting the baking down. But this applesauce cake is a recipe that was created for the regular population and I made it vegan by simply using soy butter. It was great warm right out of the oven. I added blueberries to mine because I had a ton from the grocery today but if I was going to make it on a regular day i would put raisins in it and you could always add nuts. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ingred:
1/2 c soy margarine
1 c sugar (I used 1/2 raw sugar, 1/2 white)
1 c applesauce
1tsp baking soda
2 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c raisin
Cream the margarine and sugar, then add applesauce and mix well. Then stir in remaining ingredient and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 min and enjoy nice and warm!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
One of the things I have found about vegan cooking is that the baked items are not nearly as good as they were with real eggs. I have tried a ton of egg substitutes from flax seed to Ener-g. I know there is a ton of chemistry involved in cooking so I am still working on getting the baking down. But this applesauce cake is a recipe that was created for the regular population and I made it vegan by simply using soy butter. It was great warm right out of the oven. I added blueberries to mine because I had a ton from the grocery today but if I was going to make it on a regular day i would put raisins in it and you could always add nuts. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ingred:
1/2 c soy margarine
1 c sugar (I used 1/2 raw sugar, 1/2 white)
1 c applesauce
1tsp baking soda
2 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c raisin
Cream the margarine and sugar, then add applesauce and mix well. Then stir in remaining ingredient and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 min and enjoy nice and warm!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Veggie burgers and sautéd veggies for dinner
Tonight is one of those nights where I don't want to cook and I really don't want to get the kitchen messy so I have a few stand bys to make sure we eat healthy and stick to our vegan commitment without doing a lot of work
Tonight we are going to have veggie patties on the grill. I prefer Boca brand and the are pretty cheap compared to the others. My husband still likes to start up the grill. He says he doesn't miss meat but he misses the experience of grilling. (must be a man thing). So I keep things on hand that he can throw on the grill
Before I make the veggie patties I like to marinate them or put soy sauce on them. It really seems to help with the consistence and flavor.
I am also going to sauté some egg plant and zucchini in olive oil with garlic and make a quick vegan pasta salad to go with it
I am going to try an apple sauce cake tonight too. If it is good I will share the recipe tomorrow.
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tonight we are going to have veggie patties on the grill. I prefer Boca brand and the are pretty cheap compared to the others. My husband still likes to start up the grill. He says he doesn't miss meat but he misses the experience of grilling. (must be a man thing). So I keep things on hand that he can throw on the grill
Before I make the veggie patties I like to marinate them or put soy sauce on them. It really seems to help with the consistence and flavor.
I am also going to sauté some egg plant and zucchini in olive oil with garlic and make a quick vegan pasta salad to go with it
I am going to try an apple sauce cake tonight too. If it is good I will share the recipe tomorrow.
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Can a vegan lunch include BBQ??
Today is our little girls 3rd birthday party and we have invited over a bunch of family and we want to feed them dinner so my husband threw a big piece of pork onto the grill. Not exactly what I want for dinner so I made a couple of vegan side dishes so that we would have something for dinner. Plus I always keep some veggie burgers and soy links on hand to throw on the grill so that my husband feels like he is really grilling :)
One of my favorite side dishes is
Roasted Potato Salad
Ingred:
1lb Yukon gold potatoes diced
1 medium leak sliced lengthwise and cut into pieces
1/4 c olive oil
Salt and pepper
15.5 oz can of chick peas
1/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/4 c green olives sliced
3 tbs white wine vinegar
Put potatoes and leaks in a glass 13x9 baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then drizzle olive oil and stir to coat. In a 425 degree oven roast the mixture for 10 min, stir and the roast another 10 min until they are cooked but still firm
In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients then when potatoes have cooled, combine
I like this salad room temp. I think it brings out more of the flavors
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
One of my favorite side dishes is
Roasted Potato Salad
Ingred:
1lb Yukon gold potatoes diced
1 medium leak sliced lengthwise and cut into pieces
1/4 c olive oil
Salt and pepper
15.5 oz can of chick peas
1/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/4 c green olives sliced
3 tbs white wine vinegar
Put potatoes and leaks in a glass 13x9 baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then drizzle olive oil and stir to coat. In a 425 degree oven roast the mixture for 10 min, stir and the roast another 10 min until they are cooked but still firm
In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients then when potatoes have cooled, combine
I like this salad room temp. I think it brings out more of the flavors
Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ummm tempeh?
We made the tempeh and grilled it. It was good! I have read some bad things about it but it is worth trying and putting your own spin on it. After it is boiled it will take on pretty much any flavor that you marinade it in. It had a nutty texture and ours had a garlic flavor. I recommend it for the grill. It gave my husband something to grill and he appreciated that. After we stopped eating meat the grilling slowed down considerable! I would also say that the tempeh would be great if you grilled an extra piece and had it on hand for lunches. It would be good sliced and stuffed in a pita with fresh veggies!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Hello again
Hello again!
I have refocused the theme of my blog. I started this blog with the intention of writing about my family and my experiences as a stay home mom. When my first daughter was born everything was right with the world. I was so excited she was here and my parents were coming to visit every two weeks and I was keeping a very clean house. I was able to quit my job and stay home with the baby and I felt like everything was going my way. Then my mom got sick in January of 2010 and passed away in December of the same year. Now nothing is the same and I struggle every day to just take care of two kids and keep my head above water.
I have decided to focus on vegan recipes and my quest to make my family healthier through the vegan lifestyle. We live in a community that doesn't necessarily embrace the vegan lifestyle. Very few restaurants offer vegan choices but we love to eat out so we find a way! I have scoured vegan cookbooks and vegan websites to find recipes that my family enjoys. I am going to share the recipes that i have tested and some tricks that i have learned
I hope you enjoy and I appreciate any comments you may have
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I have refocused the theme of my blog. I started this blog with the intention of writing about my family and my experiences as a stay home mom. When my first daughter was born everything was right with the world. I was so excited she was here and my parents were coming to visit every two weeks and I was keeping a very clean house. I was able to quit my job and stay home with the baby and I felt like everything was going my way. Then my mom got sick in January of 2010 and passed away in December of the same year. Now nothing is the same and I struggle every day to just take care of two kids and keep my head above water.
I have decided to focus on vegan recipes and my quest to make my family healthier through the vegan lifestyle. We live in a community that doesn't necessarily embrace the vegan lifestyle. Very few restaurants offer vegan choices but we love to eat out so we find a way! I have scoured vegan cookbooks and vegan websites to find recipes that my family enjoys. I am going to share the recipes that i have tested and some tricks that i have learned
I hope you enjoy and I appreciate any comments you may have
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)