it's been a while... let's talk TOFURKY!

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've had a lot going on and even though I have been experimenting with new recipes, I haven't been posting about them. I promise to put some up here soon! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. As some of you know, I had my first Tofurky this year and I have to tell you it was DELICIOUS!! It smelled so good when I took it out of the package. Not real turkey, but it smelled pretty close to it! It has stuffing in it and everything! AND they also make a scrumptious mushroom gravy that I tried! :) This is definitely a new favorite and one meal that I will make when I don't really feel like spending a lot of time in front of the stove.

Here's the Tofurky website... they have a few different things on here that I'm interested in trying... like Tofurky Jurky! :)

http://www.tofurky.com/

The Kind Life

I don't know if any of you have heard of it, but it's based on the book The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone. I'm just starting to read it right now. It's all about eating a plant-based diet to be kind to our bodies and the planet. Anyway, I went to the website www.thekindlife.com and they have some yummy-looking recipes there that I definitely want to try soon! So keep checking in, I'll be posting up some of my new adventures in the kitchen very soon! :)

Smooth White Grape Gazpacho

I got this one from Food Network and its yummier than I ever expected! Jason and I both just ate this. It took less than ten minutes to prep and have on the table! Jason said that he would just drink it out of a glass if I make it again. It's smooth and creamy. Hope you like it!

2-1/2 c seedless white grapes
1 c regular soy milk, chilled
1/2 c blanched slivered almonds
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1 lime, juiced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put soy milk and almonds in blender and puree until very smooth, about 2-3 min. With the motor running, slowly add the grapes, scallions, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper and puree until well blended. Pour into bowls and garnish with additional sliced grapes and chopped scallions.

easiest. recipe. ever.

Quick Apple Crisp

I've made this recipe a few times already. I love it! I got it from the cookbook 1,000 Vegan Recipes. It makes 6 servings and trust me you'll want to make more of it!

5 Granny Smith apples (I use Cortland), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan. Place the apples in the prepared pan. Drizzle the maple syrup and lemon juice over the apples and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, walnuts, sugar, and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Use a pastry blender to cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread the topping over the apples and bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

I would post a picture of this, but Jason and I ate all of it before I decided to do this blog. Next time! :)

Best Mac & Cheeze ever?? I think NOT!

As I said earlier, I heart mac & cheese. I don't discriminate, I love it all. Home made, baked, 3 cheese is my absolute favorite. Since cutting out real dairy I've found that I don't crave it as much as I used to... In fact, I cheated and had some at work a few nights ago and I thought it was pretty gross. So, speaking of pretty gross, this next recipe was rather disappointing. Especially since the name on the website is the "Best Vegan Mac and Cheese in the entire world...seriously". I'm definitely going to have to play with this recipe a lot to get the cheeze sauce to taste the way I want it to. I'm not expecting it to taste like real cheese... I know that's not possible, but I do want it to taste good. As Jason said after trying this recipe "this tastes like ass". So, I'm still going to post it. For the brave who like to experiment (like me), take this as a challenge & play around with it. For those who cook by the book, stay away from this recipe until I get it right...

*** I think I'm going to cut down on the amount of nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and garlic powder and increase the amount of tofu ***

1-1/2 pounds pasta of your choice, preferably macaroni

"Cheese" Sauce:
1-1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
1-1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 (12-ounce) block of firm (not silken) tofu
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon vegesal or in lack of fancy product, just use salt
1 dollop mustard (optional)

Directions:

This is very simple and tastes amazing!

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Add all of the "cheese" sauce ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

4. Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan (about the size of a brownie pan). Pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.

5. Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy, about 15 minutes, but not too crispy because that is gross.


Serves: a lot (*Jen note: yes, this is what it reads on the actual recipe); Preparation time: about 8 minutes; Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Bagels

So I found a pretty cool website that I've been getting some recipes through. I'm sure you'll hear me talk about it a lot. Its www.vegweb.com. I've saved a lot of the recipes that I want to try, but so far I've only experimented with two. One of which is the recipe I made for bagels earlier today. This recipe is for plain bagels, but I made them whole wheat by substituting 1 c of the white flour with whole wheat. Also, I added dried onion flakes to the dough - after boiling and before baking I sprinkled some more on top. I used my vegan cream cheese as spread when they were done. DELISH! Jason loves them (he'll try anything, God love him - I know how much he loves his dairy and animal protein). Scotty and Gabe are always very hesitant to try new foods and they both tried them and wanted more. Next week we're going to make cinnamon-raisin bagels!

*** Two recipes below - one for those with a bread machine and the other for those who ARE the bread machine (this would be me!) lol :)

ENJOY!


1 cup warm water
3 cups unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons vegan granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Bread Machine Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in bread machine and set for normal white vegan bread. (You may also add whatever seasoning you'd like for a flavored bagel at this step.)

2. Let the machine knead once and then turn off the machine and set a timer for 20 minutes.

3. Cut into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch thick, wet ends and stick together. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

4. Fill a wok (or whatever you use) with about three inches of water. Place vegan sugar in this water and bring to a boil. Add bagels for 1 minute, turning them as they boil. Drain.

5. Return dough to the greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Bake at 550 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until desired browning occurs.

Manual Directions:
1. Add warm water to a small bowl. Sprinkle on 1 package active dry yeast; do not stir. Cover with a saucer and allow to proof for 5 minutes. Stir and allow to proof for an additional 3 minutes. Mixture should be frothy. If it isn't, discard and start over.

2. In a bowl, mix together flour and salt. Mix in yeast-water mixture and lightly knead in the bowl. Cover and set aside to allow dough to rise, about 1 hour. (You may add whatever seasoning you'd like for a flavored bagel when adding the flour and salt.)

3. Cut into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch thick, wet ends and stick together. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

4. Fill a wok (or whatever you use) with about three inches of water. Place vegan sugar in this water and bring to a boil. Add bagels for 1 minute, turning them as they boil. Drain.

5. Return dough to the greased cookie sheet. Bake at 550 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until desired browning occurs.

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 1 hr