Lazy Vegan

Being vegan in Tempe is easy...even if you don't like to cook. Here are a few places I have been with vegan options:
1. La Bocca Wine Bar
2. Sushi 101
3. Blue Nile Cafe
4. Tsom
5. Dheli Palace
6. Oreganos
7. Cheba Hut
8. Center Bistro
9. Chronic Taco
10. Pita Pit

Some places require you to modify items, however, most are available vegan on the menu. All of the above have been very friendly and helpful recommending me items and modifications. ...and they are all relatively cheap.

Lunch: Beans and Rice and Earl Grey.

Dinner Tonight: What ever looks good at the farmers market:) I need nutrients so desperately! I've been eating horribly! Junk food and zero fruits and vegetables. I feel fine but I don't think I can keep this up much longer.

Vegan Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie!!!

A sin I'm willing to commit.

Italian Hot Chocolate

3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons vanilla soy milk, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
splash vanilla extract

Mix the cocoa powder and sugar together in a small saucepan. Stir the 1 1/2 cups milk into the saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Place over low heat; slowly bring the mixture to a low simmer.

Whisk 2 tablespoons of soy milk together with the cornstarch in a small cup; slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the cocoa mixture. Continue cooking, whisking continually, until the hot chocolate reaches a pudding-like thickness, 2 to 3 minutes.

Fajitas

Basically survive off of these.
Bell peppers (any color)
Onion
Mushrooms (optional)
Black Beans
Pre Made Fajita seasoning
Flour or Corn Tortilla or Rice

Follow Directions on the back of the the seasoning mix.
I add the beans a few minutes before they are done just to warm them.

For those of us that aren't huge fans of cooking and really enjoy eating raw foods, I highly suggest Whole Food's salad bar. SO many great healthy salads. Pack a to- go box with all the veggies, whole grains, beans, etc you need. I usually spend from $7-8 for a full box, and am literally stuffed afterwards:)

Ahimsa

Meaning to do no harm; literally the avoidance of violence.

Abstinence from animal products
Harmlessness with reverence for life
Integrity of thought, word, and deed
Mastery over oneself
Service to humanity, nature, and compassion
Advancement of understanding and truth

Lentil Soup

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry lentils
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
dash salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions turn clear.
Add the vegetable broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and salt.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving. Makes 4 servings of lentil soup.

Nutrition Facts One serving provides approximately:
Calories: 230, Calories from Fat: 27
Total Fat: 3.0g, 5% Saturated Fat: 0.7g, 3%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 852mg, 36%
Total Carbohydrates: 33.0g, 11%
Dietary Fiber: 15.6g, 62%
Sugars: 4.6g
Protein: 18.7g
Vitamin A 37%, Vitamin C 12%, Calcium 5%, Iron 28%, Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Vegan French Toast

I really wanted to make tofu scramble this morning, but I didn't have any nutritional yeast, so I decided to make french toast. It's really easy and really good!....Halve the recipe if your cooking for just yourself.

Ingredients:

2 cups vanilla soy milk

4-5 tablespoons unbleached flour

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

bread slices (your choice)

vegan powder sugar, berries & natural maple syrup, garnish

Steps:

1. Mix flour, soy milk, vegan sugar and cinnamon to form a batter.

2. Dip bread and fry in lightly greased pan until golden brown....1 or 2 minutes on each side. Takes a while to get it crispy.

3. Sprinkle with vegan powdered sugar, berries & natural maple syrup... Enjoy!

Pretty pretty!

Avocado, Spinach and Tomato Sandwich

Super yummy sandwich which is filling and healthy!
-2 slices of toasted whole wheat (nutty) bread
-Vegenaise
-Avocado (spread or sliced)
-2 slices of tomato
-Handful of spinach

Bagel with tofu cream cheese!

What a great breakfast:)

Vegan Pizza

Made a really wonderful pizza today!
-Rosemary crust from Fresh and Easy. Grease the pan with olive oil, pierce the spread out dough all over with fork and bake for 7-8 minutes at 425 degrees.
-Sauce: 1 6oz can of tomato paste, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 cup water, dash of sea salt ( i let it sit overnight, but its good regardless).
-Saute 3 large cloves of garlic, 1/4 of any kind of onion, handful of mushrooms, half of a red pepper ( all of this is diced and the mushrooms pre-cut).
-Top with a handful of fresh spinach and a handful of fresh basil.
-Bake for 15 minutes at 425.
So good and you can substitute with whatever is in your fridge!

Ordered this today!

Tofu Coconut Cream Pie

Tofu Coconut Cream Pie

Making this today and can't wait to try it!

So I made this yesterday and it was good but not great! I had to get 15 oz tofu because they didn't have 14 oz package so maybe they extra oz made a difference? I wanted it to be really coconutty, and added coconut extract instead of the vanilla. I don't have a food processor so I had to add extra coconut milk to get it going in the blender. overall it was tasty, but i won't make it again.

Simple but Delicious!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

http://video.about.com/vegetarian/Tofu-Pumpkin-Pie.htm

I've found without question that the best way to lead others to a more plant-based diet is by example - to lead with your fork, not your mouth. ~Bernie Wilke, quoted in Joanne Stepaniak, The Vegan Sourcebook, 1998

Easy Apple Turnovers!!

Yummy!!!!
http://www.noveleats.com/dessert/easy-apple-turnovers/

Banana Love

Great viewpoint on veganism!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-solomon/who-you-callin-vegangelic_b_290582.html

The Thoughts of a Dairy Cow

She was often scorned at which made her quite sad. She gave all she could and often felt exhausted in light of this ceaseless giving. She thought maybe one day they would wake up and notice the grief they had caused her, but day in and day out, they pushed her to the edge. How did she receive such a life of pain? They took from her, her young, milk and dignity. She just wanted to feel the rays of the sun and enjoy the taste of sweet grass. She survived off of these imageries and kept them as her dream. She hoped that people would change and that they would learn to love more. She certainly gave enough love to receive it in return.

I'm in love

Made these cookies today and they turned out wonderful!
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup canola oil

1 ½ cups sugar

4 teaspoons ground flaxseeds

½ cup soy milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoons almond extract

¾ cup vegan chocolate chips

¾ cup walnuts, chopped small

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar. Add the flaxseeds, soy milk, and vanilla, and mix well.

Fold in the dry ingredients in batches. When the batter starts to get too stiff to mix with a fork, use hands until a ball of dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, and mix with your hands again. A bit messy, but worth it.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten into disks about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place about an inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Thyme Lentils over Polenta

Really excited about this!
1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
3 cups water, divided
1 cup dried lentils (green or brown)
1 tbsp fresh rosemary thyme or 1 tsp dried
1/4 tsp salt
1 large bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (omitted)
1 cup polenta (cornmeal)

1. In a medium deep-sided nonstick skillet with a lid, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes, Add half the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

2. Add 2 cups of the broth, 2 cups of the water, lentils, rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper to taste and bay leaf; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Uncover and increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced and slightly soupy, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the parsley (if using) and remove from heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Cover and keep warm (mixture will thicken as it cools).

3. Meanwhile, lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside (I used a non-stick pan and it didn’t need any oil). Bring the remaining 2 cups broth, 1 cup water, remaining 1/2 tbsp oil, remaining garlic, salt and pepper to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, slowly add in polenta. Immediately reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring often with a long handled wooden spoon, 15 minutes (or less than 5 minutes if using instant polenta). Immediately spoon the polenta into the prepared baking dish, pressing down with the back of a large spoon to form a smooth surface. Let stand 15 minutes to become firm.

4. To serve, cut the polenta into desired number of squares and transfer to individual serving plates. Spoon equal amounts of the lentil mixture over the polenta and serve at once.

Serves 4.

Blog

Came across this really great blog:
http://start.tastespotting.com/tag/Vegan/10

Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Doesn't get any easier than this! I've made these before and they are really good.
2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon, to taste, optional
vegan chocolate or carob chips, put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1; sucanat works too, but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Very important-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works much better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

2. In a medium size bowl, add together sugar and oil; mix well. Add the vanilla and then add the water; mix well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to.

3. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets (top to bottom & 180 degree rotation). Bake another 4 minutes and check them. The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here until they get to where I like them.

4. Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.

Serves: almost 2 dozen; Preparation Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes

I just thought this was so cute!

Cupcakes

Found this at the library. Will definitely be baking soon!

Macaroni anyone?

So i've been really wanting macaroni and cheese and just found a recipe to use:)
3 cups uncooked macaroni
3/4 nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbs vegan butter or olive oil
2 tbs unbleached ap flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp stone ground mustard
1 1/2 cups of soy milk

1. Boil the macaroni according to the directions. Drain, rinse and place in a medium size casserole dish. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium size saute pan over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken. It will continue thickening as long as it is exposed to heat, if it gets too thick you can add more soy milk.
2. Pour the cheese mixture over the cooked macaroni and serve.

Morning Smoothie

1 banana
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
Soy Milk
Protein power
yummy!

Bad baking leads to more cooking?

Be sure to get your fiber

Baking

Two failed attempts at vegan baking. Maybe I'll try something new like crackers or granola bars.

Vegan Pizza Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teas. sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast (1/4 oz or 2 1/4 teas.)
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4. teas. salt

1/2 cup vegan pepperoni, chopped
1 cup vegan mozzarella, shredded (I used Teese)
3 tbsp. dried oregano
marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

In a large bowl, combine water and sugar and stir. Add yeast and let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the margarine to the water mixture and then add flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a clean, floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450. I recommend using a pizza stone if you have one. Prepare pepperoni, mozzarella and oregano. Roll out dough into a 18 x 24 inch square and cut into strips about 1 1/4 inch by 3 inches.


On one side of each strip, place a pinch of each filling component. You need to be able to fold and seal them, so keep that in mind when filling them

Roll over the naked side of the strip to cover the filling and pinch to seal. You may need to brush with a little water to get the dough to seal. If they don’t look beautiful now, don’t worry. They will get nice and puffy when they bake.


Brush or spray with a light coating of olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven, until lightly browned. You can also bake them for about 9 minutes in a toaster oven at 400 degrees. They will turn out fine, but the bottoms won’t be as crispy. Serve warm with marinara sauce. They reheat beautifully in a toaster oven.

Makes, approximately 30 rolls.

Vegan Meatloaf

1 medium sized onion, shredded or chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 teas. dried basil
1 teas. dried oregano
2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp. red win vinegar
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used French, any variety would do)
1 1/2 cup cooked grain (I used buckwheat, brown rice would be good, too)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan or Baker’s Edge pan.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the onions, carrots, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Process for 30 sec-1 minute, until it resembles a chunky paste. Add the herbs, soy sauce and vinegar and combine. Add lentils and grain to the processor and process until ingredients just come together, scraping down the bowl as needed. If there are still some discernible lentils, that’s fine, but overall it should be thick and paste-like. Hmm… paste-like doesn’t sound very appetizing.

Moving on, spread the loaf into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes (closer to 40 for the loaf pan), depending on type of pan. The top of the loaf should brown and get a little crusty on the edges There should still be a little mush-factor if you gently push down on the top of the loaf, as it will continue to firm up as it cools.

Makes 6-7 servings, depending on how much you feel like sharing.

Vegan Chili

1 bell pepper-any color diced
1/2 onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of black beans or pinto
1 can of kidney beans
1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
1 tbsp of cumin
2 tbsp chili powered
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
small dash of cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper if you like it spicier
I used a tbsp of thyme and fresh basil though it didn't call for it I just wanted to use it
1/2 cup of TVP-textured vegetable protein-gives the chili a heart texture like beef this is optional though add with 1/2 cup water.

Saute bell pepper, onion and garlic on medium heat with olive oil.
Add the tomatoes, spices and vegetable broth-2 minutes
Add the beans and simmer for up to 1 hour but can be 20 minutes if you are pressed for time
When you have 10 minutes left, add TVP and water.

It seems like a lot of ingredients but I had them all in my cupboard expect for the TVP which was $3.

Nutrition Facts:
One serving provides approximately:
Calories: 334, Calories from Fat: 54
Total Fat: 6.0g, 9%, Saturated Fat: 0.9g, 4%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 260mg, 11%
Total Carbohydrates: 55.4g, 18%
Dietary Fiber: 15.5g, 62%
Sugars: 5.9g
Protein: 18.7g
Vitamin A 49%, Vitamin C 107%, Calcium 11%, Iron 35%, Based on a 2000 calorie diet