Cuisine Creations

New Blog

2006-08-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Please visit my new blog at www.utopiankitchen.wordpress.com. This will be my blog from now on (as long as it doesn't stop working, too!). Thanks!

Cherry-Almond Muffins, Mint Pesto Rice w/ Fava Beans

2006-08-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Rice & Spice/Vegan With a Vengeance/Extra-Vegan-Za

The muffins are pretty good, not my favorite, from VWaV. I used dried cherries instead of fresh and added teff and oat flours.

The mint pesto rice with fava beans is a repeat, but this time I served it with lemon sesame kale from Extra-Vegan-Za and peas with pearl onions. The kale is going to be a fave way to prepare it from now on! The crispy sesame seeds on top really make a nice texture. Dinner was gluten-free; the muffins are not.

Let's see if I can get this picture to work...I might give up eventually!

...No Pics

2006-08-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

I even started a new blog to see if something was wrong with this one, and the new blog's pictures wouldn't upload, either.

Pesto Penne, Lemon-Herb Tofu, Steamed Broccoli

2006-08-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

Vive Le Vegan!

My last picture wouldn't upload for the life of me (two days of trying), so I hope this one works.

I am using up more local, organic produce here: the basil. The pesto has basil, hemp nuts, pine nuts, garlic, flax oil, hempseed oil, and extra-virgin olive oil. I used about half water, too, to reduce the fat content, since the sun-dried tomatoes were oil-cured. Brown rice pasta was used.

The Lemon-Basil Tofu is a great recipe from Vive. The flavor combos are delicious, the only problem being that the tofu wasn't quite as firm as I would have liked. That has nothing to do with the recipe, though.

gluten-free

{Note: Okay, none of my pictures are uploading, must be a blogger problem}

Salsa Verde & Other Local Goods

2006-08-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian Table: Mexico

Using up some tomatillos, red tomatoes, onions, and bi-color corn! The salsa was from the cookbook listed above and pretty flavorful, but the red tomatoes really took it to new heights!

Has anyone ever heard of the term "chuck," meaning to chuck (de-husk) corn? I can't stop giggling at the term...

gluten-free

{Note: This picture is not uploading...}

Millet Burgers & Oven Fries

2006-08-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Complete Vegetarian Kitchen

Do try these millet burgers! They hold together well, have a great flavor, can be made wheat- or gluten-free, and use on-hand ingredients: millet, carrots, sunflower seeds, flour, and spices. We topped ours with Vegan Gourmet cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and ketchup drizzled with flax oil. The buns are store-bought spelt (Rudi's Organic). They were a little dry, but I sprayed each side with olive oil and then toasted in the oven. The oven fries are also store-bought organic. Such an easy dinner - just needed some planning for the millet to cook and cool.

wheat-free

Blueberry Rice Squares

2006-08-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sweetened with merely maple syrup and brown rice syrup, these goodies are a healthy breakfast item. Admittedly, they fall apart more easily than marshmallow rice crispy squares but I like them nonetheless. As stated in the noodles with seitan post, they are fortified with vitamin B-12, calcium, and magnesium.

gluten-free

Noodles with Seitan, Sweet Garlic Bok Choy

2006-08-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Complete Vegetarian Kitchen/Juice for Life

I'm not trying to trick anyone(!), but this is dinner for tomorrow, not tonight. Rich will be away at a very unhealthy event, the state fair, so I wanted to make sure he had some nutritious food to eat.

The noodles with seitan are an easy recipe from Complete, with only a few ingredients: garlic, ginger, scallions, seitan, toasted sesame oil, and the noodles. The meal really comes together with bok choy! I made the garlic dipping sauce from Juice but with less sugar and no hot sauce, trying to copy the Asian style garlicky bok choy you get in restaurants. Everything turned out great. :D

I made some hazelnut milk and blueberry crispy breakfast squares as well; I'll try to get a picture later. Both are fortified with B-12, calcium, and magnesium. MOOOVE over, Special K!

contains wheat

Gnocchi w/ Sage, Rosemary, and Almonds/Brownie Sundae

2006-08-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

Cooking Gluten-Free! (for both)(omnivorous)

This was admittedly my first gnocchi experience. I found shaping them and freezing them quite easy. Boiling wasn't bad, either. Then when I was to pan-fry them afterwards with the almonds, garlic, rosemary, parsley, and sage, I got a bit nervous about the little doughs falling apart. They seemed fine; I just didn't toss them around a lot. The garnish is a spicy tomato salad and lemon wedge. VERY tasty dish, indeed!

The brownie - what can I say?!! It was a pretty easy to make. They're supposed to be chewy but I would describe them as creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside. We also had a raspberry syrup sweetened with stevia, Soy Delicious Purely Decadent Vanilla, chopped peanuts, and Soyatoo whipped cream. Yum!

gluten-free

Thai Bean Cakes, Fried Rice, and Peach-Blueberry Compote

2006-08-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Rice & Spice, New Vegetarian Cooking (x2)

I didn't get home until almost 7:00 today, so time was short and I was super hungry. You can tell I took the pictures on top of the washer. ;) I like how the peach blueberry one I chose turned out; it looks like you can reach out and touch the fruit or sneak in a slurp of whipped cream.

The Rice & Spice dish is a repeat, the Thai Fried Rice, only this time I used broccoli as the vegetable, with great results, just as last time. I also added tofu because I think it adds a good texture.

The Thai Bean Cakes are made from cannellini beans, red curry paste, cilantro, green onion, and chickpea flour, served with lime wedges and a roasted red pepper garnish. I liked these cakes. They were pretty easy (the food processor did the work!) and a bit spicy, mellowed by the lime juice.

As for the peach-blueberry dish, how's this for easy: 2 c. blueberries, 4 T. apple juice concentrate, 4 sliced peaches, simmered for 5-10 min.? So good, too! I had been waiting for some organic peaches; these did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, I ate so late that there's no room for exercise tonight before bed. I've been trying to take a day off here and there every 12 days or so anyway. I guess today is best for that.

gluten-free

Molasses Baked Beans, Apricot-Pistachio Quinoa Pilaf

2006-08-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Vive Le Vegan!/New Vegetarian Cuisine

As an appetizer (not pictured), we had buckwheat bread with rosemary-infused olive oil.

The baked beans are from Vive Le Vegan! Sadly, I halved the recipe and I'm wishing I hadn't! I hadn't had baked beans in over 3 years; there were better than I remembered them. Healthy, too.

The quinoa pilaf is from New Vegetarian Cuisine, with apricots, cilantro, and toasted pistachios. It was flavorful, especially with a bite of the beans on the spoon.

The other two items are corn on the cob brushed with an Earth Balance & flax oil mixture and baked zucchini crusted with nutritional yeast.

gluten-free

Coconut Tofu & Vegetable Udon Noodle Soup

2006-08-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

Cooking Gluten-Free! (omnivorous)

Finally used up those noodles in the freezer! I made the broth with kombu and mushrooms, soy sauce, and sweetener. The vegetables are a few green beans from my sister's garden, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. I'm pretty sure the udon had wheat in it. Great soup!

The Cooking Gluten-Free recipe was very good as well. I had to "veganize" it. The tofu is marinated, baked, and then also drizzled with a coconut-peanut sauce.

Apple Phyllo Strudel with Warm Cream Cheese Sauce

2006-08-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Vive Le Vegan!

Another creation of Dreena's! These are always so good. :) I made a cream cheese (Tofutti), agave and stevia sweetened sauce, too, instead of serving it with ice cream. Very good recipe!

contains wheat

Tempeh Picadillo

2006-08-04T17:31:00.001-07:00

Rice & Spice

Yet another Robin Robertson recipe! I have almost all of her cookbooks. This is quite an interesting combination of flavors: tempeh, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, apple, tomato, and raisins and olives, which I left out. I quite liked the subtle flavor! It's garnished with almonds and parsley.

gluten-free

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie/Mad Good Chocolate Cake

2006-08-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

[Prior Post]

The chocolate peanut butter pie is so good. It's a recipe from Fresh in Canada. I can't say enough good things about it. It's good frozen as well, with a creamy peanut butter inside, chocolate topping (with nuts if you choose), and a chocolate cookie crust. Better than a peanut butter cup because you can savor it longer, have more bites, with a whole piece of pie.

This was from Artful or Millenium; I can't remember which. Anyway, it tasted great, with creamy chocolate ganache in the middle. But I have to warn you about the rum sauce. This stuff dried on the dishes, in the container I had the leftovers in, and I had to microwave it to slowly wash it off (I'm talking at least an hour of work). So you can imagine that because it hardened on the dishes, we didn't taste much of it.

Asian Noodle Salad with Kale

2006-08-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Vegan Planet

Rich says this is his new favorite (interestingly, his favorites always involve noodles and usually Asian style dishes with a peanut sauce). It has a mildy spicy peanut sauce, Korean style noodles, red bell pepper, carrots, napa cabbage, green onions, and I added the sauteed kale; it wasn't in the recipe. Good stuff! Fairly quick to prepare as well.

contains wheat [I did make gluten-free cookies!]

Mocha Chip Muffins/Pasta and Pizza

2006-08-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Vegan With a Vengeance

While I wanted to save these for breakfast, we couldn't resist having one before dinner, and boy, did it make me hungry! They are very good, absolutely wonderfully delicious! I even made them healthier by using no refined sugars, only date sugar; and I also used teff flour and spelt whole grain flour.

wheat-free

Pizza & Pasta

Richard wanted somethin' simple, so I thought this would do. The pizza is the last of the ciabatta bread I made (with spelt and wheat) with pizza sauce and Vegan Gourmet. I had this for lunch a few days back and was longing for another piece. The bread gets a bit crunchy on top. So good!

We also had quinoa pasta with a chunky vegetable basil sauce: carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes.

Ah, now I'm full.

pasta is gluten-free/pizza contains wheat

Potatoes with Eggplant Butter

2006-07-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Fresh & Fast Vegan Pleasures

When Rich told me he was tired of potatoes, one of my first thoughts was missing out on this delicious recipe. The smell of the eggplants and garlic baking in the oven is reason alone to make it. The butter made of eggplants also has garlic, lime juice, tahini, cumin seeds, and cilantro. While the potatoes are salted, the butter is not and its creaminess smoothes out the salty flavor for balance.

The salad is from the same book, with avocadoes, grapefruit, and a mustardy dressing. I made ciabatta bread this morning, had a good pizza with it for lunch, but for dinner, I had to make my boyfriend's much beloved garlic bread (instead of croutons).

bread contains wheat; all others gluten-free

Pineapple Lemon Bars

2006-07-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Vive Le Vegan!

One of my favorite breakfasts ever!! Not that it was meant to be a breakfast, per se, but I thought it was perfect. I even ran out of maple syrup and subbed brown rice syrup with extra vanilla extract and it still was delicioso! I like how the coconut flavor just barely peaks through.

wheat-free

I'm sorry about the lack of dinner pictures. We have lots of leftovers and went out to eat last night.

Mori-Nu Tofu Mates

2006-07-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

At last, a new post. :)

I don't normally use a lot of packaged foods, and I have previously seen this item called for in recipes and shrugged it off or rolled my eyes. But then I tried it and absolutely devoured the stuff! I like the vanilla best, but in my picture I do vanilla and chocolate layers combined. You can't even tell it's made from tofu. Not that I think tofu has a bad flavor, but sometimes its texture is determinable from, say, a pudding made from almond milk, cornstarch, and sugar. Do try this item if you want an easy pudding.

Chana Dal & Green Curry Tempeh

2006-07-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Favorite Vegetarian Dishes

The green curry tempeh was super-spicy but also had an excellent flavor - our new favorite way to have tempeh. The chana dal has a nice, slightly spicy undertone as well.

Yuba-Wrapped Tofu with Mushrooms

2006-07-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook

I made mine without mushrooms, but it was just as good. I enjoyed the yuba; it has a different texture and imparts a nice flavor in addition to the wine marinated tofu. We also had mashed potatoes with chives and gravy, steamed broccoli, and a cheesy millet & chickpea patty (which was a save from an "oops" recipe which didn't work out).

I recommend Frey organic wines, which are vegan and contain no sulfites.

Flan w/ Strawberries

2006-07-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook

Mmm, this was very caramel-y and smooth!

Seitan Loaf, Spinach-Stuffed Phyllo Baskets

2006-07-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook/Vegan Vittles/Favorite Vegetarian Dishes

Marinated seitan roll with rice & cranberries, golden gravy, served along cheesy spinach phyllo baskets.

Tropical Fruit Salad

2006-07-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

[Prior Post]

Salad with papaya, avocado, and mango, cumin-toasted pecans, and a coconut-lime dressing sweetened with agave nectar.

Beet-Apricot Soup & Lentil-Wild Rice Balls

2006-07-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Vegan (over 70 mouthwatering...)

Mmm, these both were really good, too! I like the cilantro garnish on the soup. The texture of the lentil-wild rice balls came out exceptionally!

Millet Burger & Cream Cheese Stuffed Pepper

2006-07-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Vegan (over 70 mouthwatering...)

Both of these items, while higher in fat than we normally have, were scrumptious!

Fudgy Nut Balls

2006-07-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

www.cok.net

With only a few ingredients, these rich, chocolatey balls, when frozen, are great to pop in your mouth as you walk by the fridge! :)

Breaded Eggplant/Sweet Potato & Leek Chowder

2006-07-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

Prior Posts

Venturesome Vegetarian

AWESOME breaded eggplant and the sweet tomato sauce that went along with is was divine.

I adore the nori rolls and soup from the same book.

Mint Pesto Rice & Fava Beans

2006-07-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Rice & Spice

I have loved all things that came out of Rice & Spice so far! The pesto and the fava beans were a perfect mix for the rice.

Cheesecake with Strawberry-Peach Coulis

2006-07-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

Prior post

We had two mini ones, so unfortunately, they were gone in one night with no leftovers!

Peanut Better Cookies [Prior Post]

2006-07-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Vive Le Vegan

Best peanut butter cookies I've ever had.

Garlicky Pasta & Tomatoes with Breaded Eggplant

2006-07-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

Prior Post

Green Goodness Bowl

2006-07-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Juice for Life

This is a repeat but we're having it again, so instead of posting a new picture, I will post this one (it was deleted with the other ones as well). The whole meal was especially delicious, with sweet potato wontons dipped in sweet & spicy garlic sauce, and brown rice topped with tahini-parsley sauce, nori, broccoli, kale, chard, bok choy, a soy-sesame sauce, and sunflower seeds. Such a good combo of flavors and nutrients!

Rice dish is gluten-free/wontons contain wheat

Bagels

2006-07-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

We merely had bagels and fruit for dinner. They either had Tofutti cream cheese or flax oil and all-fruit strawberry or raspberry jam or Just Like Honey. They are made out of spelt and oat flour.

wheat-free

Kung Pao [Prior Post]

2006-07-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine

Mmm, vegetables and tofu with a great-tasting sauce. I can't decide whether I like this recipe or the Cat Tea Corner one best. How about both?

gluten-free

Satori Summer Rolls [Prior Post]

2006-07-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine

With brown rice mixed with coconut, grated carrots, and herbs, these were really good! I love rice paper wrappers. The coconut added a nice touch.

gluten-free

Peanut-Basil Noodles and Tempeh

2006-07-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Repeat post

www.ivu.org/recipes - A very good Thai noodle dish, usually served with kale or other green. One of our favorites! It's a bit spicy, too.

gluten-free

Spelt Crust Pesto Pizza

2006-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

A repeat post! Basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, carmelized onions, and Vegan Gourmet mozzarella.

wheat-free

Mushrooms in Phyllo Cups

2006-07-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the prior posts; I didn't make anything new tonight, since we had plenty of leftovers. Rich really liked these a lot and they're beautiful as far as presentation.

contains wheat

Thai Cellophane Soup with Spinach, Stir-Fried Vegetables

2006-07-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Asian Vegetarian Cooking

The stir-fried vegetables had an equisite flavor and the cellophane noodle soup was an excellent recipe. I really like this cookbook a lot. We also had jasmine rice and seaweed salad.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Strawberry Ice Cream

2006-07-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tofu Cookery

Lucky for us, the main ingredient in this frozen treat is strawberries! It also has sweetener, tofu, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Topped with Soyatoo and a strawberry. :) I made a cherry one as well, which Rich preferred over the strawberry. The ice cream gets firmer in the freezer; this is right out of the ice cream maker. I made quite a few ice creams when I got my wisdom teeth out in April.

gluten-free

Thai Stuffed Cabbage Bundles & Sweet Soy Kale Noodles

2006-07-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

Buddha's Table

I wasn't sure about the steamed stuffed cabbage, but we both loved it! First I boiled the cabbage to soften it and remove the leaves individually, also chopped up some of the softened cabbage to put in the rolls. Mine had tofu & cabbage; Rich's had tofu, cabbage, and mushrooms. They also had a sauce inside with cornstarch as thickener. Steamed them for 15 min. So good!

The sweet soy noodles is a repeat, but it usually has broccoli with it. I thought I'd try a different green and we both preferred the kale. It's also garlicky.

gluten-free

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Blondies

2006-07-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Vegan With a Vengeance

Mmm, thick, moist, and fruity yet chocolately, I really need to make these again! I liked them a lot, as did Rich and his coworkers (or at least he said they did - maybe he ate them all himself!)

[Prior Post] Summer Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce

2006-07-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

I think this was a Veggie Life recipe, but I don't remember; it's been so long and some of my books are put away.

The rolls have a tortilla, leaf lettuce, red &/or green bell pepper, avocado, carrots, garlic crispened tofu, cashew pieces, and a hint of mint. Dipped in peanut sauce, these sandwiches are delectable in the summer when you want fresh ingredients but a filling meal.

Mexican Salad & Enchiladas

2006-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Favorite Vegetarian Dishes/New Vegetarian Cuisine/Cooking Gluten-Free!

From Favorite, this fresh salad was perfect paired with our enchiladas. It has avocado, tomato, onion, leaf lettuce, and mixed beans; the dressing has oil (including flax), chili sauce, garlic, agave, and cilantro.

The tortillas for our enchiladas were from Cooking Gluten-Free! Sadly, the rice flour mixture did not work well, so in haste, I added about 1/2 c. of spelt, but they are predominantly gluten-free. I know that doesn't matter for someone who is a celiac and while I'm disappointed in the fact that I felt I had to add another flour without wasting the mixture, it's still healthier than just plain wheat, in my opinion. Maybe next time I'll have better luck. It was time-consuming but relaxing and meditative to make my own tortillas. They weren't perfect circles, of course, but who cares?! And the texture, flavor, and moisture content was awesome with the enchiladas.

The enchiladas were from New Vegetarian. They have pinto beans and Vegan Gourmet, a touch of chili powder inside, and the outside is a sauce made with salsa, garlic, scallions, and red wine vinegar. They are then topped with Vegan Gourmet cheddar and baked to melt the cheeses and increase the flavor absorption. Very good dinner!

Note: New Vegetarian and Favorite Vegetarian are lacto-ovo, but most recipes are adaptable to be cruelty-free. Cooking Gluten-Free! is an omnivorous cookbook.

wheat-free but tortillas (only) contain gluten

[Prior Post] Raw Tacos

2006-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce shells, and ground walnuts with spices make for fresh, crisp, and energizing tacos. They taste good, too!

Blueberry Vanilla Pie

2006-07-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

For dinner, we had pizzas with pesto or tomato pizza sauce and a range of toppings, including sauteed onion, jalapenos, banana peppers, sauteed mushrooms, black olives, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chives, and spinach. Every pizza was different. The crust was spelt, cornmeal-dusted, with nutritional yeast added as well. We also had BBQ seitan and steamed broccoli. The pizzas were delicious and filling.

I couldn't get all of the pizzas on one photograph, but I did get one of our dessert, a blueberry pie with a raw crust made with almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, and dates. The vanilla layer is vanilla pudding. The blueberry sauce layer is sugar-free, sweetened with stevia. This sauce is very easy; just use 2 T. water, 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, a pinch of stevia, and 1 1/2 c. of blueberries, and heat on medium until a sauce forms and thickens. Fabulous dessert!

Pie is gluten-free.

Spinach & Cheese Omelette

2006-07-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Newsletter

These were gone before we knew it! I made mine scrambled, as I didn't have the cast-iron hot enough at first, but then by the second one, Rich's, I knew how hot to have it. I also decided to just not flip it over and allowed it to cook on the top side with the lid on the pan. The cheese is Vegan Gourmet mozzarella and cheddar. I'm quite impressed with the recipe; it works so well! Some of the ingredients are tofu, almond/soy/other nut milk, corn flour, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and baking powder. The scrambled one had meltier cheese and more thoroughly steamed spinach.

gluten-free

[Previous Post] Pan-Fried Spring Rolls

2006-07-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Sweet & sour sauce from Authentic Chinese Cuisine

The spring rolls are sort of a concoction of my own, adding what I thought would taste good. They have cabbage, onion, green onion, carrots, vermicilli, and a tofu omelet with vegetables. I make a lot of them, bake them, and then freeze them for pan-frying later on. The sweet & sour sauce is quick to make, so it's a great last-minute meal. However, the spring rolls do take about 2-3 hours initially.

[Prior Post] Fruit Salad

2006-07-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Everything but strawberries, practically! Watermelon, pineapple, cantelope, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, and mango. Very tasty chilled.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Broccoli Cheese Casserole

2006-07-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

www.randomgirl.com

I don't even remember how it was that I came across this recipe, but it is such a good nutritional yeast sauce and mixes nicely with the broccoli and rice. The dish is baked to finish it off and allow the broccoli to absorb the cheesy flavor.

gluten-free (if made using a sauce that has non-gluten-containing flour)

[Prior post] French toast

2006-07-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

I don't even remember which style of French toast this is. There are so many different ways to make it: with pecans or other nuts, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, tofu, etc. Topped with Earth Balance, it was outstanding!

[Prior Post] BBQ Seitan

2006-07-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Horizons: The Cookbook

This is so delicious. Rich requests it often, even though we try to cut back on wheat. The sauce is perfect and forms a nice coating on the seitan, is also easy to make! I need to try this in my newly-seasoned cast iron skillet.

contains wheat

[Prior Post] Chocolate Cake to Live For

2006-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Great Good Desserts Naturally!

This is one of my favorite chocolate cakes ever. It's so moist and rich, especially with organic fair-trade cocoa. The only problem is the frosting gets a little melty at room temperature. I have since resigned to using ganache type frostings, such as the recipe in Vegan With a Vengeance. I see Fran Costigan has a new dessert cookbook out; I want to buy it soon!

contains wheat

[Prior Post] Matzoh Ball Soup

2006-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Vegan With a Vengeance

I was quite impressed with this soup. The flavor of the broth was delicious; I left some of the onions in, so they were super-cooked. Rich liked them, too. The matzohs were pretty easy and fun to make.

I might take a break tonight and go get some Thai food. Been painting all day!

contains wheat

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

2006-07-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Newsletter

Yummy breakfast! These rolls are low in fat (although high in sugar) and very delicious. I opted to use wheat, spelt, and oat flour instead of just wheat/white. I also substituted 2 1/2 T. potato flour for the instant potato flakes [FYI - it works!], which I did not have. I left out the raisins but used the chopped pecans. I'm glad we have tons of leftovers; Bryanna's recipe is a real winner.

contains wheat

Hearts of Palm & Green Bean Salad

2006-07-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

New Vegetarian Cuisine

We had a couple cans of hearts of palm in the cupboard, and I figured, with the local green beans generously given to me, I should make this salad. It also has roasted red peppers, onions, and dressing. I really liked the green beans a lot; the hearts of palm were different, had an okay flavor, I guess. Don't know that we'll be buying them regularly or anything.

I'm hoping soon I'll having a light in the dining room again and will be able to take better pictures (i.e., without shadows).

The noodles are cilantro-orange flavored, made with a sauce comprised of orange juice, veggie broth, cilantro, cornstarch, orange peel, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and ginger.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Potato and Chili Spinach Burritos

2006-07-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Millenium Cookbook

These were really good! They have a garlic aoli, potato mixture, and chili mixture, with spinach added. We also had guacamole and mango salsa. Made good leftovers.

contains wheat

[Prior Post] Lime Tempeh with Peanut-Basil Noodles

2006-07-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

Our favorite type of noodles! The recipe is from www.ivu.org/recipes. I highly recommend it. The lime-marinated spicy tempeh was good with this as well.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Pierogi

2006-07-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Friendly Foods

With the accompanying cauliflower sour cream, Rich and I both loved these! They were fairly easy; when you think of making pierogi from scratch, TIME comes to mind, but these weren't bad. I made cabbage & onion and also potato cheese, with nutritional yeast. The potato ones were my favorite. The cauliflower sour cream has umiboshi paste to make it a bit sour. How's that for eating your veggies? Sauteed onions on top truly completed the flavor.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Broccoli Arame Salad

2006-07-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Friendly Foods

This appetizer is very calcium-rich and tasty. I like arame and broccoli a lot, so it was perfect! The salad also has sauteed onions.

gluten-free

Avocado Stuffed w/ Mushrooms

2006-07-20T15:40:00.001-07:00

New Vegetarian Cooking Wild rice, brown rice, and red lentils, topped with the avocado and mushrooms sauteed with garlic and olive oil. I didn't eat any mushrooms, but they sure smelled good. I might get over my aversion one day. :) I also drizzled the avocado boats with flax oil and added nutritional yeast to the rice mixture.

The second item is tofu with arame, was supposed to be tofu balls from the same book but didn't quite turn out. They were to be deep-fried but I tried pan-frying, wanting to reduce the oil. I ended up smashing them as they fell apart! The mix also has carrots and sesame seeds. Sauce is soy sauce, mirin, and ginger, also imparted a nice flavor to the rice.

This meal was a bit plain but still delicious. I liked the smoothness of the avocado with the grains.

gluten-free

[Prior Post] Nachos!

2006-07-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

This was one of the first posts on this blog, has since been deleted...here it is again! [I'm thinking of adding back some of the old ones gradually.]

Plantain chips and blue corn chips with black beans, salsa, Vegan Gourmet sauce (cheddar with almond milk), served with mango salsa and guacamole on top. We could barely stop eating these chips. I especially liked the plantains. Of course they're high in fat and calories due to being "chips," but it was a nice treat.

gluten-free

Stuffed Zucchini & White Bean Salad

2006-07-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen (zucchini)
Vegetarian Cooking of the Mediterranean (white bean salad)

The stuffed zucchini is definitely a repeat, with good reason. The combination of flavors make it a delicious entree item, with onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini, bread crumbs (I used gluten-free Italian), basil, thyme, and parsley. I also added nutritional yeast. It's baked to perfection, making the shell soft and flavorful! Rich's has olives.

The white bean salad is simple but went well with the zucchini. Since we are so deficient in protein (haha), I thought we could have some legumes. The salad has steam-fried onion, tomato, basil, and flax oil.

Also for dessert tonight, we had key lime bars from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast newsletter. I didn't get a good picture. I liked it a lot; Rich said it was just a little bit too tart but as long as you had graham cracker crust in each bite, it was good. We had strawberries as well. For the crust, I used the graham crackers I had made about a month ago from Cooking Free. For the creamy lime mixture, instead of the 3/4 c. sugar called for, I reduced the calories significantly by subbing 1/2 c. applesauce and 3/4 tsp. of calorie-free stevia. Not bad, huh?!

gluten-free

This will be my only food blog; maintaining two was burdensome and there really was no good reason for it in the first place. My internet connection is too slow to re-add every picture and post, but if you have a question or comment on anything, please feel free to contact me.

Oops

2006-07-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

I accidentally deleted my old blog. I meant to delete the gluten-free only one but was in the wrong window. This is why everything is gone! :(