Vegan Review

So far I have used my blog as a place to post recipes, photos and suggestions about cooking vegan food. I would like to add the addition of restaurant reviews, product reviews and nutrition information to the list...just for fun. I'm hoping this is a place that new vegans and people interested in information can come to visit.

So to begin, I would like to list all of the vegan friendly restaurants in the Twin Cities that I think are worthy of your time.  In alphabetical order:

Bad Waitress (vegan milkshakes)
Ecopolitan (raw and all vegan)
Everest on Grand
Evergreen Chinese
Fasika Ethiopian (Snelling and University)
French Meadow
Galactic Pizza
Gandhi Mahal
Good Earth (Roseville and Galleria)
Gorkha Palace (NE Minneapolis)
Izzy's Ice Cream (soy and sorbet)
Jasmine 26 / Jasmine Deli
Lucy's Ethiopian on Franklin in the Seward Neighborhood
Mill Valley Kitchen (St. Louis Park)
Modern Times Cafe
Mosiac
Namaste (Uptown)
People’s Organic
Pizza Luce (brunch on the weekend)
Sen Yai Sen Lek Seward Cafe (Franklin Ave)
The Blue Nile
Triple Rock Social Club
True Thai
Victor's 1959 Cuban Café
Wok in the Park

No Bake Creamy Mac 'n' Cheese

2 cups Daiya mozzarella
2 cups Daiya cheddar cheese
4 cups uncooked macaroni
8 tablespoons margarine
24 oz unsweetened soy or almond milk

Directions
Make the cheese sauce!
1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the margarine, stirring until melted.
3. Add the cheese shreds, stirring gently until they combine with the liquid to form a creamy cheese sauce.
Optional: season to taste with salt, pepper, onion or garlic. If a thicker sauce is your desire, stir in a pinch of corn starch.
4. Reduce the heat to low, stirring even few minutes.

Make the pasta!
5. Cook the pasta according to the directions provided on the package. Stop when about 90% done and drain, leaving a little hot water with the pasta. (This will mostly cook down as you continue to heat the pasta.)
Combine the two to make mac and cheese!
6. Mix the cheese sauce into the pasta, stirring well. On medium low heat, let the pasta continue to cook, until it’s the desired consistency. Stir constantly during this last step so that none of the pasta or cheese sticks to the pan.

Serve warm and melty!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is not my recipe. I stole it from Veg Web. I wanted to post it so that I could find it again in the future though. Tonight I am making it sans artichokes because I forgot to buy them at the store!

 

What you need:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package vegan cream cheese (Tofutti)
1 cup green onion, chopped
4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (Veganaise)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tomato, chopped

 

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in skillet, add peppers and garlic, saute 4 minutes over medium heat. Add milk, and heat for 1 minute.
2. Add artichokes, heat 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, green onions and chives, and heat through until melted. Add Parmesan, nutritional yeast, 1/2 the vegan cheddar and vegan mayonnaise.
3. Let heat until completely melted, and then add spinach. Stir and let heat for 3 minutes. Season, to taste. Pour into oven safe dish, top with the rest of the vegan cheese and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and top with chopped tomato. Serve hot with tortilla chips or small slices of toast.

 

Best Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:
1 or 1 1/2 pounds pasta, preferably Radiatore
"Cheese" Sauce:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 cup canola oil OR 3 tablespoons vegan margarine
1 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 (12 ounce) block firm (not silken) tofu (optional)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt / pepper to tast
1 dollop mustard, optional

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. If using tofu: Add all of the "cheese" sauce ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan. Pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.

3. If not using tofu: heat vegan margarine with a little flour and nooch to create a thick sauce. Pour over the pasta in a casserole dish.

4. Add in the Dayia and stir well.

5. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and add some paprika for garnish.

6. Bake at 350 degrees until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy.

This is very simple and tastes amazing!

Vegan White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies

Vegan White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies!!!

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup earth balance Vegan Butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP egg replacer with 3 TBSP water (mix separately until frothy)
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips (I got mine from Ethique Nouveau) 
• 1 cup macadamia nuts , chopped

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 Degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat sugars, butter, shortening, egg replacer, applesauce & vanilla until smooth.
3. Stir in flour, baking soda & salt until mix completely
4. Stir in Vegan White Chocolate & Macadamia Nuts.
5. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. I had to press them down to create a more cookie like finished product.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove Cookies from sheet and put on wire rack and let cool

I gave this a Tofu Gal rating of 8.5

They are out of this world!

 

Pudding

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Pudding

1/2 box silken tofu
3 tbs. peanut butter
one banana
6 tbs. powdered sugar
vanilla almond or soy milk (as needed for consistency)

Mix the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Banana will be lumpy so mix it well.  Add milk as needed to get the desired thickness.  Add strawberries for fun!

Tofu gal rating of 6!

Rice Crispy Treats and Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I was on call this week therefore I have to bring treats to work tomorrow.  Every time I try to top what I brought last time...in an attempt to get my co-workers to see how wonderful vegan food is.  I borrowed the Strawberry Cupcake recipe from a local vegan blogger who is amazing.  These get a Vegan Gal rating of 8! 

Check out her blog:
http://www.growingupveg.blogspot.com/2011/02/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes.html



Also made rice crispy bars with chocolate on top.  I give them a Vegan Gal rating of 7.  These are really good, but very rich.

Ingredients:

1 cup Karo white corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups rice crispy cereal

Put corn syrup and sugar into a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Let boil. Add peanut butter and stir until melted. Take off of heat and add rice crispy cereal. Pour into a prepared pan and press down.  Pour melted chocolate over the top. Let cool then cut.