Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, well drained
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs or 2 pieces of vegan bread, crumbled
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Preparation:

Sautee the onions till soft, about 3-5 minutes.  
In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth. Add sauteed onions and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, adding the flour a few tablespoons at a time to combine well. Mixture will be thick.

Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm. Make veggie burgers and enjoy!  Vegan Gal rating of 5.5!

Vegan Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 coarsely chopped vegan chocolate sandwich cookies, like Newman’s Own - use a food processor to "chop" these
6 vegan chocolate sandwich cookies halved for garnish

1. Preheat over to 350˚F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper or foil muffin liners. I got when I made this batch.
2. In a large bowl combine the soy milk and vinegar and allow it to sit for a few minutes until the milk curdles. Once curdled, add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract and beat with a hand mixer until foamy.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand mixer until well combined. Fold in coarsely chopped oreos with a spatula.
4. Fill cupcake liners halfway with batter. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a cooling rack before icing. Garnish each cupcake with a halved cookie.


Vegan Gal Rating of 5.5



Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp

This is yummy!  I have made it before, but this is a slightly different twist.  Rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  Top it with a oat / brown sugar mixture and this is a great, sweet snack or dessert.  Add some vegan vanilla ice cream and you create a little bit of heaven.

Pizza and Pasta

Vegan homemade pizza - Vegan Gal rating of 7

Next time there WILL be homemade crust!

"Meatballs"

Vegan Gal rating of 7.5 with Spaghetti and Marinara

1 package Gimme Lean (Sausage or "Beef" Flavor)
 6 oz vegan burger crumbles
 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs)
 1/2 tsp onion powder
 1/2 tsp garlic powder
 1/2 tsp dried oregano
 1/4 tsp basil
 1/4 tsp salt
 dash of pepper
 2 Tbsp olive oil
 additional vegetable oil for cooking

Combine all ingredients with your hands or a mixer. Form into any size balls you like. Brown on all sides in oil. Continue heating until hot throughout.  Pair them with marinara sauce, noodles, vegan BBQ sauce (watch out for honey!) or on a hoagie for a sub sandwich with black olives!

Father's Day Fun with Food

I made sloppy joes and brownies today.  I give the burgers a Vegan Gal rating of 6.5.  I paired them with Kettle Brand Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper chips.  All that's missing is a pickle on the side!

 As for the brownies, I give them a Vegan Gal rating of 8.5!  Thanks to my friend Heidi for the brownie recipe!

I'll post a picture of the brownies later...unless they all get eaten first!

Lemon Vanilla Cookies with Raspberry Preserves

Check these out.  They are sort of like fancy shortbread cookies that you buy for $3 a pop.  I give them a Vegan Gal rating of 7.5!

    1 1/2 cups + 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 cup raw sugar
    1/2 cup canola oil
    1/4 cup liquid sweetener (agave or maple syrup is best)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
    3 tablespoons nondairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk, yum)
    1 medium lemon, zested
    1/4 to 1/3 cup blueberry, raspberry or strawberry preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium to large bowl, combine all the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to get everything incorporated nicely. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Stir in  liquid sweetener, vanilla and lemon extracts, nondairy milk and lemon zest.

2. Mix these ingredients together, then slowly shift/stir in the dry ingredients. Use your hands to get a dough to form. Avoid overworking the dough. Next take small portions of the dough and roll into walnut sized balls.

3. Gently press cookie between your palms and fingers to form little disks. Push a small dimple in the center and add 1/2 teaspoon or so of blueberry preserves.

4. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10 until the edges turn a faint golden brown. Allow a few minutes for cookies to cool before removing from sheet pan, then transfer to wire cooling rack and allow to completely cool.

I have been having a lot of breakfast for dinner lately!

Have you ever seen that episode of Scrubs where Turk begs Carla to make him breakfast for dinner or "brinner"?  You should check it out if you have not seen it...hilarious!

So, anyway, I made drop biscuits and tofu scramble.

The biscuits did not turn out quite like I had hoped but they are still darn good.  I give them a Vegan Gal rating of 7!  The recipe called for a non-dairy butter such as Earth Balance.  I used Willow Run but I bet they would have turned out more golden brown had I used the Earth Balance.  I added some canola oil to make them rise a bit more.  They are yummy with jam on them or imitation honey.

Then, I made tofu scramble.  With just the seasonings, I gave it a Vegan Gal rating of 4...but once I added the Daiya Cheddar cheese and the tomatoes, I increased the rating to 7!

Tomorrow I will plan to eat the tofu scramble on a tortilla with daiya, lettuce, tomato and possibly tofutti sour cream for a "Sunshine" taco.  You could also make a frittata or other similar "egg bake" recipe with this.  It would be great with green onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomato, etc.  Yummy!

This is what I used:
http://www.fantasticworldfoods.com/products/productdetail.aspx?s=073825122707:Tofu+Scrambler+-+2.7++++++++OZ.

Nutritional Yeast French Toast & Vegan Pie

Check out this amazing french toast.  I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 8 because it is REALLY good!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond or soy milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• bread (preferably crusty bread to avoid soggy french toast)
• oil or margarine for frying

Preparation:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients before adding the almond milk.  Whisk this really well and let stand for a bit while you get the bread and pan ready. Whisk again and then dip each slice of bread into the mixture, coating each side well. Fry on a lightly oiled griddle or skillet until each side is golden brown. You may have to fry it longer than you're used to if you've never made this vegan before. 

This is one of those food that you're non-vegan friends will love and could never guess is vegan!  I just wish I had some vegan sausage to go with it!

For a less sugary meal, skip the maple syrup and eat this with fresh fruit, applesauce, organic powdered sugar or nuts instead.

Also, this evening I made rhubarb strawberry pie.  Very yummy! I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 6.  It is still very tart and sweet.  I recommend adding some warm almond milk or vegan ice cream to cut the tart.

I am hoping to invest in a decent camera so that I can take photos of my veg creations with more than just my cell phone camera.

Happy Compassion Filled Eating!

Tofu Loaf

Check out this tofu loaf:

    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 cup rolled oats
    1 cup panko bread crumbs
    14 oz tofu, mashed (and drained really well)
    6oz protein crumbles
    1/2 cup chopped parsley
    1/3 cup soy sauce
    1/3 cup ketchup
    2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic (depending on your preference)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) Mix all ingredients together
3) Press the mixture into a teflon loaf pan
4) Bake for one hour
5) Let cool about 15-20 minutes before trying to remove from pan
6) Slice and enjoy!

I added a bit of tomato paste on the top of the loaf before baking, you could try ketchup as well.  Also, if I make this again, I would experiment with the flavors a bit more.

It is a bit crumbly but good.  I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 6.

Cookies and cakes and carrots, oh my!

Tonight's menu:

Hot fudge cake - Vegan Gal Rating 5
I got this recipe from the back of Dr. Barnard's book: Breaking the Food Seduction.  Yummy book and yummy recipe.  I love Dr. Barnard for promoting the vegan diet to eradicate you diabetes and other health ailments.

My friend Kelly suggested that I send a dozen of these wonderful vegan cookies to Jennette Turner from Natural Foods Education.  Ha!  I was really disappointed to read her article in the Wedge's June / July newsletter.  I was further disappointed when many of my friends and I advocated with the Wedge editor to request the article be removed and a correction be posted with information stating the real facts and benefits of a vegan diet.  I was later sent this response from the editor:

"An apology was up, with the word "correction." However, word ran round the community that "vegan bullies" were causing "censorship" at the Wedge. Not a good precedent. What do we do when we get pressured to take down the response? We'll go forward with a free exchange of ideas. Ginny will have a great article next issue. The wording about her article is from her - I asked her how she wanted it characterized, which I should have done before responding to you. I am very sorry this article was so upsetting to some of our members."

I guess I'm a vegan bully now.   My intention of getting involved was not to be a bully but to let the Wedge know thta I was highly disappointed. Moving on...

Chocolate chip cookies - Vegan Gal Rating 9

Even the Golden Retriever thinks so! 

Oh and my roommate made carrots.  I think she did a really good job!

Vegan Gal rating on carrots -- 6.5

Vegan Yummy Yum Yum

I attended the Vegan Iron Chef event at the Animal Rights Coalition yesterday.  It got me inspired to cook today, even though it's a beautiful day outside. 

So, I made goulash!

I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 7.  It is great paired with some daiya and crusty bread.

Here's the recipe:

1 lb vegan macaroni, cooked 8 min., drained
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 rib celery, diced small

1/2 cup corn

1/2 package of vegan protein source (soy crumbles, tofu, etc.)
3 to 5 - 12oz. can tomato sauce (depending on taste)
1 12oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c shredded daiya cheddar cheese (optional)


Place the macaroni in boiling water and boil( 8 minutes), then drain.
Sautee vegetables in olive oil until tender, then combine all ingredients into casserole dish, mix together well, and bake in pre-heated oven at 350* for 40-50 minutes.  If you're going to add the cheese, do that towards the end.

This is a great vegan comfort food dish!



My current favorite tune.  Check it out!

I found out that rhubarb is tart!

Check out my raspberry rhubarb crisp.  Boy this stuff is tart and sweet!  It tingles my jaw.  I gave it a Vegan Gal rating of 4 until I added Tofutti vanilla ice cream on top...that took the rating to 6! 

I attempted to make some tofu whipped topping which I have not tried yet but it seems to be less than par.  I'll keep everyone posted.  UPDATE: The tofu whipped cream was not that good.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve it, I'm all ears.  I will definitely be making crisp again, maybe with apples, blueberries or strawberries next time.