Homemade Lasagna

If you have read my About Me page or taken a look at our Nuggets page, you know that we have chickens.  Other than the eggs from our chickens, we are vegan.  Eventually, our eggs accumulate and we need to use them and that's when I make pasta.  There are many, excellent vegan pastas on the market.  The lasagna I made today would taste fabulous and be vegan using those.  I don't use cheese or milk, but I make the lasagna noodles from scratch.

I made the tomato sauce I made the other day, minus the mushrooms and plus carrots.  I sauteed 2 cups sliced mushrooms, but reserved them for their own layer in the lasagna.  I made a vegan bechemel sauce.  It's simple, though a bit of a splurge. 

3 T vegan butter 

3 T olive oil 

3 T flour ( I like white whole wheat)

2 cups soy milk ( or other non-dairy milk)

1 t dried italian herbs

salt

• melt butter and oil in pan until bubbly
• add flour and wisk
• cook flour until starts to brown slightly
• slowly add milk, stirring continuously with wisk
• stir in italian herbs
• salt to taste

If you have nutritional yeast you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup before salting.


Layer tomato sauce, noodles, mushrooms, bechamel until pan is full.  Usually 2 layers of each.  I top it with the bechamel.  It browns nicely and gives the look of cheese.  This is vegan, but not something I would have all the time.  So good!

Sweet Pan-Fried Mochi

My daughter and I have discovered mochi.  So good.  Today we pan fried a couple squares each, drizzled them in agave syrup and sprinkled them with cinnamon.

Sweet Tooth Satisfied!

Spicy!

I live in the Southwest and spicy food is a staple here.  I was feeling like some comfort food, so I made vegan versions of my faves.

First I made pinto beans, seasoned with onions, sea salt and cumin.  

Then green chili sauce.  You start with the green chilies, of course.  I chose mild, they still have a little heat.  The frozen ones are best, unless you can find freshly roasted.  For one 13 oz container, saute a small onion and two cloves of garlic in a little canola oil over medium-high heat.

After the onions have started to soften, add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook an additional minute or so, until browned.  Then add the defrosted container of green chilies and about 1 cup of water.

Stir and bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to thicken, this picture is before the sauce came to a boil.

It takes about 15 min or so to thicken, salt to taste and serve.  It is served here on almost every thing.  Makes amazing green enchiladas.

I wanted something cold and fresh to go with the beans and rice, but was completely out of tomatoes and lettuce, so I decided to make a simple corn salsa.

• 1 green pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 slice purple onion, diced
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste

Combine and serve, very yummy.  If you want it to be hot, chop a jalapeno and add that.

I made a long-grain brown rice and seasoned it with salt and Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime.  I'm blessed to have a rice cooker, so not sure how long it took to cook exactly.  

Lunch was a big hit, we had some leftover chipotle tostadas from last week.  It was so good!  I served it with a little Tofutti sour cream.  The kids had some vegan cheese with theirs.

Polenta & Sun-Dried Tomato & Mushroom Sauce

I have always enjoyed polenta.  In the past I had purchased it in the tube and sauteed it in a pan.  Today I decided to make it myself.  It was quite simple.  It was soft and delicious.  To make it firm to saute, just simply chill and cut later.  The sauce I made was dark and rich.  Maybe a little heavy for summer, but it was so good.  We were so hungry and ate it so fast, there were no pictures taken!


Polenta:


7 cups water
1 2/3 cups yellow polenta
2-3 tsp sea salt

• In a large saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil over medium high heat
• slowly add polenta, while stirring with a whisk
• after all the polenta has been added, reduce heat to low and cook, with lid on, until all the water is absorbed and the polenta is thick, stirring occasionally
• this took about 15 min, but I let it sit in the pan for a good 30 with the lid on while I prepared the sauce.

Sundried Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

8 oz baby portabella or other mushroom, sliced

1/4 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 med onion, finely chopped

3-4 sundried tomatoes, soaked in warm water until soft enough to dice

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

sea salt to taste

olive oil

• heat pan over medium-high heat
• drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat
• add onion, mushroom and garlic and saute for 3-4 min
• add basil and oregano and saute for 1 min
• add wine and saute 1 min
• add crushed tomatoes and sundried tomatoes.  Stir to combine and reduce heat to low
• cover and cook for 15 min, checking every 5 min.  Add small amount of water if starting to stick.
• taste and add salt to taste

Alicia's Cheesecake

Baked vegan cheesecake

Today felt like it needed cheesecake. I have been wanting to bake a cheesecake forever. I think it is perfect that my very first cheesecake should be vegan. I used the cheesecake recipe in The Kind Diet. I love this book. I've yet to have a bad recipe, and this was no exception.

Mixing the Cheesecake filling in the blender

It was super easy to make and totally yummy. I put all the filling ingredients into my blender and simply poured it into the crust. I would have to warn that it is much more like a custard in texture than a cheesecake. If I was offering it to my non-vegan friends that is what I would call it. I also cheated. My local health food store had a vegan pre-made graham cracker crust, so I used that instead.

Right after I poured the filling into the graham crust

After realizing just how important and blender and food processor was I went and picked out the Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor. I just love it. It's super easy to use and very quick clean-up. I will probably get a larger food processor bowl eventually, but for now this is perfect. Plus, it was really affordable.

Leftover Lovers

This morning was like any other. My husband wanted some hot cereal, so I started it for him. I'm a leftover girl. I prefer not to have to much sweet in the morning. The risotto from last night was calling my name and I thought it would taste just amazing with a baked sweet potato. So while the cereal cooked, I assembled my breakfast.

My husband is a strict, no leftovers for breakfast kind of guy. He usually wrinkles his nose and looks disgusted when me or the kids choose something savory for breakfast. So you can imagine my surprise when he came in for breakfast and saw my plate and asked if it was for him! Next thing I knew I was assembling a 2nd leftover plate. The hot cereal went to our Nuggets.

My New Favorite Thing To Cook

A little while back I made the Risotto from The Kind Diet. It was wonderful. Having always been intimidated by the thought of making a risotto, I was surprised how easy it was. So for our main meal today, I did it again. I followed the same basic steps, but I had different ingredients. This was flavored more like a pilaf. The carrots were added with the onion at the beginning and were perfectly done by the time the rice was ready. I just stirred in the frozen peas at the end. I had it with sautéed Gardein Scallopini (which I love!) and greens. My family loves this meal. It is very comforting and feels familiar to a bunch of new vegans.

Not So Fantastic Falafel

Ok, so when my husband and I were shopping last weekend we purchased two products form Fantastic. We had the Nature Burgers earlier this week and loved them. I felt like something fast and easy so we tried the l tonight. I didn't like it nearly as much. It dissolved in the oil, was way too dry and didn't taste that great. There were a lot leftover, which is never a good sign. The falafel I made a week ago were much better. Pics are here. I'm not sure if I did it wrong, so someone else might have better luck. However, making them from scratch was just as easy, and very tasty.

Dinner?

Today I made Fantastic Foods Nature's Burger for lunch alongside leftover Udon noodles from the day before. I've never made any of these mixes before, but I really loved the burgers, so did my family. They were simple to make, add hot water and let sit for 10 min, form patties and saute in pan until browned on both sides, even my hubby can do this. They were flavorful and would be wonderful on a salad or served with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy for a comfort food meal. We had them on whole wheat buns with a variety of condiments. I liked vegenaise, fresh tomatoes, red onion & lettuce. Hubby liked mustard, pickles & BBQ sauce. My kids are simple, bring on the ketchup. I wouldn't have them all the time, but they are a great backup meal. I think I'll keep some in my pantry from now on. Just a note, the packages says it makes 6 patties. I was able to make 8 that fit our buns perfectly.

But temperatures are on the rise here and no one seems to want dinner. My husband opted to make a smoothie, my daughter and I finally caved and ate leftover cold noodles and my son had a leftover Nature Burger.

I had planned the menu for the whole week, but we are eating far less than we used to. We have all agreed that dinner should be snacks or leftovers, no one can work up an appetite in the heat. I don't even think summer has actually started yet!

Rich And Creamy Risotto

For dinner tonight, I made the Risotto recipe in The Kind Diet. I had so me beautiful asparagus I got this weekend, so I added asparagus to the recipe.

I have never made risotto before, so I was more than a little intimidated, but it wasn't hard at all, It just needed a lot of attention.

I also made collard greens for the first time. I stir fried them in a little olive oil and garlic. They were wonderful with the risotto.

Lunch Today

We had enough Tuna Salad (kinda) for more sandwiches today. I also made some peanut butter and jam sandwiches. This week I tried Ezekiel bread for the first time. Love the sprouted bread!

Kinda Tuna Salad

Today I made the Tuna Salad (Kinda) from Alicia's Kind diet. It was delicious. I was in a hurry, so I didn't blanch all the veggies, but it was still delicious. We like our veggies crunchy. It didn't hold together as well as traditional tuna salad, but it would be perfect in a pita. This didn't stop us from having it in a sandwich. It was cold and refreshing, perfect for a 90+ degree day.

Two Week Update

It has been two weeks since I started my vegan journey using The Kind Diet. I feel amazing. I'm also happy to report that in addition to feeling great, I'm down 2.4 lbs. Just a note, I spent the weekend with hubby for our wedding anniversary. My old way of eating would have made it very difficult to weigh-in this morning lighter. The foods we would have enjoyed would have been meat and dairy heavy and full of salt and sugar. I would have woke up this morning feeling lousy and bloated. Instead my husband and I found this great little vegetarian place and made good choices the rest of the time and I woke up with energy. I am so grateful to Alicia for writing her book. Yay!

Taco Night!

I was inspired by idreamoftahini to tryout my families regular taco recipe with tempeh. I had already ordered the 5 grain one from Turtle Island. No one in my family had ever had tempeh before, including me.

First I browned the tempeh with onion and garlic. It browned nicely. Then I added canned green chilies, 1/2 cup canned, chopped tomatoes with lime and cilantro, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chipolte chile powder and salt to taste. Measurements are approximate. I season until it tastes good.Then I let it simmer on low until thickened. I was impressed how much faster this took then when I make the same thing with meat. It was also delicious! My family loved it and agreed we had no need of the beef tacos we used to have.Ironically, we didn't have tacos. I opted for a burrito with tempeh, rice, beans, lettuce and tomato. My family had tostadas & burritos.

Hubby's Totally On Board

My husband has been getting more involved with the meal planning and has been doing his on research on being vegan and health. He has been intrigued by Brenden Brazier. He just ordered two of his books. From what I can tell, his views are in-line with Alicia's. We will be trying to incorporate more Superhero recipes this week. Weekends will be from the regular vegan recipes.

So excited!

Today's Version of Alicia's Quick Date-Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

I love this oatmeal. It's on page 196 in The Kind Diet. I have to heat it a little longer that she says in the recipe, but I'm careful not to overcook it and allow it to sit with the lid on. Today I was out of maple syrup and apples. I substituted agave syrup & cranberries. My family preferred the cranberries. I love the rich flavor the dates give the oatmeal. You'll never miss the brown sugar stuff!

Quick Date-Cranberry*-Cinnamon Oatmeal

Yummy Soup

For lunch today I made Alicia's Magical Healing Soup on pg 251. It was light and wonderful. I didn't have all the veggies, so I made some substitutions. The best one is kale. I love kale in soup. The lightness of the soup was perfect for the warm weather. I also added some white miso paste just before serving.

My New Favorite Caesar!

It's starting to heat up here, today is in the mid 90's, and it is salad time. One of my family favorites is Caesar, but a vegan Caesar? I have honestly never had one. When I purchased Alicia's book I also purchased Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You. It is vegan, though she doesn't like the label, and organized by season. I think Alicia's book is better for getting into the lifestyle of being vegan.

Clean Food has a recipe for Caesar that I tried today. I would have tried Alicia's, but I didn't have the ingredients. We also made homemade croutons. My 9 yr old son actually cut them and seasoned them. He also helped mix the dressing and chop the veggies. It's so important if you have kids to get them involved in the process. He devoured two huge bowls of salad for lunch, chatting the whole time about how easy it was to make. I highly recommend Clean Food as an additional source of yummy vegan recipes.

Caesar Salad w/homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons

1/2 whole wheat baguette

sea salt

dried oregano

extra virgin olive oil

Cut bread into cubes and place in large bowl. Drizzle lightly with oil and toss. Lightly sprinkle with salt and oregano to taste. Spread out onto a cookie sheet. Broil on highest rack in oven for 2-3 min or until golden brown. Stir croutons and put back under the broiler for 1-2 min more. Be careful and watch, this will burn easily! Let cool completely and serve with salad.

Falafel

Normally I wouldn't have had these two days in a row, but we had leftover tahini sauce from last night and chopped tomatoes, cucumbers & lettuce, so we decided to whip up a second batch of falafel. The tahini recipe is usually pretty perfect for the falafel recipe, but when my daughter made it, she put a little too much salt in and we had to double it. I thought I would take this opportunity to take some pictures this time.

The recipes are here.

Tofurkey?

A miracle has occurred. And in less than a week. My hubby who was supportive, but nervous has now completely committed himself. It happened like this. We were eating dinner and talking about how yummy it was and how yummy the food had been all week. My husband brought up Thanksgiving. Now, we have already been trying to eat more locally and we have a friend that raises turkeys. We got on the list last summer for next Thanksgiving. He suggested I call her and cancel the turkey. There was just no need to have it and feel bad afterwards when there was so many delicious things we could have and be thankful for. I can't express how happy I was. I spoke to my friend yesterday and made someone on the waiting list very happy. Too bad I can't save the turkey. We may adopt one this year though. My kids were thrilled too.