Thai Noodle Bowl

My gardens have kept me busy and out of my kitchen lately but I spotted this recipe and had to dust off my garden gloves and get cooking!  This easy one-pot supper recipe came from a Rachel Ray magazine.
Her recipe calls for shrimp so I replaced the shrimp with Tofu and broccoli.  Use any of your favorite veggies - get creative!

Thai Noodle Bowl
rice or whole wheat noodles
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon thai red curry paste
tofu (fried)
snow peas (I used broccoli instead)
broccoli
green onions
limes ( I added the juice of the lime, Rachel used as garnish)

Dice tofu into small pieces and fry in olive oil, set aside.
Cook noodles, drain.  In same pot, bring 1 cup water, coconut milk, soy sauce and curry paste to a simmer.  Add the green onions and broccoli and cook until tender.  Add tofu and season with salt and pepper.

Carrot Cake

Mother's Day was filled with love, laughter and CAKE!  I found this carrot cake recipe on vegweb.com (by Tate).  My parents LOVED it.  The recipe suggested nuts and raisins optional, I used both.

Incredible Vegan Carrot Cake:

    2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking soda
    2 teaspoons cinnamon
    1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or allspice
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup light brown cane sugar
    3/4 cup cane sugar
    3 egg equivalents (e.g., Ener-G Egg Replacer)
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 cup vegetable oil
    2 cups carrots, finely grated
    1 can (14 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
    1 cup shredded coconut
    nuts and raisins, optional

    Faux Cream Cheese Frosting:
    1 (8 ounce) package vegan cream cheese
    1/3 cup vegan margarine, softened (I use EArth Balance)
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    2 cups vegan powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. For cake, in a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. 

2. In a large bowl, mix sugar and egg replacer until creamy (works best with an electric mixer), then add vanilla, followed by vegetable oil. Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Add nuts and raisins, if using. 

3. I prefer a thicker cake, so I used a 9" x 9" glass pan. But if you prefer thinner cake with more servings, use a 13" x 9" pan. Grease pan. 

4. Smooth batter into pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to let the cake adequately cool before frosting.

5. For frosting, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and margarine. Add vanilla, then add sugar.

This entire recipe tastes just like the real thing! It just made it last night and it is so delicious!

Makes: 9 servings, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes
'

Tofu Scramble - Yellow Rose Recipes by Joanna Vaught

Tofu Scramble - Greek version

        Mix of the following spices:  Cumin, tumeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, oregano, thyme, black pepper.

1/2       16 oz. pkg. of firm tofu
1/2       8 oz. block of tempeh
3          green onion, thinly sliced
2          cloves garlic, minced
1/4       cup sun dried tomatoes, slivers
3          cups spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4       cup kalamata olives, sliced
            above spices
            canola oil

Cut tofu into 3/4 - 1" cubes.  Dice Tempeh into same size as tofu.
Heat oil in large skillet.  Add onion and then tofu and tempeh into single layer.
Stire a little to coat tofu in oil then saute for 3-4 minutes.  Keep heat as high as possible without burning.
Add seasoning mix and garlic, saute for 3-5 minutes.  Use wooden spoon to break apart tofu mixture a bit.
Lower heat and add spinach, allow to wilt (approximately 30 seconds).  Add tomatoes and olives.
Salt and Pepper.

Black Bean Patties

My plan was to make sweet potato/black been patties from a cookbook but realized I just cooked all my sweet potatoes, so I decided to to make my own with ingredients I had on hand.  We served the patties without buns topped with a cream/salsa sauce. As with most bean patties, they were a little moist, so make sure to fry them until they are crisp on the outside.

Black Bean Patties

1          cup mushrooms, finely chopped

½         orange pepper, finely chopped

1          shallot, finely chopped

3          garlic cloves, minced

1          15 oz. can black beans, mashed

1/2       cup red lentils, cooked

1          tablespoon fresh cilantro

            cumin

3/4       cup bread crumbs

Sauce

             Soy sour cream

             Prepared salsa

             Garlic

             Green onion

             Cilantro

             Hot Sauce

Saute' onion, mushrooms, garlic and pepper in olive oil until soft.  Add cumin, salt and pepper.

Cook 1/2 cup of red lentils (approximately 10 min.) until soft.

Drain and rinse beans, mash with potato masher.

Add all ingredients together with bread crumbs. 

Form into patties and fry in olive oil.

Sauce:  Mix all ingredients in food processor.  Use as much or little as desired of each ingredient.

         

             

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Dill and Mustard

This soup is a great source of vitamin C and fiber! The recipe calls for dill seed but all I had on had was dill weed so I used a generous amount.  I used almond milk instead of soy milk and grainy Dijon mustard.  I added a serving spoon of soy cream cheese but it isn't necessary, the arrowroot will make the soup creamy.

Creamy broccoli Soup with Dill and Mustard (The Complete Vegan Cookbook)

1      lb. fresh broccoli

2      tablespoons olive oil

4      cloves garlic, minced

1/4   teaspoon dill seed

2      cups vegetable stock

1      teaspoon dried dill weed

1      bay leaf

1/4   teaspoon salt

3      cups plain soy milk (I used Almond Milk)

        soy cream cheese (I added)

2      tablespoons arrowroot powder

2      tablespoons Dijon mustard

        black pepper

      red pepper flakes  (I added)

Trim off and discard the tough stem ends of the broccoli. Peel the remaining stalks if they are particularly thick-skinned. Coarsely chop the stalks and flower heads. Set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and dill seed and saute' for a minute or two, then add the broccoli, vegetable stock, dill weed, bay leaf and salt. Simmer over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the broccoli is very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay, add soy cream cheese (if using) and transfer to a blender.  Puree in several batches. Return the soup to the pot over medium-low heat. Add the soy milk, stirring to combine.

Put 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small jar with tight fitting lid.  Add the arrowroot powder and shake to dissolve.  Stir this into the soup, along with the mustard and pepper. Heat until the soup is barely bubbling, then serve.

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta - Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook by Lauren Ulm

Well, we're back from our "fun in the sun" trip to South Carolina.  While it was nice to get away for a week, we missed our doggies and also our home cooked meals.  Since today was spent grocery shopping and making dog food, I decided to make something easy for dinner.  The creator of this recipe has a wonderful cookbook or you can visit her website at:  http://veganyumyum.com/
I followed Lauren's recipe but added diced yellow squash, soy parmesan and crushed red pepper (which I included in the recipe below).

The pasta was served with a side salad of Hearts of Palm, Beets and Romaine dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing.


Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta- Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook by Lauren Ulm


6-8 oz.      whole-wheat spaghetti
2               large, ripe tomatoes
1/2            yellow squash (diced)  my addition (optional)
1/2            cup raw cashews
1/4            cup water
1               tablespoon tomato paste
2               tablespoons olive oil
2-4           garlic cloves, minced
1              teaspoon salt
2-3           tablespoons wine or water (optional) I used wine and pasta water
1-2           teaspoons black pepper
1              large handful fresh basil, chopped
                soy parmesan

Bring pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop.  Add to food processor or blender, seeds, skin and all. Add the cashews,water and tomato paste. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and squash (if using) and cook until golden.

Pour the sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to simmer. Add the salt and let it cook 4-5 minutes.

If desired, add the wine or pasta water to thin out the sauce.  Add red pepper flakes (optional) and soy parm.  Add cooked, drained pasta to sauce and  saute with pepper and chopped basil leaves.  Toss to coat.

Hiatus

Our blog will be on hold for a week while we recharge at the beach.  See you soon!