Thursday, May 24, 2012

Recipe 7: Pizza Night!

This post features a guest chef named Anthony. Anthony is my boyfriend! He is one amazing cook, and I've learned a lot of cooking tips from him! We made a trip to the new Whole Foods that opened up near our apartment, and decided to make some homemade pizza. A must-have on our pizza was grain meat sausages. Anthony and I have been OBSESSED with Field Roast vegan sausages. They are amazing! They come in three different flavors...


Our favorite so far is the Italian, which is made with grains, fresh eggplant and packed with fennel, red wine, garlic and sweet peppers. 

Anthony's Vegan Pizza 

-pizza crust
-pizza sauce
-caramelized onions 
-orange bell peppers
-portobello mushrooms
-broccolini (a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks)
-spinach 
-vegan sausage 
-salt and pepper
-red pepper flakes
-oregano 

Here are some of the specific brands of items we bought that are all sold at Whole Foods. 





Anthony sauteed all of the ingredients before baking except for the bell peppers. 


The finish product! 



We even dunked our pizza in some of this amazing ranch :) 



Pin It

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Recipe 6: Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

Over spring break my boyfriend and I made a trip up the coast of California. We stayed in San Francisco and ate at an amazing vegan Mexican restaurant called Gracias Madre. We ordered a sweet potato quesadilla for an appetizer that was to die for! I was thinking of making tacos for taco Tuesday last night, but my boyfriend suggested that I make sweet potato enchiladas. He reminded me of how much we liked that sweet potato quesadilla. So... I Googled "vegan sweet potato enchiladas" and came across this amazing recipe on Oh She Glows.


Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Spinach, and Pepper Vegan Enchiladas

Yield: 4 Enchiladas
Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped (~2 cups)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini)
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 handfuls spinach, chopped
  • 1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed
  • Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)* see note
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
  • 4-6 Tortillas (I used Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat & Corn Flour Tortillas)
  • Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)
  • Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a baking dish large enough for 4 enchiladas. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, by simmering it in a small pot of water for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet or pot, add 1 tbsp oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.
3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.
4. Scoop about 3/4-1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread out in a thin layer. Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if preferred.
5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Cilantro cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.

*I used Trader Joe's enchilada sauce. 


Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

Inspired by Kathy’s Cashew Cream Sauce.
Yield: ~1.25-1.5 cups
Ingredients:
  • 1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh
  • 2 tbsp water, or more as needed to thin out
  • 2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
  • 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a food processor, process the avocado flesh and water until creamy. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Use immediately for best results.




Pin It

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Recipe 5: Easy Baked Rosemary Tofu



Wow! I haven't really stayed on top of my blog. I've been quite busy and just haven't taken the time to post something...I'm back though!

With Mother's Day coming up this weekend I've been thinking a lot about my Mom. This meal was inspired by her. When I wasn't a vegan as a teenager my favorite meal she made was roasted chicken with rosemary and thyme. She would also roast carrots and parsnips along side the chicken. I loved the way the house smelled and it was my favorite comfort meal!

Baked Rosemary Tofu (super easy!)

-1 package of regular, extra firm tofu
-salt and pepper (to taste)
-1 clove of garlic
-garlic salt (to taste)
-3 tablespoon olive oil (more or less)
-fresh Rosemary (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes.
3. Mix all ingredients with tofu in a bowel.
4. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 mins to an hour.
5. Once marinated, place tofu cubes spread apart on a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking. Turn on broil the last 5 minutes if you want the cubes to have a nice browning.



Pin It