Vegan Archives - Page 13 of 22

Vegan Baby Shower

June 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

The Sister and her husband are expecting their second girl this October and when they came out for a visit from California, I wanted to throw them a baby shower. I went with a pink/brown theme instead of the typical cutesie pastels that I could only find in stores. I added a modern bird to the theme and I think it came out very classy. Plus, I used to be in the greeting card business, so it gave me an opportunity to put those old skills to use!

I got the tissue pom-poms from Michael’s craft store–a Martha Stewart project (so that means they were more complicated than they needed to be)…so after an hour and a half, I had 8 poms that I thought were pretty darn cute.

The Menu:

Since the shower was scheduled for after lunch and before dinner, heavy appetizers were the way to go:
Party Cheese Ball
Cucumber Sandwiches (recipe below)
Spinach Dip
Veggie Platter
Fruit Platter
Olive Tray
PB&J sandwiches (the mom-to-be had been craving them, plus the kids loved them)
Cranberry/Orange punch (recipe below)
Wine and Beer

And I have to admit that those yummy-looking cupcakes are not vegan–I wasn’t in charge of the portion, but that’s ok–considering 95% of guests there were not vegan, non vegan cupcakes were fine. Besides, the rest of the menu was vegan!

Cucumber Sandwiches
8-oz Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 C Veganaise
1 packet of Good Seasonings salad dressing mix
Bread slices
Cucumber, sliced thin

Combine the cream cheese, Veganaise and seasonings. I cut the crusts off the bread first, then spread both pieces of bread and added two cucumber slices. Cut sandwich into fourths. The filling has a little kick which I think really added to the sandwich.

Cranberry/Orange Punch
2 cups Apple Juice
2 (6-oz.) cans Pineapple Juice
1 (6-oz.) can OJ concentrate, defrosted
1 (12-oz.) can Cranberry Juice concentrate, defrosted
4 cups Club Soda, chilled
crushed ice

Combine juices and when ready to serve, add the club soda. Serve over ice.

Non-Annoying Shower “Games”

I bought several different sizes of onesies and fabric paint and guests had ball decorating them! I had my niece pick her favorite and that person won a prize.

Careful about putting dishes of jelly beans on the table with the paints–my niece added them to her creation! 🙂

During those late-night diaper changings, these will hopefully make the new parents smile or laugh. Guests had a great time getting creative!

The Look

On a simple brown tablecloth, I sprinkled on paper flowers that I got from Michael’s in the wedding aisle. Basically, I got two different shades of jelly beans, pink rock candy and displayed them in white dishes. I filled two juice glasses with two layers of jelly beans and stuck the rock candy in it. I also used a small plate for other rock candy I found.

When I saw these cocktail napkins in a store in Boulder, I had to have them for the shower! They fit the theme perfectly!

I bought two cylinder vases (again, from Michael’s) for about $3 a piece and filled the bottom with clear glass rocks and got some beautiful pink flowers that I cut short and placed inside with water. They flanked the cute cake stand.

Overall, it was a fun shower filled with great food, friends, and family and I got my “party-hosting” fix for sure.

Breakfast Frittata

June 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I absolutely love to cook in the morning, but I rarely get a chance to do so. But when I saw this recipe from Kelly at Vegan Thyme, I knew I had to make the time. It’s easy to make and you can use your favorite ingredients. (It’s a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge)!

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1 small pkg. sliced mushrooms (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 small onion, diced
3/4 C crackers, broken into medium-sized pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
Olive oil
A couple dashes of: thyme, rosemary, parsley, and smoked paprika
Filling:
I peeled and diced up three small potatoes, half a red bell pepper, and about a cup of diced red cabbage. Feel free to use whatever you’d like —maybe some hashbrowns, zucchini, artichokes, tempeh bacon or spinach.
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegan cheddar, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a large pan, heat olive oil, then add garlic. Saute mushrooms and onions until soft and tender. Season with thyme, rosemary, parsley, and paprika (or your favorite spices). Pour into a pie plate and press down with a spoon to create a crust. Layer on crackers and some cheese.

In the same pan, saute the potatoes, cabbage, and bell pepper.

Season with salt and pepper and cook, covered for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t worry about cooking it all through since it will be in the oven. Pour onto the crust.

Then another layer of cheese. (Moe came to investigate what I was doing):

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into it. Enjoy! Thanks, Kelly! This is a fabulous recipe!

Vegan White Sauce and Pasta

May 17, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is probably my favorite vegan white sauce—it doesn’t taste fake and I think even non-vegans would have a tough time complaining about this one. It’s simple to make and versatile. I added diced mushrooms, but feel free to add other veggies, or just serve it plain over pasta. I like to serve it with a little sprinkle of Daiya cheese and I made garlic toasts out of leftover buns—a great meal!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 C Earth Balance
1/2 C minced shallots
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 Tbs dry white wine
1 C vegetable broth
2 C unsweetened soy milk
Dash ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
Salt and ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS:
I recommend having all the ingredients measured out and ready to go–it’ll be a lot easier. In a medium sauce pan, heat the margarine over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in the flour until it is absorbed. Stir in the wine, broth, soy milk, nutmeg, and bay leaf and cook, stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes. (For me, after about 12 minutes it had not thickened, so I resorted to ever-trusty tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 C of broth mixture–worked immediately). Remove the bay leaf and discard. Here, the recipe says to transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, which baffled me since the sauce was pretty smooth already. If the shallots weren’t minced finely enough, I could understand, but after thinking about it, I opted to not have to clean the food processor, too. Maybe something spectacular was to happen and I missed out, but I decided to take my chances. It turned out great. I added about 1-1/2 C of diced mushrooms and removed from the heat. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

During all this, I cooked up some fettuccine and made up some garlic toast with some leftover sandwich buns by spreading them with some Earth Balance, sprinkling on some garlic salt and Daiya mozzarella cheese. Under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, they came out great. Enjoy!

Recipe source: 1000 Vegan Recipes

Baked Mac and Cheese

May 12, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I made this recipe before and it was all right—I knew it had potential, so I made it again, but this time, I made a few changes and I really love how it turned out. The original recipe was just a little too dry for my taste but I’ll post that recipe with what changes I made. Overall, it’s a great basic recipe for vegan mac and cheese so it was easy to tweak.

INGREDIENTS:
5 C water, divided (I used more water…had to use more pasta)
3/4 C nutritional yeast
1/4 C pine nuts
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs fresh parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs soy sauce (I used 2 Tbs almond milk instead)
1 C uncooked pasta (This seemed way to little for the 4 servings it says it makes–I used 4 cups and didn’t even need to make more sauce)
3 Tbs olive oil
1/4 C flour
3/4 C breadcrumbs (I used about 1/8 of a cup)
I added 1/2 C Tofutti sour cream, 1/2 C shredded vegan cheddar cheese, and 1/2 tsp of turmeric.
(This is great vegan comfort food–especially considering we got snowed on again–it’s mid-May)!

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large pot, bring 5 cups of water to a boil (you’ll need more if using more pasta). While water is boiling, in a blender (or food processor) combine nutritional yeast, pine nuts, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parsley, pepper, and turmeric until blended. Add remaining 1 cup of water and soy sauce (or almond milk) and blend. Add pasta to boiling water. In a large pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add flour and stir constantly to remove lumps. Pour in blended mixture and stir until a desired consistency is reached. (This actually happens pretty quick, so you could easily do this step after the pasta is already cooked). Remove from heat. (This is where I stirred in the sour cream and cheddar cheese). Strain pasta and pour into pan of cheesy sauce and stir to combine. Transfer to a oven-safe dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe source: VegNews

Feast On This!

May 7, 2010 by epicureanvegan

So You Call Yourself an Environmentalist, huh?

Well, do you? What constitutes having that coveted, sought-after title? Is it recycling every week? Driving a hybrid? Unplugging all your appliances when not in use? Being a vegan? Many people believe that being a vegan is a prerequisite–World Watch did after all, conclude last year, that meat and dairy production contributes to 51% of the earth’s greenhouse gases.

Al Gore, isn’t a vegan. He’s not a vegetarian. But he is considered an environmentalist. Hell, he pretty much single-handedly got “global warming” on the map with his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. He publicly acknowledged that being a vegetarian helps the environment, but he himself has not made that leap.

Any why stop with vegetarianism? Dairy production has its own impact on the environment, too, right? Some celebs touts themselves as environmentalists because they drive a Prius (or a hybrid Hummer) and are vegetarians…why not go the whole nine? Why doesn’t dairy get the same silent treatment from them?

Perhaps the term, environmentalist is just overused. Maybe we’re all environmentalists on some level because we each try to do something—recycle, carpool and use “green” light bulbs. I always bring my reusable grocery bags when I shop anywhere. Does that make me an environmentalist? (They sure make me look cool). Might I suggest changing the term to something more general like, earth friendly, environmentally aware, or earth conscious?

So what do you think? What makes an environmentalist? Is going vegan a must?

Soy Good News!

Is the soy debate finally settled? According to acclaimed author, researcher and physician, Dr. Neal Barnard, it is. Barnard concluded that not only is soy safe for men (prostate cancer) and women (breast cancer), but it may also reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related bone fractures and fibroids. In another study by the Journal for the American Medical Association, it was shown that 11 grams of soy protein reduced the the chances of breast cancer recurrence in women.

Source: VegNews

“The greatness of a nation. . . can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Red Velvet Cake

May 6, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Okay, this cake could have been one of the most amazing vegan desserts ever. . . if I hadn’t of screwed it up. Really, it was all my fault. Apparently, I didn’t know the difference between 2-1/2 cups and say. . . 4 cups. Of the dry ingredients. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. Got heavy-handed with the dry baking mix and the cake ended up a bit dense (much like the baker). I thought the flavor was really good and the “buttercream” frosting was delicious! Plus, it’s gluten-free!

So I’ve only posted the winners before, but c’mon—the pictures! I had to post it after all the work and it is my birthday for at least another 45 minutes, after all, so I can do what I want! 🙂 Really, if it hadn’t been for my mistake, I truly think this recipe is a winner. Try it and let me know what you think! If not, enjoy the pictures! (A special thank you to the kind folks who I “tested” this on. . . you’re all good sports)!

CLICK HERE for the redemption version!

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy’s Baking Mix (below. . . and this is where I screwed up because the mix makes more than 2-1/2 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C organic palm oik shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring
1/4 C +3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
Betsy’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix:
3-3/4 C garbanzo flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
(Combine all ingredients with a wire whisk. Seal in an airtight container and shake vigorously for 1 minute)
Frosting:
1-1/2 C Earth Balance margarine
4-1/2 C confectioners’ sugar
Vanilla soy/rice/almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9″ round cake pans. In a small bowl, make “buttermilk” by combining rice milk and cider vinegar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking mix (just the 2-1/2 cups) with the salt and xanthan gum. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening. Meanwhile, in a separate small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and food coloring to form a paste; set side.

Add the applesauce and vanilla to creamed shortening and sugar blend until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa powder paste and mix well. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the “buttermilk” mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it. Immediately pour the fizzing combo into the cake batter and thoroughly combine the two mixtures.

(That’s some thick batter)!

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes. Let cakes cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack. Turn cakes out of their pans.

To make frosting: With a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Alternately, add the confectioners’ sugar and enough soy milk to reach desired consistency. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Frost the top of each cake layer. Transfer 1 layer to a serving plate and set the other layer on top. Frost the sides of the cake. Store the frosted cake, covered and refrigerate, for up to 3 days.

I think a scoop of soy ice cream on top would have been perfect — and possibly would have even saved me, but of course, I didn’t have any!

Recipe source (cake only): Living Without

Avocado & Cranberry Mustard Turkey Wraps with Sweet Potato Fries

May 5, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a simple and quick meal and I love the Cranberry-Mustard sauce–perfect for any sandwich or wrap.

INGREDIENTS:
Wraps:
1/2 C Dijon mustard
1/2 C cranberry sauce
6 wraps or tortillas
12 slices Smart Deli turkey
6 slices vegan chese
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced lengthwise (I think 1-2 avocados is plenty)
Salt to taste
Fries:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into fries
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
For the wraps:

Whisk together mustard and cranberry sauce. Warm the wraps briefly, then spread cranberry mustard sauce equally over the wraps. Then place 2 turkey slices on each wrap, a slice of cheese and top with avocado slices.

For the fries: Preheat the oven to 400. Whisk together the oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes and coat thoroughly. Place on a foil-lined pan and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe source (wraps): Living Without

Chai Spice Cookies with Lemon “Buttercream” Frosting

May 1, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Yum. Yep, these are delicious! Both the cookie and the frosting recipe is from 1000 Vegan Recipes, and I decided to combine the two. This is a crispy cookie, so my suggestion is to make them really thin if making a sandwich–otherwise, it’s a lot of cookie (which is what I learned). Or you can just ice the top of the cookie–it’s a wonderful combination of flavors. You can also use vanilla extract in place of the lemon, if you prefer. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS:
Cookies:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
3/4 C sugar
2 Tbs plain or vanilla soy milk
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 C vegan margarine
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbs plain or vanilla soy milk
3/4 tsp pure lemon extract, or vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Cookies: Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves, fennel seed, and salt. Mix to combine well. In a large bowl, beat together the margarine, sugar, soy milk, agave nectar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour mixture, stirring well to form a smooth, stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them between your hands into balls. Place dough balls onto an ungreased baking sheet and use a metal spatula to flatten the cookies to about 1/4″ thick.

Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting: In a large bowl, cream the margarine with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, soy milk, and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Continue mixing for about 2 minutes, until the frosting is smooth and stiff. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Enjoy!

Creamy-Apple Horseradish Dip

April 30, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is the other great recipe from my fabulous neighbor, also from the VeganChef. The apples and horseradish make a great combination and you can add more horseradish if you want more of a kick. This is great on crackers and veggies. Thanks, neighbor!

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup walnuts
4 apples, peeled and cored
2 T. lemon juice
2/3 cup plain soy yogurt
2-3 T. prepared horseradish, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a non-stick skillet, place the walnuts, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, grate the apples into a bowl, drizzle them with the lemon juice, and toss well to prevent the apples from turning brown. When the walnuts are cool, place them in a blender or food processor, and finely grind them. Add the walnuts and remaining ingredients to the grated apple and stir well to combine. Taste, season with a little salt and pepper, and add more horseradish if desired. Transfer the dip to a glass bowl. Serve with crackers, chips, sliced bread, or an assortment of raw vegetables.

Yield: 2 Cups

Western Tofu Scramble

April 29, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a great way to start the morning! Especially when the morning is snowy. Yes…snowy. It’s the end of April, right? Well it snowed last night, so instead of heading out for my morning walk, I decided to cook up a protein-packed breakfast and tackle that walk later when things clear up.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1-14oz pkg. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled
3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 a large orange or red bell pepper, diced (about 3/4 C)
4 green onions, sliced (or 1/4 C of diced yellow onion)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/3 C salsa
1/4-1/3 C vegan cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add garlic and bell pepper. Reduce to medium heat and saute until pepper is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the green onion and saute another minute, then add the cumin and turmeric. Add tofu and stir to combine–the turmeric will immediately turn the tofu yellowy-orange, like real scrambled eggs. You don’t have to use it–totally optional. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the salsa, then the cheese. Serve alone, or wrap in a warmed flour tortilla and enjoy!