#152 BLTA Burger

I almost went to bed without dinner because I was too lazy and tired to make anything. But Sean said eating was mandatory...so this is what I made. I had leftover buns from the burgers I made over the weekend.

#151 Smoky Split Pea Soup

Another favorite from Appetite for Reduction. This is the recipe responsible for my love affair with smoked paprika. Thanks to my favorite spice, you don't miss the gross ham hock in this soup at all! It's easy to make, has simple ingredients, and is so satisfying. Next time I am going to try adding chopped celery in with the onions. I just think split pea soup demands onions, carrots, AND celery. It should make this soup even more delicious. If not, oh well, we'll still love it.

#150 Baked Mac and Cheese

 

When I made the brussels sprout hash a few days ago, I mentioned that I prepared the mac & cheese at the same time. I mixed the noodles with the sauce, covered it and put it in the fridge. I figured Sean would bake it for himself the next day...but since he loves me saved it for us both. Sean put sliced tomatoes and breadcrumbs on top and baked it in the oven. He also sauteed fresh broccoli from our garden in with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper and a little lime juice. He had this all ready for me when I got home from work! What a good husband!! <3

By the way in case you missed the bazillion other times we made variations of this or used the sauce, here are all the links:

Amazing Mac and Cheese

Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Brussels Sprout and Potato Hash w/ Portabella Mushroom and Cheese Sauce

#149 Cornmeal berry waffles

This morning we had cornmeal waffles from vegan brunch. I made half of the batch plain, and half with blueberries. We topped them with some EB spread, maple syrup, and fresh sliced strawberries from the farmer's market. I served them with tempeh bacon. A great way to start the day!

#148 Chipotle Lentil Burgers

The complete product!

I really like these veggie burgers. They aren't fake meat, just really good veggie patties. They come together really easy and cook great on a cast iron skillet. I love that there isn't very many steps. I think this dinner took me just a tad over 30 minutes. These would be great patties to take to your Memorial Day BBQ this weekend. But cook the in a pan, not on a grill!!! They'll fall apart on the grill and make you sad!!

I served these with some Trader Joes's Baked Onion Rings and a beer! 

If the other recipes from this book haven't convinced you to buy it yet, this one should!!

Zucchini (from our garden!!), onion, garlic cilantro mixture cooking in my cast iron

The patties after adding the lentils, chipotle, seasoning and mixed in the food processor

#147 Caesar Salad w/Eggplant Bacon

This is one of my favorites from Appetite for Reduction. The eggplant bacon is super quick and easy to make as is the dressing. I love how tasty and low calorie this meal is. 160 calories if you eat the book's portion size or 320 if you have a bowl like mine (not including the beer or bread with daiya havarti...HA!) Ryan and the kids enjoy this too.

#146 Brussels Sprout & Potato Hash W/ Portabella Mushroom & Cheese Sauce

 

This recipe came from Appetite For Reduction. It's probably my favorite cookbook. I love brussels sprout and potatoes, so I can't believe this was the first time I tried making this. The hash was easy to cook, just a little time consuming (not the prep just the cook time). It was worth the wait though! I took Isa's advice and also baked a portabella mushroom to lay on top. I made the the cheese sauce using the Veg News Best Ever Mac & Cheese recipe found here. Since I was already making the sauce for this meal, I made enough sauce for Mac & Cheese too. So while everything was cooking, I was also cooking pasta. Before serving dinner, I mixed the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce and left it in the fridge for Sean to bake for lunch the next day! Perfect! Making 2 meals done at once made me feel kind of awesome.

#145 Crab Cakes

I've had crab cakes on my mind ever since The Veggie Grill added them to their menu. I haven't had a chance to try theirs yet but Ryan has, and said they're good. So when I was peeking through Lynzie's new cookbook, "Vegan Cooking for Carnivores" and stumbled across tofu crab cakes, I knew I had to make them! They were pretty quick and easy. I didn't have time to make the simple slaw that was supposed to accompany them but I did make the whole grain mustard sauce. They were very tasty but rich, I could only eat 2. The kids really liked them too! I had the leftovers today for lunch. I made an open faced sandwich with lettuce and tomato. It was great! So was the Sweet and Sara coconut marshmallow I had for dessert. Thanks Lynz! I'm trying hard to save you some...

#144 Taquitos

The saying goes: When the cat's away, the mouse will play.  But I'm pretty sure the saying should really go like this: When the cat's away, the mouse will eat! I made this the other night when Sean went out. I was left home alone. So I did what any good mouse would do. . .  I ate whatever I wanted, had a glass of wine and watched lots of Felicity. I went to Whole Foods and bought what you see below. Since I was just cooking for myself, I didn't really want to put a lot of effort into my dinner. This was the perfect solution. The Whole Foods pre-made guacamole was sooooo good! The taquitos were really yummy too. I definitely recommend trying them if you ever see them in your WF freezer section!

#143 GLEE finale snacks

I'm too heartbroken to talk about it now.

Yes, that's Almond Champagne....

#142 Roasted Vegetables Over Rice with Teriyaki Sauce

I remember everything that Michelle has ever cooked for me. This is one of her creations. <3

This was easy and & yummy. At 350 I roasted: turnips, carrots, broccoli, shallots, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, and grape tomatoes. While they were roasting in the oven, I was cooking aborio rice. When the veggies were done, I started to steam a bunch of kale and chop an avocado. I spooned the veggies on top of the rice. Then I added the steamed kale and sprinkled on the avocado. To finish it off, I drizzled a little teriyaki sauce on top. Mmmm!

#141 Gooey Grilled Cheese

Yuuuuuum!!! This is the best grilled cheese I've ever eaten, vegan or not. On sourdough bread (a must) with the new daiya jalapeño garlic havarti wedge, my favorite tempeh bacon, and tomato slices. Delicious!!!

#140 Yummy Snack Plate

After a trip to the farmer's market up the street from our house, we ended up snacking from this plate. We met the nicest brothers ever who make and sell hummus, garlic spreads and olives. Mmmm! After tasting the sun-dried tomato garlic spread, we had to buy it along with some of their bread and olives. Yummmm!!!

Kalamata and green olives, fresh parsley, sun-dried tomato garlic spread, traditional hummus and sliced pita bread

#139 Bakery-style berry muffins

Every year Mia asks me to make these for her birthday. Since we're not allowed to share homemade treats at her school, she takes them to her Girl Scout meeting. Everybody always goes crazy for them and asks for the recipe. It calls for frozen mixed berries and Mia always requests blueberries and raspberries. These are a cinch to whip up and I love that they're a frosting-free birthday tradition!

#138 "Beef" and Broccoli

 

This was tonight's dinner. I used Trader Joe's Quick-Cook Brown Rice. It really does cook fast! I browned some chopped onion in a pan before adding fresh broccoli and Gardein's Beefless Tips. 

Mmm! Yummy!!

#137 Hearts of Palm Ceviche

This was so delicious! I didn't make it though...it was from Golden Road. Oh man, I love that place. Nicole reminded me that there is a similar recipe in Vive Vegan so I'll be making it soon!

#136 Classic Baked Potato

Still wasn't feeling great so I had a baked potato for dinner last night. Those are fresh chives from our garden!

#135 Easy Being Green Salad

This salad is part of my 15 raw detox. The recipe comes from Ani's 15 day fat blast. It is really yummy and satisfying. First you massage the avocado into the spinach and red leaf lettuce. Next you mix in the sauerkraut and capers (sounds odd I know but it's delicious!). Lastly, top with fresh corn kernels, tomatoes, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

#134 Soy Yogurt and Granola

I'm sick. This was all I had the energy to make and eat. Thank goodness for Trader Joe's yogurt and Whole Foods granola bar.

#133 BBQ Chick'n Sandwiches

This dinner was super fast and easy. I used gardein's chick'n scallopini, telera rolls from La Brea Bakery, Annie's Hickory Maple BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Served with a side of French fries. Yum!

#132 My Favorite Salad S1:E2

This is another variation of my favorite salad. I topped chopped romaine with Spanish rice, warm black beans, tomato, avocado, and fried tortilla strips. Mmmm! This is so delicious! I use salsa and a little sour cream instead of a traditional salad dressing. I love this salad so much I could eat it everyday :)

If you haven't tried El Pinto salsa, I strongly recommend it. These are my two favorite salsa flavors. Yumm!

# 131 Hot (not) Dogs

You're looking at Ryan and the kid's dinner. I am on a 15 day raw detox so my meals aren't as fun to look at. The kids love it when I'm fasting/detoxing because I make all their favorites! We love going to slaw dogs in Pasadena. They have a vegan dog there and you can have it grilled or rippered (deep fried). Omg! The rippered dog is amazing. It's gets all blistered and delicious. I've never tried to replicate it at home before but I'm glad I did. I didn't deep fry them but I sautéed them in a thin layer of canola oil. They were a hit! Max ended up having 3 and Ryan and Mia had 2. Everybody had different toppings as you can see. I like mine with mustard and sauerkraut or a Chicago dog. Yum!

#130 What to Make When Disaster Strikes in the Kitchen

So I had a disaster in my kitchen last night...I tried a new recipe and was left with no dinner and absolutely no desire to attempt making anything else.

This sandwich is what saved me from going to bed hungry or eating ice cream for dinner.

I spread a little Earth Balance on the outside of a sour dough slice. I sliced some Daiya cheddar and heated it on the cast iron skillet. When the bread was nice and golden and the cheese was melted, I opened them up and put in mashed avocado.

Phew! This sandwich is always a sure thing :) I'm glad I had just enough to make two!

#129 Chorizo Potato Tacos

This was what I ate on Cinco De Mayo. I made chorizo sausage from Vive Vegan. I diced and sautéed them and added some roasted potatoes and dry fried (a technique I love from Appetite for Reduction) tofu. Mia wanted taco bell tacos so I used boxed shells. I actually really like those shells but you must heat them in the oven first or they're awful. The only lettuce I had was salad mix so I went with it. Not what springs to mind when you think "taco lettuce" but it worked. I also included avocado and some cholula. They were tasty but I missed the moisture from Soyrizo. I think vive's chorizo would be better in a different dish. Oooh, in paella! Look for that post soon ;)

#128 Barbecued Tempeh Wrap

 

This recipe came from Vegan Junk Food. It was really easy to make and was super yummeeeeeee!!!!!

 I was a little hesitant to put green apple into it... but I followed (almost!) Lane's advice and didn't skip any ingredients. The apple was fabulous! I did tweak a couple of things. I steamed the tempeh crumbles before I tossed it in BBQ. Steaming the tempeh helps get rid of the bitterness. It also added a warm element to the wrap. I just had to add avocado to it as well.

YUMMMERS!

Stayed tuned! I plan on making 2 more things from this book, this week!

#127 Pad Thai

One of my favorite Thai dishes! From Taste of the East cookbook by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray. It's one of their 30 minute vegan books. I've had this one for awhile but just haven't used it much. After tonight's dinner, I'm going to start cooking from it more! I added a bag of stir fry veggies (broccoli, snow peas, and carrots) to the shallot and garlic sauté. Next time I'll add chopped green cabbage too! It turned out great, and less greasy than when I pick it up from my favorite local Thai restaurant. I have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Yippee!

#Ciento Veintiséis ¡Tacos!

  

Para celebrar el Cinco de Mayo, hice tacos ... Estilo Clásico!
 

Compré baja Yves sin carne y sazonado con un paquete pre-hechos de condimento para tacos (verifique cuidadosamente los ingredientes! Algunos tienen productos lácteos en ellos).
 

Me fríen las tortillas en los depósitos y rellenos con la carne, lechuga, rebanadas de aguacate y tomates picados (Sean también poner la cebolla y jalapeño en el suyo).


Lo sirven con rodajas de limón, crema agria y una cerveza Pacífico!

¡Buen Sabor!

 *Gracias, Google Translate para hacer este post bilingüe posible.

To celebrate Cinco De Mayo, I made tacos...Classico Style!!

I bought Yves Meatless ground and seasoned it with a pre-made taco seasoning packet (carefully check the ingredients! Some have dairy in them).

I fried the tortillas into shells and stuffed them with the meat, topped it with lettuce, avocado slices and chopped tomatoes (Sean also put onion and jalapeño on his). 

I served it with lime wedges, sour cream and a Pacifico beer! 

Yumm!

*Thank you, Google Translate for making this bilingual post possible.

#125 Pressed Salad and Filet-O-Fish

Radicchio, Radish and Fennel Pressed Salad (Pre-Pressed)

I learned a valuable lesson when I finished this meal. . . The moral of the story will present itself as you read on. I'm going to start with the Pressed Salad. The recipe came from Alicia Silverstone's, The Kind Diet. I love everything about this salad. I love the process, the crunchiness and the slight saltiness of it. As you can see from the picture, there are so many yummy, crunchy vegetables. You press it by massaging in salt and then placing something heavy on top. All this water exudes from the veggies. After an hour or so, I poured out the water and rinsed the veggies. I ended up rinsing it 3 times until it had the right level of saltiness. Mmmm! I LOVE this salad!!!

I bought some Breaded Vegan Fish Fillets from Whole Foods. I didn't know what I was going to do with them right away. The only thing that came to mind was McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. I've never eaten one before...but I've heard that people LOVE them and get all excited when McDonald's starts selling them. So I googled "Filet-O-Fish" when I was at the store. I quickly read what was in it and bought some buns and tofutti cheese squares. I cooked the fillets and made some tartar sauce. When the fillets were done, I toasted the buns in the oven and put a slice of cheese on one side to melt. When I assembled the sandwich I put the tartar sauce on one side and put the fillet on the other cheesy half. . . ummmmmm. . . BLECH!!!!!!!! SOOOOOO gross! I don't know what it was- but it was gnarly. I remembered why I never buy those tofutti cheese squares. The bun ended up weird and soggy. I ended up taking off the bottom and eating it open faced without the cheese. The fillet itself was pretty good. I veganized Ina Garten's tartar sauce and it was pretty amazing... but that was where the good ended. Oh well... I learned my lesson.

 

Did you catch the moral of the story? 

Don't bother EVER trying to veganize something from McDonald's. GA-ROSSSSS! 

#124 Pepper Jack Burger

I love it when you're hungry but don't want to spend money, and are able to throw together a delicious meal! This was my lunch a few days ago. I've been stocking up on the frozen gardein while it's been on sale at Ralph's. I had buns (they're good to keep in the freezer and toast up nicely). I sprinkled some pepper jack daiya shreds on the burger during the last few minutes of cooking. Some vegenaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and avocado!!! Omg so yummy!!!

#123 Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe came from Chloe's Kitchen. My oh my! These cinnamon rolls were quite the adventure! Michelle was there to watch the entire process. . . some pretty funny things happened- including me trying to knead "dough" that was missing 2 cups of flour!!! Thank goodness Michelle was there to help me :)

Anyways...All's well that ends well! Right?! These were yummy and pretty.

#122 Taco Salad

Meow! (that's my copycat talking)

When Lynzie posted her Dad's taco salad the other night, it reminded me of my Mom's. It seems like the only difference is that I grew up eating it with Catalina (or French) dressing and sliced black olives. Both of which I omitted this time. I made smoky avocado dressing from the choosing raw blog. It was really yummy but I prefer the sweetness of Catalina. I'm going to work on an agave sweetened Catalina dressing because all the bottled ones have high fructose corn syrup in them. I didn't take multiple pics like lynz did but you can check hers out if you need to see it pre-tossing. It hit the spot! Ryan and I both had leftovers for lunch.