SPICY FALL STEW BAKED IN A PUMPKIN

Today I Made:

SPICY FALL STEW BAKED IN A PUMPKIN AND SALAD  for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES magazine, Oct. 2008 issue.

Hominy, tomatillos, red bell peppers, onion, and spices.

Baked in an edible pumpkin.

Pretty interesting recipe.

It looks beautiful.

Great for dinner parties.

I tasted the stew before it went in the pumpkin, and I honestly think that you can skip the pumpkin part.

The salad is our usual mix, with the exception of the radishes.

The stew was delicious.

The salad was refreshing.

Overall a very satisfying meal.

BREAKFAST BURRITO

Today I Made:

BREAKFAST BURRITOS AND ILLY COFFEE for BREAKFAST.

Tempeh Bacon, hash browns, caramelized onions, and ketchup, all wrapped up in a whole wheat flour tortilla.

Before my husband and I went VEGAN, we used to love to order BREAKFAST BURRITOS from CORNER COTTAGE in BURBANK.

They were basically the SAD ( Standard American Diet ) version of this mornings burrito.

Greasy bacon, greasy has browns, scrambled eggs, cheese, and a white flour tortilla.

They tasted great, but they were sure unhealthy.

Thanks to my husband ( he veganized this recipe),we're now able to somewhat indulge in an old favorite.

SPINACH SALAD AND SOPITA

Today I Made:

SPINACH SALAD WITH BAKED BEETS, SPICED PECANS, WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING AND SOPITA for DINNER>

The salad recipe is from YOU WON"T BELIEVE IT'S VEGAN by LACEY SHER AND GAIL DOHERTY.

Baked beets, homemade spiced and toasted walnuts, baby spinach leaves, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  

Aside from being a very impressive looking salad, it was extremely tasty.

This is a type of salad you order at a fine restaurant.

The soup, or" SOPITA"( little soup in Spanish ) is actually a family favorite.

It cooks fast, perfect for emergencies.

You can most surely find a variation of this soup in any Mexican home.

It's basically a Mexican version of ABC soup.

All you need is a bag of ABC pasta or any small type pasta(I always buy mine from the Mexican food aisle), 1 small can of tomato sauce, water, salt, and pepper.

I chose the pinwheel shape because it just looks cool.

You saute the pasta in 1 tablespoon olive oil until browned.

Then, you add the entire can of tomato sauce and saute for about 30 seconds.

Add 4 cups of water, salt, and pepper.

Stir until completely mixed.

Let it boil on med./high heat for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is soft.

I sometimes add a flavored bouillon cube to the soup along with the salt and pepper.

KAILUA MONKEY SMOOTHIE

Today I Made:

KAILUA MONKEY SMOOTHIE for DINNER.

Frozen bananas, peanut butter, chocolate powder, agave syrup, and soymilk.

Such a delicious and filling smoothie.

BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Today I Made:

BLACK BEAN BURGERS for LUNCH.

Delicious black bean patties with caramelized onions, thinly sliced tomatoes, baby greens, and ketchup on Ezekiel hamburger bread.

Such an easy recipe to have in your recipe collection.

It's basically made out of pantry items.

CORN CAKES

Today I Made:

CORN CAKES AND SALAD for DINNER.

Recipe from FATFREEKITCHEN.COM.

Pancake-like corn cakes made out of cornmeal, garbanzo flour, and spices.

Topped with homemade tomato salsa ( Mom's recipe ).

Cakes turned out to be very light and moist.

And they tastes more like cornbread.

Pretty easy to make.

Perfect for emergencies.

WALNUT LOAF AND MASHED POTATOES WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

Today I Made:

WALNUT LOAF, MASHED POTATOES WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY, AND SALAD for DINNER.

For the topping ,I simply mixed ketchup and chili powder.

Slathered it on the loaf and baked it for 1:40 minutes, uncovered.

This is one of our absolute favorite dishes in the entire world.

It's full of delicious flavor.

Total comfort food.

Both recipes can be found on the link above.

I highly recommend making this for a special dinner or when you are having company.

Or when your husband comes home from work really tired from getting only 4 hours of sleep, commuting ,and is dead tired.

"FRONCH TOAST"

Today I Made:

"FRONCH" TOAST WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE for BREAKFAST.

Recipe from VEGAN WITH A VENGEANCE by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

If you close your eyes, you'd  think you were eating traditional french toast.

WOW... these were amazing!!!

The recipe called for CHICKPEA FLOUR, which is the key ingredient.

I used LA BREA ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT LOAF.

The blueberry sauce is so simple to make.

1 bag frozen organic wild blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

Put the entire bag of frozen berries in a small pot.

Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to berries.

Turn heat to med/low and cook until the berries heat thru and sauce thickens a little.

Turn heat off and pour over "FRONCH" toast, pancakes, vegan crepes, or waffles.

My husband kept saying, "THESE ARE SOOOO GOOD!"

And this is coming from someone who dislikes french toast.

MAC N' CHEESE AND COLLARD GREENS

Today I Made:

BAKED MAC N' CHEESE , COLLARD GREENS , and CORN ON THE COB for DINNER.

This is was my third time making the Mac n' Cheese and we can't get enough of it.

I just can't get over how close it comes to the standard version.

So delicious.

If you haven't tried yet, your missing out.

This was my first time making collard greens and it won't be the last.

Although I do prefer eating them raw, this really went well with tonight's dinner.

It was also my first time making corn on the cob (believe it or not).

So easy to make:

Put corn in a pot and cover with cold water.

Cover pot and bring it to a boil.

Turn heat off, uncover and enjoy.

We slathered on some Earth Balance.

Tonight's dinner was sure delicious.

Can't wait to make it again.

VeganMoFo

October is Vegan Month of Food.

I will be posting anything VEGAN food related for the entire month.

Hope to post everyday.

BURGERS AND FRIES

Today I Made:

BURGERS AND FRIES for DINNER.

Veggie patty, red leaf lettuce, marinated onions, thinly sliced tomatoes, and ketchup on  toasted EZEKIEL hamburger bread.

I bought the AMY'S CALIFORNIA STYLE VEGGIE PATTIES at Whole Foods last week for emergency dinners and I got to use them tonight.

I don't think I'll ever buy them again.  

The mushrooms overpowered the rest of the flavors.

Did I mention that I HATE mushrooms!!!

I ate 1/4 of my burger and gave the rest to my husband.

On a better note, the Ezekiel hamburger bread was awesome.

They toasted nicely and I loved the size.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH JALAPENO-LIME CREME

 Yesterday I Made:

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH JALAPENO-LIME CREME for DINNER.

Recipe from THE REAL FOOD DAILY cookbook.

Pureed black beans, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and spices.

Topped with a spicy and sour cream sauce made out of cashews, roasted jalapenos, soy milk,

salt and lime zest.

With additional toppings:

Avocado

Minced jalapeno

Diced onion

Chopped cilantro

This recipe was so delicious.

It really surprised us.

So full of interesting flavors and textures.

Spicy, sour, salty, creamy, and crunchy from the CASA SANCHEZ chips we used to dip into the soup.

This is a winning recipe!

You have try it ASAP.

*Just remember to soak the dry beans overnight or for a few hours to prevent excess gas.

MOLE SKILLET

Today I Made:

MOLE SKILLET for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGANOMICON.

Bean, spinach, carrots, onions, and mole sauce.

Topped with a very moist (almost cake-like) cornbread.

With more mole sauce poured on top.

(Obviously the mole sauce wasn't very authentic.)

I guess I'm not very impressed with this recipe.

I don't think I will be making this again.

It lacked flavor and it tasted like it was missing something.

RAW LUNCH

Today I Made:

CUCUMBER SLICES TOPPED WITH HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, ORGANIC KIWIS, AND ORGANIC PEACHES for LUNCH.

Light, easy, delicious, and completely RAW.

THE VEGGIE GRILL

Today we went to The Veggie Grill in El Segundo ( 5 minutes south of LAX ) for lunch.

It's a completely VEGAN restaurant that serves sandwiches, burgers, and salads.

We both love this place so much, that for a while we were going every Sunday.

The food is SOOOOOO delicious.

The place is clean.

The service is always great.

And it's located in the same shopping center as one of the largest WHOLE FOODS in the country.  

You can also find Banana Republic, JCrew, Chicks Sporting Goods, Borders, MAC, Aveda, Smith and Hawken, Best Buy, Starbucks, and last but not least Sur La Table.

We always eat at The Veggie Grill first, then we walk it off by going shopping.

Today we ordered the  BAJA FIESTA salad, CHIPOTLE BBQ sandwich, SWEETHEART FRIES, and the CHILL OUT WINGS.

SWEETHEART FRIES... Scrumptious sweet potato fries, seasoned and served with chipotle ranch.
CHILL OUT WINGS... Bite sized marinated veggie tofu protein blend with a tangy BBQ sauce and chipotle ranch.
This looks and tastes EXACTLY like chicken.  Poor chickens.
BAJA FIESTA SALAD... Chopped romaine, papaya, avocado, roasted corn salsa, quinoa, cucumber, cilantro with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette.
CHIPOTLE BBQ SANDWICH... Shredded veggie-steak, marinated in a tangy BBQ sauce, with chipotle ranch, caramelized onion, lettuce, and tomato, with a side of Sweetheart fries.
Make sure you go to The Veggie Grill on an empty stomach!
Suuuuuuuuure looks like the cut up pieces of a once living animal, but it's not.
Doesn't this look like carne asada?

We always end our Veggie grill trips by doing our weekly grocery shopping at WHOLE FOODS.

Today, we found some new stuff.

Pictured below.

VEGETARIAN JELLY BEANS

Great find:

SURF SWEETS VEGETARIAN JELLY BEANS.

All natural candy and organic.

These are for my husband.

CACTUS JERKY

Weird find:

CACTUS JERKY.

Dried cactus flavored with teriyaki sauce, chili pepper flakes and spices.

It looks just like beef jerky, but it tastes a little too chewy.

It's interesting.

I'm glad we tried it.

Don't know if we would buy it again.

R.W. KNUDSEN FAMILY GINGER ALE

One of our new favorite drinks:

R.W. Knudsen Family® Juices -- Fruit Juice Spritzers -- Ginger Ale.

We don't really drink anything carbonated, but this is truly delicious.

Made from real fruit and sparkling water. No added sugar!

So refreshing.

O.N.E. COCONUT WATER

Another favorite drink:

O.N.E. 100% Coconut water.

Perfect drink for these hot summer Los Angeles days.

*Whole foods discounts 10% when you buy a case of these.

G U A Y A K I

And another favorite drink:

GUAYAKI YERBA MATE ... PURE HEART.

Yerba Mate blended with raspberry juice.

My favorite out of the 3  drinks( besides water, of course ).

You can also find this at FOLLOW YOUR HEART and FRESH AND EASY.

QUICK BREAKFAST

Today I Made:

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA TOAST, SO DELICIOUS COCONUT MILK BLUEBERRY YOGURT, AND COFFEE WITH SOY MILK for BREAKFAST.

If you haven't tried the So Delicious made with Coconut Milk Yogurt get some ASAP.

Our Whole Foods only carries the blueberry flavor.

They also make VANILLA and PASSIONATE MANGO.

It's much thicker than soy yogurt and a little bit tangy.

Fast, easy, tasty, and filling breakfast.

POTATO AND KALE ENCHILADAS WITH ROASTED CHILE SAUCE AND MEXICAN MILLET

Today I Made:

POTATO AND KALE ENCHILADAS WITH ROASTED CHILE SAUCE and MEXICAN MILLET for DINNER.

Both recipes from VEGANOMICON.

Enchiladas stuffed with mashes potatoes, kale, pumpkin seeds, lime juice, and spices.

Topped with a SPICY roasted chile sauce.

With a side off millet, flavored with tomatoes and jalapenos.

(first time trying millet...soft and crunchy at the same time)

Two GREAT, MEMORABLE dishes.

Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!!!

CUBAN BLACK-BEAN STEW WITH RICE

Today I Made:

CUBAN BLACK-BEAN STEW WITH RICE WITH RICE for DINNER.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD magazine, Sept. 2008 issue.

Black beans, onion, garlic, red bell pepper,and spices.

Topped with cilantro, radishes, and lime.

The only substitution I made, was to use brown instead of white rice.

This stew was super easy and fast to make.

So filling, delicious, and nutritious.

I can't wait to make this again and again!!!

*CYLON CENTURION courtesy of our friend LF*