HARVEST STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH GARLIC-GLAZED GREEN BEANS

Yesterday I Made:

HARVEST STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH GARLIC-GLAZED GREEN BEANS for DINNER.

Squash recipe from The Vegan Table By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau .

Organic Acorn squash stuffed with a brown and wild rice blend.

Goes great topped with leftover Arrabbiata sauce or salsa.

I used Chipotle Adobo sauce last night, but husband thought it was too spicy and not needed.

Husband had it for lunch along with Breakfast Potatoes.

The green bean recipe is from Clean Food by Terry Walters.

Browned, sweet,crunchy and delicious!!!

Also really fast and easy to make.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ARRABBITA SAUCE

Yesterday I Made:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ARRABIATTA SAUCE for DINNER.

Cooking the spaghetti squash is more of a technique.

-Preheat oven to 400.

-Wash and dry the squash.

-Poke holes using a skewer all over squash and place in a roasting pan (to catch any liquid that might leek ).

-Roast for 1 hour or until tender and cool enough to be able to grab with both hands.

-Cut in half lengthwise and with a fork starting from the top to bottom, scrape off strands and place in a bowl.

And now its ready to eat!

Use whatever sauce you like or add a little bit of agave and eat as a dessert.

I topped ours with my homemade ARRABBIATA SAUCE.

For the sauce, you will need:

-1 28oz can crushed or diced Fire-Roasted tomatoes.

-olive oil

-crushed red chili peppers... as much as you like

-2 cloves minced garlic

-salt and pepper to taste

-Heat a small amount of olive oil over low heat and add the crushed red peppers and cook until fragrant (important not to let the chili flakes burn or else the sauce will taste bitter).

-Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

-Raise heat to medium and add tomatoes,salt and pepper and cook until the sauce has reduced (about 20 minutes). Stirring often.

Both my husband and I were a little disappointed by the size if the strands.

They were so short, almost falling apart.

Does anyone have experience with Spaghetti Squash?

Overall it was tasty and much healthier than using actual spaghetti.

PUMPKIN PARFAITS WITH OAT CRUNCH

Yesterday I Made:

PUMPKIN PARFAITS WITH OAT CRUNCH for DESSERT.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES OCTOBER 2009 issue.

Three different layers, each layered on twice:

-Vanilla flavored soy yogurt.

-Pumpkin mousse made with soy cream cheese and canned pumpkin.

-Oat crunch made with puffed cereal, rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice.

Starting with the vanilla yogurt, then pumpkin, oats, and repeat one more time.

Restaurant quality dessert.

Simple to make, yet so gourmet looking.

I loved it so much, I felt like crying when I was eating it.

When I realized that the glass was empty, I wanted to lick it clean.

It is really, really, really delicious and I can"t wait to have more tonight after dinner.

BLACK BEAN PATTIES WITH PINEAPPLE GUACAMOLE

Yesterday I Made:

BLACK BEAN PATTIES WITH PINEAPPLE GUACAMOLE for DINNER.

Recipe from CLEAN FOOD by Terry Walters.

The patties were made with a mix of whole and mashed black beans, minced jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and flax seeds.

The guacamole is made with fresh diced pineapple, roasted red pepper, jalapeno, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

It was more of a salsa than a guacamole, which is no problem since the overall flavor was pretty yummy.

I served the patties over spinach and then topped the whole plate with the guacamole/salsa.

The meal was delicious and so fresh tasting.

QUINOA AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Today I Made:

QUINOA CUCUMBER SALAD for LUNCH.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE JANUARY 2008 issue.

Quinoa, cucumber, green onions, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Everyday pantry items.

That's all you need!

It's light, fresh and great as a light lunch or as a side dish.

SWEET CHILI LIME TOFU

Yesterday I Made:

SWEET CHILI AND LIME TOFU for DINNER.

Recipe from VeganYumYum by Lauren Ulm.

Lime and cinnamon flavored quinoa with steamed collard greens and topped with Sweet Lime Tofu.

The tofu is "dry fried" in a non-stick skillet and then coated with a sweet and spicy sauce.

Just a hot skillet needed!!!

The tofu is full of different flavors, salty, spicy, sweet, and bitter.

The sauce caramelizes the tofu, creating a crispy coating.

Because of this, it tastes best eaten right away.

Or if eating leftovers, I recommended eating it cold, or else it gets mushy.

BASIC CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Today I Made:

BASIC CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES topped with CHOCOLATE GANACHE for DESSERT.

Both recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Sometimes I just crave a simple chocolate cupcake with a simple frosting.

This recipe answers by chocolate cravings.

Simple ingredients found in a vegan kitchen, make these super easy to make.

They come together in a flash and tastes so yummy, I can eat all 12 cupcakes!

No one will be able to tell that they are vegan.

But the secret to making these, is to use THE finest cocoa powder you can afford.

I used Cacao (Chocolate) Powder, 16 oz, Sunfood Nutrition (raw, certified organic) sold online or at Whole Foods.

It's pricey at $32.95 a bottle, but the jar will last forever!

SMASHED PEA AND BARLEY SOUP

Last Wednesday I Made:

SMASHED PEA AND BARLEY SOUP for DINNER.

If you've ever eaten the SMASHED PEA AND BARLEY SOUP from CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN, you know how delicious this recipe is.

This recipe tastes exactly the same!!!

It's vegan, easy, and it's super low-fat.

The soup is made with easy to find ingredients:

-dry split peas

-vegetable broth

-onion

-garlic

-dried herbs

-barley

-carrots

-celery

-plus a few more ingredients

And for extra flavor and color, you can top the soup with julienned green onions.

I've made this soup many times and we still savor each spoonful.

Perfect for cold days or when you're not feeling 100%.

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Yesterday I Made:

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES for DINNER.

Brown rice, a blend of Italian Spices, balsamic vinegar, spinach, pine nuts, red beans and oil-packed sun dried tomatoes.

The recipe also called for lemon zest, but I didn't have any.

I doubled the recipe and only had 1 can of red beans, so I used garbanzo as well.

This recipe can be found at VeganYumYum or you can go out and buy the brand new book (with the same name as the blog) at Barnes & Noble, just like I did.

Great recipes and lots of pictures.

The SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES were easy to make and very tasty.

The spice comes from the cinnamon and the sweetness comes from maple syrup.

Goes great with the Italian Rice and Beans.

This recipe came from a brand new cookbook, CLEAN FOOD by Terry Walters.

The entire book is vegan, but it doesn't say it anywhere on the cover.

Tons and tons of original recipes, but no pics.

I highly recommend it!

GARDEN HARVEST CAKE

Today I Made:

GARDEN HARVEST CAKE for DESSERT.

Recipe from COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE.

Whole wheat flour, grated zucchini, carrot, apples, walnuts, and spices.

Super moist.

Super yummy.

Super everything!!!

We both loved it. I'll definitely make this again and again.

By the way, Goes great with coffee! Yummy!

LOUIE'S CANNELLONI, NO BALONEY!

Today I Made:

LOUIE'S CANNELLONI, NO BALONEY! forDINNER.

Recipe from Sep./Oct. 2009 issue of Vegnews Magazine.

Vegan cannelloni?

Never thought I'd see the day.

The filling is made with silken tofu, chopped spinach, vegan mozzarella (Follow Your Heart) homemade tomato sauce, and the secret ingredient.....HOMINY!

The tomato sauce is made with fire-roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices, onion, and basil.

The cannellonis are boiled until al dente, stuffed with the filling, covered with sauce and topped with additional vegan mozzarella cheese.

Covered with aluminum foil and baked for 30 minutes.

We were both so pleased with the end result.

They're tasty and full of flavor.

You can't even tell that there's hominy in the filling.

It was a bit difficult to stuff the filling in the Cannelloni.

My Cannelloni were a little overdone and kept falling apart as I was stuffing them.

Learn from my mistake and make sure to boil Cannelloni until al dente.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA STEW AND DARLENE'S HEALTHY SALAD

Yesterday I Made:

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA STEW and DARLENE'S HEALTHY SALAD for DINNER.

Both recipes from Cooking Light Magazine.

Rich chickpea stew with diced carrots, onions, potatoes,jalapeno,fire-roasted tomatoes, and spiced with cumin, chili powder, and turmeric.

Served over brown rice and garnished with chopped cilantro.

A great stew for a busy night.

It comes together fast and it tastes delicious.

For the salad, I used heirloom lettuce, radishes, red onions, cucumbers, avocado, sunflower seeds and dressed with a red wine dressing.

Overall, the salad was great but the dressing was too sour.

(Picture from COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE)