GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Today I Made:

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE for DESSERT.

Another recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.

Chocolate cake layered with a sweet coconut pecan topping.

The cake layers contain zero sugar.

All the sweetness is in the frosting.

Perfect blend of flavors.

And of course it goes great with coffee!!!

This recipe makes a huge cake, so plan on sharing it with others.

*JUST FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A TYPO IN THE CAKE RECIPE AS ITS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE 1 1/2 CUPS OF SUGAR ADDED TO THE BATTER. Source: See Typos? « 500 Vegan Recipes

SWEET POTATO SPINACH RAVIOLI AND SABRA HUMMUS

Today I Made:

SWEET POTATO SPINACH RAVIOLI for DINNER.

Recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.

Homemade ravioli stuffed with a sweet potato cream cheese filling and topped with a Garlic and Sage Cashew Cream Sauce (also from 500 Vegan Recipes).

The name of the original recipe is really PUMPKIN SPINACH RAVIOLI, but Whole Foods didn't have any canned pumpkin puree, so I used sweet potato puree instead.

This was my first time making pasta dough from scratch.

I followed directions: Mix the semolina flour, water, and salt in a mixing bowl. Knead until elastic.

But mine never became elastic.

It turned into a big sticky mess.

I ended up having to add whole wheat flour until it finally became elastic.

The rest was easy, rolling out the dough into a thin flat sheet.

Then cutting out circles (using a 3" cookie cutter) and stuffing them with the filling.

Boiling them for 5 minutes and topping them with the sauce.

All that work paid off!!!

The dough was perfect.

The stuffing was full of flavor.

And the Garlic and Sage Cashew Cream sauce was out of this world!!!

They turned out so YUMMY!!!

Husband said they were restaurant quality.

*I added red chili pepper flakes for some heat*

OUR LATEST OBSESSION

Our new favorite snack, Sabra Hummus with Roasted Pine Nuts.

Creamy with an almost whipped-like texture.

Perfect with sweet mini bell peppers and baby carrots.

Luckily all 3 of these can be found at Costco in giant sizes of course!

We are so addicted to this hummus, a 32 ounce container only lasts us 4 days.

It's that good!!!

ROOT VEGETABLE CREOLE AND MONKEY BARS

Today I Made:

ROOT VEGETABLE CREOLE for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES MARCH 2010.

Cajun-inspired stew made with a brown roux sauce (sauce made out of flour and a fat and used as a thickening agent), "holy trinity"(green bell peppers, onions, and celery), carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Served over brown rice.

This dish turned out exactly as I thought it would, DELICIOUS!!!

Made one substitution, used potatoes instead of turnips.

The roux gave the dish flavors I've never tested before.

Deep, intense, and so flavorfull!

Next time, I might add soy chorizo or even beans for protein.

Today I Made:

MONKEY BARS for DESSERT.

Recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.

A peanut butter banana layer topped with sliced bananas, chocolate chips, caramel sauce, and baked.

Only one word to describe this dessert:

RICH!!!

Must have been created for a HUGE peanut butter fan.

DINNER, BREAKFAST, AND DESSERT

DINNER

Yesterday I Made:

CHILES RELLENOS GRATIN for DINNER.

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine.

Poblano chiles stuffed with black beans, fresh corn, red bell pepper, pine nuts, green onions, and spices.

Topped with a creamy-spicy breadcrumb topping and baked until golden brown.

Clean tasting with great textures.

Overall it was good, but not great

BREAKFAST

Today I Made:

SOUTHWESTERN TOFU SCRAMBLE for BREAKFAST.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES MAGAZINE.

Scrambled firm tofu with cumin, turmeric (for color), red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Made it especially for my husband and I'm happy to say that he loved it!

I'm not a savory tofu fan, but I did try it and it was tasty.

But I let my husband have the entire skillet.

DESSERT

And for Dessert, I made CRISPY BREAKFAST BARS from VEGETARIAN TIMES MAGAZINE.

These are basically vegan rice krispies using puffed whole grain cereal, dried fruit, cinnamon, and brown rice syrup.

Surprisingly, these turned out amazing.

Perfectly sweet with a slight crispiness.

These are winners and I will be making them again using different fillings.

PESTO POTATO PIZZA

Last Night I Made:

PESTO POTATO PIZZA for DINNER.

Whole Foods Pizza dough, homemade pesto, thinly sliced potatoes, Tofurky Italian sausage, red chili pepper flakes, red onion, and pine nuts.

For the pesto, process 2 cups basil, olive oil,pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper until completely processed.

Next step is to slice and season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Then sear until lightly browned on each side in a skillet with olive oil.

For the pizza dough , stretch the dough by hand until desired size.

Place on cookie sheet and spread pesto and the rest of the toppings.

Brush olive oil on the edges.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes or until edges are light browned.

Once out of the oven, drizzle some more olive oil over pizza, cut into slices and enjoy!!!

FRUIT SALAD

Today I Made:

FRUIT SALAD for BREAKFAST.

Organic mango, strawberries, and blueberries mixed with plain soy yogurt, sweetened shredded coconut and chopped walnuts.

Easy, simple and so tasty.

WE ATE A BIG MAC!!!!!

Oops! I meant a VEGAN Big Mac!!!

Yes, You heard right, a VEGAN Big Mac.

Recipe from Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander.

The last time we ate a BIG MAC was right after we finished watching SUPERSIZE ME (we weren't vegan yet or even vegetarian).

We told ourselves that we would enjoy one last BIG MAC and never eat one ever again.

Fast forward 6 years later.

We are now vegan and shamefully still desire BIC MACS.

Then one day, we come across this cooking show on FitTV called HEALTHY DECADENCE WITH DEVIN ALEXANDER.

Lucky for us, she was making a homemade BIG MAC with Special Sauce.

I tell myself that I could easily veganize her recipe.

For the patty, I mashed 1 can (drained and rinsed) of pinto beans along with some flour, breads crumbs, garlic and onion powder, diced onions, and salt and pepper.

Formed 3inch (super thin) patties and cooked them in a lightly oiled iron skillet until browned on each side.

For the cheese, we used TOFUTTI AMERICAN Style Cheese.

We've come to the conclusion that what makes a BIG MAC special is obviously the sauce.

I'm not gonna say what's in it.

You just have to trust me and click on the recipe link and make these ASAP!!!

I mean, we almost fainted after taking our first bite.

It's that good!!!

Today I Made:

BLUEBERRY LEMON SCONES for BREAKFAST.

Recipe from Sweet Utopia by Sharon Valencik.

Whole Wheat scones flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh blueberries.

The recipe makes 10 scones.

We only have one left.

Nuff' said.

Another winning recipe!

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Today I Made:

PEANUT BUTTER PIE for DESSERT.

Recipe from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.

Peanuty, chocolaty, and oh-so decadent.

Three layers of pure awesomeness:

-tofu peanut butter

-dark chocolate ganache

-graham cracker crust

The ingredients are pantry items: vegan chocolate chips, soy milk, peanut butter, silken (soft) tofu, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

And it also calls for a premade crust, but I made my own using this recipe.

I also used individual heart-shaped springform pans.

Not only is this pie tasty, it's so beautiful!

Perfect for Valentine's Day.