TORTILLA SOUP AND SHREDDED JICAMA SALAD

Today I Made:

TORTILLA SOUP AND SHREDDED JICAMA SALAD or DINNER.

Soup recipe from REAL FOOD DAILY by ANN GENTRY.

Both the soup and salad were outstanding.

The soup was creamy and spicy.

Topped with sweet and spicy tortilla strips and avocado.

Perfect soup!!!

The Jicama salad was such a refreshing contrast to the soup.

Jicama, radishes, red bell pepper, cucumber, with a spicy lime dressing.

Highly recommend both recipes. 

SALISBURY STEAK AND CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Family Guy Figure might offend a few readers.

Proceed with caution.

Don't worry, it'll make you smile.

Today I Made:

SALISBURY STEAK, CAULIFLOWER PUREE, AND SPICY GARLIC BROCCOLINI for DINNER,

Steak recipe from myvegancookbook.com.

Puree recipe from Recipezaar.

Mind you, I've never had Salisbury Steak, so I don't know how close this recipe comes to the real deal.

Lentils, brown rice, oatmeal, wheat germ, wheat gluten, and spices. Smothered with an onion and ketchup gravy.

This dish was amazing!

During our prevegan days, my husband and I used to love ordering HAMBURGER CURRY at Curry House ( a local Japanese Curry restaurant chain in Southern California ).

And this vegan version of Salisbury Steak, looked and tasted exactly like the dead animal version we used to shamelessly order.

I recommend for everyone to make this ASAP!!!

I was craving mashed potatoes to go with this dish, but I wanted to try something new.

I remembered seeing a recipe for the cauliflower puree at Recipezaar a while back. So I looked it up and a few hours laters, we were enjoying it for dinner.

It turned out a little runny, but I think that I didn't squeeze out as much water from the cooked cauliflower as I was suppose too.

The spicy garlic broccolini is a basic recipe that I use for different sorts of green vegetables.

Olive oil, crushed red chili peppers, garlic,salt, and pepper.

All you do is heat the olive oil with the crushed red chili peppers on low heat, until the oil turns a light red color.

Then you add what ever green vegetable you want and turn up the heat to med. high.

Saute until the vegetables are almost done cooking and you see a few darkened pieces.

Add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook until the garlic turns a light brown.

Turn heat off and enjoy. 

ALL HAIL KALE

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Today we went to Veggie Grill  for Dinner.

I've posted about this great VEGAN restaurant here.

This time we ordered the ALL HAIL KALE SALAD, SWEETHEART FRIES, and 2 orders of their CHILL OUT WINGS.

The ALL HAIL KALE SALAD is made out marinated kale and red cabbage, roasted corn salsa, agave- roasted walnuts with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette.

Our new favorite salad!

So many different flavors and textures.

Sorry about the pics, but we had to sit outside in the dark.

RED PEPPER SPAGHETTI WITH ARRABIATA SAUCE

Today I Made:

RED PEPPER  SPAGHETTI WITH ARRABIATA SAUCE for DINNER.

Fire roasted crushed tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

This is the world's easiest and best tasting tomato sauce.

But sadly, this dish was ruined by using the world's worst spaghetti:

Organic Spaghetti - interrupcion* Fair Trade Red Pepper Spaghetti.

I bought it for obvious reason:

-Whole Wheat

-Organic

-Fair Trade

-Sustainable Agriculture

-The flavor

This is the second time I use this brand.

The first time, it was super al dente.

Almost undercooked.

My mistake.

Should have boiled it longer.

So, on my most recent trip to Whole Foods, I decided to give it another try.

Well it happened again!!!

I boiled it for 20 minutes, and it still tasted undercooked. 

It felt like we were eating cardboard!!!

It reminds me of the whole wheat pasta of the mid nineties.

Horrible, horrible, horrible.

So lesson learned.

NEVER buy this brand again.

And I should have listened to my husband, and stuck to using WHOLE WHEAT PENNE.

CHICKPEA TAGINE AND LEMON BARS

Today I Made:

CHICKPEA TAGINE WITH CINNAMON, CUMIN, CARROTS, and a side of SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES, October 2008 issue.

Chickpeas, carrots, onions, raisins, cayenne pepper, cumin, agave,and cinnamon.

Such interesting flavors.

We both loved it.

And I loved it even more, because it took less than 30 minutes make.

Try squirting some lime juice and crushed red chili peppers.

Complete heaven.

Today I Made:

LEMON BARS for DESSERT.

Recipe from VEGANOMICON.

This was my first time making these and it won't be my last.

I absolutely think that this is one of the BEST desserts ever.

Tangy and sweet.

Heaven!!!

EVERDAY CHIPOTLE-VEGETABLE TAMALES

Today I Made;

EVERYDAY CHIPOTLE-VEGETABLE TAMALES AND SALSA HUEVONA for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGANOMICON.

Tamales stuffed with black beans, red bell peppers, carrots, onions, corn, spices, and chipotle.

Every Christmas my sisters and I help our Mom make our traditional tamales.

It's safe to say that they sure weren't vegan.

I thought I would never get to enjoy them again.

But thanks to Veganomicon,  we CAN enjoy them once again.

This was actually my first time making them from scratch.

Time consuming, but so delicious.

I can't wait to try different fillings.

Maybe poblano chilies.

SALSA HUEVONA actually means LAZY SALSA .

But there's nothing lazy about it.

In the traditional recipe, you have to chop tomatoes, onions, fresh jalapenos, jalapenos in vinegar, cilantro, tomatillos, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

I only used tomatoes, onions, fresh and vinegared jalapenos, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Still tasty over the tamales.

GREEN PEA AND LEMON RISOTTO WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Today I Made:

GREEN PEA AND LEMON RISOTTO WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND SPICY GARLIC SPINACH for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGANOMICON.

Creamy, lemony, and bursting with sunshine.

This risotto recipe looks and tastes elegant.

Perfect for a romantic dinner.

The spinach could not be simpler to make.

You can play with the amounts.

But all you need is spinach, olive oil, minced garlic, red chili peppers, salt, and pepper.

Heat the olive oil with the red chili pepper on low heat in a nonstick pan, until the flakes darken a little.

Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

Then you add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Saute for about 1 minute.

Turn heat off and enjoy.

So this is my first post for VEGANMOFO.

I plan to post almost everyday.

My husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary and my birthday next week.

We will be spending it in San Francisco.

So I may not be posting from Oct.9-14.