FRONCH TOAST WITH PEANUT BUTTER

Today for BREAKFAST we had leftover FRONCH TOAST from VEGAN WITH A VENGEANCE.

Husband asked for peanut butter.

We've now discovered a new way to eat FRONCH TOAST.

PEANUT BUTTER FRENCH TOAST!!!

QUINOA CAKES

Today I Made:

QUINOA CAKE OVER SMOKY CALYPSO BEAN SAUCE, CURRIED SQUASH, AND MANGO-HABANERO-COCONUT SAUCE for DINNER.

Recipe from THE ARTFUL VEGAN by ERIC TUCKER.

Executive chef of Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco.

The book describes it as being  a Carribbean inspired dish with many layers of flavors.

This dish has so many ingredients and flavors that my head started to spin when I was preparing it.

I counted over 33 ingredients:

1. Habanero chile

2. Mango

3. Coconut Milk

4. Red Onions

5. Garlic

6. Sugar

7. Dried Thyme

8. Ground Allspice

9. Ground Cloves

10. Kidney Beans

11. Vegetable Stock

12. Ground Cumin

13. Fennel seeds

14. Curry Powder

15. Ground Nutmeg

16. Vegetable Oil

17. Yellow Onions

18. Garlic

19. Fresh Ginger

20. Butternut Squash

21. Juice of 1 Orange

22. Collard Greens

23. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

24. Juice of 1 Lemon

25. Celery

26. Carrot

27. Oregano

28. Corn

29. Pistachio nuts

30. Quinoa

31. Corn Masa

32. Salt

33. Pepper

There are 5 different components to this recipe.

1. Mango-Habanero-Coconut Sauce

2. Smoky-Calypso Bean Sauce

3. Curried Winter Squash

4. Collard Greens

5. Quinoa Cakes

To plate the dish, you first spoon the bean sauce into a large pasta bowl. 

Then you mound a small amount of the collard greens in the center of the plate.

The quinoa cake goes on top, then you spoon about 1/2 cup of the squash curry over the cake.

And finally, you drizzle a small amount of the mango sauce over the entire dish.

You can also add some toasted pistachios. 

Overall, it took me 3 hours to complete this dish.

So even though I was tired, it was all worth it when I heard my husband utter these words after taking his first bite, " THIS IS SO ****ING DELICIOUS!"

And I give myself a pat on the back for even trying to accomplish this dish.

If I can cook a gourmet dish, so can YOU!

BANANAS FOSTER CAKE

Today I Made:

BANANAS FOSTER CAKE  for DESSERT.

Recipe from MY SWEET VEGAN by HANNA KAMINSKY.

This cake is for the serious banana lover.

You have banana in the batter.

Banana in the middle of the two layers.

And caramelized banana slices as part of the topping.

I made a few changes to the original recipe:

-I didn't use rum as the recipe called for.

 Husband hates alcohol and any wet cake.

-I used regular butter cream frosting instead of the Caramel Frosting.

-I mashed more bananas and used it to glue the two layers together.

-I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.

I did encounter one problem with the frosting.

The recipe says to microwave 1/3cup brown sugar with 1 1/2teaspoons water for 30 to 60 seconds or until sugar dissolves.

Then you let it cool down and add it to the creamed Earth Balance and powdered sugar.

Well, I let the brown sugar mixture cool and it turned rock hard.

I microwaved it for a few seconds more to melt the sugar again.

I let it cool down for a minute then added it to the creamed EB and powdered sugar.

That was the worst thing I could have done.

The frosting turned into a huge mess.

It turned so runny, I had to dump it.

I decided to use a regular butter cream frosting instead.

Overall, the cake turned out great.

The mashed bananas in between the two layers was super creamy and it gave the cake the moisture it needed.

And the caramalized banana slices added a caramel-like flavor to the entire cake.

LINGUINE WITH SAGE AND WHITE BEAN SAUCE

HIS:
HERS:
Today I Made:

LINGUINE WITH SAGE AND WHITE BEAN SAUCE for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGAN PLANET.

Creamy cannellini bean and sage sauce served over whole wheat linguine.

I topped the HIS version with Tofurky Italian Sausage.

Another restaurant quality dish.

So easy to make, but so gourmet.

BAKED MILLET AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS

Today I Made:

BAKED MILLET AND SWEET POTATO BURGERS AND MIXED GREEN SALAD for DINNER.

Recipe from THE VEGAN GOURMET.

Flavorful millet, sweet potato, lime juice, chile powder, garlic and more spices.

Original recipe called for a spinach and cilantro sauce to be pour over the patties and served as is.

Once I tasted the sauce, I knew that it wasn't going to be our liking.

So, I turned the dish into a burger with Vegenaise, avocado, and salad.

It was THE best burger ever!!!

The patties were so flavorful and the color so rich.

Overall, the patties, along with the burger, was a total gourmet experience.

HOUSE POTATOES

Today I Made:

HOUSE POTATOES, TOFURKY BREAKFAST LINKS, PUMPKIN PANCAKES, AND COFFEE for BREAKFAST.

I tried to recreate the house potatoes served at HERBIVORE GRILL in SAN FRANCISCO.

I posted about this great vegan restaurant here.

They turned out exactly the same... delicious!!!

HOUSE POTATO recipe:

-Peel and wash potatoes.

-Boil them for about 15 minutes or until they are cooked but not falling apart.

You want them to keep their shape.

-Drain and let cool completely.

-Slice into thin slices, then cut each slice in half so you end up with half moon shapes.

-Heat a large skillet on meddium-high heat, then add Earth Balance and a small amount of     canola oil.

-When skillet is hot, but not smoking, add the potatoes and smash into a single layer.

Add salt and pepper to taste and cover for about 5 minutes, or until bottom layer turns lightly   brown.

-Turn potatoes and cover for another 5 minutes, or until lightly brown.

-Remove from skillet, sprinkle with cilantro or parsley and top with ketchup or salsa. 

Use any amount of potatoes, Earth Balance, salt and pepper.

It's all to taste.

The only thing that changes are the cooking times.

Serve with Tofurky Breakfast Links and Pumpkin pancakes for a complete breakfast.

This was our first time trying the links.

Actually, I dislike faux meats, so these were more for my husband.

He ended up not being to crazy about them.

He prefers the Tofurky Italian Sausages and Trader Joe's Soyrisso.

I don't remember where I found the recipe for the pancakes.

But when I do, I'll post the link.

Because, they are amazing.

HOMINY AND TOMATILLO STEW WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Today I Made:

HOMINY AND TOMATILLO STEW WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS for DINNER.

Recipe from THE VEGAN GOURMET.

Hominy in a rich and thick broth made out of pumpkin seeds, spinach, tomatillos,  serrano chiles, and spices.

The original recipe called for sorrel, but I used spinach instead.

I topped  the stew with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and lime juice.

This stew was sooooooooo goooooooood!!!

I thought my husband wasn't going to like it, because he doesn't care for tomatillos too much.

But, he took one spoonful and said, " THIS STEW IS GOOOD!!!!"

Then, he said, "THIS IS GOURMET QUALITY!"

You can bet, that I'm going to make this over and over and over again.