EGGPLANT PARM WITH TOMATO BASIL SAUCE,NOT-SO-NICOISE SALAD AND CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKES WITH WALNUTS

So this week, I decided to cook this weeks dinners straight from my latest obsession, American Vegan Kitchen By Tamasin Noyes.

Traditional American recipes veganized.

Yesterday I Made:

EGGPLANT PARM WITH TOMATO BASIL SAUCE for DINNER.

Seasoned breaded eggplant slices served with a tomato basil sauce over whole wheat spinach spaghetti.

This was my first time cooking with eggplant and I think it turned out DELICIOUS!!!!

But then again, anything fried tastes good.

The breading on the eggplant is made with processed pine nuts,breadcrumbs, dried herbs, and of course, garlic.

The tomato sauce is super easy to make.

All you need is an onion, canned diced tomatoes, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper.

Tasty and full of flavor.

Almost tastes as if it was cooked for hours.

Two days ago, I Made:

NOT-SO-NICOISE SALAD.

Another recipe from AMERICAN VEGAN KITCHEN.

POTATOES and steamed green beans seasoned with lemon juice salt and pepper and mixed with romaine lettuce, radicchio, celery, cucumber,cherry tomatoes, black pitted olives.

Then topped with smoked tofu and dressed with a dijon-caper dressing.

This salad was SO delicious, I almost wanted to lick my plate.

Great for a fancy dinner!!!

On Monday, I Made:

MINI CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKES WITH WALNUTS for DESSERT.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE May 2010.

Great use for leftover zucchinis.

All you need is to grate them and mix with whole wheat flour, sugar, Earth Balance, Egg Replacer,vanilla, vegan sour cream, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.

Then top with walnut halves.

They look beautiful and they taste really decadent.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Yesterday I Made:

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES for DESSERT.

Recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Super easy to make and oh-so delicious.

I've made these a few times and every single time, they turn out different as far as appearance.

Flat, chunky, soft, crispy.

But the flavor is still the same...DELICIOUS!!!!

I didn't have any chocolate chips, I used chocolate chunks, so maybe I should call these cookies, CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES?

Ingredients are every day pantry items so get to it and make these ASAP.

*Husband loves these with cold almond milk.*

BETTER-THAN-TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES WITH LEMON-BASIL PESTO AND GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FRUIT TURNOVERS

Today I Made:

BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES WITH LEMON-BASIL PESTO AND GRILLED VEGETABLES.

This is really a combination of 2 different recipes.

BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD and LEMON-BASIL PESTO from The Vegan Table By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Both recipes I've made several times but never put them together.

The BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD is made with garbanzo beans, vegenaise, carrots, red bell peppers, celery, walnuts, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.

Delicious and so versatile.

You can use it as a sandwich filler, on crackers, over greens, or eaten alone.

The LEMON-BASIL PESTO is so simple to make, you wonder why the jared stuff exist.

All you do is throw basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, leon juice, and salt and pepper in a food processor and process until finely smooth.

And for the bread, I used these new OROWEAT SANDWICH THINS.

They're really thin slices of bread that look like burger buns.

They taste sweet and are super soft.

Really not good with any runny sauces.

Spread a thin layer of the pesto on one side of the bread, then top with the BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD.

Spread the other side of the bread with more salad, then top with grilled zucchini, grilled red onion, and fresh slices of roma tomatoes.

Close sandwich and enjoy.

And for DESSERT, I made FRUIT TURNOVERS from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Frozen blueberries mixed with lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch and sugar then placed in the middle of a thawed store-bought puff pastry and baked until golden brown.

It's really a simple dessert yet very elegant looking.

Make this to impress your diner guests.

BLACK-BEAN AND BROWN RICE CAKES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HERBED BREADCRUMBS

Yesterday I Made:

BLACK-BEAN AND BROWN RICE CAKES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HERBED BREADCRUMBS for DINNER.

Both recipes from old issues of EVERDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Simple cakes made with canned black beans, brown rice, jalapeno, cumin and spices topped with a lime cilantro yogurt sauce.

Super healthy because they're baked and not fried.

The cauliflower was simply tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted until browned.

While roasting, I made a simple breadcrumb mix by combining day-old bread and garlic in the food processor until crumbly.

Then toasted until lightly browned then mixed with the cauliflower.

And for added color and nutrition, steamed peas with Mrs.Dash, Earth Balance, and salt and pepper.

I can never get enough of peas...yummy!!!

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND CANDIED LIME SWEET POTATO

Today I Made:

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND CANDIED LIME SWEET POTATO for DINNER.

Both recipes from Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm.

Brown rice, sun-dried tomatoes, navy beans, dried oregano, dried basil, spinach, and balsamic vinegar.

The candied sweet potatoes were flavored with molasses, sugar. lime juice, and lime zest.

Both recipes turned out great.

The rice was both tangy from the sun-dried tomatoes and earthy from the navy beans.

It's really an Italian Style fried-rice.

The sweet potatoes turned out yummy!

Sweet and sour.

My favorite combo!

HUMMUS ROASTED RED PEPPER WRAP

Today I Made:

HUMMUS ROASTED RED PEPPER WRAP for LUNCH.

Raw collard green, spinach, roasted red pepper strips, cucumber, and carrots all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla.

Simple and delicious, but a little messy.

CHILI, COOKIES, AND TOAST

Today I Made:

VEGETARIAN CHILI WITH CHOCOLATE OVER BROWN RICE for DINNER.

Hominy, Garbanzo Beans, Bell Peppers, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and semi-sweet chocolate.

Slow simmered for almost 2 hours until flavors completely blend.

Topped with vegan sour cream and green onions.

One of our all-time favorite dishes.

Yesterday I Made:

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES for DESSERT.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Chocolate batter with chocolate chunks and cranberries.

The recipe sounded good, but I wasn't very happy with the outcome.

The flavors didn't mesh very well for me.

Today I Made:

WHOLE-WHEAT TOAST WITH YOGURT AND PISTACHIOS.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE .

Toast slathered with soy yogurt, pistachios, and drizzled with agave syrup.

Total bliss....YUMMY!!!!