I’m finally getting around to posting about all the wonderful food we had at Christmas. Let’s start with dessert, my favorite part of any meal!

I’m really into baking at the moment and for Christmas, I made chocolate cupcakes topped with snowmen and some Lemon Bars.  I used the Lemon Bar and Chocolate Cake recipes The Joy of Vegan Baking. The Lemon Bar recipe was surprising because it calls for silken tofu. I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but since I know that silken tofu is perfect in my Pumpkin French Toast, I thought I’d give it a try.  They turned out delicious, except I think I’ll add more lemon next time than the recipe calls for, as I thought they could be a litlte more lemony.  Other than that, perfection!  I don’t think people would have been able to tell the difference between this vegan version and any non-vegan ones.

Which brings me to an interesting point– why do people freak out over the word “vegan”?  You tell someone that something is vegan and they automatically think it’s weird or tastes bad.  I’ll admit that I’ve probably had the same reaction to vegan cuisine at some point in my life, but where does it come from?  Why is vegan food somehow scarier than non-vegan food?

Anyway, back to dessert.  The Chocolate Cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking is the easiest cake recipe on the planet.  With recipes as easy as this one, I can’t imagine why people would resort to a boxed cake mix.  It’s foolproof.  I won’t use any other chocolate cake recipe.  I iced mine with some vanilla buttercream (I wanted it to look like a mound of snow) and put my snowmen up on top.  Yes, these guys were a bit labor intensive, but I really had a fun time making them.  I used white fondant for the bodies and colored fondant for the details.  Although technically edible, I wouldn’t suggest chowing down on them.  Fondant looks cute, but I don’t think it’s the most appetizing thing in the world.

For our main course, I made the Spinach, White Bean and Walnut Filo rolls from ED&BV. This is also an extremely easy thing to make, but is yummy and makes a nice presentation.  The best part about this recipe is that the filling can be made way in advance and refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen for a couple of months.  You don’t need to worry about the spinach turning brown.  To top our rolls, I made a cranberry sauce (recipe also from ED&BV).  Delicious!

And, finally, to go with our meal, I made the Veggie Guy’s Spinach Pomegrante Salad.  It was SOOOOOOOOOOOO good.  So good.  Yum!!  And the red and green is just so festive.  You have to try this salad.  I’ve made it a few times since because I’m now addicted to pomegranates. The one thing I changed is that I used spicy candied pecans in place of the walnuts. Walnuts are not one of my favorite nuts to eat plain and I thought the sweet and spicy would be tasty in the salad. One thing I changed in that recipe is that I used brown rice syrup in place of corn syrup. They are super addictive– even Emma loved them!

What did you enjoy for your Christmas feast?

From the freezer: a pack of corn tortillas and a bag of pinto beans.  Tacos it is!  I based this recipe on the Bean & Zucchini Tacos that I’ve made before, but instead of zucchini, I used some kale.  They turned out very yummy!

To go with our tacos, I made some coleslaw.  What do these two things have in common?  Well, nothing except they were things that I had on hand and needed to use up.  Both were good, even if somewhat disjointed.

This coleslaw recipe is based on one that I found in Eat More, Weigh Less.  I changed it a bit, so I think it’s safe to post the recipe here.

Vegan Coleslaw

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 green apple, grated

Dressing:

2 TB vegan mayo

1 TB dijon mustard

1 TB sugar

1 TB apple cider vinegar

S&P to taste

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.  Add the cabbage and carrots and toss to combine.  If not using right away, cover and refrigerate until ready.  If using within an hour of making it, leave out at room temperature to give the cabbage time to wilt down.

It’s a very orange salad, isn’t it?!  I LOVE golden beets, but you could substitute them for regular ones here.  You could also change up the citrus depending on what you have on hand.  This salad was SO GOOD!

Golden Beet & Citrus Salad

1 medium orange

1 large grapefruit

2 small tangerines

1 large beet (or 2 medium), cooked

1 TB chopped mint

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp agave syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Peel and segment all of the citrus.  It would be most convenient if they were the seedless varieties but, if they aren’t, remove all of the seeds.  Combine them with the rest of the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad.  Toss to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I was going for more of a Greek style with this pasta salad.  My original idea was to use tofu as a substitute for feta cheese, but it didn’t turn out the way I had wanted it to.  I’ll have to fiddle with that some more.  On it’s own, though, this pasta salad was really good and perfect for a hot day when you don’t want to cook.  The best part is that I made it without any oil so, aside from the olives, this is pretty figure friendly.

Greek Style Pasta Salad

1 cup orzo, dry

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 to 3/4 cup kalamata olives, halved

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

3 TB chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Dressing

Zest and juice from 1 large lemon

1 TB red wine vinegar

2 TB agave syrup

1/2 tsp dried oregano

S&P

Boil orzo per package directions.  Meanwhile, combine all of the other salad ingredients in a large boil.  In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing.  When the orzo is cooked, strain it and run it under cold water for a few minutes to cool it off.  Add to the salad bowl.  Pour dressing over the salad and toss.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

A glass of wine would have turned this into a very romantic meal. It’s also a little more romantic when it’s an evening without the child, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

The inspiration for this meal started with the Sweet Strawberry-Balsamic Asparagus Salad that I came across on Yeah… the other day. It looked and sounded so good that I had to give it a go. It’s constructed of lightly blanched asparagus spears, topped with sliced strawberries. I drizzled some of my pre-made balsamic dijon vinaigrette over the top and it was delish!

To go with our salad, I whipped up a pasta dish on the fly. I threw in whatever veggies we had in the fridge (zucchini, kale, basil), poured a little veg stock over it and let it reduce, tossed with with pasta and called it a day. The sauce was good, but the texture of the noodles was a little gummy. I used a sprouted wheat noodle and I guess that what I get for trying to be healthier in my noodle choices. 

I would make this again, but I would probably stick to a white noodle. For a little crunch, I garnished with some toasted pine nuts. Yum!

I was trying to think of something cool and refreshing to throw together for dinner and came up with the idea for this wild rice salad.  It was really easy to make (and the best part is that you can make it WAY ahead of time), and it was also yummy!  I love it when my ideas turn out as good as I envision them being.  I used stuff that I had on hand in my fridge; any vegetables would be good here – peas, carrots, spinach, zucchini, etc.

Wild Rice Salad

1 cup white and wild rice mix

1 3/4 cup water

1 cup grapes

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup broccoli florets, blanched

6 cremini mushrooms, sliced and lightly sauteed in olive oil

Dressing

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 TB olive oil

2-4 TB agave nectar (depends on how sweet you want it)

Cook the rice in the water (those are the directions on my package of rice.  Your rice to water ratio may be different.)  Meanwhile, chop, saute, blanche, toast the remaining salad ingredients and put them in a large bowl.  When the rice is done cooking, add to the bowl with the veggies.  Mix together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the top.  Taste and season with S&P.

For my dad’s birthday dinner, I decided to go with a BBQ theme. Since my ribs didn’t go quite as planned, I opted to make stuffed squash using the same stuffing mixture from the collard rolls. I found these cute little round squash, cut off the tops, and lightly steamed them. When they were cooled, I scooped out the insides. Stuffed with the pea, mushroom and BBQ mixture, they were delicious! (Once stuffed, btw, I put them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to heat through).

Side dishes consisted of cornbread muffins (yummy), Carrie’s Creamy Vegan Coleslaw (DELICIOUS!) and Baked Beans from Vegan Planet.

I came across the recipe for last night’s dinner on “Yeah…” and thought it would make a tasty (not to mention unusual) roll. The recipe is originally from Veganomicon, but since the recipe has been posted elsewhere, I think it’s probably safe to post it here too (and that way I’ll have it for future reference). These were really good. Try them out, especially if you don’t use collard greens often. I think you may find a new favorite vegetable. The best part about dark greens (especially kale and collard) is that they are very nutritious, but don’t have that “green” taste to them. In fact, they don’t taste like much of anything at all so you can cook them with practically anything.

Since there are only two of us eating these rolls (the sauce is too spicy for Emma), I cut the recipe way down to avoid eating leftovers for the next century. The recipe posted here is my scaled down version. I would say that with a side dish, one generously stuffed roll is a good portion for one person. We ate ours slightly warmer than room temperature and they were fine. I don’t think that they need to be served piping hot, FYI.

BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Collard Rolls

(from Veganomicon)

makes 4 rolls

1 small bunch collard greens

1 tsp oil

4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1.5 – 2 cups black-eyed peas (OK to use canned, I used ones that I cooked myself)

1.5 cups Backyard BBQ Sauce

Cut the stems out of all of the collard greens by folding them in half and running the knife down the side of the stem. Save four leaves for the rolls, chop the rest for the filling. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the rolling leaves for about 6 minutes. You may need to fold them to get them to fit in the pot, but be gentle with them to avoid tearing. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes letting them brown on both sides. Add the chopped collard greens and cook for another few minutes until the greens have started to wilt down. Add the BBQ sauce and simmer until it thickens, about 7 minutes. Add the peas and heat through. Divide the filling into fourths (use a spoon to score it into quarters). When the leaves are boiled, let them cool a bit so that you can handle them without burning your fingers off. When they are cool enough to handle, spoon a quarter of the filling into the center, tuck the ends in and roll up. Repeat this until all four leaves have been stuffed. Serve with more BBQ sauce drizzled on top.

After not posting for quite some time, I have a few posts to do in order to get caught up.  Truthfully, I haven’t been doing a ton of cooking lately and thus don’t have many interesting recipes to pass along.

After our quesadillas the night before, I had a little bit of filling left over.  I didn’t have enough to make a meal of quesadillas and I had to think of a way to stretch it a little.  I had some organic potatoes growing roots out my veggie basket, so I decided to make an enchilada filling out of those, my quesadilla leftovers and some other things hanging out in the fridge.  This really isn’t a recipe, more of a method, so feel free to substitute anything that may need to be used up.

Very Veggie Enchiladas

5 baby yukon gold potatoes, diced

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach

1/2 cup chopped frozen kale

1 recipe refried beans

4 tortillas, either corn or flour

1 cup jarred salsa

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  When the skillet is hot, add a small drizzle of canola oil and the potatoes.  Spread the potatoes out in a single layer and allow them to brown on all sides.  When the potatoes are about halfway cooked and browned on all sides, add the bell peppers, onions and garlic.  Be careful not to burn the garlic; reduce the heat a bit if it starts to get too brown.  When the onions and bell peppers have begun to soften, add the zucchini and corn.  Cook for a few minutes longer, just until the zucchini are starting to become soft, then add the spinach and the kale.  Season to taste with S&P.

Fill the tortillas by spreading a generous amount of refried beans on the bottom and a spoonful of the filling.  Roll it up and place into a baking dish large enough to accommodate all four enchiladas.  Repeat this process until you’ve made four enchiladas.  Spread the salsa over the top of the enchiladas– be generous as a lot of it is absorbed by the tortillas while baking.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops and sides are bubbly.

On the side, we have an ear of corn and some mango and avocado salad.  This salad was so easy to make and so refreshing.

I started by dicing up one mango and one avocado and about 2 leaves of romaine lettuce.  Mix with fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro and S&P.  Voila!

We had some romaine salad mix about to turn brown and yucky in the fridge, so it turned out to be a salad for dinner night. Matt typically doesn’t eat salad as the main component of a meal because he doesn’t find them to be super filling, and I thought I could fix that by topping it with some beans and other taco fixings.

My intent was for the tortilla shell to hold it all, but our tortillas were much smaller than I realized and it turned out to be more of a garnish. To make them, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of the tortilla with canola oil and drape over an oven proof bowl. Put the bowls onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortilla is golden brown.

The salad is just the bagged romaine and some chopped cucumber. I put a generous topping of refried beans on top of the salad base. The beans were made exactly the same way as I made them before, except that I added in some garlic when I sauteed the onion and jalapeño and I thinned it out with some veg stock after mashing. These were some delicious beans! On top of the beans, I put a bunch of jarred salsa, dollop of Tofutti BTSC, some chopped avocado and tomato, and a sprinkle of cilantro. The salad wasn’t dressed at all, as the idea is that the beans, salsa and toppings combine to make a dressing for the salad. It was really, really good and will definitely be on the list of regulars around here.