Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

From: veganyumminess.com  Author: Lindsay Rey

In my quest to make a grilled cheese sandwich to go with my tomato soup, I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  The cheese was very good! It's the consistency of Velveta cheese...just much healthier and tastes better! :) I put it in the refrigerator for an hour to thicken up.  I will say, it is very messy.  I didn't mind.  I dipped it in the tomato soup recipe on my blog and it was fabulous!!  I have a lot of the cheese mixture left over.  I will make macaroni and cheese out of it tomorrow night!

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups peeled and finely diced potatoes (i used Russets, but yellow work as well)
1/4 cup peeled and diced fresh carrot
1/3 cup peeled and diced onion
2/3 cup water (preferably from pot of cooked veggies above)
1/2 cup raw cashews (pre soaked for a few hours if not using a high speed blender)
1/4 cup coconut milk (lite or full fat)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 loaf vegan french bread, or vegan bread of your choice
Vegan butter (I used Earth balance) or coconut oil for grilling sandwiches.

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring several cups of water to boil.
2. Place prepared potato, carrot, and onion into the boiling water, and cook until potatoes are fork tender, or about 10 minutes.
3. While your potatoes, carrot, and onion are cooking, place ⅔ cup water (preferably water from your pot of cooking/cooked vegetables), cashews, coconut milk, yeast flakes, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder into your blender. Blend on high until everything is creamy smooth.
4. When potatoes are fork-tender, place potatoes, carrot, and onion into your blender--using a slotted spoon to avoid adding excess water to your cheese.
5. Blend everything on high until smooth.
6. You can use this cheese as is (pretty warm) to make your grilled cheese sandwiches, or you can place it in the fridge for a few hours or days to cool and thicken up slightly--which makes a less messy grilled cheese sandwich. If you're like me, you don't mind ooey gooey all-over-the-place cheese, and the hot stuff works just fine.
7. Slather your cheese sauce on 2 thick slices of bread, slap 'em together, and brush the outsides of your sandwich with either coconut oil (or other heat-safe oil of your choice) or vegan butter. (I use Earth Balance, generally.)
8. Place your sandwich in a preheated pan or griddle on medium heat. Usually, my sandwiches only need about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side to be nice and crispy. Check your first sandwiches frequently, as they can burn quickly without warning.

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

From: veganyummies.com  Author: Lindsay Rey

I was on the hunt for a delicious tomato soup that didn't contain any dairy.  I found it in this recipe!!  This is delicious!!  Everyone in my family loved it.  I made this along with the vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.  A perfect combo meal for a chilly December night!  I doubled the recipe so that I would have leftovers.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 cup diced onion
1 large clove garlic,  minced
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided, optional)
1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for a few hours, if you are not using a high speed blender) I used
  my Vitamix blender and did not soak them.  It came out perfect.
1/2 cup water
4 1/2 cups stewed tomatoes (three 14.5 ounce cans)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Instructions:
1. In a pan, saute onion and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil for 1-2 minutes, just until they are soft and fragrant

2. Place cashews and water in blender. Blend on high for about 30 sec or until the mixture is fairly smooth and creamy. If you need more liquid, add a cup or two of your stewed tomatoes and blend again until all the cashew pieces have disappeared.

3. Add your sautéed onion/garlic and remaining stewed tomatoes to blender and blend until smooth.

4. Pour blender contents into a saucepan on medium to medium-high heat. As soup begins to simmer, stir frequently to prevent lumpiness and burning.  Simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until soup color has darkened slightly.

5. Add remaining ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, coconut milk, granulated sugar, dried basil, and salt to your saucepan.

6. Taste for salt and serve immediately!

Not-Tuna Spread

From:  The Starch Solution
By: John McDougall, MD

Ok...I'm so bummed that I forgot to take a picture of this!!  It is DELICIOUS!  Don't let the name scare you.  I will post a picture when I make it again in several days.  This is so good that my teen daughter requested I make it again.  I tripled the batch and ate it for lunch all week.  I topped it with avocado slices to add extra protein and it was great.  It tastes delicious inside a whole wheat pita.  Also, I added more than the 1/4 cup of tofu mayo.  Just put enough in for your liking.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Tofu mayonnaise
     *1 package (12.3 ounces) silken tofu, drained in a fine mesh strainer
     * 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
     *1 tsp granulated sugar
     *1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp mustard powder, 1/8 tsp white pepper
     *Combine all of the above in a food processor and process until mixture is completely smooth.
       Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a week

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until COARSELY chopped, or mash with a bean masher.  You do NOT want this smooth so go easy on processing.  Place in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix well.  Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

From:  Clean Eating Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

*As a mom of 3 teenage kids, I'm always looking for healthy snacks.  All 3 of my kids loved this!  I was so excited...I will make this easy recipe again.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, but I deleted it since I don't eat dairy and am trying to limit my kids dairy intake.  

Ingredients:
2- 15 1/2 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  I buy organic.  Drain and rinse well.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (I did 2 because we love garlic)
1/2 tsp sea salt (I will use 3/4 tsp next time...I think they needed a touch more salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
-Spread chickpeas on several layers of paper towel and let dry for 30 min

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add chickpeas    and toss to coat.  (If you are using cheese, add the cheese into the bowl as well)

-Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and crispy.

*This is a great snack for a road trip, seeing a movie, after a workout, or any other time when you need a healthy snack!

Breaded eggplant

This was my first attempt at eggplant.  I loved it and so did my husband and kids!  I will definitely make it again.  I followed the directions but ended up turning the oven up higher and cooking longer to get it nice and crispy.  It tasted liked it has been cooked it oil but it was much healthier being baked. j

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
1 10 ounce bag organic bread crumbs (I couldn't find these so I used italian bread crumbs)
2 cups Bob's Red mill Organic whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups organic soy milk (I used plain almond milk since I didn't have soy milk)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (I cooked mine on 475 because I couldn't get it crispy at 400).  Put parchment paper over a pizza stone or cookie sheet (they recommend a pizza stone).  You can peel the eggplant before you cut it if you prefer.  (I washed mine with vegetable wash and left the skin on-it tasted great).  Cut it into 1/2 inch rounds.

Get 3 wide shallow bowls.  In one bowl whisk the milk and dijon mustard.  In the second bowl, put the flour and in the 3rd bowl, put the bread crumbs.

First, flour the eggplant.  Then, dip it in the milk mixture coating both sides.  Lastly, put in the bread crumbs and coat both sides.  Place on the parchment paper and spray generously with olive oil.  Turn each slice over and spray other side.

It says to bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  I baked 10 minutes then flipped each piece over and baked another 8-10 min depending on when they got lightly brown.  You want them crispy..not mushy.

**I cooked whole grain pasta and put 2-3 slices of eggplant on top of the noodles and topped with my homemade marinara sauce (recipe on blog)

**This recipe made a ton!  Next time I will only make half this amount because I didn't like the leftovers.  They did not reheat well.  

Marinara

This is my mom's homemade marinara recipe.  I usually double the batch when I make it so I have lots of leftovers to freeze.

4 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes
5 cans tomato paste (small cans)
1 large white onion
4 tsp italian seasoning
2-4 tbsp dried basil (If i have fresh basil in my garden then I use that instead)
2-4 tbsp parsley (I normally use fresh italian parsley but dried works as well)
1-2 tsp oregano (I use 2)
package of sliced mushrooms
1-2 tsp kosher salt (I use 2)
1 tsp pepper
4 large garlic cloves minced


Heat onion and garlic in large pot with a tbsp of water to keep the onion from sticking to the pot.  When the onion is softened (2-3 min)  add all the above ingredients.  In addition, mix approximately 1-1 1/2cups water in to reach desired thickness of sauce.  Simmer for 3 hours or more with lid off or it becomes too watery.  Stir periodically.  Taste sauce and season accordingly.

**If you have a crockpot, put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.  The sauce comes out perfect!  No need to sauté the onion and garlic beforehand.  Just throw it all in and turn it on.


Use it on top of your favorite noodle.  I used it on top of my baked eggplant...everyone loved it!

The BEST vegetarian chili in the world!!

From:  All recipes.com

**I've made a lot of chili recipes before, but this one is the best!  It is so tasty and hearty.  I forgot to take a picture of it so you will just have to trust me on this one! :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4ounce) cans chopped green chili peppers, drained
2 (12ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles (I omitted the meat and loved it)
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (I used diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can of each: kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, and whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt.  Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers.  When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot.  Season chili with chili powder and pepper.  Stir in the beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.  Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

**I did NOT do the above cooking method.  I used my crock pot.  If you have the time, I highly recommend it because it was so easy.  I omitted the oil and put all the above ingredients (minus the meat since I didn't want the meat in it) into my crock pot.  I put the crock pot on low for 8 hours.  Before serving, discard the bay leaves.  Top with diced green onions and avocado...yum!  This is a hearty meal and so healthy.  Make sure to rinse your beans prior to putting them in the crock pot...this removes the extra sodium.  Enjoy!

Superfood Salad with lemon vinaigrette

By: Iowagirleats

**Love this salad!!  My family liked it as well!  I will make this again soon!

Serves 5:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 orange, peeled and segments chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate worth)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

lemon vinaigrette:
2 lemons, juiced (1/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
dash of sweetener (agave syrup, stevia, white sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

directions:
1.  Cook quinoa according to package...cool
2. Make lemon vinaigrette.  combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake to combine.
3.  Combine cooled quinoa with all ingredients.  Pour vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine.  Serve cold or room temp

Vegetable and Chickpea Ragout

From:  Self Magazine by Wendy Giman

*I doubled this recipe since it only serves 2.  It was very good!  My whole family liked it.  I added chicken sausage to my husband and son's since they eat meat.  They really liked the meal.  It was a delicious one pot meal that I will make again!  

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup onion and garlic mix (see below)
1/2 cup broccoli and red bell pepper mix (see below)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
4 artichoke hearts in water, drain and quarter
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup whole wheat penne, cooked

Onion/garlic mix: Finely dice 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic.  Heat a heavy skillet over high heat.  Saute until soft, approx 6 min.  I saute using vegetable broth...not oil.

Broccoli and Red bell pepper mix:  Finely dice 1/2 head broccoli and 1 large red bell pepper (seeded and cored).  Heat a skillet over high heat.  Cook until vegetables are soft, approx 3 minutes.

Simmer tomatoes, chickpeas, onion and garlic mix, broccoli and red bell pepper mix, salt, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot until liquid reduces by half, about 20 minutes.  Add artichokes, peas, and olives: cook 10 min more.

Rotini and Black Bean Salad

From:  Pasta Salad Cookbook by Barbara Lauterbach

I followed this recipe but also varied it quite a bit.  I noted in blue writing what I did differently.  This is another salad that tastes better over time since the flavors get stronger.  Also, another good one to pack in my kids lunches.  I doubled the recipe when I made it so we'd have leftovers.

Ingredients:
8 oz whole wheat/whole grain rotini pasta
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can black beans
1/2 c. cherry tomatos (I used roma tomatos)
1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/4 c. chopped green onion, white parts
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh cilantro (I used an entire bunch)

*First of all, I doubled the recipe above.  Then, I added 1 red bell pepper, 1 bunch cilantro (instead of 1 tbsp), 1 tsp cumin, several dashes cayenne pepper, & garlic salt to taste.  I also used more beans and corn than it called for. In addition, double the dressing recipe.  As the pasta sits, it absorbs the dressing.  You need to add more prior to serving.  I grilled chicken breast to put in the salad for the family members that eat chicken.  If I would've had fresh spinach, I would have put that in it as well.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on box.  Rinse with cold water and drain.  Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and garlic in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then, whisk oil in until dressing thickens.  Add beans, corn, onion, chives, cilantro, bell pepper, etc. to the pasta.  Pour dressing over pasta and toss.  Add cubed avocado to pasta and fold in.  Refrigerate at least an hour or longer before serving.

Cowboy Caviar

I have a thing for bean salads....love them!  If you like the other bean salad I have on my blog, then you'll love this one! I eat it as a salad or serve with organic blue corn tortilla chips for an appetizer.  This is another great salad that my teenagers take to school with them for lunch.  It lasts several days in the frig.

Prep time: 15 min

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tsp hot sauce, optional (I did one tsp...wasn't too hot at all)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

"caviar"
1 can, 15 oz, black eyed peas (I had a hard time finding these!  Finally found at Sprouts in the Eden Organics line)
2 cups tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cups fresh corn kernels (or thawed from frozen) (I used 1 cup frozen corn and 1 cup canned white shoepeg corn since I didn't have enough frozen)
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl.  Add "caviar" ingredients and mix gently.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.  Serves as a salad, or as a dip with tortilla chips.  Makes 12 1/2 cup servings.

Basic Vegetable Stir Fry

Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

Serves 2 (I doubled the recipe)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 6 ounce can water chestnuts, drained
1/4 plus 2 tbsp Chinese Brown Sauce (see below)
1/4 cup cashews, toasted (bake in oven on 350 until lightly brown.  Approx 10 min)

Chinese Brown Sauce: (I doubled the recipe)
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable stock (I used vegetable broth)
1/4 cup date molasses or brown rice syrup (I used molasses...it just said molasses not date molasses but it tasted great in the recipe.  I couldn't find brown rice syrup)
2 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp arrowroot powder (this was hard to find and expensive! McCormick makes it...I couldn't find any other spice brands that sold it.  It was $8 at Fry's)

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add the onion, broccoli, snow peas, and water chestnuts, and stir fry for  4-5 minutes.  Add water 1 to 2 tbsp at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.  When the broccoli is crisp-tender, add the Chinese brown sauce and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Serve garnished with the toasted cashews.

**I altered this recipe a bit.  First I used the frozen stir fry vegetables from Costco just to save time.  I also added tofu and yakisoba stir fry noodles to the dish.  I seared my tofu first and then set it aside.  Then, I made the sauce.  I then cooked the vegetables.  When the veggies were almost done, I added the noodles and sauce.  I cooked it until it was warm and then tossed in the tofu so it was coated as well.  The dish was delicious!  My entire family loved it!  Two of my kids don't eat tofu so they had organic chicken breast on theirs.  Adding the noodles and tofu made it a one pot dish.  Also, the sauce is delicious....I prefer it over sugary teriyaki sauces.  I will make this again.  

McDougall Veggie Burger

This recipe comes from McDougall's "The Starch Solution".  It is a great veggie burger that doesn't fall apart. I topped mine with avocado, onion, mushrooms, and lettuce and tomatoes from my garden.  It made 12 so I baked them all and then I am freezing the leftovers.

20 ounces firm tofu, drained
1 package (12.3 ounces) silken tofu, drained in a fine mesh strainer
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp veg worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
whole wheat buns and condiments for serving

Preheat oven to 350.  Have 2 non stick baking sheets.

Combine the drained firm and silken tofu in a food processor and process until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the bowl.  Transfer the tofu to a large bowl and mix in the oats and spinach.

Put the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 cup of water.  Cook over med heat, stirring frequently, until the onion softens and all of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 12 min.  Add the onion-mushroom mixture to the tofu mixture, along with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika, lemon juice, and pepper.  Mix very well, using your hands if you wish.  (The mixture is very sticky)

Use moistened hands to shape the mixture into 12 1/4 patties, arranging them on the baking sheets.  Bake for 20 min, flip the burgers, then bake them for 20 min on the other side.

Serve the burgers warm.

*To reheat frozen burgers, put in microwave for 2 min or on a dry griddle for 5 min.

Asian soba noodle dish

Today I was struggling for what to make for lunch.  I didn't want another salad!  The problem with eating plant strong is you get tired of salads.  So I grabbed a bunch of stuff from the frig and went to work.  Turns out, I made a yummy dish that the whole family loved.  Quick, easy, and nutritious...now that's my kind of meal!

Soba noodles (I use the organic soba noodles from Costco-3 packets)
shelled edamame- 1 1/2 cups
Spinach-3 cups
Shitake mushrooms-1 1/2 cups (you can substitute portobello mushrooms as well
Chickpeas-1 can organic chickpeas rinsed and drained
Teriyaki sauce
Vegetable broth
chili paste (optional-if you like spicy)

Heat the soba noodles in pan with vegetable broth.  When they are heated through, add the edamame, mushrooms, and chickpeas.  Add teriyaki sauce-just enough to coat everything.  If desired, add 1 tbsp chili paste.  In separate pan, saute spinach with a little vegetable broth just until wilted.  Mix spinach  with noodle dish once noodle dish has simmered for 10 min.  Serve in bowls.  Serves hungry family of 5.

Banana Bread muffins....delish!

Another tasty muffin from Happy Herbivore cookbook.  Instead of making it a loaf, I did muffins.  Easier for me to serve to my kiddos and also better portion control!  Enjoy!  I love these muffins before a workout, or for a healthy snack when my kids are craving cookies. :)

1/4 c. non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
4-5 spotted or browning bananas (I use 4)
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. raw sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Optional ingredients: 1/4 tsp almond extract plus 1 tsp of cherry extract (I added cherry extract.  I didn't have almond)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or spray a standard 8 in loaf pan or use muffin liners if you are making muffins
2. Whisk the non dairy milk with lemon juice-set aside
3. Cream bananas with both the sugars using a spatula until smooth and creamy.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk spices, flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.
5. Add milk/lemon juice and banana mixture to the flour mixture.  Add remaining ingredients and just stir until just combined
6. Pour into loaf pan or muffin cups.  If doing loaf, put a tent of foil over pan
7. Bake for 45 min to an hour for loaf or 18-20 min for muffins.  insert toothpick to make sure it comes out clean to know when they are done.