Chilled Asian Noodle Salad

Because I love pasta I of course love salads even more than have some starch in them! I found this recipe on Pinterest from Alchemy Baking, but didn’t have all the ingredients so I adapted it slightly. It turned out delicious!! The mixture of the salty soy sauce in the dressing, along with the tangy rice vinegar and limes, and the sweet agave nectar with the chilled veggies and ramen noodles was just a great combo. This salad is great as a side or as a main dish. I was craving BBQ chicken so I made that as a side, even though it didn’t really seem to go together but they actually tasted good together.
Ingredients for Salad:

• 1 packet ramen noodles cooked, tossed in olive oil, and chilled (just the noodles, trash the powder)
• 1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped or torn
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 package shredded carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded or sliced
• 1/3 bag baby spinach, chopped thin

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 1/3 c. rice vinegar
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1/8 c. soy sauce
• garlic salt
• 1/4 c. agave nectar (to taste)
• juice of 1 lime

I altered the ingredients to the salad (I think she had bean sprouts and nuts in it and used linguine) and in the dressing I didn’t use any sesame oil or ginger, added lime juice, and swapped agave nectar for brown sugar. Honestly the dressing is so good you can just chop up whatever veggies you have and mix them with this dressing.

Once you combine all the salad ingredients, mix with the dressing. I didn’t end up needing all the dressing (would have been too saucy) so add it slowly. Chill before serving!           

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Seared Asparagus with Homemade Chili Garlic Butter

I love making flavored butter for dishes, especially veggies. Asparagus doesn’t seem to need too much additional flavor but the chili was a nice kick.
Here’s what you need: Chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and any kind of butter (3-4 Tbsp). I used Smart Balance. I love it because it’s dairy free and also because it is easy to work with and spreads nicely out of the fridge. (Also you need asparagus ;)
Instead of cutting off the ends, I like to snap them where they naturally break. After washing just quickly grab some of each bunch and snap away.  Once cleaned and snapped, set aside.

For the butter, I like to scoop with with my tablespoon to know how much I’m using. 

Place the butter in a small bowl or dish. (Kind of looks like ice cream ;)

Then add 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt and 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp of cayenne powder (depending on how hot you’d like it).

Next mash the butter with a fork and then whip until creamy.   

  Then turn it out onto saran wrap and roll into a log. Place in the freezer until you’re ready to cook the asparagus (I usually make it last thing before a meal is ready to serve so it’s fresh!).
Once it’s chilled, slice it in pats.
Place several pats in a pan over high heat. Once melted and when the pan is hot, place asparagus into pan. Cover and sear for 5-7 minutes until asparagus is bright green.  
Plate and serve with more butter on top.

Perfect with some chili-garlic steak and parsley cream mashed potatoes. Tutorials on those coming later this week.

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Fresh Corn & Avocado Salad

I found this recipe from Authentic Suburban Gourmet. It is the PERFECT salad for summer! I cannot tell you how fresh it tastes. Just make it. Every BBQ or party I’ve taken it to it’s been a total hit and people are scarfing it down. It’s healthy and it’s delicious. So nice to have some healthy options at summer parties or picnics. And because it’s meat free, dairy free, grain free anyone can eat it.

Here is her recipe. My only advice is don’t use all the dressing or it will get a little too soggy at the bottom (and  dress it right before you’re going to eat it).
Also, I doubled the recipe for a large BBQ and omitted the Feta cheese.
Ingredients:
5 Ears Corn, husk removed, brush with olive oil and grilled, remove corn with sharp knife
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry variety or equivalent
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 ½ C. English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice
Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cilantro Vinaigrette
6 T. Olive oil
2 T. vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper
Add all of the above ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning and ratios of oil and vinegar as you desire. When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.

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Vegetarian Chili (with Fritos & veggies)

I love chili mixed with veggies. For some reason the fresh veggies with the heavier feel of chili tastes great (maybe it’s just the really cold Minnesota winters that make me crave chili?). This meal is great for my husband too because it feels hearty to him even though there’s no meat. I make my chili in the Crockpot, spoon it over Fritos and add diced tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, and either Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Omit the yogurt/cheese and you have a great vegan dinner too.
Vegetarian Chili:

• 1 onion diced
• 1 can kidney beans (including liquid in can)
• 1 can white beans (including liquid in can)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 can corn
• 1 heaping tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp (or a bit less) cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

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Vegan Veggie Sandwich

Bread, hummus, avocado, veganaise, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, spinach. And if you have the time, grilled onions. A staple for lunchtime around here!

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Vegan Banana Bread

I liked this so much I honestly thought it was better than my traditional “Sour Cream Banana Bread” with eggs, butter, and of course lots of sour cream. I adapted this from a vegan carrot cake recipe.

• 1/3 c. Earth Balance, softened
• 1/2 c. packed organic brown sugar
• 2/3 c. organic raw cane sugar
• 1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 c. unsweetened almond or soy milk (vanilla or plain)
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c. mashed banana
• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg

Cream Earth Balance and sugar. Add remaining wet ingredients. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and slowly add to wet mixture. Pour into greased bread pan and cook at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

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Vegan Black Bean Burgers

This has become a new staple in our house—so easy, delicious, and full of protein. Here is the recipe:

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, well drained
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Sautee the onions till soft, about 3-5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth. Add sauteed onions and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, adding the flour a few tablespoons at a time to combine well. Mixture will be thick.

Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm.

I make homemade rolls for buns (using my peasant bread recipe below), slather guacamole on top, and then serve with lettuce and tomato. Great served with salad and/or sweet potato fries.

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Homemade Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite quick meals is homemade tomato sauce with pasta. Whenever I have extra tomatoes that are starting to go soft, I quarter them, throw them all on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, basil, and salt & pepper. Then I roast them under high heat (450) for about 15 minutes, then puree them in my VitaMix. You can also add a little cream, but with or without he cream there are not words to describe how delicious fresh tomato sauce tastes compared to jarred sauce. Mitch and I cannot get enough of this meal. Next time you have some extra over-ripe tomatoes , try it!
Here’s a recap of how to do it; chop and roast tomatoes:
I use my VitaMix instead of my Cuisinart to process because it’s quicker for me, but I’m sure either would do. Pulse quickly so it doesn’t get too pureed and add extra salt to taste.
Pour over pasta and enjoy.

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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

I made these using my French peasant bread recipe(below). It has become my staple bread recipe for rolls, bread, pizza dough, and now cinnamon rolls. I’ve tried a lot of other kinds, but this dough always tastes best!

On the dough I used a combination of brown cane sugar/cinnamon and Earth Balance for the filling. For the frosting I used Tofutti non-cream cheese, Earth Balance, sugar, vanilla, and soy milk.

French Peasant Bread

- 2 tablespoons or packets of yeast

- 2 cups warm water

- 2 tablespoons agave nectar

- 2 tsp. salt

- 5 1/2 c. flour (when making bread it tastes great to use half white flour and half wheat flour)

Combine yeast and water. Mix until incorporated with dough hook. Add sugar to activate yeast. After adding 1 cup of flour, add salt, and then continue with remainder of flour.

Once combined in mixer, remove and knead into a large ball with hands. Let rise on greased cookie sheet for approximately 30 minutes – 1 hour. Punch down dough, divide into two large balls, and place onto cookie sheet dusted with corn meal.

Let rise again for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Brush with olive oil then bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes; then turn down oven to 375 and bake for 7-10 more minutes. Take bread out of oven and immediately brush with more olive oil and sprinkle with cracked sea salt or Kosher salt.

When making the cinnamon rolls, let dough rise, then roll out with cinnamon filling. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

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Whip up Something New: March, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Make them today. They are amazing.

Makes 3-4 pans mini muffins or 2 pans of regular muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe bananas
• ½ cup oil
• 1 cup unrefined white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ginger
• ½ cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 2 cups vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cream oil and sugars together
2. Incorporate mashed bananas into wet mixture
3. In a separate bowl combine and mix dry ingredients
4. Add to banana/sugar/oil mixture, alternating with the soy milk
5. Add chocolate chips (optional) and mix until incorporated
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-16 minutes (mini muffins) or 20-25 minutes (regular muffin size)

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Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

When it’s hot out I find it hard to bake… without getting a bit too sweaty. I found a couple recipes for this online and combined them to make a nice summer treat.

Ingredients: 2 cans coconut milk, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 1/2 c. sugar. Whisk together until sugar is fully incorporated. Pour into ice cream maker for 20 minutes, then freeze for 2 hours. I have yet to try this with light coconut milk, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t be as good.

Because I need chocolate in my desserts, I love to make my great-grandma’s hot fudge recipe to pour on top. (This is getting really unhealthy.)

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