Ginger Couscous

I made this as a quick lunch this week. It only took about 15 minutes to make and it was really yummy. I  really like couscous although I don't eat a lot of it & now I am starting to wonder why! This was filling but didn't leave that heavy feeling regular pasta leaves.

1 C Couscous
1 tbsp water for cooking
1/2 onion chopped
4 mushrooms
handful of spinach
2 garlic cloves
2 pieces of inch long ginger
Tamari to taste
*This is one serving. If making for two just add more veggies & couscous.

Add equal parts of water to couscous, bring to a boil and simmer until al dente (about 5-8 minutes). In a pan add onions, mushrooms, garlic and ginger and cook through. Add in a little bit more water & spinach. Cook until spinach is steamed well. When couscous is done (water is absorbed) drain and top with a some tamari & top with vegetables. You can also add in some tofu if you like!

Grilled Zucchini Cakes

I tried zucchini cakes in a restaurant about a month ago and have been thinking about this recipe since then. I was looking for a way to make these fairly easy to make & not too battered. After the first bite Chris turned to me and said "These are amazing! This is the kind of stuff that make's people want to be vegan".  I have to admit these did turn out to be like a party in my mouth so I am really excited to share this recipe! This will definitely be a new favorite of mine & it would also be good in little bit sized pieces as a finger food at parties & will definitely be a highly requested item in our house in the future!

1 medium zucchini
2 medium large potatoes
1/2 red pepper diced thinly
1/2 red onion diced thinly
3 Tbsp corn meal
3 Tbsp whole wheat
1 Tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp cajun spice

Peel potato wash zucchini well. Shred them & wrap in towel. Squeeze excess water out & put in bowl

Add in diced pepper & onion & mix well

In a separate bowl add corn meal, wheat & parsley together then mix into vegetables

Scoop out with hands and pat into tight cakes. Fry for about 10 minutes until golden brown

Top with a slice of feta cheese & serve!

Stir-fried Vermicelli Noodles

This recipe & really versatile because you can pretty much add or take out any vegetables or protein you want. I just use whatever is in my fridge at the time. It really only takes about 5 minutes to prepare everything & then about 10  minutes to cook everything.

1/2 package thick vermicelli noodles
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 block firm tofu
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1/2 yellow and green pepper chopped
1 carrot chopped
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 inch piece of ginger (optional)
2 garlic cloves (optional)
Soak noodles in hot water

Season diced tofu with garlic powder & fry in pan until golden

Mix soy sauce, vegetable oil & a little bit of water & set aside

Add sesame oil to pan & saute vermicelli for about 2 minutes until cooked until tender

Set aside. Add in vegetables, cooked tofu, garlic, ginger & stir-fry sauce. Cook until veggies are done

Top vermicelli with veggies & serve!

Garlic & Lentil Soup

Another soup :) I love this one because the lentils are so filling and there are no starches like pasta or potatoes to fill it up. It's very simple ingredients and really easy to make!

3 garlic cloves minced
1 large onion
Kale-about 4 Cups chopped into bite size pieces
8 cups water or vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste

Add broth and lentils

Add kale in last few minutes

Saute garlic & onion in a few tablespoons in a pan over medium heat until translucent. Add lentils & water & boil until lentils are cooked. Add in kale in the last 10 minutes.

BBQ Tofu & Veg Kabobs

The early signs of spring get me craving a good BBQ! Although this means I get to make less soups it also means I get to enjoy the taste of a good BBQ! One challenge I had when I went vegan was BBQ's. It seemed everyone was throwing their piece of meat on & that left me thinking about what I could make to fill the void of that "big piece of meat" on my plate. So I tried all the veggie "meats" but sometimes I wanted something that was not sandwiched between bread (sausage, hot dogs, burgers etc). So one of my favorites if just BBQ'd tofu. It's really easy. Take some firm tofu & cut it in wedges. Press it with paper towel to absorb the water. Marinate with Italian dressing & any spices you want & throw on a hot BBQ. Cook until it is crispy on the outside & you are done! Same goes for the vegetable skewers. Just put raw veggies on a skewer, marinate in the fridge for a few hours with Italian dressing and spices (also add lemon juice if you want) and cook on the bbq until crispy!

YUM!!!!

Ginger Carrot Soup

This soup is hearty and healthy & low in fat so it's a great addition to any meal or as a light supper. I was surprised how easy it was to make. It was from "the Vegan Table" recipe book. I think if I were to make it again I would maybe add some red lentils to make it thicker and and higher in protein.

2 tablespoons water for sauteing
2 medium sized onions
2 tsp chopped garlic
8 carrots peeled & cut into circles
2 medium yellow potatoes peeled & quartered
2 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 sp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 C water or vegetable stock


Add 2 tbsp of water to pan & heat. Add in onions and garlic & saute until translucent. Add more water if pan gets too dry. Add carrots, potatoes, ginger, salt and enough stock to cover the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium and cook until you can pierce vegetables with a fork. Transfer mixture to a food processor and blend until it's pureed. Add back to heat and cook for another minute or two adding more salt to taste.

Chocolate Cake

I made this for Chris birthday this weekend! I am not really a sugar lover so I rarely bake. In fact, I have only made one other cake before and it turned out a bit dry. Since I would be serving it to many non-vegan friends I really wanted this to be a hit! I went to the grocery store thinking that buying a box mix would be safe & then I could just use egg substitute in the recipe but as I stood in the aisle reading the ingredients I just couldn't do it! The thought of buying a box mix for my hunny's birthday! What would he think? Well he probably wouldn't care but I would! I just love seeing the fulfilled look on people's faces after a great bite! So I put the box down and went home. I had all the required ingredients at home anyways and it can't be that hard right? It was actually so much easier then I thought! I don't even know why I considered a box, this recipe was so FAST to make!
So what was the carnivore verdict? It was a big hit! In fact, it was DELICIOUS! So I just couldn't keep this recipe to myself!

Cake:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar
Frosting:
1/2 C vegan butter at room temperature ( I use Earth Balance or Becel Vegan)
3 C icing sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp soy milk or more if it's not blending well

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the dry cake ingredients-flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients-water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar, and again, mix well together

Pour into 8 x8 cake pan & cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Meanwhile beat the icing ingredients together until it's creamy. If needed add some more milk to help the consistency

Frost the cake! If the icing is hard to spread warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds. If it's at room temperature it will frost better

I don't have a picture of it after we iced it because of how we decorated it (It was an adult theme) but I assure you that the pictures do not do it justice! It was amazing!