Yum Belly

This is a perfect meal for kids!

I am a cheese lover, so I was a little skeptical on whether the vegan cheese sauce would be any good, but it was really yummy!!

Nic loves his dishes to be really saucy, and this dish definitely was…the sauce it was cooked in had a little kick to it, and then it was topped with the flavorful cheesy sauce! Yum!

I doubled the recipe to feed us throughout the week.

Tempeh Helper
Makes 4 roughly one cup servings (serves 2 if you’re super hungry)

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz tempeh
3 cups water
6 oz small shell pasta, or about a cup (I used quinoa pasta)
A handful frozen peas, about 1/4 cup

For the seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 teaspoons arrowroot or corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Have a lid at the ready because you’ll need to cover it at some point.

Drizzle the oil in the pan and tear the tempeh into bite sized pieces, adding them to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes, until tempeh is lightly browned. In the meantime, mix the seasoning together in a mixing bowl.

Add a few tablespoons of water to the tempeh to deglaze the pan. Add the 3 cups of water and seasoning mix, giving a good stir to get it all mixed in. Add the pasta and cover. Bring the heat up to a boil. Once boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Remove the lid, and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened to your liking, usually about 3 minutes. Taste for salt.

Serve topped with Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce.

Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce
Makes 2 cups

3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/8 ground turmeric
2 tablespoons broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Add nutritional yeast, flour, garlic, onion flakes, salt, turmeric and broth powder to a bowl and mix together. Add 2 cups water and use a fork to mix and beat out any big lumps. Once relatively smooth, pour into a 2 quart sauce pot. Turn heat up to medium high and stir often for about 5 minutes. Once boiling, bring it down to a slow boil. It should start bubbling and thickening. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it has a thick, smooth melted cheese consistency.

Mix in mustard and taste for salt. Serve hot or warm.

(Source: theppk.com)

We used to go to this real deal Vietnamese restaurant in Houston that had these amazing tofu sandwiches with cilantro, shredded carrots, fresh jalapeño, and sriracha served on a baguette.

But I’d rather not drive into town every time I’m craving one, so we have made our own version a time or two. This time, I decided to try this recipe I found and it was delicious…I won’t lie, a bit time consuming, but worth it.

I especially loved the lemongrass marinade for the tofu-might even use it for a stir fry some time! By the way—grating lemongrass is not easy! I ended up throwing them in the food processor—took 30 seconds rather than 30 hours!

We had it with an H-E-B recipe for Asian Slaw—-seriously tasty!

Bánh Mì with Lemongrass Tofu
Makes 2 sandwiches

2 (8-inch) baguettes

Do chua (pickles)
1 cup julienned daikon
1 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Tofu
6 to 8 ounces extra firm tofu (half a standard package)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 bulbs lemongrass, minced
1 clove garlic, minced

Spread
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Optional: Maggi seasoning sauce or soy sauce

Additional fillings and garnishes
1 medium cucumber, sliced lengthwise
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
Small handful cilantro

For the do chua (pickles)
In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, vinegar, and water. Add daikon and carrots and toss. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Drain completely before using. (Note: The measurements given are guidelines; feel free to adjust the sugar, vinegar, or salt to your own taste.)

For the tofu
Cut tofu into 1/4-inch thick slices and press between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to rid of excess water. In a shallow dish, combine soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, lemongrass, and garlic. Place tofu in dish, gently coat slices with marinade, and arrange so they overlap as little as possible. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp on each side.

For the spread
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and cilantro. Add Maggi or soy sauce to taste, if desired.

To serve
Slice baguettes lengthwise, leaving one side as a hinge. Spread mayonnaise on top and bottom halves. Arrange fillings and garnishes: cucumber, do chua, tofu, jalapeño, cilantro.

This is a perfect meal for a kid! Miles loved it and the lentils added a nice source of protein…plus, I snuck in some spinach in the sauce and he had no idea!

Miles’ bowl:

For the Cheesy Tomato Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 24 oz. cans crushed tomato with basil
1/4 cup cashews, soaked (see note)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the Mini Meatballs:
1 clove garlic
1 small onion, peeled (tangerine sized or equivalent)
1 1/2 cups cooked green or brown lentils, rinsed, drained (a 15 oz can is fine)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup seasoned store-bought breadcrumbs

For everything else:
1 lb anellini pasta (or small pasta of your choice)
Olive oil for pan frying

To make the sauce:
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Sautee onions in olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic about a minute more, then mix in the black pepper, oregano, salt and brown sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted. Add the tomato sauce, cashews and nutritional yeast, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Now puree the sauce until smooth. It’s easiest to use an immersion blender. You can also use a blender or food processor, blending in batches. Once it’s smooth, keep warm in the pot until ready to use.

To make the mini meatballs:
We’re going to use the food processor fit with a metal S blade for most of the work here, so it should come together pretty quickly. First toss in the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Now add the onion and pulse until minced. You don’t want any big pieces or they will ruin the texture of the meatball.

With a plastic spatula, transfer the onion/garlic mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside. It’s okay if some remnants are left, just try to get most of it.

Now in the food processor, pulse the lentils, nutritional yeast, wheat gluten, soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil and water. Once everything gets mixed well, puree them until totally smooth, scraping down the sides to make sure you get everything.

Combine this mixture with the onion mixture and add in the breadcrumbs. Mix really well with your hands for about 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Roll the meatballs into cherry sized balls, I got 32 meatballs out of this. This goes very fast if you keep your hands clean and dry (I was averaging one meat ball every 10 seconds.) Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and pour in a thin layer of olive oil. You don’t want to crowd the pan, so pan fry in two batches. You should be able to tilt the pan and have all the meatballs roll around and get coated in oil, cooking until browned (no more than 5 minutes.)

Transfer first batch to a baking pan, cook the second batch, and transfer all meatballs to the baking pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan every once in awhile to toss the balls so that they cook evenly.

To assemble:
Boil the pasta while the meatballs are cooking. Drain pasta, and add to the sauce. When meatballs are ready, add them to the sauce as well. Toss carefully with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the meatballs. Serve!

My bowl:

(Source: theppk.com)

These tasted like peach cobbler in a muffin! I can’t think of anything better!

To keep it simple, I bought frozen peaches and sliced them up in the food processor after they were thawed. I wanted them finely sliced, but not a puree.

Brown Sugar Peach Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffin perfection with a hint of spice, lots of juicy peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. This recipe is plenty versatile, I can see using strawberries or mango and switching the spices up to suit your fruit.

2 1/2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1 teapoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped peaches (leave skins on or not, whichever you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, almond milk, vinegar, canola oil and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until mostly combined. Add the peaches and combine until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

Scoop batter into muffin tins, they will hold their shape a little bit if you use an ice cream scoop. The batter should almost fill the entire tin. Sprinkle one or two teaspoons of brown sugar on top of each. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, or just flip them up in the tin to cool, as shown above.

(Source: theppk.com)

Obviously, everyday is meatless at my house, but I’m hearing of a lot more families going meatless on Mondays, and I think it’s a great way for meat eaters to cut back! 

I realize that some of the recipes that I try are an acquired taste and many carnivores would turn their heads to, but here is one where meat will definitely not be missed.

Cheesy Taco Casserole

2 c cooked rice (cook 1 c dry rice with 2 c water for a 2 c rice yield)

1 jar salsa (I used a 12 oz jar of salsa that was corn and bean based, not red sauce based.  Use something you like or have on hand)

optional: 1/2 c to 1 c diced veggies such as carrots, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, onions (whatever you’d add to tacos)

optional: 1 can beans (red, black, pinto, etc.)

2 tbsp taco seasoning (about 1/2 packet of commercially prepared taco seasonings, or the whole packet if you want extra taco flavor)

1 c sour cream (8 oz)

2 c shredded cheese + 1/2 c

Directions:

After cooking the rice, combine all the other ingredients with the rice in a large bowl and stir until combined.  Pour mixture into a foil-lined 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 shreeded cheese on top.  Bake at 375F for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until cheese and the top is beginning to brown.  If you added extra beans, veggies, or your salsa was watery, this could lengthen cooking time.

Allow casserole to rest and cool for about 10 minutes to make slicing easier.

Yields: 12 hearty squares of casserole from the 9 x 13 pan.  Store leftovers in fridge or freeze squares in individual sized containers in the freezer for your a homemade, fast, “tv dinner”.

(Source: )

We actually did have this meal during Mardi Gras, but I’m just getting around to posting it.  As I’ve said before, my grandparents were both from Louisiana, so I enjoy a good cajun meal every now and then. These red beans have just as much flavor as any beans I ever had with meat in them before I was a vegetarian.

Vegetarian Red Beans

1 chopped Vidalia sweet onion

1/2 large bell pepper chopped

4 cups vegetable stock

1- 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp. cumin

hot pepper sauce to taste

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fresh chopped italian parsley

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 large red bell pepper

4 cans natural organic red beans, drained and rinsed (I slow cooked these all day, so I used one bag of dried red beans)

1 tsp. Creole seasoning (I use Slap Yo’ Mama for obvious reasons)

salt and pepper to taste

1 sprig of thyme

Cooked brown or white rice

Since I slow cooked these all day, I just threw all the ingredients in a large pot, brought to a boil, then lowered the heat and simmered for about 4-5 hours.

(Source: realcajunrecipes.com)

These were really tasty. I’m not usually a fan of mango mixed with salty stuff, but the spicy mango sauce added a lot of good flavor, and it was super easy to make—just throw all the ingredients in a food processor and press start!

My problem with veggie burgers is always getting them firm enough to eat on a bun, and these were a bit messy, but this is definitely a recipe I’ll keep around…kind of like a Sloppy Joe, or these would also be great in a pita or tortilla.

Her recipe makes sliders, but I just made regular sized patties and I doubled the recipe so I’d have some to freeze for an easy lunch or dinner for Miles.

Black Bean Patties

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, finely chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I find it’s easier to form bean patties when the beans are mashed, so I put about 3/4 of them in the food processor and pulsed a few times)

1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced or shredded (about ½ cup)

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup water

Spicy Mango Sauce

1 mango, peeled and cut

½ cup sun dried tomatoes, whole or sliced

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Guacamole

3 avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
¼ cup salsa fresca
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 to 15 mini buns or dinner rolls

(Source: chefchloe.com)

This makes a great side dish and a great way to get kids to eat some veggies! Plus it has some added nutrition from the nutritional yeast and you can’t even taste it!

8 cups cauliflower florets
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

(Source: vegetariantimes.com)

When I was shopping for Valentine gifts for Miles’ teachers, I found these super cute cupcake boxes and knew that would be the perfect way to say thanks to them for putting up with my crazy little monkey!

My fellow vegetarian friend, Lauren, came over and we put on some good music, drank some wine, and put on my grandmother’s old vintage aprons and had a cupcake party! 

This recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes

2/3 cup soy milk (I use almond)

1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/3 cups all-putpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

I added some red food coloring to be festive!

1. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 325.

2. Mix the mil and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl; allow to sit for a few minutes to curdle. Beat in agave, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth. Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean; don’t over bake or cupcakes will be dry.

3. These cupcakes need to cool at least an hour before topping or filling, and also to develop flavor and texture properly.

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted if clumpy

1 12 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer (I use almond)

Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes more. Add the vanilla and milk, beat another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

I have to say, we were pretty darn proud of ourselves after four hours of being in the kitchen!

These tacos were uuuunnnnbelievable! Meat eaters, don’t be scared to try! I don’t even think you’d miss it especially if you’re looking for a way to cut the fat!

They were a little spicy, which is totally fine by me, but Miles still really liked it. He actually likes spicy food probably because I ate it so much when I was pregnant.

Ancho Lentil Tacos

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (from about 1 cup dried)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Cholula)

Spice mix:
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt

First combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Also, keep a cup of water within reach, you’ll need to add splashes as you cook.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add spices and toss them for 30 seconds or so to toast.

Lower heat to medium, add lentils, a few splashes of water, tomato paste and hot sauce; use a spatula to mash them a bit as they cook, until they hold together. If your spatula isn’t strong enough to accomplish this, just use a fork. Do this for about 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as necessary if it appears dry. Taste for salt and seasoning; you may want to add more spices or hot sauce. And that’s it, time to serve!

Thanks to the Post Punk Kitchen for this one!

(Source: theppk.com)