Amazing Veggie Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

    1 can diced tomatoes
    1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
    1 finely chopped onion
    1 chopped zucchini
    1/2 a chopped eggplant (optional)
    1/2 teaspoon cumin
    1/2 teaspoon cardamom
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    olive oil or extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed if available)
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
    1/4 cup chopped coriander
    250g of any Italian pasta (spaghetti, shells or spirals)

Directions:

1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add onion.  When onion has been fried for a few minutes, add zucchini and put the lid on.

2. Boil some water and add the pasta.  Keep an eye on it while doing the other steps and remember to turn it off and drain when its done.

3. When zucchini has cooked and onion has browned add mushrooms. Mix the crushed garlic with a tiny bit of olive oil and add to the fried vegetables.  Stir in the coriander and once the mushroom is completely cooked turn the heat off.

4. Add the can of dried tomatoes and cooked pasta.  Add the spices and stir until the sauce is hot.

ENJOY!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Delicious Eggplant with Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

    2-3 Chinese eggplants (long thin eggplant)
    1 can coconut milk
    4 minced garlic cloves
    1/2 sliced red onion
    1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
    5 fresh basil leaves (shredded)
    oil for sautéing
    mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

1) Slice the Chinese eggplants with a diagonal cut into 1/2-inch thick round slices.  Its important to use Chinese eggplants -- regular eggplants take a long time to cook and are not as sweet as Chinese ones.

2) Heat a wok or saute pan with some oil (approx. 1 tbsp) at medium-high heat.

3) Add onions, garlic and ginger.  Saute for approx 2-3 minutes.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Try adding a dash of nutmeg as well -- it really brings out the flavour of the red onion.

4) Add approx. 3-4 tablespoons more oil to the pan, and add the eggplant.  Saute until the eggplants become soft with still some hard spots.

5) Add 1 can of coconut milk.  Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer.  Add shredded basil leaves.  Simmer approx.  10-15 minutes so the sauce thickens and the eggplants are entirely soft.  Add salt + pepper to taste.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve with hot steamed rice (Basmati is very good with this dish).  This is one of my favourite dishes to make -- and so easy!  Enjoy.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

source of recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8791.0

Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nondairy milk
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg equivalent, prepared (ex. EnerG Egg Replacer)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

2. In a separate bowl combine nondairy milk, water, peanut butter, egg replacer, and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.

3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.

4. Grease a hot griddle. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons worth of batter onto griddle; cook for 1 minute or until golden on griddle side. Flip over and cook for another minute or until golden on both sides.

5. Top with favorite syrup, fresh fruit or jam.

Makes: 12 to 14 pancakes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Source of recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=39969.0

Strawberry Tofu Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 block (about a cup) soft silken tofu
1/4 cup maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Use as a dip for sliced fruit.

Serves: lots

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Fajita Paella

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice
3 cups water
1 pound firm tofu, cut into strips (defrosted from frozen)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
2 packets generic fajita seasoning (check vegan-ness)
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons paprika seasoning
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
salt to taste

Directions:

Find your biggest skillet or Paella-pan. Chop tofu into small cubes and fry in 1 tablespoon oil until golden and brown. Chop the peppers and onion into rough strips, and mince the garlic. Add all of the ingredients to the tofu, give it a good stir, find a suitable lid, and cook on medium low for 20 minutes. No stirring necessary.

Taste some of the rice to ensure its cooked thoroughly and seasoned to your taste, and then serve with some warm crusty bread or some side vegetable.

Makes 4 main-dish servings, or 8 side-dish servings.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes

source of a recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9120.0

Vegan Apricot Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 3 mini loaves

Ingredients:

3 T. ground flax seeds, also known as flax meal
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely ground cashews
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/3 cup plain soy milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh apricots

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the ground flax seeds and water in a small cup, mixing until well combined and goopy. Lightly oil 3 mini loaf pans and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, ground cashews, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the soy milk, lemon juice and oil until well combined. Add the wet ingredients and the flax seed mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chopped apricots until evenly distributed.

3. Portion the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf emerges clean. Allow bread to cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold

Addictive Kale and Vegan Italian Sausages

Ingredients:

2 vegan sausage links (Tofurky Italian recommended)
1 onion
1 large head of kale
sea salt (to taste)
red pepper flakes (to taste, I like it spicy)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat a large pot on medium with olive oil. Slice onion in half to root then thinly slice it. Put in pot with small amount of water. Cover while cooking.

Slice Sausage and toss that in with the onion.

Rinse kale and pull leaves off of the tough stem. Onion and sausage should be cooking good by now. Put all the kale on top of the sausage and onion. Sprinkle salt and red pepper. Cover again. Cook until kale is cooked through to taste. yummy

Serves: 2 (or one big one)

Preparation time: 20 min


Source of recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8445.0

Vegan Red Risotto with Baby Greens

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of cooked white rice
10 oz. of favorite tomato/pasta Sauce + 1 oz. of water
1 green pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 portabello mushrooms
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of white cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag of spring mix baby salad greens
oregano

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet--burner should be on medium. Mince garlic; chop green pepper, onion, and mushrooms into bite size pieces. Combine veggies and garlic; place mixture into pan with heated oil in 1/4 amount increments. After all of mixture is in pan, let saute for roughly 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in vegan wine and stir. Cover with a pan lid and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Spoon in cooked rice and mix together. Pour in tomato sauce, mixing well with rice. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to heat and stir mixture until creamy--if you need to add a little water or oil to reach a tasty consistency, please do!

Arrange baby greens on a plate and top with thoroughly heated risotto. Shake on some oregano onto plate and meal for presentation and a dash of flavor.

This is great with garlic vegan bread!

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30-45 minutes

Source of recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9091.0

Sesame UnChicken Fingers with Spicy Mustard Dip

Ingredients:

2 packages chicken style or regular seitan
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil for frying
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup dry mustard
2 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Spectrum)

Directions:

Spicy Mustard dip:

In a saucepan, combine the mustard, vegan sugar, and salt. Add the vinegar and dissolved arrowroot, blending well (its very important that you dissolve the arrowroot in the water *before* adding it. Otherwise, the mixture will get lumpy). Cook 2-3 minutes on low, stirring constantly with a whisk or fork, until the mixture thickens. Remove to a small mixing bowl, and refrigerate 10-15 minutes, then stir in vegan mayonnaise, mixing thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Store in refrigerator. Should keep for several days, if not longer. Note: you can use less mayo or more mustard if you like the sauce spicier.

Sesame Seitan:

Slice the seitan into narrow strips or fingers. The thinner and smaller the pieces, the crispier they will get, but I haven't had a problem burning or undercooking them, so you don't need to worry too much about precision here. Combine the flour and sesame seeds (which you can toast lightly, if you like) in a shallow bowl, and dredge the seitan until coated. I find that packaged seitan holds the coating well without additional liquid, but if its not sticking, you can dredge the seitan in a little plain soymilk first, and then coat it in the flour mixture.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan. Depending on the depth of your pan, you might need more or less oil; the important thing is that the seitan can be submerged so that all sides brown evenly. When the oil is super hot, carefully place a few of the coated strips at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). (To test the oil for hotness, I usually just drop in a teeny broken off piece of the coated seitan and see what happens. The oil should bubble up all around it, but it won't splatter if you use pure oil and a clean pan.) Again, fry to your own taste, but I find that the longer you leave the strips in, the crispier they get. Remove the fried strips from the oil with a metal spatula or slotted metal spoon, and place on paper towels to absorb the extra oil. (You can blot gently, as well.) Repeat until all the seitan is fried. Serve with the mustard dip. You can eat the strips hot, or you can let them cool to room temperature.


Serves: 2-4

Preparation time: 30 min.

Vietnamese Noodle Soup (Pho Chay)

Ingredients:

6 cups (1422 g) water
6x4 in. (12 g) piece of kombu
6 dried (22 g) shiitake mushrooms
2 whole anise stars
2 whole cloves
1 in. piece ginger cut lengthwise
1 medium onion, sliced (110 g)
1 lb (454 g) fresh vegetables: carrots, pak choi, yu choi, nappa cabbage and scallions
1/2 teaspoon salt (1163 mg sodium)
1/4 cup (64 g) soy sauce (3040 mg sodium)
2 seitan steaks, sliced (320 g)
Rice noodles, cooked
Optional condiments: fresh basil, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and bean sprouts

Directions:

1) Soak the kombu and mushrooms in the water for at least 3 hours. Remove the mushrooms; slice them and add them back to the pot. Heat the water; when its almost boiling remove the kombu and discard.

2) Place the anise and cloves in a tea infuser. Add the: tea infuser, ginger and onions to the broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, lightly steam the vegetables in a large sauce pan. Use a small amount of the broth for liquid. Salt the vegetables.

4) When the broth has finishe'd remove the ginger and tea infuser. Add the soy sauce and seitan. Turn off burner.

5) Place noodles in individual bowls. Top with vegetables and add hot broth. Soup should be eaten hot; if it isn't hot enough heat it with a microwave.

6) Add condiments if desired.

Serves: 10

Preparation time: 4 hours (including soaking time)

Vegan Shamrock Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup non-dairy vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
4 to 5 drops green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to food processor or blender. Blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy the creamy mintyness.

Makes: 1 serving, Preparation time: 5 minutes

Soymilk Mayo

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soy milk (I use Silk original at home, and Trader Joe's unsweetened at work)
3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, or lemon juice (I prefer vinegar)
1 tablespoon dijon or yellow mustard (not grain mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
2/3 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons canola oil, if needed

Directions:

1. Start with soy milk directly from the fridge. Pour in the vinegar, and let it sit for a minute or so. It'll get a little chunky. This is a good thing.

2. With a stick blender, blend the soy milk mixture well. If you don't have a stick blender, use a regular blender. If you have neither, please go and get one, as this requires the high speed of the blender to get the emulsion going.

3. Once the soy milk and vinegar are well blended, plop in the mustard. Blend well. Add the salt. Blend well. Essentially, you're starting to whip some air into the emulsion, and making sure that the initial emulsion is very strong, to stand up to the oil.

4. Then, 1 teaspoon at a time (for the first 3 teaspoons), add the 2/3 cup oil while blending. If you have a stick blender, move it around a bit. Then, add the remaining oil (of the 2/3 cup) in a steady stream, while blending the whole time.

5. In total, it should come together in about 3 minutes. Keep the stick blender moving continuously through the emulsion to get it completely combined. If the mayo is too runny, add the reserved 4 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it's to your desired thickness. Chill.

If you substitute olive oil for canola oil, make the mayo a tiny bit more runny than you think you'll want it, because olive oil sets up and thickens in the fridge. This mayo keeps for about a week.

Source of recipe
(just replaced milk with soy milk)

Tofu Dill Dip

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu (silken best)
2 tablespoon dill weed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2-4 clove garlic
1 tablespoon miso (mellow)
2-4 tablespoon finely minced onion
water

Directions:

Put all ingredients into blender and blend well. Add water until it is desired consistency. Let sit for flavors to blend.

I use approximations...this isn't a hard and fast recipe. Put in as much or as little as appeals to your individual tastebuds. I find silken tofu is best, regular still tastes good, but the finishe'd product isn't very smooth.

Can be used over a salad, to dip veggies in, or as a topping on potatoes. Has a somewhat sour cream taste to it.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 10 min

Perfect Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

1 egg replacer (I used 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons hot water)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use almond)
1/2 cup oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix flaxseed meal and water, and let sit for 10 minutess. While waiting, sift together dry ingredients.

2. Combine egg replacer, milk, and oil in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to this mixture and stir until just moistened.

3. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 minutes.

I just sprinkled cinnamon on top before baking, but you can make some really yummy icing using powdered sugar and nondairy milk, or roll muffins in melted earth balance and then in a cinnamon sugar mix for extra sweetness.

Source of recipe: This recipe was modified from this one: http://www.food.com/recipe/cinnamon-muffins-25969

Makes: 9 muffins, Preparation time: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10-12 mins

Black Olive and Caper Pasta Sauce

Ingredients):

2 14.5 oz cans of stewed tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 can of black olives, sliced
1.5 oz of capers [1/2 standard 3+ oz.bottle]
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
Oregano, basil, Black Pepper and Red Pepper to taste
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of vegan sugar

Directions:

Sautee garlic and onion until transparent. Then add capers into the olive oil and further sautee. Add the cans of tomatoes, crushing larger pieces. Add olives, vinegar, vegan sugar and all other ingredients.

Cook 1/2 hour uncovered and 1/2 hour partially covered.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

4 burrito-sized flour tortillas
cooking oil spray
1 11-ounce can corn
1 pound ground soy "meat"
1 1/2 cups chunky-style salsa
1 teaspoon each: chili powder, cumin, ground annatto (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves
2 green onions, white and green part, sliced
2 small avacados, sliced just before serving

Dressing:
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350F. Push a tortilla into an 8-inch cake pan or other small pan to make a bowl shape. Spritz lightly with cooking oil spray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Repeat with other tortillas. Set aside.

Set oven to broil. Drain corn well and spread on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Broil 2-3 inched from heat for 5 minutes, or until corn begins to brown, stirring frequently.

Stir together soy "meat", salsa and spices in a sauce pan and heat.

To assemble salads, place 1 tortilla bowl on each of 4 plates. Toss together 3 tablespoons of dressing with lettuce and green onions and add to bowls. Put salsa mixture in the center of the lettuce, and top with corn and avacodo slices. Spoon more dressing on top.

Serves 4

Note: The dressing is very good with asian-inspired salads, too.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times.

Cranberry Orange Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
2 clementine oranges, separated
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

2. In round cake pan, mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Make a well in the center.

3. Add orange juice, vegetable oil, orange zest, vanilla, and ginger.

4. Add clementine pieces and cranberries; mix until just thoroughly mixed.

5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.


Source of recipe: Modified by picky vegans recipe

Makes: 8 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

Use your favorite graham cracker or cookie crust. The basic idea is 25 sandwich cookies (oreo style, any flavor) crushed with 1/3 cup margerine and 1/4 cup sugar. Chop it up in the food processor then press it into the bottom of an 8" springform pan.

Preheat oven to 350.

You'll need an 8" springform pan (as noted above) and a watertight 10" pan (I use my spaghetti pot) to use as a water bath. Spray 8" pan with oil.

Ingredients:

2.5 packages (8 oz each) vegan cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 T ener-g egg replacer dissoved in 3/4 cup water (this is not according to ener-g package directions)
1 package (2 cups measured) chocolate chips, melted
3/4 cup whipping cream (Rich's or Silk coffee creamer)

Combine cream cheese and sugar in bowl. Beat with electric beaters on medium until fluffy. Add vanill, egg replacer (dissoved in water), and melted chips, beating well after each addition. Add cream, beat well.

Put 8" pan into 10" pan. Pour batter into 8" pan. Fill 10" pan with water half way up the sides of the 8" pan.

Bake 1 to 1.5 hours until the cake rises and starts pullng away from the sides of the pan. The middle will be shiny but will not look set. It's fine, take it out. Let it rest on the counter until it's cool enough to remove the 8" pan from the 10" pan. Then (here's the part that kills me) put the cake in the frige for at least 12 hours, preferably 24.

Top with whipped cream if desired. The Soy Whip that you whip yoursef (sold at Pangea) is really good.


This recipe is adapted from the Delicious Choices recipe book.

Orange Chicken Style Tofu

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
hot cooked rice, to serve

Directions:

1. Saute tofu in 2 tablespoons oil until browned. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute garlic and green onions in remaining 1 tablespoon oil until garlic is golden.

2. Add water, orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.

3. In a small cup or dish, mix together cornstarch and water until thoroughly blended. Pour cornstarch mixture into sauce, stirring constantly.

4. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sauce thickens to your liking. Remove from heat and combine with tofu until completely coated. Serve over rice.

Use more or less cornstarch mixture depending on how thick you like your sauce. You can also add ginger if you like that flavor. Or orange peel or orange juice concentrate for more orange flavor. Enjoy!

Makes: 1-2 servings depending how hungry you are
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Banana Popsicles

Bananas halved
Stick in popsicle sticks (optional)
Dip in: soy milk, soy yogurt, jam, or butters (peanut, almond, etc).
Roll in: wheat germ, flaxseed meal, carob chips/powder, or chopped nuts.

Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze. Eat. Enjoy.