Archive | February, 2011

Quinoa Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash Sauce (gluten free)

27 Feb

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what “new” vegetarians and vegans eat before they realize that they haven’t compromised anything in their dietary habits and that there is an abundance of food available to them. Until I went vegan, there were foods I avoided simply because I didn’t know how to cook them and didn’t want to risk buying something “gross” or “weird.” All I can recall eating excessively in the beginning was pasta and sauce because it was easy, satisfying, and didn’t require much thought or preparation.

Well, as they say, old habits die hard and sometimes you just want to eat something simple and satisfying that doesn’t come out of the freezer section at the store. And sometimes, as they say, you want to feed to birds with one scone and make something simple with just a touch more class. So here’s my new take on the pasta and sauce staple. It’s 100% gluten-free, meat/cheese analog free, and goes well served with sauteed kale and broccoli. The sauce recipe makes a little over one standard store-bought pasta jar of sauce so, if you don’t use it all up at once, you will have plenty for leftovers!

Mango-Blackberry-Coconut French Toast

12 Feb

Did I go on a tropical island getaway? No, not so much. Just another Saturday morning in snowy New Hampshire. Saturday mornings have become all about getting up to make a big breakfast, leaving the dishes for later, cuddling with the dog, catching up on Dexter, and not “officially” getting out of bed until noon. Now all I need is someone to come make this for me so, I don’t have to get up at all. Until then, here’s a quick recipe that won’t take away too much of your laze time and proves you don’t need dairy or eggs to have a delicious breakfast. What more can I say about french toast? Oh yeah: It’s freaking delicious!

Go ahead, have it with a mimosa. You deserve it. It’s the weekend. Continue reading

Curried Asian Sweet Potato Lentil Stew: Two ways!

12 Feb

About a month ago, my wonderful newly vegan mother (I’ll never tire of saying that), in an effort to help with my cooking endeavors, cooked a massive amount of brown lentils. And then a few weeks after that, she bestowed me with an Asian sweet potato. Mothers. What would we do without them? Starve, probably. Anyway, since then, I’ve been saving lentils in my freezer not exactly knowing what to do with them. Since I’ve never been a fan of lentil soup, I thought that would certainly be out. But then it occurred to me, that the reason I’ve never liked lentil soup wasn’t because I didn’t like lentils, the flavors just never appealed to me. So, I decided to get creative and play with the flavor of my favorite cuisine, curry, and this is what came of it! Continue reading

S’mores Pops!

4 Feb
Now all you need is a flashlight and some ghost stories.

It’s been snowing like crazy this winter and it’s seriously making me feel like summer is never going to get here, let alone spring. One of my favorite activities every year is camping and canoeing with friends along the Saco river in Maine. It always ends up being a memorable time, and part of that good time and any camping trip is: the s’more. So, in a fit of nostalgia and wishful thinking I decided to make a version of the delicious, gooey dessert treat you would eat on a sandy bank along the river or in the deep dark woods of bear country. And let’s face it, who doesn’t like eating food on a stick? It’s virtually mess free! That being said, this is a great treat for kids! Continue reading

Tofu Vegetable Quiche with Herbed Crust

2 Feb

Look Ma, no eggs! That’s right. It’s another quiche recipe, this one is bigger and more badass than a mini quiche can ever hope to be. I’ve got way more things going on this week than there is time in a day so, I have to make sure my mind doesn’t wander to the kitchen when it should be studying. Solution? Make a massive quiche and eat quiche for dinner all week. Why the heck not? While most young whipper snapper college students are eating pizza, I’m the old lady who’s enjoying a delicious quiche because “it’s kind of like pizza.” And it is, except it’s a lot healthier.

Anyway, here’s a tasty, savory, eggless dish that’s sure to make your life a lot easier and your dinner guests amazed that it you could accomplish a quiche without eggs. Quiche is not only time efficient and delicious, it’s flexible too! Add whatever vegetables you want, or omit the ones you can’t stand. The crust recipe is arranged, but adapted from the Healthy Happy Life blog. My only issue with this recipe is that the crust isn’t as soft as I would like it to be. I used sorghum flour which can be pretty rough stuff once it’s baked, but softens up nicely over time (read: leftovers). Even if you have a gluten allergy, I recommend using other flours (bean or oat will probably be fine).

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