TVP Tacos

I have to say this is not your typical post for me, but then again it hasn't exactly been a typical week for me either. Life is moving fast and I've taken it by the horns and done the best that I can to mold it into something that revs my engine and makes life palatable. 


Well, there wasn't too many groceries in the house and I needed to bulk up on some protein in anticipation of tomorrow's 5k.  I have to say as simple as this is I'm quite proud of myself for whipping up this little ditty.


All I did was prepare the TVP (which easily replaces ground meat in ANY recipe) according to the package directions and stirred in some taco seasoning. Then I warmed up a tortilla and added some vegan cheese and salsa. BAM. Dinner! Of course adding a sliced avocado and some fresh lettuce would have added some greens but that's for when you actually have groceries. :)


Ole! 

"Say What" Brownies

Sundays around here are spent whipping up stir fries from leftover veggies from the weeks past meals, and sitting as a family around the small breakfast table. Watching the leaves on the trees change and reminiscing about events past and laughing about funny moments. It's when dad and daughter eat home made brownies and watch boxing matches together. Bobbing and weaving our heads with the boxers and gasping when the  fight ends 4 rounds in....it's about family. 

"Say What" Brownies....

(From my Kindle book....Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson)

OK you are going to read parts of this scratch your head and think bad thoughts...but I didn't tell my dad what was in this and he practically ate half of the pan. 

1.) In a food processor combine :

1 cup of washed and rinsed black beans (you read correctly)

1/2 cup of sugar

3 TBS canola oil.

Blend until completely smooth. 

2.) Add: 1 ripe banana, 2 TBS instant coffee (I didn't have any so I substituted wheat germ), 2 tsp vanilla, 4 TBS of cocoa. Mix to blend.

3.) Transfer this to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine with 1/2 cup of unbleached flour, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt. 

4.) Fold in chocolate chips.

5.) Pour into a greased 8in square pan and bake at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes. 

***The recipe I was reading forgot to mention the addition of the cocoa, so I never added it and it just tasted more banana bread like. I ended up making a glaze with a little bit of melted chips, butter and cocoa powder for the top. I also couldn't find my square pan and made it in a round dish. The recipe also says to chill it before slicing...I couldn't wait that long....****

Pasta, Potatoes, Green Beans and Basil

Hello world. Remember me? Your ol pal Hunk? I haven't left I promise, I've been here, eating bowls of cereal, quick boxed Indian dishes, stir fried veggies and rice and chips and salsa. But today ladies and germs, I actually cooked. Thanks to my lovely folks I was blessed with a Kindle for my birthday. On said Kindle I downloaded a fabulous cookbook called "Cheap Vegan" or something like that. Through an odd accident of sorts I became a semi vegan. I won't boldly claim that I am one. Cause I've cheated far more times than I 'm proud to admit but I'm trying. I give myself credit for that. Living in a non vegan world, being with non vegan friends and family, it's all an excuse but heck it's hard. Yes, I know that cows are suffering for my 5 to 10 minutes of pleasure. Cut a girl a little slack. So, today I used my thriftiness,  my oddly right combination of ingredients and a fabulous new book to create a dish even my Nebraska Beef born and bred father ate....and enjoyed. I made some substitutions along the way but it still worked.

Pasta Potatoes Green Beans and Basil 

1.) Start boiling about an inch of water in a small pan. 

2.) Meanwhile slice a pound of potatoes. (The recipe calls for standard white, all I had was small red and gold-it worked).

3.) Lightly simmer said potatoes for about 5 minutes with the lid on and the heat turned down to simmer. 

4.) Add about a cup of fresh green beans to the potatoes, re-cover and simmer for another 6 minutes or so.

5.) Get your pasta water rolling now. Fill up a pot about 2/3 full of slightly salted water and bring to a boil.

6.) Remove your potatoes and green beans and drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Return to the pan and cover to keep warm. 

7.) Start cooking the pasta, the recipe calls for rotini or fusseli, I used bowtie and the world didn't end.


8.) Now it's time to make your sauce. Here's where I got creative, I just bought a mixed bag of nuts and carefully plucked out the needed cashews and accidently threw in macadamia nuts. In the food processor grind until fine about a 1/2 cup of cashews.


9.) Add 1/3 cup of water, 2 TBS of olive oil, 1 tsp of onion powder, 2 cloves of garlic, zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon,1  TBS nutritional yeast (yeah didn't have that so I used wheat germ) 1 cup of soy milk (I used coconut-it's all I had) , 2 TBS dried basil and a pinch of salt. 


10.) Pour the whole mixture on top of your pasta and mix with the potatoes and green beans. Top with fresh basil and enjoy!

Grilled Margherita Pizza

First off I usually am not a fan of Hallmark holidays, but I've been known to make exceptions. Today is one of those days. My Dad is the rock of my family, plain and simple. My families life was  turned completely on it's head over 5 years ago, we're still getting back on our feet. I could probably write for days about how amazing my Dad is. Anyway, we don't buy gifts anymore, just remember to sit down and cook a nice meal for each other. Today that meal was a grilled margherita pizza and steamed artichokes. 

Margherita Pizza

1.) To make the sauce in a food processor combine a can of diced tomatoes, one tomato seeded, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 TBS olive oil, and 3 cloves of garlic. 

2.) Roll out your favorite pizza dough. (I used dough from Trader Joe's) Place the dough on a pizza stone that has been dusted with corn meal. 

3.) Place the stone on the grill that has been heated to about 450 degrees. 

4,) Let the dough cook for about 10 minutes or so. 

5.) Once the dough has cooked up a bit, move it to the middle of the grill off the heat. 

6.) Load up the ingredients-spread the sauce, spread mozzarella cheese, top with diced tomatoes and sliced basil, sprinkle with a little more cheese and drizzle with olive oil. 

7.) Let it bake for about 10 minutes. The time is really dependent on your grill so just watch it until the dough is cooked through and the cheese has melted. 

*P.S. Love you Papa Bear.*

Veggie Tostadas

No excuses...it's been far too long my friends...far too long. Too many nights of cereal, granola bars and the previous days leftovers.  This simple meal is perfect for lazy Sundays. 

Veggie Tostadas:

On a tostada layer the following. (yup that easy)


1.) Salsa
2.) Warmed black beans
3.) Guacamole
4.) Shredded lettuce
5.) Cheese (I used chihuahua) 
6.) Tempeh (seasoned with taco spices and warmed on the stove)


(You can also add cilantro and sour cream)


Nothing creative or fancy.  Yet, simple and delicious. 

"Is Summer Here Yet?" Salad

So I've just arrived home from a very long trip and am so grateful to have a home cooked meal. I like eating out on occasion but it gets wearing. Never in so short a span have I paid sooo much money for such ridiculously bad bad bad food. Seriously. Well, I was in Florida the last couple of days (please don't ask) where it was suppose  to be sunny. Alas, it was not. Have you seen a monsoon? Yeah I was in one on the day that I was at a theme park. But, again I've gotten away from the real point of this blog. This salad is one I make when I want to pretend like I've cooked but actually haven't done much at all. It's more a summer time recipe but when it's gloomy out I make it to remind myself that summer is coming....soon...very soon....(It's also one of the few leaps of faith that I took and created myself. yay me! )

"Please Be Summer Salad." 

(All of this gets tossed in a bowl and then placed on top of salad greens...FYI)

1.) Drain:

1 can of Mexicorn salad

1 can of tomatoes with chili peppers (or use fresh and aren't lazy like me)

1 can of black beans (well rinsed)

2.) Chop:

1/4 of a red onion

1 small yellow pepper

2 celery stalks

A small bunch of cilantro

3.) Sautee:

Soy chicken breast (or the real kind)

4.) Sprinkle:

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of celery seed 

A dash o sea salt.

5.) Serve with fat free Catalina dressing, Mexican blend cheese and tortilla strips or crushed Dorritos.

Kale Lasagna Diavolo

OK-this definitely didn't turn out like the picture in the magazine but it sure as hec made my taste buds sing. I'm a little over due on this post. This menu was actually from an amazing Sunday with my best friend from college. I don't know anyone else who would spend their entire Sunday with me running around making a huge a mess and cooking for 8 hours. I honestly don't know what took us so long. I think it was all the gabbing and interruptions. Or the hand mixer from 1983 that made the worse machine noise I've heard in eons. Like a mini volcano gas bubble exploded in its tiny engine heart. The meal was overall well balanced and made me stop looking for heaven. I  found it, surrounded by my family and sweet beautiful food. 


Kale Lasagna Diavolo  (From Vegetarian Times Magazine-January/February 2011)
(Slightly adapted of course...the list looks daunting but it's really simple I promise!!!)


** I made my own tomato sauce-if you want to skip this step just use a jarred variety that you like and hop to step 3.***


1.)  For the sauce-in a large pan place 8 tomatoes-quartered and 5 sprigs of basil chopped. Let simmer for about ten minutes until fork tender with the lid on-check to make sure they don't scorch. Run this concoction through a food mill to remove the seeds and pulp/skins. 


2.) Since I don't own a food mill-I ran it through the food processor. It was really watery so I added 2 TBS of tomato paste and a slurry of water and cornstarch. To cut down on the acidic taste I threw in a pinch of sugar. I also seasoned it with sea salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. I let this simmer while I was making the rest of the meal to let it thicken.


3.) Thoroughly wash one bunch of kale and remove the base of the stems. Place in  pot with 2 inches of boiling salted water.


4.) Simply blanch the kale for 2 minutes or until it turns a bright green. 


5.) Drain and run under cold water. Wring (yes like a towel) out the kale until almost all the moisture is removed. Chop fine and season with salt and pepper. 


6.) In a bowl combine 1 container of ricotta cheese and a small container of goat cheese. 


7.) If not using no cook lasagna noodles, cook 6 pieces-until al dente, rinse and dry. (I sense a laundry theme here)


8.) In a small skillet warm enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Lightly sautee 4 cloves of minced garlic. Add 1/2 tsp of red pepper  flakes. Stir this mixture into the tomato sauce. 


9.) Pour a small layer of sauce in the bottom of your lasagna pan.


10.) Add a layer of noodles, top with cheese, add a layer of kale and top with sauce. Continue in this way, ending with sauce and fresh grated  Parmesan.


11.) Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is heated through.


12.) Allow the pasta to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Rosemary Garlic Bread:

(Adapted from-http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/best-bread-machine-bread/Detail.aspx)

1.) In the bread machine add 1 cup of warm water (not to hot , lest you kill your yeast buddies), 2 TBS of sugar (they need to eat) and 1 pkg of yeast.


2.) Allow to proof for about ten minutes.


3.) Once the mixture is nice and foamy add 1/4 cup of oil, 2 cups of bread flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 tsp of salt, a dash of olive oil, 2 TBS of rosemary and  3 cloves of fresh minced garlic.


4.) Press start on the whole wheat cycle and walk away.


**Since I substituted whole wheat flour we had to check the moisture level of the bread mid way through. It was a little dry so we added about a 1/4 cup of water**




The night was rounded off with a White Velvet Butter Cake and Italian Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting.....nirvana...

Granola Bars

When a store closes down it not only makes my town look more and more like a ghost village but it also entails me spending far too many hours and far too much money. I'm beyond geeked because, yes i blew part of my paycheck on it,  but I got some AMAZING books today. Knowing all of this you'd think I'd be jumping to bake something fabulous, well sadly my boring semi-busy little life ran me around today. That and my warm covers were far more inviting. I'm very excited to start baking though, the book by the amazing Julia Child is calling my name and certainly not helping me get away from the "Julie and Julia" label I've come to develop. Alas, it's a shadow I can't run from I suppose. Anyhoo...today. Despite my tired body yelling about setting another alarm I am going hiking tomorrow. I decided it would only be appropriate to bring along some granola bars. Of course, I've tweaked the recipe but the base comes from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/playgroup-granola-bars/Detail.aspx.

Granola Bars:

1.) In a very large mixing bowl combine:

2 cups of old fashioned oats

1/2 cup of dark brown sugar

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

1/2 cup of wheat germ

1 TBS of cinnamon

1/2 cup of unbleached white flour

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1 tsp of nutmeg

3/4 tsp of salt

1/4 cup of cocoa powder

2.) Lightly beat 1 egg

3.) This is the messy/fun part....in the middle of the mixture add the egg, 1/4 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of oil, 1/2 cup of PB, 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. (I also added PB chips because I had some to use up).

4.) Mush all of this together with your very clean hands. 

5.) Wash those messy hands now.

6.) Lightly spray  a 9 x 13 pan .

7.) Spread the mixture into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

8.) Let cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars. When completely cool, either store in the pan or remove to a container and seal tightly.

**You can replace part of the oil with applesauce to make these healthier. You can also change the mix ins. If you aren't in a chocolate mood then you can add nuts and dried fruit or whatever your heart desires.**

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

People should not be allowed to have birthdays the day after I've worked for 12 hours. Not allowed. I was wracking my brain for what I could feasibly make on a tight budget and tight timeline.  I give you this cookie that needs very little tweaking. It's basically an excuse to eat chocolate and PB. The first batch was a little dry so I added about a TBS and a half of milk. That's the only change in my posting of this recipe. This is the only time that I will use the  generic PB. The natural variety is fine on sandwiches but you lose the creaminess and oil content of the generic brands. Funny because this morning I was just reading an article about different varieties of PB. Yes, I'm a dork who reads about PB first thing in the morning.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Cup-Cookies/Detail.aspx

PB Cup Cookies

1.) Unwrap a bag of PB cups. Place in a glass bowl and then into the freezer. A bag of 40 or so will work fine. 

2.) In a small bowl whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of baking soda.

3.) In a separate bowl cream together 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, 1/2 cup of white sugar,  1/2 cup of PB,  1/2cup of brown sugar (dark or light works fine).

4.) To the cream mixture add 1 egg, 1 tsp of vanilla and 3 TBS of milk. (If the batter seems too dry add a splash more of milk).

5.) Form the dough into even sized balls and place individually in muffin tins that are not greased.

6.) Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. 

7.) Remove from the oven and immediately place a PB cup in the center of the cookie.

8.) Remove from the pan and allow to cool. 

Nothing Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies

After my day to day I should have been more inspired to cook something superbly fancy. But, instead, I devoted my afternoon (it was really closer to evening) to bringing home mediocre deep dish pizza, watching the boob tube and pretending to study. I had an amazing afternoon touring the French Pastry school in Chicago. I was even allowed to sit in on part of the sourdough bread baking class. I could have sat there for hours. Who doesn't want to go to school and do something amazing all day every day? So, world I've taken the plunge, I enrolled in pastry school.  So, should I have come home and baked an amazing cake or petits fours? Probably. But since I'm getting up at the crack of dawn two consecutive days in a row, I opted for a basic chocolate chip cookie to take hiking tomorrow. 

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie:

*This makes a BIG batch of cookies, about 72. Which is great for me because then I just freeze half the dough and save it for when I have an emergency, gotta bring cookies crisis. Yes, those do happen*

1.) In a medium bowl combine 4 cups all purpose unbleached white flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of salt.  Mix well with a whisk. 


2.) In a large bowl cream together 2 cups (4 sticks) of room temperature butter and 1 cup of light brown sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup of natural crystal sugar. (You can use all light brown sugar and regular white sugar)


3.) Add in 4 eggs  one at a time.


4.) Add 2 heaping TBS of vanilla.


5.) In 1 cup increments add the flour mixture until well combined. 


6.) Fold in 1.5-2 bags of chocolate chips. (I ended up using up little bits of 3 different kinds of chips, with decent results)


7.) Bake for 8-10 minutes (based on your oven) in a pre-heated oven set to 350 degrees.


8.) Remove from the sheet immediately and allow to cool. 

Homemade Oreos

It's been a bit of a pity party weekend. There is nothing better than going two days and not hearing from  your best friends. Seriously, LOVE IT. Anyhoo...I'm sore as hec from a hike this morning but having snow flakes fall on your nose and people talking and laughing around you makes the mad melt away. So I came home and baked a recipe from a blog that I love and envy-http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/ So, yes I baked a giant batch of homemade oreo's that will be divyed up amongst my tummy and various not rude people. Yes yes woes me. I did admittedly mess up the first batch, learned my lesson and made a splendorous second round. I just won't tell you who go what.

Smitten's Homemade Oreo's

**Make sure that you leave the egg and butter out for at least an hour to get to room temp.**

1.) In a food processor (that is correct) place 1 cup white flour and 1/4 c. whole wheat flour ( I always sneak it in). 1/2 c. cocoa, 1 tsp soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 3/4 c. sugar. 

2.) Add to the food processor: 1 egg and 1/2 c plus 2 TBS butter. 

3.) Scoop by rounded tablespoons and flatten with the palm of your hand. Place on a baking sheet. My batches ranged from 2 1/2 dozen to 3. 

4.) Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Pull those bad boys out sooner than you think necessary.

5.) To make the cream, in a medium bowl cream together 1/4 c. vegetable shortening, 1/4 cup butter.

6.) One cup at a time add 2 c. of powdered sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla. 

7.) Once the cookies have cooled use a cheese knife to spread the cream on a cookie and layer with a second.

**UPDATE-I made these with my hand mixer (the food processor was dirty) and the results were the same. I also added 2 TBS of milk because I found that the consistency was a bit dry.***

Seitan Stroganoff

This seriously tastes waaay better than I was able to photograph it.  Honest. Cross my heart. So, the Midwest is getting pummeled and I do mean pummeled by snow right now. I can hear the wind through the thin walls of my parents ancient house. It looks like that bad movie where everyone is snowed in in New York and the aliens are coming. Yes, that bad. So, bad that I'm off work tomorrow and I left early today.  Back to food, I'm easily distracted, as a veggie I'm always on the hunt for protein sources. Always. Seitan is a wheat gluten product that looks a lot like pizza dough that's kinda shriveled up. It's a wonderful substitute for beef in just about any recipe. While perusing online I stumbled on this recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7558.0.  Of course making some tweaks this turned out sooo superbly wonderful. I'll make a bet that if you didn't tell anyone they'd probably not notice that this doesn't have meat. 

Pre-Blizzard Stroganoff:

1.) Before leaving for work put the seitan in a container and drizzle with soy sauce and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Shake well and refrigerate. 

2.) Bring a large pot filled  3/4 full of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

3.) In a skillet warm up enough oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized skillet.

4.) Once the skillet is warm place, 1/2 onion FINELY diced, 3 cloves of garlic, the seitan diced (minus the marinade) and  1 small package of mushrooms diced.

5.) Cook until the onions are just about see through.

6.) Bring the water back up to a boil and cook a box of pasta according to the package directions. ( I used farfalle/bow tie and it takes about 13 minutes)

7.) In the skillet add 1 cup of veggie stock, 1 cup of light sour cream, 2 TBS of corn starch ( used to thicken the sauce, only if using light sour cream, omit if using full fat version), 1/2 lemon squeezed 2-3 times, a pinch of sea salt, a couple grinds of pepper, a heaping dash of basil and a sprinkle of paprika.

8.) Let this warm/thicken.

9.) Add one tomato diced.

10.) Serve over the pasta.

Garlic Bread:

1.) In a bowl combine 1/4 cup of olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic minced fine.

2.) Let sit for about 5 minutes, longer if you can to let the oil infuse.

3.) Using a pastry brush spread the oil over slices of bread. 

4.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

5.) Broil for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

The Twins Potato Leek and Carrot Soup

I owe my mom and her twin sister ALL of the credit for tonight's fabulous meal. I got a really sweet text at work today from my mom informing me that she was cooking a vegetarian meal. Now for most moms (not all mind you) this would be a stretch. Not for my mother, no. She could be a veggie like her daughter in the blink of an eye.  In fact I pay my mom a lot of credit for being the health conscious, deemed hippie, that I am today. My mom was waaay ahead of the curve in terms of aspartame, trans fats , sodium levels,fiber intake and whole grains. You name it she was/is well versed. So, back to the text. I got a call later saying that soup was on the menu. Well, I'm a sucker for soup any ol day. This is especially true after a really hectic , blustery, why do I live in the Midwest, kind of a Monday.

Aunt Susie's (my mom's twin) Potato Carrot and Leek Soup:

(Note I had no hand in preparing this so I'm just copying from my mom's recipe book which smells like it has seen it's fair share of Canola oil spills)


1.) In a sauce pan warm 1 TBS of butter and 2 TBS of veggie oil.


2.) Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and 3 leeks sliced. Cook until leeks are pale in color.


3.) Add 3 large carrots diced (or 8 baby carrots), 2 large potatoes sliced (peels on) and 5 cups vegetable stock. (homemade is the best....more on that later)


4.) Bring this to a boil. 


5.) Reduce to a simmer (just barely bubbling), cover and let simmer for about 45-50 minutes.


6.) After the potatoes are tender add 1/2 lemon or lime juiced and 1 TBS fresh thyme.


7.) Puree in batches in a food processor or blender.


8.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.


9.) Serve warm or cold.


-Mom made home made French bread in the bread machine and a simple tossed salad rounded out the meal.-

*My mother gives me the strength and courage to get through every day. Watching her persevere in the face of adversity is humbling. I wouldn't be the woman I am today with out her as a shining example. I love ya Mom.*