i seem to have gotten a bit creative with my food over the past few days, which means i have a few recipes to share! first, i made a vegan chili, which completely matched the texture of its meat-filled counterpart. then, i made homemade pizza, which was to die for! anyways, here it goes:
ashley's vegan chili
one can of corn, drained
1/2 cup kale
1/2 cup uncooked spinach
2-3 stalks of celery
1/4 medium onion
1 cup zucchini, grated
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp vinegar
1/3 cup salsa
5-6 fresh tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic
cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1 can mixed beans
chop onions, mushrooms and celery (don't have to be perfect), and saute in olive oil on low. let the onions start to caramelize, then add cayenne, salt and pepper. depending on how spicy you like your chili, add 1/2-1 tsp of cayenne. if you do not like your chili spicy at all, leave the cayenne out!
mince and add garlic. quarter the tomatoes and add. squish tomatoes a bit, and cover. let simmer until tomatoes are cooked - there should be plenty of "broth." then, add vinegar
to taste (you want some acidity, depending upon the ripeness of tomatoes used, you may need more or less. please taste, or you will end up with a sour chili). add salsa and stir. loosely chop kale and spinach, and add to broth. cover, and let simmer until greens are cooked. uncover and remove from heat - allow it to cool.
place entire cooled mixture into the blender, and blend until a "meaty" consistency is reached - it shouldn't take long. i added my zucchini and blended a bit. return to pot, and stir in corn and beans. allow to heat back up. at this point, mine was still a little bit thin, so i thickened it up with a cornstarch mixture - about 2 tsp cornstarch and water to form a thin paste.
once it is reheated, it's complete! you could finish it off with some cashew "sour cream" or daiya shredded cheese - i just baked some rolls, and topped them with vegan margarine. very good.
remember: i do not directly measure anything i cook - adjust this recipe to your liking, as i just add what i feel. it would be awesome to try chickpeas in the blended mixture, or adding different spices - i'm definitely going to change this up a bit next time.
ashley's vegan pizza
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
place first three ingredients in stand mixer. with dough hook attached, stir in water and oil. mix until a ball forms. cover, and allow to rest for approximately 10 minutes in a warm place. roll out, and cook at 400 F for approximately 10 minutes (until slightly browned). to add extra flavour, brush with garlic and olive oil mixture - i even added oregano.
take out of oven, and add toppings. i chose: tomato sauce, sliced zucchini, daiya mozzarella cheese mixed with cayenne pepper, olives and spinach. yve's sliced sandwich meat would also be delicious on this pizza!
hopefully i'll keep up the creativity level, and fill your readings with many more recipes!
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
hello all, this week was another hectic one. my final exams are looming, and i can feel the tension rising each day. i have a recent obsession with hummus of all kinds. my favourites are plain with balsamic drizzle and jalapeno - i'll definitely include a recipe within the next few days.
before becoming vegan, my favourite meal was carbonara pasta - a vegan's nightmare. this weekend, i tried out my own vegan "take" on it - this is what i came up with.
ashley's vegan fettucine alfredo
1 pkg egg-free pasta (vegetable/rice, i used brown rice pasta)
1 cup fresh mushrooms, cut into small pieces
quarter of a small white onion, minced
three cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (i used rice)
handful of spinach
1/2 cup cashews
salt and pepper (to taste)
note: i am not exact in my measurements, adjust them to your liking.
saute mushrooms, onion and garlic on low until caramelized. add milk and spinach. once milk has absorbed some of the flavour and spinach is cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool completely. place the sauce in blender, and add cashews, blend until smooth. if your sauce did not thicken, return to heat and use flour or cornstarch in order to thicken to a sauce consistency. mix with pasta and enjoy.
the first time i tried this recipe, i used vanilla flavoured rice milk - the results were tasty, but definitely on the sweet side. the second time, i used regular milk, and added yve's salami in the saute stage to mimic bacon. essentially, as long as the sauce has a creamy texture and tastes like garlic it is a win for me.. next time i plan on adding broccoli in the saute stage.
xx happy sunday, animal-friendly followers
ashley
lately, i have found myself craving sweets. normally, fruit would shake these cravings, but for some reason, this just has not been the case. last night, i stumbled upon a "three-ingredient vegan ice cream" on peta's website - i was curious. here is what i ended up with:
ashley's take on vegan ice cream
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
splash of vanilla rice milk
handful of almonds
peel the banana, and place it in the freezer - it should be completely frozen. combine the first four (all but the almonds) ingredients in the blender. then, pulse on high until a creamy texture is achieved. the peta version does not call for rice milk, but mine would not come together for the life of me, so i added it out of necessity. top with fruit, coconut or nuts, and enjoy. i found this as satisfying as a bowl of ice cream - which i would not lie about, i loved ice cream.
ashley's sweet hummus
1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo)
1 tbsp brown or raw sugar
1 tsp all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut
splash of vanilla rice milk
handful of carob chips
place the first four ingredients in the blender, and pulse until a dry doughy texture is achieved. add rice milk, until it just comes together. fold in carob chips, and enjoy with animal crackers or other substantial "dippers." i imagine this would even be good with apples.
hello all, my week has been ridden with sniffles and headache. it seems about this time every year i finally get the "winter bug" that everyone else has already gotten over. anyways, i am feeling a lot better today - and i think this is partly thanks to my new diet! i'm now at 33 days and i've never felt better (minus the whole head cold thing)! anyways, i thought i would share a few of my favourite meals from the week - most of these are eaten "out."
first, sushi. this is my one love. although i cannot partake in the actual "sushi," i find myself craving kappa rolls almost everyday. this night, my best friend and i indulged in: kappa rolls, kappa and avocado rolls and vegetable rolls (dynamite for her). we also had a bit of vegetable tempura, but i was afraid of egg content, so i quit early. i find that i never crave meat, but instead i crave baked goods that can only be created with plenty of milk and butter.
i had my first bad restaurant experience. after perusing the menu, i asked about their pan bread - it contained eggs. so, i ordered the cliche mixed greens with oil and vinegar.. when it came, i was greatly disappointed. the greens that i had asked for came with apples on top (which i don't oppose, but i specifically asked for "just" greens), and the oil and vinegar came in a little bowl. anyone with experience knows that the oil merely sits on top of the balsamic, which results in a very oily dressing. i ate it anyways, and clenched my jaw as i paid the $8 bill.. really? jeeze.
on a brighter note! i came across (and altered) an awesome recipe for fibre-rich muffins:
sunny boy vegan muffins:
1 flax egg (mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp warm water)
3/4 cup rice milk
2 tbsp canola or veg oil
1/2 cup organic sunny boy cereal
1 1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup raw sugar (this came out a bit too sugary for me, but i like my muffins fairly wholesome, not sweet)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
soak the sunny boy cereal in milk for about 20 minutes (or overnight if you do not want texture in your muffins). combine liquid ingredients in a medium bowl, and dry ingredients in another medium bowl. add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. place batter into greased muffin tin and bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes. you could add dried fruit into this recipe as well - i didn't this time, but i will probably try cranberries next time!
note: the ingredients for sunny boy claim it "may contain traces of milk and eggs" due to the nature of the company - this is due to the use of these products in the factory, not in the processing of this specific product. i have not been that specific in my veganism.
take care, animal-friendly followers
xx ashley
