Vegan Carrot & Kale Soup

Easy peasy and very tasty. Recipe later, but you can be creative :-)

Vegan Carrot Potato Pancakes

Tired of the same ole same ole sweet pancakes for breakfast? Try Carrot Potato Pancakes for Breakfast. We used the left over pulp from making a carrot juice :-)

Home Made Vegan Ravioli

Those Raviolis are made from wonton wrappers and 1. mushroom tofu filling and 2. Gourmet "Cheese".
We had a great time making those with my kids. I will post recipe for the fillings later.

Dinner Menu

Steamed Green beans with vegan butter and little Horseradish.
Pan fried cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes with Nutritional Yeast sprinkled on top.
Pan fried Tofu. (Mix flour, panko bread crumbs, salt and curry powder)
Hummus for dip.
Easy peasy :-) Enjoy

Vegan Pizza

Fast Veggie Lasagna

2 packs of dry Lasagna pasta
2 bags Frozen Mixed Veggies of your choice (I usually get the stir fry types with Broccoli, Cauliflower, mushrooms, baby corn, etc.)

2 lg cans Crushed Tomatos
2 tbsp Molasses
2 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 pack Firm Tofu
1 pack Silk Tofu
1 Lemon
1/4 c Nutritional Yeast
4 tbsp Italian Spices Mix
Salt and pepper
3 tsp Garlic powder

Olive oil
Bread Crumbs - optional

Mix the Tomatoes with Molasses and Soy sauce in a bowl.

Drain the Tofu, squeeze water out, & crumble. Mix in the drained silk tofu, lemon juice, all the spices, & nutritional yeast in another bowl.

Use a large pan for lasagna. I like the glass baking dish. Brush with oil.
Pour part of Tomato mixture to cover the bottom.
Lay the uncooked lasagna pasta overlapping on top.
Cover with some frozen veggies.
Spread part or the tofu mixture.
Lay more pasta.
Pour tomato sauce and keep going till you get to the top and use all the ingredients.
You can end up either with:
1. Pasta and Tomato sauce on top or
2. The Tofu mixture. You can sprinkle this with the bread crumbs

Place in the oven pre-heated on 350 F. It'll bake for about an hour.
The great thing is that you don't have to waste the time with pre-cooking the pasta.
You don't even have to use the instant past. Just the regular ones.

If you don't have the lasagna pasta you can make a variation with penne or such pasta and mix it all together except the tofu mixture and put it on top and bake as italian casserole.

Butter/Lima Bean Dip

Yes, it's Butter Bean Craze. Here is a quick recipe from left over beans.

2 c of cooked Butter Beans - Large White Lima beans
1 tbsp Tahini
Salt to taste
1 large Lemon
Garlic dry or fresh to taste
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Blend all in a food processor and Voila - dip or spread it is.
Its great with chips or pitta bread. You can even spread it inside the pitta, add some salsa or tomatoes. This make great sandwich in a pocket for kids when you don't want anything dripping out of other end.

Veggie Soup in a Sippy cup

I just got this idea from the fact that my daughter likes to drink her soup with a straw and than eat the rest with spoon. Well my 13 month old son, no wait 14 month old (wow time flies), wants to feed him self, period. Well, since I do not want to have any soup in all 3 dimensions I thought of an idea to put the soup in one of those disposable sippy cups with straw.
It worked great except Nick loooves to pull the straw out. Well, I will search for unpullable straw sippy during my next shopping adventure.

1 Carrot
1 stalk of Celery
1 yellow Squash
1/2 or 1 small Broccoli head
1/2 c butter beans (soak of from can)
2 tbsp flour
Oil
Salt
1 tbsp of some kind of herbs dry or fresh - parsley, marjoram, oregano etc.
4 c boiling water

Chop all the veggies to small pieces and saute over 1 tbsp oil. Add flour and mix well to coat the veggies.
Add the hot water and mix.
Add beans and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
Add salt and herbs and turn it off.
I like to use the hand blender - wand. So I do not have to pour hot soups in blenders. 1st its dangerous and 2nd I don't like washing so many dishes. ;-)
All done
PS - it taste well even without the blending. Enjoy

Corn Bread - Simple

1 c corn flour
1 c wheat flour
2 tbsp Flax Seed meal - ground
1 tbsp Baking powder ( no aluminum)
1 c Soy or Rice Milk - Plain
3 tbsp Oil
3 tbsp Sugar

And one of these options:
2 Corns on the cob - cooked and cut off the kernels
1 can Corn
1-2 c frozen Corn

Mix dry ingredients. Mix all the rest including the corn.
It makes either 9 inch pan or 12 Muffins.

Easy peasy. My kids love them

Butter Bean Mushroom Salad

1/2 sm bag of dry large white Lima/Butter beans (I'd say you could use 2 cans as well)
1 large pck of Mushrooms - slice
6 pc Green Onions
1 c chopped parsley or cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 c olive or flax seed oil
1 Lemon - juiced

Soak the beans over night and cook al dente. Those type of beans overcook easily as I learned the hard way. 40 minutes might be enough. Watch it closely.
Slice the mushrooms and slightly saute for about 3-4 minutes.

Chop the green onions and parsley. Put in a large bowl and mix with all remaining ingredients together.
Drizzle with the oil and lemon juice
 
We eat it warm. Great with warm whole grain pitta bread. Enjoy :-)

Red Kidney Beans Creole style

This inspired by one of the creole recipe I saw and veganized it. It also non-spicy since I feed it to my kids. I don't have creole mix seasoning as most of them in a store contain MSG.

Oil
1 lg Onion
6 stalks Celery
1 lg Bell pepper
5 cloves of Garlic
1 lb bag of dry Red Kidney beans
1 tsp Liquid smoke
1 tbsp veg worchester sauce
1 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp Thyme
3 Bay leaves
Salt

Soak the beans over night. Then cook till tender.
Chop and saute the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic.
Add the cooked beans. Bring to boil and turn the heat low.
Add all spices, liquid smoke, worchester.
Salt to taste.
Take out the Bay leaves and serve over hot cooked rice. Brown or white.

Tomato Miso soup

My daughter is hooked on Miso soup for a while. She likes it when I add the buckweat noodles. I wanted to make a variation and I think it turned out well. Well, she liked it!

1 can diced tomatos
2 cans of water (use the tomato can to measure)
1 bunch of buckwheat noodles (they are sold in pack of 4; I'm sure you can use spaghetti about thumb thick bunch and break them in 1/2)
Handful of dry Wakame Seaweed - soak in cold water them chop them up with scissors
2 tbsp Miso
1/3 of 14 oz Tofu pkg drained and cut up into tiny cubes

Mix the tomatoes with water and bring to boil.
Add the noodles and cook till al dente.
Add the miso, tofu, and wakame. Bring to boil and take it off the heat.
Quick and easy ;-)

Beans & Greens Chili

Oil
1/2 onion
2 c cooked pinto beans
14.5 oz 411g can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
3-4 large leaves of mustard or collard greens
Salt to taste

Saute onion over oil.
Add beans, tomatoes.
Cut the stems out if you use collard greens. Slice into strips and than chop into small pieces. Add to the pan.
Add rest of the ingredients. It should be cooked in 15-20 minutes.

Serve over any grains. Rice, quinoa, millet etc.

Quick Minestrone Soup

1 can petite chopped tomatoes
1 can kidney beens including the liquid
1/2 c ABC baby pasta
4-5 leaves of Kale
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 onion
3 cl. Garlic or Garlic powder
Salt n pepper
Olive oil
1 l = 4-5 c hot water

Pretty much just mix it all and bring to slow boiling for about 10 minutes.
You can start it with sauteing the chopped onion on olive oil and then add it all and boil.
Add the salt and spices last.

PS - for our little 9 & 1/2 month old - I just zapped it with hand mixer and fed it to him. It was big success! He loves salty veggie stuff over any cereal type of food.

Lentil Patties

Usually I cook the whole package of lentils and do several meal varieties with it during the week. And some rice of course. :-)
Here is one option

2 c cooked lentils
1 c cooked rice
4 tbsp flax meal
1tbps dr chopped onion
1/2 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp cumin
1tbsp marjoram
1/2 c bread crumbs

Mix all together with large fork. If you have two hands free u can roll the patties in bread crumbs. However u can do one handed the whole thing. Just scoop with spoon and put in oiled pan and flatten with spatula. HA & tahdah
Makes 10 handful patties.

For Side:
Smashed potatoes
5 med pealed and cut potatoes cooked in little water
1/4 c soy milk
1 tbsp smart balance lite
Salt

Whip up n serve


Little simple digging sauce:
2 tbsp Vegan mayo
2 tbsp Ketchup
1 tsp Soy sauce

Vegan Pancakes

1 c flour
4 tbsp flax seed meal
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 c soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp oil

First mix all the dry ingredients. Than add all the liquids.
Mix well. I use large fork.
And pan fry.
Next time ill count how many it makes. :-)

Quinoa Salad

This one is made from what was at home so I am pretty much guessing the amounts of ingredients. But I think you cannot go wrong with any alterations you make to your likings so go ahead and try it. :-)

3 c cooked guinea
3 stalk of celery chopped very small
3 green onions chopped
1 carrot grated
1 can of black olives (I half them)
1 c raisins (this time I used small bag of dry cranberries and raisins)
1/2 c sunflower seeds (you can use pine nuts too. Or chop and roast walnuts)
1/2 bag of sun dried tomatoes (about 8-10) cut the with scissors on tiny strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Garlic powder

1/4 c Olive oil
3-4 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Lemon (optional)

Basically toss it all together and pour the dressing over it. If you like it bit sour especially during warm weather in summer add the lemon. Its quite refreshing
Chill and ready to serve.

Fairytail Muffins

1 c Flour
1 c Malt-O-Meal
1/2 c Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

1 Apple - Grated
1/4 c Flax seeds - Milled
1/2 c Raisins or Chocolate Chips :-)

3/4 c Soy Milk
1/4 c Veggie Oil

First Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Second mix the milk and oil and pour into the dry mix. Mix it well. I like to use large fork.
Pour batter into greased muffin pans and bake 375F for about 15-18 minutes. Test the muffins with toothpick if done.

Menu For a Week

Well, I have not been recipe blogging as much as I would want to lately. This winter has been full of cooties flying around and I have been cooking whatever came in my mind and what I could cook with just one hand. A bit stressfull though so I started to do weekly menus when I get chance. Here is a first sample:
Meals are for 2x adults and 1x 3.5 year old. Our 8 month old is still on the liquid/babyfood diet ;-)

Monday
Breakfast: Yogurt, raisins, Apple
Lunch: Leftovers - Mac & "Cheese", Soup
Dinner: Veggie Balls, Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom (IKEA) Sauce, Corn on the cob

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Raisins & Apple sauce, Soy Cocoa
Lunch: Leftovers - Veggie Ball Dinner from last night
Dinner: Penne Pasta Tosed into a Onion, Broccoli, Garlic, Soy sauce = Saute
1. (Pre-cook frozen or dry Tortelini for next day outing)
2. (Soak Beans)

Wednesday
Breakfast: MaltoMeal Power Muffins
Lunch: Trip to the ZOO - Tortelini, Tomato Sauce separate for a dipping (Save the mess)
Dinner: Rice and Beans in totato Sauce, Salat

Thursday
Breakfast: Honey (Maple Syrup) + Veggie Butter Sandwich, Banana
Lunch: Minestrone Soup
Dinner: Veggie Burgers Fajitas, sauteed Onions + Bell peppers, Rice (leftover), Refried Beans (Leftover), Tortillas

Friday
Breakfast: Cheerios + Soy Milk, Orange
Lunch: Leftovers - Fajitas etc.
Dinner: Polenta "Pizza" with sauteed Mushrooms & Spinach Topping = Baked

Snacks
Carrots, Cherri tomatoes, Apples, Raisins, Mufins,

Ready for Valentine?