Sweet Yam and Marshmallow Casserole and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, 2015

Before 2015 completely came to a close, ushering in 2016, I thought I'd sneak in a final post of the year, highlighting our recent holiday meals.

The family, as usual, picked the various eclectic dishes to create our Thanksgiving feast, some traditional, some not so much.  G picked a sweet potato casserole, and I hunted up a classic recipe with marshmallows that I veganized and slightly tweaked.  It came out deliciously well.  The recipe will be posted at the bottom of the page.

Here's the breakdown of our Thanksgiving celebration:

JK picked Soy Chicken and Steamed Rice
GR picked Hot and Sour Soup and Sushi
SR picked Takis and Cranberry Sauce
G picked the casserole and the Tofurky meal, which included the roast, gravy, wishbone, and brownies
I added roasted potatoes and veggies to the Tofurky and made my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll to go with the brownies
Sparkling apple cider to drink.

See below for some yummy close-ups.



Sweet Yam and Marshmallow Casserole

My Thanksgiving plate.

 



Thanksgiving Dessert plate

Christmas was a much simpler affair this year.  I only made one type of cookies, and our breakfast was modest.  Below I show you our morning meal and the dishes I brought to the larger family gathering at dinner.

Christmas breakfast: Tofu Scramble, Fried Potatoes, and Chorizo.

The cookies I made: Chocolate Tops

I brought three things for the evening gathering.

Number One: Gardein Beefless tips, to which I added Teriyaki sauce.



Number Two: A big, beautiful salad chock full of goodies.

Number Three: I also realized I've never made my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll, so I made that again and brought it to share.

How were your holidays?  Did you have wonderful food?  Any new dishes?

Sweet Yam and Marshmallow Casserole

Ingredients:

Five Yams (Purple skinned, with orange flesh)
Water to cover
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbs. orange juice
1 Tbs. Cinnamon
Non-stick spray
2 and 1/2 - 10oz. bags of Dandies large marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Peel the yams, chop into large chunks and place in a large pot.  Cover with water and turn heat on high.  Bring to a boil, and boil for fifteen minutes.  Drain the water and leave yams in the pot.  Add the margarine, brown sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon.  Use an electric hand mixer to completely blend ingredients.  Spray a 9x13 inch dish with non-stick spray.  Spread the yam mixture evenly in the pan.  Top with the marshmallows.  Bake for 30 minutes. The marshmallows will brown and be super soft, and the yams are sweetly delicious.  This was definitely a hit.  The only challenge was when eating the leftovers, finding that several smaller hands had picked parts of the casserole bare of the marshmallows.  Feeds five hungry vegans for a few days.

Roasted Tofu and Red Potatoes with Paprika and Rosemary

I veganized this recipe recently, and my family could hardly wait to dig into it because of the aroma that had permeated our home from the oven.  I've made tofu and potatoes together before, but this particular way of preparing them was new for me.  The result was an appealing combination of textures and spices that made for a fulfilling dinner.  Served with a side of vegetables, this would make a complete meal.

Roasted Tofu and Red Potatoes with Rosemary

Ingredients:

3 pounds of red potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 - 14oz. pkgs. of extra-firm tofu, water-packed, drained, chopped into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 Tbs. paprika divided
1 Tbs. rosemary leaves, divided
2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
2 tsp. garlic powder, divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large pot, cover the chopped potatoes with water and bring to a boil.   Boil for seven minutes.  Take the pot's lid, slightly cover the top of the pot, and drain the water into the sink  In the meantime, while the potatoes are boiling, get the spice mixture ready for tossing the potatoes and tofu.  In a large bowl, add half of the olive oil, paprika, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Whisk well.  Add the potatoes and toss, until all the potatoes are coated.  Pour onto a large baking sheet.  Prepare the rest of the seasonings in the same bowl and whisk again.  Add the tofu cubes and gently toss to make sure they are coated as well.  The tofu is more delicate than the potatoes, so use a gentle hand.  Pour either next to or over the potatoes.  Bake for one hour, turning twice in that time.  Eventually the potatoes and tofu will be well mixed together, so just toss gently as to not mash the tofu.  When done, pour into a lovely serving platter, serve hot with a side of your favorite veggies, and enjoy your dinner.  Serves five hungry vegans.

Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms

The poor lighting in this photo does not do this dish any sort of justice.  Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms was so good, I couldn't stop eating it.  Only putting the leftovers away saved my stomach from exploding.  This was easy to prepare and even easier to eat.  I'm sure your taste buds would agree.

Garlicky Fried Rice with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. Coconut Oil
2 Carrots, chopped small
8 to 10 Asparagus spears, ends trimmed, and chopped small
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 head of garlic, sliced thin
2 cups of leftover, cooked brown rice
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped peanuts

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When oil is melted, add the carrots, asparagus and mushrooms.  Stir-fry for five or so minutes, until just fork-tender.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Add the rice, soy sauce and ginger.  Cook another five minutes, until heated through.  Add the peanuts and stir.  Serve immediately.  So, so good.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

This was another recipe inspired from Deceptively Delicious, which I renamed, veganized, changed ingredients up, the usual.  Still, the idea behind the original recipe was good: pureeing sweet potatoes for the sauce to get the kiddos to each more veggies. This also has chopped up celery and carrots, as well, so it's nice and healthy. This came out tasty, and the fam liked it, so all is good.  I puree my veggies ahead of time, bag and freeze them, and then thaw them out for recipes.  So, my sweet potatoes were already boiled, peeled and pureed for this recipe. This makes a lot of sauce, plenty for leftovers. Give this one a go, and let me know how it works for you.

Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used penne)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 onions, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 carrots, chopped small
4 stalks celery, chopped small
2 - 10 oz. pkgs. soy chorizo
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4 - 29 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 oz. can Del Monte petite cut tomatoes with chipotle chilies
1 - 32 oz. box Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 Tbs. vegan sugar
2 cups prepared sweet potato puree (boiled first)

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions midway through making the sauce.  For the sauce, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chorizo and salt and pepper, and cook for another five minutes.  Add the tomatoes, broth and sugar.  Lower heat to medium low and cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the sweet potato puree, and stir well.  Continue to cook until heated through, about ten minutes.  Serve over pasta.  This makes a bunch!  I froze about half the sauce for a later meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans and then some.  Very good.

Green Salad with Golden Beets and Raw Pumpkin Seeds

This salad is perfect for a hot summer day.  I got the beets at the Farmer's Market, and they were deeeelicoius!

Green Salad with Golden Beets and Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
8 small or 4 medium to large golden beets
1 - 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Peel and quarter the beets, and boil for ten minutes.  Rinse under cold water, and slice into bite-sized pieces.  Add the lettuce, beets and rest of the ingredients into a large serving bowl.  Add your favorite vegan salad dressing.  Feeds five hungry vegans.  Simple and scrumptious!

BBQ Tofu with Scallions and Red Bells

This is a fun way to change up a tofu dinner.  With barbecue sauce and a couple of vegetables, your family can have a complete meal served over brown rice.  I usually call scallions green onions, but I wanted to fancy them up, since they're in the title.  As far as the barbecue sauce, I just recommend a natural one, free of yucky ingredients.  I bought mine at the 99 cent store!  Enjoy this simple meal!

BBQ Tofu with Scallions and Red Bells

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 - 14 oz. pkgs. water-packed, extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 red bell pepper, julienned into 1 and 1/2 inch to 2 inch strips
3 scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 and 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce

Brown rice made according to package directions

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  When hot, add the tofu.  Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until somewhat browned.  Turn heat down to medium, if tofu is cooking too quickly.  When tofu is browned, make sure heat is at medium, and add the scallions, red bell pepper, and sauce.  Cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve over brown rice.  Simple and yummy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Snowy Bananas and Strawberries

Here is a very simple salad to welcome those warmer days, and one in which we can also reap the sweet harvest of strawberries already at our Farmer's Markets.  Enjoy!

Snowy Bananas and Strawberries

Ingredients:

3 bananas, sliced into rings
3 cups of coarsely chopped, fresh strawberries
1 cup of shredded, sweetened coconut

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients together right before serving.  Enjoy right away.  Feeds five hungry vegans.  So satisfying!

Classic Avocado, Cream Cheese and Sprouts Sandwich

When you go into a deli and look at their vegan or vegetarian sandwich choices, inevitably you'll see a version of this.  Why spend the six bucks per sandwich when you can make these at home?  Anyways, the chances of finding a deli with vegan cream cheese are probably 1000 to 1 or worse.  Served with a veggie stir-fry, it makes for a complete meal.

Classic Avocado, Cream Cheese and Sprouts Sandwich

Ingredients:

Your favorite bread on hand - we used sourdough
1 tub of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese or your favorite vegan cream cheese
3 avocados, mashed with a fork
Salt and pepper to taste 
1 cup of alfalfa sprouts

Directions:

Spread a thick layer of cream cheese on one slice of bread.  On top of that, spread a couple heaping tablespoons of mashed avocado.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking, and top with a layer of sprouts.  Add the top bread slice and bite.  Mm-mmm, taste the classicness of it all!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Mini Tostadas

A great alternative to the big tostada salads - like my Big Soy Tostadas or my Big Bean Tostadas - are mini tostadas.  I like to buy several kinds of toppings, and we all just build our own.  At this point, I offer classic Mexican toppings, but I may branch out into adventurous kinds.  When I do, I'll let you know.  You can buy these flat, small shells near the traditional tortillas in most stores or in Mexican markets. This makes an easy and fun lunch or dinner for adults and kids alike.

Mini Tostadas

Ingredients:

Small, flat, crunchy tostada shells
Vegetarian refried beans
Chopped Romaine lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Hot sauce

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place several tostada shells on a baking sheet and warm them up in the oven for ten minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the beans in a pot over medium heat until warm.  Remove shells from oven, and top them with the beans and the other toppings.  Measurements are to your personal liking.  Just pick up and crunch away!  Feeds five hungry vegans in our home.

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash and Christmas, 2013

I was feeling guilty about blogging about Christmas so far after the date and was prepared to lament about all the sicknesses I've either endured personally or as a motherly nurse.  But, then as I was catching up on reading the blogs, I discovered that lots of people are posting belatedly.  So, I feel better.  Although, I do really wish I had my Christmas post in the same year that I ate the dish.  Ah, well.

I wanted to come up with something seasonal and savory to bring to the family potluck, and I came up with this baked dish (that took longer to bake than anticipated), consisting basically of all the ingredients listed in the title.  Makes it easy, doesn't it? It turned out very well, and if I end up tweaking it in the future, I'll edit this post, but it's pretty darn good for now!  Buuuuuuttt, because we were all sick, we ended up staying home and not joining the big family for dinner.  Aaaand, my parents didn't come over for my traditional breakfast spread.  It was a very different Christmas indeed, but I still tried to make it as special as I could.  I made some of my breakfast dishes anyways, and we had a nice dinner, albeit simpler. 

Here's what we had for breakfast:

GR and JK made the Gingerbread house again
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Tiger Balls
SR made the Soft Ginger Cookies
Loaded Cinnamon Rolls 
Breakfast Links
Orange Juice
Hot Apple Cider
Coffee

For dinner all I could muster was:

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
A kid-friendly spaghetti dish

Our "scant" breakfast table

We also managed to drag ourselves to the fire station again to deliver our annual Christmas treats.  They remember us every year now.  GR was too sick to come, so it was just SR, JK and me.

SR and JK are sicker than they look.  But, we just love this tradition!

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

(taken with my new camera as of that morning; not sure if I like the posted date on the pic, but you can see I took it on Christmas!)

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

4 cups Brussels sprouts that have been halved
5 cups butternut squash that have been diced into half inch to an inch cubes
1 and 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup 100% maple syrup

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss all the ingredients together in a large casserole dish.  Bake uncovered for one hour, stirring at the halfway mark.  That's it!  So easy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Sesame Asparagus and Thanksgiving, 2013

For this Thanksgiving, I was inspired to remake a recipe I cut out of the newspaper and made several years ago, modifying it to make it my own.  Sesame Asparagus has such a beautiful presentation, perfect for the holiday table.  As usual, my family each got to pick up to two dishes they wanted for Thanksgiving.  Since most of them turned out to be Asian dishes, the asparagus fit right in.  Below is this year's unconventional menu.

Dinner:
Tofurky - picked by me
Roasted Potatoes - picked by SR
Gravy - picked by me
Steamed rice - picked by JK
Plain, Lemon Grass and Mushroom Tofu - picked by JK
Pizza - picked by GR
Hot and Sour Soup - picked by SR
Soy Chi'k'n - picked by SR
Sesame Asparagus - G made sure we had a veggie, and I made this one
Cranberry Sauces - general consensus

Drinks:
Apple and Grape-Apple Ciders - all the Blessings

Dessert:
Pecan Pie - G's working on perfecting his own recipe!  All he asked of me was to make the crust.
Black Tie Cheesecake  - GR picked and made it because I was sick, so sweet!

My plate couldn't even fit everything on it, nor could I finish this feast!

Black Tie Cheesecake - GR did an awesome job!

G's Pecan Pie, a delight in the works

Sesame Asparagus

Sesame Asparagus

Ingredients:

2 bunches of asparagus
Non-stick spray
1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. sesame oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs. soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 and 1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp. vegan sugar
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Trim or snap off the tough ends of the stems of the asparagus.  Spray a baking sheet with the non-stick spray.  Spread the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Drizzle one tablespoon of the sesame oil over the asparagus.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for fifteen minutes.  In the meantime in a small bowl, mix together the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.  When the asparagus are done, place on a serving platter. Drizzle the sauce over the top, and garnish with the almonds and sesame seeds.  Tasty and different!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Root Beer Floats!

Who says vegans can't enjoy creamy, sweet goodness? Not us!  Every now and then, I love to make root beer floats for my family.  They are so simple, it's kind of silly to post a recipe.  But, think of this as a gentle reminder or encouragement to not give up the stuff we loved as kids or before we became veggie.  Drink on!

Here is my float.  As you can see, I don't have fancy tall glasses in which to serve them, so we used our Magic Bullet mugs.  I do have the long spoons for iced tea, though, which work great for scooping out ice cream.  And, of course you gotta have the crazy straw!

Here it is again from how it looks as I'm aiming for that straw.  Mm-mmm goodness.


Root Beer Floats

Ingredients:

Vegan vanilla ice cream - we used Soy Dream
Natural root beer soda with no corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors - we used Hansen's

Directions:

In a large mug or glass, scoop two large scoops of ice cream. Top with root beer.  Wait for the fizz to die down a bit, and add some more root beer.  Enjoy with a spoon and straw.  Feeds five hungry vegans or however many you have in your home.

Tofu Quinoa Patties

I've been on a quest to make new kinds of patties, so I'm not resorting to buying pre-made ones as much.  Pre-made ones are fine for a quick dinner when there's not a lot of time for preparation, but when I do have time, I've been trying my hand at methods that take just few ingredients.  I don't know about you, but when I play with bean burgers, they seem to fall apart.  I'll let you know if I come up with a truly hardy bean patty recipe.  And, I've been wanting to try grains other than rice on a more common basis.  So, one day I thought of using quinoa, which we all know is healthy, and binding it with tofu.  After a couple of tries, they came out really good!  And, what's even better, and this happens less often than you may think, everyone in my family loved them.  Not a single patty was left over, and that's saying something.  Let me know what you think, if you give these a try.

Tofu Quinoa Patties

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
2 cups water
2 - 14oz. pkgs. water-packed tofu, drained
1 Tbs. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Canola oil for frying

Directions:

Put quinoa and water in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to medium and cook until quinoa swells and becomes translucent.  This will take ten to fifteen minutes.  Turn heat down to medium low if water is evaporating too quickly.  (I know these are different directions than most packages say, but I find this works for me better.)  You should end up with about 1 and 3/4 cups of quinoa.  In a large bowl, mash the tofu.  Add the quinoa and the seasonings and mix well; you can use your hands if necessary.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil on medium high heat in a large pan.  Make palm-sized patties and carefully add them to the pan.  Do not move patties while cooking.  Turn over after ten minutes, and cook undisturbed on other side for another ten minutes.  If you find your patties are cooking too quickly, turn the heat down to medium.  These will not be cooked solidly all the way through.  They have a crisp exterior and a cooked, warmed through interior. They hold up really well, and the texture is very pleasant.  Can garnish with hot sauce, mustard, ketchup or soy sauce.  Makes ten patties.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Three Bean Salad with Mint

Here is a wonderfully fresh and light salad to serve on a hot day.  My mom made a kind of sweet three bean salad when I was growing up, and I liked it, but now I like a tangy version.  I added a few other ingredients to snazz this up, and it's definitely a favorite of mine.

Three Bean Salad with Mint

Ingredients:

1 - 15oz. can of green beans
1 - 15oz. can of garbanzo beans
1 - 15 oz. can of kidney beans
2 sprigs' worth of mint leaves (about 8 to 12 leaves), chopped small
1 stalk celery, chopped small
1 green onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup of your favorite tangy dressing - can adjust to taste (We used LaMartinique True French Vinaigrette)

Directions:

In a large colander, pour all your canned beans and rinse under cold water.  Drain completely, and put in a large bowl.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, and chill for at least two hours before serving.  Toss, taste, adjust dressing if necessary, and serve.  Yummy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Desperation Garbanzos

It was a Saturday afternoon, and I was on the hunt for something to feed the fam for lunch.  Things were low in the pantry, but I didn't want to make a run to the store.  I was feeling desperate.  What to do, what to make?  Eight eyes were expectantly staring at me, almost audibly demanding, "Food!  We want food!  And not toast and cereal either!  Make something, Woman of the House, and make it good."  Gulp, oh, yes, the desperation was increasing.  Let's see, I had cans of garbanzos but no tahini - not gonna have hummus.  I had a strange bunch of just celery leaves I picked up at the Farmer's Market.  How to combine...  No potatoes, but rice is located, yes!  It's coming together...  I began sauteing, chopping, stirring, seasoning, and before I knew it, I had a dish, and not just any dish, but a dish that those demanding eyes would approve of.  I had...Desperation Garbanzos!  Read below to see how you too can make this awesomely satisfying dish that I will definitely be making again.

Desperation Garbanzos

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 - 15oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained
1 and 1/2 cup celery greens, chopped (or celery if you don't have enough greens)
10 mint leaves, chopped
1 - 11 oz. of your favorite peanut sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Jasmine rice

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for five minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another five minute over medium heat.  Lower heat to medium low and simmer for another fifteen minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Serve over rice.  Very flavorful!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Patriotic Salad and Fourth of July, 2013

I know, I know, I know, I said I was going to get all my reviews and award out first...but, this is a timely recipe, and I just had to squeeze this one in.  On the Fourth of July, my mom and I decided to just serve up four salads.  She made three bean salad and coleslaw, and I made my Kids Love It! Potato Salad, which will be featured in my next review (hint, hint) and a fruit salad.  The fruit salad was going to have tons of different kinds of fruits in it, but I started putting berries in the bowl first, and then I added a few bananas, and then something struck my eye.  No, it wasn't a wayward blueberry; it was the look of the salad: it was red, white, and blue.  Hello?!  This was the Fourth of July, by golly, so I just to had leave it as is.  And, yes, I can tell you, that I made a big deal of it at my parents'.  "Hey, did anybody notice the colors?"  "Isn't it great that this salad is red, white, and blue?"  I ignored JK's comments that the blackberries were black; they look dark blue to me, humph.  "I know what!  I'm going to call this my Patriotic Salad, yes!"  Yes, indeed, I was very proud of myself, and you should be too.  Er, I mean, it's pretty, isn't it?

Patriotic Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1 and 1/2 cups blueberries
2 and 1/2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
3 bananas, sliced

Directions:

Make sure all the berries are rinsed and drained well.  Put all the fruit in a large bowl and gently toss.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  Try to finish in one evening; it does not save well.  Feeds five hungry vegans and a Grannyma and a Poppy.

Fresh Spring Soup

Hello, hello, hello!  My apologies on the break at last posting.  Summertime with the Blessings is quite busy.  I actually made this soup in the heart of spring, but I finally found a moment to post it.  Also, a warning, my middle Blessing seems to have spilled a fruit drink on my keyboard, and so until further notice I cannot depress the letter that is between "i" and "k" in the alphabet.  Luckily, none of the ingredients involve that letter. Also my mouse sticks to the desk now and seems quite "uncleanable."  But, we must carry on!

This is one of those cupboard dishes that almost always turn out great.  I loved the finished product; it was delicious and used up so much of the awesome seasonal produce that I picked up at the Farmer's market.  Give it a try in about ten months!  :-)  Ha ha, only kidding, you can have it now.

Fresh Spring Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups chopped Brussels sprouts
1 corn on the cob, kernels sliced off (it's even good if they come off in chunks!)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 cups favorite spaghetti sauce (I used some in a glass cylindrical containers, er, storebought)
1 cup leftover rice
Water to cover
 1/4 cup mint leaves
1 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and corn.  Cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the pepper, salt, spaghetti sauce, rice and water, and cook for another twenty minutes.  Add the mint and parsley.  Stir well, and it's ready to serve.  So tasty!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Potato Tacos

I first had potato tacos about seven years ago at a Mexican restaurant in town.  They had traditional toppings on them, so I had them without the cheese.  But, what stood out to me most were the potatoes in them, so small and crispy.  I had never heard nor thought of putting potatoes in tacos, but I was inspired!  I may have eaten there one more time that than - I can't really remember - but the tacos have never left my memory.  So, I decided to redo them here at home, and everyone loved them.  I like to switch my taco toppings up and try some unorthodox things, and I really like the result here.

Potato Tacos

Ingredients:

20 or so corn tortillas
Canola oil, divided
5 Russet potatoes
1 - 29oz. can vegetarian refried beans
1 container vegan sour cream
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup or so mint leaves, small (cut them in half in they are large)
Favorite salsa

Directions:

In a large pan, heat about two tablespoons of oil on medium heat.  Peel the potatoes and dice them very small.  Add them to the oil, and cook for about thirty minutes.  Turn occasionally, letting the sides get brown and crispy.  In the last five minutes of cooking potatoes, heat the beans in a medium pot over medium heat.  When the potatoes and beans are ready, heat a few drops of oil in a small pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add a tortilla.  Cook for a few seconds on one side and then flip over.  Add a spoonful of the beans and a spoonful of the potatoes to one side of the shell.  Carefully fold the other half of the shell over and put on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Repeat the process with the rest of the shells, potatoes and beans.  Each few drops of oil should last for a couple of tortillas.  When all the tacos are ready, garnish with your toppings.  Delicious!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Simple Cinco de Mayo Salad and Dinner

My family loves Mexican food, and Cinco de Mayo just gives us an excuse to indulge in it.  Realizing Sunday afternoon that I had nothing in the kitchen with which to celebrate it, I hurried on over to our neighborhood Mexican market to pick up a few things.  Besides the standard fare, I knew I wanted some kind of vegetable or salad to go with dinner, and I wanted it to be kid-friendly.  Knowing I'm not an expert at nopalitos yet, I looked over their produce for ingredients to make a yummy salad.  I think I came up with a really simple, tasty salad that will refresh on any hot day, but especially on Cinco de Mayo, ole! 

Simple Cinco de Mayo Salad in the serving bowl

 

The requisite homemade chips with pico de gallo, guacamole, and spicy red salsa

 My Cinco de Mayo plate: plain flour tortilla, Cinco de Mayo salad, Sweet Potato candy (a sweet potato somehow softened with sugar and water!  I forget the Spanish name for it, but it was soft and sweet, and just three ingredients.), Pintos and Hominy with salsa drizzled on top.  So good!

Simple Cinco de Mayo Salad

Ingredients:

3 avocados, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, about one cup packed, chopped, discarding bottom stems

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a large serving bowl and gently but thoroughly toss together.  Try to eat it all at this meal, for refrigerating it does it no favors.  Feeds five hungry vegans. Yumms!

Curried-Tomatoey Cauliflower and Garbanzos

First let me apologize for the truly crummy photo of this wonderful dish.  This is so good and is definitely one of my favorites, so I'm bummed that I couldn't take a decent photo of it.  Some shots, like this one, were too red, others were bland-white and others unappetizing brown.  Ah, so be it.  It's a tasty dish, just trust me.  I mentioned a couple of posts ago for my Savory Yellow Split Pea and Cauliflower Soup how I really like mixing tomato flavors and cauliflower, and this is definitely a dish that showcases that partnership well.  I first found the inspiration for this dish in one of those little booklets that come with an exercise DVD set purchased off an infomercial.  The ingredients are basically the same, I think - it's been so long - but, the quantities of each have changed over the years into what pleases me best.  Oh, yeah!  I guess you can serve this over rice or cous cous, but I love it just by itself.  And, it's so healthy, I completely pig out on it.  I mean, of course, I watch my portion control, so my family can have their share, ahem.  Give this a try, and see if you don't shovel spoonful after spoonful in.

Curried-Tomatoey Cauliflower and Garbanzos

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 white onion, halved and sliced
1 - 6oz. can of tomato paste
2 cups water
1 - 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  When hot, add the cauliflower and onion and cook for ten minutes, stirring frequently.  Turn the heat down to medium.  Add the tomato paste and water directly into the pan.  Stir gently to blend.  Cook for another two or three minutes.  Turn the heat down to medium low and add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook for another five minutes, or until the cauliflower is fork tender.  It should be a bit brothy, but not soupy or dry -- just right!  Can eat like this or serve over your favorite grain.  Mm-mm-mmm!  Feeds five hungry vegans.