Slow Cooker: Tofu-Hashbrown-Bacon Breakfast (or Anytime!!)

Absolutely delicious!  Creamy & crispy all in one!

Everything in besides the tofu mixture....

Creaminess!

Look at how nice it crisps up!

This dish is amazing!  I'm addicted to it!  This time I put vegan bacon in the sauce and the dish itself.  Next time I may put in some vegan sausage and some sauteed mushrooms.  Soo many different combinations you can do with this one.  I think you'll really enjoy this!

You'll need:
16 oz. shredded hashbrown potatoes (frozen) (this time I also added in some frozen, diced potatoes as well for a mixed texture)
1-12.3 container silken tofu, drained
1 small onion, diced (if your hashbrowns don't have them already added in)
vegan cheddar cheese, grated (as much as you'd like) (Daiya worked the best)
vegan bacon, 3 slices for the sauce and as much as you'd like for the dish itself
1/2 cup plain non-dairy creamer (I used soy)
1 vegan bouillon cube (I used Rapunzel brand, no-salt added)
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Spray the slow cooker with a non-stick spray and add the potatoes, onions and bacon in first.  In a blender add in the silken tofu, bouillon, spices, salt, 3 slices of bacon and creamer; process until creamy and everything is liquefied.  Pour over the potatoes, etc. and gently move some potatoes around to get some sauce distributed to the bottom. (just a little bit - you want most of the sauce on top).   I cooked this on high for 1 1/2 hours.  It's done when the cream sauce gets a custard-like consistency and the sides get all crispy and delicious looking! :)  

Slow Cooker: Risotto with Asparagus & Mushrooms

You don't need to heat up your house and yourself in the summer when you want to eat risotto!  Super easy!

You'll need:
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
2 cups mushrooms, chopped (I used baby bellas)
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into medium pieces (I used frozen, organic from TJ's)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 1/4 cups hot water mixed with 2 vegan bouillon cubes (I used Rapunzel brand) or you can
use vegetable stock
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
nutritional yeast, to taste (or soy parmesan)

I cooked this for 1 1/4 hours on high. (or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed) Put the olive oil, onion, garlic & mushrooms in first and cook for a few minutes.  Then add in rest of ingredients and stir.  When risotto is done, adjust seasonings & add in nutritional yeast or soy parmesan.  Enoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza with Mushrooms

Right out of the oven!

Before the cheeze...

Loaded with Teese Mozzarella

How I wish I still had leftovers!  Kenny and I devoured this!  I'm tired of spending so

much money on pizza at this pizzeria that sells vegan items.  $20 for pie??  Crazy!! 

So I bought whole wheat dough at Trader Joe's for .99 cents (!) and I had great marinara

sauce at home, baby bellas and Teese mozzarella - perfect!  I had some Daiya also, but I

wanted to finish up the Teese before it went bad.  I like the taste of Teese, but it just doesn't

melt as well as Daiya.  All in all, this pizza was thoroughly enjoyed!  Really glad I have another

bag of dough sitting in my freezer waiting for another pizza to be made!  :)

Slow Cooker: Corn & Potato Chowder

Sorry about the dark lighting...

All ready to start cooking! :)

This was soo good!  Definitely making this again; I had it for lunch and it was even better today! :)

You'll need:
20 oz. frozen corn
3 large yukon gold potatoes (or any kind you prefer), cut in small-med. chunks
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups non-dairy milk, (I used plain almond milk)
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer, (I used soy)
4 cups hot water mixed w/ 2 vegan bouillon cubes (I used Rapunzel brand)
sea salt, to taste

I used a 7 quart slow cooker set on high.  Put your olive oil in first and then onions, garlic & potatoes; season with sea salt.  Let cook for a few minutes before adding in rest of ingredients.  This cooked for 2 1/2 hours on high (my slow cooker tends to cook hotter than most - just make sure your potatoes are  nice and tender) and then I used an immersion blender and pureed 1/2 the soup.  I let it cook for an additional 1/2 hour and reseasoned.  You can add extra non-dairy creamer if it's not as creamy as you like.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker: Kale, Bean & Potato Stew

This heat wave is killing me - there's no way I'm turning my stove on! >:o  Bought a new slow cooker and last night I made this great recipe!  Very flavorful, nice tang from the vinegar which I love and very filling!  Be on the lookout for many more slow cooker recipes in the following weeks. :)

*I used a large slow cooker - 7 qt.  You can half the recipe if you  have a smaller one.  You can also make this on the stove and reduce the liquid by 2 cups.

You'll need:
8 cups of chopped kale (stems removed)
2  15 oz. cans of white beans, drained and rinsed (or any beans you prefer)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 large onions, diced
4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into large chunks
6 cups of water mixed with 1 tbsp. Better Than Bouillon Veg. Base*
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (more or less - whatever you prefer)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

*You can use plain water or any vegan bouillon you have

Turn slow cooker on high and add in olive oil, red onion and garlic.  Let cook for a few minutes and then add in the potatoes and mix.  Add sea salt, then beans, kale, water mixture, balsamic vinegar and give a gentle stir.  Cover and continue cooking until potatoes and kale are tender.  I had mine on high for 4 hours and low for 1 hour.  If you'll be gone all day then I would put it on low for 6-8 hours.  Enjoy!

Taco Night!

Please forgive me for the not-so-nice pictures, but we were in a hurry to eat!  These tacos were soo good!  The first picture is of the vegan ground round mixed with taco seasoning and cheddar Daiya!  The second is of my husband's messy tacos with salsa and vegan sour cream.  I would have liked to have added some romaine lettuce to them as well, but we ran out it. :(  I'm in shock how much my husband liked these, since he still loves his meat/cheese!   He's hard to please and I'm over the moon that he can enjoy delicious vegan food!!  I'm hoping one day that he'll decide to come over to my side! ;) 

Pineapple-Blueberry Dump Cake

Bubbly right out of the oven!

Before Baking

Peek Inside

If you like sweet treats this is for you!  I'm more of a savory girl, but my husband loved this.  Super easy - you just "dump" everything in the pan and bake!  :)

You'll need:

1 vegan yellow cake mix
1 can of crushed pineapple - do not drain
1 can of pie filling (you can use whatever kind of you like)
1/2 cup vegan margarine
2 tbsp. brown sugar
walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a pan w/ non-stick spray and put the pineapple on the bottom, then the pie filling.  Next you will "dump" on the yellow cake mix on top of the pie filling.  Dot the cake mix with vegan margarine and  sprinkle brown sugar on top followed by the walnuts.  Bake the cake for 25 minutes or until it seems firm.  My favorite part was the caramelized walnuts on top! :)

Poppy's Potato Salad

Really simple potato salad!  Perfect for BBQ's, picnics, etc.!

I don't really measure any of these ingredients - I taste it as I go along.  This is my grandfather's recipe (Poppy) and he used to use white potatoes and "real" mayo, but everything else is the same.  Just add a little vinegar at a time until the taste seems right for you.  I like a lot of vinegar and the mustard just gives it a little kick.  I only add about 1 tbsp., but add more if you like. :)

red potatoes (or any non-starchy potato), boiled and cut into medium chunks
vegenaise (I prefer the grapeseed oil kind)
red onion, diced small
white vinegar,
mustard
salt, to taste

In a large bowl add the potatoes while still hot and mix in the white vinegar.  Let sit for a few minutes.  Then add in the rest of the ingredients.  While the potato salad sits in the fridge for awhile you can taste it again and see what it may need - then you can add more vinegar, salt or vegenaise.

Enjoy!

Sour Kream Cucumbers with Dill

Nice, cool and refreshing!  I love this dish!!

You'll need:

4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
small sweet onion, sliced thin, cut into 1/2 moons (I used vidalia onion)
1 tbsp. sugar (optional)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
4 tbsp. white vinegar (you can add more or less depending on your preference)
dill
salt, to taste

In a bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt and dill.  Mix in cucumbers and onion and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours - the longer the better.  Enjoy! :)

Chilled Soba Noodles with Lemony Asparagus Sauce

Delicious, creamy, vibrant sauce!

Another recipe from Christina Pirello's book "Glow".  I absolutely loved this recipe!  Very creamy and rich-tasting without heavy ingredients!  I had this warm, but this would be great as a cold salad!

You'll need:

1 lb. fresh asparagus, ends snapped off, cut into 1" pieces (I used 1 1/2 lbs.)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste
grated zest of 1 lemon (I also added in the juice of 1/2 the lemon)
1 cup plain soy milk (I used 1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp. kuzu, dissolved in 2 tbsp. of cold water (or arrowroot, cornstarch, etc.) I didn't need this at all - the sauce was very creamy and thick
8 oz. of soba noodles (my pkg. was 12 oz. - that is why I added in extra soy milk/asparagus)

Separate the asparagus tips from the stems and set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the asparagus stems, a pinch of salt, and lemon zest and saute' until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the soy milk, season to taste with salt, and bring to a boil, covered, over low heat.  simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth.  Return to the skillet and stir in reserved aspargus tips.  Simmer over low heat until tips are bright green, about 2 minutes.  Stir in dissolved kuzu and cook, stirring until sauce thickens slightly.

While the sauce cooks, bring a pot of water to boil.  Add soba noodles and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. (mine said 5-6 minutes - they were the variety that had yam flour added).  Drain and rinse well - Japanese noodles are coated with salt during drying and require rinsing after cooking for the best flavor.

To serve, toss noodles with asparagus sauce and serve warm or chill in fridge.  Enjoy!