Vegetable Pot Pie

June 15, 2008 at 4:54 pm | In Vegan Recipes | 2 Comments
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Even though the weather here has been very hot, and already feels like the middle of summer, I found myself craving an easy, one-dish meal that would be filling, hearty and simple. So, vegetable pot pie it was! I used two store-bought frozen spelt pie crusts, and I had lots of fresh vegetables from our local farmer’s market to choose from. I like throwing together whatever I have in the refrigerator, and this combination worked out really well!

Vegetable Pot Pie

  • two pie crusts (store-bought, for convenience)
  • 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 rutabaga, thinly diced
  • 1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
  • several mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • the kernels sliced from one ear of corn
  • 1/3 of an onion, thinly sliced
  • a large bunch of basil, thinly sliced (I used purple basil)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • several generous dashes of dried sage, garlic salt, and Spike vegetable seasoning (or other seasonings of your choice)
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Sautee the vegetables (and added seasonings) in olive oil for just about 2-3 minutes, while preheating the oven 350. Then, fill one of the pie crusts with the vegetable mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the almond milk, and pour evenly over the vegetable mixture. Top the pie with the second crust, pinching the edges together. Prick the top crust with a fork or knife to allow steam to escape, and bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is done.

Banana Cream Pie

June 11, 2008 at 7:04 pm | In Dessert, Vegan Recipes | No Comments
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Think a cross between a vegan cheesecake and banana pudding! I made up this recipe today, and I have to say I’m quite proud of myself! It turned out great; the picture may not look like much, but it tasted wonderful!

I used the gingersnap crust recipe from La Dolce Vegan (only substituting walnuts instead of pecans, and melted Earth Balance instead of regular oil). For the filling, I used:

  • a 16-oz package firm silken tofu
  • 2 ripe medium-sized bananas
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. stevia extract powder
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp. allspice

Combine all the filling ingredients in a blender, puree, and pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 300 for 60 minutes (or until done), and then refrigerate for a few hours to set.

Jicama Salad

June 10, 2008 at 1:09 pm | In Vegan Recipes | 3 Comments
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Summer is here (well, not technically, but it definitely already feels like summer)! I’m determined to eat more salads over the summer, and this was a fun start. I found a jicama at the store the other day, and while I’ve eaten jicama once or twice, I’d never made anything with jicama before. So, I had fun concocting this salad!

Jicama Salad

  • about 1/8 of a jicama, peeled and diced
  • 2 yellow tomatoes, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 small package smoked tofu, diced
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup orange juice
  • 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • dashes of dill, paprika, powdered ginger, salt, and anything else to taste
  • (I may have added just a tiny dash of dijon mustard, and maybe even a little agave nectar too…. but I can’t remember for sure)

Mix the diced veggies and pine nuts in a salad bowl. In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, herbs, and whatever other seasonings you want to add. Pour the dressing over the salad, and serve! (Just a note, this salad doesn’t save well in the refrigerator, since the salad dressing hardens in the refrigerator. If you don’t think you can eat it all in one sitting, you could keep the salad and dressing in separate containers–i.e., don’t mix them in the same bowl– and then bring the dressing to room temperature to de-congeal before serving it again.)

Anyways, my big summer food plans are:

  • eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies
  • make up lots of salad recipes, and salad dressings
  • buy an ice cream maker and make lots of vegan ice cream
  • make lots of flavored iced teas and lemonades
  • make up some new veggie burger recipes

Yeah summer!!!

What a weekend!

May 26, 2008 at 6:48 pm | In Uncategorized | 4 Comments
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We had a really great Memorial Day weekend! M. and A. were here visiting us, and it was so great to see them! We did a lot of fun touristy stuff, and ate a lot of really great food. The highlight of the whole weekend, in my opinion, was the incredibly delicious meal that A. cooked for us last night. I have to say, for not being vegan himself, A. cooked the most delicious vegan meal I have ever eaten! He started the meal off with a pureed vegetable soup, that included sweet potatoes, beets, onions, potatoes, acorn squash, some balsamic vinegar, oregano, dill, sage, and soy yogurt. The flavor was really intense, smoky, and dramatic, just like the color. It was amazing!!

The main course was lentils topped with Thai green curry-flavored vegetables (carrots, chickpeas, beet greens, beet stems, kale, onion, and 1/2 an apple). It was so filling and satisfying!

That day I also made the No-Bake Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie from The Joy of Vegan Baking. It turned out great! I topped it with strawberries and chocolate chips.

On Saturday, we went to San Francisco, and ate at The Herbivore. I love that place! We had a great time; the food was excellent (although the service was a bit slow… we waited about 15 minutes for our dessert). I ordered the shawarma, with added potatoes and eggplants. It was delicious; I loved the combination of flavors (hummus, hot sauce, pickles, and tahini). And the salad that came with it was delicious too; the shredded beet was a nice touch.

M. and A. each ordered the Coconut Noodle Soup, and they eached finished the entire bowl! (The portion size is not clear in the picture, but it was a very large serving of soup.)

Scott ordered the Potato-Soy PIe, and he cleaned his plate too!

For dessert, we shared the mudslide vegan ice cream, and a chocolate cupcake. They were both definite winners; the ice cream was really luscious, creamy, and had a wonderful coconut hint that complemented the chocolate.

The chocolate cupcake was great too. The frosting was really rich, and Scott commented that when he was a kid he would only eat the frosting on the cupcakes (discarding the cake). I, however, would scoop off the frosting and only eat the cake!

Finally, one more picture! Scott and I often go to our favorite coffee shop on weekends; they serve wonderful coffee and breakfast panini. I love to get this sandwich: a veggie melt (adapted to be vegan by omitting the cheese and mayo, but adding dijon mustard) with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, onion, and guacamole, on multigrain bread, with a side of fruit. It’s a very healthy lunch (or breakfast)!

So, I had a really great weekend, and enjoyed lots of delicious meals. It was so much fun to be able to share such good meals with such wonderful people; I enjoyed M. and A.’s visit so much; it was great to see them and share some good food with them!

Eating Out

May 24, 2008 at 7:58 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

This week was our anniversary, so we went out for a nice meal! We went to our favorite pasta place, and had a great time. We shared an appetizer– grilled portobello mushrooms with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and garlic.

For my entree, I had gnocchi in a tomato garlic sauce. It was delicious! I love gnocchi, and this sauce had a really intense garlic flavor (which I loved!).

Scott ordered a vegetarian dish, the eggplant parmesan. He really enjoyed it!

And, this weekend, my brother and his partner are here visiting us! It’s the first time I’ve seen them in a long time, so I’m really excited that they’re here! We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant last night, and had a great time. I had been to this restaurant several times before I became vegetarian (and then vegan), but haven’t been back since, convinced that I wouldn’t be able to eat anything on the menu. I was really glad we went, though, because there were at least two items on the menu that could easily be adapted to be vegan! There was a vegetarian burrito (beans, rice, salsa, avocado, cheese), which could be made vegan by leaving out the cheese. However, I ordered the crispy potato tacos. They came with beans and rice (not cooked in lard; I asked!). The tacos were filled with a potato-salsa mixture, and I requested no cheese/sour cream. They were topped with avocado, tomato, and cabbage. It was really good!

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