Make me a sandwich.

Yummy Asian Tofu sandwich on gluten free bread! Recipe coming soon!

Progress?

If you know me (and eat with me) you know that my venture into veganism hasn't been easy. Vegetarianism was a cinch, but my taste buds have proven to overpower my will at times, especially when it comes to eggs. I'm newly inspired and committed to my transformation process now and would love feedback on these recipes or links to blogs/websites where you've found recipes you love and have tried!

This is such a great way to keep articles and recipes all in one spot so please share!

Yummy in your tummy. Arborio rice.

Recipe coming soon!!

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

This week I had dinner at the home of a very lovely couple. They hooked me on a brand new dish I'd never even thought to make! Tofu Lettuce Wraps :)

I spun it a little (as I do everything) in my own way but my taste buds are very thankful for the inspiration!

You'll need:

Green Leaf Lettuce
1 block Organic Firm Tofu
1 Zucchini
1/2 Lemon
1/2 c. of Corn (more or less to taste)
Garlic to taste (I used about 7 cloves but I'm a bit of a garlic freak and they were pre-roasted so they weren't as potent)
Soy Sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Sriracha
(Spicy Mustard...I didn't use this time but wished I had)
Ginger
Salt
Pepper

I got my corn and garlic from an anti-pasta bar at the market but you could also use regular cob corn and raw garlic.

Here goes!

1.Add soy sauce and 1/4 lemon juice to a wok  or skillet and allow to heat
2. Cut Zucchini into fourths and add to wok
3. Let Zucchini cook for a minute or two and add corn and garlic, stir

4.In a separate skillet add soy sauce, the rest of the lemon juice and diced tofu
5.Mash tofu and scramble as you would an egg, it can be as chunky or smooth as you like
6. Add ginger and sriracha to taste

7. Once tofu has warmed, add it to the veggie mixture and let simmer until hot
8. Rinse and separate lettuce

Ta Da!!  Yummy, healthy lettuce wraps!

I added the sweet and sour sauce and sriracha into each lettuce wrap as I wanted...the sweet/spicy flavor was awesome! So tasty, I definitely ate WAY too much!

** You could have a side of brown rice with hoisin or sweet and sour OR Brussel sprouts and potatoes like my super cook friends served**

Enjoy!

Avocado Pasta Sauce

Tonight I rummaged the pantry and found everything I needed to make creamy avocado pasta sauce! You'll need:

1/2 lemon
1 avocado
Parsley
Basil
Spinach
Black olives
2tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

I didn't use a food processor so it was a slight time suck but still very easy!

Put the juice of one half lemon into a mixing bowl and whisk together with spices to taste and olive oil. Peel, pit and mash the avocado until very smooth. Whisk avocado with lemon mix the chip spinach and olives finely and add. Mix in the pasta, add a bit of crushed red pepper and there ya go! :) Delish!

Vegan Pesto and Asparagus

Most store bought Pesto has Parmesan cheese in it, which I try not to eat, so I decided to make my own!

You'll need:

Basil
Garlic
Yellow Onion
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
A food processor
Any type of past you like, preferably without an egg base
Sun dried tomatoes
Asparagus


9 ingredients for an entire meal? Not bad!

Cook the pasta as the box instructs. As the pasta is cooking, cut the asparagus (just the white ends) and coat in olive oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet. bake for about 15 minutes on 350.

For the pesto:
in a food processor combine basil, garlic cloves to taste, olive oil, salt and pepper

I always estimate on my measurements and typically add to taste since I like stronger tastes then most but here is a guideline:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Some people add pine nuts or walnuts as well, I didn't this time.
In a separate pan i sauteed the sun dried tomatoes and yellow onion until the tomatoes were slightly blackened.

Drain the pasta and add the pesto sauce on top (don't be alarmed if it isn't creamy like most pesto, the lack of cheese means it won't be) and sprinkle sun dried tomatoes and onion to taste. Have some baked asparagus on the side and enjoy!

Sweet Breakfast

People don't pay much attention to breakfast but I recently helped make a fantastic Sunday Funday Brunch and my vegetarian/vegan contributions were pretty tasty!

Super Simple Fruit Salad:
As a vegetarian (aspiring vegan) and someone without much of a sweet tooth, i often forget about fruit. This sweet salad made me happy I remembered fruit for this brunch.

Banana, Strawberry, Grapes and Orange Juice

Vegan Waffles:
I skimped a bit and bought a freezer version of these yums. You can look for the "vegetarian/gluten free" section in your local grocery store and find any number of brands with dairy and egg free waffles. I put a very small amount of Agave and Justin's Peanut Butter on the waffles. I will be learning how to make my own vegan waffles and I'll share that soon!

Lastly I added a side plate of whole grapes and watermelon...just because I love them so much!

Curried Tofu Scramble

This is one of my favorites!!

You'll need:
Curry Powder
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Avocado
Firm Organic Tofu
Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Tomato
(You can add or take out any veggies you like/don't like)

First I cut the tofu into cubes and place din a skillet with a small amount of olive oil. I mashed the tofu and then mixed as i would a cracked egg, adding in the curry powder and cumin to taste.
I added the vegetables which I'd chopped as I would for a stir fry (maybe a bit smaller).
Add the tomato last, it's better when it's not too mushy from the heat.
Lastly I chopped the avocado and topped the scramble with it.

This was fantastic! It reminded me SO much of eggs and had that curry kick that I love. It was a really clean, refreshing meal.

Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms

I was searching the internet for some interesting ways to use avocado and I came across a recipe for stuffed mushroom. I tweaked it A LOT and here is what I got:

You'll need:
Crimini Mushrooms
Avocado
Chinese Spicy Mustard
Ginger Pear Dressing (or any similar dressing of your choice...just nothing dairy based)
Extra Firm Organic Tofu
Spinach
Sweet Potato
Red Pepper
Onion

First I took the stems out of the mushrooms and marinated them in the Ginger Pear Dressing.

Next I chopped, mashed and whipped the avocado with Chinese Spicy Mustard 

After the avocado was nice a creamy I stuffed the mushrooms with it :)

 

Next came the tofu. I cut the tofu into thin rectangular strips and sauteed them in soy sauce and the Ginger Pear dressing until golden brown.

As I sauteed the tofu I put the mushrooms on a baking sheet and placed them in the oven (after adding a bit of cracked pepper to the tops). I baked them on 350 for about 20 minutes. During this time I also sliced the sweet potato into fry like slices and baked them.

After the mushrooms and sweet potatoes were done I made a small salad with spinach, red pepper and mushrooms. I placed the mushrooms and tofu on the salad, added some Ginger Pear Dressing and had the fries as a side.

It was great! The avocado puree had a small spice to it from the mustard and the mushrooms and salad were sweet from the dressing. Yum!

 

Sweet Potato and Kale Sautee

This one was super simple and super yummy!
Kale Sautee:
Fresh Kale leaves
Spinach leaves
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Mushroom
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Sweet Potato:
Sweet Potato
Pecans
Salt
Pepper

I cut and boiled one sweet potato then mashed it with salt, pepper and pecan.
While I did this I sauteed the onion (it takes longest to cook) with the other veggies. Take into account that the kale and spinach largely decrease in size as they cook. You may want to use more than you think you'll need.

Very filling and the sweetness of the potato was offset by the very slight bitterness of the cooked kale.

Taco Night!

Animal friendly!

"How-to" Coming soon!

Let those cows give milk to their own babies.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-alternatives-to-conventional-milk.html?fb_action_ids=812319618357&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map=%7B%22812319618357%22%3A10152066964348539%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22812319618357%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D


Care2 is quickly becoming one of my favorite websites.

Check it out!

Take a look at what you eat...especially if it can look back at you.

“All animals have the same capacity for suffering, but how we see them differs and that determines what we’ll tolerate happening to them. In the western world, we feel it wrong to torture and eat cats and dogs, but perfectly acceptable to do the same to animals equally as sentient and capable of suffering. No being who prides himself on rationality can continue to support such behaviour.”

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/5-reasons-why-meat-eating-cant-be-considered-a-personal-choice.html#ixzz24fp6yTgm

Orange/Lime Cilantro Salad Dressing

Yum! This dressing was fantastic.

I've never really given much thought to making my own salad dressing but I was reading through a raw food cookbook the other day and came across this one.

I'm a sucker for anything with cilantro in it so it only made sense to try it. My taste buds were too tempted to resist :)
I'm not a huge measurment person and I was making a one serving portion so I just guessed and added more of the things I liked the most. Here are the numbers for you sticklers:

Orange/Lime Cilantro Salad Dressing
from Raw Food Cleanse by Penni Shelton

1 Cup Cilantro
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1 tsp Lime Zest
1/2 tsp Sea Salt, Black Pepper
Minced Garlic to taste

I juiced the orange and lime then added the olive oil, cilantro, salt, pepper and garlic to the juicer bowl and stirred. After that I added all of the ingredients to the Ninja (or Blender) and mixed until it was smooth. Mine turned out green with specks of cilantro.

It was amazing. I just added it to a large salad with Spinach, Kale, Onion, Roma Tom, Broccoli, Avocado, Almonds and Bell Peppers.

My breath smelled like cilantro and garlic afterward....sexy :) and well worth it!

"Sushi"

If you know me you know that one of the loves of my past is Sushi. I love eating it, making it...everything. BUT unfortunately fish of any kind is one of the dirtiest meats you can eat, not to mention the horrible way in which they're farmed..SO this is my alternative:

The Filling: Avocado, Spicy Sprouts, Tofu, Green Onion, Bell Pepper, Cilantro, Spinach, Carrot, Cucumber and Mushroom

The outer layer: Sushi Nori, Short Grain White Rice, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Salt

The Delicious, Animal Friendly Product

This meal was delicious! And so cheap. I made 5 rolls with at LEAST 8 pieces each which lasted me a few meals and I could even take it to work. It didn't take any longer to make than a normal meal and is so tasty! I didn't even miss the fish :) (The Eel Sauce was kind of missed but, oh well.)  YUM!!

Pho Inspired Stir Fry

One of my favorite meals is vegetable Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup and I'm just a bit addicted to it. It involves lots of cilantro, lime, basil, onion and Hoisin sauce and not so traditionally...soy sauce.

I got the majority of these ingredients, left out the broth and substituted rice for noodles and the result was pretty amazing.

An amazing substitute for butter to saute with

Sesame Seed Oil is one of my favorite stir fry flavors!

Some yellow onion and Crimini Mushrooms

Lime and Cilantro (the best parts)

White rice cooked with Cilantro

I started with Sesame Seed Oil and Cilantro so that the flavors would be really distinct

Onion, Bell Pepper and Yellow Squash

Tofu, Lime and Cilantro

The finished product

This was delicious! I can't wait to make it again and perfect it :)

No animals were harmed in the making of...

This delicious meal!

The picture is pretty low quality (sorry- my phone isn't the best camera) BUT the meal was not low quality at all.

I used organic pasta from Wheatsville Co-Op (my new favorite place) and Veggie Ground "Beef" from LightLife for the main ingredients. Then I added some onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and crushed red pepper to marinara sauce and topped off with Mozarella Veggie Shreds. 

It was so good :)

I think I'll go have the leftovers for lunch now.

Next up...Yellow Curry Soy and Rice :) 

A couple reasons why...

I've had several people ask me why I'm choosing to experience a vegan lifestyle. I have a few:

1. Inhumane treatment of farm animals.
Did you know that the meat source for veal is a calf placed in a box barely larger than its own body? It is chained inside this box until its slaughter at five months old. This is all so that people can have light, tender veal. Yum.

2. Body benefits.
It has taken me a long time to become confident in my appearance but since cutting meat out of my diet not only have I felt better, I've looked better. I have more energy, my body feels clean, and I've never worn a smaller pant size than I do now (which is definitely a side bonus :) )  I've learned that there is a huge connection between feeling good, looking good and feeling like you look good.


Of course my main motivator is reason number one. I was reading a book about ethical eating and I learned that when baby chicks hatch, their beaks are clipped to reduce pecking and fighting  in over crowded coops. The logic behind this astounds me. We disfigure a living creature so that their natural instincts won't inconvenience us as we make their short lives practically unbearable so that we can grill out on a Sunday afternoon? How much more selfish can we get? Humans torture humans, humans torture animals...I directly impact the first ( on a minuscule scale) through my job...I feel I have a responsibility to impact the second as well. A living being is a living being...regardless of species. ( Now try holding me to that when there is a big nasty insect trying to get in my room...eek.)

see ya.

Going Veggie.

So, I'm doing it. I'm going Vegan.

I like to challenge myself...
A year and a half ago I decided to become a pescatarian and I did that with no issue at all. I've had no meat other than seafood for over a year. I have been toying with the idea of going all veggie for a few months now. I was at Barnes and Noble the other day looking at cookbooks and a Vegan one caught my eye...I know: Vegetarians and Vegans are very different, BUT I decided to take a look. Inside I found an awesome guide to becoming a vegan and reasons why veganism is more humane for not only animals, but for humans as well.

Not only are animals treated horrendously in the farming industry, the farms themselves (factory farms) do ridiculous things to the environment. The air and water pollution produced by theses places is outrageous. ALSO, the corn drown to feed meat cows is enough corn to feed multiple thrid world, starving countries. We are growing acres worth of food, feeding it to cows, butchering the cows (viciously) and the product is LESS food than what was orginially produced by the land. All because we want our steaks and our Big Macs.

This blows my mind.
It makes no sense.

Also, in many large factory farms, baby chicks have their beaks cut off at birth to solve the issue of pecking due to overcrowding. In most coops, there is hardly room for one chicken to take more than three steps at a time. Not that they can take more than that anyway since they are so pumped full of hormones their natural frames can't support the meat on their bodies.

Sill want to grill out tonight? I don't. Unless it's tofu.

I don't judge anyone for what they choose their diet to be...but I personally can't stand not at least TRYING to make this change. I realize that it will be a huge challenge...I love milk, cheese and eggs. But the 12 week cook book is really going to help me out. It's called the Daily Vegan Planner.


Wish me luck!