Baked Kale with Veggie Spread

Ingredients
Kale leaf
5 Mini potatoes
5 Cherry tomatoes
Onion a little less t han 1/4 cup
Olive oil about 2 tbsp
Vegan cheese

Directions
Place chopped onions,  potatoes,  tomatoes, and olive oil in blender (mix to preferrer taste)
Wash Kale leaf
Place leaf on baking pan, place veggie spread in the middle, and top with cheese
Bake on 350 for 10 minutes
Kale will be crispy on the edges
Serve up and Enjoy!

Tomato Cucumber Soup

Ingredients
1 Tomato chopped
2 Persian Cucumbers chopped with skin still on
1 spoonful of Garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut water
Olive oil for pan
-I used a mushroom spice blend,  you can use your choice of spice blend. I think a spicy blend would go well. 

Directions
Coat pan with oil
Add all ingredients except coconut water
Simmer,  covered for about 20 minutes
Transfer mixture to blender,  add coconut water and blend
Serve it up!

Green Salad

Ingredients

• Asparagus (about 6 stalks - I used a peeler on mine)
• Green Beans (about a handfull)
• Garlic (1 spoonful)
• Onion (1/4 cup)
• Tempeh (1.2 package)
• Vegan Mayo (about 2 spoonfuls)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup)

Directions

• Chop vegetables
• Mix all ingredients into bowl 
• VOILA! 

Quinoa, Kumquat, and Asparagus Salad

Here's a nice recipe for a cold summer salad.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Water
• About 6 to 7 Kumquats seeded and chopped
• About 3 stalks of Asparagus sliced
• 1 Scallion sliced 
• Chia Seeds - about 1 to 2 tbsps
• Lemon Juice about 1 tbsp
• Olive Oil about 1 tbsp
• Spice Mixture (I used a mushroom spice mixture)
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Boil 2 cups of water, add quinoa
• Prepare the kumquats, asparagus, and scallions
• Mix kumquats, asparagus, scallions, and chia seeds in bowl 
• Add spice mixture to quinoa - make sure the water has not been absorbed yet
• Once the water has been absorbed remove Quinoa from heat and let cool
• Add quinoa to veggie mixture, add lemon juice, and olive oil
• Stir mixture and chill
• Serve Cold

Cucumber Salad - Adapted from Pinterest

This looked like a cool easy recipe. It can either be a dip or grab a pita and make a sandwich.

Ingredients

• Cucumber
• Onion
• Tomato
• Vegan Sour Cream
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic
• Lime Juice
• Cilantro
• Cumin 
• Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

• Peel and Seed 1 cucumber
• Seed 1 Tomato
• Finely Chop 1/4 cup of onion
• Mix vegetables together in bowl
• Add 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 1 spoonful of garlic
• Dash of cumin
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 2 tbsps of lemon and lime juice
• 1/4 cups freshly chopped cilantro
• Mix together in bowl, chill, and enjoy! 

Red Curry Quinoa

Ok. First I want to say it's been 6 months since making the switch to Vegan Eating.  Overall, I feel great! Today's recipe was inspired by my love for curry. But recently I found out that many Thai places use shrimp paste or fish sauce in their curry. With that said, the one thing I realized about vegan eating is that it is a continually learning process, so anyone traveling down this road understand you may make unknown mistakes from time to time but learn from them and move on. So here's my go at Red Curry Quinoa!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 cup water 
• 1 cup almond milk and 2/3 cup almond milk (You can use coconut milk for this - I just didn't have any in my fridge and Almond Milk worked just fine)
• Red Curry Paste Mixture (I got it from Whole Foods)
• Yellow Peppers
• Orange Peppers
• Green Beans

Directions

• Place quinoa, 1 cup of water, and cup of almond milk in sauce pan and cook on medium heat
• Chop peppers and beans (I like big chunks for curry) and place in skillet
• Add 2/3 cup of almond milk to vegetable mixture cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes
• Add desired amount of curry paste (I used about 2 tbsps)
• When Quinoa has almost absored water and milk, add 1 tsp of curry paste
• Remove vegetable mix from heat and add to quinoa
• Stir and Serve! 

Kale Pepper Salad

Ok All... I'm finally feeling settled in my new apartment in the East Bay Area. So it's back to the cooking.

Ingredients

• Orange Pepper (quarter of the pepper)
• Yellow Pepper (quarter of the pepper)
• Onion about 1/4 cup
• Kale two leaves deveined
• Chia Seeds about 2 tbsps
• Vegan Mayonnaise about 1/4 cup
• Peanut Sauce about 1/4 cup
• Salt Pepper to Taste

Directions

• Chop peppers, onions, and kale
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl  and Stir (It's as simple as that!)

Simple Sweet Potatoes

Well here's something super simple

Ingredients 

• Sweet Potato
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt/Pepper (Optional)

Directions

• Cook the Sweet Potato (simple way - wet a paper towel wrap the potato cook in the microwave for about 4 to 5 minutes)
• Mash out of the skin
• Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

The fun part about this is you can experiment with different oils and vinegars. First, I tried a peach balsamic vinegar with a regular oil. Then I tried a Basil Oil with a Fig Balsamic Vinegar. So many options!!! ENJOY!

Not So Egg Salad

Ingredients
- Cubed Tofu
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Green Peppers
- Spoonful of Vegan Mayonnaise
- Chopped Zucchini
- 1/4 Cup of Peanut Sauce
- 2 Tbsps of Hot Sauce

Directions
- Mix ingredients together until mayonnaise and peanut sauce are well blended. 
- Serve cold with your choice of bread
- You can use noncubed Tofu but mash it thoroughly while mixing ingredients

Tofu Black Bean Portobello Salad

Need a quick easy meal, give this a go!

Ingredients
- Portobello Mushroom
- 1/2 cup cubed Tofu
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

- 1/4 cup of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
- Less than 1/4 cup chopped onion
- Peanut Sauce to taste (about 1/4 cup for my tastes)
-Salt and Pepper to taste
- I also add Chia seeds and Vegan omega blend

Directions
- Cook black beans, onions, peppers,salt, pepper in medium sauce pan on low heat for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally
- Remove from heat and cool, chop mushroom
- Mix Tofu, Mushroom,  and black beans together. Serve cold and enjoy!
- If you're adding omega blend add when cool

Peanut Kale Salad

Sorry about the lack of recipes lately,  life gets a little hectic from time to time. 
Ingredients
* Washed Kale (about 2 cups)
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
* 1/4 cup of peanut sauce
* 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
* 1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
* Salt & Pepper to taste
* Mix together and chill for a few hours before serving

Cheesy Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Quinoa
• 3 cups of Almond Milk
• 2 cups of Vegan Cheese (I used Cheddar Daiya Cheese)

Directions

• Cook in a Slow Cooker on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally

Variations 

• Add salsa
• Add Vegan meat
• Add Broccoli 

Penne in an Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients 

• Penne Pasta (I used a gluten free pasta)
• 1 avocado
• about 1/2 cup of vegan cheese (I used Daiya Chedder Cheese)
• 1/2 tbsp cilantro
• 1/4 tbsp sage
• 1/4 cup of Almond Milk
• Lime Juice about 1/4 tbsp
• Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 tbsp
• Pepper

Directions

• Blend all ingredients besides pasta together

• Cook Pasta and Drain, once pasta is drained add mixture to pasta and cook until cheese is melted on a low heat

Spicy Tofu Portobello Mushroom Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 block of  Firm Tofu
• 1/4 chopped Onion
• 1 Portobello Mushroom grilled and chopped
• 1 tbsp of Chia Seeds
• Pepper to taste
• Hot Sauce to taste (I used about 2 to 3 tbsp)
• 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds

Directions

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
• Chill and Serve

"Breakfast Balls"

So I tried my hand at the sweets! They come out almost like a shortbread ball, but still chewy in the middle. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour (I used white rice flour, which I guess makes thes Gluten Free also!)
• 1/2 cup of Coconut Sugar
• 1/2 Almond Milk
• 2 tbsp of Vanilla Extract
• 3 tbsp of Vegan Butter
• 3 Spoonfuls of Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup chopped Walnuts
• 2 Dashes of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions

• Beat together until mixed and looks "crumbly"
• Preheat over to 375
• Spoon cookie mixture out and roll into balls
• Bake for 20 minutes 

   

Orzo in a Red Wine "Cream" Sauce

Ok - So here's another Orzo recipe!

Ingredients

• Orzo Pasta
• about 1/4 cup of Red Wine Cooking Vinegar
• about 1/4 cup of Almond Milk
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• about 2 to 3 tbsp Vegan Worcester Sauce
• Basil
• Pepper
• Vegan Goat Cheese

Directions

• Make the cheese the night before
• Saute Onions, Basil, Pepper, Mushrooms, and Asparagus in the Red Wine Cooking Vinegar and Worcester Sauce
• Cook the Pasta
• Add the Milk and let cook together for about 5 minutes
• Add Pasta to Mixture
• Serve and Top with Goat Cheese

Breakfast Polenta Muffins

And the Cooking Continues!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cup Corn Meal
• 5 Cups water
• 1 Medium Size Onion
• 1 Green Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
• 3 Vegan Breakfast Links (I used Tofurky Brand)
• 1/2 Cup of Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 of Vegan Cheese (I used Shredded Cheddar Daiya Cheese)
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

• Boil 5 cups of water
• While water is boiling - saute veggies, paprika, salt, and pepper
• Once water is boiling slowly add corn meal and stir while adding
• After corn meal has absorbed water, add in saute mix, nutritional yeast, cheese and stir until cheese is melted

• Preheat oven to 350
• Place mixture in your choice or pan (I used cupcake pan to make it an easy on the go Breakfast)
• Cover pan Bake for 20 minutes
• Uncover pan and Bake for 20 more minutes

Recipe yields about 12 "muffins" - It was an extra big muffin pan

Quinoa Asparagus "Cheese" Salad

Here's another simple recipe for you! 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup Quinoa (make sure you rinse)
• 3 cups water
• A handful of asparagus (chopped)
• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
• Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinaigrette (This can be to taste depending on how sweet you want the salad to taste - I used about 4 tbsps)
• I found this recipe for Vegan Goat Cheese and that's what I used for the cheese

Directions

• Make the cheese the night before
• Bring the Quinoa to a boil in the water - reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed
• Saute the asparagus and walnuts in 1 to 2 tbsp of the Vinaigrette
• Cool both the Quinoa and the asparagus - Once cooled mix together and the other 2 tbsp of Vinaigrette
• Top with the cheese

Orzo Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

Hello there! 

Here's a quick and easy pasta meal! I used Orzo pasta for this meal, but feel free to pick the pasta of your choice.

Pasta of Choice - I used 1/2 cup of Orzo
Vegan Cream Cheese - Garlic and Chive Flavor about 1/4 a cup maybe a little more
Marinara Sauce about 1/2 cup (I have a recipe for sauce to come!)
Nutritional Yeast 1-2 tbsp

Cook the pasta, drain, add in cream cheese, marinara sauce, and nutritional yeast stir until smooth and mixed. ENJOY!

Tofu Avocado Salad

This recipe is great for easy lunch wrap sandwiches! 

Ingredients

• Super firm tofu (1 package)
• 1 avocado
• 1 chopped small onion
• 1 medium cucumber seeded and chopped
• Vegan Mayonnaise (about 2 tbsp)
• Lemon Juice (about 1 to 2 tbsp)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Optional: Carrots or Cranberries
• Tortilla Wrap (heat for about 15 seconds to make the wrap easier to fold)

Directions

• Drain Tofu and crumble into small pieces (I use a fork to sort of mash them)
• Mash the avocado
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill before serving
• Serve with your choice of wrap