Lentil Shepard's Pie

With all of the hard work with the construction of the new home, I was craving some comfort foods!

What type of dish can make one feel good?

hummmm

Mashed potatoes layered on a pile of veg and lentils!

This cottage (Shepard pie) was delish!!

I must make it again!!

Veggie Lasagna with Lentil Sausage

Vegan Pasta Bolognese

I have been craving some good Italian food. Ever want the Old World taste but, not sacrifice your health? So, I made myself a challenge....To make a remake Pasta Bolognese from the Food Network but, in a healthy vegan way.

Here is how I revamped this recipe.


Vegan Pasta Bolognese
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, grated
4 cloves garlic
2 pack of tempeh (Trader Joe's brand)
1 zucchini, grated
1 cup coffee, brewed this morning
1 cup red wine
1 T basil, oregano, fennel seeds, garlic powder and tyme (dried)
3/4 cup tomato paste
1 t marmite
1 t vegan worcestershire
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used the 365 brand at Whole Foods)
3 T onion soup mix, vegan
3 cups water

I cooked the onion, garlic and carrot in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Then I crumbled the temphe and cooked for another 10 minutes. Adding water if it was to brown. Then I added the remaining ingredients. Brought the pot to a boil. And then simmered the dish for 3 hours. Keep an eye on the sauce, if it gets to thick just add some water.

I will serve the sauce on a bed of Whole Wheat pasta and a huge Italian salad.

My home really smells Italian! Yippie! Ed's Nana would be happy to see him eat such healthy food.  The family gives this dish 2 thumbs up!!

Noteworthy: When I was showing the home (for sale) the Bolognese was cooking...they said it smelled fantastic. The kid said he wanted to eat here!  Little did they know it was vegan!

I  came across this blog via facebook....felt like the information needed to be shared. You can find the blog: How to ID Genetically Modified foods at the supermarket at Friends Eat

Vegan Sweet Potato Curry Pie

My family just loves Curries and we love Shepard's Pie. So, I wanted to combine two of our favorite dishes to make a curry pie.

First I baked 5 sweet potatoes in the oven for 1 hour. Then I took them out of the oven to let them cool. 

While they are cooling combine the following ingredients in a pan:

1 large onion, chopped

5 carrots, diced

Cook the onions and carrots in 1 cup water until soft. Then add...

1 bag frozen peas

2 cups spinach

1 cup cauliflower

2 cups red pepper

1 can light coconut milk

2 cups chickpeas

1 cup chopped beef seitan (leftover from dinner)

2 T mild curry powder
1 T tomato paste

Then simmer for 15 minutes.

Once the potatoes are warn peel . Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Mash the potatoes. 

I did the cooking and baking in one pan. So, I layered the mashed sweet potatoes over the curry mix. 

Bake for 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven until bubbly and crisp on top.

Beefy Seitan

 Beefy Seitan
Well, I have made pork and chicken seitan. So today, my mission was to make a beefy seitan. Success once again! Once again I used the slow cooking oven method of making Seitan. I must say that the meat was moist and juicy.

I cooked the seitan with carrots, onions, celery and baby potatoes.
If you would like to make this type of seitan you can visit Notes from the vegan feast kitchen

Black Beans and Rice Salad

Black Beans and Rice Salad
The yummiest salad ever! I cooked the black beans with fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, salsa, onions, seasonings, and I hid a few ingredients zucchini and carrots finely grated. I put the black beans on a bed of lettuce and brown rice. Then I topped it off with mango, tomatoes, salsa and toffutti sour cream.

Coconut-peanut Chickpeas and Vegetables

Coconut Peanut butter Chickpeas and Veggies

inspired from 1,000 vegan recipes

onion, 1/2 large chopped

1/2 bag of frozen mixed bell peppers

water, 1/2 cup

garlic, 1T

curry powder, 2T

peanut butter, 3T

1 can light un-sweet coconut milk

1 can green chilies 

chickpeas 

tomatoes, 2 chopped

1 frozen bag chopped collard greens

pepper

Cook onion, pepper and fresh tomato in water until soft. Add curry powder and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk. Add chickpeas and collard greens. Cook 14 minutes. Serve over hot brown rice and a few crushed peanuts.

This peanut curry was a huge hit in my family! A few of us had seconds! This recipe will be remade!

Brazilian Stew

This black bean stew is so delicious. I just had to have seconds. I used the recipe from Color Me Vegan

• onions
• garlic
• home-made chorizo sausage, crumbled
• 2 yams diced
• black beans
• water
• peppers (I used tri-color)
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• oregano
• cumin
• can chopped tomato with juice
• cilantro
• mango 

I cooked the black beans. Then I added all of the ingredients except cilantro and the mango. I brought the stew to a boil then cooked covered for 20 minutes on low heat. After you put the stew in the bowl add the cilantro and the diced mango.

This yummy stew was eaten on a bed of brown rice by my boys. While I enjoyed the stew alone. 

This Brazilian Stew is so delicious I will be making it again! This stew was enjoyed by the entire family. And it adheres to the Eat to Live diet.

Seitan Dinner: Mashed Potatoes with Chickpea gravy

This meal was inspired by the cookbook Appetite for Reduction.  

The recipe Silky Chickpea Gravy. I did modify the recipe to reduce the fat and salt. So how did I do it? I cooked 1 onion chopped in water until soft. Then I added a clove of garlic and 1- 1/4 cups veggie broth. In the pan I cooked for 3 minutes. To thicken up the gravy I added 3 cups cooked chickpeas. I blended the chickpea mixture in the Vita Mixer for 1 minute. The gravy was divine! I will have to make this again! The boys and Ed LOVED this dinner!

Project Seitan

Project Seitan: Success!!

 

My adventure began yesterday, I decided to make some Seitan! So I found a recipe from Bryanna Gorgan. The cooking took the better part of the day like most good things! I must say this Seitan was a HIT in my family!!  

I thought Ed was going to hate it. But, He said he liked it. The boys ate tons of it! Jake actually said this is so good I would like to eat it in a BBQ sandwich. JT said that he thought I made "real" meat but knew that I could not. Being that our home rule is only Vegan food will be served in this home. 

Next time I plan on making this Seitan more like chicken. Then I can see if I can make some un-chicken nuggets for the boys and hot un-chicken wings for Ed!

Brazilian Black Beans with Brown Rice

Seitan Yummy!!

Mexican Casserole ~Fiesta

It's Mexican Fiesta Night!!

Since we began Eat to Live Mexican night is one of my favorite meals!

We usually have a Mexican Casserole. Tonight is no exception.

I layered roasted tomatoes, salsa cheeze sauce (made with the mashed steamed cauliflower), vegan whole wheat tortillas, spinach, white beans, to make this lovely concoction! Then we topped it off with a generous portion of lettuce, tomato and avocado (Ed and JT added vegan cream cheese).  YUMMY!

BBQ meatless meatballs with Creamy Mac & Cheeese and salad

Trader Joes meatless meatballs in BBQ sauce

creamy mac&cheeese

bbq dinner

Meatless Meatballs: 
Trader Joes meatless meatballs
Trader Joes BBQ sauce

Creamy Mac & Cheese:
pasta
cauliflower, steamed and pureed
nutritional yeast
almond milk, plain unsweetened
seasoning
Vogue VegBase
raw cashews

Lunch Salad daze

Mango topped Salad

Mango Salad with dressing

Channa (chickpeas) Korma

Channa Korma
Chickpeas
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Sharwood's Mild curry powder
2 cups unsweetened almond milk, plain
Carrots
Peas