Sugar, Spice and everything Vegan!

Better than OG Minestrone soup.

2009-09-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

WOW, It has been such a long time since I have updated! There hasn't been much time to cook or bake, since I have recently moved out of my home. It's been busy with my parents and brother moving everything and painting. Its gets pretty tiring watching people work, but since they did so much for me, I decided to make them a nice lunch! I searched all over for a vegan minestrone soup recipe and finally found one at Almost Vegan. It seemed simple enough so I thought I would try it out. The end result: TRES MAGNIFIQUE!!! The best soup I have ever experienced!

2 small onions
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cans stewed tomatoes
4-5 Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
dried basil - 1 tablespoon
salt & pepper
olive oil
5 cups water
4oz. tomato sauce
1/2 box mini pasta shells

1.)Dice the onions, slice zucchini and squash, and mince garlic.

2.) Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a large soup pot over med-high heat. Toss in the onion, zucchini and squash. Saute until onion becomes almost translucent. Add the basil, season with salt & pepper. Add the minced garlic and saute another few moments until before the garlic browns.

3.) Put the Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon into the pot, smash it with a wooden spoon while the garlic is cooking and then pour in the 5 cups water.

4.) Add the stewed tomatoes and the tomato sauce and bring to a low boil, then turn it down right away to a simmer.

5.) Add the beans and let it cook on low to combine the ingredients. At least 10 minutes.

6.) While the soup is cooking, make the mini pasta shells. Instead of cooking the pasta with the soup, it keeps the shells from getting too mushy. So cook the pasta according to instructions on the box, then drain it in a strainer and rinse it in cold water to stop it from cooking.

7.) Place a handful of pasta in the bottom of a bowl, ladle the minestrone soup on top of it. And enjoy!!

Dinner for one!

2009-08-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

For a nice healthy meal, try this simple single serving dish: toss together pasta, onions, bell pepper, and tofu.

2 Slices of Tofu extra firm
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onions
1/2 cup Bell Pepper,all colors
1/2 cup Spaghetti-whole wheat,cooked
1 tsp basil or other spices

approx: calories:247.85, fat(gm):7.33, carbs(gm):33.02, protein(gm):18.14

Reeses?

2009-08-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to make some cookies for the night, but there was no flour in the house (and I had no intention of running to the grocery store) so, instead I decided to do with what I had in the pantry: peanut butter and chocolate. YUM! One thing I knew I would miss as a vegan was Reeses Cups, but I enjoy these so much more!

Peanut Butter Cups

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (ghardelli semi-sweet works great)
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
cupcake liners

Microwave half of chocolate chips for about 2 minutes until stirred creamy.

Spread chocolate into cupcake liners for bottom layer so you fill the crevices as well. Put into freezer so the chocolate hardens.

In a bowl, mix 1 cup peanut butter and 1/4 tsp of salt and fold in 1/2 cup of sugar.

When chocolate has hardened, put peanut butter mix in microwave for 1 minute, let it cool a bit and then put as second layer over the chocolate.

Microwave the remaining chocolate chips and use as top layer over the peanut butter.

Place in freezer and eat once hardened!

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

2009-08-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the Joy of Vegan Baking. This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! They are simple to make, and absolutely delicious. :)

1 egg replacer (I used Ener-G)
3/4 c vegan margarine
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl by hand or with electric mixer at high speed. Beat in the egg replacer as well as the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture along with the chocolate chips. Stir well until mixed, but do not overmix.

Drop by teaspoons onto a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Should make about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Be Italian!

2009-08-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Roxann has been begging for me to make Bruschetta for quite some time now and since it was her last week in town I decided to make it for her.

This was the first time I have ever attempted bruschetta but it seemed like an easy enough dish to make. I sliced and toasted french bread then grilled some veggies such as: zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and artichokes and added them on top of the bread along with marinara and basil. Then threw it all back into the oven to get an even toaster creation. It came out delicious!!

Last night my brother and his friend came home from guitar center starving and demanding a "hearty meal." Since there was left over marinara sauce and tofu in the fridge I decided to whip together some Tofu Parmesan. I even added some sliced portobello on top. :) This is a simple and fast recipe. Enjoy!

Tofu Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 block of Extra Firm Tofu, Drained and Pressed, cut into 1/2 inch slabs
Italian style Bread
Crumbs
Canola Oil
1/2 cup Water
2 tbsp Cornstarch
Marinara Sauce

Directions:

Pour oil into frying pan, begin to heat on medium-high.

Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl. In separate bowl pour breadcrumbs.

Take a tofu slice and dip both sides in the cornstarch water mix, then in the breadcrumbs.

Place in the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

**make sure to drain and press tofu, otherwise the water will stick to the pan**

obento!

2009-08-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to make my big bro his lunch for work. He's in this phase where he thinks he can only get muscle building protein from animal, so I thought I would humor him and add turkey in his lunch. So please forgive this non vegan meal. It was just too cute to not add in the blog. ^-^
Tier one: turkey with hummus and veggies sandwich on pumpernickel bread
Tier two: watermelon with grapes, whole wheat apricot fig and raisins

When I was on my way to pick up a red box movie, I noticed how beautiful the sky looked and had to take a pic. The colors duke, the colors!!

Kirky

2009-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

My trip to Albuquerque was a blast! Bob Dylan and his band played amazingly well, it was a great show. I realized how much I like it in new mexico, seems like people there are a lot more health conscious. There were cyclists, hikers and runners out everyday. I cant wait to make a trip back out there and this time take my bicycle!
So this weekend I made Stuffed Portabello mushrooms with pasta. It came out soo good! I was so hungry and excited I ate without taking a picture of it. I also made some pineapple coffee cake. It came out a little undercooked because I was rushed out in order to make the movie time for District 9, which is an awesome movie.

So instead of food here are some pictures from my trip to the Albuquerque Zoo.

squirrel stealing his food! he doesn't seem to mind much..

he looks rather happy lol

sleepy animals

naked mole rats seem to have a good diet.

oh, so delicious!

2009-08-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

I'm totally looking forward to this weekend! Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in concert! My family and I are traveling a mere 4 hours to Albuquerque to attend this historic event! The last time I saw Dyan I got stuck behind a couple of inconsiderate hippies that would not shut up. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to sneak in burgers and sushi and soda, so weird... haha So Before I leave, I decided to make an Eggplant Sandwich with Fire Roasted soup.

Started out by cutting up some eggplant, zucchini and tomato then brushing them with some olive oil and sprinkling oregano on top. Preheat oven to 350 and bake until lightly browned.

I picked up some freshly baked bread at Sun Harvest and toasted it then added soy mozzarella cheese. Be sure to place the veggies hot on top of the soy cheese so that it melts. It should look something like this, and it tastes AMAZING!

I cheated and got a box soup, I cant remember the brand but it was labeled vegan. I had my doubts but it was actually really good!

Pretty in Pink!

2009-08-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! I showed up to work in the morn to find that the building electricity was out! Word was that power wouldn't be back on for some time, so the boss let us go for the day! I spent my day off going to the gym, hanging out at my grandmothers, and then taking a trip to the west side of El Paso with Roxann. We went to the mall, got some tea, and then drove around the area looking at large pretty houses. Afterwards, I returned to my house, took a nice long nap and then woke up and prepared to bake some cupcakes with Roxy. I must say, these were the best cupcakes I have ever tasted! A great conclusion to my day off. ;)

I got this cake recipe from Bittersweet Blog

Doors Phase II

2009-08-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

WOW! I just cannot get enough of Jim Morrison! His lyrics are phenomenal. I just (legally) downloaded 5 flippin gigs of The Doors! Every song amazes me. It really influences me to want to start reading and discussing poetry with others. Any takers? Well, hopefully I will meet a poet soon..There has to be someone in EP with something to say, right?
Let the search commence!
So, on with the food! Sorry for the poor quality photos. Stumbled across some bad lighting and a cheap camera...Friday was sushi night, Enjoy!

We had three types of sushi:

avocado, mango w/cream cheese
avocado, jalapeno w/cc
avocado, mushroom w/cc

Next, Raspberry Lime Sheet Cake. This cake was super moist! Very good..

ballin'

2009-07-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to cook or bake, so I thought I would add a nice photo of my fathers 59' VW Karmann Ghia. Sick!

I'm thinking of making Raspberry Lime Sheet Cake tonight, we'll see how it goes..

Konnichiwa!

2009-07-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever O-Bento!! I was too much in a hurry to make one before I went shopping at the Asian grocery, so this is an American Vegan Bento :] It comes in at about 330 cals! and 2 grms fat. Not too shabby...

Funday Sunday!

2009-07-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very eventful day! My Fam had a cook out and played volleyball, then my bro, roxann and I, went to see "The Orphan." I got a little more than what i expected from that film, it was very suspenseful, I even jumped out of my seat at one point.
I decided to make cookies for our dessert along with my brothers awesome fruit salad!
I found this cookie mix at Sun Harvest and bought it ONLY because it had Arthur on the cover, how could i resist?

I'm not too used to making boxed baked goods, and i think i might have over beat the dough. The cookies came out a tad flat, but none the less they were very tasty!

"Little Superstar" YouTube it

2009-07-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd make lunch for my fam. today, and since my mom is not very much into vegan dishes I made sure not to tell her the ravioli was Vegan :]
I was surprised to find this in EP. I just had to try it! Since it only serves two, I added some spinach Pasta at the bottom and drenched it in Newmans Own Marinara Sauce, along with some sauted mushrooms and tomatoes :)

Everything came together really well, I could tell my mom liked the ravioli because she didnt make any faces this time haha

I come from a land down under!

2009-07-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Portabello Sandwiches MMmm!!! This has to be my all time favorite recipe. They come out awesome each time.

These are really simple to make. One Portabello Mushroom cap, Green and Red Bell Peppers, Basil Pesto and Soy Cheese. Just be sure not to overcook the Mushroom! If you dont like Peppers, Alfalfa Sprouts are a great substitution!

È squisito!

2009-07-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last night was dinner and a movie night! Roxann and I watched "Marley and Me" and made pizza..

Marinara Pizza with Mushrooms and Black Olives &

Basil Pesto Pizza with Artichokes and Fire Roasted Tomatoes

...and Muffins!! :)

These muffins were soo yummy!! More of a breakfast rather than dessert, but still amazing. All i did was make the original recipe from Kelloggs, Vegan.

Vegan All Bran Muffins

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups Kelloggs All Bran Original Cereal
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1 egg replacer
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN cereal and milk. Let stand about 2 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and oil. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion evenly into twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° F about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

I'm thinking next time i make these muffins i will make some variations for the sugar and oil. Maybe agave nectar and applesauce.

I'm a Blogger!

2009-07-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

I warn you, this is my first time blogging. I hope you enjoy my random vegan thoughts and creations. :] Feel free to comment! :]