INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper (color of your choice), finely diced
• 1/3 cup corn, frozen or fresh
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4oz (1/2 package) tempeh, grated
• 1 (15oz) can of kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed then pulsed in a food processor 2-3 times
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, Italian seasoning & paprika
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• 2-4 Tbsp water

Directions:
1. In a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add in the onion, pepper and corn and saute for 6-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for an additional 5-6 minutes until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize. Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.
2. To the mixing bowl add the grated tempeh, beans, wheat gluten, spices, salt and pepper; stir to combine. With a wooden spoon stir in the hot sauce, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until the mixture begins to come together similar to a dough; if the mixture seems dry add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Once the burger mixture has come together form into six thin patties. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. To cook the patties, heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for about 5 minutes per side; until they are firm to the touch.

Serve on a bun with your favorite fixin’s!

Comment on this post...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 4oz (1/2 package) tempeh, grated
• 8oz mushrooms, quarter and pulsed in a food processor 5-6 times
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp salt
•  1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp dried crushed fennel
• 1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage
• 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• Water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth + 1 tbsp cornstarch, whisked together
• 1/4 cup non-dairy creamer

Directions:

1. In a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add in the onion saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl.

2. To the mixing bowl, add the grated tempeh, mushrooms, wheat gluten, parsley, spices, salt and pepper; stir to combine. With a wooden spoon stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and 4 tablespoons of

water. Stir until the mixture begins to come together as a dough; if the mixture seems dry add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil oil over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage mixture into the pan and cook until browned. Stir in the vegetable broth mixture and non-dairy creamer and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Serve the gravy over your favorite savory baked good.

Sweet and Smoky Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar (or substitute with red wine vinegar)

Directions:

1. Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.
2. In a medium heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add in the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, chipotle powder and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
6. While the broth is simmering remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash together in a bowl.
7. Place the broth and sweet potato in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in two parts depending on the size of your machine) and process until smooth.
8. Return to the pot and season with salt, pepper and umeboshi vinegar.

• Bag of Mesclun Greens
• Beet Greens
• Napa Cabbage
• Sweet Salad Turnips
• Garlic Scapes
• Scallions
• Zucchini
• Easter Egg Radishes
• Sage
• Potatoes

Tonight is the first of many meals using these amazing organic and local ingredients. Enjoy- I know we did!

Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta with Zucchini

Yields 4 servings

Takes about 30 minutes total to make

Ingredients:

• Garlic Scape Pesto
  • 1 cup raw walnut pieces
  • 1 bunch of garlic scapes (about 1 to 3/4 cup), chopped
  • 4 cups basil leaves
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1t salt
  • 1T sesame seeds
  • 2T nutritional yeast

Place the walnuts and garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor and process until small crumble. Add in the basil leaves, turn the processor on low and slowly stream in the olive oil through the feed tube. Add in the salt, sesame seeds and nutritional yeast; process to combine.

• Sauteed Zucchini
  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
  • Cooking Spray
  • 1/2t salt
  • 1/4t black pepper
  • 1/2t garlic powder
  • 1t nutritional yeast

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray and toss in the zucchini and saute for 3-4 minutes just until they start to lightly brown.  Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast; cook for 2 more minutes.

• 4 servings of pasta of your choice

In a large bowl toss the pasta, zucchini and 1/4 to 1/3 of the pesto together.  Serve warm, room temp or cold!

The pesto makes a lot more than you need for this dish so place any extra in a jar top with a layer of olive oil and seal tightly.  Store in the freezer until you need it again.  To defrost move from the freezer to the fridge 8 hours before using.

For dessert we shared one of these wonderful vegan, raw, gluten free tarts from Hail Merry.

It was one of the best desserts I have ever tried and I am looking forward to picking up the other 3 flavors over the next month.  It was so rich and the perfect balance of creamy chocolate, cookie crust and almond butter center- to die for.

We played a few (okay like 5) rounds of pool before calling it a night and heading back to our comfy giant bed. It is always nice to sleep in a king bed and it makes me miss having one (serious who down sizes from a king to a double-not recommended).

After a night of dinner, drinks, pool and of course elevator dancing we were in need of a gym sesh.  So we headed to the hotel gym and I got in a run and the Hubz used the elliptical.  After that we showered and hit the road to the most amazing bakery I have ever been to.

WE CAME TO DANCE DANCE DANCE

C25K Week 5 Day 2

We spent a hungry hour in the car making our way to Wildflour Vegan Bakery what I am now claiming to be the most amazing bakery I have ever been to in my life.  I could honestly eat here everyday (and would if it wasn’t 4 hours away). We walked in and were overwhelmed by the vast selection of baked goods as well as other tasty items such as kale chips, fresh juices and smoothies.  To help us decide we took advantage of the free samples of basil lemonade, peanut butter brownie and raw chocolate brownie.

As you can see there were so many options to choose from but in the end the Hubz and I decided that the scones looked most appealing for breakfast.  After a heated debated over which ones we would get we decided on the granola scone and the spinach and mushroom scone.  Along with the scones I got a green juice and the hubz an avocolada smoothie.

Everything was amazing and we obviously ordered too much so we ended up taking the granola scone with us and snacked on it throughout the day. The scones were absolutely amazing and flakey; I have never experienced anything so good.

Comment on this post...

Today we spent over an hour at Fleet Feet being fitted for the perfect pair of shoes for my feet I finally found a pair!  If you have never been fitted for shoes I really recommend that you do because I have spent the last year running/being active in a pair of shoes I chose myself and although they were nice they were just a little off. Once we finished shoe shopping the Hubz and I decided to have a spontaneous date night and take advantage of our (free-win!) Jump On It for Duino Duende.  Jump On It is similar to Groupon and if you share the deal and three others also buy it based on your reference you get it for free! Great deal right? We thought so!

We started our night off with a cocktail; Manhattan for me and a Gin Martini for the Hubz.  For our meal we both got the Tuesday night special the Ethiopian plate, which comes in vegetarian, omni and vegan.  I honestly can’t tell you everything that was on my plate but it included a split pea wat, misir wat, spicy sauce, salad, beets, kale and another item that was tasty but we have no idea what it was.

Everything was really delicious and I can’t wait to head back again for a Tuesday night date and Ethiopian food!  Additionally because of our late (for us) dinner we also were able to enjoy the live music that starts at 7pm at Radio Bean (connected cafe).

After dinner we picked up some cereal and bananas for breakfast tomorrow morning and then stopped into the garden to water our plants.  Now it’s time to sit back, relax and then head to bed to read a good book.

What are you reading right now? I am on the last book of The Girl With… series and I am going to need new suggestions! Let me know what I should be reading.

Vermont Pub and Brewery Vegan Options

• Soup, Salad & Chili:
  • Mesclun Salad
  • Spinach Salad
  • Caesar Salad – without cheese & with House Vinaigrette or Oil & Vinegar
• Appetizers:
  • Spud Skins – plain
  • Salsa & Chips
• On The Side:
  • Basket of Brewhouse Fries
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • Beer-Battered Onion Rings
• Hot Sandwiches:
  • Veggie Mushroom Philly – without cheese (with bread, not roll)
  • Portabella Mushroom – without cheese (with bread, no bun)
  • VPB Wrap – without cheese
  • Toasted BLT – Lettuce & Tomato (no bacon)
• Brewery Sandwich Fare:
  • Vegetarian Rolli Polli – without cheese
• Desserts:
  • Apple Crisp

So the next time you are in Burlington and want good food, local beer and a fun atmosphere I recommend you head to VPB!

Comment on this post...

This past Saturday we finally made it to Angelica Kitchen, a restaurant that has been on my “To Try” list for years. We met up with my girlfriend Cate for lunch at noon which was perfect timing because the place filled up quickly and within 20 minutes there was a long waiting list. It took a while or us to make a decision as to what we wanted to get because there are so many really yummy sounding dishes on the menu.

To start the Hubz and I ordered the Angelica Cornbread, a wheat free cornbread that I have heard raving reviews about on a number of blogs. Now this is not your traditionally fluffy cornbread, it is dense and filled with whole grains. It is really delicious and worth the raving about. We also ordered a side of the miso tahini spread to go with it; it was good but the cornbread would have been fine on it’s own.

For my main dish I decided to go with the special of the day which was tofu with a chickpea miso sauce, veggies, quinoa pilaf and an Asian guacamole. I thought that the dish was really good and I loved the Asian guacamole; then again I love anything with avocado. Although the dish was really tasty and made with high quality ingredients I have to say at $16 the dish was a little pricey for what I got but oh well it was still delicious and (almost) worth it.

The Hubz went with the Thai Me Up entree which is An All Raw Entree – delicate strands of daikon radish, butternut squash & carrot, on a bed of garlic-lemon marinated kale, dressed with Thai tahini sauce. This dish was absolutely incredible and I am so jealous that I didn’t get it. We both really loved the noodles and the sauce but the star was the garlic-lemon marinated kale; it was incredible. This is a dish that I would recommend you order whether as the entree or the smaller appetizer version.

Cate ordered the Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad A seasonal selection of roasted vegetables tossed with arugula
in a balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with garlic crostini spread with creamy hummus. I only tried a small bite of one of the veggies which was really tasty so I can’t really tell you overall how the dish was but lets just say there wasn’t anything left when Cate was done. Cate also got a soy chai tea which she raved about and went back for seconds.

Overall this has easily become one of my favorite restaurants in NYC; I think that the price can be a little high for everyday eating but it is a great spot to visit when you are in the city. I am ready to head back and try everything else on the menu.

Fiery Vegan Valentine Cooking Contest!

(Image Source)

Between now and Thursday February 10, 2011 post a recipe on your blog for a dish suitable for a romantic Valentine’s dinner. It should be vegan and and it should be fiery (yes take that anyway you’d like) and should include a photo.

There will be 3 categories (you can enter ONE recipe per catagory):
1. Appetizer
2. Entree
3. Desserts

Mention in your post that you are participating in “Fiery Vegan Valentine Contest” and link back to this post. Then, send me an email (lindsay at cookingforaveganlover dot com) with your name, the name of your blog, and the permalink and name of your recipe. (If you don’t have a blog, feel free to email me your recipe and photo and I will feature it on my blog.)

On Friday February 11, 2011 I will do a round-up of all the posts in each category and there will be a poll for readers to vote for their favorite Appetizer, Entree and Dessert.  Voting will be open until February 13, 2011 at 9pm EST.

The Prize:
1. There will be one winner from each category based on the votes by fellow readers; if there is a tie the Hubz will be brought in to decide the winner. The prize for each will be a surprise but I guarantee it will be good and feature a vegan item(s) from our NYC trip.
2. For the person who creates the most inventive fiery recipe overall will receive their own special surprise goodie box. This winner will be decided by me.

Note you do not need to be vegan to participate in this contest, however your recipe entry must be vegan.  Have fun and be creative!

Hints:
fiery |ˈfī(ə)rē|
adjective ( fierier , fieriest )

• consisting of fire or burning strongly and brightly : the sun was a fiery ball low on the hills | [as submodifier ] figurative a fiery hot chili sauce.
• having the bright color of fire : the car was painted a fiery red.
• (of a person) having a passionate, quick-tempered nature : a fiery, imaginative Aries.
• (of behavior or words) passionately angry and deeply felt : a fiery speech. hmmmm maybe a narrative of some sort?

Chef Robert’s will be giving away a sample pack of Matt’s Munchies and a 15% discount for web orders that are over $25 for the winner.

TO ENTER: This giveaway is open until December 8th at 6pm. This giveaway is open to U.S.  Residents-except Hawaii and Alaska.

The Winner is:

1. Visit the Chef Robert’s site and tell me which of Matt’s Munchie’s you would most like to try. (required)

Additional Chances to win (PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY; also if you already do any of these ie. follow me on twitter/facebook, ect it counts so leave a comment).

1. Like Matt’s Munchies on Facebook
2. Follow Matt’s Munchies on Twitter.
3. Follow me on Twitter.
4. Tweet about this giveaway “I want to win @cookveganlover @MattsMunchies Giveaway http://wp.me/pFVWo-1i1″
5. Like Cook.Vegan.Lover. on Facebook.

Amy’s Kitchen provided me with the following goodies to review for this giveaway:

• Amy’s Gluten Free/Dairy Free Roasted Veg Pizza
• Amy’s Gluten Free/Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

One of the great things about Amy’s products is that they are great when you are in a pinch and need to have food for entertaining.  I ended up bringing both the pizza and the chocolate cake with us to my Grandma’s when we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving.  The pizza was one of the personal sized ones and we baked it, cut it up and served it as an appetizer.  It was a great hit! The flavor was wonderful.

We enjoyed the cake for dessert; we sprinkled the top with a little powdered sugar and served.  I really loved it and wish we had thought to serve it was raspberries or strawberries because the combination of the fudgey cake and sweet-tart fruit would have been so delicious.

My cake fell apart a bit oops!

Amy's personal sized pizza's are also great for a light lunch or dinner. The Hubz and I split the second pizza for lunch one day with a simple salad.

For the giveaway the winner will be provided with  how three Free Product Coupons — good for any Amy’s item, including all frozen items (retail value = $30), plus a nice Amy’s canvas shopping tote.

The Winner is Natalie – A Hint Of Cinnamon

TO ENTER: This giveaway is open until December 2nd at 6am. This giveaway is open to U.S.  Residents.

1. Visit the Amy’s site and tell me your favorite product. (required)

Additional Chances to win (PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY; also if you already do any of these ie. follow me on twitter/facebook, ect it counts so leave a comment).

1. Like Amy’s on Facebook
2. Tweet about this giveaway “I want to win @cookveganlover #amyskitchen Giveaway http://wp.me/pFVWo-1ii“
3. Like Cook.Vegan.Lover. on Facebook.

Lemongrass Tempeh

with MungBean Sprouts

Basil Fried Rice

Garlic Broccoli

Don’t forget to enter the  Wasa Giveaway HERE!

Along with my Thanksgiving Tart we had stuffed tomatoes, whipped sweet potatoes, shredded Brussels sprouts with candied pecans, stuffing, mushroom gravy and rolls- everything was really delicious.  For dessert we had cupcakes, pumpkin cheezecake, cranberry apple crisp and my rustic tart- I split a little bit of everything except the cupcake (which I am sure were delicious). I’m looking forward to the next potluck!

Table of Goodies

Heather's Plate

Payton's Plate

Payton's Dessert Plate

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year? What will you be making?

So-Che: tofu egg, soy sausage & vegan cheese

Eggcentricity: tofu egg, soy chicken & vegan cheese

Ratings:
Value: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 4/5
Atmosphere: 2/5

After breakfast we were off to be tourist around the city and ended up spending 4 hours at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.           I don’t have any photos to show you as you are not permitted to take photos in the museum.  We had planned on doing lunch at Rasika but our time at the museum went longer than intended and we missed our 12:30pm reservation by an hour and half.  We also had intended on visiting another museum after lunch  but we were drained from the Holocaust Memorial Museum and decided that we would just walk back to the hotel and find something to eat along the way.  To our delight we passed right by Maoz where I had another Groupon for $5 for $10 worth of food and we decided to use it on 2 junior meals which came with fries and a drink (I had iced tea and Neil an Arnold Palmer.)

After walking around for hours we finally made it back to Dupont Circle and just a block from the hotel was a great pizza and beer place that I had read about Pizzeria Paradiso.  We decided to stop in and have pizza and beer.  We started with complimentary olives; I swear I ate more olives this vacation than I have this entire year. We then decided on our pizzas which Neil and I had with vegan mozza on a white crust with Tomato, Mushrooms, Spinach, Red Onion (note the whole wheat crust has honey in it).  Aaron had the same thing but a smaller one for him and with regular mozza.  We also shared a salad which we had with oil and vinegar because the dressing has parm in it but it was still yummy.

Overall we loved this place- the food was great, the beer selection was good and the service was top notch!

Ratings:
Value: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

I’m excited to announce that my first e-book is now available for purchase! To purchase your copy of the e-book:

• Click the Buy Now link below or in the sidebar of my blog.
• You will be brought to a Pay Pal page to make your purchase
• Click the link to download the cookbook, after 10 seconds (or if you click the link) the download will begin automatically!

Cranberry-Apple Glazed Tempeh

4 Portions

• 8oz block Tempeh, sliced in half and then sliced in half through the middle to make four 2oz portions
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• Juice of 1 apple or 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup of cranberries
• 1 apple, diced
• 2T brown rice syrup
• 1/2T low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 sage leaves, sliced
• pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, pour in the broth and place the tempeh in a flat layer.  Bring up to a simmer, flipping once the broth has reduced by half.  Continue to simmer until the broth is gone. Remove the tempeh and set aside.
2. In the pan over medium-low heat cook the cranberries, apple slices, brown rice syrup, soy sauce and pepper for 1-2 minute until the apple start soften.  Stir in the apple juice and cook for 3 minutes until the apples soft and cranberries burst.  Strain the liquid from the sauce and reserve both the fruit and liquid.
3. Place the tempeh back in the pan over medium heat and add the liquid. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and glazed the tempeh.
4. To serve top with some of the reserved cranberry-apple mixture.

Ciabatta Squash-Sage Dressing

Serves 2-3

• 4- 1/2inch slices of ciabatta, diced
• 1T vegan margarine
• 1T olive oil
• 7 sage leaves, sliced
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup butternut squash, diced and roasted
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup vegan chicken gravy
  • 1T vegan margarine
  • 2T AP flour
  • 1 cup vegan chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the squash with a little oil, salt and pepper; place on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes until the squash is soft.
2. In a cast iron skillet or saute pan heat the olive oil and margarine until margarine is melted.  Toss in the sage and cook until crispy and then toss in the onion and saute for 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 4-5 more minutes until the onion is soft.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave place in a bowl; set aside.
3. Place the bread in the pan and stir around, coating with the oil.  Cook on medium-high until the bread is toasty.  Remove from the pan and set in the bowl with the onions.
4. Place the squash in the bowl with the onions and the bread.
5. In the skillet heat the broth until bubbly and then pour over the bread; toss to coat and serve immediately.

The completely vegan menu was filled with delicious sounding breakfast dishes that I wanted to order all of them from the Oatmeal “Crème Brule” to the scrambles and of course the French Toast.  However the Hubz and I finally made a decision and picked two amazing dishes, a side and coffee.

I had the Breakfast Burrito which was massive so I only ended up eating half and saved the other half for lunch.

It was really delicious.

Breakfast Burrito: black beans, tofu scramble, vegan cheddar, salsa and guacamole served with roasted potatoes

The Hubz had the Italian Scramble which was delicious as well and also a ton of food.  He took some of his with us as well and we shared our leftovers for lunch later in the day.

Italian Scramble: spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs, served with grilled baguette & roasted potatoes

Oh yeah and we had some vegan sausages- had we known that the meals were going to be so huge we probably wouldn’t have ordered them but they sure were delicious!

After breakfast we wondered around town and visited the local flea market where I found a few pieces of costume jewelry and some beautiful figs.

I am sure that you have figured out our final destination by now however you will still have to wait until the next post to see all the fun.

Making Our Way to The Bronx

Ma and Pa

The Hubz and I

We got to the stadium early to get the most out of our day- we got to see the Jays batting practice but unfortunately got in too late to see the Yankees.  After we checked out the field and a few stores we headed to the Memorial Park.

Hubz with his favorite players number

Me with my childhood favorite players number

Watching the Ball Game

We didn’t really eat much at the game as we had a sandwich earlier in the morning and were saving our appetites for Candle Cafe after the game.  I did see however veggie burgers, veggie sushi, guacamole and chips and veggie noodle bowls along with your normal ballpark food like french fries, popcorn and pretzels.

Garlic Fries- debatably vegan- my sources say yes and others say no- oh well they were good

We also ran around the stadium trying to locate the Brooklyn Brewery beer because what is a ball game without a beer and I was not spending $9 on Bud or Miller-yuck.  So we finally located the Brooklyn Lager after going to almost the top level of the ball field but it was worth it even if they were $9.

Brooklyn Lager

We sat back in our comfy seats and enjoyed the game.

To Be continued…..

Comment on this post...

Traditionally tamales are made with a lot of lard or oil or vegetable shortening and it just wasn’t going to happen for me.

Low-Fat Black Bean & Corn Tamales

Ingredients:

14 dried corn husks, plus extra husks to make ties

2.5 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup warm vegetable broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, diced small
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1t chili powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place the corn husks in a bowl of water to soften for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Pat dry and set aside.

In a food processor, process the 2.5 cups of corn kernels until pureed.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed corn, masa harina, lukewarm water, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and oil and use your hands to combine into a dough.

Spray a medium pan with cooking oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion, black beans, corn chili powder and salt and pepper and saute until the onions are soft and lightly browned; remove from the heat.

To assemble a tamale, place about 3 tablespoons of masa mixture in the center of corn husk. Flatten with your hand until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place 1 tablespoon of the black beans on the masa mixture. Fold the long side of the corn husk over the filling to cover, then fold over the ends, overlapping them. Tie with a thin strip torn from an extra soaked husk. Repeat to make 14 tamales in all.

Layer the wrapped tamales in the steamer. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and steam until the filling becomes firm and the tamales are heated through, 50 to 60 minutes.

After dinner the Hubz and I went for a walk down the bridge behind our house to watch the sunset and we got to see this guy fly in:

Now off to relax with the Hubz!

P.S. Don’t forget that Almond Butter is for sale in my OpenSky Shop from now until September 7th.  A $1 from each jar sold will be donated to The Lunch Box by OpenSky as well I will make a donation for every jar sold.

We had a little Ezekiel Pita Bread on the side to catch all the yummy sauce drippings and a nice cold glass To Unibroue Trios Pistoles-SO GOOD! To end our yummy meal we shared a piece of Blueberry Crumble Pie

Blueberry Crumble Pie

You will need a whole wheat or spelt pie crust for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350F

Filling:

• 3 cups frozen blueberries
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T arrowroot (you can also use cornstarch)
• 2 T palm sugar (you could also use sucant)
• pinch of cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat and cook until bubbly.  The pour into a prepared whole wheat pie crust.

Topping:

• 1/4 cup almond meal (you could use flour)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T vegan shortening

Using your fingers mix all of this together until it is crumbly.  Then sprinkle over the blueberry filling. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Set to the side and let cool.  While it is cooling make the Lemon Glaze.

Lemon Glaze:

• 2 Cups powdered Sugar
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 T soy milk

Drizzle this on top of the cooled Blueberry Crumble Pie, save any remaining glaze to drizzle over slices when serving.

Comment on this post...

This snack mix was delicious and I’m sad I don’t have more (I guess I’ll have to go to the store and find some). I ate this for dessert some nights with some mini vegan chocolate chips to it to make a yummy dessert.  This would also be a great snack for hubz and I to bring hiking with us this summer.  It is filled with protein and fiber and has a nice bit of sweetness.

Disclaimer: Eden Organic provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Artisana Raw Organic Nut Butters sent me some teasers of their amazing raw nut butters. These cute little jars had one serving of nut butter in them just enough to get a taste and leave you wanting more. These handmade and raw gourmet nut butters are a great treat. Although they are expensive they are amazing and worth the money as an occasional treat. My absolute favorite of all the samples was the cashew butter; it was amazingly creamy, silky and smooth.  The cashew butter was closely followed by the luscious macadamia cashew butter.  Of course all the others were tasty too.

Disclaimer: Artisana provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Comment on this post...

These mushrooms make a great appetizer for any dinner or cocktail party. You can make the stuffing ahead of time and fill mushrooms and bake before your guest arrive.  The stuffing would also be delicious in zucchini boats and stuffed squash.  You could also stuff portobello mushrooms and serve with your favorite sides as an entree.

Ingredients:

• 16 white mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine (you could also use sherry or vegetable broth)
• 1 vegan Italian Sausage (I used Field Roast), minced
• 6 scallions, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons of vegan cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, mushroom stems, garlic and green onions cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients.
5. Turn the heat off and  stir in the cream cheese until it has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy.
6. Place in a medium bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
7. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer.
8. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Click to View Source

I recently posted a review for Crazy Rumors vegan lip balm.  I have found another great vegan lip balm, HURRAW! a great all natural, vegan  and made from premium raw and fair trade ingredients.  One thing that I love about this lip balm is the shape, it’s oval versus round which helps to coat the lips better.  I loved the Cinnamon Tinted Lip Balm; it was a great flavor and gave my lips a nice pink tint. My hubby loved the Vanilla Bean Lip Balm and he was also a big fan of this stuff. It’s great to find not only a vegan but also raw lip balm. I would definitely recommend these to any raw foodist or vegan looking for a new lip balm.

Disclaimer: HURRAW! provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Ingredients (makes 2 large portions or 4 sides):

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 8oz button mushrooms, cut in half (you can also try baby bella or portobello if you’d like)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into medium sized chunks
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (if you want to make this totally raw you can omit this ingredient)
• 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
• 3T lemon juice
• 1t onion powder
• 1t garlic powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t black pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the veggies with the nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; make sure everything is evenly coated.
2. Spread evenly onto mesh dehydrator sheets (I used 2 in my Nesco).
3. Dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours (this helps to reduce fermentation) then turn down to 105F for at least 10 hours but you could dehydrate these up to 24 hours if you want them really crispy.

Margaritas are generally filled with sugar and can be anywhere from 250-500 calories.  

This recipe is great and only around 150 calories a serving so you can enjoy your margarita without the calorie guilt.

Ingredients: (makes 4-5 margaritas) 

• 8oz silver tequila 
• splash of triple sec
• 1t agave nectar
• 3 limes, juice and zest
• 2 blood oranges, juice and zest
• 3-4 cups ice

Throw everything into the blender and blend to a slush.  

Silly napkins my mom got us to go with our margarita glasses

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a box of no-boil lasagna (4 portions)
• 3.5 cups spaghetti sauce (homemade or jarred)
• 2T Nutritional Yeast
• Red Pepper “Ricotta”
  • 1 block of firm tofu, drained
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2t Italian seasoning
  • 1t onion powder
  • 1t garlic powder
  • 1t salt
  • 1/2t ground black pepper

Directions:   Preheat the oven to 400F.

1. To make the ricotta: place everything in a food processor and process until crumbly/texture of ricotta.  If the ricotta seems a little dry while processing you can add water a teaspoon at a time to loosen up the mixture. 
2. To make the lasagna: in an 8×8 glass baking dish layer the lasagna starting with sauce, noodles, ricotta, sauce, noodles.  You should have 4-6 layers and should end with sauce.  Sprinkle with the nutritional yeast and cover with aluminum foil. 
3. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or as the directions on the lasagna noodle box recommend. 
4. Once out of the oven let the lasagna cool for 5-7 minutes.  Then enjoy!

Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning.  The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches.  There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu. 

Delicious Soy Latte

Tofu Scramble Wrap

sweet mother’s milk: a whole steamed artichoke served with our sauce made from spicy homemade middle eastern pureed jalapeno makdoos.

Vegan version of Tokyo Fro: hip hop is the most popular music of japanese youth & has made the afro tokyo's most popular hairstyle; to have japanese hair processed into an afro costs over a thousand dollars at a trendy hair stylist. this recipe was inspired by the afro; it looks & tastes exactly like a japanese processed fro, drizzled with a delicious chef secret sauce.

Deep Fried Spinach

A tasting of 8 vegan sushi rolls

Overall the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun and the staff were great.  Although Bun was not he created a magical experience for the two of us and I can’t wait to return for some more sushi. 

Click to View on Amazon

My first impression of this book was that it seemed slightly morbid for a children’s book, however as I began to think about it there really is no easy way to explain to children why it is that we don’t eat animals.  Although this book is slightly morbid for children it depicts accurate images of life for animals on factory farms, in the sea or in the rainforest in a way that children will understand.  I think that the graphics are amazing in this book and that they are the closest thing to real photos of factory farms without actually having to show children such graphic pictures.

This book starts by introducing the idea that we are all Earthlings and explains what a Vegetarian and a Vegan is. The book is set up in a way that starts with the most familiar animals to the least familiar to children.  The first section is about pets which is a great place to start because pets are the animals that children have the most exposure to whether in their own house or at friends/families.  Following pets are farm animals from birds to pigs and cows.  These pages explain what life is like for the animals when they are free to roam on their own and how life is dramatically different for farm animals when they are placed in factory farms. The last sections of the book are dedicated to ocean  and rainforest life.  Both of the animals and other living organisms are the least familiar to the average child that would be reading this book (at least in North America). 

One of my favorite features of this book is the very last page that list ideas on what you can do to make a difference and learn more.  I think that this was a great addition to the book as it gives children and parents ideas on what else to do after the book is done.   I also have to add that this book is not only a great tool for teaching your kids why they are vegetarian or vegan but also to teach adults and others why it is important not to eat meat. 

Overall this is a must have book for any vegetarian or vegan bookshelf.

Comment on this post...

Click to Visit Caffe Ibis Website

Caffe Ibis, located in Logan Utah, was great and sent me four samples of their organic coffees. The four coffees I tried were:
1. Organic Mayan Sunrise Blend- I really loved this coffee it was a great morning coffee that is a blend of dark and light roasts.
2. Organic Aztec Blend- what I loved about this coffee was that it is smooth, sweet and spicy.
3. Organic French Roast Blend- this coffee is rich caramelly, and smooth.
4. Organic Highland Sumatra Dark- This is my absolute favorite of the 4- it is a light french roast that is full bodied and has light acidity.

I drink a lot of coffee and I loved these coffees. The other thing that influences my coffee purchases are the companies ethical practices. Caffee Ibis has great ethical practices that are both socially and environmentally responsible:

Caffe Ibis Mission

“Our mission for thirty years has been to be “unbeatable for quality and freshness, while supporting social and environmental responsibility.” Caffe Ibis endeavors to:

1. Provide customers with mountain grown and mountain roasted specialty arabica coffee with unbeatable quality and freshness.
2. Provide due respect and fair compensation for the people whose labor brings us our exceptional organic coffees.
3. Respect and safeguard the environment that provides the extraordinary growing conditions true specialty organic coffee requires
4. Utilize buying practices that support shade grown and organic coffee, a sustainable coffee future, and social and environmental responsibility.
5. Honor and respect our partners in this endeavor, and the employees and customers of Caffe Ibis Coffee.

We believe that by adhering to the above principles that we will show returns that justify the costs incurred in presenting our goods and services along with the additional costs of future growth.” Source

To find out where you can get yourself Caffe Ibis Coffee you can visit their website or you can order direct from their website. 

Disclaimer: Caffe Ibis provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

I have to say though I have created some great meals this week.  My husband commented on the fact that they were fun and different than we usually have and actually have tasted great. I’ll leave you with some of the items I made this week:

Southwest Grits - Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 5 minute grits
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t each of  garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika
• 1 t cumin
• 1/4 t chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 3 green onions thinly sliced

Directions:

• In a bowl mix together grits, nutritional yeast and spices.
• Bring water to a boil, while stirring slowly stream in the grits mixture.  
• Turn the heat down to low and let cook this should take about 5-7 minutes, make sure to stir frequently.
• Once the grits are almost done add in the corn and green onions.
• To serve place grits in a bowl and garnish with green onion, corn and your favorite hot sauce.

Creamy Butternut Squash Penne - Serves 1

For dinner last night I took the bus into Burlington to meet my hubby after work for a date night.  We went to American Flatbread which is delicious.  I love their menu because it is simple – all they have are 10 signature flatbreads, create your own flatbread and a salad; however their beer menu is extensive – I’d say close to 100 different varieties as well as house made ones. 

Hubby had the Wolaver's Coffee Porter and I had Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde

We shared 2 small flatbreads- This one is Revolution Flatbread- housemade tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms and herbs

Our 2nd flatbread was the Roasted Tomato Salsa- house made salsa (wood fired tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro), corn and black beans

Comment on this post...

Click to View on Amazon

The second part of this book features:

• Tips and Tricks for Smoothie Preparatoin
• Green Smoothies for Beginners
• Supergreen Smoothies
• Savory Green Smoothies and Soups
• Green Smoothies for the Adventurous Souls
• Green Puddings
• Green Smoothies for children
• Green Smoothies for Pets
• Green Smoothies for Body Care

So far I have been mostly playing around with recipes from Green Smoothies for Beginners, Supergreen Smoothies and Green Smoothies for Children however I am interested in trying some green soups and puddings soon.  The great part about this book is the variety of recipes there are, 200 to be precise, that are all fun and different.   The recipes use a variety of greens to keep things interesting as well as a number of great fruit and veggie combinations.  My favorites (so far) have been the Medallion Melon which is simple cantaloupe and romaine- simple and delicious.  However, my absolute favorite and so far go to smoothie has been the Winter Green Smoothie which is berries, spinach, water and ginger- soooo good.  

Over all this is a great book for those interested in raw foods, green smoothies and healthy new ways to get greens into ones diet. 

Blogger Disclosure:  Cooking For A Vegan Lover received this book at no cost from the publishing house for review.

 My dad and Neil ordered The Rachel which is the vegan seitan version of the Ruben and it was delicious. My omni father who loves his meat even loved this sandwich he couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. My mom ordered the Veggie Burger which was homemade and so good. My favorite dish was my own the Spinach and Soysage Burrito it was amazing. The burrito was creamy and delicious.

Spinach and Soysage Burrito

For dessert the 4 of us split a chocolate chip cookie bar which was delicious. They were all out of there Carrot Cake which has been named by VegNews for being the best vegan carrot cake. Oh well we loved our cookie.

One of the other great features about this place is that they have to-go items such as cookies, cupcakes, and salads. They also have tofu turkeys to go and homemade pies- this would be great for anyone looking for a quick holiday meal!

Comment on this post...

Celebration Roast, Cumin Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole

Already to bake!

We made the Blackstrap Gingersnaps first; I received a sample NuNuaturals NuStevia Baking Blend and we decided to try it out with these cookies instead of sugar.

Yeah! Gingersnaps!

Look mom greasy hands!

City Girl Snickerdoodles

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

All of these cookies enjoyed with a nice cup of Boulevards Organics Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

We also made some Lazy Samoas (not photographed) which were delicious and just like the caramel delights I enjoyed as a girl scout.  The girls and I really loved this cookbook and found that all the recipes were fun and yet easy.  A few things we really loved were that all the cookies were baked at 350F and that all took 8min to 12min which was great especially when baking 4 different kinds. I really loved all the cookies I have to say it’s a toss up between the Chocolate PB and the Snickerdoodles for my favorite.

I enjoyed The Swami which had a- (as described on the menu)- ”Miso Curried Sauce sweetening a masterfully-tasty mix of tamari roasted almonds, flame raisins, pearl onions, dark greens, broccoli flowerrs, and shredded carrots, served over brown rice with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.”

Neil enjoyed The Emperor- (as described on the menu)- ”Sweet and nutty short grain brown rice, melted cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes, steamed greens, sweet yellow corn, shredded carrots, tofu and sunflower sprouts crowned by our Satisfying Sesame Miso sauce.”  He got it without the cheese obviously and subsituted with raisins and nutritional yeast.

Neil loved his dinner so much that he just had to hug about it.

For breakfast Saturday morning we went to our old standby Bagel Rising- inside the Espresso Royale on Newbury Street.  We both got the ’Joy of Soy’ on a whole wheat everything bagel; mine with jalapeno tofu spread and Neil’s with veggie tofu spread.  I enjoyed a double espresso and Neil a soy chai. 

We love Life Alive so much that we went back again for dinner Saturday night.  We started out with a shot of wheatgrass.

I’m boring and got The Swami again- this time with squash.

Neil got The Rebel – (as described on the menu)- ”Sesame ginger nama dressing with flax oil and Braggs, tofu, carrots, beets, dark greens, broccoli and hijiki steamed over quino and short grain brown rice”- They were all out of quinoa so he just had brown rice and I gave him half my squash.

For breakfast Sunday we went to Newton Center to Prana Cafe- a mostly raw cafe that serves it’s full menu from 7am-4pm.

I ordered the Burrito – (as described on the menu)-”Wrapped in chard leaves with refried beans, avocado, marinated vegetables, and sour cream.”  I have to say this was the best thing that I had all weekend and was a ridiculous amount of food.

My husband decided that he would be nice and take a picture of me eating the biggest bite ever.

Neil had the Prana Burger – (as described on the menu) -”Taylor grew up in Chicago eating deep fried hamburgers at a favorite family restaurant. This tastes so much better and actually fills your body with the best vitamins, minerals, and enzymes ever so you feel satisfied but not slowed-down. Served on our homemade-n-hearty onion bread.”  This came with yummy crispy kale chips and Neil ordered cashew cheese on top.  It was delicious!

We finally made our way to the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival where we enjoyed trying the different samples and meeting various vendors.  We are excited though because we met the owners of a new vegan B&B on Cape Cod and we are excited to check them out.  The owner told us that the vegetarian one we had visited last year is now closing so they are opening to fill the need. 

We stopped up to the noon demo but were really disappointed with it and decided to leave about 10 minutes in.  It drove me nuts that they guy kept calling omnivores carnivores …..seriously??

Anyways the fest was fun but after two years of visiting I don’t think we would go again unless we happened to be in Boston the same weekend it was going to be happening.

We did leave the fest with a wonderfully sinfull treat from Vegan Treats- the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb- which was incredible.

I received the following cookies:

Warmth- Mayan Hot Chocolate

Tranquility- Lemon Lavender

Rejuvenation- Chai Ginger Chunk

Clarity- Peppermint Chocolate Chunk

Abundance- Double Chocolate Ginger Chunk

So far I have only tried the Mayan Hot Chocolate but let me tell you this cookie is to die for. It has a great deep chocolate flavour and a hint of spice in the background it was delicious.

I will post more once I try the other cookies but if they are anything like the Mayan Hot Chocolate I am sure they are amazing as well.