the musical fruit

here is yet another skinny bitch recipe..... i make it almost every monday and put it in my sweet peas lunch so he stays full and wont eat burger king.

i never follow a recipe exactly because i do not like to waste a whole can of something because a recipe calls for one cup. your never gonna eat the rest of the can of corn in the fridge so put the whole fucking thing in the salad!  waste not want not

1-can corn

1-half bag frozen shelled edamame

1-can red kidney beans drained rinsed

1-can chic peas drained rinsed

2- green onions sliced

1- red pepper sliced and diced

2-tbs parsley fresh italian or dried 

2-tbs basil

salt

pepper

place all ingredients in a large bowl (with a lid for later)

stir so that everything is well acquainted

in a smaller bowl, start your dressing

3-tbs red wine vinegar

1-big spoon full of dijon mustard

3-tbs olive oil

whisk together and then drizzled over salad.

stir and then let sit in fridge for at least one hour

better the next day!

sleepy cabbage

Hi friends! Sorry I have been neglecting this blog! Work and school consumed me, not to mention I wasn't doing much cooking. I want to keep this going...which means everyone should post MORE:-) I have made up a few interesting dishes this week, i will post them soon.

I have been a lover of purple cabbage forever but in the past 2 months, I can't get enough of cabbage in general! I swear, I could eat it with every meal. I love it in coleslaw, in soup, in stir-fry! You name it, I'll eat it. I would love to find a good veggie stuffed cabbage recipe.....

For now here is an easy "coleslaw", I didn't follow a recipe, so you should just guess at the measurements!

photo by Esme

Half of a small green cabbage
Half of a small purple cabbage
Half of a red pepper
A few sprigs of fresh dill
A couple dill pickles (if you fancy)
Slice all of these things as thin as possible (which requires a sharp knife that I don't own!)
Then mix together:
half of a lime
some apple cider vinegar
dash of Braggs
Salt
Pepper
A small amount of agave nectar
A teaspoon of veganaise
Curry powder (if you fancy!)

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and mix throughly. I think it tastes better if you let it sit over night and marinate. You can add onions, if you like too! Mmmm, cabbage!

Blueberry Boy Bait

Okay, so I saw this recipe on another blog, and freaked out because the name was so cool.

I mean, boy bait? Seriously? So I had to make it. It was delicious. Especially with in-season blueberries. Even better if you picked them yourself! I made this using everything vegan, except for the eggs... but I'm gonna wager that it's good any way you make it!

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened or vegan margarine (I suggest Earth balance)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs (or egg replacer equivalent)

1 cup whole milk or soy milk

1/2 cup blueberries (I really, really suggest fresh- but if you have to use frozen, either drain them once they defrost, or leave them frozen)

Topping

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.

With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl.

Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk.

Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour.

Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:

Scatter blueberries over top of batter.

Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on plate, topping side up.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spiced Avocado Sandwich

I've had this recipe for Spiced Avocado Sandwiches (compliments of Martha) bookmarked for months and finally decided to give it a whirl on Thursday. Result = So Fantastically Delicious! Seriously, it tastes like Summer. Yum. I even made it a second time for myself two days later...

Spiced Avocado Sandwich

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon green Tabasco sauce (I substituted 1 tbsp. of green salsa here)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large or 2 small radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 whole-wheat pitas (6 inches each), cut in half

Directions

1. Halve and pit avocado. With a spoon, scoop out avocado flesh, cut into chunks, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add orange juice, Tabasco sauce, and coriander; season with salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine.
2. Add tomatoes, cucumber, and radish. Combine, and divide mixture between 2 pitas. Serve immediately.

vegan masala mashup

It takes FOREVER to make and i will apologize now if the recipe is hard to follow, and that it has what i feel like is a bizillion ingredients, an i never took a picture of the finished project. 

it is really yummy though

you will need...

1 large onion

2 large potatoes ( you can have creative freedom in choosing which kind)

1 package frozen spinach

2 cans tomato puree

1 can chic peas

5 cloves garlic

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups cauliflower 

1 tbs veganiase ( i prefer the grape seed kind)

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 package soft tofu cubed (makes a great fake paneer)

* i feel there is no limit to the amount of spice that should be used, and i never measure. Use at your own will

tumeric

cumin

garuam masala 

curry

siriachi

paprika

in a very large/ deep frying pan heat the oil of your choice

add chopped onion and garlic and fry till almost soft

add cubed potato (skins and all)

add a few shakes of tumeric , so that it can soak into the potato

cook for 3 minns

add tomato puree and frozen spinach and cashews

cook on med heat covered for 20 minns so that the potatoes and cashews can soften and all the flavors can mesh together.

remove from heat

now would be a good time to get the water going for the rice of your choice. i would suggest a brown basmati

cool the contents of the frying pan enough where is it safe to put in a food processor

blend till smooth, but allow some chunks of the potato and cashew (these are always a nice surprise)

place mixture back into frying pan

mix in veganaise 

add spices to your liking

then add, cauliflower, drained chic peas,  green peas, and faux paneer

cook one med heat covered until rice in finished.

this dish is great day or but even better the second day after all the flavors are soaked into one another.

i will always be in search of the perfect cheese. though i thought follow your heart was the best for pizza i decided to try and make my own. i combined a few different recipes that i found from other blogs.  the result baked nice on pizza but was a little gritty (my fault, could have processed longer). it was also yummy as is, with chips , smeared on bread, and almost had a hummus meets nacho cheese taste to it. i like both those things just fine!

2/3 cup cashews

2/3 cup water (or more)

1/4 cup red bell pepper

1/4 red onion

1/4 nutritional yeast flakes

2 garlic gloves

3tbs lemon juice

2tbs braggs liquid aminos

1tbs sesame oil

dash of sea salt

combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy, adding more cashews if it is to watery and more water if it if too thick. for a lighter taste i would recommend heating the garlic, onion, and pepper in a pan first to soften. for pizza spread a little over pizza sauce, a little goes a long way. i ate it old school just cheese and sauce, but i sprinkled sesame seeds and oregano over the top. 

Lemon Risotto

Chris and I have been loving butternut squash risotto all winter long, but we wanted a lighter/springy version for the sunny days lately. This recipe (courtesy of Martha and Whole Living) certainly fit the bill! We had some wine and romano in the fridge, so we added those in for kicks and paired the risotto with a simple green salad (carrot, radish, green pepper and tomato). Super delicious!

Lemon Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large leek, white part only, well washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 cups Vegetable Stock, or low-sodium canned
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used TJ's Sauvignon Blanc)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1/3 cup romano cheese

Directions

1. Sweat the leek in 3 teaspoons of butter over low heat in a tightly covered straight-sided saute pan for 6 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2. Add the rice and raise the heat to medium, stirring often for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of wine, stir until it's been absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock, season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly after each addition. When all of the liquid is absorbed, add the zest and continue to cook for about 10 minutes more, until the rice is al dente.
4. Stir in the lemon juice. Season well with salt and pepper, add the chives and romano, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter until it melts, and serve hot.