Banana-Toffee Pie

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Pies are still unfamiliar territory for me. The crust, the filling — it’s all still intimidating. But this Banana-Toffee Pie (found in “Vegan Pie In The Sky“), with the help of a store-bought crust, was really easy to put together and it was really delicious.

The filling is a dulce de leche-like caramel that surrounds slices of banana. Whipped topping and shaved pieces of semi-sweet vegan chocolate are layered on top.

I had originally planned to make the coconut milk whipped topping for this, but I didn’t realize that you need to refrigerate the can of coconut milk a few hours before. So, for a substitute, I used a can of soy whipped cream, which was just okay. It’s very pricey for what you get and it deflated by the time it was ready to serve the pie, which was disappointing.

I will say, the next time I make the pie, in addition to making the topping from scratch, I’m going to double the filling ingredients because it didn’t seem to make enough. Of course, that also could be because I took some out of the pan to eat with a spoon. Yes, it’s that good.

 

Vegan Weekly Roundup

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I can’t believe it’s Memorial Day weekend. This year is flying by so quickly. We’ve got plans to grill out with my family tonight (and to play with their new puppy!) and we’re cooking out with our good friends tomorrow night. I’m planning on making potato salad for tonight and a banana-toffee pie for tomorrow. I hope you all are well and that you have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. To get you started, here are a few items I found interesting and I hope you do too:

My friend and neighbor offers up a homemade granola recipe.

Do you love or hate cilantro? (I love it!)

A mobile herb garden.

Watched this intriguing documentary on Netflix about El Bulli.

Fifty-seven health benefits of going vegan.

Spicy jackfruit salad. (I really need to try jackfruit, and soon.)

A five-step guide to making vegan super salads.

Masala Baked Tofu and Curried Cabbage & Peas

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This dish reminded me that I really need to cook more from “Appetite for Reduction.” The recipes in the book are low-fat, but they certainly don’t lack the flavor. And I love that there is a lot of nutritional value to each recipe.

Both the tofu recipe and the cabbage recipe have very similar ingredients. For the Masala Baked Tofu, slices of tofu marinate in a mixture of soy (I used Bragg’s), vinegar, garlic, ginger and spices. The final result packed so much flavor.

The Curried Cabbage & Peas comes together so quickly. Sliced cabbage and carrots are simmered in a broth with curry, onions, garlic and more. The aromas coming off both dishes were amazing. (My downstairs neighbor even sent me a text from below commenting on how great it smelled.)

I could see serving this with a side of basmati rice if you want to bulk it up a bit, but it works just fine without it.

Recipe: Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

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I love lasagna. It’s up there on my list of comfort foods. I had actually planned on making this last week, but kept putting it off — lasagna’s not the quickest meal to throw together. It doesn’t exactly fit in with my detox plan for this week, but I still feel like it’s a healthy, hearty meal.

I don’t have exact measurements for this recipe because, well, I didn’t really measure out everything. I just added and tasted it as I went. So, if you do have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments. It does make enough for two full layers in a 9-in x 13-in casserole dish.

For this particular lasagna, I followed Veganomicon‘s recipe for Cashew Ricotta, which is absolutely amazing if you haven’t tried it. As far as the sauce, I sauteed half a yellow onion, three cloves of garlic and one finely diced carrot. To that, I added a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, along with dried basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. (I tend to like my lasagna on the dry side, so you may want to add an additional can of tomatoes if you prefer a saucier lasagna.)

To cut down on pots and pans, I used the same pot that I used for the lasagna noodles to cook down a large package of frozen, chopped spinach and 8 ounces of sliced button mushrooms. Finally, I layered it all in baking dish, topped it with extra sauce and a sprinkle of basil and nutritional yeast, and baked it for 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

A spring mix salad, crusty bread and olives rounded out the meal.

Enjoy!

Recipe: White Bean Wrap

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I was perusing Flipboard when I came across this White Bean Wrap recipe from Runner’s World. It starts with a white bean-style hummus that has lots of thyme, cumin and paprika. Add to that chopped artichoke hearts, parsley and roasted red peppers. And, it fits in nicely with my detox plan for this week (the wrap bread is whole wheat, but it does contain some white flour). It’s my favorite kind of lunch recipe: healthy, easy and cheap.

White Bean Wraps (as posted on Runner’s World):

Ingredients:

15 oz. white beans (I used Cannellini), drained and rinsed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp thyme (I used dried)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz can of artichoke hearts
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
roasted red peppers
whole wheat flatbread

Directions:

In a food processor, blend white beans, olive oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice, thyme, paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper. Spread over two whole-grain wraps. Top each with 1/3 cup artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1/4 cup roasted red pepper; roll and slice in half.

Enjoy!

Detox Diet

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I’m sure you can see, from the lack of food posts, that I haven’t been in the kitchen this week. I seem to have lost my cooking mojo and my diet has suffered because of it. My meals have consisted of lots of frozen foods and meals that haven’t been well planned. And, I’m not afraid to admit, I also gave in to non-vegan foods while at work because someone treated me to lunch (being vegan in the workplace is a whole other topic I’d like to discuss in a future post).

Anyway, long story short, physically I feel like crap.

Now, I don’t believe in those fad detox diets that require nothing but liquids, but I do think it’s a good idea to clean up and re-evaluate your diet on occasion. So, during my next grocery trip, I’m stocking up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies. No fake meats or even tofu. I’m sticking to grains, lentils and beans for my protein. I also want to eliminate white flour this week to see if that makes me feel better. And green tea. Lots of green tea.

Do you have any detox foods that you like to eat when you’re feeling a bit blah?

The Traveling Vegan

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As I’m sure you all know, maintaining a vegan diet can be quite a challenge when on a road trip and while staying in another city — especially if that city doesn’t have ready access to the ingredients you’re used to using. Thankfully, though, with a little planning (and a large cooler), you don’t have to sacrifice your diet to stay full while away from home.

My husband and I went on a small road trip this past weekend. The trip itself wasn’t that long, but we were going to be gone for two nights. We had access to a kitchen, but I really didn’t want to dirty up more dishes than necessary. We also didn’t want to spend the money on meals that were elaborate. Thankfully, with the help of some prepared foods, we were able eat fairly healthfully and cheaply. While not exactly enlightening, I thought I’d share a few tips and meal ideas that we used for eating vegan on the road:

Breakfast: Homemade muffins or banana bread are perfect because they travel well and last a while. If you don’t have the extra time to bake, bagels or cereal are a great standby.

Lunch: Again, homemade is always better, but canned soups, along with Daiya cheese, crackers and sliced fruit are always a good way to go. If you need to eat while on the road, pasta salad, tabouli and hummus, or chickpea salad sandwiches are great options.

Dinner: Casseroles that you make ahead of time are my favorite because all you have to do is heat it up when you get to your destination. Lasagna works in the same way. But if you do have to cook, basic spaghetti is quick and can easily be rounded out by mixed salad greens and freezer rolls. Veggie burgers and oven fries work well here, too.

Snacks: Cliff bars, nuts, dried fruit, bananas, homemade cookies — all pack well and will last from the beginning of the trip to the end.

The one thing we’re bad about doing is not planning for the trip back. This happened when we took a road trip to Florida last fall. That’s when we usually hit up Taco Bell for a Fresco Bean Burrito or a Seven Layer without cheese or sour cream. It’s not great for you, but it’s vegan.

What meals to you like to take with you on the road? I’d love to hear your ideas.

Negimiso Veggie Dog and Wasabi Fries

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This Japanese-inspired veggie dog recipe comes from Terry Hope Romero and is featured in the June issue of VegNews magazine. Miso, cabbage, green onions — the flavors sound a bit odd for a hot dog, but they really do work.

For the hot dog itself, I used the Field Roast Frankfurters, which stood up nicely to all the bold flavors. I wasn’t so sure how well miso would work here, but I couldn’t get enough of the miso sauce. It was so good as a condiment for the veggie dog.

For the wasabi fries, I took a shortcut and used Trader Joe’s frozen fries. I coated them with a little bit of oil before baking, and then sprinkled the vinegar and seasoning onto the fries after they came out of the oven. Also, instead of using the aonori seaweed flakes as the recipe suggests, I used dulse flakes that I already had on hand. The fries provided a nice kick to the veggie dogs.

All in all, a nice variation of an old classic that comes together really quickly and would be perfect for a cookout.

Vegan Weekly Roundup

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This past week has been pretty busy and I wasn’t in the kitchen as much as I would have liked. My husband did make some really delicious oatmeal raisin cookies, but, um, we ate them all before I had a chance to take pictures. I am planning on making the Japanese-inspired hotdogs and wasabi fries from VegNews tonight, so I’ll have a post on that soon. But in the meantime, here are a few cool sites, recipes and kitchenwares I came across this week:

A non-alcoholic sangria recipe.

A helpful guide for buying and using different varieties of miso.

Jerk-flavored sloppy joes? Um, yes please.

This lavender-cilantro dressing sounds interesting.

Space-saving ideas and products for a tiny kitchen.

Gorgeous dinnerware from a talented artist and friend.

Test your vegan I.Q.