Still Feeling This Sweet Tooth... Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Truffles.

I've been working on my chocolate melting skills for the past few days and finally worked out a fantastic truffle recipe. You can really put anything in side of them but peanut butter and coconut sounded so good.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Truffles

1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tablespoons earth balance
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 bag vegan dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut flacks
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
small amount of melted vegan white chocolate

Combine agave nectar, earth balance, peanut butter, vanilla, cocoa, coconut and salt in a bowl
and mix well with a wooden spoon. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil or wax paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls and transfer to the lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Freeze until firm. Melt chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a small pot of simmering water, stirring often. Remove pot and bowl together from heat. Take bowl off of heat and allow the chocolate to cool down until it is at about body temperature. Working with about five peanut butter balls at a time, and keepin the rest in the freezer, insert a toothpick all the way through the center of a ball. Submerge the entire ball into the melted chocolate, swirl off excess chocolate and transfer to another lined cookie sheet. Freeze peanut butter truffles until firm. Melt white chocolate over a small pot of simmering water, stirring often. Remove pot and bowl together from heat, and allow to cool down slightly. With fork drizzle truffles with white chocolate, making lines. Return to freezer until set.

Just The Name It's So Long... Jack-O-Lantern Bell Peppers Stuffed With Kale & Shiitake Stuffing.

I love stuffed bell peppers anytime of year and these are  a little different than the standard recipe. My mom uses this kale and shiitake stuffing to usually stuff chicken but it worked great for this recipe. Since this stuffing goes with chicken I added some Tempeh Chicken, and it worked well. To make this more of a Halloween recipe I used orange bell peppers and craved them like Jack-o-lanterns. They taste as good as they look, all I need now is some wild rice.

 
Jack-O-Lantern Bell Peppers Stuffed With Kale & Shiitake Stuffing

2/3 cup carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups shiitake mushroom, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound coarsely chopped kale
1 8oz. package of tempeh, prepared in chicken style, chopped
1 teaspoon chili paste
4 orange bell peppers, tops cut away & seeds removed
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup vegan bacon bits

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crave faces on the orange bell peppers like they were Halloween pumpkins. In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon dry on paper towels and set aside. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tempeh chicken, garlic, carrots, salt, black pepper, chili paste and other spices. Cook until the tempeh is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes. Add vegetable broth, bacon bits and kale, stir well. Cook till kale is tender. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Stuff the bell peppers with the kale stuffing mixture and place in baking dish. Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

BOO, Baking For Halloween... Purple Iced Ghost Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

It was my first vegan Thanksgiving last year. Some dishes were spot on and some were not as good but these cookies were everyone's favorite recipe. This is still my baking for my Halloween mood so I made the cookies shaped like ghost. I had some icing left over from my Brain cupcakes the other day so I iced the cookies for this version. They turned out really moist and the icing was a nice sweetness next to the dark chocolate chips.  

Purple Iced Ghost Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies

1 cup earth balance
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup soy yogurt (vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon all spice
 2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup Icing*
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, cream together the earth balance and  brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the soy yogurt, then stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. In another bowl combine the flour through the spices. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until light brown or toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks. Frost with icing when cool.

* 1/2 cup earth balance, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red and Black food coloring

Trick Or Treat... Candy Corn.

This vegan candy corn taste just like the real thing but not as sweet so it works great. It's taken me a few times to figure out how to cook it just right so it hardens up. You will definitely need a cooking thermometer to get it to just the right temperature. Also added some pictures of the pumpkins the girlfriend and I carved. They turned out great, but their not to scary though.

Candy Corn

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup (organic)
5 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup powdered soy milk
a pinch of sea salt
Red & yellow food coloring

In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, Earth Balance, & vanilla to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium & boil the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, remove from heat. Sift the powdered sugar, powdered soy milk, & salt into medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar mixture to pan & stir to combine. Let the mixture stand until slightly warm to touch, about 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. You will need to have on rubber gloves for this part, so you don't stain your hands. Add several drops of yellow food coloring to one piece of dough & knead food coloring into the dough until smooth and color is even. Repeat using red & yellow food coloring (for orange) with the second piece & leave the last piece white, but knead it until smooth. This isn't an easy task & could take up to 15 minutes! Roll each piece into ropes of equal length and push the three ropes together to form a long rectangle. Using sharp knife, cut the ropes into triangles. Some will be white tipped & some will be yellow tipped.

 

I Was Working In My Lab.... Red Velvet Brain Cupcakes.

With it being so close to Halloween I'm really getting into the mood to bake for the dark day. I've heard of these cupcakes before but I saw them again today on Anne Thornton's new show on the Food Network called, Dessert First. Since it was my day off I had to give them a try and it was easy to turn her recipe vegan. They turned out better than I thought they would and really looked like brains. I'm going to keep an eye on her show from now on for more good stuff. 

Red Velvet Brain Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour 
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cocoa powder 
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup applesauce 
1 cup rice milk (with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons red food coloring

Frosting 
1/2 cup earth balance, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red and Black food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and sea salt together onto a piece of waxed paper. Mix the applesauce, rice milk, lemon juice, oil, vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring in a standing mixer. On medium speed, beat until well combined. Turn down the mixer speed and slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until totally smooth, about 3 minutes. Line a cupcake tin with the liners. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

 In a standing mixer, on medium speed, cream the earth balance until smooth. Turn down the mixer speed and slowly add the powdered sugar, salt, soy milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy. Add a drop each of red and black food coloring and mix into the frosting to make it a pinkish gray brain color.

Fill the pastry bag half full with the frosting, and pipe out into a squiggly pile on half of each cupcake top, then pipe the frosting in a squiggly pile on the other half of the cupcake top, making 2 brain hemispheres. BRAINS!!!

Potatoes and Tomatoes.... Potato And Tomato Gratin.

Not really a lot to say about this recipe other than it is delicious. It takes a while to cook but it is worth every minute. This blog has made me make and adventure to make food I would of never thought to make before and I'm enjoying every bit of it. The world is Vegan if you want it to be. I'll be carving a pumpkin tonight when I get off work and I'll post some pictures with my next recipe.

Potato and Tomato Gratin

5 Tablespoon olive oil 
9 cups thinly sliced white onion
2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoon thyme
2 Tablespoon Earth Balance 
6-8 small white potatoes
heavy cream substitute*
3 1/2 pounds of tomatoes
1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped 
salt and pepper
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

 Heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a big skillet over high heat and add the onions, rep pepper and one tablespoon of the thyme, a little salt and pepper. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat down to medium, add the earth balance and cooked for another 15 minutes, still stirring frequently.  Turn down the heat to low and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes (still stirring) until the onions are super sweet and a nice golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Slice tomatoes and potatoes into rounds.  Place the potatoes into a mixing bowl and coat them with the heavy cream substitute, remaining thyme and some salt and pepper, stirring to distribute. Spread the tomato rounds on a tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a rectangular 14″ glass cooking dish. Spread half of the caramelized onions on the bottom of the pan. Covering the bottom of the pan, alternate tomatoes with potatoes. Spread the remaining  onions atop the first layer of tomatoes and potatoes, and sprinkle the rosemary over the onions. Add the next and final layer of alternating potatoes and onions. Next, pour the heavy cream substitute, and any remaining juices from your onions and tomatoes over the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours until the potatoes are tender. Remove and uncover the dish and turn the oven up to 450 F.  Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle top with breadcrumbs, hit them with some cooking oil spray, and pop back into the oven for 10 more minutes.

*To make the heavy cream substitute:
1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk of your choice
a can of unsweetened coconut milk
1.5 tbsp of nutritional yeast
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper 
1 tsp onion powder a couple of cranks from a pepper mil

 Pour the soymilk  into a clear measuring cup and fill up to the 3/4 mark with coconut milk. Add the other ingredients and whisk to distribute.

It's A Wing Thing... Bbq Wings.

Bbq wings are awesome. The vegan version is no different and I love every sticky bite of them. I've been looking for a recipe to try tempeh out in and bam I found an easy one. These wings were just what I was looking for and are a quick snack. I used my vegan bbq sauce recipe for them and it was perfect. 

Tempeh Bbq Wings

8 oz package of tempeh
1/3 cup rice milk
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2/3 c panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup bbq sauce

In a small saucepan, boil about three cups of water. Cut the tempeh into four equal blocks, then cut those blocks into triangles, and carefully slice the triangles in half lengthwise. Put the tempeh in the boiling water and
cover, for about fifteen minutes or until tempeh is softened. Pour the pan into a colander and rise with cold water. Allow the tempeh to cool enough that you can handle it. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Make your assembly line for the wings. Put your rice milk in the first bowl, your flour and spices in the second, and your panko in the third.  At the end of the line, have a greased baking sheet waiting. Take a tempeh triangle, and dip it in the milk, then coat in flour. Then another quick dip in the milk before thoroughly coating it in the bread crumbs and placing it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tempeh. Spray the tops of the wings with cooking spray, and bake in the oven for ten minutes. Remove, flip over, and bake for ten more. Just before you take the wings out of the oven, heat the sauce over a medium heat until just warm. When you take the wings out, transfer them to the pot a few at a time and coat in the sauce, remove and set coated wings aside as you go.

Don't Even Turn On The Stove... Raw Kale Salad.

When you don't even have to cook in a recipe and it's healthy everyone wins. I had some kale I've been meaning to use and a salad sounded good to me. There are a lot of raw vegan recipes out there and some of them are scary. This is a great recipe to ease your way into eating more raw food. The cheese is a big part of this recipe so I used the best vegan cheese, Daiya. The Daiya mozzarella type worked perfectly.

Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
1cup breadcrumbs
2 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1/4 cup grated daiya cheese, plus additional for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for garnish
1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice of one lemon  
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl. Using a knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.

This + That = Awesome... Bacon Cinnamon Rolls.

I'm hooked on stumbling on the site StumbleUpon, I can do it for hours. Some nights I can't even sleep because of the crazy things I find. Lately I've been seeing bacon cinnamon rolls among the web pages. Just the sound of such a thing made my mouth water and I enjoy veganizing recipes so this was right up my alley. This worked out great and was delicious.

Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

3/4 cup rice milk
1 packet active yeast
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup cane sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
4 Tablespoon brown sugar
6 strips of smart bacon


Icing

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp soy milk (vanilla)


Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a circular cake pan and set aside. Gently warm 3/4 cup rice milk to about 110 F. Sprinkle yeast over warmed non-dairy milk and let it dissolve, about 5 minutes. Combine 2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 salt in a large bowl. Add 5 Tablespoon  applesauce and yeast mixture, stirring spatula to combine. Add in another 1/2 cup flour, stirring to combine. Sprinkle remaining flour on a flat surface and knead dough, kneading in most of the flour. Knead about 15-20 times. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough out into large, thin rectangle and set aside. Prepare filling by combining 4 Tablespoon brown sugar with 1 Tablespoon unsweetened applesauce, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Spoon filling in the center of the dough and spread it around, leaving 1" edge clear. Gently but tightly roll the dough up. Use a pizza cutter, sharp knife or string to cut off 6 rolls. Unroll each roll and place 1 strip of smart bacon in center and re-roll. Place into prepared cake pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Mix 1 cup confectioners sugar with 1 tsp soy milk (vanilla), whipping until it becomes a thick glaze with no sugar chunks. Spread glaze over hot rolls.

Man, That Looks Good... Squash Pasta With Mushroom Sauce.

I've slowed down on posting not by choice but because my camera on my phone isn't really working. I finally got a new App that seems to work but I'll have to just take it day by day. I kinda like the retro look of the pictures, it might work out. That being said, since it's October I wanted to use a squash in this recipe so I thought spaghetti squash pasta would be great. It turned out better than the last time I tried to use a spaghetti squash so I'm very happy with this recipe.  

Squash Pasta With Mushroom Sauce

1 2 lb. spaghetti squash

Cut squash in half, remove seeds. Bake cut side down in baking pan containing small amount of water. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. After cooking, pull strands free with a fork to make spaghetti. Toss with small amount of butter and season to taste.



Mushroom Pasta Sauce

6 tomatoes
15 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh basil, parley, & oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil, then add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook five minutes. Deglaze pot with vegetable broth.
Boil. Add tomatoes and herbs. Salt & pepper, bring to a simmer. Coat squash pasta.

Got Stuff On My Mind... Oatmeal Coconut Raisin Cookies.

I've been working every night and stressed so here is just an easy cookie recipe I made today. Oatmeal raisin has always been one of my favorites, the coconut I added just makes them even better and more moist. 



Oatmeal Coconut Raisin Cookies


1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (use half whole wheat pastry)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegan spread, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup chopped coconut
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and set aside. Cream the earth balance and sugar. Beat in milk mixture and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in quick oats, raisins and coconut. Drop by the tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes until just beginning to brown around the edges.

It's Cold Outside Or Is It?...Tropical Black Bean and Kale Soup.

With it being Fall I'm really in the mood for soups and stews to beat the cold. The only problem with that is it's still hot as hell here. That being said I made this great tropical soup perfect for any weather. It's a little spicy but spicy is good. On a different note, my cat turned out to be a girl today. Paul popped out some kittens, and now I'm up to five animal companions. Maybe I'll post some picture sometime.  

Tropical Black Bean and Kale Soup

2 cups dried black beans
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste
12 ounces kale, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Rinse the beans. Cover with water and allow to soak at least 8 hours. Keep soaking until you are ready to cook, and then drain the soaking liquid. Heat a large pot; spray lightly with olive oil if desired. Add the onion, vegetables and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the drained beans, 2 cups of vegetable stock, 5 cups of water, thyme, powders, allspice, and nutmeg. Simmer until beans are very tender, 1-2 hours depending on your beans. Once beans are tender, puree using a hand blender or in batches in a regular blender. Leave one batch not blended for texture. Return to pot and add kale. Add orange juice, and add pepper and salt to taste. Cook kale till tender.

Breakfast, It's What's For Dinner... Banana Pancakes.

I love breakfast food and pancakes are no different. Their something you can eat anytime of day and will always hit the spot. I love bananas too, so of course I had to put the two together. This is the simple recipe I can up with. I ate way to many, now I'm sleepy, so watch out.

Banana Pancakes

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 banana, mashed
1 1/4 cups soy milk
1 tbsp sweetener

Mix. Pan fry till golden brown. 

Lazy Day Off... Oven Roastd Vegetables With Steak.

Roasting vegetables brings out all kinds of flavor and is a easy, delicious meal. This recipe is just a guide, I used what I had laying around. Feel free to add, subtract, substitute any of the vegetables or seasonings. The steak I made yesterday turned out so good that I used some in this recipe. This was just what I was craving.

Oven Roasted Vegetables With Steak

4 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
10 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound seitan steak, cubed
1 eggplant, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium yellow squash, diced
10 radishes, diced
10 brussel sprouts, quartered
2 stalks celery, diced
3 Tablespoon olive oil, chopped
2 chipotle peppers, chopped
2 teaspoon rosemary, minced
salt & pepper to taste
2 teaspoon liquid smoke


Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil cookie sheet or pan. Combine everything in the bowl, then transfer to cookie sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring after every 10 minutes.

All This Talk About Meat... Seitan Steak.

People at work are always asking me if I miss steak and my bosses dad even owns a steakhouse so I hear about steak all day long. This is my answer, seitan steaks and they are just as good. I've made this recipe before, it takes awhile but is worth the time. These steaks go great with anything. I usually make this ahead of time and grill them up. Also the texture is very close to meat so be careful if your not into that.

DRY MIX:
2 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten powder
1/2 cup minute tapioca
1/2 cup TVP
3 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
WET MIX:
2 cup cold water
1/3 cup vegetarian stir fry sauce
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon vegan gravy browner
COOKING BROTH:
6 cups very hot water
2 Tablespoon Marmite or other yeast extract
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoon gravy browner

Mix the Dry Mix ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer with dough hook attachment. Add the Wet Mix and knead for about 10 minutes. Let rest for about 1 hour, covered. You can make your Cooking Broth at this time and have it ready. Then knead it for 10 more minutes. Cut into several pieces, then flatten those pieces with wet hands into "steaks." Cut into as many pieces as you like, as thin as you like. Cook in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, turning once halfway through.

Halloween Time... Dark Cookies 'n Cream Fudge.

I don't really eat Oreos or cookies for that matter anymore but I saw the orange Halloween cookies and had to get them. I love orange. Cookies n cream fudge was the only thing I could think of besides a cookie n cream cupcake. I'll try the cupcake out some other time. This fudge turned out great. The original recipe called for white chocolate but I've never been a fan of white chocolate so the dark chocolate worked out great.

 
Dark Cookies 'n Cream Fudge

2 cups cane sugar
2/3 cup sweetened condensed rice milk*
7 oz Ricemellow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup earth balance butter
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup Halloween Oreo, finely crushed
1 cup Halloween Oreo, crumbled

Line a 13x9 pan with buttered parchment paper. Combine sugar, butter, and milk in a medium-sized
saucepan and bring to a full boil while stirring constantly. Let boil and continue stirring for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the chips, cream, cookies, and vanilla, and pour into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm (about 45 minutes). Remove, cut as desired, and store in an airtight container (not in the fridge).


*Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 cups nondairy milk of choice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Cook nondairy milk and sugar over medium-low heat until reduced to 1 cup. Stir in vanilla and salt.
Refrigerate before using. Makes 1 cup.

Forget You KFC... Grilled Double Down.

The KFC double down is the over the top double meaty sandwich with two chicken breasts as the bun and bacon, cheese and Colonel's Sauce in the middle. When I was a meat-eater I would of eaten a million of them, but now no way. I've been wanting to make a vegan version ever since the first time I saw it. Today was the day I went for it and this is what I came up with. You can get the double down in Original Recipe or Grilled, and I made this version grilled. It was so good, I had to add a side of sweet potato fries.

                       
                Real

              

 


                   
             Vegan

Grilled Double Down

2 Gardein chicken scallopini patties
2 strips Smart Bacon
2 slices of rice pepperjack cheese
spicy western mustard (instead of Colonel sauce)

Cook everything and assemble.

What In The Cornmeal... Beans & Greens With Polenta.

I went out with my girlfriend to eat the other day and ordered grits. I love grits, you have to if your from the south, but I would love them even if I wasn't from here. While I was eating I got to thinking that polenta is pretty much grits made with yellow cornmeal. I've never made or even eaten polenta before so here is a recipe with polenta topped with some stuff I had in the fridge. It tasted way better than I just described it.    

Beans & Greens With Polenta

Polenta

1 1/2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons rosemary and parsley mixed
3 cups hot water
1 cup vegetable broth
Olive oil for greasing

Beans and Greens
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
3 cups chopped spinach
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked green beans (or any other beans you have on hand)
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
rice cheese blend for garnish

For the Polenta
In a 3-quart pot, combine the cornmeal, salt, herbs,vegetable broth, and water, making sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, cook for 30 minutes or until the polenta is thick and comes away easily from the sides of the pot. Grease a large sheet of aluminum foil with the oil and
place it on a baking sheet. With a rubber spatula or with wet hands, slide the polenta onto the baking sheet. Make the corners as square as possible. Lay a second sheet of aluminum foil of top and allow the polenta
to set at least 30 minutes.

For the Beans and Greens
In a large, deep pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until it turns golden. Add the
onions and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the greens and saute, stirring, until wilted. Stir in the tomatoes and beans and simmer 15 minutes. Sir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

To Serve
Cut the polenta in to four equal rectangles and then cut each rectangle into four triangles. Place the triangles on
oiled aluminum foil or an oiled grill under the broiler and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the exterior is a
spotted brown. Remove from the heat. Spoon on the bean mixture and top with rice cheese blend.

I got some eggplant on sale at the store the other day and was thinking about what I could make with it. I've never made a curry but I'm not scared. That's what this blog is about, trying new things, new tastes, and seeing what is out there in the world. A eggplant curry just sounds really good to me. I've really been in the mood for spicy food lately and this was perfect. This recipe is great served over rice, pasta, or even by its self.

News Post

I'm sure most people have seen the new line of ads lately spreading propaganda about High Fructose Corn Syrup. They are scary because some people might buy into their lies. I've read The Corn Refiners Association (that's the group that produce HFCS) is trying to change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to Corn Sugar. This is just another trick in their arsenal trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the people. With whatever you eat or drink you need to check the labels, HFCS is put in so many things these days and is something you want to avoid. Daniel Moran wrote an article on his blog Junk Food News this week talking about HFCS that I liked, so here it is. Enjoy and check out his blog it rocks.


High Fructose Corn Syrup vs Natural Sugar

October 3rd, 2010
Daniel Moran

Last week I spoke about how diet drinks and aspartame are bad for one’s health. This week I’ll be talking about non-diet drinks and their main ngredient, High Fructose Corn Syrup. Sodas and drinks in general are not the only source of High Fructose Corn Syrup; the ingredient can now be found in virtually any processed food even bread and packaged fruit, which is scary considering all the dangerous effects it’s had on consumers since the 1970’s.

Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup are many, varied and not very pretty. Two include both obesity and a lack of calories. High Fructose Corn Syrup contains many calories yes, but they lack any sense of nutritional value to your body and act as empty calories. High Fructose Corn Syrup also hinders your metabolism to process food and regulate one’s appetite by affecting the production of insulin and leptin. Another side effect of altered insulin production is the development of diabetes from pancreatic damage. Due to the reduced insulin and leptin in one’s body, sugar gets metabolized straight into fat and cholesterol. This higher cholesterol ”in turn blocks arteries and the flow of blood to and from the heart. This process weakens the heart muscles and the ability for new oxygen to circulate throughout the body. The increase in fat storages also harms heart health.” High Fructose Corn Syrup also messes with one’s immune system and the hormones and enzymes that act to defend against illnesses and disease. On top of this, the body is deprived of minerals when processing sugars which can lead to anemia.

What’s ironic is that most people would choose High Fructose Corn Syrup over actual sugar when it comes to teeth rotting out but in actuality they are quite similar, no matter how refined it may be. When and if you finally decide to work off all the pounds one put on with High Fructose Corn Syrup, you will be met with fatigue due to the higher amounts of endorphins released by the added sugar in one’s body which slow you down. Like any other drug, High Fructose Corn Syrup can be very addicting, causing the body to want it more and more which only become worse when cutting it out completely. If you must choose a soft drink, look for those made with natural sugar. Big label companies such as Pepsi are coming out with more and more sugar alternatives such as Throwback Pepsi and natural sugar Sierra Mist but there are also smaller companies which make their drinks with strictly sugar, just check the label.

Bananas, Bananas Everywhere... Banana Soup.

I found myself again with more bananas on hand then I can eat. This time I was thinking of maybe making a soup with them since it's getting colder outside. I know, banana soup sounds crazy but I didn't want to make something sweet with them. I did a little searching online and found that banana soup is made around the world and even sounds really tasty. This recipe is just something I threw together real fast but turned out to be something I'll definitely be making it again.
 

Banana Soup

1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 ripe bananas, sliced into thick rounds
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chili paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 chile pepper, minced
Parsley for garnish


Heat the oil in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the bananas, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, green pepper, chili pepper and chili paste. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until caramelized, trying not to break up the banana too much though. Stir in the cumin. Deglaze the pan with the orange juice. Pour in the stock, let the soup come to a gentle simmer and cook for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk and lime zest, remove from heat and serve.

Time For A Cookout... Spicy Black Bean Burgers.

I've been wanting some burgers for awhile now and I finally got around to making some. There are quite a few ways to make vegan burgers and I went with the easiest, black beans. There are a lot of black bean burger recipes out there but I went with this one I came up with awhile back. Again I had to add some chili paste to this recipe because I'm really hooked on the stuff and spicy is always better.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers 

2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup green peppers, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped 
1/4 cup yellow corn
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili paste
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add your onions, carrots, celery and green peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, corn and stir for 1 minute. Remove vegetables from heat and set aside. In a bowl, mash half of the black beans. Add the other half of the intact black beans, the panko, and the vegetable mixture to the bowl. Stir to combine. Form the mixture into 2 large or 4 small patties. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes at 450 F. The burgers will hold together but will be very delicate and even crumbly if handled to much so be careful. Just place them on a bun (I chose to use potato bread instead of buns). They go great with any garnish, I used roasted mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes.

Keep On Baking... Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcake.

Yet another great recipe from "Vegan Cupcakes Take over The World". These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cupcakes are just as good as they sound. Well at first I wasn't sure about pumpkin and chocolate together but it turned out to be really good. Since it's the first day of October I just had to make these. Happy Fall.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. In bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, rice milk, and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Stir together with a fork. Once combinded, fold in chocolate chips. Fill liners two-thirds full. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool and ice with cinnamon icing.

Cinnamon Icing

1/2 cup powder sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoon earth balance butter
1 Tablespoon rice milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix in bowl and stir with fork until smooth. Keep at room temperature.