vegan chocolate chip cookies

ingredients
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Earth Balance*, softened (although Earth Balance is the best, you may use any other non-dairy butter/margarine)
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Replacer for 2 eggs**
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

instructions

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
3. Add egg replacer one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in chips and nuts.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

recipe adapted from:

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies.asp

vegan banana nut muffins

if you don't want to waste those over ripened bananas...turn them into banana muffins! 

ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable Oil (i used applesauce)
Ener-G equivalent of 2 or 3 Eggs
1/3 cup soy-buttermilk (add 1/3 teaspoon vinegar)

1 1/3 cup walnuts

directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Mix bananas, oil (or applesauce), and buttermilk in another mixing bowl.

Combine the banana mixture with the large bowl containing dry ingredients, and stir well. Add the Ener-G Egg Replacer in now, and stir.

For muffins: line muffin pan with liners, scoop about 1/2 full, and bake for about 30 mins, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

recipe adapted from:

http://veganmother.blogspot.com/2008/01/banana-bread-muffins.html

boca burger

there's something about holidays that get me in the mood for bbq. for lunch, my hubby grilled me up a boca burger.  i personally like to buy the "flame grilled" boca buger...after i take a bite of this burger, it's like i never gave up meat.  i dressed up this burger with tomatoes, onions, vegenaise mayo and soy chedder cheese on a whole wheat bun. 

tempeh potato hash

for sunday brunch i whipped together my vegan version of corn beef hash.  instead of using corn beef, i used tempeh, which is made out of soybeans that are packed together into a retangular cake.  tempeh is rich in nutrients and has a high source of protein and calcium.

ingredients
2 medium sized potatoes, cubed
4 oz of tempeh
2 tbs of soy sauce
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
6 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/4
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbs of olive oil
red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

directions
1) in a bowl, crumble tempeh and add soy sauce.  mix well and let marinate for 5 minutes.
2)  heat olive oil on medium heat.  saute onions then add tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.  add garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.  continue sauteing for another minute.
3)  add potatoes.  cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4)  add tempeh and asparagus and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

spaghetti alla veganesca

this is my go to dish when i have no time to cook and exhausted from running 3 miles and going straight to yoga.

i first had  spaghetti alla puttanesca at my favorite mom and pop's italian restaurant in fremont.  this dish is made with anchovies to give it a unique salty flavor that i love.  here is my version of spaghetti alla puttanesca minus the anchovies...hence, "veganesca".


ingredients
4 tbs olive oil
 1/2 cup of olives, preferebly without the seed.
3 tbs of capers
12oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained.
4 oz tomato paste
5 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup of chopped parsley (save some for garnish)
salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes to taste
1/2 a package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles- cooked, drained and set aside.

directions
1) heat olive oil on medium heat.  saute onions for about 3 minutes then add garlic.
2)  add olives and capers. cook for about 2 minutes.  season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3)  next, add diced tomatoes (undrained) and tomato paste.  cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  i sometimes i like to add olive juice, which adds a bit of saltiness that is missing from the anchovies.
4)  add parsley the last 5 minutes.  taste the sauce and if you need to add more flavor feel free to add more salt and pepper.
5)  stir in noodles to sauce and garnish with parsley.

spanish onion potato soup

i love this soup! it's my husband's specialty.  he's been surprising me with vegan dinners and this is one of the first dishes he's cooked me.  get ready for the the sweet aroma of the garlic, onions and tomatoes to fill your home.

to accompany this dish, i made a green been salad. i thought a cold salad would compliment this soup.

ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large potato, halved and cut into thin slices
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 oz canned chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 1 1/2 pint vegetable stock
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• chopped thyme for garnish.

preparation

• heat olive oil in a large pan. add the onions, garlic potato and paprika and cook for 5 minutes.
• in a separate pot, boil tomatoes, thyme and stock. add potatoes to the pot and simmer f0r 20 minutes on medium-low heat.
• add some of the vegetable broth to cornstarch and mix together to form a paste. next, stir the paste into the soup. simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until soup has thickened.
• break the potatoes up slightly. sprinkle chopped thyme to garnish.
  

green bean cherry tomato salad

 

i whipped this salad together to go with a spanish potato soup that my husband made for me.  this is a crispy refreshing dish that can be eaten alone or as a side dish.

ingredients

• 2 pounds thin green beans cut into 2-inch pieces (4 cups)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved (2 cups)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp parsley 

directions

In a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water, cook the green beans uncovered for 7 to 9 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, lime juice and salt. Pour the dressing over the green beans and toss well. Fold in the tomatoes and chopped parsley, then add pepper to taste.
To make up to 2 days ahead, prepare and store separately in the refrigerator: green beans, dressing and tomatoes. Combine up to 3 hours before serving.