vegan sinigang (filipino soup)

sinigang is a soup dish from the philippines that is sour in taste because it is flavored with tamarind, calamansi, or gauva.  this soup usually made with beef, pork, milk fish and shrimp and stewed with onions, tomatoes and veges.  here's my take on vegan sinigang, which is really easy to make.  just don't add meat! ha.

                                        

penne pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes

ingredients:
2 cups of penne whole wheat pasta, cook as directed
french green beans, halved and steamed
1 potato, boil in water then cubed when fully cooked
red pepper, salt and pepper to taste
*toss all of these ingredients together and chill in fridge while preparing sauce.**

pesto sauce:
1-2cups of basil
3 large cloves garlic
6 tbsp raw pine nuts
3/4 – 1 tsp salt, or to taste
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
vegan parmesan cheese 1/4-1/2 cup

directions:
1)  blend all pesto sauce ingredients together.
2) mix sauce with potatoes, green beans and pasta.
3) enjoy!

rasberry banana soy protein shake

one of my favorite shakes after a run.  and yes, i do use the magic bullet!  i made this shake with soy protein powder, soy milk, one banana and a couple of rasberries.  quick and easy!  great for breakfast too!

cuban black beans with chard greens

a couple of weeks ago i tried chard greens for the first time at a restaurant in the city.   it was sauteed and tasted similar to spinach.  i loved it!  here's my take on that dish along with an easy black bean and rice dish.

ingredients for chard greens:
12 oz sliced chard greens
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp of vegan butter
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1)  heat olive oil and butter in pan on medium heat.
2)  when butter is melted, add minced garlic.  constantly mix to avoid burning. cook for about 3-4 minutes to flavor the oil.
3)  add chard greens and saute until greens have welted.

ingredients for black beans:
15 oz of canned black beans
1/2 cup of chopped green peppers
1/2 cup of  cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 tbs of red wine vinegar
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp oregano
2-3 tbs olive oil

directions:
1)  on medium heat, saute onions and garlic.
2)  add tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes.
3)  add beans along with liquid.  once liquid comes to a slight boil, add seasoning and constantly stir.  simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes.
4) lastly add red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

vegan bacon!

yes sirrrr!!! vegan bacon!  fixed myself a tofu and vegan chees whole wheat muffin with morning star's vegan bacon for breakfast today.  y'll need to try it!  tastes like the real thing!

pancake cupcakes

for an academy meeting last week, i decided to make some some pancakes.  since i was short on time, i thought that the perfect way to pop pancakes out fast was to turn them into cupcakes.  all i did was prepare a vegan pancake mix (use your own or from the box!), coat a 12- cupcake pan with non-stick spray, bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, and garnish with confectioners sugar.  serve with maple syrup or try my banana topping!

i served these pancake muffins with a banana topping.  sorry i forgot to take a picture of the finished product will be sure to take a picture when i bake these up again!

banana topping recipe

ingredients:

one banana sliced
4 tbs of brown sugar
4 tbs of vegan butter
cinnamon (optional)

directions:
1) melt butter on medium heat.
2) when butter is melted, add brown sugar and cool until caramalized.
3)  add bananas and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4) top with cinnamon

tofu teriyaki

the other day, i popped in some ready made chicken terryaki  trader joe meal in the oven for my hubby.  when i pulled out the chicken i felt sick to the stomach from the smell of meat.  although the teriyaki sauce heating up in a seperate pan smelled pretty darn good. i was inspired to cook up some tofu teriyaki during the week.

running short of time during the week to prepare my dinners ( i'm currently taking 2 night classes on tues/wed/thurs this spring) i decided to make the terryaki sauce last night and marinate the tofu overnight to save time before i head to class.  all i had to do when i got home from work today was fry up the tofu.  i even garnished it with onions from my garden!  yummmm.

teriyaki sauce marinade ingredients:
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of water
2 tbsp of ginger
4 tbsp of brown sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup of cold water

directions:
1) combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2) in a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to sauce.
3) stir constantly to allow the sauce to thicken on medium low heat. if the sauce is too thick add a little water or soy to thin.
4)  set sauce aside to cool.

teriyaki tofu ingredients:
a block of tofu
1/2-1cup of cornstarch
teriyaki sauce
vegetable or canola oil
sliced chives or green onions

tofu preparation:
1)  cube a block of tofu.  http://www.cookthink.com/reference/309/How_to_cube_tofu
2)  place in a container or large ziplock bag.
3)  pour teriyaki sauce over tofu making sure that all the tofu is completely covered.  marinate  a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.  do not use all the teriyaki sauce.  make sure you reserve at least 1/2-1cup for the finished dish.
4) in a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat.  put enough oil in the pan brown the tofu cubes.  you are not deep frying them!
5) on a flat surface or plate sprinkle a 1/2 cup of cornstarch evenly coating surface.  take tofu cubes out of the marinade (make sure you shake off any extra marinade) and lightly coat all sides of the tofu cube with the cornstarch.

6)  fry tofu cubes until all sides are brown.  about 2-3 minutes on each side.
7)  in a bowl, toss fried tofu and the remainder of the teriyaki sauce.  garnish with chives and enjoy!