Spicy Mac Salad

Sunday afternoon, my papa came over to see the new place. We barbecued burgers, corns, beans...and had sangria, and really enjoyed the afternoon. My papa loves spicy stuff, so I made this pasta salad for him.



SPICY Mac Salad
Ingredients (makes a BIG ol' bowl)
1 lb pasta of choice, prepared according to package directions
1 recipe dressing (below)12 oz roasted red pepppers, cut into thin strips
14 oz artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chiffonade
10 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions
Prepare, drain and cool pasta. Mix together with the dressing. Add in the peppers, artchoke hearts, spinach and basil. Toss until well combined. Cover and refrigerated several hours before serving.

For the Dressing
1 cup vegan mayo
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp brown mustard
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp paprika
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Brillante Weblog Nominee

So, I have received my first "blog award" nominee. One of the rules is to post the logo on my blog. I searched Google for the logo and I came up with THIS.


I am quite sure that Nikki over at VeganVerve certainly was unaware of the hoax as she has a pretty awesome blog with loads of great food, recipes and quotes of the day/week that certainly is deserving of an award, and I am also quite honored that she selected me to be a nominee. So, thanks to you Nikki.


As far as the following the rest of the rules, and therefore perpetuating the "chain" I won't be nominating anymore blogs for this award.


Instead, I will give you a quick list of just a few of my favorites (there are many more over in the sidebar.) There are so many I follow regularly, it was pretty hard to narrow it down to just 7.



Adventures in the Life of a 9 year old vegan

Everyday Dish

Have Cake, Will Travel

Yellow Rose Recipes

Bittersweet

Cakemaker to the Stars

What the Hell does a Vegan Eat Anyway?

Muffin Cup Quiche

Sunday morning with my dearest girlfriends...what a treat! I made these muffin cup quiches for the event. Not all the girls were vegan, or even vegetarian, but every last one of them got gobbled up, so I would have to say they were a big hit.



I made two variations, a mediterannean influenced sundried tomato and spinach one, and a brocolli "cheddar"version, complete with fake bacon. I used phyllo dough for the crusts. I will give you the recipe for the base quiche mix, and let you know what I added in for the different variations, but seriously, you can make these any old way you want to. In fact, you don't even have to make individual cups. One recipe would fill a premade pie crust quite nicely.

Basic Quiche Mix
Ingredients (makes 12 muffin cup sized quiches)
1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed, drained and crumbled
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp yellow prepared mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions
In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mush it all together with your hands until well incorporated.

For the mediterranean style quiche I added 2 cups of spinach leaves, chiffonade, and about 6 sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped into little pieces.



For the broccoli "cheddar" quiche. I added 1/2 of a medium white onion, diced finely, 1 tablespoon of mello white miso, about 2 cups of brocolli florets, and about 1/4 cup of imitation bacon bits.



For the crust, I used phyllo dough. First, you need to prepare your muffin pans by spraying them liberally with nonstick spray. Following the instructions on the box, I carefully unrolled the package of dough, and, using a pizza cutter, I cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Then I oiled each layer lightly, and grabbed about 3 or four layers for each "cup". I pressed it into the muffin pan, and then scooped some of the quiche mixture into the cup.



I baked mine at 350 for 15 minutes. Checking them at 10 minutes. I am still experimenting with my electric oven, so no guarantees to accuracy of timing and temperature. Take them out of the oven when the crusts begin to brown.

Sarah's Southwest Burgers

This is a Tester from the burger book. I promise to post something other than burgers soon. I promise!

My first home made meal in the country!

Finally deciding to tackle something other than pasta on that electric stove, I made some Garlicky Roasted Reds and Garlicky Ranch Potato Patties for dinner tonight. These are testers for the burger book, but it's been so long, I thought I'd share the garlicky potato love!

These are carb-o-licious...If you are looking for low carb, or low cal...don't make these. They work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Furthermore, they don't even need a bun!

Serving Suggestion
No bun, just a schmear of good old fashioned ketchup. If your having them for breakfast, serve with a nice tofu scramble. For lunch or dinner, try to serve with a nice green vegetable to balance out the carb-o-load. Or go crazy and serve with a nice side of Garlicky Roasted Reds (see below) and run a marathon the next day.

Before cooking.

Ready to eat!

Ingredients (makes 4 patties)
2 cups of grated/shredded potatoes (tightly packed)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp paprika
Sea Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp ground flax, mixed with 3 tbsp water
1/3 cup canola oil
additional oil for frying

Directions
In a mixing bowl, mix together potatoes, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until all of the potatoes are well coated. Add in the panko, flour, flax mixture, and oil. Mix well, using your hands until a nice dough forms. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form intopatties. Preheat a generous amount of oil in a skillet and pan fry about 3-5 minutes per side until golden and crispy.

Garlicky Reds
No real recipe here. You all know how to roast potatoes. For these, I cut up a bag of baby reds into bite sized chunks, spread them into a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet, with the skins down, sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, parsley, and fresh minced garlic. Then I drizzle a bit of olive oil over the whole thing and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

We are officially living in the Canyon!

It's been a long two weeks, but we slept here starting Saturday night. It's definitely different. I wake up before the sun rises, and apparently, so do the roosters! I finally got the computer set up this evening so I thought I would say hi. I still have a bit of unpacking to do but we are 75% done. I will post pictures as soon as the place is presentable, and I will start cooking again as soon as I can figure out where to put all of the spices!

Top 10 things that have made this move a bit interesting:
10. Dan and I have completely different ideas of how to pack and move.
9. It has been over 100 degrees all week.
8. There are A LOT of bugs in the country.
7. Annie (one of my dogs) does not like Sara or Heidi (the neighbor's dogs.)
6. We have no hot water or shower until at least tomorrow, possibly Wednesday.
5. I will have to keep 85% of my clothes and shoes outside in the barn.
4. My nice big office is now a bookshelf.
3. The TV does not fit on the TV shelf. This is a very big deal.
2. Cox Cable salespeople are sneaky little "cocks."
1. This house is only 495 square feet.

Happy Father's Day! Have some Ribz!

I totally stole the idea from Tracy over at A Veg*n For Dinner. She has some amazing seitan creations. I admit that I am not as "careful" about my presentation of these ribz as she was, but I thought these ribz were fantastic. Although I did steal her method for using "bonz," I came up with my own recipe for the "meat." I baked mine on Saturday night and threw them into the fridge. On Sunday, I threw the whole rack on the grill to warm 'em up and give them an even smokier flavor.



Chipotle Barbecue Ribz on Cedar Bonz
Dry Ingredients
3 cups gluten flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp granulated onion
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp chipotle powder (This makes 'em pretty spicy, feel free to reduce the heat if you need to.)
6 1 inch cedar bones (optional)*
Wet Ingredients
+/- 1 cup veggie broth**
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Bragg's or soy sauce
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used a chipotle hickory flavor)
extra bbq sauce for basting
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and knead about 5 minutes. Let mixture rest about 20 minutes. Pour a generous amount of barbecue sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. If using bonz, divide your "dough" into 2 equal pieces. Press one piece into the bottom of the pan, until it is in the shape of a large rectangle. Lay in the bonz equally apart from eachother, press the other piece of dough onto the top of the bonz, making sure to press in between the bonz so that the seitan sticks together. If you are not using the bonz, simply spread your dough into a nice flat rectangle. Spread another layer of barbecue sauce all over the top. Cover the entire pan tightly with foil and bake for about 75-90 minutes.

*If you can get your hands on a food safe cedar plank, cut it into 1" bonz uzing a saw, and then sand down the edges. Soak the bonz in warm water for at least an hour before use.
**If you find you mixture too dry, just add in a bit more broth.

Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze

When I want a real meal, I will take the time to make a full blown mac and cheeze. Whether it is the Cozy Inside recipe with its nutty crust or VCON's Mac Daddy with its tart and tangy noochy sauce, or any of the plethora of macs out there on the interwebs. BUT when I think back to my childhood, I have very fond memories of that flourescent orange stuff that took only a few minutes longer to make than it took to boil the pasta.

Enter "Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze." My quick, easy, cheater recipe for a creamy delicious bowl of kid-friendly mac.



Ingredients
1 pound of elbow macaroni, prepared in salted water
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (like Tofutti Better than Sour Cream)
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance, of course)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta. Drain and return to the pot. Throw in all of the ingredients and mix together well. Done.

Cedar Smoked Tofu and Pasta Salad in a Chipotle, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

In amidst the packing and cleaning and prepping for the move, I found time to fix a few quick meals that can be easily eaten throughout the week. This cold pasta salad is one of them. It is very hearty, very yummy and comes together in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta.



Cedar Smoked Tofu and Pasta Salad in a Chipotle, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
Ingredients
1 lb pasta (I used penne)
1 lb block of extra firm smoked tofu (you can buy it already smoked, or make your own), cut into bite sized chunks
1 cup vegan mayo
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
12 oz roasted red peppers, sliced thinly
14 oz spinach (drained if using canned, about 2 cups if using fresh, chiffonade)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta according to package instructions. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. When pasta is ready, drain and run cold water over it to cool it down quickly. Toss the pasta with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Kick off the Summer with Cozy Inside!

Cozy Inside is ON SALE from now until the end of May!

Use the following discount code, W99G395B when ordering the Black and White copy directly from my e-store and get $2 off!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!