It's-So-Easy Lasagna

Certainly not a from scratch recipe, but certainly a tummy pleaser, this semi-home made lasagna only takes minutes to throw together, and after about 45 minutes in the oven...dinner is served!



1 box of no-boil lasagne noodles
1 large jar of your favorite red pasta sauce
1 block (16-20 ounces) extra firm tofu, drained and presses
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 (8 ounce) container nondairy cream cheese, like Tofutti
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 to 2 tablespoons dried basil, to taste
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, crumble tofu. Add in nooch, cream cheese and garlic powder. Add salt to taste. Use your hands to get it really well incorporated and to resemble the texture of ricotta cheese.
In a glass baking dish (I used a round one this time, so I could pretend I was having lasagna pie!) start with a thin layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles, then more sauce, then a layer of tofu cheese, then another layer of noodles.
Repeat until you use all of your noodles, or get to the top of your dish, finishing with a final layer of sauce and cheese.
Bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown.
Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving!

Need more oomph? Add layers of sliced mushrooms to the mix!

Win a Cozy Inside Trifecta!

Celine and I will be leaving the comforts of SoCal to trek north to the great vegan paradise known as PORTLAND later this summer!

We plan on traveling to San Fran on the way, but PLEASE, help us decide where to eat!

Leave a comment over on the JUSTTHEFOOD FORUM, telling us what vegan restaurants we should visit on our trip across the west and northwest this summer.

Please include the name of the restaraunt and the city it's in!

We will choose a winner using a random number generator (based on the order in which the comments are received) at 3pm PST on June 1, 2009.

The winner will receive a Cozy Inside Trifecta! One signed copy of the book in color, One signed copy of the book in black and white, and one signed copy of the book on CD-ROM. Keep one for yourself, and spread the love!

DON'T LEAVE YOUR COMMENT HERE...DO IT ON THE FORUM POST!

I'm a Winner!

WOOHOO! I am finally a winner!!! I get a free copy of this book.

I'll give you all a review as soon as I get it!

FUN!

White Bread

I know, I know. Whole Wheat is much better for me. But, sometimes, white bread just hits the spot. Perfect with a schmear of Earth Balance, and especially nice with PB and J.



I used THIS recipe, but instead of making bowls or crusts, I simply formed the dough into 2 loaves and baked at 400 for about 15 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Cheesecake Pie

Springtime and Strawberries go hand in hand, no doubt. There are endless ways to enjoy these tasty little fruits. I so enjoy pairing them with rhubarb, and this pretty pink pie makes great use of the combo!

This is sneak preview recipe from the upcoming 500 Vegan Recipes cookbook by myself and Celine...enjoy!

The strawberry rhubarb mixture used to make this pie also makes an amazing topping for ice cream!

1 Vanilla Cookie Pie Crust or Graham Cracker Pie Crust
12 ounces (340 g) sliced fresh strawberries
8 ounces (227 g) chopped fresh rhubarb
1 cup (235 ml) water
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry
1 pound (454 g) nondairy cream cheese
2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar

To a pot, add strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add cornstarch slurry and stir to thicken.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Stop here and you have your ice cream topping.
Reserve one cup of the mixture for topping at service.
Using an electric mixture, beat in cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in powdered sugar, adding one cup at a time, until smooth.
Pour into pie crust and freeze for a few hours before serving.
Top with reserved strawberry rhubarb glaze.

Yield: 8 servings

So Delicious Coconut Milk!

Whoa, dudes. This is major news. A new certified vegan, certified gluten free, non-dairy beverage has hit the market and I am ALL OVER IT!

Sure coconut milk has been around for millions of years, but this is different.

A BIG OL' CARTON OF IT!

I am thoroughly enjoying this. I may now reduce the amount of cans of pure, full fat coconut milk that I buy in favor of this thick and lucious beverage.

Thick is the key word here. It is really thick and rich. I am very excited to try some cooking and baking with this stuff, as I am confident that it will behave quite nicely. By the glass...not so sure, unless I am really into some brownies or cookies...it's a bit too much for straight drinking (however it did pass the Kahlua test quite nicely).

Available in unsweetened, original, and vanilla. I got mine at Whole Foods for $4.69 a carton.

Hello There!

I know, I know...it seems I have been neglecting this blog. I'm sorry. Celine and I have been feverishly finishing up the 500 Vegan Recipes book, and I have been so busy in the kitchen, I haven't had much time to play in the blogosphere.

I promise that after the first of May, I will have a lot more leisurely cooking time and more time for blog posting fun!

To whet your appetite, here are some pictures of a few (16 out of 250!) things I have been working on:



1. Piled High Strawberry Pie, 2. Seitan Poppers & Buffalo Sauce, 3. Black Bean, Corn & Roasted Chile Quesadillas, 4. Peach Cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, 5. Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge, 6. Chile Relleno with homemade Enchilada Sauce, 7. Stuffed Artichokes, 8. Seitan en Croute, 9. Currant and Walnut Veganzola, 10. Salsa Fresca, 11. Nacho Queso, 12. Coconut, Lemon and Herb Tofu with Udon, 13. Yalanchi Dolmas, 14. Avocado Spring Rolls, 15. Home Made Inari, 16. Green bean almondine

Oh, and don't think I forgot about the burgers! Once this is all said and done, the Burger book WILL get it's final proofing and then available for all to enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

(The lighting in this picture is really bad...the actual fudge is much more peanut butter colored with marbles of chocolate throughout!)

Brought to you by the fine folks over at MaraNatha

Their Organic Creamy No-Stir Peanut Butter really is like no other I have tried. The flavor is so rich and peanutt-y. Most likely this is because of their small batch roasting process. It's so nice to have an all natural peanut butter that doesn't separate. It sure makes candy making so much easier. If you haven't tried it yet...you should. I bought mine at Whole Foods, but I have seen it in traditional grocers as well.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge (From 500 Vegan Recipes)
Made with coconut milk, this fudge is very creamy and moist!
Take extra special care when bringing the mix to a boil, because if the temperature isn't just right, your fudge will not set, and it would be very sad to have wasted all those ingredients!!!

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups (384 g) creamy no stir peanut butter
1 cup (176 g) nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (235 ml) full fat coconut milk
3 cups (300 g) granulated sugar

Line an 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment and lightly spray with nonstick spray.

In a large heat resistant mixing bowl, mix together peanut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla.

In a saucepan, mix together coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a FULL boil. (Big rolling bubbles, not little ones.) Boil for exactly one minute.

Pour the coconut mixture into the peanut butter mixture and stir vigorously until well combined and the chocolate begins to melt. It won't completely melt, and thats okay, it will marble with the peanut butter as it hardens. You have to work very quickly as the mixture will begin to set almost immediately.

Immediately pour into the foil lined pan and let sit to cool and harden completely...about an hour.
Cut into small squares and enjoy.

Yield: About 36 pieces

Spring has Sprung!

And lemons are definitely on the menu! I've been going lemon crazy lately. Lemons, lemons, and more...lemons! All I think about is lemons.

Here's a tester from the 500 Vegan Recipes book.



No crazy equipment needed here. The un-traditional addition of pectin makes this frozen treat soft and scoopable straight out of the freezer!

Gelato au Citron et Framboises (Lemon Raspberry Gelato)
2 cups (470 ml) vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (200 g) evaporated cane juice (granulated sugar)*
2 tablespoons (28 g) nondairy butter
1.75 ounces (49 g) premium fruit pectin (like Sure-Jell) found in the canning section of the supermarket**
6 ounces (170 g) fresh or frozen raspberries

Into a pot, add milk, lemon juice, zest, sugar, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Stirring often to prevent over flow. Simmer for ten minutes. Add in pectin and whisk vigorously to dissolve completely. Continue to simmer about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in berries and pour into an airtight container. Freeze overnight. Enjoy!

*I admit that this is very, very sweet. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you choose...me? No way!

***After some tester experimentation, it appears that the canning pectin we use here in the states for jam and jelly making is quite different from that found elsewhere in the world. "PURE" pectin is a bit too powerful here, and I will do some experimenting with the amount of "Pure" needed to make the mix work. For now, DO NOT USE PURE PECTIN, only use the mix available at stores which has added dextrose and citric or fumaric acid added to it.

500 Vegan Recipes!

Well here she is! So pretty, isn't she? And guess what? She's now available for preorder from Amazon. Scheduled for release in January, 2010.

You are all in for a real treat here. 500 recipes! Celine has jam packed this baby with every kind of baked treat imaginable...savory breads, sweet biscuits, granolas, crackers, pies, cookies...not to mention her amazing veggie dishes and faux meats that will rock your socks off! And then there's me...you already know what to expect from me...new spins on traditional classics and comfort foods, reinterpretations of ethnic cuisines from around the world, and even some guiltless creations too! There's a big focus on scratch cooking here and we plan on filling your bellies with many delicious meals that come from the heart.

We will have a little of something for everyone in this book. Clearly labeled gluten free and soy free dishes, low fat dishes and dishes under thirty minutes.

Until the official release date, stay tuned for sneak peaks and teaser recipes. And of course, there's always the flickr page to tempt your tastebuds with pictures from Celine, myself and all of the fabulous testers.

Thanks for all of your support over the years...I could have never done it without all of you encouraging me along the way!