Veggie Fajita Marinade

Here's a yummy marinade I put on my vegetables for fajitas. After you mix the marinade with veggies, put the veggies on a cookie sheet and bake them until they are as cooked as you want! My family loves this! I use zucchini, mushrooms, assorted peppers, onions and carrots.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash salt & pepper, to taste

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie

1 (10 inch) pie crust
1 1/3 cups water
3 tablespoons agar flakes or 2 tsp. agar powder
3/4 cup mashed firm silken tofu
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Bake pie crust as directed unless using a raw nut crust. I used a crust that used 1 cup almonds, 1 cup walnuts, 3/4 cups dates, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Yummy!

For filling, combine water and agar flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer until completely dissolved about 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Pour into a blender along with remaining ingredients.  Process several minutes until completely smooth.  Pour into prepared pie crust.  Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving (best served thoroughly chilled.)

I didn't have agar flakes so I tried tapioca. It thickened but not even so I froze it a little and it still turned out and tasted awesome.

From the Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak

Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake

Another one from my friend  . . . . . . . We had this on Easter. It was amazing!

1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt

1/2 cup blended silken tofu (blend first, then measure)

3/4 cup vanilla or plain soy milk 

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon extract or grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp orange extract or grated orange zest

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

For the sugar I put in a little less (1 cup) and I used date sugar. For the oil, I used half oil and half applesauce. For the flour I used whole wheat pastry flour. I didn't have arrowroot powder, so I did some combination of cornstarch and additional flour. To make those two bunnies, I  1 1/2 the recipe. So, this will make a little less. 

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. A metal pan with dark finish is best. 

In a large bowl combine soy yogurt, blended tofu, soy milk, sugar, oil, and extracts. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, about 2 min.

Sift in the flour, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine, then beat with mixer for 1.5-2 minutes until a very thick batter forms. Don't overmix

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a little moisture is ok). Don't open the oven to peek for at least the first 45 minutes of baking. (my bunnies only took about 45min to bake because they were thinner).

Cookbook tip: This cake has a very thick batter and requires a well-preheated oven at just the right temp to rise properly. Allow oven to heat for at least 20 minutes.

Lower-fat deep chocolate Bundt Cake

This recipe is from my friend. These are her alterations and directions for this cake. I'm going to try it for my hubby's birthday.

1 3/4 cup soy milk (in the original this was brewed coffee, I used the milk)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2-3/4 jar of black cherry jam
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup date or palm sugar (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Between the jam, maple syrup, and "healthier sugar" I feel that was covered. You could also use sweetened soy milk.)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (I would use less, as this is a pretty strong flavor, or leave it out all together if you don't like that flavor)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frozen cherries, 1 bag

The cherries was my addition to add moisture and sweetener with the jam. If the commissary does not have frozen cherries, try a different fruit flavor. Raspberry or strawberry? Raspberries are tarter, though. For Julie's shower, the cake was drier. I used a little less soy milk because i was adding moisture with the jam, maple syrup, and frozen cherries, so I thought I should cut back on the milk. When I made it for my birthday, I  used the full amount of milk and a whole bag of cherries and the cake was significantly moister. So, you can decide how you might like it and adjust accordingly.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease an 8 or 10 inch bundt pan. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat stirring so it does not burn. Just before it reaches boiling, turn off heat and whisk in the cocoa. Then mix in the jam and maple syrup. Set aside and allow to cool a little.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, applesauce and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved, about 2 minutes. (I could never tell if they actually dissolved, I just mixed it well).Mix in the vanilla and almond extract. Add the soy milk mixture from the stove.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat until relatively smooth. Add frozen cherries and mix in. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes (or a little less if you want it moister) until toothpick inserted through its center comes out clean. If your pan is on the smaller side it could take longer. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to cool completely.

Another variation I thought of instead of baking fruit into it, is to make a fruit topping to serve with it. Like if you did strawberries, use jam in the cake, but then serve it with fresh cut up strawberries instead of baking frozen ones into it. Sorry, a lot of experimentation when you have to adapt these vegan, yet not so healthy recipes.

Mushroom Pecan Burger

 

This comes from epicurious.com and they are outstanding!!!
1 1/2 pounds (685 g) cremini mushrooms (I think that any kind would be fine)
1/2 cup (30 g) fresh parsley (or dried, just use 1/3 the amount…so 3 TBSP)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided (I did not use this much)
2 large-size yellow onions, finely chopped
3 large-size garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 to 2 cups (165 to 220 g) bread crumbs or cracker meal
3 tablespoons (45 g) tahini
2 tablespoons (30 g) hoisin sauce
3/4 cup (85 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon (2 g) dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
In a food processor, mince mushrooms and parsley. Remove and set aside.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil and cook onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a large-size bowl, and combine with minced mushrooms and parsley, bread crumbs, tahini, hoisin sauce, chopped nuts, tamari, oregano, sage, salt, and pepper.
Place mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour. Mixture will be soft, but you should be able to form patties. Add additional bread crumbs or tahini, if needed.
Create patties using your hands. In a sauté pan, warm remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil, and fry patties over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crispy. Be careful to keep patties intact.
Serving Suggestions and Variations Instead of making patties, put mixture into 5 x 9 x 2-inch (13 x 23 x 5 cm) loaf pan and bake at 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

(serves 6) .
 
2 cups lentil, uncooked
8 cups water or vegetable stock (I usually do 6 stock, 2 water)
1 med. onion, chopped
2 carrots, thickly sliced (I do more)
1 rib celery, chopped ( I do more)
1 large potato, cut in to cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. crushed coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
freshly ground pepper to taste
 
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 ounces spinach chopped (I probably use more and I have used kale as well)
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (I love this flavor in the soup)
 
Start stock and lentils heating in a pot while you chop vegetables. Add all ingredients except garlic, potatoes, spinach, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes (and kale if you are doing kale) and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Check to make sure lentils, potatoes, and vegetables are tender. If yes, add garlic and spinach and cook for just a couple of minutes to allow spinach to wilt. Stir in vinegar at the end and serve.

Shelley's Holiday Ribbon Salad

I'm posting this recipe because my hubby LOVED it. He didn't even eat it with salad dressing. I couldn't find radishes and I only had a few pomegranate seeds so I added craisins as well. I ate it with the dressing and really enjoy it too. This recipe is also in the greensmoothiegirl's book.

2 cups each, kale and collards, cut in fine ribbons
2 cups cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cup radishes, finely chopped
2 apples, shredded
1 large mango, finely
3/4 of a pomegranate
2 avocadoes, chopped

Mix all well, and serve with any tangy dressing.

Optional dressing:

Dill Lemon-Honey Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 garlic
1 Tbsp. dry dill (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Blend all ingredients in mixer. Excellent on whole-wheat veggie wraps or Shelley's Holiday Ribbon Salad.