Potato Salad

Potato Salad:

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons regular mustard
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons celery seed
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle
1 to 1 1/2 cups Veganaise
2 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste.

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and place into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the vinegar and a little salt on the potatoes and toss. Let them cool for about 15 minutes. After the potatoes have cooled for a while, add all other ingredients. Mix well and taste to adjust any seasonings. Add pepper and more salt if necessary, and chill for 1-2 hours or overnight. This is best made ahead of time, and even better after a couple of days! Enjoy!

Hush Puppies

Makes about 35.
6 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 cup unsweetened soymilk + 2 teaspoons malt or apple cider vinager (or really any vinager except balsamic!)
egg substitute for 1 egg. (I use Energy powdered egg replacer)

Add vinager to soymilk and set aside. Prepare oil for frying in skillet, and preheat it to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Add soymilk and onion, stirring well. Don't worry if there a few lumps. Add egg substitute at the last minute, stirring into batter. Drop the batter 1 spoonful at a time into the hot oil. Clean your spoon after each hush puppy is dropped by dipping into water. Fry until golden brown turning once during the process.

**** You can add a dash of garlic powder or Tony Chacheries seasoning for a little kick in this recipe.

A New Favorite!

2T of Butter

1 Medium (chopped) Onion

4 Diced Red Potatoes

3 Cups (Veggie) Broth

1 Package of Cheddar Cheese

Ya know a shake or 2 of Dill Weed & Salt/Pepper & Parsley



Then I added Corn and Peas......next time I would probably add some celery & Asparagus too!



Cooked it in the crock pot until the potatoes were soft!



Served with Crackers :)

Vegan Week 3.

Cheesiest Potato Soup



Pasta and Steamed Asparagus



Veggie Soup



Falafel Nuggets, Mashed Taters and Peas



Santa Fe



Southwestern Shepard's Pie



Bow Ties & Asparagus <---- with some tweaking ;-)



Rice and Black Bean Bake

Vegan Week 2.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers



Pasta Salad



Pasta, Garlic Bread and Veggie.



Tacos & Guacamole and Chips!



Santa Fe....over Rice



Rataouille Soup



Fries and 

Vegan Sloppy Joes.

This was an idea from watching a video from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.....she is a Vegan Chef....and she was talking about substitute in baking. That one just needs to think about what the ingredient does in order to figure out a substitute :)


For some reason I found an old (meat eating) menu and sorta missed the simple meal of sloppy joes and fries. 


Between the 2 the idea came to try and come up with something that resembled sloppy joes :)


Beans and Rice and BBQ Sauce......a bit of chopped onion and peppers :)


Easy enough! Not exactly the same....how can it be right? But it was good and I would make it again!!!

Spinach Rolls

....I made home made dough but used store bought (organic) sauce :) And some in the comments said she added onions and crushed red pepper...... so we tried it that way!




Spinach Rolls w/ Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    Rolls:
    6 vegan crescent roll doughs
    2/3 cup spinach, drained 
    salt, to taste

    Marinara Sauce:
    10 ounces tomatoes, puree or chunky
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
    1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/8 teaspoon thyme
    1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. For spinach rolls, preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Make the crescents into a rectangle, cut off the corner of the larger side and put it on the smaller side. 

2. Put the spinach on top of the dough. Salt, to taste.  Roll them up and put them in a muffin pan.  Bake for 17 minutes.

3. For sauce, put all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan on medium heat; bring to a boil.  Or put it in a glass bowl, and put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Spoon over rolls, or dip. 

"Tacos"

From a friends blog :)

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread......tortillas or pitas :)

--Taco/Lentil/Rice Mixture --

1 1/2 cups dry lentils (a bag basically)
1 1/2 cups brown rice
8 cups chicken broth
4 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
2 t onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. cayenne pepper

Bring broth to a rolling boil and then add all of the above.  Bring back to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer with lid on for 45-50 minutes.  Fill up the (homemade!) tortillas with this lentil/rice mixture!  Top with your favorite taco toppings! 
Enjoy!

Breakfast Today :)

Blueberry Muffins! YUMMY!!!!

Ingredients:

Servings:

  12   12

12

• 1/4 cup margarine.....we used our Earth Balance Soy Free "Butter"
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce......our home made stuff!
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup soymilk......Almond Milk
• 2 cups frozen blueberries.....Organic

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

1. 1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2 Line muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
3. 3 Mix all ingredients together until moistened.
4. 4 Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Each should be filled 3/4 full.
5. 5 Bake 35 minutes or until the tops are firm.
6. 6 Cool on a wire rack.

I ended up doubling this recipe but ended up with 36 muffins lol!! My muffins must have been a bit smaller then what the recipe calls for :) But 36 with my crew works!!

Vegan. Week. One.

1. Spinach Rolls and Marinara Sauce.

2. Pasta and Asparagus.

3. Sloppy Joe's, Corn, Vegetarian Baked Beans and Homemade Fries.

4. Kind Veggie Burritos

5. Falafel Nuggets, Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes

6. Veggie Soup

7. From Hillbilly Housewife:

Quinoa Corn Chowder

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 large potato, diced
• 2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups plain soymilk
• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, torn into small pieces
• salt and pepper

Get out a medium sized pot and cook the onion in the oil until it is translucent. Add the corn and diced potato and saute everything for a minute or two. Add the vegetable broth and soy milk and bring everything to a boil. Add the quinoa and cumin. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer to soup for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa and potatoes are tender.

Add the cillantro, salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Corn Casserole.

Ingredients:

1 can creamed corn (15oz)

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained (15oz)

2 eggs, beaten 

2 tbs. sugar

2/3 cup corn bread mix(from package)

1/4 cup unsalted butter melted 

2 jalapenos, stemmed,seeded, and minced (optional)

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    stir the corn,eggs,sugar,corn bread mix, melted butter, jalapenos, and 1/2 cup cheese together in a large bowl.

    transfer mixture to a buttered 8x8 inch baking pan

    bake for 40 min. remove and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on the top and then bake for 20 more min.

    allow to cool for 5min then serve and enjoy!!

brent and i love this recipe and it won't hurt to double it, bc trust me you'll love it!! if you do double it use a 9x13 pan:)

Southwestern Shepard's Pie!

Ingredients:

nonstick cooking spray

1 1/4 cups salsa, medium or spicy well drained

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp crushed garlic ready to use

4 servings instant mashed potatoes prepared according to package directions

additional salsa (optional) 

Directions:

 preheat oven to 400 degrees. lightly coat 9 1/2 inch round glass baking dish with cooking spray. place turkey in dish and add salsa and all seasonings except for the crushed garlic. add the crushed garlic to the prepared potatoes. spoon potatoes onto turkey-salsa mixture into 6 mounds. spread potatoes to cover surface completely.  spray lightly with cooking spray. bake for 30 min. remove from oven and let rest for 5min.

  to serve sprinkle casserole with chili seasoning powder. cut into 6 wedges and garnish with additional salsa if you desire.

April Vegan Challenge.

My Family and I have decided to take a challenge of eating Vegan the whole month of April :)

I will be posting new recipes....Vegan Recipes! Yum!!!

This is the best (banana) bread E.V.E.R.!!!!!

Banana Bread!

Kelly's Taco Dip!

Cook 3 cups of rice and set to the side.

If you want a mock Hamburger.....add a package of taco seasoning AND enchilada seasoning to it....otherwise just add it to the rice :)


Add one can of drained corn and a small jar of queso cheese.


Add a large jar of mild, medium or hot salsa per your family's preference. 

I like to fry the rice along with a small jar of either diced tomatoes or "diced tomatoes with chiles" if you like more "kick". The rice will brown slightly. 

I serve this with nacho chips and use it kind of like a "dip" or hubby likes it scooped onto a soft tortilla.

Santa Fe "Chicken"

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken 

• Faux Chicken <----I actually omitted this and it was fine without it!!!!
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz Veggie broth
• 3 scallions, chopped <----- I used Green Onions
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste) <----- I used none :)
• salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice....we topped with avocados, sour cream and cheese!

Another Month (err 28 days) Worth of Meals

1. Waffles
2. Caesar Wraps
3. Pasta
4. Enchiladas 
5. "Meat"Balls Subs
6. Quesadillas
7. "Hamburger" Noodle Casserole
8. Squash Soup
9. Chili & Corn Bread
10. Honey BBQ (like pulled pork) Sandwiches
11. "Chicken" Parmesan Sandwiches
12. Tortilla Soup
13. Veggie Soup
14. Fettuccine Alfredo
15. Eggplant Parmesan
16. Corn & Beans & Rice Burritos
17. Ravioli
18. Ratatouille
19. Manicotti
20. Mexican Pizza
21. Calzones
22. Taco Ring
23. Mostaccioli
24. Refried Beans Tostadas
25. Tortellini 
26. Make your Own Subs
27. Sloppy Joes
28. Santa Fe "Chicken"

Applesauce.

We got a good deal on apples and I decided (Crockpot) applesauce was in order!! Super Duper easy to do!!!
Peal and core the apples, put them in the crock pot until they are soft. I did 5 pounds at a time in the crock pot. You can add cinnamon if you want but nothing is "needed"......just apples!!

The picture is 30 pounds of apples MINUS the one we ate before we took the picture ;)

Strawberry Almond Milk!

2 Cups Almond Milk
2 Cups Fresh Strawberries
2t Raw Agave Syrup

"Subway"

Fresh Baked Bread

Mayo
Sundried Tomato Spread
Pesto Spread

Grilled Mushrooms
Carmelized Onions
Sprouts
Avacado
Tomato
Lettuce
Pickles
Olives
Cucumbers

Alfredo Sauce!

This is the recipe I found:


1 T Butter
1/4 C Sour Cream
2 T Cream Cheese
1/4 C Parmesan
1 t Garlic
1/2 C Milk
Salt/Pepper


This is how I made it for our family :)

A stick of Butter

16 oz of Sour Cream

2 Packages of Cream Cheese

2 C Parmesan

8 t Garlic

3 C Milk

Salt/Pepper


We used spinach fettuccine noodles.......it was gone.....everyone came back for 2nds and some for 3rds.


We did have sauce left....but that will be made into another meal another time!

French Toast Casserole.

This is one of the recipes (or a combo of a few) I saw online but made it out of what we had on hand :)

2 Packages of Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup of Maple Syrup
1/3 Cup of Almond Milk
1 T of Cinnamon
3 Eggs
10 Pieces of Wheat Bread

I greased my Rectangular Baker. And broke up the bread into "bite" size pieces and topped with all the other ingredients that had been mixing in the Kitchen Aid Mixer....which by the way I am in love with :)

350* for 30 minutes!

A Month's Worth of Vegetarian Meals

Week 1:

• Cold Taco Dip
• Cheesy Salsa Bake
• Pancakes
• Pot Pie
• Mac & Cheese
• Lasagna
• "Meat" ~ Mashed Taters ~ Veggie

Week 2:

• Veggie Subs
• Tacos/Nachos
• Biscuits and Gravy
• "Burger" & Fries
• (Food Bank Thursday) Order Pizza
• Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
• Rice and Broccoli Casserole 

Week 3:

• Warm Taco Dip
• Kelly's Taco Dip
• French Toast Casserole
• Stuffed Shells
• (Grown Up) Grilled Cheese & Soup
• "White" Spaghetti
• Spinach and Rice

Week 4:

• Veggie Pitas
• "Chipolte"
• Breakfast Burritos
• Taco Soup
• Fried Rice & Orange Sauce
• Squash Lasagna
• Home Made Pizza

Desserts

• Black Bottom Banana Bars
• Snickerdoodles
• Chocolate Milkshakes
• PB/Oatmeal/Choc Chip Cookies
• Cake
• Brownies
• Rice Pudding
• Raw Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Peanut Butter/Oatmeal/Chocolate Chip Cookies!

1 C sugar

1 C packed brown sugar

1 C peanut butter

1 C butter, softened--2 sticks (i use margarine, for some reason they come out better)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 C AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 C rolled oats (i use quick oats)

1 C mini choc chips (i like minis better in these cookies)

****you can use 1 C raisins if you wanted to nix the choc chips

1. preheat oven 375*

combine sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter in large bowl.  beat with mixer oh high until creamy (2-3 min).  add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined.

2. combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.  mix well.  add flour mixture to sugar mixture.  beat on low until combined. stir in oats and choc chips.

3. drop rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheet.  bake 12-14.  cool 1 min, move to wire rack for remaining cooling time.

Cold Taco Dip.

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
package of taco seasoning

Mix 3 ingredients.

Put it in a cake pan.....

....top with lettuce, tomato and cheese :)

Serve with Chips!

Crackers!

I can't wait to try my hand at these guys!!!!

Recipe 1

You need:
1 cup flour (can mix different flours)
1/2 tsp salt
Other additions, like herbs or seeds
2 tbsp. butter or neutral oil

Mix those together.

Then, add in 1/4 cup water and mix until it holds together but isn't sticky. Add more water as needed.

Then roll it out, score, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until browned. Then, enjoy!


Recipe 2

Yummy Pizza!!

One favorite around here is pizza. When ever the kids are asked what they want for dinner almost always is pizza :)


This is our favorite Recipe.....tweaked...ya know cause that is what I do ;)


The Crust:

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe. At this point we add oregano, little garlic and parsley.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. We always cook our crust before we put the toppings on..... just seems to work better for us :)
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

This is the type of pizza we are going to try :)

.......'cept we will use THIS recipe for the sauce! Again....tweaked!!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese.....we are using nutritional yeast!
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.