Trying Veganism
exploring the world of vegan cookingPYROG Salad & Baba Ganoush
What a burst of color and taste!
The name PYROG was put together simply because of the colors. I mixed chopped red cabbage (P=purple), a bell pepper (Y=yellow), cherry tomatoes (R=red), shredded carrot (O=orange), regular and lamb’s lettucce and cucumber slices(G=green) and topped it all with roasted sunflower seeds. The dressing pretty much consisted of Balsamico bianco, a little olive oil and 1 tsp. fig mustard.
I don’t have salad often enough and I always wonder why. It’s not that time consuming and it always tastes good. Plus, the boyfriend loves to eat it. He gets all excited when I make salad (the kind of excitement I get when I see the Lindt commercial and start to believe that I will one day work in that exact same setting =p) – even more reasons to toss together some greens every now and then!
I also made Baba Ganoush for the first time and used this recipe(added some additional fresh parsley). But being the way I am I did not start small and then added more, as suggested by Susan. I used 2 cloves of garlic. BIG cloves! So when I tasted it… woooosh, hardcore garlic infusion! Even for a garlic lover like me.
So I didn’t eat much of it and decided not to grill my veggies (I wanted to use my new grill pan to try out Katies recipe using asparagus, zucchini and bell pepper to accompany the Baba Ganoush) and just had some slices of raw bell pepper instead. I don’t eat enough raw vegetables… I’ll really try to eat a big salad every day(or at least every other day)!
Pizza Pizza!
I went to IKEA on Saturday and got a pizza pan!!! =D
So on Sunday I made my first pizza crust using this recipe (which I can highly recommend!!). I made my dough with whole wheat and spelt flour, used cornmeal and no oil. My boyfriend who fears whole wheat insisted on regular flour and oil and was more than happy with the result!
My pizza (with garlic broccoli, fresh basil, red onions, cauliflower, red bell pepper, scallions and peperoni).
My boyfriends pizza. I have to admit – his crust tasted better!
Other than that I tried alpros new Soya Macchiato milk. It tastes great in coffee, but just as good on its own!
Ratatouille with roasted rosemary potatoes
After finding fresh rosemary at the supermarket yesterday I immediately thought of roasted potatoes. So I bought two zucchini, an eggplant and tomatoes and had the following for dinner last night. Again, a well received classic. But there’s not much you can do wrong with this anyway.
Cabbage Rolls & Sauerkraut
Mhh, this leftover stuffing did a good job serving as a filling for cabbage rolls!
I love this meal, despite of the smell that lingers in the kitchen afterwards.
Equilinia-Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers
A winner!!!
My mom said „Oh, yummyyyy!“ between each and every bite and my fathers only complaint was that it wasn’t salty enough. They both really appreciate the fact that I cook for them. In particular that I cook very healthy!
My mom said after dinner „That’s what I love about meals like these… you don’t feel so full and bloated afterwards!“
My father already thought of additions „Falafel would taste great with this!“
My boyfriend came over with a steak (the sight of that bloody red piece of flesh seriously made me sick) and fries his mom got him that he wanted to make for dinner.
He asked if he could have a stuffed pepper first and inhaled it within a matter of minutes!
Another dinner he really enjoyed, because after he ate his steak and fries – he kept complaining that the steak didn’t taste good because it wasn’t medium anymore – he asked if he could have another plate of my delicious vegan veggie food! Well that’s not how he put it, ha ha! But he wanted more of it.
So he got it, topped with fresh basil! Mhhhhhh!!!!
The stuffing itself would have made a delicious dinner. I bought this Uncle Bens mix a while ago (a mixture of brown & wild rice, spelt, oats, barley, rye & wheat) and mixed it with the following:
Ingredients
1 can mushrooms, finely chopped added to 2 medium sauteed onions, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 cup asparagus, chopped
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup paprika-hot pepper spread (based on sunflower seeds)
1/3 cup tomato puree
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
I prepared the mushrooms seperately, sauteed the bell pepper with the asparagus and just cut the fresh tomatoes in small pieces and folded them into the rice mixture along with the basil.
I preheated the oven to 428°F
Then I cut the bell peppers in half. I didn’t fill whole ones because that would’ve made only three. That way we had six =)
I filled the halfs with stuffing, lined them up in the baking dish I had filled with about 1/3 cup tomato puree (I’d usually use half a can of tomatoes but I only had a pack of tomato puree on hand), put more filling into the middle of the dish (I still have leftovers – my mom had the fantastic idea last night to make cabbage rolls with the stuffing, I LOVE IT!) and poured the rest of the tomato puree (I used one pack, 1/3 cup for the stuffing) over it.
Covered it up and baked it for about 25 minutes.
Mhhh, can’t wait to have that in cabbage rolls =)
Garlic-Thyme String & Black Beans with roasted Garlic Zucchini, Asparagus & Tomatoes
String Beans with lots of garlic and thyme… that has always been my favorite side dish.
This time I added some black beans which I found in the freezer. Fit very well =)
What a delightful garlic scented dinner! This is a rather fast meal if you have canned beans on hand. Both dishes only need about 15 minutes to cook so they are done at the same time and can be enjoyed right away!
My parents savoured this and my dad asked for more, but I had to disappoint him because I didn’t cook that much. Ah well, next time! But I really appreciate it that they enjoy my food and are always willing to try and to comment on everything I make.
So this serves 2-3 I’d say. Or one very hungry person.
Garlic-Thyme String & Black Beans
Ingredients
2-3 Tbsp. water (or more as needed)
1 medium/big onion (I prefer a big one)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can string beans, drained
1 1/2 cup black beans, cooked
thyme (at least 1 Tbsp., but do as you please)
salt & pepper, to taste
1. in a saucepan sautee the onion in water for a few minutes, then add the garlic
2. add the string beans, sprinkle with thyme, some salt & pepper, stir, cover and cook on low-medium for 13 minutes
3. after 13 minutes add the cooked black beans, stir and season with more salt & pepper if needed
4. cover again and cook for 2 more minutes
Roasted Garlic Zucchini, Asparagus & Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 cup asparagus
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1. preheat the oven to 350°F
2. cut the veggies, line them up on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper
3. roast for 15-20 minutes
My parents had a sunflower seed pita pocket to go with it.
And I finally made a recipe index, check it out if you like!
Kale and Potato Hash & ChickBeetPotato Sandwich
In the mess that is called my recipe book I found one for a Kale and Potato Hash I had copied from some website quite some time ago and altered the recipe a little. When I wanted to take a picture of the bowl I realized my batteries were empty, but no panic! Luckily my old digicam was loaded.
No kidding, my boyfriend loved this! He ate at least half of the bowl! I was like „Why didn’t you say anything? I would’ve made more!“ He said „Well, I couldn’t foresee that it would be so tasty!“ Ha ha.
Ingredients (serves 1)
2 medium potatoes
1 cup kale, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil + 2-3 Tbsp. water (you can always omit the oil and use only water instead, but I figured a little hint of olive flavor wouldn’t hurt here)
1 medium onion
2-3 Tbsp. soy milk (optional)
1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamico bianco
nutmeg, to taste (I used about 2 Tbsp. I think)
salt & pepper, to taste
1. cook the potatoes
2. in a saucepan sautee the onions in oil & water
3. add the salt, pepper and vinegar
4. add the kale to this mixture
5. add the cooked potatoes, mash them with a fork and add soy milk
6. season with nutmeg and pepper
I had beet salad on the side which I put on top of the potatoes after the first bite, because it went so well together.
And you may have been wondering… a ChickBeetPotato Sandwich? Yeah, I wouldn’t exactly call it a sandwich, but I didn’t know how to call this odd creation that satisfied the hell out of me!
Here you go: I had a leftover potato and leftover beet salad, we had fresh whole-wheat carrot bread so I sliced the potato, topped it with a layer of beet salad, baked two Falafel balls, mashed them a little and topped them with some more beet salad.
My two bread slices were loaded so I decided to use silverware – something that always seemed odd to me. I remeber sitting at my aunts table as a kid, wondering why on earth she was eating a small slice of bread that was only topped with a slice of cheese with a fork & a knife when one could just as well hold it in the hand.
Now I like to eat bread with silverware too, because you don’t eat as fast and get to enjoy your food longer. The whole process of eating is intensified! I started eating pizza with a fork & a knife (something that always seemed so out of question) for those reasons, too.
Well, that was back in the cheese eating days I guess because cheese tastes crappy once it cools and hardens – I always got so greedy, seconds later my slice was gone and I didn’t even get to really taste and enjoy it. I remember shoving my pizza down so fast just so that I’d get to enjoy the cheese while it tasted best: hot and runny. And it was on top and in the crust… jeez =p Well, that’s not a problem anymore now!
Last night I made a pizza with - eek - mushrooms (often just the smell or the thought of chewing one makes me sick… apparently I can only eat them in Pierogies, don’t ask me why)! I decided to give them another try – just to give them all to my boyfriend in the end. Ah well, it was good nonetheless. I had mine with lots of sliced zucchini and green asparagus (oh how I love it!) and convinced my boyfriend to let me top his with veggies, too. He loved the combination of the three!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture because I hadn’t eaten anything the whole day and was starving so it was gone within a matter of minutes (of which I spent at least three picking the mushrooms off my pizza) .
Lemon Corn Pancakes
Yumm, these were good! Inspired by the Lemon Corn Waffles from VwaV I came up with the following.
Topped with black currant jelly and blueberry jam this was a fluffy yet crunchy and very fruity breakfast!
Ingredients (yields 3 pancakes)
4 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. corn meal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1 Tbsp. apple sauce
2-4 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. soy milk
juice and zest from 1/2 lemon (or 1 lemon, depends on how lemony you like it)
1 Tbsp. agave syrup
Red Beet Salad & Sweet Potato Fries
Okay, I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes. I had three fries… but they’re not for me. The sweet taste was irritating and not very much to my liking. Anyway, at least I can cross the sweet potato off my list of things to try.
The red beet salad was fantastic though, but I love red beet anyway. I used jarred ones(vinegar is in there already) and shredded them and along with an onion. Simple as that! And most importantly – it tastes sooo good!!!
Peanut Butter Invasion
First off here’s a pic I meant to post in the beginning of March, but totally forgot in the mess that is my images folder 
Anyway, I pretty much had the same breakfast today: a pear, Blueberry Raspberry Pancakes with applesauce, blueberry sauce and maple syrup.
And now onto the birthday baking. I apologize because we were in a hurry and when we arrived at his place I honestly just didn’t think of taking more food pictures although there was A LOT of food. His mom made many turkish dishes. I had the vegetarian ones: couscous and hummus. And even though her hummus was perfectly prepared I still don’t get why so many seem to go nuts over it.
But now I present you the best chocolate cookies! I am not kidding. If you’re into the combination of banana, peanut butter and chocolate you will love these! If you’re not into the banana taste simply use another egg-replacer.
They were actually supposed to have a PB core inside, but we were out of peanut butter and made only the chocolate cookies. I’ll post the full recipe though, they are totally worth it!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Munchies
Ingredients (makes 32 cookies)
Chocolate Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1/2 banana, mashed (or egg-replacer for 1 egg of choice)
1 Tbsp. soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1. stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda, set aside
2. in a separate bowl, mix margarine, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter
3. add mashed banana, soy milk, and vanilla, beating well
4. beat in as much flour mixture as possible using a mixer, stir in the remaining flour mixture
5. form into 32 balls, about 1 & 1/4 inches in diameter, set aside
Peanut Butter Filling
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp.s granulated sugar
1. beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth (knead by hand if necessary) and shape into 32 balls
2. preheat oven to 350°
3. slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter filling ball, shape the chocolate dough completely around the peanut butter dough, roll into a ball and repeat with remaining dough
4. place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking pan
5. bake for about 8 minutes or just until set
The cookie surfaces should be slightly cracked. Cool on pan for about a minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Can be frozen for up to 3 months!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake.
You were right Jennifer, this crunchy but soft cake was fantastic!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Bars from Have Cake, Will Travel!
The Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls which my friend liked the most.
They looked pretty much like those, but we didn’t have time left for icing but had already mixed powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla sugar together and just put that on top which lead to the picture – lots of sugar, but where are the rolls?
And not very photogenic, but damn tasty! Crunchy, sweet and perfect with the raspberry jam in the middle: Peanut Butter Cupcakes from VwaV. We just added jam and 71% chocolate pieces.
All in all this was a huge success, everything was very well recieved and I was called the MacGyver of baking because everyone was like „I’ll call you when I want to bake and am missing an egg so you can tell me what to use instead!“ Ha ha =p
I wanted to make a pie with silken tofu, too. But the stores were closed on Friday and when I wanted to buy it on Saturday I looked at the recipe again to read that it was supposed to cool in the fridge overnight. So no pie, but there was wayyy to much food anyway.
Talking about way too much food, I just came back from my best friend who’s polish and her mom made Pierogies & Borscht, roasted rosemary potatoes, red beet salad and lamb’s lettucce with oranges… SUCH a filling and wonderful dinner!
