Trying Veganism
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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) .
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!!!
Grilled Veggie Pita and Easter Goodies
Just a quick update about my dinner yesterday. The PB Birthday goods will be posted later, I’m just off to meet my friend to take pictures.
First, salad: red cabbage with red beet, a little balsamico bianco and sunflower seeds.
And my „main course“: grilled red bell pepper, zucchini slices, broccoli, scallions, brussels sprouts and tomatoes on a mashed Falafel in a sunflower seed pita pocket with a layer of pepper-peperoni spread.
I’m proud (and totally surprised by myself to be honest) to announce that I managed to resist the temptation until Sunday and therefor highly enjoyed my espresso chocolate last night.
And my mom was so sweet! She got me a Lindt Goldhase mug and lots of dark chocolate =)
Hope you had a good time with your friends and family aswell!
Veggie-Lentil Curry, Carrot Cupcakes & Falafel
Tonight I had a craving for lentils and cauliflower again, but didn’t want the same meal I’ve had in my post before so I made a few additions.
I prepared the cauliflower the same way like I did here. The red lentils were prepared like before, too with an addition of 1/2 tsp. curry powder and a dash of chili powder.
To make the dish more colorful I roasted a red & yellow bell pepper and some zucchini that I sprinkled with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder in the oven for 20 minutes on 375°F.
Yesterday I went to the Bio supermarket to get new agave and bought Falafel. Homemade ones would’ve tasted better for sure, but they weren’t bad and the idea of having Falafel ready within 8 minutes was quite appealing so I bought them along with new whole wheat pitas.
I bought a sunflower seed based pepper & pepperoni spread that I used, along with 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage, tomatoes and cucumber.
And I made Happy Herbivore’s Fat Free Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Frosting. I used a little bit too much applesauce, because after 20 minutes in the oven they were still a little gooey inside. But did I mind? Hell no, there was no egg in there so I could have just as well eaten the raw batter =p To be honest I snacked quite a lot while mixing together the applesauce, shredded carrot and vanilla. Tasted delicious! I think I’ll make that as a snack again soon!
But back to the cupcakes – my best (girl)friend tried one and loved it, the icing in particular. She’s an omni so I got the „There’s really no egg in there? Amazing…!“ between each bite, ha ha!
So, tomorrow the big baking for the night’s party will take place. I’m so excited!
I have to hurry now though, the boyfriend’s waiting!
Hear you on Sunday I guess. Happy Easter and have a nice weekend everyone!
Red Lentils with Cauliflower
I couldn’t decide what to make for dinner last night so I just started cooking some cauliflower and then settled for red lentils to go with it. Another delicious and nutritious meal. Mhmmm! Lentils are so good and I can’t believe I waited until now to make them, because they had been sitting in my cupboard for at least a month now. But hey, I think they won’t be around for too long since I’m already thinking about how to use them next.
Cauliflower florets with nutmeg & salt and 1/2 cup red lentils with a tsp. vegetable broth, salt, pepper, some paprika powder and nutmeg, a small sauteed onion, a dash of garlic powder, tumeric and cumin.
And thank you all for your comments on my last post =)
