Trying Veganism
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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!!!
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!
Granola Bars
So I’m back at work. I’ve been here for an hour and my bosses are chatting next door. Oh well, that gives me time to update my blog! I don’t mind chilling a little longer
Last night I had a toasted pita pocket. Not whole wheat, but at least with sunflower seeds
One half with mustard & red bell pepper, the other half with the all-time favorite peanut butter & jelly.
Yeah, as you may be able to tell I wasn’t really in the mood for cooking.
This weekend I made Rominas Granola Bars. The recipe sounded wonderful, exactly like what I was looking for. Sadly I think I pressed them in the pan too much because they tasted pretty gum-like. Or I should’ve left them in the oven longer. 
I topped it with peanut butter because it was rather dry. That kind of helped, but nevertheless I wasn’t able to eat more than one half.
I’m sure they would’ve tasted great if only they had turned out like hers. I will give them a try again some time and get them right!
Classic Breakfast Food
Of course I’m talking about oatmeal
Mhhh, this one was so good. The pear was perfectly ripe and the whole combination was highly satisfying!
Ingredients
1/4 cup oats
2/4 cups + 2-3 Tbsp. soy milk
1 Tbsp. sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1-2 Tbsp. flax seeds
dash cinnamon
1 pear, chopped
I let half the pear cook with the oats and added the other half when it was done. and sprinkled it with almond slices.
This one’s a little more fancy. Or let’s say it just included more ingredients than the Pear Oatmeal.
Ingredients
1/4 cup oats
2/4 cups soy milk
1/2 mashed ripe banana
1 Tbsp. sugar (or sweetener of choice, I’m out of agave atm)
dash cinnamon
1 apple, chopped
walnuts
toasted almonds
Luckily I still had some Blueberry Sauce from VwaV that went perfectly well with this breakfast!
I’m off to enjoy the beautiful weather now! The sun is shining and I can’t wait to cruise on my bike again!
The Plan, Raspberry Oatmeal, Chocolate Temptation Challenge and finally… Mozzarella!
The plan:
Three days each week I will consume vegetables only. Every dish I eat will have to consist of vegetables. As in soups, stir-fries, roasted veggies, mashed veggies… anything really. As long as it’s vegetables only! No bread, pasta, rice, whatever.
That way I hope to try out more veggies I have never had yet. And to be honest, I love all-veggie meals!
I will starting next week, because I plan on making pizza, lasagna and black bean burgers this weekend. After that it’s veggies-only time!
Anyone joining? =)
And the reason why I’m so eager to make pizza and lasagna this weekend is that last night I finally found vegan cheese!!!
You guys can’t imagine how excited I was! Now I can have pizza and Lasagna with ‘cheese’!
Besides having this veggie idea and drooling over my Mozzarella find I craved oatmeal last night.
Remember: never judge an oatmeal by its color!
It was delicious, but I have to admit that it didn’t look very appealing.
I used the same recipe as in this one, used 2/3 cups raspberries, maple syrup instead of brown sugar & agave syrup, didn’t put in any nutmeg and topped it with cashews.
The fair trade chocolate I bought last night for Cookie Mouses Chocolate Temptation Challenge! I decided to buy an Espresso chocolate. Can’t wait for Easter Sunday now
Still in my bag (for now)!
Vcon’s Quinoa, Black Bean, Mango Salad
First off I want to thank Ashasarala a thousand times for giving me the recipe for this salad as I am not yet an owner of this apparently amazing cookbook.
It probably tastes even more amazing than it did last night because I had neither red wine vinegar, grape seed oil, nor fresh cilantro. So I used a tsp. olive oil, bianco and balsamic vinegar and about 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (didn’t have any more).
It still tasted awesome!
My parents were still at work so I placed the bowl on the dinner table and when they came home later my mom called „I see there’s something on the table. Can we have that?“ I was like „Sure, it’s all yours. I already had a big bowl!“
Five minutes later I got a text message from my mom saying nothing but „M m m m h“! Ha ha, she’s so awesome! When I saw her again she apologized that there weren’t any leftovers. She and my dad really enjoyed this. To quote my mother „Not only did it taste fantastic, it looked so pretty and colorful! A joy for the eyes and the tastebuds!“
Yup, I will definitely start making more „real“ dishes(less baking as my jeans are getting tight and I can not afford new pants at the moment).
Not only do I get to try various dishes I have always wanted to try, my parents are also open people who will definitely try new things and be honest about how they like it and a big plus – my parents will get to eat healthier!
So I guess I know who I’m going to ask for Vcon
Quinoa with Asparagus, Bell Pepper and Soy Sprouts & Whole Wheat Raspberry Corn Pancakes
Yesterday I rediscovered the Asian Supermarket that’s only 2 minutes away from my apartment.
I didn’t like to go there(weird sickening smell, rude employees) and hadn’t gone inside for at least 4 years.
But last night I needed soy sprouts so I went in.
Surprise: the bad smell is now mostly gone and the employees have become more or less friendly.
I went in with 2 € and came out with a bag of fresh soy sprouts and fresh green asparagus, each for 90 cents. How awesome is that? Everything there is so cheap(Tofu costs 2 € less than the one I used to buy) and fresh. I could slap myself for not going there earlier. Ah well, at least I know where I’ll go shopping from now on =)
I made Wok Veggies with peanut butter and coconut sauce with my mom last night and tried quinoa for the first time (yes, I love it, too). Sadly I didn’t take a picture. And when I came home at 5 in the morning and wanted to heat up the left overs and then photograph them, I discovered that my dad had already eaten them(this morning he mentioned how much he enjoyed the quinoa). So I cooked myself a quick night snack and went to bed.
And this morning I had Whole Wheat Raspberry Corn Pancakes for breakfast. An adapted version of the recipe found in How it all Vegan!
Looking ugly, but tasting so so so damn good! Cornmeal gives pancakes such a fantastic texture. Yumm!
Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches
I made Susans Mini crustless Tofu Quiches.
They smelled great, but sadly they came out a little too soggy =(
My best friend liked them anyway. And he finished my Peach Pear Cobbler, totally drooling over it. I really liked that dessert aswell! He also got the last two Vanilla Cupcakes and yumm-ed nonstop while eating. Success at last, I’d say =)
He will also be my new test person. He has nothing against vegan food. His uncle owns the restaurant I posted about before. Cooking and baking for him will be so much fun!!!
I think I’ll make Blueberry Scones now. Or Blueberry&Raspberry, because I have almost no blueberries left.
Peach Pear Cobbler, Scrambled Tofu & Cooking/Baking Plans
Ohh, this way so good. All the cinnamon! And the perfect combination of pears and peaches with it. Yum yum! I didn’t have any all-spice the recipe asked for so I added some nutmeg instead.
After the Peach Pear Cobbler I made after work I had satisfied my sweet tooth, but again I needed something hearty.
I can now oficially say that I am no longer a Tofu Scramble virgin!!!
I used VWAVs Veggie Tofu Scramble recipe as a basic, but since I don’t like mushrooms I replaced them with some cauliflower and added red, yellow and green bell pepper.
I am rather surprised by the Tofu Scramble. The Tofus consistence is exactly like chicken… that kind of freaks me out, because the main reason why I was vegetarian for almost all my life is that I don’t like the taste and the consistence of meat. It was good nevertheless. Next time I’ll use more spices, definitely more vegetables and cruble the Tofu into smaller pieces or simply use less.
I decided to make a little list. I really hope that I’ll manage to get everything done on time the way I have planned here.
Ohh, I just discovered that we have a microwave at work. It’s like right there on the kitchen counter, don’t ask me how I could overlook that. Yay, that means no more buying expensive and not necessarily very tasty/nutritious lunch! I can cook my own vegan dinner and just take it to work the next day =D
Cooking/Baking Plans
(hearty | sweet)
Saturday
- * Mini Tofu Quiches (uses up silken Tofu)
* Blueberry Scones
Sunday
- * Pierogis + Borscht
* Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (as a gift for a friend)
Monday
- * Mashed Cauliflower + Garlicky Broccoli + Green Asparagus
* Banana Chocolate Pudding Brownies
Tuesday
- * Sundried Tomato Hummus
* Green Soy Tagliatelle + Roasted Brussel Sprouts + Mustard Sauce
Wednesday
- * sth. with Kale (Any suggestions? I’ve never made anything with kale before so I could need some advice)
Thursday
- * Mocha Chip Muffins
* Soy Sprouts + Scrambled Tofu (or chickpeas)
Like I said, this is just a plan, we’ll see whether I’m gonna stick with it or end up cooking/baking something completely different
Now I’ll make some Vanilla Raspberry Cupcakes with before my boyfriend arrives.
