We, my boyfriend in particular, love this dish. It’s another relatively simple dish to make. The combination of the tomatoes, orzo, and tofu feta work so well together. There are also so many personal touches you can put on this dish; use broccoli or asparagus bits instead of spinach or add a spritz of fresh lemon, or even use a different kind of pasta. The limit is up to your imagination :)




What You’ll Need

8 oz Extra Firm Tofu, Drained and Patted Dry
1/3 cup and 2 tbl Olive oil
1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 cloves Garlic, Crushed
Salt 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

8 oz Orzo
1 med Red Onion, Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
6 oz Fresh Spinach, Chopped
1 can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1 can Chickpeas
1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, Pitted and Sliced
3 tbl fresh Parsley

(Makes 4 Servings)

I have a sweet onion pictured because I couldn’t find my red onion for the life of me…..that is, of course, until after I was done cooking the dish :x

What To Do

     We want to get the Tofu Feta out of the way first.
1) Pat dry the tofu then using your hand, or a fork, or something crumble it up until it resembles the consistency of cheese you want. Toss the tofu into a shallow bowl and add the Lemon Juice, 1/3 cup Olive Oil, Crushed Garlic, 1 tsp Salt, and the Oregano.

Toss to combine and let rest with as much of the tofu under the mixture as possible.


In the method picture above I used the cube method. If you want a less piquant flavor to the cheese simply cut your tofu into 1/2 in squares instead of mushing it. Both are very good though.

2) Let this rest for about an hour, tossing once half way through. Use a strainer to get rid of and excess stuff and there you go!

3) Once you sit your tofu out to rest go ahead and start your orzo. Simply put it in a pot of boiling salted water. Or, as my grandmother taught me, use veggie broth instead of water (or a mixture of the two). The broth with give it a wonderful hearty flavor.

4) In a large skillet heat about 2 tbl of the Olive Oil over MED heat. Add the Red Onion and give it a stir before adding the cover and letting it sit for a few minutes to get soft (~5 mins).

Stir in the Garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the Spinach and stir until wilted, then add the Tomatoes, Oregano, and Basil and let it simmer for about a minute.


That last one was a long step of remembering stuff to add (the next step is adding stuff too). While I’m waiting on my onions I like to go ahead and get my stuff set up in groups so I know when to add it. Makes life easier :)

5) Stir in the Chickpeas, Olives, Parsley, and Orzo and cook for about 5 minutes till heated through.

Serve hot with Tofu Feta on top!

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we do!

This is a really simple, yet filling, dish to make. It’s a creamy dish, with a perfect blend curry and coconut with just a hint of crunch. If you’re not a fan of curry just leave it out (along with the tomatoes) and you have a yummy tummy coconut rice meal! I’m not actually sure what else to say about it, so lets get cookin’!



Stuff You’ll Need:
Olive Oil (about 1 Tbl)
1/2 cup Minced Onion
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
2 or 3 Tbl Curry Powder (Mild or Hot)
1 cup Long-Grain Brown Rice
1/2 cup Vegetable Stock
1 can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
Salt, Black Pepper
1 1/2 cups Chickpeas, Drained and Rinsed
1/2 cup Thawed Frozen Peas
1/3 Unsalted Roasted Cashews


(curry powder not pictured- I forgot)

What to do:

1) In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cover. Let them cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and curry, cook for about 30 seconds.

2) Stir in the rice, stock, and coconut milk; bring to just over a boil over medium heat.

Reduce heat and add salt to taste. Cover and simmer for about 35-45 minutes.



3) Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and peas.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and, if you want, more curry powder.

Cook uncovered for about 10 minuted to let the flavors blend,
serve hot sprinkled with cashews.

There you have it! I like to stir the cashews, but it really doesn’t matter. You can also add some ground red pepper for a kick. Enjoy!

So pizza is a regular fixture around here, homemade pizza that is. When I buy food for the week I buy for up until Thursday. Sometimes Thursday night’s ingredients end up mysteriously disappearing >.>

Anyway, tonight I was down to just a few ingredients for my pizza. I decided to just go for it and it turned out to be the best pizza we’ve had in a while.
(you usually need a knife and fork for my pizza)



Before the pre-bake I drizzled a bit of vegan butter on the dough and spread it around with the back of a spoon.
Then pre-bake and sauce~


I had garlic filled olives (sliced, of course), diced sun dried tomatoes, vegan peperoni, vegan bacon, vegan ‘parma’, more butter, and pesto (for the non-vegan boyfriend)

I melted a bit of the butter and ground up some fresh garlic salt and pepper into it before drizzling it around the crust (this is before baking).

And there you have it! It might not be the prettiest thing ever, but it was damn good!


This is more to inspire you to come up with your own delish pizza recipe.
Good luck for good cookin’! :)

The first time I tired it I almost had a little food freak out its soooo good! I had to share. It’ll be perfect for the upcoming fall season, and it’s a really is a simple recipe (and cheap too!).  ;) 

What You’ll Need (Cake)

1/2 cup Soy Milk

2 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Vegan Margarine (softened)

1 cup Lite Brown Sugar

1 can Solid-Pack Pumpkin

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Ground All-Spice

1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

(Chocolate Glaze)
3/4 cup Vegan Semisweet Chocolate Chips (I use Ghirardelli)

2 Tbl Vegan Margarine

1 cup Confectioners Sugar

1 - 2 Tbl Soy Milk

I personally think that if you’re doing this for a Halloween get together a few Halloween themed sprinkles on top would be uber cute. Just an idea ;)

What To Do (Cake)

First thing, go ahead and grease a pan. For a nice presentation use a Bundt pan (and it’s easier to serve that way), but if you’re simple like me a regular 9x13 in pan gets the job done. Set the oven to 350d and get ready to cook!

In a small bowl combine the Soy Milk and Vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the Margarine and Sugar until fluffy (2~3 mins). Now, I know you might be thinking, “Fluffy?” But mix it until it looks close to the picture below. I put some flour on my hands and use them to mix. They are after all, your best tools in the kitchen!

Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat until mixed. Stir in the Soy Milk Mixture and Beat until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, and Spices. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin batter, about 1/3 at a time (mixing each time), until everything is mixed together.

(I wish I had taken a picture of this, but alas I did not. Sorry. It looks just like normal cake batter at this point.)

Pour it all into a pan and bake for ~30 Minutes (or until a toothpick comes out *of the center* clean). Cool completely.

What To Do (Glaze)

In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and margarine over low heat and stir.

Remove from heat and beat in the sugar. Gradually add the soy milk until the glaze is pourable. When the cake is completely cool, pour on the glaze.

—————————————————————————————————-

My favorite thing to do is heat a slice in the microwave for 5 seconds then put some vanilla ice cream on top. YUM!

Hope you like it! Enjoy! :)

You guys know how much I love cheap, easy, yet tasty vegan recipes. I just so happen to be stuck at my house today (my car is kaput, a lady completely ran a stop sign and T-boned me. *sigh) so I decided to write a blog! :)

This is SO good, and its an awesome replacement for a classic (not to mention, fattening) lasagna recipe. There are a few different ways you can make this ‘yours’. I’ll make some optional side notes in here to get you started.

Ok, lets get this show on the road! (I feel like that was a bad pun…My poor car…)

Ingredients:

12 oz Ziti

3 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu

3 tbl Nutritional Yeast (optional, but recommended)

3/4 cup Fresh parsley, minced

Dried Basil, Oregano, Salt, and Pepper

1. Ziti: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the Ziti over medium heat for about 10 minutes (until dente). Drain and return it to the pot. Add 2 cups of the marinara sauce and mix.

Optional: When boiling the Ziti add at least a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to the water to amp up the flavor. Its a great addition (you can even go as far as cooking it entirely in broth instead of water). Also, when I salt my water (salting is unneeded if you’re using broth) I use garlic salt. yum :)

2. Tofu: Drain and crumble into a large bowl. Then mix in the yeast, parsley, basil (~1 1/2 tsp), oregano (~3/4 tsp), salt, and pepper (Add to taste).

-optional- Add a little minced garlic, if you’re into that

3. Mix and Bake: Spread a thin layer of the marinara on the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole pan. Add half of the pasta mixture, top with the tofu, and toss on the other half of the pasta. Add whatever you have left of the marinara on top.

Cover tightly with foil and bake until hot (~45 minutes). Serve hot.

When I did this I just mixed the tofu mixture with the first half of the pasta+marinara mixture. Its not quite as pretty, but its good :)

If you wanna splurge a little add some shredded vegan mozzarella on top. I would have but I can’t drive out to go get some at the moment… :(

This dish costs less than $1.50 per serving to make, and it’s pretty damn good. :)

Ingredents:

1/2 cup Green Lentils

1 Medium Butternut Squash (peeled, halved, seeded)

Olive Oil

1/2 cup minced Yellow Onion

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 (14oz) can Diced Tomatoes

Arugula (optional, if you’re feeling classy)

Vegetable Stock

Linguine

What to do:

1. [Lentils]

Poor some of the Vegetable broth in a small sauce pan (you can add some water if you need to stretch it) and bring to a boil. Once you have it boiling poor in your 1/2 cup of lentils, let the water return to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for about 45 minutes. Drain, set aside.

2. [Squash]

Go ahead and preheat oven to 400F. Cut your squash into 1/2 inch squares and spread them in a baking pan (or cooking tray). Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, mix together well and roast until tender (about 30 minutes), turning half way through.

3. [Sauce]

In a large Skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover the pan, and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Next comes the garlic, stir it in and give it a good 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes and lentils. Add a cup of vegetable broth (+ 2 tbl sage, if you have some), and simmer for 5 minutes.
Toss in the roasted squash and keep the mixture warm over low heat. Add vegetable broth as needed if you want a more sauce-like texture.

If you really want to be luxurious add 2 to 3 cups of chopped arugula then you add the garlic. It’s not necessary, but it is nice. I added a few small hand fulls myself.

4. [Linguine]

hum. Cook some noodles. (12 oz.) Add whatever you have left in vegetable broth to the water when boiling.

Drain the noodles and gently toss in the lentil-squash mixture. and done!

So, as is my nature, I love easy recipes that also taste damn good. This happens to be one of them! :)
Lets get started then…

Ingredients: Filling:
3/4 Cup of Sugar
3 Tbl Cornstarch
2 Tbl Fresh lemon juice (about one lemon) and the Lemon Zest
5 Cups of Blueberries.

Mix the first three ingredients then pour over the blueberries and mix it all together really well (your hands are your best tools in the kitchen, use them!)

(Used my boyfriend as a model)

Crust:
2 1/2 Cups of ALL PURPOSE FLOUR (NOT self rising people!)
1 Tbl of sugar
1/2 Tsp of Salt
1/3 Cup and 1 Tbl of COLD water (MAKE SURE its cold!)
1/2 Cup of Soy Butter

Mix the first four ingredients together (seriously, use cold water)
This is dough in the making at this point, so it should be little balls of flour that don’t stick together well. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.

Ok, now for the butter…
Take a butter knife and scoop out a little chunk and toss it into your mixture. Now use a fork to smush it in. Repeat that step in another spot, making sure to mix it in well. You’ll see it start to take more of a doughy texture.
There will be a certain point where you should abandon the fork and just use your hands.

Now I know it’ll be really buttery, its suppose to be! That way it wont stick to the pie pan when you try to get a slice, and will prevent ‘aw, sad salad’.

**Make sure to set half of your dough to the side. Take the other half and line your pie pan with it. Poke a few holes in the bottom with a knife.

(If you need to take some extra dough from what you set aside so that you can finish, that’s fine. Just don’t take too much)
Dump (yes,I said dump) your blueberry mixture in~
I squish out the top into the size I want it before flopping it onto the pie, its so much easier than trying to work it while its already on there.

When you make the pinches around the top use water to make sure its sealed well. If you don’t molten blueberry will find its way out the sides.

Don’t forget to mark it with an X! (or, as I like to do, lots of little holes)

Bake at 425 for 30 Minutes
-then-
Bake at 350 for 25-30 more minutes.
(Just let the oven open for a minute to help it cool down)

Cool pie for AT LEAST an hour and a half to two hours and enjoy! :) FYI: We left ours in the fridge overnight and its perfect.
(Happy 4th!)

So I’m guessing if you’re not vegan (or vegetarian) you’re pretty much writing this recipe off already. I think the majority of people who ‘don’t like’ tofu have never really tried it (or, if they have, whoever made it didn’t know what they were doing). If you’re one of those people I really hope you have the balls to try this, it is actually really good (and easy to make).

*Obviously you’ll need to like the taste of peanut butter to like this*

The shit you’ll need:

1 package tofu (firm or extra firm)

1/3 c orange juice

3 tbsp peanut butter

3 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of chili powder

What to do:

1. Press the tofu and lay it out in a pan

Now if you don’t know much about tofu…listen up. When you get tofu out of the pack its really watery. You’re going to need to dry it off really well, and we’ll do that by pressing it (the dryer it is the more flavor it’ll absorb). Lay out a kitchen towel and put some paper towels on top of that. Cut the tofu into thin slices (No bigger than 1/4 of an inch) and put it on one side of the towel. (http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu99/tofu-cube/IMGP3874.jpg) Fold the towel over and give the tofu a good press. You don’t want to smush it into oblivion, but make sure its nice and dry. Dont be afraid to switch out the paper towels and do it again.

2. Make the marinade…and marinate the tofu

This is easy enough….just wisk all the ingredients in a bowl.

and btw, Idk if its because of my polish blood or because I was raised in the south but ‘a pinch’ to me is a good shake or two…..don’t do that here. Trust me folks, all you’ll need is ‘a -little- pinch’ of that shit (unless you just want more)

That’s what it looked like before mixing. I know, I know…. not pretty.

But anyway, mix it together and pour it over the tofu. Let it sit. I’ve heard overnight is best but I usually leave it for 2 or 3 hours, more if I’m being lazy. Skimping on time isn’t recommended…but if you have to, don’t do it less than 20 minutes.

Turn it every once and a while spooning the sauce over the top.

3. Broil it

Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil and give it a quick spray with non-stick spray. Lay your tofu slices on the sheet and Broil it for 5-6 minutes on the first side; flip it over, spoon on any left over marinade, and broil 3-5 minutes on the second side. You can add time on ether side as you see fit. Personally, I like the sauce to become nice and brown with a few darker spots.

**For God’s sake DON’T LEAVE the kitchen while broiling this shit. It will char in under 90 seconds if you’re not watching it

4. Let it cool and enjoy! :)

This is part of a meal, so you’ll want to have something to go with it. Wild rice (with a drizzle of this peanut sauce) and something green is a good option 8)

This is a really easy meal to make

and, being Polish, will have no problem filling your (and your friend’s) tummy(s) right up 8)

The Shit You’ll Need:
-Baguette/Soft French bread, or one of those long Cuban loafs

-Daiya cheese; Both mozzarella and cheddar (or any vegan cheese really)

-Mushrooms, Bell pepper, Onion, Vegan Bacon and Pepperoni, anything else you wanna toss in.

-Vegetable stock (if you have it)

-SPICES. CRP, Garlic salt & pepper, lil Basil and Oregano (and evoo) -It might be a good idea to put the seasonings into a little dish before you put it into your food. Easier to eyeball shit when your not hovering a hot ass pan. Just make sure to put the salt in a separate dish or save it on the side

(If you wanted to go for authentic you could put some ketchup on top I guess….only problem is that American ketchup and Polish ketchup just aren’t the same) Also, if you wanna add anything…er, add it. I know people who like jalapenos and all kinds of things in their zaps. This recipe is just the way I like it.

What to do:

1. Cut your bread in half or cut the top off lengthwise
*depends on how thick the loaf is, but ether way usually works
Use a spoon or fork (or spork?) to hollow out the middle a bit. It should look somewhat like a boat at this point. -don’t hollow it out too much!

2. Cut your mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, and vegan meats up.
This is really to taste but I would suggest even-ish amounts of each…With a good helping of the meats (It might be vegan, but this is still Polish after all)
You’ll just need enough stuff to fill your bread boat.

3. Toss that crap into a pan and saute it. There’s no real set time for this, just eyeball it. (If you have vegetable stock add it now. I’d say ~1/4 to 1/2 a cup depending on how much food you have in the pan)

4. Time to add a lil F-l-a-v-o-r~  Toss in a pretty good amount of CRP, [Garlic] Pepper, Basil, and Oregano; followed by some [Garlic] Salt. Make sure you save the salt till last…cause you don’t want the veggies to lose water….just yeah. trust me on this one.

5. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a minute or two (seriously, not long). Then add LA CHEESE. Toss in a few handfuls of the cheddar along with a handful of the mozzarella. Mix it around well but dont let the cheese melt too much.
Spoon that sucker into your bread boat and add mozzarella to the top.

6. Pop your delicious creation into the oven! You can ether broil it for a minute or turn the oven to ~450 and let the zaps sit in there for a few minutes. You’re not cooking anything, more like letting the cheesy goodness melt and toasting the bread a bit.

Take it out, let it cool,

ENJOY!

I wish I had thought to take a picture when I made this last time….but I didn’t. Sorry.But hey, this is the internet- I figure I’ll hijack one until I make it again.