Tasty Thursday: Oven Baked 'Fried' Rice

I found this recipe today and just couldn't wait to try it.  This is one of those recipes that you can throw in just about whatever your taste dictates and you'll enjoy it.

I used:
white rice
can of pineapple chunks, drained (it was in juice and nothing else, so I drank the juice for dessert)
bunch of scallions, sliced
Bragg's Liquid Aminos
oil
bag of frozen peas
bag of broccoli florets, thawed

Mix your items together in a large bowl, coat your cookie sheet or glass casserole with vegetable spray, place in 350F oven.  Stir every 20 minutes until done, mine was in about an hour and twenty minutes.

I served this with edamame pods on the side.  Next time I'm planning to shell the edamame and put them in the mix.  Have fun with it!

Tasty Thursday: Roasted Carrots

Set oven to 425F. Coat pan with Olive Oil spray. I used a 9x13 Corningware. Wash and quarter carrots vertically, then cut in roughly 2" chunks horizontally. Lay in single layer in pan. Sprinkle with organic dried onion flake and salt, or whatever seasonings delight you.

Place in oven, stir periodically and bake until browned and deliciously carmelized. For my batch, that took 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tasty Thursday: Italian Casserole

Recently I ordered five pounds of spinach powder.  The price was right and I had been under the impression it could be subbed out directly for flour in recipes.  This is my first attempt at cooking with it and I have to admit the results were delicious.

3/4 cup Bob's Red mill GF blend
1/2 cup spinach powder
1/2 a purple CSA onion, chopped
a couple of generous handfuls of fresh spinach from the farmer's market
egg replacer to equal 3 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
a sprinkle of minced garlic
2 gorgeous CSA tomatoes, sliced
2 cups Daiya shreds
3 Tbsp Earth Balance
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350, coat 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Mix together all ingredients except for fresh spinach and tomato.

Line bottom of pan with spinach, top with tomato slices. 

Pour mixture over veggies in pan, spreading it out to all the edges.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

Have you ever cooked with spinach powder?  Do you have any ideas you can share with me? I promise to play around with whatever I can and post about the results.

Tasty Thursday: Quinoa Pudding

What do you do with tons of leftover Quinoa?  Well, I'm sure lots of things and I'm hoping you'll leave me some quinoa ideas in the comments. 

I found the Quinoa Pudding recipe here.  Of course I played with it a little, here is what went into mine:

1 cup TJ's turbinado sugar
3 Tbsp vegan margarine
Egg replacer to equal 4 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup raisins
2 handfuls walnut meats, broken up small by hand over the mixing bowl
Dusting of nutmeg or pie spice for top if desired


Coat baking dish with non-stick spray, mix ingredients, pour into pan, dust top with spice, bake at 350F for 40 minutes. 

Here is the result, what do you think?

Tasty Thursday: Quinoa Loaf

I was in the mood for some kind of loaf yesterday.  I thought I could come up with something interesting on The Magical Loaf Studio but I didn't have enough tofu to make what the Studio came up with.  Regardless, The Magical Loaf Studio is a fantastic tool.

I took inspiration from this recipe for a Quinoa Loaf and was happy with my result with only one exception - it doesn't stay together as well as I'd like it to.  I think I should have added more lentils or maybe a Tbsp of egg replacer or a bit of mashed tofu.  What do you think?

It goes without saying that these ingredients are as organic and local as possible.

2 cups quinoa, cooked in veg broth if you  have it on hand
1 cup lentils, mashed
1 cup garbanzo beans
2 heaping tablespoons horseradish
chopped fresh parsley in an amount to your liking
a couple of squirts of ketchup
1 Purplette onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos

I baked this in my highly adored Lodge cast iron loaf pan at 375 for 30 minutes.  It is DELICIOUS.  My only disappointment is that it didn't bind together to the point that I could slice it and put it in the toaster oven for a snack.  I was hoping for a loaf that was bound more tightly whereas this is fluffy and loose.  And oh, so delicious. 

Tasty Thursday: The Magical Loaf Studio

Choose from the vegan ingredients you have on hand, check the boxes, click submit and you've got dinner under control courtesy of The Magical Loaf Studio!

Tasty Thursday: Rutabaga

Just enjoyed some delicious rutabaga and so easy to make.

Cut off the waxy outside layer then slice or cube it.
Boil until soft.
Drain, return to pot.
Drizzle on blackstrap molasses in quantity of your liking.
Shake on a little sea salt.
Toss in some margarine.
Cover pot and let items melt together for a few minutes.
Mash.

Yum.

Tasty Thursday: Spaghetti Squash

Delicious for any time of the day, this is CSA share spaghetti squash, topped with TJ's edamame hummus and a couple of shakes of San-J Peanut Sauce. Yum.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Gets a big star of approval from us. They did spread out quite a bit on the sheet, but I'll take a thin, chewy, good tasting cookie over a thick crumbly one any day. As much as I hate that this mix comes from a conglomerate, upon my first sampling I do love it!

As always, we make them differently than the directions since we need a vegan version. Have you made them according to directions? What did you think?

Did You Know That Beet Leaves are Delicious?

No? Never tasted them you say? Well then I'm happy to report they are. Although you may have to get them from your CSA share or a Farmer's Market in order to get the crispy, earthy, delicious ones I have been fortunate enough to enjoy for two farm seasons now. They go great on sandwiches and in salads. The salad you see above was my lunch today. To give my own twist on what Mythbusters always say - DO try this at home.

Very Delicious Vegan Lunch Salad, Courtesy of our Very Adored CSA Share

1 can TJs organic Garbanzo Beans
the leaves and stems of 2 farm Beets, chopped
1 farm Salad Turnip, cut into small pieces
chopped fruit of your choosing (today all I had was an apple, so in it went)
a small sprinkle of Sea Salt
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
Vegenaise

Enjoy the heck out of it!

FYI, I don't believe I'd ever had fresh garlic until last year when we were finally lucky enough to make it from CSA waiting lists to CSA Shareholder. Let me say that the extra effort it takes to peel garlic whose outsides haven't been dried into little bits of paper is well worth the taste. Yum.

Chop, mix, enjoy the heck out of it!

A Delicious, Gluten-Free, Hassle-Free Breakfast...

...entirely from Trader Joe's.

When I was first diagnosed, what an expense and hassle it was to eat. Now, nearly ten years later it is so much easier. This morning's breakfast was a delicious one that was quick and easy to make.

Toast 2 TJ's GF waffles.

Spread with TJ's Cashew/Macadamia Butter

Spoon on TJ's Apple Sauce (the Chunky Apples & Cinnamon would make it even more delicious)

Sprinkle with TJ's Walnut Halves and Pieces

Pour on TJ's Grade B Maple Syrup if desired.

Dig in!

Problem Solvin' Mom's Cobbler

I have to agree that this is probably the easiest fruit cobbler ever, although I want to share my version of it with you.

Sub Trader Joe's chunky cinnamon apples for the 2 cans of pie filling
Sub any GF mix you like (biscuit with a little added sweetener, TJ's GF brownies, whatever you have on hand) for the box of yellow cake mix
Vegan margarine for butter (although I don't melt it, I fling slices of it around on top and it does just fine)
The chopped nuts remain optional as are my sprinkle of cinnamon or vanilla sugar on top.

I highly recommend you give it a try. Each combination results in something tastier than the last it seems!

Yummy looking recipe I want to veganize.

Swamp Yankees From Outer Space: Pupusas

I am SO coveting that tortilla press. I need to ask around and see if anyone I know has one stuffed in an attic somewhere because we would get a lot of use out that item. I'd love to try the Pupusas stuffed with a vegetable mixture, because they sure do look appetizing with the exception that I'm a vegan.