Boca Sloppy Joes

I based this recipe from my grandma's homemade sloppy joes that I LOVE. The only thing different is I used Boca beef instead of regular ground beef.
Here's what I did...

Boca Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 pkg Boca crumbles
1 cup of water
1 bottle of chili sauce
1 tsp of mustard
buns

Cook the Boca crumbles in a skillet over med-high heat in the cup of water (this keeps the "meat" soft instead of crispy). When heated through, add the chili sauce and mustard. Stir together and let cook another few minutes. Serve on a bun.

What's the scoop on health? Boca crumbles have ZERO cholesterol and 0.5grams of fat per serving compared to 10grams of fat per serving in regular ground beef. Also, it's packed full of protein. YAY for Boca! And just as tasty too ;)

Fettuccine with Vegan White Sauce

This is another recipe from the show Christina Cooks by Christina Pirello. I thought I would never enjoy "white" sauce again but I was wrong. This dish is thick and rich and perfect for satisfying the need for a hearty italian meal. Again, with no recipe out there, I had to put this together from watching her show.

Fettuccine with White Sauce

Ingredients:
3 TBS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups of plain soymilk
1 TBS of white miso
1 tsp of arrowroot powder
lemon zest
salt
pepper
shredded vegan mozzarella
chopped tomato
parsley
1/2 - 1 box fettuccine (or other thick pasta)

First cook your pasta. While that is cooking heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 min. Add soymilk, lemon, salt and pepper. Add miso and stir until completely dissolved. (the miso will simulate the taste of cheese). While whisking, add the arrowroot. Let cook a few minutes until a little thickened but not too much. Stir frequently. Add the cooked fettuccine to the skillet and stir into the sauce. Serve garnished with shredded mozzarella, diced tomato and parsley.

YUM!

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

When it comes to sweets, toffee or caramel is my weakness. Especially toffee popcorn or crackerjacks. YUM! One problemo. Dairy. So I made my own vegan caramel popcorn with Earth Balance margarine instead of real butter and ouala!
This recipe is so easy too.

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 TBS water
1 TBS Earth Balance
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 bag of popcorn

Bring brown sugar, water, and vegan margarine to a boil. Cover and simmer on med-low to low for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile pop the bag of popcorn and pour into a large bowl. Remove sugar mixture from heat and add vanilla. Let cool for a minute or 2 while stirring. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Lay out on wax paper and let cool.

This cools pretty quickly and it turns out nice and crunchy - not sticky. ENJOY!

Stuffed Zucchini

I got this recipe from watching Christina Cooks on PBS and it turned out great. Even my kids loved it. I didnt have an actual recipe, I just followed what she did. But here's what the recipe looks like...

Stuff Zucchini

2 large zucchini, cut lengthwise
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
about a cup of bread crumbs
vegan mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 cups of marinara sauce

Saute the onion and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Scoop the insides of the zucchini and chop the filling. Saute the chopped filling with salt and pepper in some olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and onion mixture. Add the white wine vinegar and stir until mixed well. Shred some vegan mozzerella in the skillet and stir until melted. Place the zucchini boats in a greased baking dish and fill boats with generous amounts of filling. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Pour marinara sauce on top and serve.

Thanks Christina!

Quick Mini Cinnabuns

I made these cinnabuns this morning for Father's Day. WOW. So much better than anything I've ever bought from a store. These things are good. I mean, melt in your mouth good. Besides being vegan, the other best part is they are very quick and easy to make. I think I would make these even if I weren't vegan just because they are really just that fantastic.

I tried this recipe from veganpandamonium.blogspot.com
Here's what you need...

Quick Mini Cinnabuns

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 TBS vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
1 tsp salt
1 TBS baking powder
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk (I used regular and added a drop or 2 of vanilla)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBS cinnamon
2 tsp melted margarine

Icing:
I played around with powdered sugar, a little melted margarine, a couple drops of vanilla, and a TBS or so of almond milk. I kept adding and mixing powdered sugar and milk until I got the right consistency of white icing.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder and salt. Cut the margarine in with your fingers into the dry ingredients until it resembles wet sand. Pour in the milk and mix until it forms a soft dough. Ball the dough and lay out on a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a long rectangular shape. Brush the top with melted margarine and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top. From the long side, tightly roll it up and slice into 1 inch rolls (makes around 15 buns). Place rolls into a greased baking dish. Bake 12-13 minutes until puffy and golden. Meanwhile, start your icing (see ingredients at the top).

Enjoy!


Thanks VeganPandamonium!

Chocolate-Glazed Donuts

Let me tell you...these yummy little vegan donuts really hit the spot when you're looking for a sweet treat. And the best part... NO DAIRY. Caydence has finally been able to enjoy chocolate covered donuts for the FIRST TIME. And really...I have witnesses...dont taste like you've been deprived of anything. No eggs, no dairy, no cholesterol - guiltless!

Here's the recipe from vegandad.blogspot.com

Chocolate-Glazed Donuts

INGREDIENTS

Makes at least 24 small donuts
- 3/4 cups soy milk
- 1 1/4 oz vegetable shortening
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 11.5 oz all purpose flour
- canola oil for frying


METHOD


1. Heat soy milk, shortening, salt, and sugar in the microwave, or on the stove, stirring regularly until shortening melts. Set aside.

2. Whisk flax into water. Let sit a few minutes, then whisk again until thick. Set aside.


3. In a large bowl, mix together yeast and flour. Add soy milk mixture (making sure it is between 95 and 105 degrees F) and flax mixture. Mix together into a rough dough, then knead for about 5 mins until smooth, adding more flour or more water as needed to make a nice soft and tender dough.


4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 60-90 mins, until doubled in size.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with oil.

6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3/8" thick. Cut out 2" circles with a biscuit cutter, then cut out a 5/8" centre (or use a donut cutter. I cut the end off a kid's medicine syringe. It was the perfect size and I use the plunger to push out the dough). Dough scraps (and holes) can be re-rolled and cut. Place on prepared baking sheet, spray with oil, and cover. Let rise for 1/2 hour.

7. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry donuts in batches (30-60 seconds per side) until golden, drain on paper towel or paper bags, then let cool on wire rack. Let fully cool before glazing.

For the glaze, I kinda played around with it. I used non-dairy chocolate chips, a little bit of maple syrup, Earth Balance margerine, powdered sugar...and melted it all together in a saucepan.

The donuts (glaze and all) freeze and thaw very well. Place on a sheet pan to freeze. Once frozen, they can be placed in a bag and they won't stick together.

Thanks Vegandad!

Eggless Benedict

Well...I took a leap of faith on this dish tonight and was pleasantly surprised. It's from the blog VeganPandamonium.blogspot.com and it wasn't very hard to make at all. Here's the recipe...

Eggless Benedict

Ingredients:
asparagus
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Tofurky's Ham Deli Slices
toast or english muffin (whatever is available or preferred)
extra firm tofu

Hollandaise sauce:
3/4 cup of soft tofu
2 tsp mustard
4 TBL nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup soymilk
1 TBL olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
pinch paprika
pinch turmeric
salt & pepper to taste

Tofu marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 TBL vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 TBL soy sauce

Start by mixing the marinade for the tofu in a bowl. Slice as much extra firm tofu as desired and marinate for about 15-20 minutes. While marinading, cover asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees until bright green and crispy (will take about 15-20 minutes). While waiting for the tofu and asparagus, you can blend all the ingredients for the hollandaise sauce in a blender and set aside. Toast your bread of choice and grill a couple of slices of ham on a grill pan over medium heat. After that, you can set the ham aside and grill the tofu slices until nice and browned and crispy. At this point, all you need to do is assemble your egg-less benedict and sprinkle the top with a bit of pepper and paprika.

Worth the try and a great substiture for eggs benedict.

Thumbprint Raspberry Jam Cookies

I made these cookies from The Kind Diet, and they turned out really well. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats (I used 1/2 - 3/4 cup oat flour)
1 cup almonds (I used 1/2- 3/4 cup ground almonds)
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup corn or safflower oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup jam, of your choice

Directions
1. Combine the rolled oats and almonds in a blender or food processor and process until this is the consistency of flour. (I made it easier on myself and used oat flour and ground almonds)
2. Pour into a large bowl and add the spelt flour.
3. Combine the oil with the maple syrup and brown rice syrup. Mix well.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Make 1-inch sized balls with your hands [you can use some oil on your palms, if needed] and press flat onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Add a little more oat flour if the dough seems too wet.
6. Make an indentation with your thumb into the center of each cookie.
7. Fill each cookie with a teaspoonful of jam.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Besides having no animal protein, they also have NO WHITE SUGAR. The maple syrup and brown rice syrup do a wonderful job sweetening these cookies up.
Final note: PERFECT with a cup of tea ;)

Stir-fry Veggies and "Chicken"

So I have to brag about my hubby. Tonight he came home and decided to cook up a few items from the freezer and WOW he did a great job! All he used was Birdseye Stir-fry vegetables with Morningstar chicken strips (meatless but oh so good). First, he browned the "chicken" in a skillet while the veggies were cooking in a different skillet. There was a package of sauce that came with the stir-fry veggies that he added after they cooked a little bit. Then he added the chicken. I think he was cooking a total of 20 minutes. The flavors in this dish are amazing. You can eat this alone (like we did) or over brown rice. GOOD JOB STEVE!!

A Success Story

I found this story on thekindlife.com and I thought it was amazing. I know several people right now who deal with alot of the medical problems this girl used to experience. Please read!


“I bought the Kind Diet and became a vegan on February 1, 2010 because of multiple health issues. I'll try to make the story as brief as possible but my struggle has been going on since 2004. In graduate school, I began to have migraines that would not abate and I was struggling to get to classes and concentrate. When the doctor prescribed two medications, I took them and hoped they would help. 



Well, they stopped the migraines but had horrible side effects (mouth sores, fatigue, rapid heart beat etc) and I took myself off them about 3 months after starting them (they were pulled from the market by the FDA one week after I stopped taking them). I also ended up w/ microscopic colitis (frequent, loose stools). My gastroenterologists recommended several diets; no lactose, no gluten, no rice, no raw vegetables (good one, huh) but nothing worked and her final recommendation was take up to 8 immodium a day. Believe it or not I actually did take the immodium but even 8 didn't give me much relief. 



Finally, I gave up and decided to just live with it. Last year; however, I began to have unbearable pain with menstruation and was missing work at the beginning and then was taking prescription pain meds just to survive for the first two-three days. I had an ultrasound that showed nothing abnormal and my OB/GYN said it was most likely endometriosis (I declined the laproscopic procedure for a definitive diagnosis). Of course, she recommended going back on the pill or chemical menopause (pill induced). I really felt like I just couldn't take any more medications because of the colitis I am well aware that sometimes the side effects are worse than the problem being treated.

This is when I stumbled across The Kind Diet. I bought the book, read it and went strict vegan as well as no sugar, no caffeine and no processed foods (anything out of a bag/box etc). I was on the diet five days when my colitis seemed to just disappear. I couldn't believe it!! I had been living for 6 years in my own personal toileting hell and in five days it was over. As if that weren't enough, 38 days after starting the Kind Diet I had my first menstruation and although I still felt crampy and crappy, I didn't have any pain and didn't have to take any pain medication.

Alicia gave me back my life, made me a happier, more balanced individual and has made me a huge advocate for The Kind Life. By the way, PTATC stand for Physical Therapist and Certified Athletic Trainer so many people look to me for advice on healthy living and now I feel as though I can give them honest advice and they can see how this way of living and eating makes me radiate on a daily basis. :)”

Let's Talk Boca...

Boca vegan meatless patties are, so far, the best meatless burger I've tasted. Actually, their chicken patties and nuggets are pretty darn good too. Steve (my meat and cheese man) has always been a HUGE hamburger fan and will make these yummy meatless burgers for himself to eat.
Besides their deliciousness, the best part of these burgers is ZERO cholesterol, less fat, and a ton of protein.

Did you know Red Robin will substitute a Boca patty for ANY of their hamburgers? I just found this out not long ago! So will Rosie's Diner. Chili's doesn't offer Boca patties, but they will subsitute with a black bean patty on any of their hamburgers - which was pretty good.



Now, Boca chicken is pretty yummy... but meatless chicken by Gardein is BY FAR better tasting and could pass for real chicken. Again... no life threatening fat and cholesterol. I made Gardein chicken tonight as BBQ chicken sandwhiches. DELICIOUS.
More updates to come on my quest to find the best tasting meatless meat. ;)