Cook Book Challenge Week #8

American Vegan Kitchen: Delicious Comfort Food from Blue Plate Specials to Homestyle Favorites

Weekend Eats:

Cinnamon Flapjacks

Very Vanilla Raisin Bread with Raisin Bread Glaze

Café Broccoli Salad

Coconut “Bacon” Bits

Old-Fashioned Tempeh Burgers with Burger Sauce

Chocolate Chip Quick Cake

I’ve been so excited for this week, because we’ve had this cookbook since December and haven’t made a single thing!  Everything sounds great, so we dove into it this weekend…

The first thing we tried was the Cinnamon Flapjacks (have I mentioned that I love pancakes?!).   This is probably my favorite pancake recipe yet.  I didn’t have yogurt, so I used coconut kefir and a little less milk.  They were really fluffy, but filling.  I would eat these every morning if I had the time and energy at 6:00 am!
 

sliced and ready to be devoured

The second breakfast recipe we made was the Very Vanilla Raisin Bread.  This recipe took a lot of patience, so I was really hoping that it would be worth the effort… and it was!  I followed the recipe word-for-word (okay, except using half whole wheat flour), because I really wanted it to turn out.  I was surprised by a few things… two tablespoons of vanilla?  I guess that’s why it’s “very” vanilla and the amount of rising time.  I don’t know if it was due to the whole wheat flour, but my dough didn’t seem to rise much.  It passed the “finger test” though, so I suppose that was the important part.  In the end, the loaf barely made it through the day.  We each had two thick slices with a cup of tea and a few grapes for breakfast and it slowly disappeared as the day progressed.  Chad said he would like to “triple” the icing next time; I don’t know about that, but it was pretty good.  I might add some vanilla bean paste to the dough for even extra vanilla flavor.

We made two side dishes.  The first, Café Broccoli Salad, we ate with leftovers from Friday.  This again was delicious from the first bite.  We may have both even exclaimed, “Wow!”  I really liked that the broccoli was just a little steamed and still super crunchy.  There was just enough sauce, which wasn’t too overwhelmingly mayo-y.   The fruit and nuts (I actually used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts) made it taste very light and summery.  I’ll definitely use this recipe again.  It was a quick side for leftovers and I can see it being great for summer cook outs.

The next “side” (I’m not sure what this should be called) was Coconut “Bacon” Bits.  I have to start by saying, if you own this book and haven’t made this recipe, stop reading and go make it!  They really were THAT good… salty and smoky, with a little sweetness.  It was so simple… coconut flakes with some liquids and seasoning tossed in the oven for 20 minutes and you’re rewarded with amazingly delicious tasty little bits.  I think Chad ate half of the bacon before we had dinner.  

fully loaded!

Which, speaking of dinner, was Old Fashioned Tempeh Burgers.  We started marinating these after breakfast and made them for an early lunch.  The marinade smelled great and I love tempeh, so I was excited for these.  I only used 8 ounces of tempeh, and I sliced them into slider sized burgers.  Also, when we fried them, I topped each side with extra marinade.  They turned out nicely browned, with a little crunch.  We also made the Burger Sauce, which I liked more than I thought I would.  We topped the buns with a little sauce, romaine, a burger, avocado, sliced tomatoes and a sprinkling of coconut bacon.  Again, these were AMAZING!  They were so simple and quick (if you prepare and allow them to marinate ahead of time) and the bacon added extra flavor and crunch.  So good.

so tasty, but not so pretty

The last recipe of the weekend was Chocolate Chip Quick Cake.   I really can’t say enough good things about the recipes we tried this weekend, and this was no exception.  It was so easy and turned out great.  I can see swapping out the chocolate chips and using this as a base for all kinds of “quick cake” creations.  I think we turned the cake into three servings instead of probably the six or eight it called for… oops!  The description calls this cake something in between shortcake and cake, but I would probably compare it more to a scone.  It would be great with a cup of coffee or a big glass of almond milk.

We still have a few things planned for the week and I can’t wait to try them!  I would even be happy with eating leftovers of this all week… if we had any leftovers!

Week 5 Training Update

I'll keep this post short, because there's not much to write about!  This was a weird weather week-- rain, snow, thunder, warm, cold, etc.-- so I was a little unmotivated.  I only ran once this week, but as you can see in my mileage, it was a decent run.  Chad and I ran with a running group on Saturday morning, which included two dogs!  I was pretty worried about running that distance, but I felt surprisingly good for most of the run.  Next week, I am holding dance team try-outs Monday through Thursday, so I'll be busy, but hopefully I can tack on some extra miles and cardio this week!

This week's mileage: 7.5

Cook Book Challenge Week #7

500 Vegan Recipes

I sat out of the challenge this week.. bummer!  I sent Chad to the bookstore to pick up a copy and he came home with "1000 Vegan Recipes."  I went back to the bookstore to exchange it and they were out of "500 Vegan Recipes."  Ugh!  

This picture is so sunny, I had to share.  I made these last weekend  while visiting my mom.  She had some super ripe bananas that were just about garbage, so I turned them into breakfast!  The recipe is "Banana-Walnut Breakfast Muffins" from "1000 Vegan Recipes."  I used half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat pastry flour and doubled the walnuts.  If I make them again, I would probably add a few more walnuts, because I love the crunchy texture. 

I have the cookbook for next week, so all I need is a shopping list and I'm ready to go...

Spinach & Garlic Pinwheels

Chad and I made pizza earlier in the week and my mind has been spinning with ideas for the other half of dough since.  This thought popped into my head the other day and I hoped it would be as delicious as I envisioned... Today, I finally turned it into more than just a ball of pizza dough.  It's so easy, you should try it too!

Spinach & Garlic Pinwheels

1 pound pizza dough (I used this recipe) 

1/4 c olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

3-4 c fresh spinach, chopped

1.  Heat oil and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  While the oil is heating, roll out pizza dough into a long, skinny rectangle, about 8 X 14.

3.  Toss garlic oil and spinach in a medium bowl.  Spread evenly atop the dough, leaving 1" clear along one long side of the rectangle.

4.  Carefully roll the dough into a log shape.  Place seam down on a cookie sheet (you may have to place it diagonally).  Pinch the ends to seal.  Brush with olive oil.  Using a sharp bread knife, make 4 slices along the top.

5.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Slice into 2" pieces and serve!

We served them alongside a big ol' salad, which was pretty enough for its own picture.  I topped romaine and spinach with sprouts and tempeh "chicken" salad.  Yum... it made for a fairly light and very satisfying meal!

German Food Day

Some of my students gave presentations the other day on different German foods.  Unfortunately (for me), they chose very rich foods full of butter, cream and eggs including Kartoffelsalat, Apfelkuchen, Linzertorte, Bienenstich, Lebkuchen and Stollen.  The other students had fun sampling the foods, and I guess that's the important part! 

Week 4 Training Update

This week was an improvement from last!  It was really nice all week, so I was able to run outside again.  It's amazing what a difference it makes to run outside compared to run on a treadmill.  This week was a little low on miles, but I followed the training schedule.  I fit in two days of Pilates, but still haven't done much cross training.. maybe this week?  This weekend we were back in Wisconsin for a visit and went for a run Sunday morning.  A few hours later, we had about six inches of snow!  Guess there are some advantages to getting a run in first thing... 

This week's mileage: 7

Our dance season is over, so I should have a lot more time to run.. here's hoping that's true!

Spaghetti & Wheatballs.. Homemade!

Since I finished this week's cookbook challenge early this week (and we can't eat dessert for dinner every night), we've been making some simple, but delicious meals this week.  We had snobby joes, taco bar and Thursday night we had spaghetti with homemade sauce and freshly made wheatballs.  For such a simple meal, it was very satisfying.

I made the spaghetti sauce in August with tomatoes from the Farmers' Market.  I had a freezer full by the end of the summer, and I think we now have one bag left!  It was so easy to make and it's great to have this time of the year.  To make it, I blanched (or poached, not sure which term is correct) the tomatoes until the skin split, peeled and chopped into the slow cooker.  I tried different varieties of seasoning, but I think last night was a basic tomato and basil with black pepper.  Next, I just let the slow cooker work it's magic and a few hours later... spaghetti sauce!  

The wheatballs are from a recipe in "Vegan on the Cheap."  I thought we had everything we needed, but we were missing about half of the ingredients.  Last night's "wheatballs" turned into "pantry wheatballs," which turned out unexpectedly better than the original recipe!  Here's what I did:

Pantry Wheatballs (based on Robin Robertson's Wheatballs)

1 can beans (last night I used kidney), rinsed

1 tbsp tomato sauce

3 tbsp veggie broth

2 tbsp fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup prepared couscous (I've also used rice or cashews)
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper


1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Drizzle a small amount of oil into a baking dish.
2.  Add the first set of ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. 
3.  Add remaining ingredients into a medium bowl and mix with beans.  Once combined, knead dough 1-2 minutes.  Then, pull and stretch the dough, folding inside out.  Knead a few more times.
4.  Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon and roll into a ball.  Place each ball into the prepared baking dish.  You should have between 12-15 balls.  Drizzle the full pan with oil and shake until the balls are lightly coated.  Bake 20 minutes, flipping 2-3 times.
5.  Serve hot!

Cook Book Challenge Week #6

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Cherry Almond Cookies
Peanut Butter Blondies
Bonus: Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes

This week was supposed to be "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World," which I planned to follow.  BUT I went to the library on Saturday to check out the book, only to find they were closed on Friday and Saturday in observance of Lincoln's birthday (c'mon, my cupcakes are important, too!).  My next plan was to purchase the book from Barnes & Noble, only to find that they were out of the book.  So, my consolation (which really is equally as exciting) was "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar."  Since Monday was Valentine's Day and I didn't want to eat three dozen cookies in one week, Chad and I spent Saturday night slaving away in the kitchen baking cookies to share at school.  

We started out with the Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies.  The recipe was pretty straight forward and easy to follow.  I used a generous scoop of my cookie scoop for each cookie and rolled them in chopped peanuts.  There's a lot oats (2 cups!) in the cookies, so they feel a little healthy.  They turned out perfectly, crispy on the edges and still chewy on the inside.

The next batch we made was the Cherry Almond cookies.  I realized as we were gathering the ingredients that we were out of almonds, so we had to skip that.  To make up for it, used almond milk, replaced some of the flour with almond meal and used almond oil instead of canola.  They would have been really good with the extra crunch of almond slivers, so I'll probably make these again.  Plus, cherries are my favorite!  I thought about making a cherry flavored drizzle, but lost ambition!  These turned out surprisingly crispy and crunchy and were really good dunked in almond milk and would also be good with coffee.

I made the Peanut Butter Blondies on Monday for our Valentine's Day dessert.  Chad loves peanut butter, so these were an easy choice.  I love chocolate, so I doctored the recipe a little.   I chopped up some chocolate and mixed it into the batter before baking.  I also bought some peanut flour a while ago at Trader Joe's and have been looking for a reason to use some, so I subbed 1/4 cup of the flour for peanut flour.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe pretty closely again.  In the end, it was the perfect dessert for both of us!  To serve it, I melted some extra chocolate mixed with almond milk to make a chocolaty drizzle topping.  These were SO rich, but really good.  They were really moist, obviously peanut buttery and just a little crumbly.  I even had dreams that I couldn't stop eating them!

Finally, since I planned to make cupcakes, I still wanted to make at least one recipe.  I found the recipe for Brooklyn Brownie cupcakes on Amazon and since I hadn't made any chocolate cookies, I thought this would be a good selection.  This, again, was a pretty simple recipe.  The only thing I changed was using my mom's homemade strawberry jam in place of the cherry preserves.  We also baked these in a mini-muffin tin, so there would be more to share!  I made butter cream frosting from Betty Crocker (subbing EB for the butter and almond milk for the milk) and added about a tablespoon of strawberry jam for some color and flavor.  I was pretty happy with how they turned out, and they were the perfect little snack size.  Yes, we sampled a few before sharing!

That's a whole week in one post!  I have to say, the recipes in this book are really easy to follow.  I remember when I was first considering going vegan, this was one of the cookbooks that I flipped through (dessert's important, right?!).  I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised by how simple and basic the ingredients were.  All of the recipes I made this week used flax in place of the eggs and oil in place of butter.  Even if you're not vegan, the recipes are fun, easy and most important, tasty!

Week 3 Training Update

This week was not nearly as productive as last week.  It turned out to be a busy week between school and dance practice.  I made it to the gym a few nights and did some Pilates at home.  Today was the best, because it was nice enough to run outside AND Chad ran with me!  I think it's probably been a few years since Chad ran more than two minutes with me (I'm usually too slow and he either runs way ahead or runs circles around me).  We ran three miles between 8:30-9:00 pace, which is awesome for me!

This week's mileage: 5.5

I'm going to be really busy again next week, but I need to re-focus and add on some extra miles.

Spring?!

Could this very plump robin sitting on our fence mean that spring will soon be here?!

Cold Season

Schatzi hit the jackpot last night when she found a box of Kleenex within her reach.  We've had to start keeping the bathroom door shut, because she can reach the garbage in there... so I can only imagine her surprise and delight when she found this box!

Cook Book Challenge Week #5

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan
Last Night's Menu: Lemon Chickpea Lentil Soup

Last night's dinner was really quick and surprisingly filling.  All I had to do was chop the veggies, add seasoning, measure a few things and let the soup simmer.  Once the soup is ready, you blend it (I left mine a little chunkier) and add extra chickpeas.  It reminded me of pea soup, but with more flavor and a little lemon.  I thought it was interesting that you blended the cooked lentil, but the resulting texture was great.  I ate leftovers for lunch today, and since it was thicker today, served it over brown jasmine rice.  It was just as tasty today!

Thought's on "Eat, Drink & Be Vegan"?  Originally, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by a few things-- lots of veggies, quick recipes and simple ingredients.  I LOVED the Thai Chick-Un Pizza.  The other two recipes were good, relatively quick meals that I'll keep in mind for the future.  I'm sure there are other things in the book that I would really like, so I'll add this to my wish list!

Cook Book Challenge Week #5

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan
Tonight's Menu: Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado

I don't have a whole lot to say about the lasagna, because it was pretty straight forward.  I followed the recipe nearly word-for-word.  The only thing I changed was baking it in a round CorningWare dish.  The tortillas that I used fit perfectly, so I decided to use it instead of piecing them together in a rectangular pan.  Since it was smaller, I layered everything twice.  There wasn't much to chop or prep, so it was pretty quick to toss it together.  The lasagna was nice and spicy and I was surprised that I could really taste the lime juice in between the layers.  Chad really liked it and had only good things to say.  If I make this again, I would probably add either chopped tomatoes, green chilies or chopped green peppers to the sauce layer.  It was good as is, but it was just missing the "wow" factor.  On the other hand, it was really quick to prepare.. so I guess that's a trade off.

Like I said, not much to say... I'll add a picture soon!

Cook Book Challenge Week #5

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating

Last Night's Menu: Thai Chick-Un Pizza

Week five already?  I though this challenge would be a lot of work, but it's turning out to be pretty fun.  The only thing that's been a little difficult is that I don't own all of the cookbooks, but with the help of my friendly, local library... problem solved!  This week is another book that I hadn't really looked at before.  There are a ton of things I'd like to try, so it's looking like a promising week.

no cheese to miss her

To start the week, we made Thai Chick-Un Pizza.  Chad was pretty excited about this and I was also looking forward to trying it, because we both liked the Brooklyn Pad Thai last week.  It took me quite a while to (at least an hour) prep the ingredients, because there's a lot of rinsing, chopping and blending to do.  The peanut sauce has all kinds of goodies mixed in and the pizza is loaded with toppings.  I followed this recipe pretty exactly and it turned out great.  The peanut sauce was really rich and flavorful.  I loved the sweetness from the pineapple, and I'm also realizing I love the crunch and taste of bean sprouts.  Finally, the cilantro and green onions added another layer of flavor.  This was definitely the pizza we were both hoping for!  It was so filling, that there are leftovers (which Chad claimed again) for lunch.

Also, I thought I'd include the recipe for the pizza crust.  It's something my mom came up with years ago.  She mixed and matched a bunch of recipes until she came up with this.  It's really quick and if you're making a simple pizza, you can usually have in on the table in thirty minutes. 

Stir and Roll Pizza 

2 c flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour yesterday)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2/3 c non-dairy milk (I used rice)

1/4 c oil 

1.  Heat oven to 425.  Measure all ingredients and stir until well-combined.

2.  Gather dough together and press into a ball.  Knead 10 times on counter.

3.  Spread some flour on the counter and roll crust into desired shape.  (Fits large pizza pan or cookie sheet)

4.  Bake 5 minutes.

5.  Top with desire toppings.

6.  Bake additional 10-15 minutes.

Smoothies for Dessert

I opened a box of coconut milk to use for tonight's dinner and came up with this for the remaining milk.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie

1 c coconut milk

1 c almond milk

1 c frozen strawberries

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp agave

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Pour and serve!

Serves 2

Week 2 Training Update

Another week closer to the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon!  My training is actually going much better than I expected, considering it had been a while since I've spent any time running.  I've been training around a pace of 10:00-10:30, and have been able to add an extra one half to one mile at 9:00-9:30 pace.  Next week, I just need to work a little harder on the cross-training days, since I've been skipping those so far.  I'm also looking forward to some nicer weather (who knows when that will be!), so I can get off the treadmill and run outside.  

This week's mileage: 9

So far, so good.  Let's hope this keeps up!

Cupcakes, Anyone?

Since most of my coworkers are Chicago Bears fans, I thought it would be funny to make delicious cupcakes and decorate them green and gold.  I added a few drops of yellow to the cupcake batter, which didn't really make a difference.. so I also used yellow cupcake liners.  I colored the frosting green and added green sugar sprinkles.  I followed this recipe from PPK, and they're sooo good!  I baked the cupcakes Wednesday afternoon, thinking we would surely have school on Thursday.  Anyway... school was canceled again on Thursday and when I left home this morning, there were four cupcakes left.  Guess the only thing I have left to share is the picture :)

Cook Book Challenge Week #4

Vegan with a Vengeance
Wednesday's Breakfast: Tofu Scramble and Tempeh Bacon
Thursday's Dinner: Falafel and Tahini Dressing

On Wednesday, we couldn't leave the house due to all of the snow!  We managed to shovel out the driveway and patio, but beyond that.. things weren't looking too promising.  We even had to help a neighbor who was stuck on our street.  Since Chad spent most of his morning shoveling the driveway, I made a delicious, hot breakfast.

sunshiny yellow

We used the Tofu Scramble recipe and added tomatoes and spinach.  I think I added a little too much turmeric, because the tofu was a super bright, sunny yellow!  Chad was excited to use some extra nutritional yeast, too.  I also decided to try making Tempeh Bacon.  We buy Fakin' Bacon once in a while, but it's so much more expensive than plain tempeh.  I was missing a bunch of ingredients (and since I couldn't just make a quick trip to the grocery store) I had to make a few substitutions.  I was surprised with the homemade version, and it will definitely save us some money!  If you're curious about tempeh bacon, it doesn't really taste like or replace bacon, but it's really good on sandwiches (like BLT) or as a side (for breakfast), plus it's packed with protein and is extra healthy because it's a fermented food. 

We also planned to make Falafel on Wednesday.  We had everything we needed (chickpeas, pita, etc.), but didn't have any of the fresh produce (cucumber, tomatoes, parsley) to accompany it.  AND since our street still wasn't plowed by dinner time, we waited until Thursday.  I was looking forward to making the falafel, because Chad and I both really like it.  The only time I actually made it, I cheating by using a mix and wrote about it here.  We've had it several times, including from Doener stands in Germany, at  Reza's in Chicago and from the buffet at Holy Land Diner.  I read some suggestions from others over at PPK, so I decided beforehand that I would bake, instead of fry the falafel.  I followed the recipe almost word for word, only omitting the onions.  I thought it looked pretty dry and crumbly, so I was unsure how it would stick together.  After some time in the refrigerator, it was surprisingly easy to mold.   Also, while that was "chilling," I whipped up the Tahini Dressing, which was not only easy and tasty, but was also a good way to use up some more of the parsley.  

pitas, loaded and ready to go

We baked the falafel using a little leftover garlic oil from the dressing for 20 minutes at 375.  Then, to make them a little crispier, I pan fried each for about two minutes on each side.  We stuffed them into the pitas with red onion (on mine), cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine, baby greens and a generous slather of the dressing.  They were scrumptious... even better than I expected after baking them.  They didn't have quite the crunch they normally have from frying, but they definitely had a great taste from the parsley and seasonings.  They really weren't as much work as I thought, and besides refrigeration, were fairly quick to make.  I can add this to the "make again soon" list at our house!

Thoughts after week four of the challenge?  I think that "Vegan with a Vengeance" is still my favorite vegan cookbook.  There is such a variety of recipes, and they're all pretty quick and simple... even, as I learned this week, ones that I thought would were daunting or difficult.  We have a Post-in stuck inside the front cover scribbled full of things we still want to make, so this cookbook will be well-loved well into the future!

Snow Day... Part IV

Snow Day... Part III

Cook Book Challenge Week #4

Vegan with a Vengeance
Today's Breakfast: Coconut Pancakes with Pineapple Sauce
Today's Dinner: Brooklyn Pad Thai Noodles

No school today called for a "real" breakfast and special dinner.  I'll admit I was a little unsure about the Brooklyn Pad Thai Noodles for a few reasons-- I haven't used some of the ingredients in the recipe, I've never actually "prepared" tofu, the ingredient list and preparation were a little lengthy and I wasn't sure that I'd like the end product.  I have to say... I was wasting my time worrying!

not your everyday pancake, here!

I'll start with breakfast first.  Like I've said before, I LOVE pancakes.  They're a quick and delicious breakfast, but they feel a little special.  The recipe was simple and I followed it pretty much as written, only subbing agave for maple syrup because I was out, and whole wheat pastry flour for the all purpose flour.  I read in the "perfect pancake" section that it helps to let the batter rest for a while, so I started the sauce, which was easy work, before finishing the pancakes.  I greased the griddle with coconut oil (the smell still amazes me) and made giant pancakes.  They came out a perfect, golden brown.  We topped them with the pineapple sauce and a few extra coconut flakes.  These pancakes were AMAZING!  The coconut in the batter gave them a little crunch, the nutmeg was just right and the warm pineapple sauce was just sweet enough.  Even Chad, who thinks we eat pancakes too often, was really impressed.  This is definitely something we'll have again and a simple, tasty recipe to share!

you should make some, too!

As I alluded to earlier, I was nervous about tonight's recipe... BUT now I can't wait to make it again!  It was one of those meals that you're almost sad to eat the last bite because it's so delicious.  It tasted and looked like something you would order at a restaurant (which according to the recipe blurb, is common in NY).  The tofu was a little chewy, a little crunchy and it really absorbed flavor from the peanut oil and sauce.  The scallions and cilantro gave the dish a ton of fresh flavor and the bean sprouts added some more crunch and texture.  Chad and I couldn't stop raving about every forkful as we gobbled up the noodles.  Preparation was easier and quicker than I expected, and the final product was more amazing that I could have hoped!  This is definitely something I'm looking forward to making again... soon!

School has already been canceled for tomorrow, so we have another extra day to play!  And eat!

Snow Day... Part II

Sleep in.. check.

Good, long workout.. check.

Wear PJs all day.. check.

Tasty breakfast.. check.

Nap.. check.

Catch up on DVR.. check.

Be productive.. maybe tomorrow?