Cheesy Chive Potatoes

5 lbs of red potatoes

olive oil

bunch of chives, sliced

Lawry's seasoning salt

pepper

3/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese

1: Preheat oven to 400°F

2: Peel and cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and place them into a boiling pot of water for about 6-7 minutes, until medium softness (not soft enough to mash though!).

3: Strain and place in a casserole pan with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the potatoes.

4: Add 1/2 the chives and all of the Daiya then bake for 45 minutes, turning potatoes about halfway through.

5: When browned, add fresh chives to the top, cool for five minutes and serve as a delicious side! Yum!

Roasted Pepper Rice

Roasted Pepper Rice

1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 red and yellow peppers
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
Earth Balance
salt & pepper

1: Add rice and water to a medium size pan, bring to boil, stir, then put on lowest setting and cover for 18 minutes (time this!!)
2: While the rice is cooking, use a kabob stick and roast the peppers over a burner on the highest setting (if you don't have a gas stove, bake the peppers for about 10 minutes on 400º).
3: When slightly burnt, cool and peel the skin off.  Chop into small squares.
4: On the stovetop, saute onions, celery and peppers on low with a tiny bit of olive oil.
5: When the rice has finished cooking, fluff with a fork and add pepper mixture along with a tbsp on Earth Balance.

Avocado Flatbread & Spanish Rice

This is a quick thing to make if you're in a hurry!

Avocado Flatbreads

(NOT Gluten-free)

flatbread (make sure there is no whey in it!)

avocado, slice in large chunks

roma tomato, chopped

red onion, chopped

garlic powder

Quick Spanish Rice

(Gluten-free)

white rice

salsa

3 tbsp tomato sauce

salt & pepper

1: Boil 2 cups water and add 1 cup rice.  Set burner to lowest setting, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes (timer, please!).

2: Soften flatbread by cooking them directly on a burner for a few seconds on each side.  If you prefer a crispier edge, put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 400°F.  

3: In a bowl, mix avocado, tomato, onion and garlic powder (fresh garlic if you'd like).  Spread over quartered flatbreads.

4: When rice is cooked, fluff with a fork and add 1/4 cup salsa (more or less if you'd like), tomato sauce and salt & pepper to taste.  And there you have it!

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance (1 stick) *preferred   
   (OR  1/2 cup vegetable oil)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg replacer (1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer or potato starch
     with 2 tbsp of water, premixed)
Brown sugar to sprinkle over mixture
Water

1: Preheat oven to 375°
2: Mix flour, baking soda and salt in small container and set aside
3: In larger bowl, cream together sugar, Earth Balance/vegetable oil, vanilla and prepared egg replacer
4: Slowly add flour mixture, hand-beating it into the creamed mixture
5: Depending on if you chose to use Earth Balance or vegetable oil, the dough may be a bit crumbly.  If this is the case, add water 1 tsp at a time until the dough sticks together in little balls without falling apart
6: At this point you may choose to roll it out to use cookie cutters, ball them and smash them down into circles or do as I did and cut them into squares
7: Bake for 7-8 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet.  The cookies may take a minute or two longer, depending on where you live altitude-wise, but you will know they are done when you lift them and they are slightly light brown on the bottoms
8: Cool them for at least an hour before frosting.  Enjoy :)







Frosting option: 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp water/rice milk/almond milk (your preference)
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
*option 1 tsp Earth Balance for creamier frosting

1: Mix all ingredients together
*Note: I used neon food coloring, but if you'd like to go the natural route, blueberries, strawberries and pomegranates make bright colored frostings.

Gourmet Soy-Burgers

I'll be the first to admit that not all Vegan burgers are created equally.  Some are too soy-tasting, meaning they taste like the container they came in.  Some garden burgers taste like a squishy carroty-cabbage sandwich.  I've enjoyed a Boca burger here and there, but nothing compares to making your own!  So here is what I've found to be the ultimate burger for those who like simple American-type foods.



1 lb LightLife Gimme Lean
    (Ground Beef Style)
1 yellow onion (diced)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup Daiya Vegan cheddar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
dash of salt & pepper

olive oil (for cooking)

1: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all ingredients with your hands (minus the olive oil).  Make sure everything is evenly distributed and that the onions stay in the mixture.  Obviously, your tastes may be different from mine, so experiment a little bit, add more herbs and spices, add less...whatever suits you.  Just keep the Daiya in there and the oats because it will really fill out your burger, kind of like a mini meat-loaf patty.

2: On medium heat (very important) in a non-stick pan, add a light coating of olive oil and spread it all around.  Make your mixture into balls and flatten them onto the oil, careful not to pull them apart.  Cover and cook for five minutes:

 

3: Next, slowly lift each soy-burger one at a time, adding a tiny amount of olive oil underneath before flipping it all the way over.  This is important because this soy will stick like you don't know what!  If you'd like to top your burgers with Daiya cheddar, do so after you've done the flip.  Cover and cook five minutes.

  

4: Top with whatever suits you.  I chose Daiya cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and my very own pickled cucumbers from my garden.

Enjoy with a side of seasoned fries and some corn on the cob (topped with Earth Balance, of course).  :)

Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Spread

vanilla
extra peanut butter for filling

mini cupcake wrappers or mold, if you prefer

1: Over low heat, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, Earth balance and vanilla together being careful not to overheat mixture

2: Using a very small spoon or the end of a utensil handle, scoop in chocolate mixture covering sides and bottom of paper cupcake:

3: Fill cup with natural creamy peanut butter.  You can get fancy and make your own peanut butter from scratch or various other fillings, of just keep it simple:

4: Cover with a tiny bit of the melted chocolate mixture:

5: Place cups in a container that will help hold them in place.  Freeze for one hour.  Enjoy!





Alternative:
* Add slivered or sliced almonds to chocolate mixture after it has been removed from heat.  Instead of filling them with peanut butter, simply pour the chocolate/almond mixture into mini paper cupcakes and freeze to make a fudgy-chocolate treat.  Delicious!

Garden Green Bean Saute

garden green beans
small carrots
yellow onion
2 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Spread

1: Saute all ingredients at once in Earth Balance
2: Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened
3: Salt and pepper to taste




*Fun fact: These green beans and carrots are both from my Las Vegas desert garden.

Cheesy Black Bean Rice

2 cups white rice (cooked)
1 cup black beans
1/4 cup tomato sauce (optional)
1/2 cup Daiya Vegan Cheddar
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
sweet paprika
cumin
salt & pepper 

1: Saute onion with salt and pepper in a bit of olive oil
2: Add black beans, tomato sauce (if you want it to be saucy) and enough cumin and sweet paprika to mildly flavor the beans, but not be overpowering
3: Add rice, salt and pepper.  Mix well.
4: Right before its heated to your liking, add the Daiya just until it is melted and well mixed.  Enjoy!

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt

powdered sugar




1: Heat oven to 400ºF
2: Cream butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla.  Stir in flour, salt and optional nuts until dough holds together

3: Shape into 1-inch balls and space 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet
4: Bake 9-11 minutes until lightly brown on bottom, then cool on a wire rack for one minute
5: Roll in powdered sugar, cool for a couple minutes, then roll them with a second coat
Enjoy :)

.::Options::.
-Toast flaked coconut on a flat baking sheet for about 3 minutes, then add it to cookie dough
-Add 3/4 cup minced nut of your choice.  Pecans and/or almonds are my recommendation

She thought of him fondly as plan "B" by Anne Taintor

Spindle Treats

pretzel rods 

1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup natural peanut butter 

1 tbsp organic vanilla 

various non-dairy sprinkles 

wax paper (important!)


Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and vanilla in a saucepan on medium heat until it has a smooth consistency. Remove from heat and use a rubber spatula to aid in wrapping 2/3 of the pretzel rod in the mixture. Immediately roll it on a plate of sprinkles until it is completely covered. Lay it on wax paper to harden. Yum!