Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Gravy

Thanksgiving spread

This combination of vegetables was great for our Holiday Celebrations; Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My Roasted Vegetables Chopped
    Carrots
    Brussel sprouts
    Acorn Squash
Additional Ingredients
    1 T Olive oil
    1 T Brown sugar
    Salt and Black pepper to taste


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat

2. In a bowl; mix oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss in the vegetables and coat them well.

3. Spread vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. At ten minutes (halfway through), flip and stir the vegetables and finish baking .



Tahini Gravy

Ingredients
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons garlic powder
black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan until slightly thick and hot.

This will thicken overtime as it cools so you can add water to thin it out again.

Mushroom Wellington

Thanksgiving Dinner

This recipe was made first for our Thanksgiving gathering of 2017. It is a gorgeous main with the puff pastry and 'meaty' filling. If you love leftovers double this recipe, not knowing how my family would accept this I only made the one....

So lets make it!

Ingredients

8 oz of mushrooms chopped (baby bellas or portobellos)
1/2 onion finely diced
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 1/2 tsp of fresh chopped thyme or 1 T of dried Italian Seasoning
3/4 cup pecans lightly toasted and chopped
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
pinch of chili flakes
one sheet of thawed puff pastry ( I use Pepperidge Farm)

Directions

1. Sweat the onion and garlic in a skillet, then add mushrooms and seasonings. Continue to cook until the liquid has been cooked out of the mushrooms.

2. In a food processor, blend pecans until fine. Add the mushroom mixture and bread crumbs and blend until combined. preheat the oven to 340 degrees

3. Unfold the pasty and notate the pastry is divided into three parts. Add the mixture to the center section of the pastry making a log with the mixture. One the other two sections cut 45 degree angles from the middle pastry section leaving 1/2 inch between each cut. With each strip cover the mixture in a braiding design.

4. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. If the pasty starts to burn, cover with aluminum foil.

5. Enjoy!

Vegan Holiday Party 2017

The holidays are time to spend time with family and friends. This year, we had incorporated vegan menu items due to two Vegan eaters at the time my sister and I. These are what we had....

Mushroom Wellington
Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Apple Sauce

I will add these recipes individually, minus the mashed potatoes. They are the easiest to make, boil - mash - add garlic, onion, butter.

The Mushroom Wellington was tried by all and I have to say that this was one of the best Mains that I have made. The texture with the pate and the puff pastry is divine. My brother-in-law stated that it tastes like the stuffing. I thought it was more elevated flavor than that, however, everyone will love to have it again. I was unable to have leftovers!

The Roasted Veg is something that I would eat day after day in Winter. This recipe is easy and delicious. It will make a great bowl with Quinoa, kale and gravy! The Gravy has a earthy spicy flavor to it to make it warm you up from the inside out.

These are the successful recipes to our gathering for 2017.

Chickpea red curry

Since my last post, lots has changed in my lifestyle. This last year I have been grasping a plant-based diet. To be honest, I was eating a lot of processed foods. Last month, I have started more of a real plant based diet with help of a dietician. Home cooking is the best thing you can do and with that I have made a point to try new foods and meal plan.

This week, my new recipe is a carb load. It contains chickpeas, potato, and  A carrot. My fiance made his very delicious, very meaty thai red curry this last weekend. With me being plant-based, I did not eat it but have been craving it ever since. I was inspired to create a dish for myself that would fulfill my want of curry. As a side note, you can switch the veggies around to the ones you want like eggplant and bell peppers.

Ingredients

1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 splash of soy sauce
Juice of 1/8 th of a lime
1 can of chickpea
1 russet potato cubed
1 medium carrot sliced in coins
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
Thai basil
Cilantro

Directions

1. Cook potato in boiling water. And drain potato.

2. Bring coconut milk to simmer on medium heat, add brown sugar and curry powder, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the onion to a heated pan with a teaspoon of oil till they sweat. Add carrot stir until carrot is softened, 2 minutes. Add potato and chickpeas and heat through.

4. Add chickpea mixture to curry and stir till combined. Add soy sauce, lime juice, cilantro and thai basil.

5. Ready to serve with rice! I add a lot of basil and sriracha.

Spinach turnovers

Ingredients

1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 cup  finely chopped onion

1 container of refrigerated biscuits * you can purchase accidentally vegan

Salt and pepper to taste

Oven is needed to 400 degrees for this recipe.

Directions

First, in a small pan and a lil oil, toast pine nuts and onion for 5 min or until nuts are slightly browning. Fold the onion nut mix  with the spinach. Separate the biscuit dough and place one biscuit between two pieces of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the biscuit to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. Carefully remove the top wax paper from the dough. Add a heaping tablespoon of spinach slightly un centered on the dough. Fold the dough over the spinach and pinch the edges shut with a fork. Place the shut turnover on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat until you are out of biscuit dough. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and cook 8 to 10 min. 

These turnovers can be eaten ASAP or room temp or cold. Enjoy.

Easy no hassle snack pb banana chard wrap

Three simple ingredients:

One leaf of chard

One medium banana

One tablespoon of natural organic peanut butter

Directions:

Lay out the chard and cut off the stalk. Trim the vein to your preference. Mine was 1/4 in think.

Place the banana in the middle of the leaf, with the banana parallel to the large vein.

Smooth the peanut butter up and down the banana until covered.

Wrap up the banana with the chard like you would a burrito.

Voila your wrap is done and you can chow down.

Homemade Chimichangas

I wanted to do a little something different from my usual Italian, french, and Asian food for Goe and I to enjoy. So I came across a basic chimi recipe and I added fresh tomatoes and used jalapeno cheddar cream cheese instead of plain. I cooked the chicken with Mrs dash fiesta lime seasoning in the oven at 350 until completely cooked. Okay now that you know that this is a tweaked recipe know that you can change it to your tastes! Here is how I love it.
Ingredients
1 package of eight wheat tortillas
1 package of eight oz cream cheese (hvyee cheddar jalapeno)
2 cups of mild cheddar cheese shredded
1 skinned and chopped tomato
1 pound of cooked chicken shredded (explained above)
1 1/2 teaspoons of taco seasoning
For toppings you can use....
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Salsa
Directions
1. Using a spatula, mix the cream cheese,  tomato, taco seasoning, and Cheddar cheese until blended.
2. Fold in the chicken
3. Separate the chicken mixture to each tortilla and fold it up on all four sides into a square
4. Place them seams side down on a greased cookie sheet and spray the tops of the chimichangas with Pam too
5. Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 min then flip them over and bake for another 15 min
6. Top with toppings and enjoy!!!