Lip Smacking Sweet and Savory Tofu.

All I can say is this: anyone out there who is not a big fan of tofu because you never know how to prepare it, try this recipe. It's quick, simple and so tasty. It's a little sweet though, let me warn you. I always eat it with plain rice and plain steamed cabbage to offset the sweet. Go make it now! Recipe is here. If you're not into plum sauce and hoisin, you can always substitute your favorite bbq sauce.

Edited to add: I've also substituted mango chutney for the plum sauce with delicious results.

Carob Banana Avocado Pudding

Another breakfast treat. Smooth and silky avocado blended with carob powder, a few bananas, dates and a drizzle of agave syrup. This recipe is not completely raw because I used roasted carob powder. But it was still very decadent and delicious. Reminded me of chocolate banana creme pie!

Carob Banana Avocado Pudding

8 dates, pitted
1 large avocado, pitted
2 large ripe bananas
3 heaping tsp (or more) of carob powder
drizzle or two of agave syrup

Combine all in a blender and blend until smooth.

Raw Breakfast Pudding

Last week my friend Cassidy gave me some raw strawberry pie that she made. It was deeelicious! I wanted to recreate that flavor by making this breakfast pudding. It has the consistency more like yogurt I think but the flavors were spot on. A sweet and creamy mixture of bananas, strawberries, dates and cashews. Yummy.

Raw Strawberry-Banana Pudding

8 dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 ripe bananas
6 strawberries, frozen
juice of 1/2 an orange

Soak dates and cashews together in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes. Discard the water and put the dates and nuts in blender along with the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. (This step is not necessary. I liked eating it cold.) Serve.

Sweet Potato Samosa and Cinco de Mayo food.

Today is my day off and I didn't want to waste a chance to cook. I had a large sweet potato to use up so I made baked samosas which were a recipe from 'Vegan Planet'. They are stuffed with mashed sweet potato, peas, onions and seasoned with curry powder and cayenne. I know this is not very "Cinco de Mayo" so I made up for it by making fresh guacamole and chipotle refried bean dip with grilled peppers and onions topped with lettuce, tomato and cool ranch sauce. The ranch is from 'You Won't Believe It's Vegan'. It has pureed tofu in it which I was very wary of at first but after adding some seasonings like taco spices, lemon juice and garlic powder it didn't taste half bad.

Here are the pics. All this food was gobbled up while watching Dodger baseball!


Samosa in a variety of sizes. They were delicious.


Yummy bean dip. Only things missing were jalapeno and olives.


Creamy guacamole made from 2 large avocados.


Oh and I did make something healthy. A mango, orange banana salad.

Moroccan Carrot-Orange Salad

My cousin Oraphan (of Easy Veggie blog) came to my dad's b-day party on Saturday and made this beautiful salad. I loved it so much. Hers was flavored with orange, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, cinnamon, raisins and pine nuts! I re-created it this morning and didn't remember the exact proportions of ingredients but I was able to add little by little until it tasted just right. The bright citrus notes of the lemon and orange contrasted beautifully with the sweet carrot and spicy cinnamon. I added agave syrup to mine instead of sugar and toasted almonds instead of pine nuts. This salad is very refreshing and perfect for a mild spring day like today.

Edited to add recipe.

This is approximately what I did to make this salad:

3-4 carrots, grated
1 orange, peel and pith removed, cut into chunks
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 TB olive oil
1 TB agave syrup (you may use less to cut down on sweetness)
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Spiced Mixed Bean Broth

I like to revamp food. Yesterday's bean salad leftovers was revamped into this delicious spicy and tangy bean soup flavored with cumin, turmeric, jalapeno, lemon juice and cilantro. The recipe is from a bargain cookbook I got at Borders called "500 Soup Recipes" and originally calls for black eyed peas. This is my soup o' the week.

Potlucky.

Foods that I slaved away to make but had much fun doing it. I was lucky that it all came out great! Hope everyone enjoys them at the party.


Spanakopita from 'Vegan with a Vengeance'. These were quite challenging to make. I was originally going to make a large pie but thought that individual servings would do better at a party. They came out really cute and have been taste tested by my husband. He gives them two thumbs up. (The party has not yet started and I saw him sneak another one and steal away to his room!)


Prospect Park Potato Salad from 'Veganomicon'. I've made this several times and it's always a hit.


Beautiful bean salad (kidney, white, fava) seasoned with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley.


Isa's famous chocolate chip but with added mocha chips. Yay!

I also made fresh salsa and hummus which came out fabulously as well.