Fresh Spring Rolls and Apple Pear Gallette

Fresh rolls with sauteed tofu, carrot, scallions, red bell pepper, cilantro and bean thread noodles. Served with thai style peanut sauce.

Apple Pear gallette. Recipe from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook.

Carrot Cake, Bean Dip, Not-So-Dirty Rice and More Carrot Cake!

Last week on Tuesday it was National Carrot Cake Day. I had no idea it existed but my friend posted about it on Facebook. I liked the idea of that and it's been ages since I've made a carrot cake. I must have a long long time ago pre-vegan. So it was time to make a vegan one.

That day I got home from work and used what I had at home. I used Kittee's Vanilla Cake recipe and just added 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrot and some cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger. Shop bought frosting, some chopped nuts and a few Halloween sprinkles later, I had a carrot cake!

This was so moist and delicious! I'm not too crazy about shop bought frosting so I made a mental note to make a cream cheese based icing next time.

Bean dip we had today. I can eat this everyday it's so good with crispy tortilla chips.

This is Bryant Terry's "Not So Dirty" rice recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen. It's really tasty. I made a big pot of it so I can take it to work for lunches this week. I used Tofurky sausages in it instead of seitan and tempeh.

Carrot cake fever again. This time in cupcake form. I used a different recipe today from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World along with cream cheese frosting. I accidentally added extra flour so I had to compensate by adding more liquid but it still turned out good.

Healthy Bean Dip.

Not watching the game but I got dip! This is a healthier version of layered dip. We got refried beans, olives, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado, pickled jalapenos, scallions and vegan mayo mixed with lime juice. So yummy!

Cake and Soup.

Got home yesterday from work and really wanted cake. Made a quick chocolate cake with a cocoa glaze with nuts. Hit the spot!

For dinner, a white bean, cabbage, potato, rutabaga, carrot soup seasoned with summer savory.

Healing Soup & Victoria Sponge.

My friend Maile made a beautiful soup the other day to heal my cold. I tried to re-create it today. It has a lot of turmeric along with chili pepper flakes, paprika, sage, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. It has good stuff in it: veggie broth, white beans, potatoes, broccoli, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and little tiny pearl pasta.

A cake was in order today. Even though I've been sick all week, I still have a sweet craving. A victoria sponge is perfection with raspberry jam and buttercream filling.

The buttercream was easy. I just softened about 1/2 cup of Earth Balance margarine and beat in some powdered sugar and vanilla and a drop of soymilk until it got nice and fluffy.

Buffalo Cauliflower and Fruitcake.

I made these on Thursday night and forgot to post about them because they were gone so fast. My husband loved them. I got the recipe here. I substituted Earth Balance for the butter. I also made a homemade ranch dressing for dipping!

Yesterday I made this fruitcake. A little late I know since christmas has passed but I had a whole container of candied fruit that I wanted to use. I used a boiled raisin cake recipe and just added some of the candied fruit. Came out great! I halved this recipe and baked it for about 35-40 minutes.

Veg Pot Pie

We had a ton of refrigerated pie dough that were leftover from holiday grocery shopping that I decided I would use a couple to make a veggie pot pie. I haven't made one in a long while. Here are the innards, a delicious mixture of potatoes, gardein veggie crumbles, carrots, celery, spinach, mushrooms, lima beans, green peas, green beans, onions, garlic and corn. The gravy is seasoned with soy sauce, veggie broth and miso paste.

Out of the oven, all browned and beautiful!

Lunch.

Recipe: Veg Pot Pie

1 TB Earth Balance margarine
2 TB olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup flour
2 cups veggie or mushroom broth (I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable flavor)
1 tsp yellow miso paste
1 cup gardein veggie crumbles
1/2 cup plain soymilk
1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 cups frozen veggie mix, thawed (carrots, peas, green beans, lima beans, corn)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 TB freeze dried poultry herbs or 1 tsp dried herbs (I used freeze dried mix of rosemary, thyme, garlic, scallions, sage)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
1 pie crust with 1 top (if frozen, thaw it out or use refrigerated pie dough)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat oil and margarine in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for cook for several minutes to soften. Once the vegetable are fairly soft, add flour a bit at a time while stirring continuously. Add a bit of broth as you go. Once it is all smooth and all the broth is incorporated, add the miso paste. Stir to dissolve miso paste. Add veggie crumbles and soy milk. Continue to cook and stir and make sure the miso dissolves. Add the mushrooms, potatoes and frozen veggie mix. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. Add soy sauce, herbs, salt, pepper and cayenne to season. If it seems dry, you may add a bit more soymilk or broth. Pour mixture into pie shell (there will be a lot) and cover with top pie crust and crimp edges. Cut a few slits on the top for steam to escape. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes until browned on top.