Now that's what I call a dinner party!

We visited some very dear friends of ours today who gave us such a gracious and fantastic day and evening. We arrived there at lunchtime, gave the adorable kids Christmas presents, presented our hosts with baked goods (to be seen in yesterday's post) and fine liquor and sat down to a most delicious lunch. Our beautiful friend A made a complete vegan meal which was so very generous and kind. I felt very lucky to be partaking in a tasty spread of delicious stuffed cabbage leaves with rice and vegetables, olive hummus and chips, a bright and refreshing salad and Lutenica (a really gorgeous Bulgarian relish made of red peppers, garlic, tomatoes and other good things.) A also made homemade baklava which was seriously the best I've ever had. Husband and I couldn't stop eating them, they were that good. After many hours of conversation and drink (bourbon, beer, soda and plum brandy), A's husband ordered pizzas for dinner, including my favorite veggie style. It was beautiful and so very nice of him! A & I, if you are reading this, THANK YOU a million times, hugs and kisses and we owe you a nice dinner very soon!

Sorry for the absence of photos in this post. I so wish I had my camera to capture all the great food we ate!

Pesto on Pizza and Baked Goodies.

Everytime I order a pizza delivery, I always always make a pesto sauce to dollop on top. It's so yummy and will probably always be the way I eat delivery pizza forever. Husband called me up from work and suggested pizzas for dinner. I said yes but then thought "Oh no! I have nothing to make pesto with!" No basil, no spinach... So I got creative with some edamame and cilantro. The result was lovely. I think this sauce will go really well with pasta.


Edamame Cilantro Lime Pesto

1/2 cup cooked edamame, shelled
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
handful of cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil or more
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process to desired consistency. Add more olive oil or water if you want a thinner pesto.


Tomorrow we are visiting some friends who we haven't seen for a while and I wanted to bring something for them for the holidays. I made Isa's Mocha Chip Muffins (but made them into a loaf) and also her Chocolate Chip Cookies. I haven't tried either of them yet as they are gifts but they are so beautiful. Check it out!





EDIT: I just sampled one of the cookies. OMG! Heaven....

I love my crockpot.

Crockpot's rule. I love that you can put a bunch of odds and ends in and you get something fantastic about 8 hours later. That's what I did this morning. I didn't necessarily have many fresh veg but I was still able to chuck in a bunch of frozen veg and come up with this easy vegetable and white bean soup.



I also made the 'Pepper Jack Uncheese' from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. This is a soft, mild tasting cheez with a hit of hot peppers. Very nice. I served it with seeded baguette slices.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14oz. can stewed tomatoes
4 cups water
1 14oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning (like Mrs. Dash)
2 TB soy sauce
fresh cracked black pepper

Saute onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add them to the bottom of the crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, give it a stir and set it to LOW for 8 hours.
Option: To add some leafy greens to this soup, saute or steam some chopped chard or kale and add it at the end of the cooking time, right before serving.

Snobby Joes Take 2

I finally got around to making Snobby Joes once again. The first time I made them, I didn't have any burger buns so I had to use corn tortillas which were actually quite good. This time I had cracked wheat buns as well as a nice spinach, red pepper and cranberry salad with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. I had all the ingredients for a healthy meal. Protein? Check! Dark leafy greens? Check! Whole grains? Check! Antioxidants? Check! A very satisfying and tasty meal that took me back to my "Manwich" eating childhood.

Quick Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tsp strawberry preserves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 tsp dijon mustard (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together. You may use less preserves if you want it less sweet.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

I have this really great cookbook called 'Pasta and Vegetables' that I got at a bargain bookshop for $1. It's filled with great vegetarian recipes utilizing vegetables in different ways and pairing them with pasta. Tonight's dinner was from this book. It's the "Creamy Tomato Blender Sauce" which was really easy to make and features lots of garlic, red pepper flakes, tomatoes from a can and soymilk. The recipe originally called for fat free milk but it was easily switched out to make the recipe vegan. I added a few handfuls of chopped and steamed swiss chard to give it some color as well as boost the nutrition content. This orangey pink sauce is thick, creamy, velvety smooth and delicious! The consistency of the sauce was very much like an alfredo sauce. You know, it's dishes like this that can shatter misconceptions about vegan food. It proves that animal free food is not bland or boring or a self punishing diet of plain vegetables. You can easily make tasty, comforting, indulgent food that you've always remembered, no problem.

Psst...you can get this book at Amazon merchants for as low as 1 cent!

Smoky Tofu and Red Bean Burgers

Another successful burger recipe. These were inspired by a recipe that Gillian McKeith featured on her show "You Are What You Eat". I liked the idea of beans and tofu together to create a tasty burger. These came out really tasty (omni husband approved yay!) with a hint of smoky flavor, not overwhelming at all. I served them on a hamburger bun with grilled onions, lettuce and tomato. On the side are baked regular and sweet potato fries and for condiment I made a homemade thousand island dressing that was spiked with Frank's Red Hot Sauce!

Smoky Tofu and Red Bean Burgers
(makes 6 patties)

1 14oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
7 oz. firm tofu, squeezed of excess water and crumbled
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup whole grain breadcrumbs
2 TB flour
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp all purpose seasoning (like Mrs. Dash or Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute)
1/2 tsp each of garlic and onion powder (you may add less if you like)
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Mash beans in a bowl and add the crumbled tofu. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. I like to use a pastry cutter/blender or fork to help chop and smoosh the mixture which will make it form into patties easier. You may have a taste in order to adjust seasonings. Refrigerate mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Shape into patties and place on oiled baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway at 400 degrees F or until browned and crispy.



Thousand Island Burger Sauce With A Kick

1/2 cup vegan mayo
2-3 TB ketchup
1 TB chopped dill pickle
a squirt of lemon juice
1/4 tsp all purpose seasoning blend
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 drops of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Make favorite dish. Eat. Repeat.

I have this annoying habit when I really like something I will have it over and over without tiring of it. At least for a while. It could be movies (I've watched some films over 10 times), music (currently Doctor Who series 4 soundtrack on a continuous loop), books (I've read 'I Capture the Castle' more times than I can count) and finally food. If I like something and if it always turns out perfectly, I'll make it again. And again. And again... Drives my husband nuts.

Well tonight was one of those nights. I know I made Vegan Dad's mac and cheese a few weeks ago but I really wanted it tonight. It's cool and crisp out and I wanted some comfort food with a comfort vegetable. I made a side dish of garlic broccoli in which I burned some of the garlic but it still came out good.

On to the pics...


I did do something a little different. I used regular yellow mustard instead of the dijon that the recipe called for. Good!


I love broccoli.

You'll find the mac recipe here.