Christmas Manicotti

I am finally getting around to posting Christmas dinner. It's been a whirl-wind of dinners, family get-togethers and everything this past week, it's been hard to keep up with everything.. believe me, my blog isn't the only thing that's been ignored!

Christmas evening was spent at my mother-in-law's house. I made manicotti (and lasagna with the broken noodles) with basil-tofu ricotta, and we had it with asparagus and garlic toast.


After dinner we all sipped on wassel, and then opened presents...

Christmas Presents for my Kitchen

Well, I left my usb flash card thing at my mother-in-laws, so I haven't been able to upload pics to share our meals with you. So, until I get it back, which will hopefully be this evening, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite Christmas presents for my kitchen...

I got a little bit of Christmas cash, so I went and bought this book. I am all about vegan comfort food, as you know, so I could not pass this up. Last night I made the curried lentil loaf, which was super tasty (But cook it longer than it says to).


My husband got me this cookbook- Vegan Fusion World Cuisine, recipes from the Blossoming Lotus- the best vegan restaurant I've ever been - too bad I have to go to Kauai whenever I want to eat there (I think there is one is Seattle too, but I could be wrong).


And here is my super-duper-fancy food processor that my parents gave us... I am SOOOOO Excited about this! I've made pesto and the curried lentil loaf with it already. I want to use it every day I love it so much!

Christmas Eve Shepard's Pie

We are at my mother-in-laws for the evening. We were planning on going to my mom's for dinner tonight, but it is a blizzard out there (like it is in much of the rest of the country, I hear). So, we decided to stay in, and make dinner here instead. I made this very comforting shepard's pie, with lentils for the "meat." Topped with a simple gravy (my husband's specialty), and a side of roasted garlic brussels sprouts from VWAV.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound lentils, cooked
• 7-8 potatoes, cooked and mashed with 1/4 c. soymilk and 1/4 c. "butter"
• 1 bag mixed frozen veggies (corn, beans, green beans, carrots, etc)
• one onion, diced and saute'd in olive oil
  
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp parsley
• salt and pepper
  

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 9x13 casserole dish line the bottom with cooked lentils, then layer with cooked onions, frozen veggies, and mashed potatoes. Top with spices and bake in oven for about 40 mins.


For dessert we had sparkled ginger cookies (so good, I made another batch!), and hot peppermint cocoa made with Vitasoy chocolate peppermit soymilk. Thanks vegan_noodle for the idea, sooooo good! That little mushroom in the background is the rattle we got for Sebastian for a Christmas present, how cute is that??!!

Happy Winter Solstice

There is nothing like spending winter solstice in your pajamas baking cookies all day. That is what I did today. I also meant to bake a pineapple up-side-down sun cake for the occasion, but I am sick of baking! I made 2 batches of Chocolate Thumbprint (with raspberry jam) cookies from VWAV, and one batch Sparkled Ginger cookies (also from VWAV).


For the Thumb-print cookies I ommited the almond extract because I didn't have any, and didn't want to run to the store. I also subbed soybean oil for peanut oil for the same reason. It still turned out great though. Also, if you plan to make these, be careful not to use too much jam, or press too deep, because the jam will make itself to the bottom, and out the other side when you pick the cookie up to eat it, thus making a little mess, and kind of annoyance.

Below is our little goody-bags we made up for our friends, neighbors, and family. I just put 2 cookies each into seperate sandwhich bags, wrapped with ribbon, and our holiday photo (courtesy of Landslide Photography, thanks Timbra!).



Tonight for our Solstice dinner, I am making chili, and we will be drinking warm Sangria, and Sebastian will be opening up one gift (PJs). Maybe next year I will get around to making a sun cake for the solstice.

Saag Aloo & Spicy Potatoes

I've had a bad cold the last week. A few days ago hubby made this for me to help clear my sinuses (curry is great for clearing sinuses) Not sure what he did, but it was yummy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is traditionally a very meat heavy meal. This one, however, uses veg-sausage and mushrooms. Topped with Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella, it was a lot tastier than I expected. It was also very simple. Just chopping, sauteing and cooking noodles.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound spaghetti noodles
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 1/2 onion, diced
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 lb Light Life Gimme Lean Sausage (or your favorite)
• Olive Oil
• Your Favorite vegan cheese to top
  

Directions: Start cooking the noodles first. Then, in a large frying pan, coat with olive oil and saute the onions until clear, add the mushrooms, and saute, add garlic and soy-sausage. When everything is cooked through, add tomato paste and diced tomatoes, and let simmer until the noodles are done cooking and drained. Toss noodles and sauce well. Top with vegan cheese, and serve with garlic bread.

Tempeh Peanut Sauce Over Soba Noodles

We had some leftover coconut milk, so I came up with this to use it up, and use the tempeh that I never know what to do with. It was good, but the sauce was a little bit too peanut-buttery that I wanted. So, I will work on this some more before posting a recipe.

Tater Tot Casserole

I apologize it has been so long since my last blog. Now that the semester is over, and another holiday is coming up, I hope I can post more!

Last night I veganized Tater Tot Casserole, for my hubby. It was very easy. Maybe not as easy as traditional tater tot casserole, but easy anyway. Also, VERY filling.

Ingredients:

• One bag Tater tots (I used a 22oz bag)
• 3 cups plain soymilk
• 3 TBS corn starch
• 1 portobell0 mushroom, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package Smart Grounds (Lightlife brand) or 2 cups of your favorite ground crumbles
• 2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dry parsley
• 1 tsp each onion & garlic powder
  

Optional additions: 1 cup frozen veggies (I forgot to add these to mine), 1/2 c. shredded soy cheddar, 1/2 c. fried onions.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. In a med saucepan, heat soymilk, spices and cornstarch, and heat until thick, to make cream of mushroom soup. In a small skillet, saute mushrooms in olive oil, and add to soup. Then, saute onions and garlic, and add your veggie grounds when the onions are clear. This is really just to break apart the crumbles and mix with the onions/garlic. In a casserole dish, layer with the crumbles, then optional frozen veggies, then the mushroom soup, top with tater tots, and optional fried onions and/or cheddar. Bake uncovered for about 45-60 mins.

Serves about 4-6.