Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream January 30, 2009

 

It may be winter and crazy cold here in Minnesota, but it’s always time for ice cream!  Especially blueberry cheesecake ice cream from A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise.  It’s a great recipe, the only things I do different are that I use light soy milk instead of creamer and I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot.  The tofutti makes it so creamy and cheesecake like, I can’t even imagine how rich it would be with soy creamer!

 

And can you believe I managed not to eat this whole bowl after I took the pictures? 

-Kala

Fajitas January 26, 2009

 

Mmmm, breakfast fajitas.  Although when your first meal is at one in the afternoon, can you still call it breakfast?  Anywho, today’s first meal was leftover fajitas from last night’s dinner.  Very simple, just a bunch of veggies (bell pepper, onion, zucchini, mushrooms) sauteed with spices until they’re all caramelized and perfect.  We usually throw some mock duck in as well but we were (gasp!) all out. 

 

   

 

-Kala

Tuscan Vegetable Chowder January 17, 2009

More soup!  Since the weather is still oppressive and horrible in Minnesota (how sad is it that it’s 17 out right not and that’s crazy warm compared to the last few days?) there has been quite a bit of soup and stew making around here.  Last night was Tuscan Vegetable Chowder, it’s a Weight Watchersrecipe and it was really tasty once I added a bunch of stuff to it.  It’s a nice hearty chowder full of spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cannellini beans, and tvp.  I added a bunch of crushed red peppers to give it a little kick and also seven or eight cloves of garlic since Shane’s got a cold (I’m big on force feeding people garlic when they’re sick, good thing Shane likes the stuff!)  I added a bit of chilli sauce on top as well for an extra bit of spice and color:  

-Kala

Lentil soup for a cold winter day. January 10, 2009

I have been making my lentil soup for quite a few years, there is no recipe exactly, it’s sort of a throw everything in a pot and adjust it as you go. It’s a favorite of mine when I am sick or it’s bitterly cold out.

The ingredient list runs down as follows:

• about a cup and a half to 2 cups of brown/green lentils
• 1 potato diced
• 1 large carrot diced
• 1 lemon
• a healthy amount of spinach cut chiffonade style
• 1 onion chopped and a bunch of garlic (4-5 cloves) minced that have been sauteed until onion soft and translucent
• 1 can of diced tomato (drained)
• 1 can of tomato paste,
• 1  bullion cube
• About 6 cups of water
• Any spices and herbs you see fit, I usually add some curry powder, basil, oregano, cayenne  pepper, and lately smoked paprika, salt and pepper, this time around I added some fenugreek too.

Bring to a boil then simmer until everything is cooked, usually around an hour but your time may differ. The final step is in the last 30 minutes – wash and cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the soup pot, then drop the  lemon in as well.  At ten minutes left add the spinach.  Its great with corn bread or  a crusty french bread.

–Shane

Photos by Kala

BBQ Mock Duck January 8, 2009

 

For lunch the other day, I whipped up a quick batch of spicy BBQ Mock Duck.  It’s super easy to make and really yummy, I even made it for our wedding (although it was much much less spicy than when I make it for myself).  I usually have it in a whole wheat tortilla, but it would be just as good on a bun.  We had some leftover Ranch Dip from a recipe from Vegan Lunch Box so that was served on the side.  By the way, the ranch dip was good once we added a bunch of stuff to it but it really tasted nothing like ranch.  Anywho, recipe:

 

BBQ Mock Duck

• 1 can mock duck, drained, rinsed, and chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• chipotles in adobo sauce (add them in one at a time until you get the heat level desired)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• whole wheat tortilla or bun

1. Saute the onion for a few minutes until they start to soften. 
2. While the onion is cooking, add all the other ingredients except the mock duck to a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth. 
3. Add the mock duck to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. 
4. Serve on a warmed tortilla or toasted bun.

 

 

-Kala

Banana Bread January 6, 2009

Banana bread is a beautiful thing, you get to use super ripe bananas that you would otherwise throw away and turn them into something delicious.  Shane’s had a favorite recipe that he’s used for years so that’s the one I use too, it’s in the book The Compassionate Cook.  It’s a crazy simple recipe that comes together in no time and seems to be pretty fool proof.  This last time I made it I couldn’t resist adding to it though, so I threw in the rest of the millet we had in the pantry.  It adds a nice crunch and flavor so I think I’ll be adding it again.  And once again, I couldn’t get through a photo shoot without taking a bite:

   

-Kala

Chocolate Chip Waffles w/Blueberry Sauce January 2, 2009

 

Mmmmm, waffles!  Last night, Shane and I made a big batch of waffles and froze them so we’d have a stash, it’s something I used to do all the time before I met Shane.  I used my favorite waffle recipe, Isa’s Lemon Corn Waffles.  They’re yummy but not overly sweet.  I leave out the lemon stuff though and have to add some extra flour to the batter, I also add vanilla but I add vanilla to just about everything.  And of course I add in chocolate chips.  Not too many though, I don’t like a crazy sweet breakfast, but a nice little chocolate pop every once in a while is good, especially with blueberry sauce.  The sauce was made with a bag of frozen blueberries cooked down with a bit of sugar and some cornstarch at the end. 

 

 

-Kala