Vegan Heritage Press Giveaway

Vegan Heritage Press is having an amazing give away -- just  head on over to http://veganheritagepress.blogspot.com/2012/07/vhp-cookbook-giveaway.html?showComment=1343692798827#c8932095120849055955 for your opportunity to win 1 of 6 awesome vegan cookbooks!!!!
Best of luck to everyone, including me!

Breakfast Mango Smoothie

I've been making smoothies out of whatever fruit is in the frig or on the counter. I had a mango that needed to be used so this is my version of a thick breakfast smoothie.

• 1 banana
• 1 mango
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 2 servings protein powder
• 1 cup non-dairy milk

Dump all the ingredients in to your blender. Mix well, you may need to scrape the sides of the blender to get all of the protein powder incorporated.

Enjoy!

Gardein Chicken Sandwich

I love sandwiches, especially ones that are super easy to throw together and taste great. I decided to use 2 of the Gardein Crispy Chick'n Fillets (which are awesome) to make this sandwich. I know I took a pic of the finished sandwich but it's not on my camera, go figure?!

• 2 Gardein Crispy Chick'n Fillets
• Vegannaise
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 50/50 salad mix, handfull per sandwich
• 2 buns

Cook the fillets according to the package directions (I used the toaster oven.)

Spread vegannaise on both sides of your bun. I like it kinda thick.

Add one fillet to the bottom of each bun.

Add greens to the top side of the bun.

Add a slice of tomato to the greens.

Put the two halves together and enjoy! You could also add some sliced onion or cheese. I served pickled okra on the side. Ummmmm!

Banana Nut Bread

I take over ripe bananas and put them in freezer bags and save them until I'm ready for banana bread. I really dislike wasting food. So, when you look at the pics don't freak out on my black bananas. Take the bananas out of the freezer and let them sit at room temp for a bit. They will release some liquid that you can just mix in when you mush up the bananas.

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 flaxmeal egg (1 T flaxseed meal + 3 T water - mixed well)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chia seed
• 1/4 cup hemp seed

Melt butter.

Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt.

Add sugar to mashed bananas.

Mix the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.

Add the flax egg and butter.

Stir in nuts and seeds.

Pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If it gets to brown on top - add a foil tent.

Enjoy!

Veggie Stir-Fry

So another weekend and time to clean out the frig again. I love Asian flavors and stir-fries are so simple. Open the frig and see what needs to be eaten. Cut all of your veggie the same size so they cook at the same time. Start with the harder veggies and then add the stuff that will cook fast at the end. I like to mix marinades and seasonings in a measuring cup tasting as I go so I don't end up with a mixture that is too hot or too salty. Go have some fun with your food. This turned out yummy! I served this over rice but you could use linguine, rice stick noodles or Ramen noodles.

• 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 3/4-1" lengths
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut into circles or half moons (depending on the size)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into circles or half moons (bite sized pieces)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into large bite sized pieces
• several mushrooms, thickly sliced (add the amount you want - I used 5 medium)
• 1 good size stalk of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 vidalia onion (you got it, bite sized pieces)
• 1 can edamame, rinsed and drained (not in pic)
• several cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet and add all of the hard veggies (squash, asparagus, broccoli, onion,  you get the idea.) Stir fry until about half way cook (to your taste - about 4 minutes).

Now add the softer veggies (mushrooms and garlic). I added a tablespoon of water at this point and covered the dish so it could steam a little.)

For my sauce I used:

• 1/4 cup Szechuan Stir-Fry Sauce
• 1 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
• 1/4 cup Kraft Light Toasted Asian Sesame Dressing (not in pic)

Stir the sauce ingredients well and adjust seasoning to your taste. Stir into veggies and give it one final toss. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff

Whew, where has the time gone!? It was June and I was blogging away and now it's almost the middle of July and not one post. I promise to do better. This is a pretty hardy dish for the summer, but I had all the ingredients on hand and I love a good stroganoff. You could use all mushrooms in this dish if you don't have access to the delicious Gardein Beefless Beef Tips or probably use all Gardein. Serves 4.

• 2 teaspoons Smart Balance nondairy butter
• 1 vidalia onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 8-ounce baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package Gardein Beefless Beef Tips, sliced (about 4 slices per piece)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir since that is what I like to drink)
• 2 cups water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 teaspoon vegan Worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup Toffuti Sour Cream
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• wide noodles

Set the Gardein out on the counter so it can slightly thaw while you get everything else ready. Bring your pasta water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse cooked noodles with warm water and add a little oil or butter so they don't clump together.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and saute for 6 minutes, until they are soft and lightly brown.

Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked. Stir frequently to keep it all moving so it doesn't stick.

Add Gardein, paprika and thyme. Saute for several minutes, stirring occasionally. I like to get a little brown, crusty on my Gardein.

Stir in the flour so that it is mixed in well and cook for about a minute.

Add the red wine and stir for a minute.

Next add the water, bouillon cube and the Worcestershire. Stir well.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes (until it thickens). Stir frequently so it doesn't stick.

Add the sour cream and parsley and cook for another minute to heat all the way through. Add pepper and salt as needed.

 Serve stroganoff over noodles. Enjoy!