Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls, again!

It's that time of year again! Time for this recipe!
My sister and I made them last weekend as a Thanksgiving weekend activity. Baking with yeast takes sooo long.. but it is worth it!

Mexican-inspired Baked Pasta

Ingredients: cooked whole wheat rotini, salsa, red beans, frozen corn, and some orange cheez sauce (tofu, roasted red pepper, nutritional yeast, tahini, garlic powder, salt), bread crumbs. I mixed everything up and baked at 400 for 20 minutes- just to crisp up the top a bit.

Me news and Elsie pics

I started my last semester of my English degree last week! My classes are all pretty cool. Highlights include a seminar on the wackiness of Columbus (not the actual title..) and a film class.

Also, I just got back from a great weekend in Toronto! The boyfriend and I went to the Vegetarian Food Fair and the Royal Ontario Museum, and we ate at Fresh (of course) and I had my first visit to Fressen! It was nice.. and the food was swanky.. but it didn't amaze me.

...and now, some photos of my kitty sleeping in cute ways!

Balsamic Collards and Portabello Mushrooms on Cheezy Pasta Spirals

The pasta sauce is a white-bean cheez sauce from the Uncheese Cookbook. It's pretty much white beans, nutritional yeast, soy milk.. salt, spices, whatever. Creamy goodness.

On top is sliced portabello mushrooms and collard greens cooked with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I don't like collard greens as much as chard because collards are more bitter, but they are in season right now and are perfectly yummy!

Banana-Date-Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This ice cream is naturally sweet! No sugar added.

Ingredients, blended:
1 can light coconut milk
3 ripe bananas
6 pitted dates
2 tbs peanut butter

+ chocolate chips

Cauliflower-Leek Pie with Chickpea Crust

I used the pie crust from the 'Curried Vegetable Pie with Chickpea Crust' recipe from The Garden of Vegan: (1/2 cup mashed chickpeas, 1 1/2 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup margarine).

Ingredients for the filling, food processed:
2 chopped leeks and two minced garlic cloves sautéd in olive oil
1 blanched cauliflower
a few tbs of vegan parmesan
1/2 cup soft tofu
black pepper
sea salt

topped with:
tamari-roasted pepitas and more vegan parmesan

PS- You have to hear this CBC session that Steven Page did with an orchestra! His cover of 'Paranoid Android' is amazing.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Mmm. This is 'Peanut Butter Fudge Pie' from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook - but I used almond butter instead of peanut butter because that's what I had.
I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, I admit it.

Mustard-pomegranate Tempeh, Frozen Soygurt

The secret ingredient today was pomegranate molasses, which is concentrated pom juice. It is found at middle eastern stores (if you're lucky!). It isn't sweetened like granadine (originally made from pom) but unsweetened and sour/tangy.

I marinated the block of defrosted tempeh (a soy product) and then marinated it for a half hour in a sauce consisting of minced fresh garlic, and 2 tbs dijon mustard, about 1 tbs pomegranate molasses, about 1 tbs water and touch of olive oil.
I browned the tempeh with a bit more olive oil, and then added oyster mushrooms and a chopped fresh tomato. When the mushrooms wilted I added some sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. It was a bit dry so I added some more of the mustard-pom-water mixture.
It was very very good!!!

For dessert was frozen soygurt! The soygurt I used was strawberry flavour- and I added a bit of chocolate almond milk to thin it out, some pomegranate molasses, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips. Tangy-licious! Better than Pomegranate Chip from Purely Decadent. I can't believe I never thought to use soy yog as a base before... thanks Veg News!


also: this blog passed its one-year anniversary without my noticing! Almost 100 posts! Wow!

Two pizzas! both incredible!

Pizza 1: homemade spelt crust, a softer version of Crock Cheez (sharp cheddar style spread) from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, walnuts, the Seared Portabello Mushrooms and Simple Swiss Chard recipes from Eat, Drink and be Vegan.


Pizza 2: homemade white flour crust (I was feeling wild and crazy), sliced tomatoes, sliced roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced black olives, Soy Curls (re-hydrated in a bacon-style marinade: water, tamari, liquid hickory smoke), Follow Your Heart soycheese.

PS- Me and my guy are all ready for the Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto on the first weekend in Sept! We're all booked for transportation and lodging. Anyone else going?

Soy Curls!

First Soy Curls meal: warm chikn sandwich! I used the gravy recipe in The Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton, but I used tamari instead of vinegar (why is there vinegar in gravy?). SO GOOD.

First Soy Curls meal: gyros! I used the gyros (Greek meat-on-a-pita) recipe in Vegan Express. Also good!

Verdict: they are pretty much the same as TVP chunks, but in a more fun shape.. I won't be ordering them again but I'd buy them all the time if it was sold in stores here.