Saturday, April 20, 2013

Vegan Mexican Flat Bread

Here is another Friday night "pizza" idea. I am always looking for different recipes to put on a pizza. We are running low on food again and I just used some things I had left in the pantry. This is really simple and does not take very long to make either. It is great served cold the next day too! I have been eating it all morning!!!!
I forgot to take a picture before I cut it all up but this gives you a good idea of what it looks like!



Makes: 2 medium pizzas
Total Cook Time: 45 minutes

Dough Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 (or more) cups warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl until they stick together. Kneed for about 5 minutes. Place in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and put in fridge until you are ready to use it.

Flat Bread Toppings
1 can whole black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 whole tomato)
2 avocados
olive oil
garlic salt
Cayenne pepper
taco seasoning
salt/pepper
daiya cheddar cheese (optional)
tofuti sour cream

Directions
Drain your bans, corn and tomatoes. If you are using a whole tomato dice it into small squares. If you used a can after you drain it you may want to dice them a little smaller but it is your call.

Place in a medium bowl and add olive oil, cayenne pepper, taco seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. You may want to taste it before you add to much. Mix everything together.

Roll out your dough into 2 even pieces. Place on a tray with nonstick cooking spray. Cover evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Place your combination of beans,corn and tomatoes evenly on top. Place in oven for about 8 minutes.

If you are adding the vegan cheese do this now. Place back in oven for about another 10 minutes or until dough is crispy.

While it is cooking slice open your avocados and cut into small squares. When the flat bread is done remove form oven and let cool. Place the avocado pieces evenly on top 
and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.

Cut to your liking and serve hot with some tofutti sour cream on the side. 

Enjoy :)







Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Friday Night: English Muffin Pizzas


Who doesn't love Friday night pizza night??? As a kid we always made pizza on Friday nights. Dad would go out and get dough from the local Pizza place (one of the great things about growing up in New York) and we would make homemade pizzas. This idea actually comes from cousin Tom as one of his friends mom made it when they were growing up. It came to me because I was not in the mood to make pizza dough but really wanted pizza. This is quick and delicious! 

Now one thing I will say Jimmy suggested next time I either make my own or buy the actual Pizza sauce in a jar. I did not know there was a difference as my dad always made his own sauce. I barely knew sauce came in a jar as a kid. Not that the regular sauce is bad he just said it would taste a bit better. But it is definitely your call!

Ingredients
3 English Muffins
6 teaspoons vegan butter
1/4 cup sauce
vegetables (your choice)
Daiya Mozzarella 
Bacos (optional)
oregano
pizza seasoning 

Makes: 6 halves
Total Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Directions
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

1) Cut open your English Muffins open and spread evenly with butter. Place on non stick cooking tray or spray a tray with non stick cooking spray. Place in oven for about 5 minutes until they begin to get a light brown color.

2) Chop your vegetables to your liking. 

3) Remove from oven and let cook for a minute. 

4) Spread sauce evenly on top of each half. Spread your vegetables on top and sprinkle with some daiya cheese. Also add your oregano and pizza seasoning. If you are using the bacos add these as well.

5) Place back in oven for about 10 minutes of until they begin to get crispy. Be careful not to burn the bottoms though.

6) Serve hot and with any other sauces you would like. I enjoy vegan Parmesan or vegan ranch!


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Vegetable Quesadilla

This is perfect for lunch! Jimmy was gone a lot this weekend because he coaches baseball so I was only cooking for one. Even though I know he would have loved this he didn't get to try it. Maybe I will make it agan this weekend. I was trying to make something small yet filling and I was not really in the mood for a sandwich. I decided to go with things I had laying around and to make it simple. Well that it was but and full of flavor. Hope you enjoy :)



Ingredients
1 tortila shell
1 mushroom
1/4 yellow onion
1 small (red, yellow or orange pepper)
3 tablespoons garlic hummus
steak seasoning
garlic salt
olive oil
spray oil 

Directions
Slice all of your vegetables to your liking. In a medium pan cook them with some olive oil on medium heat until they are all soft. Add steak seasoning to taste. When they are cooked through (about 8 minutes) remove from heat. Take your tortila shell and spread your garlic hummus evenly on the entire thing. Place your vegetables on one half and close the shell. Spray with oil and sprinkle garlic salt on top. 

I used my quesadilla maker and just placed it on half for about 5 minutes until it was golden brown. If you are cooking this in the oven I would preheat your oven to 350 degrees and let cook for about 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove and let cool. Using a pizza cutter slice into 3 even pieces of just in half. You can serve it with salsa or vegan sour cream if you choose but I ate it alone and the garlic hummus had enough flavor where it was not necessary to add anything else! A good side to serve it with is always any kind of chips you like as well!!!!



Monday, April 8, 2013

Vegan Pot Pie

So I have been MIA again but I do have a few recipes to add. I have just been so busy that honestly I have not made that many new things. Also this is my 50TH recipe on here! I honestly can not believe that I have created 50 recipes on my own. I am very excited to share this one with you because I have been craving a good-ol Marie Calenders pot pie for a while. Usually when I get an idea in my head I google it to see what others have done (or I look on pintrest) just to get some ideas to help me out. Well I did that with this one and was not really impressed with any of them. I just kept thinking haven't these people had a pot pie before? They were just not what I was imagining. So I just went with it I knew what I wanted it to taste like and I created it. It came out absolutely PERFECT and I was unable to finish my entire pie and enjoyed part of it for lunch today too. So delicious. 

Well, tonight is the Final game of March Madness and I am extremely sad. I love watching all of the games because they are always so exciting. I am rooting for Michigan because that is where my Mom went to school. Plus I hate when 1 seeds win. My family (most from Michigan) is currently arguing in a group message as to who they are rooting for. Cousin Krystal and Mom went to Michigan and cousin Tom went to state. Most of the family would rather see State in the finals but we always like a good family rivalry. All the smack talk is kind of funny and even though State is not in the tournament anymore the smack talk continues. Anyway, GO BIG BLUE!!!!! and here is the amazing recipe!!!!




Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons vegan butter
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon salt

Filling
1/2 yellow onion
2 stalks celery
3/4 cups frozen mixed vegetables 
(carrots, corn, peas & green beans)
3 medium mushrooms
1 vegetable boullion or 
1 tablespoon vegetable better then boullion
2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons corn starch
salt/pepper
cayenne  
2 tablespoons olive oil

Makes: 2 medium pot pies
Total Cook time: about an hour & a half

Directions
1. First you are going to want to make your dough. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and butter. Slowly add the water as needed. You may need less or more then a cup it just depends. Continue to kneed the dough until it sticks together. You will want to keep kneeding it for at least 5 minutes. Form it into a ball and cover in saran wrap and place in the fridge until later.

2. Next you will want to get your vegetables going. You want to dice your onion very fine. The celery you can leave a little bigger but you do not want huge chunks either. Place these in a medium pan with the olive oil on medium heat. Once they start to soften you will want to add the mixed vegetables. When they start to defrost you will want to slice your mushrooms and add them as well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until everything is defrosted and soft. Remove from heat and set aside. 

3. Time to make the sauce. In a medium pot pour in the almond milk and vegetable boullion and place on medium heat. Bring it to a boil. Add the nutritional yeast and cayenne. Once it starts to boil reduce heat and you will want to add the corn starch according to the directions on the back of the package. Whisk this in until the it begins to thicken. Once it begins to thicken add the vegetables and bring back to a boil. Continue whisking and eventually remove from heat and set aside until you are ready with the dough. 

Preheat Oven to 375

4. Time to roll out the dough. You want to roll out to bigger pieces and to smaller pieces. The bigger pieces need to be big enough to cover the bottom and the sides and the smaller pieces the top. You can cut it to size as well. You want to use non stick cooking spray to spray the bottom and sides of the pans you are using. Place the big pieces on the bottom and sides and make sure it fits perfectly. Add the filling evenly between the two. Place the smaller pieces on top and cut it to fit. Spread some olive oil evenly on top and if you want add some garlic salt for flavor. 

5. Place in oven and let cook anywhere from 30-45 minutes. You will want to check it frequently and adjust the temperature as you fell necessary. You do not want it to cook to fast because you need it to cook all the way through and you also do not want the top to cook. When it appears to be cooked all the way through remove from oven and let cook for at least 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Be careful when touching the pan as it will be EXTREMELY hot!!! :)