Vegan Taco Dinner

Super easy to make vegan tacos:

1 c. Boca Crumbles
1 Clove minced garlic
1/3 c. Diced onion
2 T Taco seasoning
2 T Olive oil
1/4 c. Water

Mix all ingredients in a saute pan on the stove. Allow to simmer until water cooks off.

1/2 c. Daiya Shredded cheese
2 Taco shells
1 c. Arugula
1 Small Diced Tomato
1/2 Sliced Avacado

Warm soft taco shells in the pan on the stove. Add taco mixture evenly to each shell and top with desired amounts of remaining ingredients.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

This delectable holiday favorite was noticeably missing from my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables for years after I became vegan.  Now, there is a competitive alternative that is considerably healthier and I'd argue considerably more flavorful than before.  With the binding ingredient, Cream of Mushroom Soup, sufficiently substituted, I present:

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb Green Beans, cut & cooked
10 oz Button & Shitake Mushrooms
3 Cloves minced garlic
2 T. Flour
3/4 C. Vegetable Broth
1 T. dry Sherry
3/4 C. Soy Creamer
3 T. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in saucepan.  Add mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk flour and broth and add to saucepan.  Continue to whisk mixture and add mushrooms and sherry.

Simmer, stirring until thick.  Add soy creamer and simmer again until thick, about 5-10 minutes.  Stir in green beans.

Oil a casserole dish and put green bean mixture into into the dish.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Top green bean casserole with shoe string potatoes.  Bake in oven at 425 for 15 minutes.

Calories: 1 serving = 102 calories.

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas with Salsa Verde

When I suggested quesadillas for dinner the other night, Jeff exclaimed that he just happened to be an expert quesadilla maker.  I put him to the test suggesting veggie quesadillas that the meat eater and vegan could both enjoy.  Here is his creation.

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas

Servings: 4 Quesadillas
Prep time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients:

1/2 Large sweet onion, thickly sliced
1 Green bell pepper sliced into strips
1-1/2 C. Sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 Clove minced  garlic
1 Pkg. Shredded Soy Cheddar Cheese (I love the Daiya brand)
1 Can Black beans, drained
1 Avocado, thinly sliced
1 C. Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 large Soft Flour Tortilla Shells
2 T. Olive Oil
Salt & pepper taste

Directions:
Wash and slice veggies and garlic as directed above.   Grill in a frying pan on the stove just until tender.

In another skillet on medium-high heat, place one of the tortilla shells. Put 1/2 cup of cheese of your choice on the shell and top with a portion of the grilled veggie mixture.  Add a heaping 1/4 cup of black beans and a few slices of avocado.

Grill the quesadilla for 2 minutes as shown above.  Then flip one side up folding it in half.  Continue to grill it about 5 minutes on each side until light golden brown. 

While Jeff was busy making the quesadillas, I made the salsa verde - same recipe for the Grilled portabella mushroom tacos that won first place in the vegan main dish contest at the Iowa State Fair this year.

 

Salsa Verde

Servings: 2-1/2 C.
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Tomatillos, chopped (or 1 C. canned)
1 Large green bell pepper chopped
1 Large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process til smooth.

Serve up the quesadilla on a large plate and slice into quarters.  Add the salsa verde on the side.  Shown here with Corn & Black Bean Salsa and tortilla chips.  This was fantastic, and Jeff definitely lived up to his hype.  He'll be making quesadillas again :)

Caramel Cafe, Tampa

Last weekend when I was in Tampa, Jeff (the meat eater) and I (the vegan) got a recommendation from a friend to try out Caramel Cafe & Wine Bar in South Tampa.  Great recommendation!

They don't take reservations on Saturday evenings, and the wait for a table was not bad. Menus are uniquely on iPads.  When you want to order an item, you just select it, type in special instructions -- i.e. "plz make vegan" or "no mash sub quinoa."

Only order what you're ready to eat, because the food will come out  minutes after you hit the "place order" button. We ordered tapas-style, choosing one item at a time so it would come out fresh.  The waiter came by periodically to refill water, but other drinks were also ordered from the iPad.

Red Pepper Muhammarra

 Our first food item was the Red Pepper Muhammarra, a specific recommendation from our friend.  With the consistency of a red pepper hummus, muhammarra is a Middle-Eastern dish typically made with pepper, walnuts, olive oil and pomegranate. It was fantastic and unique dish that had great flavor and both the vegan and meat eater devoured it.

Chickpea Frites

Chickpea Frites were especially intriguing and ordered next.  When I asked if they had egg in them, the waiter responded, "No, they're vegan." (awesome!)

As a side note, its always good when the wait staff is thoroughly informed and educated about the food they are serving. They fact that they can rattle off whether a dish is vegan, vegetarian or contains honey is impressive and shows that they are an informed and integral part of the restaurant's team -- as they should be when they are the face of the restaurant when dealing with a customer!

The vegan Chickpea Frites had the consistency of mashed potatoes formed within a delicately fried frame. They were served with tomato jam made from tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and spice which was delicious and I would rather have in the place of ketchup for everything!  It was also served with a curry aioli - not vegan - but which Jeff thoroughly enjoyed. 

Edamame Hummus (partly eaten, we get so excited about the

 food

 we forget to take pics)

Edamame hummus was ordered next.  It too had great flavor and consistency.  I liked that the rice chips served with it were bland and their sole purpose was to serve as a vehicle for delivering the hummus.  I did not inquire as to whether this was vegan and just assumed it was.  The day after I had stomach pains and Jeff thought that the Edamame hummus may have had a dairy product in it.  I can usually tell immediately, however this one alluded me, if so.  The vegan diner should ask if ordering this dish.

Vegetable Platter with Apricot Couscous in the middle

For my main dish, which Jeff partook in, I had the Roasted Vegetable Platter ("no mash sub quinoa").  The vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, grilled onions, carrots, zucchini and onions --were freshly grilled or broiled sans any sort of meaty or smokey flavor. Just clean grilled vegetables.  I substituted the mashed potatoes for an apricot couscous -  slightly sweet and a must try.

Jeff had the Ceviche to himself.  He thought it was fantastic (ate it so fast I couldn't get a picture!).  He was not a fan of the rice-chips served with it however.  He felt regular tortilla style chips would be better and are his preferred delivery mechanism for ceviche generally.

Overall, this was a fantastic date-night dinner location.  Great atmosphere where the wait staff didn't have to be included in the date but where very helpful and appeared only when needed.  We've since recommended it to other friends in the Tampa area.  The vegan & meat-eater  will definitely be back!
 

Berry Workout Recovery Smoothie

This is a great post-workout smoothie I make regularly that is simple, easy to make, and super healthy.  And its really tasty and naturally sweet.  It contains soy protein for muscle recovery, banana for potassium, and blueberries and strawberries that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and anti-inflamatory properties.

Servings: 2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 Medium banana

1 1/4 C. Frozen blueberries
1-2 Scoops soy protein powder
1 C. Frozen whole strawberries
1 1/2 C. Soy milk

Directions: 

Put all ingredients in blender in the order listed.  Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape sides if necessary and increase to high speed for 30 seconds or until creamy smooth.  Pour and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories		380.5
Total Fat		4.9 g
	Saturated Fat	0.4 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.3 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		459.6 mg
Potassium		991.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		51.1 g
	Dietary Fiber	7.4 g
	Sugars	30.9 g
Protein		39.8 g

Vitamin A	44.3 %
Vitamin B-12	44.6 %
Vitamin B-6	70.3 %
Vitamin C	106.4 %
Vitamin D	18.8 %
Vitamin E	8.3 %
Calcium	58.6 %
Copper	69.6 %
Folate	63.8 %
Iron	77.4 %
Magnesium	38.4 %
Manganese	28.0 %
Niacin	41.1 %
Pantothenic Acid	38.5 %
Phosphorus	51.1 %
Riboflavin	62.9 %
Selenium	95.9 %
Thiamin	40.2 %
Zinc	35.8 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal for One

Don't skip out on the yummy foods of fall just because you're only cooking for one!  This pumpkin pie oatmeal is perfect for cool fall mornings!

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

1/3 C. Quick Oats
1/3 C. Pumpkin Puree

1/4 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon spice
1/3 C. Soy or Almond Milk
1/4 C. Light brown sugar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the brown sugar in a  bowl.  Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and mix in brown sugar. 

Top with pecans if you want and enjoy!

Soho Cafe in Savannah

It was a cool and overcast day today when my meat eater and I went out in search of lunch in downtown Savannah.  Soho Cafe was recommended to us by the concierge as a vegan friendly restaurant. Vegan accommodating it definitely was. Overall friendly, it was not.

Soho Cafe is a combination cafe and art gallery.  Paintings and prints fill the vast waiting room, and paintings surround you in the restaurant.  Prints were reasonably priced, and the local paintings were a little on the pricey side.

We were able to be seated right away for lunch around 1:00, but were move from one table to another, to another while each seating area got closed off to wait staff.  They weren't friendly about it, as they asked us to move and our waitress wasn't especially cordial either.  Actually seeming to be annoyed that we would bother them with our business.

But the food turned out to be pretty good.

I had the Grilled Vegetable Focaccia sandwich with the house salad:
Grilled Vegetable Focaccia ………..9.95
eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, & onion with sun-dried tomatoes & herbed Boursin goat cheeses blend 
on warm focaccia.

I opted for it without the cheese and it was a great choice.  The sandwich was served with a choice of side; either house salad, chips and a pickle, or southwestern potato salad or 3 bean-corn salad.  

The vegetables were grilled fresh and with a sun-dried tomato-herb sauce, which together tasted like garden fresh pizza.  The sandwich was truly made by the foaccia bread -- it was very fresh and fitting for the sandwich.  

This was also very filling and half of the sandwich went to my meat eater who also agreed it was very tasty and reminded him of fresh veggies on homemade pizza crust.     

My meat heater had the Mom's Meatloaf Sandwich:
Mom’s Meat Loaf………..9.50
on warm Kaiser roll with Russian dressing, lettuce, & tomatoes.

 

He ate the whole thing, very eagerly, and said it was fantastic.  

Bottom line up front:  The food here is really good, as well as the art.  The wait staff though is not so much -- quite frankly rude and off-putting, to the extent that I probably won't be back.  It could have been the rain clouds in an otherwise sunny city so I'd give it a try if its your first time in Savannah.  But I wouldn't wait in line.