VEEG

Being without meat doesn't mean you have to give up flavors you enjoy.  The flavors can be carried over to non meat items, like mushrooms or tofu or jack fruit.  At first it may seem ridiculous but once you replace the meats with substitutes you can enjoy those dishes still. Mushroom Bolognese If you are allergic to nuts, simply skip no need to replace it with something.  It's amazing without the nuts as well. 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 8 cups mushrooms, mixed ie. Baby Bella and Shitake 3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped, and toasted 2 cups tomatoes, Roma's or the Cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 quart chopped tomatoes 1 cup red wine (not dry) or grape juice 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon  tomato paste 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika powder 1 bay leaf 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes se...

Our local market is loaded with eggplant right now.  Three main varieties; Asian, Italian and Globe. Do yourself a flavor, do not fry the eggplant, roast it.  Eggplant acts as a serious sponge, sucking up tons of oil. MISO EGGPLANT 6 tablespoons white miso paste 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons water 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger 3 to 4 medium sized eggplants 1. Dice eggplant into one inch pieces.  With or without skin.  Up to you. 2. Roast @ 375° F until just tender. 3. Make sauce.  Pour sauce into large pan.  Add eggplant. 4. Heat eggplant with sauce for about 10 minutes. 4. Serve over rice or as a side.

Chef John from Food Wishes came up with this amazing recipe , go here to visit his blog .  Or you can watch a gazillion of his You Tube videos, which I may have done. I used his recipe and made it my own, changing the amounts and the type of fat mainly.  The size of the one he made had us fighting over it. Well, maybe not fighting but there was definitely tension as we ate and realized we had to have more. It's so good- it has become a regular feature at our house. RICE AND macaRONI 3 tablespoons avocado oil 3/4 cup finely diced onions 1 cup orzo pasta, or spaghetti broken into small pieces 2 cups white long grain rice 3 cups vegetable broth* Spice blend: 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more if needed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 1/2 teaspoon celery salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley Saute pasta in oil until golden, add spices for 30 se...

 My mother grew up during the Great Depression and war.  There was rationing on flour and many other things.  Her family used a lot of buckwheat as a replacement for the flour.  My mother wasnt overly fond of buckwheat and disliked it even more due to the frequency. When she was older and had her family there was nothing ever made with buckwheat.  So when I was at my cousins house and had buckwheat pancakes with blueberries I was intrigued.  Also, some of my favorite noodles, the Japanese ones are also made with buckwheat. I found this recipe in a book called, The Easy Vegan Cookbook, written by Kathy Hester.  I had to try it.  I did adapt it a little and added some sugar. I know, I know, I shouldn't have but I knew my girls would not eat the pancakes without a little sugar. Apple Zucchini Buckwheat Pancakes dry ingredients 1 cup buckwheat 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teas...

Vegan pizza.  I know.  It kind of seems ridiculous.  Cause you know pizza is all about the cheese. And its good.  I totally understand.  But all you need to do is shift your attitude a little and you will find that pizza really is so much more.  It can be about any flavor you want.  And of course, it can be about your favorite vegan mozzarella too.  But challenge yourself to go beyond all that.  To try new horizons. We have had vegan pizza few times.  We like it with sauce and an assortment of roasted vegetables. We liked this one a lot too.  It was so good. I think what really elevates this is the sauteed onions.  I might have mentioned that before in other recipes.  Do you detect a theme? Mushroom and Potato Pizza dough: 3 1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (1 package) 1 1/4 to 1/2 cups water topping: 4 cups mushrooms, sliced 1 large...

This classic Italian 'Beans and Greens' comes together really easily.  I grew up on this dish.  Loaded with nutrients and flavor. When I was growing up, the sister to this dish, minestra was served in our house on a regular basis. All you would do is add chicken broth and pepperoni chunks and turn it into a soup.  I wasn't especially fond of the soup growing up.  I would pick out the pepperoni chunks. BEANS AND GREENS 1 to 2 heads kale or escarole, depending on how much is in the head or how much you want to make. 1 can or 2 cups white beans, such as navy beans 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil S & P, to taste Cook greens in salted water  ( about a tablespoon in a big pot), until tender.  Drain and cool. Squeeze water out as much as possible.  I like to chop it up at this point. In a large skillet saute garlic in oil. When garlic is slightly golden, add in greens and beans and heat through.  Add salt and ...

This is so delicious!  This will be a regular to be sure! You can find all kinds of version of this South Indian dish on the internet.  We are pretty pleased with this version and my adaptations.  One of my adaptations is the yellow peppers.  You probably wont find that in most of the recipes on the internet but we liked it because it upped the vegetable quotient in our meal and it looked pretty making the dish more yellow, like lemons. Lemon Rice If you have rice already made, this will come together super quick. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ½ tablespoon minced ginger ½ tablespoon urad dal 1 red chili pepper ½ teaspoon mustard seeds ½ cup raw cashew nuts some curry leaves, if you have them ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder 5½ cups cooked rice ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste 4 tablespoons lemon juice, from one large lemon 2 large yellow bell peppers 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves Saute yellow peppers in oil until soft.add ginger,...