Over the past few months I've been pretty bad at taking food photos. I did, however, manage to take a few. I'm going to add a couple of posts with a few new recipes on them, and then hopefully I can get back into the swing of things blog-wise.
I know this isn't much to look at, but this recipe was fantastic! It was deeeeeelicious. YUM. I found it in a cookbook called 'Casseroles' while I was working at the book store (that is no longer.. so sad). I upped the garlic, omitted the cornstarch & water, but left the rest the same.
This is a recipe I found in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. I altered it only very slightly, and it was pretty good. The kids loved it, but they love anything with tofu in it.
Broccoli, Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry
Tofu:
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Teriyaki Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
3.5 tbsp agave nectar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
Stir-Fry:
2 tbsp olive oil
4.5 cups broccoli pieces
sea salt, to taste
2 tsp water
1 large bell pepper (I used red pepper), chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews
In a shallow dish, add tofu. Pour soy sauce and vinegar over the tofu for at least 10 minutes. Stir it once.
In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients for for teriyaki sauce until the arrowroot powder has dissolved.
In a large wok on high, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the tofu and cook for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side another 3 minutes. Remove the tofu from the wok and set aside. Turn the heat to medium, add another tbsp of oil and add the broccoli, salt and water. Toss, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Add bell peppers and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce and increase to high heat. Toss well, and let the sauce come to a slow boil. Once it's at a slow boil and has thickened, add the tofu and cashews. Toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve over some rice noodles.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I know this isn't much to look at, but this recipe was fantastic! It was deeeeeelicious. YUM. I found it in a cookbook called 'Casseroles' while I was working at the book store (that is no longer.. so sad). I upped the garlic, omitted the cornstarch & water, but left the rest the same.
Harvest Vegetable and Lentil Casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
1 sweet potato, diced
8oz rutabaga, diced
3/4 cup dried brown, lentils
1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped
3 3/4 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat the oil. Add leeks, garlic and celery. Cook 3 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, lentils, tomatoes, thyme, marjoram and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and transfer to a casserole dish (we had to use two dishes). Bake for 50 minutes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I threw this dish together one afternoon when I was stumped about what to make for dinner. It turned out quite well!
Slow Cooked Spinach & Cheese Pasta
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 nutmeg, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups whipping cream
5 cups baby spinach
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bag medium shell noodles (uncooked)
1 cup parmesan cheese
In a medium-large sized pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the pepper, salt, nutmeg, garlic, Dijon, ricotta cheese, spinach and whipping cream. Mix until smooth and the spinach has wilted. Place the noodles in a slow cooker, and add the mixture from the pot. Add the red pepper and stir to combine. Add the grated parmesan cheese to the top, cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. Test your pasta to see if it's cooked through since cooking times vary with different slow cookers.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I've been making these cookies for about 4 years now. I found them in 'Vegan with a Vengeance'! These are Rhianna's favourite cookie!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
4 tbsp raw sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup soy milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Place the raw sugar in a bowl.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl mix together the canola oil, molasses, soy milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
Roll into 1 inch balls, flatten and roll in the sugar.
Bake for about 10 minutes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Peanut Butter Blossoms - definitely a favourite holiday cookie in this house!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
These cookies are my Mum's specialty. My siblings and I all love Mum's whipped shortbread, and quite frankly, it isn't the holiday season until you take your first bite of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
Whipped Shortbread
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl add the butter, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer, mix until the dry ingredients have been absorbed into the butter. Add the flour and continue to mix until the dough's texture is like whipped cream.
Drop by small teaspoons onto a cookie tray. Top with some sprinkles or half of a maraschino cherry and bake until very light brown at the edges, 8-10 minutes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Our New Year's Eve was delightful. We had a quiet night at home and let the kids stay up to ring in the new year for the first time. I made these special virgin drinks for midnight and they were enjoyed by all.
Sunset Sippers
3 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups apple juice
3/4 cup lemonade
12 oz ginger ale
grenadine syrup
In a large pitcher, combine the orange juice, apple juice, lemonade and ginger ale. Pour 1-2 tbsp of grenadine in each glass and top with the mixed juice.
