Pasta, Quesadillas, and Moo Shu Veggies with a twist

First of all, I have to mention that Chao cheese is now available in Logan, Utah, and it is by far the most amazing vegan cheese (apart from home made) I've ever had.

It's made from coconuts and other things, but wow!

I think I ate the whole block in 1-2 days... I know.

Quesadillas:
Gluten free spinach wraps
Chao cheese
Beyond meat chikn strips
homemade tomatilla salsa
hot sauce

Pretty self explanatory, but this is a super lazy meal for sure.  Grap a tortilla, put the cheese down, the strips and microwave for 1 minute, take it out and put a few spoons of salsa over top and fold the tortilla over, voila and eat with hot sauce if wanted :)

These also work good just with cheese, but too easy to eat like everything in one go, so probably best to put some good fillers in it :)

Pasta:

I made two versions of pasta over the past 2 days.

Red Pepper Pasta:
1 tbsp olive oil

2 gloves garlic

1 red pepper chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp agave
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
nutritional yeast

1/2 package of dried penne prepared


Saute garlic in oil, add red pepper and zucchini.  Add the seasonings through tomato sauce.  Let simmer until the sauce is fragrant and the flavors had integrated.

Add to the cooked pasta and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, pepper and nutritional flakes
I like things on the hot side-- so you can always adjust this to what you feel like.

Mexican-ish Pasta:
1/2 can of pinto beans
1/2 can of corn
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 tsp basil
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sherry
3-4 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup of water
1/2 tsp salt
kalamata olives
nutritional yeast

1/2 package of dried penne prepared

Saute garlic, onion, beans, corn in the oil until the onions are transparent.
Add the rest of the ingredients until the sauce is fragrant and the tastes have absorbed.

Add to the pasta, and top with kalamata olives, and nutritional yeast.

if I had had cilantro and kale I probably would have added it as well :)

Moo Shu Gardein with Pineapples
1/2 package of Gardein 'Beef' chunks
1/2 head cabbage sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sherry vinegar
2-3 tbsp liquid aminos
1-2 tsp black bean sauce (found in asian food section)
1 tsp hot sauce
1 slice of pineapple chopped (middle removed)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp minced ginger

Gluten free spinach wraps

Fry ginger and garlic in sesame oil.  Add the other sauces and liquids then add the gardein.  Saute for a few minutes then add the pineapple. Saute for 2-3 minutes than add the cabbage.  If liquids seem less, add tsp at a time of black bean sauce, and liquid aminos.  Heat until the cabbage becomes soft, and add sesame seeds.  Remove from heat.

Heat the wraps and then stuff the cabbage mixture into the wrap and use soy sauce as dip.

And I also made cookies:

Chocolate chip cookies:
 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup coconut oil, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used homemade...  just melt cocoa butter-- 1/3 cup and mix in lots of cocoa powder-- maybe something like 1/3-1/2 cup and some agave--2-3 tbsp and then let dry at room temp) 1/3 cup of silken tofu, 1-2 tbsp agave and 1 tsp vanilla extract. 350 for 8 minutes.

-- copied from my fb page.  



Okay off to bed, goodnight everyone! :)

Thai Popcorn

I tried out this Appetizer dish for girls night.

And it was amazing, everyone really enjoyed it, so this is party friendly!  And not too much work.

Thai 'Popcorn'
Serves 8

Wraps
6-7 big leaves or 20 small green leaves (spinach, lettuce) cut into 2" by 2" pieces or 4x4

Filling
1 cup coconut shredded coconut toasted (heating them on a skillet with no oil, is enough to toast them)
1/2 cup peanuts toasted
1/4 cup soy sauce +2 tbsp (depending on how salty you like it)
1/4 cup sugar + 2tbsp (depending on how sweet you like it)
3/4 cup water

Toppings
1 lime thinly slice peel included
1/4 cup of ginger minced
1 hot pepper thinly sliced (optional)
1 cup cilantro chopped
1/2 cup peanuts roughly chopped (or food processed) and  toasted
1/2 cup shredded coconut toasted

Dry roast the peanuts and the coconut for the filling.  Once fragrant and lightly browned, add the soy sauce, sugar and water.  Add 1/4th of a cup to start out with and add more based on your taste preference. When I made this yesterday I used 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp for both sugar and soy sauce,  but I think next time I make it I will use less of both.

Add the water to the filling, once bubbling, let simmer for 5 minutes.  Take it off the burner.  Blend the ingredients-- it will become like a fluffy paste.

Place filling in a serving bowl.

For the toppings, prepare all ingredients separately.  On a large serving tray, the lettuce leaves can be arranged on the outside, with a bowl of the filling in the middle.  Each topping can be placed in a separate small serving dish-- apart from the peanuts and the coconut which can be mixed together.

To make a 'popcorn', take a piece of lettuce, put about 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of filling, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1-2 pieces of lime, 3-4 pieces of chopped cilantro, 1 small piece of hot pepper (opt), 1/2 tsp of peanut/coconut mixture , and fold over the lettuce leaves and pop in the mouth!

Everyone loved these little treats!
Another option is to prepare each 'popcorn' yourself and toothpick them to hold them together and serve on a tray.

Lots of fun!

Hawaiian Eggplant Casserole

Hawaiian Eggplant Casserole

This dish is best served with rice or quinoa (prepare separately)

2 eggplants roughly chopped

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soysauce (braggs)

1 cored pineapple blended 

Corn from 1 corn on the cob

2 inches of ginger minced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp sucanat

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp tomato paste

1tbsp soy sauce (braggs)

1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp vinegar (white wine)

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp onion powder 

Before chopping the eggplants, throw them in the oven for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

Mix the chopped eggplant with water and soysauce in a bowl to soak for 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F, chop and mix the rest of the ingredients together.  After the eggplant has had a chance to marinate, mix the all of the ingredients together with the eggplant.  Place it all in a baking dish.  Bake at 400, for 35 minutes, Turn it down to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Alternatively this dish could be made in the crockpot.  4-6 hours on high.

 This recipe came to be, because I had some dying eggplant in the fridge along with a dying pineapple and corn.  It took me a while to figure out what to make, as I was going to make separate dishes but I was thinking about how the dishes wouldn't mesh that well together.  I finally decided to mix them all in to one dish. Anyway, it turned out pretty amazing, definitely a keeper!  :)  

Mu Shu Inspired Cooked Salad

Mu Shu Salad
3 large servings

1 head of cauliflower thinly sliced and roughly chopped
1/4 head of purple cabbage sliced and roughly chopped
1 onion sliced
1 bunch of swiss chard
2 tbsp of sesame seeds

Sauce:
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of almond butter
2 tbsp of vinegar (balsamic, rice or wine)
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp of sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp of molasses
1 tsp of ginger powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
dash of salt

Garnish:
3 sprigs of cilantro (optional)
1-2 tbsp of peanuts (optional)

Put 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the onions until soft.  Add the cauliflower and cabbage, cook until slightly soft, but still mostly crunchy.  Mix the sauce separately until well combined.  Add to the cooking vegetables, add the swiss chard and sesame seeds.  When the swiss chard wilts, then the dish is done.  Turn off the heat garnish with cilantro and peanuts and serve with tortillas, rice or plain.