Ravioli Yummy Yum Yums and Chik’n Rolls

 Ravioli Yummy Yum Yums and Chik’n “Egg” Rolls

 

 

So first let me preface the title of my post.  I did not name my ravioli Yummy yum yums, my mom loved them and named them.  I generally try not to be so arrogant but in this case I liked the name.  The ravioli was meant to be baked crunchy and dipped into a tomato sauce but they were preferred plain. I failed to take a picture (I really need a smart phone) of the egg rolls so just imagine one.  They looked fairly normal if not for a little poorly rolled.  I would love to hear of people’s variations on these or similar recipes!! PLEASE share!!

 

Ravioli Yummy Yum Yums

Pre-heat oven to 375

1. 1  package of firm tofu –rinse well and crumble with hands
2. 1 TB of Italian seasoning
3. 2 TB of nutritional yeast
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1 tsp garlic powder
6. 1 package of phyllo dough

Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl.  If the mixture is too dry you can add a dash of soy milk.  Take your phyllo dough and using ½ sheets fold in half twice.  Take a spoonful of the tofu mixture and pinch sides to form a seal.  It may help to brush with a bit of oil to get the seal.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and cover with non-stick spray.  After you have the raviolis all lined up on the cookie sheet give them a good spray too.  You can use olive oil or melted “butter” but I find it easier to just spray stuff. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until nice and golden.  Yummy yum yums.

Chik’n “Egg” Rolls

Pre-heat oven to 375

1. 1.       Gardein Chik’n strips (coupon- http://www.gardein.com/ecoupon.php )
2. 2.       Small head of cabbage
3. 3.       4 large carrots
4. 4.       3 TB of hoisin sauce
5. 5.       1 TB of teriyaki sauce
6. 1 package of phyllo dough

Shred cabbage and carrots into a large bowl.  You may want to add more or less carrots depending on size of cabbage.  I like to see about ½ of each.  Tear the chicken strips up even more than they are and add to bowl.  Stir in hoisin sauce and teriyaki sauce. Try to coat everything evenly.  Take a piece of phyllo  and lightly spray with oil.  Fold in half and spoon some of the mixture  onto one end.  Roll up and fold in the sides as you roll.  Place onto foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with oil.  Once you have them lined up and ready to bake spray tops with oil.  Bake for about 15 minutes watching to make sure they don’t over brown.  If you think they might burn throw some aluminum over top of them for the last 5 minutes.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manna Meatloaf…Straight from Heaven

I like the taste of meat.  There.  I said it.  I still crave hamburgers and fried chicken and pot roast from a crock pot.  When I do crave the texture and taste of real meat, all I have to do is to think of the suffering that brief moment of culinary delight will cause on an innocent animal.  An animal that had a life before my stomach rumbled.  This thought keeps the desire to eat the craved food averted and, to date, my moral compass still pointing in the correct direction.   My ever so lovely mother bought me a copy of Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and  I saw a recipe in the book for meatloaf.  Meat substitutes are funny creatures and are either wonderful (GARDEIN) or scary.  They suggested to use Gimme Lean vegan ground beef, which my Kroger just happened to carry.  I went home and whipped up a yummy meatloaf  and it has impressed everyone who has eaten it….well, that’s technically just me and my boss, but some of the people I’ve offered it to just have no sense of adventure. 

 

Meatloaf  Like Granny Makes

Preheat oven to 375

• 1 Package of Gimme Lean (Vegan Ground Beef)
• 1/2 Sweet Onion Chopped
• 2 Slices of Hearty Bread (I used Ezekiel)
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
• 3 TB of Plain Vegan Milk
• 3 TB of Olive Oil
• 2 TB of Nutritional Yeast
• 1 TB of Braggs Liquid Amino or Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• Dash of Chili Powder
• Dash of Liquid Smoke
• Ketchup for Topping

 

Mix all ingredients by hand until thoroughly combined.  Place into a greased casserole dish (9×9).  Spread a generous portion of ketchup over the entire top.  Bake for 45 minutes uncovered.  Check at half way point and if the ketchup begins to look overcooked then place lid on dish to prevent burning.  When a non vegan walks into your kitchen and says “Mmmm, are you cooking meatloaf?”  then you know it’s gotta be good!  Serve with some of yesterday’s potato salad and you have a meal fit for a king.  Or at least a really good friend.

Vegan Potato Salad Delish Dish

To the 3 faithful followers that we have I do apologize for the long absence.  Emily has been touring around the US and Canada with PETA2 on the Warped Tour, and I have been  a very lazy junk food vegan.  This is a trap, that I hear, many people get stuck in after becoming newly vegan.  After reading Skinny Bitch, and watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead , I decided that simply abstaining from animal flesh and their secretions was not enough.  This is not a “diet” in which to lose weight, it is a lifestyle choice to create peace and love in all that we do.  We do not need to cause suffering through our food choices. And for that reason I need to begin to focus on creating foods that I can eat for the rest of my life.  Foods that can offer comfort and satisfaction, and still maintain my life’s philosophies, all the while adding to my health instead of subtracting from it.   Thus like a phoenix from the ashes arose this new found desire to create healthy vegan dishes!!  Okay, that last bit may have went a little overboard.  Here is some yummy tater salad that isn’t too bad for you.

Vegan Potato Salad   

3 Large Baking Potatoes

2-3 TB of  Nutritional Yeast (AKA food of the Gods)

1/2 Cup of Vegan Mayo

1/4-1/2 Cup of Chopped Onions

1/4 C Vegan Bac-o’s Bacon Flavor Bits

S&P to taste

Cut potatoes in to small chunks and add to a pot of boiling water.  Boil until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.  Rinse in a colander under cold running water for a few minutes to cool the potatoes down.   Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Enjoy, and share with a friend!

MorningStar Farm Coupon

Hey who doesn’t like to save a buck. MorningStar Farms is offering a dollar off coupon right now. so go check it out!

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/coupon.aspx

While all of their options are not vegan many are. I really enjoy the MorningStar Farms™ Sweet & Sour Chik’n! You can check out all the vegan options on their website.

Happy grubbin’

Happy Thanksgiving in a Bowl..Yeah I Know What Time of Year it is.

So after having a very long day and the weather still being cold and damp, and well basically crap; I wanted some comfort food.  I looked in my fridge for some inspiration.  Hmmm….let’s see. Carrots, celery, and onions…that sounds like a yummy start.  So I began sauteing them on the stove.  Hmmm…what else.  I had purchased some brown rice a few weeks ago and had yet to open the bag.  I started some on the stove.  So I let those cook for a bit.

 I then looked in the fridge again for something else to toss into the mixture.  I had half a can of peas and corn left over from the night before.  Why not?  After the rice and veggies were done I threw in the peas and corn and headed to the spice rack.  I grabbed some Thyme and Rosemary.  I tasted.  Holy kitchen sink, Batman!  This was delicious!  I gave it the ultimate taste test.  Zoe.  She looked at me, said “Mmmmm, Happy!”  It doesn’t get any better than that.

 

Directions:

brown rice-start one serving (1 cup) of brown rice  cooking

 

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 celery pieces de-stringed (made that word up!) and chopped

1/2 onion chopped

(get these on the stove and let them cook at medium heat)

After these are done cooking add in some more veggies or beans…I used corn and peas but you can mix it up.

Then I added 1 1/2 teaspoon of Thyme

1 1/2 teaspoon of Rosemary

and salt to taste

The seasonings are a bit heavy so go easy and taste as you add…I just like a lot of flavor.

Ta da!  Thanksgiving in a bowl.  Happy!

 

“Like” Us Cause We Love You!

You know you are just killing time on the computer at work anyway so why not help us out? Get on over to facebook and like us and follow us on twitter… ’cause all the cool kids are doing it. Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/VeganHappyMeals and find us on facebook at VeganHappyMeals 🙂
-peas and carrots
VeganHappyMeals

Cheesapalooza

I had a great suggestion from my super crafty friend Rachel ( http://brothernotboyfriend.blogspot.com/ ).  She wanted me to check out those darn vegetarian cheeses.  Well I thought that was a great idea!  I’d been a little hesitant to try them myself because,well, they’re not cheese.  They have a horrible reputation from years ago mostly because they are supposed to taste bad and apparently they wouldn’t melt.  Who wants to eat a cheese that doesn’t melt?  I thought I would check out the taste and melt factor and see which ones held up to my rigorous tests.  Actually, I just want a good grilled cheese.

DAIYA

http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/mozza.asp

  Daiya cheese is made entirely from plant-based ingredients.  That’s pretty awesome.  They also have a little note on the front of the package that says it melts and stretches.  Sounds like a pizza night!

Out of the bag the cheese looked pretty much just like traditional mozzarella.  Upon tasting it I liked the texture and the taste.  All good signs.

  Out of the oven the cheese looked pretty darn good!  Nice and golden in some spots, and it did look pretty cheesey.

This cheese was great!  It did have a slightly different taste than traditional mozzarella but nothing wierd or bad.  It holds up well in the fridge because I took the left overs to my mother the next day and she loved it too!     I will be buying this cheese again.  The only real downfall of this cheese was the price.   At almost $6.00 it was almost $3.00 more  than the icky cow’s milk version. We all know how subsidized that stuff is and sometimes the price of healthy food shocks us.   That being said, it is well worth the price if you are truly craving cheese.  I would love to try this in some other recipes, and plan on doing so soon.

Veggie

http://www.galaxyfoods.com/galaxy-products/soy-cheese/veggie/veggie-blocks/

Okay, so this cheese looked just like Velveeta cheese out of the package.  It smelled good and tasted good.  Until the next day my sister told me, “um, that’s not vegan.”  This my children is why you must never assume just because it was in the vegetarian section that it is vegan.  Read your labels.  Seriously.  Read them.  I am trying not to feel guilty about having eaten the sneaky cheese but what do I do with the other 2 Veggie cheeses that I bought to sample?  Anywho, since I did eat the cheese, and not everyone is a vegan I shall show you the results.   The cheese melted great and tasted pretty much like the Velveeta that I mentioned earlier.  I even made some delicious macaroni and cheese with it.  It was great.  Except for the whole cow’s milk thing.

Nutritional Yeast

This definition was taken from about.com.  http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/nutyeast.htm Definition: Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is a favorite amongst many vegans because of its unique flavor and similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast is also the only reliable food source of vitamin B12, so if you’re vegan, it’s a good idea to add some to your food regularly. Nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk foods or supplement section of your health food store. You can look for either nutritional yeast flakes or powder, but be sure you don’t get brewer’s yeast by mistake, as its quite similar in appearance. In Australia and New Zealand, nutritional yeast is also called “savory yeast” or “savory yeast flakes”.

I have been reading about how wonderful nutritional yeast was for about as long as I haven’t been eating meat.  I couldn’t find it in my local, large chain grocery store; but I did find some at the health food store a town over.  There were 2 options to buy, one was in a bulk style bag that the store had packaged themselves, and the other was pre-packaged in a shaker thing for convenience.  The bulk bags had more in them and were about half the price.  Do the math and save some money.  I picked up a bag of the finely ground and a bag of the flakes.  I sprinkled some of the ground stuff onto potato wedges before baking them.

Here they are after coming out of the oven.

These were sooooo freaking good!  I practically licked the pan to get every last bit of that yummy goodness!  By far this was a surprise hit, and my daughter loved them.  If you learn nothing else from this post today, read your ingredient list and buy some nutritional yeast.  You’ll thank me later.

Cheap Eats and Tricking the Kids

I received an email from my cousin that made my day.  I am going to share it and I really hope that it doesn’t embarrass her! 

I saw your blog on facebook before and thought it was really cool how you and Emily are doing this. So glad you don’t judge and still love all the meat lovers out there. 😉 But I have been considering giving up red meat. Problem is it’s about the cheapest thing you can feed your family on a budget and my little guy loves his spaghetti with meat sauce. Where did you find those meat crumbles at in your manwich recipe? Keep doing what you’re doing. I love it when people have the courage to share what they believe and want to make a difference.

Well, as many of you know, eating a vegetarian diet is MUCH less expensive than eating meat.  We have been conditioned to think that we must have meat with every meal.  You can get protein from so many sources without consuming meat and as a benefit you also won’t get all of that cholesterol. (Cholesterol is only found in animal products)  Start thinking outside the box and think about ways to change up your current favorite meals, or heck; try new meals!!  When was the last time you changed up what you prepare for dinner?  As far as prices go, beef is about 4.oo/lb.  Beans are about 1.50/lb, and less if you buy them dried and in bulk.  Look on the BOTTOM shelves at the grocery.  You will find the bagged beans and brown rice there.  The white rice is in a bright orange box at eye level but the healthy stuff is practically in the floor.  Maybe if it were in the floor we would trip on it and be more likely to buy it.  Keep in mind companies pay big bucks for prime real estate at the grocery, and that is where you lose the majority of your money…even with coupons.  Here are some great kid friendly meal ideas!

** Meat crumbles are found in the frozen foods section, usually with other vegetarian meal items.  Sometimes they are with the frozen breakfast items.  Please keep in mind that the vegetarian frozen convenience foods tend to be a bit pricey and you can make your own versions for a fraction of the cost.  A healthy vegetarian/vegan diet is one that is based on whole foods!

Ideas For Kid Friendly Meals

*Vegetarian not necessarily Vegan, but feel free to leave out dairy/eggs

for an even cheaper and healthier meal!!

• PB&J sandwiches (Make food fun by cutting sandwiches into different shapes. Cookie cutters are great for this.)
• Vegetarian Vegetable soup (Campbell’s makes an awesome version)
• Grilled cheese
• Oatmeal and cinnamon toast
• Bagel pizzas
• English muffins as a mini pizza 
• Mac and Cheese
• Black bean or lentil burgers ( http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/homemade-black-bean-veggie-burgers/Detail.aspx ) ( http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/lentil-burgers.php )
• Lentil manwiches ( http://www.nourishingcircle.com/lentil-sloppy-joes/ )
• Pasta with butter and cheese (throw in some veggies like broccoli)
• Tortilla with hummus/lettuce/other veggies
• Biscuits and gravy ( use veggie oil and Kentucky Kernel Seasoned flour for your roux)
• Lentil taco “meat” tacos with refried beans and rice on the side  ( http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Tasty-Lentil-Tacos )
• Homemade potato wedges (make it a meal by making them “loaded”)
• Use tofu to make “egg salad” ( http://www.food.com/recipe/tofu-egg-salad-61439 )
• Vegetarian Chili ( http://www.food.com/recipe/grannys-slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-51140 )
• Corn bread and navy beans
• Veggie lasagna (use tofu instead of ricotta to save money and add protein)
• Tempah Chicken salad ( http://www.food.com/recipe/tempeh-chicken-salad-86071 )
• Stuffed Peppers ( http://www.food.com/recipe/spicy-tri-color-vegetarian-stuffed-bell-peppers-226625 )
• Vegetarian Chimichangas ( http://www.food.com/recipe/vegetarian-chimichangas-290191)

As with ALL meals…if you don’t like something leave it out.  These are meant as ideas and guides ONLY.  Experiment.  Get your kids to try new things.  They will thank you for it when they are 40, at a healthy weight, and have great blood pressure and cholesterol!  And thanks for the emails and comments.  I was really starting to wonder if anyone was reading!!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes! Shhhh…. No One Will Know!

This weekend I was seriously craving some cupcakes.  There is nothing more domestic to me than making cupcakes for the entire family.  It fills the house with a warmth that cannot be matched.  Ahhhhh, cupcakes.  Can you tell that I am a fan?  Not only do I enjoy the taste of cupcakes; I love that they are portion controlled.  You can eat one without feeling too terribly guilty and you don’t have to ask for a tiny slice.  Now that being said I made this batch of chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate icing and it made about 48 cupcakes.  In a house of 4 people this is entirely too much.  I kept about 15 cupcakes and wrapped the rest up to pass out to family and friends.  I failed to tell anyone in the house that these were made with tofu.  After returning home I found one lonely cupcake remained. So much for sharing. 

I came up with this recipe by drastically modifying a cupcake recipe from the cookbook Modern Baker.  You can tweek this to your tastes.  Remember to have fun cooking; a happy cook makes for good food.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2  1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 package of tofu
• 6 Tablespoons of milled golden flaxseed (replaces egg)
• 2 1/4 cups of vanilla soymilk
• 2 tablespoons of vegatable oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 3/4-1 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your cupcake pan or use liners. 

I use a stand mixer but I am sure that a hand mixer would be just fine.  Drain the water off of your tofu and dump into the mixer.  Beat it for a minute or so until it is creamy and then start adding your other ingredients.  Do not add the chocolate chips until you are done mixing. Your cupcake batter will be a little thicker than normal but will taste the same as traditional batter.  Stir in your chocolate chips.  Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 20 minutes and let cool completely before icing.

 

I found the recipe for the frosting by Melissa Ray Davis on this blog!!

http://hubpages.com/hub/Vegan-Chocolate-Frosting-Recipe

Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

 

• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 2 cups vegan powdered sugar*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons vegan soymilk
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (or more)
• a dash of salt

 Preparation Instructions:

 

1. Soften the vegan margarine.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar into the softened margarine. Then add the vanilla extract, soymilk, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix well. If it is too thick, add a very small amount of soymilk, and if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Continue to mix until the frosting is light and fluffy.

3. Frost your cupcakes.

4. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the frosting set. Enjoy!

5. To store, seal the cupcakes in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

 

Vegan Pizza MMM MMM GOOD!!

Here is all you need: Pillsbury original pizza crust, tons of chopped veggies, tomato sauce.  If you want to be fancy grab some soy sausage to crumble on top or some rice cheese.  I have found that the more veggies you have the less you miss the cheese, so you might try this before spending a lot on the cheese substitutes.

Follow the instructions on the package of pizza crust.  If you have time to make your own that is great….but a little cheating is a great time saver!!  You need to roll it out and then pre-bake the crust for just a bit.  Throw on the sauce…the pizza dough says 1/2 cup but I think next time we will add more cause it was a little dry in spots.  Then throw on all the veggies you want. Finish cooking and enjoy!! As you can see in the picture below, this was a hit.