Veggie Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite foods of all time.  It has veggies, cheese, bread, and basically everything I could ever want in a meal.  Sometimes though, you gotta spice up your pizza a bit! This pizza recipe is one of my favorites to make for parties/cookouts/weekly lunches.  It is perfect for parties and cookouts because it is fingerfood-ish and quick to make.  I also like it for lunch because it keeps me feeling full for a long time!

So, for this pizza you just bake a pizza crust to the package directions (without anything on it) and let it cool for 10-15minutes.  Meanwhile, whip up a package of ranch dip (the powdered kind, and they DO make vegan/organic) and mix it with your favorite dairy or non-dairy sour cream, I prefer Tofutti.  Spread the mix on the cooled pizza crust and add the toppings of your choice! I usually add peppers, carrots, onions, and broccoli.  I haven't tried it with spinach (yet) but I really want to at some point! I also recommend loading it up with veggies.  This particular pizza was a little bit skimpy on the veggies because it was grocery day.  Still super tasty though!

There you have it, a quick and easy meal that everyone can enjoy :)

Questions:
How do you feel about pizza?
Would you ever do a cold-style pizza like this one? 
What is your favorite kind of pizza? 

Fiesta!

I LOVE Mexican food.  I don't know if very many people know that about me, but it's true.  I am not a fan of greasy, nasty fast-food-type tacos, but authentic Mexican cuisine is just magical to my taste buds. Here in Juneau we are seriously lacking in this area (and in the restaurant area period).  There is no authentic Mexican food that (in my opinion) lives up to the divine cuisine of the Lower 48.  Sad =(

To cure this craving my girlfriends and I had a Mexican Fiesta! And, to make matters more amazing they were all totally on board with a vegetarian fiesta.  Pardon our classy (and not-so-classy) beverage choices ;)

Above is a shot of our overall spread.  We had both crispy and soft corn tortillas with your choice of  beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, corn, peppers, onions, guacamole, and rice.  It was seriously amazing.  My taste buds were lovin' it.

One of my favorite parts of this meal was the corn.  This is a recipe that Cody invented (I am sure other people make it) a few months ago.  It is just butter (EB Vegan Spread), fresh corn (best if cooked on the cob and then cut off), and chopped cilantro.  Heat all ingredients on low, in a medium dish and cook until warm and melty.  Add it to a taco or eat it as a side dish…heaven!

So, here is my meal suggestions for the weekend.  Try having a Mexican Fiesta!

Questions: 
Do you love Mexican cuisine? 
If so, what is your favorite dish? 
If not, are you crazy???? (Just Kidding!) 

Vegan Running

Running Update:  I have been seriously slacking.  But,  I am back in the game thanks to these fabulous running shoes!

VivoBarefoot Vegan Running Shoes.

I love them.  They are amazing.  Also,  any time I can support the vegan products I do.  These shoes are an awesome alternative to the barefoot running craze.  I have only jogged in them once so far but my knees were already thanking me tremendously.  New shoes make all the difference, eh?  Hopefully these shoes will help me keep on my training path so that I can take on some actual races in the future and not just jog for recreational purposes.  I will keep you guys updated on things I do/don't like about the shoes and whether or not I would still recommend them after a couple weeks worth of running.

Questions: 
What type of running shoes do you wear? 
Do you buy vegan products? 

Warm Quinoa Salad & Vegan Fettucini Alfredo

Soooo….I have been slacking just a bit a whole lot on posting anything food-related lately.  So, here are two of my favorite recipes from recent meals.  The first is Warm Quinoa Salad and the second is Vegan Fettucini Alfredo.  Pretty dang tasty if you ask me.

Warm Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups edamame
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Squish of lemon juice

Directions: Toast quinoa in dry skillet for 4-5 minutes or until it starts to smell deliciously popcorn-like. Bring broth to a boil in a medium-sized pan.  Add quinoa to boiling broth. Add seasoning.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 7-8minutes.  Add edamame beans (**note: I sauteed mine first with some spicy goodness ahead of time for about 2minutes) and let cook for an additional 7-8minutes.  Remove from heat.  Let cool for about 5minutes, squish with lemon juice, and then add on top of a delicious salad!



Fettucini Alfredo Sauce (V) with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
2tbs flour
2tbs garlic
3 tbs nutritional yeast
1tbs non-dairy sour cream (Tofutti is a great option)
1 1/2tbs olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasonings (all kinds welcome!)

Directions: Heat oil on med-high in a saucepan.  Put garlic in the pan for 2-3minutes.  Then add flour and whisk to create a thick, roux-like substance.  Stir in milk slowly.  Cook on medium for 4-5minutes.  Add seasoning, nutritional yeast, and sour cream.  **For brussels sprouts:  Heat oven to 450F.  Season sprouts.  Cook for 20minutes.  Add to sauce when complete.  Woo!

These are two pretty quick, easy recipes.  They are both packed with awesomeness as well.  Try them out!

Do you like brussels sprouts?  They seem to be a much hated food! 
Do you cook vegan ever?  

Calzones & Quinoa Bake

Week Two of my weekly meal planning endeavor was a success!  Here are two of my favorite recipe's from the week.  Enjoy :)

Broccoli Calzones
1package of pre-made dough (or homemade if you are feeling ambitious)
1 1/2cup broccoli
3tbs ricotta
1/2cup daiya or standard cheese
1/4 of a medium-sized red onion (chopped finely)

Served with a little tomato sauce :) 

1tbsp of chopped garlic
1tbs of Earth Balance or other butter
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of nutritional yeast
Optional: topping of parmesan, tomato-ish sauce

Directions: Roll pre-made dough out onto a large baking sheet and cut into four equal pieces.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Steam broccoli and drain.  Place back in warm pan and stir in ricotta, cheese, and spices.  Combine this broccoli mixture well.  Warm butter up in the microwave so that it is completely melted and add chopped garlic.  Brush this mixture on the dough evenly.  Then, add the broccoli mixture to the dough (add to the side WITH the garlic mixture) so that 1/2 of each square has broccoli-mix on it.  Fold the dough over the mixture, creating a pocket and use a fork to form sealed edges.  Top with olive oil and parmesan, if desired.  Heat in the oven for 20-25minutes.  Serve hot!


Quinoa & Spinach Bake (Casserole with Vegan option)

Scoop out with a spoon and serve :) 

1pound frozen spinach leaves, thawed and drained
2cups cooked (equal to 1cup uncooked quinoa)
2tbs chopped garlic
1/2 cup of mixed veggies (mushrooms, onions, etc)
1/2cup daiya or cheddar (or substitute for nutritional yeast mix)
2tbs of Tofutti (or other sour cream-ish substance)
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of rosemary
Dash of oregano
Optional: breadcrumbs & parmesan for topping

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Chop spinach into fine pieces.  Sauté garlic and any veggies that you have chosen to put in the mixture (excluding spinach).  Put all ingredients in a 9x13 baking pan (I am sure any size will work but you may have to adjust bake times).  Mix well so that the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the pan.  If wanted, top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. For added crispiness drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the toppings. Bake for 35minutes or until mixture is warm and golden brown.  Serve hot!

These were, without a doubt, two of my favorite meals this week.  Cody loved them too.  Easy, healthy, and hearty.  I think they will both become go-to meals for us.

Do you have any go-to meals?
Do you usually use toppings on your casseroles?

  

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Stress Cooking

This week was…stressful, to say the least.  Cody and I both had insane work weeks and came home completely pooped each night.  Needless to say, blogging was not on my mind.  Cooking was far from my mind as well.  My days consisted of waking up, going to work, running errands, cooking dinner, and going straight to bed.  None of this makes for particularly interesting blog entries.  At any rate, I still had to make some meals this week.  Here were three of my favorite meals from breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week.


 


Breakfast: Open-face fried egg and fakin' bacon sandwiches.  Made with Silver Hills Bread (Vegan), organic eggs, and MorningStar fakin' bacon.  It was topped with some Cairo BBQ Sauce, which Cody's parents sent us in the mail because it is a local sauce.

Lunch: GF wrap with smoked tofurkey, kale, spinach, onions, and tomatoes.  I topped this with a little bit of Roasted Garlic Sauce from BWW (also mailed to us by Cody's parents).  I ate it with some Kettle Chips and Light & Fit Greek Yogurt.







Dinner:  Chik'n Patties on Vegan Bread.  Cody topped his with just cheese,  I had mine with cheese and veggies.  Served with a side of Annie's Mac N' Cheese.  Quick, easy, and delicious.

Obviously we were slacking a bit on the cooking this week.  We are hoping this weekend we can get back in the healthy-cooking groove.  Wish us luck!  In the meantime I plan on continuing to look something like this….

Picture courtesy of Cody.  Payback to come. 

Weekend Eats

Here is a collection of my favorite eats this weekend.  It was a dreary weekend so I focused on hearty and healthy recipes to keep us warm, dry, and happy.

Breakfast led me to these guys all weekend.  Have any of you tried this brand of waffles? Best instant waffles I have ever had.  No guilt about eating them either.  All natural, gluten-free, no preservatives…woo!!  Just top with a little organic, low-sugar maple syrup and a little Earth Balance.  Enjoy!

Van's Waffles…Yummm! 

I also enjoyed this delicious quiche for breakfast this weekend.  I normally don't eat much in the way of eggs but our wonderful neighbors made these and dropped them by for Cody and I.  They are fans of making me vegetarian cuisine so I am always in heaven when they bring food by!

The one on the left is veggie and the one on the
right is for carnivores. 

Lunches were composed of some of these delicious options: pesto pasta, leftovers, PB&J's, and sauteed veggies with rice.

Pesto Pasta topped with a little bit of fresh Parmesan.  

Dinners were composed of delicious vegetarian chili and my old standby of Vegan Cheesy Rice & Broccoli casserole, which I posted the recipe for here.  Overall it was a tasty weekend!

Spicy Chilli
3cups water
2cups No-Chicken broth (sodium free)
1cup of salt-free tomato puree
1 1/2 cup of quinoa
2cups of black beans (uncooked-soaked)
1cup of corn (frozen)
1cup of green beans (frozen)
1tbs garlic
1/2cup peppers (jalepeno, green, red, etc.)
Pepper
Red Pepper
Onion Powder
Seasoned Salt


What were your favorite weekend meals??

Rainy Day Coffee and Snacks

This week the weather has been bad abysmal!  Mother nature is confusing.  It has been raining and thirty.  I normally don't mind the rain, but weeks of it without reprieve gets a little depressing.  Here is the one beautiful picture I was able to take this week (during our twenty minutes of somewhat-sun).  The rest of them were just icky and rainy.

View from my porch on our one sunny-ish day. 

To combat the rainy weather I needed something sweet and warm to drink this morning.  Regular coffee was NOT going to cut through my rainy day blues.  So I tried out something a little different with my coffee.  Future barista?  I think so.

Delicious Coffee Recipe
1 steaming cup of coffee
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1tsp of powdered sugar
Dash of cinnamon

Topping:  Whip heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together until it thickens.  Pour (small amount) into steaming cup of delicious coffee.  Top with cinnamon.  Makes enough for the entire pot of coffee.

Mmmmm…..who doesn't love a steaming cup of coffee?






Another of my rainy day favorites is natural popped popcorn.  I just top it with some cracked pepper, a hint of salt, and a little melted Earth Balance.  Healthy, easy, and delicious.  It can also be done with some seasoned salt and/or red pepper for a little spicy treat.














What are your favorite rainy day meals??  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Turkey-less Thanksgiving

I enjoyed a very satisfying turkey-less Thanksgiving.  Did you??  Ok, I know most of you filled your bellies with meat this holiday and I understand.  But, for those of us who enjoy gorging ourselves on slightly more humane dishes I thought I would post my two favorite recipe's from this Thanksgiving.  One is healthy and one is a wee bit more indulgent.  Enjoy :)

Vegan Cheesy Potatoes (with a side of veggie Stuffing!) 

Vegan Cheesy Potatoes 
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Veggie Broth
2 tbs of Nutritional Yeast 
5 large potatoes sliced thinly 
2 cups corn flakes cereal/bread crumbs/whatever      topping you choose
2 tbs veg butter 

1/2 cup veg sour cream 
Spices Used: Onion flakes, garlic salt, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and basil. (Add to taste!) 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a small casserole dish.  In a separate sauce pan add butter and melt.  After the butter has melted add flour and whisk.  When the mixture is smooth add milk and broth and continue whisking.  Then, add sour cream and nutritional yeast.  Add spices to taste.  When sauce has thickened begin layering it in the casserole dish with the potatoes.  Top with cereal, break crumbs, etc.  Cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  

Sugar cookies aka Cody and I's late night snacks. 

Sugar Cookies 
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 cup  sugar 1 cup butter (soft, not melted) 1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla 
Spices: Salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (Add to taste)  
1 container cream cheese frosting (can be homemade if you are feeling ambitious) 
1 container of sprinkles 

Directions: Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (flour, sugar, baking soda, and spices).  Mix well.  Add butter and mix thoroughly.  After mixing well add the egg and vanilla. Mix with a fork for best results!  Then, place cookies on a tray and put them into the oven for 7-9 minutes.  When the edges begin to brown pull them out.  Let them cool for twenty minutes before adding frosting and sprinkles.