Dinner for one!

For a nice healthy meal, try this simple single serving dish: toss together pasta, onions, bell pepper, and tofu.

2 Slices of Tofu extra firm
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onions
1/2 cup Bell Pepper,all colors
1/2 cup Spaghetti-whole wheat,cooked
1 tsp basil or other spices

approx: calories:247.85, fat(gm):7.33, carbs(gm):33.02, protein(gm):18.14

Reeses?

I was hoping to make some cookies for the night, but there was no flour in the house (and I had no intention of running to the grocery store) so, instead I decided to do with what I had in the pantry: peanut butter and chocolate. YUM! One thing I knew I would miss as a vegan was Reeses Cups, but I enjoy these so much more!

Peanut Butter Cups

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (ghardelli semi-sweet works great)
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
cupcake liners

Microwave half of chocolate chips for about 2 minutes until stirred creamy.

Spread chocolate into cupcake liners for bottom layer so you fill the crevices as well. Put into freezer so the chocolate hardens.

In a bowl, mix 1 cup peanut butter and 1/4 tsp of salt and fold in 1/2 cup of sugar.

When chocolate has hardened, put peanut butter mix in microwave for 1 minute, let it cool a bit and then put as second layer over the chocolate.

Microwave the remaining chocolate chips and use as top layer over the peanut butter.

Place in freezer and eat once hardened!

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

I got this recipe from the Joy of Vegan Baking. This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! They are simple to make, and absolutely delicious. :)



1 egg replacer (I used Ener-G)
3/4 c vegan margarine
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl by hand or with electric mixer at high speed. Beat in the egg replacer as well as the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture along with the chocolate chips. Stir well until mixed, but do not overmix.

Drop by teaspoons onto a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Should make about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Be Italian!

My friend Roxann has been begging for me to make Bruschetta for quite some time now and since it was her last week in town I decided to make it for her.

This was the first time I have ever attempted bruschetta but it seemed like an easy enough dish to make. I sliced and toasted french bread then grilled some veggies such as: zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and artichokes and added them on top of the bread along with marinara and basil. Then threw it all back into the oven to get an even toaster creation. It came out delicious!!

Last night my brother and his friend came home from guitar center starving and demanding a "hearty meal." Since there was left over marinara sauce and tofu in the fridge I decided to whip together some Tofu Parmesan. I even added some sliced portobello on top. :) This is a simple and fast recipe. Enjoy!

Tofu Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 block of Extra Firm Tofu, Drained and Pressed, cut into 1/2 inch slabs
Italian style Bread
Crumbs
Canola Oil
1/2 cup Water
2 tbsp Cornstarch
Marinara Sauce

Directions:

Pour oil into frying pan, begin to heat on medium-high.

Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl. In separate bowl pour breadcrumbs.

Take a tofu slice and dip both sides in the cornstarch water mix, then in the breadcrumbs.

Place in the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.


**make sure to drain and press tofu, otherwise the water will stick to the pan**

obento!

This morning I decided to make my big bro his lunch for work. He's in this phase where he thinks he can only get muscle building protein from animal, so I thought I would humor him and add turkey in his lunch. So please forgive this non vegan meal. It was just too cute to not add in the blog. ^-^
Tier one: turkey with hummus and veggies sandwich on pumpernickel bread
Tier two: watermelon with grapes, whole wheat apricot fig and raisins




When I was on my way to pick up a red box movie, I noticed how beautiful the sky looked and had to take a pic. The colors duke, the colors!!

Kirky

My trip to Albuquerque was a blast! Bob Dylan and his band played amazingly well, it was a great show. I realized how much I like it in new mexico, seems like people there are a lot more health conscious. There were cyclists, hikers and runners out everyday. I cant wait to make a trip back out there and this time take my bicycle!
So this weekend I made Stuffed Portabello mushrooms with pasta. It came out soo good! I was so hungry and excited I ate without taking a picture of it. I also made some pineapple coffee cake. It came out a little undercooked because I was rushed out in order to make the movie time for District 9, which is an awesome movie.

So instead of food here are some pictures from my trip to the Albuquerque Zoo.

squirrel stealing his food! he doesn't seem to mind much..



he looks rather happy lol





sleepy animals











naked mole rats seem to have a good diet.

oh, so delicious!

I'm totally looking forward to this weekend! Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in concert! My family and I are traveling a mere 4 hours to Albuquerque to attend this historic event! The last time I saw Dyan I got stuck behind a couple of inconsiderate hippies that would not shut up. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to sneak in burgers and sushi and soda, so weird... haha So Before I leave, I decided to make an Eggplant Sandwich with Fire Roasted soup.


Started out by cutting up some eggplant, zucchini and tomato then brushing them with some olive oil and sprinkling oregano on top. Preheat oven to 350 and bake until lightly browned.

I picked up some freshly baked bread at Sun Harvest and toasted it then added soy mozzarella cheese. Be sure to place the veggies hot on top of the soy cheese so that it melts. It should look something like this, and it tastes AMAZING!

I cheated and got a box soup, I cant remember the brand but it was labeled vegan. I had my doubts but it was actually really good!

Pretty in Pink!

Today was a great day! I showed up to work in the morn to find that the building electricity was out! Word was that power wouldn't be back on for some time, so the boss let us go for the day! I spent my day off going to the gym, hanging out at my grandmothers, and then taking a trip to the west side of El Paso with Roxann. We went to the mall, got some tea, and then drove around the area looking at large pretty houses. Afterwards, I returned to my house, took a nice long nap and then woke up and prepared to bake some cupcakes with Roxy. I must say, these were the best cupcakes I have ever tasted! A great conclusion to my day off. ;)

I got this cake recipe from Bittersweet Blog

Doors Phase II

WOW! I just cannot get enough of Jim Morrison! His lyrics are phenomenal. I just (legally) downloaded 5 flippin gigs of The Doors! Every song amazes me. It really influences me to want to start reading and discussing poetry with others. Any takers? Well, hopefully I will meet a poet soon..There has to be someone in EP with something to say, right?
Let the search commence!
So, on with the food! Sorry for the poor quality photos. Stumbled across some bad lighting and a cheap camera...Friday was sushi night, Enjoy!

We had three types of sushi:

avocado, mango w/cream cheese
avocado, jalapeno w/cc
avocado, mushroom w/cc






Next, Raspberry Lime Sheet Cake. This cake was super moist! Very good..