Tuscan Pizza!!

As I'm sure you can tell I've been trying to get Husband more involved in my cooking.  I want to make things he is going to enjoy.  So I gave him some options tonight and he choose pizza.  I NEVER complain about pizza.  Prior to being vegan pizza was one of my guilty pleasures that I usually couldn't pass up.  I wasn't sure what kind of pizza I was going to make so I just looked at what I had in the fridge and put this together on a whim.  I didn't plan this but the toppings are White, Green and Red the italian flag colors!  LOVE!  =)

Pita bread (one per pizza)
1/2 Gardein Tuscan Breasts in tomato basil sauce
Pizza sauce
Chopped onions
Chopped red peppers
Chopped jalapenos
Daiya cheese (I used cheddar because I had some left over and didn't want to open mozzarella, I would probably prefer the mozzarella)
Pizza seasoning (I have a spice rack that included this)
Red pepper flakes
Parma! Vegan parmesan cheese

I had some pita breads on hand and thought they would work as a good crust.  It gets nice a crisp which I like in a crust.   I picked up some gardein at the store, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it and it worked great in this.  I choose the tuscan breasts in a tomato basil sauce.  I cooked the gardein in the microwave as stated on the package.  Then I spread the tomato basil sauce on the pita.  I added a little pizza sauce because I thought it could use a little more.  Sprinkle cheese on pita.  Top with chopped onions, jalapenos and red peppers.  I chopped the gardein in really small bits and placed on top.  Then I sprinkled a little bit of pizza seasoning and red pepper flakes.  I baked in the oven for about 10 minutes or so.  When it came out of the oven I topped with Parma!  I really like the parma!  I'm going to be making some spaghetti and garlic bread soon and can't wait to have it on there either.  Sooo yummy!  Here are some more pictures!

Prior to baking

A close up!!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Tofurkey Pizza!! YUMMM!

So I visitied the Davis Food Co-Op the other day and in the freezer section the Tofurkey pizza's caught my eye.  I saw the advertisement in Vegetarian TImes Magazine and have wanted to try them.  They make it with Daiya cheese, so pretty much guaranteed good!  They have cheese, pepperoni and italian sausage with fire roasted veggies.  I got the Italian Sausage one and it is delish!! 

The only bad part is I wanted to eat the whole pizza by myself (which I really could have if I let myself!).  The veggies definitely tasted fire roasted and you can even see little grill marks...aww.  It reminded me of a summery pizza out on the grill...which makes me depressed considering its the middle of winter...*sigh*.  Only T minus 66 days until Spring.  I'm also hopeful we get a break from this freezing weather we're having. 

For Dinner last night I made enchiladas again (also a request from Husband).  I can't help but indulge my husband's requests for food.  Especially since he lives in a vegan household and isn't vegan.  I'm so thankful he is as understanding as he is, and willing to try new things.  And when I can make him something vegan he truly loves it makes me all the more happier!  =)  I made them pretty much the same as last time (go here to see my last post).  I used different tortillas that weren't the best choice they were too small and "thick"?  But were still good.  I also used cheddar daiya this time rather than follow your heart mozzarella. 

We'll be eating left over enchiladas and pizza for dinner (what a combo!).  See you tomorrow after another meal! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

"Pigs" in a Blanket & Twice Baked Potatoes

Yay!! I'm back in the kitchen!!  Of course the second I'm back in the kitchen I'm starting to feel slightly under the weather.  I'm not sick just not feeling 100%.  Hopefully it will pass soon.  Luckily I still have my appetite. 

So Rich has been asking me to make "pigs" in a blanket since halloween when my co-worker made me some veggie mummy dogs.  I kept forgetting and not getting the ingredients at the store (I don't typically like veggie dogs and don't keep them in the fridge).  I finally got everything together to make them and they were quite simple to make.  I'm sure most of you are familiar with the recipe, but for the blogs sake I'll explain anyway. 

I wanted to kick these dogs up notch so I made a slit in the dog and stuffed them with Daiya cheddar.  On a side note I would like to say that I felt like a "real" chef today.  I cut the bag of Daiya cheddar with my knife.  HAHA!  Back to cooking..then I wrapped the croissant dough around the dog as so:

Then baked them for about 10 minutes in the oven.  I hate my oven and they ended up getting a little "too" done, but they were still good.  Honestly these were just okay for me.  Again I'm not the biggest fan of veggie dogs so for someone who likes them this is a great dish.  I don't do very well with fake meat, it has to be cooked with something and in a certain way for me to like it.  I always thought it was because it had a slightly funny taste to it.  Maybe it's because I've been a vegetarian for so long I don't "like" the taste of meat anymore?  Who knows.  Husband loves them.  =)  His friend is coming over tonight too so we'll see if he likes them?

I also made a recipe from my new cookbook "The conscious cook" by Tal Ronnen.  Twice baked potatoes.  They were also just okay.  I felt they needed a little more "cream".  The recipe calls for fingerling potatoes and I used really small regular potatoes that I thought were about the same size.  I'm thinking they probably have more potatoe guts to them and thus were a little dry.  Next time if I use the same potatoes I would double the "cream". 

You can find this recipe on Tal Ronnen's website here.  Glad to be back in the kitchen...more meals to come! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Tahini Sesame Noodles

I don't think the world wants me to go to the grocery store.  We were suppose to go Friday but Rich's work screwed up his schedule so he didn't get off work until late.  Then we were going to go Saturday but we ended up busy doing other things and by the time we could have gone it was already like 9 again and we were tired.  So then we were going to go Sunday but by the time Rich got off work I was already knee deep in a migraine and there was no way I was getting out of the hosue.  SOOOO our fridge is still empty.  Rich closes all week until Thursday so we are just going to suck it up and go tonight around 9 when he gets off hopefully nothing else comes up. 

For lunch I was lucky enough to make some sesame noodles and actually have all of the ingredients on hand.  It's really fast to make (I made it on my lunch break at work) and yummy.  I got the main idea for the recipe here but made some changes. 

2 Tablespoons of Tahini
1 Tablespoon of Agave nectar
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 pound of spaghetti noodles
1 teaspoon of hot chili sesame oil
1 teaspoon of spicy garlic chili sauce
5-6 mini carrots chopped
3-4 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 medium size onion chopped
2 garlic cloves

1.  Cook the spaghetti (I use a pasta boat as seen on TV, they seriously are the best things ever!!  You put the pasta in the tub cover with water, stick in the microwave for like 15 minutes or so depending on how much pasta you are cooking and voila!  I found my pasta boat at the store Kohl's maybe? for really cheap!)
2.  The veggies above were used because they were the only things I had on hand.  Cabbage, water chestnuts, bok choy, etc. would be great in this.  I sauted the veggies on the stove until slightly cooked.  I like my veggies to still have a little crunch so it didn't take long. 
3.  Microwave tahini for about 15 seconds. 
4.  Wisk in agave, soy sauce, ginger, sesami oil, and chili sauce. 
5.  Pour sauce over noodles and veggies. 

You can serve it warm or cold.  I had it both ways and they were both good.  Quick tip, when serving your dish be sure to mix up the veggies and sauce, they tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl.  I promise I will be back in the kitchen soon. 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Eating Out -- Pad Khee Mao

Sooo living in a one car household we sometimes have to compromise, and I guess Rich going to work wins over going to the grocery store.  Who would have guessed. LOL.  So even though my fridge has been empty for days I'm not heading to the grocery store until tomorrow.  Honestly I can't complain because that means I got to eat out and get the most amazing Thai food at Taste of Thai here in Davis AND it's walking distance from my house.  Well most restaurants in Davis are in walking distance.  =)  If you haven't been you need to check it out.  They also have another location in Natomas.  I got the Pad Khee Mao (Drunken Noodles). 

It's made of wide rice noodles, thai chilis, hot basil leaves, broccoli, snow peas, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms and bean sprouts.  The great thing about Taste of Thai is you get to customize the spiciness of the dish.  Mild, Medium, Hot and Thai Hot.  Word to the wise when they say hot they MEAN hot.  I LOVE spicy food and the first time I had this dish I ordered Hot (Husband tried to get me to order Thai hot thank God I didnt' listen to him).  You would have to love spicy food to enjoy the Hot.  It's so hot you have to take breaks and drink LOTS of water.  Husband said he even felt light headed after eating it, so if you order hot don't say I didn't warn you!  This time around I wanted spicy but not over the top so I ordered Medium.  It was still spicy but wasn't painful, and I didn't need to drink water with it.  Still just as tasty though.  If you don't like spicy food you probably wouldn't even like the medium and should probably go for the mild.  I'm hoping to be back in the kitchen and bloggin soon, so stay tuned!!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

ENCHILADAS!!! & Bodega Bay -- Mediteranean Bagel Sandwich

A day or so before my sister left we all got in the kitchen to cook one last dinner together.  My sister and her boyfriend make some good enchiladas so I took their direction and made a few vegan for myself.  It was really easy and really yummy.  PERFECT combo! 

Baking dish
Tortillas (heated for a few seconds so they are warm before wrapping)
Green enchilada sauce (you can use red if you prefer)
Cheese (This meal was last minute so I used mozzarella style follow your heart cheese and shredded it, they don't carry Daiya in the stores near my mom's, it was still yummy even without the daiya, but I would probably use it next time)
Jalapeno's chopped small
Minced yellow onions
Minced green onions

1.  Spray the bottom of your baking dish and take about two tablespoons of green sauce and spread on the bottom of the pan.
2.  Heat the tortilla's for a few seconds so they are warm to wrap
3.  Sprinkle some cheese in the middle of the tortilla, Add a few tablespoons of green sauce, spinkle some chopped jalapeno's, then wrap. 

4.  Place in the baking dish and repeat until all enchiladas are wrapped. 

5.  Spread a couple more tablespoons on top of the enchiladas until covered.  Shred some more cheese on top, I topped with more chopped jalapenos, and white onions. 

6.  Bake in the oven at about 350 degrees until crispy on top.  Then top with green onions.

I took some just old plain white rice that was left over in the fridge.  I heated it up with a dash of water, salt, pepper and some slap ya mama seasoning.  Delish!  Definitely will be making these again.  Thanks sis for the recipe!!! =) 

Yesterday we went to Bodega Bay on the most perfect day.  The weather was soooo nice.  If you've never been it is always windy and cold there, even in the middle of summer.  It was sunny and warm and not too windy.  In the morning we stopped by Posh Bagel in Davis and picked up a bagel for breakfast (I got mine with hummus!).  The family was giong to stop at a place in Bodega for sandwichs so I figured I'd get one at Posh just in case.  They have a mediterranean sandwich that is soooo yummy.  I got the whole grain with seeds bagel and it comes with hummus, sun dried tomato spread, lettuce, pickles, sprouts, red onions and pepperoncinis.  With a side of the AWESOME dirty chips, jalapeno heat!

Here are some photos from the trip! 

Bella passed out in the car

LOVE the water!  I would live on the beach if I could.

A pretty little waterfall

Amy trying to take a cool picture

And then getting soaking wet from a big wave!  HAHAHA

A live starfish we threw back in the ocean

My Beautiful fam (missing Rich)

I'll leave you with a picture of Husband and I.  I have lots of yummy meals planned and can't wait to share them with you! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Prosperous New Years and Black Eyed Peas

Sadly my sister flew back to Texas today.  It was a great few weeks having her back in town.  It's just not the same without her here. Luckily since I've been MIA for the past week I have plenty to share with y'all!!! Which reminds me HAPPY NEW YEARS!!  I hope everyone started there new year off right.  I had a little "too" much fun but nonetheless I rang mine in with family and great friends.  You can't start your new years without a little luck, so the family and I made a batch of black eyed peas!  They are said to bring you a prosperous new year, and you can't have too much prosperity.  Being from the south I grew up eating BEP..welll I take that back, when I was younger I didn't like to eat the BEP, but I would eat the "juice" (as we would call it), but now I can't get enough of them.  I've been making these vegan since the beginning and it's a staple in my house.  The recipe is just a basic one from the family.  We don't really measure and most everything is to taste.  You can reduce the water if you don't want as much of a broth, and adjust the spices depending on how spicy you like it.  You can also leave out any veggies you aren't a fan of.  Sometimes I have a hard time finding BEP in the can.  I usually can't find them at Safeway, but other stores should carry them.  Most stores carry them dry but that just takes a lot more time to cook so I prefer canned. 

Ingredients:
Chopped bell pepper (any color)
Chopped celery
Chopped onions
Minced garlic
Canned black eyed peas (One can will feed about 2-4 people, use two cans to serve more)
Seasoning to taste
         Salt
         Pepper
         Cajun seasoning (I use slap ya mama, or other cajun blends)
         Zataraines has a red beans and rice seasoning mix you can buy in a box which works great for BEP
Brown or white rice

Directions:
1.  Start cooking the rice in the rice cooker (enough for the amount of people you are feeding)
2.  All ingredients above are too taste, so use as much or as little as you would like.  Saute the veggies in a sauce pan until soft.  My mom chops her veggies and freezes them, so if you are doing this than you really don't need any oil.  If they are fresh I'd throw a dash of olive oil in the mix. 
3. Add your canned BEP.  Fill the same can with water and add to mix.  If using two cans of BEP add another 1/4-1/2 can of water.  Add seasoning to taste.  If using Zataraines the bag it comes in can make about 4 or so batches of beans (if using two cans per batch, or more if using one can). 
4.  Cover and simmer until the rice is ready and beans are done cooking.
5.  Serve BEP over rice when all done.  Again depending on your preference you can make it as soupy as you'd like. 

We also made a side of cabbage.  A little green is always good with BEP.  Next time I think I'll try to make some collard greens, which I've never done before.  Rich is actually really excited to try them.  =)  The cabbage is super simple, just melt about two tablespoons of butter per half a cabbage in a pan.  Chop up the cabbage.  Throw it in.  Once it starts to cook down add salt and pepper to taste, a sprinkle of sugar, and some cajun seasoning.  Cook until done.  Some like it more raw, others like it well done, so choose your preference.  We just kept the pan on low until the beans and rice were done.  Serve hot!  You can throw it on top of your BEP's or eat it on the side. 

Stay tuned, I'm going to write another post with some vegan enchilada's and our last trip with my sister to Bodega Bay!  Here's to Black Eyed Peas and a Prosperous New Year full of new cooking adventures! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!!