Vegan Recipes for Mini -- No fake stuff!!!

[merigayle]

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/86313/recipebaked-tofu-bites?lnkid=ARPinIt

Made this tonight and it is all gone! All three of us devoured it!

[MiniDriver]

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/86313/recipebaked-tofu-bites?lnkid=ARPinIt

Made this tonight and it is all gone! All three of us devoured it!

What did you serve it with?  Seems it would go well with salad.

[merigayle]

we had steamed broccoli and broccolini and kale chips, DH did put his in a salad!

[MiniDriver]

The Mexican Skillet Pie was a hit.  Both of us enjoyed it, though next time we'll substitute black beans and chilis for the canned chili beans, which we found too sweet.

Made Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry for lunch.  A new favorite!  Delicious and super-easy to slap together, my favorite combination.

[merigayle]

glad you had some good meals

Check out the tofu stuffed shells (i think it was a pbs recipe) in my pinterest. I think I am going to make it for my party tomorrow. But if you make it, cut back the salt, A LOT.

[MiniDriver]

Made the lentil and mushroom shepherd's pie, it was a hit!  Substituted sweet potatoes for regular mashed potatoes, and added a lot more spinach.  Very tasty, and I have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.

DH was surprised he could be so satisfied with meatless meals.  I was happy he ate them with such gusto.  Vegan success! 

[merigayle]

That is one of my favorite holiday meals.

[Ice Cream]

Made the lentil and mushroom shepherd's pie, it was a hit!  Substituted sweet potatoes for regular mashed potatoes, and added a lot more spinach.  Very tasty, and I have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.

DH was surprised he could be so satisfied with meatless meals.  I was happy he ate them with such gusto.  Vegan success! 

Why the new picture?

[MiniDriver]

Why the new picture?

I was having fun with a photo-distortion site that turned a photo of me into an anime drawing. 

[MiniDriver]

Following on the weekend's success, next weekend's recipes will be the Skillet Gnocchi with White Beans: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html referenced above, and Polenta Lasagna with Porabellas and Kale

Polenta Lasagna with Portabellas and Kale

If you use packaged polenta, slice it into 18 thin slices. If you make your own polenta, spread the cooked polenta out on a baking sheet and use a spoon or your moistened hands to spread it no thicker than 1/4 inch. When it has solidified, either cut it in half and use each half as one layer or cut it into an even number of pieces that you can fit together to fit your baking dish.
Ingredients

1 18-ounce package prepared polenta or 1 recipe of Quick Microwave Polenta
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large portabella mushroom, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups, chopped)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 bunch kale (about 8 ounces after trimming), center rib removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (may substitute spinach or other greens)
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Cheese sauce (below)
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar)
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
vegan soy parmesan

“Cheese” sauce:
1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. cashew butter or tahini
1 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. corn starch
Instructions

    Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 8×8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
    Place the cheese sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.
    Sauté the onions and portabellas in a non-stick skillet until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute.
    Add the kale, basil, and 1/4 cup water. Sauté until the kale is wilted and tender and the water has evaporated. Add the cheese sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat.
    Cut the polenta into 1/4-inch thick slices. Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the slices, overlapping slightly if possible. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the polenta, and then spread the kale mixture over the sauce. Sprinkle the chopped olives over the kale and top with the remaining polenta. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top and sprinkle with soy parmesan.
    Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes before serving.
    Makes 6 servings—if you can resist eating the whole pan yourself!

[merigayle]

is that the fat free vegan polenta lasagna? i make my own polenta and use spinach. one of our favorite meals. no olives either here.

[MiniDriver]

is that the fat free vegan polenta lasagna? i make my own polenta and use spinach. one of our favorite meals. no olives either here.

Yes, I'm editing out the olives as well.  I love 'em, but DH will pick them out.  I'll probably use kale since we both enjoy it, and we just had spinach in the shepherd's pie.  I'll make my own polenta, because it's so easy.

[merigayle]

Yeah home made polenta is easy and cheap!

[MiniDriver]

DH hated the Polenta lasagna, so that's a fail.  But the gnocci went down very well, so the weekend wasn't a total disaster mealwise. 

[merigayle]

did you like the polenta lasagna? the first time i made it (lets be honest, the inside is not that attractive) he turned his nose up, but on the third night of leftovers, he devoured his and more, and it has been a staple since. I have this great black bean sweet potato quinoa chili in my pinterest that is one of our faves, with avocado on top!

[rocketgirl]

Black Bean, Pasta, and Artichoke Heart Medley: http://www.sharp.com/nutrition/bean-pasta-artichoke-medley.cfm

I finally tried this.  Success!  Well, sort of.  My green onions went slimy before I got around to making it.  So I cut up somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 to 3/4 cup of regular ol' yellow onion.  Also, slicing canned tomatoes?  Messy, even just to cut in half.  I may try diced tomatoes next time.  Fortunately the jar of artichoke hearts I had, they were already cut up.  I think a little more cayenne than the recipe calls for would be good also.  But it was good, and the person I ate with really liked it.  (He liked it more than I did).  He also thought it would be good with goat cheese on top, but maybe he just likes goat cheese. 

[Clementine]

I finally tried this.  Success!  Well, sort of.  My green onions went slimy before I got around to making it.  So I cut up somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 to 3/4 cup of regular ol' yellow onion.  Also, slicing canned tomatoes?  Messy, even just to cut in half.  I may try diced tomatoes next time.  Fortunately the jar of artichoke hearts I had, they were already cut up.  I think a little more cayenne than the recipe calls for would be good also.  But it was good, and the person I ate with really liked it.  (He liked it more than I did).  He also thought it would be good with goat cheese on top, but maybe he just likes goat cheese.

Oh yeah... should have noted that I always just use diced tomatoes. Glad you liked it!

[MiniDriver]

I've had mixed success so far.  I think I've become overly dependent on tofu and home-made veggie burgers. 

This week I'm having black bean burgers with mushrooms and kale for dinner and pad thai for lunch. 

[caribougrrl]

Mini - a thread from a while ago with some good stuff in it: http://chrunners.net/forum/index.php?topic=37506.msg756849#msg756849

the chick pea romesco was fantastic!

[caribougrrl]

I have never made a bad recipe from BBC Good Food (but I do read the reviews before deciding whether to try things), and they have lots of vegan recipes:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?filterItem=course12&keywords=vegan