Category Archives:  Dinner

Pumpkin Apple Ginger Soup

pumpkin apple soup

This is by far the best “convenient” soup I have ever made.  The second I tasted it, I knew I would be devouring the entire pot.  I have been on a canned pumpkin binge ever since I made  this pumpkin chili recipe from GlueandGlitter.com.  That particular recipe inspired me to combine everything under the sun with canned pumpkin and heat it all up in one pot….several different times.

I am especially fond of the recipe I share with you today.  It has a great flavor with the apples, ginger and garlic, and the pumpkin acts as the perfect base for it all.

This soup is hearty, tasty, and low in fat.  It also takes no time to prepare and is very filling, especially if you opt for the frozen veggies as I did.  Using fresh grated ginger is a plus… but since we are already starting with the canned pumpkin… there’s no need to be picky.

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Shiitake and Date Stuffed Baby Eggplants

stuffed eggplants

Today is the last day I will be posting for VeganMofo… so in honor of all the wonderful people who did so much work this past month, I decided to make something fancy-like.  But, don’t be fooled.  Keeping  with my lazy-ish style, they weren’t difficult at all.  This is actually a perfect way to use up all those baby eggplants you have lying around.  Ok, that is a really lame joke… but it sure gives you a good excuse to pick some up next time you’re out.  These are a lot of fun to make because they turn out so pretty and are quite easy to put together.  I used a pomegranate/orange juice reduction sauce on these….which incidentally, was the most involved step.  Feel free to sub out ingredients, garnish how you like, or just make the filling- it’s yummy all by itself.

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Jeweled Basmati Rice

jeweled basmati rice

This is a simple and elegant dish that will work in just about any circumstance, whether it be a main dish, side dish, or holiday take along.  I was inspired by looking at some beautiful photographs of foods from Iran.  I love the color combination of the pistachios and cranberries, along with the lovely orange-y hue of the rice.  The good thing about this dish is that you can prepare all of the mix-ins while your rice cooks… so I would definitely classify this as a quick meal.  It took me about 35 minutes (using a rice cooker) to make it all come together, and my kitchen smelled absolutely wonderful.  This was the first time I tried anything remotely close to this, and it was so easy, I will be making this over and over again.

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Platskis (Polish for Latkes)

platskis

I have got a lot of Polish in me- in lineage as well as culinary preferences.  My mother has blessed me with so many good Polish recipes over the years and had created very fond food memories for me in my childhood.  And what she had taught me had been handed down for generations.  I think one of the great talents many of our family members posses is the ability to make countless dishes with a bag of potatoes.  These little potato patties are called platskis, and this weekend I went to work in the kitchen with my mother to re-create our family recipe to be animal friendly.  They turned out deliciously.

I hope you enjoy these simple potato cakes as much as my whole entire extended family does.  And, let me assure you, there are a LOT of us.

Ziemniaki!

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Hummus Pizza with Roasted Peppers

hummus pizza

If you love hummus and have never had the pleasure of using it as a base for your pizza, I highly recommend trying it out.  It works especially well with roasted peppers and an abundance of ingredients.  I decided to roast my own peppers and make my own crust, so I opted for the deli-bought hummus -high in cumin content.  The more flavorful the hummus the yummier the pizza.  The crust recipe below compliments the hummus quite nicely.  But feel free to save lots of time by purchasing crust, hummus, and roasted peppers in lieu of making your own.  I am happy to say that this pizza was a sensation last night for dinner.

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Mushroom and Spinach Strudel

vegan mushroom spinach strudel

This strudel is totally savory and uses prepackaged puff pastry to make your life way easier.  The Pepperidge Farms puff pastry just happens to be vegan, but obviously that means it is full of unpronounceables (less than I imagined)… but, hey, I’m compromising for time.  I don’t think I would serve this to my family on a regular basis, (maybe annually?) but I had some puff pastry in the freezer and, of course, mushrooms in the fridge.  I did spare some of the fat by sauteeing the veggies in broth, but the puff pastry trumps any good deeds done.

I did try, though, and I think that’s what counts.

Enjoy!

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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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The other day we were lucky enough to receive a beautiful basket of bell peppers from my sister-in-law’s garden. They were tiny and very colorful: red, green, orange and purple!  Once I saw them, I had to stuff them. I used quinoa, because it is the new rice, and added mushrooms, onions and currants.  The peppers I used were much smaller than the gargantuan variety found at the grocery store, so we each ate two, rather than one.  I like the simplicity of this recipe.  Yet, it does take a little time to prepare.  And then the baking time is a little long too.  But this stuff is killer good over some homemade mashed potatoes.

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Homestyle Potato Soup

Vegan Potato Soup

Today is the first day of VeganMofo!!  And to kick off October I wanted to include a recipe for a quick, easy, and lowfat delight that always perks me up during the colder weather: Potato Soup.  This particular potato soup is thick, flavorful, and very filling.  It also keeps well frozen or refrigerated.  So, one batch’s leftovers can provide you with lunch for a week.  I have named this recipe “Homestyle” because it is what I grew up with at home, and frankly, it is the only type of potato soup I will touch.  My mom used cow’s milk in her recipe, so I subbed lowfat soymilk, and wouldn’t ya know… it tastes exactly as I remember.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

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Vegan Mac and Cheese

macncheese2

So, I realize that there are a lot of recipes out there for vegan “mac and cheese”.  But this one is too good not to try.  Trust me.  If you’re used to the real kind of mac and cheese, as opposed to Kraft, this is your recipe.  It is prepared exactly like the wonderful homemade mac and cheese I grew up with.  The only difference is, it’s made with vegan ingredients. I have  never had a complaint when making this.  In fact, I dare you to serve it to an unsuspecting omni and see if they even realize its vegan. Really, try it!

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