Category Archives:  Sauces

Creamy [No] Chicken and Rice

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Recently, an overwhelming craving for a “Chicken n’ Rice” dish from my childhood came sweeping back over me. As a child I usually made my own version, which was one of the first dishes I ever loved as a wee person.  Obviously it was pretty easy to make, and from what I remember… very addictive.

It literally was some cooked long grain rice mixed with a can of unaltered Cream of Chicken Soup. I distinctly remember it being a lovely pale neon yellow and pretty salty.  :)

I guarantee you I ate waaay too much of that stuff as a kid.  So, I finagled up a newer, and less scary version of my childhood staple. It brings back memories, but I added some maturity to the whole mix with veggies and stuff.

As we were eating this “new and improved” version … my husband (who has eaten plenty of the canned-soup rice in his lifetime) and I both agreed that it hit the spot for nostalgia. It definitely requires a few more steps than the original dish, but the other way seems a little too easy to me.

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Dandelion Fritters

dandelion fritters

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate, I’m going to continue my “backyard foraging” kick, with a recipe for the under-appreciated dandelion.  Eaten plain, dandelions are sustainable, “easy” to grow, and very very good for you.  You can eat the root, the greens, or in this case- the flower.  They are certainly more nutritious when eaten raw… but when they are eaten battered and fried, they are simply delicious.

I am not sure how to describe the taste, other than possibly comparing these particular fritters to vegetable pakora, with a cornmeal twist.

If you haven’t yet delighted in eating what your neighbors probably loathe- now is the time. While you’re at it, go ahead and don a dandelion crown.  People will know you mean business.

These things are so fun to harvest, batter and fry, you’ll be foraging in your (or someone else’s)  front yard every time you get a hankering for a fried treat.  See ya later tater tots.

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White Pasta with Fiddleheads

White Pasta with Fiddleheads

Guess what?

I made a culinary discovery in my very own backyard!

Let me preface this by saying that we had just moved into a new place in December, and we weren’t sure what to expect from our new patch of land.  Since spring first sprung, we have been delightfully watching new baby plants pop up everywhere.  And, about two or three weeks ago, we noticed that we had tiny fern babies sprouting up all over the place.  While I immediately admired them for their curly adorableness, I never once thought to eat them.  What kind of food blogger am I?  Shameful…

But yesterday, for some reason, I had an epiphany: those little curly baby ferns sure did look a lot like the one’s on Vegan Yum Yum’s site last year about this time- and they also look very similar to the one’s we saw at Whole Foods last weekend. Hmmm….

A quick Google search (not recommended unless you are totally familiar with wild edibles and/or have a reliable guide) told me that my backyard was full of exactly those gourmet treats: a delicacy referred to as Fiddlehead Ferns.  Cool!

It also told me that we were just catching the very end of Fiddlehead season. Damn.

Fiddleheads are the teeny fronds of young ferns before they have unfurled.  There are a few varieties, but in our case, we have Ostrich Ferns.  They are best enjoyed when just two inches tall.  I recommend reading Ms. Yum Yum’s very well written explanation if you are curious about them.  Our fern sprouts were a tad bigger than desired, although there were still a few stragglers scattered about.  Score!

Despite our late harvest this year,  I am excited to know that come this time next year… we will have Fiddleheads a plenty.

Depending on where you live, you may still be able to catch some Fiddleheads in your neck of the woods (literally) or at your local Whole Foods or similar store.  If not, top this creamy pasta with your favorite sauteed veggie and get prepared for next year’s forage!

And, if you do decide to go out and hunt for your own Fiddleheads, use common sense and some caution… there are definitely some not so yummy look-a-likes out there.  Just warning you…

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Lasagna with Creamy Red Wine Sauce

Gluten Free Vegan Lasagna

So, this may not be the most glamorous food I have posted, but let me start with a word in it’s defense.  This stuff is freaking incredible.  I mean it.  Sure, the sauce isn’t a brilliant bright red since it uses avocados and red wine (kinda pinkish orange), but once you taste it, you simply will not care how it looks.  I promise.

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Pretty Darn Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Blackberry Topping

raw cheesecake

Today is my birthday, (yay!) and to celebrate I decided to use this awesome and simple recipe for my birthday cake (I changed it up a bit). What a great gift to receive-  thank you so much, RawFoodNut!  I also really wanted to create a new version of my all time favorite- blackberry vegan cheesecake.

Oh man!  After tasting this- there is no reason in the world I need to ever bake a cheesecake again.  Nope, never.  Ever.  And a super bonus… it is very healthy!  For those of you who have had the pleasure of eating amazing raw desserts- this is a great recipe… and has lots of wiggle room in the ingredients, etc.  For those of you who have not experienced raw cheesecake- try this out, and fall in love. <3

I personally am still inching my way into higher-raw eating.  This was the first “raw” cheesecake I have ever tasted, let alone made myself- and already I am hooked.  I just can’t believe I have never tried one of these before… Happy Birthday to me!  And Happy Cake-eating to you!

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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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Date Pudding

Date Pudding Vegan

This date pudding is a very rich treat that is fabulous as breakfast, a snack, or dessert.  Unlike some date puddings I have encountered, it does not rise much.  But it certainly has boatloads of taste, density, and stickiness- especially if you stack them like pancakes.  Even though it seems like a lot of steps to arrive at this pudding, it is not a difficult recipe.  I made it for breakfast, before having my usual pot of coffee… and it still turned out miraculously well.  A great start to a chilly day.

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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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Vegan Mac and Cheese

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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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Chocolate Chip Blondies with “Caramel” Sauce

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This recipe for vegan blondies topped with caramel sauce is simple, gooey, and totally loaded with calories!  Modify by adding nuts, dried berries, or omitting chocolate chips.  Bring a fork and enjoy with a tall glass of soymilk…or two.

Blondies

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup Earth Balance Margarine
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp EnerG egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt Earth Balance and stir in brown sugar.  Mix in baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg replacer, and vanilla.  Add flour and 1 tbsp water.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Spread into 9”x9” greased pan. (This part is a bit cumbersome, my technique is partial spreading and partial patting… do whatever works to get it to cover the bottom of the pan evenly).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, cool. Top with caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup soymilk
  • 1/2 cup Earth Balance Margarine
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix together all ingredients except for vanilla. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cook 7 minutes; stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Store leftovers in fridge in airtight container.