Poor Man's Roasted Veggie Paella

Hearty, delicious... This stuff is the bomb! Im too cheap to buy a $20.00 bottle of saffron to do paella the right way, so I subbed in tumeric to get the "overall general idea". Whatever that officially makes the dish..paella...taella... It's yummy. Go make yourself some!

3 cups veggie stock

2 tsp tumeric

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 lb zucchini, chopped

2 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cup Arborio rice

Bring broth and tumeric to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place red and green bell peppers and zucchini and 1 TBSp olive oil into an even layer in a glass pan. Sprinkle the veggies evenly with the dried thyme and oregano. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees. And then while all THAT is going.... sautee onion, garlic, jalapeno in remaining 1 TBSP of oil over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until they are caramelized. Drop down the heat a little and add the tomatoes and rice, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure that you stir once after 15 minutes to check on the progress of the rice. You want all the liquid to be absorbed and look all fat and plump and super moist! FINALLY, mix in the roasted veggies you did in the oven and cook for maybe 5 minutes to really integrate all those flavors. Enjoy!

Spiced Apples....or Peaches....

No one said that ALL vegan dishes were healthy and low calories.... case in point :) This super delicious recipe is something that I like to do when I have company over. It can be in the pot ready to roll after dinner...just turn on the pot, simmer down, and serve warm over soy/rice/coconut ice cream. It is a big hit and makes the house smell DIVINE! The awesome thing is that this can also be done with peaches. Which is what I will be doing later tonight to try and thin out our stockpile of peaches on that busting tree!!!

1/2 cup Earth Balance

8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (or peaches)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add all remaining ingredients and saute until tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Yeah buddy!!

Cilantro Rice

Talk about fresh and delicious! This stuff helps to take away Mexican food cravings....in a super healthy way! I make this rice and serve it along side my Corn Zucchini Sautee (January 2010) for a full meal. YUMM!! I served this for dinner last night, and I think that Im going to make it again!

1 1/2 cup white basmati rice

2 cups water

1 garlic clove

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 yellow onion

4 full green onions

4 WHITES only of the green onion

1 1/2 TBSP lime juice

1 1/2 TBSP jalapeno (with seeds)

1 tsp olive oil

Cook the rice: Place the rice, water, 1 tsp of salt, and the garlic clove in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until all the water has evaporated, between 15-20 minutes. Watch this closely.... Better for the rice to be a little wet and take it off the heat covered to let it keep steaming vs. cooked too long and too dry. This is important!

As the rice cooks, place the remaining items (dont forget the 1/2 tsp salt) in a blender or a min-prep and puree.

Once the rice is cook, fluff it and allow it to cool. Once more cool, mix in the puree into the rice and blend well. Serve and enjoy....

Sesame-Vegetable Lo-Mein

I super need to buy a wok! Not sure how I have been vegan this whole time without one, actually! This recipe is worth buying one, too. Like all stir fry, the hardest part is the veggie prep. But then at the end you realize how it was ALL worth it! To start, I generally toast up a load of sesame seeds. Personally, I love them and use more than 2 TBSP...but that is just me! I think that they make the dish.

1/2 package of vermicelli (I prefer whole wheat)

3 TBSP dark sesame oil, divided

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas

1 large bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 carrots, shredded

4 green onions, cut thicker at a diagonal

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP water

2 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. While cooking, generally I go ahead and cook the veggies so that everything is ready at the same time. Heat TWO TBSP of the sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high for about 1 minute. Add ALL the veggies, garlic, ginger, and red chili pepper and stir fry for 5-7 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in the soy sauce and 1 TBSP of water. Get two HUGE tongs or tossing agents and add the pasta, tossing until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and add in the remaining TBSP of oil and sesame seeds. Taste and season as needed with soy. Mmmm..

Potato, Pea, and Corn Samosa DE-LIGHT

Love me some Indian food....and good samosas are my favorite!! As delicious as the dough is, the filling is the best!! Here is a recipe for the filling, but not the dough. I am sure that you can find good vegan dough recipes around OR vegan phyllo. Personally, I make this filling and just eat it straight or wrap it up in a tortilla or na'an for the same idea!! One more thing... Im a spicer! Especially when dealing with potatoes, I believe in seasoning at each step along the way. Please, use your taste buds as a guide for your salt and pepper. Heaven knows I always use way more than I list here at the end.... I use until it tastes right!

2 medium baking potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ear fresh corn, cut off the cob

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 habanero pepper, fine dice

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

4 green onion, chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp chili powder

1 TBSP coriander

2 tsp salt

1/2 lemon

Peel, cube, and boil your potatoes. Meanwhile, saute the ginger, garlic, and pepper at medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Add all the spices to the pan and allow to cook for under a minute, making the house super fragrant. Quickly add your onions to his mixture - they need some moisture about now - and cook those down until they are translucent. At this point, stir in the peas and corn for another minute or two, until thoroughly heated. Take the onion/spice mixture off the heat and stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

At the point at which the potatoes are done, drain and mash your potatoes with a fork. Combine the spice/onion mixture with the potatoes and mix and mix some more until WELL joined! Season and add the green onions to the mix. This will make the flavor bright and fresh, and I just love them!

Enjoy!

Versatile Tomato Sauce

Everyone needs a great recipe for tomato sauce....something easy and impressive that surprises people on a daily basis and is just downright good!! You can whip up some up as a topper for pizza, pasta, to top bread for bruschetta....be creative. We have an herb garden now which makes this recipe a breeze to make at any time.

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 TBSP fresh oregano

1 TBSP fresh thyme

2 TBSP fresh basil

1 OR 2 cans of diced tomatoes

** 1 will make it VERY powerful...good for bruschetta, etc....depends your taste buds. 2 is smooth. As much as it is tempting to get 'Italian Style" etc diced tomatoes, stick with the plain ones since the fresh herbs make this SOO powerful.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil garlic, thyme, oregano, and basil. Cook until fragrant and add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 7 to 8 minutes to reduce the amount and concentrate the flavor.

Not AT ALL healthy, but WOW! Peach Cobbler

Wow.... No point in it being vegan since it is SO bad for you.... But it is SOOO good going down!

You can use canned peaches with this if you choose. I would try 3 cans peaches with liquid and corn starch to thicken up the juice.

4 cups sliced peaches

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

4 TBSP Earth Balance

1 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 1/2 cups soy milk

ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Get your oven heating up to 350 degrees.

On the range, combine the peaches, 1 CUP sugar, vanilla, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 3qt dish by throwing it into that heating oven. In another bowl, mix the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and soy milk slowly into a batter. Pour this over the butter in your dish. Then, spoon the peaches mixture and juice over the batter carefully. You want to create layers. During cooking, the batter mixture will float to the top. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake for 30-45 minutes. Try not to burn your tongue since you will be wanting to scarf it down the moment it is out.

And yes, make this even more healthy by serving that warm goodness with vanilla soy ice cream.... Heaven...

Tropical Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad... is what you make of it. It is all delicious, but sometimes you have it and something about it made it spectacular. In my opinion....this stuff is that!

1 container of strawberries, quartered

2 mangos, cut into smaller chunks

3 kiwi fruits, cut into half moons

1/3 of a cantaloupe (optional)

The dressing:

4 TBSP agave

3 TBSP fresh chopped mint

3 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

Mix the dressing with the chopped fruit and let it sit for a long while (I prefer overnight) in the fridge. It will get all sweet and cozy and delicious....right in time for you to eat it!