You can’t go wrong with a pasta salad and it’s perfect for an outdoor party since it doesn’t need to be served hot or cold.  You’ll also like the tips on how to throw a vegan BBQ if you’ll have a mixture of omni’s and veggie’s.  So check out this Pesto Pasta Salad compliments of the LAist.

Instead of pan frying this yummy Seitan & Broccoli with BBQ Sauce dish, wrap it in foil and toss it on the grill.  It would also be great as kabobs!  Be sure to check out the rest of the recipes from Post Punk Kitchen (like the quarter pounder beet burger…another perfect-to-grill-on-Memorial-Day recipe!).

For dessert indulge in a Plum Kuchen that’s easy to serve and would be great paired up with some non-dairy vanilla ice cream!  This recipe is from the Vegan Yum Yum blog.  Beautiful pictures and lots of other recipes you’ll want to check out!

Easter

Deviled Eggs:  This amazing recipe from Lagusta’s Luscious will help you create the most realistic deviled eggs ever!  Now why would a vegan want something that looks and tastes just like an egg?  I think for most of us it’s about nostalgia.  We want to recreate happy memories of childhood but without the animal cruelty and with this recipe that’s totally possible!

Photo Credit: Lagusta's Luscious

Holiday Glazed “Ham”:  A traditional ham dinner for Easter…veganized!  This scrumptious recipe from Caribbean Vegan will impress everyone (omnis and fellow veggies alike) with its stunning presentation, meat-like texture and savory & sweet flavor combinations.  And the best part?  No pigs were brutally slaughtered to put this on your plate!

Photo Credit: Caribbean Vegan

Passover

Chopped Liver Spread:  Perfect to spread on Matzoh, this faux liver spread (or what we like to call LIVE-r) combines walnuts and mushrooms to give it the right texture and a similar flavor without the sickness that would surely follow after you realized you just consumed an organ.  Brought to you by The Vegetarian Resource group which has a great collection of veganized recipes for Passover.

The Seder Plate:  A recent article in the Jewish Journal discusses this vegan version of a Seder Plate and what it means to be a vegan on Passover. I was part of this wonderful celebration at Gary Smith (The Thinking Vegan) and Kezia Jauron’s home last year for what we have now coined Veder or Vegan Seder.  It features tofu in the shape of a bone instead of the traditional lamb bone as well as a bit of Ener-G egg replacer instead of a cooked egg.  Looking forward to this years Veder. (Both photos courtesy of Gary and Kezia).

Buy a vegan brownie mix and a can of black beans. I’m sure not all brownie mixes are vegan, so make sure you read the ingredient statement. I used Duncan Hines.

Black Beans and Brownie Mix

1. Preheat oven to temperature as stated on the box of brownie mix.
2. Drain the can of beans (save the can) and wash the beans in a strainer.
3. *Place the beans back into the can and fill it with water.
4. Pour the beans and water into blender and blend.  Now you have the wet mix you are going to add to the dry brownie mix.
5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are wet and you don’t have lumps.
6. Pour into greased pan (*pan size as stated on the brownie mix box).

Brownies Before Baking

*I bought a “snack size” mix which only made 12 brownies. If you do this, you only need 1/2 a can of beans, half of the water, and a 8″x8″ pan. If you buy a regular brownie mix box that makes 24 brownies, then you will need the whole can and a 9″x13″ (approx.) size pan.

Bake according to brownie mix box instructions.

Brownies Out of the Oven

The brownies will come out soft and chewy and nobody will ever know they were made lower in fat with some extra protein and fiber and that they are 100% vegan. You can tell them all that good news after they have tried them. 

Yummy Vegan Brownies

 Thank you Chicago Soy Dairy for coming up with Dandies Vegan Marshmallows. These little fluffy marshmallows are just what I remember as a kid (minus the animal skin and bones). They are smaller than the average marshmallow, so you may want to roast at least 3 at a time for one s’more, but they taste just as good.  I believe they can be found at most Whole Foods or can be ordered online at cool vegan grocery stores like Food Fight Grocery.

Vegan Graham Crackers by Health Valley

 As for the Vegan Chocolate, I used the Whole Foods brand. The price was more reasonable than the other brands and you seemed to get more for your money. It was also a bit thinner which helped with the melting when the s’more sandwich was put together.

Whole Foods Dark Chocolate

 I put it all together in a pretty serving platter (well, it was a potluck after all) and we all had a great time roasting the marshmallows and making Vegan S’mores.

S'more Yummies

 

Mmmmm...S'mores

Frozen Puff Pastry

Last night I made a quick dessert using puff pastry and a little olive oil, fresh raspberries and some vegan chocolate chips and viola! You have a fancy schmancy dessert.  

Fancy Schmancy Dessert

For this vegan light and fluffy dessert, I just thawed a square of frozen puff pastry for 40 minutes, cut it into 9 squares, brushed it with a thin coat of olive oil (not sure if this step is even necessary), placed about 4 raspberries and maybe 5 chocolate chips in the center.

Before Baking the Puff Pastry

I baked it in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 16 minutes till they nicely browned. I would check it after about 12 minutes and then go from there depending on the temperature of your oven.

Out of the Oven

I think the next time I make them I will fill one of the layers with a sweet cashew cream and drizzle the chocolate on top or sprinkle with sugar to give it a little extra sweetness. I have a feeling that any berries will do the trick.  So maybe even a mix of berries will be nice and add more color. Be creative. You can even make savory snacks with this stuff. The possibilities are endless!

Vegan Carrot Cake

A girlfriend of mine was having a birthday, so we decided to throw her a birthday party vegan potluck style! I was the one who volunteered to make the birthday cake since I hadn’t made a cake for awhile and I thought it would be fun. However, a few days before the big day, I was informed that the birthday girl didn’t like chocolate cake! Who doesn’t like chocolate cake?  Anyway, that made it a little more challenging, but I thought about it and decided to make a delicious carrot cake with all the fixins thrown in. So I searched the web and combined a couple of the recipes that I found online and…voila! 

 Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ c. all purpose flour
• 2 tea. baking soda
• 2 tea. cinnamon
• 1 tea. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tea. baking powder
• 1 tea. salt
• ¾ c. cane sugar
• ¾ c. light brown sugar
• 3 egg equivalent in Ener-G egg substitute
• 1 tea vanilla
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 2 c. grated carrots
• 1 can (14-16 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 c. shredded coconut
• ¾ c. chopped walnuts
• ¾ c. raisins

 Cream “Cheese” Frosting:

• 1 8oz pkg. vegan cream cheese (Tofutti or Follow Your Heart brand)
• 1/3 c. vegan soy margarine (Earth Balance brand), softened
• 1 tea. vanilla
• 2 c. vegan confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease two 8 inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, spice, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk egg replacer powder and water to create a bit of foam and until it is well combined. Then, in a large bowl, mix sugar and egg replacer until creamy (works best with an electric mixer). Add vanilla and then add vegetable oil. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and then add carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins.

Mixing all the ingredients together

Pour into prepared pans. You can also use a 13×9 inch pan if you would like a thinner, longer cake. I prefer a pretty round double layer cake myself.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Make sure you let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Cake going into oven

For Cream “Cheese” Frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat the “cream cheese” and margarine. Add vanilla, and then add sugar slowly so you don’t end up covered in powdered sugar. Try not to over-mix, but you don’t want to under-mix either. Spread it on cooled cake. If the frosting seems too soft, you may want to refrigerate it for a bit before frosting so it hardens up a bit. I sprinkled it with chopped walnuts, but you can decorate it any way you like.

Cake before frosting

 I refrigerated the cake overnight and brought it to the potluck the next day. I have to say it was a huge hit and, of course, nobody could believe it was vegan. Duh!

Finished cake

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins

Our runner up in the vegan recipe contest we recently held sent us a scrumptious vegan muffin recipe involving banana, chocolate and espresso.  I can’t think of a better combination!  If you make them we would love to hear your comments.  The recipe, sent by Kathy J,  is as follows:

You will need:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder

• 1 tbsp wheat germ

• 1 tbsp ground flax seed

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup vegan sugar

• 1/3 cup canola oil

• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup nondairy chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your muffin tin.  Mash your bananas and set aside.  (When the bananas are very ripe, they will exude a liquid as they sit after they’re mashed which gives the muffins a nice, moist texture.)Mix together the flours, baking soda, espresso powder, wheat germ, flax seed, and salt.

2. Mix together the flours, baking soda, espresso powder, wheat germ, flax seed, and salt.

3. Beat the sugar and oil together and add the mashed bananas.  Add the water and vanilla extract and mix.  Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.

4. Fill each muffin tin using a dough scooper for even portions.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Yield: 12 muffins

Bless Your Hearts of Palm Ceviche

My easy vegan ceviche is a fun alternative to guacamole, and of course, a much more fish-friendly alternative to traditional ceviche.  The secret to this recipe is jarred hearts of palm.  It has a mild flavor and a pleasant texture, perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips, celery, or jicama slices.  While the lime juice should prevent your avocado from oxidizing too quickly, if you’re bringing this to a potluck or cookout, I recommend adding the fresh avocado at the event just to be on the safe side.  For more pictures or information on this dish, check out my blog!

Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz. jar of hearts of palm, drained and sliced

• 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters

• 1 avocado, cubed

• ¼ cup red onion, chopped small

• 2 Tbsp (heaping) fresh cilantro, chopped

• Juice of 1 lime

• Slices of fresh or jarred jalapeño peppers, to taste

Combine ingredients and serve with slices of jicama, celery sticks, tortilla chips, or toasted corn tortillas.

Vegan Bless Your Hearts of Palm Ceviche

The winner gets one of these beautiful laptop bags by Mixx.  It features a maroon neoprene exterior with a fun pink and yellow bubble cluster print and has a pocket with zipper closure on the front.  It has a double zipper closure which opens to padded nylon interior with beige and cream floral print.  There is a large pocket with a velcro closure and 3 pen holders on the right side.  The left features 2 large pockets with a smaller pocket on the front of each.  This cruelty free bag has 2 durable nylon handles as well as a removable & adjustable messenger strap with metal clasps.  It will fit laptops that measure up to 17″ diagonally and retails for $43.99.

Requirements:

• Recipe name
• Color photo of finished product
• Step by step instructions

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan With Sundried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

I love that you can now get Daiya vegan cheese in block form from Whole Foods.  This past weekend I made vegan eggplant parmesan and happened to have about half a block of Daiya left over.  I’ve been dying to make some dairy free mozzerella sticks ever since Daiya came out.  Here’s what I did:

First you want to cut the cheese into long skinny pieces.  Grab 3 bowls and fill the first with flour and cornstarch.  I never measure so I can’t say how much of each but definitely more flour, probably a ratio of 2:1.  The 2nd bowl fill with egg replacer.  You want enough to fully submerge each stick but don’t be wasteful.  You can always add more.  The last bowl is for breadcrumbs.  Some come already seasoned but feel free to add garlic & onion powder as well as salt and pepper.  Now dip each cheese stick into each bowl starting with the flour & cornstarch mixture, then the egg replacer and last the breadcrumbs.  I redipped each stick to ensure they were fully covered.  If I wasn’t feeling lazy I probably would have dipped a 3rd time to have a nice thick batter and would recommend this, however dipping twice will work fine.  I did this next to the sink with the water running and washed off my fingers after I dipped each stick.  This is a messy process and you will end up with crazy lumpy breadcrumb hands if you don’t wash them.  Makes it a bit difficult to continue the dipping.  Once all your sticks have been coated it’s time to fry.  I used avocado oil but you can use olive oil or whatever else you have on hand.  Fill a frying pan or deep fryer with enough oil so the sticks will be fully submerged.  I turned up my burner to high and heated the oil for about 10 minutes before frying.  Place all the mozzarella sticks in the oil until browned which should only take 1 to 2 minutes. (Don’t be stupid and use your hands… the oil is hot so use tongs!!)  I made two batches of these and for the 2nd batch I didn’t heat the oil enough.  It took probably 3-4 minutes to brown these which over heated the Daiya and made them leak a bit.  You can see this in the picture below.  It won’t happen as long as your oil is hot enough but no big deal if it does.  It didn’t effect the taste and didn’t make a mess.  Serve these amazingly delicious mozzarella sticks with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Vegan Mozzarella Sticks