Vegan cooking shows available online.

Free and fabulous! :)

The original ...
http://www.theppk.com/shows/

Just discovered ...
http://vimeo.com/2317414

Cauliflower and Leek Kugel

Yesterday, I made the cauliflower leek kugel out of my new cookbook - Vegan with a Vengeance. yay! This is written by the same author as Veganomicon. If I had to choose between Veganomicon or VwaV, I would choose Veganomicon but both are really good.

I really liked the kugel, but Lucas said it was a little bland. He likes everything spicy. I like most meals spicy, but I don't mind switching it up. It was creamy and dreamy and totally vegan. yummy!



P.S. The author gives fun facts and hints throughout the book. For those of you who don't know (like I didn't) kugel simply means casserole. :)

Cranberry Glazed Vegetarian Meatballs, Spaghetti Squash, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I'm not a big fan of imitating meat, but I do love vegetarian meatballs. I couldn't find the ones I usually get at Trader Joes, so I made my own. This actually turned out to be absolutely delicious!

Cranberry Glaze Cooking...


16oz can jellied cranberry sauce
12oz bottle of chili sauce (I used the 10oz one from Trader Joes and it was fine)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes


4 sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into cubes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 cup mini marshmellows* (yes, these contain gelatin so omit if you're a strict vegetarian)

Set oven to 425°F
Boil sweet potatoes until tender, drain, return to pot
Toss in all other ingredients and mash
Put mashed mixture into oven safe dish and top with mini marshmellows
Bake for about 10 mins ... or just until top is slightly brown


Spaghetti Squash


Since I had to use the oven for the veggie meatballs and the sweet potatoes, I baked this in the microwave. It worked just fine ...

1 medium sized spaghetti squash, cut in half and deseeded
grated parmesan cheese* (some parmesan contains rennet so omit if you're a strict vegetarian)
olive oil
freshly ground pepper

Put squash in bowl with about 1/4 inch water, cut side down
Microwave for about 15 minutes
Squash pulp should break up easy with a fork when done.
Scrape squash pulp out of skin and throw into a casserole dish
Toss with a little olive oil, pepper, and parmesan cheese


Vegetarian Meatballs


2 packages 12oz prebrowned veggie crumbles (I used Boca brand)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup italian style bread crumbs
4 cloves minced garlic
grated parmesan cheese* (I eyeballed it)(*some parmesan contains rennet so omit if you're a strict vegetarian)
1 tsp each of your fave italian herbs (I used dried parsley, dried basil, and dried oregano)
1 tsp (or so) of fennel seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F
Thoroughly defrost veggie crumbles in a skillet over medium heat.
Remove from heat and combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Form mixture into about 24 balls. (My mixture made 24 small balls and 4 medium balls)
Bake in baking pan or on cookie sheet at 350°F for about 15 mins or until firm
(I baked mine in a mini muffin pan.)

Salad with Chevre and Fettuccine Margherita

Yes, I've been in the mood for pasta. Mmm.

Fettuccine Margherita

1 lb fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
28 oz can plum tomatoes chopped (I used one 28oz can crushed tomatoes)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

cook fettuccine until al dente
heat olive oil in pan ... add garlic and red pepper flakes ... cook 2 mins
add tomatoes and wine and boil 2 mins
add cream and salt and boil 1 min
drain fettuccine and pour sauce over it ... sprinkle on the parmesan cheese
toss quickly and serve

Mmm mmm good.

Source for fettuccine recipe: Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin.

The Chevre Salad is simple ... I just thought I'd include it 'cause it was yummy.
Spring mix of greens tossed with a little fresh baby spinach
Red Onion
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Some sliced beets

Fettuccine with Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce

This was quite yum, but I think I'll add some onion and red pepper flakes for hotness next time. My personal preference is just for spicier sauces.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb fettuccine (I used spinach)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook the fettuccine until al dente in a large pot of boiling water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and asparagus and saute, tossing constantly, for 2 mins. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook for 5 mins. Combine the milk, cream, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the asparagus and bring to a boil. Drain the fettuccine and return to pot with the cream sauce. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

I served this with a salad. Mmm mmm mmm. Lucas was too sick to really taste it, but I liked it so I'll definitely be making this again. :)
Source: Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So many new recipes ... so many forgotten photos. *le sigh* I can't seem to remember to take photos of anything lately. Ah well. Perhaps I will remember to take a pic of the fettucine with asparagus that I'm making tomorrow. (Well, later today seeing as how it's now 12:24am.) I'm wide awake thanks to getting up at 2pm today. haha. I had a fun New Year's Eve and a very relaxing New Year's Day today. I got up, made brunch for Lucas and I ... took a shower ... changed into my lounging/yoga pants ... and watched movies all day. Ahhh ... I love Jan 1st.

I'll probably be up all night and then exhausted at work tomorrow, but whatever ... :p

I got a new cookbook for Christmas (yay!) and I've already made several recipes and forgot to take pictures of all of it. LOL
The cookbook is Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. I made pumpkin muffins, veggie cream cheese, crunchy lentil salad, tomatoes stuffed with couscous, polenta with spicy eggplant sauce, and tomorrow I'm making the fettucine with asparagus in lemon cream sauce. yum!

I substituted my own ingredients for veggie cream cheese. I softened some low fat cream cheese in the microwave and mixed in some minced garlic and chopped basil. Why I've never done this before is beyond me! I think fat free cream cheese tastes kind of crappy but I hypothesize that it will taste delightful using these ingredients added to it. I went to two stores, but couldn't find fat free, so I had to settle for low fat. Thus, my hypothesis remains untested. heh. I'll work on that next week.

All of these recipes were delicious, so I would highly recommend this book! It is heavy on recipes that use cheese, but I just used less cheese than called for and substituted lower fat ingredients whenever possible. :)