Rise n Shine Cocktail

I got creative last night with whatever booze we had in the house. ;)
I used a shot glass to measure this ... which is about 1 oz each shot.

2 shots of orange juice
1 shot of simple syrup
1 shot of tequila
1/2 shot of amaretto
1 shot of vodka (optional)

1. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice.
3. Enjoy. ;)

No-Bake Mango Cheesecake

Definitely not your traditional cheesecake, but oh so yummy.
This would make a delightful summer dessert. It's very refreshing.
Lucas still isn't sure that I actually made this. heh. I don't bake sweets, but anything sweet with mangoes is my catnip.

MANGO CHEESECAKE

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 (8oz) packages lowfat cream cheese, softened
1 (16oz) can mangoes (I used GOYA brand)
1 (9-inch) graham cracker pre-made pie crust

1. Mix gelatin and sugar in small bowl. Add boiling water and stir until gelatin completely dissolves.
2. Process softened cream cheese and mangoes in a food processor until smooth; slowly beat in gelatin mixture. Pour into crust.
3. Refrigerate until firm; at least 3 hours.

Amaretto Sour and Matter Tofu

Made these last night to have while we watched the Grammy Awards. :)



MATTER TOFU
(vegan ... if you use vegan sour cream or just omit it)

INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, quartered
1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. whole brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbs. reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Purée onion in food processor.
2. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin, and bay leaf.
Cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in tomato
sauce, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt, and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes,
or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add up to 1/2 cup water if sauce is
too thick.
4. Stir in peas, tofu, sour cream, and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes, or until peas and tofu are heated through.
5. Remove bay leaf, and serve hot with
basmati rice or naan bread.

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AMARETTO SOUR

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 oz Amaretto
1 oz simple syrup
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. To make simple syrup: boil 1 cup water with one cup sugar just until sugar dissolves. Chill.
2. Squeeze fresh lemons to get the lemon juice. It does make a difference.
3. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake.
4. Pour into rocks glass over ice. Garnish with cherry and/or an orange slice.

Tempeh Piccata

I finally treated myself to a subscription of Vegetarian Times magazine and I got a nifty cookbook with my subscription! I'd never cooked tempeh before, but I used to love chicken piccata when I wasn't veggie, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Lucas was not so in love with tempeh, but he said that the flavor was delicious. I would agree. :)



TEMPEH PICCATA (vegan)

Piccata Sauce
2 tsps minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

Tempeh Triangles
1/2 cup soymilk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 8oz. packages of tempeh
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon slices for garnish

1. To make piccata sauce: roast garlic in skillet with some olive oil over medium heat for about 20 seconds. Add lemon juice, capers, wine, salt, and pepper; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in cornstarch; cook another 3 to 5 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. To make Tempeh Triangles: Whisk together soymilk and mustard in a bowl. Combine cornmeal, flour, sage, salt, and pepper in another bowl.

3. Cut tempeh into 3 squares and cut each square into 2 triangles. Dip triangles in soymilk mixture and then dredge in cornmeal mixture and set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half tempeh triangles about 3 minutes per side. Add some more oil and repeat.

5. Arrange tempeh triangles on serving plates and top with Piccata sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges.

I served these with some mashed new potatoes and grilled asparagus. Mmmm.

Source: Vegetarian Times Magazine (free cookbook with subscription!)

Avocado Hummus and Crunchy Lentil Salad

AVOCADO HUMMUS (veganize by using soy yogurt)

This is definitely one of my favorite things to make. It is SO delicious.

2 (15oz) cans of chickpeas
3 ripe avocados (flesh only; no skin or seeds)
1 tablespoon of tahini
juice of one lemon
5 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
freshly chopped garlic to garnish

Place whole garlic cloves in food processor and process until chopped finely. Place chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil, avocado flesh in the food processor and process until smooth. (I like to leave it a bit lumpy. You will have to scrape down the sides halfway through.)
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put in a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

Serve with chips. Makes enough for a party. Yummy yum yum.

Recipe Source: Linda McCartney on Tour: Over 200 Meat-Free Dishes from Around the World by Linda McCartney (This is one of my fave cookbooks!)



CRUNCHY LENTIL SALAD (vegan)

This is SO good too! yummy yum yum.

1 cup dry yellow lentils
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
a few carrots, chopped up into small pieces
1/2 finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Combine lentils, water, and bay leaf in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, cook it uncovered for 15 mins. Throw the chopped carrots in with the lentils about half way through cooking. Drain carrots and lentils and remove the bay leaf. Rinse carrots and lentils in a colander under cold water. Place lentils and carrots in a serving bowl and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Serve cold or room temperature.

Recipe Source: Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I made the lemon poppy seed muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance this morning for brunch. Yummy yum yum.


Photo source: http://www.eatmedelicious.com/

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice or soy milk
6 ounce container of soy yogurt, plain or vanilla (I used plain)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (zest from 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, rice or soy milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the lemon zest to the wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry; halfway through mixing fold in the poppy seeds.
Spray a 12 muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 mins, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.