Meatless Monday- Vegan Baked Macaroni and "Cheese" Recipe

Happy Meatless Monday!!

I apologize for being away for a bit, but I am in the middle of house cleaning, packing and getting ready to move next month. I will try to at least continue the Monday posts now.

So, I have been craving comfort foods lately and remembered this yummy recipe for a vegan version of Mac and Cheese. When I made it, I have to confess that I ate the entire thing over a course of 2 days. It was so delicious, who knew Tofu could taste so good?

Enjoy the recipe!!

Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

1 pound artichoke, semolina or whole wheat pasta shells
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
6 cups water
3 Tbsp "Bragg Liquid Aminos"
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp turmeric, ground
2 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
12 ounce package soy mozzarella or rice cheese, shredded (vegans, check the label to make sure the "cheese" has no casein)
12 ounce package tofu hot dogs, sliced (optional)
1/2 tsp paprika
3 cups corn flakes, organic preferred


DIRECTIONS:

Spray 10 X 15 inch glass Pyrex casserole dish.

Cook pasta according to directions, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion in 1/4 cup canola or olive oil until it just starts to brown.

Stir in whole wheat pastry flour to make a paste and add 2 cups water slowly to thicken.

Add the remaining water, Bragg's, garlic powder, turmeric and salt. Heat on low until it comes to a boil.

Using a whisk, add nutritional yeast flakes until well blended.

Remove from heat and stir in shredded soy or rice "cheese". Mix until "cheese" is melted.

Stir pasta into sauce, add sliced tofu "hot dogs" and pour into a greased 10 X 15 inch casserole pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with a garden salad and a loaf of bread.

Makes 10-12 servings.

HAPPY COOKING!!!

Meatless Monday- A Taste of India

I apologize for not having posted last week and so late today, but in between Holy Week, Easter and classes, i have been a bit swamped.

Today's recipes are from India. I discovered the flavorful and delightful cuisine of India while living in London, I can't believe it took me this long for my mouth to taste such tantilizing flavors! I tried Palak Paneer and loved it, right until they told me it was cheese! Ah, what is a vegan to do?? Well, here is a veganized recipe for the tasty Palak Paneer and I have included a recipe for a delicious Vegan Tofu Mango Lassi drink.


Traditional Indian Palak Paneer is made from a soft cheese that is not aged, called paneer, but this recipe uses TOFU instead.

VEGAN PALAK PANEER

Ingredients:

1 package firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed and sliced into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup soy yogurt
6 bunches of spinach
Preparation:

Sautee tofu and garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil until tofu is lightly crisp.
In a separate large skillet or a wok, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the spices and water, then whisk in the yogurt.

Add the spinach, stirring to cover in the yogurt sauce. Remove from heat and process the spinach mixture in a food processor or blender until almost creamy.

Return the spinach to the skillet and add the tofu. Cook and stir until the tofu is well mixed with the spinach.


VEGAN TOFU MANGO LASSI

Ingredients:

1 cup mango pulp or 1 fresh mango, sliced
1 package soft (silken) tofu
2 cups rice or almond milk
2 tbsp sugar
Preparation:

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding more liquid as needed.

HAPPY COOKING!!!

Snack Attack Giveaway Winner

Good morning!!! I would like to thank all of you for participating in the Snack Attack Giveaway and would like to sincerely apologize for the delay in the announcement of the winner, (Easter duties and preparations got in the way). 

So, let's not keep you waiting any longer, the winner chosen at random, is.... 

Madelyn! 

Congratulations, Madelyn! Please send me your mailing information, so you can enjoy the yummy Seaweed Rice Balls treat as soon as possible. 

Keep checking back as I will be posting other giveaways in the months to come.

Happy Cooking!! 

Sunday Snack Attack- SESAME SEAWEED RICE BALLS GIVEAWAY!!!

Hello and Happy Sunday! I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday with friends, family and loved ones. As you get ready for the work week, I wanted to introduce you to one of my recent and favorite snack discoveries! Trader Joe's Sesame Seaweed Rice Balls!



They remind me a bit of cheetos brand, but when you eat these you don't end up with mysterious orange goop all over your fingers. If you are looking for another comparison, they are quite similar to Pirate's Booty snacks, they are light and airy but i have to say that these rice balls are superior!! Did i mention the super, spectacular, space packaging that is super fun?
I have to admit, the packing steered my eyes in their direction, it's totally wacky!



So you have your reservations about eating Seaweed? Rice? You don't consider yourself fan of seaweed iIn my humble opinion, you can't say you don't like something until you've tried it!

These puffy, crunchy, morsel-sized snacks are absolutely delicious! Did I mention they were Vegan and Gluten-FREE!! Isn't that amazing??

These rice balls ROCK MY SOCKS and I stock up on them on my monthly trip to Trader Joe's, at only 120 Calories per 1 1/2 cup serving with 40 Calories from fat, I can eat these and not feel guilty about it the next morning.


I like these so much, that I am GIVING AWAY ONE bag of the Sesame Seaweed Rice Balls! There are a few ways to enter the contest!

To make this a little easier for everyone you can copy, paste & fill-in-the-blankscomment on my blog telling me:

What is your favorite snack:
Why you want to try the Sesame Seaweed Rice Balls?:
Your Email address, so we can reach you if you win:

Contest ends Friday, April 2nd at 6pm EST - winner will be chosen randomly & announced on Saturday, April 3rd.

Bonus Entries:

If you do any of the following let me know by leaving a separate comment for each one you do. If you do any of the following already, let me know in an extra comment. Please, please make a separate comment for each of the bonus things that you do or your comment won't count. The separate comments help me to stay organized & makes choosing a winner so much easier...& it also ups your chances of winning! If you have any questions please e-mail me!

1. Follow my blog.
2. Follow VeganMsAdventur on Twitter & Tweet about this giveaway.


Good Luck to everyone!!!

Happy Cooking!

Cake Decorating 101- The Miss Adventures Begin!

So if there is anything you need to know about me is that I love cakes and cupcakes!! I wish I could eat cupcakes all day, it would be great, but then I'd probably been in pretty bad shape both physically and mentally. I am also obsessed with Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss and any other cake show on television. If I could marry anyone, it would be Duff, from Ace of Cakes!! A man who is talented enough to make cakes with a blow torch, is my kind of guy!

In my quest to make every recipe I come across a vegan version, I decided to sign up for the Wilton Cake Basic cake decorating class. Yesterday was my first attempt ever to decorate a cake!

First off, my first attempt did not go off without it's glitches... I am definitely not Martha Stewart! So my cakes, in order to keep it somewhat vegan, I resisted the instruction on the cake mix box and did not add the eggs... This was a big mistake!! My cakes were too moist and so fragile that they almost split in half when I tried to transfer them to my decorating wheel. Oh my!

What is a girl supposed to do when everyone else in class has 2 perfectly round solid cakes to work with? The lessons learned from this assignment was: 1. Add the eggs (I am not eating the cake anyway!) 2. Make your cake ahead of time, not the same day of the class! This will allow for the cake to settle and be sturdier for decorating.

Although the cakes were a miss, my homemade buttercreme frosting was the right consistency! Yeah for me, 1 out of 2 is not terribly bad :) So the things I am learning, I will put to use and learn how to make vegan versions of everything!

Here are some photographs of my cake. The design was supposed to be a rainbow, but we ran out of time and they were hurrying us up to leave, so they could close the store. Therefore, I only used the orange frosting I had.




Happy Cooking!!!

Meatless Monday- CHUNKY POTATO AND SPINACH CURRY

Happy Meatless Monday! Today, I am in the mood for some good Thai food and this dish does not disappoint.  It is a wonderful dish to serve with white rice or basmati rice as your main dish. 

I love the spicy quality of the red curry paste mixed with the garlic and spinach leaves, it will leave you wanting more. 

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS 

4 tomatoes 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

2 onions, cut into thick wedges

1 inch gingerroot, peeled and finely chopped 

1 garlic clove, chopped 

2 tbsp ground coriander 

1lb. peeled potatoes, cut into chunks

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I use vegan stock cubes) 

1 tbsp red curry paste

8 oz spinach leaves

cooked rice, to serve 

DIRECTIONS

Put the tomatoes in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2-3 minutes, then plunge into cold water and peel off the skins.

Cut each tomato into quarters and remove and discard the seeds and central core. Set aside. 

Heat the oil in a preheated wok. Add the onions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until starting to soften.  Add the coriander and potatoes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and curry paste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. 

Add the spinach and the tomato quarters and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the spinach has wilted. Serve with rice of your choice. 

Happy Cooking!

Freebie Fridays- Vaska Herbatergent Sample

I am always on the lookout for new, eco-friendly products, whether they be for household cleaning, laundry, cooking, design, furniture, clothing and beyond. So I have decided to begin a "Freebie Fridays" post and here I will share with you how to get free samples of great, eco-friendly products. It's a win-win situation for everyone. 

I just discovered Vaska, a Herbatergent liquid laundry detergent which uses real lavender and potent botanical cleaning agents to clean your clothing and linens effectively, without harmful chemicals. The liquid detergent is available in Light Lavender or Scent Free and only uses natural herbal cleaning agents to fight germs and remove soap residue that damages fabrics and causes skin irritation.

There are many benefits to using plant based laundry detergent vs. commercially chemical based detergents:

• Hypoallergenic 
  
• Extends fabric life
  
• Biodegradable
  
• Safe on colors and all natural and synthetic washable fabrics
  
• Not tested on animals
  

So, where do you get your hands on this amazing, laundry detergent? Become a Fan of Vaska on Facebook and get a FREE SAMPLE of Vaska Herbatergent- look for the free sample link (4th post) on their Facebook page. 

Have a Fantastic Friday and a Brilliant Weekend!