Vegan Valentines "Heart Beat Lasagna"

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My hubby and I made this, together, neither of us knowing how it would turn out, since I didn't follow any recipe, we just bought some ingredients that I thought would go well, together for a vegan lasagna.... all we knew is that he would use the mandolin to slice the beets and zucchini, and then shape the beet slices into hearts.

We decided to bake it rather than eat it as raw lasagna, as I had originally planned for it to be raw, but when he suggested that we bake it, I thought about it only for a couple seconds and agreed that everything might just set better and it would be easier to cut into slices, so I said we should do it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

My hubby could not say enough good things about it.... I love when our projects work out!

I thought I'd share the recipe. Every measurement is only approximate and one may adjust to one's own taste. It is basically, zucchini strips for noodles, marinara made with sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, olive oil, two dates and spaghetti seasoning all whipped in a blender, pesto made with pumpkin seeds, organic salad greens, cilantro, lemon juice, parsley and a little salt, ground up in a food processor, and the "cheese" layers is just soaked cashews (about three cups) lemon juice, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder and a little salt.... also whipped up in a food processor while adding a little water at a time. The final layer on top of a second "cheese" layer is dill weed powder and the heart beets. I'll just show some photos from the process:

We're still learning to be better food photographers, but these still look pretty good and give the general idea. As time goes on, we'll be more nit-picky on how we arrange our food and dishes, as well as know the best lighting, though I think our lighting is pretty good... This morning I had a large slice.... and it is what makes me think it is possibly the best lasagne I ever had. How lasagna tastes the next day is always my test. Overnight, in the fridge, it all set even better, so my slice showed all the layers.... and the pesto and "cheese" layers were a perfect texture... and more nutty and flavorful.

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Another foraging treasure from last Summer!

Wild Raspberries and blackberries!!!

.... and I just so happened to have a bag of Bob's Red Mill pie crust mix..... and enough coconut oil to make a great pie crust.... so here are a couple photos of berries and the pie!

It is a long way until Summer, but look at it this way: soon, it will be warm enough to tap some maple trees.... and from then, it is only a short time until Spring.... so, here's a memory.... and here's to warm, sunny days, ahead!

Pine Nut Friendlies Second Attempt, Much Better!

This is a recipe from the cookbook, 'Street Vegan'.... my first attempt did not go this well because I substituted coconut oil for vegan margarine... and the coconut oil caused the cookies to start to burn at the bottoms and I needed to take them out almost 10 minutes early.

For my second attempt, I still used coconut oil, but baked them at 325 degrees instead of 350 degrees and they came out perfect!

This time, I also chose not to lightly grind the pine-nuts, but mixed them in, whole. I wanted to be able to showcase the while pine-nut experience about them.

Our Tomato Tart

Awhile back, my husband  (then, fiance) helped me to make this tomato tart to enter into our home-town pie baking contest. As much as the pie looked beautiful and tasty, we had a problem with the crust because we did everything at the last minute and did not have enough time to soak the walnuts. Our pie is an adaptation of Laura Miller of the Youtube show 'Raw, Vegan, not Gross.... but we added avocado and freshly picked garden basil.

Our pie did not win.... and we never got to eat it for ourselves..... but this photo reminds me that I want to make it, again.... and maybe make another one to enter into the contest, next Fall.... this time, though, we will make one to eat, for ourselves.

My husband is adorable.... I still think of his reaction when i asked if he'd like to help me make a pie for the contest. He was excited and enthusiastic to do it.... that's not a reaction that one would expect from a man. It is one of things that I love about him.

Here is the recipe by Laura Miller:

 Crust: -3 c walnuts -1 T nutritional yeast -2 T olive oil -1/4 t salt Filling: -3 c walnuts, soaked overnight* -2 T lemon juice -1 T olive oil -1 c cherry tomatoes -1 T nutritional yeast -few leaves fresh basil PROCESS -Start with the crust. Place the walnuts in the food processor and blend for about 10 seconds, then add the remaining ingredients. -Press the crust into the tart pan, and dehydrate overnight, or bake at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch. -To make the filling, combine soaked walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor. -Cut your tomatoes in half, then warm them in the dehydrator, or bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, just until softened. -Now, just assemble. Spread filling over the crust, add your tomatoes on top, and garnish with a little basil. -Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes to allow it to set up. HEALTH FACTOR: -high in cancer-fighting lycopene -reduce the risk of heart disease -help lower blood pressure and cholesterol .... and her channel, Raw, Vegan, not Gross

Vegan Blueberry 'Nice Cream'

.... made with frozen bananas and blueberries in a food processor:

I Had the Honor to Prepare Eight Delicious Vegan Meals for the Homeless

I'm still thankful for the opportunity to do something for the homeless people that I see on the strip in Las Vegas. My parents have a timeshare, so, my husband and I sometimes get to spend a week or two at the Polo Towers.... and, the first time we were ever there, we were shocked and touched by the sight of the homeless people on the strip.... one man was lying face down under an escalator, knocked out, cold.... I was worried that he could have been deceased, so I told my husband and his friend that i need to check to see if he is breathing.

Anyway, to make a long story short, my husband and I had another Vegas trip planned for May of 2016 and I decided to put up a Gofundme to raise money to make 8 delicious vegan meals to hand out to 8 homeless people.and was able to raise 220 dollars.... I randomly chose a goal of 400 dollars, not really expecting to reach it.... but, as it was, after I had bought all the groceries and put together the meals, I still had a surplus and used it buy socks to put in the care packages.

.... and the meals for each package were quite massive. Each package came with a large container with half coconut-lime quinoa and a fresh mango, avocado salad. Then there were two natural peanut butter sandwiches on raisin cinnamon Ezekiel bread with coconut oil for butter.... and a condiment bag that contained salt and pepper packets, super cute glass bottles of Louisiana hot sauce, and some napkins..... and then, in each bag was added a pair of socks.

These are photos I took of our progress and updates on the Gofundme campaign:













It was a massive blessing to plan and prepare the most delicious, healing, plant-based food for those in the most need and to be empowered to deliver these meals.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes and Fried Onion with a Horserash-y sauce

This was part of a 'Street Vegan' recipe that was just too overwhelmingly ambitious for me to make in its entirety. The recipe is called 'Truffled Potato and Fried Onion Perogies. I decided to skip the perogy part because I would have had to make a substitution in making the dough, and it also required a mixer.... then rolling it out, shaping them into circles and then folding the potato mixture inside.... and frying up the perogies..... it sounds worth the effort, but I've never made perogies, before..... and the potatoes with the truffle oil were intriguing enough, as it was my first time ever trying truffle oil. it is absolutely earthy, rich, scrumptious and like nothing I have ever tried....I wonder where on earth that truffles can be found.....they are rarer than morels.

Anyway, the potato the truffle potato filling stood incredibly well on its own. I put it on a bed of baby greens and topped it with a dollop of a horshradish-y sauce that I made with horseradish and Veganaise, then garnished it with chives. It is sort of fancy, but it is not. :).

With Cashews and Nutritional Yeast, One Can Make Almost Anything!

These are gooey vegan quesadillas!

I followed a recipe by Carrots and Flowers , then added a few touches to make it my own.... ie. the pine nut.basil pesto, on top.

The "mozzarella cheese" comes out melty and gooey because of the ingredient, tapioca starch, which I was surprised that I was able to find it at my local healthfood store, Indigo Iris. I don't like cheese, but I like the taste of nutritional yeast.... and a lot of people say that nutritional yeast tastes like cheese.... so, it is a double blessing in that it only tastes like cheese to people that like cheese.

Here are the full recipe and instructions that I followed:

Ingredients

• 8 tortillas medium
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Easy Chipotle Cream

• 1/2 cup soaked cashews
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Soak cashews for two hours or overnight for the cashew mozzarella and chipotle cream. You can also boil them for ten minutes to soften. Drain the cashews. In a high-powered blender or food processor, add 1/2 cup soaked cashews and the remaining ingredients until the white pepper. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes until smooth. 
2. Pour the cashew mixture in a saucepan over medium high heat. Cook for 5 minutes until the cheese forms into a gooey ball in the center. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. The cheese will stay fairly soft. 
3. To make a large vegan quesadilla, spread 1/4 cup of cashew mozzarella onto one tortilla. Spread 2 tablespoons of cashew cream onto another tortilla. Combine the tortillas. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the Vegan Quesadilla on 30-45 seconds on each side until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melty. Cut into triangles and serve with extra chipotle cream and avocado!
   
   

I have to say that the blogger of Carrots and Flowers had more patience in waiting for the tortillas to come out a deeper golden brown... and her photos do more justice, but since this post is about how the recipe worked for me, as a first time trier, it is also about how MY tortillas turned out, so these are my tortillas. Both my husband and I were impressed.He LOVED them.... and I did, too, though I liked them even more, the next morning after being in the fridge, overnight. I don't know why.

One Quick Foraging Bounty from Last Summer:

Apples and lambsquarters:

These were the biggest apples, but they turned out not to be the best, I prefer the little crab apples for their sour and sweet punch of flavor..... apples that make me pucker, but have a sweet aftertaste.

My favorite wild greens are lambsquarters. I introduced them to my neighbors... one person asked me why I cooked it in bacon grease... she is one of my neighbors that does not quite understand what a vegan is..... but others have said that lambsquarters taste like bacon... now, quite a few of my neighbors have become fans of it. Thankfully, there never seems to be any shortage.

My First Attempt at a Recipe from 'Street Vegan'

Because this looked like the most simple recipe, and because it contains pine nuts, I decided that a 'Street Vegan' novice, like me would do well to start with this..... and the thought of a vegan cookie made with pine nuts was intriguing, I love pine nuts, and I figured that the baking would give the pine nuts the toasty flavor that only toasted pine nuts can have. I think it would have happened, but I made a substitution that change the whole composition of the cookie dough, so the cookies started to burn on the bottom, so I had to take them out 10 minutes early. I used coconut oil instead of vegan margarine because the only vegan margarines I can find contains palm oil.... because I don't like to read about cruelty to animals, I only know that palm oil somehow hurts orangutans, so I will not use anything containing palm oil. My other substitution was unbleached sugar instead of evaporated cane juice because I don't know where to get evaporated cane juice. I could not find any at the place I order food online.... and I already had to order the vegan powdered sugar. The cookies turned out alright, in spite of my having to take them out 10 minutes early (due to my substitution of coconut oil for the vegan margarine). I did not roll them into perfect balls because I just don't do things like that. Anyway, here they are. All in all, I recommend the recipe.... and my husband loves the cookies I made..... I'd recommend that a person find a vegan margerine that does not contain palm oil, because one will run into an issue of the cookies burning at the bottom if one uses coconut oil.... it is a different composition for baking.... baking is more of an excacting science than cooking... I'm definitely better at cooking:



For great adventures in vegan cooking, I recommend 'Street Vegan'. One thing I have to tell you is that there`are some ingredients that are exotic and/or hard to find. One example is umeboshi plum vinegar.... it is somewhat of a pantry staple for 'Street Vegan', though it sounds as though a little goes a long way. Another example is truffle oil. It is not in many recipes.... only one that I have seen, but I went ahead and ordered the same brand that the author recommended on a footnote of a recipe. Here's a link for anyone that would like to order 'Street Vegan'