Super Simple Granola

I finally did it, rather than let my oats sit in  a container until I had to buy new ones ( I can only make and eat so many cookies) I decided to make granola. I also was determined to use what I had in my kitchen at the time, and that wasn't very much.Other recipes add things like nuts, I didn't have any at the time so I compiled different recipes to make mine.

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

In a bowl mix the oats, honey, and vanilla; sprinkle with cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Spread evenly on two aluminum covered cookie sheets and bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Mixing once half way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Enjoy


Notes:
I used some extra honey I had, you can use and syrup like sweetener to bind the ingredients together.
Once you remove it from the oven you can mix it again, this should cause the granola to cool into smaller pieces.

A.L.T. Sandwich: Vegan Cooking with Nadine

Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich

       What Is better than a quick, simple vegan meal? The answer is nothing... except possibly midnight chocolate snacks, but that's besides the point....
      After spending all day at school (where they don't yet provide true vegan alternatives) I wait to eat dinner at home. But after spending 12 hours on campus, the last thing I want to do is spend a long time making myself food. Typically wanting to cheat on being vegan just to eat a quick meal, I've found the perfect solution! (Be aware, I usually have to have two of these... they're that good!)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

8 slices of your preferred bread (I like Sourdough best)

1 ripe avocado, cut into thin slices

1-2 ripe tomatoes, cut into thin slices

1/4 head of romaine lettuce, washed and dried

4 tablespoons Vegenaise (I use about a tablespoon per sandwich)

Vegan bacon of your choice (optional)

Cracked pepper (optional)

Instructions:

1. Toast the bread of your choice in either your toaster or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
3. Once your bread is toasted, spread desired amount of Vegenaise on both slices of bread.
4. Layer the avocado (bacon if desired) on one slice of bread and the lettuce and tomato on the other slice.
5. Crack the pepper over both slices.
6. Close the sandwich, cut in half (if desired) and enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

Want a fun weekend meal? How about homemade pizza, you can completely customize it and have fun making it too. By freezing the dough it becomes easier to make any night of the week.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups water 100-110°F 

3-4 cups flour

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

desired toppings

Activate yeast in water while mixing dry ingredients together. Add olive oil and yeast-water mixture. Mix until well incorporated and not sticky. Add flour as needed to reduce sticky texture of dough. Allow to rise in a warmed oven for an hour and a half. Separate into 3 evenly sized dough balls. Allow to rise, slightly separated, for 15 minutes. Roll each out to  1/4-1/2 inch think on a floured surface. Place on a baking sheet or pizza stone with corn meal. Add desired toppings and bake at 500 for 8-15 minutes until the crust has browned.

Notes:

Extra dough can be frozen but will need to thaw and rise again before baking. It's best to  freeze the dough before the second rising then continue from there.

Manicotti: Vegan Cooking with Nadine

Vegan Manicotti

       My sister, who has no interest in any vegan choices, actually requests for me to make this when she comes over to my house. This easy to follow beginners recipe is simple, clean eating. I usually pair it with a garlic bread and some fresh fruit, along with a chocolate dessert.

       The recipe calls for tofu, and if you don't like tofu, you're in luck! The tofu is mashed up to make a cottage cheese and then mixed with spaghetti sauce, so you don't even process it as tofu!

      I gave myself a bit more than hour (maybe 90 minutes) to prepare this dish my first time, but after that, I got the hang of what would make this dish quicker: get water boiling before you start cutting your vegetables. This saved me about 15 minutes because the first time I made this recipe, I didn't read the instructions all the way through (oops!) and I ended up having to wait for the water to boil, then for the noodles to partially cook, and lastly waiting for the noodles to cool down enough that I could handle them. 

In short, learn from my mistakes and boil water first!

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1/2 package of manicotti noodles (24 shells)

2 20oz jars of spaghetti sauce

1 recipe Vegan Cottage Cheese (see recipe below)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1-2 Tablespoons oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped

1 onion chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1 pound spinach, chopped or whole

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Chicken Style Seasoning (found commonly in bulk seasonings).

Vegan Cottage Cheese:

1 pound extra firm Tofu

1/2 cup Vegenaise

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

• Mash tofu and mix in other ingredients.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta (to fill the pasta, it's easier if the noodles aren't fully cooked, and just a few minutes under cooked).
3. Sauté the last 8 ingredients above in the oil until onions and spinach are tender.
4. Add tofu cottage cheese and parsley to the saucepan and mix well.
5. Pour 1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish 
6. With a large spoon, fill pasta with the mixture from the saucepan. Place the shells in the tomato sauce.
7. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Make sure the shells are covered with the sauce, otherwise when they're done cooking, the exposed parts will turn hard.
8. Cover with foil and place in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Sauteed Veggies

Sauteing works well to not only add a vegetables to a meal but also to add flavor. It's simple to do and they can go on top of many dishes. I enjoy adding sauteed zucchini to grain based dishes like pasta and the mushrooms and onions are delicious on meat like steak and burgers. I also have but it on top of bakes potatoes to add a more savory element.

Can be browned more if desired

Zucchini: Melt butter in a saute pan place peeled and sliced zucchini into melted butter, sprinkle with garlic. flip once browned and repeat. Add more butter as needed. Some  may burn more than other due to burning butter.

Mushrooms: Similarly, melt butter in  a saute pan and add washed, and sliced mushrooms. I recommend removing the stems. Saute until browned and to desired softness.

Mushrooms before cooking down

Onions (and mushrooms): Melt butter and add finely chopped onion. Saute until softened and add mushrooms, if desired. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized.

Farmers Market

I'm so excited for this weather to get better! Happily within the next month or so my favorite farmers markets are opening up. One of my favorite ways to start my weekend is to go and see all of the fresh produce and vendors. It's a great way to stock up on high quality ingredients. Here are my finds from today:

Carrots, hazelnut brownies, spinach and kale mix, and spinach starters. All for $10!

New Ingredients Part 1

While at the store not long ago I noticed produce I had never heard and some I just didn't know much about.  I decided to look into them to see what they are, what to do with them, and if I want to try and use them.

 Chayote Squash
Mild flavor and texture
From tropical farms so they are available all year round
Buy:small firm fruits that feel heavy
Store: for several weeks, in the crisper or in a paper bag
Eat: Most of the time it's cooked but it can be eaten raw. Can be cooked using any method like grilling, baking, and steaming.


 Tamarind:
African spice, used in Worcestershire sauce.
Buy: Can be found in a variety of forms. I just happened to find whole beans
Store:In processed forms it can last almost forever
Eat: Use the dried forms for rubs, marinades, and other spice combinations

Persimmons:
A Mediterranean fruit with a sweet taste. There are two varieties; the American and the Japanese or Oriental variety.
Buy: Available later in the year. choose fruits that are rich in color, blemish free, and plump. Make sure the leaves are intact.
Store: Ripen on paper bag and refrigerate once ripened. Eat quickly. Can be frozen in a puree or whole.
Eat:You can eat them raw just remove the pulp. Add to smoothies and salads. The can be poached and preserved in to puree or preserves.
***These are what I'll be trying once they come back in season this winter***

Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Bonus: Look at these HUGE avocados I found. They were larger that my fist.

Sorry it's blurry