Grilled "Cheeze" and Homemade Tomato Soup

Source: "Just-Like-Canned-Tomato-Soup" Soup
Vegan Grilled "cheeze" Sammiches! Recipe - Food.com - 249076

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. If I'm not feeling up to it I'll just heat up a can of soup, but making it from scratch is always so much better. The ingredients list for the grilled cheeze recipe can appear daunting at first, but most of the things listed are pretty standard for most vegan pantries. Which reminds me, I should post a blog listing the essentials all vegan pantries should include so you can make things like this on the fly. But anyway, the recipe only makes about two sandwiches, so I usually double it. You can always keep the leftover "cheeze" in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.

I should warn you that the tomato soup recipe is on the spicy side, so if you're sensitive to hot stuff, hold back on the red pepper flakes. I don't recall ever having spicy canned tomato soup, so I'm not sure why that's included in the recipe at all. Regardless, this tasted great. I substituted tomato paste for the ketchup (for whatever reason I really don't like the stuff). I also used canned diced tomatoes and extra tomato paste until I got it to the right consistency rather than using tomato paste. And voila! You've got tomato soup goodness.

Curry Scrambled Tofu with Cabbage and Caraway with Red Flannel Hash and Toast

Source: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

There are always a few veggies that I struggle with in my Farm Share. These include rutabaga, turnips, radishes (especially daikon!), cabbage and beets. So when I come across a new and inventive way to use one of these more challenging vegetables and the recipe is a success I am always more than pleased. This is one of those recipes. Plus, it's always nice to find a new way to make the standard tofu scramble. The flavors in this dish are well balanced and don't require much ingredients and you'll knock out a cabbage in the process, so yayy!!

The red flannel hash is another favorite of mine when it comes to using up beets. It takes some time, but worth it. If you have a large enough cast iron skillet I recommend doubling the recipe because it's simple and you'll be happy the next morning when you've got leftovers greeting you in the fridge. The recipe basically is a process of frying up some cubed beets and potatoes with a few seasonings and onions until they're soft.

I don't have much to say about toast other than that my toaster is very bad and tries to burn my bread when I'm not looking. Also this happens to be one of my favorite snacks. Crispy textures make my mouth happy, what can I say? I use Earth Balance for a butter substitute and vary my toppings from nutritional yeast, jelly, avocado (on rare occasions), nut butters, and apple butter.

Shepherd's Pie

Source: Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe - Food.com - 336777
Tempeh Crumbles: Vegan With a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I prefer to minimize the amount of processed food that I consume which is why I substituted the online recipe's meatless ground beef. It's a really simple recipe that works anytime I need to substitute ground beef (especially in tomato sauces). That being said, this dish does take some time because you have to make mashed potatoes, filling and the tempeh crumbles if you decide to tackle that task as well. Definitely worth the hard work if you're craving some comfort food.

Red Lentil Dahl & "Cheesy" Flatbread

Source: Dahl Recipe - Red Lentil Daal Recipe - Spicy Lentil Dahl Recipe
Cheesy Flatbread - Dairy-Free Cheesy Flatbread Recipe 

This recipe was really easy and SO GOOD! The lentil recipe was straightforward and simple (as lentil recipes tend to be) but I was thrilled to find a quick and easy way to make flatbread. Originally I was going to just have regular bread with this dish but since I had a little extra time on my hands I decided to give it a shot. All you do is mix the ingredients together, roll them out into rounds and fry each side.

Ethiopian Crepes & Coleslaw Potato Salad with Cumin Seeds

Source: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

These are an ingenious way to have Ethiopian food without the challenges of making the traditional fermented bread called injera. The recipe was relatively simple. You make basic lentils with tomatoes and then roll them in crepes. Vegan crepes are surprisingly easy to make. I just put all the called for ingredients in the blender and then chilled it for an hour. I used a cast iron skillet and it worked fine. That is, as long as you're not picky about having the world's prettiest crepes when it's all said and done. I also made a side dish of coleslaw and potato salad. I don't usually make sides and try to find "one pot meals" whenever possible. But when the mood strikes, it often pays off. The two dishes really complimented each other nicely.

The Purpose of this Blog

My adventures as a vegan began about two years ago (spring of 2009) and while learning to cook I started posting photos of the lovely creations I was brewing in my kitchen on facebook. This album has outgrown its early days as a simple photo album and has officially graduated to a real blog. I plan to post my stories and experiences cooking and living day to day as a vegan in a non-vegan world. My hope is to help others think of new and creative ways to eat healthy and minimize their impact on the environment while enjoying delectable creations in their kitchens!