Christmas Eve Cowboy "Caviar"

Follow Me :    Facebook    Pinterest    Instagram     Twitter

We call this "Christmas Eve Caviar" because I am required to make it for our family Christmas Eve party every year ( Even before I was vegan!). Everyone Loves this dish at parties because it's good for everyone..vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, whatever..you can eat it. This is also a versatile recipe. It's good cold, as a salsa, served with chips to dip. It's good room temperature as a easy pack and carry lunch for work or school. It's good heated up and topped with your favorite vegan protein.. I like Indian spice red lentil patties with this salad. It's so easy, you will keep it on hand for easy weekday meals. If you don't like it too spicy, just leave out or use less jalapeño. If you like the heat, add more jalapeño or a tsp of chili powder to the olive oil. You can also change up the black eyed peas for black beans... The possibilities are endless.

Looking for more easy lunch recipes? Try my Scrambled Tofu , Grilled Hummus & Veggie Wrap, Buffalo Tempeh over Cheesy Grits, Tofu Banana Berry Smoothie &Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Christmas Eve "Caviar":

3 (15 oz) cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed well

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 large jalapeño, seeded & diced fine

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 orange bell pepper, diced fine

1 small red onion, diced fine

1 (10 oz) can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies - do not drain!

Juice of 1 fresh lime

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste
Corn chips or pita chips to serve.

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Cover tightly and allow to marinate over night.

Serve with chips.

Turkish Lentils and Rice

Follow me for more Vegans recipes:    Facebook   Pinterest   Instagram   Twitter

This is our version of a classic Middle Eastern comfort food, as common as mac-n-cheese is here in America. The addition of turmeric to our rice to make it a beautiful yellow color and adds a bit of extra nutrition. This dish is flavorful and aromatic. The Cumin and garlic make the kitchen smell amazing while it's cooking. It tastes earthy and hearty, there's real comfort in this simple dish. Best of all, it's inexpensive, filling, and comes together easily in under 30 minutes... My favorite kind of dish!

Looking for more great Mediterranean recipes? Try my , Turkish Stuffed Grape Leaves  Baked Spinach and Artichoke Pasta , My Famous Stuffed Eggplant Parm, & Tuscan Gnocchi Bake

 Recipe:

1.5 cups lentils
2 cups of rice
8 cups of veggie broth
3 tsp. of cumin
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Turmeric
Salt and Pepper to taste

To garnish:

2-3 large onions, thinly sliced
Oil to fry (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Vegan plain yogurt (optional)
Olives, hummus
Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

Cook rice and lentils in veggie broth with all your spices until tender and all liquid is absorbed. (Check starting at 15 minutes.)

Heat a few tsp. of oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add onions, salt & pepper and caramelize.

To serve: Layer rice and lentils and top with onions.

Garnish as desired.

Serves 4-6.

White Bean "Queso" Dip

Looking for a simple vegan spicy queso? I made one today in under 5 mins, no cooking, peeling, or difficult to find ingredients. Simply good sauce ready to dip your sweet chili Doritos in..lol.

White Bean "Queso" Dip:

1 (15oz) can white beans, DO NOT DRAIN.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup green salsa
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional - sliced jalapeños

Pour all ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Heat up, or eat as is - its up to you.

Makes about 3 cups.

Easy Sunday Dinner

My daughter asked for her favorite meal pre- vegan : beef tips over mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, sweet & smokey green peas, and lemon roasted veggies. Challenge accepted!! Anything can be veganized, trust me.

We are in love with all things Gardein. They make great meatless products and help make those pre-vegan meals happen again. We don't use a lot of "fake meats", but this meal was so delicious, it was totally worth it!

Looking for more Vegan Dinners?  Try BBQ Tempeh over Cauliflower Rice, Kale Stuffed Eggplant Parm, Sriracha Roasted Tofu with Rainbow veggies, Chick'n in Mushroom gravy with Stuffing And finish with Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

Recipes:

Vegan garlic mashed potatoes:

8 cups potatoes, cubed
1 tsp turmeric
Olive oil
2 cup plant milk
1/2 cup vegan butter
5 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
Salt & pepper

Beefless tips & gravy:

2 (9 oz.) Bags of Gardein beefless tips
8 oz. of sliced portobella mushroom
Oil to sautée
2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance ( or other vegan butter)

1/2 tsp arrowroot  (or corn starch)
1/2 tsp each- cumin, garlic powder & thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable stock

Lemony Roasted Vegetables:

6 cups fresh vegetables  (whatever you have on hand will do)

1 large lemon, juiced
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning 

Salt and pepper to taste

Smokey Sweet Peas :

2 cups of frozen sweet peas
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
1 tsp paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes with turmeric, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to coat potatoes.

Pour potatoes on to a baking sheet.

On another greased, sheet pan, add mixed vegetables. 

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over vegetables. Add Italian seasoning, and pepper to taste.

Place both sheet pans in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes.

While vegetables and potatoes roast, prepare your beefless tips *and gravy...

In a deep skillet over medium high heat, brown Gardein beefless tips *, mushrooms and onions in a little bit of oil.

Remove beefless tips, mushrooms and onions from the skillet and set aside. * Do not remove liquid from the pan, it will help flavor your gravy!

Add butter and flour to the skillet. Whisk until the lumps are gone.

Add vegetable broth, cumin, garlic powder, thyme, arrowroot, salt and pepper to skillet. Whisk again to combine.

Allow to come to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium.

Add 1/2 cup of plant milk and whisk again.

Add beefless tips and mushrooms back to the gravy. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow gravy to thicken.

While gravy thickens prepare your potatoes:

Melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. Add crushed garlic.

Allow garlic to flavor butter, but do not let it burn. Once you smell the garlic, it's time to add the milk.

Add 2 cups plant milk to the butter and bring to a simmer.

In a large bowl, blend roasted potatoes, warm milk, salt and pepper with a hand mixer on medium, until smooth and creamy.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, warm up peas, vegetable broth and paprika.

Assemble :

Pour beefless tips and gravy over potatoes. Serve with peas and roasted vegetables.

Makes 4-6 servings

* If you can't find Gardein beefless tips, you can use any beefless tips, seitan, tofu or even just extra mushrooms. 

Serve with crescent rolls Or my Vegan cheddar Biscuits

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

Follow me for more great vegan recipes- Facebook   Pinterest   Twitter   Instagram

I'm a busy vegan mom who loves sports and nachos. Short cuts are my friend! I have been making the amazing cheese sauce recipe from veggie on a penny for months, but I hate peeling and boiling veggies. So I used my busy mom skills to come up with a solution for snacks with my husband that will get me back to the game quick. (This recipe does call for beer, so if you're making it for kids, sub it out for water or veggie broth since it will not cook out).

Now that you have the cheese- use it in: Cheezy Baked Enchiladas, Black beans and plantain Rice Bowl, Award winning Vegan chili, Chipolte Mac-n-cheeze with smoky lentils & Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadillas , Vegan Philly & Cheese, Caribbean Burrito, & Cheezy Bac'n & Chick'n Stuffed Jalapenos Or make my White bean Queso

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce:

1 can (15 oz) potatoes, drained
1/2 can (15 oz) carrots, drained
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of your favorite vegan beer ( or veggie broth)
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp.  paprika
1-2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 
Pickled or fresh jalapeños to taste (optional)

Toss it all in the blender on high until smooth.

Heat in a microwave safe dish and serve with your favorite chips or toss with warm pasta for a delicious vegan mac-n-cheese.

This recipe freezes and reheats well.

You can add to a ice cube tray to freeze into individual servings. 

Makes about 4 cups.

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes

Living in NC, I have grown up around the most amazing soul food cooks in the world. Trust me when I say you don't know soul food until a southern grandma cooks for you!! This is a southern classic. One of my friends, Traci Carr, taught me 15+ years ago & something every Southern lady must know how to cook. Tonight I was inspired by my husband to create an amazing fried green tomatoes recipe worthy of a true southern kitchen & I impressed myself in the process!!! 

None of this would have been possible without the discovery of  aquafaba... The liquid in a can of chic peas! Anyone interested in learning more about cooking and baking with this vegan magic, check out the Facebook page - Vegan Aquafaba & Meringues

Looking for More Southern Style Vegan Food?  Try Smothered Chick'n over garlic mashed potatoes , Banana Pudding Pie, Vegan Sunday Dinner , Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 green tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
3 Tbsp aquafaba
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional )
Salt & pepper
Oil to fry

Heat oil in deep frying pan over medium heat.

Combine milk, aquafaba, flour, corn meal, chili powder, salt & pepper in a bowl. Stir to make a wet mixture similar to a pancake batter.

Test oil to make sure its ready to fry by dropping a few drops of water into the pan, if it sizzles, it's ready.

Pat your tomato slices dry with a clean dish towel.

Dip green tomatoes into batter to coat.

Place in warm oil to fry.

Fry until golden brown on each side and allow to cool on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt while fresh out the oil if desired.

Serve hot with a spicy vegan ranch or top with hot sauce and layer between bread for a delicious vegan sandwich.

Makes 4 servings.

Cheesy Cuban Black Bean & Plantain Bowl

I wanted plantains. I wanted spicy. I wanted black beans and rice. I had fresh peppers in my garden. I had an avocado in the refrigerator. I have a batch of my cheese sauce ready. Sounds like the perfect set up for a rice bowl with lots of flavor! No real introduction today because the family is ready to eat this lovely dish.

Cheesy Cuban Bowl:

2 plantains, peeled and sliced into strips
chili powder (optional)
Oil to pan fry
1 1/2 cup of rice
1/2 cup salsa Verde
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups water
1 med. onion thinly sliced
1 fresh jalapeño, chopped
1 fresh red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup corn
2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained& rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled & chopped
1 recipe Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Prepare your rice with the turmeric, salsa Verde and water.

Heat oil over medium heat. Toss plantains in pan and fry until browned on both sides, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle plantains with chili powder whole still hot. Allow to cool on a paper towel.

You can reuse the pan you just used for your plantains to sautée your onions, peppers, and corn. Cook until browned over medium heat. 

Layer rice, black beans, peppers & onions, fried plantains & avocados. Top with vegan cheese sauce.

makes 4 servings