Ratatouille Riggies: Eggplant Marinara with Rigatoni and Zucchini

(This picture is not my own, it's Rachael Ray's!)

Someone gave me this recipe from an issue of Rachael Ray's magazine. Last night my roommate and I were celebrating the return of our amazing friend so we all whipped this little number up together, had some wine, and danced all over our apartment. It was lovely! This recipe really surprised me with some awesome flavor. I didn't really read through the recipe before we started cooking and I think I was just expecting it to taste like plain ol' pasta with marinara and some veggies. I was wrong! The eggplant marinara sauce was AWESOME and the fried zucchini added some really wonderful flavor to the dish as well. We decided instantly that this needed to become one of our staple meals. I served this with some toasted baguette slices and some vino!

Tofu Salad

Here's a great lunch recipe for you! This is my own recipe that I have been making for probably... 4 years?! I have of course been adjusting it over time and I think it's pretty close to perfect (for me) at this point. I make this every year for the bluegrass festival I go to with my family to feed all of the vegetarians in our crew for lunch every day, and of course I also make it at home for myself! I usually just use this for sandwiches but I think it would be great on top of any garden salad or maybe even as a dip or on top of crackers. Today I made a "tofu salad melt" by toasting a few pieces of bread with a slice of Tofutti Cheese then adding a few good scoops of tofu salad and some lettuce. YUM! Also, I always make this recipe with two blocks of tofu because I find it just goes too fast when I only use one! Hope you like it!

Lime-Curry Tofu Stir-Fry

I just made this recipe, oh, about 30 minutes ago and I thought it was so wonderful that I just couldn't wait another second to tell the world about it (or at least the web surfers who stumble across my blog). My neighbor e-mailed this recipe to me about a week ago. She found it on allrecipes.com and knew it had my name written all over it. So, credit for this one goes to "kprzy" who submitted this recipe to the site. Anyway, the flavors in this dish are just AWESOME and so complimentary of each other. Spicy, creamy, sweet, and bold. Also, I want all of you coconut haters out there to know NOT to be afraid of coconut milk. I'm not a hater, but I know lots of people who don't like coconut and might be wary of something like this. Fear not- the coconut flavor really is super mild, and it's more the creaminess than anything else that you'll be taking from the coconut milk. Also, I think the flavors of the other ingredients kind of off-set the sweetness of the coconut anyway. Well, enough about that! You'll love this. Promise.

Not-So-Dirty Rice with Cajun-Style Collards

Here's a nice southern meal for y'all! Also, here's a nice little tidbit I learned while making this meal: Traditional "Dirty Rice" gets it's name from the chopped up chicken livers which look like brown flecks in the rice. Nice, huh? I think I'd prefer my rice WITHOUT livers of any kind, thank you.
Anyway, both of these recipes come from one of my newest cookbooks, "Vegan Planet" by Robin Robertston. They're listed as separate recipes in the book, but it's suggested they're served together so that's what I did. And it was a good choice. This is another meal that's slightly outside of my comfort zone... I'm not exactly sure why, but it's not something I would not normally choose. But once again, I was happy I decided to try something new! You should note however, that the collards alone would be wonderful but the rice by itself really wouldn't be that great. I thought it was a bit dry and didn't have a TON of flavor. I bet if I added some veggie broth to the mix it would have livened things up a bit. BUT, with the flavorful collards served over the top, it was awesome. You'll notice the two recipes have a lot of the same ingredients- but they took on slightly different flavors, and together, it just worked really well. Give this recipe a try! (Oh, and for the record, I want everyone to know that I really don't ever say "y'all"... I was just trying to sound authentic in the spirit of the recipe.) Ok, now for the good stuff!

Roasted Asparagus Risotto

This is another recipe I chose in my quest to try new and exciting things. My neighbor tells me about the awesome risotto she makes all of the time, so it's been something I've wanted to make for a while. I thought it was just a fancy word for just plain ol' regular rice, and I was very poorly mistaken... If you're craving something creamy, and flavorful, and rich, then you really need to give this a try. After my first bite, I was hooked. I LOVE it with the roasted asparagus used in this recipe, and I'm excited to try it with other flavors as well. This recipe involves a lot of stirring and standing over your oven, but it seemed like it cooked fairly fast to me so it wasn't a big deal. I just served this with some garlic bread and it was plenty filling. I can not WAIT to make this again and I think this would be something perfect to cook for company. YUM!! Oh, and this recipe is from Donna Klein's Vegan Italiano.

Carrot Raisin Spice Chewies With Lemon Glaze

So at the beginning of this week I went through my recipe books and chose some things that I wouldn't normally choose in an effort to expand my horizons. So far, everything has worked out really well! I wrote out a list, bought all the ingredients I'd need for the week, and every day I've been making something new and exciting. This is the first recipe I tried, from Isa & Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (which of course, is an AWESOME recipe book). The old Jaclyn would have picked something chocolatey and decadent, but I'm a changing girl, so I went with the opposite. Turns out, they're awesome!!!! Matt and I both have loved munchin' on these little chewies all week. And the Lemon Glaze definitely isn't a must, but I highly recommend it. Compliments these guys perfectly. I bet you'll love them too.

Portobello Stroganoff

I know it's been a while since my last post, but believe me, I'm still at it!! I think lately I haven't been trying too many new recipes, but instead turning to my old favorites when I get home from work every night. BUT, I still love vegan cooking and baking more than ever and I'll forever be flipping through my cookbook collection in search of new tasty recipes to try and share with my peeps.
Anyway, I recently recreated a recipe I've made several times from Vegan With A Vengeance called "Seitan-Portobello Stroganoff". You may notice the "Seitan" is missing from the title of this post, and that's because instead of the usual seitan I use to make this recipe (which really, is equally as delicious) I tried it with Gardein's Beefless Tips. And just as a side note, I'd like to mention that Matt and I are seriously LOVING all of Gardein's stuff - especially the Crispy Tenders and Chick'n Good Stuff (and I'm not being paid to say this - however, Gardein, if you're listening, I'll take some free samples). Anyway, our grocery store just started carrying this line and we've been pretty excited about it all.
Back to the recipe! This, of course, is really yummy and earthy and hearty. And honestly, if you're feeling lazy or lacking ingredients, this recipe would be awesome without Beefless Tips OR Seitan. Just the mushroomy goodness over some pasta would be a great meal!

Lasagna Stoup

This recipe is actually a Rachel Ray recipe that I (easily) veganized. I think it's a great recipe for households with vegetarians and non-vegetarians trying to live in harmony OR for omnivores who are looking for some healthy alternatives. I say this because I'm well aware that not all things that are vegetarian/vegan taste as awesome to omnivores - especially any kind of mock "meat" or "cheese". But I have found that veggie grounds (among many other things!) are an excpetion to that. Whether it's spaghetti sauce or taco salad or whatever, veggie grounds are SO easily disguisable that no one will have to be scared that they're eating something vegetarian... We all know how frightening it can be! AND it's super delicious. I make this pretty often because it's easy, yummy, and makes great left-overs. And as a side note, you'll find that your left-overs will no longer be "stoup" - the lasagna noodles suck up all the liquid and it kinda just becomes plain ol' lasagna - but still very good!!

East Coast Coffee Cake

This recipe is, of course, from one of my favorites; Vegan Brunch. Matt and I recently had a day off together, and this doesn't happen very often so I decided to make something special for breakfast. I didn't feel like going to the store and so I just flipped through my recipe books until I found something that I had all of the indredients for. I really don't have a lot of personal experience in making or eating coffee cake, but I figured it had to be delicious so I gave it a whirl! OF COURSE it turned out AWESOME and the two of us literally finished off the whole batch in less than 24 hours.

Tempeh Helper

I got this recipe from Isa's Post Punk Kitchen Blog. I'm not going to bother re-typing the whole recipe, but I DID want to share with everyone how wonderful it was. When I first saw this recipe, I knew it was something that I had to make. I even e-mailed the recipe post to Matt just because I knew how much it would excite him. We both love homey recipes that remind us of stuff that we used to eat growing up, so I knew this would be perfect. And it was! Here are some more photos of my Tempeh Helper adventure:

Fire Pit Dogs!

This isn't really a recipe but I thought I'd share it anyway because I think it's a fun meal idea. It's finally starting to cool off down here in the south, and we've been having some reeeeally pleasant 60 degree evenings. We thought it would be a good time to take our fire pit out and spend some time out in our yard enjoying the perfect weather. Matt picked up these awesome things (I have no idea what they're called) so that we could roast some veggie dogs and veggies over the fire. It worked out great!! I also made some rice (inside the house) to have as a side. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

This is another great recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Anyone who loves the chocolate/peanut butter combo will love this decadent treat. This is definitely a "I can't believe it's vegan" recipe, but honestly, I think all of my dessert recipes are! Every time I've made this recipe I've doubled it because I've found that it just spreads way to thin in the 9 x 13 pan that the recipe calls for. Of course it makes the bars much more dense, but that's how I like 'em! I'd recommend doing the same or making the recipe as it is but using a smaller pan.

Herb-Scalloped Potatoes

Before I went vegan, I used to love those boxed scalloped potatoes. And up until I discovered this magnificent recipe, I was checking the ingredients on all of those creamy potato boxes hoping that maybe, just maybe, there would be a way to recreate it. It never dawned on me that it's possible to make scalloped potatoes from scratch! And then, Veganomicon came in to my life and I discovered a scalloped potatoes recipe that is just as delicious and creamy as the kind mom used to make. I make this side a lot, and I think if you give it a try, you will too! Mmm Mmm Mmm!

Jerk Seitan

Good news! I FINALLY have a computer! And you'll be happy to know that although I haven't been able to post these last few months, I HAVE been cooking up a storm and taking lots of photos. I thought I'd kick off with something really great and unique, so I chose Jerk Seitan. I've never had Jerk Chicken (I think it's usually chicken?) so I don't really know what to compare this to, but if you're looking for something with lots of flavor and kick, this is the recipe for you! It's sweet and spicy and tangy and just overall... yummy. I used my favorite and perfect seitan recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance, and the Jerk Seitan recipe is actually from the same book. I think this is a great recipe if you're getting sick of eating the same ol' thing every night, and you have some extra time to whip up something special. I served this with coconut jasmine rice and sauteed spinach. I can assure you this will certainly impress whoever it is you're cooking for!

Keep 'em Coming!

Lately I've been receiving comments on some of my posts from different people and I just wanted to say how happy it makes me feel!! I wasn't sure how easy it was for anyone other than my friends and fam to find this and I'm thrilled that people seem to be stumbling upon it. Anyway, I just wanted to say how much I value input from EVERYONE so please don't hesitate to post comments! It seriously makes my day. I've been using a temporary computer the last few months which has made it difficult for me to stay organized and post as much as I'd like to, but I promise there is a lot more to come. Please keep reading, and please let me know what you think! Oh, and anyone who leaves a comment is invited to my house for a delicious homemade vegan dinner followed by a dance party.

Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

This recipe is, of course, from Isa's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I made these cupcakes for Matt's best friend who drove all the way down to South Carolina to visit us for his birthday. I had made these cupcakes before and knew that no sane person would turn them down. Matt's (non-vegan) friend of course loved them so they were a success! This is a definite "I can't believe it's vegan!" recipe, as is every single cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Well, I haven't made them all yet, but I plan to. We LOVE LOVE LOVE cupcakes, and I'm telling you, these Cookies 'n' Cream cupcakes are like little cakes of delicious gold. MMMM wish I had some more right now!!!

Basically, the Cookies 'n' Cream recipe is just an adaptation of the plain ol' Chocolate cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream frosting recipes. (Which, I might add, are seriously delicious without any fancy adaptations - Especially the frosting... holy crap). Here we go!

Creamy Vegan Casserole

I originally got this recipe from www.vegweb.com maybe a little over a year ago. Since then, I have been making this recipe about once a week with some adaptations and variations of my own. I finally have it pretty close to perfect so I thought I'd share this week-night favorite.

Stuffed Shells with Pesto

This recipe is a pretty big deal because it's my favorite. And it's Matt's favorite too!! We get all giddy at the thought of stuffed shells and when they come out of the oven... Well, it's very exciting. This isn't something we have too often because the amount of basil needed to make the pesto is not always readily available – or affordable. BUT, as luck would have it, Matt came home with a whole grocery bag FULL of fresh basil. Apparently a friendly neighbor had a basil plant that was out of control and needed to be trimmed down. So, this meant only one thing- STUFFED SHELLS!!

I got the recipes for both the pesto and the basil-tofu ricotta filling from one of my old favorites, Vegan With A Vengeance.

Zucchini Weenies

This is my mom's recipe, veganized. These little weenies are like gold and they are the perfect hors d' oeuvres for any occasion. I can honestly say that I have never met ANYONE who didn't LOVE these things. I'm telling you, this is a sure way to make lots and lots of friends. I was sooo happy the first time I made these with vegan ingredients and discovered that they are just as yummy - maybe even yummier - than the original version! This was another dish that I shared with my neighbors and they were devoured.

Tofu Omelet with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Cheesy Sauce

This is the first thing I've made from my new cookbook and let me tell you, these things knocked my socks off! The thought of a vegan omelet ever being a possibility (and a delicious one at that) was something I never imagined in my wildest dreams! This recipe makes me feel as though anything is possible. I was so excited about this that I wrapped up and omelet and ran it over to my neighbor to see what she thought. I started thinking maybe I just forgot what a cheesy omelet tastes like so I wanted to get the opinion of someone else. And guess what?? She liked them too!! She actually really enjoyed it and said that she couldn't even tell it was vegan. Can you even believe it?? AND, she had just had eggs for breakfast! Isa, I don't know how you do it, but you are AMAZING. And so are these yummy omelets.