Drink Vegan Beer!

I decided to start another blog about vegan beers and brewpubs reviews. Check it out here!

Crockpot Dahl

Forgive me for being tardy to VeganMofo! I volunteered to be the Chapter Advisor for the UC Santa Cruz chapter of my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. This week was recruitment, and for those of you who are not Greeks,  all I can say is it is insanely time consuming. It was well worth it though. I am more than happy to help share the love of Gamma Phi to the next generation.

Anyways, a few days ago I made another one of my go-to meals: crockpot dahl. When I was still in college, I used to do this over the stove but it really does come out better in a slow cooker. I have posted a recipe about lentils before, and I eat them often because they are so versatile. There are so many ways to prepare them, but this is just my basic version.

Crockpot Dahl
3 cups of dry lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 cups vegetable broth or water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 large carrots, diced
1/2 tbs of curry powder
1/2 tbs of cumin
1/2 tbs of turmeric
Chili powder, to taste (I used about 1 tps because I like it spicy)
3 medium tomatoes, diced
Salt and Pepper, to taste.
Cilantro


This recipe is so easy.

Rinse and pick over the lentils.

Mince the garlic.

And dice the onion carrots, and tomatoes.

Another lovely treasure we have uncovered in the house!

Now add all the ingredients into a crockpot.

Set the crockpot to simmer or another low setting.

Check it every once and awhile to make sure nothing is burning. Add more water if needed.

It is ready when the lentils are soft and it has the consistency of a thick soup.



I served it over rice and top it with cilantro and  this amazing tamarind chutney Michael's mom makes.

Thank you Mrs. Reddy!

Easy, delicious and healthy!

Curry Ramen

Holy cow, I am 25 years old today! It feels like just yesterday I posted my recipe for the cupcakes I made for my birthday last year. I also can't believe how much has changed in just a year! I graduated, moved to California, and am dating an amazing man who I am planning a happy life with. I am so grateful to finally have my (almost) adult life. Michael's birthday was last Sunday, and since our birthdays are only five days apart, we had a joint party last Saturday. My past five birthdays have either been gone horrible wrong (try getting chased down the streets of Melbourne drunk by a British guy dressed as a ninja while you are wearing an alien costume) or just me. So it was very nice to celebrate with friends for once.

Thank you Mrs. Reddy for the lovely cake! 

So, for my birthday I decided to post a recipe for one of my favorite lazy weekend lunches: Curry Ramen. It's a more adult version of the classic college staple. I have talked about how to jazz up your basic package of ramen before, but this is kicking it up several notches. It combines the goodness of a big bowl of noodles, the creaminess of curry broth, and you even get some nutrition from the vegetables. 

This recipe makes 2 servings but can easily be multiplied. 

Curry Ramen

4 cups water

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tps of ginger, minced

2 packages of Oriental flavored ramen (make sure you get one that has no meat flavorings)

1/2 tbs curry powder

1/4 tbs cumin

1/4 tbs turmeric

1 cup frozen vegetables (I use peas, carrots and corn)

1 can coconut milk

1/2  block of extra firm tofu, drained and chopped into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, to taste

Mince the garlic and ginger.

In a large pot, add the water and the minced garlic and ginger. 

Cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the flavor packet from the ramen noodle package and add to the pot.

Add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric.

Add the frozen veggies. Cook for a few minutes until no longer frozen. 

Add the noodles. Cook as long as the directions on the package indicate. 

Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk and tofu. Stir to combine. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Divide into two bowls and garnish with cilantro. 

Now enjoy your grown-up ramen---even if you are laying around in your pajamas watching TV like  a little kid I plan to do this weekend.

The Gilroy Pizza

We are slowly starting to get the house into shape! We have TV but no internet yet. We will hopefully have it soon and then I will get back to posting regularly.

The other day Michael's boss bought them Jake's Pizza for lunch and he brought the leftovers home. There was one called the Gilory Special and it looked amazing. Ranch, mushrooms, sausage, chives and tons of garlic! I just had to make a healthier vegan version. I took off a few ingredients and used Annie's Lite Goddess Dressing instead of ranch---and of course used vegan cheese and sausage.

For those of you not from Northern California (oh, it hurts my little Oregonian heart to say that I live here!) Gilroy is a city in southern Santa Clara County that is famous for its garlic crop. It grows other produce like mushrooms, artichokes and tomatoes---hence the name and toppings of the pizza.

The Gilroy Pizza
1 pre-baked pizza crust (try my recipe)
1/4 cup of creamy salad dressing (try a ranch or I used Annie's Lite Goddess)
2-4 cloves of garlic minced, depending on taste
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella (I used Follow Your Heart)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 of marinated red pepper, sliced
1/4 ground vegan sausage (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage)
Chives, chopped




Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pre-baked pizza crust on pizza pan.

Spread the dressing over the crust.

Sprinkle on the garlic.

Cover with mozzarella.

Add the mushrooms, artichokes, and red peppers.

Crumble on the sausage.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the heated through and the mushrooms are cooked. Once again, this is vegan cheese, it lacks casein so it will not get all bubbly. It will melt a little bit but will quickly burn if you leave it in too long.

Like my nifty 50s linoleum floor?

It's creamy, it's garlicky, and it's full of veggies. What's not to love!

Curry Squash Soup with Gnocchi

Once again, sorry I have not posted in awhile.  Let me update you...

The GreenPeace job did not end up working out. They are a great organization, but that job just was not for me. I still support them though. I am working part time at a Southwestern restaurant for now, and should hopefully be starting another full-time job soon, but more on that later.

Michael and I volunteered to help clean up his Grandparents' old house and are living there as well. It's a very cute old house built back in the 40s and is pretty much stuck in the 60s. Cleaning is turning out to be quite a challenge so far. We have been there for almost a month and still are only about 1/3 done. To give you an idea, here are a few phrases I have uttered during the clean-up so far:

"Of course the drawer is full of 100 steak knives."
"Do not tell me there is more ceramics in that box."
"This Tylenol expired before I was born."
"Oh my God, these are the pills you would give your wife to shut her up if she was PMSing or talking back. They stopped making these like 40 years ago."
"I have seen more dead spiders in the past hour than I have seen alive ones in my whole life."
"Sorry I have bad reception in here, there's lead paint."

But, one perk to an old house, it has a old stove and range that stills works great. I feel like a little 50s housewife every time I cook on it.  I came up with his recipe last night randomly, I was originally just going to make it an all vegetable soup, but then thought Michael would complain so I added the gnocchi. They soak up the broth and come very flavorful and soft.

Sorry I did not take pics while cooking, I was doing three other things at once and forgot. But it's easy enough anyways.

Curry Squash Soup with Gnocchi
Olive oil
2  large carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 large celery stalks, diced
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
4 cups of butternut squash, cubed
1 cup of beer (I used 10 Barrel Brewing Apocalypse IPA from Kaleidoscope)
1 can of light coconut milk
4 cups of water
2 tbs of curry powder
1 tbs of cumin
Package of Gnocchi
Salt and Pepper to taste


Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the carrots onions, and celery. Sauté until slightly golden.

Add the mushrooms and squash, cook until slightly golden as well.

Deglaze the pan with the beer.

Add the coconut milk and water. Add the curry powder and cumin.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Let it cook for 2 hours, stir occasionally.

Add the gnocchi and cook until soft.

Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Try Lost Coast Apricot Wheat beer!

We don't have internet at the house, but as soon as we do, I will start posting regularly again. Hope this tide you over for now!

Soy Cheese Quesadilla

I have some very exciting news: I have a real job! I now work for Greenpeace doing frontline canvassing. I am so happy to work for an organization that shares my same morals and ethics. I love the environment and know that if people just understood what is truly going on in the world, they would want to be more accountable. I am happy with job and my semi-adult life so far. And, hopefully soon I will have my own place so I can start cooking more again.

I thought I would post a recipe for a healthy version of a college staple: quesadillas. Of course I don't use real queso, I use Daiya Cheddar Shreds. Using soy cheese alone makes it healthier because it cuts out all the cholesterol. Daiya hands down make the best nondairy cheeses (you can read my review in my Mac and Cheese post), but I don't care what it claims, soy cheese never melt under basic heat like dairy cheese. But, there is a secret to making it melt---steam. 

For some added nutrients (I mean come on, you can't just eat a cheap pile of cheese and tortillas), I always add some greens into my quesadillas.  Any fresh greens will do---kale, spinach, swiss chard, lettuce & etc. I used some left over mixed salad that from dinner a few nights ago so I had a bit of each. I also whole wheat tortillas. They have more fiber, which is always good. 

This makes one quesadillas, but just multiply to make as any as you like.

Soy Cheese Quesadillas 

2 small whole wheat tortillas

1/4 cup of Daiya Cheddar Shreds

Handful of Greens (spinach, kale, chard, lettuce...)

Red pepper flakes, to taste

2-3 tablespoons of water, just enough to barely cover the bottom of the skillet 

Spray a large skillet with some cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.

Place one tortilla down into the pan.

Pile the cheese on top of the tortilla. 

Pile the greens on top of the cheese.

Sprinkle on some red pepper flakes.

Top with the other tortilla. 

Pour in the water. I suggest pouring it rounding the tortillas, not directly on, so they do not get too soggy. Add it slowly and stop once it barely cover the whole bottom.

Next cover the skillet, I used a large plate but a lid works fine too. 

Let it steam until the water is all evaporated. You can peak under the cover if you need to, but I just listen until I hear the tortilla start to sizzle.

Remove the cover, and adjust the heat as needed. Let it brown lightly. 

Flip gently and let the other side brown.

Remove from the pan and cut into desired pieces. 

I topped mine with some salsa and hot sauce. It's easy and pack with protein, vitamins, and fiber. 

Five Layer Dip

*This is repost, since for some unknown reason, the first one got deleted.


I hope you all had a fun Fourth of July!

Once again, so for not posting very often. As I mentioned in my last post, I am moving to California. I am still staying with Michael's parents and looking for a job (got some good leads so far!). Hopefully soon I will have a job and my own place so I get back to posting more. 

Yesterday Michael's parents had a little BBQ so I thought I would make something nice for everyone too: five layer dip. I made this for a party before and it was gone within minutes. What's not to love about layers of spicy beans, creamy guacamole, tangy Tofutti sour cream, fresh salsa and gooey cheese sauce? 


Some of the layers are from recipes I have posted before, so I will spare you the repeat and just post the links. 

Five Layer Dip:

First layer: Spicy Beans
16 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 of a medium onion
1 large bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 jalapeño pepper, minced


Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside. 


Chop the onion and peppers into bite-sized pieces. Mince the jalapeño. 

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.


Saute the onions and peppers until slightly golden.






Add the beans, garlics, and red pepper flakes. 












Cook until the beans are heated through. Mash the beans into a paste as it cooks. 








Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and add the jalapeño. 


Remove from heat and set aside to cool.






Second layer: Basic Guacamole 
Third layer: Tofutti Sour Cream


Fourth layer: Fresh Salsa 
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 of a medium onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
Handful of cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste


Dice tomatoes and onions, then add to a large bowl.

Mince the garlic and jalapeños and, add to the bowl. 






Add the cilantro and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 


Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 


Fifth layer: Cheese Sauce


Assembly:
I suggest doing this in a large see-through (I know I did it in a pink one, it was the biggest one I could find) bowl or dish so you can see all the contrasting layers.


In the bottom of the large bowl, spread an even layer of the Spicy Beans. 

Second, spread on the Basic Guacamole.

Next, cover with as much sour cream as you like. 

Then, put the salsa on top of the sour cream.

Lastly, pour on the cheese sauce. Garnish with some red pepper flakes and cilantro. 

This was big hit! We munched on this while the grill heated up and it was devoured quickly.