The veggie pizza was my first attempt using Daiya. I was impressed. As someone who is only a non-dairy consumer because dairy literally makes me ill, I reluctantly eat soy cheeses that are often not very tasty. This cheese was an exception. The only downside is the price, which is the reason I have not already bought the cheddar flavor.

Before the Project Food Blog contest kicks off, I plan to do a thorough review of the vegan ice cream cookbook “Lick It.” However, other than that it will be pretty quiet. I’m on full semester number two of graduate school, and I will be working on a degree project this semester so busy times are ahead.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/contestants/720

Guacamole is one of my favorite toppings. I use it on burgers, eggs, burritos, beans, enchiladas, soup, and more. It is perfect to calm super spicy food and to add new texture to a dish.

Fast Guacamole

Serves 1 guac-lover or 2

1 avocado

1/8 cup diced onion

salt and pepper to taste

squirt of lime juice

squirt of lemon juice

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/8 cup tomato diced*

Chop avocado and place in small dish. Season, and then smoosh with a fork. When avocados are partially smooshed, add remaining ingredients, mixing and smooshing everything together.

Eat on stuff or with chips.

* If you are really pressed for time. Add a tablespoon or two of salsa to freshly smashed avocado.

This soup brings the best of both worlds.

Quick Tortilla Soup

1 can enchilada sauce
1 can 15oz diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
4 cups veggie broth
1 jalapeno
1 medium red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
handful of cilantro (for soup and for topping)
1 avocado, cut into slices

Saute the onion in a little oil until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste to adjust spices.

Top with cilantro and sliced avocados and enjoy!

Vegetarian Voice

I have an article featured in Vegetarian voice this month called “Vegan Pack and Go”. I’m pretty excited about it!

New Addition

I’m am also please to announce the arrival of my new puppy!

Luna is a pug puppy I adopted from a local animal shelter. The shelter received 14 pugs in late June, 6 of them being puppies. I visited the shelter numerous times but when I saw the puglets on the web site I was surprised and excited! Pugs fit my lifestyle very well, although I really didn’t have any intention of getting a purebred dog (though I wasn’t against adopting any dog!). I’m so glad I adopted this little one! She is feisty but also smart and lovable!

The results weren’t as outstanding as I hoped. The pastry part of the dish became far too dry after a day (which was when I was serving it for Independence day)

Ingredients

• Tortillas (I used flour, but corn is recommended)
• Eggs (I fried one egg per tortilla)
• 1 can black beans
• Salsa
• A handful of cilantro
• Chopped onion
• Cheese or un-cheese sauce

For my huevos rancheros, I heated a flour tortilla (I had lots of these and no corn tortillas, which I will have to grab for next time) on both sides. I cracked my egg right on top of the tortilla. My oven is a little funky, so most of it slid to one side. I let the edges of the egg begin to whiten, and then I flipped the whole thing over. If your egg slips and slides around, don’t worry about it! Just press down on the bottom of the tortilla and let the egg cook into the other side.

While I was flipping tortillas, I also heated a can of black beans up for topping. I added some seasoning: turn or two of black pepper, a bit of cumin, and a bit of chili powder. Peek at the egg every once in awhile until you get the done-ness you like. I personally do not like runny yolks, so I cooked my for awhile.

Once the tortillas/eggs are done cooking, top them with goodies. I did beans, cilantro, salsa, onion, and an un-cheese sauce I had made earlier in the week. If you aren’t vegan, load this up with regular cheese.

I only wish I had rice to go with these. I had actually made some really good spanish rice for enchiladas, but we ate it all!

Coming Up

I have some exciting news. But I want to wait until everything is final before sharing…  Here are some upcoming posts:

• Review of Lick It!—Vegan ice cream cookbook (chillbook?)
• Independence Day post-post (with zesty potato salad and blackberries!)
• A curry recipe

Blackberry Shortbread bars from Vegetable Matter

I opted to not get any blackberries this week while grabbing groceries. Why? I’m not really sure. But I am counting down until I make a trip back up to the market to grab some.

My favorite local farmer’s group has recently started getting in their really good stuff: onions, summer squash, blackberries, blueberries, and peaches. I snagged a squash and a tomato on my last trip and can’t wait to grab some blackberries for cobbler. I’ve yet to break out the ice cream maker, and I think some vanilla almond ice cream and blackberry cobbler sounds like a great way to spend next weekend…

20 Minutes to Dinner offers vegetarians a solution to empty stomachs, when you only have the time between classes to read, write an essay, and eat. Not only are the recipes fast but many provide ample leftovers—a godsend when responsibilities creep in and turn you into hungry night owl.

The Grub

Bryanna Clark Grogan begins her book with several different topics on low-fat eating, nutrition, and substituting different ingredients to meet the needs of those with allergies. But it isn’t until the second chapter that Grogan begins dishing out the recipes. In the “Homemade Basics” chapter, Grogan includes recipes on several different “staples” which provide building blocks to other meals. One such staple is the “Pan-fried ‘breast of tofu.’” This recipe paves the way for many possibilities. You can easily find yourself whipping up a batch of this tofu, and tucking the slices between some wheat bread and romaine lettuce for a quick lunch or dinner. After this chapter, the recipes are divided like so:

• Quick Dips, Spread & Drinks—I’ll take the the Norwegian hot chocolate, complete with rum, after finals.
• Speedy Soups, Sauces & Salads—Make the red chile and orange barbecue sauce to slather on tofu and grilled veggies.
• Pasta & Pizza Express—Look to the Pizza Toppings page to figure out what to do with all your leftover arugula and artichoke hearts/
• Fast Food Tonight!—Burgers, Wraps, Fajitas, oh my! Try the fajita filling in a warmed pita.
• Flash-in-the-Pan Stir Fries—When it is the end of the week and a grocery trip is imminent, cook up the stir-fried peas and tofu with common ingredients.
• Swift & Easy Side Dishes—The quick stove-top risotto could easily be an entire meal.

When thumbing through the book, I came across another tofu recipe: Teriyaki Tofu Burgers, and I knew I had to make them. The recipe is on page 108 and is quick to replicate and easy to follow, that is, unless you are looking at my copy, which now includes a couple drops of soy sauce. For this recipe, I like to cut the tofu into slices and wrap the finished product in a what tortilla with some lettuce, carrots, red onion, and a little Annie’s Woodstock dressing. But really, the recipe is so versatile you could stick the tofu just about anywhere and create several meals from just 20 minutes of cook-time over a weekend evening or a less busy weekday.

Grogan includes a lot of versatile recipes in the book, which is why I think it is a must-have for college students. And many of the recipes are just suited for making even easier than they already are, such as the “Chinese spaghetti.” This recipe features “1lb any vegetable”; anyone else thinking frozen stir-fry veggies? This recipe also lends itself to being a one-pot wonder with frozen veggies: simply steam the veggies in the microwave while the pasta boils on the stove.

I do have to say that there is no mention of time anywhere on any of the recipes . I guess the title says it all. But, Grogan does include nutritional information such as calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates for every recipe. In addition, the book has several “recipes” that are basically idea-generators that can really help you figure out what to do with leftover eggplant, chopped cabbage, and a few pieces of leftover tofu (see “mexican-style tortilla wraps”).  All in all, the recipes in the book provide to be time savers all around—saving you time in the kitchen cooking, saving you time the next day by not cooking, and saving you time deciding how to use all that pita bread and mushrooms. I recommend this book to all who want healthy meals but don’t always have the time.

In other news: I will be writing an article for Vegetarian Voice, so be on the lookout!