Seitan Jerky

This is a quick easy snack that keeps well in an air tight container. It is highly modifiable so if you like spicy go for it, I am going with more of a savory flavor with a little kick. The only rule is don't over cook the strips because they get to crunchy and hard and no one likes hard jerky!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces seitan sliced thinly but evenly

• 1/2 cup tamari

• 1/3 cup water

• 2 tbsp ketchup

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp mustard powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp honey

Directions:

Slice seitan thin and even so there is less of a chance of burning parts of it, and set aside.

Then mix the wet ingredients together and whisk, add the dry ingredients, as seen below,

Then add the seitan, and mix well, I use my hands to get full coverage, but have a towel handy because the mix is a little sticky. Let the seitan marinade for at least 20 minutes

seitan marinading

Cook at 200 for 20 to 25 minutes, you want the strips to be stiff but not crunchy!

yum!

Banana Almond Breakfast Bread

I got this idea from a friend who can't stand bananas but will eat them in bread! I decided to make a breakfast bread. You might be asking why is this is a breakfast bread well technically I guess it is not but it is got four bananas in it and about 2/3 cup of almonds, which is a lot of protein. It is also low in sugar so I think it's a perfect for breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup canola oil

• 1/2 cup water

• 4 ripe bananas

• 1 tsp vinalla extract

• 2/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together with electric mixer or stand mixer. As seen below.

dry ingredients only

Then add the oil and water one at a time mix well, add the bananas next followed by the vanilla mix well. Finally add the almonds and mix lightly you don't want the almonds to get to mashed up.

almonds added but not mixed yet

Place in one loaf pan that has been sprayed or lightly greased.

ready for the oven!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out and is clean. Below is the finished loaf just out of the oven!

Enjoy!

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

I recently had a mass marketed lemonade and thought it tasted super nasty, but at the same time I really wanted a lemonade, so I decided to try my hand at making my own! Through some research I realized the way to go is to use simple syrup not just sugar alone it mixes better and I think has a better flavor. There are different types of simple syrup I used the two to one ratio which is called the rock candy mixture. And to be honest squeezing lemons seems to be a great arm exercise, so it's a win win!

Ingredients:

• the juice of 10 lemons about 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice

• 2 cups sugar

• 6 cups water

• ice cubes

• lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

Squeeze those lemons don't be shy when squeezing you can get a lot of juice out of them, and the skins are great for compost!

lemon juice only

Next take a medium sauce pan and put the sugar and one cup of water in whisk and put on medium heat, you want this mixture to come just below boiling. It will not look clear because all the sugar has not disolved but don't let it boil, after a while it will crystalize to the pan if it is allowed to boil. Whisk into the lemon juice.

sugar whisked in

Next add the remaining water about 1 1/2 cups at a time and whisk well.

water added

Finally add ice cubes to a glass and pour over, makes about four tall glasses add a lemon wedge for garnish and some fun straws!

enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

I am a total sucker for Italian food! First of all there are tons of vegetarian options and second it is so tasty! Eggplant parmesan is simple to make and delicious to eat. I make it a couple different ways, the way I am showcasing today is frying the eggplant you can also slice it very thin and cook it raw within the dish but that is for another day!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant sliced in half inch rounds

• 1 large tomato sliced in about half inch rounds

• 12 oz mozzarella cheese (if you are going vegan I recommend the Follow Your Heart brand)

• 16 to 20 oz tomato sauce

• 3/4 cup bread crumbs

• 3 tbsp corn starch dissolved in

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 sprig of fresh basil

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp sage

• 1 tsp pepper

• kosher salt

• olive oil

• Parmesan cheese for the top

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 375. Place eggplant on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle a bit of salt on the top, let set for about 20 minutes and then wash the salt off. This will take some of the liquid content out of the eggplant and give it a better texture when cooked. Then dip the eggplant rounds in the corn starch and water mixture followed by dipping it in a bowl with the bread crumbs, oregano and sage, the two bowl system is needed here for sure. Next mince the garlic and place in large skillet with about 3 tbsp olive oil (you might have to add more after you turn the eggplant) after the garlic is cooking down nicely start adding the covered eggplant rounds as seen below.

half done!

The will have to be fried on each side this will take about 4 minutes per side, you should be able to easily slide a fork into them when they are cooked. Be watchful of this you don't want them to burn! Next let the rest on a paper towel, this will remove any excess oil.

eggplant drying

Then its time to stack! I like to use a loaf pan because I like a tall stack and I am only cooking for two you can experiment with other dishes but this is the one I prefer. Start with about 1/2 cup of sauce of the bottom, then add a layer of eggplant, a little overlap is fine but you want this to be one layer.

yum!

Then add a layer of cheese, then tomato, then this time about 1 cup sauce then eggplant then cheese then tomato... you get the point right

almost finished stacking!

Keep stacking until you run out of pan or ingredients! Sprinkle the top with parmesan and fresh basil! Add a little more sauce then you think you need to the sides, a lot of it will dissipate during cooking. Cook at 375 for about 40 minutes, you want your cheese to be slightly browned! After taking out of the oven let set for at least 10 minutes! Sorry I don't have a final picture it doesn't last to long around our house!

ready for the oven!

Vegan Minestrone Soup

So this week was tough for me, I was sick, first a cold then a stomach thing. I find nothing more comforting when I am sick than soup. A nice slow cooked soup fills my home with great smells, when I can actually smell them, and it is not to demanding on preparation. This Minestrone recipe is pretty typical but feel free to add or subtract herbs as desired. Also feel free to experiment with the veggies used, don't like parsnip, use celery, no need for pinto beans if you want to use navy! The recipe below also makes eight servings so cut it down if you want to make less, this will stay good in the refrigerator for up to five days as well, but you might have to add more veggie stock or water when reheating in the microwave. One more thing because I was sick I only took a picture at the end so sorry more blogs with more pictures soon to come because I am feeling better now!

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of crushed tomatos (I can during the summer but if you don't there are 28 ounce cans available at the market)

• 5 cups of vegetable stock, you might need up 1 more cup depending on the moistness of your tomatos

• 3 medium large carrots, diced

• 1 medium large parsnip diced

• 5 mushrooms your choice, I used baby portables

• 1 medium onion diced

• 1/2 cup white cooking wine

• 2 cups pinto beans (I prep from dried but if you are buying canned one can drained is fine)

• 1/2 box pasta (I used Ziti because it was open but any short pasta will work)

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary

• 5 sage leaves

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat in a large stock pot the olive oil and add the onion and garlic cook over medium for about five minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and parsnip cook for another five minutes add the cooking wine, and cook for about another three minutes. Add the vegetable stock, tomatos, herbs and seasonings. Cook for about 45 minutes add the beans and simmer on low, about a half hour before you want to serve add the pasta. When the pasta is cooked its time to eat! Enjoy!

yum!

Kind Of Low Fat Chocolate Mint Cookies

Well what can I say, I love to cook and I love to bake, mainly because I love to eat. It is the middle of winter here and although I have good milage on my treadmill cutting out some fat is a good idea for anyone that feels a bit house bound in the cold and snow. This is a recipe that I am currently modifying to cut out more of the fat and calories, this is attempt number three, I fell that by number five I will have cut out all I can and still have it be a tasty cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer dissolved in

• 2 tbsp warm water

• 1/4 cup vegan butter

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp mint extract

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients well, except the chocolate chips, the picture below is not mixed enough yet.

getting there

Next add the Egg Replacer dissolved in water and the applesauce, mix again, add the vegan butter and the extracts. Depending on the consistency of your applesauce you might have to add a bit more water up to 3 tablespoons should do the trick, but only add this is the mixture seems to stiff. Next add the chocolate chips and mix one more time.

just a little more mixing needed

Use a tablespoon and place on a cookie sheet, should yield 14 to 18 cookies depending on how large you make them. Bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes. When you stick a toothpick in them and it comes out clean they are done. Do not over bake they become to dry and not that fun to eat!

ready to enjoy!

Sweet Savory Barbecue Sauce

As I mentioned before I have been really into the idea of making my own sauces, instead of using the store bought sauce. This is my second attempt, and although my first attempt was a success I decided to back off a bit on the heat for this time around. I also decided to use crushed tomatoes instead of ketchup it feels fresher and a bit more hardy this way. But the downfall is that it is not as thick so if you baste on the grill expect to baste more. This sauce can be made in advance and be stored up to two weeks in an air tight container in the refrigerator!

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions:

In a large pot mix the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar over low heat for about five minutes, add the other ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium for about another 30 minutes. It's ready to enjoy!

yum yum yum!