Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
Today is the last day of Vegan MoFo. It went by so fast! I had a lot of fun! It was great getting back into the rhythm of blogging and it really helped me get back to focusing on my health. I'm looking forward to keeping it up!
For my last MoFo post I made stuffed mushrooms. Why? Because it just sounded good. :)
First I cleaned 1 package of mushrooms and pulled out their stems.
For the stuffing I chopped and minced some white onion, red bell pepper, celery, garlic cloves and the stems from the mushrooms. I added some season salt, black pepper, dried parsley and panko. To moisten the stuffing I added a little bit of apple cider vinegar and veggie broth.
I then stuffed the mushrooms and baked them at 350 for about 20 min. I had a lot of stuffing leftover so I stuffed 1 and a half red bell peppers with it. The peppers needed about 10 more min. in the oven.
I love mushrooms and stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite ways to eat them. There is also a bonus for making them in my house - my husband doesn't like mushrooms - which means, I don't have to share. :) But don't worry I always make him something he does like. So it's a win win.
Happy Eating!!
“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning“. - Ivy Baker Priest
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
For weeks I have been craving stroganoff. I finally decided to make it the other day.
I didn't write down what I was doing as I was doing it but I basically sauteed an onion, added some button and crimini mushrooms. I let them go for awhile then added some flour. Once that cooked for a little bit I added (unsweetened) almond milk, some veggie broth and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. For seasoning I added salt, pepper, garlic powder and some onion powder. Once it was thick I tossed in some cooked pasta and after it was plated I sprinkled on some dried parsley.
It was really yummy but I didn't make enough sauce for all of the pasta I used. Oh well, next time I'll know better. :)
Happy Eating!!
"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one." - Chinese Proverb
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
After looking in the fridge, to see what produce I had on hand to make dinner, I pulled out a head of cauliflower, romaine lettuce and corn on the cob.
It was easy to decide what to do with the lettuce.... grilled salad of course!
The cauliflower was simple as well, throw some BBQ sauce on it and roast it in the oven.
For the corn, I wanted to try something a little different. Usually I just boil it, slather on some Earth Balance add some salt and pepper and I'm good to go. Since my grill pan was already out for the salad I thought this was the perfect time to try Mexican Street Corn. I've been seeing it all over the place and it's about time I try it!
While the corn was on the grill, I mixed up some seasoned Vegenaise. In a bowl I mixed together about 1/2 a cup of Vegenaise with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and some salt and black pepper. Once the corn was done I smeared the seasoned Vegenaise on it, loaded my plate with BBQ cauliflower and salad and sat down for dinner. Just before eating the corn I squeezed a wedge of lime over it.
I didn't have high expectations for the corn. I don't know why, I just thought it wouldn't be something I would enjoy. I was completely wrong. I loved it! I especially loved the lime juice, It really brightens up the corn.
Happy Eating!!
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
A few days ago, when I was at the store, I bought tortilla chips but I forgot to get my husband his salsa.
The other night after dinner he was still in a munchy mood. I was in the kitchen cleaning up and he walked in and started pulling out cans from the pantry and dumping them in a bowl.
"What are you doing?" I asked
"Making salsa." He replied
I watched as he continued, he grabbed the leftover red & orange bell peppers plus the onions that I had prepped for my vegan nachos and then spices.
After he was done we both tried it and it was really tasty! I even think it would be good heated up as a chili.
As he was dishing himself a bowl full, he turned to me and said "Hey! You could blog about this, this is vegan!" So here it is, my husbands Quick Salsa.
James' Quick Salsa
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 can black beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 small can diced green chilies
a handful of diced onions
a handful of diced bell peppers
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder*
1 tsp onion powder*
1 Tbsp parsley*
1 tsp basil*
1/2 tsp salt*
1/2 tsp pepper*
*measurements are approximate
Dump everything into a bowl, stir and enjoy! :)
print recipe
Happy Eating!!
"The only thing I like better than talking about food is eating.' - John Walters
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
I have loved nachos for a very long time. I think it started as a child. My parents would take my brothers and I to a Mexican restaurant in Bemidji, MN. My brothers and I would always get the nacho platter to share between the 3 of us. I don't know how big the platter actually was, but seen threw a child's eyes that pile of nachos was as big as Texas. I have a lot of great memories from my childhood and the memory of my parents taking us to that "exotic" restaurant and sharing nachos with my brothers is definitely one of them!
Now, my love for nachos is still just as strong. I'm always up for trying different versions of my beloved nachos. So when I came across this vegan nacho cheese, I just had to try it!
I followed the recipe exactly and for my nacho toppings I used what I had on hand: diced white onion, red & orange bell peppers, sliced olives and canned jalapenos.
I was delicious! The only thing I would change is to make the cheese itself, a little spicy. I think next time I will blend some jalapenos into the cheese. But even without that it hit the spot and made me very happy. :)
That night I went to bed and instead of counting sheep to get to sleep I thought of all the different things I could put this cheese on (or in)......broccoli.....quesadillas....grilled cheese sandwiches....baked potatoes....mixed veggies.....asparagus.....artichokes...zzzzzzzzzz
“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.” - John Ed Pearce
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples
My father in-law, a couple of days ago on Facebook, shared a photo & recipe of some cookies that he thought looked good.
After looking thru the ingredient list I noticed that if you use dairy free chocolate chips the recipe would be completely vegan. I found this very amusing because my father in-law always, in good fun, teases me about the way I eat.
It just so happens that my father in-law is staying with us this weekend. I, of course, took it upon myself to make him these treats and as he was eating one I gently rubbed it in that he was not only eating, but enjoying a vegan treat. :)
You can find the recipe here.
For the nuts I added chopped pecans and I used these chocolate chips.
Happy Eating!!
"I'm not the type to party all the time. I'd rather sit at home, eat chocolate chip cookies and cuddle." - Unknown
Easy Dishes Made From Refrigerator and Pantry Staples.
The Plan for this dish was to make a lentil shepherds pie.
I got in the kitchen and started to get organized by pulling out everything I would need. I opened the pantry only to find that I was out of lentils. I couldn't believe that I was out of lentils! I always have a plethora of them. It's something I see in the store and say 'Hey, I could use some of those' only to find out that I already had a dozen bags of them in the pantry. So, yes, for the past couple of months I had stopped buying them because it was kind of getting out of hand.
But, had I used up all of my stash already? I started to search the pantry thoroughly, hoping I would find a long lost package of them.
I didn't find any of the lentils that I was looking for but I did find an almost used up package of a rice & lentil medley.
It wasn't quite what I was wanting but it would do. I decided not to make the pie and just pile everything in a bowl.
To make my mashed potato, lentil, rice & veggie bowl I started by getting the rice & lentil medley cooking. Then I peeled and chopped up a few potatoes and put them in cold water and put them on the stove to boil.
While those two were going I started chopping up my veggies. This time I used onion, garlic, carrot, celery, zucchini and yellow summer squash. Into a large saute pan they went with a little bit of oil. Once they were tender I added some veggie broth, frozen peas and some seasoning (my usual: salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder). I brought it up to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer. I then mixed about a cup of veggie broth with 1/4 cup of flour and added it to the veggies on the stove and cooked it until it was thick.
By now my potatoes were done and I made the mashed potatoes.
To serve, I put a scoop of mashed potatoes and a scoop of lentils and rice in the bowl. Then I spooned the veggie gravy over the top and sprinkled with dried parsley.
Happy Eating!
"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." - Alice Walker
