A simple Panini

I think all this taking care of Matthew (first with the bad flu, and then with his surgery) has worn me down a bit. I've had a sore throat for days and I'm exhausted. Trying to recoup today, relaxing, eating healthy foods, drinking lots of tea. Which brings me to my next point.

I have an obsession with Paninis. Matthew bought me a panini press a few years ago for Christmas, and I have been ridiculously addicted ever since.

I love that you can make almost ANYTHING into a panini! It's so delicious! So long as you have something to sandwich it between, anything can be a panini!

Tempeh and Sundried Tomato Panini
Ingredients:
1 Brown rice (or whatever your favorite is) wrap
1/3 cup Daiya Cheddar
4 chunks of sundried tomato, cut into little pieces
1/4 cups tempeh, cut into chunks
Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Layer the Wrap with the ingredients.
Grill on a panini press.
Eat.

That's it!

However, if you don't have a panini press, don't fret! There are options!
1 option is to cook it on a grill or BBQ, squashing it down with a spatula. You can also use a frying pan with some non-stick spray on it, squashing it down with a spatula. Or you can get a stovetop grill, and use that as well! Waffle Iron? Do it up! George Foreman Grill? Works too!

So many options for panini fun, however Panini presses are awesome, and if you have a slot on your christmas list, or a few dollars extra hanging around, I would pick one up!

Look at that cheesy closeup!

A yummy Panini

I don't bake bread often.

When you bake gluten free bread, it's more of an event. It's expensive, it can easily fail, and it can be very very frustrating. So I need a really good reason for why I want to make it.

Then I saw This.

Holyyyyy crap! That looked like the most amazing sandwich on the planet of the earth.

So I had to make it.

I made a few changes however, and will list them below!

Tempeh Ruben Style Sandwich

Altered from Olives for Dinner

Alterations made:

I did not use liquid smoke on the tempeh. This was purely accidental, but it tasted good!

Instead of brown sugar, I used maple syrup. I like maple-ey tastes!

I (obv) did not use rye bread (Gluten) and instead used Brown Rice/Sorghum bread, which tasted really good regardless. 

I used Daiya Pepperjack Shreds (a little extra spice!)

And finally, I didn't grill it in a pan, I made it on the panini press. Sandwiches always, for some mysterious reason, taste better after being grilled on a panini press!

Vegan Breakfast with Extra Breakfast

And kudos to anyone who knows where I stole my title from...

I must preface this by saying I do not often eat breakfast foods, at least not at breakfast time. This was no exception, as I ate it at night, and encourage people to mix up their food eating habits to break the rut every now and again. Curry for breakfast is delicious, and pancakes for dinner is divine!

On this sunday early evening, I bring you something which many vegans may feel they can no longer have... a delightful scrambled egg breakfast, with potatoes and sausage.

I am here to tell you "Stop being so silly!"

While you might not be able to have EXACTLY that, you can get something which fills the same craving for breakfast foods, without the cholesterol and sad animals! There are many recipes similar to this that you can find, this is just how I make em!

Without further ado:

Vegan Breakfast with extra Breakfast


This is a three part meal, so I give you 3 different recipes!

Simple Fried Potatoes (For 2 People)
Ingredients:
4-5 smallish potatoes, cut into cubes, about 3/4 inch in size
1 tbsp vegan margarine
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Directions:
In a frying pan on medium, melt the margarine.
Toss the potatoes in, and stir around to coat them in the melted margarine.
Fry, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and crispy on some sides.
Grind some salt and pepper on top of them, and toss.
Eat :)

Tempeh Sausage Patties
Ingredients:
A few slices of tempeh, cut about 1/4-1/2 inch thick (enough for 2 people!) (You can also use tofu if you want, but tempeh just has something... amazing about it)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Tamari
a dash of liquid smoke

Directions:
Mix the oil, maple syrup, tamari, and liquid smoke.
Toss the tempeh or tofu in it, coating evenly.
In a smallish frying pan (nonstick works nicely) fry the tempeh on medium heat, flipping every minute or so until the outsides are nice and crispy.
Nom!

Slightly Spicy Tofu "Eggs" With Peppers, Mushrooms, and Onion
Ingredients:
1 block medium or firm tofu, crumbled into tiny pieces (I like medium usually, because I liked my eggs slightly runny, however I used firm when I made it last night)
1/2 pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
4-5 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp turmeric (to make it all yellow and egg looking)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil (for frying)

Directions:
In a frying pan (I use a wok, I find it easiest to make this in), heat some olive oil, and fry the onion, peppers, and mushrooms, for about 5 minutes.
Add in the nutritional yeast and turmeric, to evenly coat.
Add in the tofu, and toss everything together, coating the tofu crumbles with the veggies and spices.
Cook for about 5 more minutes, heating everything together.
Spice with the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
If the tofu gets really dry, add in a bit of olive oil to stop it from sticking.
Eat!

Enjoy!

Beginning Vegan- Cream Sauce Spaghetti

One of the most common (and annoying) things you will get asked when you become a vegan is the following sentence (or variation thereof):

"But... if you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein?"

It will get old REAL fast, trust me. However, the best way to deal with it is have a recipe on hand that has an overload of yummy plant based proteins to have a visual and nommable response to the question. 

This is such a dish. 

As a note, this does have 2 ingredients which may not be common to a new vegan, but should definitely be bought/ordered: Nutritional Yeast and Tempeh. I buy both of mine at the health food store, and I know that nutritional yeast can be ordered online. (Nutritional yeast looks like yellow flakes, and has a lot of Vitamin B12 in it, which is good for you!) 

Tempeh is fermented soy beans pressed into a patty, and is found in the frozen section. Don't fret if you can't find it, you can use Tofu as well, which is much easier to find! (Though Tempeh is so tasty!)

In addition, this recipe has a lot of ingredients, but is very very simple to make! Be not daunted!

Cream Sauce Spaghetti with "bacon" chunks

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tempeh (or tofu) chopped into little chunks. (if you aren't GF, you can use storebought vegan bacon, and not have to make the marinade with the following ingredients!)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

2 servings of spaghetti noodles (I tend to use either corn or brown rice noodles)

1 box silken tofu

1/2 tbsp corn starch

Soy Milk (a few tbsps)

Nutritional Yeast (to taste)

Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

All the different parts cooking at once!

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the tempeh, 1 tbsp olive oil, liquid smoke, maple syrup, and Tamari. 

Add the tempeh/Tofu, and toss to coat. Set aside for a few minutes. 

Place a pot of salted water on the stove, and bring to a boil. Add in your spaghetti to cook while you prepare the sauce. 

In a blender, blend the tofu and cornstarch, adding in a bit of soy milk to get a nice creamy smooth texture. 

Add in nutritional yeast,  tasting every tbsp until it has a flavor you like. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

In a small frying pan, dump the tempeh mixture (even the marinade!) and turn the heat to medium. Fry, stirring every few minutes, until they're nice and crispy and brown. (Do this while making the sauce, which is the next instruction down!)  (same goes if you use Tofu. If you're using storebought vegan bacon, nuke a few strips, and then cut into chunks!) 

In a wok or high-sided frying pan, sautee the olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms, until garlic is fragrant, and mushrooms have turned brown and it looks quite yummy. 

Dump in the tofu blended mixture, and the cup of peas. Bring to a bubble, and simmer until the pasta is cooked. 

Drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce mixture, stirring to combine. 

Divide between 2 bowls/plates, and top with some more freshly ground salt and pepper, as well as the tempeh. 

Then eat and enjoy the proteiny goodness!

It's much easier to make than it sounds! Trust me!