Vegan Shepherd's Pie (w/ Garlic-Basil Mashed Potatoes)

Every year, on St. Patrick's Day, we'd have Corned Beef and Cabbage. Since I stopped eating meat, I forgo the corned beef but still have the potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

This year, we decided to celebrate a day early and I was in charge of making the dinner, so I decided to change things up a bit and make a Shepherd's Pie, with a Garlic-Basil Mashed Potatoey Twist!

Meat and Veggie Mixture

1 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
1/2 Onion, diced
4 Carrots, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 Small Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Bag (frozen) Gardein Beefless Ground
2 Tbsp Annie's Naturals Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Dry Red Wine
1/2 Cup Water
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Sauce the onions, carrots, celery, pepper and garlic, with a little oil, until all the veggies are tender and start to brown a little then add tomato paste, salt and pepper.

Add the (frozen) beefless ground and stir/cook until thoroughly heated. Add worcestershire sauce, red wine and water. Cook for another 5-7 minutes so that the wine can reduce and the flavors can meld.

Transfer mixture to an oven-proof (glass, metal or aluminum) baking dish and spread evenly.

(I used a 11 3/4 x 9 3/8 x 2 5/16 aluminum roasting pan, since I was bringing it to my mom's house)

Mashed Potatoes

2.5 lbs Red Potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/2 Cup of Soy Milk (dependent on desired texture)
1 Large Clove of Garlic, minced
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Basil (to taste)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees.

Fill a large pot with cold water, salt and potatoes and  bring to a boil.

Cook potatoes for about 25 minutes, until soft, and then drain and rinse. Return them to the pot or another large bowl. Add mayonnaise, soymilk, garlic, garlic powder and basil - and mash until desired texture is reached - then season with salt and pepper.

Spoon potatoes on top of meat and veggie mixture and spread evenly. Rake with a fork and then place in the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes (or until the top starts to brown). Cut and serve.

(Tip: If you're bringing food to someone else's house to finish up, write the final cooking instructions on top of the container - it will make your life much easier)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sloppy Vegan Brats

Ever have those days where you're torn between wanting two different things for dinner, but just can't decided which one to choose? Why not have them both!

This is a 2-in-1 recipe combines "Sloppy Dave's" (which my boyfriend's version of Sloppy Joe's) and Viana Veggie Bratwurst. You can eat each component separately or all together - but it definitely tastes delicious if you pile it all on one roll. This may just be the ultimate comfort food!

Sloppy Vegan Brats

Veggie Bratwurst

3 Links of Viana Veggie Bratwurst
Water
2 Tbsp of Oil (We used Grapeseed)
(Sea) Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Pre-heat a medium-sized frying pan, over high heat, and add the bratwurst and about 1/4 inch of water. Roll the links around the pan and cook until water dissolves.

Once the water dissolves, add oil (and salt and pepper) to brown. To get a nice browning effect, be sure to keep the links moving - it should take around about 2 minutes to give them a nice, brownish skin..

Placed the cooked links to the side - you'll be using them in a bit. Onto Part 2....

Sloppy Dave's

Grapeseed Oil
1/2 Large Vidalia Onion, diced.
1 Small Red Pepper, diced.
3 Big Cloves of Garlic
1 12oz Bag of (frozen) Boca Crumbles
1 1/4 Cups of Hunts (Traditional) Tomato Sauce
Basil
Oregano
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Add a thin layer of oil to a pan and saute peppers and onions, salt & pepper, over med-high heat, until onions are slightly browned.

Stir in garlic and frozen Boca crumbles. Cook until crumbles are heated through - it should only take a few minutes. Add a little more salt & pepper and equal parts basil & oregano (to taste)

Lower heat, to medium, and add the tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly until everything is covered, with sauce, evenly.

Turn the heat off and let the pan sit on the stove while you move onto Part 3...

Garlic Bread

1/2 Stick of Vegan Butter
2 Small Cloves of Garlic, pressed.
1/2 Tbsp of Oregano
2 Long, Whole Wheat Sub Rolls

Melt the butter in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften, then add two (2) cloves of pressed garlic and oregano. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread evenly on rolls. (Hint: Don't cut the rolls all the way through!)

Place buttered rolls, facedown, on a griddle pan (set to med-high heat). You can remove them from the pan when they're slightly browned around the edges.

The final step is to put the sandwich together! Place a link of the bratwurst, along the seam of the bread, spoon on a few spoonfuls of Sloppy Dave's, cut the sandwich in half and then dig in!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think of it!

Grilled Cheddar Cheese

The awesome people at GO Veggie! sent me a few samples of their vegan products and over the weekend, we tried a few of them. Since I've made grilled cheese - many, many times before - I decided to test drive their cheese slices and I have to say that I definitely was not disappointed!

I know that this is a super simple recipe, but there may be someone out there who never thought to make it once they went vegan.

Grilled Cheddar Cheese




Earth Balance Vegan Butter
2 Slices of Bread
2 GO Veggie! Cheddar Flavor Rice Vegan Slices
Vegan Bacon Bits (Optional)

Spread a thin layer of butter on one-side of both slices of bread.

Pre-heat pan, over medium heat, place the bread (butter-side down) in the pan and cover each side with a slice of cheese.



Cover with a steel dome cover (or a piece of foil, tented in the middle to keep the cheese from sticking to it) and cook for about 3-5 minutes (until slightly browned).

(Optional) Sprinkle vegan bacon bits on each slice

Flip one piece of bread on top of the other piece, plate and then cut in half.



I almost didn't get a picture of the finished product because I was too busy chowing down on the melty deliciousness of it. :)

Cinnamon-Raspberry Smoothie

Dave bought me a Vitamix for my birthday, so we've been smoothie makin' fools!

When it comes to smoothie prep, I'm a firm believer in eyeballing things and just adding the amount that tastes good (to you) so I was hesitant to post smoothie recipes. Then I realized that even just the ingredients may be useful to some people, so I decided that, every once in a while, I'll be posting some smoothie "recipes" here as well.

Cinnamon-Raspberry Smoothie


4 Ice Cubes
1 Scoop of PlantFusion Vanilla Bean Protein Powder
1 Large Banana
Almond Milk
Raspberry Extract*
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Flax Seeds, ground (about 1 tsp)
Chia Seeds (about 1 tsp)
Red Food Coloring (optional)

Add all the ingredients and then turn the blender on. Make sure everything is blended thoroughly.

Hint: When adding the almond milk, I know that I've added enough when all the ingredients, in the bottom of the Vitamix, are covered.

(*If we had had actual raspberries in the house, we would have used those but the extract made a good replacement)

What are some of your favorite smoothie recipes? Share in the comments below!

Date Squares

One of the awesome things about my relationship with my boyfriend, Dave, is that we both love to cook! Shortly after we started dating, he made these awesome date and nut bars - and from that moment on, I knew that he was a keeper :)

He hasn't made them in a while, so we decided that it was about time to make some again to share with all of you! They're super simple to make and absolutely delicious!

Date Squares 

1 Cup Almonds

1 & 1/2 Cups Pitted Medjool Dates (you can add a few extra)

1/2 Cup Sweet, Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

1/4 Enjoy Life's Semi- Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

1Tbsp Vanilla Extract

In a food processor, pulse almonds until they become coarse then throw in dates, cranberries, coconut, vanilla extract and pulse until mixed together. Toss in chocolate chips and pulse another 2 or 3 times.

Spoon mixture out onto a flat surface and then, using you hand, flatten gently.



Place in the freezer for about an hour and then cuts into squares

Be sure to keep refrigerated, otherwise, they may lose their form. If you wanted to try something a little different, I'm sure you could shape them into balls as well.

Parmesan Roasted Chick Peas

In the most recent email from Healthy Bitch Daily, there was a great recipe for Parmesan Roasted Chick Peas. It seemed super simple and yummy, so when I had a little free time this weekend, I decided to give it a try.

I made a few modifications to the recipe:

• Added basil, nutritional yeast and flax.
• Used 1 tsp - instead of 1/2 tsp - for everything but the red pepper flakes
• Used a lot more than 1 tbsp of the vegan parm style topping

Parmesan Roasted Chick Peas

(Serves 4)

1 Can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil

1 Tsp Sea Salt

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

1 Tsp Dried Basil

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp Ground Flaxseed

1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper

* GO Veggie Vegan Parmesan Style Topping

*After I took the chick peas out of the oven, I put them in a bowl, covered them with the parm, shook them up and then covered with parm and shook again.

Click here for the cooking instructions on HBD.

Cookbook Lottery #1 - Betty Crocker's Spicy (Vegan) Rice Patties

The first Cookbook Lottery Recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cookbook.

Spaghetti and Spicy Rice Balls (Pg 374)

This recipe was originally for "Spaghetti and Spicy Rice Balls" but, in typical Tracie fashion, I felt like changing things up a bit so instead of rice balls, I decided to make rice patties and forgo the spaghetti.

Betty Crocker's Spicy (Vegan) Rice Patties
(Makes 4 Patties)

1 Cup (uncooked) Carolina Brown Rice
1 Tbsp Osem "Chicken Style" Consomme
1/2 Cup Quaker Quick Oats
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1/4 Bread Crumbs (Italian Flavored)
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed mixed with water (to replace the egg called for in the original recipe)
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds (just dump in the bowl)
1/4 Cup Soy Milk
Wheat Germ
Cooking Oil

Cook rice as per the directions on the package. After you bring the water to a boil, stir in Osem consomme, then reduce to a simmer.

While the rice is cooking, mix together oats, onion, bread crumbs, basil, oregano, red pepper, flax and flax mixture. When the rice is done cooking, add the rice and soy milk to the mixture and mix until everything is well blended.

Divide mixture into four (4) sections, shape each section into a ball and then flatten to make a patty.

Coat a large plate (big enough to fit the patties) with wheat germ. Place the patties on the plate and then cover with more wheat germ until fully coated.

In a large frying pan, pour in about an inch of oil and heat it. (It's hot enough to use when you insert the handle of a wooden spoon and it starts to bubble around it.)

Place the patties in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for about 3 minutes. Cooking times may vary, so just keep on eye on them. When a nice light brown crust forms, they're finished.

Cover the large plate, that you used for the wheat germ, with a couple of paper towels and then place the patties on the plate. This will help to absorb any excess oil.

The patty tastes great on it's own but I'm sure it would taste awesome with a sauce on it as well.

Spoiler Alert! The next "Cookbook Lottery" recipe will be from the Veganomicon! Stay tuned!

Pat's Savory Stuffed Peppers

I credit my love of cooking to becoming vegan but even more so to my dad.

My dad, Pat, loved to cook; he'd cater all my parties, cook amazing dinners and every Sunday morning he'd make a huge breakfast- not because he had to, but because he loved to. Not surprisingly, one of his favorite Holidays was Thanksgiving, because he got to cook a huge meal for the people that he loved. Even after I told my parents that I decided to go vegan, they were extremely supportive. I would often find him on the computer, researching information, to make the stuff he cooked "Tracie Friendly".

Shortly after he retired, he started working for a Jewish Temple as a janitor. One day, they were looking for someone to cater a meeting. My dad mentioned that he could cook and, as it turned out, he did such an impressive job that - from that day, until the day he left - he catered most of their events. I remember him coming home and being all excited about all the new, kosher dishes that he concocted. His dream was to open his own catering business, and while that dream never came to fruition, cooking for the Temple was a good alternative for him.

Unfortunately, he passed away this past October. He may be gone, but his love of cooking will live on through me. :)

I decided to name this stuffed pepper recipe after my dad because, after all, I learned how to make these by watching him. It's been slightly modified and adapted, but the basic recipe is still his. ♥

Pat's Savory Stuffed Peppers
(Serves 2)

2 Large Peppers
1 Cup (dry) Rice [I used Royal Blend - Texmati White, Brown, Wild & Red but any kind will do.]
1 1/2 Tbsp Osem "Chicken Style" Consomme
1/2 Of an Onion
2 Cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 handfuls of baby spinach
2/3 Bag Boca Veggie Ground Crumbles
(1) 1.5 oz packet of Meat Loaf Seasoning (I used McCormick 30% Less Sodium Meat Loaf Seasoning Mix)
(2) 24 oz Jars Tomato Sauce (I used Francesco Rinaldi Tomato & Basil and Garden Vegetable)
GO Veggie! Grated Parmesan Style Topping (optional)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)




Cut the tops off and clean out two (2) large peppers.

Cook one (1) cup of (dry) rice according to directions on package. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 1/2 Tbsp of Consomme, stir and then cover.

While the rice is cooking, saute the onions, garlic, spinach in a pan until the spinach has almost wilted. Push mixture to one side of the pan and pour in 2/3 of a bag of Boca Crumbles until throughly heated. (The crumbles should only take a few minutes to heat.)

Once the rice is done, mix the rice, crumbles and the onion/garlic/spinach mixture together and add about 2/3 of the packet of Meat Loaf Seasoning. (You could actually use the entire packet if you'd like - I just happened to only use two-thirds)

Use a large spoon to fill the peppers with the mixture - make sure you fill them all the way to the top! Place the peppers in a sauce pan -with high sides - and then pour the two (2) jars of sauce so that they cover the peppers/pan evenly.

[Tip: Try to make sure that the pan small enough so that the two peppers fit snugly and it's deep enough so that you can almost cover the peppers fully. If you don't have enough sauce, you can fill one of the jars up with water and add that to the pan. Just make sure you mix the water & sauce together.]

Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

After pepper is plated, top with the extra sauce and sprinkle on some GO Veggie! Parmesan topping.

Tracie's Rad Red Curry

I was all set: I had drawn the name of a cookbook, picked a recipe and bought the ingredients but the problem was that when the time came to make it, I was really craving curry, so I decided to see if there was something else in the cookbook that I could use. Unfortunately, really jumped out at me, so I just decided to wing it.

At some point in the near future, the recipe that I had originally planned to do, will be done, but today, you get this!

Tracie's Rad Red Curry
(Makes 3-4 servings)

2 Bags Success Boil-in-Bag Jasmine Rice
1/2 an Onion
Mushrooms (use as many as you'd like)
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Thin Slices of Fresh Ginger
1-13.5 FL OZ Can of Coconut Milk (two are pictured but I only used one)
2 Cubes of Edward & Sons Red Curry Cubes
1-16 oz Bag of Japanese Vegetables
Ground TurmericTrue Lime
Salt & Pepper

Bring water to a boil and boil the two (2) bags of Jasmine Rice for 10 minutes.

Chop up about 1/2 of a medium-sized onion, mushrooms, two (2) garlic gloves, two (2) thin slices of ginger and a couple pinches of salt. Saute until the onions become clear and the mushrooms start to shrink.

To this mixture, add 1 (13.5 fl oz) can of coconut milk and two (2) cubes of curry and stir until curry cubes are completely dissolved. (You may need to press the cubes with a spoon a bit to help them dissolve faster). Remove from heat.

By this time, the rice should be done cooking. Drain the bags and pour rice into the curry sauce. Mix until all of the rice is coated.

Open the bag of Japanese Vegetables and pour them into the same pot that you used to cook the rice. Heat for about 5-7 minutes (or until vegetables are fully thawed and warm.)

When the vegetables are done, pour the rice/curry mixture over the vegetables and add a little turmeric, true lime and salt & pepper (to taste). Mix thoroughly.

The recipe should take under 30 minutes to make and the finished product should look like this :)

Cookbook Recipe Lottery

After an extremely long hiatus, I'm baaaaccckk! I have a ton of cookbooks, so I decided to write down the name of each one on a piece of paper and then, once a week, randomly pick a slip of paper and choose a recipe from that book. That should make for more consistent updates! Yay!

Be on the lookout for my first "Cookbook Recipe Lottery" post soon :)

Vegan Thanksgiving - Recipes, Tips & More

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for most people, it's a day of food comas and giving thanks but for new vegans, vegetarians (and people having veg-types over for dinner), Thanksgiving can be quite a daunting and stressful day.

To help alleviate that stress, I've put together a list of links and some tips to help you sail through the holidays :)

No Turkey? No Problem!

Thankfully, a bunch of companies have been rolling out turkey replacements for Thanksgiving.
While I have had a 'faux-turkey less' Thanksgiving, I do love that there are options for people who still want to have 'meat' on their Thanksgiving plate.

Here's a list of "Top 7 Vegan Turkey Alternatives" put together by PETA. I'm torn between Gardein's Holiday Roast or Trader Joe's Turkey-Less Stuffed Roast for this years meal.

For my very first vegan thanksgiving, I made this meatloaf. It's still my favorite meatloaf recipe to date! It's so easy to make and even my non-vegan family members love it.

My absolute favorite store bought option, so far, is Field Roasts' Celebration Roast. It's a bit on the more expensive side, but totally worth the price. If you have leftovers, you can mash it up, add a bit of vegan mayo and cranberry relish and have yourself a celebration roast salad sandwich!

And these two were left off of PETA's list, but I think they're worth a mention:

Vegetarian Plus Vegan Whole Turkey: I've seen this at Whole Foods, but never tried it. It's shaped like a turkey, which is kinda cool, and I've heard good things about their products in general.

Quorn Turk'y Roast. I haven't tried this but I've heard nothing but good things about it! (vegetarian but not vegan)

And All The Rest...

What I'm thankful for at times like these, is the internet! There are thousands of recipes and sites where you can find amazing recipe suggestions for any holiday or event! Check out a few of my favorite links below:

(X) Compassionate Holidays: Old-Fashioned Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, Easy Vegan Gravy, Pumpkin Pie

(X) Yummly: Every Recipe You Need for a Vegan Thanksgiving

(X) Ecorazzi: Vegetarian and Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe Round up!

(X) Finding Vegan: Holiday Tag

(X) The New York Times: Well’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2011

(X) Huffington Post Food: A Vegan Thanksgiving: 12 Recipes That Could Change Your Holiday:

(X) Veg Kitchen: Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner (Vegetarians Welcome!)

Also, you can find about any recipe on Google or VegWeb!

If  'from scratch' isn't your thing and you're looking to buy pre-made items, check out Amazon's Grocery Department, Vegan Essentials, Pangea: The Vegan Store or your local Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or Natural Foods store. You can also find a bunch of boxed items, that are accidentally vegan, at 'normal' supermarkets that can be whipped up fairly quickly.

Looking for an Egg Nog alternative? Here's a list of vegan 'nogs you check out. And don't forget the whipped topping for your nog and pumpkin pie!

North Jersey area people: You can get a full vegan Thanksgiving dinner from Sweet Avenue Bake Shop for $20! (Must be ordered by 11/20/12. Available for pick up on Thanksgiving morning, 11/22/12, from 8am - 12 noon.)

Do you have any additional tips or dishes that you love? Feel free to comment below!

Raw "Donut" Holes

As much as I love to cook, I'm also fascinated by some of the raw food concoctions that people create. I'll occasionally peruse raw food blogs for inspiration and find recipes that I have to try - like this video for for a two ingredient "donut" hole recipe that I came across on youtube from Lisa Paris of rawbeets.com.

It's something that anyone can make: it's quick, easy, inexpensive and it definitely hits the spot if you're in the mood for something sweet! And another major plus: they're better for you than real donut holes :) Give it a try, you won't be sorry!

Raw "Donut" Holes
(Makes around 12 - 1 1/2 inch balls)

8 oz Pitted Dates
8 oz Sweetened Coconut Flakes (6 oz for mixture, 2 oz for rolling)
Sea Salt (to taste - optional*)

Add dates, coconut flakes and salt (optional) to (at least) a 3 cup food processor. Mix together until it forms sort of a dough - it will probably take a minute or two. You'll know it's done when it starts to actually ball up like a cookie dough inside the food processor. The mixture should feel a bit tacky/sticky.

Roll dough into small balls and then roll them in the leftover coconut flakes to cover.

You can eat them immediately or refrigerate to let them harden up a bit.

If you're interested in how much these cost to make, here's the breakdown:
[2] 4.25 oz boxes of Champion Premium California Pitted Dates (Walmart - $.99 each)
[1] 14 oz bag og Great Value Sweetened Coconut Flakes (Walmart - $1.72)

Total = $3.70 (that's only about $.30 per ball!)

*Although the original recipe called for salt, I made half the balls with salt and the other half without and while they were both good, I preferred them without the salt.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

There is no added sugar in this recipe; the muffins get their sweetness solely from the bananas.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
(makes 6 large muffins)

2 cups of Bisquick
4 medium sized over ripe bananas
4 tbsp Chocolate PB2
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla soy protein powder
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a large muffin pan with cooking spray.

Mash bananas and stir in Bisquick in batches.

Add 1/4 cup of water and mix.

Add chocolate PB2 powder, vanilla extract, soy protein powder and the other 1/4 cup of water and stir together until all ingredients are combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each well in the muffin pans about halfway and then place in the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes. Take the muffin tray out of the oven and wait at least 5 minutes before removing the muffins - allowing them to cool a bit.

Tofu Vegetable Lasagna

My last attempt at lasagna didn't turn out so great, but I'm happy to say that this time around it was quite the success! It even tasted better when it was reheated a couple of days later.

Unfortunately, we started eating before I got the chance to get it ready for its close-up, so this picture will have to suffice.

Tofu Vegetable Lasagna
(8-10 Servings)

1 16 oz pkg firm tofu
1 large onion (chopped)
1 16 oz package mushrooms (sliced)
2 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
1 can mexicorn (mixed peppers & corn)
1 16 oz bag frozen broccoli, carrots, watercress (defrosted)
1/2 of a medium sized eggplant (optional)
1 box of oven ready lasagna
2 lg jars of tomato sauce
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach (defrosted)
4 or 5 plum tomatoes (sliced)

Seasonings (to taste): oregano, basil, dill, salt, pepper, old bay, chili, nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If using (optional) eggplant: Peel and cut [4] slices of eggplant. Brush with olive oil, salt & pepper and place in oven for about 15 minutes (until slightly browned). Flip over and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Press and drain tofu. Crumble into a large bowl.

Saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic, on medium heat, until onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked.

Add the can of mexicorn and the bag of broccoli, carrots & watercress to the bowl. Add seasonings to taste.

To assemble the lasagna:

Cover the bottom of a 13x9x3" pan with a layer of sauce.
Add a layer of [4] noodles
Add another layer of sauce (covering all the noodles)
Add half of the tofu/vegetable mixture
Add 4 slices of eggplant (optional)
Add another layer of [4] noodles
Add another layer of sauce
Add a layer of spinach (use all of it)
Add the rest of the tofu/vegetable mixture
Add another layer of [4] noodles
Add another layer of sauce
Cover the top with sliced plum tomatoes and then sprinkle nutritional yeast, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Cover with foil and place onto a baking tray to avoid leakage. Cook for about an hour. Remove from the oven and let it sit on the counter for about 10-15 minutes. Serve.

If there is a lot of excess sauce on the sides, spoon it out before serving and place it in a bowl. It can be used to top off the lasagna or poured over leftovers for the next day. If you divide it into individual sized containers and freeze it, it makes for a great quick and easy lunch during the work week.

Cauliflower "Shrimp" Cocktail

In my pre-vegan days I absolutely loved shrimp cocktail, so when I came across this recipe in the February 2012 issue of Bon Appetit, I knew that I needed to give it a try.

The results? It was okay. On its own, the cauliflower doesn't taste all that much like shrimp but when dipped in the cocktail sauce, it definitely helps add to the flavor. It may not be an exact replica, but at least it's a new spin on cauliflower! I'm excited to give other seasonings a try now.

Cauliflower "Shrimp" Cocktail
(4 servings)

1/2 cup dry crab boil seasoning (Old Bay)
1/8 cup sea salt
1 onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
1.5 lemons, halved crosswise
1 head of cauliflower, cored, trimmed into 2" florets
Cocktail sauce

Combine crab boil, salt, onions, garlic, and 3 quarts water in a large pot. Squeeze juice from lemons into pot and add lemon halves. Set pot over high heat and bring liquid to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions, garlic, and lemons from broth; discard. Return liquid to a rolling boil.
   
Add cauliflower; turn off heat, cover pot tightly, and let stand until cauliflower is crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain; spread out cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cauliflower can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Arrange room-temperature or chilled cauliflower on a platter with cocktail sauce for dipping.

The original recipe can be found here at Bon Appetit.com.

Chocolate Mousse

I absolutely adore anything chocolate, so when I came across this recipe, while browsing Pinterest the other day, it looked so delicious and easy to make that I had to give it a try. It turns out that it was!

Chocolate Mousse
(2-3 Servings)

1 (13.5oz) Can Coconut Milk [I used Goya]
5 Tbsp Cocoa Powder [Hershey's]
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Sweeten with any sweetener to taste. [I used Splenda]

Open the can of coconut milk and put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. The next day, It should be pretty thick, but if there's still some liquid in the can, don't worry about it.

Dump the can of chilled coconut milk into a bowl and add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sweetener. Mix together, with a hand mixer, until thick and fluffy. Taste to see if you need add more sweeter.

If you'd like to make it even thicker, after mixing, place back in the refrigerator for an hour or so to chill.

When finished, devour. :)

Original recipe can be found here @ Chocolate Covered Katie

Super Simple Butternut Squash Pasta

I love pasta, but I get bored of the same old pasta with marinara or tomato sauce all the time, so I decided to try something different. This is what I came up with.

Super Simple Butternut Squash Pasta
Makes 2-3 servings

16 oz Pacific Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
6 oz (dry) Wacky Mac Veggie Spirals
2 tbsp Corn Starch (mixed w/ water to make it liquidy)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Cook pasta as specified on the bag.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 16 oz of soup in a pan and add in the liquid corn starch and stir until soup becomes thicker*. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and then add to the butternut squash sauce. Stir and serve.


*If the sauce isn't thick enough, just add another tablespoon of corn starch (w/water) to the mix until it reaches the thickness you want.

Cranberry Orange Relish

Hi everyone! I haven't abandoned Tracie Cooks, I've just taken a small hiatus. I do have a few new recipes to add and in honor of the holiday season, today I'm posting my mom's recipe for Cranberry Orange Relish. It's delicious, ridiculously simple and there's no cooking required!

"When I was growing up, my father always made home-made Cranberry-Orange Relish every Thanksgiving. Since he passed away, my husband and daughter have searched every store around to get the "right" kind of cranberry sauce for me (I cannot stand "jelly" cranberry sauce). This year, we got fresh cranberries and oranges and decided to recreate the sauce my father made!!! I was surprised that many of the on-line recipes had directions to "cook" ingredients. Well I made my father's version and to everyone's surprise, EVERYBODY liked it!!!! So here it is. Enjoy! ~Nancy"

Cranberry Orange Relish

1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 Large pit less orange
1 cup of sugar (add SLOWLY to taste) [Try Splenda or Equal for lower calories]

Wash cranberries and put them in a food processor. Zest some of the orange peel and then cut the orange into eights and put them into the food processor. Add sugar and then pulse the mixture until it's a relish-like consistency. That's all there is to it!

Note: I have a 14 cup food processor, so you may need to make two batches - add half the amount of cranberries and orange segments at one time - to fit into yours.

No Bake Cashew Cheese Cake

I love to learn about all types of diets, so last week while I was looking for some information on the raw foods diet, I came across this recipe for a raw vegan cheesecake. It seemed so simple that I just had to give it a try. I made some changes to the original recipe, but it still came out great! It doesn't taste like a 'normal' cheesecake - it's definitely different -but it was still yummy! Next time, I'm thinking of adding fresh strawberries or blueberries to the filling for a bit of a variation :)

No Bake Cashew Cheese Cake
(Yields: 8 slices)

Crust
1 3/4 Quick Oats
25 Pitted Dates
Splash of water

Filling
1 Cup of Raw Cashews (soaked)
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Water
Agave Nectar (to taste - I used 2 tsp's)

Soak cashews overnight (or if you're in a hurry, for at least 3 hours)

Grind oats until they reach a flour like consistency. Add 10 dates and blend together. Once thoroughly mixed, add 10 more dates. Blend. Add the last 5 and blend. If mixture is a bit dry, add a splash of water to lightly moisten the mixture.

Scoop mixture into a dish 9" round dish and press down with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides of the dish.

For the filling, blend together cashews, lemon juice, agave nectar, vanilla extract and water until smooth, fluffy and thick. (add additional lemon juice, agave and vanilla as needed). Note: Be careful not to over blend or you may wind up with cashew butter!

Fill the crust with the filling and spread evenly. Freeze for an hour or refrigerate for a few hours to set.

 The pie should last a few days in the refrigerator. but you can also cut it into slices and freeze them.

Bananaloupe Smoothie

I buy a lot of fruit (and don't always get around to eating it) so the freezer has become my best friend. I have so many bags of frozen bananas, grapes, strawberries, apples and other fruits that I don't know what to do with them. A couple of  years back, I heard about Kris Carr and her love of green smoothies, so after seeing her documentary and reading her book, I was inspired to give them a try.

At first, I was a little put off by the idea of eating blended fruits and vegetables - especially spinach! - but they're actually really delicious and there are so many different kinds that you can come up with. Plus, they're good for you. :) Now that summers coming, they're the perfect thing to make!

I've made quite a few different concoctions, but haven't written any of them down, so I decided to start doing that now.

Bananaloupe Smoothie
(Makes about 32oz / or 1 or 2 servings)

1/4 of a cantaloupe
1 banana (frozen)
4 handfuls of spinach
6oz Original Almond Milk
drizzle of agave nectar
1/2 serving of Vanilla Soy Powder
3 ice cubes

Add two handfuls of spinach, almond milk, 1/2 banana to the blender. Blend until mixed. Add 1/2 the cantaloupe, blend. Add two more handfuls of spinach, blend. Add the other 1/2 of the cantaloupe, soy powder and agave nectar, blend. Add ice cubes, blend until smooth.