super easy vegan pesto pasta

first, make the pesto:

Spinach Pesto
(makes 1 cup)


Ingredients:
1 cup baby spinach (packed)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chopped, I used basil)
2-3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

put the pasta on to boil according to box directions. make enough for 2 people
then, cut up a handful of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, and 1/4 block of marinated tofu. fry in oil until the tomatoes get all watery and sauce like. then add the pesto and heat until warm. serve over the pasta.

summer cookin

in the process of adding recipes.



spinach pesto bruschetta:
lots of pesto is made with basil and pine nuts. my basil plants are still small because i grew them from seeds so i dont have enough to make a lot of pesto with. my dad is allergic to nuts so i discovered if you add uncooked oats it adds texture. to make this vegan omit the cheese and add some more olive oil. i made it with pumpkin seed oil it was delicious!

spinach pesto ingredients:

1 cup spinach (packed)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chopped, I used basil, mint and garlic chives)
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons oats
1/4 cup feta
3 tablespoons olive oil/pumpkin seed oil
lemon juice to taste
pepper to taste

other ingredients:
1 baguette
1-2 cups of cherry/grape tomatoes, sliced.

Directions:
1. Place everything for the pesto into a food processor and blend.
2. slice baguette and toast the pieces. spread the pesto and place the tomatoes on top.

i served with fresh strawberries made a nice light healthy lunch!







fresh vegan veggie burgers:



burger mix:
1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked hulled millet
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot
3/4 cup firm tofu
3 tbsp grated beets
2 tsp tamari
2 tbsp spelt flour
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tbsp water (if needed)





1. put millet, barley and 1 cup of water in a pot on high heat and stir. bring to boil, then reduce heat until water is absorbed. put grains in a large mixing bowl, let cool.
2. grind seeds in a food processor. add to mixing bowl.
3. in food processor, puree garlic, parsley onion and carrot. then add tofu and process until smooth. add to mixing bowl.
4. add remaining ingredients into mixing bowl (except water) and mix thoroughly with large spoon. add water if too try and shape into patties. (6)
5. fry, boil, or grill until crisp and brown on oth sides- about 5mins each side.

served with tomato, thai peanut sauce, lettuce and homemade herb and garlic bread! yummmmmmmmmmy

thai peanut sauce:


5+ cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp tamari/soy sauce
2 tbsp paprika
about 2 cups (give or take) water
cayenne pepper

combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. heat gently for 10mmins in a pot. serve hot!


Curried Couscous Salad with Cranberries:


made this for father's day dinner (front). i have just perfected the sweet potato and beet recipe behind it and will be posting it soon.

1(5.8-ounce) box instant couscous
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 orange, juiced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced

Stir the couscous, cranberries, curry powder, salt, and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Bring water (amount will be listed on package directions) to a boil and pour it over the couscous. Add the orange juice. stir and cover the bowl tightly and let it stand about 5 minutes.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Add the olive oil, green onions, parsley and lemon juice and stir thoroughly.

summer falafels

yumyumyum

Vermicelli in a mug!

So, aaron and I moved into our new apartment, and are trying to cook more. Here we made some weird, cold salad/hot salad/cold noodle layered thing in a mug, which turned out to be pretty tasty.
You'll need:

Cold Salad:
Arugala (washed)
1/4 cucumber (diced)
1 Roma tomato (diced)

Hot "Salad":
1/2 Orange Bell pepper (diced)
1/2 Yello Bell pepper (diced)
1-2 Portobello Mushroom cap (diced)
1 onion (finely chopped)
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/3ish cup vegetable stock
tblspn veg oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 block medium firm tofu
1/2 cup snowpeas


Noodles
1/2 pack dry vermicelli noodles
2 cups fresh water
salt.

How to:
1. Put oil in pan. Throw in onions, then garlic. Get the water boiling and make sure to throw in plenty of salt to help it along, and season the noodles.

2. Throw the mushrooms and peppers in with onions/garlic. Put the vermicelli into the water. WATCH IT, vermicelli cooks really fast. Once it's done, drain it, and you can blast it with cold water and refridgerate if you want to serve it cold. Pour in the veggie stock and let it reduce.

3. Diced the raw cucumber and tomato and line two large mugs (or bowls) with arugala (or romaine lettuce is you're like aaron and don't like the leafy majesty of arugala). Toss inthe tofu and snow peas, and season with salt pepper and garlic powder. Again, tofu cooks quickly, as do snow peas,so keep your eye on them.

4. Layer the raw diced veg ontop of the lettuce, the vermicelli on top of the veg and the hot "salad" mixture on top of the noodles. EAT!

NOTE: We threw some nasty chicken in there, so the version we made wasn't technically vegan...I picked all the chicken outta mine though, hahah! And we were lame and lazy and drizzled on some presidents choice peanut satay sauce. Could have easily made it through

cook book

made a cook book for some family as a christmas gift last year, thought i'd finally upload it.

chicken sandwich

after i handed in my layout assignment, we celebrated by buying chicken and goat's cheese. so i made sandwiches!


chicken, brie, and pear sandwiches with balsamic onions

ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 ciabatta buns, halved
1-2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
1 pear, thinly sliced
brie cheese, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped


cook chicken breast by frying it in a pan or grilling it. then slice the onion and fry it in butter or oil on a frying pan. when onions are translucent add balsamic vinegar.
arrange garlic, chicken, pears, onions, and cheese on sandwich. grill on a panini grill or toast in a toaster oven until cheese melts. serve with salad:

apple grape salad with balsamic onions:

in the previous post i had a recipe for apple and grape salad. it was delicious so i made some additions:
1-2 cups of baby spinach/mixed greens
1 apple, thinly sliced don't remove the skin its good for you!
1 cup grapes, stems removed and sliced in half
1/2 cup balsamic onions from above sandwich.
1/4 cup dried cranberries

for the dressing:
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dijon/spicy mustard

end of the school year

second year is done! woo! crazy happy and sad all at the same time.
i've been trying to get rid of all the food in my cupboard so i havent made anything great this past week. right now im eating rice with peanut butter and leftover hummus mmm. it got pretty busy in the last few weeks but here are some simple recipes i've made!
salads are easy to make quickly and healthy!

grape apple salad:

ingredients:

1-2 cups of baby spinach/mixed greens
1 apple, chopped into cubes. don't remove the skin its good for you!
1 cup grapes, stems removed and sliced in half

for the dressing:
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dijon/spicy mustard

delicious! the honey makes it nice and sweet!



tahini-chickpea salad

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of chickpeas, cooked (you can use canned if you must..)
handful of baby spinach/mixed greens

dressing:
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

i cant really remember what else i put in here, if anything. try it with mustard or garlic? whatever, it will be delicious anyway!


spring rolls with hot and sour sauce served with quinoa salad with peppers and cheese

i got some spring rolls from an asian grocery store. the woman made them fresh there and they were SO good. vegetarian too! i just cooked them in the oven until they were done.

for the hot and sour sauce:
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp lime juice
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp chili flakes
just mix those together, it makes a great dipping sauce!

for the salad:
1 cup quinoa, cooked (you boil it)
2 cups baby spinach/mixed greens
1/4 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cheese, cubed (i used cheddar but if you had like, goats cheese or feta it would rule)

and the salad dressing:
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
black pepper, to taste
maybe 1-2 tbsp of hot mustard? i forget.

it was yummy :)

home made pasta sauce!

a little more complex but so worth it!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3-5 tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup diced red/orange peppers
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2/3 cup water or stock
• 1 box of whole wheat spaghetti or other pasta (i had egg noodles)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp chili flakes

1. Heat oil in frying pan, fry up the onions and carrots
2. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and stock. Simmer for 10mins, stirring occasionally. Add Italian seasoning, oregano, and chili flakes and stir in.
3. Cook pasta according to instructions on box
4. Pour the tomato mix into a blender and puree.
5. Put sauce back into the pan and stir in the chicken. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 10mins until chicken is cooked.
6. Serve over pasta. Garnish with grated cheese and fresh basil.