Cucumbers with Creamy Dill Dressing

This salad is AMAZING!! Tastes just like the creamy, cucumber salads I had when I was younger. This is so refreshing!! It would taste deelish with anything spicy, immediately cooling you off. Or just eat it on its own, really tasty! This is the most perfect cold salad! Great for a picnic or BBQ 🙂

tofu & dill cream sauce

Cucumbers with Creamy Dill Dressing

1 1-1lb package firm low-fat silken tofu
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 1/4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/4 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

  1. Purée tofu, garlic powder, dill weed, salt, lemon juice, and vinegars in a food processor until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Place cucumbers and onion in a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to mix. Chill 1 hour or more before serving.

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Cookies

One of my fabulous readers, Kim sent me this deelish cookie recipe! They came out so great! Plus these were super simple and fast to make. This is a recipe you can whip up any time in no time 🙂

I ended up quadrupling the recipe to bring to Prema & Alex’s engagement party. I never even mentioned they were vegan and all the boys couldn’t get at them fast enough. Always so nice to see that! Some people hear that something is vegan and are immediately turned off. Have them taste them first and then let them know just how amazing vegan food can be! YUM!

Thanks Kim!!!


Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Prep: 10 min
Cook time:  25 min
Makes 16 cookies
Recipe from Susan Sarandon (love her!!)

1 cup oat flour (I use half white flour and half whole wheat flour)
¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain soy milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ banana, cut into small pieces (I mash them, it makes the cookies more moist)
¼ cup walnuts (optional), chopped
1/3 semisweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate tastes good as well)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients (up until sugar) in a bowl.   Whisk together oil, soy milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl.  Add wet mixture to dry ingredients; stir to combine.  Fold in banana, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease the pan.  Scoop dough onto pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown,  turning baking sheet halfway through.  Let cool and enjoy.

For a healthier cookie:
Honey, or agave syrup can be used to replace sugar.  Dried fruits or nuts can be used in place of chocolate chips as well.

Pan-Fried Tofu with Chili Sauce

I love tofu but I know it is not everyone’s favorite dish. I think this perfectly crisped tofu will help change their minds and the sauce is the perfect finish. You could also add herbs and change the flavor and look completely. Serve as apps or with a side of veggies and you have a lovely meal.

Pan-Fried Tofu with Chili Sauce

1/4 cup tamari
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/3 cup grapeseed (or another neutral oil like vegetable oil)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 -1 1/2inch ginger, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon of  crushed red pepper
1 pound cake light-firm tofu, drained and cubed

  1. In a bowl, add the soy sauce and sesame oil.
  2. In a skillet over high heat, add 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil and stir-fry the onions, ginger, and pepper for about 1 minute. Add to the soy sauce and sesame oil bowl.
  3. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining oil. When hot, pan-fry the tofu slices until golden on all sides, about 3 minutes total. Drain and place on a serving platter. Top each slice with sauce.
  4. Enjoy!

Parent’s Dinner Party – Vegan Seitan Piccata, Creamed Spinach & Creamy Polenta

YUM YUM YUM!!! If you want a meal to impress here you go 🙂

Candle 79 is one of my favorite vegan restaurants! And one of my fave dishes there is the Seitan Piccata.  I adapted this dish from their recipe and it was super deeeeelish! I am sure this sauce would work on tofu, tempeh, etc…  soooo yummy!!

I knew both our dads love Creamed Spinach and Polenta so I wanted to make it for them vegan style 🙂 It was super creamy and super amazing!! I doubled the recipes below to make sure we had enough and we were happy to have some left over! They were sooo good!

I love meals where people are like…”How is this vegan?!” This wasn’t the most low-fat of meals but it sure was amazing!! Creamed spinach and creamy polenta is not everyday food for us, but it was perfect for a special occasion.

I LOVE my warming drawer! Everything was ready to go for dinner, yet I had a clean kitchen perfect for the party!

This made a lot of sauce! Was great for meals that week as well 🙂

I cooked this down a little further, but it was still so rich and creamy! YUM!

YUM! Polenta Goodness!

Vegan Seitan Piccata
adapted from Candle 79 in NYC
Serves 6
1. Dredge seitan cutlets in flour, shaking off excess.
2. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in skillet over high heat. Sauté cutlets in oil 30 seconds per side, or until crisp and golden brown. Remove seitan from skillet, and drain on paper-towel-lined plate.
3. Add remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil to skillet, and return to high heat. Add shallots, onion, capers, and garlic, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring frequently. Whisk in wine and lemon juice, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more.
4. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 1 minute to combine flavors. Whisk in parsley, margarine, salt, and pepper. Pour over seitan cutlets, garnish with large caper berries or lemon slices, and serve.

  • 6 seitan cutlets, rinsed and drained (I used 12 cutlets – Gardein Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini)
  • Whole-wheat flour for dredging
  • 4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 2 Tbs. drained capers
  • 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine  (I used red instead)
  • 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbs. nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Large caper berries or lemon slices, for garnish, optional

Vegan Creamed Spinach

  • salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach
  • 3/4 cup soy creamer
  • 3/4 cup plain soy milk
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • grated nutmeg
  • fresh pepper

1. Large pot of water with salt – boil
2. Put spinach  for about a minute then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, then chop spinach
3. Place oil in broad saucepan on medium-low, add flour and cook stirring consistently till golden, then stir in creamer/milk
4. Add spinach and bring to a boil until spinach has absorbed most of liquid and sauce is thick, about 15-25 minutes
5. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and season to taste

Vegan Creamy Polenta

  • 1 cup vegan creamer
  • 1 cup plain soy milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups coarse cornmeal
  • 4 tablespoons Earth Balance
  • fresh ground black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan bring the creamer, soy milk and the water to a boil.
2. Add the salt and then gradually add the polenta while stirring.
3. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly.
4. The polenta should be smooth and large bubbles will pop on the surface.
5. Cook until very thick but not stiff, about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add earth balance and pepper.
7. Enjoy!!

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

This was so super fast and I whipped it up with ingredients I had in the house. Love that! I bet this would be great for kids and those peeps who are not into their veggies. The squash is just folded right into the cheeze sauce, perfecto!

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

1 lb. whole wheat/quinoa or rice rotini
1 cup soymilk
12 oz package frozen or canned butternut squash
2 cups Cheddar Daiya
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pepper to taste

  1. Prepare pasta according to package and Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a medium saucepan, simmer soymilk with butternut squash until combined
  3. Remove from heat and mix with Cheddar Daiya, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and pepper to taste
  4. Pour drained pasta into a baking dish and stir in cheeze mixture
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min
  6. ENJOY

Vegan Biscuits! For real!!!

A couple of weeks ago we were at a fabulous wedding down South in Jackson Mississippi! Not tons of vegan food to be had, but still a lot of fun! I always loved biscuits growing up in the South…..errr or NJ 🙂 Seeing all the biscuits down in Mississippi inspired me to make some deelish vegan ones that I could enjoy at home. YUM!!! They came out Fantastic! So simple and easy to make and baked in 15 minutes. I felt like a total Vegan Paula Deen, taking these babies out of the oven, smearing them with earth balance and enjoying! So good!! I used plain white flour, so I wouldn’t recommend making these all the time, but for a special treat, they really hit the spot!! Enjoy!!

Right out of the oven! Yum!!

Vegan Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup earth balance
1 cup soymilk – plus a splash or two on reserve

  1. Heat oven to 450degrees
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
  3. Add Earth Balance to the bowl and use a fork to mash together and form a crumbly mixture.
  4. Add the soymilk in and mix till you form a ball.
  5. Flour a counter top and pat down till dough is about an inch thick.
  6. Using a cookie cutter or the edge of a glass cut biscuits out of the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Continue to combine the scraps and make biscuits till you run out of dough.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  8. ENJOY right away with some earth balance or jam. YUM!!

Raw biscuits

Raw Biscuits

Easy Tofu Scramble

Tofu scram is one of those meals that I can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is super easy and fast and you can basically add whatever extra veggies you have in the house to it. We had it everyday for breakfast up at teacher training and if I am still eating it now, it must be a good thing 🙂

What is your favorite tofu scram recipe? I am always up for new ones!

Easy Tofu Scramble

  • 1 packages extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled or cubed
  • 2 small tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb fresh spinach
  • Sprinkle of nutritional yeast
  • Dash of tamari
  • Dash of ground pepper
  • Dash of Cholula Hot Sauce or your favorite brand
  • Dash of crushed red pepper
  • Dash of curry powder

Cook onions and mushrooms for 3 min, add scallions & tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, add tofu and cook for 10 min, add spinach, yeast, tamari, pepper, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, and curry powder and simmer, stirring gently for 5-10 minutes. Serve and ENJOY 🙂

1st night back in NYC – YUM

I was telling you about all the amazing food we had up at Omega…. the glorious salad bar and always yummy cooked vegan meals, amazing breads with earth balance or pb&j! Cooked Kale at every meal and the list goes on. Plus we can’t forget the AMAZING vegan brownies and peanut butter cookies at the Cafe. ahhhhh good life & good food!!

We didn’t want my first night back in NYC to disappoint and it was perfect, of course 🙂 So fun celebrating with my amazing husband!! It was gorgeous so we wanted outdoor seating (and there is not a lot of vegan choices with outside eating) so we headed over the Life Cafe 343 E 10th St @ Ave. B (212) 477-9001 (so appropriate since David Life, co-founder of Jivamutki Yoga was also the co-founder of Life Cafe!) After yesterday’s post I was soooo excited to have the PHILLY SEITAN STEAK (VEGAN) Thin slices of seitan, sauteed onions, garlic, mushroom, miso sauce & soy cheese (casein-free) served on a baguette YUM!!!!!! I also had the organic side salad and was pretty impressed, exactly what I needed.

(Prema, this is right by your house, you neeeeeed to eat this sandwich 🙂 )

After dinner we strolled over to Lula’s Sweet Apothecary 516 E 6th St (btwn Ave A & Ave B) (646) 912-4549 for their famous and deeeeelish Cake Batter VEGAN Soft Serve! OH MY YUM! I always love this, but every time we have it, it seems to taste even more amazing! haha We were so lucky that they now have their Soft Serve Monday hours, since they are normally closed on Mondays. Love it!!!!

Perfect End to the Perfect Evening 🙂

Cake Batter Ice Cream -- photo from http://www.theurbanhousewife.com

Banana French Toast

These were amazing! The banana was thick enough to really coat and soak the bread. It also gave the french toast the most deelish flavor. I highly recommend this!

Banana French Toast
Makes 4 slices

2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
1 vegetable oil spray

Blend bananas, soymilk, syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a vegetable oil sprayed skillet. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned.

Recipe from Food for Life, by Neal Barnard, M.D.

Terri deliciousness!

Terri 64 West 23rd Street NYC

We were SO excited to get to try out Terri, the new all vegan sandwich and juice shop! It was AMAZING!! Every bite was so enjoyable and moan-worthy hahaha

Michael and I shared the Meatball Parm sandwich, Bacon Cheddar Chicken Ranch sandwich and the Butterfinger Shake.  All Vegan and All Amazing!!  There are just a few bar stools and a counter to dine but of course you can take your lunch to go and head to Madison Square Park close by. The peeps behind the counter were super friendly and so nice! It was also so fabulous to have this $3 off any sandwich or wrap coupon! (expires 4/31) I know we will be back soon to try the rest of the menu!! Enjoy!

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