Blizzard Tomato Soup!

It's a freaking blizzard here in the Midwest. So I am snowed in....for a while. The only cure for cabin fever? Grilled Cheeze and Tomato Soup, of course! And plenty of Netflix/Hulu/Twilight Saga/Facebooking/Lost Boys to keep me entertained indoors! Here's my yummy tomato soup recipe. I add a potato to increase the creaminess and thickness of the soup without having to add much margarine or "cream" to keep it lower in fat. This is simply delicious and is just begging to have a pesto grilled cheeze (made with Daiya cheddar!) dipped into it. So perfect together, I can't even believe it! Blizzard Tomato Soup (serves 4-6)
2 Tbs vegetable oil or margarine
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
optional: 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
Pinch cayenne
1 Tbs dried thyme
1 medium potato, small diced
1 Tbs white wine or white wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable broth
2-15 oz cans crushed tomatoes, not drained plus 1 can worth of water
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt, and to taste
Pinch nutmeg
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice

In a medium pot, heat oil or margarine over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Lower heat to medium and add garlic. Cook 1 minute to brown. Add jalapeno (if using), cumin, paprika, cayenne, and thyme, as well as the diced potato. Cook 30 seconds to toast spices. Deglaze pan by adding wine and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, water, black and white peppers, salt, onion and garlic powders, and nutmeg. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add almond milk and puree using an immersion blender. If using a regular blender, you will need to blend this in batches. Puree until smooth. Return to heat and cook 5 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a gooey grilled cheeze or simply lots of crispy crackers!

Lemony Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich. Heavenly.

First off, sorry for the long absence!! My camera has been broken, so I have a lot of blogging to make up for!

If you're like most people around this time in the summer, you have zucchini basically coming out of your ears by now. I know I do, and I won't complain one little bit! Especially when there is this sandwich to be made. I dreamt of making this sandwich for a while, and I am so so so glad it finally came to fruition! One, because sandwiches are the best. Two, because zucchini just screams summer to me, and I scream back, I love you!!Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich
Lemony Lima Bean Spread (below)
Toasted whole grain bread
Grilled or sauteed zucchini, in half moon slices
Thinly sliced red onion
Greens (arugula or spinach would work nicely)
Garlic-Dill Aioli (below)

This sandwich is best served open-faced, because there are so many goodies on it, they are likely to fall out if eaten all together! So start off by slathering the lima bean spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay down the greens, then the grilled/sauteed zucchini, and then the red onion slices. Drizzle with the dill aioli and serve.

Lemony Lima Bean Spread (makes about 4 cups)
3 cups baby lima beans, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw to room temperature)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbs water, or more as needed

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse to break up large pieces, and then puree until smooth, adding more water as needed 1 Tbs at a time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Garlic-Dill Aioli (makes about 2 cups)
1 block soft silken tofu
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs dill seeds
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


A tasty summertime meal deserves to be ended with a tasty summertime treat: Local Blackberry-Peach Pie!! I didn't really use any recipe, but it turned out great...what a delightful combination!

Holy Muffuletta!

How in the world had I never made and/or eaten a muffuletta sandwich before???? Sandwiches are my favorite food ever! Well, I'm glad I finally did it, whatever the hold up was. I made the Muffuletta Sandwich recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook, but modified it by adding Tofurkey brand Italian Deli Slices and subbed some herb-marinated tempeh for the eggplant, since it's not yet available at the farmers' market. When it is, I'll be sure to make it again!!! Olives are just wonderful, and a showstopping sandwich like this is a perfect way to let them shine! This awesome recipe was made even better by using a delicious locally-baked crusty bread, from KC-based Farm to Market bread company. Yum City, USA!! ps this went perfectly with a side of tasty vegan potato salad! duh!

Rhubarb All Day Long: Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake!

Because rhubarb is still in season and even breakfast deserves dessert: Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake!!
I veganized the recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog, using Earth Balance for the butter, Tofutti for the sour cream, flaxseed for the yolks, and Ener-G Egg Replacer for the egg. It turned out perfectly! The cake itself is buttery and rich, but still light enough, like a good coffee cake should be. The rhubarb, which came from my friend's garden, was delicious!!! Obviously. And the BIG crumbs were simply perfect. Dry in a good way, crumbly, and amazing. I could have eaten the whole pan!!This wonderful coffee cake was preceded by an equally wonderful brunch: my Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches and Herb-Roasted Local Potatoes. The sandwiches were made up of baked tofu "eggs, " my breakfast sausage patties, fresh spinach, melted Daiya cheddar, and a maple cream cheeze spread I whipped up. All on locally-baked multi-grain toast. It was brunch perfection!

Roasted Beet Sandwiches and Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie....aaaah spring!

This meal was an absolutely perfect way to show off all of the beautiful spring produce that Missouri has to offer right now!

This Roasted Beet and Brazil Nut Goat "Cheeze" Sandwich is something I have been working on and dreaming about for quite a while...I'm so glad I finally got to make it! It consists of roasted beets and the Brazil Nut "Cheese" from the Vegetarian Times magazine, and it is seriously my new favorite sandwich! WOW.Roasted Beet and Brazil Nut "Goat Cheese" Sandwich (serves 6)
12 slices sourdough bread
1 recipe Garlic and Herb Brazil Nut "Cheese" from Vegetarian Times--can be found online here.
1 bunch fresh spinach
1 medium red onion, sliced

1 recipe Pesto Mayo, below

2 medium beets, sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh thyme, minced
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 Tbs red wine vinegar

To prepare beets: Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan. Add the sliced beets, olive oil, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan and toss to coat. Spread out beets to make an even layer. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use.

To assemble the sandwiches: On one slice of bread, spread a generous helping of pesto mayo. Spread Brazil nut cheeze on another slice of bread. Layer the roasted beets, red onion, and spinach on the cheeze. Top with mayo slice of bread. Slice and serve. Repeat to make 6 sandwiches.


Vegan Pesto Mayo (makes about 3 cups)
1 cup vegan mayo
1 box silken tofu
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs dried oregano
1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
1 bunch fresh basil

Combine all ingredients in a blender or bowl if using an immersion blender. Puree together until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Such an amazing sandwich deserves an even more amazing dessert! The strawberries and rhubarb are so perfectly in season right now...so it's obvious I needed to make a pie!
The pie is the Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Topped Pie from the Candle Cafe Cookbook. Crumb topping, folks!!! This is definitely up there as one of my new favorite desserts.
And since pie demands ice cream, I made some Maple Nut Ice Cream. Logical. It is heaven in frozen form!! Your spring will probably not be complete without this dessert, so go make it! Maple Nut Ice Cream (makes 1 qt)
1 box silken tofu--not lite
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs canola oil
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients, except the pecans, in a blender. Puree until completely smooth. Chill for 1-2 hours in the blender. Pour into ice cream maker (already frozen if necessary to machine) and prepare according to manufacturer's directions. Add in the pecans during the last 5 minutes, to allow to be fully incorporated. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving. Best served with warm pie, of course.

Super Awesome Brunch and Belated Excitement...

First the belated excitement part: 5 posts ago was my 200th post! I didn't even realize it! That's a whole lotta blogging and even more cooking...I'm pretty proud if I do say so myself :) Thanks for reading and salivating with me 200 times!! haha

Now for the brunch! The supper club this past Saturday was hopping, and not just because of the arrival of springtime weather...but mostly because of Vegan Monte Cristo Sandwiches!! You can find my recipe here! I added some of my Creole Mayo to the sandwiches, and served some organic blackberry jam on the side for spreading and dipping. It was perfect. Also different this time, I made homemade seitan "ham" and used Teese mozzarella cheeze! I had never used Teese before and it so totally melts you guys!! Delightful! Now if they only carried it around here so I didn't have to order it online. sigh.
Anyhoo, I made the sandwiches with locally-made Farm to Market bread, and served them with a side of Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes. So good!!Then there were the scones...Orange Thyme Scones, that is! I just love citrus in breakfast-y baked goods. I mean, it just makes sense!! I'll give you my recipe, because you seriously deserve to eat these for breakfast tomorrow. So good with Earth Balance and some jam....mmmmmm..... Orange Thyme Scones (makes 12 big scones)
5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup dried thyme leaves
1 Tbs sea salt
2 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 Tbs baking soda
1 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
1/2 Tbs vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups soymilk

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, flour through sugar. Cut in the margarine and shortening using a pastry cutter or sturdy fork, to get a crumbly texture.
Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Pour in the zest and juice, extracts, and soymilk into the well. Stir until just combined; be careful not to overmix the dough.
Turn out dough onto a floured surface and form into 2 separate circles. Cut each circle into 6 pieces. Set scones at least 1/2" apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until firmed and golden brown on top. Let sit for 10 minutes on the baking sheet to rest, and then transfer scones to a cooling rack. Serve topped with Orange Glaze (below).

Orange Glaze
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (depending on how thick you like your glaze)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp orange extract (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, juice, extracts, and powdered sugar until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

***The pictures seen on this post were taken by my friend Michael Ryce. They're so good, right?!?! Thanks MJ!!

I Love Testing!!

I cannot stress enough how much I looooove being a recipe tester!! With Terry's Vegan Latina/Viva Vegan! finished testing, I am so glad there was Queen V's Vegan Bakesale cookbook testing to take its place! I am also still working on testing recipes for Bianca's (of the awesome Vegan Crunk blog) southern cookbook, Cookin' Crunk. Both are tons of fun, and have been providing me with dinners and desserts to keep me....and my guests....happy!

Last night I made recipes from Cookin' Crunk testing for dinner: BBQ Tempeh and Carrot Sandwich with Poppyseed Coleslaw. It was delicious! To give the "pulled pork" texture, there are carrots mixed in with the bbq sauce and tempeh mixture....genius!! I love slaw on sandwiches, to add that messy, crunchy, cool, tasty element to something warm and spicy. Yum!!! The sauce was the Memphis BBQ Sauce, also from Bianca's test recipes...very sweet and tangy, which is simply awesome!!!!Dessert was a Vegan Bakesale test recipe: Espresso-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, drizzled with Chocolate Ganache. Ooooooh my goooosh was this good!!! A great balance of cakey-ness and crumbliness in the cake portion, perfect Coffee Struesel Topping (!!) and double perfect chocolate-y goodness poured all over the top. And it was not too sweet at all, which can sometimes happen in a lesser coffee cake. This was, of course, enjoyed with some fair trade, locally-roasted Broadway Cafe Coffee! Yay for good dessert and good coffee!Another test recipe from Vegan Bakesale I made this week was the Spelt Jam Thumbprint Cookies. The dough has jam baked into it and is made with spelt flour, so it has a very distinct flavor that is almost healthy tasting...and it's good! Then, there's the double whammy of jam (jammy? no, too much.) in the thumbprint. These tasted a bit like the Girl Scout Cookies that had raspberry jelly in them, but better of course! :)

Things I Thought I'd Never Eat Again Part 1: Pimento Spread!

Every once in a while, I want to start writing about things that I eat that I never thought I would have again, since I'm vegan and all. This will be the first post in the mini-series!

Today's item was Vegan Pimento Cheeze Spread!! The recipe is a tester for Bianca's (of Vegan Crunk) upcoming Cookin' Crunk cookbook. If you aren't familiar with pimento cheese, it's basically a spread made of Velveeta, pimento peppers, and mayonnaise. And it is totally better than it sounds! Very creamy, tangy, kinda sweet. Perfect on nice soft bread for a lunchbox treat or to dip celery and carrots into as an after school snack. I served my spread on locally-made Farm to Market's Grains Galore bread, which is super soft and nutty and tasty! I brought some sammiches to my mom at work and even took along some coleslaw for the side dish, and she provided some Cozy Shack chocolate soy pudding! A perfect little office picnic! So fun!

Vegan MoFo: Denver, Part III

It's Day 26 of Vegan MoFo aaaaand it's the last post about Denver! You know you had a lot of good food on a trip when you need three posts to talk about it! Let's do it!

From the Watercourse Bakery, the all-vegan bakery in Denver:

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls! Can you believe it?! I must recreate this pastry!The Scout Cookie! Caramel-Coconut-Pecan Cookie drizzled in Dark Chocolate. Just like the Girl Scout Samoa Cookies you know and loved. Perfection.

Then, for our last lunch in Denver, we obviously had to eat at Watercourse Foods!

I had the Juan Wrap...sliced seitan (subbed for the usual cheese), cilantro pistachio pesto, grilled sweet potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. Out of this world good. Pesto!!! For my sides, I got the Southwest Quinoa Salad and Mixed Greens with Miso Tahini Dressing. I was elated. But sad this would be my last meal here for a while.
My dessert was the HoHo Cupcake, a take on the classic by Hostess! Rich chocolate cake with vanilla cream filling, vanilla icing, chocolate ganache, and some chocolate chips!! One of the best cupcakes I've ever ever ever had!!! Sarah got the BBQ Seitan Sandwich...sliced seitan, bbq sauce, and coleslaw on those awesome homemade buns...with sides of Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Steamed Kale. Holy cow so good! Sarah's dessert was the Apple Pie! So cinnamon-y and juicy. Flaky, buttery crust. Love.
Our friend, Wendy, got the Chocolate Layer Cake a la mode with Cherry Ice Cream! Chocolate and cherry are soooo perfect together!! What more could you want?!

I'm sad to have to wrap up my posts about Denver, since the food was so fantastic. But there are more places to visit and foods to eat/love/crave/write about. Let's go get 'em!

Vegan MOFO Day 1: Vegan BLT Sandwiches!

Vegan MoFo is here again, everybody! For those of you who don't know, October is Vegan MoFo, or Month of Food. This gives all us vegans...especially the foodies!...a great excuse to talk as much as we can about food, cooking, cookbooks, veganism, health, etc. And you know we love to talk about what we eat, not to mention talking about what everyone else is eating, too! So all in all, Vegan MoFo is like our month-long food porn fest. yeah.

For the first day of Vegan MoFo, I will share about my underground restaurant. It doesn't have a name or anything yet, but I'm working on that! Basically, I serve food restaurant-style out of my apartment once a week on Sundays. I make one meal and dessert, and whoever hears about it and wants to come is MORE than welcome! It's going around by word of mouth right now, and word of blog I suppose, so I hope that it will continue to grow as I keep working at it! This past weekend was the fourth installment of the "supper club" type get-together, complete with all the good stuff....

The main dish: Vegan BLT Sandwiches!! One of my favorite things to make in the summertime to celebrate the abundance of awesome tomatoes. Since I still had plenty to use up at this end of summer period, I figured BLT's were a must. They have tempeh bacon (see a few posts ago for that recipe!) from local tempeh, crisp organic lettuce, my mom's homegrown tomatoes, avocado, and vegan mayo, all on homemade millet bread! What a sandwich!!

On the side, I made Local Potato Salad (made with local potatoes, red onion, garlic, and carrots!)...

The other side was Citrus-Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind from Terry Bryant's Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook. I loved these!! I saved all my watermelon rinds from my last local watermelon of the season and pickled them with lemons, oranges, and spices. Delicious! A perfect item for that summer to fall transition!!
And NO meal would be complete without dessert!! In keeping with the local produce theme, I decided to make a tester recipe from Terry Hope Romero's upcoming Vegan Latina cookbook: Sweet Corn Ice Cream!!

Corny, creamy, simple, delicious. Even more irresistable when I topped them with Praline Pecans!! I mixed barley malt syrup, Earth Balance, soy creamer, cinnamon, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and pecans together and poured the mixture over the yummy ice cream...
Let's just say I had no complaints!

More MoFo to come!!

Southern-Style BLT!

I think I've created a monster. All the abundant local produce around me has been giving me all sorts of craaaazy ideas, such as the sandwich I made up today: the Southern-Style BLT! I love, love, love sandwiches on nice days like today, and this just screamed out to be made with all the goodies I got at the market this morning.

Between thick slices of local bread from the Fervere Bakery are tofu bacon, made with local Central Soy tofu, fried green tomatoes from my mom's garden, sauteed garlicky local greens, avocado, and creamy creole sauce (recipe here). Holy moly, this was amaaazing!!! If you have some great local ingredients around you, I urge you to try this out! I served mine with an all-local slaw I made.....mmmmm.....divine!Southern-Style BLT (serves 4)
8 slices thick, whole grain bread

1 pkg tofu or tempeh, thinly sliced into bacon-like strips
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs liquid smoke
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs canola or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper

4 green tomatoes, sliced
1 cup soymilk
1/4 cup cornstarch
a few dashes of hot sauce
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning or other seasoning mix
1 Tbs baking powder
Oil for frying

1 bunch greens (such as spinach or kale), stemmed and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs olive oil

1 recipe creamy creole sauce or vegan mayonnaise

To prepare the tempeh/tofu bacon: Whisk together all the ingredients except for the tofu or tempeh. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add sliced tofu and cook on each side for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Add the seasoning mixture and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the marinade has cooked almost completely away. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the fried green tomatoes: In one bowl, whisk together the soymilk, cornstarch, and hot sauce. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the tomato breading. In a large skillet or deep pot, heat 2 inches of canola or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Oil is hot enough when you drop in a little bit of the breading and it sizzles. Dip slices of tomato in liquid then dry mixture and repeat. Shake of excess breading and place tomato slices in the heated oil. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, over medium heat, until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and let drain on a paper towel.

In a separate skillet or wok, heat olive oil and garlic together over medium-high heat. When garlic starts to sizzle and becomes "blond," add the chopped greens and saute for about 5-8 minutes, until wilted and a little crispy on the edges.

To assemble a sandwich: On one slice of bread, spread Creamy Creole Sauce to taste. On the other slice, place slices of avocado. On top of the avocado, place the tofu bacon. Then layer the fried green tomatoes and sauteed greens. Top with other slice of sauced bread and serve!!
This kind of looks longish and complicated, but it really does come together quickly!! Great for a lunch or dinner outside on a late-summer day!

Tester Times Two and Vegan Brunch Muffins!!

I have been a busy little tester these days! With testing for two cookbooks simultaneously, I have had lots of cooking to do...and I'm loving every minute of it! Here's some recent test recipes:
From Cookin' Crunk testing, which comes from the lovely Bianca of the Vegan Crunk blog: Seitan Hot Wings. Spicy and tangy, just how they are meant to be! Chunks of seitan are battered, baked, and tossed in a buffalo wing sauce. One of my favorite Crunk test recipes so far!! I served the Seitan Hot Wings on homemade Cornbread Buns (thanks to Melisser for the awesome recipe!) for open-faced sandwiches! These were brilliant! Hot wings, my homemade vegan ranch dressing, spinach, and toasted cornbread buns...perfect summery sandwich!

On the side, I sauteed local mustard greens, garlic, and my momma's tomatoes. Fresh and delish.
The next pic comes from Terry Hope Romero's Vegan Latina tester forum: Seitan Chorizo Tacos! While not a test recipe itself, the Seitan Chorizo is a test recipe, as well as the homemade Soft Corn Tortillas. Both are totally drool-worthy on their own.... but paired with baked butternut squash, red onion, green olives, pickled jalapenos, chopped chipotles in adobo sauce, and crispy red leaf lettuce...I think I don't even have to tell you how good these were! Tons of texture and flavor variations make these tacos perfect. When you get Vegan Latina after it comes out, I highly recommend using the Seitan Chorizo just like this!

And lastly, a non-test recipe: Cocoa Raspberry Muffins from Isa's Vegan Brunch! I am trying to work in as much VB I can with all the cookbook testing recipes, but it can get tough sometimes. I am so glad I could squeeze these in my schedule!! Just a little sweet with a little tartness from the raspberries make nice little muffins that are perfect for breakfast or a mid-day snack. With a nice hot cup of tea, of course!

Chili-Coffee Rubbed Seitan Sandwiches!

So there's this sandwich idea that's been floating around in my little foodie head for a while now. The dream sandwich of which I write is my Chili-Coffee Rubbed Seitan Sandwich.
This is exciting because I have felt in a little bit of a creative slump with all the cookbook testing I have been doing...lots of cooking, almost none of it my own recipes! I'm not complaining, of course, I 'm just sayin. So this recipe finally came to fruition last week! And it was everything I wanted it to be. And more. I had been playing around with the idea of a chili-coffee rub for seitan, and it just screamed messy, delicious sandwich to me. And that's what I did! It turned out soooo well! You just have to try it! The smoky, savory quality of the dry rub is balanced out perfectly by the spicy, tart quality of the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, creamy avocado, and sweetness of the caramelized onions. zomg you guys. zomg.Chili-Coffee Rubbed Seitan Sandwiches (serves 4)
For the seitan:
1 lb seitan, thinly sliced (I used my homemade seitan, but use whatever kind you like.)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup coffee grounds (freshly-ground is best)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
pinch or two of cayenne

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, except the seitan, until well mixed. Add the sliced seitan in the mixture and toss with mixture to coat completely. Let marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight. When preparing to use, heat a large cast iron (or your favorite) skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with canola oil or non-stick spray. Add the seitan and any remaining marinade to the heated pan, making seitan is in a single, even layer. Cook for 5 minutes without stirring or turning the seitan. Flip the seitan and cook for 5 more minutes, until the marinade has mostly reduced. Turn off heat and cover until ready to use.

For the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce:
1/2 cup vegan mayo
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1 cup raspberries (thawed if using frozen)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbs maple syrup
dash or two of hot sauce, to taste

In a food processor or blender, puree all of the ingredients together until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the caramelized onions:
Cut 1 red onion in half and thinly slice. Saute onion slices in 1 Tbs canola oil, over medium heat, until lightly browned and caramelized. Set aside until ready to use.

To assemble the sandwiches:
4 hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls, split and toasted if desired
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 batch caramelized red onions
2 cups spinach or mixed greens
1 recipe Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
1 recipe Chili-Coffee Rubbed Seitan

Open bun or roll so both insides are face up. Slather each inside with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Mound 1/4 of the seitan on the bottom bun. Pile caramelized onions, sliced avocado, and spinach on top of the seitan. Top with the other bun half. Repeat with other three buns until all the seitan is used. Serve hot!

One of the best parts of this creation was that I used homemade buns!! These were my first homemade bun attempt, and they were great! I used Melisser's Cornbread Burger Buns. Soooo sweet and savory and good.
Aaaaaand I served these messy guys up with Sweet Potato Oven Fries and slices of my momma's homegrown tomatoes!! Yipee!

It was truly a party in my tummy! And mouth!

Local Latina!

Tonight's dinner was yet another masterpiece from the Vegan Latina tester forum! With my kitchen bursting at the seams with fresh, local produce, I had my eye (and mouth) on two of the test recipes: the Eggplant Torta Sandwich and Calciabatas (aka Fresh Squash Saute)! Feast your eyes on this crazyness!

First up, the Eggplant Torta Sandwich! Terry was NOT messing around when she created this monster of a sandwich!! It is crusty French bread stuffed with refried beans, chopped jalapenos, tomatoes, marinated and roasted eggplant, shredded lettuce, avocado, and homemade chipotle mayo. whoa!! I was so lucky to have some local eggplant, my mom's homegrown tomatoes, and local French bread at home!I served these sandwiches with a side of Calciabatas, another VL test recipe. Also known as Fresh Squash Saute, this tasty veggie dish was a saute of summer squash, onions, garlic, winter squash, tomatoes, and spices! It all kind of sauteed and stewed together to make something really flavorful yet simple...a perfect side dish, really! For this, I got to use more local veggies: local patty pan squash and some more of my momma's tomatoes! (p.s. I am so proud of my mom's new-found green thumb! yay!)

I just love incorporating the best produce possible into Terry's awesome tester recipes! What a lucky gal I am!

BTW...this is my first blog post from my new laptop! woot graduation present!

Tester Tostadas and.....drumroll.....My First Homemade Vegan Doughnuts!

So testing recipes for Terry's upcoming Vegan Latina cookbook just gets better and better....tonight for dinner I made the Black-Eyed Butternut Tostadas. Yeah, you heard me right. Black-eyed peas and butternut squash are mashed up with some spices and such to a refried bean texture and spread on crunchy tostada shells. Then they are topped with shredded lettuce, avocado, local salsa, and a few dollops of vegan sour cream. They are like little towers of deliciousness! I served them up with some of the tester Pickled Red Onions, since I eat them with everything these days!

And I made VEGAN DOUGHNUTS!! I got the urge today and had nothing to do, so I went for it! I used a recipe I found on Melisser's blog, The Urban Housewife, for baked doughnuts, and made up my own chocolate glaze. I hear doughnuts are the new cupcakes, and I am OK with that! Topped with some organic sprinkles, these plus a big mug of hot coffee made my evening absolutely perfect!! I even made them with whole wheat pastry flour, so they are kinda healthy! Woo!

Nekkid doughnuts, post-baking....Chocolate-glazed and sprinkled doughnuts....ready for me to attack...

On another note, I tried a new place to eat in Kansas City, the Record Bar! I thought I had found just about all the vegan food there is to be had in KC, but I was wrong! The Record Bar is part music venue, part bar and grill-type eatery. They have several vegan-friendly menu items, too! I went with my momma, before seeing HP6, so we each tried a different entree! Oh, the joys of a dining companion!

My mom got The Moby Sandwich, which was a roasted portabella with TONS of veggies and balsamic vinaigrette (sans mayo) on herbed focaccia. This sandwich was so tasty AND it came with awesome fries and was a big 'ol meal for not a lot of skrill! Very cool. But, being a bar and all, it didn't have good food porn lighting. Not so cool. As long as the food is good, I'm cool with it! I got the Ian MacKaye Pizza! It was their homemade pizza crust spread with homemade lemony hummus and, again, lots of veggies (including whole cloves of garlic! what a dream!) and kalamata olives. Very, very good!! Who knew bar food could be so vegan!?!

Easy Weekday Eats

Here's some tasty things I have eaten this week! Quick, easy, healthy, yummy. No complaints here!

PB&Co White Chocolate Peanut Butter...Orange Marmalade...Toasted Almonds...on Local Whole Grain Bread...from the PB&Co. Cookbook! Amazing sandwich!!

Tofu "Parmesean" Open-Faced Sandwiches: Italian-Baked Tofu, Marinara Sauce, Cheezy Mozzarella Sauce, and Basil. yum!!!! with a Raw Beet Salad. perfect.
Big'n'Tasty Salad: Red Leaf Lettuce, Cabbage, Red Onion, Apples, Sweet Potato, Toasted Pecans, Tahini Dressing. Hit the spot after a long run!