One-Dish Pasta Casserole

This casserole is great when you need a quick, go-to dinner.  It is hearty enough for cold winter nights.
You will need:
*  1 23.5 oz. jar of your favorite vegan pasta sauce, preferably organic.
*  1 16 oz. box of short, organic pasta - I like rotini for this casserole.
*  1 1/4 jar of water, using the pasta sauce jar, (or about 3 1/2 cups).
*  1 6 oz. bag of vegan mozzarella "cheese" shreds.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Pour the dry pasta into a 9" x 13," 3 qt. casserole dish.  Spread the pasta sauce over the noodles.  Add the water and stir.  Cover with an oven-safe lid or foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, stir, and top with the vegan "cheese" shreds, pressing them into the sauce to assist the melting process.  Continue baking uncovered for 10 more minutes.

If any of you remember "Pasta Bake" from several years ago, you'll notice the resemblance here.  Since "Pasta Bake" sauce is no longer available, I simply adapted the process to vegan, organic ingredients. I hope this works for you, too!

Vegan Recipes - You're Kidding, Right?

Anyone who knows anything about me knows one thing for sure - I cannot cook and  I do not even enjoy being in the kitchen.  So just imagine the amused looks when they find out my blog includes vegan recipes.  My own children give me exaggerated eye-rolls when I ask for a recipe idea for the blog. My response is "No, I'm not kidding," because the point is this:  If I can live a vegan lifestyle and bring my family along with me, ANYONE CAN!  You don't have to be a good cook and you don't need to be an expert from day one.  But you do have to be committed to the journey, and be willing to read labels. To learn which ingredients are vegan, vegetarian or not, I rely on an invaluable book:  "Vegan & Vegetarian FAQ" by the Vegetarian Resource Group.  When I first decided to become vegan, I took this book with me to the grocery store.  It really doesn't take long to learn which prepared foods are acceptable.  You can find a wealth of information about everything vegan and vegetarian at their website, http://www.vrg.org/.
Please check it out and share your thoughts.

Vegan Pumpkin Cake

This cake is great to take to parties because it is tasty enough for your non-vegan friends too!

Ingredients:

*  1 Cup organic granulated sugar
*  1/2 cup packed organic brown sugar
*  1/4 cup canola oil
*  1/2 cup Lighter Bake or other butter/oil substitute, such as applesauce*
*  Vegan egg substitute for 1 egg (I use 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water.)
*  1 can (15 oz.) organic pumpkin puree
*  2 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
*  2 tsp. baking powder
*  1 tsp. baking soda
*  1Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
*  1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a 13" X 9" baking pan with oil and flour.
Mix sugar, brown sugar, oil, oil substitute, egg substitute, and pumpkin puree until well blended.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Combine flour mixture with sugar mixture, blend until smooth and pour into prepared pan.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Note:  If you like, you can use an additional 1/2 cup of canola oil instead of the oil substitute.  I prefer the lighter texture resulting from the oil substitute.

This cake is delicious with the vanilla frosting from the December 2nd posting to this blog.  My husband often requests this cake for his birthday.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Support Sustainable Farming - Buy Organic!

Recently, I have learned some important facts concerning sustainable farming from a surprising source - The Martha Stewart Show.  Do I agree with everything Martha?  Certainly not.  But kudos to her for standing up for sustainable farming practices and buying from local organic sources whenever possible.  Especially impressive was her discussion with author Jonathan Safran Foer regarding his book, "Eating Animals," which among other things, emphasizes the need for sustainable farming in this country.  It is next on my reading list, and I'll review it for you when I've finished.  If any of you have already read it, please share your thoughts.  On November 19th, her show presented vegetarian options for Thanksgiving.  And, on December 10th, the show featured a piece regarding the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in Bahia, Brazil, which supports sustainable cocoa farming in the previously devastated region.  You can access summaries of these shows in the TV archive section at marthastewart.com.  It is encouraging to have these principles promoted by a mainstream personality.  The more information we have, the better food choices we can make.  Let me know what you think.

We Miss Chocolate Candy!

Do you miss certain foods since becoming vegan?  For me, it's chocolate candy, especially peanut butter cups.  The vegan chocolate bars I've tried taste nothing like a good, old-fashioned Hershey bar.  Last night, my daughter was experimenting with a peanut butter cup recipe.  She started with the chocolate frosting recipe from the December 2nd post to this blog, but omitted the agave nectar to cut some of the sweetness.  She mixed peanut butter with soy milk for the center filling, and put each layer in the freezer for a short time to set.  The proportions still are not quite right, though, as the chocolate overpowers the peanut butter flavor.  When we get it right, I'll post the recipe.  In the meantime, if you have any recipes or suggestions, please post them as a comment.  I can't wait to share them!

Note:  I recently found a variation of a peanut butter cup recipe in Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet."  If you make it, please tell me what you think!

Yes, I'm Vegan, But Tofu Scares Me!

I hope to share many vegan recipes here, but chances are, none of them will include tofu.  Why, you ask?  I have never used it.  I don't know how to use it.  I don't have any recipes using it, or if I do, I avoid them. That's not to say it's not a useful ingredient.  It probably is.  Thus, I invite you to share your experiences with the stuff. Tofu anyone?

We Watched "An Inconvenient Truth." Now What?

We watched "An Inconvenient Truth" as a family the year it was released. We understood it. We were motivated to make changes. The light bulbs in our house are compact fluorescents. All the appliances that "glow" are unplugged when not in use. Paper and plastic recycling is routine. I take reusable shopping bags to every store, every time. That's the good news. The bad? In the day-to-day life of my teenagers, eco-consciousness, apparently is not at the top of their lists. Every day, I unplug my daughter's flat irons and her phone charger, each drawing energy the entire time they're plugged in. I still follow behind them to turn off lights in vacant rooms, including the garage. I am the family computer police, turning it off when no one is using it. And they are oblivious to reusable shopping bags.

These children are approaching college age and independent living. I am concerned that if they do not adopt eco-friendly habits at home, there is little chance they will do so as adults. Do you have any of these problems with your kids? If so, what are you doing to keep them motivated to live in an eco-conscious way?

Eco-effect of Christmas Lights

Is anyone else concerned about the eco-effect of all the Christmas lights going up, or am I being a total grinch? My family put up our lights on Black Friday (a very modest display-the kids call it "lame"). I was actually disappointed when they turned them on that night. After all, it wasn't even December yet. Now that December is here, lights are everywhere! What to do? For myself, I'm living like a mole in my house, with no lights turned on during the day, to offset the Christmas lights at night. There must be a better way! The LED lights seem to have promise, but we don't have those yet. PLEASE share your ideas!

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

This chocolate frosting is fast, easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup soy milk (I use vanilla flavored.)
* 4 ounces vegan semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:

Heat the soy milk to boiling. I use the microwave, but the stovetop is fine, too. Immediately add the chocolate chips to the boiling milk (removed from heat). Mix until creamy and smooth. This melted mixture hardens to frosting consistency fairly quickly.

I hope you like this as much as I do!

Vegan Vanilla Frosting

This vanilla frosting is a vegan alternative to the traditional buttercream.

Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup softened vegan butter alternative. (I use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread.)
* 1/8 tsp. salt
* 3 cups sifted organic powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup soymilk (I use vanilla flavored.)
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix ingredients until creamy.

Let me know how you like this one!

Easy Vegan Chocolate Snack Cake

This cake is perfect any time you need a fast and easy snack or dessert.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup organic granulated cane sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour an 8" X 8" baking pan.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The cake is delicious plain, but you can also top it with organic powdered sugar or a vegan frosting of your choice. In a pinch, you can even spread melted vegan chocolate chips across the top. It hardens to a candy coating. Enjoy!

Green Shopping Bags and Gift Wrap

As the holiday shopping season gains momentum, I am reminded to shop green. For me, that means using reusable shopping bags at every store, every time. I keep a folded bag in my purse all the time, so even if I forget to bring one with me, I always have that one as a backup. If you end up with a plastic bag, it is so easy to recycle them now. All of the grocery stores I go to plus WalMart and others have bins at the front of the store for recycling empty plastic bags. So simple to do and so important!

Gift wrap is proving to be more of a challenge. I made a commitment this year to buy only recycled paper products. So paper wrapping will be from a recycled source, either online or at the store. Another idea is to wrap a gift with a fabric gift, such as a baby blanket, throw or scarf, etc. This might work for my teenage daughters, as one loves fleece throws and the other often wears a scarf with her outfit or coat. My husband and son will require more creativity. Tuck a small gift inside a glove, stocking hat or sock, perhaps? I am really committed to not wasting paper. Please share your ideas!

Why Vegan?

While I have been vegetarian for almost 20 years, I have been vegan for only 5. The short answer to why vegetarian, for me, is to live a compassionate lifestyle that avoids the use of animals as food. But I was motivated to become vegan, avoiding the use of any animal product, after reading "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon," by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. This book focuses on the lives of farm animals as unique, sentient, individual beings. It is beautifully written and is fantastic inspiration for anyone considering a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Read it and pass it on!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Let's be honest here. I am not a whiz in the kitchen. If I'm going to bake cookies, they need to be fast and simple. One of the easiest things I've found to do is "veganize" traditional cookie recipes. It doesn't always work, but this is a good one for chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:
* 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup organic granulated cane sugar
* 3/4 cup packed organic light brown sugar
* 1 cup softened vegan butter alternative (I use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread.)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Vegan egg substitute to equal 2 large eggs (I mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water until dissolved.)
* 2 cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla extract until creamy. Then mix in the egg substitute. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the desired consistency. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Spoon by rounded tablespoon or similarly-sized ice cream scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

My 16-year-old daughter often bakes these for our family. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Vegan Holiday Meal

Whether you are considering vegetarian options or are a vegan pro, the holidays can pose real food challenges. My family is enjoying leftovers from a traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared vegan style. It consisted of Tofurky and the accompanying vegan gravy, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes made with soy milk and vegan butter alternative, green bean casserole using mushroom broth and cornstarch instead of cream of mushroom soup, vegan rolls, and a purchased vegan pumpkin pie. As you can see, this meal was accomplished very easily with a minimum of cooking skills. In other words, if I can do it, anyone can. And everything was truly delicious!