That Was Vegan?

I promised you more salads, and this Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with cranberries, pumpkin seeds and maple vinaigrette is sure to please! And not just your tastebuds, either. Nutritional powerhouse spinach is packed with phyto-nutrients, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K. Sweet potatoes fill you up with healthy fiber, and the cranberries have that wonderful, natural sweetness. And pumpkin seeds! This salad literally has something for everyone.

I love this salad! It’s based on a menu item I saw at the Gunnison Vitamin & Health Cafe, but didn’t order. Something about it spoke to me though, so I added it to my list of recipes to create. I could’ve made my own maple dressing too, but I decided to take the easy way out and bought a bottle of Balsamic Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup from Maple Grove Farms. You could certainly make your own and it would be less processed and healthier, but if you’re short on time, this stuff was delicious!

In other exciting news… Remember how I climbed my first 14-er last month? Bagged my first peak, as they say…?

Well I’m about to add #2 and #3 to that list! In the same day! Before the sun is up!

That’s the plan, anyway. We’re going to camp near the Grays trailhead on Saturday night, and start hiking around 3am so we can be to the top to watch the sunrise. Then we’ll cross over the saddle and back up to the Torreys peak before heading back down. There’s a super moon, so we probably wont even need headlamps. Sounds fun, right? 🙂

Maybe I’ll make myself another batch of this salad as a reward after I’m done!

Sweet Potato Spinach Salad

2014-08-05 08:57:10

Serves 2

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

25 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

25 min

Ingredients

1. 1 medium sweet potato
2. Non-stick spray
3. S&P
4. 2 cups (packed) spinach, washed
5. 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
6. 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cran-cherries)
7. Maple dressing of choice

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Wash and chop the potato. Spray a baking sheet and spread a single layer of the potatoes, and top with another squirt of the non-stick. Sprinkle with S&P. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring and adding more S&P halfway through.
2. Top the spinach with the remaining ingredients. I recommend serving while the potatoes are still a bit warm!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Good afternoon and welcome to this installment of “Come win some awesome stuff!” 🙂

No, but seriously, I love this cookbook. The recipes in Vegan Beans from Around the World by Kelsey Kinser are healthy, delicious, and most are really quite simple. Easy recipes you can make without spending a fortune or an entire afternoon, and your family will actually want to eat them.

There are still tons of recipes in here that I’m dying to try, like Frijoles Colombianos (Colombian Red Beans), Greek Lentil Salad, and Tuscan White Bean Soup. My favorite so far though? The Malaysian Vegetable Salad!

It’s full of tempeh, tofu, onions, cucumbers and green beans, all covered in the most deliciously garlicky peanut sauce. The good news for you is that, in addition to giving away a copy of the book, the publishers have also agreed to let me include my favorite recipe!

So. Enter the contest below by leaving a comment telling us what your favorite kind of bean is, and how you like to prepare them, then go and check out the recipe!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Malaysian Vegetable Salad

2014-08-04 16:53:42

Serves 6

Reprinted with permission.

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PEANUT SAUCE

1. 1/2 cup oil for frying, divided
2. 1 cup roasted peanuts
3. 1 clove garlic, minced
4. 1 shallot, minced
5. 1 Thai bird's eye chile, chopped
6. 5 kaffir lime leaves (found in Asian grocers) or juice and zest of 1 lime
7. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
8. 1 tablespoon salt
9. 1 tablespoon grated ginger
10. 1 tablespoon crumbled toasted nori (optional)

SALAD

1. 1/2 cup extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
2. 1/2 cup tempeh, cubed
3. 1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
4. 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
5. 1/2 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
6. 1 small cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

Instructions

1. In a large frying pan, heat 1⁄4 cup of oil on medium-high heat. Fry the peanuts until deeply golden brown; let peanuts rest on paper towels to absorb some of the oil. After peanuts are cooled, grind in a food processor until the peanuts are fine pieces.
2. Add the garlic, shallot, and chile to the pan and fry for about 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the lime leaves or zest and juice, brown sugar, salt, ginger, and nori to the food processor and chop until a paste is formed. Add the peanuts and process just until combined. Set aside.
3. Heat up the remaining oil in the frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the cubed tofu and tempeh until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Mix the tofu and tempeh in a large bowl with the onion, green beans, bean sprouts, and cucumber.
4. Mix 1 cup of warm water into the peanut-based paste until the paste is liquid. Cover the mixed vegetables with peanut sauce and toss well to combine.

By Kelsey Kinser, Author of Vegan Beans from Around the World

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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This Vegan Spicy Chipotle Chick’n is made with soy curls, and is delicious! And so versatile! Because it’s basically just really flavorful, spicy shredded chick’n, you can use it in whatever you want. I made tacos, but it would also be faboo in quesadillas, maybe even on a pizza if you’re feeling brave.

The soy curls are way spicy and smoky from the chipotle peppers in adobo, yet a little bit sweet from the orange juice and zest. I added a ton of cilantro because I love it, but if it’s not your jam you could easily skip it. It’s not pictured, but I also added a whole mess of vegan sour cream to the tacos 😉

I also find it interesting that I chose corn tortillas. I used to HATE corn tortillas. No matter what kind of dish I was ordering when we went out for Mexican I’d always request it be made in flour tortillas. And I never, ever bought them to cook with at home. But then something changed. Not sure what… probably I just looked at the calorie count on those damn flour ones, haha!

Man, look at tall those peppers!

This was a veganization of something I saw on Pinterest, which is kind of a hobby of mine. The original ended up a bit creamier, which I was going to go for, but decided against. Why? Because I really just wanted flavorful shreds! Maybe I’ll make another, creamier version someday soon though… Try these first and let me know what you think!

Do you know what the hardest part about being a food blogger is?

You might guess it’s the pressure of “having” to cook so many different dishes, or the photography, or the editing of so many pictures, or the needing to keep to a publishing schedule. But you’d be wrong. It’s none of those things!

It’s having SO MANY recipe ideas that I want to create and share with you guys, and not enough time to do it! If I were to make all the crazy delicious food I want to, I’d have to quit my job, and then post like 27 times a day. Seriously. I’d be broke, fat, and you’d all be sick of me.

That said, I do fantasize about taking a two week stay-cation and spending it in my kitchen, whipping up dish after dish… Is that a weird thing to fantasize about?

Spicy Chipotle Chick'n

2014-07-31 08:57:15

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

25 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

25 min

Ingredients

1. 4 oz dry soy curls
2. Non-stick spray or oil of choice
3. 5 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce) plus 1-2 teaspoons of their sauce
4. 2 gloves garlic
5. Zest and juice of 2 oranges
6. 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Put the soy curls in warm water to soak for at least 10 minutes. Squeeze dry and set aside.
2. Chop the peppers and mince the garlic. Using non-stick spray or oil, saute them for 2-3 minutes. Add the adobo sauce and orange juice and zest and bring to a simmer, uncovered.
3. The liquid will cook away, and that's alright. Those soy curls will soak up so much of it! Keep everything in the pan for about 10 minutes, then stir in the cilantro and serve!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Greetings from the Rocky Mountains, where it is raining like a mutha! We need it of course, so I can’t complain. And when the sun finally does come out, everything is so green and lovely. I actually find the rain very cozy, when I’m inside. It’s when I have to commute in it with all those crazy drivers who apparently think to themselves “OMG! It’s raining! I need to slam on my brakes and go 4 mph!” that it starts to wear on me.

Anyhoozle, I have a super quick recipe for you today. I threw this together on Sunday afternoon and it made two lunches this week. Two healthy, delicious lunches, and it only took 10 minutes! It would also make a good side dish, and is perfect for those hot days when you really don’t wanna turn on your stove or oven!

The best part about this dish was that the basil and tomatoes came from my own little garden!

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Today I bring you the dish you didn’t even know you were craving: Vegan Mini Quiche! The reason I know you’ll love these more than you realize is because that’s what happened to me. My girl Lauren had her baby shower on Sunday and requested vegan quiche be on the menu. Honestly, the thought of quiche, vegan or not, has never gotten me excited, but who am I to stand between a pregnant lady and her food? Also, I love Lauren and was happy to help make her special day a little more delicious, so I made two kinds of quiche: Sweet Potato & Baby Kale (pictured above) and Broccoli & Cheddar!

I used this recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen as my starting point, and branched out from there. Lauren is kinda picky so I was limited in the veggies I could use (no mushrooms or anything red!), but I knew baby kale was a must because I have a ton of it growing in my backyard and it’s crazy good. The shredded sweet potatoes were originally added just for some color, but their flavor turned out great too.

I can’t actually remember if I ever had quiche made with eggs, so I can’t be all like “OMG! This tastes just like the original!” but I can tell you this: These were damn delicious. The tofu (thanks to the cornstarch) felt very much like cooked eggs, and the veggies and seasoning gave them that wonderful breakfast/brunch taste. I didn’t have any black salt, but if you add that it would be an even more authentic taste!

The second batch was modeled after my Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup, and used all the same seasonings! That one was my favorite, it was very decadent. Scroll down for both recipes and check back soon for some more variations. I’m thinking about something with coconut bacon… 

Baby Kale & Sweet Potato Mini Quiche

2014-07-29 08:05:35

Yields 12

Baby kale and grated sweet potato make these perfect for your next brunch!

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. Non-stick spray
2. 1 cup baby kale, washed and chopped
3. 1 cup grated sweet potato
4. 1 green onion, sliced
5. 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
6. Pinch of S&P
7. 1 12.3 oz package Lite Firm Mori-Nu Tofu, WELL DRAINED
8. 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
9. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
10. 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
11. 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
12. 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
13. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
14. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375, and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with the non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Water saute the kale and sweet potato for 2-3 minutes. Add the green onion, rosemary and S&P, and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Make sure there's no moisture left in the pan. Remove from heat and set aside, leaving it in the pan.
3. Combine the rest of your ingredients in the food processor and pulse until completely smooth. Scrape back into the veggie mix, stir and taste. Add more salt if needed.
4. Spoon into the muffin tins. Reduce the oven heat to 350 and bake until the tops are golden and fork tines poked into the quiche come out clean, 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Notes

1. If you didn't do a great job draining the tofu, or there was a lot of moisture left in your veggies, the cooking time will need to be longer. Just keep an eye on them, and continue to add 5 minute increments to the oven timer!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

Adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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I did it. I survived the Green River, dirty water, snakes and all!

Actually, we only saw one snake (and no Deliverance-type hillbillies), plus a deer, a fox, a handful of bunny rabbits, one river otter, and 14,726 turkey vultures. They were waiting for me to drink too much beer and fall out of the canoe, but luckily for me that didn’t happen.

The scenery was beautiful, and the sun was hot. And yes, the water was a bit dirty because of the monsoon the week before. Lots of sediment, but nothing you can do about that.

So what is a 4-day canoe trip on the Green River in Utah like? Well, for me, it was a little like this:

Each day started shortly after sunrise with a simple breakfast, either instant oatmeal or a bagel with vegan cream cheese. This was followed by breaking down camp (2 tents, a big shade canopy, chairs, a table, the propane stove thingy, multiple coolers and tubs of food… and of course patrolling the beach for any wayward plastic cups!). Packing up always took longer than making camp the night before, but we were usually back on the water by 9.

The first beer usually got cracked open by 11 (at the latest), followed by lunch around noon or whenever we needed a break. We’d always stop for lunch at a nice sandy spot where we could swim a bit as well.  Lunch was, without fail, a Tofurky and Daiya cheese sandwich with mustard on whole grain bread, with an apple or a handful of oreos. Easy peasy.

Then, of course, a little meditation in the river with my beer 😉

More beer after lunch along with a continual dipping of my hat and my shirt in the water to stay cool. I’m not sure what the temperature was where we were, but it was 105 in Moab so it had to have been close to that. More beer, maybe some Super Seedz, and we’d start looking for a camp spot around 3. My bottom was always so sore by then from sitting in that darn canoe! We’d set up the canopy first, along with the table (needed a place to mix some ice cold vodka drinks, of course!), and after that you couldn’t keep me out of the water.

At least not until dinner, that was. We brought a couple vegan dehydrated meals (Pad Thai, and Beans n’ Rice) which we used to supplement the REAL stars of the trip: My veggie foil packets! Before we left I just chopped up a bunch of veggies, seasoned them and added a bit of vegan butter, and wrapped them tight. We cooked them in the coals and it was perfect. Dessert was more vodka and oreos 😉

This was my first time sleeping in a tent since I was like 10, and I actually enjoyed it! We left the rain fly off because it was hot as f*ck, which meant every time I’d wake up during the night I could see the stars and hear the river, and it was just so relaxing.

There were no ugly views…

One of our favorite pastimes (besides saying “Hey, can you beer me?) was spotting shapes in the rocks. Do you see the frog?

This was perhaps the coolest thing we saw: A big ol’ group of friends with 4 canoes, all lashed together. While we were paddling our hineys off, these guys were just floating around under umbrellas and drinking whiskey!

Our biggest adventure of the trip? This sweet girl named Cara Biner (Get it!? Perfect name for a Moab dog!)

We spent Friday night in Moab before heading to the river, and we were walking across a parking lot on our way to happy hour when this old gal ran up to us. She had tags but wasn’t with anyone. We got her over to the cool shady grass and I called her Mama. Unfortunately, Mama was out of town and couldn’t get ahold of anyone to come pick her up, so she gave me her address and told me how I could sneak into her house, so we could put Miss Cara Biner back inside where she’d be cool and safe! A nice passerby gave us some string to use as a leash, and it was totally a happy ending.

So, would I do the river trip again? Yes. Just not for a while. Also next time I’d wait and do it in early September when it’s not so hot!

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Parker, CO is one of those places you don’t generally go unless you’re visiting someone. It’s a suburb full of strip malls and big box stores and chain restaurants… except for Main St. They have THE CUTEST main street! Independent restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and a great farmer’s market every Sunday.

In fact, a recently established Sunday tradition has been a hike with the dogs near Parker, followed by the farmer’s market and lunch at Indochine Cuisine! Their online menu doesn’t show it, but they actually have the word “vegan” on their IRL menus, which is always a fabulous find. I also love that they serve both Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Having recently visited both countries, I love having the chance to relive my food memories here, haha! The restaurant itself is cute, and has an outdoor balcony right on Main St. so you can sit and watch the traffic go by.

My Number 1 favorite thing to order is the Vegan Drunken Noodles. They’re full of mushrooms and tofu and eggplant and basil and chili peppers, and are just perfect!

Another favorite is their Tom Kha Gai soup with tofu. The only milk they use in it is coconut, and it’s 100% vegan! Very creamy, very delicious.

I haven’t tried their curry, but my friend Mike did… he ordered the Massaman Tofu Curry Thai Hot and almost died. True story! The man had tears! I tasted a bit on the end of my fork and wanted to cry myself. They re-fired it for him with mild, and it was delicious. So flavorful and still a little bit spicy. The one pictured here is the Thai Hot version, as evidenced by all the red chilies you can see 😉

 When it’s hot out the Cucumber Salad is always a hit, full of cukes, carrots and a tasty vinaigrette:

So, if you find yourself on the South end of the Denver Metro area and are in the mood for some vegan Thai or Vietnamese food, head on over to Parker! You wont be sorry you did!

Want more Colorado restaurant reviews? Check out my Mile High Vegan Eats page!

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You wouldn’t know it from my Recipes page, but I do eat a lot of salads. I just don’t tend to photograph and blog them. My bad, but it’s something I’m working on. Starting right here, right now, with this Buffalo Tofu n’ Corn Salad, I promise to post more healthy salad-y meals. K?

This is perfect for summer. Marinate some tofu in Franks wing sauce, shuck some corn, and then throw them both on the grill. While they’re cooking you can wash some lettuce and chop some veggies, and voila! Dinner! I served mine with vegan ranch dressing, but if you want to avoid those extra calories you could just do S&P and maybe a tiny bit of extra buffalo sauce. Yum.

The trick is to have perfectly cooked tofu.

I like to grill mine directly on the grates, without messing around with tin foil or anything like that. That way you get the nice black char on there. Just make sure you spray a little bit of non-stick on there first!

And as for the corn, I like to shuck them down to just one or two layers, then soak them for at least 10 minutes. That way you can grill them in the husk without them catching on fire. Fire = bad. Especially when it’s your dinner that’s burning. #wordsofwisdon

Who says salads have to be boring? Not me!

Ok, that’s all I got for ya today. I’m currently in Utah (hopefully having a blast!) and I’ll be back on Wednesday with pictures and who knows what else? Snake bites? Deliverance-type stories? There’s no way to tell for sure, so you better check back in then 😉

Buffalo Tofu n' Corn Salad

2014-07-17 09:45:12

Serves 2

An easy and delicious (and hearty!) summer meal!

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. 1 block firm tofu
2. Franks buffalo sauce
3. 1 ear of corn
4. 4 cups (or so) lettuce
5. Veggies of choice (I used cukes, red bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, and avocado)
6. S&P
7. Vegan ranch, if desired

Instructions

1. Press your tofu and slice into quarters. Slather with Franks and let marinade for at least an hour (or longer!) Shuck the corn down to just one or two layers and soak in cold water.
2. Grill the tofu over medium heat for ~15 minutes each side, or until it's just the way you like it. The corn usually takes about 20 minutes on medium.
3. While those are cooking, wash the lettuce and chop your vegetables. Slice the corn off the ear and cube the tofu. Sprinkle both over the salad and top with either S&P, more buffalo sauce, or vegan ranch... or all three! It's your salad 😉

Notes

1. You could stretch the tofu to cover 3-4 salads if you like, but I'd add another ear of corn if you're doing that. And more salad too, of course!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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It’s cherry season, which means cherry pie. Or, in this case, my Vegan Cheater Cherry Pie Bites!

Because really? Who wants to heat up their kitchen when it’s already hot out, when you can just cheat and keep it super simple? You already put in all that work pitting the darn things, there’s no need to torture yourself further. Of course, my pitting sesh wasn’t too bad… I did it sitting outside in the shade, listening to music and drinking something full of gin.

And speaking of pitting, if you don’t have a pitter, check out this post on other ways to do it. I tried the straw method first, and it worked (sorta), but I had to keep grabbing new straws because once you bend it, it never works as good. I had the best luck using a small bamboo skewer! I’d poke a hole in one end of the cherry, the go in the through the other side and push the pit right out, using the flat end of the skewer. Worked like a charm!

Once they’re pitted, you cook them on the stove, just as you would if you were going to fill a pie crust. When they’re done, you simply spoon a bit into into those wonderful little pre-made frozen phyllo dough cups, and serve! Ta-da!

Now go forth and pit some cherries and make yourself some bites. And have a fabulous weekend! I’ll be in Utah floating in a canoe down the Green River, drinking beer and reapplying sun block every 30 seconds… I promise to bring back lots of pics 🙂

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