February 2012
1 post
1 tag
Vegan Waffles
Sorry for such the long absence…
Here’s a quick and super easy recipe. It makes about 6 waffles- so be sure to double/triple/quintuple it to make enough!
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 Tbs baking powder
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup soy milk
1 Tbs melted Earth Balance
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs maple syrup
Steps:
Plug in your waffle iron to preheat it.
Mix the dry ingredients in...
November 2011
1 post
3 tags
Vegan Peppercorn Parmesan Ranch Dressing
Another food challenge! This recipe is actually super simple. As long as you have the ingredients, you really can’t mess it up… It is great for salads, or you can make it a little thicker for a great dip for vegan buffalo wings!
Ingredients:
2 tsp finely chopped onion (Cipollini is best)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 tsp salt...
August 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Curried Lemon Basil Pesto
Summertime is great for harvesting huge quantities of basil. There are so many great varieties with subtle taste differences, the most common variety is simply known as sweet basil. Basil is my favorite spice and I try to put it in everything. Here’s a quick recipe that I put together to use the heaps of basil growing from my garden. The lemon basil really adds a sweetness to this...
3 tags
Vegan Pancakes!
We have a Sunday tradition- pancake breakfast. Never fail. Usually they are just basic pancakes. Sometimes I’ll change things up with a variation, but always the same basic items- pancakes, veggie bacon, and french pressed coffee.
Vegan pancakes can sometimes be too chewy, flat, or brick-like. I’ve been messing with this recipe for a while, and it is pretty solid.
...
3 tags
DIY Handplanes!
Its been a busy summer- studying for boards, then enjoying a relaxing vacation at the beach. After boards, I spent my free time making these two handplanes to get them ready for vacation. They weren’t too hard to make and ended up being super fun. I’ve been following the blog from Brownfish Handplanes (http://www.brownfishhandplanes.com) for a few months now- his work has been the...
March 2011
1 post
3 tags
Tofu "Egg" Salad
This is such a simple recipe- it takes less than 10 minutes to make. It is so good, it can also take less than 10 minutes to eat. I was never a huge fan of regular egg salad, but this tastes pretty great. Try it on a sandwich, on top of toast, or as a dip with crackers or tortilla chips. So good!
Ingredients:
1lb firm tofu- crushed
1 dill pickle spear (1/4 of a whole pickle)- minced with...
January 2011
4 posts
1 tag
Tofu Basil Ricotta
This recipe is pretty much straight out of Vegan with a Vengeance. It can be used anywhere you would use ricotta cheese. I use it in stuffed shells, lasagna, pizza, even eating on its own with tortilla chips. It was delicious in ravioli. You can tailor the texture a bit by adjusting the tofu- extra firm tofu will make a crumbly texture, medium more like ricotta itself. Its such an easy...
1 tag
Grandpa's Vegan Biscotti
This is my slightly tweaked version of Grandpa K’s biscotti- a great old family recipe. He updated it to make it vegan, and I’ve changed it to be just a bit healthier (but it still tastes great!). You can change it by adding sliced almonds, chocolate chips, or anything else.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour (50:50 white and whole wheat works great, but white will do fine)
1/2 tsp salt...
3 tags
Vegan Ravioli
Ravioli is one of those meals that we vegans just do not get the opportunity to enjoy that often. Sure- there is the frozen package in the health food store that costs about $6.99 and can only feed 1. There really aren’t any good options…
So I was challenged to make homemade Ravioli- turns out it is not hard at all! It just takes some time to prep everything; so don’t...
December 2010
1 post
2 tags
Lentil Chili
I’ve been getting burned out on the traditional chili recipe. Even after adding sweet potatoes, chick peas, etc it has still been coming out rather bland… Here is a really easy chili recipe, made with lentils. You can add additional veggies or beans to suit your taste. It has a great chili flavor (heat it up by adding green chilies or jalepenos!), but it is also super nutritious...
October 2010
1 post
3 tags
Vegan Pierogies
Despite the fact that I have lived in the “Pierogi Belt” for most of my life, I’ve only eaten pierogies 2 or 3 times. And the last time was likely 20 years ago. People really love pierogies, and I have only once seen pre-made vegan ones. So I decided to give them a shot for a special b-day dinner. Turns out, they are really easy to make (just takes some time and...
September 2010
1 post
1 tag
Vegan English Muffins
This recipe is pretty easy and makes about 12 English muffins. Perfect for making a great breakfast on these chilly autumn days. It takes about an hour and a half to prepare, so plan in advance! You don’t actually bake these, but cook them on a skillet like a pancake!
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 and 2/3 cups plain almond milk (slightly warmed)
1/2 tsp...
August 2010
1 post
July 2010
2 posts
3 tags
Vegan Mac and Cheese
This recipe is adapted from the infamous New Farm Cookbook; a book filled with recipes that contained a ton of nutritional yeast and were generally not-so-healthy. However, this was my first experience with a somewhat decent vegan mac and cheese and I’ve stuck with it since. I’ve made a few changes over the years, but this is still a staple in my house. Sure- it may seem more like...
2 tags
June 2010
1 post
3 tags
May 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Vegan Paella
This was inspired from a wonderful dish at Philadelphia’s own Horizons restaurant. This recipe can easily feed 6-8 people; its great for potlucks. It is similar to a risotto, but with a lighter taste. Excellent summer food!
Ingredients:
2 cups brown basmati rice
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 large red bell pepper- diced
1 large yellow onion- diced
5 cloves of garlic- minced
6 roma...
3 tags
Summer Pasta
One of the best nights I had recently was when my wife and I split a bottle of Virgil’s, made a summer pasta and watched Chocolat.
Here’s the recipe:
2 Zucchini- sliced
2 Yellow Squash- sliced
1 Medium Red Onion- diced
4 Cloves of Garlic- minced
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes- halved
Handful Fresh Basil and Oregano- shredded
1lb Angel Hair Pasta
Salt & Pepper (Kosher &...
February 2010
1 post
4 tags
Tofu Benedict
I’ve never actually eaten eggs benedict. However, I really love scrambled tofu and english muffins. The combination of veggies and tofu served over a toasted english muffin sounds great. Add some vegan hollandaise sauce and a side of roasted potatoes and you’re set. I’ve never actually tasted real hollandaise sauce either- so who knows if this tastes anything close...
January 2010
3 posts
Winter madness.
Trying to stay positive.
2 tags
Locally Roasted Coffee
We love coffee. You probably do too. Coffee farming is a way of life with centuries of politics behind the industry. So it makes a difference what type of coffee we purchase (just as important as how its made). The mainstream coffee industry has so many middle-men; the farmer who grew the beans ends up with barely enough compensation to survive. Most mainstream coffee varieties were grown on...
"Long Time No See"
It’s been a year since JD and I started this blog and this is my first post. (Sorry, dude!)
This is what 2009 looked like.
More soon.
-Gary
December 2009
1 post
1 tag
Apple Cobbler
An easy apple cobbler with a little spice to help warm you up!
Ingredients:
6 apples (Braeburn, Granny Smith, etc), peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground cloves
2 Tbls maple syrup (I prefer grade B)
1 cup + 1tsp sugar
1/2 cup shortening (Earth Balance)- melted
1 cup flour
Steps:
1. ...
October 2009
2 posts
7 tags
Roasted Acorn Squash with Autumn Vegetables!
This recipe was inspired by the fresh fall veggies at the Farmers’ Market. A simple recipe that can easily be doubled or tripled to serve to guests.
Ingredients:
1 acorn squash- cut in half and seeds removed
2tsp olive oil
2 cups Brussels sprouts- cut in half
1 cup turnips (about 3)- diced
1 cup parsnips (about 3)- diced
2 carrots sliced
3 cloves of garlic- minced
8oz package...
August 2009
2 posts
6 tags
Vegan Potato Leek Soup
It has been a very autumn-like weekend here in Madison. The weather was perfect for a hardy soup- so I took advantage of my Farmers’ Market produce.
Ingredients:
3 T Earth Balance (or other margarine)
3 leeks- rinsed well and sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion- chopped
3 cloves of garlic- minced
6-8 potatoes of your choice (Yukon Gold, Russett, Red, etc)- diced
3 vegetable...
1 tag
July 2009
1 post
5 tags
Vegan Pizza!
I just tried a new vegan cheese called Daiya. It is really only available to commercial food preparers, but Pangea purchased a bunch and sell it in shredded form. Let me tell you that this is probably the best vegan cheese out there right now. It melts AMAZINGLY! The taste is good (I am a big fan of Follow Your Heart cheese and may prefer its taste a bit more than Daiya), but the melting...
June 2009
2 posts
2 tags
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
A pretty basic soup- adjust the amount of chili powder and ginger to change the spiciness.
Ingredients:
1 T Olive Oil
1 butternut squash- peeled and diced
1 medium onion- diced
fresh minced ginger- about 1-2Tbs
chili powder- about 1-2 tsp
2 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp tyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over...
2 tags
Stuffed Peppers
This is a pretty easy recipe and many variations can be made. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers (any color will do)
1 tube of beef flavored Gimmie Lean (or crushed up veggie burgers/meatballs)
1/2 onion- diced
2 cloves of garlic- minced
1 16oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup long grain rice- cooked according to instructions on bag
...
April 2009
1 post
2 tags
Surfing Long Branch NJ, 4/4/09
a super windy day created some amazing 5ft barrels, but the damages have been done. the winds picked my board up and scraped it along the parking lot…
duct tape allowed for another surf session.
the ding and scratches covered by the tape
a chip and crack in the tail.
and one lost fin (RIP).
The water temp was simmering 47 degrees!
-JD
March 2009
1 post
1 tag
February 2009
1 post
1 tag
Hummus
I first made Hummus about 10 years ago from a recipe in the foodzine ‘Please Don’t Feed The Bears’. A great zine with so many awesome recipes. The best part of making hummus is that you can change the recipe so easily. Add roasted peppers, extra garlic, spinach or even other beans such as black beans, pintos, or edamame (a personal favorite). Here is a basic recipe that can...
January 2009
1 post
1 tag
Vegan Cream of Broccoli and Potato Soup
Here was my first try at this soup. It turned out pretty well- not too difficult and great for the cold northeast weather. The recipe:
2 tsp olive oil 1 onion (red or yellow will do fine) [diced] 4 cloves garlic [minced] 8 medium yellow potatoes [cubed] 2 celery stalks [sliced] 3 cups veggie broth 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp salt 1 bunch / 2 heads broccoli [chopped into florets] 3 cups soy...