"Cheesy" Tofu Scrambles

Inspired by my dad's cheesy scrambles, I made my own vegan version. Looks and tastes like the real thing!!

I made a smaller amount, so if you want more, just double the recipe.

1 /2 15.5oz package of extra firm, sprouted, organic tofu

lil fat - ex 1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil or grapeseed oil, etc OR 1 tsp earth balance OR nonstick spray

1 tbls nutritional yeast (optional)

2 tbls of "cheese sauce" recipe

hemp heart milk or plant milk of your choice

salt & freshly ground pepper

Add oil to pan, heat over medium high heat. Drain tofu and add to pan. Chop up tofu the size of scrambles. Cook until tofu gets a little color. Add nutritional yeast, if using, mix well. Add a few spoonfuls of cheese sauce. Mix into tofu well. If it seems too dry (my cheese sauce was made prior so it was thick), add a little plant milk. Stir. Let cook on medium high heat for a few minutes until it is golden brown on bottom. Flip tofu and cook till the other side is golden brown. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!!

Vegan Ramen Noodle Salad with Gardien Beefless Tips

I was craving Gardien's Beefless Tips and wanted to make a ramen noodle salad. I came up with this recipe; all the omini's in the house loved it and told the other ominis "you have to try this salad". So, I guess it's good ;o)

1 package Gardein Beefless Tips
1/4 cup or more to taste raw, sliced almonds
1 package IndoMie Instant (ramen) Noodles - Mi Goreng Rendang (Spicy Beef Flavour)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, quartered (optional)
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded & chopped
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded & chopped
2 tiny yellow onions or shallots or equivalent, chopped
White wine
Earth Balance
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Rice wine vinegar
powdered ginger

Cook Gardein Beefless Tips in some EVOO. The stainless steel pan I used, some of the beef stuck to the bottom. When finished cooking (a few minutes according to package directions), place in bowl. Add some Earth Balance to pan, add onions and saute until translucent. Add white wine and scrap up beefless bits (deglaze). Pour into a bowl, set aside. Slice beefless tips in half. Using same pan, add a tablespoon of Earth Balance. Crush up ramen noodles and place in pan with almonds. Saute until golden. Put everything except onion and wine mixture into large bowl. In the bowl with onion and wine mixture (I did not measure here, so add a little then taste and add more to your liking) add all packets from ramen noodles except red pepper packet (unless you like some spice. I am nursing so I avoid things that are too spicy), some EVOO, rice wine vinegar and powdered ginger. Taste and adjust seasoning to liking, add to salad. Mix well, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary and enjoy. Serve immediately.

Vegan Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

Used this recipe and veganized it.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon earth balance margarine
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup earth balance margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups plain soy milk
2 cups vegan chicken stock or bouillon
1/4 to 3/4 cup nutritional yeast (to taste)
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


Directions:

Saute onion in margarine. Set aside. Cook margarine and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the soy milk (this is called making a roux). Add the vegan chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat , stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Vegan Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

I had a leftover pie crust (they come in two's) from the strawberry pie I made yesterday and was in the mood for a quiche. I was thinking of adding some vegan chorizo or notrizo as my friend affectionately named it, but decided against it thinking it maybe too spicy for the baby. I am becoming a pro at vegan quiches and this one was quite delicious!! The key to a great vegan quiche is Black India Salt. It's really not black at all, really a pinkish red. It has the smell of sulfur and tastes like egg. It is excellent in vegan egg salad like in Tofu Mom's Happy Chicken Egg-Free Sandwiches.

Filling
Olive oil
1 tsp organic vegan margarine
8 oz can of mushrooms, drained
2 tsps chopped organic garlic
5 0z organic baby spinach, washed, stems removed
lemon juice
2 splashes of Brags
1 container (19 oz) firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes
1 tsp lemon thyme
1 tsp onion powder
Black India Salt to taste
2-3 tbls nutritional yeast
3 splashes of shoyu, tamari or soy sauce - or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp tumeric (up to 1 tsp depending on the color you want)
2-3 tbls non-gmo soy milk
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Ready made frozen pie crust (Mrs. Paul's is vegan) or can make your own vegan crust


Heat oven to 350. Drain tofu and place in paper towels or clean cotton kitchen towel (not the kind with the fuzzies all over them, the real kitchen towels if you know what i mean). Place water proof books on top of tofu or heavy plates, etc and press.

Saute garlic and mushrooms in evoo and vegan margarine on medium heat for a few minutes. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Add a couple splashes of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Put pressed tofu in food processor with rest of the ingredients (Braggs, lemon thyme, onion powder, Black India Salt, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, parsley & turmeric) and 2 tbls soy milk. Blend and taste, adjust seasonings and add evoo and more soy milk if needed. You want it creamy, but still thick. Put into bowl, add the spinach and mushroom mixture,stir until well blended. Pour into crust and smooth top. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until done (chopstick comes out clean).

Let cool 10 minutes, cut and serve.

The quiche tends to be very moist inside. If you don't like this, chill it until it is cold (preferred method for a firmer quiche). Or you could try baking it at 400-425 for 30-40 minutes.

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Quiche

This is my best quiche yet!! Pressing the tofu allows for a thicker and smoother quiche. Press it while your crust is baking and it will be ready by the time you need it.


Filling
Olive oil and vegan margarine
1/2 a large onion, chopped
2? oz dried shitake mushrooms, hydrated in hot water for 20 minutes, strained and chopped,
being careful to discard any pieces of stem
2 tsps chopped garlic
splash of Brags
2 heads of broccoli florets, chopped
5 oz of vegan cheese, shredded, I used Monterrey Jack
1 container firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes
2 tbls vegenaise
1 tsp lemon thyme
black india salt to taste
4 splashes of shoyu, tamari or soy sauce - or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbls chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 plus 2 tbls of soy milk

Crust
2 cups hash browns (if using frozen, thaw)
2 tbls vegan margarine
1 tsp corn starch
salt and pepper


Heat oven to 350. Mix hash browns, margarine, starch, salt and pepper. Press into bottom of greased pie plate and bake for 20 minutes.

Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms in evoo and vegan margarine until translucent. Add a splash of Brags. Put in bowl. Add parsley, broccoli and cheese. Put pressed tofu in food processor with rest of the ingredients, except only use 1/4 cup of milk. Blend and taste, adjust seasonings and add more soy milk if needed. You want it creamy, but still thick. Put into crust and smooth top. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until done (chopstick comes out clean).

Let cool 10 minutes, cut and serve.

The quiche tends to be very moist inside. If you don't like this, chill it until it is cold and eat it that way. Or you could try baking it at 400-425 for 30-40 minutes.

Who is God?

When I hear people say things like – how could God let that happen? If he was a loving God, how can bad things happen? Well, XYZ happened to me and if he really cared about me, he wouldn’t have let it happen. (enter your question/statement here) Etc.

What this tells me is that the person asking the question has no idea who God really is. Instead of taking the time (doing research) by reading and studying His Word to understand who he is and find answers to these questions, they throw a tantrum or say bad things and insult Him or ignore him much like a child would do. (And how almost fitting considering we are “children” of God.)

Robby (my pastor) has said that discovery is the best way of learning. And how true it is!! When you discover the answer yourself, instead of having someone feed it to you, it means much more, you understand it better and will remember it.

Just as there are laws in the natural, there are laws in the supernatural. And just like anything else, if you want to understand them, you have to research, study and learn them. Think about it. Your physics teacher in high school was not going to give you the answers to the test. And even if he did, you still would not know why or how he came up with that answer. It is the same thing in having a RELATIONSHIP with God. He is always perusing you, yet to understand who he is, his promises and character, you must peruse him as well. You must be willing to be still and quite and to be open to what he has to say.

It leaves me to ask – Do you really want answers to these questions? Or is it just easier to blame someone else than take responsibility for yourself and your actions? (Or inaction as the case maybe.)
I challenge those of you who feel this way, to seek the answers by studying God’s Word. Don’t take someone else’s word for it, take the time to really be open and read and see what God says.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways. [This is] the LORD’s declaration. For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,

so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it [to do].” Isaiah 55:8-11

Vegan Spring Rolls

I LOVE spring rolls!! I love the ones in the rice wrappers the best. Healthy, lots of fresh and raw veggies, great flavors and sauces to dip them in.

The recipe I am putting here became a spring roll recipe by accident. I had made a slaw and forgot to serve it with dinner. I tasted it later and it needed some flavor. Instead of adding more things to the slaw, I thought rolling it up and dipping in a great sauce would give the flavor it needed in an easy to eat format. I made a big batch of seitan yesterday, the perfect protein addition.

Delicious Vegan Spring Rolls

1 head of green cabbage, cored and chopped
1/2 English cucumber, cut into match sticks then into 1/2 inch sticks (can use whole cucumber)
1/2 orange pepper
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup sesame oil (can use flax - though watch the taste, some have a strong flavor)
4 tbls lime juice
1 tbls (raw) agave nectar
2 tsp to 1 tbls peanut (or nut) butter
3 tbls Bragg's
Fresh or powdered ginger, optional

Seitan cut into strips*

Rice spring roll wrappers

Dipping Sauce Recipe (see below)

Put first four ingredients into a large bowl. Mix up the last 5 (6) ingredients, until smooth. (A whisk works great for this.) Add to cabbage mixture, stir well and put in fridge for flavors to marry.

Soak a rice wrapper in some warm water till soft, but not falling apart. Lay out flat, put a scoop of the cabbage mixture on the wrapper and add slices of seitan. Roll wrapper up over mixture, then fold in the sides and continue rolling. Put on a cookie sheet or plate and leave space between each roll so they do not stick together.

*You can use any protein you like - tofu, vegan chicken, vegan beef, vegan scallops or you can leave the protein out.

Make dipping sauce.

You can make and use all sorts of dipping sauces for spring rolls. Plain sweet and sour or duck sauce, pot sticker sauce (soy sauce, vinegar, garlic chili sauce) or whatever your heart fancies. I tried this recipe a bit ago and fell in love!! I had to get most of the ingredients, but it was well worth it!! The ethnic section in my grocery store had everything I needed.

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 teaspoons garlic sambal*
  

In a small bowl, vigorously whip peanut butter with a fork or whisk until easy to stir. Stir in hoisin sauce, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, mirin and sambal until combined well. Cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

*The garlic sambal is better know and named - garlic chili sauce. It comes in a plastic jar with a green lid and is used in Thai and Asian cooking. Once you realize how versatile it is, it will become a regular ingredient in your cooking and home. Well, if you're like us that is. lol :o)

These make a great healthy, light, satisfying meal or snack anytime of the day. You can make them ahead of time and keep in the fridge. It is best to eat them by the end of the second day, the rice wrapper starts to get a little soggy after that.