pasta salad

Made this from some leftover veggies in the fridge. The parmesan cheese makes it not so vegan (sad face) but apparently it's pretty easy to make your own homemade vegan parmesan "cheese" (happy face). I've yet to try it though (sad face).

ingredients for two:
shell pasta (the mini kind)
half an onion
handful of garlic cloves
2 tomatoes
oregano, basil, thyme
salt and pepper
two fat handfuls of baby arugula
italian dressing

1. Cook the pasta.
2. Chop up the onion, the garlic, and the tomatoes.
3. Saute the onions and garlic until nicely browned. Add the tomatoes. Season with oregano, basil, thyme, and the salt and pepper to taste.
4. Plop the pasta onto the pan and mix it all together.
5. Add the arugula and let it wilt ever so slightly.
6. Serve with dressing on the side.

Nothing too fancy. :)

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Not cooking meat + cooking for your omnivorous family = family's slow descent into vegetarianism. Muahahaha... >:D

This particular recipe went down really well with ma familia:


4 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Emeril's Essence (no, he's not paying me!)
Vegenaise

1. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano together. Add a bit of salt and pepper to the mix.

2. Place the mushroom caps shiny side up in a saucepan. Pour the sauce over the caps. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Turn them over a couple of times.

3. When cooking your mushies a grill is ideal. If you don't have a grill, a frying pan is sufficient. Brush the grill/pan with oil and heat on medium. Place mushrooms on grill/pan and cook for 5-8 minutes on both sides. Spoon the leftover marinade on top of the mushroom frequently.

4. The Emeril's Essence and the Vegenaise will take this burger from awesome to EPIC. When you're making your burger just remember to sprinkle a little essence on top of the mushroom (BAM!) and slather some vegenaise on one of the buns (or one of the bread slices if you're ghetto like me).

As far as toppings go, here are a few suggestions:
alfalfa sprouts
tomatoes
grilled red onion
avocado
provolone cheese (If you're not vegan.)

As far as instruments of conversion go, this burger is like the Virgin of Guadalupe. Omnivores and indigenous pagans are moved to believe.

Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

Bought a tub of Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese" at the local Whole Foods. It does a decent job of approximating the taste of cream cheese, but it still lacks the characteristic tartness of the real thing. There's also a bit of a tofu aftertaste.

It's not too bad, but I wouldn't say it's better than the real thing. Next time I'll give the Follow Your Heart imitation cream cheese a try.


Mmm...vegan cream cheese and sprouts. P:

lazy tomato pasta

Vegan cooking is really easy once you finally get out of your meat and cheese sandwich rut. Here's a simple single-serving recipe I managed to throw together with a few ingredients I had on hand.


You're going to need:
- 3 tomatoes
- garlic
- sweet basil (or just basil)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- oregano (totally optional)
- some kind of pasta (I used spaghetti)

The amount of garlic and basil you use is up to you. Personally I'm all for the school of "more is better," but you should experiment until you figure out what works for you.


Chop up the tomatoes and basil.


Drizzle some olive oil on a pan at medium heat. Add the tomatoes and the garlic (I used a spoonful). Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.


After a while the tomatoes should start "melting". You can speed up the process by mashing the tomato chunks with your spoon.


When the tomatoes reach a nice saucy consistency add the basil and the oregano. Throw in two handfuls of cooked pasta (or one handful if you have big hands) and stir it all together. Season to taste with salt and pepper then stir it up some more. Serve immediately once the pasta is coated.


If you're feeling sexy, you can garnish your pasta with a cute little basil leaf.

See? Vegan cooking isn't hard at all. :)