Happy Herbivore's Chana Palak Masala

Happy Friday!  Did I mention that I finally got my copy of The Happy Herbivore in the mail the other day?  If not, I did...YAY.  I just saw where Lindsay posted on facebook that Amazon is almost sold out of her cookbook again.  I can see why it goes so fast.  It's loaded with great recipes.  I can already tell you that this cookbook will be used very often, and I have a very strong feeling that it is going to be my favorite.  Heck, I even thought about pulling a Julie and Julia with it.  :o)  Every recipe in it sounds awesome.  If you don't have this cookbook, you should really get it.



I made Lindsay's Chana Palak Masala last night for supper.  This was a very fast and easy meal to put together.   I think it took 30 minutes from start to finish, and that included chopping the onion and garlic.  It looks like most of the recipes in her cookbook are very simple.  There's not a lot of ingredients that you've (I've) never heard of, which I LOVE!   The Chana Palak Masala was exceptional!   It was made up of canned tomatoes, chickpeas, fresh spinach, veggie broth, onion, garlic and some spices.   Very yummy!

I hope you have a GREAT weekend!  I hope to be planting some veggies and flowers this weekend.  :o)

~Peace~Love~Happiness~

Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew

Happy Tuesday! I've been wanting soup for the past few days, but couldn't really decide on what to make. I had intended on making a white bean soup with kale, but I only had two leaves of kale left. :( I did have some cabbage in the refrigerator that I needed to be used soon, so I decided to make this soup from FatFreeVegan. The recipe can be found here.

I knew I would be the only one to eat this soup, so I cut the recipe in half. I made it last night when I got home from work, so I used the FatFreeVegan's stove top instructions. Her recipe calls for barley, but I didn't want to wait for the barley to cook, so I used quinoa instead. I cooked the quinoa by itself then added it to the stew as the vegetables were cooking. This was very good! My first cabbage soup, and it was yummy!. If you would've ever told me that I would be eating cabbage or cabbage soup, I would have told you that you were crazy. :o)

Don't forget about the Country Bob's giveaway. I will announce the winner on Thursday.


~Peace~Love~Happiness~

Black Eyed Pea Soup

Hello.... I hope you are having a great Tuesday! Last night for dinner was a big bowl of hot comforting soup. This was one of those times where I found a recipe that I wanted to try, but ended up not having half the ingredients that I needed to make it. At that time, I decided to wing it and do my own thing! I remembered to write down all the ingredients as I went along and even measured everything this time. :o) I'm so glad I did, because I plan on making this soup alot more!


2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1 tablespoon scallion (minced)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 15.8 oz can black eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and scallion. Saute for about 5 minutes and then add the kale and saute for about 5 more minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, peas, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix well and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Simple and yummy!

Some of you may be wondering about the addition of the scallion. Well, my husband made himself some hamburger patties, to which he added some minced scallion. He ended up having some left over and thought my soup needed it. He gladly tossed his leftovers into my pot as I was sauteing the veggies. :o)

The next time I make this soup, I think I will add more kale...maybe 2 cups. One cup was all I had in the refrigerator and it was on the verge of ruining, so I decided to use it in the soup. I'm really digging the kale! Oh...what's that...you are asking if Tony ate any of the soup? That would be a "NO", only because it had "green stuff" (kale) in it. LOL

We also tried our hand at cooking some hash browns in the waffle maker. They didn't turn out so hot. :-( The potatoes were so full of starch that they were mushy. Don't get me wrong, the hashbrowns still tasted good, but they didn't turn out how we wanted. The next time I am going to soak the grated potatoes in cold water to get some of the starch out. Maybe that will help them to crisp up more? I was hoping they would turn out like this. A while back Rose told me about these, and I've been wanting to try them ever since. Maybe they will turn out better the next time....practice makes perfect....right?

~Peace~Love~Happiness~

Three Bean Soup and More Pasta.....

For Christmas I made everyone on my side and my husbands side of the family a jar or soup. Uncooked soup that is. It was a three bean soup, and I did not take a picture of the jars for some odd reason. I wish I would have though, because, they turned out really cute. I put the seasonings in the bottom of the jar, which consisted of 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and a 1/2 teaspoon of oregano. The next layer was 1/3 cup black beans, then 1/2 cup barley, then 1/3 cup kidney beans and last was 1/3 cup of white beans. I bought some Christmas dish towels, which I cut up into smaller squares to make covers for the lids. I tied the little covers and cooking directions on with some Christmas cord. Can you picture what it might have looked like?

Well, after I had passed all the gift jars out, I had an extra one, so I thought I should try it out myself. To make the soup, you add the jar of soup mixture into a stock pot of water and veggie broth. I don't remember he exact measurements of the liquids (sorry). I sauteed an onion, red pepper, and a carrot (sliced) and added that into the pot of soup mixture. I felt like the soup was still lacking something, so I also added a can of diced tomatoes along with salt, pepper and some garlic. I let all that cook for about 2 hours, until the beans were tender. I thought it was very tasty. Everyone loved getting the jarred soup as a gift. Tony's sister even made hers Christmas night. She said they loved it. Here's a picture of some of the left over soup that I had for lunch. Sorry, no pretty bowls or silverware at work...

Yep...pasta again for supper last night. This was another one of those times where I looked in the pantry, frig and freezer about 5 times each......trying to figure out what to cook for supper. I decided I wanted pasta again. I cooked some whole wheat linguine. As that was cooking, I warmed up some Tofurky Italian Sausage in a non stick skillet. After the pasta had finished cooking, I drained it and added it into the skillet with the sausage. I was out of red wine, so I doused it with some white wine and olive oil, then I added some oregano, garlic powder, basil and rosemary. After that had sauteed for a bit, I added a handful of fresh spinach and tossed it around a few times. What a combination! I was keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that it would be as good as I was hoping it to be. What do you know....it was! That crescent roll made it even better. :o) I think fresh garlic would have been better in this dish, but I was feeling lazy and didn't want to take the time to peel and chop it.

~Peace~

Isa's Yumminess

Happy COLD/ICY hump day! To stay warm last night, I made Isa's tomato rice soup with roasted garlic and navy beans from Veganomicon. Actually, I didn't have the navy beans, so I used black eyed peas instead. It was yummy for my tummy too! The bean change was the only change I made to her recipe. I was so disappointed that I didn't have any canned navy beans in the cabinet. I had dried ones, but that wasn't helping any last night. Tony was a very sweet husband and drove up to the dollar store to get me a can of navy beans and a couple of cans of tomatoes (I didn't have enough tomatoes either). The dollar store was out of navy beans....can you believe that? Must have been because everyone ran to the store to get a few staples, because there was a chance of ice and snow (like maybe 1/4 inch).... People freak out when the word "snow" is mentioned here in the south. :-)

I also made The Best Pumpkin Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance over Thanksgiving weekend. Yes, I know that was several weeks ago. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to post about the muffins, because they truly were the BEST pumpkin muffins I've ever had. I found the recipe posted on her site, so you can find it here. I took a few of the muffins to my mom to try. She called me and asked me who made them. I told her again that I did. She went on and on about how they were the best muffins she had ever had. She even asked for the recipe. I think my mom is still in disbelief that I cook like I do. I never cooked like this in my pre-vegan days. When my mom says something is the "best", then it rocks! Oh, I did make a big, very big mess when making these muffins. I had all the flour in my bowl and opened the cabinet door, which was above the bowl of flour, to get something and out fell this old beef log that had been in the cabinet for a over a year. It went right into the middle of the flour...POOF...flour flew everywhere...I do mean everywhere. My husband came into the kitchen half awake and asked what in the world happened. Needless to say, his old beef log is no longer around. :o)

~Peace~

Veggie Black Bean Soup

Happy Monday! I didn't have time over the weekend to post about the soup that I made Friday night. I had about 2 1/2 cups of black beans in the freezer that I felt like I needed to use soon, so I decided to make some soup out of them. I pulled out my Veganomicon cookbook and found a Black Bean-Vegetable Soup that I wanted to make. I didn't have a few things that the recipe called for, but had some things that I could use in it place. I didn't have a green bell pepper but had a red one, so I used it. I didn't have a jalapeno, so I had to leave that out. I did add some chili powder though. I also added some mushrooms. I had an 8 oz container of mushrooms that needed to be used soon, so in the soup they went (after I cleaned, de-stemmed, and sliced them). In my opinion the mushrooms were a great addition. I also added a can of diced tomatoes. :o) This soup was one of the best bean soups I've made so far.

Every time I open my Veganomicon cookbook, I find more and more yummy recipes that somehow I missed the time before. I think this is my favorite cookbook. Not that I have that many to begin with. I think I have 3 vegan cookbooks. I have Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance, and The Hippie Gourmet cookbook. I am hoping for some new cookbooks for Christmas though. Anyone have any suggestions of some good cookbooks that I can add to my collection. These are a few that I am asking for. The Vegan Table, The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life, Vegan Soul Kitchen (because I am a southern girl ya know), Viva Vegan, Fresh Vegetarian Slow Cooker (because there are times when I need supper to cook while I am at work), and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. There are more that I have seen and would like to have, but these are some that I have seen people mention. I would love to hear from you as to what cookbooks you would recommend though.


I also made some tostadas to go with my soup. I was feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to take the time to cut them up into tortilla chips. I rubbed the corn tortillas with olive oil and sprinkled some of Tony's homemade taco seasoning on them. I baked them in the oven for 10-15 minutes on 400. Once the bottoms were starting to turn brown, I turned the broiler on for a bit to brown the tops. I ended up rushing them and didn't get the tops as brown as I normally like, but they were perfect for the soup.

~Peace~

Barley / Lentil Soup

Happy Monday...I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was very busy, so I totally slacked off on my blogging for Vegan Month of Food. When I had a little free time, all I wanted to do was sit and rest. I just couldn't bring myself to get on the computer. Do you ever have those times?

I do have a soup recipe for you today though. I actually made this a few days ago and it was delicious! This will be one soup that I make alot this winter.

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 potato, cut into chunks
1/4 cup shoyu
5 cups vegetable broth
5 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup pearled barley
olive oil for sauteing

First combine all the spices in a small bowl. Then, in a large stock pot, heat enough olive oil to saute the onions and garlic. Satuee for about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, spices and shoyu and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring every couple of minutes. Add the water, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid askew for about 45 minutes to an hour....until the lentils and barley are tender.

I made some wheat croutons out of some toasted bread and topped my soup with that....YUM!


~Peace~

Yummy Potato Soup

As I mentioned yesterday, I made some potato soup on Saturday to take to the get together. I think this was by far the best potato soup that I have ever had. I have to tell you though, it was not 100% vegan. I didn't have any vegan cheddar cheese and couldn't find any at the grocery store this time, so I had to use the real stuff. Everyone loved the soup Saturday and asked for the recipe, so I wanted to share it.

8-10 potatoes, cubed (peeled or unpeeled, which ever you prefer)
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 green onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup white wine
6 veggie bouillon cubes
1/2 cup plain soy milk
1 can cream of mushroom with garlic soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (vegan)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon thyme (dried)
3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Saute the yellow onion and celery in about a tablespoon of olive oil. In a large stock pot cook potatoes in just enough water to cover them. Add the veggie bouillon cubes while the potatoes cook. Cook for about 15 minutes then add the sauteed onion and celery, the green onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Add in the mushroom soup, soy milk, white wine, and cheese. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted, then add the parsley at the end when the soup is almost ready. If the soup isn't thick enough, then you can add some corn starch to thicken it up.

This picture does NOT do the soup justice at all. I didn't think about taking a picture of it as I was cooking it Saturday. I did think of a picture today though as I was warming up left overs for lunch today.

~Peace~

Veggie Chili

Last night for dinner we had chili. I made a big batch of it and then put half the chili in another pot for Tony. We added chicken to his chili, and I added eggplant to mine. I wanted to use a can of black beans, but I didn't have any, so I ended up using 2 cans of pinto beans. I also used 3 cans of diced tomatoes, which ended up being too much. The next time I will only use 2 cans. So, with that being said the recipe that I am posting is the adjusted one. :o)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/8 cup chili powder
1/8 cup cumin powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
2 cups vegetable broth
1 small eggplant, chopped and drained
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of chocolate chips

Saute bell peppers, garlic and onion. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Of course the longer it simmers, the better tasting it will be. :o)

I put a few fritos in the bottom of my bowl and added a few to the top of my chili along with some shredded veggie cheese. Something about adding fritos to chili that just makes it even more tasty.

I also want to thank all of you for the great suggestions for my cold weather breakfasts. I look forward to trying them out! I almost froze to death this morning, because I just had to have a smoothie... :o)

I also wanted to mention La Vida Vegga's Autumn giveaway. If you haven't checked it out, you should. She has some very good looking fall goodies that she is giving away.

~Peace~

Weekend Specials

It's Sunday night....booooo! That means I have to go to work tomorrow. I'm just not ready for the weekend to be over with. The weekends seem to fly by for me. I just wanted to share some of my favorite meals from the weekend with you. Tonight for dinner we had pizza. I found some shredded veggie cheddar cheese at Kroger the other day. It's made by Galaxy Nutritional Foods. This was the first time I had seen any at Kroger, so I decided to try it. It's not bad. I still want to try the Daiya cheese though. I put some of the shredded cheese on my pizza this time and some tofurkey. I felt like I was eating pepperoni pizza this time! It tasted really good. Oddly enough, I prefer my total veggie pizza instead.

We went to Jason's Deli for lunch today after church. I got the garden sandwich which had guacamole, tomatoes, spinach, cucumber, pico de gallo, and red, yellow and green bell peppers on it. It came on ciabatta bread, which is one of my favorite breads now! I have found another place that has something veggie that I can eat.....Yay!

Last night for dinner I made some Curried Lentil Soup. This was my first time ever trying any kind of Lentil soup, and I have to say that it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again! Here's the recipe:

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups veggie broth
4 cups water
1/2 cup dry couscous
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Combine lentils, onions, celery, garlic, cumin, broth, and water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover loosely and cook until the lentils are tender, about 50 minutes.
Stir in couscous, tomatoes, curry powder, and black pepper. Continue cooking until couscous is tender, about 10 minutes, then add salt.

Saturday for breakfast I didn't really want to make a smoothie, so I poured a small glass of Naked Green Machine juice. I love this stuff!!!

I also made some buckwheat pancakes for breakfast Saturday morning. I made a few with chocolate chips and coconut in them, which would be the lonely pancake at the top of my plate. :o) On the other two plain buckwheat pancakes, I made some pear compote to put on them, which was very good. I was out of berries, and pears were the only fruit that I had in the house. Yes, it's time to go grocery shopping again.

I also want to say a big thank you to Jessica for awarding me the Most Versatile Blogger award! I will be blogging about this tomorrow :o)

I hope everyone has had a terrific weekend!

~Peace~

Potato and Corn Chowder Soup

Last night for supper I needed something hot, as I have had a sore throat and sinus junk going on for the past few days...boo! I am trying my best to keep from getting sick, so I thought something nice and warm going down just might be what I needed. I don't eat soup very often in the summer time, but I decided it was a must last night! BTW....Tony really enjoyed the soup too, which made me very happy. We had this once before when we went on the Daniel Fast back in February. It was a little bland back then, so I added more leeks and pepper this time. It totally hit the spot last night!

Here's the recipe for the soup:

5 large potatoes cubed ( I used Yellow Yukon's)

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 leeks thinly, sliced

2 tbs minced garlic

1 1/2 cartons of vegetable broth

1 cup rice milk

1 12 oz bag frozen corn

2 tbs fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Set the frozen corn out to thaw while you are getting the other ingredients together.

Cook the potatoes in the vegetable broth along with the garlic, onion, leeks, salt and pepper until the potatoes are tender (15-20 min). Then, blend about 2 cups of the cooked potatoes and 1 cup of rice milk in a blender until creamy, and pour back into the pot of soup. Last, add corn and parsley and cook for about 10-15 more minutes.

We had warmed french bread with olive on it to go along with our soup. I just wasn't feeling like crackers last night. I'm sure the crackers I have are probably NOT vegan anyway.

I threw a sandwich together today for lunch that I was a little unsure of, but it turned out great. Here's a picture of it before I put it in the oven. Mine is the one to the right side of the picture, the other two are Tony's. :o) He said his turned out great too.

And here it is all warmed up...still looks the same doesn't it..ha I sliced some french bread in half and put some canned fire roasted tomatoes on it, then topped it off with some julienne-sliced yellow squash and Vidalia onions. I baked that in the oven on 350 for about 10-15 minutes. The squash part of the sandwich was what I was unsure about, since it was raw before going in the oven. One thing is for sure, I'll make this again. It was delish!

Oh for some reason I can't eat a sandwich with out chips, so I had some tortilla chips and salsa to go along with it. :o)

~Peace~