Portabella Mushroom Burger

The meaty texture of a mushroom is the perfect substitute for a burger AND the healthier option considering that one grilled mushroom contains about 30 calories and no fat, sugar or cholesterol. This is awesome especially considering that a 4 oz hamburger patty contains around 240 calories. Yes, this is not a burger. It is a grilled mushroom.

Portabella Mushroom Burger

2 portabella mushrooms, stems removed
3 tbsp of white vinegar
3 tbsp of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

 1/2 cup of Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, soy, mustard, salt and pepper. Marinate each side of the mushroom for about 15 minutes.

 Put on a hot grill and grill each side for 7 - 10 minutes. I also added shredded Daiya Pepperjack "Cheese" the last two minutes of grilling. The "mayo" that you see on the bun in the picture is Nayonaise and I used guacamole as well to help add some protein. Enjoy!!

Peanut Curry Stew

Easiest thing I think that I have ever made! Courtesy of The Vegan Stoner.

1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of chickpeas
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 medium potatoes chopped
Thyme and Curry Powder to taste

Literally put all of this in a pot on medium. Stir OFTEN! When boiling, cover and let simmer continue to stir OFTEN for about twenty minutes! Put on brown rice or eat it on it's own! I was also thinking peas or cauliflower and carrots would be good in this too!

Flourless and Eggless Chocolate Cake

My birthday was this last weekend and I LOVE chocolate cake. I found this recipe for a flourless cake and I made it eggless. The most amazing part? The main ingredient is black beans!

Black Bean Cake

1 15 oz can of black beans
5 large eggs (I use Egg Replacer)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tbsp earth balance buttery spread or unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup honey (I used agave nectar) and 1/2 tsp Stevia
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Add the can of drained black beans, 3 of the "eggs", the vanilla, salt and the Stevia to a blender or food processor. Blend until the beans become a liquid.
In a large separate bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
In one more small bowl, beat the butter and the honey/agave until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the other 2 "eggs" one at a time, beating after you add each. Combine the bean mixture into the large bowl with the cocoa mixture. Mix these and then add the butter/agave and mix.
Pour into a greased 9" cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

The Unhealthy Frosting (Yum!)
4 tbsp earth balance buttery spread at room temp
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Beat ingredients in a bowl until light and fluffy. Spread. Yum!

Cookie Dough Dip

I found this recipe on http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/. She is a little vegan genius. I tried it and altered it a bit. I found that the amount of sugar she recommended was TOO sweet. You can use stevia instead. Below is the exact recipe that I used. Check out her site! She is awesome!

1  can chickpeas drained
A little over 1/8 of a tsp of salt
A little over 1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp ground flaxseed

Add everything except the chips into a food processor. Blend. Remove and add chips. Enjoy by the spoonful or use as a dip for graham crackers, sugar cookies, etc.

Vegan Pizza

When you are vegan you get asked a lot of the same questions:

"What DO you eat?"
"Where do you get your protein?"
AND
"What do you miss the most?"

The easiest question for me to answer on this list is the last one. Pizza. I didn't eat pizza very often prior to becoming vegan. In fact, I probably only ate it about two or three times a year. Regardless, I do miss it. I watched a vegan you tube video on how to make your own pizza. I was too lazy to make my own crust, so I found one at Whole Foods that was whole wheat and vegan. I added my "cheese sauce" as well.

 

Vegan Pizza!

Pizza crust, ready made or you can buy vegan dough at the hippie store

1/3 cup pizza sauce

1/3 cup of  my "cheese sauce" *this recipe is included in the enchilada blog entry

1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella cheese

1/2 yellow pepper chopped

1/2 red pepper chopped

1/4 cup mushrooms chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your crust and smooth out the pizza sauce and the cheese sauce to cover the entire pizza. Add your mozzarella and the rest of the toppings (anything else you like). Pop in the oven for 12 minutes. Done!

*Daiya cheese is an excellent cheese alternative. In fact, it is the only one that I have found even tastes similar to actual cheese. 

What the Vegan Frappuccino?!?

Yes, a vegan frappuccino. I LOVE coffee. I have at least one every single day. I found this recipe for a frap, so I veganized it and replaced the high calorie crap with some all natural low calorie goodness.

Whatcha Need:

1 cup chilled coffee
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (this is only 40 calories per cup)
1 packet stevia all natural sweetener (um, zero calories!)
1 to 2 cups of ice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp chocolate syrup

Okay, this is very difficult. Throw all of that up there in a blender. Blend. Pour into a glass. Drink. Done.

Some say coffee is bad for you. No, this would be incorrect. All the crap that people put in their coffee is bad for you and having 17 cups of coffee is no bueno. A cup of coffee in the morning can actually boost your metabolism, of course the best thing to boost your metabolism is working out and eating small meals regularly.

Lentil Casserole with Gravy

I found this casserole recipe on vegweb.com, I highly suggest making it with a gravy. The casserole by itself is delicious, but the gravy gives it some extra sparkle! I also made a few alterations which I included in the recipe.

2 cups cooked brown rice (I used lentils instead....hence the lentil casserole bit)
1/2 cup cashews or walnuts (I used 1/4 cup of each)
2 slices of whole wheat bread cubed
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk (I used almond milk)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (I used 3 tbsp)
1 rib celery diced (I used 3 ribs)
1 small onion finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Herbs to taste: sage, marjoram, thyme, pepper, rosemary (I used about 1 tsp of each)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 or 9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

While the rice/lentils are cooking, saute the celery and onion in olive oil. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into the casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes. That is literally it! Super easy!

Golden Mushroom Gravy

 

 I got this one out of my "1000 Vegan Recipes" cookbook....holy shizzzz.....it was to die for!

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I ended up using 2 cups)

1 1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp savory

1 tsp sage

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oil on medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened. Add the chickpeas and half a cup of the veggie broth. Stir until all of the ingredients are softened.

Take the chickpea/onion mixture and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Set this aside. In the same saucepan, combine the remaining veggie broth and mushrooms and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to low and add the chickpea mixture to the mushroom and veggie broth. Add all of the spices and stir. You can serve this right away or store it overnight. I made this the night before and when I reheated it, I had to add the extra broth that I mentioned earlier. Serve the casserole up with this bad boy on top!