Lentil Rice Vegetable Stew

Lentil Rice Vegetable Stew

6 Cups water

3 Veggie bouillon cubes

3 Medium carrots, sliced

5 Celery stalks with leaves, sliced

3 Medium potatoes, cubed

1/2 Onion, diced

1 Clove garlic, minced

1- 32oz Can Italian seasoned crushed tomatoes

2 Cups shredded cabbage

2 Cups cooked lentil/rice mixture

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

2 Teaspoon yellow curry powder

1 Teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper

Fill stockpot with 6 cups water, add veggie bouillon cubes and bring to a boil.  Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, and garlic.  Reduce heat to low.  Add tomatoes.  Simmer on low 35-40 minutes, or until potatoes reach desired tenderness.  Add cabbage and lentil/rice mix.  Then add parsley, curry powder, dill weed, and black pepper.  Heat through and serve.

Notes:  I used left over cooked rice and lentils from another meal.  You could use just rice, just lentils or a combination. 

Baked Rotini and French Bread Casserole

Baked Rotini and French Bread Casserole

16oz  Rotini

1- 24oz Jar reduced sodium pasta sauce

1 Green pepper, chopped

1/2 Onion, chopped

3 Cloves garlic, minced

1- 6oz can reduced sodium black olives, drained and sliced

1/2 loaf French bread

3 Tablespoons margarine

While cooking pasta to al dente tenderness, heat pasta sauce in sauce pan.  Add green pepper, onion, galic, and black olives.  Cut French bread into cubes and place in large bowl.  Melt margarine and drizzle over bread and stir to coat.  Drain pasta and mix with sauce and pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Top with bread and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Chocolate Coconut Cereal Snack Mix

Chocolate Coconut Cereal Snack Mix

4.5 Cups corn chex

4.5 Cups rice chex

1 Cup Vegan chocolate chips

1/2 Cup peanut butter

1/4 Cup Vegan margarine

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 Cup powdered sugar

1 Cup shredded coconut

Put cereal in large mixing bowl.  In separte microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, margarine and microwave for 1 minute uncovered on high.  Stir until smooth and add vanilla.  Pour over cereal and stir to coat.  Then add powdered sugar and coconut and stir.  Spread mixture on wax paper to dry.

Makes a great snack for after school or for a bake sale! 

Homemade French Fried Onions

Homemade French Fried Onions

1 Large onion sliced

1/2 Cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 teaspoon pepper

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

Fill a bowl with ice and water and soak onions for 1 hour.  Dry onions on paper towels after soaking.  In a bowl mix flour, salt, and pepper.  Add onions to flour mixture and toss to coat.  Heat oil in skillet on stove top over medium to medium-high heat.  Add flour coated onions to skillet and fry until browned.

These can be used in place of store bought french fried onions to top casseroles.

Homemade Vegan Tortillas

Homemade Vegan Tortillas

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup olive oil

4 Cups white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 Cups cold water

Mix together first four ingredients in mixer with dough hook.  Then, add water and mix until dough is smooth/elastic consistency.  Let dough rest 15 minutes.  Roll out balls of dough into very thin big or small tortillas.  Brown both sides in dry skillet on stovetop or on electric griddle.  Top with your favorite burrito toppings.  They are also good with peanut butter!

Spring Mix Salad

Spring Mix Salad

1 carton Spring Mix greens

1 can black olives sliced

1/4 red onion diced

2 carrots sliced

6 oz frozen peas, thawed

1/2 red bell pepper diced

Toss all ingredients together and top with favorite Vegan salad dressing.

Cranberry Salad

Cranberry Salad

1 bag cranberries

2 whole oranges peeled

Agave nectar to taste

Put cranberries and oranges in food processor and process to desired consistency.  Pour into bowl and stir in agave nectar.  This can be enjoyed as a tasty raw dessert!

Thanksgiving 2011

This was our 2nd Vegan Thanksgiving and it turned out great!  Everyone seemed pleased with the food (and the company)!

Here is what was on our Thanksgiving menu this year:

Tofurky

Mashed potatoes with mushroom and onion gravy

Green bean casserole

Cranberry salad

Spring mix salad

Dinner rolls

Pineapple

Veggie tray with spicy pumpkin dip in a bread bowl

Pies (brought by my mom)

One Wyoming Vegan

Wow!  My first Vegan blog post!  I am so excited to finally get this blog started.  Through this blog I would like to share my journey and experiences as a Vegan. 

To begin, I have been Vegan since February 2010.  Choosing to live a Vegan lifestyle was a choice I made for ethical and health reasons.  See, when I was about 11 or 12 years old I decided to be vegetarian because I could no longer bear knowing that an innocent animal was being killed for my meal.  My grandparents owned a farm and from a very young age I can remember seeing chickens, cows, and buffalo being slaughtered when I would go for summer visits.  This, paired with the soft spot I had for all animals, contributed to my decision to give up meat.  I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" kind of family, so this decision was frowned upon by many people.  My parents didn't make anything special for me, I just ate bread, potatoes, or whatever other vegetables there were.  And in no way am I implying that I went without food, or that my parents were being mean to me.  They were actually somewhat understanding; although, I think they probably just figured it was a phase I was going through.  And to this day, my parents are very supportive of my choice! 

All those years I was vegetarian I had no idea there was a lifestyle known as Veganism.  One day in February 2010, it all clicked for me after watching Food Inc. and The Beautiful Truth, and I realized that I was always meant to live as a Vegan! 

My 2 daughters and husband went Vegan with me for about 6 months and then reverted to vegetarian.  Today, I am proud to say both of my daughters are still vegetarian and, one day when they are ready, I hope they, too, will choose a Vegan lifestyle.  My husband goes back and forth trying to decide if he is omni, vegan, or vegetarian.  At home, I have a 100% Vegan kitchen and I love to cook great tasting Vegan foods for my family!  I cannot wait to start sharing all my recipes on this blog! 

Also, the health benefits of a plant-based diet are endless!  I look forward to sharing information regarding these benefits in upcoming posts.

For now, I just want to say that I look forward to sharing recipes, information, stories, and challenges with my readers! 

Also, please share your comments and stories with me.  One very important reason I started this blog was to connect with other Vegans so I don't always feel like the only one.  Where I live, I sometimes feel isolated because of my beliefs and Vegan lifestyle.  I have never actually met another Vegan in person!  From a positive point of view, I like to think that maybe I can and will be able to make a positive difference in the lives of those around me by sharing my lifestyle.