The Smoothie Vegetarians

Hi Everyone! Happy Holiday Season to all of you, no matter what you celebrate. If you don't celebrate anything, Happy Winter Solstice! I have a friend who is trying to go vegan, but he travels often for his work. In the interest of helping him, I'm writing this post. I know a lot of people travel a lot for work these days, so hopefully some others may find my suggestions useful as well. Even if you're not traveling for work, you could use some of these tips for vacations. Thankfully many hotels these days have mini kitchens in the rooms. You can do more with a microwave, coffee pot, and mini-fridge than you might think!  Depending on if you're traveling via car, plane, train; you may be able to bring a lot with you, or you may need to shop a bit once you arrive at your destination. If you're going by car, you could bring cold items in a cooler; or via train/plane, you can bring some non-perishables in your luggage. Just figure out what works best for y...

Sometimes it is hard to get ready in the morning and still eat breakfast…but it doesn’t have to be! Breakfast is one of my favorite meals and coming up with some easy meals that are quick has been a lot of fun. Some may have some prep to do the day before but they are easy to throw together, easy to prep and easy to take with you to work, school or wherever! Peanut Butter Banana Toast This one seems a little blah but with the addition of agave it is amazing! I just toasted some bread, spread on peanut butter then chop up some bananas. You could stop here but then I just add some agave and it becomes something a little more special. The sweetness of the agave blends well with the creaminess of the peanut butter. It’s one of my favorite things to have for breakfast. You could also use an English muffin (vegan of course) instead of toast. I also like to use powdered peanut butter as well. Smoothies I love something that is super portable, easy to change up and pa...

Hi Everyone. I hope November is faring well for all of you, and Happy Thanksgiving! This is another spur of the moment recipe. It came together super quick, and is another very "spoonie-friendly" recipe. It also would be great for those nights where you just don't want to stand at the stove for forever. This would be a great recipe for your kids to get involved in, too!  This would go well with salad, soup, or with some roasted vegetables, or some other side dish that you cook in the oven. You could start your other food, and then add the grilled cheeses to the oven during the last bit of cooking. These sandwiches turn out super well in the oven! The bread has such a light and fluffy inner texture; compared to the "traditional" way of making a grilled cheese. Meanwhile, the outside has the typical crispy and savory deliciousness.  It's a twist on pizza, and instead of the sauce being incorporated in the sandwich, you dip pieces of it into the...

    Happy Tuesday everybody! I hope everybody had a fantastic weekend. I just celebrated my 20th birthday on Saturday. Today, I decided to go back to some sweets that we all know and love. We are going to be making a sour cream coffee cake today! It is so yummy, you can't even tell that is is vegan. So, there are different ways you can make sour cream vegan. You can do the cashew sour cream, or you can use the recipe for tofu sour cream. Since I am on a HUGE tofu kick, I will be using the tofu sour cream recipe. I overall enjoyed making this recipe.      It didn't take much time to make it at all. Just as long as you have the ingredients, and you have the recipe in hand, you will be prepared for anything. Overall, it takes about 20-25 minutes for prep, and about 45 minutes to an hour to bake. I made this when I was still going to the Culinary Institute of Virginia in our Alternative Baking class. It kind of sucked the first time we made it, but w...

Recipes for pasta are quick for being on the go, especially for going back to school or heading out to work during a busy day. School went back at my workplace and also college courses resumed over the past week. With my hectic schedule, I need something that can be thrown together quickly. Fortunately, these types of meals can be made in a few minutes. Pasta recipes can be extremely filling and also good for making in bulk. Meal prepping is a wonderful idea for recipes like this and fulfill the need if you always need to take meals on the go. I have included several variations of the recipe to be suitable for all types of people and to suit all sorts of cravings. Each recipe can be changed to put your own personal twist on which ingredients you have each time it is prepared. (photos by Danielle) I usually buy veggie penne from Barilla and any green, beans, veggies, sauces, or dressings can be added to the mix. This variety of Barilla pasta need to be cooked for ten m...

So, imagine that you’re out at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant. You order the veggie phở, and maybe even some tofu bánh mì. When they bring out the soup and sandwich, there comes with it a side dish of basil, lime, sliced jalapeño, and these crunchy little thing-dos . Even though the soup is getting cold, and your sandwich is soggy, you can’t stop eating the garnish! These, my friends, are mung bean sprouts. They are so easy to make. They are super cheap to make. They are guiltless fun to snack on. Most importantly though, they’re really good for you.   Enjoy, Tara Ingredients     ½ cup of dried mung beans     36 oz. glass jar     Mesh lid (or cheesecloth with a rubber band)     Water Directions Measure ½ cup of dried mung beans and pour into a large mason jar (they will grow quickly and need room to keep from mildewing). Fill the jar with water and cap with a large mesh lid. ...

Hey everyone! Today's recipes is going to be a Vegan Italian Meatball. This has been one of the best things I have made by far. No only is this recipe delicious it is also flexible!  With a quick change of the seasonings (especially the herbs) used in this recipe and you can make a different "meat"ball. The key ingredients here are the Maply syrup and liquid smoke. Those two ingredients are my secret ingredient in any fake "meat" recipe I make. The two flavors combine really well and make a wonderful smokey flavor.  These are really good with pasta and a red sauce (as pictured) or even on their own as a snack! This is a new family favorite and I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does! Happy cooking! ~Stella~  Vegan Italian Meatballs Recipe Makes 5 servings 1 cup green lentils (cooked) 1 cup yellow onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic minced 3/4 cup mushrooms chopped Olive oil for frying 1 cup bread crumb...

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share with you a super quick and delicious recipe for cauliflower. This recipe is great if you ar eon a low carb diet, or if you are trying to count some calories. It is even perfect if you do not want something as heavy as mashed potatoes. This mashed recipe as a similar taste and texture to mashed potatoes, in fact my family can not tell the difference between this and traditional mashed potatoes. Feel free to season this up just like you would for mashed potatoes. Cauliflower takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. If you wanted to add more flavor you could use vegetable broth to steam the cauliflower. This is a favorite in my house and I hope it would be a favorite in yours also! Happy cooking! ~Stella~ Mashed Cauliflower Recipe Makes 6 servings - 1 head of cauliflower separated - 1 head of roasted garlic - 2 tablespoons fresh thyme - Salt and Pepper to taste 1. Steam cauliflower. 2. Add steamed cauliflo...