Me Want (More) Food
If you're ever at Eggspectations in Downtown Silver Spring, I highly recommend the veggie burger! It's not gross and it's a little spicy. 10/10 would recommend, even to meat-lovers.
I was able to go home last week for my spring break. "What are you doing for spring break?" my friends from school would ask. "Probably nothing" I would reply.
I was however, ecstatic to be able to use an oven for the first time in months. Add that to my excitement to have Party Patty buy me meatless and dairy-less groceries from Trader Joe's for the week, and I was set (I was also able to see some of my best friends from home, see a kick-ass high school musical, and play with my dog, but thats beside the point). I thought I would resurrect (LOL, Lent am I right?) one of my most viewed posts on this site, an article entitled "Me Want Food", where I documented everything I ate that day as a vegan. This is going to be a part 2, but instead of writing down every meal in the span of one day, I am going to write about the meals I was able to make at home with a real kitchen. I dedicate this post to my mother's friends/my aunts who follow this blog and like to hear new recipes.
Vegan Onion and Chorizo Pizza
Ingredients (All are to taste)
-Pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's, you'll see a pattern)
-Trader Joe's brand vegan cheese (This step is optional, because this vegan cheese is especially sweet, which is a different taste. I would still be a great pizza if you substituted cheese with your fave veggies)
-Pizza sauce
-Soy Chorizo
-Onion
-Kale
Instructions
1. Making pizza is pretty self-explanatory, the only thing I did that differently was the fact that I laid out the pizza dough and cooked it in the oven for about 10 minutes at about 325F before I topped it with the sauce and other toppings.
2. Bake in the oven for 25-ish at 325-ish, it's up to you.
Final Verdict:
It definitely doesn't taste like your average Dominos pizza, but it's something you would taste at a fancy, overpriced restaurant. The cheese's texture is different, and sticks to the rough of your mouth. It was a good dinner, my dad had some. He said it was "not bad". And look! It's Richard-Approved!
Veggie and Noodle Soup (No Picture)
Ingredients (all are to taste)
-Vegetable Broth
-Large shell noodles (or any other breed of pasta you would like, but use half of the box per box of vegetable broth)
-Chopped Onions
-Chopped Potatoes
-Chopped Carrots
-2 beef bouillon cubes (does not contain meat or dairy, it merely adds some flavor)
-Salt N' Peppa (The spices, not the immortally-famous duo who brought you "Push it")
Instructions
-This is a really easy soup/stew to make because you can cook it all in the same pot
-Start by heating vegetable broth in a pot at low heat. Add beef bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved
-Add in half a box of shell pasta (I like shell pasta because they're like lil baby bowls)
-Chop onions, potatoes, and carrots and add into broth
-Occasionally stir together and heat until vegetables are soft and noodles are cooked.
-Spice it up with some salt and pepper, and serve.
Final Verdict:
I had this soup 3 times when I was at home. I really miss chicken noodle soup, and this tasted exactly like homemade chicken soup, but without the chicken. It was very good and very filling!
Vegan Bulgooey
Ingredients
-A box of your desired pasta (I used large shells again)
-Meatless ground beef (Trader Joes!)
-Chopped onions
-Chopped tomatoes
-Chopped Parsley
-Red wine
-Sriracha (to taste)
Instructions
-Boil pasta until cook and set aside
-Cook ground beef in a skillet until brown, then turn heat from medium-high to low
-Add in onions, tomatoes, and parsley
-Add in some red wine and Sriracha to taste (Okay, Jay did this, not going to lie and pretend that I was mature enough to think of this, but once I did, I felt like the Barefoot Contessa. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ina Garten, Amen)
-Continue to mix until the beef and fixins become cooked together and become a little ~saucy~
-Add in pasta and mix until two become one. Serve hot! Sprinkle some parsley on top if you're classy.
The Final Verdict:
I made this on my last night at home when we had company over for dinner. Most people tried it and it was a big hit. It's very flavorful and you can really make it your own. The meatless ground-beef lacks the taste of traditional ground beef, but with the seasonings and veggies, flavor isn't a problem.
Monkey Bread
Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls (the Grand biscuits aren't vegan, but the crescent rolls are!)
1/2 cup vegan butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
-Grease a Bundt cake pan and try not to think of the loser parents from My Big Fat Greek Wedding
-Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a zip-lock bag
-Separate dough into thumb to quarter sized pieces
-Shake the pieces in the bag to coat and place in the pan
-Mix butter and brown sugar and microwave, then pour over biscuit pieces to taste
-Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and then turn upside down on a plate and pull apart to serve!
Last and definitely least: a horrible baking fail!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies*
*These are not aesthetically pleasing
This picture is incredibly sad, I'm aware. They look so sad because I had to make my own chocolate chips and I added too much flour to the dough. You live and you learn, kids.
Ingredients
-½ cup coconut oil
-1 cup brown sugar
-¼ cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-2 cups flour (I used 3, bad move on my part)
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-½ teaspoon salt
-1 cup vegan chocolate chips (Trader Joe's chocolate chips are accidentally vegan, but there are a lot of other brands that don't contain dairy, so check the ingredients!)
Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together the coconut oil & brown sugar, then add the almond milk & vanilla. The mixture may be really "liquidy" but
3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Combine the wet & dry ingredients (Don't be a lazy schmuck like I did and actually take the time to dirty an extra bowl, it'll impact your final texture) then fold in the chocolate morsels & any other mix-ins of your choosing.
5. Roll into balls & place them on an un-greased pan, then flatten them out a bit with your palm. Smoosh it a wee bit.
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes (or just watch it, IDK)
Final Verdict:
I had another vegan try this during a party. "Like, they aren't really good, but they're vegan, so...". Thanks for the honesty, Liz Wilcox.
Being a vegan has made me appreciate the joy of cooking and the creativity within it. I highly recommend that everybody learn their home-ec skills, because learning how to experiment with different foods and flavors is definitely a trial and error process, but the final product may be something you'll put in the family cookbook!
.S. Since this post was another informative post, the next post will most-likely be something stupid and personal, so stay tuned.