Free Range Egg Casserole (dairy-free, not vegan) with Malt Vingegar Roasted New Potatoes

Hubby's birthday is today!

He woke up to breakfast ready to go and a new coffee to try out.  The least I could do for the man who gets up every day and gets our 2 yr. old ready - all while trying to get ready for work himself, just so I can sleep in an extra minute or two!  :)

(Thanks to my mother in law for making a great whole wheat walnut bread - it went into the casserole to make breakfast extra special)

Egg Casserole

6-8 Eggs - We buy directly from local farmers at the Raleigh Farmers Market
1/2 c. Non-Dairy milk of choice, I used unsweetened almond milk
5 Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties, microwaved and then cut into small cubes
1 c. Broccoli (or you could sub in any veggie like spinach, peppers etc.), finely chopped (I used the Ninja)
2 slices of Bread, in large cubes
Spices of choice - Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder etc.

Method:

Whisk together egg, milk and spices
Fold in broccoli

Spray a round Pyrex with cooking spray
Lay down bread cubes
Top with veggie sausage

Pour egg/broccoli mixture over bread/sausage

Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

Roasted Vinegar New Potatoes

2 handfuls of small new potatoes cut in half or quartered  (or you can use any potato, cubed into 1" cubes)
4 TBSP Olive Oil
4 TBSP Malt Vinegar
Salt, Pepper

In a bowl, combine cut potatoes with vinegar, oil and spices
Let sit a few minutes to soak up the vinegar

Bake at 400 in a small glass Pyrex for 30 min., stir to break up any sticking and bake again for 10-15 more minutes until potatoes are nicely browned.

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) (vegan) with Quinoa & Corn Tabouli

Pepperidge Farm has some yummy and convenient vegan products -

FYI:  Their stuffing is vegan, just sub in Earth Balance for the butter and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  Comes in handy at a vegetarian Thanksgiving!

Their puff pastry is also vegan, and that is what I used for this spinach pie.

Ingredients:

1 Package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed according to package (2 sheets per package)
1 Pack of Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 White Onion, chopped
2 TBSP Chopped Garlic
1/2 Block Extra Firm Tofu, Drained and crumbled with fingers

1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
1 tsp Dill
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Heat Oven to 375


Spray a round Pyrex with cooking spray
Lay 1 sheet of the puff pastry in the bottom
Set Aside

In a large frying pan, heat a little oil
Add in the onion, spinach, garlic and fry about 10 min., until liquid is absorbed
Add in crumbled tofu and combine
Stir in dill, salt, pepper
Set aside to cool a bit

Top the puff pastry in the Pyrex with all of the spinach mixture from the frying pan
Top with the other sheet of puff pastry

 Step 1

Step 2 - Ready to Bake

Put Pyrex in oven set to 375 for  25-30 minutes

Finished Baked Spinach Pie

Quinoa & Corn Tabouli

Ingredients:

2 c. Quinoa made ahead (we make ours in the rice cooker and freeze it in batches and just microwave to thaw it)


2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Green Onions, diced
1 Large Tomato, diced
1/2 Cucumber, Diced
2 Ears Corn, raw and cut from cob
1/2 c. Parsley, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Combine all in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve

Produce Box Dinner Night!

Lentil & Kale Shepherd's Pie 

Corn, Tomato, Cucumber Salad

Using up a bunch of red potatoes, corn, cucumbers and tomatoes!

 Ingredients:

1 can Lentils, drained
1/2 White Onion, finely diced
2 c. Fresh Kale or Spinach, chopped finely (I use the Ninja, when I chop kale this way it's as finely chopped as when you use parsley in a dish)
1/2 can each:  Carrots, Peas, Green Beans
2 c. Mashed Potatoes (however you like to prepare them)
Olive Oil
1 TBSP Chopped Garlic

*Shredded Mozzarella, optional

Method:

Make mashed potatoes (boil cubed potatoes 10 min., mash with butter, garlic, milk etc.)
Set Aside

In a large frying pan, heat 1 TBSP Olive Oil
Add chopped kale/spinach and onion/garlic
Fry 5 min., Stirring so it doesn't burn
Stir with drained lentils and set aside

Spray a round Pyrex with cooking spray

Layer on mixture of carrot, peas and green beans
Top with Lentil/Kale mixture
Top with remaining mashed potatoes
Sprinkle on shredded cheese, if using

Bake at 400 for 20 min.

Serve with side salad

Corn, Tomato, Cucumber Salad

Adjust veggie ratio to suit your needs, I made about 4 servings using:

1 Cucumber, peeled and diced
2 Medium Tomatoes, diced
1/4 Red Onion, diced
3 Ears Corn, raw and cut from cob

Combine all in bowl and mix with dressing

Dressing:

Red Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
Dijon Mustard
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Minced Garlic
*Adjust measurements to size of salad

Whisk and pour over salad
Stir and let marinate in refrigerator until ready to eat

Mediterranean Night - Israeli Salad (Tomato, Cucumber, Green Pepper and Red Onion)

Israeli Salad -

Very simple, light and refreshing - A a good side dish to a more heavily seasoned main dish.

We're having it along with our Gyros tonight (made with seitan, which is a wheat "meat" - You can get it at Whole Foods etc. for about $4 a box)  I marinate it in Cavendar's Greek seasoning, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and then fry it and put it in pita bread with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, onion etc and usually top with tzatziki (yogurt/cucumber dip), either home made or store bought.  Very tasty!

Israeli Salad

Adjust quantity of veggies to how many servings you need - for about 4 servings this is what I used:

2 Tomatoes
1/2 Cucumber
1/4 Red Onion
1 Small Green Pepper 
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Indian Potato, Eggplant and Lentil

Based on this recipe http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/09/28/aloo-baingan-potato-and-eggplant/

I followed it exactly except for the spices -

I added 1 TBSP Ground Ginger

1 TBSP Garam Masala

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Turmeric

And a little water

Then I added a can of lentils, drained and rinsed

We're serving it over quinoa and topping it with cilantro and sour cream

Cellophane (Clear/Glass) Noodles with Tofu and Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 bundles cellophane noodles (these are the thin, clear noodles sometimes called glass noodles - We buy ours at the Asian market but I believe they sell them in chain grocery stores too

1 TBSP Sesame Oil

1 T Ginger powder or fresh minced ginger



1 box of water packed tofu, drained and cut into cubes-


1 c. Vegetable Broth

1/2 c. Veggies of Choice

Method:

In a glass measuring cup or bowl, microwave 2 c. water until almost boiling
Place cellophane noodles in the hot water and let sit 10 min. (these are no-cook noodles)

Fry tofu cubes in a little oil until browned on all sides (I added a bit of soy sauce)
Sprinkle on ginger

Microwave veggies of choice with a little water (I used fresh broccoli only) and then added 1/2 c. red onion raw to frying pan

Add cooked veggies and raw onion to pan of tofu, add the 1 c. vegetable broth and simmer and stir until liquid is absorbed

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

I made these for Little B. for his 2nd birthday to take to his Mom's Morning Out.

The recipe is very easy, with with no "strange vegan" ingredients so it's good to keep handy if you know anyone with egg or dairy allergies or are baking for a vegan.

The icing is Pillsbury Cream Cheese flavor, which surprisingly, is vegan!  I topped the cupcakes each with a Teddy Graham, which are vegan except for honey - Some vegans are stricter than others on this, so if you need a cookie alternative, Oreos are also vegan - Yes, they ARE! 

(For a fun list of more things that are shockingly normal and vegan, follow this link:
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx)

Basic Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
(based on the recipe in the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" - they also have a vegan cookie book as well http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739)


Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with liners

In a large measuring cup, whisk together:
1 c. Soy Milk (I used Vanilla Silk) and 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar and let it sit until it curdles (about 5-10 min.) - This acts as a "buttermilk" in the recipe!


In a KitchenAid Mixer (or a bowl using a hand held electric beater) beat together:
"Buttermilk" soy milk mixture
1/3 c. oil, 3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. other flavor extract, or more vanilla (I used coconut)

In a large bowl, combine:
1 1/4 c. white flour
2 TBSP cornstarch
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
Stir it well with fork, or sift (I stirred with a fork and never have the patience to sift)

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full (less is better, these puff up quite a bit)

Bake 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean

Cool completely and then frost