Tortilla Soup!

In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on medium broil setting.

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Meanwhile, chop the peppers, zucchini, green onion, and remove corn from cob (I take a chef’s knife and slice down the 4 sides). Add the veggies into the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.

• 2 bell peppers, chopped(I mix red and green)
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups frozen corn or fresh corn from 2 ears
  
  
  Add and simmer for 1 hour:
• 4 tbsp ground cumin
• One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1.5-2 cups cooked black beans
• salt & pepper, to taste and 1 1/3 T chili powder
• Fresh lime juice, I juiced 1 lime
  
  
   On the table:
• Tortilla chips broken like crackers for soup

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Melt 1/4 cup vegan butter substitute in one 9" round pan
Sprinkle in 1/2 brown sugar evenly
top with 1 8oz can crushed pineapple

Cake: mix and pour over pineapple mixture
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teasp baking powder
1 teasp salt
1/2 cup vegan butter or vegan shortening
1 cup almond milk
1 teasp vanilla
3 T applesauce

Bake 35-45 min in 350 preheated oven.

From my neighbor -
This dip was delicious on fresh cut fruit.

Hawaiian Pineapple dip

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup almond or any non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 1 pkg 3.4 oz vanilla instant pudding*
• 8 oz crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/2 cup toasted sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 lime
• 6-8 cups assorted fruit

* VEGAN. Jell-O’s instant puddings of the vanilla, chocolate, banana cream and lemon varieties do NOT contain gelatin. Jell-O gelatin obviously does, so stay away from that.  Source: http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/surprise-thats-not-vegan-but-that-is/

Combine milk and pudding and whisk. Stir in pineapple with juice and 1/3 cup coconut. Zest lime to measure 1 tsp. Juice lime to measured 1 tsp. Stir into dip and cover and refrigerate at least 30 min.

Chocolate Cream Pie
Want to make a fancy dessert for a special occasion?
This recipe is great!

Graham cracker crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, I blend GCs until fine crumbs

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
6 T vegan butter

Mix/blend ingredients well and press into a greased/sprayed pie pan.
Bake at 350 for 7-10 min or until just golden.

Filling:

In a mixing bowl:
Pour ¼ cup water
2- 1 oz squares of choc
Heat in microwave for 1 minute or until choc is soft. Mix well
Add:
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 t vanilla.

Place 1 lb Silken Tofu (drained and rinsed) in a food processor, add melted choc mixture and process until it is well blended.
Pour into cooled crust and refrigerated at least 4 hours .

Whipped Topping:
Take a can of coconut milk and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Carefully remove the can from the frig and open.  Scoop off the
hardened layer "cream" from the top of the can and place in a bowl.
Add 2 T, or more depending on your taste, of confectioners sugar,
and beat/whip.
Placing the bowl and beaters in the refrig for at least an hour before
hand as with regular whipping cream makes the process easier.
Whip the coconut cream until light peaks appear and serve on cooled pie.
** Please note this whipped topping has a strong coconut flavor which
we love.  If coconut is not a favorite skip this topping.

Black Bean Chili with Squash

1 cup dried black beans, soaked and drained
2 cups peeled butternut squash
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup celery
2 cloves garlic
1 can 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder (I usually use 1 Tbls because 2 is pretty hot, so it depends on your taste)
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 salt

For a cold winter day this chili hits the spot!

Vegan Lemon Squares

 I took these 'cookies' to a picnic and they disappeared. :>))

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup non-dairy butter, at room temperature, I use Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with canola oil (or use a cooking spray) and sprinkle with just a light dusting of all-purpose flour
  3. To make the crust, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and beat until the dough just comes together
  4. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned
  5. Remove crust from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling

Filling Ingredients: in a food processor or blender combine

• 1/2 cup silken tofu (soft or firm)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest from 2 lemons, be careful not to grate the white skin next to the peel it it bitter.
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  Pour the filling over the baked shortbread crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set . Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool - if the filling isn't completely set, it will set as it cools
  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, sifted
  

Living Casein-Free.
Some more information.

Casein-free alternatives
Rice, Soy or Potato-Based Milks
Pareve Creams and Creamers
Sorbet
Italian Ices
Soy Ice Cream (not all flavors)
Ghee (if guaranteed casein free)
Coconut Butter
Coconut Milk

Kosher is good
Kosher pareve foods are casein free. Foods certified as kosher non-dairy or pareve are free
of dairy proteins.

Tried and true Nachos!

We love nachos and wondered how we could still enjoy them without the pounds of cheese we used to melt on top.  Re-thinking cheese has been a challenge with this new way of eating for us.
So today I cooked some broccoli and onions,  diced a generous amount of tomatoes and mushrooms and set aside.  For the base I used Trader Joes Flaxseed tortilla chips (Yummy!).  Also Tostito's Artisan Southwestern Spices, 9 Grains chips work well too.  Cover a cookie sheet with the chips. Next I covered the chips with Organic Refried Beans.
Next, I dusted, ever so lightly, maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grated Mexican blend cheese and covered this with all the veggies. 
Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes and cover with your favorite salsa, we like black bean and corn, and shredded lettuce. 
Even though this uses a bit of cheese it is cheese as a condiment* NOT the thick blanket of cheese in our old recipe.  It is just as good this way, well, better because many more veggies blend with the flavor of the beans and chips spices.
*Remember the 5% rule of The China Study

Enjoy!

 Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas (I've used 2 bananas and canned fruit like peaches or pineapple too)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour ( 1 cup WW pastry, 1 cup unbleached flour)
1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)
1 cup coarsely broken nuts
Opt: toss in some chia or flax seeds 

In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until mushy.  

Add the sugar or agave, oil and vanilla and mix well.  Add

flour and baking powder.

I beat with a french whip until blended but electric mixer is good too. 

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan at 350°F for about 50 min.

Test by inserting a thin knife in center. If the knife comes out clean,

banana bread is done. Let cool a few minutes before removing from

pan, then cool on a wire rack.