Thanks Pinterest!

So I've been kinda busy, kinda lazy these past few weeks. I became deathly ill (at least it felt like it) for about a week so we mainly ate frozen pizza. Then I interviewed for a position in Raleigh and got it! So I've been busy packing up boxes. I'm super excited!!

Anyway, this past week I've been on pinterest a bit more and found this recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells from The Way To His Heart. It was pretty easy to veganize and I'm really glad I did! Two of my favorite types of food combined, really it couldn't be bad. I could not find shells at my grocery though, so I used manicotti instead.

Mexican Pasta
What You Need:

• 1 lb vegetarian crumbles (I used Morning Star but the Boca version is really good too) 
• 1 package taco seasoining
• 4 oz vegan cream cheese
• 1 package manicotti shells
• 1.5 cups salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce (found in the Mexican section)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese mix
• Green onions and sour cream to top

The Process: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook the pasta according to the packaging. 
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, combine the 'meat' crumbles, taco seasoning, and cream cheese. Heat on medium low, stirring occasionally, until the cream cheese melts. Once it melts, remove from heat. 
4. Once the pasta is cooked through, pour the salsa over the bottom of your casserole dish. Stuff some of the 'meat' mixture into each manicotti/shell and lay them over the salsa. Pour the taco sauce over the pasta and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Top with the cheese and bake for another 20 minutes. 

Sausage Lasagna

As far as I can remember, when my mom made lasagna she made it this way. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but I was ready to try out a new recipe. We had some leftover sausage from the jambalaya and I figured now was as good a time as any to try making sausage lasagna. I kinda winged it (wung it?) for this one and just went wherever my nose took me and it turned out beautifully. I felt like Remy from Ratatouille. 

Sausage Lasagna

What You Need:

• 9 cooked lasagna noodles
• 1 jar sauce (if you make your own pasta sauce, more power to ya) 
• 2 (vegan) sausage links/roughly 1 lb sausage links
• 1/2 large green pepper, chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 8 oz firm tofu (8 oz ricotta cheese if you're not going the vegan route) 
• 1 tbsp dry basil
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 1 package (vegan) shredded mozzarella cheese

The Process: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the sausage links to make half inch quarter pieces and slice the tofu (if using) into small squares. Add to large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until the tofu resembles ricotta cheese texture.
3. Chop up the vegetables and add to the sausage mixture along with 1/4 cup of pasta sauce and 1/4 cup of cheese and the spices. 
4. Pour 1/4 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Lay 3 or so lasagna noodles down (depending on the shape and size of your dish), cover with half of the sausage mixture. Then add 3 more noodles and cover that with 1/4 cup of pasta sauce. Add the remaining sausage mixture and cover with the last of the lasagna noodles. Top it off with the rest of the pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese. 
5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. 

Feeling Adventurous?

So we've been in a cooking rut. Seriously. It's been a lot of pasta and Mexican. So, I decided it was time to seriously switch things up. I guess after making the switch from vegan to vegetarian it was easier to just make things I already knew how to do.

So, what did I make while in this adventurous mood? Jambalaya! I've never made it before, and honestly, didn't think I'd like it all that much. I suggested it to Chris in passing as an option for our meal plan and he was so enthusiastic about it I knew I was being suckered into making it. You live and learn, right? Anyway, I'm really glad he did because it was amazing! I found the original recipe on food.com, and of course tweaked it because that's how I roll.

Vegetarian Jambalaya
What You Need:

• 1/2 cup (vegan) butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 serrano chili pepper (2 if you're like me and like your food extra spicy)
• 1 tbsp creole (to be honest, I didn't have this so I used Old Bay seasoning with some cumin powder. They were close enough in my book) 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 pound (vegan/vegetarian) sausage
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups brown rice
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of chopped tomatoes

The Process: 

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the onions, green onions, bell pepper, garlic, serrano chili pepper, celery, and the seasonings. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, sausage, and rice. 
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook until the rice is tender. 

I wish I were a better photographer. I feel like this picture should ooze tasty. 

Breakfast Of Course

Holy cow Batman! I haven't posted in ages. I have been slacking. To be honest, I just haven't been in the cooking mood. The things I have cooked recently are regulars in our household and are already on the blog. This morning, though, I was feeling adventurous. I've been craving pumpkin lately, I have no idea why, and so I made baked pumpkin oatmeal. Top it with some warm syrup and it's heavenly!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
What You Need:

• 2 1/2 cups dry oats
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cup (vanilla soy) milk
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 tsp cinnamon (plus some to sprinkle on the top) 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients, the canned pumpkin, and the oats in a bowl, then cover the bottom of your casserole dish with the oat mixture. 
3. Mix the milk, syrup, and vanilla in another bowl. Pour this mixture over the oats. Top it with the raisins and if you're a cinnamon fanatic like me, sprinkle more cinnamon on the top. 
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with warm syrup. 

I'm sure you're wondering what is in my mug. Okay okay, I'll tell you. It's my vanilla mocha latte :) It is 1/4th chocolate almond milk, 1/4th vanilla soy milk, and half coffee which equals pure joy in a cup. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

I was thinking, maybe I should come up with a clever name and post breakfast type foods on a specific day. Probably Sunday since that's when I have my fancy breakfasts. Well, by fancy I mean something other than just a banana. Anyway, if you have any suggestions of what my breakfast day should be called, please let me know! I'll try to do a little brainstorming myself.

This week I tweaked a vegan pancake recipe from my fav cookbook Get Healthy, Go Vegan. Using a skill I learned while making the Cinnamon Rolls, I turned my vanilla soy milk into buttermilk which I personally think made these pancakes so much better.

Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
What You Need:

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/3 cup (vanilla) soy milk
• 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar 
• blueberries (optional)

The Process: 

1. Pour the vinegar into a cup containing the soy milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients and heat the pan. 
3. Once the 'buttermilk' is ready, add it to the dry ingredients and mix in the blueberries if you chose to have them. 
4. Poor the batter onto a non-stick pan or oiled pan. Flip when it starts to bubble, about 1-2 minutes per side. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!