Sun-dried Tomato Dip

I adore sun-dried tomatoes. The flavor is so outstanding and intense and any chance I get to use them, I love it. I saw a recipe for Sun-dried tomato dip in Veganomicon and I instantly bookmarked it.

This recipe is quite different than the original version, but I think you'll find it to be quite tasty. It literally took me 10 minutes to throw it together, and all of the ingredients are readily stocked in any full pantry. Guess what that means?? You've got an instant dip to throw together when unexpected guests arrive. Who doesn't love that??



Sun-dried Tomato Dip
A variation of Veganomicon's version

1/2 c slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 c oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 c oil from tomatoes
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c canned navy beans (or other white beans)

In food processor, process almonds until they are ground to a powder. Add tomatoes and process until chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

If you're looking for more sun-dried tomato recipes, check these out:
*Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade
*3-Bean Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes
*Sun-dried Tomato and Pesto Hummus
*Sun-dried Tomato and Peppercorn Biscotti
*Sun-dried Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Cinnamon Doughnut Holes

I have a confession to make - I'm not a baker. I could probably count on 1 hand the number of times I bake something during a year. Matter of fact, if you look through my recipe archives to the right, I can guarantee the percentage of baked goods is probably about 3%. To me, baking seems too rigid and strict. You have to keep exact proportions on certain ingredients, and you can't just wing it, which is what I love about cooking. On top of that, I'm not really a sweet-eating girl. Don't get me wrong - I love a chocolate-chip cookie or a good blueberry muffin as much as the next person. But you'll tempt me much faster with a crunchy salty treat than a sweet one.

But every once in awhile, I'll see a recipe for a baked good that sounds tasty enough that I just want to make it. Enter La Dolce Vegan's Cinnamon Doughnut Holes. I don't know why this caught my eye, as it's been probably years since a doughnut has crossed my lips. But maybe I just have fond memories of those boxes of Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts that my mother used to buy for special occasions when i was younger. Either way, I saw the recipe and immediately bookmarked it.

These are tasty and the perfect bite-size treat. A few of these with a cup of coffee in the morning will set you on the right path. And not only that, they are relatively light and very easy to make.



Cinnamon Doughnut Holes
A variation from La Dolce Vegan
Makes about 24

Cinnamon Sugar Coating
1/4 c Earth Balance margarine (or butter)
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c sugar

Doughnuts
1 1/2 c flour
1 cup Rice Crispies cereal, coarsely crushed
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c vegetable shortening
1/2 c soymilk

Preheat oven to 425. Melt margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place in small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
In large bowl, combine flour, cereal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in vegetable shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in soymilk until just combined. Start rolling dough into 1-inch balls with your hands and set aside until finished. Roll each ball in margarine and then shake well in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place in lightly-oiled 8x8 baking dish. Place into preheated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove and cool in pan.

The Famous BBQ Ribz

I've been a vegaquarian for almost 4 years now. And although I don't crave meat at all, there are certain times that I miss the idea of it. For example, I love summer. I love the heat, I love the sun, I love being outdoors. And there's nothing better on a summer day than throwing a BBQ with friends and family. The smell of the grill, the charcoal - it's all good. And I've done just fine grilling fish and seafood for the past few years. But every once in awhile, I'll get the whiff of barbequed chicken or ribs and it almost makes me miss the meat. Almost.

Enter Susan V's BBQ Ribz. This is a recipe so brilliant and so tasty, I wish it was my own creation. First off, it's super super easy to make. It takes about 5 minutes to measure and mix the ingredients together, and then you throw it in the oven for 25minutes. After that, it's simply a matter of grilling, either on a grill or using a grill pan, and viola - you've got tastiness! I love that the texture of the seitan isn't too meatlike, but it still has enough bite to it that you feel satisfied biting into it.

You can absolutely guarantee that this recipe will be making many appearances this summer. And when it looks this good, don't you want to try it too??



Susan V's BBQ Ribz
An ever-so-slight variation

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
1 tsp Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Beef Base (optional)
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients, from gluten to garlic powder. In a smaller bowl, whisk together tahini, bouillon, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Press and pat into lightly-oiled 8x8 baking dish. Cut in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 6-8 pieces. Place into oven and bake for 25 minutes. Start heating grill or lightly-oiled grill pan. Brush top of baked seitan with a generous amount of BBQ sauce. Place, sauce-side down, on grill rack. Brush bottom side with BBQ sauce. When there are nice grill marks on bottom, flip and rebrush with sauce. (Mine took about 2-3 minutes each side) Remove from grill and cut into riblets. Serve with additional sauce if desired.

Just Because It's Vegan: Thai Curry Tempeh Salad

This is another installment in the "Just because it's Vegan" series. These are vegan dishes that are tasty and delicious enough to wow any eater.

I love red curry paste. As of right now, I just counted 6 small cans of it in my pantry. I wanted to make some sort of salad to throw in wraps and pitas for lunch this week and thought some sort of thai curry mayo would be a great base. This is a great recipe that's perfect for weekday lunches. The bold flavors of the curry paste, combined with the fresh cilantro, makes a lovely flavor base for the tempeh. If you haven't had tempeh before, I think this would be a great introduction. High in protein, low in fat, it's meaty enough to fill you up. It also has plenty of variations. Don't do tempeh? Substitute tofu. Want some meat? Substitute tuna, chicken breast, or shrimp. Want a lower fat salad? Substitute yogurt for the mayo. This recipe is open to almost any suggestion.

Give this salad a try. With only 6 ingredients, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how simple yet tasty this is.



Thai Curry Tempeh Salad

2 pkgs (8 oz each) soy tempeh
1 c vegan mayonnaise
1 tbsp red curry paste
1/2 c diced red bell pepper
1/2 c diced green onions
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to boil. Break tempeh into large pieces and add to boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water. Cool tempeh. Line colander with 2 layers of paper towels. Crumble tempeh into small pieces. Cover with 2 more pieces of paper towels and press out as much water as possible.
In a large bowl, whisk together mayo and red curry paste. Stir in remaining ingredients, including tempeh, and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve in a wrap, pita, or eat with tortilla chips.

Tilapia with Parmesan Crab Sauce

I think one of the best parts of cooking is being able to feed other people. I love to entertain and have people enjoy my cooking. Every home cook wants to be able to wow their guests and have everyone talking about their food for a long time. You want people to beg for the recipes. And best of all, you want to be able to say, "Oh, this old recipe?? I just threw it together."

Every home chef needs a few good "ace-in-the-hole" recipes - you know, the ones you can throw together, yet they look like you were slaving in the kitchen for hours. This recipe is absolutely perfect. It looks gourmet, yet you can truly have this on the table in about a half an hour. The ingredients are simple and are probably found in any well stocked refrigerator and pantry.

I adore this recipe. It's perfect for serving to guests or for a nice quiet romantic dinner. Go ahead - give it a try. And then sit back and wait for the compliments to come.



Tilapia with Parmesan Crab Sauce
Serves 4

4 tilapia filets
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
A scant 1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/8 c dry white wine
3/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
8 oz fresh crab meat (I use claw)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and nutmeg. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue whisking and cook until smooth. Add in worcestershire, white wine, and Parmesan cheese. Add crab, mix well, and remove from heat. Season tilapia filets with salt and pepper. Place in well oiled baking dish. Pour sauce over tilapia. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

And the winner is.....

The winner of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book is Magpie, who is the author of the food blog Je Le Vous Dirais. Congratulations!

And what great cooking tips and ideas. So many of them are things I couldn't live without in my kitchen too. I'm in love with my Le Creuset pots and use them for almost everything. I'm also convinced that I now need more! I also use my silicon spatulas quite a bit and my bamboo cooking spoons are always close at hand. I also love my bar-sized cutting board I purchased last year. I use it almost daily and it's the perfect size for cutting almost anything.

Thanks for sharing and thanks for playing!!

Who Doesn't Love a Contest?

So I received a wonderful new cookbook in the mail from a publisher to review and I just happened to get an extra copy. So guess what that means??

It can be ALL yours!



The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is a great cookbook from the owner of the Sweet Melissa Pâtisserie shops in Brooklyn. She has some very tasty French-influenced treats that I'm sure any baker would love. I have my eyes on her Guinness Gingerbread. There's also a recipe for Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake that just has to be good.

To be entered into the drawing, simply leave me a comment with the one thing in your kitchen that you simply can't live without. That's all you have to do!
Enter before midnite on March 24th and the winner will be announced on March 25th.
Good luck!!