Tag: football

Phyllo Cups with Cashew Ricotta and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Vegan phyllo cups with cashew ricotta and sun dried tomato sauce

This is what I served for our Easter dinner, but it would be great for any special occasion or holiday.  The phyllo cups make a very elegant presentation, but really are not difficult to make.  Phyllo can be a little tricky the first time you use it.  Just remember to keep the phyllo covered with a damp towel and you should have no problems.  The filling is mostly raw so there is not a lot of cooking time and a lot of it can be made ahead.  The cashews and the sun dried tomatoes need to be soaked for a few hours at least, or overnight, before you start to prepare them though.   After all the treats we had around Easter, it was nice to enjoy a nice light dinner.  I had a lot of the fillings left over, so I blended the ricotta and the tomato sauce together and served it over whole wheat pasta the next day.

 

Phyllo Cups with Cashew Ricotta and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Make 12 cups

 

Cashew Ricotta:

2 cups raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours or overnight

1 cup water

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 TBSP nutritional yeast

 

After soaking the cashews, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend together until it is mostly smooth.  You want it have a little texture left.  Put in a bowl and set aside until your cups are ready.

 

Sun Dried tomato Sauce

1 cup sun dried tomatoes soaked for a few hours or overnight

2 TBSP olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp salt

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil

1/2 -3/4 cups of water

 

After soaking the tomatoes, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend together until it is mostly smooth.  Add the water a little at a time until you get a thick sauce.  Put in a bowl and set aside until your cups are ready.

 

Phyllo Cups

1 package of phyllo dough thawed (the kind I used was divided in 2 packs in the box, I just used 1)

1/3 cup melted Earth Balance

prepared cashew ricotta

prepared sun dried tomato sauce

1 small zucchini very thinly sliced

 

Preheat the oven to 375.   Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or lightly butter it.   Open the package of phyllo on a cutting board and place a damp towel over it until you are ready to start.  Cut the phyllo into 4 X 4 squares and cover with the towel again.  Take 4 sheets of the phyllo out (keep the rest covered) and lightly brush the first with Earth balance, make sure to get all the way to the edges.  Lay another sheet on top at a slight angle and brush with butter.  Repeat with the next 2 sheets.  Make sure you place them at different angles.  Lightly press the phyllo into a cup in the muffin pan.  Repeat this until all 12 cups are filled with phyllo.  Bake the phyllo cups about 8 minutes.  Check them frequently because they can burn quickly.  The cups should be a nice golden brown when they are done.

 

Let the phyllo cups cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the pan.  Put a heaping tablespoon of the cashew ricotta in the bottom of each phyllo cup.  Top the ricotta with a few zucchini slices then put in a few teaspoons of the sauce.

 

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Valentine’s Cinnamon Cookies

cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I can’t believe that Valentine’s is here already.  It kind of snuck up on me this year, but I still wanted to make some special cookies for my family.  This recipe is so simple it feels like I am cheating by making them these cookies.  They are made with puff pastry, which believe it or not is vegan (at least the Pepperridge Farm brand is).     I hope you all enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

 

Cinnamon Cookies

 

1 box of puff pastry thawed  (I know Pepperridge Farm brand is vegan)

4 TBSP Earth Balance melted

4 TBSP sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 400.  Cover a baking sheet in parchment or a silpat.  Place 1 sheet of pastry on a well floured surface.  Sprinkle is with a little four to prevent sticking and roll it out a little bit.  You want to make it about 2 inches longer.  Brush it with 2 TBSP of the Earth Balance.  Sprinkle the pastry with half of the sugar and half of the cinnamon in an even layer.  Roll up the dough starting on one of the shorter ends.  Roll it to about the middle and then roll up the other side of the pastry until it meets in the middle.  Slice the pastry into 1/2 inch slices and place on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart.  Make sure the cookies stay rolled up tight.   Bake for 10 minutes until they cookies are puffed and nicely browned.  Let the cookies cool on a rack.

Repeat with the other sheet of pastry.

 

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Super Bowl Menu Ideas

Chili

 

The Super Bowl is the only football game that I watch all year.  It is really just an excuse to eat a lot of  yummy food.  It can be a really hard day to stay on track though, especially if you are going to a party.   Here are some of my favorite foods that would be great for a party and please non vegans as well.

Chili cheese dip is the best.  It is so simple (only 2 ingredients) and so good.  It is always the first thing gone when I make it for a party, so I make a lot.

Chili cheese dogs are another great party food.  Just get veggie dogs, top with canned or homemade chili and sprinkle with Daiya cheese.  Amy’s makes really good vegan canned chili.  Don’t forget to use whole grain hot dog buns.

A layer dip is so easy to make vegan.  There is a great recipe on The Kind Life.  http://www.thekindlife.com/post/cheesy-oozy-guacamole-bean-dip-2 . Think about using veggies to dip with instead of chips or try to find baked chips.

 

Chili Cheese Dip

 

1 can vegan chili (Amy’s makes really good ones)

1 container vegan cream cheese

 

Heat the chili and cream cheese together over medium heat.  Stir until the cream cheese is all melted and mixed with the chili.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

 

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Side Dishes: Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Green Beans

Sweet Potatoes

The mashed sweet potatoes and roasted green beans are great side dishes for any meal.  They are super easy, so they are great to do during the week and they are fancy enough for a special dinner.  We eat sweet potatoes all the time, so I try to make them in different ways and this is definitely a favorite of the kids.  Mashing them is als really great for kids who may not like to try new foods.   Roasting the green beans brings out the sweetness in them that you don’t get when the beans are boiled.  This is my favorite way to have green beans now.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 

5 large sweet potatoes

Juice of 1 large orange

1/4 cup of butter (you can sub apple juice or veggie broth to make this lower fat)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

salt to taste

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 inch cubes.  Add them to the pot and cook for about 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.  Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.  Add in the remaining ingredients and mashed the sweet potatoes until you reach the consistency that you like.  If they are little dry just add more liquid a little at a time.

Roasted Green Beans

 

6 cups of fresh green beans trimmed

2 TBSP Canola Oil

2 TBSP Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 425.  Toss the green beans, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper on a large baking sheet.  Try not over crowd the pan, you may have to use 2 pans if your pans are smaller.  Roast the green beans for about 10 minutes.

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Christmas Menu

Christmas

 

Merry Christmas!  Here are some recipes that I am planning on making for Christmas.  This year I am keeping the menu simple and some what traditional.  We will not have all of our extended family this year so it should be a quiet Christmas. I hope you all have a very happy holiday.

 

Christmas Eve Dinner Menu:

Caramelized onion and olive tart

mashed potatoes and gravy

roasted veggies

cranberry sauce

Egg Nog Cheesecake From Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

 

 

Christmas

 

 

Caramelized Onion and Olive Tart

1/2 recipe for pie crust (below)

1 package firm tofu drained and pressed

1 clove of garlic finely minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 TBSP Italian Seasoning

1/4 Cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1 medium onion sliced

1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives

 

Pie Crust (makes 2 crusts)

2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 tsp of salt

1 Tbls of sugar

8 Tbsp of butter

6 Tbsp of non hydrogenated shortening

1/2 Cup of ice cold water

 

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add in the butter and shortening.  Pulse until the butter and shortening are coarsely combined with the flour.  There should still be some small pieces.  Slowly add the water with the processor running until the dough comes together.  Remove the dough, divide it in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 375.  After the dough has chilled, roll it out and press it into a tart pan or a 9 inch pie pan and cover it with parchment.  Put in pie weights or fill the shell with dry beans to keep the crust from puffing up while it is baking.Bake the crust for about 10 minutes then set it aside to cool.

In a large bowl mash together the tofu, garlic, lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and italian seasoning.  Let it sit while you cook the onions.

Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil in a sauce pan and add the onion.  Cook the onion for about 30-45 minutes until it has caramelized adding more water as needed to keep it from sticking.

Put the tofu mixture into the pit shell and top it with the caramelized onion and olives.  Bake it for another 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil.  Boil for about 20 minutes.  Transfer it to a bowl and let cool.

 

 

 

Christmas Brunch Menu:

fruit and granola bake

Sausage and cheddar tofu frittata

hash browns

 

 

 

Fruit and Granola Bake

6 cups of frozen fruit – I like to use mixed berries, but just use your favorite

1/2 cups sugar

3 cups of granola

Preheat the oven to 375.  Put the fruit and the sugar into a casserole dish and mix it together.  Top it with the granola.  Bake it for about 20-25 minutes until it is nice and bubbly.  I like to serve it with non dairy yogurt,  but it is great with ice cream too.

 

 

 

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