Category: recipe

Lentil Loaf Sandwich

Posted by miss alix – 13 Oct ’11

Hello! I’m back with more lentil loaf. This second recipe is even more flavorful than the last lentil loaf recipe. It doesn’t have the chewiness, but instead has a grainier texture. We ate this loaf in sandwiches, which worked out great as they were tasty and filling; perfect for a picnic lunch.

So without further ado, here is the recipe:

Vegan Lentil Loaf – take two

  • 2 cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups whole wheat couscous
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp arrowroot
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 375°

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl mashing the lentils as you go. Make sure you mix everything really well.

Put into a lightly oiled loaf pan and brush the top with ketchup.

Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Easy!

lentil loaf

Posted by miss alix – 10 Oct ’11

lentil loaf

As soon as the weather cools I find myself drawn to the kitchen to make wholesome foods. With all the wonderful fall flavors to experiment with, I generally find myself making sweet desserts: pumpkin loaves and apple pies. This year though, I’ve been fantasizing about savory fare like potato topped, vegetable pies and seitan with gravy.

This weekend was full of projects and hard work which left little time for fun in the kitchen, let alone trips to the grocery store. Instead I cooked up 2 lentil loaves using the dregs of our pantry and leftovers in the fridge. While that might sound unappetizing, that is the simple beauty of a lentil loaf. You can throw nearly anything in there and it can still turn out delicious.

While I often include some veggies in our lentil loaves, this one is pure faux-meaty goodness. It’s moist and a little bit chewy, with a tiny bit of spicy here and there. We had it with some almond gravy, but it would be wonderful with some simple brown gravy as well (in fact, it doesn’t even need the gravy, but I like gravy and will eat it at any opportunity I get).

I made two completely different recipes, so today I’ll share the the first and once we try the second I’ll post it as well.

Vegan Lentil Loaf

  • 2 cups cooked lentils
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for topping
  • 1/4 cup bbq sauce
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth

Preheat your oven to 375°

Heat a bit of oil in a small pan and saute the onions and garlic until soft and fragrant.

Mix all ingredients, minus the wheat gluten and veggie broth in a bowl. I like to use potato masher to smoosh (yes, that’s a technical term) some of the lentils. Mix together until you have a consistent mush.

Add in the vital wheat gluten and vegetable broth and knead together until it becomes slightly elastic. Press the dough into a greased loaf pan. Brush the top with ketchup to cover it.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.


fried green tomatoes

Posted by miss alix – 12 Sep ’11

green tomatoes
green tomatoes
fried green tomatoes

Finally made some fried green tomatoes before summer has ended. Although, here Los Angeles, it feels like it’s just begun. For all intents and purposes, I followed this recipe, although I was pretty loose on that. I’ve never actually had fried green tomatoes before, but I enjoyed these quite a bit. What’s not to love about breaded & fried vegetables?

Been making a few special meals here and there, but nothing profound. Just tasty combinations of things. As it starts to cool down, I know I’ll bee in the kitchen more and sharing various dishes.

cats & cookies

Posted by miss alix – 23 May ’11

cookies

More free time around here means more treats. Like cookies. Big fat cookies to celebrate a new camera in our household. Happiest of days. That means there will be more photos here on the blog. Hooray!

But let’s get back to the cookies… More→

fresh bread

Posted by miss alix – 18 May ’11

bread!

Making bread is one of those things that I wish I did more often. It’s really so simple and so rewarding, and yet I never make the time to do it. Perhaps because the process of rising and waiting seems so much harder than it actually is.

This weekend I made a few loaves using this recipe and I dare say they turned out perfectly. More→

mint infused vodka

Posted by miss alix – 15 May ’11

mint_vodka

I can’t tell you how happy I am for this Sunday. Things have been a little too hectic around here for too many months now. I’ve been busy working on a secret project and waking up this morning with nothing to do until the afternoon was just heavenly.

That being said, I can’t seem to just relax and do nothing for very long. Not my style. I found myself looking in the kitchen for simple projects to work on. Trying to keep it relaxed though, I pulled out some leftover mint and tried my hand at making infused vodka. More→

chocolate chip banana muffins

Posted by miss alix – 3 Mar ’11

This next post is from Nicole, a friend and vegan blogger who I was able to meet last year when she was visiting Los Angeles. She’s a great girl and not only does she cook  up some tasty vegan food, she also takes amazing photos. Luckily she’s kind enough to share a recipe with us. It looks delicious. More→

Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini

Posted by miss alix – 25 Feb ’11

Next up in our set of guest posts for the week is brought to you from Kim Garr of C’est la Vegan. She is the talented baker behind C’est la V Bakeshop, here in Los Angeles. She comes up with some really great recipes, especially some of her treats for entertaining. My mother enlisted her to do make scones and biscuits for my bridal tea. Kim is sweet woman and I’m so pleased to be able to share one of her recipes here.

I’m such a huge fan of Cute and Delicious, and I’m so excited to be doing a guest post while Alix and Shawn enjoy their honeymoon!

I actually used the idea of a honeymoon as my inspiration for this dish, hoping to come up with something that would make for a really decadent breakfast in bed.  I think this Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini with Raspberry Dipping Sauce fits the bill nicely, though I would gladly eat this any time of day – honeymoon or not!

This is actually very simple to make, and if you don’t have access to vegan ricemellow or marshmallows, you could substitute peanut butter instead, or just do a plain chocolate panini sandwich, which would still be really delicious.  The Raspberry Dipping Sauce is easy to make, and the tartness of the raspberries really helps to cut the sweetness of the sandwich.

This ooey, gooey treat is so incredible, and I’ll definitely make it again.  It kinds of feels like a special occasion sandwich to me, but let’s be honest, I could easily count a movie night as a special occasion!  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini with Raspberry Dipping Sauce

serves 2

Wash the raspberries and place them in a small saucepan over medium heat with the agave nectar (you can start with less agave and add more, depending on the sweetness of your berries).  Once you start to hear sizzling, stir the berries and start to break them up with a fork.  Turn the heat down, and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Heat your panini press or a large skillet.  Spread the margarine on the outsides of the slices of bread, or melt it in the pan if you don’t have a panini press.  Turn the bread over, and on the inside of each slice, spread 1-2 tablespoons of the ricemellow creme evenly over the bread.  Spread the chocolate chips over the ricemellow creme, and press the two sides together with the Earth Balance on the outside.  Place the sandwich in the panini press, and cook until the chocolate is melted.

Serve with the warm raspberry dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Moments in Ireland

Posted by miss alix – 22 Feb ’11

As our first guest post, I bring some photos, writing and even a recipe from Sara Lynn Paige of Simply Stardust. She is an amazingly talented photographer who herself just got hitched last October. Not to mention, she just recently went vegan. Make sure to pop over to her blog to see some lovely photos and get a glimpse of her life in Toronto.  So without further ado, here’s Sara! More→

Creamiest Tomato Soup with cashews

Posted by miss alix – 6 Jan ’11

When the weather gets cold, I love a rich, creamy bowl of soup. Who doesn’t? It’s the best. My favorite is tomato soup, but I have to admit, I’m a little picky about it. I like my tomato soup thick and creamy. It shouldn’t have chunks and it shouldn’t be brothy.

I finally decided to try and make my own tomato soup, it seemed only logical. I was blown away by not only how easy it was to make but how amazingly flavorful it was. Since it is nearly as easy as heating up a can of soup, and about 10 thousand times better, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating pre-made soup again.

IMG_2196
Creamy tomato soup approved by Shawn Bannon.

The key to making it so rich and creamy was cashews. I considered using some sort of soy creamer but knew it wouldn’t give it the right density or the subtle nuttiness.

please sir, may i have some more

I most definitely had seconds (and thirds). It was hearty enough to eat on it’s own, but since I ate it a few nights in a row, we also had some kale and roasted butternut squash to go along with it.

Creamy Tomato Soup

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp Earth Balance
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend together your cashews and vegetable broth until smooth. Pour into a separate container and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance. Add the onions and saute for about 2-3 minutes. As they begin to become fragrant, add in the garlic and saute until your onions are soft and translucent, stirring as not to burn. Add in your tomatoes, including any liquid in the can. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before pouring into your food processor. Blend until combined and not chunky. Add in the nutritional yeast and pulse to combine. Add in the cashew mixture and blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and pulse a few times.

It will be fairly thick, so if you like a less robust soup, add more vegetable broth.

Happy 2011 (and a waffle sandwich)

Posted by miss alix – 31 Dec ’10

My dearest readers, it is almost 2011. Can you believe it? I certainly can’t.

This year has been crazy. It’s been rough at times and some of the best things ever have happened as well.

I really can’t wait for 2011. I can’t wait for our wedding and all the new experiences we will have.

On the last day of the year we celebrated by rearranging our whole apartment. I’m rather happy about it.

And we made waffle sandwiches.

new waffle iron

We received a fancy little waffle maker for Christmas. It had to get broken in immediately.

makin waffles

So we had waffles for breakfast. We made the Chelsea Waffles from Vegan Brunch and of course there were more than we could eat so we saved a few for later.

After we were hungry from moving all our furniture, I grilled up some apple field roast sausage and some slabs of tofu. Shawn made an amazing cheezy sauce. We piled it all together and devoured it. Definitely amazing. Delicious and amazing.

Tonight I’m looking forward to celebrating with some dear friends. My resolution this year is to be more magical. I think that’s what my life needs.

Happy New Year!

xoxo

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Posted by miss alix – 21 Dec ’10

Hello my dears. It’s nearly Christmas and I’m bringing you another cookie recipe for the holiday. This is the most festive of the bunch for sure. While there were a few more in my agenda, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed and unable to make all I set out to. These cookies should totally make up for that though.

candy cane massacre

One of the most fun parts of making these is decorating with crushed candy canes. Not only do you get to take your holiday frustration out on some candy canes in pulverizing them (I used a hammer), but they make the cookies look like pink shiny snowy Christmas cookies. I love it.

The cookies are crunchy and rich. The peppermint is refreshing especially paired with the sweet chocolate. The original recipe used white chocolate but I much prefer dark chocolate, so I went with that.

chocolate peppermint cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

adapted from Martha Stewart, found here

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/8 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 Tbsp Earth Balance
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp warm water + 1 tsp egg replacer whipped together until frothy
  • 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
  • 4 crushed candy canes or 15 or so peppermint candies
  • 1 lb chopped dark chocolate

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda & powder and salt, then set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat together the Earth Balance and sugar. Gradually add the water and egg replace mixture and continue to beat until well combined. Add in peppermint extract and continue to beat. Add in the flour mixture a little at a time and beat until the dough just comes together. Shape into two disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least and hour.

Preheat oven to 325° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough into until it is 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2″ cookie cutter to cut cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Cool in the freezer for 15 minutes and then bake until crispy, about 12 minutes. Move parchment with cookies on it to a cooling rack and let cool.

Using a double boiler or a bowl set on top of a pot of water, melt your chocolate. Once it is smooth, let sit on stove so that it cools enough to not burn you, but remains soft. Sift your crushed candy canes into a fine powder and separate chunks. Set aside both to decorate. If it is particularly humid, you may have to sift the powdered peppermints again.

Dip the tops of each cookie in your melted chocolate making sure the entire top is covered, but tapping off any excess. I found this was easiest to do with my fingers, but be careful if your chocolate is still hot. It cold easily be done with a fork or tongs (chopsticks?). Sprinkle the crushed peppermint chunks on half and the peppermint powder on the other. Let set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Best eaten within the next day.

For more holiday cookie ideas, check out the recipes for these Molasses Sandwich Cookies.

Or try your hand at these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies.

There are these delicious Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies.

Adorable, sweet Lemon Icebox Cookies.

Or the awesome Espresso Bean Shortbreads.

Happy Baking!