Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Nachos Ⓥ

Vegan Nachos for dinner?! Why the hell not? That's what me and hubby thought the other night anyways. It was super delicious, and of course I instagramed it ;p and was asked for the recipe, so I though to myself what a great idea for this week's sunday recipe post. :) 

So, vegan nachos, in all their cheesy dreamy delicious glory. Make them for supper like we did, or make them to snack on or to share with friends. Either way, you win with this yummy platter! 

Vegan Nachos

1/2 pound Tofu (anything from soft to firm works great)

1 Tbsp Tamari (wheat-free)

1/4 tsp each of these spices: Black Pepper, Cumin, ground Mustard

1/2 tsp Turmeric and Chili Powder

1/2 Tbsp Parsley

touch of oil or water*

1 Green Pepper

Sundried Tomatoes

2 Garlic Cloves

Daiya Cheese (or whatever your favourite vegan cheese may be)

Que Pasa Tortilla Chips

*I don't like cooking with oil if I can avoid it, so I use eco-friendly non-stick pans (never use carcinogenic awful teflon!) and a splash of water to prevent sticking--works great, no oil! 

Crumble your tofu and mince your garlic. Toss into a frying pan, and, on medium-high heat, sauté in tamari and spices until the tofu browns and absorbs all that delicious flavour, stirring fairly frequently to avoid sticking. Usually takes about 5-7 minutes.

Dice up your green pepper and add to your tofu mix for a minute or two. 

Preheat oven to 300℉.

Sprinkle a tray (or oven-safe plates*) with as much tortilla chips as you're hungry for. 

(* If you're making this for to snack on, to share, etc. then use an oven tray or something you can use once they're out of the oven. If you're making this for dinner then I prefer to make individual plates--because it's less messy and you just have your serving and can choose how much of everything you want. Just don't touch the hot plates when they come out of the oven (ouch!).)

Top your tortilla chips with your tofu mixture, sprinkle some sun-dried tomatoes on top along with however much daiya cheese you would like. 

Pop in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and bubble. 

Serve! And remember to be careful with hot plates! ;o

Makes 2 dinner servings or a lovely sharing plate with friends.   

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Happy Thanksgiving! Ⓥ

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, so… Happy Thanksgiving Canada! :) 

With my family being a sick we didn't get to do a thanksgiving dinner together, but my hubby and I hosted a Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck at our place with my brother and good friend Tam. Vegan potlucks are the best thanksgivings ever, or for any traditional festive meal. 

[silly face photo reel... life's not complete without one ;)]

Cory made a quinoa kale salad. And I roasted up red kuri squash, parsnips, carrots, and garlic from our garden--and added some sweet potato in there as well. I also made tofu balls and vegan gravy--my usual go-tos for  dinners such as these. Everyone always loves the food, vegan or not, so why the hell not? Beats some poor murdered turkey any day. 

For dessert Tam made the most amazing Lemon poppyseed quinoa flour cake! Sooooo good! 

We stuffed ourselves full of amazing food and enjoyed some great company. All in all, thanksgiving was lovely. :) 

If you're looking for your own ideas for a vegan festive dinner then be sure to check out my other post with suggestions and recipes as well: Holiday Feast. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Show gratitude wherever you are, you don't need an excuse to give thanks. 

[how many times can I repeat the exact same big goofy smile? Thiiiiss many!]

So, what are you grateful for? How did you spend Thanksgiving--or how do you plan on spending it if you're not in Canada? What are your favourite vegan festive meals? 

Create a nice day!! Much Love and gratitude! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Raw Vegan Potluck! Ⓥ

 
My siblings and I finally were able to get together to have our mini little "Christmas" which I enjoyed more as a welcoming in the New Year. We decided to have a Raw Potluck instead of something more "traditional" and I was extremely happy about it as I haven't been to a Raw potluck yet. I've been wanting to move into a more raw diet for some time now and yesterday was, at least, easily made into a Raw food day. After the potluck though I am much more enthusiastic about a raw diet and that it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice. Let me tell you, the food was amazing! I was ecstatic! 

It was also funny because the boys are the ones that ended up doing all the "cooking"… well, making of the food (since raw food is not cooked ;)). Cory made his Juice Pulp Burgers in the dehydrator, and some Garlic Mashed "Potatoes" which was actually processed Cauliflower. He followed the recipe I gave him from one of my Mom's Raw Recipe books, but it ended up being suuuuper Garlicky. I always forget how much stronger raw garlic is, especially when it's local and organic. I'm going to play with the recipe to find out the perfect amount, but aside from the overwhelming sting-your-tongue garlic flavour, the texture and fluffiness was perfect and delicious! 

My brother Max made Zucchini Pasta and an amazing Tomato Sauce. 

And Scott, my sister Isis's partner, made a delicious Kale and Broccoli "Fettucini" cashew sauce. 

I have to say again and again how amazing the food was because I simply can't find the words to tell you just how awesome it was. Like I said, I am now much more hopeful that I could actually move to a mainly raw diet. And I encourage you to give it a try as well. Both my siblings have the "Rawsome"  recipe book--which I am now going to pick up--and I have one of Ani Phyo's Raw Books which is amazing as well. These are two of my recommendations for recipe books to pick up but I am sure I will find many more to recommend to you. :) 

Hope you're all having a lovely Sunday! xo

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Holiday Feast Ⓥ

 Okay, so I know this is a bit late since Thanksgiving and Christmas have already passed, however I figure for all those other holiday meals that like to pop up throughout the year this would be useful for you to have anyway. well

When it comes to having a Vegan Holiday Feast, many of us aren't quite sure where to start, especially if you're new to the vegan world. This is to give you some ideas, some of my favourites, and how to make sure your guests will enjoy the meal as--because, hey, vegan food is amazing and it's nice to prove people wrong! ;) 

Replacing the essentials...

Vegan Gravy (recipe here)

Vegan Stuffing: Aside from the thought of anything cooking inside a turkey's privates sounding absolutely revolting, vegan replacements are far healthier and tastier (in my personal opinion). Even back before I was vegan and a carnivorous junky, my mother made this dish Not inside a turkey's butt and it was delicious. All you really need are breadcrumbs, spices, and vegetable broth and it tastes just like any other stuffing. You can even find gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep it gluten-free or flavour a Rice dish with stuffing spices. The Recipe here is great.
Or for something a little different try "Rice Stuffing" Recipe here. 

One of my favourite items to make and serve for any Holiday Feast is a Roast. Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, squash, whatever root vegetables you'd like!
Recipe here: Root Vegetable Roast!

You could also make Mashed Potatoes or yams ,or Roasted Squash. 

Tofurky is a lovely turkey replacement. However, if you're allergic to wheat or gluten, like me, then this is not a good option. My favourite thing to make are Tofu Balls (recipe here), and everyone always loves them, I haven't heard anyone not like them yet. 

If you want something non-traditional, I love making Mac 'n' Shews, the most amazing vegan macaroni and cheese recipe ever! 

A Cauliflower bake is another wonderful addition to a Holiday Feast. I'll share a recipe soon from a friend of mine that she made at a potluck back for Thanksgiving. And any other veggie dish is always lovely, and healthy of course!

Really, though, it is not hard to have a Vegan Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any other feast. You don't have to sacrifice anything, you won't feel as if you're missing out on that turkey or any other meat once you try a vegan feast. Give it a try and you'll fall in love with a vegan lifestyle as I have! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Our Thanksgiving Potluck! Ⓥ

So it's Sunday which is usually Recipe day however it's late in the day and I am busy cooking myself dinner--but allowing myself a short distraction--however I won't leave you without at least a peak into my vegan kitchen this beautiful Sunday day ;). 

Last weekend Cory and I hosted a Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck at our place with some close friends. It was an awesome way to enjoy a fabulous vegan thanksgiving--with half the work! In fact, I think it was my favorite Thanksgiving to date! Everyone made a delicious dish that was both Vegan and gluten-free and I can't put into words just how amazing everyone's dish was. Potlucks are such a fun way to try new food and recipes and get people creative and thinking vegan if they don't already. Yes, my vegan master plan is revealed (insert evil maniacal laughter here). But in all seriousness, it was fantastic... no wait, no being serious! Life is too awesome! It was fabulous and wonderful and filled with laughter, smiles, and silliness! The food was delicious and the company fantastic! What was not to love?! Plus I spent all of that day dancing around to pop music while cleaning and cooking. A perfect day. But enough talk, here's some visual stimulation for you to drool over...

My Macaroni & Cauliflower Cashew-cheez (recipe here!) and Tofu Balls (recipe here!) with a gravy sauce! 

 Talia's Cauliflower Bake with lemon juice dressing and capers! and Max's Mashed Yam Potatoes!

Tam's Roasted Squash with maple syrup dressing! 

My lovely friend Bridget also brought a yummy carrot salad but she was a bit late arriving and I never got a picture. But you can take my word for it, it looked and tasted fantastic! As did everything! 

And for dessert, that yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie I posted the recipe for last week! ;) 

Look at that beautiful plate!! There was such a variety and diversity of flavors that complimented each other perfectly--and there was no planning involved! So good! 

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