LightLife Bowls, Use-What-You-Have-Casserole, Vegan Thumb Print Cookies

Before I get into a few other finds from yesterday I forgot to mention this Southwestern Quinoa & Black Bean Bowl I found at Wegman's a few weeks ago.  It was fairly good.  I would probably buy it again when and if it's ever on sale.

One of the items I grabbed while at Mustard Seed Market yesterday were these Vegan Thumb Print Cookies!  They came in a 3-pack and were tasty.  They used a whole wheat based flour.  I also bought some Chocolate Cookies and will be sharing those with you in a couple of days!  I decided to treat myself because I don't often have vegan cookies.  One - because I don't bake, Two - because they aren't often found in my area.  And Three - I don't have that much of a sweet tooth that I crave them that often.

Here is a Casserole I threw together based on what I had on-hand.  I threw everything in a glass dish and baked it for about an hour at 375.  I used 2 C Kamut Pasta, 1 small can of tomato sauce, 1 C water, 1/4-1/2 small bag of frozen tater tots, Crushed Corn Chips to layer, 1/2 bag of frozen veggies (I used peas, carrots, corn, green beans), 1/2 can chickpeas, 1/2 Jar of salsa, and 2 handfuls of vegan shredded cheese (I used Daiya Pepper Jack).  Talk about COMFORT FOOD...this was FAB!  And I'm pretty proud of myself...I didn't even use any additional spices!

Tater Tots & Fiats!

Happy Friday!  Last night I literally threw this Tater Tot Casserole together!

I started with Spinach, Chickpeas, and Carrots.  I made a mild cheesy sauce with Almond/Coconut Milk, Earth Balance, and left over Egg Trick Seasoning (the recipe for that is from The Vegan Zombie Cookbook).  I then topped it with baked Tater Tots.  Next step - I covered it in leftover vegan cheese sauce I made with a combo of almond milk, Daiya Cheese, and spices.  Then I sprinkled Wildtree Taco Seasoning and Hemp Seeds over it!  This was pretty amazing if I do say so myself!  I think I just might have to make more of these!  Oh!  And I didn't bake this casserole either...stovetop!

Earlier this week I blogged about the Fiat Meet Up from last weekend but I nearly forgot to post these photos so here they are!

I really wanted to post these because you can see our new orange graphics and rims!

Yup!  That is our Abarth on the right!  I just LOVE the orange color!

We might adjust and/change the back a bit in the near future tho!

In case you missed the previous post - this was the Western NY - Southern Ontario Fiat Club and we went to the Grand Opening of the Erie, PA, Fiat and Alfa Romeo Dealership!

Here's another look at some of what we did with the graphics and rims!

We have the rims done first at a local tire store - they did a great job!

We had the graphics done locally, too, and I do like the sides the best out of everything!

We have a few things we hope to do in the near future with the club - one being European Car Day in Clarence, NY.  We may try to get to Pittsburgh for Fiat Freakout if we are able to for the weekend part of the meet up.

This weekend will be a Wildtree Weekend!  We will be at Chapman Dam State Park. 

Fake Meats, Vegan Casseroles, Awesome Vegan Buffalo Sauce, Smoothies, Apple Adventures

As many of you know...I'm NOT generally a fan of "Fake Meats".  Mostly because I was never a fan of "Real Meats" to begin with.  For me...the transition to Vegetarian was the EASIEST thing I have EVER done.  Many people don't believe me when I say that I never liked "meat" from the start.  But that is another story for a different day.  Another reason I don't usually like meat alternatives is because they are usually too salty for my taste.  I tend to 'eventually' try products from time to time more-so to be social or convenient - for example - while camping.  But I saw this Soyrizo which is Melissa's Brand and it was on sale for a really good price and I had not seen it anywhere else so I thought I would grab it.  I ended up making a few things with it.  

 

First...I made this in my skillet on the stove top.  I combined The Soyrizo (cooked) with some Frozen Kale, Canned Diced Tomatoes, and Onion and Garlic.  

Because I made up all of the Soyrizo at once this made a HUGE amount of this.  So...I used this as my base, really.  I started out eating this as a "side" as-is.  Then I THOUGHT to use it as a 'stuffing' for Acorn/Butternut Squash and I should have (instead I used it in a FAILED attempt in Squash/Apple Soup!)

But THEN...I took what I had left and added just a little bit of Spiral/Elbow Pasta (about a cup) and cooked that up and added it to the mix.  I then baked it in the oven but not before I was done adding a few more things to the top of this Casserole!  I topped it with Vegan Bread Crumbs AND just a very little bit of Daiya Shredded Cheddar.

I have to say...this turned out REALLY REALLY GOOD!  I was quite surprised!  It had a Mexican or Spanish type flavor to it already and then with the additions it made a very hardy meal as well as a nice comfort food!

Speaking of my Soup FAIL here is a photo of it.  It looks harmless enough, doesn't it?  Either Soups with Apple in them are NOT my forte and/or I am just NOT a fan of sweet/fruity soups!  Either or Both could certainly be the case!

This had Onion, Garlic, 1 Apple, 2 Small Butternut Squash(s), a bit of Thyme, Nutmeg, Almond Milk, Black Pepper, etc in it.  I won't bore you with the actual recipe because it won't be something I will do again nor is it something I would suggest! LOL

Because I had to do QUICK foods last week and didn't want to buy a lot of additional produced - not only because I wanted to finish up what I had on hand - but also because we were 'here, there, and every where' - I didn't want it to go to waste if we were not going to be around.

Because I have been making White Rice and Jasmine Rice so much for Hubby I decided to eat it, too!

I found some Sun Dried Tomatoes with Garlic in a glass Jar at one of our discount stores and thought I would give them a whirl.  The flavor is WONDERFUL and so I thought I would try a tablespoon or two mixed in with the white rice.  It complemented it NICELY!

 

 I know, I know...TWO Fake Meats in the same posts!    Well I actually had these a while back.  They are Wegman's Brand and are VEGAN Chicken Nuggets of sorts.  I've now tried them baked as well as in Grapeseed Oil in a skillet (fried).  I think I prefer baked but both ways are fairly good!  They're made of soy protein, spices, wheat gluten, grains, various veggie fibers, wheat flour and rice flour.  It does have canola oil in it but not as bad as some alternative meat products.  They are high is protein and fiber and fairly low in sodium considering the packaged/fake meat thought behind it.

My FAVORITE part of making these was the sauce I made.  And the reason I am posting about them on my blog!  It's my Vegan Version of Buffalo Sauce and I am totally LOVING IT and think it will be my go-to Buffalo Sauce Recipe from now on!

2/3 C Frank's Hot Sauce

2 T Earth Balance

1/4 tea Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (I used Wizards)

1/4 tea Cayenne 

1/4 tea Garlic Powder

Dab of Balsamic (not very much at all maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tea)

AND...FINALLY...a Smoothie Recipe for you!

This is the SWEETEST Smoothie I have EVER tasted.  I prefer them toned down a bit but enjoyed the attempt.  I will know for next time NOT to go as hardcore with everything, I guess!  

I used...

1 C Strawberry Banana Soymilk

1 Scoop Garden of Life's Perfect Food RAW - Apple

2 T Apple Sauce

Ice to taste/consistency 

 

Again...this is SUPER Sweet!  I ended up finishing it and my mind was STILL focused on the dreaded BANANA that was in the Soymilk!  HA!  The Apple was nice but next time I will do it GREENER.  I was thinking about using the Apple Flavor from GoL with some Apple Sauce and Cinnamon and doing some sort of "cookie" in my Dehydrator!  So many thoughts...so little time!

 

Swedish Green Beans w/ Garlic & Herbs AND Cauliflower Chickpea Casserole & Sandwich Filling

Last night I got a little creative in the kitchen again - based on what I had ON HAND.  I still didn't make it to the stores and produce stands in our area.  I know, I know...shame on me!  BUT...I did get a bunch of stuff done around the house which was nice!  Above you will see one of the side I made which is Swedish Inspired!  It's Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs!  Really quick and easy with a bit of a different flavor.

2 C Frozen Green Beans
3 to 4 Cloves Garlic

Splash of Grapeseed Oil (for Pan Frying) - I used Wildtree Garlic Dipping 

Salt & Pepper to taste - I used Wildtree California Garlic Pepper to taste

Handful of Vegan Bread Crumbs

1 T Parsley

1 tea Thyme

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Next...I wanted to make a sandwich filling for my lunches this week but didn't have a lot on hand.  Based on what I DID have on hand I made this lil gem with my handy Ninja Blenders on the 'assist'!  It ended up working well as a casserole to eat as-is but it also was very tasty as a filling for sandwiches and/or wraps or pitas.  The recipe I drew inspiration from featured broccoli but I didn't have any so I used Cauliflower.  There were other ingredients I didn't have on-hand based on that original recipe so I strayed from it quite a bit.  I was very pleased with the outcome, tho!  Check it out!  Here is what's in it:

2 C Chickpeas

1 Pound Frozen Cauliflower

5 Carrots

2 Handfuls of Chives

1 C Vegan Bread Crumbs

1 C Water

2+ T Grapeseed Oil

1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore

To Taste Wildtree California Garlic Pepper

I 'cooked' the carrots and chickpeas prior and once combined and heated briefly I baked at 350 for about 45 minutes.  On a small portion of this I added a little Vegan Cheese just for kicks.  I sampled a bit of the plain one last night and loved it as a casserole.  I added it to flatbread/sandwich bread for lunch today and thought it was super tasty that way, too.  Tonight or tomorrow I might try a bit with the vegan cheese.  I am very excited about this one!  YUM!

Cheesy Veggie Rice Casserole

 Above you will see this casserole being assembled - before baking - without the 'sauce'.

In the above you will see:
Broccoli
Yellow & Red Bell Peppers
Celery
Chickpeas
Basmati Rice
Slivered Almonds

(tossed in some Wildtree Onion & Chive and Garlic Galore)

Here you can see it after I combined everything and baked it.

What I did for the 'cheesy sauce' was the following...

1 1/4 C Soy Milk
1/2 C Nutritional Yeast
2-3 teas Cornstarch
Splash of Lemon Juice
1 teas Wildtree Onion & Chive Blend
Squirt of Mustard
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 T Tahini
Wildtree Lemon Pepper to Taste

I made this to lunches and will certainly try it this way - be itself - first - but might add some or all of the following for the left overs or future batches:

Tofu
Tempeh Bacon
Crumbles
Corn and/or Peas

I was also thinking about using as a filling for pitas and wraps, possibly.