A New You Giveaway

Contest is now Closed but enjoy the recipes posted below~
Congratulations to our 2 Winners~
Nicole G and Dezi S
We hope you enjoy your prizes and can't wait to see the yummy things you make with them.

Happy Happy Happy New Year!!!

We are a day away from a New Year.  Along with a New Year normally comes resolutions for health, weight loss, exercise...you pretty much know the routine. Generally we start off like a rocket and then fizzle in the atmosphere like a sparkler.  It seems that most people start off with the notion of making these things into a good habit but right when that seems to happen, they cheat a bit at Uncle Al's birthday party, or they celebrate with friends and decide that an extra two glasses of champagne is no big deal or...or...or...

Sadly sometimes, people just don't know where to get their healthy option foods from because the health food store is so far away, their market doesn't carry many health food selections, gluten free or vegan options or it's simply not convenient enough.  It seems the recipes are there but the time to shop simply isn't.

Well do I have an option for you.  Online shopping...
And just to kick you off right for the New Year, Edward & Sons (Tm) Trading Post has offered a GIVEAWAY for TWO (that's right...TWO) of my followers. Not only is Edward & Sons a great way to get Vegan and Gluten-Free items shipped right to your front door, but the vegan items are plentiful and it's sure to take the excuses of "I just can't find that item anywhere" away. Another thing I love about Edward & Sons is their recipes and blogger section.  You'll have countless recipes at your finger tips and the means to order the products instantly. 

So who said anyhow that nothing is Free?  It's obvious they aren't familiar with Edward & Sons Trading Post or MyDeliciousVeganDiary right?!
So enjoy this delicious package from us to you and spend this New Year with a New attitude, new approach to health and a New You.  Come on...YOU deserve it!

Ps.  You'll love the recipes I have below.  They are some of my favorite simple and quick meals using Teriyaki Sauce.

Here's the Giveaway that will come right to your door! 

Here's the Link to Edward & Sons...

http://edwardandsons.com/

You'll most definitely want to check them out.

 RECIPES~

Teriyaki Thai Cabbage Salad

http://www.mydeliciousvegandiary.blogspot.com/2013/02/teriyaki-thai-cabbage-salad.html

Fried Teriyaki Tofu

 

http://www.mydeliciousvegandiary.blogspot.com/2013/02/fried-teriyaki-tofu.html

http://www.mydeliciousvegandiary.blogspot.com/2013/11/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Contest begins on Jan 31st.

HOW TO ENTER
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches

 There is nothing better than freshly made roasted red peppers.  Even better, are roasted red peppers in a sandwich.  But when you need a super quick meal, it's always nice to have a jar of roasted red peppers on hand to make a super quick and easy and oh so tasty meal.  Try it, you'll like it.  No, you'll probably love it!

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches
Garlic powder
Daiya Provolone Style Slices
Roasted Red Peppers, if canned, drained for about 5 minutes
Flatbread or your favorite bread

 

Lay out your flat bread. Layer with roasted red peppers. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder.

 

Layer the top with Daiya Slices. Add another flatbread on top.

 

On a grill or pannini maker, cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.  Let cool slightly and slice into pieces.

 Roll 'em and eat 'em.  The end. 

Of course it's only the end until you make another, and another...you get the point. Yum!

 

 

Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I love peppermint at Christmas and also into the New Year.  It's one flavor that can be made all year but when you taste it, you automatically think about Cherished Christmas Memories. At leasat I do and perhaps that is why I love eating these cookies and hanging onto each and every Christmas thought that I keep near and dear as I savour eat bite. 

Then you take another bite of these cookies and evil crosses your mind.  Is Christmas the time to share...really?

Or maybe, just maybe, if no one knows that I've baked these cookies, they'll never miss them.  But oh, they are so good. (This will be the moment that you'll decide on making batch two of cookies.  One to eat, and one to share.) 

And if you share these, you will be the favorite food gift giver of the year...and you'll Rock! So go ahead and ...bake away!

***

Vegan Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick vegan butter

1/4 c vegan shortening

1 1/4 c brown sugar, packed

2 heaping Tbs Coconut Milk from can (open can and refrigerate uncovered overnight. Use the thick top portion of the can)

1 Tbs vanilla

1 Tbs egg replacer powder (I used Ener-g)

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

1 c vegan chocolate chips

1/3 c crushed peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend butter, shortening, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add milk, vanilla, egg replacer powder, salt and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, just until mixed. Stir in Chips and candies and spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until the edges are starting to brown, about 9 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer to finish cooling on a paper towel. Eat.

 

If you are willing to share, these make great homemade gifts. 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

 

Pumpkin Swirl Macadamia Cheesecake

I love the holidays.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years are just a few of those days when it's fun to break out all the fall recipes and start baking. And it's also a fun time of the year for creating. Here is a recipe I made for Thanksgiving to take to my parents home and I love that not only was it so delicious but that it was so easy to transport too. Now that's my kind of dessert. I hope you like it as much as my family and I loved it too.

 

 

Pumpkin Swirl Macadamia Cheesecake

Recipe~

( Broken down into sections)

Crust~

2 c. Pecans (but feel free to use your favorite nut meat. I envision a wonderful macadamia nut crust in the future too.)

1 tsp ginger powder

15 dates

Food process nuts and ginger powder until chopped, but not too fine. Add dates and process until mixture comes together and dates are processed. Pour and press into a greased 8-9 inch spring form pan or two 6 inch greased spring form pans. Set aside.

Filling~

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 c. flour

Over medium heat on stove, melt butter and add flour while stirring constantly. Turn up heat to high and stir while cooking for 4 minutes. Set aside and cool.

2 1/2 c. soaked and drained macadamia nuts (soak overnight and drain)

12.3 oz soft tofu

1 tsp pumpkin spice mix or allspice

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c. agave nectar ( I used the dark nectar)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c. cream from the top of a can of coconut milk ( tip* leave can in fridge, opened overnight for a nice thick cream)

In a food processor, process all ingredients above until nuts are nice a smooth. While processor is still processing, add flour/ butter mixture in and mix until incorporated.

Then add:

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp corn starch

Add baking powder and corn starch to food processor and mix until incorporated.  Pour half of the mixture in a bowl and
Stir in:
7 oz canned pumpkin to that bowl only.

 Pour both plain mixture and pumpkin mixture into prepared crusts or crust.  Using a knife, swirl the pumpkin mixture into the plain mixture being careful not to stir up the crust.

 

 

Then Sprinkle top with mixture of:

1 tbs cinnamon

1tbs sugar

 



 Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees then turn down oven to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until set up and light brown on top. Check center with tooth pic to make sure it's done. Cool.

 

Eat, enjoy and Love!   Happy Baking and Making~

Eggnog Macadamia Cheesecake

Being a new vegan or having an allergy to dairy can make the holidays difficult.  When we are away with a family of non-vegans, traveling or just simply out of ideas, a recipe like this cheesecake can make the un-merry very cheery.  Another wonderful thing about this cheesecake is that it travels well too.   It was delightful to see everyone vegan and non-vegan give this cake a try and to my excitement, it went over really well.  I have to say, not only was I a happy camper but the sauce on this cake was heavenly and almost sinful!

 

This cheesecake really kick started our Christmas spirit and made us want to trim the tree immediately and break out the Silk nog. It's really that Merry.

 

 

 

Eggnog Macadamia Cheesecake~

( Broken down into sections)

Crust~

2 c. Pecans (but feel free to use your favorite nut meat. I envision a wonderful macadamia nut crust in the future too.)

1 tsp ginger powder

15 dates

Food process nuts and ginger powder until chopped, but not too fine. Add dates and process until mixture comes together and dates are processed. Pour and press into a greased 8-9 inch spring form pan or two 6 inch greased spring form pans. Set aside.

Filling~

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 c. flour

Over medium heat on stove, melt butter and add flour while stirring constantly. Turn up heat to high and stir while cooking for 4 minutes. Set aside and cool.
 

Next step:

2 1/2 c. soaked and drained macadamia nuts(soak overnight and drain)

12.3 oz soft tofu

1 Tbs brandy

1 Tbs rum

1 tsp rum extract

2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c. agave nectar ( I used the dark nectar)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c. cream from the top of a can of coconut milk ( tip* leave can in fridge, opened overnight for a nice thick cream)

In a food processor, process all ingredients above until nuts are nice a smooth, about 10 minutes. While processor is still processing, add flour/ butter mixture in and mix until incorporated.
 

 Then add:
1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp corn starch

Add baking powder and corn starch to food processor and mix until incorporated. Pour into prepared crusts.
Sprinkle with a mixture of:
1Tbs nutmeg
1Tbs sugar

   Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees then turn down oven to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until set up and light brown on top. Check center with tooth pic to make sure it's done. Cool.

 

Drizzle~

1/2 c brandy
1/2 c rum

1 cup granulated sugar

To make drizzle, add all ingredients to a pan over the stove and cook over medium heat for about five minutes or until just going from thin to a slightly thickening consistency.   You want this to be on the thicker side, not too wet and not too thick either. Let it cool slightly and drizzle your slices of cheesecake right before eating.

 

 

 This is why I like a smaller cheesecake, because it makes for a taller, prettier cake I think.

 

Here I let the drizzle sit in the pan too long.  But that's okay.  It was crunchy yet still very flavorful, like candy.  Did I mention I'm a candy-o-holic.  Yep, I am.  I also like cake...very much so.

 

And cheesecake even more...

Enjoy!

 

One Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

I'm having cravings. My cravings are turning me into a crazed bake-aholic. Today, I was craving chocolaty oozy gooey brownies.  Just as I  was getting ready to bake them, it dawned on me I had leftover pumpkin in my refrigerator from Thanksgiving.  The one thing I hate the most is waste so I decided to scrap the Brownie plan and shoot for a Pumpkin Blondie instead.  I've never made Blondies before so this was an attempt to use leftovers and to make something tasty to curb my outrageous cravings.  Here we go...

One Bowl Pumpkin Blondies

1 stick Vegan butter
1/2 c pumpkin
1 tsp baking powder
3 ener-G eggs
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1 package Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Pumpkin Spice flavor (*If it's hard to find since it is seasonal, omit and add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp allspice or pumpkin pie spice)

Spray bottom of 9x11 pan with cooking spray. (*this is not a 9x13 pan.  I found this odd size at a baking store because it was bigger than an 9x9 but that'd work too) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave proof bowl, melt butter.  Mix with pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, and salt.  Add flour, baking powder, ener-G eggs, and Pumpkin spice packet and stir well.  Pour into 9X11 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool.

We couldn't wait for it to cool.  We're bad like that.  But I liked it.

Eat. Eat another. Eat one more...tell no one! 

 

Enjoy.  We sure did.

 

Honey Pecan Tofu

When I used to dinner shop at Panda Express years ago,  one of their featured entrees was Honey Walnut Shrimp.  I ate it.  I liked it.  And lately, I've been craving it like crazy. 
I just happen to have frozen vegan shrimp at the time and I know this would be great made with it, but I really like using ingredients that are not only great, but very inexpensive.  And not only are Vegan meats expensive,  there are times I'd rather have no meat-like items and use something else.  In this recipe, I use tofu. The ironic thing is that even though I use tofu for sauces, pies, cheesecakes, and tofu scrambles, I really am not fond of its bland flavor.  I am the first one to give away all my tofu when it comes in my soups too.  But in this dish, if you are a non-tofu lover like myself, this might make a lover out of you.  It did for me.

 

 

 

Honey Pecan Tofu

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 c beer (I used dark)

1 box tofu (lite firm or firm)

Extra flour for dredging

oil

 

Honey Drizzle:

5 Tbs Bee Free Honee

15 pecans broken in half

1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce

 

 

Mix the top 4 ingredients in a bowl.  Add beer.  Stir and set aside for about 10 minutes.

 

Slice tofu into small rectangle pieces.  It should make about 12 slices.

 

 

Heat oil in skillet on high heat.  You want enough oil to at least cover half the tofu slice.  Dredge tofu in flour being careful not to break it.  The firmer the better.

 

Fry pieces until golden brown and crispy. Don't over crowd the pan or you'll have a hard time turning them.  (Trust me on this, I learned the hard way.)

 

Put aside in a baking dish.

 

Mix Honee, pecans and Sriracha sauce.  Heat in microwave for 30 minutes to make it easier to drizzle.

Drizzle evenly over pieces of tofu. Broil for about 4 minutes in oven until the Honee starts to brown and bubble slightly.

Serve over rice.

 

I hope you love this recipe.  I sure did.  My daughter loved adding soy sauce to a few pieces too. If you make this or add a little something fun to it, share here please.  I always love to hear from you. Enjoy~

  

 

Meatless Meal ~ Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce with Vegan Sausage

Sometimes we struggle in life.  Let me rephrase that, We all struggle in life from time to time.  One big struggle in my life was my battle with cancer.  At that time in 2010, I learned about being vegan from my doctors perspective and for me, it was something I could control since I could not control having cancer.  Here is a recipe that I had created back then when I had gone vegan for 4 months, and then once in the hospital, and during my recovery at home, ate vegan once in awhile.  Because everyone I knew had wanted to help take care of me, they brought me meals and I was so afraid of what I'd get if I had them make vegan ones. (Must remember I was new to veganism, so please, no judgment here.) And since no one I knew was vegan, just one vegetarian, I didn't want to rob them of wanting to help me so my healthy vegan life was drifting away after that. That is, until a few years ago.

 

 

 

 My vintage post begins here~

I love to cook. I love to eat! Thus, because of this, I am trying to eat as healthy as I can. So if I need a splurge day to go out with friends or something, I can and won't feel guilty, not one bit.
Back in August of 2010, I found out I had Thyroid cancer. Prior to the surgery, my doctor said I should go Vegan. He said it was the one thing I could control at the time for my body and it would help with keeping the cancer from growing. I gave it a shot. It was hard and extremely difficult but I did it for 4 solid months before my surgery. One thing I enjoyed doing while I was Vegan was to create delicious recipes since I wasn't fond of most of the Vegan foods I purchased. I did seem to have a lot of luck with it. While I was home, Vegan was simple but while out and about and on trips, it was difficult to find vegan restaurants and great food. I was getting bored with Veggie fajitas and salads. So being home was my sanctuary and I was eating well. Sometimes too well. I'll have to share my Vegan cupcake story at another time and share how you can gain weight being vegan.
So let me share a pasta recipe I created with Sun dried Tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichokes, mushrooms and a vegan sausage I created. I promise it is not lacking in flavor and you'll be shocked that it is vegan, with no dairy whatsoever!

Creamy Sun dried Tomato Sauce with Vegan Sausage~

Ingredients:

Sauce part 1~
1 box soft tofu
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes in oil
2 fresh sprigs rosemary or 2 tsp dried.
Food Process well and set aside.

Sauce part 2~
1/4 c water
1/2 lb beef style crumble meat replacement product
1 tsp fresh garlic
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp fennel seeds
then add,
1/2 c artichoke
1/2 c roasted red peppers
3/4 c sliced mushrooms
then add,
Sauce part 1
1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk (or your favorite unsweetened non dairy milk)
Cook first ingredients in a large saute pan till warm, then add roasted red peppers, artichokes and mushrooms and saute a bit more until mushrooms start to soften.
then add the Sauce part 1 mixture and 1/2 c coconut milk to thin it a bit and stir until just hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over whole wheat noodles or Spaghetti squash noodles for a lower carb meal.

And Voila~ Here is a delicious hot meal that is sure to please with all the flavor, less carbs and less calories than traditional cream based pastas. Enjoy.