Simple Tamale Pie

 

Here is part two of yesterday's Red Enchilada Sauce post. But today we are getting to the real "meat" or shall I say "meat-less" of the recipe!  I'm not a waster.  I find something that's been on my counter or in my fridge and to spare it from going stale or to waste, I'll work it in to my next recipe.

I've had this open bag of chips on my counter for about a week now.  Hubby and I have been munching away at these toasty tortilla chips but now that we are down to the last 3 cups of chips, neither of us are in the mood for any more.  So I was thinking about crumbling them over some sort of recipe but then I decided that I'd make a Simple Tamale Pie with some of the extra veggies I also had laying around from Hubby's garden.  I was pretty sure I had a can of enchilada sauce so I for sure was dead set on making something delicious.  For this recipe, feel free to use 2 cups of canned enchilada sauce to make this recipe even simpler, unless like me, your can of sauce is missing from your pantry.  But have no fear, the Red Enchilada Sauce recipe link is also here...Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

 

Simple Tamale Pie Recipe~

 

1 small diced zucchini

1 small diced onion

1 large diced tomato

1 cup pinto beans

1 cup diced green chilies 

1 Tbs cumin

1 tsp cilantro

1 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups corn chips

2 cups red enchilada sauce

Optional~ 1/2 cup corn 

                 1/4 cup black olives

                  a few slices non-dairy cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a fry pan with a drizzle of oil and add zucchini.  Cook for about 8 minutes on medium/high heat, add onion, tomato and cook on high heat for two more minutes or until onions are translucent. Add cumin, cilantro, garlic, cayenne and stir well.  Remove from heat.  In a baking dish, spray with cooking spray and place half the chips on the bottom of the dish.  Add the mixture on top of the chips. (If adding corn and olives, add here.) Add the beans on top of the mixture and the diced green chilies on top of the beans.  Cover with remaining chips and slowly pour Red Enchilada Sauce evenly over the top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, add your favorite non-dairy cheese and broil for a few minutes until melted. 

Savor, Eat, Love and Enjoy....

 

 

 

Simple Tamale Pie

 

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Red Enchilada Sauce

 

I'm almost an empty nester.  My dear daughter Kailey is getting married in 8 days, my daughter Erin has been married for 5 years, my son Vince is in Canada with the love of his life for a few weeks and my son David is with his Auntie and Uncle while he is enlisting in the Army. Since this new era in my life has hit me like a ton of bricks, I've found that grocery shopping happens way less in my home since I mostly cook for two now.  So thus, it seems like I am always out of something I need for creating a new recipe. And that, my dear friends, out of necessity, leads me to creations of two recipes in one. But to make things simple, I'll do this recipe for Red Enchilada Sauce first and then post my next recipe for Quick Tamale Pie tomorrow which will include this Super Saucy link also.  So bear with me, you'll love this sauce for starters and then tomorrow...Voila...a new dinner will be born, and you're going to love it!
Trust me...

Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe~

4 Tbs oil
3 Tbs flour
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups tomato sauce

In a sauce pan, heat oil and flour on med/high heat.  Stir until it forms into a paste, cook for 2 minutes, then add all the rest of the ingredients.
Cook on high for 2 minutes until bubbly and then simmer for 15 min.  Spoon over eggs, tamales, tamale pie, enchiladas, beans, etc...    Store remaining sauce in the refrigerator or can for future storage.

Quick Chili Cheesy Mac

Quick Chili Cheesy Mac

 Today is another, oh my gosh, I can barely think clearly because my daughter is getting married in a few weeks kinda day. A day when focusing is out the door, I feel like popcorn while popping from task to task and voila...now it's lunch time and I'm starving like a vegan at a non-vegan dinner party!

Holy Moly!

 So I gander to the refrigerator to look at my options. In the freezer I have one box of "Amy's Vegan Macaroni and dairy free cheese" and a vegan hamburger patty.  In the pantry I found a can of red kidney beans. What does that spell kids? Spells Lunch to me! Like a nice Chili Cheesy Mac if I say so myself. So I had to get on the ball since I needed something in my belly quick. And thus, this delicacy was created and a true quick and easy delicacy it is!

1 8oz frozen Amy's Rice Macaroni with dairyfree cheese
1 vegan burger patty
3/4 cup canned kidney beans
1 tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp seasoning salt

Microwave Macaroni and cheese for 2 1/2 minutes. Warm burger in fry pan on stove on medium heat. Chop into small pieces. Add kidney beans, warmed macaroni and cheese, and spices and stir for about 1 minute on high heat. Serve...Eat...Love...Nourish and Enjoy!

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Garden Veggie Casserole

 

I have a garden.  Scratch that...my husband has a garden and he's quite proud of it.  Even though we only have a few veggies in it, he is always bringing his bounty in and leaving it on the counter for me. Today I woke up to a beautiful yellow squash and tomatoes.  As I pondered what I'd do with these delicacies, I felt the nice fall-like wind outside would require a casserole. I love fall and casseroles say "Fall" in love to me.  So I decided that a Garden Veggie Casserole would be in order since I had a zucchini from my friend Kelly's garden and a new batch of Italian bread crumbs that I had just made.  

I tell you what...I was in heaven.  I made a large quantity that would serve about 4-5 people however between my daughter Kailey and I, we devoured it. And I don't regret it one bit!  Make this...you'll love it.  And feel free to toss whatever veggies you have in the mix too.

 Garden Veggie Casserole

 

Garden Veggie Casserole Recipe
1 Tomato diced
1 lg yellow squash diced
1 Zucchini diced
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs salt Seasoning
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp fresh garlic
5 Tbs Italian seasoned bread crumbs (2 Tbs for recipe and 3 Tbs for topping)
1 Tbs Milk, I used unsweetened coconut
1 Tbs Vegan butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On stove, boil yellow squash and zucchini until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. With a masher or fork, mash mixture but leaving it slightly chunky. To hot mixture, add diced tomatoes, onion powder, salt, thyme, garlic, butter and 2 Tbs bread crumbs and mix until butter is melted. Add milk and stir.  Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray and pour mixture in.  Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes then serve. Eat. Love. Nourish!

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

 

Stop what you doing right now. Gaze into this picture. You're getting hungrier and hungrier!  Salivate and then get the goods to make this today!  Trust me, you'll want this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I'm not one for bragging but I'm in Love with this Vegan Breakfast Sandwich that I made with a yummy Vegan Horseradish Hollandaise Sauce.   I ate one.  Then another half.  And now...

I crave them all the time.

Sometimes I really luck out with a recipe and by far, this is one of my most favorites eva!


Vegan Breakfast Sandwich recipe~

Brioche Buns, Biscuits, English muffins or even pancakes will work
Gardein Breakfast Patties
Firm Tofu, sliced into 3/4- 1 inch squares
Vegan butter, softened
Salt and Pepper
*Horseradish Hollandaise Sauce (*Recipe below)
Optional: a vegan cheese slice

Heat a fry pan over the stove on medium heat. Butter each inside of the Brioche or your favorite bread and grill in fry pan a few minutes until the bread is nice and toasted brown. Set aside. Add Gardein Breakfast Patties and Grill a few minutes on each side until hot. Set Aside.  Spray one side of tofu with a cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and fry salted and peppered side down about two minutes until it has a nice browning to it. Spray the top, sprinkle with more salt and pepper and carefully flip to grill the other side.
Assemble the sandwich with one patty, one piece of tofu and about two tablespoons Horseradish Hollandaise sauce....
Drool...then eat...then about now Nirvana will take over your body!  It's truly life changing.  And for those meat eaters in your life, they would never miss an Egg McMuffin after having one of these!

Horseradish Hollandaise Sauce~

1 Tbs vegan horseradish sauce or horseradish Mayo

1 Tbs nutritional yeast

2 Tbs lemon juice

1 pinch salt

3 Tbs rice milk

2 Tbs soft tofu

2 Tbs melted vegan butter or margarine

Combine all ingredients, except butter, in a high powered blender until creamy and smooth.  Add melted butter and blend again. Pour into sauce pan and cook over high heat, stirring frequently until it starts to thicken a bit.  Use it to compliment Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches, Vegetables and Toast. 

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich....Mouthwatering!

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Apricot Pie

 

 We had our first crop of delicious apricots grown right in our own yard...last year. Yes, we had so many apricots that I threw them into freezer bags and popped them right into a deep freeze, never to think about them again until today. 
Just recently while on a trip in Croatia, I had ventured into an open air coffee shop in Dubrovnik for a coffee. I was so hungry, I decided that I'd have to order a croissant.  To my delight, the first bite sent shivers down my spine, so much that it was almost life changing!  It was heavenly, and had just enough sweet yet sour apricot that I thought of nothing much that day other than that amazing croissant!  I didn't even realize there were apricot croissant! I honestly don't know what it was about it that sparked something inside me except that it was freshly made. When I got home from my trip, I bought some vegan croissant dough and thawed some apricots immediately.  (Some day I'll try and make my own croissant dough but today wasn't the day. In fact, today, I even had a frozen pie crust in the freezer. My lucky day!)   After I made the apricot mixture for my croissants, I had so much extra and still had apricots that I dug out the frozen pie crust and made a super quick and easy pie.  It was so good that three of us ate it all, in about a two hour time frame!  Yes, it was that good and oh that delicious. 
I have no shame in admitting it either.  I ate, and ate and ate...
and then I ate some more!

Apricot Pie
~serves 3-10 ( If you love it as much as I did, make another pie for guests!)
 (This pie is best with frozen apricots or very ripe apricots too.)

4 cups Apricots, pitted and halved and thawed if frozen
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp water
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 pie crusts
sugar for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, liquefy 1 1/2 cups of apricots.  Put into a pot on stove and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add sugar and cinnamon.  Stir until mixed.  Put cornstarch into a little bowl, add the 1/2 tsp water and stir well until combined.  Add cornstarch mixture to the apricot mixture and turn heat up to med/ high heat while stirring.  Stir until the mixture starts to thicken (about 2 minutes) and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour half of the thickened mixture into pie crust.  Add the halved apricots and pour the rest of the thickened  mixture over the halves. 

 

Add the top crust and bake for about 40-45 minutes until bubbly and nice and browned.  Remove pie, sprinkle top with a light layer of sugar and broil for a few minutes until it starts to caramelize. (Watch this step, don't leave the pie.  Keep the door cracked open slightly and turn if necessary.) If you have a torch, you can do it that way instead of broiling.  Cool pie on counter for about 35 minutes to an hour.  It should still be slightly warm to serve.

 

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*This recipe and the others on my site are all my creations, made by me, in my home and photographed by me.  Please make them, enjoy them and share them but when you do, please give credit where credit is due.  My Delicious Vegan Diary Thanks You! And please, let me know how you like it.

Blessings~

My trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

Some of the best tasting fruit from markets on the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia

 

Tomato Lime Bruschetta

I just returned from Croatia and Italy.  Wow, what an amazing trip I was able to take with my BFF.  She convinced me that if I bought my flight, she'd pay for hotels and we'd travel, experience the amazing foods and see some amazing historical sites.  I'm still in disbelief that I went and that it wasn't just a dream. 
While driving around Europe, we decided to head to Venezia (Venice, Italy) and see the sights.  Since I'm Italian, Italy was like a little kid finding her birth parent for the first time.  I was just speechless! The sights, the feeling, the aromas and the tastes!  One super spectacular but easy lunch we had was bruschetta.  It was nice, light and flavorful.  It had beautiful basil and fabulous olive oil. It was served on a simple piece of toast cut into triangles, nothing glamorous but yet so delightful. It was also served with a few carrot shavings for color. 
So then on my flight home from Europe, I had a pasta with marinara and lime.  I was intrigued.  I have never put lime in my marinara and wouldn't have dreamed of it.  Perhaps because this flight was a flight out of Germany, it's a common thing there but I really don't know.  But I tried it and really liked it. Then it came to me...
I decided to merge two of the meals I had in Germany and Italy and make a Tomato Lime Bruschetta.  And guess what?
It worked!

Tomato Lime Bruschetta
Plain toast or toasted french baguette slices
3 Roma tomatoes and a yellow tomato (or your favorite selection) diced small, draining as much of the seeds and liquid as possible.
2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp zest of lime (chopped super fine)
Juice from half of a lime
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and put a generous amount on toast. Eat. Dream of Italy.  It's that easy.

 Bucket list~ Venice..I finally made it there.

 

Garlic Asparagus Crostini

 

Today hubby, my son and I just wanted to hang out around the house and get some errands done.  It seems like lately, we've booked up everyday with something to do and now there is a lot of catch up to do.  In one week, I'll be leaving for Croatia so this was my one opportunity to get some of those household chores done.  However, most of what I did was on the computer.  We did manage to get our barn cleaned, the tack room in our  barn cleaned and my porch cleaned. I baked my Sticky Toffee Pudding, finished the recipe Try it here and decided that oh boy, I needed a snack...a quick one at that too!  So I went to the pantry and found asparagus, a bulb of garlic and half of a loaf of bread left.  If you want a quick snack for you or even a beautifully tasty appetizer for a group...

this is it!

 

Enjoy this 4 ingredient appetizer...

 

Garlic Asparagus Crostini recipe~

 

1 bulb garlic

1 bunch asparagus

Crostini bread

Oil (I used Avocado oil which packs a gorgeous butter-like flavor!)

additional:

a sprinkling of salt

 

I lined a cookie sheet with tin foil. I wrapped a bulb of garlic with tin foil and put it on the cookie sheet. I added the asparagus uncovered to the cookie sheet and drizzled it with a bit of oil and salt and put it in the oven on broil. While it was broiling, I cut my loaf of bread. I poured a bit of Avocado oil on tin foil and dipped each side of the bread in it then placed it on a cookie sheet. I sprinkled each toast with just a touch of salt. I set it aside for a few minutes.  After about 5 minutes in the broiler, (the asparagus should start to look soft but beware, putting them too close to the broiler will char them too much) I flipped the asparagus over to cook for about 3 minutes.  I covered the asparagus with foil and put it and the garlic on a lower shelf.  I added the toasts to the top shelf and broiled until the edges started to brown. I removed the toasts and checked the garlic bulb for doneness.  The garlic should squeeze from each clove like a paste and should be spreadable.

To the broiled toasts, I squeezed out a clove of garlic and spread it onto a couple toasts. I topped it with asparagus and ate it. Then I repeated the process... until each one was gone...

The end.



Sticky Toffee Pudding

Let me share a little story with you, a small glimpse of my last few weeks.  This week was not the best week for me emotionally yet it turned out to be wonderful.  I spent the week waiting for a call from the doctor to let me know if I once again had cancer, this time in my Parotid Gland.  I knew that God would take care of it for me however the thought of having a surgery if it was cancer, and the possibility of chemo and radiation frightened me.  I'm a healthy eater with the exception of desserts here and there so I was devastated that my hard work at healthy wasn't working for my body.  So of course when the doctor called to let me know it wasn't cancer, I had reason to celebrate, to celebrate health, to celebrate healthy eating and to love life for each precious moment.

A few weeks ago, I took my sister to an amazing little tea house in Los Angeles. They had some delicious items.  My sister had the regular fare but I did not.  One thing this British Tea House served was their own English Sticky Toffee Pudding. First thing I planned on doing when I got home from the Tea House was to make my own version.  But with the medical issue that was looming, the joy of baking this delightful dish was kind of sucked right out of me. But now, with my great news, I was baking away like normal and boy was hubby and I happy I did.  This was a celebratory dish, super cake-like and moist with the sweetest toffee to balance it out. And even though one of these little cakes is enough for two, we had our own. Yes...we did! Try this recipe and you're sure to enjoy a little piece of Heaven (English Heaven) here on Earth!

Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe~

1 1/2 Cups chopped Dates
1 3/4 Cups boiling water
1 tsp baking soda

Put in bowl and let soak for an hour or two.

1/4 Cup or cube vegan butter
1 Cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla bean paste

Cream in mixer until butter and sugar are fully incorporated and are fluffy.

2 vegan eggs

Add to creamed mixture and mix until incorporated.

2 Cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Add to creamed mixture slowly until mixed.  Add date mixture and mix for another minute.
Pour into greased 9x9 baking dish or 6 medium sized greased  8oz ramekins ( what I used) or 10 -12 4 oz ramekins for a large group. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or 20 minutes for the 4 oz ramekins).

Make toffee sauce while cooking.

Toffee Sauce recipe~

 

4 Tbs Vegan Butter

2/3 C Brown Sugar

2/3 C Canned Coconut Milk, using the cream on top ( It's best to use a high quality with thick cream on top)

1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Pinch Salt

In a microwave safe bowl, melt vegan butter. Add brown sugar, coconut milk cream and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for another 1- 1 1/2 minutes depending on your microwave.  Make sure to let the mixture cool slightly, at least two minutes,  before adding the vanilla and pinch salt, and stir. Let sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. Once it starts to cool, it will thicken.

 

Try my Lavender Toffee sauce too. Recipe here Lavender Toffee Sauce

 

 

Once Cakes are finished baking, remove and poke holes in the top and a few in the sides.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons toffee sauce, slowly covering the whole top.  Put into Broiler and broil until bubbly, just a few minutes or less.

 

 Invert onto a plate or leave in Ramekin.

 

 

Serve with a bit more Toffee sauce drizzled over it and a nice dollop of Whipped Cream.

Try my recipe here for~ Whipped Cream

 

 

Watermelon, Feta And Vegan Shrimp Salad

 For all my fellow Americans, Happy 4th of July.  As we celebrate our Birthday, our Independence day and our day of Freedom, families and friends are getting together to eat, swim, BBQ and pray.  As I thought about the many different dishes that would arrive at our celebration, I'd probably see potato salads, coleslaw's and many other meat and dairy laden foods.  So I decided to make a delicious and fresh salad that would not only suffice as a salad, but as a meal also.  Enjoy this salad today and all summer long, celebrating also the fresh fruits and veggies of summer and the wee bit of vegan shrimp flavors of the ocean.
This salad is made for a crowd but feel free to scale it down to the perfect size for you or your friends and family.

Watermelon, Feta And Vegan Shrimp Salad

1 Whole Small Watermelon cut into cubes
7 ounces Vegan Feta (I used Heidi Ho...and wow is it good!)
1 Lime (zested and juiced)
1 bunch Green Onions, sliced (about 8-10)
1 Box Vegan Shrimp ( I used Vegetarian Plus)
4 Cups fancy lettuce
1 Cup sliced grape tomatoes
1 Cucumber, diced
Your favorite Vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently with vinaigrette. Eat and Celebrate.

 

 

Here is my favorite Vinaigrette~

1/3 cup balsamic

2/3 cup olive oil (I mix my half and half with a citrus oil like Lime Oil or Blood Orange Oil)

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp citrus zest

1 tsp bee free Honee

 

 

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

 

 

I had company on the way. My friends were bringing all their Brussels Griffon Puppies for a play date with my puppies. But before playtime, I wanted to treat my friends to lunch and  I was so excited to make a full vegan meal for my friends to try. I decided that my Pasta with Lemon Asparagus Sauce Pasta recipe here would be the ticket to tempt the tummy.  I love this pasta and knew they would too (and was I right!)  But for dessert, what would I make?  The day prior I had decided to make Lavender Toffee Sauce to accompany my nice tart green apples. I loved it so much that I knew that whatever dessert I made, it would be enrobbed in the sauce.  So I opened the fridge, found a stalk of rhubarb and decided these two would be perfect together, a marraige made in heaven!   Now that the lunch is over and dessert is gone and my puppies are resting after a wonderful playdate with incredibly precious friends,  I'm left dreaming of how perfect this day was, the company was and the meal was and I can't wait until next week to make it again....

 

I'm hooked!

 





 

 

 

 

Upside Down Cake Recipe~

1 C cake flour

7/8 C granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

3 vegan eggs ( I use Ener-G, mixed ahead of time for a few minutes)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 stalk Rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs vegan butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8  ( 4 oz) Ramekins  or one 8-9 inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In a hot pan over the stove, melt vegan butter and add rhubarb.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes on med-high heat. Add 1 Tbs sugar and stir for about another minute until rhubarb is just starting to get soft.  Remove from heat immediately and spoon into the bottom of Ramekins. You want the rhubarb laying flat and evenly on the bottom.  Set aside.

 

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add Vegan eggs, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth.  Do not over mix. Spoon over rhubarb and bake about 15 minutes until slightly golden brown (check with a toothpick to test it's cooked on the inside.) While cooling, make Toffee Sauce. 

 

Toffee Sauce Recipe

4 Tbs Vegan Butter

2/3 C Brown Sugar

2/3 C Canned Coconut Milk, using the cream on top ( It's best to use a high quality with thick cream on top)

1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Pinch Salt

 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt vegan butter. Add brown sugar, coconut milk cream and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for another 1- 1 1/2 minutes depending on your microwave. Add the vanilla and pinch salt, and stir. Let sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. Once it starts to cool, it will thicken.

 

Try this Caramel Lavender Toffee Sauce also...Lavender Toffee Sauce.

 

Drizzle 1/2 tsp of Toffee Sauce over each of the warm cakes and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Use a knife to loosen each cake from the Ramekin and invert onto plates.  Drizzle with remaining Toffee Sauce and serve.

Oh boy.  The moment we've all been waiting for.  Delicious, Creamy, smooth and silky. Have a nice tart bite of rhubarb with the sweetness of cake enrobed in a bath of silky caramel toffee. (Sounds heavenly!)  Enjoy with friends, family or enjoy all by yourself.  These perfect little bites are sheer indulgent.

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Lavender Toffee Sauce

 

Oh Boy...Toffee Sauce.  While some call it Toffee Sauce, others call it caramel sauce but I call it Heaven on Earth. Yes, there's nothing better to dip a nice tart apple into, drizzle over your favorite ice cream or eat right off the spoon. This recipe is for two servings but let's be honest, it's really for one. I had good intentions on sharing but once it was made and my family still hadn't made it home, I noticed slowly but surely, it dwindled down until every bit was gone. I don't know why but it just happened this way.  This dairy free option for heavenly goodness is going to make you go back for seconds and then, you'll need to make a second batch for your family and friends to try. Or just make a bunch of this from the get go. You can double the recipe easily. Make this yummy treat right in your microwave in minutes.

Look at those beautiful bits of vanilla bean seeds peeking through this caramel-y goodness. Be still my heart!

 

Lavender Toffee Sauce Recipe

 

(recipe for 2-4, but can be doubled for 4-8)

 

2 Tbs Vegan Butter

1/3 C Brown Sugar

1/3 C Canned Coconut Milk, using the cream on top ( It's best to use a high quality with thick cream on top)

1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Pinch Salt

Pinch dried and finely pulverized lavender ( I use a coffee grinder for mine)

 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt vegan butter.  Add brown sugar, coconut milk cream and stir.  Microwave for 2 minutes.  Stir. Microwave for another  1- 1 1/2 minutes depending on your microwave.  Add the vanilla, pinch salt, lavender and stir.  Let sit on the counter for about 5 minutes.  Once it starts to cool, it will thicken.  Add apples, cake, cupcakes...pretty much anything you want to coat in a delicious toffee caramel or just add a spoon. You'll thank me later. 

 

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Chorizo Rice Hash

 

Father's Day...

A day to celebrate the men in our lives. They are the thread of our inner fabric and the reason we came to be. They are our friends, our mentors and our Heroes. Today was the typical father's day breakfast in bed. However, the meal was nothing like our typical meal that the kids used to make with pancakes, bacon (screech, but yes) and potatoes with toast. My kids loved making daddy a manly meal fit for a king. But our king has since joined the ranks of healthy eating, craving great meals instead of portions of meat. Our man loves vegan food, mostly because I strive to make it easy for him to succeed. Let's face it... For some of us that weren't born eating vegan, it's been a tough road. But if you set yourself up for success, a clean pantry, fruits on the counter and skip making your freezer a morgue...then you will succeed. Eating well starts in the home and will follow you anywhere. So after my hubby had this meal, he kept saying how delicious and hearty it was along with it being so satisfying. Father's Day Served!

 

 How about a little bubbly?  A nice cranberry Mimosa to top his meal.  2 parts champagne, 1 part cranberry juice and a floating fresh raspberry or strawberry.

 

What I love about hash is you just throw it in the pan, cook it up and it's done. It's what I call "breakfast simplified!" And pretty much, cook up whatever is leftover in your fridge and you have a hash. For this, I cooked up my leftover sushi rice and zucchinis.

 

Chorizo Rice Hash

 

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup chopped zucchini

5 ounces vegan chorizo

2 green onions sliced

1 tsp garlic

3 ounces soft tofu

1 can refried beans

Salt to taste

 

 

In a hot pan, drizzle a little olive oil and cook the onions and zucchini for 2 minutes on med-high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for an additional 3- 4 minutes.  The beautiful thing about vegan chorizo...you don't have to worry about cooking it forever to get the "Bugs" out of it. (I know that's gross to put into a recipe but it's true, so grossly true!)

Scoot the hash to one half of the pan and add the can of beans to the other half.  Stir the beans gently until cooked, about 1-2 minutes.  Don't worry if they get mixed a little, but try to keep them separate.  This step is to save time and dishes, and did I mention I hate doing dishes?  Serve with warm tortillas. 

 

 

Here is a deliciously hearty meal in less than ten minutes if it's all prepped beforehand.  Enjoy on Father's day or heck...why not make this everyday and celebrate that too!

 

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