Polenta Bar

Having a Party or Holiday Celebration?  Want an easy food recipe that'll help feed a crowd in a creative way?   Try having a Polenta Bar.  It's easy, fun and inexpensive plus your family and friends will be happy to create their "own" tasty masterpieces.  I love the beautifully creamy consistency of Polenta and the hearty meal it makes. My family thoroughly enjoyed our Polenta Bar and I can't wait to make it again!

 

 

Easy Polenta Recipe(This feeds up to 14 people as a side. It'll make about Eight 1/2 cup portions for a larger portion) 

7 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups Polenta or yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons vegan margarine

 

Boil water in a large pan or polenta pan on high heat. Add salt.  Whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes, making sure to stir it every couple of minutes (this is where having kids can come in handy).

Turn off heat, add the vegan margarine, and stir until Polenta is nice and creamy.

I love to serve mine on a nice piece of wood or wooden cutting board.

 

 Here are some mix in ideas.  Have fun and create your own too.

Mix ins~

 

Grilled Mushrooms,

Grilled Red Onion,

Grilled White Onion,

Tomato Sauce,

Vegan Parmesan or Vegan Shredded Cheese,

Vegan Sour Cream,

Fresh Herbs like Rosemary, Oregano or Basil,

Grilled Vegetables like zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower,

Salsa,

Black Beans,

and the list could go on and on and on.

 

Enjoy!

 

Need a quick meal to go? I packed up these left overs and took it to my parent's house since my daddy just had surgery.  They heated in the oven when they were ready to eat.

 

Strawberry, Swiss and Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

 

I've been buying daiya cheese for about four years now.  When I first went vegan because of my thyroid cancer diagnosis (I'm completely cancer free now yes!) and I had missed cheese like nobodies business,  and I was told I could shop a couple stores with dairy free cheeses, yogurts, etc.  Ever since, I've been a vegan cheese-aholic and love creating exciting, flavorful and fun food recipes. And there was love at first sight when I found these slices of Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella Style melting slices. Since then, it's been heavenly creations ever since!

Last month I noticed daiya was having a grilled cheese sandwich contest and I decided to enter it. Here is my entry below.  It's easy and delicious.  Enjoy!

 

 

 



Strawberry, Swiss and Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

 

2 slices Swiss Style Slices

2 large sliced strawberries

1 sprig fresh marjoram

2 vegan tortillas

1 tbsp chopped pecan

1 oz sliced onion

 

In a pan or on a griddle sprayed with non-dairy cooking spray, add tortilla and top with all ingredients except Swiss Style Slices.

Break up Swiss Style Slices into small pieces and sprinkle on top.

Place second tortilla on top and press to cook.

 

Let cool for 1-2 minutes. Eat flat or slice and roll for a cute presentation.

 

Check out more great recipes from daiya's site easily by clicking here~ This recipe and more great recipes

 

 

And here are more delicious, tried and true recipes from My Delicious Vegan Diary using the Mozzarella Style and Cheddar Style ~Daiya recipes from My Delicious Vegan Diary

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

Chorizo Rice Stuffed Peppers

 

 

Garlic Panko Pasta

 How about something delightfully delicious, nutritious and super simple and easy to make in under 10 minutes?  This Garlic Pasta is one of my all time quick and easy favorite pastas and everyone always enjoys it when I make it. Normally I would broil and food process bread to make the crumbs but I just recieved my package from Edward & Sons Trading post and this organic and crispy Panko was in my box.  I knew instantly what I'd use it for.  And not only did this Panko make this recipe even quicker but I love the consistency and the way it stays crispy even longer.  Try it...you are going to love it!

 

Garlic Panko Pasta

5 Tbs Olive Oil

zucchini or squash (2 small)

3 cloves garlic

1 box spaghetti noodles

2 cups Edward & Sons Organic Panko crumbs Buy here

1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper (more to taste)

 

 

 

Broil Panko crumbs a few minutes in the oven until lightly brown.  Set aside.

 

 

Boil noodles according to directions. Drain noodles reserving 1/8 cup pasta water. In 1 Tbs olive oil, grill zucchini, squash and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes on medium/ high heat.  Add salt, pepper, cooked noodles, 4 Tbs olive oil and pasta water and stir on medium heat for two minutes. Turn off heat, add panko crumbs, stir to mix in and eat immediately while panko crumbs are still crispy.





 

Did I mention you must enjoy this? It's a must, and trust me...You will.



Chorizo Rice Stuffed Peppers

Hungry yet?  Well our dear friend Mike, the meat and potato cowboy is having a somewhat hard time with going vegan throughout the day.  He said he is feeling like he is missing a meal if he hasn't had meat or cheese.  So I decided to make Chorizo Rice Stuffed Peppers since it's a nice hearty meal.  Well, these babies passed the Cowboy test and he felt satisfied.  Not only was he satisfied, but these peppers are delightfully delicious. My whole family was in heaven.  The meaty rice mixture is nice and thick and very filling for a meat and potato kind of guy!

 

If you try this, you'll love it. Trust me.

This meal serves 8-10 and you'll have enough mixture left over to top a salad too. Fiesta salad? Sounds festive!

Sweet yellow, orange or green bell peppers 8-10

3 cloves garlic
2 small onions
8 oz green ortega chilies
1 cup black olives
1 cup green olives with pimentos
2 Tbs cilantro

2 cups rice
2 Tbs oil

4 cups Vegetable broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup mashed potatoes (thick) or 1 cup instant potato flakes
10 oz vegan chorizo

8-10 slices vegan cheddar cheese

Additional~ lime wedges and avocado

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut off tops of yellow peppers, clean out insides and set in baking dish so they're ready to fill.

 In a food processor, chop garlic, onions, chilies, olives and cilantro. Set aside.
Fry rice until golden brown, about 8 minutes on medium heat.
  Add food processed mixture to fry pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  Add vegetable broth, tomato sauce, stir and cook covered for 25 min. Turn off  heat, add vegan chorizo and mashed potatoes, stir.
Fill peppers with mixture, cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes until peppers are tender.

  Add a slice of cheese on top of each pepper and broil until melted, about 2 minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of lime and avocado

Artichoke Zucchini Alfredo Pasta

 

A dear friend of ours has decided to go vegan.  We've been supporting him through the "What can I eat where?" and "that's vegan?" along with many other questions. I'm always surprised when someone thinks starvation is part of veganism. But to most people's surprise, and my dear friend's shock, one can't believe that most food is vegan and then we mess it up with other junk.  

 

Yesterday we had Mexican mushroom fajitas.  Today I thought an Italian meal (especially since I am Italian) would be good for him and I've been wanting to try to make a yummy creamy Alfredo sauce sans commercial products. My friend mentioned that he needed something filling with protein. (I honestly chuckled with the protein comment since we hear it all the time right?) So I knew this dish would be hearty and flavorful with bursts of fresh flavors too.

 

 

 

Sauce~
1 whole cauliflower
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbs vegan butter
1 C unsweetened vegan milk (I used flax milk)
1 tsp each of
Rosemary
Pepper
Oregano
Basil
Salt

Boil Cauliflower until soft, about 20 min on medium. Remove Cauliflower, reserving hot water and put in Food Processor with all additional items. Puree until smooth and set aside for a few minutes.

 

1 box linguine noodles
3 small zucchini sliced
1/2  yellow onion diced
1 1/2 c mushrooms sliced
1 1/2 c marinated artichokes
1 can black olives

Boil linguine noodles with a little bit of olive oil, the remainder of the cauliflower water and added hot water to cover the noodles. Cook as directed. While pasta is cooking, add a bit of oil to a fry pan. Heat over high heat, add zucchini, onions and mushrooms. Saute for about 7 minutes and once veggies are starting to cook down, add the artichokes and black olives. Add the Alfredo sauce and cook an additional 3 minutes on medium heat. Drain pasta and toss with Hot Artichoke Zucchini Alfredo Sauce. Top with a little Vegan Parmesan cheese and Eat...

 

This was not only delightful, creamy and flavor fully delicious but my friend and my son's girlfriend repeatedly asked "This is vegan?"   I was tickled when at 10 pm I noticed my son's girlfriend heating up another bowl for seconds.  Everyone loved it, I loved it and it made enough for a family of six.  Paired with a nice glass of wine and a piece of rosemary sourdough bread, the meal was fit for a king or queen or whomever...

Southwestern Okra Soup

Today I received a package from Edward & Sons Trading Post.  I love packages.  Better yet, I love packages filled with delicious, nutritious vegan food! This beautiful bountiful box included new items from Edward & Sons too. One of the items in my gift box was canned Okra.  This "ain't" your grandma's canned food! Nope. And this nicely packed okra was not only the best from the Native Forest brand but it's certified organic and whole pods too.

Order here New products.

 

 Many days in my home can be kind of chaotic.  It's pretty much due to the fact that I love company.  And of course, I really love to cook for company.  But since this week had been pretty busy and I was pretty tired, I decided to make a one pot wonder.  (A meal that essentially cooks itself!)

So I got my large cooking pot.  I grabbed a few vegetables from my pantry and I opened my can of Native Forest  Organic OKRA and began...

 

And then I ate, and my company ate, and we were all content and happy. And it only took 25 minutes to cook.

 

Southwestern Okra Soup Recipe

8 C water
2 tsp Vegetable bouillon
1 onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
3 celery sticks diced
3 carrots sliced (I used rainbow carrots)
1 zucchini sliced
2 potatoes cubed     
1 ear of corn (slice off all corn)
1 kale leaf cut into small pieces
10 oz vegan chorizo
1 can NATIVE FOREST Organic OKRA, quickly rinse and slice the okra
salt and pepper to taste

Additional topping:
Vegan Parmesan cheese

 

 

 

 

Add first 8 ingredients to a large stock pot and start to boil. Once boiling, add the ear of corn with the kernels removed to the pot and cook covered on medium heat for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, remove corn cob and add corn kernels, kale, and vegan chorizo. Cook covered for another 5 minutes, then add okra and stir gently.  Serve. Serve meaning eat...and eat...and oh snap...I'm getting carried away now. 

 

This Southwestern Okra Soup was delicious, nutritious and so contently filling.

 

 

Here I sprinkled on a bit of Vegan Parmesan Cheese...

 

...and boy oh boy was it delightful!

 

For more info and more products from Edward & Sons and to have organic, gluten free and vegan foods delivered right to your door...Click  Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Chili Vegan Shrimp

 

Today had been an extremely long work day. I had finally finished all my projects and low and behold, it was late.  It was not only late but I realized I hadn't had breakfast or lunch and now it was dinner time.  Sadly, my poor hubby was ever so patient and never complained about starving either.  Times like these, I grab for something quick. And today I just happened to have a box of Vegetarian Plus Vegan Shrimp in my freezer that I was saving to make my vegan fish/shrimp tacos

http://www.mydeliciousvegandiary.blogspot.com/2013/11/baja-vegan-fish-or-vegan-shrimp-tacos.html

but I knew that would take way too long for these starving folks.  And though the box of shrimp came with a chili packet, I wasn't in the mood for it. I sometimes just feel like being an original and want to create something with fresh vibrant flavors and thus...created this. 

It's lemony (my favorite flavor) and full of a nice subtle heat and a nice hint of sweetness too.

Try it, I think you'll love it.

Lemon Chili Vegan Shrimp

1 box  Vegetarian Plus Vegan Shrimp 
(This is out of site. I always think they must have really put real shrimp in the box mistakenly.  It's that good!)  Save the packet for a later use. (I use it on my tofu or rice at another meal)
1 tsp of each of these:
oil
lemon zest
chili pepper flake
sriracha sauce
bee-free honee
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
juice from half the lemon

In a hot pan over medium heat, add oil, chili pepper flake, sriracha sauce, garlic, lemon zest and shrimp and cook for two minutes stirring a few times. The zest of the lemon is going to hit you in the nose.  It smells wonderful!  Add the juice of the lemon and honee, stir a few times and you are ready to serve.  I served mine over rice but sky's the limit.  Enjoy...