I was making a salad the other night and realized that all of my salad dressings were expired. It’s one of those items I rarely think to check the date on because store-bought dressings can last quite a while. Time to go dressing shopping!

Now, I know buying items from a company that specializes in cheese and meat is probably a faux-pas, but think of it this way: you’re supporting their vegan food, not the other stuff. Just like we do when we buy soymilk from companies that also sell dairy milk. We are increasing the demand for their soymilk and decreasing the demand for dairy milk. It helps companies evolve to meet the needs of the customers. Though, I should also point out that companies that make purely vegan items should be supported the most by us vegans. So, it’s a tricky issue.

Anyway, I bought Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Reduced Fat Dressing. And it is awesome!! I could take a big pile of lettuce, pour this on it, and be happy. It’s also good with cooked veggies. It does contain high fructose corn syrup, which is a bummer. And “natural flavor” is always risky.

Ingredients: WATER, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, TOASTED SESAME SEEDS, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GINGER, GARLIC, CARAMEL COLOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, GARLIC JUICE, SALT, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE, POLYSORBATE 60, NATURAL FLAVOR, VINEGAR, SPICE, VITAMIN E. CONTAINS: SOY, WHEAT, SESAME SEED.

I haven’t fallen this hard for a dressing since I got the recipe for a restaurant’s homemade dressing and made it vegan. MMMMmmm. I haven’t made that one in a long time. It’s so good, too. This Toasted Sesame dressing is no doubt lower in calories and fat. So you can swap between the wholesome homemade dressing for the Light store bought, but delicious dressing, depending on your dietary preferences.

Buy it here! Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Reduced Fat Dresssing, 16-Ounce Plastic Bottles (Pack of 6)

Annie’s Naturals also makes a Toasted Sesame dressing. I haven’t tried it, but it’s probably pretty yummy. Chilmark Foods also makes a version, as does Soy Vay.

And if you prefer to make your own Toasted Sesame Dressing, here’s a recipe I found, which is “a reverse engineered Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing, souped up to be so much more healthy because it uses healthy oil, real seeds and real garlic.”

Katie’s Asian Toasted Sesame Salad Dressing

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2-3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs sesame oil (optional) plus extra virgin olive oil to make 1/2 cup
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted*
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp ginger

1. Whisk apple cider vinegar, olive oil, optional sesame oil and soy sauce.
2. Whiz the garlic and toasted sesame seeds in a mini-food processor until garlic is in small pieces.
3. Combine and enjoy!

*To toast sesame seeds, put them on a dry cookie sheet in the toaster oven and toast on light once or twice until lightly browned and aromatic.  No toaster oven?  You could certainly use a regular oven on low heat – just watch the closely every few minutes to make sure they don’t burn.  I’m thinking you could also put them in a hot, dry pan and stir constantly until browned, but I haven’t tried that myself.

Store in the fridge (I think?) and try to remember to take it out a half hour before dinner, because the olive oil will solidify when cold. Recipe from Kitchen Stewardship. Full post here.

Basically, there are many options out there. And I recommend you try some because toasted sesame dressing is tops.

Sometimes I like to pretend I’m a world-class chef who needs no recipe to guide my kitchen craft. This is usually after watching Food Network and seeing how easy they make it all look. Most of the time, I fail miserably. But this time, it was a success! So I must share my ingeniously simple craft with the world.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen rice
• 1 bag of frozen veggies (corn, green beans, peas, and carrots)
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• a splash or two of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• sea salt (to taste)

Throw olive oil into wok (or frying pan). Place on medium-high heat. When hot, add chopped onions and garlic. Cook and stir for about five minutes. Turn down heat a bit. Add frozen rice and veggies. Cook and stir some more. Add soy sauce and marinara. Sprinkle on sea salt. I used extra coarse sea salt which added a nice crunchy flavor burst. When veggies and rice are fully cooked through, you’re done. Serve and inhale.

Very simple and easy to make. And bursting with flavor!

Ahhh… what a perfect start to a Saturday.
Morning jog with the hubs, before getting too stiflingly hot out (we made that mistake last weekend), followed by a nice hot shower, and a vegan parfait.

Ingredients:

• blueberry soy yogurt
• strawberries, diced
• Bear Naked All Natural Granola, Fruit and Nut
• a few pistachios
• nectarine, diced

Layer and enjoy!

Next on the agenda: a fresh cup of coffee and some fiendish studying. But, perhaps less fiendish now that I’ve started the day off parfait!

Man, I love burritos. Here’s my latest concoction for 420 calories and insane amounts of deliciousness:

• 1/4 pack of Trader Joe’s soy chorizo (or other vegan chorizo), cooked for a few min. in a pan with a splash of water
• 5 grape heirloom tomatoes, quartered
• 1 oz Follow Your Heart vegan nacho cheese (or other vegan cheese), grated
• 1 TBSP  Tofutti sour cream
• a splash of salsa

Mix all that up to get a nice creamy filling.

• 1 soft tortilla, warmed in oven
• a heap of lettuce, chopped

Put all ingredients in tortilla and go to town!

Tofutti “better than cream cheese” is my hero. Spread it on an “everything” bagel, slice up some fresh grape tomatoes, and top it off with some dill. MMMMMmmmmm. So simple, yet so satisfying.

I tend to prefer avoiding restaurants on Valentine’s Day. Making a meal with your love is more intimate, less commercialized, and less chaotic. And neither one of us is very good at planning ahead, so we’d likely be the poor souls waiting 2 hours to get a table.

So, for tonight’s menu, we’re referencing The Complete Vegan Kitchen

For the entrée: Pad Thai (p.198)

I love Pad Thai and it’s been a long time since I had any really good Pad Thai, so why not make it ourselves? It’s a little more elaborate than most recipes I post, but since I had a helper, I had less chances to screw it up. I have a tendency to skim instructions and leave out important parts. Our result: I think there were far too many noodles for the amount of sauce. It was pretty bland, so we had to keep adding things to make it taste better. I would either half the amount of noodles in this recipe or double the sauce.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz wide, flat rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup or chili sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 3 green onions,  cut on the diagonal into 3/8 inch lengths
• 1/2 C snowpeas, cut into matchsticks
• 4 oz firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 jicama, cut into matchsticks (optional)
• 1/4 C chopped peanuts
• 1/4 C sunflower or mung beans sprouts
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped Thai basil

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. When the water boils, turn the heat off and add the noodles. Let the noodles soak in the water until they are barely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the noodles in a Colander and rinse with cold water. Reserve.

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and 2 tablespoons of water.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium heat and sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds. Add the carrot and green onions. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until the carrot is just barely crisp-tender. Add the snow peas, tofu, jicama, and stir briefly. Add the lime juice mixture and stir to coat the tofu and vegetables, being careful not to break the tofu up too much.

Add the noodles and toss or stir until they are fully cooked and heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped peanuts, sprouts, cilantro, and basil.

Makes 4 servings.

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For dessert: Vanilla Pudding (p.304)
note: prepare well before you plan to eat it. It needs to refrigerate for several hours.

I thought we’d go for a simpler dessert, since we already had our work cut out for us with the entrée. And vanilla pudding is delicious. Mmmm.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C sugar
• 2.5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 C creamy soymilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine (optional)

In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the soymilk slowly so no lumps form. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken. Lower the heat and continue cooking for another minute or until it is fairly thick. Add the vanilla extract and margarine.

Pour the pudding into a bowl or 4 individual cups. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap so that it touches the surface of the pudding (this will prevent the formation of a tough skin). Refrigerate the pudding for several hours.

Makes 4 servings.

photo by dysonish on Recipezaar

My husband and I made these for dinner (our schedules are a little off kilter these days). And we didn’t have syrup But they were still so good! We just topped them with a little Earth Balance. They’re fluffy and yummy and so simple to make!

5 Minute Vegan Pancakes

I definitely eat less salads when it’s super cold out. But today felt like a good salad day. Something light, simple, refreshing, and, yes, healthy!

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• cherry tomatoes, sliced
• Vegan cheddar cheese, shredded
• chik’n nuggets, grilled and sliced
• Walden Farms Ranch Dressing (calorie, carb, fat, gluten, cholesterol, and preservative free!)

• McCormick Salad Toppins

I love winter break! I actually have time to make yummy food. This evening’s dish is vegan lasagna. I looked up a few different recipes and kinda did my own thing. Lasagna is fun like that. And is ideal for someone like myself who often strays from standard recipes for one reason or another.

We used a 10.5×7″ stoneware dish, but you could probably go a bit bigger. We reached maximum capacity with ours. And glass works fine, too.

Ingredients:

• handful of fresh basil
• 1 box lasagne noodles
• 12 oz. bag of soy crumbles
• 18 oz jar of marinara sauce (at least)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 C chopped onion (or onion powder)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or garlic powder)
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 block vegan cheddar
• 1/2 block vegan mozzarella
• 1/2 tub firm tofu
• tub of vegan cream cheese
• few squeezes of lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Boil lasagne noodles with a pinch of salt to al dente. Drain and cool.
In skillet, simmer soy crumbles with olive oil, onion, and garlic. Once cooked, add marinara sauce, fresh basil (chopped or whole), and oregano.

In food processor, make “ricotta.” Put tofu, cream cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Pulse until mixed. Try to maintain coarser texture.

In dish, layer bottom with noodles, then soy crumbles, then “ricotta”, then grate mozzarella and cheddar on top. Repeat layering process 2-3 more times. Top with oregano. Bake for about 40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Note: to avoid burning the edges of the noodles, which is easy to do, cover the noodles completely with sauce. Lesson learned.

After some resistance, I finally gave in and saw The Princess and the Frog with my husband. And I ended up really enjoying it. It’s a good story, funny, visually appealing, and has some enjoyable music. So, this, in addition to Sleeping Beauty, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wall-E, A Christmas Story, and Where the Wild Things Are, goes on my list of approved movies for my future children that won’t annoy the hell out of me.

As we wandered back home in the unbearable cold, we were both salivating over all the gumbo in the movie. Though I didn’t have all the ingredients required, I decided to give it a go. I learned the hard way that okra is a key thickening agent in gumbo. Without it my gumbo was pretty soupy. I also didn’t have file powder, which is powdered sassafras leaves that add authentic Cajun flavor and also serve as a thickening agent. Some recipes call for flour instead.

So, here are some vegan gumbo recipes to keep you warm this winter. There’s quite a variety out there, so you’re bound to find one that suits your palate:

Vegan Chef Glorious Green Gumbo
http://www.veganchef.com/gloriousgreen.htm (calls for nutritional yeast)

Gumbo With Vegan Andouille Sausage

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/05/gumbo-with-vegan-andouille-sausage.html

About.com Louisiana Vegetarian Gumbo:

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/veggumbo.htm

ehow Vegan Gumbo
http://www.ehow.com/how_2079619_make-vegan-gumbo.html

Fat Free Vegan Black-Eyed-Pea Gumbo

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/08/black-eyed-pea-gumbo.html

Fat Free Vegan Crockpot Gumbo

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/crockpot/gumbo.shtml

Recipe Zaar 10 Vegan Gumbo Recipes

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?categ=168%2C54&ls=d

Veg Web Vegan Gumbo

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=27730.0

Recipe Land Pure Vegan Gumbo

http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Pure-Vegan-Gumbo-31741

Recipe Source Vegan Gumbo

http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/04/rec0436.html

Big Oven Pure Vegan Gumbo
http://www.bigoven.com/9930-Pure-Vegan-Gumbo-recipe.html

Vegetable Stew Gumbo

http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/112/Gumbo/