Break

Hey guys! I've been taking a little personal break- I graduate December 22, 2012 from Penn State and a lot has been going on since the passing of my dad. I promise I'll be back after the holidays and be up and running with some awesome recipes. My primary focus right now is my family and graduating. Stay tuned! :] <3

Tofu Noodle Soup

The roller coster changes in weather has been getting to me lately, giving me terrible congestion. Do you remember my Sinus Clearing Soup way back when? Well this is a little different rendition of it, using the Thai Kitchen brand- but this time I used Green Onion (my new favorite) and BEET GREENS! I fell in love with these when Annna from Dolce Vita introduced me to the fact that you can actually eat them! My roommate had beets, and when I found this out, I instantly attacked on the greens. This recipe is soo simple- it's extraordinarily semi homemade, and you could even make this on a low budget and in a dorm room! With 2 days left until Thanksgiving break, the last thing I wanted to do was buy unnecessary things- so I whipped this up from what I have in my pantry; and it tasted AMAZING :]

Spicy Tofu Noodle Soup

glutenfree~vegan~semihomemade~quick&easy

1 bag of Thai Kitchen Green Onion Instant Rice Noodle Soup

1 cup vegetable broth or water

1/2 block sprouted extra-firm tofu, cubed

1 bunch beet greens (from one bunch of beets)

1/4 jar Miso Horseradish Kimchi (this can be optional- but you can find it at Wegmans in healthy aisle!)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sriracha (you can make less if you don't want it as spicy)

1. First, saute the tofu in the olive oil until there's slight color. Next, add in your Kimchi and beet greens and saute until the beet greens are wilted.

2. Add in your vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil.

3. Add in the Rice noodles, the packets from the rice noodles, and let it cook for ~ 3 minutes!

DONE! :]

this recipe can be found under "soups and sauces"

To My Papa Joe

On November 3, 2012, my father passed away. He was only 61 years old. It was a brain tumor that was long unrecognized that took his life away from my family. I've been struggling, bad, trying to cope with this. But for me, and I know for my dad, my perspective on this is to enjoy life, not just exist in it. My dad was the kind of person that didn't want to burden anybody with his troubles, so he'd do anything in the world to show everybody that he was always okay.

I dedicate my workaholicness to my dad- my mom tells me it almost every day. My dad was one of the most hardworking men in my life, and he did it for my family. He gave Joey, my mom and I everything we ever wanted. He built his own recycling company from the group up- just so he could provide his family. 

It's going to be hard to find a guy that even compares to you, Daddy, because I know how picky you were (there is a reason why you've only met 1 of my 3 ex-boyfriends!). But if there's one thing I promise, I promise that he will be someone you are proud to walk me down the aisle to. I promise that whoever my future husband is, his work ethics will be just like yours so my family can live a sustainable life. I promise that everything I do in my life, it will be for you and for Marie. I promise I'll take care of Joey and Ma for you. And I promise that I'll recycle as much as I can. I love you so much Daddy, please take care of Marie, Pop Pop, Hershey, Floppy, Kelly, Cynthia, and Ginger up there. Guide us from above; If I go to Cracker Barrel, I'll get you eggs and pancakes. I won't go to Olive Garden, because I know you hated the fake Italianness of it. One day, I'll go to Tomasso's and get you a veal parm. When I go to Cooperstown, I'll buy 1 Heineken- the only time I've ever seen you drink, which made me and Joey cry. I'll root for the Yankees when they're playing (but I can't give up my Phillies). I'll teach my kids how to play baseball and basketball, just like you did for me and Joey. And when I go to the beach, I'll bring my kids and teach them how to body surf. 

Love you Daddy,

Your Prec.

Black Bean Fajita Wrap

Good evening! The week has been a little hectic, and I honestly don't even know why. A lot has been on my mind lately, I guess. I have a big class presentation next Monday that has literally been consuming every bit of me. I graduate in approximately 1 1/2 months..which is not only exciting, but nerve-wracking as well. 

Anywayyyzzz this is a little creation I made at work- in this picture, the wrap is not necessarily gluten free, but obviously a corn tortilla could work or any gluten free tortilla would make do. 

Also another little note to this delicious fajita- the amounts miggghhttttttt be a little off because I make these for approximately 6-8 servings at good ol' Cafe Laura :]

Black Bean Fajita Wrap

glutenfree~vegan

2 corn or gluten-free tortillas

1-15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 peppers (I would do 1 red and 1 yellow- it'd be pretty!), sliced and seeded

1 red onion, sliced

2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

1 tablespoon chalula's hot sauce

1/2 jar tostito's mild salsa

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute the peppers and onions in a large skillet pan with the vegetable oil, hot sauce, salsa, salt and pepper

2. Put in a container, unopened, and let it cool. 

3. To assemble, place tortilla flat. put however much lettuce you want in the middle, then take however much black beans on top of lettuce, then your cooled fajita mixture. wrap it up and cut down the middle!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

When I first was going to post this, I looked at the picture and thought damn, this looks like a disgusting cupcake. Maybe a little? I think the fake cherry on top (which is actually sriracha) is what makes it. But hey, this recipe is not only amazing comfort food, but it was s0o easy

I don't feel like writing much today- so here is the recipe!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Serves 4

Glutenfree~vegan

4 acorn squash, deseeded and tops cut and bottoms cut to stand, 

2 cups brown rice, cooked

1 1/2 pounds shaved brussel sprouts

2-3 cups spinach leaves (honestly, I just took huge handfuls-  I love spinach!)

1-15oz Can Black Beans, drained and cleaned

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons chipotle mayo

salt and pepper, to taste

optional: Daiya shredded pepperjack cheese to top

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place your squash downside up (or upside down ;]) on a baking sheet and let them roast for 45 minutes

2. While this is roasting, begin the stuffing- cook your brown rice (I use the minute rice servings bags- they're so quick and easy!) When rice is done, set it aside

3. In a saute pan, heat up 1/4 cup grapeseed oil on medium-high. add in your brussel sprouts, and saute until they are slightly brown. Next, add in your apple cider vinegar and let it reduce for 5 minutes.

4. Add in your cooked brown rice, spinach leaves and black beans to the same pan, toss with salt and pepper and let it cook until the spinach is wilted.

5. Take your stuffing off the heat and add in your chipotle mayonnaise (i used veganaise for this, but you can totally use my homemade mayo :] .

6. By this time, your acorn squash should be ready to be stuffed! (you'll know if you pierce your fork and it is very tender). Take them out, and spoon in however much stuffing you want into each (you might have some extra leftover- which can be used just as a nice side dish or something else!). Sprinkle on top with cheese, then throw it back in the oven until the cheese is melted. Take them out and serve!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Happy halloweekend everyone! Hopefully, you whipped out your costumes that you're allowed to wear 1x a year and it be okay to be a cat, turtle, duck, shower curtain- whatever floats your boat! This year, I was just a kitty cat (would you expect anything else from me?!). But I like to celebrate differently- i was craving some sort of pumpkin and decided to make this pumpkin bread! At one of the culinary schools I visited, the chef prepared for us a pumpkin bread. I took similar measurements, and just did many substitutions. My first attempted bread seemed to be too dense, so I added a little more flour and got a better result! This bread is so delicious and the pumpkin definitely is the key note in this. Omnomnomnom

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

vegan~glutenfree

1-9x5" loaf pan

1 1/2 cups ap gluten free flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 flax eggs (or 2 servings ener-g egg replacer)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup almond milk

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

a handful of walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease and flour your 9x5" pan

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the flax eggs and brown sugar and beat on medium until the sugar is quite dissolved. Slowly incorporate your coconut oil while beating.

3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients- vanilla, pumpkin, and almond milk, and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Next, sift your dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl (flour, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt). Once sifted, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, while your mixer is running on low (do this in 3-4 batches, because you don't want all the flour to fly up in your face!). Let it beat for a few minutes, until fully incorporated.

5. Turn off your mixer, and scrape out your batter and place it into the loaf pan. If you want, before you put it in the loaf pan, you can incorporate the walnuts in the batter. I liked mine on top, so I didn't do this.

6. Once your batter is in the loaf pan, "drop" it 3 times-so there are no air bubbles in the loaf.

7. Sprinkle walnuts on top, and bake for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes before you dig in!

Little iggy was sooo sleepy- he didn't want me doing my homework!

GF Friday!

Check it out! TWO of my recipes made it onto the top 8 for Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays!!!! Click here to see the rest!

New York City

It all started when I went to the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) and they handed me a mimosa at 10:30AM- they won my heart. Now the next step is getting in to the school. The one thing I'm most excited about this possible opportunity, especially since New York City has soooo many vegan and gluten free cuisines. EEEP. However, Philadelphia is still my favorite city, and it stinks that a college like this isn't located there. Wah :[

My mom and I found the greatest place in the entire world- Beyond Sushi. We saw an advertisement for the place in VegNews, and we wanted to try it out. Oh my goodness it was heaven! The place was soooo tiny, but it doesn't matter because their food was big and tasty! We ended up getting just about every roll on the menu- the rolls on top are Spicy Mang and I think Green sominsomin (I forget!). On the bottom, I got a rice paper wrap with buckwheat noodles, carrots, cucumber, veggies, and a cashew sauce that was absolutely AMAZING. If you're in the city- Yelp it and I promise you will not be disappointed!

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Since I was at work, this is not vegan, but it is gluten free! Once I figure out the substitutions, I'll try to repost a recipe for vegan and gluten free pumpkin creme brulee :]

Spaghetti Squash + Cauliflower

YUM! My friend Jess came over for an awesome dinner date, so I decided to finally try out making a spaghetti squash! I also made some of my roommate's favorite- Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower! So.Delicious. For the baked garlic-parmesan cauliflower, check it out here ! Instead of parmesan, use Galaxy Foods Parmesan. Now, for the spaghetti squash- it was so easy and easier to make as compared to watching pasta, making sure it doesn't boil over, then it might be too soggy.. #problemz. I topped mine with Daiya Pepperjack cheese #sogood. Jess had some Marinara, and if you know me, the one thing I cannot tolerate is marinara sauce. If I have to clean it, I get super nauseous. Yeah, not my cup of tea, but enough of marinara here comes the spaghetti squash!

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes

serves 2 hungry people or 4 normal people 

vegan~glutenfree

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half longways and deseeded

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

2 garlic cloves, whole

1 cup plum tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons Herbes d' Provence

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Cheeze of choice or Marinara sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F
2. Cut your spaghetti squash in half, longways. If you must, cut the end of the spaghetti squash which will give you a platform and make it easier to cut through.
3. Place your deseeded, cut spaghetti squash on a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush on grapeseed oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Put your two garlic cloves in the middle of your halves, one on each half. 
4. Let it cook for 40-45 minutes. Halfway through (around the 20 minute mark) put your plum tomatoes on the baking sheet and let them cook with the spaghetti squash
5. When you take the spaghetti squash out, let it cool for ten minutes. Take your garlic out and spread it around the spaghetti squash. Then you can trash them or use them for something else!
6. Take a fork and start scraping the spaghetti squash- it will literally look like baby spaghetti pieces! Put it in a serving bowl, and top with your herbes de provence and cheeze/marinara topping (if you use cheese, obviously melt it in a microwave beforehand!)

"Cinnamon Toast Crunch" Pumpkin Seeds

HAPPY CELIAC AWARENESS MONTH!

Short, sweet and to the point, I have for you toasted pumpkin seeds - cinnamon sugar flavored! omnomnomnomnom. My roommate Brittney thought of the title- they seriously taste like cinnamon toast crunch! OMMMNOM. In order to do these right, you're gonna have to buy a pumpkin- otherwise they won't be as good!

Toasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

glutenfree~vegan

Pumpkin seeds from any type pumpkin, cleaned and patted dried

2 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar (McCormick is gluten free and vegan)

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 F

2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spray with oil (I have grapeseed oil cooking spray!)

3. Sprawl out pumpkin seeds on baking sheet, and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar and salt.

4. Cook for 10 minutes, take it out and shake your baking sheet. Put it back in for another 15-20 minutes.

5. Let cool and eat up!

Roasted Vegetable Medley

I've decided that since I do so much creating recipes at work, that I'm going to put all my creations on my blog! Granted, majority of them are not gluten free because they are on sandwich breads, but this one would be a perfect way to add vegetables as a side! Once again, for the portions, they're going to be off, since we make them in bulk. 

Roasted Vegetable Medley

glutenfree~vegan

serves 8

2 red onions, sliced

4 red bell peppers, ends cut and sliced into rings

6 carrots, sliced

3 zucchini, sliced

3 squash, sliced

1/4 cup herbes d' provence

1/8 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

in all honesty, for this part I would eyeball it and do it to your taste preference- i love balsamic so I have more!

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Put all your sliced vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add in your olive oil, herbes d' provence, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix around with your hands

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the carrots are nice and tender. 

4. Use it as a side of vegetables, put it on a sandwich, or complement with a salad or starch!

Vegetarian Sushi Roll

 Random weekend, INDEED. Jubilee- didn't go there for the first time in a while. It was a strange incident. HOWEVER, my friend Steve and I did find ourselves at the casino...and we found...a club. Yes, Gypsies, we found a club. 

We also found ourselves playing penny slots for approximately 20-25 minutes-it didn't take us too long to lose all 10 dollars worth of free money that we got for going to the casino. One slot I played was "KITTY GLITTER"- like of course I'm going to post this one and take a picture of it! Scariest part? The cat on the kitty glitter slot machine looks exactly like my 17-year old cat JULIE! Can't you see the resemblence? #scary

At work today, my boss wanted something new. So what does he say? He wants sushi. So me and my friend from work decide that this will be easy. Love her to death, I probably wouldn't have said yes without her! Have I ever made sushi before? No, but I've watched my little sushi men make it in front of me. Did we say no to this challenge? Absolutely not. We took the challenge, and here it is, my version of a VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE SUSHIII ROLLLL. She made some with crab- and she taught me the techniques of assembly...and thank goodness for her!

Only thing here is the portions are going to be a little iffy- I had to make this in bulk at work so I'm guesstimating everything. Therefore, you might have extra of a lot of stuff- so why not use it to make more sushi or something else, ya know?

Vegetarian Sushi Roll with Spicy Veganaise 

glutenfree~vegan

For the sushi

1 package of sushi nori paper

4 cups sticky rice

2 avocados, pitted and sliced

 2 large carrots, julienned

2 cucumbers, peeled and julienned

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

For the Spicy Mayo

2 cups veganaise

1/4 cup sambal oelek (or sriracha works too)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

if you want to make less- it is 1 tablespoon of mayo for 1 teaspoon of chili sauce

1. Cook the sticky rice according to your method of cooking. Make sure you clean the rice before you cook it! I used a rice cooker, sprayed the sides with oil, filled it with the amount of water specified, and let it cook. 

2. While rice is cooking, julienne your carrots and cucumbers and slice your avocados- they should be very fine any very thin. Once cut up, put in a dry paper towel (you want everything to be very dry, otherwise your nori paper will rip!)

3. For the spicy mayo, add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. Put in refrigerator until ready to use!

4. When rice is done, add in the sugar, sesame oil, and vinegar to your rice. Let the rice cool.

5. To assemble to sushi

          - lay out your nori roll

          - when the sticky rice is cool, take 1/2 cup and put it in the middle of your nori paper. Using dry hands, pat the rice on a little over THREE QUARTERS of the paper (so a little over 1/4 of the paper will not have rice on it)

          - take a handful of carrots, a handful of cucumber, and 3 slices of avocado and lay them on top of the rice. don't overlap them- each vegetable gets a portion of the rice!

          - take a tablespoon of spicy mayo and dollop it across the vegetables

          - now comes the wrapping part- take the end with the rice and start rolling it towards the end with no rice- be careful, this is where it gets tricky!

          -when you wrap it all the way, take your finger and carefully moisten it and dab the ends of the nori paper so it sticks.

           - cut it in half with a serrated knife, then cut the halves again. This will give you four big sushi rolls! Cut them again and you'll get 8..however you like them!

Dark Chocolate Salted Brownies & NEW BLOG NAME

EVERYBODY! I've been lazy in regards to cooking and stuff so I'm so terriblydeeplysorry. BUT. Change in name to my blog URL--> GLUTENFREEHERBY.blogspot.com :] Soo if you think my blog has been erased nonono it has not! 

I made some brownies this weekend for my mom. Goodness gracious are they rich in chocolate. This was one of my first times actually experimenting with different types of flours for this recipe, and I definitely found my two favorite combinations for some extraordinarily dense chocolate: Sorghum and Coconut flour! These brownies aren't very cakey and fluffy, they are nice and thin and dense- my favorite. It makes me feel like I'm eating more in less amounts :] I honestly thought while consuming these I was drinking a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks! #notreallife. Definitely, if you even have a SWEET or SALTY tooth, these will do the trick. 

Dark Chocolate Salted Brownies

vegan~glutenfree~makes 16- 2" brownies in 8"x8" pan

1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup light brown sugar

2 flax eggs

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon himalayan sea salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 350 F and spray 8x8" baking pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, add in your coconut flour, sorghum flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Whisk

3. Add in the brown sugar, your flax eggs, and vanilla extract in the middle of the mixture. Mix it in a blender until relatively smooth 

4. Put mixture into your baking pan and spread out. Sprinkle sea salt on top. 

5. Bake for 30 minutes- it'll be bubbly and will seem like it isn't ready but it is I promise! Cut up and serve!

A Day in Philly

I was so ecstatic to visit one of the greatest places of all time- Philadelphia. My mom was born and raised here and it is her genes that I obtained. The reason for the trip to Philly was due to a potential move for me in to the city. But first things first, and that is finding a job as well as a culinary school that I can fall in love with!

Our first stop? The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. It was beautiful, very elegant, but I still have many places to look at!

The more important thing here is where we actually ate after the Open House/Interview and what not! The place is called Vegan Tree on south street in the city. It. was. Amazing. We started off with a butternut squash soup as well as a creamy chickpea soup. The chickpea soup was ah-may-zing. My mom and I ate it too quick for me to get a snapshot #woopz. 

The dinner was also heavenly. For myself, I got the chickpea avocado and black bean salad with an amazing asian ginger dressing. So rich and creamy, and it had wonderful texture. Just thinking about it right now is making me go nuts! 

My mom just got a plethora of grilled veggies. Believe it or not, the purple vegetable in the farthest corner is actually EGGPLANT- not onions! They were cooked to perfection. I always find it hard to eat eggplant because of the texture, but not this eggplant!

And the best part...A milkshake. Haven't had one of these in so long and it felt so good to drink! Wish I could have some more!

Almond Cheeze from GF Vegan Holidays

My mom found this awesome recipe by Flying Apron's Jennifer Katzinger. It's an almond cheeze recipe from her Gluten Free and Vegan Holidays Cookbook. This recipe is absolutely HEAVENLY. Serve it with her homemade crackers or any type of cracker, and you have yourself an amazing dip for any festivity. I told my mom that she should've probably made it into a prettier log, but we were so excited to try this, we just wanted it! I had Bill try it, and he said it tasted like cheese!! So here it is, Flying Apron's Almond Cheeze

Flying Apron's Almond Cheeze

1 Cup Almonds, soaked for 10 hours or overnight

1/4 Cup Filtered Water

1/4 Cup EVOO

2 Cloves Garlic

1/4 Cup Fresh Thyme, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt

Pinch of Ground Black Pepper

1) Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and combine until the cheese has a smooth, creamy texture (you might need to add more EVOO or water if it is not). Place cheeze into a mold and put in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve. To plate: add garnished thyme to the top

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

It's that time of year again, when the pumpkin madness begins! I know, this kinddaa looks like Applesauce, but it's actually pumpkin soup. Yup. Pumpkin Soup. Creamy, deliciousness. The secret ingredient to its thick density? Chickpeas. 

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Soup

gluten free~vegan 

Servings: 6

1 pumpkin (sugar pumpkin works)

8 cloves garlic

2 tablespoon EVOO

1/2 onion, diced

1-15 oz can chickpeas, with water

6 tablespoons soy/almond/any non-dairy milk

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1) First, preheat your oven to 350 F

2) Stab your pumpkin 6 times around, so that it punctured through the inside. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon EVOO onto your pumpkin and rub it all in!

3) Put your pumpkin on a deep dish baking tray (like one you would use to make brownies) and roast it for 1 1/2 hours (Mine took a little less, so check after an hour- it depends on the oven, and my oven is small in my apartment). 

4) When pumpkin is tender and easy to put a knife through, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5) Cut your pumpkin in half, and take out the stringy stuff in the middle (save the pumpkin seeds to roast for later!). Spoon out the roasted pumpkin remaining that will be for your soup! (I began doing this part when I was ready to put it in the soup)

6) Next, begin making the soup! Add the remaining tablespoon to a 4 quart saucepot and add in your whole cloves of garlic and diced onion over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes.

7) Add in the pumpkin as well as your can of chickpeas (with water), pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, let it simmer for 15 minutes. 

8) Take it off the heat and either use an immersion blender or a blender to your desired consistency. 

9) When serving, add in 1 tablespoon of soy milk for each serving and swirl. Sprinkle cinnamon on top to serve!

Per Serving:

165 calories ~ 25g CHO ~ 5g FAT ~ 6g PRO

My mom made some corn muffins for the soup- followed the recipe from the back of the box of a corn muffin mixture, and substitute buttermilk for Soy + Apple Cider Vinegar, and ENER-G for Eggs :] such a sweetheart. And topped it with some vegan butter? Perfeecctttttt

My little Iggy try to catch some dreams :]<3

Feta Cheeze for Amanda Pleeze

Lately, my cheese gone vegan addiction has hit the highest of highs. I know, it's bad, but sauces, soups, and condiments are my favorite things to recreate, because they can make any food taste amazing! I was instantly inspired to create something vegan after going to see "Vegucated" at our student union, the Hub. This one I have been wanting to do for awhile, considering the fact that if I liked any cheese, it was feta. And to top off this little story, feta is one of my closest friends' favorite cheese (she basically studied abroad at Greece for it!). So here ya go Amanda, not only does this taste better than feta, but it's sooooooo much cheesier. #Supersmashclub

Feta Cheeze

1 block x-tra firm tofu

2 T filtered water

1 teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons White Miso Paste

2 teaspoons Herbes De Provence (My favorite!)

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 1/2 T Nutritional Yeast

1) Crumble tofu in a mixing bowl

2) Pour in all the other ingredients except your nutritional yeast

3) "Fold" - or mix all your ingredients together until it is coating your tofu crumbles

4) Let it sit for 15 minutes, then sprinkle on nutritional yeast to your desired consistency.

Ed weeks- If you see my blog, please find me and marry me. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites and Vegan Bleu Cheeeze!

So, I'm trying this new thing this week that includes making a new recipe everyday that also consists of cross-utilizing my "inventory" (sorry, I work too much in foodservice), and someone was saying it while we were doing a case study today in class! WELL ANYWAYS, part of my menu for the week consisted of the infamous Cauliflower. For today? Vegan Buffalo Bites Inspired by 86 Lemons. I saw this recipe on Veg News Pinterest board and I HAD to try it. Going veghead, I knew the one thing that I was going to miss would be buffalo chicken- it was my ultimate favorite. After seeing this recipe, I didn't even wait a week to try this out: it had to be done. The results? Ultimate awesomeness.

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Bleu Cheeze

For the Cauliflower Bites

1/2 head Cauliflower, crumbled into nugget-sized pieces

1/2 Cup Flour

3/4 Cup Almond or Soy Milk

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

1 Cup Sriracha (The Only thing Different, Really)

2 Tablespoons EVOO

For the Bleu Cheeze

1/4 cup X-tra Firm Tofu, Crumbled

1 Cup Vegan Mayonnaise ( I used the one for dressing)

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Juice from 1 Lemon (Use half, then taste to see if you need the other half)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

1) Preheat oven to 450 F

2) Whisk together the flour, milk, garlic powder, 1/2 cup sriracha salt and pepper until it is smooth (You might need to add more milk if it is too lumpy). Dunk in your cauliflower bites.

3) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or drizzle oil over it. Use a slotted spoot to pick up your cauliflower nuggets and place it on baking sheet. Drizzle the remaining dressing from mixing bowl on top. Bake for 20 minutes.

4) While it is baking, make the bleu cheeze- combine all the ingredients except your crumbled Tofu and mix with a fork. Taste to see if you need more lemon juice- it should be a sour yet blue cheeeezy taste. Once you have the right taste, add in your crumbled tofu and mix only to combine.

5) When Cauliflower bites are done, take out and add the 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons EVOO to the top and bake for another five minutes.

6) Serve with side of bleu cheese, celery and enjoy!!!!

Birthday Celebration!

It's my...humph..22nd birthday; definitely not as enthralling as my last birthday. But the good news? My mom came to visit penn state! I'm so blessed to have an awesome group of friends as well as a wonderful family that is always there for me.

My lovely friend Anna from Dolce Vita made me the MOST.DELICIOUS.PIECAKE.EVER. Oh She Glows was her inspiration...and my oh my I'm in love with this blogger! She's pretty awesome, and I'm sure if you read my blog you definitely have seen "oh she glows".

My mom went to Zola's in State College and I got a coconut lentil dish, espresso, and a cake made of ALMOND FLOUR. gluten free, and vegan. Say WHATTT. It was an awesome, delicious evening- and the best part? My mom got me gift cards to WEGMANS- literally the best birthday present you could give someone turning 22 <3 <3 <3

Bills sweet potato mash with a lattice chip <3 #vegan #glutenfree

Coconut Lentils with Grilled eggplant #vegan #glutenfree

made with almond flour, and absoultely DELICIOUS. #vegan #glutenfree