Eggplant Tikka Masala

2 large eggplant, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
2 6 oz. containers plain vegan yogurt
4 T lemon juice
6 t cumin, divided
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 t cinnamon
2 t ground ginger
4 T oil, divided
4 t minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and minced, optional
4 t coriander
2 t paprika
2 t garam masala
1 (29.5 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 c. cashew cream

Place eggplant pieces in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix yogurt, lemon juice, 4 t cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger.  Pour marinade on eggplant and stir to coat all pieces.  Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Remove eggplant from refrigerator.   Heat 2 T oil in a large pan.  Add eggplant, and cook on medium heat until soft, about 20-25 minutes.  

Heat remaining 2 T oil in a separate frying pan.  Add garlic and jalapeno, and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining 2 t cumin, coriander, paprika, and garam masala to pan, and stir. Add tomato sauce, stir well, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add cashew cream and stir.  Remove from heat, and mix sauce with cooked eggplant. Serve over rice, or with naan.

Carrot hotdogs

When I first got this recipe I was very skeptical, Im not a huge carrot fan, so I was not to anxious to try them. Then my grandparents came to visit and I had to plan vegan gluten free meals, grandma is celiac, and i wanted her to experience vegan eating. So we tried these out and we were all just amazed, to me they tasted the way real hotdogs off the grill taste. It was almost scary. They are now one of our familys favorite summer foods to grill.

Carrot Dogs

Peel 2 pounds of carrots and cut into hot dog lengths, drop into boiling water for 15 minutes. Cool. Soak in marinade for several hours, overnight is best.

Marinade: 

2c water

2t garlic powder

2t onion powder

2t dried basil

1/2tsp smoked paprika

2TBS peanut butter

1t sugar

1t salt

1/4t celery salt

mix marinade ingredients together and marinade the carrots.

after marinating the carrots, remove from marinade and place on oiled cookie sheet bake at 350 until tender. 

You can eat them now or place them on a grill for a few minutes then serve with your favorite condiments. 

chick it seasoning

Chick-it seasoning from the Guilt Free Gourmet cookbook

1/4c salt
1/2c nutritional yeast
1/2tsp turmeric
1tsp garlic powder
1TBS onion powder
1/2tsp marjoram
1/2tsp sage
1TBS parsley

Place all in blender and blend until its a powder like consistency. Store in a sealed container in the refridgerator.

I use this where ever a recipe calls for chicken like broth.

dinner tonight

Ok so I haven't been on here for quite awhile. I have to share what I made for dinner tonight, it was fantastic.

http://www.ellentv.com/recipes/2010/11/19/turkey-roast/

now for that turkey, i changed the spices a lil bit, i did 3 teaspoons of sage and 3 teaspoons of thyme instead of 3 TBS thyme. Everything else i did the same.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-sauce-i/

this was my first attempt at made from scratch cranberry sauce, and now i dont know if ill ever go back to the canned variety. It was so good. I also made rice with chic it seasoning, onions and celery in it, and steamed broccoli that we had frozen from the garden last summer. It was a very good Sunday dinner :)

Spanish Cheez Buns

So this is one of those back home summer time treat foods. We used to go to B&K and get spanish cheese buns and ice cold root beer in frosty mugs every summer. I have really good memories of that.

Spanish Sauce
1bag TVP
3c hot water
1-2Tbs Kitchen bouquet
1/4-1/2tsp mesquite liquid smoke
1tsp soy sauce

hydrate the tvp with the above ingredients in a large skillet or pot,

3/4c water
2c ketchup
4 1/2tsp chili powder
2Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4c finely diced onion
1tsp salt

combine rest of ingredients with tvp and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes serve on buns with cheez sauce, or over vegan hotdogs or french fries.

Cheez Sauce (this is from seven secrets)
1/2c cashews
1c hot water
1tsp onion powder
1Tbs nutritional yeast
1/4tsp garlic powder
3/4tsp salt

Combine all ingredients for cheez sauce in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and heat while stirring until thick.

Big Vegetarian Macs

This recipe is from vegetarian_group at yahoo groups contributed by Judy.

Big Vegetarian Macs

3 c. quick oats(uncooked)
3 c. walnuts
1 1/2 c. water
2 med. onions quartered
3/4 c. unsweetened soy milk or cow's milk
3 T. soy sauce 
1 tsp. sage
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained

Blend all of the ingredients(except oats) until everything is in very small pieces/almost smooth. Pour over the oats and mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes or overnight. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a large cookie scoop and scoop up a full scoop, put on parchment paper. Use your hand to press mixture together and flatten into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Continue doing this until all of the batter is used up. Spray each patty with Olive Oil non-stick baking spray and adds almost zero calories. This helps them brown up better. Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Flip and spray the other side of the patty. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until browned. Makes 24- 26 large burgers.

Very good Cheese sauce

This is the best vegan cheese sauce I have ever made and for those who are gluten free or nut free it is safe for you too :)

2TBS Olive oil
2 1/2TBS rice flour
1 1/4c soy, nut, or rice milk
1 1/2TBS nutritional yeast
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp onion powder
1/4tsp dry mustard
1/2TBS lemon juice or more to taste
1/8tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp paprika
1/4tsp turmeric
1TBS tahini

Place oil in pan and heat, slowly add flour and whisk together, cook while stirring for a couple of minutes until the flour begins to brown, then slowly add milk while whisking to prevent lumps, whisk in all remaining ingredients except tahini, and cook until desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in tahini. Serve over chips or veggies.