And…I’m back! – Stuffed Manicotti

There’s been a lot going on the past two and a half weeks. I have amazingly been able to remain on my vegan diet throughout, but it has certainly been difficult. I’ve been sick, we’ve had guests, our lives have had many ups and downs, and yet somehow I stayed vegan. I didn’t really try any new recipes during this time, which is why I haven’t posted much.

Tonight, however, I tried a recipe that I just have to share. If you like Italian food, then you definitely need to give this one a try. Even my husband, who has not been a fan of the Lenten vegan challenge, LOVED this dish. It is SO simple too. You can impress your friends with this one!

Stuffed Manicotti

Ingredients
1 package of manicotti pasta
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 package of extra firm tofu
1/2 Cup Nutritional yeast
Fresh basil, chopped
1/2 Tbsp Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Lemon juice

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Boil the Manicotti – according to the package directions
*You can make the filling in a food processor, or you can use your hands
If you are making it by hand, mash up the tofu until it resembles a firm ricotta cheese texture.
Add nutritional yeast, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
In a casserole dish, spread out half of the marinara sauce.
Fill the manicotti with a couple spoon-fulls of the tofu filling.
Top with the remaining marinara sauce, and bake for 15-20 minutes.

It was delicious!!! I highly recommend this one

Sluggish

I realize that my blog entries and recipes have been few and far between the past two weeks. The main reason is I’ve literally been sick for more than two weeks! AND to add to it, now my son, Elijah, is sick too! It’s really difficult to get motivated to make food outside of my realm when I’m not feeling well. Thankfully, I’ve been able to stick to my vegan diet, but it has definitely been a challenge.

Hopefully I’ll start feeling back to normal soon and can once again try some new dishes during the last few weeks of this Lenten season.

Blessings!

Sunday Night Pizza!!

Every Sunday night, as far back as I can remember, was Pizza night in my house. Aaron and I haven’t always carried on that tradition. However, this morning when I asked, “Are we going to have pizza tonight?” My dad said, “What kind of question is that? Of course, we’re having pizza tonight.”

A side note: My hometown, where my parents currently live, is the location where Jamie Oliver filmed his first Food Revolution USA. It airs on March 26th at 9PM on ABC. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about all of our “eating out.”

Since it was Pizza night and I didn’t want to miss out, I went on a search for a “good” vegan pizza in D.C. I settled on Duccini’s at 1778 U St. It’s a pizza parlor, that also happens to sell vegan pizzas. Aaron, Elijah and my parents all had pepperoni pizza. I had a vegan pizza with pineapple, mushrooms, and spinach.

It was….AWESOME!

I was so glad to enjoy the pleasures of “Sunday night Pizza” on the vegan diet!

Did someone say chocolate?

A sweet friend of ours, who knows I’m on this Vegan Lenten journey, is always looking for dairy substitutes. One day she stopped by my husband’s office (they work with the same organization) and brought me a treat. A Vegan Candy Bar!!

Thanks LaToya! It was DELICIOUS!!!

4 More Weeks!!!

On this Lenten journey, I have four more weeks and boy, do I feel like I’m already running out of steam. I think my lack of drive mostly has to do with the fact that I’ve been sick for over a week now. I have desperately needed a “sick day,” and unfortunately that’s not very realistic.

We have been eating out a bit more than normal, and surprisingly I have been able to stick to my vegan diet quite nicely. My parents are in town,  therefore we tend to eat out more…it’s a WV thing.

Yesterday, out at the Pentagon City Mall, I had a salad from Salad Creations. It included tofu and Asian Sesame Vinaigrette. It was REALLY good.

Last night we ate at The Heights in our Columbia Heights neighborhood. They had a vegan dish – Grilled tofu and mixed vegetables with a tomato pesto sauce. It was AWESOME!

Nonetheless, the journey continues to be a challenge for me because this is such a drastic dietary change. However, I am eating things that I most likely would not have chosen to eat otherwise.

It’s stretching me…which is kind of the point, right?

Another Treat

Since I’ve been feeling so awful, we decided to do take-out tonight. Again, with the vegan diet, there’s only certain places we can actually do take-out. Chipotle is one of those places and it’s AWESOME!

When I go vegan at Chipotle, I don’t even feel like I’m missing out. It’s absolutely delicious. Here’s what my burrito is made of:

Vegan Burrito:

Black beans, rice, pico de gallo, lettuce, guacamole, and medium salsa.

It is AMAZING! Very filling and socially conscious (Chipotle prides itself on being a healthier fast food option)

If you’ve never experienced Chipotle, you’re missing out. Here’s their website: http://www.chipotle.com

Chickpea Potato Curry

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and I included it in our (vegan) Indian dinner menu last Saturday night. It is a little spicy, but really tasty!! I served the dish with white Jasmine rice (my favorite) and it seemed to be a big hit!

The recipe is really easy and very hands off – the best kind of recipe for the mother of a toddler!

Chickpea Potato Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• One 14 1/2-ounce can fire-roasted or stewed tomatoes with chiles
• 6 baby Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces), quartered
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp Vegan Margarine – I used Earth Balance
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1 In a large pot, combine the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, butter, ginger, 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir to mix and nestle the potatoes into the liquid.

2 Set the pot, uncovered, over medium heat. Simmer vigorously for about 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add more salt to taste. Serve the curry in bowls over Jasmine rice.

Black Bean Dip

Saturday evening, when I had some great friends over, I made several dishes. I’ve already shared the Chocolate Cake and Frosting, but I wanted to share two other dishes as well.

First, the Black Bean Dip. Since we were having Indian food, I served the dip with pita chips. It would also be delicious with Tortilla Chips.

Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

2 Cups Black Beans – drained

1/2 Cup hot water

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp ground Corriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup Cilantro – chopped

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1-2 limes – juiced

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Place the beans in a blender or food processor and cover with the hot water. Let them sit.

Heat the oil of medium heat, add the garlic, corriander, cumin and saute’. Stir frequently for about 8-10 minutes.

Add the spice mixture, cilantro, and chile to the beans and puree’ until chunky, 10-20 seconds.

Add lime juice and salt to taste

Note: Bean dip keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it tastes better at room temperature or heated.

Even two days later when I served this dip for our small group, it got rave reviews! Enjoy!

Challenges

So…today was challenging. I’ve got a terrible cold. I’m dealing with some emotional things. I had to go to Costco, which is never a pleasant experience in D.C. Then to beat it all, I made dinner for my family and for a friend who recently had surgery.  I ended up making a Rotisserie Chicken and Mac and Cheese…I also made couscous and broccoli (which is what I ate), but it was SO difficult to make and smell the chicken and mac and cheese, and not be able to eat it; especially since my day was challenging.

I did a lot of praying (and crying) today…I’m hoping for a better tomorrow…

Busboys and Poets

For those who live in D.C., if haven’t heard of or eaten at Busboys and Poets, then you’ve been hiding under a rock and you must get out! Busboys and Poets is a very trendy, yet quite affordable, socially conscious eatery located near the historically famous U Street District. It has been one of our favorite restaurants in D.C. The food is awesome and the restaurant is about a 15 minute walk from our house.

When Elijah was an infant and still sat in his infant car seat everywhere we went, we could take him with us to Busboys. But, we have involuntarily had a Busboys boycott ever since Elijah started sitting in a highchair. Even though they are socially conscious, so far as having socially conscious children’s books in their small bookstore, they are not so child friendly. All that to say, I haven’t had Busboys food in a LONG time and I’ve missed it desperately!!

Last night, my lovely husband said we could order Busboys take-out and he’d go pick it up. Being on the vegan diet has limited my take-out options, but not at Busboys and Poets!! They have lots of Vegan and vegetarian options on their menu.

I ordered the Veggie burger with tomato, avocado, and sauteed onions with some vegan mayonnaise AND sweet potato fries on the side! I was so hungry and so excited that I forgot to take a picture. So, you’ll have to take my word for it, it was DELICIOUS!! It was also my first ever veggie burger…not so bad.

The best quote from my husband, Aaron, “I can’t believe you get to eat all of that on a vegan diet!”

(TMI Alert) This morning, when my digestive system wasn’t working properly, I decided to call Busboys to make sure their veggie burger was in fact Vegan, and it totally is. So, my digestive troubles did not come from meat, dairy or eggs…interesting.

Next time you’re in D.C., you’ll have to check out Busboys and Poets!