One of the things I was most sad about leaving behind by becoming a vegan were my stuffed shells. I regularly made this awesome recipe from the cookbook Cook Yourself Thin and I was honestly bummed about not being able to make it, or any other ricotta filled dish again. Then, like a little gift from vegan heaven, came a recipe from Skinny Bitch In the Kitch for Tofu Ricotta. I don't know if I was as much surprised to find a recipe for vegan ricotta as much as I was surprised at how similar it really did taste to the real thing. Joe and I have learned you can pretty much make anything out of tofu and brown rice.

I served this recipe to my family last weekend, all of whom are non-vegans, and they all loved it. It's a great one to share with people, and after they are pooing themselves over it, reveal that it has.. gasp! TOFU!

So this is kind of a long recipe, but it can be broken up into its parts to be used for other things. The sauce and basic recipe is from Cook Yourself Thin, which is an awesome book for non-veganers, and the ricotta comes from Skinny Bitch.

Tomato Sauce

1 (28 oz) can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
1 (14 oz) can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 c. roughly chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
sea salt
1/4 tsp. dried basil (or fresh if you have it)
pepper

Pour the tomatoes in a bowl and mash with your hands or pulse in a food processor to chop. I personally just cook all the sauce and use my immersion blender at the end. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-low heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook until vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes with juice, basil, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently about 20-25 minutes, until thickened. Season with 1/8 tsp. pepper, but season to taste. I often add some oregano too. Ta-da! Homemade pasta sauce!

While your sauce is simmering away, cook your jumbo pasta shells - 1 box (should be like 12 oz) until they are al dente or about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander, and immediately transfer to an oiled (or cooking sprayed) baking sheet. Spread them out in a single layer so they don't get all stuck to each other later.

Tofu Ricotta
14-16 oz. extra firm tofu (I package of tofu)
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 T. evoo
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. sea salt

Super easy! Throw all the ingredients into a food processor (or blender would work too I'm sure). When you add the tofu, crumble it up into pieces. Pulse the ingredients until everything is well incorporated, and you reach a good ricotta-like consistency.

Put your ricotta into a bowl, and add whatever you'd like to stuff your shells with. I like to use about a cup of vegan mozzarella cheese, and about a quarter cup for vegan parmesan cheese. I also saute up a zucchini cut into half moon slices, and a shallot chopped thin (just a few minutes in a pan with oil until the zucchini just had a bit of crunch left). You can use whatever you like. In the past, I have done carrots and daikon, spinach, etc.

Time to assemble! Pour a nice layer of your sauce into the bottom of a 13x9 pan, and one by one, fill up each shell with about a tablespoon or so of filling. Place each shell face down into the pan, and keep going until you're done. I always seem to have about 4 or 5 shells left that don't fit into the pan, so I make another little container and stick it in the freezer. Top the shells with your remaining sauce, and some more (vegan) cheese*.

*a note on vegan cheese.. I only know of one brand, Follow Your Heart, that does not include casein in their cheese. It's tasty, but I think it only comes in a block, so you'd have to grate it. Casein is an additive found in dairy that, basically, makes you feel good. The full name is casein morphin. like morphine. ya dig? So, it's better to get a cheese substitute without it, but alas. vegan cheese is still better than regular 'ol cheese, so get what you can.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, covered in foil. Enjoy!

If you're anything like me, I love a good mexican fiesta night at home. It always hits the spot, and it's always quick and easy. Here's another recipe to add to your taco night repertoire. This comes from Real Food Daily which is my new favorite cookbook. Everything looks so yummy! This is the only recipe I've made from there thus far, but I was very pleased.

I topped my soup with Tofutti sour cream and blue corn chips. Oh, and I did cut the recipe in half (recipe below is cut in half), and it still made quite a bit. It made.. about 5 big bowls.

2 tsp. canola oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T. tamari (I used Shoyu)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 c. vegetable stock
1/2 lb. tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/6 c. tomato paste
4 corn tortillas coarsely chopped
1/8 c. chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a big stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add your spices plus tamari and saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to med-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the tortillas and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until tortillas are tender and falling apart.

Using an immersion blender (if you have one), or a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, you'll probably have to do a couple batches. Stir in the cilantro.

Garnish with Tofutti sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo, crunchy tortilla strips, etc., and enjoy!

So it's been just over a month now since I've been eating vegan, and I wanted to highlight some of the products that have been keeping a smile on my face, and lessening the grimaces when I smell pizza.. or look at cake.. or avoid.. oh, dare I say it.. Doritos! I still haven't come to terms with never eating my beloved crunchy snack ever again... never smelling the first cheesy waft when I open the bag (and yes, I hold my face close to the bag when opening it just for the puff of fried tortilla goodness. don't you judge me!) ha. ok. moving on.

I have come to love some really awesome products, and vegan or not, you should love them too.

Brown rice syrup. This is a sweetner derived from cooking brown rice with enzymes. The result is a syrup the consistency of honey, with an almost caramel like flavor. My favorite part is looking at the nutrition label: Ingredients: Brown rice. It's awesome. Plus, it's not very pricey like some other special products have proven to be. So far I have mostly used this for making granola (recipe to come soon). It adds a perfect amount of sweetness, and it's just lovely knowing you aren't eating sugar, but instead, a complex carbohydrate! cool, right? I know.

Daikon. A natural diuretic. enough said. ha! But really, this little root is great for you! Its flavor is really mild so I just chop it up and put it in most things that I make. "Daikon cleanses the blood, promotes energy circulation and increases the metabolic rate. Regular use of daikon helps prevent the common cold, flu and respiratory infections. Daikon treats hangovers, sore throats, colds and edema, and it helps cleanse the kidneys and decongest the lungs." (from satyacenter.com) In macrobiotics, they believe it melts internal body fat, and there is a drink you can make each day to promote this. If you google "daikon weight loss tea" you'll see a handful of recipes for this.

Earth Balance butter. yum. I used to use SmartBalance butter (same maker, btw), and it just didn't melt really and tasted like futter, but this EB butter really tastes like the real thing. It's been a really pleasant surprise.

Lentils. If you've read my previous posts, you know that I used to foster a fear and unwarranted dislike for lentils, but now I love them. They are so filling! Plus, they're little, so they are nice introductory bean to have a crush on. Oh, and double bonus, they don't take hours upon hours to cook (unlike YOU, black beans! yeah, you. you too pinto!). Anytime I'm making soup, I throw lentils in. On the nutritional front, 26% of a lentil is protein, and are one of the best veggie sources for iron.

Tofutti cream cheese. The label says it's "Better Than Cream Cheese." I agree. It is. If anything, it's just as good as. I was never a big cream cheese eater, but I like it on a bagel on occasion, and I am never one to turn down a piece of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (making vegan ones this week! woo woo!) There are also flavored versions, including Garlic & Herb. I know this because I bought it on accident, not knowing I should be checking the container for the word "plain." woops! I'm sure it'll be yummy though. Two thumbs, up, Tofutti! They also make a sour cream (good, but not as good as regular sour cream), and while I have not tried them myself (get with the program, someone other than Whole Foods!), I have heard good things about Tofutti Cuties, which are ice cream sandwiches.

That's all for now!

Love,
ann

So in order to be vegan, you have to essentially marry your tastebuds to rice and beans and all that good stuff. In order to remain BFFs and to not get annoyed when your rice or bean counterpart chews too loudly or eats the last blondie square, you have to keep things interesting. This recipe for fried rice really did that for me. It introduced me to some new flavors with the sesame oil and brown rice vinegar, and it's an excellent way to use up produce in the fridge. More importantly, it kept Mr. Rice off the couch for another night.

This comes from Alicia's "The Kind Diet," and the original recipe calls for lotus root rounds. Now, I have found lotus root rounds at an Asian food market, and I still shudder when I think about the experience. Let's just say I'm going to have to find a place that sells lotus root without the weird butcher guy in the back with the dirty apron or the hanging carcass in the front display. So given the.. umm.. adventure.. I did not have lotus root for this recipe, but just know, she calls for it. Oh, and I also threw in some sugar snap peas!

1-2 T dark sesame oil
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
2 pinches of fine sea salt
1/4 c. thinly sliced daikon rounds
1/4 c. thinly sliced carrot
1 c. cooked short-grain brown rice
1/2 c. chopped bok choy or small broccoli florets
Shoyu to taste
Brown rice vinegar to taste
1/4 finely chopped scallions

Heat the oil in a large skillet (or wok if you have one) over md-high heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, about 10 seconds. Add the daikon and another pinch of salt and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Add the rice to the skillet with 3 T. of water. Season the rice with your shoyu and vinegar, add the bok choy, and stir-fry 2-4 minutes - or until the rice is hot, and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the scallions last before serving.