[Vegan Mofo] 5 Ingredient Meals - Tropical Parfait

As it rains outside my window I am thinking of tropical climates and sun! So here is a breakfast parfait or a glorious snack to get you feeling sunny even when the weather is blah.

5 ingredient stars: Canned coconut cream/milk chilled in the fridge for a few hours, agave nectar, granola (Target has a variety of vegan ones to choose from I went with the Renola by the makers of Lara Bar), container of fresh pineapple, shredded coconut and macadamia nut pieces.

Scoop out the cream solid from the canned coconut cream, mix in a tad of agave nectar to sweeten. Cute the pineapple into bit sized xchunks. Toast the coconut shreds and nuts in a non-oiled pan till golden (it takes a few minutes). Get a mason jar (if you are hip), tall glass or bowl ready. Layer the sliced pineapples, granola and whip till you end up with a whip cream layer.Sprinkle on nuts and coconut flakes. Eat it up and feel your body think it is on vacation!

Friday Night Nachos Revised

We have some food traditions around the house. I think the most anticipated one is Friday Vegan Nacho Night! Matt says it is the right way to kick off the weekend, I just like this quick, easy and delicious meal!

Updated Vegan Nacho Recipe

1 package of trader Joe's Meatless Crumbles

1 can of original Rotel 

1 can of black beans

1 big plop of Sriracha 

a bit of oil for cooking

a bag of organic white corn  tortilla chips

Food For Lovers Queso (a must here!), hot sauce, your fave toppings (optional)

In a large frying pan heat a bit of olive oil - enough to lightly coat the pan on medium heat. Add meatless grounds, cook for a few minutes. Open & drain the Rotel and black beans. Add those and Sriracha to the pan, mix and cook on a medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes. 

Place a bed of nachos on a plate, spoon on pan mixture and top with toppings of choice!

As you can tell I have made a few changes from my original recipe found here. As with most dishes it only gets better after experimenting. This meal was one of my original meals I started cooking. It is now a kitchen staple and something that I can't wait to make for tonight dinner! Happy Friday! Rock the weekend!

Eats Of The Week

Almond milk cappuccino from Timeless Roasters in Oakland.

 

Salad for lunch at Golden Lotus - random lunch since it was not our first option in Oakland. 

 

Dosa at Udupi  in Berkeley for dinner, I loved the coconut chutney but the service needed improvement.

Avo-Toast (Crazy Sexy Kitchen  - gift from a friend) with red pepper flakes on Judy's Breadstick bread - omg so good!

Taco night Tuesday, tempeh tacos from the I love Cooking With Trader  Joe's Vegetarian cookbook (my fave cookbook lately!). I topped them with avocado and Daiya shreds. Served with red rice and chili and lime spiked jicama.

What have you been eating?

Open Faced Elvis

I was feelin' mighty sore yesterday - I think I have a pulled muscle in my shoulder or a bad nerve. I wanted comfort food - not only to heal my shoulder but to beat PMS cravings!

Enter the open faced Elvis: whole wheat toast, Earth Balance coconut peanut butter, a sliced banana, cacao nibs and a drizzle of that yummy vegan bacon syrup I posted about last week!

You might think this calls for a big mound of potato chips, not me! I did a super sized bowl of chocolate cereal with almond milk and more bananas. I also needed a bit of salt so I grabbed some sea salted almonds. Chocolate, nut butters and a touch of salt - that is how my PMS rolls!

[Vegan MOFO Day 3] Sandwiches & Soy Curls

Since I went to Whole Foods on Sunday I bought items I cannot find around here to try. I walked away with a lot of winners.

On Sunday after coming home from the film festival, hitting up the gym and then the store I was tired. I wanted something tasty and simple. A smoked jalapeno tofu sandwich with Daiya cheddar wedge cheese (new to me - I have only had the shreds!), vegan mayo, fresh organic veggies on a sourdough roll. Served with Matt's fave, crinkle cut fries (I usually by different fries but these were good!). I want more sandwiches for dinner!

We are no strangers to soy curls - I order them bi-weekly from Spencer's Market. However I usully prepare them the same way - pan fried in BBQ sauce, which is so soooo sooooo good but hey - I am trying to break out of a rut! So after trying buffalo soy curl pasta and liking it, I decided to do strait up buffalo soy curls. I just used my standard buffalo sauce Frank's + Earth Balance and after the soy curls re-hydrated I tossed them in the sauce and pan fried them. Served with steamed broccoli, mac & cheeze and left over oven toasted sour dough rolls. Another simple meal that is tasty and warms your insides!


I should note that these pics and the ones that might follow are of Matt's plate, in his office where he likes to relax with dinner after work. I am usually like "hey take a picture before I set it down!"...So ya that is my arm & Matt's skull plate! :)