Lusty Lasagna Roll-Ups

Mmmm...lasagna is sexy. Well, I can't promise that these roll-ups will make members of the opposite sex fall at your feet, but it can't hurt. This lasagna is wayyyyyyyyyyy lower in fat and calories than traditional lasagna. I reckon each roll probably has somewhere between 80 to 100 calories. Not bad at all compared to a usual 500-calorie-a-tiny-slice sort.

Lusty Lasagna Roll-ups

5 whole wheat lasagna noodles

1/2 cup unthawed frozen spinach

1 12 oz package of firm silken tofu (I used mori-nu)

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp Joy-Soy Better than Ranch mix (or other vegan dip or soup mix)

3 tbsp follow your heart monteray jack cheese (optional)

Place the lasagna noodles in a microwave-safe container long enough to accomodate them. Nuke them for about 8 minutes. While they're in the microwave, place tofu and 3/4 of the tomato sauce in the bowl and mash all ingredients except for the "cheese" in with them using a fork. When noodles are done, remove them from container and place them on a plate. Take one noodle and place it back in the long microwave-safe container. Spread tofu-mix over entire noodle, then roll it up (leave it in the container when you're finished rolling). Repeat for all 5 noodles, then sprinkle any remaining tofu mixture on top of the roll-ups, then drizzle the rest of the tomato sauce over it. Grate (or tear up into tiny pieces ) the cheese and sprinkle on top. Microwave for 4 more minutes. Eat.

Cajun Blackbean Burgers

So the other night, I was chilling out, sipping on some kava tea, when all of the sudden inspiration struck: I could make my own veggie burgers!!!! Anyways, this idea resulted in hours slaving in front of a hot stove (actually it was only 30 minutes) and I concocted this prototype recipe, which was omnivore approved. I may later issue a revisal, but I thought this was pretty darn good for my first try!

Cajun Blackbean Burgers
1 can of black beans
1/8 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup tvp
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp liquid smoke
red pepper flakes (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
garlic (to taste)
salt (to taste)
non-stick spray

Combine tvp and rice with 1 and 1/2 cups of veggie broth and nuke for 6 minutes. While it's nuking, sautee onions in a large pan (I used my trusty wok) until they're flimsy, but not quite done, then pour beans in the pan and put on medium heat. Stir in the oatmeal, liquid smoke, and spices . When the tvp and rice are cooked, toss them in with everything else and stir. Then, slowly sprinkle the wheat flour in until you have a dough-like consistancy. Remove from heat and spoon "dough" into the container you used for the rice and TVP. Clean the pan you used to mix the ingredients, then spray it down with non-stick spray and put on medium-high heat. Form the "dough" into patties and fry for aprox. 5 minutes on each side (if you intend to put them in the fridge and nuke them as you need them) or 8 minutes each side if you're going to nosh right away. When reheating, 4 minutes seemed to work perfect with my microwave, but yours could be different. Eat it.

Super Spaghetti Squash Salad

Spaghetti Squash is a great, wonderful thing. An entire squash only has 2 weight watchers points! Alas, this wonderful goddess of low calorie foods usually requires up to an hour or more in an oven. Ick. Luckily, I've come to your rescue and discovered that this wonderful squash can be microwaved!! You can cheer now.

Super Spaghetti Squash Salad

1 medium spaghetti squash

2 roma tomatos

1/2 cup of snap peas

1/8 cup chopped onion

Italian seasoning

1 tsp minced garlic (I buy jars of it from the produce section. No garlicy hands for me!)

Stab squash four or five times. Place squash on paper towel (so your nasty, uncleaned microwave doesn't taint it!) and nuke for 10-14 minutes (depends on the size). You'll know it's done when it gives when you touch it. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then take a fork and remove the seeds (this can be tricky because strings of squash will stick to it, but don't give up!). Then, use the fork to pull out the strings of the squash. Place squash into bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Let the salad chill out in the fridge until you're ready to eat it.

Peanut Slam Noodles for 1

This dish is delish. It's super easy and quick to make, and really great for when you need a boost of healthy fat, whole grains, and protein!

Peanut Slam Noodles
1 bundle of Soba noodles
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup snow peas
vegtable broth
big mictowave save bowl.

Place soba noodles in bowl, add veggie broth to cover noodles, microwave for about 7-10 minutes (depending on your microwave). Drain pasta until there's just a little bit of liquid left in the bottom of the bowl. The liquid should not cover the pasta. You only need a tiny bit. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, and snow peas. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then microwave for 1 minute. Eat.

Vegeaster Dinner!!

Seitan, sweet potatoes, sweet jesus.

Seitan ala Orange

12-16 oz box seitan

vegtable broth

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1tbsp blue bonnet light (or equivalent)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tsp liquid smoke

baby carrots

cornstarch to thicken

Follow the directions on the box to make the seitan, but use vegtable broth instead of plain water for the liquid. Place seitan in pan and cover with vegtable broth. Add ketchup, liquid smoke and baby carrots. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 45 min-60 min. remove seitan from broth, and slice. Set aside. Keeping heat low, add the marmalade and margarine to the broth, whisk until marmalade and margarine have melted. On low heat slowly sprinkle cornstarch into the mixture. Whisk so it doesn't clump up into little balls. Not that that happened to me or anything. Nope. Those little white things on the seitan?? Oh they're nothing. No, I'm a total chef. I would never serve food with clumps of cornstarch. Seriously. Anyways, once the sauce is as thick as you wish it to be, spoon the sauce and carrots over the lonely seitan.

Sweet Tater Fries

Sweet potatoes

olive oil spray

seasoning salt (any brand should do, as long as it's not too spicey!)

Large pan

Preheat oven to 425. Cut sweet potatoes into fry-like strips. Spray pan with olive oil. Place sweet potatoes in a single layer onto the pan. Spray with more olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning salt to taste. Place potatoes in oven. Cook until crunchy looking. In my oven it takes about 35 minutes, but I have a very ghetto oven. Seriously. I live in a trailer park, and the oven came with the trailer. There have probably been dead babies and cats in my oven. Now enjoy those sweet potato fries.

The Good Wich

Every now and again, I get a craving for a nice sandwich. But as a vegan, what does one place in between those healthful slices of whole grain? Luckily, there is a myriad of possibilities. Ahh...the power of hummus...

Goodwich

2 slices of bread (durr)

2 tbsp hummus

1 handful of alf-alfa sprouts or lettuce

4 thin slices of tomato

2-3 thinly sliced mushrooms

Spread hummus on bread. Layer vegtables. Eat. Reapeat.

Freakin Easy Quinoa Pilaf for1

The first time I read the word "Quinoa," I thought it would be a really nice name for one of my future adopted daughters. Then, I realized it wasn't a name, it was an obscenely wonderful grain! Quinoa (pronounced "Keen-wah")is incredibly microwave-friendly, and really great if you're looking for a departure from plain-Jane grains like brown rice. Behold the simplicity:

Quinoa Pilaf for 1:

1/2 cup of prerinsed Quinoa

1 cup of vegtable broth or water

1/4 cup frozen vegtables

microwave safe bowl

Toss all 3 ingredients together. Microwave for 6-8 minutes, depending on the speed of your microwave. Eat.