Healthy and Fabulous Spring Rolls

Making your own spring rolls is easier than you think!  Very few ingredients are needed.  It would also be fun to make this recipe with the smaller rice papers. 

 

 

 
 
Here are the basic ingredients you will need.  I found them at my local grocery store.  If your store doesn't carry them, Asian markets and specialty stores will definitely have something you can use.

 

Pick your favorite vegetables.  Avocado is one of my favorites and I usually include it in this recipe.  However, the ones I brought home from the market turned out to be rotten inside.  So disappointing.  I also prefer including fresh cilantro instead of basil but it's nice to change it up now and then.

 
Immerse the rice paper in a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds.  No longer!  It will continue to change texture after it is removed from water.  You don't want it to get so mushy it rips.  Pull the paper from the water and place on a plate.  I tried working with these on a plastic cutting board but it stuck to the plastic and I was afraid it would rip.

 

Place the veggies and rice noodles in the top middle section of the round paper. 

 

 

Now fold the sides inward.

 

Fold the top of the rice paper over the filling.  Push the filling into the paper as you fold and wrap.  You want to make it as tight as possible.

 

Cut your finished spring rolls in half.  Cutting at an angle makes them even prettier.

You can make a home-made peanut sauce but this store-bought version is so delicious and happens to be vegan.  It is a little spicy.  Be creative!  It doesn't have to be peanut sauce.  Try some other flavors!

 

Spring Rolls

Package of Rice sticks (the smallest possible)

Various raw vegetables

8 inch rice papers

Peanut sauce

 

Prepare the rice sticks by following the directions on the package and set them aside.  Usually, they are just immersed in hot water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Thinly slice vegetables and set aside.

 

Fill a large bowl with hot water (not boiling hot).   Slide a rice paper into the water and let sit 30 seconds.  Pull it out immediately with your hands and place on a plate.  Extra water will be absorbed so don't worry.  Place some rice noodles (sticks) and veggies in the top-middle of the rice paper.  Fold the sides of the paper over the filling.  Now fold the top of the paper over the filling.  Slowly and tightly roll the wrapper down the plate until fully closed.  Set aside and continue making as many rolls as you desire. 

 

The rolls can be stored in the refrigerator.  When ready to serve, cut each roll in half at an angle and place cut side up on a serving dish.  Serve with room temperature peanut sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan Brownies from a Box

Yes!  You can make vegan brownies from a box.  Looks like a "normal" brownie.  Tastes like a "normal" brownie.  It is a normal brownie!

I was feeling lazy and needed to take something to a party.  The very first box I took off the grocery shelf contained only vegan ingredients!  I know I got lucky.  Some will contain milk products so read the ingredients carefully.

I used this Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate mix.  When making the brownies, I followed the directions on the box but substituted 1/2 cup applesauce for the 2 eggs. The general rule is 1/4 cup applesauce per egg.

After baking and cooling the brownies, I found it neccesary to refrigerate them for an hour in order to cut them without too much crumbling.  They did still fall apart a little but not badly.  Refrigerating them longer would probably be helpful.

These brownies were delicious fudginess!

Easy Vegan "Chick'n Piccata"

It's so easy to have a quick meal thanks to Gardein.

"Chick'n" Piccata

2 pieces of Gardein's Chick'n Scallopini
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
1 T. capers
1 t. minced garlic
2 T. lemon juice
salt
pepper

In a frying pan, saute Chick'n in olive oil for 2 minutes per side.  Remove the Chick'n to plates.  To the pan add white wine, capers, garlic and lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until sauce reduces to half it's original volume.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over Chick'n.

Serves 2

Fruit Salad with a Twist

My non-vegan friend, Susie, had a get-together and put out a spread of only vegan appetizers.  Almost brought tears to my eyes.  I have the best friends!  This fruit salad she made was fantastic and so simple.  I took the picture with my cellphone but I hope you can tell how wonderful it looked.

She used a melon ball spoon to cut the cantelope and honeydew melon and then mixed it with thinly sliced onion, bite-size pieces of cucumber, chopped fresh red peppers, and freshly ground black pepper.  That's it!  She thinks it tasted better after sitting in the refrigerator for a while.  All I know is it tasted great!  Oh yeah... it was really healthy too.

Easy and Healthy Vegan Dinner

 This meal is easy, healthy AND cheap!

Start roasting the tomatoes in the oven (see the last blog post) because they take the longest.  Then get started on the tofu.  So easy..  Just these three ingredients.

Put a quarter cup of Wondra in a shallow bowl.  Drain the tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel.  I cut it in half and save the other half for another time.*  Slice the tofu into 1/4" thick slices.  One at a time, put the tofu into the Wondra flour and coat both sides.  Saute the coated tofu in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Cook it at least 5 minutes per side on medium.  I like it a little crispy.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of vegan Asian-style salad dressing to the frying pan.  Put it in in the pan - not on top of the tofu.  The dressing will bubble up a little.  It's ok.  Shake/swirl the pan a little to distribute it and coat the bottom of the tofu.  After just a minute or two, flip the tofu and swirl the pan again to coat that side of the tofu.  Give it another minute and it should be done.

This can of spinach and mustard greens by Jyoti is a quick and easy side dish.  It has about three servings and is a little spicy.   I get a case of it delivered through Amazon.com.  Shipping is free when I order some of my other products.

This Multigrain Pilaf from Trader Joe's is great!  It has a few beans thrown in there too.  Just microwave for two minutes in the bag.  I take it on trips in case I have trouble finding vegan food.

So, that's the whole meal.  Pretty easy... pretty cheap... pretty healthy.


*Store the extra tofu in a covered bowl of fresh water in the refrigerator.

Don't Forget the Simple Things

The Italians are right!  Sometimes we screw things up by being too complicated.  Stick to the basics and it will be good.  Italian food often uses very few ingredients but they are good quality ingredients.  Not too much extra seasoning to mask the taste of the natural food.

Don't forget to just saute mushrooms.  Yes, in my recent post I stuffed mushrooms with all kinds of ingredients.  And they were good.  But, mushrooms are a great dish just sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

 Sometimes, I have to resist pouring a little cooking Sherry in the pan.  It's not necessary, just a habit of "dressing it up."

Tomatoes!  Lovely tomatoes are great just as they are.  Cut them in half.  Put the tomatoes in a baking dish and pour a little olive oil on them.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Great!

  Sprinkle with sliced basil if you like.  See!  I can't help dressing it up.

Easy and Elegant Vegan Dish

This elegant dish is SO easy.

 I used already prepared convenience foods.

Slice the polenta and saute in very little olive oil - one tablespoon should do it.  Flip after the first side is golden brown.  I like to cook it for a while so it is pretty firm.  In the meantime, pour the pasta sauce in a saucepan, heat it up and keep warm.  Put a couple slices each of the zucchini and eggplant on a microwave plate and zap until warm (2 minutes depending on your microwave).

Assemble by putting a large scoop of sauce on your plate.  Alternate adding a slice of polenta, eggplant, zucchini, a little sauce, a little cheese... and repeat.  I sprinkled some red pepper flakes and sliced basil on top but it isn't necessary.

My meat-eating husband liked it too.  I would serve this to guests.

Tomato and White Bean Soup

For those of you in the cold and snowy parts of the country, heat yourselves up with this delicous soup recipe from Giada De Laurentis.  I veganized it and added zucchini.  It's very easy and homemade... kind of.  I use a jar "Basil Garlic" marinara sauce from Vons/Safeway.  It contains whole garlic cloves.

Serve this soup with slices of crusty garlic bread.  Just slice some French bread and spread with Earth Balance Buttery Spread.  Sprinkle minced garlic on top and bake in the toaster oven until golden brown.  Fabulous!

Tomato and White Bean Soup

3 T. olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, cut in half and then sliced

1 – 26 oz. jar marinara sauce

32 oz. vegetable broth

1 – 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

½ t. red pepper flakes

¾  cup small pasta (recommend small shells)

½ t. salt

½ t. pepper

In large stock pot, sauté carrots, onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.  Add zucchini and cook 2 more minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to just boiling.  Turn down heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Another Easy Vegan Appetizer

Ok, just one more Trader Joe's item -- "Thai Vegetable Gyoza."  It's another great easy appetizer to serve guests.  Just fry in 1 T. oil for 4 minutes and then add 2 T. water and cover.  It will steam like this for 4 more minutes.  Done!  I cook these gyoza and the "Bird's Nests" and then keep them both warm in the oven until company comes.  I make great veggie sushi rolls ahead of time and serve this trio together.  It's a great appetizer spread.  I plan to have a blog post on the sushi rolls in the near future.

Easy Vegan Appetizer

Here is another convenience food that is a great appetizer.  I took it to a Super Bowl Party on Sunday.  It's "Vegetable Bird's Nests" from Trader Joe's frozen food section.  Just bake 15 minutes, flip, bake another 10 minutes.  Easy and delicious!

I'm not trying to advertise for companies but I do want to push convenient foods so that the "doubters" out there will see that they can go vegan.  No more complaints about how veganism is hard or expensive or unappetizing!