Adult Grilled "Cheese" Sandwich

You will need:

1.       2 slices of vegan bread.  I used a vegan rye bread. (Watch out for honey!)

2.       2 to 3 slices of tomato

3.       A few basil leaves

4.       Vegan Cheese. I used Teese Brand cheddar and some Daiya Brand cheddar

5.       Vegan butter. I used soy-free Earth Balance

Directions:

Really?  It’s a grilled cheese sandwich.  Butter the outside of the bread, pile on the toppings and cook it up, on each side, until the cheese is melted.  

BBQ "Chicken" Pizza

You will need:

-1 pack of Beyond Meat Chicken strips (I used the lightly seasoned flavor)

-1 pre-made whole wheat pizza crust (feel free to use any other vegan pizza crust..watch out for honey!)

-1 bottle of vegan BBQ sauce (I used Annie’s Brand Sweet and Spicy)

-½ yellow onion (more or less to taste)

-1 bell pepper (I used red but use whichever color tickles your fancy)

-Halved Grape tomatoes (to taste)

-Daiya brand “cheese” (to taste)  I used Pepper Jack and Mozzarella, but feel free to use whatever flavor creams your twinkie.

-1 avocado

-Cilantro (to taste)

Directions:

-Pre heat oven to the temperature on the pre-made pizza crust.  I will likely be around 400 degrees

-While the oven is pre-heating, coat your pizza crust with a generous amount of the BBQ sauce…don’t be shy!

-Once you have the desired amount of sauce on the crust, place the shredded (or chopped) “chicken” bits on the crust as well as the onion (I like raw onion, but feel free to lightly sauté before), bell pepper (I used raw, but feel free to lightly sauté), and tomatoes.

-Top with the Daiya brand cheese.  Daiya can get very heavy and oily, so I used only enough to lightly cover my toppings…but feel free to use as much as you want…don’t say I didn’t warn you!

-Once the oven is at the desired temperature, place the pizza directly on the center rack. 

-Let bake for 12-15 minutes (longer if you want it more well done).

-Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

-Placed sliced avocado and cilantro on the pizza once it has cooled down. 

-Slice up and enjoy!

This is a very light, flavorful pie!

Shiritaki Spaghetti with "Chicken" in Cauliflower Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 4 heaping cups cauliflower florets (I used 2 bags of Bird's Eye Steamfresh frozen Cauliflower....but you can use a small to medium cauliflower if you want to be all fresh and fancy :)
• 1 pack of Beyond Meat Chicken Strips (I used lightly seasoned flavor)
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of vegan butter (I used soy-free Earthbalance)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 med/lg cloves)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened and unflavored almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
• A few basil leaves
• House Foods brand tofu shirtaki noodles. (I used 2 packs)
• Tri-bell peppers (to taste)
• Yellow onion (to taste)
• Halved grape tomatoes (to taste)
• Mushroom of choice (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cook cauliflower until tender.  If using the frozen, Bird's Eye Steamfresh brand, just cook based on the instructions on the bag...this generally gets the cauliflower soft enough. (If using fresh, steam until tender) Drain.
2. Meanwhile, add the oil into a skillet and saute the chicken strips, minced garlic, onion, and peppers over low to medium heat.  Once the onion and peppers begin to soften, add the halved tomatoes and mushrooms to the mix.
3. In a high speed blender, add the cooked and drained cauliflower, sauteed garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder, basil, salt, and pepper. Blend until a super smooth sauce forms. If using a Vitamix use the tamper stick as needed. The key here is to get a really smooth sauce so don't be afraid to let it run for a minute or so. Set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your desired amount of pasta and boil for the time instructed on the package. Drain pasta.
5. Add cauliflower sauce into the pot and add the drained pasta. Add the sauteed veggies and heat over low-medium until heated enough to your liking. 

This is a light and delicious dish!  Please let me know what you think!

A little about me....

Hello Everyone!

I thought that I would give everyone a little history lesson on myself!  My name is Wesley and I currently reside in Silver Spring, MD (a suburb of Washington, DC).  I am 31 years old and I am a vegan (...in case you had not guessed).

I first became a vegetarian in 2007 and stayed that way until the fall of 2008.  Unfortunately, at that time, I decided to eat meat again for a short time.  In January of 2009, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.  At that moment, I went right back to vegetarianism.  Many studies had showed that eating a plant based diet was very beneficial for diabetics. I have been off meat ever since!

My love of cooking comes from being in the kitchen with a long line of southern women.  While none of their cooking was vegan, I was taught from an early age how to cook.  I was taught to use recipes as inspiration...but to put my own spin on things.  I was taught to experiment with flavors and methods.  

I love comfort food. I get my greatest joy turning typically unhealthy dishes into healthy ones!

Welcome!

Hello fellow Veggies and curious, Non-Veggies! 

I am very glad you could make it to my little place in cyberspace.  Many of you follow me on Twitter and Facebook and have seen some of my delicious, vegan creations!  After much talk of me making a blog, I have finally done it!  Some of you will be relieved that I all of my yummies will be in one location...some will just be happy to not see my meals in your newsfeed.  

I have created this blog so that I may share my vegan creations with the world! 

-Wesley D.