Cheating Pasta Salad November 9, 2009

This is a a great dinner or side dish for when you’re feeling lazy, but fancy.  Pasta (usually not vegan to be honest), frozen broccoli and jarred roasted bell peppers are always on hand in my kitchen. Throw ‘em all together with some good olive oil and parmesan (if you feel like cheating) and you have a quick yummy dish.

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Pasta Salad

(serves 1)

1 cup (vegan) penne pasta

1 cup broccoli (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers (1/4″ slices)

2 tbsp meyer-lemon olive oil*

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese (optional)

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1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to directions on box (about 11 minutes).

2. Steam the broccoli until tender. Check for doneness after approx. 5 minutes. Continue to steam to your preferred doneness.

3. Toss the pasta, broccoli, roasted peppers and olive oil together, season with salt and pepper.

4. Garnish with shaved parmesan (optional). Serve warm or cold.

* If you don’t have meyer-lemon olive oil simply use a high quality olive oil and either add 2 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp lemon zest.

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© 2009 The Cheating Vegan(tm) and Ellen Weissberg – All Rights Reserved

Stir-Fry Away Those Takeout Cravings October 9, 2009

Who has a craving for some asian takeout?  Who doesn’t want to go to the gym for six hours tomorrow because they feel guilty for eating asian takeout?  Now, before you jump to conclusions that I’m going to give you some recipe for an asian stir-fry that you’ll probably be too lazy to ever make, I am. But now don’t you feel like a lazy slob who’s too lazy to even cook for himself? Yeah, you do. So now you’re going to make this deliciously vegan stir-fry. I’ll break it down so that even those of you who aren’t sure how to boil water will be able to execute this flawlessly.

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Thai Peanut Stir-Fry

(serves 6)

1 lb  Pad Thai or Rice Noodles

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Small Onion

1 Small Cucumber

1 Scallion

6-8 White Mushrooms

1 lb   Extra Firm Tofu

1 cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Peanut Sauce

3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp Fresh Cilantro (optional)

Canola Oil

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1. Drain the tofu and squeeze dry with paper towels. Cut into 1″ cubes and let dry further on paper towels.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, then add the noodles and cook until done – about 6 minutes. Taste to check for doneness, they should be chewy, but not crunchy. Drain, and set aside.

3. In a bowl combine the nutritional yeast and some salt and pepper (about half a teaspoon each).  Toss in the tofu and coat completely.

4. In  pan heat about 1/2″ canola oil. When the oil is hot enough (you’ll know it is when you throw a pinch of nutritional yeast in and it bubbles furiously) carefully put the tofu in and fry until all sides are a dark golden brown. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

5. Dice all the veggies into equal pieces – about 1/2″ cubes. In a large pan, saute the onion, pepper and mushrooms until almost done. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Add the cooked noodles to the saute pan. (add more canola oil if it has all been absorbed) and cooked the noodles until a few of them start to turn brown.

7. Add the peanut sauce and remove from heat. Toss in the tofu, cucumber, scallions and cilantro.

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© 2009 The Cheating Vegan(tm) and Ellen Weissberg – All Rights Reserved

craving a milk chocolate truffle? problem solved October 3, 2009

We all love milk chocolate – we grew up on it, it’s part of our childhood, and let’s face it, dark chocolate just doesn’t cut it. So how can we enjoy a creamy chocolate truffle the vegan way? Simple! Wait for a crisp fall night and mix up some  grown-up vegan hot chocolate!  This hot chocolate tastes exactly like a classic truffle (with the creamy center, rolled in cocoa powder). You will shiver with excitement at how amazingly delicious this is!

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Grown-up Vegan Hot Chocolate

Serves 1

1/2 cup Plain Soy Milk

1/2 cup Vanilla Soy Milk

2 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

pinch of salt

1.5oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur (Original)

Easy Version:  Microwave soy milk for 1 – 2 minutes until hot, add sugar, cocoa and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the chocolate liqueur and enjoy!

© 2009 The Cheating Vegan(tm) and Ellen Weissberg – All Rights Reserved

Welcome to The Cheating Vegan September 26, 2009

Hi and welcome to  ”The Cheating Vegan”!

I am writing this blog to share with you my triumphs and trials in eating vegan and in life.  Food is life, and every meal is a story, it may be a good story, it may be a bad story, or it may be a story so outrageous you’ll question my mental sanity. Either way I promise to keep you entertained and informed.

Please read more about The Cheating Vegan and myself in the About section.

- Ellen

© 2009 The Cheating Vegan(tm) and Ellen Weissberg – All Rights Reserved