Falafel Pizza

Two things I adore: falafel and pizza. Thus, I love this recipe. A lot. 

My friend Emily recommended a new blog, not so subtly called The Vegan Stoner, and I quickly fell in love with it. The recipes are simple and delicious, and the best part is that they have great illustrations to go along with each recipe. I was immediately drawn to the recipe for falafel pie, but I decided to make it a little fancier. The recipe called for falafel mix and store bought hummus, but I decided to be ambitious and make both myself. It definitely added some more work, and I'm sure it would be great with the store bought ingredients, but the home made version is excellent. Enjoy!

Plum Cobbler

When I think of cobbler the first things I think of are butter, ice cream, and Paula Deen (she seems like someone who makes/eats a lot of cobbler...). I was very surprised to see this recipe for plum cobbler on my favorite blog, Fat Free Vegan. This just seemed like a dessert that would fall apart (literally) without butter and cream and other very non-vegan ingredients. However, I was very intrigued and decided to make it for my Passover seder this past weekend (I don't keep super strict passover, but it should just be noted that, unfortunately, this cobbler is not Kosher for Passover). There were lots of other delicious non-vegan cakes at seder, like fruit topped cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, and strawberry shortcake, but I can honestly say that the plum cobbler was one of the biggest hits of the night! It definitely got rave reviews, and with some almond ice cream on the side I must admit that it was pretty perfect. This cobbler would also be great with other kinds of fruit, like figs, blackberries, peaches, or apples. I highly recommend that you make this cobbler as soon as possible, but if you have to wait until after Passover then I guess I understand!

Tofu and Vegetable Pho

One of the great cooking milestones that I had never attempted before today was making broth from scratch. I just could not grasp the concept of turning water into delicious broth by merely boiling vegetables or chicken in it. However, when watching one of my favorite Food Network shows this weekend, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, I got inspired to give it a try. Guy Fieri, who is quite possibly one of my least favorite/least desirable people on earth, visited a random shmo diner that apparently had the best pho in the world (sidenote: my hatred of Guy Fieri does not in any way take away from my love of the show somehow). I love pho, and have yet to try a vegan version, and it just so happens that this random diner somewhere in the midwest made completely vegan pho. I took careful mental notes, and was shocked by how easy it looked to make it. That gave me the final push I needed to try making my own broth once and for all. There were serious ups and downs, and moments when I doubted if it would turn out, but in the end it was truly excellent, and stacks up against most other bowls of pho I have had. Though time consuming, the recipe is overall very easy and I promise you that it is delicious. I will never go back to store bought broth again (...that's a lie, but I will definitely be making my own broth much more often)!

Indonesian Rice Noodles

I am usually someone who just throws things together and hopes for the best when cooking, but sometimes I find blogs and cookbooks that are just so good that I have to follow their recipes word for word. One of the best vegetarian/vegan cookbooks I have gotten was gifted to me by Andrew's family, and it is called Quick Fix Vegetarian. The recipes are simple and healthy and use delicious and unusual ingredients. I have made multiple recipes from this book, but my favorite is definitely Indonesian noodles. I have made them for multiple dinner parties and received rave reviews, so I have made them a part of my regular rotation. However, when I made them last night I decided to mix it up a little bit and make the recipe healthier by excluding the oil. I also used rice noodles instead of linguine, which the original recipe calls for. One extra touch I added was "do it yourself" toppings, which just makes it so much more fun. For this part I just crushed some peanuts, chopped parsley, and sliced limes. It really added so much flavor to the dish, and, I can't lie, I am just a sucker for any DIY topping situation. I officially have a new staple in my vegan cooking routine!

the best part--toppings!

Chickpea Burgers

One of the greatest benefits of living in such an international city as DC is the access to wonderful foods from all around the world. My favorite of which has to be Middle Eastern. In my pre-vegan days I loved some tender shwarma in a pita or lamb kebabs with rice. These favorites were some of the foods that I was most reluctant to give up, but I have now discovered a new Middle Eastern love--falafel. I always used to opt for meat dishes because I found them to be more tender and flavorful, but I have had some incredible falafel in the past few months, most of which was made at home. This delicious chickpea burger is like a giant falafel, and it is so moist and flavorful. I was half inspired by a recipe from one of my favorite blogs and half inspired by Andrew's amazing falafel dinner that he made for me on Valentine's Day. I had the burgers on a lettuce bun and topped them with pickles, tomato, onion, hummus, and harissa (spicy red pepper spread). I must say that it turned out fantastic, and I think I did the Middle East proud.

It looks kind of like a clam!

Kale and Chickpea Stew

Kale has quickly become one of my favorite vegetables, but when I first tried it I vowed to never eat it again. Before becoming a vegan I made a pasta dish with kale and tomatoes, and it tasted like I was chewing on sand. For some reason it was extremely gritty, and I thought that just how kale was. I later realized that I probably just didn't wash the kale properly, and now kale is a staple in my vegan diet. It is so full of nutrients and I love the slightly peppery flavor. It is the perfect addition to this hearty stew, which is a great weeknight meal. I definitely learned my lesson though--double wash the kale.

Pasta Puttanesca

I fell in love with pasta puttanesca at one of my favorite hometown Italian spots, Michaelangelo's. I could not believe that little tiny capers provided so much delicious flavor. Imagine my joy when I discovered that puttanesca sauce is literally one of the easiest things to make. I have been making pasta puttanesca in many variations for a long time, and tonight I made it for the first time since being a vegan. I also made it with no oil at all, and it was still so flavorful. I used some spinach fusili but you could really use any type of pasta. This is a great low fat dish with so much incredible flavor. I think I did my hometown favorite proud!