spice gurl

blue cheese & walnut butter

2010-11-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

awesome on steak or chicken (:

blue cheese & walnut butter

about 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

2 tbs butter

1 tbs finely chopped walnuts

-put cheese and butter in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 10-15 seconds

-mix thouroughly

-fold in walnuts

-add to steak, chicken, baked potato, etc.

dog food

2010-07-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

our poodle/ lab mix muffin has an allergy to the store bought dog food so we decided to make our own. its fairly cheap and super easy so if you have a dog and you want their diet to be healthier and cheaper give this a try

little less than a lb of some type of meat in small chunks (we used lamb but you could also use chicken, pork ground beef or fish)

chopped up organ meat (once in a while, theyre very nutrient rich and can make your dog sick)

1 can carrots, drained

2 cups oatmeal cooked like mush, or rice (once in a while stir in an egg when the oats are hot)

flax seeds (opt)

cook the meat (if using oil then use olive oil, its healthiest for dogs).

let everything cool and mix together.

portion everything into storage containers (our dog is medium/ large size so this recipe made enough for 4 servings of food, more or less depending on the size of your dog).

either freeze and heat in the microwave or keep in the fridge for a few days and serve cold

pasta salad

2010-07-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

perfect for a summer lunch (:

1/2 package of whole wheat pasta

1 can beans (any kind, drained and rinsed)

1/2 bag coleslaw mix

olive oil

onion and garlic (opt)

salt, pepper, chilli powder, onion powder

zesty italian dressing to taste

-wilt the coleslaw mix in a pan with olive oil and garlic or onion if using, salt and pepper, put in the fridge to cool

-cook pasta according to directions

-mix pasta veggies beans and salad dressing, eat cold

cranberry orange oatmeal

2010-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

its been very hectic lately with the culminating project (i passed!) and finals so heres a quick recipe that i like but the fam doesnt because they think that oranges and cranberries don't mix... they dont know what they're missing!

Cranberry-Orange Oatmeal

1 C orange juice

1/2 C oats

craisins

agave nectar to taste

prepare the oatmeal to package instructions using orange juice instead of water, stir in craisins and agave nectar if its not sweet enough.

Easy vegan bruschetta

2009-12-27T13:53:00.001-08:00

This was the most popular recipe I made for the holidays.

There were none left over (:

everything is to taste and measurements dont really matter because it all depends on how much youre making.

Bruschetta

french bread sliced semi thin

tomatoes (seeded and chopped)

fresh parsley or basil

balsamic vinegar

evoo

fresh ground pepper, salt, garlic powder

-mix tomatoes spices and parsley or basil, mix with some of the vinegar and let marinate while toasting bread

-heat oven to 375 and toast bread(drizzled with olive oil) until crisp

-top the bread with some of the tomato mixture and serve (:

fancy and delicious... and very very easy

Gingerbread Dudes

2009-12-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

Super yummy and easy, decorate any way you want, use people shaped cookie cutters or other "festive" cutters such as trees or angels.

Gingerbread Dudes

mix together-

1/3 c oil

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c dark agave nectar, molases, or maple syrup/brown sugar mix

1/4 c soymilk or eggnog

then add-

2c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each: nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ginger

-roll out dough. not to thin or too thick(they don't rise much) and cut out

-bake at 350 f for about 10 mins

-let cool and decorate using various frosting and candies

Stuffed Peppers

2009-12-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

last minute dinner, just throw it together and relax for a while while it cooks. we couldnt finish it so we are saving the leftovers to make chili later on in the week.

2 large peppers or 3 med/small- any color

1 can black beans rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes with peppers

2 handfulls oats

chili powder, red pepper flakes to taste

1 slice of cheese per pepper (opt)

evoo for drizzling

-preheat oven to 425 degrees f

-prepare peppers either by removing top (like jack-o lantern) or cutting in half, scoop out seeds

-mix everything else except cheese, stuff peppers

-bake uncovered until soft, about 45 mins. place cheese on top and broil for about 20 mins or until cheese is melted and peppers are soft

spiced veggie side dish

2009-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

While listening to Mcfly and thinking about what to eat for lunch i decided to use up the bag of coleslaw mix thats been sitting in the fridge unopened since I had no veggies at all today(bad i know but we need to go shopping...) so I came up with this side dish to go with a quorn naked cutlet that i found hiding in the freezer(these are not vegan though) and it was delicious and filling!

Spiced Veggie side dish

2 handfulls of bagged coleslaw mix per person

2/3 cup other veggies per person (i used frozen green beans)

1 Tbs braggs liquid aminos per person

ground pepper, chili powder, ginger to taste

olive oil or oil spray

-preheat pan to medium high and defrost any thing frozen (the other veg. or quorn cutlet)

-mix liquid aminos together with the spices except the pepper

-cook cole slaw mix until crisp tender then add other veg until cooked until desired, add liquid aminos mix and stir, add pepper

- serve. this is really good, I almost forgot I was eating veggies!

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

Not very good quality pic... my bad. But this just goes to show that you can have a very decent vegetarian holiday dinner. Its kinda hard to tell but heres everything thats on the table: garlic green beans, bread, seitan roast with quinoa stuffing, roasted red potatoes, mushroom gravy and of course cranberry jelly. We had tofu pumpkin pie (and because little sis doesnt like pumpkin pie) and a chocolate pudding pie for dessert.

The seitan roast was the recipe from everydaydish.com, i must say it turned out very good... i added other spices like rosemary and sage and cooked it in broth instead of water for a better flavor. heres the recpie: http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=148

Easy yeast free bread:

The bread turned out pretty good considering it was my first time making bread (:

3 C whole wheat flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C v8 juice

1/4 C oil

spices for sprinkling on top(i used thyme and rosemary)

-mix dry ingredients but do not sift

-mix wet ingredients and add to dry, stir until no longer dry (dough should be moist but not very sticky)

-form into loaf shape with oiled hands, score top lightly

-bake on non oiled baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 45 mins

Quinoa Stuffing:

(I only got a pic of it around the roast...)

1 C quinoa

2 1/2 C broth

spices: ground pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili powder, garlic powder

1 shallot, chopped

2 ribs of celery

1/2 C mushrooms

Olive oil

3 slices toast or stale bread, cubed

1/2 C chopped almonds or other nuts

1 1/2 C broth

-Simmer quinoa in 2 1/4 C broth with the spices for 15 mins covered, preheat oven 375 degrees f.

-sautee onions and celery in oil til soft, add shrooms and cook til onions are clear.

-add bread and nuts, stir with remaining broth til moist.

-bake 375 degrees for 35 mins

Roasted Potatoes:

about 6 medium sized red or yukon gold potatoes

4tbs olive oil

spices: salt, ground pepper, rosemary, thyme, crushed and roughly chopped garlic

-cut potatoes into bite sized chunks, soak in cold water for about 15 mins, preheat oven to 375 degrees, drain potatoes

-mix potatoes with oil and spices, bake for about 25 mins

-take out of oven and stir around then bake again for 25 more mins

Mushroom Gravy: i just took a can of cream of mushroom, added half a can of water, some nutritional yeast flakes and a few spices... tada!