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I have always loved the Kitchen and enjoy creating and sharing my cooking with others |
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Everyone has a passion...something that makes them feel alive, vibrant, confident, and a part of something bigger than themselves. For me, that is cooking, creating dishes in the kitchen, sharing recipes,tips, tricks, and some musing. I am vegan but my family is not. That said, their favorite dishes will also be included as I want to share my kitchen with as many people as possible. I hope you try some of these recipes out. If you do, please let me know what you think. And, sharing and creating kitchen memories is not a one way street. I hope you will share your own recipes and other kitchen knowledge. Send me pictures of your creations, leave requests for dishes you want to see, and ask for specific information on tips and tricks. While this cookbook is in my port here on WDC, I want it to be a community endeavor where we can get to know each other through food Food is more than just something to eat...it's life, something that us as important as breathing. So. Welcome and I hope you find a place to belong and to express yourself freely. |
| OOPS! I don't know how I managed to eat my entire weekly pot of beans AND all my soup of the week in less than 5 days of making them 🙃 😅 Sooo, I am up tonight replacing them as they serve as my lunch items at work...and I have to work tomorrow 🙃 That said I had to make these items again because I NEED LUNCH TOMORROW 🙃 😅 Soooo will update on these batches. Every batch of beans AND soup is different because I use a mix of beans based on what I have and I'm using odds and ends veggies based on what I have leftover after making my meal plan for the week 😅 so I can't give a recipe as I literally toss everything in and hope for the best 😅 I will leave pictures so you can see what they look like And yes every week even the seasoning is different 😆 🤣 😂 😹    And now off to bed....gotta get up in 5 hours |
 For those looking for a meal I serve my husband as he is not vegan, here's tonight's offering 😉. You will need a thick bone in pork chop Pat it dry Season with Salt Pepper Italian seasoning Garlic powder Onion powder In a skillet heat oil of choice. Make sure you do not put in too much and that it's hot before placing the pork chop in the skillet I used his favorite....bacon drippings Sear the pork chop on both sides this will take a few minutes per side.  Next remove the pork chop and keep warm Cut one red onion into slices Cut 3 bell peppers different colors into strips Place onion slices in skillet arranged to cover bottom Place 1/2 of each pepper in skillet Season with Salt and pepper Return pork chop to skillet Place a lid on skillet and reduce heat to medium low Cook covered until veggies are tender and pork chop is cooked through  Serve with fresh green beans and a tossed salad  Hope you meat eaters enjoy. My husband asks for this often 😁😁🥩🥗 |
  Today I made taco salad for lunch. And yes, I know the salad is HUMONGOUS! But I was hungry 😋 And yes I ate ALL of it 😋 😅 I do have a bunch of the components left over so I am having burritos and refried beans for dinner tonight 😋 and it will leave a bit for vegan quesadillas too which is a misnomer because there will be no cheese. Not even vegan cheese as I do not eat that....too processed and weird for me 😀 you can however add cheese of any kind to yours First, you will need refried beans. I make mine but you don't necessarily have to 😋 REFRIED BEANS  2 to 3 cups cooked beans any kind (I used some of my weekly pot of beans) Season to taste.... My seasoning 2 tbsp homemade taco seasoning 1/2 tsp minced garlic preferably fresh 3 tbsp chopped jalapeños 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 chopped red onion Place in pan and cook on low medium until veggies are soft tender I leave a little snap to mine If your beans are really thick when cooking add a tiny bit to water 💧 😋 Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl Smash to your hearts 💕 content ✨️ Set aside VEGGIE MIX  2 bell peppers any color cut into thin strips 8 ounces mushrooms sliced 1 red onion diced 6 tbsp chopped jalapeños 2 tbsp homemade taco seasoning Salt if you like Pepper to taste Mix well Place all in a skillet and add water 💧 to coat bottom Saute until veggies are fragrant and tender If there's a little too much water in bottom of skillet simply add 2 tsp cornstarch and 1/8 cup water to form a slurry. Pour into veggies and let thicken Remove from heat Chop fresh tomatoes I used 5 romas Chop lettuce of your choice....any will do but I don't recommend arugula Now to assemble... On a large plate or a bowl 🥣 of your choice Place a layer of your lettuce Next spoon your beans and veggies on it Add your tomatoes Add desired amount of my Vegan Avocado Jalapeño Lime Dressing "Vegan Avocado Jalapeño Lime Dressing "  Add my homemade salsa in any amount you want Now 😉 😉 Save leftovers. I turn my extra lettuce into a tossed salad 🥗 mix this is my husband's favorite salad..I just add whatever veg I have and toss I place this salad 🥗 in the fridge so he can have it whenever he wants. The beans and veggies and tomatoes became the base for a burrito later 😋 I prepare these in advance and store in an air tight container in the fridge...later all I do is heat and eat. I love these dipped into my dressing or topped with my salsa If I have more beans leftover after doing these things, I have them with breakfast tofu scramble tacos in the mornings 🌄 If you need my salsa recipe I will post it soon it is on TikTok in the meantime https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabethgiffin?_r=1&_t=ZP-93i5G63JMA2 |
As you would suspect I do eat a variety of salads. But I don't buy dressing...I make it. I should mention that I am a whole foods plant based vegan. To me that means using whole ingredients whole foods to create what I eat. This is my personal choice and I don't shame judge or blame others for not making the same choice. I didn't do this to lose weight or for any other reason. I simply feel better eating this way. That said weight loss and better health markers are wonderful by products they just weren't my reason. I also understand that we have different priorities skills and budgets that can make my type of choice hard. I love creating in the kitchen and since I work 2 full time jobs and take care of my disabled husband I have developed tricks to make sure I get to eat this way. Before I shop for groceries each week, I plan a menu. I choose 3 dishes for me plus a staple pot of mixed beans and a batch of grains....quinoa rice and steel cut oatmeal are my usual choices Then I do the same for my husband as he is not vegan. I then wait until I get home as I do these activities on lunch breaks...and make sure I don't already have some of the ingredients needed for the recipes chosen Once I have that information I begin looking for ingredients on my delivery apps to find the best price without losing quality. I place the ingredients into the various store carts I need and schedule delivery for the times I want it to arrive. After I pay, I just wait for it's arrival upon the chosen time. When it does come, I put away nonperishable foods and begin preparing my produce. I place it in air tight bags with a paper towel in it for moisture collection and place items being used in a day or so in the fridge. Everything else gets put in the freezer for longer storage. One day each week I make everything ony vegan menu. I portion it into individual portions and freeze. Then I do the same for my husband on the following day. Then I pick a day where I bake all my breads and make my condiments for the week. Once I have it all done I simply choose what I want for meals thaw microwave and eat. This does mean that I have to know what I have in the freezer before planning another shopping trip. I use the inventory I already have to complete meals throughout the week. And I don't waste food. Sometimes I need very little at the store. Those weeks allow me to put most of my grocery budget into a savings account so that I can afford a vacation or two during the year or emergency situations that may arise. And for those wondering...we do not eat out except for rare occasions. We usually go out for our anniversary and maybe for one or two other occasions throughout the year. Oh and I save all scraps so that I can make own stock. Saved citrus peels are used for zest and making cleaning products. Everything has a use. If you find it that can save sooo much money and give you control over what is used in your home. Now.....the recipe 😋 😍 1/2 cups almond yogurt 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp Mrs dash southwest Chipotle seasoning 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp onion powder 1 tsp pepper Salt to taste (optional) 3 tbsp chopped jalapeños 1 ripe avocado smashed well Zest of 1 lime Juice of 1 lime 1/2 tsp cayenne 1/4 cup water Simply mix all ingredients well Place in container with a tight fitting lid Store in fridge for a week I also love adding this to beans using as a dip on salads and in veggie wraps and sandwiches Make this your own...there is no wrong or right way to create good food. I should mention that this is not low calorie. I don't count calories or macros. I just eat what I like whenever I am hungry and stop when I am full. Sometimes I eat lots of meals in a day and other days I don't. If you have any issues with your relationship to food please get help. Food should be enjoyable and not feared. |
Max Griffin 🏳️🌈   has contributed a wonderful recipe for a beef stew that was inspired by https://sugarspunrun.com/cozy-beef-stew-recipe/ He did make it his own which I always encourage as there's no right or wrong way when it comes to creating in the kitchen. He started with diced carrots celery and onions using about 1/2 cup each When the original recipe called for carrots later in the ingredients, he cut them back and used 1/2 of an acorn squash cut into bite size pieces He also slightly decreased the amount of potatoes as the squash filled in Using a 1950s recipe for Swedish Pot Roast that was found in his mother's collection of cookbooks and which apparently does not indicate that the recipe is Actually Swedish, he changed some of the spices to create a new and interesting taste profile When breading the last beef chunks in flour salt and pepper he added 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tsp cardamom He also added to the beef stock... 1/4 cup brown sugar He also says that the added spices gave the finished dish a unique and savory flavor 😋 Please try this out and let us know what you think...I was showing my husband who is not vegan and I will be making this for him...he is now like a child around Christmas....so excited to try a new way if making one of his all time favorite foods 😀 Kåre เลียม Enga  kindly let us know that the spices added to this recipe from the 1950s recipe book are typical of spices used in Swedish dishes as that culture enjoys some of the sweet warm spices in their foods. Thank you so much for letting us in on that wonderful fact |
| In case you want more recipes than I have listed here to date ( I will be getting them all up on here as well it will just be a minute 😀) You can view my TikTok here https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabethgiffin?_r=1&_t=ZP-93i5G63JMA2 I am trying to post as I create here but TikTok has some of my recipes that I just have not uploaded here because of time. I made them before I started this cookbook project and I am going to be adding them just not all at once 😊 |
| I have a couple of days left of my oatmeal from last week to eat for breakfast. However it will not last all week so I decided to whip up some vegan pancakes with a Blueberry almond yogurt compote. And you guessed it....I can't stand the taste of syrup on its own. So I created a sauce for my pancakes that suits my tastes 😋 and offers some healthy benefits... Here's the recipe for my creation 😉
For the pancakes 🥞 3 cups flour 10 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt 3 cups almond milk 2 tbsp vanilla 2 bananas smashed 2 tbsp flaxseed For the Blueberry 🫐 topping 18 ounces fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cup almond yogurt 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp vanilla 1 tbsp cinnamon For the slurry 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 cup water For pancakes 🥞 Mix all dry ingredients well Add wet ingredients Add smashed bananas Mix well Cook in small skillet. I didn't use o8l but you can use oil or vegan butter if you like 😋 For the topping Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan Cook on low medium heat until blueberries have released their juices stirring often Add the slurry at the end of cooking and let thicken make sure you remove from heat before adding slurry NOTE. you can make these nonvegan just by replacing the bananas with 2 eggs the almond milk with cows milk and the almond yogurt with Greek yogurt 😋 I make it for my husband that way. |
Ok still cooking today 😋 this is one of the days I have extra time to create in the kitchen. I love comfort foods and had some peeled leftover raw potatoes that needed using. Now I don't like vegan mayo made commercially. And I wanted a version of potato salad that was healthy offered more nutrients and still tasted great....so I got busy.
Here's the recipe for my creation Vegan Potato Salad 3 medium russet potatoes diced 3 medium sweet potatoes diced 1 cup frozen cut green beans 2 celery stalks diced 1/2 red onion diced small 2 tbsp dill relish 1 cup almond yogurt...you could use soy 4 tbsp Dijon mustard or stone ground mustard 1/2tsp Turmeric 1/2 Tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp Mrs dash southwest Chipotle seasoning 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 1 jalapeños diced small 1/4 cup nutritional yeast boil russet potatoes for about 10 minutes Add sweet potatoes Continue to boil until just fork tender make sure not to get potatoes mushy Drain potatoes and add to a large bowl Add celery green beans and jalapeño Add onions In a second bowl: Mix together the remaining ingredients Now Add sauce to vegetable mixture Mix well This will need to be placed in refrigerator. I portion mine before placing in refrigerator. But serve chilled ENJOY 😉 as always feel free to make it your own. |
Ok as promised.....
My Vegan Moroccan Stew 1 eggplant 2 zucchini 3 carrots 2 onions 1 bell pepper any color 1/2 bulb fennel 2 to 3 cups cooked beans any kind 6 cloves garlic peeled 1/2 cup raisins 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice 4 jalapeños diced seeded 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cayenne 1 tsp cumin 1 tbsp Mrs dash southwest Chipotle seasoning Vegetable broth to cover 1 tbsp cornstarch 3 tbsp water Cut all vegetables into bite size pieces Add all ingredients except water and cornstarch into a large crock pot Add seasoning you can add salt I just don't use it Make sure broth covers veggies Cook on high for 4 hours When done combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry Stir into stew allow to thicken Serve alone with bread or over rice or quinoa Freeze leftovers in individual portions to enjoy later I'll post a Pic once mine is done 😋 NOTE: YOU CAN ADJUST THE 🥵 HEAT JUST CHANGE PEPPER TYPE AMOUNT OR SPICES THAT ARE A LITTLE HOTTER OR MILDER ( BLACK PEPPER FOR CAYENNE AS AN EXAMPLE) let me know what you think 🤔 |
| I will be adding my recipe for Moroccan stew tomorrow. Have to clean the house today so didn't get much done I did get all the groceries for the next couple of weeks 🙃 and worked this morning. That said I am going to pop the stew into the crock pot later tonight then add the recipe after ...which will be after midnight 😌 Please a se remember to add your own creations and enjoy the recipes of other contributors |
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