Creamy Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant, Portabellos and Cherry Tomatoes

Why is it still so hot here in Southern California?!!!!  It was like we were teased with a week of Fall weather, and then we were hit with some serious heat again! Please come soon Fall, you are my favorite time of year...

OK, so  I had no clue whatsoever what I was going to make for dinner tonight while I was wandering the grocery store earlier today (which is pretty much always how it is, I wing it with what I feel like at the moment). Sometimes I want a nice, cold crispy salad, and other times I need something warm, hearty, and comforting. I was leaning toward the comfort food today, and for me, comfort food is often linked with hearty mushrooms and eggplants. So I threw some of both in the cart, along with some cherry tomatoes, rosemary, and whole grain noodles. What resulted for dinner was soooooo delicious and totally hit the "comfort food" spot. I am looking very forward to the leftovers! Enjoy my friends!!

Creamy Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant, Portabellos, and Cherry Tomatoes

serves 4-6 main courses

printable recipe

What you Need:

1 pckg. whole grain spaghetti noodles

16 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes

2 Portabello mushrooms, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium purple eggplant, diced into 1 inch pieces

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig (about 3 Tbsp.) fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2 1/2 tsp salt

cracked black pepper

1/2  cups vegetable broth

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Tbsp. Veganaise (vegan Mayo) I know this seems weird, but it works, and its so good!

1 cup fresh Italian parsley

To Make:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large rectangular (9x11) pyrex baking dish, add everything except the noodles, Veganise, and Parsley. Cover and cook for 35 minutes, then uncover and cook for 5 additional minutes. Take out of the oven and add the Veganaise and parsley. Stir and taste, adding any additional salt if needed.

While the vegetables are roasting, Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the noodles. Drain, and add the veggie mixture to the noodles. Toss to incorporate everything together.

Spinach and Bulgar Wheat Salad with Creamy Cucumber and herb Dressing and Winner of the Giveaway!

Happy Friday!! I love the weekends so much. They mean more time with my husband and kids, Usually eating out at one of my favorite vegan restaurants, occasionally date nights, and sleeping in a little!


Winner of the Xagave Giveaway
Thank you for all of your entries for the Xagave giveaway! Via Random.Org., the winner was chosen this morning...and the winner is...

The G-Free Vegan

G-Free Vegan said...

I follow your blog already, love your recipes! I would love to win agave because I use it like its going out of style--no one wants that to happen!

Congrats!!! Please email me your mailing information and I will send this out a.s.a.p so you can start enjoying it! This is a HUGE bottle! Should last you a while!!

Now on to some recipe sharing goodness! This creamy cucumber dressing is killer! It turned out so good! It is so flavorful, low in fat, and no sugar added, which means I can smother my salad in it even more. The more sauce the better, right??!! I put it over a spinach, vegetable and bulgar wheat salad. If you haven't ever tried bulgar wheat, it is so delicious, and a really yummy way to mix it up a little with the whole grains. Use whatever vegetables you have around, and if you cant find bulgar wheat, you can use quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc. Any will work great. Also, the xanthan gum is totally optional in the dressing. It just thickens it ever so slightly without adding more oil. But you can totally leave it out if you don't have it and it will still taste just as amazing!

 

Spinach and Bulgar Wheat Salad with Creamy Cucumber and Herb Dressing

Serves 4

printable recipe

What You Need:
2 cups of cooked bulgar wheat or other whole grain
2 large heirloom or vine ripe tomatoes chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 cucumber chopped

4 large handfuls of baby spinach


Morgan's Creamy Cucumber and Herb Dressing:
2 cucumbers, seeded and diced

1 small clove of garlic

1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp veganaise (vegan mayo)
3/4 tsp salt
few cracks of pepper
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)


Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.


To Assemble the Salad:
Place a large handful of spinach in each bowl. Then about a 1/2 cup of Bulgar wheat. Add some of the chopped veggies, and top with dressing and a little extra parsley.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter Syrup, and a GIVEAWAY!!!

How did the week get away from me so fast?! I guess that is the life of a Mother of 3 kids under the age of 6!! Sometimes the week is a bit of a blur! haha.
I was sent a product to review from a new company called XAGAVE.  They also sent me a very nice (although not vegan) cookbook that is full of really healthy recipes that I can put my vegan spin on very easily! Excited to veganize and try some of those!

 XAGAVE brand agave nectar is a mixture of white agave and blue agave nectar, resulting in a mild, sweet, wonderful flavor. Xagave brand agave contains calcium, iron and inulin, as well as other vitamins and minerals. Inulin is a water-soluble dietary fiber that has many benefits, including strengthening the immune system, moderating blood sugar levels, improving digestive health, improving regularity, enhancing calcium absorption, increasing bone density and reducing risks of colon cancer. Regular sugar actually does the exact opposite!  I thought the flavor was really great, and it worked really well in some of my baking recipes a s a sugar replacer.
You can read more about XAGAVE here on their website...

Now for the GIVEAWAY...one of you is going to win a 50-ounce (36 fluid ounce bottle) of XAGAVE from me! And I have the yummiest way for you to use it! (recipe will follow)

 To be eligible to win...

*Become a follower of the Little House of Veggies blog and leave a comment stating that you have done so, and why you want to win the agave...and for extra entries, you can do any of the folloing, but make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. Every separate comment/entry gives you more chances to win!
*Become a fan of the  Little House of Veggies Facebook page
* Follow on twitter, and/or tweet about the giveaway
if you are already following the blog, facebook page, and/or twitter, state that you are already doing so.

Thats it. This giveaway will close one week from today (Sept. 24) and a winner will be picked at random. Good Luck!!!

Ok, Now on to the recipe...My kids love pancakes (but who doesn't?!). I make them all the time for them.  This recipe is so good, 100%  whole wheat, and dipped in the best, most simple cinnamon butter syrup. You will love it!  I also will cook these in little "silver dollar" sized pancakes, and pack them in my daughters lunch with a little dip for a fun lunch once in a while. She loves it! 

Whole Wheat "buttermilk" Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter syrup

serves 4-6

printable recipe

What You Need:

2 1/2 cups unsweetened Almond milk

1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups white whole wheat flour

4 Tbsp. wheat germ

2 Tbsp. evaporated cane sugar, or Sucanat, maple sugar, etc.

3/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat a griddle. In a small bowl mix together the almond milk, lemon juice, and molasses. Set aside for 5 minutes. This will create a vegan buttermilk. While the milk mixture sits, whisk all of the dry ingredients together. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and fold together until just mixed together. It is ok if the batter is a little lumpy. For larger pancakes, use about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. For silver dollar pancakes, use about 1-2 Tbsp. Cook for a few minutes on each side.

Cinnamon Butter Syrup

1/2 cup XAGAVE agave nectar

1 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small saucepan, gently heat the agave, butter and cinnamon. Once butter has melted and the mixture is warmed through, take off the the heat. Pour over the Whole Wheat "buttermilk" pancakes! YUM!

Crispy "chick'n" wraps with Spicy Curry Cilantro Sauce

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was awesome, we spent some time with our best friends picking apples and pears at a farm near us, and had a little picnic afterward.  We have been overdosing on all the fresh fruit we picked!

Ok, back to recipes...all I can say is this was amazing!! So simple and so flavorful, and the creamy curry sauce was crazy good! My husband loved it! In fact, I am already craving it again! If you like curry, you will love this!  Feel free to substitute tofu in this recipe if you cant get Gardein (just cook the tofu the same way that the Gardein is cooked here).

Crispy "chick'n" wraps with spicy curry cilantro sauce

serves 4-6

printable recipe

What You Need:

2 7-ounce packages Gardein brand Chick''n filets (or you can use Gardein Chick'n scallopini instead)

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp coconut oil

lettuce

1 small head red radishes, thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes, sliced

whole wheat tortillas

1 recipe for creamy curry cilantro dressing (recipe follows)

Spicy Curry Cilantro Dressing:

1/2 cup Veganaise (vegan mayo)

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 cup (generous handful) chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients well with a whisk. Set aside

To Make:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  While pan is heating, pour white whole wheat flour into a shallow dish, and lightly dredge the gardein chick'n in it. Shake off the excess flour, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 1 Tbsp coconut oil to the pan, and cook the chick'n until golden and crispy on both sides. Set aside to cool for a few minutes, then slice into strips.

In you wrap, place some lettuce, radishes  (or cucumbers), tomatoes, and either drizzle the sauce directly into the wrap, or serve the sauce on the side and dip the wraps.

Creamy Basil and Mint Pesto Pasta on Spinach

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I had such a wonderful weekend! My husband took me out on a date Friday night, and then Saturday we spent the day out by the beach and took our three little munchkins on a boat ride, then headed into LA for some delicious grub at The Veggie Grill. Their Sweetheart fries are crazy good!! Hope all of you had a great Labor Day weekend as well!

A little while ago I made this avocado pesto pasta from Chef Chloes blog, and it was really delicious. I loved the creamy texture that the avocados gave to he whole dish! Plus, I'm just plain in love with avocados. I love them! And they are so good for you too!

So this is my own take on the idea of adding avocados into pesto. I used two different herbs in it for tons of freshness, left out the nuts, and added some veggie stock to it to replace some of the oil that would typically go into a pesto, and of course added in some creamy avocados. I served it on a bed of fresh greens. It was absolutely delicious, filling, creamy, satisfying, very healthy, and left me wanting more!!!

I served mine with soba noodles, but feel free to use any noodle that you love!

Creamy Basil and Mint Pesto Pasta on Spinach

Serves 6

printable recipe

What You Need:

2 packages soba noodles, or 1 box of regular pasta, any shape

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 lemons
2 ripe avocados

1 clove of garlic

few big handfuls fresh basil

1 big handful fresh mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3-1/2 cup vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

spinach

To make:

In a large pot of salted water, cook the noodles you are using according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the Creamy Basil and Mint Pesto:

Add the lemon zest, juice, garlic, avocados, basil, and mint in a food processor. Pulse and mix well. Drizzle in the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse to mix again. The pesto will still taste strong and lemony. Now slowly start adding in vegetable broth (about 1/2 cup) until the flavor and texture is good and to your liking. Add any additional salt and peeper if needed. Add the pesto to the noodles, and toss to mix well.

To Serve:

Place a large handful of spinach in the bottom of a bowl or plate. Top with the paste, and garnish with sliced tomatoes. Add a little pepper tot he top, and enjoy!!

Happy Birthday!!!

To me and my little baby boy!

My sweet little baby boy and I almost have the same birthday! He celebrated his yesterday, and mine is today! I just cant resist him and his little red afro!!  My husband ordered me an awesome cake from a vegan bakery near us, and we have a friend helping us with our kids tonight so we can have a little romantic birthday dinner together. If you have kids you know how exciting date night is!  I am so looking forward to it! And I have a cute new shirt to wear out tonight thanks to my best friend who came out to visit me yesterday and totally spoiled me with gifts! Anyways, just thought I would share a photo with you all of me and my little birthday baby...Hope you all have a great labor day weekend!!!

Strawberry Spring Rolls with two herbs and sweet red chili sauce, served with Bok Choy and Racicchio Salad

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyones week is going great! Had to let you all know that I have added a new

(and very cool feature) to the blog, if I do say so myself! If you look under the  recipe title you will see a link there now that says "printable recipe". So now you can have easy printing for the recipes! Have to say a big thank you to my gorgeous mom for the help with that. She is the one that set it all up for me (and you!). Thank you Mom! Ok now onto the recipes...

I know, I know what your thinking, strawberries in my spring roll???!  Trust me people! Not only does it totally work, but it also rocks! It is seriously amazing. The sweet from the strawberries balances the spicy sauce so well, and with the addition of some fresh herbs, it makes for one flavorful and fresh lunch, snack or dinner. When buying your sweet red chili sauce, look for the Thai Kitchen Brand, which is a healthier product. Also go for the larger rice paper wrappers if you can get them. It makes the rolling and wrapping so much easier!  Both the chili sauce and the rice paper wrappers can be found at your Asian food markets, and at specialty stores.  Serve this with my  bok choy and radicchio salad with sesame orange miso dressing. The dressing is so amazing! I think it is my very favorite one I have made ever!! And just looking at all of the colors from the spring rolls and salad, you just know you are doing something great for your body!

Strawberry spring rolls with two herbs and sweet red chili sauce

Make as many as you want!

printable recipe

What You Need:

Rice paper wrappers

carrots cut into matchsticks

cucumbers cut into matchsticks

avocado thinly sliced

strawberries thinly sliced

fresh mint and cilantro

sweet red chili sauce for dipping (Thai Kitchen brand is good)
fresh spinach to lay them on (not a must, just for presentation!)

To Make:

Heat about 2 inches of water in a large skillet over med. heat until warm, but not hot. Turn off the stove. lay out a damp kitchen towel to work on.  Take a rice paper wrapper and dip it into the warm water until it starts to soften a little, about 5 seconds. Then lay the wrapper on your damp towel. Place a few of each vegetable on wrapper, along with a pinch of both fresh mint and fresh cilantro. Roll the bottom up, them fold the sides in, and continue rolling the rest of the way. Slice in half and serve on a bed of spinach with he sweet red chili sauce.

Bok Choy and Radicchio Salad with sesame orange miso dressing

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

 Printable recipe

What You Need:

4 baby bok choy,  Chopped and rinsed well

1 small head of radicchio, chopped and rinsed well

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch matchsticks

Sesame orange miso dressing:

1/2 cup orange juice (not from concentrate)

1-inch piece of grated fresh ginger

 2 Tbsp pure Grade B Maple syrup

 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp mirin

1 small clove garlic

1 tsp mellow white miso paste

juice of 1/2 lime

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1/3 cup safflower oil

few pinches of black pepper

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. The xanthan gum is not a must, but something I would definitely invest in. It makes your dressing creamy and helps keep the fat lower.