Morgan's S'mores Cookies

Happy Wednesday all!  I know I said I would get this recipe up yesterday but it just didn't work out that way for me. :)  I was so busy, and was only home for about 30 minutes total all day! But I am back and ready to give you the goods.  My s'mores cookies are so good! Marshmallows are one of those things that seem like they might be vegan and totally innocent, but they are definitely NOT.  Thank goodness for Dandies vegan marshmallows! They are so good, and a perfect substitute. Also look for vegan graham crackers for these, which can be found at many heath food stores.  mmmmmm...thank me later when you have a belly full of yummy cookies! :)

Morgan's  S'mores Cookies

makes about 32 cookies

printable recipe

What you Need:

2 sticks (1 cup) Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks

3/4 cups evaporated cane juice sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbsp water

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I blended in the blender)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 bag of vegan chocolate chips
1 bag Dandies vegan Marshmallows

To Make:

Preheat oven to 375.
In a standing mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light in color and fluffy.

Add the Arrowroot/cornstarch water mixture, and vanilla and mix again. Mix all of the dry ingredients and then add to the wet. Mix well. Add in your chocolate chips and mix again. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, drop the cookie dough using a small ice cream scooper, or a heaping Tbsp. for each cookie. Bake for 7 minutes. Take out of oven and add 2 Dandies marsh mellows to the top of each cookie. Replace into the oven for an additional 3 minutes. Take out of the oven, let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove from baking sheet to finish cooling.

Dijon and herbed baked tofu in pita pockets

Happy Tues. foodies and bloggies!  Think you don't like tofu?  You have to give my new recipe a try!!  This is a delicious, quick, and easy way to prepare it! Perfect for sandwiches, salads, and pitas. Its got tons of  flavor and its very healthy!  It's also a great packable for lunches! Hope you enjoy!

Dijon and herbed baked tofu in pita pockets

makes 4-6 sandwiches or pitas

For the Dijon and herbed tofu: preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 Package extra firm tofu

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. regular mustard

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3-4 tbsp. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1/4 tsp dried thyme

To Make:

Drain tofu and place between two kitchen towels. Place a pan on top and let sit for about 20 minutes to drain some of the liquid from the tofu.  Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay on a baking sheet that is lined with a silpat, parchment, or lightly greased. Generously cover each piece of tofu with the mustard and herb mixture on just the top side. Bake for about 15 minutes.

For Pita sandwiches:

Place a piece of tofu in the pita. Add some lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers,, sprouts if you have them, and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a crack of black pepper.  These are also great on Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, which is how my husband had his.

A Cruelty Free Thanksgiving at the Little House of Veggies

Happy post Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful time with your friends and family, enjoyed good food, and had a few days to relax! Our home was full with football, snacking, sleeping, movies, and busy little kiddos. That to me is what the holidays are all about. Doing what you love with the people you love.
I had all intentions of posting a great feast for all of you to have prior to Thanksgiving itself, but like many of you, I am a busy Mommy to three little ones, and just couldn't find the extra time! So here is my post Thanksgiving meal spread.  Our food this year was so delicious. Especially our main dish. At one of my favorite restaurants in California, Native Foods Cafe, they sell a holiday "wellington". It looked so delicious, I thought I would take the idea and create my own Thanksgiving Wellington at my home. It was so good! A perfect main dish.! Along with the Wellington, we had garlic and herbed mashed potatoes, Soft and perfect homemade rolls, mushroom and onion gravy, and a wild rice and whole grain cornbread stuffing. I also had a spinach salad that no one was interested in.  :)  We ended the day with amazing pumpkin pie, and coconut lemon pie.  The meal was a complete success! So as promised, here are my special Thanksgiving recipes!

Thanksgiving

with

the Little House of Veggies

this menu is 100% vegan, cruelty free, and so much healthier than a typical Thanksgiving menu.

MENU

Morgan's Stuffed Holiday Wellington

Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Special Occasion Soft White Dinner Rolls

Wild Rice and Cornbread Stuffing

 Spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette

My Mom's Tender Green Beans with Mushrooms and Lemon Peel

Garlic and Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie

Coconut Lemon Pie

Click each recipe title for the recipes!!!

Happy Holidays!!

Morgans Holiday Wellington

This was inspired by a dish sold at one of my favorite vegan restaurants, Native Foods, during the holidays. While I don't have their recipe, I had a good time coming up with my own version of what I thought it might be like. This is so good, and a perfect "main dish" for the holidays!

Morgan's Holiday Wellington

serves about 8
Printable Recipe

What You Need:

2 sheets of vegan puff pastry (Pepperidge Farms is good, you will need 1 box)

1 bunch of kale, washed, trimmed away from the stem, and roughly chopped

3 portabello mushrooms, wiped off with a damp towel and sliced

3 yellow onions, sliced

1 large sweet potato or Yam, peeled and sliced thinly into rounds

2 boxes of seitan (I used Westsoy brand)

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 Tbsp. (eyeball it) of poultry seasoning

To Make:

Start  the caramelized onions first. Peel and slice all 3 onions. In a skillet or pot, heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are darker in color (slightly brown) and have a sweet taste and very tender texture. While the onions are caramelizing, preparing the rest of the ingredients for the Wellington...

Start by prepping all of your different ingredients. keeping them all separate from each other.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Start with the kale. Heat 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to the pan. Add the chopped kale, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the kale from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add another Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are softened. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add 1 Tbsp of Earth Balance butter tot he pan, and add the yams/sweet potatoes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute 5-10 minutes until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the vegetable broth to the pan, with the poultry seasoning. Add the seitan, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes in the broth. Remove the seitan and set aside on a plate.

To Assemble the Wellington:

After letting the puff pastry's completely defrost, lay them out flat on a well floured surface and make a large square combining the 2 sheets together. I cut about 2-3 inches off of the top end and added it to the sides to make a wider sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll where seams meat to make sure they are closed up well.

Begin layering the ingredients onto the pastry sheets. once all ingredients are layered, roll up very gently and fold and close up all open ends.

Bake the wellington at 350 for about 1 hour. I took my out with 10 min left and brushed the top with a very small amount of melted Earth Balance, then finished cooking for the last 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve!

Special Occasion Dinner Rolls

This is my recipe for special occasion dinner rolls. Why are they "special occasion"?  Because they are made with white flour instead of wheat, which is a rare event in our home. It makes these rolls perfect, fluffy and light! They are soooooo amazing warm fresh out of the oven smeared with a little Earth Balance butter. Mmmmmmm...

 Special Occasion Dinner Rolls

makes 1 baking sheet of rolls, feeds 4-6
Printable Recipe

I made these using a Kitchenaid standing mixer.
Prepare the yeast:

Mix 2 1/4 tsp of yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water. Make sure the water is not hot. just warm.

While the yeast is dissolving. Let yeast sit 5 minutes.

Add to the yeast:
 2 Tbsp. Olive oil, 2 Tbsp. sugar and dissolve.

Meanwhile gently heat :
1 cup of soymilk or almond milk  with  3 Tbsp of Earth balance butter. Heat until the butter is melted. 
Add this to the yeast mixture, making sure that the milk is warm, not hot. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast.

Then add to the yeast:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch powder mixed with 2 Tbsp. water

Mix and then add an additional cup of flour. mix, then add a third cup of flour. You should have a wet and sticky dough, but not so sticky that you cant work with it. Add additional flour if needed until the dough is slightly sticky but not overly so.  Let the Standing mixer knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes. If the dough is sticking really badly to the sides of the bowl, add a touch more flour, until the dough is barely pulling away from the sides. These can also be done by hand, and kneaded by hand on a flour surface. You want the dough to knead until is is smooth and elastic to the touch. Don't add too much flour to the dough, just enough that it isn't sticking to the surface while kneading.

Time for the dough to rise:
In a large mixing bowl, add about 1/2 tsp of oil and roll your ball of dough in it, making sure it is coated slightly with the oil so it wont dry out. Cover with a towel and allow to  double in size (about an hour).

Making the dinner rolls:
Pour out the risen dough onto a floured board. Roll out gently into a rectangle and cut the dough into 12 dinner pieces.  Shape each piece into a circular roll shape, then place on a baking sheet. Place the rolls somewhat close to each other so that their edges will touch when they rise and bake.

Let them rise again:
Cover and let the rolls rise a second time for 35-40 minutes until they have doubled in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake:
Once the rolls have doubled in size and are barely touches on the edges, bake them for about 20-25 minutes, until golden on top. Remove from the oven and brush the rolls with a tiny bit of earth balance butter.

ENJOY!!!