Recipe | Vegan Blackberry Jam

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If you're anything like me, you love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich... quite frequently. However, buying organic jellies and jams all the time can end up being expensive. Not to mention, a lot of times companies will use gelatin (an animal product) to thicken their jellies and jams. So, a simple solution to these issues: make your own! This recipe is really simple and very easy to customize to your own preferences.

12 oz bag of frozen blackberries (or any frozen fruit, really), thawed
A few tbsp raw sugar (I used about 4 tbsp)
The juice of one orange
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp calcium water
1 tbsp fruit pectin

A couple things that should be explained right off the bat:

1. I think it's standard that all packets of fruit pectin come with a separate packet of monocalcium phosphate to activate the pectin to do its job. Mine did, and that's what the "calcium water" in the ingredient list refers too. My box of pectin called for that to be mixed with water and added to the recipe before the pectin. Just follow the directions on your box and you should be okay.

2. I enjoy a jam that is less sweet and a little bit more runny/not as gelled up. Therefore, I did not add nearly as much sugar as some recipes call for and I added less than the suggested amount of pectin to my fruit mixture. Customize this recipe to cater to your preferences! It's very adjustable.

Combine the bag of thawed, frozen fruit, orange juice, and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Begin mashing up whatever fruit you chose. Mash it to the consistency that you desire. I left mine quite chunky. Bring to a simmer on low heat and dissolve the sugar. Add your pectin according to the directions on your box. You can transfer your fruit mixture to whatever you plan on storing it in, leave the lid off, and put it in the fridge for a few hours to cool off. It will continue thickening as it cools.

If you actually go the length to steralize a mason jar for this, your jam should last for quite some time in the fridge. I'm impatient so I just washed my mason jar really well. I don't expect it to last very long in my fridge because I'll eat it all before it has a chance to go bad.

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Warm, Asian-Dressed Barley Salad

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2 cups cooked Barley
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bell pepper - chopped
1 small red onion - chopped
a couple tbsp vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup thai lime, chili cashews, chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the toasted sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sriracha together in a bowl and set aside.

I used 10 minute barley and just made the whole package. Cook your barley according to package directions. You can either do this ahead of time and have it ready or you can cook your veggies and other components while you're waiting for the barley to cook. However, wait to cook your veggies until your barley is about half done if it's not quick cooking, other wise your veggies will get too soft and over cook and won't be delicious.

Anyway, set a large skillet to medium heat and add some extra virgin olive oil. Sweat the onions and peppers in there together for about 5-7 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. When they start to become translucent, add the fresh ginger and vegetable sauce. Stir to incorporate the ginger.

You can now add all of your frozen veggies, reduce the heat to simmer, cover with a lid, and wait until your barley is finished cooking. Add some more salt and pepper to this layer of veggies.

When your barley is done cooking, drain and add two cups of the cooked barley to your vegetables. introduce the sauce you made earlier and stir to combine everything. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper is desired.

Top with your chopped thai, chili, lime cashews.

I served this as a side dish to just a veggie burger and it was quite filling. There was a load of leftovers so this would be a great dish to bring to a party or a picnic or something. It tastes great cold or room temperature, too!

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Health Tip | Meat Substitutions

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It's so easy to be a vegetarian nowadays with the HEAPS of options you have to swap out the meat components with in your favorite dishes.

I consider myself blessed to have been raised by a mother who sleeps, breathes, and (literally) eats organically. She preaches the importance of non-GMO products. Preservatives, carageneen, and pesticide-covered produce immediately spoil when she's around. And don't get me started about her meat industry rants.

She practices what she preaches and these habits have rubbed off on me. I've been a vegetarian for almost two years now and health-wise it was the best decision I've ever made. I live on my own down at school so I try my hardest to live by what my mom taught me when I'm out buying my own groceries and I think I do a pretty good job.

Here's a list of meat substitutes that are either all organic or use non GMO soy. You can start incorporating these into your diets if you're trying to make the transformation to a completely vegetarian lifestyle. All the products listed I've tried and loved. I'm sure there's a bunch more out there which are perfectly delicious that I just haven't tried out yet. GO EXPLORING!

I'll also post the links to the companies' websites (wherever I can) so you can find out if their products are sold in your favorite supermarket.

Disclaimer: not all of these options are VEGAN friendly.

Gardein

Gardein is probably my favorite brand of meatless cuisine. They have SO MANY options to choose from. These are just photos of the ones I or my roommate currently have on hand. Here's a list of all of Gardein's products I've tried:

The Ultimate Beefless Burger
Crispy Chick'n Patty
Lightly Breaded Turk'y Cutlet
Zesty Marinara Crispy Chick'n Filets
Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n
Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers
Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
BBQ Pulled Shreds

Some of these come with little sauce packets, but I usually just toss them and make my own creations (as you can tell with my recipes). The mandarin sauce is really good though if you want a quick meal and don't have the time to make your own elaborate asian-inspired sauce.

Seitan and Tempeh

I don't really have a specific brand that I like to buy when I'm buying seitan or tempeh. For tempeh, it's easy for me to find an organic option in Wegman's or ShopRite or Trader Joe's or wherever I'm buying my groceries. It's not that easy when it comes to seitan... It's a wheat protein and not a soy protein so I cheat a little bit and buy it anyway because Westsoy is the only brand I've seen... but if you can get your hands on an organic brand then absolutely opt for that one.

Lightlife

Lightlife products are relatively new to me, but so far I'm enjoying them quite a bit. They're made with non-GMO soy and they're quite delicious. I was REALLY surprised by their deli options. They're like cold-cuts but totally meat free and tasty. Their Smart Sausages are VERY similar to the Trader Joe's soy sausages that are near and dear to my heart. Definitely an A+ in my book!

Quorn

I'm not sure if it's true for ALL of Quorn's products, but I do know that on the back of the packaging of the ones I've bought in the past, it's stated that the company doesn't use any genetically modified ingredients. Now, the protein that this company used isn't soy or wheat or even vegetable protein. It's called a "mycoprotein" which is similar to that of a fungus, but doesn't taste weird or anything; I happen to really like their products. Here's a list of all the one's I've tried:

Chik'n Patties
Garlic and Herb Chik'n Cutlets
Gruyere Cheese Cutlet
Chik'n Tenders

Trader Joe's


Okay, Trader Joe's is by no means a completely vegetarian grocery store, but they DO have some great meat-free options. ALSO!!!! Their private label guarantees these awesome things:

√ NO artificial flavors or preservatives
√ NO synthetic colors
√ NO MSG
√ NO genetically modified ingredients
√ NO partially hydrogenated oils (artificial trans-fats)
√ NO "marketing" costs

They also offer a BUNCH of organic options. Here's a list of some of my favorite Trader Joe's vegetarian products:

Italian Sausage-less Sausages
Soy Chorizo
Vegetable Masala Burgers
Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels
Organic 3-Grain Tempeh
Organic Vegetarian Baked Beans (I know this isn't really like a meat substitute but I LOVE THESE BEANS)

Veggie Patch

I've only tried their Falafel Chickpea Balls, but oh my GOD are they good. I'm definitely going to go out and try some of their other products. Although they're not organic, all of their products are completely GMO-free.

Dr. Praegers

I currently don't have any of these products on hand so I don't have any pictures, but my favorite product from this company is the Bombay Veggie Burger. They're GMO-free and just really delicious.

Boca

You need to be careful with this company, because some of their products contain GMO soy. However, they DO have some products which state that there are no genetically modified ingredients used, so just read the labels before you buy it.

Well that's all I can think of right now. There are obviously TONS of companies out there that make fantastic vegetarian meals and things of that sort, but this is just a list of specific MEAT substitutes that you can incorporate into your own meals. I hope this helps any budding vegetarians. Just be smart when you're shopping for groceries - do your research and read the labels. 

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Recipe | Embellished Boxed Mac and Cheese: Recipe 2

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1 box of your favorite mac and cheese
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup roasted red/any color peppers
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup water
a couple tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. While you're waiting for that to boil, set a large skillet on medium heat and add a few tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion, sun dried tomatoes, and roasted peppers. Cook them for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Salt and pepper the veggies.

Add whatever cheese sauce comes with your mac and cheese box to the veg mixture along with the 1/2 cup of water. Incorporate the cheese and water to a creamy consistency. You can use veg stock if you want, I just didn't have any on hand. Add the frozen broccoli, cover the pan, and cook until the broccoli is thawed - another 7-10 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to simmer, and let the sauce cook down a little bit. Salt and pepper this layer and add the crushed red pepper flakes.

While the sauce is reducing, your water should be boiling, so you can drop your pasta in. If you find your sauce is reducing too quickly, feel free to add some of the starchy pasta water to it to loosen it up a bit. This will also help the sauce stick to the pasta when you incorporate the two of them.

When your pasta is done cooking, drain and add it to the sauce along with the frozen peas. Turn off the heat and add the tomatoes and basil. Salt and pepper the dish if necessary. It's important to wait until the end of the cooking process to ass the peas because they will break down and turn to mush if you add them early on. The residual heat from the sauce and pasta together is enough to thaw them through. Or, you can thaw them out ahead of time if you're worried about serving frozen peas.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Farfalle with Baby Bellas, Peppers, and Onions and a Sun-dried Tomato and Rosemary Sauce

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There are no pictures for this one because I just threw it together at the last minute... like about a half hour ago because I was starving when I got home from class. But it looks fancy as ~heLl and tastes equally as delicious.

I purposely made this yield two servings because I want to bring it with me to campus for lunch tomorrow, so here ya go:

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups Farfalle pasta

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, sliced (use whatever color... I used green because I had a half left over from my breakfast this morning)

A handful of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced (roughly anywhere from 5-8 depending on their size)

1 soy sausage, cut in half lengthwise, and then sliced into half-mood shapes (I used Trader Joe's brand, but Smart Sausages are equally as delicious)

1/4 cup julliened sun-dried tomatoes (with the olive oil)

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

3/4 cup vegetable stock

a few leaves of basil, roughly chopped

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large pot with water and set it on high. When the water comes up to a boil, add a generous amount of salt along with the two cups of Farfalle.

While waiting for the water to boil, coat a medium sized skillet with the olive oil and sautee the garlic, peppers, and onions. When they begin to soften up (after about 5 minutes), add the mushrooms to the pan. Sautee the vegetables for another 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper before moving on to the next step

When all the vegetables are nice and sauteed, add the sausage pieces, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh rosemary. You could brown up the sausage before you sautee the vegetables and then chop it up and add it in at the end, but I forgot to do that, so I just added them in with the other ingredients after the vegetables were cooked. Combine everything and season again with salt and pepper.

Add the vegetable stock and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan and simmer until the pasta is finished cooking. Before draining the pasta, add about 1/4 of a cup of the starchy pasta water to the pan to give a little more body. Drain the pasta, combine it with the sauce either in the pan if there's room, in the pot that you cooked the pasta in, or in a separate bowl. Toss together with the fresh basil and check to make sure the seasonings are okay.

You could serve this with some Parmesan or some fresh Mozzarella on top.

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Recipe | Vegetarian Chili with Soy Chorizo and Tri-Colored Quinoa

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This is what I had for dinner tonight. No pre-planning, it was just a last minute dinner idea that turned into a god damn masterpiece (Rachel's reactions to it when she got home from work were enough proof) It should yield about 4 servings and it's VERY filling and hearty.

1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (whichever color you prefer, I used red), chopped
1 package of Soy Chorizo
1 cup Quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper soup
1 can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start off by heating up a large saucepan or pot with the olive oil to medium heat. Saute the peppers and onions until they soften up. They don't have to be browned or anything, so salt and pepper them and just sweat them out for about 5-7 minutes.

Once the peppers and onions begin to soften up, add the soy chorizo. Make sure you remove the chorizo from the plastic casing within the plastic packaging before you add it to the pan! Also, I don't know if there's any other brand out there that makes soy chorizo besides Trader Joe's. If you can't get a hold of soy chorizo you can just use soy crumbles and season it up like chorizo (google it, guys. I already threw out the packaging).

While the peppers, onions, and soy chorizo are cooking together, you can start cooking the quinoa. Check your packaging, but usually the cooking method for quinoa is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. So for this recipe, combine 1 cup of the tri-colored quinoa (or whatever quinoa you prefer... cooking methods may vary) with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring it up to a boil. Once the water's boiling, cover the pot and bring it down to a simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. For more flavor, you can substitute veg stock for the water.

While the quinoa is simmering, add the cup of water, cup of roasted red pepper and tomato soup, black beans, sriracha, cumin, cinnamon, and smoked paprika to the pan. Stir to incorporate all the flavors, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is finished. After the quinoa is done, add it to the pan and stir once again to combine all the flavors.

If you can't get a hold of a decent roasted red pepper and tomato soup, using a can of fire roasted chopped tomatoes would be reeeeeally delicious in this. I was actually planning on using that but I didn't have a can on hand to use. Also, to stretch this recipe you could double or even triple the amount of beans in it, making it a 2 or 3 type bean chili by adding kidney and/ or cannelini beans or your favorite type to the recipe. Also, feel free to add as much or as little hot sauce to the recipe depending on your ability to handle spicy foods.

I'm probably gonna mix some of the leftovers with eggs tomorrow for breakfast.

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