Vegan Project: Mushroom CheeseFake Sandwiches

I love cheesesteak. What's not the love with the ooey-gooey cheese and thin slices of beef. Well, for a vegan, that description is probably just gross. So, I wanted to see if I could make a mock version of this classic using beautiful portabella mushroom caps as my meat substitute.



Ingredients:
2 large portabella mushrooms caps (about 9 oz. each)
2.5 oz sliced bell peppers
2.5 oz sliced onion
1 oz Daiya mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp vegenaise
4 slices low calorie bread (I used Sara Lee multigrain)
1/4 tsp steak seasonin
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Thinly slice the mushrooms.

Coat a pan with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat, and add mushrooms. Stir mushrooms and cover.

Cook over medium heat until mushrooms have released their liquid (about 7-10 minutes).

Push mushrooms to one side of the pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook until tender (3-5 minutes). Combine with mushrooms. Add mozzarella cheese to top of the mushroom mixture. Heat until melted.

Spread a slice of bread with 1 tbsp vegenaise. Top with cheesy-mushroom mixture. Close sandwich with other slice of bread. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2

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Calories - 353

Calories from Fat - 231

Total Fat - 25.7g

Saturated Fat - 2.6g

Cholesterol - 0mg

Sodium - 805mg
Potassium - 1360mg

Total Carbohydrates - 43.6g

Dietary Fiber - 11.3g

Sugar - 9.1g

Protein - 14.1g

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Vitamin A - 3%

Vitamin C - 56%

Calcium - 5%

Iron - 45%

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Vegan Project: Shoney's Strawberry Pie

On Mother's Day, my sister-in-law prepared a lovely strawberry pie. She called it a "Shoney's Strawberry Pie", and I was excited to find a recipe for it. I knew the version she made probably had some animal products in it, and I wanted to see if I could veganize this pie. Challenge accepted!

A quick search of the internet led me to a recipe on Cooks.com (click here for the original recipe). I could tell that veganizing this recipe was going to be a snap. For directions on how to make the pie, just go to the original recipe and substitute the vegan ingredients. Here is my ingredient list and pictures of the process.

Ingredients:
1 vegan graham cracker crust
4 cups sliced strawberries
3 tbsp. white whole wheat flour
1 pkg. vegan strawberry gelatin (I used Simply Delish Strawberry Jel)
1 tbsp. strawberry preserves
12 pkt. Stevia
1 cup boiling water

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients to boiling water and let set.

Add strawberries to jel once set.

Spread into pie crust.

Enjoy with a dollop of vegan whipped cream (optional).

Nutrition Facts*
Serves 8

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Calories - 208

Calories from Fat -70

Total Fat - 7.8g

Saturated Fat - 5g

Cholesterol - 0mg

Sodium - 187mg
Potassium - 127mg

Total Carbohydrates - 37g

Dietary Fiber - 3.4g

Sugar - 14.3g

Protein - 1.8g

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Vitamin A - 0%

Vitamin C - 106%

Calcium - 1%

Iron - 4%

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* Does not include amount for optional vegan whipped cream.

Vegan Project: Buffalo "Tricken" Pizza

Ingredients:
1 package of Gardein barbecue wings
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 package of reduced-fat crescent rolls
1/8 cup of vegan ranch dressing
1/8 cup of vegan buffalo wing sauce
3/4 cup of Daiya mozzarella shreds
10 baby carrots, finely chopped


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Unroll crescent rolls onto a rectangular baking sheet. Press all seams of the crescent roll together to make one big piece of crescent dough. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Add Gardein chicken wings, and cook for three minutes on each side until browned. While chicken is cooking, thaw the Gardein sauce pack for three minutes in a bowl of hot water. Toss sauce with chicken for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Once cool to the touch, cut chicken into small pieces.

Mix together the vegan ranch dressing and buffalo sauce in a bowl. Once crescent dough is finished baking, spread the ranch/buffalo mixture all over the dough. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella shreds. Top with chicken pieces, chopped carrots and remaining mozzarella shreds. Bake in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cut into eight pieces.


Nutrition Facts
Serves 8

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Calories - 194

Calories from Fat - 93

Total Fat - 10.3g

Saturated Fat - 2.9g

Cholesterol - 0mg

Sodium - 569mg
Potassium - 30mg

Total Carbohydrates - 19g

Dietary Fiber - 1.0g

Sugar - 4.3g

Protein - 6.8g

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Vitamin A - 34%

Vitamin C - 0%

Calcium - 1%

Iron - 8%

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Vegan Project: Pasta Primavera

Sometimes, things happen for a reason, and that is how this dish came to be. Due to moldy bread, I was unable to make the vegan burgers I wanted, so I turned to my old friend: pasta.

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 zucchini, chopped
2 2/3 cups penne
2 cups baby spinach
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce, no-salt added
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp. No Salt, divided
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 oz. vegan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil and add 1 tsp. of No Salt to the water. Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped peppers and onions and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms along with black pepper, 1 tsp. No Salt, garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to evenly distribute spices. Cover and cook until mushrooms have browned, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Once pasta has cooked, drain water. In same pot over medium heat, add tomato sauce, vegetable broth, spinach, 1 tsp. No Salt, basil and oregano. Cover and cook until spinach has wilted.

Add cooked vegetables and pasta to the tomato sauce. Stir until pasta has started to absorb the sauce (about 3 minutes).

Serve topped with 1/2 oz. of vegan cheese, if desired.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 388.9g
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Calories - 350
Calories from Fat - 75
Total Fat - 8.3g
Saturated Fat - 1.6g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 440mg
Total Carbohydrates - 60.2g
Dietary Fiber - 11.1g
Sugar - 10.7g
Protein - 11.9g
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Vitamin A - 42%
Vitamin C - 76%
Calcium - 5%
Iron - 22%

Vegan Project: Oatmeal On-the-Go

I really like to sleep. I really like to sleep until the very last second where I have to get up and rush around to get ready and out the door to work on time. Many mornings, I just grab a cup of yogurt and fruit and rush out the door. But when I'm out of yogurt, it's difficult for me to find something that I can quickly prep and take with me to work. Enter this tasty bowl of goodness. This recipe isn't rocket science, but it's just a quick pick-me-up for my morning rush.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup fresh (or thawed) blueberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet Stevia

Directions:

Combine oatmeal, cinnamon and almond milk into a microwave safe bowl.

Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel. Cook in microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Remove carefully from microwave and stir in Stevia. Top with blueberries and enjoy.

And just like that, I have a very healthy and filling meal. And it's much better than the oatmeal I used to get from McDonald's. Also, it only takes a couple of minutes to get the ingredients together and a couple of minutes to heat. In less than 5 minutes, I've got a great breakfast.


Nutrition Facts
Serves 1
Serving Size 371.4g
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Calories - 237
Calories from Fat -52
Total Fat - 5.7g
Saturated Fat - 0.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 145mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43g
Dietary Fiber - 7.9g
Sugar - 10.7g
Protein - 6.7g
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Vitamin A - 11%
Vitamin C - 16%
Calcium - 45%
Iron - 16%