Lots of Tasty Eating Goin' On

We've been eating lots of great food here lately at Chez Vegan Eats & Treats... it's been wintery, and I've been happy for the excuse to cook up some warm, hearty meals.

This recipe has become a favorite of mine, it's a Sweet Potato and Collards dish with coconut milk from "Fresh Food Fast," except that I use butternut squash because someone (read: Mr. Vegan Eats and Treats) doesn't like sweet potatoes. It's very thai-inspired, it comes together in a flash, and it's so delicious. Plus, the hot jalepeno is a great touch on a cold day.

First up, a big batch of Roasted Root Veggie Soup - I had some turnips and butternut squash from the garden, and some rutabegas & carrots from the farmers' market. I even snuck in some sweet potato, which was well received!! I peeled and chunked all of them, tossed with a little bit of oil, and also roasted some shallots and garlic cloves... then I threw 'em in with some homemade broth, fresh herbs from the garden, salt and pepper... cooked it a while, and pureed it. mmmm. SO good. We ate it with fresh rye bread and roasted brussel sprouts. Perfect food for a cold and wintery night.

We are planning a trip to Morocco, Lisbon, and Spain in a couple months, so we asked our TV to record anything with the words "Morocco" or "Moroccan," which resulted in us recording an episode of Emeril, of all things! I made his Moroccan Vegetable Couscous, with a few modifications - 2 tsp of oil, instead of 6 Tbsp oil + 1 Tbsp butter (!!), and made my couscous the quick and easy way. It looks so incredibly lovely, but I have to say it was missing something. It was so very mild, even after I had doubled most of the spices. I wanted some heat, and it didn't have any... so we ended up adding hot sauce to jazz it up a bit.

Here it is, all plated up and topped with a lovely yogurt sauce also from Emeril. I used Wildwood Unsweetened soy yogurt, 1/2 an english cucumber (peeled and seeded and chopped), a couple Tbsp of fresh mint- finely chopped up, a pinch of salt, and about a 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon zest. SO good. After dinner I ate the whole bowl of yogurt garnish plain. It was lovely!

These baked jelly donuts are one of the recipes I baked up to help Alicia test for her upcoming cookbook. I was totally stoked on these little babies! Choosing the baking, rather than frying, option meant that these were a really nice treat and decidedly low fat. Definitely something I would make again. Also, it turns out that injecting jam into jelly donuts is a rare thrill.

Another evening of testing for Alicia, potato salad and baked beans - hearty fare for a hungry tummy!

Inspired by the success of my pantry party, I have been making some serious headway on clearing out more goodies from the pantry. When I was making the jelly donuts, I had risen two batches of yeast, because I was suspicious of their yeasty-rising-capacities. Well, it turns out that they BOTH rose just fine, so then I felt like "I can't just let this little bowl of rising yeast go to waste!" So, in about 10 minutes flat, I whipped up a batch of whole wheat cinnamon rolls and used my canned pineapple from the cupboard in the filling. MMmmmmm. I popped 'em all in the freezer and every once in a while I'll take one out for a treat.

Last week was our little dog Stevie Wonder's 5-year Adoption Day! So, to celebrate, I made a batch of sweet potato-peanut butter-molasses doggie treats. I took a recipe i found online, tweaked it around a little and made a big batch of treats for Stevie and her doggie friends.

Here is little Stevie, practicing a new trick of leaving the treat on her paw before she is allowed to eat it. I love you, Stevie!!

Here's the whole trio of them... staring at the treats longingly. They look pathetic, but don't worry, they got to eat SO MANY of them!!

ps. today is our cat Yummers Potatoes' 9-Year Adoption Day!! It's Yummers Day! So, he'll be getting a special bowl of broccoli or green beans tonight - his favorites. I promise to take pictures. :)