Morning Polenta with Drizzle of Maple Syrup

I love hot cereal in cold weather. I eat a lot of oatmeal and I was ready to try something different. So this morning I made Morning Polenta with Drizzle of Maple Syrup page 522.

This was really easy and quick-I didn't stir enough however. I got distracted making Bonnie's breakfast. (Bonnie is my three year old Catahoula.) So some of the cornmeal burned to the bottom of the pan. I would advise you to keep a closer eye than I did and remember to stir!



This picture is how it looks if you make it strictly by the recipe and don't add any fruit. I think it looks very pretty with the color of the strawberries. I like some color in my food! This is a nice alternative to oatmeal and takes just a bit longer than rolled oats to cook.

--vegankitty

Pumpkin Cheezcake with Cranberry Drizzle

I love pumpkin and I love cheesecake so I couldn't resist making the Pumpkin Cheezcake with Cranberry Drizzle page 454. I have been planning on making a pumpkin cheesecake ever since I tried a piece at a local health food store. I had planned on using another recipe but decided to try this one. And boy, I'm glad I did!

This was a first for me: I made my own crust. I had to add a little extra Earth Balance to the quarter cup the recipe called for, I'd say maybe an extra tablespoon. I also greased the sides of the pan to help the graham cracker mix stick. The filling was easy to make and I tasted some before putting it into the oven. It was delicious just like that. I had to wait what seemed like forever to try the finished product though-an hour cooling on the counter then four hours in the fridge. Well it was getting late and I couldn't wait any longer so after three hours I whipped up the cranberry topping and tasted my yummy cheesecake. The cranberry is the perfect topping-a little bit tart to balance out all that sweetness.

Here is the cheesecake fresh out of the fridge without the cranberry:



I am probably going to have to make up extra cranberry drizzle because I don't think the recipe makes enough for the whole cake. I promised the boyfriend I would save him a piece for when he comes home. It's a good thing it's a three day or I might not be able to keep that promise! This will be the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving.

--vegankitty

Creamy Cashew Sauce

I haven't cooked in quite a while. I have been sick and busy and living off mostly chocolate and peanut butter. But today I needed a real meal I bought some pumpkin ravioli from Bruno Ravioli which I thought would be perfect with a cream sauce. So I made the Creamy Cashew Sauce page 551.

This is a really quick sauce to put together; about 5 minutes in the blender and then 5 minutes on the stove and you're done. I added a little garlic powder to the recipe because I am a garlic lover and besides, gotta keep those vampires at bay.

This sauce is easily customizable if you wish-just add different seasonings. I sprinkled a little smoked paprika on top.I plan to use the leftover sauce to make an alfredo dish later in the week.

--vegankitty

Maple Baked Beans

The flavors of maple and molasses come together to make an easy baked bean dish.

The Maple Baked Beans on page 257 is a great main dish or can easily make a side for a summer picnic.

The dish is simple to make the sauce is cooked over the stove and then you pour the sauce over the beans and bake and then nom!

I had to improvise on the crushed tomatoes because I didn't realize I had forgotten to get some when I was at the store so took some canned whole tomatoes and put them through the processor.

--Gymmie

Linguine Puttanesca

This is an easy dish to put together again relying on canned ingredients this Linguine Puttanesca on page 196 is a cinch to throw together.

This dish uses two types of olives Kalamata and Manzanilla along with capers to add that additional punch.

Growing up spaghetti was always broken not sure why it was just what was done. However breaking pasta makes my friend Mad Max Papis cringe! LOL! He's given us lessons on how real Italians do things on Twitter as well as teaching us some Italian :).

Anywho, the flavors melted together wonderfully and the olives were a great addition. I'll definitely be adding them to other pasta dishes :).

--Gymmie

[Spinach]-Mushroom Phyllo Packets

As a light, impressive snack, I decided to wrap up some [Spinach]-Mushroom Phyllo Packets (page 43) for my four guests. The original recipe called for artichoke hearts (“Artichoke-Mushroom Phyllo Packets”), but a spinach variation was suggested, and we all know how I feel about spinach. They were wildly popular. The crispy crunch of the paper-thin phyllo, followed by the soft, flavorful warmth of the spinach and mushroom filling ensured that no one could stop at one single packet; or two.


I was trying to describe them to some friends later that day, after very little sleep, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was “little packets of joy.” Which describes them perfectly and caused said friends to insist I make some for them, too. The only downside: assembly takes some serious patience. Phyllo's involvement generally assures this. But the wow-factor is through the roof; so if you've got someone you want to impress, buy yourself some phyllo and get comfortable with it.


- - Ulpia, phyllo phyend - -

Seitan and Potato Torta

I've never had a torta before, but anything layered with potatoes is good by me. Seitan and Potato Torta {page 315} was just such a dish.

In my limited knowledge, tortas are supposed to be round, correct? Unfortunately for me, I was lacking in round baking receptacles, so I had to use the 9x13" option Robin offered. The prep work of slicing all the potatoes took a little time, but it wasn't nearly so bad as I'd figured it might be. I had to use 2 tomatoes instead of just one, as one tomato barely covered half of the bottom of the pan. Once all the prep work was complete, however, the Supertoddler and I had a lot of fun layering ingredients, making this a really awesome recipe to make with your kids. He especially loved brushing the olive oil onto the layers of potatoes, and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

The top of my torta didn't brown much, even after 20 uncovered minutes in the oven, but the finished product was still delicious. The flavors are subtle, but definitely there, and overall it's a very satisfying and comforting dish. Ninjahusband was kind of ambivalent about it, but I chalk that up to present work stress {he works from home on Saturday nights}. The Supertoddler LOVED it, and devoured a large adult-sized serving.

This recipe has opened my mind to the world of tortas. Since dinner, visions of all the different types of tortas I could make have been dancing through my head. Oh the possibilities -- the possibilities!

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl