italian bread

happy hallowe'en!

it's the time of year when it starts to get chilly again. it's time for squash soup, oatmeal, apple crisp, and a fabulous new bread recipe!

i really love this recipe - it may be one of my new favourites. this time of year is all about comfort food, and this bread fits the bill. eat it with butter and a big bowl of soup! make a delightful sandwich! 

dilly vegan mac and cheese

so the other day, at matt's request, i made my tasty vegan macaroni and cheese with dill. 

matt really loves dill, and so i chopped up about 1/2 c of fresh dill, and added it right at the end. it was SOOOO good!!

blueberry banana bread

if you're looking for a straight-up butter, sugar, eggs type of banana bread recipe, click here. you can add a cup of blueberries to that recipe, and end up with a fantastic blueberry banana bread.

but, if you're interested in a vegan, somewhat healthier option, read on!

i used that original banana bread recipe as my inspiration, but as you'll see, i made a ton of changes. i wanted to make it vegan, and thought i'd experiment with my new favourite thing in the world, silken tofu. i had read about substituting it for eggs, and figured it would work in place of butter, too. given the way it turned out, i'd say that it certainly does. 

i made some other substitutions as well - some whole wheat flour, agave syrup for sugar, etc. 

this recipe makes one large loaf of banana bread.

silken tofu

so, i have made a fabulous (re?)discovery. i feel like i have known about flavoured silken tofu forever, and for some reason i thought i didn't like it. silly, silly me. 

i am kind of in love with this tumblr right now - i'm really inspired by her fabulous healthy food ideas, not to mention her amazing (and way-better-than-mine) photography.

coconut silken tofu with banana

so anyway, on this lovely blog, she has featured soft tofu desserts a few times, and when i saw them, my mouth watered. i actually went to the grocery store right away to buy some. holy crapoley, they are so good. i don't know what i've been thinking, missing out on these for so many years. 

the company that makes them, sunrise soya, is canadian, so i'm not sure if you can buy them outside of canana, but if you can, i'd recommend it! they are sold as "dessert", but i have been eating them with fruit and granola for breakfast, or as a quick yogurt-like snack. since i'm 90% vegan these days, they have really filled a void that yogurt left in my life. i have even used them in smoothies, and was very happy with the results!

banana silken tofu with homemade granola, berries and almond milk!

they come in these easy little 2-packs that snap apart, so you can throw them in your lunch, easy peasy. 

sunrise soya also makes these little snacks called super squeezies, which are similar to those yogurt tubes you can buy, but vegan, tofu based. they come in chocolate and strawberry banana, and they are both really good. thus far my favourite ways to eat them are either frozen, like a freezie: 

 or squeezed out into a bowl like you'd eat pudding or yogurt, with fruit. 

 

vegetable and tofu pot pie

this recipe is SO GOOD. 

i'm not including the recipe for the crust, because i still want to experiment with it a bit more... i am quite terrified of pastry, and this experience has only made me sure that it's scary. once i perfect the pastry recipe, i'll share it with you. until then, use your own recipe, or buy a pie crust. 

pot pie is not beautiful, but it's hearty and filling and i can't wait to make these in the winter. i think they would also look really nice done in individual ramekins for a fancier presentation.  

apricot blueberry muffins

the other day, i made this recipe with apricots and blueberries instead of peaches and raspberries. i also made them in my tall, skinny muffin cups, and they turned out looking like penises. WIN.

snacky snack

nomnomnom!!

black bean quinoa vegan loaf

so, i recently, through this wonderful tumblr, discovered this wonderful tool!

i am in love. this is the only recipe i have tried (and i'm not going to lie, i didn't follow it exactly), but it was really good! on top of being tasty, this just bangs out easy, healthy meal ideas with whatever you have onhand. am i being overly dramatic about the effect this will have on my life? heck no.

we tend to eat a lot of those vegetarian "meat" substitutes, which are really tasty and all, but tend to be fairly processed, and pretty expensive. this is providing me with some amazing alternate ideas.  you can use the mixes to make veggie burgers! falafel-style balls, the possibilities are endless!

my adaptation of the recipe follows! enjoy this with some mushroom onion gravy!