Vegan Riblet, Asparagus, Red Cabbage and Bacon and Boiled Red Potato and a Taco Salad

You could say, lately, that I have been having a string of bad luck and just altogether stressed out.  My dogs had gotten into a fight and one ended up in the ER last Sunday.  He's fine with a few staples and they are getting along just fine now.  Can never be too cautious, though.  Seeing Monty in an e-collar is truly sad. 

Dealing with that had me in an uproar and that caused my creativity in the kitchen to go down the drain.  I used my disposal a lot in the last few weeks from food that I thought I wanted to create but ended up messing up (jalapeno poppers...etc..).  I decided to stick with the tried and true this weekend and made A riblet, Asparagus, Red Cabbage and Bacon and Boiled Red Potato.  Courtesy of Morning Star Farms, I used one of their vegan riblets and danced it up a little bit. 

I had caught up with an old friend earlier in the day and it just felt good to talk.  I was in a great mood, which seemed like the first time in a few days.  First call to order was to quarter my red cabbage, slather with Earth Balance Whipped Spread and add the Lightlife Smart Bacon.  I drizzled about a 1 tbls. of mesquite liquid smoke, salt, pepper and garlic and wrapped in foil.  Into the oven on 400 for about an hour.  Meanwhile, I boiled my potato and made my asparagus.  I used about 2 tbls Earth Balance Whipped Spreadand sauteed for about 10 minutes.  I, then, added a dash of cinnamon, juice from 1/2 a lemon, salt and pepper.  I added another 2 tbls of Earth Balance Whipped Spread and sauteed for another 10 minutes on low heat.  I like my asparagus cruncy so I had to time this just right.

The Morning Star Farms Riblet comes prepacked in barbecue sauce but it's never enough for me.  I took out a bottle of Annie's Naturals BBQ Sauce, (which is vegan) and slathered the riblet.  As everything was coming together, I sauteed a few white onion rings and then topped the riblet with the sauteed onion.  I stuck in the oven for about 20 minutes in order to catch the entire flavor of the meal.  Of course, add whatever spices you want. 

Everything was perfect.  I had even decided to add a few white mushrooms to the asparagus.  I cut the potato into quarters and added a bit of spread and Tofutti Sour Cream, some fresh chives and a tsp. of BBQ sauce.  I plated and it was so good that I finished the entire plate and was sad when there weren't any leftovers.   The spices that this dish had and the way all the flavors just came together will forever be remembered.  This was the beginning of my creativity realigning itself and it felt good!

That was the first of my creations and I've cooked chili and blogged about it many times before but for some reason this batch was the most perfect batch.  I had battled all day with what I wanted to eat for dinner, so Monday night I decided I wanted to do a Taco Salad in a tortilla bowl.  I don't have want you need to make a tortilla bowl so I just improvised and used a small pan.  I put my torilla in the pan and shaped it the way that I wanted it to be and stuck in the oven on 350 until crunchy and golden brown.  I filled my tortilla with Romaine Lettuce, 'Chili', onions, black olives, jalapeno's, salsa, Tofutti Sour Cream  and Daiya Shreds.  I wasn't even going to blog about it but it was so picture perfect and tasted amazing so I decided to just add it in here because it is just SO PRETTY.  The tortilla was perfect and the fillings stayed in the torilla as I ate my way through it. 

Both Dishes were definitely a VEGAN YES that was delicious all the way to the tummy.

Vegan Beouf Bourguignon and Mushroom, Spinach Noodle Soup

I've been craving steak lately and so I thought that I would get creative without having to actually give in to that craving and desire.  With a little help from Vegetarian Times I found this lovely recipe for Vegan Beouf Bourguignon created from Julia Child's original recipe.  This particular recipe called for Quorn Chick'n strips (which aren't vegan) but I substituted with Gardein Meatless Tips.

• 2 Tbs. organic olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbs. spread, divided
• 1 ¼ lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 ½ cups)
• 1 large carrot, diced (½ cup)
• 1 tsp. fresh or ½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1 ½ cloves garlic, minced (1 ½ tsp.)
• 1 750-mL bottle Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais red wine ( I used a Pinot Noir)
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 
  2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 package Gardein Meatless tips 
• 1 ½ Tbs. organic unbleached white flour
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• sour cream, for garnish

1. Heat 1 Tbs. oil and 1 Tbs. spread in medium saucepan over high heat. Add mushrooms, and cook in oil 3 to 4 minutes, or until they darken but still retain their moisture. Remove from pan, and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium, and add remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add onion, carrot, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook 10 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add wine, and increase heat to high. Simmer 5 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by half. Stir in broth and tomato paste. Add Quorn tenders and mushrooms with any liquid that has collected; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes.

4. Combine remaining 1 Tbs. spread and flour with fork. Stir flour mixture into stew. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; serve garnished with parsley and sour cream.

I served over brown rice and it was delicious and satisfied that steak craving that I was having...

I did catch myself saying.. BON APETIT as I sipped on a glass of Pinot and sunk my fork into this mouth watering dish.  Definitely a healthy version of a not so healthy french masterpiece.  There may be a little birdie flying around my head trying to get me to make the original version and I may not be able to resist, simply because it would have to be absolutely amazing.

All the while I was creating this, I was also creating my Spinach, Mushroom and Onion Noodle Soup.  That simmered for about 3 hours and turned out perfect. 

Needless to say... It was a happy kitchen last night and a happy stomach as well.