Dining In - Orange You Glad I Made Crispy Tofu?

Orange You Glad I Made Crispy Tofu? - Chloe's Kitchen

This is one of my favorite Chloe recipes! A delicious orange sauce flavored with fresh ginger, orange juice and peel, garlic,  agave, and soy sauce coats fried tofu cubes. Great served over white or brown rice and topped with fresh cilantro. Even those who are wary of tofu enjoyed this dish! You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

14 oz. extra firm tofu, remove water

1 cup orange juice

Peel from 1/4 of orange, cut into 1/4 inch strips

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Canola oil for frying tofu

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 cups cooked brown rice (Try Trader Joe's frozen Organic Brown Rice)

Start by pressing tofu to remove the extra liquid - wrap tofu cube in multiple paper towels,  put on a plate, and use a baking pan on top to weight it down with a book, cans, etc. Let sit for ~20 minutes. Afterwards cut the tofu into cubes about 1/2 inch. Set plate of cubes aside. 

Mix orange juice, orange peel strips, agave syrup, soy sauce, grated ginger, garlic, and ground coriander in a small bowl. 

Combine cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Put tofu cubes in bowl to cover with cornstarch mixture, remove excess, and put on a plate.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet, so that oil is about 1/4 or 1/2 inch high. When oil is heated carefully (watch for oil splatter) drop tofu cubes in oil and fry until golden, flip throughout until all sides are crisp. Remove and put on a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil.

Rinse your skillet and heat on medium to high. Put fried tofu cubes and orange liquid mixture in skillet. Cook until the liquid is thick like a syrup and you see bubbles (about 4 minutes). 

Cook up brown rice (I use Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice in the frozen bags). Put tofu cubes with sauce over brown rice and top with chopped up cilantro garnish. You're done!

Dining In - Oreccheitte in No-Cook Spinach Sauce

Oreccheitte in No-Cook Spinach Sauce - Chloe's Kitchen

A light pasta dish perfect for summer - made with healthy ingredients like lima beans, baby spinach, green beans. I even added some chopped up cherry tomatoes for added color and flavor. This could be served hot or cold. As with most of the other recipes here, a food processor is key! You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

1 pound oreccheitte pasta (check out Trader Joe's for a dairy free version!)

4 oz. frozen green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

10 oz. frozen lima beans

5 oz. fresh baby spinach

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook oreccheitte pasta according to the package directions, but with 5 minutes left on cook time add green beans and lima beans. Let cook until veggies are tender and pasta is ready. Drain water.

For the sauce, combine spinach, garlic, olive oil, water, lemon juice, sea salt, and ground black pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined. 

Put cooked pasta and sauce in a large bowl and toss together. Done!

Dining In - Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter - Chloe's Kitchen

This was a fairly time intensive dish, but it was fun to try my hand at homemade gnocchi for the first time, and it turned out to be so yummy! I added some tomato basil sauce from Trader Joe's to the leftovers to compliment the flavor. If a celebrity endorsement convinces you to try this one, here you go! (Kristen Bell Photo). You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

2 large sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves

Bake sweet potatoes in oven at 425 degrees until fully cooked, about 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool.

Cut potatoes lengthwise and scoop out potato with a spoon into a medium bowl, discard skin. Mash potatoes with a fork and let fully cool. 

Mix in salt, nutmeg, and black pepper with mashed potatoes. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time to the potato mixture. Thoroughly combine flour and potato until a dough forms that is light orange colored and not too sticky. Divide dough into six parts and roll into balls. 

Use flour to prepare a flat surface and your hands and roll out 1/6 of the dough into a 7-9 inch long, 1/2 diameter string. Cut the rope into 1 inch cubes, press a fork into the top for texture (like you would with peanut butter cookies). 

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. When water boils, reduce to a simmer and drop in gnocchi (about a quarter of the batch). Let cook for about 4-5 minutes, when gnocchi will begin to float. 

Before the first batch is ready, heat a large skillet with the Earth Balance and sage leaves. Use a spatula or spoon with holes in it to take gnocchi out of water and put in heated skillet. Let cook about 2-3 minutes in butter, flipping midway. Serve right away!   

Dining In - Chloe's Award-Winning Ginger Nutmeg Spice Cupcakes

Chloe's Award-Winning Ginger Nutmeg Spice Cupcakes - Chloe's Kitchen

These delicious cupcakes debuted on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars when a vegan chef, Chloe Coscarelli, won for the first time! It takes three recipes and quite a few ingredients to complete this masterpiece. One step involves boiling, peeling, pitting, chopping, and processing dates - so prepare yourself! :) I’ve shared these cupcakes with friends and family and they are always a huge hit - moist, flavorful, sweet. This is not your ordinary cupcake! You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup canned coconut milk

½ cup canola oil

2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

1 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean (cheap ones available at Trader Joe's!)

2 to 5 tablespoons almond milk

Date Caramel Drizzle:

6 medjool dates

½ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make Spice Cupcakes:

Set oven to 350 degrees. Line two dozen-cupcake pans with cupcake liners (recipe makes 18-20 cupcakes).

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl. 
Combine canned coconut milk, canned pumpkin, canola oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla in a separate, medium bowl. 
Combine bowl of wet ingredients by pouring into large bowl with dry ingredients. 
Mix until just combined. 
Pour batter into cupcake liners, but don't fill completely. Put in oven and bake at 350 degress for about 18-20 minutes. Do the toothpick test to check that they are done. Let cupcakes cool.

To make Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

Beat vegetable shortening with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy and smooth, about two minutes. 
Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and scraped out vanilla bean seeds. Continue mixing. 
Add almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth and light enough to spread on cupcakes. Continue mixing for about 2 minutes.

To make Date Caramel Drizzle:

Fill small saucepan with enough water to cover six dates. Heat on medium to high until water begins to boil. Boil dates for 10 minutes. Cool down dates by rinsing with cold water until you can comfortably hold them. Remove skin from dates by peeling with your fingers. 

Chop dates and discard of both skin and pit. Put chopped dates, maple syrup, cinnamon, and water in a food processor. Pulse until well combined and smooth. Let cool in refridgerator.

For the Finished Cupcakes:

Apply frosting to cupcake first then use a chef's bottle (looks like a condiment squeeze bottle) or a spoon to drizzle the date syrup on top. Enjoy!

Dining In - Trader Joe's Chickenless Crispy Tenders

Trader Joe's Chickenless Crispy Tenders

Nutrition Facts

For those nights when I don't feel like cooking a full meal or even ordering take-out, it's nice to have a few quicker options to turn to that are still fairly healthy. Trader Joe's to the rescue! I love their Chickenless Crispy Tenders. They are low in calories (only 150 for 3 nuggets), quick to cook up in a toaster oven, tasty, and cheap (only $2.99)! After dabbing off a little excess oil, I eat these with ketchup and a vegetable side dish. You can find them in the frozen food section. Enjoy!

Dining In - "Buttercream" Vanilla Frosting

Vegan Cookies and Cream Frosting

For a simple and delicious frosting, try this vanilla buttercream one adapted from the highly-rated cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Mokowitz and Terry Hope Romero. 

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup vegan margarine

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain soy or almond milk

Beat margarine and shortening until well combined. Add in powdered sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and soy/almond milk. Continue to beat for 5 minutes until frosting is fluffy. 

You can also find the recipe on Chow.com along with a Cookies and Cream variation (Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting)

Dining In - Chloe's Kitchen Cookbook

Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli - Cookbook

This was the first official vegan cookbook I purchased after making the switch to a vegan diet. I learned about Chloe by searching for vegan recipes online and stumbling upon her website. Then I found out she was the first vegan Cupcake Wars champion and I instantly fell in love. Follow her here on Facebook! 

I'm making my way through this whole cookbook recipe by recipe and I will share many of those dishes with you here (I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this cookbook. It is totally worth the $10-$15. Get it on Amazon). This cookbook is great for anyone who is new to a vegan diet, because the ingredients Chloe uses are common and easy to find. I've received so many compliments from non-vegans on the dishes I've prepared using this book. You've got to give this one a try! 

My only negative comment about this book is the large quantity of oil and sugar used - these recipes are delicious for a reason! I try to balance this by reducing the oil used and making these dishes as a treat instead of an everyday meal. 

Dining Out in Boston - Sweet

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake - Sweet

Cupcakes (or really any form of cake and frosting) are my favorite food. Thankfully becoming a vegan hasn't stopped me from enjoying a few treats. However, it has been much harder to find bakeries that cater to vegans in the Boston area. After some research I discovered that Sweet bakery (with three Boston locations) sells vegan cupcakes on Mondays. There is only one flavor choice - a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Not my favorite flavor combo, but I had to try it. As you can see in the photo, the frosting to cupcake ratio is about 1:1, which some might find gross, but I will freely admit I like it that way. The cupcake itself was fairly bland with quite a bit of oil, and surprisingly it was not very chocolately. The frosting really saved it, adding the right amount of sweetness. I've certainly had better cupcakes, even better vegan cupcakes, but if I'm looking for a quick and convenient pick-me-up I might stop by again... only if it's a Monday though.

Sweet

225 Newbury St.

Boston, MA 02115
Sweet Website

Dining Out in New Hampshire - Cornucopia Bakery

UPDATE: Sadly, Cornucopia Bakery is no longer in business. What a shame :(

The Cornucopia Bakery - Bristol, NH

My boyfriend's family has a beautiful lakehouse on Newfound Lake. During a winter weekend spent snowboarding, we discovered this place, even before my transition to a vegan diet. It was so refreshing to find a health-conscious eatery in New Hampshire among so many pizza, wings, and sub shops! The family-run Cornucopia Bakery is more than the name suggests - it also includes a deli serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, smoothies, and a small market stocked with natural foods. Now as a vegan, I'm here each weekend we visit "The Shire". I've tried a couple of delicious, vegan smoothies (After Yoga, Green Smoothie), some yummy vegan chocolate chip cookies, and my go-to deli choice is the Marinated Tempeh Wrap (see below).

Marinated Tempeh Wrap
Marinated Tempeh, Vegan Garlic Alioli, Greens, Sprouts,
Carmelized Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Whole Wheat Wrap

I highly recommend this place - check out my review (and other five-star reviews) on Yelp!

The Cornucopia Bakery

26 Central Square

Bristol, NH 03222

The Cornucopia Bakery Website