Green Girl Catering

I'm starting up a vegetarian and vegan catering company, pretty crazy. I've really been thinking about it for a while now and then i started thinking that I could probably actually do it. So I started thinking of a name and making a website. I really like Green Girl Catering and a friend is coming up with logo ideas. I'd say thinking of how I want a website to look has been the hardest part so far. I haven't really had the time to spend on it though because of work. I'm hoping when I choose and name and logo for sure it will come together. We will see.

Here's a recipe for peanut butter cookies:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp margarine1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp water 


Mix all ingredients in a bowl, roll the dough into 2-inch balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes. 

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Last night I decided to try making stuffed mushrooms, they turned out o-m-g good. Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, I could probably eat them with anything and when you combine that with garlic and bread crumbs what can go wrong? 

1 pkg large mushrooms
1 onion
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp bread crumbs
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp crushed garlic
parsley
oregano
salt
pepper
vegan parmesan

Cut out the stems from the mushrooms and chop them up, chop up as much onion as you have stems and saute in a pan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add garlic and seasonings and continue cooking for about 3-4 minutes. Add bread crumbs, yeast and cheese and stir, if mixture is dry add 1 tbsp of olive and spoon into mushroom caps.
Cook mushrooms in oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes!

before cooking

Mac and Cheeze

Mac and cheese is basically the best food on the planet so I had to try and make a rockin mac and cheeze dish! I used whole wheat shells for the pasta to make it slightly healthier but you can use any kind.


1 box pasta
1½ cup nutritional yeast
1 cup veggie oil
1 cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
1½ cup milk
½ tbsp salt
1 tbsp paprika
¼ block of tofu (firm)
bit of mustard

Preheat oven to 350℉. Cook pasta, drain, dry. 

Combine all other ingredients in blender and blend until creamy. 

Add pasta and sauce to pan and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. 

before cooking

After 

Suasage and Bean Dinner

My roommate and I made this the other night, just a mix of beans, soy sausage and veggies simmered together, it turned out amazing. We used kidney beans and sundried tomatoes for this meal, great choices.

veggies 

mix of hot sauce, spicy mustard and taco bell mild sauce :) 

finished! 

side dish of field peas 

Legit Taco Salad

Mmmmm tacos! My favorite kind of food is mexican so I make this dish a lot. I use vegan soy meat crumbles and a packet a taco seasoning to make the "meat" and then put tortilla chips on a plate and pile it up with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, guac, tofutti sour cream and taco bell sauce (my fav). This time I cooked mushrooms, onions and tomato in the meat part to season them as well.

legit 

Wonders of Tofurkey

TOFURKEY is awesome :) I love using the sliced kind for sandwiches to take to work. It's so simple and tastes delicious. Usually I always use veganaise, sliced soy cheese, lettuce and tomato. Sprouts are great to put on it too and this time I used a chipotle mustard and it was heaven. 

beautiful! 

And last night my roommate made some sort of sausage gumbo type meal, not really sure what to classify it but it was damn good. She mixed peppers, onions and tomatoes in a pan with some olive oil for a minute and then added some of these italian flavored tofurkey sausage links that are off the chain. She cooked that until the sausage was cooked and poured in a can of organic pinto beans and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes and it was the best tasting thing in the world. Hot sauce, salt and pepper were added as well. 

dank

Pasta, Turnips and Twice Baked Potato

Tonight my roommate and I cooked together and she made whole wheat pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and mushies / turnips and I made twice baked potatoes. I think since becoming vegan in only about 2 months I already eat more veggies than I used to before. Everything was so great, I am in love with turnips now and I used to hate them!

For the pasta my roommate used a box of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and cooked those until tender, in a pan she heated up the tomatoes and mushrooms until soft. She put the noodles back into the pot, added the mushies/tomatoes and a can of organic red sauce and waited until the sauce was heated. It was beyond amazing, I couldn't stop eating it.

Twice Baked Potatoes 

2 baking potatoes

1/4 container tofutti sour cream 

1 tbsp soy margarine

1/2 block shredded soy cheese

1-2 tbsp soy milk

garlic powder

minced garlic

salt

pepper

oregano

parsley

paprika

Prick the potatoes with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes each.

Combine all the ingredients except the paprika in a large bowl. 

Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them length-wise and scoop the centers out, leaving enough to keep the sides slightly firm. Add the potato flesh to the other ingredients and mash together.

Spoon the mixture into the empty potato skins, top them with paprika, and bake at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes.

before baking

yummy!

The turnips were made by following the package directions, we bought them frozen. Here's the finished meal, I can't wait to eat leftovers tomorrow :)

Flapjacks

Awesome recipe for pancakes!


1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and blend. Add milk and oil and mix until batter is smooth. Cook on each side until golden brown.

I use a griddle to cook the pancakes but if you don't have one you can use a frying pan as well. I made a double batch and for the first try I made just plain pancakes but after you pour the batter in the pan/griddle you can add toppings like bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peanut butter or cinnamon that make them even more delicious.

Vegan Pizza!

My lovely roommate (also vegan!) got a pizza crust from Whole Foods a little while ago and made a pizza last night with veggies and the Daiya cheese we buy. It was amazing! It was very simple to cook and the crust is already rolled out all you have to do is add toppings.

Veggie Pot Pie

I have to say that I did not make this, I bought it at Whole Foods. It is from the brand Amy's and I had never had a real pot pie in my life so I decided why not try the vegan one? It was pretty good, would definitely buy again.

Veggie Rice Stir Fry?

I attempted this dish by just throwing in all the veggies I had in the fridge and adding rice and soy sauce. I cooked the rice first and then cooked the veggies (tomato, mushrooms, peppers, onion, broccoli) in a separate pan for about 10 minutes, added the rice and used about 1 tbsp of soy sauce and pepper. It turned out pretty good, it will make an appearance in my lunchbox tomorrow!

My Very First Laptop Lunch!

I was super stoked today to eat lunch at work because I packed my first lunch in the new lunchbox! It's so cute, I adore it! I packed half a vegan egg salad sandwich, spinach leaves with italian dressing(not pictured but 10 times cuter in it's tiny container), grapes and a crumbly vegan brownie. It was so much better than buying an iceberg salad at work. This lunchbox makes me want to take food with me :)

Sloppy Sloppy Vegan Joe's

Awesome recipe to make and really easy!

• 1 pkg vegan meat
• chopped onion
• chopped green pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• salt / pepper 

In a skillet over medium heat, heat up the meat, onion and pepper. After cooked stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar and spices. Mix thoroughly, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

  

Off the Chain Vegan Brownies

I made these brownies today and they are heavenly!! Super light, fluffy and melt in your mouth good. Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, veggie oil and vanilla. Mix until well blended and spread evenly in a large greased pan. Bake 25-30 minutes and you're all set to eat. (Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.)

A lunchbox!!

A few days ago I ordered a sweet looking lunch box from Laptop Lunches. It's a bento box type deal and very cute, it comes in a lot of different colors but I got green of course. It looks like it will be good for portion control and convenient to carry to work. I was so excited when I got it today that I just wanted to start cooking so I could put food in it for work tomorrow, so a couple more posts to come today. 

snazzy new box

PBJ Smoothie

Every morning for breakfast I make a protein smoothie, they are easy to make, just throw fruits into a blender and whip it up. I use juice as the base for my smoothies, or you can use water. Usually I use 8 oz. strawberry or peach juice, 2 spoons of peanut butter, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 banana, handful of peaches, and a handful of strawberries. It's always delicious and keeps me full until the afternoon.

Mexi Salad

Vegan version of taco salad, I loveeee this stuff, I use vegan meat crumbles that are pre seasoned or I season it with taco mix and add veggies to the pan to cook with. Then put some tortilla chips (publix greenwise are my fav), lettuce, tomato, soy cheeze, guac, and salsa on a plate and put the heated mix on top and enjoy. It's quick and easy to make and usually I have leftovers.

tasty

Easy Bean Burrito

I loooooove to make burritos at home, they are so simple and quick. For this one I heated up some refried beans and added salsa, guac, vegan cheese and lettuce. I use whole wheat tortillas as well.

Dank Black Bean Mix

I love cooking black beans with just a mix of fresh veggies on the stove and adding in some soy cheese. I usually use mushrooms, broccoli, tomato, green peppers or onion and cook them in a pan and then heat the black beans with them a few minutes later. Delicious! 

Mac App Store

Yesterday the Mac App Store went live, it is just like the app store in iTunes or on an iPhone except now it's for your desktop/laptop! It's pretty sweet, I downloaded MOAppRecipes today and started using it. It's funny because I've been looking for a blank cookbook to start writing all my recipes in and then I saw this and thought it was perfect. You can write in recipes, create categories, and drag pictures from Safari, Desktop or iPhoto. There is also a Cook View mode which switches to full screen and you can view the entire recipe while cooking. Here's a screenshot of mine...

MOAppsRecipes

My favorite vegan replacements

For everyday recipe use I buy a lot of vegan replacements for animal products like butter, milk and cheese. I've tried some different brands but these are the ones I like the best.

Sour Cream: Tofutti Sour Supreme
Cream Cheese: Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Shredded Cheese: Daiya
Sliced/Block/Topping Cheese: Vegan Brand Cheese
Mayo: Vegenaise
Butter: Earth Balance
Milk: Almond Breeze

Most of these can be found at publix (tofutti, vegenaise, earth balance and almond breeze) but the cheese I have to get at Whole Foods. Earth Balance also makes a great natural peanut butter :)

Vegan Cinnnnnamon buns

These were amazzzzzing!

Rolls:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 4 tbsp soy butter
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp melted butter

Icing: 

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp almond milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and cut in the butter, pour in milk 1 tbsp at a time and massage the dough until it is thick and soft. Ball dough and set on floured surface, roll into rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon/brown sugar mixture. Lightly roll the dough up and cut into 1 inch rolls. Place in greased baking pan and cook 10-12 min. 

For the icing you can start with a 1/2 cup powdered sugar and then just add however much milk to you to get the texture you want. I used about 1 1/2 tbsp of milk for mine and it tasted good. 

before baking

yummmm! 

Easy Eggless Egg Salad

This recipe was done is less than 5 minutes and tastes exactly like egg salad! I was happy to taste this when it was done, egg salad was one of the foods that I really missed after going vegan.

• 1 pkg extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup vegan mayo
• 1 1/2 tbsp mustard (dijon is good in this too) 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric 
• 2 to 3 stalks of chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup relish
• salt/pepper to taste 

Crumble tofu with a fork and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix it up! I spread mine on bread and make it into a sandwich with any of the following: lettuce, tomato, and sprouts and toasted bread is really good too. 

the mix

with lettuce/tomato on left and plain on right

Keep It Taylor

If some of you are wondering where "taylor gang or go vegan" is coming from, it's from Wiz Khalifa, my favorite rapper! The Thrill is my fav of his but everything is good :) Kush and orange juice be the components!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a really quick and simple recipe for delicious vegan cookies:

Dry Mix

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt 

Wet Mix 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup soy butter
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp warm water (let sit for 2 min before adding) 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Other 

• 1 cup chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 300. Combine the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients with a spatula. Mix in the choco chips and form the dough with wet hands (easier for the dough to come together and mold). Grease a cookie sheet and space cookies 1 inch apart, bake for 20-23 min.  

finished cookies :) 

Amy's Brand

I am obsessed with the brand Amy's! They make all kinds of vegan dishes that you can find at Whole Foods and sometimes at Publix. My favorites are the low sodium soups they make; the hearty spanish rice, black bean veggie, vegetable and minestrone are my favorites. They also make non dairy rice crust pizzas that are really great and the vegan mac and cheese is legit. 

spanish rice soup

rice crust vegan pizza

vegan mac and cheese with veggies and potatoes 

Starting a blog

I will be writing about my life, posting recipes that I try and taking pictures every day. I have been vegetarian for about 5 years now and just recently went vegan. It's been a great experience so far, I am eating more veggies than I ever have and actually enjoy cooking now. I never used to cook and now I can't stop myself and I feel healthier than ever!