VEGAN CHRISTMAS/VEGAN RICE KRISPIE SQUARES

Happy Holidays everyone!

I had the most wonderful christmas. Its nice to be back in Campbell River with my whole family at this time of year. It really makes it feel like Christmas. Especially with my boyfriend here with us now. Since everyone was home for this Christmas my sister, my boyfriend and I decided we would all cook a huge vegan christmas dinner for everyone. We went out shopping and bought TONS of supplies. I made all the desserts the night before. I made my vegan peanut butter cups (here's the link to the recipe, http://herrrbivore.blogspot.ca/2015/01/vegan-gluten-free-peanut-butter-cups.html

and something new! Vegan Rice Krispie Squares which i'm going to share the recipe for on this post. Since I had 10 mouths to feel I figured I'd take the easy way out this year and buy a tofurky roast.( Click on "tofurky roast" to check out the holiday roasts on their website) It was my first time buying the tofurky holiday roast and I was really impressed!! Although a little small for the price of the roast it is seriously scrumptious and saved me SOO much time not having to make my own roast. Plus it came with a jerky wish stick and two huge vegan brownies that were delicious, although crumbly. It made it well worth the $24.99 I spent on it. Everyone really enjoyed it and it pulled the whole spread together. My sister made two huge trays of brussel sprouts that were roasted and eaten faster than anything on the table. My boyfriend helped prep everything with me to make our dishes. I made a turnip, sweet potato, carrot dish baked with onion, garlic and herbs. As well as nugget potatoes, baked. One huge tray of yams, gravies, a huge tray of vegan stuffing which i've already included in my blog post from last holiday season. Check it out here, 

http://herrrbivore.blogspot.ca/2014/10/vegan-seitan-pinto-bean-roast-with.html
There is also a recipe for a vegan seitan roast if you can't afford a tofurky one or you want to make your own from scratch!

I also made 4 stuffed yellow peppers that were stuffed with quinoa salad. Just in case someone extra showed up because in my house, that ALWAYS happens, We all made so many dishes we could have gotten lost in them. Everyone was stuffed completely full for the rest of the night. I think my favorite thing about christmas is the big family meals everyone has together. There is no greater satisfaction than cooking, serving and watching people enjoy your food. Especially when you know no animals were harmed in the making and your meal is 100% cruelty free. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays as much as I did and wish you all the happiest new year.

See you in 2016!!!

VEGAN RICE KRISPIE SQUARE

3/4 of a bag of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows (Click their name if you want a link to their website to check out their awesome products!)
3 tablespoons of earth balance vegan butter, melted
5 cups of Rice Krispie Squares

Now this recipe is pretty easy. The hardest part is making sure you dont overcook your marshmallows. All you have to do is melt your butter in a large frying pan. One that is big enough to fit all your ingredients because this will be where you mix it together. Once your butter is melted add all your marshmallows. It should be at low-med heat. If its too high your marshmallows will go hard and crunchy. If it's too low it won't melt forever so make sure you're keeping an eye on it. Stirring it every couple minutes to make sure it's not sticking, your marshmallows will begin to melt. If its melting uneven you can flip them over to speed it up. That's what I did. Marshmallows tend to melt on one side. I swear to god these marshmallows are SOOOOOOOO much better than regular marshmallows. Not only are they chewy, good for you and satisfying they have a real food like quality to them that regular marshmallows don't. Regular marshmallows seriously gross me out haha. Who wants to eat animal bone!?!?! So while you wait for your marshmallows to melt make sure you're stirring them together to make a big pile of melted marshmallow. Once they are completely melted (around 10 minutes) begin to add your rice krispies one cup at a time. Reduce your heat to low.

Stirring while adding to make sure they are being incorporated evenly and doesn't turn into one big, gross clump. Once you have added all your rice krispies and everything is stirred in evenly remove the frying pan from heat and turn your burner off.

 Slightly oil two pans or one big one to press your rice krispie squares into. Pour an even amount into both pans and begin to press down with a spatula. This is forming your rice krispie squares so the more compact and tightly stuck together the better. So press it down for a good couple minutes but don't over do it or your rice krispie squares will get crushed.

Once you've pressed it all together nice and tight you can cover your rice krispie squares with either saran wrap or a plate. Make sure not to put them in an airtight container though or they will get completely rock hard. They need to be able to breath. These were a huge hit for my christmas dessert and everyone loved them and said they were just like regular rice krispie squares! Even my dad who HATES trying my vegan food. Hahaha. Hopefully you and your family enjoys this as much as mine did .
Happy Cruelty Free Cooking!

VEGAN KORMA CURRY

Hey everyone! WOW, It's been a while. Life is great and things are wrapping up nicely for 2015. I've been working my butt off at 2 jobs now so I've been SERIOUSLY busy. Between that, christmas shopping, baking, cleaning, cooking etc.. life has been non stop!  I recently got a new oven so you'll be getting some brand new awesome recipes from me for the holiday season. My boyfriend and I also went to Vancouver to see L7!!!!! Which was probably one of the best moments of my life. Ive loved that band since I was 13 so there was some serious nostalgia at that show. We also went to CARTEMS DONUTERIE while in Vancouver. YOU NEED TO GO. If you haven't stop everything you're doing and go right now. They blew me away. Stole my heart. Their earl grey donut made my week. Also the vegan apple fritters AND the apple pie stuffed donuts!? It's like I had died and gone to heaven. I really love donuts. Always have, always will. We carried home a box just so we could enjoy them at home hehehe. I did hear a rumour that they are going to make ALL their donuts vegan. Not sure if it's true yet but wouldn't that be neat!!

 I attached a link to their website on their name above if you'd like to check them out!

I figured I should check up on everyone and give you another awesome recipe to make during this holiday season. I'll be back around christmas to make a post about our christmas feast but until then hopefully this satisfies your craving.

Although Korma Curry isn't the traditional dish you'd generally serve at a North American Christmas dinner it's still an awesome dish and definitely deserves being shared. Korma generally is a yogurt or cream based mild indian dish. Generally served with fish, meat or vegetables. I made mine with a coconut cream base. It was splendid! I think a couple scoops of natural coconut based vegan yogurt would have really made it that much better, if you don't have that you can use this recipe and it'll be just as good. I'm going to be exploring a lot more into specific indian dishes to make them vegan style. It's a pretty easy thing to do since a lot of indian dishes are generally vegetarian based. That being said if you're ever in a bind for food in an unknown place you know you can always go to an indian restaurant and find some vegan friendly food. I hope you enjoy my Vegan Korma as much as my partner and I did. We are going to be having the leftovers tonight!

Stayed tuned for some more dishes coming up soon! Happy Cruelty Free Cooking!!

VEGAN KORMA CURRY

Recipe

serves 4

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 white onion, diced

4 small potatoes, chopped, boiled then fried

1 can organic chickpeas, drained then rinsed

1 can organic coconut milk

2 big handfuls of spinach, chopped

2 teaspoons ajwain seeds

2 teaspoons coriander*

2 tablespoons curry powder*

1 teaspoon turmeric*

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

dash of chili flakes

*ingredients with a star beside them are the ones you can add a little more of if you want a bit more kick to your korma. This dish is generally mild so my spices were according to a mild flavour.

Serve your Korma over a bed of rice. I flavoured mine when I made it

Rice recipe

2 cups water

1 cup basmati rice

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon butter, stirred in after rice is finished and cooled a bit

First, put on your rice. I'm sure you all know how to cook rice without a rice cooker but just in case... Add 2 cups of water to a pot and turn to med-hi heat. Add one cup of rice and your spices. Stir in spices so they blend well with the rice. Place lid over pot. Once your pot of rice begins to boil reduce heat to min and open the lid slightly allowing steam to escape. Let cook for 15-20 minutes. Once your rice is done, fluff it with a fork. This helps make it not stick together in a big clump. Once your rice has cooled a bit stir in your butter. This makes your rice creamy and gives it a little extra flavour that pairs really nicely with curry. Place rice off to the side with a lid on top to keep it warm.

Now time to make Korma!

Wash and chop all your vegetables. Grab a medium sized pot. Fill it half full with water and turn to med-hi heat. Place a lid over top. This pot will be to flash boil your potatoes.

This helps give them a good consistency and ensures they are cooked fully. Once the pot of water has come to a boil, add your potatoes. Boil for five minutes. Get a large frying pan. Add some olive oil and turn to med heat. Sautee your garlic and onion with a dash of the ajwain seeds for 5 minutes.

 Drain your potatoes and add them to the frying pan along with your coconut milk, chickpeas and spinach. Stir everything together then add your spices. Mix all your spices in really well. By this point your coconut milk should be bubbling a little bit and that means you're ready to reduce your heat to min, place a lid over top and let it cook for around 25 minutes. You can cook it for a little bit less if you want a more creamy base. If you want a less creamy base cook it for a little longer but keep an eye on it so you don't over cook it. Stir the frying pan every couple of minutes to make sure nothing is sticking. This also helps the spinach blend in with the coconut  milk which helps make your base for the dish. Once you have your desired consistency remove the frying pan from heat and stir it once more. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve it over a bed of rice or some naan bread and there we have it.

Veggie Korma!