Look ma... I can cook!

Back in April I couldn't even properly make mac 'n cheese without melting the spatula. But now, all that has changed; I can COOK (and bake). This summer I've taken the time to actually make full meals and put some effort into cooking rather than make a grilled cheese. I'll let you in on a little secret, most of this is vegan food - but I don't usually tell people because it freaks them out. Many people assume vegans can only eat grass and dirt, but you'd be surprised how normal a vegan diet is... pile on the fries, burgers, nuggets, shakes, cookies, cupcakes - just substitute a few ingredients.

Here are some of my creations:

Vegan burger w/ avocado and potato fries...

This was a perfect meal to celebrate the 4th of July, especially after a long day participating in a horseshoes tourney on the beach... A burger and potatoes are always a safe bet for a meal because they're so dang delicious - and it barely takes any effort or time. :)

Quinoa & Veggies
(squash & potatoes)

Quinoa is a gluten-free grain, extremely similar to couscous... It barely takes any time at all to make. And rather than using water to make the quinoa, I used vegetable broth which gave it a little more flavor. As for the vegetables, I did not have a steamer, so I put them in a frying pan with a mix of oil and water and let them cook...

Wheat Pasta and Summer Squash

It's exactly what it sounds like, make some pasta, steam some squash, add some sauce... and Ta-da! You have a wonderful hearty vegetarian/vegan meal. (I made this meal in memory of the greatest vegetable pasta dish I've ever tasted while traveling last summer in Peru... random place to have such delicious pasta, but the world is full of surprises).

Caitlyn's ALMOST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was my first attempt at vegan baking... and I ALMOST succeeded. Surprisingly enough, there are a variety of substitutes that you can use instead of eggs. The one I decided to use for these cookies was soy yogurt, however I accidentally used regular yogurt, so they weren't quite vegan. Then instead of regular butter or margarine you can use the dairy-free kind. And on accident I added a little extra flavor by using Sea Salt instead of regular salt. It was a good addition, but if you do use sea salt instead or regular salt, be sure to put half the amount that is required because Sea Salt has a stronger taste. One critic described these cookies as a "food orgasm." (I'm not making this up)

Banana-Banana Bread Muffins

This is just the boxed banana bread mix from Trader Joe's, except I modified it some, even tho you only need to add 3 ingredients. Instead of eggs I used a banana as the binding force for the bread. Which makes sense because you want a banana taste anyways. And I couldn't find a bread pan, so I just used a mUffin tin and made a dozen personal size banana breads. :)

For a full list of egg substitutes you can check it out at the Post Punk Kitchen:
Egg Substitutes... Check it out!

**For the record, I am only a vegetarian, NOT a vegan. But vegan cooking is a lot easier than you'd guess**