Heaven in a Bowl

I discovered a delicious use for leftover rice this morning: Autumn rice pudding. Yeah, yeah, I know, rice pudding is rice pudding, so how is this any different? Well, the secret here is in the fixings. Macintosh apple, mixed nuts, raisins, shredded coconut and (here's what made it so heavenly...) a teaspoon of unrefined coconut oil. Heat all that together with the rice, some rice milk, agave syrup, vanilla and a pinch of salt and you have Heaven in a Bowl.

I think I'm gonna have to go out of my way to make this even with fresh rice. I used brown basmati, but I bet jasmine rice would put it over the top.

Must eat before it gets cold...

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Watching Chef Tal cook a vegan celery root soup on a recent episode of Oprah reminded me that you don't need heavy cream or milk to give soup a luxurious creamy texture. Cooking vegetables or beans in a broth or water and then blending at a high speed will actually do the trick.

With a hefty bunch of asparagus sitting in my refrigerator over the weekend, I decided to make a cream of asparagus soup.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

You start by sautéing onions and asparagus in vegan margarine, and then you add broth and bring it to a simmer. The next step—blending all the ingredients—is what creates the smooth texture, but I also like to add just a little unsweetened soy milk to make it extra creamy.

A touch of lemon and cayenne in the soup add tartness and spice that help balance out the strong asparagus flavor. And because of that full flavor, I must warn you that this recipe is strictly for asparagus lovers. Enjoy!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

2 lbs. green asparagus
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine
Salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
5-6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon

•Trim the hard ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

•In a heavy pot over medium-low heat, sauté the onion in the margarine until translucent. Add the asparagus, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook approximately 5 minutes.

•Add 5 cups of vegetable broth and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.

•Pour half the soup into a blender, add 1/8 cup soy milk, and blend until smooth. Add the remaining broth if a thinner consistency is desired. Pour into a bowl and set aside, then blend the remaining soup and soy milk.

•Pour all the soup back into the pot over low heat. Add lemon juice and additional salt or cayenne pepper, to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Top 10 Vegan Meatballs in America

Vegan meats have been popping up on menus around the country, even at restaurants that are known for serving dishes with animal ingredients. With so many options out there, we decided to find out which are the best. Today we're bringing you the best vegan meatballs—made from ingredients like tofu or veggies, not the flesh of dead animals—served at restaurants across the U.S. So who has the best? The winner is …

Ike's Place, San Francisco, California: The runners-up come from all corners of the country, but Ike's has the best vegan meatballs in America. For a sandwich shop that isn't even all vegetarian, Ike's has a huge vegan menu, including two vegan meatball favorites: the Vegan Meatless Mike and the Not So Sloppy Ike.

And the runners-up and their winning dishes are:

•The Greenery Raw Food Café, Encinitas, California: Veggie-walnut meatballs served on zucchini noodles with marinara sauce

•Gianna's Grille, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: "Haastile" Meatball Sub, with sautéed onions, green peppers, and mushrooms

•Caravan of Dreams, New York City: "Live Love Boat," featuring savory almond-Brazil nut meatballs served with sliced tomatoes on a Napa cabbage leaf boat with mango chutney and marinara

•Twisted Tree Café, Asbury Park, New Jersey: Baked tofu meatball wrap served with tomato sauce and vegan cheese

•Buddha Hut, Worcester, Massachusetts: Italian meatball soup

•Portobello Vegan Trattoria, Portland, Oregon: Spaghetti and meatballs

•The Breakroom Café, Oakland, California: Homemade vegan meatballs served on a French panini and topped with vegan mozzarella, upon request

•Spiral Diner & Bakery, Dallas, Texas: "Sketti n' Meatballs" made with tasty soy meatballs, served on spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce and topped with pine nuts and pesto

•One World Café, Baltimore, Maryland: Vegan meatball sub sandwich

Did we leave your favorite vegan meatball spot off the list? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!

NEW BLOG

Everyone...please update your links, I've got a new blog: http://girlgoesvegan.wordpress.com/

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Like many of us out there I end up not eating all my banana's before they turn brown and, well, old. So I made some banana bread to use them up...then I decided to add chocolate chips to them too...because that's just yummy.2 very ripe banana's, mashed well1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce3 tbsp canola oil1/2 cup sugar2 tbsp brown rice syrup2 cups flour3/4 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1 1/4 tsp

Lentil Salad

This is a Rachel Ray recipe from her 30 minute veggie meals book.

She indicates that it serves 2 as supper and 4 as a side dish.

1/2 pound lentils

1 bay leaf

1 large plum tomato, chopped

2-3 T evoo

juice of 1 lemon

a splash of red wine vinegar

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t allspice

1/4 t coriander

1/2 t paprika

3 T tahini

Cook lentils and rinse under cold water and drain. Combine lentils with tomato and a touch of parsley if on hand. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, allspice, coriander and paprika together. Pour dressing over lentils and coat evenly. Top with a drizzle of tahini sauce.

Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry

This is another GREAT recipe from the YOU Diet book!

2 servings

602 cal per serving

1 T evoo

1/2 t toasted sesame oil
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 onion

1 cup broccoli

1/2 red bell pepper

6 large button mushrooms

1 t bragg's amino or soy sauce

1 package of tofu drained and chopped

2 green onions

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 t sesame seeds

In a large skillet or wok, heat EVOO and sesame oil and pepper flakes over high heat. Add onion and stir fry two minutes. Add broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms and soy sauce, stir fry until veggies are crisp-tender 2-3 minutes. Add tofu, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds until heated through.