Spanish Ham Flavored Beans & Greens

I love greens and when I cook lots of greens I try to change it up a bit every time. Here is my Spanish Beans & Greens...a delicious meal or a great side dish. 

Here is my recipe:

1/2 bag of collard greens 

(Chopped well)

1/2 a head of cabbage

(Shredded well)

3 c. kale

(Chopped well)

3/4 c. TVP

1 can pinto beans

(Drain & rinse well)

1 can black beans

(Drain & rinse well)

1/3 c. vegetable broth

 2 T. water

1 celery stem

(Chopped well)

1 large yellow onion

(Diced)

10 sprigs of cilantro

1/4 c. tomato sauce

1/4 c. olive oil

4 envelopes of Jamon

(Artificial Spanish Ham Flavoring "Jamon"

found next to the Sazon & Goys section)

2 T. of sofrito

(Recipe in my recipe box)

6 mashed fresh garlic

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. parsley flakes

In a large pot or skillet stir fry the oil, sofrito, onions, mashed garlic and beans for about 5 minutes. Then add all the greens, spices, and tomato sauce, saute' well... add the vegetable broth, water and the tvp. Stir well and then cover pot with lid and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Stir well and simmer for another 5 to 8 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

From my Caribbean Vegan Kitchen to yours...SALUD!



Homemade Leftover Soup...Another Poor Man's Dinner

Its almost the end of the month and this means just a few food items are left in the refrigerator until grocery day.  When this happens in my house...I make soup with the ingredients I have in the fridge.

With that thought in mind I made another Poor Man's Dinner out of a little bit of leftover veggies, chick peas, TVP & Shirataki Spaghetti noodles. Throw in some spices and "OLE" I have a great soup for dinner.

Here is my recipe and I must say I could not eat just 1 bowl, I had 2 bowls with crackers...yummy.

1/2 c. chopped kale

1-1/2 c. cooked barley

2 c. chopped collard greens

3 large size Brussels sprouts

(chopped in small pieces)

1 chopped yellow onion

1 c. cooked garbanzos

1 ripe plantain

( sliced in circles and then sliced in 4)

3 envelopes of Jamom

1 envelope of Sazon

1/2 tsp. salt & black pepper

(use more if you wish)

1 T. onion & garlic powder

1/8 tsp. red crushed pepper

1 T. parsley

1/2 can of tomato sauce

1 T. olive oil

1 T. homemade sofrito

(recipe in my recipe box)

1/2 bag of Shirataki Spaghetti noodles or use any noodles of your choice.

1 container of vegetable broth & 2 cups of water.

Put everything in a large soup pot and boil until soup has become flavorful and saucy.

Serve with a sandwich or crackers.



From my Caribbean Vegan Kitchen to yours...SALUD!

Vegetarian Potatoes

As a Hispanic I truly love rice, but the little American in me loves potatoes.

 In this post I am sharing with you my vegetarian potatoes which are so easy to make and it is a great side dish to any main meal. Actually I often make it as my only meal...I just love the taste so much I eat with nothing else.

So here's

 my recipe...enjoy.

2 large potatoes (cut into french fried strips)

2 medium or large yams (cut into french fried strips)

1-1/2 c. shredded cabbage

1/2 c. Brussels sprouts (cut in half & then cut in strips)

1 green pepper (diced)

8 sprigs of cilantro (chopped well)

1 tsp. Adobo

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 T. non dairy butter

1/4 c. olive oil

In a large skillet saute' all the veggies with the olive oil, butter & spices on low heat until the are lightly tender. Then add your potatoes, stir fry lightly, cover with lid for 10 minutes on low heat, then lightly stir, cover and let it steam for 5 more minutes. Serve hot or cold. I like it better hot...its yummy.



Vegan Alfredo Sauce over Corkscrew Pasta

I have been missing out in not eating pasta with regular Ragu Alfredo Sauce. This used to be a favorite of mine before I became a vegan 10 years ago.  Since vegans avoid dairy redoing most of our recipes becomes part of our normal cooking habits. Re- inventing Alfredo sauce was one of the recipes I had on my list, so here is what I came up with, I like it and I hope you like it too.

NOTE...I did not add non dairy mozzarella cheese on my Alfredo sauce because of my allergies towards the yeast that's in the cheese, but I know that if you add it to this recipe it will kick it up a notch to make it an excellent dish.

Here's my recipe.

1 box of corkscrew pasta (I used whole wheat)

 (boil with salt & drain well before uniting with the sauce) 

Veggies needed:

1/2 c. frozen Lima beans or frozen peas

15 cherry tomatoes

(sliced in half and rinsed well)

5 large stems of green onions

(use the entire stem & chopped finely)

1/2 large sweet onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1 envelope of Jamon

(artificial Spanish ham flavoring "its vegan friendly")

2 T. dried parsley

1 tsp & 1/2 tsp. garlic & onion powder

1 tsp. chopped dry onions

3 T. olive oil

Sauce ingredients:

3/4 tub of extra firm tofu'

1/2 c. vegetable broth

1/2 c. non dairy milk

and 1 cup of shredded non dairy mozzarella cheese  (OPTIONAL)

Step 1...boil & drain your pasta.

Step 2...Prepare your sauce.

In a food processor whip well the tofu, vegetable broth & milk...set aside.

Step 3...Simmer all the veggies.

Saute' all the veggies in a non stick skillet with the oil, butter and spices, keep the temperature heat on low, saute' for about 10 minutes, then pour in the pasta and the sauce. Stir lightly keeping the heat on low as you add the cheese...then let it simmer for 5 minutes and serve. If you feel it needs more salt, add it as you wish.

Serve hot with your favorite side dish...enjoy.

I served mine with a spicy black bean salad, breaded tofu & a homemade dinner roll...delicious.  

From my Caribbean Vegan Kitchen to yours...SALUD!

Another Great Coupon Savings

All of you know by now how I have become an extreme couponer. You have seen my food stock pile and have been amazed of all the things I can get for free or for pennies on a dollar. Well last week and this week I got a lot of things for very little money or free. It is such a joy for me when I do that and I wanted to share with you what I got this week. These Loreal foundations are regularly $14.99 each but with our pharmacy sale and my store coupons I only paid .49 cents a bottle. I saved $122.49 for all of them.

Today I grab another great sale at Kmart & Walgreen's, I got all these hair products, 5 teeth whitening gels and 2 hair colors for my Mom for $13.29. A great savings of $59.78 with manufacturer's coupons.



If you do not coupon, you may consider starting. You will save 75 to 100% of your grocery bill each month with those coupons everyone throws away.

From my Caribbean Vegan Kitchen to yours...SALUD!

Brown Sugar Tofu Squares

I have lost count of all the recipes I have created to bake tofu and as I pondered on this thought I feel it would be a great cookbook to publish. I must think about that...what a great idea..

Here is another way I bake tofu. I call this one "Brown Sugar". Yep, its just like a smoochy kiss, sweet and delightful. I hope you all may enjoy it.

Items Needed:

1 package of extra firm tofu (cut into strips or squares)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 T. mustard

1 T. apple cider vinegar

3 T. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 T. parsley

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Mixture is enough to bast 1 package of tofu. 

In a bowl mix all your ingredients and mix it well until the brown sugar has dissolved completely.

Then spray your baking dish with a non stick spray. Bast each piece of tofu square with a basting brush. Place them on your baking dish, then bake them at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes "uncovered".

This is really good and I bet you can't eat just one...ENJOY!