Nutella Oatmeal

Nutella... delicious? Yes. Vegetarian? Unfortunately, no. BUT I have a solution!



Nutella Oatmeal

1c. water
1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 packet french vanilla Splenda for Coffee flavours
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
Splenda (optional, add to taste)

1/3c. old fashioned rolled oats

1 tbsp. hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Mix together first set of ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add oats and reduce heat to just under medium.
Cook for 7-10 minutes (or to desired done-ness).
Transfer to a bowl and top with hazelnuts.

** 200 Calories.

A House of Many Pancakes

This morning I wanted something different. Ive been having difficulty lately in decided what to eat. Its always oatmeal or sometimes a muffin and I felt the need to step outside the box. Riffling through the cupboards I saw pancake mix. PERFECT.

But Im stepping outside the box here. I cant just have plain old pancakes. So I got creative and Im currently enjoying an exciting pancake breakfast.



Pancake Number One: Chocolate with Powdered sugar! (Add 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder to 1/4 c. pancake batter and top with 1 tsp. powdered sugar.) ** Adds 20 calories to your total.

Pancake Number Two: Pumpkin with Maple Syrup! (Add 2 tsp. canned pumpkin and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice to 1/4 c. pancake batter and top with 1 tbsp. sugar free maple syrup.) ** Adds < 5 calories to your total.

Pancake Number Three: Vanilla Oatmeal with Agave Nectar! (Add 1 tbsp. old fashioned rolled oats and 1/4 tsp. vanilla to 1/4 c. pancake batter and top with 1/2 tbsp. agave nectar.) ** Adds 55 calories to your total.

In the future, Id probably add more pumpkin and spice to Pancake Two. The flavour wasnt very strong. Id also think about adding a bit of vanilla to Pancake One as well. But goodness, Im glad I took a break from the everyday!

There are so many different pancake flavours to try still. How about cinnamon raisin, apple, or blueberry? And I saw something about carrot cake pancakes on the internet a few weeks ago. Maybe I'll have pancakes again this week.

Maple Chili Tofu

Only a week or two ago I stumbled upon kartme.com. I loved the idea of a site where I could compile all of the recipes I wanted to try and the first one I 'karted' was this onefor grilled tofu and a fruit salsa.

Tonight I finally had the chance to test it out. I made quite a few adaptions due to time and availability of ingredients and chose to leave out the salsa, opting instead for a side of green beans and naan bread. Strange combination, I know. But it was wonderful. A big thank you to the FatFree Vegan Kitchen blog!



My Version of FFVK Maple Chili Tofu

1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar free maple syrup
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp each garlic powder and chili powder (adjust to your tastes)
a tiny pinch of pepper and nutritional yeast

1/5 block nasoya extra firm tofu, sliced,drained and pressed
1 tbsp green onion, thinly sliced

Mix together first set of ingredients and pour into a ziplock bag.
Add tofu to the bag, making sure the marinade covers all of it and zip it up, getting as much air out as you can.
Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a pan over medium and once 30 minutes is up place tofu in the nonstick pan. Save the left over marinade.
Cook flipping ever 2-3 minutes for about 18 minutes or until browned.
Sprinkle each side with nutritional yeast while cooking.
Heat the leftover marinade for 15 seconds in the microwave and mix green onion in.
Transfer tofu to a plate and pour over marinade.

**100 calories

Rice Pudding and Cinnamon Cauliflower Soup

Im still having fun with my new-found agave nectar. And with left over cooked brown rice in the fridge I thought to delve once again into the world of rice for breakfast.



Vanilla Rice Pudding with Cinnamon

1/3 c. hazelnut milk
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 apple, skin removed and finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp. canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. vanilla flavoured agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup brown rice

1/2 tbsp. coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1/2 tbsp. vanilla flavoured agave nectar

In a small bowl whisk together the first set of ingredients. Heat a pot over high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Once the mixture is boiling, turn heat to just under medium and stir often until the mixture starts to thicken.
Add rice, stir to combine, turn heat down a bit more (medium low) and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile toast hazelnuts under the broiler until golden. (Make sure to check constantly, they burn fast.)
Transfer to a bown and top with nuts and last 1/2 tbsp. agave.

**265 calorie

I made mine this morning with 1/2 a teaspoon cinnamon and it was WAY too much. I also used almonds, forgetting I just bought hazelnuts yesterday at Lyn-Dys, an organic health food store in London Ontario.


I mentioned yesterday that I had work done on my teeth at the dentist. Well, the novacaine wore off... and now Im left with BOTH sides of my mouth in pain. Even more so if I chew anything at all. I made it through the rice and nuts for breakfast but by dinner, I knew I couldnt do it again so I made soup from scratch for the first time.

I drew my inspiration from baked apples that were currently in the oven. Opting for a cauliflower/ tofu type soup creation. It turned out more like a puree then an actual soup, but I think its better that way.



Cinnamon Cauliflower Soup

1 cup cauliflower, microwaved for 2 minutes
a bit less than 1/2 a small cooking onion

1/4 cup soft tofu
1 tbsp apple sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/4 tsp. yellow mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

extra vegetable broth
extra cinnamon or nutmeg

Heat a small pot over medium high and add onions with some olive oil spray and sautee until almost translucent.
Add the microwaved cauliflower and cook for about 4-5 minutes until it starts to brown.
Meanwhile place second set of ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth, then add this mixture to the pot.
Cook for another 3-5 minutes and transfer to the blender again with the seasonings (mustard through salt and pepper).
Blend, holding the top firmly, until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. The measurements are my recommendations only.
Add more vegetable broth until soup is the desired consistency, transfer to a bowl, and top with cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

**125 calories

Its supposed to be served heated, but I had some cold too and it was still amazing!

Dentists and Agave Nectar

A quick dinner for a hectic day. Earlier on, I had a dentist appointment, so lunch was a Soy Pumpkin Spice Frappacino from Starbucks because solid foods tend to be impossible when you cant feel half your face. By the time I got home for dinner, I was obviously starving and wanted something I could whip up quick.



I ended up pan frying a bunch of cauliflower (heated first for 2 minutes in the microwave) with a tofu patty (Zogolos Vegetarian Choice) and half a Quorn chik'n cutlet and a piece of rye toast. Then I just whipped up a quick serving of Road's End Organic Chreeze sauce for the cauliflower and DINNER! Then I of course topped everything with nutritional yeast and put a bit of vanilla agave nectar on the toast.

The tofu patty and the chik'n cutlet were good but rather bland until I added nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to the pan while they cooked. Once they cooked together with the additions, both were delicious.

Agave nectar, by the way, is wonderful. Much better than syrup, just like Ive been told. It was my first experience with it and it is definitely worth the money.

Warm and Chocolately... Is anything better?

Long day. Cold, miserable, and deserving of a mug full of hot chocolate.



3/4 c. hazelnut milk
1/4 c. sugar free Cracker Barrel maple syrup
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/4 c. Soyatoo whipped topping (or more)

110 calories of yumm.

Vegenaise and Fried Rice with Tempeh

Today I bought Vegenaise for the first time. Ive had a jar of Nayonaise in the fridge for months but found it disgusting. Vegenaise, Im impressed with. And since I was planning to have Gardein's buffalo wings for dinner, ranch dressing seemed like the logical accompaniment. I went on a hunt and found this recipe. Only 40 calories per tablespoon. Overall, it was delicious. I did add a few drop of lemon juice but I feel like it still needed a little bit of something else. Vinegar perhaps? Anyways, I definitely needed it tonight because those wings were hot!

Right before I went to purchase the Vegenaise, it was lunch time. I needed to use up some left over rice and settled on a veggie stir fry type dish with a side of tempeh. Ive tried other brands of tempeh before and I actually thought for a while that I just didnt care for it anymore. When I got around to buying my usual brand though (Lightlife), I realized it wasnt my taste buds that changed at all! I had just been buying a less than average product. And Im glad that tempeh is back on my plate.

Tempeh and Veggie Fried Rice



For the tempeh:

2 oz. Lightlife tempeh ( I used 3 grain )
1 tbsp. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. nutritional yeast

In a pan over medium high heat, cook all ingredients until the tempeh is golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

For the rice:

4 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
3 button mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup cooked brown rice
1 tbsp. cashews, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast
salt and pepper

First, in a pan over medium heat cook asparagus for about 5 minutes and then add the other veggies. Cook 5 minutes more until asparagus is tender.
Add in the the rice, yeast and salt and pepper. Stir and cook about a minute more.
Meanwhile, toast the cashew pieces under the broiler for 2 minutes or until golden.
Serve rice topped with cashews with the tempeh.

**260 calories

Daiya Cheese does it again!

This time on top of a Morningstar Farms Mushrooms Lovers Burger. And behind the burger is my new creation... CARROT PASTA! Super easy and absolutely delicious!

Carrot Pasta

1 large carrot ( I used two carrots but only peeled half of each )
salt and pepper to taste
favourite brand of either butter spray or cooking spray (use the regular stuff if you're feeling indulgent)

Heat a pan over medium heat.
First with a potato peeler, peel off the outer layer of the carrot and discard.
Continue to peel until the carrot is gone.
Cook until golden brown with other ingredients for about 5-7 minutes.

**30 calories


And for dinner you ask?? One of my staples, baked tofu nuggets. I've come along way from my shake n bake tofu days. (I'll add a recipe of this in a later post.)

My first taste of Rice Pudding

Breakfast again! By far the best meal of the day. Unless you decide to have breakfast for dinner too, then its an even tie.

Ive been perusing recipe sites and blogs lately and again and again I was stumbling across recipes for rice pudding. Hmm... rice pudding? Sounded interesting. Saved it on my KartMe.com account and moved on. But I kept coming back to it. And then I stumbled upon this recipe from Manifest Vegan. I was sold and decided to whip up a rice pudding recipe of my own.


(^in the making^)

The final product was perfection. I decided to combine it with my love for pumpkin pie. Exactly what a chilly fall morning deserves.



Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding

1/3 cup hazelnut milk
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
2 tbsp sugar free Cracker Barrel maple syrup
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more)
pinch of salt

2/3 cup brown rice, cooked

2 tsp raisins
1 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp sugar free CB maple syrup

In a small bowl whisk together the first set of ingredients. Heat a pot over high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Once the mixture is boiling, turn heat to just under medium and stir often until the mixture starts to thicken.
Add rice, stir to combine, turn heat down a bit more (medium low) and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile toast almonds under the broiler until golden. (Make sure to check constantly, they burn fast.)
Stir raisins into the rice and transfer to a bowl. Top with toasted almonds and syrup.

(250 calories)

Now originally, I wanted to make the milk mixture with about 1 1/2 tbsp. silken tofu as well for extra protein/ creaminess but I was banned from the blender due to a few people still asleep. If you want to try it with the tofu, just blend the milk mixture with the tofu in a blender instead of whisking it together. (Add about 10 calories to the total amount.)

Daiya Cheese and Stir Fry

After a recent trip to Virginia, I have a full fridge of vegan/ vegetarian food products which are not sold in Canada or are so far away from where I live, I never buy them. My favourite has to be the Daiya "Cheese" that I picked up. Ive never had it before and let me just say cow's milk cheese is a thing of the past! As an avid cheese lover its been a difficult search for a vegan replacement but the search has ended.



So far, Ive created the following:

* "Chicken" Mac and "Cheese" Casserole
* "Bacon", Lettuce, Onion, and "Cheese" Panini Sandwich
* "Chicken", Lettuce, Onion, "Cheese" Panini Pita Sandwich with Toasted Almonds

What will tomorrow bring?? Who knows!

Aside from my Daiya adventures, I had the most wonderful vegan stir fry dinner. My friends decided to have a teryaki stir fry with egg and I jumped at the chance to get creative.



Maple Teryaki Stir Fry with "Egg" and Rice

1/3 cup cooked brown rice

1 1/4 cup stir fry veggies (I used carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and onion)
2 1/2 tbsp teryaki sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar free Cracker Barrel maple syrup
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 serving Nasoya extra firm tofu (1/2 of 1/5 of a block), cubed
1/4 serving soft tofu (about a tablespoon + a teaspoon), mashed
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove of garlic (minced)

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame seeds

(This recipe has a lot of steps, so bear with me.)

First heat a pan over medium.
Put the broccoli, celery, and cauliflower in a bowl with a bit of water and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
In a seperate bowl, mix together tofu, garlic, and tumeric and add to the pan. Add yeast and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes until golden. Set aside.
Stir fry the veggies until they brown and are tender-crisp.
Meanwhile mix together the soy sauce and syrup. Add to veggies and cook, stirring for about 2-3 minutes.
When the veggies absorb most of the sauce, add the tofu "egg", salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
Plate and sprinkle with seasame seeds and rice.

(210 calories)

Hot Cereal in the AM

There is nothing I enjoy for breakfast more than hot cereal. When fall rolls around and theres a morning chill in the air, what could be better than a warm bowl of delicious goodness?

This morning I really went all out. With sauteed apples, almonds, and a creamy maple sauce, my Bob's Red Mill hot cereal was out of this world.



Creamy Maple-Apple Hot Cereal with Almonds

3 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill GF mighty tasty hot cereal
1 scant cup of water
pinch of salt

1/4 cup hazelnut milk
6 tbsp. Cracker Barrel sugar free maple syrup (1 tbsp. set aside)
1/4 apple, chopped
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice plus a pinch

Boil the water and stir in the hot cereal. Turn the heat to medium low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile start cooking the apple over medium.
Mix together the milk, 5 tbsp. syrup, cornstarch, and pumpkin pie spice and add to the apples.
Cook until the mixture thickens (about five minutes).
Stir remaining syrup and a pinch of pumpkin spice into the hot cereal and top with apple syrup and almonds.


(240 calories)

Hey! My name is Verity Kae and Im a tiny 19 year old vegetarian convert from London, Ontario. I love to cook and create. And this is where Im going to exercise my voice to tell the world of my adventures and discoveries on the path of vegetarianism.