Sunday, April 25, 2010

I finally got to try Daiya vegan cheese!


Yesterday when we went to Whole Foods, I was excited to see that they started carrying Daiya brand vegan cheese.  I have heard a lot about this new vegan cheese that melts and stretches (and it really does).  So we bought one package of the mozzarella and one package of the cheddar to try out.  We were so excited to try it when we got home that we made quesadillas right away.  We made "chicken", mushrooms and spinach quesadillas with the mozarella style Daiya cheese.  This recipe is a little heavy on vegan substitute products, so it's not the healthiest, but it turned out delicious!  I can't really write up a precise recipe, but this is kind of a rough draft of the recipe we made last night:

Vegan "Chicken" Mushrooms and Spinach Quesadillas
                    (Makes 4 quesadillas)

-8 Whole Wheat tortillas (We buy the Reduced Carb kind from Trader Joe's)
-1 serving of Morningstar Farms Grilled "chik-n" strips 
-1 package of mushrooms 
-2 very large handfuls of spinach (or more if you want)
-1 cup of Daiya mozzarella style vegan cheese
-4 tsps of oil (or less if you want-we were getting our daily WW requirement of oil in)
-garlic salt
-Onion granules (optional) 
-Vegan sour cream (Tofutti brand or Follow Your Heart)-optional 

We used a griddle, so the first thing we did was we prepped the griddle and heated the oil.  

In a pan on the stove, cook the mushrooms for about 2 or 3 minutes.  Add any seasonings into the mushrooms (this is where I used the garlic salt and the onion granules).  Then add the "chicken."  When the "chicken" starts to thaw out and get softer, cut up into bite sized pieces so it will be evenly distributed throughout the quesadillas.  Then add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Now you have your mixture ready for the quesadillas.  

Back to the griddle, you should have your oil heated.  If your griddle is large enough, lay down 4 tortillas.  Put 1/8 of a cup of the Daiya cheese down first on each tortilla.  Then add the other mixture onto each tortilla and just try to evenly distribute it the best you can.  Then add the other 1/8 cup of cheese on top of the mixture.  (Each quesadillas should have 1/4 cup of Daiya cheese.)  The Daiya cheese should start to melt on the griddle.  When the tortilla starts to look brown on the side that's facing the griddle, go ahead and flip it over.  When both side are brown, they are done!  

According to our calculations, each quesadilla was 4 pts (without the vegan sour cream).  


Friday, April 16, 2010

I Love the Farmer's Market!

I am so happy that the farmer's market is open again!  There's not a lot of produce yet, but I have been able to stock up on greens once a week which is great.  I am so happy it's spring....I can't wait for more fresh produce and having a garden.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Beautiful Bok Choy


I made bok choy tonight for dinner and I didn't even realize that when you cut it at the base, it looks like a flower!  It's beautiful!  I just had to take a picture and share.  I sort of followed the recipe from the Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone with umeboshi plum vinegar.