Mexican Lasagna

1 can refried beans
1 bag flour or corn tortillas (round whole)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 pound ground soy based meat substitute
1 jar diced or sliced jalapenos (optional)
1 16oz package of vegan cheese (shredded)
1 whole tomato
1 head lettuce
1 10 oz jar of non-dairy sour cream substitute
1 jar slice black olives (optional)

Place a layer of tortilla shells on the bottom of a pan, add a thin layer of refried beans, add layer of meat substitute, add layer of cheese, add layer of diced tomatoes, add layer of black olives, sprinkle with taco seasoning, repeat for 3 or 4 layers.

Top with shells and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until hot, remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes. While cooling, shred lettuce and dice whole tomato. Add a layer of sour cream substitute to top of lasagna, add lettuce, tomato, jalapenos and black olives, sprinkle.

Cut into squares and serve!

Enjoy!

Berry Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Preparation time: 10 minutes

What you need:

2 cups frozen berries - use your favorite
1 cup dried cranberries
4 cubed whole wheat or multi-grain bread slices
2 cups soy milk
3/4 cup slivered almonds or crumbled walnuts, or a combination of the two
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
2 tablespoon granulated sugar of your choice
3 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a large bowl combine berries, bread, soy milk, maple syrup, sugar, arrowroot powder and mix well. Pour into an attractive oven safe dish.

Combine nuts, maple syrup and almond or vanilla extract. Crumble over main dish (leaving about a 1/4 air space around edge to let steam escape) and bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Serves: 4-8

Picnics

So it's Labor Day weekend...well, even if it was just a regular weekend, and you want to plan a picnic, there are plenty of vegan options available.

Picnics are great because you can plan your entire menu around tapas.

Even if the weather isn't cooperating, you can have a picnic right in your living room. Don't be afraid to chill down a bottle of your favorite vino, spread out a blanket on the floor, light a candle, turn down the volume on the phone...even add a little romantic music if you like. If you want to get really creative, turn the lights off and rely completely on candles for your starlit, indoor picnic. Just make sure you don't end up having to call the fire department...keep you eyes on the candles!

Now, there are many vegan tapas that are great to use for a picnic. A couple we've already covered.

Another that provides a great source of protein is hummus.

Hummus is made from garbanzo beans, AKA Chick Peas. You can either use a food processor or a muddler.

So, here's what you do -
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

You can also add in sun-dried tomatoes or spinach to vary your hummus.

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

Now if you want to make your own tahini, here's what you do:

* 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup tepid water

Preparation:
Place sesame seeds in a blender or food processor and grind until smooth. Add sesame oil and salt. Process until combined. With the motor running, add the water in a very slow, steady stream and blend until smooth.

Yield: about 1/2 cup

Note: Sesame seeds turn rancid quickly, so make certain yours are fresh. Be sure to store them away from light and heat and use quickly.

Now that you have hummus, pack up some cut up fruit and veggies, and with the pita bread, you've got all your food groups, and don't forget the wine!

Have fun on your picnic!

Weekend Snacks

This really isn't a recipe entry, but rather a way to make an entire meal, getting all your food groups in, from snacks, that don't include animal products.

Baked potato chips! They have a lot less fat, taste great...and are vegan...also counts as a starch!

Chips and Salsa! Again vegan, and salsa, if home-made especially, is a healthy serving of veggies.

Veggies of all kinds, baby carrots, sliced peppers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. All are great sliced, and raw veggies are best for nutrition. Instead of the non-vegan "ranch" dip (loaded with fat by the way) try a bottle of honey-mustard dressing as dip! It's awesome!

Oh nuts - all kinds of nuts. Great source of protein without eating dead muscle.

Breads...many breads are vegan, and I just love bread!

Fruits...cut up melon, serve berries, cherries, all you can. Many melons and berries are great anti-oxidants and water melon is a natural diuretic...for those of you who tend to hold water.

So there you go...stock up on healthy vegan snack...people LOVE them, and don't even realize they're "going vegan"!

Dessert Time!

OK, we've cover most of the basics, so before we start getting a little more complicated, lets move on to a dessert to round out your entire vegan meal menu.

Desserts can be tricky, mostly because of milk, butter and eggs, but...there is a great cobbler that people I know love and it serves great with dairy-free soy ice cream! YUM!

First, pick a fruit, almost any fruit...apples, peaches, mango, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.

If using large fruits (apples for example) peel and cut into bite size chunks. If using a tart fruit as blueberries or apples, you may want to sprinkle them with sugar after cutting and make sure they're evenly coated.

Place the fruit in a 9 x 12 pan, and set aside.

In large mixing bowl add:

1-cup all purpose flour
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/2-cup sugar
1/2-cup dark brown sugar
1-cup quick oats
1-teaspoon cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients until they are well blended.

Slowly add 1 cup of soy milk as you stir, until you have the consistency of cake batter. If you need a little more or little less milk, that's OK. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (pure is best) and stir a little more.

Once mixed, evenly pour over fruit in baking pan. Sprinkle appx. 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar evenly over the top.

Place in 350 degree oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake part.

Pull out of the oven, let cool for 5 to 10 minutes then serve topped with soy ice cream.

DELISH!

Sticking with Italian

Another great vegan dish, way easy to make is lasagna.

For a favorite that even meat eaters will love....

Here's all you need:

One pound box lasagna noodles (cook as directed).
Two jars of your favorite meat and cheese free spaghetti sauce.
1 Package Tofurkey Italian sausages - cut into small chunks.
1 package vegan pepperoni.
2 pounds shredded vegan cheese.
1 pound package of vegan cream or ricotta cheese (softened).

Simply start with a 9 x 12 baking pan
Layer noodles, cream cheese, sauce, meat substitute, cheese and repeat until pan is full.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let cool, serve.
You can top with vegan Parmesan if you want.

Options:

Leave cheese completely out. Noodles, sauce and meet are great on their own.
If you don't want to use "meat", chop veggies and use instead...or simply add veggies to ingredients.

Summer and Zucchini squash are great. You can also try fresh spinach, tomatoes, eggplant, or really any veggie you really like.

Trust me...it's always a hit!

A Simple Entree

When it comes to planning one of your first completely vegan meals, one that is easy, quick, and really hard to mess up is spaghetti. Many sauces you can buy at your grocery are vegan, even though they don't say it on the label, just read the ingredients. People won't know you're providing a vegan meal, unless you tell them.

This is a great chance to serve a great salad as a starter. You can also serve bread, and if you find them at your grocery, there are some great 'meatless' vegan meatballs. Or you can add vegan sausage, or even crumble vegan Boca Burgers into the sauce while warming. The sauce will disguise the "meatless meat" and seriously, no one will ever know. A great 'break in' meal!

Serve with your favorite wine...it's sure to be a hit.

If you can find it, add some vegan Parmesan cheese. Again, it's sure to be a hit!

Remember, if you're trying out vegan dishes on non-vegans. Throw away the containers and boxes before your guest arrive.