Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake

Recipe from Veganomicon. I substituted some of the grated lemon peel for orange peel, which added some additional flavor depth. Who needs eggs and butter when something tastes this good?

Chili Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu

Recipe from Veganomicon. Served with brown rice and black beans. I think some sort of sweet dipping sauce would have gone well with this.

Yogurt Vanilla Pound Cake

Recipe from Veganomicon. Absolutely perfect and delicious! Slight hint of citrus and the sweetness was not overwhelming. I'm sure this was indistinguishable from a non-vegan pound cake and perhaps even better!

I was tempted to put a "healthy" spin to this recipe but resisted since this was meant to be dessert after all. Therefore no use of whole wheat flour or applesauce and no reduction of sugar. The recipe asked to use an electric mixer but I didn't want to over mix the batter so I just used a large wire wisk.

Asian Soba Noodle Salad

This was adapted from a Guy Fieri recipe (I was amazed too, he's not known for being vegan-friendly). Includes napa cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, celery, green onions, fried tofu, soba noodles and dressed with a tangy and sweet dressing.

Veggie Tofu Breakfast Scramble

I guess the picture doesn't do this dish justice. This was a very filling mix of Tofurkey sausage, tofu, carrots, peas, corn, peppers and green onions! No eggs needed.

Herbed Home-Fried Potatoes

Making these in a cast iron skillet makes all the difference. The potatoes were generously seasoned with herbs, onions, and I added some maple syrup to sweeten the pot.

Blueberry Corncakes

Next time I make this I'll use fresh instead of frozen blueberries. The pancakes were delicious but the batter immediately surrounding the blueberries remained uncooked.

Cinnamon French Toast

Recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance. I added a little bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger to the batter. I also used Dave's Killer Bread. Served with sliced strawberries and pure maple syrup.

Enchiladas With Chipotle Sauce

These are filled with refried beans, zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, and corn. I blended some chipotle peppers with enchilada sauce and poured it all over. Delicious lunch for the rest of the week!

Tofu Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce

Spring rolls are filled with sliced carrots and cucumber, green lettuce, rice vermicelli noodles, fresh mint leaves, and fried tofu. The sauce is a simple mix of hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water and crushed peanuts. My family couldn't get enough of these. They said it tasted just like what you'd get in a restaurant.

Tomatoes and Scrambled Eggs

OK, so this dish tastes a lot better than how it photographed. Plus, it requires just a few ingredients and is done within 10 minutes. This was taught to me by my dad. When he first made it for his host family when he came to the States to go to college (from Taiwan) he said they were turned off by the fact that scrambled eggs should be eaten for breakfast, not dinner. However, once they tasted it, they gave up their preconceived notions of when to eat eggs during the day.

6 eggs (or 1 1/2 cups egg substitute), beaten
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium-sized pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the green onions and tomato chunks. Cook the tomatoes until they turn slightly mushy and the skin begins to peel away (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from pan and reduce heat to medium. Coat the pan with the rest of the vegetable oil and add in the beaten eggs. Cook the eggs until almost done (about 3 minutes) and add the tomatoes back into the pan along with the ketchup. Stir until evenly distributed and heat through for a couple more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice and enjoy! Yield: 2-3 servings

Veggie Fried Rice

I love fried rice because it lends itself nicely to customization. I usually add (lots) of whatever vegetables I have on hand. Today I even added some chopped up vegan sausage. To make this dish totally vegan you can leave out the scrambled eggs. Also, it's tradition to use day-old rice because it's a little more dry and the end result will be slightly crunchy instead of mushy. However, I often make rice fresh and let it aerate to dry it out. This recipe makes quite a bit, but who wouldn't want this for lunch the next day? Yum!

2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 vegan sausage (like Tofurky brand), chopped
1/3 cup lower sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying

In a large wok, scramble the eggs in a small amount of vegetable oil until fluffy and done. Set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wok and stir fry the carrots on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, onions, peas, mushrooms and sausage. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium and add the eggs back into the pan along with the cooked rice. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Stir until everything is evenly distributed then let cook for another 5 minutes. Do not stir too much because you want the rice to brown and turn crispy. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Yield: 6-8 servings

Sweet and Spicy Tofu with Mushrooms

Finally a dish that reflects the name of this blog. This is my favorite way to prepare tofu and the taste is honestly restaurant quality. I usually buy dried shiitake mushrooms and rehydrate them in a bowl of water, which only takes a few minutes. All the sauces listed below can be found at an Asian grocery store. Feel free to adjust the proportions to suit your taste. I say this serves 4, but whenever I make it my sister and I gobble it down no problem. I like to serve it with some steamed broccoli and brown rice.

1 package (15 ounces) extra-firm tofu, well drained and cut into 1x1 inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup soy paste
1/4 cup vegetarian "oyster" sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese red chili paste
1 tablespoon sesame oil

On medium-hot, heat enough oil in a medium-sized pan to cover the bottom. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the tofu cubes. Let each side of tofu turn slightly brown (about 2-4 minutes) before flipping to another side. Repeat until all sides are are brown. Drain tofu on paper towels and set aside.

As tofu is frying, in a medium bowl, whisk together the plum sauce, soy paste, oyster sauce, red chili paste and sesame oil to make sauce.

Leave 1 tablespoon of oil in pan and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, onions and mushrooms to pan and saute until onions are translucent (about 5-8 minutes). Add tofu and prepared sauce and stir. Let it come to a boil before reducing heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy! Yield: 4 servings

Chocolate Banana Protein Shake

No picture because, well, it wouldn't photograph well. Imagine a slightly frothy and off-white/tan liquid. I think if I were to post a picture it probably would discourage rather than encourage people to make it. Credit goes to my sister for coming up with this. We drink this after our daily runs and sometimes just because it's delicious.

1 large banana
5 ice cubes
1 heaping scoop chocolate flavored protein powder
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tablespoon Splenda (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until it has a smooth consistency. Yield: 2 cups