# Vegetarians/Vegan Recipe Swap



## Jess4921 (Jul 18, 2009)

Ive been Vegetarian for a year and a half. Are there any other vegetarians or vegans on the forum? I went veg because I love animals so much, and I dont think its right to kill them for food when we dont need to.Im not trying to start a debate (alot of threads like this turn into debates on other forums...). Its just fun to know whos a veggie, so we can all exchange recipes and stuff! And sorry if Im repeating a thread topic, but I didnt see any other threads about this.


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## BethM (Jul 18, 2009)

I'm not completely vegetarian, but I mostly avoid eating meat. I'm always on the lookout for great veggie recipes, especially hearty main dishes. I do eat dairy, eggs, and fish.
My husband is a meat-lover, but will eat veggie if it's good.


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## Bebop (Jul 18, 2009)

I was vegan for a year, but then I turned locavore. I'll eat anything local and farm raised if possible!
>^.^


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## pamnock (Jul 18, 2009)

Most of the dishes I make are meatless - I frequently use legumes as a substitue in meat dishes. Tonight we had wild rice with snow peas, butter beans, and carrots. 

Pam


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## NorthernAutumn (Jul 18, 2009)

^^^ Make with your postings, Pam! I've been wanting to involve more legumes for a while now!


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## Luvmyzoocrew (Jul 18, 2009)

i have thought about becoming a vegetarian, but my hubby is a meat and potatoes man , and i dont think i could stop eating it and then have to prepare it for him, lol i would love to see some recipies that i could start to incorporate into our foods


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## pamnock (Jul 19, 2009)

Here's one of my family's faves: (Most of my recipes are also low fat/low calorie/heart healthy.)

Heaping veggie pizza:

Pizza Dough:

Mix these dry ingredients together: 3 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbs. sugar

Dissolve 2 pkg. rapid rise yeast in 1 cup warm water.

Mix the yeast mixture into the dry mixture using dough hooks on the mixture (or knead after mixing ingredients together).Lightly coat ball of dough in veg. oil, cover and let rise in bowl for approx. 1/2 hour.

Spreaddough onto lightly greased (veg. oil)cookie sheetandspread with meatless spag. sauce andlightly sprinkle withcanned navy beans- cover lightly withshreddedlow-fat mozzarella cheese. (Meat lovers can add pepperoni or cooked sausage.)

Cookin 350 F oven for about 15 minutes while preparing veggies:

In microwave, cook diced bell peppers, red onions, and fresh sliced mushrooms. Drain and put generous amount on pizza for last minutes of cooking (I lift theedge of the pizza to see of it's golden brown on the bottom). You can finish it off by putting the broiler on for a couple minutes.

Sogood - no one will even notice it's ahealthy, vegandish!

Great the next day - re-heat in oven for best taste and texture)


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## pamnock (Jul 19, 2009)

I'll try to remember to post my very popular low cal meatless pasta salad recipe this week. Great for summer parties!



Pam


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## pamnock (Jul 19, 2009)

*Zucchini Casserole*

1 med/lg. cubed& boiled zucchini (don't over-cook or it will be too mushy)
1 diced onion
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1 small package of stuffing mix
1 grated carrot
1 diced green pepper
1/2 pint low fat sour cream
1 stick of margarine

Melt butter and mixwith the rest of the ingredients. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 1/2 hour.

Cooked cubedchicken breast or great northern canned beans can be added for protein.

Note: This isn't a super low cal recipe, but makes good use of the bounty of zucchini's from the garden at this time of year. Adding extra zucchini to the recipe will reduce calories per serving. Keep overall calories/fat lower by eating a small portion of the casserole along with a garden salad w/ fat free dressing.


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 19, 2009)

Pam, I'm confused about that last recipe being vegetarian since it has cream of chicken soup in it? And you said the pizza is vegan but it has mozzarella. Maybe you meant fake cheese? It sounds like a good pizza regardless, I love pizza piled high with tomatoes (yes yes, even though it already has tomato sauce), olives, green peppers, mushrooms, sauteed onions... even broccoli, peas, and sauteed zucchini are good. Or carrots. Yum. I was vegan for a number of years and a tasty pizza can actually be made without cheese if you use lots of veggies. I think the soy products have come a long way since I was vegan 10 years ago, but at the time there were no fake cheeses and the ones they first came out with were horrifying.

I have a number of tasty vegan recipes. Vegan pancakes, vegan lasagna, vegan chili, lima bean soup, tomato soup... Several more. I can post them if there's an interest. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite "salads". You can eat it on it's own or put it in tortillas or on top of steamed rice. You could add cooked small pasta shapes too and make it into pasta salad.

Black Bean Salad
-2 cans black beans
-2 big avocadoes
-lots of cherry tomatoes (or chopped up big tomatoes)
-a cup or so of frozen corn that has been thawed and drained
-you can add things like cilantro, chopped bell pepper or chopped red onion too, cucumber would be nice... whatever you want I guess.

Mix everything together. Squirt plenty of lime juice over top, as well as salt and lots of cumin. Put on however much you want, the more the better as far as I'm concerned!


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## NorthernAutumn (Jul 19, 2009)

Cream of chicken can be readily swapped for cream of celery... just makes it even more flexible


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## SnowyShiloh (Jul 19, 2009)

Autumn, I was also thinking cream of potato could be substituted! Or you could always make your own cream sauce with butter (optional), flour, milk and veggie broth. You could probably make a vegan sauce with soymilk, though I've never tried it. I do on occasion use cream of blank soups, but other times I make my own sauce, it's cheaper, pretty darn easy and depending on the recipe it's going to be used in, tastes better.


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## pamnock (Jul 19, 2009)

Opps sorry for the vegan slip on the cheese! Misuse of terminology. Yes - substitute cream of celery or cream of mushroom for the cream of chicken.

Although I don't eat much meat, I'm not a vegetarian, so I overlooked a few things* : )*



The black bean salad sounds really good!



*Pam*


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## JadedHippos (Jul 19, 2009)

I have not personally tried this recipe yet but it sounds delicious and I'm planning on making it some time this week.

*Pisto Manchego (Spanish Ratatouille)*

Ingredients
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1 large yellow onion, unpeeled
2 lb. tomatoes 
2 large red or green peppers
2 medium zucchini
1 medium eggplant 
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste 
*Directions*
Preheat your oven to 500Â° F, roast the eggplant, peppers, whole garlic cloves, and unpeeled onion, turning occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until soft and charred. After first 10 minutes, add tomatoes & zucchini. (You can also cook the vegetables on the grill until soft.)
Put the veggies on a platter as they finish cooking. Remove charred skins. Core & seed the peppers. Peel eggplant and remove the seeds. Peel onions. Dice all vegetables. Squeeze garlic from skins.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add vegetable and spices along with any liquid in the platter. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


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## pamnock (Jul 20, 2009)

*Pineapple baked beans* (This is super good and a great picnic dish!)

Canned baked beans (optional - make your own veganbaked beans )

Add chunked pineapple and diced red onion. Bake for an hour at 350 F.

Variation: cooked ground beef or sausage can be added.



*Heart Healthy Broccoli Pasta Salad - low cal/vegan*

(I just throw a bunch of stuff together that I have available from the garden in the amounts that I like.)

Cooked Rainbow Rotini (be careful not to overcook!)

Fat free Italian salad dressing

lots of chopped broccoli

diced bell pepper (red, yellow, green)

great northern beans, kidney, or black beans

red onion chopped

black and/or green olives

cucumber cut up

cherry tomatoes halved

Mix it all together and chill!

(variations: Parmesan cheese, cheese chunks, ham can be added)



*Spaghetti w/ beans* (another way to "sneak" some lentils in!)

Mix cooked spaghetti/meatless spag. sauce and some canned black beans together.

Variation: I love shrimp, so I also mix shrimp into this dish. 



*No-bake Veggie Pizza*

Pre-made pizza crust.

Mix 1 box low fat cream cheeseand 1/4 cup low fat mayo (or sub. Tofutti). Spread on crust.

Add 3/4 cup chopped broccoli, 3/4 cup chopped cauliflower, 3/4 cup green pepper and top with optional shredded cheddar cheese.

Refrigerate before serving.


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## NorthernAutumn (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey girls! Does anyone know what to do with canned peas? I think they taste absolutely wretched from the can, but I've got 2 cans leering at me from the pantry (courtesy of Nate:rollseyes, who won't eat them either :biggrin2

What can I make that tastes really good?

Also, one stray can of white lentils...


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## BethM (Jul 20, 2009)

*NorthernAutumn wrote: *


> Hey girls! Does anyone know what to do with canned peas? I think they taste absolutely wretched from the can, but I've got 2 cans leering at me from the pantry (courtesy of Nate:rollseyes, who won't eat them either :biggrin2
> 
> What can I make that tastes really good?
> 
> Also, one stray can of white lentils...



I know plenty of people who don't like what I do with canned peas, but it's a MAJOR comfort food for me, as my mom made it a lot when I was growing up. To me, it's super delicious! (Seems like a totally 70's sort of food, though.)

I just mix a can of peas (I usually get the "young" ones, which are smaller and sweeter), and mix in some diced red onion, a spoon or three of sweet pickle relish, and enough mayonnaise to make it creamy. Not enough mayo to make it really juicy/runny, though. 

I've also read that peas are good simmered with some fresh mint, and maybe a slice or two of onion. I usually see that with frozen, but if you're desperate to use the canned it might be ok. They're sort of mushy out of the can, anyway, so simmering them for a few minutes can't make them much worse!


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## pamnock (Jul 20, 2009)

The white lentils can be thrown into many dishes - I like to add them to baked bean mixes. I just had some today mixed in with brown rice. 

The canned peas can be used in a veggie soup or a casserole or any tomato sauce dish.

You can also puree the lentils or peas and mix them into dishes so they are not as detectable. h34r2You can also puree the lentils, heat,and spread on pita or soft taco w/ other veggies and a light sauce.

Pam


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## Evey (Jul 20, 2009)

Hello!

I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, and THIS veggie pizza recipe from Pillsbury has been one of my favs. I load it up with all of my favorite vegetables--mmm, now I want to make it! 

Kathy


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## pamnock (Jul 20, 2009)

*Evey wrote: *


> Hello!
> 
> I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, and THIS veggie pizza recipe from Pillsbury has been one of my favs. I load it up with all of my favorite vegetables--mmm, now I want to make it!
> 
> Kathy



I had some of that recently at a picnic - it's really good on the Pillsbury crescent rolls!

Pam


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## pamnock (Jul 20, 2009)

Here's what I made for dinner tonight:

*Lazy Cabbage Rolls:*

Mix: Shredded blanched cabbage, rice, black beans, and spaghetti sauce. Bake in oven at 350 F until bubbly.

Variation: top with parm. or moz. cheese, or make with ground meat.


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## Evey (Jul 20, 2009)

*pamnock wrote: *


> Here's what I made for dinner tonight:
> 
> *Lazy Cabbage Rolls:*
> 
> ...


This sounds really good! I'm going to love this thread


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## Jess4921 (Jul 20, 2009)

*Vegan Orange Chicken
*_For the vegan âchicken,â try the new Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chikân Strips. Otherwise, you can use seitan, tempeh, or firm tofu. If Chinese rice wine is unavailable, use dry sherry._

2 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine 
3 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1 lb. vegan chicken, cut into strips or cubes 
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce 
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil 
2 tsp. brown sugar 
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. canola oil or other light oil
1 garlic clove, minced 
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 orange, cut into thin slices, for garnish

â¢ In a bowl, blend the rice wine and 1 Tbsp. of the cornstarch. Add the vegan âchickenâ and toss to coat. Set aside. 
â¢ In a bowl, combine the orange juice, vegetable broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, mustard, pepper flakes and the remaining cornstarch. Blend well and set aside. 
â¢ Heat a large skillet or wok and add the canola oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
â¢ Add the âchickenâ and stir-fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 
â¢ Stir in the sauce and stir-fry for another minute, or until the sauce is thickened and hot. Serve garnished with orange slices. 

_Makes 4 servings_ 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its not the best recipe every, but its still pretty goof as long as you dont over do the sauce!

But then again, Im an aweful cook, so I probably shouldnt be judging it on the stuff I make :rollseyes


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## BethM (Jul 20, 2009)

Tonight I made a vegetarian pasta.

I chopped up some ripe tomatoes (room temperature), fresh basil, fresh arugula, tossed in some black and green pitted olive mix from the olive bar, along with some dried oregano, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Then I cooked some angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat so it was a bit heartier), and mixed the hot pasta with the fresh goodies. 

I added a bit of shredded Parmesan on the top, but you could leave that off to make it vegan.


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## TreasuredFriend (Jul 20, 2009)

Hello everyone, it's great to see a recipe thread started for vegetarians. I've been vegetarian since March 17, 2004, after reading a book (Stories Rabbits Tell) and seeing several videos.
Many of my rabbit and animal friends in this area are vegetarian.* My two neices are, my daughter and her significant other are vegetarian also.

Jumping off to do our suppers now for the sanctuary, though I'll come back soon as time allows.
Thanks for all the great input already!!

*vegetarian or vegan. I initially stopped all red-meat products in 2004; later omitted white meat.


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## TreasuredFriend (Jul 22, 2009)

Slow Cooker Spinach Lasagna - from the kitchens of Lipton.

First spotted on the back of the Vegetable Soup and Dip Mix. 

http://www.recipesecrets.com/recipeDisplayMRS.aspx?RecipeID=8613&Version=1

Amazing, the noodles do cook ~ and it's awesome to use the slow cooker method. 
--------------------------------------
Hope you enjoy!


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## pamnock (Jul 26, 2009)

I made this today - really fantastic!



Chocolate Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup applesauce or 1 over-rip banana
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups grated zucchini

preheat over to 325 and spray cooking spray on 1 large loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans)

Mix dry ingredients, then mix in other ingredients.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.


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## nermal71 (Jul 26, 2009)

Here is my 15y/o son's absolute favorite for peas. Now granted this kid LOVES peas. It was the only veggie he would eat willingly as a toddler.

2 cans peas,gently rinsed and drained
3 to 4 green onions, chopped
2 eggs harboiled and chopped (optional if you won't eat eggs)
8 oz cheddar, colby or your favorite vegan version
Mayo or light salad dressing
Pepper

Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Add enough mayo or light salad dressing to lightly coat the peas. Sprinkle with a bit of pepper and serve.


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## TreasuredFriend (Jul 26, 2009)

I'm headed to the store for chocolate and zucchini. 

I can modify that recipe, Pam, for my diabetic needs. 

Thanks to everyone (oh boy oh boy so many healthy recipes to printout) for posting their recipes!!

:sunshine::energizerbunny:


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## pamnock (Jul 27, 2009)

I made this salad for lunch - really delicious!

Ramen Cabbage Salad

Mix & serve:

2 packs uncooked crunched up ramen noodles

1/2 cup canola oil

1 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. vinegar

1 shredded medium cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrots

optional: slivered almonds


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## degrassi (Jul 27, 2009)

*pamnock wrote: *


> I made this salad for lunch - really delicious!
> 
> Ramen Cabbage Salad
> 
> ...


We make a variation of this salad and everyone loves it. We make it all the time for BBQs. Ours has a bit different dressing, you add the flavour packets from the noodles to the dressing and ours also used soy sauce. We also add sliced mushrooms. 

I think I might have to make this as we have cabbage sitting in the fridge


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## Jess4921 (Jul 27, 2009)

That Ramen Cabbage Salad tases great with Tofu too!


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## NorthernAutumn (Jul 27, 2009)

I do my version without the seasoning packets, using napa cabbage, cider vinegar (not white), and soy.

I toast the noodles, almonds, and add roasted sesame seeds
You'd be amazed by how many people ask for this recipe!


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## Serious (Jul 28, 2009)

I like to cook, so I thought I'd share a few hits of mine. I'm a vegetarian, but I do frequently eat vegan and do most of my baking vegan as well. No one else in my family is meat-free and certainly not vegan, so all of my recipes have been taste-tested by avid carnivores.

Don't balk at the avocado in this- I swear by every deity there is that you won't taste it. Not even in the batter. It doesn't make them green, either. It just makes them moist, spongy and delicious. I promise! I don't include an icing recipe with this because I usually just use a normal buttercream non-vegan one, simply because all the vegan icing recipes I've found so far are really drippy and messy (and I hate messy food).

*Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes*
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 avocado, pitted and scooped out of the shell
1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup plain soymilk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.) Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2.) In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
3.) In a blender, puree avocado until smooth. Add syrup, milk, oil and vanilla and blend. Whisk the wet mix in to the dry.
4.) Spoon batter in to cups. Bake 20-25 min, and cool before frosting.
Variations: Can also be converted in to a cake. Experiment with adding coffee.
Notes: Fill cups almost to the top with batter- they do not rise as high as traditional cupcakes. Sometimes I find 27 minutes to be a better cook time for my oven.

I make stir fries just so I can put this sauce in it. It's seriously good stuff. Tofu, veggies and rice becomes much tastier with it.

*Basic Stir Fry Sauce*
3-4 tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup stock (I use Better Than Bouillion no-chicken or no-beef. Get it if you can find it- it's just all around great stuff. Vegetable broth or water also works)
3 tbsp soy or shoyu sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp sugar
1.) Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Add to stir fry at the end of cooking, stirring well in to the dish.
2.) Simmer until sauce has thickened.
Variations: 1 tbsp vinegar instead of dry sherry for a different taste. Try adding minced garlic, minced ginger, red pepper flakes, and/or a tiny bit of sesame oil (not more than a drip- a little goes a long way and sesame oil is high fat). Probably wouldn't add all those things at once, by the way.

Definitely not vegan, but still vegetarian. 

*Mushroom Egg Foo Young*
1 large green onion, both white and green parts sliced
4 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 tbsp oil, divided
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 tsp cornstarch
1 cup vegetable broth
1.) Stir onions and other vegetables (see variations) plus 1 tbsp soy sauce in to the beaten eggs.
2.) Heat oil in a skillet and drop 1/4 egg mixture at a time on to skillet.
3.) Cook until bottoms are set, turn over and continue cooking until other side is set. Transfer to warm serving plate.
4.) For sauce, heat oil in skillet and cook mushrooms with 2 tbsp soy sauce until the mushrooms are soft. Dissolve corn starch in to vegetable broth and stir in to the mushrooms, cooking until thickened.
5.) Serve the pancakes with the sauce over rice, garnishing with extra green onion slices.
Variations: Add beansprouts, chopped celery and/or chopped water chestnuts in to the egg mixture. Experiment with adding a bit of baking powder to the egg mixture to get them to rise and be fluffier pancakes.

It sounds like a weird mix, but everyone that tried them liked them. They didn't last long before disappearing. This originally came from Veganomicon, but I switched out some of the oil for unsweetened applesauce to take the edge off the fat content. The applesauce trick works in most baking recipes, FYI. These are very rich and very, very chocolate, so if you like lighter tasting sweets, this isn't one of them.

*Vegan Blueberry Brownies*

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus 1/2 cup
10 oz smooth blueberry spread/preserves
1/4 cup plain soymilk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (possibly optional, but adds good taste)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
1.) Preheat oven to 325F and spray 9x13 baking pan.
2.) Melt 2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used the microwave- just stir at 30 second intervals to make sure it doesn't burn).
3.) In a large bowl, combine blueberry preserves, milk, sugar, oil and extracts. Mix on high until no clumps are visible.
4.) Sift in flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir until it's thick and well-mixed.
5.) Mix in melted chocolate, remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and blueberries.
6.) Spread in baking pan, bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

I don't have a lot of just-in-general-eating recipes because I tend not to use recipes, since I'm usually just cooking for myself. I eat a lot of bowls of a grain, a legume, a few veggies and a few choice spices. One of my favorites is to cook up quinoa in a flavorful broth with chopped pineapple, the juice from the pineapple can, black beans, peppers, onions, and whatever mexican spices I feel like. I also like to combine couscous with crumbled extra firm tofu and cook it in juice and contents of a tomato can, plus spices, and then use this as a taco filling instead of ground beef. Both are simmered until the juices are gone.

I'm extremely picky about my tofu and rarely like the way restaurants make it. I don't want it to taste like I'm eating a block of soy curd, so, if you don't either, some tips:
- Extra firm tofu is the best for all-purpose cooking, and _no_t the vacuum packed (silken) kind, which is just too creamy inside to hold marinades and shape well. PRESS IT! I go through many paper towels (or dish towels) getting out as much moisture as I can without crushing it. I don't tend to do the old stand-by of letting it sit under a cookbook wrapped up in a towel, since it's just sitting in a damp towel if you don't keep changing it.
-Marinade is paramount. The no-beef/no-chicken bouillion I mentioned above is my favorite base to use for marinade. I cut the tofu before adding it in, and then only tend to need to marinade 20-30 minutes if it's been very well pressed.
-Freezing it, thawing it, and then pressing all the moisture out gives it a nice texture, too, and especially ideal for soaking up marinade.
-Marinading it as "chicken," then dredging it in beaten eggs and pressing it in a mixture of parmesan, salt and breadcrumbs, then panfrying until golden, makes an awesomely yummy "meat" for italian recipes.

Also, I'm mildly-moderately lactose intolerant, so while I can do small amounts of dairy, I can't eat things like pizza. I can eat it just fine with Follow Your Heart vegan cheese, though. A lot of people have had bad experiences with it because it didn't melt right. I just made a great pizza with it tonight, though. The trick: Grate it on the smallest setting on your grater, prepare pizza, bake it, then broil it. The cheese needs to reach very high heat before it gets ooey gooey. It needs to sit for a while after that, though, or it'll be more creamy than cheesy.


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