My stab at Creole Food

Because my classes were in full swing, I decided to make a large dish that we could eat off of for the week. After going through my recipe books, I noticed that I have never made creole food. I love spicy and tangy food, so a recipe for Vegan Jambalaya sounded delish (Kate-I coined your word). It turned out AMAZING!

1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 cup vegetable stock
1 1/2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup mixed fresh seasonal vegetables, cut in chunks
2 cups tofu, tempeh or seitan
2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. vegetarian "chicken" flavored powdered seasoning
8 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped scallions

In medium pot over low heat, melt margarine. Add stock, peppers, onion, tomato and mixed fresh seasonal vegetables. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add tofu (or tempeh etc.) and seasonings; cook 5 more minutes. Stir in rice and tomato paste; continue stirring until mixture is thoroughly blended.

Serve hot garnished with carrot and scallions and crusty french bread or even cornbread. Makes 10 servings of about 1 1/2 cups each.

Bacon Wrapped Bay Scallops

So for my dad's birthday, he requested I make Bacon Wrapped Bay Scallops. At first, I was a little grossed out by the idea of wrapping an animal with an animal but my dad really wanted this dish. I put my bias on the back burner and started making the dish.

Prepping the scallops was easier than I though. They were extremely slimy and fishy smelling but after rinsing them, they were easy to work with. I cut the large scallops in half then wrapped each scallop in a half a strip of bacon and secured it with a wooden toothpick. I used hickory smoked bacon for a bolder flavor.

Next, I sprinkled the bacon wrapped scallops with a little salt and pepper and added a touch of butter to both sides. I then arranged the scallops in a deep baking dish. I then sprinkled chopped yellow onion, parsley and green peppers over the scallops and drizzle them with with EVOO (extra Virgin Olive Oil) before broiling. Them turned out amazing!!

12 large sea scallops (cut in half)
12 pieces of bacon (cut in half)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp lemon pepper (optional but gives contrast to the hickory bacon)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup EVOO

Bake at 425 degrees turning once for 20 to 30 minutes or until done! ENJOY!!

My first blog

Well Kate. You win. I'm starting my first blog about a few of my favorite things in life: Cooking/Baking, Friends, Family and training for the STP. As you know, I live a vegan lifestyle. But recently, I have decided to starting cooking a few meat dishes for my friends and family. I'm very lucky my husband eats vegan at home but sometimes, I think he deserves a nice meat dish.

Throughout my blog, I will include pictures and recipes of my food. Almost every recipe is an experiment! I hope you all enjoy!