The Superbowl has to be pretty much my favorite sporting event of the year. Usually I’m hosting the party and usually I try to make food that represents the cities each participating team is from. This year however, Superbowl also happen to land on my brother’s 24th birthday. So I decided to combine my traditional method of cooking by way of cities plus what my brother wanted to eat for this bday to make this years goodies. Now I liked both teams but I personally was rooting for the Colts. Peyton Manning has been one of my favorite athletes ever since HE was in college. However, when I tried to research Indianapolis cuisine I didn’t really find a lot. So, sorry Indy but you weren’t totally represented at my party. New Orleans was a lot easier. I love Cajun and Creole cooking so I tried to pick a couple of super simple and not overfilling foods to nosh on…

Andouille Sausage Sandwich

- 1 package cooked Andouille sausage
- 1/2 cup Spicy Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 cup onions sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced green peppers
- 1/2 cup sliced red peppers
- 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine
- 4 sets of potato buns (or any buns of your choice)

Heat a pan on medium-high heat. Melt tablespoon of butter. Add peppers and onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. I added the Andouille Sausage into the pan with the peppers and onion to heat up and allow any run off from the juice of the sausage to go straight into the pan.

Lightly toast buns in the toaster oven. Once everything is heated, remove from heat. Spread Dijon mustard generously on top bun. Take each sausage and slice into 4ths (so that you get 4 pieces of sausage from one sausage). Lay each slice of sausage flat side down onto bottom bun. Top with sauteed peppers and onion. Place top bun onto sausage and onions and enjoy. Super easy!

Green Chile Cheese Fries

- 1 package frozen french fries
- 1 can mild diced green chiles
- 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese mix (or you can use a combo of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack etc.) – soy cheese for vegans
- salt and pepper to taste
- sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet or pan with foil. Lay out frozen fries onto foil. Cook fries for about 10-12 minutes according to package instructions in oven. Once fries are cooked or nearly cooked remove. Hit warm fries with some salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of cheese blend over fries. Sprinkle diced green chiles evenly over fries. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and place back in oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until all cheese is fully melted. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a minute or so. Use a spatula to serve fries into dishes. Dollop a little sour cream on top and enjoy.

Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese

– 1 box of elbow macaroni
1/4 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced chicken (I used Tyson grilled chicken strips)
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
-1 tsp white pepper
-1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
- 1 tbsp flour
- water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese (optional)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt to the water. Drop in elbow macaroni and cook for 7-9 minutes or until the macaroni is al dente. Once macaroni is finished cooking, drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan begin making your cheese sauce. Heat pan on medium-high heat. Add margarine or butter and allow to melt fully before adding flour. Once you add flour, use a whisk to make sure all flour is incorporated with the melted butter. Add milk Turn the heat to low and allow milk to heat up for about a minute or so. After about a minute or so return heat to medium and add cheddar cheese. Whisk to quickly melt. Add buffalo sauce and whisk. Add celery and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften. Then add chicken.

Add the macaroni directly to the sauce pot Fold in macaroni with cheese and celery until it is fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Serve into dishes and top with crumbled bleu cheese (I hate bleu cheese but if you like it I imagine you’d want to do this)

Fried Okra w/Quick Remoulade

- 1/4 pound fresh okra, rinsed, tops and ends removed
- 1 cup tempura batter
- water
- Cajun seasoning
- oil for frying
- salt to taste

Remoulade
- 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
- 2 1/2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste

Add oil to a frying pan and put the heat on medium-high.

Follow instructions for tempura using water to create a thick batter. Add cajun seasoning to batter. Cut okra into quarter-inch pieces. To test oil drop a small dot of batter into the oil. If the batter immediately comes up and starts frying, the oil is ready. If it drops towards the bottom of the pan then it still needs a few more minutes to heat up. Once oil is ready, dip okra into tempura batter by the handful (just so it’s easier for you to handle). Slowly drop battered okra into frying pan. Allow to fry for about a minute or until the outside is a golden brown. Remove fried okra from pan with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper-lined bowl. Hit the hot okra with a little bit of salt on top.

Repeat with remaining okra.

For remoulade, in a bowl combine all ingredients until fully incorporated and you get a nice light orangey color in the mix. Serve alongside fried okra for dipping.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

This was my own choice to serve as the “birthday cake” for my brother. I love red-velvet anything and I’d had a craving for Stephanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. If anyone has eaten it there then they know that the cheesecake comes layered much like many of Junior’s famous cheesecakes in New York. It was going to be quite the task for me because I’ve never made a layered cake before let alone 3 layers of 2 different kinds of cakes. But I knew if I could get anywhere near the results of The Cheesecake Factory and even better, Junior’s then it was a challenge I was wholeheartedly willing to accept. I started the night before by making the cheesecake so it would have several hours to refrigerate overnight…

Crustless Cheesecake
- 3 packages of 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 eggs (egg substitute which is what I used and it came out just like normal cheesecake)
- 1 cup sugar or sugar substitute
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- Springform pan (imperative!)

Like the ingredients suggest, a spring form pan is imperative to make the cheesecake, ESPECIALLY since we are making it crustless.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl add cream cheese. Using a mixer, begin slowly mixing cream cheese together. Add sugar and continue to mix until fluffy. Add eggs or egg substitute and continue beating. Once all ingredients are incorporated add salt, lemon juice and vanilla one by one. Once everything is mixed scrape down all sides of the bowl to make sure everything has been mixed.

Spray your spring form pan with non-stick spray. Pour cheesecake batter into pan. Make sure it’s even in pan otherwise when you try to layer when preparing the cake you will get a lopsided cake. Place pan in oven and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test.

Once cheesecake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Use a knife to just cut around the outer edge of the cake just to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the sides. Do not remove cake from pan. Place cake directly into fridge and allow to sit over night. I didn’t put any plastic wrap or foil over the pan because I didn’t want to run the risk of any leftover heat escaping the pan and causing condensation as a result onto the cake.

Red Velvet Cake
- 1 box red velvet cake mix
- 1 egg (or egg substitute according to cake directions)
- 1/3 cup oil (according to box instructions
- round cake pan same size as your spring form

Again the pan is imperative here. You want to make sure your cake pan is the same size as your spring form so you don’t have an uneven cake. Obviously you will want to refer before you make either cake so be sure you check before you go through the trouble of baking.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a bowl combine red velvet cake mix, egg, and oil. Use a mixer to mix all ingredients and create a smooth batter. Spray your cake pan with nonstick spray. Pour cake batter into pan and once again make sure it’s all even.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cake passes toothpick test. Once the cake is finished remove from oven and allow it to cool completely for about a half hour.

Layering the Cake
Remove cheesecake from fridge. Once your red-velvet cake is completely cooled, CAREFULLY remove it from the pan. The easiest way I found to do this was to place a large serving dish on top of the pan and then flip the pan over.

Now here’s where you have to be precise, the the bottom side up, carefully take a large sharp knife, gently put one hand on top of the cake, and with your other hand, cut the cake in half horizontally. Now, this part was definitely not my brightest moment but in the end everything turned out ok so no worries here. Once your knife comes through to the other side, carefully lift the top cut part of the cake, and place it on your serving dish flat bottom side down. Now don’t worry if you have bits of cake fall off here and there. You can do what I did and use it as topping.

Here’s where you may be asking what about the frosting? You can easily make your own but for time’s sake I bought 2 containers of Betty Croker’s Rich & Creamy Cream Cheese frosting.

Take a spatula (or if you have a pastry froster that’s a plus, I know I have one somewhere in my kitchen but I scoured everywhere and I couldn’t find it so I just used a spatula), and frost the outside and top of your cut cake until it is completely covered.

Next step is your cheesecake. Open the spring form pan. Using a spatula, gently lift your cheesecake from the bottom of the pan, and place on top of your first layer of frosted cake. Frost the outside and top of your cheesecake.

Next step, take the second part of your red velvet cake and place it on top of your cheesecake, the smooth side (or un-cut side) up. Frost the side and top of second layer of cake. Then like i said, any cake that had crumbled in the process I crumbled up and sprinkled it on top.

Place cake in fridge for about an hour. When ready, remove from fridge, cut and serve.

Lucky for me this cake was every bit delicious as I hoped it would be and thankfully not too sweet despite all the frosting.

Not Pictured: “New Orleans Hurricane”
Not pictured cause my family and friends are drunks and consumed it all. I came across this drink since I’m not exactly a mixologist on some bar website. Nowadays putting together the words New Orleans and Hurricanes isn’t exactly PC. SO! I’m changing the name of it to the Drew Breeze (ha ha get it?)

- dark rum
- light rum
- pineapple juice
- orange juice
- lime juice
- grenadine syrup (or I think any fruity syrup will do personally)
- sugar
- ice

Now I don’t have any proportions why? Cause when it comes to alcoholic drinks you can put however much of whatever you want into it. Looking to get drunk? Obviously add more rum. Don’t want to get drunk? Then add more juice it’s entirely up to you. Taste it and test it.

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and serve in tall glasses and drink up.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving for many means Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pies and food comas.  Not for my family and myself — well except for maybe the food coma part.  I like being vegetarian with my family during Thanksgiving, because since we are not traditionalists it allows me to make traditional Thanksgiving items in an nontraditional manner.  Did I use traditional enough that sentence? This Thanksgiving was no different (except maybe the cornbread because my family just wanted cornbread).

Cranberry Fritters

- 1 can gelled cranberry sauce
- all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup pancake mix
- water
- powdered sugar (optional)
- vegetable oil

Heat a pot with 1 cup of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Carefully take out gelled cranberry by turning can over and running warm water on the bottom. The gel should slide out as a cylinder. Turn it to its side and cut about 1/2″ discs. You want to make sure they’re thick enough for you to handle. Put flour in one bowl and in another bowl mix water and pancake mix together to form a thick batter. Your batter MUST be thick otherwise it will not cook properly in the oil.

To test the oil take a tiny dollop of pancake batter and put in the oil. If it immediately starts fizzing and floats to the top then it’s ready. If it doesn’t wait a little bit longer. Once the oil is ready, take each cranberry disc, cover in flour on all sides, dip in pancake batter, dip again in flour, and again in pancake batter (double battering will ensure the batter stays on the gel). Slowly place in oil and allow to fry until the outside is a golden color. Using a slotted spoon, remove from oil and place on paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle powder sugar on top. Eat once cooled. Repeat with remaining discs. If the batter slips off in the oil try drying the discs with a paper towel to make it less slippery.

Jalapeno Cornbread

- 1 box cornbread mix
- water (per mix instructions)
- 1 small jalapeno

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine corn bread mix and water to create batter. Using a grater, grate one small jalapeno directly into batter. If you prefer less heat, grate the jalapeno in a separate bowl first and remove seeds. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter directly into pan. Place pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until corn bread passes the toothpick test. Once cornbread is done remove from oven an allow to cool. Cut into slices and serve.

Alton Brown’s Not-Your-Mom’s Green Bean Casserole

So as it should be noted, I can not take credit for this particular recipe as I came across it while perusing the Food Network’s site. The truth is I’ve never made green bean casserole before, in years past I just always omitted any green bean dishes. So I decided to try this out made a couple slight tweaks to it and it was by far my favorite item to eat at the Thanksgiving table

Onion Topping:
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- water

For beans:
- 1/2 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and ends trimmed
- water
- salt
- 1 bowl of ice water

For sauce:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cup white mushrooms cleaned, stems removed and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp all-spice
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cream or half and half
- salt and pepper

Add oil to a frying pan and heat on medium-high heat. In a bowl add garbanzo bean flour, water and salt  (I use garbanzo bean flour as an alternative to the traditional method of dipping things you’re planning on frying in egg.  I’ve gotten a lot of the same results using garbanzo bean flour.  You can usually find it at any middle-Eastern or Asian food stores.  If you can’t find any there you can also buy dried chick-peas and grind it to create the flour and add water and spices accordingly).  Mix to create a smooth batter. To see if oil is ready for frying gently place a small dollop of batter into oil. If it immediately floats to the top then it’s ready. If it sinks to the bottom of the pan or takes a while to come up then give the oil a few more minutes to heat. Once oil is ready dip onions in batter and gently drop into oil. Fry battered onions for 1-2 minutes or until the outside coating is a nice honey brown color. Using a slotted spoon, remove fried onions from pan and place in a paper towel lined bowl to allow any excess oil to drop off. Put onions to the side to use when ready.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt to water. Once water is boiling, add green beans and blanch for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove the beans and immediately put them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Heat a pan on medium-high heat. Melt butter or margarine. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and allspice and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour stir to combine. The liquid from the mushrooms coupled with the melted butter and flour will create a gravy-like consistency in the pan. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add cream and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

One it’s finished cooking, in a casserole dish add green beans. Pour mushroom sauce over beans. Then top with fried onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Veggie Gravy

– 3/4 cup white or brown mushrooms chopped – 1/2 yellow or white onion minced
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (unsalted margarine or vegan   margarine)
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp poultry seasoning

Heat a pan on high heat and melt the butter or margarine and add onion and mushrooms. Sautee the onions and mushrooms until the onions start to become translucent about 2-3 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add vegetable broth and soy sauce. Add flour and stir to combine. Make sure there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to low and all seasonings. Allow to cook for another 8-10 minutes stirring every 30 seconds or so until gravy thickens. Remove from heat into a gravy boat and serve

Chipotle-Orange Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups

- 2 large oranges cut in half
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 chipotle pepper from canned chipotle chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup milk (soymilk)
- 1/2 banana mashed
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- fresh orange juice (that will come from the oranges you’ve cut)

Boil sweet potatoes in a pot until they are soft to the touch. In the meantime, take your orange halves and scoop out the center with a spoon. Keep a bowl underneath to catch all the juice. Once the flesh of the orange has been removed scrape out any excess orange bits. If it’s not 100% clean inside don’t worry about it. Squeeze juice from oranges into a bowl. Repeat with each half. My recipe only serves 4 if you plan on serving to more people just increase the quantities. Place hulled oranges into a dish

Once potatoes are done peel and set aside in a large bowl. Using a masher (or your hands, whatever other tools you may have on hand) while it is still warm. Add butter and whisk mashed sweet potatoes. Add milk and continue to whisk. Add chipotle pepper, mashed bananas and orange juice and fold into potatoes. Once everything is completely folded in scoop into orange halves and place on a dish. Top with chopped pecans or walnuts.

Spanish Mac & Cheese

- 1/2 bag elbow macaroni
- 2 1/2 cups manchego cheese grated
- 2 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
- 1 cup grated onions

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt to the water. Drop in elbow macaroni and cook for 7-9 minutes or until the macaroni is al dente. Once macaroni is finished cooking, drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan begin making your cheese sauce. Heat pan on medium-high heat. Add margarine or butter and allow to melt fully before adding flour. Once you add flour, use a whisk to make sure all flour is incorporated with the melted butter. Add milk and whisk in with the roux mixture. Allow to sit for about a minute or so. Add cheese and whisk until it is melted and there are no lumps. Add grated onions and fennel seeds. Cook for about another 1-2 minutes stirring intermittently. Add macaroni directly to cheese. Fold macaroni in until it looks like everything is coated. Serve immediately.

Not pictured: Pumpkin Pie Pops

Why are these are not pictured?  Because 1. I only made a couple of them and 2. by the time I set them out to cool and came back they were already in my brother’s belly.  But here’s the recipe to make your own:

- 1 round of frozen pie crust thawed
- 1/2 can of pumpkin
- pumpkin pie seasoning (or you can use cinnamon, nutmeg separately)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- lollipop sticks

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or you can use parchment/wax paper to line the tray.

Lay out thawed pie crust dough. Using a biscuit cutter or something that is small and round and can cut, to cut circles in the dough. Don’t cut them too large because the will have to be supported by the lollipop sticks. In a bowl combine canned pumpkin with sugar and pumpkin pie seasoning. Scoop a small amount of pumpkin pie and place in the center of a circle. Place a lollipop stick, about a thumbnail’s length on one side of the dough circle and press down firmly. Place another dough circle on top of it. To seal the edges, take another lollipop stick and roll creases around the edges like an actual pie crust. Place pops on baking sheet and gently sweep on some melted butter on the outsides just so it’ll get nice and brown when it comes out of the oven. Repeat for any additional pops.

Once you are finished place pops in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until you get the brown color on the outsides. Remove from oven and allow to cool before consuming

Not pictured: Mashed Potato Croquettes
Why is this not pictured? Um…quite frankly I think I just forgot to take a photo..recipe below. Because of the nature of this dish you can make the mashed potatoes a day in advance:

- 3 large potatoes
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped Morningstar bacon (or real bacon for you meaties out there)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (soy cheese)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
- milk (plain soymilk)
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- oil for frying

Boil potatoes in a pot with water until they are tender and you can pierce them with a fork. Peel and place in a large bowl. Begin mashing potatoes with a masher (or your hand). Add butter and milk and whip potatoes with a wooden spoon if you have one otherwise a spatula or any long spoon will do. Add green onions and shredded cheese and fold in together. If the potatoes are still warm the cheese will nicely melt into it. Hit it with some salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the fridge to settle about an hour or can be left overnight.

Once you’re ready to fry scoop potatoes out and mold them either into patties or balls. Heat a pan on medium-high heat with oil. Roll them around in a plate of all purpose flour. Then roll them in a plate of panko bread crumbs. Slowly add them to the frying pan and fry until each side is nicely browned. Repeat with as many croquettes you wish to make.

Not pictured: Tofu Turkey

Why is this not pictured? Well to tell you the truth, it was because it was a bit of a disaster. You see, I hate the taste of an actual Tofurky. I’ve tried it before a couple of times and it’s just not something I can physically consume. I had an interest to make my own tofu turkey because I wanted the family to have a main course “meat” dish, and since I hadn’t the slightest idea on where to start, I went searching for some recipes and I found a few that looked pretty simple to make. Of course once I followed all the steps and did what i needed to it, it turned out nothing as what I was going for and tasted even more terrible. So in the end, we had to ditch the Tofu Turkey. Tofu Turkey FAIL.

Hope you and you families had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Happy belated Independence Day everyone! With every 4th of July it brings BBQ, Burgers and Beer (at least that’s what I think). This 4th of July was spent with my family and then an unexpected group of family friends. I had intended on making a feast since the original number in our party was supposed to be small, but with the welcome additions I reworked the menu so as not to get stuck in the kitchen all afternoon.  So I went with: Sweet Potato Fries w/Lemon Cilantro Dipping Sauce, Veggie Burgers with balsamic onions & mushroom w/a balsamic mayo, Watercress & Watermelon Salad, Green Chile Macaroni & Cheese, Blueberry & Raspberry Slushie, and Strawberry Lemonade Pie – my Vegan friends I will put substitutions for each recipe in pink so you can make the same at home

Sweet Potato Fries w/Lime Cilantro Dipping Sauce

- 1 bag frozen sweet potato fries thawed
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (vegannaise)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (vegan sour cream – try tofutti better than sour cream if you can’t find it in your store recipe to make your own below)
-  1 tsp lime zest
- 1 1/2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- salt to taste

Vegan Sour Cream
- 1/2 block firm silken tofu
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out fries on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Once fries have been cooked sprinkle Cajun seasoning over them.  In a bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest, and cilantro. Add salt as necessary.  Serve with fries.

Vegans – In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until silky smooth. Follow directions above for creating dipping sauce as follows

Watercress & Watermelon Salad

- 1 bunch fresh watercress
- 1 cup watermelon chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled (soy cheese crumbles)
- 1/4 cup summer squash (optional)
- 1/4 cup zucchini (optional)

Citrus Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or you can use bottled)
- 1/3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1/4 tsp lemon & orange zest
- salt and pepper to taste

Rinse watercress and pat dry. The nice thing about watercress is that you don’t need to remove the stems or anything you can eat as is. Throw into a salad bowl. Add chopped watermelon and feta.  If you decide to add zucchini and squash I grilled it.  Preheat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Slice zucchini and squash into thin rounds (try and keep them all the same width so that they cook evenly). Place on grill pan and light salt. Allow to grill for 4-5 minutes and flip over. Once they are done cooking add to salad.

In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon and orange juices, zest and whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into salad bowl and toss salad to coat then serve.

Veggie Burgers w/Balsamic Mayo
- 6 Morningstar Original Veggie Burger Patties (or any veggie patties you like)
- 6 sets of Hamburger buns (I used cracked whole wheat)
- 6 slices Swiss cheese (soy cheese)
- 2 cup white onion sliced into rings
- 1 cup brown mushroom sliced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Balsamic Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (vegannaise or eggless canola mayo)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat two pans on medium high heat (if possible for you).  In one pan lay out veggie patties and cook on one side for about 6-7 minutes.  In a separate pan add part of balsamic vinegar reserved for burger and onions.  Add onions and allow to cook for about 2 minutes or until soft and semi-translucent.  Add mushrooms and remainder of balsamic vinegar.  Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes then remove from heat.

Flip burgers to the other side and cook for about 5 minutes.  During the final minute or so add cheese and set on top of patty and allow it to melt.  Place a piece of foil over pan to allow fast melt and keep the patties from drying and allowing the cheese to melt quicker.  Toast buns in toaster oven for 1-2 minutes.

In a bowl combine mayo and balsamic vinegar.  Spread balsamic mayo on one side of top bun. Remove patties from heat and place in bottom buns.  Place balsamic onion & mushrooms on top of patties.  Top and serve.  Repeat steps for any additional burgers.

Green Chile Macaroni & Cheese

- 1/2 package elbow macaroni
- 2 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded (any combo of soy cheeses)
- 1 cup green chiles diced
- 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or plain bread crumbs)
- 1/4 cup milk (plain soymilk)
- 2 tbsp butter or unsalted margarine (unsalted margarine is suitable for vegans most times otherwise use a butter substitute)
- 2 tbsp unbleached white flour
- salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add macaroni and allow to cook for about 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Heat a separate pot on medium heat. Add butter and allow to melt.  Whisk in flour to create a roux.  Add milk and whisk.  Add shredded cheeses. Allow all cheese to melt.  Whisk frequently to remove any lumps. Add salt, pepper and chopped chilies.  Drain macaroni.  Add macaroni directly to pot to coat all the pasta.  Pour cheesy pasta into a baking dish. Pour bread crumbs over the top.  Bake for about 5-10 minutes in the oven.  Then broil on low setting until you get a nice crusty top.

Blueberry/Raspberry Slushie
- 1 cup frozen blueberries thawed
- 1 cup frozen raspberries thawed
- 2 tbsp sugar/sugar substitute (raw sugar)
- lemon-lime soda (i.e. Sprite, Sierra Mist) — (Diet Lemon-Lime soda)

In a blender blend raspberries and blueberries together.  Add sugar and continue blending until you get a smooth mixture.  Pour mixture into a freezer safe container (preferably something more wide than tall) — if necessary strain the mixture first to remove any seeds.  Freeze blueberry/raspberry mixture for at least an hour (i did it overnight).  When ready to make slushies, remove mixture from freezer and allow to slightly thaw.  Using an ice cream scooper, scoop slightly frozen berry mixture and put into glasses about halfway full.  Pour lemon-lime soda to top of glass. Serve with straws.

Strawberry Lemonade Pie

- 1 pre-made graham cracker crust (Vegans make your own crust below)
- 1 cup strawberries chopped pureed (frozen strawberries are ok just thaw first)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (bottled is also fine)
- 1/3 cup sugar/sugar substitute (raw sugar)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 egg (egg substitute — you can buy egg substitutes at your local grocery store)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Vegan Crust:
- 8-10 whole graham crackers crushed to crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar/raw sugar
- 1/3 cup melted unsalted/vegan margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a blender, combine pureed strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, zest and egg and pulse  for about one minute.  Add flour and baking powder. Blend until you get a smooth mixture.  Pour filling into ready-made crust.  Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set.  Once pie is finished remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once pie has cooled put in the fridge for at least an hour to an hour and half before serving.  When ready to serve add mint leaves for garnish, slice and eat!

Vegans – in a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine and stir. In a circular pan pour in graham cracker mixture. Press down on the bottom and sides of the pan to form crust. You may slightly pre-bake the crust if you’d like by placing in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then follow the instructions above.