Crescent Roll Pot Pies

Crescent Roll Pot Pies by Vegan Outreach

By Toni Okamoto

I was browsing around Pinterest and was inspired by this recipe. The ingredients in that are obviously not vegan, so I tried to make a much better version. This is what I came up with!

In my mini pot pies, I used frozen peas and corn with fresh diced carrots and potatoes. I steamed the veggies for about 8 minutes before adding them to the gravy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1 package of crescent rolls (8)
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed frozen or fresh veggies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Start by either boiling or microwaving the water and bouillon cube until it’s a well mixed broth, then set it aside.

Over medium heat, put oil and onions into a small sauce pan and cook until the onions become translucent. Lower the temperature, add flour and stir until your roux has a smooth consistency. Add broth and stir over low heat until it thickens.

Line cupcake tin with dough triangles. Add cooked veggies to the gravy and let them cook again for 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon the gravy/vegetable mixture into the dough triangles and wrap the dough. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

By Toni Okamoto, Recipe by Alex Bury

This week we celebrated the birthday of Vegan Outreach’s cofounder and Executive Director, Jack Norris. You can read more about him by clicking the link attached to his name, but all you really need to know is that he loves turtles (specifically Richard, his companion turtle, who we recently found may be female), playing ultimate frisbee, and eating Cincinnati chili.

To celebrate Jack’s special day, his wonderful wife, Alex (who is also a dedicated animal rights activist and talented vegan chef),  made our office his favorite meal. Below, you can see a photo of how happy her thoughtfulness made Jack.

Jack and his Cincinnati chili

Our Office Manager, Josie, and I were very skeptical about chili being served on spaghetti, but thankfully Jack is a true Cincinnatian and walked us through the proper serving presentation. The order being: pasta, chili, onions, vegan cheese, and crackers (right before you eat it).

Cincinnati chili

The recipe was so delicious that I asked Alex to share it with the world. Here it is, we hope you enjoy it as much as Jack and the Vegan Outreach staff!

Hungry Jack

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole yellow onion, diced small (and separated into 2 batches)
  • 1/2 carrot, diced very small
  • 1 tbsp canola or safflower oil
  • 1 packet Cincinnati Recipe chili mix
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (get one that’s “fire roasted” if you can)
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 package spaghetti
  • 1 package of your favorite vegan ground meat (Beyond Meat, Lightlife, Gardein, etc.)
  • 1 package of your favorite vegan cheese, shredded (I used Follow Your Heart cheddar, but Daiya also works great)
  • 1 bag oyster soup crackers

Directions:

Sauté half the diced onion and the diced carrot in the oil, on medium heat, for 5 minutes.

Add the spice mix. Stir to coat with oil and toast it a little bit.

Add the tomato products right after. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain.

Add the crumbles. If it seems too thick, add 1/4 cup water or so. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve the chili over the spaghetti. Top with shredded vegan cheese, diced onions, and oyster crackers.

Pizza Braid

Recipe by Toni Okamoto

This pizza braid is incredibly easy to throw together, and absolutely delicious to eat! It’s great for potlucks, sports parties, family nights, or just because. You can also separate the pieces, freeze them, and have lunch for the week!

In addition to being easy and tasty, it is also a very versatile recipe. You can choose to make your own crust, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, skip the vegan cheese or pepperoni if you’re on a budget, use any kind of sauce (pesto, BBQ, marinara)…the options for the pizza are limitless!

Recipe for Vegan Pizza Braid by Vegan Outreach!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can Pillsbury classic pizza crust, or any vegan crust
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese (Daiya or Follow Your Heart)
  • 2/3 cup vegan pepperoni slices (Tofurky or Yves)
  • Any other favorite vegan pizza toppings

Directions:

Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Sauté or steam onion and bell pepper until fully cooked.

Unroll pizza crust and press into a 10-x-13-inch rectangle onto prepared baking sheet. Use a knife to cut 8 equal strips along each of the two longer edges, leaving a 3-inch space down the center of the dough rectangle.

Spoon pizza sauce along the center of the pizza dough, then sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the vegan shredded cheese. Top with cooked veggie toppings, then sprinkle 3/4 cup shredded cheese.

Starting from one end, fold strips of dough over the filling to the center, so the ends overlap and it looks braided. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese and pepperoni.

Bake 20 minutes until crust is golden brown and baked through.

Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream

By Lori Stultz, Outreach Coordinator

Vegan Girl Scout Cookies

This vegan ice cream creation was inspired by three fellow Vegan Outreach colleagues: Jack, Alex, and Josie. I received a box of Peanut Butter Patties in the mail about a week after wrapping up my spring leafleting tour. On top of the box there was a sticky note that read, “Thanks for your hard work this semester! –Josie, Jack, and Alex.” I was as equally excited about the cookies as I was touched by their recognition.

Peanut Butter Patties

For those of you who are unaware, there are a total of four—yes, four—vegan Girl Scout cookies: Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lot, Peanut Butter Patties, and Thin Mints.

I put the box of cookies in the freezer and, admittedly, forgot about them. A few days later I was putting bananas in the freezer so I could make banana ice cream later on, and I noticed the forgotten box of cookies. That’s when I had the idea to make a vegan Girl Scout cookie flavored ice cream.

The original plan was to make Peanut Butter Patty flavored ice cream, but knowing that I’d want to share the recipe if this ice cream experiment went well, I decided to go with the ever-popular Thin Mint. A few days later, I got my hands on a box of Thin Mints and went to work.

Thin Mints

I don’t mean to brag, but this was definitely one of the better ideas I’ve had in a long time. The result was a creamy bowl of Thin Mint deliciousness.

Thin Mint Ice Cream

Serves about 2-3.

Ingredients

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • ½ cup vanilla or plain flavored dairy-free yogurt (I used So Delicious Vanilla)
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint flavor (or peppermint extract)
  • Optional: 2-3 crunched up Thin Mint cookies

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients (except the cookies) in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend for 20-30 seconds, until it takes on a thick, creamy texture. Be careful not to over blend.
  2. Divide the ice cream into serving bowls and crunch a cookie or two over the top of each serving.

Raise Funds for VO by Joining Team Vegan!

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

Team Vegan Volunteers

Team Vegan Members: Vic Sjodin, Pablo Piglet, Ricky McCallum, and Brian and Emily

Raising money for the work of Vegan Outreach is a team effort all year long. From Josie Moody, who does a thousand jobs including keeping our donor records updated, to Alex Bury, who since January has been providing expertise in a variety of ways, to our Outreach Coordinators and other staff who are out there talking to the masses about VO’s work and why we do it. It really takes a village, and I’m so lucky to work with brilliant and compassionate people like these.

I’m even luckier that in May and June, our team gets even bigger–thanks to the volunteers of Team Vegan! This fundraising campaign, in which all donations are matched by a small group of philanthropists, brings together folks from all walks of life to raise funds for VO’s work. From activists to athletes to VO staff and everything in between, dozens of folks roll up their sleeves and make a huge difference for animals.

How does it work? Simply visit the Team Vegan website and click “Register” to get started. You’ll choose a username, a photo, and a fundraising goal, and you’ll write a little about who you are and why you care about spreading compassion for animals. I’m here to help–with writing this text, or deciding the best ways to ask friends and family to donate. Some Team Vegan members choose an activity to go along with their fundraising–running a 5K, leafleting, or doing anything else you want.

For inspiration, check out what some Team Vegan members are doing:

VO’s Director of Outreach, Vic Sjodin, has been in a cast for the last two months. For every $50 donation to his page, he will walk one mile! He’s raising money for animals as he literally gets back on his feet after an injury. Go Vic!

VO Board Member Melissa Li enlisted her beloved Chihuahua, Pablo, to help her raise funds. If he makes his goal, Pablo will participate in a doggy dash or help Melissa leaflet.

Ricky McCallum wants to help Vegan Outreach while helping friends, family, and neighbors with their computer issues! He suggests a $20-per-hour donation to his Team Vegan page. So creative!

Emily and Brian are a father-daughter fundraising team. While they’re not sure yet what activity they want to do, they’re not wasting any time before starting to raise funds. Their Team Vegan page is up and running with a great photo and story to inspire donations!

Get in on the fun now! Register for your own Team Vegan page today.

Thank you!

Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero

Reviewed by Josie Moody.

What’s one of the best things about being vegan? Testing out new recipes, of course!

I had the perfect opportunity do so using Terry Hope Romero’s newest cookbook, Vegan Eats World: 300 International Recipes for Savoring the Planet.

Her previous cookbooks, Veganomicon, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World all have homes in my cookbook library.

This book was user friendly in so many ways. It has easy, readable directions, colorful pictures and a mixture of recipes that left me wondering how one woman could continue to come up with interesting and tasty ways to prepare food.

I flipped through the pages, trying to decide which recipes would, literally, make the cut. Although the book focuses on dishes from around the world, I wanted to choose twists on something familiar. I also didn’t want to blow my grocery budget on expensive, obscure ingredients. Luckily, it was easy to do as recipes are categorized based on the time needed to prepare, ingredients, level of difficulty, expense, and more.

See below for the three recipes I chose and how they turned out.

I look forward to using Vegan Eats World again and again as I go on many more excursions, all from the comfort of my own kitchen!

Peruvian Purple Potato Salad

From Vegan Eats World

1 1/2 pounds purple potatoes
3 tablespoons aji amarillo paste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
A few twists of freshly ground pepper
4 scallions, sliced as thinly as possible
3 ripe red tomatoes, core and seeds removed and finely diced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pits removed and sliced
1 ripe avocado, diced into 1/2 inch chunks and tossed with 2 teaspoons lime juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions:

1. Peel the potatoes, dice into 1 inch cubes, place in a 3-quart pot, and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to boil over high heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes or until very tender, then drain.

2. In a mixing bowl whisk together aji amarillo paste, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup cooked potato chunks and with fork or potato masher, mash the potato into a chunky puree. Add the remaining potatoes, scallions, tomatoes and olives. Use a rubber spatula to fold the potatoes into the dressing.

3. Mound the salad onto a serving platter or into deep bowls and arrange chunks of avocado on top. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

Like many recipes, the part that actually took the longest was preparing the items for the dish. After everything was measured out, chopped and whisked, creating the actual salad was almost effortless.

My biggest concern while preparing it was that it would be dry due to the starchiness of the potatoes. This, however was not the case, as the lime-salt-olive oil-aji amarillo blend created the perfect amount of moisture, with a hint of flavor that by no means overwhelmed the dish. I was pleasantly surprised as well with how much the chopped kalamata’s added a zesty complement to this side.

A couple of notes: If you cannot find aji amarillo, curry paste (available in most grocery stores) could work as well. This potato salad also tasted great reheated the next day for my lunch. It seemed to absorb more of the flavor, and some leftover peas I tossed in there were a great addition.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe for simple Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies on the Vegan Outreach blog!

By Toni Okamoto

Who doesn’t love homemade chocolate chip cookies? In addition to tasting just like your grandma’s cookies, this recipe is easy to make and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. They’re perfect for potlucks, movie nights, and Santa Claus loves them, too!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup margarine, room temp
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, beat sugar, margarine, oil, water, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add liquid mixture and chocolate chips, and mix well.

Scoop spoon-sized portions onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Peach Frozen Yogurt

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By Toni Okamoto

Summertime weather has officially taken over my hometown Sacramento, California! Since the outside temperature is a blistering 108 degrees, the last thing I want to do is use my oven to make a dessert. I whipped this up in minutes and it was perfectly cooling and magically delicious!

For the non-dairy yogurt I highly recommend Silk’s new creamy yogurt. It’s easy to find in many conventional grocery stores, and tastes much better than dairy yogurt!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 16oz bag of frozen peaches
  • 1/2  cup plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons of agave
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

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Directions: Add all the ingredients to a food processor or high powered blender, mix until creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Be careful not to over-blend to avoid melting.

Lighter Culture

Pasta Puttanesca

By Jon Camp, Vegan Outreach Executive Vice President

Whether you’re new to vegan eating or are a long-time vegan looking to shake things up in your kitchen, eating vegan just got a lot easier, thanks to Lighter, a Boston start-up. Lighter provides a personal nutritionist who creates your custom menus and has all your groceries delivered right to your door. The company is on a mission to make healthy eating convenient, affordable, and delicious.

How it works is: You sign up for a meal plan, and once a week, Lighter delivers a week’s worth of groceries and the recipes for however many meals you selected. You can select which ingredients you don’t wish to be in your recipes, the ideal amount of prep time you’d like, and you can pause your plan for as long as you need.

Around a month ago, I decided to give this a shot. I opted for the plan that provides 9 meals a week. I asked that olives (yuck) not be included in my recipes, but that anything else was fair game, and that prep time for my average meal be 15-30 minutes. I pay $65 a week, and each Monday, a friendly individual knocks on my door with a bag full of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, spices, and some snacks. I receive an email with my recipes for the week, and I’m all set.

Some of my favorite meals so far have “Quick Thai Chickpeas,” “Pasta Puttanesca,” and “Zesty Sweet Potatoes & Black Beans.” Not only are these meals more consistently delicious, interesting, and healthy than what I had been eating in my pre-Lighter days, they’re remarkably simple to make and I’m not having to hem and haw over what I’m going to eat or where I’m going to find the recipe. I’m a busy guy, and I’m not known for my culinary creativity. Having a variety of pre-designed healthy meals has been a big boon to my wellbeing; I feel great while on the plan, and I’ve shed a few pounds that I had been wanting to shed.

Lighter now delivers in: Atlanta, Austin, Boulder, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

To learn more, visit www.lighterculture.com.