Baked Zucchini Boats (Only 128 calories!)

Are you looking for a recipe that is fun to make, delicious, esthetically plesasing, and low in calories? Oh.. and vegan... did we mention vegan? Well then look no further! Our Baked Zucchini Boats are only 128 calories each!

Also, they are already conveniently located in the My Fitness Pal food database. Haven't been on My Fitness Pal? Well, if you're looking to drop a few pounds or simply keep track of your exercise/calorie intake then you should check it out! It is a wonderful site we have both been using for a couple years to regulate our health and fitness goals.

We plan on adding more of our recipes into the food database on MFP but for right now we just have these guys. Once you cook up these Zucchini Boats just search: "Two Vegan Ladies" and they will pop up!

Note: MFP listing is for 1 boat. Does not include pasta or additional boats. A full meal serving-size to us is 2 boats. So about 256 calories. (Not bad for a whole meal!) But we programed the listing as 1 boat so you can regulate it as you see fit. One boat would make a delicious snack.

So let's get to it!

You will need:

2-4 raw zucchinis
1 package firm tofu
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
garlic powder
salt
pepper
dried basil
dried Italian seasoning
spray oil
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 block Vegan Gourmet Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Cheese
green onions

First, preheat oven to 350ºF then cut each zucchini in half length-wise and, with a spoon, scoop out seeds. You want to scoop out all the pulp until you have a nice cavern for your stuffing. Set pulp to side (you're gonna need it in a minute!)

Next, in a food processor, combine tofu, nutritional yeast, and all spices. Now, you didn't think we were gonna waste all that delicious and nutritious zucchini pulp, did you? Throw all those pulp guts and seeds right into the food processor with your tofu and spices and blend until thick and creamy.

Now, fill each of your hollowed out zucchini halves with about 2-3 tablespoons of the tofu mixture. Fill them right to the top but to do not overflow.

Spray a casserole dish with a little cooking spray and lay out your stuffed zucchini boats so they fit snuggly. The set in oven.

Let's talk about sauce while our boats cook for about 15 minutes. Canned tomato sauce can be a little bland so it's up to you whether or not you want to flavor it up a bit first before adding it to your boats. We like to quickly throw it in a small sauce pan with some garlic powder and other dried seasonings just to give it a little more kick.

You could also use any homemade or canned sauce of your choice here, but note that the My Fitness Pal database numbers will only reflect the 8oz canned sauce.

Either way, once your sauce is ready to go and 15 minutes has elapsed, pull out the boats. Turn heat up to 450ºF.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of sauce to the top of each zucchini boat. Make sure you spread it out over the whole thing so the flavor will be even.

Next, with a cheese grater, finely grate Vegan Gourmet Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Cheese on top of the saucy boats. Try not to add more than a tablespoon or a tablespoon and a half to each one.

Then chop some green onions and sprinkle on the top for garnish. Place casserole dish back into oven. (Which should now be heated to 450ºF.)

Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese starts to get really melty and just slightly browned. You may even want to stick the boats under the broiler for just a second before pulling them out depending on how you like your cheese.

Let cool for a few minutes then serve.

These are very yummy as they are but we did serve ours on a bed of pasta that night. They would also go nicely with a side of steamed veggies.

They keep very well in the fridge, so don't be afraid to make a bunch at once!

Enjoy and don't forget add this dish into your My Fitness Pal diary! Just search: Two Vegan Ladies!

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies
 

Vegantastic Shrimp Parmesan!

Years ago when we were still eating seafood, eggs, and diary products there were few meals we enjoyed more than a good shrimp parmesan. Reserved for special occasions, like anniversaries and Valentine's Day, Jenna would whip up a huge pan of cheese covered breaded shrimp and serve it with a huge helping of pasta and garlic bread.

A lot has changed since then. For one, we no longer consume any animal-based products. Thank goodness! For two, we try to make better eating choices in general when it comes to meals like this. As in, pasta made from vegetables and smaller portions. We also load the marinara sauce up with veggies and mushrooms and split a piece of garlic bread half the size of what we would have eaten years ago.

With all that said, making the change from shrimp to the plant-based seafood made by Sophie's Kitchen, The Vegg instead of egg yolk, Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese, and Garden Delight Veggie Pasta drastically reduces the negative caloric and fat intake a meal like this would typically include. So feel free to make it on any "special" occasion. Like getting a good grade on a test or remembering to take a shower... okay any reason at all!

These substitutes are much lower in calories and fat and.... they are amazingly tasty!

This meal is going to include a lot of different vegan products and is a great opportunity to try out a variety of these speciality vegan creations.

You will need:

Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Prawns
The Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese
Garden Delight Pasta (or pasta of your choice)
Bread Crumbs
Oil for pan-frying
Pasta Sauce (loaded with veggies of choice and/or mushrooms)
Fresh Bread
Earth Balance
Garlic Powder
Nutritional Yeast

So to begin, Sophie's Kitchen is a great company which offers a wide variety of frozen seafood-like products like breaded fish fillets and vegan prawns. They also offer a breaded shrimp which would probably work great for this recipe but we were really eager to try out a new product called "The Vegg" so we went with the unbreaded variety.

The Vegg is the world's first totally vegan egg yolk. This is the first time we have used it and let us tell you- yes, it looks like egg. Yes, it is the texture of egg. Yes, it works in recipes like egg. But more than any of that... this stuff SMELLS like egg. After blending it up to use for breading the vegan prawns we were so overwhelmed and impressed with how much this vegan product resembles actual egg yolk. You have to give this stuff a try. People are making some amazing things with it like french toast, and fried "eggs"... we are really eager to keep working with it.

Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese is always amazing. Palm oil free, super melty, and full of flavor. Just how we like it! If you're worried about missing cheese after taking the vegan plunge, don't worry, this compassionate cheese has you covered.

Now, to the recipe.

First, mix your Vegg with water and blend according to directions on bag. You will only need enough to dip your prawns in for breading purposes.

Next, heat a pan to medium-high heat with some oil for frying and fill a shallow bowl or plater with bread crumbs.

Then, dip each of your prawns into The Vegg until covered in liquid and then put immediately into the bread crumbs until well coated.

If pan is ready and well heated set your coated prawns in the oil and fry both sides until golden brown. Set on paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil.

Now, prepare your mariana sauce of choice and make sure to add a good amount of peppers, onions, fresh garlic, and mushrooms. You will need about two cups of sauce.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut your vegan cheese in slices from the block. Each slice should be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick at most- you want them to melt pretty evenly in the oven.

Layer a shallow baking pan with 1/4 sauce, followed by breaded prawns, then 1/4 cup sauce and cheese.

Let bake in over for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil your noodles. When we can't get a hold of local noodles made from veggies we default to a product Ronzoni makes called Garden Delight. They can be found in most grocery stores and the nutrition is much better compared to most common pasta varieties. Not that you will be able to taste much of a difference. Less starchy and processed perhaps. But that's about all.

By the time your noodles are boiled it should be about time to check on your prawns. If the cheese is not yet browning set on top rack of oven and broil for just a few seconds. This will happen fast! Then remove from oven and set aside.

Turn your oven back down to 350ºF and spread some Earth Balance on a piece of french bread or fresh bread of your choice. Then top with grated garlic or garlic powder. You could also add some some dried basil/oregano and perhaps a little dried red pepper. Bake for just a few minutes until Earth Balance is melted and bread begins to crisp.

You could alternatively make some of our quick and easy Impressive Bread in a pinch.

Now, everything should be ready to serve. Drain your noodles and top with remaining sauce on a large plate or in a large bowl. This meal is all about family style serving!

Bring over some tongs/spatulas and serve-up the pasta/sauce, garlic bread, and baked cheesy prawns. We also made a salad to go on the side. Gotta throw in more veggies anywhere you can!

Serve with a side of Nutritional Yeast for a cheesy flavored topping!

We hope you enjoy this meal. It is certainly one of our favroties. And honestly, when you can still make a delicious creulty-free shrimp parmesan, with the help of companies like Sophie's Kitchen, The Vegg, and Follow Your Heart- what reason is there not to go vegan?

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

Vegan Chick-Fil-GAY!

With all the recent controversy surrounding Chick-Fil-A and their proceeds going to anti-gay organizations we have seen a lot of recipes floating around replicating the classic chicken sandwich minus the hate. These recipes are helping former patrons of the fast-food chain who believe the rights of others are more important than their lunch continue to boycott the restaurant and enjoy the food they have grown to love.

Now, if you're a vegan or vegetarian, or just like to eat more on the healthy side, we know- you were boycotting Chick-Fil-A before it was cool.

Well aside from some the occasional waffle fry or maybe a salad sans cheese and croutons, right?

To be honest, we found out about where Chick-Fil-A sent a portion of its profits about a year ago and haven't eaten there since. Doing so just seemed a lot like masochism, however, we also weren't faced with any cravings for chicken sandwiches (for obvious reasons) so avoiding the drive-thru really didn't bother us.

So here we are, with all these gay-friendly chicken recipes floating around the web for our meat-eating friends of Dorothy... and yet the fact still stands... chickens must die in order to replicate these sandwiches.

It sort of seems a shame not to use this opportunity to share a recipe we have created as a response to all the recent coverage that is not only hate-free, but also creulty-free. In the end, isn't what we're after?

Equality for all? Including chickens?

We came up with this little recipe which can be fried like a classic Chick-Fil-A sandwich or grilled for a more healthful option. The choice is yours!

You will need:

Arrowhead Mills Vital Wheat Gluten Mix (or seitan mix of your choice)
1 jar of sliced dill pickles
Buns

For breading you will need:

Flour
Dill Pickle Juice
Corn Starch
Salt
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Canola Oil
Earth Balance


So first, decide if you are going to fry or grill or seitan patties. If you plan on grilling you will only need the first 3 ingredients.

Now, prepare your seitan cutlets by using the directions on the box then molding your cutlets into a slightly assemtrical and thicker shape.

Then set them in a pan of veggie stock and let them simmer for 1 hour. (Or whatever you box directs) Our box of Arrowhead Mills Vital Wheat Gluten made about 6 cutlets of seitan. 

Once finished, let them sit on a separate plate and cool for just a few minutes. Now, this is the choose your own adventure portion of our recipe. 

If you would like to grill them- then place your patties either on a skillet with light oil and salt and pepper the outside or use something like a George Foreman Grill to get those nice grill lines.

Once grilled, heat your bun by wrapping it in tin foil and placing in the preheated oven (probably 250-300 degrees F) for a few minutes.

Optional: coat both sides of bun with Earth Balance before putting in oven. It will make it extra savory.

The assembly is simple. Place sietan cutlet on bun with desired number of dill pickles and then other half of bun.

Enjoy with choice of sauce.

Tip: A pretty tasty mock honey mustard can be made with the right balance of deli mustard, yellow mustard, cider vinegar,Veganaise, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Give it a whirl sometime.

Now, if you've skipped ahead to page 21 and chosen to prepare your patty the southern-fried way- let's do it!

Heat a skillet with a good amount of canola oil to about medium-high.

While it is heating mix 1 1/2 cups of flour with half a teaspoon of each- salt, pepper, and paprika and place on a flat plate or shallow dish.

In a smaller bowl or dish combine 1/3 jar of dill pickle juice with 3 tbsp of cornstarch and blend well. This stuff will get sticky and thick. Just keep stirring it.

Dip your cutlets in the cornstarch and pickle juice and coat well- then put immediately into the dry flour mix until totally covered.

Place each coated cutlet/patty into your heated canola oil and let cook on both sides until browned. They may come out looking a little grayer than expected, but don't worry- they'll taste just fine. The flour may also start to look a little piecey... again, no worries, it's yummy.

Once cooked throughly, remove from oil and set on paper plates to drain excess greasy stuff.

The assembly is the same. Prepare your buns by spreading Earth Balance on inside and outside then wrapping in tin foil and heating in preheated oven (probably 250-300 degrees F) for a few minutes.

Place seitan patty on bottom bun, followed by desired number of pickles, and then top bun.

For the full experience serve with waffle fries.

We shared this recipe creation with a friend the night we prepared it and not one of us got off the couch for 3 hours after eating. So keep that in mind! It sure was yummy, but next time we're opting for the grilled version!

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies