Avocado Nacho Bowls (Great for Parties!)

First off, our apologies for not posting a new blog since... October... whoa! We've been having a lot of success with our Etsy shop (check the right side bar!) and have been very busy getting our new url going. We have managed to maintain the Facebook/Instagram/Twitter but have been neglecting the blog since VeganMoFo ended. Sorry! Soon to be remedied! We have lots of write-ups for vegan-friendly destinations and restaurants we have visited in the last few months in the works, and of course, tons of recipes to share!

Now, if you've been following us on Instagram then you've probably seen these little avocado nacho bowls pop up in your feed. We have had a lot of requests for the recipe and we are more than happy to share it!




-For the basic recipe-

You will need:
1 small avocado
1/2 cup Daiya or other vegan cheese (cheddar or pepper jack is best)
Salt
Pepper

What to do:

First, cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.

Then, fill the hole with vegan cheese and continue to stack on top until covered with a vegan cheese mountain.

Bake in toaster oven at 450º for 10-15 minutes. Could be longer depending on your toaster oven. (Alternatively, you can bake in a conventional oven at 425º for 20 minutes.) Work with it a bit if needed. The goal is to get the avocado soft enough to eat with firm tortilla chips and melt the cheese throughly without burning it to a crisp.

Once removed from oven sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with firm tortilla chips.

Make tons of them if you want! They're fantastic for parties!


We've seen some great variations of this little recipe already.

eatmygraaains did a version with jalapenos and mixed vegan cheeses that looked really awesome on Instagram.

We also experimented by filling the avocado holes with salsa and topping them with grape tomatoes before baking. That was pretty yummy as well!

We would love to see your take on this idea! If you make this appetizer please take a picture and tag us on Instagram! @twoveganladies

We'll be back soon with more blog posts! In the meantime don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and of course Instagram.

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

VeganMoFo! Day One: Lentil Sliders

Happy Vegan Month of Food! 

We thought long and hard about where to start for this wonderful occasion and decided lentil slider burgers were where it's at- for three reasons.

1. They're so easy and yummy!

2. It's football season and we're sure there are plenty of vegans looking for a familiar looking snack to share with their football loving omnivorous friends.

3. We made 24 of them last night for our monthly vegan potluck and we're just dying to share the recipe with everyone!


This is our first time participating in VeganMoFo so welcome MoFoers and we hope you enjoy this first recipe!

*Note: Recipe is for two dozen sliders. Can easily be cut down for smaller meals.

You will need:
1 bag of lentils
6 tablespoons Ener-g Egg Replacer
2 cups Matzo Meal
4 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Dry Basil
Cumin
Liquid Smoke (just a few drops, totally optional)
Olive Oil

Really these are the three ingredients that create the patty. Everything else is for flavoring. 

What to do:

First, boil 4 cups of water. Once boiling add in entire bags of lentils. Let boil for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat and cover for 15-20 minutes. You can alternatively use veggie stock instead of water to add more flavor, but it is not necessary.

Next, uncover lentils and get out the food processor while your lentils cool down. You don't want to put them in when they're super hot or you may explode your food processor... and no one wants that. We all know our food processors are like an extension of our vegan souls.

Also, don't worry if the lentils seem liquidy. You want that liquid for the mix.

Now, in a small cup mix 3 tablespoons of Ener-g powder with 3/4 cup warm water. Stir well.

Next, in the food processor mix 1/2 of the cooked lentils with 1/2 cup Matzo Meal and just prepared Ener-g/warm water mix with a few pinches of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, basil, cumin, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino, and liquid smoke (if using). 

Blend well. You may need to add in a little more warm water to get a good mix. 

It's going to seem a little thin. No worries. Spoon the mix into a bowl and add 1/2 cup more Matzo Meal then stir well. Your mix should be thicker and ready to use now.

*Note: You may also consider adding in things like roasted garlic, onions, peppers or other veggies or more spices to the mix before frying.

This prepared mix will make 12 slider patties. Just repeat the process to make the other 12. You want the mix to be fresh so hold off on making the rest until you throw a few patties in the pan.

Now, heat a pan to medium and add a teaspoon of oil.

Wet hands (this is important, if you don't the mix will stick to you) and form patties to desired size. We make them small enough to fit on dinner rolls but they could also be made standard burger size. Whatever you're into.

Cook on each side until golden brown. Repeat until all mix is cooked into patties.

Place on buns and serve with whatever toppings you would like. We like ketchup, spicy deli mustard, red onion, and pickles. 

Lettuce, tomato, and veganaise is good too!

Game day, potluck, or just dinner at home -we highly suggest sharing these yummy guys with a group!

Also, this mix can be made into just about any shape before hitting the pan. 

Lentil hot dogs anyone?

And again, Happy Vegan Month of Food!

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

The Two Vegan Ladies Etsy Store (Special Deal!)

Hello everyone!

The Two Vegan Ladies Etsy Store is having a soft opening celebration by offering our vegan tofu jerky in 24 piece snack packs for the special price of only $10 per pack!

Check the side bar or click this link for more information!

Two Vegan Ladies Etsy Store

More items to come including our chemical-free laundry soap, natural flouride-free toothpaste, chemical-free hand soap, and much more!

We'll keep you informed as we update our offerings!

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

For the Kids: Babbling Beetles Over Bananas!

So here's a little something from The Two Vegan Ladies for our younger followers. It's a great breakfast or snack and it's really quick and easy to make. This is something you parents out there can certainly have fun making with your kids. And it's good for them!


Babbling Beetles Over Bananas!


Don't worry, no adorable insects were harmed in the making of this dish! We call them babbling beetles because when you add all the ingredients together you're going to hear something magical!


What you'll need:
One Banana
1/4 Cup Whole Raw Almonds
1/2 Teaspoon of Brown Sugar


First, grab a square of aluminum foil and spread your raw almonds out evenly on it.


Then, stick your aluminum sheet in the toaster oven (or conventional oven) and toast for about 5-7 minutes. If you're using a conventional oven preheat to 375º first and try 8-10 minutes.




Now, while your almonds are getting nice and toasty peel your banana.

Did you know humans are the only animal who open their bananas from the top stem? All other animals pinch either side of the bottom portion and pull the peel apart! Give it a try!




Next, cut or break your banana into medium size pieces and set them in the bottom of a cereal sized bowl.

Are your almonds ready? Don't they smell delicious?



Carefully remove your toasted almonds from your oven or toaster oven and slide them in your bowl on top of your banana pieces.



Now for the last step sprinkle your brown sugar on top, and listen! Do you hear the beetles talking and scurrying around with the bananas? Magic!


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

Delicious Tofu Jerky

Last year we were determined to get a food dehydrator. We didn't know what we were going to make in it and had never used one before, but for some reason it had become a priority.

So in the winter Jenna's aunt gave us one as gift and the dehydrating experiments began.

We dried a lot of fruits and veggies. Made some kale chips and a few other random creations, but overall the best creation was our jerky. Funny because it's really the easiest and most versatile item you can make.

Not to mention that these little tofu jerkys make fantastic snacks!

If you don't have one already, consider adding a dehydrator to your kitchen appliances. It's really amazing what can be done with them.


The one we have is very easy to use. There is literally one button- on/off. Some of them have temperature settings and other fancy things, but for now this one has suited our needs just fine. If you're looking into buying one here's a link to our model: Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator

Two Vegan Ladies Vegan Jerky

You will need:
A block of firm tofu
Your marinade of choice
Spices (varies by recipe)
1/2 cup water

1. Press your tofu to get out any excess water. You want to do this mostly because it will dehydrate a little faster. Tofu will absorb anything it sets in so when it's removed from the packaging it is full of the water it gets packed in. If you put some paper towels on either side and put a heavy plate on top for an hour or so that should do the trick.

They also sell fancy tofu presses which get ALL the water out,  but the old fashioned will work just fine for this recipe.

2. Cut your tofu into strips. You'll want your strips to be a maximum of about 1/4 inch thick. Any thicker and it will take ages to dehydrate throughly. Keep in mind if you slice them thin they will come out more on the chewy side. This step really depends on how you like your jerky. If you want to rip it with your teeth than thinner may be the way to go. We like them to be easy to chew so we go somewhere in the middle to 1/4 inch thick.

3. Now let's talk marinade. You can really go any direction with this. Spicy, tangy, sweet, fruity, peppery, barbecue, teriyaki, ginger- the possibilities are endless. You can also do any combination of these flavors and create something truly unique! Our favorite is tangy/sweet barbecue. All you need is a vegan barbecue sauce (most barbecue sauces are vegan, just double check the ingredients. Some may use chicken fat or whey, but most will be good to go!), salt, pepper, garlic powder, maybe a little dried basil and then maybe a pinch of raw cane sugar or a drizzle of molasses depending on the flavor you're going for.

Add 1/4 cup- 1/2 water and set your cut tofu strips into a tupperware filled with your marinade creation making sure all are coated.

4. Refrigerate and let sit in marinade for a day or more. We like to give our tupperware a swirl every 12 hours or so just to make sure everything is coated and getting the full flavor. The longer they sit the more the tofu will absorb the flavor, but we would suggest no longer than 3 days or so.

5. When you feel like they are ready remove your strips one and a time, let the excess marinade drip off, and set them on the various racks of your dehydrator. Give them each about an inch of space if you can. You should have plenty of racks to make this possible.

6. Set your dehydrator lid on top (or slide the drawer or whatever your model does) and hit the "on" button! Six hours seems to be the magic number with our dehydrator but it may vary depending on your style or desired texture. We suggest checking on them periodically and flipping them when you feel like they're half way through. Flipping them will give you those cool looking grill marks!

They're about half-way done here.

In about 6 hours you'll have delicious tofu jerky! It will be warm when it first comes out so let it sit for a bit to cool down and let the flavor set.





Now, just pack them up in a clean tupperware and
enjoy! This is a great little snack to share with friends.
Especially the ones skeptical of your vegan diet- because it's
delicious!

This recipe can also be easily expanded so several blocks of tofu and various flavors can be made at the same time. Because undoubtedly you will be getting some requests after the first taste!

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies