Cooking With Dia

Wow, already day nine of this mad experiment. Didn’t think I’d get this far, eh? Well, I did. Now, finally for you I made something savory. For my American friends, a sausage roll is something the British snack on. At parties here in jolly ol’ England, there is usually a mountain of mini sausage rolls. I was thinking how funny it would be to veganize them and not tell anyone, to see if they could taste the difference. For the ninth day of Christmas Dia makes for you…something savory-vegan sausage rolls!!!!!!

I am going to be posting 12 recipes for Christmas, all vegan and all scrumptalicious. I am a big Christmas person, some may find us Christmas people extremely annoying, but I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

This soup is nice, thick and spicy, but not too rich. I would suggest serving it in small soup bowls as an appetizer rather than bigger portions for a main course. I chose to slow cook mine over 4 hours, but you don’t have to wait that long! I just find [...]

It had been a rough week for me, so I needed a chocolaty treat! And yes, this is a vegan cheesecake–no dairy products in this whatsoever! I actually made my own vegan sweet cheese to put in the cake because the UK is lacking in any kind of vegan products. I know in the US you have vegan cream cheese, so if you would like to substitute it with that, it will be quicker. But if you would like to try to make some easy homemade vegan cheese, please give my recipe a shot.

Even in nice weather, people get unwell. There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of noodle soup. Many have come to associate noodle soup with chicken, but as someone who does not eat meat I had to improvise.

Cooking With Dia makes Macrobiotic Pizza easy!

I know what you’re thinking, “Macrobiotic???”. Yes, Macrobiotic. Macrobiotic cooking is very similar to cooking vegan: no eggs, dairy, meat, etc. In addition–no refined sugar! If you are feeling sluggish, try going macrobiotic for 30 days and see how much better you feel!

I have been wanting to make Dolma for a while now, it is an Eastern European way of hollowing and stuffing vegetables which have the typical appearance of looking rolled. Most cooks will stuff their chosen vegetable with cheese and meat, or cheese and fish. I decided to stuff mine with Orzo, a rice shaped pasta, sweet peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions. Why not just use rice instead? Orzo has the most delicious flavor, that even the finest risotto rice cannot duplicate. I use this a lot in my pasta dishes and soups. Be sure to try it some time!

This dish is not only healthy, but completely vegetarian. It could even be vegan if you substitute the cheeses to vegan cheeses. I will give you all of the information if you would like to do this.
These cuties are absolutely delicious and can be made for a party or for a romantic dinner for two. The naan bread gives a nice peppery taste, and added with the right topping, this can be truly exceptional!

My mom was telling me yesterday how my dad would make me buttered spaghetti with chickpeas mixed through when I was little, and she told me that I used to love chickpeas. I can’t remember any of this, and I thought I only started eating chickpeas in 2004. That’s what happens when you have brain surgery after brain surgery I guess.

Anyway, I decided to make this dish to see if it would jog any memories–it didn’t, but it tasted great!

I don’t claim to be a vegetarian, but this dish is a fantastic vegetarian meal.

Something I have trouble explaining to my carnivorous friends, is that you don’t need meat on your plate to feel full. A nice vegetable stir fry can do the trick. It is warm and comforting, and best [...]