First, Happy Holidays! May you be surrounded by who and what you love in good health and good cheer.
Now, onto food!
Which of course would be made better with pics but I have yet to purge all the pics from my camera and thus, we are without food pr0n. Sorry! I hope to be able to slap some in a bit later today. Honest!
Brunch. mmmm Last weekend I made brunch from Vegan With a Vengeance. Scrambled Tofu and Herb Roasted Potatoes. So darn good. The cookbook always returns an awesome finished product no matter which recipe I pick or how I mangle creating it.
Chickpea Cutlets. This is the third time I have made them and they just keep getting better. This time I used the VitaMix to smoosh up the chickpeas. It is a fine line between mash and hummus, but luckily I did not cross it! I also kneeded the dough for about 7 minutes. Ok fine, the KitchenAid mixer kneeded it as I did dishes but I supervised! Then into the oven they went. Oh so darn good. Chewy, crispy as I made them thin and so tasty. I would eat these ever day.
Quiche of which there will never be a pic of. Why? Because the two of us scarfed down the entire pan in one sitting. Christmas Eve dinner was so good, we had no leftovers. Which is saying something as I really do NOT know how to cook for only two people. First I started with a simple batch of Jasmine Rice simmered with a veg bullion cube. Next I sauted up half an onion, four cloves of garlic, one bunch of chard and 15oz mushrooms (10oz white button and half a 10oz container of Baby Bellas). My VitaMix then pureed up some Extra Firm Silken Tofu with olive oil, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, mustard and basil. The rice went into the bottom of a casserole dish (to which I should have slathered in Earth Balance but didn't), the tofu mixed into the mushrooms and it all went atop the rice. Bake for 45 min at 350. Oh so darn good.
Christmas morning dawned with me climbing out of bed before 9. *Sigh* The urge to bake and the inability to sleep combined to result in a plethora of products. I made Banana Bonanza Bread, one batch of yeast bread turned into a sweet loaf and a savory bunch of mini loaves, VCTOTW chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, Gingerbread dough (which is still in my freezer! meep), lunch for LB of Mac & Cheese w/ MSF Veg Dogs & Peas, lunch for me of Tempeh smokey strips lettuce and veganaise on a mini loaf of savory bread, dinner of Lasagna in case friends came over, garlic bread, salad and warmed wine.
Of course despite all this, I have to make chocolate chip cookies for A when she arrives. Thankfully our friends did come over for some holiday cheer and I loaded them down as they left.
My Lasagna was basically just a toss together kind of thing. Tofu Riccota from Uncheese Cookbook, sauted mushrooms and spinach layered over a simple sauce of Fire Roasted tomatoes (canned but I blended them up a bit to make it saucy!). I did top it with some soy cheese at the end. So darn good but not a creamy lasagna. I think I may have to play with it a bit more and get it creamier. Perhaps an easy white sauce over the tofu. I do have leftovers of which I will have to take the pictures of, because we ate about 7pm and I was starving!
All in all? Lots of cooking. But as I have the rest of the year off, it doesn't seem like a bad thing. Happy holidays all!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Dumplings
What is it about winter that makes you crave some warm, rich and flavorful soup? My ultimate comfort soup is Seitan 'n Dumplings. With not those puffy biscuits but warm slippery lumps of broth soaked goodness. My mother used to make dumplings on a 50/50 egg to flour ratio. I spent years as a vegan wondering how to replicate this. Luckily a friend from a now defunct message board came up with my salvation.
So without further drooling, here is the recipe for Krista's Soggy Dumplings!
2c Flour
1t Baking Powder
1t Salt
4t Earth Balance Margarine
1 1/2c Unsweetened Plain Soy Milk
Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the Earth Balance. Gradually add soy milk until the flour is all absorbed. The dough is sticky, thick and not at all liquidy. Drop thin flat dumplings into boiling broth. Once they come to the surface you can dish up a bowl or let it simmer for 10-20 minutes.
I added these to a lovely onion, celery, carrot and leek soup. Unfortunately I had no seitan so I added a can of Navy beans. Made things creamy and focused all the attention on the sweet carrots and lovely dumplings. Man, I love those things.
Hopefully this picture isn't too washed out, unfortunately my monitor is!
So without further drooling, here is the recipe for Krista's Soggy Dumplings!
2c Flour
1t Baking Powder
1t Salt
4t Earth Balance Margarine
1 1/2c Unsweetened Plain Soy Milk
Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the Earth Balance. Gradually add soy milk until the flour is all absorbed. The dough is sticky, thick and not at all liquidy. Drop thin flat dumplings into boiling broth. Once they come to the surface you can dish up a bowl or let it simmer for 10-20 minutes.
I added these to a lovely onion, celery, carrot and leek soup. Unfortunately I had no seitan so I added a can of Navy beans. Made things creamy and focused all the attention on the sweet carrots and lovely dumplings. Man, I love those things.
Hopefully this picture isn't too washed out, unfortunately my monitor is!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
mmmm Bread!
I was inspired by A Veg*n for Dinner's bread post. Though I am not quite capable of winging it that much, I based it off of the Outrageously Easy Big Bread I have made in the past. I started at 7:30pm and made half a batch of bread. Below is my rather long loaf and some little animal friends. A Bear who will make a great sandwich tomorrow and a poor little bunny who did not even get to cool down. LB and I ate Mr. Bunny while he was still glistening with buttery goodness.
mmmm buttery (read: Earth Balance margarine) goodness!
And a close up of our favorite yeast friends! Don't they look delicious?
My first experience making a yeast bread was taught to me by my mother when I was about 12. She led our 4H cooking group and we made large sized teddy bears out of an entire batch of dough. They got raisins for eyes, nose and belly button. Since these guys are (were) so little, I did not do more than puncture the appropriate spots. Sorry little animal breads, I will find something suitable next time!
I also whipped up a batch of Fudge that is sitting in the fridge right now awaiting a proper consistency for me to cut it into chunks and devour it. Though I might bring some into work. Just to prove I can be nice. When I want to. I did make this with Silk Mocha Soy Milk. It sounded like a good idea at the time! Will let you know how it tastes, with pictures later.
mmmm buttery (read: Earth Balance margarine) goodness!
And a close up of our favorite yeast friends! Don't they look delicious?
My first experience making a yeast bread was taught to me by my mother when I was about 12. She led our 4H cooking group and we made large sized teddy bears out of an entire batch of dough. They got raisins for eyes, nose and belly button. Since these guys are (were) so little, I did not do more than puncture the appropriate spots. Sorry little animal breads, I will find something suitable next time!
I also whipped up a batch of Fudge that is sitting in the fridge right now awaiting a proper consistency for me to cut it into chunks and devour it. Though I might bring some into work. Just to prove I can be nice. When I want to. I did make this with Silk Mocha Soy Milk. It sounded like a good idea at the time! Will let you know how it tastes, with pictures later.
Monday, December 10, 2007
My secret recipe
So we all have that one recipe. Something woefully unhealthy, chalk full of things not normally kept in the house but so darn good you just have to indulge once in a while. Well, this is mine.
Now, you may be thinking; 'That doesn't look like much.' but you would be sadly mistaken. Its rich, creamy, savory, decadent and just damn good. This recipe came about four years ago. Each time I make it its slightly different because I am a chaotic cook who rarely measures and almost never writes anything down. My husband, who I call LB, always asks for this as his special request meal. When his mother makes the omni version of this, spaghetti carbonara, its full of bacon, egg, cheese and cream. Personally I have never had the omni version so I tried to extrapolate from the scent and look for a vegan version.
Vegan Bacon Spaghetti
Ingred:
2T Olive Oil
1/2 med Onion, Diced
2 boxes LiteLife Smart Bacon, separated and sliced into 1/2" strips (or Seitan bacon)
Garlic, Diced (5 cloves is my normal amount)
8oz Shitake Mushrooms, Chopped
8oz White Mushrooms, Chopped
10oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, Chopped
1c Water
1 Veg Bullion (Knor Veg)
Spices to taste: Thyme, Garlic, Pepper
Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta (2 large handfuls, broken in half)
4oz Vegan Mozzarella cheese
4oz Better Than Cream Cheese
2c Unsweetened Soy Milk, plain
1/4c Vegan Parm or Nutritional Yeast
Directions:
Saute onion and smart bacon in a large pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add in 1/2c water to deglaze the pot and then add the mushrooms. Stir gently and as infrequently as possible because stirring breaks up the bacon.
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta to preferred done-ness. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
Add the remaining 1/2c water to the mushroom mix along with the bullion and spices. Simmer on medium low for 5 min or until the cheese sauce is done.
In the pasta pot, bring 1/2c soy milk up to medium heat, add cubed soy cheese, cream cheese and parm. Stir well to incorporate. Gradually add the milk as the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Once all the milk is incorporated, gently add in the mushroom bacon mixture and stir. Next add in the pasta and fold in gently.
Keep on a low temperature for five minutes for the sauce to set. Serve with garlic bread and a hearty appetite. This serves six. Sometimes.
I am completely sure that this could be all homemade. But it is so much work as it is already. It would be a two or three day job to make this without store bought vegan cheese or Smart Bacon. Doable, but I am way to lazy for that.
Now you have my secret recipe, be careful with it, its power should only be used for good.
Now, you may be thinking; 'That doesn't look like much.' but you would be sadly mistaken. Its rich, creamy, savory, decadent and just damn good. This recipe came about four years ago. Each time I make it its slightly different because I am a chaotic cook who rarely measures and almost never writes anything down. My husband, who I call LB, always asks for this as his special request meal. When his mother makes the omni version of this, spaghetti carbonara, its full of bacon, egg, cheese and cream. Personally I have never had the omni version so I tried to extrapolate from the scent and look for a vegan version.
Vegan Bacon Spaghetti
Ingred:
2T Olive Oil
1/2 med Onion, Diced
2 boxes LiteLife Smart Bacon, separated and sliced into 1/2" strips (or Seitan bacon)
Garlic, Diced (5 cloves is my normal amount)
8oz Shitake Mushrooms, Chopped
8oz White Mushrooms, Chopped
10oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, Chopped
1c Water
1 Veg Bullion (Knor Veg)
Spices to taste: Thyme, Garlic, Pepper
Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta (2 large handfuls, broken in half)
4oz Vegan Mozzarella cheese
4oz Better Than Cream Cheese
2c Unsweetened Soy Milk, plain
1/4c Vegan Parm or Nutritional Yeast
Directions:
Saute onion and smart bacon in a large pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add in 1/2c water to deglaze the pot and then add the mushrooms. Stir gently and as infrequently as possible because stirring breaks up the bacon.
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta to preferred done-ness. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
Add the remaining 1/2c water to the mushroom mix along with the bullion and spices. Simmer on medium low for 5 min or until the cheese sauce is done.
In the pasta pot, bring 1/2c soy milk up to medium heat, add cubed soy cheese, cream cheese and parm. Stir well to incorporate. Gradually add the milk as the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Once all the milk is incorporated, gently add in the mushroom bacon mixture and stir. Next add in the pasta and fold in gently.
Keep on a low temperature for five minutes for the sauce to set. Serve with garlic bread and a hearty appetite. This serves six. Sometimes.
I am completely sure that this could be all homemade. But it is so much work as it is already. It would be a two or three day job to make this without store bought vegan cheese or Smart Bacon. Doable, but I am way to lazy for that.
Now you have my secret recipe, be careful with it, its power should only be used for good.
Tortilla Soup
Some times, you crave something warm, savory and just a bit tangy. That describes Tortilla soup perfectly. It is lush with flavors of tomatoes, peppers, beans and lime.
Then you top it with fried corn tortilla strips, avocado, green onions and lime. What more could you want? A second bowl full!
Tortilla Soup
Ingred:
2T Olive Oil
1/2 medium Onion, Diced or Minced
1/2c Celery, Diced (heart w/ leaves preferred)
1 Bell Pepper, Diced
1-3 Hot Peppers, seeded and diced
1 Lime, zest and juice
Garlic (5 cloves)
8c Water
2 Bullion Cubes (Knor Veg)
2c Beans; soaked dried cooked beans or rinsed canned
28oz Petite Diced tomatoes, canned with juice
1c Corn, frozen kernels
Optional toppings:
Cilantro
Corn Tortilla, julienned and fried
Avocado
Green Onion
Directions:
Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper and hot pepper in the oil till the onion is translucent. Add in garlic, lime zest and juice, saute making sure not allow the garlic to burn. Add in water, bullion, beans, corn and tomatoes. Add spices to taste; cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes or more.
Serve topped with a lime slice, fried corn tortilla strips, green onion and avocado.
For whatever reason this soup slipped off my menus. That made me sad when I realized it. Its so tasty, so full bodied and so darn easy. The fried tortilla strips actually take longer to make than the actual soup chopping and sauteing. Well, mine do because I use very little oil and do them in batches. Plus I like to salt mine after I pull each batch from the oil. They are like a little special treat just to crumble into the soup and get a crunchy zippy bite.
Make this soup. Make it tonight!
Then you top it with fried corn tortilla strips, avocado, green onions and lime. What more could you want? A second bowl full!
Tortilla Soup
Ingred:
2T Olive Oil
1/2 medium Onion, Diced or Minced
1/2c Celery, Diced (heart w/ leaves preferred)
1 Bell Pepper, Diced
1-3 Hot Peppers, seeded and diced
1 Lime, zest and juice
Garlic (5 cloves)
8c Water
2 Bullion Cubes (Knor Veg)
2c Beans; soaked dried cooked beans or rinsed canned
28oz Petite Diced tomatoes, canned with juice
1c Corn, frozen kernels
Optional toppings:
Cilantro
Corn Tortilla, julienned and fried
Avocado
Green Onion
Directions:
Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper and hot pepper in the oil till the onion is translucent. Add in garlic, lime zest and juice, saute making sure not allow the garlic to burn. Add in water, bullion, beans, corn and tomatoes. Add spices to taste; cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes or more.
Serve topped with a lime slice, fried corn tortilla strips, green onion and avocado.
For whatever reason this soup slipped off my menus. That made me sad when I realized it. Its so tasty, so full bodied and so darn easy. The fried tortilla strips actually take longer to make than the actual soup chopping and sauteing. Well, mine do because I use very little oil and do them in batches. Plus I like to salt mine after I pull each batch from the oil. They are like a little special treat just to crumble into the soup and get a crunchy zippy bite.
Make this soup. Make it tonight!
Monday, November 26, 2007
A day for Giving Thanks
Oh what a lovely four days off it was! Since it was just the three of us, I decided against cooking on Thursday. I mean honestly, who wants to rush a huge cooking spree the first day of a long weekend? Not me! I procrastinate too much.
So instead I staggered some of the chore... joy and served up a huge meal to family & friends (a whole five of us total) on Saturday. Wednesday after work, I shopped for food armed with my handy excel print out of all ingredients. Yes, I am an excel guru. I entered the entire menu, ingredients labeled and sorted before printing out my list. Now realize I was cooking for five. In my mind that number immediately changes to 10, possibly 15 depending on the dish! So my cart was pretty full and pricey but I did not let that stop me.
My awesome hubby, LB, carted all those bags up the stairs for me and I had the arduous task of stuffing the fridge to get everything in but still functional. I had chickpea cutlets to make for dinner! Which I did and they turned out awesome. I fried them for my first attempt and scarfed them down with rice and smashed cauliflower, neither of which I got a picture of.
Smashed Cauliflower
1 bag Cauliflower, frozen (half a large head fresh, florets)
1/4c Soy Cheese, mild white flavor, diced small
4oz Better than Cream Cheese
2T Vegan Parm or Nutritional Yeast
Garlic
Basil
Salt & Pepper
Steam the cauliflower until easily pierced with a fork but not mush. Strain and put back on the heat. Add in the cheeses & spices and allow to warm on a low heat until the cheese is melted. Mash with a potato masher. Serve this creamy cheesey goodness to friends & family.
Ok now that you have my super seekret Smashed Cauli recipe in hand, let me tell you more about my weekend. Thursday, I stayed in my jammies all day! I made Bryanna Clark Grogan's Soy & Seitan Turkey. I subbed black beans for the tofu and added in sage, thyme and rosemary in the dry ingredients. Since I am lazy I do not make two loaves, I make one... one big one.
The yummy cooked roast, cooling on a cutting board before being swaddled in foil and resting in the fridge till the big meal.
I also made bread for dressing & rolls. This dough was so awesome. Light, soft and a joy to kneed even if the recipe says you can do without. Doesn't it just look like fun?
So ended my Thursday. The kid drove me insane watching Buffy season 2 & 3 and we played EQ2 for the remainder of the evening!
Friday dawned cold and I did have to change out of my PJ's. Unfortunately we needed things despite it being Buy Nothing Day. A trip to the fabric store for pins got us yarn & fleece fabric for a blanket. A visit to the book store got Angel a book she had been bugging me for. On sale, which was nice! I then headed to the liquor store for Saturday booze & another trip to the grocery for lunch. Burgers & tater tots. mmmm Again no pics of lunch, I was too busy scarfing it down at 3pm to fiddle with the camera. Boca Vegan patties with portobello mushrooms, sauted onions and LiteLife Smart Bacon. I added lettuce tomato and avocado on my poppy seed hard roll and it was awesome.
I then spend time making two pies, one chocolate and one pumpkin. Since I am not a fan of pie crust I used vegan prepackaged graham and chocolate crumb crusts. Did you think I got a pic of either? Yeah, I thought not!
The rest of the evening was spent altering Angel's Winter Ball dress. We picked it up at Goodwill for $27 with the manufacturers tags still on it. I figured I could simply buy her something else if I ruined it! That damn thing took me all night to hem. *cries* My poor machine made 3 broken needles. But she was happy and we did not have to shop for another dress. Just do NOT get me started on the foundation garments or jewelery! *sobs*
Saturday dawned lovely though cold and I was up cooking at 9am! First were the appetizers. Cranberry Salsa, Artichoke dip, hummus and Ranch Dip; along with breads, chips, crudities and olives! Oh and do NOT forget Norm's Marinated Mushrooms! Chocolate Chip Cookies were made next and everything set out.
So the three of us noshed on a table full of goodies for a while before I resumed cooking. Should I mention the mimosa's I drank to get through this lovely day? No, I thought not. I plopped my SoySeiTurkey in the oven beside my homemade dressing (from homemade bread crumbs no less!), green bean casserole and rolls to reheat.
Now I would give you a recipe for the stuffing, but I simply improvised the entire thing. Did not measure any of the veggies I minced; onion, celery, carrot, or bell pepper, nor the Earth Balance, and water. I did use just one cube of Knor Veggie Bullion! haha All this I poured into a heaping bowl of cubed bread before folding it over gently. I prefer to see that it used to be cubed bread, not a great big mash of sticky dough. I then dotted the bottom of the pyrex dish with more Earth Balance before gently resting the dressing into it. Feeling like Paula D, I dotted the top with another tablespoon of EB. Sometimes you just have to!
Dressing aside I made the Green Bean Casserole pretty much the same way. Toss in mushrooms, saute, toss in EB, slop in soy milk until liquidy. Add in green beans and plop in the oven. I did link the recipe above that I vaguely followed! Its good stuff. I did top it with French's Fried Onions. Someday I must learn how to make my own crispy onion goodness. *drools*
Mashed potatoes & gravy were next and easiest to whip up. First thing though, I ruined my first round of mushrooms by putting them in the food processor. That batch simmered for an hour before I set it aside for something else, probably a chickpea casserole, and started new. The second attempt went beautifully and my mushroom gravy while chunky (from the big mushrooms) was delish! Again, mostly just 18oz mushrooms, herbs, garlic & veg stock.
I cook by feel and whim which does NOT lend itself to accurate recipe recounts. If something looks dry, I add more liquid. If it looks wet, I add more dry. It usually works. haha! But you came for the pr0n, not my sorry excuses! So here are the pictures of the table along with the full menu.
Yeah, thats a Mimosa at my plate. Luckily the kid drank the sparkling cider. heh Happy Thanksgiving all. I am thankful for my loving family, friends, happiness and health.
So instead I staggered some of the chore... joy and served up a huge meal to family & friends (a whole five of us total) on Saturday. Wednesday after work, I shopped for food armed with my handy excel print out of all ingredients. Yes, I am an excel guru. I entered the entire menu, ingredients labeled and sorted before printing out my list. Now realize I was cooking for five. In my mind that number immediately changes to 10, possibly 15 depending on the dish! So my cart was pretty full and pricey but I did not let that stop me.
My awesome hubby, LB, carted all those bags up the stairs for me and I had the arduous task of stuffing the fridge to get everything in but still functional. I had chickpea cutlets to make for dinner! Which I did and they turned out awesome. I fried them for my first attempt and scarfed them down with rice and smashed cauliflower, neither of which I got a picture of.
Smashed Cauliflower
1 bag Cauliflower, frozen (half a large head fresh, florets)
1/4c Soy Cheese, mild white flavor, diced small
4oz Better than Cream Cheese
2T Vegan Parm or Nutritional Yeast
Garlic
Basil
Salt & Pepper
Steam the cauliflower until easily pierced with a fork but not mush. Strain and put back on the heat. Add in the cheeses & spices and allow to warm on a low heat until the cheese is melted. Mash with a potato masher. Serve this creamy cheesey goodness to friends & family.
Ok now that you have my super seekret Smashed Cauli recipe in hand, let me tell you more about my weekend. Thursday, I stayed in my jammies all day! I made Bryanna Clark Grogan's Soy & Seitan Turkey. I subbed black beans for the tofu and added in sage, thyme and rosemary in the dry ingredients. Since I am lazy I do not make two loaves, I make one... one big one.
The yummy cooked roast, cooling on a cutting board before being swaddled in foil and resting in the fridge till the big meal.
I also made bread for dressing & rolls. This dough was so awesome. Light, soft and a joy to kneed even if the recipe says you can do without. Doesn't it just look like fun?
So ended my Thursday. The kid drove me insane watching Buffy season 2 & 3 and we played EQ2 for the remainder of the evening!
Friday dawned cold and I did have to change out of my PJ's. Unfortunately we needed things despite it being Buy Nothing Day. A trip to the fabric store for pins got us yarn & fleece fabric for a blanket. A visit to the book store got Angel a book she had been bugging me for. On sale, which was nice! I then headed to the liquor store for Saturday booze & another trip to the grocery for lunch. Burgers & tater tots. mmmm Again no pics of lunch, I was too busy scarfing it down at 3pm to fiddle with the camera. Boca Vegan patties with portobello mushrooms, sauted onions and LiteLife Smart Bacon. I added lettuce tomato and avocado on my poppy seed hard roll and it was awesome.
I then spend time making two pies, one chocolate and one pumpkin. Since I am not a fan of pie crust I used vegan prepackaged graham and chocolate crumb crusts. Did you think I got a pic of either? Yeah, I thought not!
The rest of the evening was spent altering Angel's Winter Ball dress. We picked it up at Goodwill for $27 with the manufacturers tags still on it. I figured I could simply buy her something else if I ruined it! That damn thing took me all night to hem. *cries* My poor machine made 3 broken needles. But she was happy and we did not have to shop for another dress. Just do NOT get me started on the foundation garments or jewelery! *sobs*
Saturday dawned lovely though cold and I was up cooking at 9am! First were the appetizers. Cranberry Salsa, Artichoke dip, hummus and Ranch Dip; along with breads, chips, crudities and olives! Oh and do NOT forget Norm's Marinated Mushrooms! Chocolate Chip Cookies were made next and everything set out.
So the three of us noshed on a table full of goodies for a while before I resumed cooking. Should I mention the mimosa's I drank to get through this lovely day? No, I thought not. I plopped my SoySeiTurkey in the oven beside my homemade dressing (from homemade bread crumbs no less!), green bean casserole and rolls to reheat.
Now I would give you a recipe for the stuffing, but I simply improvised the entire thing. Did not measure any of the veggies I minced; onion, celery, carrot, or bell pepper, nor the Earth Balance, and water. I did use just one cube of Knor Veggie Bullion! haha All this I poured into a heaping bowl of cubed bread before folding it over gently. I prefer to see that it used to be cubed bread, not a great big mash of sticky dough. I then dotted the bottom of the pyrex dish with more Earth Balance before gently resting the dressing into it. Feeling like Paula D, I dotted the top with another tablespoon of EB. Sometimes you just have to!
Dressing aside I made the Green Bean Casserole pretty much the same way. Toss in mushrooms, saute, toss in EB, slop in soy milk until liquidy. Add in green beans and plop in the oven. I did link the recipe above that I vaguely followed! Its good stuff. I did top it with French's Fried Onions. Someday I must learn how to make my own crispy onion goodness. *drools*
Mashed potatoes & gravy were next and easiest to whip up. First thing though, I ruined my first round of mushrooms by putting them in the food processor. That batch simmered for an hour before I set it aside for something else, probably a chickpea casserole, and started new. The second attempt went beautifully and my mushroom gravy while chunky (from the big mushrooms) was delish! Again, mostly just 18oz mushrooms, herbs, garlic & veg stock.
I cook by feel and whim which does NOT lend itself to accurate recipe recounts. If something looks dry, I add more liquid. If it looks wet, I add more dry. It usually works. haha! But you came for the pr0n, not my sorry excuses! So here are the pictures of the table along with the full menu.
| Appetizers: | |
| Cranberry Salsa w/ Wheat Thins & Pita Chips | |
| Hummus w/ Pita Bread | |
| Crudites of Carrot, Celery, Bell Pepper, Radish, Olives w/ Ranch Dip | |
| Marinated Mushrooms | |
| Artichoke Dip w/ sliced baguette | |
| Dinner: | |
| Soy & Seitan Roast | |
| Dressing | |
| Garlic Mashed Potatoes | |
| Green Bean Casserole | |
| Kale w/ Onion & Smart Bacon | |
| Mushroom Gravy | |
| Cranberry Sauce | |
| Rolls | |
| Dessert: | |
| Pumpkin Pie w/ Soya Too Whip | |
| Chocolate Mouse Pie | |
| Chocolate Chip Cookies | |
| Soy Ice Cream - Vanilla | |
| Drinks: | |
| Sparkling Cider | |
| Seven Up | |
| White Wine | |
Yeah, thats a Mimosa at my plate. Luckily the kid drank the sparkling cider. heh Happy Thanksgiving all. I am thankful for my loving family, friends, happiness and health.
Monday, November 12, 2007
I am a slacker!
Yes, its true. I slack. Why I thought I could keep a blog was beyond me. I procrastinate on cleaning the kitty litter for crying out loud!
Self recrimination aside, here is some food.
For Halloween I made cupcakes for the work kiddies that came around. If they did not want a mini cuppie they got to pick either a small thing of bubbles or a pencil. While kids were not totally impressed with my offerings, I got many grateful looks from parents toting bags already full of sugar, chemicals and fat.
Several people commented that they looked very professional, which made me beam with pride. One pastry bag and an 1M tip makes these little guys fabulous. I did get to feed my Hindu friend's kids as well as one little girl with severe nut / egg allergy. That little girl's mom got an earful on Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as she listened in almost tearful gratitude. These little gems were the basic vanilla cupcakes with added chocolate chips and fluffy chocolate butter cream. (One of my coworkers exclaimed that I really needed to make these bigger! heh)
Next I tried out some recipes for Thanksgiving. While I did not get any pics of a failed seitan roulande, I did take pics of the lovely Cranberry Upside down cake. It was very tasty. Lemon cake paired well with the tart berries. Unfortunately I used the wrong pan and all my sugar base dribbled out, leaving very sharply tart topping all alone. I have plans to make this again but in a regular pan instead of a springform.
It looked lovely though!
Other things I have been cooking lately? Banana bread by the double batch. Cupcakes, Chickpea Mushroom Noodle Casserole, Snobby Joes, and seitan noodle soup. Good grief all this talking of food makes me insanely hungry and since I have already had a shake (Cocoa, Date Sugar, Frozen Blueberries, 1 Banana and soymilk) for breakfast as well as an apple and Golden Pea Butter for snack I am going to end here before I gnaw on a keyboard or something.
Hopefully I shall slack less. Yeah, don't hold your breath!
Self recrimination aside, here is some food.
For Halloween I made cupcakes for the work kiddies that came around. If they did not want a mini cuppie they got to pick either a small thing of bubbles or a pencil. While kids were not totally impressed with my offerings, I got many grateful looks from parents toting bags already full of sugar, chemicals and fat.
Several people commented that they looked very professional, which made me beam with pride. One pastry bag and an 1M tip makes these little guys fabulous. I did get to feed my Hindu friend's kids as well as one little girl with severe nut / egg allergy. That little girl's mom got an earful on Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as she listened in almost tearful gratitude. These little gems were the basic vanilla cupcakes with added chocolate chips and fluffy chocolate butter cream. (One of my coworkers exclaimed that I really needed to make these bigger! heh)Next I tried out some recipes for Thanksgiving. While I did not get any pics of a failed seitan roulande, I did take pics of the lovely Cranberry Upside down cake. It was very tasty. Lemon cake paired well with the tart berries. Unfortunately I used the wrong pan and all my sugar base dribbled out, leaving very sharply tart topping all alone. I have plans to make this again but in a regular pan instead of a springform.
It looked lovely though!Other things I have been cooking lately? Banana bread by the double batch. Cupcakes, Chickpea Mushroom Noodle Casserole, Snobby Joes, and seitan noodle soup. Good grief all this talking of food makes me insanely hungry and since I have already had a shake (Cocoa, Date Sugar, Frozen Blueberries, 1 Banana and soymilk) for breakfast as well as an apple and Golden Pea Butter for snack I am going to end here before I gnaw on a keyboard or something.
Hopefully I shall slack less. Yeah, don't hold your breath!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Recipe Reviews: Gumbo & Pie
Since the awesome trip to Boston's Veg Food Fest netted me three cookbooks, I decided to plan this weeks menu around some of the new recipes I have in my hands.
First on Monday I opened my Little Vegan Monsters cookbook and decided the Mexican Pie sounded awesome. I followed the recipe as close as possible for me, which is never exactly. The recipe asked me to sauté about 12 ingredients including tofu. Rather than put it all together I added the oil, onions and tofu and let it sauté until the tofu was reasonably dry. Once it seemed slightly firm, about 15 minutes, I added everything else and sautéed more. The dough was lovely though I did diverge and use a wheat flour. Once everything was ready I assembled the 'pie'.
Needless to say that once I poured the entire filling into my largest casserole dish I did not have much room for the topping. Rather than simply use less topping I scooped half of the filling and put it in a separate casserole dish. I divided the topping equally and plopped it all in the oven as directed. This turned out satisfying, savory and tasting like tamales but without the work of stuffing corn husks! This hearty 'pie' had all the traditional (to me) Mexican flavors. Creamy Pinto beans, crisp corn kernels, sharply biting cilantro all married to a lush savory cornbread fit for a king. Next time my goal is to use the large casserole but make mini muffins from the excess topping.
Unfortunately my pictures were a horrible blurry mess and I did not want to disgrace this awesome recipe with poor pics, so you only have my word. I am not sure what I will try next but this cookbook is simple, easy to use and the first test pulled out a hearty B+ with a definite need to repeat this one.
On Thursday night I tried out Veganomicon's Smoky Pepper & Bean Gumbo shown above. This was amazing. Seriously smoky, savory and oh so filling. I followed the recipe exactly as directed and only had to leave two items out, as somehow my fridge was mysteriously out of beer! That was a tragedy.
The steps were simple, completely explained and even times given on how long to let the roux simmer and the onions & peppers sauté. I followed that exactly and it turned out beautiful. The flavors have that fire roasted flavor but the kidney beans impart a lush creamy mouth feel. Even the okra was perfect with its subtle green flavor and softness to the tooth. I did serve this with Jasmine rice dollop. It added a smooth base for the tomatoes and peppers to shine from.
I will be making this again and it rates an excited A for making me stuffed beyond belief with just that bowl. Winter is coming! Get your soup bowls ready!
First on Monday I opened my Little Vegan Monsters cookbook and decided the Mexican Pie sounded awesome. I followed the recipe as close as possible for me, which is never exactly. The recipe asked me to sauté about 12 ingredients including tofu. Rather than put it all together I added the oil, onions and tofu and let it sauté until the tofu was reasonably dry. Once it seemed slightly firm, about 15 minutes, I added everything else and sautéed more. The dough was lovely though I did diverge and use a wheat flour. Once everything was ready I assembled the 'pie'.
Needless to say that once I poured the entire filling into my largest casserole dish I did not have much room for the topping. Rather than simply use less topping I scooped half of the filling and put it in a separate casserole dish. I divided the topping equally and plopped it all in the oven as directed. This turned out satisfying, savory and tasting like tamales but without the work of stuffing corn husks! This hearty 'pie' had all the traditional (to me) Mexican flavors. Creamy Pinto beans, crisp corn kernels, sharply biting cilantro all married to a lush savory cornbread fit for a king. Next time my goal is to use the large casserole but make mini muffins from the excess topping.
Unfortunately my pictures were a horrible blurry mess and I did not want to disgrace this awesome recipe with poor pics, so you only have my word. I am not sure what I will try next but this cookbook is simple, easy to use and the first test pulled out a hearty B+ with a definite need to repeat this one.
On Thursday night I tried out Veganomicon's Smoky Pepper & Bean Gumbo shown above. This was amazing. Seriously smoky, savory and oh so filling. I followed the recipe exactly as directed and only had to leave two items out, as somehow my fridge was mysteriously out of beer! That was a tragedy.
The steps were simple, completely explained and even times given on how long to let the roux simmer and the onions & peppers sauté. I followed that exactly and it turned out beautiful. The flavors have that fire roasted flavor but the kidney beans impart a lush creamy mouth feel. Even the okra was perfect with its subtle green flavor and softness to the tooth. I did serve this with Jasmine rice dollop. It added a smooth base for the tomatoes and peppers to shine from.
I will be making this again and it rates an excited A for making me stuffed beyond belief with just that bowl. Winter is coming! Get your soup bowls ready!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Welcome to Fearlessly Vegan!
Greetings and welcome!
I had all these great ideas fluttering about my head when I was setting up this blog. I planned on mentioning simple foods that were easy and delicious as well as some sample menus. Of course what really happened is that my mind immediately went blank the instant I started to create a post. Figures.
Since nothing comes to mind, here is my recount of the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival! The entire discussion can be found on VegWeb's Q&A.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Festival was awesome! In an attempt to be complete I tried to remember and take pictures in a journalistic manner, so all of you that could not attend still get a feel for the fun. So with that idea, here is my report!
At 6:35am I left my lovely little Connecticut town and began the 3 hour drive to Boston. Despite the early hour there were quite a few cars on the road but thankfully no accidents or inclement weather. I arrived at the site at 9:15am, just a wee bit early. So after finding a lovely parking spot, strolling up to the entrance and watching them hang the sign, I went inside. Much to my surprise, rather than making us wait while people finished setting up we were able to simply walk in at 9:50. This was great!
My first stop was the Herbivore table where I bought an awesome shirt. Next I tried some hummus from the good folks at Tribe. mmmm Pita & 40 spice hummus. Makes good breakfast food. A few tables down I spied Chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau author of The Joy of Vegan Baking. After sampling one of her Chocolate chip (banana) mini muffins I got a signed & personalized copy of the cookbook. I am so looking forward to just about every recipe in the book. After this it gets a little blurry as I sample vegan treat after treat. I did buy a Little Vegan Monsters' cookbook. The sample of Lemon Poppyseed muffin and the picture of tamales sold me. I tried the seitan loaf from Cafe Indigo. Phenomenal! They are brilliant to have thought to add pureed cannellini beans to the mix. I am so going to try that but I do wonder if they ship. (Yes make 'nom nom nom' noises now!) I tried pancakes, muffins, rice mixtures, gladcorn, soup, and yes marinated mushrooms. Norm's Best mushrooms are an aphrodisiac. I bought two jars but one is already half eaten. I was completely serious when I asked if I could take Norm home. Man, those mushies are good.
Despite being full from samples I partook of a plate full of goodies the lovely Asian food table. Nom nom nom! I ate this lovely repast while awaiting the first speaker Chef Cathi DiCocco! The soups looked lovely and I learned very important things; to make broth use cold water, to cook veggies use hot. Brilliant information with the whys and hows explained. I lamented on my inability to try the Thai Sweet Potato Stew, but I asked what could be substituted for the pesky sweet potatoes and was told any yellow squash, like butternut, would work lovely! Yay!
After this I wandered around some more, shoveling sample after sample in my mouth. It was so exciting to not have to spaz about what I could and couldn't try. I bought my copy of Veganomicon and got a picture! I was so trilled and nervous that I hugged that book to my chest and took a step before Terry reminded me that it was $25! Doh! Feeling foolish I forked over the cash without relinquishing my book. I'm such a goober in front of such awesome people.
After that I took a minute to sit outside and enjoy the lovely 70 degree day. Veg*ns lined the building, walking in and out, talking about booths or samples or chortling over loot. Once I had caught my second wind I ventured back in and picked up some lovely fragrance free Arbonne body lotion after skirting the organic soaps table like a chicken. Now I wish I had the guts to go sniff them but then I did not want to risk a headache! After a sample or two of italian ices I slugged back another mushroom shot or two. Checking the time I realized that I had well over an hour to kill before the next talk was happening but my feets were tired. Looking at people's hands I decided a plate of soul food was in order. I stood in line and picked up a plate of rice, lentils, tofu salad and a veggie empanada. I took this upstairs to the speaker room and sat down on the last 10 minutes of the Why Animals Matter talk. Not quite the best time to be eating but Ms. Erin Williams made so many good points and had lovely slides. Very moving as I sat chowing down on vegan fare. The rice & lentils were good, but I was not fond of the tofu salad nor the empanada as they were cold and greasy (respectively).
By the time the talk ended I had finished and threw the plate away while sitting and enjoying not having a 15lb bag on my shoulder. Three cookbooks will do that to ya! Much to my surprise a green shirt rearranged chairs to have three free right in front of me. I laughed as I read the fuzzy black letters spelling out "Dinkfeet". Thats how I ran into the VegWeb crew! Yay! Dr. Michael Greger's talk was awesome. Funny, insightful and full of information. He told us to eat cocoa, date sugar, soymilk & berries every morning. Yay! He had the crowd laughing repeatedly, so much so that I decided to take video of his talk. Of course my batteries decided to put an end to that after 5 minutes. But soon as I figure out how to share it, there will be insightful video!
After that the VegWeb crew split up. I stayed to watch the next cooking demonstration where I learned something very important from Chef Colleen. "If you want to eat a healthy chocolate chip cookie, eat broccoli." *nods* She is wise! I ventured down stairs once more where I promptly found DinkFeet & CeltKat snatching up samples of organic tea. We stood and chatted for 30 plus minutes. We even saw oWalkerJillo & friend! It was nearing 5pm as we went our separate ways with hugs and promises to post of our Veg Fest experiences. I of course went and snatched up another mushroom shot and debated getting two more jars. I really should have.
The three hour drive home was not bad, except the torrential downpour near the MA/CT border but even that passed quickly. Honestly I was hyper from all the food, fun and experience. Even after three hours of driving I was able to go to a friends house till 11:30pm! Sharing my mushrooms and recounting tales of veggie goodness. All in all, it was an awesome experience. I hope to go next year as well and so should you!
The crowd was impressive!
But my haul made it worthwhile!
I had all these great ideas fluttering about my head when I was setting up this blog. I planned on mentioning simple foods that were easy and delicious as well as some sample menus. Of course what really happened is that my mind immediately went blank the instant I started to create a post. Figures.
Since nothing comes to mind, here is my recount of the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival! The entire discussion can be found on VegWeb's Q&A.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Festival was awesome! In an attempt to be complete I tried to remember and take pictures in a journalistic manner, so all of you that could not attend still get a feel for the fun. So with that idea, here is my report!
At 6:35am I left my lovely little Connecticut town and began the 3 hour drive to Boston. Despite the early hour there were quite a few cars on the road but thankfully no accidents or inclement weather. I arrived at the site at 9:15am, just a wee bit early. So after finding a lovely parking spot, strolling up to the entrance and watching them hang the sign, I went inside. Much to my surprise, rather than making us wait while people finished setting up we were able to simply walk in at 9:50. This was great!
My first stop was the Herbivore table where I bought an awesome shirt. Next I tried some hummus from the good folks at Tribe. mmmm Pita & 40 spice hummus. Makes good breakfast food. A few tables down I spied Chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau author of The Joy of Vegan Baking. After sampling one of her Chocolate chip (banana) mini muffins I got a signed & personalized copy of the cookbook. I am so looking forward to just about every recipe in the book. After this it gets a little blurry as I sample vegan treat after treat. I did buy a Little Vegan Monsters' cookbook. The sample of Lemon Poppyseed muffin and the picture of tamales sold me. I tried the seitan loaf from Cafe Indigo. Phenomenal! They are brilliant to have thought to add pureed cannellini beans to the mix. I am so going to try that but I do wonder if they ship. (Yes make 'nom nom nom' noises now!) I tried pancakes, muffins, rice mixtures, gladcorn, soup, and yes marinated mushrooms. Norm's Best mushrooms are an aphrodisiac. I bought two jars but one is already half eaten. I was completely serious when I asked if I could take Norm home. Man, those mushies are good.
Despite being full from samples I partook of a plate full of goodies the lovely Asian food table. Nom nom nom! I ate this lovely repast while awaiting the first speaker Chef Cathi DiCocco! The soups looked lovely and I learned very important things; to make broth use cold water, to cook veggies use hot. Brilliant information with the whys and hows explained. I lamented on my inability to try the Thai Sweet Potato Stew, but I asked what could be substituted for the pesky sweet potatoes and was told any yellow squash, like butternut, would work lovely! Yay!
After this I wandered around some more, shoveling sample after sample in my mouth. It was so exciting to not have to spaz about what I could and couldn't try. I bought my copy of Veganomicon and got a picture! I was so trilled and nervous that I hugged that book to my chest and took a step before Terry reminded me that it was $25! Doh! Feeling foolish I forked over the cash without relinquishing my book. I'm such a goober in front of such awesome people.
After that I took a minute to sit outside and enjoy the lovely 70 degree day. Veg*ns lined the building, walking in and out, talking about booths or samples or chortling over loot. Once I had caught my second wind I ventured back in and picked up some lovely fragrance free Arbonne body lotion after skirting the organic soaps table like a chicken. Now I wish I had the guts to go sniff them but then I did not want to risk a headache! After a sample or two of italian ices I slugged back another mushroom shot or two. Checking the time I realized that I had well over an hour to kill before the next talk was happening but my feets were tired. Looking at people's hands I decided a plate of soul food was in order. I stood in line and picked up a plate of rice, lentils, tofu salad and a veggie empanada. I took this upstairs to the speaker room and sat down on the last 10 minutes of the Why Animals Matter talk. Not quite the best time to be eating but Ms. Erin Williams made so many good points and had lovely slides. Very moving as I sat chowing down on vegan fare. The rice & lentils were good, but I was not fond of the tofu salad nor the empanada as they were cold and greasy (respectively).By the time the talk ended I had finished and threw the plate away while sitting and enjoying not having a 15lb bag on my shoulder. Three cookbooks will do that to ya! Much to my surprise a green shirt rearranged chairs to have three free right in front of me. I laughed as I read the fuzzy black letters spelling out "Dinkfeet". Thats how I ran into the VegWeb crew! Yay! Dr. Michael Greger's talk was awesome. Funny, insightful and full of information. He told us to eat cocoa, date sugar, soymilk & berries every morning. Yay! He had the crowd laughing repeatedly, so much so that I decided to take video of his talk. Of course my batteries decided to put an end to that after 5 minutes. But soon as I figure out how to share it, there will be insightful video!
After that the VegWeb crew split up. I stayed to watch the next cooking demonstration where I learned something very important from Chef Colleen. "If you want to eat a healthy chocolate chip cookie, eat broccoli." *nods* She is wise! I ventured down stairs once more where I promptly found DinkFeet & CeltKat snatching up samples of organic tea. We stood and chatted for 30 plus minutes. We even saw oWalkerJillo & friend! It was nearing 5pm as we went our separate ways with hugs and promises to post of our Veg Fest experiences. I of course went and snatched up another mushroom shot and debated getting two more jars. I really should have.
The three hour drive home was not bad, except the torrential downpour near the MA/CT border but even that passed quickly. Honestly I was hyper from all the food, fun and experience. Even after three hours of driving I was able to go to a friends house till 11:30pm! Sharing my mushrooms and recounting tales of veggie goodness. All in all, it was an awesome experience. I hope to go next year as well and so should you!
The crowd was impressive!
But my haul made it worthwhile!
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