Belated pr0n - My Halloween offering

The cupcakes were a hit with the kids at work who came in trick or treating. Especially the one girl allergic to eggs! I got a pic as soon as I could, unfortunately no monster hands were in the shot. hahah

Halloween Party Prep

So tonight I made Chik Pot Pie with a biscuit crust. It was delish. Very lightly seasoned, slightly herbed but basically good hearty and plentiful food.
Ok, so it looks disgusting and I should have added cornstarch to it before baking but it tasted divine. I basically just diced veggies, tossed them in a pan, sauted them and then simmered in a cup or so of water until tender. Then I moved everything to a casserole dish, topped with biscuits and baked for 15 minutes. Deelish!

Next I spent time making mini cupcakes for the kids that will come into my work tomorrow. I hope to have more pics after that fun but for now, here is a nudie shot! Wooo baby, work it!

Vacation eats

Alas, I return from vacation with no pictures of food. Why you wonder? Because I did not get the opportunity to eat fabulous vegan food. Instead I ate a lot of potatoes, drank a lot of pear ale and walked my feet darn near off.

Some stand out nibbles were the Fried Mushrooms (on a stick) at the Texas Renaissance faire and the Spicy Korean Tofu & Veggies from Pei Wei. The things that sucked royally? The Kings Feast at the faire was great amusement but crappy food for a vegan. I ate grapes, a few marinated veggies, a quarter of a head of iceberg lettuce and roasted potatoes. So not worth the price of admission for me. And the second sucky place? Hooters. We went there, I took a look at the menu, had only water to drink and got up to leave before everyone else's food arrived. I drove over to Pei Wei for said awesome Spicy Korean dish.

Foolishly I did not bring sandwiches on the plane with me, so I was pretty hungry through that, though I did have some nibbles like grapes and pretzels. The flight home was worse because we had to run to make our connection. Ok, so I just walked as quick as possible and relied on LB to tell the gate attendants I was on my way. Even that made my knee hurt fiercely. Sometimes I wonder about my choice to not let the orthopedic specialist remove the screws he put in my tibia to realign my knee because they hurt!

Other than that, no other food stands out. I know you can eat vegan fare in Texas, I just did not have much opportunity to do so. Its hard when you are moving in a group with three omnivores. Though my friend M got her own mushrooms on a stick and loved them!

Hopefully there will be posts tomorrow with pictures of food. I hope to make mini cupcakes for the trick or treaters coming to the office tomorrow. And possibly peanut butter cannon balls if I have time!

Vacation time!

Well all, I am leaving tomorrow on a long weekend vacation to Houston Texas. Well, thats where we arrive via plane, then its a short 30 minute drive north to the Texas Renaissance Faire! Yay!

I will be taking loads of pictures and hopefully will have some food to eat. Personally, I planned ahead and have made smart bacon strips for nibbling, carrots, celery, hummus and salsa packets (unopened!) and bags of chips. Lets all cross our fingers that they dont mind me bringing all this on the plane as carry on. hahah

Expect many multiple posts when I get back!

Mofo Survey

I found this great survey on Where's the Revolution but it originally came from Get Sconed! I just happened to read the first one, first today. hahah

My answers! Wheee

1. What was the most recent tea you drank?
1. I am not a tea (or coffee) drinker but the last cup I did have was Earl Gray.
2. What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!

1. VegWeb mainly. Though I have been known to lurk on the Post Punk Kitchen
2. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?

1. Herb crusted baked tofu served over crispy polenta wedges and a lovely roasted veggie mix of eggplant, tomato, bell pepper and zucchini with lots of basil and garlic.
3. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?

1. Ten on average during the week. I use the Google Reader and just click on the new posts.
4. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?

1. Where's the Revolution by Bazu - its where I found the survey!
5. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?

1. I think I would like to hang out with Tracy from A Veg*n for Dinner simply because she is so hilariously witty.
6. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?

1. Seitan.
7. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?

1. Probably tempeh. I would smear those weird black lines of goo on my adversary and it would skeeve them out!
8. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!

1. Tempeh sausage crumbles from Vegan With a Vengeance made into breakfast burritos. Tempeh meatloaf riff off of Vegan Dad's Perfect Tempeh Burger, served with garlic mashed potatoes and mushroom green beans. Fried herb crusted tempeh triangles with a huge batch of roasted veggies.

10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?

1. I have so many I dont know if there is enough room on the web for me to note them all. I do want to make Vegan Dad's seitan lunchmeat soon.

11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
1. I own one Herbivore black crossed swords shirt.
2. I am now the proud owner of a lovely Herbivore shirt as noted in the last post!
3. I think I have more but honestly my t-shirt favorites are all bought from my favorite web comics. My most recent one says Xibalba is for Lovers. *snicker*

12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
1. No but I recently learned my sister is only a few hours away from there! Next time we travel across country to see here I will plan a day (or three) trip.
13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?

1. I went vegan at 29, starting as a L/O veg and trying to cook two weeks L/O and two weeks vegan alternating. I had a particularly bad dairy reaction and gave it up!
13. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?

1. There are so many that make me just roll my eyes but typically I have pretty good luck. I think my unhappiest meals are from chains like Applebee's and TGIFridays where I get to eat salad or oily bland pasta.
14. What made you decide to blog?

1. Amusingly enough we are coming up on my very first blogiversary. I had so much fun at the 2007 Boston Vegetarian Food Fest, and no one cared in my real life, that I started a blog just to get it out.
15. What are three of your favorite meals to make?

My favorites change with the seasons but I will try to be fair here.

1. Bacon Spaghetti
2. Chickpea cutlets with mashed potatoes, peas, gravy and garlic bread
3. Some variation of Rice & Beans

16. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
1. Bryanna Clark Grogan's Soy Seitan Turky stuffed with my home made stuffing.
17. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
1. Anything from Candle Cafe

16. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
1. P.F. Chang’s is yummy. I have eaten there twice. But honestly, I typically dont eat at chains as I find small local restaurants to be better in either accommodating me or providing options.
17. My kitchen needs a………

1. Immersion blender! I have just about every other gadget under the sun but no immersion blender. *sigh*
17. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..!

1. Sweet Potato or Yam. I have intestinal issues with them. :(
18. What's for dinner tonight?
1. If only I knew! I was thinking of making Cabbage soup or veggie pot pie but cant decide!
   
   

I won a T-shirt!

(Note: The photo above is from the blog I won it from! That lovely model looks nothing like me, unfortunately for me.)

Squeee!

I actually just got this today in the mail. I won it on the SmartFitter blog which is a very cool place. Not only can you see beautiful vegan food porn but you can also read about fitness, diet, economics, and even growing your own mushrooms!

Now this shirt is beautiful. So soft and with a tight smooth weave. The construction is very very good for a tee shirt. It is the Sustainable Edition brand by American Apparel. The light natural color pairs well with the vibrant green design.

I cannot wait to wear this shirt!

What to cook?!

Do you ever go to a farm stand or grocery store or farmers market and grab up everything that looks good? I did that on Sunday. I visited a farm stand very close to my house, a lovely Indian Market and my local grocery store. My haul? Huge and undetermined about what to make. Any ideas please feel free to drop me a comment!

Veggies:
1 large sweet Onion (used 1/3rd)
3 Shallots
1 Red Bell Pepper (used 1/4th)
1 Green Bell Pepper (used 1/4th)
1 Zucchini (used half)
1 Yellow Squash (used half)
Bag full of spinach
Bag full of thin long carrots
1 bulb Garlic
1 huge head Cabbage
2 lb red Potatoes

Indian Staples:
5lb Basmatti Rice
1lb Moong Dal
1lb Chick Peas, dried
1lb frozen Roti

Grocery Store Staples:
Celery
Asparagus
10oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms (used!)
10oz sliced White Mushrooms
MSF Chick'n Seitan strips, frozen
Flour Tortillas
Salsa
Refried Beans
13 Bean dried mix from Bob's Red Mill
Canned Green Beans
Frozen Cauliflower
Boca Chik Patties (used!)
Brown Rice Pasta spirals

I have plenty of other various staples in the house so feel free to incorporate other typical things in your suggestions. I also have one pumpkin and a huge butternut squash from last week.

What I have made so far was a lovely Chik Catchetorie riff over wide egg free noodles. Used 1/3 of an onion, 2 ribs of celery, 3 thin carrots, two chunks of bell pepper, half a zucchini, half a yellow squash, two big cloves of garlic, two sun dried tomatoes soaked in red wine, 10 oz crimini mushrooms, 10 oz diced tomatoes and a tablespoon tomato paste. So tasty!

Now I cannot decide if I want a chik pot pie, cabbage soup, Dal or something totally different. I know I would like to take some time tonight and make breakfast burritos for the rest of this week and next, but that wont really take much away from the list as the items are basically all pantry and fridge staples aside from the tortillas and salsa. But other than that, my mind wont make itself up. Help!

Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

Thats right! Its almost that time again. The trek to Boston takes me three hours but I plan on doing just that November 1st. Hopefully KissMeKate is joining me for some of the ride and the day of good food, excellent speakers and an awesome vegan time.

In the New England area? I highly suggest you check it out! Click here for more info.

VeganMoFo - Rice & Beans

Ok, so maybe its not exciting but it was delish. Even my husband, who dislikes the bland mushy idea of rice and beans liked this. Luckily I was pretty smart and added my spices with a measuring spoon. This was a clean out the freezer type of meal as I am almost totally out of fresh veggies. Darn my own laziness in not going to the store this week. But it makes for a good eating cheap and tasty dish. The recipe is as follows!

1T Vegetable Oil
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2t Cumin
1/2t Oregano (Mexican)
1t Chili Powder (Mild)
1t Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
1/2c Bell Pepper, diced
1/2c Corn, fresh or frozen
1-2c Soy sausage, either homemade or store bought
15oz Small Red beans, drained
3 Sun Dried Tomatoes
1.2c Rice, white long grain variety
3c Water, divided
8oz Tomato sauce

Soak the dried tomatoes in 1 cup of the water. Saute the onion in the oil on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add in the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the veggies, beans and soysage. Heat through. Add 2 cups of the water and rice to the pot. Dice the tomato and add it and the soaking water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 25 minutes. Stir well and pour on the tomato sauce. Let sit covered for a minute or two before serving.

This was creamy, mild but with an excellent savory flavor. The only crunch to it was the corn as my bell peppers were the frozen kind and are soft when reheated. The delicate oregano adds a nice green note to the overall flavor. I was drinking a very mild table red with dinner that almost completely overpowered the subtle tastes. So I recommend waiting till after you are done to partake.

I did not get a picture, trust me its not very pretty. But it tastes divine.

Vegan Mofo - Recent Eating Out part 2

If yesterday's post was the bad eating out, this one should be described as the good kind. Perfection, decadence, and yes, a bit of gluttony. Now, I did not take my camera with me. Mainly because the destination that I was there for stated plainly that no electronic devices, backpacks or sealed envelopes would be allowed. Of course when I got there and 90% of the people had said items, one even going so far as to have their cell phone ring while in line and talk for five minutes. But such is life for us rule followers. Plus the whole trip was work related so I could do no less than behave.

All that aside, it did give me an excellent excuse to wander from 53rd Street to 79th and visit Candle 79. Now, the last time I had to pick up visa's for work I visited there, so I felt it was totally appropriate to do so this trip as well. I wandered over at 11:30 am only to realize they did not open till noon. I was sad and paced up and down the block for a bit.

But once they were open I scurried inside and claimed a table by the open window. The concept of a vegan restaurant makes me giddy. The decisions on what to eat are difficult when you can pick anything. I wavered several times and debated their daily specials quite a bit. Finally my choices were made and I indulged.

I started with a chocolate shake. This was not thick or rich but it was lovely nonetheless. It had an icy float of creamy goodness on the top under a sprinkling of tiny chocolate chips. The Enjoy Life brand if I do not miss my guess. There was also chocolate syrup decorating the inside of the glass that swirled around nicely adding to the flavor. Needless to say, it was good. I might have made it thicker or richer had I been at home, but this would satisfy everyone on the chocolate spectrum.

Next I ordered a starter. The guacamole timbale. I was not quite sure what to expect though it could not be bad with a description like it had. The large plate came out and I was thrilled. The most obvious was the homemade tortilla strips that were crisp without being greasy or heavy. There was a tower of delight under them layered with refried black beans, caramelized onions, a light jicama pico de gallo and topped with a lush guacamole. There was a decadent sauce made from chipotle drizzled under all this that was smoky and divine. The beans were a lovely mellow base for the more flavorful onions and salsa while the guac lavishly spread its creamy touch everywhere. The crisp chips were a delight and I soon abandoned all efforts to eat politely and dug my fork in deep. I used the last few strips of tortilla to scrape up every last bit. My plate almost looked like I had licked it clean.

The waitress was impressed and even gave me a 'good job' on the appetizer before setting down my entree. The Fall Harvest Paella was everything I hoped it would be. The tower of rice and veggies was warm, flavorful and prefect on a blustery day. The seitan sausage was chewy enough to be noticed but not tough or difficult. It added a good tooth appeal to the meal. The rice was perfectly cooked, tender and delicate with no clumps or dried out pieces. Veggies diced finely were thick in the tomato mix; diced zucchini, delicately slivered onion and crisp fresh corn kernels. There were some sauces underneath the rice that were tasty as well, one was very avocado tasting while the others were peppery. This was a perfect meal despite my fear that it would be too small of a portion. I felt well and truly satiated after finishing.

That did not stop me from ordering dessert of course. The need for vegan goodness cannot stop simply because of a full tummy! Again I ordered a towering dish, this time the Caramelized Apple Phyllo Tower. Luckily the waitress gave me time, upon my request, to sit back and enjoy the day before bringing it out.

This dessert was a very interesting combination of tart berry sauce, rich and creamy topping, crisp and light phyllo and in my opinion the hidden ice cream at the center of the tower. The ice cream was so rich, lush and flavorful I wanted a quart of it to take with me. It had a subtle cinnamon flavor and a light apple taste to it, neither overpowering the other or the delicate creamy base. My goal is to someday eat more of this lush goodness or make my own. Preferably the former because if I learn how to make my own, no one will ever hear from me again as I will probably drowned in the stuff.

All in all, while the day was long, trying and full of waiting, it was made wonderful by the lunch provided by Candle 79. While their prices are a bit higher than what I am used to it is so worth it.

Vegan Mofo - Recent Eating Out part 1

I have no pictures for this post. Sorry!

My husband and I went to a wedding for his golf partner (and best friend)'s oldest daughter. It was a lovely drive to Simsbury with the fall colors starting to wash the landscape in orange, red and yellow. The reception was at a lovely location, right near a river and heavily wooded. The building was beautiful and very new apparently and they set it up very elegantly. Of course the bride looked lovely as did the attendees but you all do not care much about that, so lets get down to the good stuff... the food!

The reception started at noon and they had a lovely hor dorves spread set out. I started with a flute of Mimosa and waited patiently for my turn up to the table. It turns out they did have good things but by the time I got there the pickings were slim. I enjoyed cantelope, watermelon, carrots, yellow bell pepper and one celery stick. Everything else was quite contaminated either by the placement, who puts grapes on TOP of cheese, or by the guests scooping the dip out and dripping on the veggies.

No worries though, I did get enough in my belly to make walking after all those mimosa's possible.

Once it was time to sit down at our table I was very disappointed. The salad plat was already at the table and each one was adorned with a skewer of poor little shrimps stabbed through the belly and onto a half of a lemon. My husband took it off my plate for me before I sat down. He is such a considerate man sometime! Of course I refused to touch the salad after it had been that close to the shellfish. Who knows how many times they had fallen over and lay in the greens. Instead I ate a whole wheat onion roll and a half, after sharing with LB.

When dinner arrived I was optimistic. It could have been our hosts assuring me that they had planned a vegetarian option or all the champagne. Of course I asked the coordinator for a plate with no animal products, including dairy. One waitress tried to bring me out a plate with mashed potatoes while she was there. Oddly enough their "Of course our vegetarian plates are vegan." comment died a quick death when I asked how they made the potatoes. After that they brought me out a plate and my optimism faltered.

Now picture a very large, very shallow bowl with an inch or two rim in a crisp white ceramic. Inside this huge plate was a stack of vegetables and a drizzle of balsamic sauce with a sprig of rosemary just to look festive. At the top of the stack was a small portobella mushroom that had been roasted or grilled, it was very flavorful but small. Under that was a slice of red bell pepper, about the same diameter as the mushroom, maybe 2 inches. Under that was some not very carmelized onions, again about the same size as the bell pepper slice. Under that layer was some zucchini, three half slices that were possibly a quarter of an inch before roasting. After that was a round of cooked spinach. Of course there was the sauce drizzled about and one tiny sweet pepper looking decorative.

Mind you while this was very tasty, everyone around me had three peices of flesh plus more mashed potatoes than I had veggies. When I finished my 'meal' I was starving. Luckily the mother of the bride convinced them to bring me out another plate but it was even less than the first as it was missing the spinach and the sauce. Needless to say I was disappointed. I continued to drink my calories, since I had nothing else available.

Dessert time found them cutting the cake and serving up crepes. Neither of which I could eat. So instead I smoked an organic cigar with my hubby and we danced outside. Once the reception was over we headed to the hotel where Angel had hung out all day, enjoying their never ending hot water and her books.

She and I ran to Subway and got sandwiches and chips. Mine was gone in a matter of moments I was so hungry. I should have gotten the 12 inch just because! After that I wandered downstairs to the after party, enjoyed the company and a few more drinks. The restaurant and bar did have food so I ordered some. The bruschetta was tasty but the bread was so thick and stale that it was almost impossible to eat. If it had been half the size in width it would have been perfect. Then I ordered their stir fry. It came an hour later with veggies, rice pasta and a very odd sauce. I did not enjoy it but I ate all I could, mostly picking out the veggies and swirlling up the naked noodles around the edges.

All in all, I did not quite enjoy myself. Sunday we drove Angel to the airport and hung out waiting for her plane. My lunch? half a bag of rice crackers.

Not a very healthy weekend. I have more eating out to share but this tragedy of dining deserves its own post. I will give you a hint though, Monday I had to travel into the city for work. So I indulged in lunch a Candle 79!

VeganMoFo - Tamales from the Potluck

For the potluck I made a batch of tamales. The corn husks came all the way from California with my Mom, when she visited two years ago. Nice to know they store well, isn't it? I made 3/4ths of the batch with refried beans and black beans spiced up with garlic, onion, chili powder and a pinch of smoked paprika. The rest I mixed Field Roast Chipotle Sausage with a bit of the leftover bean mix.

The plain ones were delish. Creamy insides, smooth taste and perfect smothered in guacamole. The Field Roast ones were a bit too spicy for my taste and then they upset my stomach. For whatever reason those products always do that, so its not surprising.

I gave all the spicy ones away to KMK, BP and VHZ at the end of the potluck to take home with them. I still have over a dozen small sized bean ones in my fridge. Sometime next week, its tamale night!

Potluck Pictures - round four 'the big finale'

The fabulous potluck sleepover extravaganza was wrapped up by playing board games in our jammies till 2pm, eating ice cream and pie for lunch and snacking on lunch leftover veggies and dips.

VHZ and KMK made a great team for Scrabble. Which we played with modified rules, if you could spell a VegWebber's name, you got a double word score!



The winning team though, was Camilus and Baypuppy. Look at them, so studious!

Pictionary was awesome, and we ate dessert... I mean lunch, during it too!
I tried to get out of having to draw Ronald McDonald as it was morally against veganism, but it was such an easy win.
My lunch was pumpkin pie, Mocha Almond Fudge & Snickerdoodle ice cream by So Delicous covered in Soya Too Whip we made the day before. mmmm This bowl was either BP's or Angel's which had pumpkin pie, Chocolate Brownie Almond ice cream, Soya Too Whip, Smuckers Marshmallow Topping and chocolate sauce.
Our lunch feast is a bit of slim pickings overall, but we still had leftovers!
We did finish the games with a round of Simpson's Clue. It was Marge in the Simpson's House with the necklace by the way!


Just look at that fiesty BP!

We did see KMK off after the fun with a bag full of food, prizes and cigar boxes. Empty mind you! My hubby wont part with the contents but I am willing to part with the boxes easily. After that everyone packed up and we took our last field trip to Barns & Noble and the local kitchy store The Christmas Tree Shop. It was a huge amount of fun and I was so happy people came over and had a great time. Thanks for coming everyone!

Potluck Pictures - round three "the morning after"

We all slept in until about 8:30am after our potluck pajama party. In the morning we sat around kind of groggy and our bellies still not quite up to eating MORE food. But we persevered for vegans everywhere and headed to the kitchen. Behold our accomplishments!


This is the Nutritionist Soy Milk Maker I got over a year (or two) ago through my local Freecycle group. This was its first batch ever made by me though. Let me just say, I wish I had the instruction booklet! It is not a good batch. I will try again and add oats or rice to the soy beans in the brewing process and sugar afterward!

Next is our lovely tofu for the Tofu McVegans I promised VHZ. They were made with two blocks of The Bridge tofu, which is a local Connecticut company! One cup of Apple Cider Vinegar, half a cup of oil and a tablespoon of Black Salt Powder finished them off. I let it soak for about thirty minutes before baking over an hour at 350. I flipped them several times to get them all golden and crispy. Luckily this was done the day before so that they just needed a quick reheat.

No vegan fast food breakfast would be complete without hash browns and bacon, so VHZ and Cam made some! Yay.

This was my breakfast sandwich, complete with Tofutti cheese slice, LightLife bologna, Smart Bacon, Tofu and hash browns wedged between a Stop & Shop Multigrain Light english muffin. Delish!

Here is Cam enjoying his, which I think he buttered the muffin and added two different meats and cheeses! How indulgent we vegans get in a pack.


There are more potluck pictures to come, so stay tuned.

Potluck Pictures - round two

For those of you not in the know, we had a VegWeb potluck at my house this past weekend! Four steadfast friends trekked in as far away as Albany to come visit, eat and have a great time. My not tiny sized kitchen felt very small with five adults working in it. Here are more pictures!

KissMeKate and VegHeadZealia watch on as dinner preparations start.

Baypuppy and Camilus putting Mac & Cheeze in the oven. mmmm bread crumb topping!

We decided then to have a fancy schmancy dinner party type of dinner since it was just us. I love bringing out the good china for fun things!


KMK folded the napkins! So awesome.

Sitting around the table, ready to dig in!
The food! Going clockwise from the top is: sauted Kale, teriyaki meatballs, lentil bake, mac & cheese and my own bacon spaghetti. Everything was so delish and it is such a treat to be around people cooking great vegan food.
This is what was left once we did as much damage as we could. Luckily leftovers did fit in my fridge and people got to take portions home!

First though, we had a field trip to my local Trader Joe's before we started on cooking dinner. We picked up everything from dried Dragonfruit to trail mix to frozen asperagus to toothpaste! What a fun trip. We also hit the local Stop & Shop grocery store for smoothie makings but once in the store we got distracted and only bought sundae toppings like Smuckers Marshmallow Sauce!

After we ate that feast pictured above, we sat in the den and played Scattegories. It is funny how everyone got different foods but when we had to think up people or places there were duplicates. We also voted that Hulk Hogan is NOT considered a hero. This party was a pajama party with everyone staying overnight for two days of fun and food so we all got in our jammies and stayed up till 2am goofing off and laughing hysterically.

Sunday morning fun will have to wait till next post though!

Potluck Pictures - first batch

Just a few minor notes and changes to this post to update it some. Saturday morning I got up, cleaned my house within an inch of its life except the outside edges of the stairs apparently. (Long story!) All in preparation for a potluck! Yay!

I made a double batch of Cheezy Quackers with garlic, salt & pepper. These are always so good!
Look at that lovely dough.

Luckily I now have the counter space to roll these addictive crackers out onto.


Little leaves all cut out and awaiting the oven.

My new cookie cutter set. Probably will only be used for crackers though. Cookies are too much like work to cut out. hahah!


The final bowl full. Seriously, this is all a double batch, three large pans worth, made. We demolished these pretty quick. I suggest making a triple batch if you like them as much as I do.

The lunch spread! Left to right: Condiment container with marinated mushrooms, kalmata olives, salsa, guacamole and chickpea dip. Tortilla chips are in the bowl below it with Olive Tapenade right beside it. A quartet of hummus stands strong with the quackers. Veggies ranging from bell peppers, snow peas, green beans, radishes, carrots and celery block the vegan ranch, creamy Sheese, sliced Teese and Cheddar w/ Chives Sheese from escaping the garlic bread and pitas.

A hungry Baypuppy digs into the hummus. nom nom nom

Camilus did some dishes!
And we had a vegan cheese test of meltability. Teese on garlic bread, firm Sheese in a whole wheat pita and soft Sheese in the tiny pita spaceship shape. I did not eat any of these hot from the oven but I must say, the creamy Sheese probably is my favorite to dip things into. The firm kind was strangly resistant to any mingling with other foods. It exuded oils but would not spread or blend. The Teese was of course, excellent.


I think Cam thought the same way about my cheese favorites because here he is eating the tiny pita stuffed with creamy Sheese and looking delieriously happy!

Day 2 - but we ate leftovers!

Oh me oh my! We had leftovers tonight. Things that by now are not super photogenic. Luckily I have older photos from September.

First up is the previously mentioned seared smoked tofu atop a bed of grains with lemon pepper broccoli. Very good and simple to make.


Next up I made myself breakfast burritos. I pan fried up some onion, shredded potato, bell pepper, faux sausage crumbles and salsa verde. These were great but the best part was that I put them in the freezer to eat at a later date and they turned out so wonderful. Easy to heat up in the microwave on the way out the door or as a brunch snack on the weekday. Since it was not a lot of work I hope to do this more often for an excellent train ride handheld breakfast.


mmmm salsa verde!

VeganMoFo Day 1

To make up for my long silence I present to you my lunches, times four! In September I bought a Laptop Lunchbox to bring my own healthy lunch with me to work.

My first lunch was full of V'Con's Chickpea Cutlets, rice pilaf, veggies, apple slices, salad dressing in the tiny container and a bag of dark chocolate covered blueberries. Was good!

My second lunch was my own take on a BLT with Lightlife's Smart Bacon standing in for poor dead pig. And honestly, who doesn't put Avocado on their BLTs? This was a dip-tastic lunch with ketchup in the kitty and elephant containers to plunge the tater tots into. A container of grapes rounded it all out nicely.
Next I made my very own Cornish pastry from the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook. These were so very very good! The pie crust was easy to make, the filling was delish and it traveled very well. No wonder hand held stuffed pasties have been around for centuries!
And finally I have a picture of a lovely bunch of broccoli! Ok it is really leftovers from my excellent dinner of Smoked Tofu with Lemon Pepper Broccoli over Mixed Grains

Let me know that store bought plantain chips do NOT hold a candle to homemade fresh ones. Now if only I could make these myself all thin and crisplike.

I hope to keep posting all month. I am throwing a potluck at my home this weekend for several VegWeb friends. Expect lots of yummy food posts from that as soon as I catch up on all my September backlog, which consists of 3 more food photos. Doh!