Superbowl Foodz

This is what I served at our superbowl party!

BBQ Jackfruit served on rolls.

Tempeh Wingz
These were kind of a riff off of Vegan Dad's Perfect Tempeh Burger recipe. Only I steamed the tempeh in veg broth & sage, mashed it with pinto beans and added more VWG. Oh and lots of hot sauce! Messy, but they held together great and tasted pretty darn good. Makes me kind of wonder if they are even close but I never had real "wings" before so I have no clue.


Veggies & various dips & chips



Cupcakes in 2 flavors! Margarita and Vanilla w/ Chocolate chips and chocolate frosting. Sorry but you only get the naked views. By the time they were frosted, I was too tipsy to remember pics.

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!

Banana Cupcakes

Last night after a lovely and five alarm spicy meal of homemade Chana Masala and Mushroom Curry I made cupcakes.

Banana cupcakes with chocolate chips in the cake. Peanut Buttercream Frosting with banana, white chocolate and a hint of Frangelica.

The cakes turned out lovely, slightly dense and lightly banana flavored. The chips add a rich sweet burst to every bite. The frosting is thick and frothy, mounded on top with a delicate peanut flavor and just a hint of banana. It melts on your tongue without being overly sweet or overly sticky. The peanut butter was from Peanut Butter & Co and is their White Chocolate Wonderful product. Yummy but I think I prefer the Dark Chocolate Dream just a bit better.

Overall this is a rich, decadent and subtly flavored dessert that I created based on the Banana Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I think I would definitely make these again, perhaps with peanut butter in the batter next time!

My daughter cooked!

Last Friday I asked Angel what she wanted for dinner early in the morning, before I left for work. In her cranky, sleepy teenage drawl she replied "Spaghetti". So I picked up all the fixings after work and we cooked!

She diced onion, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes. Plus she sauted them quite well, though she stirs things a bit much for my taste, but thats all practice! We did cheat and use a jar of sauce but she added herbs of her choice, basil, oregano and lots of garlic! The pasta turned out just fine even if I insisted on being the one to drain it.

I was pretty proud of here and I could tell, she was proud of herself!

Its funny but my mom started teaching me how to cook when I was very young. And I tried to encourage Angel to learn, but this time, I think it made an impression. How often do you get to encourage a 15 year old to cook an entire dinner?! And they do so happily? That was the best part.

Earlier in the week we tossed dinner together and did some baking for a Relay for Life bake sale at my work. First we made dinner, I made Chickpea Mushroom Noodle Casserole and she made roasted cauliflower. She picked out the spices for the cauliflower and enjoyed sprinkling on salt, pepper, garlic and 1 teaspoon Spanish Smoked Paprika. At the end of 30 minutes the cauliflower was fantastic. Sharp, pungent and a perfect veggie to serve alongside the casserole. It had the lovely hint of smoke and the faint bite of heat.

After dinner we baked up mini loaves of Banana Bread, Mini Chocolate Mousse Pies and Orange Creamcicle cupcakes. Angel did make chocolate soup that was supposed to be a boxed brownie mix, but measuring seemed to elude her. Unfortunately that had to do down the drain. But everything else was lovely. The bake sale raised over $500 from everyone's contributions! Plus I got to eat some VCTOTW Cookies & Cream Cupcakes made by a coworker! YUMMY.

This week's menu is far from complete but so far we have a large salad planned for tonight, to beat the 90+ heat. Stirfry using the leftover veggies from the salad on Tuesday and Wednesday I plan on making some delish Indian food; Mushroom Curry and then my awesome Chickpea recipe. After that, who knows!

As the move draws closer and closer my condo gets more and more boxed up and I fear cooking will become challenging. Luckily its just across town and I should be able to move the kitchen as is almost without much strife and hopefully in one day.

My camera is holding cupcakes hostage!

Last week I made cupcakes. Four dozen cupcakes to be exact. Two batches of Mexican Hot Chocolate and two of Mucho Margarita. I brought one dozen of each batch into work for a Relay for Life bake sale and needless to say, they went over quite well.

I snapped pictures of my awesome Sunshine burger lunch, cupcakes and probably more. But last night, after a Tuesday night marathon cooking session, my camera decided to hold the pics hostage! It wont even turn itself on, even plugged into the computer. I can only hope that removing the memory stick will either help or work in my other camera. *sigh*

The chocolate cupcakes were tasty. The hint of spice was like a scent memory with each bite invoking a head tilt and a vague look of "this tastes like something...". I could not find almond meal so mine were grainy as I walked the fine line of ground almonds and almond butter.

Margarita cupcakes are always a big hit. Everyone loves them and lime is such a great flavor that even virgin cuppers and frosting would be tasty. Though honestly, I think at my work the idea of booze in baked goods is awesome.

I took the rest of the cupcakes to the awesome people who participate in Beer Train Friday. Yup, my commute home on Fridays has people partying it up. They bring beer and last weekend in celebration of the then upcoming Cinco de Mayo they made margaritas on the train. So I traded a cupcake for a glass and snacked on chips and some of the hottest salsa I had ever tried.

Last weekend I had some yummy food like General Tso's Tofu, Channa Masala, and even some sushi and spicy veg miso soup. All from very accommodating restaurants in my area of Connecticut. Monday was leftover taco's from a nacho night last week.

Last night though, I cooked such an incredible plate of food that I really mourn the lack of pictures to share the goodness. I made a double batch of modified Chickpea Cutlets. My only modification is to use an awesome seasoning blend mix for the veg broth and twice the amount of chickpeas called for. These got baked in the oven with my roasting fingerling parsley potatoes and I added in some broccoli and cauliflower in another roasting pan. I even made a sliced mushroom sauce with onions, garlic and baby bellas.

After all that, I found time to whip up some chickpea salad to nosh on with veggies for a snack and do the dishes! I was so darn proud of myself. So proud that it may just be leftover night tonight even though my plan was ribz and rice.

Hopefully there will be pics next post, but for now I have more cupcakes to contemplate!

Last week recap

Last week was quiet. LB returned from his five day golf trip on Monday and enjoyed a lovely dinner of Bacon Spaghetti. Of course I inevitably burn the bread so our garlic toast was a bit less than I expected, and a lot more blackened.

Tuesday I made a cheezy sauce and we ate Nachos! Lovely corn tortilla chips surrounding a mound of black beans, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado and of course delish and spicy nacho cheeze. This was so good, I took the leftovers to work and ate them for lunch the next day. Though this is not the most healthy of meals I need to make this again, simply because it is so tasty.

Wednesday was a simple meal that I mostly just opened things for. Onion sauted with mushrooms and garlic, covered in a lovely jar of Portabello Merlot spaghetti sauce, served over Boca chik patties and a bit of pasta. Those pictures were simply not very pretty though I did remember to take them!

The rest of the week was awash of leftovers, baking and eating out. We had Mexican food both Friday and Saturday and it was phenomenal! From sizzling veggie fajitas to savory black beans and rice served beside tostadas.

Dinner last night was simple yet so delicious. Fried potato slices and onions with Tofurky Keibalsa Sausage and peppers. Savory, hearty and hubby and I finished the entire meal happily.



Earlier last week I made cupcakes from VCTOTW. Banana cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream frosting and Chocolate Stout cupcakes. Everyone I shared these with loved them, personally I only licked some frosting from my fingers and the beater so I figured I had eaten enough! This week it Margarita cupcakes to celebrate the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Luckily a recent purchase will help out greatly. Check out my Cupcake Courier.

This holds 3 dozen cupcakes or muffins securely and easily with four locking latches. It is a bit bulky but honestly I dont think anything else holds this many securely. The space between layers leaves room for puffy muffin tops or a bit of frosting, though honestly, I prefer to bring my frosting in a bag and ice things up as I serve. People love to see adorably sweet mini cakes go from naked to lush tall creations of sugary goodness on their plate. Of course this also allows me to dole out as much or as little (silly dieting people!) as people want.

I hope to bring my camera on the next cupcake excursion but for now, my memories and people's thanks for the goodies shall have to suffice.

Pictures from the long silences

Here I sit, after a good long absence, thinking I would wow my minuscule fan base with two dozen pics of everything I have made. Wouldn't you guess, I took a whole 4 notable pics all month. *sigh*

So let me apologize and say, this will happen again. But I hope to have a much better photo spread next time! ;)

Arroz con Seitan made with mild chik'n flavored seitan of greatness.


My Sweet Vegan French toast with a blood orange slice or two. Good stuff!

Peach muffin. So good, was moist, light and gooey. Perfect lightly warmed.

Chickpea's over Basmatti rice. This recipe is from my awesome coworker friend Andal. She makes this recipe for her family regularly and shared the secret with me. Personally, I think its awesome with cauliflower mingling its mild flavor amongst the savory Garam Masala, coriander and cumin. I will share the recipe at a later time when I make it from it exactly as she wrote it or I note my changes. I love Indian food.

Today I did go to an awesome vegan Potluck. It was so good. I am still stuffed beyond full from the huge array of awesome eats; appetizers, salad w/homemade dressing, casserole, pizza and of course more desserts than the table could hold. Yum!

Seitan Snausage and two homemade cheezes! Very yummy.


This awesome confetti salad was A-MAZING! I must get the recipe and make it frequently.

Caesar salad dressing over yummy romaine. That dressing was unbelievably good and superb on pizza!

A lovely garlicky bean dip with a zip of lime in it. So yummy.

Requisite spinach dip and crudities. So good though. Those raw green beans were fabulous, just like the dip!

Artichoke spinach dip! With pita chips!

mmmm Pizza!

Tortilla Casserole.


And finally, dessert! Sexy Low Fat Lemon cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream, Green Tea cupcakes w/ green tea icing, Soy Delicious Ice Creams and Chocolate Mousse.

Teaser

There is an exchange currently in process on the veg*n board so I spent most of yesterday afternoon / evening cooking goodies to share with my Vegantine. I am not posting any recipes just the names of what I made.

Chickpea Nibbles:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Peanut Butter Cannonballs, Naked Sexy Low Fat Lemon Cupcake:

Cheezy Quakers though mine were made into flower and butterfly shapes:



And two more, last night's dinner of braised kale with onions and garlic, V'con's Cheezy Sauce covered potatoes and Boca Chick Patties.

Of course I had a helper this morning in taking pictures. Everyone, meet Gryphin. Who was trying to see if he could swipe my socks off the chair. Too bad mommy was watching!

The night before Valentines

I find myself huffing powdered sugar.

Not intentionally of course!

*cough*

Lets see some lovely foods to distract you from that statement.

Dinner was a mild version of Seitan o'Greatness. Seasoned with Nooch, mushroom powder, garlic and a tiny bit of thyme. This was simmered in a mushroom, onion and garlic mixture and that then received a touch of veggie bullion, water, unsweetened soymilk and cornstarch. Served atop green beans and mashed potatoes it was unbelievable. Like eating Green Bean Casserole with hearty bits of goodness in it and creamy potato.

Next I made goodies for a bake sale at work. Banana Bonanza Bread! Times two. This is the batch I made tonight. Though I made a batch last night and already took it into work.



Sexy Lemony Cupcakes from VCTOTW of course - the naked version! oh my!



The topped version with Lemony Buttercream frosting and a sprinkle of red sugar to get you in the mood! LB and I split this little number and his only complaint? He only got half. hahaha I love that man!



I also made mini chocolate mouse bites. Twelve full cupcake sized made with an awesome chocolate avocado mix and twelve mini full of tofu chocolate and maple mix. I plan to top these with cookies, strawberries and hand them out to my pals at work. Hopefully I will get a pic up tomorrow upon their completion as they are chilling currently!

Thats all folks. I am going to go fall into a powdered sugar coma for 12 hours now! Be safe and always wear your face mask when making a frosting double batch.

Tomorrow do something nice for those you love, even if that list only contains yourself and a kitty.

xoox
~Cali

Late night baking

What do you do when chatting to your mother at 8pm? Well, I had the option of sitting on the couch or putzing in the kitchen. I ended up with banana bread and VCTOTW Basic Vanilla Cupcakes with chocolate chips. I just finished making some Cream Cheese Frosting that I bagged up and will frost the cuppers tomorrow at work. Since I am not keeping these things in the house to add to MY waistline!

So, breakfast? dessert? I gotcha covered!

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!