Rotini in sauce with faux sausage

Amy made a delicious meal this evening.  Spaghetti sauce combined with "Don't Be Piggy" faux sausage from Wegmans, along with roasted Brussels sprouts and roasted zucchini slices.  Delicious!  And I made fast bake bread in the bread machine.  Excellent dinner.  And very simple.  All done and cleaned up.

Chipotle Mac and Cheez

Chipotle Mac and Cheese This turned out great!  My blender did the trick with the cashews - though it was still a tad grainy, it was a lot better than the last time when I made cashew cheez in my food processor.  The Brussels sprouts really set it off.  And I used white miso, instead of chickpea miso and only 2 chipotles instead of 4.  I have never seen chickpea miso, so I don't know if I can even get it at Wegmans.

Anyhow, the kids liked it - we saved some so Brian can have a snack after the concert.

A swing and a miss

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese looked delicious.  I wonder, what went wrong?  Well, when they say use a Vitamix, I think they mean exactly that.  My four cup food processor just doesn't cut it.  The sauce was grainy because the cashews were not completely "blended".  I even found a whole cashew in it.  And I soaked them for two days!  I don't know if I will try this recipe again or not.  Probably not.  Too many other things out there that do not require the use of a Vitamix.

Update: This tasted better as leftovers.  It still needs a bit more spice, maybe some cayenne, and some dry mustard.  Maybe I WILL make this again, after all.  I was also thinking perhaps I would use acorn squash instead of butternut.  Or turban squash - it's really sweet, and would have more flavor.  I think perhaps, too, I overcooked the squash.  That would account for a lack of flavor.

Positively Pantry Chili and Vegan Cornbread

Tonight's dinner features Positively Pantry Chili from Vegan on the Cheap and vegan cornbread (with some modifications) here.  I used homemade vegan sour cream (made from the recipe in VotC) instead of plain silken tofu, and I used regular sugar instead of turbinado sugar.  The way I am trying out new recipes this week, you'd think it was the Vegan MoFo.  But no, it's just me, trying to save money AND eat better.

One of the ingredients of the chili:  Asian BBQ sauce (it doesn't call for that; that is what I used because it is what I have).  I loved the aroma coming from the slow cooker when I opened my front door this afternoon after a long day.  It tasted fairly good, though, Brian did say it was too spicy for him.  I think I will cut back on the chili powder when I make it again.  The cornbread was seriously delicious; we ate half of it, and have half left for another meal.  This recipe, with some continued modification (I also need not to use so much water) is definitely a keeper.

Fast food - what needs to actually happen

McDonalds is losing money, adding quarter pounders and other new items to try to revive flagging sales.  The thing is, all that stuff is still meat and dairy products deluxe.  Why not introduce some vegan items?  They would be healthier and I bet Mickey D's would see some increase in sales.  Is going cruelty-free so difficult?  Not only are vegetarian/vegan items better for the environment and healthier to eat, they mean less of a demand for products that come from cruelty to animals.

I'm trying to figure out what items would be on the menu at my ideal vegan fast food place.  Definitely a hummus entree, with pita bread chips or slices and veggie slices.  Maybe an offering of baby carrots and hummus.  Some sort of BBQ seitan sandwich, and fries - both potato and sweet potato.  A variety of salads - maybe two salads to start out with, traditional and ...oh, I'm not sure what else.  How about an order of vegan potato salad?  Or vegan tacos and burritos?  I could see a sweet potato and black bean burrito, since those items are inexpensive.  And some kind of veggie/corn salsa/black bean/avocado burrito similar to the veggie cantina burrito Taco Bell carries.  And make sure the burritos are seared on the outside after folded - Taco Bell, Qdoba and Chipotle all do this.  And perhaps a vegan chili bowl.  That would be good.

Just a few thoughts.  Of course, you wouldn't want to try to do too much.

Easy Vegan Lunches

I found a really cool product in the Nature's Marketplace section of Wegman's: Dr. Mcdougall's soups and stews.  They are all marked vegan, and are quite delicious.  So far this week I've had the White Bean Soup and the Tortilla Soup.  You can find them on the web HERE.  You can also order them in bulk from Amazon.  Delicious, and convenient.  We have a hot water spigot on our coffee maker here, so I just use that instead of the microwave (I used the microwave yesterday and it was a bit messy)  It's good that these products are available, since I can't always bring dinner's leftovers. Sometimes there ARE NO LEFTOVERS!!  Imagine that!

Vegan stroganoff

I have resolved to make more meals at home and try a lot of new things.  One thing I definitely wanted to make was goulash.  I had the recipe from Vegan on the Cheap in mind, but when I got ready to cook yesterday, I realized it was a slow cooker recipe, and that it wouldn't work on the stovetop.  So I switched to stroganoff and after some searching (I still have some vegan sour cream in my fridge that I made from VotC) I found a stroganoff recipe in Vegan With A Vengeance.  Now, my kids hate mushrooms.  So those were out, and the original recipe calls for both porcini and small white mushrooms.  Besides, when I looked in the fridge for the mushrooms I had (bellas), they were nowhere to be found, and,  I suspect, had been thrown out by my ambitious kids when they cleaned out the fridge the other day.  Anyhow, another problem I had was that the original recipe calls for a cup of red wine.  Alison found a great substitute: cranberry juice with a dash of vinegar!  That really saved the day.

One of my triumphs yesterday was the seitan I made from Veganomicon (that recipe is simpler, and tastes better than the one from VWAV and is similar enough to the one in VotC).  Anyhow, the seitan was very meaty, and not brainy at all.  Chris said it tasted like ground beef to him - and Chris is a very picky eater.  Also, I used farfalle instead of eggless noodles or fettucine.  I think I would go with the fettucine if/when I make this again.  The farfalle were too thick.

You can imagine from just reading this post that I did a lot of cooking yesterday.  And that is quite correct: I was busy for two hours.  But the recipe, despite smelling kind of odd after I added the nutritional yeast, or nooch, actually tasted very good.  I will definitely make it again (perhaps sneaking in the mushrooms if I can!).

I am hoping that if I stay motivated in the kitchen, I can cut my eating expenses in half.  That, and truth be told, I am tired of eating out and not having any interesting food, because I don't eat meat and dairy.  Hopefully, our kitchen will become proof that, yes, you can cook without meat and dairy, and make delicious, interesting, enjoyable meals.

Cafe 821, Richmond VA

They serve a delicious hummus and the best vegan chili anywhere.   I ordered the black bean and sweet potato burger.   YUM!

Roman Beans and...Quinoa???

It actually works!  I made quinoa in the rice cooker, and used veggie broth instead of water.  One thing - the quinoa cooks faster than rice does, so I think I'm going to taste it next time and turn it off before the little buzzer goes off.  Otherwise, some of it burns a little bit.

I took the Roman Rice and Beans recipe and subbed quinoa for the rice.  DELICIOUS!  The kids like it also.  I have two lunches for next week already, and with the leftover Chinese food from yesterday, I should have four lunches for this week already.

Small changes

It's amazing how a small change can make a big difference.

Take for instance, mashed potatoes.  Tonight, instead of using Earth Balance margarine/spread, I used olive oil.  MAJOR improvement.  I couldn't believe how sweet and creamy my mashed potatoes were.  Also, instead of boiling the potatoes the whole time, I brought them to a boil, then simmered them for a while.  Definitely better.

This idea of small changes making a big difference is true for medications as well.  I started taking synthroid about 2 weeks ago.  In no time at all, my mornings became jittery and anxious, and this morning it was so bad I had to go home.  The doctor is going to do some more blood tests, because it is definitely the synthroid, and I was on a low dose to start with.  In the meantime, I don't need to be jittery and nervous, so I'm not going to take it any more until I hear from the doc about the blood tests.  Hopefully, I will be able to take a lower dose, but if I can't take it, I can't take it.  And weight loss will go back to being agonizingly slow.

Sometimes, one just has to accept what is.

Snow day

We have homemade chili and we are going to have Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos for dinner.  It's a real snow day!  The worst weather/best weather - depending on your outlook - is always in March.  You never know what will happen from one day to the next.

The Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito is from Supermarket Vegan.  But I cooked the sweet potatoes instead of using a can.  I've been meaning to make these for a while.  I highly recommend Supermarket Vegan for new vegans who are just starting out.  You can find all the ingredients in your supermarket - no weird stuff. 

The Best Pumpkin Muffins go to work

I'm taking a couple of batches of pumpkin muffins to work.  Should be interesting.  It's the recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance so I know they're good.  I'll update later and tell how it goes.

More vegan chili

This is a new recipe:

1½ 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes, ground/chopped in the food processor
2 onions, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 bag of beef style crumbles (soy product)
2 15 oz. cans black beans
1-2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil.  Add to pot.  Add tomatoes, and all other ingredients to pot.  Simmer for several hours.

I might add some brown sugar.  I have to taste it after an hour or two and decide.

Vegan chocolate chip cookies - by Amy

Classic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tasted great, very filling!  I only ate 3 of them, and that was plenty.

Vegan chili from Food.com

http://www.food.com/recipe/Vegan-Chili-334694

One thing they do not say is that most Worcestershire sauce is NOT vegan.  So, we're going to leave that out.  We're also leaving out the mushrooms because the kids don't like them.  Additionally, it's a good idea to add onions and garlic, even though they are not indicated in the recipe.  I cannot imagine chili without onions!  Marcus added two peppers instead of one, and also diced up some carrots to add texture.

I think this would be really good with some corn bread.  Vegan corn bread, coming up!
http://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-cornbread-115929

Merry Christmas!

We give gifts of zucchini bread to family and friends every year.  This year is no exception.

Here is the recipe we used this year:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup vegetable oil
2¼ cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Combine all applesauce, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients, whisking together until well combined.  Then, combine dry with wet, adding zucchini and walnuts until all is well mixed.

Divide batter between two well-greased and floured loaf pans.  Put in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.  Check for doneness with a butter knife in the center of each loaf.  Bake another 10 minutes if needed.   Enjoy!

We had some for breakfast this morning and it was delicious.  It's very moist and can be toasted if you like.  We're using our Kitchenaid mixer that Marcus gave me for Christmas last year.  It is very sturdy and can mix double and even triple batches.  We're having a lot of fun with it.

Belated Birthday post

I almost forgot to post something about my birthday.  It was a wonderful day.  Amy gave me a little book, a copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which is a favorite of mine.  Marcus gave me a Le Creuset baking dish - very very nice.  I will definitely use this!
Amy made a feast of Spaghetti For Peanuts (veganized, from Diet For A Small Planet) and roasted Brussels sprouts.  She also made a veganized Red Velvet cake.  YUM!  We had some really good eating today.

Later, Marcus took me out to dinner and we went to Tito's Diner.  I had their hummus and a veggie burger and sweet potato fries.  YUM.

All in all, it was a very fun birthday!

Twice baked potatoes

I used to make my own recipe for these back in my pregan days.  I used copious amounts of sour cream, but pretty much they were like the video in the link below:

Twice Baked Potatoes - Food Wishes

Anyhow, I think I can veganize them as follows:

Bake several russet potatoes at 400ºF for an hour.

Placing them lengthwise, cut about 1/3 of the skin off, and scrape out the the potato from the skin.  Save the cut part, and put it inside the hollowed out larger part.

Mix together the baked potato, some Earth Balance spread, some green onions, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.  When mixed well, add some Daiya cheddar shreds and some vegan sour cream. (The original recipe calls for butter, cheddar cheese and heavy cream)  Mix all this together very well, until it is creamy.  Fill the potato husks so they are heaping with potato filling.

Bake the filled potatoes at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes to brown them.

Eat and enjoy!

Work out

Getting the other half of the equation going now.  Rode the lifecycle at level 2 for 20+ minutes.  I want to work back up to 25, then 30.  Watched BBC America all the while.  Only thing I don't like - advertisements.  But you take the good with the not-so-good.  Still a good beginning to working out again.

Family meals together

Marcus arrived on December 4th, and it has been pretty hectic.  We finally put up the Christmas tree on Monday night.  I had to beg off of church choir rehearsal that night, and I'm supposed to play flute this Sunday!  I still can't find the music I am supposed to play.  I have no idea where it is.  I'm going to try to look under the piano.  I didn't go to choir because I had to go to the bank's atm at short notice.  This time of year always bites financially.

Anyhow, we've enjoyed some truly singular vegan meals lately.  First of all, I've veganized the Irish Soda Bread recipe from Recipes for a Small Planet.  This is easily done, with applesauce in place of the egg, molasses in place of honey, and soured soy milk in place of buttermilk or yogurt.  I may eventually try this recipe with soy yogurt just to see if it works.  I've made this bread the last two nights and Marcus seems to like it okay.  It's a bit too crusty for the kids, but I intend to make it again and again! 

Sunday, I made Leek and Bean Cassoulet from Veganomicon.  There was enough left over to freeze for two or three days worth of lunches.  Monday night, I made vegan chili using TVP for the first time.  That stuff definitely gives a meaty texture to vegetarian dishes.  I will definitely use it again.  Last night, I made Roman Rice and Beans from Diet for a Small Planet, something I've made time and again, because it's easy and it's vegan without the parmesan.  Marcus, Amy, Chris and Brian all like it.  Somehow, I made it with green peppers last week, and Amy just raved about it.  Last night's rendition contained orange and yellow peppers but it was still VERY good.

Interestingly enough, I much prefer cooking at home now to going out.  Marcus and I are still going out for my birthday Sunday night, but to tell the truth, if he decided to make me a good dinner at home, that would work just as well.  The kids are making brunch for Sunday  noon.  Alison is coming up and she and Amy will probably cook the brunch, though I suspect I will probably take part also.

I think Saturday, I will try making the Almost All-American Seitan Pot Pie from Veganomicon.  That is really good, and I think Marcus would like it.  Yes, I want to make food my husband enjoys.