Chickpea salad

I have a new go-to recipe for lunch - Mash a can of chickpeas in a bowl.  Add Veganaise and some Mrs. Dash.  Voila!  Sandwich filling which is actually better than tuna fish salad.  Chickpea salad deluxe.  Of course, I think I can improve it by adding somethings crunchy, such as water chestnuts, or finely chopped celery.  I already feel better, and it's only been 10 days, maybe less.

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato-Applesauce Scones

The original recipe is here.  I did not have enough pumpkin, so I baked a sweet potato.  That was still not enough so I added about ¼ -½ cup applesauce in addition to the pumpkin (a little over a cup) and the sweet potato (a little less than a cup),

Update - I don't remember making these.  Wow.  It had to have been several years ago.  I will try this recipe again.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am back to being vegan, after two years of meat-eating which didn't go so well.  I know this is what God intends for me, and I already feel better after just a week of committing to this way of eating.  Next up - starting some serious working out.  I am not ready for the grave yet.  I am recovering from serious depression, several years worth.  I am putting myself and my musical talents, and my entire life in the hands of God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, to do with as He wishes (and I will say, I simply call God "He" because that is what I am comfortable with - I do not necessarily assign a particular gender to the Almighty).  I am rediscovering what it is like to be alive - and realizing I still have a great deal to offer people, even if I do not necessarily get paid professionally to do it.  God has this, and I know it will be better than anything I could possibly imagine.  I am a Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Chicken, and am happy to be one.  I would like to encourage people to respond to me here.  God is answering prayer.  I didn't think I would have the courage to try once more.  And inside, I have found it.   

Today for our feast, we are going all vegetarian.  Not everything will be vegan, but it is going to be awesome.  We're making http://www.isachandra.com/2011/11/seitan-roast-stuffed-with-shiitakes-and-leeks/ as well as candied yams and mashed potatoes, and a salad in there - I may make an oil and vinegar dressing also. 

In other news, I am going to color my hair once more.  I'm going red.  I am excited about this!

Vegetarian Pot Pie

Although I am not currently eating vegetarian, when I cook, I prefer to cook vegan.  It's simpler for me, and I don't worry as much about food going bad.  So, if I could cook at home all the time, I would definitely be vegan;  It is just getting to the point of cooking at home all the time.  But that is a post for another time.

Anyhow, it has been some time since I made a pot pie.  The recipes I used were Veggie Pot Pie and Classic Crisco Pie Crust

When the children were little, I used to make pot pie all the time, because I found it was a good way to get them to eat a variety of vegetables, without having to inspect them too closely!  Homemade pot pie is so much better than the store-bought stuff (and I always liked those!) - I can do a double crust the way I prefer.

First, the "innards" of the pie:  The filling turned out quite well.  I used the carrots, potatoes and frozen peas I had on hand, as well as onion. (If it doesn't have onion in it, I don't like it as well!)  Also when served, Brian added some Mrs. Dash to the servings - this was delicious, and did not add any extra sodium.  When I cooked the filling on top of the stove, I did have a little extra liquid, so I added an extra TBSP of cornstarch.  It still looked a bit too "liquid-y" but it turned out perfect! Oh, I did mince up the garlic, but I forgot to add it, and didn't realize this until it was in the oven. It tasted good without it.

Pie crust has always been problematic for me.  I can never quite get the consistency right.  It is either too wet and mushy or too dry.  Tonight, I erred on the dry side, and the raw crust simply did not want to hold together.  I think I need a pastry mixing tool, to do it up right (I seem to have lost mine, so I used a fork).  I will use this recipe again, and see if I can do a better job of the crust next time.

The good news is that Brian and Nicole liked the pot pie, and I have some left over for lunch tomorrow!  It's a win-win!

Some changes

I stopped being vegetarian for the time being.  I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.  I may try to be vegan again in the future.

Seitan pot pie

I got my cast iron skillet back and made a seitan veggie pot pie.  The crust is whole wheat, and on the whole, it is rather dry.  I think I will try a crust recipe with all purpose flour next time.  The filling was good, but there didn't seem to be quite enough of it.  Or the crust was too thick.  But it was still good.