Chandra Malai Kofta

More goodness from Isa Does It.  This recipe took some putting together.  It is Indian-inspired, and our house smells like an Indian restaurant.  I've been cooking for the last hour.  It takes that long to put this together.  But oh boy!  Cashews in the blender with vegetable broth, shredded zucchini, and sauce that is to die for.

On a related note, I see the dietitian on November 8th.  I am not looking forward to writing down my food.  I should have done it today, but I got lazy.

Phyllo Pot Pie

I got my copy of Isa Does It a few days ago.  I've made one of the recipes already (the Meaty Beany Chili, which was featured on Post Punk Kitchen's Make It Vegan.  This is my first time cooking from Isa Does It, and, incidentally, the first time I've ever used phyllo dough in a recipe.  The only change I made was to substitute sparkling grape juice for the sherry.  Results? This tastes GREAT.  I think the next time I make this, I will use a double pie crust instead of the phyllo dough, because I like crust on my pot pie.  Otherwise, this turned out great!  It's going to lunch with me for the next two days (unless Amy sneaks into the kitchen and eats some of the leftovers).

Festo - SmartBird

RIP Spicey

We bid farewell to our pet bunny, Spicey, this past Monday.  She had never been sick a day in her life, and she went downhill really quickly.  I can't say that I was close to her, because I really didn't pick her up very often, because she hated being picked up.  She loved Chris and Marcus most, because they were unlimited sources of craisins.  I did always say, Goodbye Pretty Girl when I went off to work in the morning, and I always enjoyed feeding time in the early mornings, because she would go so nuts over whatever food I gave her.  Sunday, she wasn't quite as crazy about the food as usual, but I was busy and didn't think much of it.  When I got up Monday morning, she was splayed out on the floor, and all the food from the previous day was still there..I picked her up, which she didn't protest, and put her on a heating pad, which seemed to help a little bit.  We tried to warm her up, and at one point, she made a loud "eep" sound.  We took her to the emergency vet, who told us they don't treat rabbits.  By the time we got her home, she was gone.  Alison came over later and buried her, with me in attendance.  It was low key, but I will always remember how pretty she was, and how spirited.

Goodbye, Pretty Girl.

Lasasgne And Meaty Beany Chili

Amy did something wonderful:  she cleaned the kitchen Saturday.  I hate cooking in a filthy kitchen, and sometimes, especially if we make something pan- and bowl-intensive during the week, stuff gets piled up in the sink and on the counters, until you cannot navigate the place at all.  But Amy rose to the occasion - she cleans the kitchen and cleans and refills the cat boxes in exchange for gas money, so it works out great.  I had quite a bit of cooking I wanted to do, so it felt good to pull out my chopping knife and cutting board in a clean kitchen.  I also have The New Farm Cookbook, which I had made the melty cheeze recipe from a few nights ago and had some left over.  I was feeling lasagne, so...

I took the vegan lasagne recipe from The New Farm Cookbook, and messed with it a little bit.  In addition to the melty cheeze, I added some mozzarella flavored Daiya, which really enhanced the mouth-feel of the lasagne.  I made this last night, but since no one has been home for dinner besides me, and Amy doesn't like lasagne anyway, I have dined on it two nights in a row.  And I plan on taking some of it to lunch this week.  I'm still not so sure about the melty cheeze recipe from that cookbook - I think the nooch flavor is too heavy, and for some reason, it doesn't taste cheesy to me, even though Amy says it tastes cheesy to her.

For the church pot luck this afternoon, I made Meaty Beany Chili and Corn Muffins.  People ate up the corn muffins.  The chili was pretty good, I think I will make it again, and not use quite so much chili powder, and use green peppers instead of the golden pepper I used.  Maybe even add an extra jalapeño or two, though I really don't like my chili all that hot.  This tasted a bit too tomatoe-ey for my taste.  Maybe I should have added two TBSP maple syrup instead of just one.  I am not sure.  I did use diced tomatoes instead of tomato purée.The lentils make it "meaty" just like ICM says they will.  So, a definite keeper.  I do know one thing - the house sure smelled wonderful when we woke up this morning. (I cooked it overnight because the pot luck luncheon was directly after church at 1115.)  The corn muffins turned out practically perfect.  I just wish I had a larger lidded box to carry them in.  I will definitely make those again as well.

White Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

White Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

These were not all that work intensive and they are TOTALLY DELICIOUS!  Amy and I each had three of them!  And there is more left over, so we can have them again in the next few days.  I baked the sweet potatoes, and we did not brush the burgers with olive oil.  Also, I didn't have any parsley, so I left that out, and I used panko bread crumbs, which made the burgers really fine crumbed.

I especially liked mine with vegan mayo and lettuce on pita bread.  YUM!

Crusty Corn Bean Pie and Noochy Cheeze from "The Farm"

I decided to veganize the Crusty Corn Bean Pie recipe from Diet for a Small Planet, and top it with the cheese sauce recipe from The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.  I guess I'm just an old hippie at heart.(I remember the hippies, but was a little younger than most of them)

Anyhow, Amy says the cheez sauce smells like cheese, so that should work.   This is the first time I've made the sauce, and it is my first recipe out of the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.  Incidentally, this cookbook is pretty much vegan, and was one of the first vegan cookbooks to reach a wider audience.  There are recipes to make tofu, soy milk, tempeh... it's pretty amazing.  I would have to quit work and go live on a commune to be able to do all that, but I can at least try some of the recipes.  There is a minnestrone soup recipe I really want to try.

Missing out

I am going back to work today after being furloughed for a week.  You'd think I would have found time to do a lot of things.  Not really.  I was quite lazy, and caught up on all my episodes of Columbo.  I didn't wax creative in the kitchen, though I did practice flute some.  I feel better going back to work. 

I also missed out on the vegan month of food this year.  For some reason, they decided to have it in September, and I just wasn't ready.  I was simply not inspired to cook ANYTHING.  Oh, I'm still vegan, but I just didn't feel inspired to go all out in the kitchen.  I really need a new kitchen.  Mine is old, crowded, and a mess. The counters are so crowded, I am surprised I can find anything.  And I need a dishwasher.  Washing dishes by hand is really tedious.

And those are my first world problems for today.

I'm grateful I have a house to live in, and indoor sanitation, as well as a washer and dryer and, now, a new water heater.  Life really isn't bad.