Where's the Meat?

2011-08-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

We're back!!! Veggie Baby and I have enjoyed a year off from blogging, but I have been itching to get at the keyboard again lately (perhaps b/c of the Veggie Awards- inspiring!).

Anyway, I wanted to post this lovely pic of VB to show how happy and healthy she is, now over a year old and "still a vegan!" We're still nursing (World Health Org. recommends 2-3 years) and as of this moment, nary a drop of cow's milk nor animal flesh has crossed her lips. When she gets old enough to make dietary choices, her (non-vegan) dad will probably break down and offer her some items, but for now, I'm thrilled that her pediatrician didn't bat an eye at our dietary choices for her (well, they really are lifestyle choices, not just dietary, aren't they?).

Just demonstrating that healthy, smart babies can be vegan and so can their nursing moms! In addition, VB is now eating nearly 50 different kinds of foods, including things like bean and potato hash with garlic, onion, and peppers, and this week a curried pilaf with lentils and quinoa. The funniest part? She loooooves hummus! But after she ate a bunch, I smelled her breath and finally understood why her dad complains about my own hummus breath! LOL! We've come a long way, baby...

2010-06-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

She's here! The newest member of our family (a vegan since conception!) joined us on May 28th! Welcome, Veggie Baby! Luckily, Grandmas 1 and 2 came down to cook us awesome vegan meals and keep us well fed during the exhausting 1st few weeks. Now, Mr. PLV is cooking up Portabella BBQ sandwiches, pizzas, grilled corn, and yummy salads while I feed Veggie Baby. She likes to eat!! I keep up my own strength by noshing on homemade muffins from the freezer and lots of fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer's market. If you have any suggestions about what we can make for lunch or dinner during this crazy time of our lives (what is simple, nutritious, and fast?), leave a comment here. I hope to post again sometime soon! Happy early July 4th!

Make-In Take-Out

2010-05-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

As my daughter's "birth day" draws near (maybe three days now!), I am enjoying some half days at work, which leave me enough energy to cook a "real meal" for dinner. Take this General Tao's Tofu for example. I got the recipe from a recent Veg News magazine, but it's really from Veg Web's website.

Mr. PLV just loves take-out Chinese, although Indian restaurants are our favorite at the moment, so I chose this recipe thinking of him. He's also on a tofu-kick, which is great! This was possibly the easiest recipe I have made in ages, and one of the tastiest. In fact, Mr. PLV gives this four stars! **** He says it's one of his all-time favorites. I wasn't so sure about the pan-frying, but it doesn't call for a lot of oil. Some of the comments on the website suggest baking the tofu. Either way, I was blown away by the crispy coating, delicious sauce, and overall great meal! We served it alongside brown rice and steamed broccoli, which cooked with no effort on my part in the rice cooker and electric steamer while I prepared the tofu. His only suggestion would be to cut the tofu into smaller cubes (I followed the recipe and did one inch cubes which were pretty big but a nice change from the tiny cubes we usually do) and to double the sauce and mix in stir-fried broccoli. Hey - if a pregnant lady three days away from her due date can make this, anyone can! Happy make-in, take-out! (P.S. - note that the recipe is NOT called General Tso's, but General Tao's. Cute, but confusing when you're searching the website).

Two Weeks to Go!

2010-05-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Two weeks to go (more or less!) until we welcome our baby girl into our world. We've had four (yes, four!) wonderful showers, and the best part? Every single one of them had a vegan cake and all vegan or mostly vegan food! I wish I could show you photos of the cakes, but they mostly had our names on them, and I do try to keep our privacy :) They were all homemade cakes, too (well, except one) and all amazing! Our showers were also mostly "green," meaning people used recycled or reusable gift wrap and bags, party gifts included herbs potted in used baby food jars, and decorations (no balloons - yay!) included a string of second-hand baby clothes strung on a "clothesline." We're planning on doing cloth diapers, so those were our favorite gifts next to second hand clothes! Here's a shot of our crib (second hand from a relative) along with many handmade quilts from loving family and friends, and our daughter's newest toys, including Sock Monkey, a tiger from the WWF, and a little lamb we will call "Lamby" (I mean, really - Lamb Chop?? How twisted is that?).

Meanwhile, we still have to eat around here....We've been doing lots of old stand-byes, but now and then I find the energy to make something new...

This was the Chili-Cornbread Pie from 500 Vegan Recipes, a book I still do not own but might have to buy in the future. This was hearty, comforting, and pretty yummy! Three stars *** (could have been spicier).

But best of all, it was quick to put together, and I could take a nap while it baked in the oven! Alongside a nice salad (yes, I can eat those again, no prob!), this would've been a better winter meal, since it reached 90 degrees here today - ugh!

Here's to the beginning of May and other joyous beginnings around the corner!

Vegan Girl Scout Cookies!

2010-03-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Since I purchased the book, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (also known as VCIYCJ), I have been dying to make these Lazy Samosas, after the traditional Samosa cookie with coconut and chocolate (one of the best combinations in the world!). Since March is Girl Scout cookie time around here, I figured it would be a good time to try these out.

As you can see by the photos, they look remarkably similar.

As you can't tell by the photos (here is a shot of the chocolate drizzle before it cooled) they tasted AMAZING!!! Totally cured my GS cookie craving....the only thing they were perhaps missing was the hint of caramel. Otherwise, coconutty goodness! Four awesome stars **** My local Veg Group got to scarf the rest of these down...

I also made the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. This was my first real pregnancy craving (more on that, later). I was impressed by how easy these were but not surprised at how yummy. I like mine soft, so I followed the directions for those style. Only complaint? Bigger please! Three and a half stars ***1/2. After a couple of these, my cravings disappeared, mostly because my sweet tooth was still on a hiatus.

Next up from VCIYCJ were these Mocha Mamas. I made them for a friend who had just had knee surgery. They have a hint of coffee in them, which makes for a delicious soft chocolate cookie on the inside, a tiny bit crispy on the out! The drizzle also had coffee extract in them. Very delish and the recipient reported that they only lasted a day in her certifiably non-vegan house! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Here's a yummy close up...

So.....while my stomach still has trouble handling OJ and dried fruit (esp first thing in the morning), it apparently has not problem eating "real" sweets again! After my birthday, when I had some money to spend, I ordered several treats from Vegan Essentials (one of my fav online stores). Here, you can see the new, air-puffed marshmallows called Dandies (haven't broken into those yet, but they do feel soft!), Pecan Marshmallows made by Sweet and Sara (holy vegan cow!!!! - these were OUT OF THIS WORLD! Soft, chewy, handmade marshmallows with a crumbly pecan and sugar topping - I ate these pretty quickly!), a Mahalo Bar (similar to an Almond Joy - I'm saving that one for my 9th month), and also from Sweet and Sara, a S'More cookie thing that I really got for Mr. PLV (although he shared a bite - yum!). Reminded me of those Pinwheel cookies from my childhood. Every single item was worth the price of shipping and handling!!

Meanwhile, I did do some non-baking...I do have to eat healthfully for baby!

To use up some baby spinach, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan's Palak Soyabina Paneer (fofu stands in for the paneer, hence the "soyabina"), which I've made before and Mr. PLV really enjoys. Great spices - an authentic Indian dish! Four stars ****

We experimented by making our own Mexi Meat from TVP, using a recipe from the new book 500 Vegan Recipes, which I checked out of the library. It was really, really good in these tacos with Nacho Soy Cheese! Three and a half stars ***1/2. Great flavor.

Vegetarian Times had been tempting me with recipes as well. This Indian Samosa Pie came out pretty tasty, although we both agreed that there was too much filling. And, I had some personal crust issues, but otherwise, not bad! Two and a half stars **1/2.

Here's a nice shot of the inside.

Lunches were beginning to bore me (tired of wraps with hummus and greens!), so this Farro Salad with Chickpeas and Marinated Artichoke Hearts from another library book, Whole Grains for Busy People, did the trick. I used wheat berries in place of the farro, and regular water-packed artichoke hearts. Good, but I ended up wanting more artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes in the mixture. Three stars *** and a nice change of pace! Very filling.
I copied the recipe for this Cauliflower and Tofu with Tikka Spices from another library book, but can't remember which one! It was good, though. Great way to get the wonderful nutrients in cauliflower! (Which include: protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and phosphorus, and also a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic Acid, potassium and manganese - phew!) Served with brown rice, a dollop of soy yogurt, and a great mango chutney.
Meanwhile, I had some phyllo (filo) dough that needed to be used up (it had sat in the freezer for way too long!). Vegetable-Arame Strudels from Vegetarian Times magazine (I think!) to the rescue! The sea vegetable was a perfect hint of flavor and all the yummy veggies inside were just scrumptious. Not too difficult!

The sauce, however, sucked. Mostly because I opened the jar of sundried tomatoes to find they had gone bad, so the sauce was just red pepper and silken tofu. Blah to taste, kind of cool color, though!

So....I'm stopping here on that semi-successful note. I have to say that taking an hour to do this particular blog post is an enjoyable but tiring hour. In my 8th month now, I have a very healthy, very active(!), perfectly sized baby girl waiting to join me in May (I say this not to brag or jinx myself, but to prove that vegans can have healthy babies, easily!), and she takes up my every spare waking moment (and often wakes me from the sleeping ones!), leaving me little time for pleasures such as this. We are planning to use cloth diapers (including at day care), to breastfeed, to have all used clothing and other "accessories" as much as possible, and to share with her the joys of stepping lightly on the planet and living healthfully. We are also planning on starting her life as a vegan. All of my time is now spent (when not at work), on preparing for this new little life (she'll be our first!) and I can barely find the energy to cook, nevermind write down the recipes like I used to in my little notebook, nevermind take photos and blog about them. So, while I don't plan on ending this blog (I would like people to be able to reference it and see how great vegans can eat and to find other links), I do know my weekly posts will become monthly ones, if that. So, I ask you to bear with me, keep checking back, and go (or stay) VEGAN! :)

More Winter Treats

2010-02-14T13:08:00.001-08:00

It's still definitely winter around here! After four snowstorms in two weeks, I'm so ready for spring (sorry, all you snow lovers, but I left New England winters behind for a reason!). Meanwhile, we're making lots of comfort food while being stuck inside the house.....

Snobby Joes from Veganomicon are so simple, even Mr. PLV didn't complain about making them one night this week (although as he was off work and I wasn't, I think it was a fair trade!). Full of flavor, filling, and just plain yum, these are Sloppy Joes without the meat (lentils instead) and with a little less slop. Served on soft buns with a side of green beans, they were so much better than I remember them as a child! Four stars **** and we were eager for leftovers. We've made these before and I especially like them because they don't require a huge list of ingredients, so we didn't need to hit the crowded grocery store.

With the Super Bowl last weekend (someday maybe they'll use vegan footballs!), I came through on a promise to Mr. PLV, to make Vegan Boneless Chickenless Wings from Vegan Dad's blog. They weren't too difficult, although you have to make a "chickenless" broth powder first. The link to the powder doesn't seem to work anymore, but just Google it and Bryanna's recipe is the one I used. Double-breaded in panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and drizzled with an Earth Balance-Tabasco sauce blend, they were crispy, crunchy, chewy (dare I say meaty?), and definitely spicy!!! The flavors were spot on and this time, I let Mr. PLV eat most of them, even though I could've eaten them all myself! I can't wait to make these again. Great appetizers but also pretty filling! Four stars and more ****+ Oh, and make half of the sauce, because these babies didn't need anything to dip in!

Baking-wise, I tried the Tropical Jewels from the Have Cake, Will Travel blog. They were pretty tasty and apparently survived shipping far out of state! Anything with coconut has to be good anyway...But, forgot to take a picture before I packaged them up, so click on the link above to see. I used chocolate chips in the middle instead of jam. I also subbed regular flour for the whole wheat and found that the batter never really came together by beating, so I just squished it into a ball before chilling.

I also tried these Raw-Chocolate Chia Energy Bars from the most recent Vegetarian Times magazine (Jan '10). This is the "before" shot, but honestly, even after I froze them, they were still really crumbly. Maybe it was the raisins I used for some of the dates. Maybe it was the carob I used instead of the cocoa powder (though I doubt it). And maybe it was because I made them too thin. At any rate, I poured the crumbly mix into baggies and am enjoying eating it like a power-powder. Two stars, maybe **.

I have to say, the rest of the week was pretty unusual, food-wise! I have made Dreena's Easy Pleasin' Oat Bars from Vive Le Vegan! for two weeks straight, and they are the perfect antidote to later afternoon pregnancy crashes. Lunches have been pretty much revolving around my favorite lavash bread wrapped around grated carrot, baby spinach (still the best way to get my greens when baby isn't looking!), and different spreads (mostly bean spreads). They are filling and flavorful!

Mr. PLV made a kick-ass chili, with kidney beans and our favorite new sausage from Field Roast (perhaps I can get the recipe from him!). It really was perfect, four stars ****. And, we had some pasta with spaghetti sauce (Bertolli is our favorite non-homemade brand) for quick suppers this week, after the leftovers were gone. Sometimes, just sometimes, I like those familiar favorites.... :) Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Veg-versary and 700th recipe!

2010-02-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am alive! Despite the snow, pregnancy ups and downs (now into the 3rd trimester - woohoo!), and general life stuff, I am alive and happy to be so. Can't believe it's been so long since I posted...then again, yes I can believe it! I've been so exhausted in the evenings, and busy or sick on the weekends, I can't bring myself to get on the computer to blog, after spending all day at work on the darn machine! Anyway, I am celebrating two big things (besides my bigger belly!) this month...

As usual, February brings the date that I transitioned to veganism...now four years ago - wow! I know that's not long, but February is also my Veg-versary for switching from omni (and a burger-loving one at that!) to vegetarian, which occurred eleven years ago. If you think, "I could never do that," in response to becoming vegetarian or vegan, just remember, I too, once said, "I could never give up cheese!" At one point in college (before I got really healthy and started running!) I could eat a third-pounder with cheese from Fuddrucker's (that's a US burger joint) all in one sitting! (And I'm a pretty small person!) It's all about baby steps, trying new foods, and not being critical if you "slip up." Eventually, the life of the animals, the health of the planet, and the health of my body (and now my baby!) won out over what I thought were "needs." Eating veg has broadened my food horizons incredibly, from flavors, to cuisines, to new produce and grains.
Speaking of which, I am also celebrating the fact that I have now made over 700 new, different recipes over the past 5 years. Poor Mr. PLV has to beg me to make a recipe more than once :)

Anyway, the first picture of this post is a stir fry from one of Dreena Burton's three great books, Vive Le Vegan! My mum and dad were in town last weekend (during the first snowstorm - now we're in the middle of the third this week!) and my mum pampered me with home cooked meals (and doing the dishes -yeah!). The stir fry had too much sauce, though - we would cut it in half. It was very creamy, though, and yummy! Three stars ***. The second picture (above) are Hemp Nut Burgers from a little booklet my mum gave me last summer. I just love hemp seeds (they have so many omegas!). These were easy, fast, and had terrific flavor. They also didn't fall apart like so many veggie burgers seem to. Could've used a dressing, though. Maybe mayo or 1,000 Island? Three and a half stars ***1/2.

I chopped and Mr. PLV cooked to make this hearty, warming stew from Nava Atlas's book, Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. It's actually a vegan cookbook, but she has a similar book just out, that actually has "vegan" in the title. Anyway, this Italian Mixed Vegetable Stew had lots of great veggies in it, but needed more flavor. The potato gnocchi were a great addition! Three stars *** only because we didn't care for the frozen bean flavor.

This Mac Daddy (original version) from Veganomicon was another tummy-warming dish, made even when I wasn't feeling that great! It was that easy. Just make the cheese sauce (nutritional yeast base) and cook the noodles. Then pour together with crumbled, firm tofu, and bake! The tofu gave it a great, firm texture. My only change would be to make it with veggie broth, not water. I was too tired to make the veggie broth (we use cubes, to save on waste and money) but it really needed more flavor. I ate this all week - no complaints! Three solid stars ***.

Last but definitely not least (in fact, this was my favorite recipe over the past few weeks!), were these Red Lentil Kibbe from a recent issue of Veg News magazine. A kind friend of mine found some fine bulgur for me (I could only find regular) and these were very, very easy and wonderfully filling. As you can see, I ate them with baby spinach in lavash bread as a wrap sandwich. Drizzle them with lemon - it's a must! Three and a half stars ***1/2. These are no-cook, which actually isn't so strange. Traditional kibbe (made with ground beef) can also be served raw (gross, I know!). I also made the Roasted Shallot Hemp Hummus from Veg News's online collection, but it wasn't pretty enough for a picture. However, the flavor was mellow and delicious. Three solid stars *** and week full of delicious and easy wrap sandwiches once again! The carbs, greens, and proteins in my daily lunch wraps are wonderful in keeping my energy and blood sugar level during pregnancy! Last, we made the Mediterranean Chickpea Wrap from the new cookbook, The Conscious Cook, which I borrowed from our local library to try it out. It was way too watery for a wrap, but awesome flavors! Three stars ***. The cookbook doesn't look like something I'll buy, but Mr. PLV was admiring some of the meat-like recipes!

Well, off to see what I can make for dinner tonight! Oh, that reminds me - I have a question for you readers! A friend of mine is looking for a good vegan recipe, that can be popped into the oven preferably, that can serve 30 people (probably not all veg people, either). Any ideas??

Comfort Food!

2010-01-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

As the birth of our daughter looms closer on the horizon (yes, it's a girl! two ultrasounds confirmed it), Mr. PLV and I are having lots of talks about our eating habits. He is still pretty much an omni, although he eats so much veg stuff by now, he's almost half and half. Of course, he eats all vegan when I cook and rarely complains :) except when it comes to meal choices, during which we haggle over the recipes we'll make. Fruit or no fruit? Ginger or potatoes? We like a lot of the same things, but he still prefers more comfort food - familiar dishes - while I like to jump in to things a little more "exotic."

So, in anticipation of future compromises in front of a watchful child, I made some true comfort food this week, starting off with these amazing Soft Tacos with Potatoes and Sausage from The Complete Vegan Cookbook. This may be the first recipe I've made from this book, and for once, we were both blown away! I didn't make the sausage myself as directed, but used our new favorite brand, "Field Roast" (chipotle flavor). This made it super easy to whip together on a weeknight. The rest was simply diced onion and potato, cooked up with chili powder and salt. A little salsa and lettuce, and we were in heaven! We both gave this four stars **** and it was super easy.
We made this next dish together, also on a weeknight. I think it was something like Sausage, Spinach and BBQ Beans but anyway it was definitely from Vegan Express and it was definitely express! Mr. PLV has made this at least once before and loves it. It's a souped up version of franks and beans, although it calls for sausage, and we actually used veggie dogs this time with good results. A good way to sneak some greens onto picky plates! Three solid stars for me ***.

Probably my favorite dish this week, though, were the Baked Chimichangas from 500 Vegan Recipes a new cookbook that I checked out from my library. I might end up buying this one, based on this single recipe! Cubed, pressed tofu is browned and then cooked up with salt and nutritional yeast. A cheesy salsa (made with nutritional yeast as well) is added to the tofu along with some black beans. Results? Another amazing dish, with very little work! We did bake the filling in tortillas, but I could have eaten them as burritos. Wow! What great flavors and a nicely rounded dish. We had some green beans on the side, too. Four stars for sure ****!

Here's the chimi before I attacked it.... :)
Tonight, Mr. PLV is going to make a chili with the Field Roast sausage and the rest of the week looks like it'll involve some lentil kibbe for lunch and hemp burgers during the week. Here's to comfort food and to realizing that maybe your husband's food preferences are pretty good after all :)

First Dishes of the New Year

2010-01-10T16:39:00.001-08:00

For the past few years, I've made it a point to eat black eyed peas, as the Southern tradition suggests, for good luck. I could eat long noodles (Chinese) or loads of other things, but as I don't eat black-eyed peas on a regular basis, this is a good excuse to make something new. However, I've not been able to find that many good recipes (dinner dishes, anyhow, not side dishes or dips) that incorporate this adorable legume. Thus, a repeat of a couple of years ago, we enjoyed these Black-eyed Pea- Quinoa Croquettes with Mushroom Sauce, from Vegan with a Vengeance. This time, I took it easy on the salt (for some reason, some of Isa's recipes are way too salty for us), and poured the delicious mushroom sauce over the kale and croquettes on their bed of quinoa. If I have to say it a million times, I love my rice cooker! It even cooks quinoa to fluffy perfection, with no effort, no boiling over, no burning to the bottom. We don't even have a fancy, expensive one, but it is one of my favorite kitchen appliances! Four easy stars for this recipe ****.
Here are the croquettes, fresh out of the oven. Baking, not frying them, makes them light and healthful tasting!

So, the first really new recipe of the new year was this Carrot, Wakame, and Kale Stew, from Vegetarian Times magazine, January 2010 issue. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy this was. Three solid stars ***. Lots of great flavors and textures and very healthy. We ate this with some nice French bread. My only comment would be to leave this as a soup and not puree half of it. I used my immersion blender to do this, and it just made parts of it chunky. Usually, the immersion blender works great - better than pouring hot soup into a blender!- but not this time. Oh well.

I had an acorn squash that really needed to be eaten and some extra mushrooms from the croquette sauce, so I made a modified version of a recipe in the cookbook, The Well-Rounded Pregnancy. I don't own this title - just borrowed it from my library - and it's not exactly a vegan book, but this recipe (Quinoa with Mushrooms, Caramelized Squash, and Toasted Pecans) was a nice and easy dish. I ended up just roasting the squash in the oven and "dicing" it the best I could afterwards. It also has onion, thyme, pecans and dried cranberries in it. Sounds like a bowl full of healthy, yummy food, doesn't it? Well, it was healthy and filling, but not that tasty. Two, maybe two and a half stars **. Not terrible, just kind of dry and not very spicy. I figured maybe they were trying not to make their recipes too spicy on account of nausea in their pregnant readers.

Since soups seem to be the only thing I'm craving at this point (started my 6th month today - yeah!), Mr. PLV requested Beet, Barley, and Black Soybean Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons from Vw/aV. We've made this before (two years ago I think- wow!) and it was certainly very easy and filling. But, I think we used fresh dill last time, and it wasn't nearly salty enough for me this time around. Still, a solid three star *** recipe and worth peeling those beets! (by the way, that was the only "difficult" part of the recipe - it is really very easy!). The croutons are a cinch to make, too.

I leave you with nothing new, but certainly something delicious: Chocolate Cookie Bark from Big Fat Cookies. I made this cookie bark last year for work and it was a hit (at least that's what I was told) and Mr. PLV really loved it, so I made this again to welcome everyone back for the new year. I had plenty of candy canes left over to use but as usual...

I had to do one with coconut! Y-U-M.

The Best of 2009

2009-12-31T11:22:00.001-08:00

I worked for two afternoons on this great "best of 2009 post," only to be thwarted by (insert curse word here) Blogger. My typing fingers somehow deleted the entire post right before the autosave kicked in and saved the newly-blank page. And now, I can't even upload a few photos to add to this meager post. So....the Best of 2009 will have to wait for another day when I have more energy. I just wanted to say Happy New Year and I can't wait for another wonderful year of yummy vegan foods!

Let it Snow!

2009-12-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

What better excuse to make Cinnamon Rolls from The Joy of Vegan Baking, than a snow day? Here in Virginia, we got nearly 20 inches of snow on the ground, starting this past Friday night into Sunday morning. With the winds and blowing snow, it was categorized as a blizzard. Stuck in the house, too pregnant to shovel much, what's a girl to do? Well, these rolls were the last things to make on my New Year's Resolution foodie list, so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

They are best right out of the oven, of course! The only changes I made to this recipe (which my sister swears is better than Isa's recipe in her new brunch book - I may have to test that one, too!) were to use half whole wheat pastry flour (couldn't tell a difference and just a little healthier for baby!) and half the icing. I was worried I'd have leftover icing that would have to be thrown out (or inhaled) but actually, I could have used the whole batch. There was JUST enough to cover all the rolls nicely. But, the more icing, the better, I always say.

There are several steps to making these babies, from making the dough, to letting it rise, to rolling, filling, and slicing, to letting it rise again, and finally to baking them. So, I had to have one for lunch. Along with some carrots, I swear! Despite some burning (my fault), they were four stars, for sure ****!

Speaking of veggies, a fellow blogger noticed that I was back to putting dried fruit on my morning cereal, and yes, I'm back to fruit and veggies full swing! Here's a perfect example. Nausea kept my love of greens at bay for a couple months, but now I can chow down on beautiful salads like this one here: baby spinach, sliced Bosc pears, pecans (too hungry to toast them), drizzles of white balsamic vinegar and agave nectar, olive oil (sprayed on with my Mist-O - a must have!) and a grinding of fresh pepper. Yum, yum, yum. Doesn't get easier or more delicious than that! Another four star recipe ****.

But sometimes you want a warm, more hearty meal this time of year, and that's when Vegetable Paella with Tofu from Vegetarian Times (Sept 08 issue) comes in handy. This was pretty quick and easy to make. It has tons of veggies in it, too, including onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, corn, peas, and tomatoes. Brown rice and my own flavored tofu (diced really tiny!) rounded out the meal in a pan. Three and a half stars - ***1/2.

After making cinnamon rolls on Saturday, Sunday was the day to make a nice big meal, to fill up Mr. PLV after hours of shoveling the driveway (they still haven't plowed our street!!). This consisted of a very easy Bulgar Nut Loaf from Friendly Foods Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine, which was shared at a recent Veg Group meeting (the loaf, not the book), along with some rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes (so cute! but not much different in taste from regular potatoes) and garlic roasted Brussels sprouts. We just can't get enough of the sprouts! Mmmmm....The loaf was a little crumbly, as you can see by the picture, but it was still very flavorful. Not "meat like" in taste but definitely nutty and you could also taste the barley miso (salty good). Mr. PLV said he didn't care too much for it, but he did go back for seconds (smile). We'll be eating these leftovers until Christmas, I'm sure! Three solid stars ***.

But sometimes you just don't have energy or time to cook (even when you plan ahead) and sometimes things call to you from the freezer section. Case in point, these SoyBoy Roasted Red Pepper and Tofu Ravioli. I hardly ever buy prepared foods, but these were 100% worth it. I ate them along with some of my mother-in-law's delicious homemade spaghetti sauce with some spinach wilted in.
But to be honest, they were perfectly amazing on their own! The filling was creamy, savory, and spot on. The dough was tender and perfect. The serving suggestions actually state that they are best with a light, barely-there sauce, and they are right! Wow. Four stars **** and thank goodness I didn't have to make them! Now, it's off to make Christmas cookies and sugared pecans for gifts! Happy Holidays, everyone - and Happy Winter Solstice!

Soups On

2009-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about fall and winter, is tummy-warming soups. In my first trimester, soups were the only veggie thing that didn't make me nauseous, and thus were a great way to get my nutrients. Now in my second trimester, we've continued making soups, but also stews and chilis, and I'm not tired of them yet, because there are just endless possibilities!

Tonight, we enjoyed this Black Bean Soup, from Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes, by Robin Robertson. It was really nice. Three solid stars ***. A nice base of onion, garlic, and red bell pepper, along with some spicy Tabasco sauce and sherry (I left that out of my portion). Mr. PLV liked this more than me, but it was still nice and warming.

Last week, we really enjoyed this Minestrone Soup with Mini "Meatballs," also from Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes. It was supposed to be like Wedding Soup, but it was nothing like it. Real wedding soup has escarole and not much else in terms of veggies. However, this was still excellent and the mini "meatballs" were super easy to make (just thawed Amy's veggie burgers, reformed with some nutritional yeast and pan-fried). Three and a half stars ***1/2 and quite delish!

This past week, we made a great chili, funnily enough, from a Wegman's grocery store magazine! It was called Cashew Chili and it was really superb. We subbed canned beans for the dried ones to save on time, and used one can of dark red kidney, one of black, and one of pink beans, for the all three red kidney it called for. I like variation in my beans! We both agreed that the cashews really made this dish distinct and enjoyed leftovers throughout the week!

Of course, even we get sick of leftovers, and one night we just popped this Celebration Roast from Field Roast into the oven along with some baked potatoes. It was really quite good! Funnily enough, Mr. PLV said he liked this more than the usual Tofurky we enjoy on Thanksgiving, while I thought it tasted less like meat and more like meatloaf (in consistency)! I did like the flavors very much. Three solid stars for this nice, meatless roast ***.

Although muesli has carried me through months and months of breakfasts, I was ready for something a little different last week. I whipped up some steel cut oats, courtesy of some online recipe (don't know where from), called, Apple Pie Oats or something like that. It was pretty good and made a nice batch for a few days in a row. (Note to self: apples and blackstrap molasses do not go. Agave nectar is way better).

This past Sunday, I had to make time to do some baking, for my mid-morning snack. These Zesty Cranberry Crumb Muffins from My Sweet Vegan were not only pretty easy, but healthy with whole wheat pastry flour, and delicious! Four stars ****. Light, fluffy crumb to the muffin. I left the crumb topping of butter and sugar off the top, though, to make them a little healthier. The best part is the way the dried cranberries are cooked in orange juice - very zesty indeed! They taste more decadent than they really are.
Last but not least, these Pumpkin Molasses Bars from the Have Cake, Will Travel blog were pretty easy and very seasonal! They are dense and very filling. Oh, and easy and pretty healthy (without the icing). A nice change from muffins and quick breads. Three solid stars ***.

OK - that's it for now! We don't have many more cooking plans for the calendar year, as we get ready to travel and will be busy with wrapping presents and making cookies, which I will be sure to blog about - yay!

Catching up with some great food

2009-12-05T12:28:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote here...that's how I used to begin all my journal entries. Now, I just am happy that I'm writing at all. Same goes for this blog, I guess. With exhaustion, nausea and all that wonderful stuff that comes with pending motherhood, I'm happy to have gotten to my monthly Veg Group meeting today. With the lovely first snow we're having here in Virginia, it's a fine day to stay inside and ruin my eyes on the computer.

This first photo is what I took to the meeting. Cookie Dough Scoops (chocolate chip variety), from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. These are only the second cookies I've made from this cookbook so far, but they are awesome! Freezer cookies - not the best option for a cold almost-winter day, but still...yum....Three and a half stars ***1/2 only because they got "melty" after a few minutes out of the freezer. They're best eaten straight out of the cold - and so amazing, too. Almost too rich! But, that's what you get when you eat raw cookie dough. Great reason to be vegan - no worries!

However, these Magical Coconut Cookie Bars, also from VCIYCJ, were even better. Similar to seven-layer bars (although I can't count seven layers), they start with a graham cracker crust (Nabisco makes vegan ones), baked and topped with a coconut milk-brown sugar mixture that's been pre-boiled (similar to condensed milk), followed by a layer of chocolate chips (Tropical Source are my favs!), then a layer of sweetened coconut and pecans. Oh yum. Coconut and chocolate - what is better than that? Four wonderful stars **** These are also best when chilled but NOT better as dough/batter!

It makes quite a lot. There were extras besides what's on this large platter. Scarfed up at work within a few hours.

A surprising four star **** recipe this week were these Garlicky Black Bean-Broccoli Burritos from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. I wanted something quick, easy, and with greens and protein. These fit the bill, especially as I didn't bake them, but ate them like fajitas. With vegan cheddar cheese, they were heaven. The flavors were amazing! The tortillas (gluten-free ones) sucked. They cracked all to pieces. I made this again last night with several modifications: a box of button mushrooms that needed to be eaten (SOON) instead of the broccoli, just threw in whole black beans and corn, and just drizzled the seasonings straight into the frying pan. Mr. PLV tasted the mixture and pronounced - "Hey - I would eat this!" (that's a compliment by the way - but he had already gotten Chinese takeout - something I'm trying to stay away from at the moment).
One of my favorite slow cooker recipes is this Hominy-White Bean Chili from one of Robin Robertson's books that I don't own. I think it's the Vegetarian Slow Cooker one. Anyway, I copied the recipe last year from the book at the library (free!!), and as we were painting the living room one recent weekend, threw this into the pot for an easy dinner. Mr. PLV really liked this, too. I just love the corn smell of hominy. Ummmm.....

As the year draws to a close, I realized that I needed to get cracking on my resolutions list. One of the meals I resolved to try was Samosas. Mr. PLV and I love Indian food, and we especially love samosas. With the 2nd trimester well underway, I finally had the energy to attempt this multi-step dish. I used the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. First, you peel and boil the potatoes. Then, you fry them with lots of seasonings, carrots, and peas (her recipe called for edamame, but I'm a traditionalist)

Then came the pain in the ass part - well, that's what Isa said, but it wasn't really a pain in the ass. The dough was pretty simple to make (turmeric made the nice yellow hue), but they did take a while to roll out, cut, and fill. They were pretty small, and not really shaped like real ones, but they came out just fine. I'd say, oh, three, maybe three and a half stars ***. A little too much dough for me and not quite as good as the traditional fried kind :) We ate them alongside this Chana Masala from The Vegan Table, but we didn't care for the chana dish. Not spicy enough. Two and a half stars **1/2. (Lots of filling leftover.)

Later in the week, I ate the leftover samosa filling with this nice Indian dish of black beans, chickpeas, and kale, but I can't for the life of me recall where I got the recipe from. Really. I have no idea what is was or anything, except that it was pretty good. And, my boss thought it smelled like crap. But it was really very tasty. Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Thanksgiving was a busy, busy day for me. I was stupid enough to try to make the entire traditional meal myself, when it was just Mr. PLV and me eating this year. But, when there are a few dishes that you each can't imagine the day without...well, let's just say we ate about four hours later than expected.

This Apple Pie from The Vegan Table was the first reason for the lateness of our meal (and my exhaustion). The crust kept sticking to the counter and I had to paste it all together over the filling. Not the prettiest pie in the world, but I haven't made a whole lot of pies...

Then, I burned it a bit when I adjusted the oven. You see, our oven typically runs about 25 degrees higher than what the outside indicator says (we have an oven thermometer inside, so we know this), so I always have to turn it down a little bit. Well....I turned it UP a little bit. So, the first half hour it sizzled. Luckily, I caught it on the second half. The top actually is cinnamon, not burned. The filling collapsed a ton, so there was a large gap between filling and upper crust (I swear I packed those apples in!) but in the end it was very edible. Local apples made it a treat! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

The other reason why we ate late that day was the chestnuts. I have roasted chestnuts before, so I was surprised when I 1) sliced my thumb while scoring them and 2) had such difficulty peeling them. They were just not peeling whole! The insides were all crumbly. It took me a half hour or more to peel these. Luckily, the recipe they were intended for needed them chopped anyway. Just a bad batch of chestnuts, I guess.

This Chestnut-Sausage-Sage Stuffing from Vegetarian Times was a hit last year, and was amazing once again this year. In fact, maybe better! I used less liquid, so it wasn't as mushy AND I found these amazing Smoked Apple Sage sausages from Field Roast at our local Wegman's.

Well, we ate stuffing and streuseled sweet potatoes, and homemade cranberry sauce (all recipes from last year!), along with canned corn, Tofurkey (still good!), mashed potatoes, and that apple pie (oh, and Mr. PLV had that green bean casserole, which I can't eat and don't care for anyway - although I do love those crunchy onion things) all week long. I was pretty done with Thanksgiving by this weekend. But, we have another Field Roast product in the freezer and nothing else to eat (Ok - so that's a lie - I am too tired to cook) until I get to the store, so it's a veggie roast and baked potatoes and canned green beans for tonight. Oh well - we are so incredibly lucky to have the amazing foods that we have and the life that we have here in America - I am blessed. Stay tuned in the next week or two for "The best recipes of 2009" and the conclusion of my resolutions!

Back in Business

2009-11-15T11:40:00.001-08:00

I never thought the day would come when I would have a) no energy to cook, b) no desire to look at recipes, and c) no taste for sweets. Luckily, those days are quickly fading, although Baby to Be is still giving me the woozies over sweets, bitter greens, and too much citrus too early in the morning. I feel like I'm one of Pavlov's dogs, and I'm a little slow on the uptake, learning what I can and can't eat!

Anyway, I was psyched that at least problems a) and b) are a thing of the past, although I'm often still too tired to cook much. However, I was able to crack open my new Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Moskowitz and Romero, in order to make my first treat from this brand new cookbook: Pumpkin Pie Brownie! Yes, it was as good as it sounds and looks. Funny thing, though - I'm not much of a chocolate person! Anyway, the pumpkin on top was "just right - not too much" as confirmed by a friend who's not big on pumpkin, and the brownie part was deliciously fudgy. It was pretty easy, too.

The perfect fall dessert! Three and a half stars ***1/2, only because I thought the topping came out too dark and again, that chocolate thing of mine...

On a healthier note, after a recent Veg Group meeting, I was inspired to buy and try opening a pomegranate for the first time! As suggested, I scored the fruit's skin, then opened it up in a bowl of water. As also predicted, the seeds fell to the bottom and the rest floated to the top where I could skim it off!

It took a little bit longer to dig out all the seeds, but there was basically no mess and no cleanup! Yummy treat in no time. The seeds are crunchy but sweet and tangy. Great antioxidants and just plain good!

I haven't really craved anything with this pregnancy, but sometimes I'll think about a past meal and think, "I really want that again!" Despite my aversion to greens (I literally gagged and had to walk away while cutting up the spinach for this dish), I really wanted this from Palak Soyabina Paneer from ED&BV. It is pretty easy to make (just marinate and crisp up the tofu cubes, which Mr. PLV said tasted very similar to the traditional cheese) and then wilt the greens with some spices and tomatoes, puree, and add the tofu back in. Not too spicy and a good way to be sneaky with my greens (although not very sneaky - this is pretty obvious).

Meanwhile, we had some pasta sauce to use up, so I snuck some gluten-free pasta (rice, amaranth, and quinoa) into Mr. PLV alongside his highly praised Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon. These are much better if you bake them (much more firm) but still, they are eerily like cutlets of an animal form, or like eggplant parm. Still, a familiar meal on a night with no time and little energy. The cutlets are wicked fast to make and can fry while the pasta is boiling. Three and a half stars ***1/2 - better if baked but we don't always have that kind of time! :)
I had to work this past Saturday - ugh - but really it's not so bad when you come home to a home-cooked meal by your hubby! He was craving these Tempeh Reubens that we've made several times before, so I gave in :) I had mine on Ezekiel bread (toasted with Earth Balance) and it was just as good as other breads I've had it with. The dressing was a little runny, so the photo isn't that great, but it was a comfort meal, to be sure! Marinated, grilled tempeh, hot sauerkraut, homemade Thousand Island dressing, all on toasted bread - so warm and crunchy! Four stars **** even with the sub par dressing. Well, that's it for this week's post. I was sick last Sunday (had just overdone it the week before) so I had tomato soup for dinner, not the Indian meal we had planned, but I'm going to go rest now, so that I'll have the energy to make samosas tonight! :) We'll have those alongside chana masala and hopefully a spinach/tomato dish. I'm full just thinking about it!

Two Exciting Things

2009-11-08T09:00:00.001-08:00

Two exciting things to share today...
I was pretty excited to get this new cookbook in the mail the other day. I already have the Vegan Cupcakes book and it's amazing. Usually, I would have already baked at least one thing by now. But life sometimes has other plans...

I'll cut to the chase and share the other exciting thing, which basically blows the excitement of a new cookbook out of the water...we're expecting a baby in May!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) Yeah, I'm finally past the first trimester, and after last year's miscarriage, it's been an extremely anxious 13 weeks. Well, we didn't know for the first four weeks, but let me tell you - the rest was very long!! I'm so happy to be able to share this with people now, and even more happy for our future! Of course, the big question is, will this be a vegan baby? Well, the joke is, it has no choice for the first 9 months!

At any rate, I haven't had any particular cravings with two exceptions: 1) I want hot, comforting meals and 2) I want soup. The sad part is, I have actually had an inability to eat two types of things that (for me) literally make life worth living: 1) dried fruit and 2) greens and some veggies. I mean, I live on those things!! I also have been nauseous when eating sweets, which is actually a great thing for my health! Weird, though, to lose your sweet tooth.
Unfortunately, we add a third confounder: I have had no desire to cook. Yes, you read that correctly. I have had no energy to cook, to desire to look at recipes, and just want to open a can and eat. Luckily for me, Amy's Organics makes some great soups! Now that I'm feeling a little better, I've been back in the kitchen as a sneaky pregnant momma, sneaking these foods into my body so I don't get nauseous and I keep getting my nutrients. As you can see from the above photo, Popeye Pasta is one way to get your greens in. I followed this recipe from ED&BV, which calls for wilting spinach into the pasta sauce. I even cut the work load for me (boy - evenings are rough!) by using jarred pasta sauce. And, I appeased Mr. PLV's craving for all things white, by using "regular" white pasta. This was sooo good and so easy! Four stars **** and very sneaky...

One afternoon, I had the energy to whip up these Walnut-Miso Green Beans, which my body still didn't care for at dinnertime, but was able to enjoy at lunch. I've made this recipe tons of times (gasp!) and just love the salty, nutty flavors. Plus, it's wicked easy. Four stars, as usual! ****
This would be a great dish for Thanksgiving.

Since soups were on my "yes" list (and a great way to get my veggies in - so sneaky!), Mr. PLV chose Creamy White Bean Soup from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook. This wasn't one of our favorites. It was good the first time around, but, unlike most soups, didn't really get better as reheats. It was just too thick and didn't have enough flavor. Too plain for me. Two and a half stars **1/2. Not very sneaky, either.

Now that I'm getting past the, "I just want soup," phase, I still want to cook things that are quick and easy, because I'm just so tired in the evenings. Saturdays and Sundays are now our big meal days, and the rest of the weeks it's leftovers! These Gimmi Chimmis, also from ED&BV were certainly easy! Not so quick, as we pan-fried and then baked them, but the flavors were great. Basically, a spice, zucchini, tomato and bean filling, wrapped in tortillas. I absolutely recommend squeezing some lime on them as you eat, and we also added some cilantro and avocado. Yum! Three and a half stars ***1/2, only because we had to adjust the cooking temperatures and times because they were burning. Mine came out OK, but poor Mr. PLV had some black stuff to eat.

So tonight, after the football games (because really, I do NOT feel up to mopping the kitchen floor!) and some other blogging, we'll try to make Indian samosas, one of my few remaining New Year's resolution challenges, alongside some chana masala. Oh, and I don't think I'll get to cookies today, but the Pumpkin-Brownies are calling my name! Meanwhile, I leave you with a really cool picture of Brussels sprouts on the "club" from my local farmer's market. How cool!

Comfort Food

2009-11-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks, I've really been craving warm, comfort food, even though it hasn't been that cold. Last night, on Halloween, it was still in the 60s as the last trick-or-treaters came to our door! Today, the first day of November, however, is quintessential fall weather - cool, dreary, drizzling...which makes the leaves too wet to rake - oh well! :)

Last weekend, Mr. PLV wanted vegan meatloaf, so vegan meatloaf it was. He was out of town, so this was my project. I actually made it the day before, since, according to the directions, it is more firm after a night in the fridge. Well, I'm not sure that it was really that much more firm, but it was certainly delicious! It had a great texture, good flavor and tasted awesome with ketchup! Our only critique was that it was way too salty. I followed the first version of this recipe (from Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen, by Bryanna Grogan) which called for vegan "ground round." I'm not one much for using fake meat things, but this was pretty tasty! But I guess with all the salt in that, plus soy sauce and table salt, it was just too much. As you can see by the photo above, Mr. PLV also doused his with (salty) homemade (vegan of course) gravy. Oh well. It was easy, yum, and definitely comforting! Three solid stars ***.

By far our favorite dish this week was this Vegetable Soup with Corn Dumplings from Cooking Light. I made this when it was published in their magazine eight years ago (gasp!) and decided that (drum roll here)...I wanted to make it again. Yeah, yeah, I know - what a shocker - me making a meal twice! Actually, I think this could be the third time I've made this. It's not that difficult and has lots of veggies: corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, zucchini, onion, garlic...and of course the tender, chewy corn dumplings! These tend to fall apart in the soup, so be careful about the mixture (add more flour than called for and don't let it simmer too hard). We both agreed that this is one of our favorite soups ever! Spicy, salty, sweet, savory - just about perfect. Go follow the link and make it soon! Four stars ****.

Last but not least, I had a craving for grilled cheese and tomato soup. Unfortunately, Campbell's tomato soup contains high fructose corn syrup - yuck. But I made do for now. Chreese makes a very good cheese mix, which you cook up on the stove. Mine was a little thick, but once you reheated it, it was fine. On Ezekiel bread, toasted in the pan, it was perfect! Creamy, crunchy, gooey, warm, yum. Don't forget to dip it in the soup! Four stars ****. Tonight's comfort food? Creamy White Bean Soup and roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic. "Is it hard being vegan?" someone recently asked me. "No," I replied with a smile, "It's delicious."

Soup, chili and a bit of catch up

2009-10-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy weekend, but I managed to get a hot meal on the table to match the cooler weather. Dreena's Monkey Minestrone soup from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan has been a favorite ever since Mr. PLV made it for me when I was sick. I was hankering for a good soup and for some greens when I saw a minestrone recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. When I compared their recipe to Dreena's, I knew there was no comparison! Hers has so much more flavor and spice! Anyway, I did take BH&G's advice and added zucchini (well, summer squash) in lieu of the green beans, and several cups of kale instead of one of the cans of beans. I did use some great gluten-free elbow macaroni. The results? A huge pot of delicious comfort, ready to sustain me throughout the week! Four stars **** and one of my fav soups of all time. Just bursting with veggies (carrots, onion, garlic, corn, squash, kale), plus the pasta and kidney beans. A meal in a bowl!

Meanwhile, Mr. PLV was craving a chili, so we opened up Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes by Robertson and found this West Coast Chili. It was delicious! I left off the olives - that was just too weird for me - but the avocado and sourdough bread on the side were perfect! Nice and filling and very easy. Four stars ****.

Finally, I was trying to use up a box of seitan I had accidentally bought (I rarely buy it because it's so expensive - over $4 for an eight-ounce box! Compare that to a couple of bucks for about 5 pounds homemade...). Thus, our own seitan stir fry was born. Just browned the seitan (yum!), stir fried the veggies in toughness order (i.e. broccoli first, mushrooms last) and added some Bragg's for flavor! I also added some hoisin sauce at the end on my portion. Served atop brown rice, although Mr. PLV prefers white!
Some older photos from the month...these are from the presentation I did for Vegetarian Month, back in early October. These are just some of the books that our library system owns! All vegan or vegetarian cookbooks and some animal rights stuff, too.

Of course, you have to lead them into temptation with dessert! This chocolate peanut butter pie with peanut butter pretzels on top is a cinch to make. Recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine.

This coconut fudge is a mainstay at any sweet gathering for me. Wicked easy and so rich! From My Sweet Vegan.

I also made Snickerdoodles, Cookies and Cream cupcakes, Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies, and Macadamia Nut Blondies. Phew! Some people went home with stomachaches, they ate so much :)

And last but not least, it was thrilling to attend the D.C. Green Festival, sponsored by Green America and various other great organizations. It's a yearly event, held throughout the U.S., featuring speakers and tons of booths with fair trade, organic, sustainable, earth-conscious groups and businesses. All the food there was vegetarian or vegan (because it's the best for the planet - yeah!), and there were no trash cans - just recycling, compost (all plates, etc, were biodegradable), etc. There were tons of great groups there, including Food Not Bombs. I had an amazing piece of Hemp Baklava - wow!- among other things. This restaurant here is Soul Vegetarian, which features southern-style home cooking. I opted for Nirvana's Indian fare and it was hot but excellent! Can't wait for next year - I'm going to go both days this time instead of one, because there was just so much to see! Happy Halloween!

Road Trip!

2009-10-18T12:14:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is mid-October and yes, that is snow. No, it's not in Virginia, but it actually did snow in VA this weekend! The snow would have been fun and pretty if we hadn't spent the entire day driving in rain/snow. We were heading to Watkins Glen, NY, home of Farm Sanctuary , to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. If you're not familiar with this incredible organization, I urge you to check out the link above (OK - the link is not taking in Blogger...it's: www.farmsanctuary.org). We awoke to this scene the next morning. This is the gorgeous view from our cabin (they run a small B&B as well). You can see all the animal shelters/barns in the distance and maybe even that dark spot in the fields. That was a pig.
After an all-vegan(!) continental breakfast of pastries, muffins, bagels, fresh fruit, juice, tea, coffee, etc. (along with vegan cream cheese/butter/jam!), we had a personal tour of the farm. (We were the only visitors at that time, so it was really one guide and us two - cool!). This is a shot from one of the hills overlooking the People Barn (education center/visitors center) and cabins. I only had 18 pictures left in my camera, so I couldn't take photos of the inside of the People Barn. It was fabulous, with a whole wall of celebrity photos supporting the Farm and veganism, and life size gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages. Lots of interactive things for kids and adults to learn about health and the (sad) lives of animals on factory farms. But really, an overall loving and positive message. The store was great, too! :)

The first animals we met were the cows (actually, "cattle." Cows are the girls and steers are the boys - bulls are un-neutered. All the animals on the farm have been spayed or neutered, as it is the mission to rescue animals in need, not create more). I wish we could post the great photo of Mr. PLV, me and Snickers! Anyway, they were really beautiful and silent and large! They are huge because that is the way that they are bred. Sadly, they don't live as long because of this, and many develop weakened or broken legs because of the abnormal weight of their bodies.

Speaking of abnormal weight...the turkeys are in the same condition. They are bred to be huge especially in the breast area, and their legs can't support the weight. They are also artificially inseminated because they cannot mate naturally, they are so overweight. Happily, despite the debeaking and de-toeing, these turkeys will live out their lives at the farm in a peaceful way. Here is a great shot of one of the turkeys "submitting" itself to be petted. It just stood there, waiting to be stroked!

We learned that most turkeys are also bred white, because the darker feathers leave dark marks on their flesh and people like their meat to be "clean-looking." Yuck.

We met the goats and sheep next. They were the friendliest of all! The goats nibbled at our jackets and some of the sheep pressed up against us to be petted. This adorable guy is called "Jerry Lee," I think, and is a pygmy goat. Check out his cool horns! Horns are "living" parts of these animals, much like our teeth, which have blood flowing through them. When they are cut off, it is very painful.

This elderly goat was lucky enough to get a special jacket to help keep him warm.

The rabbits were sheltered away, so we couldn't see those that day. The geese are apparently not the petting-type of animals, so we left those alone, too.

The ducks were happy to be in their warm shed...

or out in the cold, playing in their pool! Brrr!!

Of course, with the H1N1 scare, we had to stay pretty far away from the pigs, but they were cool all the same. Although it is a misnomer that they are dirty animals (they prefer to be clean and swim in water to cool off (they don't have sweat glands), but mud works very well, too!), it is unfortunately true that they love to eat (thus the phrase, "eat like a pig."). They are bred to have huge appetites.

After some more farm walking, we headed into town for lunch. We ate some cheese-less pizza at the local pizza joint (very good!). Then we headed to Good Groceries. If you are in Watkins Glen, you have to check this place out! It's on 4th street, just off of the main drag (N. Franklin St.). It has all kinds of cool vegan and earth-friendly stuff. We tasted some Daiya cheese - very good! - and I bought some cool raw nuggets (one was fruit, the other a mix of veggies). Mr. PLV bought a vegan cookie. The owners are very friendly and know their stuff! They also have a lending library including videos - cool!

Finally, we headed to the nearby Watkins Glen State Park, for a walk along this incredible natural gorge, carved by glaciers, melting glaciers, and running water. The park people put in these very natural-looking stairs that blended right in with the rocks. It was quite a hike up! If you look closely, you can see the people on the path down below.

There were also tons of beautiful waterfalls.

We ate lots of great vegan food on this trip, including a yummy seitan rib sandwhich and a plate of pasta primavera at the RoosterFish (formerly the Crooked Rooster) which were both decent but over-priced. The cheeseless pizza at Jerlando's Pizza Co. was amazing despite the waitress' surly attitude when I asked about vegan cheese. We had decent Chinese at The House of Hong, although we were seated next to the cash register, facing the kitchen's swinging doors, and were rushed through our meal a bit. They have a separate vegetarian menu, but you have to ask for it. Why couldn't they just add it to their regular menu? But last and certainly best, we stopped by Glen Mountain Market on the way home for some sandwiches for the road. We both got seitan bacon type sandwiches, his on homemade French baguette, mine on a spinach wrap. The girl who made our sandwiches was very, very nice and the whole place was very vegan-friendly! She knew automatically what was vegan. The homemade seitan slices were delicious and definitely four star lunches all around with chips and a pickle! The only sad part was the Styrofoam boxes :P This excellent place also has the wonderful pastries that the Farm Sanctuary B&B served us in the morning, and much of their place is "greened." Overall, a cold but pleasant trip! Next time, we'll try to make it over to Ithaca.

World Vegetarian Month goodies!

2009-10-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

I had to start the post off with this photo. Orange-Rum Cake from Vegan with a Vengeance. Can I tell you something? I don't normally brag about recipes, especially desserts, out loud and in person, at least. On this blog, sure, but usually I just smile and say thank you. Well, this cake was made for our monthly Veg Group meeting. I wasn't sure how it tasted before we cut into it, as you really can't sample a cake like you can cookies, if you're planning on serving it to others. Also, the batter wasn't anything to go crazy for (sometimes, you can tell right away by the batter). But this cake HOLY COW. It was freakin' amazing. Moist, fluffy, yet with a great crumb (due to some cornmeal), the slivered almonds setting off the orange glaze (which was supposed to be orange-rum, but it was just too early in the day for that). It was by far the best cake I've had in ages. I was worried that it was a little flat, but no - that was just right for the perfect little slice to melt in your mouth. Wow. Go make this! (and if you don't have the book yet, go get that, too!). If this could get five stars, it would ****

Another shocker was this simple recipe, from no place in particular. We had shiitake mushrooms from our last CSA pick up of the year (boohoo!), and some broccoli leftover from salad fixings, and Mr. PLV wanted a tofu stir fry. So this was born. Just stir fried the tofu, took it out, stir fried the broccoli (both in sesame oil and water), then added some soy sauce and the mushrooms and combined everything back into the pan again with a dab or two of hoisin sauce! Amazing! One of the best stir fries I've ever made. Yum, yum, yum. Alongside some great brown rice, it was just perfect in my new dragon bowl :) Four stars ****.
Meanwhile, another dish I've made before with success....Aloo Gobi. This time, it was from The Vegan Table. It was pretty quick and easy to make, but as we were eating it I had several thoughts:
1) this should be spicier
2) this shouldn't have tomatoes in it
3) this should have peas!
So, this was very disappointing. Not in-edible, but just two and a half stars **1/2. I like the version in La Dolce Vegan much better.

To go with the Aloo Gobi, this Red Lentil Dal (dal means "bean") was similarly disappointing. Not spicy enough and it was really watery. It also got way too mushy, although I was trying to cook some of the water out of it. Nothing like the photo (same cookbook as the previous dish). Two and a half stars **1/2. Better w/more cayenne and some salt.

One surprising dish that did not disappoint was this Leek-Spaghetti Squash Polenta from Vegan Yum-Yum. You cook the leeks and spaghetti squash, chop it up a bit, and put it into the polenta as it cooks! An amazing mix of flavors and nice and spicy! Yum-Yum is right! Ate this with the Hurry Up Alfredo sauce (which didn't taste much like alfredo but was very good!) over a nice big bed of lettuce. Mr. PLV, as much as fan of polenta as he is, didn't care for this
much, but I gave it four yummy stars! ****.

Another four-star dish last week was the Braised Figs Over Arugula from The Vegan Table. This was simply amazing and also pretty simple to make! I'm not a big fan of fresh figs (I love dried ones, though!) but braising them in a little butter and sugar, then putting them atop bitter arugula with a balsamic-reduction sauce - wow!

Using up some of our many CSA squashes, I made an old standby: Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili from Vegan Planet. I loved the sweetness of the squash, Mr. PLV did not, but funny enough, he went back for thirds AND asked about it for leftovers during the week! He, he! Three solid stars ***, maybe more.

The last of our eggplant and zucchini (well I might get more eggplant but I'm kinda' burnt out on it) went into making these Zucchini and Eggplant Chips with Roasted Tomato Sauce. The sauce was homemade, using up some of the last tomatoes. These were breaded with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and baked, and were just so nice and crunchy! The sauce was also good on the aforementioned polenta, which we ate alongside this appetizer. Good stuff! I think this was a Veg News magazine online recipe - yup, it was, so I don't have a link for you...The sauce was from Vegetarian Times Oct 09 issue but it's not online yet. Three and a half stars ***1/2.

After baking the spaghetti squash for the polenta, I had these seeds on hand. I thought, "they look like pumpkin seeds and really, a pumpkin is just a squash!" So into the oven they went. Well, OK, so I pan fried them, being short on time, following a couple of different recipes, with some vegan Worcestershire sauce (regular kind has anchovies - yuck!). They were sooo good! Four stars ****. Lots of great surprises this week and further proof that you don't need to eat meat to eat amazing food! Happy World Vegetarian Month everyone! See you at my presentation on Wed! :)

Six Wicked Awesome Recipes!

2009-09-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

No major disappointments this week - in fact - I've six "wicked awesome" recipes to share! First off, I've been wanting to make these Olive-Millet Stuffed Zucchini from Vw/aV for years - seriously. They were pretty darn awesome and Mr. PLV went back for seconds! With a mixture of millet, tomatoes, capers and kalamata olives, they were salty and not sweet at all, so they were right up his alley. I loved them, too. They aren't too difficult to make, except there was a lot of liquid left in the stuffing mixture that I had to drain off. Also, there was a huge amount of stuffing left over! Oh well - lunch for the week - yeah! Four stars for these babies ****.

Next up...Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (vegan, of course!) from VCTOTW. I still have yet to make all the cupcakes in this book, but I'm wondering if October being Vegetarian Month would be a good time to meet that challenge? Anyhow, these were really easy to make, although there was barely enough batter to fill all 12 tins, they didn't rise very high, and I had to make a double batch of frosting in order to have enough to pipe on with my frosting gun! However, they were moist, full of raisins, walnuts and of course lots of carrot, and certainly delectable! Luckily, I made these for a friend, so they didn't lurk in the house very long. :) Four stars, easy! **** (Oh, I made a second batch for work, so I snuck one cupcake into my mouth, that's how I know how awesome they taste!).

On a slightly healthier note, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen Cookbook gave me the recipe for these delicious Strawberry Coconut Shake! Three and a half delicious stars ***1/2. I sprinkled a little unsweetened coconut on top for presentation. Purty! Filling enough for three lunches and of course very easy to make!

I am very proud of my own veganized recipe, Moroccan Seitan on Flatbread with Carrot-Almond Salad. Originally a chicken recipe from Keep It Seasonal, I just used seitan for the chicken, and cut it into bite sized strips. The spice rub was a little watery, but it was delish! Mr. PLV even ate the carrot salad, which had raisins in it - ahhh! We didn't have time or energy to make the Coriander Flatbread, so whole wheat pita breads (unsplit) made nice sandwich wraps. Four great stars! ****

And last but certainly not least, The Joy of Vegan Baking brought us Peanut Butter Cookies with the ubiquitous cross-hatch on top. Mr. PLV had asked for these and they came out perfectly! Easy, too.

The sixth recipe this week was from Vegetarian Times, modified slightly. In the most recent October 2009 issue, there was a recipe for Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce, which I sped up (quick-roasted!) using Dreena's ED&BV tip: 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 mins. I used the same herbs, though, and I used my handy-dandy immersion blender to turn the finished product into a sauce to use later this week. As summer has ended, so has our abundance of tomatoes, and the ones we're getting from the CSA now are kind of lacking flavor. So, in order to avoid getting more fruit flies in the house while they sat around (really! the flies are so bad! any tips on getting rid of them?), this recipe was key.

Well, that's all for this past week! I'm off to do some reading and think about dinner, which will probably be Leek-Squash Polenta with a creamy white sauce, or if I'm too tired, "just" leftovers :)

Fall's A-Comin...

2009-09-20T17:14:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that fall is nearly here. Two more days, well just barely, and we will officially be over with summer! In my garden, I'm ready for changes. I am already tired of my tomatoes, have frozen some pesto from the basil, and recently planted some kale and lettuce, both of which should do well in the cooler temps.

With the weather just slightly dipping into fall-like temperatures, I've been feeling more like hearty, cold weather meals. This Sweet and Sour Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan certainly fit the bill! Although a bit on the too-sweet side, even for me, I loved this recipe for its ease. Just chop, toss with the sauce, and bake! With pineapple and peppers and onions and topped with cashews , this was a great one-bowl dish. I could've had this over rice, but with a recent viral infection, I wasn't feeling like I needed more carbs after lying on the couch for days....However, three and a half stars for this delicious dish ***1/2.
Tonight, despite some sore losses in the NFL, I got around to making this wicked easy Stewed Tofu and Potatoes in Miso Gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance. I picked this out for Mr. PLV, who is a big fan of potatoes and all things comfort-food, and then matched it with Krispy Kale from my newest cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum ("my" meaning I own it, not that I wrote it of course). The kale was still a bit bitter for me, so I drizzled it with my favorite tahini sauce, but the meal itself was certainly easy and comforting. Unfortunately, my miso was way out-dated, and I had to leave that key ingredient out! It would have been so much yummier with the miso. However, I noted that the recipe also called for the miso early on, and then had it simmering for half an hour, so some of the benefits of the miso would have been null anyway (if you boil miso, it kills the probiotics). Three stars for this one ***. Will definitely try again on a night when I'm feeling lazy and want some yummy miso.

Chow Mein Memory from The Complete Book of Raw Food may be the last raw food dish I make for a while, only because of the seasonal change and my mental shift towards chilis and such. This consisted of raw butternut squash noodles (which were wicked hard to put through my spiralizer, due to the awkward shape of the peeled bulb), along with shiitake mushrooms soaked in Bragg's, pine nuts, green onions and some other things I can't remember. Not much, really. This was a fantastic, light lunch, w/lots of nutrients! Three stars ***. I love mushrooms...
These Chipotle Seitan and Roasted Potato Tacos were from the latest Veg News magazine issue, but I can't wait for the cookbook from which they came! Terry Hope Romero, co-author of Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (VCTOTW) and the soon to be released Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar, will be coming out with her own book, Latin Vegan. I think it's not going to be published until April 2010, but based on this recipe, I'm already gettin' in line! These were pretty easy, super spicy, and wow! I loved the roasted potatoes, which were then cooked again briefly in the seitan marinade (that's what I love about vegan cooking - not only can you eat raw cookie dough, but you can reuse marinade!). Four stars - I loved, loved, loved this dish ****.
Meanwhile, our bookshelf project progresses. I'm not sure if I posted about them in the past, but basically my father came to visit and created these by hand (well, with a template). Here, you can see the frames, which I painted "White Hyacinth" last weekend, with the backs painted "Hubbard Squash" this weekend by Mr. PLV. Can't wait to get the shelves painted and put them in!

Of course, Hobbes had to come help out with the touch-ups...

Well, that's it in Vegan Land today! Leftovers the next couple of nights and then hopefully I'll get to my stuffed zucchini sometime this century if not this week...

2009-09-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

I nearly choked on my green tea the other morning. I was actually home with a bit of a fever, so I was flipping through the TV channels for the first time in ages. I ended up with the Today Show, although I was disappointed that they didn't mention anything about the 9/11 anniversary until much later in the program.

It was when they mentioned fall food trends that I perked up. And guess what made me nearly choke? They presented agave nectar, millet, quinoa, bulgar, smoked paprika, and dinosaur kale. Many of these seemingly strange or exotic foods (a show host actually tried the agave with pleasant surprise) are all ones I use on a daily basis. Dinosaur kale is excellent in green smoothies, agave nectar is my tea sweetener of choice for just about anything, and millet and quinoa are both wonderful grains. I have yet to buy smoked paprika yet, just because it's so expensive.

My point being, becoming vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean that you eat nuts and seeds, or salads every day. You don't get bored and you never EVER run out of foods, recipes or meal ideas to try. I have nearly 50 vegan cookbooks, almost 100 total cookbooks, and have made nearly 700 new recipes (meaning, I had never tried them before) over the past three years since starting this blog. It saddens me sometimes, to think that I'll never get to make all the recipes in those books (well, not unless I quit my job and cooked full time, all day, which doesn't sound too bad, hmmm....) At any rate, here's to being TRENDY! :)

Meanwhile, here's what delicious things we've been noshing on lately. Many of them are potato and squash based, since that's what we got from the CSA this past week.

First up, we were surprisingly impressed by the Potato-Fennel Pizza with Tempeh Sausage Crumbles from Vegan with a Vengeance. This is definitely my favorite cookbook of all time, since it was my first introduction to vegan cooking, and Isa's writing always gives me an excuse to laugh out loud! Even my husband, who loves sausage and potatoes, was skeptical of this combination on a pizza. However, he commented that it was one of his all time favs AND was really impressed with the tempeh sausage (which basically, is tempeh, which you crumble, boil to release bitterness and soften, and stir fry with some spices). On a side note, I think we (meaning I) have finally perfected the homemade pizza crust. I found that you just have to roll it really thin, to avoid thick, uncooked parts. Three and a half stars! ***1/2

The next night, while I munched on a salad covered with CSA produce (beets, carrots, my own tomatoes, arugula, shiitake mushrooms, to name a few), Mr. PLV made something more up his alley. These Beer Bratwurst Pepper and Onion Sandwiches were his own creation, based on a typical PA meal. They were Tofurky brand sausages and his only comment was that perhaps they could be seasoned as well as our homemade tempeh crumbles! :)

We wandered back a bit in time to Dreena Burton's first cookbook, The Everyday Vegan, which has some great basic recipes in it, good for the first-time vegan but not quite as original and exciting as her later books. This Spicy Thai Stew was a great way to use up some CSA carrots, sweet potatoes, swiss chard and red bell peppers. The almond butter really gave it a unique flavor! You could use peanut butter if you're being more frugal, and it would be just as good (I think peanuts are a typical flavor in this cuisine). Yum, yum, yum! Three and a half stars *** 1/2 and easy to boot.
Finally, as I've been receiving squash after squash from the CSA every week (butternut, delicata, acorn, and some others I can't name), I decided to try another stuffed squash this week, this time an acorn one (delicata one was last week- see previous post). This one had brown rice, tomatoes, corn, currants, pine nuts, and a few spices and herbs. Pretty darn good! Three stars *** only because I liked the other one better. I was sooo full, after eating this plateful of sauteed kale with my favorite tahini sauce, and then that entire stuffed squash! But a nice, Thanksgiving-type full, like, "ahhh! now that was a filling meal!" Looking forward to fall in about a week (wow! a week!) so we can really enjoy our stews, squashes, and chilis!

Ten New Recipes in Ten Days

2009-09-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I am tired of cooking.....ha, ha - gotcha! Still, ten recipes in less than two weeks can wear anyone out, especially when you're cooking for so many different diets and tastes!

But let me back up a little....I have to share this gorgeous photo first, because I just made it last night and want everyone to go make it now!! Or, go buy Vegan Yum Yum, my newest cookbook acquisition by Lauren Ulm.

This was her Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cherry-Apple-Almond Couscous. I was blown away by the flavors (sweet, sour), textures (crumbly, creamy, crunchy) and simplicity of this dish. Basically, you just halve and bake a squash (she states that you can do other squashes) and fill them afterwards with a hot stuffing of cherries, apple, almonds and couscous (I used an organic, whole wheat kind). The dressing is a VERY simple agave-mustard thing.....This was by far the easiest and yummiest meal I made all week. Four stars out of this world! ****

I actually did happen to have a delicata squash on hand, from the CSA. I didn't even know what kind it was until I was browsing through Lauren's book. This one little squash was quite a filling dinner for me and there was tons of "stuffing" leftover for lunch or to stuff other squashes this week.

What I love about Vegan Yum Yum is that there are many meals that serve 2. That works out perfectly for Mr. PLV and me, especially when he doesn't want the leftovers or he wouldn't touch the dish with a ten foot pole and it's up to me to eat it all week long....Mr. PLV has a thing for fruit in his hot meals (in other words, it better not be there) so this second dish, Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl (also from Yum Yum) was a hopeful second try.

Actually, he turned his nose up at the name but after tasting the melange of crisp tofu bites, crunchy almonds and sour tamarind sauce, decided it was pretty good! I gave it three stars, but I think it could be three and a half as leftovers.... *** The only problem I had was with the tamarind. I bought a block of it, and when I put it into the sauce, although boiling merrily away for quite a while, it didn't dissolve very well, and we were left with hard chunks that I couldn't break down even with my trusty immersion blender. Advice anyone?

Like I said before, serving four different people with different needs and tastes was quite a challenge (my parents were in town to help build some giant bookshelves in our living room) ! My mother is vegan thank goodness(!), but is "watching her carbs," and, "doesn't really like fresh fruit." My father is on an Atkins-Blood-Type diet (total crap, but he's lost a TON of weight because it's high in protein and he now eats salads every day and no refined bread- woohoo!), and Mr. PLV has decided that he no longer cares for tempeh, my homemade seitan, salads, or grilled summer squash. Meanwhile, I will eat absolutely any vegetable, fruit, or vegan/vegetarian dish you put in front of me. Argh, is putting it nicely.

Anyhoo, we did settle on stuffed peppers, which I've made several times in the past. This particular recipe from 366 Ways to Cook Tofu and other Meat Alternatives by Robin Robertson was not my personal favorite ever, but the other three (esp meat-eating dad and picky hubby) commented enthusiastically on it! Three stars *** Funny thing was....I realized that I don't really care for stuffed peppers....

After mum and dad left, I was left with a ton of tomatoes bought on accident (organic, local), some peppers from dad's salad days, and two eggplants from the CSA. Mr. PLV is not a huge fan of eggplant (sensing a theme here?) but eagerly ate this Ratatouille with White Beans from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen cookbook, including the leftovers! It made quite a ton, and my only critique was that it called for 1 to 1/2 inch cubes of the veggies. I used an actual ruler, and found that that is actually quite huge! I didn't think they would cook down quickly enough (and were a bit too big for a comfortable bite) so I cut them in half and it all turned out quite nicely. Not spicy enough for me, so only three stars. ***

I'm going to speed through the rest of this post, since I've been rather blabby up to now....

Shiitake-Seitan Stir Fry adapted from a tofu-shiitake mushroom stir from in 366 Ways. Delish, quick, easy and spicy enough even for Mr. PLV who ate all the leftovers! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

I ate my portion in my beautiful new bowl, bought a local artists' shop. Handmade pottery never ceases to amaze me! Our own bowls from China are chipping, so I'm slowly replacing them with better stuff...

A raw food dessert kick was kick-started by Ani's Raw Food Desserts, by Ani Phyo.

These Trail Mix Cookies were raw and scrumptious! Three solid stars...

But these Pecan Pie Cookies were simply amazing! Close your eyes while you eat one, and just see if you can taste the pie! Basically, pecans, dates, cinnamon and a hint of OJ. Sooo easy to make and even easier to eat! Four stars **** and beyond...

Latest Veg Group meeting had me bringing the above cookies but also some non-raw cookies from a recent Veg News magazine. These were by cookbook author Hannah Kaminsky, of My Sweet Vegan but they're not in her book. Coconut Drops were three and a half stars, maybe four! They only made about 9 cookies total, and the batter hardly stuck together and they were kind of heavy-feeling after baking but the taste!! Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the inside. Good think I made them for the potluck!

From Rawvolution came this quick and easy Thai Coleslaw. Excellent, even after several days. Peanuts make all the difference! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Ending with another sweet but very healthy raw dish, this time from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. This delicious, sweet and thick, Peachy Kream was shake-like in consistency and filling enough to drink over four days! I subbed pecans for the Brazil nuts and it was amazing. Yum. Four stars ****. I also made a small version of the Peach and Pistachio Cobbler from her dessert book, but it wasn't pretty enough for a photo (OK, it was so incredible, I ate it all up before I had a chance to pick up the camera!). Four stars and beyond! **** The sweet and salty and crunchy and smooth were textures and flavors that rival any baked good. Try a raw dessert today!

End of Summer Treats

2009-08-27T13:15:00.001-07:00

Around here, it feels like summer is just getting started (we had a really cool summer in June and July), so it's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of the season!

Nevertheless, we're trying to eat as much summer produce as possible, before it's no longer available. Last year, I began trying to eat in-season produce as much as possible and I'll tell you - it is worth it! You really appreciate the in-season fruits and veggies, they are at their best in terms of flavor, and you know they weren't shipped in from out of state (or country!). Meanwhile, when the season is over, you aren't saying, "Oh, I wished I had had more corn!, etc."

The above Raw Hemp Tabouli from Rawvolution (different recipe name in the book, but I thought this better described it) was made simply of tons of herbs from the garden, cherry tomatoes (mine are so small, you don't really have to even chop them), and a sprinkle of onions and hemp seeds (the hemp seeds stand in for the traditional bulgar). I really loved this fresh parsley salad (the typical American version has more bulgar than parsley, but the real stuff has mostly parsley). Four stars! ****

Not so seasonal or fresh (or health), these Dulce Sin Leche Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (VCTOTW) kicked some serious ass, once again. Made these for a co-worker's birthday and as always, they didn't disappoint! Although, the glaze melted a bit overnight and I had to refrigerate them. The coconut on top is a must, for presentation, at least, but I will never understand the "I hate coconut" people, anyway...

Next up, this spicy and amazing Moroccon Spring Tagine from Vegan with a Vengeance was excellent and pretty easy. Except for the fact that all the veggies are actually summer ones, and not spring, so it was a perfect meal to have this week! Zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, onion, beans... Four stars **** and Mr. PLV even at the leftovers - twice! :) Speaking of in-season, we finally had grilled okra, too! No photo, as it was scarfed down too quickly. My mother, who is visiting, just couldn't get enough of it - yeah!
Last week, we feasted on a quick meal of vegan gnocchi (most gnocchi is, but Wegman's brand actually had the vegan symbol on it - yay!) with roasted tomatoes and roasted green beans. We had never had roasted green beans before, and they were pretty good! Three stars ***, maybe less - it needed some garlic.

Last week, I also used some of the slew of late-summer corn to make another Sweet Corn Chowder. This time, it was from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. This was much better than the Rawvolution version, but still needed way more corn. I would double the corn. Nice and fresh and great with the avocado and cilantro! Three stars ***

Another quick, fresh and amazingly delicious meal came from Ani's book last week. This time it was Walnut-Cranberry Squash "Rice." The rice was made by grating a raw butternut squash in the food processor. I would never think of doing that, but it was incredible! Tasted a bit like stuffing. Yum, yum, yum and all raw!! Four stars ****.

It's been a while since I roasted root veggies, but since we got a few from the CSA the previous week, it was time to do something with them before they went bad. Roasting is a great way to use up veggies that are a tad past their prime. This was the Roasted Salad with Roasted Garlic Salad from Veganomicon. Even though it's hot as blazes out there, our central air made it comfy enough to use the oven for all this roasting. I figure, with all the meat I haven't eaten in years, my carbon footprint is already smaller than average (which it really is, I calculated it online) so I can afford a little electricity splurge now and then. And WOW, was this worth it! The roasted garlic makes a creamy, rich dressing, that's not overly garlic at all. And roasted turnips? Woah. Four stars, without reservations! **** Mr. PLV also liked this one, because of the taters.
I also roasted two small eggplants from the CSA to make my second-ever Baba Ganouj (recipe from Madhur Jaffry's World Vegetarian), which kicked ass! So yum, so easy, but so not photogenic :P Four stars anyway ****
These Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen were also so incredibly good, we're going to make them again this week! I haven't had stuffed mushrooms in a while. I even used local bread (frozen last week) for the breadcrumbs. Wow! Mr. PLV ate almost all of them :) Four stars ****.

Meanwhile, my garden continues to give me a pint to two pints of cherry tomatoes a day. Except for this plant, which I swear came from the same packet! It's giving us these beautiful elongated globes - plum tomatoes! They're not as tasty as the cherry ones, but they do have more substance. Someone said that getting different tomato varieties from the same seed packet is pretty common. Cool!

And, last but not least, THEY'RE BACK! :) Last summer, my "green bean seeds" flourished into melons. This year, three plants came back, even though I didn't really try! One withered in the sun, I tripped on another and accidentally ripped the vine out of the ground...and then there was one. Wonder if it'll taste better than last year? Well, I'm off to continue helping with the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves my father has been working on all week! Happy Early Christmas to me and my books! :)

Random Food Attacks

2009-08-12T17:54:00.001-07:00

A random mix of recipes, in no particular order...

First up....Chocolate cake. Raspberry preserves. Rich, fudgey, ganache-like frosting. Mmmmmm....

Despite not following the directions on how to apply the frosting and preserves (I just slapped the preserves in the middle and put the ganache in the fridge to quicken the cool-time before dousing the cake), this amazing Raspberry-Chocolate Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting from Veganomcion was still decadent, flavorful and drool-worthy. Also, very, very easy! :) Four stars ****. Haven't baked in a while, so I thought a cake was about due.

Here's what the whole cake looked like. It would have been prettier with fresh raspberries and some frosting roses, but I didn't have the time, it was too hot, and it was for teenagers, who really didn't give a rats ass about looks (and who also scarfed it down!).

It was so hot, I spent my one day off last weekend, inside. OK, so we were painting three ceilings, so I wasn't really taking it easy. I called it, "bikram painting." It was so hot, ugh. But it's done and now it looks so smooth and new! Here is Mr. PLV, doing the easy part (I did the trim, edges, and around the light fixtures - hand cramp central!).

After that, all I wanted was something fresh, watery and cold. I splurged and got some organic fruit from the farmers' market, including a giant, dark red watermelon. These blackberries, cherries and blueberries were excellent, too! Holy antioxidants, Batman! Four, very sweet stars ****.

Mr. PLV was craving portabella mushrooms, so we grilled a few to top a huge-ass spinach salad with our own cherry tomatoes. (They just keep coming!) Three and a half stars ***. (That's leftover quinoa you see in clumps nearby).

Used up some of the CSA potatoes, too, and grilled them, then tossed them with our own parsley. Yum.....Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Had a CSA zucchini and some BIG ass tomatoes (also CSA/ organic) to use up, so Veganomicon's Greek-Style Zucchini-Tomato Fritters were baked in the oven. I used some local artisan olive-sourdough bread to make the breadcrumb crust. Wow!! Even Mr. PLV loved these and went back for leftovers, which he rarely does. Three and a half stars ***1/2. The cashew-cucumber yogurt-style dip was only OK. Two and a half ** 1/2, but it was probably my fault....long story.

Tonight, Mr. PLV baked our CSA eggplant in the oven for an hour, and I fried it up with some onions, spices, and another huge-ass CSA tomato. Wow!!! This was really, really good. The recipe was something like "Smoky Eggplant," from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. Great Indian food! Four stars ****. Unfortunately, the sauteed greens (beet, turnip, and chard) were horrible. Bitter, tough....even the great sauce from Vive le Vegan couldn't save them. Not even one star. I think it was the turnip greens that just didn't cook up right. Tips anyone?

Backing up some.... last week I had some pot sticker wrappers and seitan kicking around in the fridge. I tried my own recipe, added some ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and carrots to the diced seitan filling. Used a great dipping sauce from Vegetarian Times and wow! Four stars ****.

Finally, on Monday, our library's AC broke and we had to go home early. What a shame! :) I read an entire book (I'm a speed reader) while the acorn squash from the CSA was roasting, and while the awesome cornmeal-flavored crust was chilling for these Acorn Squash-Black Bean Empanadas from Veganomicon. They were well worth the effort, alongside a jarred salsa and some homemade guac. Wowee! Four stars for the crust, which kicked ass with the cornmeal crunch; three and a half for the filling. What an awesome week (and a half) of food! Stay tuned for more CSA-based recipes to come!

Pizza and Sausages

2009-08-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

It's funny, someone recently referred to vegan food as "monkish" compared to the standard American food. I nearly screamed! Well, I certainly did laugh out loud, anyway. Turns out, the person really didn't mean to use that word (he's not an English scholar - he just meant that it was very different ), but it does give me an opportunity to show fellow bloggers/blog-readers, just how wrong that statement is!

For example, this Corn and Fresh Tomato-Basil Pizza with Garlic Pistou from Vegetarian Times was anything but austere, bursting with flavor and pizazz! The roasted garlic was combined with basil fresh from our garden, as well as some pine nuts and other things, to form the pesto of sorts that was spread on a homemade crust (gee, can you tell that's homemade?), then topped with fresh corn and cherry tomatoes from our CSA. A sprinkle of more homegrown basil topped it off.

Here's a yummy close up. This was a decent three-star recipe ***, but our crust was way too thick and a little doughy in places. We're determined to get better!

Then, speaking of bursting with flavor and spice, something was cooking in our steamer last week...

Sausages! Meatless - duh - and completely amazing. I have some work to do on my wrapping technique, so they don't have pointed edges and are a little more "shapely" but the texture and taste were amazing! Spicy and perfect. These were my first try, and a wicked easy recipe from Isa, courtesy of Vegan Dad's blog. Thanks, Vegan Dad! Mr. PLV loved, loved, loved these and can't wait to try some recipes with them!

Meanwhile, I sliced them up with some fresh basil...

And added them to another recipe - Roasted Tomato-Fennel Pasta with Pine Nuts, Capers and Basil published in Veg News, but originally printed in Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, by Dreena Burton. The recipe didn't call for sausage, but the fennel flavors matched up perfectly and the sausage made the whole dish even more satisfying. Yum! Now, what monk eats like that? Four stars ****.

Then, after a long car ride home from the in-laws, I was greeted with this heavenly dish from Mr. PLV's mom...a foil packet to throw on the grill, she said, and some fluffy rice to accompany it. I wasn't prepared for the sensational flavors and aromas when I first opened it up! Asparagus, mushrooms, and red peppers, along with some spices, green onions, and dill, combined for a sensory overload. It was sooo nice to get out of the car, unpack, turn on the grill and eat in 8 minutes! Beautiful, and certainly the best dish of them all. Four stars of thanks to her! ****

Vittles from Rhode Island

2009-07-25T12:22:00.001-07:00

I promised I would post about these amazing Cinnamon Rolls, from Vegan Brunch on my last post, so here they are in all their glory! A picture cannot do these bad boys justice. I wanted to put my face into the pan :) Luckily, there were lots of people around, so I made do with a half...and then another half...and then a bit or nibble more. Five stars *****, if I can give that many - I can never remember my new rating system....

My big sister from Rhode Island (almost a veg-head) made these from scratch along with: tofu scramble, fresh watermelon and blueberries (which were a thousand times better than the ones in VA!), potato hash (sweet and regular), and banana-chocolate French toast. It was a brunch to remember....wish we didn't live so far away!
We also ate at Crazy Burger while we were up there, which had a pretty decent number of vegan burgers on their menu, despite the plethora of dead-animal ones :( The link above shows you a menu slightly different than the one we saw. The burger shown here is the Just Plain Nuts one, which was served open-faced on a pepita-corn cake (polenta) with this amazing sun dried tomato-artichoke pesto. Gluten free and a good price! My only complaint was that it was way too much to eat :) Three stars ***. (Oh, and that isn't a Styrofoam container. It was biodegradable paper!).

Back home, I was saddened to see that my zucchini plants are just about dead (even with a friend watering them, they just didn't make it). However, my tomato plants are making up for it! This handful is about what I pick during one afternoon lunch break. Warm from the sun, I just pop them in my mouth along with whatever goodies I'm munching on. These are my first self-grown tomatoes since I was a little kid!

They also go well on a raw salad, featured here with a lemon-dill dressing from Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. I was pretty disappointed in this dressing. It was wicked easy, but seemed to curdle and froth up, and was way too lemony. One star *. Oh well. The greens, cucumber, zucchini and larger cherry tomatoes were straight from the latest CSA pick up. Can't wait to dig into the first cantaloupe of the season that came with it!

We also got twelve ears of corn - wow! I put one on a salad (minus the cob, of course - raw corn is so good!) and turned four more into this Harvest Corn Chowder from Rawvolution. It was really easy to make, but I was disappointed in the flavor. It just didn't taste enough like corn! The other flavors (cumin, garlic, tamari) were nice enough, but I really wanted that corn taste. Perhaps the corn just wasn't sweet enough! I have to say, it isn't the best corn I've ever had. But at least it's organic - yay!

We also got a small bag of shiitake mushrooms from the pick up. Here they are, soaking in some Bragg's, alongside some chopped and diced tomatoes, red pepper, carrots and chives (from my own garden- yay!). The chopping was pure pleasure today, as Mr. PLV sharpened all our knives. I held the red pepper in the air and slid the knife across - it sliced through like non-dairy butter!

Mushrooms are so good for you. Besides offering selenium, copper, and other vitamins, they have shown to be anticancer, antiviral, and absorb cholesterol. We are advised (see link above - although I've heard this from many sources) to avoid raw white button, portobello, and cremini mushrooms, though.

These Raw Veggie Wraps from Vegan A Go-Go, were whipped up with ease from the ingredients in the above photo, wrapped in rice papers with a little raw zucchini hummus (I really like the one from Rawvolution). The dipping sauce was just the leftover Bragg's from the mushroom marinade. A quick, cool, delicious lunch, alongside a green smoothie. Ahhh....nothing like eating raw vegan food in the summer! Have a great weekend everyone!

Playing Catch-Up

2009-07-15T16:40:00.001-07:00

After finally getting some well-deserved vaca this past weekend, I'm finally back in the blogosphere (or whatever you call it) with some great food finds!

Using up leftovers before we left (redundant but true) was imperative. I didn't let a single bit of produce go to waste. I even cut up the last of our celery and zucchini to eat with dip on the road. Above, you see a quick meal we made with some leftover kohlrabi and potatoes. The recipe, Indian-Inspired Kohlrabi with Peas and Potatoes, was initially on the Fat Free Vegan blog, but the link appears to be broken. I've linked the recipe title to a recipe that seems exactly the same. Even though it contained coconut, Mr. PLV seemed to like it quite a bit! I loved it and gave it 3 1/2 stars ***. The flavors were awesome and it was very comforting. Easy, too.

A week before we left, my mother-in-law came to stay for a few days. After trotting out our favorites (Baked BBQ Tofu from Veganomicon and Kung Pao Seitan from Vegan Planet), it was time for something a little more familiar to her taste buds. I spent a morning at the grill before it got too hot outside, with some thinly sliced eggplant, roasted red peppers, and summer squash. Then, with a homemade pesto (basil straight from the garden!) and a jarred tapenade (you can't do it all) ...

I put together this Mediterranean Pressed Sandwich, from an old Vegetarian Times issue. With some balsamic vinegar drizzled over it all, then everything sandwiched on ciabatta bread (vegan!), wrapped up tightly, and pressed under a cast iron skillet for the day in the fridge, by dinner it was chilled and yummy and "seemed" like no work at all. The flavors melted together in a harmonious, "ummmmmm....." of yum. But I have to warn you - it is quite a bit of work. Three and a half stars - oh, what the heck - four!

On the side, we served Green Beans Tossed with Walnut-Miso Sauce, from Cooking Light. This is one of my favorite recipes for green beans. Three stars this time because I under-cooked the beans, but normally four ****.

Meanwhile, my garden continues to thrive (well, my garden minus the zucchini, which I have sadly given up on). These cherry tomatoes are covering nearly every inch of all the huge plants that I have somehow not killed this spring and into summer. I eat the ripe ones straight off the plants, still warm from the sun, on my lunch break.

Huge carrots, well fat ones at any rate, surprised us last week at the CSA pickup. They did have tops and I stupidly chucked them into the compost bins before realizing that you can eat them (courtesy of some ideas behind Green For Life, which is alternately annoying and amazing me). The carrots? Sweetness :)

Speaking of sweet, can you find my sweet kitty? Bear is the master of disguise. Agent 009 reporting....
Next post - Vegan Cinnamon Rolls from Vegan Brunch!

Let's Hear it for the Sides!

2009-07-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just like at Thanksgiving, most holiday feasts or celebrations involving food are celebrated more for their side dishes than the main one (in many households, a big hunk of meat). This 4th of July, it was no different.

But first, check out this beautiful bowl of fresh fruit! My first fruit salad of the season to feature blackberries and blueberries (although this is an older photo - probably taken a week ago). Isn't it funny how alone, these fruits are good, but combined they are a masterpiece (both visually and on the palate)?
However, nothing beats blackberries, fresh from the farmer's market, and still warm from the sun -yeah! These just melted in my mouth. I mean, seriously. I didn't even have to chew...

But back to the 4th...we made a hideously large amount of food - makes me feel awed, guilty and honored to live in this country and have all the pleasures of life that we often take for granted.

And, as usual, the BBQ seitan was relegated to the side, while the "sides" took front and center stage! We tried some new dishes this year including: Prospect Park Potato Salad from Veganomicon, which was decent, but needed some onion and more salt and pepper. Not as good as my family's recipe, which I have yet to veganize but I promise I will this summer! Two and half stars ** 1/2 for this one, though. Also, Cucumber Salad, from a recent Veg News email, which was spicy and fresh and all around yummy! With jalapeno, peanuts, and mint, it was easy and delicious! Three solid stars ***. As usual, we had to have my family's Three-Bean Salad, from god knows where, but the reduced fat version I started making several years ago is always a big hit. The coleslaw and BBQ seitan was a repeat of the recipe from Veganomicon that we made a week or so ago - still very, very good! We also had grilled corn with this great jerk rub from Cooking Light that I've used for almost a decade now! We also love the Cajun and North African spice rubs, too.

Well, that's it for the weekend's food. We'll be eating leftovers for several days now! Oh, I did make a raw bok choy paneer, from Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine, my newest acquisition, as recommended by a raw foodist friend. Mr. PLV ate it with some naan and I had it with some brown rice. It wasn't attractive enough for a photo, and was just too rich to eat alone, but it was very, very good! Three, maybe three and a half stars! ***

Colorful Eats

2009-06-29T17:12:00.001-07:00

This past weekend brought a gorgeous bouquet of colorful food into our household. My mango finally ripened enough to give us this Quinoa-Black Bean-Mango Salad, from Veganomicon. With cilantro straight from my garden, I didn't even bother serving it atop lettuce. I cut down on the quinoa, too, although it was perfectly cooked in the rice cooker (the best appliance ever! well, next to my immersion blender...).Three and a half, maybe even four stars **** for this dish. Great flavors, textures, and colors.
Speaking of colors, check out the bold red and brilliant green on this plate! It looks like Christmas except for the heat and humidity (OK, so it has been beautiful these past few days, really). The BBQ Tofu from Veganomicon was even baked, so no one had to stand in front of a hot grill. Except Mr. PLV did, even though it was just for those crispy, tender, grilled rosemary-olive oil new potatoes. No recipe. Just scrub 'em clean, quarter them, toss them with olive oil (extra virgin, as always), grill them for about 20 minutes, then toss them with fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. The best part about this meal? The beans (barely steamed) and potatoes were from CSA pickup #6! Yum, yum, yum. The tofu came out pretty good. You bake it first, then add the sauce and bake a little while longer. The sauce itself (from the recipe) was too spicy for us, and could've been a little sweeter, but while we could add more sugar or molasses, we couldn't extract the spice. We're hoping to use this sauce recipe on some seitan for our cookout on the 4th. Three solid stars for the tofu, four for the whole plate ****.

A day earlier, we (meaning, I) spent some time chopping and then threw this dish together: Basmati-Dill Chickpea-Chard Bake or some equally long name, from, Veganomicon. It was really easy, once you chopped everything, and we used jasmine rice instead of the basmati, with a little extra water, and it came out just fine. In fact, the flavors reminded us both of stuffed grape leaves! The lemon and the greens and the rice and even the occasional chickpeas were like eating grape leaves that had been unraveled. Delish. Three, maybe three and a half stars - needed some help in the heat-spice department. (Did I change to a five stars rating a while back? Because I'm still using the four star rating here.... oh well).
And, of course, the token garden picture, this time of my beautiful orange-yellow flowering zucchini plants. Unfortunately, I must be the only person on the entire continent who has a hard time growing these things. Last year, the mildew took them. This year, the flowers are opening, but then just dropping clean off the stems! I wonder if they're not being pollinated. I think I might move them near my back garden, although I saw a bee in one flower today. Advice from fellow zucchini growers would be great!

What's in the (CSA) Bag?

2009-06-21T17:22:00.001-07:00

What's in that over-stuffed bag?, my kitty was wondering last Thursday, as I hauled our 5th weekly CSA pickup into the house. Although we get a day's heads up of what to expect, opening our weekly bag is still like opening your stocking at Christmas. Well, we made a slew of great meals this week, courtesy of this weekly haul of local, organic veggies!

Here's everything out on the table including: fennel, cabbage, broccoli, 4 huge cucumbers, kohlrabi (purple this time!), onions, chard, salad greens, dill, and some big stalky green leaf veggie that I have yet to name (it's the one at the top, with the long white stem and big green leaves). It wasn't on the list, and while I thought it might be collard greens, I'm not sure that's what it was.

At any rate, last week's greens (chard) went into Fat Free Vegan's Savory Swiss Chard Pie. It was pretty easy and quick, and looked tantalizing as it came out of the oven, a few minutes early...

Turns out, it was delicious as well! The spices were rockin' and the chard was great, but the silken tofu was just a little too mushy for our taste. I think that regular firm tofu (the Chinese, water-packed kind) would have made for a firmer pie/quiche thing. At any rate, it was edible, and Mr. PLV even went back for seconds. Yeah! Three stars for flavor, two for texture **.

Alongside that, was this awesome Summer Corn Salad, from Rawvolution. This was easily my favorite recipe from the week - it was so sweet and fresh and even had some spice (curry powder)! It did get a little over-saturated with the dressing as the days went by, but it was a great, quick lunch. The corn wasn't in our CSA bag, but at least it was local and fresh from the farmers' market!

We also had some zucchini kicking around from last week's pickup, so I put my new Spiralizer to use! Yeah! So much fun!! This would be an awesome way to get kids to eat their veggies - just make these great, long, curly "noodles" out of them! Or fry or bake or dehydrate them for snacking on! Machine was easy to use and quick to put together/clean. Got a great deal on it through Amazon.

Here's a closeup of the zucchini pasta with a raw tomato sauce, from Rawvolution. Actually, the noodles were kind of crunchy - not watery as suggested in the book, so they didn't have to sit out. I wonder if I could have softened them up by letting them sit in the sauce for a while? The sauce was only OK- needed some herbs and spices to kick it up a notch. Three stars for the pasta (and only because it was fun - it was too crunchy to fool pasta lovers) and two stars for the sauce **.

Here are the noodles with our favorite jarred sauce, along with some Red Star nutritional yeast. Yum!

Last week also brought us some bok choy, and this Crunchy Bok Choy Salad from Cooking Light was refreshing and yummy and quick. Mr. PLV even commented how good it tasted and how good he felt, eating something so fresh and recently picked! No kidding! He really said that...I ate this as part of lunch leftover this week, and it was great except of course the Ramen noodles got soggy... Three stars and a half for sure, for this dish! ***.

Finally, we were ready to start cooking up this week's produce! First up, Roasted Fennel Salad with Roasted Shallot Dressing, Hazelnuts and Cranberries from Veganomicon. I'm too lazy to go check my recipe notebook for the exact title of this dish, but that's basically what was in it...except, I added LOTS of other veggies, to make it a well-rounded salad meal. I was just in the mood for salad that night! So, summer squash, radish, tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, and baby carrots filled up my bowl along wide the greens and roasted fennel (which was amazing!) and the roasted shallot dressing which was superb!!! Four stars for this dish ****. I loved, loved the warm dressing.
Three of those huge cucumbers ended up in a Cucumber Dill Salad from Rawvolution for lunch this coming week. I didn't have enough garlic and didn't have any red onion at all for this dish, so I think the yellow onion I had to use was a factor in my low rating of this recipe. I only give it two and a half stars. It was fresh and fun (I used a crinkle-cutter tool from Pampered Chef to cut the cukes), and a great way to use up the ginormous bunch of dill from the CSA bag, but I wasn't blown away.

Since I was up with the cats (and a head cold) this morning, I also whipped up a raw Eggless Salad, also from Rawvolution. This was way better than the cuke dish - and pretty, too! The creamy texture didn't taste like real egg salad, but I am years past trying to make meat-like meals. This was just plain good! Three solid stars ***.

I was blown away, however, by the BBQ Seitan with Crispy Coleslaw from Veganomicon, though. We made this just tonight, and wow! I served it up alongside sauteed chard and those mystery greens with a light agave-mustard dressing, and brown rice. The coleslaw was the perfect cool, tangy accompaniment to the sweet, hot BBQ seitan. A pretty quick recipe, too! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Mr. PLV had his on a non-vegan sandwich bun, and it looked darn good!

The rest of the week looks to be leftovers and a Quinoa-Black Bean-Mango salad that has nothing to do with local produce and everything to do with just plain cravings. Who knows? Maybe I'll work some kohlrabi into it.

Only four more days till our next CSA pick up, but who's counting!

Back in the (Kitchen) Saddle Again

2009-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Alas, last week was really a wash for me and food. With three days of what could only have been food poisoning, and then more days with residual effects such as heartburn that were only solved by bland, white foods, last week's CSA pick up really was a wash (compost - yeah!). I literally hugged my salad bowl the first night I had a little salad of fresh, organic, local greens & snap peas with a raw macadamia nut dill dressing. And my first glass of OJ - heaven!! So, I'm back in the "kitchen saddle" again this week, and deliriously happy. I really feel freaky sometimes, with how happy I feel just preparing good food.
My favorite dish this week so far has got to be this Stir Un-Fry from Rawvolution. I used all local, fresh ingredients (pretty much, anyway), and only found the dressing to be a little too salty (the book tends to call for far too much soy sauce in all its recipes). What was amazing, was that despite the mediocre dressing, I loved this dish (4 stars ****) more than the "real" stir-fry I made alongside it!

This cooked stir-fry was based loosely on the Ginger-Miso Stir-Fry from The Candle Cafe Cookbook, with diced, browned tofu and all the same veggies as the Stir Un-Fry. Although I liked this sauce (and Mr. PLV, back from his trip liked it, too! We both gave the dish 3 1/2 stars) I liked the crisp texture, brighter colors and overall more vibrant-tasting veggies in the Stir Un-Fry better!! I was amazed that a raw dish could taste better, right alongside a cooked one. I challenge you to try a raw un-fry today! Next time, I would just use this ginger-miso cooked stir-fry dressing (watered down) on the stir un-fry.
Meanwhile, I was able to save the zucchini and summer squash from last week's CSA pickup, in the form of (what else?) these two Zucchini Breads from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Although a little too sweet, health-wise... taste-wise they kicked ass! Moist and flavorful (I added both walnuts and raisins), the crisp, chewy crust was the best!! I always loved the end slices & "crust" best :) Four stars for these beauties... **** I'll be making zucchini pasta later this week with my new Spiralizer :)

Meanwhile, my own zucchini plants are growing like crazy, even in my patio pots, and are actually doing better (knock on wood!) than last year's ones in the garden!
Here's a shout-out to Lindy Loo over at Yeah that Vegan Shit, who recently pointed out how many people post photos to brag about their...plants...I laughed my ass off and then I thought, well, it is a miracle to me, still, that I can stuff some seeds into soil and they turn into these! And hey - MY ZUCCHINI PLANTS ARE BIGGER THAN YOURS! (not even sure she has any). But seriously, you have to read her blog - it's had me in (laughing) tears more than once...
And last but not least, my yummy little lettuce heads (first time I ever grew these!) were just calling Mr. Bunny or Mrs. Groundhog to come feast, so I yanked one out of the ground and plopped into my smoothie at lunch yesterday. Yummmm....I really am a freak with food ....and proud of it!

Raw-Full Week

2009-06-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Not Raw-Full like, "awful," but "full" of "raw" foods! With hubby out of town (welcome back, Mr. PLV!), I spent the week concocting raw dishes that appeal to me, me, me. It's amazing how much more "alive" and wholesome I feel, eating these foods. I almost feel like I'm ruining plants by cooking them!

Anyway, let's start with these Cinnamon Girls, from Rawvolution, for my monthly Veg Group potluck (more about that, later). They were really very sweet. They called for 3/4 cup agave nectar, but I ran out so I used part brown rice syrup. I was dissapointed in these only because they were just too sweet for me. Either I'm losing my sweet tooth (hardly) or there is a limit even for one as sweet-dependent as me. I prefer raw dessert balls such as these to be made purely from wholesome ingredients such as raisins, nuts, oats, etc. They also required freezing and/or refrigeration, otherwise they tended to get runny. Overall, though, three stars ***for being a great dessert!
Now that I have overcome my fear of the dehydrator, I set to work making these Strawberry-Coconut Macaroons, this time from,
Ani's Raw Food Desserts, my newest procurement. I was also overwhelmed with the amount of sweetener this called for -or at least how sweet it tasted. But, there are plenty of other great recipes in this new book that are fresh and naturally sweet.

Still, these were a big hit at the Veg Group, earning a four-star rating **** or at least three and a half. I used a melon baller to scoop out the mixture (fresh strawberries, vanilla extract, unsweetened coconut and agave nectar) and dehydrated it for about 6 hours.

Not all of my meals this week were raw. I found this amazing fresh, local, handmade artisan bread at the farmers market: black olive sourdough! It made the rather blah Tuscan White Bean Pate from The Candle Cafe Cookbook literally sing, along with fresh tomatoes and greens from the CSA. Yum! I couldn't get enough of this "sammich" - ate it all week, just about. The pate was a two, but the bread was a four, so overall, this was a three star meal ***.

Meanwhile, my longest dehydration ever (over 32 hours) made these Veggie Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce something to treasure! Rawvolution came to the rescue with this dish, providing me with plenty to nibble on and the rest sent to the freezer. The color comes from fresh (and local/organic!) beets. Most of the rest of the mixture is raw sunflower seeds, celery, and spices.

They were umm, umm, good, warm and straight from the dehydrator! I felt so full and satisfied!

The creamy dill sauce was also good as a regular salad dressing, on a CSA bed of greens, snap peas, carrots and fresh beets! I always hated beets, mostly because they came from a can growing up, but now that I've had them raw, they even rival roasted ones! This came about because I had leftover beets from the veggie cakes and no time to roast them. Three and a half stars ***1/2 for the veggie cakes, three for the salad (I prefer more stuff in my salad).

These Super Asparagus Wraps from Rawvolution weren't all that super, because I didn't have the super food powder to put in them, but they were still really good! They also weren't completely raw, as I didn't have a cabbage leaf to eat them and needed to use up some whole wheat tortillas instead. The filling is avocado mashed with various spices, onion, celery and chopped, raw asparagus and tomatoes. Very, very good, filling (all that good fat!), and energizing for a lunch! Three and a half stars ***1/2.
To say thank you to some very kind friends, I tried two non-raw cookie recipes this week: Butterscotch Blondies from My Sweet Vegan, and Chocolate Crinkles from, The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Like a similar recipe I tried from My Sweet Vegan, these blondies were strangely "doughy" tasting, even when fully cooked. The butterscotch flavor wasn't as pronounced as I'd like - mostly in the crust which was great, but the middle had that strange flavor that I associate with being underdone. Needless to say, I managed to eat several of these in one sitting. Three stars and very easy to make! ***.

The Chocolate Crinkles, however, were pure bliss. I'm not a big chocolate fan (white chocolate doesn't count, which is my all-time fav!) but these were still amazing. Light and soft and simply beautiful. Four stars, easy! ****. They do require some prep work - chilling the dough overnight, and only made 1 1/2 dozen, not three dozen (I swear, I couldn't have made them any smaller!).

So, I leave you with this ginormous Chinese cabbage from my weekly CSA bag o' produce. I think I'll make a coleslaw out of it. Or, since I just got a solid case of food poisoning yesterday (yes, you can get it from veggies, not just meat and dairy!), I think it may end up in my compost heap, sadly, as my stomach is doing flips right now at the end of the post, after viewing all these rich and sweet foods. Ugh.

Kohl-what-i?

2009-05-31T12:08:00.001-07:00

Kohlrabi! I had heard of this mysterious veggie, but had only seen it in person just this past week, when it showed up in my CSA weekly bag o' produce. I quickly Googled it for some basic info and recipes. Turns out, it's not that foreign and pretty tasty! Yes, it tastes like a sweet broccoli stem, minus the rubbery outer part. Yes, it is crunchy and amazingly fresh like jicama and good apples.

Mine were a gorgeous pale green. I haven't figured out what to do with the green tops yet...probably saute them or something later this week if they last that long. We also got a bag of kale amongst other produce, which I normally chow down on, but after a long winter of kale, I was like, "ugh!"

So, here are the two kohlrabi heads (they aren't roots) "peeled" with my knife and awaiting further instructions...

Turns out, they were destined to be julienned and made into this delicious Kohlrabi Salad! If we get this veggie again, I would definitely make a repeat of this dish! It was really quick and easy, even the toasting and grinding of the fennel seeds for the dressing. The flavor was beautifully fresh and the veggies perfectly crisp. Would be great alongside a veggie patty or something! Three and a half stars ***1/2, only because I think it could have used some red pepper strips or something else besides just the carrot and kohlrabi. We'll probably get more of these babies in the coming weeks, so here is the next recipe I think I'll be making....veganized, of course!
Speaking of fresh, I've been craving raw, fresh foods ever since the warmer weather hit this past month, and even before I made last week's amazing raw "cookies" (Come Bite the Apple Cookies), I was chowing down on this Cauliflower Couscous, also from Rawvolution. I can't emphasize how easy this was... or how delicious!! You just put the cauliflower florets into the food processor and ...voila!...it looks just like couscous! Add tons of fresh herbs (mint, cilantro and parsley) plus some kalamata olives, olive oil, lemon juice and probably salt and pepper and you have a raw, vegan, gluten-free, nutrient-rich dish! Not fat free, but good fats are our friends :) Four stars for this recipe, even after eating it all week long! (It makes a lot).

So, despite being fired up about raw cooking (I have some veggie cakes in the dehydrator at this very moment, for the week to come) and despite planning on eating as much raw as possible this summer, I still have to find a way to eat the produce from the CSA, including tough kale and shiitake mushrooms. I know enough about eating mushrooms that they usually need to be cooked. So, enter amazing dish from Vegetarian Times. I've had these Shiitake Fritters with Enoki Mushroom sauce in mind since I got the September 2007 issue they were featured in. But, not being one to cook a ton with mushrooms (although I love them!) it has taken almost two years to get to this recipe! Boy, I wish I had gotten to it earlier! Despite not having enoki mushrooms (the recipe said I could substitute others) and despite leaving out the shredded carrots, salt and pepper (just plum forgot), and despite adding twice as much water to the side dish of rice after I decided to half the rice amount because I knew we would never eat that much rice...it all turned out just fine! I scooped the extra water out of the rice, added the shredded carrot to the sauteed kale and with that amazing mushroom sauce, everything tasted great! The fritters were a little crumbly (I used flax instead of the egg- maybe next time I'll use two flax "eggs") but not that bad. Three and a half stars for this recipe! ***1/2

Meanwhile, my zucchini plants keep a-growin' along with the six or seven other herbs that I planted in my garden (nothing that great to show you yet). Can't wait for baked, stuffed squash blossoms! (I'll have to see if I can dehydrate those, too.)

Happy almost-June, everyone!
P.S. - Spellchecker didn't mind kohlrabi either, but it still has a darn time with: jicama, veganized, shiitake, enoki, and kalamata! Guess our spell-checker creator is an omni!

Spring Goodies!

2009-05-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

It's a miracle, the life that grows out of the soil with some simple seeds...I was surprised and overwhelmed with awe to catch this image one recent morning....my first zucchini sprouts of the season poking their way out of the soil... there was literally a hole in the earth! Way cool...

Then, literally (and barely) two mornings later, they were up and out, reaching for the sky....

Of course, it's a good thing that that I'm not a grower/farmer for the local CSA that I just joined this year, because I'd be way behind! :) Here is the load from the first pick-up of the year: a huge bag of mixed greens, a large bag of spinach, radishes, peas, shiitake mushrooms, and a huge head of bok choy. So, here's what we made with last week's "crop"....

To use up the shiitakes, and fill my craving for tofu, here are Shiitake-Stuffed Tofu Steaks with Hoisin Glaze from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook, by Robin Robertson. I pressed the tofu while I prepared a salad, then sauteed the stuffing of mushrooms, red onion (I forgot to get scallions), garlic and ginger. Then, I stuffed my first tofu steaks! Perfect :)

Here are the tofu pieces, crisped in sesame oil and hoisin sauce. The extra "stuffing" was great on the side, along with some millet. Can you see the beautiful salad on the side? I made use of the CSA radishes, greens, and peas, topping them with a Sesame-Lemon Vinaigrette from The Everyday Vegan. I call this my "Stir-Fry Salad!" It was a great compliment to the flavors in the tofu, as the dressing also had hoisin in it.

Here's a closeup of that bad boy...It's mouth seems to be saying, "eat me!" OK, that's a little too graphic for us vegans....sorry....Anyway, hubby was impressed with the entire presentation...said it was like a gourmet chef in the kitchen! :) Four stars for this one! ****

If you've never had polenta before, try it in the pre-cooked tube! I was surprised that four out of five people in the grocery store had never heard of it (I had to ask five people to find it), and only one knew what it looked like but thought it was some kind of cheese! We're in the south - home of cornmeal, right?? Anyway, the tube is not refrigerated and you just peel away the wrapping (not very enviro-friendly, I know!) and here is what it looks like...

I bought the polenta to use in a dish that was going to use up the bok choy and spinach from our CSA pickup. Here is my mis en place - this was so easy to make! You can see chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped seitan (homemade, right from the freezer!), quartered polenta slices, and a big bowl of greens, just waiting for that topping of tamari and balsamic vinegar...

And here is the finished product, Seitan-Polenta Skillet with Greens, from Vegan Express. My husband (I'm going with "Mr. P.L.V" for peace, love and veganism, from now on! - tired of "husband this" and "hubby that") said that this was his favorite dish all week. He grew up in PA, so polenta was a common and favorite food of his... Four stars from him, three and a half from me. ***1/2.

I had to bring something to the CSA picnic that they always have on the first pickup night, and this Toasted Millet Salad with Curried Dressing from The Candle Cafe Cookbook was just so easy and yum! What an amazing dressing! As usual, I had to halve the dressing amount. But I forgot to halve the grain amount and ended up with enough millet to eat all week! Oh, and I had some issues with cooking the millet. Apparently, there are two ways to cook it - 1) mushy and creamy-like, or 2) fluffy and grainy-like. I wanted the grainy but got the creamy. But you know what? People at the picnic devoured it anyhow! There was hardly any left out of the huge bowl... I'd say a solid three stars ***.

With the long Memorial Day weekend, I spent one day in the garden, one day cleaning and one day in the kitchen! I got the dehydrator going and made this easy and AMAZING Come Bite the Apple Cookies from Rawvolution, my newest cookbook (well, one of them!). After a recent raw food presentation at our Vegetarian Group, I was geared up for some high-nutrient, low-heat food! Boy, these were soooo good. Just apples, raisins, ground almonds, cinnamon and agave nectar! Oh, and 24 hours in the dehydrator....not something to make the night before your child's school bake sale! (But how cool would it be to have raw cookies at a bake sale??)
After I got the raw cookies "cooking," I did fire up the oven to bake my "muffin trilogy:" Blueberry-Lemon Muffins from The Joy of Vegan Baking, Carrot-Raisin Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance, and Apple-Pie Muffins, also from Vw/aV. I subbed some bananas for the sugar in the blueberry ones...bad choice- they just weren't sweet enough, but a great rise, compared to the other two that were a little flat. But, great taste in all three! Three solid stars for each one *** (although the carrot-raisin one was my fav, same as Isa!).

And, last week's menu....Layered Vegetable Lasagna, from Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes. This was great looking and tasting but...

Didn't quite stick together on the plate....disappointing. Good with extra sauce! Three stars ***, just about...

And, with a craving for something toothy, here are Chickpea Cutlets, made with the addition of wheat gluten, which gave them their chewy, dare I say "meaty" (which I never really go for!) consistency! Made these for Mr. PLV really...

On top of a bed of spinach fettucine with steamed asparagus! Three and a half stars....Reminded me of the horrible childhood years that I loved veal parmesan, actually...how the hell did it take me so long to connect that with this?.....

But, to end on a happy note, here is one last incredible meal (OK, so it was only a three star, but the salsa made it a four!!!) and a great vegan athlete story....
This Almond-Crusted Tempeh with Strawberry-Mango Salsa was also from Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes, surprisingly enough. I just couldn't get enough of the sweet and spicy salsa, but Mr. PLV hates fruit with his meal and had to settle for a white balsamic vinaigrette dressing that just didn't do it justice. All served over a bed of millet and yes...CSA mixed greens! The story is as follows...I ran in my first half-marathon last weekend! I felt strong and prepared and whizzed by those pokey meat-eaters on the hills! Despite previous knee-injuries acting up, I placed 130 out of nearly 2500 women, 23rd in my age group of nearly 400! Yeah, baby! Go Vegan! :)

This and That

2009-05-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! I had to work last Saturday, and I spent Sunday in the garden and the week was so hectic...well, you all know how that goes. I actually had a draft with all the pics - it just never got any words :) So, here are two weeks worth of drool-worthy food!

Actually, it was pretty simple fair these past couple of weeks, what with being so busy and all. We start with steamed asparagus, on a bed of greens with a light "honey" mustard vinaigrette (can't really see it here). I over-did the asparagus the first time - 3 minutes is all it really needs! I eat as much asparagus as I can this time of year because it's gone so quickly! I hate to say it, but BJ's wholesale club has had the best deals on asparagus - the skinny stuff, too! Our first CSA pickup starts this week, so hopefully I'll be local and organic the rest of the year!
One of my favorite dishes these past few days has been these Raw Soft Tacos with fresh salsa, from Rawvolution, my newest cookbook acquisition. I can't tell you how amazing these things taste. You use ground walnuts in place of the meat and then with the fresh, homemade salsa, there is nothing quite like it! You don't even care that it's not piping hot (especially during hot summer days). The only thing not raw was the whole wheat tortilla, which I used in place of the chard leaf - I was trying to use them up before they went bad. The only change I would make (and after talking to other raw chefs they have the same comment) is to use less nama shoyu, or soy sauce. I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which also appears to be raw, because I didn't have the raw shoyu, and either way, it was waaay too salty :P You can halve the shoyu if you make this. I guess it would need some additional water, then, though. Four stars for this bad boy! **** And the best part? No cooking time means dinner is on the table in record time!

Husband and I explored a new Indian recipe from Vegan Fusion World Cuisine - Sat Cit Ananda's Chana Masala with Padma Baba's Spelt Chapatti. We just love chana masala, but thought this one could have used much more spice! There is no garam masala in this - that's what I'll add next time. But the coconut milk made it nice and creamy - even hubby liked it! I sprinkled it with black sesame seeds, too. Three stars *** Unfortunately, the chapatti didn't fare as well. It burned very quickly and turned out pretty tough and hard. After speaking with an Indian friend (experienced with these foods), she said that that recipe didn't sound like chapatti. She recommended adding more fat (olive oil was in this recipe, but she recommends yogurt - I wonder if soy or coconut yogurt would make the grade?) to make it more pliable. She also promised to make us some homemade chapatti herself! Yay! Two, maybe one star for this poor thing *. Barely edible.

As you can see, we also added cauliflower to up the nutritional standing of the masala. Yummy!

These pics are from last year's Indian Wraps, from The Candle Cafe Cookbook. I was so excited this year, to use up some leftover broiled eggplant (from a previous dish) and a bit of tofu I had kicking around, too! I just broiled the tofu, too, as it was raining too hard to grill. At any rate, the grilled version of last year was much preferred except....

This time around, I didn't just halve the marinade/dressing recipe, I cut it into thirds at least! This made it way less greasy and much more yummy. This chickpea salad that went into the wrap used up some olives and chickpeas I also had kickin' around.

As I did last year, I served this year's wrap with leftover brown rice, instead of couscous. Better nutritional value, and just as good!

Ummmm..... Still, only three stars *** because grilled is better!!

Speaking of leftovers, my husband has this habit of not using up all the marinara sauce in a jar (we have a great homemade recipe, but he doesn't have time). So, I used up the rest of a jar last week with some new rice penne pasta. With a sprinkle of Parma, it was darn good!

Last weekend's dinner was a delectable Tofu Stir-Fry, adapted from the Vegan Fusion World Cuisine book, with shiitake mushrooms and snow peas and an orange bell pepper. We added asparagus, of course! And, the omnipresent black sesame seeds :) The tofu turned out great and the sauce was perfect! Three and a half stars ***1/2. I'm kind of burned out on stir-fries, not that we have them that often...

Using up some more veggies, these roasted grape tomatoes were previously from a scene of, "Veggies Gone Wild." I bought this ginormous case of them from BJ's when my parents were here to stay (they were from the US, while the smaller case was from Mexico!) and I just couldn't get through them all. They were starting to get wrinkled and shriveled. So, into the oven they went, halved and sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper. The results? Amazing! Saved the day and the veggies...

Then came my second favorite meal of this post: Roasted Tomato-Pesto Pasta! This was my own homemade concoction and sooo simple. Just tossed a cube of frozen pesto into the hot bowl of hot noodles, mixed until it spread all around, and then tossed in the roasted tomatoes from the above photo. Results? Four stars **** and the easiest meal in the past two weeks! Wish I had thought of it this past winter...Well, off I go to bake some muffins, oat bars and other snacks for work, along with some seitan that I'm also craving. I'll need the energy after my first 1/2 marathon tomorrow morning!! :) Go vegan athletes!!

Ultimate Vegan Comfort Food!

2009-05-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago, I bought a Twinkies pan, after reading about making vegan corn dogs on the Vegan Lunch Box blog. But the corn dogs didn't materialize, as I'm not a big eater of processed food (even homemade processed food), and the pan sat there on the tippety top of my cupboard shelves.

Then, last week, it was my husband's birthday and guess what he wanted? Twinkies :) After last year's success with vegan Fauxtess Cupcakes (like the Hostess kind -see the link) from Vw/aV, which, I cannot believe I didn't blog about ack!, I was more than happy to oblige. Luckily, they were as easy as pie (again, pie is not easy, but I'll stick with the cliche, I guess). Just a basic vanilla cupcake batter in the Twinkies pan and then pipe the frosting (homemade of course) into the cakes in the three places through the bottom! And the results? Four stars**** maybe more! They were moist and sweet and soooo good. I made them for our monthly Veg Group meeting, too, and they were scarfed up. The only tweak I had to make was because I didn't have the barley malt powder for the "marshmallow flavor" in the frosting. The first time, I used a bit of barley malt syrup but it turned the white frosting pale brown, so I left it out the second time.

I bought the pan from Bed Bath and Beyond but they no longer carry it. Try this link here. Next up - vegan corn dogs!

I also tried a spicy peanut noodle dish from Veg News magazine this week for lunch. It was supposed to be served cold or room temp, so that was perfect for my lunches on the go. The first day, it was awesome (and nicely spicy!) but after a couple of days, it was just a little too stuck together for me. Didn't look anything like the picture in the magazine, either...I also prefer red bell peppers, but only had a green. And, I added cubed cold tofu as well. At least my mother, who was in town for the week, enjoyed it! I give it two and a half stars ** 1/2.
These Berry Muffins from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, were pretty easy to make of course, and they were also a great way to use up some chickpea flour (also known as besan and gram flour). They were very hearty tasting (also had oat flour in them) and I liked the blueberries, although nothing is better than fresh blueberries! Can't wait! Three strong stars for these bad boys ***.

As I was still working while my parents were visiting, one night my mum cooked up dinner for us! Alongside some broiled asparagus, we had Veganomicon's Snobby Joe's! Wow and yum! Even with less chili powder (my dad can't do spices) they were still awesome. Loved having lentils for a change! (Especially brown ones because I usually do red.) A pickle on the side makes everything nice (Vlassic doesn't use high fructose crap, either). Three and a half stars ***1/2!

The rest of the week we enjoyed Eggplant Pizza, seitan and pepper fajitas, and, last but certainly not least, this Ziti Bake from Veg News magazine. Wow and holy cow! So creamy and saucy and yummy and comforting! Would have been a great dish for the winter.... Used macadamia nuts and cashews to create a ricotta and a cream sauce, along with tomato sauce (also homemade, but could have been jarred or canned) and lots of fresh parsley. Four stars **** easily! So, that ends the week of vegan comfort food: muffins, Sloppy Joe's, Twinkies, and baked pasta. I'll try to make some healthier fare next week....but what am I saying?? These WERE healthy! :) That's the great thing about being vegan. Even your junk food and comfort food is healthier. (Even the Twinkies had no cholesterol, animal fat, or trans/hydrogenated fats!). Before I leave, I haven't forgotten about Earth Day! I did the same booth at our local Earth Day festival as last year, though this time with two other Veg Group members to keep me company, and we talked to at least 100 people! Yeah! Click here to read the top 10 reasons a vegan diet is better for the planet!

Easy as Risotto!

2009-04-19T07:34:00.001-07:00

One of my New Year's resolution "intimidating meals to try," was certainly risotto. I have never made it before, and honestly I'm not a big "creamy white rice" kind of person, mostly on account of health reasons (and, risottos usually aren't vegan).

But, enticed by a recent Veg News recipe for Springtime Medley Risotto, using sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus (two of my all-time fav veggies!), and lured by a box of Arborio rice already sitting in my cupboard (and thus costing me only the price of the fresh asparagus, which was so delicate and skinny - yum!), I jumped in.

You know how they say, "easy as pie?" Well, pie crust and pies are nothing to sneeze at. They can be fiddly and difficult! Risotto, on the other hand, is a breeze in comparison (thus the title of this post). For this recipe, you just saute some green onions, salt, and garlic in olive oil, add the rice to toast it quickly, then add 1/2 cups of veggie stock one at a time, stirring a bit, until all 6 cups are absorbed. Nothing to it! The blanched asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes were added at the end with some lemon zest, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper. Results? Fabulous! Creamy and flavorful, the only tweak I would make would be to use less salt (the tomatoes I used were already heavily seasoned as they were from an oil-packed jar, so it was probably my fault!). Three stars ***, only because of the saltiness.

To go along with that perfectly spring-like dish, we had this spring salad, its recipe from the same article in Veg News. This was even better! Greens, fennel, oranges and pine nuts (supposed to be almonds, but I'm a little over-dosed on almonds recently) with a dressing that kicked ass! Even my husband, who hates all things fruity, ate this salad and especially liked the dressing. It was just a white balsamic/olive oil vinaigrette. Four stars for this baby ****! I'm not a jump up and down fennel fan, but it was a perfect spring choice and the whole dish matched the risotto perfectly!
Last weekend, we were so busy making these stuffed peppers, I didn't have time for my usual blog post! We opted for a recipe from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook, by Robin Robertson. The filling was wicked easy: brown rice, black beans (from the freezer - yay for another New Year's resolution: cooking dried beans!), salsa, cilantro, and corn, I think. Then, we sealed them with water-soaked toothpicks and popped those babies on the grill!

Alongside some steamed asparagus, they were a hearty, filling meal! Three stars ***.

Earlier in the week, I made these Oatmeal Fruit Squares, from The Joy of Vegan Baking, for a Sierra Club meeting. I wasn't too sure I liked them at the time, but this was because I had been eating jellybeans and had overdosed my sweet tooth :) So much for going without sugar all year - oh well! I actually forgot to put the salt in, but everyone who ate them raved about them, so four stars it is ****! They were pretty easy and I used raspberry jam for the filling. Trappist Jam is my favorite jam (I grew up on the seedless red raspberry!), but as it's a Massachusetts jam that's often hard to find down here in VA, Bonne Maman jam/preserves is a decent replacement. Just wish it were local! I've never made homemade jam before. Maybe that'll be another thing I'll try this summer!

Meanwhile, it's finally smoothie weather down here (at least on occasion - it got to over 80 degrees yesterday -woohoo!), so Dreena's But Where Do You Get Your Protein? Smoothie was a big hit in our household. I used hemp seeds and cashew butter, along with the soy milk and frozen fruit. Three and a half stars *** 1/2!

Meanwhile, my husband had a week's vacation, and he promised to make dinner one night. When he said he was making Beans and Franks, I was like, "OK...." but he made them from scratch! Well, the beans at any rate. Well, they were canned but the sauce was homemade and he took his time making them just right. They were pretty good, but I'm not sure I liked the brand of hot dogs (Smart Dogs). At any rate, is was nice having a hot meal waiting for me after work. Two and a half stars ** 1/2.

And what's faster on a weeknight than beans and franks, a simple salad and a glass of red wine? I think a side of cornbread would have made this the perfect meal.

In non-food news, our rain barrel is finally up and running (literally!- ha, ha!). It filled up after just one morning rain - wow! If you're looking for an easy "green gardening" tool, this is the one to have. Cut down on water waste, conserve during droughts, and save on the water bill, too, if you have one! Gravity forces the water out the bottom, which we propped up on cinder blocks to give it height so the watering can would fit underneath.

And, with the gorgeous weather this weekend, we even got away for a first of the season hike. The trees are still just barely budding, so the leaves didn't inhibit the view. These two picks were actually taken from the road as we drove away from the parking site at the end of the hike. Can you imagine living there?? What a view!! Happy spring everyone! Now go make some risotto!

Spring Things

2009-04-05T14:40:00.001-07:00

It appears that despite a yummy week of food, it was all mostly leftovers that I blogged about last week! Thank goodness for the freezer and stockpiling meals for busy nights!

Anyway, I did manage to make some fresh goodies this weekend. These Coconut Candies from Veg News magazine, are all completely raw and also completely delicious. I made them for my monthly Veg Group meeting, and there wasn't a crumb or shred of coconut left! Just dried fruit and nuts and unsweetened coconut, and they really do taste like a sinful treat! Four stars, as always ****!

Alongside those, I served these Carob-Almond Truffles from the same Veg News issue. This picture isn't as pretty - I think I over-did the carob. It does tend to soak in to the fruit/nut mixture overnight.
Still, a big hit! Three and a half stars ***1/2.

Tonight, I promised to drop off some vegan treats for a fellowship event, so these Snickerdoodles from Vegetarian Times magazine were whipped up with little work! If you have never heard of this cookie, it's basically a sugar-"butter" cookie, rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Delightful and perfect every time, this recipe never fails, although I usually find that the recipe only produces about half the number of cookies that it claims to make. And I don't think I'm making them too big! They are really cute, little cookies! As always, four stars ****!

Of course, my mind was elsewhere this week, as not only did I forget to take a picture of the other cookie I made for this event (Walnut-Carob-Cranberry Clusters, from ED&BV), but I also forgot to take a pic of the Cooking Light Tropical Muffins w/ Coconut-Macadamia Topping. The clusters came out looking like clusters when I was looking for cookies, which may have been my fault, but to be honest, I also expected them to taste a little sweeter - more like a chocolate chip cookie. I love carob and I love cranberries (and there was coconut in them, too - yum!) but I was really disappointed in these. I think I would add more sweetener and flatten them out a little. They were nutty and crunchy and since I only had one bite (I'm still trying to stay low-or-no-sugar!) maybe they were better than I thought. At any rate, the ED&BV clusters were OK, maybe a two star rating ** out of four.

The muffins, on the other hand, were fabulous! Moist, sweet and just perfect. However, I did have to not only veganize them, but, surprisingly enough, make them more healthy! They had oil, refined sugar and sweetened coconut in them! I took out the egg (used Ener-G-Egg replacer), used agave nectar instead of the brown sugar (also better for you), used whole wheat pastry flour, unsweetened coconut, and left the topping off altogether. I felt pretty proud, making a Cooking Light recipe not just vegan, but healthy! Four stars ****
After a week of Black Bean and Banana Empanadas (from the freezer - made these last week) and Raunchy Red Lentil Soup (also made last week - both are amazing!), I was ready for something more spring-like this weekend. Hubby and I settled on this Tempeh Asparagus Stir-Fry from a Vegetarian Times 2007 issue (not 1907, as it currently says at this link - ha, ha!). I made it a couple of years ago, and the tempeh was just as moist and flavorful as I remembered! Even my husband remarked on how tasty it was. The veggies and the broth, however, could have used more spice. Three stars ***.
And that's it for the week! I made a really quick (but huge!) salad tonight, topped with fresh tofu and a Mango-Coconut jarred sauce I found on sale a while back. It was all I wanted after a day in the sun! We finally installed our rain barrel, and I put in lots of flowers.

Here are some crocuses, which came in several weeks ago...

And here are my favorite hyacinths, drooping because the blooms are so heavy! A lone purple tulip keeps the newly planted yellow marigolds company.

And it seems that pink and yellow are my garden colors for the year! These are my first hydrangeas ever (hope they last!) and hopefully my daffodils and pink tulips will also take to the rather damp clay soil. Ran into lots and lots of worms (like, 20 per shovel scoop!), so cross your fingers for a good planting season to come!

YUM!

2009-03-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

I feel so bad for non-vegans/vegetarians...they are missing out on so much good food!!!

This week, I think I had some of the best meals I've ever had, starting with these Spicy Moroccan Chickpea Tacos from a recent Vegetarian Times issue. I don't normally go for meat-analogues (I don't miss meat and don't want to pretend that I'm eating a dead animal) but these included Morningstar Farms seitan strips ("chicken") which happen to vegan. These were like the fourth taco recipe I've had from that one issue on "global tacos," and they blew the others right out of the water! (sorry for the violent image...). They were spicy, tender, filling and full of incredible flavors! With baby spinach and wrapped in whole wheat-flax soft tacos, I was in heaven! Unfortunately, the recipe didn't make a whole lot, so I didn't get too many yummy leftovers, but this is definitely a recipe I'll be making again! Four stars for sure ****, maybe 5!! (Again, my rating is 1-4 stars, so this means it was awesome!!).

This next picture doesn't do the recipe justice. It was the Raunchy Red Lentil Soup from Vegan A Go-Go! It was lickety-split easy and lickety-spoon good! Four stars.... ****. This'll be my lunch this week. I made it while the black beans were cooking for....

Black Bean and Banana Empanadas! I'm not a big pastry fan, since they're typically not too healthy (this one was made with soy shortening - only 4 tbsp for the whole recipe, but still...) but these were pretty easy and OMG good. Four, maybe even off-the-scale 5 star good! ****. Very filling and spicy and savory and a hint of sweet - great with the side of sauteed kale.

Here's the filling: black beans (which I soaked all day and cooked this afternoon - did you know they have many more nutrients than the canned kind? I may be off canned beans for good!), along with cilantro, two sliced bananas, cumin, cayenne, coriander, onion and garlic. I could eat the filling by itself! (Which I might sometime - it'd be good over rice!).

I did have to make the dough (easy) and chill it for at least an hour, but dividing and rolling the balls out was really simple and quick. They were so cute! The pastry dough used more than half of whole wheat flour. Yay for whole grains! These were from either the February 2009 or the March 2009 Veg Times magazine issue, which was really surprising, since Veg Times doesn't often hit a home run like this!

In other news, mini Delightful Banana Nut Muffins from Vegan A Go-Go! were a hit at a library bake-off I coordinated for the local teens. I made them with walnuts as called for, but I prefer hemp seed! The tiny seed goes well with this mini-size. Still, these were all gobbled up! I even used applesauce in lieu of the oil.

The last recipe I made this week doesn't have a photo, because I was always too busy eating it to plate it nicely! But, the Muhamara from an older Vegetarian Times mag (wow- again?) was incredible. This roasted red pepper and walnut spread (no beans or tahini here!) was almost perfect. But, compared to true recipes from local ethnic restaurants, it was missing a punch of heat. Next time, I'll add some cayenne or red pepper flakes or harissa. Still, very, very good!! Four stars, easy. I ate it in my usual lavash bread wrap w/ baby spinach or leafy green mix. Happy second week of spring everyone!

Drink to Your Health This Spring!

2009-03-22T16:13:00.001-07:00

OK, so this pizza doesn't really fit the title of this post (although the glass of red wine I had with it would, right?) but I didn't take a picture of my first spring 2009 recipe because it just wasn't photogenic. The Drink Your Greens Smoothie, from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (ED&BV), was certainly yummy enough to write about here. I was inspired by one of Dreena's latest blog posts to make it, especially as I had most of the day off and had time to enjoy a refreshing drink. I wanted to have something fresh and raw, to celebrate this beautiful new season! But the color (after adding raspberries to the spinach- I didn't have cantaloupe or kale) was not a pretty spring green, but really the color of ... mud! Spring-like enough I guess, but just not enticing enough to post here. Still, it earns four stars from me! **** I can't wait for real smoothie weather.

This pizza was not the first spring dish we made either, but it certainly would be good in any season! I had time today to make Isa's Pizza Crust, from Vegan with a Vengeance (Vw/aV) and also to roast some red peppers for the top. Hubby returned from playing paintball in time to slice the rest of the veggies and put the whole thing in the oven. I couldn't get it really nice and circular-shaped, but it looks rather rustic, doesn't it? The pizza itself was fabulous, if not a bit underdone (that was our fault). Of course, hubby ruined his half with mozzarella cheese ;) Alongside a springy salad of greens, baby spinach, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette from Vive Le Vegan (one of my favorite dressings!), it was a beautiful dish on this gorgeous day.

I made the dressing and salad last night to accompany fajita night with our monthly potluck group. I marinated some homemade seitan (recipe from Vw/aV) and some Morningstar Farms Chick'n Strips (vegan- yay!) in the Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos marinade from Veganomicon. Wow! What awesome flavor! Most of the marinade is Mexican beer, along with soy sauce, garlic, chili powder and several other ingredients that slip my mind at this moment (it's the red wine...). It made the seitan and Morningstar strips tender and juicy and perfect! I can't wait to try this entire recipe out for real! Four stars ****. Even hubby wasn't tempted by the meat fajitas also served that night, this was so good :)

And now, another episode of "Make This Now!"

These Ginger-Roasted Winter Veggies (or were they Root Veggies - whatever) from Vw/aV were simply phenomenal. The sauce took some rather old parsnips and carrots, an anemic-looking butternut squash, and an average sweet potato, and turned them into hunks of heaven!! They weren't too sweet or too spicy - just simply amazing. I had to use ground ginger, since I couldn't find my piece of fresh ginger in the maze that is my freezer (I found it today, gone bad in my veggie drawer - yuck). Fresh might have been even better. At any rate, you have to make this dish now. Quick -while it's still cool out and winter is not a (happily) distant memory. I served this atop a bed of baby spinach, alongside some Lemon-Herb Baked Tofu from Vive Le Vegan. MMmmmmmm....Four stars **** and happy days for me, because I was using up more things in my pantry.

Vegan Inspiration

2009-03-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting on Sunday, but I had to work this Saturday!...Funnily enough, I have a ton to talk about...First, the food!

Power Hungry Granola from My Sweet Vegan, rescued me this week from a 2-year stint with muesli and oatmeal! I usually avoid granolas because I munch on them too much, but I really needed a break. And was this a good choice!!! This granola is filling but light, sweet but not too sweet, and very different! It incorporates oats, to be sure, but also puffed millet and TVP! Wow - what a protein and whole grain combo! I buy puffed millet at my local grocery store (Shopper's Food Warehouse) for a really good price and the TVP, too. I've had both hanging around for a while, so I didn't have to buy anything new for this recipe. Topped with some mixed dried fruit, nuts, and almond milk, this is my new favorite breakfast cereal! I haven't bought boxed breakfast cereal in years. Not only is it expensive, but it's often loaded with preservatives, sweeteners, and other things I can't even pronounce. Try this today! A great breakfast that will really break the fast! (I learned that in second grade.) Four stars for sure ****.

Of course, no breakfast is complete without O.J., low-acid for me...

But then, if you're feeling a little naughty (and I have been very, very good since my New Year's resolution to break my sugar habit!), you will want to try another recipe from the same cookbook, 5-Minute Coconut Fudge! Holy cow. You all know that I consider coconut a food of the goddesses, but with this chocolate base, it's a decadent treat to be reckoned with . I'm not a huge chocolate fan normally, and my husband isn't a huge coconut fan, but the coconut milk in the fudge is just a hint and the topping is perfect. We both gave this four stars **** and deemed it better than the Tahini Halvah I've made before! Very, very thick and very, very easy to make. Unfortunately, I made this for people who aren't big fans of coconut (how was I supposed to know that these people exist?) and they scraped the coconut off or declined a taste. More for me - woohoo! No, really, I only had one and a half pieces. I brought the leftovers to another meeting. I am still making good food choices! I really felt a little ill after that small serving, showing that my stomach is getting used to more whole foods and is less tolerant of this refined (though amazing!) stuff.

It made a good serving amount, too! Great for your next potluck...

For my hot meal last week, I decided to go with yet another taco recipe from the same article in the Vegetarian Times magazine May 2008 issue. Pictured here is a Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Taco. I have never worked with tomatillos before (another veggie first!) and I found that they were pretty tasty! The tomatillos are roasted whole along with chopped peppers and whole garlic cloves and onion. They are then slightly blended in the food processor and added to some black beans, corn, and an avocado-jalapeno salsa, which is then topped with cilantro and vegan sour cream. I made this because I was craving black beans, but then realized that I hadn't prepared the dried ones (and didn't have any canned) so I had to use black soybeans! The image looks right, but the taste wasn't the same. Still, not bad! It could have actually been more spicy. Two and a half stars, maybe three **1/2-***.

My last food for the week doesn't have a picture, because, like the last spread/dip I made, it wasn't very photogenic. But Eat, Drink and Be Vegan's Rawsome Nut Dip was indeed - awesome!! It contains four different nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, although you can play with the combination) along with some red bell pepper, lemon juice and bunch of spices. I used dried herbs for the fresh ones and it worked out just fine. This was fresh, delicious and when I brought it to a monthly meeting, raved about!! A great break from bean hummus and sandwich spreads and still good with crackers and crudites. But wait till you hear my next story...

So, I have a monthly environmental group meeting and being part of Hospitality, my job is to meet and greet, and to organize/provide munchies. I take my job seriously - I am often the first face people see and a friendly, open first impression is important to make and keep members. Being that I pretty much have to attend every meeting, I often don't look at the agenda until the night of the meeting. This past week, the topic was CSA's (community supported agriculture) and I was psyched, because I had just joined one this year. However, the second presenter that night was...an organic poultry farmer. Gulp. Well, I support my group and if they're organic, I figured that he/she probably has some environmental welfare in their minds....I'll be 90 % of you reading this have had nightmares involving animals at some time or another...whether it be about factory farming or hurt pets or something...well, I've had those too, but it doesn't compare to the real life nightmare I experienced at that meeting...

The nightmare began when it was mentioned to me that the farmer was bringing a chicken to be raffled off. I thought I would be ill, ...until I found out it was a frozen one. Then the farmer walked in ...with a cage of baby chicks - about 9 weeks old, peeping away. I thought I would be sick. But I kept my head and greeted him nicely, offering him a name tag, etc. I even joked with him, asking if I won the raffle, if I could get a live chicken (which I would donate to a farm sanctuary) - he immediately caught on and somehow already knew that there was "a vegan in the midst," saying, "Oh, you're the vegan..."

A bit later, when I offered him some refreshments from our table, he asked if they were vegan and when I responded that some were, he said, "Oh, I won't touch that - I'm strictly a meat and potatoes guy...I can see you and I won't get along!" He was abrupt and rude and rather red in the face at that point. I held my tongue and wondered if he indeed never ate corn or green beans or even cake, since the cake that was on the table was not vegan.

I wasn't sure if I could handle being there after that, and was wishing I had opted out of this meeting, but figured I'd just leave the room quietly if I couldn't handle it. But when the farmer stood up and began by chastising our group for improperly spelling his farm's name, and then began to explain that he wasn't organic by any means, and didn't really get with that whole vibe, I knew the nightmare was just beginning.

He went on to explain how he "moved the chickens' cages around on the grass" and how they "didn't eat organic feed, but it's all natural stuff and they'll eat anything anyway," and then onto discuss "broilers" and how they can't walk they are so fat and even how he's not certified by the health department, how he bought a gun because neighborhood pets kept eating this chickens...I quietly slipped out when the the word "butcher" came up....

I was told later that this gentleman found our group - that he wasn't sought out - and that he was representing the "small, local farmer." I completely appreciate these arguments, but it doesn't balance the rage, the fury, and the complete and utter pain I felt at the vision of this farmer, his baby chicks (which he later took out and cuddled!!), and their bloody future. If you don't get where I'm coming from, please visit the links on this blog, particularly,"Meet Your Meet." I cried that night, comforted by a good friend who followed me out of the room, but I also kept my composure, went back, and politely gave the farmer his hat as he was leaving. And here is my reasoning...

At one time, I owned a lucky rabbit's foot key chain but we had two pet rabbits and I cried when they died. At one time, I ate 3/4 pound hamburgers from Fuddruckers but I was depressed after my favorite cat died. At one time, I said, "I can never give up cheese - I'll never be vegan." At one time, I didn't make that connection between the pain my pets feel, the pain that animals that are raised to die feel, and the ability to find delicious, varied foods without sacrificing my beliefs. And I think of this poor farmer, who was visibly malnourished (in an American way, if you get my drift) who had never had amazing vegan desserts, never tasted a tempeh reuben or a grilled portabella, and whose mind was closed to the environmental crises of pollution, erosion, global warming, and water and food waste brought on by raising animals for human consumption. And I felt sorry for him. I prayed for him that night- that his eyes and heart might some day be opened in the way that mine and thousands of others have been. And I don't feel superior because of this - only hope.

National Meatout Day is this Friday, March 20th - also the first day of Spring. If you are not currently vegetarian, try a day off of animal products. Pet your dog and think of a cow, who enjoys the same thing. Watch a cardinal at your bird feeder or building a nest, and think of a chicken, who would love to scratch at the ground and wrap her wings around her babies. Watch your cat trying to get away the next time it's getting a shot at the vets, and think of a pig (more intelligent, even) scrambling to avoid death at a slaughterhouse. Eat a veggie meal and savor the flavors and nutrients that it brings to your body. Visit Vegan Outreach and open your mind to new possibilities. If you are already eating veg, order some leaflets from Meatout.org and walk around a farmer's market, spreading the word. The word of love. You have to do this all with love, because that is the root of this lifestyle. It isn't a diet, it isn't a fad, it's a way of being. Fortunately, with the nightmares come inspiration. I'm leafleting for National Meatout Day with a couple vegan friends. That farmer inspired me to be the best, most compassionate person I can be - and not just through my food choices. Peace.

Saying Goodbye to Winter!

2009-03-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

As you know by my last post, we got pounded (pounded for VA, that is) with about 6 inches of snow on Monday. By Friday, however, it was in the 60s and yesterday it reached 70-something! So, with winter having its last hurrah, we're trying out some new, hearty, winter-style recipes before spring arrives (only 2 weeks - hurray!).

OK, so this first dish, Jamaican Tempeh Tacos, from Vegetarian Times magazine (May, 2008) isn't very wintery with its pineapple, but the curry flavor and the sauteed greens (we opted for sauteed kale instead of fresh mustard greens) helped winter-ize it. I shouldn't say, "we," of course, as my husband refused to even taste this dish. Pineapple in a hot dish (actually added the pineapple - the recipe didn't call for it but I saw it in the magazine photo!) isn't his thing. More for me! - is what I always say ;) This was delicious and easy. Best of all, I was finally able to score some tempeh at our local Ukrop's grocery store! I haven't had tempeh in months....If you are new to vegetarianism or veganism, tempeh is a great food to try. It has a nice, firm texture and is very filling! Just make sure to simmer it for 10 minutes first, to remove the bitterness. It also opens up the "pores" in the tempeh and allows for greater flavor absorption (in my experience, anyway). Three and a half stars for this recipe. ***1/2 (out of four possible).

Here's the real winter dish: Beet, Barley and Black Soybean Soup, from Vegan with a Vengeance. Not my first pick from this cookbook, but I certainly wish I had made it sooner! I'm not a beet fan, having grown up on canned beets, microwaved with no flavor enhancers. But fresh beets simmered with other spices (the fresh dill and pumpernickel croutons are a must!) made this really tasty. We added some salt to the recipe and more black pepper, but this was a nice, hearty winter soup. Three stars *** (out of four).

And that's it for this week! I was busy with the grand re-opening of our library branch, so I was lucky to be able to make much at all! I did make the Walnut Chickpea Hummus, from Vegan A Go-Go!, but the gray color was not very photogenic. A good, three star *** rating, however, and wonderful flavor - it was like an Italian hummus, with the basil and walnuts. Very good!

Living High on Gluten-Free Foods!

2009-03-02T11:37:00.001-08:00

Check...out...this...cake! Are you drooling yet? I wish I could say I made this masterpiece, but alas, I did not. Our UU Fellowship recently held it's Gourmet Gala, a pledging/fundraising event, and boy, did I luck out! I was at a vegan/gluten-free table (not that I didn't have to see broiled chickens, trussed up and all, paraded by my face on their way to other tables) and my table's theme was Mediterranean (it was potluck). This vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake was the envy of those that passed by our table, however! And yes, it was as good to taste as it was to look at (despite my no-sugar resolution, I did allow myself one tiny nibble so that I could blog about it here - you're welcome!).

However, I did make this: Pistachio-Chocolate Halvah, a traditional Turkish dessert featuring lots of tahini. This recipe was from Vegan World Fusion, a fantastic cookbook. The halvah was sooo easy to make, too! Just melt the chocolate (in the microwave), and mix with the tahini, some agave nectar, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla, (oh, and the chopped pistachios) and chill! It was thick and rich and had just a hint of tahini flavor (which not everyone could tell). Four stars! ****Oh, and yes, I did have a nibble of this while cutting it up - this resolution stuff is hard!
Here is our beautiful table. Homemade hummus and Mary's Gone Crackers got us started off.

This Greek Salad, made by our hosts, was amazing.

Of course, I got tapped to bring dessert. Luckily, I had just gotten the Mediterranean Vegan cookbook with some gift card money, and this Greek Currant Cake ("before" picture) was perfect! It includes an entire box of currants, 3/4 cup of olive oil, and 2 tsp of brandy - woohoo! I brought a trial version to my workplace and got rave reviews. However, when I used gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill) later that week for the real event, it had a hard time cooking. The first one was underdone, the second was overdone. Oh well, - it was certainly edible. I'll give it ***1/2 stars as an average! Moist, with a crunchy crust and studded throughout with tiny, yummy currants.
Here is the "after" shot, although I later cut it into triangular wedges and sifted confectioner's sugar on top.

The next night was my husband's and my weekly meal together (we typically cook separately throughout the week - and not just because he's an omni, but because we have such varied food preferences!) This Three Bean Chili from Vegan Planet, was almost perfect, but I had to add some sauteed kale and some cooked barley to the finished product, to up my whole-grain and green veggie count for the day. I think this made the chili even better! Otherwise, it was just a mess o' beans. Three stars *** before, Three and a half, after ;)
The chili was so easy to put together, I had time to whip up this Almond Apricot Loaf from Vive Le Vegan! while the chili simmered. I've been meaning to make this for a long time, and as usual, I wish I had made it sooner! The toasted almonds within and on top made this a real winner. Three and a half ***1/2 stars!

Backing up a little...as the week trudged on, I found a way to use up this little butternut squash I had kicking around. Tanya's Curried Squash Soup from Vegan A Go-Go! by Sarah Kramer, used so many veggies! Leek, sweet potato, regular potato (I found I could leave the skin on both - yay!), onion, garlic, cauliflower, butternut squash...the list went on and on! Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It wasn't spicy or salty enough. I blended it halfway, so there were some nice chunks among the smoothness, but it still could have used a little something. I think cilantro or parsley would have helped as well. Two stars **.

But then, after all my hoping and dreaming about spring, what happens but we get hit by a snowstorm! We haven't had snow since January (and it was hardly anything even then) and have had the driest February on record, but last night we got over half a foot! That's a lot for Virginia, although I know my 82 year-old grandmother has been shoveling record snows back in New England. We are such wusses now...

Anyhow, it was a good morning to make something hot and different...

Hot quinoa! I bought quinoa flakes a while back and was excited to try them. However, they were so blah...They had a funny odor to them, and even with dried fruit and black strap molasses (both have iron!), I didn't care for them. I think it was too watery, so next time I could probably make it with less H2O, but frankly, I'd rather save them for baking with. At any rate, lots of gluten-free foods this week are certainly good for my digestion :)

Is it Spring Yet?

2009-02-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

OK - so we've had the wussiest of winters in all of my years on this earth. But it's still been windy and cold and cloudy and yucky. I signed up for our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and started thinking about what we're going to plant in our garden this year, and now I just can't wait for spring!

At the same time, it's made me realize that there's only about a month left when I'm going to want hot, comforting foods - so I'd better get cooking and make some of those soups, stews and chilis before it really does warm up! I started the week with these Sweet Potato Falafel, from Susan V.'s blog, Fat Free Vegan. I was looking for a way to use up my chickpea flour (they require a whole cup - woohoo!). These were easy, tasty and fun to eat! I made up my own yogurt tahini sauce (1 cup of plain or vanilla soy yogurt, mixed well with 1/3 tahini) and added some roasted Brussels sprouts (I eat these so often now!) and all was good! A strong three stars - they were a tad mushy in the middle ***.

And aren't they so cute?

I don't know why I didn't post about these already, but these Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW are so easy and moist - you can't go wrong! This time, I used my silicone heart baking pan (see next photo).

The kitchen smelled a bit like burning rubber, so I'm not so sure I would use these pans again and you DO have to use Pam or a non-stick spray on them!

However, they were a great V-day treat for my co-workers who have been working their tails off to help me get the YA area ready for our library's grand re-opening (1 week now!). I frosted them with homemade (vegan) frosting and (I think vegan) pink, red and V-day sprinkles. Lots of great reviews, of course! We love Isa's cupcakes!! Four stars, as always! ****
Meanwhile, I dragged out my dehydrator and finally cleaned it up and got it working (in other words, I turned it on)! I made Banana Chips from a raw food cookbook, but really you just slice them and dehydrate at the recommended temp for about 8 hours. They could have gone longer, I think, but I just couldn't wait! The whole house smelled like baking banana bread.... I found that slicing them on a diagonal worked better as far as speed of drying, looks, and size. Yum! Three stars ***!

Happy V-Day!

2009-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

To avoid commercialism and ruining the environment as much as possible (hubby did get me a dozen pesticide-laden but very gorgeous red roses!), we opted to make our 9th Valentine's Day together as laid back as possible. I slept in and he got up early so that we could to go the gym together in the morning. Afterwards, we had brunch together. I whipped up these Pumpkin Waffles (Belgian style) with our never before used wedding gift (that's five and a half years old) waffle iron. It was so easy to use, I was kicking myself for not opening it until now! Now that my carb-fearing days are over, I enjoyed every last bite of these delicious things from Vegan with a Vengeance. They weren't sweet, really, until you put the pure maple syrup on top (never ever use the fake stuff!). Although we had difficulties getting them crispy enough (they were a little mushy on the inside), they were still sooo good, after years of no waffles. :) Hubby enjoyed some vegetarian maple-flavored sausage patties on the side. We did a few other random things and then sat down to these Asparagus Sushi (which hubby helped make for the first time!).
I hate buying asparagus this early, but they were sooo skinny and delectable-looking, and hubby had mentioned them, so I bought them as a V-day surprise. I didn't have a recipe - just steamed them lightly, then made sushi rice and added bits of carrot, black sesame seeds and scallions.

It felt a little like St. Patty's Day instead, with this beautiful green plate! We sauteed up some kale with garlic and olive oil, then ended up drizzling some sesame oil over the extra steamed asparagus - wow! That sesame oil was perfect! I'd like to say we fed each other the sushi in front of the fireplace, but we just played our new Trivial Pursuit game instead - and he won by one wedge :P

Earlier in the week, I baked this Vanilla Yogurt Pound Cake from Veganomicon, for a Sierra Club meeting. It rose up beautifully! Picture perfect. And it smelled amazing.

I swear the cake tester came out clean (and I use an oven thermometer) but inside they were just a little too moist for me. I guess it's hard to live up to my dad's perfect pound cake (homemade, of course). Otherwise, good reviews all over and a great flavor! Three and a half stars. ***1/2.

Sierra Club meetings have also given me an excuse to make lots of different dips over the years! This Curried Carrot Dip, also from Veganomicon, was so pretty and very easy to make. However, I wasn't too sure I liked the dip with the curry flavor. Just something weird about cold curry. At any rate, the leftovers made their way into lavash bread wraps with baby spinach and then it kicked some ass! Yum, yum, yum. Three stars as a sammich spread ***. Two and a half as a dip **1/2.

Meanwhile, I'd been saving some bananas to make muffins or something to refill my freezer and snacking stock, and Veggie Girl's Banana-Pistachio-Fig Muffins came to the rescue! They were moist and flavorful and sweet but not too sweet, and the nuts gave it a neat little crunch! Best of all, they were gluten-free (I'm trying to bake more gluten-free for those in my Veg Group who are Celiacs). They were a tad underdone, which was hard to tell since the fig jam was in the middle. Three and a half stars ***1/2!

Last but not least, I made these Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Rice Paper Rolls from Veganomicon, just a couple of hours ago. They were really pretty easy. Just 1/4" cube the squash, toss with olive oil and roast. Add these to rice noodles, cilantro and roasted, salted pumpkin seeds and wrap! They were so pretty, with the green and orange showing through the wrappers.

The rice papers did give me a bit of trouble tonight. Maybe the water bowl was too small, so they cracked and split as I put them in and thus the trouble rolling. At any rate, the recipe claims it makes 12 rolls (using 8" papers), but I only made about 9 rolls using maybe 5" wraps. I also had a TON of leftover rice noodles. Oh well! The dipping sauce was awesome and it was an easy meal, though I can't see me making these with a baby on the arm! (Not that there's any news, I'm just picturing the difficulty sometime in the future). I guess that's it for this post! Happy Vegan Valentine's Day to you all!