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2012-01-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

We Celebrate You Babe!

There are lots of changes for 2012, it's going to be an amazing year of new thoughts, new actions and new people. I started my job four weeks ago and every day has been wonderful. I am so glad to be back in the library where I belong. I'm at the bottom, but I am damn good at working my way up so I am not worried about that at all. I am glad to be surrounded by books all day and can't wait until things get better and there are more full time positions. Thankfully it does leave me plenty of time for the dog, my chores and all of the reading I plan to do now that I have so many more books at my disposal. I already have more than I can handle so I need to step it up.

Another huge change is my driving. I started taking lessons about a month ago and I have my driving test in a few weeks. I am really excited to be doing this. So many doors are going to blow open once I have that little card in my wallet. I was so nervous at the beginning but I am much more relaxed and confident. Sometimes I am a little too relaxed and forget to watch my speed, but I am working on that too. My brother is going to get a newer car from his friend, so I am probably going to inherit his van when that happens. I really don't have money to buy one right now and I am only going to drive to and from work so it should be perfect.

So now that I have a job and soon will have a license and a car, you know that means it is time to get out there and find myself a man. I am working on changing my attitude about the area I live in. I just do not envision the rad guy I will fall for living here, but I am pretty awesome and I live here, so maybe he is hiding out here somewhere. I would love to save gas money and drive time, so I'll keep my mind and eyes open.

Even though this year is going to end well, it did not start off so great. I was shocked to find out that a very dear friend of mine was murdered in her home early on New Year's Day. I still cannot believe someone would do something so horrible to such a loving and beautiful person, but that sad fact is that these terrible things happen everyday and I've been lucky to have avoided them for as long as I have. It's been three weeks and there does not seem to be any good leads or news of progress on the case so that is making it even harder to accept. We want this man off the streets before he can hurt anyone else. Fortunately, my amazing friend, has many other amazing friends who got together and planned all sorts of fabulous events to raise money for her family to help cover funeral expenses and so forth. There are tons of other blogs and tributes much more well written than this one. I am going to try my damnedest to honor Esme's memory by being as energetic, enthusiastic, kind, loving, and supportive as she was to everyone she knew while she was here. ¡Viva la Esme B!

The fabulous folks at Girls Rock Camp Austin, put together a 37 piece band for this performance at her memorial in Austin. It's so beautiful I had to stop crying and smile.

"We Are All Sausages" *

2011-12-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

Pizza is one of the foods that I eat all the time when I'm out but rarely make at home. I hoard up a few Amy's and Tofurky pizzas for "special times", but that's as close as it usually gets. I don't know why I do it, pizza isn't that tough to make, you can buy sauce and dough at most stores. If you really are hard core, those shouldn't be too hard to do either, unless you are impatient like me, then the sauce might drive you crazy.

To feel like less of a lazy person, I did make my own sausage. Ever since I stopped being scared of seitan, thanks fo Julie Hasson, I have been wanting to make her recipe for Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages. I probably wouldn't have gotten around to it as soon as I did except that I had leftover bell peppers from when I made enchiladas the other day. I wasn't sure what to use them in until I thought of pizza. I love mine to have a ton of bell peppers so from there I decided to add some sausage in as well.

My steamer is not too large so I think next time I will arrange them better so they cook more evenly, but they still turned out great. I was a little off in my portions so I ate the little baby sausage with some mustard while I was putting the rest of the sausages away. I only used one sausage for the pizza so I have 5 or 6 more, which I could probably eat all by myself, but I'm going to offer some to my sister since she might want to make a pizza too. If I am really nice I will just give her half of the the new pizza I make with all the extra ingredients I have. I will go easier with the daiya next time since it got greasier and gooey-er than I intended. It was still really good, but I am notorious for overloading pizzas and need to have a lighter hand.

On a non-food related note, I got the best phone call ever today from my future boss. I am going to start my job on Tuesday. I am beyond excited. I was offered the job two months ago, but there was a lot of behind the scenes paperwork that had to happen between now and then. I am truly thankful to be working again and particularly happy that it's in a field that means so much to me. I'm starting at the bottom, but I'm not worried since I'm a quick climber. 2012 is going to be an amazing year full of changes for the better.

p.s. If you don't know what I'm talking about in the title, click here.

Scrambled Torts are Tops!

2011-12-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

The more I cook from Vegan Brunch, the more I fall in love with it. I get into a bad habit where I have a few favorites I make over and over and forget that there are 40 or 50 more recipes in that book I can try. I'd been meaning to make the "Scrambled Tortillas" for a while, and actually bought all the ingredients to make it last week, but it was just too hectic and it didn't happen. This week I got back on track and put them back on the menu. They will definitely be on the repeat list.

As much as I love one-pot cooking, I will bust out three pans and a blender to make this. Even though it uses a few more dishes than I would like, none of the steps are too hard and it doesn't take very much time. And if you are a "clean as I go" person, you shouldn't have too much of a mess by the time you are finished. Or even better, you can sucker someone else into doing the dishes for you. Food is always a good bribe.

This dish reminded me of chilaquiles, which I love, but with potatoes thrown in to make it even more yummy. I tried to present it as prettily as possible, garnishing with green onions and avocado, but the next time I eat it, it's all getting piled into a bowl and heading straight for my belly. ¡Buen Provecho!

Did You Say Cookies?

2011-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

I've slacked on holiday baking the past few years so I think I made up for it when I made four different kinds of cookies and they were all delicious. I made my most requested chocolate chip cookies from The The Joy of Vegan Baking and the Mexican Wedding Cakes from a tattered piece of paper in my mom's recipe box. There are recipes for both of these in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar that I should also try since they are probably equally, if not more, amazing. Since I make those two every year, I wanted to add some variety and try at least one cookie that would challenge me. Done and done!

The Chocolate Fudgy Oatmeal Cookies from VCIYCJ are serious crowd pleasers. Everyone who tried these was in love at first bite, no joke. I tested one while transferring from sheet to rack and immediately texted my sister something like, "these cookies are effin' bomb". I can't do an exact quote because I am smart and deleted all my text messages yesterday. Anyway, these are incredibly rich but without being too much, if that makes sense. You can probably get away with only eating one, but you'll be back in half an hour for another fix. Make these when you want to win someone over or just to hang onto what you've already got. They're that good, promise.

For my "challenging" cookie I wanted to do the Starry Fudge Shortbread, but freaked out that piping cookie dough and making ganache, each for the first time, would be pushing it. So I made the variation with candied cherries instead and they were still good. My piping skills are still under construction so I hope to do much better next time. I really want to try the ganache version soon, but I am almost out of buttery sticks. I think I had five at the beginning of the month and now I only have one, one and half at the most. Maybe I won't feel I have to bake as much in 2012 now!

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, Gingerbread Rocks!

2011-12-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

I spent all day Saturday in the kitchen getting ready for my Tia's Tamale Party. She makes so much food for everyone, there is no way I expect her to make something special for a small group of vegans. I usually bring a snack or a dessert but this year I wanted to do both. I made Jackfruit Carnitas from The Vegan Girl's Guide To Life and the Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I also had two pots of frijoles cooking, but didn't have time to refry them in time for them to make it to the party. I really tried to fit too much into a day so I had to pack up the icing and ginger pieces to decorate the cupcakes at the party. Nobody minded since they were delicious, but I will remember to pare down the menu if I don't have enough time. I can't believe I thought I could make two desserts, but the strawberry cupcakes I planned for Saturday are in the oven right now and they smell yummy. Cookies are going in next.

There's not much to say about these cupcakes except that they are amazing. Until about a year ago I hardly ate anything with ginger in it. Now I can't get enough of it. The lemon is the perfect compliment, which I would never have figured out on my own, luckily I have Isa and Terry to teach me everything! If you don't already own VCTOTW, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy (or make someone buy it for you!). There are 75 recipes and I've only tried 8 in the three years I've owned the book. I've got a lot of catching up to do, but you can enjoy this book, and the cupcake goodness for many years. I only made two dozen of this recipe, so I might make some again for Christmas if I have time. I would eat these any time of the year, but that's just how I do. Enjoy!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2011-12-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

so it should taste like Christmas too, right?

If you haven't made the Gingerbread Waffles from Vegan Brunch, now is the time. This was my second time making them but the first time I didn't let my ginger thaw out and they turned out okay but not nearly as awesome as they did this time. I was planning to have everything ready when my niece came over for dinner but I wasn't quite done when she came through the door. She took in a big whiff and told me how good it smelled in the house, but quickly backpedaled to say that she didn't want waffles for dinner...until she saw sausages cooking in a pan on the stove.

Since I wasn't done cooking and she wasn't sure of what she wanted to eat I told her she could have some leftover mac and cheese and a hot dog (one of her fave combos). After she tried the tester waffle, she decided she wanted some after all, so after her hot dog and mac she had a waffle and a sausage. She was still hungry so she asked if she could have another waffle/sausage plate. I hesistated for a moment because I still hadn't had my dinner and because I was afraid she'd stuff herself and feel sick later. Before I could answer her about her second waffle, she said, "or what? pie?". I couldn't stop laughing, but let her have a second helping of breakfast for dinner instead of dessert. She didn't feel so great after eating all that yummy food so hopefully she's learned a lesson.

If you decide to make these, double the recipe if it's for more than two people, or if you like a lot of leftover waffles. I forgot to do that and was kind of bummed that I only had three left for the next day. I warmed them up in the toaster oven so they could get a little bit crispy, and I honestly think they taste a little better the second (or third!) day.

"Anytime Of The Day Is A Good Time For Pie"

2011-12-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

Fabienne couldn't have been more right. When I made these pies sometimes I would have a slice after breakfast, sometimes after dinner and other times when I happened to pass the table and couldn't wait for any better time than the present.

If you're pie-shy, you will have to get a copy of Vegan Pie In the Sky and get over it. Before the book came out, I hadn't attempted pies in about ten years because the few attempts I made ended in failure. Now I am well on my way to becoming a pie professional. What I'm most excited about is that the substitutions for pie are much easier than for cupcakes or cookies, so it's even easier to trick and appease omni's now. My mom is totally sold on vegan pies, which is great because as amazing as they are, the other baked goods were a hard sell. Now I know I don't have to eat a whole pie by myself, even though I could if I had to.

I made "She's My Cherry Pie" and the "Chocolate Mousse Tart". They both turned out lovely. Now that I had the correct pan my tart shell turned out just right. I still have to master pressing it into the pan more evenly, but that will come with time. For the cherry pie, I did get crazy with the cutters, so I know to ease up on that for next time. Also, for the first time, I broke the rules and did not trim my crust before crimping it, so it got too crispy. I flaked it off and still had a decent amount of crust, but I definitely learned my lesson.

I can't wait to make more pies from this book. I am thinking of doing the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie next, but I haven't seen rhubarb at the stores so I might have to do strawberry hand pies instead. That would be the perfect excuse to use the mini lattice pie mold I found at TJ Maxx a month ago. Save room for pie!

Cut It Out!

2011-11-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

I have a love-hate relationship with sugar cookies. I love how adorable they can be, but I hate how long I take to make them. It's one of those things that I complain about from the moment I begin but by the time I am almost finished I wish I wasn't. Today I took a shortcut and used a packaged mix. I thought it would make it less stressful and more fun.

It still took forever and I swore I wouldn't do it again, until I was on my last bit of dough and wanted to roll out a few more. The directions didn't say to chill the dough, which seemed odd. I ended up adding a lot more flour to the dough since it was super sticky. I divided it into two balls and put one in the fridge, but still had to add flour to that one when I started working with it.

The leaves are cute and all but the stems were a real pain in the butt. The cutter is really small on that portion so they would break off or come out oddly and I'd just have to start over. I probably won't do that shape again unless I find a cutter with a wider stem on it. I tried to do red, yellow, and orange frosting but my red was more rose than anything. My niece had fun decorating and eating them, so it wasn't a complete loss. I am still tired from yesterday's marathon kitchen session so it probably wasn't the best time to do something that requires patience. I'll have to try these again on a whim, when I don't have other projects scheduled and I won't care how pretty they do or do not turn out. I'm going to have some beers, watch Revenge and try to get in a better mood for tomorrow's feasting.

Gobble Gobble Gobble

2011-11-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

This Maple Pecan Pie was my first recipe from Vegan Pie In The Sky. I've never had pecan pie but have wanted some since last holiday season when my friend told me how good they are. I was always so content with pumpkin I foolishly did not give any other pies a chance. I think this is going to be the beginning of a life-long affair. In fact, I'm not sure I can wait two more days to try this gorgeous pie. The only thing stopping me is thinking of how tacky I will look showing up to my aunt's with just half a pie, or only a wedge for my grandma. If you don't have enough for sharing, don't bring it, right?

My sister and niece are allergic to nuts so I'll have other options for them. I'm going to make two rounds of Susan Voisin's Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. It's a favorite and I've made it every year since first discovering it. I want to have my niece help me make some sugar cookies with the harvest cutters I bought (leaf, turkey, pumpkin). I'm cheating with a packaged mix for those. I might to give the VPITS Chocolate Mousse Tart another try tomorrow. I've never done tarts before, but I think the biggest mistake was using a flan tin that had a really light bottom (almond colored). I have a square 9" quiche pan that might work better but I'm not sure it's deep enough, so I might just scrap the whole thing and try again when I get the right pan. I only made the shell and noticed it was uneven and burned in some parts so good thing I didn't waste the mousse ingredients too!

Anyhow, I am really happy with how my pie turned out. It was only my second attempt at pie crust so I know they will get better as time goes on. I can't wait to perfect my crimping skills. I can't believe I've been in the kitchen all day long today. I'm going to have some of the "Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup" I made last night, walk Penny and take it easy for the rest of the evening. I have a lot to do tomorrow!

Finder's Keepers

2011-11-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

I found my copy of The Vegan Table last week, so you know I had to start cooking from it right away. Here's the backstory: I checked it out from the library last August and couldn't find it. I bought a replacement copy for the library so whenever I found "their" copy, it would be "mine". I kept thinking I left it in the extra room and tore that place apart a number of times. I looked in, under and behind my bookshelf. I even flipped up my mattresses to make sure it wasn't under my bed. Would you believe it was safely tucked in a back of Seattle souvenirs that was hanging on the back of my bedroom door this whole dang time?

We usually plan our weekly menus but sometimes we change out minds and don't end up making the food we say we will. I've had "chili dogs w/ mac and cheese" and "Waffle Wednesday" on the list for two weeks now. I knew I had to fit them in this week or we might never get to them. I picked a few new recipes I wanted to try that my niece might hopefully like as well. I have some end of week babysitting and I always struggle with what to feed her. I struck gold with the Masoor Dal from The Vegan Table. I made a batch Monday night and my niece ate most of that yesterday after school. I made more today so she can have some later in the week.

The ingredients and instructions are really simple. I don't think there are as many spices as in a more traditional recipe, but we're not experts so it's okay. Plus my niece has a really low spice tolerance so this is perfect. You can always add your own to taste. If you time it right, you can cook the rice and lentils at the same time and serve 'em up together. I was just cooking the lentils and thought I'd eat them the next day, but I couldn't help myself and had to impatiently wait while the rice cooked. I could eat legumes/rice all day, every day if you let me, which is good since that might be all I can afford when I start my new part time job!

Not Your Papa's Tacos De Papa

2011-11-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

I did a cookbook swap with a fellow ppk-er and scored Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I was super excited to get this book since I have been trying harder to incorporate new foods into my diet. If you haven't read my blog, I'll give the short version: I ate almost zero veggies growing up. My parents didn't eat them so they didn't feel compelled to make me do so either. I didn't try many "new" or "different" foods for a really long time so I was stuck in a rut of the same starchy/greasy food out of fear and complacency. Many years later I still love my starches and my grease, but I've learned to balance it out with green and the other yummy colors of the rainbow.

I love tacos de papa but I've never made my own. Whenever I have an extra few potatoes I always say I am going to make them but I always forget. They seem like they'd be simple to make but those are usually the recipes I pass on in favor of making a huge complicated mess of the kitchen instead. Since sweet potatoes were one of the foods I wouldn't try until college, I decided to go with this recipe first. I've only had them in fries and pies until now so this seemed like a refreshing change. It also involves peach salsa, which is something I've never tried. I have a leftover mental block that says fruit only belongs in sweet recipes, not savory. I know I'm totally wrong and I'm working to correct my attitude.

These were really easy to make. You could get all your other veggies chopped while the sweet potatoes are steaming. I have a 5 qt. pot that came with a steamer and it was the perfect size, but you could probably do batches in a smaller steamer or two small pots if you had to. I put the whole jalapeno instead of half, only because I took the seeds out. If the seeds were in I wouldn't have done that. I'm building my heat tolerance but I'm not there yet. I did take a few shortcuts: premade shells and storebought salsa. It all came together beautifully and I can now say I am a fan of fruity salsas, which are probably a million times better when you make them fresh. I can't compare these to the other tacos de papa, but I will say I like them just as much, if not more.

I forgot to break out my new turkey plate a few weeks ago so this is his first appearance. Isn't he gorgeous? My sister bought him for me when we were shopping at Ross a few months ago.

Have No Fear...

2011-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

comfort food is here! I've been wanting to cook something hearty for a while now, but the weather had not been cooperating. This weekend it's supposed to rain, so that was the green light I needed to get a stew going. I also could not wait to try another seitan recipe from Vegan Diner so I paired the "Chicken Style Seitan Roast" with the "Veggies and Dumplings". Total success! I am really in love with this book and I have the ppk to thank for it. I bought it purely based off their rave reviews and I am so glad I did. If you haven't already bought it for yourself or your favorite vegan cook, the holiday gift giving season is fast approaching!

I made the seitan first since that takes a little over an hour to steam. I should have started earlier since I forgot it also should cool and be refrigerated before it gets cut. I used the hour to chop all my veggies for the soup and get the remaining ingredients ready. What I really like about this book is that the ingredient lists are very short, but there is absolutely no loss of flavor. I am used to putting way more spices/seasonings in soups but this one only had salt, pepper and parsley and trust me, it was enough. I did not have to adjust this recipe at all, yay! The only thing I did cheat at was to add more veggies than specified. I do that on every recipe though.

I have only made a "chicken" and dumplings type stew one other time and while I did enjoy that one, this will be my go-to recipe from now on. I am so excited I can finally make my own seitan that I can't imagine using frozen "chicken" pieces instead. I bow to Julie Hasson in thanks. My days of seitan fails are way past me. Now I have to try all the other recipes that feature the steaming method. I may try baking as well, but for now I prefer to get steamy.

She's A B.A.D. (Breakfast All Day) Mamma Jamma

2011-11-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

I haven't really cooked since mofo ended last week, but tonight I am back. I finally made "Mom's Morning Casserole" from Vegan Brunch and I know it will not be the last time I do so. I am so glad to have another brunch/breakfast option. I usually cook my morning meals on Sunday or Monday and eat the same thing all week. It sounds boring, but if I really like a dish, I have no problem eating it every day, or even twice in a day. I had been hesitant to make this because my sister didn't seem interested in it, completely forgetting I could eat the whole thing myself if I broke it into daily portions. Luckily I don't have to worry about being the only one to devour the casserole since my niece is also fan. I'm always happy when she likes my cooking since kids can be picky.

There are three layers so this can take some time if you are a slow poke like me. I only decided to make this in the afternoon when my niece vetoed my pumpkin pancakes and I had to come up with a Plan B. If I had planned on it, I definitely would have done some of the work ahead of time. To compensate for my slowness I mixed the tofu layer before I put the potatoes in the oven since I knew I would not get the tofu and tempeh mixtures ready in under 25 minutes, especially since that time had to include stopping to help with homework questions.

Dinner wasn't as early as I had hoped, but it was every bit as delicious as I was expecting, so that is much more important. I wasn't going to serve anything with the casserole, but when I read through the recipe I saw the suggestion of greens or salad as a compliment. I had bought chard to make with chicken fried seitan, but decided to make "Shredded Swiss Chard" as a side today. I used it before as an omelet filling and really liked it. I can buy more greens another day this week. I'm really trying harder to incorporate them into my eating. I'm also going to start chipping away at my food resolutions!

Vegan Mofo V Day 31: ¡Adios Mofos!

2011-10-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to see mofo go. I really ran out of steam somewhere during the second week and it's been downhill ever since. Even though it wasn't my best, I decided to keep going and finish what I started. I might do some of the recipes that were skipped in the next few weeks to make up for it. I still need to go back and read tons of blogs I missed out on, there were so many great ideas this year. I have lots of pages bookmarked and my feeds list keeps on growing. I added a few of my new faves to my blogroll, but there might be a few I missed.

Today was super busy so I did not get any cooking done. After walking the dog and getting cleaned up, we went to my niece's school for her class party. Then we came home, had snacks and carved pumpkins. Before you knew it, we had to get dressed/painted to go trick or treating and we still hadn't had dinner yet. We decided to get pizza, throw some tofutti slices and bac'uns on it and call it a day. It's our laziest pizza ever, but we were too hungry to be picky.

I had to go get the pizza in my half assed costume, so I was greeted at the door with "hello kitty" and all of the workers meowed at me the whole time I was in the store. It was only a few minutes but it felt like forever. I didn't feel as stupid as they should have, but maybe they were really bored. If only they knew I had dressed up to match my dog's outfit, they would have had a field day. As tacky as it was, we did get a few compliments when I took her for her walk tonight. Happy Halloween Mofos!

Vegan Mofo V Day 30: Walk Quickly And Carry A Big Purse

2011-10-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight we're going to the movies, so that means sneaking in our own vegan treats. I know it's not classy to do that, but I never said I was classy. I'm on a tight budget until my job starts, so I'll take whatever shortcuts I can. My niece school sells scrip for my favorite theater so I bought two $25 cards. That covers tonight's ticket and the next four movies too.

I bought the sour patch kids at dollar tree. They're the same size as the ones they sell at the theater for about two to three dollars cheaper. The Jokerz and twilight we got at whole foods, but next time I go to Viva La Vegan I am stocking up on Jokerz, Cleo's and Justin's peanut butter cups. I have been wanting to do a Justin's vs. Cleo's showdown for the longest time. I will win no matter what the result is.

Even though a lot of my recent posts have barely made the deadline, I'm not sure I'll be able to get one out after the movie, so I'm doing this mini post now. I had hoped to carve pumpkins and walk the dog before it was time to leave for dinner/movie, but after too much time at the stores, I don't have time to do both. I feel horrible whenever I cheat Penny's walk so I can go mess around, so I want to take her for her normal walk, even if it's a bit earlier it should be the same amount of time. I also do not want to rush my pumpkin carving. Last year I was in a hurry and barely averted disaster. I am hoping to make up for that by doing a much better job this year. These are from four years ago and are still my all-time favorites. Maybe that was the peak for me. I'll take it!

Vegan Mofo V Day 29: Yeah Yeah Yams

2011-10-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

After not sleeping well the last two nights I really wanted to take a nap today, but then I knew that would spiral into a whole day of laziness, which is what I do on Sundays. I can't do that two days in a row. Well I can, but I shouldn't. I decided I would just keep busy and tire myself out so I would end up going to bed early, or at least earlier than usual.

When I took an apple break with my dog (yeah I do that!), I noticed she needed to be brushed. Then I thought about trying on her Halloween costumes to see which one I liked the best. I dressed her up for the first time last year and she tolerated it well. When the costumes went on sale for a dollar I bought two more so we'd have some variety. After the bath I tried them on her and took some pictures, but I forgot the most important thing- the treats to bribe her to look at the camera. My favorite was the grape costume, but she figured out very quickly to shake her head and make the hat fall off. She'll probably be a pumpkin again since that's the only outfit that doesn't have a head piece.

All the dog activities tired me out. I didn't want to make dinner, but since I hardly cooked during the week I didn't have much in the way of leftovers. Rather than preparing an entire meal I made the "Sweetheart Fries" from Vegan Diner to go with an Amy's pizza. It's my "teen dinner" because that's totally something I would have ate on a Saturday night if I had to fend for myself. Why choose between pizza and fries when you can have both?

The fries were easy enough, after I decided to ditch the mandoline and finish cutting the yams with a knife. I thought it would be faster with the mandoline, but now I realize I would have prepped faster with a knife. I also wouldn't have cut myself, thanks mandoline! As clumsy as I am, I have fairly good knife skills. It's weird but true. I will go lighter with the seasonings next time. I put way too much pepper so they lost some of the sweetness. Luckily we had some vegan ranch in the fridge to help balance things out.

Vegan Mofo V Day 28: You Got Served

2011-10-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the new Loving Hut restaurant in Claremont. It's been there for a while, but we haven't been yet so it is new to us. I was biased from the beginning, but hopefully I learned not to be such a whiny, crabby brat by the end of this.

For starters, I love the Upland location. Even though it is in a strip mall and is not as fancily decorated, it's my spot. We went there before it changed to Loving Hut, before it was Veggie Era, back when it was Veggie Panda almost 10 years ago. I'm not trying to claim cred or anything like that, just saying we've been going there for a long time. We're comfortable in the space and we've been seeing the same faces from the beginning. It's like home. Their menu has been through some changes, but if not for those I would not have found my favorite dish ever: three cup wonder! In the beginning I used to get the orange chicken and the fried rice, whatever most resembled the "normal" food I ate before I became veg. Now I actually eat vegetables, can you believe it?

The Claremont restaurant is in the newer part of the village. It's swankier and way less homey than Upland. The menu is elevated too. There is no specials board. There are no fries on the notably smaller menu. Instead of too many yummy treats to choose from, the dessert case is nearly empty. Go Max Go Bars and Primal Strips are not bookends to the cash register. But, for all my talk of what this place isn't, it just isn't fair to compare the two.

Our food was really good. My sandwich was yummy thanks to spicy mayo and caramelized onions. I sampled a little bit of everyone else's food and I wouldn't have sent any of it back. Even though I couldn't make up my mind when it was time to order, I know the next time I will have to be careful not to order too much food or plan to share so I can have a bit of everything.On the way home I tried to make my arguments for why I didn't like it and wouldn't ever go back, but I basically fell on my face. I had no point. "I like the other place better" doesn't count. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.

Vegan Mofo V Day 27: It's Easy Being Green

2011-10-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

If you were traumatized by soggy brussels sprouts as a kid, I apologize. I never had them until I was an adult, and luckily they were quite scrumptious. That is largely due to Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks, which is one of my favorite blogs ever! Anyhow, if you've had them before and hated them, I beg you to try them at least one more time before you write them off for good.

Tonight I made the "Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic" from VWAV. I will duck and cover while admitting it's the first time I've made them. Can I make up for that by saying it definitely will not be the last time. Hot damn were these good! I ate the whole pan, minus one, by myself. My mom tried a bite but didn't really like it. Oh well, more for me! I finished roasting them and tried a few morsels before taking P for her nightly walk. When I got back I popped the rest in the toaster oven, planning to eat them during Parks and Rec.

It was a good plan, until I came back and saw the plate I toasted them on broke during the process. It's an old thrift store plate that my sister bought some years ago and it already had some cracks in it. Maybe it was glued back together at some point. I have no idea and it was not my smartest kitchen move lately, that's for sure. I'm glad she wasn't planning on taking the plate with her when she moved, but this is the second one I've broken this month so I do feel bad about it. However I found two really cute xmas plates for myself at the thrift store today so maybe I was subconsciously making room for those? Probably not.

We have a new inhabitant I'd like you to meet. S/he doesn't have a name yet, but I discovered him/her some time last week and finally snagged a photo tonight. I'd never seen one before so I was super excited. My mom will be thrilled that the cricket population will be under control, but I am a little sad because I love those little creatures too.

Vegan Mofo V Day 26: On the Go!

2011-10-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today was my volunteer day in my niece's class. The teacher put me to work on the paper cutter. I don't mind doing it, but I get way too nervous about lining everything up correctly so I know it takes me way longer than anyone else. After the first half hour or so I get comfortable, but I know I could get a lot more done if I didn't obsess over small details. Some sheets just had to be cut in half so that was easy.The loose leaf pages had the tops and sides cut off so I had to figure out the size of those. After I did that, it went much more smoothly. I messed up when I was putting the booklets together but didn't notice until I was almost done and only had 4 of the 6 pages I needed to make the last one. I started flipping through the completed ones to find the mistake but didn't have time to fnishe before the bell rang. I told the teacher but she didn't seem to mind, yay! I know it's volunteering but I still want to do my best. I'll be more careful next time.

After school we came home and did some tidying up and had snacks before it was time to take my niece to taekwondo. I usually don't like tagging along because the studio gets crowded and stinky and it just eats up a lot of the day when you figure in the drive up, back and class time. But we need to be supportive and also some of my fave places to eat are nearby so we usually grab food before or after class. Today it was before, so that put me in a better mood to sit through it, and I brought books and magazines to keep busy (Educating Esme and the new issues of VegNews and Real Simple).

We had tofu for dinner, one of my favorite things. Simple food is my favorite food. The less fussy the better. I just want to get down and eat something yummy with the people I love. The more holes in the wall, the better (sometimes). Plus it is always nice when I don't have to cook or clean!

Vegan Mofo V Day 25: What I Ate- The Fiber Edition

2011-10-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Not pictured: Del Taco and cookie

I can't believe how fast this month is going by, but more than that, how easily I have fallen off track. However, I am determined to see this through and make all 31 days of posting, even if some are much better than others. Today was my interview at the library so I took forever getting ready for that and when I got home, I didn't want to do a darn thing. I think it went well but I've been wrong before. On to the eating!

I had my daily banana before taking Penny to the park. Then when I got home I had some Cracklin' Oat Bran with Original Almond Breeze. Yum! COB is one of my favorite cereals from back in the day but I haven't had it in a while because it's pricey for a small box. Plus, I usually cook a huge pan of scramble or something else to eat in the mornings, so I am not much of a cereal person these days. I will probably start up with oatmeal again when it gets colder. I had a few bites of a luna bar before we left since I was starting to get hongray but I didn't want to eat too much and feel gross during my interview. My cycle arrived just in time for that, so I haven't been feeling as specatacular as I'd like.

After the interview, I was ready to chow down and I knew my grandma would be too. She was at home watching my niece while I was at the library. Yay Grandma! It didn't occur to me until last night, that we could have put a pot of beans on and they would have been ready when I got home. Mmmmmmm. So instead, we did the third or fourth best thing and went to Del Taco. I don't go there as often as I used to, but I have been known to eat two 1/2 lb. bean burritos with green sauce and a fair amount of fries. I cut back to one burrito and fries or two burritos and no fries, but today I went for it. Of course they were not nearly as delicious as fresh frijoles de la olla, but they still hit the spot.

I did not feel like cooking at all, but I had to feed my niece dinner so I shortcutted again with some pancake mix. It was the Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Pancake Mix. I found it at Big Lots a few months ago and grabbed two just in case I ended up liking it. They were pretty good but definitely tasted healthy and fiber-y. I would probably add bananas or berries next time to break it up a bit, but my niece said "mmmmmmm" on the first bite, so I kept my comments to myself. If the kid likes it, we're good. I had a few myself before it was time to walk the dog again. I'm tempted to eat some leftover scallion pancakes but I know they will taste better as a snack tomorrow.

Okay, I ate a chocolate chip cookie when I went to grab stuff for the photo. They were right by the cereal!

Vegan Mofo V Day 24 - Scallion Pancakes!!!!!!!!

2011-10-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

The first time I had scallion pancakes was when I lived in Brookline ten years ago. They were from Lucky Wah, which was right around the corner from our place. I was hooked immediately. I've had some at other restaurants since but these will be the standard by which they're all judged. I'm not even sure if they are the best, but they were the first I ever had so that's how I expect them to be from that point forward. Plus the sauce they sent with them was so very good. Now I could probably pick it apart and figure it out but back then I was clueless. It had just the tiniest bit of sweetness that made it perfect. I am definitely swining by there whenever I am back on the east coast.

If I got back into my themes, this would fit under "Stuff I Always Say I'm Going to Make, but Haven't Yet". I'm addicted to these pancakes and unfortunately my 2nd favorite place to get them has stopped making them, boo! Sometimes they have them in the asian markets, but they don't taste as good, so you just have to make your own. Since I've recently gotten more comfortable with flipping and frying, it seemed like a good time to go for it. Plus my sister put her "special tofu" on the menu for the week and they'd go together perfectly.

I used the recipe in Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Occasions by Nava Atlas. It's very simple with only a few ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, salt, baking powder, water and scallions. Sesame seeds are optional but I had them so they went into the bowl too. I forgot to pay attention when adding the oil so I put too much, lucky for me I like greasy food, but you could do well with less for sure. These came out tasty, but of course not like my #1 jam at Lucky Wah (not to discourage anyone from trying them, they are delicious!) It's a close substitute for now though. I will keep trying until I get it right.

Vegan Mofo V Day 23- Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater

2011-10-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

This was my wiped out weekend. It took me forever to get a grocery list together. I'm not kidding, it was at least an hour of flipping though books and binders trying to decide what to make this week. I'm still not even sure what's going on, but there should be some tasty things in the near future.My original intention was to get a lot of cooking done tomorrow since I have an interview on Tuesday. I don't want to risk not being prepared for that by having too much going on in the kitchen (I don't even want to look at my resumé!). Of course now, I'm past my bedtime for that goal, so we'll see how tomorrow goes. I predict caffeine will have an appearance.

I baked from scratch all day yesterday so today I thought it was time to take a shortcut. When I was at the store today I saw the Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice cookie mix that Celeste from Growing Up Veg used a few weeks ago. I grabbed two packages and tossed them into my cart. I wasn't sure when I would make them but I knew it would be soon. I haven't made anything with pumpkin and we're almost through with October.

My mom asked me to mix and bake the brownie mix she bought, so since the oven was already on, I thought I'd bake some vegan cookies to cancel out the omni brownies. I'm glad I did since the brownies did not turn out well, they made a lovely consolation price. I do feel bad that her treats didn't work out, but I warned her I have never had much success with brownies. I have not tried the ones from VCIYCJ yet, so hopefully that will be the end of my brownie failures. I had no luck finding milk-free bittersweet baking chocolate for the pumpkin pie brownies, I'm wondering whether unsweetened will do. I'll have to consult the ppk.

Vegan Mofo V Day 22 : Time for Treats

2011-10-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

We're having our Friday "Dinner and a Movie" tonight since last night was too hectic. Since my sister is cooking dinner, I decided I would make dessert. We won't have any of the kids next weekend so this is kind of our last Halloween hurrah.

I did chocolate cupcakes with orange-ish buttercream on top, both recipes from VCTOTW of course. Then I put chocolate sprinkles on top of that. I don't have a proper cupcake carrier (yet) so they don't look very pretty in the makeshift rig I've got going right now. I didn't want to do the sprinkles on the table and make a bigger mess than I already had.

When I told my sister the cupcake idea she wasn't too thrilled. I took it the wrong way and got upset for a minute until she reminded me that we had chocolate cupcakes a few weeks ago and again a few days ago from the bakery. It was a good point, but not as good as the argument that you can never really have too many cupcakes of any kind. She suggested cookie sammiches, but I wasn't really in the mood for those. I wanted to practice my piping, which still needs practice (see pics).

Luckily I was able to find a solution. I would do my cupcakes and the cookies, just not cookie sammiches. I made my favorite chocolate chip cookies, probably the only one I will ever use until forever. It's from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I am going to bring six cupcakes and a dozen cookies, so each of us will get one cupcake and two cookies. I'm probably going to bring my own almond milk along too. It's been a while since I switched from soy to almond milk but the other day I had my first sip of vanilla Silk in ages. It was so sweet I couldn't believe it. I love my o.g. almond breeze but am going to try the unsweetened one since it's probably just as good, if not a million times better. What is your go to beverage for washing down desserts?

Vegan Mofo V Day 21 : The Cheeze Stands Alone

2011-10-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

As a former cheese fiend, I find it hard to believe this was the first "cheeze" I've ever made. It's the "Great Smoky Mountain Cheeze" from Vegan Diner and it's quite yummy. I didn't have a mini loaf pan and I didn't want to use a plastic container so I just used one of my favorite corningware dishes instead. I flipped it out for the pic and then I flipped it back in when I was done.

We didn't have any crackers last night, so I made some half assed nachos just to test it out. It was good, but obviously not the best use of the cheeze. Today I got some crackers, spread the cheeze on, then broke up some smoky curls to put on top. It reminded me of the bacon flavored squeeze cheeze on crackers I used to eat as a kid, but in a good way. I will probably make a grilled cheeze soon, or a quesadilla if I am even lazier. I'm tempted to grate it and add it to a mac and cheese recipe too.

Thanks to a tip from Don't Fear the Vegan, I now have plenty of agar powder. I will probably renew my interest in cheese making, and of course cheesecakes too. And there has to be a recipe for vegan jello shots somewhere, right?

Vegan Mofo V Day 20 - Save Room For Dessert

2011-10-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I found my new favorite dessert at Real Food Daily- the Chocolate Cream Tart. I need to head back there and have it a few more times before the menu changes. If you don't order it, you are seriously missing out. There were lots of delicious desserts on the menu and I had a few different ones in mind while eating my "weekender" plate. But once I cruised by the dessert case I knew what I was getting and no one could talk me out of it. The tart was calling to me, I swear.

I am sad I forgot to take a photo of it on the serving plate so you could get a better idea of how lovely it was. The slices we received were larger than the one my sister ordered to go and there was cocoa powder dusted all over the plate. Since two of us ordered the same thing, I was a jerk and didn't let my niece have a bite of mine. My sister's boyfriend is much nicer and he shared with both ladies. It's quite rich so two people could enjoy it, but if you are a fan of rich desserts then you will want your own portion, I promise.

This week is just not working out how I planned so I am glad it is almost over and can't wait to try harder next week. I have hardly cooked, written, or read. I can share a bit of good news though. The test that I took a few weeks ago went very well and I have an interview next week. Wish me luck! I will be so happy to be back in the library system again, you have no idea.

Vegan Mofo V Day 19: My A-Z Challenge

2011-10-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

I wasn't feeling so great today so the quinoa burgers did not happen. I have Great Smoky Mountain Cheeze chilling in the refrigerator, but that doesn't count just yet. I did come up with a semi-thoughtful idea of listing ingredients I've never used or dishes I haven't made yet that I would like to try before mofo rolls around again. Maybe you can call them food resolutions? I don't have any particularly good reason for not trying these items, sometimes I get in a rut and forget to try new things and others I find intimidating for some silly reason. Anyway, here goes!

A - acorn squash, which I actually bought once and forgot to cook- bad!
B- beets: the tinfoil recipe from Appetite for Reduction will be my introduction to these
C- cashews: adore them but have never used them in cooking. I can't wait to make Rad Whip!
D- donuts: I'm super close to making my own very soon, this is both horrible and wonderful.
E- escarole: had an escarole soup planned for my magazine week, but couldn't find any at the store
F- fennel: only used seeds so far, tackling the bulb is a new challenge.
G- ganache: kicking myself for not making this yet, especially since it's part of fauxstess cupcakes
H- haggis: heard so much about the vegan haggis, never had haggis-haggis, but it's worth a try
I- ice cream: we did this in kindergarten and I'd like to try it again. earning your treats makes them taste better.
J- juicing: even though I've embraced green smoothies, I haven't had any vegetable juices yet
K- kale chips: love kale, but have yet to make my own chips
L- layer cake: never been good at this, but I want to try until I get it right
M- mousse: most likely chocolate, but I remember a fruit mousse filling in VCTOTW too!
N- nuts: never use in cooking because my sister and niece are allergic, but they are moving out soonish, so I might start
O- okra: have a few recipes in the binder and haven't touched them, for shame!
P- pecans + pie: these will both get knocked out when my copy of Vegan Pie in the Sky arrives
Q- quince:almost left this blank, until I did a search and found this one!
R- rhubarb: must.make.strawberry.rhubarb.pie
S- sausage: would have put seitan, but thanks to Julie Hasson, I've got that one down, so now it's time for sausages!
T- turnips/turnip greens: recipe suggestions please!
U- umeboshi plums: have yet to make anything from The Kind Diet and this is one of the "scary" ones I mentioned earlier
V- vichyssoise: never had cold soup yet, sure I am missing out
W- wellington: need to up my game with the fancy foods
X- xantham gum: not to be a Marcel, but I am slightly interested
Y- yams: have only had them in fries, need to try them another way
Z- ziti/zucchini: want to make a baked ziti and also have a zucchini gratin I've been putting off

Vegan Mofo V Day 18 - Mashers and Melts

2011-10-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is turning out to be my lazy mofo week. I had biggish plans for today but they went away after I picked up my niece from school. I collect and watch her after school a few days a week, and some days go better than others. I've noticed that when I've got too many of my own things to do I am impatient and snappy toward her, which is completely unfair. So today I decided I would put "my" things aside and take care of her as I am meant to. We didn't have as complicated of a meal as I had planned on, but at least there was no bickering and we had a good afternoon together. I can do a bunch of cooking tomorrow on my "free" day anyhow.

For tonight's dinner we had patty melts and garlic mashers from Vegan Diner. For the melts I toast the bread, butter it, then rub in some garlic salt and vegan parm before adding in the cooked boca burger and tofutti slice. I cheated a bit on the mashers because I made them a few days ago, but she tried them and liked them so I knew they were a safe bet for tonight. This was only my second or third time making my own mashed potatoes. There's nothing particularly difficult about it, but it's normally something my sister does while I'm preparing a different part of the meal. It was my very first time using nooch in them, and definitely won't be the last. I enjoyed the addition of parsley as well. The recipe originally calls for red potatoes but says you can also use Yukon Golds. I did that since they are my favorite, and they also were cheaper than red at the store. I didn't have any on my plate since I had a huge helping with my breakfast reuben this morning.

We had melts today and there is a quinoa burger and chili dogs right around the corner. Apparently I have not let Sandwich Week die just yet. I'm going to have to do soups and salads or smoothies next week to balance out all this bread we've been having. I know it's the base of the food pyramid, but it could also make me much rounder than I already am. I have a weight-loss bet I have not been working to win, so I have to get on it, but I'm secretly hoping everyone else has been slacking too.

Vegan Mofo V Day 17 - Soy What?!

2011-10-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

I still don't know what this week is going to be, but for now it looks like an impromptu Vegan Diner week. I did not go to the grocery store yesterday and have not made up my list for today so there you have it. My agar powder came in the mail today so that was a green light to make Great Smoky Mountain Cheeze, which I will probably do tomorrow or later tonight.

I did have time to quickly whip up some Smoky Curls to go with it. I'm hoping to make smoky cheezey omelets, grilled cheezes or both very soon. It will have to be soon because I'm not sure how long the curls are going to survive. I kept tasting as I was cooking to see how they were turning out. I wanted them crispier so I added more oil and let them cook a bit more before adding the agave. Later on, I "dropped" a few and "had" to eat them. These are the perfect combo of sweet, salty and smoky. I will have to hit up the adventist store again soon and stock up on more soy curls!

My copy of Santuary- Farm Sanctuary's Compassionate Quarterly also arrived the mail today. I find it odd that I almost always end up reading this while I'm eating, but I think it would bother me a lot more if I were eating animals whilst reading about their rescues from horrible conditions. It's great to not be part of the problem, but also reminds me I should be taking a more active role in being part of the solution. One easy way to do this is to adopt a turkey, which I did for the first time last year. I'm not sure who I will be adopting just yet, but so far Raphael has a slight lead. If you want to adopt one (or more), go here!

Vegan Mofo V Day 16:Flippin' Fabulous

2011-10-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

I almost never make pancakes for two reasons. One: my sister is the resident pancake maker. Two: my "flipping" skills leaving something to be desired, at least until now. I've never been great at turning pancakes, omelets, and or sandwiches, but I've been working to change that lately. I'm never going to get decent at it if I stop trying, so even if mess up a few, there may be a few that come out beautifully. Also, my sister is due to move out in the next few months and I'm not going to stop eating pancakes when that happens. I need to be prepared, right?

These are Banana Flapjacks from Vegan Brunch. We had some overripe bananas that I couldn't bear to throw away so this recipe was perfect. I think this is only the second time I've made pancakes from scratch. When my sister makes them she uses Bisquik and I try not to make my "I don't use box mixes" face or else I might not get to have any of the pancakes. As I started mixing these up I knew I would have to make another batch since it is only supposed to yield six 6" flapjacks. That would be enough for me, but I'm not the only vegan living here so it would be rude to not have some for sharing.

Other than bananas, I think my favorite part of this recipe is that you put maple syrup in the batter. There's syrup inside and on top, how great is that?! I nearly freaked out when I went to add the syrup because the jug was almost empty. I knew I had bought some recently, but couldn't remember whether or not it had been opened. If it had been opened and was all gone, I was ready to go through the roof. Luckily, I found it unopened on my "extras" shelf of the cupboard. Phew! That stuff isn't cheap. I am the one who buys it, but I hardly use it since it's mostly for baking, Snobby Joe's and the occasional "Waffle Wednesday". I am sure I sound crazy to get miserly about maple, but it's definitely not to be wasted.

I'm posting this ahead since we will be in L.A. for the AIDS WALK for most of the day. We do the walk, have brunch and do a Whole Foods run. Hopefully we get back in time for dinner, but I know I won't feel like cooking or blogging when we do. I have to plan my week and see what I can pick up at WF since I'm going to miss my regular Sunday market spree with my Dad. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Vegan Mofo V Day 15: Take Me Out for Burritos!

2011-10-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love bean burritos. I could eat them every day, twice. My sister took me to Patty's almost ten years ago and I've been in love ever since. Whenever we go, I order two burritos. One for that day and one for the next day. Sometimes I will start on my "tomorrow" burrito ahead of schedule, but today I had some self control and saved it for later.

We get the same thing every time we go. I get two all bean burritos and my sister/niece get bean and rice burritos. I have nothing against rice, but any time I have ever ordered a bean and rice burrito it has turned out to be more like a rice burrito with some beans thrown into it. You have to understand that nothing comes between me and my frijoles, except for a nice homemade tort. I give all the no-carb people props, I don't know how I could give up torts. I know if I truly had to I probably would, but I'd rather be a bit more gorda and happy.

At first I only used one container of hot sauce on my burrito but now I am up to two. Woo! It isn't super hot but can be quite peppery at times. Some people probably don't think it's hot at all, but my spice tolerance is still developing so sometimes I will get watery eyes or my least favorite, nape sweats. To beat the heat, I had a Mexican Pepsi to drink with it. ¡Perfecto!

Vegan Mofo V Day 14 - Philly Tease Steak

2011-10-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the soy curl philly I made yesterday. There are two onions, two bell peppers and a ton of mushrooms in there too, you just can't see them buried in the "meat". I wanted to do a tease steak with "whiz" since I have never made them like that at home, but I scrapped it when I didn't think I would like the spread I made very much. We had some daiya so I used that instead. The bread is leftover ciabatta baguette from bahn mi day. Yay for not wasting food!

This was my first time using soy curls. I rehydrated them in vegetable broth, drained them and then marinated them in broth, braggs, garlic and some balsamic vinegar. I had planned on doing a no-beef broth type of thing but forgot to buy any so I winged it. I baked them in the toaster oven for about half an hour before I tried to brown them up in the pan. You really have to get all the liquid out of these curls, I learned that quickly. I ended up taking them out of the pan and giving them a good squeeze. I sauteed the veggies and added the curls back in so they could get browned up. I took a lot longer on this than I probably should have but know that I know how these work, I won't make the same mistakes next time. Next will be the Couricos Tacos from Vegan Brunch or the Smoky Curls from Vegan Diner.

I really enjoyed Sandwich Week and I am glad my family did too. That would be a lot of sammiches for me to eat all by myself. I know I could, but that doesn't mean I should. I think the bahn mi and the tofu fish filet were the biggest winners. I can see them showing up again really soon. The reuben was yummy, but now I want to make the VWAV Tempeh Reuben too. I could eat reubens every day if left to my own devices. The philly wasn't what I thought it would be but it was still good. I want to make one with portobellos and go to sammich heaven.

Vegan Mofo V Day 13: Go Fish!

2011-10-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

I ate a lot of fast food growing up. It didn't help that we had a McDonald's and a Del Taco side by side just down the street from us. My parents would often have to stop at both places because I didn't like McDonald's very much, so I got my "beans in a cup" from Del Taco instead. Sometimes I would get the Filet O'Fish sandwich, without tartar sauce. We would have to pull over and park with one of those plastic-cone type deals on the hood until someone could bring it out for us. Was I such a huge pain in the ass or is it more of a problem that the premade sandwiches were sitting there for who knows how long, waiting to be picked up? I'd say it's a bit of both since I am still a pain in the ass, just not as much as I used to be.

I was a really picky eater and ate almost all of my food "plain". Thankfully I've grown out of that and enjoy many tasty condiments and toppings I would have turned my ignorant nose at years ago. I'm looking at you- sauerkraut and cilantro. Now I hugely overcompensate that by loading up everything I make whether it's a sandwich, a taco or even an omelet. The reuben I made the other day broke the bread. Maybe I need to find a happy medium, but that sandwich was delicious so I make no apologies, only that it sucks you didn't get to have any.

Today I made "Filet O' (Tofu) Fish" from The Vegan Mouse. I prepared the sauce and marinade yesterday because I thought I would make it when I came home from school. It was super hot when I got back and I still had to do the dishes I didn't get to do before I left. Maybe it was the heat or tearing out all the science book pages in the hot classroom, but I was too tired to do much more than the dishes and a few loads of laundry. I even lagged when it came to taking P for her nightly walk. I like to leave by a certain time so we can get a good walk in before it gets too dark, but last night it was still too warm even though 20-30 minutes later than usual. I can't complain though, I do like only having to wear pants a few days a year (I hate pants!).

Back to the sammich! If you haven't made this before, you should get of the dime and do it. You won't be disappointed. I didn't have fresh ginger because I thought the ones I had in the fridge would still be good. They weren't. Now I know why Isa says to hurry up and peel, cut, freeze it as soon as you get home. I just put a bit more ginger powder, and they still came out great, but I'm sure they're a million times better with the fresh ginger. I added more relish to the tartar sauce because that's how I like it, but I'm sure you can do it to taste. I am normally horrible at breading and frying things but today I finally got the wet hand-dry hand down. I am so proud! I can't wait to make these again with some freshly baked french fries.

Vegan Mofo V Day 12 - All I Wanna Do is 'Shrooma 'Shroom 'Shroom & A Boom Boom

2011-10-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we had Portobello Bahn Mi's from The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life. I made them a few weeks ago but was too busy eating to blog about them. I made one batch, thinking I would be the only one who would eat any. I had to make another batch the second day because everyone, even my mom (who doesn't like mushrooms), was into it. I felt bad talking about how good they were in front of my sister's beau,so I decided to make them again for sandwich week and invite him over to share. He loved it.

The third time was definitely a charm. Everyone's first bite was followed by an audible "mmmm." At first I was a teeny bit sad that there would not be many leftovers, but then I remembered I have two more sandwiches in the line up. Last week I messed up and cooked way too much food so I am learning to cut down a bit. I've been eating it all, but that's not the solution to the problem, believe me! Anyway, on a non-sandwich week I would double this recipe because I know I could eat it all week long. It's that good, trust me.

There are a few different elements to this recipe but none of them take up too much time. I like to make the do chua, sesame soy spread, and prep the garnishes the night before. Then I let the 'shrooms marinate for a few hours before cooking them. I only put the do chua, jalapeños and cilantro on mine, but you can put whatever you like best. I'm tempted to add avocado but I think I might die after eating one.

I've only tried three recipes from this book so far, but they've all been winners. I've made the "Two Bean Confetti Hash", "Jackfruit Carnitas" and now the "Portobello Bahn Mi". I am seriously considering making the banana bread french toast because I have some very ripe bananas staring at me from the table. Now if I could just get someone to knit the cupcake oven mitts for me. Maybe if I trade for some real cupcakes?

Vegan Mofo V Day 11 - My Steamy Love Affair With Seitan (and Reuben too!)

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've never had much luck with seitan. Of the five or six times I've tried to make it, I've had a single success somewhere around attempt number three. I don't know whether I am kneading too much or not enough. Should I have flipped it over more times in the pot? Maybe the flame was too low? I don't need to wonder about the answers to these questions any longer. I also don't need to knead anything, now that I've finally wised up and tried Julie Hasson's method of steaming seitan. If you're late to the game like I was, don't hesitate any longer, get into it!

Since I've never steamed anything other than vegetables I was freaking out that I would mess this up. I tend to obsess about directions and wonder whether or not I am doing it right. To calm myself down and get an idea of what to expect I watched a video of the author making some sausages. It looked so easy I couldn't believe I was actually scared of seitan. How silly of me!

There are so many recipes I want to make from Vegan Diner but since it's "Sandwich Week", I had to go for the "Rockin' Reubens". While the "Pastrami-Style Seitan Roast" was steaming I made the "Very Secret Sauce", do chua for the next sammich on the schedule, and did the dishes. I had planned on making "Garlic Mashers" as well, but due to my reading/napping break earlier in the day I was way off task. I might make them later in the week to go with my philly.

Instead of putting cheese on my reubens, I like to put avocado. Today I put more than usual since there was no one else to share it with and I didn't want to waste. So yes, there is a whole avocado on my sandwich. There is a whole lot of everything on it in fact. In my hungry haze I overloaded those two slices of bread, so it's kind of good that I served it alone. I don't think I would have had room for any potatoes after taking on this beast. I believe I've met my match!

Vegan Mofo V Day 10: I'm Not Yolking

2011-10-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to switch up themes and I am going to do sandwiches (and maybe salads) this week. The first sandwich is going to be my favorite, simply because I didn't have to make it, or clean up the mess. My sister bought some veggies for a recipe the other day which I thought was for mock chicken salad, until I saw her getting out tofu this morning. Then I got interested because I've been wanting eggless egg salad, especially with the warmer weather. I went to walk my dog and when I came home everything was ready. She even made my sandwich for me so I sat down like an appreciative customer and enjoyed it. Even though I love cooking, sometimes it is nice to just show up and eat like everyone else does. I particularly enjoy not having to do the dishes :)

This recipe is from one of my favorite ladies, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I think this will be my go-to eggless egg salad from now on. I like the crunch from the celery and peppers that keep it from being too mushy like some other salads I've tried. My sister put an orange and a red pepper so it had some extra zing to it. I can't believe I just typed "zing" but it was the best word I could think of at the moment. We didn't have relish (one of those ingredients we take for granted until we remember my brother is here and probably ate it all), but it still tasted great. It will be even better next time with all the ingredients.

Here is the possible sammich forecast for the week, in no particular order: Soy Curl Philly, Portobello Bahn Mi from The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life, a reuben or pastrami from Vegan Diner, and some others. There might be a breakfast sammich in there, who knows? I'm trying to keep it stove-top only so I have to review some recipes and get it sorted.

Vegan Mofo V Day 9: Go Nuts for Donuts!

2011-10-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the messy pic, but we couldn't wait to eat!

Guess who just got fresh hot donuts on a Sunday morning? Me! Are you jealous? If you aren't you should be, because they are delicious. Did I mention they are fresh and hot? Well they are also vegan and gluten-free. They're the holy grail of donuts and you can get them at Sugar Beets Bakery in Chino. I don't have to drive out to L.A. to get vegan treats anymore. Yay!

I can't believe I didn't know this place existed. I saw a sign a week or two ago, but didn't make it in until this morning. I'll definitely be back for more. Gina, the owner, was super friendly and had lots of yummy samples for us to try while we waited to order. We ended up getting two donuts each and some sugar cookies too. Everything I tried was scrumptious. The cupcakes looked great, but I had to pass (for now) because we just had cake and cupcakes last night for E's birthday. I love baking my own treats, but I love being able to walk into a bakery and know I can enjoy any and all of the offerings without having to ask about ingredients even more.

They are currently operating out of a community kitchen, so the store front is only open on Thursdays from 11-6 and on Sundays from 11-3. Get there early if you want donuts because they go quickly, but if you can't get donuts, there are lots of other treats to be had. Next weekend they will be at the Cal Poly Pumpkin Festival, so stop by and give them a try. I've been to the festival a few times and it is always a good time, so now it's even better.

Vegan Mofo V Day 8: Scrambled Saturday

2011-10-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love me some scrambled tofu. This is "Curried Scrambled Tofu with Wilted Arugula" from Appetite for Reduction. I've been irrationally averse to curries for years now but I am trying really hard to get over it. I used the lesser amount of curry powder suggested, but ended up adding more when it was almost finished. I know I need to get a more authentic curry powder because the one I have is quite weak. Please leave recommendations in the comments.

This isn't as scrambled as I normally do. I have some very nice cubes as opposed to the crumbly mess I often make. Though it looks different, it was just as delicious and I can tell this is going to be one of my new favorites. Next time I am going to double the recipe or make a side to go with it because I ate almost half of the scramble on the first go. Good thing it's a low-fat healthy recipe, right?

I'm still not sure what I'm doing for next week. A lot of recipes I wanted to try involve the oven and the forecast is not cooperating (90's all week!). I'll either have to cook really early/late or plan something completely different. Maybe I'll do sandwiches and (gasp!) salads. Even though I'm vegan I'm very unfriendly with salad, so maybe it is time for us to reconcile? Stay tuned to find out. Enjoy your weekend mofos!

Vegan Mofo V Day 7 - Pizza Supreme

2011-10-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

We don't have too many family traditions, but one of the newer ones we've invented is to eat pizza and watch a scary movie each Friday night in October. So far we haven't watched anything truly scary since my niece is only eight and does not seem to have inherited our appetite for gore and guts. Our kid-friendly movies included Return to Oz, Watcher in the Woods, and a few of the Goosebumps dvds. I know there are more but I can't recall at the moment. I know she definitely did not like When A Stranger Calls and we could not get more than 15 minutes into Nightmare on Elm Street before turning it off. I know it sounds inappropriate to let a kid watch those, but we were raised on those movies. My sister took a life size poster of Freddy Krueger to second grade show-and-tell!

There aren't any especially good pizza places near us so we have to make do. Sometimes we order a few toppings on a cheeseless pizza or just get one with sauce and add whatever we want to it. Other times we will buy dough and throw something together really quickly. We do have some Tofurky and Amy's pizzas hiding in the freezer, but I like to save those for emergencies, like when we forget to plan enough dinners for the week or when I am on my own and don't feel like cooking.

Since it's mofo time, I thought I would make a pizza we could really enjoy. Plus, it fits perfectly into my magazine week. This is Southwestern Pizza from Family Circle (who won't let you search recipes without registering, so I can't link it). Anyway this is really easy and you can probably figure out what to do from the photo. They suggested using two 9" premade crusts, but I opted to roll my own out from a store bought dough ball. Then you do a layer of salsa, a layer of cheese (I used FYH Monterey Jack), beans, bell peppers and green onions. Bake it at 450 for about 15 minutes. I put way more of everything because I like my pizzas loaded up. Garnish with cilantro when serving and you're ready to go.

I can't believe the first week of MoFo is done and I've blogged everyday. I hope I can keep this up, gotta start planning for next week.

Vegan Mofo V Day 6: Gnocchi Didn't

2011-10-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today I'm back on topic now with another magazine recipe. This is "Gnocchi With Roasted Cauliflower" from Real Simple. I love this magazine and have had a subscription for the past two years since I am a sucker for school fundraisers. I think my niece's school has a different program this year so I'm not sure I'll renew. I still have my VegNews and Bust subs to keep me busy, but will probably resubscribe when I have income again. Anyway, the magazine always includes a vegetarian recipe that could easily be made vegan, some of the omni recipes are easy to convert as well. I think this is the only the second recipe I've made, but there are more RS recipes lurking in the binders waiting for their day.

I really want to make my own gnocchi someday. I even bought a ricer 8 or 9 years ago that is hiding out in the back of the cabinet, but for now I cheated and used some from the store. Maybe I will do it for the "Stuff I Always Say I'm Going to Make, but Haven't Yet" theme. I'm still not sure if that is going to be a whole week of posts or if I will alternate it with other things. Depending on what I choose it could be a scary and daunting week.

This recipe was super easy to make and didn't take too much time, even for me. I served this on a plate, but it is probably better in a bowl so you can just scoop it all up. I love roasted cauliflower so I almost didn't want to mix it with the gnocchi, but they were good together. I just realized I forgot to sprinkle some parm on top, but it tasted great without it. I'll add it in when I am eating the leftovers. There is so much food going on this week!

Vegan Mofo V Day 5- Fix My Brain!*

2011-10-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

When I heard my soon-to-be-nephew's birthday was coming up I knew I wanted to make a special treat for him. My sister told me he liked zombies. I saw a brain cupcake kit at World Market and I knew I had to try and make them. I didn't buy the kit because I already have recipes for amazing cupcakes and icing thanks to VCTOTW. I looked at the directions for making the brains and it didn't look too complicated, so the only thing I was missing were the cupcake aprons.I didn't even know what a cupcake apron was until I saw these, but you could probably make your own easily. I'm too lazy and he's only going to be three so I don't think he'll mind.

I lucked out and found a cupcake decorating set at TJ Maxx, so I was even more excited for this project. I've never piped icing with proper bags and tips so I was really looking forward to learning that. I cruised the internet for ideas and found lots of great ones, my favorite one involved red velvet cupcakes. I didn't even think of that. I was just going to color vanilla ones, but if you're going to break out the food coloring, you better make red velvet (Crimson Velveteen!) , right?

My practice cupcakes were chocolate with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream from VCTOTW. I am going to color the icing for the real ones. These were more about piping practice than anything else. I now know I should leave the icing in the fridge for a while before I start playing with it. A few cupcakes into it my squiggles were not as well defined and were starting to spread. I also thought I could get away with halving the recipe but I was wrong. I'm so glad I had the presence of mind to do a dry run or I would have had a disaster on my hands. I'm going to try to make the official cupcakes look more like these. I want to make ganache filled ones another time, they look so good!

*I love the Marked Men, don't you?

Vegan Mofo V Day 4- "You Don't Spell It Son, You Eat it!"

2011-10-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

I made my very first quiche today. It's "Red Chard Tofu Quiche" from an issue of VegNews. I am really starting to fall in love with chard. I think this is the third time I've used it ever, but it's the second time in two weeks. You definitely haven't seen the last of it! If you want the recipe, let me know because I didn't see it on their website.

I thought I would save myself some time and make the crust the night before. I'm so glad I did that because I still ended up taking a lot of time to make this. Anyone else could have done it in less time, but I am known for taking forever and with new recipes/techniques I can take even longer. I've never made crust from scratch so without any reference point, I was freaking out. I think I rolled the crust too thin so then I patted all the excess back into the pan after I was done. I think this is what I get for cheating on Isa/Terry and not making one of their pies or quiches first. They give the clearest (and funniest) directions so my food always comes out awesome even though I am learning as I go along. Check back in a few months to see my improved skills. Vegan Pie In The Sky comes out in a few weeks, perfect for when it is cool enough to use the oven more often.

Making the filling was a lot easier. There were only a few ingredients and not too many seasonings. I think next time I might add some paprika and a few other things to give it a bit more of the flavors I like, but it is good like this too. I've never had quiche in my pregan days, but I will say this is a million times better than the Spinach Pie I used to make with Bisquik when I first turned veg 11 years ago! While I was cooking the veggies for the quiche I also made some VB Diner Home Fries to go with it. They were an afterthought so there is no bell pepper but they are still a great compliment to the quiche. Next time I will make some fancier lemony herb potatoes!

p.s. Could you tell that I traced a heart into the quiche? I can barely see it but that's also because I know what I'm looking for.

Vegan Mofo V Day 3: Muffins are Tops!

2011-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

I love muffins in the morning, but I don't want to wake up and make them. I want to wake up and eat them. The solution: bake your muffins at night. This goes double if you live in a warmer climate and it is too hot to have the oven during the day. Hopefully in the next few weeks the weather will become more oven-friendly, but we have a bit of summer left on the west side.

These are "Cranberry Burst Citrus Muffins" from Deer Run Bed & Breakfast in Big Pine Key, Fla. Have I ever stayed there? No. But through the magic of an issue of "Vegetarian Times" I can pretend I did. If can go anywhere when you read a book, surely you can reach destinations via magazines too, right? They ran a feature on b & b's last year and this was one of the many recipes I wanted to try.

Part of the charm of this recipe was that all I needed to buy was a few oranges. You need juice and zest. I got plenty of zest from one orange, but next time I think I will use even more since I love citrus. I had a bit more trouble juicing and had to use two to get 1/4 cup, but a more experienced person could probably get it from one. The oranges smelled so good I wished I had bought just one more to eat on its own. For some odd reason, I almost never buy oranges, but if someone offers me one, I will gladly eat it.

Anyhow these turned out lovely and I would definitely make them again. Even though I love the orange and cranberry bits, my favorite part is probably the sugar sprinkled on top. It reminds me of bakery muffins I used to enjoy, but now I can have more of them for less money (and more exercising!).

Vegan Mofo V Day 2: Slam!

2011-10-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things I truly miss about being vegan is being able to go out for huge breakfasts and brunches. Granted, there are a few places I can go to, but most involve a good amount of time on the freeway and they're way overpriced. We all need to hang onto our money a lot tighter these days, so why not make your own damn slam?!<br>It's a little, okay, a lot more work, but just think you are burning off some of the calories before you eat it. Also, doesn't it taste better knowing how hard you worked getting that plate out?! If you break the tasks down, it's a bit easier. Or if you are badass you can time it so everything finishes around the same time. Orrrrrrrrr if you are me, you make the omelets one day, the fronch toast the next day and on the third day you pile it all on a plate and go to town.

I have to admit, omelet day was a bit of a challenge. I did the home fries, omelets, chard, and cheesy sauce (all from Vegan Brunch) in an afternoon. It was my normal "cooking" day, but instead of making multiple meals it was components for one huge meal. Everything turned out great, but I am going to two bunches of chard next time. It came out so good I wanted more. I'm still working on my flipping skills, but I did much better than last time.Woo!

This was my third time making the VWAV "Fronch Toast". I love this recipe. The first time I made it I didn't have soy creamer, and it was good, but it is so much better with soy creamer if you can spring for it. I don't drink coffee so it's an extra ingredient to buy, luckily my sister will use the remainder so I am not wasting. Since these are baguette rounds instead of the big slices of bread we are used to, sometimes we just pick them up with our hands and eat them. Another benefit of eating at home is you can do that kind of stuff without getting stares (unless you live with the manners police).

If I can pull this off anyone can, probably with less syrup/cheesy sauce comminglage too. I know I forgot the tempeh bacon, sorry!

Vegan Mofo V Day 1: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2011-10-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I love Autumn for so many reasons but my top three are Vegan Mofo, soup and honeycrisp apples. It's still a bit too warm to fire up the soup pot, but in the meantime the apples have arrived. I bought four last night at Sprouts and the produce guy asked me if I didn't also want some of the Galas he was putting up. I politely told him that these were my favorite, that I wait all year for them. No offense to Galas, they're great, but honeys have my heart forever.

I thought I was excited about my first round last night until I found this at Trader Joe's today! I brought home two more that were just about the same size. I am not usually a "bigger is better" gal when it comes to fruit, but these were too tempting to pass up. Since these are larger than the ones I would normally buy, I shared with a friend, a.k.a. my dog Penny.

This isn't a great beginning for MoFo, but it will get better. I did not go to the grocery store at all last week and the baking I had planned for last night/this morning was cancelled due to a last minute job test I had (cross your fingers!). I have ideas for theme weeks, not as creative as some others but there will be more structure than I've had in MoFo's past. Here are some ideas you just might see:

*All The Single Ladies (and mens): recipes for one/two people from Vegan Bites or Table for Two

*"Stuff I Always Say I'm Going to Make, but Haven't Yet": potpies, tofu benny, crepes (my fear of flipping)and whatever other requests I keep putting off

*Magazine Week: finally making the recipes I have torn or cut out and carefully filed in binders, where they still sit unused

*Dreams Come True Week: things I really miss that others have veganized for me (I love you!)- most likely Ctate's Pan Dulce, Julie Hasson's pastrami seitan, house vegan's Daiya Not Cheezits, donuts, etc.

Or it could be totally half assed and by the seat of my pants like the last two years, stay tuned! There are so many other (better) bloggers participating so please check them out as well!

This Made My Day

2011-09-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How Do I Apply?

2011-09-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is the video for my favorite song from what is sure to be come one of my favorite bands. Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss (2/3 of Sleater-Kinney!!), Mary Timony and Rebecca Cole are Wild Flag. Their record comes out next Tuesday, but I already have my copy from Merge mailorder. Yay! Get yours, you won't regret it.

Wild Flag - Romance from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Breakfast Thyme

2011-09-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

I love to come home and have breakfast waiting for me, but that doesn't happen very often. To adjust for that I made my breakfast last night and reheated this morning after my walk. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day but I am usually too hungry to bother to make it, which is why I often make weekly scrambles ahead of time. It's so much easier to eat well when you plan.

Today I had VWAV Scrambled Tofu and Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash from Appetite for Reduction. These potatoes are my new jam. They are so flavorful and tender, I might just have to lay off the VB Diner Home Fries for a while. I like brussels sprouts, but I think that even people who don't like them will still enjoy this. My niece turned her nose up when I mentioned the sprouts but then she had a bite and quickly changed her mind.

Both of these recipes have thyme in them, which I absolutely love. I don't think I ever used thyme until I started cooking from Isa's books. Now I cannot keep a steady supply of it on hand, but that's good because it means I am cooking a lot of delicious food for myself. I just need to get a huge drum of it, or start growing my own.

Mame Mia!

2011-09-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I made Spinach ~~Linguine~~ Spaghetti with Edamame Pesto from Appetite For Reduction. Yeah, you read right, there is edamame in the pesto, and it's to die for. If you need convincing "it has about one-fifth the fat and calories of your average pesto plus five times the fiber".

I am not quite sure what real pesto is supposed to taste like because I never ate any in my picky pre-vegan days. I was strictly a red sauce gal, but I've grown up since then. This came out super creamy and delicious. I will definitely add a bit of cilantro next time per Isa's suggestion.

Another food I never ate much of in the past was mushrooms. I had an irrational food fear that I held onto for far too long. When I was cooking up the mushrooms with the onions, garlic and thyme I felt like a grown up making fancy food. I know that sounds stupid, but it looked and smelled like something the pros would do even though it was so simple. Those are usually the best dishes in my opinion. My mom even said it smelled good, so I offered to let her try it but I forgot she doesn't like mushrooms. Maybe that will change. There are so many foods I eat now that I would have never ate before. I don't think you have to go vegan to broaden your food horizons, but I am fairly certain that is what did it for me. Rather than limiting what I could/would eat, it busted the doors open and I am never looking back.

Oodles of Noodles

2011-08-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been trying more new recipes lately and I love it. My cookbooks had been suffering from neglect and there are still some foods/ingredients I've yet to try. Of course the list is much shorter than it was in my pregan days where I ate almost no vegetables at all. Ginger is my new favorite ingredient to work with. I am disappointed that it took me so long to get over any unfounded fears/biases and just start peeling it already. I've made three recipes with it in the last few weeks and it gets better each time.

Last night I made the Ginger Bok Choy & Soba from Appetite for Reduction. Oddly enough, I've never cooked bok choy and I haven't used soba in years. There was a soba dish I used to make that was quite good, but one night after dinner my niece got sick and that was the end of that. I'm certain it had nothing to do with the food, but after that happened, it took a lot of the appeal away.

I wanted to use the soba I found during my cupboard clean out and really got lucky with this recipe. Per usual, I took way longer with prep than I should have. I was only cooking for myself so there was no need to hurry. Next time I will add the soba in a little at a time since it was a challenge to get everything mixed up properly. I would also like to try using three bunches of baby bok choy instead of one regular sized, and throw in some tofu as well. I am glad this book is getting a workout, and now it is my turn, since I had a few refills on that bowl last night!

Omelet You In On a Secret*

2011-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Diner Home Fries, Loaded Omelet, Tempeh Bacon Revamped

I finally made the omelets from Vegan Brunch. Well I actually only made one omelet, on the fourth or fifth try. It took me a while to get the batter to the right consistency and then there was the matter of my flipping "skills". I will do a much better job next time, but my omelet failures did not go to waste. I did the next best thing and turned them into scrambled "eggs". I finished cooking them up and then scrambled in the veggies that would have been omelet filling. It didn't look nearly as lovely, but it tasted great.

Afterward I started thinking of all the things I could make with scrambled egg type bits. Fried rice was the first thing to come to mind. The second was something we ate a lot as kids- hot dog and eggs. My dad would slice the hot dogs into rounds and then scramble them into the eggs. We would eat them in burritos with lots of ketchup. We would also eat hot dogs and potato burritos, which I am tempted to make with any home fries that survive my brunch week menu, but I'm not sure there will be any.

My "brunch week" wasn't too well planned out but I knew for sure I wanted to have tofu scramble, omelets,
"Fronch Toast" and maybe even waffles for dinner. I've done two out of the three so far. I have to double check whether or not I have molasses because the gingerbread waffles from Vegan Brunch sound really good to me right now. If I don't have any I will probably make the VWAV pumpkin waffles, those are delicious!

*There are no eggs on this plate!

Beethoven's Favorite Fruit

2011-08-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have too many bananas? Make Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding from Veganomicon. Well, that's what I do. You can also make banana pancakes/waffles/bread, and add them to smoothies (I did-there were still too many).

I know it is foolish to bake in the summer, especially as warm as it has been lately, but a gal's gotta have her sweets and homemade ones are slightly less terrible than store bought. They're also cheaper which is important when you are a brokie. Though I could eat this all by myself, I timed it for an occasion when I knew I would have two others to help me gobble it up. I put more bananas than I normally would, forgetting that my niece doesn't particularly care for them. My sister and I put a good dent in it, but there was still some left for the next day, and a tiny bit more for the day after that.

This is a fun treat for when you are casually entertaining and don't care about dishing things out neatly, or at all. We scooped portions into bowls this time, but in the past we each grab a fork and just go for it. You could probably make individual portions in ramekins too. I'm not sure how much this resembles traditional bread pudding since I never ate one. They grossed me out, but I assure you this has to be the polar opposite of squishy squashy chocolaty awesomeness.

p.s. The title comes from a joke I first learned on the ppk, something like,
Q: What's Beethoven's favorite fruit?
A: Ba-Na-Na-Naahhhhh

Che sarà sarà

2011-08-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today while shopping for housewares I got a tiny glimpse into what my future could very well hold. I picked up an 8 qt. stockpot and tried to compare it to the one I currently use. I think that one might be 10 qt. so I put the smaller one back. I started to check on the frying pans, which I have been meaning to replace but will not do until my brother moves out since he destroys anything he uses. Another lady was looking at them and asked me if I had any luck with the ones from this store and we got to talking.

I told her why I wasn't going to buy any today and she agreed I should wait. She had the opposite problem and only needed a small fry pan since she lives alone. She couldn't tell if the one she wanted was 10" so I grabbed one that was and compared them. They matched. We kept on browsing and at one point she looked at my shirt and asked if I had a cat and I told her I did not, but that I did have a dog. She then told me she also had a dog. Here is where it got extremely nerdy.

She pulled her wallet out and showed me a portrait she had taken with her dog. I politely waited for her to finish her story about Darla, her chihuahua. Then I pulled out my wallet and showed her the photo taken on the third anniversary of Penny's adoption. I felt only slightly less silly that mine was shot at home and not by pros, but carrying around pictures of you and your dog is not something most people "get" unless they have some in their wallet too.

It was funny to run into this short, 50-something woman with thinning curly hair and no children who lives alone except for her dog. She was really nice. After our chat we shook hands, exchanged names and wished each other well. I could possibly be in the same situation 20 years from now- no man, no kids, one dog. I think I am okay with that, but I definitely want to do something about the hair between now and then. Single with one dog is much better than the crazy cat lady!

Señorita Carnita

2011-08-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

taco overloaded-toothpicks employed to keep it together

I have been lusting after Jackfruit Carnitas from the first time I read about them. I can't remember where it was first, but it was either from quarrygirl's blog or The Urban Housewife. I could never find the right jackfruit at regular stores and did not have the presence of mind to look at asian grocery stores, where I would have found it much sooner. When we were in L.A. I managed to cajole my sister into stopping at Figueroa Produce where I managed to take the last four cans they had on the shelf. Sorry to whomever else wanted some.

I used the recipe from The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life, by Melisser Elliott a.k.a. The Urban Housewife. The directions are really simple and you can make these in the crockpot or stove top. They probably come out better in the crock but I am still crock-shy so I opted for the range. Everything was going great until I realized I had timed things so poorly. I had to take the dog for her walk and I didn't want to leave the pot unattended when it was so close to almost being finished. So I stupidly added a bunch more liquid, knowing there was no way it would all cook out by the time I got back. Eveything was cooked but it was still too wet, so I simmered for another hour or so before calling it quits for the day.

A day or two later I took them out and drained the excess liquid. Then I tried to shred them up a bit and toast them in a pan. They were more like small chunks than stringy carnita goodness but they still tasted great. I will have to cut the spices/simmer time when I make them again since they were a bit much for my sister, which meant there was no way my niece could try them. I fixed up a huge taco like so: bean layer on the bottom, "carnitas", onions, cilantro, radishes and squirted the whole thing with lime juice. I washed it all down with mexicoke. ¡Delicioso!

p.s. Today is my late great-grandmother's birthday. She passed before I was vegan or even really learned how to cook. I wonder what she would think of this. It's also my friend Judy's birthday.¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

Whatchu Got On My 40?

2011-07-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already made the "Forty-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli" from Appetite For Reduction, you better get on it, and fast. The recipe actually only calls for ten cloves of garlic, but since I always put more than the recipe states, I think I ended up with about 15. The directions are easy and the ingredient list is short, but my favorite part is that you use the broccoli stems, which I almost never do. It says the active time is fifteen minutes but it took me a bit longer because that is my favorite and most relaxing part of the cooking process. I was carving out my broccoli like a fool, but it turned out beautiful so I'm okay with that. If I made this for company I would do a double batch because I could have ate the whole pan of toasty roasty goodness by myself.

Blueberry Bombs

2011-07-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating my cousin's 50th birthday this weekend. It was especially great to reunite with some cousins I haven't seen since we were kids. We have plans to hang out soon so I am excited for that, hope we can keep it up. I think my cousin felt bad we couldn't eat any of the lovely cakes she made so she sent us home with the fruit that was also out with the desserts. There were cherries, green grapes, black grapes and blueberries.
I knew the others would get eaten up on their own but I wanted to do something with the berries. After looking through lots of cookbooks for a blueberry muffin recipe I decided on the "Blueberry Lemon Muffins" from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I might put a bit more lemon zest next time because we really like our lemon around here, but they are quite tasty as they are. I'm glad we're going to get a break in the weather this week but had I known that sooner, I probably wouldn't have made these yesterday. 400 degree oven and 90 degree weather, not the best idea.

Nobody Beats the Count*

2011-07-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've never had a Monte Cristo Sandwich before, but the one posted on Vegan Happy Hour rekindled my interest in them. I am not usually intimidated by rich or fried foods, but I believe I met my match this time. My first bite was delicous and doughnutty. I couldn't wait for more, that is until I was nearly done with my second quarter of the sandwich. Defeat started to set in and I realized I should have made this when I wasn't the only one around who would eat it. These are definitely for sharing. The recipe makes two sandwiches and I don't think anyone will need more than half, a fourth might be just enough in fact.

I used the "Baked Ham" slices from Lightlife, Oven Roasted slices from Tofurky, and Mozzerella Daiya shreds. I think I would use a different flavor of Tofurky or another brand because these got lost in the rest of the flavors. I also might put more "meat" inside since the bread and breading can be overwhelming. The recipe suggests sliced Daiya but says shredded is doable. I would only recommend shreds if you're really fast and have good hand-eye coordination. By the time I quartered and toothpicked my sandwiches I lost nearly all of my Daiya in the dipping batter-again this could be my own lack of skill, but just saying. I decided to fry the second sandwich in one piece so I wouldn't lose the cheese again. It seemed to come out much better. I'll do it this way from now on, then maybe cut it into strips for sharing. I'm not sure how well the leftovers will work out, but I absolutely could not eat another bite. Hopefully it's toaster-oven-friendly.

*I always think of the movie "Sleepers" when I hear Monte Cristo. Of course you should read The Count of Monte Christo instead of watching movies, but if you can do both, why not.

Summertime in the LBC

2011-07-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

Since summer is nearly half over my sister is really pushing her "Summer Of Culture" campaign. Saturday we had two stops- The Watts Towers and the Long Beach Museum of Art. I knew she was really looking forward to the towers but I also knew we had better check something else out if we planned to make a day of it. The museums were each seven dollars and I will say that I enjoyed the Towers much more than the LBMA. Maybe because it was the first stop and our tour guide was fabulous, maybe I was tired and wanting to go home after the huge lunch I had between museum stops? I do think I owe them another chance, but I think I saw much more for my three dollars in Riverside. As a consolation, there was a lovely wedding due to take place at the adjoining restaurant.

Want to hear more about the heavy lunch? We went to Zephyr Café in Long Beach. It was our first time and we got there just before it started to fill up. You're supposed to order at the counter but since we didn't know what we wanted, we grabbed a table and looked at the menu. I knew I wanted the M.F. Burger, but I waited for my sister and niece to decide on their orders and let them go first at the counter. In between that this group of lady cyclists came in so my food was about four orders behind the rest of my table. That's why being nice never pays, just kidding.

The soup of the day was a 13 bean affair. I had a few bites and it was really good. Then we shared garlic cheese bread that was not so great, but since my food still wasn't there and the girls' was, I ate it. Finally my burger arrived and I was ready to go for it. The thing was huge and I didn't think I would finish it, but of course I did. It was a bit messy so I had to keep moving the plate closer so I wouldn't spill.Mushrooms and onions and their juices kept coming out. Later on at the museum I kept smelling food and realized I was still wearing a bit of my lunch, great! We ordered our dessert after we ate, which ended up to be the right thing to do. I was so stuffed from my burger I couldn't have ate my own piece of pie even if I wanted to. I shared with my sister and my niece had her own, minus a bite or two. I don't normally eat ice cream with cherry pie, but I just might from now on.

p.s. All pics are by my sister since I forgot to charge my battery before we left. She takes better pics anyway!

Photograffiti

2011-07-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we visited the California Museum of Photography in Riverside. We often joke that there is no culture in the IE, but of course that isn't always true. Not only were we able to cut our traffic time in half, but the parking and admission prices were a steal. It was only $3.00 to get in and it was definitely worth more. They had three exhibits going on in addition to the camera displays which were my favorite part, the sneaky spy cameras in particular. We couldn't use flash so my crappy camera skills were even crappier. I didn't notice until after loading photos to the computer that my reflection is in almost every picture I took. However there was one that was almost impossible to mess up and that was from the camera obscura. There is a small room-sized one built into the front of the building which you can go inside and have a look at. Then you can look outside and see the image that has been captured right side up.

After the museum we went to Oasis Cafe at La Sierra Natural Foods. Everything I read online said to get the steak burger, so I did, but the carnitas also sounded tempting so I ordered those as well. The fries on my tray are for sharing with the girls. Next time I wouldn't get as much food, but it was decidedly delicious. My only true regret was not adding avocado, won't make that mistake again.

The store was having a sale on books so I started rooting through the piles hoping to get lucky. Most of the books were to do with health or allergies, but I did find Nonna's Italian Kitchen by Bryanna Clark Grogan. I have way too many cookbooks, but I couldn't pass up the bargain. I looked around to see if there was anything else I needed but their prices were a bit higher than other stores so I decided to pass. That was until my sister pointed me in the direction of the Soy Curls. I snatched up two packets and hit the check stand. I can't wait to cook with them. The Couricos Tacos from Vegan Brunch will be the first thing I make, already started rounding up ingredients.

p.s. Can someone tell me what that bit of bathroom writing is supposed to be? I remember people doodling it on their folders in middle school. No one ever said what it was for, but they were all writing it.

Happy Ssert-Day To Me!

2011-07-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. I had planned on going out tomorrow night but no one seemed interested so I scrapped that a week ago. Then I decided I would rather do something constructive and go for a hike tomorrow morning. I haven't hit the trail in over a month since my partner is out of commission, and I know my sister would love it. I thought this was going to be my "no one showed up to Il Cantinori for my dinner and I had to buy my own cake birthday", but I double checked and that isn't until CB's 35th birthday and I plan on it being much different for KG's 35th. I have a whole year to plan it!

Anyway, I decided I wanted a variety of desserts so I spent most of yesterday and today working toward that goal. I should have had someone else do it for me, but I like to bake and I have a ton of time on my hands these days. Plus it is fun to pretend that I burned a small fraction of the calories I would consume in advance. I mixed two cupcake batters, three icings, and another cookie type mix today. I lost count of how many dishes were washed and how many hours I was standing. I do know I finished a disc of "Arrested Development" .

I made Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes, stuffed them with Fluffy Vegan Buttercream and frosted them with Cream Cheese Frosting, all from VCTOTW. I also made the Coconut Heaven Cupcakes from VWAV, stuffed them with buttercream and topped with icing and chocolate drizzle. I also attempted a vegan version of these s'mores cookie bars. Mine didn't look too much like the photo but they are a gooey sticky delicious mess, so I am okay with it.

I'm enjoy the rest of my day by relaxing, reading and enjoying the gorgeous roses my sister and niece surprised me with this morning. This is going to be my last year of "rounding down" so I have to make the most of it, starting tomorrow.

Oh Happy Day!

2011-06-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

I have been reading and drooling about this product for a while now thanks to my fellow ppk-ers. I forgot to grab torts during my quick market run so on the way to the check out I thought I'd look for it, just for fun. I wish I could have seen how my face lit up when I spied it on the very top shelf next to the Earth Balance Peanut Butter and Maranatha Almond Butter. On second thought, I am kind of glad no one saw how excited I was since they wouldn't understand anyway. I've yet to try it but I have already read tons of suggestions that I am trying to erase from my mind (sort of). I am most tempted to make smores with it, thanks Liz! I wanted to get back to running, this is definitely going to force that to happen.

I Make Dough, But Don't Call Me Dough Boy(chucker)

2011-06-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting soft pretzels loaded with mustard for about a week now. Today I decided to do something about it. I used the "Soft Pretzels" recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I've never worked with yeast before, partly because I was afraid of it not working out and also because I have hardly any patience. So this was a 2-for-1: get over fear of unfamiliar ingredients and learn to enjoy waiting. I had a blast rolling and shaping the dough, my niece not so much. I think next time I will roll the balls into sticks and then she can shape the pretzels. She got frustrated and it took away from the fun. Luckily they bake up quickly and everyone was happy as soon as she had a pretzel to snack on. As of this writing, only 7 pretzels remain (I had 3 and my niece had 2). Next time I will have to do a double batch or make sure someone else is here to confiscate them as soon as they exit the oven. I totally want to make pizza pretzels now!

Li'l ball of dough

All grown up now

Dough babies

My wannabe Wetzel's Pretzel twists

O.G. pretzels, half by me, half by my niece

Super salty the way I like 'em

Naked ones to be cinnamon-sugared later

Ready to eat, no more time for pictures!

Everywhere in the OC takes 15 minutes: a freeway fieldtrip

2011-06-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the OC as the first stop on our "Summer of Culture" mission. After paying respects to dearly departed family members we headed over to find the seabirds truck. Next stop was the Orange County Museum of Art. I should have reseached a bit more as I would have learned how small the OCMA collection is. It ended up being the buffer between eating stops instead of the main event. Luckily we love to eat, so it wasn't too big of a problem. Plus, I found my new favorite thing at Native Foods.
Here's a rundown:

My niece and I with the seabirds truck

That's a beer battered avocado taco in my hand. Jealous?

My sister with her lemon cupcake and my niece being her silly self.

We couldn't take many photos inside so this is us outside OCMA.

Native Foods Super Italian Meatball Sub

It is indeed super!

Your turn to take a bite.

All gone.

Don't worry, there is a vanilla cupcake too.

I remembered the hammock behind the restaurant and climbed in.

Do you like my fine vegan footwear?

If not, here is a more appealing view from the hammock.

A real live "love" seat. Enjoy!

I'm Cuckoo for Coconut!

2011-06-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

naked

iced

close up

Its really odd, but I never really liked coconut until after I became vegan. Now I cannot get enough of the stuff. It started with moonpies at RFD (which are on menu now!), then the coconut white cake when they were out of something else I wanted. When I had the cake again it wasn't quite like I remembered. Maybe it really is never as good as the first time?

I've really been wanting sweets and I'm less and less interested in paying someone else a bunch of money to make them for me. Sometimes it is nice to be served and not have to do the dishes, but other times I feel incredibly stupid paying five dollars for a cupcake or piece of pie, when I know I could make my own at home. Maybe I am getting a bit conceited, but the last few desserts I've had while out were not nearly as good as anything I've made myself.

Of course I'm never truly at it alone since I always have my favorite cookbooks at the ready. Today I made the Coconut Heaven Cupcakes from Vegan With A Vengeance. I can't believe I have had this book for so long and have never made them. I made two little mistakes, I put the coconut in with the wet ingredients instead of folding it in at the end. They turned out fine, but I had a moment of panic. I also should have left them naked instead of frosting them all at once. The icing is not very thick and could melt/run off your cupcakes. I've got to work on my icing skills, but I think next time I pipe instead of spreading. Anyway, they turned out amazing, so the presentation won't matter so much. You'll get more calls for seconds than you will decorating critiques (unless yours came out gorgeous).

Inspiration and Attempts at Imitation- aka Jess Scone is Awesome!

2011-06-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't cooked dinner in a while so since my sister made dinner twice last week, she informed me I had to make dinner on Tuesday. I couldn't think of what to make so I fell back on something easy- mac and cheese, greens and fried tofu. I've made similar plates before but this time I knew I needed to phase out the oven due to the warmer weather we've been having.

For the greens I used the "Southern Style Greens" recipe from Vegan Bites. I'd made them before and they weren't too complicated so I did it again. I added some liquid smoke to give them a bit more flavor.

The mac and cheese is "Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese" from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. I hadn't made this one in a while since it calls for about 2 cups of cheese, but that was pre-Daiya. I gave it another shot a few weeks ago and the gooey texture reminded me of the new Amy's mac and cheeze that is vegan- except I could get more servings for my money even after buying a package of Daiya. I did have to doctor it up a bit and add some more seasonings since the only seasoning in the recipe is salt. I'm sure it depends on the cheese sub you use, but I needed more. For inspiration, I looked to my favorite mac and cheese -Get Sconed's adaptation of the New Farm recipe. I added garlic, paprika, onion powder, shoyu and a bit of nooch. That did the trick.

Staying on trend, I also tried to copy Ms. Sconed's Cornmeal Crusted Tofu. I didn't have everything she used for her marinade, so I did the best I could. I used the breading from a link she posted on the PPK. Whenever I fry tofu it's a disaster. I am the messiest drudger/batterer there is. My tofu pieces emerge from the pan half naked and there are little chunks of fried breading floating in the pan. Not this time! The marinating really helped me out. I am going to use that strategy from now on. She is my hero!

Put the "U" in Reuben!

2011-06-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

A week ago we went to see Forks Over Knives. Even though I like to think I know more than the average person about why we should stop eating animals, there is always more for me to learn. Also it reminds me that I need to go further than just "stop eating animals" and eat a hell of a lot more plants. I'd been in a health slump for a while now so this was exactly the reminder I needed to get back into gear and recommit myself to eating healthier, or at least making more of my own slightly unhealthy food (fried tofu!). Plus more cooking = more blogging, yay!

My new love for about a year now has been veganized Reuben sandwiches. I first had one at Real Food Daily so that was my benchmark for what they should taste like, having no remembrance of the meaty version. I tried another at Floré, and would have liked that one better, if I could find the tempeh. It was in strips and it seemed like they got lost in all of the avocado and cashew cheese, both of which were delicious, but I needed a bit more bite in my sammich. I will give them another chance next time I am out that way.

Since I can't always travel an hour just for a sammich, I tried making the RFD version at home. I unwisely did not figure out a way to reduce the recipes so I had way too much dressing and cheese spread with no one to feed it to. However, I did enjoy eating reubens for a few days without having to sit in traffic to get to them.

Luckily my favorite cookbook queen, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, saved the day like always. I don't know how I hadn't noticed her recipe for Tempeh Reubens in Vegan With a Vengeance, which is the first vegan cookbook I ever bought. I had almost all the ingredients, so I only needed a few items from the grocery store and I was ready to go. These sammiches turned out amazing and the first round was gobbled up too quickly to get a photo. I tried to get one of today's round two, but I was in such a hurry, I still didn't do it justice. Needless to say I will definitely be making these again. I'm glad I found a scaled down recipe that isn't as fussy with the ingredients without sacrificing any flavor. I didn't even miss the cheese since I had all that avocado goodness. They're fairly easy to make so get on it!

First and Third

2011-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

We had lots to celebrate this weekend!

Saturday was my 3rd Penny-versary. We celebrate the day she was adopted since we don't know her true birthday. This was a wonderful year because she was so much healthier than the year before. I am so grateful for that. One of the small benefits of not working was having more time to spend with her. She learned a few more commands and also had more goofy playtime with me. Of course, her being healthy also meant we could do a lot more walking and a bit of running too. I'm almost to the halfway mark of losing my "dog" weight.

Sunday was my 11 year anniversary of becoming vegetarian. I'm thrilled that I made the change because I know it was the right thing to do for me. After two years of it, I decided it was time to "go all the way" and just go vegan already, so next year I can celebrate 10 years completely animal-free. It's exciting and I am happy about it, but there is something really embarrassing that also needs to come out.

I had my first green smoothie yesterday. Even though I eat lots of veggies, I am still not a fan of salads or raw veg (I did cry the first time someone tried to make me eat broccoli 26 yrs ago). And you call yourself an herbivore? Whatever! Anyhow, I got over being a big ol' baby and made one using the recipe my friend Anita makes for her kindergartners. It was delicious. I can't believe I waited to long to try one. I made another one this morning. It's a great habit I plan to get into and eventually I won't need to make the kiddie version. If you've never made one, get over it and go for it-you won't regret it.

Egg-cellent!

2011-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Money Shot

When I read the recipe for these, it seemed relatively simple. The only problem I thought I would have was the waiting, as each step is separated by a few hours to allow the eggs to chill/set. The recipe said I could use brown rice syrup or corn syrup so I thought I would use brown rice syrup since that was at least organic. I'd feel slightly less horrible for serving a ball of sugar wrapped in chocolate to my niece who already has 3 cavities (she didn't get her mother's teeth-none of us have ever had a cavity).

I am glad I put in the labor to try these at least once. I think this was one of those times where I was nervous throughout the process because I didn't know what to expect so I couldn't tell if I was doing it right or not. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to try it early in the week so that I could make attempt number two on Friday if necessary. Luckily, they turned out just as I had hoped so the only reason I would have to make them again is if they don't survive until Sunday, or if I want to share some with friends.

Here is my short list of what I'd do differently next time:

Use corn syrup instead, the brown rice syrup was really heavy and I had trouble creaming everything together, which could also be due to...
An old hand mixer that probably needs to be replaced. I think I almost killed it yesterday. It's 20+ years old.
I would skip refrigerating and go straight to the freezer. I chilled my yolks/whites for two hours and they were still not firm enough to work with.
Roll faster or enlist a friend. I had to keep putting everything back in the freezer, so it took me 3-4 rounds to get all my eggs together.
I would also lightly lube everything, hands included, with shortening, that stuff can stick!

Truffle Shuffle

2011-02-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

As a single gal, I am a reliable, and yet slightly boring Valentine. Every year I buy my sister and niece the same box of Sjaak's truffles. I buy one for myself too, because I love me, and I might as well get the most out of the shipping charges. We had our traditional V-day dinner last night and ate way too much food. I wasn't even going to break out the purchased treats, since we have homemade ones that will expire much sooner.

By request, or rather, pushy demand, I made cookie sammiches. These have been a favorite since the first time I made them. They're also the reason I load up on EB sticks and shortening whenever we make a run to the "nearest" veg friendly store. I hope to be able to remove the quotation marks one day but I think we'll move closer to a major area
before they bring any goodness out our way.
For a surprise, I decided to finally make the Oreo Truffles I printed out ages ago. I feel bad I do not remember where I got it from and can't link to it or give credit. I know it is all over the internets though, so seek and ye shall find. I'm still trying to figure out if my food processor sucks because it is too small or because it shares a motor with a blender, or because I just put too much stuff in it at once. I seriously thought I killed it when I added in the cream cheese but I pushed a few other buttons and it worked just fine. I will read the instructions before I use it again, don't worry.

The rest of it was easy, kill time while the "filling" refrigerates, melt chocolate in your makeshift double boiler and dunk the little balls of yum into the melted chocolate. Of the two of us, my sister is the one who makes chocolate covered sweets so I was not as adept at fishing the truffles out and nicely laying them on the wax paper. I know if we were racing side by side she would have totally kicked my butt because I take way too long, trying to make sure each one is sufficiently coated. Meanwhile the chocolate starts to solidify and there is not nearly enough left to finish since I don't get it right until halfway through the process. Luckily I had more chocolate to melt and learned to be less picky about how they turned out. They're incredibly rich and remind me of brownies, which is fine by me since I love brownies but have yet to make them just right.

Next year I'll remember to either make or buy treats but not to do both. It's far too much of a good thing. If I really get a good thing going maybe someone will be treating me by then.

Reuben-Where You Been?

2011-01-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

After making copies of some recipes a year ago, I finally made something from the Real Food Daily Cookbook today. I am so proud that my Total Reubens turned out totally awesome. It was a three step process to make the Reuben-style tempeh, Thousand Island Dressing and Tofu Ricotta Cheese but it was all worth it in the end. I marinated the tempeh since yesterday afternoon and made the other two spreads today. I wanted to make all three yesterday so they'd have time to chill/set, but it still worked out well. I couldn't find yellow miso for the ricotta so I had to use white. I think it came out just fine, but will try it again with yellow another time. I could just eat the ricotta on chips or crackers, which is what I probably will do since I didn't reduce the recipe and have quite a bit left over. Luckily we had an avocado on hand so we added that to the sandwich too since that's how we order it when we're at RFD. I have plenty of everything to make more sandwiches tomorrow so I'll have to get a picture of that one if I can stand to leave it alone for that long. My sister grilled ours in the pan, but I am a notoriously bad flipper so I might just toast the bread when I make them myself. We might go to brunch on Sunday so now I'm not sure what to order, but I will definitely get my own copy of the cookbook when funds permit.

Mofo Is Toast...But I Owe This Entry

2010-12-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my "Chard Florentine on Toast Points" that I was supposed to make on Monday. I have never used chard before so I was kind of excited. It's nerdy but I always feel a bit proud when I try a new food since pre-vegan I ate almost no vegetables/plants at all. How did I survive?

This turned out to be quite yummy.Next time would be to toast the bread a bit before putting it in the oven, or not load so much cheesy chard on top. They were not as crunchy as I would have liked after the baking time, but I also was really hungry and did not have the patience to put them in for a few more minutes. The instructions do say to put them under the broiler for a few, so that might have done it, if I had only followed directions. I also would like to use a plain nondairy milk, but the only soy we had was vanilla, which I hate to use but I couldn't use plain almond since my sister is allergic and we were breakfasting together. I didn't want to open a quart of rice milk and waste it, so I'll have to drink rice milk around the next time I make this I guess.

Now that mofo is over, I can go back to slacking on cooking and blogging. Just kidding, but there won't be so much food I feel compelled to eat so I can get back on my program. Two packages I received today will help toward that goal: Appetite for Reduction and my Wii system. I haven't had a chance to play with either yet, but I'm sure I will exhaust them both soon enough. Time to take Dad and the dog for a walk!

Vegan Mofo IV Week 5: Your Grocer's Freezer

2010-11-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

I planned on making "Chard Florentine On Toast Points" today, but had to cancel since I cannot read a recipe or write a grocery list. I scanned the recipe quickly before going shopping yesterday and thought I had everything except bread, chard and tahini. I remember finding tahini at grocery stores in the past so I was frustrated when I did not see it on the "international" aisle. I went to get the rest of my items and read my list one more time. It didn't say tahini, it said tamari. I have tamari, game on. I get chard and bread and I'm ready to go. Later that night I'm putting things away and decide to review the recipe so I'll be ready for the morning. I needed tamari and tahini, plus miso, which never even made the list. Luckily I was planning on making scrambled tempeh for the billionth time so I wouldn't be without breakfast, but I've already written about that before. Did I mention I eat it almost every week?

It was basically downhill from there. My breakfast plans were ruined and I hadn't planned on making dinner since I have so many leftovers to choose from. When I was out mailing a package for a PPKer, I popped into the Chinese takeout place to see if they had any green beans but they were out. They would have gone so great with my left over tofu, so I was disappointed but not enough to go a few doors down to the market and get some to make for myself. It's been getting colder and I've done far too many dishes, I just couldn't be bothered to cook dinner.

Thank goodness for Trader José and his Black Bean and Corn Enchilada. I used to eat these all the time at my old job and then I went through a snobby phase of eschewing frozen foods. I still don't really like to "heat and eat" but some nights when I only have to cook for me and I'd rather do something else, it's a good back up to have. Otherwise I just eat a bowl of cereal, and it's too cold for that right now. So here were are, one day left of mofo and the cooking is grinding to a near halt. Hopefully I get my head out of my asparagus and come up with something better for tomorrow. I am just glad I didn't give up after taking a few days off this year. I barely kept up with writing and am extremely behind on reading. There are just too many amazing vegan bloggers out there. Good job Mofo's!

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4: Coffee (Cake) Talk

2010-11-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to eat in my pre-vegan days was Entenmann's Raspberry Swirl coffee cake. I could eat the whole thing in a sitting. I actually did once on a T ride home after a night out, no joke. I think I was drunk, but that was still ridiculous. Why did I even admit to it just now?

Today I made the jam swirl variation of "East Coast Coffee Cake" from Vegan Brunch. I would have made it a lot sooner but I didn't have any raspberry jam. I got some last weekend, but decided to wait until after all of the Thanksgiving madness to make it. This eventually backfired on me since every time I baked a holiday dessert my sister kept asking me why I wasn't making the coffee cake instead.

I have never made a coffee cake from scratch so I was curious to see how it would turn out. I've only ever made the Aunt Jemima ones in the paper pans, so that was my frame of reference. The batter was really thick and I know next time not to use a silicone whisk to mix it. A fork will do, I switched to one after about ten seconds. Making the topping was fun. I used the 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. of oil because I wasn't sure I had enough crumbs, might be able to do with less next time. I will keep a closer eye on it next time since it got a little too brown on top, but I had a quick taste and it was no worse for it. I bought an oven thermometer last week and it is showing a 75-100 degree difference from the dial so I'm still figuring that out.

Since she starts work late tomorrow I thought I would treat her to dessert and another light snack. I made the coffee cake today and in the morning I'll make the Chard Florentine on Toast Points from Vegan Yum Yum. Waiting an hour to slice into it is the hardest part of the process. I didn't cut it until about an hour and ten minutes and it was still a bit warm. I only ate half of the piece in the picture because I know my sister will be mad at me for starting without her. I know she'll have some when she gets home from her date, and I'm not sure how much will actually be left for the morning.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4: Whip Appeal

2010-11-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Since everyone loved the pumpkin cheesecake, I decided to make another one. I bought extra supplies in case this might happen, mom taught me to always think ahead. Sometimes I get it right. When we were enjoying the first cheesecake, we wished we had a whipped topping for it. I would have bought some at Mother's but they didn't have any.

I remember my first attempt at vegan whipped topping years ago. It was probably the first time I really tried to make holiday desserts. None of them worked out very well. My desserts have come a long way since then but I've never revisited the whipped topping until today. There is a recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking so I decided to try that one since that book has been an excellent resource whenever I'm not baking cookies or cupcakes since Isa and Terry have those covered. I do love Colleen's chocolate chip cookie recipe though!

Everything was loaded in the processor and blended to perfection. It tasted great when I was transferring it from the processor to a container. I put it in the fridge to let it chill and just took it out a while ago to try it with the cheesecake. I think it will be even better tomorrow. The recipe said to let it chill for several hours, but I only waited four to try it. I am an impatient gal and I wanted to get another entry in so I don't end this mofo as a failure. Tune in tomorrow for an update, and possibly coffee cake.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4: Dip Baby Dip

2010-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

Since I slacked on my Thanksgiving menu I asked my sister what else she wanted to eat and she said to make Spinach Artichoke Dip. I bought most of what I thought I would need and then I consulted the PPK for guidance. The most popular suggestion was the Vegan Mouse's recipe. I knew they wouldn't steer me wrong and luckily I only needed one more ingredient for the dip, plus some bread/chips to dip in it.

We picked my uncle up from the train station and on the way home stopped at the store for the last minute items. Then I hurried around like a fool chopping veggies for the dip and for stuffing. Everything for the dip smelled and looked so good, I couldn't wait to get it in the oven. Since my dad made turkey, I had to use the toaster oven, which was okay since my baking dish fit perfectly. I followed the recipe but also sprinkled a bit of daiya on top. When it was time to take it out of the oven, it was tough to pack it up and take it away without trying it.

As soon as we got to my aunt's we tore into it. We probably stood over the dish for about five minutes stuffing our faces before we offered it to anyone else. My sister was a better sharer than me, offering tastes to my mom, my aunt and my grandma. I just kept serving myself. I know we could have ate the whole thing between us, but everyone else who tried it agreed it was quite tasty. It's great to have another go-to option to bring to functions. There was a little bit left over so we brought it home, but as of this entry it's already been devoured. I can't wait to make this again. I'm thinking of making a mini happy hour at home pretty soon.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4- I Like Big Bundts and I Cannot Lie

2010-11-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

I forget how it started, but I remember calling bundt cakes, butt cakes, when we were growing up. I don't know whether they had a popularity flare up in the early eighties of if that is just when my mom got into them but I remember there was a brief burst of bundt activity in our home. I liked the special pan and the fun drizzly glazes that were usually involved. This was all before I was really allowed to help out, unless licking the beaters/bowls clean counts.

My mom's old bundt pan is still hiding in a cupboard somewhere, but I am a stubborn brat and had to get my own. I wanted to get the Bavaria one when it was on sale, but I didn't for some silly reason. After that I was on a mission to get any fluted pan, even if it was the o.g. bundt I grew up with. I finally found one on sale, with the accompanying cake keeper for about $20.00, and it was red, even better. I know I mostly was paying for the keeper but I'm a sucker for cute packaging, and my bundt is gonna get around, okay?!

I was super excited to make a bundt of my own and had the perfect "bring to the family dinner" recipe thanks to Vegetarian Times. They had a gorgeous Maple Bundt Cake I knew I had to make, especially after my first taste of TJ's Maple Cookies, which set me on the road to maple madness. I reviewed the ingredient list and thought I had everything until I got to the end where it listed maple extract. I just sorted out my baking supplies and I have tons of extracts, but not a drop of maple. I looked for it at the health stores but couldn't find it. Avert your eyes, I had to get imitation maple at the regular grocery store. I'll have to dig deeper to find the pure stuff for next time, but it only needed 2 tsp. so hopefully it will not suffer too much. Don't tell anyone I faked it!

If it tastes half as good as it smelled, I know I will be making this again. Depending on how late we stay, I will have to report back on how it really turned out. I am waiting to dust the sugar until it's time to serve so I will have to get a photo of that as well. I know it would be more dramatic with the Bavaria pan, but this bundt is still booty-ful.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4 Schmanksgiving

2010-11-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Blog as my witness, one year I will do the 20 post minimum of mofo-ing. I'll have to double check but I don't think I've ever completed one. I think I did slightly better this year than last, but since this is my first post of the last full week, I'm a bit disappointed, but not ready to give up just yet.

I lost that mofo feeling toward the end of last week and just couldn't get it back. I could blame a small part of it on my cycle wiping me out, and then there was the rain which always puts me in slow-mo, but I really think I just got tired of cooking and all of the cleaning that goes with it. I did have fun trying new recipes and using ingredients I've never worked with before. I didn't have any major disasters, so even though I lost some days, this has still been a good experience. There are a few more days left so let's see what happens.

Tonight's dinner was simple and boring. I was so excited to make an amazing dinner at the beginning of the month, but as it drew nearer I was not very interested in Thanksgiving anymore. I always want to make too many things, last year I think I made t-giving three different times/ways. This year was almost an exact repeat of last year I think. Tofurky roast, mac and cheese bites, greens. At least dessert wasn't a letdown. I made my favorite cheesecake and the girls loved it. My niece said it was the best cheesecake I ever made from scratch. It chilled overnight so it was even sweating like real cheesecake, sounds gross but it was so good.

I also made a maple bundt, my first ever in my brand new pan. The whole house smelled lovely while it was baking, so waiting until after tomorrow's dinner to eat it will be quite a challenge.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 3: Fryin' on the Fly

2010-11-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

All week I'd been planning to serve Cholent for Wednesday's dinner but my sister, the biggest stew lover I know, took a look at it and was not interested in it. I told her she would love it since it had her favorite things in it but she said it looked like something else and she didn't want to eat it. I know it wasn't as pretty as the picture in Veganomicon, but I didn't think it looked as horrible as she was making it sound. She said she would get over it and try it but later on I realized that if this is how a 30 year old reacts, I could only imagine what my seven year old niece would say about it. She's already such a picky eater, I didn't want to turn the dinner table into a battlefield.

I had wanted to make fried tofu and greens earlier in the week anyway, so I went ahead with that plan. I made Southern Fried Tofu from The Urban Housewife's recipe, which turned out yummy. I will do smaller pieces of tofu next time so they look prettier, but they still tasted great. I was in a hurry since I changed the dinner menu about an hour before dinner, which is plenty of time for most people but I hate to be rushed in the kitchen so it was a challenge.

The greens were made using a recipe from Vegan Bites, which I don't use often enough. I think I've only made the chili recipe, but I loved it. Anyhow, I made the "Southern Style Greens" which was my first time cooking collards. I followed the recipe but also added about 1/2 of seitan broth to the pan. I usually put a bit of water when I cook greens, but I thought this would give it something extra. My sister loved them, so that made me happy. I didn't want to ruin collards for her on my first try. I liked them too. The only thing I would do differently next time is cook them a bit longer.

I had to cheat with road's end mac and chreese, but we still had lots of great food to eat. For dessert we had our first taste of TJ's Apple Strudel. I don't think there's room for much else after that.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 3: Survey Says!

2010-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

My schedule was shaken up today and I didn't have as much time for Mofo as I thought. Here is a survey I borrowed from Végétalion to tide you over until tomorrow's entry.

What's your favorite spice or spice blend?

Paprika, I add it to almost everything.

You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). what do you buy?

Onions, garlic, cilantro, lemons, carrots and potatoes.

What's your favorite way to make tofu?

I would love to say scrambled, but my favorite is the tofu for egg mc vegans

Vegan guilty pleasure?

Any dessert I can get my grubby mitts on.

If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?

George Clooney because he does all these things for the environment, which are great, but going vegan would help his cause so much more-especially if his admirers would follow suit. Then I could get back together with him :)

If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?

The PPK blog.

Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?

Sometimes I think I might never have learned to cook if not for becoming vegan. I'm also afraid I would have held onto a limited palate/range of cuisine. I'm so happy I know how to cook, still learning every time. I am so glad I made the change when I did.

Excluding analogs, what new things have you tried that you probably wouldn't have as an omni?

So many things to choose from. Growing up we didn't eat a wide variety of foods. It was kind of like- pizza, hamburgers, tacos, rinse and repeat. I didn't have Chinese take out until high school, Thai till college. It's bizarre and weird, but since our parents didn't eat those foods, we didn't either. I remember going to visit a friend in San Francisco after freshman year of college and her friend suggested we get falafel and I didn't want to try it so we all got pizza instead. What a buzzkill! I am a fool for falafel now.

What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can't get behind?

I can't think of any, most of the hype has been true.

What was your first "wow, I'm such a stereotypical vegan" moment?

I'm not sure I've had one yet, but maybe omni friends would disagree.

First recipe you veganized?

I can't remember, but it was probably something really easy like, "oh I'll make ________ and just not put any cheese".

What would you like to veganize, but haven't yet?

Chile rellenos, probably easy, but haven't done it yet.

Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?

No fave appliance but I have a favorite wooden spoon and a favorite rubber spatula that are "mine". I use them almost exclusively even though we have all kinds of tools.

Most disastrous kitchen failure?

My first attempt at seitan or the time I was taking cookies out of the oven and a few slid off the sheet, back into the oven and made a huge melty smelly mess.

First vegan cookbook?

I got Vegan With A Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World for Christmas.

What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?

It's probably a tie between "what do you eat?" and "does it bother you that I'm eating this in front of you?".

If you could tell the world one thing about vegans, what would it be?

We're just normal people who happen to be slightly more awesome than others. We are not starving or suffering from not eating animals. Compassion tastes great.

Funniest vegetable?

Any that resemble genitalia, my immaturity gets the better of me at times.

What is a family recipe you have veganized?

We don't really have family recipes. Sad, right?

Weirdest food combination ?

Any savory recipes that involve fruit still seem weird to me. I have to try them and prove myself wrong.

Is there something you wish you could veganize, but can't/couldn't?

Pastrami sandwich, but I'm sure someone is working on it, or has already cracked it.

Favorite ways to prepare tofu, seitan, tempeh, any other vegan proteins?

Breaded and baked or fried

Are your pets vegan?

Not yet. I tried to switch my dog's food over summer and it didn't take but I am going to try again.

Favorite non-dairy milk?

Plain almond milk. I just switched a month ago and I love it. It's 60 calories less than soymilk per serving and it tastes great.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 3: TVP's repeat after me, say Yum Yum Yum (yum yum yum)

2010-11-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

I never have a plan for Mofo, but there is always the underlying idea that I will make food I have never made before and dust off the cookbooks I am underusing. Yesterday I made the Cholent from Veganomicon for tonight's dinner since the recipe said it tastes better after a night in the fridge. I couldn't find TVP chunks so I had to use crumbles (I already feel Isa giving me the evil eye). I got everything else ready and decided to use 1/2 cup of seitan broth for the vegetable broth/white wine option. It was going along great until I checked my pot and the potatoes and carrots were still quite firm. Apparently I cut them too big so I had to let it simmer a bit longer. Not a big deal, but as I am always telling my niece, you have to follow directions.

I'm not sure what to serve with it yet but I am leaning toward bread. Or maybe I will crumble crackers on top like the V-con gals do. I just don't want to use rice. It's embarrassing to admit but I can make so many complicated dishes, yet I mess up the easy ones like cooking rice, go figure. Anyhow, I took a small taste before I put the stew to bed and it was lovely, so I can only imagine how much better it will taste tonight.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 3: Cheesier Said Than Done

2010-11-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last night I made "Macaroni and Cheese Soup" from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas. I checked the book out last year, made copies of some recipes, and that was the end of it. I have a recipe binder project I am working on so I recently rediscovered tons of recipes I wanted to try but simply haven't. I love mac and cheese and soup, so this should be perfect, right?

I think I set the "mac and cheese" expectation a bit too high. I don't think it really tasted like any mac and cheese I've ever had, but I don't think it was supposed to. It's still a delicious soup but I would rename it "Cheesy Peas-y soup" instead. I do like the idea of using the white bean puree as a base, especially if you're making this for kids. It's a great way to sneak in protein and fiber. I put a whole bag of daiya cheddar in it, but still wanted more cheesy-ness. I added about 1/4 cup nooch and some other seasons to taste. It is definitely a mild soup, which is again, great for kids, but for adults you might want to add your own fave spices.

I'm already not the best photographer, but it was really tough to get a decent shot of this one. To make up for that, here is a cheesier photo of me with my coupon from WayFare Foods that came in the mail today (thanks to human_oven from the PPK). They make this amazing product called "We Can't Say It's Cheese" that you just have to try if you're vegan (or lactose intolerant) and used to love cheese.It's dairy, soy, and nut-free. I first tried the Hickory Cheddar in hopes it would taste like the gross bacon-cheese spray I ate back in 6th grade. It was better. Next I tried the Cheddar spread, which might have survived for three days, maximum. I will have to try the other varieties and report back soon.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 2: Day Off On the Town

2010-11-12T23:54:00.000-08:00

Since we all had the day off today, which is rare since two of the four of us work in retail, we decided to make the most of it (sort of).We gals had a big breakfast of Egg McVegans and morning tv relax time. I am not normally a fan of The View but it's required viewing on my sister's days off. Today they celebrated Whoopi's birthday with all sorts of Martha Stewart radness and also unveiled a forthcoming Wii game that makes me want to cave in and buy a Wii even though my last game system was the o.g. NES twenty plus years ago. Anyhow, We were not due at our first stop until 2 p.m. so we didn't have to be dressed and lovely until 1 p.m. at the latest. I was proud to be dressed, made up and have the dog walked before it was time to leave. Usually I am the lagger but today that title went to my sister, phew!

Our first stop was the L.A. Tamale Throwdown. My sister found it on a site of things to do in L.A./O.C. and the promise of vegan tamales was all we needed to get on the road. When our cousin was vegan, our tia used to make us all vegan tamales, but since he sold out over the summer I think the tamales are toast. He claims he was sad shortly before our grandma passed away and wanted his mom to cook him a steak to make him feel better. I'm not sure I believe his mis-steak excuse and want to wear a "Never Trust An Ex-Vegan" tee to the holiday gatherings, but I don't think my grandma would like that. Plus I want to wear something that shows off the figure I've been carving out the last few months.

The Tamale Throwdown was held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in L.A. I knew it wasn't going to be festival sized but they just about filled up the parking lot with lots of goodness. As soon as we got there I cruised the food alley scanning for a huge sign that said "vegan" on it. I was pleased to find "Vera's Tamale Express" at the second to last stop. I'm glad I got there first because I got the last vegan tamale, at least for the next 20 minutes until they could steam some more. I went to get a 32 oz. Jamaica and then I was ready to sit down and chow down. The tamale was yummy and I almost wanted another one until I remembered we had two more stops to make- Sanrio Small Gift Carnival and Real Food Daily. After everyone else got their food and finished eating, we did a bit of shopping, I got a big faced caricature, and we left for Santa Monica.

I couldn't get out of the car fast enough to get to the Sanrio event, but once I got inside I was overwhelmed and didn't know what to do first. I made my sister and her fiancé take pictures of me with anything that would stand still. I missed the photo with Hello Kitty because I was getting game tickets ($2 each, most games are only one ticket). I really lucked out on the games, most I won the first prize but on the Tuxedo Sam version of Plinko, I had to keep trying to win the tote I wanted. In all I walked away with the coveted tote, a water bottle, a cup, a keychain, a mini dry erase board and some consolation bookmarks-not bad for the $22 I spent on tickets, right? Then I hit up the store and did some damage there as well.

After we spent most of our money and worked up an appetite, it was time to head to Real Food Daily for a late dinner. All day I had been planning on getting the Reuben since I've never ordered it before. I never had one in my omni days or else I would have wanted the vegan version a lot sooner. My sister brought home half a sammich from Clark's over the summer and it was good- so I just imagined a fresher sammich from RFD would be a million times better. I couldn't have been more right. I am glad I tried something new that will probably be my #1 go-to from now on, sorry Tac-o' the Town. For dessert I really wanted to get the Pecan Pie, which would have been another first for me, but since it was late, they were out. I ordered the Gingerbread Cake and was pleasantly surprised once more. I almost couldn't finish it, but I did.

We got home about an hour ago so this still counts for Friday on the left coast. I have to get up early for my hike tomorrow, wish me luck!

P.S. The Tamale Throwdown is going on tomorrow too so check it out. The Sanrio Carnival runs through Nov. 21. Parking is $10 but admission is free. There are some special events that you need tickets for that sound fun too.

Vegan Mofo IV Week Two: TV Dinner

2010-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last night we had Tempeh-Oatmeal Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic. The meatloaf recipe was from Vegetarian Times and the Green Beans from The Neelys of Food Network Fame. I've never tried to make a vegan meatloaf and I've never made green beans either. It's funny how often you can cook but still not cook a lot of things you think you would have made years ago. It's a little embarassing too, but we'll get over it in time.

The meatloaf was going along fine until I forgot it involved the food processor. Not a big deal to get it down from the high shelf, I just thought I had everything out already. The other thing I didn't do was read through the recipe to see how long it had to bake. I ended up getting everything in the oven about half an hour later than I should have so dinner was later than I expected. The good thing was my sister came home and was able to help me out with a few things. She is the designated potato masher but since I was on round one of dishes, she chopped and got them in the pot too. Thanks sis!

Luckily everything worked out just fine. I was able to get the beans boiled, blanched and ready to sautee. I ahd time to mince garlic and zest lemon while waiting for the water to heat up, phew! The meatloaf didn't really taste like meatloaf but it was good. The marinara gave it an Italian vibe, which is why I wanted lemony green beans, even if they didn't quite go with the mashed potatoes. All in all it was a good meal. My niece didn't like the lemon on the beans but she ate everything else. For dessert we each ate a Tofutti Yours Truly drumstick. It was a good day.

Vegan Mofo IV Week Two: Hail Seitan

2010-11-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

I tried making seitan a few years ago and it didn't work.I kept buying more vital wheat gluten in hopes of trying again, but I never did until yesterday. I was still nervous as to what would happen, but I knew if I just took my time and followed the directions it should be fine. I made the Simple Seitan from Veganomicon since it's the bible, and it claimed to be easier than the VWAV recipe.

After I got it all kneaded and threw it in the pot, I did the dishes, relaxed and hoped for the best. Then I took the dog for a walk while it cooled down. I wasn't sure what recipe I would use it for so I didn't cut it up, just stored it in the broth until I made up my mind. Later on, I flipped through cookbooks to find something to make with my new masterpiece. I chose the Breaded Seitan Nuggets from Table for Two, knowing I would be short on time this morning and I could feed them to my niece for lunch tomorrow.

The nuggets turned out great. I ate more than the one or two I thought I would test before putting them away for another day. I tried them with barbecue sauce and ketchup, and it pains me to say this, but they tasted so much better with ketchup. My niece tried a few after school and rated them 7 out of 10. She is a tough judge.

Now that I'm not afraid of seitan, I want to try more recipes, like the Almost All American Seitan Pot Pie. I would have done it today, but I was already making Tempeh-Oatmeal Meatloaf. We'll save some heartiness for the weeks to come.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 2: Sweet Savings

2010-11-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Sprouts Farmers Market in Brea since it is so much better than the one by our house. We have a Sprouts, a Henry's and just got a Trader Joe's last year. I know I shouldn't complain since some people might not have any of those at all, but I so dearly wish we would get a Whole Foods out here already. Anyhow, we went to the Brea store about a month ago when we were on other O.C. errands. They had the Tofutti Yours Truly and some yogurts my mom liked, so we decided to make a special trip just for those and the TVP that Henry's didn't have the other night.

I found my TVP, so I grabbed two bags just in case I run out in between runs to Mother's. Their quinoa pastas were on sale but they were out of the shells and elbows which are my new go-to mac. I did get lucky with the baking supplies though. The Bob's Red Mill big bags of flour were 2 for $5. I also got some shredded coconut, a new bottle of vanilla, and more canned pumpkin. Since I miss the Vitasoy chocolate peppermint drink I am going to try the Westsoy version. They were 2 for $3, so hopefully we like it and can go back for more. Almost all of the baking essentials were on sale so if you're running low on supplies and cash-you should definitely check them out. Usually their prices are a bit higher than other stores, but today I got lucky. Did I mention their tofu was only 99 cents?

My favorite thing I bought was the Florida Crystals sugar in the paper bag. It looked so cute all dressed up like the sugar I used to buy. I didn't really need any since I just bought the plastic jug of it a week ago, but it was so adorable I had to bring it home with me. The baking section of the pantry was even more overcrowded after these purchases so I had to reorganize it. I went to Big Lots and got a plastic sterilite box to put all my extracts, spices, baking cups and other small items into. It is still a bit cramped but it looks so much better than it used to. I'll bet it looks super messy to everyone else but I have to share the cupboard with omni's so it's the best I can do with the amount of space I have right now.

Seitan is simmering on the stove as I type this. It's only my second attempt, so let's hope I have a success story to share tomorrow.

P.S. I had pumpkin waffles for breakfast this morning- amazing! My mom tried a few bites and she liked them too which is a triumph since she usually says vegan things taste odd.

Vegan Mofo IV: Week 2- Waffle Iron Maiden

2010-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

I just made my first batch of waffles, ever! We've had the waffle iron for a few months now but I've never used it all by myself. Ever since I was a kid, everyone would make fun of me for being uncoordinated or clumsy. I was stupid enough to believe it for way too long, but now I know, it's not true, at least not most of the time. Since I have the house to myself today, I knew I could try and make waffles without anyone poking their nose or comments in my face. It was really fun and I only goofed up once, hooray!

We had waffles on Friday night and it made me want to eat more waffles. Also I felt bad for cheating with mix and I wanted to do some from scratch. It always tastes better and I like to pretend I'm exercising my whisking/stirring muscles while I do it. I had been wanting to make the Pumpkin Waffles from VWAV since forever so I finally did. I had everything I needed, so I just had to re-read the waffle iron instructions and get down to business.

Everything mixed up beautifully but the batter was still rather thick. I re-read the manufacturer's instructions and it said for thicker batter to use more, which should make sense, but I am an instruction reader, so I had to find out that way. The first waffle takes the longest and after that it is smooth sailing. I was doing great until the 4th or 5th one when I started pouring the batter without spraying the iron first, so I only got to spray one side of it. Thankfully it didn't get burned or stuck, but I made sure not to do that again.

They smelled like delicious pumpkin spiced goodness and I couldn't wait to eat them all up. The recipe said 24 regular waffles or 12 Belgian waffles. I don't know what kind of crazy waffle iron I have or what kind of crazy mixing I did but I only got about 6. It's okay though because I was afraid of having too many extra.They were quite filling so I only ate two. I can't wait for someone else to try them, but if they don't love them, it's just more for me.

Vegan Mofo IV Day 5: BFD (Breakfast For Dinner)

2010-11-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

In my pre-vegan days, "breakfast served all day" was my favorite phrase on a menu or restaurant window. I know there are some vegan-friendly places that offer such an option, but I am not lucky enough to live near them. So, in the grand tradition of vegans everywhere, you do it your damn self. Tonight we had waffles and sausage.

For the waffles we cheated with a mix, but we added bananas, vanilla and cinnamon. The "sausage" was gimme lean, to which we added extra fennel seed for the first time. I'll have to remember to add it again next time. I like making quick meals and I love easy clean up even more. I was in charge of the sausage, so after that was done, I was the waffle catcher and started washing the dishes.

I had three waffles, which is one more than I would normally have but they were so good, I went for it. I am glad we invested in a waffle maker a few months ago. There are lots more waffle recipes I want to try. I want to do a "chicken and waffles" night too.

This wraps up the first week of mofo. It was a slow start, but I'm going to keep going and try harder each week. Have a good weekend y'all!

Vegan Mofo IV Day 4 Cheezy Life

2010-11-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago my sister's fiancé G surprised us with a menu from Cheezy Pizza, a place in Colton that offers vegan pizzas, calzones and cheesy breadsticks loaded with daiya deliciousness. We used to go to Pizza Kiln in Moreno Valley but if I remember correctly, they closed and merged with Pizza Time in Norco. It was supposed to be the same as Pizza Kiln as far as the vegan offerings, but much to our dismay, that never happened. We still could get vegan pies from Zpizza or just make our own, but what we really would miss were the calzones.

Cheezy Pizza is a slight reincarnation of Pizza Kiln. When G went to pick up our food he saw one of the ladies who used to work at Pizza Kiln. It turns out she was the one responsible for bringing in the vegan vendors and therefore, the vegan customers. I don't know the whole backstory of what happened and I really do not care to get into it. All I know is calzones are back and I'm happy to have another semi-local vegan option. Last I heard, the website wasn't completely up to date, so it's probably best to give a call before heading over. Even though we're ordering tonight, I hope the 15% off all Vegan orders on weekends promo is true.

Last time we ordered two calzones,two pizzas, cheesy breadsticks and jalapeño poppers, our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. Luckily we are huge fans of leftovers and it was all gone by the next night. That night was our first time trying the jalapeño poppers. Since it's a pizza place, I don't know why I thought they would have cheddar daiya, but I did. They did not resemble traditional poppers, but were more like daiya mozzarella-jalapeño calzones, which isn't a bad thing, trust me. I "had" to eat them all since they were too hot for everyone else. The jalapeños got the better of me too, since I've only come to appreciate them in the last few years. I had to take some of them out. Don't tell my grandma, okay?

Photo was borrowed from Cheezy Pizza's FB page since our food isn't here yet.

Vegan Mofo IV Day 3: Tempeh Helper

2010-11-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

For tonight's dinner I made Isa's Tempeh Helper. I had most of the ingredients on hand since I've been wanting to make it ever since I read it on the ppk blog. Why the procrastination? I have no idea, but I won't let it happen again. It turned out great, even though I made a teeny tiny mistake.

Instead of using Frontier Chicken Broth powder for the helper and for the sauce, I only used two tablespoons of c.b.p. in the sauce. I thought they were the same until I was starting the sauce and didn't have enough left in one packet and opened another.Why were they two different colors? Oh because they are two different powders! Since it was my first time making it, I'm not sure how "off" it is for mixing flavors. I definitely want to try it again using all chicken or all veg broth powder.

I'm starting to get a head cold so I was too stuffed up to really taste it, but my sister said it was good and my niece ate hers up without too much resistance. She usually tries to pick apart new dishes to find an excuse to not eat them, but tonight she was open to it. She loved the cheezy sauce. We also had some sauteed spinach which I mixed in with my second helping and gobbled it all up. You're supposed to feed a cold, right?

That's it for now. I've got to get some tea, take Penny for a final walk and start resting so I can be a better mofo mañana.

Vegan Mofo IV Day Two : Apple Crack

2010-11-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Even though we do not experience all four seasons in California, Autumn is my favorite for one lovely reason: Honeycrisp apples. I start trolling the supermarket aisles in anticipation the last few weeks of September hoping to catch the first harvest. It's a little crazy, but if you've had one you understand.

I used to be all about Fuji, until a few years ago when I was visiting a friend in Austin and she turned me on to Honeycrisp. I haven't looked back since. I've managed to get a few more people hooked, but haven't told too many folks, for fear of depleting the local supply. I'm not good at sharing, sorry.

Luckily the store my sister works at has an amazing deal right now, $4.88 for a 3 lb. bag. I can go through a bag or a bag and half a week if left to my own devices. I have been eating two a day for the past few weeks, but every now and then I'll sneak in a third. They're just so delicious I can't help myself. An open bag is an empty bag.

p.s. Sorry for the short entry but I spent most of my day at the DMV. I had a honeycrisp apple, yummy tempeh scramble from Vegan Brunch, two cups of tea and it was time to go get in line.

Mo! Fo! Let's go!

2010-11-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

I love that the first day of Vegan Mofo IV also falls on World Vegan Day. Let's keep the festival of firsts rolling.

Today I made my first recipe from Appetite for Reduction, Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew. As a vegan chubster, to say I am eagerly anticipating the release of this book is an understatement. I already pre-ordered my copy, but only noticed a few days ago there were teaser recipes on the ppk. Since I have white beans coming out of my ears and I love soups and stews, I couldn't wait to try this recipe, especially since it was raining when I read it. I bought all my ingredients and then came home to find out the forecast for this week is high 80's to low 90's which only bummed me out for a second since I knew the stew would still be amazing.

This was my first time using parsnips and fennel seed. I've wanted to try a dish with parnsips for about a year now but just haven't for some ridiculous reason. I have extra parsnips, carrots and potatoes left over so I'm thinking a roasted vegetable dish should be happening sometime later in the week. I haven't planned a Thanksgiving menu yet so I'll most likely be trying a recipe or two each week until I get it right. I have a pile of tear-outs and copies of wonderful seasonal recipes and I'm sure there are tons of suggestions from fellow mofo's who always inspire (and sometimes intidimidate) me.

I think my stew came out stewier/starchier than Isa's, but it still looks and tastes delicious. I have an omni friend who is trying to make the transition to veganism so I am definitely going to send some her way. We'll turn them all out eventually, one bite at a time.

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Check out my pup-kin! This is Penny's first Halloween costume and now I'm not sure it will be her last. I had no thoughts of buying one but last night we were at the pet store and the costumes were 75% off. I had an additional 15% off from my sister's fiancé, how could I say no? I was tempted to dress her as a cow or a pig, but her head is too large for the hoods on those. Then I saw the pumpkin cape and that sealed the deal. I got an xl so it would fit her length, but she is not round enough to fill it out so next time I'll get a large. I had to bribe her with cookies to get her to stay still so the first shot is before and the second is after.

Happy Halloween everybody!

Keep On Walking

2010-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 4th AIDS Walk. I look forward to the event every year, but this year I was even more excited since I am so much more fit than I was last year. I still have a way to go, but I'm definitely getting there. I slacked on getting pledges so I sponsored myself just enough to get the t-shirt. Last year I got a uni-small and squeezed into it, just barely. I wasn't sure how it would be this time. Since it was cool and drizzly, I was wearing two tank tops and a long sleeved t-shirt, who knew if there was room for all those layers? Thanks to my exercise efforts I was able to fit everything in and still have a bit of room in the tummy. I felt great, but the best part was when I met up with my sister and she told me I looked good. It's such a boost to have other people notice you've been working hard. Did I mention I also wore a skirt a size smaller than last year? Well I did.

The day before I went for my weekly trail walk/run with friends. It was a total of six miles, so we walked three miles up and then ran/jogged three miles back. The first time I did the trail I hated it because it seemed so boring, until it was time to run the return and I couldn't hang. Maybe it was not as fun as the 5 mile hike I had done the week before but it kicked my butt, and then some. This weekend was my third attempt at the trail and after two weeks of the "fun" hike I was not looking forward to it, mostly since I was afraid of getting my ass handed to me again. I surprised everyone by keeping my pace and jogging the whole way back, which I've never been able to do before. I wasn't kicking dust in anyone's face, but I was proud to have finished without stopping. I watched the street numbers get smaller and pushed myself to keep going. My friend gave me a high five when I finished a few seconds behind her. When our other friend finished just after us she told me I'm starting to look more shapely. Thanks ladies, couldn't have done it without you.

Calling All Mofo's

2010-10-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad it's almost time for Vegan MOFO. If anything will pull you out of a cooking/baking/blogging slump, this is it. This will be my third and hopefully best MOFO to date. Last year I slacked so I've definitely got to make up for it. Luckily I have finally gone through tons of magazines and my recipe binders are finally organized, as is my shelf of cookbooks. I have everything I need to make amazing food all month long and so much more time to do it while I'm unemployed. I'll have to do an inventory of the pantry and stock up on any staples I may be missing. I cannot wait to see what everyone else puts out. I'm always inspired by this event. If you're interested in making a go of it, sign up here by November 2.

Somebody Give This Guy A Muffin!

2010-10-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

A banana surplus is not always a bad thing. If I didn't mess up and buy too many, there wouldn't be any banana chocolate chip muffins to welcome my niece and sister home after three weeks of house-sitting. I thought it would be a vacation for me and a test-run for them, but it wasn't what any of us thought it would be. My niece was still here a few days after school each week until my sister or her fiancé could collect her. I went to "their" house for dinner once each week, but it wasn't as good as at home. We complain about our kitchen being so small but it does have all the equipment we need (though there are a few things we still want of course). I think my favorite part of the visit was not having to clean up afterward.

Anyway, back to the muffins. I was going to wait for the others, but just couldn't. They turned out lovely. I really do need to get an oven thermometer before the holidays though. The baking time was 20-30 minutes so I set my timer for 20. Somewhere between 10 and 15 it started to smell like they might be burning so I opened the oven to find out they were indeed done, and a few overdone. Not a big deal, just penciled a note about the time in my book and put the toastier ones aside. I enjoy food just on the edge of burned, but I wouldn't serve it to anyone else.

Tricky oven aside, it was a great recipe from The Joy Of Vegan Baking by Collen Patrick-Goudreau. I love her recipes and I am still mad at myself that I lost the library's copy of The Vegan Table before I could even get a good look at it. I'm hoping to find it somewhere in this house. I already bought a replacement copy for the library, so if I find the old one it's mine to keep.

Rules to Live (Better) By

2010-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Food Rules is the first Michael Pollan book I've read, but it will definitely not be the last. It's under 150 pages and everyone should read it. I borrowed a copy from the library but I think I will buy a copy to share and keep in the kitchen.

Even though a lot the rules reflect common sense, we all know that common sense it isn't as common as we think. While he does encourage us to eat mostly plants, this is not a "vegan" book, it's for everyone. We all need to take better care of ourselves and choose wisely when deciding what we put into our bodies.

Here are my ten favorite rules from the book. Some I already follow and others are goals to be achieved. At the moment #60 and #39 will require the most effort.

#2: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

#3: Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.

#5: Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients.

#13: Eat only foods that will eventually rot.

#19: If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.

#37: "The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead."

#39: Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

#47: Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored.

#50: "The banquet is in the first bite."

#60: Treat treats as treats.

Pinky the Heroic Pup

2010-09-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

There are so many horrible media stories about pit bulls. When I see something like this it always cheers me up, even if they did not mention Pinky's breed! To say they are great dogs is an understatement. It is unfortunate that due to some heinous human behavior, these lovely animals now have a bad reputation. Too many people forget they were once known as "nanny" dogs in England. Luckily there are still many people who love and treat them as family.

Sweet Victory

2010-08-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

My weight loss bet ended last weekend. Results are as follows: I lost 10 lbs, my dad lost 2 lbs, my future brother gained 1.5 lbs and my mom opted not to weigh in after she knew my number. No one really congratulated with me, which was not too surprising since no one was really competing with me after the first week or two. I still wanted to celebrate and spend some of my winnings on something we could all enjoy. Up top is my victory cake that we ordered from Some Crust Bakery. We love their vegan cakes and will use any excuse to order one. I got chocolate cake with vegan bettercream and fresh strawberries for the filling.The quote is from a SATC episode, so bonus points if anyone recognizes it.

The contest may be over, but I am still working hard to get to my goal. I even uploaded photos to weightmirror.com to see what my "after" will look like. It's not completely accurate of course but the approximation is still rather inspiring. At first I just used older pictures I had saved to the computer, but then I asked my sister to take new ones, which no one else is allowed to see since I got down to my underthings. I printed it out and posted it in my room so I can keep an eye on the prize. I will probably do a more "public" set to put up on the fridge too.

I've also been working at rearranging my room, which I've been wanting to do ever since the huge bed took over. There are a few small details to sort out but the vision I had is almost fully realized. I will have to paint eventually but for now I just wanted to open up more space, get rid of tons of old clothes/things I no longer need and get organized again. Keeping busy has definitely helped me stick to my program. I don't engage "bored eating" like I would have in the past. I'm going to try to stop doing it entirely since it's a bad habit.

I'm just glad to be getting myself back on track, in many areas. It feels great to have order and control again. I am still embarrassed that I ever let that happen but I can't dwell on it. I can only keep going forward. I went for a hike last weekend with a friend and am going again this weekend. I am excited to keep that up since it was so gorgeous up there and it's great for my bum which could use a boost.