Vegan Mofo V Day 31: ¡Adios Mofos!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!!!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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?