Are You Smuggling Seitan Sausages or Just Happy To See Me?

I really bombed the last few weeks of mofo so I am going to try to make up for them. I am still on a budget and trying to make the most of the cookbooks and ingredients I already have. You should do it even if you aren't on a budget since wasting food is terrible and sleeping on your cookbooks can really bum you out when you realize all the awesome stuff you could be making.

I have been in love with seitan since some time last year when I finally switched over to the "steam team" and had great results. Even though its really easy and you can do a bunch of other things while you wait for them to cook, I don't make seitan as often as I should. I have been wanting breakfast/brunch type foods so when I flipped through Vegan Brunch I knew it was time to get of the dime and make the "Chorizo Sausages."

These came out great. I love that they have the flavor of chorizo but without all of the grease. I halved the crushed red pepper and avoided the cayenne because I didn't want them to be too hot. I'm building my spice tolerance but since I was planning on serving these to my niece I wanted her to be able to enjoy them too. Whenever I make seitan, we call it "meat log" so I asked her if she wanted to try the "meat log". She loved it. I asked her if it was too spicy and she said it had a little kick to it but it was really good. She had a few little slices while I was prepping and we made some chorizo/cheese cracker sammiches too. I really wanted to make a frittata but it was just too warm this week so I am going to make the "Taquitos with Chorizo and Potatoes" from Viva Vegan instead. There's a chorizo recipe in that book too!

Scrambled Torts are Tops!

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!

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

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.

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

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 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 2: Slam!



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!

Omelet You In On a Secret*

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!

Photograffiti

 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.

  

Vegan Mofo IV Week 4: Coffee (Cake) Talk

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 Day Two : Apple Crack

 
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.

dinner thyme

I don't know how not to say this in a way that doesn't sound nerdy, but tempeh and I are friends now. The first few times I tried to cook with it were complete misses. I would keep buying more so I could try again but I would get discouraged and conveniently forget about the bricks of protein in the refrigerator (until it was time to toss them out). I always feel horrible when I waste food and money so I stopped buying it since I knew I was not going to cook it.

Then Vegan Brunch along and saved the day. The "Basic Scrambled Tempeh" looked so wonderful in the photo I had to give it another chance. The ingredients were so simple, it would be tough even for me to mess it up. The first time I made it I admit I wasn't sold on the "earthiness" of the tempeh. It was good but I thought it needed something. I made it again and it turned out, all it "needed" was a bit more salt. I also added another bell pepper. Now I eat scrambled tempeh at least once a week, usually on Thursdays for some reason. I made a few ingredient swaps: sweet onion instead of red, spinach instead of chard and yellow instead of red. I think I'll be out of thyme in a few more weeks. I've never blown through it so fast.

Now that tempeh and I are friends there is only one problem, my sister wants to be friends with her too.

If You Lived Here We'd Be Home Fries

I had breakfast all day on Friday. I really did. For breakfast I had egg mc vegans, three of them to be exact. We usually have potatoes, or another person eating with us, but since it was just me and my sister we were each allowed three sammiches. I ate all of mine but she did not. Needless to say I did not have lunch because I was still full from breakfast. It was basically half a brick of tofu, 3 English muffins, four slices veg Canadian bacon and about three slices of Tofutti American singles. But I drank Chocolate Silk Light, so that balances it out, right?

For dinner we had belgian waffles, Diner Home Fries (from VB and V'Con) and Gimme Lean sausage patties. I just realized that Gimme Lean is supposed to sound like Jimmy Dean. Duh! Anyhow I'd been wanting a waffle maker for a while now and they had some at my sister's work. After a few rounds of markdowns, she brought home a Waring Pro for only $24. It is so much better than the waffle iron we had twenty something years ago, which is the last time I had homemade waffles. I think it had visible springs on it and I remember it was a pain to clean it. Maybe that is why we stopped having waffles. Luckily this new one is super easy to clean and quite idiot-friendly. It came with a measuring cup for the batter and beeps to tell you when your waffle is ready. Our first waffles were from a box mix because we were in too much of a hurry to play with our new toy. After I replace the maple syrup I am going to make some from scratch. The Pumpkin Waffles from VWAV are really calling to me and you best believe I am gonna answer.


p.s. Penny's Food Revolution lost a battle so this little home fry has rice on her nose. We will win the war...eventually.

when life gives you lemons...

make mini lemon poppy seed muffins from Vegan Brunch!

My niece helped me make these today on our third day of spring break awesomeness. I measured everything out, using all the prep bowls and a few shot glasses. Then she poured the ingredients into the bowl as directed. We had fun making these and it was a good math lesson/time killer as well. We yielded 36 mini mofo's. I think we will double the recipe next time since they are so quickly devoured.

on the dole

I got my first unemployment check yesterday. I always forget how they arrive at the amount so at first I was a bit disappointed, but some money coming in is better than no money coming in at all. Plus I already deferred my student loans so I do not really have any bills other than food and helping with utilities. I will make it work. I already know how "short" I will be compared to my regular payroll but since my expenses are down it should balance out. I have definitely gotten much better at managing my finances these last 7 years. I had a decent amount saved up before I got laid off, but I am going to try to hold on to that and keep building on it. I need to roll over my 401k too.

It's definitely time for some pantry cooking around here too. I need to see what I already have on hand and plan meals from that. I have already been cooking a breakfast/lunch that I eat for the whole week. French Scramble, Scrambled Tempeh, or Quinoa Red Bean Burritos. I made the tempeh two weeks ago but forgot to post it. I always have trouble with tempeh, so I am going to try again this week. I might make snobby Joe's too. For Easter I am going to bring Texas Caviar and maybe a pie or cheesecake. I have two graham crusts I haven't used yet, for shame!

Happy Penniversary!

If I knew one year ago that this little one was going to be so much trouble, would she be here now? Probably. I'd like to say next dog around I will be smarter and not let me heart follow me home, but that's not always how it works. I'm hoping since we survived the first year, the rest should go by much more smoothly, but I won't hold my breath. This dog has been, and most likely will continue to be, a challenge. She definitely shook things up around here and we haven't been the same since. We're all the better for it, though I can't say the same for some patio furniture.

I originally wanted to make a cake or some other treat to celebrate but since she is doing so well after her meds and remaining on the i/d diet, I don't want to mess anything up. I did get some treats of my own in the mail today: vegan twinkies, s'mores from sweet & sara, vegan brunch book and the latest issue of bust. So far we've only tried the twinkies which do not really taste like twinkies so I was kind of bummed. They tasted more like the v-con jelly donut cupcakes without the jelly and there wasn't too much filling inside. They weren't totally bad since I love the cupcakes, but I am going to get a pan and make my own like I have been saying for ages now. The s'mores are a sure thing and remind me more of moonpies than s'mores, but who cares, eat them! I can't decide what to make first from the brunch book, probably scrambled tortillas or the omelet. I also want lemon poppy seed muffins really bad so who knows? I am psyched to read the Kathy Griffin interview, but kind of confused that her cover picture seems way small compared to others. Usually the cover gal's face dominates the page and Kathy's head is seriously 1" square. Maybe I'm trippin', but I love the Kathy and it doesn't seem fair that she was shorted some face space. Funny girls need love too!