Taquito Time!

I really wanted to make a chorizo/papa frittata but is too hot to use the oven. I know it's November, but this is California so we don't know what that means. Good thing it isn't too hot to stand at the stove and fry up some greasy goodness. I messed up and put too much oil so these are greasier than they should be. If you are careful, yours will come out super tasty and you'll feel less guilty about eating them. I drained them the best I could. This was the first batch on their first pile of napkins. I put down fresh ones and let them drain some more.

I used the chorizo I made from Vegan Brunch to make "Taquitos with Chorizo and Potatoes" from Viva Vegan. There is a chorizo recipe in Terry's book too, but I used Isa's because I already had all the ingredients. I did my chopping/juicing/measuring while the potatoes cooked so I was ready to mix up the filling as soon as they were done. I warmed all my torts and kept them covered in a towel so they would stay soft. I added the filling, some FYH Monterey Jack and did my best to roll them well before dropping them into the pan of (too much) oil. I've never made taquitos before but my family always uses toothpicks to keep them closed. Terry doesn't do that and cooks the seam side first to seal it shut. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, but I had to give it a try. It worked! Only one taquito came undone. Next time I will just gently roll them over instead of trying to pick them up by one end with the tongs and flip them. I'm not the best fryer/flipper of things so it takes me way longer than other people. With time I'll get better and quicker, yay!

These came out great. I had only put about one and a half sausages because I was afraid it would be too much but next time I will add two. I also want to have beans, rice and guacamole to go with it- and I can since I know how to make all my own now after mofo. I had cooked beans on Monday but I didn't have time to do the rice or go to the store to get stuff for guac. I could do it now but there wouldn't be enough taquitos to justify it. Next time I'll do the beans, rice and chorizo ahead and just make the taquitos and guac the day I'm ready to eat it all. It's just too many dishes for one day, both the cooking and washing. It's worth the trouble though. I love home cooked food!

Vegan Mofo VI- Day 9: Frittering My Time Away

I love apples and am thrilled that Honeycrisps are back in season. They have been hard to find in our area so I was super excited when I had my first one last week. We did a storytime about apples at work and my co-worker brought in a variety of apples to show the children. When we were getting ready to go home she wanted to divide the apples up amongst us. I told her I'd take whatever she wanted to give me but she knew which ones I wanted most so she gave me 3 of the Honeycrisps. Yay!

I think they taste perfect on their own but sometimes I will dip them in peanut butter. Since I had extras I thought I would try using them in a recipe. I didn't have enough for a pie and didn't have time to make donuts, so I decided on fritters. I printed the recipe and planned to make them on Friday or Saturday but I didn't get around to making them until today.

They turned out great! My sister stopped by on lunch break to try them and loved them too. I think next time I will use a cookie scoop to drop them into the pan so they come out more uniform, but as long as they are evenly cooked through I don't think anyone will complain. I was tempted to make another batch before putting everything away, but I realized that wouldn't be a good idea. I'd rather make them again when there are a few more mouths around to enjoy them. I definitely plan to make them again, but will probably just dust them with powdered sugar rather than trying to glaze them.

I'm glad these were a success because they were the last recipe to be mixed in my favorite bowl. It was on the very top of the dish rack and I somehow managed to knock it off. I didn't even think to try and catch it because it's hard plastic. I thought it would just fall and then I'd pick it up and re-wash it. I quickly learned I was wrong when I felt a chunk of plastic hit my leg. It cracked in half and a few small pieces went flying. It's silly but I am sad to not have my favorite bowl anymore. It was a good size and we made tons of delicious treats together. I hope I find another bowl I like almost as much. I need to start looking because I have tons of baking on my to-do list.

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.

Nobody Beats the Count*

 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.