Vegan Mofo VI- Day 15- I Love L.A.!

Woo hoo! What a great turn out for AIDS Walk Los Angeles yesterday. We got there early enough to make our way super close to the starting line which has never happened since we are usually running late. I was so excited. Then my sister pointed out a staff member who was looking for people to carry signs. I had to do it! You could drop them off at any of the checkpoints along the route but I ended up dumping mine at the first one because I was also weighed down by my purse. After I ate/drank some of the things that were my bag, I was able to pick up a sign again at another checkpoint and carry it the rest of the way, yay! It was a gorgeous day and we raised a bunch of money.

After our walk, we stopped for lunch at Veggie Grill at the Farmer's Market. I didn't know what to order since I'd only been there one other time. I knew I loved the Mac-n-Cheese, Buffalo Wings and Steamin' Kale. The "Crab" Cake was good too, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I thought about getting the Buffalo Bomber (sammich) and upgrading my side to kale, but I would still want mac and that is too much food, even for me. So in the end, I decided to just order two sides and a starter. If they would just make this into a bowl it would be easier for me to order and less dishes for their staff. I forgot to write it up for the suggestion box, maybe next time.

Since it was just across the street, we stopped at Whole Foods, which is usually a treat for me since we do not have one nearby, but I didn't know we were going there so I didn't even know what I wanted from there. I had maybe 15 left from my "lunch" budget but I didn't really find anything to blow it on since I didn't bring my insulated bag with me and we had at least an hour on the road on a hot day. I ended up just getting some water, which my sister bought since she is nice like that. I almost bought some cookies from their bakery but I couldn't justify it since I have everything I need to bake some at home and the ones I make are better. Good thing I saved my money because we went to see Argo later that night and it was amazing.

Vegan Mofo VI- Day 13: Use Your Noodle

When planning recipes I've been looking at what I have and making sure I only need to buy one or two items to make it. I also do not want to buy anything I won't use more than once. This is something I probably should have done from the beginning but now that my budget is a lot smaller I am definitely finding new ways to make it work. The really funny thing is that I am eating much better than I did when I had more funds available.

Anyhow, I always have flour, nooch, butter and more seasonings than anyone else in the house will ever use. I already had opened a soymilk to make fritters and I wanted to use it before the 7-10 day window closed. The "Best Ever Baked Macaroni and Cheese" recipe from Chloe's Kitchen calls for 3 cups of soymilk, perfect! I only had to buy macaroni and breadcrumbs. I probably could have gotten by with plain breadcrumbs I had in the pantry but since I was able to find seasoned ones, I "splurged." I know I'll use them again for something else.

Macaroni and cheese is easily one of my top five favorite foods. I'm still searching for my favorite veganized version, though I've yet to find a replacement for the heart attack on a plate I used to eat 10 years ago. I want to say it involved a stick of butter, sour cream, and three or four different cheeses and the pan probably weighed ten pounds. Good thing I don't eat like that anymore, right?

Chloe's mac is pretty damn good, but I'm not sure it's the best I'll ever have, it's too early to make that call. I am always trying out new mac recipes so who knows when I will find "the one." However, this is definitely a runner-up after making a few small changes. I loved how creamy it turned out but I think it needed a bit more seasoning. I sneaked in some paprika and more garlic powder before adding the lemon juice and agave, but it still needed something more. Also my breadcrumbs did not get toasty so I had to throw it under the broiler for a bit. Maybe I need to spray the top before putting it in the oven? Doomie's Home Cookin' serves their mac with "bacon" bits on top so I tried that with the second serving I had after work. That might be just what it needs.

p.s. Tomorrow I am participating in AIDS Walk Los Angeles for my 6th year in a row. I'm late to the party but I plan on showing up as long as I can, even when I have to AIDS Roll. If you're a big spender and want to sponsor me, you can do so here. Otherwise send me a message about pledging another amount. Thanks!

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

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!

strike two!

I hope the third dish I make from Yellow Rose Recipes turns out better than the first two. I don't know if I was in too much of a hurry and read something wrong, but both of my dishes were not as awesome as I had hoped they would be. Believe me, I know it is a case of operator trouble, not author trouble.

Last week I made the Kasha Varnishkes recipe on its own since it said you could make it with or without the gravy. My version definitely needed gravy or some other sauce. The kasha tasted great on its own. I probably should have left it at that and not mixed it with the noodles and onions because when I did, it was a dry plate. Maybe I needed more onions? I will try it again because it looks so hearty and delicious in the picture. I'll have to make the gravy just in case.

Today I made the Cajun Spiced Tofu to go with my favorite mac and cheese recipe (which I did not eff up!). I would have served greens too but it was a last minute plan and I didn't have any. I pressed the tofu and made the Cajun Spice as directed. I have never sliced a whole block of tofu into four slices before. I wasn't sure which knife to use so I chose my new bread knife. It made cool little designs on the slices, which almost made up for how uneven they were. The oven-oven was already baking the mac and I did not want to wait to turn it way up to broil the tofu so I cheated and used the toaster oven. I think this is where I made the mistake on this recipe. It took way longer than it would have in the broiler. The spices and breading had a good flavor but I kind of wish the tofu absorbed it more. Maybe it does when you broil it for real? I will have to try this one again.

Back to the cutting board!

return of the mac

I think this adapted recipe is taking the place of my first favorite vegan mac and cheese. I've made it four or five times since its Thanksgiving debut. That's almost once a month, right? Even though it's not as greasy or fatty as regular mac and cheese, I still feel like it could be a bit healthier. The recipe suggests adding spinach or green beans, but I decided to use broccoli instead since that is how they do it at Native Foods. Even though this recipe does not resemble theirs at all, I wanted to pretend I was as awesome as Chef Tanya for a few minutes.

We had the re-revised mac and cheese with boca chick'n sammiches on everything bagel thins with vegenaise and american tofutti slices. My sister bought the bagel thins about a week ago. They're not doing it for me at all, yet I am okay with the sandwich thins. Maybe because smashed bread is easier to get used to than a deflated bagel? Anyhow, we all loved the mac and I did not get to take a shot of it until it was half gone since unbeknownst to me, my camera battery died. I must have killed it taking video and pictures of Penny with her ball last week.

crumb bummed

Ever since I have been cooking more I have become a bit of a kitchen snob, I totally admit this. I eschew shortcuts and glare at pre-made mixes, boxed meals and so on. One thing that has always bothered me is bread crumbs. I could not understand why anyone would by them (other than panko maybe?) when it is so much easier and less wasteful to make your own.

As soon as I became I snob I have been called out for it and rightly so. I have been trying to de-snob or at least keep my comments to myself. Today I was making a baked macaroni and cheese, not sure if you can still call it that for lack of said cheese, but whatever. I've made it a few times and it has always turned out delicious. I normally use mini muffin pans and make mac and cheese bites but since it is for work and I am not fond of work these days, I thirteen x nine'd it instead. I had everything ready to go and realized I forgot to prep bread crumbs. In a lazy hurry, I grabbed my mom's canister o' crumbs, scooped some out and sprinkled them on top. I didn't like the way it looked and it felt like cheating but like I said, I was in a hurry.

Casserole in the oven, I dashed around to finish dishes and returning everything to its rightful place. As I grab for the canister o' crumbs again I decide to read the ingredients, something I should have done shortly after taking it from the cupboard. I remembered the other reason I do not buy a lot of things pre-made/done- because the convenience usually comes at a cost, and they are not vegan. Grrrrr. I was so mad at myself, master ingredient reader, for neglecting to read the ingredients before dumping those crappy crumbs all over my casserole. I hope everyone else enjoys it tomorrow. I'll just have to play good hostess and no one will be the wiser.