Beethoven's Favorite Fruit

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

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

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 Two: Hail Seitan

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.

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.

ketchup

Here is what you didn't miss in the past week:

Monday- My 32nd birthday! I did not end up wearing my summer dress because I did not have a sweater that matched it and cannot go strapless to work. Instead I wore a cowl neck top and denim pencil skirt to show off my hard work and the Tiffany necklace my sister got me (the Elsa Peretti bean one, haha!). I had lunch with friends from work and had dinner with my sister, niece and sister's boyfriend. We were disappointed the Mother's menu had changed so much but went to Native Foods and pigged out. I had a really lovely coconut cupcake.

Tuesday-blah

Wednesday- My parents took me to dinner @ cheesecake factory and I had a delicious Manhattan. The servers also sang to me, so cute!

Thursday- We met up with a friend to celebrate her birthday, but I was still celebrating my own. Two more Manhattans and my first super girly dressed up night of going out. It was fun, will have to do more of that.

Friday-Saturday were a blur of heat and grossness. We watched Night at the Museum 2, which was expectedly more corny for the kids but overall I liked it. I also started a great book about the most famous brothel in America- the Everleigh Club (which is where we got the slang expression "getting laid", it is short for getting Everleighed).

Sunday: I babysat again, played way too much I-Spy and watched Princess Protection for about the fourth time in three weeks. I made "Bitchin' Breakfast Burritos" from Skinny Bitch... and they were indeed bitchin'. Even my pickiest eater asked if she could have it for breakfast and lunch the next day. Were it not for having to leave some for my sister, they would not have survived beyond today. If she doesn't have a burrito tonight I am taking the rest tomorrow, bwahaha.



Yesterday: My dad helped me put together a canopy so that Penny can have it made in the shade. It turned out great. She loves it, I just hope she doesn't start chewing on the pvc pipe. I'd like to think she is over most of her puppy behaviors, but who knows.



I've been trying to cook a bit more but spend less time in the kitchen. I want to cook more often but I need to keep it simpler sometimes, especially now that it is too hot to be in the kitchen. Tonight I am making Quinoa Salad with Mango and Black Beans from Veganomicon. I finally used my super cute cookbook holder I bought a few years ago from a school fundraiser. My mom helped me round up the produce and I am afraid she grabbed Italian parsley instead of cilantro (oops) which I didn't notice until I was almost done with the salad(double oops). Another mishap is that I could not find grapeseed oil at either store I went to this afternoon, one healthy and one regular. I am using canola instead and hoping the red wine vinegar, cilantro and scallions will overpower it. I left it alone overnight to get acquainted so the jury is still out. I'll have to double check everything before I start prep next time.




p.s. this should have been posted last night but awesome cable did not allow, thanks!

rice rice baby (vegan mofo day 15)

tonight i made the tomato-rice soup with roasted garlic and navy beans from veganomicon. i know it will be a bazillion times better with the roasted garlic but on the way home from work it was almost too hot to use the range, much less turn on the oven. i will definitely make it again as directed as soon as the weather permits. it was still quite delicious and what made me the happiest was that my parents actually ate something i made.

my mom is more open-minded than my dad, but even she will make a face while tasting or eschew the tofu. my dad just says i am cooking with play doh again. i haven't made rice in an age, and have never cooked brown rice so i asked my mom to test it out. she said it needed a few more minutes but it was good, score! the next challenge was to get my dad on board. he doesn't eat beans, ever, but i thought if i could get him to taste before i added them in, he might go for it. all three of us had soup together like a happy family, awww. i'm glad everyone was able to appreciate my efforts and it was nice to give my mom a break after a long day at work. i was afraid the portion would be too much for so late in the week but i think it will work out just fine.

near the end my dad griped that it was too tomato-ey and my mom reminded him how much he likes tomato soup. then i said he should eat it with a grilled cheese, which made me want a grilled cheese, which i still might make right now. yum.