Friday, October 31, 2008
One last Vegan MoFo
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Brownies!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegan-Brownies/Detail.aspx?prop31=1
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Vegan MoFo: stroganoff, shoping, shampoo, and the salad bar.
So today I woke up feeling a little shitty. Which for me, usually means pre-really-shitty. Sore throat, achy body, tired as hell, that kind of mess. None the less, I took the aforementioned shower, got my ass (and my kid's) ready, and ventured out to find a Halloween costume for him. He wanted to be a dinosaur--a green dinosaur. And Wal-Mart, Target, the Halloween store they put up next to the mall, Old Navy, the OTHER Wal-Mart near us--nobody had a dinosaur costume. I mean come on, that is not a really far-fetched thing to dress up as, is it? Anyway, we took a break for lunch (my real reason for making a trip out) that I had been planning, to meet up with my friend Laura. She is vegetarian too (not vegan tho). We met at Ruby Tuesday, which has few vegetarian menu items, and no vegan ones, except for the most amazing salad bar I've ever been to. I mean, spinach, 3 kinds of lettuce mixes, tomatoes, beets, dried cranberries, edemame, chick peas, mushrooms, just on and on. I had two plates and I was stuffed. It was delicious.
After lunch, at Laura's suggestion, I took the cranky and exhausted kid to Meijer...and lo and behold, they had exactly one dinosaur costume. And it was green. And one size too big, but at this point, who cares. More room for layers underneath. Its cold here! I made it extra cool by putting felt "claws" on the arm and leg openings that will extend over his hands. Yay, I'm so excited! Then we went back to Old Navy to return some of the green clothes I bought (I was going to make a costume, which would've been even cooler, but that would have ended up costing twice or 3 times as much!!), and then to Wal Mart where I got a bandana, a sash, and a plastic sword...I'm going to be a pirate. What would've been really cute is a parrot costume--this is the last year he'll be small enough I could get away with this--dress him as a parrot and me as a pirate and set him on my shoulders! But parrot is even harder to find than green dinosaur, and it wasn't what the boy wanted.
He's been sleeping a lot lately. He won't take his nap til 4 in the afternoon, and then he just doesn't get up til morning. (Yesterday & today). Maybe he was starting to feel like I was and he's sleeping it off. I'm about to go do the same thing.
But first let me blog about this stroganoff I made. I was craving some good, hearty comfort food, and I knew D would appreciate that too. I basically used the recipe off the Peta website (http://www.vegcooking.com/veganMenus-13.asp), but I made my own sauce because I can never find vegan mushroom gravy.
1 lb cooked pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)
I sliced & sauteed some Tempeh, rather than using beef style crumbles, then took that out to add to the sauce at the end. Sauce recipe later.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Vegan MoFo: Sublicious!
ugh
Good, that's off my chest. Saturday night I ran my ass off too. Only to turn around and do it all day Sunday. Both nights, all I had for dinner was french fries and OJ. I feel all nauseous and gross now, and I'm trying to force myself to eat some fruit for breakfast because I know I need to, but I don't even feel like eating at this point. On the bright side, I have money to go to the store now, which is THANK GOD because we are out of pretty much all the staples. I mean, no bread, oil, soy milk, regular milk for that matter (D and the child), wheat flour, tofu; my kitchen is about to break down! So I'm going to make a HUGE store run, and probably go to 2, if not 3 different stores (Aldi, which has the cheapest veg, fruit, bread, and even soy milk, but basically nothing else; it's worth a trip because the other stores are so damn expensive--but I have to go there anyway if I want something fancy...like black beans and tofu...lol!)
On the really bright side, I have a fridge full of left over veggie/tofu lasagna, enchiladas, vegetable soup, and rice. I cook for like 5 people for some reason (I've never lived with more than 3 others, so its inexplicable), and D used to eat a TON (he's cut way back), but he won't touch the lasagna or enchiladas, so it's all mine! mwahahaha!!!
I think since I'm going to the store and I love variety and I loooove to cook, I'm going to turn that fridge o' leftovers into a big old freezer o' leftovers. ;) Then, when I don't feel like cooking, I can grab some easy, homemade delicousness. I know I should've been doing this all along, but I'm kind of excited at the idea.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Vegan MoFo--"roll me a fat one!"
I cooked some brown rice with an onion, some thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Yum! Then I sauteed 2 smallish zucchini, 3 small onions, and 1 1/2 green bell peppers. I seasoned it with cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, a bit of oregano...I think that was all...
I diced some tomatoes & opened up a can of whoop ass...er, I mean, black beans. Then I layered the zucchini mixture, tomatoes, and beans into a whole wheat flour tortilla (use any tortillas, but check the ingredients & make sure they're vegan). Roll it up, place it in a lightly greased baking pan, and repeat until you run out of tortillas or fill up the pan. Mine turned out a little light on the beans, so next time I will use two cans & put more in each enchilada. Cover with mild green enchilada sauce (or whatever yummy vegan sauce you want to top them with). Bake til the rice gets done.
Then, I made the guacamole. Everyone has a favorite guac recipe, but I used verde salsa, tomatoes, green onions, vinegar, a little tabasco, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to my mashed avocado. It wasn't super duper thick, but the flavor was incredible. I was going to serve it with tortilla chips, but I put it on my enchilada and even kept sneaking bites right from the bowl. YUM!
You could also top with Tofutti's sour cream knockoff, and I would have, but I'm saving mine for this fake stroganoff thing. I'm sure you could also use vegan cheese or vegan ground beef, but D has a thing against "weird fake stuff", so I kept it simple (and amazing).
*takes a bow*
Shepherd's Pie, as promised.
Scrub a bunch of potatoes, cut them into manageable pieces (about 2 inch squares or so is fine) and boil them in water until they are really soft.
In a large skillet, saute some veggies. Traditional shepherd's pie uses peas, but D hates peas, and this meal was geared toward him, so I left them out. I used (in this order): carrots, onions, green beans, corn, zucchini, and garlic. Feel free to add or subtract when you make this. The Peta recipe called for a ground beef substitute, but D is not a fan of fake-outs, so I left that out and just used veggies.
In my saucier, I saute an onion & some garlic, and then make a good amount of roux with the onions in it (using flour and vegan margarine, about 1/4 cup each). Then I add red wine and vegetable broth (more broth than wine) until it's a gravy consistency, and throw in some mushrooms and a few tablespoons of soy sauce.
Toss the veggies with the gravy. Dump them all into a large baking pan, or use 2 or 3 pie pans so you can have leftovers! Drain the potatoes, throw in some vegan margarine, a little vegetable broth or soy milk, vegan sour cream if desired, salt, pepper, and garlic; chives or parsley optional. Mash with a fork. You can use a mixer, but you don't need to. You want a thicker mashed potato consistency. Spread your mashed potatoes over the veggie mixture. Bake until the potatoes are lightly browned on top; about 350 for 30 minutes or so.
Feel free to play around with seasonings--sage, rosemary, and thyme combo; caraway adds an interesting flavor; extra garlic goes nicely; whatever you like.
Enjoy!
Survey
1. What was the most recent tea you drank?
our minty yummy iced Green Tea at work
2. What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
I'm just getting in to this whole internet vegan thing. So it's here, PPK, whatever blogs I'm following, IDK...lurk is a good word for how i roll.
3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
This lasagna I just made with tofu in place of the ricotta. The kid and I love it, D won't touch it. Well, he did take a bite. And hated it..
4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
Too early to have an "average day"...I'm devouring this shit right now.
5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
Love Like a Vegan
6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?
Good question. I don't know though.
7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
I'd do tofu, because that's what I'm most familiar with
8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
tempeh...i have some that I could beat someone to death with
9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
Teryaki stir fry, vegetable stew, and, um...I don't know, some imitation beef tips thing with noodles & mushrooms
10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls from Don't Eat off the Sidewalk
11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
I have a t-shirt that I stole from a (omni) guy friend of mine, with a pig on it that says "please don't eat me (I love you)"
12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the ‘vegan mecca’ yet? (Portland, duh)
Not yet.
13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
I have dabbled with it off and on since age 18...and no it didn't. But it was unofficial anyway. I was vegetarian (ovo/lacto) from age 9 til 14, but my high school didn't have anything good for vegetarians, so that didn't stick either.
14. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
This salad at work the other day...I tried to get creative with dressing it with vinegar & oil & pepper, and it turned out really bitter and gross
15. What made you decide to blog?
I’m not sure, I was inspired by lots of other great vegan blogs and decided to give it a shot. <-- good answer.
16. What are three of your favorite meals to make?
I made the most amazing shepherd's pie the other day. Even D loved it.
I like to get creative with pastas
Aaand, I like to do this asian stir fry thing with rice and serve it with lettuce leaves to make wraps.
17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
I'd either do a big pan of that shepherd's pie (recipe to come soon) OR I'd get gutsy and attempt those pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Mmmm I'm getting excited.
18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
I haven't been to a lot of vegan restaurants...I'm obsessed with the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's; and I have ordered veggie fajita bowls at Chipotle more times than I can count.
19. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
Chipotle is easy & awesome. As is Ruby Tuesday. Quizno's is amazing (gotta love the guac), and Subway is just ok.
20. My kitchen needs a………
Hmm...so many things. A wisk. Standing mixer. More damn groceries. Another muffin pan. A really good supply of vegan cookbooks. I feel like I can't live without some of these cookbooks...must...wait...til...Christmas...!
21. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..!
All veggies welcome...haven't met one yet that I couldn't handle.
22. What’s for dinner tonight?
Spaghetti
23. What’s your favourite cookie cutter?
Ooo! My kitchen needs cookie cutters too!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Getting high on information...
P.S.: This is how it works at my house. D & I take turns. This week, I get up with Fusser, I put him to bed, I clean up his messes and discipline him and play with him when both of us are too tired and entertain him and generally take the most responsibility for him. Next week, and last week, that's D's job. It's a good way to stay sane and not hate each other from built up resentment at the notion that we are each doing everything and the other is a lazy shit who does nothing. We're not that horrible anymore (we may be the first couple in history whose relationship was helped--probably saved--by a 6-month separation), but a break, quiet time, and personal space are still really important to us with an almost-3-year-old all over us all the time. He's in that really annoying NO phase. I know it's his job to learn how to rebel, but I am thisclose to losing my hair every time I hear about what he doesn't wanna do.
So it's my week to be extra responsible, and I haven't been doing well with that lately. I feel like I need to be more selfish because I'm educating myself, getting support, inspiration, etc etc, changing my way of life. So I should go to bed because sleep is a big thing for me. Shit. And this was gonna be a short blog.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wish List
Vegan with a Vengeance (cookbook)
Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World (cookbook)
Another muffin tin
Gift card to get my hair done again
more later. probably.
Welcome to the Madness
I am a 22 year old, married, working mom. Long-time off & on vegetarian, recently turned vegan. So far I feel so fucking healthy it's unreal. But I'm still kind of an avid foodie, and I love a good challenge, so that works out perfectly. My husband is a good old meat & potatoes kind of guy; I'm mildly impressed that he's still even speaking to me since I've cut out basically half of his diet. Ha ha ha ha. He's not the super supportive type...but he's doing well. My son could give a shit right now. He's 2 and he gets to eat whatever daddy and/or mommy are having. So, meat, cheese, fruit, bread, veggies--he usually isn't super picky. I'm going to plan his 3rd birthday party vegan though. Yep I'm pretty much a challenge addict. Saves me from a lot of boredom.
Politically I'm a total anomaly. The fact that my collection of views is so strange has me convinced that I'm the last sane person on the face of the earth. I was raised a liberal by two ex hippies, turned apathetic, turned moderate, turning more and more conservative. My basic philosophy is, life is sacred. I AM NOT RELIGIOUS; but I believe in god, we were intelligently designed (how long it took that to play out, I don't pretend to know), and I sure as hell don't have the right to end anyone's life. Animals included. Thus, the diet change. I'm not this huge animal lover, I don't have or want pets, I don't get all gooey over other people's pets, but I also don't consider them food. More on that later, I'm sure, little narcissist that I am.
Back to politics. Life=good. So I'm against abortion, and I don't give a fuck what anyone says, I have had a life in my uterus, I have heard a heart beating on the ultrasound, I have felt him wiggling and kicking and sleeping and playing inside of me, a fetus IS a fucking baby, and furthermore abortion is actually WORSE than murder in my eyes, because a baby, an unborn baby, is the epitome of innocence. I'm also against the death penalty; I realize we can't be housing everyone forever, and that paroling evildoers is bad, but those are separate problems; killing people because it's cheaper is unconscionable. Let them live with the knowledge of what they did--personally I'd rather die, if it was heinous enough--but it's not any of our place to take their life in return.
Society pisses me off on a daily basis. The gods of want and convenience reign, and babies and animals (again, not on the same level, but two examples!!!!) are the sacrifice.
I'm becoming more conservative because I've worked hard for what I have and where I am in life and I love it. But I live around a bunch of white trash (working on getting out of here, thanks) who are all constantly looking for a handout, which makes me absolutely sick. My generation wants everything handed to them, they give up, they think that if they want it bad enough or deserve it enough they should just automatically get it without having to do any real work. I was like that for 5 minutes. I got over it. I grew up. I had to. And now I love my life and wish that everyone knew the feeling of standing on their own two feet and being responsible, decent human beings. If my neighbor asks me for 5 bucks so she can buy cigarettes one more time, I think I am going to throw something at her.
Oh yeah I have rage and anger issues. Not as bad lately, because I am no longer ingesting rage, pain, grief, and fear on a daily basis (yes, I read Skinny Bitch)...but I have more issues than US Weekly. Ha. ha. ha.
Well this has been fun. If you can stomach my style, good for you, rock on. If not, oh well, just throwing shit out there into cyberspace. Ciao.