Mo Betta Vegan

Game Day Texas Chili

2012-02-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

So, in my last post I told you about the chili I had made. Well, we liked it so much that I made it again the next week. It's super good. The spice can be tailored to your liking. Aaand...it makes a ridick amount of food. Great for having people over or great for freezing half. Onto the good stuff...

This chili involves two extra things: ancho chile paste and chipotle puree. However, you can always just add ancho chile powder and chipotle chile powder. Don't ask me about measurements because I have no idea. I like using the paste and puree because it adds a greater depth of flavor.

chili dog, son!

Texas Chili

(Serves 8-10)

gluten free

Perfect for Frito pie or chili dogs, this chili is seriously versatile. Make the chile paste and puree first to streamline the process (unless you plan to just use chile powders). Adjust the heat by adding or subtracting jalapenos (or leaving the seeds in) and changing the amount of red pepper flakes or cayenne. As is, this has a nice kick.

2 cups TVP

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp Chipotle Puree (recipe below)

⅓ cup Ancho Chile Paste (recipe below)

2 tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ disk Mexican hot chocolate, grated

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt, or to taste

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups vegetable broth

In a medium bowl, re-hydrate the TVP in the boiling water. Cover and set aside.

In a large stock pot, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion and jalapenos until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Chipotle Puree, Ancho Chile Paste, cumin, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, Mexican chocolate, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir for about 2 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and TVP. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, red onions, and maybe even some guacamole.

Sweet and Spicy Variation: Up the Mexican hot chocolate to ½ disk.

spinach artichoke dip from last year's super bowl. recipe coming later...

Chipotle Puree

Gluten free depending on brand

Soy free

1 can chipotles in adobo, any size

Take any sized can chipotles in adobo and blend until smooth. Easy! Spoon it into ice trays in 1 Tbsp increments and freeze for longer storage.

Ancho Chile Paste

Soy free

Gluten free

I use this in place of chile powder. It has waaay more flavor. Note: do not eat this with a spoon! It's more comparable to tomato paste, because it's something that is used to flavor and the chile component is pretty concentrated and mildly bitter.

2 oz dried ancho chiles, seeded and stems removed

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp Mexican oregano, crumbled

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp sugar

½ cup vegetable broth

Torch the dried chiles in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn. Empty the chiles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.

Drain the chiles and place them in a blender or food processor along with the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, sugar, and vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth.

Menudo Remix and Frito Pie

2012-01-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

EDIT: I just cut a lot of blogs from my reader, but only if they hadn't posted since 2010. If you are one of the aforementioned slackers and plan on reviving your blog, just comment and I'll add you again. Muahahaha.

Howdy all! This winter break has reached the point of excruciating! Classes don't start again until the 30th so I have been doing a lot of cooking, focusing on Texas classics lately. For the new year, I had a hankering for menudo and decided to tackle the dreaded chile paste again. This time...SUCCESS! This is the best menudo yet! I am so stoked. If you haven't tried menudo yet, you are seriously missing out. Onto the recipes...

this menudo is from MoFo 2010...same basic recipe, though

Vegan Menudo
(Serves 6)
gluten free
soy free option: Replace TVP with 15 oz can of rinsed and drained pinto beans.

1 cup TVP pieces (not granules) rehydrated in 1 cup of boiling water
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp fine sea salt
6 cups beef-flavored or regular vegetable broth
⅓ cup Ancho Chile Paste (recipe below)
15 oz can hominy , drained and rinsed
minced red, white, or green onion
cilantro
lime or lemon wedges

Heat the oil in a large saucepan medium high heat. Add the onion and carrot. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

While the onion and carrot are cooking, get the spice mix ready. Mince the garlic and set aside. Mix the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt together.

When the vegetables are softened, add the garlic and spice mix to the pot. Cook for about a minute before adding the broth, chile paste, hominy, and TVP to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes. Garnish with onion, fresh cilantro, and lime or lemon wedges.

Ancho Chile Paste

soy free

gluten free

This can be made with any dried chile you like, though I favor ancho for its deep, bitter flavor and mild spice. You can store this in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. If storing in the freezer, I suggest doubling the recipe and freezing in 1 Tbsp cubes.

2 oz dried ancho chiles, seeded and stems removed

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp Mexican oregano, crumbled

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp sugar

½ cup vegetable broth

Toast the dried chiles in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn. Empty the chiles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.

Drain the chiles and place them in a blender or food processor along with the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, sugar, and vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth.

The chile paste is great mixed into soups instead of chile powder! It's also fantastic in chile or used in sausages instead of tomato paste.

Now I leave you with this picture of Frito pie. I came up with a most excellent recipe for Texas chili yesterday. Really good stuff.

frito pie with Isa's cashew queso, onion, and pickled jalapenos

I hope everybody has a Happy MLK Jr Day!!!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year

2011-12-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everybody a spectacular New Year's Eve. 2012 is going to bring a whole lotta awesomeness on this blog. I basically have all of January to catch up in the blogging world. I have a few reviews and some giveaways planned. Plus, more recipes. So excited.

And I feel like I'm obligated to show what we had for Christmas, because I totally forgot to. We basically spent the past week lounging around and eating way too many tamales. For brunch we had sweet potato-pumpkin cinnamon rolls w/ maple cream cheese glaze, Spanish omelet from VWAV w/ romesco sauce, and sauteed spinach and chorizo (adapted from Vegan Brunch w/ Viva Vegan chorizo).

sweet potato-pumpkin cinnamon rolls

sauteed spinach w/ chorizo and lemons from our tree

spanish omelet and romesco sauce (in background)

spread of Viva Vegan awesomeness

Overall, this year has been incredibly pleasant for me. I read a lot. I wrote a lot. I took a chance on something and almost succeeded, but the real win is that I didn't give up. Vida Vegan Con was everything I dreamed it would be. I went back to school (and straight owned my classes). I learned a lot and struggled a bit. Next year is gonna be even more epic. I can feel it.

Wishing y'all a truly happy and safe night! Have fun! Stay safe. See you on the other side of 2012.

A Festivus Miracle!

2011-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Era and I threw our first official Festivus since moving to California. I was slightly worried because the two other parties we attempted, resulted in practically nobody showing up. This party, however, was epic. Dancing! Drinking! Food! Fun! So, I'd like to share with you how I did it.

homemade garland. everything was from the dollar store.

Planning. This is the key to any successful party. I plotted out the menu. I drew sketches so I knew where I wanted food to go. I also decided what food would go in a certain dish. You don't have to be as crazy as me, though.

dance floor before people arrived.

Know your guests' drinking habits. Back home, my friends were all about liquor and Era's friends were about beer. We make sure to have plenty of both on hand. However, always go light on the beer because people WILL show up with beer. Save yourself some money. We started out with maybe 20 beers, and I don't even know how many bottles I recycled. Also, treat your designated drivers and non-drinkers with respect. Make sure to have plenty of juice and water. This year, thanks to the PPK, I had a cider station. It was a huge success!

i only bought three new liquors for this party.

cider station: pear cider, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and crystallized ginger.

Every room or area serves a different purpose. The formal living room was the dance floor. Dining room had most of the food. Kitchen had the cider station, hot food, chips, and salsa. Living room had pretzels, nuts, chocolates, and holiday movies. Back yard was the smoking section.

world's simplest centerpiece. cost 2 dollars to make.

fireplace decorated. a friend brought me the poinsettias. very thoughtful!

Have a menu that kills. I made the appetizers center around cheese and crackers. We were in mixed company, but everything was vegan except a small tray of dairy cheese, some eggnog, and Era brought some chocolates (there were also vegan versions of all of these). I made the almond feta from Vegetarian Times. I also set out Wayfare's hickory cheddar spread. I also had a tray of pickles, grapes, olives, nuts, and apricots. Plus, I made some olive salad, salsas, and a spread of Indian food. Desserts were rice krispie treats, peanut butter fudge, gingerbread cupcakes from VCTOTW, and chocolate chip chai shortbread from VCIYCJ.

gingerbread cupcakes w/ lemon buttercream and crystallized ginger

almond feta

Have fun. This is the most important thing. Dance. Drink. Relax. Talk to guests. The best time is when you go from host to partygoer.

dancing machines

more dancing partygoers

Make sure to get a pole. Trust me when I say that Home Depot is your best friend. Do not pay $30 online for a Festivus pole when you can buy something similar for less than $10.

tabletop pole

I should be blogging again for Christmas, so see you soon! Have a festive holiday season!

Why I Hate Apple Pie

2011-11-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

My disdain for apple pie knows no bounds. I hate it on a few levels. First of all, the kinda pies I like are the stir and dump kind. Just mixing all ingredients and pouring them in a crust is as invested as I like to get with pie. So, I absolutely loathe peeling, chopping, and coring a bunch of apples for pie. This year, I figured I'd throw the boy a friggin bone to see what dessert he wanted because he hates lemon and I was for realsies making lemon mousse pie. Naturally, he said "apple," the most boring of all the pies. My hatred is irrational, but what can I say. Still...it was good pie (cosmos apple).

full spread, but the potatoes aren't pictured

This year went by in a freaking blur. I didn't prep as much as last year, but we were eating pretty much on schedule. Onto the menu...

Thanksgiving 2011

Bryanna's Soy and Seitan Turkey

Cornbread stuffing

Salad

Cosmos Apple and Lemon Mousse Pies

Rad Whip

2 Buck Chuck all day, son!

mashed potatoes

there's some mac in that sea of cheese

As you can see, I love me some Tyler Florence. My favorites this year: soy and seitan turkey, pies, rolls, and Alton Brown's mac and cheese. Seriously. I will never ever make another mac and cheese for Thanksgiving. Easily subbed (I used blended silken tofu for the egg), and absolutely wonderful. More expensive than I generally like, but definitely worth it.

green bean casserole w/ croutons instead of nasty onions

candied yams

Things I'd improve on: green beans, yams, cranberry sauce, and gravy. The green beans were most excellent (those croutons are legit!), but I wanted more of a creamy base to tie everything together. Though, I will definitely make this again with that minor tweak. The yams were too sweet for my liking. The cranberries were not sweet enough. And the gravy...blech. I just didn't like it so I made a quick poultry gravy. Overall, we had a fantastic day and got drunk off of $2 wine. Awesome!

roast was marinated in sparkling cider and roasted with carrots and onions

Happy Leftovers Day! I'm buying nothing, doing nothing, and don't plan to leave my pajamas.

Moldy Nog Update

2011-11-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Y'all, this completely warrants a separate entry. Earth Balance called me back yesterday, then emailed me, then called me back again today. They wanted to see if I was all right after initially getting sick from the moldy nog incident. I explained everything to them, and they are sending me some coupons because of everything! Yay! You know me and coupons, yo.

Anyways, I just wanted to say that I especially love when vegan businesses give a damn.

Also, I have learned a very valuable lesson in when to stop drinking things. Haha.

Nog Off: Earth Balance vs. So Delicious

2011-11-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

EDIT: I just discovered the "chunks" were mold! I'm dyiiing. Omigod, I've never been so disgusted in my life. Not sure why the other "chunks" didn't have mold in them. Bah! Gonna contact Earth Balance and the store I got it from. Gross.

Awww yeah, boyee! Early Christmas™ has crept its way into the calendar even earlier this year. I swear, I saw Christmas lights before Halloween was even here. About the only thing I love about Early Christmas™ is that I get to get drunk off nog for about 5 months straight. Hallelujah, holla back!

2 will enter. I will win!

The whole nog off idea kinda started as a joke when Jordan and Mike (of PPK fame) were talking about So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog. While doing my Thanksvegan shopping, I also stumbled upon Earth Balance Soy Nog. Now, you know it was on!

earth balance soy nog

First up was the Earth Balance nog. What I basically did was taste it straight up...then drowned in alcohol. The nog was creamy and on the medium side of thick. The consistency was great for drinking straight up, but watered down easily when made alcoholic and served on the rocks. There was a nice amount of spice, and I'm pretty sure I like this better than Silk Nog (or at least as much). However, there was one large problem. There were chunks in it, as in something went horribly wrong with the thickening. I'm hoping it was just an anomaly because those chunks ruined an otherwise lovely drink.

so delicious coconut nog

The So Delicious nog was super creamy and ultra thick. Not quite as thick as dairy nog, but the closest vegan version I've tasted. I'm a fan of thinner nogs for drinking straight up, but this is perfect as a mixer. Plus, the first thing I noticed were the huge flakes of nutmeg. This does have a coconut essence, but it works super well with the overall nog.

Nog Off Results

Creaminess: So Delicious

Thickness: So Delicious

Spice: So Delicious

Price: So Delicious was $3.19, and Earth Balance was $3.89

Spiced Caucasian Pwnage: So Delicious

Overall Nog Factor: Tie

Clearly, So Delicious is the winner! The Earth Balance nog is fantastic, but the chunks are worrisome and it just got slaughtered in a side-by-side tasting. I'd still buy both, though, depending on my mood.

Now, I'll leave you with my favorite holiday dranky drank. Enjoy, dudes!

Spiced Caucasian
ice
lowball glass
1 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlua, etc.)
1 oz espresso vodka (Seagram's, Smirnoff, etc.)
vegan nog
nutmeg, optional

Fill the glass with ice. Top with liqueur and vodka. Fill will nog. Stir. Top with nutmeg, if so desired. For a truly caffeinated version, try Mocha Kahlua!

VeganMoFo V: Happy Shaun-o-ween!

2011-10-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

We have reached the end! I have to say that I am super ridiculous glad because I have been exhausted this semester. Next year's MoFo will own. I am already beyond organized. This year was fun, but I have tons of blogs to read. Even if I'm commenting in March, I will read your blog. Phew.

Today, is a movie Monday of a different persuasion. I decided to go with a horror marathon, seeing as how it's Halloween! Today's movies are Lost Boys, The Craft, and Shaun of the Dead.

Halloween Menu

Red Beans and Maggots, Michael

Witches Brew

Girl in the Garden Cake

red beans and maggots, michael

The Lost Boys is this awesome vampire flick that stars the two Coreys. That's pretty much all you need to know. It's awesome. Do not watch the sequel, as the only good part happens in the last 30 seconds. Anyway... Creepy ass Keifer Sutherland delivers the infamous line about maggots. I figured that was easy enough. Especially, since I was fiending for Kittee's red beans.

witches brew

The Craft is pretty much what Secret Circle ripped off. It's about these three witches who ask a fourth, more powerful witch into their circle. Plus, it takes place in high school so it's all angsty and whatnot. Oh, and Fairuza Balk delivers the single best line in a witch movie (besides the whole Top That segment of Teen Witch). "I'm flying! I'm flyiiiiing!" The drink was easy. Lime skittles vodka and gingerale. Yowza!

there's a girl in the garden. what? in the garden, there's a girl.

Okay. I'm not too thrilled about this cake. Not the flavor, but the decoration. I keep reminding myself that I made everything from start to finish in only 3 hours between classes. That takes the pressure off. So, I know how to better navigate this the next time...and there will be a next time.

Mary, the shed, some tree things

You can't see that there is a hole in her right now. That black thing is supposed to be the pole she gets skewered on.

you can see Mary's hole now

For those not in the know, Shaun of the Dead is one of the best zombie movies ever. It's a zombie comedy and the reason I even started watching zombie movies. I did it backwards...I knew very few of the references when I saw this. I had to go back and learn about this stuff. But it was worth it. Simon Pegg. Swoon.

Well, that is all! Happy Halloween! See you next MoFo!

VeganMoFo V: Salsa Lovin' Had Me a Blast

2011-10-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

This is kind of an impromptu post. Last night, Era and I went to a family friendly Halloween party...only I didn't know it was family friendly until we got there. My costume was Zoe from Fanboys (Picasso's blue period), so I had dyed tampons all over me. Awkward.

Anyway, it was totally not vegan friendly. Can a mothatrucka get a veg tray?! However, the hosts were awesome AND made some damn fine salsas. Era and I had an in depth talk about it last night. At the very least, the two states I've resided in know their frickin salsas. The host was telling us that the secret to their chunky variation was relish. Whaaat?! I even ~~hate~~ ~~loathe~~ abhor sweet relish, but that salsa was the jam!

my 30 second salsa. recipe here.

My favorite salsa is definitely red, but I love all kinds. Fruit ones, bean ones, corn, pepper based. It's all good...

Pico de gallo-Fresh salsa. Everything is diced. This makes a perfect addition to quesadillas. Just throw it in with the cheeze. This recipe looks super.

Salsa Verde-I don't eat this nearly enough, but I used to go to a place that made poblano enchiladas with delicious salsa verde. Cooking In Mexico has a few recipes.

Mango Salsa-This always reminds me of tropical things. I really want to try it on some coconut tofu or something. This recipe looks kinda nice because the huge mango chunks caught my eye.

Black Bean Salsa-I have served this at many a Festivus. It's so easy and a bit more filling than your regular tomato variety. Check out this droolworthy one.

Salsa Roja-Maybe the most complicated salsa to me. It's got such a depth of flavor that I loves it. However, working with dried chiles is scary to me. I've not had very good experiences with getting great flavor from the. User error for sure. Peep the recipe I found.

Corn Salsa-I love this salsa so hard. Actually, it always makes me want to go to Chipotle. Fresh corn is the best, but holy crap I have to try this roasted corn salsa!

Hope everybody had a great weekend. Expect many comments from me once MoFo is over and I have time to breathe.

VeganMoFo V: MMMS-Saved

2011-10-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

It's here! My favorite Mandy Moore movie is here! If you've never seen Saved, stop what you're doing and rent it today! It's seriously amazing. Dark comedy. Religious fanaticism. Heavenly ordained premarital sex. I loves it! Mandy plays a total jerkface named Hillary Faye. She's this super hypocritical religious person, head of the Christian Jewels. There's a lot going on in this: teenage pregnancy, Love Won Out type anti-gay camps, and the most effed up underwater Jesus vision ever.

Naturally, I wanted to make food that looks innocent, but is really not. The only things innocent about this menu are the peas and carrots.

this meal ain't free. read this pamphlet while you wait.

Collection Plate Special

Berbere Coconut Crusted Tofu

Smashed Potatoes and Beer Gravy

Peas 'n' Carrots

Fish Tank Jello Shot

mmm. coconut tofu.

There are no recipes here, as I just threw things together. The tofu had three dipping thingies: cornstarch, berbere, garlic pepper, poultry seasoning, thyme AND milk, whole grain mustard, berbere, hot sauce AND shredded coconut and nooch. It was pretty damn good. The potatoes are covered in beer gravy, but I accidentally grabbed a dark beer that I hate. So...blech. The peas and carrots are tossed with some dill and parsley.

there's a fish in there!

A character in the movie says that Jesus appeared to her in her fish tank. You'll be seeing visions, too, if you down this lethal shot. I really wish the jello shot wasn't so opaque. Next time, I'm adding the smallest drop of food coloring. I will definitely tweak this because 1 to 1 ratio of juice to alcohol is way too strong for me. However, I'll share it because every recipe I saw online used too much damn agar powder. These came out gel like.

Fish Tank Jello Shot
1 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp sugar
¾ tsp agar powder (not flakes)
1 cup flavored vodka or rum (coconut, passion fruit, or mango are great)
blue food coloring
Swedish fish

Combine the pineapple juice, sugar, and agar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until the agar has been activated, no longer than 5 minutes. You'll know this has happened when the mixture starts boiling and thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and stir in the alcohol. Add a couple of drops food coloring. Fill each cup with a Swedish fish, and pour the mixture over them. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Be sure to use right away because the Swedish fish turns to goo after about a day. Next time, I'm totally just putting the fish on top, maybe with whipped cream!

VeganMoFo V: Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

2011-10-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Since last year's MoFo, I've been trying to compile recipes that remind me of home. Bread pudding, at its finest, makes me feel so cozy that I feel like I'm back in SA. Capirotada is a traditional bread pudding usually eaten around Lent. I, however, am not religious so I eats it whenever. Different ingredients have symbolic meaning, and you can read about it here. What you mainly need to know: it's versatile and topped with cheese!

Basically, capirotada is layered bread, fruit, nuts, syrup "tea," and cheese. It's baked off to perfection. I've even seen some recipes containing tomato and onion, but that's a little too much for me. The key to this is definitely stale bread. Staler is better. Also, go for the cheese...it cuts through the sweetness and tastes awesome.

fresh out the oven

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
(serves 10)
Orange is not traditional in capirotada, but I love the flavor it lends. When making the “tea,” it should be just slightly thicker than actual tea.

4 cups water
2 piloncillos (Mexican brown sugar cones), broken
2 medium oranges, juiced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp anise seed
½ tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp vanilla
zest from 1 medium orange
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup raisins or cranberries
2 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 lb loaf of French bread, stale or toasted and sliced
1 cup melty vegan cheese, optional

Make the syrup “tea” first. Combine the water, piloncillos, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, anise seed, and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower to a simmer for 20 minutes, until piloncillos have dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly, though it will still be thin. Remove from heat and stir in the zest and vanilla. Discard the cinnamon sticks.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and add half the bread in a single layer. Layer half of the pecans, raisins, and apples on top of the bread. Spoon half of the “tea” over this layer, making sure the bread soaks up the syrup. Repeat with the remaining bread, nuts, fruits, and “tea.” Let sit for 15 minutes so the bread can soak up the syrup.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, add the cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

the crustier the bread, the better

Feel free to replace the dried fruit and nuts with whatever you like best. Today I used a cranberry and date combo. I like pecans, but peanuts and almonds are also used. I didn't use cheese this time because I didn't have any. I really love cheddar on this. So good!

VeganMoFo V: Best Thing I Never Ate-Tyler Florence Edition

2011-10-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Technically, this isn't from Best Thing I Never Ate. I just love Tyler Florence and Tyler's Ultimate. I think his food is some of the most gorgeously shot food on the Food Network. On the rare occasions that dude makes something veganizable, I'm totally there.

I've been wanting to make his ultimate Swedish meatballs for years. Well, last night I did. Totally amazeballs.

lingonberry sauce, mashed taters, meatballs, gravy, pickled cukes

The meal has three elements. He serves the meatballs with these amazing potatoes and pickled cucumbers. Tyler also does not skimp on the fat. I didn't use nearly as much as he said, though adding a wee bit of olive oil to the potatoes made them super amazing. Best potatoes ever!

For the meatballs, I just tweaked an albondigas recipe I've been working on. It worked out fine, though I'm thinking about trying to make them soy and gluten free. Anyway, the recipe I used last night is below.

this totally tastes like thanksgiving

Swedish Meatballs
1½ cups textured vegetable protein granules
1 cup beef flavored or regular vegetable broth
1 tsp marmite or 2 tsp dark miso
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegan worcestershire or steak sauce

4 Tbsp oil or margarine

1 small onion, minced
½ cup non-dairy milk

1½ tsp ground allspice

salt and black pepper to taste

2 bread slices, crusts removed, soaked in non-dairy milk
¾ cup vital wheat gluten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a large cookie sheet with non stick spray. Bring the broth, marmite, olive oil, soy sauce, and worcestershire to a boil over medium heat. Pour over the tvp to rehydrate. Meanwhile, heat the oil or margarine in a large skillet. Cook the onion until translucent. Mix the onion with the tvp before adding the milk, allspice, salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread slices and add them to the tvp mixture. Combine everything thoroughly before mixing in the vital wheat gluten. Roll into walnut sized balls and place on greased cooking sheet.

Spray the tops with more non-stick spray and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the gravy.

So... Am I the only nerd with a thorough outline for next year's MoFo? I already know and am researching my theme. I feel way too disorganized this year. Excited for this to come around again. Tomorrow I can finally catch up on blogs. Woo!

VeganMoFo V: End of the Rainbow

2011-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't do a MoFo entry yesterday, this is the first of 2 entries. My very last rainbow entry is....

aww yeah, sucka!

RAINBOW CHEESECAKE BROWNIES!!!!

These are the ones from VCIYCJ, but I left out the chocolate chips on accident. It was quite labor intensive to divide it into six different layers. Next time, I would use the recipe as a base but put more cheesecake topping because it was seriously hard to blend the colors. So much fun!

does a chocolate rainbow come from chocolate rain?

This was a fun thing to do even though it took a bit more work than the regular ones. I think I'm going to do rainbow nights all the time now. It's so purty!

VeganMoFo V: Woof, There It Is

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like most vegans have cats. I, however, have dogs. Ferocious little chihuahua mixes that are seriously fearless of anything...unless we're talking about boxes. I present to you: Gizmo and Emma.

Name: Gizmo
Aliases: Many
Age: 7
Status: Adopted stray. Era's niece had a dog who got a girl pregnant and Era introduced us on my 22nd birthday!
Best Friend: Mr. Frog. He's gone through 3 in his lifetime, attacking the eye balls of each impostor upon introduction.
Vegan Likes: Carrots, frozen peas, nooch, the occasional bell pepper
Strengths: Super tracking abilities. No human can hide for long.
True Story: Got hit by a truck and walked away with a one inch cut that healed within days. The vet was amazed.
Dislikes: Anything cold, celery, and when Emma steals his toys.

Name: Emma
Aliases: Fo' dayz
Age: 7
Status: Adopted stray. When Era was a substitute teacher, he called me up one day saying he found a girl chihuahua. He waited a few days until he saw her again, and he brought her home. We took her to the vet and the rest is history.
Best Friend: Ducky, but she'll totally steal Mr. Frog.
Vegan Likes: Carrots, frozen peas, apples, bell peppers, oranges, everything.
Freegan Likes: Straight dumpster dives like a mothatrucka. Girl gets into everything.
True Story: Super jumping and opening abilities. She has unzipped my backpack and my purse before. And...without opposable thumbs!
Dislikes: Zombie sheep, dogs on television, when humans scratch their fingernails on upholstery.

These two chuckleheads are the loves of my life and best friends forever. So, hope you liked meeting the two other members of the Martin-Cisneros clan.

VeganMoFo V: Show Me Watcha Got

2011-10-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Confession time. That's totally a reference to a Limp Bizkit song. Yes, I totally loved them in high school. No, I don't wanna talk about it. Haha. My other confession is that I didn't feel like cooking today. I spent the day doing homework, coming up with my Saved menu, and watching Felicity. Best day eva!

kitchen

So, I figured I'd do the kitchen/refrigerator meme that I've seen in MoFo's past. I haven't seen it yet this year, but I've been mostly looking at blogs that comment here, are in my blogroll, or the ones that pop up at Random Mofo.

Above is a picture of my kitchen. I took this a while ago, but the only change is that there is so much more stuff on my counter now. There's a large amount of counter space, but the kitchen isn't too big. I hate the color, but it's my landlord's choice. Also, the lighting is wonky. Great in the summer all day, but it goes super fast in the fall/winter. I'm talking about tragically dark by noon because of the angle of the sun as it relates to my windows.

fridge after I throw everything in on shopping day

This is how my fridge looks right after grocery shopping. I live with a pescatarian, but I mostly deal with the occasional cheese or carton of eggs. I always put paper bags in the crispers to lessen the humidity. It works super well. My condiment shelves are usually hella organized (mustards together, jam and nut butters, pickled things), but I gave up on that because Era never puts them back correctly.

freezer

The freezer is always stocked with nuts and seeds. I usually throw dates in there too. We have frozen fruits and veggies on the ready. When we occasionally get great finds at Ralph's (as in $1 Yves products), we'll throw those in there.

What's in your kitchen? That's mostly rhetorical, as I really want to see pictures. I geek out on that stuff.

Tomorrow is dedicated to my dogs! I'm moving Saved to the weekend cuz I gots plans! Hope everybody had a great weekend.

VeganMoFo V: Ain't Nothin' But a Gangsta Party

2011-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today's entry is a food memory. As high schooler, one of the major hang out spots was this place called Mad Hatter's Tea House. At the time, the place was on Ave B in a seedy part of town. It was behind a museum but several hundred feet from a park frequented by drug dealers and prostitutes at night. My friends and I loved it because it made us feel grown up.

cuke and tofu salad sandwiches

Mad Hatter's was in an old, converted house. The floors squeaked when you walked on them. Everything was a little bit crooked and the rooms were small and cozy. It's such a fantastic idea that I seriously associate this place with San Antonio. You walked in, placed your order, and picked out your tea cup from the crooked shelving lined with mismatched dishes.

chocolate chip scones, clotted cream, raspberry preserves

We'd sit there for hours eating four berry cobbler and a huge pot of whatever we felt like at the time. I wish more cities had places like this.

So, today, I just made a bunch of stuff for tea. The gang was running late (Smackers is a bit of a diva) so I just took shots of the food.

mixed berry cobbler

I made mixed berry cobbler (waaaay too frickin' sweet for my tastes), clotted cream, chocolate chip scones, fresh veggies, cucumber sandwiches, and egg salad sandwiches. It's enough for a weekend and even some weekday eats. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sugar crashing from that cobbler.

VeganMoFo V: Home for the Holidays in Style

2011-10-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Next month begins the non stop holiday season, though I've already been assaulted by the foul scent of decaying cinnamon brooms. Well, last year I never blogged about how I got prepared to visit family. Era and I are a road warriors so we drove 18+ hours non-stop to Texas w/ 2 chihuahuas and a trunk filled with gift bags. This is how we do it without the stress:

tags

1. If you are bringing gifts, pick a theme. It makes it so much easier. I like to do baking themes because the assembly is streamlined. Last year it was holiday cookies and confections. I've done breakfast themes, game night themes, and so on...

tins!

2. Head to the dollar store. There is no need to spend so much money when you can get something for $1. Those sweet ass tins and gift tags are from my neighborhood Dollar Tree. Holler.

cookie power!

3. A nice presentation makes people feel appreciated. The cookies above are covered in plastic wrap. See what a difference some curling ribbon and a tag makes? I ended up filling each bag with some sort of beverage, several different types of cookies, savory snack mix, focaccia, a tin of fudge, and a mini loaf of either banana bread, date cake, or baklava bread.

Nana Marg's Nuts and Bolts from Garden of Vegan

cookies from VCIYCJ and 500 Vegan Recipes

4. Plan and bake ahead. Keep in mind about the picky eaters and people with allergies (Mom and sis hate coconut. Era and bro-in-law hate raisins. Sister hates peanut butter. Sis-in-law allergic to bananas). Bake the cookies and freeze until ready to assemble.

seriously delicious date cake (thanks to Kmouse for talking it up!)

5. Most of all, don't forget to pack the leftovers for yourselves! Muahahaha. Era and I always back snack mix, meal bars, fresh fruits and veggies, drinks, caffeine, and sammiches on our trips. Such a fun time! I love my road trips with my dogs and the boy.

a lil' sumthin' for the road

Woo! All right. Tomorrow it's gonna get all tea party up in herre. Have a great Friday everybody.

VeganMoFo V: Shepherd's Tot Pie

2011-10-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Crust on bottom.

such a glorious beast

Tots on top.

this'll warm yer bones on a cold winter's night

It's like a carb-heavy mouth orgy.

VeganMoFo V: Taste the Rainbow

2011-10-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since I heard of Skittles vodka a couple of years ago, I've wanted to make it. Skittles were my favorite candy as a kid, so I was beyond stoked when they took the gelatin out. Plus, vodka is my favorite alcohol.

This is super easy, and doesn't yield a crazy amount. Basically, you have enough to make a handful of drinks with each flavor. I used mason jars because we don't buy bottled water. It was just as easy to do, though I split them up into batches.

lemon skittles vodka

I can tell you my favorites right away: lime, orange and strawberry. Lemon reminds me too much of Limoncello, which kinda sends me into full body shivers. Grape reminds me of cough medicine, giving me flashbacks of being pinned down to take my meds.

These make for vodka on the sweet side, so I think they are best with unsweetened things. Maybe tea, tonic, club soda. I'd even like to try it with gingerale. I think I'm going to save all of the lime for Halloween, though.

vodka party up in herre

Not quite sure what I'm doing tomorrow. However, I'll be reading a lot of blogs when I get home tonight. Later y'all!

VeganMoFo V: Australian Meat Pies

2011-10-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

I got super excited when I chose Australia as my next international cuisine. While in Portland for Vida Vegan Con, I got to see my Aussie friend, Rich. I hadn't seen him in close to 5 years. He was a teammate on my first poetry slam team waaaay back in '01. He was a jaded 28 year old then, and I was the 18 year old newb. Funny...now he's mellowed out a lot, and I'm the jaded one. Ha!

Anyway, while in Portland, he told me about how he feels more Texan than Australian now, because he lived in Texas most of the time he's been in the states. So, this one's for Rich. Though, he's totally never reading this thing.

before the oven

As for recipes, I used this one as a foundation. I totally did not follow it, though. I just wanted to see what type of flavor profile the meat pies have. Of course, I had to make these mini. My love of mini things knows no bounds. I simply put the puff pastry in cupcake tins. Super easy.

The filling was pretty straightforward. TVP, onion, garlic, peas, and carrots. I made a gravy and added a small amount of soy sauce and marmite to make if "beefy".

aww yeah...

The only other thing I know about these pies is that they are served with ketchup. At first, the idea of putting ketchup on puff pastry wigged me out, but it is seriously fabulous! Love it. Meat pies are awesome!

Tomorrow, I've got a drunken rainbow headed your way. Hell to the yes.

VeganMoFo V: MMMM-How to Deal

2011-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

YES! This is, in fact, my favorite Mandy Moore movie besides Saved. I just adore her short brunette hair. Plus, her love interest is pretty much the kinda boy I longed for in high school: slightly bad, totally misunderstood, with a quiet sensitivity. Ha.

This movie has it all: teenage pregnancy, divorce, underage drinking, death, blended families, break ups, make ups, a pot smoking grandma, and a car crash! Oh, and angst all around! Basically, How to Deal is a movie about Halley Martin (Mandy Moore) and how she copes with a pregnant best friend, divorced parents, and her new boyfriend Macon Forrester (Trent Ford).

this smoothie was amazing!

This was one of the harder dinner and a movie themes. So, I basically had to go with how I like to deal. Brinner! Plus, "brinner" was coined on Scrubs, a show Mandy guest starred in while she was dating Zach Braff. 2-fer! Haha.

the pizza of my dreams

Granny's Smokin' Green Menu

Macon's Tempeh Bacon and Eggz Breakfast Pizza

Halley Berrrry Smoothie

The menu is simple because I literally made everything in less than an hour during a break in classes. The pizza is the deep dish crust (my favorite crust EVER!) from 500 Vegan Recipes. I didn't follow a recipe for the scramble. Just tofu, turmeric, garlic pepper, parsley, bell pepper, and onion. I made a super quick tomato sauce and topped the scramble with tempeh bacon and Daiya.

The smoothie is one of those clean out the fridge types. I threw in some yogurt, the remainder of a can of coconut milk, almond milk, a couple of dates, and some frozen berries. Holy wow! That ish was amazing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna make me another one of those smoothies.

VeganMoFo V: Best Thing I Never Ate-Wolfgang Puck Edition

2011-10-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

We've entered the stage of MoFo where I completely veer from my plans and just go with the flow (mostly). I was trying to think about what I wanted to do for this blog, when I caught this beauty on a recorded episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate. It was the one with dishes as good as Mom's cooking. Well, Wolfgang Puck described these decadent, eggy Austrian pancake things called kaiserschmarrn. What follows is the most defeating and hysterical account of recipe making I've ever encountered.

kaiserschmarrn on a bed of strawberry sauce

The recipe seemed easy enough: a pancake (eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, milk), raisins (or cranberries if you live with a raisin hater), and rum. My first attempt, I went with this recipe. I used Ener G to replace the egg. Big mistake. I think Ener G is officially my nemesis. It made everything super gummy and gross. I'm gonna have to break up with it for good. I never even use the stuff.

My second attempt, I just modified my own pancake recipe. I added yogurt for an egginess and baking powder for the leavening. Something went horribly wrong and it tasted bitter. I started chewing it, but it just fell out of my mouth because it was so horrible. As in...my jaw unhinged because I couldn't even process how bad it was. Era was laughing at me.

By this time, I pledged I would lock myself in the bedroom if I didn't get a pancake out of this. So I went back and did it again. I think it was a success. Don't ask me if it tastes like kaiserschmarrn because I've never had it before. It tasted like an eggy pancake. I think if I make this again, though, I'd use the Vegan Brunch omelet as a reference. I'm thinking silken tofu would get more of the texture needed.

Tomorrow is another Mandy Moore day! Hooray! For now, I have geology and English to do. Hope everybody had a great weekend.

VeganMoFo V: What's a Matcha for You?

2011-10-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I used pear and cardamom to make some matcha rolls. The pear was ripe but firm. However, it made everything saucy, which isn't what I was going for.

pull apart or stand alone? i am definitely from the pull apart school

This is basically a modification of my boozy apple pecan cinnamon rolls. It's a bit less complicated because the filling is just sliced pears, and I replaced the cinnamon with cardamom in the sugar mixture. Also no booze. It's topped with black sesame seeds just because. But I'd totally make these again (and, perhaps, measure the matcha) with sweet red bean.

Besides chowing down on some cardamom rolls, I started thinking about my favorite vegan bargains for less than 2 bucks. Now presenting...

Vegan Deals Under $2

Tofu-$0.98 from Fresh and Easy
Tempeh-$1.99 from Trader Joe's
Artisinal Bread-Varies. Check the bakery clearance at your local store. Check to see that it's still fresh and hasn't gone bad. I've gotten really good breads for less than $1 before and they were far from expiration.
TVP-Varies. In bulk, this stuff is definitely cheap. Plus, it lasts forever. In many Mexican grocers, you can find packages of "carne de soya" that run about $1.50.
Fruits/Veggies-Varies. It goes without saying that fresh produce can be super inexpensive, especially greens.
Lara Bars-About $1.29. Ideally, I'd like to have these on hand at all times. These saved me many times when there were no other vegan options.
Soyrizo-$1.99 at Trader Joe's. The best soyrizo in all the land!
E.L.F. Makeup-Usually $1-$10 at Target, KMart, and certain grocery stores. Cruelty free and vegan. Most basic makeup things cost $1. I'm talking shadows, primers, mascaras, tools, etc. The huge eyeshadow books cost $5-$10. I love these things.

That's all for now. Do you have any vegan deals you absolutely adore?

VeganMoFo V: Chickpea Croquettes Revisited

2011-10-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

First of all, did you hear it's MOFO HUMP DAY?! WEEEEEEEE!

So, this is another recipe from MoFo past. During my first year, I spent most of the time veganizing omni things. I found a recipe for salmon croquettes by Paula Deen and followed it completely, using chickpeas instead. It wasn't big on flavor and quite boring. So, I started thinking about the croquettes we had as a kid. I think I remember them being a weekly thing for a little while. They had a bunch of flavor and color to them.

that's some tasty business

Chickpea Croquettes
(makes 8)

This is easily made gluten and/or soy free. I like 'em with a squeeze of lime and some tartar sauce, but they'd be fantastic with some remoulade.

Two 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ cup minced red bell pepper

2 Tbsp minced celery

4 green onions, minced

2 toasted nori sheets, crumbled into a powder (optional)

2 Tbsp fresh dill or parsley, minced

½ tsp Garlic Pepper or granulated garlic

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper
⅓ cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

⅓ cup flour or starch

Mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl until no whole beans are left. Stir in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, bell pepper, celery, onions, nori, dill or parsley, and spices. Mix thoroughly before stirring in the bread crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Coat with a thin layer of olive oil. Use ¼ cup scoop to form patties. Dredge each patty in a little bit of flour or starch before placing in the skillet. Fry until golden brown, a few minutes on each side.

served with some mixed greens

This was so much better than my first attempt 3 years ago. It's got a little crisp on the outside and a flaky, tender middle. Me likes!

Tomorrow, I'm gonna be doing something with matcha. Oh, and I've been doing something for my next rainbow day. It involves alcohol so wooo!

VeganMoFo V: Best Thing I Never Ate-Bobby Flay Edition

2011-10-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a meal that changed your freaking life? That's how I feel today. I got some sleep, aced my exam, and just finished eating the best burger I've ever had. This wonderfully awesome gem comes from the burger episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate. Technically, this should be the adorably Southern Claire Robinson's edition, but it's all about Bobby.

why, hello!

So, Claire was describing a wonderful burger from Bobby's Burger Palace. This thing is called the Buffalo Burger. Hot sauce is cooked right into, it and it's topped with this blue cheese sauce (just the sauce recipe, and you probably only need half). But the kicker is that Claire gets that bad boy crunchified. We're talking chips on the burger! Hallelujah, holla back! This thing is so super killer.

this burger is made of awesome

A couple of weeks ago, while at the library, I spotted Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes. I need this thing in my life. The pictures are gorgeous, and everything seems to be completely veganizable. Plus, the shake section is totally out of this world! Everything I made today came from that book. For the burger, though, I used Tami's All-American Incrediburger (replacing some water with hot sauce and brushing with more hot sauce). Best homemade veggie burger I've ever had! I've had that thing marked in American Vegan Kitchen forever! So glad I finally made it!

ah, my sweet, liquid marshmallow

Last, but certainly not least, I made Bobby's Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake! So good. I used Veganomicon's ice cream recipe and just followed Bobby's shake recipe. It was fantabulous. The only thing I suggest is to go with unsweetened milk AND use an ice cream that is less sweet if you go with store bought. All that marshmallow action is enough to make you climb the walls. Seriously...Bobby Flay is a genius. If ~~I wasn't~~ he wasn't married, I'd totally let him birth my babies.

VeganMoFo V: Easy as 3.14159265...

2011-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Words cannot express how much the combination of MoFo and school are kicking my butt right now. I have two exams this week and turned in a major paper Monday. I'm living on 4-5 hours a night, and it's making me crazy. The first time I went to college, I did the same thing for finals. I ended up driving into my best friend's parked car because, in my delirium, I thought my foot was on the brake.

All of that is really just a build up for no Bobby Flay today. However, I was looking through my food porn, and forgot about all the awesome things I tested for Vegan Pie in the Sky! Yay! I seriously heart Isa and Terry. They are, indeed, the best. I got to meet them in person at VVC and they were cooler than cool. Enough glowing...onto PIE!

sweet potato brazil nut

I ended up testing 24 recipes. It was the sweetest, most delicious testing experience yet. The vegan dream team completely changed my perspective on so many things. I'll list my top ten testers, counting down to my favorite.

old fashioned chocolate pudding pie

10. Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie-This pie is so chocolatey and delicious that everybody will be easily fooled into thinking it takes a lot of effort. So easy!

9. Cosmos Apple Pie-I mostly think of apple pies as boring, but this pie is ridiculously good! It's just piled high with appley goodness...then topped with this cinnamon sugar concoction. Mmmm.

8. Blueberry Ginger Handpies-Are you kidding me?! If I hear ginger, I'm totally there. These things have the added bonus of oozing with blueberry perfection.

cosmos applie pie

7. Rad Whip-I admit that I am so super dense. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it was called that. Isa and her friggin puns! Haha. When it finally dawned on me, I felt so silly. Alls you needs to know about this is that it's amazing! Two chillings and a whip later...you have legitimate whipped cream topping that doesn't just melt away at room temperature.

6. Maple Pecan Pie-Whaaaat?! Yes. The Texan in me was so super happy when I made this. First vegan pecan pie that solidified and had the essence of what a pecan pie is to me. So yum!

5. Banoffee Pie-Bananas, toffee, chocolate shavings. I didn't expect to love this pie as much as I did. I bit into it and actually swooned. Delicious!

banoffee pie

coconut cream pie, lime variation

4. Pear-Cranberry Gallette-Something about the combo of the buckwheat and the pears just really felt comforting to me. I seriously loved this pie. I had never tried buckwheat flour before and absolutely loved the earthiness!

3. Banana Cookie Cream Pudding-Just when I thought nanner pudding couldn't get any better, Isa and Terry invented this. It is amazing! I took it to a family reunion, and it was devoured.

2. Sweet Potato Brazil Nut Pie-I don't even like sweet potato pie. In fact, I told Terry that I loathed it when she posted the recipe. Something about the island infusion just made me think I'd love this. And I do!!! It completely changed my perspective on sweet potatoe pies. This is fighting for a spot at my Thanksgiving table this year!

chocolate caramel tart w/ fleur de sel

1. Lemon Mousse Pies-I am highly outspoken of my love for lemon meringue pie. This is pretty much like that but flipped with the light and airy part on bottom. Plus, there's a gingersnap crust! I LOVE THIS THING! Best lemon pie ever!

lemon mousse pie

Tomorrow is the last day of my school week (and the short class day) so I will definitely bring you that Bobby Flay lovin'. Hopefully, I'll even be able to comment on blogs again. Woo!

VeganMoFo V: You Could Be a Rainbow...

2011-10-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

...instead of a PAINbow.

Hopefully, the Whedon fans appreciated that gem from the first season of Angel. Ahem. Speaking of Whedon, have you seen Kelly's totally amazing adorableness that is Buffy Tuesday? For today's blog, she interviewed me! Wee! It's so rare that I get to geek out over this stuff.

In true Mo fashion, the day I decide to do the rainbow thing ran long again. I was doing a poetry workshop for the kids at Era's school and didn't get home until the sun was hiding behind the mountains. Boo. Try to imagine this is full of color. Also, my neighborhood store didn't order purple cauliflower, so it's missing the v.

saddest rainbow ever..or instagram?

Right there, I've got a bunch of veggies and Isa's sanctuary dip. Funny thing about that dip...it's AMAZING. I made it for a party over the summer, and people were freaking out. I used that stuff to make sandwiches for our Texas road trip...best sandwiches ever!

Tomorrow, I plan to make something from Bobby Flay (my other Food Network love). I promise to budget my time better. Off to do a draft for English...

VeganMoFo V: Banana and Coconut Stew with Ugali

2011-10-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

On "the smiling coast of Africa," lies a small country by the name of The Gambia. I had never heard of it before, but used a random country generator to figure out what international cuisine I wanted to try next. When I happened upon this stew, my mouth dropped. It sounded so frickin delicious I could hardly wait to make it.

I used this Banana and Coconut Beef Stew recipe. I had to modify it a bit, though. I halved it, used plantains instead of bananas, and replaced the beef with TVP. The stew also calls for a dish called ugali. It's reminiscent of polenta but ultra stiff. You seriously have to cut into it once the thing has cooled. Simple and delicious.

The stew was really easy to make. It's very hearty, so you could probably add more coconut milk and water if you like your stews a bit thinner. My personal favorite was using the plantains. I originally bought them super green, but they had turned yellow. All the better! The plantains offered a pop of sweetness that cut through the creamy coconut milk base. I also love all the pea action going on. This was seriously good and filling.

banana and coconut stew w/ ugali

Banana and Coconut Stew (modified from linked version)

1 cup large granule TVP

1 cup boiling broth

1 tsp marmite (optional)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 roma tomatoes

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup water

2 medium yellow plantains

¼ lb frozen peas
3 oz snow peas

salt and pepper to taste

Rehydrate the TVP with the broth and marmite. Set aside. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook until the onion just starts to brown before adding the tomatoes and TVP. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down a bit, maybe 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, add the plantains and peas, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with white rice or ugali.

Sorry to cut it a bit short, but I have an anthropology exam tomorrow. Study time!

VeganMoFo V: MMMS-American Dreamz

2011-10-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

So a funny thing happened on the way to this blog. Train derailment. I have a Vegan Essentials order, with crucial ingredients, that was supposed to arrive on Friday. However, the tracking had "trail derailment" listed for Friday! I can't get mad at that at all. It just means, Mandy Moore Movie Sunday has arrived!

kentucky fried tofu, baby!

Today's movie is American Dreamz. How should I describe this thing? It's a spoof of American Idol, the Bush-Cheney presidency, reality tv, the war(s), and a lot more. The cast is pretty random: Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Coolidge, Marcia Gay Harden, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, and Sam Golzari. Somebody on Rotten Tomatoes put it best: they try to satirize so many things, that it becomes completely ineffective. This is a train wreck, y'all. A sweet, deliciously painful train wreck.

Mandy plays Sally Kendoo, an AD contestant with dreams of stardom at any costs. Grant pretty much plays Simon Cowell. Golzari plays a jihadist with a love for Broadway plays. I told you this thing was weird.

When making the menu, I had to think of what the American dream is. Decidedly, I think it's combo meals. And since this is the land of cultural fusion, I opted to grab something from the culture of the three main leads (Moore, Grant, and Golzari). Oh, but it's wrapped up in a very American package.

beer battered tofu, southern green beans, hummus potatoes

Bomb Explosive Menu

Bucket of Fun (Vegan Brunch Beer Battered Tofu)

Hummus Mashed Potatoes

Southerners Kendoo Green Beans

The beer battered 'fu is, obvi, for Grant's character. I dredged it in flour to make sure the batter stuck to it. I also sprinkled on some malt vinegar. Golzari's character is from the Middle East, though I don't think they ever say where. Things that remind me of that cuisine: kebabs, hummus, parsley, lemon, mint. When I saw the Sabra recipe, I knew I had to make it. Sabra is the only store bought hummus I can eat with a spoon. SO good. Finally, Mandy's character is this small town, Southern girl. I decided to make Southern green beans (onion, garlic, tempeh bacon, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper) because it was easy. I even used...GASP...canned!

This was a fun one! I especially love the graphic I begged Era to make for me! Tomorrow, I'll be making something from The Gambia!

VeganMoFo V: Texas Sized Kolaches

2011-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Most people are completely unaware of how culturally rich Texas is. They don't call it Six Flags Over Texas for nothing. Texas was dominated by so many countries in its early history that, depending on where you live, the cuisine and culture is completely different. Texas Hill Country has a lot of German and Czech influence. One of the glorious things the immigrants brought with them is kolaches. Traditional kolaches are sweet with fruity fillings. However, Texans have really adapted them as their own, adding savory fillings out the wazoo.

Kolaches hold a special place in my heart because my mom always makes them for the holidays. She would fill them with eggs, potatoes, sausage, and cheese. They really remind me of being home. Plus, my mom proved that she is the absolute greatest because when I became vegan, she'd make three batches of the stuff: one for the omnis, a vegetarian version, and a vegan batch for me.

Honestly, these can be filled with anything. Some combos that I like: scramble/potato/sausage, cheese/tempeh bacon, sausage/jalapeno/cheese, and sausage/cabbage/apple. This dough makes a lot. I'm not kidding when I say this is a meal in a bun. Feel free to half it...or even make 24 instead of 12. I like to make a dozen for Era and I to take for breakfast in the mornings.

this has apple, cabbage, cranberries, and onions in it.

Texas Kolaches

(makes 12)

Feel free to fill with whatever you want. This is just how I filled it today.

Dough

2 cups non dairy milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup vegetable shortening

¼ cup non dairy margarine

2 Tbsp active dry yeast

1 ½ tsp salt

5-6 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Filling

12 sausages (I used my chipolata recipe)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced in half moons

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 garlic cloves, minced

⅓ cup dried cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

Make the filling first. Follow the directions for the sausages. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, and cook until they just start to brown. Add the apples and cabbage. Cook until tender. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cranberries, and remove from the heat.

Now, make the dough. Heat the milk, sugar, shortening, and margarine in a medium saucepan until everything is melted. Let cool until lukewarm. Add the yeast, and pour into a large bowl. Mix in the salt and 5 cups of flour. Mix until combined, adding a little flour at a time until the dough is soft but easy to work with. Knead for 5 minutes. Place into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (about an hour).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Punch down the dough, and divide it into 12. Roll each ball out until you get a 5 or 6 inch circle. Put a portion of the apple mixture inside, place a sausage on top, and wrap it up. Be sure to pinch the seams. Turn it seam side down, and make three slices in the dough. Repeat with the remaining batch.

Brush the tops with vegan egg whites (2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup water, heated until smooth and viscous). Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

This is one of my favorite food memories because it reminds me so much of childhood and togetherness. Whenever I'm feeling homesick, I think of dishes like this that provide me a little piece of home.

Tomorrow, I had something planned, but I'm gonna have to do a Mandy Moore Sunday! More details coming soon...

VeganMoFo V: Everyday I'm Cabbage Patchin'

2011-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I absolutely hated cabbage. I'm pretty sure it had to do with smelling off sauerkraut or something. In the traditional Southern way...I kinda still dislike it. I cringe at the idea of cooking all the life out of greens and adding vinegar to the whole thing. Brr.

The first time I fell in love with cabbage again was when my mother-in-law, Mrs. C, showed up with a huge pot at our back door. At first, I was a little scared. Then, I smelled the most wonderful aroma of cumin. When I opened that pot, I bit into the best cabbage of my life. So, I dedicate this to her. Mrs. C is the kindest, most self sacrificing woman I know, and she is the reason I loves me some cabbage.

This is my interpretation of her "recipe." Now you know Southern women, and especially Texans, never write a damn recipe for anything. Everything is by look and feel. By the way, this is ridiculously easy to make. I'm talking maybe 20 minutes from start to finish.

delicious cabbage

Mrs. C’s Cabbage
(serves 6-8)
gluten free
soy free

This recipe is very adaptable. Want less oil? Use less. If you're a garlic fiend, go ahead and throw more in. Also feel free to use about a cup of canned tomatoes if fresh is unavailable to you.

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste

1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

black pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, minced garlic, cumin seeds, and salt and cook for 1 more minute. Add the cabbage. Stir to coat the cabbage and place a lid on the pot. Cook for 15 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally so the cabbage doesn’t burn. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This dish goes perfectly with any Tex Mex meal. I especially love to serve this alongside fideo and borracho beans.

Tomorrow, I'm doing another food memory: kolaches! But, totally doing the savory stuffed Texas version. Holla!

VeganMoFo V: Dirty POP Tarts

2011-10-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Wanna know why I love MoFo so much? It forces me out of my own comfort zone and allows me creative projects I'd never attempt otherwise. I think MoFo is also a great time for when you happen upon an epic fail like I did tonight.

My plan was to make a decent filling for my gingerbread pop tarts. The problem? They were far too sweet originally. With all the sugar, I seriously crashed last year after eating a little bit of one. My idea was to have 4 variations and see which was best.

apple-pear and lingonberry

I did some googling and discovered Kellogg's actually had a limited edition gingerbread flavor, but it was filled with frosting and topped with cinnamon sugar. I opted to go with cinnamon sugar and try some fruity fillings.

First up was apple-pear. I sauteed the fruit, added a small amount of sugar, pinch of cinnamon, and vanilla. It was okay. Not really out-of-this-world awesome. My bias runs deep, though, because I generally think apple is a boring flavor. Love apples. Not so much apple filled baked goods. The other flavor I went with was lingonberry jam because lingonberries taste like cranberries to me, which pairs perfectly with ginger. It was a winning combination! Tart, sweet, and very holiday tasting. My favorite of the batch.

pop tart monstrosity. just look at that speculoos viscera.

Next, I really wanted to get crazy. I thought it would be hilarious if one holiday flavor consumed another. In actuality, it was so not funny. Upon tasting it...never again! The speculoos just becomes this thick, goopy thing in the middle of the pop tart. Pictured above is a straight up speculoos one and the other has some chocolate chips thrown in. Brrr.

I think the biggest problem was I messed up on the dough, and I'm not sure where. I made it super fast, used a different kind of margarine, and I'm not entirely sure I followed the directions completely. Muahahaha. This was doomed from the start.

Oh, well. You live and learn. My lesson today was that lingonberry jam or any tart jam goes perfectly with this crust. Hopefully, I'll get everything right when I make these again.

Tomorrow: I have a wicked awesome cabbage recipe to share. For now, I'm starting my weekend. Until next time...

VeganMoFo V: Southwestern Cobb Salad

2011-10-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Okay. I wanted this to be bright and vibrant and all rainbowed out, but I had the biggest day of suck. Last night while trying to finish a paper I ran out of ink. Bought new ink. It was the wrong kind of ink. Managed to print the paper, only to realize my works cited had errors and my professor was forcing another edit. Plus, the same professor was a complete jackhole to me in class. On this dreary day, not even my Buffy shirt made me smile.

era calls me E-mo for a reason. haha

After the morning I had, the day was complete redeemed by a few things. First of all, I'm rocking a hoodie. It was a cold and windy day. Then, I got an A on my geology test...the one with mineral identification! Lastly, I made this bomb ass salad.

Southwestern cobb salad is something I first tried as a wee lass at Alamo City Cafe in my hometown. At the time, I thought that place was THE joint when it came to Mexican food. Oh, foolish child. Alamo City Cafe is pretty much like eating Mexican food in a non-bordering state...it's got no ~~sol~~ soul. But their cobb salad was the first salad I ever loved. It reminded me of spending family time together. We were all little kids but I remember feeling grown up chowing down on some greens. This is my very loose interpretation.

sorry for the lighting. already dark out.

Southwestern Cobb Salad

I eat this with chipotle ranch, but feel free to use whatever. I suggest serving this individually, with toppings separated, unless it will be consumed in one sitting. It's fine to use fresh frozen corn that's been thawed.

8 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
⅓ cup sliced black olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large Haas avocado, diced
1 small lime
kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn, about 1 cup
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp cilantro, minced
½ tsp mild chile powder, like ancho
½ tsp cumin
⅓ cup tempeh bacon, fried and chopped
⅓ cup vegan cheddar, optional

In a small bowl, gently mix juice from ½ of the lime with the avocado. In another bowl, mix the corn kernels, black beans, cilantro, chile powder, cumin, and the juice from the remaining ½ of the lime. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For each serving, add 2 cups of romaine. Layer the toppings evenly over each dish. Eat immediately.

Tomorrow, I'm revisiting those gingerbread pop tarts from last year. Super excited! Plus, Friday, I'm showing love to my mother-in-law...hopefully in video format. Happy Wednesday!

Vegan MoFo V: Malasadas and Haupia

2011-10-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, so that's when I get my international thug thizzle on. Technically, this is Hawaiian. But, I've never heard of it before.

I learned about this wonderful thing while watching Best Thing I Ever Ate. The Chairman of Iron Chef America, Mark Dacascos, was talking about the best thing he ever had on a road trip. This recipe comes from the actual location: Leonard's Bakery in Hawaii.

these are basically donuts. delicious, coconutty donuts.

The only way I changed the recipe was that I reduced the nutmeg to ½ teaspoon (not fresh), and I used a combo of flax and yogurt for the eggs (2 Tbsp flax in ½ cup water and ½ cup yogurt). Then you let them rise, and fry those bad boys. Coat in cinnamon sugar and stuff with haupia (recipe is at the bottom), which is a coconut pudding. Delish.

I'm also gonna try to bake the rest of the batch because I'm a rebel, Dottie. But these are super easy to make either way.

i'm all up inside ya...much like jazz

I would totally make these again. They would be perfect for a pajama jam if I ever want to get all House Party 2 up in herre.

Tomorrow, I'm doing something colorful that could also be considered a food memory. Also, I'm so stupid excited about what I'm doing for Halloween.

Here are some hints:
1. It's a horror movie marathon menu.
2. There will be cake.
3. The movies involve creatures of the night.

VeganMoFo V: MMMM-Because I Said So

2011-10-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

It has arrived! My very first Mandy Moore Movie Monday. If you don't know, I own a lot of Mandy Moore movies. I find her to be absolutely darling, and it's kinda refreshing not having the Candy video seared into my brain for eternity.

The movie I watched is called Because I Said So. The cast: Mandy, Diane Keaton, Gabriel Macht, Tom Everett Scott, Piper Perabo, Lauren Graham, and Stephen Collins. If you watch this, you should skip the first 10 minutes and get to the good stuff.

Diane Keaton plays a meddling mother who is always interfering with her daughter's life. Mandy plays this spastic girl who always falls for the wrong guy, so Crazy Mama puts a singles ad out for her daughter. Mandy's character ends up being with two guys, one of 'em is Gabriel Macht. Macht is the charm behind this thing. Dude is hot, and I love how he interacts with Mandy. Oh, did I mention they're all wedding caterers...with a specialty in cakes?

this bad boy was thoroughly covered in goddess dressing after the photo

You Have a 'Gina Menu

Rom Com Cheeze Crisps

Playin' the Field of Greens Salad

Meddlin' Mama Mia's Spaghetti Cake

Lots of Cheap Red Wine

This is seriously one of those cheesy romantic comedies, but it's not overly trite. That's mostly due to Keaton's insane character and Gabriel ~~Hot~~ Macht's storyline.

instead of using pureed berries, i used jam

The cake was easy to put together. It was a mini cake from 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes with store bought frosting. I made a mug brownie for the meatballs, and jam was used for the sauce. I didn't even have a piping bag, so I used a sandwich bag for the sketti. So fun!

Tomorrow is something international, though technically the island I'm inspired by is a part of the US. Well, I'm off to class!

VeganMoFo V: Best Thing I Never Ate-Michael Symon Edition

2011-10-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Any friend of mine will tell you I have an obsession with teeth and smiles. Michael Symon's smile lights up the entire universe. Plus, I seriously love his bald head. Love it! He can birth my fictitious babies any time. I seriously love this man. Ha. Anyway, dude was on Best Thing I Ever Ate (the one about combos) and started talking about this dish at Lucky's Cafe. Cheddar and scallion biscuits, eggs, sausage gravy, and potatoes. Say whaaaaat?!

I obsessed about this for several days. It was kinda weird that I was so in love with the idea because I HATED sausage gravy and biscuits as a kid. There was a traumatic incident with a babysitter feeding it to us every single day while her family ate straight-up feasts. When I told my mom I hated it, the babysitter started feeding me cold jelly sandwiches. How the crap did this woman have a license to watch kids? Digressing. I veganized the dish based off of ol' Mikey boy's description. There are several components to this. You can easily substitute store bought sausage or something.

Also, this is not what you'd call low fat. This is Sunday-morning-rockin'-sweatpants-gym-tomorrow type food.

Southern Cheddar Scallion Biscuits
(makes 12)

I usually make 8 of these, but smaller biscuits work better with the gravy component.

2 ½ to 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

⅓ cup vegetable shortening

1 cup shredded vegan cheddar

½ cup finely sliced green onions

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the non-dairy milk and vinegar together in a liquid measuring cup. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together until combined. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Mix in the cheese and green onions. Stir in the curdled milk until the dough comes together. Knead gently to form into a ball, adding more flour until dough is easy to work with.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out to desired thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or knife to cut out 12 biscuits. Place them on a lightly greased cake pan (I use a square 8x8). Bake for 25-28 minutes, until golden brown.

biscuity goodness

Country Gravy

For a thinner gravy, only use half the tempeh sausage. If, however, you like yourself a thick and spicy gravy...add it all, sucka!

2 Tbsp canola oil

¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour

½ small yellow onion, minced

2 cups unsweetened non dairy milk

⅛ tsp nutmeg

Spicy Tempeh Sausage (recipe below)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add the flour and stir until slightly golden. Mix in the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk and stir constantly until the gravy starts bubbling. Add the nutmeg and tempeh sausage. Heat to desired thickness. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Tempeh Sausage

This tempeh sausage has a nice kick from the crushed red pepper and cayenne. Feel free to adjust the heat to suit your personal tastes. This also makes a great addition to breakfast tacos.

8 oz tempeh, steamed for 10 minutes and crumbled

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp Garlic Pepper or granulated garlic

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp rubbed sage

½ tsp crushed red pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

⅛ tsp nutmeg

½ cup vegetable broth

½ tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste

pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a saucepan. Add in the crumbled tempeh and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the fennel seeds, Garlic Pepper, poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Cook for 1 more minute. Pour in the vegetable broth, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper to taste.

hiding under all that gravy is some tofu, biscuits, and potatoes

To build the above plate, it's just biscuits, a basic tofu scramble, gravy, green onions, and a side of potatoes. If you wanna go hard, add some ketchup and Cholula to those potatoes. Oh, yeah.

Tomorrow will be my first Mandy Moore Monday! Hootie hoo! Now, I'm off to do homework, write a round up, and maybe even relax a little.

VeganMoFo V: When I was 18...

2011-10-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

When I was 18, my hair was bright orange...or red...or blonde. I wore kandi bracelets up to my elbows, and feared nothing (except clowns and making out with boys). My friends were the truest I ever had. We went to high school together and spent that most perfect summer wandering the streets of San Antonio looking for free things to do.

I've briefly talked about this food memory before, but I've never really delved into it. Growing up in SA, there was very little to do if you were under 18 and broke. It was basically pool, sneaking around base after curfew, or Jim's. We mostly spent our time playing spades at Jim's, which was this greasy chain of diner type restaurants. They've cleaned up recently, but it used to be a late night wander for bored teenagers and drunk people.

At 18, I had been vegetarian for 2 years. Jim's didn't really have much in the way of vegetarian food. So, every time I went there I got Canadian cheese soup, grilled cheese, and french fries. I decided to recreate it to kick off MoFo. This is basically my youth on a plate.

soup, grilled cheeze, fries, perfection

Jim’s Canadian Cheeze Soup

This is creamy and comforting. The carrots and oats add a subtle sweetness, but be careful not to go too heavy on the salt. It tastes saltier as the soup cools.

Soup:
2 Tbsp margarine or olive oil
½ small white onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced celery
1 ½ cups diced carrots
2 cups chicken-flavored or vegetable broth
cheeze base
¼ cup parsley minced, plus more for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Cheeze Base:
1 ½ cups diced carrots, steamed until tender
3 cups water
½ cup old fashioned oats
¼ cup cashews
¼ cup tahini
2 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp Garlic Pepper (recipe below) or granulated garlic
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt

Make the cheeze base first. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the margarine or olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the broth and cheeze base. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in parsley and taste for salt and pepper.

Garlic Pepper
(makes ½ cup)

This is my go-to house seasoning. I first got turned onto this when I visited my mom for the holidays and could not stop using her store bought garlic pepper. I took a look at the ingredients and realized it would be pretty easy to make my own.

¼ cup granulated garlic
2 Tbsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp granulated onion
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp fine sea salt

Pour the ingredients into a small container. Shake thoroughly. Store in the pantry.

Tomorrow, I plan to recreate something that my Food Network boyfriend, Michael Symon, loves. There will also be much gushing about his beautiful, bald head and amazing smile. Swoon.

Happy MoFoing, y'all! I have some blogs to read!

HappyCow.net and MoFo Banners

2011-09-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

Really quick update!

We are less than two weeks away from VeganMoFo. Be sure to get your banners for your blog here. They are done by the beautiful and talented Amanda from Will Draw for Cookies. My personal fave is the one with the little fruits and veggies. ZOMG, adorbs!

Also, Christy from The Blissful Chef did a wonderful write up on MoFo over at HappyCow.net! It includes the spread for my deviled tofu and the seaweed caviar variation. You should check it out.

Why can't it be October already?

On the Horizon...

2011-09-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

I should be writing an English paper right now, but I'm so freaking amped about VeganMoFo that I can't think about anything else. This year marks the 5th installment, and I am so super happy to be a part of it again.

Last year, I didn't have a theme. Lucky for me, though, I kept a document from the end of 2010 MoFo with any crazy ideas I had. This year, I opened up my document of ideas and realized I had pretty much nothing! Aaaah! So, I spent the last week or so getting my ideas down, plotting out the days, and figuring out just how crazy next month will be.

This year, I decided to do a different theme for everyday of the week. It's kinda crazy having so many themes, but I think it will work out just fine. Without further adieu (and in order of October days)...

Saturdays-Food memories. I will be taking foods from my past and veganizing them. They all come with neat little stories and represent a big part of where I came from.

this food memory will be revamped fo' sho

Sundays-The Best Thing I Never Ate. At first, this was just a potpurri category. However, I realized I had a ton of recipes I wanted to veganize from the Food Network. This will be fun!

Mondays-Dinner and a Movie. Most of them will involve Mandy Moore, but I have a special horror movie marathon planned for Halloween. Complete with a cake! And hell to the no. It will not be haunted gingerbread. Brrr.

Tuesdays-International foods. I stumbled upon half of these and the other half were chosen randomly by country. I love taking risks on cuisines I've never tried before. That's how I came to discover I love Ethiopian and Indian food. Not to mention Georgian and Belgian!

Wednesdays-Rainbows. Yes. I will be making foods and drink inspired by the many colors of the rainbow. I'm super proud of this because only one of the days involves me using food coloring...technically.

Thursdays-MoFo revisited. One thing that always gets me is that I rarely have the time to go back and try MoFo recipes again. So, this year, I'm tweaking some recipes. For sure, I'm going back to those gingerbread pop tarts. I'm also redoing some recipes from my very first VeganMoFo. Should be fun.

these will be tweaked to a new level of awesome

Fridays-Video. The videos I started last year will be back! I hope they're better than ever. So very excited to do this again.

Feel free to use any of these ideas...and check out the idea thread on The PPK. Also, don't forget to sign up! I'm so excited! Anybody else know what they're doing?

Never Too Late for a Portland Update

2011-09-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yes. I know Vida Vegan Con has been over for about 2 weeks now. This update is way later than intended because life has been extremely busy over here with school. Also, my pics aren't the greatest because I forgot my camera almost all the time (3 out of the 4 days). But some fun was had. Oh, yes! So about Portland...

THURSDAY: WELCOME TO PORTLAND
I arrived from a fairly bumpy flight, got shuttled to the rental car place, and had to endure the slooooowest service I've ever had...ever. About an hour after I landed, I finally started driving to my friend's (Rich) house. Only I got lost. Like, 40 minutes lost. When I finally reached Rich's house, we walked over to Hungry Tiger Too where a bunch of conference goers were meeting up. We arrived to find almost everybody gone, but I got to meet Steffers, Louzilla, and Joni! Fun times! I ordered the BLTease and some sweet potato fries. The sandwich was a'ight. Nothing grand. But those fries were incredibly bomb. I loves 'em!

Afterwards, Rich and I went to his neighborhood farmers market. I was wandering around and discovered Missionary Chocolates. They were giving away free samples on just about everything! I ended up buying three truffles: meyer lemon, vanilla salted caramel, and ginger. They were fantastic! So damn good. I also picked up some golden raspberries. Mmm.

Next, we took the short drive to Vendetta for the unofficial meet and greet. First of all, I was totally overwhelmed. That place got packed with so much vegan goodness, I had to down some beer to take it all in. Errbody was talking and having a great time. I couldn't even begin to list everybody I met. Rich and I left a little early.

Panda cookie!

Here's where things got epic. Rich lives right down the street from a food cart pod. We walked over, and I realized I was at Potato Champion! I ordered the vegan poutine and a pineapple basil juice. Poutine is a salty, gravy filled, potato orgy of awesome! And the juice was really refreshing after a day of mostly potatoes and beer. Then, I turned around and realized I was sitting in front of Whiffie's Fried Pies! Rich and I noticed that they had a vegan mounds pie (choco-coconut), and we both dug super deep to make room for it. Words cannot express how amazing that pie was! It had a perfectly flaky crust with this thick, creamy coconut pudding inside. There was flaked coconut in the pudding and a nice chocolate sauce inside. I highly recommend it!

And that was my first day in Portland. How crazy is that?!

FRIDAY: MEETING KITTEE, AMEY, AND THE LADYBROS
Friday morning I said goodbye to Rich and headed over to Kittee's to work on the game show. Can I just say how much I heart that woman? She is amazing. We spent a little while prepping, then headed out to Native Bowl. Erika and Jordan showed up, and we chatted while waiting for Amey. I also met Luciana, Lisa, and Gabrielle. When Amey finally arrived, five of us piled into Kittee's car and headed back to her house. Amey, Kittee, and I pretty much worked on the game show and got the prizes together before registration.

Things went pretty fast from there. I registered, picked up my swag bag, and got into my dorm. The bags were HUGE. Filled with coupons, books, peppermills, cookies, bars, snacks, and so much more. Plus, the dorms had an extra toiletry gift bag with soaps, toothpaste, condoms, etc. I quickly changed and met up with Ben before heading over to the reception.

The reception was fabulous! I met Chris and Crystal finally. Adorbs. I also drank much champagne and tried my hardest to look elegant while eating a cupcake. Mission: impossible. I also met my Texan peoples. Kristen, Molly, and Stephanie. It was awesome, to say the least. Oh, and I also met my roommate for the weekend, Jen! It was a really great time.

VVC breakfasts: pancakes, fruit, yogurt, biscuit, potatoes, gravy, scramble

After getting my cupcake on, I went with a huge group to Vita Cafe. Let's see if I remember everybody. John, Kelly, Lou, Isa, Terry, Erika, Jordan, Luciana, FootFace, Lauren, and two of the sweetest Canadians (Lisa and Nicole) I ever did meet. Anyway, I had the vegan club sandwich, some fries, and a salad. Here's the thing...the salad and fries were HUGE! All I could manage to eat was a few bites of each and half a sandwich. Let me tell you about that club. It was seriously the best sandwich I've ever had in my life! So damn good.

Afterwards, I took a cab back to the hotel with Luciana, Lisa, and Nicole. The girls refused to let me walk back to the dorms by myself. It was terribly sweet.

SATURDAY: GET YER DANCE ON
Saturday was so damn stressful for me. I headed to breakfast, and then it was non-stop action until the game show. Kittee, Amey, and I were figuring out the logistics and order so that things would run smoothly. I feel like it was a great success. It was so fun to be apart of something so different. Plus, everybody left with some sort of prize. And on top of that, the teams took that ish seriously!

After the battle royale, I ate lunch and chilled out before getting ready for the Galarama. My ultimate goal was to get there early because the lines for everything at VVC had reached legendary status. So, I put on my outfit and got myself to the Gala. There was so much food. SO. MUCH. FOOD. Pizza, burgers, wraps, spring rolls, chikn tenders, sundae bar, and some dranky drank.

My absolute favorite part was hanging with my dance floor bestie, Lauren. The PPK straight owned that dance floor. All I have is this really lame pic that doesn't quite capture the essence of the dance circle. And I'm still mad at myself for not starting a Soul Train line.

can you spot the PPKers?

When the Gala ended (way too early), I went with Luciana to Food Fight for Upton's pop up sandwich shop. I had the second best sandwich of my life there: chicken seitan, grilled eggplant, chipotle aioli on a delightful focaccia. So good! Then this lady randomly pulls up in an ice cream truck and offers us samples of coconut lemon saffron ice cream. BEST. THING. EVER. And the weird thing is that she had never, ever stopped her truck there before. This is why I love Portland.

SUNDAY: WINDING DOWN, HEADING HOME
Sunday was much more relaxing. I was a little bummed that everything was coming to an end, though. I did get to catch some really great talks. In the morning, Lidiana and I did our budget talk. We were worried about not having enough material, but we really owned it. We even learned some stuff from the audience. The amazing Joanna told me about freezers being more efficient when packed to capacity. I did not know that!

Afterwards, I caught Terry's talk. She was hilarious and nerdy as ever! I also went to the Publishing Panel. Everybody was lovely there. I found it really refreshing that nobody tried to sugarcoat it. They made writing and publishing very real to people. The last thing I saw before heading back home was the Opinionated Bloggers. For me, PPKers stole the show. Footface was charming and out-of-this-world hilarious. And Jordan was brutally honest and insightful.

I didn't really get to say goodbye because I had to haul ass to the airport. But I did want to say that this was one of the best experiences of my life. I can't wait to go back in 2013. And I will be there whether I'm a speaker or not. There are so many places I didn't get to see and so many people I didn't spend enough time with. Portland, I kinda freaking love you!

Until we meet again...

Attack of the Killer Summer

2011-08-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. Monday marks the end of summer for me, as I am going back to school for the first time in several years. No worries, though. This summer is ending with a bang. Starting tomorrow, I will spend 4 food-fueled days in Portland getting my Vida Vegan Con on! Expect a ridiculous amount of blogs and hopefully some funny stories.

I'm doing two classes this year. First up is Vegan Battle Royale with Kittee and Amey. I cannot even begin to tell you how stoked I am to do something like this with these two ladies! It has been such a blast coming up with the many intricate aspects of this game. Seriously...get your booty to our classroom on August 27th at 12:20PM in Coos Bay.

We will have two teams battle it out for the ultimate in vegan PWNAGE! Plus, there are prizes for every member of the audience. They range from homemade gluten free goodies to super phat gift certificates. And check out how adorable our logo is (drawn by Amey!!!):

Does it get any more awesome?!

If you still aren't convinced, just go ahead and check out the blog post on the VVC website. Peep game.

My second class will be with the wonderful Lidiana from The Spicy Vegan. We are putting together a wonderful talk on Budgeting and Meal Planning. The class will touch on grocery budgeting, entertaining on a budget, and learning how to meal plan like a pro!

So, if your hero is George Costanza you might just want to check us out. We promise to give you tips you've probably never heard of before. Come see us on Sunday, August 28th at 9:40AM in Coos Bay. And I'll leave you with a budget-friendly top 5 list...

Top 5 Favorite Broke Ass Meals

Pancakes-If you keep a pantry stocked with flour, pancakes are incredibly cheap to make at home. Should you run out of non dairy milk, try using water thickened with a bit of applesauce. It gives a nice fruity flavor.
Beans and Rice-The most vegan meal on the planet. There's a reason why so many cultures have these as staples. It's cheap. Buy dried beans and rice in bulk to save even more money!
Soup-It can include practically anything. Throw in some root vegetables and some greens...you're golden!
Haluski-I only discovered this meal within the past year or so while watching Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It's super simple. Cabbage and onions sauteed in oil. Add pasta and the optional fake bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. It will change your life, yo.
Potatoes-Hopefully, you're eating more than just taters. However, they are super cheap and really filling. Plus, they can be transformed into pretty much anything. Baked potatoes, fries, salad, mashed, etc.

Eggplant Milanesa Torta and More!

2011-07-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Howdy howdy, y'all! With grilling season all up in herre, we decided to get our cook on for the long weekend. Today's menu includes tortas, cucumber salad, grilled corn, and grilled pound cake.

Tortas are a Mexican sandwich that can be filled with pretty much anything. Usually, you've got your main protein and fill the sandwich up with great things like refried beans, onions, avocado, tomato, lettuce, salsa, etc. This eggplant milanesa variety is one I've been making for awhile, and it's definitely my favorite! Milanesa is just a thinly sliced piece of protein that has been breaded and fried. The eggplant works wonderfully here because it gets a super crunchy outside but stays chewy in the middle.

torta insides

Eggplant Milanesa Torta
(serves 4)

The key to getting crispy eggplant is to dredge lightly. There should only be a thin coating of the starch mixture and a quick dip in the non-dairy milk. Use your fingers to sprinkle the bread crumbs onto each side. If you can’t find bolillos or teleras, feel free to use small hoagie rolls or mini baguettes.

¾ lb eggplant
⅓ cup potato starch or cornstarch
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste
½ tsp cracked black pepper
⅓ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

4 bolillo or telera rolls
thinly sliced tomatoes
shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce
2 small avocados, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 recipe Chipotle Chile Limon Mayo

Remove the top and bottom from the eggplant. Thinly slice lengthwise into 8 pieces. Salt each slice and place in a colander or on a cooling rack. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Get three shallow bowls together for your breading station. Add the potato starch, cumin, ancho chile powder, sea salt, and black pepper to the first bowl. Add the non-dairy milk to the second bowl. Add the bread crumbs to the third bowl.

Rinse the eggplant with plenty of cold water and drain. Use a towel to pat them dry. Dip each piece in the potato starch mixture, then into the milk, and finally into the Panko. Add them to a greased cookie sheet. Spray the tops with nonstick spray, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip, give another spray of oil, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

To assemble a sandwich, spread the mayo onto each half of the bolillo. Add avocado, tomato, onion, and lettuce to the top bun. Add 2 slices of eggplant milanesa to the bottom bun. Close the sandwich and enjoy!

closer look at the eggplant

The chipotle chile limon mayo is really good, and we also love it slathered on our grilled corn. This mayo really can be as spicy or non spicy as you like. To make the chipotle puree, just empty a can of chipotles in adobo into a small bowl and use an immersion blender to puree (you may want to seed them if you aren't a fan of spicy things). Store in a clean glass jar in the fridge.

delicious corn

Chipotle Chile Limon Mayo
(makes about ¾ cup)

½ cup vegan mayonnaise

2 ½ Tbsp chipotle puree, more or less to taste (see above)

zest and juice of 1 small lime

Mix everything in a small bowl. Chill until ready to use.

grilled pound cake! with strawberries! and rad whip!

For the pound cake, I just used the Vcon recipe. I did a thin layer of margarine on both sides of each slice, and placed it on the bbq grill. I had to finish them in a grill pan, though, because it was taking way too long outside. The pound cake was soooo ridiculously good! Seriously.

Wishing all of y'all a Happy 4th of July!!! Whatcha making?

Deviled Tofu with Dill Sour Cream and Seaweed Caviar

2011-04-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is much less of an entry and more of an excited sharing moment. For Earth Day, Era and I drove down to San Diego. While there we went to Ikea and got the coolest vegan caviar around! Thanks to Fanny for the info! It's really good and only 2 dollars. Not sure how much it tastes like caviar, though. I never had the real thing before. It's got a pop and tastes pickled with a slight sea taste. Good stuff.

Anyway, since Easter always reminds me of deviled eggs I just threw some fancypants stuff together. So this is really just a variation of my original deviled tofu.

Deviled Tofu w/ Dill Sour Cream and Seaweed Caviar
Tip: This also tastes great piped onto fresh veggies for the tofu-phobic. Just skip straight to making the bean spread, and don't forget your garnishes.

15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup vegan mayo
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
pinch or turmeric
1 1/2 Tbsp minced shallot
black salt (kala namak) to taste

14-16 oz extra firm tofu, divided into four cubes (cut across the length and width)
4 cups water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt*

Garnishes:

3 Tbsp vegan sour cream

healthy pinch dried dill (more if using fresh)

vegan caviar

Puree the beans, mayo, mustard, and turmeric in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) until smooth. Stir in the shallot and black salt to taste. Pour into a piping or sandwich bag and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes.

In a 3 quart pot bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Add the tofu and simmer for ten minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from water, drain completely, and let cool before slicing into squares. I usually get 20 squares, but slice as thick as you like. When cool enough to handle, pat them dry and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is extremely important to make sure the tofu is dry before refrigerating.

Meanwhile, stir the dried dill into the sour cream and chill until read to serve.

Remove the tofu, bean spread, dill sour cream, and seaweed caviar from the refrigerator right before serving. Feel free to sprinkle a tiny bit of fine salt onto the tofu at this point. Pipe the bean spread onto the tofu. Top with tiny dollops of sour cream. Sprinkle everything with a small bit of dried dill. Garnish everything with a small spoonful of caviar.

*For the deviled tofu, the actual tofu part should taste just slightly salty like the whites of a deviled egg. I use regular coarse sea salt for this because the black salt flavor just disappears in the water. Feel free to use fine sea salt. Just add to taste. The water should be salty enough to flavor the tofu.

Vida Vegan Con Excitement and Palm Greens Cafe

2011-04-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know about y'all, but I am getting so freakin' excited about Vida Vegan Con. Almost two weeks ago, speakers got some more information about our designated topics. So, I'm going to be doing a budgeting/meal planning class with the loverly Melody and Lidiana. I also get to do a writer's block workshop with Kittee, Amey, and somebody named Isa. Awesome sauce! You can read all about the classes, panels, and workshops here. I can't wait!

Anyway, this spring has been really beautiful so far. I think we have a few more weeks of gorgeous weather before it just becomes miserable. The weekend before last, we were feeling lazy and adventurous so we decided to go to a local place called the Palm Greens Cafe. I was really excited to try something outside of Native Foods.

When we walked in, I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere. Big booths, colorful art, and dim lighting. I like to feel like I'm eating in my own little zone and so many restaurants out here just don't feel like that to me. I ended up getting the Salad Sampler and Era got the Falafel Wrap. It's weird that I ordered a salad at a restaurant because I don't like to order stuff I can make myself. But this salad is the most genius idea ever: take a bed of greens and cover them with every salad you make! AWESOME!

salad sampler

The salad had cucumber, carrots, shredded beets, tomato, cous cous salad, seaweed salad, sweet potato salad, regular potato salad, tahini noodle salad, sunflower tuna salad, hummus, tofu egg salad, and tofu curry chikn salad. I had mine with ranch, and it was good. Best: hummus, tofu egg salad, and tofu curry chikn salad. Worst: cous cous salad and seaweed salad were incredibly bland. Overall, I loved it! My only regret is being so involved with my salad that I forgot to try a bite and take a pic of Era's wrap.

Oh, and I also ordered a gluten free brownie. I really wish I would have tried one that was freshly made (we got there right before closing) because the brownie was good, but I bet it would've been great! It was this perfect combo between cakey and fudgy. I can't even really explain it. So super good!

gf brownie with choc chips and walnuts

I think I'd definitely go to Palm Greens Cafe again. I'm trying to go to more places around the desert. I feel like we stay way too much in our comfort zone. We even found a really cool thrift store next door to the cafe!

Well, that's all for now. Next entry I'll finally upload pics for the final week of the cookbook challenge and show some tester photos for the books I'm testing for right now.

Cookbook Challenge 2: The Great Valley Adventure

2011-03-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Dudes. A weird thing happened on my way to the store. Not really, but my laptop broke (and is still broken) so it's been hell trying to blog. I have about 5 weeks of cooking to show you. I hope you're ready for this one.

First up, week 3 was Urban Vegan. I tried a few new things from this book and loved most of them. I really like the layout of the book. Every recipe seems to be on a single page, which is something I like in a cookbook. I also love that the steps aren't incredibly difficult to follow.

fettucine alfredo

THOUGHTS
1. Fettucine Alfredo: Absolutely amazing. I loved this. It was one of the simplest alfredos I've ever made. Plus, I love that it wasn't super thick or heavy. I threw in some sundried tomatoes and fresh basil before topping with homemade parm. Damn good food.
2. Chickpea Paprikash: This really doesn't photograph well, but it was so creamy and delicious that none of that matters. I have never had or even heard of paprikash until fairly recently. I was super freaked about using so much paprika, but it really went well with the dish. Plus, I love how smooth the yogurt made everything.
3. Lemon Poppyseed Tempeh: I really felt like a dish like this could have used exact measurements. I used 4 lemons fresh from our tree, but I guess they were super juicy because all I tasted was lemon. There wasn't enough of a rounded flavor for me. However, I would try this again to make sure it wasn't user error on my part.

Havana beans and rice and pan-fried plantains

4. Confetti Quinoa: This was another dish I didn't really like. It was too moist for me even after cooking for an extra 10 minutes or so.
5. Havana Beans and Rice: Absolutely lovely. It makes a ridiculous amount of food, too! Plus it is really simple.
6. Pan-Fried Plantains: I had never seen sweet plantains fried this way. The sugar gave them a nice crunch. Went super well paired with the rice and beans.

potato and tempeh sausage pizza

Week 4 was a cookbook near and dear to my heart, Vegan with a Vengeance. This was the first vegan cookbook that got me excited about food. It taught me how to cook, and really sparked a passion for food that I never had growing up.

sweet potato crepes w/ cilantro-tamarind sauce

THOUGHTS
1. Fresh Mango Summer Rolls: My first time ever rolling out fresh spring rolls. Truth be told, Era is the one that reaches for fresh spring rolls. I always get that deep fried ish, but these were SO GOOD. Really fantastic. I can't wait until mango season because I'm stuffing those biznootches with some Ataulfos, yo.
2. Potato and Tempeh Sausage Pizza: This was a recipe I've been checking out for years, but I never have fresh fennel in the house. So glad I finally made it. Love the way potatoes taste on pizza!

fresh mango summer rolls

3. Horseradish-and-Coriander-Crusted Tofu: This was a little spicy and a lot awesome! It was really reminiscent of fish when dipped in the tartar sauce. I hate fresh mint so I just substituted green onions.
4. Wasabi Mashed Potatoes: These were so damn good. Super creamy and the wasabi really gave it a great kick. Era was visibly surprised when he took a bite because I forgot to tell him about the wasabi. Haha.

horseradish-and-coriander-crusted tofu

wasabi mashed potatoes

5. Sweet Potato Crepes w/ Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce: I always stared longingly at this recipe in the past. There are so many ingredients that I never felt I had the time to make it. However, everything comes together super fast and I was left with a wonderfully spiced filling, chewy crepe, and the bomb ass sauce. The sauce is creamy, tangy and a little bit bright. I loved this dish so hard.

butternut squash lasagna

I skipped a lot of weeks because I didn't have some books, but I jumped back in with week 9, Yellow Rose Recipes. I had heard so many great things about this book over the years and finally purchased it back in December. Gotta show that Texas love!

lemon tahini dressing

THOUGHTS
1. Tofu Scramble: This was super quick and easy. Plus, I'm totally in love with the seasoning mix. Anything that tastes of cumin has a place in my heart.
2. Lemon Tahini Dressing: So simple SO GOOD. I made this and ate bowls for at least three days using this sauce. Every bowl I had was absolutely amazing. If I kept a supply of this and the goddess dressing from AFR, I'd never leave my house again.
3. Butternut Squash Lasagna: Super good and really filling. I could easily see playing around with this and doing some add ons. I was thinking how wonderful it would be with sausage and crushed red pepper flakes.

portobello feijoada, savory orange rice, and braised Brazilian shredded kale

Week 10 was Viva Vegan, my favorite cookbook ever! I just love how every time I go back, I find something new and delicious that I've never had before. I made a lot of stuff prior to and during this week, so I'll only leave my thoughts on the newly tried recipes.

THOUGHTS
1. Portobello Feijoada: This dish was amazing! Meaty, mushroomy, filling. Words cannot express how good this stew is. And it made a ridiculous amount of food. We were eating leftovers for days.
2. Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale: Really easy. Super delicious. And a great option to make because Era hates raisins so I don't make the chard w/ capers and raisins often.

vanilla-coconut flan

3. Vanilla-Coconut Flan: Perfect! Just like I remember during Spanish class in high school. I am definitely going to try the cafe con leche one next.
4. Peruvian Seitan: I didn't make the skewers, but I took Terry's burrito advice and made a burrito that rocked my pants off. I made the refried black beans and yellow rice. Then I added the seitan to the burrito along with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. Greatness.

creamy corn-filled empanadas

5. Creamy Corn-Filled Empanadas: I have never made empanadas before because I hate working with dough and they seem pretty time consuming. These were so good, I just have to make some other ones from the book. Served these with the Green Onion Salsa.

mom's morning casserole

Finally, this past week was Vegan Brunch. I mean, this book totally sparked my love of brinner. I was obsessed with Isa's pancakes since VWAV, but when you are throwing omelets and muffins and motherforking coffee cake my way...it's a miracle that I actually eat anything other than breakfast all day. I didn't make nearly as much as I wanted to, but what I did make was gooood.

THOUGHTS
1. Mom's Morning Casserole: I have always skipped over this one because we never kept tempeh in the house until recently. So I halved the recipe and got to it. So much awesomeness. I really wanted to eat this with a side of biscuits and gravy, but I forced myself to eat some steamed broccoli instead. Delicious!
2. Basic Scrambled Tempeh: I made this with tofu because I didn't feel like going to Trader Joe's for tempeh. This was unbelievably simple (maybe 5 ingredients) and so good! I love any time I get to use chard.
3. Fried Plantains: Easy and delicious. I don't think you can ever go wrong with fried plantains.

basic scrambled ~~tempeh~~ tofu w/ fried plantains

Whew. That's all for now. I have so many blogs to read. I'll do at least one more blog this week...maybe two. Anybody else stoked that Spring has arrived?!

Cookbook Challenge 2: Week 6 Caribbean Vegan

2011-02-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

I realize I'm doing this out of order but I am super excited about everything I cooked this week! It was the 6th week and we could cook out of VCTOTW or use it as a freebie. Well, right before I went home for the holidays, I received a review copy of Caribbean Vegan. So, I decided to cook from it. The book had been on my wishlist for awhile so I jumped at a chance to do a review. I've been steadily making my way through the book and made a lot of recipes this week so I could give a very fair opinion.

Saint Lucian Bake, grapefruit, Everyday Vegan Ham, scramble

There are over 100 authentic recipes, with tons of tips throughout. I was pretty surprised by everything I learned by reading through this book. First of all, I never knew the Caribbean had such a strong Indian influence. This book has a ton of delicious curries, stews, and rotis. I immediately gravitated towards those because I have a major love for Indian cuisine.

Herbed Sada Roti and Eggplant Choka

The book is divided into 9 chapters: condiments and sauces, breakfast dishes, appetizers, soups and stews, entrees, side dishes, Caribbean tea party, desserts, and drinks and cocktails. The easiest way for me to cook through this book was to head straight for the condiment section. There are plenty of recipes that require condiments or sauces from this section. My suggestion is to start with the: Bajan Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, and Bajan Pepper Sauce. These are the three that seem to be used most often. I totally fell in love with the pepper sauce. It's this vibrant yellow color with a kick of mustard and spice. So good!

Dal Puri Roti w/ Sauteed Spinach

Dal Puri Roti w/ Curried TVP Stew

This book really opened me up to a new kind of cuisine and different methods of cooking I never knew about. Also, this is pretty cheap cooking. A majority of the ingredients are found in the produce section for less than a dollar. There are a few specialty items that may require a Caribbean or Latin market: banana leaves, ackee, breadfruit, and yams. These aren't in too many of the recipes, though.

Chickpea Curry and Spinach Rice

There were plenty of dishes that I fell in love with. First and foremost, every baked good I tried was absolutely divine. My favorites were the banana bread, herbed sada roti, and dal puri roti. I also gained a new respect for chickpeas. The way that Taymer handles them in this book has resulted in some of the tenderest and most flavorful chickpeas I've ever had in my life. I feel like that's a bold statement for a vegan to make, but I stand by it. I also fell in love with the doubles (especially the chickpea stew), the chickpea curry, Creole sauce, ham, and eggplant choka.

Coconut Flan

THOUGHTS
1. Bajan Seasoning: Super easy to make and adds so much flavor to the dishes. It makes a lot and lasts up to a year in the fridge. Love this stuff!
2. Bajan Pepper Sauce: Bright yellow and seriously flavorful. This is spicy and great. Another recipe that is used a lot in the book to flavor dishes.
3. Green Mango Chutney: Unlike the mango chutney I'm used to, this is not sweet. It's salty and garlicky, a pleasant surprise!
4. Creole Sauce: I'd like to bathe in this...or at least drink it from a cup. It's this wonderful tomato based sauce filled with slivered onions. So good over the tofish and cou-cou.
5. Saint Lucian Bakes: This was my first time ever seeing a recipe that used baking powder call for a dough rise. It really makes a fluffy, chewy, crusty combo that just cannot be beat.
6. Herbed Sada Roti: These take about 3 hours to make, but they are so damn worth it. The edges get pillowy and delicious.
7. Eggplant Choka: Simple, spicy, and undeniably delicious. This is a classic breakfast dish in the Caribbean and I can see why!
8. Curried TVP Stew: This is rich and has so much depth of flavor! It calls for Marmite or Vegemite, which adds a nice beefy undertone.
9. Chickpea Curry: I fell in love with this! The eyes-roll-back-in-your-head kinda love. So flavorful and delicious. Very simple to make as well.
10. Everyday Vegan Ham: This ham really reminded me of the stuff I used to eat at Christmas. Spiced beautifully with a great smoky flavor.
11. Trinidadian Doubles: Streamline this process by making the chutney and filling while the bara rises. This is really an epic meal. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon so you can take doubles for lunch all week. Drool.
12. Cou-Cou and Tofish: Amazing! Anything with okra is automatically awesome in my book. I really like the tofish marinade. Just delicious!
13. Spinach Rice: A super simple side, but really satisfying.
14. Dal Puri Roti: Just wrap me up in this stuff. Flaky roti filled with dal. Nuff said.
15. Sauteed Spinach: The dish seems really simple, but it is mighty flavorful. Spicy and delicious!
16. Banana Bread: Dense, moist, delicious. Not too sweet. The first banana bread I didn't feel the need to smear with Earth Balance. Fantastic straight out of the fridge!
17. Coconut Flan: This is creamy and delicious. Really easy to make. Not overly sweet. The pineapple and cherry addition makes it super purty.

So, hopefully, I've done this book justice. I absolutely adore it! I love getting excited about new cookbooks and this one has so many things to "Squeeee" about!

Sopa de Repollo

2011-02-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy week of illness in the Martin-Cisneros house. Last week, Era got sick. I basically mocked him for whining and talked about how strong my immune system was. Then karma kicked my butt. I've been sick since Saturday and spent the past two days battling a high fever.

I'm just starting to get my cooking energy back, so I decided to make one of my favorite and easiest soups: cabbage. Sopa de repollo is a Mexican cabbage soup that contains cabbage, squash, and a gang of veggies. It really hits the spot for when you feel sick. Plus, it's super easy to make. The best thing to do is to cut the veggies on the thick side so they don't break down too much during the cooking process.

veggie heaven

Sopa de Repollo
(serves 8)
gluten free
soy free

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 small white onion, diced
3 large carrots, cut diagonally
4 small red potatoes (about ¾ lb), diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 small zucchinis, sliced in half moons
2 celery stalks, cut diagonally
½ medium head of green cabbage, roughly chopped
8 cups water
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt, more or less to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup tightly packed cilantro, minced

Heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes. Cook them until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the zucchini, celery, cabbage, water and salt. Bring to a boil before turning the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh cilantro.

Now, I must take some more meds and relax. Later this week I'll be doing a Caribbean Vegan review! I'm way excited about that. Also more cookbook challenge stuff to come.

Cookbook Challenge 2: Weeks 1-2 Appetite for Reduction and Vcon

2011-01-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to utilize my cookbooks more, so I decided to join the Cookbook Challenge over at the PPK. Week one was Appetite for Reduction, a book I got semi recently but I love it so damn much that I'd like to cook from it all the time.

Below are two things I cooked over the holidays before the challenge. Sorry for the photo quality. Sometimes a girl needs to get her eat on:

chickpea piccata & caulipots

hottie black eyed peas and greens & ginger mashed sweet potatoes and apples for New Year's Day

Now for everything I made during the first week of the challenge followed by my thoughts on the things I hadn't made before. There is so much greatness in this book that I can't wait to get back to it.

baked falafel, eggplant kibbeh, shabby sheik hummus

Brussels sprout-potato hash

mushroom and cannellini paprikas w/ scarlet barley

THOUGHTS (newly tried recipes)
1. Chickpea Piccata: The piccata in Vcon is my favorite meal of all time. This is a great alternative to having it with seitan. I honestly could not tell that this was low fat.
2. Caulipots: These are another thing that blow my mind! They taste so damn good that I might even like them better than regular mashed potatoes.
3. Eggplant Kibbeh: This made me realize that I hate fresh mint in every form. I liked the kibbeh though! Very delicious.
4. Shabby Sheik Hummus: Smoky. Awesome. Deliciousness.
5. Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash: This was far more amazing than I thought it would be. Super filling and the lemon really makes everything pop!
6. Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas: This was good, filling, and earthy.
7. Scarlet Barley: This stole the show and a bit of my heart! By far, my favorite dish from the book so far. And it's visually stunning.

The second week was all about Veganomicon. I have cooked more recipes out of this book than any other. I decided to randomly choose what I was eating so I could branch out of my comfort zone.

saffron garlic rice

chickpeas romesco

chile cornmeal crusted tofu, southwestern corn pudding, and green pumpkin seed mole

THOUGHTS (newly tried recipes)
1. Saffron Garlic Rice: I've made this before but didn't remember it so I'll include my thoughts. The best part about this rice is the almonds. Such crunchy goodness!
2. Chickpeas Romesco: I know. I've had the book for 3.5 years and never made one of the most talked about recipes. This was so delicious! I loved how beautifully the ground almonds work in the sauce.
3. Southwestern Corn Pudding: Truthfully, I never tried this because I thought it would be like creamed corn (which I hate). However, it was delightful! I loved the flavors and colors in this thing.
4. Green Pumpkin Seed Mole: This tasted fresh and nutty. Great paired with the corn pudding, and super easy to make.
5. Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms (not pictured): Good, but I had a lot of trouble with my beans. Instead of cooking them for 45 minutes like the recipe said, I cooked them for at least 3 hours. This is entirely due to the quality of beans I used.
6. Tomato Couscous w/ Capers (not pictured): I love anything with capers, so this was really good!

Some time this weekend I'll post everything that I cooked from Urban Vegan this week. Happy Friday all!

End of the Month Blues

2011-01-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling really under the weather lately. Lethargic and nauseous. And today I've got a headache that just won't end. So, I decided to do a quick post to ease back into blogging. I made these last month: Boozy Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. These things are huge and delicious. They are loosely based off of my mom's recipe, but I added apples and booze and lessened the sugar/margarine quantities.

unfrosted rolls

Boozy Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
(makes 12 huge rolls)
soy free option: Use soy free margarine and non-dairy milk

Dough:
⅓ cup vegan margarine
1 ½ cups non-dairy milk
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp fine sea salt

Filling:
2 Tbsp vegan margarine
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced small (about 2 cups)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp good quality whiskey (use apple cider for alcohol free)
1 tsp cardamom
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
⅓ cup chopped pecans
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Whiskey Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp good quality whiskey (apple cider for alcohol free)
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine. Once melted, add the non-dairy milk and heat until lukewarm. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the yeast and 2 Tbsp of sugar together. Add the milk mixture and stir until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add 4 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and stir vigorously until everything comes together. Knead in enough flour until you get a smooth and slightly sticky dough (usually no more than ½ cup). Knead for a few minutes. Spray a bowl with non stick spray, add the dough and spray the top of it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.

While the dough is rising, prep the filling. In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbsp of margarine. Add the apples and cook until they first start to brown. Add the 1 Tbsp of sugar and cook until the apples are completely softened. Add the whiskey and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cardamom.

In a medium bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pecans. Mix together using your hands. Set aside.

When the dough has risen, punch it down, and knead it into a ball again. Roll it out into a rectangle that is 10x14 inches. Take the remaining 1 Tbsp of margarine and spread it on top of the dough. Sprinkle half the pecan/sugar mixture onto the dough. Add all of the apples, and sprinkle the remaining pecan/sugar mixture. Roll the dough up as tightly as possible. Close up the roll by pinching the dough together and pinching the ends. Divide into 12 pieces and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Spray the tops of the rolls with nonstick spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise again for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, while you make the glaze.

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, whiskey, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.

boozy delightfulness

Era and I really loved these! I'm waiting to have a brunch/gathering before I attempt to make these again. They are seriously dangerous.

I hope everybody is having a great start to the new year. I've been doing the PPK cookbook challenge so I'll post a couple more times this week with the results.

Happy Festivus!

2010-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

The video is finally finished after multiple setbacks! Sorry about the quality. We are away from our usual equipment.

Onto the recipes... This salsa is really good and perfect for winter when the tomatoes are pink and disgusting. Letting it sit overnight is non-negotiable. The flavors have to mesh, but it's worth it. I like adding lime right before serving to make it taste extra fresh.

muy caliente!

30 Second Salsa
28 oz can diced tomatoes, rinsed and thoroughly drained
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded or not, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt
lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, vinegar, and salt until the consistency of chunky gazpacho. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate overnight, the longer the better. Right before serving, add the lime juice and taste for salt and pepper.

Ginger Balls are a variation of Oreo Truffles. Super easy to make, which works great for a party. Save money by using store brand cookies and buying chocolate chips in bulk.

Ginger Balls
1 pkg creme-filled ginger cookies (like Ginger-Os)
8 oz vegan cream cheese
12 oz (generous 2 cups) semi sweet chocolate chips
crystallized ginger, chopped

In a food processer, chop the cookies into fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese and blend until combined. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate for 45 minutes, until easy to roll into balls. Roll into balls and place in the freezer until firm. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (stir every 30 seconds). Dip the balls into the chocolate and top with ginger. Freeze until solid. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Spiced Caucasians are just a holiday tradition at our house. There really is no measuring. Just add as much alcohol as you like. Here's what I do...

deliciousness

Spiced Caucasian
ice
lowball glass
1 oz coffee liqueur like Kahlua
1 oz espresso vodka like Seagram's
vegan nog
freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Fill the glass with ice. Top with liqueur and vodka. Fill will nog. Stir. Top with nutmeg, if so desired. For a truly caffeinated version, try Mocha Kahlua!

I hope everybody has a great holiday season! Happy Festivus and Happy New Year!

First Full Day in SA and The Monterrey

2010-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Era and I made great time during our drive to Texas. We left California on Thursday night at 8 PM (two hours behind schedule). The dogs were whining like crazy for the first couple of hours. I drove us all the way to Deming, NM and we were only an hour behind schedule.

By the time we left for Texas on Friday morning, we were right on schedule. Friday night I spent inside watching Psych with my sister. Correction: I fell asleep about 15 minutes in because I was exhausted.

Saturday was our first full day in San Antonio, and it was packed with things to do. We woke up and went to the Farmers Market at the Pearl Brewery. So much fun! After we bought some things, we walked around the extended Riverwalk. It's awesome on that side (no tourists). It was a crisp morning so we stuck around to eat some food from a local cart.

Era resting on a bench, a gorgeous view of the Riverwalk, the entrance to The Grotto, and fish suspended over the Riverwalk

After our trip to the market, we visited my in-laws. It was great to see them! I love them so very much. Mrs. C. was making us food and tortillas before we even sat down. We talked for a bit and saw Era's sister, niece, and nephew.

Then, we headed to The Monterrey. Our friend, Albert, is head chef over there. When everything was still in the planning stages he was telling me how varied the menu is and that there was a good mix of vegan food. The Monterrey is basically San Antonio's answer to a gastropub. It's a truly gorgeous setup. There's a back patio with tons of tables and a real comfortable vibe. Just ignore the online menu because it changes all the time. There is guaranteed to be something substantial and vegan/veganizable on the menu, though.

This was our first trip, and Albert treated us right. First, he sent out the Housemade Pickles and French Fries. When ordering the pickles, be sure to mention you are vegan and do not want the kimchi. The fries come with anchovy mayo. Simply ask for ketchup, but you totally won't need it! They are coated in this DELICIOUS seasoning. Some of the best fries I've ever had.

pickled radish, daikon, carrots, and shiitake and maitake mushrooms

seasoned to perfection and perfectly crispy outside with a tender inside

Next, he sent out the Smoked Root Vegetables and Celery Jam. Seriously. This was insanely good. I was scared because I am always finicky around smoked veggies. However, this was amazing! It was smoked striped beets, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, and turnips. So damn delicious! I must make smoked striped beets sometime soon! Gah. The celery jam paired beautifully with this. The pictures from this point on do not do the food justice. Trust me. It was magic!

smoked root vegetables with celery jam

The final dish that he sent out, as we grabbed our bellies in full and happy delight, was Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Chili Sauce and Peanuts. Whoa. Best sprouts of all times!!!! So tasty! The peanuts were finely chopped and created this peanut sauce taste. The Brussels sprouts were flash fried so they had a crispy outside and were the perfect vehicle for the sauce. I wanted to live in this magical sprout land! We started digging in before I realized we needed pics.

delightful! splendid! magical! awesome!

We enjoyed our meal with a limited edition Dogfish Head Squall. Tasty as hell! This place is perfect. Great atmosphere, fantastic food, and a wide range of beer and wine. Plus, there's a wide range of pricing. We're planning on heading back there with family and friends before we go back to California.

After the Monterrey, we went to Limelight because Era had a gig there. My sister, brother-in-law, and brother showed up. We danced the night away and got to burn off some food calories. Haha. It was a truly exciting and exhausting first full day home!

Appetite for Reduction Lurve

2010-12-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm still reeling from MoFo. I've spent the last 10 days chilling out, baking, and getting ready for our Texas trip. I felt compelled to post today because I opened up Appetite for Reduction, and had the Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon. Basically, I'd like to have Isa's babies. That ish is AMAZING! It's so good. Plus, 1 serving is only 100 calories. I had 2 because the salad was that good!

don't trust the simplicity, this thing is loaded with flavor

And some other stuff from when I tested. I didn't take nearly enough pictures, though. I think this curry was my first tester. It was so damn good. And I love love love the jerk asparagus!

Caribbean curried black-eyed peas w/ plantains and jerk asparagus

The Goddess Niçoise was probably my favorite tester. It was so colorful and seriously delicious. This is what I love about Appetite for Reduction...the salads are so frickin' delicious and filling.

just a gorgeous plate of awesome

This is the Pineapple Collards with what I'm pretty sure is the Red Lentil and Root Veggie Dal. It was delish.

pineapple collards and dal

I've already mapped out our New Year's meal and it will be this plate of awesome. Prolly even some cornbread. Mmm.

hottie black-eyed peas & greens and ginger mashed sweet potatoes & apples

I also loved the Surefire Seitan so very much. Ooh! And the Tempeh Helper...and the Basic Baked Tofu! I can't wait to make more from this book because I only tested around 15 recipes or so. Bad tester!

This blog is probably going to be pretty quiet until January, but I just bought some books (Vegan Soul Kitchen and Yellow Rose Recipes) and received a copy of Caribbean Vegan. I'll be cooking up a storm and giving reviews and all that.

Ooh, and I'm hoping to film and put up an ultra nerdy Festivus episode while in San Antonio. I hope everybody is enjoying December! I'm still catching up on blogs, and it feels like I'll never be done.

Happy Friday!

VeganMoFo IV: Baskets, Road Trips, and More!

2010-11-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's over already! Well, sorta. This month feels like it started forever ago, but the year is swiftly coming to an end and I'm wondering where the time went. This has been my favorite VeganMoFo to date. I just felt more connected to a community that I have come to thoroughly enjoy over the past few years. I saw some of the greatest blogging in my life this year. There are tons of new blogs I fell in love with (and thousands of posts I have to read). More than anything, I'm proud of pushing myself further than I ever thought I'd go. So, thanks to everybody for a wonderful November! I have a ton of blogs to catch up on but I will do it...even if it takes several months. :)

I decided to make a short video about my vegan journey and why I know I'll be vegan for the rest of my life. Pardon the video thumbnail. Youtube seriously hates me because there was this one and two others with my mouth wide open and me looking crazy!

Next month, Era and I are taking the dogs and driving to San Antonio. I'm dreading it a bit because of my Spring Break trip, but I'll have another driver with me this time so it shouldn't be so bad. I'm excited and trying to think of some good, healthy road trip foods because I hate wasting money at fast food places and would rather not stop. I'm the type of road tripper who loves going for 5 hours straight, only stopping to get gas.

I've also spent today thinking about Christmas/Festivus gifts to give to the family. I'm doing gift bags this year because I can't afford more than that until Southern California decides it wants to hire people again. I always love making gift baskets or bags because it's cheap but takes a lot of effort. I thought I'd share my formula with you.

I try to go with something sweet, something savory, something inedible, and something d-i-y. I'm still trying to narrow down the cookies I'm making. But I think I'm going with a couple of different cookies, biscotti, breads, and crackers. Also thinking candy and spiced nuts. Each person gets a little of each. Here are examples of stuff I did in the past.

Breakfast Basket
Jam, Wholesome cookies
Cocoa/Coffee
Mug
Pancake Mix

Secret Santa
Coffee
Mug, Tin
Three kinds of cookies
Savory Crackers

Christmas 07
Candles
Cookies, toffee, bread
Mugs

Game Night
Board Game, Cards
Popcorn
Candy
Chips, Snack Mix

The possibilities are endless. That's why I love giving them. It's never a boring ordeal. What do you like to put in a gift basket or bag?

VeganMoFo IV: Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads

2010-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to go with dinner and a movie. Technically, it was lunch and a movie. I'm a huge fan of Back to the Future. This year is the 25th anniversary so I've heard a lot about it recently. I decided to bust out my trilogy and watch the first two. The third is my least favorite. Just not interested when a franchise decides to go to the old west.

The menu today was based on diner food. I went with burgers and fries, but tried to do the "futuristic" twist. And because I'm trying to eat better after Thanksgiving, I decided against a milkshake like I originally wanted. Onto the good stuff. Welcome to Doc Brown's DeLorean Cafe!

Flux Capacitor Menu

Biff's Beefy Bacon Burgers

Sweet-On-Your-Son Sweet Potato Fries

Sugar Free Cup of Faux Joe

The burger patty is the Beefy Bacon Burger from 500 Vegan Recipes. I also made hamburger buns, but they looked so horrible I actually made another burger on sourdough just to photograph. Haha. I still have not mastered making homemade buns. The fixins on the burger: cheddar Daiya, mustard, pickles, tomato, and red leaf lettuce. Served on sourdough.

The fries are sweet potato oven fries. I seasoned them with Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning and baked at 375 for 20ish minutes.

The "cup of joe" is black English breakfast. I'm not the hugest fan of coffee, and tea takes way less time to make.

This was a perfect meal to laugh at how the 80s perceived the 2000s. They did get the whole 80s nostalgia thing right, though. But I'm still waiting on a flying car. Or at least a damn hoverboard. I mean, c'mon! McFly had sneaks that laced themselves and that movie came out over 20 years ago!

VeganMoFo IV: Kitchen Gadgets

2010-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here I am talking about my favorite and least favorite kitchen items. Thanks to Kimberly for the suggestion!

What are your favorite kitchen things? Is there anything that you never use or wasn't worth the money?

VeganMoFo IV: It's Survey...It's Survey Time

2010-11-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

I held out as long as I could to do the survey. I am so lazy today that I couldn't be bothered to shower or get dressed for the day. I'm okay with that. Thanksgiving totally killed me. I am done eating leftovers as they are and already transformed some into Shepherd's pie. Tomorrow, I'm gonna use the sweet potatoes for muffins and bread or something. I'll probably freeze it for quick breakfasts. I haven't the slightest idea what to do with the stuffing.

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?
Shrimp. I loved shrimp as an omni. It's not a killer craving like it used to be. I don't even crave vegan shrimp.

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?
Avocado. Sauerkraut. Cilantro

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?
Most mac and cheese recipes. Out of all of them, there are only about three that I really like.
What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?
99% of the time, we only ever have water and almond milk. I use almond milk for baking/cooking mostly. So water. Some days I'll drink a lot of tea: English breakfast, Irish breakfast, and Darjeeling are my faves.

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?
I haven't been to a gathering in a long time. I usually either brought cupcakes or oreo truffles.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?
Not really. The only thing I can think of is: I HATE RAW CABBAGE. HATE. If it's not cooked, I won't eat it. Also , I have made my stance known on candied sweet potatoes. Lastly, I do have rules when making sandwiches. Example: If mustard and mayo are on a sandwich, the mustard touches the cheese and mayo touches tomato. And when I made my leftover sammie, the cranberry sauce touched the stuffing and dijon mustard touched the vegan turkey. So...yes. Yes, I do!

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?
Sweets. Things with chocolate in them, though not actual chocolate. Chocolate bars last forever in my house, but choc chip cookies? Not so much.

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?
Seitan and sausages. Also, I often make my own vegan cheese. I am completely against buying vegan junk food that I can make myself (cookies, cakes, etc). The only exception is bakery goods.

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?
Earth Balance. Almond Breeze. Vanilla.

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?
Definite snacker. Protein smoothies, green smoothies, sweets, bananas, apples, toast w/ almond butter and dates.

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?
Mushroom, pineapple, olive.

What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?
Favorite vegetable is probably collards. Favorite fruit is a tie between watermelon and Ataulfo mango.

What is the best salad dressing?
Trader Joe's goddess dressing is like liquid crack.
What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?
Baked beans. Almond butter and smooshed dates. EB and jam.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?
I make a soup with as much garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper as I can stand then add veggies and gluten free pasta.

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?
It's the margarita cupcakes from VCTOTW.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?
Gingerbread biscotti from VCIYCJ.

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?
Pasta w/ Esme's sauce and added broccoli or spinach.

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?
Raisins. Sweet lord. Era hates raisins and anything raisin-like. As he gets older more things get added to the list. He hates raw cucumber, raw celery, and cherry tomatoes as well.

How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?
I dunno. Maybe an hour on a usual day?

That's all for now. Tomorrow I should have some video on my favorite and least favorite kitchen stuff.

VeganMoFo IV: How Many Pics Does It Take...

2010-11-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

...'til you get to the center of a Thanksvegan?! Seriously, though. This year was insane with the food! INSANE! I was really happy with most of it. The stuffing and gravy from the vegan turkey was horrible, but I totally made my own as well. Are you ready for the pictures? Here's the full spread (with links)...

this food wouldn't fit on the table so we used our counter

Martin Cisneros ThanksVegan 2010 Menu

Appetizers

Smoky and Tex Mex Deviled Tofu

Black Olives

Spicy Pickled Okra

Main

Vegetarian Plus Whole Vegan Turkey

Gummy Bread Stuffing

Gravy Puddin'

Sides

Cornbread Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce from Veganomicon

Sweet Potatoes

Smashed Potatoes w/ Mushroom Cashew Gravy

Smoky Collards

Maque Choux

Mac N Cheese

Green Salad

Unity Inn Dinner Rolls (Thank you, JohnP!)

Desserts

Triple Apple Cider Bundt Cake (or the half that actually came out of the pan...ha!)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie from 500 Vegan Recipes

clockwise from top left: collards, sweet potatoes, smashed potatoes, salad, triple apple cider bundt, mushroom cashew gravy, pumpkin cheesecake pie, rolls, pickled okra, gravy pudding, olives, vegan turkey, and maque choux

Prep work saved my arse this year! We were eating by 1PM, and that's only because I woke up late. Everything exceptin' the aforementioned gravy and stuffing was AMAZING. The only mishap was an undergreased bundt pan and half a cake clinging to the bottom of it. Still, the cake is so frickin delicious!

This was a lot of food. Today is leftovers, tomorrow I'm having my sammich, then all of this gets packed the fork up in a freezer or potpie or something. More than ever, I wish we had friends in this city because it's such a shame to have such good food and not share the wealth.

various shots of my leftover plate...and pie

Here's how crazy things were yesterday. I didn't even begin to finish my one plate of food! Neither did Era...which is pretty much unheard of. Even my leftover plate, which only had one single soup spoonful of each food, was a lot of food. I think that's the best problem to have because cooking will be so easy for the next week.

The shining star of the show was definitely the rolls! I have been ogling these things since John wrote about them. I didn't even test them to see if I'd like them. I just knew! And they were gorgeous coming out of the oven! Era and I tasted them before we ate because we couldn't take the taunting. I even told my mom they were the best rolls I've ever had. Her response? A totally unamused, "You're treading into my territory now." Bahahahaha!

Unity Inn Rolls of DOOM

I didn't change the actual recipe, but streamlined the execution to make my life easier. Instead of rolling them out (I had no counter space at the time), I just made 24 balls. I flattened them and folded them in half like the recipe stated. I also didn't dip them in Earth Balance. I brushed the pan and rolls with EB. They were gooood. These things are even great the next day!

I was also majorly in love with the Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. It's basically a veganized Keebler recipe. Imagine a pumpkin pie/pumpkin cheesecake hybrid and that's what you've got. I don't even like pumpkin pie and this was truly excellent to me! Mmmm.

So, that was our Thanksgiving! How was yours? Today, I'm buying nothing because my schedule is lookin' like this: leftovers, pie, nog, maybe booze, Buffy, reading blogs, rinse, and repeat.

Happy Friday, y'all!

VeganMoFo IV: Vegetarian Plus Whole Vegan Turkey Review

2010-11-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I'm drinking cider laced with Jameson and watching Buffy right now. I thought I'd share my experiences with the Vegetarian Plus Whole Vegan Turkey. That way, it's here for anybody else looking for reviews.

The entire thing comes with one turkey shaped roast, stuffing, and gravy. It's a huge box and the price is around $40 (but it is 4 times the size of a Tofurky).

photo from Vegetarian Plus website

Roast: It's just cooked in foil and no basting necessary. It was pretty moist coming out of the oven. It's also ginormous. 4 lbs. I was incredibly weirded out stuffing it, though. It split on one side and I said to Era, "Hold this so I can stuff the cavity." I never want to say that again. Ever.

Stuffing: I had to add sage, salt, and pepper. It was okay before it went into the oven, but sorta gummy after being baked. Plus, there was way too much to fill the roast.

Gravy: When it thawed, it was weird. The starch completely separated from the broth. When I cooked it, it had the consistency of pudding. Pudding! I don't know what starch they use, but I didn't like how fast and fiercely it thickened. The flavor was pretty okay. Nice and peppery.

Pros
4 lbs
moist out of oven
no basting
comes unstuffed so you can put what you want in it
texture looks freakily turkey-like

Cons
gummy stuffing
gravy pudding
comes unstuffed so you have to stick your hand in a cavity...brr
though the texture looks great, it's not Gardein chick'n scallopini great

Basically, if you are crazy enough to spend 40 bucks on a Thanksgiving main just buy 4 Tofurkys. I think I just want to make my roast from now on.

I'll update with the full meal tomorrow. Hope everybody is enjoying their day.

VeganMoFo IV: Insert Video (or Pie) Here

2010-11-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I filmed this video, hoping I'd have it done on Monday. Alas, that didn't happen. Here it is. Better late than never. :) Also, I can't figure out how to get rid of the black bars. I tried using the formatting tag and it's driving me crazy! Anybody know?

Recipes found here.

But I am about to start baking. I'm doing Isa's triple apple cider bundt and the pumpkin cheesecake from 500 Vegan Recipes.

All of this got me to thinking about pie. Who am I kidding? I've been thinking about it since Sunday or so. I was trying to remember what we've had for the past few years. I know a common theme is pecan and lemon. I've already told you how they were my beloved pregan favorites. I really love pumpkin cheesecake too. Not so much with the pumpkin pie, though. The only real constant is that I make no less than two desserts. That's how it was when I grew up because I hate hate hate sweet potato pie and that's my family's jam. The other types we had were my Aunt Evelyn's cheesecake, lemon meringue, maybe peach cobbler, and I think I remember a cherry pie once. I'll leave you with a history of pie at our vegan Thanksgiving...

pumpkin pie cheesecake, Thanksgiving '07

smlove, Thanksgiving '07

chocolate bourbon pecan pie, Thanksgiving '08

lemon bars, Thanksgiving '08

lemon pie with cheesecake and shortbread topping and pecan pie fail, Thanksgiving '09

VeganMoFo IV: Preparation Thanks

2010-11-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

I am seriously burned out right now. I haven't finished editing the show yet, so that's coming tomorrow. Sorry for the lack of commenting lately. I promise I'm going to catch up with blogs super soon. I have Thanksgiving on the brain and I won't be thinking of anything else until I am chewing on some pumpkin cheesecake on Thursday. So, this post is really about the prep work I'm doing. Since I'm a fan of lists, this will be in listy format.

Monday
thaw vegan turkey
chop vegetables and bread
make Viva Vegan chorizo

vegetables/bread for stuffing, onions for collards and onions/poblano for maque choux

Tuesday
marinate vegan turkey
make 4 cups vegetable broth
bake sweet potatoes
bake cornbread for stuffing

the marinade is Jess' method: sparkling cider, garlic, rosemary, and I added tamari

Wednesday
cook greens
prep mac n cheese, stuffing, and sweet potatoes up to baking point
make maque choux
prep deviled tofu
make desserts (apple bundt and pumpkin cheesecake)
make cranberry sauce
prep gravy

Thursday
make rolls
cook vegan turkey
bake sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, and stuffing
make mashed potatoes and gravy
eat and fight "the -itis"

I'm sorta surprised I've kept on track. I usually have the best intentions but end up cooking for 5 hours on the actual day. This is going to be one speedy Thanksgiving!

How are your Thanksgiving plans coming along?

VeganMoFo IV: Recipeas Salad

2010-11-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have the silliest grin on my face right now. The vegan meat cake and my blog were mentioned on VegNews.com! So exciting!

EDIT: Fanny totally made a vegan meat cake and it's freaking beautiful!

Speaking of cakes, please go to Louzilla's blog and vote for your favorite gay cake. Full disclosure: I voted for entry 1 because it is absolutely stunning AND the theme is magnificent!

On to MoFo... I have three recipes which are included in the show I'm editing. However, I need Era to help with some audio and a video problem I'm having. I'll come back and add the show to this entry later. But for now, I'll give you the three recipes. Two of them (pasta and pea salad) have been taken to many, many omni potlucks and devoured.

I used to take this pea salad to every Thanksgiving potluck when I was in Texas. I was sorta shocked that omnis had no problem with the tofu. You can dice it smaller than what is pictured here if you like (or leave it out). For the mayo, I prefer reduced fat Vegenaise because it's much thicker when mixed with stuff.

Pea Salad
4 oz extra firm tofu (just remove 1/4 of the 1 lb block)
1 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup vegan mayo, preferably reduced fat
1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 Tbsp white vinegar (leave out if using full fat mayo)
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 15 oz cans of green peas, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan bring the water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and salt to a boil. Add the tofu and simmer for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the water and let cool before dicing into small pieces.

In a medium bowl mix together the mayo, mustard, and onion. Fold in the tofu. Then fold in the peas. Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

The pasta salad is something I usually bring to barbecues and gets consumed so ridiculously fast. It works well for any vegan-unfriendly situation because it's a meal in one. You can replace the veggies with anything you like really. This just happens to be my favorite combo.

Pesto Pasta Salad
1 lb rotini
pesto:
4 cups kale, rough ends removed, leaves and stems thinly sliced
splash of water
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup tightly packed parsley
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
for the salad:
hot water
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced black olives
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, make the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is boiling, make the pesto. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add a splash of water and the kale. Cook until the kale starts to wilt and turns bright green all over. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, process the walnuts and garlic until they are finely chopped. Add the nutritional yeast and salt and process again. When the kale is cool enough to handle, add it to the food processor and chop until fine. Add the parsley and cilantro and do the same, being sure to scrape down the sides. Turn on the food processor and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

In a large bowl, add the drained pasta and pesto. Mix the two together, using hot water if needed to make the pesto more spreadable. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, and olives and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Now onto the deviled tofu. I wanted to do some variations on my beloved appetizer (Era and I seriously killed these yesterday). I came up with a smoky version and a Tex Mex one. Both are really good. By the way this tastes fantastic on cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes! This photo is from last year, but what evs.

Deviled Tofu
soy free option: use tomatoes, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, or mini potatoes instead of tofu and soy free mayo

1 lb extra firm tofu, divided into four blocks (cut across the length and width)
4 cups water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt*
15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup vegan mayo
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
pinch or turmeric
1 heaping Tbsp dill relish
black salt (kala namak) to taste
minced chives or green onions for garnish
paprika for garnish

In a huge pot bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Add the tofu and simmer for ten minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from water, drain, and let cool before slicing into squares. I usually get 20 squares, but slice as thick as you like. When cool enough to handle, pat them dry and refrigerate until ready to serve. If using vegetables instead, slice and prep them anyway you like and refrigerate.

Puree the beans, mayo, mustard, and turmeric in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) until smooth. Add the dill relish and black salt to taste. Pour into a piping or sandwich bag and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes.

Remove the tofu or vegetables and bean spread from the refrigerator right before serving. Pipe on the bean spread and garnish with paprika and chives.

Smoky variation: Replace the dill relish with 2 Tbsp imitation bacon bits. Replace the paprika with smoked paprika.
Tex Mex Variation: Replace the dill relish with 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp crushed Mexican oregano, and 1 Tbsp finely minced onion. Garnish with chipotle chile powder and cilantro.

That's all for now, I have some Thanksgiving prep to do!

*For the deviled tofu, the actual tofu part should taste just slightly salty like the whites of a deviled egg. I use regular coarse sea salt for this because the black salt flavor just disappears in the water. Feel free to use fine sea salt. Just add to taste. The water should be salty enough to flavor the tofu.