Thoughtful Thursdays: Blissful Bites by Christy Morgan

Blissful Bites by Christy Morgan is a book that kicked me in the pants.  It is a sweet reminder that Daiya Cheese and Tofutti Cream Cheese, while they are vegan, should not be main ingredients in 2 out of my 3 meals per day! 

Reminding me that good food grows out of the ground, and tastes good (delicious, actually) exactly how mother nature intended it.


Each chapter in this beautifully photographed book is broken up into seasons, which makes it fantastically easy to find recipes that use foods that are naturally in season.  Which, in turn, makes it easier to cook with locally grown ingredients.

I recommend this book to any vegan, or health conscious cook.  The recipes are clean, easy to follow and full of flavor, even though onions and garlic are missing from the whole shebang!

Worknight Wednesdays: A Nap Before Bed

This is days late and dollars short.  We didn't make a thing for dinner on Wednesday.  I didn't even eat dinner.  I came home from work, plopped down on the couch.  Covered up in a fuzzy blanket, invited my girls to join un keeping me cozy, and fell asleep.  Woke up, had a bowl of cereal while watching CSI, then went to bed.  Pretty pathetic.  You don't have to tell me.

But if I were to make a nice big dinner last night, I probably would have made a batch of enchiladas.  I think I have to finally admit that Mexican food is my absolute favorite (followed by Italian, I think...) and a big batch of cheesy enchiladas always hits the spot.  But on a busy weeknight, I sometimes don't feel like spending the time necessary to properly roll up a batch, so I cheat and make an enchilada casserole.  Same ingredients, just layered like  lasagna, instead of rolled up.

Enchilada Casserole (from 500 Vegan Recipes)

Easy to toss together and throw in the oven, a hot, hearty meal is less than an hour away, and most of that time, is bake time.

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups (473ml) enchilada sauce, divided, store bought or homemade
2 recipes Seitan Chorizo Crumbles (from 500 Vegan Recipes), or 1 package store bought Soy Chorizo, divided
1 recipe Nutty Cheeze (Mexican Variation, from 500 Vegan Recipes) or Mexican flavored vegan cheese, like Daiya Pepperjack
6 to 8 flour or corn tortillas
2 cups (320 g) diced onion
2 ounces (56g) sliced or chopped black olives
8 to 10 slices of jarred nacho style jalapeno slices (optional)
Vegan Sour Cream and green onions for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).

Spray a glass 8×8-inch (20 x 20-cm) square baking dish with nonstick spray.
Begin to layer all ingredients starting with a single layer of tortillas on the bottom. (You can cut your tortillas into strips about 2 to 3″ wide so that you can put straight edges against the edges of the baking dish.) Then about 1/4 cup of sauce, more tortillas, then chorizo crumbles, and onions, tortillas, more sauce, some of the cheese, more tortillas, more sauce, more crumbles, more cheese…you get the picture…yeah?
When you get to the top, finish with a whole tortilla, a bit more sauce, a crumbling of cheese, olives and jalapenos.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Garnish with sour cream and diced green onions if desired.


Yield: 6 servings

Tuesday for Two: Pasta with Cream Sauce

Pasta with Cream Sauce topped with Coconut Bacon

Who can say no to a big plate of pasta smothered in a rich creamy sauce?  Of course I threw in a few veggies just to be on the safe side...

I was caught up in the moment, and didn't write down the exact measures, but this is a huge plate of linguine noodles with steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and a cream sauce made with:
Earth Balance
Almond Milk
Nutritional Yeast
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
a pinch of Nutmeg
and thickened with all purpose flour.
I sprinkled some of yesterday's Coconut Bacon on top and dinner was served.

On a different note...Today when I got off work, it took me less than 30 minutes to get home.  If any of you know what I've been dealing with over the last 6 months with regards to my daily commute, you'd believe me when I told you I almost cried when I pulled in my driveway! 

Life is good.

Monday Mash-Up: Coconut and Liquid Smoke

Tonight's mash-up was inspired by the DDD (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.)  I am sure it was a repeat, but the other night it was on in the background and I overheard "Vegan BLTs" so I quickly turned to listen.  I didn't catch the name of the restaraunt, but I did catch that this place used coconut bacon!  Well apparently I have been living on another planet, because this was all over the vegan blogosphere going back at least to 2009!  Anyhoooo...had I done a simple Google search, before I started this adventure, well, then I would have seen that other talented vegans had already done the R&D and I could have used one of their recipes.  Instead I started from scratch. 

Coconut Bacon (on top of a green salad)

Green Salad topped with Coconut Bacon

I don't have exact measurements, but my marinade was very simple...liquid smoke, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I thought about maple syrup, but opted against it because of the natural sweetness of the coconut.  However, after this first experiment, I would say the added sweetness would have been nice.  I would probably also opt to use soy sauce or tamari instead of salt next time.  I think the flavor would be great, as well as the color would be more bacon like.  

After I soaked my coconut flakes in the marinade for a bit, I preheated my oven to 400 F.  I lined a baking sheet with parchment and laid out my coconut in a single layer.  I baked it for 5 minutes, removed it from the oven, tossed it about, and put it back in the oven for 5 moore minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.  

I removed it from the oven and let it cool and crisp up and then tasted it.  Pretty good!  I found the ones that were toasted a little darker were definitely the color of bacon, and crispier.  But, I prefer the ones that are still a little bit soft.  They seem to have a better flavor and texture.  

All in all, these are a fun new addition to my condiment crew and I know I will continue to play around with different marinades and applications.

Ketchup

Sheesh.  Last week kicked my butt.  I am here, now, to ketchup on last week's posts all in one. 

Two for Tuesday: Long Beach Vegan Eatery
I skipped out on Dan Tuesday to check out the new Long Beach Vegan Eatery.  I am so excited to have this option in Long Beach, which up until recently has had no strictly vegan restaraunts. (Now there are 3!) And after reading about their mission to have vegan "stick to your ribs" comfort food...well, if you know anything about me, well then you know that this is my kind of menu.  I was there on the 2nd day of their soft opening.  (I don't think they've had their official "Grand Opening" yet).  I got the California Chick'n Sandwich and Sweet Potato Tots.  Yes.  Sweet.  Potato. Tots.  

California Chick'n Sandwich and Sweet Potato Tots from Long Beach Vegan Eatery

After having a chance to chat with Jeff (owner/operator) a few days later, he was excited to report that a lot of the early kinks have all been worked out, and each day just keeps getting busier and busier.  How awesome is that?  I can't wait to go back and have to wait in a really long line.  I am always eager to wait in line at a vegan establishment.  It really warms my heart.

Worknight Wednesday: Red "Meat" Lasagna
This one goes all the way back to 500 Vegan Recipes.  But it is a classic.  And definitely makes enough to have leftovers for the rest of the week.

Red "Meat" Lasagna

For the Lasagna:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 recipe Meaty Marinara (BELOW)
1 recipe Tofu Ricotta (BELOW)
2 tablespoons (15 g) nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons (14 g) ground cashews or ground walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).

A quick note before assembling the lasagna: be sure to keep some sauce and ricotta to apply at the very top of the lasagna. You will have 4 layers of pasta in all, so divide each ingredient accordingly.
In a square 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23-cm) baking dish, start with a thin layer of sauce, add three noodles in a single layer, add another layer of meat sauce, then a layer of tofu ricotta another layer of noodles.       
Repeat until you get to four layers of noodles.
Top with a final light layer of sauce and ricotta and then sprinkle with nutritional yeast and cashews or walnuts.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown and your noodles are nice and tender.
Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving, so that the portions don't fall apart when cut.


For the Meaty Marinara:
28 ounces (784 g) canned diced tomatoes with the juice, no salt added
8 ounces (227 g) tomato sauce
6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste
1 tablespoon (2 g) dried basil, or 3 tablespoons (9 g) fresh, chopped
1 tablespoon (13 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (22 g) molasses
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves (or one head) garlic, minced
1 cup (160 g) finely diced white or yellow onion
1 1/4 cups (120 g) TVP granules (textured vegetable protein)

Place tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste, basil, sugar, and molasses in a large stock pot.  Bring to a simmer on medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, in a skillet place the olive oil, garlic and onions and sauté until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onions to the pot. Cover and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Uncover and simmer for ten more minutes. Stir in TVP, cover and let sit for ten minutes.

For the Tofu Ricotta:
14 ounces (397 g) extra firm tofu, drained & pressed
1/4 cup (35 g) raw cashews, finely ground
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (6 g) finely chopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon (2 g) dried
Salt and pepper to taste

After you have drained and pressed your tofu very well, crumble it into a bowl until it resembles ricotta.

Add in all the other ingredients and mix together with your hands.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Should keep at least a week.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Green is the New Red by Will Potter

Green is the New Red by Will Potter

I bought this book at Food Fight Grocery when I was in Portland, Oregon for Vida Vegan Con in August.  It was a very eye opening read.  I've been fired up ever since.  If you are vegan, vegetarian, or even just someone who cares about our planet, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.  Rather than tell you what I liked about this book, I am going to tell you what I didn't like.  The truth.  I don't like it.  I will be honest with y'all.  I have been a naive person.  I trusted too easily and had too much faith in things I didn't fully understand.  No more.  Will Potter's book has taught me that our laws are not there to protect us.  They are there to support the money, and those that have it.  It is timely that I read this book just before the "Occupy" movement began, because, man, I am really down with the 99%, of which I, my family, and virtually everyone I know is a part of.  I am not going to get to philosophical, political, or opinionated here, because afterall, this is a blog about great vegan food, but please read this book, check out the website, and GET FIRED UP!

Freedom Fridays:  Pizza and Beer
Going out to dinner with my dad can often present a problem.  One would think that if 2 of your daughter's are vegan you might be a little bit more open minded when it comes to trying new things.  Yeah, well, no.  Not my dad.  So we often end up in uninspried chain restaraunts or a pizza joint.  Pizza is pretty easy for me.  No cheese.  done.  So that's what we did on Friday.  Spent a couple of hours with my dad, his wife, Laura, and Dan.  Noshing on cheeseless pizza, and sipping on beer.

Wonderful Weekends: A Very Lazy Saturday Spent on the Couch watching Lifetime Movies, and Avoiding any of my Real Responsibilities
Well, that pretty much sums up my weekend.  Today I head out to work.  It is my last day in Venice.  So it will be a bittersweet day.  I will miss my Venice peeps, but I will not miss that drive!

Monday Mash Up: Pumpkin and Potatoes

Pumpkin Potato Taquitos (Sorry for the shoddy cell phone pic!)

Pumpkin Potato Taquitos

10 smallish red potatoes, skin on and quartered

7 ounces (half a can) canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon chipotle powder (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon dried chives (fresh is certainly okay too!)
1/2 a package any flavor of shredded Daiya Cheese (optional)
1/2 a tub of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
24 (6 inch) yellow corn tortillas
Canola Oil for frying
24 toothpicks

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
Add potatoes, and boil until fork tender.
Drain excess water and return potatoes to pot.
Add remaining ingredients, (except tortillas, oil and toothpicks!) and smash together until well mixed.  Leave some potato lumps for texture.

Add about 1" of oil to a large flat frying pan (I use my cast iron skillet), or heat the oil in your deep fat fryer to 350 degrees F.
Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mixture to the center of the tortilla and roll up.*
Secure with a toothpick.

Fry for about 30 seconds on each side, turning carefully with a pair of tongs.

Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Transfer to a plate lined with paper or a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Remove toothpicks before serving.
Serve with nondairy sour cream, mole, guacamole, or salsa for dipping. 

Yield: 24 pieces

*Some tortillas (especially all natural ones) tend to crack when rolling.  You can battle this by carefully and quickly dipping the tortilla with tongs in hot oil prior to filling and rolling.  Lay the oiled tortilla flat on a work surface, and allow to cool a few seconds before handling.

Wonderful Weekends: Hotel Motel Holiday Inn

Last Thursday was my birthday.  On my actual birthday, I went to Glen Ivy Hot Springs, relaxed by the pool, soaked in the mineral baths, basked in the sun, and sipped on Pina Coladas all day long.

Map of the Grounds at Glen Ivy Hot Springs

Then Dan whisked me away to The Veggie Grill for Dinner.  I got the Grilled Chick'n Sandwich with Sweetheart Fries.  Dan Got the BBQ Sandwich with Mac and Cheese and we split an order of Buffalo Wingz.  All was delicious (except we didn't really care for the mac and cheese much, but no fault of the Veggie Grill..it is great for a GF option, we're just not big fans of rice pasta.)  and I brought home a piece of carrot cake to enjoy in bed while watching TV.

Dinner at the Veggie Grill in Irvine

We headed to Long Beach to the Holiday Inn to meet up with friends for drinks in the penthouse bar.  For those who are familiar with Long Beach, this round tower of a hotel is in a pretty random spot. Sure it's pretty close to the airport...but so is all of Long Beach.  Neither Dan or I had ever been there, but would always tease about how when we made it big, we would stay in a room at the Long Beach Holiday Inn and have drinks in that bar.  Silly us.  Anyone can hang out in that bar, and you certainly don't have to be highfalutin to enjoy a nice room on the 11th floor overlooking the runway.  Since most of our friends and family still live in Long Beach, we thought it would be a great place to meet up.  Dan and I got a room, so we wouldn't have to worry about driving (Thank goodness, because we both had way more than our fair share of drinks!)

Holiday Inn of Long Beach

Sunday morning we headed to an old, old favorite...The Potholder, to get a greasy breakfast to fight off the hangovers.  We hadn't been there in many years.  So long in fact, that I didn't remember whether or not they had any vegan options.  Well, they didn't haved much, so I settled on a side of breakfast potatoes, a dry veggie burger, and some toast.  Ha.  It's a good thing I'm not too picky, and was happy just to get some food in my belly.  And we were a day off because I did find out a bit of interesting news.  Long Beach now has its very first vegan restaurant.  Long Beach Vegan Eatery opened its doors today.  I'll be heading there tomorrow to check it out!

We headed home to our girls and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around watching TV and snacking on pita chips and hummus. 

A wonderful weekend indeed.

Freedom Fridays: VeganMoFo HUMP DAY!

I interrupt the regularly scheduled Freedom Friday for VeganMoFo HUMP DAY! We are about half way through VeganMoFo and the Amazing Leslie Hall has graced us with this amazing new song to celebrate.  Click on the animated gif below (made by Kittee Berns! Thanks for setting all of this up Kittee!) and  listen to the song.




Lyrics:
"I eat the finest cuisines, in the finest of places Stuff my mouth full and always say thank you. But if it's raised in a cage, and it can't even move, if it's hormone filled and in a bad mood. I'm gonna pass on that. Reach for something better. The only milk I'll drink comes from the nipple of a soy bean. Veggies make you live forever, and they seem to taste much better. when they're cooked and grown with love. So give a chef who knows what's up a hug. Momma just can't seem to get it, Papa he just rolls his eyes. When I tell them I'm much healthier, they just say that it's all lies. But beans, nuts, fruits and veggies can really fill the belly. Get you vitamins you need, shiny hair and extra speed. Don't take that meat-wich any further, I want a marinated, deep fried, hand-tied mushroom burger. I like it! We gotta stand strong for our feathered furry sometimes scaly animal friends and their little babies. 'Cuz I wouldn't want to live in a cage in a dark warehouse killed at an early age. Pumped full of hormones, sleeping in my feces. Never met my mother, raised by machines. Never get sunshine never get green, but that's just me. [That girl loves fruit leather.] So ask us what we're eating. Delicious and repeating, fruits and veggies are so nice. With a slice of tempeh, yes, I'll have that twice. Don't forget the legumes!"

I personally fell in love with Leslie and the Lys many years ago when my cousin Leah introduced me to her Gem Sweater museum.  I have always been a fan of gem sweaters and never thought anyone could take that love to such a level as Leslie.  Through her website, I found her music videos and was an instant fan of such classics as "Zombie Killer" and "Tight Pants." Only since Kittee let me know about this new song, did I even know she was vegan!  Bonus love!



Check out Leslie's videos HERE!
Check out Leslie's website HERE!

Thoughtful Thursdays: The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester

The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester is a book every busy vegan needs to own. And seriously, what vegan isn't busy?

Let's just talk about the book itself for starters.  It's beautiful.  The matte cover and photos are gorgeous, the page layout is fantastic, the fonts are easy to read and interesting.  The Chapters are logically organized and the index is short but efficient.

Now let's talk about the content...the book is full of recipes intended to be made in the slow cooker!  I am the first to admit that I have only used my slow cooker a handful of times in the past.  I always assumed it was only for stews or big chunks of meat (I mean, that's what my parents used theirs for!)  So, that big old appliance that was a hand-me-down from Dan's dad just collected dust in the cabinet not getting the attention it deserved.

Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, staples like beans and tomatoes, sauces, soups, snacks, pastas grains, even breads and cakes!  I (who thought I had a pretty good handle on this whole comfort food and vegan cooking thing) am learning so much from this book! 

My favorites (so far) are the delicious oatmeal recipes (she has even more on her blog!) and the amazingly easy (only 10 minutes of prep time!) Smoky Mac and Cheese.  There are also some amazing recipes in here that I just haven't gotten to yet, like the pinach Artichoke Dip and the Mango Coconut Rice Pudding.

I am so looking forward to working my way through this book chapter by chapter, page by page, because honestly, I haven't seen any recipe in this book that doesn't absolutely sound fantastic! 

Finally, I would like add that the intro chapters are really informative, and the canned vs. homemade info on beans and such is also really helpful.

All in all, this book gets two big thumbs up from me, and I highly reccommend it.

Worknight Wednesdays: One Pot Mole Mac

One Pot Mole Mac
Kind of like Hamburger Helper with a Latin flare.

Since I already made the Mole on Monday, this one was a snap.  It made a huge potful, so I have leftovers for the rest of the week's lunches!

To make it I just prepared a one pound package of elbow macaroni in salted water.  Once done, I drained the excess water from the pot and added:

1/2 a package of Daiya Pepper Jack Cheese
1/3 cup Earth Balance
1 cup of the Mole Sauce
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour cream
1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
1 cup TVP
salt and pepper to taste

Stir it all together, over low heat, until everything is melted. Cover and let it stand for 10 minutes, to allow the TVP to absorb any excess moisture and become tender.