And We're Off.....Again!

I've yet to get a moment to catch my breath, sit down, kick back, catch up on everyone's blogs, but I just found out that today I get to tag along on a trip to San Francisco with the Cap'n. I've only ever been to CA once (San Diego) so I'm beyond excited!

During our short stint home, I've been enjoying the bounty of spring with a few early mangoes
VWaV's Curried Mango Tempeh Salad is so very scrumptious, the minute they are in season near you (i always jump the gun a bit and start picking the ripe ones up immediately every May) I highly recommend you whip this up and let it sit in the fridge overnight, give the flavors a chance to meld and devour it the next day.

I also was so excited to see tomatillos again in the grocery store. You know what this means.....a TON of salsa. yay!
we used it with some fake chik'n strips some canned vegan refried beans, guac, shredded greanleaf lettuce and organic corn tortilla shells for some killer quick tacos.

i've said it before and I'll say it again, salsa is my most favorite condiment. I love to enjoy it on a baked potato with some steamed broccoli.....come to think of it, if i can get my butt in gear and packed this morning....that's totally what i'm having for lunch!

So, I'm excited about the driving we're planning in wine country but more than a little put off by the lack of vegan wineries along the way. At least the scenery will be nice? Then I'm overwhelmed by the possibilities that lie ahead for vegan fare in San Fran, and thanks to the suggestions of the beautiful and amazing goddess Madness, we already have reservations for Millennium Sat and plans to visit some other great vegan stops along the way.

Can't wait to share! Have a wonderful weekend!

Back From the Beach

And from officiating my sister-in-law's beautiful wedding on Cinco de Mayo. So much great food(here's me on number three of what turned into six dozen of VWaV's Edamame Samosas with Coconut Mint Chutney....they were a HUGE hit and devoured well before the omni food. yay!)

and wonderful people, I can't wait to share it all, once someone emails me pictures as I was entirely too busy to take any! ;)

And what's a girl to do when she gets home and finds herself in the midst of unpacking what seems to be her entire pantry (amazing, the things you bring when you know you'll be doing a whole lot of vegan cooking while away) and has no perishables in the house?It's Road's End Organics Shells & Chreese! After a few tries, this stuff has totally grown on me and now I love it as a quick fix in a pinch.
I add extra soy milk and nutritional yeast and frozen organic PEAS! to mine.
While I'd rather make my own..sometimes the kitchen's just not stocked for it (or anything else, for that matter) and this made a fine substitute when I looked up and realized it was dinner time with no dinner fixins in the house!

And I can't not mention these, as I've been living off of them in the midst of all the wedding planning chaos of the last couple weeksI've a new-found love for Tofurkey slices (my favorite is the pepper version but i'll take plain if they don't have it). I've been enjoying them in wraps and pitas with green leaf lettuce, red onion, tomato, sometimes cukes, and a bit of Vegannaise. A quick, easy, tasty lunch or dinner. Last night I paired it with some of the amazingly sweet strawberries I picked up on our way home.I couldn't keep CJ away from then while snapping a pic, even he thought they looked and smelled yummy!

I have an old post or two I never got up, a recipe, and the trip update all to be posted soon. I still have to update my links and clean up the blog once I feel settled back into the house, but I wanted to say hi and let you all know I can't wait to start catching up on all of your blogs and see what fine creations you've got up that I'm sure to be inspired by!

Recipe: Patty Cakes and Tiramisu Cupcakes

I typically like to make my own veggie patties, and I like for them to be based around nuts, 'shrooms, and legumes. I recently, however, posted about these little patties o' goodness in finding ways to use up the 'shroom fondue I had leftover and a block of extra firm tofu. A quick spin around the internet and some additions of my own led me to one of my new favorite patty varieties. 'm callin 'em Patty Cakes...well, because they're just so darn cute! I started at fatfreevegan.com and perused this recipe, then adjusted it a tiny bit to suit my tastes and incorporate the 'shroom fondue. Here's what I came up with... Patty Cakes 1 T. olive oil (or safflower, sunflower, or grape seed oil)
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and mashed
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 T. onion powder
1 1/2 T fresh parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
1/4c. grated sweet onion
2 heaping T. 'Shroom Fondue (plus more for serving) Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well. Consistency should be sticky enough to form patties. If not, add a little flour or additional nutritional yeast. Heat oil on skillet and then heat patties for about 5 min per side or until both sides reach a golden brown. Try not to flip too many times so that they'll retain their form. Place patties on baking sheet lightly coated with oil and place in oven for 20-25 min. this will help to firm up the inside of the patties. Allow to cool enough to eat and enjoy on their own, plated on top of more fondue, or in a sandwich of your choosing! These were so good, they didn't last more than three days in our house. So much for freezing 'em for when my next veggie burger craving strikes! Looks like next time I'll be making a double batch!

Speaking of double batches, we just returned from my brother's wedding in VA. While I was the only vegan there, and my mom is a pseudo-vegetarian (she still eats sea-food) the huge pot of Naked Tofu Marsala, the double batch of Dill Tempeh Pate, and the Tempeh Stuffed Mushrooms (whose leftovers turned into Tempeh stuffed peppers at our family sit down the following night, what a great idea!) all vanished in a flash, making this vegan very happy!

The best, though? I FINALLY broke down and whipped up a double batch of VCTOTW's Cupcakes to serve with the wedding cake (what?! you can't expect this vegan with a sweet tooth to not bring dessert when the wedding cake is TiramisuTres Leches! ;).
These were aMAZing, and nothing short of a huge success (though, does anyone know why the recipe calls for 2T. cornstarch in the batter? we didn't have any and I skipped it and these were perfect. weird). We even had to steal some away so family members would each get a taste. (we're Italian, remember? we never pass up a good VEGAN! tiramisu!) I also used the leftover batter to make two little single Tiramisu Cakes for the Bride and Groom to take with them.This weekend we're off for the Cap'n's little sister's wedding. I am the officiant (how crazy is that?!) and overall coordinator, but that's not gonna stop me from contributing: six dozen samosas with coconut mint chutney (ala VWaV) made yesterday and frozen, a quadruple batch of Dill Tempeh Pate, some Lentil Walnut Pate, 2 glorious quarts of the infamous Larry's Amazing Salsa, and what kind of wedding on Cinco de Mayo would be complete without VCTOTW's Mucho Margarita Cupcakes?! Not this one! Can't wait to make 'em!

Then we celebrate a family birthday Sunday night and an undetermined cupcake variety will also be enjoyed by all (see? 'm cupcake crazy! i knew cracking open that cookbook would prove dangerous! hehe)

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Cinco de Mayo weekend, I'll be sure to bring back pictures of the wedding spread upon our return from the beach.

the Evolution of Dinner

It all started with this,the yummy Sunshine burger I picked up recently on my weekly trip to the health food store. I love that they're quick, convenient, totally vegan, and full of nothing but good things. Then I thought, hey, so are the patties I make at home and freeze...I reeeally need to do that again soon!

So I thumbed through a few cookbooks for inspiration and settled on TEV's Millet Black Bean Burger, but tinkered with it a bit to suit what I had on hand. I followed the recipe mostly but used two cups of millet, one of leftover brown sushi rice, 1/2 a can of adzuki beans instead of the black and smashed the other half and dumped 'em in as well, 1/2 a med onion, mixed in 1T whole wheat flour to bind rather than coat, used just over a tsp celery seed to replace the celery, added about three shredded organic carrots and then, looking at thisI realized I didn't have time to make patties, only stuff it all in a loaf pan and walk away for 45 min. I enjoyed this with TEV's Miso Gravy and a salad, realizing it didn't need to be put in a sandwich at all. The gravy is great. I never have seasoned rice wine vinegar, only plain, so i upped the agave a tad. This made the gravy a bit sweet rather than savory which complimented this loaf perfectly!

I also doctored it up the following night and served it on a bed of sauteed spinach with tons of garlic and topped it with a roasted portobello mushroom before adding the gravy. this seems to be a serving suggestion for many of my meals...spinach, loaf, 'shroom, gravy, done! and sooo good! while I love this gravy, it's sweetness over a savory tasted left me wanting something different. We needed a different flavor with which to enjoy the remainder of the loaf (not to mention the realization that this gravy's appearance mimics that of well...um....snot, quite frankly...yeah, that made us want something to change things up in a hurry. hehe)

so off i went to the internet to hunt down a recipe I know I'd found and hoped I'd bookmarked for a vegan mushroom fondue. I stumbled on this a while back and have been wanting to try it ever since. All I have to say? WOW! Even before you blend in the mushrooms (using my handy new KitchenAid mixer that Amazon alerted me was only $29.99 recently for a limited time, woohoo!) this fondue is perfect as a dip, a sauce, something to suck down a straw, whatever! adding the mushrooms (i used half baby bellas and half regular, white variety) just adds the perfect earthy, shroomy flare, if you like that kinda thing. and we LOVE it!

So, earlier in the day, I'd baked LDV's Easy French Bread (went all out and used only unbleached white flour, no whole wheat...for shame! ;) and baked up a log of Susan's Pepperoni Seitan as well. I didn't have ketchup so I just used more tomato paste and added about 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (in olive oil) and about a handful of fresh basil and a bit more water to make a s.d. tomato basil variety. This was AMAZING! if not a tad dry, like real pepperoni. Next time I think I'll either play with the water a bit more or try and combine both the Seitan O' Greatness recipe with this one.

We plated the leftover loaf, the Seitanroni, and some garlicky roasted brussel sprouts with a side of french bread.It was more a spooning over your food event, only dipping the bread, but oh my! were our tummies insanely full and our taste buds totally satisfied!
You'd think the evolution of this dinner would stop right there, right?
think again!

with more of this 'shroom fondue/sauce leftover and no straws in the house we had to find even just one more way to enjoy it!...ok, maybe two.

On our next trip to the regular grocery store, we picked up some gnocchi. I'd only had it once before in my life, and the Cap'n had never tried it. I've seen it all over vegan blogs and realized the ingredients were all vegan so in the cart it went.

Once home, I made up some EB spread for some of the french bread by mixing it with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. That went in the oven with the leftover brussel sprouts for about ten minutes. Meanwhile I boiled water for the gnocchi and heated up some sliced Setianroni. Once the Seitanroni was hot, I removed it from the heat and covered it, using the same pan to saute the gnocchi once done, then removed that and covered it.

I then took half a can of no salt added tomatoes that I'd had leftover in the 'fridge and sauteed them a bit in that same pan with some tomato paste, onion powder, garlic, basil and oregano. Once nice and hot I dumped it into a large coffee mug and zapped it with the handheld to a sauce. All this time I nuked the 'shroom fondue sauce til it was good 'n hot.

And here ya have it folks, the meal to end all meals at our house. My Italian Great Gramma would be ever so proud! Saucy Gnocchi with 'shroom cheeze sauce and my Easy Tomato Sauce for Two, roasted brussel sprouts and a side of vegan garlic bread.

I cannot even begin to go on and on and on about how great the flavors of this are. I should definitely make up a master recipe for it and post it soon. it's so worth it, but I just love that it came of almost all leftovers....my favorite kind of new meal!

I did say there were two uses of the 'shroom fondue, didn't I? Speaking of recipes...remind me to post one for these puppies later, as well
tofu patties (I know, I know, we've all had those before...but this recipe is my favorite tofu variety I made up, usually I'm a bean and nut kinda patty girl)! I had 'em for breakfast plated on top of some of the 'shroom fondue sauce then topped with some sauteed mushrooms (leftover in the fridge as well) and a bit of sprouts. I love real food for breakfast!
We're off for the weekend, but I hope to come back and update my links and all sorts of things (that I've totally been slacking on for far too long) with my blog upon our return. Hope everyone has a safe and happy one!

Easy as Toast!

I so wanted to title this post 'Easy as Pie'. It was an immediate association when fondly remembering this from the other day's lunch.. Pizza! A perfect food.
But, um....yeah. This was just pizza toast..not pizza pie.So Easy as Toast it is.

I just lightly toasted some organic wheat & oat bread I like to keep stashed in the freezer.
Then topped with a spoonful of Muir Glen's organic tomato sauce,
few slices of the baked seitan o' greatness,
generous helping of FYH's Mozzarella style vegan cheese*,
healthy sprinkling of oregano,
(don't forget to spritz those corners with a little olive oil!)
and into the broiler it goes until the FYH starts to bubble up a bit.

perfect fast food!

* i bought this again on a whim. I'd been craving that kind of melty, salty goodness that my former veg self knew as cheese. While I wouldn't eat cheese now if you paid me, I miss that ooey, gooey, texture and salty taste when enjoying pizza from time to time. Recently, I decided that this stuff just didn't cut it or give me the flavor or texture I wanted and stopped using it. 'm still not entirely sure what prompted my hand to spontaneously transport the little white block from the cooler to my basket, but i was at home the other day grating it on top of this lunch all the same.

This time around? It was amazing! I don't know if I'd just never gotten a fresh product (I honestly think that my local health food store doesn't move the staple items I happen to go there for half as fast as some of their other items) or what, but it was just the right flavor and melted just enough to be almost gooey and not watery in any way.

I may not use the FYH product regularly, but I think it will find it's way back into my cart on occasion as a nice treat!