Vegan*asm

The good, the bad, and the sad

2008-02-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

As those of you who are regular readers of this blog (mom), you know well enough that there could be anywhere from 2 days, to 2 months between posts. I always have good intentions of posting on a regular basis, and even go so far as to take pictures of my food, download them onto the computer, and even begin the post and save it to finish later. Then things happen, I forget or get distracted, or I just can't think of anything to say and get self-concious and never post. This is something I set my sights on to resolve this year. I started off pretty good, and then the inevitable happened. My camera broke, and my laptop usb connection went caput all at the same time. At first I was fairly disappointed, and even teared up a little bit. My poor, devoted camera. What would I do without it? Then some other things happened in my life that called for my attention. Another, and equally as important, resolution I made to myself this year was to put more focus into important things in my life that need attention. So, instead of killing myself by attempting to juggle all of these things and inevitably droping one of them, I decided to pick and choose. Sadly, blogging came out at the bottom. It was becoming a little too tedious for me to handle, and it's supposed to be fun, aint it? I've also discovered that, due to health reasons, my diet needs a bit of tweaking. I have a feeling that the next month or two will consist of things like rice, veggies, and tofu. Nothing all that picture worthy. We are going to NYC tomorrow for Candy's birthday, so we will be taking pictures with her camera, and if I can get to a computer somewhere and download the pictures somehow, I will put them up. But, after that, I will be pretty sparse. So, there you have it. I hate leaving you all, just when I was getting somewhat of a comitted reader base. I have enjoyed getting to know you all, and really appreciate all of your wonderful comments. I'll still probably hang around everyones blogs, just because food porn is my guilty pleasure. Keep cooking and eating and I'll see you around!

Glugan

2008-01-16T17:52:00.001-08:00

Gluten-free vegan, or, as I like to refer to it, glugan. For the month of Januaray, you can all affectionately refer to me as glugan, for that is what I am. I have been wanting to cut gluten out of my diet for a while, since doing some research and thinking that it could have something to do with health issues I have been dealing with. I decided to take the opportunity to try it for the first month of the new year. It has been more difficult that I originally intended, and I have accidentaly slipped up a coulple of times. But, all around I feel better, and much lighter. I also have fewer stomach aches and digestion problems. I might carry on with it past Janurary, to see what else happens. Here are a few meals that I have enjoyed so far. As you can tell, I'm still in baking mode.

Baking can be pretty frustrating when you are omitting not only binders like eggs, and fats like butter, but also gluten which offers structure and balance to your baked goods. But, having gained some impecable vegan skillz over the last year and a half, I have found ways to handle the seemingly unavoidable disaster that would ensue from these missing links. Lucky for me, my favorite baked good- cornbread- is just as good without any of these things.

I made the Mole Skillet Pie from V-con, using brown rice flour for wheat flour, and blue cornmeal. It looks a little dry on top, but the mole sauce, and all the sour cream you will put on top moistens it right up.
Shown with yummy fried plantains in the background, and Joanna's homemade sour cream. Yummm!

Next, I tried attempting my second favorite baked treat-sweet bread. I made zucchini banana bread, following the banana bread recipe from Gluten Free Goddess. I used Arrowhead Mills All-purpose GF mix, and subbed much of the oil for applesauce. I also didn't have any xanathan, and used cornstarch instead of arrowroot, and raisins for chocolate chips. The result was, well...
..a bit of a crumble mess, but still edible and pretty fantastic with dabs of whipped earth balance. I ate my pieces with sweet tangerines from the farmers market, and a fork to make it easier to get from the plate to my mouth.

We were jonesin' for pizza during the week, and I had a bag of Pamela's GF Bread mix in the pantry. I was going to make a loaf of a bread for sammiches, but decided against it when I saw how simple the pizza crust recipe looked. It made enough for two crusts, but I decided to take one half and turn it into a foccacia.

Patted the dough out, poked around with my fingers, and sprinkled on some olive oil, garlic, salt, and dried herbs before baking.

The pizza, spread with pesto and tomato sauce, topped with sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta from V-con.

Both were so fantastic. We couldn't keep our hands off the focaccia while waiting for the pizzas to bake. I will definately be using Pamela's mix again, even if I go back to eating gluten. (*Disclaimer: the mix does contain honey.)

New year, same me

2008-01-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

It's a new year. With that comes new things. New foods to try, new posts to type, new people to meet, new challenges to face, new resolutions to stand by, new chances to make a difference. Even with all of this, I still can't manage to write a regular post. I hit somewhat of a lazy streak (lying in bed as we speak), but have also gotten many things accomplished. Above all, I have devoted myself to finding ways to keep myself happy. This has meant taking a little time. Time to unwind, relax, and do what's best. My relationship with food lately hasn't been very healthy. Veggies took a backseat, and baked yummies came to the forefront. Although this is fine for a while, it can reak havoc on your digestive and immune system. So, I have taken a big step to start the year off right. I decided to be gluten free for the month of January. I have been wanting to do it for a long time, believing it might be contributing to some health problems. It has proven to be a bit more difficult than I originally intended. It has also been exciting, interesting, painful, annoying, frustrating, and delicious.

So, just because I haven't shown my face around the blog world for a while, I have still kept myself busy making and eating good food. First of all, I want to start with Christmas dinner. Even though it is so far behind us and I'm sure we all just want to forget about the craziness, I think it was a pretty good dinner, and worth showing off. Since we only had 24 hours in Houston due to work schedules, our original holiday plans for Christmas eve dinner didn't work. Instead, it was a small dinner with me, my mom and Candy. For that reason, I made a very modest, yet super awesome meal.

First, the non-meat loaf, made with beef style TVP, sauteed carrots, celery, onions, and garlic with herbs, nooch, breadcrumbs, and ketchup. Glazed with yummy tomato-lemon preserves I picked up from the farmers market the weekend before. Looks just like the loaf of my childhood. For a different kind of side dish, I wanted to combine the savoryness of roasted vegetables, with the crunchiness of fresh vegetables. I picked up fresh green beans from work, and roasted them with baby beets from the farmers market, and fresh herbs. I got small red radishes from the farmers market and thinly sliced them, then lightly sauteed some arugula I picked up at the same time. I added some toasted walnuts, and garnished with sliced oranges. Delicious, fresh, and fun!Here is the whole plate. The "meat" loaf crumbled a bit more than I would have liked, but it still had an amazing flavor and texture. We also had roasted garlic mashed potatoes, just to add to the comforting feeling of the meal.

Since my birthday is so close to Christmas- New Years Eve- it oftentimes gets overshadowed by all of the rest of the holiday madness. This year, though, it seemed like it was in a totally different month. I asked my family a few months prior to meet us in Ft. Worth for a special lunch. Since my aunt and uncle live in Ft. Worth, my grandparents live 1 hour outside of Dallas, and my mom was visiting them for Christmas, they all humbly agreed and made it happen for me. I was so excited that I would finally get to try out The Spiral Dinner, and share the experience with my family.

I had the Viva Las Migas, basically a tofu scramble chocked full of beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and spices, topped with avocado and sour supreme and served with corn chips (or tortillas). I had mine with a side of potato salad, just because I heard it was awesome...and it was! This was one of the best brunches ever. I can't wait to go back and try the other amazing food they offer.
Here is Candy and the family-minus me (I was taking the picture). I was a bit disappointed that they all ordered just a bowl of soup (except Candy or course, she knows the value of kickass vegan food), but they look happy enough, huh? In the background is the soda machine- all natural and organic soads, and the condiment dreams of vegan's dreams- braggs, nooch, natural sweetners, and organic ketcup and mustard.
Here is the birthday girl (middle) with her Nanny and Lovely Lady in front of the diner. I just want to show off my birthday outfit. Too bad you can't see the kick ass red boots I got for Christmas..
I also want to show off what I got my mom for christmas. Her name is Sparky, and she is a gift sponsorship from Farm Animal Sanctuary. Her flock got attacked by a bear on their farm and the survivors were sent to the sanctuary for safety. I think she is beautiful, and mom was showing her off like a grandchild. How cute.
After all was said and done, Candy and I ordered a Jamaican Jerk Tempeh sammich for dinner since we had an 8 hour drive to New Orleans ahead of us. It was yummy and everything I could ask for, as was the delicious piece of carrot cake. Go to Spiral Diner as soon as you can! It won't disappoint, seriously.

There is more, but we'll save that for another post. It's good to be back! See ya around in the blogworld, ya'lls.

Blaaahhhh..or how I spent my xmas

2007-12-26T16:19:00.001-08:00

It's 9pm on the day after x-mas, and I'm sitting in my PJ's, drinking tea and watching Martha Stewart. Thus is my recovery. After spending a hectic couple of days planning, running around, shopping for and making gifts, and eating much junk food, then zipping in and out of town in 24hrs, and dealing with crazy family stuff, I needed to wind down. Although the best regimen I could be following now would probably involve some kind of light exercise and tons of green leafys, and fresh whatnots, I feel more inclined to like sit around reading books, watching TV, and eating leftover meatlessloaf. This is a time for unabashed comfort. The craziness will start again on Saturday when we leave town for a weekend in New Orleans, and then my birthday celebration (21!) on Monday, but it's a good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that you want to remember for the rest of your life. The kind of crazy that leaves you in a haze for a week. I'm looking forward to that crazy. The crazy from the previous week, though, I wish to soon forget. Here are a few things I have learned, along with a few random thoughts, from this holiday season:

When you spend any extended amount of time (more than 10 minutes) with someone else's crazy family, you begin to appreciate your seemingly less crazy family

Eat nothing but sugar for a week, and you will feel like shit

If your grandmother asks what you want for Christmas, never say "nothing". She will inevitably get you something.

The book is always better than the movie. The big boys in the media industry seem to think that dumbing down movies will somehow make it much better and more accessible to the general public.

If you tell people your plans, things will inevitably go to shit

Cinnamint flavor is good for lipgloss, but not always so good to eat

Chocolate and Amber are a match made in olfactory heaven

Teenagers possess an uncanny ability to sit and stare at a TV screen for an amazing 12 hours straight

Meatloaf is so much better without the meat, this recipe saved my x mas, with the addition of sauteed carrots, celery, onion and garlic

Hope everyone found a way to keep their sanity in tact. Cookies, coffee, and sleep helped me a lot. Except when I got sick, then it was mainly orange juice and echinacea.
In less than 6 hours, I will be having lunch with my (stubbornly omnivorous, yet still love able) family at a vegan haven in the middle of cattle country- Spiral Diner, to commemorate the beginning celebrations of my birthday. I am undecided on what to eat, but I'm sure it will be good. Then it's off to New Orleans for a weekend of raucous fun. See you next year!

X-mas time..

2007-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas, X-mas, Giftmas, Fudgemas..not matter what you call it, it's a holiday that's practically impossible to avoid. I'm a huge scrooge this year, so in attempts to get somewhat into the holiday spirit so that I can get through Monday evening and Tuesday, I have been baking cookies, and making gifts. When Candy's mom came for a visit, we decided to start out cookie baking. We spent 3 hours in the kitchen one night after dinner, and made a huge mess. We got 3 dozen cherry almond drops, a batch of peanut butter cookie crumbles, and some fudge out of the endeavour. Here is what our kitchen counter looked like after wards:

We went to a vegan cookie exchange party the next day. We took our cherry almond drops, and came home with a bigger selection of really yummy cookies and bars.

Chocolate pecan cookies, some of our cherry almond drops, wedding tea cakes, peanut butter chocolate crunch bars, and (my favorite) chocolate cashew butter cups.

I came across Amanda's recent post about getting in the spirit, and I'm totally jealous of all the lovely cookies she has baked. I decided to do the holiday themed meme she had, but I think it makes me sound even more like a scrooge..

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer recycled good: newspaper, paper bags, boxes, etc, or cotton shopping bags
2. Real or artificial tree? Usually artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? Growing up, it was usually right after Thanksgiving. This year, we did it right after we couldn't stand hearing the kids ask one more time
4. When do you take it down? After New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Soynog, totally. I wasn't ever much for the egg stuff, though.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I remember really loving the play kitchen I got, even though it was made entirely out of cardboard. As an adult, my favorite gift so far was my stainless steel pot and pan set.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Nah
8. Hardest person to buy for? My grandparents
9. Easiest person to buy for? Mom
10. Worst Christmas present you ever got? Hard to say...probably that one lamp thing with the angel...
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? I usually don't do cards.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Huh..I've never really had one.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually I make a mental note of things throughout the year, and then I forget about them and go shopping at the last minute. This year, I'm not shopping, I'm making.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, yes, yes.
15. Favorite thing to eat on Christmas? Gingerbread!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I like the clear ones on houses, but I like color on trees.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Nellie McKay's A Christmas Dirg e. Looove it!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually my mom and I travel to my grandparents house. This year, Candy and I are travelling home to Houston
19. Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer? Proabably, if I thought hard enough.
20. Angel or star on top of tree? Usually star, nothing this year
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas eve, the rest on Christmas. A little different this year. I got my presents from my family early, and we're doing Christmas with Candy's family Christmas eve.
22. Most annoying thing this time of year? Everything
23. Do you decorate your tree in any theme or color? No, but I like my friend's Star Wars tree
24. What do you leave for Santa? This year, Candy Cane Joe Joes, because me and Candy are Santa
25. Shopping? I stay far, far away from the mall. This year most of my stuff is handmade.
26. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Just inside this year. Oh, a couple of poinsettas on the porch
27. Favorite Christmas cookie? Hmm..Ginger Gems, any biscotti, gingerbread, chocolate peppermint....
28. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? Not really. I bought these cute green tree earrings, and someone said they look kind of like christmas trees. I told them they kind of look like a crack addict..
29. Do you believe in Santa? I believe if Santa was real, he would have every health problem known to man.

Bad blogger

2007-12-15T08:01:00.001-08:00

I feel like I've been a bad blogger. Ever since MoFo ended, I have been slack in posting. I guess I needed the break, since so much else has been going on. Starting a new job and ending a slightly less new one. Getting prepared for the christmas holiday right after ending the rush of Thanksgiving. Forming new friendships and hitting rough spots in a very close relationship. Births and deaths. New ideas, and old standbys. I guess I can say it has been a time of tansition, and I have needed some time for adjustment. Of course, like always, I have still kept busy in the kitchen as much as I can will myself. I have tried new things, and lets just say I've gained a new affinity for sauces. Although I haven't put my hands to work in the kitchen as much as I would like, I have been well fed..and this will prove it..

As I've posted, on probably more than one occasion, I love pumpkin and all things involved in the affairs of the beautiful, succulent squash. So, when I heard rumor of a recipe for pumpkin hummus floating around, I jumped on it. I went all the way and topped mine with caramelized pumpkin seeds. I'm so glad I did. Also, the addition of sesame oil is a must. Do it, or..well, you may not regret it, but you sure will wish you did it.

This is what fall tastes like- spiced steel cut oatmeal spiked with raisins, served in a roasted squash 'bowl', topped with sweet almond gravy, with half a roasted apple on the side. I used the recipe from Hot Potato, subbing my own spice preference/on-hand mix, and using a different squash. Soo delightful!

What do two PPKers do when they meet? Cook, of course! And cook we did. Denise got Veganomicon before I did, and we were both really hyped to make Chickpea cutlets. She came over one night and we made the cutlets with red wine roux, and had the tomato spinach on the side. They were really simple and very good. The one thing I can say is they are super filing. I had a small baked one, and I was full all night long.

For our 4 month anniversary, I wanted to prepare a nice, somewhat elegant, yet simple meal for Candy and I to share. Remembering the PPK 'Love Bites' episode, and how they waxed so romantic about the sweet potato crepes, I decided to give the recipe a try. I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that I had only made crepes once before, even though they were a success. I was pleasantly suprised at how quickly, and simple the meal came together. I had nothing prepared in advance, but it took me around 2 hours from starting the filling, to finishing the sauce, and I even found time to make a simple green bean dish for the side (fresh beans, thinly sliced pears, tossed in a vinagrette of canola, cider vinegar, miso paste, and fresh basil, with toasted walnuts).

Money shot, ya'll's. Super fantastic filling and saucey sauce. I had two, plus extra filling, and ruined crepe pieces. And the wine kept flowing...

That's all I have to share right now. There were some other things in between, like a super awesome cake that started as a disaster, but became the best thing ever. The picture would not have done it justice, so I didn't even try. But do not despair, for there will be other cakes in our future, I am sure..

Appetite schmappetite

2007-12-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much of an appetite lately, and the last couple of days I have had a stomach ache that has kept me from eating much at all. This couldn't have happened at a worse time, considering I just received a copy of V-con from my mom for an early X-mas gift. I was so thrilled and elated, flipping through the pages, noting all of the the recipes I wanted to try first. The very next day I felt as if I was coming down with something, by the end of the night (at the potluck, no less) I could hardly eat a thing. I spent the next day in bed, not touching food until around 5pm, and then only some toast and yogurt. I made a quick and simple veggie-rice soup for dinner, and had a bowlful. I thought I was feeling better this morning, but when I got to work my stomach began flipping over. I tried to get some form of nourishment from a smoothie for breakfast, but it made things worse and my stomach wouldn't have it. Thankfully, I brought some leftover soup for lunch, and paired with Green Power Kombucha, I was able to get through the day. I love that stuff! I don't know if it is just something going around, or maybe stress. Thankfully, what I do eat I can keep down. The stress factor will soon be lessened since today is my last day at Dirty Dog, and I will only have one job to worry about. My appetitie is already beginning to come back since I have been browsing through some blogs, looking at all of the delicious food everyone has been making. This whole no appetitie thing is really weird for me.

Needless to say, no food pictures for this post. I do have some awesome stuff to post, though. It involves chickpeas and cutlets, and a red wine roux..but I wont say anymore! I'll get around to it soon. What I want to do now is give a big happy exciting congratulations to Joanna at Yellow Rose Recipes and her husband for bringing baby Milo into the world! Even though I lost on the baby before book/book before baby challenge, I'm glad he is here and he's so cute I can easily forgive him. So happy for you guys, good luck in the baby raisin' world!

Things I love..

2007-12-06T09:55:00.001-08:00

Sunday Potlucks

I look forward to these all week long. We always have such a good time, and meet really cool people. I see it as an opportunity to to do what I love best: cook good food and feed good people.
Last week was Curry themed. Instead of making an actual Curry, we brought food with curry, the spice. I made Aloo Parathas, using Lolo's tutorial. They turned out sooo good, and were really simple. Candy made a special treat- Curry Truffles! Since her specialty has become mini sweet things, we put a spin on an old classic. Made using the ganache recipe in VCTOTW, but subbing coconut milk, and adding a tsp of curry powder, then rolled in curry and cocoa. They were a labor of love, and soo amazing! (Sorry, no picture :( They were completely devoured)

My plate, with a bunch of different curries, a green salad, a butternut squash salad with a tofu based dressing, my parathas, some chutney, and some other stuff I dont remember. So full..

Simplicity

Sometimes, life needs to be simple. Step back and focus on the important things. Don't let everything get in your way and inhibit you from living a happy life. Sometimes, simplicity means just not fussing about being exact, or avoiding adding too much. Whether in terms of life, or in food, simplicity is key.

Hot, simple, and full of goodness. I used leftover brown rice, almond milk, a dab of EB, and mixed in some leftover cranberry-cherry chutney.

Fresh out of the oven Cran-Ban-Thankyou-man bread. Inspired by Eat'n Veg'n, I wanted gluten free, but didn't have everything i needed. It turned out really great, and simple to make. It only lasted 1/2 day.

Good choices

Sometimes, it's hard for me to make a decision. I ponder, and worry over every detail, practically paralyzing myself to decided. Even when I know one option would be better for me, it is hard to let go of the other options. In this case, it didn't take long to make a decision, because I knew hands down it would be the best. I quit my job. Not the one I just got at Wheatsville. I love it too much. But the other one. I was working 12 hour days, exhausting myself. I wasn't able to do much else but work, and I realized it just wasn't worth it. Besides, I didn't come to Austin to work work work. I realize I will be a little short on money until I become full time at WV. But, that is where simplicity comes in. With the holidays coming up, I have decided that all of the gifts I give will be handmade, which really reduces alot of spending. We are trying not to eat out, but instead freezing meals for later. My grocery bills are also considerably less now that most of my food comes from the free box at work. So, yay for good choices, and making the right decisions for yourself. I feel so relieved.

Those are just a few of my loves. I could go on and on, but I'm sick of typing. I will type one more thing, though. Think about the things you love in your life, and let everyone know. It's kind of like Isa's 1/2 week with no hate, spread it around.

Also, does anyone have any ideas for fancy hor dourves?

Leftovers for days..

2007-12-01T20:23:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I was a little slack with VeganMoFo toward the end. Working two jobs, prepparing a T-day feast for 10 people, and trying to have somewhat of a life didn't help much. Now it's December 1st, and I feel like I have some making up to do. This post is a little late for MoFo, but technically I did write it a few days ago. I just didn't get around to loading up all of the pictures until now. So, bear with me..

As I listed as one of the things I am thankful for, leftovers are at the top. When I was younger, I especially despised leftovers. I couldn't stand the thought of eating leftover mac and cheese, hamburger helper, or anything else besides a few select things, one of them being my moms homemade beef stew and cornbread (especially in cornbread and milk). Thinking back, I believe that I would still feel the same today if my meals came primarily from a box. When the extent to which you prepare your food is by the touch of a microwave button, or a quick boil and pour, then the end result can only be so edible, for so long. Today, however, when I cook I savor the leftovers. Homemade, freshly prepared foods taste so much better the next day, when the flavors have a chance to sit and mingle with one another. So join me, won't you, and savor every leftover bite, making sure not to waste a scrap of food.

The next day after Thanksgiving, I would always enjoy a turkey sandwhich composed of various leftovers from the T-day feast. The sandwhich usually went- wheat bread, mayo, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mustard, wheat bread. This year, I wanted something similar, but a little more sophisticated and cruelty free. I went for a simple stuffing sammich, and included a little fresh arugula I had laying around.

Whole wheat roll, stuffing, arugula, walnut-cran-cherry compote.

Besides the stuffing, the dish we had the most of leftover was the roasted veggies. Besides leaving them as is and just allowing them to be a hearty side dish, I wanted to give them a spotlight of their own. While I was blog wandering one afternoon, I came across a recipe on Karina's recipe index and decided that I would do these beautiful vegetables justice by making them into a Roasted Vegetable Mulligatawny but without the curry.

It turned out wonderful and we savored every spoonful with leftover cornbread.

Speaking of cornbread, and as I mentioned previously, I have a serious love for cornbread and milk. We affectionately call it cush cush around our house, pulling the term from an old southern dish. I enjoyed the last piece of cornbread one morning with soymilk for breakfast. Along with a cup of coffee, I was nicely sated until lunchtime.

Now, to extend my leftovers even further, and to tempt our taste buds with a whole new dish, I decided to take these vegetables to a whole new dimension. I was again inspired by one of Karina's fabulous recipes, this time a baked brown rice risotto . First, I sauteed some wilting celery in a castiron skillet with olive oil, pressed a couple of cloves of garlic in there and let it mingle and soften. I dumped some leftover rice (free from work) in, and then poured pureed, leftover Mulligatawny and mixed it all together. I put the entire pan into the oven and let it bake at 250 for an hour. I might have let it go a little too long, because it was quite dry. Then again, we like our food crisp.

Such a simple dish, paired well with a mixed salad of greens and herbs, shredded carrot, dried cherries, and a simple pumpkin-cinnamon vinagrette.

I hope you enjoy leftovers as much as I do, and find something interesting and delicious to do with them. Even if you just eat them cold for breakfast, because some things are good like that.

Days off and dazed out

2007-11-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

After working several 12-hour days over the last couple of weeks, I got a couple of much needed days off. One was a day of fun, and one (today) is a day of rest. Sometimes you just need a little of both to keep you going.

For our day of fun, Candy and I hit the towns. Yes, thats towns with an 's'. We had something very exciting in store for us in San Antonio (we'll get to that later), so we decided to make a day of it and treat orselves to things that we normally don't get a chance to do. First, we slept in. This is very important, because on most days we are up and out of the house by 8am. Once we were up and moving about, we went to Bouldin Creek for brunch. This is a rarity we got to treat ourselves to, and one that I think everyone should enjoy sometimes.

I had the special: tofu scramble with leeks and bacun bits, with cinnamon-raisin toast and orange marmalade. Very noochy. Best with an endless vintage mug of fresh hot coffee.

Next up, a trip to the library where I had a big stack of books waiting for me (A Confederacy of Dunces, Last Exit to Brooklyn, One Hundred Years of Solitude), then the bike shop for some lights, and then thrift shopping. We finally got around to the coolest little East end thrift store, which is only about 2 mile from our house called Treasure City Thrift. They hold alot of fun parties, and have some pretty cheap clothes. I left with a simple long sleeve shirt, and a vintage button up. I found alot of cool stuff to decorate my bathroom with at Goodwill, a cheap 10 cup coffee pot at Savers, and a couple of cute winter items. Candy got a couple of board games (Pop-up Video, and Wheel of Fortune) for our weekly game nights. Phew, after all of that it was time to head to San Antonio.

Our first stop was for dinner. We were looking especially forward to this dinner, because it would be at a new restaurant in town, and the only vegetarian restaurant in S.A. called Green Restaurant. I had been looking (and drooling) over the menu online and could not wait to try it out. It was a cute little cafe/diner type place, but with a lot of ambiance. You order your food at the counter, then drool all over the dessert case (all desserts are vegan) and then sit down at one of the various booths and wait for your food. Everything sounded wonderful so we decided to split a few things.

We started with a delicious sounding salad that applealed to our curious side. A bed of fresh spinach, with sliced crisp green apple, dried cranberries, and cinnamon spiced pecans. Originally served with blue cheese, we opted out and accepted the offer for crumbled tofu, on the side. All salad dressing are vegan, and we decided on the Orange Vinagrette. The entire salad was delightful, and very refreshing. I enjoyed the added texture of the tofu, but it would have been fine without it.
Our entree was a huge hit. We had the "Chicken fried" wheat-meat plate, with brown gravy, herbed mashed potatoes, and green beans. When given the option, who could say no? It certainly appealed to our down home side. The wheat meat was one of the best I have ever had. Perfectly breaded, not too chewy, and down right homey with savory mashers and gravy. The beans were..beans.
Some rolls on the side. Actually, they were a little more like buttermilk biscuits, but not as biscuity. Either way, they were perfect for soping up gravy.

And, of course, we simply could not pass up dessert with such a welcoming selection- fruit cobblers, cake, chocolate brownies, soy ice cream. Of course, we went for a classic- chocolate cake with mocha buttercream icing. Mmmm!

Now, why in the world would we leave lovely Austin to visit an unfamiliar city for just one night, you make be asking. Well, like I said previously, we had something very special waiting for us there. For one night, and one night only, we had tickets for two Orchestra section, row R seats to see the lovely Tori Amos!
(This is where I get all crazy fan on you. How in the world do I add a cut tag?)

We originally bought the tickets many months ago to see the show in Austin. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled last month, and rescheduled for S.A. No problem for us, because it is just a one hour car ride away. We were happy to make the trip. I hadn't seen my favorite artist in such a long time. I was so ecstatic by the time we got into the theater and sat down, I had to have a glass of red to keep myself from jumping up and down. Although, I did make quite a mini scene by squealing when we sat in our seats and I realized how close we were.

The concert was held in the Majestic theater, the same theater we saw R.E.N.T in a few months back. It is one of the coolest theaters I have been to, and was the perfect setting.

Tori always has very original, and usually little heard of people opening for her. This time was no different. Yoav was the opening act, with himself and his two guitars, he really set the mood. He had a very melodic voice (reminding me of the lead singer of Tool, just less..Tool-y.), and used his guitars to make various different sounds. He also had a great stage presence, and talked to us between songs.
We were super excited waiting for Tori to come on stage. I always feel this great rush of excitement, mixed with calmness, and butterflies before I see her live. I once read that before each show she burns sage back stage, which I think has something to do with these feelings.

She entered the stage as a great presence, and the rush from the crowd was astounding. Never have I witnessed the excitement of adoring fans like I do when I am at a Tori concert. It was very cute how she came on, smoking a (fake) cigarette, puffing away and blowing out smoke. We were just discussing on the trip how careful singers are about their voices, never smoking, eating non-musus forming foods, and sometimes even going without speaking when recording. I thought it was amusing that she chose to enter this way, and it really set the mood for the show. Her tiny presence behind her enormous piano is deceiving...

In her sparkly, one piece jump suit. Just imagine her jirating on her bench, and busting out tunes on the keys while simultaneously singing sex into the microphone. Holy mother...

She played a large mix of songs, spanning from the early days (pretty good year, precious things..) a few covers (New Age, and one I didn't recognize) to her latest album American Doll Posse. I especially loved when she talked to the audience. She had some funny stories involving wine, which are always fun to hear. It was a fantastic concert, and I left exhilarated. I also left with an ADP poster, and a T-shirt I can't wait for the next tour!

Happy Thanksfeasting

2007-11-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Things went over fairly well for a large family gathering. Other than most everyone sitting in front of the TV the entire meal, being weary of the food (all vegan), and leaving no more than 1 hour after the meal without touching dessert, we had a great feast. We were very proud of our food and the love and effort we put in to it. We were more than satisfied (can we say, a bit gluttonous?), and we have plenty of leftovers to feed us until Christmas! What more could you ask for? Here was our beautiful spread..

Our menu checklist board. This kept us sane, and helped us avoid forgetting to bake the stuffing.
Appetizer platter- Walnut-pecan pate, two kinds of crackers, mixed greek olives. Went down nicely with a glass of white.
The beginnings of the feast- the app. plate, rolls, sweet potato casserole, cranberry-cherry compote, the wines.

Sweet potato casserole with maple-pecan topping.

Roasted greenbeans and chestnuts. I roughly followed this recipe.

Veganized Paula Deen cornbread dressing, made with the Wheatsville cornbread recipe (!) and cranberry, cherry and walnut compote. This was my favorite dish.
Roasted vegetable (brussel sprouts, sweet potato, delicata and butternut squash, parsnips, red bell peppers, red onion, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, olive oil and balsamic), ala Brandon, my girlfriends brother.

Mac n cheeze, topped with breadcrumbs. Based off of Lolo's recipe, sans miso. I think I baked it a little long, but it still turned out really good.

The potrack holding the greenbeans, mac, potato salad (Mr. Natural) and roasted veggies. Very festive looking.
My loaded plate with a little scoop of everything. Usually I go back for second, but this year I could hardly finish what I had on the first round. Then, shortly after, I collapsed and took a nice long nap.

The dessert spread- pumpkin pie, chocolate dipped mini pecan tarts (a last minute miracle), and pumpkin cheezecake!My plate of dessert. A nice pick me up sugar rush after our post meal nap.

A closeup inside shot of my girlfriends famous pumpkin cheezecake, because it was just that good.

I am thankful for:
Good food and good people
Veganism
Finally having a job I enjoy
My health
Leftovers
Wine

Festive potluck fun

2007-11-19T20:01:00.001-08:00

We made it to the potluck Sunday night, and I'm so glad we did. I feel this way every time we go, but it just seems like each time gets better and better. This time there weren't as many people, and it was pretty low key. It was fun and the food was fantastic none the less. The theme was seasonal produce, and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I knew it before I knew the theme and I was committed to finding a way to make it fit with the theme no matter what. Thankfully I didn't have much problem figuring it out. I made the Chickpea-Cranberry Tart from the recent issue of VegNews along with the Cranberry Sauce.

It turned out beautifully and it was absolutely fantastic, especially with the sauce. Words cannot even describe. It was like a loaded dressing stuffed into a pie crust. The walnuts added a nice crunchiness, the cranberries were both sweet and tart, and paired well with parsley and chickpeas along with the saltiness of tamari. Mmmm. The sauce was simple, but very complex in taste, with an added bit of balsamic vinegar. If you're looking for a nice entree dish for the holidays, I recommend this. I'm even planning to play around with different bean/nut/spice combinations.
There were also butternut squash flautas, topped with some kind of green sauce, bell peppers and onions. Very good, with a sweet, smooth filling and a smoky spicy topping.
Roasted brussel sprouts. You can't go wrong with these. They seem to find their way into almost every potluck, no matter the theme. I ain't complainin!

The whole spread. Also some seasonal fruit salad with poppyseed dressing and chocolate peppermint bars at the end of the table.

My (first) plate, illuminated by the beautiful fire. I could have eaten that whole pan of brussels, but I decided to be nice and leave some for the other people.

They got a makeshift screen set up to show movies on. Last night we watched Gremlins 1! It's been so long since I've seen that one, it brought back memories. I also realized how funny and very morbid it is.
The makeshift fire we always sit aroud, toasting our chilly hands and feet in. Sitting around it with a full belly, after stuffing our faces, watching stupid movies is priceless.

All in a days work

2007-11-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

When I'm working long days, my meals need to consist of a few things. One is simplicity- they need to be quick to put together, and nothing too fancy. They also need to be hardy- I usually ride my bike at least 5 miles roundtrip, and my job consists of alot of running around and lifting large objects (dogs, towel baskets, stairs, etc). Finally, they need to be good- it's simple, I don't want to eat bad food. Yesterday was pretty good, foodwise. So much so I thought it warranted a post of it's own. Here's the breakdown:

I woke up early, so I got to have breakfast at home (yay!)- Toast (Rudi's Multigrain Oat), with peanut butter and sliced banana, spiced prunes, coffee. All while reading the Wheatsville Breeze.
Lunch is always fun in my Laptop Lunchbox- leftover Wheatsville Frito pie (Mmmmm!), carrot sticks with cashew-tamari dressing, 1/2 banana.

Cute notes from my ladylove. Awww, so sweet!

Dinner- okay, so I got a little bit fancy, but it was pretty quick and easy, plus I prepped ahead. We had roasted acorn squash stuffed with a forbidden rice salad (forbidden rice, celery, green onion, dried cranberries, tamari, maple, sesame oil, walnuts), sauteed swiss chard with chickpeas, wheatsville cornbread (best ever!)

And, let us never forget, dessert! Chocolate Peppermint Cream bars. These were the best things I have ever put in my mouth. Like a mint oreo and an Andes mint had a baby and it grew up to despise it's parents and become the best damn cookie in the world. I love you Kelly and Garrick! (Oh, and I didn't eat the whole plate, we were sharing. But, I could have..I so could have.)

Did anyone notice the abundance of Wheatsville goods? Yeah, so I'm in love with the place. It's a good thing I got the job there or I would be considered a stalker.

And, not my work, but the work of the groomer at my work. The cutest dog ever with a mohawk

Yo! Yo woman gimmie some treats. Mr. T demands doggie treats!

The Sunday night potluck is tonight, and the theme is seasonal produce. I'm making the Chickpea-Cranberry tart from VegNews, and we're bring the leftover Chocolate Peppermint bars. Chocolate is always in season.

MoFoVey

2007-11-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

Just when I was loosing my inspiration, Amanda at Walking the Vegan Line showed up with a Vegan MoFo Survey. Here are my answers..

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
On a regular, daily basis I prefer Rice Dream plain. We've been drinking alot of Wild Oats brand soymilk lately, though because of a buy one, get one special. Also, I'm in love with Silk Pumpkin Spice.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Forbidden Rice salad, Tropical granola, a Thanksgiving feast

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Depending on my mood, either Earth Balance with nooch and salt, or canola oil, sugar, and spices.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
The time I tried faux duck from the Hong Kong market. Blech!

5. Favorite pickled item?
I have a thing for pickled carrots with mint..

6. How do you organize your recipes?
I have a shelf of cookbooks, and all of my loose recipes I keep either in a folder, a ziplock, or I have a text version on my laptop.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Compost. We want to start a garden in the spring, so we have a bin out back and a bowl on our counter where all food scraps go. No banana peel left behind!

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
Chocolate, granola, brussel sprouts

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
My nanny's plum cobbler. Easily veganized

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Tea Dream Chocolate Caramel Chai

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Stick blender

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Garlic..and basil.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Hmm..I don't remember the exact name. Something like Simple Meals for Vegetarians. I never use it.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Apricot

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Lasagna. You can't go wrong

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Tofu, for now

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Breakfast, if I can get myself up early enough.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
There's a pot rack hanging above it with our pots and pans. The larger pots that won't fit are on top.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
brussel sprouts, coffee beans, cranberries

20. What's on your grocery list?
We're trying not to go grocery shopping for our cabinet cleaning challenge. But, I can't help but make a mental one, so: maple syrup, greens, mustard,

21. Favorite grocery store?
Wheatsville, duh.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Green bean casserole. Maybe for Thanksgiving

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
There are more than 3 on the top of my list, but here are the top ones: Walking the Vegan Line, Get Sconed, Have Cake Will Travel, and Yellow Rose Recipes

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Right now it's Green and Black's Dark with Orange and Spices

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
I always buy the best chocolate. Otherwise, I keep it simple.

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
I've always been scared of working with pastry. I'm slowly overcoming that. But, I know I will probably never be as good as my Nanny.

Things should be getting better in the kitchen soon. Just working alot of hours right now. I'm still trying to figure out how the heck we'll fit in cooking a thanksgiving feast for 8 people between working 8 and 12 hour days. Hmm..it should be an adventure!

Free Box

2007-11-14T17:30:00.001-08:00

Today I had my second orientation at Wheatsville and had my first experience with the free box. I am in love..
Kind of crappy picture, and yeah, not everything is highest quality. But, um..free! Head of romaine lettuce with some wilting leaves, cucumber, White Mountain tofu salad, tomato, spotted bananas, and Rudi's Organic Multigrain Oat bread. MMmm, enough for at least a week of yummy sammiches, plus I'll freeze the rest of the bread and make french toast or something later. The bananas will make excellent bread and smoothies. Awesome.

Orientation went well, and I am super excited about starting my training on Monday. The beginning of orientation was a bit off putting, because we started by watching the video "Fish!" It was about the fish place in the Seattle farmers market that is famous for throwing fish and yelling stuff, and making the customers hold fish and all that. They are really crazy and enthusiastic. The video was all about customer service, and just having that good attitude no matter how you're feeling. At first it was really hard for me to watch the video because they were treating these dead creatures with no respect, and it was just disgusting. On the one hand I am thinking "how can you talk to me about respect, and good attitude and being there for the customer when you are not giving this creature the same courtesy." I got over it though, and just listened to what they had to say. They had some good points, and overall it was pretty uplifting. I just couldn't look up when they were making the fish "talk". The bonus was finding out that the GM of Wheatsville is vegan! So, yay for that.

Take out Tuesday

2007-11-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just feel like take out. We have been trying to set a special take out day since we moved to Austin. There are so many great restaurants around here, and we want a chance to try them all. Take out day seems like a fun way to do that. We have also been trying to save money, though, and it can be pretty expensive to eat out. But, tonight I really really felt like eating a salad, and all we have at home are leftovers from "school lunch" night (steak fingers, mashed potatoes, gravy). So, since I work until 8pm on Tuesdays, and we have extra things to do after work, we decided to grab some fast food take out. Don't despair, though, for this is not your greasy, fatty, gross fast food. This is Baby Greens, the coolest little salad place in Texas (and maybe anywhere, I've never heard of anything like it.)

I was really going to get a salad, and a cup of their Vegetarian Tortilla soup that I love. But, after everyone ordered wraps, they started sounding pretty good, so I decided on the Southwest tofu salad wrap, with a spinach tortilla and no dressing.

The wrap was pretty good. I like that the spinach tortilla actually kind of tasted like spinach, instead of like a green wheat tortilla. Their tofu was also a little different from what I'm used to getting in wraps. It was very soft, and a little squishy, but it had good flavor. Also the corn and black bean salsa had a nice kick and paired nicely with the jicima and carrot, while the avocado smoothed it all out. This place knows how to make a salad, and wrap it up.

I think Take-Out Tuesdays could become a regular thing, especially if we keep it cheap. Baby Greens and Veggie Heaven are on the top of the list! Some others I like are Thundercloud Subs, Wheatsville Deli (duh), and Zen (japanese fast food).

Lunch lady love

2007-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I missed my second post yesterday, which was a make up from the previous day. I didn't get overwhelmed or run out of ideas, I just decided that some things are more important that posting. So, I took the night off and spent it with my lady love. It was so worth it. I think what I have tonight with totally make up for it.

I was pretty psyched to eat some salisbury "steak", mashed potatoes, and chocolate pudding last night at our Sunday night potluck. Sadly, we ended up having to miss it because I had a work meeting that went late, and having no car meant riding the bus. We would have been about 2 hours late, so we opted out and had stir fry with peanut sauce instead I was so disappointed because it was school lunch themed, and that just sounded so fun. Oh well, there's always next week!Anyway, since we were craving some school food, I made up some seitan to make steak fingers, and we had it with mashed potatoes and gravy and roasted brussel sprouts. So perfect, and so yummy. It will probably be even better left over for lunch tomorrow. MMmmm

On the cheap

2007-11-10T15:03:00.001-08:00

I saw something somewhere a while back called the Great Grocery Challenge, or something like that. Basically, someone decided that they wouldn't go shopping for an entire month, and just live off of what they already had in their cabinets and fridge. I thought this sounded pretty interesting, but dismissed it as something I wouldn't want to do. But, then I got to thinking about budgeting. I haven't been working as many hours lately, and I have been spending alot of money on food. We decided that this might be something to consider. So, we sat down and thought about it, and decided that now is the perfect time. The kids are out of town, and the holidays are right around the corner. We will be saving money and cleaning out. Plus, it's always fun to see what you can come up with using only so many ingredients. We started the challenge Thursday (after doing a little grocery shopping). We are going to try really hard not to go shopping again until right before Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out. Here's what we've got to work with

Our pantry- top shelf is all herbs and spices, second shelf is baking stuff, third is, uh, pantry stuff like dried fruits, nut butter, seeds, tea, coffee, etc, fourth shelf (which you can't really see) is beans and grains, soymilk in aseptic containers, and cat food.
Our fridge- White bean soup, chocolate pudding, hummus, bread, wheat flour, mashed potatoes, pasta, tofutti cream cheese, sourdough starter, wheat gluten, cereal (ant problem), carrots, celery, apples, oranges, banana bread, leftover sweet potato fries.
The door- Earth Balance sticks, tahini, jam, salsa, hot sauce, nooch, chickpea flour, flax seed, wheat germ, apple sauce, mustard, cranberry syrup, soymilk, cashew-tamari dressing.
The freezer- corn tortillas, frozen veggies, leftover fall vegetable pies, and basil in ice cubes.

Speaking of craftiness, we are going to Stitch tonight when I get off of work. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the crafty goods, and checking out some designers I've never heard of (it's a long list). I want to give handmade gifts this year, so this might be a good way to supplement. What I think I'm most excited about is that there is something going on during the weekend that is late enough for me to actually go to after work. Woohoo!

*Sorry, no pictures. I was going to show you my pantry and whatever, but it was late when I got home last night.
** This post is technically from yesterday. I wrote it up, but forgot to post. Can't complain about two posts in one day...if I get around to it.
*** Okay, so I got pictures and decided to add them, because I know you really, really want to see my goods.

Sushi and yay!

2007-11-09T18:50:00.001-08:00

My girlfriend's kids are out of town for the next couple of weeks, which means a few things for us. For one, things will be alot more quiet around here. Secondly, it means we get the TV all to ourselves. And thirdly, well, it will be pretty much the same, just less messy.
We did decide to spend our first kid free night having some fun out on the town. As luck would have it, that night was also our 3 month anniversary. Aww. So, when Candy got off of work we went out for dinner at Kyoto, because I have been craving sushi. We split a veggie plate and some vegetable tempura.

From the top left- fried tofu roll, celery with sesame seeds, vegetable tempura roll, green bean roll.
The vegetable tempura- a huge slice of yam, yellow squash, zucchini, and a single broccoli floret.

When I told the waiter I'm vegan, he asked me to specify exactly what vegan was "so I can make it clear to the chef." I knew it would be slim pickings after that. Thankfully, it was all pretty good, and somewhat satisfied my sushi craving. I say somewhat because I know I can make better, and have. We plan to have a Japanese themed party soon, and I will be making sushi out the wazoo. Mmm, sushi!

The yay part is this: I got the job at Wheatsville!! YAY! I start my training next week, and then I will be part time for a while after Thanksgiving, becoming full time eventually. I'm going to try to keep my other job, since the holidays are coming up and I could use some extra money. Also, I'm still toying with the idea of starting school next year, so extra money in the bank would help. I can't wait to start my training. I think the thing I look forward to the most about the job (besides the coolness, the people, and great benefits) is the "freebox"- leftover goods from all departments of the store, free for the taking for employees. Woop!

Stacked

2007-11-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I asked Vegchic from the PPK if she would mind sending me some sourdough starter. She promptly replied and said she would be happy to. A week later I received a small envelope with squishy dough contained inside that was to become my very own sourdough batch. I felt so gracious that I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin spice granola and shipped it her way.

I let the dough sit around for a while before I finally decided to feed it. When I found out my girlfriend and I would both have the morning off, I knew it was time to make pancakes. I set out on my journey, prepared for victory. I placed my starter dough in a bowl, mixed in 2 cups of water, then 2 cups of flour, covered loosley and said a prayer. When I woke up the next morning, I was so excited to see what had happened that it felt like Christmas. Here's what I ended up with..

Doesn't this just scream "make pancakes with me!"

Ahh, what a nice stack

Smothered in holiday cheer- homemade cranberry sauce (with a hit of allspice).
When I poured it on, I said "looks like Christmas threw up in here."

These were the easiest, and tastiest pancakes I have had since going vegan. They came together flawlessly, and cooked to perfection. They are a little thin, but they have so much flavor and testure you don't even notice. And, they can hold a sauce like no pancakes business. Thanks Vegchic! I can't wait to try sourdough bread next...

Life is too weird

2007-11-07T15:29:00.001-08:00

When I got on the bus this morning to go to my interview at Wheatsville, I was thinking about what to post for my VeganMoFo update today. The first thing that popped into my head was "life is too short". Then I considered this statement for a moment, contemplating why I would think life is too short. The first thing that came to mind was seeing a shooting. Someone with a gun, shooting someone, maybe a murder, whatever. Just a shooting. The second thing I thought of was an accident. Another bike accident, I thought. I contemplated these two things for a while. Just those two things. I decided that it wasn't really a good topic to discuss, and dismissed it, trying to think up something better.

Fast forward to the next bus, the one taking me downtown. It was right on time, as the 1L/1M usually is. Nothing interesting going on there. Then we pull up to the stop light at 12th & Lavaca, right beside the capitol. The bus driver calls out "Looks like somethin's goin' on over here. Someones got a gun." Immediately, the entire bus jumped to their collective feet, and rushed to the windows to peek out at the street and see what kind of action they could catch. I stayed seated, looking out the window...a shooting. We were rerouted to another street, and the bus went along it's route. I was thoroughly freaked.

My interview went really well, despite the shakeup. I managed to get a lot of laughs, and let my quircky/friendly/smart self shine through. I left very upbeat, and positive about getting a call back. I did some quick grocery shopping afterwards (had to get some Silk Pumpkin Spice with my nifty coupon), and then headed to my current work place to pick up my bike I had left last night.

After retrieving my bike, I headed back to the capitol where I would catch my bus back home. I don't enjoy riding the bus, so I avaoid as many transfers as possible. If this means a 15 minute bike ride down trafficked streets, then that's what I will do. I headed out on my route, expecting the usual. I was wearing some nice jean pants for my interview that have wide legs. They kept catching on my bike lock and it was very irritating, especially going uphill. I slowed down a little to roll up my pant leg as I was coming to a stop light. I figured I could do it quick enough and still make the green light. The light began to turn, and I realized I wasn't going to make it. I began to break, then lost my balance and flew head first over my handle bars. I hit the ground with a thud heard round the block. Thankfully, my hands and arms caught the fall, and I wasn't hurt, just a little shaken. It was kind of funny afterwards, because I fell right in front of Which Wich at lunch hour, so when I looked over everyone and their uncle was staring out the window at me. I just glared back and rode off. I was pretty freaked out at that point...a bike accident.

So, that brings up to the subject of this post. Life is too weird. It was pretty weird that the only two big thoughts I had that morning were predictions of what would happen later that day. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. Once I finally got home, all in one piece, I decided I would lay low for the rest of the day. I don't need anymore freaky things that I think to come true.

I don't know what life is too weird to do, but life surely is too short to...

eat bad food
consume energy bars for meal replacements
feel guilty about eating all 5 cookies
deprive yourself of your favorites
continue consuming animal flesh (I had to throw that in there)
not learn how to prepare a delicious feast
never bake a batch of homemade cookies/cake/cupcakes

What is something food related you would not want to have missed out on in your life?

Tofu you, tofu me

2007-11-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

Today is one of those days that I would usually say "eh, I'll just post something some other day when I feel interesting." But, today is still part of VeganMoFo, and I made a commitment to post something food related every day, whether I really feel like it or not. I don't have any pictures, because I haven't had anything but leftovers recently. I think this is a good time to eeny-meeny-mynee-mo the lists of ideas floating around. Hmm..let's see..aha. My first tofu experience.

Well, it wasn't really my first, but I seriously cannot remember the first time I tried tofu. This memory comes from a time when I was just becoming familiar with tofu. I was in the "natural market" section of the grocery store, browsing the aisles for something to strike my fancy. I came across a package of the flavored silken tofu. I think it was 5 spice or something. I inspected it, and read that it could be stir fried, and the pretty picture on the front seemed promising. So, in my basket it went, along with very much anticipation for a quick dinner one night after a long day. In my pantry it sat, until finally the day came that I decided to give it a try. I opened up the package, and took a huge whiff...eh, not so appetizing. But, I figured with a touch of ginger, and some nice crisp veggies it would turn out lovely. I drained it, patted it dry, cubed it up, and put it in the pan. Immediately things went wrong. It stuck, and wasn't quite firm enough to hold up to stir fry standards. After much aggrivation, I finally decided to break down and whip it into a "scramble". Bad idea. I ended up with a bunch of nice veggies stuck in a puddle of disgusting mashed up tofu gunk. Needless to say, I learned my lesson that day: do not try to stir fry silken tofu. Stick to puddings, ricotta, mayo, sour cream, and all of the other various things it can be used for.

Phew, now that I have finally admitted to such an embarassing faux pas, we can all move along and remember the better days for tofu.

Anyway you want it

2007-11-05T17:19:00.001-08:00

Have you ever found yourself with an overabundance of food in the house? That is where we have found ourselves recently. I guess that's what happens during the season on festivals, parties, potlucks, and overall indulgence. Not that I'm complaining or anything...

This weekend we enjoyed two opportunities to enjoy great food. The first was the 19th Annual Vegetarian Chili Cookoff. It is held at the Austin Zoo, and for a $10 admission fee, you get to sample all the chili you can stomach, vote on your favorite, enter into a raffle drawing, and hang out with all of the animals, including an abundance of bees..

Upon entering the gates, you are greeted with a faint smell of tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spices simmering in harmony along with seitan, and all other forms of meat substitute. The first pot of chili we encountered was "Cari'bean'" and it indeed kicked up my senses and got me ready for exploration.
One of the best things about the festival is that you are introduced to so many flavor, color and texture combinations. It sends your senses into a flurry, and inhibits the mind from making wise choices. That is why the no seconds policy should be put in place. But, then that would just take all the fun out of it.
So, after much deliberation (and eating) we get to put our ticket in for our favorite chili. I really don't have any set standards for a quintessential chili. I just go by flavor, veggie combinations, and overall imagination. This year I chose the while chili made by G.R.I.T.S (girls raised in the south). I suppose nice southern girls also helped sway my decision a little. The smokiness of the corn, smoothness of the white bean, and earthiness of the mushroom really did it for me.

Just like last year, we had a lot of fun, and left stuffed. I can't wait until next year! For the rest of the fun we had with the animals, check out my flickr set.

Even though we left filled to the brim, somehow we made room in our bellies (and belts) to go to the Sunday potluck. This weeks theme was pie, and we couldn't miss out on that kind of fun.

Inspired by something I saw on the PPK a while back, which was inspired by Martha Stewart, I decided to make fall handpies. These were in the shape of pumpkins, and filled with roasted potaotes, acorn squash, corn, tomatoes, and a butt load of cumin. This was the cutest of the bunch. The rest turned out pretty beaten up because I am in no way a pastry aficionado. I used up the rest of the filling to make a nice frittata concoction, topped with cheezy crackers.
To avoid the humiliation of such a pitfall, we will turn now to dessert. My ladylove made these lovely mini pecan tarts. What screams fall more than pecan tarts? And what is cuter than mini pecan tarts? Of course, these are a veganized Paula Deen recipe. How awesome is that?

We had no idea what to expect from this theme that could go in so many directions. I read something about hobo pies, and when I looked them up, I was a bit appalled and frightened. But, as luck would have it, I was very pleased when we arrived and saw the spread. Everything from mini potpie/popover things, to shepherds pie, to berry chocolate pie, and so on. What was my favorite thing that night? Believe it or not, the hobo pies! I loved the versatility, simplicity, and overall awesomeness of the little pies.Here was the filling station, complete with a rice and bean mixture, what I think was leftover potpie filling, some kind of faux ground beef mix, tofu onion dip, and fresh spinach and herbs.
Just put all of your filling onto a corn tortilla (not the traditional platform for a hobo pie, but much better than white bread in my opinion), put another tortilla on the opposite side, press them together and put in the fire for a good 5minutes or so. Remove, then voila! A perfect handheld pie. Great for camping, and obviously potlucks!

A chocolate whoopie pie! I have been wanting to make one so bad, but just haven't gotten around to it. Someone took the work out for me, and now I know what I've been missing. Oh, and that's my hobo peeking out from the corner. Always trying to steal the spotlight.

So, in short, I'm stuffed. I can't wait until next weeks potluck. I heard rumors of a gourmet school food theme. Mmm, mac n' cheese, yeast rolls, steak fingers, chocolate pudding. What was your favorite school food?

Let's talk about breakfast

2007-11-04T08:00:00.001-08:00

Breakfast is what I get up for in the morning. I mean, other than having to go to work, breakfast is definitely what I get out of bed for. And when you've got this good food on your plate, who wouldn't hop out of bed like it's on fire?

Brunch plate consisting of (from top)- Tofu scramble with broccoli, celery, and carrots, hashbrown waffle with homemade ketchup, and GRITS! with earth balance and a little maple syrup. Ohmygodyum, best breakfast ever.

We ate it out in the serenity garden because it was such a pretty day. This was the afterward. We can really clean house.

I made cinnamon apple hand pies a while back, and had some filling left over. I decided to use it to make Apple Pie-Crumb Cake muffins from VWAV.

Here they are posing lovely in front of the book. Aren't they just darling?

The closeup shot. Yum, don't you just want to eat them up?

Of course, these aren't the only things I eat for breakfast, and both of these can be (and were) eaten at times other than breakfast. One of my favorite things for breakfast actually is cereal (hot or cold). A little boring, I know. But, you have to admit it's practical. What else can you fix in under 5 minutes, has a million different flavor and texture combinations to choose from, and will keep you going until lunch time? One of my top picks right now is Barbara's Bakery Shredded Oats. But, when your sugar tooth comes a callin', go make thee a muffin!

Are you down with VeganMoFo?

2007-11-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

What to do when the PPK is down, and your busy day has finally come to a screaching halt? Post on your blog like you've been meaning to do, of course! And what better time to do it than when you're 3 days late for hopping on the VeganMoFo bandwagon. Here's the digs: VeganMoFo got it's start on the PPK, and all of the vegan bloggers who wish to join in on the fun will be posting once a day about food. Vegan food, of course. Similar to the likes of NaNoWriMo, but instead of writing for a novel each day, we are just showcasing our obsession with food. How exciting! Not only will this help keep me on track to blogging, and trying new things, but I will also get to read a new daily post by my fellow bloggers! And now, a pumpkin picking his nose...

Ok, so let's talk about home cookin', y'all. It's something I love to do, and I do it often. Although lately I haven't been doing it as much. Finally living in Austin and being around so much great food will do that to you. But, now I'm trying to save up some money, and save on my figure, so I think the food outings will be happening less frequently. Not to worry, for there will be plenty of things cooking in my kitchen (see the new 250+ recipe Veganomicon that just hit the bookstore shelves. You will never want to leave the stove). Here are a few things I've whipped up recently:

I call this a green potato. Just brocolli cheeze sauce on top of a baked potato (rolled in olive oil and ginger sea salt from Paris), with a dollop of homemade vegan sour cream. So simple, but tasty, no? Oui!

Next up, Curry Pumpkin Soup. Yummm! After carving our Halloween pumpkin (above), we hacked off a portion of the back so I could cook it up. I roasted it, then cubed it. I suateed some yellow onion, garlic and curry powder, then put in the pumpkin, and stirred it around for a couple minutes. Then I poured in some lite coconut milk and vegetable broth and let it simmer for a while. Once all of the flavors seemed to be nice and combined, I pureed it forver and got this beautiful thick soup. Garnished with ginger roasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of curry powder, this soup will keep you going all day. Perfect for a light, yet heardy meal, or as a spiced up side. And what a way to use that part of the pumpkin that would have been wasted.

Ending on a sweet note, here we have a tester cookie. This is the Chocolate Peanut Butter No bakes. We were jonesing for some late night sweet snacks before settling in with a scary movie, so we wipped these up in no time. We used half the sugar (cause I'm weird like that) but they came out just sweet enough. We think they would be really great with graham cracker crumbs instead of oats.

Bonus shot. Me and my ladylove pre Halloween partying. Can you guess who we are? I'll give you a hint- yo Adrienne! It would have done more if I had the boxing gloves around my neck for the picture. The official name of our costume: Rocky Balboa and Adrienne on their first date (sans ice skates, of course).

Car woes

2007-10-30T10:36:00.001-07:00

I think I'm finally realizing the downfalls on not having a car. Don't get me wrong, I love my bike, and riding to work and home each day is kind of exhilarating. But, when we want to go out for, say, a movie, or a night on the town, or even to the grocery store, it is an all day ordeal. The round trip on the bus is a minimum 3 hours, and most of that is just sitting and waiting. So, it can be a pain in the ass to get out and do anything. That isn't to say that we haven't sucked it up and gone out for some fun, though.

The other night we got out and watched a live improv group called Girls Girls Girls. It's a local improv musical group, comprised of all women. They perform at theaters around town, and do improv musicals with ideas suggested from the audience. It was a very small crowd that night, but still alot of fun. They even chose my suggestion for that nights performance and did Library: The Musical! Hehe.
Before catching the show, we finally tried a great little restaurant on the East side called Eastside Cafe. They have a private garden where they grow most of the produce used in thier dishes. They have a wide variety of choices. When I told the waitress I was vegan and asked about my options, she pulled out a seperate menu with the heading "Vegan" I was so thrilled!

Candy and I shared the Pasta Pomodoro, which was penne pasta, topped with sauteed mushrooms and a tomato basil sauce, on a bed of fresh greens. It came with 1/2 roasted acorn squash w/ soy-ginger sauce (sooo good!), and we got 2 small dinner salads with their housemade Raspberry Vinnagrette. I would have to say this was one of the most pleasant meals I have had in a while. It fueled our 4 mile hike around the Eastside and through the ghetto (much better than waiting on buses) quite nicely. We will be going back!

Sunday night we went to a Vegan Halloween Potluck hosted by Team Feed Everyone They host a potluck every Sunday night. Anyone is invited, and it's all vegan! It was pretty cool, and a lot of fun. I brought a Butternut squash lasagna, and Candy made mini Chocolate Orange cupcakes. It was all devoured and everyone was raving about the food. We are going to try to make it a bi-weekly thing. It will be a great chance to meet people, and also a chance to get my creativity flowing, since every week is themed.

Can't you tell they have a death wish?

Cookies for yo mama

2007-10-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I went into a total cookie frenzy last Monday. Not really for your mom, or mine (sorry mom, you'll just have to come visit and get some!) I had the day off, and decided to spend it baking. Here's how it all went down:

Wake up late, scramble some tofu while girlfriend whips up some biscuits.

Eat it all up, then assemble ingredients for bread. Let rise.

Clean up, make house pretty. Do computer stuff.

Punch bread down, let rise again.

Listen to music, decorate room. Finally bake bread.

Put beans on oven to soak for dinner- Chili Sin Carne.

Get bread out of oven, and gather cookie ingredients.

Oh yeah, don't forget the seitan.

Okay, get 6yr. old, a few bowls, some spoons, and all of your ingredients on the table. Now, form some sort of game plan in head (cookies with coolest temp. first, what needs to be done ahead, etc.)

Now, finally get to makin the cookies..

In the course of 2 hours, we made 3 batches of cookies (all halved, of course..what? I'm not going to have 8 dozen cookies sittin around..it aint Christmas yet.) On the left, Chai Spice (although actually Pumpkin spice..), Pixies in the middle, and PB&J thumbprints on the right. All were really great. Although, the spice ones seemed a little off, so I will try again using Chai spices, and maybe 1/2 AP 1/2 whole wheat. The Pixies were definately the best, and gone by the next day. This is going to be a fun cookbook!

The Chili Sin Carne we had for dinner, with cornbread. Munch munch munch. Mmmmm, so good. The house was warm and smelled great all day. Perfect way to greet the cold weather. Tthe chili was pretty fabulous. It was the first time I tried the recipe, and it won't be the last. It is very versitle, just use what you have, and it comes together quickly.

Okay, now for some awesome news. Mothers Cafe re-opened!! We were so thrilled, we decided to have a late dinner there opening night. It was just as amazing as I remember, if not even better. I had a cup of Artichoke-Tomato soup, and the Tofu Spinach Lasagna. Sadly, I didn't have my camera, so no pictures were taken :( I can guarantee it was fabulous, though. We went back for lunch Thursday, and I got pictures then...

I had the Bueno Burger (best veggie burger in TX), with all the fixin's and some Vegan Rella, and a cup of Veggie Gumbo on the side. It was all so so good. Their bread is perfect.

I missed Mothers so much when it burned down and closed. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to reopen, and I would never enjoy a fully vegan brunch, or a fabulous vegan burger again. Boy was I wrong. It's been a year, but they are back and better than ever!

Eats and treats

2007-10-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am slowly, but surely getting addicted...wait...I am completely in love with...no. I can't help myself, I have to look at Johanna's Daily Eats everyday. Seriously, I don't know what it is I like so much about looking at other people's food all day. I guess that's why it's called porn. I'm thinking about trying to do something like this, just because I think it would be fun. But that might be a little difficult since my USB port on my laptop is al funked. I do good to control my temper long enough to deal with it once a week or so. Everyday? Sheit. It would also probably be kind of boring, since all I have been in the mood for is PB&J and brussel sprouts.

Also, some exciting news. I became a tester! I have been wanting to do this for so long, and I finally got the chance. I will be testing cookies for Autumn Vegan, and her new vegan cookie book. I baked my first bath last night- Cashew Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies. They were so so easy, and perfect chewy delicious goodness. Great after a long, hard day and getting hit on my bike. Yeah, I said it. I got HIT on my BIKE.. by a CAR. Grrr. I'm fine, but my bike got a little beat up. I came home and worked on it, and it's rideable. I definately need to take it to the shop now, though. Anyway, expect seeing many more cookies in posts to come. Did someone say Chocolate Peppermint Cream Bars? Umm, yes please! Perfect timing for the holidays.

A nice plate of cookies hangin' out on the recent copy of The Advocate, waiting for me to dip them into some soy chai.

Appetizer dinner and a cutie

2007-10-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

This dinner was inspired by Chili's and Mrs. Badmouth (odd combination, I know). Let me do some 'splainin. While heading back to Houston after one of our many trips to Austin before we moved here, we were very hungry and stopped in a Chilis for dinner (there are alot of really small towns between the two cities, and this is the only choice we had). Of course, there wasn't much for me to eat, but I was intrigued by their appetizer plate special. Although it was all laden with animal ingredients, it sounded like a neat idea to try at home. After seeing Spinach-Artichoke dip as one of the options, I immediately thought of Mrs. Badmouth's zine, Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk, and realized I had yet to try any of the recipes. So, I decided to put together my own appetizer special, using recipes from the zine.

Of course, we had to have the Spinach-Artichoke dip. I omitted the sour cream it calls for, because I don't keep it around. I loved that the recipe was bean based, unlike others that are all fat based. It was different from the dip I'm used to (it's almost like a baked hummus), but we loved it, and ate it all in two days.

Next up, the Tomato-Potato salad. I made my own tofu mayo for this because, again, I don't really keep stuff like that around. I also used died herbs instead of fresh. It turned out really good and flavorful. I added some edamame for a little extra somethin'somethin'.

And, finally, Tempeh Wingz! Probably the highlight of the whole meal, these were extra awesome. I used some Louisiana style hot sauce my sister-in-law sent for my housewarming gift. I never liked wings in my pre-vegan days, but these blew me away. They were so spicy and crispy, but also soft and sweet all at the same time. And so easy to make.

The whole meal, complete with homemade Garbanzo crackers. Yum yum, I wish I was still eating it. I can't wait to see what Katie comes up with for zine #2.

And a bonus. This is Rufus, the adorable little puppy that we puppy sit for ocassionally. He was given to Dirty Dog by a homeless woman a few weeks ago, and was in really bad condition. He has regained his health and vitality, and is an awesome dog. He has a home with one of the employees, but she can't keep him until November, so we all take turns bringing him home. We love him, and now I have puppy fever.

Vegan eatin' for the environmental soul

2007-10-14T20:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this is the post that's supposed to be about environmentalism. In some way, I am supposed to showcase environmentalism through my blog.

Well, first of all, I believe that every post I make is, essentially, environmentally related. By living a vegan lifestyle, shopping organically (mostly), and preparing fresh and whole foods in my home kitchen, I am lessening my footprint on the planet. As vegans, we consume less, and waste less compared to the average American diet. I could pull up the statistics, but I am too lazy, and I'm sure it would be redundant to you all by now. So, I decide to show you through my food, my form of activism, because I believe that says enough.

I wanted to showcase something special for this particular post. There is a very special restaurant in Austin called Casa de Luz. They focus on wellness, wholeness, and macrobiotic principles. This is incorperated into every facet of the many things they provide. Other than a wholesome breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, they offer massage, yoga, and many other forms of therapy as well as cooking classes. I always enjoy my meal here, because the people are kind and the atmosphere is relaxing. There is communal seating, as well as a couple of single tables. They have a salad/soup serving station that you can help yourself to, and then they bring out your plate of food, which is perfectly cooked in their open kitchen. If you are still hungry, you can get second helpings for free, and even take them home with you. What you don't eat is composted. What I love about Casa, aside from almost everything being organic, and the food being delicious, and feeling sooo good after my meal, is that I know they actually care.

We decided to go on this particular night because they were having a Persian Feast. The menu included: Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, salad with mint-lime dressing, Tempeh with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds, steamed seasonal squash, blanched greens, brown basmati rice with mint and pistachio, and mint pickled carrots. It was all delicious, and so satisfying. We also shared pecan pie and a fruit parfait for dessert. They were both so light and not too sweet but very very satisfying. I forgot to take a picture, but I'm sure you can guess what a pie and parfait look like. I also learned that you can volunteer for the lunch or dinner shift, which are about 3 hours long, and get a free meal afterward. I'm going to try it out soon, and it may become a weekly thing.

So, in short, shop local, cook at home, reduce waste, and go vegan, people! Oh, and a bonus shot of my lunch, because I have been doing more talking and not enough showing in this post. PB&J on homemade bread with natural jam and organic peanut butter, steamed brussel sprouts, and organic edamame, organic applesauce. All packaged nicely in my wonderful Laptop Lunchbox <3

Uniting

2007-10-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was feeling pretty bored at work. It's a Saturday, with not much at all going on in this little dog gromming shop on the south south side. I decided to browse through all my favorite blogs, which is my favorite past time that I don't get much of a chance to do anymore, and I came across an old post on bazu's blog about Blog Action Day. Even though it is only one day away, I was very intrigued and decided to sign up. I'm not really sure what I'll talk about, but look forward to an environmentally friendly post coming in less than 24 hours. Maybe I'll make earth shaped cupcakes...

Here comes fall

2007-10-04T14:48:00.001-07:00

I love pumpkin. And fried foods. And italian food. And I always try to get my greens. So, I made dinner one night that incorperated all of it. It was the end of a season goodbye/beginning of a new season hello dinner. I picked up some okra, plum tomatoes, and basil from the farmers market. I breaded and pan fried the okra, roasted the tomatoes and added garlic and basil to make bruscetta, and then made Celine's pumpkin risotto (subbing orzo for arborio rice). It all turned out well, and it was a nice way to pass the seasons. I just wish my camera didn't pick up so much red.

There was also a breatfeeding challenge at the market that Saturday. They were trying to get together as many people as possible at the same time to breastfeed. I don't know how many there ended up being, but it was alot, and so exciting to witness. Breastmilk is the best food for a healthy growing baby. The sign says Babies were born to be breastfed. I couldn't agree more. Kudos to all the mama's out there giving life to their little offspring.

Fun on the town

2007-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

What a great response I got on the cinnammmmon rolls. If I wasn't already planning another batch, I'd make them again just for the nice comments :) Between all the fun we've been having, I've fixed up some other yummy stuff lately.

Free museum day was last weekend, and we decided to spend the day visiting some different ones in downtown. Our first stop was the Austin Museum of Art. They have an exhibit on everday art running, which was fun. I have to say, it is very exciting seeing a huge sandwhich made of vinyl, with every layer fully detailed. They also had a fun section on the latest and greatest designs that will be on the market soon. While there, we also got to eat our art.

Stevie making art on a piece of toast that will soon become a jelly sandwich

The finished pieceOther peoples art work

Darth Toaster...I know, lame. Sorry.

We also went to the Children's Museum, but it was far too crowded. They had alot of fun stuff in there, so we vowed we would visit again on a weekday and just pay admission. The Mexican art museum was our last stop. I love Frieda Kahlo, and other mexican style art. It was a small gallery, and again pretty crowded, plus we were on a time limit, so I didn't get a chance to really take anything in. I guess that's the downfall of free museum day.

After staring down a huge vinyl BLT at the AMoA, I was really craving my own tasty sandwhich. With a block of tempeh in the fridge, a big fresh tomato, and a fresh loaf of homemade bread, what better that a TLT? I followed VWaV recipe exactly, just without sprouts. Mmmm, so delicious. Sorry, no pictures. But wait! I made up for it by using the tempeh bacon in two other meals.

Here's the tempeh frying. Not that pretty, but it smelled fantastic.PB&J on homemade bread, with a TLT salad (TLT minus the bread)

And I finally made the tofu omelette from Fat Free Vegan. Served with a side of tempeh bacon, and collards. The omelette was fantastic, and was similar to the way I used to like my omelettes. It was a little scary, actually. But it's so easy, and filling, I will definately be making it again.
And a bonus closeup shot of the PB&J. I'm so proud of my bread. I can't wait to get a breadmachine. There just won't be any stopping me.

Kid food, and Cinammmmon rolls

2007-09-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Living with kids is fun, because we get to eat alot of yummy, yet gross, kid food. Case in point: chili dogs! We used Smart dogs, on Rudi's Organic buns, topped with Wheatsville's Tempeh chili, and FYH cheddar. I enjoyed mine with mustard and ketchup. Sweet potato fries on the side.

Stevie, the kid in question, enjoyed a few bites. Here is he taking the first one.

Amazed how similar they taste to "regular" hot dogs.

And for the sweet tooth in all of us, we had root beer floats for dessert. So Delicious vanilla, and organic root beer.

Speaking of sweet tooth, with all the talk of cinnamon rolls on the PPK, I decided I had to try my hand at them. At one time, I used to be shamelessly addicted to Cinnabons. Thankfully, that point in my life is behind me, although I have to admit I do miss the sweet, doughy, fatty ball of goodness melting in my mouth. Or, at least I DID. For, now I have found the perfect recreation of perfection in vegan cinnabons. MMmmm, the goodness. Can you believe we wiped out a pan of 12 in ONE day? That's what happens with hungry kids running around, and a visiting mom, and two really big sweet teeth. At least I snuck in some flax seed and applesauce. These will be a Sunday morning favorite.

Meme

2007-09-17T13:56:00.001-07:00

I almost forgot. I was tagged for this meme a while back by Vegan Noodle. Since this is the first time I have ever been tagged I will go ahead and do it.

First, the rules:

#1 Players must list one fact, word, or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of your first or middle name.

#2 When you are tagged you need to write your own post containing your first or middle name game facts, word, or tidbit.

#3 At the end of your post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them, they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

#4 If I’ve tagged YOU (the bloggers that I've tagged are listed at the end), please join in on the fun!

I'll go with my first name.

K- Kooky. Although admittadley shy, I can be a bit kooky at times. When I get comfortable enough with someone, you never know what I will do next.

A- Ambitious. Even though I have been known to have a pretty big lazy bone (note: I have spent my entire day browsing the internet and watching TV), I can be ambitious, even when it sometimes isn't in my best interest. When I am working at something, it is hard for me to stop. And I have a tendancy to overdo things

Y- Yellow. Used to be my least favorite color. Growing up, my grandma decorated my room in yellow and clowns. For a long time I despised both. Now, I am beginning to see the beauty in a bright yellow lemon. And you can't have a rainbow without yellow.

L- Lazy. As stated above, I can be pretty lazy at times. I think it's important for people take time to be lazy. We are constantly keeping our lives so jam packed with things to do, places to go, and people to see. We hardly ever take time out to just sit and chill. Although, I am admittadely trying to turn my lazy time into something more beneficial, like reading, or meditating, instead of watching TV and browsing.

A- Artistc. Although I don't do nearly as many crafts, or paint or draw as much as I used to, I am still artistically minded. I am constantly finding inspiraton from a color, a design, or a fabric. But, due to my lazy bone, nothing ever gets made. As I said..working on that.

There you have it. I'm sure I could have come up with better tidbits about myself, but I didn't take alot of time on it. I just used the first words that came to me. So, now I have to tag someone. I don't know if there's anyone left who hasn't been tagged. So, if you're reading this, and you haven't been tagged yet...TAG. You're it!

By the way, no food in this post because I am having trouble with my computer. When I feel like messing with it, I have some fun things to post. We are doing so much here in Austin, I can hardly keep up.

Comfort, vegetables, and cobbler

2007-09-17T11:40:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting back into my cooking groove. It has been so easy to just pick up something at one of the many veg friendly restaurants around here, and not have to deal with cooking. Especially niceafter a long, laborious 9 hour work day. But, now that I don't have to deal with such a demanding job anymore, I can get back to cooking my own meals. Good thing, because I missed my cooking utensils, and the feel of heat emitting from a hot oven, plus I had some veggies in my fridge in major need of chopping and sauteeing.

Meals have still been kept pretty simple. One night I made some quick tomato soup- big can of crushed maters, vegetable boullion cube, herbs, spices, and olive oil. We had it with a black bean-FYH quesedilla and peppered kale. Best comfort food.

I got a little more adventurous last night and finally made the Quinoa Vegetable Paella I have been wanting to make for ages. It was fairly simple, and took no more than 45 minutes from chopping the onion, all the way to placing the choke hearts on top and plating. I added some Soyrizo that I picked up from Wheatsville. It added plenty of spice and some extra filling. I hope this freezes well.
Done just in time to get the fresh Peach Cobbler out of the oven. Amazing with Vanilla Soy Delicious for dessert. Another Paula Deen recipe, veganized of course. It makes me a happy vegan to know that we can make delicious vegan food with recipes that are notoriously known for being far from that. Next up, job hunting, and Cinnamon Rolls. Oooooh, I'm drooling just thinking about the warm, ooey, gooey goodness..

Pasta and muffins, but not together

2007-09-11T18:43:00.001-07:00

I made Celine's Pumpkin-Almond sauce with spagetti and spinach for our first real home-made dinner. Although my picture really does no justice to how good the dish was, I wanted to show you none the less, I guess to prove I actually made and ate something at home. We enjoyed the pasta it with a side salad with more Cashew-Tamari dressing. I told you..major addiction. I think I eat it at least twice a day. I kind of messed with the sauce, and used vanilla Silk and almond butter, instead of soy creamer and almond meal. It's what I had on hand, and it worked out.

We made super-awesome-fantastaramic banana-chocolate chip muffins for breakfast this morning. My girlfriend used her kitchen aid to mix them up, and I am a firm believer that this improves the quality ten fold. The super rotten bananas, extra sugar, and chocolate chips also helped. They came out super duper moist, with huge muffin tops. Something I have never been able to achieve. I am so proud, and so addicted.

Made using a veganized version of Paula Deen's recipe. I know, there has been some controversy about Paula among vegans, and omnis alike due to her high fat, high sugar, and all around high grossness volume (can we say krispie kreme bread pudding with butter rum sauce?) But, I must admit I do love her. She is crazy, and funny, and sweet. Just like Martha Stewart, you've just got to admire her balls.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes in Austin. I am really enjoying it here, and I'm sure I will enjoy it even more once we get more settled in, and get to go out and have some fun. It's a great little place, and I'm happy to be here.

Takeout time

2007-09-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Since we are still in the process of unpacking and I have been working my butt off cooking people breakfast and cleaning their rooms, I haven't been doing much cooking at home. But, we have been eating. Our first homemade meal was something we called slosh- a bunch of yellow split peas with herbs thrown into a crockpot and cooked too long. Tasty, but not very picture worthy.

Saturday night, Candy and I decided to have a date night. The Paramount Theater was playing Gone With the Wind. We decided to have dinner at Thai Passion across the street beforehand. We shared an order of spring rolls, and a yellow curry dish. Both were pretty good. The curry dish was full of yummy veggies like eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers, plus some really nice tofu. It was pretty spicy, but the iced thia tea helped mellow it out. We lingered over dinner so long that we ended up being late to the movie. All fine by me, since it's a 4 hour movie. The theater was beautiful, though. They really helped capture it's established history through the architecture. It was a perfect way to spend our 1 month anniversary :)

Sunday night we decided to stay in and chill. We ordered pizza to go at Mellow Mushroom. Ours was a veggie with no cheese, which had spinach, sundried tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, and artichoke hearts. We grabbed some FYH Mozz, and cream sodas from Wheatsville. Holy soy, why have I never tried FYH before now?! I tasted it right out of the package, and it tasted like string cheese (which I used to love). But on the pizza, it was divine. I think I may feel an addiction coming on..

We enjoyed it with a salad on the side, which had veggies from Wheatsville, and the BEST dressing ever- Cashew Tamari Garlic. Another major addiction.

For dessert, we had a love cake that I picked up for Candy at Dhaba Joy after work. Aww, how sweet. So cute, and chocolatey. It had a little bit of cream filling, and was kind of similar to a Hostess.

We have not been having much luck with our transportation lately. We thought it would be simple enough to get around using the bus. But, if we want to go anywhere in downtown, or the north side, it takes at least 45 minutes one-way. When you are on a time limit (like when I'm going to work), this can be a major pain. Also, there are times when you miss the bus (like when I'm going to work..) and you have to pay to take a taxi. I'm hoping to sell my car in Houston soon so that I can get myself a scooter!

Bonus shot: the biggest strawberry I have ever seen. It became part of the fruit plate for breakfast at work.

Finally here, and happy 1 year

2007-09-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

We're finally in Austin. We spent 10 hours packing on Saturday, and got in to town at midnight. I woke up Sunday morning at 6am, went to work, got off at 4, then spent the rest of the night unloading. I worked again Monday morning, and then came home and unpacked. I am covered in bruises and my muscles are aching..but we're here! Today and tomorrow are my days off. I am spending the day resting and rejuvinating. Tomorrow we get to go grocery shopping! It is really exciting to be able to fill a completely empty fridge. Even though my girlfriend and I don't have our days off together, we will have half days to spend together. Hopefully after a week or two of getting settled in we will get to explore the town and find some neat things to do. Right now I'm looking forward to getting unpacked, and start decorating.

On another exciting note, I discovered that yesterday was my 1 year blogaversary! That is pretty exciting, considering I thought I wouldn't stick with it longer than a week (I have a tendancy for those things). But, I suprised myself and now I feel like an official blogger. I do real blogger things, like spend time plating my food nicely and taking pictures even when we're hungry, have a list of over 100 bloggers in my bookmarks that I look at almost daily, spend about 70% of my day thinking about food I want to make, and draft blog entries in my head while I should be thinking about other things- just to name a few. So, thanks everyone who takes time to read my little blog. I hope to have more years of blogging ahead of me, it's been fun. I know this post was pretty boring, but I assure you that once I get settled in, I will have plenty to post about and share with you all!

BBQ dinner

2007-08-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to have a big dinner with my family and friends before we depart to the land of the original Whole Foods, and plenty of green called Austin, TX. What would be more perfect than a big, southern, BBQ meal? I also wanted to try some of the awesome recipes that have been floating around on the PPK and in blogland.

BBQ Ribz. I used Celine's recipe, but baked them using Susan's method. I used plenty of homemade BBQ sauce.

Mac 'n' Cheese, using Jess's revised New Farm recipe. I didn't add the breadcrumbs, because I like my mac smooth and simple. But, after all of the rave reviews, I will have to try the breadcrumbs next time.

Here is the whole spread. We also had baked beans, collard greens, and corn muffins.

My plate. It almost looks like a painters palate, for a very color blind painter.

Finally, Susan's Peach Upside-Down Cake. MMmm, so good, so easy, and so healthy! Shh, don't tell anyone!My piece, spiced up with a scoop of Vanilla So Delicious.

I can't wait to eat the leftovers. Yum, baked beans and corn muffins for breakfast, here I come!

Cookies and Crookies

2007-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

I was in a major mood for some cookies the other night. I searched and searched for a recipe that sounded suitable for my craving, and that I had all the ingredients for. Finally, I came across these gems
Oreo cookie-cookies. That's right, a cookie within a cookie. Plus some chocolate chips for good measure. Holy granoly, these were rockin.

Then, tonight I went shopping and finally got some peanut butter. What better to go with peanut butter (besides apples, of course) than graham crackers? I decided to try Isa's recipe, which seemed simple enough. Silly me, I tried to half it, but forgot halfway through and ended up adding too much rice milk. So, I threw in a few handfuls of flour for good measure. I also added a bit too much molasses. They came out a little more like crisp cookies, so I'm calling them molasses graham crookies.

Yum, just how I like it.

I'm glad these were fairly healthy, because somehow I ended up with only half a pan before they were even completely cooled.

And, just to prove I eat more than cookies.. dinner last night. Mustard crusted tofu, lemon-herb roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, and quinoa with green onions.
Mustard tofu frying up. I just mixed mustard, a little horseradish, and nooch and dipped the tofu in, then put it in the skillet to fry.
My favorite part was the roasted cauliflower. I mixed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, herbs, and olive oil, tossed the cauli and chickpeas, and some carrots for good measure, then roasted in the toaster over for about 30 minutes. Yum yum!

I'm making a big dinner feast for my family and friends tomorrow night, one of which is a dedicated omnivore, another which is looking into trying vegetarianism. It should be an interesting night. Pictures soon to come.

Moving along

2007-08-24T11:46:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a struggle. We took one last trip to Austin before we finally move. I had training for my new job, and we had to sign the lease for our house. My first day of training was pretty rough. After an 8 hour day of cooking breakfast for 14 guests, cleaning about 10 rooms, and not getting a chance to eat much, all on less than an hour of sleep, I was beat. Then, I had to get up the next morning and do the same thing again. Thankfully, the time I spent not working was enjoyable since Candy and some friends came along. We basically just hung out and ate. I didn't get any pictures of food this time, because it didn't stay in front of me long enough, and I was too exhausted to make the effort. But, don't worry, there will be plenty of pictures in the coming months of the great food I'm sure to enjoy. I do have some backlogged stuff from last week, though..enjoy!

I'm trying to clean out the fridge in preparation for the big moving day (September 1!). I don't want to worry about lugging frozen goods on a 3+ hour trip, in a hot U-haul. Some pretty interesting meals are sure to come.

I made this taco salad using leftover boca crumbles, with chopped onion, and spices. I piled it on romaine lettuce, then added chopped cucumber, shredded carrot, crumbled tortilla chips, and a "dressing" I made with avocado, green goddess seasoning, apple cider vinegar, and miso- it didn't really go with the salad, but it's all I had.

I went to another party, this time for my girlfriend's son, Stevie's, 6th birthday. We went to the Kemah Boardwalk, and ate at the Pizza Kitchen. We spent 6 hours there, enduring the heat while the kids played in the water, and rode tons of rides. When the sun finally set, we got to hang out and enjoy some music by our favorite local artist, Hamilton Loomis.

This is the pizza we split-The Veggie Supreme pizza (sans cheese). It had fresh tomatoes, spinach, caramelized onions, red and green bell peppers, corn (yum!), eggplant (a little weird..) and mushrooms. They were very accomodating on making a pizza with no cheese, and answering my questions about ingredients in the crust.

Stevie and Kylie waiting on the rest of the RSVP's for the party. Dang, they're cute.

MMmmm, my new favorite hummus. This is the Oatmeal-raisin cookie dough hummus, from the PPK. Oh my.. so good. Cant...complete..sentence.. Must try.

I save the day

2007-08-21T14:39:00.001-07:00

I woke up one morning to a family of geckos in my sink. One by one, I saved the daddy, the mama, and the baby..all before breakfast. That was my good deed for the day.

The daddy on the fence post, waiting for his family to reassemble. The mama was too quick to capture in a photo.

The cutest baby gecko ever. Just chillin on my hand, trying to act like nothing ever happened.

I was inspired by a post on the PPK to make biscuit pizzas. Essentially, a biscuit half topped with anything you like to form a mini pizza. I was somewhat unconventional in my creation. I spread mustard on the bottom, topped with thinly sliced tomato, chopped kalamata and garlic, then sprinkled with nooch and dried basil. These saved my day.

Partay

2007-08-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

A friend from an old job is leaving her position as manager, moving into Houston and starting nursing school. I wish her the best of luck, and am glad she is moving on to bigger and better things. For her going away party, I made mini black bean empanadas, and chocolate chip crispy rice treats.
The empanadas were inspired by the mini peanut butter empanadas at Mr. Natural. I made the best ever empanada dough, filled with chipotle black bean filling, which I added liquid smoke and a little ketchup to. Tiny and cute, with a nice kick. Quite a hit at the party. Now that I am confident in my empanada making skillz, I want to try my hand at other variations, like caramel apple.

Yummy, chewy, crispy rice treats. My first attempt at making these, vegan or not. I used half regular crispy rice cereal, and half Envirokidz Koala Crisp cereal, with Vegan Sweets Marshmallows, and chocolate chips. I followed the recipe on the back of the marshmallow bag. Very simple, plus sweet and crunchy..just like I remember.
Heres the whole spread. As you can see it was an eclectic mix. Thankfully I brought something both sweet and savory to enjoy. My girlfriend made a pan of Grecian party squares, which she veganized. There was also guac, with chips, and raw veggies and fruits.
A few hours after the party, a bunch of us drove to a karaoke bar in a hotel somewhere in Channelview and partied some more. Here is a new dance the girls learned.

I made quesadillas with the leftover empanada filling. Nice and smoky/spicy, perfect with a side salad with cool avocado.

I eat food

2007-08-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

After a long night out, I came home and decided I wanted some biscuits. Good ol' fashioned country style biscuits. Perfectly round, lightly toasted, and oh so flaky. Pure biscuit perfection.

Gravy for the southerner in me. Peanut butter and jelly for the kid and the sweet tooth in me.

Yum.

One topped with popcorn tofu (the best ever stuff from Wheatsville in Austin. It will drive you mad), and cashew-tamari dressing (the second best ever stuff from Wheatsville. You will sing).

I also tried Mochi for the first time. Watching it puff up in the oven is the coolest part. Try this when you are still half sleeping in the morning before a cup of coffee and you will pinch yourself to see if you are dreaming. I had my cinnamon raisin flavor with flax oil, mashed bananas, and cinnamon agave.

Another quick trip to Austin proved very beneficial. I was offered 2..two..deux...jobs. In the end, I had to turn down the one I felt would not be beneficial, which ended up being the one I thought I wanted the most. But, the job I did take has it's advantages. I will be a breakfast cook/housekeeper in a nice B&B right near campus (a cool, funky part of town). It not only pays more, but I will have some free reign to do my own thing. I am hoping to bring some new ideas in and maybe start offering some vegan selections.

My girlfried also got a job with Texas Campaign for the Environment. She will be a professional hippy! She gets to canavs neighborhoods and badger people to sign petitions, write letters to congress, and donate money to support efforts towards building a better environement.

And the most exciting part.. we got the house!! After some uncertainty, we finally settled it all. We are going back one more time next weekend to sign the lease, and I will also be doing two days of training for my job. And then we won't go back until the next weekend, when we finally get to move in! I can't wait.

More Austin

2007-08-12T12:35:00.001-07:00

Sick of it yet? Never! Here are the goods from my whirlwind weekend trip:

First real meal in Austin- salad I put together from leftovers in my friend's fridge. Romaine lettuce, orange couscous and spicy peanut noodles, both from Chow Baby, topped with grilled squash, roasted pepper strips and Cashew-Tamari dressing from Wheatsville..holy cow!

Dinner that night at Satay. We split the Appetizer Combo, which is supposed to be for 4-6 people. We finished it all off. From top counter clockwise...Fried tofu with some kind of mango sauce, yam and corn cakes with mustard sauce, tofu satay with peanut sauce (my favorite!), Mee Krob (cabbage, bean sprouts, and green onion topped with some kind of fried crunched up noodle stuff), and fried spring rolls with ginger-sweet and sour sauce.
For dessert we split the vegan Chocolate Silken pie with berries. Oooohmagod! We left with very happy bellies.

Of course I went to Bouldin before leaving. Saturday morning, before my last interview, we biked to the market, and then to Bouldin for breakfast. I had the Home Cake plate- grilled vegan blueberry cornbread, agave, tofu scramble (with ketchup), and cantalope slices.
I crumble my cornbread in a bowl and poured soymilk and agave over it. I am truely southern.

Me, devouring my cornbread and milk. When this awesome dish gets on the menu, this is evidence that I made it up. Everyone remember this moment.

Lunch on the bus. Spicy Mixed Vegetable wrap from Aster's Ethiopian, at the farmers market. Carrots, onions, green beans, potatoes, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices wrapped in injer bread. Mmm, so good. Perfect to smell the bus up with. Take that girl eating stinky beef jerky!

The interviews all went well. All of the prospective employers told me that I interviewed well, and that they see potential for me to work with them. None of them will have a final decision until this coming week. My first choice is a line cook/prep chef position at Cafe Josie. I got two interviews with them, and I talked to the chef for almost 2 hours during the first one, so I am pretty confident that I will get a call. I am going back Tuesday and Wednesday since my girlfriend has an interview with Texas Campaign for the Environment. If I don't have a job by then, I will just apply at every place I pass by.

You're the inspiration..

2007-08-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

I was suprised at how many comments I got on my last post. Maybe 4 isn't that many for a seasoned blogger, but for someone just starting out, it is inspiring. Thanks everyone for all of the nice comments! It feels good to be accepted as part of the blogger world. You are all so incredible. Now to the food..I had been wanting to make curry for quite a while, but wasn't in the mood to stand over a hot stove when it is reaching 100 degrees outside. I came across this wonderful recipe for Karina's Healing Curry at Gluten-Free Goddess. Like most curries, it is versitle in the types of veggies you can put in. Mine had carrots, celery, bok choy, red cabbage, sweet potato, apple, onions, garlic, and chickpeas. I also added a bit more curry powder, and didn't add raisins or cilantro. I served it over Forbidden rice, which added to the sweetness. It took hardly any effort, and was delicious and filling.

I also made Mock Tuna Salad for dinner one night, with plenty of leftovers for lunches for the week. I pureed all of the veggies to give it a smoother consistency like I enjoyed when I ate real tuna salad. Delicious on a sammich, with greens and mustard. (Note: trying to get fancy with the garnishin'..didn't really eat all of that parsley)
Onion dip I made to go along with the sammiches. Served with raw broccoli and cauliflower. Very easy recipe- sautee onion and garlic til browned. Put into food processor with 1 pkg. mori nu silken tofu. Puree until smooth. Add a couple splashes red wine vinegar, some chopped parsley, chopped scallions, salt and pepper. Puree until combined. Eat eat eat away! Sooo freakin delicious.

Sweet potato and spinach enchiladas from our tex mex themed dinner the other night with my girlfriends family. They were having cheese enchiladas, so I made a small dish of these. I made them up as I went along. The filling is something like- sauteed garlic, adobo chilies, and cumin, mixed with cubed and roasted sweet potato and baby spinach. Then I mixed in the remaining onion dip that I had (about 1c). Spoon mix into corn tortillas, lay them in a dish and pour the cheeze sauce (from Barefoot and in the Kitchen- with mustard and onion powder added) on top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. These were suprisingly good, considering I had no idea what I would add next.

I'll be in Austin for a couple of days for job interviews. Geez, I can't wait until I can just live there. I hope to try out a new (to me) restaurant while I'm there. Satay sounds really good. We'll see what I have time for inbetween the 4 interviews I have scheduled so far!

Jumble aye yeah

2007-08-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

As soon as I got back from Austin, I dove into the new Harry Potter book. My time and mind has revolved around the final adventures of Harry and his friends, intermittent by short lapses of time spent outside repainting the porch. I have also cooked a few things here and there. A girl's gotta eat! So, now that all of my distractions have been taken away (other than moving, finding a job, dealing with medical shit, packing, etc. etc) I can finally blog!

I made this quinoa salad, inspired by Have Cake, Will Travel. It is basically cooked quinoa, dried figs, shredded carrot, diced red onion, and a dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, herbs, and garlic powder. Served fancy on top of mixed lettuce. Yummy, light, and filling. I can't wait for her zine.

Feeling nostalgic, and curious, I finally made some tofu fish sticks. I followed Jen's recipe, but marinated them first in a marinade I found on this post. They turned out divine! Since I try to be healthy and all, I omitted the ubiquitous tater tots and had a mashed sweet potato, and some cole slaw. Oh, also homemade tartar sauce. Mmmm!

The next night, I tried another recipe I have had my eyes on. Seaside stuffed mirlitons, from Fat Free Vegan. I enhanced the recipe a bit by adding leftover tofu sticks to the stuffing. Oooooh my goodness. And some corn.
With leftover stuffing from the mirlitons, I made patties and had a burger. Add lettuce, and drown in tartar sauce. One meal three ways, and they were all really great.

I love scones, so I made these. Gingerbread scones from Eden in the Kitchen. These came out great. Have with a cup of tea. Hey, gingerbread is year round. Don't be scared to make it at times other than Christmas. It should be celebrated through out the year! Gingerbread men may not be happy, and we might end up with a revolution on our hands. But, at least ginger and cinnamon can be in the spotlight for a short time (at least until they have their throats sliced by pissed off men-shaped cookies, with their adorable eyes and mouths made of icing.)

Hope everyone is have a great summer!

Back from Austin

2007-07-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

My friend, Candy, and I spent the weekend in Austin looking for houses to rent. After spending all of Saturday afternoon driving through neighborhoods and finding nothing that suited our tastes, we were exhausted. Just when we began to give up hopes of a cute little old house, and settle for a stuffy apartment, we came across what we will (hopefully) soon be renting. It is just small enough to be modest, but not cramped, and right across the street from a huge park with plenty of room to stretch. It is also just 3 miles from town.

Here is the front. Quaint, but just right. We won't have cars, so the carport will become an extra storage space. We also want most of our yard to become garden.
An area of our backyard is fenced off, which we learned is the remains of an old house from the 1920's that has been cleared away. It looks like an overgrown pet cemetery, which suits the area since we are surrounded by 3 cemeteries. This little table is part of the fenced area. To the right overlooks the park, and the hills of Austin.

A view of our overgrown backyard from the sidewalk. We love all of the green and plan to let it continue flourishing.Our adorable little red headed neighbor. He is quite vocal, but I think we will get along just fine.

After wandering the town in the Texas heat, I was far too exhausted to take a picture of any of the food we consumed that day. We just stopped at Wheatsville for some lunch, and soup and cornbread for dinner. I wish I would have taken a picture of the cornbread, because it was the best I have EVER had. Seriously. Hopefully I won't need a picture to remember though, because I may be seeing it everyday since I applied for a job there.

I did get one food picture on Sunday at brunch. We went to Bouldin Creek, which is fast becoming a regular. I had the Garden bagel, with hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and steamed spinach. Also a hippy shake on the side- Oj, banana, spirulina, and soymilk. Mmm, kept me going all day.

If everything goes well with the application process, we hope to be moving in to the house by the first of September. Wish us luck!

What a jerk

2007-07-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Jerk tofu (sauce from VWAV) with red bells, sauteed collards and garlic, baked sweet potato. Mmmmmm, saucey and spicy, and oh so filling. This way my first time making Jerk sauce, and I'm in love.
For dessert, I made this strange concoction. On the bottom is a piece of Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake from Fat Free Vegan (picture below), with chopped mango, topped with Coconut-Molasses ice cream and a strawberry. I totally made up the ice cream flavor as I went along. I think there's even some rosewater in there. It tasted kind of like burnt rubber, especially since it was hardly sweetened. I'll make sure to make something better next time.

After working all day in the hot sun repainting my mom's back porch, I was so exhausted that I fell into bed before midnight. Unusual since I have been staying up until 3. I woke up before noon the next day and decided to make a real breakfast. I made a mock version of Susan's Coconut Chai Breakfast cake, using the leftover glaze from my Tiramisu twinkies, and using agave and xylitol to sweeten it. I also added some chocolate chips. A bit dense, but good for a small breakfast, or snack. Especially good in a bowl with fruit and rice milk!

Feeling pretty uninspired after doing hard labor all day, with blistered fingers and a sunburn, I decided to have a "make your own bowl" night for dinner. I dumped the fridge out, heated everything up and set it on the counter for us to have our way with. Mine is: brown rice, pinto beans, sauteed onion, red bell, broccoli, and corn, shredded carrot, avocado, and cheeze sauce. Mmmm.

I swear, I'm going to gain 15 lbs. if I don't get a job soon! Being a bum is nice, since I get to catch up on my reading, and stay up until 3am. But, that also means I have ample time to cook and bake (and eat) whatever my heart desires. Meals have been a bit heavy lately, but I try to balance them out with a nice raw salad, or some veggie sticks and hummus. I am also trying to avoid sugar for a while. After the overload in Austin, and all of the cupcakes I have been making, I figured it was time for a bit of a detox. I still use some agave from time to time, especially since I have a big jar of cinnamon flavored Agasweet in my cupboard. Other than that, my sugar is strictly from fruit. We'll see how long that last this weekend with a spur of the moment trip to Austin to go house hunting!

Two dinners and a protest

2007-07-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

The protests are over, and now I'm looking for other ways to pass the time. What better way to pass the time than to cook? Eat, of course! And I've been doing plenty of that..

Inspired byJess at Get Sconed, I made an herb crusted Gardenburger cutlet, with leftover chickpea gravy, some steamed broccoli, and polenta fries with red curry ketchup. I am not a big fan of most of the frozen veg burgers out there. They are good for a quick, hearty dinner, but I just don't like the after taste. Much better when crusted and coated with gravy. I especially liked it dipped in my ketchup, just like when I was a kid- only cruelty free!

After the last circus protest, we went out for dinner to Madras Pavillion. It is my new favorite restaurant in Houston. They have the best Indian food around, and they are super vegan friendly, which can be hard to find in such a big meat eating town. We split some Samosas and Idli for appetizers, and then two different curries for our entrees- Chana Masala, and Dal Palaak. I had been craving spinach like crazy, so the Dal Palaak was my preferences, but they were both fantastic (even if the picture isn't). I need to start making more indian food at home.

As far as the protest goes, I'm not sure how many people we were able to reach, or if anyone actually took us seriously. I like to think positively and say that we made people aware, and maybe they will go home and do some research and be able to make a more informed decision when the Circus comes around next year. I don't think a lot of people realize the cruelty going on behind the scenes in these entertainment industries. I'm glad that we were out there to help inform, even if we got a lot of negativity and weird looks. I think the best thing we can do next is to get legislation passed to ban the bullhook here in Houston, if not the entire state of Texas.

Here are a couple of protesters. Danielle has the bull horn, yelling things like "animal cruelty is not a family value", and "all of the animals you see today are performing against their will". Janice, the host of Go Vegan Texas is holding a sign, and handing out pamphlets.
And me acting like a protest diva after our Wednesday protest.By the way, the dates at the bottom of the pictures are wrong. Believe me, I was there.

A twist on Twinkies

2007-07-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I think about Italian dessert, I think Tiramisu. It was my usual go to when going out, but I never attempted it at home. Since going Vegan, I thought it would be on the list of the very few things that I wouldn't have again. No biggie...until a friend invited me to have an Italian dinner with some family. I came across a few really good sounding recipes. But, to me, they seemed to use too many pseudo replacer items (which I don't mind sometimes, but am trying to avoid because they cost way too much). Anyway, I toyed around with making some of Isa's Tiramisu Cupcakes, but then a great thought struck me. Bam, whowz, hooo! Tiramisu Twinkies! Or, as my friend and I dubbed them- Kakies (Kayla's spin on Twinkies..yeah, I rock).

Twin..er..Kakies straight out of the oven. Golden and delicious

I turned them out and let them cool. Then, I carefully filled them with creme. It wasn't quite set, so began oozing out of the little holes (what a great mental picture), I shoved some chocolate chips in to plug it up. Genius!

I put them back in the pan, poked them with a toothpick and drizzled coffee/liquer glaze on the tops. They weren't quite ready yet, so I pumped some creme into the top, put a chocolate chip on top, and dusted with cocoa powder.

It made enough for 8 Twinkie sized cakes, and 6 mini cupcakes. I don't know the right equation for just twinkies, but a little extra never hurts.

I had no idea how I was going to construct these babies when I began the project, but as it progressed it all just came around. I was suprised at how well everyone took to them, some even had two! You just can't resist the creme filled goodness.

It's all gravy, baby

2007-07-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Sleep would not come easy last night. After spending the day making posters for the Circus protest, and then spending a couple of hours at the protest, I figured I would be ready for bed. But, by 3 am I was still tossing and turning. I had a lot on my mind, of course. It seems I may be moving to Austin sooner than I thought. I am not getting much response from the farms in California, so I decided to send my resume to a couple of jobs in Austin. My friend also wants to move there, and is working on selling her house right now. So, if we can find a place to live, and get jobs, we may just be there by next month!

Other than that, I was thinking about the big, yummy breakfast I wanted to make in the morning. Candy made me some banana bread muffins (she knows my weakness), and I wanted to make some TVP sausage and gravy to go along with them. But, that wasn't all I was thinking of. I was thinking of the super duper fantastic new recipe idea I have been muddling over. We decided to have a veg Italian feast this week, and I chose to make dessert as usual. I wanted to try my hand at vegan tiramisu. I got to thinking, and came up with an insane idea... but you'll just have to wait and see how it turns out!

And now, my breakfast.. you didn't think I would leave you hanging, did you?I loosely based the sausage patties on my gramma's recipe, which I subbed TVP for ground turkey. The gravy is a nutritional yeast/chickpea type gravy, but not the kind from VWaV. Still yummy and comforting on this rainy summer day.

And, for good measure, hummus..Kalamata hummus, lettuce and sprouts, carrot sticks, seaweed rice crackers

Foood, oh food

2007-07-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Since coming back from Austin, I feel like I have been a lazy ass recluse, burying my emotions in my food. In reality, I have been getting out and doing some important things. I spent my weekend protesting the circus in Houston. I've also unpacked and organized all of the clothes that were scattered all over my room in my mom's house. Now I'm working on more posters for the protests this week, reading some books I have been meaning to get around to (Diet for a New America, The China Study..), and thinking of starting a zine. I'm also working up the courage to call up my grandparents who are not in optimum health. I'll get around to all of that eventually. Now, the food..

I made these quesedillas with some squash blossoms I bought at a farmers market in Austin. I spread some basil tofu spread onto a hemp tortilla (which I cannot in a conscious state recommend), then sauteed some sliced squash blossoms and put them on top. I folded it in half, put it in the oven for a minute or two, then sliced and consumed with my new favorite salsa- roasted garlic is the best!

I have had this insatiable craving for fig newtons lately. I considered buying the wheat-free version of fig newmans, but have always backed out at the checkout because they just seem too expensive and I would rather experiment with my own version. So, feeling particularly culinarily enhanced (say what?) one evening, I decided to try the Skinny Fig Bars on Fat Free Vegan. I used a few substitutions, so mine didn't come out quite the same. They were still pretty tasty, and far cheaper than the packaged alternative. I think next time I won't add as much lemon juice, and I will probably also opt to keep the dates in.

Tonight I wanted fries. But not just any fries. I wanted polenta fries to go with some leftover, thawed out chili. I found a great recipe on Shmooed Food, and gave it a try. These were really simple, and came out really good- even substituting stone ground cornmeal for polenta. I can't wait to get her book one day. Just waiting for a little extra cash flow..

Awesome Awestin, the end (finally)

2007-07-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Now the rest of my trip, in random food order...

Light lunch at Koriente. Complimentary miso soup, salad, and pickles if you eat in.

I enjoyed the Garden Handroll. Sliced avocado, bell peppers, radish, carrots, cucumber, caggage with dried seaweed wraps on the side to roll it all up in. The owner generously gave me a sample of hummus to go with it because she felt it was the best way to enjoy it.

James enjoyed the Japchei- sweet potato noodles with an assortment of veggies. His was made extra spicy.

We had a fun filled First Thursday. Dinner at El Sol y La Luna, I had the veggie fajitas with rice and beans.We enjoyed strolling through the various vendors set up on the sidewalk, and browsing through the stores that were staying open late that night. Lots of great stuff to look at, and I even got to enjoy 10 minutes of shiatsu.

Relaxed, full, and tipsy off margaritas, we went down the street to the 7 eleven, which was promoting the new Simpsons movie. For a couple of geeks who grew up on the Simpsons, we are super excited about the prospects of a full blown, action packed movie. We had to see the Squishee machine put in to action.

I wouldn't call it food, but we had to get one.

Don't worry, we didn't eat it.

I stayed a little longer than I had planned because some friends decided to come in for the weekend, since our camping trip got cancelled due to rain. I decided to go all out and get some really grubby stuff. We enjoyed veggie dogs at Dog Alighty, which has tons of vegan options, and a make your own menu. I decided on the vegan Beer Wurst- tofurkey brat, saurkraut, sauteed onions, mustard, and celery seed on a whole wheat bun. So. Freakin. Goood. We shared a small bowl of vegan chili and some french fries.

Somehow, we had enough room in our bellies for some more Dhaba Joy treats.

Humongous oatmeal creme pie, and a mini mint cookies 'n' creme cupcake

The oatmeal creme pie was so tooth shatteringly sweet, I could hardly take more than a bite. I would love to recreate this, but maybe a slightly less oily/sugary, more healthy version. Any one have any ideas?

Ending on a sweet note. If you're ever in Texas and get a chance to visit Austin, you won't be disappointed. I swear I did more than eat, but that's just how I spent the majority of my time. It's so easy to eat well because vegan options abound, and you won't have any trouble finding them. It is such a green friendly city, still ingrained with southern hospitality. Come on back now, ya hear?

Awesome Awestin, part 2

2007-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Since I was in Austin for the 4th of July, we were planning to hang out with the Vegans R ock Austin group at a BBQ potluck. Unfortunately, it rained all day long, so the event was cancelled. Fortunately, James and I found a great farmers market to go to that morning, and got some yummy produce to make a special festive meal.
We picked up one of the interesting looking black futsu squash, some savoy, pretty purple tomatoes, and some small yellow cucumbers. We were in the mood for indian food, which isn't a traditional meal for the 4th from an American standpoint, but we don't tend to be very patriotic.
James decided to make his famous vegan kale paneer, which I have been wanting to try since he made it up. It wasn't as creamy as I am used to saag paneer being, but the flavor was spot on.

And, in the spirit of all things summery, we decided on an indian inpspired burger, made with the squash, red lentils, and many other things I cannot remember. We topped them with the tomatoes, savoy, and a bit of chutney on a sprouted bun, served with sliced cucumbers, the paneer, and leftover green bean corn salad from the potluk. It made for a perfect festive meal.

Another fun thing I was able to do was get together with a friend who recently moved to Austin from Houston. We went to Dhaba Joy for lunch and yummy dessert. Dhaba Joy is known mainly for it's delicious Oatscreme, which is a soft serve style vegan ice cream, made from oats with no added sweetener. They also have a huge variety of yummy vegan baked treats, an expanding drink menu with selections from various coffee drinks, to more seasonal things such as lavender limeade. Most recently they have added a menu of vegan sandwiches, and salads.

I decided on the delicious Tempeh Reuben. Marinated sliced tempeh, topped with saurkraut, purple onion, and FYH mozzarella, on whole wheat bread (they were out of rye), with a side of rice chips. So, so good, and satisfied my craving for an awesome sandwhich. It was also the first time that I tried FYH cheese, and it wasn't too bad.

For dessert, oatscreme was a must. I got the vanilla and chocolate swirl, topped with dogoba chocolate syrup. This was suprisingly like the soft serve ice cream I remember getting from those various self serve machines. I couldn't believe that it had absolutely no added sugar (other than the syrup on top). Get ye to the place and have a cup!

Josh got this cute strawberry shortcake cupcake. Be forwarned, plastic animals may try to attack and steal it's deliciousness if you don't gobble it up quickly! If you go here, be sure to visit Toy Joy next door, a great little toy store filled with all the fun toys you could imagine.

That's enough fun for now. I had such a great time, I guess I will have to have a part 2, extended version.

Flashback in my mouth

2007-07-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, this isn't Awesome Awestin part 2, but I had to post about the dinner I made tonight. I got my inspiration from a discussion I was having with my mom about all of the crazy foods she used to make when I was growing up, like tuna casserole, and broccoli rice casserole. I started craving the latter, and after running across a post from eat'n veg'n, I knew I had to give it a try.

Here is the casserole right out of the oven, beaming with gooey goodness

All plated up, along with some marinated, grilled portobellos and veggie skewers, and of course a salad on the side.

The casserole was so easy to make. Just boil your broccoli, then mix it with prepared brown rice. Make your cheeze sauce, mix half of it with your broccoli and rice, then pour the rest on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350, then EAT. I think it might have been a little closer to what I remembered growing up if the sauce was made with some "No chicken" stock, just to give it more flavor. The mushrooms also took me back to when my dad would fry up sliced mushrooms with worscheshire and butter. Mmmmm, the good ol' days.

In conclusion, I had to share the super awesome cupcakes I made for our Harry Potter themed movie night, before the new movie came out. I think these caused my sugar induced 2 day migrane. But, oh, were they worth it. They were based off of the vanilla cupcakes with fluffy buttercream icing in VCTOTW.

Butterscotch cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream icing.

Awesome Awestin

2007-07-10T11:23:00.001-07:00

My trip to Austin was alot of fun. I have so many pictures to share. I ate so much food, I thought I would gain 15 lbs. Thankfully, Austin is such a ped friendly city that I had no problem biking or walking everywhere. Unfortunately, I think I had a bit of an overload, and I've been fighting off a headache for the last two days. It has finally begun to subside, so I can post some of my fun times.

When I got in Friday, I wasn't in the mood for much after being on a bus for 3 hours. We went to Veggie Heaven and had some yummy fried food. Then we went to an improv comedy show at ColdTowne. Lots of laughs, and then we got home and crashed. When we woke up Saturday morning, we biked to the farmers market and picked up some fresh produce for the potluck we were going to that night. It was a macrobiotic potluck, held by a student at the Natural Epicurean school that I am considering attending next year. I don't know much about macrobiotic diets, and decided to just make something really simple.

the green bean and corn salad from Vegetarian Times

and a blackberry-peach pie, sweetened with agave

And a money shot of the spread. We had a great time, and met a lot of new people. We ended up hanging out with a few Sunday night to see the Roller Derby, and saw a couple others around town later in the week.

My friend I was staying with works like a "normal" person (8-5, M-F) so I was left to myself most of the day. I mainly rode around town, did some shopping, and ate ate ate!
Here are some random meals from the week.

Falafel waffle from DaVine Foods, a little bus with a kitchen parked in an empty lot, surrounded by green. Super awesome, with a side of kick ass hummus and raw carrots. Totally worth the 2 mile bike ride. I also had it with a side of Chocolate Mock Shake. Tasted just like a chocolate shake you would enjoy in a diner, just much much better.

Since Mother's burned down, and they may not be rebuilt for a while, I had to find some kind of substitute. That would be Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse. They serve all kinds of yummy meals, mostly vegetarian, and all vegan friendly. Breakfast is served all day, but when I went for lunch, I enjoyed this light broccoli and tofu salad with ginger miso dressing and a side of their delicious vegan corn bread, which I tried first with the vegan soul food plate (beans, greens, and corn bread). Mmmm, cornbread

I have a lot more, but it will have to wait for Awesome Awestin part 2.

In all of our prideful, veg glory

2007-06-28T23:04:00.001-07:00

With all the odds against us- constant rain, flakey people, no truck, a busted up trailer, blah, blah, blah- we some how managed to get our float in the Pride Parade, and had a hell of a good time doing it. Somehow, we managed to pull it all together about an hour before the parade started. Someone/thing must have really, really wanted us to be in that parade.

Assembly required. Putting the finishing touches on our float.

One of the marvelous posters. The parade was Lone Star themed, thus the cowboys/girls, stacks of hay, and..

Best lil Veggie House in Texas theme

Basking in our hard work, and drunkeness

My memories of the evening pretty much end there. After so much Jack, you can really only remember so much. There was a very unpleasant hour toward the end of the night where I vividly remember expelling practically everything from my body. Other than that, I think I had a really amazing time. Can't wait til next year!

Put the lime in the coconut

2007-06-28T22:46:00.001-07:00

There's nothing that is more summery than a bunch of fresh vegetables tossed together into some wonderful salad-like concoction. When I came home and found a big bowl of fresh picked cherry and plum tomatoes on the counter, I was immediately inspired.

I sliced them in half and put them in a bowl

I added sauteed red onion...

quinoa, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped fresh basil, and...

freshly picked figs from down the street. Mmmm..

I tossed it all together with a dressing of- dijon mustard, basil jelly, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. This wonderful combination made my taste buds have a veganasm.

I love summer and all of it's glorious vegetable goodness. I also quite like the fact that sno cones are vegan and the perfect summer treat. Coconut lime is my new special flavor.

Changing days

2007-06-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that I haven't been in much of a cooking mood lately. I have basically been putting various things together in a somewhat satisfying fashion, in an attempt to clean out my fridge before I move. I did get a few good outcomes, helped out mostly by my last weekly farmers market trip, which was bursting with summer goodies.

I picked up some local tomatoes (it is tomato season afterall), a funny shaped eggplant, a sweet yellow pepper, a mystery squash, and the juciest blackberries I have ever eaten.

A couple of weeks ago, I made the pistachio-arugula pesto I found at Vegan Yum Yum. I wanted to make some kind of napoleon with the eggplant and squash and a tomato based sauce. When I cut open the squash, it seemed more like an acorn squash than the summer squash I was expecting, but not as hard. I decided to roughly follow the recipe in VwaV, subbing the artichoke for squash. I had it with some roasted long beans, which I picked up at the market (but forgot to include in the picture-whoops!) It was tasty, a bit messy, and a great compliment for the pesto, which should always be the showcase of any meal it is included in.

I put together this yummy fruit salad for breakfast one morning. It is a prime summer meal, cool, light, and refreshing. It has those scrumptious blackberries, organic kiwi, and orange, and a fresh picked peach from the tree growing right on the sidewalk at T'afia.

This is a dish inspired by a recipe I found somewhere for potato, broccoli, and chickpeas tossed with a vinagrette. I don't remember where it comes from, but this is my spin on it. Steamed red potatoes, edamame, and chickpeas, tossed with T'afia's Sherry Vinagrette and thyme. The thyme was a last minute thing I had lurking in my fridge, and was a really nice addition. Simple summer salad, would have been good on some crisp lettuce, but none was to be found. I put it on half of a hemp tortilla.

I'm not a big fan of fake meats, but they do come in handy. I was pleasantly suprised with this dish. I followed the recipe on the Garden burger box for these lettuce rolls, putting my own spin on it, using what I had. Garden burger strips, green onion, red cabbage, a soy sauce/ginger/red pepper mix, dotted with sesame oil, topped with peanuts. I didn't have whole lettuce leaves, but some chopped romaine. Pretty tasty, but didn't much remind me of the lettuce wraps I loved pre-vegan. Maybe one day I will find a good substitute.

My posts will be more sparse than usual for a while. So sorry to all of my (3 or so) readers. I will update every now and then to track my journeys. I will be leaving next weekend to spend a week or so at my friend's house in Austin. I'm sure I will have plenty of fun experiences to share, and free internet access. The pride parade is also coming up this weekend. We will have a Go Veg float (the Best lil Veggie House in Texas) in it, which I will be on, loud and proud. Many fun pictures are sure to come out of that. See you around!

Oh, what a weekend

2007-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Since everyone was off on Monday for the holiday weekend, we had a party at a friend's house on Sunday. James came in from Austin, and brought some vegan tamales from Mr. Natural- tofu sunflower, and pinto bean. Similar to the tofu tamales from the local company Banyan foods, and a welcome change from the mild or spicy tofu selection. We also had refried black beans, spanish rice, and chips and salsa.

Later on, I tried my hand at making Chickpea fries, which I got the recipe for from T'afia. I baked them instead of frying them, and although they didn't look pretty, or really taste anything like T'afia's, they must have been good because they were gone before they got a chance to cool off.

Since the party was alcohol themed, I made a batch of Rum Raisin cupcakes from VCTOTW. These were super moist, super rummy, and super delicious. Instead of using dark rum, I used coconut rum, which gave them even more of a kick. You could make these, and enjoy all of the sweet, raisiny, rummy goodness. Or, alternately, you could pour some rum into cupcake liners and drink it with a straw. Either way, you are sure to have a good time.

We also had our wonderfully fabulous mixologist who experimented with various flavors of martinis.

This is the version called "Red Panties". It consisted of something red, like cranberry juice, and various alcoholic things, such as vodka, and raspberry liqour. It was topped off with some raspberry flavoring, soyatoo whip, and a maraschino cherry. My favorite was the Purple Haze (not pictured)- cranberry juice, cranberry vodka, and curacoa. (Warning: some of the ingredients may not be accurate, as my memory of these drinks is a bit blurred).

After a wild night of fun, James and I came back to Houston in all it's rainy dreariness. We decided to expand tastebuds and tried Ethiopian food at Blue Nile. We shared the Vegetarian Platter, and also ordered another small dish. It all came on one huge platter, atop injera- an ethiopian bread made of 100% Teff. There were various different things, like barbequed lentils, split yellow and green peas, a salad, curried cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, and some collard greens. The other dish we ordered, which is in the middle, is a mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, and spices mixed with bits of injera, served cold. It was all so delicious, and the atmosphere was nice. The decor and all of the artwork was from Ethiopia. It was also a fun experience, since I got to eat with my fingers and not get looked at like a weirdo. But I'm pretty used to that by now.

I recommend trying Ethiopian food if you have a place in your area. I plan to give it a try in my own kitchen one day. I would love to know how to make injera. I took some extra home with me and had it for breakfast with peanut butter, raisins and banana slices with agave. It was sweet and sour, and a little different, but I am always up for adventure.

Food and farms

2007-05-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Alot has been going on in this crazy life of mine. In the last 4 months, I have moved twice (once out on my own for the first time), and changed jobs twice. I now work at an incredible place -T'afia, one of the best restaurants in Houston. The chef/owner Monica Pope has been one of my long time idols, and I have dreamed of working with her. I also live in my own apartment, which I have been dreaming of for a long time. It's located in a decent part of town, within walking distance of the gym, library, and Whole Foods, and is super affordable so I am still able to save money for school. Still, I am not satisfied. I am not feeling so great about my job. I suppose it could be due to the fact that I am only a hostess, and am thus located on the opposite side of the restaurant from where I dream to be (the kitchen). Still, I could enjoy just being in such a wonderful place, surrounded by great people. I feel like my dissatisfaction comes from my urge to do more with my life. I have been feeling pretty down since I stopped going to school. I miss the hard work, and the great feeling of accomplishment from finishing a big paper, or scoring a good grade on a test. I don't think I am ready to go back to school yet, though.
What I would really like to do is travel. I found WWOOF, which sounds ideal. It is basically a volunteer program. To quote the USA site, WWOOF "is part of a world-wide effort to link volunteers with organic farmers, promote an educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming practices." There are tons of farms from all around the world (500 in the US) that host willing volunteers. You put in about 30 hours of labor a week, and recieve room and board and food in return. It is a great opportunity to travel, meet people, and learn alot about farming- for free! I joined the USA branch, and am waiting on my packet. I'm hoping to find a great farm that is vegan friendly, and spending the rest of my summer getting closer to the land.

All of that aside, I still love to talk about food. Homemade meals have been pretty few and far between lately since I get free dinner (and lunch on Fridays) at work, but here are some of the yummy meals I have been enjoying.

I made some crockpot BBQ Tempeh. It was yummy, and simple- throw everything in a crockpot and go. It was too sweet for my taste, so I will add less sugar next time. Also, I enjoy my BBQ a little smokier, so I might add some liquid smoke. I will definately try it again, though. With it, I had some Mac 'n Chreese from Roads End Organics. I got the alfredo style by mistake, which didn't go quite so well with my BBQ. It is good for a quick, out of the box side dish. The ingredients are also unbeatable, as far as packaged items go. Some soy-flax tortilla chips from Central Market rounded out the meal. It was better the next day with steamed broccoli.

It has been too long since I enjoyed scrambled tofu, with waffles, maple syrup and fruit. I enjoyed this for a wonderful Sunday brunch, after recovering from a super wild night. It was just what I needed to cure the dancing blues.

With some overripe peaches, leftover mango chuncks, and a bunch of other stuff hanging out in my fridge, I decided to make an experimental dessert. I chopped up the peaches and tossed them with the mango, chopped ginger, some arrowroot, a leftover white wine and vanilla mixture from poaching pears, and some sugar. Then, I mixed together some rolled oats, quinoa almond creme, agave nectar, cinnamon, and a little more sugar. I put the fruit in my new cornningware dish, and topped it with the crumble mixture, and baked it all until it looked golden brown and delicious. It turned out really good, and had quite a kick from all the ginger I put in.

I made the Spicy African Stew with Cucumber relish, and quick steamed greens on the side from this month's Vegetarian Times. It wasn't quite as spicy as I thought it would be, but I also added the green chilies seperately, and didn't add the entire can. It was delicious, though, and gave me something else to do with peanut butter besides eating it straight from the jar. Although, that still remains a great option. The relish was quick and yummy. I will make it again just for garnishing purposes. It would be great with a burrito, or on salad. I also made the ginger thins that were included with the other recipes, but they didn't turn out so well. I think I made them too thin, and they stuck terribly to the pan. Still delicious crumbled up and mixed with soy yogurt and some fresh berries!

And finally, my favorite afternoon treat on Fridays- Green tea fruit salad from Te House of Tea. Full of lychee, passion fruit, green tea gel (made from agar), with coconut milk poured on top. I enjoy this with a cup of hot tea. If you are ever in Houston, I reccomend going to Te House. They have some good vegan options, tons of tea selections from all over, and a very chill atmosphere.

Let's have a picnic

2007-05-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

That's what I told James before his final departure to his new home in Austin. We considered going to dinner at Blue Nile, and Ethiopian restaurant we have both been wanting to try. But, after I found out that the bread was not vegan friendly, and practically all of ethiopian food is consumed with assistance from the bread, we opted out of that plan. After some consideration, I decided that I wanted to make a special meal for the two of us. It was looking to be a beautiful weekend, so we decided a picnic was in order. I planned a wonderful 4-course meal, inspired by the abundance of spring offerings.

First, the "appeteaser" as we found ourselves calling it. An assorted mix of yummy things, consisting of (from top, going right) wedges of lavender pizzette from Tafia, mixed salted nuts and beans, Quinoa Almond Creme that I bought in Paris and have been waiting to try, dates, and shaved 90% chocolate. Everything paired really well together. The Quinoa Almond Creme was more bitter than I expected, but went nicely with the pizzette.
First course was a vanilla poached pear salad. Fresh mixed greens from the farmers market, bartlett pears poached in vanilla infused white wine, thinly siced red onions, golden raisins, and a light dressing of cider vinegar, olive oil, and a bit of soy yogurt. This went paired excellently with our bottled of Freys table white wine.
Second course was a pasta dish with my favorite spring vegetables. Brown rice noodles, tossed with sauteed baby artichokes, asparagus, olive oil, lemon, thyme, parley, and a bit of nutritional yeast. Very fresh, and light. I accidently burned some of the artichokes, so they were a little bitter, but they balanced well with the sweet asparagus. If you are jonesing for a taste of spring, try this dish.
Last, but not least, dessert. Soy based gelato with almonds and two lemon cookies. The gelato is made by Trentino Gelato, a local gelato and sorbet maker in Houston. They serve it at Tafia, so I was able to get some after work one night. It is so smooth, you can hardly tell it is soy based. The cookies are also lovely. Soft and sweet, with a tangy lemon flavor.
And there you have it. A beautiful spring meal, enjoyed sitting in the shade, watching bikers, joggers, walkers, and strollers get their daily dose of activity while we ate with abandon and shared a bottle of wine. Who could ask for more?

21 and counting

2007-04-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's my 21st post! Not that it is very significant, but I'm just suprised.

Beans and greens seem to be a trend in my kitchen lately. Here is something I call Health on Toast.
I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added leftover baby limas, simmered them a little, then threw in a handful of chopped parsley. Then, I sauteed some thinly sliced swiss chard. I smeared a piece of cranberry-walnut bread with mustard, then piled the beans and greens on top. Viola. Simple, delicious, and healthy. Your welcome.

For the upcoming Canadian Seal Hunt Protests here in Houston, a couple of us crazy activists got together to make some signs. Here is a finished poster with one of our catchy phrases.

I wanted to make dinner for everyone, so I pulled out my Teany Book and made the classic Indian dish. Green tea-Jasmine rice in the top corner, curried potatoes and peas to the right, and coconut creamed spinach in the bottom left. They were all so delicious, and complimented each other nicely. We were full and happy vegans.

Last but not least, I want to talk about the new love of my life. She is a beautiful, vivacious, loving rescue puppy. A friend found her in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of the night. He took her home, cleaned her up, fed her, and named her Cocoa Sorbet. They came over for a visit and I fell in love. She is hard to capture in a picture, since she is so active (and a little afraid of cameras). She is black, with brown tints and a white patch on her chest. The vet thinks she is a shepherd, and says she is very healthy. Since I am not allowed to have dogs in my apartment, I offered to babysit at any time.
That's it for now. Happy Easter everyone, and I'll see you next time I'm in a free wi-fi area.

Gratins, greens, beets and beans

2007-04-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I don’t have the internet at home anymore, so my web surfing time is limited, as well as my blog posting opportunities. If my bills end up being fairly reasonable this month, I will be getting the internet. Until then, I have to work around the library's hours. So here are some things I have created over that past month or so.

After picking up some organic sweet potatoes, and locally grown tomatoes at the co-op, I decided to make the Sweet Potato-Artichoke Gratin from an old issue of Vegetarian Times.

With layers of a tomato, artichoke, white bean spread, and sweet potato, topped with walnuts, I never missed the ooey gooeyness cheesyness of the gratins I have always known. It turned out really good.

On my next trip to the co-op, I picked up some beets that were on sale. For $0.75 a pound, I couldn’t say no. I shreded them and combine them with shredded red potato, zucchini, some herbs and spices, and a little ener-g egg replacer and made potato pancakes. I topped them with a little soy yogurt mixed with green onions.

White beans sauteed with onions, garlic and celery, served over local collard greens. Simple enough, and a super delicious and filling quick meal.

I tried the Esme’s Sauce recipe again. Ever since I made it the first time, I have been wanting to try again with different veggies and a thinner sauce to see if I could get better results. This time it was with some spinach and leftover edamame. I added the lemon juice I forgot last time, and a little extra water. It turned out a little better, but this time is was a little too tangy for me. Next time maybe I will leave out the lemon juice. I definitely recommend it with spinach. At least the picture is good.

I will leave you with some pictures of a cute screech owl. We got to meet the little guy at a Vegetarian Meetup at Baba Yega. We missed the introduction speech, in which they also featured a hawk and another bird. But, the meal was good- we split a vegetarian loaf, and black bean burger. This little guy has such big, beautiful eyes.

Ooey gooey

2007-03-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

I have been craving some saucy, gooey pasta dish for a while. I have considered trying to recreate a mac and cheese, but I knew it wasn't quite what I was looking for. When I ran across a recipe from Vegan YumYum for Esme's Sauce, I knew it would be the ticket to satisfaction. I also had all of the ingredients, many of which I have been trying to incorporate in to more of my cooking, such as miso, nutritional yeast, and tahini. I used some brown rice spiral noodles that I have been wanting to try, and used spinach and Brussels sprouts for the greens.

It definitely turned out gooey. I think it was a little more pasty than I would have liked, so I will add some water next time. The Brussels sprouts were an odd accompaniment to the miso and braggs, but they added a nice texture. I topped it with toasted pine nuts and served it millet-flax seed bread, my favorite.

The quality of my pictures hasn't been that great due to the poor lighting in my room. Hopefully that problem will be solved once I get moved in to my new teany tiny efficiency!

What a trip

2007-03-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

I have great foodie pics to share from my trip to Austin this weekend. I love going to Austin, and I hope to live there one day. They have so much to offer to vegans, vegetarians, and just all around health and environement concious people. It's Texas' little vegan mecca, and it never fails to surprise me.
Our first stop was the Chocolate Festival. We were suprised to find that the event was being held at the Wizard Academy. We almost weren't able to find the place, since it was hidden by tall trees and winding roads. We knew that what was waiting ahead was sure to be magical..

I had no idea if I could eat any of the confections that the festival had to offer, but the thought of being surrounded by chocolate was intriguing. I decided to be brave and go out on a limb. I was surpised and relieved when the first vendor I stopped at had nothing but wonderful, natural, VEGAN chocolates. The company is called Innocent Chocolates. They are made with organic, mostly raw ingredients, and sweetened with pure agave nectar. The products are available in a few Austin stores, and can be shipped, but not in hot weather. I spent most of my sample tickets at this table, and ended up buying a few bars. There were a couple of other vendors that had some dark chocolate barks I could try, but everything else was made with cream.

Innocent Chocolates working their magic

We tried a new restaurant (new to me anyway) called Cosmic Cafe. It is a mix of Indian, Mediterranean, and Mexican inspired foods. A couple of our friends happened to be in town, so we met up with them for lunch.I got the Buddha's Delight, which had a samosa, dahl, pappadam, rice, nan, and curried spinach and chickpeas. James and I split a Grape flavored Kombucha tea. I have never tried this stuff before, and I was pleasantly suprised. This kind was from a local company. I am not sure if all of the others are as good as this was, but I am willing to try them and find out.
Even after all of the delicious food, we were able to split a slice of vegan Root Beer Float Cake. It sounded way too good to pass up, and it was!
One of our all time favorite places to go when in town is Nu Age Cafe. They have a variety of selections, from dumplings and spring rolls, to BBQ dishes with mashed potatoes and gravy. Their tea selection is long and always pleasantly surprising. My old standby is the Sizzling Soy, with chunks of soy covered in a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and steamed veggies with rice. I decided to try something new, and was sorry I did. The dish came out burned, and unpleasant. When I told them about it, they offered to take it away and bring me something else, no extra charge. I agreed, and got what I really wanted all along. Even the best places can't be great 100% of the time. James got the Spinach Soy Rolls with mashed potatoes and Portobello gravy. These are not vegan, because the filling has milk powder in it. There are only a couple of items that contain this, and most of them can be made vegan.

Our last stop was for my favorite meal of the day: Brunch. What better place to go for Sunday brunch than Mother's Cafe and Garden? They serve fresh hot vegan pancakes, a different flavor each time, and so many other items to choose from, whatever your palate- sweet, savory, salty, spicy. We split 3 Poppyseed pancakes with a hint of orange, a soysage patty, sauteed tofu, and roasted potatoes. And what better way to start brunch than with a basket of chips and hot salsa? Mmm, brunchalicious

Sadly, our visit had to come to and end. But I was not sad for long because we were on our way to see R.E.N.T! Here are me and my wives after the show, basking in our joyful, after show bliss.

Oscar-palooza

2007-02-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

I'm never usually very interested in any of the award shows, and could really care less who has how many Grammys or Oscars. I never usually agree with most of the results anyway. But, when I found out that Ellen DeGeneres was hosting the Oscars this year, I couldn't be more excited to watch them. We are always looking for an excuse to have a party, and what better reason than to celebrate than with an Ellen Hosting the Oscars party? Formal attire was required, but it had to be the funkiest, most godawful thing you could drag out. The food was Mexican themed, and this led to me next cupcake adventure: Mucho Margarita Cupcakes! We also had some vegan tamales, which we get from Whole Foods. They are made here in Houston, completely vegan, and are super delicious. Of course we also had all of the side fixin's- chips and salsa, bean dip, and margaritas and wine.

Mucho yummy!

We decided that since we were dressed up and looking gorgeous, and celebrating, we would take a picture and leave a space in the middle for Ellen. We are going to send it to her and ask her to photoshop herself in so that she will be celebrating with us. As you can tell, we were really enjoying the wine and margaritas.

Faabulous!

I have been feeling a little under the weather recently. I don't know if it is lack of sleep, or if the colds that have been traveling around are catching up to me. I take pride in the fact that since going vegan I have not been sick once, which means this is the first winter I have successfully avoided the flu. I have just been taking it easy, and eating comforting foods. The most comforting thing of all has been the Purely Decadent Turtle Trails ice cream. I hope I feel better and have a burst of energy in the morning so I can start jogging again.

Make ups and confessions

2007-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

So, to make up for the lack of (homemade) food posts, this post will be pretty much focused toward food. The pictures don't look that pretty, because the lighting in my place is pretty bad. But, I can guarantee you that the food tasted great. That's just how it goes sometimes, isn't it? Well, here we go.

With all kinds of leftovers in my fridge, and a few odd dried goods hanging out, taking up room in my one shelf pantry, I decided to make some Shepherds Pie. I have never made a true shepherds pie before, and never a vegan one, so I didn't have an exact recipe to follow. Figuring that making a Shepherds Pie pretty much involves just throwing random stuff together in a pot, then putting potatoes on top was the extent of it, that's what I did. So, I took my wilting carrots, 1/2 an onion, and a few stray mushrooms and sauteed them in olive oil with some herbs de Provence, mustard seeds and minced garlic. I added some cornstarch to thicken it up for a gravy-like consistency. Then I threw in some lentils and vegetable stock and let it simmer a little while. After thinly slicing my red potatoes, I poured the lentil/vegetable mixture into a casserole dish and layed then potato slices on top. I topped it off with paprika and stuck in in the oven and let it bake until the house smelled delicious.

For dinner, I served it with some Amaranth-studded kale. I love smelling up the house, because my roommates come in and tell me what a great cook I am, even though they have never tasted my food. One of these days I will have everyone for dinner.

For quite a while, I have been craving rice pudding, specifically with chocolate. After reading through the Teany Book, which I picked up at Half Price, I got a great idea for a yummy pudding, which it's leftover components could be used for dinner the next night. So, I made a Jasmine tea rice, with some forbidden rice. This involves simply boiling jasmine tea leaves in water, straining, and then pouring the rice in and cooking as normal. It imparts a lovely flavor, and would be much better in a more delicate rice, but I just love forbidden rice. If you have never tried it, I highly recommend searching it out. After the rice was done, I combined some coconut milk, Sucanat, 1 chopped date, and cinnamon, then put the rice in and let it boil. After it sat for a little while and absorbed the liquid, I dished some up, and then put a nice big square of dark chocolate in the middle.

The chocolate melted really nicely and gave the dish a perfect creamyness, along with the coconut milk. It is really filling, what with all the rice, so if your like me and you can't help but going back for another "taste", then you will end up going to bed with a really full tummy. For that, I think it will make a great breakfast, since I am working on giving up oatmeal.

That's about the only food I have worth talking about right now. I made a quick curry tonight with some leftover Chick'n strips, frozen veggies, coconut milk and curry powder. It wasn't very blog worthy, taste or picture wise. I think it lacked too many spices, such as coriander and mustard seeds. So, I will not speak of it and get the failure out of my head..until tomorrow night when I eat it for dinner. Oh yeah, I do want to talk about something that never fails me, that I could eat absolutely every day. It is my favorite snack and it so simple. It takes the deliciousness of apples and peanut butter one step further, and makes it irresistible. All I do is mix the peanut butter with some soy yogurt, and sometimes some cinnamon and agave nectar, then slice the apples up and have it all with a nice piece of dark chocolate. I would choose this over cake any day.
And now, a confession. I have started jogging. It is something I have been wanting to do for some time now, but have never actually started. I always thought it wasn't for me, and I would constantly find some excuse, like "I don't have good shoes, and I'm too poor to buy any", "I don't want to injure my knees", or "Houston weather is not predictable enough to make a habit out of it". I threw all of these excuses out of the window after I broke down and paid a whopping $50 for some good shoes, and went on my first jog. It was so exhilarating, and I knew I wanted to keep it up. So, it's my second week and I am enjoying it. I am trying to work up to 3 times a week, alternating between walking and running. I went this morning, and I was able to run a whole minute straight without feeling like my heart was going to pop out of my chest. I am hopping to continue with it, and eventually work my way up to be able to participate in the marathon in January. I would only do the half marathon, which is 13 miles, but that would be a great accomplishment for me. So, wish me luck!

Bowled over

2007-02-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

Another trip to the farmers markets this weekend produced some good finds. We got there a little later than expected and most of the vendors were beginning to pack up their goods, but that always means nice sales. So, I picked up some greens 4 for $1. Two bunches of kale and 2 bunches of some other green I have never used will hold me over for the week. At the Midtown market Houston Food Bank had a table to distrubute literature on voluteer opportunities as well as a new event coming up called Empty Bowls 2007.

People from all over have donated bowls on behalf of Houston Food Banks effort to help feed the hungry. With a $25 donation, you receive one of the bowls filled with soup when you attend the event. I was very disappointed that I would be out of town the weekend of the event (in San Antonio to see R.E.N.T!) so the volunteer at the table allowed me to make my donation in advance and I got to take one of the bowls home with me

I didn't have many to chose from but this was my favorite. Isn't it gorgeous?

We also got to see some beautiful baby goats at the Bayou City Market. The local goat farm which they came from was trying to get fosters and donations to help take care of them. Although they sold products such as soap made from the milk of the goats, they seemed to take very good care of them. Regardless, I couldn't bring myself to give them money, since I do not agree with using, producing, or selling items that come from animals. I thought the kids were mighty cute anyway. This one was bundled up nice and cozy in a lawn chair, allowing everyone to pet him

No food for this post. I had a great meal for Valentines Day that my friend made for us, but it was so good that I didn't take the time to take pictures. The three course meal included Tomato-Artichoke soup from Artfully Vegan. The recipe was one that the author used to make when he worked for Mother's Cafe in Austin, Tx- one of my favorite places to eat when I am there. He also made a vegan Leek Quiche from this months Vegetarian Times, it was nice and savory and I really like the leek and sun-dried tomato combination. Then, for dessert we had a Chocolate Cake with peanut butter cups and chocolate icing. Since I am trying to cut out gluten from my diet to see if some of the problems I am having are linked to gluten intolerance, he made it from rice flour for me. It was a little gritty and crumbly, but with all of the chocolate and peanut butter we hardly noticed. I hope everyone else had a great V-Day!

Down by the bayou

2007-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

My weekend was well spent having a blast in New Orleans. A friend and I have been wanting to visit ever since the hurricane to spend some money and help boost the economy, so for her brithday that's what we did. We had a great time drinking, and eating, and partying, and did I mention drinking? I urge you to get your booty movin' down South. Although this hardly covers half of it (I forgot to get a picture of our hot pink B&B), here are a couple of photos to entice you

Street performers are the best (and cheapest) entertainment. They all have a great, unique sound. This is a band that was playing on a park bench in Jackson Square.

This is one of the best bowls of beans and rice I have had. Truely authentic Louisiana flavor. We got it from a place called the Gumbo Shop. They have a large variety of gumbo, and other traditional Louisiana fare to choose from. This was the only vegetarian option they offered, but it was all I needed.

We decided to go the weekend before the big Mardi Gras, so it wasn't too crowded. Luckily, we were there for a parade that is growing in popularity, the Barkus Parade. It is a parade just for dogs, which people bring from all over. The King and Queen of the parade feature two rescue dogs, and all of the proceeds go to worthy animal welfare groups. The bottom picture is our favorite pick.

Shake that sweet stuff, baby!

Although New Orleans has been through devistating times, they still have a great spirit and hospitality that can't be beat. The rebuilding process is still occuring, and will probably be for some time now, and things may never quite be the same as they once were. But, through the changes, they have emerged as still one of the coolest and most fun cities to have a good time in.

Farmer's Market Finds and Cupcakes

2007-02-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we decided to make the (now much shorter) trip to the farmer's markets in and around Houston. Our original destination was Midtown Farmers Market, but from there we went to Central City Co-op and the Bayou City Farmers Market.
I didn't get much because I had ordered a share from Central City the past Wednesday, but I was pleased with my finds
I couldn't pass up this beautiful bottle of First Blush vinegar, infused with strawberry, orange, hibiscus, vanilla, and almond flavors. I have made it into a simple salad dressing so far, and I can't wait to do more with it. They have so many other flavors, and for $5 a bottle, I will have to try more. I also picked up 1/2# of kumquats, and a few blood oranges, all locally grown! Woohoo!

Not only was this weekend Superbowl Sunday, it was Prince-playing-halftime-Superbowl Sunday. It was also a friends room warming party since she moved in to another friends spare room. So, we all got together to watch Prince, party, and-what else-eat! I made another delicious batch of cupcakes from VCTOTW. It was a hard decision, but I chose the Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Icing and Chocolate Ganache, topped with a couple chocolate "beans". I made sure to take a picture this time.

Can't you just taste the deliciousness?

Tea time

2007-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting at one of my favorite tea houses in Houston- Te House of Tea. Since my wireless isn't working, I'm taking this time to update and catch up. I had to share an amazing tea I am trying. They call it Russian Imperial. It is a black tea, with scents of rose, which is served with jam that you mix in with the tea in a cute little glass. Delicious!
The last two weeks have kept me occupied with the wonders and woes of moving. It is my first time living on my own. Working my first full time job, at a stake house no less (ironic, I know), has been a little trying. But, one must pay the bills. I have been living on salads for lunch, often convincing the chefs to whip me up some assorted veggie with no butter/cheese/bacon topping. Once I get settled in I will start cooking again. But, for now I rely on quick fixes, take out, and travelling to my friends house to use his well-stocked kitchengalore. This past weekend we had a much needed beer and pizza party. Since visiting Brussels and trying Kriek (black cherry beer) I fell in love and have been dreaming of having more. To my delight, Spec's carrys not only Kriek, but also Peche (peach), Frambosse (raspberry), and another brand of Strawberry. We felt obligated to test them.Kriek is still my favorite, but Frambosse is a close second

Along with the beer we made two kinds of homemade pizza. One was a favorite we discovered a few months ago on a whim- tapenade, tomato sauce, dollops of tofu-basil ricotta, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and extra basil. The other was a total experiment- tofu-spinach mixture, topped with garlic roasted cauliflower, edamame, and drizzled with lemon chutney.The first was definately our favorite, but the cauliflower-edamame was an interesting mix, and the lemon chutney gave it a nice kick. It was great together on a spinach salad the next day. And one can never go wrong with basil-tofu ricotta.

I hope to get back to cooking soon. But, until then it is take out from the vegan chinese restaurant down the street. Oh yeah, did I mention I live smack in the middle of Chinatown? It's awesome!

Schlurp!

2007-01-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

The cold weather is sticking around this week, so I needed to make something warming and nourishing. With some inspiration from 28 Cooks, I whiped up some of this Warming Ginger Noodle Soup

I added my own touch to it with some broccoli florets (I still had some left over, even after that big batch of soup), and used thicker rice noodles. The broth has a red tint because I made my own and added grated beet. It gave it a really earthy flavor. I had leftovers tonight and added some miso paste, which gave it an extra kick. Definately a workout to eat with chopsticks. I recommend a big soup spoon if you want to dig right in.

I have kept myself confined to my house the last few days, not wanting to retreat from my warm blanket. But, today I went on a journey, with food in mind. Inspired by a new recipe from Vegetarian Times, I decided to use my leftover beet greens to make Guadalajaran Swiss Chard Quesadillas.

I prepared the beet greens following the recipe for swiss chard, but was missing the Montery Jack called for to complete the quesadilla. I went on a search at my local health food stores, knowing that FYH makes a Montery style cheese. I thought I had seen one of them carry a type of FYH before. Sadly, I was wrong and all they had was the American style Rice Cheese (blech). So, back home I went. I was determined to make the quesadillas, so I subbed the cheese for my favorite tahini-mustard sauce that I love on greens, only made it thicker and stickier. It worked pretty well, and made for a beautiful quesadilla.

I think beautiful vegan cupcakes are in my future....

Sweetness

2007-01-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's a cold and rainy day, so what better way to spend it than in blogger land? I have been spending the majority of my meal time recently cleaning out and using up most of my parishable food beacause I am moving and I don't want to have to worry about it en route to my new house. I also have had alot of sweets lying around from the holidays. Just when I thought I had taken care of most of them, I got an awesome belated birthday gift basket from my cousin in New York. The gift basket is from Pangea, and it is full of all kinds of "confections with a conscience".

Here is a closeup of the gift basket. Very pretty. Closeup shot of all the treats (clockwise from top): Vegan Marshmallows, dark chocolate w/almonds,
dark chocolate w/pecans and raisins,
chocolate peanut butter cups, chocolate beans,
White Chocolate Rice Crunch, jelly beans, vegan donuts

Before the rain and cold even came, I was in a soup and bread mood. At a recent trip to the farmers market, I picked up a large bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets. After eating steamed and sauteed florets for about a week, I was starting to get a little bored and decided to finish it off in a thick, hearty soup with a recipe from Vegweb- Cream of Broccoli Soup.
I would change a couple of things, such as one less carrot, and more nutritional yeast. Also, I stirred in 1Tb of tahini in the end. I also served it over quinoa the next day, which made it like a hearty stew. The Mission Fig and Kalamata Olive tapenade on the bread was probably my favorite part of the meal.

I woke up one morning craving baked goods. After one of my late night blog reading binges I came across this recipe from Webly on Fuled By Popcorn. So, I decided to drag my ass out of bed and bake this easy sounding recipe. Easy it was, and very versitle. Throw ingredients into a blender, and then mix it all together, and voila! I ended up using white grape juice, raisins, walnuts, and put strawberry-rhubarb jam on top of the muffins. Then, I took the other half, added some more flour, a titch of baking soda, and some hemp seeds and baked it into a bread. Both were pretty yummy. I enjoyed the muffins best. Very moist, especially with the jam on top. Oh yeah, and with the bread is a glass of fresh apple, mixed berry, grapefruit juice which I made with out new Juiceman Jr. I can't get enough of fresh juice.

I started teaching myself to knit from the book Stitch 'N' Bitch. It is one of the easiest books to follow, and really fun to read. After one week, I am confident in my ability to knit a few rows and make a swatch. The problem I am faced with now is purling, and- more importantly- binding off. So, after proudly coming to the end of my first swatch, I became frustrated when trying to learn to bind off and then seeing it unravel before my eyes. I'm not giving up yet.

New Years What?

2007-01-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

Another year has come and gone, and with that also came another birthday and lots of good times. My birthday is New Years Eve, so that ensures that I will always have a party, whether I want to or not. I started early this year and got treated to a great lunch on Friday at my favorite restaurant in Houston- Tafia. I like to go to this restaurant whenever I can because everything about it is amazing. The owner, Monica Pope, has such a great vision and is helping to make fundamental change to Houston. Her motto is to "eat where your food lives", so everything in her restaurant (from the water, to the food, to the wine, and even the furniture) comes from Texas. Each time we go it is a totally new and wonderful experience. Sadly, I was so excited by my 3 course prix fixe that I forgot to take pictures.

New Years Eve I had my birthday lunch at Freebirds and saw Dreamgirls. In between all of that, I went to Barnes and Noble and spent my giftcard. I am now the proud owner of Nellie McKay's new CD- Pretty Little Head, as well as Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I'm ready for some cupcake bakin'! Later that night we headed to Galveston for a drag show. It was a drag.Making some mo' ney
Hanging out with our good friend Liza

Blurry pictures mean we had more fun

Then we went back to my place and dug in to the Red Velvet cake(from the new issue of VegNews) Candy made me. My favorite part was the hot pink frosting.

Since we didn't have candles, we marked it with a "K" instead.

Dig in!

Catching up

2006-12-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm a posting slacker, so now I'm playing catch up. I have made so much yummy food that I haven't posted about, but have really enjoyed. It's not like I don't have the time, I'm just lazy. So, in the spirit of the holidays and the approaching of a new year (thus pesky resolution making) I'll highlight a few things that were really good, and try to resolve to post more often.

First up, Ginger Gems. These tasty treats were featured in a Vegetarian Times article full of yummy vegan cookies. The icing on these babies definately does something magical to them. Although, I found that replacing some of the oil or EB with apple sauce, and making my own crystalized ginger (by boiling chopped fresh ginger in a simple syrup until absorbed), made the cookies moister and sweeter, and they didn't even need the icing.

Next up is a cabbage casserole I made. A very simple concoction of shredded cabbage, lightly blached, layered with chopped tomato, whole wheat couscous, onions, and seasonings, then baked until soft. It was definately a worthy use of my locally grown, organic cabbage from the market.
I finally bought a bag of shelled hemp seeds at the farmers market. I was at a loss for what to do with them, besides throw them into smoothies. When I came across mention of Dreena Burton's Apple-Hemp muffins, I knew I had to recreate those delicious sounding things. Since I don't have the book, I compiled a few recipes together and put my own twist on them, eventually ending up with these beauties. I will definately be buying "Vive leVegan" the next time I have money to purchase a cookbook.
I have been sorting through all of my torn out recipes from years worth of collecting food magazines. When I ran across this recipe from a Vegetarian Times a couple years back, and I had most of the ingredients on hand, I knew I had to make it. It is supposed to be Pasta with Cannelini beans, broccoli rabe, and sun-dried tomatoes. Instead, it is made with broccoli, instead of broccoli rabe. Basically it is pasta (I used macaroni) topped with a white bean sauce of mashed up beans, veg stock, garlic and rosemary boiled down, them some blanched broccoli with rehydrated and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. So simple, yet SUPER delicious. Also served with pieces of a homegrown sweet potato. MMmm!Last, some miso-braised eggplant with brown rice, and baked tofu. I wanted to try this eggplant recipe from Artful Vegan before I gave it to James for Christmas. It turned out nicely, except that I used a regular globe eggplant instead of the Japanese eggplant it called for. I'll know better next time. But the sauce was great.

2006-12-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

Oh man, where have I been? The time is wooshing past me and I can't seem to grab hold of it quick enough. I recently returned from a short (10 day) trip to Europe. I say short because I could have easily stayed much, much longer. Now I am home, and it's back to life as "normal" whatever that is. It's late, and I should be sleeping, but I want to share some things about my trip. It will be short. but I've waited long enough..

Our first stop was Amsterdam, where we stayed for 3 nights. The B&B we stayed in was in a great location, right near Central Station. Also not too far away was the Red Light district, which became difficult to avoid when walking home late at night. Regardless, everything in the city is easily accessible by foot (or bike) in under 20 minutes. We spent most of our time walking around and visiting the markets and all of the cute shops, as well as people watching. We also went on a canal tour (not the tourist kind) and visited the Anne Frank House. Some amazing food was also had. All of the restaurants we went to were generally vegetarian, and very accomodating to vegans. The food was different from what is available here. They really know how to incorporate good things like nuts, seeds and grains. I had some teriffic, yet simple dishes. I was feeling fat and happy.
After our first weekend, we decided to take a short trip out of town and caught a train to Paris. We spent 3 nights in the city of love, which I couldn't grow very fond of. I didn't find it as accomodating, especially since I didn't practice any of my very limited vocabulary of French. It did have it's perks though, such as fresh baked bread, amazing wine, and good shopping. I will miss those simple things.
From there, we went to Brussels for one night. Because we were there for only one night, and the one night we were there happened to be Thanksgiving, we decided it was time to feast. In the span of 6 hours we had chocolates, frites, much beer and tasty belgium waffles. Leaving was difficult, since the guest house we were staying in was so amazing, but I was ready to return to the city I had fallen in love with to spend our last few days.
We returned to Amsterdam and had an apartment all to our selves for the last weekend. We did more shopping, lots of eating, and even some museum hopping (Van Gogh and Sex Museum). We also rented a bike for a day, but quickly discovered we preferred walking during the short time we were there. Much easier to enjoy the view that way, and the view is definately something to enjoy. The weather wasn't great toward the end, but it didn't dampen our spirits. We still had a great time and enjoyed everything we could.

All in all, it was an amazing trip. I really learned alot from visiting another country, such as the joy of experiencing simplicity. I have always dreamed of travelling abroad, but I could never have imagined the experience that I had. Here are some pictures from Flickr. It makes it so much easier than posting individual ones. Hope you enjoy!

2006-11-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Aw snap. I completely forgot to post about our wonderful trip to the Austin Zoo and Vegan Chili Cookoff last weekend! We drove in early Sunday morning (as in 2am), and stayed in a hotel. After a quick stop by the Austin Convention Center to see Thomas the Train, with a friend's 5 yr. old, we headed out to the zoo. The Austin Zoo isn't like many other zoos that we are all too familiar with. This zoo is a refuge for rescued animals coming from neglectful situations. Many are retired or saved from the circus, found or bought from abusive owners, or given a good home when one was not otherwise provided. There was also a Vegan Chili Cookoff being held there by the Lonestar Vegetarian Society. All kinds of people and groups from the Austin area, and even from Houston, Dallas, and Ft. Worth got together and showcased their chili recipes. We met many lovely animals, and had some amazing vegan chili. I don't have any pictures of the lovely chili, but let me just say I can't wait to go back next year and stuff myself all over again.

The male lion was absolutely gorgeous. He swaggered over to us when we walked up and was really chilled. He had dreadlocks and everything, and I instantly fell in love. He kind of reminded me of a hippie. The little guy chewing on the wire, and the guy sticking his tongue out were in the "petting zoo" area, which was just full of all types of small animals doing their own things. They really just wanted some lovin'.

2006-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

To highlight my new soup/coffee cup from Curves I made a delicious breakfast couscous. This is slightly adapted from the recipe in Garden of Vegan. I call it, Israeli Breakfast Couscous with Apricot, Pistachio, and Rose Water

Israeli Breakfast Couscous with Apricot, Pistachio, and Rose Water
1/2 c israeli couscous
1 c non-dairy milk, fruit juice, or water
1 Tb orange juice concentrate
1/4 c unsalted pistachios, chopped
1/4 c dried apircots, chopped
2 tsp rose water
2 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut (garnish, optional)

Bring liquid and concentrate to boil. Add Israeli couscous, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer 5-7 minutes. After 2-3 minutes of simmering, stir in aprictos, and pistachios. Once couscous is cooked, remove from heat, cover and let sit 1-2 minutes. Uncover, stir in rose water. Spoon into serving dish, top with coconut.

I don't like things very sweet, but this would probably work well with some agave nectar. This is my first time making this and it could probably use a little tweaking, as it was a little dry. I really enjoyed it, especially with the rose water. I added a little more while eating :)

I'm doing my last minute things to get ready for my trip to Europe next week, like shopping, getting my hair cut, and..oh yeah..packing! I hadn't touched, or even looked at my suitcase until today. I have been so preoccupied with everything else, that I didn't want to start worrying about what I was going to take and if it would all fit or not. So, today was the day that I broke down and did it. I pulled my suitcase out of the shadows, threw it on my bed, ripped it open, and began the throw down. I was done and out in under 30 minutes. I am packed! I was suprised how little time it took, but I am so ready to go that I could hardly care what I brought with me. One step further with my long, hard struggle with procrastination.

2006-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

My Rat Pack: Frankie, Deano, Sammy

These are my children, and they never let me sleep. <3

I'm not used to this blogging thing, as witnessed from my lack of posting. Not to make excuses, but I have been too busy to care. Now that I have more time on my hands, maybe I will give this thing another try. I tend not to expose myself in this kind of way, simply because I value my privacy. But, I see this as a contribution to my people, and I want to keep us strong. Holla!

2006-09-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a little off after a 4am trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for the Body Worlds 3 exhibit. It was the last day for the exhibit to be in town, and that was the only available show time. I wasn't all that impressed by the exhibit, as plasticized organs behind a glass display case isn't very shocking for me. The posed figures were pretty spectacular, and the fact that everything was real made it interesting. Above all, I would have rather been in bed, but I enjoyed the night with friends. I got home at 7am and slept until 1pm. Needless to say, it was a very lazy Sunday. I did make some delicious chili from leftover taco filling, and tried chili-mac for the first time ever. I topped the night off with some leftover cupcakes.

Le Cupcakes.
On the left: Chocolate Chai; right: Chai.
Both topped with Toffuti Cream Cheese frosting. Both experiments and the Chocolate Chai won

2006-09-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am a vegan and this is my blog. I hope to use this to my advantage to keep track of my culinary adventures, document my eating habits, and relieve my head of jumbles of thoughts. Maybe I will bring new ideas, inspiration and a little funkiness along the way.