NEW AND IMPROVED BLOG

I have decided to start a new blog in 2009 and you can find it here- http://cookingforaveganlover.wordpress.com/

Holiday Dinner

DISCLAIMER: THERE WILL BE UPDATES TO THIS POST (i.e. PHOTOS AND MORE DETIALS)

We have been busy beyond belief and I have not had a chance to post much lately. However I am hopping that this holiday post will make up for the lack of recipe post this past month.

For the holiday we had my parents and grandmother down and we had a huge feast the featured the various items from our CSA.

For Breakfast:

Whole Wheat Applsauce Pancakes with Homemade Tempeh Bacon

For Appetizers:

Spinach Dip with Veggies
1-12oz container of Sour Supreme
½ C vegenaise
1pkg of vegetable soup mix (I used Lipton)
1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

Mix all ingredients and let sit overnight. Serve with veggies

Sausage Rolls with Assorted Mustards adapted from http://www.vegcooking.com/recipeshow.asp?RequestID=902&Search=sausage+rolls

1 packet puffed pastry dough
Dijon mustard, to taste
2/3 package of Gimme Lean “Sausage”

• Roll out a packet of puffed pastry dough (like JusRol) to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rectangles and spread each with Dijon mustard.
• Wrap the pastry rectangles around “sausage” and bake at 425°F/220°C/Gas Mark 7 for 10 minutes, then cut each into several pieces.


For Dinner:

Roasted Celeriac, Cipolini Onions and Carrots (all produce from CSA)
2 small bulbs of celeriac, peeled and chopped into large chucks
4 large cipolini onions, chopped into large chunks
10 large carrots, chopped into large chucks
3 huge cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
Olive oil to coat

Toss the celeriac, onions, carrots and garlic with the salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake at 425F for 45 min.

Mushroom, Lentil, and Wild Rice Timbales adapted from- http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/11/mushroom-lentil-and-wild-rice-timbales.html

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large slices bread
2 cups mushrooms, quartered (about 10 large)
1/2 cup light silken tofu
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 tablespoon sherry2 tablespoons water
1 cup lentils, cooked
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 fresh sage leaves minced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup wild rice, cooked
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make ahead: 1 cup wild rice (about 1/2 cup before cooking)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Spray 6 ramekins with canola oil or cooking spray and have ready a large baking pan that will hold them (9x13-inch should work). Place one nice-looking mushroom slice in the bottom of each ramekin, if desired.

Saute the onion in a non-stick pan until it begins to brown. Set aside.

Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until it turns to crumbs. Add the mushrooms, tofu, garlic, sherry, and water and blend until fairly smooth. Add the lentils and process again until smooth. Add the tomato paste, herbs, cornstarch, and salt and process until well-blended. Add the onions to the processor and pulse to include them but do not over-process (you want them to retain some texture.)Scrape the contents of the food processor into a bowl and add the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.Divide the mixture among the oiled ramekins and smooth the tops with a spoon. Set the ramekins in the large baking dish and add hot water to the dish, taking care not to splash it into the ramekins.Bake, uncovered, until tops are brown and crusty and middles seem moderately firm when pressed with a finger--about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges and invert the ramekins onto serving plates. Serve with your favorite mushroom gravy

Impromptu Mushroom Gravy adapted from- http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/11/mushroom-lentil-and-wild-rice-timbales.html

1/2 onion, minced
10 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
3 fresh sage leaves minced
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup plain soy creamer
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized non-stick saucepan, saute the onion until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of water, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the vegetable broth, herbs, nutritional yeast, sherry, and soy sauce. In a bowl, whisk the soy creamer and flour together until smooth. Add it to the saucepan and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.


Vegan Green Bean Casserole adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11/best-vegan-green-bean-casserole.html

Beans- I prefer to stick to what I had as a child, French style canned green beans however feel free to use fresh, frozen or regular canned green beans.

Sauce:
10 ounces mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth (I used Imagine's No-Chicken)
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3/4 cup soy creamer

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping- Again, I stick to traditional and use plain ol’ french fried onions which I mix some into the beans and sauce and use the remaining to top it.

To assemble:
Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish, mix with ½ the French fried onions and top with the remaining French fried onions. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes.

Organic Spiced Cranberry Sauce- Recipe can be found at http://foodietots.com/2008/11/20/organic-spiced-cranberry-sauce/

Cranberries from our CSA

Ingredients:
1 12 ounce bag organic fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup apple cider
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Instructions: Place all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Berries will pop and burst. Don’t worry if it is still slightly runny, it will set up more as it cools. Remove from heat and cool; refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes the equivalent of one can, but tastes infinitely better! Enjoy!

Herb Pull Apart Rolls- adapted from http://www.cooksrecipes.com/bread/herb_pull_apart_rolls_recipe.html

1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup melted earth balance
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dill

In a mixer bowl add yeast, warm water and sugar until bubbles start to form around the edges.
To the bowl add salt, thyme, oregano and dill.

Attach the dough hook to the mixer and turn to speed 2 and mix for 1 minute or until everything is well blended.

Now continue at speed 2 and add flour in 1/2 cup increments and mix for about 2 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a bowl and cover it. Place the bowl in a warm place and let it rise for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Now punch the dough down.

Make sure you flour your work surface and rolling pin, and roll the dough into a small disk.
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and divide each piece again into 6 equal pieces and roll those pieces into 36 small balls.

Put three balls into each greased muffin pan and cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.
Makes 12 rolls.

For Dessert:

Vegan Pumpkin Pie – Adapted from http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/good-gourd/

PUMPKIN “CUSTARD”
1 1/2 cups canned Pumpkin
1 1/2 cups Soy Milk
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
Pinch Freshly Ground Nutmeg

In a large bowl, whisk together soy milk and cornstarch until smooth.Add the pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices; mix well.

To make Vegan Pumpkin Pie:
1 Vegan Pie Crust

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.Roll out to a single crust, dock the pastry with a fork and blind bake for 10 - 15, or until light golden in color.Prepare the basic custard and pour into the crust.Bake at 350ºF for 50 minutes.Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing

Fruit Cake Muffins from VegNews
Gingerbread Cookies

Too much craziness and Too much snow

CSA this week-Orange Storage Carrots; Cippolini Onions; Celeriac; Mars Onions; Bunch Curly Parsley; Mixed Gold and Chioggia Beets; Bag Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce); Leeks; Red Norland Potatoes; Red Shallots; red kuri Squash; Tullochgorum Popcorn; Champlain Orchards Macintosh Apples; and Elmore Mountain Flax Seed Bread

I know I have been really bad at this lately but I am swamped at work and lately never home. I will be a better blogger and post my care package photo and explanation of items. I would like to note that I received some yummy Southern Pecan Coffee that I am sipping on. Now I must get back to work.

Post #100, Christmas came early part 2, and oh the fire we set

Yay! For our 100th post! It only took forever considering the long period of blogging nothingness there was for almost a year.

Anyways I would just like to briefly note that I have received my Vegan Care Package from Bianca and will be posting a photo and more details tonight or tomorrow.

I also will be posting some photos of the Almond Toffee and Smokey Cheeze Ball I made for my work pot luck holiday party tomorrow. By the way the toffee (my first attempt ever) was fun to make however surprisingly dangerous however considering I almost set the kitchen on fire not once, not twice, but three times as bits of sugar fell to my burner causing a small fire (scary). Luckily my wonderful husband was there to help me juggle the hot sugary mixture and put the fire out with only a small fatality (the toffee burned a little but not all of it.)

Christmas Has Come Early

As you all may remember, Lindsay organized a vegan care package swap through the blog not too long ago. Being a transplanted Canadian, I was lucky to be paired with Ricki from Vaughn (outside Toronto) in the great white north.

When I had arrived home from a long day of Christmas shopping I was excited to see what I had been anxiously awaiting, my care package from Ricki. I rushed inside to open my package. Inside was a great selection of vegan, Canadian produced products (all but one!).



Inside was:

• Organic wild rice pasta
• Hemp seed nuts
• rice snacks (love these!)
• roasted fava beans (these were really good)
• oatmeal goldies (these cookies were soooooo good, they were the first thing lindsay and i tried)
• Canadian glacial clay (love the pure clean smell it has)
  
• Chakra bar
• the simply bar (coffee/chocolate. one of my favourite combinations)
• How Sweet bar (with a kamut puffs, this was really good too!)
• White chocolate chips (excited to try these, Lindsay was actually going to order these off the vegan essentials website so I was really excited to get them!)
• Fruit to go (I love these, can't get this brand in Vermont and I used to get them all the time in NB)
• Theobroma (really interesting sounding chocolate with chunks of pineapple)
• Macadamia/Cashew nut butter (can't wait to try this!)
• a HUGE bar of President's Choice dark chocolate with almonds which I'm ashamed to admit has a pretty substantial chunk out of it already!
• cute reusable grocery bag from Planet Organic (an organic food grocery chain in canada)
  

Thanks so much Ricki for all of the great food and all of the thoughtful choices!

Neil

A photographic Update

Yay! We finally had snow which Neil has been hoping would come! (however it's mostly gone now)

Ariel has become very curious as to what is under the love seat

This was a yummy stir fry Neil made using Soy Curls...I can't quite remember what kind of sauce he made I think some sort of brown sauce

These are Fried Green Tomatoes over mixed greens with a Balsamic dressing

This is a super yummy hangover stirfry we had filled with tofu, mushrooms and kale made with a soy and vegetarian oyster sauce mixture

Pizza we made using our pizza dough, wild mushrooms and spinach from our CSA as well as some Mozza Teese topped with a balsamic drizzle
Ariel so excited for the holidays with her Christmas sweater that was too small (I had to cut it off her....I am sure she is glad no more sweater)
Roasted Delicata Squash rings, BBQ tofu puffs and Broccoli in a garlic sauce

Updated with photo

updated with photo

CSA

Sugarsnax Carrots; Chioggia and/or Red Beets; All Blue Potatoes; Brussels Sprouts; Sweet Salad Turnips; Yellow Storage Onions; Bright Lights and/or Ruby Red Chard; Mix of Claytonia and Spinach; ; Elmore Mountain Multigrain Bread.

Hen of the Wood Members look for your cranberries this week!

Holiday Dinner Menu

Menu

Appetizers

 “Sausage” Rolls w/ a selection of mustards
 Spinach Dip Bread Bowl w/ bread bites and veggies
 Poinsettia Cocktail (non-alcoholic for Grammy)

Dinner

 Winter Salad w/ Toasted Mustard Seed Vinaigrette
 Mushroom, Lentil & Wild Rice Timbale
o A timbale is a large thimble or cone shaped mold used for various sorts of food. The name is derived from 'thimble'. (However we will be using ramekins)
 Roasted Squash
 Mushroom Gravy
 Mashed Potatoes
 Holiday Wine

Dessert

 Assortment of Holiday Cookies
 Mini Fruit Cakes
 Coffee and Tea

Horrible Blogger

Photo of the roulade from a few days before Thanksgiving (trial run)

I have been a horrible blogger lately with minimal photos and recipes. Things have been crazy busy with the holidays coming up and end of year for work so hopefully once the new year comes I will have more time to spend on blogging. I did however want to sum up Thanksgiving dinner:

Seitan Roulade
adapted from Vegan Yum Yum's Recipe

2 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Salt2
1/3 Cups Warm Vegetable Broth
Mix gluten, yeast, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add the vegetable stock and gently mix with your hands until all of the dry mixture is moistened. You should have a soft, squishy, wet dough. Knead a few times, and agitate the dough by squeezing and pressing it.
Dump the dough out onto a large cutting board and use your fingers to press it out to a 12×18″ rectangle. If the dough is too springy, let rest for 15 minutes before rolling it out. Cut the dough into quarters.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over high heat with some olive oil. Briefly pan-fry the seitan pieces until just barely golden brown on both sides. This gives color, flavor, and kick-starts the cooking process so your pieces will be easier to handle.
Set aside until you’re ready to roll up the roulades. Make the stuffing (I used a corn bread stuffing that I mixed with sauteed onions and red kuri squash)
Place stuffing on top of a piece of seitan, covering the whole surface. Roll up the seitan, stretching it to make as tight a roll as possible. Let the roll rest on the seam.
With kitchen twine or any cotton string you have, tie up the roulade so that it doesn’t unroll.
Repeat for the three other sheets of seitan. Place the tied roulades on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Lightly brush with olive oil. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes, turning half-way through, until golden brown. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Remove strings before serving!


For the side dishes we had:
Mashed Parsnips Topped with Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Torpedo Onions
for the parsnips:

• 20 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 2 T earth balance
• 1/4 c soy creamer
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil the parsnips until soft. Drain. Add the earth balance and soy creamer to the pan and heat until earth balance is soft and melted. Return the parsnips to the pan and mash with a potato masher. Place in the bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish.

for the Brussels Sprouts and Torpedo Onions

• 2 stalks of Brussels Sprouts, shredded
• 3 torpedo onions (your standard red onion works fine as well)
• 2 T earth balance
• 1 T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute the sprouts and onions over high heat for 2-3 minutes in the oil and margarine. Lower the heat to medium and cook until caramlized (15-20 min). Spoon evenly over the parsnips.

Heat oven to 400F. Cover with foil and place in over for 10 minutes prior to serving.

We also enjoyed Fat Free Vegan's Green Bean Casserole:

Beans

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon table salt (Alanna says it's essential)

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While it's heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Sauce

10 ounces mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

generous pinch cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Fresh pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3/4 cup soy creamer (or try full-fat unsweetened soymilk)

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping:

1 1/2 slices whole grain bread

1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble:
Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes. If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately; bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.

As well as Fat Free Vegan's Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake


Lastly I roasted some Red Kuri Squash and topped with a drizzle of VT maple syrup

Carnival Squash and Black Bean Casserole

Tonight I am making (it's in the oven right now):

Carnival Squash and Black Bean Casserole
Adapted from Fat Free Vegan's Pumpkin and Black Bean Casserole


1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or one can, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or other mild chili powder)
1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (to taste)
15 ounces canned tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved*

1 pound pumpkin (about 1/2 one small pumpkin) or any winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.)

3/4 cup soymilk or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the black beans with the next 8 ingredients and set aside.

Cut the pumpkin in half. Set aside one half for another use and peel the other half. Cut it into very thin slices about 1/4-inch thick and 2 inches long.

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with canola oil. Lay one-third of the pumpkin slices in the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the bean mixture. Repeat layers with another third of the pumpkin and the remainder of the beans. Finish with the final third of the pumpkin slices.

In a blender, combine the reserved *tomato liquid (about 1/2 cup) with the soymilk and remaining ingredients. Blend well and pour over the pumpkin. Cover tightly, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 20-30 minutes, until sauce is thick and bubbly and pumpkin is tender.

*If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, use one cup of chopped tomatoes and substitute 1/2 cup of water for tomato juice in the sauce recipe.

CSA SHARE

This Week's Share Contains Yellow Potatoes (Some Russets and Other Mixed In); Bunch Kale (Maybe depends on the weather);Shallots; Mars and/or Torpedo Onions; Turnips -or- Rutabaga; Pie Pumpkin -or- Red Kuri; Parsnips; Brussels Sprouts; Bag of Greens (Probably Mix of Claytonia and Tatsoi); 2 Mini Decorative Pumpkins; Butterworks Farm Early Riser Cornmeal; Fresh Cranberries from Vermont Cranberry Company;Dozen of Deborah's Eggs; Organic Quebec Flaxseed


You may have noticed that there was no CSA share post last week that is because our partners took everything last week and we are taking everything this week because our CSA partners will be out of town this week. We will be giving the eggs to my parents as obviously we will not be eating them and our partners will not be around to take them.

Some plans we have to use these items are:

• Whipped Montreal Chicken Spiced Potatoes
• Mashed Turnip/Rutabega
• Fried parsnip rounds
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Chickpea Pumpkin Tagine
• Apple Cranberry Salad with Fried Seitan and Almond Dijon Dressing (using the greens)
• We will be freezing the cranberries and using them for Christmas Dinner
• As for the other items only time will tell

BITE ME

The other night Neil and I decided to go to dinner and after discuss about a million places that we might go we decided on pizza. There is this new pizza joint off Howard Street downtown called Bite Me. It is a localvore and organic pizza place that is super small but has great pizza. Along with this they have specically vegan pizzas that is labled on the menu you can also create your own vegan pizza. We decided to get the vegan pizza which was called "The Vermont Intervale Ghosts- it had marinated tofu, roasted eggplant, baby spinach, squash, roasted red peppers, red beets, caramlized onions, yellow and red tomatoes and lemon oil drizzle for $20. The price might seem high but this pizza is huge and worth the costs.

Other vegan toppings include:
basil, thai basil, baby arugula, baby spinach, callions, cilantro, sprouts, sunflower seeds, apples, walnuts, pears, grapes, pineapple, okra, broccoli, crimini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, tomaotes, onion, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, squash, roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted eggplant, marinated tofu, carrots, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, red beets, olives, kim-chee, and shitake mushrooms with your choice of tomato sauce or spicy red sauce...they have a pesto but i am not sure if it is vegan and the richard's bbq sauce is not vegan there is worcestershire sauce in the bbq sauce.


i would definitly reccommed this place and can't wait to try their kimchi pizza

faux sausage and mac &cheeze

Last night I made faux sausage for the first time from Everyday Dish TV and they were great. I also tried Vegan Dad's Creamy mac and Cheeze which is soooo yummy.

Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages
Makes 8 links

2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp Bills Best Chik’Nish Seasoning (if using another brand which is salty, or saltier than Bill’s Best, you’ll want to greatly reduce the amount you use)
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.
2. Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on

New Ethic x 2

So I have to admit Neil and I loved New Ethic and not only did we go their Friday night we went Sunday for lunch as well. Friday night we met up with our friend Monica and we decided to each get something and share it since we were all curious as to what everything tasted like. Neil ordered the nachos, Monica the fried chicken sandwich, and I ordered the soul food plate, we also got a side of mac and cheeze to share.

Let me tell you this was amazing food. The nachos were perfect they were sooo fresh and good! The chicken sandwich yum yum yum, their mock chicken is the best I have ever had. The mac and cheese really good too (my hubby and I would have liked some ketchup for it or hot sauce but it was good anyways). Lastly the super star of this dinner was the soul food plate which consisted of fried chik'n with ranch dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn bread; all of this was incredible the chik'n so good, the cornbread was sweet and yummy and the potatoes soo good the only thing that was meh where the green beans but that can easily be overlooked.

On sunday Neil got the Sweet chili burger with coconut bacon and i got the cobb salad. Both were really good. The coconut bacon which everyone was raving about was good however I felt that the coconut flavor was slightly over powering in my salad, it was great on the burger though.

Over all this restuarant is amazing and anyone who comes to Burlington....or VT in general should make a special trip here.

Tonight

I can't wait for tonight it is going to be great. Neil and I are meeting up with my good friend Monica and we are going to

Then Neil and I are going to see Murder by Death at Higher Ground!

What We've Been Up To

Finally things have slowed down for a minute and I can write a little bit. Unfortunately I am without recipes for you right now but will be getting back to it soon.

Although Neil and I have been a little under the weather we still have managed to make some yummy dishes which I will post photos of when I get home and upload them to my computer.

I made some roasted root vegetable soup which included kohlrabi, red kuri squash, butternut squash and carrots; this was great and helped us feel somewhat better.

On Saturday we took a morning stroll and stopped in at Coffee Corner and got this amazing (and huge) breakfast which consisted of home fries, bread, and marinated tofu scramble with roasted red peppers, mushrooms and spinach YUMMM!. That night we had some pizza using our dough from our CSA and topped it with sautéed wild mushrooms and teese and some greens tossed with a dijon balsamic dressing. Sunday for lunch we had some tofu with vegetarian oyster sauce (there was more than just that in it I adapted it form a thai recipe I found that was beef with oyster sauce) it was absolutely delicious.

Neil made me the best dinner I have had in awhile the other day it was with soy curls and mixed veggies in a veggie oyster sauce and soy sauce kind of sauce (how many times can I use sauce in this sentence) anyways it was just like take out Chinese and SO yummy.

Last night I used some Brussels sprouts, potatoes, onions and carrots from our CSA and made a yummy hash which we had with veggie burgers and green beans.

Well back to work, I will update the blog with photos and recipes ASAP!

Adopt/Sponsor a Turkey this Thanksgiving

Rather than eating a turkey this year lets save some and sponsor them through the Farm Santuary. Go here and sponsor a turkey for this holiday season and make it a new tradition.

CSA Week 4

This Week's Share Contains Red Kuri Squash; Russet Potatoes; Mixed Medium Beets; 2 Stalks Brussels Sprouts; Torpedo Onions; Bag Mixed Spinach and Claytonia; Green and/or Purple Pac Choi; Bunch Cilantro; Sweet Salad Turnips; Rolled Oats from Quebec; Butterworks Farm Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour; Red Hen Pain au Levain;
(and eggs for our omnivore share partners)

Updates Soon!

I know it has been forever since I have posted. Neil and I have been sick and super busy at work. Updates soon though!

CSA week 3

Red Kuri Squash; Acorn Squash; Garlic; Walla Walla Onions; Head Lettuce; Green Tomatoes; Bag Mixed Spinach, Baby Tatsoi and Claytonia; Bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; Bunch Kale; Bunch Sorrel; Oyster or Shitakii Mushrooms from Amir Habib; Bufala di Vermont Mozzarella Cheese; Elmore Mountain Pizza Dough.

Sans Mozza which goes to our omnivore partners.

Back from Boston

I am back from Boston :( . It was a great time and there is so much to tell.

We started our trip out at Grasshopper in Allston. I had the Vegie Beef and Broccoli with Brown Rice and Neil had the Gluten Ginger Stir Fry with fried rice. We started with the friend dumplings. Mine was okay the broccoli was fresh which was nice but it was kind of unimpressive and the vegie beef was kind of rubbery. Neil's dish was awful I took a few bites and just wasn't liking it at all. There was too much ginger and it was slimmy; he didn't care for it either but his dislike was nothing like mine. The fried dumplings we started with were fine it's hard to mess up fried food. Overall I was not impressed with Grasshopper at all and probably wouldn't go back unless I wanted a cheap lunch. It is great if you want an all vegan dining spot however beyond that I'd look elsewhere.

(grasshopper photos to come)

After our lunch at Grasshopper we jumped next door to TJ Scallywaggles and picked up a giant carrot cake cupcake that was really good.

(pic of cupcake)

For dinner on Friday we went to Lowell to Life Alive. It is located in the historic arts district and is this great vegetarian cafe that uses mostly whole foods and is all organic. We had this great salad called the Mystic Mountain and it had roasted garlic lemon parsley hummus along with granny apple slices and cashews along with other veggies. Neil had a large version of this and I had a small one with a cup of curried squash and apple soup. Everything was fresh and yummy and their menu is mostly vegan with a few exceptions that can be made vegan except for the one with eggs. To end my meal and please my sweet tooth I had a Coconut Alive Smoothie made withTherapeutic Coconut Oil, Banana, Vanilla Rice Dream, & Rice Milk; Immune Boosting, Fat Reducing, Heart Protecting...and DELICIOUS!

(photos for Live Alive)

Saturday morning we headed to the Veg Fest. When we got there we were told to head upstairs first and we tried a few samples and then filtered down the hall to a classroom where we were lucky enough to hear Sarah Kramer talk about her books and vegan travel. She was great and had a lot of spunk. After this we headed downstairs where the craziness began. There were tons of people and lots of booths go view. Below are a number of the free samples we got (besides the ones we ate) and a few things such as the non-cheese crackers, marshmellows and teese that we bought there.



After Veg Fest we headed to our hotel to relax for a bit and then to Harvard Sqaure. We were a little hungry and feeling unsatisfied from our ridiculous snacking on samples that were mostly sweets so we decided to stop at b.good and share a veggie burger and sweet potato fries. This place was great and everything is baked not fried and so yummy.


Later that evening we wondered over to Chinatown in search of Supper 88 however to our dissapointment the one on Essex St. was closed for renovation. However we jumped over a street and to our surprise Buddha's Delight no longer exist it has been replaced with My Thai Vegan Cafe (which is also located in Brookline). Excited to see that a vegan restaurant had replaced Buddha's we decided to try it and we are glad we did it was incredible. This place had great food and really out shinned Grasshopper by 100%. We started with some fresh rolls that were really good and had this increible peanutty dipping sauce. I had the yellow curry noodles with vegie chicken which was so yummy and Neil had yellow noodles with vegie chicken (they had sort of a brown sauce on them) those were the yummiest things. We were pleasntly surprised and impressed by My Thai and can't wait to go back.

(my thai photos)

Sunday morning before heading home we decided to go to our favorite breakfast spot - Espresso Royale/Bagel Rising on Newbury st where we got our soy chai lattes and the yummiest whole wheat everything bagels one with veggie tofu spread and the other with sundried tomato tofu spread (we shared).






After this we stopped at Tradder Joe's on Boylston and then headed out to Allston to the Super 88 and then to Whole Foods in Boston. We picked up a number of goodies (pictures below).


Now I am tired and don't want to head to work but I must. Enjoy and I will update with more pictures this evening.

p.s. the tofu loaf picture is now up

Outline of Plans for the Weekend

Friday:
Stop in Concord to try something sweet at Cafe Indigo

Then it is off to Allston where we will dine at Grasshopper

Saturday:
It's all about the Veg Fest

Then dinner somewhere maybe TJ Scallywaggles (tentative)

Sunday:

Of course we have to hit up our favorite spot for sum yummy bagels and tofu Spread- Bagel Rising

then who knows but it sure will be a yummy vegan weekend.

Veganmofo: CSA stirfry and a ridiculous amount of Daikon

I made a yummy stir fry last night however I didn't bother to measure anything so it's not a real helpful recipe to recreate. I made it with onions, daikon, pepper, carrots and cabbage and peanut gluten. I stir fried it all in some a mix of sesame oil, canola oil and hot chili oil (I know sounds like a lot of oil but I only used about a teaspoon of each.) I first cooked everything except the cabbage and gluten until soft. Then I added soy sauce and a little sugar and let it caramlize up then I added the cabbage and cooked until wilted. Lastly I added hoisin and gluten and served over brown rice.


However I still have a massive amount of daikon because of share partners do not like it so I got stuck taking it all and I have no idea what to do with it all. Any ideas? Help!

Veg Fest This Weekend!

Yay! my husband and I are going to the Boston Veg Fest this weekend so excited. Can't wait to report back on our weekend adventure...and can't wait for it to happen.

CSA Week 2

This Week's Share Contains Kohlrabi; Sugarsnax Carrots; Bunch Leeks; Daikon Radish; Savoy Cabbage; Red Kuri Squash; Delicata Squash; Red Mars Onions; Bunch Bright Lights Chard; Bunch Bull's Blood Beet Greens; Bunch Cilantro; Butterworks Farm Plain Yogurt; Champlain Orchards Liberty Apples;
Vegetarian Shares: 2 Vermont Soy Tofu; 1 Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

the cheddar and yogurt will be taken by our omnivore share partners.

Veganmofo: Weekend

So this weekend has been pretty busy so I have had little time to blog. I am also sorry to say that I have very few pictures because I can't find the charger for my digi camera :(.
Weekend break down:

Friday night we met my parents in Winooski and went to dinner at Food 88 which was really good. I got the Combo Vegan Maki Roll which was gigantic and so yummy and Neil got the Cashew Tofu which was great; the sauce was really light with a nice spice.

Saturday I made a yummy hash out of products from our CSA:
Hash

• 1 bulb of fennel diced
• 1 onion diced
• 4 sm red potatoes skin on and diced
• 1 bell pepper
• salt and pepper
• pinch of chipotle chili pepper
• 1 bunch of parsley chopped
  

1. saute the fennel onion and potato for 5 min over med-high.
2. add the bell pepper and spices and cook for 20 min stirring occassionally.
3. add parsley and cook for 30 more seconds and serve.
   

For dinner we had a celebration roast with mashed potatoes and VWAV
Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy
makes about 3 cups
1/4 C all purpose flour
Approximately 2 1/2 C water
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium sized onion, quartered and sliced thin
2 tsp mustard seeds3 cloves garlic, minced
2 C cooked chickpeas, or 1 can, rinsed and drained
2 pinches ground cumin
2 pinches paprika
1 pinch dried rosemary
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried coriander
3 Tbs soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 C nutritional yeast
Mix the flour with 2 cups of water until the flour is mostly dissolved. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onions and mustard seeds; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are browned and the mustard seeds are toasted. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the chickpeas; use a potato masher to mash them -- you don't want to mash them into a paste, just make sure each one is broken up although if there are a few whole ones left, that is ok. Add the herbs and spices, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits of onion. Lower heat and pour the flour mixture into the pan. Stir constantly until a thick gravy forms. Stir in the nutritional yeast. If it looks too thick and pasty, add more water and mix well. It may look like it doesn't want any more water added to it, but just keep mixing and it will loosen up. Keep warm until ready to serve.

and corn. I was so excited to see that the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier now carries Field Roast products so now I don't have to wait and go to maine or mass to get one.

Sunday Neil and I went to Gesine to get some amazing soy lattes and then home to start making Christmas gifts. We didn't make anything new just ate leftovers for lunch and some pasta with sauce for dinner.

Entertaining

http://media.tumblr.com/jgWRGzmqQemerjb15iVRgAoRo1_500.jpg

Veganmofo- Rhapsody- Montpelier

I just got back from a nice (but too quick) lunch with my hubby down at Rhapsody on Main St. in Montpelier. I really wanted to see my husband and have a lunch date, but needed some place quick and easy to go to so I wouldn't go over my allotted lunch time. Lets just say that I won't be doing many more lunches here. It was just kind of meh, which I already had come to the conclusion of months ago but decided to give it another try.

I had:
whipped ginger sweet potatoes- these were actually pretty good a little too gingery but good
brown rice- very over cooked
tofu stew- now this was really good their stews usually are
tempeh nugget- this was not good it was deep fried tempeh is some sort of black sesame seed crust and it was dry and boring
vegetable Indian lentils- these were okay the flavor was decent but they were super gummy they either needed to be less gummy or more soupy
chickpea curry- this was pretty good
salad with tofu dill dressing- I have to say I love this dressing
Artichoke heart salad- this is really good and creamy
Marinated Mushrooms- these were pretty good

for dessert we split:
a carob almond cup- kinda like a PB cup ....not made on site
a cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie- this was alright it was kinda crunchy, I like my oatmeal raisin cookies chewy



Overall: 3.7/5
Service: counter service
Food Quality:2.5/5
Atmosphere:4/5
Vegan Options:4.7 (there is sushi)

Times Visited: 5

From the sounds of it you'd think I'd like it more...but it is just nothing special and super pricey.

Veganmofo: Delicata Squash Soup

Last night my hubby Neil made some wonderful soup from our delicata squash that was part of our CSA this week. He used veganyumyum's recipe for delicata squash soup and it was super yummy! I have a photo but it is on my film camera so you will have to wait until I get them developed and put on a disc. To acompany our soup we had a slice of our Elmore Mountain Pain au Levain bread from our CSA and I made a warm shallot dressing with Sweet Salad Turnips over a Bunch Mizuna. Our entire meal used ingredients from our CSA and were otherwise local and organic it was a great light meal before our first yoga class at Yoga Mountain.

Veganmofo: Moroccan Tofu & Couscous

I got this great Moroccan dipping sauce a few weeks ago and decided it would just takes so good on some tofu. So I marinated to tofu in the sauce for the day and then baked it in the oven for an hour.

For the couscous:
1T olive oil
1 shallot minced
2 roasted red peppers, diced
1/4 c raisins
1 c whole wheat couscous
1 1/2 c boiling water
salt and pepper to taste


Bring a kettle of water to boil. Then sautee the shallots over med-high until soft. Add the peppers, raisins couscous, salt and pepper a stir to combine. Add the boiling water and stir. Remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for 5 min and then fluff with a fork.


I haven't charged the battery for my camera so that is why I still have no picture of my tofu loaf or of this dinner. However Neil is working from home today so he plans on photographing dinner from last night since there were left overs for lunch and then he can also upload the tofu loaf picture.

Vegan Care Swap- update

I hear that there have been some issues with my e-mail cookingforaveganlover@gmail.com if you are finding that it won't let you send to this address please just leave me a comment with your e-mail contact and I will contact you through my e-mail. Thanks!

p.s. Let me know where you are loacted!

Our CSA starts today!

This Week's Share Contains Fennel; Bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; Mixed Sweet Peppers; Walla Walla (Sweet Onions); Bunch Mizuna; Green and/or Purple Pac Choi; Delicata Squash; Bunch Curley Parsley; Red Norland Potatoes; Shallots; Vermont Cranberry Company Dried Cranberries; Maplebrook Farm Ricotta Cheese; and Elmore Mountain Pain au Levain bread.

so our non-vegan partners will take the cheese and we will have to figure out the rest but i am excited to use all these ingredients!

YAY!

Neil got a raise I think this means an out to dinner celebration! We are going out to A Single Pebble! yummy food here we come!

Things have been crazy busy and little real recipe cooking has been done. Mostly we have just been throwing easy things together at home.

Veganmofo- Favorite Chili

I was just lurking some blogs as I waste the last 45 min at work and I came across this recipe for Tempeh Chili and I made this about 2 or 3 months ago and it was amazing. So thick and yummy and I want to make sure the rest of the world knows how great it is.


Tempeh Chili
(from 28 Cooks)

1 (8 oz) pkg tempeh

Marinade
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp Lousiana-style hot sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp sesame oil

4 tbsp oil
4 cloves garlic
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1/2 c water

In large ziploc bag, combine all marinade ingredients. Add tempeh, seal bag, and refrigerate for 1-8 hours (or longer). Grate tempeh with large grater and place into medium bowl with remaining marinade. Heat olive oil over medium-high in large pot. Add garlic and onion, and saute until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, mustard, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and stir for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, beans, tempeh, and water. Stir well, bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30-45 minutes, until chili is thickened. Serve and enjoy!

Care Package Swap

I am glad to see that there has been a good amount of interest that has sparked from the idea of doing a vegan care package exchange. Now I would like to move on to the next step which would be getting this all going. If you are really interested in doing this please send me a an e-mail at cookingforaveganlover@gmail.com by October 31st, 2008. I will then let you know within a week who your partners are and you are expected to send your packages within a month of receiving this information.


Please just send me a note with an e-mail address that you would like to be contacted by and whether you are willing to exchange internationally or not. Please do not send me your address I will then match you up with someone and give each of you each others e-mail contacts and it is up to you to exchange mailing addresses. As well please expect to spend around $20 on goods, if you would like to spend more than do so however do not be disappointed if your partner does not do the same. As well this is all based on trust that whoever is participating in this exchange will actually follow through on the exchange, BE AWARE that someone may default and that there is nothing that I can do regulate whether your partner will follow through or not you have to trust that both of you really want to participate. If you don't feel like you will be able to participate to the full extent please do not respond to this.

I look forward to seeing how many people are interested in participating. Please encourage other vegan bloggers to participate as well.

Vegan November Care Package Swap

So I was drawn to the PPK forum because of this idea of vegan care package exchange which I think is a great idea and would love to participate in. However there are two problems:
1. it's over on the PPK
2. (this is the big one) I have not been posting on the PPK for 6mos. nor do I have 1000 posts so apparently I couldn't even participate if I wanted to....it is said that those who do not fulfill one of the two requirements are statistically more apt to default on the exchange.


So now is where I propose an exchange with someone. I have no idea how many people acutally read this blog but I would really like to put the idea of an exchange out there. I am willing to send anywhere.

So comment below if you are interested and we can get this started.

Veganmofo- survey...3?

I finished the gym earlier than I thought so here I am at my desk dreading the minutes until I acutally feel obligated to start doing something work related. Until then however...lets survey:
(oh and p.s. I took pictures of the tofu loaf ....which was delicious....however my camera battery died and I have to find it's charger so I will upload a picture soon!)

1. What was the most recent tea you drank?
Yogi- peach detox

2. What vegan forums do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
I’m lindzveganlover on the PPK

3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
tofu pumpkin manicotti

4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
pretty much I read blogs constantly at work when I have nothing else to do.

5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
I just read The Spice Must Flow….that’s where I got this survey from

6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?
that’s weird to say.

7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
tofu

8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
what???!um seitan because it is tough.


9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
seitan satay, seitan burgers, sweet and sour crispy seitan

10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
it’s more like which one haven’t I been….
But I really want to make the Spicy Vegan Hot Wings from http://www.myvegancookbook.com/blog/?p=62

11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
no I don’t think so

12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
not yet

13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
the first time I was 17, it didn’t stick I wasn’t healthy about it. Then I began vegan again at 21 and it has stuck.

14. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
hmmm the worst vegan meal was some curry thing that made me really sick that my old roommate lisa made.

15. What made you decide to blog?
I was first inspired by the Fat Free Vegan

16. What are three of your favorite meals to make?
thai, Indian, tacos

17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
FFV’s Green Bean Casserole it is my favorite

18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
Um let’s see….Pad Kee Mao- (veganized) at our local thai place…..um probably like 10 times

19. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
I haven’t ever been to one

20. My kitchen needs...
lets see… my stove needs a hood….and more counters and better lighting and a better fridge/freezer…but we do okay

21. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen!
I don’t really think that there isn’t a veg allowed in my kitchen, yet anyways.

22. What's for dinner tonight?
Chana Masala with mushrooms and spinach and brown rice

23. What is your Favorite Vegan (for vegan friendly if you can’t think of a pure vegan one) Restaurant?

Yuan in Montreal.

24. Add a question here!What would you like me to write about in future entries?

Veganmofo- Tip Top Tofu Loaf

As you might have already known we have been crazy busy with trips to Northampton and Cooperstown/Albany. Along with this we have had house guest so needless to say our house is need of some cleaning. Since I had to get up early with Neil this morning I decided since I had the time I would get dinner ready. Rather than having to rush home after the gym and try and prepare dinner and clean all I have to do is heat the oven and pop my tofu loaf in and cook up some broccoli!


La Dolce Vegan's Tip-Top Tofu Loaf

• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 c medium-firm tofu, drained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 T ketchup
• 2 T tamari
• 1 T dijon mustard
• 1t montreal chicken spice (my own addition)
• 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1 T tahini
• (in La Dolce Vegan the recipe calls for 1/4 t black pepper and 1/4 c parsley, minced however I had no fresh parsley so i omited these and went with montreal chicken spice which already has pepper in it)
  

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 9-inch loaf pan with olive oil and set aside. In a food processor, blend together tofu, onions, garlic, ketchup, tamari, mustard, montreal chicken spice, oat flakes and tahini until well mixed. Pour into baking dish, pressing down evenly into baking pan. Bake for 55-60 min. Let cool 10 min before removing from pan.




4 Servings; per serving: calories 220.5; sodium 697.5mg; fat 10.25g; carbs 14.5g; protein 17g

Veganmofo- Sesame Ginger Stir Fry

Last night for dinner we decided to try a recipe from our new book La Dolce Vegan!


This is our adaptation of the recipe:
(Eileen's) Neil and Lindsay's Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry

• 1 cup of whole wheat couscous
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 package of may way natural veg chik'n
• 1-8oz pkg of shiitake mushrooms
• 1 T sesame oil
• 3 T tahini
• 1 T water
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 pkg of stir fry mix (broccoli, carrots and snowpeas) from the produce section
• 2 T soy sauce

In a medium pot cook the couscous according to directions.

While the couscous is cooking, in a wok on med-high heat, saute the onions, chik'n and mushrooms with the sesame oil. Cook until the onions are translucent.

In a small bowl, stir together the tahini and water until smooth. Set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, and veggie to the pan and saute for 2-3 min. Add the tahini and soy sauce. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 4-6 min. Serve over couscous.
Makes 4 servings.

4 servings- per serving: calories 326; fat 17g; sodium 792mg; carbs 27g; dietary fiber 13g; sugar 3g; protein 15g

Veganmofo- What's in your (vegan) freezer?

What's in your (vegan) Freezer?

Started by Billy

Here's how it works:

1. Take a picture of the items in your freezer


2. Post the picture to your blog and give a summary of the items


3. Tag 5 vegan bloggers

Here's a look into my freezer:

• mock eel
• veggie healthy chicken
• veggie smoked chicken
• bac'n ham
• citrus spare ribs
• bbq pork
• Eggplant slices
• broccoli
• stir fry vegetables
• corn
• peas
• filo dough
• ice
• Frangelico
• edamame

So it seems we have a freezer full of veggie meats and vegetables. Neil and I went on a MayWah (vegieworld.com) shopping spree about a month ago and we are still eating our massive supply of veggie meats.



I'm tagging:

1. Addicted to Olives
   
2. Vegan Appetite
   
3. How to Feed a Vegan
   
4. Spotted Devil Cat
   
5. Show Me Vegan
   

Veganmofo- Apple Almond- Crumb Cake Muffins

We had some left over apples that were beyond what I like eating; pretty much as soon as they get soft I am over them. So I decided to make some muffins.

For Muffins:

• 1 c flour
• 1/2 c almond meal
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 c + 2T sugar
  
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground allspice
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 plain soy milk
• 1/3 c canola oil
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 c grated apple
• 1/2 c diced apple

For Topping:

• 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• pinch of salt
• 3 T canola oil
• 1/4 c maple granola

Prepare the topping by mixing all the dry topping ingredients except the granola together in a small bowl. Drizzle the oil in 1 T at a time while mixing with your fingertips until crumbs form. It may be slightly went. Then add the granola in and mix to crumble. Set aside

Preheat oven to 375F, line the muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl mix together th flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and almond meal. Create a well in the center and add the soy milk, oil and vanilla. Mix, then fold in the grated and chopped apple.

Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. Bake for 22 min.

Made 11 muffins- per muffin: calories 226; fat 10g; sodium 189mg; carbs 30g; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 26g; protein 4g

Veganmofo- Foo Kin Chinese

This weekend my husband and I went to Cooperstown, NY. I had done some research prior to our trip and was feeling pretty disappointed because it seemed that there were no vegan options in this town except for your standard veggie sandwiches, salads and veggie burgers. However, to our surpirse we found a great Chinese restaurant that had a number of vegan options.

Foo Kin Chinese is located right around the corner from the Baseball Hall of Fame and is small and kinda sketchy looking but amazing. It is all family run, the dad cooks the kids seat and serve and the mom helps out as well.

We had:

(Steamed or) Fried Vegetable Dumplings (6) 3.95- These were amazing they were filled with mushrooms and cabbage and were just so good and the sauce that came with them was amazing as well.

then we split:

GENERAL TSO's BEAN CURD 8.25
Fried bean curd w. sautéed broccoli
with hot & spicy sauce.

This was good too the tofu was all crispy and yummy the sauce was good not the best general tso's I've ever had but it was satisfying.

Their other vegan options include:

• Vegetables
  (w. Rice)
  Per Order
  Bean Curd w. Garlic Sauce 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Szechuan Sauce 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Mixed Vegetables 7.25
  Kung Po Bean Curd 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Broccoli 7.25
  Broccoli w. Black Bean Sauce 6.25
  Mixed Chinese Vegetables 6.25
  Sautéed Broccoli 6.25
  Broccoli w. Garlic Sauce 6.25
  Stir Fried Snow Peas 7.25
  Buddhist Delight 7.25
• Diet Dishes Special
  (w. Rice & Ginger Sauce)
  Per Order
  Mixed Vegetables or Plain Broccoli 6.00
  Steamed Snow Peas 6.95
  Bean Curd w. Mixed Vegetables 6.95
• Sesame Cold Noodles 3.95

Overall we enjoyed it and were glad that we found something vegan in Cooperstown that wasn't just a veggie burger.

Overall- 3.375/5

Service -4/5

Food Quality - 3.5/5

Atmosphere - 2/5

Vegan Options 4/5

Location: 48 - 50 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY
Hours:
Mon. - Thurs.: 11:00am - 10:30pm
Fri. & Sat.: 1100:am - 11:30pm
Sunday: 12:00 noon - 10:00pm

Times Visited: 1

Hemingway's Restaurant

Hemingway's Restaurant
4988 US ROUTE 4 • KILLINGTON, VT • (802) 422-3886

Four Course Vegetable Menu
Three tasting portions of vegetable or dairy items plus dessert: $55 per person.
An all vegan menu may be had with advance notice.
Following are sample menu items:Vegetable Strudel with Pine Nuts
Asparagus Flan
Risotto of Local Exotic Mushrooms
Crown Romanesco with Autumn Root Vegetables
Timbale of Zucchini with Fresh Herbs and Couscous

We have a four course vegetarian menu available each evening, which can
be made Vegan.

Ted Fondulas
Chef Owner

Christmas Came Early

My in-laws are here right now and last night we had Christmas with them, early I know, eh? However we are not going to be able to make it the Maritmes before Easter weekend so since they were coming here anyways we decided to celebrate Christmas in October. I was lucky enough to receive a nice holder for my cookbooks so that when I am making things my hands don't make my book all dirty and I won't have to prop it open with cans or anything else that will hold the pages down. I also received:

I am so excited to start making things from it!

Veganmofo- Pastabilities

Pastabilities is located at 4735 Williston Road in Williston, Vermont (West of the Industrial Ave and Williston Road intersection. Right next to Mr. G's.)
802-598-5513
Open Daily 11am-7pm, Closed Sunday

Response from my inquiry about vegan options:
Hi,

All our stock pastas contain eggs at this point in time. However, the pizza crust and sauce is egg/animal free. You could do a vegan pizza if you opt to go without any cheese. We also make our own pita bread for sandwiches, so there are vegan options there. We've tested some vegan pastas, but haven't produced any yet. If you were interested in a special order, we could arrange to make a batch of fettuccini or spaghetti. Unfortunately there isn't much demand for Vegan though, so I'd have to ask you to purchase at least half the batch, which would be 10 lbs. I'd try to sell the other half here. Shelf life is almost indefinite if kept frozen.
Thanks,Dan

Veganmofo- Daily Planet

I e-mailed the Daily Planet http://www.dailyplanet15.com/ to inquire about the vegan options that they offer.
The Daily Planet
15 Center St.
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 862-9647

This is what they said:

Hi Lindsay

These are our vegan options:

Field Greens - Mixed baby greens dressed with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette 5.00

Thai Peanut Noodles - Fresh garden vegetables and linguini tossed in a spicy peanut sauce 7.00

Marinated Portabella Sandwich - Served on sundried tomato focaccia with basil pesto and fresh mozzarella. Accompanied by a spinach-roasted red pepper salad, in a balsamic vinaigrette 8.00(w/out the cheese)

Citrus Caponata Eggplant, red plums, blood oranges, figs and walnuts. Over a savory, rosemary-cracked pepper waffle 18.00 (without the waffle)

Thank you for your interest
Kristi
The Daily Planet

Veganmofo- another survey

1.. Favorite non-dairy milk?
I really like the Kirkland brand (Costco) Vanilla soymilk but lately we have been buying Westsoy which is pretty good

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Oh I have about a million recipes that I am planning to make I will however be making green bean casserole, pumpkin whoppie pies and lots of curry

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
salt, nutritional yeast, and chili powder and cumin.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
lentil soup first attempt it was just awful.

5. Favorite pickled item?
green beans.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
clutter

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
compost, recycle and trash when there is no other option

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)?
chickpeas, pasta and garlic

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
mom’s monkey bread at every holiday ….yumm I wish there were vegan prepackaged biscuits 

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
purely decadent turtle something rather

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
cuisinart immersion blender

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
cumin

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
I don’t know ……my first vegan one however was vegan with a vengeance

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
raspberry jam

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
hmmmm …..curry?

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I use tofu the most because it is the least expensive however I enjoy tempeh and seitan they all have their place.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Dinner.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
nothing there is a cupboard above it

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
edamame, frangelico, eggplant

20. What's on your grocery list?
um about a million things I need to go shopping

21. Favorite grocery store?
Healthy Living

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
doughnuts

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
I bloglines so I view about 500 food blogs a day my favorites however are vegan yum yum and how to feed a vegan

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
dagoba

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
umm….i have no idea.

And another questionnaire since I am bored and exhausted at work

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
local and organic haha ….probably local

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:
mashed

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
not really. I miss the tofu you could get in Canada that isn’t waterpacked

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
green bean casserole

5. Any food allergies?
No.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
A Single Pebble

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
Soup and Chili

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
Filtered

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
I don’t know?

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
I will get back to you on that one

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
pineapple

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
portobello

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
NO DISHWASHER not enough counters no vent over the stove

14. Last food you burned?
popcorn

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
lame question…moving on

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
chai

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?
I don’t know

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?
ooo there are too many things

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
I try and plan a menu at the start of the week based on what we have in our cupboards, what we desire and the new recipes that I have found

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
cliff bar

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win?
Martha she went to jail she probably scrapped some there haha

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
soy milk and raisins

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
spain

24. Favorite late night snack?
spring rolls

25. Favorite springtime food?
asparagus

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
Veg News

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
tamari.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
baby corn

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
green bean casserole

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
neil’s parents

Veganmofoing- break for a few days

Neil and I will be taking a break from blogging for a few days as his parents are visiting from New Brunswick. As well I am exhausted and did not cook yesturday because we decided to take a 2.5 hour (each way) road trip to Northampton, MA to see Okkervil River and the What Cheer Brigade

both were amazing. There was also another band- Crooked Fingers- but they were awful I took a nap during their set.

Anyways with such busy events going on there has been little time for cooking however Neil and I are going to be going to dinner with his parents while they are here since they don't care much for vegan eats and we will be heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (where there is nowhere for us to dine) but we will let you know about our dining adventures upon our return.

Veganmofo: We have a CSA share with Pete's Greens!

I have just been notified that we were able to get a CSA share with Pete's Greens. We will be splitting this share with another couple as the fall-winter share is veggies and localvore products and although they can make the share vegetarian they are unable to make it vegan so there will be eggs and dariy products, however the couple we are splitting with are willing to take the animal products in exchange for vegan localvore products. Neil and I have wanted to do this for awhile and we are so excited about it. For $23 a week for 17 weeks we will be receiving localvore products and local organic vegetables how can you not love it. I find that this will be really inspiring to take on the challenge of using produce that is either foreign to us or not something we use in our everyday lives.


Mid-November Example Share
2 Festival Winter Squash
¾ lb. Winter Greens
1 Bunch Kale
2 lb. Ailsa Craig Onions
2 lb. Carrots
1 lb. Pac Choi
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 Napa Cabbage
5 lb. Rolled Oats
Other products that will be taken by the other couple:
1 Dozen Eggs
½ lb. Jasper Hill Clothbound Cheddar


Visit http://www.petesgreens.com/ for more information

Veganmofo- Kismet Kitchen

Another great place that Neil failed to mention is Kismet Kitchen on Barre Street in Montpelier. Although neither vegan nor vegetarian they are very accommodating to your individual dietary needs and even have vegan crepes. It is absolutely amazing for breakfast and trust me you will leave and need to unbutton the top of your pants, untuck your shirt and loosen your belt. They are open
breakfast
brunch
and lunch.......
wednesday through sunday 8-3
(kitchen closes at 2:45)
Also be aware that is Cash or Check only! No cards!


“when the work we do is motivated by our best intentions, we are ultimately rewarded
with the divine gifts of inspiration, joy, and pleasure.
As we devote more and more of each day to this good work, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to better ourselves and our community.
At kismet, we believe that through our intimate relationships with local farmers, individual customers and clients, our staff, and our neighbors, we are able to feed ourselves with the abundance that surrounds us. We use food as our medium, like artists, musicians, or healers, to keep us engaged and connected to our vision.
Using as much local food as we can, sourcing all of our other ingredients, and making as much as we can from scratch (like butter, ketchup, mustard, and kombucha), we have the ability to control and maintain the quality and intimacy of the food we are serving.
Sure, it's just food- but we're sure that its good food,
and it sure does feel good making it.” (Kismet Kitchen Website- http://kismetkitchen.com/default.aspx)