xo.Cooking for a Vegan Lover.xo

Gentle Reminder

2009-08-24T11:41:00.000-04:00

Just a gentle reminder that my blog has moved to wordpress

http://cookingforaveganlover.wordpress.com

holiday wrap up link

2009-01-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

http://cookingforaveganlover.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/holiday-wrap-up/

NEW AND IMPROVED BLOG

2008-12-30T14:23:00.002-05:00

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

Holiday Dinner

2008-12-26T10:05:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-17T07:59:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-09T07:55:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-08T14:15:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-04T07:12:00.014-05:00

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

2008-12-03T05:56:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

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

2008-12-01T08:53:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-24T17:55:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-24T13:55:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-21T09:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-18T06:42:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-17T10:44:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-14T09:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-13T09:52:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-13T09:33:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-12T14:38:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-11-11T07:41:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-05T07:20:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-03T06:24:00.010-05:00

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

2008-10-30T10:15:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-30T06:56:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-10-29T07:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-29T07:46:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-27T07:13:00.005-04:00

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

saute the fennel onion and potato for 5 min over med-high.
add the bell pepper and spices and cook for 20 min stirring occassionally.
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

2008-10-24T13:33:00.001-04:00

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

Veganmofo- Rhapsody- Montpelier

2008-10-24T12:35:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-24T07:11:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-23T07:07:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-22T13:58:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-10-22T13:23:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-10-21T13:39:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-20T15:57:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-20T06:29:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-17T12:10:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-10-17T07:47:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-16T07:15:00.006-04:00

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

2008-10-15T07:13:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-10-14T07:25:00.007-04:00

What's in your (vegan) Freezer?

Started by Billy

Here's how it works:

Take a picture of the items in your freezer

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

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:

Veganmofo- Apple Almond- Crumb Cake Muffins

2008-10-14T06:49:00.006-04:00

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

2008-10-13T12:00:00.008-04:00

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

2008-10-10T11:37:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-10T11:19:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-10T10:58:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-10T07:24:00.007-04:00

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

2008-10-09T11:19:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-09T08:22:00.005-04:00

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!

2008-10-07T13:20:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-07T11:17:00.001-04:00

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)

VeganMofo- Italian Tomato Sauce

2008-10-06T18:21:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Neil and I had my parents and grandma down for lunch. I made some yummy tomato sauce to go along with the salad and apple crisp my mom brought.
The sauce was adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen (copyright 1977)

Saute in a large pot:
3T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1T minced garlic
3t italian spice
2 bay leaves
2 t salt
1/2 lb coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/2 c nutritional yeast

when onions are clear and very soft, add:
1-28oz can of roasted tomatoes
1- 13oz can of diced italian tomoatoes
2T red wine
2t sugar

Turn the heat way down. Cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Vegan MoFo: Review of my favourite vegan friendly restaurants in Vermont

2008-10-06T16:29:00.003-04:00

Since moving to Vermont from Fredericton, NB, Canada, I must say that I feel rather spoiled by the great options for veg*n dining throughout Vermont. In Fredericton, there were very few options available to vegans (for the most part french fries/salad and the occasional boca type veggie burger) and what was available was often bland and uninspiring. I'm not a food critic, so I won't go into too many details, but here's a quick run down of some of the Vermont restaurants that my my partner, Lindsay, and I enjoy eating at as vegans are:

Stone Soup
College St
Burlington, Vermont
This vegan friendly counter service restaurant has a great, always fresh salad bar, a number of veg*n friendly hot and cold sandwiches and fresh vegan baked goods! I love the vegan macaroons and the Vegan club sandwich!

Bee's Knees
Morrisville, Vermont
http://www.thebeesknees-vt.com/
The Bee's Knees is a small, locally run cafe in Morrisville, Vermont with a really welcoming, community oriented feel to it. They often have many different veg*n dishes including great salads and sandwiches. My favourites are the mock pulled pork (mushrooms and eggplant i believe) and the tofu breakfast sandwiches (I love being able to get vegan breakfast that consists of more than just homefries). The menu indicates which options are vegan friendly and which can be made vegan friendly on request. They have local music acts playing there fairly regularly as well.

A Single Pebble
http://www.asinglepebble.com/intro.htm
Classical Chinese cuisine in downtown Burlington. Offers many traditional Chinese dishes including many veg*n options including my favourites mock eel (made from mushrooms) and the Buddha's Beef (made from seitan).

Pho Dang Vietnamese Cafe
Winooski, Vt
http://www.7nvt.com/7n/listing.htm?establishment_id=793
This Vietnamese cafe makes up for what it's lacking in atmosphere by it's great, fresh food. It has a very lunch room sort of feel to it but that really doesn't matter once you taste their great soups and tofu dishes. The portions are huge and the prices are cheap.

Ocha/Royal Orchid
Waterbury/Montpelier, Vermont
These two Thai restaurants are owned by the same family. Both restaurants seem to have very similar menus with slight variations between the two. They have many veg*n dishes and are willing to make changes to other dishes to accommodate veg*n customers as well. The menu is split into curries, noodle dishes, rice dishes and vegetable/stir fry dishes with your choice of tofu or meat. We usually start off our meal with the fresh rolls which is a soft rice paper roll with tofu, rice noodles and just a taste of mint with a nice light sweet and sour sauce for dipping. It's a nice light and fresh start to the meal. The entrees we have had are the pad ki mao (my personal favourite, a wide rice noodle dish with thai basil and chilli), brocolli and tofu in a nice creamy peanut sauce, penang and massuman curries (personal favourites at home when my parnter cooks them and both very well done by the restaurants) and the pad thai (with no fish sauce or eggs). The pad thai is closer to a traditional pad thai than what people in New Brunswick knew as pad thai (spicy peanut sauce with rice noodles). While the Waterbury location seems to be a bit pricier, it also has a nicer atmosphere than the Montpelier location and I typically find the food to be a little better. Entrees are typically in the $10 range while the appetizers are in the $3 to $5 range.

Pacific Rim
Burlington, Vt
Pacific Rim is one of my favourite spots to eat when we're in Burlington. It is a mainly Korean Asian restaurant in downtown Burlington. There is a good selection of salads/appetizers and main courses that are veg*n friendly. The food is fresh, flavourful and very affordable. They also have a good drink menu with asian takes on popular drinks and lots of ginger! It's a very informal seat yourself sort of atmosphere with fairly decent service considering how busy things can get there.

Magnolia Bistro
Burlington, Vermont
Hidden away in downtown Burlington is Vermont's only truly green restaurant, Magnolia Bistro. Magnolia focuses on eco-friendly, fair trade, local and organic foods and offers a twist on regular breakfast and lunch fare. They have many veg*n friendly options and the menu indicates what is vegan or can be adapted to be vegan. Some of the veg*n options you can order vegan french toast, substitute eggs for tofu in breakfast dishes or if you're not in a breakfast mood go for a garbanzo burger. The food is fresh tasting, well seasoned and fairly affordable considering the quality of ingredients used.

Time to wrap up this entry as my bus home is due to arrive any moment. Hope that some of you can elaborate more on veg*n friendly places to eat in and around Vermont or even provide more insight on the places I've decided to mention!

Neil

Veganmofo: Survey

2008-10-05T07:43:00.002-04:00

1. Name a song that involves food in some way.
That peaches song by the Presidents of the US of A
2. What criteria do you use when choosing a new cookbook to buy?
must have interesting recipes that are different than books I already have
3. What did you eat today?
nothing yet but my hubby is making apple cinnamon pancakes and my parents and Gma are coming and we having a pasta dinner.
4. Name a vegan food that you know exists but you have never tried.
Donuts, I want to try so bad. Also Sheese, I have tried other fake cheeses but never this kind.
5. The Food Network just called and needs you to start your new show tomorrow. What will the title of the show be?
Vegan Cooking for Everyone
6. Favorite hot sauce or other spicy condiment?
I love Vermont Pepper Works Chocolate Chipotle
7. How old were you when you became vegetarian/vegan?
9 Vegetaran- 17-vegan, then 18 vegetarain- 21 vegan
8. Favorite vegan cheeze?
Almond Cheeze- Herb and Garlic
9. Cutest baby animal?
kittens, puppies, COWS (i love cows)
10. Favorite type of jam/jelly/marmalade/preserves?
pepper jelly and raspberry jam, and apricot preserves
11. Do you take any vitamins/supplements?
B12 and Iron
12. What food/dish most embodies the Fall season?
Squash soup (my hubby makes the best)
13. What food would you have a hard time living without?
onions
14. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
tea
15. It's 10PM and you're starving. What do you eat?
crackers and hummus
16. If you have an animal companion, what is his/her favorite food?
Ariel loves Science Diet (the only fish one she is picky), she also surprisingly likes raspberry pie
17. Worst injury you've gotten in the kitchen?
sliced my hand when I was 10 trying to cut up carrots
18. When you have a food-related question, who do you call?
mom, or i google
19. Summer is ending- What food will you miss most?
green beans and Tomatoes
20. What snacks do you keep in your purse/backpack/desk at work?
apples, pretzels, granola bars
21. Favorite soup to make on a rainy day?
carrot or squash
22. What's your favorite combination of fresh vegetable and/or fruit juices?
raspberry, mango, apple, cranberry
23. Favorite brand of root beer?
i don't really drink root beer. I like Boyles though
24. What is one dish that you have never but would like to veganize?
Pecan Pie
25.Make up your own question!
I already made up a bunch- this one's for the rest of you.

Ariel our baby cat ...and other kitties I miss

2008-10-03T09:47:00.010-04:00

Here is Clyde our lovely little guy who was only with us for 2 months before he was too sick to stay with us :(
clyde

clyde

Clyders

our old roomates' cat vaughn aka super cat

hahaha... oh vaughn

and of course her boyfriends cat Jazmine who was the most loveable thing ever

And then there is Ariel our Princess Baby

She just loves this sweater...haha...not really

she loves drinking from cups more than her water bowl

Veganmofo: Cupcakes and Squash

2008-10-03T08:32:00.009-04:00

This morning I was very ambituous and I decided to makes cupcakes and roasted squash soup for a dear friend of mine who just found out her father has cancer. She is home right now to be with him and her mom and I decided to make some "lets be positive cupcakes" and some yummy comforting roasted squash soup. I am going to deliver them to her tonight after work, I hope they enjoy them!

Roasted Squash Soup:

adapted from Andrea's Recipes

Ingredients
1whole butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 whole acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

fresh ground black pepper

kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine

1 onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

6 cups of vegetable broth

1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage

1/4 cup plain soy milk

1 T maple syrup

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut the butternut and acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Place face down on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool so that you can handle it without getting burned. (If you have a convection oven, do not preheat. Put the prepared squash on the baking sheets and put into the cold oven. Bake at 400° F for 20 to 25 minutes.)
3. Scoop all of the squash out into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
4. Melt the margarine in the pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, mashed squash, and herbs and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Pour about 1/3 of the soup into the blender and puree. Pour puree out into the large bowl and repeat two more times. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot. Stir in the soy milk and maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Cupcakes:

I added thawed frozen raspberries and saved the juice for the frosting.

Frosting Recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, we use Earth Balance

1/4 juice of raspberries

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
INSTRUCTIONS
Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

Veganmofo: Yummy Pizza

2008-10-03T08:29:00.005-04:00

So we had some yummy pizza last night...I know we were all about the mashed potoates but it just didn't happen so hopefully tonight it will. But we ran around and didn't get home until late and then we wanted to watch the debate so we made a quick pizza using this wonderful crust:

It was so good. Not too thick, but not too thin and it held our topings of mushroom, marinara, green onions and sundried tomatoes perfectly.

Veganmofo: Comfort Food

2008-10-02T07:50:00.006-04:00

Tonight we are having a big bowl of comfort food- mashed potatoes. Neil received a big bag of potatoes from a guy at work and now we have to use them. The plan is to make some yummy Montreal Chicken Spice Mashed (rather whipped) Potatoes. They will then be topped with vegan gravy, french fried onions and to add a little green we will have some salt and pepper roasted brussel sprouts on the side. I know not the most well balanced meal but we have been craving something warm, creamy and comforting in these last few cold and rainy days in VT.

Vegan Gravy (adapted from Vegetarian Gravy on http://www.vegcooking.com/)
3 Tbsp. Earth Balance
3 Tbsp. corn starch
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I like to use Veggie Better than Boullion)
3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce salt and pepper to taste
• Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cornstarch. Stir over moderate heat for a few minutes until the flour turns brown.
• Pour in the water or stock and stir slightly until thickened. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the soy sauce and a little seasoning to taste, if desired

For the Potatoes:
4 potatoes, diced
3/4 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 T Montreal Chicken Spice (trust me makes all the difference)

Cook the potatoes and then add the remaining ingredients and whip with electric beaters.

For the Brussels sprouts:
1 bag frozen sprouts (fresh if you can)
1t salt
1/2t pepper
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Defrost sprouts slightly and then cut them in half, arrange in a baking dish, and set aside.
• Mix the salt, pepper, and olive oil and pour the mixture over the Brussels sprouts. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. Turn after about 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
Makes 4 servings

Veganmofo: Dinner Tonight

2008-10-01T09:22:00.007-04:00

Sesame Soy Curls with Asparagus and Roasted Garlic Couscous

Adapted from http://veganyumyum.com/2008/05/sesame-soy-curls-with-asparagus-and-quinoa/

Serves Four

1 package Dry Soy curls

2 Tbs Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2t chili flakes (I like mine spicy)

1 box frozen asparagus

2 Tbs Sugar

5 Tbs Soy Sauce/Tamari

2 Tbs Rice Vinegar

2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds for garnish.

Place soy curls in a bowl and cover with boiling/near boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes or so to re-hydrate. Once hydrated, squeeze out any remaining liquid.
Heat a wok over high heat and add oil. Add soy curls and stir-fry until browned. Remove curls from the wok and add garlic, chili and veggies (using more oil if needed). When asparagus is bright green and tender-crisp, add soy curls back into the wok. Add soy sauce, sugar and vinegar and toss well. Drizzle sesame oil over the top. Taste a soy curl and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve over Roasted Garlic Couscous

I am using Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous

Friendly Fall Feast

2008-09-20T22:59:00.006-04:00

With fall quickly approaching (if not here in all but date only), Lindsay and I have been looking forward to making good, hearty, stick to your ribs type of meals with all the lovely food we have been able to get at the local farmer's market as well as from our own garden.

As I've gotten older, fall has definitely become my favourite season. I love the crisp smell in the air, the changing colours of the foliage (and now that I'm in Vermont, it's even more beautiful than back home in NB), cuddling close to my lover to keep her warm at night and not to mention being able to wear sweaters and long sleeve shirts again.

Lindsay had a couple of her girlfriends down visiting from Burlington today and we decided to take advantage of that and go all out and make a four course meal featuring all kinds of different local goods. After some searching online, Lindsay found a good inspiration for our fall feast on Vegan Yum Yum. We spent the morning at the Farmer's Market in Montpelier picking up the rest of what we needed to prepare our feast for our guests.

To start, Lindsay made a green salad using mesclan mix and spicy sprouts and a maple vinagrette made from Vermont maple syrup, dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. It was a nice light start to the meal.

For the second course, I made a roasted squash soup out of three different squashes that we had grown in our (organic) garden at Lindsay's parents house in Waterville. The three varieties of squash we used were acorn, buttercup, spaghetti. We cut each of the squash in half, drizzled olive oild over them, and roasted them in the oven for 45 minutes at 425 F. I started the soup by sautéing a medium sized onion and four large garlic cloves (from a local organic farm at the Rutland, Vt farmers market) until they were tender, being careful not to burn them. At this point I added the squash, fresh thyme, fresh sage and vegetable stock and let the soup simmer for some time allowing the squash to become more tender and the flavours to come together. At this point, I used an immersion blender to puree the soup and then added soy cream (which I made using soy milk, flour and some sugar) as well as Vermont maple syrup. After mixing that in, I seasoned the soup with sea salt and fresh pepper to taste. I made the soup a five or six hours before dinner which allowed the soups flavours to develop even more. I think the mix of the different types of squash gave it a nice flavour that you wouldn't experience if using just one type of squash.

Following Lindsay and I made a variation on Shepherd's pie using lentils rather than ground meat (obviously) or a meat replacement. The base of the meal was sort of a stew made using lentils, peas, veggie stock, fresh sage, fresh thyme, garlic, carrots, and onions (the last three all from the local farmer's market). She used a flour and water slurry to help thicken the stew. We topped the stew off with a couple scoops of whipped yellow potatoes that we had gotten from the farmer at the Rutland Farmer's market the weekend before. It turned out really well and is something we would definitely make again (and I'm really looking forward to eating the leftovers)

Of course, no meal is complete without dessert. And no fall dessert is complete without pumpkin (well, I think so at least!). For our final course, Lindsay had prepared Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from a recipe that she had gotten from Vegan Yum Yum. They turned out better than I ever could have imagined. I think Lindsay was most excited by the fact that she finally got to put our kitchenaid to good use. The flavour for the cookie batter came from the pumpkin puree, molasses, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. She then made a cream cheeze frosting using vegan cream cheeze and icing sugar. Of course being the loving husband that I am, I volunteered to taste test the batter. It reminded me of a molasses cookie but more sweet and rich. The whoopie pies were a great finish to the evening and I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow :)

We have decided to sign up as members of a CSA with Pete's Greens and are looking forward to making the most of all the amazing fall and winter vegetables that we will be getting from them.

What a little research will find you....

2008-09-19T12:16:00.005-04:00

So I have spent the morning doing some research on restaurants- specifically chain ones. I was just inspecting Uno's and i found that their Balsamic dressing isn't vegan:

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS: soy oil, balsamic vinegar, water, salt, sugar, xantham gum, spice, garlic, fish oil, caramel, pg alginate, calcium disodium, paprika.

kinda scary to think that balsamic vinaigrette would have fish in it!

CPK has a vegetarian menu and it detials the vegan options:
http://www.cpk.com/menu/vegetarian_%20gluten.pdf

also BE AWARE Panda Express is NOT vegetarian they use a chicken base!

Legal Seafoods:

Vegetarian Box (vegan friendly) 17.95
Asian flavored stir-fried vegetables, Thai red coconut curry sauce, cashews, tofu and brown rice

Yummy Kung Bao Chik'n

2008-09-18T07:53:00.002-04:00

Last night I made stir fry veggies with May Way's Kung Bao Chicken over whole wheat couscous. It was amazing the flavor was just right and it had a little spice to it and the texture was great (I bet it could even fool grandma!). It was great to finally eat something so yummy considering that the last thing we tired from May Way was the prawns and they were awful. So far we have tried
BBQ Pork - receives an A
Chicken Legs- receives a B
Prawns- receives a F-
Kung Bao Chicken- Receives an A+

I have pictures to come I just need to upload them. And of course I just got to work with my beautiful creation of sesame-peanut noodles and I forgot to take a picture!

A Picnic Dilemma....

2008-09-17T08:51:00.002-04:00

So tomorrow is my department picnic and it's a pot luck so everyone is to bring something...of course I'm the only vegan in my department....as well as the only vegetarian. There is one uy who is really into vegetarian/vegan cooking however he's the exception out of the other 35 people. I checked the list today and there is very little for me to eat, so this is what it boils down to- whatever I make is what I am going to be eating so it better be yummy! (of course haha).

I have decided to go with sesame peanut noodles because I think that it will go over relatively well with everyone. Some might think it is strange but I hope people will be willing to give it a chance I mean really unless you have a peanut allergy most everyone I know enjoys peanut noodles.

I found this recipe for Seasme-Peanut Noodles and I think it will work great with a few alterations

Adapted from:
Sesame-Peanut Noodles
by Ted Allen
from The Food You Want to Eat
(Clarkson Potter, 2005) (found on http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/cookbook/sesame_noodles.html)
Serves 4

Kosher salt for boiling noodles
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, cashews, or whatever nuts you have
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin or sherry (see Note)
2 medium garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
1 English cucumber (also called hothouse cukes — the long, skinny ones), peeled
1 pound soba noodles (I really don't like the taste and texture of Soba Noodles so i am going with fettucine)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced 1/4 inch thick on an angle (I like the white part too so i am mixing them in and garnishing with the greens)

I am also going to top with some bean sprouts and shredded carrot to give it some color and crunch!

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water) to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. In a food processor, combine the peanut butter, sesame oil, peanuts, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin or sherry, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Process to a purée. Stir in half the toasted sesame seeds.

4. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon; discard the seeds. Slice the cucumber halves crosswise about 1/4 inch thick; set aside.

5. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain very well, shaking the colander until it stops dripping, and dump into a bowl. Add the peanut mixture, cilantro, and black pepper, and toss to coat. Turn out onto a large platter. Arrange the cucumber slices around the edge of the platter, sprinkle the scallions on top, and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on last. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine; you'll find it in the Asian section of your supermarket.

I am going to save some for dinner tomorrow night because my husband loves peanut noodles and top it with some yummy smoked tofu.

Pictures to come! and updates on how well it goes over!

May Wah- Veggie Prawns

2008-09-15T09:05:00.002-04:00

Last night my husband and I had stir fry Thai noodles with veggie Prawns that we had purchased from May Wah (vegieworld.com). I have to say by far they were the worst tasting veggie thing I have ever had. The consistency was slimmy and just completely unappetizing. It turned me off from my whole meal. On a positive note the veggie pork and chicken that we have tried from May Wah has been great so far just the prawns were awful and we would never recommend buying.

May Wah

2008-09-10T08:55:00.010-04:00

I am excited to post that we just received a huge package of food from May Wah (www.vegieworld.com).

This is what we got:

I am so excited to use it all!

So far I have used the BBQ Pork which was amazing. We first had it as a side with some stirfry veggies and brown rice, just heated up. Then today we are having it in an Asian BBQ stirfry with mushrooms, peppers and onions over whole wheat couscous YUM!

I used some of the chik'n legs and made a shake and bake with them and I plan to make some buffalo wings with the remainder.

More updates, pictures and recipes soon!

Back from Our Disneymoon!...our dining experience

2008-09-04T08:23:00.013-04:00

Neil and I just got back from a wonderful (but very short) Disney Honeymoon. We had 4 nights/3 days at Disney and it was the best time (we can't wait to go back). We stayed at the Port Orleans- French Quarter and it was great we even got upgraded to a river view room, we originally were supposed to be facing the parking lot. It was also a great place because there was a boat that takes you to downtown Disney we we were the first bus stop for all the parks.

Our first day we just wondered around some of the Disney Resort hotels and downtown Disney. We went to the Contemporary Resort were we played some games at the arcade and then went to lunch at The Wave.

We got honeymoon sparkling shiraz wine it was Delicious!

I had the vegetarian (vegan) stew with wild rice it was amazing. It was filled with fresh veggies and had a light vegetable broth.

Neil had the veggie tofu sandwich sans goat cheese and it was just as amazing and came with oven roasted potatoes.

Following this we went back to the hotel and lounged by the pool for a bit before we had to head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. Dinner at Boma was great the chef came out and walked us through the buffet to let us know what dishes were vegan she was also willing to make us some other dishes if there wasn't enough but there was a ton of options. We had couscous, roasted veggies, a variety of rices, falafel and some yummy olive hummus, as well as a variety of salads and fruit! Our waiter was great too and got us a special desert some raspberry and coconut sorbet because there was nothing at the buffet we could have, overall it was great!

The next day we went to Epcot and Hollywood Studios (former MGM). We went to lunch at Epcot at the Rose and Crown Dining Room where we had a great lunch of vegetable curry with quinoa and bread and vegetable samosas with tamarind and mango sauce (sorry no picture we were so hungry).

Once it started to pour we decided to take a walk over to Hollywood Studios where we had a great time, Neil loved the Tower of Terror. We decided to go to dinner there at the Brown Derby where we had a yummy coconut crusted tofu noodle bowl that was filled with bok choy, edamame and shiitake mushrooms with a red curry sauce.

And we also got another free glass of champagne this time with a strawberry!

Our last day we went to Animal Kingdom which ended up being our favorite park I could have spent the entire weekend there it was so amazing. We went to the Rainforest Cafe where we had a portobello sandwich which was good. We spent the 2nd part of the day at Magic Kingdom which was packed! We were overwhelmed by all the people but made sure not to leave before we stopped at the Ice Cream Parlor and had some Toffuti! I had chocolate which was so yummy and Neil had vanilla.

Over all we had an amazing time and can't wait to go back!

Vegan 100

2008-08-27T09:02:00.002-04:00

Hannah over at BitterSweet has created the the vegan's hundred...a play on the omnivore's hundred that's been circulating foodie blogs lately. Here's how it works:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue -
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice Scream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate(vegan)
31. Wasabi peas
32. (vegan)Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with vegan buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. veganGumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut - not in vegan form...yet.
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores not vegan ones yet
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages (vegan)
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can the vegan kind ya
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky vegan
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup vegan
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

77/100 not bad!
-Lindsay

Busy

2008-08-08T09:19:00.001-04:00

I have been horrible about starting back at my blogging, however after our honeymoon things will hopefully settle down and Neil and I can really get into making consistent entries. So until September things will be crazy and entries lacking!

Leftover Chinese Challenge

2008-07-21T18:43:00.002-04:00

We had a big family take out night from Green Dragon Chinese in Morrisville Vermont on Saturday and my husband and I wanted to dry something different than our usual General Tsao Tofu and Broccoli with garlic sauce that we always seem to get . So to be "daring" we tried the tofu with black bean sauce and the green beans with garlic sauce and some yummy veggie spring rolls. The green beans were pretty good and the springs rolls very yummy however the tofu with black bean sauce just didn't work for us, the sauce was nice but it was all just a little too slimy.

However, never wanting to waste food I decided to try and save what was left of the tofu so it wouldn't just get thrown out. We had some left over white rice as well so I decided why not try some black bean tofu rice cakes with a green bean and garlic sauce? I blended the left over tofu and it's sauce and then mixed it with the left over rice, I added just about a tablespoon of flour to help combine things and then I heated a pan and fried on both sides until brown (aboue 5 min and site) then this was all topped off with some green beans and garlic sauce.

I have to say it was a good save and we didn't have to waste anything! However now we know not to get the tofu with black bean sauce ever again!

Yummy Tempeh Hot Wings

2008-07-21T18:37:00.003-04:00

Tonight for dinner we tried out a recipe we both have been dying to try because we love hot sauce! We made up some yummy tempeh hot wings, rosemary roasted potatoes and a green salad of sweet endive tossed in Amy's Tahini Tomato Dressing. It was a wonderful, light and satisfying meal.

(Photo to come)

Recipe:
Buffalo Tempeh "Wings"
(courtesy of 28 Cooks)
1 (8 oz) pkg tempeh
1/3 c soy milk
1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup Italian seasoned panko crumbs (I was unable to find Italian seasoned panko crumbs that were vegan so I used plain ones that I seasoned with a bit of oregano, salt, pepper, and basil.)

Wing Sauce
1/2 c Louisiana-style hot sauce (I used Franks)
2 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tbsp ketchup

Bring 4 cups of water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, remove tempeh from package. Slice into 8 strips. (If you are a first time tempheh eater and have texture issues, I recommend slicing into 10-12 strips) Once water is boiling, lower heat to medium high, add tempeh, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Set out 3 bowls. In one, pour in soy milk. In the second, combine flour and seasonings. In third bowl, add panko crumbs. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place each strip in milk. Coat in flour mixture, then briefly re-dip into milk. Toss with panko crumbs, coating well. Set on slightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tempeh strips. Once all are coated and on baking sheet, lightly spray all "wings" with cooking spray. Place into oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip "wings" over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
While they are baking, place wing sauce ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cover with Saran wrap and heat in microwave on medium high setting for a minute and a half. Remove from heat and whisk ingredients together.
When wings are finished baking, toss with sauce. Serve immediately.

For the Rosemary Roasted Potatoes I cut 3 red potatoes into wedges and tossed with a tablespoon of canola oil and tossed with minced garlic and dried rosemary (use fresh if you have it).

The salad was simply greens in this case sweet endive and our favorite dressing (Tahini tomato) but feel free to use any you like!

Curry Noodle Bowl

2008-07-21T18:26:00.004-04:00

Tonight I decided to make curry noodle bowls for dinner and our lunch tomorrow. I found that there could be some improvements made to this dish next time around. I used soba noodles for a change and decided that a nice udon noodle would have worked much better in the dish. Also I used a red curry and it seems that it would be nicer with a yellow curry but we will see next time how I like that versus the red. Lastly I chose to use morningstar chik'n strips and they did not hold up well in the curry for the future I would use tofu or try a fake chik'n that holds up better such as Yves chik'n strips.

(Picture to come)

Recipe:

CURRY NOODLE BOWL (adapted from Hooked on Heat)
Prep time: 15 min Cooking time: 15 min Serves: 4
1 lb noodles of choice
1 cup morningstar chik'n strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp red curry
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 can coconut milk
3 cups light flavored vegetable stock
1 tbsp light cooking oil
salt & pepper, to taste
fresh coriander leaves, chopped chillies and lemon wedges, for garnish (really makes a huge difference so make sure in include!)
HEAT oil in a deep pan, and saute garlic and curry paste till fragrant. Add in onions and chik'n, and saute till lightly brown.
ADD in coconut milk, stock and lemon grass, and let it come to a boil on low heat. Add in musrooms and noodles, and cook covered till noodles are tender and done. Stir in napa cabbage, and cover cook for 5 minutes.
SEASON with salt and pepper, add garnish with coriander leaves, chillies and a dash of lemon juice. Ladle in large bowls and serve piping hot.

Sarducci's

2008-07-17T10:59:00.006-04:00

Last night we made it a date night and went to Sarducci's in Montpelier,VT. There are number of vegetarian/vegan friendly selections such as:
Antipasti
Bruschetta:
Toasted Italian bread with olive oil, roasted garlic and parmesan (sans parmesean)
al Pomodoro:
with pesto, tomatoes, and parmesan (sans parmesean)

Insalate
Mista:
Assorted greens, tomato and black olives with balsamic vinaigrette. 3.50
Greca:
Lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives and feta cheese in an oregano red wine vinaigrette (sans feta)
Pasta
Spaghetti alla Marinara:
Spaghetti with fresh marinara sauce 7.99

Capellini dell'Angelo:
Angel hair pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil and garlic in a light tomato sauce

Capellini di Verdure:
Angel hair pasta with spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, tomatoes and goat cheese in a white wine basil sauce (sans goat cheese)

Penne Pugliesi:
Mushrooms, spinach, black olives, roasted eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and garlic over penne

My husband got the Penne Pugliesi and it was SO good! I got the Capellini di Verdure sans goat cheese and it was very good as well.

Vegan Friendly Rating: 3 out of 5 carrots
Food Quality Rating: 3.5 out of 5 carrots

Finally Married!

2008-07-16T10:05:00.003-04:00

So after a year of planning all the details of our wedding it finally happened on May 31st, 2008. We were lucky enough to have 100 or so friends and family join us from all over the States and Canada to celebrate our special day. Our ceremony was held in the rain under a pavilion at the Belvidere Ball Park and our reception at the VFW in Hyde Park, VT
Our wedding was catered by Tasty Persuasions out of Grand Isle, Vermont and Tina the caterer did an amazing job with all of our food.
The menu included (all vegan):
Appetizers:
• Stuffed Mushrooms (amazing)
• Ranch Dip and Veggies
• Hummus and Pita Chips
• Bruschetta
• Potato Skins
Entrees:
• Tempeh and Veggie Kabobs
• Green Salad with Balsamic Dressing
• Rolls and Earth Balance
• Seasoned Green Beans
• Pasta with Ratatouille
• Roasted Potatoes

For desert we had lemon and carrot cake cupcakes and a small Chocolate Raspberry cake (both Vegan) that were baked and decorated by my Aunt Betty as a wedding gift.

All Photos by Dona Davis

WOW!

2008-07-15T13:14:00.000-04:00

So it's been over a year since I last updated this blog and goodness it's been a busy year. However I am at work currently so there is little time to update right now however there will be new and improved updates with vegan recipes, product reviews and dining picks!

until later! xo.Lindsay

Pad Thai

2007-07-19T07:34:00.002-04:00

Neil made me this one night for dinner and then we made it for my parents while they were visiting. We just use our favorite veggies and tofu and it is so good.

20-Minute Pad-Thai-Style Noodles- vegcooking.com

You’ll find most of these ingredients in your pantry and fridge. In the time that it takes to boil pasta, you’ll have a delicious meal!

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup hot vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce (or more, to taste)
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. flour

• Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.

For the ‘Pad Thai’:
1 pkg. fettuccine noodles
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup sliced red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 cup crushed peanuts

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add the onion, mushrooms, and broccoli. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.
• Stir in the carrot, bell pepper, prepared sauce, and cooked pasta. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the dish is heated through.
• Top with the crushed peanuts before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Yummy Slow Cooker BBQ

2007-07-19T07:32:00.001-04:00

Barbecue Tofu- vegcooking.com

Tofu is slow cooked in a zesty homemade barbecue sauce for a delicious anytime meal.

2 lbs. extra-firm tofu, pressed and diced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

• Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
• Serve on a bed of lettuce or on a hoagie roll.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

I made this the other day for Neil and it was soooo good. His mom then made it with vegan meatballs and added some mushrooms and a little water to thin it out and it was amazinggg!

2007-07-09T22:38:00.000-04:00

It's been so many months since either of us have posted! We have been so busy with planning our wedding and such but hopefully soon we will be back on and more consistent!

Veggie Jerky's

2007-03-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

So I just opened up a packet of veggie jerky and it inspired me to write this post. i have only tried a few types of veggie jerky specifically primal strips and tasty eats. Also a few kinds of dried bean curd type from the Asian market.

Tasty Eats is horrible. VERY dry and the Jamacian Chicken one is awful tasting. I couldn't even swallow it. On the other hand Primal Strips are very good I love the texas bbq and my boyfriend loves the lime one.

Crazy Times

2007-03-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's been crazy lately with presentations, exams and march break. Neil and I just got back from Vermont yesterday and are trying to get back into our routines. Soon we will be posting more recipes and will be working on getting recipes up a few times a week.

Valentines Dinner Part 1

2007-02-14T16:09:00.003-05:00

Neil and I decided since February 13th was our 5 month anniversary and Valentines day was the next day that we would each take on the challenge of making each other dinner. I got 2/13 and I decided to make a vegan 5 course meal.

The First Course:

Roasted Red Pepper Soup (vegcooking.com)
Creamy and savory, this soup is the perfect starter for any romantic meal.
1/2 cup vegan margarine (try Earth Balance brand)
1 large white onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 roasted red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup plain soy milk, at room temperature
Fresh basil for garnish
• In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the margarine. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until slightly softened.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft. Add the peppers and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper.
• Purée in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the soy milk. Cook until warm.
• Divide evenly into 4 bowls and garnish with the basil.

Makes 4 servings

Second Course:

Stuffed Crescent Rolls

1 pkg. whole wheat crescent rolls
1/2 mushrooms
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 T olive oil to cook in

sautee in a pan.
grease a muffin tin.
stuff the mushroom/onion mixture into crescent rolls and place in muffin tin.
bake at 375F for 11 minutes.

Third Course:

Sundried Tomato Penne

1/2 small jar of sundried tomatoes with oil
1 T italian seasoning
1 t crushed red pepper

Blend in a food processor and mix with warm whole wheat penne.

Fourth Course:

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
· 2 portabella mushrooms
· ¼ c spinach, chopped
· ¼ c bell pepper
· 1 clove garlic, chopped
· ¼ c onion, chopped
· 1 tbsps olive oil
· 2 tbsps vegan parmesan (1 tablespoon for each mushroom)
· Salt and pepper
· 1 c red rice
Cut the portobello stalks and carve the inside using a small spoon, reserving the flesh.
Cover the portobellos with a little oil, using your hands so that the oil goes everywhere.
Put them in the oven and grill them until they are almost done.
cook bulgar according to directions Drain.
In a pan, heat some olive oil, sauté bell pepper, garlic, onion, spinach and portobello flesh. Add the bulgur and stir everything together. Salt and pepper to taste.
With this mixture, stuff the portobellos, sprinkle with parmesan and bake for 5 minutes

Final Course:

Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust

Cheesecake
Ingredients:

1/2 block soft tofu, drained
1/3 cup + 1T soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Mixture can be prepared the night before you plan to make it. Preheat oven to 375F. Soften tofu in large mixing bowl, combining in cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sugar. Once the added ingredients are combined, gradually stir in chocolate soy milk. Make sure all ingredients are well combined.

Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Place in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes until the top of the cheese cake appears solid. Allow cheesecake to sit in fridge for 1 to 2 hours, before serving.
This recipe for Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake serves/makes 4

Cookie Crust:
2 1/2 cups vegan creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (i.e. vegan version of Oreos)
2 tablespoon margarine
Cookie Crust:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place cookies in large plastic bag and crush with rolling pin. Or crush the cookies in a food processor.

3. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle with melted margarine, and mix with fingers until well combined. Pour crumbs into 9-inch pie plate.

4. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie plate.

5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm crumbs, Bake until crumbs are set, about 10 minutes. Let it cool.

Lovers who luncheon

2007-02-14T16:07:00.001-05:00

For lunch one day I made a sweet potato corn chowder and a veggie burger on top of curried lentils and spinach topped with homemade hummus and sauted mushrooms, onions and red peppers.

Indian Night

2007-02-14T16:05:00.001-05:00

I don't remember the recipes for these unfortunately but we made a chickpea curry, some samosas, so indian bread and some indian fried rice.

Burrito Bake

2007-02-14T16:03:00.001-05:00

This is a recipe i came up with randomly. I was making black bean soup and we had a ton of left overs so i made this.

Black Bean Burrito Bake

Layer in a casserole dish:
2 cups of red rice
1 cup black bean soup
1 cup black beans
1 cup salsa
1 cup vegan cheddar
1/4 cup green onions
top with crushed sweet chili heat chips

back at 350F for 25-30 minutes

Spinach Ceasar

2007-02-14T16:02:00.001-05:00

I made this spinach ceasar salad awhile back and i believe i used the vegan ceasar dressing recipe off of the bunnyfoot blog.

Couscous Soup

2007-02-14T15:57:00.001-05:00

I love making soup and using anything i can find in the kitchen to make it. I unfortunately do not measure much when i do this so here are the basic ingredients that I used to make this soup.

1 32oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 packet of onion soup mix
2 servings of whole wheat couscous (cooked)
1 can of butter beans
about 2 cups of vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of earth balance
1 small onion
1-2 gloves garlic

I sauted the onion and garlic in oil until the onion was soft. Then i added the tomatoes, broth and earth balance. Let cook for 10 minutes. Then add beans, couscous, and onion soup mix. let cook 10 more minutes. serve warm. best if made a day ahead and reheated.

Pictures of Scrambler

2007-02-14T15:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we have posted but things have been crazy around here.

however, we have managed to keep up on the picture taking of our food (for the most part) and here are those pictures of tofu scrambler.

Tofu Scramble

2007-01-16T08:53:00.001-05:00

Okay, so there's defintiely pictures to come. I promise.

At least once a week, Lindsay and I make breakfast food. Sometimes it is actually for breakfast and others it is for lunch or dinner. Either way, it's my time to make food for her since she usually makes everything else (with my assistance of course!). My breakfast specialty is tofu scrambler and we always have that with a side or two (usually toast and hashbrowns or fake breakfast "meat").

I don't use a recipe or anything for the scramble, just add spices and veggies (and sometimes veg*n cheese or bacon) to the mix and go.

Here's what i used for this batch:

chopped mushrooms
diced onions
diced tomatoes
veggie spice
cumin
turmeric
curry
paprika
salsa
1 block of vegetable tofu (FIRM)

and the process:

Chop the onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.
Fry up the onions and mushrooms in olive oil until the onions are translucent
Crumble the block of tofu into the pan
Mix in about a cup of salsa
Min in a couple of teaspoons of veggie spice for flavour and colour
Mix in cumin, curry, paprika, turmeric to taste/smell
Make sure everything is mixed well and reduce heat on the frying pan and let it cook for a while to absorb in all the flavours

Get Better Soup

2007-01-04T20:05:00.001-05:00

Poor Neil is sick so i decided to make him some soup to get better!

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 large carrot
1 largish potato
a few mushrooms
a few morningstar chicken strips
1 head of roasted garlic
6 cups of "chicken" stock
1 teaspoon of veggie boullion
2 teaspoons of veggie seasoning
salt and pepper
1 can of canellni beans
1 tablespoon of cornstarch and a little of the cooking liquid

saute the onion in oil while doing this cut up the carrot and potato and then add to pot. cook for a bit and then add the diced up mushrooms and chicken strips. stir and then add the veggie seasoning and salt and pepper. mix and let cook about a minute. then add the "chicken" stock and the veggie boullion. mix a bit of the cooking liquid with the cornstarch and then add. Let come to a boil. Then add the beans and roasted garlic. Let simmer about 30 min. (best to set over night)

let

Mushrooms and Fava's

2007-01-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to make mushrooms with sage and a side of cajun roasted fava beans

for the mushrooms with sage:
2 cups of mushrooms
1 small onion
1 tsp sage
1 tsp vegetable spice
1/4 c sour supreme
salt and pepper to taste
and left over potato wedges

saute onion in a small amount of oil. once translucent add mushrooms, sage, and vegetable spice. cook for 3-5 min. then add salt and pepper and potato wedges. then add sour supreme

for the fava beans:

i use frozen and thaw them a bit in the microwave.
pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

on a sheet pan put 2 cups fava beans and then sprinkle about a tablespoon of olive oil over and about 2 teaspoons of lime juice. next sprinkle a good amount of salt on and some pepper and cajun seasoning (i like to use a little montreal chicken spice and cayenne pepper) then toss to coat and place in the oven and cook until golden brown.

NB PIZZA NIGHT

2007-01-04T19:57:00.001-05:00

This is Neil's yummy pizza:

Pre-made pizza crust
sauce of bruschetta
topped with roasted red peppers, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and artichokes!

Left Overs

2006-12-30T10:49:00.001-05:00

I made some risotto a few days ago and have been using the leftovers to make different things. The other night i made a calzone and i used the recipe from my last post for pizza crust as the crust for the calzone.

The filling:
leftover Risotto
leftover sundried tomato pizza sauce
carmalized onions and mushrooms

i mixed these together and filled the calzone crust and then baked at 400 degrees for 20min.

Pizza in Vermont

2006-12-30T10:39:00.001-05:00

Over Christmas break I had my girlfriends over and we decided to make pizzas.

Crust:
1 Cup warm water
1 packet of yeast
1 teaspoon sugar

mix and let sit until yeast is active (foamy)

then add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 3 cups of flour and 1 Tablespoon salt

mix into a ball and then let sit for 20min-1hr letting it rise

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons oilve oil
1 Cup oil packed sundried toamtoes

then add whatever toppings you like and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20min until crust is brown and crunchy

Apple Crumble Pie

2006-12-12T07:59:00.001-05:00

We had some apples that needed to be used so I decided to make an apple crumble pie.

i used a premade graham cracker crust, about 6-8 small apples and topped it with a mix of margarine, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and a pinch of salt.

Pita Pizza's

2006-12-12T07:54:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon we had friends over for lunch. We had some leftover falafel and pita. We decided to make pizza from it.

we brushed the pita with oilve oil and salt and pepper and toasted them in the oven.

while this was cooking we made hummus and sauted up mushrooms, onions, and peppers and pan fried the falafel.

once the pita was toasted we spread the hummus on the pita and topped it with a variety of toppings from green onions to roasted red peppers, the sauted mix of vegetables, the falafel and tomatoes.

Indian Fusion Rice

2006-12-12T07:47:00.001-05:00

One afternoon decided that we wanted to make some fried rice. We decided to have lentil burgers with our fried rice.

First we made a cup of brown rice in our rice cooker. While the rice was cooking I heated up the wok and fried up some mushrooms and green onions in a little bit of oil. Once rice is finished I added the rice. To give the rice an Indian flavour to go with the lentil burger I added 2 tablespoons of Garam Masala and then a tablespoon of tamari to balance the flavours.

A Single Pebble

2006-12-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

Delicious family style REAL CHINESE resturant in Burlington, Vermont. Has a variety of vegan options!

Menu Options

small plates:

Vegetable Red Oil Dumplings

Six house made steamed dumplings filled with spinach, shiitake mushrooms, & seasoned bean curd, topped with red oil sauce.
8.25

Potsticker Style Dumplings

Five traditional hand formed dumplings served with a ginger vinegar sauce.
V

Cha Tzu Style Eggplant

Japanese eggplant dipped in tempura batter with a ginger hoisin sauce.
8.75egetable 5.95

Mock Eel

Braised shiitake mushrooms in a ginger sauce. a delightful, crispy flavor and texture.
8.95 (my favorite item)

Double Garlic Broccoli

Wok-fried Broccli in House Garlic sauce with cashew nuts.
9.25

Noodles and Rice

Cold Sesame Noodle

Lo mein style noodles with famous house sesame sauce.
Classic 7.95

Chow Fun Noodle

Fresh wide rice noodle.
Vegetable 16.95

Fried Rice

An exceptional version of the traditional dish.
Vegetable 8.75

Beijing Street Noodle

Wheat noodles tossed with fresh garlic, chinkiang vinegar, & soy. everyday chinese cuisine.
7.95

Capital Vegetable Noodle

Fresh and seasoned pressed tofu with diced chinese vegetables in a peking sauce over lo mein.
11.25

Copper Well Noodle

A very flavorful garlic, sesame seed, & chili sauce topping a lo mein style noodle.
7.95

Lo Mein Hong Kong Style

The ingredients in Hong Kong lo mein are layered rather than wok tossed. Traditional lo mein.
Crispy bean curd 14.25

Lo Mein

Mushroom 10.95

Vegetable Dishes:

Salt & Pepper Tofu

Wok seared batons of tofu, tossed with red chili peppers, scallions, ginger, & garlic.
15.25

Many Mushroom Tofu

Crispy tofu with straw, shiitake, & fresh mushrooms with chinese vegetables in a black bean sauce.
15.25

Orange Taste Bean Cake

Crispy bean cake, chinese greens, & vegetables with orange peel in a pungent garlic sauce.
15.25

Buddha’s Sesame Beef

Crispy seitan served with mixed vegetables in a sesame garlic sauce. A house favorite.
15.95

General Chou’s Mock Chicken

Seitan showered in a red chili sauce, framed with broccoli crowns.
15.25

Sweet & Pungent Walnuts

Battered walnuts, red peppers, onions, & bean cake glazed in a sweet and pungent sauce.
13.25

Double Garlic Eggplant

Tender japanese eggplant braised with a special garlic sauce.
9.25

Chinese Greens

Quick poached choys, then wok tossed to retain crispness and flavor.
7.75

Chinese Broccoli

Poached with shiitake mushroom sauce. seasonal availability and price.

Yu Choy

A very flavorful bright green chinese vegetable that complements all single pebble dishes.
10.25/td>

Hearts of Baby Bok Choy

Served with braised shiitake mushroom.
9.25

C

Fresh Nappa

A crispy cabbage tossed in a cilantro & rice wine vinegar dressing.
6.95

Sichuan Spicy Cucumber

showered with a garlic, chili, & rice vinegar dressing.
6.95

amazin food try it!

Patati Patata

2006-12-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

located in Montreal-
Cute little place not much sitting room but great food. For just $2 you can get a grilled hummus sandwich with hummus. for just $2 more you can get a salad and fries with it. great food. great prices. great atmosphere.

The Blue Door

2006-12-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

The Blue Door is a resturant in Fredericton, NB, Canada and is one of my boyfriend and mine's favorite date spots. Amazing martini's and delicious food!

Appetizer:
Veggie Spring Rolls with hosin dipping sauce
Green Salad
the roll and garlic margarine

Dinner:
Pad thai w/ tofu- minus the egg and fish sauce
eat your veggies stir fry w/tofu
wok chicken w/tofu- minus the chicken

The People's Potato

2006-12-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

Where:
Concordia University
7th Floor - Hall Building
Montreal, Quebec

The People's Potato is a worker run, consensus-based collective. They serve free/by donation vegan meals. All of the food is donated by local businesses. It's a very important service for Montreal's poor and underprivileged, students and non-students alike.

They serve yummy, healthy and nutritious meals consisting of vegetables/products that were donated to them by local businesses. This way produce that would have been wasted because it had cosmetic flaws can be used instead of being thrown away. They usually serve a salad, soup and side from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

While vacationing in montreal, my girlfriend and I had the following at the People's Potato:

Friday - spinach soup and vegetables with beans and couscous
Monday - couscous and cole slaw with apples (we got there late and missed the soup)

It's a great environment and great initiative with a real sense of community.

They also provide free workshops throughout the year on a variety of topics, such as vegan cooking and nutrition, recycling, alternatives to the market system of food distribution, food security issues,and social justice politics.