Curry Cups

Potato Coconut Curry Cups

This Wednesday was an appetizer potluck at my sisters place. I decided to create a new recipe for my appetizer and created Potato Coconut Curry Cups. I had an open package of filo in my fridge that needed to be used. Plus recently I've been buying bags of potatoes to eat and needed to use some of them up as well.

At first I thought about boiling and mashing the potatoes with the coconut milk and spices and make sort of a filo samosa. (good thing I didn't because someone else bought samosa's). I then decided to just cube them small and saute them with onion, a lot of garlic and mess of indian spices including hot curry powder. After the potatoes were almost cooked I added about 1/2 a can of coconut milk to make the filling nice and creamy then added some fresh chopped cilantro.



the filling..

The filling came out so good I plan on making it again just as a side dish. I couldn't stop eating it. I told my friend Natalie that she'd be lucky to try one because I'd eat it all up. Alas I didn't eat it all and filled up some filo squares that I had brushed melted earth balance in between each layer of filo.



ready for the oven..

After placing them into mini cupcake pans (which were brushed with more earth balance) I brushed the top with even more earth balance...they were very decadent and delicious and everyone enjoyed them.

Spaghetti and Beanballs-V'con

Spaghetti and Beanballs from Veganomicon

The beanball recipe from veganomicon is ridiculously delicious. The recipe reminded me of something that I use to make in my early vegetarian days from a not so great old ass cookbook. So I was a bit wary of how these would come out. I think Peter was too..he kinda made a face when I told him we were having spaghetti and beanballs for dinner. We were both very surprised at how good they were (and super easy to make). I used a very red wine heavy sauce that my maa made for us for after Reno's birth that has been in the freezer for quite some time now. Luckily the freezer has been kind to it and it was still good. I also chose to fry the beanballs instead of baking them. I highly recommend frying them. I can't imagine them tasting as good without the bits of fried outside on them.



the simmering beanballs

What's great about this recipe is that it makes quite a bit (for 2 people). So you have leftovers to make delicious beanball subs the next day...



Beanball Sub...

...with bits of leftover spaghetti left on it.

Breakfast for Dinner..

Mushroom and Kale Strata w. Paprika Breakfast Potatoes and Tempeh Bacon


I love having breakfast for dinner. Mostly because I don't eat breakfast for breakfast. Meaning I usually just eat a bowl of cereal with some soy milk or run to the store for some iced espresso goodness and a vegan scone from Whole Foods. This evening I dragged everything out of my fridge and realized I had everything I needed to make V-con's Mushroom and Spinach Strata (except for the spinach, I subbed kale).

The strata might just be one of my favorite recipes. It was so delicious and so easy to make that I think everyone should make it for brunch this weekend. It is also very versatile as long as you have the ingredients to make the custard and some bread you can really use whatever veg you have on hand. I will be making this for our New Years Day breakfast this year along with some other recipes I've been meaning to try out.



The strata out of the oven.

Flickr

IMG_2195, originally uploaded by jenofur.

Potato, Carrot + Parsnip Pancakes, "Cheater" Baked Beans and Garlicky Broccoli


I'm not ignoring my Flickr account anymore and am trying to post my photo's from that account so if things go weird for a bit that's why.

Now for the food...my sister was coming over for dinner on tuesday..she is very hard to cook for I think. She agreed that she would eat potato pancakes so I made them and threw in some parsnips and carrots for deliciousness. She also said she would eat broccoli...done. Then she asked if our friend Rachele could come, I said yes. That's when I needed to make more food. So I made "cheater" baked beans from V-Con. These were delicious. I wasn't so sure about them at first because I"m use to the baked beans my mom makes, which are also cheater, she just doctor's up canned baked beans and they are a bit sweet. V-con's aren't sweet...but they are damn tasty. My sister even managed to eat a few of them. They made Peter happy as well because of his love for all things molasses.

Pumpkin Baked Ziti take 2!

Pumpkin Baked Ziti w. Caramelized Onions + Sage Crumb Topping from Veganomicon

Forget any negative things I said about the Pumpkin Baked Ziti from Veganomicon a few weeks ago. I remade it. I loved it. It came out of the oven so creamy and delicious, not dry and bland like the last time. I made the Cashew Ricotta the same as the last with the only change being herbs de provence instead of basil (it's what I have). In all seriousness I could eat and have eaten the cashew ricotta with a spoon. I'm in love with it.

I used rigatoni pasta instead of penne this time and I have a feeling this is what made a difference. I can't explain my reasoning for this though..it's like when you remember a dream but can't get it out in words when you are trying to tell someone your dream. It's very frustrating.

For the Sage Crumb Topping I used all the ingredients listed but didn't follow the amounts because I was in a hurry.

I might make this for x-mas at the in-laws so that I have something to eat. It will be dangerous bringing something delicious made of tofu into that house. If Peter's father finds out there is tofu in his house I'll never hear the end of it.

VeganMoFo: Ciao!

Linguini w. Chickpeas, Kale and Almonds in a Red Wine-Tomato Sauce

Ciao VeganMoFo! I will miss you. The one thing VeganMoFo taught me was that I have the time to blog almost everyday. It is something I will try to continue to do. I was actually a bit upset that I missed last night, but due to a migraine it would have been impossible for me to do so.

Last night's dinner was suppose to be one of those "quick pasta sauces". It turned into one of those "simmered forever pasta sauces". Unfortunately for Reno she was unusually upset last night and it took awhile for her to calm down (which when she was ready to she did in an instant like nothing was wrong in her life ever! babies are a mystery, she's been as happy as hell since.) Anyway...unfortunate for Reno turned out to be fortunate for our tastebuds. Her freak out gave this sauce time to simmer on the stove and develop wonderful flavors. I popped open a bottle of wine and added quite a bit of it to the sauce which was the best thing I could have done to it. Not quite the best thing for my headache. Back to the sauce.....

ingredients where as followed...

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced, then I chopped a wee bit
1 1/2 bunches of kale (not curly)
1 28oz can diced Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
leftover chickpeas (probably about 1/2 a cup or so.
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup (at least) favorite red wine (or more!)
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound linguini

it as made this way....

~you should know how to cook pasta..so start it.

~heat olive oil in medium saute pan.
~add shallots and garlic, saute until soft
~add kale and cook until slightly wilted
~stir in canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook until kale is limp.
~add chickpeas, almonds, wine, salt and pepper then cook until your baby stops crying or if you don't have a baby cook until sauce reduces and gets nice and thick. Thin out a bit with pasta cooking water if desired.

to serve...

place linguini in bowl topped with delicious sauce then drink the rest of the bottle of wine.

VeganMoFo: Brought to you live!

Chickpea Cutlet + Garlicky Kale Sandwich



That's right, live, i'm eating that above sandwich as i'm posting about the above sandwich! When I made Chickpea Cutlets the other night I only cooked 2 of the 4. The other two I wrapped up, uncooked, to be used at a later date. Lunch today is that later date. I lightly fried up both pieces as usual. Then I sauteed lots of garlic with chopped kale to get some greens and goodness in my lunch. Spread some vegan mayo on both sides of the delicious ciabatta roll which i then proceeded to load with freshly ground black pepper (my one true love). I thought about making a flavored mayo for the spread but realized I needed to just eat this meal before Reno woke up. It turns out I don't need a flavored mayo...the chickpea cutlets are so flavorful and lemony and the kale so garlicky none was needed. This will be a common use of leftover cutlets in my house..exactly how I made it today.

VeganMoFo: Take Out

Vegetable Mus Munn


There are some nights when you have lots of food in the fridge, pantry, freezer etc...with no desire to cook or eat any of it. That was my deal today. Tons of leftovers, chickpea patties, mac daddy..etc..Lots of frozen dishes, chili, soups, veggie burgers. Newly bought produce. I wanted non of it. I've been basically cooking all of our meals for quite awhile now which is wonderful for me and our bank account. I was just a little burnt out and was able to get my sister to pick up some Thai food on her way over! I always order the vegetarian Mus Munn. Whenever I order something different I'm always disappointed. Lately I've been disappointed in the Mus Munn because the restaurant changed the "chef's special hard tofu" that comes in all veg dishes. The original tofu was wonderful. You would beg them to add more to the dish and pay extra for it. Now you ask them to take it out which is what I finally did tonight and was pleased that I did so. Every time I eat this dish I wonder why I've never made it at home...I've seen a few recipes for it in various cookbooks but they never look like they will taste good. I'm going to start researching a little more and make it for myself next time, with extra cashews!

VeganMoFo: 80's dinner.

V-con Chickpea Cutlet + Mac Daddy w. Asparagus Saute


This dinner reminded me of a meal my mom use to make us when we were little. That version was Kraft mac and cheese and breaded chicken..probably served w. peas. The new and improved version is Veganomicon's Mac Daddy and Chickpea Cutlets.

The Mac Daddy recipe was one of the first recipes that caught my eye in the book. I was a little wary of it because of the tofu. I love tofu but I just couldn't see why it was in the recipe. After making it and eating it I can see why it's in there. First it's delicious. Second, the tofu gives a nice creamy texture and just adds that extra something to the dish. When the Mac Daddy came out of the oven I knew right away that Peter wouldn't like it and I knew right away that I would like it. When Peter walked into our apartment he immediately says somthing about the smell, in not a good way, then says it smells cheesy, which also isn't good because he never liked cheese. Even though this doesn't taste like mac and cheese at all I think just the though of cheese turned him off. I made him taste it..and it was a no go. Luckily it supposedly freezes well, which is where 1/2 of it will go. The other 1/2 will be my lunch thru the rest of the week.

This was my second time making the Chickpea Cutlets from the same book. I really liked them the first time I made them but for some reason they came out even better this time. I'm not sure what I did different. They were so good I ate two. I was really hungry tonight.

VeganMoFo: Still eating what's left.

I have no idea what to call this




So we are home from our Thanksgiving weekend and I still have food that I need to use before I go food shopping again. What was left was 1 potato, garlic, shallots, field roast chipotle sausage, rice and kidney beans. As I was chopping everything up I was second guessing myself and thinking what the hell am I making us for dinner? It turns out I was making something good...with the addition of some paprika and mexican oregano we had a pretty tasty dinner.

Regarding not shopping til it's all used up. I can't do it anymore. I'm sure I could last 3 more days without buying food but the lack of fresh greens that would be in my diet for those 3 days would kill me. I need greens. I have to say I did quite well using up what I had though. I only had to throw away 2 carrots..that's it. We will see how well I'll do next time.

VeganMoFo: T.giving

Smlove Pie from Veganomincon

So I haven't MoFo'd in 2 days. I decided to take time off for the holidays to relax, visit and lay on the couch.

Thanksgiving was good. I didn't however get to make my non turkey dish for the meal because of cooking chaos when my mom's turkey decided to finish cooking before it was suppose to. I did however get to eat lots of yummy side dishes so i'm not complaining. Like usual I will make my own Thanksgiving meal sometime during the week. But for now you can enjoy the photo's of 2 dishes..the Shmlove Pie which I should say was the only vegan dessert of 3 desserts at the table and the one dessert that more than 1/2 of it was eaten cuz it was the best thing ever. Below was a roasted rosemary root veg dish which has a balsamic and lemon dressing added before serving









I though I took more pics of food but couldn't find them on the camera. Let me just say the string bean w. pine nuts side dish was AMAZING and I will forever put nutmeg in my mashed potatoes.

VeganMoFo: Smlove Pie.

Did you ever make something you've never made before and before you even taste it you know its going to make your taste buds swoooooooooooooooooon??? Well that's the deal with Veganomicon's Smlove Pie. It's sitting in my parents fridge patiently awaiting the end of our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. There is also a photo of it sitting patiently in my parents new camera but I need one of them to put it on their computer for me cuz i'm dumb w. new things. Anyway...I'm saying this now and will say it again after I finally cut me a slice of Smlove..make it..make it now..It might look like an intimidating recipe but trust me it isn't. Each step is easier then the one before it and as a recipe it all flows together perfectly in my opinion. I can't vouch for the crust though. I used a store bought (ahhh!) crust..but hey i'm not in my own kitchen I needed to make my life a bit easier on this one.

I hope everyone has a happy day tomorrow. I'll be posting tomorrow evening WITH photos!

VeganMoFo: 100th post and a quiz.

This is my 100th post. T.V. shows usually make a big deal about their 100th episode so I feel like I should have made a cake or something. The problem is that today was a traveling day for me. Reno and I are at my parents house in south jersey for the holiday's and Peter arrives on Thursday. So not much was done food wise and I feel this is a good time to fill out the quiz that I've seen on a bunch of blogs.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

Silk soy milk, plain. I love it in my latte's and I love it super cold in my cereal in the a.m. I do love all non-dairy milks out there but soy is what I use most.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

I will say 3 dishes/recipes that I'm making for T.giving...Smlove Pie and Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon...and string beans w. pine nuts from some magazine.


3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

Olive oil and salt.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

I know i've had them...lots of them..not just come to mind.



5. Favorite pickled item?

just your plain ol' pickled cucumbers.

6. How do you organize your recipes?

my own personal recipes are in many places. about 9 of them are actually on my computer in their own folder..the rest are in random notebooks scattered throughout my apartment not organized at all.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

trash/recycle...i would love to compost but our apartment living would not suit that. i know that there are apartment way's to compost but it's just not for us at this time.

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)?

seitan, string beans, chocolate


9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
hanging out in the kitchen with my grandfather when i was little. i use to help him in the kitchen..my favorite thing to do was whisk whatever needed or didn't need to be whisked.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

my own..Double Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream and Citrus-Cardamon Ice cream!

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?

my knives. i love them so.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

Cumin and paprika.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?

I think the first cookbook I ever purchased was The Vegetarian Times Cookbook over a decade ago.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

Grape jelly for my PB+J's. I can't have them with any other flavor.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

my seitan pie recipe. Filo dough filled w. meaty seitan and mashed potatoes.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

no contest here....Seitan.

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

Now that I'm home all day with Reno I love to bring her into the kitchen in the early afternoon and have cooking marathons.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

Wine rack, tons of food magazines, my ice cream maker, a stereo that we never use, my knife bag and sometimes my cat CB.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

3 chipotle black bean veggie burgers, 2 ziplock bags of chili, 2 containers of carrot coconut soup w. lemongrass. all made by me.

20. What’s on your grocery list?

i don't have a current list...dish detergent would be on the list though.

21. Favorite grocery store?

Whole Foods..it's really all we have and I have 2 really close by. I would love to shop at Trader Joes more but they are not very close.

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

maybe walnut chicken or Hungarian goulash? i'm sure it's been done but i haven't done it.

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it every day). Or maybe the top 3?

See the long list of blogs to your right. I try to stop by most of them at least once a week and that's not even all that I read...i've just been to busy to update my links. Usually I just blog hop from one blog to another. It was a lot easier to read blogs more regularly before Reno was born..now I have to spread it out.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

dark chocolate.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

Sweet and Sara's Marshmallows.


26. What was your favorite food BEFORE becoming veg*n?

Chicken Franchese (sp?)

VeganMoFo: Snow

Green and Blacks Hot Chocolate w. Sweet and Sara Marshmallows


Today was our first day of snow. It wasn't anything nuts. But it made the trees and telephone wires beautiful for a few hours. It also made traffic, but that's okay. To celebrate our first snow day I made us some Green and Blacks Hot Chocolate, which was a baby shower gift for Peter, topped off with some Sweet and Sara Marshmallows! I was so excited when I saw them at our small Whole Foods tonight for the first time especially since they don't carry a whole lot of good stuff anymore. All that good stuff moved 1 mile up the road to our new super big Whole Foods. I had the option of buying the vanilla ones, which I did or the toasted coconut, which I should have. It was my first time ever having these marshmallows and I have to say they are the best vegan marshmallows I've ever had. (I've had my fair share and they were nasty.) All I can think of now are Rice Crispy Treats............

VeganMoFo: Jerusalem Artichokes aka Sunchoke

Chipotle Black Bean, Acorn Squash + Millet Veggie Burger w. Avocado Spread
Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato French Fries
Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts




I made a kickass dinner tonight and am almost out of all the food I purchased last Sunday which is a miracle. I need to make it last until tuesday morning when I leave for my parents house for Thanksgiving. Anyway...the veggie burger..shallots, garlic and carrots finely chopped and sauteed in olive oil, throw in some spices such as cumin, chili powder, tumeric, paprika. Add a can of black beans drained and rinsed and a chopped chipotle pepper. Scoop out an acorn squash you roasted in the oven 2 days ago. Add some millet you cook even more than 2 days ago for another veggie burger. Salt, pepper and mush together. Maybe add some bread crumbs if it's a bit wet..form into patties. Lightly fry in olive oil. Serve on delicious ciabatta rolls w. avocado spread (avocado, lemon, cumin, chipotle adobo sauce, salt blended in blender. Eat...with the addition of a thinly sliced red onion you found all alone in the fridge.

Now about the delicious Jerusalem Artichoke..aka..Sunchoke. I love these things. I don't remember when I first heard about them or had one. It must have been when I was in culinary school and was making trips to the Union Square farmers market 3 times a week.

Health Benefits of the choke are as follows: it is a superior source of inulin, a natural fructose that is medicinal for diabetics. it relives asthmatic conditions and nourishes the lungs and apparently helps in the constipation department. It contains the vitamins A and B-complex, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium. That's a lot of good stuff coming from a root vegetable that doesn't contain starch.

The j.choke is at it's peak season now thru winter so look for it the next time you go shopping..it's delicious fried like a french fry or used with potatoes or other root vegetables in a gratin.

VeganMoFo: Pesto

Parsley-Almond Pesto




Pesto. I was thinking about it the other day and it is probably hands down my favorite way to eat pasta. Generally I make basil pesto's but when I have greens hanging out in the fridge that need to go I'll use them instead. Arugula, parsley, cilantro even spinach. They are all good. The same thing goes for nuts. It's usually pine nuts for me. But if I am out there are always almonds, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds etc to be used and they are just as good and sometimes better.

The other day I found I had a lot of parsley and hadn't had anything to really use it in. So I strapped Reno in her highchair and made a big batch of the stuff and wrote down the recipe. I keep it simple. No nutritional yeast. No soy milk. I've been seeing those ingredients a lot recently in vegan pesto's and I don't think they are needed. I understand the use of the yeast for a cheesy flavor but I prefer mellow miso instead. The soy milk, I have no idea why that's used in pestos, maybe to use less oil? I don't know. I like mine to be a bit oily. One of these days when I'm bored I will try out a nooch, soy milk recipe just to see what it's like. For now I'll just stick with my own.

Parsley-Almond Pesto

2 cups semi packed parsley
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1-2 tablespoons mellow miso (start out with 1 taste it and see if you'd like more added...I'm a miso lover so I always add 2)
2 cloves garlic (medium size cloves)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
water to help blend if needed. (i made it in the blender this time instead of the Cuisinart, what i usually use, so it needed the extra liquid to help blend it.)
extra almonds

Add everything except the oil and water to the blender and blend until it's chopped up well. Slowly drizzle the oil in until well blended and is the consistency that you like your pesto to be. Some like it chunky some like it creamy it's up to you.

Thin with a few tablespoons of water if you feel you need extra liquid either to thin it out or help process it.

If you aren't using right away and storing the pesto in the fridge coat the top with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it the pretty shade of green it should be.

To serve. Cook pasta according to cooking directions. Drain pasta, return to pot and mix with pesto and extra almonds to give a nice crunch and extra texture to your meal.

Besides using it with pasta it's also great on: pizza, garlic bread (mix room temp earth balance with a ton of garlic and a few teaspoons of pesto), mixed with vegan mayo for sandwich spreads or to dip french fries in...mmmmmmmmmm, spread a thin layer on crostini and top with bruschetta...the possibilities of pesto are endless.

VeganMoFo: Dinner

Seitan w. Cashews + Veg w. Tamari Glaze over Brown Rice




I went old school tonight and made a stir fry that I haven't made in a long time. Seitan, cashews, mixed veg, lots of garlic, ginger powder and red pepper flakes cooked until the veg are crispy and then glazed with a mixture of tamari and arrowroot powder. Making both seitan recipes from the new issue of Don't Eat Off The Sidewalk has given me a lot of seitan to use and this was a great way to eat the chicken style one. I think I said this in another post...buy the zine and make those seitan recipes.

I had this whole other topic I was going to post about tonight but i've gotten a headache so I will share a very short story on the first time I tried seitan.

I was shopping at Whole Foods many many years ago when it was a Fresh Fields and saw a box of "wheat meat" in the freezer case. It said it was great to use as a sub for chicken in chicken salad recipes. As a new vegetarian I was interested. So I purchased it and made "chicken" salad. I didn't eat wheat meat for along time after that and never saw that product in the freezer case ever again. It was so gross. What got me to try it again I can't remember but I'm glad I did because the wheat meat of today is nothing like the wheat meat I ate 11 years ago.

VeganMoFo: Pancakes? Pakora's?

Indian Vegetable Pakora's w. Broccoli, Cauliflower + Almond Saute



Anytime I shred up a bunch of vegetables and add Indian spices I say I'm making pakoras. Whether this is correct or not I don't know and don't really care. Basically it's the same process of making a potato pancake except there are other veg..this time potatoes, onions, string beans, garlic, ginger and carrots and I use olive oil, chickpea flour, curry and other indian inspired spices to flavor and hold it all together. It's my favorite way of using up vegetables that are on there way very soon to the trash.

Tonight I served them with a really simple and delicious saute of broccoli, cauliflower and almonds topped with papaya chutney (store bought). My all time favorite way to serve them though is more "ball" shaped, lightly fried and then simmered in a homemade curry sauce over rice...kofta curry. I usually make a lot of them at once and then freeze a batch for later use.

If you are having guest over for a party and are serving appetizers these are perfect because of there reheating abilities. Make them bit size, cook them the night before and then just heat them up in the oven and top them with a bit of your favorite chutney. Your guest will go nuts over them and think you've slaved away in the kitchen for hours.

VeganMoFo: skin of my teeth..

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies



I actually rushed home from America's Next Top Model night to get my VeganMoFo post in. I'm crazy. But determined not to miss a day. What better then eating cookies while watching a modeling contest. Nothing and I like nothing more than chocolate chip cookies. What is even better is the raw dough that is in my fridge. The last time I planned on making ice cream with it but then just ate it raw. This time I will make the ice cream. Hopefully in time for the next ANTM night.

This isn't much of a post but it's a post.

VeganMoFo: mmmmmmmmm...........

V-con Caesar Salad w. Chicken Seitan + Garlic Bread


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I'm in love with the Caesar Dressing in V-con...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm also in love with the Chicken Seitan recipe (baked) from the new issue of Don't Eat Off The Sidewalk. In regards to the dressing..this is one of those recipes that you could feed a tofu-phobe and they would never no that there is tofu in the recipe. One thing I have to say about this recipe is about the almonds..if you don't have almonds and want to make this..make it. In my opinion it wouldn't really make a difference with or without. This recipe does makes a ton of dressing (see photo below). Luckily tomorrow I'm going to my sisters for dinner where there will be a lot of people so I'm just going to bring it over there for people to devour..and it will be devoured..without them knowing that it's made w. tofu. In regards to the Chicken Seitan..this is the first time I've baked seitan. I like it so much more then simmered seitan. The texture was nice and chewy. The taste was delicious. This will be one of those seitan recipes that I would make over and over again. In fact it wasn't the only seitan I made today. I made both of seitan recipes in the new issue. The other was Chipotle Seitan. I baked that also and it is just as good. I'll be using it in chili either tomorrow or thursday.



V-con Caesar Dressing


p.s. I didn't feel like roasting garlic to make the croutons used in the caesar salad recipe so I just made garlic bread. I will stink like garlic for days now but the vampire that use to haunt me as a child will keep his distance.

VeganMoFo: Reuse. Some Mac and a bit of Reno

Chickpea Cutlet w. Carmelized Onions + Chipotle Aioli w. Lemon-Parlsey Potatoes + Garlic Broccoli

I love when I get to re-use food that I made the night before and turn it into something different. It helps with my goal of not throwing out food. I slightly heated the 2 leftover chickpea cutlets in the oven and then sliced them to use on a sandwich. All that is on the sandwich are the cutlets, caramelized onions and chipotle aioli. I would have loved to have put arugula or even just plain mesclun greens on the sandwich but I didn't have any. The chipotle aioli I made tonight is different from others that I've made with that it has capers and almonds blended into it. The only reason I put almonds into it is because it was SPICY and I didn't want to add more mayo so I though the almonds would help calm it down just a bit which I think it did and now I will forever put almonds in my recipe.


the sliced chickpea cutlets

The potatoes were just roasted in the oven with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. A few minutes before they were done I threw in some fresh parsley. Delicious. The end.


Lunch. Shells and Chreese




A month or so ago I ordered some food stuff from Food Fight. A box of Shells and Chreese Cheddar Style was one of those items. I simply bought this because I've never seen it around where I live. I know it's really easy to make my own Shells and Cheeze but I wanted to try it. It wasn't 1/2 bad. I wouldn't eat it all the time but for those days where I'm hungry around lunch time and Reno is wanting attention its rather easy to do. I also discovered yesterday that the new super Whole Foods by us carries this now which is exciting for me just to have products like this available where I live even though I usually don't eat from a box.

Speaking of Reno...



....we purchased her one of these floor gyms or whatever they are called finally..she loves it. It knocks her out.

VeganMoFo: Finally I went food shopping.

Veganomicon Chickpea Cutlets w. Spaghetti Squash Saute


It's about time I went food shopping. Our kitchen was empty. So sad. We spent a good looooong time in Whole Foods tonight buying a lot of stuff. My goal is to use it all up this week without having to throw anything away. I'm tired of throwing unused food out. The good thing about this is that I will be semi forced to create new recipes like I did tonight. I had 1/2 of an already roasted spaghetti squash in the fridge that would most likely have been forgotten about and thrown away..but the NEW Jenna made a delicious side dish with it. In oil I cooked garlic, shallots, red bell pepper, slivered almonds and spaghetti squash. Seasoned w. salt and pepper to taste and then threw in some parsley. It was really good. I'm kinda proud of myself for recognizing that I had that squash in the fridge and was able to use it. Anyway..this new side dish went really well with the chickpea cutlets. One thing about the cutlets is that they really need a sauce. I didn't have everything I needed to make a sauce that I would have wanted to have with it..next time. I am excited about the leftover pieces of cutlet to use in a sandwich for lunch later this week. I think this will be one of those recipes that I make a lot (the cutlets). It's super fast and easy and it's a great substitution for those days when I want seitan but don't have any made or thawed.



Our food closet before shopping. This is a 5 shelf closet but we only use 3 shelves for food. I end up keeping a lot of stuff in the fridge or freezer like flours, nuts, grains etc...because of pantry bugs. We have not really had a problem with them and I'd like to keep it that way.



After. Some of that stuff will be moved to the fridge or freezer if not used in the next week or so.



The produce. We have some butternut squash, brussels sprouts (Peter hates them, I love), Jerusalem artichokes, shallots, onions, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, rutabaga, red bell pepper, potatoes, jalapenos, ginger, parsley, string beans, and some tofu. I think that's all of it. I'm looking forward to what I'll be making with all of this plus the few staples I already had.