July 13th, 2011 |
Oven roasted cabbage, oven roasted Thai eggplant from the garden, and brown rice, drizzled with lemon tahini dressing. Very tasty.
These are the first Thai eggplant I’ve ever eaten. I bought the plants on a whim, which is how I ended up with four varieties in this year’s garden. It turns out that’s not as crazy as it sounds, because they’re all giving off eggplant at different times. Thai eggplants are round and green, and about the size of a golf ball. Their skin is a little sweeter than regular eggplant. I also have the long purple Japanese eggplants, and the little white-skinned ones producing right now. The slacker, just like last year, is Black Beauty, the big purple eggplant like they sell at the grocery store. Those won’t start coming in until August or September.
December 4th, 2010 |
I spent yesterday afternoon tearing out the last of the summer vegetable garden. Even though the tomato vines were brown, and I thought the first freeze had killed them, I still came away with two bowls full. If I ripen a few every day, I’ll have homegrown tomatoes until January. Even little tomatoes that have been forced to ripen are better than anything I can buy in a grocery store. Delicious little things.
Anyway, while I was out there, tearing things out, I also raked up most of the leaves from Bad Neighbor’s nasty hackberry tree, filling the compost bin, and also laying down a good layer in two of the big raised beds. I ended up climbing up into them and turning the dirt over, to make sure the leaves stayed in the beds instead of blowing into Good Neighbor’s yard. I ran out of steam when I got to the third bed, so if we have another nice day soon, I’ll have to go out and do it again.
So, Vegan MoFo is over, and I sort of ran out of gas about halfway through. Too much food! I couldn’t eat as fast as I cooked. I’m not sorry I did it , though—and here’s why:
1. I ate way less processed food this month than I have previously. I’m not a big eater of frankenfoods, but seriously, I bought nothing from Boca or Morningstar Farms all month.
2. I cooked a lot more than usual. I think I cook lots of simple things, like baked potatoes or roasted veggies, but I don’t really cook from recipes. I did last month, and I liked it.
3. I finally acquired a vegan cookbook. Helpful.
4. I tried new things. Nutritional yeast. Tempeh. Seitan. Bean curd sticks. I have buckwheat noodles, and a chayote waiting to be eaten.
5. I cleaned out my kitchen cupboards, and reorganized. I finally gave in to using more than one little cabinet for food. I’m seriously thinking of turning the pantry, which has been functioning as a broom closet, back into a pantry. I cleaned out my spice cabinet. I threw away stuff that was old, or that I don’t use, or that isn’t vegan.
I’m sure there’s more, but after two glasses of wine, I can’t think of them. Mostly, I enjoyed reading about all the possibilities that vegan eating has to offer. It was nice to hear hundreds of vegans talking about what they eat every day, and watching all the lovely photos of food roll by.
November 27th, 2010 |
Somehow, I fell off the Vegan MoFo bandwagon before Thanksgiving. Probably because my fridge runneth over with leftovers from the first part of the month.
Well, I’m back from being a bad MoFo. This morning, I posted Simple Vegan Wraps & Fillings on Squidoo. I also tried my first recipe from Vegan With a Vengeance (Tempeh Bacon), and didn’t light the kitchen on fire. So there.
November 25th, 2010 |
For years now, my anti-Thanksgiving celebration has gone something like this:
1. Sleep late.
2. Wear sweats all day.
3. Stay home with the dog and the DVDs.
4. Cook all the holiday foods I like.
5. Eat, watch DVDs, rub dog’s belly, and sleep.
I had high hopes for my first vegan Thanksgiving. I’ve been accumulating recipes for weeks. Unfortunately, they’re mostly new recipes, so I don’t know if I like any of them yet. The idea of fixing all those new things became overwhelming.
So, yesterday I decided forget about cooking much. I think I’m going to cook some pumpkin baked oatmeal in a while, with cranberries and nuts in it—but, no tofu turkey, or any of that other stuff. I can’t be bothered. Maybe I’ll try some of those recipes over the next few weeks, and find a few favorites for Christmas dinner.
Yesterday, I donated the cost of the turkey I’m not eating this year to the North Texas Food Bank.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
November 23rd, 2010 |
I went to the nearest Asian grocery mega-mart yesterday, to wander the aisles in search of new things. Bean curd sticks and char siu sauce made it into the basket, so I could try making the infamous vegan ribs, Chinese style:
Time consuming, because of the hours of soaking, but pretty easy to make. I want to tweak the recipe a little more before I write it up, but yeah, they were yummy.
November 20th, 2010 |
There have been a lot of sweet potato recipes posted for Vegan MoFo this week. These are the ones I’ve saved for future meal adventures:
Sweet Potato Pasta uses sweet potatoes as the pasta portion of the dish. Brilliant.
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with cranberries. Sounds yummy.
Black Eyed Peas Meet a Sweet Potato. I’m not sure what half the things in this recipe are, but the ones I know sound like a tasty combination. Bonus: garnished with avocado, which we all know makes everything taste better.
Sweet Potato Curry, which is all sweet potatoes. And curry powder.
“Beef” and Sweet Potato Tacos. I’ll eat pretty much anything that calls itself a taco.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas, without cheese. So simple, there’s no recipe—just smash a few things together, and eat.
Ghetto Hummus is not really ghetto at all. Sounds tasty. I always forget to throw anything in hummus beyond the basics. Why not heave a few sweet potatoes in there?
Sweet Potato Tots. That’s all. Just tots.
Indian Spiced Sweet Potatoes. I love Indian food, but I don’t really cook it at home. This made me think I should.
November 19th, 2010 |
Microwave a medium potato. Chop, and toss with a little vegan margarine and some nutritional yeast. Cover with fresh chopped spinach and tomatoes. Sprinkle with black pepper and bacon salt.
Five minutes from “I’m starving” to “Mmm…”.
November 18th, 2010 |
Fort Worth is blessed with its very own vegan eatery, Spiral Diner. It’s a rare treat to be able to walk into a restaurant and know that you can have anything on the menu. No asking whether there’s something on the plate that contains animal products. No guessing. Every freaking thing on the menu is 100% vegan. In Cow Town, no less. It’s bliss.
Livia suggested we lunch at Spiral after our museum morning, and she’s not even vegan. The food was so good the first time I took her that she’s declared we can eat there any time I want. Today, she had migas, which were half devoured before I got my camera out, and I had this Texas Style Philly—seitan, barbecue sauce, cheez, onions on a roll with potato salad. I’ve never tried seitan before, but I’ve tried new things at Spiral in the past, and never been disappointed. This was no exception. The sandwich was so good that I ate the whole damned thing, after first getting Liv to taste it, and getting her thumbs up as well. It’s big enough to split with someone if you’re also getting dessert.
Yeah. Dessert. I usually don’t indulge, because I have a problem with sugar: it puts me right to sleep. Livia got this chocolate bourbon pecan pie thing, and gave me half. I could only eat two bites—it was delicious, sweet, and chocolatey. If I could, I’d grab a fork, and eat the whole pie. Always leave room for dessert at Sprial—-here’s why:
A whole case of vegan delights, right next to the cash register. Cookies, cakes, brownies, pies—all manner of sinful desserts. Oh, and I’ve seen pictures of their special event cakes on the Spiral Diner Facebook page. Heavenly.
Go to Spiral Diner, people. There’s one in Fort Worth, and also one in Dallas.
November 16th, 2010 |
I’m taking a break from Vegan MoFo today, mostly because my fridge runneth over with leftovers. I think I’ll be back with more recipes shortly.
Meanwhile, I’ve posted the recipe for my Chunky Vegetable Salsa on Squidoo, and also put together a complete listing of My Vegan Recipe Lenses.
Yes, I’ve been a busy, busy girl…
November 13th, 2010 |
I had way too many projects going today, so I made my favorite I-need-to-eat-vegetables-but-can’t-be-bothered-cooking meal: crazy veggie salsa and home baked corn chips.
I’m working on writing up the recipe for this. It’s basically corn, onions, tomatoes, peas, fresh spinach, and sometimes grated carrots, tossed with lime juice and spices, and eaten like a salsa with chips instead of a salad. Fresh, light, and easy.
And hey, I grew those tomatoes. Probably the last vine-ripened of the year, since it got cold last night. I’ll be paper bag ripening the remaining green tomatoes, which is not nearly the same, but still better than grocery store ‘maters.
November 12th, 2010 |
I had some running around to do today, and by the time I was finished, I was hungry. I had one of those conversations with myself, contemplating the relative merits of stopping at any of the bazillion fast food places I pass on the way home to grab, oh, some french fries and a salad, or some other horrible excuse for a meal. I decided I should make the fries at home, to try out my new mandolin slicer—and then I realized I had a turnip, and oh, I wanted to try tofu baked with a Liquid Smokey sauce. I ended up here for dinner:
Oven roasted turnips and baconish tofu on chopped spinach. Because everything tastes better on a bed of raw spinach.
I’m working on my food porn photography…
November 11th, 2010 |
Vegan MoFo has me on overload right now. There are so many vegans blogging about food and posting food photos that I sort of feel faint when I scroll through the feeds. Every time I open Google Reader, there are 100 more posts. It’s 24 hour food porn.
There. I plate of veggies from my garden. Just so this post won’t be completely naked.
I’ve bookmarked a bunch of recipes—so many that it will take me a year to work through them all. That’s good, right? Here are some I’ve picked out so far, either from participating blogs, or from links in blogs that have led me to other sites:
Easy Refrigerator Pumpkin Cheesecake
Fat-Free Crispy Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu
Esme’s Special Sauce
Vegan Sweet Potato Naan
Barbecued Veggie Ribs
Happy Pink Cookies
Black Bean Brownies
Vegan Tofu Turkey
I also purchased a used copy of Vegan With a Vengeance on Amazon, because it was mentioned in so many posts.
I love buying books used on Amazon. It’s like having Half Price Books on my computer screen. If only it came with an old book smell room spray…
November 10th, 2010 |
I had leftovers again tonight, so no new food pics or recipes today.
Lots of folks are putting together surveys for Vegan Mofo. This list of questions is from Keri at I Eat Trees.
What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?
Cheese. I never thought I could give up cheese. Every time I look at packaged vegan cheese at the grocery store, I decide against it—it’s just not the must have thing any more.
What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?
Probably onions. I couldn’t stand them when I was a kid, but now, I really love cooking with them.
What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?
Mushrooms. About half the vegan-friendly dishes on any restaurant menu include mushrooms. Sorry, but I just can’t do it.
What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?
Water and tea are my only beverages. Right now, I’m probably drinking peach-flavored black iced tea the most. Smells so good!
What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?
A raw vegetable plate. I almost always bring the carrots and celery and some kind of dip, just so I’ll have something to snack on while everyone else eats junk.
Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?
I don’t like vegetables cooked in broth or tomato sauce. No stews.
What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?
Peanuts in the shell. Open the bag? Eat the bag!
What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?
Guacamole. I like it made chunky, with lime juice. Nobody makes it packaged like that. Although lately, I’ve been buying some that’s vegan and readily available. Mexican food—always available here, but I like cooking it at home. Corn chips.
What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?
Tea. I like black tea, and while I’ll buy generic of just about anything else on the grocery list, I’ll pay through the nose for Republic of Tea or some yummy black tea blend sold in bulk at Central Market.
Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?
I could pretty much snack my way through the day. I like anything crunchy and salty. I love peanuts. And corn chips.
What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?
It depends on what’s growing in the garden right now. Currently, eggplant, because I have the mother lode in my backyard. Tomatoes all the time. Basil. Onion. NOT green peppers—hate ‘em.
What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?
My favorite vegetable is probably spinach. I eat a lot of it. My favorite fruit is raspberries. I eat them rarely, because they’re so expensive.
What is the best salad dressing?
Red wine vinegar and a few spices. I’m not big on dressing.
What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?
Peanut butter.
What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?
Usually not soup. I like chili when it’s cold.
What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?
I’m not big on sweets, and I can’t remember the last time I had a cupcake—but probably chocolate on chocolate, thanks.
What is your favorite kind of cookie?
Peanut butter. Are you sensing a theme here?
What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?
My quick go-to is usually a veggie burger on a whole wheat tortilla with spinach and carrot shreds. Alternately, a potato, baked in the microwave, tossed with vegan margarine, spinach and tomatoes to make a sort of potato-y salad thing.
How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?
My kitchen is sort of central to the house, so a couple of hours at least.
November 9th, 2010 |
Leftover tamales, home baked cheesy corn chips, and guacamole. I posted the recipes for the tamales over at Squidoo, where I’m building a little nest of vegan goodies in a sea of vegetarian stuff. Instructions for making home baked corn chips, taco shells and tostada shells are coming next week sometime.
Guacamole. I used to make my own. Then I found Wholly Guacamole in the refrigerator case of my local grocery store. The original style is basically avocados and jalapeno juice, with no chemicals I can’t pronounce. It’s good stuff. Now, I only make my own guac when avocados drop in price in the summer.
November 8th, 2010 |
I spent most of the day making tamales. Four dozen of them—one dozen each of seasoned “meat”, bean and green chili, spinach, and pumpkin and rice. The recipe, which is really simple, is posted at Squidoo.
They are delicious…
November 6th, 2010 |
I just posted the instructions for oven-roasting vegetables over at Squidoo. Included are all the instructions for the four things I made for last night’s dinner: oven roasted broccoli, oven roasted brussels sprouts, faux fried okra, and eggplant fake-un.
November 5th, 2010 |
Tonight’s dinner: roasted vegetables. Broccoli and brussels sprouts tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven. Eggplant from the garden, slathered in Bacon Salt, and baked until it was relatively crispy. Okra from the garden, rolled in corn meal and black pepper, and baked until crunchy. Yummy.
I made all these for a roasted veggie recipe page at Squidoo, where I’ve been posting vegan recipes lately. Unfortunately, there seems to be a ghost in the machine today. Everyone is complaining of blank pages when they try to work on their pages.
The folks at Post Punk Kitchen have been posting survey questions for the Vegan MoFo participants to use as a daily post in lieu of a recipe. I decided to answer a few today, while I’m waiting for someone to kick the Squidoo server:
What’s your favorite spice or spice blend?
Cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice. I put it on squash, and on leftover grains. It makes me feel all warm and happy.
You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). what do you buy?
I grow a lot of produce, so the things I buy are what I don’t grow: spinach, grapes, sweet potatoes, squash, apples. Oh, and raisins, because I don’t really use sugar for sweetening—I just throw in a handful of raisins, instead. Tortillas. Peanut butter.
What’s your favorite way to make tofu?
Scrambled with vegetables. I like it best crunchy, but I haven’t mastered that at home yet.
Vegan guilty pleasure?
Morningstar Farms ribs. I could eat my weight in those things. I try to limit myself to one box a month.
If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?
Gosh, nobody. I try not to inflict my dietary choices on anyone. I think people have to find their own best way of eating.
If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?
Probably Veg Fort Worth, because it’s local, so I’d hear about all the vegan goodness going on around town, plus get recipe ideas for stuff that’s available in our area.
Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?
I’ve loved to cook since I was a kid. I lost my way for a while, but when I bought my house, the first thing I did was tear out the kitchen and redo it. It took me two years, but I really do have a great kitchen now, that’s both pretty and functional. Being vegan has just given me one more reason to enjoy cooking at home.
Excluding analogues, what new things have you tried that you probably wouldn’t have as an omni?
I grew okra for the first time this year, which I never really ate much of previously, and probably wouldn’t have bothered adding to the garden. I never had quinoa before, but I eat it regularly now.
What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can’t get behind?
Portabello mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. They taste like dirt. Bleh!
First recipe you veganized?
Umm, probably scrambled eggs, swapping for tofu scramble.
What would you like to veganize, but haven’t yet?
I’d like to come up with a really good vegan lasagne. Oh, and the whole Thanksgiving adventure looms on the horizon. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with that, yet.
Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?
Food processor, definitely. I just put the indoor grill away, and put the food processor in its place, because I’m using it so much right now.
Most disastrous kitchen failure?
Not completely disastrous, but jeez, I sure can burn oven roasted veggies. One minute, they look like they just need two more minutes, and the next, they’re black.
First vegan cookbook?
It’s a teenager’s guide to being a vegan that I found at the used bookstore. It has all sorts of really simple, useful information in it, and basic no-stress recipes.
What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?
“What do you eat?” I eat food, dammit!
If you could tell the world one thing about vegans, what would it be?
That not all of us are “meat is murder” people who are going to wave signs in your face. Some of us just like eating vegetables. Also, a good steak will probably not cure any of us. Really.
Funniest vegetable?
Brussels sprouts, because so many people seem to hate them. I can’t get enough of them.
Weirdest food combination?
I make a veggie salsa thing with corn, tomatoes, onions, Mexican spices, chopped spinach and peas. Sounds crazy, but it’s yummy. Also, I like putting peanut butter and raisins on apple slices.
Is there something you wish you could veganize, but can’t/couldn’t?
Whatever it is that my neighbor has been grilling all summer, because it smells great, but it’s probably cow.
Favorite ways to prepare tofu, seitan, tempeh, any other vegan proteins?
Marinated, grilled, and wrapped in a tortilla with some raw spinach and carrot shreds. I’ll eat pretty much anything that way.
November 4th, 2010 |
I had a bunch of running around to do today, ending with a stop at Whole Foods. I don’t shop there much, even though there’s one relatively close, because it’s expensive, and honestly, I do too much impulse shopping there. I’m better off using regular grocery stores and my local healthy market, Sunflower Shoppe.
Anyway, I was in no real mood to cook when I got home. Why is it I never want to cook after grocery shopping? So, dinner was a quick one:
Pumpkin, leftover from my most recent pumpkin baked oatmeal, black beans, and spinach in whole wheat tortillas, sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Yummy and easy—but it needed just one more thing. I’ll get another chance at it soon, because there’s still some pumpkin left.
November 3rd, 2010 |
I had to do some major grocery shopping this afternoon—and, as usual, when I was done, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. I should learn to bring home something quick and simple, or already ready to go.
Anyway, I took it as a sign that I should stop for an hour or so, make myself some popcorn—something I haven’t had all summer—and watch a DVD. My Vegan Mofo contribution for today is Healthy Popcorn From Your Microwave. Not great moments in culinary history, but when I learned how to do this, it made my life easier and saved me money. That will have to do!
November 2nd, 2010 |
Even though the temperatures are slowly falling, the summer garden is still producing like crazy. Yesterday, I harvested this plate of loveliness:
So, what to do with eggplant, tomatoes and basil? Make Easy Vegan Pizza, my latest recipe posted at Squidoo.
Mmm, it was so yummy—and, I have leftovers waiting for dinner this evening.
