Smlove Pie

This is from Isa and Terry's new cookbook Veganomicon, which is outrageous. This pie is pretty outrageous also, it was so rich, nobody would have believed it was made out of tofu, but I did not tell anyone.......................... Whenever non-vegans hear the "T" word they usually put their forks down, so I did not mention a thing. I will make this again and again especially when I want to impress people with rich, decadent vegan cooking.

Thank You Dreena

Here is a picture, I know FINALLY! of the Orange Sesame baked tofu I made a few weeks ago with Coconut Lime Basmati Rice, this is thanks to Dreena's new book Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. This was exceptional, I love it. This cookbook has become a staple around my kitchen lately, I find myself going to it for reference time and time again. I am dying the try the peanut sesame hummus and the cashew tofu. Everything in it sounds unique and memorable, I just wish I had more time and more money to cook everything. Thank you Dreena for all the help that you provide for me in the kitchen. Now, if only your friend Julie Hasson would write a vegan cookbook!

Take the Pressure Off

I have decided that I am not going to follow a strict diet, I am going to just let myself enjoy my food and have fun with it. You know who does this is Christina Pirello, I love watching her cook, she has no fears she just throws together what she knows will taste good. She does not have any alarmist views on the use of oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, pasta etc etc etc etc etc...... Christina simply stays away from animal fats, animal proteins and cooks with a huge variety of unprocessed plant foods. I love it. I get so tired of analyzing everything I eat, it gets to be exhausting, then I end up binging. I know I wrote about this before but I have been struggling with this for the past year.

My eating plan will consist of: Veggies, fruit, whole grains/whole grain products(bread, pasta tortillas), beans/unprocessed bean products (tofu, tempeh,soymilk), nuts, seeds, and once in a while some faux meat products. I will use some extra virgin olive oil to cook with when I feel like it also I will use some avocado or macadamia nut oil to bake with. Christina gave me that tip and it is wonderful. No more pressure, seriously!

I still have some pictures to download, I made Bryanna's Neatball recipe and they were perfect, the really did not fall apart in the sauce. I also made Dreena's Orange Sesame Tofu with Coconut Lime Rice, Erik Marcus got me cooking that up. I promise I will download the pictures tonight.

Yes, I am still mad about the almonds and greens......... I am very glad to have gotten some feedback on this topic, though not a lot because nobody is aware of it, so scary!

I am so sorry I neglected you

I am so sorry I have not been participating in veganmofo, I have gotten side tracked, once again. I am so easily distracted these days.

I want talk about Dreena's chicpea patties I made a few weeks ago and baked, they were okay. Well, today I took them out of the freezer this morning and then later for dinner I fried them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, they were outrageously delicious!!! I also made some mashed potatoes with EB and green beans. It was so good, I am still dreaming about it two hours later.

I also want to know why(!!!!!) the pasteurization of raw almonds and organic leafy greens is not all over the news. The FDA is going to start spraying beautiful raw almonds with rocket fuel (a.k.a a known carcinogen also banned in Europe) and they are also considering doing this to leafy greens as well, all the while continuing to label them organic! Am I the only one who feels like this is the beginning of the end of organics? Maybe I am over reacting, but it is certainly a turn in the wrong direction for our health and the health of our planet. If there is anyone out there that knows of anything more I can do please let me know ASAP.

Pumpkins and Mushrooms and Lentils

This weekend I made some Pumpkin Spice Bread from the PPK website, Thanks Isa. It was very low in fat and so good. I keep thinking about it and to bad it is already gone. I am glad the others who tried it enjoyed it as well, meaning, I did not devour the whole thing on my own. Sorry no pics yet!

Also this weekend I made a lentil walnut dip that I developed from a recipe on PPK website. My recipe went something like this:
1/2 cup brown lentils
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
sauteed shallot
sauteed garlic clove
olive oil
salt
pepper
fresh rosemary
ground sage (just a tiny pinch)
dried thyme (just a tiny pinch)
Galaxy Vegan Parmesan
lemon juice
teaspoon of tamari
(next time maybe a dash of red wine)
oh yeah and some no-chicken broth to get it moving in the food processor (instead of using more oil)
Blend, blend, blend! Serve with the following chips.
-Brush some whole wheat pitas with Earth balance and baked them for 20 minutes, then break them up to whatever size you perfer and you have chips to go with my dip. DELICIOUS!

I then had a portebello mushroom covered in pesto and sun dried tomatoes(made by my mother while watching the football game), this was baked in the oven at 325 for 1/2 hour, this was beautiful. Thanks Mom.

I also was thinking about an old favorite called the "Chinatown" which is a beef(the horror) burger simmered in teryaki sauce (beef!, gag me). So instead I got Amy's All American Burgers(grain based) and marinated them in a teryaki sauce with a little olive oil. I then grilled them on the stove top, they came out delicious, better then my old fave. I served this on a sprouted grain roll with french fries and it made a perfect "Saturday Night before a Halloween Party" meal. We loved it. I think I will make them again tonight and take some pictures.

I promise more pictures are on the way.......................................................

What I have been up to lately:

I want to update you in words what I have cooked over the past two weeks. I don't have pics at the moment but I will start to take them again next week.

1) Chinese stir fry(I made this recipe up) It had tons of veggies, hoison sauce, seschueun sauce, sesame oil, a little agave nectar. I cooked all the veggies in white wine, great option, the whole thing came out great. I added a bit to much crushed red pepper flake and you needed to eat it with a gallon of water, next time I will cut back on that. Oh yeah and I added raw cashews to the dish as well, forgot about that. I give this recipe an A-, it would be an A if it were not for to much hot!

2) I have been loving Neal Barnard's updated website and his recipes, great low fat ideas. Anyway, last week I made his recipe called Seitan Cousselet from "Breaking the Food Seduction" I used store bought seitan, which was a little to sweet for me, I would rather have made my own, but it was quicker this way. I few things I added to the recipe were kitchen bouquet for a darker gravy and thyme and marjoram. The next time I make this I will use fresh rosemary, I love fresh rosemary. Anyway, the recipe was good with some potatoes, it is a good "meat" and potatoes meal. I give this recipe a B+

3) Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce, from the Millennium Cookbook (love this cookbook!) I served this with WW pasta and broccoli. I liked it, but I swear I can't find anything to taste as good as cheese, I just have to give it up. This recipe was not memorable but I did like it. I will give it a B- Next time I will add some earth balance, but last week when I cooked it I was on my McDougall kick. As you will see, I go on and off the low fat bandwagon every other week or so.

4) Chicpea Patties with Hain Golden Gravy. The chicpea patties are from Dreena's new book "Eat Drink and be Vegan" The patties were awesome, we loved them and the gravy made them even better with some mashed potatoes and veggies. I fried them and it made a crispy coating, delicious. I give this recipe a B+ because as I said I was on my McDougall kick and the fact that I fried them bugged me...........

5) Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, again from Dreena's new cookbook. These were very healthy and delicious. I love how Dreena uses a lot of alternative flours, I love experimenting with them, there are so many. Anyway, this gets an A. Also instead of the three tablespoons of oil I used only two with 1 tbsp of applesauce.

6) Browines by Neal Barnard. These were fat free and so good. Again I got this recipe from the "Breaking the Food Seduction" book. I used silken tofu in this recipe so the brownies came out very moist and delicious, would have been good with some vanilla soy ice cream. A-

7) I got the DVD "Everyday Dish" with Bryanna Clark Grogan, Dreena Burton, and Julie Hasson. I loved it and I made a recipe from it right away. It was Julie's Deli Noodle Soup, so good and so nostalgic. It was just like the chicken noodle soup I used to eat as a kid. I have been eating this soup all week for lunches and a few dinners, it gets better everyday. I used TVP chunks in it, like real chicken, it is scary. We had this with some chewy Iggy's garlic bread with some Earth Balance. This gets an easy A.

8) I made the chicpea patties again only I baked them. I have to say I like them better fried (of course!) also I used Roads End Organics Shitake Gravy, it was not good at all. It was dry and flavorless. Anyway I give this a C, these will be fried for now on.

9) Tube of Polenta! I bought a tube of polenta at Whole Foods and sliced it up and grilled it with some zucchini, roasted reds, and portebellos, so good. I used olive oil spray to get those awesome grill marks. I also made some tomato garlic sauce to smother them in, then I added my fave Galaxy brand vegan parmesan to the top. I wanted to add cannelini beans but I did not have any, next time and maybe some toasted pine nuts. Easily an A.

10) Last Friday night I was dying for pizza (what's new) and I decided to make my own pizza crust. So I used the simplest recipe I could find, which was white whole wheat flour, baking powder and a bottle of beer. Also there was no need to knead the dough, just mix and spread on pizza stone. No fat. I also added roasted garlic, rosemary, roasted reds, tomatoes, portebellos, sun dried tomatoes and salt and pepper. The crust took forever to cook and I realized I should have let it cook on its own before I added the toppings. Next time. Anyway it also got stuck to the pizza stone it took a few minutes to get it unstuck. It was pretty good, it was crispy on the bottom and doughy and soft in the middle. A little too doughy so next time I will cook it before adding the toppings and I will add some fat, it did need it. Otherwise not bad, I will give it a B-.

I want to be back

I have been away for awhile, trying to figure some things out. I had not been cooking much or eating well. I am back, I am ready to get cooking and spread the Vegan Word. I will start posting my recipes again. I want to mention that I will not be concentrating on any one type of vegan eating plan, for example, McDougall or Fuhrman as I have done in the past. Doing this really stifles my creativity, so I am going to just cook meals with tons of veggies, beans, grains, fruit, nuts and seeds........

I got two new cookbooks also, Dreena's and Veganomicon, I have not made anything from veganomnicon yet, maybe this weekend. In Dreena's book I made the chicpea patties and lemon poppyseed cookies, both were so good, of course the chicpea patties were better fried. Anyway I will keep you all updated.

Tofu Cutlets and Slashed Potatoes

This meal is omni approved! I can't believe how great Jo Stepaniak's Oven Roasted Tom Tofu is. I have made it about three times and it is unbelievable to me how much it tastes like chicken.

I made this marinade last night, a mixture of soy sauce, water, nooch, garlic, onion, coriander, chili powder and I let the tofu soak in this over night and all day. Also I had frozen the tofu and thawed it before hand as well as pressed it so it really absorbed all the marinade and it was full of flavor. Then I breaded the tofu with a mixture of whole wheat breadcrumbs, cornmeal, nooch, black pepper, garlic. Step one dip tofu in flour, step two dip tofu in soy milk, step three dredge tofu through breadcrumb mixture. Then I placed the tofu on a wax paper covered pan and baked in a 400 degree oven for 40 mins. It was so crunchy on the outside and juicy and flavorful inside, it was incredible. Also I made slashed potatoes with baby red potatoes and I added some soy milk and shredded kale. I used the gravy from VwaV, the one I used the other night with the black eyed pea croquettes, the mushroom gravy. For a veggie I steamed broccoli and kale and covered it with a dressing I made which consisted of Dijon mustard, veggie broth, and agave nectar and a splash of a commercial honey mustard dressing I had in the fridge. Everything I made tonight was so perfect, I am so full I don't know if I can fit my ETL smoothie in tonight.

Miso Soup

Last night I made Miso Noodle Soup, I was unable to take picture because my cameras battery wore out. I still have some leftover in the refrigerator that I will take a picture of and post. I love miso soup, it is one of my faves, of course it is not ETL because miso is so high in sodium, but I love it and I will enjoy it once in awhile. Anyway here is the recipe I threw together last night.

Miso Noodle Soup

brown rice noodles (however much you want)
2 tbsp dark miso
shredded carrots
chopped green onions
shitake mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon grass
sesame seeds
tofu diced
bok choy
broccoli
soy sauce
sesame oil

I did not measure anything except the miso, just add what veggies you like and how much of whatever veggies you like. Also I did measure the sesame oil, I added only one tbsp to the whole pot. Anyway this was very yummy, it will always be one of my fave soups and of course I adapted a recipe from fatfreevegan.com, that is my standby website when I am in doubt, she also follows Eat To Live so I have much trust in her recipes.

Black Eyed Pea Croquettes With Mashed Potatoes

Here I made Black Eyed Peas Croquettes with mushroom gravy, green beans and mashed potatoes. I got this recipe from VwaV, my fave most worn down cookbook. I really don't know what I would do without this book. Of course this meal was A+ as are the rest of the recipes in this book.

Drea This Is For You

My pal at work and I were discussing chicken fingers and how much she loved them. I told her I could tofu fingers that would be even better so I tried these, one batch was baked the other was fried. As you all know Eat To Live is my nutritional bible so I usually don't fry things that is why in the pictures above the plate with only two fingers are the ones that were fried, the other plate were the ones that were baked. The baked ones came out so much crispier then the fried, but the fried did taste a little better. I think I prefer the baked version that was very crispy, we loved them with barbecue sauce and honey mustard dressing

I marinated tofu in a recipe I adapted from Vegan Vittles called Tom Tofu, I know I can't post the recipe because Joanne Stepaniak does not like that. But I did marinate the tofu overnight in her marinade. The next morning I sliced the tofu into fingers and set up a line of whole wheat pastry flour on a plate, soy milk in a bowl, and a mix of Italian breadcrumbs, cornmeal, nooch, black pepper, garlic granules. I then dipped the marinated tofu in the flour, then soymilk, the dredged in the breadcrumb mixture. Next I put the four fingers in a 450 degrees oven for 20 mins, these were so crispy and tasty, I swear I was eating chicken. The marinade really gives it a meaty.poultry like flavor. Also I had used frozen tofu so the texture was meaty and chewy. Then the other two fingers I fried in one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until they were browned, these were so tasty but did not get quite as crispy as the baked batch. Either way I will be making these again with fries and ketchup or with brown gravy and mashed potatoes. I will also share them with all my tofu-suspicious friends.

Ginger Almond Salad

This is a dressing I got from the Eat To Live website it is called Ginger Almond Dressing and it goes like this:

1/4 cup soymilk
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tbsp tahini
2 dates
Blend in a vitimix until smooth, I add a bit more water and soymilk to thin it out a bit and take away some of the sweetness, it is so sweet!

Today I made a salad with baby romaine, goji berries, walnuts, diced pears, diced zucchini and the ginger almond dressing. This all worked so well together, it may be my fave salad of the month. I love the taste of fresh ginger, I think I did add a bit more then the recipe called for, i can never just leave a recipe alone.