Blech.

Well, it's finally Sunday and I am ready for it to be over with already. I do not feel very well...I think I am trying to come down with something, no wait-scratch that, I have come down with something which is not good since we are going to be stuck in a car for 16 hours tomorrow. We had originally planned on splitting the drive up into two days but since we are taking kitty #1 and kitty #2 back with us we are going to do it all in one. So instead of driving today we sorted through some stuff in my MIL's basement that we need to get ready to move to TX and went and finally bought a pet carrier for the kitties.

Since I am feeling crappy nothing has seemed very appetizing in terms of food. For breakfast I had a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and jelly. It was quite tasty but I forgot to add the wheat germ...oops. At the rate I'm going it's going to take me years to work through this jar of wheat germ. Unless I can put a crapload in some bread I'm going to make...hmmm, that's an idea! May have to try that. As tasty as it was, what I am really craving is miso soup. And edamame. I'm needing it...bad...just don't know if the grocery would have that here. Kind of doubt it but may have to brave the cold and go see.

For lunch I had my left-over pasta from last night with broccoli and cauliflower and some squash. I think I remember reading somewhere that garlic is good at fighting off the crud so I loaded it down with garlic...I *really* liked that and it's funny when my husband swears it's my new perfume. I wish I had something to eat now that I could add a lot of garlic to...I seem to be craving that as well. And sriracha. What up with that?

Dinner. No idea what I'm going to have but I wish it was comprised of miso, edamame, sriracha, and garlic. Too bad I only have the garlic. Most likely it'll be a peanut butter sandwich...and some green tea. That would be quite soothing to the throat...and it's been 24 hours since I have had any. Which brings me to the question, 'Can one have too much green tea?'

Hope your Sunday is treating you well as I'm sure it's your fun day. You know, that you don't have to run day. Happy Mo*cough*cough*Fo. Oops, sorry 'bout that...

Greg and his mommy, two of our traveling companions tomorrow:

My most-likely dinner option (picture obtained from here):

Welcome To Meat-Eating Country...Ick.

Well, we are back in Kentucky for the week due to the upcoming holidays and nothing says welcome back to the south than sweet tea!!! Ugh. Must remember to ask for unsweet tea...but that's besides the point. Anyway, today was difficult to get food that didn't contain loads of meat. We started by going to the coffee shop for lunch as we seriously wanted their vegan black bean burgers. Unfortunately, due to the economy, they have started closing on Mondays. Damn, no black bean burger. So off to Mancino's we went for pizza (minus the cheese of course) with mushrooms, black olive, and green olives. Quite tasty.

For dinner we wanted bean burritos and decided to do a modified 7-layer and headed on over to Taco Bell. Lo-and-behold, we pull into Taco Bell and it is CLOSED. WTH??? Why must they be closed when I crave a burrito??? At this point we gave up and headed over to the closest grocery store. There we picked up the necessary 'fixin's' for spaghetti (whole wheat noodles of course and onion/garlic marinara sauce).  We walked over to the soymilk section and saw something that made my heart sing...soy nog!!! We picked up a couple of cartons of nog and then I found something I have never seen before-Silk Mint Chocolate Soymilk. It is like drinking Andes mint chocolate yummies.

So, as stated earlier, we are in KY for the week. We split the drive up into 2 days as we had to make a detour through Mississippi. Having lived in Mississippi before, I knew the vegan options aren't plentiful in this particular area of the nation. Fortunately I planned for this part of the trip...I stocked up on wraps that I kept in the cooler and had plenty of snacks in my bag. For meals we had Tom's Tabooley (sp?) Spicy Tofu and Thai wraps that were great! (And I'm sure I got the names wrong...my memory is failing me at the moment...). We also snacked on Luna bars, raw cashews/almonds/pecans, and some bbq chips (gotta have the chips!). It was actually some of the best road food I've had. I will have to see if there is anyway I can duplicate the experience for the way back...

And as usual...all this talk of food has made me hungry, so I think I am going to raid the hummus stash. Yum...Keep your fingers crossed that where ever we go tomorrow the place isn't closed.

Off to the fridge...and Happy MoFo from Kentucky!

BTW, currently having an interesting conversation on the phone with Michelle about the differences between yams and sweet potatoes. I am learning quite a bit...seriously. now I want sweet potato fries. 

Fast And Easy...

If you have been following along, you would know that this week I have not felt my best. Between nursing a bum ankle (I twisted it) and a bum head (allergies), the last thing I've felt up to has been cooking or baking which sucks because I really want brownies or cookies about now. On my way home from the doctor today I stopped by Whole Foods. I forgot to buy my vitamins yesterday when at the grocery so had to today. While there I walked around to see what might be a possibility for a quick-to-fix dinner. In the cooler I noticed there were several types of soups...one in particular caught my eye.

Tomato basil soup is perhaps one of my favorite types of soup. I first tasted it years ago at La Madeleine. I ultimately gave it up though due to the dairy content lending to the rich and creamy taste and texture. I know I could make it myself without the dairy; however, today that just wasn't an option. So, in my buggy the container went and off I went to the check-out counter. Once I got home the soup went into a pot to be heated. We had some sourdough bread in the fridge, so I toasted a couple of slices.

Once the soup was heated through we dished it up into a couple of bowls and dug in. It was nice having a vegan version of one of my old favorites. I really should try making this soup. With a few simple ingredients I believe it could be recreated with relative ease. The recipe for Cold Tomato Basil Soup looks like a good one to try...though I might have to heat it...

On another note, I bought vegan marshmallows from Wheatsville Co-Op today when I was there (yes, I was at two groceries...). Must eat them soon. Maybe I'll get started on that now...

Happy MoFo.

Beans And Rice Make Things Twice As Nice...

I like beans. Alot. Almost as much as Brak, I just didn't get to write a cool song about it...I was still feeling kinda crappy tonight so my husband and I decided to go get burrito bowls at Chipotle as they always seem to pick me up, and make me happy because they have beans!

So off we went to the neighborhood locale. As stated, we both got burrito bowls. T sometimes gets a burrito, and on the rare occasion tacos, but I always get the bowl. Started with a nice layer of the lime-cilantro rice then a nice big heapin' spoon full of frijoles negros. Mmm mmm good! I of course skipped the meat, opting for the grilled veggies, and LOTS of fresh tomato salsa and hot salsa. I got a 'thwack' of guacamole and extra amounts of lettuce then off to the table to dive in. Oh yeah, we also got a side of chips and hot salsa. And a tea. Unsweetened of course...gotta have my unsweetened tea.

It had been quite a while since we had indulged in a big beautiful burrito bowl and let me tell you...oh how we enjoyed them! My mouth was on fire from the hot sauce, but that's normal. It'll be fine by the morning. The hot sauce did help to open up my sinuses some, which I am quite thankful for...

I'm off to watch Brak sing about beans again...never get tired of that video. Or his songs. I miss that cartoon.

Happy MoFo!

Get In The Kitchen And Bake Me A Pie!

Welllllll, the past few days have not been good ones as I have been sniffling and blowing my nose repeatedly and nursing a headache and swollen foot. The sniffles, nose issues, and headache are from a serious bout of allergies I'm sure and the foot issue is from an ill-fated attempt at walking Saturday. Yes, I am talented like that.

Since I haven't felt well, we have had very easy to make, quick dinners; ie: Amy's Soups. Oh, how I love Amy's...we have had quite a bit of chili, dal, and the no-chicken chicken noodle. Yum. But soup does not satisfy the sweet tooth...oh no. For that I had to scavenge the cupboard. In doing so I found a can of pumpkin pie mix that I had accidentally bought instead of plain pumpkin one day. Oops. Upon seeing it I thought, 'Hmmm, I sure would like some pie.' So, I decided to make a pumpkin pie. This had to be the easiest pie I have ever made...

As luck would have it I actually had a pre-made wheat crust in the freezer that I had picked up one day from Wheatsville Co-op, my favorite store...I preheated the oven to 450 degrees as called for on the can. I mixed the pie mix with 3/4 cup of soy milk and the equivalent of 2 eggs (using EnergG Egg Replacer). The recipe on the can called for evaporated milk but I decided to sub out soy milk. I should have looked up the equivalent to evap milk, but I was feeling quite crappy and decided to go full force with the soy milk. Maybe not the best decision but it could have been worse...

After mixing the ingredients, I poured the mix into the pie shell and placed into the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. I then turned down the heat to 350 for an additional 40 minutes. Once the time was up the pie was taken out of oven and allowed to cool...a very agonizing wait I might add. The pie did look good, I must say...and I also noticed the cat was eying it, too. Fortunately Fleische decided he wasn't in the mood for pie. Whew!

After the appropriate amount of time had elapsed I dug in. Tasty, but not quite 'pumpkin pie spicy' enough. I like my pie a little more spicy but this was close. In terms of texture it wasn't quite firm...more the consistency of pudding. So, it was like a pumpkin pie pudding pie. Yum.

Final result: not bad.

In  other news, I had to take my husband's car to get an oil change today at Groovy Lube and while I was sitting outside waiting drinking some iced tea, the following fell on my head.

I looked up and saw several birds. As I watched I noticed they were breaking open these seeds or hulls and as they finished, they dropped the left over parts, one of which fell on my head. I am just glad that was all they dropped on my head...

And for the last picture of the night, here is my little girl, Shimano. She has been sticking close by while I've been sick. Last night in bed she crawled up in between T and I and fell asleep. She makes a good heated pillow :-)

Happy MoFo!

One night we were trying to figure out what to make for dinner and I couldn't decide what to make. I looked through all we had on hand and was stumped. My husband came in and looked through all we had on hand and said, "I'll make dinner." Harrumph.

One of the things that has always frustrated me is the fact that my husband has the amazing ability to throw a random assortment of ingredients into a pan and the next thing I know...an amazing meal has been born. I, on the other hand, could throw the same ingredients into a pan and the next thing I know...crap. Never fails! Give me a recipe then I can do things...leave me to my own devices in the kitchen...well, like I said. Bad things happen.

He began by sauteing some brussel sprouts in EVOO, added some minced garlic. Next a can of diced tomatoes were strained then added. We chopped up some kalamata olives and added them to the mixture. He turned the heat down to low and let the goodness simmer. On the burner next to that one, we cooked up some whole wheat linguine.

After all that was finished cooking we plated it and thought it needed just a bit something more...so we decided to toast up some pine nuts because, well, everything tastes better with pine nuts!

After the pine nuts were a nice toasty brown and smelling quite fragrant, we added them to the pasta and sat down to eat. And, as usual with all Tom's creations, it tasted amazing! The brussel sprouts were al dente and the olives added a perfect pungent bite. This is one dish I really hope he 'throws' together again soon!

I Died And Went To Heaven...aka Wheatsville Co-Op

What. A. Day. Today was definitely a most excellent day. I woke up early (ok, that part wasn't that excellent) and went down to Town Lake to canoe with my BFF (Michelle), her daughter and husband, and a small group of people. It was an outing put together by her personal trainer-he does free workouts on the weekends, doing different things outdoors and today I decided to join them. Good choice!!

So, I headed on down to the lake and teamed up with a dude in the group, whose name I don't remember...oops, and off we went in the canoe. I must say, our canoe rocked! This guy was awesome-his family has a place in Minnesota and the only way they can get into/out of it is by canoe so he was quite experienced. As we were swooshing through the water it was awesome watching all the turtles under water, the little fish swimming about. The water was so clear. I wasn't prepared for that...I think I had in my mind it would be cloudy. The only downside-right after we got there and started walking down to the shore, I, the amazing talented woman I am, fell. I somehow managed to lose my balance and down i went, so I ended up with a twisted right ankle and torqued left knee. I was a mess! But, I made it to the shore as I was still able to walk, and into the canoe I got. Afterwards I made it back up the shore and to the car and pow-wowed with Michelle and her family to decide what to do about lunch. She and I decided to head to Wheatsville Co-Op and Alan took Avery for tacos.

Yesterday I took Michelle to Wheatsville for the first time and she loved it, so it was no surprise she wanted to go back and check out their yummy treats. When we got there we checked out the hot bar and their deli area. It was hard to decide at first, but all it took was looking at the hot bar for a little bit and the decision was made...

They were doing a sampling of their upcoming Thanksgiving menu so the selections were plentiful, and the majority of the dishes were vegan to boot! With the day being cool outside the roasted Tofurky, cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, kale and white beans, brown rice, and pumpkin pie, all hit the spot like nothing else would. I was in food heaven...if only we were going to be in town for Thanksgiving. Aarrrrgh!!! I'll have to check online and see if any of their recipes are posted for these dishes because they rocked.

Afterwards, Michelle and I strolled through the store to pick out groceries for tonight's dinner as Tom and I were heading out to their house later in the evening. We were standing in the refrigerated section talking and ended up chatting with an employee about the different vegan yogurts. We had not tried the So Delicious line of yogurts and he offered to let us sample one. Even as full as we were we decided to take advantage of the offer and we split a strawberry yogurt. As a yogurt fan, she did not like it. I, on the other hand, do not like regular dairy yogurt but ended up loving this strawberry yogurt! I couldn't believe it...it didn't have that nasty taste I always associate with yogurt...I am so excited to pick some up the next time I am grocery shopping. Not to mention, it was unbelievably cool for the guy to let us sample it off the shelf. Yet another reason to love this place!

Some time I'll have to tell you about the dinner we had out at the Segars' house...yummy!!!!!!...but for now I am pooped and ready for bed. Happy MoFo to all and to all a good night...

Tall, Dark, and.....Nasty!

Morning all! Hope the day is going well for everyone. Things are better. Well, now that I've had some soup and edamame for breakfast they're better! This of course was after a failed attempt at a smoothie. Oh what a horrible tasting smoothie...

Yesterday, my friend and I were talking about smoothies and she told me about a smoothie her husband had made the night before using yogurt, fruit, etc., so I thought I would try to replicate the yumminess. I pulled out my Ninja (the coolest blender/food processor ever!) and threw in some banana, orange, soy yogurt, flax seed, and a few ice cubes and blended away. Then I thought I needed to add some green so I added a bunch of spinach and a splash of agave nectar. Again, I blended away...once it was ready I poured it into a clear glass, ready to drink. Bottoms up!

Well, I took a big swig...and then promptly spit it out. Yuck! Ick! That was by far the nastiest smoothie I have had in quite a long time, and I usually like the smoothies I make. Not this one. Down the drain went my breakfast. Crap...what to have??

At this point I was super hungry and didn't want to take a lot of time to make something else so I decided to plunder through my refrigerator to see if I had any breakfast-quality left overs. Fortunately I found some potato leek soup and sourdough bread (I toasted that up and it made an nice accompaniment to the soup).  Then I brewed a nice cup of coffee and drank that up nice and fast! MMMmmmmmm......

After this, I was still hungry...so I decided to do up some edamame and that finished off breakfast on quite a yummy note...

Remember the yummy lunch I talked about yesterday? Well I have the pictures to show just how good it was...don't be too jealous! :-)

And Michelle's HUGE portabello sandwich...

Happy MoFo!

Miso Soup For The Soul...

I don't know what the deal is here lately but it seems that for the past several days I have been nauseated on and off, unfortunately mostly on. Not sure of the culprit. Several of my medication dosages have been changed as my doctor and I are trying to work through some neurological issues but on top of that we are still trying to get my hormone levels under control following my total hysterectomy this summer for unrelated gyn issues.

For all I know it could be just good old-fashioned stress. I just registered for my first semester back to school since being sick (and for those wondering, no, I am not going back to medical school). I have decided to investigate a Masters in Nutrition and am taking courses beginning in January 2011 at Texas State University, San Marcos. My interest in veganism and how proper nutrition has aided in my coping with Pseudotumor Cerebri (well, the brain surgery has helped, too!) is providing the perfect backdrop for this degree. Poor nutritional choices helped to land me in hot water and I want to help others keep from making those same mistakes. And besides, the credentials backing up a vegan diet can't hurt either, now can it?

All of that aside, my latest working theory for the nausea is related to real estate. We finally made an offer on a house yesterday. Sooooo, just waiting for the current owners to decide in this back-and-forth game we play. For those of you who do not know me, patience is not a virtue of mine in situations like this! I'm guessing that is the cause. Or the hormones. Or the medicines. Ugh!!!

How am I dealing with it, you ask? I tried 'killing' it with copious amount of hot pepper last night (you'll read about that in another post, lol) but that was not the best idea. Today I am trying another approach. Miso soup.

Used for centuries for its healing properties, I believe miso soup was what kept me from being ill last winter while staying in the hospital with my father-in-law when he was sick. I had a mug every morning while talking to the doctors as the rounded, asking them questions regarding their approach to his cancer treatment for that day. The soup was just as soothing this morning as it was last winter. Think I will have another mug tomorrow...

The Great Pumpkin Attacked My Chocolate Chip Cookies...Oh, My!

I have been doing a lot of baking lately and it's mostly been focused around cupcakes. The other day I decided to shake it up a bit and bust out some cookies. But, not just any cookies, my pretties, but the most kickass pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! Ok, ok...they are the only pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I have ever had, but I can assure you I WILL be having them again! (And soon!)

These soft little pillows of pumpkin goodness had just the right amount of sweet and savory. Never did I imagine I would like pumpkin in my chocolate chip cookies, as I am pretty much a CCC purist, but the balance was perfect. No, I did not come up with the magic formula myself, but my new hero, Kris Holechek, author of The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads , did. And boy, did she ever!

If you have not checked out this particular cookbook, I highly recommend it. Her recipes are not extremely complicated nor do they call for eccentric vegan ingredients, but they combine things you already have in your cupboard to create what appear to be some tasty morsels that I cannot wait to get my baking mitts on. Tomorrow may have to be a day to test out another one of her recipes...I have some left-over pumpkin that needs to be used sitting in my fridge and that is just not good...

Happy MoFo, all!

Death Of A Computer...And Then I Ate A Salad

Hello all! I had hoped to wow everyone with pictures of my dinner from last night, but that won't be the case. Seems my 'Midas touch' in regards to computers has returned...I've killed my laptop for the time being. Never fear as my trusty iPhone is providing me with what I need to blog tonight...yay, iPhone! I love you!

I didn't plan my meals very well today so I'm afraid I don't have much to write about tonight. Breakfast was ALOT of coffee followed by a few pretzels with roasted pine nut hummus. Unfortunately lunch was in the car and consisted of more coffee and a Luna Bar...oh how I love these. I believe the flavor was Nutz Over Chocolate-one of my faves. Dinner was much less hectic however.

I am babysitting the daughter of some friends of mine tonight so I am out at their house. My friend, Michelle, is also participating in Vegan MoFo so I knew there would be veg options for me out at her house. She had some left over 'Sloppy Joes' in the fridge that I had some of along with a salad of butter lettuce, leaf lettuce, red bell pepper, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette, and slivered almonds. Let me just say, 'Yum.'

I will try to add a picture of the salad tomorrow. It was quite tasty. As tasty as it was though, I'm seriously craving some chocolate. Must bake something soon! In the meantime it is my bedtime now. Night night and Happy MoFo!

Cupcakes Have Taken Over...Again!!!

Yes, Tuesday was not only Election Day, but more importantly it was my husband's birthday. The big 42...woo hoo!!! Surprisingly, his dinner requests were modest as he wanted Tofurky Kielbasa and Sauerkraut. We also had a side salad with Cashew Tamari dressing that was quite yummy...

For desert Tom requested cupcakes. Actually, his cupcake request began several days ago and as the days passed, the type of cupcake changed from one to another. Yesterday's request was for a lemon cupcake and that request held through to today...and fortunately, Ms. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Ms. Terry Hope Romero had the solution to my problem-how do I make lemon cupcakes???

If you have not already done so, I urge you to pick up your copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule. This book truly rules. I have tried several recipes from it and none have disappointed, especially the Lemon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Icing (I hope I got the names right...I'm kinda in a sugar coma at the moment.) I was worried that Tom might not like them but he had already eaten a cupcake even before I had gotten the icing on them. It's been about 3 hours since I made them and he's had several...but to be nice I won't give a specific number. (If I listed his number eaten I would only have to list the number I've eaten to be fair and well...I just don't want to go there :-)

So, I am going to go drink a ton of water then go to bed, 'cause that's how I roll. Like I said, if you haven't gotten this book for your cookbook selection yet, click on the pic and ORDER IT NOW!!! You won't be disappointed. Oh, by the way, in case I haven't mentioned it, today is also my 15 month veganniversary. Yay!!!

Happy baking!
Danielle

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For...Popcorn!!!

Popcorn. Lovely fluffy pieces of popcorn. That’s what I had a craving for...and what I decided I had to make. So off to the grocery I went and while at this particular grocery I noticed that all brands of microwavable popcorn contained some form of dairy, so they were out for me. I was about to leave disappointed when I noticed the bag of corn kernels on the bottom shelf...’Ah-ha!’ I thought...I had found a solution.


At home I was a little hesitant as to how to make the popcorn...I don’t have an air popper so the stove top was the only cooking method I had available. I followed the instructions on the back of bag, well almost...I cut down on the amount of oil, and used a large soup pot. I placed foil on the top to serve as a lid and vented the side and placed the heat on med-low. I just kept the pan moving above the heat so I wouldn't scorch any of the kernels...those beautiful perfect golden kernels...


Then, magic happens...the kernels began popping left and right, popping up against the foil creating little pock marks on the underside. To me, this was the coolest thing!...Yes, I know. I am a dork.

After it was all done, I poured it in a nice big bowl and sprinkled a heaping amount of nutritional yeast on the top. End result -- yumminess!!! Next, I commenced eating. Nom nom nom...

 

If you are interested in the nutritional info of popcorn and the oil used, then check out the following link from Dr. Andrew Weil. Note that popcorn prepared in this manner is much healthier than eating microwave popcorn...info on that can be found in the links below.

Dr. Weil's Info On Popcorn

Health Risks Of Microwave Popcorn

Health Benefits Of Air Popped Popcorn

When Eating Popcorn Was Hazardous To Your Lungs


  












P.S. Happy birthday to my honey!!!! I'll hopefully have pics of what I baked for him tomorrow! (fingers crossed) 

Mmmm, Breakfast of Champions.

Gooooood Moooooooorniiiing Veeeeeeeeegaaaaan MoooooooFooooooo!!!!!!!!!

This morning I wanted something really good but I didn't know what...finally decided on oatmeal. But I didn't want the usual oatmeal. Normally I do a nice mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon but today, I wanted something a little more reminiscent of pumpkin pie. What can I say...it's that time of year...

After cooking my oatmeal I then added a touch of brown sugar with a nice dose of pumpkin pie spice. The oatmeal was a little thick and I should have added a splash of vanilla soy milk, but I was too hungry to take the time to do so. I know...lame excuse. Still though, even without the soy milk the end result: great oatmeal! Very pleased with the flavor and will definitely be repeating the experiment!

Flavor aside, I should consider adding oatmeal to my diet several times a week. As a whole grain, there are numerous health benefits. As it is widely known, oatmeal helps reduce the body's concentration of LDL, or bad cholesterol. Studies show it may also provide protection against high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.* Recent studies have also shown a link between oatmeal and an anti-inflammatory effect, for those paying particularly close attention to foods in that category.*

So eat up...just watch what you add to this nutrition grain-don't add a lot of crap-and start your day off right!
 














*Heartier Benefits Seen From Oatmeal

It's About That Time!

Hey everyone!!! Guess what. It's about that time again...yep, you guessed it, Vegan MoFo! (Um, that's Vegan Month of Food for the newbies...) I am very excited at the opportunity to tell you about everything I eat, drink, and think about that is food related...well, most of it will be food related, I'm sure. I can tell you are excited, too, lol!


Another thing I am excited about is that my best friend, a carnivore, is attempting a vegan diet thanks to Vegan MoFo. (I would like to think just a little bit because of me, too, but whatever works!) How cool is this??? So, as a favor, I ask you to consider following her blog, Michelle's Munchies. She is known for her kick-ass gourmet sugar cookies, and trust me, they are good! (I can't eat them anymore now, but back in the day...nom nom nom.)


If you at any time have considered eating more plants...now is the time! Let the countdown begin!


BTW, Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!