Monday, February 21, 2011

Vegan Cajun Mac N Yease ... yum

Back from a short, but long week in Seattle. Ate at Plum there and loved it ... especially the Cajun Mac N Yease ... I tried this recipe and it was good ... not quite as good, but until I can talk the owners out of their recipe, it will definitely do. I thought it was awesome ... Richard ... not so much, but he did eat a good serving. Again in this one part of the creaminess comes from cashew cream, this time mixed with some spices, nutritional yeast that melts and tastes a lot like cheese, and some water from boiling the pasta. If you are going to serve it to kids ... slow down on the cayenne pepper a little, because it has a kick! I might add some cherry tomatoes next time just to be different.

This is the link to this great cooks recipe:

http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-cooking-article/cajun-mac-and-cheese-splogging/728962

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

earth balance spreads

Earth balance makes three different buttery spreads that are all incredible. You can use them in cooking, on crusty bread with a little garlic or to saute some onions for soup. Who knew? So may options. Again ... not too much of this stuff, it is made from oils, but totally and utterly (not udderly) vegan ..:)

Things I keep learning ... over and over again!

No matter what, fried foods might be vegan, but they aren't good for you!

Vegan stuff full of sweeteners and oil is still not good for you ... you get fat!

Yes Kevin ... potato chips are vegan if they don't have milk products. Wanna get fat?

If you skim the foam off the top of the beans when they cook they don't make you so gassy! Nice!

Chefs like to be challenged ... most of the time. Only once have I been told "your not in a freaking vegan restaurant .... so pick something off the menu!" I didn't. 

When making vegan ice cream, use fresh soy milk or it tastes very strong of soy. Or ... try almond milk.

People seem fascinated by the changes in my skin and my body. What am I going to do with the extra skin? Is it vegan friendly if I make a man purse out of it?

You cannot make somebody decide to do this. After four months the other half still wants a slab of beef and when I ask what he wants for dinner ... it is always "veal" ... the cruelest meat of all.

It is not as hard as one thinks. There are tons of healthy, yummy options.

I am not alone ... and I love it no matter what others think.

Wolverine is a vegan ... muscles rock!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Roasted Vegetable Soup

This was so freaking easy. Took a while because the veggies needed to roast for an hour, but made an awesome soup that even the other half, the CARNIVORE at the table, loved!

Take six beefsteak tomatoes and cut then in half and remove the stem core.
Slice up two large peeled carrots into rounds.
Split two leaks in half and cut all of them into little half moons.
Peel six cloves of garlic ... no need to mince because it is going to roast, cook and get blended.
Place all of this lovely mixture into a large roasting pan and toss them with two tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Make sure the tomatoes are face down in the pan with the other veggies around them and roast in the oven at 425 F for one hour.  
After everything is roasted gently peel the skin off of the tomatoes with a pair of tongs ... it comes off easy, so don't be afraid of this step or think it is too much or too hard for anybody to do.
Next just dump the entire contents of the pan into 30 oz of good vegetable stock along with a couple of shakes of liquid smoke for added flavor. Bring to a boil and let it simmer a little while to soften the veggies even more.
Take an immersion blender and blend the soup to a nice consistency (I like mine a little chunky).
Add salt and pepper to taste ... somebody thought it needed more salt than I did, but I love fresh ground pepper in my soups. 
Take a small bunch of basil that has been chopped small and stir it in and serve!

We were talking tonight and though a little pureed roasted red bell pepper and a dollop of vegan sour cream would make this perfect. This really hit the spot on a cold snowy night with a crusty piece of bread.

Lentil Tacos ... one of my favorites!

My wonderful daughter-in-law, Peggy, made these for me for the first time last year when I was in Seattle for vacation and I loved them. They are easy to make, taste incredible and are a really adaptable meal because when you have extra it works fantastic for leftovers or lunch roll ups.

So ......

Take a cup full of chopped onions - I use two small onions or one large, depending on what I have, ya know I very rarely measure anything anymore unless it is liquid, rice or beans.
A couple of stalks of celery chopped and three cloves of garlic that have been minced or pressed.
Saute in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. After the veggies start to soften stir in a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon on cumin. Next add the lentils and stir them a bit to mix. Add two cups of veggie broth, again I love Imagine brand ... let it come to a boil while stirring, then turn the heat lower to simmer and put the lid on so the liquid doesn't evaporate.

After twenty minutes take the lid off and  stir to fluff it up a bit.
Next add one cup good salsa ... the hotter the salsa, the hotter the lentil mix.
Let that simmer a few minutes to blend, then serve it on tortillas with more chopped up tomatoes, lettuce diced onions and a little vegan sour cream (I like the Tofutti brand).