Your Daily Vegan

My MoFo wasn’t so great today.  I generally do most of my cooking in the day, eating primarily raw food in the evening.  So my midday meal is usually my largest meal of the day.

Today for lunch I tried to make apple sausage burgers, sweet potato hashbrowns, roasted zucchini, and steamed broccoli.  Instead I made a cornucopia of burnt food.  The burgers fell apart in my skillet, causing me to reach into the hot skillet to push the pieces back together.  Think – “I’ll just reshape these and they’ll stick back together.”  I don’t know why I thought that my hands were made with stainless steel, but apparently I did.  And thus, I sustained burn #1.

I juilenned the sweet potato because I have a new fancy tool that does it pretty easy.  Did I remember to quick cook them before placing thin strands of hard potatoes into the hot skillet?  Nope.  Did I, burnt the absolute crap out of them because they stuck?  Yup.  One side was a lovely shade of “burnt as all get out” and the other was “raw like it was just harvested.”  Yum.

I did remember to pull the zucchini out before I burnt it, but I can’t say the same about the broccoli.  Somehow it ended up tasting like garbage.  I might have over steamed it.  Burn #2 happened when I realized that I set my cookie sheet on the stove top that was still on.  Oh but my joy didn’t stop there.  As I was working in the kitchen preparing plates I slammed a drawer on my hand.

Apparently today wasn’t my day.  Maybe tomorrow.  Sigh.

I had such a great culinary weekend!  My belly is nice and round from all the great vegan food I ate the past few days.  It makes my head shake at the poor folks who think that vegans only eat twigs and berries.  I eat so much better, and more varied, now that I’m vegan than I ever did.

And it’s good.  Here’s my food porn for today:

This is Roasted Butternut Squash soup, served alongside a Tomato Fennel scone.  Lately, I’ve really been into roasting vegetables and running them through my food processor.  The weather here is cold and it’s really great to have a huge steamy pot of goodness to grub on.  And the scones?  I modified the Tomato Rosemary Scones from Vegan Brunch.  These had a nice crisp top, gooey insides and a lovely fennel taste.  Perfect with the soup.

I took a break from my kitchen one night to go have a date night.  We ate at one of our local Thai places, a favorite of mine.  We ordered two dishes and shared each.  I could eat Thai food for a month solid and never get bored with it.  If you’ve never experienced the goodness of a curry dish, you simply must.  It’s sweet, hot, savory and spicy, all in one.  If you don’t have a Thai restaurant around you, make it at home.  There are spice packets that you can buy and mix with coconut milk, making cooking Thai at home a breeze.  I highly recommend it!

Our coffee and oolong tea, served with a side of coconut milk for a bit of cream.

Then it’s on to the Yellow Curry (beans, potatoes, steamed tofu, bamboo, and onions steeped in a rich yellow curry sauce)…

And our Siam Curry (broccoli, baby corn, onions, fried tofu, carrots and bamboo steeped in a spicy red curry sauce)…perfection!

I also attempted to make a fat free pumpkin muffin.  Those were an epic FAIL.  I’ve never made them before, I googled a recipe 5 minutes before I started baking.  At first I thought that they might actually be good, because they smelled amazing cooking.  But they stuck to the muffin paper and became hard like rocks.  They were pretty little boulders in pink and green muffin papers.  It’s the first time ever that the muffins I made days ago are still in the house, with no hope of having anyone touch them.  So, yeah.  Never again.

And to round out my weekend, I had a fantastic brunch with some new vegan friends.  It’s the first time that I’ve had the pleasure of cooking (at my home) for other vegans.  I have mentioned it before, but I didn’t know any vegans who lived near me.  I met my guests at the Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals, and I’m so glad.  My guests even brought vegan food (another first, a guest that brings vegan food to share?! Awesome!)!  We had homemade bread (my guests contribution), the best mushroom soup ever (another guest contribution), super spooky and delicious skull cookies (again, guest contribution), cherry sage faux sausages, roasted root vegetables (turnips, parsnips, carrots, and beets) with a maple glaze, and a leek mushroom frittata.  I wish I could show you some pictures but, well, I forgot to take them.  I was super excited about having vegan guests and just lost my head.  Maybe next time.

So, what did you eat this weekend?

So, my MoFo Day 13 and 14 (today) are pretty much the same. I made soup and have been noshing on it since yesterday.

So here it is kittens, I present the “I roasted vegetables and puréed them” soup. I added toasted tempeh along a whole wheat pita and called it a meal:

It’s made from roasted butternut squash and roasted peppers.  I liked the soup, although I’m going to admit that it could use something.  But, since it was super easy to make, I’d totally make it again.  And here’s another lesson in Veganomics.  Whenever I make soup, I make enough to freeze a couple of bowls.  I buy the single serving bowls in the packaging isle (multiple brands make them these days) and freeze one or two bowls of each type of soup I make.  That way, I have a variety of soups that I can choose from when I don’t feel like cooking (or I’m between classes or whatever) and I haven’t spent an entire day cooking things up to freeze.  Perfect since I live in Ohio and it’s cold here more than it’s warm.

So here’s how I did it:

Roasted Butternut and Pepper Soup

• 1 lg butternut squash
• 1 med to lg red pepper
• 1 med to lg green pepper
• 1 med to lg yellow pepper (if you don’t have access to a yellow just use another red)
• 1 small white onion or 1/2 large white onion
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups soymilk (or other non-dairy drink)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of hot sauce (I like it spicy)
• salt to taste

Roast the butternut squash in an oven that had been preheated to 375 degrees.  I like to roast mine whole and uncut, on a cookie sheet (or glass pie pan) that has been covered in foil.  Test using the fork method (stick it in to see if it’s soft).  Then turn the oven to broil.  In a separate pie pan (or cookie sheet), roast the 3 peppers.  Make sure to turn them often, you want the outsides blackened (since that makes it yummy on the inside) but you don’t want to over cook.  Once done, remove and let cool.

Here’s what my peppers looked like:

Once fully cooled (Seriously, you’re gonna want to wait till those suckers cool.  Unless you have fingers of steel, then by all means, clean away.  Otherwise, if you like your fingers to not be burned, wait till cool.) start to clean the butternut squash.  Start by cutting in half, then use a spoon to scrape out all the seedy junk.  It’ll be a cinch since the squash is cooked.  You could probably do this before you cook it as well, but I find it easier to do after it’s soft.  Once the seeds are removed, scrape the meat of the squash into a food processor.  Process using a little bit of the soymilk until smooth.  Put into soup pot once done.  Turn the burner to low.

Now for the peppers.  The blackened skins of the peppers need to be removed.  Gently take a knife and scrape it off and discard.  Trust me, you don’t want to eat it.  It’s not tasty.  Once the skins are removed, remove the seeds and stem.  Throw into the food processor and whirl away (add soymilk if necessary to get smooth).  Add to soup pot.

Add the onion and garlic and any remaining soymilk to the food processor and process until smooth.  Add to the pot, along with the olive oil.  Add spice mix and stir until blended.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Then enjoy!

Hi!  Can you see the sweetness in my eyes when I say that I’m sorry I’ve been MoFo-less for the past couple of days?  Well, it’s there.  Honest!

I thought that I’d do a bit of a recap of the past couple of MoFo days.  Short on words, big on eye candy.

First up, Soy Boy Verde Ravioli with LaGra’s Spicy Marinara:

Next up, homemade Cherry Sage faux Sausages, Mashed Potatoes and White Wine Mushroom Gravy:

Then there is the Pan Seared Tofu and Zucchini (the “X” is two thin slices of Cheezly Cheese – super thin because thick would be gross) served with Chive Spelt Biscuits:

Tomorrow, we’ll examine the roasted root vegetable soup and the fennel scones.  You heard me, fennel scones.  I’m delirious just thinking about them.  So, so, so good.

Ah yes, the sweet smell of fall air- crisp, brisk, and just a touch windy.  The wind kicks up the crunchy leaves, creating a lovely rustle.  And I’m particularly lucky, my home is surrounded by several large mature trees.  I get the full benefit of their blooms, their shade, and their leaves.  All their leaves.  That start to fall in August.  Yes, really.  I live in Ohio.  That means I see summer for 2 days in July and winter-esque weather the other 363 days.  Oh, I forgot the rain days.  So I’ll say winter-esque with a side of Seattle, or something like that.  Either way, I rake a lot of leaves- I have a pretty long yard.

So that’s what I did this past weekend, I raked the leaves.  I think I raked a bit of dust as well because I’ve been a bit sneezy since then.  And just for the record, I am one of those people that rarely gets colds or the flu.  But today I woke up feeling a bit crappy.  My body was telling me I had to rest.  So I did, all day today.  This is the reason that the MoFo isn’t so MoFo.

My vegan meal today came from here:

Yes, I am admitting that I had my vegan meal at Panera.  Sigh.  Sorry kittens, I suck today.  But here’s a lesson in veganomics, you can eat vegan at Panera.  You just have to be careful about it.  Today I had their black bean soup (no side of bread) and a half of the veggie sammie.  I, of course, had to modify the sandwich.  I removed the cheese and onions (which are vegan but too much for someone who feels poorly) and changed the bread to ciabata.

I’m resting today so I can make butternut squash soup tomorrow.  Stay tuned for that.

I love food.  Let me clarify – I love vegan food.  So when I agreed to participate in Vegan MoFo I thought, “easy peasy.”  I mean, I cook every day.  It’s just a matter of taking a picture, right?  Well, that’s what I thought anyway.

There are some MoFo’ers that are posting every day, some are posting only on the weekdays.  I thought I’d be one of the weekend posters, but it’s just not going to happen.  So, I’ll try to do a bit of a recap for y’all on Mondays so you get an idea of how delicious the weekends are/were.

On Saturday I participated in Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals, so I didn’t get a chance to cook.  I did eat a thousand cookies that day since they were provided at the walk, it would be like…rude not to stuff my face….right??  Okay, maybe not a thousand- but I did eat quite a bit.  So that was my lunch.  Well, that and a package of Tofurky Jerky.  I love that stuff.  Dinner was eaten out at a local vegan restaurant.  I had pizza with hot peppers, gardein steak and tomatoes.  Mmmmmm!!

Sunday’s dinner was pretty awesome as well.  I made vegan gyros, which I’ve posted about before.  It’s one of the few things that I always craved as a new vegan, so I’m stoked I found a replacement.  They turned out yummy and were gone in about 15 seconds flat.  Good stuff.

Today, it’s minestrone soup.  Minestrone soup is a thick Italian soup made with vegetables and pasta.  The best part about it is that there is no such thing as a “proper minestrone soup recipe.”  It’s traditionally made with whatever vegetables are in season, so it’s something that you can always make.  It’s a very filling soup and cheap to boot.  I make it all the time, especially since I live in Ohio where the cold months far outweigh the warm ones.

For this minestrone soup I used prepared foods to help me make it quick-like.  The base is simply tomato soup.  I used frozen vegetables and canned beans.  Not my usual “make everything from scratch,” but it is Monday and I’ve got a full plate today.  So my soup has red kidney beans, carrots, peas, edamame, zucchini and penne pasta.  I dumped a ton of black pepper (I likes it spicy!) and tarragon in my soup to make it extra yummy.  Once I had everything in the pot, I let it simmer for a good 20-30 minutes so that the pasta would soak up the base.  Just a bit of a warning- the pasta will soak up a ton of broth so you really need to be cognizant about how much pasta you put in.  Oh!  And cook the pasta first till al dente.  The base will cook the pasta all the way, flavoring it as it cooks.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to eat a bowl right now.  So easy and so delicious, just like I like it!

It’s day 2.  Today we’re talkin’ bout some sweet potatoes.  And not just any sweet potatoes, we talkin’ about the ones that were scarfed up by me tonight.  They were velvety, spicy, crispy little gems.  I served my spicy sweet potatoes up with a side of broccoli salad.  Check it:

Looks good, don’t it? I used olive oil, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt on the sweet potatoes.  Once properly spiced, I put them in the broiler until the desired crispness is achieved.  I like mine with darkened tips so they have a nice crunch, but I’m strange like that.  The broccoli salad is made with broccoli and cucumbers, that’s it.  The dressing is a mix of spices and tofutti sour cream.  Not a ton of sour cream mind you, just enough for a bit of flavor.  I cheated and mixed a bit (small amount otherwise you’ll get overloaded) of greek dressing with the sour cream.  Add in a little fresh cracked pepper and, viola! You’re done.  Easy, yummy and vegan.  Loves it!

PS.  I also had a crumble of beans that went with my meal that is not featured in the photo.  I got hungry.  Sorry!

It’s October 1st kittens, do you know what that means?  Vegan MoFo!!!  For those in the know, you know how awesome that is.  For those who haven’t had the pleasure of a MoFo, Vegan MoFo is the brainchild of Isa Chandra.  It’s basically a large collaboration among bloggers.   For the entire month of October, blogs from all over the world will be writing about vegan food and the wonderous power of veganism.  Here’s how it works: If you are a blogger, AND you want to rant about how freakin’ awesome it is to be vegan (along with vegan food) every weekday for the entire month of October, then you can join in.  Come on, you know you wanna.

We’re not resorting to peer pressure or anything…but uh, yeah, there’s like a million bloggers takin’ part in MoFo.  So, you’d be like, totally left out and all the cool kids are doin’ it.  I mean, I wouldn’t make fun of you for being the outcast or anything.  But I couldn’t say the same for well, everyone else.  Just do it.  You’ll save me the hassle of hassling you.  And we all know how I feel about that.

So.  You should check out Kittee’s (Cake Maker to the Stars aka cracks me up) post about Vegan MoFo III (2009 Edition).  It’s got info, and it’s got a growing list of the bloggers taking part in MoFo.  Our name is on that list and we feel all gooey about it.  If you want to feel all gooey and get your name on the list, you can email Kittee and she’ll gladly add you.

Okay, on to:

YDV MoFo III (2009 Edition), Entry #1

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