Food Catchup

I start my final practice teaching placement tomorrow, and that lasts a month. My cooking habits during the previous two were non-existent for the most part, so no promises this time ;) although I'm going to try and keep it quick and easy, since cooking does help relieve stress for me.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend, and enjoyed their Easter if they celebrated. Billy is used to getting a chocolate bunny every year, so I decided to make him one. Unfortunately I waited too long and there were no bunny molds left at Bulk Barn, but I did get some molds for chicken lollipops and eggs. It was pretty easy too, just melted chocolate chips in the microwave and poured it into the molds.

I jumped on the V'con bandwagon again and tried my hand at the Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits. It was very good. Even Billy liked it, well primarily the biscuit part that is baked on top. Very delicious, and definitely comfort food.

Based on that dish, Billy got the idea to make dumplings and put them in one of our favourite soups. The "chicken" and rice soup from La Dolce Vegan. He googled a simple dumpling recipe and we cooked them with the soup. The dumplings ended up taking up most of the pot, but it was yummy. And we also substituted orzo for the basmati rice this time.

Speaking of orzo, I whipped together an orzo salad with zucchini and basil from Vegan Italiano for lunch this week. It has a great lemony taste and the fresh basil is awesome.

And finally, also from V'con, the carrot pineapple sunshine muffins, or something along that line. I haven't tried these yet, but they should taste good...they've got carrot, pineapple, raisins, ginger, cinnamon and a bunch of good stuff. It should be a good pick me up after those grade sevens run me ragged ;)

Product Review: Yoso Sour Cream

Save your money.

It smells like ass, it tastes like ass. Save your money and stick with Tofutti. Even vegans draw the line somewhere, I don't care how desperate you are.

Yoso, back to the drawing board, although I still *love* your soy yogurt.

Lots of Food!

Today, is my last day of class!! But I'm not done school. I have next week off and then I have a month of practicum teaching...then I'm done! Woot!

I've been cooking more lately, which feels great.

First, I made a pasta recipe from 125 Best Vegan Recipes: penne with sundried tomatoes, artichokes, portobellos, roasted red peppers and onions. The onions are lightly caramelized, and then you throw in the rest of the ingredients, ten minutes later you have dinner. This dish was really good and something that I'd expect to get from a restaurant.

I also made the lemon and pea risotto from Veganomicon. Yum yum. The basic risotto before the addition of lemon juice, zest and peas was good too, but I really like the lemon twist. It's served with roasted red peppers.

I made cookies for class yesterday, although I ended up being one of two people that brought something so they didn't last long. I made the chocolate raspberry cookies from V'con. They are so good! Chewy and rich, with a distinct almond flavour from the almond extract. I think the word "almond" should be in the name of these cookies because it kind of overrides the raspberry flavour. Nevertheless, very good cookies and they were loved by my classmates.

Also, from V'con, I made banana bread for Billy. For some reason, my microwave timer stopped so the correct baking time on these was kind of a guess, but it turned out really well. The molasses in the recipe gives it a nice, different flavour.

Last, I made some slowcooker porridge from Vegan Slowcooker, using steel cut oats. The taste was good, but in the morning the porridge had brown spots on top, so I'd cook it a little less next time. With some brown sugar and soy milk, it was a good breakfast to start the day.

Pudding, tofu and tea

I made the chocolate pudding from "125 Best Vegan Recipes" but I didn't have cocoa powder, so I just used chocolate chips. The recipe made four little pudding cups worth, but you could easily double the recipe. It was really good pudding! Not too sweet and the perfect texture. I think you could even leave the chips out and make vanilla pudding.

This morning, I was actually up at a decent hour, so I made brunch, courtesy of Veganomicon. I made the tofu florentine with home fries and cheezy sauce. Its basically braised and broiled tofu on a bed of home fries and steamed spinach, topped with a nutritional yeast sauce and chopped tomatoes. I'm not a huge fan of slabs of tofu, seasoned or not, but this was actually really good. The tofu in combination with all the other foods was a good balance.

I also had some Spring Morning green tea brewed in my cute tea set, which Billy's mom got me for my birthday. The loose leaf tea and the tea set are from a store called Teaopia. They sell tons of different loose leaf teas, and you can make your own combinations as well. They also have an in-store coffee bar, kind of like Starbucks but way better, and also way more vegan friendly!

product review: PC Chai Tea

President's Choice has come a long way. This isn't necessarily a "vegan" product. It's PC Memories of India Masala Chai Loose Leaf Tea. It's about 6 dollars for a can, but so worth it. You simmer a tablespoon of the tea for every cup of water, and then add equal amounts of milk (soymilk in our case). I like to sweeten it with dry sugar, although agave would probably be good to. This stuff beats any Chai stuff at Starbucks, and hands down, beats any chai tea bags. I highly recommend it. I wasn't a big tea drinker before, but now I'm obsessed!

A blogger favourite

I had some time tonight, so I decided to make the chickpea cutlets from V'con that everyone seems to love. They were easy to make and I had all the ingredients. Good flavour, but I think I made mine too thin because they were super crunchy. I baked them instead of frying them, due to a shortage of olive oil. I'll be making these again, just a bit thicker so they keep some chewiness. I love the idea of using gluten flour but not just making seitan.

I also made a thai pasta based loosely on a recipe from Looneyspoons, meaning I left some veggies out and replaced them with broccoli since it was all I had. This has a light peanut butter sauce with just a bit of background heat, which is pretty much the only way I like heat anyways.

I was on my way to class today when a guy selling baked goods for a fundraiser asked me if I was interested. I said I couldn't eat any of it, and he said they had vegan-friendly stuff, if that's what I meant. So I got a brownie and some sort of nut butter cookie. The brownie was good enough, but the cookie was so bland I didn't even finish it. These people are spreading bad impressions of vegan food! I wish I had thought of a bake sale earlier, I would have organized one for our school of ed. Oh well, I was able to buy something vegan on campus, it's a first step.

Here's a picture of Zepplin (on the right), our foster cat, sitting with Logan. I hope he finds a good home soon, he is such a sweetie, and so quiet!

Product Review: Tofutti Pizza Pizzaz

I saw this in the health store yesterday, and *obviously* I had to try it. I don't know if I overcooked it, but it was not that great. I'd rather make my own pizza, which is always delicious.

Sorry for the bad picture, I'm in class.

Updates

Lots has been going on since I posted in January. Like I mentioned, we're engaged. Not much going on in terms of planning right now. I'm on the home stretch for school, so I'm focusing on that. We have a foster kitty living with us, and we're all settled in to our new apartment. I turned 23 on Saturday and celebrated with a surprise party, courtesy of Billy and my friends. Billy even baked me a cake from Sinfully Vegan, so this was the first time I haven't had to make my own cake ;). It's the chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. I also happened to have a spinach dip made up (from 125 Best Vegan Recipes) and it was a smashing success, tasted just like the real deal.

I haven't been cooking as much as I'd like, but I have made some things, and forgotten to take pictures of most of them. I made the double pea soup from Veganomicon. It was alright, but I'm not sure I liked the use of so many green peas. I ended up blending the soup to make it look more appealing, pea soup is supposed to be thick and creamy!

I also made the jelly donut cupcakes, which were alright. I think the corn starch gave them a funny taste, but they were a nice snack.

The Caesar salad in V'con is great though!

And tonite for dinner, I made linguine with bread crumbs and lemon from Vegan Italiano, which was very good, along with some skillet garlic bread and steamed broccoli.

My job application has to be in by the end of the month, so I'm hoping that after this week I can get back into a more regular cooking routine again.

Product Review: PC Blue Menu The World’s Best Meatless Seasoned Chicken Breast

I almost flipped when I saw these "chicken" breasts in the freezer at Superstore. I had to try them. You get 8 pieces for 8.99 although apparently that may just be an introductory price. I prepared some last night on the stove, and also microwaved one for lunch today. Both ways turned out great, but I have to say, it was extra juicy when made in the microwave. They are seasoned enough to eat on their own, which I did, on a bed of basmati rice. You could do so many things with these, and I think they are going to become a freezer staple for me, to have on hand on those nights when I don't feel like cooking.

Still no camera

Which is unfortunate, because I really wanted to show you something. Its not food....what do you think?

Okay, I was going to make everyone guess, but I can't wait. Billy and I got engaged last night! It was a very sweet and simple engagement, perfect for us. So when I start blogging more, don't let me become a bridezilla over the wedding plans ;)

Camera!

I'm getting a used camera from a friend, so I should be back in action very soon! I got two new cookbooks for Christmas, Veganomicon and Vegan Italiano. Billy and I made a super easy roasted red pepper marinara pasta last night from VI and it was fantastic. More soon!

I came across this survey here and thought I'd fill it out :)

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Silk. Chocolate is the best, but I've acquired a taste for the plain stuff too.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
nanaimo bars (for a potluck)
faux liver pate from How It All Vegan (for a potluck)
sushi to go with my new serving platter!

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Earth Balance margarine and a bit of salt

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
primavera pasta in a slowcooker

5. Favorite pickled item?
pickles only

6. How do you organize your recipes?
cookbooks, in a recipe book by category

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
trash, but I would love a kitchen composter, or to live in a city that composts

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
mac and cheese
soy ice cream
fruit

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
my dad's potato dumpling soup

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
mint fudge

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
food processor

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
basil

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Garden of Vegan

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
strawberry; blueberry in close second

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
cupcakes!

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
seitan

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
dinner

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
flashlight, cards

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
corn, bread, filo

20. What's on your grocery list?
stuff for nanaimo bars

21. Favorite grocery store?
Superstore

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
my mom's broccoli bake

23. Food blog you read the most . Or maybe the top 3?
Gooberific Goes Vegan
A Veg*n for Dinner
Vegan Dad

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Lindt' silver package chocolate
swedish berries

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
nothing comes to mind

Camera or No Camera

I've been cooking a little bit, so I figured I'd write about it, so I don't completely lose my blogging skills ;), even though I don't have the best part: the pictures!
I made tasty tempeh chili from La Dolce Vegan yesterday. I didn't eat it yet, but the few tastes I had were promising. It has onion, garlic, tempeh cubes, corn, chili, cumin, tomato sauce and tomatoes. I'm looking forward to topping some baked potatoes with this, since I have a ten pound bag to use up!
I had leftover tempeh, so I also made the tu-no tempeh salad from LDV. Its basically crumbled tempeh with soy mayo, and typical tuna salad fixings. It was very good broiled with some cheese on toast...mmmm. Billy even said it tasted somewhat like tuna. I guess that would be from the kelp powder.
I also made my all-time favourite...mac and cheese! If you haven't made this (from LDV) yet, and you have access to vegan soy cheese...do it now! I love it, it's my go-to recipe.

Well that's that. Billy and I are in the process of moving into a bigger place, so I won't be buying a new camera anytime soon, but hopefully I can get mine fixed.

Wow I have a blog?

Hahaha. It has been forever. Just though I'd post a quick update for anyone that still checks occasionally. My camera is officially broken, so no pictures. School is busy as all get out, so I don't cook as much as I would like, but I still have fun in the kitchen.
We finally found a new, bigger apartment, so I can stretch out into a bigger kitchen :)
If you have How It All Vegan, you must make the peanut butter chocolate cups. If you miss Reese's PB cups, this is for you! I'm eating way too many.
Anyways, hopefully I get a new camera soon when I magically win the lottery so that I can start posting some pictures.

I served a table of 8 or so in the summer, and they ended up being family. I overheard their conversation and they mentioned my parents' hometown, so I jumped in. It turns out that one of the men was my dad's cousin, so we were second cousins. That was the only time I met him, but I heard that he was pleased to meet family. I later learned he was battling cancer. He passed in September. I thought I would share this video that one of his co-workers created, check it out if you're interested, there's some great shots of wildlife towards the end.

Rest in Peace, Miles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldt6EfmqJtY

I don't know how great of a blogger I'll be this year. I've been cooking and baking regularly, but either I forget to take pictures, or the camera batteries are dead. Most nights its "cook, eat, homework" and nothing in between. I'll try to post more regularly when I make something great. So far I've made oriental pasta, banana-berry muffins and oatmeal chocolate chip muffins from Looneyspoons, and lemon-poppyseed muffins from LDV. I also made a really good chickpea chowder from Looneyspoons...but no pictures!

And I thought Science was hard...

Oh my...I'm bombarded with work already. I'm used to the first two weeks of school being slack...needless to say, posts might be a little less frequent, although I'm still trying to cook a lot.

Last weekend, I made a fettuccine alfonso from The Uncheese Cookbook. The sauce was made with soymilk, white beans, onion powder, etc. It was good. A little bland, but I added some S&P, and vegan parm to jazz it up a bit.

For lunches, I'll be using Vegan Lunch Box again...so many great ideas! I oven-dried some tomatoes last weekend and used them in a pita with flaxy hummus. Very yummy along with some cucumber spears, fuzzy peaches and some peach yogurt with frozen blueberries.

The first dinner I made during the week was from Vegan Slow Cooker. I did not even bother to take a picture...yuck! Pasta primavera....veggies for primavera are not meant to be cooked that long, I got through three or four bites and threw everything out. Mostly everything I've made from this book so far has been good though.

The next night, I made a simple Shepherd's Pie from Cooking for the Rushed, except I used ground round and made the mashed potatoes vegan. Very good. Billy really liked this too, particularly the spice in the ground round mixture.

The end of summer

I finally buckled down and cooked again. It'll be nice to start school, just so I can get back to my regular routines of cooking and exercise.

From Looneyspoons I made the "Canajun" rice and beans, a mix between Canadian and Cajun flavours. I'm not posting the recipe because I didn't really need to change any of the ingredients, it was in the vegetarian section. I really like this dish, there's some spice but not too much.

From Cooking for the Rushed, I made the chicken pot pie. I adapted it by using fake PC chicken strips, Earth Balance and soymilk, and instead of using prepared Pillsbury biscuits, I made mine from scratch, using the baking powder biscuits from La Dolce Vegan. This dish is amazing!! I love the idea of placing biscuits on top of the pie, instead of spreading a crust. And the biscuits are phenomenal!

I had a craving for fried foods last night after work, so I decided to try my hand at cheesesticks. They actually turned out pretty good. I cut up Follow Your Heart Mozza cheese into mini sticks, and then dipped them in a flour/arrowroot mix, an egg replacer/water mix and then a breadcrumbs/ Italian seasoning mix....and then redid that. I fried them in oil for about 30 seconds and then sprinkled them with a bit of salt and parmesan. They really hit the spot! I want to refine the seasoning a bit, but they're a great occasional snack.


Back to school Tuesday, better hit the mall for some school supplies.

200!

This is my 200th post :) I got back from Barrie yesterday. Me and 9 other friends went to the Warped Tour there and had a blast! I even died my hair purple, but since I'm a redhead, it just made it a darker red haha; as you can see (on the right).

Anyways, I wish I could say I baked cupcakes for my special post, but I really made them for our jello shooter-making party we had on Friday. And everyone loved them. They were basic chocolate with buttercream frosting, from Vegan Cupcakes. And I even managed to make myself some vegan shooters from a recipe on vegweb. But I added too much agar and they were way too strong, so I didn't even drink them. I'll have to tweak the recipe.


Other than that, the only other thing I've made is Maui "chicken" and rice, from a recipe I adapted in Looneyspoons. I made chicken seitan to replace the meat in it.


Maui "Chicken" and Rice

4 chicken seitan "steaks", cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups "chicken" or vegetable broth
1 can/14 ounces pineapple tidbits in juice, undrained
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white or brown rice (if using brown, use the rice that cooks in 25 minutes)
3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup each chopped sweet red and green pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons each of brown sugar, white vinegar and soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped green onions

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray. Cook seitan over med-high until heated through.

Add remaining ingredients except green onions and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes, til rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

Stir in green onions during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Makes 4-6 servings

Just got back

We just returned from a week of relaxing and visiting with family. I had a blast, and didn't worry about food too much, so it was mostly veggie burgers, sausages and sandwiches. I do have some pictures lying around from before though.

I made tiramisu from the Candle Cafe cookbook. I used half the amount of espresso required, since I'm not big on coffee, and it was the perfect amount. Its a sponge cake layered with a cream cheese/tofu mixture. I brought it to a girl's night, and everyone devoured it!

Also, from Looneyspoons, a roasted veggie and soy cheese sub, with a sweet mustard sauce. It was delicious! I'll be making it again.