happy halloween! (& a goodbye to veganmofo 2009.)

happy halloween, everyone! we're superhappyfaced about halloween fun & a bit sadfaced about the end of veganmofo, but next year will be just as gloriously fun - so it's all good! we're pretty darn happyfaced we were able to post every day for mofo again this year - although a little break will be kinda nice, too! ;)

all we've got for ya this evening are a few pictures of a few of our favs. those eatz that we took pictures of but kinda forgot about - including last night's "we're hang'n out at home on the couch" friday night pizzas. w00t!

first off - tots. words cannot express the love dan & i share for tater tots. mmmmmmm!

next up - our 10 year anniverary eatz: katie's tempeh wingz (so freak'n delicious and one of our absolute favorites) & a dr. cow aged cashew cheese 'n cracker plate (glutenous & gluten-free crackers).



moving right along to our friday night yummies....whole wheat pizza for dan & gluten-free for myself. complete with homemade tomato-basil-roasted red pepper-sundried tomato marinara, spinach, red onions, olives, hot peppers, bell peppers, a little sriracha, and portobello mushrooms. awesomesauce!

and roasted pumpkin - because pumpkin rocks socks! :)

csa: pumpkin, spinach, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli.

friday fun!

happy friday, everyone! today's been such an awesome day. i had scheduled myself a day off from work, got out early this morning & ran 14 miles (another fantastical training run in preparation for the half marathon in 2 weeks), had the most delicious lunch with a friend, and dan & i are making pizzas for dinner. hoooooooray! i'm a bit sadfaced that veganmofo is wrapping up - i'm gonna miss all the many gloriously tasty & fun mofo posts, but i must admit, posting every day is kicking my booty. ah ha ha!

j. & i enjoyed lunch at aziza's - they have some of the most deeeelicious eatz, fo 'sho! everything i've ever eaten at aziza's has always been absolutely amazing! i asked our waitress what they had in the way of vegan yummies today and she listed at least 10 rock'n items (including both the soups of the day). squeeeeeee! now on with the eatz! i ordered the lentil-rice soup, roasted veggie stew, dolmas, and the most scrumptious potato salad. j. enjoyed thai chili hummus with pita bread, roasted veggie stew, and the tomato basil soup. everything was so super deeeelicious & one yummy way to start the weekend!

we hope you all have the most fantastical weekend & may it be filled with everything you love the most!

easy & awesome autumn salad

we had a few veggies leftover from sunday's soup & some spinach from our csa that needed to be used up before it had to be composted - and since food waste = sadface we decided to simply combine them all to make one fantastically excellent roasted veggie salad. roasted veggies + spinach + a little salty 'n sweet going on = easy peasy & muy delicioso!

ingredients:
1 apple, diced (we used a granny smith apple)
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
1 parsnip, sliced into thin coins
4 small carrots, sliced into thin coins
1 small butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, & diced into small cubes
1 tsp dried sage
3 big handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tsp agave nectar (more if you like it a bit sweeter)
2 tsp olive oil
a few pinches of sea salt

what you'll need:
- baking pan
- olive oil cooking spray

what'cha gotta do:
spray the baking pan with a little olive oil cooking spray and add to it the squash, apple, carrots, onion, parsnip, and dried sage. roast the yummies on 400 degrees (no need to preheat), stir once or twice while they cook, and roast 'em until they're cooke through (about 35-40 minutes). remove from oven & toss a little sea salt, the chopped spinach, agave nectar, & olive oil into the pan. gently combine, top with roasted pumpkin seeds, & enjoy!

you can totally roast up & add whatever you love the most to this recipe! be it sweet potatoes, acorn squash, dates, raisins, cranberries, shallots, garlic, leeks, beets, - add 'em all in!

csa: onion, spinach, carrots

white bean-potato patties

i loooove spending about an hour or two in the kitchen on sundays prepping foodz for the week so that we can still enjoy some tasty eatz when we're too lazy (or busy) & just don't feel like cooking (tonight would be laziness - we have a few "it's always sunny in philadelphia" episodes to catch up on, what can we say?!). these white bean-potato patties were a sunday creation that were tossed in the fridge until this evening; after work & a lovely run in the park i baked these deliciousnesses up while the green beans were roasting - so easy, so yummy. yays all around! :) these are loaded with garlic, potatoey goodness, have just enough kick from the red pepper flakes, and they've even got some spinach in 'em - so that makes them even more awesome, right?! here's what we did for these absolutely yum white bean-potato patties...

ingredients: (makes for 6 palm-sized patties)
2 cups cooked white beans
3 small yukon gold potatoes, diced (we left the skin on our potatoes)
5 cloves ‘o garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups of fresh spinach, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (we used almond milk)
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes
water

what you’ll need:
- medium pot
- large skillet
- olive oil cooking spray
- large mixing bowl
- potato smasher
- baking pan (optional, you can always saute the patties instead of baking them)

what’cha gotta do:
place the diced potatoes in the pot, fill with enough water to cover the potatoes plus a few inches more – then bring it all to a gentle boil & cook potatoes until tender (about 8-12 minutes). drain off water & toss the potatoes in the mixing bowl. set aside. spray your skillet with a little olive oil cooking spray & saute the onion on medium heat until they become soft. add in the chopped spinach and saute for another minutes. clear a little space in the middle of the skillet & drizzle in the olive oil then toss the garlic & a few pinches of red pepper flakes into the oil. saute for about 1 minute (until the garlic is fragrant) & combine the garlic ‘n pepper flakes with the onions ‘n spinach. remove from heat & toss the mix into the large mixing bowl with the cooked potatoes. add the beans & a few pinches of salt ‘n pepper to the mixing bowl. smash it all up until just a few whole white beans remain, then add in a little non-dairy milk to smooth it all out, maybe a few more pinches of sea salt ‘n pepper – and give it a taste ‘n adjust if needed. make mucho potato-bean patties with your hands, spritz the baking pan with olive oil cooking spray & bake these tasty patties for 20 minutes on 375 (no need to preheat) - flipping them over after 10 minutes. (you can also wipe out the skillet, re-spritz with some olive cooking spray, and saute the patties on medium heat until browned.) then alls yas gotsta do is smother 'em in gravy & gobble them up. huzzah!

csa: onions, potatoes, green beans

p.s. – we made a super simple & quick gravy to smother our white bean-potato patties with....

ingredients:
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp brown rice flour
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

what you'll need:
- small pot
- whisk

what'cha gotta do:
spray the small pot with a bit of cooking spray. saute onions on medium heat until they brown then toss in the brown rice flour & spices and give it a good mix'n. toss in the olive oil & saute for another minute. add almond milk & whisk it around until it begins to thicken (it took about 3 minutes for ours to thicken up, and it will thicken a smidge more as it cools, too). adjust seasonings to taste & enjoy.

stuffed acorn squash - lickety split

tonight's a lickety split veganmofo post.

it's been a busy bee kind of day, but i had just enough time to make one deeeelicious dinner - acorn squash stuffed with millet, collards, red onion, nooch, goji berries, and pepitas (i simply seasoned everything with a few pinches of sea salt). so easy (the squash roasted & millet cooked while i was walking julie & the onions 'n collards took mere minutes to saute. w00t!) & oh-so gooooood!

what are some of your super quick 'n yummy eatz?

csa: onions & acorn squash

portobello mushroom burgerz!

happy monday, everyone! yeah, it kinda stinks that the weekend is over, but the fact that it's monday means we're already working our way to another weekend, right? ;) tonight's dinner was so simple & oh-so yum - portobello burgers (marinated in veggie broth, balsamic vinegar, yellow miso, liquid braggs, and a pinch o' garlic salt) topped with a little homemade pesto, spinach, roasted red bell peppers 'n onions. we roasted up some sweet potato fries & asparagus for our sides. huzzah! it doesn't get much better than this! mmmmmmmmmmmmm! i can't believe it's taken us this darn long to make portobello burgerz - they're so delicious. we just love mealz like these!

i can't believe it's the last week of veganmofo. it's been such a gloriously good time!

csa: onions, bell pepper, spinach
garden: basil

roasted root veggie soup

today was another perfect fall day with just a little chill in the air & the leaves turning the most beautiful colors, so we thought a roasted root veggie soup would be most appropriate & awesome. sure enough, it was! we roasted up a bunch of our csa veggies for the soup and enjoyed it with the most scrumptious gluten-free rosemary teff dinner rolls (we used almond milk & flax eggs, & a combination of chickpea, sorghum, & buckwheat flour instead of the white rice flour called for). such an amazing soup 'n bread night on such a wonderful october evening!

ingredients:
1 large parsnip*, sliced in to thin "coins"
3 small carrots*, sliced in to thin "coins"
4 big new potatoes*, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
a big handful of sunchokes (if you've got 'em)
5 cloves of roasted garlic, peeled
2 scallions, thinly diced (white & green parts)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp sage
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp sea salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp marmite (optional, but awesome)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tiny drops of liquid smoke
7 cups of veggie stock (we make our own from the veggie scraps we save & store in the freezer.)
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
(* we left our veggies unpeeled)

what you'll need:
- baking pan
- large pot + lid
- blender
- olive oil cooking spray

what'cha gotta do:
place all the veggies & garlic cloves in the baking pan along with half of the sea salt & all the olive oil 'n black pepper. mix 'em around a bit and roast on 350 (no need to preheat) until they're cook through and all kinds of roasted (about 40-50 minutes). spray the large pot with a little olive oil cooking spray, heat to medium, and saute the roasted veggies for 3 minutes with the all the spices (sage, parsley, thyme, celery salt & the remaining sea salt), then add in the veggie stock. turn up the heat & bring everything to a boil. cover with the lid, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. uncover, stir in the marmite and transfer the soup (in 2 batches) to your blender. ***use caution when blending hot liquids!*** blend the veggies 'n stock until you've got a nice puree, then return the soup to the pot & stir in the almond milk, vinegar, liquid smoke, scallions, & nutritional yeast. adjust seasonings to taste, grab a spoon, & dig in. mmmmmmmmm!

csa: potatoes, scallions, carrots, onions

csa booty!

hiya & howdy!

we don't have much going on food wise today just yet - but we'll be celebrating 10 years together later this evening (yay!) & i'll try and remember the camera for our eatz. i did want to show off all the awesomeness i snagged at the farmer's market this morning from our csa. tuscan kale, carrots, bell peppers, sunchokes (superdoublew00t!), onions, green beanz, broccoli, spring mix, spinach (mmmmm!), sweet potatoes, a pumpkin, a butter nut squash, and white potatoes. we can't wait to make some tasty eatz from everything here this week. excitedface!

lunch today was a simple "some old, some new" kinda meal: brussels, csa broccoli, oven baked white sweet potato rounds & leftover white bean balls - all sprinkled with a little homemade raw "parmesan". it was most yum.

we're not too sure just yet what we'll be do'n this evening to celebrate 10 years together, but it should fo 'sho be super fun! we'll be back tomorrow with soup 'n bread night. huzzah!

(old school. 1999 style! ah ha ha! i love just this picture.)

sleepybeepy...

i just wanted to get a super fast post in, as i'm kinda sleepybeepy. this evening dan had band practice, and i ran 13.1 miles (superw00t!) as part of my training for the half marathon - we both didn't get home until late, but i picked up some yummies for us to enjoy for a late dinner at our local natural foodz store.

they have the best salad bar in town - and it offers tons of local & organic veggies, gluten-free vegan salad dressings, sprouts, beans, and deliciousnesses from the deli case that will make your heart sing. i loaded on the cucumbers & roasted bell peppers - there's also carrots, artichokes, red cabbage, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, and vegan dill potato salad buried in there (what can i say, i was hungryfaced!) - and it's all topped off with the yummiest gluten-free vegan ranch. mmmmmmm!
moving along
- coconut curry local 'fu, a bit 'o broccoli (which some homemade raw parma was heavily sprinkled on) , and some of the most delicious ratatouille i've had to date (they put pine nuts & white wine in theirs).

now i've gotta go check on some butterscotch blondies i'm baking up for a friend & get some sleep 'cause tomorrow is going to be filled with so much awesomeness i want to be ready to rock socks. ;) may you all have the absolute best of weekends! superhappyface!

butternut-maple-scallion balls roundednesses.

are you ready for more delicious roundednesses?! w00t! tonight's rounded recipe was the yummiest of them all - a combination that was destined to be delicious, and once again, another easy peasy meal that rocked socks.

using used a the last of the collards (leftover from tuesdays lentil balls), a few scallions (from our soup & bread night) that were starting to look a little sadfaced, and the cutest little butternut squash that was just begging to made into something gloriously good - we whipped up some butternut-maple-scallion balls. and these were indeed gloriously good! in my book - ya can't go wrong with butternut squash & maple syrup.

ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into bite sized pieces
4 scallions, finely chopped (white & green parts)
5 big 'ol collard leaves, de-stemmed & finely chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup (you can add more if you like it a bit sweeter)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp sea salt
just a dash of black pepper

what you'll need:
- large mixing bowl
- small plate
- baking pan
- olive oil cooking spray

what'cha gotta do:
spray a little olive oil cooking spray in the baking pan (we used a 9x13 baking pan) & toss in the butternut squash. roast on 400 degrees until it's just about done (the roasting time depends on how small or large your squash cubes are. for us, it took just 30 minutes), then add the scallions & chopped collards to the pan & give it a stir. cook the squash, collards, 'n scallions together for another 10 minutes. remove from the oven, transfer the yumminess to your mixing bowl and smash it all up with a fork. add the sea salt, pepper, and maple syrup - combine well. this mix will be kinda mushy 'n squishy, but i promise it'll work out. form several small balls (we got 18 out of our mix), pour the cornmeal onto the small plate, and roll the butternut balls around in the cornmeal, coating them well. wipe out the baking pan a bit, respritz with a little olive oil cooking spray & place the butternut balls all up in there. ;) bake on 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turning them half way through the cooking time. remove from heat & enjoy!

p.s - we served these on top of quinoa, but i'm willing to bet that adding quinoa to the mix would be fantastical, too!

white bean balls

oh yes, white bean balls! they are so scrumptious & most glorious with pesto 'n brown rice pasta. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! they're also pretty darn cheap to make & easy, too. doublew00t! would it be too silly if i said these were cheap 'n easy bean balls? ;)

ingredients:
2 cups cooked white beans
2 pieces of gluten-free bread (we love foods for life millet bread)
1/2 large white onion, peeled
15 fresh basil leaves, well chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup plain non-dairy milk (we used almond milk)

what you'll need:
- olive oil cooking spray
- large skillet
- food processor
- large mixing bowl

what'cha gotta do:
toss the onion & garlic cloves in the food processor & pulse them up until well chopped. spray the skillet with a bit 'o olive oil cooking spray & saute the onions until they're soft on medium heat (about 8-10 minutes). add the white beans, parsley, basil, pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper to the skillet. cook for another 5 minutes then transfer the mix of yumminess to the food processor. pulse until the beans are well chopped (and no whole beans remain) then dump the pulsed bean mixture into the mixing bowl. pulse the 2 pieces of bread in the food processor to make yourself bread crumbs (you can toast them up if you like, too) - then add the bread crumbs to the mixing bowl, adding the non-dairy milk & nutritional yeast to it, too. mix everything until well combined, adjust seasonings to taste, and start making some balls (we made 22 smallish ones). wipe out the skillet, spritz a little more of the olive oil cooking spray in it, and saute the bean balls on medium heat (turning often) until browned up a bit (you can also bake them on 350 for 20 minutes & turn them half way through the cooking time). remove from heat & eat 'em up!

a little bit 'o everything lentil balls

to continue with the week of all things round 'n fun i created some super deeeeeelicious & every-so easy lentil balls for tonight's dinner. grabbed what veggies we had on hand, gave them a whiz in the food processor, sauteed, combined with lentils 'n millet, made balls (tee hee!), and baked. easy & so fantastically yummy!

you could fo 'sho make these with any veggies (or grains) that make your heart go squeeeee - and you can vary the spices, too. have fun with them & use what you've got hang'n out in the fridge & in your cabinets.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils
1/3 cup uncooked millet
2/3 cup o' water
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 small bell pepper, de-seeded
2 large de-stemmed collard leaves
1 small carrot
3 large cloves 'o garlic
1 tbsp brown rice flour
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

what you'll need:
- small pot + lid
- skillet
- mixing bowl
- food processor
- baking pan/tray

what'cha gotta do:
toast the millet for a minute or two on medium-high heat until it starts to smell kinda nutty. add in the water, cover, reduce heat to low, cook for 18 minutes. while your millet is cooking toss all the veggies & the garlic in the food processor and get 'em chopped up teeny tiny. :) spray your skillet with a little olive oil cooking spray and saute the chopped veggies on medium heat until they begin to soften up a good bit (about 8-10 minutes). add in the lentils, coriander, and sea salt - saute for another 3 minutes then transfer the lentil-veggie mix back to the food processor. pulse the mix up a bit then combine the lentil-veggie goodness with the cooked millet in the large mixing bowl. add in the brown rice flour, pepper & parsley, adjust the seasonings to taste, and form mucho small balls (we made 18). spray the baking pan/tray with a little olive oil cooking spray, load on the lentil balls, and bake on 350 (no need to preheat - save some energy!) for 30 minutes (turning them half way through the cooking time). remove from oven & enjoy them however you like! ours were super scrumptious alongside some quinoa with tomatoes 'n avocado. mmmmmmmmm!

csa: onion, collards, bell pepper, tomato

spicy mexi-meatlessball soup

in creating our menu for the week i had got to thinking about meatlessballs, bean
balls, tempeh balls 'n all the other awesomeness that could created & enjoyed in such a fun form. :) this week we'll be making lots of rounded yummies & so for our soup 'n bread night we made a spicy mexi-meatlessball soup 'n cornbread. the soup was spicy 'n hearty and perfect for such a chilly drizzly day. mmmmmmmm!

ingredients:
1 block 'o tempeh, steamed & grated
1 large yellow onion, finely diced & divided
8 gigantical tomatoes, deseeded, chopped, (and roasted if you like, for mas flavor!)
1 zucchini, finely diced & divided
1 small bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, well chopped
2 tbsp pickled jalapenos, minced
2 large cloves o' garlic, minced
3 tbsp dried oregano, divided
2 tbsp dried parsley, divided
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp water (for the meatlessball mix)
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp cumin, divided
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt, divided
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 not-chicken bouillon cube
7 cups of water
olive oil cooking spray
(whew, is that it?!)

what you'll need:
- large pot & lid
- large skillet & lid

what'cha gotta do:
heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the large pot. saute 1/2 the finely diced zucchini & 1/2 the finely diced onions on medium heat until soft. add the minced jalapenos, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, and the paprika. cook for another minute, remove from heat, then add in the grated tempeh, 2 tbsp water, cornstarch, ketchup, cilantro, tahini, and lime juice. adjust seasonings to taste then form into small balls (we made about 18) & set aside. wipe out the pot & spray it with a little olive oil cooking spray. heat to medium and saute the other half of the onion 'n zucchini along with the bell pepper until the onions begin to brown. add the roasted tomatoes and the remaining spices, chili flakes, & the other 1/2 tsp of sea salt - saute for a few more minutes (about 3-5). add water & bouillon cube, bring it to a boil & give it a good stir. cover the pot with lid & simmer for 20-25 minutes. while the soup is simmering get back to the meatlessballs. spritz a little olive oil cooking spray in the large skillet & heat on medium. add in the meatless balls & saute until they begin to brown, turning them every few minutes. once browned turn off the heat & cover with the lid while the soup finishes simmering. after the soup's simmered for its time, add in the sauteed meatless balls & tomato paste - simmer for another 5 minutes or so. adjust seasonings to taste, remove from heat, and enjoy!

p.s - this soup would be awesome served over some brown rice, and if you tossed in a dried smoked pepper it'd be yummers, too. (why we didn't think to do these things before tonight, i don't know - but we will be making this soup again & we'll fo 'sho add both the brown rice & the smoked chili pepper. yay!)

csa: tomatoes, onion, bell pepper
local: tempeh

a few of my favorites.

amey had me thinking about a few of my own favorites with her super fun favorite kitchen gadgets post. two of my favorite kitchen items are those that were once my grandmothers. the welch's grape fruit juice cans (i believe they were from the 50's) were used to cut cookies & biscuits, and that metal bowl behind them is one of her mixing bowls that she gave to me when i moved in to my first apartment waaaaay back in the day. the welch's grape cans were left to my father when my grandmother passed a few years ago, and he kindly gave them to me last year, knowing that i had always loved them (i was ever-so intrigued by them when i was little and whenever we would visit my grandmother i remember many a times seeing them being used or i'd search for them in the cupboards because i thought they were just so cool.).

my grandmother was the most fantastic lady, and i have the fondest memories of her. i think of her every day and miss her immensely. she was the most patient, gentle, and understanding person i'd known and she also made the absolute best cookies. the. best. with every visit we were surrounded by an assortment of cookie awesomeness - my favorites being her date filled sugar cookies (i use the welch's cans to cut the them) & chocolate dipped peanut butter balls (you can see them in the top left of the picture hiding behind the macadamia nut cookies).

i wanted to share her recipe for peanut butter balls with you all, as they're one of my favorites, unbelievably awesome, & really 'n easy fun to make! :)

ingredients:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 sticks margarine
1 lb jar of peanut butter
6 cups of graham cracker crumbs (we pulsed ours in the food processor)
12 ounces (or more) chocolate chips

what you'll need:
- large mixing bowl
- 2 cookie sheets
- something for melting your chocolate (we use my grandma's mixing bowl that's placed over a pot of gently boiling water)
- wax paper

what 'cha gotta do:
melt the margarine & combine it with the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and graham cracker crumbs in the large bowl. try making a small ball & if the mixture does not hold together add in a little more melted margarine until it sticks together well. roll all of the mixture into small balls, place them on the cookie sheets, and chill them in the freezer or fridge (or on your porch if it's cold enough outside, just make sure the critters don't get to 'em - squirrels can be pretty darn feisty!) while you melt the awesome that is chocolate.

get your chocolate all melted & when it's ready gently place a peanut butter ball (or two) into the melty goodness & move it around with a spoon until it's well coated (we use a spoon to move 'em around & a fork to slide underneath them to pull 'em out & transfer to the wax paper. cool on wax paper. repeat with the remaining balls & enjoy! (these freeze well, although they won't last too long because they're so darn delicious!)

p.s. - this year we're going to make them gluten-free by making our own gluten-free graham crackers (subbing in agave nectar for the honey). we'll keep you all posted on how it goes, fo 'sho.

p.p.s - i seem to remember this recipe making a ton of peanut butter balls - you may wanna halve it or prepare to treat an army. :)

it's time for brunch yummies!

being inspiried by some fellow mofoers i started off my lazy saturday with the most tasty brunch. w00t!

Monique had done the most fantastical post on her ode to breakfast & i really liked her idea of splurging on one item to make it all that more awesome & using cheap eatz for other components. a few days ago i found myself drooling over DJ's fried green bananas & i splurged on a plantain this morning at the grocery store. thinking back to another of Monique's great posts (tofu mingas) i wanted to use up some leftovers i had hanging around in the fridge that needed to be used up or composted here in a day or two. not being one for wasting food i sauteed some csa kale, onions, and tomatoes & mixed in a handful of sauteed chickpeas that i had cooked up last sunday to toss on salads throughout the week (thanks to Tasha's awesome idea of adding chickpeas to salads 'n sammies 'n such!). the plantains were sauteed in our cast iron skillet and i cut up a little red potato & roasted him up for some delicious hashbrown goodness (which, of course, i smothered in ketchup). serving it all up with a tempeh sausage patty (we use the tempeh hash recipe & leave out the potatoes 'n peppers & sub in brown rice flour - squishing the crumbled tempeh into patties) from the freezer - this was one of the absolute best brunches to date! mmmmmmmmm! thanks, guys! :)

what vegan mofo awesomeness has you all inspired lately?!


csa: tomatoes, kale, onions, potatoes
local: tempeh

survey says.......

hello, helloooooooo! it's kinda late & i'm sneaking in this super fast mofo post. today's been busy - but fun, fo 'sho! i rocked a 10 mile run after work, stopped by our natural foodz store to get dan some H&H bagels (dan's favorite is to treat himself to a bagel every morning on the weekends) and then we made a quick dinner of mac 'n cheeze. i'll upload the mac 'n cheeze tomorrow, but in the meantime you can feast your eyes on the roasted veggies from thursday night. so simple & oh-so good! we had a bunch of veggies that we neglected over the week (sadface!) so i roasted 'em all up with a little olive oil 'n sea salt. eazy peazy. ;) butternut squash, broccoli, and green beans. the best part - they were all from our csa. local rocks socks! but anywhoooooo - i saw the super fun veganmofo quiz-survey-fun times questions on Amy's awesome blog (tahinitoo) & thought it would be most fun to take, too!


1. favorite non-dairy milk?
unsweetened plain almond milk (we enjoy almond breeze, but we’ll be making our own super soon!)

2. what are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
gluten-free chocolate coconut cuppies, gluten-free donuts, and something stuffed with mashed potatoes because i think that would be the best!

3. topping of choice for popcorn?
himalayan salt

4. most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
that would have to be my attempt at some gluten-free rocks, i mean rolls!, a few weeks ago. i tossed them outside for the squirrels to eat and they remained untouched.

5. favorite pickled item?
beets!

6. how do you organize your recipes?
i stick them all in a large binder & hope for the best.

7. compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
we compost our food scraps, recycle what our county accepts & send back our preserve toothbrushes to be recycled, and it’s the trash (in biodegradable trash bags) for the rest.

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)?
avocado, brussel sprouts, & brazil nuts.

9. fondest food memory from your childhood?
making chocolate-covered-peanut butter-graham cracker balls with my momma. she was always too sweet to let me help her make them (working with melted chocolate when you are a wee sprout can be pretty darn messy) – especially since she doesn't like peanut butter, but she'd make them every year anyways because knew how much i loved those darn cookies.

10. favorite vegan ice cream?
purely decadent coconut vanilla

11. most loved kitchen appliance?
food processor.

12. spice/herb you would die without?
oregano.

13. cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
vegan planet.

14. favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
peach-rosemary.

15. favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
cuppies!

16. seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
tempeh.

17. favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
i love cooking the most on sunday mornings. i get up kinda early and prep a lot of yummies for the week including cooking beans, grains, making veggie stock, & baking dan a loaf of whole wheat bread for his pb&js – it’s my fav!

18. what is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
booze, a pitcher for grey water, a small basket cloth napkins, stainless steel, french press, dog treats, gluten-free cereal, food processor, phone books, reusable coffee mugs, vega meal replacement powder, a mini-keg of paulaner oktober fest. wow – we have a lot up there. ah ha ha!

19. name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
local organic tempeh, a jar full of homemade pesto cubes, homemade tempeh sausage patties.

20. what’s on your grocery list?
from the csa: kale, tomatoes, zucchini, butternut or acorn squash, pumpkin, swiss chard, salad mix, broccoli.
from the store: avocado, almond milk, gluten-free oats, olive oil, corn flour, plain soy yogurt, peanut butter, bagels for dan.

21. favorite grocery store?
good foods grocery.

22. name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.
those cherry pies you can get in the gas stations – the hostess ones. they pretty much made every trip in marching band throughout my high school years a little more bearable & yummy! i am so gonna make a vegan gluten-free version some day. mmmmm!

23. food blog you read the most? or maybe the top 3?
top 3 – i dunno – i read every post in my google reader every day. i love all your blogs so darn much!

24. favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
i don’t have a favorite candy or chocolate – but i do have a favorite cookie: liz lovely’s gluten-free chocolate fudge cookies. heaven, i tell you! heaven.

25. most extravagant food item purchased lately?
dr. cow cashew nut cheese

26. ingredients you are scared to work with?
agar - eek!

27. favorite food cart?
i've never been to one, as i don't know of a vegan one in richmond - but i hope to visit one in nyc or portland some day!

a little bit 'o this 'n that.

it’s raining & chilly outside so i’m vegging out in my jammies 'n favorite hoodie this evening with the kittehs and our pooch julie while dan’s at his firefighter training. i thought i’d post pictures of a few yummy ‘n fun things we’ve been getting into lately that i totally forgot to post about...

last wednesday dan took me out for a super fun date night - complete with korean yummies (from momma’s kitchen) & zombieland. zombieland was glorious (hilarious, fun, and also kinda gross, but awesome!), although our eatz were a little disappointing. dan had vegan dumplings ‘n japchae (noodles with tofu ‘n veggies) & i kept it gluten-free with the vegan bibimbap (mixed veggies ‘n rice) & fresh spring rollz. after dinner we hit up our local natural foodz store for some sugar-rific vegan desserts before the show. yay!

my friend emily & i enjoyed ethiopian yummies a few weeks ago (not the greatest lighting for a photo, but ya get the idea!). i can’t believe i forgot to show off all the yumminesses we grubbed on at the nile: ater kik alicha (yellow split peas), yemisir wat (split lentil sauce), shiro wat (seasoned chickpea flour), gomen (collards with garlic ‘n ginger), tekel gomen (cabbage with garlic ‘n ginger), fasolia (sting beans with carrots ‘n caramelized onions), komodoro salata (cucs, tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos), diblik atkilt (spicy potatoes with tomatoes), and this delicious spicy cold mushroom salad (i can't remember the name & i notice it's not listed on their menu online). all of their veggie options are not only vegan, but they’re gluten-free. huzzah for 100% teff flour injera!

sushi from sticky rice 2 weeks ago (because we were too lazy to make our own). what you’re look’n at: a spring roll, "shiitake happens", “silence of the yams”, avocado roll, a veganized “garden of eden”, & a cucumber roll. we also had some camera shy vegan miso soup. mmmmmmmm!

here’s last night’s “we’ve gotta make dinner lickety split” comforting ‘n garlicky meal: creamy polenta bowls with garlicky white beans, kale, asparagus, olive oil, ‘n red pepper flakes.
foodz in bowlz rock & creamy polenta sticks with you & warms ya up. :)

bonus kitteh photo of sony being a silly bean!

i'd also like to add a hooray for it almost be'n friday!