Breaking for Food

So my friend Genevieve is about to jump on the patience boat, because she agreed to assist me with guitar lessons. I tried it out years ago, but learning right handed didn't do it for me. So I begin the left way. I have two sewing classes this week and a free raw food class at Whole Foods tomorrow- so let's cut to the belly....

Feeling that Steak-finger Plate



Candle's chipotle bbq sauce
Whipped garlic-y mashed potatoes with scallions
Panko-crusted seitan strips
Steamed Kale

Sunday morning kind of love...

Pancakes with Potatoes and Sauteed Cabbage

PPK batter
Candle's potatoes
Cabbage lightly dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt/ pepper

I always feel the need to balance the meal with some kind of lightly starched veggie...


And finally...

Yesterday, I was looking for a quick fix at Whole Foods after an early morning presentation...I picked up their english muffins, 365 sausage patties, and began to plan for today...oh yeah, I ended up with a soy latte, banana, and vegan donut...

So this morning, I whipped up V-con's cheesy sauce, fried "eggs", heated up the muffins and sausage and through in a few sliced tomatoes...

Breakfast Veg-Muffin


Different ...3.2 stars...

Back in February...

I have been a busy bee...and am currently flunking at keeping up with my vegan blog...was thinking that I should take my camera out to locals food joints so that one my know the "variety" that is out here...but not now...

Some sweeties came together to honor the blessed child of a favorite couple...Melanie and Charlie...because I haven't been given the rights to post Sam's photo...I can only show you half my contribution...

Picture it, an early Saturday morning...not sure what to prepare in the little time that I had...I had a few veggies and figured that some kind of biscuit casserole would do...checked out my library and came across Veganomicon's Cauliflower and Mushroom potpie with black olive crust.

Now I don't remember too many details other than I substituted broccoli, didn't have too many kalamatas, and threw in red bells...I remember thinking that the veggie portion was too much, so I didn't use as many veggies...BIG MISTAKE...everything cooked down...it was still yummy and everyone loved it despite my personal criticisms....I also made a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, but I wasn't impressed with my lack of decorating skills.

Veggie Potpie with Star Biscuits



Three weeks ago, I awoke to a massive allergy attack. Everything hurt. After sleeping off some of the pain and gathering enough energy to text my supervisor, I found the opportunity to experiment with tofu quiche. I had come across a recipe through Happy Herbivore a few weeks ago. Again, I added a few extra veggies, but have any fresh basil. I think the texture didn't come out right and while the flavor was there...this is something I would only prepare for a big gathering.

Crust-less Quiche




I admit that I once fell for Morning Star's buffalo wings, but they just didn't do it for me...Green, San Antonio's ONLY vegetarian restaurant, has a tofu version, but they aren't for me as well. I have a love affair with seitan...that is my right in this world. While tofu and I go way back...seitan is the ultimate meat substitute...well, maybe 60%-40%...whatever...

Ross, from Vegans Rock Austin, posted an easy recipe a few years ago and that has always been my stand by.


I have messed with it to fit my tastes...i.e. adding veggie stock and holding back on some of that soy sauce. But enough about the seitan.

Seitan Buffalo Wings


-Seitan- as much as you want to fit the bellies of you and those around
-Panko bread crumbs- enough to coat
-Agave
-Hot sauce
-Non-dairy butter- start with a tablespoon
-Cayanne pepper
-Freshly crushed pepper
-Egg replacer - a few egg portions
-Water
-High heat oil...I used Safflower

I battered up the seitan by dipping it in the egg replacer and bread crumbs mixed in with the pepper. I then fried the seitan in med-high heat to a golden brown and drained on a paper towel. Let sit or preferably if someone else is around you...

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the hot sauce and agave and let the sauce thicken a bit. Add cayanne to taste. Should be have a nice amount of heat with a cooling sweetness. WARNING: I purchased the organic 365 hot sauce at Whole Foods, but it was spice-less.

When sauce is ready, add in a few nuggets and coat them. I didn't bother with any vegan ranch, but I did a break out a few pickles- that is just the Texican in me.

Next time I make these- I will pay attention to the amount of ingredients used...otherwise I am an eye-baller at heart.

More Yum Yum-ness

Tried a vesion of Lolo's mac n cheeze leaving out the carrots, potatoes, and bread crumbs. YUMMY!!!!

So good, I think I will make some today as well.

Yummy Mac N Cheese




And sometimes a couple of margaritas on the rocks accompanied by chips and roasted salsa can make a girl happy.


They make me appreciate the trees that much more...



El fin...para ahora.

Kitchen Therapy and Cat Recovery

My boy, Knot, is recovering from a ruptured bladder. He is doing better and I found myself at home a lot more this week.

Since running across Emmie's dolmades, I slowly collected all the ingredients and compared various online recipes...still working on my ultimate recipe, but these did just fine. They are better served warm. In terms of adding pine nuts- I would give them a light chop. Next time- chopped seitan or TVP.

It was really cool to eat them after such little effort. Rolling them was quite a quick process. Methinks I may never go down the street to the neighborhood Greek restaurant for a fix again.

Dolmades

On Monday, I realized I had to be at work in the afternoon and had about an hour. Sauteed peppers, mushrooms, kale, garlic, ginger, and green onion. I hit it with a few dashes of tamari, rice wine vinegar, Asian crushed pepper, and sherry. Tossed in a bit of cooked udon noodles (which cook fast) and there you go...

Oh and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seed oil and actual seeds.

Fast Udon Noodles with Veggies

I know the photo isn't the best, but it was worth mentioning.

Finally I found a recipe I had printed out for chili a while back. Didn't bother taking a photo, but it will be mentioned in the future. Perfect opportunity to bake corn bread. Using Colleen Patrick- Goudreau's recipe with a huge, roasted jalapeno- it was awesome. Sweet and spicy.

All the dried goods...

Jalapeno Corn Bread

Love me some kitchen time.

A Sea of Sushi

How i miss my little camera...just found these and realized they were never given recognition...

Vegan Sushi






Avocado
Shitake mushrooms sauteed in sesame oil
Red bell
Cucumber
Baked sweet potato
Green onion
PPK's spicy tempeh recipe

Because they're good....

Finally got around to trying Isa's version of Le French Toast and it was yummers. I would only add a bit of spice to the batter next time... but that's just me...
"Fronch" Toast

And I do love my rice bowls...I believe it to be Candle's marinade for the tofu and various veggies and a dash of sesame seeds...

Tofu Rice Bowl


It's always fun to play "restaurant" and imagine what I would pay for the dishes...

Busy November...

What a month...I have been so busy with work, a Peace Market, finishing a movie, working on a show with amigas, and turning 30. I haven't properly celebrated in the sense of cooking a beautiful meal and sweets of my choice...but some day soon...maybe after the new year. I also had a pretty decent T-day...didn't take photos, but I love me some chickpea cutlets...I finally purchased a beautiful camera even if I am still mourning my lost in the universe elf. I need to get connected with it so that I may present proper food photos.

Last month, I sold mainly earrings at the Esperanza's annual Mercado de Paz. It was totally cool to sell things I made. Next year, I will prepare enough ahead to pass out vegan treats. While prepping last month, I managed to check out the Un-cheese cookbook and compared Alfred-esq recipes to those of PPK and Candle. I settled for Isa's sauce and Italian-grilled tofu...tossed in a few (not nearly enough) red peppers...let's just say that I will be serving this to a huge gathering some point soon...

"Alfreda" Cappellini with Italian Tofu


Mac and Un-cheese, All-Purpose Tofu, and Sauteed Spinach

Not creamy enough, but nothing was wasted...

Because I can't give enough props....

Spicy Seitan and Sweet and Sour Veggies



courtesy of:

The Asian Vegan Kitchen

Fall and muffins

Zucchini muffins make Fall that much better...of course if I were on the northeast coast...it would be THAT much better...

#1 Fave muffin at the moment...



The Joy of Vegan Baking rocks my socks!!!

Staples

I am a busy girl...the recipe of my life might look something like this:
3 cats
2 dogs
1 boyfriend
2 jobs
2 Parts Activism ...mainly the Free Speech Coalition these days



3 parts creativity- movie, jewelry, crafts, etc.
4 parts cooking (as longs as I have the energy to stand in the kitchen, time, and ingredients of course
2 parts entertainment (documentaries, film, friends, wine, and family
1 part movement (NIA, yoga, dance)
Sleep for taste

I tend to keep it simple when I don't have too much time for cooking and one of my most favorite meals is seitan with bbq sauce, kale, and [enter random side dish]. I am a girl from
Texas and while I don't do beef, bbq sauce with baked tofu or grilled seitan always makes me happy. I love me some sour pickles and good bread to accompany the bbq'ed food. I prefer Chipotle BBQ Sauce from the Candle Cafe and I love to include grilled onions, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. It is comfort for me...well...that along with kale. Greens rock my belly, but kale tends to take first place. I baked acorn squash with a recipe from Candle as well. That book is awesome.

Weekend Breakfast

I swim in the pond where sweet and savory are both included in a meal...but for some unfortunate reason- I might have only included fruit preserves that day.

Tofu Scramble, Spicy Potatoes, PPK Biscuits, and Sauteed Kale



I wouldn't say that I have tried a lot of recipes for scramble, but I am happiest with the Candle Cafe's version so far.

My girlfriend once was lucky enough to land a job there...otherwise I would have missed out on this amazing restaurant.

Gettin' My Grill On...

Not too far back, Gabriel hit up the grill and bbq'ed some kabobs and I did the marinading and boiling. I messed with a few cookbook recipes because I didn't have every ingredient but I do remember mixing ginger, garlic, tomato paste, ??? Mushrooms, peppers, squash, mango, onion...

I made PPK's Coconut Rice with out the zest and stick and shredded coconut...it goes with so many dishes.

Thai Q'ed Veggies Kabobs y Coconut Rice

One time in Boulder...

An old dinner ( back from July) that deserves recognition. The tofu was so good that I done ordered a copy of The Garden of Vegan. Lalo, my home-girl, had checked out a copy at the library and felt that I would really enjoy the flavor. Take the all-purpose seasoning, add bragg's, and fry in extra virgin olive oil. She baked butternut squashed and sauteed cabbage and the meal was simple, but delicious.

And they're off.....

And so it begins...it is still the 1st of October here, so technically I am still in the game. Just got back from seeing Towelhead and one of my cats was playing "Scare Aissa"...that would be Penny- she was missing for an hour!!!



She has her windows of love, but makes me so nervous that I start promising to give up little joys like myspace. She finally came home.

Well, for my first entry- I want to focus on two faves... the Candle Cafe's Asian Baked Tofu and Vegetarian Planet's Sesame Glazed Green Beans. Yum-my! I know I mentioned it in my last entry, but I am drawn to the East in more ways than one. Starting off with the tofu, it tastes great in a simple salad, sandwich, or alone. The beans recipe calls for honey, but agave subs just fine. Both books are awesome...obviously V Planet isn't cruelty-free, but I think it is worth owning.



I doubled the glaze to add a little something extra to the rice...

Korean Pancakes

I love me some Asian food and while veganizing isn't too challenging, I am thrilled to have come across The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh. I found it it at the library and purchased it right away. It covers comida de Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea. I have tried a few dishes from the Chinese section and enjoyed a few dishes. Can't find those photos.

Kevin, my bff makes some mean pancakes and I have put off making them because they are too heavy on my belly. Parekh's recipe is pretty good, but I have many ideas for variations...will get back on that. Gabriel's camera is fancier than mine- especially with his new lens,- but I am saving for something lovely... he did his magic on the photo, though...I can't take credit for that...

Vegetable Pancakes



I was too excited to wipe the edges of the dipping sauce bowl... it happens and something went wrong with re-sizing

and I am up for the VEGANMOFO challenge... along with some updates on San Antonio Activism...