For The Love of Food

Late Thanksgiving Post.

2011-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

I'm getting back into the blog swing of things and I tend to forget to make posts right after I have delicious meals. I'll get better. I promise! So with that out of the way I wanted to share my first ever Thanksgiving meal... even though I've been vegan for 3 and 1/2 years! (I usually just get drunk with my little brother and laugh my head off!)

Clockwise from the left: Tofurkey roast, garlic kale potatoes
with mushroom gravy, collard greens, sweet potatoes, white
rice and Mom's homemade green bean casserole in the center.

Everything was so delicious! I actually strayed from being a holiday lazy ass and cooked a full meal! Well, I cooked some of it. I had planned on cooking a lot more but then my mom informed me that she'd be making plenty of vegan stuff so I'd have lots to eat.

Garlic/Kale Potatoes

Homemade Green Bean Casserole made by my Mom!

And no get together is complete without my favorite coconut lemon cake from Veganomicon. Can't seem to get enough of it! I usually make a bundt but I forgot it at home and had to settle for my mom's springform pans. Note to self: Get some of those!

Coconut Lemon cake w/Lemon Glaze topped w/ Coconut.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin muffins (made by my sister!)

Was glad I got to eat something this year. I also took home a crapload of leftovers! Lasted for like 4 days! Thats all I ate! I would eat this way daily if I had the time. It'd be worth the weight gain! Hahaha...

-Lee

So long to Atomic #7...

2011-11-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's strange how I worked on this blog for a few years and then all of a sudden stopped. Let's see if I can end this craziness right here and now!

I'd like to dedicate this blog post to a place I will dearly miss. About a year and a half ago a friend texted me that there was a new ice cream shop in town that did made to order vegan ice cream. I couldn't believe it! How exciting! The only shop of it's kind and it was about a mile from my job. Here are some of the wonderful vegan creations I was lucky enough to enjoy:

Peanut butter banana flavored almond milk ice
cream w/penguin coat, aka chocolate shell.

PB Coconut milk ice cream w/ cookie dough, vegan caramel and
penguin coat. My favorite creation of them all!!!

PB Coconut milk ice cream w/ Penguin. Can you tell I love PB?

Magda's Mango coconut almond milk ice cream w/peaches.

Vanilla almond milk ice cream with hot fudge.

AND NOW, CUPCAKES!!

Samoa cupcake (the best ever!)

Double Chocolate cupcake.

Vanilla almond sugar cookie cupcake and chocolate peanut
butter cupcake.

And finally, My birthday cupcakes from my good friend Amy.
Coffee flavored cupcake and chocolate mint cupcake. So good!

Goodbye to Ginger and all of the wonderful girls of Atomic 7. I am so thankful that I had a place to go to, even for a short amount of time. Maybe one day Atomic #7 will re-open and I can continue my trustworthy treat addiction. I hope I see you all around!!!

Seriously?

2011-04-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

Check out this Quarry Girl post!

You would think that a magazine strictly for vegans would know better.

Another Trip to Red Velvet Cafe.

2010-06-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

A few posts back I gave a follow-up to a comment about Red Velvet Cafe here in Las Vegas that an anonymous reader expressed. I didn't have the same experience at the Cafe that they did. I'm bummed they didn't get the treatment that I get. The last time I went, they were still pleasant, but I felt forgotten. So, my roommate asked me to go along with her for lunch a few days ago.

Spicy "Chicken" Wrap:

Again, we received good service, our food came fast, the people that worked there were really nice, we joked around, la la la... It seems to be hit or miss on when they will disappoint. The one thing that I've noticed is that if it's not busy they seem to handle themselves well. I've been there when it was jam packed and almost dead. They don't seem to be very well off if there are too many people looking to eat. Like I said before... I'm not going out of my way to go there, but I won't write them off completely.

Vegan Red Velvet Cake:

I will say this... This cake makes me want to head my ass over there every damn day. New mission: Find vegan red velvet cake that tops this!

My Trip to Washington!

2010-05-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

In early May I hopped a plane and headed to Blaine, WA to visit my good friends Langley and Yahtil. First, let me just send out another giant THANK YOU to them for allowing me to come stay with them for 8 glorious days. I cannot wait until I take another trip up. You guys are AWESOME!!!

Now, on to the food and the reason I gained weight while away. (So worth it!)

Potato and Leek soup in a sourdough bread bowl... YIKES! ::drool::

Yahtil made this from scratch and it was absolutely amazing. I had this the second night I was in town. My first time ever having leek. Must have more often.

Potato/onion soup:

Yet another wonderful creation by Yahtil. I think I'm now addicted to bread bowls. I always appreciate my meat eater friends that go out of their way to make something that I can eat. That's some serious love right there! Some seriously tasty foodage as well. I wish I could re-live these 2 soups.

Need I say more?:

A nice, hot soy latte from Woods Coffee. Nice place! Apparently it's a Pacific Northwest chain. Wish we had it here.

Soy Latte:

And look how cute it is from the outside. This location that we went to was right on the ocean. We sat and drank coffee on the water and it was magic!

Woods Coffee:

I love you, Clif Bars!:

I hate to say that I live on Clif Bars, but some days I am so wrapped up in the crazy that I have to have these just so I have something to hold me over until I get a good meal in. Well, while I was in WA I was able to find these 4 flavors that I didn't even know existed! I bought like 3 of each and brought them home with me.

Black Bean Burgers:

These weren't too bad. I've had some nasty vegan burgers before and these weren't a total disappointment. I still prefer my homemade black bean burgers over these any day though.

Vegetable Soup:

This was yet ANOTHER Yahtil vegan creation. No bread bowl, but I ate it so fast I barely noticed.

BLOOM!!!:

This I was insanely excited for! This was my first trip to an all vegan establishment. Langley had told me that there was a vegan restaurant in Bellingham and I was so grateful that I finally got the chance to go!

Hummus w/ Veggies and Flax Crackers:

This was some good hummus. I don't usually have hummus as thick as this, but that mattered not. The veggies were clean and fresh and delicious. The flax crackers were also a great addition to this spread. I want to re-eat this!

Aaaaaaaand... the one food I had that thoroughly surprised me...

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich:

Closer shot:

Why did it surprise me? Not because it was one of the best ever tempeh sandwiches I've had so far, but because it had beets on it. BEETS! I HATE BEETS! At least... I thought I hated beets. I remember hating beets my whole life. Turns out if they are made just right I really do enjoy them! They accompanied the tempeh quite well in this case. Look at that! One more food I am allowing back into my diet.

My new addiction... HARD CIDER!:

I was introduced to hard cider during my trip to WA. I must admit, I wasn't sure I would like it because it looked like beer and sort of smelled like beer. MUCH better than beer. Beer I don't really have a taste for. Cider has a new place in my heart. Woodchuck brand and Wyder's brand are both vegan friendly. I've tried Raspberry, pear and apple flavored and Pear is most definitely my favorite. Thanks guys!

La Fiamma Pizza:

Pre-pizza Salad:

We all know I'm a sucker for a good vegan pizza. And this contained yet another food I have hated my whole life... OLIVES! I barely noticed the olives on this one. there were plenty of flavores to even out the taste so I was extremely happy.

Well, that's the majority of my pictures of the food I ate. There were many other meals that I just didn't get the chance to photograph mainly I inhaled my food before I remembered to take the pictures. I'm dying for another visit to WA.

-Lee

An anonymous comment.

2010-05-23T22:45:00.001-07:00

I received an anonymous comment on a recent post that I was kind of surprised to get. It was on a post that I put up July 20th 2009 and was referring to my visit to Red Velvet Cafe. This was the comment(following the comment I will reply):

Anonymous said...: We have been eating here since this place opened.

At first, we were thrilled to have the kind of food so readily available to us in other big cities in which we've lived on our side of town; as a vegetarian/vegan couple it certainly seemed to most number of menu offerings in the city!

Unfortunately, despite developing an affinity for certain favorites (the taco salad, pizzettas, certain wraps and the red velvet cake are all extremely tasty), the rest of the menu is fairly uninspired and the grilled panini sandwiches kind of mushy and flavorless. (or I should say, the flavor of the mushy bread overwhelms the ingredients within).

The specials are ridiculously overpriced for what they are, and the prices in general are a bit high considering the scant use of organic ingredients, the overall starchy nature of most everything, and the reliance on commercial soy products for mock meats.....these things are of questionable nutritional value (other than being lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, maybe in calories) because they're highly processed forms of soy......which at that point yields a substance that may taste salty and chewy but is regarded by the body as something akin to plastic.

In a place like L.A., only the cheap quick vegan eateries do that. It allows them to keep prices low and find a middle ground on taste, texture, and presentation. Red Velvet Cafe, however, charges up the wazoo for these things ($15.00 or more for some soy fish on brown rice with some overcooked until shriveled, thin, bland asparagus? Really?).

Nevertheless. For the times when we were very busy and didn't want to deal with food prep (sometimes veggie food takes a lot of ingredients!) or when friends and family were in town we happily continued to frequent the place, and spent quite a lot of $$ along the way...especially when ordering the food in bulk for a party! WOW!!!$!$!$!

What has finally killed it for us, no matter how delicious that darn cake is, or how much I long for a turkey wrap that isn't Tofurkey (much as I love and should own stock in that stuff), is the absolutely appalling service!

NOT just when it's busy!

ALL THE TIME!

Starting with the chef/owner. While her husband is gracious and engaging, helpful and affable, she has never once smiled at me in all the times I've been there (what has it been now, nearly 2 years now?), which, as a fellow industry person, loyal customer, and part of what was keeping the lights on, thinks is a pretty poor excuse for manners.

I'm in a customer-service based industry; you don't get to be crummy towards your patrons unless they get crummy with you -- and even then sometimes you're expected to take it, with that whole "customer is always right" nonsense! ;-)

It's a bad vibe, and it's a bad look for her. I know she works long hours and has a lot on her shoulders, but that's no excuse for thinly veiled hostility or at best, diffidence to one of your early adopters and strongest supporters!

The service there is a real paradox! The actual people are perfectly pleasant and seemingly quite intelligent. How then does a new group sit in your station after strolling through the front door of your fairly small restaurant and not get menus, water, or service for up to 15 minutes?! It's ludicrous! And, it's costing them money......a small group I'd brought walked out.

You have to wonder after 10 minutes or more who has left RVC in a huff as my group did? That is money down the drain. If they do stay, they might not come back.

And most tragic of all, even those of us who have tried to get used to it are despairing and MOVING ON.

The food is not THAT spectacular to have that poor of a customer service experience, sorry.

I will miss the grub, and even some of the people, but I will not miss being made to feel like somehow they were put upon to have to sell it and serve it to me.

We're taking our restaurant business elsewhere.; May 9, 2010 6:42 PM

I wish I could have known who posted this, but they had a right to be anonymous if they chose. I posted my trip to Red Velvet last year in July. The day I went it wasn't very busy and the service we got seemed to be quite good! I left there very happy with the food that I ordered and the service we had. This was back during the renovation.

HOWEVER... I went back a second time during November of last year and things were a bit different. The food was pretty good still, but the restaurant was jam packed with people and it took forever (and a day) to get us seated. I noticed an older gentleman walking around and making sure people were OK and being very nice. I'm assuming he's one of the owners that you mentioned. When we finally got a table we had to wait with it a bit dirty for about 10 minutes before someone cleaned it for us. I didn't want to miss getting the table, who knows how long we would have had to wait otherwise.

It was just me and my friend Heather. We figured out what we wanted and when they did come to take our order, 20 minutes after the table was cleaned, it seemed to be another 30 minutes before we got our food. I felt dumb because I talked her into going to this place and she liked the food OK but was upset with the service, as was I. I didn't didn't decide not to come back or anything, just decided I would only go if I was in the area and hungry.

I attempted to go there for breakfast one morning because I was out at Red Rock with my friend Magda at around 9 am and it was pretty close and had food I could eat. They claim to serve breakfast, yet don't open until 10:30. That kinda bugged me. If you are serving breakfast, you should be open a bit earlier than that. Luckily we were on that side of town anyway so I didn't have to go out of my way to be let down. I found out they were closed on Sundays the hard way. I live in Henderson and it isn't just a short drive to what's practically Summerlin. The menu I had in my hands I got from there said they were open Sundays. Ugh...

My roommate and a friend of hers decided yesterday to go have lunch and picked Red Velvet. I was off and had no classes so when she invited me I accepted. Luckily when we got there it wasn't busy, we got seated, got our drinks and had pretty good service this time around. I swear, Red Velvet is extremely hit or miss. It's a huge bummer to have to go through all the crap that you did with them. That really sucked and you shouldn't have been treated wrongly.

Hit or miss places suck. I'm not writing them off completely, just not going out of my way for them. They haven't proven themselves worthy.

Thank you so much for the comment!

-Lee

Veggie Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen.

2010-04-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

I don't live in the most vegan friendly city. We all know that. Luckily I have a little help finding safe places to have food thanks to VeganXpress iPhone app. The roommates and I wanted a day out and about and we ended up in a big shopping area here in Vegas. Someone suggested California Pizza Kitchen. I hadn't been there in about 3 years or so for obvious reasons. Luckily I used VeganXpress to find out if there were any options for me. I was happy to find that the Neapolitan crust (thin crust) is vegan, so I ordered the vegetarian without cheese. On this pizza we have:

-Baby broccoli

-Grilled Japanese eggplant

-Roasted corn

-Sliced red onions

-Mushrooms

-Sun-dried tomatoes

-Tomato sauce.

It was light and pretty good tasting. It was the exact opposite of the kind of pizza I use to eat. I think had I tried I might have been able to put the entire pizza away all by myself! But it was too good not to share. Maybe next time I'll give it a shot. :o)

-Lee

Miso Soup, my way.

2010-04-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I never really got into having Miso soup until I started making it myself. I played around with a bunch of different recipes. Some I liked, some I didn't. Eventually I found what I liked. I like cubes of super firm tofu and tempeh in my miso. This was perfect when it was really gloomy here in Vegas last week.

-4 Cups Water
-3-4 tbsp Miso Paste
-1 sheet Nori (cut into small squares)
-1/2 block Super Firm Tofu (I used Wild Wood brand)
-1/2 block Tempeh
-2-3 cloves fresh garlic or 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
-1 stalk green onion (optional)

Bring the water to boil and add miso paste. Allow the paste to fully dissolve into the water. When broth is ready add tofu, garlic, tempeh and nori. allow to simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes to allow tofu and tempeh to soak up the flavors of the broth. Add optional green inion last after you turn off the soup.

LOVE!!!

-Lee

Just a quick post.

2010-03-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

It's getting hot out. Hot sucks! Especially in Las Vegas. Fortunately this is my last year living here! I'm moving back to CA in October. I'm excited! I miss L.A! However, until I leave this place I must endure it's evil temperatures. Those of you who know me well know that I live for smoothies when it's hot out. When it's hot out there is nothing I want more than a nice, cold fruit smoothie.

Strawberry/Blueberry Smoothie

I'm not a huge mock-meat fan but I found this to be quite good. Perfect for slicing up and having it as a snack on crackers.

I think I'll buy this again and use it as a pizza topping. It honestly tastes better than any pepperoni I remember. My roommate and I ate half of it pretty quickly. Well, I mostly ate it. Couldn't help myself!

Fire Roasted Tomato Grain Meat

And finally... the only food that I've had all month that I could not get out of my mind...

The highlight of my month:

Amaretto is quite possibly my all-time favorite flavor. Coconut milk is pretty high up there also. I almost lost it when I walked down the dessert aisle at Whole Foods and found this. I opened the frozen case and this actually felt like it was staring back at me.

This was a pretty pathetic post. I know. But better than not posting anything, Right?

-Lee

I Want Tea and Black Bean Burgers!

2010-03-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing to drink is tea. I absolutely love tea. My mom is a huge tea drinker. I remember always seeing her with a cup of tea the whole time I was growing up. Guess I got it from her. I have a cup sitting in front of me now as I type this. I also love mugs. I love wacky and fun looking mugs. My current favorite is my monkey mug. I have loved it since I first laid eyes on it. It was only 5 dollars. I couldn't pass it up. There's also a zebra, a giraffe and an elephant. I'll be sure to show those off in a later post.

Another favorite of mine are my black bean burgers. I make amazing Black Bean Burgers. I topped these off with sauteed mushrooms, avocado spread, lettuce and mustard.

I went over to my friend Heather's house to cook dinner for her again and decided on these because they are just amazing. I blogged BBQ black bean burgers, however you can add whatever kind of sauce you like to the mixture. I've done Dijon mustard, bbq sauce and I've also done ones with salsa. These I used a tomato based sauce (it was what was available). If using this recipe, replace the amount of bbq sauce with whatever sauce/salsa that you wish. That's the best part about black bean burgers. They can be so versatile! They worked out extremely well when I made Panko Friend Black Bean Patties.

Creamy Veggie Potatoes

These were tasty. Very filling. Hit the spot.

Zucchini/Bell Pepper tofu

Probably one of my favorite things I've had for breakfast lately!

-1 Bell Pepper, diced
-1 Zucchini, diced
-1/2 tub firm tofu, crumbled
- diced onion
-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- garlic (fresh or powdered)
- salt and pepper to taste

Quick and easy. Dice veggies and cook them in 1 tbsp olive oil until softened. Add crumbled tofu and spices. Cook until water from tofu is evaporated. TA DA!

Dinner party success and some mobile uploads

2010-02-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I am currently testing out the blogger application for iPhone. Let's see how it goes!

A little over a week ago my friend Rob let me host a fully vegan dinner party at his amazing high rise. I was completely stressed when I found out how many people were going to be there, which was around 50. Out of 50 people there were 3 vegans and 2 vegetarians.

I cooked about 6 different dishes and luckily my friend Deanna, who was hosting with me, brought a bunch of great food! I hoped and wished that would be enough, but luckily there were plenty of people bringing food as well! It was so great to see people participating even though they probably never shopped for anything vegan in their lives.

Now for the good news and the bad news.

THE GOOD NEWS: I have never received more compliments in my life. The way I was introduced to veganism was completely WRONG. I had a friend emailing me photos of slaughtered animals and trying to force information on me instead of taking a smoother, less hostile approach. And while my respect for all life is one of the reasons I chose veganism, it was just the wrong way to go about it. When I finally did go vegan (not because of that person) I told myself that I would never be THAT kind of vegan.

Most americans think all we eat is salad and I wanted to show people that that is false. I always want to introduce veganism to people in a positive way and thanks to Rob I was able to do that to many people at once. I met a lot of new people and heard more feedback than I ever have. I was even receiving feedback for Deanna's dishes which I passed on to her.

THE BAD NEWS: I have no pictures!!! I was so incredibly busy through the whole party that I forgot until half way through. By then there wasn't much left to get pictures of. I think Deanna may have some shots. I also wanted to get video footage and failed to do that as well. Buh!!!

In conclusion, it was a great time, people were happy and I only heard 1 person talking shit. I expected at least that, but coming to a vegan dinner party and talking shit on veganism seems a bit silly, don't you think? Thank you Rob for suggesting that we do this party. And for the invitation to do it again!

And now, some mobile uploads of food eaten while out and about. Beware, they are not high quality photos.

Dolmas from Paymon's:

Falafel from Paymon's:

Zucchini enciladas, dolmas and tofu stroganoff from Whole Foods:

And, 2 different trips for veggie sushi at Momo Sushi.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The slacking is over. Back to blogging!

2010-01-20T02:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time. The last blog I posted was back in July. Wow, that was quite some time ago. I've come back to blogging because I miss it. Yes, my life will be insanely hectic for the next 9 months as I prepare myself for graduation, but that doesn't mean I have to give up on what makes me happy. Blogging made me happy for the 1 year that I dedicated myself to it. It was so much fun and it helped me learn a lot more about what it is to be vegan and how to be a healthy one at that.

Ok, enough chatter. Here are a few things that I've eaten lately:

Grits and Kale/tomato/garlic tofu scramble:

Close Up Shot:

This is definitely one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. Grits are amazing AND filling. I didn't feel hungry again for many, many hours. Plus, you can't go wrong with kale, tomatoes and garlic.

Sauteed Seitan Over Rice

When I first started cooking seitan I thought it was horrible. I followed someone's recipe and found it to be completely YUCK! That's right! Com-plete-ly YUCK! I gave up on it. Few months later, being the open person that I am, I decided to give it another go. I used Isa Moskowitz's Simple Seitan recipe from VEGANOMICON and I have never had a problem with it since. Thanks, Isa.

Israeli couscous w/ Spinach and Tempeh:

This was very good. It was one of those "I just got home from working all day/throw something together really quick because I'M STARVING" dinners. Not a complete dinner but it was midnight and I just needed food.

The PIZZA:

Now that my good friend Heather lives in town again it gives me the opportunity to cook with someone. She's not vegan but is very interested in learning about the lifestyle and is open to trying just about any food I throw at her. This pizza was simple. Red pepper tomato sauce, sliced sun dried tomato Tofurkey Italian Sausages, thick slices of mushroom and topped off with Daiya Vegan Cheese. The melting was pretty good, but what got me was the taste of Daiya. Absolutely delicious. Won't mind using this every time I make pizza. Ialso sprinkled some Athens Seasoning on the crust for a little extra somethin'.

MmMmMm... So good:

The Holidays:

Thanksgiving was a bust. I didn't cook anything! I just went to my sisters house and filled up on my brother's magical alcoholic concoctions. My family was pretty upset that I didn't bring anything that I could eat. I really should have. I have no excuses. However, Christmas was much different. I made myself Christmas dinner for the first time. I was very happy with it! Even my family was eating my food.

Mashed Garlic Red Potatoes w/ Kale, Green Onion:

Garlic Infused Seitan Roast w/ carrots, broccoli, mushroom:

My plate assembled:

No Recipes this post, but I am having a much anticipated Vegan dinner party at my good friend Rob's house on the 31st. There will be plenty of pictures and I'll definitely throw some recipes at you. I may even have video footage for you all!

-Lee

It's been a while...

2010-01-15T01:10:00.000-08:00

This... Is my OOPS face:

I have done a horrible job of keeping up with this blog. It has been nearly 6 months since my last post. Pretty pathetic indeed. BUT... as you can see I have decided to rejoin the world of vegan food blogging. Unfortunately, I am not posting any recipes or food photography in this post. I just wanted to take the time to thank you all for being followers and I will make it up to you.

See you all soon!!!

-Lee

Red Velvet Cafe and More.

2009-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to go to Red Velvet Cafe for a long time. I finally took the time to go. IT WAS VERY MUCH WORTH IT!!! My friend Jeny (I loves me some Jeny) called me up and told me she was interested in going because I had been talking to her about it for like 2 weeks. I honestly plan on trying everything on their menu before I move back to CA next summer. The restaurant serves omnivores, vegetarians AND vegans. How often does that happen? Everything on their menu is veganizable!

Veganizable? I know, I know. "That's not a real word." Oh, YES it IS!

First, we ordered the most amazing chips and guac that I've ever had in my life.

Look how much they give you! At most places the guac runs out before the chips do. this was SO not the case. I would have been totally satisfied on just this, but the food kept coming.

Closer shot:

Next up, what I ordered. I decided on the vegan Taco Salad. Very BIG, very good. I absolutely hate when I restaurant is stingy on the avocados. I swear I must have eaten the equivalency of 3 avocados. I was happy.

Vegan Taco Salad:

Inside shot after I ate 1/4 of it:

Next up, What Jeny ordered. She settled on the Veggie Panini. She actually gave me half of her order to take home because she's not good with leftovers and I am. This was even more amazing than my taco salad! Spinach, artichoke, roasted Tomato, pesto and vegan cheese. I'm drooling now thinking about it.

Veggie Panini

2nd Shot:

I'm just glad she put up with me taking pictures of the food before either of us touched it. I highly reccommend this restaurant. If you live in Las Vegas or ever visit and want to have an absolutely enjoyable meal, pick Red Velvet.

REd Velvet Cafe
7875 W. Sahara Ave Ste. 103
Las Vegas, NV

In my last pst I showed you 2 ways I like to have my grits for breakfast. I think this one beat all. I had this one day last week. I told a story about how my mom use to make grits for us all the time. Well, as we got older and learned to make them for ourselves my brothers got really into making cheese grits. It's amazing how nutritional yeast, vegan margarine and garlic can give off a cheesy flavor! That's how i made these. I made a seitan/tofu scramble with a less dense tofu (last time I used Wild Wood, which i wish I could use every day. Sadly I ran out).

"Cheesy" Grits:

Tasty-tasty it was. I leave for San diego on Wednesday (July 22) and I'll be home late Sunday. some time after that you shall see another blog of all the fun I am going to have at 2009 COMIC CON!!! Til' next time!

-Lee

MY 50TH POST!!!

2009-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. Most people celebrate their 100th post, but screw all that. I'm proud that I have made it to my 50th post! I'm also ecstatic that I have almost 50 followers! I am very glad that you all have me in your thoughts. I hope I have added you all to my list of who I follow as well.

I figured since it was my 50th post I'd make it a big one! So let's get going! Sorry, there aren't any recipes in this particular post.

Last week I had some Tofurkey deli slices left and had myself a sandwich. Not a huge, wonderful sandwich, just a plain sandwich. It was good, not spectacular, but good. However, I wanted to jazz up the Vegenaise so I made a Spicy cilantro garlic spread. I mixed together crushed garlic, cilantro, Tabasco and Vegenaise. I'm not going to lie, it was just okay. It kinda had a funny taste to it, but the sandwich was still good.

Spicy Cilantro Garlic spread:

On the bread:

Just the deli slices, lettuce and the cilantro spread. I think what made my lunch better was the Three Bean Salad I had with it. The recipe is posted HERE in a previous post.

MmMmMm... Bean salad:

Tofurkey Sandwich:

A friend that I work with decided to move to Oakland, CA. This made me sad. What's even worse is none of the managers at my job gave him anything! No going away cake, no card, no we'll miss you... NOTHING! Shows how much they care about us. No one did anything for him and I thought that was kind of sad. Since I knew this was going to happen I planned to make him a whole cake just for him and his girlfriend Tonya to share. I'll miss you Allen!

Coconut Lemon Bundt cake from Veganomicon.

He had tried a slice of this cake when I took it to one of my good friend Joey's shindigs. He loved everything about the cake and asked me many times to make it for him. I kept up the whole, "I will... soon" for a good 6 months. I couldn't let him leave without making it for him. I told him I would and I refused to let him leave and remember me as the liar that never made his damn cake.

Topped off with powdered sugar:

He was so happy. I told him since no one did anything for him he shouldn't feel the need to share (bitchy of me?) but he shared anyway. Now the whole store wants me to bring in cake on a regular basis.

Breakfast Grits, Day 1:

I haven't had grits since I lived at home. I don't know why I waited so long to make this! My mom use to make grits for breakfast all the time! My mom is in town right now and I got to hang out with her a few days ago. Since then I have been thinking about her a lot and I remembered how she cooked grits and eggs for the whole family (me and my 9 brothers and sisters) on a regular basis. Since I don't eat eggs now I made tofu to go with it (I'm out of green onions unfortunately, but it still came out good).

Grits, Day 2:

I kicked it up a few DOZEN notches this morning when I had this. I topped my grits off with a super delicious teriyaki tofu/seitan scramble. I could honestly eat this every day! It was super simple. all you need is:

-1/2 tub tofu
-teriyaki sauce
-seitan (I made the Simple Seitan from Vegamonicon)
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-Vegan magarine
-nutritional yeast
-bit of salt/pepper

I don't have exact measurements, I threw in about 1 tbsp of each. (except onion and salt) It came out really good. I highly recommend it.

Veggie/Seitan Stir Fry:

In September my roommate and one of my best friends is moving to CA. This does not make me happy, but I am happy that he is finally graduating and getting out of Vegas once and for all. So, when he moves I will be moving in with the other best friend Joelle and her boyfriend. I went over to hang out the other day and brought some of the homemade seitan for her. (She's vegetarian) Her very un-vegetarian boyfriend took the seitan and whipped up an amazing vegan friendly veggie stir fry for us! It... was... so... DELICIOUS!!! He made sure to clear all ingredients with me before making it. (which was only 3 ingredients besides the veggies! Genius!)

Supa dupa tasty:

And last but not least...

Bumble Bar:

My wonderful friend Magda came to pick me up for the gym last week and brought me a little gift. I use to eat these like crazy and I hadn't had one in over a year. It's like they were somehow erased from my thoughts. I love these. Especially when I am running out the door and don't have time to make food for myself (which happens WAY too often).

And there we have it. My 50th post. I hope it wasn't too lame or boring for you. I also apologize for no real recipes in this post. I will make it up to you, I swear.

-Lee

Sushi, Martinis and Afros.

2009-06-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Father's Day weekend was fun. I don't talk to my father but my roommate's father and his wife came down from Portland for a few days. Last time they came for a visit we all went to a very good Japanese place across the street from my job called Momo Sushi. We went again this time. The last time they visited I wasn't vegan, so now I get the vegetarian rolls, which honestly taste just as good as their rolls tasted to me when I ate fish.

Here in Vegas we have a new outdoor shopping center called Town Square. The movie theater there is Rave Motion Pictures. There is also a martini bar there called The Blue Martini. If you go to the movies you can take your ticket stub over to Blue Martini and redeem it for 1 free martini. SWEET, RIGHT?!?! So, I got the Pomegranate martini. It was so tasty.

And I couldn't close this blog without posting my afro. I don't often put pictures of myself up on this blog, but I couldn't pass this one up.

No school= time to cook.

2009-06-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

This school quarter is coming to an end. I have 1 more day of classes to take and then I don't have classes for 3 weeks. Oh, I am so excited! 3 weeks!!! No homework, I can work on revision of a short screenplay that I'll be producing later this year, I can watch movies and cook and relax. This past week has been pretty calm. I've been able to cook a few things:
Tortillas filled with tofu, kale, tomato and fresh garlic:

These were pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I honestly haven't had kale in months and when I first went vegan I lived off it! 

Closer shot:

Strawberry BBQ Tempeh: 

This is a recipe I'm working on. A strawberry bbq sauce. This was really good, but I'm not yet ready to reveal the recipe. I have time off of school so I'll be working on this. When I'm done I will surely post it!

Three Bean Salad:

-1 15 oz can White Beans

-1 15 oz can Kidney Beans

-1 15 oz can Pinto Beans

-1 rib of celery, minced

-2 tbsp onion, minced

-1-2 bulb fresh garlic, minced

-1/2 cup minced cilantro

-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

-1 tbsp agave nectar (any liquid sweetener should do, though.)

-1/2 tsp thyme

Drain and rinse your beans and place them into a bowl that has a lid. Mince all of your other ingredients that need to be and place them in the bowl. Add your vinegar, sweetener and thyme and mix well. make sure your ingredients are evenly spread out across all of the beans. Refrigerate overnight and allow flavors to blend.

And last, but most definitely not least, my favorite brand of store bought hummus. Sabra brand Red Pepper Hummus. I was use to buying this for 5 dollars a container. 5 DOLLARS!!! That's a lot when you buy it fairly often. BUT!!! I received a tip that another store has it for HALF of that price. They did, so now I don't feel as financially guilty when I buy this.

MmMmMm... look at that swirl of goodness... *sigh*

Neener's Irresistible Polenta Fries

2009-06-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

This was my first attempt making polenta fries. I have heard nothing but good things about them and I absolutely love polenta so I figured I'd wing it and see how they come out.

NOT EVEN KIDDING... THESE WERE LEGENDARY!!!

I doubt I could top the flavor of these. I feel so bad that I didn't get the chance to share with anyone. I'm home alone! These were so amazing that no sauce was needed... at all! I was smart enough to write down the recipe as I went along. It was fairly simple. If any of you have good polenta fry recipes I would love to try many different ways of making this. I have found my new favorite side. (even more than my KALETATOES!

-1 tube of ready made polenta (I got mine @ Fresh and Easy)
-1/2 cup flour
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-1/3 tsp dry mustard
-1 tsp sea salt
-1/2 cup + 1-2 tbsp water
-1 crushed/grated/minced clove of garlic
-1 tsp hot pepper sesame oil (optional)
-oil for frying (I used olive oil)

Cut your polenta into thick sticks and set them in the fridge until you are ready for them. Combine the dry ingredient and mix well. Then add the water, garlic and sesame oil (or any spicy oil that you have... or don't add any) and mix well so that there are no lumps.The consistency of the batter should be a little thinner than pancake batter. I used my electric mixer, so if you have one use it.

Heat a small skillet. I used cast iron because it heats evenly. Add your oil to the pan. I only used a small amount of olive oil. Remove your polenta sticks from the fridge and dip them into the batter. Make sure you there isnt too much batter on the outside of your polenta sticks when they go into the oil. I lightly scraped the batter off so that there was a perfect layer on the outside. It may be tricky and messy though. Fry them until they reach the golden brown color that causes you to salivate.

Yes, Chipotle's Vegetarian Burritos are VEGAN...

2009-06-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

My last few posts were a mile long each. This is going to be a short post.

Chipotle Vegetarian Burrito... MmMmMmMm...

If you get them without the obvious non-vegan items (cheese and sour cream) they are vegan friendly as well as DELICOUS!!! I am so addicted to these. If I can't decide what I want, these burritos are always what I turn to. I know they are high in calories, but I don't count calories so I'm ok. I ate half for lunch today and had half for dinner, that's how big they are. And they are under 6 dollars. I'm sold!

Oh, how I love you Veggie Burrito from Chipotle..

Ain't Nothin' but a "Veggie Thing"...

2009-05-28T01:09:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you have your camera on you all the time. You never know what you're going to want to photograph! Imagine you are at an awesome vegan friendly restaurant. You order your meal and when it comes to your table you can't believe how wonderful it is. You snap a picture of it's gloriousness for your blog or to show your friends or maybe even post it on the PPK forums. Not only is it extremely tasty looking, but tastes as good as it looks. Wouldn't you like to inform other vegans about this wonderful dish? Well, I have found the way to make that happen. VEGGIE THING, powered by CitySearch.com, has given us a way to flaunt those wonderful vegalicious noms we've been finding while out and about.

Like I said... It's not always easy to find vegan food while dining out in Las Vegas, but this is my small part I am taking in order to help the ones on the search find good food here. No vegan should have to settle for just having a salad (that may be without dressing depending on what a restaurant serves!) when they can have a great meal!

If you are a traveling vegan, check out this website! If you're a vegan who eats out a lot, check out this website. If you ARE NOT a vegan and love vegetables, check out this website. It's for veggie lovers everywhere. The more people there are submitting from different areas of the country, the better chance we all have at finding amazing vegan eats everywhere.

VeggieThing.com

A few things I've eaten recently.

2009-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gents, I have an announcement! Las Vegas has a VEGAN DONUT SHOP!!! Of all the things to have a donut shop? I don't want to sound like a complainer but it just seems odd to me. However, I hadn't had a donut in YEARS, so I decided to give it a try. Magda came over and we headed to Ronald's Donuts. It's really cool. There are 3 rows of donuts in the case and the top 2 rows are 100% vegan. I played Eenie Meenie and picked a dozen because I have plenty of people to share with. I'm not going to lie, I ate like 4 of them.

Here we have homemade trail mix. I had a bunch of different bags of snacks in the cupboard so I tossed them together. Old fashion rolled oats, raisins, peanuts, shaved coconut, chopped pistachios (very small amount. I only see a piece of one in this picture) and ground flax seed. One day last week I ended up pouring some soy milk over it because I was out of cereal. Worked out very well.

Strawberry sorbet. It has been gettin much hotter out lately and I usually try to have as many cold, healthy treats as possible.

Another falafel trip. Paymon's is where it's at! Here we have the hummus:

The warm, fluffy, delicious pita bread that comes with it:

And, YES, another falafel. Yes it is an addiction. No, i will not give it up!

I had made a gigantic pot of red beans about a month ago and froze a good portion of it. i forgot it was in the freezer! So, since I have been a little on the broke side lately I pulled it out and defrosted it. 'll be able to have this for dinner for a few days. No complaints either because they are SO GOOD! It is always best to use dry beans and cook them yourself. They always come out better.

And because I am my mother's child... I sometimes add ketchup to my red beans. Sounds strange? Try it. She has done this for as long as I can remember.

A salad for lunch. From the bottom up: Shredded (longwise) zucchini, Super Firm tofu, Organic Flax Tempeh, sesame seeds. The dressing I used was a mixture of Rice Vinegar, Agave Nectar, salt and coriander.

Lunch at Himalayan Cuisine

2009-05-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I got a group of girlfriends together and we all went for lunch. For those of you who know me, you know I have kind of a hard time finding places to eat in Las Vegas. I always found it to be very UN-VEGAN. For the most part I am correct. However, I have been able to find a few places lately. Of course none of them are near where I live... but oh well.

Today my good friends Joelle, Magdalena, Charlotte and Marie came with me to Himalayan Cuisine. Lunch was absolutely fantastic. I researched the place before going, of course and found that they have quite a bit of vegan options. I was the only vegan in our group, but Joelle is vegetarian and eats vegan a good portion of the time. All of us were completely in love with the food.

The food I ordered:

White Strawberry Iced Tea

Chana Masala (So AMAZING!)

Wonderful basmati rice.

Together... in harmony.

The Alu Kaoli Masala

Freshly made Naan. I don't think words can describe
how light and tasty this naan was. I was so hooked!

and finally... Kakro Salad (wasn't mine, but was vegan!)

I would definitely recommend this place. My mother is visiting soon, I will have to set aside a day for us to have dinner here.

Himalayan Cuisine
730 E. Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV
Himalayan Cuisine Website

Tomato/Basil Tofu. Amazing snack.

2009-05-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

1/2 block tofu
2-3 nicely sized, fresh basil leaves
1/2 - 1 full Roma tomato (depends on how much tomato you want.)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Crumble the tofu, then chop up your fresh basil. Add the rest to the bowl and let mixture sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes so the flavors blend. Serve on whatever you like!

Finally tried out a new restaurant.

2009-05-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

New to me at least. I had heard about this place from a few vegan/vegetarian people that I have come across here in Vegas. Long Life Vegetarian is the name. Joelle and I went there for lunch today. We didn't realize it until we got there but it is a mostly vegetarian Chinese restaurant with a lot of vegan options. I was so excited. They aren't technically a fully vegetarian restaurant though because they do serve fish. That was a bummer, but they had plenty of options for us.

My order: Mango Tofu

Crispy fried tofu smothered in a tangy but sweet mango sauce served with a side of white rice. This was good. And they give you a pretty good sized plate! Half of it went home with me. I thought the taste was awesome. But then I tried...

Joelle's Order: Tofu and Eggplant in a garlic sauce

I nearly lost my shiznit when I tasted this one. It was absolutely incredible. I would love to have this one the next time we go. I will definitely go back here.

Smoothie?! Shake?! Confused!! More Pizza Too?!?!

2009-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

"Smoothies are generally made of fruit or vegetables; shakes are usually made of ice cream."

This is just one of the answers that I've gotten trying to find the difference between the 2. It is also the one that was straight to the point without babbling on and on. HOWEVER... What do you call soy ice cream + fruit + soymilk? It is ice cream based so it's a shake, right? BUT WAIT! It contains mostly berries! So, it's a smoothie, right? A smake? A shoothie? Yea... I could go around and around. All I know is, Landry likes to make them and I like to eat them. Like I said, he WILL be making these all summer. First up:

Soy ice cream, strawberries, soymilk and Strawberry Milkshake Oreos. I'm pretty sure this one counts as a shake. So, shake it is!

It was tasty. Can't have too many of these though. I'd like to get rid of a few more lbs before summer and these are not the way to achieve that! However, they are very tasty.

Next up:

Apple, blueberry, strawberry, soy ice cream and soymilk. This one tasted more fruity, so I say smoothie.

What can I say? Even he can't get enough of his own creations. Haha, he's even got a little on his shirt!

Now, on to my pizza. And YES, I know that I have been posting it a lot lately but darnit, I like it. This time I didn't make it. I found somewhere to make a vegan pizza for me! I went to hole Foods with Joelle and they have a pizzeria right inside. I asked them what their sauce and dough contained and it was all vegan. They also pulled a pack of Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella of the shelf for it.

Mushroomhalves, spinach, thick sliced tomatoes, roasted garlic and vegan mozzarella... It was very tasty.

Up close and personal: (shook a little extra seasoning on it.)

Seeing as I will not be using my oven or stovetop this summer, I will probably pick up a pizza once a month so I can treat myself.

Never have a plain Boca Burger without dressing it up!

2009-05-01T14:29:00.001-07:00

Plain? I don't like that word.

My roommate is making a change to eat less meaty and dairy filled foods. During a trip to Costco he decided on a VERY LARGE box of Boca Burgers. Boca is completely fine, good for protein and easy to prepare. BUT... I don't dare eat a plain Boca without making it 100% Nom-a-licious.

SO! For lunch the other day I decided to have a Boca:

I pan cooked my Boca. I also added 2 slices of seasoned Tempeh that was pan fried in a little olive oil and salt. And yes, I shook a little Athen's seasoning on. It just felt necessary. I assembled it up nice on a potato bun w/ Vegenaise, sliced tomato and romaine lettuce.

By adding more to your burger, you increase your nutritional intake and it also helps hold you over longer. I wasn't hungry for a good while after having this. Plus, tempeh is one of the most amazing foods. If you haven't introduced yourself to it, it is time that you do.

Finally, a girls day!

2009-04-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am one of those gals who has mainly all male friends. It's not that I chose for it to be that way. I just stay close to who I connect with and I guess I don't connect well with too many women. I have very few female friends and the few that I do have I don't see too often. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys and I wouldn't trade them for anything but sometimes you just need a day with the girls. Yesterday was that day for me and it was great!

I didn't have to work until 6 p.m. and I didn't know what to do with my day. I hadn't seen my friend Magda in a while so I contacted her to see if she wanted to hang out. Luckily she was off yesterday and we had a day of shopping around, lunch & laughter.

LUNCH!!! I am an absolute sucker for Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe Falafel. It is quite possibly my favorite thing to eat. Magda had never been there and I felt it was necessary for her to try it out. We both ordered the falafel, only I made mine a Falamus. (Falamus = Falafel w/ hummus poured all over it. SO AMAZING!) Here are some pictures of lunch.

My Falamus. Look at that lovely hummus:

After the first 3 BIG bites:

Let me also say that you CAN NOT go to Paymon's and NOT get the Athen's Fries. They truly are a thing of beauty. The best fries I have ever had. Period.

Close up of the Heaven in potato form:

The last time I went to Paymon's I purchased a container of Athen's Fries Seasoning. One of the best purchases I've ever made!

What a great day.

Ok, so I kinda have this... Pizza addiction.

2009-04-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

I can't stop. I swear it's a problem.

Before the oven: Sauce, mushroom, crumbled tofu w/ crushed
garlic, topped w/ Follow Your Heart Mozzarella soy cheese

I rubbed olive oil on the crust of the pizza and added Athen's
seasoning from Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe. SO GOOD!!

The crust puffed up nice and thick. The seasonings made the crust
absolutely perfect! I won't make a crust without it now!!!

Cut up and being devoured.

AND AS A BONUS!! A tasty Chocolate pb shake.

The heat is already here?!

2009-04-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Summer is my least favorite season. Mainly because I live in Las Vegas and it gets INCREDIBLY HOT. I am SO not read for 100-120 degree weather. Spring is here and the heat is beginning. It was about 95 degrees here today. I was off work and school so I didn't leave the house. With the heat coming I am preparing myself for a long summer of never turning on the oven or stove top. This means NO BAKING! It will be hard. Yes, it will be hard.

Last summer I was a new vegan and was learning to cook all new things so I used my stove plenty and suffered in the heat of my apartment. My air conditioner never could counter the heat coming from the stove. The roommate hated it. This year I am not going to go through all of the fuss. Right now the nights are pretty cool so I will be doing cooking during the hours when it is cool outside and storing most of what I make in the freezer for easy microwaving later on.

In addition to having frozen meals waiting to just be popped into the microwave I will be adapting more of a raw diet for the summer. Not completely raw but a lot of what I eat will be. Most of my summer consumption will consist of:

-Cold teas (3 tea bags in 2 Qt water and let sit for a few hours makes the best cold tea!)

-Smoothies

-Tons of raw fruits & vegetables

-Tofu salads, bean salads, pasta salads, corn salads, fruit salads

-LOTS of veggie sushi (the roommate's rice cooker doesn't generate a whole lot of heat.)

-Granolas and Mueslis

-Salads and homemade salad dressings

-Raw soups

-Homemade trail mixes
-Loads of Hummus
- & More!!!

My roommate/bestie is the King of Smoothies. He can't cook but he sure can make a mean smoothie. He made me one recently! It was so good:

He made me a pineapple/Mango smoothie. I don't think he realized that I am going to be getting him to make me smoothies all summer long.

Lemon-Blueberry Mini Pies

2009-04-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

-1 and 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 lemon
-2 cups all purpose flour
-3/4 cup vegan margarine
-dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350°

Take your lemon and cut off all of the peel leaving nothing but the insides and remove the seeds. In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the blueberries, the sugar and the lemon. Combine until blueberries and lemon have broken down and a sugary sauce has formed. Empty contents into a small sauce pot and add the other 1 cup of whole blueberries. Cook until the sugar is condensed and the sauce slightly thickens. Don't let it thicken too much. 7-10 minutes on medium heat should do it. Turn the fire off and let the sauce sit until you're ready to use it.

While that cooks down prepare your crust. Combine flour, margarine and salt and mix well. I used an electric hand mixture on the lowest setting and mixed until all of the flour and margarine has combined forming tiny dough balls (HAHAHA!!!) I used 3 mini non-stick cake pans. Layer each mini pan with a not too thick layer of crust along the bottom and about halfway up the sides forming a bowl. Pour your sauce in your pan and top it with crumbles of the crust. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each pie.

Bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

It's so ugly... yet so tasty.

2009-04-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

So, I can cook the H-E- double hockey sticks out of a dinner. I am also good at baking cookies and cakes. BUT!!! I cannot decorate a cake to save my poor little vegan life! LOOK AT IT:

It's so ugly! I really tried too! I just have to accept the fact that decorating isn't my thing. On the other hand, it tasted great! Chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting (no actual butter), chocolate coconut ganache, strawberries... MmMmMmMm... If I was menstrual right now I'd be in HEAVEN! Then again, I might have broken down in tears because of the ugliness.

HAHA! My poor kitchen:

Slap Yo Mama Goodness.

2009-03-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

When I was grocery shopping the other night I had a crazy craving for pizza. I don't eat pizza too often. Lately I have been wanting it like crazy (That's what she said... Damnit Andrew) I didn't make the crust myself, I bought a vegan safe one.

From the Bottom up:
-Pizza sauce
-Mushroom sauce (1 mushroom bullion cube + 1 cup soymilk cooked/whisked until condensed.)
-Tofu Crumbles (tofu crumbled n cooked until all water evaporated, add 1tbsp margarine, 1 tbsp ground flax seeds and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast dash garlic powder.)
-Mushrooms tossed in Olive Oil
-Green Onions

Pre-cooked Pizza

Pre-cooked up close

Out of the oven

Out of the oven up close

SLICES!!!

It tasted too good. I will probably make another one really soon. I had this for dinner last night, lunch today and then some more! But tonight's dinner made me even happier:

BBQ Seitan on a Bagel

Yea, all I had was bagels or English muffins. I told myself I will not buy any more breads until I finish the ones that I have. I also wasn't very big on Seitan. I am now happy with it. I made the Simple Seitan from Veganomicon and let the seitan refrigerate in the broth for 2 days before I used it. It is sooooooo tasty! I sliced it up into small pieces and dry cooked them in a pan to get all the liquid out of them. Then I tossed in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 cup chopped onion and let the seitan get crispy and the onions cook. When they were nicely browned and crispy I threw in 1 tbsp tomato paste (for kick), 1 tbsp water (to loosen up the tomato paste) and 1 tbsp of my favorite bbq sauce. Stirred and added 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

My meat eater roommate tried it and said it was very good. I agree!!! Next time I'll have it on something easier to chew than a bagel, lol. Tasted good on it though!

Panko Fried Black Bean Patty Wrap

2009-03-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I loved this. I took my recipe for Black Bean Burgers and instead of BBQ sauce I added 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard and 1 cup minced/grilled onions. I then formed them into smaller patties and fried them.

Dijon Fry Batter:

-1/2 cup flour
-1/3 cup warm water
-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp crushed thyme
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Be sure to season your black bean mixture to fit your taste. Dip small patties into this batter, roll them in panko or another type of breadcrumbs. Fry them up and do whatever you like with them!

Pizza, Rice Florentine and Mushroom Gravy

2009-03-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things I've eaten in the past few days:

Flatbread Pizza w/ mushrooms, garlic tomato sauce and cashew cheez

Rice Florentine on a bed of fresh spinach

I'm a serious spinach freak. Gotta have my leafy greens! I'm not extremely big on fake meats but I am huge on good fresh veggies.

What happens when I can't help but eat while taking pictures:

Quick & Easy Mushroom gravy over rice

This is going to be one of my favorite sides to make from now on.

-1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil, I'm sure vegetable or canola will work great too)
-1.5 tbsp all purpose flour
-1 mushroom bullion cube
-1 cup plain unsweetened soymilk
-dash of salt
-1/2 cup mushroom slices

Heat oil in a small pan. Add flour 1/2 tbsp at a time while mixing and creating a roux. Mix roux for about 4 minutes, then add soymilk, mixing or whisking constantly. Crush mushroom bullion cube with your fingers as you add it to the mixture along with your mushrooms. Lower heat while sauce thickens and your mushrooms soften. Add salt if you need it. Serve over rice.

Once again, I couldn't help myself. I had to eat some! I couldn't wait!

A Few things I've eaten in the past couple weeks:

2009-02-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

On Valentines day Joelle came over and I made breakfast for us. I was complaining about how I wanted to go out for breakfast but I don't really have that option now do I? Most Las Vegas restaurants aren't vegan friendly. SO, I made Pancakes from Vegan Yum Yum (I added in a tbsp of wheat germ to the batter.) , my own breakfast tofu and Tempeh Bacon from one of my favorite cookbooks: Vegan with a Vengeance.

Then for lunch on Valentines day we made fried tofu/avocado/cucumber sushi! It wasn't the prettiest that I've made, cearly but they tasted so goooooood.

I love rice, I love sushi, I love nori. These were very plain but i liked them. Dipped them in a little soy sauce and I had a nice little snack. Notice my flower cucumbers.

This is what I had for breakfast today. Was SO good. Everything bagel with tomato slices, fresh garlic spinach I cooked for a very short time and red pepper hummus as the spread. My roommate is going to kill me hen he see's I've been eating his hummus after I complained that he wasn't buying the best brand.

Speaking of "The best brand", My favorite Tofu to buy is now:

If you haven't tried it, you should. I usually use this for when i need an EXTREMELY FIRM tofu. This is the most firm tofu that I can find. Tastes very good too. I don't usually like tofu straight but this one I could have right out of the package. I'm sure some of you won't agree with me but OH MAN!

BBQ Black Bean Burgers

2009-02-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

CAUTION:
Not the best pictures because I was HUNGRY! But, they're very good eats.

These were quite good! I la-la-la-looooove black beans. I always have black beans on hand. Probably one of my favorite foods of all time. They're so versatile! I have toyed around with making black bean burgers for some time and I think I have it down! You don't even really need condiments with this recipe. Maybe a little Vegenaise on the bun. Of course tomato and lettuce goes perfectly. A food processor comes in VERY handy for this recipe. I've tried it without and it just didn't come out right.

You'll Need:
1 regular sized can of black beans
2 slices of bread (potato bread works great with this)
3 stalks chopped green onion
3 cloves minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 - 1.5 tbsp of your favorite BBQ sauce

First drain and rinse your black beand and put them into the food processor. you want to chop your beans but not too much. Leave some beans whole and be sure not to over chop. Put your beans into a large bowl. Then take your 2 slices of bread and tear them into pieces and blend them into crumbs. Add the bread to the bowl. Now hand chop your onions and toss them into the bowl. mix the contents loosly, don't squish the beans. You want the mixture to look crumbly. Get your hands in there and mix well. Now add your garlic, salt and bbq sauce and mix again, making sure not to squish the mixture. The bbq sauce with make the patties stick together. Fry them up with a little olive oil and you're good to go.

I have never made these baked so I am not sure how they'd come out baked. Probably just as amazing! I am sure there are other bean burger recipes out there that involve a lot more time and effort, but these are quick, simple and very tasty.

Vegan Meatballs inspired by Antoinette

2009-01-31T23:23:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing morning. I woke up, Joelle came over to hang out and we went to Whole Foods. I honestly wish my side of town had a cheaper vegan friendly grocery store, but for now when I HAVE to get something there I will. Today I was going because I was out of Nutritional Yeast and Vegenaise. When we approached the front door I see a sign that said a vegan chef was going to be there from 11 am-2 pm in the store and she would be cooking for customers.

I WAS SO EXCITED! But, I didn't have my camera with me. That I hated myself for. I had no idea she was going to be there though so I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Her name is Antoinette Stanton and she owns a vegan catering business here in Las Vegas. Aside from Vegan and Vegetarian cooking she also conducts Vegan/Vegetarian food preperation for Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma (as well as many other places) , workshops, demonstrations and lectures about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. I have to say, this lady was THE BEST! Great personality, funny, and very real.

Today she was making Super Bowl food. Now, I'm not a sport lover so I couldn't care less about the Super Bowl (no offense to sports lovers) BUT, if what she served today was at a Super Bowl party I'd totally be there. She made meatballs with ground beef style Gimme Lean. I'm not a big mock meat person but I watched her make these and ate some. They were incredible. I didn't get a recipe from her, but she did tell me what she used and it was extremely simple. She also made a blackberry sauce to smother them in.

I really wanted to try to make some of these on my own to see how they would come out. They didn't come out as good as hers but I swear It was the best dinner I've had all month. I made them based on what I had available. Antoinette had me beat, I must admit.

-1 Pkg Ground Beef Style Gimme Lean (14 oz, I believe)
-1 cup breadcrumbs
-1 cup minced cilantro
-1 stalk minced green onion
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 roma tomato (or equivalent of) minced as small as you can get it
-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
-2-3 tbsp water
-olive oil for frying

Empty package of gimme lean into a large bowl and add ingredients except the water. Mix together well. It's best if you just use your hands, the mixture will be thick. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the right consistency you want to work with. make sure the mixture is firm enough to hold it's shape but soft enough so it cooks properly.

Heat your pan, add a small amount of olive oil, roll your balls and throw them in to cook. Smaller sized meatballs cook better and have a nicer texture on the inside.

Thank you Antoinette. It was so very nice to have met you and talk to you. It was also nice to finally have met another vegan that is African American!

YAY! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!

A Morning at Red Rock.

2009-01-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

I always wanted to see the Red Rock Canyon. It's about a 30 minute drive from my house. I have been living here 3 and 1/2 years and I finally went today! Landry (the bestest) and I went early this morning. We climbed the rocks and hiked and took tons of pictures. It really was amazing. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

It really was a fun morning. And when I got home I made myself breakfast! Very quick and easy breakfast wrap that contained:

-Few strips of pattered and fried garlic tofu
-2 hash brown patties
-avocado slices
-salt and pepper to taste

This was probably the best day I've had since my vacation to CA. I am told we're going again in like a month or so. I'll be ready!!!

It's been a while...

2009-01-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

It is been way too long since I last blogged. For that, I apologize. At this moment I do not have any recipes for you but I do have pictures of a few things I've been eating lately.

For new years this year I spent it in California with my good friend, and fellow vegan, Andrew. Many many good times. While I was there he took me to a Japanese joint that was absolutely awesome called Kabuki. It really was adorable. When you look at the menu there is a tiny broccoli florette next to all the vegetarian options. I didn't take any pictures during my trip which makes me a bad person. BUT! I do have to thank Andrew because I hadn't had great sushi like that since becoming Vegan. Ever since I have been on a make sushi/go have it for lunch kick. If I could afford it I would go out for sushi every day! Since I am not able to do so, I make my own at home.

Teriyaki Tofu Rolls

I made these while watching a good ol' Cowboy Bebop Marathon. Pretty good rolling skills, right? All I had was nori, sesame seeds, rice and tofu I marinated in teriyaki sauce, water, green onions and pepper.

I ate the first roll and one just didn't seem enough. SO! I made another. They came out much uglier, but even tastier because I threw the green onions from the teriyaki marinade on the roll.

Tofu/Polenta Stacks

Yea... these were pretty much amazing. I cooked up a few slices of Wild Wood Tofu (super firm... Best tofu I have ever had in my entire life...) with some teriyaki sauce and a very small amount of margarine. For the polenta and tomatoes I used a small amount of margarine, nutritional yeast, salt and soymilk. this was extremely tasty. I was very happy I put this one together. I didn't really put a recipe together for this one but you can pretty much just throw it together fairly easily.

Hopefully I will be able to stay on top of my blogging. But!!! This is my last year of college so I will be working a lot on projects and doing a lot of filming. I will do my best.

A Bundt Cake and a Few "Cheesy" Things...

2008-12-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake from VEGANOMICON
(I made a lemon icing for the cake... it was so amazing)

If there was only 1 way to bond with Joelle, cooking would be it. Luckily we have more than that BUT we do like to cook together. The nonstop laughter, the threatening that comes from one of us when the other wont stop eating the damn cookie dough, the "let's just drink the coconut mixture, we don't need to add flour, we don't need to make the cake!" You name it, it's amazing.

I really wanted to make this cake so naturally I asked her to come make it with me. But I was going to make this with a loaf pan. (I had wanted a bundt pan, just hadn't gotten one yet.) So, she bought me a bundt pan and we were able to make this cake the way it is suppose to be made. not only the best tasting cake ever, but in a presentation that shows of it's wonderful...ness.

Thanks Joey.

"Cheesy" Fettuccine w/ Kale

I liked this. It wasn't overpowering in flavor and it had KALE! (We all know how I loves my kale!)

1 package fettuccine
1 recipe Queso (without extra spices) from VeganExplosion
Chopped kale (about 2 handfuls worth)

Cook your fettuccine. While you wait for your noodles, cook your chopped kale in a pan with a few tbsp of water or vegetable broth. I usually use a tbsp of olive oil and let it coat the kale then I add 1 tbsp of water or broth. When kale is soft, turn off heat

Finally, make your "cheese" sauce. (queso)

Add all of your goodness together and there you have it. This recipe can be very versatile so feel free to add all kinds of whatnots to make it just how you like it.

OR...

...instead of fettuccine you can cook 1 and 1/2 lbs of potatoes and have:

"CHEESY" KALETATOES!!!!!

Scrambled Tofu

2008-11-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

Front: Scrambled Tofu, Behind: Salsa Variation

When I first became an herbivore I decided to try tofu. My mom ate it all the time when I was growing up but I never liked it. She also use to eat it by the scoop right out of the container and that really grossed me out as a kid. At first when I started cooking it I didn't like it but I later realized that I wasn't making it properly and that is why it was so tasteless. I have learned to love tofu like most vegan and vegetarians. GO TOFU!!!!!

Simple Scrambled Tofu

1 container extra firm tofu (crumbled)
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 tbsp olive oil
few cloves of garlic OR garlic powder
3 stalks green onion chopped
OPTIONAL: few scoops of your favorite salsa

Heat a medium sized skillet to med heat. If using fresh garlic you ant to use 1tbsp olive oil and cook your garlic first. If not add your tofu directly to an non oiled pan. Cook the tofu on medium to medium high heat and stir once every 30 seconds or so. The thing is you want your tofu to be drained of most of its wetness. Once the tofu is dry lower heat. add 1tbsp olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add nutritional yeast, salt, and the chopped green onion. Mix until all is blended. If adding optional salsa add last and mix well.

This tasted really good with my German Sunflower seed bread. If you want to add margarine instead of the olive oil feel free.

Sushi Part Deux

2008-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

Fried Tofu and and Semi-Spicy Tempeh roll

I am fully aware that I have blogged about sushi making before. I love it. When I ate fish I couldn't get enough of it. Now that I am vegan I am finding out new ways to make it. I know this sounds strange to hear a vegan say but I don't have many vegetables in the house right now (waiting for pay day) so I decided to fry strips of tofu in a batter and panko crumbs to use inside the sushi. I also added Tempeh that I crumbled, cooked and spiced up! Then... I did something horrible. I rolled the entire sushi roll in batter and panky and friend that too. Honestly, I need to kick this frying thing I go through once a week.

I must say... these were the best rolls I have made yet. I don't think me explaining rolling sushi to you would be helpful. It's best to watch someone do it. So, like my first sushi post I am going to send you on over to the PPK EPISODE (episode 1) that helped me make these. They made different rolls than I did but experimenting is the most fun part!

Semi-Spicy Tempeh Roll

TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS IN VEGAS:

Sushi night at my house will be happening soon. Be prepared. It will be amazing. Lets get this planned!!!

Veganomicon: Chickpea Cutlets

2008-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yum!!!

'Nuff Said.

Curse of "I don't remember how I made this!!!"

2008-10-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

I'm sure it's happened to everyone. You make something amazing and can't remember exactly how you made it. I have a few examples of this very tragedy. First up:

Broccoli Potato Soup

I've been sick this week and I just wanted something to warm me up and make me feel better. What better way to do that than have soup! Well, this soup came out amazing. Sucky part is I don't remember half of what I used to make it. I remember potatoes, broccoli, water... yea that's it. I wish I could remember because I would sure love to have that again.

Colcannon

This is another one that is amazing that I have NO IDEA how I made it. I remember purple cabbage and kale mixed with potatoes, but I didn't write down what I used like most times. I am upset about this one too because it came out so GREAT!!! It was my first time making colcannon and I rocked it.

What a tragedy these 2 were! Luckily I only really have those 2. I also apologize for not posting as much during VeganMoFo. I stay pretty busy and it's hard to stay on top of the things I do that bring me great joy, for I am too busy working on the things that make me tired (school, work... blah) Hopefully I will be able to shell out a few greats before the month is up. Thanks for following guys!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to find just the right Chocolate chip cookie recipe. I tried a few recipes from cookbooks that I bought and I honestly have to say... they were POO compared to this one! I should have known that I should have just turned to the one and only Isa Moskowitz for the perfect cookie recipes. I mean COME ON!!!

This recipe came from her amazing cookbook VEGAN WITH A VENGEANCE. They are great!

Chorizo breakfast potatoes

2008-10-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

These were so easy it was insane! I actually had never eaten soyrizo (soy chorizo) before. Even back when I was a meat eater I never had chorizo. I wasn't sure what to expect with soyrizo, but if Kim (The Vegan Mouse) liked to cook with it I was sure it would taste great. I opened the package and gave it a little taste and sure enough... it was amazing!

1 Large potato of choice. ( I used a red potato.)

2 cups of chopped kale
1 cup of cilantro leaves (no stems)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tsp water
dash of salt
dash of garlic powder
1 soy chorizo link

First boil your potatoes. While they are cooking chop up your kale and prepare your cilantro. (I took the stems off but if you don't like to that's fine, just chop them up well) In a pan, cook your kale with 1 tbsp olive oil and add a few tsp of water to soften them up. when the kale wilts add the cilantro and mix well. When potatoes are finishes mash them, but not fully. A few mashes should do fine. Chunky potatoes rock. add the kale mixture and mix together well.

In a small separate pan take a dash of olive oil and cut open your chorizo link and add it to the pan mix it around until its evenly heated and add it to your potatoes.Ad your salt and garlic powder for taste. (not too much, don't overpower the wonderful chorizo's flavors!) Mix well and there you have it!

I had some of these today and I was very grateful that I took the chance on chorizo.

VeganMoFo, 2008

2008-10-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

What is VeganMoFo?!?!

Click this here banner to find out!

Fried Tofu

2008-10-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

This was pretty easy. I cut strips of garlic tofu steak and dipped them into the leftover batter from the fried seitan I made. I also cut these up and put them on a salad.

Look to my post for Seitan for the battering recipe.

To add a little more flavor to this, sprinkle your favorite seasonings on your tofu before battering.

Fried Seitan Salad w/ Noochy Salad Dressing

2008-09-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I am NOT the creator of this Seitan recipe. I got it from an AWESOME blog called Vegan Yum Yum. You should all check it out! (recipe here) I did not make her exact salad, I will one day though because hers looks incredible. Lolo is the SHIT!

HI LOLO!!!

Honestly, her blog is beautiful, she has amazing pictures and she is kind of my inspiration when it comes to her blog. I plan on taking much better pictures of my dishes and hopefully creating as nice a blog as she has. Swing by and give her blog a look-see!!!

OH! And as for my Noochy Salad Dressing... I am still working out the recipe to make it just right. As soon as I do that, I will post... I SWEAR!

Avocado Spread on Focaccia

2008-09-29T02:51:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all of you that are following this blog and are let down that it's been probably a week and a half since I posted anything. Last week was finals week at school and I didn't do as much cooking. I'll make it up to you all.

Avocado Spread on Italian Focaccia

Joelle came over last weekend and we decided to make these. It is really quick and easy.

Avocado Spread:
1 ripe avocado
3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
bit of each: fresh minced garlic (or powder), salt, pepper
few dashes of rice vinegar
1 small tomato sliced thin, thick, whatever
your bread of choice

Mix all of the ingredients except the tomato together in a small bowl. Apply your spread to your bread and add those lovely tomatoes on top of the avocado-y goodness. If you are using the focaccia, you can spread a little vegan margarine on each half and place them face down in a skillet to crisp it up a little. That's how I did mine. Soft outside and crispy center. MmMmMmMmMmMm!!!

A Simple dinner for myself

2008-09-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

BBQ Tofu Steak, Green beans and Kaletatoes

I was going to post this last night after dinner but I posted a lot yesterday so I figured I'd wait a day. This is just a post to show you my quick bbq tofu and favorite new thing to eat... KALETATOES!!! Kaletatoes is my new word for kale mixed with mashed potatoes. It is really amazing. I think I am addicted to kale now. I've had 3 recipes on this blog involving kale. I can't help it, it's just the greatest! AND!!! It's good for you!

The money shot!

Kaletatoes:

-1 bunch of Kale chopped as fine as you can get it
-2 lbs of potatoes peeled, cut into cubes and cooked the way you like them, then mashed
-2 or 3 cloves minced garlic (how ever much garlic you want actually)
-1/4 cup vegetable broth
-1tbsp olive oil
-your favorite seasoning to make it taste the way YOU want it to
-some vegan margarine

Use a deep pot to cook your kale. It seems like it'd be a lot BUT it shrinks in the pot just like spinach or greens. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pot and cook the garlic stirring constantly on medium/low heat until they start to lightly brown. Then toss in your chopped kale and mix it all together with the vegetable broth. Let the kale cook, stirring occasionally. When the kale is soft and ready you can add it to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Add any seasonings you may want to personalize your kaletatoes. Also, you may want 1 tbsp of vegan margarine and a little bit more vegetable broth to get it mixing smoothly.

There you have it! your very own Kaletatoes!

NACHOS!!!!!!! girly squeal

2008-09-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like nachos?!?!? I freaking LOVE them!!! These are especially special. They contain my new favorite food... Queso from Vegan Explosion. Even my very not vegan roommate ate these happily. (Thanks Neener!) I think I ate WAY too much of this, but I couldn't help myself. They are so good.

What you'll need:
-1 can of vegetarian refried beans (lard-less por favor!)
-1 recipe of Queso
-chopped tomatoes
-guacamole (I store bought mine this time)
-2 tbsp vegan margarine
-small amount of chopped onion (optional if you don't like onion)
-plain tortilla rounds (don't get flavored and rob this recipe of its greatness!)
-litte bit of salt and pepper

FIRST: PREPARE YOUR QUESO!!! Make sure you follow directions carefully. After you remove the queso from the heat and are done with it, set it aside.

THEN: Place your beans into a medium sauce put and cook them in medium heat with 2 tbsp of vegan margarine. Stir occasionally, lower heat after mixed well and very soft.

NOW: Chop up your tomato and mix a small amount of onion and salt and pepper with it. Only a little salt IF ANY, there will be plenty of flavor coming from the Queso!

AND FINALLY, THE ASSEMBLY!

What I like to do is take each chip and layer each chip with beans, then tomato, then guacamole, then pour a little Queso over the top of each little mound. That way they are easier to eat and they also present better. No wasted goodness on the bottom of your plate!

Falafel

2008-09-14T17:41:00.001-07:00

So, I was at work and Zach was talking about an amazing falafel he had. Here's how the rest of that conversation that conversation went:

ME: (calling back to him as I'm leaving the music department) Hmm.. I've never had a falafel.
ZACH: GET BACK HERE!! What did you just say?!
ME: (walking back over to him) I've never had a falafel?
ZACH: (angry silence) You're a vegetarian and you've never eaten a falafel?!?!

I explained to him that it's not that I WOULDN'T eat a falafel, I've just never had one. Then, this followed:

ME: Hmm.. I'll have to try that.
ZACH: You better!!!!!!!

(Right: Falafal mixture + water)

So, seeing as that conversation was one of many I've had with him that stuck out in my mind, I decided to have myself a falafel! SO!!! I went to the Whole Foods by my house and while I was there I picked up some falafel mix. When I got home I was really eager to make it.

WHAT YOU NEED:
-Falafel mix
-water
-diced tomatoes
-chopped lettuce (I used red leaf lettuce)
-tahini mixture (this is optional and there should be a recipe for that on the box)
-your favorite kind of pita bread

The easiest part about store bought falafel mix is that all you have to do is add water! Any fool could do that! And since my mama didn't raise no fool... you get the point. I enjoy easy foods because I have little time to spend on cooking. I also was kinda iffy about having to fry them. I haven't had hardly any fried food in about 5 months so I was afraid it would hit my stomach wrong. BUT!, everything turned out ok!

I chopped up some tomatoes, lettuce and mixed together a Tahini sauce. I'm not big on tahini but it actually goes well with the falafel! I assembled them onto a whole wheat pita and BOOM! MY FIRST FALAFEL EVER!!!!!(eating and making one.) And, it tasted pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

I probably won't have these very often because they are fried. These will be more like a reward dinner or something.

The up close view:

QUESO?!?!?!?

2008-09-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

When I made my transition to veganism I knew it was going to be a challenge to give up cheese. Cheese is naturally addictive because of what is used to make it and I knew I was in for it. It took 2 months for me to actually see or smell it and not want to eat it. There are some people that NEVER get over that. I got lucky I guess, but there are still some times where I want something that is close to a cheesy flavor. I was going through online vegan cooking websites that I have saved as bookmarks and found something that I forgot about. VEGAN EXPLOSION.

I remembered seeing that they had a recipe for QUESO. From what the site claimed, it was extremely close to a cheesy flavor. I've had "cheesy" things before and let me tell you... some didn't taste too great. Well... this recipe really impressed me!

It is not my recipe and I don't want to try to pass it off as my own recipe. It came from HERE if you are interested in how it is made. I am also new to using Nutritional Yeast, and so far so good!

I was really happy with it. I have actually wanted something like this for my Tacos I love to make so much. This will make a nice addition to them!

I love you all!!!!!

2008-09-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

You guys are awesome. I'm saying this to the many people in my life that have been there for me and supported me through my transition to living a vegan lifestyle. I actually thought it would be a challenge but it really hasn't been. How could it be when you have:
-Friends coming over to make vegan meals with you
-Friends shopping for produce with you
-People bringing you vegan meals they've made
-People giving me ideas for good eats
-Being a part of 2 online forums of vegans who give advice/cooking tips/health tips

AND!!!!!

-Having non-vegan and vegan friends anxious to get a hold on some of my animal-free creations.

You're all amazing. Thank you for being there for me and keeping the vegan jokes to a minimum.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes... WHOO!!

2008-09-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Baking is so much fun. The weather has been kind of nicer here at night so it's not such a scary thing to turn on the oven after the sun goes down. The air was nice and cool last night so I decided to take advantage and bake up some goodness!!! Last night I baked a batch of Peanut butter cupcakes. They were so good. I got the recipe from Yet another Isa and Terry Cookbook called VEGAN CUPCAKES TAKE OVER THE WORLD. This isn't my first time making these, it's my third time. For those of you who know me, I am a peanut butter fanatic. These just made my life a little more peanut buttery!

Let me tell you, the first time I made these my cupcakes sank. I was so upset! I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. Come to find out my oven is all wonkyass and doesn't heat properly unless you wait longer than like 30 minutes! We now have an oven thermometer because if it's craziness. I watched that oven thermometer like my life depended on it! I didn't want that thing ruining my PB Goodness! Isa says that the first 15 minute of baking cupcakes is the most important time, so DO NOT OPEN THAT OVEN! My oven is older and doesn't have a glass window so I was paranoid! I wanted to know what was going on in there. To be on the safe side I waited 20 minutes before I even peeked. When I opened the oven they were beautiful! I was so happy!

HOWEVER... I was NOT happy with the chocolate/peanut butter icing. It got all funky on me but it's okay! They tasted great, which was what I was going for. But Dag-Nammit, that icing better not crap out on me next time!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would love to share the recipe with you but I don't want to cheat Isa and Terry. I love them too much. BUT!!! If you want, you can come over and we can make these together! Or I'll come to you!!!

Visit the Post Punk Kitchen and search for other cupcake recipes!!!

Tomato, Kale and Garlic Tofu stuffed Pitas

2008-09-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness.

Oh My Gosh.

I think this was a true winner! Yesterday I spent a good chunk of the day making those wonderful Potato and Kale Enchiladas. I had some Kale left over but had no idea what to make with it. I am also running terribly low on food right about now, so when that happens I CONCOCT!!! It is one of my favorite ways to cook and that's when I tend to surprise myself. I took some of the little food I had left and came up with this wonderfully pita-licious lunch!

What I used:

1/2 block of Garlic/Black pepper Tofu Steak
1/4-1/2 tbsp ground cumin
4 chopped Roma tomatoes
2 handfuls of chopped Kale
1/4 cup vegetable broth
minced garlic
seasoned salt
1 tbsp olive oil
pita bread

(Like I said... I didn't have much.)

First, heat whatever pot you are going to cook in and add the olive oil. Now, take your minced garlic and add it to the pot and cook the garlic over medium/low heat. cook your garlic until it lightly starts to brown. When the garlic begins browning reduce the heat to low and add the kale. Stir the kale into the olive oil & garlic until the kale has wilted. Raise your heat back to a medium and add your vegetable broth, tomatoes, tofu, cumin and salt. Stir all of the contents together and continue to stir occasionally until the liquid has dissolved.
Now take your pita bread, yank that sucker open, fill it with this goodness and enjoy! I lightly toasted my pita bread because I like warm bread. It gave the pita a little more flexibility too so it didn't fall apart on me.

This is definitely going on my list of things to cook for the vegan dinner I will be throwing!

Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

2008-08-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not vegan I will tell you about two of the many people who made my transition to veganism a lot easier. Those two people are Terry Romero and Isa Moskowitz. These two lovely ladies are the writers of my favorite cookbooks. Today, I made yet another amazing recipe from their book VEGANOMICON. Here's today's story:

Joelle came over today! I am not even kidding when I say that I haven't seen her in about 3 months. 3 MONTHS!!!!!! We don't live very far from each other, (roughly a 10 minute drive... I know, pathetic) we just both have severely busy schedules. Today was the day that we set aside all else and planned to hang out. It was so good to see her, not only because she is one of the most amazing people in my life, but because she LOVES TO COOK WITH ME! So, we went grocery shopping. I brought my VEGANOMICON with me because I was still unsure of what I wanted to make. I decided on the Enchiladas! So! We shopped, we bought, we made. I must say... these were some of the most amazing enchiladas I've ever had.

I have had a lot of good food, but these really made my day/week/month. I am also very lucky to have good friends to share it with. I took some of these to the set of REEL MEN, a weekly video podcast starring Dean Pizzoferrato, Langley West and Edwin Colon Jr. They are good friends of mine and asked me to guest star on the show today. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I got to sit in with them, talk about movies and got really good feedback on my food from the guys. I think Edwin described them as "Fucking delicious." Langley, a fellow vegan, was quite happy with them as well. Dean seemed a little iffy at first, but also complimented. It feels goo to hear nice things about a dish you prepared. It must have taken us 2 hours to get everything prepared but it was worth it!!! I probably wouldn't have been able to make these without you Joelle! There are 2 left and I want to eat them but I am saving them for my roommate. Thank you to Joelle, Dean, Langley and Edwin. It was a good day.

Click here for the recipe!!!!!

Click here for REEL MEN!!!!

Smoooooooooooooooooothies...

2008-08-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

Vegas is unbelievably hot in the summer. I hate to hear people complain about heat in their city because I can always compare their heat to Vegas heat. When it hits 116 and the air is as dry as sand it can make you extremely grouchy. The only thing you can do is try to stay indoors and keep yourself cooled down. A good way to avoid evil hot summer days is to make yourself a smoothie. I honestly could live off of these during the summer. My best friend/roommate has been on a smoothie kick lately so I get to enjoy these regularly now! They are fast and super easy to make!!!

What I used:
-Frozen Pineapple -Frozen Strawberries
-Soy milk -Vanilla Soy Ice Cream

I could make these daily and not get bored. Just switch up the fruit, maybe use sorbet instead of ice cream, add in flavors... create something to tantalize the taste buds and take the edge off the extremely hot day.

At least we are reaching the end of summer. Until the weather cools down I'm just going to keep myself loaded with these.

Want a SMOOTHIE?!?!?

Whole Wheat Pasta with Vegetables and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2008-08-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

I really do love Hummus. It is probably one of my favorite things to eat. I also am very good at food concoction. I don't know why it comes so easily, it just does. So, with that in mind, I give you my new favorite dish. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + Vegetables + Whole Wheat Pasta = DELIGHTFUL!!!

I went to Fresh and Easy the other day and picked up all of the ingredients needed for my pasta dish. I can't post an exact recipe because I worked so fast on it I don't really remember the exacts of what I put into it. But I'll go over what I can remember!!!!!

First I chopped up 1 zucchini, a few Roma tomatoes, green onion and mushroom and threw them into a pot with about a tablespoon of canola oil. (I'm all out of olive oil, how lame is that?) I added about a half cup of vegetable broth to the mixture and added some seasonings. Then I let that cook until the zucchini was cooked but not falling apart. I wanted my vegetbles firm enough to stand out in the pasta.

Then I took my already boiled whole wheat pasta and added the mixture to the pasta making sure to get as much of the mixture out of the pan as possible. (Leave no goodness behind!)

Then... the best part!!! I added about 4 heaping tablespoons of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus! OH YEAH! And here Is my final result:

I really did enjoy this one. I loved it so much that I had my portion, then took the rest to work to share with 2 co-workers. I got an amazing reaction from my very good and not vegan friend JOEY! Thank you Darlin' Joey!

Click on his picture to visit Joey's fanTAStic blog!

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches! ! ! (Oh yeah, baby!)

2008-08-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

Let me show you how to make my favorite sandwich. What you'll need:

- 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 2 Celery Stalks (chopped however you want)
- Vegenaise
- salt n pepper (or whatever seasonings YOU want to use. It's all about YOU, baby!)
- 1/4 of a small white onion (chopped, you can use whatever onion you like or no onion at all.)
- fork (if you have a food processor then feel free to use it, but make sure your beans are kinda chunky and not smooth.)

Now, the pictures!!!

First take your chopped onion and chopped celery and combine them together

Then take your smashed up chickpeas (RIGHT) and combine them with your celery and onion mix. It should look similar to this (BELOW):

Now, take your Vegenaise and add about 1 tablespoon. Mix it into your salad mix until it is even. Add more but only add it in small amounts so you don't over do it

Now add salt and pepper or whatever seasonings you choose to your mixture. You can use whatever bread you like, I've has it on many kinds but my favorite is Tandoori Nan.

This is what mine looks like:

It really is a great tasting and healthy sandwich. I always feel good after having one of these. Even if you aren't vegan you can make the same sandwich with mayo. It's better with Vegenaise though. I hope that one of you out there decides to give it a try. it makes a good lunch to take with you. Let me know if you make it. OR!!! You could just come over and I'll make it for you. *wink*

Check this out!!!

2008-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I got Landry to eat Sweet n Sour Tofu! He gobbled it up!!!

SUSHI!?!?!?!?!?!?

2008-08-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

When I went herbivore early this year I wondered how hard it would be to stop eating sushi. Sushi was a way to bond with my friends. We'd have a few sushi nights a month, you wouldn't believe how many people would show up. BUT!!! Thankfully, I enjoy Vegan sushi rolls even more because...

- I get to make them myself.

- Its just fun. Even if they look horrible.

- They come out frakin' BEAUTIFUL if you put plenty of effort into it and who doesn't want their food to be presentable?

- The challenge creates a great bonding experience with friends.

It was a challenge actually. I decided to make these after watching the first episode of The Post Punk Kitchen, a public access vegan cooking show hosted by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. WATCH THE EPISODE!!!!! I invited my good friend Joelle over to help out. She was one of my sushi buddies so it just made sense to get her in on it. So after I watched the process 3 times in a row to ensure that I wouldn't screw everything up, we began making this wonderful lunch. It's funny because it actually took both of us to roll one so that we got all of the "sushi perfection" right. Needless to say, they came out looking quite pretty and tasted just as good as they looked! We decided on the Spicy Tempeh Rolls and then we made avocado/cucumber rolls with green onion and FYH vegan cheese. I can't wait to make these again.

Vegan Tacos Night

2008-08-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Life = Hectic. Chaotic. A Mess. One of my favorite things to do when I have down time or while I am suppose to be doing something but end up procrastinating is cook. I love to cook. I love to cook for people. I love to get feedback on my cooking. It's just fun. It's also a good way to show people that a Vegan lifestyle doesn't mean you have to give u everything you're use to in order to survive. If anything I am living better now than every before. I'm healthier than before, I'm happier than before, my weight has gone down, my energy has gone up. It is an amazing feeling. It is also a great way to help the environment and save lives. NOW... ON TO THE FOOD!!!

My lovely friend Magda decided to come over and we were going to have dinner together. She isn't vegan like I am but loves to eat healthy. She is very open to try ANY and EVERYthing I make. That night we decided on TACOS... VEGAN STYLE!!!

Ingredients:

-1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 can of whole kernel corn (drained, rinsed if needed)
-half a small onion (chopped)
-minced garlic
-cooked rice ( brown rice is healthier, I used white)
-1 package of taco seasoning containing no animal products (they are out there, took me a few minutes of searching but I did come across a few.)
-corn or flour tortillas (I think most tortillas are technically vegan but be sure to read the package anyway.)
-tomatoes (optional)
-avocado (optional but makes it so amazing!
-1 tbsp olive oil

First, heat up a medium pot/pan/whatever you want to cook in and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook until it is about halfway translucent. Next add the garlic. cook the garlic with the onions for a few minutes. Next, add the black beans, corn, and however much water the recipe calls for. (I think its like 1 cup or so) Than add the taco seasonings and cook until you reach your desired consistency. Be careful not to overcook because then the sauce gets clumpy and the beans may get squishy/not stay whole.

Now, Assemble your tacos as you wish and enjoy!!! I know I do!!!

Thank you to Magda K for joining me for tacos and a movie. When are we doing it again?!?!?!

Me... cutting an onion...

For The Love of Food

Late Thanksgiving Post.

So long to Atomic #7...

Seriously?

Another Trip to Red Velvet Cafe.

My Trip to Washington!

An anonymous comment.

Veggie Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen.

Miso Soup, my way.

Just a quick post.

I Want Tea and Black Bean Burgers!

Dinner party success and some mobile uploads

The slacking is over. Back to blogging!

It's been a while...

Red Velvet Cafe and More.

MY 50TH POST!!!

Sushi, Martinis and Afros.

No school= time to cook.

Neener's Irresistible Polenta Fries

Yes, Chipotle's Vegetarian Burritos are VEGAN...

Ain't Nothin' but a "Veggie Thing"...

A few things I've eaten recently.

Lunch at Himalayan Cuisine

Tomato/Basil Tofu. Amazing snack.

Finally tried out a new restaurant.

Smoothie?! Shake?! Confused!! More Pizza Too?!?!

Never have a plain Boca Burger without dressing it up!

Finally, a girls day!

Ok, so I kinda have this... Pizza addiction.

The heat is already here?!

Lemon-Blueberry Mini Pies

It's so ugly... yet so tasty.

Slap Yo Mama Goodness.

Panko Fried Black Bean Patty Wrap

Pizza, Rice Florentine and Mushroom Gravy

A Few things I've eaten in the past couple weeks:

BBQ Black Bean Burgers

Vegan Meatballs inspired by Antoinette

A Morning at Red Rock.

It's been a while...

A Bundt Cake and a Few "Cheesy" Things...

Scrambled Tofu

Sushi Part Deux

Veganomicon: Chickpea Cutlets

Curse of "I don't remember how I made this!!!"

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chorizo breakfast potatoes

VeganMoFo, 2008

Fried Tofu

Fried Seitan Salad w/ Noochy Salad Dressing

Avocado Spread on Focaccia

A Simple dinner for myself

NACHOS!!!!!!! *girly squeal*

Falafel

QUESO?!?!?!?

I love you all!!!!!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes... WHOO!!

Tomato, Kale and Garlic Tofu stuffed Pitas

Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

Smoooooooooooooooooothies...

Whole Wheat Pasta with Vegetables and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches! ! ! (Oh yeah, baby!)

Check this out!!!

SUSHI!?!?!?!?!?!?

Vegan Tacos Night

NACHOS!!!!!!! girly squeal