Summer time means cooking out. Normally that is a good thing, but not necessarily when you are Vegan. Last night, at a birthday party, the only options were hamburgers and hot dogs.Thankfully, I had planned ahead and brought my own dinner. Before we left the house, my husband said that it was in bad taste, to bring your own dinner to a party. "Not if you're a Vegan. Trust me on this," I said. Besides, the party was at my brother's house. He wouldn't be offended. Sure enough. I had to break out my vegan pot stickers in the middle of the party, but hey, that's the only way to do it in this meat-focused world.
Speaking of meat, I have been craving shrimp again, and butter. Not sure how the butter craving began, but it's here. It's not so much that I'm craving plain butter, but things made with butter, like pie crust. Our dinner guest tonight brought a beautiful blue berry pie and all I could eat was the blueberries. The pie crust was calling my name, but I could tell it had butter because it was so flaky.
I am also missing being able to just pull something from the fridge and eating it. I need to remember to make extra food to keep in the fridge so I can do that. Right now, it feels like every time I have to eat, I have to cook an elaborate meal. I'm not sure why I am feeling that, but I do not like it. The truth is I really don't have to cook that much to get breakfast on the table. Same for lunch. Dinner is the problem.
But speaking of lunch, we had Hummus, tomato, and mushroom paninis today for lunch. They were very, very good. Here's the recipe:
Hummus Panini
5-6 mushrooms, slicesd
tamari
4 pieces of 100% whole wheat bread
hummus
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tomato, sliced
Saute sliced mushrooms over medium-high heat until they start releasing their liquid. Splash with tamari. Spread a thick layer of hummus on the 4 pieces of bread. On one side, sprinkle cilantro and green onion. Top with mushrooms and tomatoes. Put the other slice of bread on top to finish the sandwich.
Place sandwich on pan and put a heavy skillet on top of sandwich to press on it. Cook for five minutes per side over medium heat. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day 75: Menudo "Soup"
I have been craving menudo. Menudo is a Mexican soup that has a tomato broth base with lots of spices, hominy, lots of garlic, and beef tripe. I couldn't eat this soup when I was a little kid because the thought of eating tripe grossed me out, but it's an acquired taste and I learned to love it.
Of course, now that I'm not eating animal products, I thought it would be hard to make it taste like I remember and truthfully, it didn't taste or smell exactly like menudo, but it came pretty close. My husband said it was more of a menudo soup than actual menudo. That is what I am calling it. I looked up a bunch of recipes online and at the book Viva Vegan and then came up with my own concoction:
Menudo Soup
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped in large chunks
1 large tomato, coursely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can of hominy, with liquid
1 12 oz. can of pinto beans, with liquid
4 cups of water
1/2 a packet Menudo Spice Mix
1/2 a tablespoon cumin
1/2 a tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 a tablespoon oregano
2 kale leaves, sliced in ribbons
handful of green beans, cut in small sections
1 summer squash, sliced in rounds and then cut in fourths
Salt to taste
Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, tomatoes, and garlic for 8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tomatoes are starting to break apart. Add hominy, beans, and water. Sitr to combine. Add spice mix, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add kale, green beans, and summer squash and stir to combine. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until squash and green beans are tender. Salt to taste.
Offer lime wedges, thinly sliced cabbage, chopped radishes, chopped cilantro, chopped onions, and chopped serranos, chopped oregano, and avocado slices as accompaniments. Serve with warm corn tortillas.
Enjoy!
Of course, now that I'm not eating animal products, I thought it would be hard to make it taste like I remember and truthfully, it didn't taste or smell exactly like menudo, but it came pretty close. My husband said it was more of a menudo soup than actual menudo. That is what I am calling it. I looked up a bunch of recipes online and at the book Viva Vegan and then came up with my own concoction:
Menudo Soup
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped in large chunks
1 large tomato, coursely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can of hominy, with liquid
1 12 oz. can of pinto beans, with liquid
4 cups of water
1/2 a packet Menudo Spice Mix
1/2 a tablespoon cumin
1/2 a tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 a tablespoon oregano
2 kale leaves, sliced in ribbons
handful of green beans, cut in small sections
1 summer squash, sliced in rounds and then cut in fourths
Salt to taste
Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, tomatoes, and garlic for 8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tomatoes are starting to break apart. Add hominy, beans, and water. Sitr to combine. Add spice mix, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add kale, green beans, and summer squash and stir to combine. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until squash and green beans are tender. Salt to taste.
Offer lime wedges, thinly sliced cabbage, chopped radishes, chopped cilantro, chopped onions, and chopped serranos, chopped oregano, and avocado slices as accompaniments. Serve with warm corn tortillas.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 74: Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
I made a feast for dinner last night. At least, that's what it felt like. And it was so worth it. The fajitas were the easiest part. What took the longest to prepare was the guacamole, the vegan sour cream, and the pico de gallo, but it was all so heavenly wrapped in a warm corn tortilla. I love this food!
Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)
Heat oil. Over high heat, saute the mushroom for 3 minutes. Add the onions, saute for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, saute for 5 minutes. Serve with guacamole, vegan sour cream, and pico de gallo in corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Guacamole
Everyone has their own way of making guacamole. Here's mine:
1 large avocado
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Peel avocado, and discard seed. Mash with a fork in medium bowl. Add tomato, cilantro, onion, and lime juice and stir until well mixed. Salt and pepper to taste.
Vegan Sour Cream
This recipe is from the Engine 2 book:
1 package of Silken Lite Tofu
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Process until smooth. Refrigerate for an hour before serving, to let flavors blend.
Pico de Gallo
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced (seed if you don't want it too spicy)
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in bowl. Stir to combine. Enjoy!
TTYL.
Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)
Heat oil. Over high heat, saute the mushroom for 3 minutes. Add the onions, saute for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, saute for 5 minutes. Serve with guacamole, vegan sour cream, and pico de gallo in corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Guacamole
Everyone has their own way of making guacamole. Here's mine:
1 large avocado
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Peel avocado, and discard seed. Mash with a fork in medium bowl. Add tomato, cilantro, onion, and lime juice and stir until well mixed. Salt and pepper to taste.
Vegan Sour Cream
This recipe is from the Engine 2 book:
1 package of Silken Lite Tofu
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Process until smooth. Refrigerate for an hour before serving, to let flavors blend.
Pico de Gallo
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced (seed if you don't want it too spicy)
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in bowl. Stir to combine. Enjoy!
TTYL.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Day 72: Clean-Out-the-Fridge-of-Veggies Pasta Sauce
My friend Sarah was in town two weeks ago and she made us a delicious tomato pasta the night I was preparing for my daughter's birthday party. She said she starts out with olive oil, onions, garlic, and a large can of crushed tomatoes. Then she goes in the fridge and throws in any veggies she sees. Finally, she adds spices and lets the sauce simmer. The sauce was delicious. I made a huge batch yesterday for lunch and it was perfect because then I didn't have to make dinner. Here's what I put in mine:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of broccoli greens, thinly sliced
1 zuchinni, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 25 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Palm-full of basil
Palm-full of oregano
Palm-full of thyme
1 T salt
Heat the oil. Saute the onion, garlic, corn, bell pepper, and jalapeno until onion is translucent. Add zuchinni and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms start releasing liquid. Add greens and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
In retrospect, next time I will start by sauteing the onion, garlic, and peppers. Then adding the tomatoes and spices and simmering for an hour to let the flavors blend more fully. Then I'll saute the other veggies in a separate pan and add the last few minutes of the simmering. It will keep the vegetables more intact and tasting better....
Enjoy!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of broccoli greens, thinly sliced
1 zuchinni, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 25 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Palm-full of basil
Palm-full of oregano
Palm-full of thyme
1 T salt
Heat the oil. Saute the onion, garlic, corn, bell pepper, and jalapeno until onion is translucent. Add zuchinni and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms start releasing liquid. Add greens and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
In retrospect, next time I will start by sauteing the onion, garlic, and peppers. Then adding the tomatoes and spices and simmering for an hour to let the flavors blend more fully. Then I'll saute the other veggies in a separate pan and add the last few minutes of the simmering. It will keep the vegetables more intact and tasting better....
Enjoy!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 71: A Craving for Po' Boy's
I have been thinking about fried shrimp for a while. Before going on this vegan adventure, I used to eat shrimp like there was no tomorrow: fried, in garlic sauce, boiled with cocktail sauce, in cocteles (Mexican shrimp cocktails), and just about anyway they were given to me.
We were at the car dealership getting our car serviced and I was very hungry. The only thing I could think of was a shrimp po' boy for dinner. David said he would make me a fried tofu po' boy instead. We stopped by the store on the way home and he bought lettuce, tomatoes, tofu, and French bread. He found a recipe in the E2 book that suggested covering the tofu cubes with nutritional yeast and garlic powder. He also added Tony Cachere's. Then fried them in a little canola oil.
I was nervous about how were were going to make the sauce that goes on the po' boys, but I found a recipe online for vegan mayo:
Vegan Mayo
1/2 package of silken lite tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoons white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 T olive oil
Then we mixed in ketchup and tabasco sauce. It tasted just like the real thing!
Once we assembled the sandwich: toasted French bread, special sauce with vegan mayo, ketchup, and tabasco, the fried tofu, the lettuce, and the tomatoes. It looked and smelled just like a po' boy and it tasted just wonderful! And this is coming from someone who for a while (when I worked for a company that had an office in New Orleans and I travelled there a lot) could only eat the po' boys from a tiny hole in the wall restaurant next to the French Market in New Orleans because nothing else tasted as good...
We were at the car dealership getting our car serviced and I was very hungry. The only thing I could think of was a shrimp po' boy for dinner. David said he would make me a fried tofu po' boy instead. We stopped by the store on the way home and he bought lettuce, tomatoes, tofu, and French bread. He found a recipe in the E2 book that suggested covering the tofu cubes with nutritional yeast and garlic powder. He also added Tony Cachere's. Then fried them in a little canola oil.
I was nervous about how were were going to make the sauce that goes on the po' boys, but I found a recipe online for vegan mayo:
Vegan Mayo
1/2 package of silken lite tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoons white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 T olive oil
Then we mixed in ketchup and tabasco sauce. It tasted just like the real thing!
Once we assembled the sandwich: toasted French bread, special sauce with vegan mayo, ketchup, and tabasco, the fried tofu, the lettuce, and the tomatoes. It looked and smelled just like a po' boy and it tasted just wonderful! And this is coming from someone who for a while (when I worked for a company that had an office in New Orleans and I travelled there a lot) could only eat the po' boys from a tiny hole in the wall restaurant next to the French Market in New Orleans because nothing else tasted as good...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Day 66 - Still Going Strong
With festival done and today being the last of school, I should be able to write in here more often. I can't believe we have been eating Vegan for 66 days!
I am happy to report that I have had numerous positive experiences eating out in Austin. After the fiasco at Casa de Luz on Mother's Day weekend, I was leary of eating out again, but all last week when my friend Sarah was in town, we ate out and every single meal was delicious:
The first meal on Sunday was veggie fajitas at Maudie's. They were very tasty although I was surprised at how thinly they sliced the portobello mushrooms. They charge an extra fee of $2.50 for adding the mushrooms and I think they added 1/4 of a mushroom. Oh, well. Next time, I won't waste my money on that.
Monday we ate at Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress. It's a very touristy restaurant and we had eaten there before but it was just down the street from the boot place where we had been all morning. I ordered the veggie plate. The vegetables were cooked with some strange flavor, but the black beans were to die for.
The third meal was in San Antonio (Sarah and I went for the day) at Mi Tierra. I had the chalupas. They were so, so. I was surprised at how bland the refried pinto beans were and the salsa was not that great either. Next time, we will choose a place to eat on the river walk instead.
Wednesday, Sarah wanted to go back to the Salt Lick. I figured there would be something vegan on the menu since it is so close to Austin. Well, I was wrong. There was NOTHING vegan. The potatoes and the beans had bacon in them. The cole slaw had mayo and the everything else is meat. I was so hungry from walking all morning at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I had to eat something so I ordered the pickles and onions with bread. Then I noticed that some of the meat sandwiches came with lettuce and tomato. I asked the waiter if I could have just the lettuce and tomato and he was very good about it bringing it out quickly. It actually turned out to be very good (probably because I was hungry!)
Thursday, we went to the Hula Hut and once again, I ordered the veggie fajjitas. They were delicious!!!! They added bean sprouts and a delicious plum sauce. I have to go back to eat those again. I absolutely loved them.
Friday, we had a quick lunch at Chipotles. I go there a lot so I am always ready to order: salad with black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole. You don't even need the dressing. It is delicious all by itself like that. Yum!
Tomorrow I will blog about the food I made for Nati's birthday party....
I am happy to report that I have had numerous positive experiences eating out in Austin. After the fiasco at Casa de Luz on Mother's Day weekend, I was leary of eating out again, but all last week when my friend Sarah was in town, we ate out and every single meal was delicious:
The first meal on Sunday was veggie fajitas at Maudie's. They were very tasty although I was surprised at how thinly they sliced the portobello mushrooms. They charge an extra fee of $2.50 for adding the mushrooms and I think they added 1/4 of a mushroom. Oh, well. Next time, I won't waste my money on that.
Monday we ate at Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress. It's a very touristy restaurant and we had eaten there before but it was just down the street from the boot place where we had been all morning. I ordered the veggie plate. The vegetables were cooked with some strange flavor, but the black beans were to die for.
The third meal was in San Antonio (Sarah and I went for the day) at Mi Tierra. I had the chalupas. They were so, so. I was surprised at how bland the refried pinto beans were and the salsa was not that great either. Next time, we will choose a place to eat on the river walk instead.
Wednesday, Sarah wanted to go back to the Salt Lick. I figured there would be something vegan on the menu since it is so close to Austin. Well, I was wrong. There was NOTHING vegan. The potatoes and the beans had bacon in them. The cole slaw had mayo and the everything else is meat. I was so hungry from walking all morning at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I had to eat something so I ordered the pickles and onions with bread. Then I noticed that some of the meat sandwiches came with lettuce and tomato. I asked the waiter if I could have just the lettuce and tomato and he was very good about it bringing it out quickly. It actually turned out to be very good (probably because I was hungry!)
Thursday, we went to the Hula Hut and once again, I ordered the veggie fajjitas. They were delicious!!!! They added bean sprouts and a delicious plum sauce. I have to go back to eat those again. I absolutely loved them.
Friday, we had a quick lunch at Chipotles. I go there a lot so I am always ready to order: salad with black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole. You don't even need the dressing. It is delicious all by itself like that. Yum!
Tomorrow I will blog about the food I made for Nati's birthday party....
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 48 - This is Easy!
I haven't had a chance to write in here because I have been busy with nephew in the hospital (what are the odds that you could have two family members in the hospital the same month for the the same reason - MRSA? weird.) and I am chairing our school's spring festival, but also I haven't written in here because suddenly, being vegan doesn't seem so foreign to me any more.
I used to stress about what I was going to eat every day. I had to plan out a menu for that day and now it feels like I can just open the fridge and figure out something to eat. I love that!
Over the last 10 days since my last post, we have gone camping while maintaining our vegan way of life, much to our neighbor's chagrin. They kept calling us "the hippies" because were making our own veggie burgers on the campfire. :)
We have also signed up with Greenling.com to get fresh, local produce delivered right to our door every Tuesday morning. I am loving this easy eating!
I used to stress about what I was going to eat every day. I had to plan out a menu for that day and now it feels like I can just open the fridge and figure out something to eat. I love that!
Over the last 10 days since my last post, we have gone camping while maintaining our vegan way of life, much to our neighbor's chagrin. They kept calling us "the hippies" because were making our own veggie burgers on the campfire. :)
We have also signed up with Greenling.com to get fresh, local produce delivered right to our door every Tuesday morning. I am loving this easy eating!
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