The End of Vegan Week: The Vegiterranean!!!

I am very happy to be in the land of eating eggs, cheese, milk chocolate and milk products again.  :-)

I can't believe how much I thought about cheese and pudding and pizza and pepperoni and et cetera, et cetera.  There is definitely something to be said for temptation and wanting something you cannot have.  Yikes, discontented heart.

Overall, I was pleased with the recipes I made....but knew all week, many of them would be *that much* yummier with real cheese that melted real well on them.  :-)

I celebrated our last vegan day by not cooking a thing!  And we celebrated the end by eating at The Vegiterranean, a vegan restaurant.



Attempt #1



Attempt #2



The kids were entertained by the train that pulled into the station.

Believe it or not, there *is* hummus under all of that goodness.



Me meal: "Chicken" wrap and sweet potato fries



The chicken really doesn't look fake, or taste fake!  Marin loved it, too.



Yum.



Nick enjoyed his Biker Burger and cole slaw.




Yum, again.



The train outside the window wasn't the only entertainment.



This was incredible.  No way you could tell the frosting and cream were vegan!



At the train station.


Until next time, Vegiterranean!




Happy Left Handers Day!

August 13th is International Left Handers Day, and although I am not one, I have a little left hander in my family!  Only 10% of the world population is said to be left-handed.

I first had pity on Evander when he wrote with a pencil one day and his poor paper was all smudged and he had the graphite on his hand.  I recall my lefty friend Sarah (shout out!) would twist her paper in some weird fashion so as not to smudge her work...I can't even remember how it worked out for her, but it did!

It was fun to watch Evander be a little different on the baseball diamond...

Playing the Wii has been a little interesting....if he has the control and nunchuk and needs help, but doesn't want to let go of the controls (really...who wants to relinquish the remote?), it's difficult for me to help him!

And here are some random facts I pulled from the web without bothering to cite the sources.  Ha.  Too lazy.

-Males are twice as likely to be left-handed than females.  Sarah, you are certainly special.  :-)

-If both parents are right-handed, they have a 2% chance of having a left-handed child.

-50% of lefties report using a computer mouse with their right hand.  68% use their right hand for scissors and 74% hold a dinner knife with their right hand.  So here's to adjusting and adapting, Evander!

-4 of the 5 original designers of the Mac computer were left-handed.

-Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush Sr. are left-handed.

-Left-handed college graduates go on to become 26% richer than right-handed graduates.  So, take care of your Ma and Pa when they're old, okay?

-In the Middle Ages, writing with your left hand was punishable by death!

What about you?  Are you a left hander??

Vegan Week Day 6: Banana Muffins and Enchiladas

You knew there'd be another muffin involved this week!

VEGAN BANANA MUFFINS

3 ripe bananas
1/4 c melted margarine
1 c sugar
2 c flour
1 t salt
1t baking soda
1 c chopped walnuts

Mash the bananas.  Add the margarine and the sugar; mix well.  Stir the flour, salt and baking soda together and add to the banana mixture.  Mix just until the flour is blended.  Fold in the nuts. 

Pour into muffin cups and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


ENCHILADAS

2 cans pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
1 small can chillies
1 packet taco seasoning (not all are vegan)
3/4 c water
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 packet whole wheat tortillas (10 in a pack)

In a skillet, combine beans, onion, chillies, taco seasoning and water.  Cook until water evaporates some.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Drizzle a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. 

Add a portion of the bean mixture to each tortilla and wrap.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  Cover all in the rest of the enchilada sauce.  Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 30 minutes.



Enchiladas

You won't miss meat at all with this dish!  Yum.  Marin kept saying, "MMMMmmmMMMMmmm!!!!  Pizza!!!!" when she ate it, so it must have been really yummy to her as well.  :-)

Today is Vegeterranean day and THE END of our vegan week---hallelujiah, let the choirs sing!  ;-)  I plan on cooking NOTHING today.  Awesome. 

Vegan Week Day 4 & 5: Sweet Corn Pizza & Hearty Rice Skillet

Vegan week day four...we ate leftovers for lunch and pasta with marinara sauce for dinner.  Not too exciting, huh?  But here's what we did today!

SWEET CORN PIZZA

pre-made pizza crust (Freschetta Artisan Golden Wheat is vegan)
pizza sauce
sun-dried tomatoes
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 c fresh corn kernels
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
cheese
fresh basil leaves, chopped

After assembling pizza, bake for 15 minutes in 350°.  Sprinkle with basil.



Sweet Corn Pizza


The original recipe calls for sun-dried tomato pesto as the pizza sauce, but I could not find any that was vegan (pestos are made with parmesan cheese).  So, I just settled for chopped sun-dried tomatoes on pizza sauce.  Nick really liked this pizza!  Had all of the nice flavors.  I had to use frozen corn...I can only imagine how beautiful it'd taste with fresh!!!

This brings me to vegan cheese.  Oy!  Ha.  The cheese I bought last week and featured in a blog post introducing vegan week is in fact not vegan.  It has casein in it which is a milk protein that causes cheese to melt.  The cheese I found today at Buehler's is indeed vegan...therefore, it just sat on top of the pizza looking pretty...or crusty...whichever. 

The last time we were at The Vegiterranean in Akron, I had their Gyro Pizza.  If I recall correctly, they used Daiya cheese...you'll have to google it. 


Gyro Pizza from Vegiterranean

Nick's been missing his meat, so for din din I found him some MorningStar Ribs.  I think he still misses his meat.  :-)  Only a few MorningStar products are vegan.

I also made this:


HEARTY RICE SKILLET

1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes
2 c losse-pack frozen mixed vegetables
1 c water
3/4 c quick-cooking brown rice
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 10 3/4-oz can condensed tomato soup
1/3 c slivered almonds

In large skillet stir together beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetables, water, uncooked rice and dillweed.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until rice is tender.  Stir in soup; heat through.  Stir in almonds before serving.

Once again, I can't remember to take a picture while the food is plated!

You see some onions there on top, don't you?  That's because I sautéed an onion to include in this awesome beet burger I was planning to make.  I bought radished instead of beets.  :-(  Whoops.  I didn't even try to make a radish burger...

Mood:  Regenerized by the Hearty Rice Skillet!  There's a lot of vegetables in there...but it is soooooo good.

Vegan Week Day 3: Dhall, Lentil-Nut Loaf & Eggless Mayo

Nick has thrown me for a loop.  He said when he got home from work, "You know, you can make grains, too...like pasta."  Silly me for thinking my husband shared my love for all things legume!  The problem in my brain is, I didn't prepare at the grocery store for anything pasta beyond pasta and marinara sauce---BORING!  So tomorrow...I promised Nick a pizza.  :-)

DHALL

1 1/2 c dried split peas
4 1/2 c vegetable stock or water
1 t turmeric
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
2 c dived onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t turmeric
1/2 t black pepper, coarsley ground
1/4 t cayenne
1 c coconut milk

In a large pot, cook the lentils or peas in the stock or water along with the salt and turmeric.  Drain, but reserve the liquid.

Sauté the onions, garlic, and the rest of the spices in the oil until the onions are golden brown, stirring continuously.

Mix the drained peas with the sautéed spices and reheat gently.  When hot, stir in the coconut milk.  If the dhall is too dry or thick, add some of the reserved liquid. 

Forgot to take a picture before I put it in a tupperware container. 



Dhall.  Yup.  It's yellowy green.  :-)



LENTIL-NUT LOAF

2 c lentils
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 celery ribs, chopped
1 c bread crumbs
2/3 c rolled oats
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c chopped almonds
6 eggs, beaten (I used 1 c instant potato flakes as a substitute)
2 t salt
1 T basil
2 t thyme

Follow cooking method for lentils.  Sauté onions, garlic, and celery in a little oil until tender.  Mix with lentils.  Add seasonings and other ingredients.  Mix well and put into two oiled loaf pans and bake at 375° for 1 hour.  Serve plain, or with tomato sauce or hot sauce.




Lentil-nut loaf


This made a TON!  Wayyyyyyyy too much, actually.  Unless you are inviting all of your vegan/vegetarian friends over for a dinner party.  I baked *some* of it in a cake pan.  Very tasty, I really liked the crunch of the nuts.  Served this with mashed potatoes (made with almond milk, of course)---finally!  Something normal!  :-)


EGGLESS MAYONAISE

1 c lemon juice
1 t honey
1/4 c oil
1/2 c tahini

Mix well, in a blender, if possible.

Phew!  Was this lemony!  Of course it would be with one whole cup of lemon juice.  This was good on top of my lentil-nut loaf.  Nick had A1 on top of his so he could pretend it was actually mean.  :-)


Mood:  Tired of cooking.  Why did I pick so many recipes?
Nick's mood:  Tired of eating beans.

Vegan Week Day 2: Black Bean Burger & Sweet Potato Muffins

Is it *only* Monday?!?!???????  Wow.  Still have a week to go.  Started the morning with my Fruit Harvest cereal and almond milk.  Here are the new food additions:

BLACK BEAN BURGER

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
1/2 c green pepper, finely chopped
1 large carrot, cooked and smooshed
1/2 c salsa
1 c quick cooking oats
2 t flour
1/4 t chili powder
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients well.  Shape into patties.  Cook in skillet about 10 minutes, turning once or twice until golden brown and burger feels set.




Black bean burger



Generally, I eat these topped with plain yogurt and salsa...so, instead of the yogurt, I just used leftover avocado dressing from yesterday.  The lemon juice preserved the avocado---it did not turn brown like I wondered if it would.  :-)


VEGAN SWEET POTATO MUFFINS

1 c + 2 T sweet potato puree (I used baby food)
3/4 c coconut milk
2/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c water
1/4 c oil
2 T maple syrup
1 T lemon juice
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 c fresh or dried cranberries, optional

Preheat oven to 400° and lightly grease a muffin tin.  In a large bowl, mix together sweet potato puree, coconut milk, brown sugar, water, oil, maple syrup and lemon juice.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices.  Combine wet and dry mixtures until just mixed.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Let muffins rest a moment in the pan, then cool on a wire rack before serving.



Vegan sweet potato muffins


Mood:  I like muffins!  Feeling crazy that I have to make all of this stuff from scratch all week long!

Vegan Week Day 1: Zucchini Muffins, Chili and Navy Bean & Cashew Salad

We started our morning at Nick's aunt's house, as we had spent the night there after attending Nick's alumni football game (which was lots of fun!).  I knew *this* would be the day, so I baked some vegan zucchini muffins on Friday for us to eat for breakfast today.  I think I am in love with the salad and salad dressing I made today.

Here are the recipes!

VEGAN ZUCCHINI BREAD (or muffins!)
Yields 2 loaves, or 2 dozen muffins

6 TB ground flax seeds whisked into 1/2 c + 1 TB warm water
1/2 oil
1/2 c applesauce
2 c turbino sugar (or light brown sugar)
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 c grated zucchini, packed
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1 TB baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 TB cinnamon
2 t nutmeg

Grease two loaf pans. 

Grate your zucchini.

Mix together flax seed mixture, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla.

Add zucchini; stir til combined.

In separate bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients.  Add to wet and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and everything is incorporated evenly; some lumps are fine.  If adding additional mix-ins (nuts, vegan chocolate chips), fold in now.  Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes for loaves, 15-20 minutes for muffins, or until knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.  Let cool a few minutes before slicing.

Vegan zucchini muffins

Confessions:

I probably could have made more than two dozen muffins if the batter wasn't so tasty to eat!  Yum, yum, yum!  My inhibitions were lifted since there was no raw egg in the batter.  Yes, I am one of *those* people who don't eat raw dough.  Thanks.

Ummmmm...I decided the flax seeds I had in the cupboard were too old to use, so I left them out and completely forgot to add the 1/2 c + 1 TB of water.  Whoops!  They still came out fine. 

I placed half in the freezer to eat later this week.  The half I left out didn't even make it beyond Sunday! 


CHILI
A modified recipe from my friend Jessie from a soup exchange we did earlier this year.  I say modified b/c the original recipe calls for black bean soup, and to make it in the slow cooker.

1 15-oz can black beans
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-oz can vegetarian baked beans
1 14 1/2-oz can chopped tomatoes in puree
1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T chili powder
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil

Combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper and celery.  Season with garlic, chili powder, parsley, oregano and basil.  Cook vegetables are tender.



Yum!  Chili, yo.

NAVY BEAN & CASHEW SALAD with AVACADO DRESSING

Marinate together:
1 c broccoli or cauliflower pieces, steamed
1/2 c cooked navy beans
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Toss with:
Leafy lettuce or mixed tender greens
1/4 c chopped toasted cashews
Avacado dressing

Dressing:
1/2 large ripe avacado
1 T lemon juice
1/8 t salt
1/8 t chili powder
squeeze garlic
1/4 c buttermilk

Confessions:

I love this!  Wow!  I will definitely make this again.

I doubled the recipe, but I imagine my leftover dressing will change color because of the avacado.  Maybe not too much since it has lemon juice in it...guess I'll find out tomorrow!

I used almond milk since buttermilk is on the no-no list!  Almond milk is thicker than normal milk...so is buttermilk, right?  I think buttermilk is thicker...

There was lots going on in this house while I was making this, so I forgot to take a picture.  I know, I know!  How can this girl claim to own a blog if she can't remember to take a picture??  I will try to do better next time.  :-)



Avacado dressing

 
Mood:  Pleased.  Excited to make another muffic recipe tomorrow!
Nick's mood:  Thinking it's going to be a hungry week...

Vegan for a Week

Starting tomorrow, Nick and I decided to try eating vegan for a week.  Actually...it was kind of more his idea.  I love cheese!  As I thought about what in the world we'd be eating for a week and sifted through recipes...I couldn't help but feel completely overwhelmed.  It will definitely be challenging.  Not that I like meat that much...I really don't...but trying to operate without milk is tricky. 

We really have no specific reason for wanting to eat vegan for a week...we just want to try it.  It will be a good thing for Nick to take to his work to say, "Yeah, I did this for a week!  You can certainly go meatless for a day or two."  Eating vegan means no meat, eggs, dairy.  How sad.  I've actually been dreading this week of food...but Nick kept asking, "When are we going to do that?"  I miss pizza already!  :-(

I decided on some things here:

I wanted to cook things with readily available ingredients.  Everything I've bought, so far, has been from Wal Mart.

Avoiding processed foods, although a good thing, is not the goal.



Hmmmm...what should I do with these?


I'm not conerned with the raw food diet at this time.  I'm like my Grandma's old cat---I like my food warmed!

We will take a vitamin.

The kids eat so little as it is, they will continue on milk and cheese, etc.

I will eat honey.  Did you know this is a vegan debate?  Is it a bee product, or a bee by product?  I want to use honey in a mayonaise recipe I'm going to try....so, yes honey.

If I'm at a friends house, I will be thankful and eat what they've prepared.  :-)

Soy is not good in large quantities.  However, we will eat some (including fake cheese and fake meat products).  The more I've been paying attention to the allergen ingredients on products (you know, "Contains: Soy, Milk, Peanuts" the more I'm noticing that soy is in sooooooo much stuff.  Here's an article of interest: Soy, yikes! 


Fake cheese

I might cheat and go get a Wild Berry Smoothie from McDonald's.  Nick doesn't read this, so he'll never know!  Muah ha ha!  Comment on this post of Facebook Nick if you read this! 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go hungry this week. 

I feel the urge right now to binge on pizza and milk chocolate. 

 Mood:  Not very excited.  Mourning the loss of cheese from my life. 

I bought something that makes me look forward to my vegan breakfast:


Yum.

This is vegan.  Many of the other breads contain milk.



And this is vegan, too!  Phew!  At least I can have toast.  :-)

And something else that will get me through the week...the promise of eating here Saturday night!



Aprons for Everyone!

This is absolutely THE cutest apron you will ever see.  And I don't say that because I wear one.  Ha.

I wanted to make an apron---one that was super stylish and a little bit sexy.  But most of the patterns I found online were blah and frumpy.  Until the Emmeline! 

Awesome Apron

Seriously...if you can sew, even if you are a beginner, you can sew this!  The pattern is so straight-forward.  Three yards of fabric is all it takes.

So, I haven't sewed anything for a month and I was going through some serious withdrawal!  I've had the fabric for some time now to make an apron for one of my Pay It Forward gals.  This makes apron #5 for me!!!  This is the most I've ever made of one thing...generally, I tend to hop around and never really stick to one thing for my crafting. 



For Kristen!

Not sure why I attempted to fly with my apron wings there.  Anyhoo...the brown and pink one if off to Alaska!

This one I made for my mom.  I...love...this...fabric design.  Excuse the blurry photo--I take what I can get when my photographer is willing to snap a single photo.  :-P



Mom's apron

Next up is one I did for my mother-in-law for her birthday.



Mom Fedor's apron, as taken by a five year old.

And here's one for my sissy...


Mere's apron

And lastly, here's the one I made for myself last fall:



Someone's tugging on the apron strings!  :-)



Gray girls



I think I might be willing to make more. :-)  As Evander says, "Everybody wants an apron!"  Even the cat:



Yup.  *This* one is for me.



I can't get enough of this fabric!  And look, the brown matches my fur.



Ahhhhhhh...thanks, Mom, for making this for me.