Survey

I don’t get my stitches out until Wednesday so here is another survey.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
I tried rice milk recently and really liked it

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Seitan o’ Greatness (am I the last person to try it?), A buffalo wing recipe I saw on vegan dad, and pumpkin oatmeal cookies.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
a spice mix I got form garden of vegan cookbook

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
baked tofu it was like jello

5. Favorite pickled item?
This is really boring but regular dill pickles.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
this word organize I don’t understand what it means

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Recycle then trash.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?C
hickpeas, bread, and chocolate

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
helping my mom make Kumla

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
soy delicious

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
My food processor

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
red pepper

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
The church cookbook from back home

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
raspberry.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Pasta with Sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I have had the best of luck with seitan but I am not great with any

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
dinner because that is the only time I have to cook

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
microwave

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
basil, mixed veggie, and soy ice cream

20. What’s on your grocery list?
dog treats, cat litter, and I suppose I will buy something for me to eat.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Naturally yours in Peoria unfortunately it is an hour away

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.
I just saw a sweet potato biscuit the other day in a magazine

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Vegan Dad , Yeah that Vegan Shit and Get Sconed

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Laffy Taffy

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
I haven’t had the chance to buy anything fun lately

Angry Sweet Potato

I have been avoiding the kitchen ever since I cut myself and had to get three stitches while cutting up a very mean sweet potato. So, I will fill out a survey instead of cooking.

What was the most recent tea you drank?
Blueberry very yummy

What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
I look but I don’t play

You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
Tofu balls

How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
I have four under my favorites but maybe a few more than that

Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
Get Sconed which is were I got this survey

If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?
Lindyloo from Yeah, That Vegan Shit

If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
I am just starting to experiment with seitan so I will have to pick that one.

If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
Tempeh for sure

Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
BLT, Sushi and ???

What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
A mac and cheese recipe but I requires raw cashews which I have to buy while out of town

Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
I have I’m Not a nugget on my hoodie

Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
no

What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
26?? No unfortunately

What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
Scrabbled tofu, I cooked it, I had forgotten I didn’t like scrabbled eggs so I think it was more texture then taste.

What made you decide to blog?
Bored

What are three of your favorite meals to make?
Kumla
Chick pea cutlets
Pizza


What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
Apple Pie

Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
Caesar Portabella Wrap from The Chicago Diner. I have only been there once for my birthday and it was sooo good


What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
I live in a small town the only chain restaurant I eat at is Pizza Hut

My kitchen needs a………
Dishwasher

This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..!
Parsnip

What's for dinner tonight?
I don’t know yet

Favorite vegan snack?
Spice Nuts

Add a question here!

Milkshake?

I was making a milkshake the other night and I was thinking is it a milkshake if it has no milk in it? And if not what is it called?

Stroganoff

This may not seem like a big deal for most people but I totally spelled stroganoff right on the first try. Anyway, yesterday I had to work and then go to class so I did not have time to cook. However, my awesome Mom made me diner. She made stroganoff using a recipe from The Chicago Dinner Cookbook. This recipe had way too much thyme for our taste. I think an adjustment there it would be a good recipe. I did not take a picture of it because it was just a pile of white with more white on top of it, not very interesting.

No Meata Fajita

I always seam to go back to the same cookbooks repeatedly. So, this year one of my goals for mofo is to use some cookbooks I for one reason or another don’t use a lot.
This recipe came form The Chicago Dinner Cookbook. I used the seitan I made earlier and it turned out good in the recipe. They gave the tip to start cooking the seitan before the veggie so that it will have a better crunch. I like the recipe quite a bit. I think next time I will switch out the green peppers for a yellow pepper.

Seitan

This is my first seitan, is not cute. Well maybe not. It was one of those times were you follow the recipe word for word but you still doubt yourself the whole way. I mean is it suppose to be slimy like this.

Brownie?

Why does this brownie taste like a Fig Newton?

Smoothie

(Look at this sexy picture)
This is recipe is form Self-magazine. I forgot the magazine at home so I do not know which month or the exact recipe. What I do remember is Jenifer Lopez was on the cover. What I remember of the recipe is it had one banana; I froze mine to make the smoothie icier. A cup of soymilk, some flax seed (I know it is healthy for you but it made it grainy), and almond butter witch I substituted with peanut butter and jelly.

I for the life of me cannot find my cord to my camera. So, you will have to use your imagination. I made Brownies from Vegan Bites by Beverly Lynn Bennett. They were square and brown, do you have the image in your head. These were very fudgy you definitely need soymilk with it. I have tasted worse brownies but I have tasted better.

Vegetarian Book for Kids

A while ago, someone asked me for a list of vegetarian picture books for kids. Here are some recommendations.
1. Vunce Upon a Time by J.otto Seilbold, I have not had a chance to read this book yet. The description says it is about a vegetarian vampire.
2. Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal which is about a pea that has to eat “gross” candy to grow up to be a big strong pea.
3. A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
4. The Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey both three and four are about not eating turkeys.
5. Saxton Freymann illustrates his books by carving vegetables and fruits.
6. Oliver’s Fruit Salad by Vivian French
7. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
8. The Lima Bean Monster by Dan Yaccarino
9. Stone Soup there are a lot of different versions.

BLT

I pretty much suck at life, which is why I have not posted in forever. First, I had three week of Bible School stuff. Then Summer Reading has been going on at work. So, these pictures have been sitting around for about a month and a half waiting to be posted. They are nothing-special nothing you have not seen before. It is a BLT using bacon from VWAV.

The Death of a Potluck

So nobody likes to come to my potluck so after a year and a half this is the end.

Today I made Curried Eggplant Soup. Occasionally I like to make a dish with things in it I am not sure of. Sometimes I find dishes I really like. Then I have days like today. I don’t know about eggplants. I have had it about four times know and I have liked it only once.

I also made Root Beer Float Cupcakes. The ganache did not work out well. I would suggest using the recipe from VCTOTW.


Check out the angelic halo around the delicious frosting.

Polygamy

A couple of months ago I posted a book review for Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife by Irene Spencer. With what is going on in Texas right now I encourage everyone to go to the library and check it out. I am happy I read it and I have a better understanding of what is going on down there. What the women of polygamy are going threw is horrific.

February Potluck

I have Vegetarian Potluck tonight. I though maybe it is time to put pictures up from February’s potluck.

I made the Caesar Salad from Veganomicon. Whenever I cook for myself, everything goes so nicely. However, whenever I cook for other people my kitchen becomes a disaster area. I cut and burn myself, I break things, drop things it is horrible. Does anyone else have this problem? I was not trilled with the dressing for the salad, which could be my fault because as I stated above I suck at cooking for other people. I did not have time to roast the garlic for the croutons, so I sautés minced garlic in about ¼ of a cup oil and went form there. They were awesome. On the upside, I did not have to worry about vampire attacks for about three days afterwards.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gram Cracker Sandwich

I am cleaning out my camera and found a bunch of pictures I have not written about yet. March was a busy month for me but I wanted to take something to work for National Meat Out Day. I think that I mixed a couple of recipes for this and there are no real measurements. I took peanut butter and mixed it with powdered sugar with a hand mixer. The consistence of the mixture was similar to what I remember the peanut butter in peanut butter cups to be. Then I melted some chocolate chips. I had to do some experimenting with the assembly. The way that worked out best was to spread the peanut butter mixture on a gram cracker, spread the melted chocolate on top of that. Then place a gram cracker on top of that and give a gently squeeze. It is something to make when you are being lazy but want something sweet.

Take one and two

The final product

New Tattoo

On Tuesday, I got my first tattoo! It was super exciting. It is on my forearm, the word hope in white. It is still pretty red, I think the guy who did it was having trouble seeing what he was doing with the white and went over it about a hundred times. The pictures of it really sucks. With the flash on you can't see it and I was having problems getting a good picture. Then the batteries were going dead. I will post a better one once it is healed.

Shattered Dreams

I wrote this review for work. I loved this book.

Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife
Irene Spencer

Irene Spencer was raised in the Mormon Principle. Her mother was one of four wives and her father went to jail for polygamy. As she grew into adolescence she began to struggle with her beliefs. She was torn between marrying the man she loved and marrying into the principle.
In 1953 at the age of sixteen Irene became the second wife of Verlan LeBaron. At such a young age she was not prepared for the loneliness, the secrets, and the jealousy that accompanied multiple marriages. She was not allowed to share with her family and friends that she was married for fear of her husband being arrested. They ultimately moved to Mexico where she lived in shacks, trailers and broken down houses. Most of the time electricity and indoor pluming was a luxury she had to live without.
In the end she was one of ten wives, and she had thirteen of her husband’s fifty-eight children. She writes of her struggle between what was best for her and her love for her husband. Shattered Dreams is an emotional and fascinating narrative.

Cornbread Covered Wieners

So I have had a hankering for corndogs ever since I became a vegan. Morningstar Farm taunts me with their egg filled corndogs ever time I go to the store. Damn you Morningstar. So I took maters into my own hands. After searching online for a recipe I decided to try the suggestion to chop up hotdogs and bake them in cornbread. So I supervised my mom as she made the cornbread and I played with the big knives and chopped the hotdogs. This is the magnificent results. I miss the stick though.

Sorry no money shot.

Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
4 t baking powder
2 T sugar
¼ cup oil
1 cup soy milk
1 ½ t egg replacer mixed with 1 T water

Mix and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Why Yahoo Maked Me Giggle

Today I was perusing yahoo’s home page and I saw somethin that made me giggle. Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers has become a vegetarian. I like the fact that this is considered news. Even though he is not a Cubby he is now one of my favorite baseball players.

January’s Vegetarian Potluck

This month’s potluck bombed. I was the only one who showed up. I wasn’t to upset because it was around -5˚ that night. Two friends who happened to be in the library that night ate with me.
Lately I have been trying things that are totally out of character and see if I like them. So, for the main course I made Pasta with Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Hearts from the Wednesday Food Blogging. I had tried artichoke hearts one other time and though they were okay and I have never been a big fan of black olives. I ended up loving this recipe. It was delicious. I would love to make it again.

For dessert, I made Low Fat Brownies from The Post Punk Kitchen. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the brownies. They did grow on me though.

The Sunday after the potluck, I had to baby-sit at the church and I needed to make a quick dinner. I ended up making chickpea tacos. I have made these several times and have always liked them. This was the first time I tries Follow Your Heart vegan American cheese and Tofutti sour cream. I wasn’t overly impressed with either of them. I think as an occasional thing they are okay but since they are not sold in town I would never make a special trip just to get them. Maybe I would like the cheese more if it was baked on a hot dish.

Veganomicon Recipe #6 & #7

I felt like I might be coming down with something New Year’s Eve. I made my self some Chickpea and Noodle Soup. I did not have any soda noodles so I replaced it with a cup of rice.

I also had several bananas perfect for baking. I baked Low Fat Banana Bread.

Nobody had a better New Year’s date then me.