Vegan MoFo: Day Thirteen

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Thirteen

Evenin’ MoFoes! I’m really looking forward to tonight’s spaghetti dinner. To be honest, it’s mainly for the homemade marinara sauce. And I have for you here the recipe for said marinara.

Chunky Marinara Sauce

Two 14-ish oz cans of stewed tomatoes

One small can tomato paste

Minced Garlic- the amount depends on your taste; we REALLY love garlic so we used 8 decent sized cloves

One small or 1/2 large onion, diced

In between 1/8 to 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Mushroom Broth- use as much in accordance to the consistency that you want [we used a cup of broth, but you can use less or more. Remember you’re adding flavor as well as a liquid to thin out the sauce]

For the herbs:

Use twice as much of OREGANO, BASIL and PARSLEY as you would all other herbs.

Oregano, Basil, Parsley [if you have it; we didn’t and it was fine], Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar- Literate Zombie says you can also use fruit with a higher sugar content if you want to stay away from brown sugar; just blend with water before adding. Remember to take into account the amount of liquid you’ll be adding as this can impact the end result. For example if you want it chunkier, add the blended fruit first before adding the broth and then see if you even need any more liquid.

Olive Oil for sautéing

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Sauté the diced onions and minced garlic in the olive oil until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Just like anything else you cook, remember to TASTE your food. When you’re cooking and you taste a dish is a bit off, that’s the time to FIX it. If you think it could use a smoky element, add some liquid smoke. Need a tang? A drop or two of vinegar could be the answer. Experiment. Be bold!

If you’re taking the fruit route, sauté up the garlic and onions like above. Add the canned ingredients and the blended fruit then. Stir well and check to see if you want the consistency thicker or thinner at this point. Taste it to see if you need another element to balance out the taste as well. If everything looks good, add the herbs and let it mingle and get all saucy on the stove. If you’re not happy with it, tweak until it tastes good!

USE ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS OF FRUIT AT FIRST. IT’S EASY TO ADD INGREDIENTS; TAKING AWAY IS DIFFICULT!

I’m not really sure the amount this yielded so I’ll ask the Literate Zombie when he gets home. It looks like we’re going to get two meals out of it. It was already used once this week in his “Who Needs Cheese? Pizza Casserole” and then again, we’ll use it tonight on the spaghetti. And speaking of, come back to read about our dinner after we eat it!

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The Literate Zombie really outdid himself tonight. My taste buds and stomach had a huddle and came to the conclusion that dinner was spot-on. He took garlic bread to places where bread usually doesn’t venture to and the spaghetti? Cooked perfectly and coated in a chunky sauce. This was my kind of dinner!

When we were talking after yesterday’s undercooked meal, I brought up making garlic bread with the spaghetti. He was totally on board for it and came hard with tonight’s dinner. Adding fresh minced garlic, diced red onion and finely chopped kale to melted Earth Balance and then spreading it over sliced whole wheat French bread was AMAZING. It toasted perfectly in the oven leaving the slices with crispy edges and soft buttery centers sporting sporadic bursts of garlic throughout.

 

Before...

...After

Satisfying and relatively cheap to make, tonight’s meal is a favorite I hope to revisit soon and often. Tomorrow we’ll be making something with black beans. That’s all of the details I have at my disposal right now. ‘Til then…

Read. Comment. Spread the MoFo.

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Happy MoFo’ing!

 

 

Vegan MoFo: Day Twelve

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Twelve

Afternoon, MoFoes! Week two has really proved to be delicious as each time I come to write a post, all I want to talk about is the night before’s dinner. The ‘Who Needs Cheese? Pizza Casserole’ leftovers from last night are calling to me, begging to be heated up and devoured; licking the bowl is optional, but most likely will happen.

Tonight’s delectable vegan meal looks to be Split Pea & Barley Soup! With the temperatures dropping at night now, this is sure to be warm and comforting. I will be making this one as the Literate Zombie has to work and it’s a little more time consuming. This isn’t something than can be whipped up after he gets home.

So, once again, I will write about our yummy dinner and there will be pictures [well at least ONE picture] but only until after it’s made and we eat it. Our schedule being the way it is kind of forces us to write this way, but you know…do what ya gotta do!

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Tonight’s meal makes me miss last night. It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t genius in the kitchen at its best either. Now I feel spoiled. The Split Pea & Barley Soup I made [that name always reminds me of a regal title so I felt it only appropriate to capitalize] came from a recipe. Now normally I don’t follow soup recipes because it’s so easy that I don’t need to. But for some reason, I thought it necessary to follow this recipe…to a T…even against my better judgement.

See, I felt that dumping in dry peas along with the barley into the broth with the carrots and onions only to cook them for 90 minutes wasn’t going to work. My gut told me to cook these babies separately, but I ignored the feeling. I passed on the suggestion from the clear thinking portion of my brain and away I went, following that forking recipe that told me to dump those peas in that pot.

*Sigh* But, now I know. When in doubt, follow you’re gut. The Literate Zombie smiled that little “I’ve been in situations like this before” kind of smile and let me onto that little gem of a lesson. Trust yourself.

Because the peas were a bit undercooked, their texture wasn’t all that soft. The Literate Zombie came up with the solution of putting tortilla chips into the soup to add that crunchy chip element while detracted from the peas off-ness, so-to-speak.

All in all, this was tasty. The elemental flaw of the peas, however, really disappointed me. But, I know what to do in case I ever decide to attack this beast again.

I’m looking forward to the spaghetti with homemade marinara tomorrow. Knowing it’s in the chef’s hands kind of gives me a sense of relief!

Read. Comment. Spread the MoFo.

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Happy MoFo’ing!

 

Vegan MoFo: Day Eleven

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Eleven

Bonjour! So I’m not really sure what’s on today’s menu because A) I don’t have the meal plans in front of me and B) the Literate Zombie is still sleeping and I don’t want to wake him to ask. But I’m sure whatever it is, it will be scrumptious.

I do know one thing: last night’s green bean casserole will be hard to beat! I think I was dreaming about that at some point in my slumber travels.

Anyhow, once again I ask you to come back and visit to see what we ate for dinner…after we eat dinner. In the meantime, check out the MISADVENTURES page for a titillating  story about missing carrots, aliens and robots by the talented Literate Zombie!

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Did you go and read the story? If not, go do that and come back for dinner. Well, me writing about us making and eating our dinner anyway.

Tonight’s meal ended up being indeed better than last night’s! Filling and piping hot right out of the oven, it was absolutely perfect on this chilly night San Diego spread out for us.

 

The Who Needs Cheese? Pizza Casserole

Jalapeño Sheephearder bread [delicious find!] cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed in olive oil made the base “crust” of this casserole. Homemade marinara sauce that the Literate Zombie cooked yesterday [that’s been marinating in its homemade-y self since then] was generously spooned over the spicy bread, soaking it in all its saucy glory. Tender-crisp bell peppers, red onions, fresh garlic and sliced black olives sautéed in the cast iron skillet made themselves at home in the marinara.

The chef cut additional sheephearder bread into tinier pieces than the crust and tossed it with melted Earth Balance. Using this to top it all off, the bread toasted up nice and crisp. The bottom chunks of bread and sauce tasted remarkably like a traditional pizza crust. Having the two styles of the same bread, the toasted bits and saucy crust made this texturally sinful.

This shouldn’t taste this good. It’s too easy. It’s just bread, sauce and vegetables. But the combination of these particular ingredients put together in this particular way equates to greatness. When recipes like this come together from just “winging it” in the kitchen, you can taste that special element that made it what it is, no matter that it has no name. It’s a certain kind of feeling that happens only once in awhile. An energy. I see this energy in my husband who cooks with not only excitement but a boldness.

I watch him move from cutting board to oven to colander and back, over and over with a confidence that is inspiring me to be more adventurous in the kitchen. And for that, I thank the Literate Zombie and encourage all to take a page out of his book.

Read. Comment. Spread the MoFo.

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Happy MoFo’ing!

Vegan MoFo: Day Ten

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Ten

Today marks a milestone for the Literate Zombie and myself, Fruit Killer. We were married three years ago. Ironically, the traditional gift for the big 3 is leather. But thanks to modern devices, the now suggested gift is crystal, glass or pearls.

I prefer delicious food. And tonight we’ll be making Green Bean Casserole! The Literate Zombie will also be in the kitchen stirring up some homemade marinara, which we will be documenting. So until later, I must leave you all to enjoy our anniversary.

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Hello again, MoFoes! After spending an hour in the kitchen, chopping and dicing our way through vegetables and stirring and seasoning up a storm we were rewarded with a beautiful veganized version of a green bean casserole.

Crispy and Creamy: Just like it should be

I made the casserole while the Literate Zombie got to work on the homemade marinara sauce we’re using in two dinners this week. The recipe I used is from FatFree Vegan Kitchen. It is everything I hoped it would be. With this now in my arsenal, I feel prepared to face any potluck invitation thrown at us.

Using fresh green beans and cooking them from scratch made this extra special. After boiling, I poured the beans into a colander. A fragrance hit me that was so strong it brought back memories from my summers in Georgia with my Papa, ‘roughin’ it’ as he liked to call it. We used to go out to farms and pick our vegetables fresh in that steamy hot kind of sun only Valdosta could put out.

Making this tonight brought back lots of snippets from my childhood. Very rare and sweet snippets that has given me a sense of home here in California. For the first time in a long time, I feel like we have a home and not just a stepping stone to the next city.

This is what home tastes like

A few notes about the recipe:

1. I finely minced the mushrooms instead of just chopping into pieces. In the picture of casserole on the original blog post you can distinctly see a piece of mushroom. I wanted the sauce to be smoother than what was pictured so I cut smaller tinier pieces than called for. It’s a matter of taste really. If you want chunkier, follow the original recipe.
2. The recipe called for soy creamer…and I see why. I thought I could get away with using regular unsweetened and unflavored mylk but I will be using the creamer in future casserole endeavors. The sauce was thick but not as thick as I would have liked it.
3. I omitted the cooking sherry. And not because I didn’t have any, because I did. I just tasted it right after the sauce had been bubbling and sending “Taste Me” waves undulating up from the cast iron skillet and it was…perfect. So I opted out and I don’t regret the decision.
4. I ended up using a 6 oz. can of the French Fried Onions in addition to the bread. Using only 3 oz and the crumbled bread mix wasn’t going to cut it. So you may or you may not want to get more just in case.
5. The Literate Zombie thought it could have been “sloshier” i.e. leftover sauce.

Truly the best thing I've made in awhile...

Because we were both running around the kitchen making different dishes, I didn’t catch a shot of the marinara. But it will be in the spaghetti and the pizza “casserole-deep-dish” thing we’re still planning on doing this week.

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Go read other MoFo blogs! Leave comments! Spread some joy!

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Happy MoFo’ing!

Vegan MoFo: Day Nine

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Nine

Evenin’ MoFoes! Shopping day has come again. I cannot believe it’s already been a week since starting this! Today, I have some words about a store we checked out today and of course, our delectable evening meal. Right. Onward…

When we lived in Denver, CO we frequented a grocery store called Sprouts Farmers Market. We really really liked this place. Enough for me to use “really really” in the last sentence which says quite a bit. Well when we moved to California, there weren’t any within a reasonable distance to shop at. And with our food co-op less than a block away, driving half an hour was out of the question.

Today, we found our new Sprouts. Well until they build a Sprouts closer to us. The stores are very similar in layout and style. Henry’s selection wasn’t as vegan-friendly, but it’s lovely knowing there is something similar that is close to us.

I will probably end up posting the receipts on Thursday as tomorrow is our three year wedding anniversary. But we’ll be spending it the kitchen making homemade marinara sauce and either green bean casserole or pizza. Enough about tomorrow. Let’s talk about tonight:

 

Fixin's

So we’ve already managed to alter the menu a little bit. Subs turned into Dagwoods which you can see from the picture above. This all changed because we came across this jalapeño bread on sale at Henry’s. Checked the ingredients and after seeing everything was vegan, we changed plans. The french bread pizzas have been removed from week two’s menus. Because we opted for the bread, the pizza “crust” won’t be on a sub roll. So now we’re thinking of making a pizza-like casserole with homemade marinara. But back to tonight.

 

Vegan Dagwoods

I ended up doing food prep for these beauts when the Literate Zombie ran out to the co-op to pick up a couple of avocados and a few pears for the morning. I sliced my way through juicy tomatoes and cut a green bell pepper into strips. Black olives were halved and red onions were chopped into half moons. The jalapeño bread slices were slathered with Nayonnaise and stone ground mustard. Big handfuls of shredded kale made a bed for the ripe tomato slices, red onions, green pepper strips, sliced black olives, half of an avocado and even more red onions. A slight touch of Creole seasoning was the pitch prefect spice to end with.

When people generally say they had sandwiches for dinner, I normally think “Is that all?” But I forget about the beauty of a large sandwich that has to be cut into fourths just so it can be handled long enough to get from the plate and into a mouth. Sandwiches of this nature can be such a treat when you haven’t taken the time to build one, layer by layer, and then sit down to enjoy it, with no interruptions. Paying attention to your food can be the tastiest decision you ever make.

 

I haven't been this full in a long time...

The first bite induced “Mmmm” sounds and closed eyes. I tried a bite of the bread before having the sandwich and I thought maybe I made a mistake agreeing to something so spicy. It was toned down by the other 8+ components which I was excited about. I like the flavor of jalapeño but the heat’s not always my friend. I have been trying to get my spicy tolerance up a bit more so we can both enjoy things with a little extra kick.

The Creole seasoning and spicy bread added a hint of something special earning this Dagwood a place in my “Hey we should make this again” portion of my mind’s hunger files. But let us be honest: it’s kind of hard to fork up a sandwich with fresh juicy veggies and delicious spreads like Nayonnaise and stone ground mustard. Something so delicious AND easy makes me think “Geez it’s so hard being vegan.”

Remember to spread the love around! Check out and comment on some MoFo blogs:

VEGAN MOFO HEADQUARTERS INTERNATIONAL

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Happy MoFo’ing!

Vegan MoFo: Day Eight

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Eight

Howdy, MoFoes! So I have our Week 2 menu for your perusal [in no particular order]:

1. Green Bean Casserole [just a big giant green bean casserole]
2. Split Pea & Barley Soup
3. French Bread Pizza with homemade marinara
4. Subs
5. Burritos
6. Spaghetti with homemade marinara
7. Black Beans and Rice

I’m really hoping we come in under budget again. There are some components to the dishes we already have, so we’ll figure an average price for those items and add them to our receipts to compensate. It is $45 for this week too. I feel like the meal plans are a bit more ambitious this go round so I’m excited to see if we can make it work without sacrificing any key flavors.

Tonight’s meal will be Stir Fry which I will write about more…after we eat it.

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Okay so we’ve eaten and I’m here to tell all.

 

Brown Rice & Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry

We had a delicious stir fry consisting of organic brown rice, spaghetti squash [which our new roommate kindly gave to us- added bonus!] kale, onion, garlic and Nutch. It’s been a long time since we’ve had rice because we don’t have a rice cooker. Since I would be the one to cook it while the Literate Zombie is at work, I avoided using the stove top method for fear of burning, overcooking or any other terrible acts of crime one could commit against brown rice.

But tonight, I was brave. I took hold of the cooking reins and I showed the rice how to hang out in a pot, come to a boil, be stirred, have heat reduced beneath it and lo and behold- perfectly cooked rice. In a pot. And- you guessed it- on top of the stove.

I was feeling rather triumphant when the Literate Zombie came home from work, showing him that the Brown Rice Beast had been tamed. While he grabbed a shower, I got things rolling in the kitchen by dicing up the kale. He took over and added onions and garlic to the mix.

I think one key ingredient that was an especially flavorful addition was the Balsamic vinegar. It added a familiar friend kind of taste. Combine that with a bit of hot sauce and liquid smoke and that was our dinner! The rice turned out so well which pleased us both because know we now we don’t need a rice cooker. And tonight reminded me how filling a stir fry can be. I am stuffed and there are no leftovers!

Here are a couple of pics taken by the Literate Zombie of me, Fruit Killer. I’m always the one behind to lens so I figured it’s only fair to post some shots of my mug.

 

Those who don't cook, wash the dishes

I don't know really what's going on in this pic to be honest...

Spread some love to the blogs around you!

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

Happy MoFo’ing

Vegan MoFo: Day Seven

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Seven

***Be sure to check out the recently updated page about OIL by the Literate Zombie***

Good evening MoFoes! We are seven days into the beautiful month of November and the Vegan Month of Food is well underway! New receipts have been uploaded into the first week page under the OUR BUDGET tab. We are currently under SEVEN CENTS!

With a curry noodles and seitan dish tonight and a stir fry tomorrow, that makes something different for dinner every single night. So we managed to accomplish three of our goals:

1. Stay under the $45/week budget
2. Have something something different for dinner every night
3. Blog every day this week [plus 2 extra posts!]

Based on how things went this week, it feels like it’s going to be a bit of a challenge cutting down the budget more. But a few good bits:

1. We found out the batch of seitan I make can be portioned out to four generous allotments giving us one more meal than originally thought
2. We haven’t utilized proper cooked beans as much as possible, therefore allowing even more [cheap] variety in our weekly menu
3. The same goes for rice
4. And soups! I love soup a bit more than the Literate Zombie so this is something I’ll probably make an extra 2-3 portions of for lunches when I incorporate it once a week for dinner

Tonight we’re going over menus and budget plans for this week. I’ve been eying the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen’s recipe for green bean casserole so look for that in the coming week. I’m also interested in a homemade French Bread Pizza. These are just some ideas!

Now onto tonight’s meal…

First, we started with chips, salsa and a surprise. The Literate Zombie likes to call the mini meal you sometimes eat during dinner prep a “Chef Snack”. If I’m lucky enough to be around when he’s cooking, he’ll toss something my way even though I’m technically not the chef. A very sweet man indeed.

 

Chef Snack

Pictured is a seitan sandwich with Nayonnaise and kale. Truly a tasty pre-dinner delight offered up by my husband. While happily munching away on this, I notice that the onion he was chopping had gotten to him:

 

Sweet Onion Tears

The eye-stinging pain was definitely worth it as the meal turned out superb. Garlic and onion mingled together [as they always seem to at these kinds of events] while the diced kale stems made an appearance along with its leafy counterpart. The noodles were cooked to perfection and rinsed well, leaving a smooth, not starchy, consistency. This in contrast to the seitan pieces made for a well-rounded dish rich in flavor. Everything in the pot was covered in a light hug of curry and sriracha sauce. Perfection.

Curry Noodles with Seitan

Remember to spread the love around by reading and commenting on all of the MoFo blogs out there! Check out the complete blog list at Vegan MoFo Headquarters International and use it! Happy MoFo’ing!

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

 

Vegan MoFo: Day Five

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Five

 

We want to start out today’s post with a survey that’s floating around Vegan MoFo-land from I EAT TREES

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?

Chinese food

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?

We were both fat kids so we weren’t picky about food.

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?

Neither of us feel obligated to like certain foods.

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

Water

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?

We change it up.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

No.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

Literate Zombie- fresh fruit   Fruit Killer- nuts

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?

BBQ Sauce, “ranch” dressing, beans [cooked from dry]

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?

Fresh Local Organic Produce [F.L.O.P.]

Are you much of a snacker?  What are your favorite snacks?

Yes! F.L.O.P. & nuts

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?

Literate Zombie- zucchini, black olives, jalapeño  Fruit Killer- black olives, MUSHROOMS, onion

What is your favorite vegetable?  Fruit?

Literate Zombie- onion; peaches or strawberries   Fruit Killer- zucchini; citrus or bananas

What is the best salad dressing?

Oil & vinegar with whatever you’re feeling like that day

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

Literate Zombie- Homemade jelly   Fruit Killer- Tahini & Agave

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

When we don’t feel good, a simple broth does the trick. On a chilly day, nothing beats a thick hearty stew or a rustic chili with beans and load of veggies

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?

Literate Zombie- Zucchini Chocolate cupcake with Avocado Strawberry frosting

Fruit Killer- plain ol’ vanilla on vanilla

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Literate Zombie- Rather have some fresh fruit

Fruit Killer- Macadamia Nut Cookie

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?

Stir fry

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

Literate Zombie- Really spicy food

Fruit Killer- Soup

How long, in total,  do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?

Literate Zombie- 1-2 hours

Fruit Killer- 1-2 hours

 

Tonight, we had the Literate Zombie’s spin on Aglio e Olio [basically spaghetti noodles and olive oil] and although not so photogenic, it was really tasty. Using only a bit of fresh cracked pepper, salt, dried rosemary, Creole seasoning, garlic and onion powder with the olive oil, the noodles were satisfying, quick and easy.

When I mentioned above that dinner was not well-liked by the camera, I wasn’t kidding. I didn’t even take a photo. But, I did snap a shot of the taco salad we had as an appetizer while the noodles were cooking. He mixed the leftover beans from last night’s tacos with the last of the tortilla chips, kale, cilantro, hotsauce and a bit of vegenaise. This was excellent as there were enough chips to gave the salad a nice crunch while differentiating from the soft beans. I was definitely glad I didn’t eat the leftovers for lunch today.

Delicious Taco Salad

I don’t ever remember having just plain noodles and olive oil before. Homemade red sauce, or “gravy” as my grandmother called it, was a regular on my plate growing up. The noodles we used were whole wheat which I like, as long as they’re cooked well. You can’t really go wrong with roasted garlic in olive oil taste-wise. A very clean tasting dish with a light back note of sweetness to it.

The chef  really has a gift when it comes to seasoning dishes. I like the energy that happens between us when were in the kitchen and tasting a dish, going back and forth with what we each think the direction the flavor should go in is. I feel that we  mostly agree and it can turn interesting when it doesn’t. Most of the time he is right as I’ve been known to jump to conclusions concerning odd [in my opinion] seasoning choices though.

Here’s to Happy MoFo’ing! Be sure to check out as many blogs as you can to spread the MoFo around!

Much Love,

Fruit Killer

 

Vegan MoFo: Day Four

Vegan Month of Food: Day Four

Hmmm…this whole budget thing is tough. We were in the habit of going to the co-op everyday and getting our food for that specific day before starting this MoFo theme. I think getting used to mass shopping for the entire week threw us off a bit. We’re still under budget with eight bucks and some change left, but the closer we’re looking at our meals, it seems we have left out some key components.

We’re not throwing in the towel yet though! Tonight we’re having tacos which I will be sure to have pictures of [I’ve already checked to make sure the memory card is actually in the camera so as not to have a repeat of last night’s non-food porn post].

Instead of seitan being the dish’s focus, tonight we used Pinto beans. Slow and proper cooked, the beans were spot-on in texture. I’m kind of particular about beans, especially if they’re undercooked. I know we had the seitan tacos two nights ago but not only was the flavor different, the consistency of the meal was as well. The chew on the seitan definitely was [almost too] meat-like while the beans were softer and spicier.

Chaz sautéed some fresh garlic and onion in a bit of olive oil before adding some of the bean stock and pintos. He added some chili powder, cumin, salt and fresh cracked pepper. After letting this hang out on the stove for 5-10 minutes to basically heat the beans up and let the flavors develop a little, we scooped up spoonfuls onto the whole wheat tortilla shells. Topped with kale, cilantro [not too much for me] and some nutritional yeast, overall it was a solid dinner I’d be happy to eat again.

We also rounded off the salsa and almost all of the chips. We’ll throw the tortilla crisps with the bean leftovers, kale and cilantro for lunch tomorrow. I do enjoy a nice taco salad from time to time.

Happy MoFo’ing and don’t forget to check out the other blogs and show some love!

 

Vegan MoFo: Day Three

 

Vegan Month of Food: Day Three

Before getting into what dinner we ate tonight, I thought I would go over the other meals I have during the day. Like I wrote before in the first MoFo post, Chaz and I don’t always eat together. Mainly this is because he’s at work while I’m at home or out roaming the streets of San Diego.

Breakfast is usually fresh fruit for me. I’ll almost always have 1-3 bananas where the other piece of fruit varies. I’ve been on a citrus kick lately so sustainable oranges have made their way into my brekky.

Lunch varies more because this is where I’ll eat any leftovers from previous dinners. I eat sandwiches a lot here too. Tomato and Nayonnaise or tahini, banana and agave are big on my go-to list for mid-meal. I have been trying to add a bit more variety with what I can slap together between two slices of bread though. I will also get a split-pea soup mix from the co-op from time to time, but not very often.

I like to snack on dry roasted unsalted peanuts. Simple and relatively cheap, this satisfies the crunch and hunger between meals. Chips and salsa also does the trick and I notice the hotter the salsa, the less I eat of it.

Now onto dinner…

It’s Seitan Pot Roast Day! After we received numerous comments about how everyone was excited for the pot roast, it really got me amped up. Chaz will be donning the chef apron once again to turn out what will hopefully be a delectable, super moist and tender dish.

I personally thought I had never had Pot Roast because it was always called just “roast”. I just never put the two together. Every time I came across a recipe, it called for a Dutch Oven which I’ve never used. So I would immediately abandoned the recipe, not learning that Pot Roast and “roast” are indeed the same things. In fact, it was right after tasting the roasted vegetables tonight that I said “This tastes like Papa’s roast”, thinking about my grandfather’s weekly Sunday dinner he would cook in the crock pot.

Then the whole light bulb going off thing happened and I instantaneously registered the taste to expect from the Seitan. Now I understand why everyone was so excited about this dish considering the texture of seitan that’s prepared and ready-to-use. I was expecting the faux meat to break apart easily and yield to the light pressure of a fork from my memory of its real meat counterpart.

***I FORGOT TO CHECK THE CAMERA TO SEE IF THE MEMORY CARD WAS IN IT BUT IT WAS UNFORTUNATELY IN THE LAPTOP SO NO PICTURES***

I’m really rather bothered by my oversight of the memory card because I felt really good about the pictures taken. So instead I will insert a cute goat picture from Mountain Farm in North Carolina where we interned at.

 

This is Cotton, one of the kids from the 2010 season

Anyhow, dinner was not bad. In fact, I went back for a second helping. It just wasn’t Pot Roast or roast as I remember it to be. I thought that the seitan texture could be improved by using a slow cooker and possibly, more flavor could be added by sticking it in a marinade overnight using fresh herbs instead of dried. So Pot Roast is now a challenge, not a fail.

I’m for sure not starving after eating tonight’s meal and I’m looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow for lunch!