(Chickpeas * 2) + Vegan Junk Food = Delight

Let me walk you through this equation. First, I made Forty-Clove Chipckpeas & Broccoli (pg125):
This was nice and garlicky, but there just wasn't quite enough of it. Also, the recipe called for smashed garlic cloves, but I used minced garlic because I already had some on hand. I don't suppose that would change the taste, but it might change the texture?

Next, I had chickpeas again in this dish:
This is an up close & personal picture of my left over Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad (pg 16). I have made this salad a few times but am just now remembering to post it. It's a good quick dinner if you already have some cooked, cooled quinoa on hand. So each time I make something with this grain, I make double the amount to take care of dinner the next night & lunch the following day. The Balsamic Vinaigrette (pg 17) is sometimes more work than I want (Actually, it's super easy but it involves a food processor which means more dishes.), so I just do a basic vinaigrette of oil, balsamic vinegar, a little salt, and a little sugar or agave nectar. (Note to my non-vegan friends who still haven't tried agave: CLICK ON THE LINK!)

Last, I had a junk food night. That's right, vegans still crave cheese burgers and onion rings. We don't miss out. I had intended to make Chipotle Lentil Burgers (pg 123). Unfortunately, this recipe is super finicky, and I wasn't able to find some of the essentials - canned lentils namely. The recipe had specified that you must use store bought bread crumbs. The only ones I could find were Japenese. I'm not sure if they would work or not. Since I had them on hand (I bought them before I realized I couldn't make the burgers), I used them for the onion rings. The onion rings were a real pain to make. Was it the bread crumbs I had or me? I'm not sure. The majority of the crumbs vacated the onions in the transport to the oven. Pictured are the best ones. Nevertheless, they were scrumptious, and I will probably make them again. As for the burger, this is an Amy's Bistro Burger, with Vegan Cheddar Soy Cheese, and Vegenaise all of which I purchased at Fred Meyer. The fry sauce I made using Vegenaise & ketchup. The best part, this came to about 700 calories. What would it be non-veganized?

I am delighted in my work and in knowing that no animals were harmed in the process.

Tofu, Tempeh, & Breakfast!

Can I just say I wish I could find some Thai Basil? That being said, here is the Red Thai Tofu (149), Bhutanese Pineapple Rice (72), and Green Beans with Thai Basil (98):




I didn't used to like cooked pineapple. I thought pineapple should be cold, but lately I've been craving it hot, meaning I enjoyed the rice! Steven is usually super picky about food being too sweet, but he even enjoyed this dish. When I took the left overs in my lunch, co-workers were quick to ask me what I was eating because it smelled so yummy.

This is Buffalo Tempeh (161) & Cool Slaw (38):
I wasn't totally excited to try this mock coleslaw recipe, as neither of us care for cabbage. However, we both agreed that this was edible. The downside was the smell... although maybe I just used a potent onion.

Here is the Curried Scrambled Tofu (156) along with the rest of my breakfast:
I'm not sure if this was intended to be a breakfast dish, but I see any scrambled tofu as mock scrambled eggs. I don't know that I like it more or less than my regular scrambled tofu recipe, but it was delish with the wilted arugula. Also, these pancakes are super easy to make because you'll always have the recipe on hand. I prefer Moby's pancakes, however.

I think I still have about 80 recipes to try by the end of the year. This might be more challenging than I had anticipated, but I'll keep cooking... in my Post Punk Kitchen apron.

Caribbean Curried Bliss

As a vegan I seriously miss creamy dishes. I have found refuge in coconut milk thanks in large part to my mother. What goes best with coconut milk? Curry, of course! Coconut milk makes a dish heavier thus you get filled up faster. I was plenty satisfied with this dish of Caribbean Curried Black-Eyed Peas with Plantains (pg 129) and Jerk Asparagus (Pg 91).

The banana-like stuff on top is the plantains (plan-tins). The little bit of sweet was the perfect touch that I never would have thought of on my own. I messed up on the Asparagus by adding anise, and I kind of liked it. A lot. Overall, this proved to be a very fulfilling dish. Although I must confess I had some soycream afterward.

Reduction Medley

I also found these on my camera that I need to report...

This is Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach (179-181) and a side of Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale (89-90):
The lasagna was just alright compared to the lasagna I usually make, but the lasagna I make wouldn't fit with the reductive lifestyle. However, I do like the roasted cauliflower in the ricotta. I would almost rather just have it on the side of the lasagna I usually make. I even made it a second time, using a mix of my usual lasagna with this, but both my husband and mother said I should stick with my original. Why mess with a good thing? Those of you wondering, I usually use this lasagna, but I make my own sauce. My sauce changes each time, but here is a rough recipe of my sauce:

1 large can of tomato sauce
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (the kind that has basil & oregano already in it)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
basil & oregano to taste (fresh is preferable but dried will work)
crushed red pepper to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Just fry the onion in a little olive oil, add the garlic, add the rest, and voila! Although I should measure out my seasonings for you. I'll try to do that next time.

This is Goddess Nicoise (25) with Green Goddess Garlic Dressing (26):

This is my favorite of this bunch - Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt (131-132):
I have a confession. I don't like olives. I couldn't bring myself to eat the olives in this dish, so I made his and her tacos. These were super spicy... like to the point where you feel intoxicated from the endorphins released when consuming super spicy food... It was awesome!

This is Soft Broccoli Polenta (77) with Black Beans in Red Velvet Mole (134):
This was not my favorite dish. The polenta was too bland and the mole was too sweet. Steven certainly enjoyed it and ate up all the leftovers.

Until next time...

Sushi Roll Out

I remember my first experience with sushi. It was prior to becoming a vegan, and it was at some little restaurant my friend took me to in Coeur d' Alene. I felt grown up and brave trying raw fish for the first time, but I also experienced some of my first convictions about eating animals. Those same convictions later lead me to become a vegan years later. I guess something about grinding up animal in its raw form made it clearer to me that I was harming something that had once experienced life, just like I am experiencing life. Nevertheless, I had a positive experience with sushi. That is why I was excited at my realization a few years ago that not all sushi had to violate my animal friends. Shortly after becoming a vegan, I discovered a show called The Post Punk Kitchen where I fell in love with Isa Chandra. On the first show I watched, the ladies were making sushi, and it was then that I coveted Isa's cooking ability and her ability to look so cool doing it. I also started desiring to make sushi. Being the coward that I am, I never tried.

A few days ago I slipped my big toe into the water. I made Sushi Roll Edamame Salad.

Do you see the shelled edamame? They're green and look like beans.... Oh, that's right, I forgot to put them in the salad! Ugh, this was the second time in two months that I forgot to serve edamame I prepared. Why am I so spacy sometimes? To my own credit, I re-read the recipe, and it never spelled out the "put the edamame in with the rest of the salad" step. I prepped it like it said, but when I went to clean up dinner, I found it still sitting on the counter screaming "What about me?!" So I ate several large spoonfuls, added the rest to the leftovers, and it was super yummy.

Other than that, I had a fabulous experience with the sushi salad. I had fun chiffonading the nori sheet. Actually, I had a rough time at first because I didn't roll it up tight enough. Steven also recommended using a serrated knife, which seemed to work much better. It was worth the trouble to have that added fishy seaweed taste. I have a feeling I will be repeating this recipe several times this summer... if the weather ever improves... and maybe one day, I will dive in head first and make real honest to goodness vegan sushi rolls.

Still Alive & Cookin'

I realize that I haven't posted in.... well... a very long time. I didn't give up on my project. I just haven't been writing up reviews on my yummies. To prove that I have still been cooking, here is a photo summary of the last couple months...

My cat Shinji loves to help me cook...And tries to help me taste the results.
Tofu wraps... (Even better than PF Changs!!!!) with non-fried rice
Lentils & caulipots.... Cauliflowers mashed into mashed potatoes is the best idea EVER!

Mac & Trees... This shall replace my baked mac & "cheese" recipe permanently. It was so creamy!
Noodles Green & Black Beans
I enjoyed these pasta shells for lunch at work.

Quinoa Peas & Potatoes... If you aren't eating quinoa once a week or every two weeks, you need to 1) buy some (I get it in the bulk section of Winco.) and 2) Google it to learn its health benefits.

Soup and Salad (I honestly don't remember this meal, but the salad sure looks pretty.)
Taco Salad, Guacamame, & Salsa Dressing... Guacamame uses avocado & edamame to replace guacamole. Although NOTHING can replace the creaminess of guac, this is a great alternative when looking at adding protein and decreasing fat/calories.
We had our friends over to kick off spring break with Apple Miso Tofu, Orange Scented Broccoli, & Potato Pancakes.
Some... broccoli???

Broiled Tofu & Jerk Asparagus
I am still determined to try all the recipes this year... Even if that means vomiting 50 pics of them at you at once. Stay tuned.

Eda-Mamma Mia!

My mother introduced to edamame a few years back as an appetizer at a sushi restaurant. I have been hooked on these soybeans ever since. I have had it as a snack (in pods with salt) and in soups and stews (shelled). Tonight, I had it processed in pesto. All I can do is express much gratitude to Isa for concocting this amazing dish. I will never use another pesto recipe again!

The meal I made was Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto (pg 174-175). This dinner was simple to make, as I could prepare the pesto and do all the chopping while waiting for the pot of water to boil for the linguine. However, I ran into a couple of issues. 1)I didn't have enough fresh basil, so I had to use some dried. I also used some cilantro I had left over per ICM's recommendation. I was highly impressed with how this turned out. 2) I couldn't find any spinach linguine in this city, so I guess that means technically I made Whole Wheat Linguine with Edamame Pesto. Does anyone know where I could purchase spinach linguine? I would love to try it.

Aside from taste, the best thing about this recipe was the serving size. I have made it a priority with all of the recipes in this book to stick to sampling only one serving per meal. This has been a real challenge for me, as all the meals are delish. However, this meal is scrumptious AND filling. I was completely satisfied having one serving, which looked like this:

Steven and I both sprinkled nutritional yeast on top of this yummy dish. Our child-- I mean cat, Shinji, begged for a taste, but we hogged it all.

Happy cooking.