I'm An Omelet Master!

I've attempted to make Fat-Free Vegan's Tofu Omelet several times. And each time, the "egg" mixture sticks to my crappy old not-so-non-stick pans and becomes a fancied-up version of tofu scramble ... until today. Check this out:

Sorry for the crappy photo ... it was still dark outside when I ate this!

Yep, I've masted the tofu omelet! It's only because my mom gave me her hand-me-down cookware after she got a shiny new set of Rachel Ray pots and pans for Christmas. Her non-stick pans actually prevent sticking! Even though the omelet tastes the same no matter how it looks, presentation is pretty darn important.

This omelet is stuffed with Cheddar Teese and sauteed bell pepper and mushrooms. Since I whipped up the omelet batter and sauteed the veggies last night, tossing it together for breakfast today was a snap.

If you haven't tried this recipe yet, you must. I was always a big omelet fan in my omni days and this has all the fluffiness of a real egg omelet. It even tastes just like the real thing minus that icky battery cage cruelty.

Food Swap!

About a month ago, my friend Nick suggested a Vegan Food Swap night in which a few of our culinarily-inclined friends would get together and split up dishes so we'd each have leftovers to last several days. Not really a potluck, just a food trade.

We gathered at my house on Thursday night (after American Idol, of course!) to dole out the servings. Here's the group (from left to right) — Me, Stephanie, Hart, and Nick:

I made the BBQ Tempeh Pizza that's going in my cookbook:

It was okay, but I'm going to tweak the recipe to include more barbecue sauce. And I want a thicker crust.

Hart brought what he called a Carrot Souffle:

When he first signed up to bring vegan souffle, I balked. Everybody knows you can't make a vegan souffle! But turns out, it was more of a casserole. It was sweet and carrot-y and full of goodness.

Nick brought a huge batch of his Veggie Pate:

This is filled with all kinds of nuts and mushrooms and veggies. It's perfect for sandwiches, but I've been eating it by itself, like stuffing. Yum, yum!

Stephanie (Poopie Bitch) totally outdid herself with this amazing Veggie Meatloaf:

So comforting. And I'd been craving "meat" loaf lately, so it couldn't have come at a better time. She also went beyond the call of duty and brought these cute little White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter Cuppies:

And some kick-ass Whole Wheat Beer Bread:

Our first swap was a huge success. Thanks to my talented friends, I've had plenty of leftovers to get me through the weekend. And that means I haven't had to cook a thing! I'm pretty sure we'll be making this a monthly event.

Never Too Late for Pumpkin

I know it's spring and all, and pumpkin isn't exactly in season. But I don't care. Pumpkin is good any time, especially in Happy Herbivore's yummy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Alfredo Sauce:

Both recipes come from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, Volume One. The pumpkin gnocchi offers an alternative to traditional potato-based gnocchi. It's super garlicky and since the recipe only serves two, it made just enough to feed me dinner and leftovers the next day.

The alfredo sauce recipe is actually listed separately under the book's sauce section, but I thought it'd be the perfect gnocchi topping. And I was right! I've tried a lot of vegan alfredo sauce recipes, and this is my favorite! It's so creamy and delicious. I had a hard time not eating the sauce by itself from the pan with a spoon. This will be my new go-to alfredo recipe.

Hot Dogs and Grits

...but not together. That would be weird. This morning kicked off with a steamy bowl of my special Cheezy Bacon Grits:

The recipe is going in the cookbook since grits are a staple at the Southern breakfast table. And honestly, there's no better way to eat yellow corn grits than with vegan cheeze and crumbles of tempeh bacon. I read on someone's blog awhile back that grits aren't available in some areas of the country! Shocking! But I believe the ingredients in this recipe would work well with steel cut oats as well. I'm a recent savory oat convert.

Though the grits kept me full for hours, I couldn't wait until lunchtime when I could dig into one of Melody's AMAZING Homemade Veggie Dogs:

The recipe is a tester for Melody at the Melomeals: $3.33 a Day blog. She made them awhile back and I begged her for the recipe. So she was nice enough to let me test it. I'm now convinced that Melody is a genius! These taste so much like storebought dogs, but way, way better. I doubt I'll ever buy a processed veggie dog again.

I won't divulge what's in 'em since I believe the recipe is going in Melody's upcoming e-cookbook. But trust me when I say, this recipe alone is worth buying her book.

I topped my dog with Zukay Horseradish Relish (the kind with live probiotic cultures) and served it with leftover tortilla chips from Blue Coast Burrito, Zukay Hot Salsa (more cultures), and a spinach salad with radishes and almonds.

As for dinner, well, I'm saving that post for tomorrow. The nice daylight was gone when I returned home from yoga by 7:30 p.m., so I'll shoot that meal when I eat the leftovers for lunch.

Brownies, Crunk-style

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't posted very many pictures of dessert recipes for my cookbook. That's because I don't have a ton of recipes for that section yet. Baking is a science and well, I'm more of an artistic type. Creating baked goods from scratch is a little intimidating.

My Granny has helped quite a bit, veganizing her classic dessert recipes. In fact, most of the stuff in the dessert section right now is a Granny contribution. But this weekend, I was feeling a bit adventurous ... so created these Chocolate Mint Julep Brownies:

And quite frankly, I'm proud of myself. Other than possibly cutting back cooking time by five minutes (some of the brownies on the edge of the pan were drier than those in the center), I'd say these little guys are close to being perfected. And I just threw this recipe together from scratch!

Despite the name, there's no alcohol in these ... but I think I may spike them with bourbon next time just for fun. They are minty though, thanks to a bit of mint extract (which technically has alcohol in it, but not much). I also made them low-fat by using applesauce instead of oil. I rarely do that, but I'm not sure why. It still tastes great and I can eat three instead of one!

Testers: The new recipes are up on the tester site. Unfortunately, this brownie recipe is not one of them cause it still only exists in handwritten form. But I promise to type it up and post it there soon!

Spring Eats

I celebrated the Spring Equinox on Friday with a tasty menu, starting with this hearty Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce and Spinach:

The falafel recipe came from Vegan with a Vengeance, and though I've only made falafel from scratch a few times, I think this recipe is my favorite. It's light and crispy with a hint of green parsley taste. Often I find the herb-y taste in falafel to be overwhelming, but not in this recipe. I stuffed the falafel into whole wheat pita pockets with spinach, chili-garlic sauce, and tahini dressing.

On the side, I served this Bulgar and Asparagus Salad from The Vegan Cook's Bible:

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for asparagus to come back into season, and now the time has arrived! I LOVE ASPARAGUS!

This warm salad is the first dish I've tried from The Vegan Cook's Bible, a new book that came in as a review copy at work. Since I work at a newspaper, we occasionally get free vegan cookbooks in the mail! This book has an awesome glossary of the health benefits in fruits, vegetables, and herbs, as well as plenty of tasty veggie-heavy recipes.

For dessert, I finally made the Green Tea Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World:

Steph (aka Poopie Bitch) made these awhile back, and they soooo good. But I'd been unable to find matcha powder in Midtown (where I live). The only place that sells it is a million miles away in Hickory Hill (a suburb at least 20 minutes from where I live). But Steph was nice enough to give me some of her matcha so I could make these cakeys for myself. Hands down, one of the best cupcake recipes in the book.

More Cookbook Recipes!

Last night, I tweaked a recipe for my Hungry Jill Casserole, a combo of barbecue beans, TVP, and fluffy whole wheat biscuits:

The recipe is another adaptation of an old omni dish called Hungry Jack Casserole. Years ago, my mom tore the recipe out of a magazine ad for Hungry Jack biscuits. It called for canned Hungry Jack brand biscuits, ground burger, beans, and cheese. She made it every once in awhile for dinner and I loved it!

My version uses my recipe for whole wheat buttermilk biscuits, chopped into little half-moons and baked on top of the beans and TVP "beef." This time, I topped it with Cheddar Teese, but I've made it without cheeze too ... it's good either way.

By the way, the Cheddar Teese is quite tasty. Not as good as the mozzerella, but still good.

On the side, I made another cookbook dish — Mess O' Greens with Turnips:

It's collards and diced turnips cooked in my special way with plenty of hot sauce and smoky bacon flavor. My Granny always puts turnips in her greens and the two veggies complement one another quite well.

As I type, it's only hours away from the Vernal Equinox — the first day of Spring!!!! Happy Springtime everybody! And Friday is also National Meatout Day! Yea for vegetarians!

Fabulous and Fat-Free!

For the past couple mornings, I've started my days with these lovely fat-free Orange Blueberry Spelt Muffins from The Best of Happy Herbivore, Vol. 1 E-Cookbook:

These moist flavorful muffins are the first recipe I've made since ordering Lindsey's awesome e-cookbook (follow the link to score your own copy). And what a great first choice! The muffins are loaded with heart-healthy blueberries and nutrient-rich spelt four, with just a slight hint of citrus.

If you don't already own HH's Volume 1 cookbook, it's a must-buy. And a steal at only $5. The digital cookbook is filled with about 100 recipes, all compiled from Lindsey's blog through 2007 and 2008. Since she's all about the low-fat vegan recipes, every scrumptious dish in the book is healthy and light ... and some recipes are even fat-free!

I'm not gonna lie. I love me some fried food, but every once in awhile, a girl needs a break from the deep fryer. And this book offers plenty of healthy ideas for getting off the grease.

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

Okay, so I'm posting at midnight, so St. Patrick's Day is technically over. But I haven't gone to bed yet, so as far as I'm concerned, it's still March 17th. See, even my puppy Datsun is sporting a green bandana:

My friend/co-worker Shara, her pal Chris, and I went out for drinks at a sushi bar tonight (yea, yea, not very Irish, but whatever). But I dined on this traditional meal beforehand – Corned "Beef" and Cabbage with Baked "Chips":

The cabbage recipe came from Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen, but I used a chopped-up veggie burger in place of vegan beef. It's what I had on hand and it worked quite well. This stuff is lightly covered in a red wine-based gravy that is delish!

On the side, I made homemade baked French fries (or "chips" as the Irish like to call them). I doused them in vinegar, a trick I learned from a local Irish pub owner. Then I dipped them in ketchup (not pictured). So, so good. And perfect munchie food for my mandatory American Idol viewing.

On that note, who's watching American Idol this season? We have TWO Memphis girls — Alexis Grace and Lil' Rounds — in the Top 11! And Adam Lambert (the cute Pete Wentz-looking guy) is pretty stellar too.

Sweet 'n' Spicy

I developed not one, but TWO, new recipes for the cookbook tonight! I'm really trying to get this thing done by the end of the year — at least the recipe development part. For the main course this evening, I created Tangy Tempeh Chops Over Brown Rice:

It's a pork-ish marinated tempeh simmered in a sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce with green peppers. I got the idea from one of those old spiral-bound fundraiser-type cookbooks that my mom loaned me (I believe it was compiled by a church group in Arkansas). It's very, very un-vegan, but I love taking all the old country-style dishes in that book and putting a healthy vegan spin on them.

On the side, I finally tried my hand at hominy with this Spicy Jalepeno Hominy:

My dear friend Wes, who some of you may remember as my former awesome neighbor (he's still awesome, just not my neighbor now), makes the best hominy. So I took his recipe and added jalepenos, cause that's how I roll (for some reason, you can't see any jalepenos in this picture but they're in there). This side dish is super-simple and so comforting. There are few things in life better than plate of hot hominy.

Easter Came Early!

My parents still give me an Easter basket every year, though the contents have upgraded from stuffed animals and candy to tasty vegan goodies. My dad got a little ahead of himself this year and picked out this adorable vegan chocolate Easter bunny from Vegan Essentials:

Isn't it precious? My dad picked it out all by himself! It came in this week, so I get to eat it way before Easter. I'd like to think of it as a Spring Equinox present, since that happens this coming Friday. The bunny, basket, and eggs are made by Sjaak's Organic Chocolates and they're organic and fair-trade!

He also picked out a few other goodies:

There's Chreesy Mashed Potatoes by Road's End Organics (featured in the new VegNews!), Cheddareese Grated Cheese Replacer (like a parmasan sprinkle, only Cheddar flavored), the new Cheddar style Teese, the Teese Nacho Cheese Sauce, and an eggless cinnamon roll.

I can't wait to try all this stuff! I did crack open the Cheddareese tonight and sprinkled a bit on my dinner salad. It's really good. Kinda reminds me of the powdered cheese that comes in macaroni and cheese boxes. I always liked that stuff.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Salad Days

Well, it's not quite spring yet. It's doing something between sleet and drizzle outside right now. But I'm so ready for warm weather foods — like salad! Tonight, I jumped the gun and created a delicious Seitan Chicken Anjou Salad for my cookbook:

It's my recipe for seitan chicken (served cold and cut into small bites), red Anjou pears, walnuts, and green onion over mixed greens with a balsamic pear vinegarette. Delicious!

When I make large dinner salads, I typically throw anything and everything in. Every vegetable, bean, and crunch topping (bacon bits, croutons, tortilla strips, crunchy noodles, whatever) I can find in my pantry or fridge. And while that's satisfying and very filling, sometimes it's nice to have a special salad with select ingredients that complement one another. It feels very gourmet and fancy.

On another note, I gave Celine's Butterscoth Pecan Cookies another shot tonight. This time, I cooked them for the recommended 10 minutes instead of my improvised 14 minutes. They came out chewy and perfect!

And thanks guys for your awesome smoothie suggestions. I'll be putting those to use for pre-workout snacks in the very near future!

Smooth Moves

I don't drink enough smoothies. In fact, I really only have them on raw days (and the occasional Cranberry Supreme from Smoothie King). But with warmer weather on the way, it's time to start enjoying fruits and veggies in a liquid form ... like this Blackberry Chai Smoothie:

I had this before my afternoon pilates class, and it kept me full until the class was over at 6:50 p.m. Then I rushed home for another Vegan Monte Cristo and salad. But a smoothie makes a perfect pre-workout snack.

I made this drink with frozen blackberries (left from last summer), a cup of soymilk, a tablespoon of rolled oats (for thickener), and a scoop of Arbonne's Figure 8 Chai Latte Protein Shake Powder.

I bought this stuff about a year ago at an Arbonne party, but since I rarely drink my meals, it sits in the back of the pantry most of the time. But it tastes amazing, and it's packed with 20 vitamins and minerals. It's really for weight loss because it's supposed to be a meal substitute. But I'm using it as a snack, in addition to my three solid meals. It's also vegan, like all Arbonne products (I used to only use Arbonne makeup and skincare products, but it's a little pricey so I've started buying cheaper vegan brands).

As for smoothies, I'd like your input on smoothie ideas. What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

Vegan Monte Cristo!

Let's face it. The Monte Cristo is a weird, weird sandwich. Seriously, I'd like to know what stoner dreamed up that dish! Ham and cheese with jam and mustard served on French toast. It doesn't even sound good. But for some reason, it is.

When Laura from Peace By Pastries posted her recipe for a Vegan Monte Cristo, I knew I had to give a shot:

In a word — delicious! I used Yves Meatless Deli Ham, Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheddar (though I believe a white "cheeze" would be even better), and Ezekial bread. I chose organic grape jelly (my fave!) and spicy brown mustard for condiments. The bread is battered in a cinnamon-y French toast that I wouldn't mind eating on its own for breakfast sometime.

Don't be scared! Try Laura's Monte Cristo!

Hey testers, in case you missed yesterday's post, there are new recipes on the tester site! Yippee!

Indian Yummies!

Good Indian food pushed me into vegetarianism back in 1994, and I've had a soft spot for the stuff ever since. I was 13 years old at the time, and I spent a week of summer vacation visiting my Indian friend Purvi's house in Oklahoma. Purvi was vegetarian, as were her mother and siblings (only her dad ate meat). For that week, I ate nothing but awesome home-cooked Indian food (and I believe we also ate some mac & cheese and grilled cheeses).

When my parents picked me up from Purvi's house (after their eight hour drive from Arkansas), I announced that I was going vegetarian. Or at least semi-vegetarian. I continued to eat poultry for a few more months until totally giving that up on the day after Thanksgiving in 1994. I switched to veganism in 2004.

All that being said, I've been downing some major Indian food lately. I attacked the all-veg buffet (only one item wasn't vegan!) at the new Woodlands Vegetarian Indian Cuisine in Memphis this past Saturday. And tonight, I whipped up Jessy's (of Happy Vegan Face) Malai Kofta:

I'd never had malai kofta before, but when I saw the dish on Jessy's blog, I knew I had to try it. They're little fried potato and green pea balls topped with an amazing tomato-based gravy. I added some cayenne to the gravy for extra kick.

On the side, I made Jessy's Onion Parathas:

This is a delicious whole wheat flatbread stuffed with Indian-spiced onions (everything is better with filling!). I rarely make my own breads because it seems so time-consuming. And I'm not gonna lie. This whole meal took forever to make (and that's after I prepped the kofta balls and onion filling last night). But it was so worth it. And now I have a ton of leftovers to enjoy all week long!!!

Hey testers! The new recipes are up on the tester site ... just so ya know.

Butterscotch Cookies

About a month ago, my pal Stephanie (of Poopie Bitch) let me in on an awesome secret — Food Lion stores generic brand of butterscotch chips are accidentally vegan! We don't have Food Lions in Memphis, but Steph bought EIGHT bags when she was in Nashville on vacation (Steph is a bit of a food hoarder ... yep, I'm calling her out).

My boyfriend lives in Clarksville, a small town on the outskirts of Nashville, and there's a Food Lion down the street from his house. So when I last visited him, I had to pick up a bag. Yep, just one. Not eight. And that bag sat in my pantry for weeks while I waited for some inspiration.

Then, while perusing the lovely Celine's Have Cake, Will Travel, I ran across her recipe for Butterscotch Pecan Cookies:

All the ingredients were already hanging out in my pantry, so I threw these together pretty quickly (you can't see a pecan in this picture, but I swear they're in there!). I sorta overcooked them since my oven's been acting crazy with cookies lately. When I bake cookies for the time recommended in a recipe, they're never done enough. So I added about four minutes to Celine's ten. And that was a bit too much.

They're still tasty, just not as chewy as I like. Of course, that's not stopping me from stuffing my belly!

Wokin' Wasabi!

A loooooong time ago, the lovely Jessy of HappyVeganFace made a delicious stir-fry that made my mouth water. Like I do with so many great blogger recipes, I printed the directions and filed them in the "to make someday" pile. Unfortunately, this pile includes more recipes than one could ever get to in a lifetime, so this one got lost in the fray.

But a couple weeks ago, while searching for my friend Nathan's favorite vegan carrot cake recipe to make for his birthday, I ran across Jessy's Tofu 'n' Cabbage with Wasabi Awesomeness:

And this is some kind of awesome!!! I'm a huge fan of wasabi. It's a different kind of hot. Not spicy hot, just clear your sinuses hot. And this recipe calls for a homemade wasabi sauce that will blow your mind. The tofu is baked and served atop cabbage, carrots, and onions. Mmm-mmm.

On another note, Erin of Vegan in the City ran an interview on her blog a few weeks back and asked her readers if anyone would be up for an interview of their own. I signed up, so here goes:

1. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods with you, what would they be and why?
Let's see — Baked flavored tofu (since I wouldn't be able to take any seasoning stuff to make it tasty), vegan mac & cheese (with broccoli in it so I can sneak in some veggies), and cupcakes ...

2. List 5 people you would invite to a dinner party...famous, dead, whoever.
Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy (and I just found out they're playing the Memphis In May music fest!!!!), Jack Kerouac, Emma Goldman, Tori Amos, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Romero (I know that's six, but Isa and Terry count as one).

3. What is your all-time favorite movie to quote?
Gummo!

4. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner and why?
Um, yo I can't survive without all three. I will shrivel up and die if I miss a meal. Or at least get really bitchy.

5. Tell me one random thing that others in the blogosphere don't know about you!
I went to Barbizon modeling school when I was 14 because I had aspirations of becoming a model. Unfortunately, I'm 5'2" and models just don't come in that size! Modeling school was fun though. They taught us how to apply bad 80s makeup and walk on the runway. If nothing else, it brought me out of my shyness ... but I still get a little jealous when I watch America's Next Top Model.

To play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." If a few people want interviews, I will randomly pick 2.
2. I will respond by commenting on your blog with five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

I Heart Ani's Raw!

After much whining about not having raw foodist Ani Phyo's un-cookbook, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, I broke down and purchased a copy last week. And I'm so glad I did. To be honest, my monthly first Tuesday raw cleanses were getting a little boring because I was using the same two or three books I'd used all year. But Ani's book has re-invigorated my passion for living foods.

I started my one-day clease with Ani's Spanish Scramble:

Made with her recipe for nut-based Save-the-Chicks Pate, this scramble mimicked tofu. Except it wasn't hot. Really tasty and filling for a raw day breakfast.

I served the scramble with a side of Ani's Red Pepper Corn Salsa:

Simple ingredients — tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, cilantro, and garlic — combine to form a refreshing and healthy raw salsa. I also put a little Zukay Horseradish Relish on my plate since it's also raw and contains good-for-you probiotics.

My tummy didn't begin to grumble until right around noon (a rarity on raw and cooked days ... I typically get hungry again around 11 a.m.). That's when I dug into this Wilted Spinach Salad with Mustard Seed Dressing and Marinated Onions:

I was afraid the raw yellow onions would be overpowering, but they marinated overnight in a soy sauce mixture, so they were soft and not-to0-potent. BTW, I forgot to buy Nama Shoyu, so I used regular soy sauce. Oh well.

Around 3 p.m., the hearty salad began to wear off. To recharge, I drank (or well, ate with a spoon) this Fuzzy Navel Shake from Ani's book:

Mmmm-mmm. This was my first experience using vanilla beans! And I'm sold. Vanilla extract may be cheaper, but it's no match for the taste of the real thing. Unfortunately, since I cut this recipe into fourths, I have a lot of my bean left (and one bean cost $6 at Whole Foods!). I wrapped the pod tightly in plastic wrap and put it in an airtight jar. Do ya'll think it'll dry out? Is it okay to use only part of a vanilla bean at a time?

Finally, dinner was absolutely amazing! I'd previously drooled over Ani's Baja Cheeze Burrito with Taco Nut Meat and Red Pepper Corn Salsa on Pixiepine Palace's blog. Now I finally got to try it for myself:

The "meat" and "cheeze" are both nut-based pates and the "shell" is simply a cabbage leaf. Delicious and a bit spicy — perfect for the chilly late winter weather. I'll be having leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Overall, I think I ate a full cup of nuts in one day — Brazil nuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts — and a fair amount of sunflower seeds. I would never do that on a non-raw day, but as my main source of fat and protein today, I felt like that was okay. I also snacked on fruit and fresh fruit juice to squeeze in that food group.

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen is my new favorite un-cookbook! If you don't already own it, it's so worth the money and it's perfect for raw experimenters (few recipes require a dehydrator).

The Breakfast Sammich

Back in my lacto-ovo days, I LOVED stopping through the McDonald's drive-thru for an egg and cheese biscuit or Egg McMuffin (sans the meat, of course). Granted, I didn't eat that way often for fear of the pudge, but Micky D's breakfast was a special treat. This is a far cry from McDonald's since it's vegan and much healthier, but here's my current version of the Tofu Fried Egg and Cheeze Sammich:

My pal Stephanie (of Poopie Bitch) made vegan egg mcmuffins for my moving day back in October, and I got a craving for those. But I didn't have any whole wheat English muffins or faux sausage.

So I used this recipe from VegWeb to cook up some egg-style tofu. Basically, I just pressed and sliced tofu, and then baked it in a dish with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt. Then I topped it with Follow Your Heart cheddar style cheeze. It's served up on Ezekial bread with a dab of Miso Mayo. Perfect start to my day!

Note to My Testers: I'm going to leave the Seitan and Dumplins post up on the tester site for an extra week. In fact, I'm thinking about adding new recipes every two weeks to give people more time to try things out. Let me know what ya'll think ...