Valentine's Day

Happy belated Valentine's Day everyone!

I hope everyone single or attached enjoyed their Sunday.  When I was single I always found Vday to be a great excuse to buy myself flowers and make something nice for dinner.  Now that I'm married I have someone else to buy me flowers, but now I have two people to cook a romantic dinner for (and yes I still want to do the cooking).

So if you haven't been able to tell by now, we like to show our love with food in this house (please see meal #2 below).  I started my Valentine's day with the boys making me a delicious vegan breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fruit with yogurt.  It was awesome!

It was absolutely freezing here on Sunday, to the point where it was dangerous to be outside.  I did brave the cold, however, to trek out to the grocery store.  I asked my husband what he wanted for Valentine's Day dinner and I made my pilgrimage to Trader Joe's. 

Dylan requested soup because it was the perfect soup kind of day (i.e. FREEZING!)  I referenced Chloe Coscarelli's Vegan Italian Kitchen cookbook and decided I was making her spicy tomato soup (maybe not so spicy for my hubby).  I love her recipes because they are easy to make and don't require copious exotic ingredients I can only find at Whole Foods for $20.  Anyways, the soup came out amazing and I served the leftovers when my mother in law came over tonight.  Everyone enjoyed it.  

This week my husband is taking me out all week (it's his Vday gift and also we're on school vacation!).  Some of the places we are going are vegan restaurants in the area.  I'm very much looking forward to it and am prepping myself for nostalgia overload!  

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I'm alive (and went to Grasshopper)!

…I promise.  I've been meaning to post for so long, but the universe has gotten in the way.  So many things have happened in the last few weeks and so many awesome food experiences I missed blogging out on!  Dang it!

In the last few weeks we've seen many friends, had an emergency trip to the ER for my eye, was temporarily blinded in my left eye for a couple of days after that, survived parent/teacher conferences, had an unexpected snow day, my husband had a show (he's in a black metal band if you can believe that) and so much more.

Now I'm back here and cooking on this Saturday night.  It feels more like Sunday since we didn't have school yesterday.  You should have seen me yesterday, I was cooking up a storm.  I was definitely in my happy place (also mimosas were in the picture so that helped).

My husband had a show last night and they were awesome (if you like that kind of music…I am bias).  I of course played the role of the supportive spouse/groupie and came along.  Luckily for me the show was right down the street from my all time favorite vegan restaurant, Grasshopper.  Grasshopper is an all vegan Chinese food restaurant in Allson, MA.  It's amazing.  Everyone who works there is super nice and it's so liberating to walk into a restaurant where you know you can order anything on the menu.

And it's definitely some feel good vegan comfort food for sure.  There are so many amazing choices on the menu and we have a few favorites that I will share with you.  It's definitely not the healthiest food in the world, but you never walk out of there feeling gross like you can with other Chinese food restaurants.

I brought my husband here for his first birthday that we spend together.  I think it was his first taste of heaven.  In case you visit (and I hope you do) we always order…

• The No Name-it's a fried gluten dish that resembles General Gao's chicken.  It is not good for you at all but it is so so good.  
• #69 (Black Pepper Beef)-this is my favorite.  It's a seitan dish sautéed with greens and this amazing sauce.  It's so good.  When I lived closer I would made a trek just to pick some of this up along with some some fried rice on a Friday night.  
• House Fried Rice-  I believe this is #101 on the menu.  This fried rice dish gives you a taste of all the vegan "meats" on the menu including shrimp, fish, chicken and beef.  Sometimes they seem to run out of the shrimp but we were lucky to get some in our rice last night.  
• Chicken Fingers- more like cake chicken fingers.  They are delicious and sweet and one of my hubby's favorites.

So those are our go to items on the menu.  They do have a buffet on certain Sundays a month which I've never been to but I've heard good things.  Please give this place a try even if you're not a vegan or vegetarian!  Everyone can enjoy it!

Soup Night

I don't know about you, but I had a major case of the Mondays this morning.  It was tough getting out of bed.  My husband and I started our day with a Vitamix smoothie and we headed off to work.  One of the highlights (and I'm not just trying to justify the purchase) was drinking out of my $32 dollar water bottle (so worth it).  I drank a lot more water today than I have in a long time.  

When we got home we hit the gym together and then had dinner.  I said this dinner really doesn't go together too well, but thankfully neither of us are picky.  

I threw together a dish with mixed frozen veggies and vegan buffalo chicken since I was craving spicy food, though my husband corrected me that you can't crave something you eat all the time.  I don't agree!  I also have a new obsession (pictured above).  It's one of my summer favorites before my vegan days, the classic combo of tomato, basil and mozzarella.  As wonderful as many vegan alternatives are cheese is hard to replace, I'll admit it.  I decided to substitute mozzarella with extra firm tofu.  I pressed it first to get the water out and then sliced it up.  I tossed it in with tomatoes and fresh basil from our "garden" and topped it off with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.  I think I'm going to be making this a lot come summer time and hopefully we will have our own tomatoes to add!

We did have some leftovers as well (and obviously bread).  We had a quick visit with my parents yesterday and my mom had soup waiting for us.  I think I ate two and a half bowls in one sitting.  My mom has made a non vegetarian version of this before and she was kind enough to make a veggie version especially for us.  Even my dad was eating it!

Ingredients

• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 32 ounces of vegetable broth
• 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cans of chopped green chills 
• 1 pound of veggie sausage (my mom used LifeLight)

First sauté your onion and garlic.  Once this is cooked add it to the crockpot with the veggie broth.  Then add your canned tomatoes, chills, and vegan sausage.  My mom said she cooked this for awhile in the crock pot, I would give it at least a couple of hours.  The great thing about this soup is you can really play around with it.  You can add vegan cheese, tortilla chips, more broth and additional veggies!  I definitely see this soup in our future!  Happy Monday!

Weekend Warrior (Not)

 This has been a weekend of complete generosity and kindness.  My mother-in-law watched the boy so we could attend our friends' awesome post-Christmas ugly sweater party (they're spectacular hosts), my parents stored all our Christmas decorations in their basement AND made us soup, and my husband earned some major hubby points.   He always takes good care of me (and I like to think I take pretty good care of him!) but this weekend he did so much.  He cleaned and organized our entire apartment (it looks amazing), he drove us everywhere (we did a lot of driving), and he didn't mind that I bought myself a $32 water bottle at Whole Foods.

I've mentioned before that I would love to be able to do all my grocery shopping at Whole Foods.  Now I do love that place, but I don't know if my frugal self could ever buy something I know I can get cheaper other places.  I do love to wander around Whole Foods and they will have deals if you look out for them.  I bought Gardein chicken scaloppini (I can't find it anywhere else) and that was $3.99 which is an excellent price (obviously it was on sale).  However, there are some item I get at Whole Foods that I can't find anywhere else…

The Beast Burger:  My husband and I tried the Beast Burger awhile ago so I can attest that it is amazing.  It's not your average veggie burger.  It's juicy and honesty it tastes like real meat.  It was so close to meat that as a vegetarian it was almost concerning.  I recommend this especially if you're a meat eater who is looking to be a little bit healthier, I think it's a better alternative than a turkey burger, especially if you love that beef flavor.  One burger is 260 calories and 23 grams of protein.  

Seitan.  Dining out at vegetarians restaurants has introduced me to seitan.  I've had some delicious dishes (black pepper beef at Grasshopper in Allston especially).  I've a little surprised it is not as easy to find as tofu and tempheh.  Seitan is wheat gluten, the main protein in wheat.  It's a great alternative if you want to get away from soy based alternatives.  I'll make sure I post what I end up doing with these.

Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Flavor Squares.  I grew up on Cheez-its.  Well not really, but we always had them in the house.  I'm pretty sure my parents have a box of reduced fat Cheez-its in their cabinet right now.  They are delicious and the ultimate snack food if you ask me.  As a vegan, however, they are off the table.  I love Earth Balance, and I always have their butter in my refrigerator.  Their cheddar squares are great, and I will always want to munch on them, vegan or not vegan.  

I also bought a new basil plant since my other one was not successful.  Still getting the hang of this whole "gardening" thing.  Here's to another healthy week!  

Back to the grind...

It's back to work for the hubby and me.  It's been an amazing (and long) vacation.  We got to spend time with our family, we relaxed (and slept in), and ate some amazing food.  Too much food…As much as I love vacation and the holidays, I'm looking forward to feeling back to myself.  

My husband and I went on a little tour of New England this vacation.  We're lucky that we live between two cities with lots of things to do (and lots of great places to eat!).  For this blog I would like to start pointing out some of these place.  After all, vegan restaurants are so scary right?

My emergence as a public vegan has been so far so good.  When we eat at home we never miss out.  Eating out, however, can become a little more interesting.  My family and I went out for breakfast this morning and I have to admit I was missing the omelets, not so much for the eggs but for the veggies inside!  I wish every place could make a tofu scramble.  

But I prevailed and later (as a last hurrah) my hubby and I split a pizza sans cheese with broccoli, garlic, onion, and jalapeños (you know you want to try it).  And yes we ate the entire thing...

I've packed a lunch containing a copious amount of broccoli for myself and am ready to get back to the grind.  I look forward to sharing my recipes, rants, and ravs with all of you in 2016!

Happy New Year!

2015 was an amazing year for me.  I made some positive strides in my career, got engaged, moved, married one of the best guys ever, and taught my dog to sit with a chip on her head.  Oh and I started this blog…

I hope everyone had a good New Year's.  We stayed in for the evening, which is probably my favorite way to spend that particular evening.  I made a plethora of snacks along with some rocking vegan pho. If you've never had pho before you're missing out.  It's a Vietnamese soup, which I loved back during my days as a carnivore.  I made a vegan version with zucchini noodles, and I don't want to brag but it was pretty amazing.  When I make it next time I will share my recipe I will be sure to post it.

Today we are laying low.  I'm making some more English muffin bread and finishing the margaritas we made last night (I know pho and margaritas are a strange combo, but we're strange).  I'm also reflecting on the year ahead.  I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions.  I think we can all strive to improve ourselves, but I'm not about to make an unattainable goal for myself (i.e. exercise seven days a week and never eat bread…no thank you).   The way my family and I eat is always on my mind.  Food is fuel, and it directly effects how we feel and function.  It's easy to lose control (especially if there's chocolate covered pretzels in front of me), but we should always be conscientious of what put in our body (and indulge here and there of course!).  Here of some of my goals for the new year...

• Be a better vegan:  My husband and I eat 100% vegan at home.  I never buy any groceries that contain animal products.  However, that doesn't stop me from scarfing up smoked gouda cheese at a wedding.  I will strive to eat 100% vegan all the time.  
• Eat more fruit:  No explanation needed, I hardly ever buy it unless there's a request.  Fruits and veggie the way to go.   
• Back to budgeting:  I have slacked on this.  I always budget for our groceries every week, but with the holidays and parties it has been difficult.  Obviously if we're hosting a party or people over for dinner I'm going to need to dish out a little more cash to feed our guests.  Our social obligations are winding down, and I would like to stay more true to the budget I have allocated for our groceries.    
• Be more conscious of the personal/household products I purchase:  I've already have been working on this.  Following a vegan lifestyle means you not only don't consume animal products, but you also need to look where all the other products you purchase come from.  I have started buying Seventh Generation and Method products for cleaning products. I feel better cleaning with products that are not tested on animals and are better for the environment.  I especially love the Method products (they even make body wash) because all their cleaning products some in different scents and they all smell great.  I am also relieved Bath and Body Works products are not tested on animals as well.  
• Gardening:  Yes I know, I don't have a yard, but I have a balcony.  I also have an apartment that gets a lot of sun.  My husband bought me a book for Christmas about gardening in small spaces.  I can't wait to test some of their suggestions out in the spring on our balcony. For now I currently am trying to grow some herbs indoors.  I have a mint and basil plant right now in my window.  I'm also trying to keep this whole gardening thing as organic as possible. Speaking of that…
• Going organic:  I know going organic is a little controversial.  Is it necessary or not?  My husband has always pushed for buying organic veggies.  I've seen a lot of documentaries and heard a lot of podcasts that have convinced me that I should try to buy organic products when they are available, even if they are a little more expensive.  I've already switched over to organic frozen broccoli at Trader Joes (it tastes so much better!) and have been making baby steps since then.  

We'll see how this all works out for me.  I'm looking forward to posting more recipes on here and hopefully some budding plants as well.  Happy New Year everyone!

English Muffin Bread

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  I had a wonderful first Christmas as a married lady with my hubby.  As much as I love Christmas, I'm a little bit relieved the holidays are winding down.  I enjoy the whole month of December, with all the decorations and parties, but it is a lot of work (and spending money and not eating so great!).  

One of my gifts this year to coworkers and family was English muffin bread.  If you haven't had English muffin bread before you are missing out.  My gift to you is that I will share my (veganized) recipe for you to enjoy yourself.

I used to beg my mom to make me a loaf of English muffin bread.  It tends to disappear quickly.  My mother's recipe is not vegan but the other week she gave us a loaf…a vegan one!  I didn't think it was possible, but it was so good, and my husband and I polished off half the load before breakfast time.  All it took was two simple substitutions and you too can have a (vegan) loaf of your very own.  

I'll admit.  It's a little bit of a pain in the butt to make and messy.  Well maybe I'm just messy.  Dylan had to clean the kitchen after I was done…flour everywhere.  Once you get the hang of it it's really not so hard to make.  Here's what you'll need…

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups four (spoon cups with a spoon to pack lightly)
• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups unsweeted soy or almond milk (be conscious of allergies!)
• 1/2 water
• cornmeal
• vegan butter (for lining pans)

First you're going to combine 3 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda into a bowl.  Heat your milk and water in a separate pan until they are warm.   Since I was making these for coworkers I used soy milk because I wasn't sure if their kids had any nut allergies.  You have to be careful these days.  The soy milk came out fine and I used almond milk for my family at it was perfect as well.   After your water and milk are heated add this to the dry ingredients and stir in more flour to make a stiff batter.  I would recommend using an electric mixer for this.  Grease two 8.4x4.5 inch pans with vegan butter and sprinkle cornmeal on the sides.  Next you spoon your batter into the pans.  Cover your pans and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  I don't have too many warm spots in my apartment so I keep it in the oven on the warm setting.  

Next cook your breads at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and you're done!  Remove the bread from the pans right away and let the loaves cool.  Make sure you toast this bread before you eat it!  I recommend slicing it nice and thin.  I've also used this bread to make garlic bread.  Yum.  

I have a couple more packs of yeast calling for me to crank out some more loaves of this bread while we are on winter break.  I think I'm in trouble.  As you can see from the meal above, we've been eating very well this holiday!

Sophie get's some mashed potatoes as well!  Merry Christmas everyone!