This is the first photo taken with my new photo box I got for Christmas. I'm so excited that I can now take food photos at night!!
Starting at 12 and going clock-wise:
1. Steamed collard greens with fresh lemon
2. Black Eyed Peas cooked in the Crockpot with sweet onion, garlic, and serrano pepper
3. Vegan Orange Chicken in tangy orange sauce with fresh oranges
4. Mashed potatoes
Garnished with boiled gold beets and a cherry tomato.
It snowed yesterday!
So we made what we think will be our last snowman of the year....
Which is kinda weird, since this is what we were doing just the day before....
That's Spring in Idaho for ya.
Liv's favorite cookie! Oatmeal chocolate chip. I use the recipe 'Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' from The Joy of Vegan Baking and simply sub in the chips. I LOVE that this recipe uses ground flaxseed instead of eggs.
I sent some of these cookies with Art to band practice the other night. Art produced the band's CD and also will be playing guitar for a few numbers at their Record Release Show. You can check them there:
www.the-invasion.com
'Wolffie's Banana Blueberry Muffins' from La Dolce Vegan!
These muffins are really good - light & moist. I always omit the ginger and use vanilla soy milk.
When I want an easy & reliable recipe, I turn to Sarah Kramer. Who is Wolffie, anyway??
'Crock Pot Stew'. I've made this once or twice before, but this time I topped it with Lightlife Steak Style Strips. If you haven't tried the strips before, you should. They are really good and are super easy to prepare.
'Blueberry Cake' from The Joy of Vegan Baking for my friend's birthday. (At some point in life, one candle is sufficient)
Ann doesn't like things overly sweet or fattening. I wanted her to enjoy the dessert without feeling guilty, so I thought this would be perfect. Her first post-bite words were, "Light, delicately sweet. Mmmm, this is really good!"
For an appetizer, I served an old favorite of mine -- Dreena Burton's 'Cornmeal-coated Polenta Fries' from the Dec. '06 issue of VegNews. (#52)
The dipping sauce is my own creation!
1 package Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 can Mandarin Oranges
Many squirts SRIRACHA Hot Chili Sauce
'Corn Muffins' with blueberries from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I used flaxseed instead of Ener-G egg replacer and vanilla flavored soy milk. The recipe doesn't specify, but I think I shouldn't have drained the can of corn, as the mixture was quite thick making the muffins dense. I liked them well enough, but the girls didn't.
Does anyone else listen to Colleen's podcast, Compassionate Cooks? They are super informative & interesting.
That chocolate craving hit us, so I endorsed a batch of 'Bitchtastic Brownies' because the recipe was printed in VegNews (#60) and also because "Skinny Bitch" is in my purse for reading on the go. This picture depicts the best part of our brownies -- scraping down the bowl and licking the spatula. Did I make a mistake? Was that a recipe misprint? The batter seemed runny with 3/4 cup silken tofu plus oil, and only a 1/3 cup flour. Whatever the reason, our brownies resembled gooey fudge, which Liv enjoyed with a spoon until I said "No more."
I love cooking with my crock-pot, so naturally, I was most excited to come across this page of recipes from VegCooking. I followed this recipe exactly for the 'Crock-Pot Chili' adding the optional veggie burger crumbles (Morning Star).
Verdict? Let's just say that If I were going to a chili cook-off tomorrow, this is what I'd making tonight! With a couple minor adjustments like more red pepper flakes, and Art requested sauteed seitan on top next time.
Here's the finishing touches for another recipe from this month's VegNews (#60) 'Irish Soda Bread' by Robin Robertson. This was a quick bread to make from scratch and delicious, too.
Perfect for soaking up chili.
The bread was served warm with a slather of Earth Balance, alongside the chili, topped with a dollop of vegan sour cream, parsley from my AeroGarden, and a ring of steamed kale.
We enjoyed this meal very much! The girls wouldn't touch this meal with a ten-foot pole, but I have high hopes!
Scanning the freezer reminded me that we still had lots of fresh-frozen cherries from last summer. I spotted a blueberry cobbler recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking, subbed in my cherries, and before you know it, we were eating 'Cherry Cobbler' like it was July.
Taking the skin off garlic is one of Liv's favorite ways to help in the kitchen. This one gave us an extra lesson on how things grow... For example, did you know dinosaurs are the same color as garlic shoots?!
Finally, I couldn't resist making 'White Bean and Kale Soup' which won "Best Soup" in Vegetarian Times', March '08 issue. It was flavorful with yams, great Northern beans, kale, & curry powder -- though it called for smoked paprika, which I can not find anywhere in town. Suppose smoked paprika has penetrated the Idaho state border? Questionable. I should probably just take Julie's advice and visit Penzey's.
As Martha might say, "soup is a good thing to have on hand with guests." It fills the house with an inviting aroma, and it's easy to warm-up upon desire. My in-laws were in town to help celebrate a certain someone turning 5 years old! Hard to believe.
This is 'Split Pea and Parsnip Soup' from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.
Here are the ingredients for the soup ready to go minus some chopping. This was my favorite of the two soups for a couple reasons. Foremost, I enjoyed the flavors, though I think the parsnips may have turned some off. Parsnips have a strong, earthy flavor that may be unfamiliar. For me, however, after carefully choosing, peeling, and cutting them into half moons, I was already fond of them. 
Secondly, I enjoy the ease of my Crock Pot. Simply prepare the ingredients, and press a button. Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker is a wonderful cookbook, and may as well have the word "vegan" in the title, as I've never run across a recipe using dairy.
And, if possible, this recipe is even easier if you have a helper to pick over and rinse the split peas.
Here is the making for my in-law's favorite soup, 'Roasted Butternut Squash Soup' from Vegan with a Vengeance. I make it for them each time they come to town, and they keep on coming!
The hardest part of this soup is peeling the 5 pounds worth of squash. Maybe I'm a wimp, but my arm was sore afterwards!
Here it is after the fun part - pureeing everything in the food processor. The kids gather around, and I always have an audience for that part!
Each bowl served had a drizzle of maple syrup on top, which put the flavor factor over the top.
Soup. It's a good thing.
I like to have a meal ready for Art when he has a late flight. This was for him.
Layered in the Crock Pot --
1. Red Potatoes, chopped in large pieces
2. Carrots, scrubbed & wheeled
3. Saute in canola oil: 2 cloves elephant garlic, 1 large sweet onion, 3 serrano peppers, 2 tsp. chili powder, 2 tsp. sage, & 2 tsp. thyme
4. Cover the veggies with water and add 2 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon vegetable base, and 1 bay leaf, and plenty of fresh ground black pepper.
5. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
6. Whisk together 4 Tbsp. arrowroot powder + warm both to thicken. Throw in a handful of fresh Green Beans or frozen peas. (I forgot peas!)
7. Cover & cook another 20 minutes.
The next day, we dressed it up a bit with Veat's Bites & French Rolls. Art sauteed the Bites with Earth Balance and some of the stew broth, braggs, & kitchen bouquet.
I used Kramer's 'Easy French Bread' recipe from La Dolce Vegan! I adore this recipe as you can tell here & here. This time, I used 1 1/4 cup each of spelt, all-purpose unbleached white, and whole wheat pastry flour. Divided and shaped the dough into 6 and placed in my jumbo muffin tin, slashed the dough diagonally, and topped with poppy seeds. Art really enjoyed and appreciated this meal, especially that the veggies were large and I didn't use any weird spices! I love the ease and results of my Crock Pot! Do you have any favorite slow cooker recipes??
We did lots of delicious eating over the holidays! This was my Christmas dinner plate:
*Idaho potatoes mashed with soy milk, Earth Balance, and sea salt
*bread stuffing with vegetable broth
*Tofurkey slices
*Brussels sprouts sauteed in EB
*side green salad with local greenhouse
tomatoes & carrots
*fruit salad with apples, pears, banana, and pineapple with juice (less local):
With all this food preparation, it was nice having a couple helping elves in the kitchen!
We strive for food that is locally grown and organic. We're completely vegetarian (consume nothing with eyes) and almost vegan (eliminating dairy)! We realize the immense impact our day-to-day food choices have. Reducing or eliminating meat consumption is something concerned citizens can do every day to help our planet. In the face of our daunting global warming problem, I find it comforting and encouraging to know there IS something you can do every time you eat! The force of the fork has great potential! Pass it on. . .
All of this healthy eating is great fuel for a winter bicycle ride around town and through city parks. What an exhilarating ride!
Art was able to stay home from work a couple weeks, and we vacationed at the best place... home! :)
BIG smiles for snow! Bring it on!
It took several hours to build Frosty and was quite a playful workout. To Liv's delight, he looked in our kitchen window for about a week!
Below is a photo of a warming meal! From Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson, 'Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili' I added celery & carrots, omitted the red bell pepper, with Eden organic crushed tomatoes. 
Next time it'll be in a burrito with rice &/or sauteed seitan, Smart Ground by Lightlife, tofu scramble or something. . .
This time, the 'Skillet Corn Bread' from Veganomicon stole the show - the Double-Corn Variation. I feel like a (mad) scientist curdling the soy milk with apple cider vinegar to simulate buttermilk. ahhhha!
'Chocolate Brownies' from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Warning! These brownies are super moist and sinfully chocolaty! Your resistance will be low. . .
The fun here is using ground "good for you" flax seed as the binder. That's right, just whirr it up with water in your blender, and presto! No eggs needed. (or wanted.)
This cookbook really is awesome, and I'm still bent on baking every single item!
It's Fall. My favorite time of year. We've been immersing ourselves in bicycle rides, pumpkin patches, and piles of leaves.
Squirrels have been busily harvesting our two walnut trees. Hustling here and there stowing away for leaner times. As I read my newspaper recently, I mused how much smarter they are than we. Water has run out in Orme, Tennessee, and they say the crisis could serve as a warning to other communities to conserve water before it's too late. Any one's home town could be next, with long-term droughts and dwindling water supplies.
Here's two of our best jack-o-lanterns. Nothing fancy here, folks, but it was fun to light them and turn off the lights for dinner.
'The Best Pumpkin Muffins' from Vegan with a Vengeance. Yes, these are good, and we thought even better with a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. But, really, there isn't much that those won't improve! :)
'Winter Squash and Sweet Potato Soup' from "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" is such a delicious soup, and this cookbook is the reason why I LOVE my crockpot. Here's it is before cooking. Six delightfully aromatic hours later, I pureed it, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds from the weekend carving, and served with crusty bread.
I was thinking about Amy's Mexican Casseroles, and wanted to see how close I could get on a homemade vegan version. Here's the ingredients minus some El Paso enchilada sauce.
Here it is out of the oven. The verdict? It was pretty good, and has lots of potential. Next time I'll cut the polenta in thicker slices instead of making a shell and add lots more sauce. It could be better.
'Roasted Carrot Coconut Soup' from La Dolce Vegan! I omitted ginger, lemongrass, corriander seeds, and cilantro and still this soup was plenty flavorful for me. I really like that the recipe yields 2 large or 4 small servings - just enough for me to finish myself during the week. The soup coincided with a giant bag of baby bell peppers from Costco.
I've had the sewing bug lately. I made four Halloween pillow cases using these helpful directions. Next time, I'll make the hem shorter because the case isn't quite long enough to cover the pillows.
I also sewed two baby blankets and 6 matching burp cloths for gifts that I forgot to take photos of. Congratulations to Esther & Elaine!!
I got the idea for these "Giving Thanks" or "Thanks Giving" banners from a Pottery Barn for Kids catalog. It is made from felt and sewing scraps. It was fun to sew, and the girls had fun helping me arrange the letters.
I also finished the anniversary quilt that I began in August. It's a full-sized and the back is completely denim.
Next on the sewing front, I want to refashion some clothes -- make a skirt out of old pants, or make a quilt from worn clothing. I vow to abstain from buying new material. I will use what I have, reuse items as fabric, and get it from a thrift store.
What's the latest on the vegan cookbook scene? These two much-anticipated gems, of course. Veganomicon is the size of a college textbook, and flipped through each page the night it arrived.
'A Hummus Recipe' from Veganomicon made into a pita "sammich" as those brilliant cookbook girls would call it. The hummus is thick, and there are beets and organic baby lettuce to add some crunch. I ate these for about a week. I opted for cumin, and discovered a love match.
'Sweet Potato Lentil Chili' from eat, drink, & be vegan. What a hearty and delicious chili! I love Dreena's flavor combinations. She gives some choices: I opted for coconut oil, green lentils, and black beans. I love the sweet contrast to the spices. I want to make everything in both these cookbooks!
Olivia and I received some exciting news recently....
We entered PeTA's first ever "Cooking with Kids Contest" and we actually won!! I feel so honored.
Fellow bloggers may remember that I posted about this recipe about a year ago, and decided to bring it back for the contest.
We're heading to southern California to spend Thanksgiving with family and we hope to check out some new places to eat... Any suggestions?
We had been hoping for a rainy day like this because the girls have been waiting (not so patiently) to try-out their new umbrellas. I had forgotten how fun it is to play in the rain and not get wet! Weather like this makes me hanker for certain food. Comfort food -- warm & hearty. Food that fills up the house with a savory aroma. Combine the rainy day atmosphere with this awesome post that I saw recently at The House of Simon, and I was destined to make stew. I followed Carrie's step-by-step photos adding my own flavor.
Layered in the crock --
1. Red Potatoes, cleaned & quartered
2. Carrots, scrubbed & diced
3. Sauteed in soybean margarine: Elephant Garlic, Sweet Onion, Serrano Peppers, Shallot, Chili Powder, Sage, & Thyme
4. Sauteed in Soybean Margarine: Seitan in Mr. Yoshida's marinade
5. Water to cover Veggies, Tamari, Pepper
6. High for 6 Hours
7. Throw in a handful of fresh Green Beans
8. 3 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder + warm both to thicken. Cover & cook another 20 minutes.
Mmmm-Good, we ate ours with a crusty, sourdough baguette from La Brea Bakery. Art says this is the best vegetable stock to come from the kitchen. I've decided that next time I won't put the seitan in the slow cooker -- I'll just brown it and serve on top of the stew at the end.
This really reminded us of stew we used to eat pre-vegetarian 16 years ago. Except this is the guiltless vegan version, and every bit as tasty. Removing meat from the bowl is proven to help prevent cancer, beat heart disease, lower blood pressure, prevent & reverse diabetes, gall stones, kidney stones, osteoporosis, & asthma (article). It's also good for the environment. Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. The number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture, producing more than 100 million tons of methane a year. (article) Going meatless is good for your health, the environment, and the cow. So Dig in!
We were hanging out with a most excellent friend when he presents the question. Can you name the beans for 15 Bean Soup? He then pulls out his partial list and checks it as we rattle off bean varieties that come to mind. We never completed the list, but it did prompt Art to buy a bag of 15 Bean Soup. We agreed on all the ingredients, and I prepared the soup as planned. The night before, I soaked the beans. I remember my mom doing that, so the tradition lives on and I also enjoy the anticipation of soup the next day. How many beans can you name?
ART & VICKI'S 15 BEAN SOUP
10 med. carrots
1 bunch kale
1 bunch Italian parsley
4 small leeks
2 medium onions
3 Serrano peppers
5 small garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups water
3 vegan bouillon cubes
1 pound 15 (or more!) varieties of beans
METHOD
Place beans in a large pot, cover with water, and soak overnight. After soaking, drain water, add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3 hours. While this is happening, prep your vegetables. Then, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, onion, and pepper and saute until almost translucent. Add the leaks and carrots saute more. At this point & in this order, I put the beans, sauteed vegetables, bouillon cubes, kale & parsley in the Slow Cooker on low for 8 hours. I seasoned mine with sea salt, and needed nothing more. Art discovered that for him adding ketchup and mustard was the perfect taste sensation!
Art's Mom gave me this silicone loaf pan for Christmas, so I tried it out on 'Pumpkin Raisin Loaf' from TEV (pg. 169). Instead of kamut flour I used white along with vanilla soy milk and golden raisins. Delicious! The pan is refrigerator, freezer, microwave, and oven safe. Has a quick-release, non-stick surface that cooks quickly. It's also dishwasher and metal utensil safe. Love it, thanks Char!
This is 'Chickpea Broccoli Casserole' from VwaV (pg. 96). It was really good. I ate it all myself over a 3 day period. Nope, I didn't get any help at all eating this one. But, I think my family would enjoy it with a crafty disguise -- like phyllo, samosas, tacos, pita bread, sandwiches, pizza, or something along those lines. Or, I could just continue to keep it to myself!
This soup was inspired and modeled from 'Curried Lentil, Potato, and Cauliflower Soup' from Vegetarian Soups for all Seasons Bountiful Vegan (pg. 73) Though Nava may not recognize it because there are several changes:
I used red lentils instead of brown/green
I used 2 lg. leeks, leaving out the celery
I used kale, omitting the spinach
I also skipped the tomatoes
I ate many bowls of this soup! Art liked it too.
Here is just one of Dan Piraro's brilliant cartoons concerning the state of our planet. I share his and many of your reactions & sentiments toward Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." So you can imagine my overwhelming emotions holding the ticket below in my hands.....
January 22, I will hear Al Gore speak at 7 pm. "Global Warming --- Beyond The Inconvenient Truth" I CAN NOT wait. After seeing the movie & reading book, I'm anxious for the "Beyond" part. Beyond the facts and shocking truth, and on to solutions and some encouraging words for this fragile planet of ours. It is true, Gore would make his point more effectively if he was a vegetarian, but I can certainly overlook it because he seems to be the only powerful person in the US who gives a damn about this issue. That said, do you think he will mention the "V" word? Will he mention that possibly the most powerful step we can take as individuals to avert global warming is to stop consuming animal products? We'll see... And regardless, I'd like to say to Al (if he's lurking!) "Welcome to my home town, Former Vice President & World Leader on Global Warming!"
