Veg for Life

Carved by my husband and two wonderful children. :) I cleaned the seeds, seasoned, and roasted them. Fun for everyone, and the seeds turned out pretty good too. For anyone curious, I tossed the seeds with 1 tablespoon melted earth balance, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp garlic salt. Roasted the seeds at 300 degrees for 30 minutes stirring halfway through cooking time.

Veggie loaded Pizza items to the menu. This is what was left of our small pizza.  It was just enough Daiya to hold the vegetables to the crust.  Delicious. I have been trying to get our local pizza places to offer vegan pizzas for more than a year and was finally able to find one that was willing to give it a try.  Thank you, 575 Pizzeria !  We now have at least one place we can go out to eat in this town.  They haven't altered their menu, yet.  If you go in just ask for vegan cheese instead of their regular. 

Banana Walnut Muffins We had 4 very ripe bananas and everyone has been craving something sweet.  A new recipe was called for.  The scent wafting from the oven so delicious, reminding me of banana breads from childhood.  Could these muffins possibly measure up?  Yes, I believe they do. 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp Flax Meal combined with 3 Tbsp Warm Water) 1/2 cup Light Olive Oil 3-4 Very Ripe Bananas (mashed) 1 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour 2/3 cup Spelt Flour 1/3 cup Coconut Flour 3/4 tsp Salt 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/3 cup Walnuts (chopped) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Use cupcake liners or grease muffin tin.  Mix sugar, oil, and flax mixture until combined.  Stir in mashed bananas until smooth.  In separate bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking soda.  Add wet ingredients to dry.  Mix until smooth.  Stir in walnuts.  Spoon batter into muffin tin.  Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted...

The Mitch Tofu Sandwich with Potato Salad This is another offering from Spiral Diner and Bakery in Fort Worth. You don't have to worry about making sure your food isn't cross-contaminated, because everything is vegan. I loved it. My husband was equally happy with his "Ate" Layer Burrito. VegBoy was happy with his nachos and grilled cheeze and VegGirl rounded out the group with her toast with raspberry compote and vegan sausage. If you live close to Fort Worth it is definitely worth the drive. Don't forget to grab a slice of cake for dessert. (If you aren't allergic to almonds.) If you are allergic refer to my birthday cake post and custom order your dessert.

Chocolate Cake from Spiral Diner We were in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for appointments and visiting with friends. I called ahead to order a cake so that I wouldn't have to figure out a way to transport a homemade cake without ruining it or eating it in the two days we would be there before my birthday. The cake was delicious and enjoyed with friends. We were very happy to be able to have a cake made with fair trade organic chocolate. We had to special order because the frosting is usually made with almond milk, but they were more than happy to substitute soy milk in the frosting and keep it almond-free. So, if you are ever in the area on your birthday or just a day when you need cake, give them a call. Check out the website. Their menu is extensive and I will be posting a picture of the meal I ate there later this week.

Peanut Butter Cranberry Muffin We had to take a 7 hour drive. No convenient vegan places to stop along the way. The kids don't like sandwiches. This muffin would help keep their bellies full. The addition of rice protein powder would help give these more nutritional punch while my usual mix of flours ensures familiar texture and taste. You can substitute whichever nut butter you have on hand if you don't like peanut butter. I am allergic to almonds, but almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter should be fine. You might even try tahini. Let me know how it works out. Other snacks were muffin sized mushroom onion tofu quiches, my own version of Crispix Mix, home roasted sunflower seeds, and cashews. We took along the individual drink boxes of So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk and lots of water. Fruit or juice at least would be available along the way. Muffins 3 Tbsp Warm Water 1 Tbsp Flax Meal 1/2 cup Peanut Butter 1/4 cup Demerara Sugar 1 cup So Delicious ...

Black Bean Enchiladas with Vegan Queso Sauce and Spanish Rice   This recipe does require some prep work. I used a one pound bag of dried black beans and made beans my usual way with a little vegetable bouillon, lightly seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic, and salt. Then I turned the beans into Chili by draining the liquid, sauteing onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Adding the drained black beans, and tomatoes, green chile peppers and corn. So far that was two meals, but I wanted to stretch it a little further. I diced some fresh zucchini. Put the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle salt over it to drain off the excess liquid. Saute the zucchini with minced onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chili and you have an excellent enchilada filling. For a sauce I used the following 2 cups Vegan Mushroom Broth 1/2 cups Water 1 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 tsp Oregano 2 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Chili Powder 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion P...