PIZZA!!

"sausage lovers", with roasted asparagus, onions, green
and red bell peppers, white sauce, daiya mozzarella,
pepperoni and chorizo.

 Pizza is the nectar of the Gods, I don't know who ever decided it was orange juice... They're wrong. It's very hard to mess up, once you've got the dough squared away, and I highly recommend making your own. It's cheaper and makes me feel more french, which is ironic... I guess because making my own dough that rises and everything makes me feel very capable as a chef. And I think of France when I think of chefs, and rising bread... Stop asking me questions!

Two-fer-One, a review of Vegan Dad

I'll be reviewing two recipes posted by Vegan Dad today, in an effort to at least get something on here, since I promised I would post before yesterday passed. I know, I know, no one is actually holding you to that promise, Beth. But I'm a vegan of her word now, so if I say I will do something I'm gonna really probably maybe do it, for sure. First up, chick'n burgers (ding!).

Veggie Grinders

What I like about this recipe is that it's versatile. AND it's MY recipe, and it just so happens to be delicious. The whole thing came about after a highly non-nutritious beach weekend and a severe craving for all things green and leafy. Ron's Schoolhouse offers a veggie grinder as a surprising, yet welcome alternative to the standard restaurant nod to "alternative diets," the veggie burger, which actually i don't think Ron's even offers... or maybe it has cheese in it possibly... which is ridiculous to put cheese IN a veggie burger when it can absolutely be left out of the burger and placed ON TOP of the burger if you need cheese... anyway, FOOD. So Ron's offers this sub with what I think is roasted veggies- green beans, broccoli, carrots, onions, etc.- and a light coating of teriyaki type sauce. And it's really good with a side of fries and a coke. I recreated it pretty well, but chose to save time and basically stir fry the veggies on the stove top, then cut up some boca chickn patties and toss it all with a little teriyaki. The result was awesome, and to top it all off the whole thing took just over half an hour.

Chickpea Piccata, and a nervous chef

I'm not exactly sure what made me want to try this recipe to begin with. I don't know the motivation behind saving it with my other recipes. I can tell you, that I chose to make it this week because I needed something new to make for dinner, as the stand bys were in danger of getting "old." That being said, I'm not really a white wine sauce kinda person, or maybe I've never had a good one before. I think, after making this recipe, I can sort of gleam that it might be both, but mostly that I've never had a GOOD one. Here's the link: (click)

Oven Fried Chicken and honey dijon

There's just something about the taste of honey mustard and "chicken" that just tastes like a Sunday. It slows you down in a really nice way. Honey-Dijon has more class than plain mustard, and isn't snotty about it, but doesn't ask of you any more effort, unless you find it difficult to squeeze a tube and stir with a teaspoon. I guess what I'm saying is, I like it. To make this recipe I used the "chicken" seitan recipe from here: (click)   and veganized this recipe for oven frying : (click) and typed up my changes after the break.

Yet another top five: Chesapeak Tempeh Cakes!

                                                                  

 Good evening! This recipe, though it doesn't taste like alaskan king snow crab 90% meat cakes, will remind you of crab cakes nonetheless in a great nostalgic way. Crab cakes, as I remember them can be million dollar patties of crisp on the outside, succulent on the inside, unadulterated joy. OR they can be defrosted, breadcrumb dominant, $1.99/two dozen soggy little bastards. This recipe totally trumps the mush, but  because we choose not to use animals anymore, can't quite measure up to the best. Fortunately this recipe IS online, which means I won't have to type it up. (CLICK HERE) 

Another top-five recipe: Vegan Reubens!

My top 5 favorite list is getting crowded. I think in the end my top five list will be many more than five recipes. This one is definitely worthy. I got the recipe from foodtv.com, "Vegetarian Reubens," but they no longer have it up. It's easily veganized, and I'll just type up my vegan version for you. The picture is not completely accurate since normally I have more than 5 baby spinach leaves to throw in. But you get the idea.

Ginger-Raisin Bran Muffins, AHhhhhhmazing

I made some lemon poppy seed muffins from Vegan With a Vengeance with children one day and they came out weird. They tasted fine, the kids gave them 5 stars. The youngest, after receiving a taste, actually refused to eat anything from his lunch until he got a whole one. He only partially succeeded in this face off. They tasted ok, but the texture reminded me of brownies made with tofu. They had a dense gelatinous consistency which I didn't enjoy. Not muffin-like at all. So because I'm weirdly obsessive, I had a need to make muffins that DID come out like muffins and later that night I made these. I was not disappointed, they were the shit. recipe: click here  

Meat-less loaf and green and yellow squash

 Are you a vegan who is looking for a tasty "meat" loaf recipe? I was one once too, but I have found it. I tried a different recipe that had lentils and tomato paste and whatnot that I wasn't happy with. I tried this one (click here) and have fallen in love with it. So much so that I don't mind how long it takes to put together and the necessity of using the food processor (which I hate because I then have to wash it.)

Introducing my recipe rating system.

  Good morning, readers. I'm happy to say 'readerS' now that I have TWO followers. In an effort to streamline my new rating system, I'm introducing Carrot person here with full descriptions of what he's telling you. You know the "smiley face to frowny face/how much does it hurt?" poster in the pediatrician? Well this is the food version. Carrot person's expression will tell you exactly what I thought.


#1 Disgusted carrot person. Needless to say, the dinner marked with THIS carrot was inedible. I will not make this recipe again. Nothing can be done to this recipe that will make me like it. Carrot man cannot stomach such recipes.

#2 BLAH carrot guy. It was edible, but not good or enjoyable. Maybe I would try a recipe with BLAH carrot guy again if I knew what could be added or subtracted to make it better.

#3 Satisfied Carrot Person. "Not too bad, not too bad" says this carrot about the recipe he stands with. I probably know what to do to make this recipe better, and will attempt it again. It was worth the time to cook and money spent on ingredients.

#4 Very Satisfied Carrot Woman. This carrot marks recipes that are VERY good. You will LOVE them, but they won't be "the best thing you ever ate." You will cook them again and again. You will crave them. You will think, "oh man, I just made that dish last week. You know what, I'm making it again this week!"

#5  Extremely Satisfied Carrot Woman. This IS the best thing I've ever ate. I could eat this recipe every day, and not get sick of it. I get so full, and STILL I want to eat more of it. I think, "oh man, I just made that dish yesterday. You know what? I'm making it again today!" It's too die for, this recipe. And that's just what happened to carrot woman. She died in a sea of flavor.

A mishmash of two recipes: Ratatouille Polenta Bake

 This recipe, though one of Matt's favorite meals, only gets 3.5 out of 5 stars for taste. I'm not all that into Italien food... It does earn super bonus points though, because while it's baking you can get every single dish you used that day washed. Whenever a recipe allows me to get the dishes washed before eating, I love it and want to cook it a lot more.

A new recipe, and an old favorite: Tomato Rice Soup, Grilled "Cheese" and Tempeh "Bacon"

There's always a certain amount of anxiety I experience when trying a new recipe. I don't deal well with the unknown, particularly when it comes to dinner. Or maybe it's more that I really don't deal well with the disappointment I feel after spending an hour creating a meal that I just don't like. Well this recipe verifies those fears.

In my top Five list of favorite meals: Black Bean Cornbread Pie

mmmmm Black Beans, Corn, Red Pepper, onions, carrots, tomatoes, spices all under a corn bread topping. This recipe is awesome AND easy. It only uses one pan which is ALWAYS a plus. Here's the recipe: (click)

I skipped Monday's "What we're eating for dinner": Greek Orzo Salad

So now you get it on Wednesday, which works out anyway because I don't cook dinner on Wednesdays. Matt will have to come in and post or something.
This recipe (cleeeek) gets 3 outta 5 stars. Maybe I'll throw in an extra half a star. It's pretty good, but I definitely feel like the dressing could use more tang. More pucker.

Favorite Dinner, not so great.

I made the sausage pepper subs tonight... with such high expectations. Tip number 1: Giant's bag of frozen pepper strips are indeed superior in price, on sale for $1 per bag. Yet another lesson of "you get what you pay for." 

My tied-for-first Favorite Meal: Breakfast Burritos!

So I told you before I had a tough time deciding my favorite meal. Well, this is the reason why it was difficult. Breakfast Burritos are really good. Scrambled Tofu, from Vegan Brunch, is really really good with Chorizo "sausages" in there, and if you prefer, some vegan cheddar.

My (current) favorite meal: Sausage and Pepper subs

To kick things off, I decided to share my favorite meal with, well ... right now there's no one reading this, but I'm sharing. It's a really tough thing to choose just ONE right now, but I think it's gotta be Italian Feast "Sausage" and Pepper sandwiches.