I LOVE being vegan!!!
Introducing my new two cereals, that are packing some serious fiber and protein (17 grams of soy protein to be exact). The Nutlettes has 17 grams of soy protein in a 1/3 cup serving (130 calories). I mixed that with a serving of the Ultima to make one hearty and healthy bowl of cereal. Combined with a big scoop of frozen blueberries that I had thawed in the fridge, I was one happy girl all morning long. Now, I have to tell you….Eric was SOOOO not pleased with me this morning. I poured him his glass of Superfood Odwalla that he drinks on the way to work. This is a BIG step for someone who never eats breakfast. I thought it would be a good idea this morning to stir in a serving of the Nutlettes seeing that it has all that protein. I thought it would be great for him, being a runner and all. The protein would do him good! Oh he was so not happy…he said it was disgusting. haha I guess juice and cereal don’t go together for him. Sorry love…I won’t taint your morning juice ever again.
Lunch was leftovers from last night, but this time on top of a flour tortilla. Scrumptious!
Isn’t this so adorable?! Don’t make fun of my wee midday dessert. Two Mi-Del vanilla snap cookies around a wee scoop of fruit sweetened It’s SO Delicious vanilla non-dairy ice cream. After this, one may think…it’s so great to be alive!!
Today was a great day of food. I just love being vegan and making such yummy meals. Foods that make you ew and ah, and that afterward eating you still have wonderful thoughts and feelings about. About the taste and how you’ve just given your body great fuel. Foods that you know are great for you and the environment, and that you haven’t harmed anything in the process. It just feels wonderful!
Dinner tonight was spruced up spaghetti!! (Sorry for the weird angle. This was the best picture I got. I’m working on my photography. 
) It was angel hair and shells pasta topped with tomato sauce that I seasoned with Italian seasonings, onions, and garlic. Then I put on a dollop of jarred basil pesto, a few roasted pine nuts, pineapple chunks, frozen vegan meatballs, and vegan Parmesan cheese. I mirrored this dish after the Spaghetti Tropica plate at Spiral Diner. Side salad was with iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red and green onion, sprouts, fresh black pepper, and vegan caesar dressing. YUM! I’m taking this for lunch tomorrow for sure!!
For dessert tonight I had a wee cup of Joe (my fake coffee I blogged about) and a couple of squares of my Endangered Species dark chocolate and expresso bean bar. Wow….good eats today! I can’t wait to eat more vegan food tomorrow!!!
What’s for dinner?
So I know I go a few days without blogging, and then I go crazy and post like five million things, but that’s what’s working for me right now. With teaching and yoga, it’s just harder to post during the weekdays. I’m going to try to start blogging at least once during the week.
This week we had some yummy, new meals. First up was VeganDad’s Creamy Mac and Cheeze. I was determined to make macaroni and cheese this week after the disappointing serving I had at Spiral Diner. VeganDad’s I have to say is the best I’ve had yet, but again, not sure I would repeat it. Maybe I just don’t love mac and cheese enough. The best “cheese” sauce we love is the sauce in the Fettuccine Alfreda recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance. I sprinkled our mac and cheeze here with red pepper to give it some added spice. I also used whole wheat shells because I couldn’t find any whole wheat macaroni. We had it with steamed broccoli and an heirloom tomato. I remember as a kid, my mom would always eat sliced tomatoes with some mayo on top. I never liked tomatoes back then, but I thought I would give it a try with some Nasoya sandwich spread (vegan mayo). It was ok, but I prefered them plain. The heirloom tomatoes are to die for right now!
Next up was what ended up being probably one of my favorite vegan meals I’ve ever made. It was AWESOME!!! Sweet & Sour Chipotle Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes (from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan, p. 147). I served it with brown basmati rice. I rushed home from work to get it assembled and ready to go into the oven, so that after yoga I would be able to just pop it in. It has to bake for about an hour and 10 minutes. But oh my goodness…it is so sweet, spicy, and 100% delicious. I love pineapple, tempeh, and spicy/sweet things, so it’s no surprise I loved this. Eric was a huge fan as well. I can’t wait to make this for guests in the near future. I think it will be a hit! It makes a lot. Eric had it for lunch the next day, and I had it for lunch the next two days. Yum!! (The pictures don’t do this justice. Really…if you go buy Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan just for this one recipe, it would be worth it.)
On Eric’s last night (when I baked the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes) in Dallas, we headed to Freebird’s for a burrito. I got a 1/2 bird on a spinach tortilla. Inside it I got, black and pinto beans, veggies, tomatoes, lettuce, mild hot sauce, guacamole, and corn. The limes on the side are to squeeze on top. Yum! Look at how big they are too!! I got the smallest one, the 1/2 bird. It’s amazing that people can eat the bigger ones. I ate every bite of this one though. It’s just perfect.
And lastly, this is my first dinner without hubby. Bow Ties (which I did corkscrew pasta instead) with Bean Sauce (from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook, p. 168). Frozen okra with fresh black pepper is on the side. Simple, filling, and made for a great lunch on Friday.
Back in D-town & Our 2nd year Anniversary
Breakfast came from a recipe in a NEW cookbook I just got in the mail. It is written by the McDougall’s. I found out about it when I went to CA for the cooking weekend. I bought it off Amazon. It is an all vegan cookbook with amazingly easy recipes with few ingredients. They also focus on low-fat cooking, so there are no oils or fats in most of their dishes. I know this is going to be a favorite cookbook of mine for a little while as I ease back in to work (well there isn’t any easing to it actually…I go back tomorrow). Quick dinners make life a little simpler. My breakfast was called Almost Instant Breakfast and is on page 3.
Lunch was the Ultimate Veggie wrap from Roly Poly. I told you we go there a lot! I brought it home and added some Nasoya sandwich spread (mayo looking stuff) to it. In the background is a cup of coffee (fake coffee). I learned about this brand at the McDougall Celebrity Chef cooking weekend as well. It’s “coffee” made form barley. It’s suppose to be healthier because it doesn’t have ANY caffiene. I like it.
This was our anniversary dinner at home. Since we’ve been gone, it felt so great to just chill at home and make dinner together. 
We made another recipe from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. This was Speedy International Stew on page 88. It has 3 ingredients!! (and hot sauce to sprinkle on top) It was SOOO easy and perfect. Eric made the wee salads with minced garlic and balsamic vinegar. The cornbread pictured was cornbread I made a few weeks ago. I had put it in the freezer for a night just like this, when we would be having chili again. The cornbread I made from two recipes here and here. I made it from two because of the ingredients I had and wanted to use and because I didn’t have a cast iron pan, so I made it in two hot pans, like the first recipe does.
