Recent dinners…
I’ve enjoyed making dinner, as I usually do, but it’s been extra fun with the changing of the seasons. I like the fall foods….it means cooking with pumpkin and squash and making more hearty, heavy, hot meals. 
Baked Beans and Dogs (The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook, p. 116). We had this with sausage cut up on top (grilled on George Foreman) and green beans.
Vegan Sweet Potato and Pecan Tamales with Amy’s Chili. I bought the tamales from Whole Foods in the refrigeration section (by the breads). The chili comes from the can (low sodium). Big salad on the side drizzled in balsamic vinegar.
Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Gnocchi (from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan, p. 141). This sauce is just amazing over the store bought vegan gnocchi I got. I could eat it by itself, and I did that too! I also ate it later in the week with other things, as you will see. Here I had a small salad and broccoli.
Tofu and Okra Stir-fry with Teriyaki and Hot Sauce. Throwing together a stir-fry is one of the most fun and delicious dinners to make and eat. It can be so satisfying and healthy too! This one was made up of tofu, okra, lima beans, carrots, tomatoes, and onions. With a side of hearty long-grain brown rice, this was awesome! I was feeling in a chopstick kind of mood (since that’s what I usually use when I get a stir-fry at Genghis). I managed to use the chopsticks until the last little bit. Then I switched to a fork so I could eat every little last bit. 
Leftovers Night. Have these at your house? I love leftovers!! I know it’s a personal thing. Eric doesn’t like leftovers at all. So when he’s not going to be around for dinner, I indulge in all the extra stuff left in our fridge. I had the Red Kuri Squash Sauce, baked beans, green beans, and broccoli. The squash and bean combo was awesome. I ate those two together. Yum!
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.
Football Season is Here!!!
To kick-off the first Sunday of football, we grilled vegan sausages with sauerkraut. We put that in an Ezekial sprouted grain hotdog bun with mustard and ketchup. I also made, for the very first time, Tamari-Roasted Chickpeas (from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan, p. 68). Oh my goodness…AMAZING!!! So fun and tasty to snack on. They are so different tasting. I love chickpeas by themselves, but when you roast them like this and add seasoning….to die for. The little bit that was leftover, I had for my snack the next day. Next time I make this, I’m going to double or triple the recipe. This would make an excellent appetizer for guests or to take to a party.
Another day in the food life of me (and my family)…
Almond butter waffles make another appearance this week. This time with bananas on top. Drizzled in agave nectar, they were the perfect start to my Thursday.
Mom and I hopped on over to Whole Foods for a lovely, yummy lunch together. We invaded the salad bar. Look at all the yumminess on that plate! Most memorable was the beets, cilantro tofu, curried sweet potatoes, and the dolma. I also had a wee bowl of black bean soup and Lime Perrier to drink.
Madre and me at lunch. Love you Mom!
Dinner tonight was Fettuccine Alfreda (p. 142 in Vegan with a Vengeance). This is really the most awesome recipe. I’ve probably made this sauce half a dozen times. I roasted brussel sprouts in the oven at 430 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes. We like them a little burned and crispy. I sprayed them with a little Pam, fresh black pepper, and Maine Coast organic kelp granules (my favorite low sodium salt alternative) before going in the oven. I think I learned about this product from the amazing vegan cookbook author Dreena Burton. After the brussel sprouts came out of the oven, I baptized them with half of a lemon. Yum! On the side was a mix of every frozen vegetable I had left in my freezer: broccoli, corn, and fava beans. Time to go shopping.
We LOVE a good cookie around these parts. These Super-Charge Me! Cookies from Dreena Burton’s cookbook, Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan, get my vote for all-time favorite vegan cookie. They are so versatile. I have made them several ways. If you’re out of maple syrup, you can sub in agave nectar to make a chewier version. Tonight’s Super-Charge Me! Cookies were made with maple syrup, almond butter, and chocolate chips (along with the oatmeal, and other regular ingredients). The fam wasn’t in the mood for nuts or raisins in their cookies tonight, so I left those babies out. Maybe they’ll make it in the next batch.
Blog virgin
It was after eating half of this tofu sandwich today that I decided FOR REAL I was starting a blog. So here I am! The yummy sandwich was on an Ezekiel sprouted grain hamburger bun and consisted of tofu slices, grilled on George Foreman, avocado, red onion, yellow mustard, Nasoya sandwich spread, and fresh pepper.
I have a VERY sweet tooth, and almost always have a wee dessert after lunch and/or dinner. More often lunch AND dinner. Today’s lunchtime dessert was a vegan blueberry cookie that I had just picked up during a Whole Foods grocery trip and vanilla ice cream. I actually ate half of mine somewhere between when I picked it out of the case at WF and lunchtime. The whole cookie pictured, therefore, is the one I got for Eric.
Working backwards now, my pre-Bikram yoga breakfast was cereal, soymilk, and blackberries. Cereal sweetened with some Stevia, my most favorite natural sweetner.
Dinner was Dreena’s Garlicky Broccoli, Corn & Bean Burritos, p. 127 from ED&BV. Oh so tasty and garlicky! I couldn’t get over how yummy the sauteed veggies were. I used a can of Amy’s low sodium refried pinto beans instead of making my own. Topped off with slices of avocado and tofutti sour cream. Served on the side are lime wedges, along with a basic salad of romaine, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Bon appetit!
