Chorizo Tacos!

Just a few, very simple ingredients (very easy to find...and cheap) and this recipe was enjoyed by all! All 2 of us that is!
Found some "Soyrizo" sausage (yum!), bought some delicious organic, local tomatoes, had the onions, bought the local spinach leaves and the soft organic tortillas as the co-op tonight and in just a matter of minutes we were delving into our tacos!
The "Soyrizo" was actually cheaper than the meat version found by my live-in meat eater...so he was more than happy to eat vegan tonight.
Nothing more to say here! Easy, cheap, and delicious.
Enjoy the pictures of the stages of our meal!

Pecan-Crusted Seitan...The Finale!

This recipe proved to be the something needed on a rainy, chilly evening such as it was last night.
I finished the recipe and had myself a nice heaping bowl, then discovered that maybe one of the reasons Alicia suggests replacing the "big dead bird" with this dish is due to the fact that it has the same after-effects...full and sleepy!

When I took the seitan (in marinade) out of the fridge it had set up so that the pieces of seitan were not so easy to find. I thought I needed to "dredge" the pieces one by one. Not so.
It would have been easier if I had taken scoops and covered them that way. I ended up doing just that after the first pan batch were finished cooking. I also needed to add more oil to complete the saute-ing process.
Note: I cooked up a batch of pasta with this as well (since it was pictured that way in the book).

My finished product was not quite as pretty as Alicia's, but it was delicious (hence the stuffed, tired version of me on the couch after eating).
The man of the house was delighted as well and made the comment that I had been cooking up some really good dishes lately. He asked if I wrote the ingredients down so I wouldn't forget them! With only moments to debate my response to this flattery, I went the 'good-karma' direction of letting him know the wise one Alicia had beat me to it.

Tonight I made another batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups with the mad plan of taking them for "treat" day at work...all in the efforts to show my world of colleagues that vegan can be delicious!

Next Up: Chorizo Tacos!

Pecan Crusted Seitan...Day One

Lesson Learned- Read the recipe before planning to make.
As I prepped the ingredients for the Seitan recipe I realized I needed to marinate the seitan for three hours (or in my case- overnight).
I made the sauce and as I mixed all these ingredients together (orange juice and shoyu???) I was a bit skeptical of how it would taste.
I used all the ingredients the recipe called for except the umeboshi vinegar (used apple cider) and minced garlic (used garlic powder).

Now- I should know by now, with all the recipes that have proved my initial thoughts to be wrong, that this recipe would be delicious but I was still not sure. So I tried a taste and, of course, it was yummy! I added the seitan to the sauce and it now sits in the fridge until tomorrow night when I finish it up and serve it with noodles.

In the meantime we are going to enjoy a dairy free Amy's pizza!

To be continued...

Update...

Poor Seitan recipe...sitting by the wayside as time passes by.
But NOT without daily vegan-ness!
After reading Alicia's post a while back, I decided to make it kind of a mission to find more vegan friendly beauty products. I am now the proud owner of Pureology shampoo and conditioner and could not be happier! What a difference! My hair is super soft and all flowy in the wind. Yay!
I am also back to Bare Essentuals. I looked for other products but they get to be pretty pricey and BE is something I used before so I was not only familiar with how the product would look but know it lasts a long time for the price. Happy me!

On the food front- been eating a lot of salads, fruit, nuts, and bought some amazing tomatoes from the co-op so I am getting very excited for fresh, local produce from the Farmer's Markets.
Took mom, aunt, and sister out for lunch yesterday. Mom chose and she is always really great at picking places she thinks I will be able to eat too! Love her! I had one choice; fruit salad with spinach and mango vinaigrette (I also got two pieces of cranberry walnut bread). Tasty!

So- my plan is to cook up the crusty seitan tomorrow for dinner! Stay Tuned!

Panini Party!

I had my doubts about the Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini. Apricot jam and Vegenaise? Ummm...okay.
I found Tofurky sausages at the Co-op and ended up getting the whole grain Belgium waffles. Skipped on the sun-dried tomatoes when the only jars on the shelf were $8 and the jar was so small! Nope- I figured I would make do and I did!
Cooked up the sausage (smelled real good) and mixed up the sauce. I was so curious as to how the jam and Vegenaise would taste I just had to take a finger dip. Who knew? So good!
Put the sandwich together, per recipe directions, subbing the sun-dried for salsa (drained via spoon on the side of the jar), then got out the trusty George Foreman(see pic) and grilled me up one of the finest vegan sandwiches with a side of sweet potato chips! Mmmm, mmmm!
Concerns pre-recipe:
Waffle sandwich? Never heard of such a thing!
Jam and Vegenaise? How can that be good?
At-Easeness post recipe:
Waffle sandwiches--bring on the experimenting!
The man of the house not only loved the jam and Vegenaise sauce, he went back for the leftovers and smothered it on his sandwiches (yep- he ate more than one!).
Messy, messy, messy but the recipe says that is as it should be!

Anyone else attempted this recipe? I would love to hear about it!
Up Next: Pecan-Crusted Seitan!

Barley, Barley, Ra, Ra, Ra!

Barley Casserole...finally.
Why did I wait so long? Well...I know why it had to wait but, if I had known it was going to be this good I would have sacrificed a few hours of sleep! I've never had Barley before and in just a few recipes I have been introduced to so many delicious foods!
The picture really does not do this dish justice and, because I didn't make it with the Tahini Dressing, your final product may not only look quite different but, odds are it will also taste different. I would love to hear feedback on the "real" recipe!
I had the hulled Barley ready to go because I had soaked it some time ago. But I brought it to a boil with water again and got the heat in there, then I sauteed the veggies (I only had a half an onion...maybe) and the shoyu (love it) and added all the seasonings. While all this was happening I failed to notice that my lil home was filling with smoke so I had to take the pan off the stove and air out the place before continuing! Should the fact that the smoke alarm did NOT go off concern me?
I mixed the barley and veggie concoction together and stirred it up before adding paprika (because it's supposed to be in the dressing) and some red pepper flakes (for a lil kick) and poured it into a dish. I didn't bake it and when I made myself a bit for dinner I added some salsa (did I mention how much I love salsa?).
Even with these changes the dish is delightful!
I feel such a sense of "ahhhh" after making this recipe. I am excited to move on to the next section (proteins) and hate that I had to put off this recipe for so long...it seemed to looooom over me!
Lesson Learned: Don't let the things you love turn into the have to's. I give myself permission to skip around a bit, when in need of recipes that fit better into the day.

Any recipe revelations to share?

Next up- Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini!

Break-Time

So this Barley recipe is just not in the plan these days. Frustrating because I really want to see what it will be like. I have never had hulled barley before and it sounds good but, man if I could get the time and motivation to make it (as I sit here blogging). I am glad that when I initially set up this blog I gave myself the right to live life while cooking through the book. I guess I just didn't realize how much of life I had until I added something else into it!
This week was a barrage of happenings. It will explain my need to hold off on cooking ANYTHING!
1) Car stolen. Yep- stolen. Good news...we stole it back the same day! BUT the situation cause me to lose time at work, make a zillion phone calls and help my man (whose car was stolen) get everything worked out with all involved.
2)Triple workouts (swim, bike, run) on the same day due to loss of workout day (see previous event). Late night. Dinner was popcorn.
3) Earth Day means a trip to the Co-op where I bought some yummy began treats to take on our long weekend (vegan muffins, soy jerky, apples, pita chips, and vegan "Hearts"). Got a fab cloth bag too!
3a) Had to pick up bike from her tune-up.
4) Out of town to see man's sister (she spoke at a local college), my family, and running Crazylegs (8K) Saturday. Time of 42:43!
4a) Trip to Trader Joe's! Many VEGAN goodies and all labeled for my shopping convenience! Eggplant, edamame hummus, frozen veggies, almond butter, bread, etc.
5) Back in town in time to head to friend's birthday party.
6) Tri Clinic (10 mile bike ride)plus ten miles of running!

So- the Barley is in the plan for tomorrow. In the meantime, please let me know what your experiences have been like as a vegan, cooking from the book, or just in life in general!