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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
10:08 am - Breakfast in Bed.


I have mornings to myself before going to work and I usually get loads of things done before then. I work on jewelry, run errands, walk the dog, do a bit of cleaning and many other things that I allow myself to squeeze into these free hours. I was off yesterday and worked on jewelry so I took a break from that today. I walked the dog early this morning, came home and after a fresh shower, I prepared a tray of breakfast that I brought to my room to eat. It was a lovely little breakfast of pita toasts with margarine and a drizzle of agave syrup, a bowl of oranges and mangos sprinkled with cinnamon and a cup of my favorite Ceylon tea. It was delicious. I should do this more often!

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Monday, May 4th, 2009
9:54 am - Food pics!
Saturday we had a birthday party for my dad. Some of the food I made:


Spanakopita! (recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance)


Potato salad flavored with vegan mayo, dill and pickles.


Kidney, white and fava bean salad flavored with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley.


Chocolate Mocha chip cookies.


I made this "Mixed Bean Broth" on Sunday using the leftover bean salad.


This morning I made a Moroccan Carrot-Orange salad flavored with olive oil, lemon juice, agave, cinnamon and raisins!

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Saturday, April 25th, 2009
7:45 pm - Food post!
x posted from theveganmouse.blogspot.com

I made baklava! And a sandwich! And kabob!



I love baklava. I never thought I'd be able to make it myself. It just seem so complicated, all the layers of gooey, juicy, walnut-ty sweetness. I used a recipe from a cookbook called "Tables of Lebanon" and just went for it. I had to switch out the butter for Earth Balance margarine which was no big deal. I sprinkled the top with chopped almonds as I did not have pistachios. It came out pretty.


One of these delicious pieces goes a long way. It's ridiculously sweet! I may have to share these with friends.


Bonus sandwich. My lunch today.


Bonus broiled tofu and veg (squash, onion, green pepper) kabob. My dinner. I seasoned the tofu and veggies with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a kabob seasoning blend (granulated onion, garlic, sumac, parsley, salt, pepper, tumeric and other spices). I served them with hummus and bulgur relish with lots of chopped tomato and onion.

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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
8:06 am - Food post!
I keep forgetting to crossover my food posts here! I've been so busy and my head's been everywhere. Must remember next time. This was last night's dinner. I made a beautiful meze plate with hummus, bazargan (Syrian bulgur relish) and za'atar in olive oil. I used pita and sesame crackers for dipping. It was delicious. The relish is very fruity and is flavored with olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses (hence the fruitiness), cumin and cayenne. I topped the relish and za'atar dip with fresh chopped onions and tomatoes. Very very good.

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Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
6:38 pm - Tori's new single from her upcoming album.


I miss Tori. I didn't pick up her last album because I wasn't really feeling it but I think I might get this one. She's always evolving. This song gave me chills. It reminds me of some of the stuff from "Choirgirl Hotel" and "Scarlet's Walk" which were amazing records.

Ok I've listened to this three times already. Can't wait to pick up the album.

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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
8:40 pm - Food post: Detox Day 1 and 2.
Monday

So today is the day we start Gillian's detox!
Things to eat: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds. Things not to eat: sugary sweets, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, white bread, white rice, white pasta, processed foods, sodas and junk.

I'm not worried about the amount of food I'll be eating as there are plenty of things to eat, I'm just afraid of the day when I'd kill to eat a whole french baguette and a piece of cake. Three weeks without dessert. Can it be done? Dates are on the menu and they are pretty darn sweet and good thing I love them. But I'm sure too many dates aren't that great for you either. We'll see how this goes!

So every morning I will pack my husband's lunch as well as a set for myself. This morning for breakfast we both had a strawberry-date-banana-blueberry-spinach smoothie. Yum.

Today's lunch and snacks:
A thermos of turnip and leek soup (from You Are What You Eat cookbook)
A small green salad with spinach, pumpkin seeds and dijon vinaigrette
1 apple
Celery sticks stuffed with sunflower paté and baby carrots (paté from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen)
Nuts/Seeds/Raisins/Dried apricots/more fruits
Lemongrass herb tea/ Dandelion tea

That's quite a lot of food isn't it? I normally don't eat that much at lunch. My husband looked at his lunch bag with disbelief. I told him if he couldn't finish it all to let me know and I will pack slightly less food tomorrow.


Turnip and Leek Soup. It was very straightforward recipe: turnip, leeks, celery, onions, veggie broth powder, water, parsley. I added a little unsweetened soymilk to make it creamier. I also added a tsp. of low sodium miso and low salt soy sauce (which is allowed) for some flavor. The soup was very nice. Kind of sweet with a delicate flavor.


A sampling of snacks we'll be eating during detox. Celery with some kind of spread (in this case, sunflower paté), carrots, fruits, raw and unsalted nuts, seeds, raisins etc.


For dinner I made brown rice pasta with oven roasted grape tomatoes, spinach, olives and lots of crushed garlic.

__________________

Today

Yesterday was a great first day. I actually didn't feel "hungry" like I thought I would or have any cravings for chocolate or sweets. I ate lots of fruit which probably curbed any sweet cravings that would have arose. I was on the post punk kitchen forums a lot and looking at all the wonderful food porn (cinnamon rolls, cake, muffins...) was a bit hard but it didn't make me want to start baking or anything.

So our second day went like this:


Breakfast: Green Smoothie (banana-date-blueberry-collard greens)


Lunch: Leftover pasta from last night, a bit of leftover turnip soup, green salad/bean salad (pictured), a bunch of red grapes

Snacks: banana, nuts/seeds/raisins, celery and carrots w/ sunflower paté, red grapes, herbal teas


Dinner:Baked tofu with leeks and spinach, baked sweet potato, green salad. The tofu was based on the Baked Salmon recipe from You Are What You Eat cookbook.

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Monday, February 2nd, 2009
11:12 am - Superbowl Foods.
Went to my little bro's house for a Superbowl party. We set up a build-your-own taco/burrito bar which worked out brilliantly. I didn't take many pics as I was too busy preparing as well as eating but this is what I got...


My famous Spinach-Artichoke dip. Oh yes. Find the recipe posted here.


Along with normal salsa, I also made corn salsa for the taco bar.


My burrito filled with baked tofu strips (can't really see them!), chipotle black beans, cilantro-lime rice, guac, corn salsa, tomato salsa, grilled onions/peppers and lettuce. Whew! It was definitely over-filled. And delicious.


I never forget dessert! Mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache and topped with flaked coconut and rainbow and chocolate sprinkles.

So this is it with the pigging out. I am so stuffed and uncomfortably so. I am actually glad I'm doing a detox diet starting tomorrow. Will get back to you tomorrow on that!

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Sunday, January 25th, 2009
2:15 pm - Food from Mom's Birthday Party.
Had a great time at the party. My mom and dad were so cute, smiling together and hugging and singing karaoke (don't ask). Dad even serenaded Mom with a song. I was very happy that Mom had a great time as the wonderful guest of honor. I took some pics of the food that I made and the insides of the birthday cake.

Behold...


"Pizza Casserole" with zucchini, mushrooms, onions, olives, capers, veggie sausage, cashew ricotta, spinach and marinara. Deliciousness. I've made this before and posted the recipe here.


Slow cooked scalloped potatoes. Recipe from "You Won't Believe It's Vegan!" Beautifully rich and creamy potatoes with a nice crust. I am definitely making this again.


Cake! This cake was sooooooooooooooooo sweet! My mouth went numb while eating it. The frosting was out of control sweet. It was super.

xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

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Friday, January 23rd, 2009
6:51 pm - Friday Five Meme from [info]my_vampyre_eyes
1. If you owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
This one's easy. A vegan restaurant that is affordable and serves delicious, simple, comfort vegan food. So that means: sandwiches, burgers, fries, soups, chilis, pastas, salads, casseroles and let's not forget dessert.

2. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
Right now it's The Veggie Grill because they are almost (but not quite) close to that perfect vegan restaurant. (They need a few more hot dishes (non sandwich) and they really need to change their decor.)

3. What is your favorite fast food place?
Chipotle. The veggie burritos are fantastic.

4. If you had to choose only one type of food to eat for a year, what would it be?
This is hard. I'd say middle eastern. Chickpeas, eggplants, tomatoes, tahini, fresh salad, lemon, garlic, olive oil, rice, bulgur, bread, olives.....I love all those ingredients.

5. What is your favorite cereal?
Multigrain Cheerios or homemade granola.

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3:34 pm - Happy Birthday Mom!
Yesterday was my mom's 65th birthday and tomorrow we are throwing her a big bash to celebrate. She personally requested cookies: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies to be precise. I followed Isa's chocolate chip recipe and used dairy free white chocolate chips and delicious macadamias. I also made chocolate/white chocolate as well for those of us that prefer real chocolate. I also made birthday cake for her. It's banana cake (her favorite) with strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream in the center and then frosted with vanilla buttercream all over. I'll try to get a pic of the insides tomorrow.





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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
1:07 pm - Cheezy Broccoli Rice Casserole
I like casseroles. It's a one dish meal with very little mess and cleanup. This recipe is from 'The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook'. I was going for a "golden hue" by adding turmeric but I think I may have added to much as it's quite yellow!






This morning I made a rockin' green smoothie. It was so sweet and beautifully green with little blue speckles. I really enjoyed this one and so did Buster! (Well sort of, he had about a tablespoon. Picky dog!)




Rockin' Green Smoothie

5 dates, pitted
1/2 cup water
1 cup ice
1 ripe banana
handful of frozen blueberries
2 collard leaves, ribs removed (about 2 cups)

Blend dates and water until smooth. Add ice, banana and blueberries. Add a little more water if necessary. Blend until smooth, then add collards and blend until smooth.

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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
3:40 pm - Club "Sang-wich".
I mean Club Sandwich of course. I just remembered my husband telling me that the italians in his old neighborhood of St. Leonard (in Quebec, Canada) pronounced it that way which I think is kinda funny....

Anyway, this was my morning, preparing baked tofu and tempeh bacon to make these sandwiches. Tomorrow my husband will find one in his lunch. Hope he likes them!


Baked Tofu and Tempeh Bacon. Recipes from "You Won't Believe It's Vegan!" The tofu was marinated with a mixture of olive oil, mustard, garlic, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. I slightly overbaked them so they have a crispy exterior.


My sandwich prepared with lots of Vegenaise, lettuce, tomato and crisp toast. I was going to make it a triple stack but I thought that would be too much. The tempeh bacon was good but I have to say not as good as the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. But overall this was a very good and satisfying sandwich.


And Buster contemplates a nap.


*yawn* "Man, I'm tired even after 12 hours of sleep last night..."


"I think I'll just rest my eyes..."


"Zzzzzzzzzzz."

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Monday, January 19th, 2009
5:09 pm - Food as Art, a Sweet Treat, and a Sleeping Pup.
Made my dinner ahead of time today so I wouldn't have to bother later. I took the 'Baked Aubergine (Eggplant) and Mushroom Stack' recipe from the You Are What You Eat cookbook and improvised a little. It was supposed to have fennel and red onions but I didn't have them so I used yellow onions and added grape tomatoes in place of the fennel. And I think I did good because the addition of the tomatoes makes for beautiful looking food. I was entranced by the colors as I snapped some photos. Here are my favorite shots. (By the way, I haven't tasted this yet. It does smell very nice though...lots of garlic in this.)


Sitting on some fresh arugula for more color. View number 1 of the stack.


View number 2 which I think works better aesthetically for me...


Two stacks surrounded by a lush arugula forest.

I'm still enjoying my new Breville blender and have been making a fresh smoothie every morning. I've discovered a sweet shake that I like to prepare when I'm craving dessert. It contains: 1 cup ice, 1 cup soymilk, 1 frozen banana, 4-5 dates, 1 tsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp vanilla extract. It's delicious.



And a bonus puppy shot. This was Buster this morning, unable to get out of bed to face the day. I even pulled the shades open and he still didn't get up!



xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

current music: Doomsday -Doctor Who series 2 soundtrack

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12:40 pm - Giving in to a pizza craving.
Oh my my my, this pizza was so flipping good! It doesn't look as pretty as the pizzas I've made before but the taste totally makes up for it. It's a basic Trader Joe's pizza dough with homemade sauce (tomato sauce, olive oil, salt, oregano, sugar, garlic and onion powder), red onions, lots and lots of chopped garlic, chopped up Tofurky Italian veggie sausage, grape tomatoes and a bit of parsley. I also sprinkled vegan parmesan on it. I think it was the abundance of garlic that really took it up "a notch". And to just make it all better I made a spinach and arugula (rocket) salad that was lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and served it on top of the pizza. Absolutely delicious. I ate half of this pizza in one sitting!





xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

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Saturday, January 17th, 2009
9:11 am - Book Meme
1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Mine:(which is actually the 4th sentence as there is no 5th.)

"Reclining on a sumptuous array of brightly colored cushions, guests look out across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain."

-Living in Morocco by Lisl and Landt Dennis

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Thursday, January 15th, 2009
4:42 pm - Cheap Eats: Breakfast Burrito and Channa Masala
Today's eats are good examples of using a few cheap ingredients to create a tasty yet satisfying meal. In these tough economic times, a trip to the grocery store can be really depressing. Prices have gone up for just about everything. Luckily there are a few staples that are very affordable and will be of so much use to your bargain meal repertoire. Today was a good example of using everyday vegetarian staples such as tofu (around $1.29 per carton), potatoes ($2 for a 5lb. bag) and beans (in this case, chickpeas. I get mine at the 99cents only store for .99 cents for a large 28oz. can).


For lunch I made a breakfast burrito with some scrambled tofu and onions, potatoes and a delicious sauce which was simply a mixture of ketchup and mayo! I only used 1/4 of the tofu block, so I have 3/4 of it left to use for another recipe. Oh, and I got a pack of flour tortillas for .99 cents too!


Dinner was a simple potato and chickpea curry, otherwise known as 'Channa Masala'. I make this all the time and it is best served on top of hot, steaming jasmine or basmati rice. I always use this recipe. I only used half a can of the chickpeas, so I was able to save the rest to put on top of my lunch salad tomorrow.

xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

current mood: grateful
current music: Kate Bush

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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
10:17 pm - Just an interesting article...
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/cheap-healthy-15-nutritious-foods-about-2-dollars

This article was on the front page of Yahoo today and it lists 15 foods that are cheap yet healthy. All these foods are great for those on a budget. I noticed that 12 out of 15 on this list are vegan, hooray!

I'll list them here for quick reference:

1. Brown Rice (lovely!)
2. Whole Grain Pasta (whole wheat or brown rice is good.)
3. Whole Wheat Bread (for toast and sandwiches)
4. Whole Wheat Flour (baking cakes, cookies, pancakes...)
5. Oats (breakfast!)
6. Frozen Veggies (great when you can't always afford fresh.)
7. Potatoes (cheap dinner: baked potato in the microwave with steamed veggies and margarine.)
8. Fresh Bagged Spinach (make a quick salad tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.)
9. Canned Refried Beans (make sure it's vegetarian!)
10. Canned Tuna Replace with Chickpeas!
11. Canned/Jarred Marinara Sauce (make sure there's no dairy in the ingredients.)
12. Whole Wheat Pita
13. Nulaid Reddi Eggs (what?) Replace with Tofu!
14. Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)
15. Canned Crabmeat Replace with beans or tofu!

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8:00 pm - Falafel Night.
We have falafel night often. It's a reliable and tasty regular in our house. I almost always use the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. It's easy, delicious and perfect for weeknights. Sometimes I serve the falafel patties with a side of lemon herb rice and a salad or in a pita like tonight. I did something a little different in preparing the chickpeas mixture. Instead of using breadcrumbs to bind the mixture, I used some cooked couscous that I had in the fridge. It worked very well.

The ingredients for this recipe has been posted online here. To cook them, you just need to fry lightly until browned or bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes flipping halfway.


Baked, not fried!


In a whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato and lots of garlicky and creamy cucumber sauce!

Cucumber sauce:
3 TB vegan mayo (or more if you like)
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Stir to combine all ingredients and chill.


This morning I made a orange, apple, banana and carrot smoothie in my new Breville blender that my dad bought for me! It's only the second or third time I've used it and it's great. I know it's not a Vita-Mix but works very nicely for a less expensive blender.



xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
8:56 pm - Tonight's Dinner: BBQ Baked Tofu


Haven't had tofu in a while so I bought some today to make bbq baked tofu. I was going to make a homemade bbq sauce out of Veganomicon but I didn't have most of the ingredients so I used a bottle of Trader Joe's Smoky Kansas City Style BBQ sauce in a pinch. To go with my saucy tofu, I had Brooklyn Deli Pasta Salad (which is a recipe from Veganomicon) and garlicky sauteed zucchini. It was all very delicious indeed.

If you're interested in baking some tofu slices, here's a good recipe. I pretty much followed the baking time instructions but instead of using the marinade, I dipped my tofu slices in bbq sauce and I baked them on a baking sheet instead of a dish. It was very easy and I can see myself making a big batch of this to use for sandwiches.

xposted to theveganmouse.blogspot.com

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Friday, January 9th, 2009
8:09 pm - Writer's Block: Comfort Food

When times are tough or you're feeling down, what's the one food you can count on to make you feel better?


View other answers



Some people don't eat when they're depressed or stressed. I'm one of those people that do. Very much. Desserts will do for me. Cake, cookies, cupcakes, you name it. But mostly cake. It has to be vegan though. Like this one:

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