love like a vegan

I haven’t updated in awhile, sorry! I haven’t even been that busy, I think it was just a case of blogger’s block or something.

Anyways, what have I been up to lately?

I started a small garden! I planted Spring Onions, Basil, Cilantro, Mint and Chives, all of which, once they sprout, will be housed in pots on my deck (My yard is rather shady so I need them to be able to ‘follow’ the sun). I’ll post photos once they sprout. I’d like to grow some other vegetables aside from the onions, but for now I’m going to see how these turn out.

Speaking of sprouts, know what I’ve been loving lately? Sprouts! I bought a small bag of organic Spring Salad Mix Sprouts at the farmer’s market last weekend and they have been wonderful on my tomato sandwiches.  They’re so good for you too, especially broccoli sprouts which are full of antioxidants.  I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to give sprouts a chance.

I’ve been fighting off a cold this week and Veganomicon’s Creamy Tomato Soup has been ever so nourishing and comforting.  I blogged about it previously here.

Last night, my mother and I ate out at my favourite restaurant here in Halifax (which I’ve blogged about a couple times here before, ha ha). I got the Cajun Tofu dish (my favourite!) which is tofu smothered in a hot cajun style sauce served with brown rice and steamed kale with some sort of delicious sauce. My mother got a slice of Coconut-Cashew-Banana Pie which was so heavenly we got another slice to go, pictured below:

That is all for now, I promise the next post will be sooner than this one was!

Oh, the vegan brownie. Much like Mac ‘n Cheeze, the vegan brownie recipe is one that is sought after by each and every vegan chef. People are very particular about their brownies. Chewy? Fudgy? Cakey? I belong to the sect that doesn’t favour one texture over the other, appreciating each brownie for what it is. However, I have recently came to the conclusion that a brownie revolution is upon us. And that the revolution will be crumb-topped.

Enter My Sweet Vegan’s Crumb-Topped Brownies. The brownies are unbelievably decadent and rich, chocolatey and fudgy. And they make an ideal companion to a scoop of French Vanilla Soy Ice Cream (which I enjoyed for brownie experimental and scientifical purposes of course). And the crumb topping! I never thought about adding a crumb top to a brownie before (what about the traditional crackly tops?) and although many crumbs found their way to my kitchen floor, they really add to the enjoyment of these fudgy brownies.  And really make them hard to say no to.

I was rated E for excellent by the wonderful LindyLoo and now it’s my turn to select two blogs for the title!

VeggieGirl, you are rated E for Excellent! This blog is always a great read, with wonderful insights of a fellow vegan student who still manages to find time to share with us her forrays of baking (a lot of times quite healthy!). Did you see her recent series on her trip to NYC? It had me taking notes for my own “someday” (I’ve been saying that for years) trip to the big city. Keep up the good work, girl!

Where’s the Revolution?, you are rated E for Excellent! I adore reading the adventures of the great Bazu! Not only does she demonstrate her mad skills in the kitchen, but she allows us to read (and see breathtaking photographs) about her travels. Can’t wait to read her posts from England!

There are so many great blogs out there, it is so difficult to select only two for the title, I advise you readers to check out my blogroll for other excellent reads.

I don’t believe I have talked about how I was luckily chosen as a tester for Yellow Rose Recipes yet so here is a post dedicated to the amazing recipes I’ve sampled that the lovely Joanna has cooked up.

First up, we have Maple Ginger Tempeh Strips. These were the first recipe I tested and on first taste I knew that the next few months of testing will be absolutely heavenly. These strips were divine, the best tempeh “bacon” I have ever had to date (an most likely ever). They were that good.

Next up is Joanna’s Lemon Mint Pasta with Zucchini & Petit Pois. Light, refreshing, and delicious, this dish screams spring.

The following is now my favourite sandwich. This Chick Salad is amazing, ever since I made it I find myself constantly craving it.

Lastly we have the Three-Bean Salad, a wonderful and tasty dish, I forsee myself making it a lot this summmer.

I have found that all of Joanna’s recipes are not only delicious but are very friendly to those who are short on time (i.e. a student!). Everyone needs a copy of this book so be sure to keep an eye out for it in the future!

I was tagged over at the lovely Chocolate and Peanut Butter Gallery for a meme!

Alright, six words that describe me (That took me way too long to decide! It’s hard for me not to write a few sentences for each word explaining why I chose these words)

Shy
Critical
Approachable
Patient
Observant
Inquisitive

Tag! The following bloggers are it! (Sorry if you already have been)
VeggieGirl
Vegan Eating For One
The Urban Housewife
Kamutflake Girl
Bittersweet

Vegan Macaroni & Cheese is a popular dish among vegans, both raved and grumbled about. I have tried many versions of this dish and honestly, I have enjoyed each one. Macaroni & Cheese was a staple of my childhood so I’m always game for a new recipe to try out. In the January + February issue of VegNews, in the “Veganize It” column, a recipe for the pasta caught my eye. It’s different than other recipes I’ve made in the past (no nutritional yeast!) and I made a mental note to try it in the future. Tonight for supper, I finally got around to making it and below is photographic evidence of the results.

This turned out to be a wonderful meal, creamy and comforting. I found it to be quite different than the other nutritional yeast base recipes with it’s addition of pureed vegetables which lended a nice, homestyle quality to it’s flavour. I definitely recommend this recipe although next time I’ll up the spice amounts to give it a bit of a flavour boost.

Here’s the recipe in pdf form but I’ll type it up here in case you’re link-a-phobe (I know I am).

VegNews’ Macaroni & Cheese

Serves 6

4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 tablespoons + cup non-hydrogenated
margarine
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and
chopped
cup carrots, peeled and chopped
cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
teaspoon garlic, minced
teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
teaspoon black pepper
teaspoon cayenne
teaspoon paprika

1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by processing the bread and 2 tablespoons of the
margarine into medium-fine crumbs. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and
water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are
very soft.

4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, remaining margarine, mustard, lemon juice,
black pepper, and cayenne. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender
and process until completely smooth.

5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, top with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown. Enjoy!