Vegan MoFo: Sustainability Sunday!

Welcome to Day 27 of Vegan MoFo (month of food)!! The KC Vegan Crawl, aka Sustainability Sundays, was hoppin again this past weekend! Lots of great peeps came out to support sustainable, delicious vegan foooooood!

At my supper club, it was Oktoberfest 2009!! All German food all the time!

For the meal: Homemade Vegan Brats with Braised Local Cabbage and German Potato Salad (all local veggies, too!). Of course, there was lots of Organic Kraut to be had!!

For dessert: Apfelkuchen! For all the English speakers, that's German Apple Cake! I got my recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking and it turned out soooo great! I am in LOVE with this warm, cinnamon-y, moist cake. Love.See, Dane loves the German-ness...And Anna reeeealllly loves the German-ness!!And for the second leg of the vegan crawl, at Dane's place....more local food gooooodness!

Spaghetti Squash Saute: local sketti squash with onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and olive oil. So many good things all at once!!Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce: lima beans. simmered in tomato sauce. what more could you ask for?! yum!Pomegranate Tart: pomegranates, blackberry jam, and pineapple in a dense, buttery tart crust. I think it actually might be a pan-dowdy due to how it's made and such, but whatever. Just words.Then we all carved ourselves some local pumpkins!! Perfect ending to a lovely, autumnal Sustainability Sunday! Here was my creation....totally fitting to my personality. ha.

My First Hanukkah Attempt

Since my last few posts were pretty Christmas-centric, I decided it was my duty to give a shout out to the Hanukkah celebrating folks! I have never tried my hand at any specifically "Hanukkah" or "Jewish" food, but I suppose you don't have to be Jewish to share in the celebration, particularly when it comes to the good food! I don't think I did too bad for my first shot...except that the latkes kept sticking to the pan! I made the Classic Potato Latkes from the VegCooking.com blog, topped with a little Tofutti Sour Supreme, and I served them with my Homemade Brats (using the famous steaming method!) with Organic Sauerkraut and a side of Braised Cabbage and Apples. Now I only wish I had made those fluffy little Hanukkah donuts for dessert!
I was really pleased with the flavors and textures of this whole meal, but I was quite disappointed when I plated everything up and realized it was all kinda tan. There's veggies on this plate, I promise! :) Mono-toned or not, this was a really tasty meal that I would definitely try again! Happy Hanukkah!

Cooking for One...

Well I will be cooking for just myself for the next few days, because Steven is away on a camping/climbing trip to Alabama. I feel like I almost forgot how to cook for only one person, since I am always cooking for two! I have still managed to eat well, though :) Here's a few things that I have enjoyed over the past few days...yay alone time! Homemade Seitan Brats with Leeks and Apples,

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Tofu (Veganomicon), Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale
My Perfect Meal: Quinoa, Tofu, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and

Tahini-Miso Sauce (Veganomicon)

Earlier this week, a bunch of my friends, all of whom happen to be roommates with Steven, had birthdays...Since they all live in the same house, I made them all one batch of cupcakes to share. With the recent COLD weather I wanted something "warm"feeling, so I made the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I whipped up a Cocoa-Cinnamon Buttercream to top them off...and they also got a little kiss of powdered sugar!

These cupcakes are soooooo good! I absolutely love the combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne....it makes you feel all warm and happy inside. The coconut milk and cornmeal make them have an awesome texture, too! Make these! I might go so far as to say they trump an actual mug of hot chocolate...but maybe I would just like to enjoy them together :)

Even though I am appreciating this alone time, I think I am ready to cook for two again!

Belated MoFos!!

I have been quite the lazy blogger for the past two days! My apologies...after I got back from my long week in Chicago, I was too lazy to cook (and I had no food in my fridge!), I was tired, and I really just wanted to hang out with Steven. Needless to say, I was less than motivated to cook or blog! I am now refreshed and ready to cook, though, starting with last night!
Yesterday was not only Halloween and the last day of Vegan MoFo, it was also me and Steven's nine month anniversary! yay! So, I had to make a really delicious dinner for us, and I wanted it to be something he loved a lot...but not more than me :)
I went with Homemade Bratwursts, inspired by Julie Hasson's recipe for Spicy Italian Sausages, served with Bubbie's Raw Sauerkraut on top, along with Braised Cabbage and Local Apples, and Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes. This meal was perfect! Warm and satisfying...perfect for a long night of Halloween fun! And there's even orange in the sweet potatoes! So clever.When I was in Chicago, I picked up something locally-made to make for Steven and myself, because I think it's really important to try local items wherever you go to appreciate the culture and tastes of the places you are visiting. When I saw this Upton's Naturals Chorizo-Style Seitan at Whole Foods, I knew that this is the item I had to bring home with me!! It seemed like a lot of the veg-friendly restaurants there in Chi-town had something featuring Seitan Chorizo on their menus, so I wanted to try using this tasty ingredient at home as well!

I wanted to use the chorizo in a Mexican/South American-inspired dish, so I made this:
Seitan Chorizo with onions, garlic, jalapenos, red peppers, hominy, greens, and avocado over quinoa....with lots of citrus, cumin, chipotle, and cayenne, this was really flavorful, and was a great way to celebrate the chorizo! I haven't had hominy in a long time, and I had forgotten how much I love it! yum!!

This precious little skull is made of chocolate (obviously) and was another cool thing I bought in Chicago! This was made by the gourmet chocolatier Vosges, who is famous for creating innovative and wonderful chocolate concoctions. This particular Hot Chile Chocolate Skull, in celebration of The Day of the Dead/Halloween, was made of solid dark chocolate, ancho chiles, chipotle chiles, cinnamon, and black sea salt...this skull was so warm and spicy and sweet and flavorful! This is probably the only time I will rave so much about eating a body part (unless they make more body parts out of chocolate)!

On some side notes:
Happy end of Vegan MoFo...I'm already looking forward to next year!
Happy belated Halloween
Please do whatever you can to support/volunteer for/encourage Barack and Joe over these next three days! We are so close...don't give up now, people!!

Vegan MoFo Day #22: My Meme Survey!

Heeeeey MoFo!

This is the first survey I've ever done, so I am pretty excited! I got this from Jes at Get Sconed!, so you know it's a quality meme! After you read it, you should complete it and blog about it yourself! Then, I guess it would be a youyou :)
1. What was the most recent tea you drank? Yogi Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut. with agave nectar and a splash silk creamer. zomg.
2. What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill! the ppk….my username is peace by pastries
3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has to be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first? spaghetti with tofu “meat”balls, and some vegan parm!
4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day? too many, 15 to 20, but there are about 10 that I read religiously, sometimes I will even read up to 30. yikes.
5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read? yeah, that vegan “shit”
6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do? I would want to hang out with isa and jess, because they are awesome and both live in Portland, so I could get both at once, and I would go on a bike ride with them then bake lots of goodies
7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be? seitan!
8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be? tempeh, especially since it is rock-solid when frozen
9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice! 1. cornmeal-crusted tempeh from Candle Café Cookbook 2. tempeh reubens 3. tempeh bacon with blueberry pancakes (brinner! yay!)
10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing? peanut butter cinnamon rolls from bjorkedoff. I dream about them.
11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them? I have some vegan Macbeth shoes I got at mooshoes in nyc, but they don’t say “vegan” or anything
12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh) no! but I would give my left nut to go there right now! if I had one.
13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick? 19. heck yes!
14.What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it? I honestly don’t know if I’ve had a “bad” meal, but I did make a curry one time that came out really bitter. but it was still edible.
15. What made you decide to blog? reading other people’s blogs incessantly and wanting to show people that it is possible to be vegan in the Midwest!
16.What are three of your favorite meals to make? 1. bbq seitan with cornbread and greens 2. vegan crab cakes 3. breakfast for dinner, particularly pancakes and “sausage”
17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck? pumpkin pie and rosemary-roasted sweet potatoes
18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it? seitan piccatta from candle 79, but I have only ordered it once.
19. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is? probably p.f. Chang's. I don’t go to chains really, so I am the wrong girl to ask
20. My kitchen needs a……… kitchenaid stand mixer. or just more space!!!!
21. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..! all vegetables are allowed! my least favorite is cucumbers though. weird.
22. What's for dinner tonight? quinoa with baked tofu, sweet potatoes, kale, and miso- tahini sauce. my perfect meal.

Here's my evidence of #22:

I am convinced that this is THE perfect meal: quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed kale, tofu (cooked with bragg's and nooch), drizzled with miso-tahini sauce. I can't imagine anything better!!

Oh, and for lunch, I came up with an awesome way to use the leftover brats I made yesterday: Bratwiches!! I sliced up the brats and put them on toasted rye bread with spicy mustard, dill relish, and all the fixings...genius! I was out of kraut, but I would definitely slap some of that on there next time! yay fermented foods :)

yeah, the picture sucks, but it tasted awesome!!

and, yes, you MUST vote on November 4th! Obama or bust :)

Vegan MoFo Day #21: I Love Apples!

I ate a lot of apples today, I must confess! After all, it is fall and apples are in season, and I still have dozens and dozens left from when we went apple-picking weeks ago! I am trying to use them up before they go bad, so I have been trying to feature them in many of my meals, desserts, and snacks.

For dinner, they were a sweet addition to my Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Onions. I paired those with Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Homemade Bratwursts (which I based on Julie Hasson's Spicy Italian Sausage recipe)...loaded with organic sauerkraut, obviously!! This meal was perfect!!! It featured lots of wonderful, local fall produce, economical homemade sausages, and an homage to my love for all things German. I will definitely make this meal again soon! It's so colorful and pretty!!

Dessert also featured apples! I made Apple-Cherry cobbler bars, a modification of the Apple-Date Bars that I bake at work for Main Squeeze. These have lots of cinnamon, cardamom, maple syrup, and apples, so eating them makes you all warm and happy...especially when paired with a nice chai tea! And they are wheat-free, so those who are sensitive can enjoy them, too!!

Apple-Cherry Cobbler Bars

These make a great treat to eat while reading vegan mofo blogs!!

Breakfast was also amazing, but it did not involve apples. darn. But, I did make something new and wonderful: Vegan Bagels and Lox! A while ago, I was thinking about how to make this awesome breakfast item vegan-style. Then, lo and behold, I was flipping through cookbooks at the bookstore, and saw a recipe for vegan lox in Vegan Vittles. I didn't use that recipe, but I got the idea from that recipe to use roasted red peppers as the smoked "salmon." This was awesome to wake up to...you mofos should fo sho try this!

Vegan Bagels and Lox (serves 2)

2 sprouted grain bagels

4 Tbs Tofutti vegan cream "cheese"

2 roasted red peppers, sliced into strips

2 Tbs capers

1 tsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of salt

1 tsp kelp powder

1/4 cup hijiki

1 cup water

1 tsp dill weed or 2 Tbs fresh dill

To make the lox (do this the night before): Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, water, kelp, hijiki, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Place the sliced red peppers in this marinade and refrigerate overnight. In the morning: split and toast the bagels. Spread each bagel half with 1 Tbs cream "cheese." Lay strips of marinated peppers on the bagels. Place capers over the peppers, and sprinkle each bagel half with dill. Serve immediately.

This is breakfast at its best!! (But it makes me miss New York so badly!)

Weekend Goodies

For the first weekend after school started, what better way to celebrate and relax than enjoying some yummy food?! Last night, we had a pot luck and bonfire...perfect for commemorating the end of summer! Here are some of the things people brought (and almost everything was vegan! what good friends!):

A green bean and almond salad:

Fresh Watermelon...in lovely ball form:

Vegan Rice Krispie Treats:
And homemade sausages!! These were soooo awesome!!

Here is Sarah making up the brats...she based them on Julie Hasson's recipe, which is apparently super-easy! and tasty! Sarah is an awesome cook!!And here's the Picnic Potato Salad I made, with three different kinds of potatoes-purple, new, and sweet:

Picnic Potato Salad (makes about 4 qts.)

1 lb. new potatoes, diced

1/2 lb. purple Peruvian potatoes, diced

1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, diced

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup peas

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup Vegenaise

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp dill

In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until just tender...but don't overcook! please!

Drain potatoes and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool.

Combine all of the vegetables and cooled potatoes in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, veganaise, and spices. Pour dressing over potato-veggie mix and gently stir to coat everything evenly. Chill for 30 minutes or so before serving.

For the bonfire, Steve and I bought some Sweet & Sara marshmallows...in toasted coconut flavor! These made AMAZING s'mores!!! I am now obsessed.
For our Sunday morning breakfast tradition, a bunch of us met up at the awesome Cafe Berlin...seriously the best breakfast in town! There are tons of vegan options, they use local veggies, and the staff is wonderful. What's not to love??
I had the Mediterranean Breakfast--a favorite for sure!!
It's a big plate of tofu scrambled with scallions, parsley, and spinach...with a mound of their homemade hummus, homemade (delicious) pita bread, local cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives. This is worth getting up early for!

Have a good Labor Day! :)

Burritos, Stew, and Brats...oh my...

I haven't been baking much over the last week, because of busy schedules and such, but I have been doing some good cooking! I really want to hone some of my cooking skills, so I have been focusing on that a bit more lately than the baking side of life! As wonderful as it is, though, my heart will always belong to the wonderful world of baked goods :)
A few nights ago, I made tempeh burritos for me and Steve, with a medley of steamed vegetables on the side. These burritos are one of our favorite things to eat...they are really savory and unique and totally hit the spot!

Tempeh Burritos
(serves 2)

6 to 8 oz of tempeh
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Braggs (tamari or shoyu will work, too)
2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 an avocado
1/2 c cucumber, sliced
1/2 c tomato, diced
6 kalamata olives
1/2 c red onion, diced
1 cup spinach, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 T tahini

Dice the tempeh into cubes and mix with minced garlic and Bragg's. Place onto a lightly oiled sheet pan and bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes, until nice and browned.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet until soft and pliable. Mash 1/4 of an avocado on each tortilla and spread evenly around. Add the baked tempeh, diced veggies, and spinach. Drizzle 1 T of tahini over the vegetables and wrap the tortilla shut. Place closed tortilla fold side down on a skillet over medium heat to toast, then flip burrito and toast on the other side to golden brown.
Serve warm...goes really well with some steamed broccoli! :)


The next night for dinner, I made one of my favorite recipes. This is the Indonesian Tempeh Stew from the Students' Vegan Cookbook. I am not sure if the sweet and spicy flavors and the awesome use of the sweet potato (one of my favorite foods!) makes this one of my favorite recipes, or the fact that it comes from my first all-vegan cookbook...either way it is awesome and I could eat it every single day! Especially when I serve it all nice and hot over a bed of quinoa...it doesn't get much better!!

Tonight's dinner was similar to something I made a few weeks ago: Tofurky Beer Brats! This time, I had them with braised red cabbage with onions, garlic, apples, and fennel seeds...and tons of saurkraut on top! Fermented foods will save the world. Paired with some oven-roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli, this meal was hearty and satisfying. If you haven't tried the Beer Brats yet, I highly recommend it...not too scary meat-like or anything! Check 'em out!

I am planning on doing some awesome baking this week...
I hope I can remember to post about it !