Local Latina!

Tonight's dinner was yet another masterpiece from the Vegan Latina tester forum! With my kitchen bursting at the seams with fresh, local produce, I had my eye (and mouth) on two of the test recipes: the Eggplant Torta Sandwich and Calciabatas (aka Fresh Squash Saute)! Feast your eyes on this crazyness!

First up, the Eggplant Torta Sandwich! Terry was NOT messing around when she created this monster of a sandwich!! It is crusty French bread stuffed with refried beans, chopped jalapenos, tomatoes, marinated and roasted eggplant, shredded lettuce, avocado, and homemade chipotle mayo. whoa!! I was so lucky to have some local eggplant, my mom's homegrown tomatoes, and local French bread at home!I served these sandwiches with a side of Calciabatas, another VL test recipe. Also known as Fresh Squash Saute, this tasty veggie dish was a saute of summer squash, onions, garlic, winter squash, tomatoes, and spices! It all kind of sauteed and stewed together to make something really flavorful yet simple...a perfect side dish, really! For this, I got to use more local veggies: local patty pan squash and some more of my momma's tomatoes! (p.s. I am so proud of my mom's new-found green thumb! yay!)

I just love incorporating the best produce possible into Terry's awesome tester recipes! What a lucky gal I am!

BTW...this is my first blog post from my new laptop! woot graduation present!

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh and Some Product Reviews!

I have been super busy and unable to consistently blog....but I have lots to talk about and a little time, so yay!

First up is the Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon! Good Lord this is so tasty! I love how savory and salty and spicy this is...I could not believe I hadn't made this before, especially with my affinity for hot sauce! I went home-style and served it with mashed potatoes (thanksgiving leftovers!) and garlic-sauteed greens...this was an awesome and comforting meal!!

I have also been trying lots of new products lately, from Clover's and Whole Foods...I love to go on food adventures :)

First is SOYRIZO! I freakin love this stufff! I have had a few other kinds of vegan chorizo before, and I loved it, so I had to give this a shot! It was a lot more flavorful and spicy than the other kinds I have had, but a little saltier, too. I served this up kind of mexican-style with veggies and such:Soyrizo!

Soyrizo with Local Peppers and Corn, Quinoa, and Avocado

Soyrizo with Tomatoes and Greens, Chili-Baked Polenta, and Pepitas

The next new item is Kozy Shack Soy Pudding! It was really nice to see a clearly vegan item it a common grocery store, in with all the other products!! And this is sooooooo tasty! It really reminds me of childhood...especially the yummy chocolate flavor!

Kozy Shack Chocolate Soy Pudding
....Topped with some Soyatoo Vegan Whipped Cream!

Then there's a holiday must: "Egg" Nog! I always buy the soy variety by Silk, but Clover's started carrying a Rice Dream soy nog, so I had to try it! I must say that the flavor is great and definitely tastes like the holidays. Yuuuummy spices and all that jazz! But, being rice milk, it is just not quite as thick as I would want a nog to be. And I like it thick! Steven says this is good on granola, though! mmmmm!! I would for sure recommend this if you aren't down with soy, though, cuz it is really tasty!
Rice Nog by Rice Dream! Glorious!