It's My 100th Post! Let's Celebrate With Wafflewiches!

I can't believe this is my 100th post!! This blog has been so much fun to do! I am also really thankful that people actually read it and even make some of my recipes!

I could not think of a better way to celebrate than to show you Bianca's latest Cookin' Crunk tester recipe: a Wafflewich! It's a fried tofu "chicken" and savory waffle sandwich, and it is heavenly! This down-home treat has a maple Dijon sauce on it for a sweet and tangy kick and is topped with some veggies for that little something extra. I could see this as an awesome brunch or lunch or dinner or breakfast sandwich ( probably because sandwiches are like my favorite food.) or for any time when you want to feel happy and full! When this cookbook comes out and you buy it, make this recipe!

Savory Waffles

-Plus-

Beer-Battered Fried Tofu-Plus-

Maple-Dijon Sauce

-Equals-

Wafflewich!

Seriously, does it get better than beer-battered fried tofu with maple-Dijon sauce, fresh tomato, and greens on a savory whole wheat waffle?? Well, maybe....If you throw in some awesome coleslaw! I served my wafflewich with one of my favorite homestyle sides, creamy coleslaw. This meal was delightful!

Here's to the next 100 posts!! :)

I've Died and Gone to Waffle House!

Close your eyes and imagine yourself eating breakfast in bed...a warm waffle drenched in Earth Balance and maple syrup, a mug of hot coffee, the newspaper, and a loved one. OK, now open them so you can read about these awesome waffles! In my dream, the waffles I would be eating in bed are these Cinnamon Pecan Waffles! These are from Bianca of Vegan Crunk's upcoming cookbook, "Cookin' Crunk." I get to be a tester for her awesome new Southern cookbook...which is perfect because I love Southern food! hooray! This waffle recipe is first up for the testing challenge. These waffles are so wonderful! A bit more "buttery" tasting than any vegan waffles I've had before, such as the ones I drool over from Vegan With A Vengeance. They are also pretty pecan-laden. Or pee-kan if you are really from the South. They are just like the really tasty but really awful-for-you version at Waffle House. Which I will tell you unashamed that I loved that greasy spoon place as an omni. So thanks Bianca for bringing me back, but in a much kinder, healthier way!

My First Homemade Apple Pie!

To commemorate the coming of fall and day two of Vegan MoFo...and my surplus of apples that Steve and I picked...today I made my first homemade Apple Pie!! This was also my first homemade crust, so I spent a lot of time on this baby! It was well worth the effort, however because it came out wonderfully! I used the Apple Pie recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau, and I would highly recommend it! The crust came out nice and crisp, but not too dry, and the apples weren't over cooked or mushy--they still had a little bite to them. Next time, I would put more Earth Balance inside with the apples to give it a little more moisture to the apple filling, but otherwise, this was a killer pie! I must admit, we all ate it while watching Biden kick Palin's butt in the v.p. debates. perfect.

Here are the local apples in the pie shell....topless: The pie, unbaked, with the lazy lattice crust:
The pie, freshly baked out of the oven:
And, finally, a big warm slice served with Vanilla So Delicious "ice cream":
To DIE for :)

Also, I made my traditional breakfast for dinner tonight! I really could go on and on about having breakfast foods at dinner time, but I will show restraint. To start to chip away at my apple abundance, I made Apple Cinnamon Waffles, modified from the Ginger Pear Waffles recipe from Isa's Vegan With A Vengeance...I just subbed apple for pear, and subbed walnuts for the crystallized ginger. I also doubled the amount of cinnamon...I must admit, these were wonderful! A perfect use for apples and satisfying to the sweet tooth when blessed with some REAL maple syrup!

To go with these awesome waffles, I also made the Tempeh Bacon from VWAV...mmmmmmm smoky....and some roasted purple potatoes with chipotle seasoning and garlic. A great fall dinner for sure. Yay Vegan MoFo!