Playing Catch-Up: Christmas Food!

WOW. I just realized I haven't posted in two whole months! That's slightly embarrassing, and just a bummer because I love blogging! I've been super busy with the holidays, traveling, and working, but my resolution for the new year is to blog regularly again! And that means taking pictures of my food again, too! I finally got my camera working, so that will be easier than just using my phone! Now I've just got to get back into the discipline of blogging. I'm making lots of good food....I'll just have to prove it now!

To get things rolling, I'll show you my Christmas dinner...it was super traditional, which is how I usually like my holiday meals, and it was fantastic!!

The usual suspects (at least in the vegan world!): Tofurkey Roast, with roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, garlic-roasted Brussels sprouts, citrus cranberry sauce, and olive bread. Duh. And for dessert, Christmas cookies out the wazoo!

Clockwise from the left: Almond Crescents (adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe), Rocky Road Cookies (from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar) with the modification of subtracting white chocolate chips and adding Dandies vegan marshmallows!!, Vegan Caramel Delight Cookies--made with shredded sweet potatoes, my recipe here, and Chai Chocolate Chip Shortbread from VCIYCJ. I loved them all so much, I think I ate a dozen cookies on Christmas day. It had to be done!! If I had to pick a favorite....well, I just can't! Hope all your holidays were wonderful, too! Now it's back to normal life--and back to blogging for me!

Home For the Holidays, Part 3!

For my last Christmas post, I gotta tell you about all the cooking gifts I got!!

Here are most of the goods: really good knives, pastry set, wave-cutting knife, kitchen timer, prep bowls, mixing bowls, mortar and pestle, cookbook from local veg-restaurant Eden Alley, GIANT green cutting board, and (not pictured) ceramic Corningware baking set. How wonderful is my family?! Also, my wonderful mom got me a Rosemary Tree! I am pumped to make some delish rosemary dishes now!
Right after I got this tree on Christmas Eve, I made Rosemary Mashed Potatoes for us, and served it with BBQ Seitan and Garlic-Roasted Brussel Sprouts....so gooooood!

Another example of how awesome family can be: Steven's mom made us lots of vegan food for his family Christmas celebration! She used lots of her non-veg recipes and veganized them just for us! How precious!

Here's a tray of goodies: vegan fruitcake (my first time ever trying fruitcake! it was really good!) and vegan gingerbread cookies...

Close-up shot of the wonderful, chewy, soft cookies...
She even made TWO vegan apple pies for us! Whoa! Here they are, ready to cut and devour... And here's a big slice, full of appl-y goodness...
All in all, this Christmas vacation rocked! Tomorrow, it's back to work and real-life...but I am so glad I got to spend some quality time with my family! Oh, and make and eat lots of really tasty, homemade food!

Home For the Holidays, Part 2!

This post could also be titled "Too Much Food" because that was definitely what I experienced yesterday for Christmas!! I am not complaining though...they say that's what the holidays are for, right?! I really had one of the best Christmases ever, and it was because of the awesome time with family AND the great food!! I really like holiday cooking and baking, and here's the evidence!!
For Christmas morning breakfast, I made RRE's Cinnamon Rolls from the Bjorked Off blog! I made them with whole wheat flour, so they are a little tanner than your average cinnamon roll...but much healthier! Here they are, ready to be baked:

And here is a BIG one, all nice and cinnamon-glazed!!! Worth the effort for sure! Is there honestly anything tastier than the warm center of a cinnamon roll and a big mug of hot coffee on Christmas morning?? Don't think so. For lunch, my family decided to go with a Mexican-themed meal. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to try out Celine's Seitan Chorizo from the Have Cake, Will Travel blog! This was spectacularly savory, spicy, and flavorful! We made soft shell (whole wheat!) tacos, which we topped with shredded cabbage, onion, my grandma's guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and Tofutti Sour Supreme! YUUUUM! On the side, I made a big batch of refried black beans...my first time from scratch! They are spiced with lime, garlic, and cumin, and are very addictive!In keeping with the Mexican theme, I made the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! Perfect combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne in a moist and tasty cake! I made a cocoa-cinnamon buttercream to top it off, too...
Then, because one dessert simply isn't enough for a holiday, I made the Mexican Wedding Cookies from the Joy of Vegan Baking. These are so good! They are like little balls of pecan shortbread with powdered sugar, and they just melt in your mouth! I think these were my mom's favorite!Okay, I know another dessert may sound crazy...but I had to make another vegan dessert to take to my dad's house for another Christmas celebration! These are coconut haystack bars, which are something that we sell at Main Squeeze, where I chef, so I borrowed the recipe from there to make at home. It is a shortbread crust with a coconut-pecan-chocolate chip filling...made sticky with barley malt syrup...and drizzled with melted dark chocolate post-baking! These are so perfect! A little bit of everything you would want in a dessert, without being overly sweet!To wash all of this feast down, I recommend some Chocolate Peppermint Stick soymilk from Westsoy!! A nice alternative to the usual Soy Nog enjoyed by vegans at the holidays (which I also love), plus who can beat chocolate and mint together in a creamy, cool drink?? Not me, that's for sure!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

Does anyone have any good Hanukkah recipes they recommend, now that my Christmas cooking and baking is done? I can't turn down a good theme meal! :)

Home For the Holidays, Part 1

It can be pretty tough going home for holidays to a non-vegan household. Not only do you have the anxiety of "what will I eat" but you also often have to to deal with the odd looks, comments, questions, etc. from inquisitive (yet loving) relatives. And you thought it was bad answering questions about whom you are dating!! But it doesn't have to be as difficult as it may seem...at least for the food problem! There's a few simple things you can look for in your family's pantry that they already have, which you can throw together and eat!!

For example, we had a family Christmas this weekend, and I was able to make this Holiday Quinoa Salad without getting anything special from the store! Holiday flavors and good nutrition are a combination that's hard to beat! While your parents may not be stocked with quinoa, you could easily substitute rice or any grain for the same tasty creation!This is simply quinoa my mom had, and I added a holiday-spiced teabag to the boiling water to cook with the quinoa. This really added a nice, mild flavor to the quinoa!! When the quinoa cooled, I tossed it with canned mandarin oranges, parsley, toasted almonds, spinach, red onion, and dried cranberries. I made a simple dressing to put on it of dijon mustard, olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and some spices, including chili powder and cinnamon! It was really good and easy, too! I just dug through the cupboards and put random things together that seemed like they would taste good!

There are some easy rules/things to look for when at a family member's house who is non-veg, and you want to whip up some grub to please your tastebuds and possibly even impress your family!
1. Canned fruits and veggies....maybe not your ideal choice at home, but work really well when away! Canned tomatoes are seriously soooo versatile!! Fresh produce is obviously even better, if you can find them, but don't hold your breath :)
2. Dried or canned beans...a staple in kitchens, even of the non-veg variety! Rice and beans, anyone?
3. Dried fruit...essential for snacking, salads, etc. Always at your family member's house who is "trying to eat healthier." When are they just going to go vegan already???!! ha.
4. Nuts or seeds...protein is key for keeping up energy during the stress of the family holiday gatherings! Look for them in peanut butter, too!! Best eaten by the spoonful, of course!
5. Oatmeal....the perfect breakfast in a non-veg house: no cereal labels to stress over, no soy/rice/hemp milk required, easy and quick to make, warm and delish!! Try drizzling with some maple syrup and cinnamon, which pretty much everyone has! mmmm....

See, you too can not starve or stress when you are away from home, in a country bumpkin town, with a bunch of carnivores! hooray!

Here's the whole dinner my veg mom and I made (yes, I am really lucky my mom is veg and goes out of her way to buy me vegan stuff and wants me to cook for her when I come home! she is awesome!!!) The Holiday Quinoa salad from above, Tofurkey roast with stuffing, and Steamed Green Beans with Caramelized Onions. So good!!! God bless Tofurkey, seriously.
I even made a pie for dessert! Pecan Pie (Bryanna's recipe from the Vegan Feast Kitchen). Pecan Pie is the best pie fyi. Best when topped with some Soyatoo whipped topping and a big mug of hot coffee. This is Christmas in a crust.Before I left, my mom requested her favorite breakfast: scrambled tofu! She even went out and bought all the veggies for it! Bonus! This is probably the best scram-fu I've ever made!! It is onion, garlic, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, yellow and zucchini squashes, seasoned with Bragg's, hot sauce, turmeric, and salt 'n pepper. Served with whole wheat toast...and black coffee, of course!! I'm glad she requested this, because it was amazing!
For my first night back to my real house in Columbia, I wasn't much in the mood for cooking after having to try and be creative for a few days, so I made an old favorite: Soba Noodles with Veggies, Baked Tofu, and Homemade Peanut Sauce! This dish NEVER fails! perf.

More holiday posts to come!! oh joy! Also, Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating!! :)