From the Pantry Pot Pie

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This is another dish from “The Vegan Slow Cooker,” and, I have to say, I was kind of disappointed. The vegetable part of the dish was awesome, but the biscuits didn’t really turn out that well. They were kind of doughy. I propped the lid of my crockpot as the recipe suggested and even let them cook a bit longer, but they just would not firm up. So, I ended up taking the biscuits off the top and making herbed whole wheat drop biscuits in the oven, which turned out really well. The biscuit recipe I got from “Vegan Brunch.” Their texture provided a nice crunch to go with the chicken seitan and veggies. I do plan on making this dish again, but I’ll just leave off the biscuits and make a batch separately.

Review: Daiya Cheddar Wedge

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If I had a dime for every person who, when they find out I’m vegan, says, “I could never give up cheese!” Let’s just say this blog would look a whole lot better than it does. The great thing about being vegan today is that you don’t have to “give up” anything; you just have to find the right products to replace the ones that you currently use.

I FINALLY got my hands on the new Daiya Cheddar wedges that just hit the market. You would have thought I won the lottery when I spotted them on the shelf. I promise no one got hurt, but I do think I scared a few people.

My first impression was that the package is really small for the nearly $5 price tag. But when I opened the package, I found that the block of cheese is the same size, if not bigger, than a block of the fancy cow’s milk cheese you see at Whole Foods. So, really, the price isn’t so bad.

Reviews of the cheese had led me to believe that it wasn’t very firm, but I found just the opposite to be true when I cut a few slices. Is it as firm as a traditional block of cheddar? No. But it sliced easily and held its shape.

I’ve tried many other brands of block-style vegan cheese and they were all pretty gross. My biggest worry when I heard about the wedges was that they wouldn’t taste very good cold. And I was relieved to find that not to be true. The cheddar had a nice tang to it that worked really well by itself, or with crackers and slices of apple. And I was surprised by how rich it was; a few small slices go a long way with plate of fruit and crackers.

This product certainly gives me more options for my lunch dilemma. I can’t wait to try the other varieties.

Up next this week? I’m making Japanese-inspired hot dogs with wasabi fries, as featured in the latest issue of VegNews. I’m also making a pot pie using my slow cooker. I’ll have posts on those later in the week.

I hope you all are well!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Veggie Wraps

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I don’t know about you, but I have such a hard time coming up with lunch ideas. And it doesn’t help that my husband is really limited to what he can bring with him. He’s on the road non-stop and his “office” is his car, which means I can’t pack anything that needs to be warmed in a microwave.

This week, I decided to make wraps. Boring, I know, but it’s an improvement from the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches he’s been taking.

For this particular wrap, I made a roasted red pepper hummus, and I added baby spinach, shredded carrots, sliced cucumber and red onion, and shredded iceberg lettuce from Ancho Lentil Tacos I made earlier in the week. The wrap bread itself was an extra-large, whole wheat tortilla. Simple, fast and cheap. My kind of meal.

Do you have suggestions for cheap and easy lunch ideas that don’t require a microwave?

 

Vegan Weekly Roundup

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Hey there! I hope you all had a great week. This was yet another week of cheap and easy meals for us that weren’t really blog-worthy, so I apologize for the lack of posts. So, in lieu of any food posts and pics, I thought I’d offer a roundup of some of the vegan-related posts that piqued my interest this week.

Much-needed lunch ideas.

Interview with Bryant Terry, author of “Vegan Soul Kitchen” and “The Inspired Vegan.”

Helpful food storage and safety tips.

A review of the new Daiya Wedges (I haven’t seen them in Louisville yet).

A video recipe for Vietnamese Caramel Cooked Tofu. Yum.

A new vegan-friendly lunch spot if you’re in or around Louisville. Can’t wait to try it.

My idea of the perfect staycation.

Or if you want to get away, a vegan lodge in Grenada.

Beans, Greens, Cornbread and … Avocado?

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Yep, this weird combination of food was our dinner last night. Well, I guess only the avocado is weird. After being sick for nearly two weeks (!), I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things. For that reason, I’ve been keeping our dinners pretty simple. This particular meal is really easy and cheap to throw together.

I mixed cans of pinto and kidney beans into a pan, added a bit of liquid smoke, a bit of vegetable bouillon for the flavor and saltiness, and freshly cracked black pepper. For the greens, I just cooked down kale in olive oil and added salt and pepper.

For serving, I drizzled a little olive oil and hot sauce onto the beans and added sliced white onion. I also drizzled a little apple cider vinegar on the greens. For this particular dinner, I had an avocado that needed to be used so I sliced it on the side because why not? I’m a sucker for avocado on anything or even by itself.

Pantry Playlist: David Bowie — Starman

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Well, I’m finally starting to feel a bit better, though my sense of smell is still a bit off. At my worst, I couldn’t even smell apple cider vinegar that was held up to my nose. It was very weird.

Anyway,  in an effort to get back into the swing of things, I thought I’d post a video that always helps to get me in the mood for cooking.

I hope you all are doing well. I will have some new posts, including a new meal plan, up soon.

Sick Day Staples

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Being sick blows. I’ve had some sort of a cold/cough/sinus thing the past few days and it’s annoying the hell out of me. And it’s kept me out of the kitchen. I hope to get back to cooking soon, but in the meantime, here are a few staples that have been getting me through the worst of it:

Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Herbal Tea

I’m not a huge fan of herbal tea, but this really does soothe a scratchy throat.

Boca Chik’n Patties

For some reason, when I am sick, I crave junk food. And these Boca Chik’n patties with a side of tater tots fulfill that craving. It’s certainly not a meal I would condone otherwise, but it does the job.

Naked Green Machine

My husband picked this up from the store and it’s been my drink of choice (plus, I’m hoping the vitamins will offset my crappy eating habits). Despite its green color, it’s actually very tasty and feels good on a sore throat.

I hope you all are healthy and well! If you have any go-to staples for when you’re under the weather, I’d love to hear them.

Mini Potluck Meal

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I don’t often make meals that feature a lot of sides. My meals usually consist of a soup with cornbread, or a casserole or main dish with a quick salad. I don’t know why that is because I love having lots of options on my plate. I’ve always been a fan of potlucks for that reason.

For this dish, I went all out. I made the Atomic Tofu Pecan Loaf (which I’ve featured on here before) in my slow cooker, and a side of roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts. Looking for a second side, I found a Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf recipe in Veganomicon. It was so good and so, so easy to make.

All in all, it was a healthy and hearty meal that warmed our bellies on a cool spring day.

Stir-fry: Part Deux

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I promise we do eat more than stir-fry, but I thought I do another post to hopefully give you more ideas for your own. It’s such a great way to use up extra veggies you have on hand. For the dish you see above, I fried cubes of tofu in my wok, then I added carrots, edamame, a green pepper and some kale that needed to be used. A couple of vegetable gyozas from Trader Joe’s rounded out the meal.

VegNews Features My Hometown

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I just picked up a copy of the latest VegNews magazine and I was so excited to see my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, featured in the VegEscape section. The piece was written by Sam Hartman, who writes at The Nail That Sticks Up, a very cool site that discusses veganism, activism, sustainability and more. And I have to say, he did us proud.

The Louisville vegan scene has really come a long way in the past year or so, with the addition of Morels, Heart and Soy, Roots and DakShin, among other eateries. And I feel like it’s only going to get better.