Oh, and I’m doing a kitchen reorganization since it’s currently a labyrinth of cooking gadgets and specialty ingredients, all crammed into my tiny kitchen. To be honest, the kitchen isn’t that tiny, I just have so much stuff packed into it, it’s difficult to find or do anything! So I bought a storage shelf to house all my cooking gadgets and better to be able to find things when I need them. Did I mention how much I love cooking gadgets? Yes, I love them. It’s a forbidden love since I’m known for buying said gadgets and not using them for anything besides decoration. But I *might* use them, because they can be useful if given the right environment. Say… a person who cooks? I kid, I kid! I actually like to cook, and given that I’ve recently taken to a healthier style of foods sans added sugar, oil and salt, my limited indulgences in the pre-packaged foods arena has become even more limited. No worries. I have the internet to save me by providing a plethora of healthy vegan goodies that will keep me smiling until the end of my vacation. Maybe even a little longer…

The few I have found that Doc has not managed to destroy in under 10 mins is the Nylabone. I get the largest ones I can find, and Doc will naw on these for a long time. When he does finally widdle them down to a size that isn’t safe, I toss and get another.

I was at Fleet Farm last week, and found they have inexpensive bones, so I bought three. I presented all three to my Doc, thinking that he’d run off with one and I’d save the others for another time. Well, he tried to put all three huge bones in his huge alligator mouth. Needless to say it was sooo cute, I decided to let him have all three. (Yeah, I’m easy like that.)

Last weekend, Doc and I went for an extra long walk around the neighborhood. Naturally, I didn’t eat anything before the walk because I never think to do that. We get home and I wonder why I’m dizzy. I’d been reading Vegan with a Vengeance (again) because it was my first vegan cookbook I ever got. I got it before I even went officially vegan 2 years ago. Anyways, I found the recipe for basic scones and added chocolate chips because, well, why not really? I also brushed them with soy milk and sprinkled a little sugar on top to give a little extra…zing. I ate two, and froze the rest for breakfasts for the week. Super easy to just pop one in my bag in the morning and eat at work. I also shared with Ashley, my partner in crime at work. She seemed to love them. But she’s easy to please with food! haha

A few days later, I had to go to the store for groceries and dog treats (yes, he injured me and I got him toys). I didn’t remember until afterwards that I had this gash on my face. I can’t imagine what people were thinking, but really, would I say anything to someone with a black eye?

I was trying a new recipe for pizza dough, and it made a huge, pliable batch. I could have saved the extra and made another pizza later, but I was inspired by a commercial for Hot Pockets. I used to love Hot Pockets, especially the pepperoni ones that would ooze grease and oil when you bit into them. EWWW (well, this is what I think about that now, at least). Needless to say, I don’t miss the oozy grease or the ground animal bits, but I do miss the surprise. Oh, it looks like just a roll of bread, but SURPRISE, you’re meal’s inside! Yeah, I know I’m weird. I also like cookies like that, but that’s a whole other post.

The the stuffed part of this is just a pizza crust on the bottom, and another crust on the top. A lot like a huge calzone. Ok, exactly like that. What was so great about it that one piece was more than enough for a meal, so this last for several days/meals that I didn’t have to cook for. Don’t get me wrong, I love to make things. But when I get home from work, walk Doc, and then just want to put my feet up, to know there is a meal already ready for me, I hum with happiness. Just a few short seconds in the micro and voila! Delicious vegan stuffed pizza burning the inside of my mouth! Yes, I need to work on my patience.

So this weekend was one for the record books as far as time I spent in the kitchen. I guess I was inspired, or motivated, or hungry. Whatever the reason, I made a bunch of stuff that I’ll share with you now.

First was the bread. I found a cheap-o bread machine last week, and plus has a coupon for 20% off, so I thought, hell, why not? I like the idea of making my own bread. Have you looked at an ingredient list on a normal loaf of store-bought bread? It reads like a chemical composition of unpronounceable ingredients. I actually have one of these loaves that’s been in my fridge for over 9 months and NOT MOLDY. Yes, it still tastes fine, after 9 months. What the hell is in it that it doesn’t go bad after so many months? Whatever it is, it can’t be good for me.

So anyways, back to the bread machine. It’s a cheapy, so I don’t have super high hopes. Worst case, I hate it and take it back. Best case, I have yummy bread with a short ingredient list. So then to choose what kind of bread to make. I could have gone with the standard white bread, but truth is I don’t really like it. I prefer whole wheat, the nuttier and grainier, the better. The settings I went with were the normal ones (not the express), so it took, like, 3 hours or something to make. But it smelled so good and tasted even better!

This is what it looked like:

(I know, my camera is shitty and since I do most of my cooking at night, the photos are even worse!)

And this is what I made with it: a grilled cheese panini!!!!

Add a little bbq sauce for dipping and I am a happy chica!

Sweety humini, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Maybe I’ll have that again for dinner to night. Hmmm….

Ok, so that was only the beginning. I also (finally) decided to actually make the carrot cake I’ve been thinking about for a month or more. You see, for me it’s all about motivation. If I don’t HAVE to do something, and I don’t really want to do it, I usually will not do it. It’s a trait I hate about myself, but it’s pretty low on the list so, well, whatever… Back to the carrot cake. What a fucking pain in the ass! It wasn’t complicated or anything, but since I’ve never before made carrot cake, I didn’t realize what a mess it would make. But the final product turned out really good (maybe a little undercooked, but very moist and wonderful). Add a little cream cheese frosting and VOILA! Heaven in my mouth. And I’ll be able to have this heavenly treat for a long time because the cake was HUGE (ok, so I doubled it. But only because I didn’t want to have half things in my fridge!).

Slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:

And the leftovers:

And MORE leftovers:

Oh, and because OBVIOUSLY I wasn’t busy enough, I decided to attempt the pepperoni recipe from vegandad.blogspot.com. Ever since I went vegan almost 2 years ago, I’ve missed pizza. More specifically, pepperoni pizza. Yeah, I know it’s terrible for me and all that, but sweet mother of all that is yummy, it’s delicious.

I didn’t even know it was possible to make vegan pepperoni until a few months ago (or weeks, I can’t keep track of time). Well, it is possible. And, very easy! and it totally smells like pepperoni and tastes amazing! I’d like to say it tastes just like ordinary, dead-animal-carcass pepperoni… but honestly, I can’t remember. I’m pretty sure it does.

So in honor of the pepperoni, I decided to make pizza today. Ok, so it isn’t like I need a reason to make pizza.

Pizza with cheezy sauce and vegan pepperoni (before going into the oven):

And after:

And finally, I needed to make something for my lunches for the week at work. Since last week’s peanut sauce was so amazing, I decided to make it again with wide wheat noodles, cauliflower, tofu and green beans. Yes, I think we have another winner!

Peanut sauce on wide wheat noodles with tofu and veggies:

Bloody hell, my camera sucks unless it has a ton of light. Suckity suck sucks! I need to get a lamp or something when I take photos, and maybe a tripod. I think I actually have one in the garage. I’ll have to take a look.

So now I just need to choose what to have for dinner. My choices are: left over pepperoni pizza, grilled cheese,  or peanut tofu noodles. OR carrot cake.

Hmmmm these are the BEST kinds of decisions!

Bonus pic: Doc choosing the prime bed location:

I spent the weekend (or at least a good few hours) watching online vegan cooking shows. There is no cable TV in my house, and even if there was, I don’t know of any vegan cooking shows. So I like to watch them online. I found a great website, EverydayDish.com, which has a number of fantastic cooking episodes with a few different hosts. Great stuff with totally yummy food.

So about this peanut sauce. There was a great episode with a very easy and tasty sounding recipe that you can find here. I made a few changes, like using rice noodles, cauliflower, carrots and peas. This is my lunch for the week, and first day conclusion: delicious!

Bonus photo: Doc, my love.