I am on the VeganEssentials.com mailing list, and thank dog I am because last week they had a sale for Daiya vegan cheese. Now, I was skeptical about this cheese since no other vegan attempt at the regular dairy cheese has ever been the same. For the most part, that’s fine by me because I don’t need cheese. I used to think I couldn’t live without it, why I couldn’t go vegan, which was, of course, complete bullshit. There is no food I can’t live without, and there is DEFINITELY no animals excretion that I should consume. Ever.

The only exception I’ve found is pizza. I was never a big into pizza before going vegan. Don’t get me wrong, I liked pizza, but it wasn’t my go-to food. But after going vegan, cheese and pepperoni pizza is what I missed. It was bizarre how I would get a craving for this thing I was never really that into before. And it wasn’t until just a few months ago that I really made an attempt to make my own pizza. It was when I discovered Daiya cheese. It melts, it stretches, it fills that void I’ve had for cheese pizza. I bought a little of each to try, and it was amazing.

Last week, I bought some more. Hey, it was on sale and it freezes really well, so I ordered it on a whim. Since the company that sells it is in Wisco, I got it the next day. Of course I had to make pizza that night. A-mazing!

(and no animals were harmed in the making of this pizza, not even me!)

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

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.

Today, I have to do my own cooking, so whatever possessed me to want to make a dish I’ve never actually eaten, I don’t know. Maybe because it was cold for a few days and felt like Fall, a time to make warm soups and bread and comfort foods all snuggled up on the couch.

So I happened upon a recipe that looked promising and thought “why not?” and got the ingredients. Everything in the chili I liked (or at least LIKE when mixed together), and it turned out quite well. I mean, I have nothing to compare it to, but the fact that I ate it says something.

I used this recipe as a starter, and also added some peppers, cherry tomatoes and quinoa to make it my own. The quinoa made it thicker, which I really liked (rice would probably also work), and the pepper and cherry tomatoes were used because I have a plethora in my garden I wanted to use them fresh.

I took it to work last week and ate with crackers. It was really good! For my first attempt at chili, I’d say it wasn’t too shabby.

I’m sure there are a few servings here, but I could see eating the whole bowl!

Oh. My. Garbonzo. This thing was amazing. A little spicy from the peppers, and a wonderfulness from the garlic, all wrapped up in a delicious tortilla (it was green… I dunno, maybe spinach or garden or something?).

People have always raved about tofu scramble, and I always thought “what’s the big deal?” Well, now I know. The big deal is a total party for my taste buds.

First, I used a fresh pepper from my garden (yeah, I know!)

Then I tossed that into the skillet with a little oil and red onion.

Then the good stuff — TOFU!

I let that cook for a few minutes, then added the spices.

Finally, I put on the tortilla, wrapped it up and chowed down.

Anyways, it was good. (I can’t wait to have the left overs tomorrow!)

I was flipping through my catalog of recipes, looking for tofu scramble, and came upon this recipe. Now, I haven’t made pancakes in (probably) years, so whatever possessed me to whip this up be beyond me. Well, I tried it and I CONQUERED IT!

Batter:

Making the first pancake…

Yes, even the FIRST pancake turned out edible.

My stack, with pure maple syrup… YUM YUM YUM. 

The “after” shot. 

This recipe made 6 very descent sized pancakes, so I’m saving the other 4 for breakfast (and maybe lunch, or a treat for Doc) for tomorrow, maybe with some sliced banana on top. Yeah, that sounds good.

Oh, and I still need to find that tofu scramble recipe…