A Blueberry Muffin Obsession

This is not the first (or the second, even) time I have posted about blueberry muffins.  I don't know what it is about a delicious, warm blueberry muffin that makes any morning so much better!  So I have posted recipes for muffins before (search breakfast), but I do not usually have time to make muffins from scratch.  Surprise!  Most of the time I have not given much thought to the muffin mixes at the store until now.  Duncan Hines has a Blueberry Streusel muffin mix that is amazing.  Not only do they use real ingredients with nothing artificial, but they also include a can of REAL, wild blueberries.  Fast, simple, but you will need to make sure you have a box of egg replacer handy.  If you try this mix, please let me know what you think, my kids gave it two thumbs up!

A Meal Away From Home

So here in the USA, it is summer (yeah!), which of course to many means summer vacation.  We typically go to the beach and avoid busy places like theme parks so that we can spend at least a few days being relaxed...not stressed out!  Because we are not staying at resorts, we often end up looking for places to eat out.  I love cooking, and it is very economical to cook during your vacation, but on vacation I do not want to be cooking all the time.  Enter HappyCow.net.  You can use this website to search for veg friendly and all-veg restaurants all over the world.  We typically find at least a few good places to eat whenever we use Happy Cow.  For example, let's say you are in...New Zealand.  Love New Zealand, used to live there, it should be on your bucket list!  Now that I am vegan, I need to find a place to eat because I am starving!  It is so easy to click on the map on Happy Cow, narrow down the search to cities, and I now see that there are 47 veg-friendly restaurants in Auckland!  Woah!  While the website is very user-friendly, the mobile app is even better, check it out.  Oh, and make sure you download the app BEFORE you are starving,it's better that way ;-)

A Home Run Dinner!

Many people are familiar with the famous White Castle...a burger joint famous in the northeast for it's pint-sized, greasy burgers, also called sliders.  In my home town, we have a similar burger joint called the Snow White Grill.  It's burgers are about 3/4 of the size of a regular burger, but full of flavor.  I do not often miss things I used to eat before going veg, but I do occasionally miss those burgers.  They were just right, and I admit it, while I try to cook healthy most of the time, I LOVE a greasy burger.  Don't know why, I just do.  So whenever I miss something that I used to eat, my first thought is...I can totally veganize that.  So I did.
You can get slider-sized buns at the grocery store sometimes, OR you can use square rolls like the kind grandma used to serve for dinner.  Either way, you need something like a mini hamburger bun.  For the burger itself, I actually minced and sauteed onions (about one onion) and mixed them with GimmeLean vegan sausage.  It looks like sausage in a tube, but it makes a better, more flavorful burger than the "ground beef" style that I usually use for meatloaf.  Shape about a palmful of that mixture into a square-shaped patty.  Slice another onions into rings and also some mushrooms and throw into a large pan with some vegetable oil...sautee for about 5 minutes, shove to the side of the pan, and use the same pan to fry your patties.  You should have about a centimeter of standing oil in the bottom of your pan (for the "greasy spoon" experience).  Flip your patty after a few minutes and then put a slice of vegan American cheese on top.  Cover that with some mushrooms and onions and cook till the cheese is melty.  Put your buns on the counter (no, don't sit on the counter!), and put on patty on each bun.  Make as many as you are going to eat, although leftover taste AWESOME heated in the microwave the next day.  Before you put the top on, place it face down (the flat side that hugs the patty) in the oil you were just cooking in for about 10 seconds.  Greasy.  That step is optional.  Put the top on the burger and serve with fries.  This will taste so good, like something your doctor would tell you not to eat, but because of the fact that it's vegan and you are cooking with vegetable oil instead of animal fat, you can indulge and still rest easy.

This Not-So-Little Piggy

So if you have been following my blog for a while, you remember that back in August of 2010, my husband bought me an adorable teeny pot-bellied pig.  We call him Ollie.  At almost 2 years old, Ollie is now as tall as a Labrador and WAY heavier.  Well over 100 pounds.  Now, I think he is just the most handsome pig in the world, but most of our friends and family are shocked at how big he has gotten.  He even has some nice tusks, to boot!  I meet people all the time who want a pig when they find out that I have one, they see videos on YouTube of a sweet little football-sized piggy doing tricks.  It is a myth that even the famed "teacup" pigs stay really small...a mini potbelly can get up to 200 pounds!  And SO, this is the problem with fad pets.  Fad pets are pets that suddenly become popular and everyone "has to have one".  The problem is that many folks will acquire a fad pet and not think about how much work it is to take care of one.  For example, even our yard has to be pig-proof.  Ollie will tear up trash if it is left around.  He needs to be fed and watered regularly.  He needs a pool of water and a warm, dry bed.  He even has his own pig house, and comes inside often during the cold months.  These reasons contribute to why so many fad pets end up in sanctuaries or abandoned.  People just do not educate themselves.  If you have the time and the patience, a mini potbelly is a great pet.  If you like your yard hole-free, your furniture upright, and your time to yourself, it is not a good choice.  Of course, you can say that about most pets.  If you are not willing to love them unconditionally, perhaps you should reconsider owning a pet.  If the demand goes away, the population of these animals will naturally go down over time because humans will stop intentionally breeding them to sell as pets.

Pesto!

We have been lazily enjoying our summer vacation here in Northern Virginia...wait...no, that must be some family from some other house because I have been "losing my mind" busy!  I have increased my tutoring hours trying to make a little extra dough, especially since those fine folks at the student loan institution insist on having their money.  Go figure.  We decided not to go on a big vacation, so that means lots of little trips here and there.  All is not lost for my adventures in the kitchen, though, because there is always time for pesto!  Man, this stuff is really easy to make and we will eat it on anything from Italian bread to plain old pasta.  Here is my quickie recipe, even quicker if you are growing your own basil like we are.
Quickie Pesto
What you need:
About a cup or two of fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt
Walnut halves (Pine nuts...I am currently walnuts because, well, read the student loan line above)
Fresh garlic cloves...maybe 2-4, depending on how much you like garlic
What you do:
Get out your blender.  The best thing for a quickie recipe is a "Magic Bullet", but a blender works fine.  Crush your garlic into the blender.  Pour in about a quarter cup of olive oil and about a half cup of walnuts or pine nuts.  Throw in a half teaspoon of salt, less if you want less salt.  Blend for 10-15 seconds.  Put in all the basil, and pour another half cup of olive oil on top of that.  If using a blender instead of a magic bullet, you will want to use a wooden spoon to mash everything down before blending for about 20-30 seconds more.  Mix it up, add more oil to give it a syrup-like consistency.  Notice that this recipe is not terribly accurate...go with how it looks.  Taste as you go...that's the best part of cooking.  If it is too lumpy, add a little more oil and blend a little more.  Leave out the salt if you want.  Make it your own, and enjoy it right away, super-fresh!

Fast Dinner, Mixed Reviews

So I love Pinterest, I get a lot of ideas from friends, family, and others for all kinds of things from home decorating to vintage items to just stuff in general.  And I NEVER spend too much time looking for new things to post (you don't either, right?).  Well I also look for good gluten-free vegan recipes to try.  My latest was the Spinach Quinoa salad in the picture above.  The tempeh was easy enough...I mixed equal parts of maple syrup and hickory barbeque sauce together (about a half a cup or so...I'm not really big on measuring) and maybe a teaspoon or two of olive oil to keep stuff from sticking.  Then I just sliced up a few blocks of tempeh, coated them in the sauce, and broiled them for a few minutes of each side.  You could do that with seitan, tofu, or whatever.  I love to broil, as things get a little crispier!  The salad, on the other hand, was something that I had been wanting to try, so I purchased all the ingredients a week ago and thought I might give it a go tonight.  I was tired from working all day, so this was actually not a bad recipe.  It was pinned from the website Gluten-Free Goddess.  Here it is:

What you need:
1 cup organic quinoa (get instant, trust me)
Sea salt
2 good handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained
1 large ripe pear, cut into pieces (my pear went bad before I could make this, so I used apple)
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained (forgot the chick peas, it was still great, haha)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste (my husband, bless his heart, bought walnuts instead of pecans...and because I was tired, I didn't toast...again, it was still good...this recipe is one you can get creative with)
Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
What to do:
Place the quinoa in a saucepan or a rice cooker. Add 2 cups fresh water, and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender- roughly 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and dump it into a large salad bowl.
Add the baby spinach, pear, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.
Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.
Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and lightly combine.
Makes four main course servings, six side dish servings.

The review from the fam: half and half.  My daughter and I loved both the tempeh and the salad, it was very yummy.  My husband (even though he purchased the ingredients) would not even put the salad on his plate because he decided that he hates quinoa...plus, he put the tempeh between two pieces of bread.  Ten minutes later he had a plate of french fries...fail.  AND in turn my six year old also hates quinoa, now (gee, so suddenly)...but he's part mine so I MADE him eat some because it is so GOOD for you.  I am mean mommy now, of course.  If you have picky eaters, you may want to skip this meal and make veggie dogs and french fries instead.  For something different if you have a family with an adventurous palate, this was a winner in my book!!  Bon Appetite!

Valley Earth Fest Pasta Salad!

Wow, it has been SUCH a long day! I can't believe how much fun it was to table at the Valley EarthFest today...I met a lot of great people and passed out a ton of samples and literature. I want to post more, but being as tired as I am, I am just posting quickly for those of you that I promised the pasta salad recipe to! It cannot be easier...or tastier :) Chick'N Pasta Salad
What you need:
Two packages of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (frozen food section)
 One box of pasta shells
 One jar of vegan mayo (I used Nayonaise, but Vegenaise would also be great)
Diced: cucumber (seeded), bell pepper, celery, black olives, spring onions
 Two TBSP olive oil
 Salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
 Cook your pasta and drain it well. Add olive oil to the water to prevent sticking. Put into a large bowl. Put some olive oil into a skillet and sauté your Chick'n Scallopini cutlets. What is nice about Gardein is that it caramelizes if you cook it for long enough! Once they are cooked, set them aside to cool for a bit. While the cutlets are cooling, add the veggies to the pasta. Add about half of the jar of Nayonaise and stir well. add the salt and pepper...I said to taste, but I add about a half of a teaspoon of salt and an entire teaspoon of ground pepper. Stir again. Dice your Chick'n, and put it into a container. Chill the rest of the salad. When you are ready to serve, add the Chick'n. If you add it too soon, it will not have the same chicken-like texture. Serve and enjoy! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see me today, I hope you take the time to read some of my earlier posts, there is all sorts of useful information, especially if you are like me...working full time and trying to create a healthier lifestyle for my kids at the same time. If you were lucky enough to talk to my fantastic children today, you know what I mean!! Check back again soon for more about my experience at the Earth Fest today, including my thoughts on some of the topics that you lovely people brought up to me today!

Rolling Along with vegFund

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am tabling at the Valley EarthFest (VEF) in Berryville, VA this month...April 22nd to be exact!  Well I decided to apply to VegFund for a grant to be reimbursed for the costs of literature to hand out to festival-goers as well as the ingredients for all of the samples that I will be handing out.  VegFund "empowers vegan activists worldwide by funding and supporting effective outreach activities that inspire people to choose and maintain a vegan lifestyle" (from the VegFund website).  In the past when I set up an informational table with my friend Dale Ball from New Leaf Vegan Society, she applied for VegFund to cover the costs of the materials that we used.  Now that I am going solo for VEF, I knew that I needed some help.  I definitely cannot afford to do this without a little monetary support.  It was a long application but I finished it in about an hour.  GREAT NEWS...It has been less than a day since I sent in my application and I have already been approved!  I am so excited, I cannot wait to get started cooking so that I have plenty of great vegan food to entice people to try MORE plant-based delicacies :).  Stay tuned for more updates as I decide how long it is going to take me to MAKE all this delicious food!  Probably going to start cooking DAYS ahead of time!

"But Humans Were Meant to Eat Meat, RIGHT?"

Wow, do I get into this discussion a lot!  It just happened again the other day, where someone was trying to convince me that because we are ABLE to eat meat (sort of), we HAVE to eat meat.  What I WANTED to say was, "Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?"  But I didn't, because I care :)  What I wish I could do is show everyone the following movie for several reasons.  First, it is backed up by scientific facts, and I love facts.  Second, it makes a great argument without being too, well, IN YOUR FACE!  I love a civilized vegan discussion.  Last, it is kid-friendly (watch it first before you show it to kids, only you know what's truly appropriate for your child!) and HILARIOUS!  No joke, I thought it was great and so did my kids!  Take a look, it's an interesting 5 minutes!

Gluten-Free Vegan?

Gluten-free vegan chocolate chip pancakes.

Being vegan is more challenging than the average American diet...it's more challenging than just shoving whatever looks good into your mouth!  You have to put some thought into what you are going to eat, how it is going to be prepared, when you are going to eat, and even why you are going to eat it.  After any major change to your life, though, you get used to it and it is no big deal anymore.  That is what happened to my vegan family.  We have been vegan for almost 5 years now, and it is really just second nature...we know what we are doing, haha!  So I was in the nice groove at home, I knew exactly what I wanted to get at the grocery unless I was trying a new recipe here and there, and life was good, smooth sailing.
Now, insert daughter with stomach/digestive problems.  We had already given up milk because of a lactose intolerance (we gave up dairy before we even gave up meat or eggs!)...what's a mom to do?  I made a doctor's appointment, but that is still weeks away.  Something that seemed to help a lot of people with stomach issues is a gluten-free (GF) diet.  RED FLAGS: we eat a LOT of wheat products...even gluten just by itself (seitan, beautiful seitan!).  But I felt like I HAD to try something before the doctor.  I did some research and found that my little vegan's symptoms were very similar to those exhibited by those with a wheat intolerance.  So I decided to try it for a week, and the results were undeniable.  She said that after a few days, her constant stomach aches and gas were gone...that was enough for me, but she looked less bloated as well.  So it has been 2 weeks and she is doing great, although you can tell right away if she accidentally eats something with wheat in it!
So WHAT, you may ask, are you possibly giving that child to eat that is vegan AND GF?  Well, it is not as hard as I though it would be, although her choices have been significantly reduced.  We have a great local grocery that has several sections of GF products from crackers and cereal to pasta and bread.  If we have stir fry and noodles, she has stir-fry with rice.  If we have tacos with Boca grounds, I might make her some separate filling with rice or Textured Soy Protein.  On a typical day she eats corn chex and fruit for breakfast, has PB&J on tapioca-flour bread, potato chips, and apples for lunch, and for dinner we substitute a lot.  It just takes a little extra thinking, but it is worth it in the end.  A happy kid means a happy mom, gluten-free vegan or not!