The Walmart Vegan

I can't believe it has been sooo long....

2011-04-07T17:24:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. Due to a series of medical mishaps I fell completely off the healthy eating wagon at the moment my body probably needed it most. To make a long story short one of the medications the doctor was giving me almost did me in.... I ended up relying on whatever my husband and daughter could pull together -- mostly take out and junk. I've finally cleared that hurdle and I can't wait to start cooking and eating healthy again.

The Phantom Roast

2010-04-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

The roast was awesome! So good that you won't get to see it because I didn't slow down to take a picture.

Since then we've eaten a whirlwind of simple meals....for example tonight's supper was:
collards with onions, garlic and red peppers
stewed potatoes
orange slices

Yep, that was it. Surprisingly filling and quite good.

Tomorrow proves to be a jam packed day with a funeral dinner to help with (our church does this for families) and then a play to attend tomorrow night at my son's college. I'll be in the kitchen in the early morning and then on the road the rest of the day...all I can say is thank goodness hubby came home with fresh fruits.

It's a Holiday!

2010-04-15T10:14:00.001-04:00

Well, it's sort of a holiday. If you ran an accounting firm and you did tax work, you'd know why today is a great day! Midnight at April 15th we'll celebrate like crazy here.

Of course, at 12:02 we'll be snoring, but hey, we're getting older....lol.

With today being an insane day I needed something to toss in the crockpot and since my new book -- Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson came this week I decided to try one of her recipe. Tonight we'll sample Slow Cooker Seitan Pot Roast complete with potatoes and no carrots...sob...because I haven't any at the office and forgot to bring any from home. Oh well, I prefer my carrots raw anyway.

I'll share a photo if I have a chance. I can say one thing though, the recipe was easy to follow and I actually had all the ingredients -- even if I didn't remember the carrots I do have them.

The recipes all sound pretty good and she only calls for one thing I haven't seen -- tapioca flour. I may try a substitute in some of the recipes or give in and see if Amazon has it, but not today.

Today it is back to the computer and the tax return I'm supposed to be finishing.

Success!!!!

2010-04-08T17:35:00.000-04:00

This is how the turkey loaf turned out. The taste isn't too bad and I used vegan "chicken" flavored broth to make the gravy.
The beans were canned because the store didn't have fresh. Sometimes you just have to make do.

I slightly modified and halved a recipe in The Vegan Family Cookbook.
This is with my changes:

1 gallon water
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tsps poultry seasoning
2 tsps onion salt
1 cup "chicken" broth
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce

(cheesecloth and string)

Bring water to a boil and have simmering when loaf is ready.

In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients.
In two cup measuring cup mix together all wet ingredients.
Mix two together until just moistened well and shape in loaf.
Wrap with 2 thicknesses of cheesecloth and tie ends.

Simmer in water for 1 hour.
At about 10 minutes before hour is up, preheat oven to 325F and mix together your stuffing of choice.

I then oiled a pan that would hold the stuffing and the turkey loaf and added the stuffing.

When the hour was up, I unwrapped the turkey and added it to the pan.
Cover the pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Hubby really enjoyed this meal. He kept asking me how I did it.

I have enough turkey left for another meal and that was with me halfing the recipe.
(Only two of us eating means we just need less.)

The Plunge

2010-04-08T14:07:00.000-04:00

I've taken the plunge. Well actually, the turkey loaf has taken the plunge into simmering water. The plan for supper tonight is:

turkey slices with brown gravy
cornbread stuffing
mashed potatoes
green beans
a pork chop for the meat eater

Our attempt at a "Sunday" or "special meal"....I'll post photos good or bad later in the day.

Various Thoughts

2010-04-07T13:22:00.000-04:00

Carolyn made a wonderful suggestion. She suggested I pick 10 or so meals and begin with those. I've been thinking about it and I think these will work for us.

mac and cheese, veggie burgers on whole wheat buns with the fixings
faux sausage and pancakes meal (We like breakfast for supper.)
pasta with tomato sauce, garlic bread, salad
BBQ ribletts, rice, veggies
beans and rice meal with diced veggies
bean burritos with salsa, veggies
veggie lasagna
shepherd's pie

And that is all I've thought up so far. I'll keep at it though.

I also am working on trying some "fancier" recipes for special occasions.

BBQ Riblets

2010-04-02T08:26:00.000-04:00

I finally took the plunge and tried the seitan.
The riblets were a hit.
I used the recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.

I made a few small changes....just can't leave things alone.
I used the whole box of the vital wheat gluten which is about 1 1/4 cups.
I changed the 1 tsp of onion powder to 1/2 tsp of onion salt and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder.

The recipe yielded 6 good sized servings and we'll be having leftovers in buns today.

Settled and Cooking

2010-04-01T11:58:00.000-04:00

I'm finally feeling human and I hit the grocery store for a few oddities yesterday. Mainly of all the odd things -- poultry seasoning for my seitan. Fruit and some juice. Some things for the meat eaters and that is about all. It was a quick trip.

Tonight we're trying the "ribs" from the 500 recipes book. I have our favorite sauce ready.

I'm also wondering about something. I bought the book Simply Heavenly (The Monastery Vegetarian Cookbook) by Abbot George Burke. He has a lot of seitan recipes in the book but some of the cooking methods seem so time consuming. I guess they need to be weekend projects. Does anyone else have this book?

What have we been eating?

2010-03-30T09:29:00.000-04:00

My son called from school at 3:30 last Thursday morning -- sick with a stomach bug. By 8:30 we had him home and I spent two days coddling him and by Sunday he was well. By Sunday evening I wasn't so well. Apparently the "flu" is going around his campus...and even a lot of professors have been out. Ick!!!!

My poor hubby has eaten a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. We've all eaten a lot of fried rice type dishes, but blander than usual. In all honesty, my daughter and I have skipped most meals because of the ickies.

However, I'm feeling 50% alive and I'm hoping to eat some real food today. Real as in more fried rice because it is settling on my stomach.

Thanks for all the tips on adding more things in. I do have the 500 recipes book, but not the other. I'm going to order it for myself because I'm not giving up on this.

Struggling

2010-03-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

I'm struggling to find meals with enough "substance" to satisfy my hubby. I really, really need some advice on how to plan vegan meals that will fill him up and make him not leave the table wanting "something else."

Our Trip

2010-03-23T15:08:00.000-04:00

I didn't really feel great while we were on our trip so I spent all my time snuggled in.

Meals were pretty simple.
On the ride we had veggie burgers from BK. Not sure if they are vegan or not, but we decided it was the best we could find and still ride. (We were late leaving..lol)

At the resort there was a pretty good restaurant that also did the room service .
I had potatoes with onions for breakfast. Not fancy, but filling. Most of the breakfast foods had either meats or cheese.
For lunch I had a veggie wrap -- tomato and basil wrap filled with grilled veggies and an order of fries.
For supper we didn't do as well. Dh didn't want anything the restaurant had to offer and he went out and picked up vegetarian pizza complete with cheese. It was the first time I'd eaten anything out of "range" since I started and ironically I felt rather guilty about it

I've been careful to eat extra veggies and try to cleanse my system since I got back.

Photoless St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

We had a slow St. Patrick's Day. I was down on the couch with a head cold, but I did get up and fix a simple supper. I was slack and forgot to take photos though.

Our meal --
steamed cabbage
stewed potaotes
sliced tomatoes
sliced cucumbers
raw carrots
apple tart of sorts made with puff pastry

I'm glad to say I'm feeling a little better this morning. I've had a day time medicine added and I'm ready to face the world.

This weekend we'll be facing a new challenge. We'll be out of town for meetings until Saturday and I'm not sure where we're going to eat.

First Bread with Okara and Chatter

2010-03-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

Our first bread with Okara turned out okay. It wasn't as fluffy as my bread usually is -- more of a dense bread. It was great with a bowl of hot veggie soup. I'm not completely satisfied with the results, so I'll continue to tweak the recipe until I get what I'm looking for or give up.

The recipe I used was one I found online. I tweaked it as I went, because the original was not vegan.

Here's what I did. I put it in this order in the Zojirushi Bread Machine. When I make the next loaf I will probably use the mixer and bake the bread in the oven. I'm also going to try white wheat flour.

1 cup of soy milk

1 cup of wet okara

1 1/2 tsps salt

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of sugar

3 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour

2/3 cup of rolled oats

2 1/4 tsps of yeast

Bake on wheat cycle in machine. Makes one large loaf.

Now for the chatter -- I hit the small local grocery store yesterday and found a few things they haven't had before and one or two things grown in our state. So that was nice. They had Jasmine Rice for the first time ever! They had collards grown locally so I picked up a large bag of them. They also had great prices on potatoes, cabbage, squash, zucchini, and ....well you get the picture. We have a whole refrigerator full of fresh veggies and fruit to eat up this week.

I'm not doing a menu because we'll be gone for 3 days this week. So it is just a cook up what needs to be cooked up kind of week.

Shopping and Rice Milk

2010-03-12T13:39:00.001-05:00

I was excited to find some "veggie chicken patties" that are vegan so I bought a package to try. They are "grilled chicken" and I will serve them on buns with the usual suspects like tomato, lettuce, pickles and mustard.

I found blueberries and raspberries. I ate some of the berries in some brown rice cereal and they were fabulous!

I also made our first batch of rice milk this morning. We're trying to alternate between the soy and the rice. I definitely like the soy better...lol.

My supplies from Amazon came and I'm hoping to try my hand at "turkey" on Sunday.

Firsts in our Kitchen

2010-03-10T10:49:00.000-05:00

We're having some great firsts in our kitchen.
This morning we made our first soy milk and this afternoon I intend to make
our first bread with okara added.
I also went on Amazon and ordered a few things I couldn't find.
I thought I could stick just to the grocery store, but things are getting old fast.
I will still buy 99% of my supplies there, but there are two things I can't get that
I really want to add....vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast.
I've ordered those two things via Amazon.

I'm really excited because I think dh and I are ready to advance beyond our
regular diet with meat left out to a real vegan diet.

Menu 5.8.10

2010-03-08T09:26:00.001-05:00

Menu Plan 5.8.10

Monday

Breakfast – pbj on whole wheat (what I was craving…lol)

Dinner -- veggie soup and pitas

Supper -- lentil tacos

Tuesday

Breakfast – biscuits with jam

Dinner – on the road, so probably subway veggie sub

Supper – bean soup and cornbread

Wednesday

Breakfast – oatmeal with cranberries

Dinner – pasta salad Italian style

Supper – homemade calzones (spinach, tofu, and spices)

Thursday

Breakfast – cream of wheat

Dinner -- split pea soup

Supper – fried potatoes, fresh sliced veggies, and hush puppies

Friday

Breakfast – grits

Dinner – fried rice

Supper – lasagna (first attempt to veganize)

Saturday

Breakfast – homemade whole wheat cinnamon rolls

Lunch – veggie burgers, buns, fries

Supper – great northern bean soup, sweet cornbread

Sunday

Breakfast – toast with jam

Lunch – cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and fruit salad

Supper – homemade pizzas

Go over to Organizing Junkie and see more menus. I have a hard time sticking to it exactly, but it makes me look over the pantry and plan a more careful grocery list.

This week I only need to buy:

Tofu

Potatoes

Fresh veggies

Fresh fruits

Cabbage

And soy milk if the soy milk maker doesn’t come today.

That’s a pretty short list.

What No One Wanted...

2010-03-04T14:29:00.000-05:00

No one wanted spaghetti tonight. Even the dog couldn't be wooed into thinking it would be great.

So menu change on the horizon.

Cabbage with potatoes and carrots
Cornbread (cause it is my favorite)
Apple and Orange slices

Busted!!!

2010-03-04T14:27:00.000-05:00

I've been a horrible eater -- Oreos were my downfall. Several Oreos in fact.

I did so well, all week and then last night I was really, really tired and feeling stressed. I know the tiredness is a side effect of the fibromyalgia and the tired I get the more stressed I feel -- basically a bad cycle going round and round.

So did I go to bed early? Yes, but not before I consumed a good chunk of a package of Oreos.
Should I have had a plate of fruit instead? Yes, and I did try this. Cantaloupe (sp?), honeydew, fresh pineapple and grapes.

So I overate on junk and ate a big helping of fruit and washed it down with an icky articficially sweetened drink.

Thank God today was a new day!

Topsy Turvy Tuesday

2010-03-02T17:59:00.001-05:00

It is Tuesday -- only the second day of the menu week -- and I am a failure. I cannot stick to a menu to save my life. See Monday night went fine. I went to my Mama's house and made do with the side dishes we had. Walked away satisfied and quite happy to see my family together.

On the way back from her house we stopped at a Foodlion to buy the kiddos some pepperoni pizzas for the freezer. Bad I know, but the college kid is home....lol. While I was there I grabbed a few things for healthier eating, too. Bananas, apples, grapes, onions, pitas, whole wheat tortillas, and orzo. I found orzo for .69 a lb. I came home with 5 lbs. A little less than 1/2 price.

So today I have the orzo sitting on the counter staring at me and I think I'd like to have some. Then when I try to move the apples out of the way of the soy milk, I find that I still have broccoli from last week in the frig and I need to go ahead and use it. Under the broccoli is a package of spinach that needs to be finished. So do you see where this is going?

Tonight we're having orzo with a bit of olive oil, broccoli, carrots and onions and I'll serve it on a bed of spinach with pitas and perhaps apple slices on the side.

A Pantry Meal

2010-03-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

We got stuck at our home away from home...long story.
I had to pull together a meal from the pantry items, so it wasn't fancy.
BUT it did taste really good.

Cornbread always tastes better cooked in cast iron.
The potatoes were potatoes I had canned. Sadly the last jar, so I've got to get busy.
Corn and string beans from our stash of canned items.
Onion from the basket on the counter.

An easy meal, but one even my non-vegan children loved.

Monday Menu -- March 1

2010-03-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

My meals are a little more sporadically planned this week. I'm expecting a crazy work week, crazy school week, and in general a crazy life.

Breakfasts in no particular order:
oatmeal, cream of wheat, biscuits with jam, pancakes, grits, fruit, french toast

Lunches in no particular order:
veggie soup, leftovers from suppers, slaw, corn and bean salad

Suppers in order:
1. Monday -- supper at Mama's house for my brother's birthday party
2. Tuesday -- lentil tacos
3. Wednesday -- black bean chili
4. Thursday -- rolled oat burgers, fries, wheat buns and fruit
5. Friday -- crockpot spaghetti sauce, noodles, peach slices, garlic bread
6. Saturday -- fried rice,
7. Sunday -- Susan's black beans, rice, fruit salad

I should say that given how the week may be, this menu is subject to be rearranged or changed at a moment's notice..lol.

Go over to Organizing Junkie to see more great menu plans.

Gift from Hubby

2010-02-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

After a lot of great reviews and seeing how many containers of soymilk we're going through a week, dh "authorized" the ordering of a soymilk maker. I looked at various reviews and decided this one meets the basic requirements I'm looking for. I also ordered the "tofu" kit and some organic soybeans.

We're excited to have the ingredients for quick milk on hand and to lessen the amount of boxes we toss in the trash. Then add that it costs less than I am current spending. Makes for a happy decision.

I've been reasearching recipes for the Okara and looking at tips for "homemade" tofu.

I still haven't planned this weeks menu and tomorrow is the day to post...lol.

I'd better get busy.

I so love my UPS lady!

2010-02-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

I really do. I know every time she pulls up I'll be finding something fun on the back porch. Just look at what she left today!

I'm really hoping this book lives us to its reputation. It came highly recommended and since I am relying on my "super" Walmart market to supply the bulk of our foods I am hoping it is right up my alley.

So tonight I'll be settled in for a good read and then I'll see what recipes to try first.

Other notes --

I didn't stick completely to Wednesday's menu. I had leftovers of the Speckled butter beans and rice. So of course, I served them for lunch. Then I took the final bit of them and used them to make soup that night so instead of barley I used rice. No big deal...but today I didn't stick to the menu either. I had extra time this morning and we made hashbrowns. Then I forgot to bring the potatoes with me so we're having left over soup for lunch. Thank goodness I did start the blackbeans in the crockpot!

Cupcakes Rule the Day

2010-02-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

I know the menu calls for cookies, but it was just a cupcake kind of day.
We decided to try a new recipe, Vanilla Cupcakes, in a fabulous book called 500 Vegan Recipes.
I used the basic recipe except I substituted whole wheat flour. I also made an 8x8 inch cake with the
leftover batter rather than more cupcakes.

This is really a great cookbook because it has everyday dishes and the slightly more exotic.
A good mix for a family. I think I'll make it a goal to try each of these recipes over the next 2 years.

Supper went as planned...I think.

We had speckled butter beans, which I buy frozen. They aren't anywhere near as inexpensive as dried beans
but they taste so good. (It takes about $4.50 to buy enough for a meal and a few leftovers to add to something else.) I cooked them in Rosey.

I learned how to cook rice in the pressure cooker and it was so fast! I used the directions in this great book by Lorna Sass. It isn't all vegetarian meals, but the directions on cooking beans and grains are fabulous.

The slaw was simple:
pre shredded cabbage
3 huge tablespoons of brown spicy mustard
big dash of Original Mrs. Dash
And let it chill.

Cornbread and Rutabegas

2010-02-23T19:00:00.004-05:00

My husband and I love simple meals. Eating a vegan diet makes it easy to stick to simple meals and this is one of our favorites.

I love my BRK pressure cooker. It was expensive, but has quickly repaid me with fast, tasty food.

To cook rutabagas in pressure cooker -- peel and dice in cubes and put in pot. Add spices of your choice. I use garlic and various herbs along with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then put lid on. Set pressure on 2. When "button" pops up and steam begins to escape at a steady pace lower your heat. Set time for 6 minutes. When time is up do rapid cool down. (Put under running cold water.) When button drops you can remove lid. Test doneness and seasoning. Super easy!

I'm a "Southern Lady" and I love cornbread. I grew up always eating white cornmeal and I often use it if I am buying meal and not grounding my own popcorn. Blue Ribbon is the best brand....just because my mama says so....lol.

When I first starting trying to get my family to consider a vegan diet I was constantly looking for old favorites reworked.

The Vegan Lunchbox has a wonderful recipe for cornbread that we just love. My children ask for it and tell me it is sweet enough that they could eat it for cake. I love the fact that I use all whole grains and no milk/eggs. It isn't an inexpensive bread because it does have pure maple syrup in it, but boy is it good! (By the way, my book is one of the first editions, but there is a second edition that doesn't cost $71...lol)

The corn and bean salad was my variation of a recipe I found in a McDougall book. I just didn't want the complicated additions so I simply used 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans -- both drained. Then I added a big dollop of hot salsa. Stir and chill.

This was our simple supper for Monday night.

Simple Chocolate Cookies

2010-02-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my daughter and I wanted to bake cookies. Every cookbook I consulted that had a chocolate cookie recipe had ingredients I didn't have on hand. Chocolate was the key requirement because when I tried to bribe her with oatmeal cookies she wasn't impressed. So these are our attempt at chocolate cookies and they didn't turn out too badly. They were a little soft, cakey like but over the course of the night and in packing my darling hubbies lunch, the whole batch is now gone.

Here's our recipe:

Simple Chocolate Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 F...and line pans with parchment paper.

In small bowl mix the following well to make sure you have no lumps:
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
2 tbsp of egg replacer
1/2 tsp of salt

In large bowl whisk the following together:
1 cup of soy milk
1 tsp of vinegar
Let this sit for a moment to "clabber."

Then in same large bowl add 1/3 cup of canola oil and whisk.

Pour flour mixture into liquid and mix well.

I don't have a cookie scoop, so I simply used a tablespoon (from the silverware) to put the cookies in the pan. Leave about 2 inches between them. Bake for 10 minutes, cool in pan for 5, and then on rack until completely cool.

If anyone tries these please let me know how you like them. I think they'd be fabulous with tea. (I'm open to any suggestions for improvement, too)

Blackberry Pancakes and Weekly Menu

2010-02-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at the store I found fresh blackberries. Don't they look yummy!
And they were fabulous with pancakes this morning.

Menu for this week:

Monday: B -- blackberries and pancakes
L -- Mexican Corn Salad
D -- Rutabegas and Cornbread with leftover salad from lunch
Snack -- Chocolate cookies

Tuesday: B -- Crockpot Oatmeal with peaches and blueberries
L -- Spicy Cole Slaw, Hashbrown potatoes
D -- Speckled butter beans, brown rice, and chopped onion
Snack -- Ginger snaps

Wednesday: B -- Grits with cinnamon apples
L -- Baked sweet potatoes and a veggie salad
D -- Vegetable and Barley Soup
Snack -- Oatmeal Cookies

Thursday: B -- Cream of Wheat with bananas
L -- Baked potatoes with salsa, steamed broccoli, leftover slaw
D -- Black beans, cornbread, fruit salad
Snack -- cupcakes

Friday: B -- Oatmeal with fruit
L -- Lima Beans, hash browns, leftover fruit salad
D -- Chili, brown rice, corn chips
Snack -- Chocolate Chip Cookies

Saturday: B -- Blender Pancakes, Fruit Syrup
L -- Chili Casserole (from leftover chili)
D -- Veggie burgers, whole wheat buns, fries
Snack -- Cake

Sunday: B -- Biscuits and jam
L -- Stewed Potatoes, Cabbage, Baked sweet potatoes
D -- Clean out leftovers from week and add to if needed
Snack -- Leftover cake

Head over to Organizing Junkie to see more great menus for the week.
I always find something new I want to try.

A Pleasant Surprise

2010-02-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

Do you ever notice that no matter how much you plan things other things come up? Well, my plan for this week was to use my set up of menus to showcase The Vegan Family Cookbook. It won’t be this week though. To get to Walmart I’d have to drive three hours round trip and it just wasn’t happening. I thought it would because we weren’t as planned as busy as we ended up to be on Saturday. Then today I got a call from my mama at a few minutes after ten wanting to know if she could come visit for the afternoon. It has been a long time since she came down so I wasn’t about to say no. So I am saving my menu for next week.

We did go to the local grocery store and I picked up more things than I had imagined I could find. One thing about it – there aren’t many processed vegan foods there.

We’re looking at a good eating week even without my trip to Walmart.

I came home with:

• Rutabegas –2 large

• Cabbage – 1 large

• Slaw mix – 1 bag

• Carrots – 2 bags

• Yellow onions – 2 large

• Red onions – 1 large

• Spinach – 2 tubs

• Apples – 1 bag

• Zucchini – 4 tiny

• Canned giant lima beans – 2 cans

• Green onions – 1 bunch

• Red potatoes – 15 lbs.

• 1 can of olives (new brand to try)

• Dill pickle spearbs – 1 jar

• Celery

• Blackberries

• Frozen speckled butter beans

• 2 bags of frozen hashbrown potatoes

• Green bell pepper

• Chocolate soy milk – I know, but at least they had some kind of soy milk…and I wanted to encourage them to order it.

• Coffee and chicory blend

• Sweet potatoes – 3 whole

• Sweet potatoes – 2 cans

• Brown rice – 1 bag

• Whole wheat flour – 5 lbs.

I may have been wrong about my initial assessment. Obviously you see no tofu, no vegetarian pre-mades (like burgers) or things like that, but I don’t need them to survive.

Another Kitchen Friend

2010-02-20T10:26:00.001-05:00

I have another kitchen friend that is a little shyer than Rosey, but she is just as sweet. Maybe even sweeter because I use her for almost all of my baking. Why don't we just name her -- Sugar.While I don't have an exact picture of her, this is very close to what she looks like.

She's this lovely gray color.

She can mix and whirl.

Beat and whip

and

in general help me make up the best baked goods.

She and I have a few favorites:

cookies of any sort
brownies
cake batter
bread dough if I only want to make 1 or 2 loaves

Now can you see why sugar is an appropriate name?

Planning Next Week

2010-02-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

This cookbook is one of my favorites already. Most of the recipes are very down to earth. There are a few ingredients I cannot find. The nutritional yeast, vegan mayo and flavored tofus aren't in Walmart. However, I do have another cookbook with a recipe for tofu mayo that I can use and this book gives information on flavoring your own tofu so all is not lost.

I'm working on next week's menu. This week I fell short on some meals. We ate larger amounts of them than I planned for. I'm trying to make a more liberal menu this week. So I've decided to use a lot of the recipes in this book in my menu. What better way to review a cookbook than trying out recipes and sharing my experiences here.

So be prepared for a lot of recipe talk next week.

And as for tonight -- I'm trying to convince dh that we should skip the menu and eat out...LOL

Barley and other Grains

2010-02-18T16:15:00.000-05:00

One of the hardest things about rural shopping is finding whole grains -- at least in their whole form. I can find whole wheat flour with no problem. I can find barley, but it is the quick cooking. Brown rice isn't too hard to find, but after a while I get tired of it. I can find popcorn and grind it for cornbread, but I don't think popcorn would "boil" up too well.

I can order them online in bulk. I wonder if the cost is worth it though. For that matter, how does every other vegan find their whole grains? I can't grow them myself..LOL

Oh, that reminds me. I forgot oats...we love 'em.

On my too make list -- Rolled Oat Burgers

I think I have all the ingredients on hand except red bell pepper and fresh basil. I'll use green bell pepper and dried basil. If I make them up tonight and I can fry them tomorrow.

Rosey -- The Ultimate Kitchen Friend

2010-02-17T11:56:00.000-05:00

My family jokingly calls me the Queen of Kitchen Appliances. I just smile and ignore them, because I know the great things in my kitchen aren't mere appliances because they are my friends.

The Ultimate Kitchen Friend for a new vegan cook has to be a crockpot and the second would be the food processor and the third would be a stand mixer. (Wow, what run-on sentence...lol) Shhh! Don't tell them I rank them because I don't want them to start fighting for my attention.

This is Rosey.

Rosey is my best kitchen friend so far. She loves me so much that she cooks for me while I do other things -- like read blogs, cookbooks, teach school and yes, even while I sleep. With such a wonderful friend a new vegan is bound to succeed.

Rosey cooks almost everything. She can cook whole grains to perfection. She can make a mean pot of chili or soup. She cooks beans like nothing. Homemade broth is breeze to her. She cooks me oatmeal while I sleep. She's just awesome. She can even cook pasta with a little supervision.

With those basics if I add a little fruit or veggies and maybe some bread...I can have a meal ready in no time.

Here's how Rosey has helped me this week:

a huge pot of rice to go in the frig for meals
a huge pot of beans -- part for soup and the rest in the frig to add to meals
chili -- because I'm miserable with a cold and chili is awesome
vegetable broth -- because I hate to waste money by tossing veggie bits

Rosey is quite a frugal lady, too. The pot of chili was enough for two meals and she used part of the beans she had cooked earlier. Speaking of which, dry beans are way cheaper than canned beans and the salt content can be controlled. The second meal of chili was great over a big bowl of rice. By the way, rice is a pretty inexpensive grain and Rosey loves that! She also loves that it is so versatile.

I'll be back tomorrow with the beginnings of a favorite cookbook list and perhaps a plan that will let me showcase a week or more of recipes from one of the books. My goal is to work my way through them because I've promised my darling hubby that I could cook a years worth of vegan food and never repeat meals unless he asked. So now I have to put my kitchen skills where my mouth is. (No pun intended.)

Menu Planning Monday

2010-02-15T11:39:00.002-05:00

In my mind there are three good things about a menu plan.

It makes meal time easier because I can prep things in advance.
It saves me money because I can shop based on my plan and not on whim.
I eat less with a plan, because I can always look forward to the next meal.

My menu is pretty simple. I try to plan enough for the evening meals to eat the same dish again the next day.

My plan for the week is:
Monday

Crockpot oatmeal with peaches and blueberries
Slaw, corn and bean salad, wheat pitas
Pinto beans, rice, sauteed onions and peppers

Tuesday

Warm rice with soy milk, cinnamon and apple dices
Leftover Pinto beans with rice
Pasta with tomato sauce filled with chopped veggies

Wednesday

Oatmeal bars
Leftovers from night before
Cabbage, potatoes, and onions with cornbread

Thursday

Cream of wheat with banana slices
Veggie tacos
Fried rice

Friday

Grits with maple syrup
Baked beans and toast
Calzones

Saturday

Fried potatoes with onions, biscuits, jam
Crockpot veggie soup with baked tortillas
Leftover soup with PBJ sandwiches

Sunday

Crockpot Oatmeal with peaches and cinnamon
Roasted root veggies -- potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and added Brussels sprouts, cold bean salad
Leftovers from lunch and the rest of the week

Head over to Organizing Junkie to find many more people who believe in menu planning. Several have some good vegetarian dishes posted.

The Humble Cabbage

2010-02-15T11:05:00.001-05:00

One of the great things about vegetables is they are so versatile.
Take the humble cabbage.
It is great:
Steamed with a few potatoes thrown in.
Stir fried in a pan.
Added to an "egg" roll.
Used as a container for fillings.
Tossed in some soup.

But my favorite use for the humble cabbage --
SLAW.

Yes, a simple slaw can add so much flavor and dimension to a meal.

This slaw is a breeze to make when you use your kitchen friend -- the food processor.

Spicy "Italian" Slaw
(all ingredients found at your friendly Walmart Store)

1/2 medium size head of cabbage, shredded
5 or 6 radishes, shredded
5 or 6 baby carrots, shredded

Remove shredded veggies from food processor bowl
and put into a mixing bowl.

Add the following:
3 Tbsp. of mustard
1 tsp. of sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. of Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning

Mix well.
Chill and serve.

That is all there is to it...the humble cabbage
becomes a simple side.

Where Is This Blog Going?

2010-02-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

I think it would be fair for any future readers to ask, "Where is this blog going?" It would be nice if I could answer with 100% certainty, but for now I can share what I hope to share here.

Shopping trips finds, meal plans and other goodies of the sort
Recipes and "un" recipes
My ups and downs as a new vegan.
Cookbook Love -- cookbooks I love and why
Kitchen Friends -- things that are the next best thing to having your best friend in the kitchen with you
Animal stories -- cause I love my cats and dogs
Links -- links to sites, recipes and other things I run across that I love
More -- I leave this option open so I can post whatever makes me happy.

All Tales Begin Somewhere

2010-02-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

All tales begin somewhere and this one begins here in a small village on the coast of North Carolina. A woman, who for health's sake believes that a vegan diet is the best plan for her life, finds herself overloaded with fabulous vegan cookbooks full of ingredients she can't find without traveling for hours.

She knows her new diet is supposed to be kinder to her body, kinder to animals and overall kinder to the planet. She quickly learns that ideally she'd grow all her own food, but reality is what it is....and that just isn't happening. So now she's left with two choices --

Does she throw her hands up in the air and give up her new convictions?

Does she chose the lesser of two evils and figure out how to make the best of her options?

She wrestles with the online voices that bemoan the evils of Walmart knowing that it is the most likely source for the widest variety of foods for her and her family. Finally she decides that a stand, no matter how small, is still a stand and from here on out she will be called

The Walmart Vegan.