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

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

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!

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!!!!

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

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

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.

1. mac and cheese, veggie burgers on whole wheat buns with the fixings
2. faux sausage and pancakes meal (We like breakfast for supper.)
3. pasta with tomato sauce, garlic bread, salad
4. BBQ ribletts, rice, veggies
5. beans and rice meal with diced veggies
6. bean burritos with salsa, veggies
7. veggie lasagna
8. 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

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.