Settled and Cooking

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?

I so love my UPS lady!

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

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

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.