Tater tale...

I've been working from home quite a bit lately, which I'm loving, but I have a problem with eating properly when I'm on my own. Sometimes I just forget about lunch until I'm ready to keel over around 4pm.

We also haven't been grocery shopping for awhile, and since we buy a lot of fresh stuff, we never have much food on hand. Around 1:30pm, I was hungry, so I decided to make myself a couple of baked potatoes in the microwave.

But, once I'd cooked the taters, I realized that we were out of our vegan butter. Crap. But since I'd already put SO much effort into washing off the potatoes and putting them in the microwave (exhausting!!!), I wasn't turning back!!! :)

So I used tobasco, salt, and dill.

I know. Sounds gourmet. I'm resourceful. Carl wasn't pleased with my meal choice when I told him, so he brought me home some DELICIOUS mexican takeout. yummmm...

The end.

You are such a sweet little potato...

I have this bad habit of starting to cook something without having all of the necessary items. I get really excited about making something with a particular ingredient and then decide I can be creative and "improvise" the recipe. If I were a trained chef, this might not be a problem, but alas no. Poor Carl. :) He's smiled through many an experimental dish.

Tonight, I settled on sweet potatoes and surprisingly, it was quite delightful!

Sweet Potatoes
Earth Balance
Minced Garlic
Green Onions
Cajun Seasoning
Salt & Pepper




















I made a salad & toast to go with it!

Where lazy cookies go...

I read about this place called the Austin Cookie Lounge in Tribeza magazine and had to go check it out! They will bake you fresh, individual cookies, with your selected dough and add-ins.

I chose vegan vanilla dough with macadamias & blueberries.
Carl had the same dough, but with dark chocolate & cranberries.
They even had organic soy milk.

So tasty. Oh and they deliver. Pure danger!!!

I'm in a big curry...

This post might be redundant. I would first like to recommend that you DON'T make this recipe! These are Cauliflower Pakoras, an Indian recipe from a vegan book that The Weber's gave us. HOWEVER, I don't think our condo will ever smell the same after cooking these. Seriously, I had two fans on, opened all the windows and doors, and lit a candle. Despite my best efforts, weeks later, we still come home and feel like we're walking into a cheap motel office.

But, I wanted to show Lynsey that I'm working on my "plating". Is it getting better??

Fat Twosday...

Oh man, this blog has been neglected lately. But luckily it's National Flash Your Boobies Day, so we had to leave the office earlier than normal tonight. We came home and I made some dinner for me & my baby!

Vegan field roast, garlic red-skinned mashed potatoes, and a salad with yummy little yellow tomatoes:

Truluck's be a lady tonight...

I went to Truluck's for the first time the other night, with Carl & Diego! We do some work for them every month and they kindly sent us a $100 gift card awhile back. When we arrived, one of the managers came up and said "are you THE Carl Miner?", which made me heehee. :)

All three of us dined delightfully on a three-course meal (veg for us, of course). Then when the bill came, the waitress said they'd taken "very good care of us", and they comped the whole shebang! Pure class, I tell ya.

Here's Diego after consuming an unnaturally large amount of food:

This is (partially) why we do it...

The tale of gelatin & rennet...

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. We found these organic, vegetarian gummy bears at the store the other day (in the bulk section). They are so good!! Much better than the regular ones. I mean it. I wouldn't lie.









You might wonder why some gummy bears aren't vegetarian. It's because they generally contain gelatin. And how badly would you like to know what gelatin is????

Gelatin is a gelling agent and is common in foods like yogurt, marshmallows, sour cream, frosted cereals, pill capsules, etc. Sometimes it's made from melted horse hooves, but more commonly now, it's extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs, and intestines of animals.

Then manufacturers give it a painless name like "gelatin" and nobody thinks twice.

And while I'm on the topic, let's discuss "rennet". Rennet is a common ingredient in almost all cheeses. It can only come from the bellies of baby cows. They butcher calves for veal, then the rennet comes from the mucos membranes in the stomach chambers.

Nasty noodles. Now please go check the ingredients of the groceries in your fridge. :)

Love,
~Beth

Talk Oh...

Carl made homemade beans for the first time since we've been together and they were delish! He used to make "Carly Tacos" for me on a regular basis, but couldn't stomach them for awhile after a bad incident trying out "butter tortillas". We've been eating vegan lately and I honestly don't miss the cheese or sour cream one bit!














These delightful little numbers contain:
Homemade Pinto Beans
Avocado
Tomato
Minced Red Onion
Nutritional Yeast
Tobasco Sauce
Whole Wheat Tortillas

"It's not a tuna." -Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Kindergarten Cop

This is a quick and easy recipe that we whip up every now & then for sammiches!

Mock Tuna Salad
Just mash up one can of garbanzo beans and add anything you normally would to tuna salad. For this one, I added vegenaise, minced red onion, turmeric, salt, pepper, dill, and fresh basil! Served on homemade vegan bread with sesame crackers. mmmm....

Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas) are a helpful source of zinc, folate, and protein! They're also low in fat, but very high in dietary fiber...meaning they're a healthy source of carbs, even for people with diabetes. How 'bout that?

Fakin' Bacon...

Breakfast for dinner! These are organic garlic hashbrowns, fake bacon, vegenaise & ketchup for dipping, an orange from the Farmer's Market, and organic berry juice from Ben & Lori!

Edgy Veggies...

Nicole Lapin is one of the youngest CNN News Anchors ever and she's a Vegan. She also writes a great blog called "Young People Who Rock".


Carrie Underwood was voted the 2005 World's Sexiest Vegetarian!


Natalie Portman has been veg since childhood.


Curious about more famous herbivores? Here are some others:

Alicia Silverstone
Alyssa Milano
Andre 3000 from Outkast
Angela Bassett
Angie Everhart
Anna Paquin
Anne Hathaway
Anthony Kiedis
Ashley Judd
Avril Lavigne
Barry White
Benji Madden
Bernadette Peters
Billy Idol
Bob Barker
Bonnie Raitt
Brad Pitt
Brooke Shields
Bryan Adams
Chelsea Clinton
Chris Martin (Coldplay)
Claudia Schiffer
Christie Brinkley
Christina Applegate
Christy Turlington
Clint Eastwood
Corey Feldman
Daryl Hannah
Diane Keaton
Diane Warren
Doris Day
Dustin Hoffman
Eddie Vedder
Elijah Wood
Ellen Degeneres
Forest Whitaker
Gavin Rossdale
George Harrison
Gillian Anderson
Gina Lee Nolin
Hayden Panettiere
Ian McKellan
India Arie
Jack Johnson
Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jared Leto
Jason Mraz
Jenna Jameson
Joaquin Phoenix
John Lennon
John Tesh
Johnny Cash (late in life)
Josh Hartnett
Joss Stone
Kate Winslet
Kevin Nealon
Kim Basinger
Kristin Bell
Leona Lewis
Linda McCartney
Lisa Kudrow
Mary Tyler Moore
Melanie Griffith
Melissa Etheridge
Michael Bolton
Mr. Rogers
Naomi Watts
Nelly (rapper)
Olivia Newton John
Omar Epps
Orlando Bloom
Pamela Anderson
Paul McCartney
Peter Gabriel
Petra Nemcova
Richard Gere
Ringo Starr
Robert Redford
Samuel L. Jackson
Sandra Oh
Seal
Shania Twain
Shannon Elizabeth
Steve Perry
Steve Vai
Tobey Maguire
Tracy Chapman
Travis Barker (Blink 182)
Vanessa Williams
Vanna White
William Shatner
Woody Harrelson

I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

Oh it's a good life. This morning we went to the Farmer's Market, then to a delish lunch at Casa de Luz, then to the library to pick up a couple of new reads (and pay our overdue charges. oopsy!). We brought the books home, read for a couple of hours and then had a great nap. I woke up around 6pm and made some vegetable soup out of the yummies we got at the FM. Sweet sweet day.



Veggie Soup:
Onions
Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Water w/veggie bullion
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste (not the band)
Garnish with Avocado & fresh Basil

Saint Banana...

First of all, Carl just saw this pic and said "that looks gross". So I apologize again for my lack of food styling and photographic abilities, but this was darn tasty, so I wanted to share!

It's called "Hot Heavenly Banana Bake" and I made it tonight because we had some bananas that were turning that certain shade of yellowish brown. The recipe said to put it in "custard bowls", but I'm not convinced most people own those, so I spooned it into two wine glasses. :)

My Lovely Lady Apples...

OMG, after playing in the cranberry bathtub tonight at the grocery store, I found the cutest thing ever...they're called "Lady Apples"...here is one posing next to a regular apple:














Look! They had mini pears, too!! I might carry them around with me for the next couple weeks, that way I can look at them whenever I need a pick-me-up. :)













Carl made vegan pasta last night! You melt soy cheese and then just add your favorite herbs & spices. He steamed some fresh snap peas with it and served it with wheat toast. I've been on a huge toast kick lately....














Yeah toast!

Bite the Bullet...

I cooked up this recipe I found online tonight and served it over rice! It was fresh broccoli & tofu in a garlic sauce. I added some red pepper flakes to make it spicy and delicious!

Broccoli is an important veggie to include in your diet...ounce for ounce, it has more vitamin C than an orange, as much calcium as a glass of cow juice, and 3 times more fiber than a slice of wheat bran bread! It's also one of the richest veggie sources of vitamin A and it contains potent cancer-fighting components. All of that in ONE vegetable, my friends.














We followed our meal with a peanut butter/banana smoothie, featuring chocolate soy milk and agave nectar. If you don't have a Magic Bullet, you should totally get one, it's so handy! You just add all of your ingredients into one of their cups, attach the blade, and mix...it's like a high-powered blender.

Dairy-Air....

We haven't purchased "real milk" in I don't know how long. Years! And while the vanilla & plain soy milks take some getting used to, the chocolate is sooo good.

We always look forward to Silk Nog during the holidays. It has all of the festive flavor without the real eggs & dairy! It's only out for a limited time, so grab a quart!!

It's bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s...

We had some bananas that were turning brown, so I thought I'd make banana bread! I looked up a vegan recipe and chose this one because I had all of the ingredients and they were different than anything I've tried before, with applesauce and pure maple syrup. Being that it's sugar free, it wasn't as sweet as normal banana bread, but it's absolutely delish with a little peanut butter on top!

















Speaking of buhnahnaz, we've been taking a whole slew of 'em to to church the last couple of weeks. They typically only have donuts and various "Little Debbie's" products (bad bad bad), so we wanted to contribute something healthy and wholesome. People gobbled them down and the lady in charge of refreshments said she's going to start bringing them every week. Score one for the magical yellow fruit!

Food For Thought...

Two tofu recipes for you! I know you're excited. But don't be hatin' quite yet! I used to think it was creepy until we learned how to cook it properly. Now my body craves it. The perfect way to get your protein!

This Kung "POW" Tofu recipe is one of my favorites:














My girl Lynsey commented on my last food posting that she needs to teach me how to take food photos so they look appealing. I do apologize! ;) I don't know WHAT the problem could be! I mean, aside from not being a photographer or a food stylist, I bought our 10lb digital camera like in 1995 for $1100. I kind of wish it would die so we'd be forced to get a new one, but I don't want to be wasteful!

So this "lovely" photo is Tofu Scrambler with onions, topped with fresh avocado. And vegan English Muffins on the side with Earth Balance:

Chik'n...

An easy veggie lunch! A wheat roll with mixed greens, a homemade avocado vegenaise, and "Chik'n" nuggets....my favorite brands are Morningstar Farms and Quorn, available at most grocery stores!