Persimmon Loaf

I received a couple bags of persimmons from my boss and also from my sweet neighbor. My neighbor's kids picked them at a friend's farm- so cute!

So I had to let them get uber-ripe and I started to get impatient! But the first batch finally ripened up and I made this beautiful persimmon bread. I got the recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and it was so easy, moist, delicious, and a crowd pleaser. I got several, "You can't even tell it's vegan" comments. I was like,  "yeah, because vegan food is awesome!" ;)

I slathered each piece with Earth Balance, but it was good plain too.

The next batch of persimmons is ready and I'm going to make persimmon soup! Should be interesting!

Collard Greens & Sausage Pizza- Whoa!

I am officially obsessed with collard greens! I made the most delicious pizza with them. Here's what I did:

I rolled out store bought dough into a 'rustic' shape (I'm no perfectionist) and spread a couple tablespoons of tofutti cream cheese over it.

I sauteed the collards with fresh garlic and salt in 1 tsp olive oil, added a handful dried cranberries and then slices of Field Roast apple sausage. I added a splash of shoyu and then spread it all over the dough. I cooked it for about 17 minutes and some of the bits of collards got really crispy. It was divine!

This is my new favorite pizza.

Veggie Pot Pie- I love you.

For dinner a few nights ago I made a veggie pot pie. The temperature outside is just barely getting a slight chill in the air here in South-Central California, but it feels autumn-y and I’m workin’ it. Pot pie is autumn comfort food at its best, right? I took a traditional chicken pot pie recipe and adapted it to be a little healthier and, of course, chicken-free. I used Smart Balance Light to make the crust, but only as much as seemed necessary and I used whole wheat pastry flour. I also only put a crust on top- even though I REALLY LOVE a double crust pot pie… *sigh*.

the crust is 'rustic' :)

For the veggies I used the traditional carrots, celery, onion and peas. I had it for dinner and then breakfast the next morning. It made an awesome breakfast!

I really enjoy eating dinner-type foods for breakfast. They seem to fill me up and satisfy me better and for longer than 'breakfast' foods. I'm going to continue to work with this recipe to make it even healthier but still 'comfort-food-ish'.

Potluck Wrap Up

This week we had a "Good Luck Garden Pot Luck" at work- on 7/7 (the luck part) and the garden part is because everyone had lots of fresh veggies from various back yard gardens and such.

This was a vegan dream potluck- and not because I work with a bunch of vegans (I don't), but because I work with a bunch of health-conscious sorts who are creative and fun! (I do! We are a Marketing Dept. after all)

Nearly everything offered was vegan so I didn't feel left out. I made the aforementioned blueberry muffins. There was a cucumber/jicama salad in rice wine vinegar served over freshly steamed rice (and I mean FRESHLY! Hector brought a little rice cooker and made it at his desk! So cute!), zucchini/red onion/tomato salad, steamed brocolli and other veggies over brown rice, and homemade tabouli. YUM! The only things I didn't eat were some traditional zucchini bread (dang it looked amazing!), a cold cucumber/avocado soup that looked and smelled divine but was made with chicken stock (WHY??), and brownie sundaes that were not even remotely hard to pass up even though the brownies were made in a special pan that makes individual brownie cups specifically to hold a scoop of ice cream! Too cute! I ate half of a Sweet & Sara PB S'more and was all good!

Most everyone in my office knows of my recent dietary switch. I haven't made a big deal because I want it to be taken seriously and I don't want anyone to think it is my diet du jour (I've been know to try every diet under the sun- but this isn't a diet because I'm not doing it to lose weight- although that'd be a nice bonus!)

More Muffins!

I think I've probably mentioned my love affair with blueberry muffins. I made some from scratch- again using the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch basic fruit/nut muffin recipe. I made them with local berries for our Garden Potluck at work. A hit, of course! ;) I used more than one cup of fruit- I used more like 1.5 to 1.75 cups, plus I dropped a few berries on top of some of the muffins that looked like they needed more. This is the easiest recipe ever! I mean, muffins aren't rocket science, but this recipe is like baking in your sleep!

PS- Happy Birthday to my older sister! ;)

zucchini raisin muffins!

These muffins from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch turned out quite good. They are moist with a nice crusty top. I made the basic fruit and nut muffin recipe adapted for the zucchini/raisin variety- which omits the nuts and adds some cinnamon and ginger. I used golden raisins because I love them so much! I'm happy to report that the zucchini was local and organic- being that it came from my friend/boss's back yard garden. The raisins are local too because I live in the middle of California raisin land! Remember the California Raisins???

OOH Yeah, I heard it through the grapevine...

Here's a close up of the muffins. I highly recommend them!

As I mentioned yesterday, I will be eating these for breakfast all week spread with almond butter. I also got some gorgeous California-grown blueberries that I'm eating with a sliced banana to complete my meal. mmmmmmm (AND coffee made in my tiny french press at my desk with Silk Creamer- original flava)

The muffins were such a hit in fact that I'm baking another dozen as I type this but with the aforementioned fresh blueberries! We're having a garden potluck tomorrow at work, so these will be my contribution!

Meal Menus for the upcoming week

I like to write up what I'm planning to eat for the week, helps me get a grocery list going, use up stuff I have on hand that needs using, make sure I'm getting balanced nutrition... etc.

I go to the regular grocery store with my husband on Sunday evenings and then I go to Lassen's (small chain of health food stores in Cali) to get whatever else I need (and some treats like Sweet & Sara's choc/peanut butter S'mores!!) on my lunch hour on Mondays (they are closed on Sundays... boo for me- yay for them).

Breakfasts: Tonight I will make the zucchini/raisin muffins from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and will eat them all week for breakfast slathered with almond butter and also some fruit (most likely a banana and whatever else is lookin' good at the market). (I got a beautiful, giant, variegated zuke from my friend's garden for the muffins!)

Lunches: For two days I will eat some whole wheat pasta with veggie marinara I need to use up, but I'll add some Tofurky for a protein boost. I'll probably make a little garlic baguette to go along with it.

For the other two work days I'll eat some veggie chili with the Gardein Good Stuff Santa Fe Chik'n breasts chopped up in it and a tortilla. I was intrigued by Gardein and they started carrying this at my local Vons. I don't love it because it is toooo "chicken-y", it freaks me out a little, but I think chopped up in some yummy chili it will be fine and I can use it up, rather than waste it and then never buy it again. :) For folks who love and miss chicken breasts- I'm sure it is a delightful option- but for those of us that don't it is just too authentic- texture, taste, everything.

Dinner: My favorite meal!

• One night I will make a cheese-less grilled veggie pizza.


• One night I will finish up the veggie potstickers I got from the frozen section at the market. I'll make a spicy dipping sauce with sweet/hot mustard and teriyaki sauce. (had this for lunch today- mmmm) I'll eat those with a huge bowlful of Fruitful Red Slaw- recipe from Vegan Express.


• One night (and I am REALLY looking forward to this meal) I'll make BBQ Roasted Tempeh with Veggies (Vegan Express recipe), and I'll have the slaw with this, too.


• One night I will have tofu and yukon homefries with fresh buscuits!


• And then Friday night I will go to dinner with David on Date Night!

I'm going to try, try, try to remember to take pics of my meals BEFORE I eat them! :)

is there anything better than home made pizza??? maybe blueberry muffins.

I made both today! I used a pre-made multi grain crust- first time I've tried this kind (Rustic Crust) and it was thin and super crispy just like I like it. I brushed a touch of olive oil over the crust, spooned on just enough organic marinara sauce and then spread it with red and gold bell pepper strips that I had sauteed with fresh garlic. The finishing touch- some pineapple chunks.



When I was a little kid I had a serious dairy allergy so my parents would always order half of our pizza (or an extra one) with no cheese for me. I loved it that way and when I eventually "grew out" of my allergy (that clearly never happened since I get a major mucous overload anytime I eat a significant amount of it) I would pull off nearly all the cheese on a traditional pizza. I've always been grossed out by melted cheese... luckily, I won't have to worry about that anymore. :) So far I haven't found a vegan cheese that I like (except the Eat in the Raw Parma), so I'm happy to do without.

I'll talk about the muffins tomorrow. They deserve their own post.

sweet, sweet victory

My husband is not opposed to eating vegan or vegetarian foods, but they would certainly not be his first choice on a menu. He is a very meat & potatoes guy. He does, however, love everything I bake, and almost everything I cook.

I make this bomb chocolate cake from the Vegan Express cookbook that he will gobble up. When I told him it was vegan he said, 'yeah, it tastes "healthier" than regular cake.' He did not mean that "healthier" was a bad thing- just different.

So this weekend I baked up two vegan items that he is diggin'. Yesterday afternoon I made oatmeal cookies- basically used the recipe on the canister of oatmeal but used egg replacer instead of eggs. They were dense and spicy and yummy. He said, "these are GOOD." :) And this morning I just made pancakes, again, he ate 'em up!

We love to go to breakfast on the weekends, but unless I want to get a dry bagel and country potatoes, there aren't many options at the greasy spoon diners in these parts. Making breakfast is a perfectly fabulous option for me!