Everything I ate today!

Well Vegan MOFO is over and I did- eh- ok for my first time and without any planning, I guess. I definitely slacked off there at the last half of the month, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to post or was too lazy. I was busy and due to the busy-ness, I just wasn’t making blog-worthy meals. Anyway, on to something new…

Since I log my food daily for Weight Watchers, I figured I could blog about it too. This way I can have a visual record of what I’m eating- and really see how balanced (or not so much) my diet is. What seems to be working, what leaves me hungry or tired, etc.

Yesterday I busted out and dusted off my grandmother’s old Champion Juicer (thanks, Grandma!). I made some carrot/apple/cucumber/key lime juice and it made me feel so vibrant and healthy! With the time change I was able to get up early enough this morning to make myself a nice glass- I added in some celery, too.

I juiced:

3 small carrots

1 large celery stalk

1 large cucumber

1 large jonagold apple

2 key limes

It made about 18 oz of juice- and about 2 WW ‘points’. A really yummy way to start off the day. I sipped this all morning- while I was getting ready for work and then on my drive to work and then finished it up at my desk.

I waited about an hour or so and then made myself a pot of coffee- when I say ‘pot’ I mean a tiny French press which makes enough for one mug. (I drink organic dark Sumatra- my all-time favorite!) I drank this with a splash of unsweetened soymilk, sometimes I use Silk Creamer- Original flavor. Along with my coffee I had a bowl of steel cut oats (I make a double batch the night before since it takes 30 minutes to cook) with soymilk. This was satisfying and filling for another couple hours.

Around 10 o’clock I had some jicama slices and fat free spicy black bean dip. This was so delish it was worth the effort of peeling and cutting the tough outside of the jicama yesterday. I sliced it up and now I have easy snacks for the rest of the week.

I ate lunch at noon-ish. I made something I’ve wanted to make since my veg conversion- Mock Tuna Salad. I made the recipe from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch which calls for grated parsnip and then some other typical tuna salad ingredients (celery, onion, sweet relish). While it is slightly reminiscent of tuna salad, it is absolutely delicious! I used just enough reduced-fat Vegenaise to hold it together. Spread onto two slices of Ezekiel bread it is a hearty lunch! (I have to admit that I ate it with a few potato chips- I just love a sammy and chips lunch- reminds me of childhood) Alongside, I enjoyed a nice navel orange.

By 3 o’clock I’m always ready for a snack so today I had half of a Sweet & Sara Peanut Butter S’more and another cup of coffee. I don’t often drink a second cup of coffee- but I’m babysitting a 6 year old and a 3 month old this evening… so I have a good excuse.

Dinner was one of my go-to and favorite stir fries. Szechuan tofu with sweet potatoes. I peel and cube a medium sweet potato and then partially cook it in the microwave (if I’m pressed for time- which is usually). Meanwhile I cook minced onion and garlic in a bit of cooking spray. When the onion is translucent I add the potatoes, then I add other fresh veggies- red or gold bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, whatever is on hand. Finally, I toss in a serving of Pete’s Soyganic Szechuan tofu (sometimes I use the teriyaki variety, sometimes I use plain tofu, but the Pete’s has just enough sauce to flavor everything and it is so easy). I add a dash of salt to taste and voila. I had it with a tortilla tonight because I was in a hurry to get to my sister’s house to babysit my darling baby niece and nephew. But I also eat it with couscous, quinoa, brown rice, jasmine rice, you get the picture.

I feel really good about today’s eats. Lots of produce, plenty of whole grains, plenty of water. And I stayed well within my Weight Watchers Points allowance.

And PS- I finally ordered Alicia Silverstone’s book since it apparently is not available at Borders OR Barnes & Noble in my town! It should arrive soon and I’m super excited to devour it. In the meantime I’ve been devouring her new site! Check it out- www.thekindlife.com

Vegan Chili & Cornbread Feast!

Vegan chili and cornbread- wins over the Omni every time!

I am not afraid to call myself an awesome chili-maker. I have been making chili for years. I rarely make the same exact recipe twice. My favorite is a three bean version that is a veganized hybrid of a Rachael Ray recipe and a Better Homes & Garden recipe. I'll make that sometime soon now that it is getting cooler around here...

I recently received a cute little print out of a Spicy Tofu Chili recipe from my co-worker and a little packet of Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy. See, the recipe was from the Mrs. Dash website or something. My co-worker knows how I love tofu, so she was sweet enough to print the recipe and give me the right amount of the Mrs. Dash so I wouldn't have to buy a whole bottle for the recipe.

I happened to have all the ingredients yesterday and decided to make it for dinner. (It's a super fast recipe!) I also whipped up a batch of Double-Corn cornbread from my beloved Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (I LOVE that book and it is what I grew up learning to cook from. So many of the recipes are incredibly easy to veganize!) All I did was use EB, soy milk, and egg replacer in place of butter, milk, and eggs...

So my husband and I usually eat different dinners- not just because I don't eat meat and he does- it's mostly because we just have different taste in foods in general. But he loves my chili and cornbread (all the different variations) so he was raring to go when I asked if he wanted to have it for dinner. He ate a big 'ol bowl of chili with chunks of tofu just brazenly obvious! :) I didn't even have to try to hide them, the chili was just THAT good! :) and the corn bread? I'm sure he never even thought there was anything un-traditional about it (even though he subconsciously has to know that there is...). He said, "This corn bread is GOOD." And proceeded to eat about half the 9x12 inch pan of it!

Tofu Bennies! Finally!

Eggs Benedict and their multiple variations were one of my favorite breakfast items in omni years passed. So, I have been dying to make the Tofu Bennies from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch since I got the book a few months back. The problem has been that I can only make them on Thursdays or the weekend (if I want to actually have them for 'brunch'), and by the time I get ready to make them, I am tooo hungry to let the tofu marinate for an hour and I end up eating something like cereal. boo.

So today I did it! I made a few adaptations (which are in green type), but followed the hollandaise sauce recipe 'almost' exactly. SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!

Here is what I did:

I used super firm tofu because I like it the best. I cut an 8 oz block into squares because

that is what I had on hand. I halved the marinade recipe since I didn't have 6 (or even 2) people to serve. (I'll have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow and Saturday) I marinated the tofu squares while I went to the store to get a few things needed for the rest of the recipe.

When I got home I made the sauce exactly as the recipe stated except I used 1 tsp 'Better than Bouillon' instead of 2 tbsp veg broth powder because that is what I had - again, it was SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD! :) I burned the shallots a little, so I was worried it would be ruined, but it absolutely wasn't. I'll be more careful next time tho....

While the sauce cooled I started frying up the tofu. I used less olive oil than the recipe states, because I'm on Weight Watchers and I new I could still get it nice and crisp with less. I drained the tofu on paper towels and then I crisped up two slices of Smart Deli 'ham' in the leftover oil. Isa's recipe calls for beefsteak tomatoes instead of ham, but I couldn't find any nice tomatoes, so I used 'ham'. Isa's recipe calls for smoked salt (which I will definitely purchase at some point!) or as a substitute she suggests a dab of liquid smoke and sea salt. Since I had liquid smoke and sea salt I used them and I dabbed them on the ham instead of the tomato.

Isa's recipe calls for either English Muffins or using her Diner Home Fries instead. For time's sake, I used the muffins this time.

Here is how I assembled my bennies:

Toasted the muffins, and put both halves down on a plate. Put a dollop of sauce on each muffin half and then put the smoke/salt seasoned crispy ham slices on top. Then added a tofu square on top of the ham. Finally I poured sauce over top. I used 1/3 cup sauce total (the recipe makes 2 cups, so I'll gently reheat for my leftovers later).

Mine turned out awesome, but I'll definitely try these again a million times and make the recipe exactly as Isa wrote it, and also experiment with more variations that I think of.

Here is what mine looked like. PS- My cat, Bas, licked the plate clean after I was done. The hollandaise sauce was a HUGE hit with him!

Go Out and buy Vegan Brunch (or order it) TODAY! :)

Coming Up...

This week I plan to post some pics of a yummy cheese-less pizza I made, my first experience with seitan, and I'll probably rave some more about tofu, tempeh, and Sweet & Sara's Peanut Butter S'mores. :)

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! :)

philly cheesesteak-ish

For dinner last night I cooked up some super firm tofu that was cut into thin strips and gold and red bell peppers in similar shaped strips with BBQ sauce. I put the mixture on a french roll for a sammy and boy-o-boy- good stuff! When I walked from the kitchen to the living room David sniffed the air and said, 'what did you make???' I told him and asked if he wanted a bite- he said no- his loss- my gain!

What I'm gonna eat this week!

I only have to work three days this week! Woop Woop! Thursday is my furlough day and Friday is a holiday due to July 4th falling on Saturday! I made up some stuff Sunday night for the week:
Breakfast- home made bluebery muffins (I'm becoming a serious fan of the Ener-G Egg Replacer) with almond butter and fresh fruit.

Lunch- herbed couscous with sauteed zucchini, summer squash and tofu cubes seasoned with a little Braggs herb seasoning packet I got as a sample at an Earth Day event.

Dinner- I think I'm gonna do pasta with marinara, zuchini, and tofu to keep things simple this week. I was going to make coconut corn soup from Vegan Express, but decided it's too hot for soup this week. (supposed to be 104-107 all week! eek!)

le premier

Alrighty... I've been contemplating this blog for some time but needed a perfect title. I'm a re-committed vegetarian transitioning to veganism (who loves- no worships- champagne)... how to capture, how to capture? Enter my fabulous friend, Anna, who brainstormed with me and basically came up with this title that I fell in love with. I AM a tofu lush- I love, love, love tofu, so there you have it.

I live in a mid-sized city in the southern portion of central California where a vegetarian, let alone vegan, is a rare occurrence. This is the land of cattle, cowboys, and Coors. So I aim to blog about my adventures- culinary and otherwise.