Classic Baked Tofu (Isa Does It)

Hi everyone! I tried another marinated tofu this week, the classic baked tofu from Isa Does It, and it turned out great! I had it with brown rice and asparagus, and added some spoonfuls of warmed leftover marinade as a sauce.

Delicious!

Cringer and Daisy were watching birds together this morning… 

And I started my daily summer sketching with a flowery affirmation… 

dogwood blossom (image source)

Peace. :)

Brown Rice With Lentils, Mushrooms, and Spinach Stir Fry (AfroVeganChick)

Hi everyone! The new recipe I tried this week comes from AfroVeganChick – Brown Rice With Lentils, Mushrooms, and Spinach Stir Fry – and it was amazing! (I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh, and left out the coriander.) I know I will make this again sometime soon; the leftovers were perfect, so much so that I was disappointed when I’d finally finished them off! Definitely give this recipe a try! 

The kitties wish you all a “Happy Caturday!” 

Leela

Daisy

Cringer

Peace. :)

Peanut Butter, Brown Rice, and Carrots

Hello everyone! Today's prompt is "What three endless food supplies would you take if you were going to be stranded on an island? (Imagine your nutritional needs have been met, these are a bonus!)." I knew peanut butter had to be one of them, so from there, I decided the other two would be brown rice and carrots (I would have said broccoli, but I'm all out, lol).

It's not too exciting, but my peanut butter brown rice is one meal I never seem to get tired of eating. If I'm going to be stuck on an island, I'll need something like this to see me through!

brown rice & carrots (with a bit of Bragg liquid aminos and a spoonful of peanut butter), served with lentil chips

In other news, my post for Day 18 (The Animals!) was featured on the third week round up! And tomorrow will be another Veganlist post!

Leela, Buttons, Cringer, and Daisy all decided to play along and imagine they were stranded on an island, too. Here they are pretending to keep an eye out for a rescue boat!

Peace. :)

Mushroom Gravy

This week I tried out yet another recipe from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food. The mushroom gravy recipe made enough for four servings, so I tested it out in four different dishes. It was simple to prepare, and I minced the mushrooms small enough that I didn't feel the need to do the optional blending at the end, though I may try that next time, just to see what it is like as a smoother gravy. (The changes I made from the original recipe were that I only used 1/4 teaspoon pepper and and 3/4 cup vegetable stock.)

The first way I tried the gravy was with mashed potatoes (this was probably my favorite).

I also tried it mixed in with brown rice because the author mentioned that combination in the recipe introduction. It was pretty good, but I think I prefer gravy with potatoes. 

The third way I tried the mushroom gravy was with some Old Bay spice mix fries; yum!

And finally, today, I had the last of the gravy in a Boca chik'n sandwich, with fries on the side, another delicious meal! 

So, bottom line, the mushroom gravy is definitely one that I will make again, as it is very delicious and versatile.

Buttons and Leela, while soaking up the sunshine yesterday, kept getting closer and closer, until Buttons finally stretched and bumped her head against Leela's tail. It was quite cute!

Peace. :)

Veganized Orange Chik'n

My new recipe of the week was the veganized orange chik'n from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food. 

My changes for the orange sauce were to leave out the mirin and only do ½ cup sugar.

The tofu (chik'n) was easy enough to prepare, just cut it into small pieces and bake it, though a few of the pieces ended up sticking to the foil, so I'll have to be sure to use a bit more canola oil spray next time.

The orange sauce was easy, too, until I got to adding the cornstarch and I was too focused on measuring out the right amount to whisk it into the rest of the sauce in time and I ended up with several clumps of cornstarch. So the sauce ended up being a bit thinner than it was supposed to be, but I actually liked it that way.

Overall, I really liked this recipe. The sauce was a bit spicy (I always think that, don't I?), but very delicious. I'll definitely make it again.

Served with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

I had some of the leftovers for lunch today; this time I added in some carrots as well, and thoroughly mixed everything together with some of the extra sauce.

YUM!

Here is Buttons loafing on top of her nest of empty grocery bags.

And here is Leela all cuddly, keeping warm in the bed.

Peace. :)

Brown Rice and Black Beans

Hello on the 9th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Continuing my dollar store vegan week, my dinner tonight was brown rice (leftover from last night) and black beans. 

I'd been planning to redo the back-to-basics black beans recipe to spice up my dollar store beans, but then I noticed that Goya included a recipe on the can, and I just so happened to have all the other ingredients on hand (other than the seasoning mix and cider vinegar they mentioned). The onion, green pepper, and garlic were left over from last week, and the others were staples I've had for a while: olive oil, oregano, and pepper (my addition).

Ingredients:
--2 T olive oil
--1/2 cup white onion, diced
--1/4 cup green pepper, diced
--2 cloves garlic, minced
--1 can black beans, undrained
--3/4 cup water (I'd use less next time, maybe 1/4-1/2 cup?)
--1 tsp oregano
--1/4 tsp pepper 

Look at these cute little measuring cups from my sister! :)

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic; cook for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer (I covered it for a bit, then uncovered it). Directions on the can said to simmer for 10 min., but there was still a lot of liquid (probably since their recipe called for a seasoning mix to be included), so I ended up raising the heat a bit and cooking for longer. So, yeah, less water next time.

Apart from taking longer than I'd expected, the black beans turned out really well, and I liked my addition of the pepper (using much less than in the back-to-basics black beans). Now I have two recipes for black beans; woo-hoo! Served with the leftover rice that only needed to be reheated in the microwave, it was an easy meal and only required one pot, the kind of cooking I like, haha! 

Lunch was a combo of dollar store (pasta) and leftovers (salsa, tortilla chips, and Daiya cheese from the picnic), as well as the staples of soy milk, vegan butter, salt, and pepper to complete the mac & cheese. 

Leela and Buttons have been in rare form recently. Leela was a whirlwind of energy this morning, darting from here to there, so I helped her get out her energy by playing with her with various toys and yarn. And Buttons has been perfecting her jumping skills. Last night she was crying and crying for more food, but she'd already had enough, so I was ignoring her as I made Zach a PB&J for work the next day, but Buttons demands attention: She jumped up onto the counter, startling me, and kept trying to get at the peanut butter. I was able to hold her at bay long enough to finish making the sandwich, thankfully, and then she hopped down. And then tonight, Leela was trying to finish her dinner, and Zach sat down in the doorway to block Buttons (who'd already eaten), but she was determined and leapt over his legs the second he let his guard down to turn his head and tell me something.

So, here's pictures of Leela and Buttons at calmer, more relaxed moments.

Peace. :)