Some Food and Trail Pics

Hi everyone! I’ve been enjoying chickpea “tuna” salad sandwiches with tater tots for lunch this week… 

mashed chickpeas, shredded carrots, Vegenaise, celery salt

Yesterday I went hiking with a friend, though, so I grabbed a pre-made vegan burrito from the cafe at Kimberton Whole Foods, eating half of it before the hike and the rest when I got home. It was pretty good! 

Here are some pictures from our hike along a section of the French Creek Trail… 

And here’s Rogue (and Cringer!) pinning me down for some cuddles… 

Peace. :)

Buffalo Chickpea Salad (My cat loves Daiya!)

Hi everyone! The new recipe I tried this week was the buffalo chickpea salad from My cat loves Daiya! Normally I decrease the hot sauce in a recipe, but this time I went with the full amount, and it was perfect! 

I used some in a sandwich; it made a lovely lunch…

Served with chips and pickles.

Another harvest… 

Here’s an Inktober sketch… 

This week has been a bit stressful; long story short, there were several vet visits (including an ultrasound at the emergency vet), and Leela was diagnosed with IBD. The vet wants her on prescription food to help with her digestion, but Leela’s appetite hasn’t been great and the new food is bland (kind of the point, but still), so she’s on an appetite stimulant and allowed to have additional non-prescription food for now. Knocking on wood, she’s eating better today, so I’m optimistic that things are improving. Here are some pictures of Leela from this week… 

Peace. :)

Lots of Spice this Week!

Hi everyone! My sister Alena visited again on Tuesday; for lunch we made the spicy macaroni & cheese from AfroVeganChick (I used the plain Chao – the chipotle mayo was spicy enough – and left out the ground coriander) and the spicy BBQ cauliflower wings from My cat loves Daiya! (I only used about ½ tablespoon hot sauce instead of ½ cup). We started eating the mac & cheese while the cauliflower finished cooking and then added them in once they were done.

Super spicy but so good!

For dinner we kept it simple and made spaghetti with the zesty Italian meatless meatballs from Aldi and a “garlic bread” bagel.

Yum!

And then today I made “buffachos” (also from My cat loves Daiya!), which was another super simple and tasty meal!

Buffalo chickpeas atop tater tots, with vegan ranch dressing

In other news, I harvested my first cherry tomatoes! 

And here are some recent sketches…

tomatillo (original photo)

tomato (original photo)

asparagus (original photo)

And finally, here are the sisters Daisy and Cringer doing some bird-watching together… 

Peace. :)

January MiniMoFo: Chickpea Noodle Soup (VegNews)

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! January’s MiniMoFo prompt is “Creating Warmth,” so I made the chickpea noodle soup from the most recent VegNews. (My modifications: I used vegan chicken broth instead of the water and miso paste, shallots instead of the onion, and dried parsley instead of fresh. I also left out the caraway seeds.) It came together really well, and was perfect for the snowy, blustery day we had on Thursday. The leftovers were really good, too!

Here are Leela, Daisy, and Cringer, always finding their spots in the sun...

Peace. :)

Chickpea "Tuna Fish" Sandwich

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is "Meals for the young (at heart)." Growing up, tuna fish sandwiches were one of the staple lunches that my mom made for me to bring into school, so I decided to make a vegan version for lunch today. To make the chickpea "tuna," I used a fork to mash 1/2 cup chickpeas, then stirred in 1 tablespoon Vegenaise and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Served with chips and a pickle.

Here's my Inktober sketch...

And here's today's cuteness: Cringer and Leela sharing the bed!

Peace. :)

Cabbage, Chickpeas, & Rice

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is "Survival food," so I'm sharing a meal I made a month ago. One of my neighbors had given me a cabbage from his garden...

...so I chopped it up and cooked it with a can of chickpeas and some white rice in vegetable broth, adding salt and pepper at the end. Accepting food from others is humbling; we survive together, and meals like this are good reminders.

Here's my Inktober sketch...

Here's a sleepy Leela...

And here's Buttons this morning in her cat bed...

...and then in her cat tower...

Peace. :)

Random Food in May

Hi everyone! Quick post today covering some of the new foods I've tried this month. First up are some goodies I got at the Vegan Pledge...

The lemon poppyseed cookie from Alternative Baking Company was amazing! 

The orange dark chocolate from Equal Exchange was really good, and I have a second bar to still enjoy, hooray! 

The sea salt drops from Bridge Street Chocolates are great; I've been taking my time to savor them, haha! 

Zach suggested trying the Daiya cheezy mac with veggies, and we both liked it; Zach already made sure to pick up another box on our last grocery trip hehe. 

I was so excited to find the breakfast patties from Lightlife, and they are awesome, definitely the best vegan breakfast sausage I've tried so far! Served with a tofu scramble & toast. 

Some new chips I've tried... The sea salt ones are good, but the salt & pepper ones are fantastic! 

Finally, I tried another roasted chickpeas recipe this week, this one from Tofu for Thought. They were great in a bowl with potatoes & veggies. 

It got pretty hot this week; while digging out a fan from the hall closet, I tossed out the old drop cloth from the last time I painted. Leela quickly made a nest in it, and growled at Buttons when she tried to crash the party!

“This is Fort Leela, no Buttons allowed.”

Peace. :)