Tea Time

Hello on the 21st day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today is the last day of Nostalgia Week, which I will bring to a close with a fun tradition that I continue to this day.

Tea Time

Growing up, about an hour or so before we had to start getting ready for bed, we would have "tea time," which meant tea and a small snack. My mom would boil the water and prepare tea for everyone; I liked mine with sugar and enough milk to turn it a creamy light tan color. I enjoyed having cookies for a snack because then I could dunk them in the tea.

Tea time was always such a nice way to bring the day to its end and it became a nightly habit for me. I generally do tea time now around 9-10 p.m., and I prefer to have my tea plain (no soy milk/creamer or sugar). I love trying out new flavors, and these are two of my favorite ones right now (both organic and fair-trade):

Chamomile Lemon

Moroccan Mint

And here's the tea I had tonight, with lemon cookies to dunk:

(It's a red lavender herbal tea, also organic and fair-trade.)

And sometimes Zach joins me for tea time with his favorite, Earl Grey.

Here's Mystery after I got up from our cuddling on the couch Thursday night; she stayed right where she had been, hanging a bit off the edge of the couch even though there was plenty of room for her at that point.

P.S. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for the start of my Parks and Recreation theme week!

Peace. :)

Pizza

Hello on the 20th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today for Nostalgia Week, it's Pizza Friday!

Pizza

Ingredients:

(crust)

--1 Bob's Red Mill 16 oz. package Gluten Free Pizza Crust mix

--2 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water (replaces the 2 eggs)

--1 1/2 cups warm water

--2 T olive oil

--yeast packet (included in the pizza crust package)

(toppings)

--tomato sauce

--shredded Daiya (both mozzarella and cheddar)
--vegan pepperoni slices (I used Lightlife's Smart Deli Pepperoni)*

*If you leave off the pepperoni, this pizza is gluten-free! :)

Directions:

(Preheat oven to 425°F.) Combine yeast and water in a large bowl; let stand a few minutes. Add the flaxseed meal and olive oil, stir. Add the pizza crust mix; stir until combined. Split dough in half (makes two 12-inch crusts), leave in bowl, covered for 20 minutes so it can rise. Place one of the doughs on a greased pizza pan (I used a baking tray). With wet hands, spread out the dough to cover the pan (I made a round 9 1/2 inch crust). Bake for 7 minutes without toppings. (Store second unused dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge.) Remove from oven, add sauce, Daiya, and vegan pepperoni slices. Bake for 7 minutes (the package says 15-18 minutes, but 7 minutes seemed sufficient for mine since it was smaller). Remove from oven; allow to cool slightly, slice with pizza cutter, and serve. (Mine made 4 slices.)

Notes: I do enjoy a thicker crust, but I probably will spread out the crust a bit thinner when I use the leftover dough to make another pizza. (Even though the cheese got melty and the bottom of the crust cooked well, the middle was a bit doughy; still delicious, though!) I really enjoyed the vegan pepperoni; I loved pepperoni when I was younger, and this tasted very similar (and was notably less greasy!).

Growing up, "Pizza Friday" was always fun; we alternated between ordering a pizza or making it at home ourselves. Of the two options, homemade pizza was much more delicious and way more exciting since I got to help my dad with preparing the dough and adding the sauce and all the toppings. My favorite combination, which I made here today, was cheddar, mozzarella, and pepperoni. As I helped to layer on the toppings, inevitably, here and there, a slice of pepperoni would end up getting eaten instead of being placed on the pizza (and today, I was sure to try one after I was done adding all the toppings). Also, my dad always used baking trays for the pizza, and he would spread the dough out fully, so our homemade pizzas were always rectangular; it was fun because when he sliced the pizza, the slices ended up as squares.

pacman?

Last night, Mystery joined me on the couch when I was watching TV. She decided to snuggle in against my left leg. Luckily my camera was nearby so I was able to snap a picture.

Peace. :)

Chicken Sandwich

Hello on the 19th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today's Nostalgia Week post is a modified vegan version of what was one of my favorite fast food meals.

Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

--1 Boca chik'n patty

--shoestring fries

--1 bun (or two slices of bread)

--lettuce

--tomato

--ketchup

--mustard

Like yesterday's post, this one is super easy to prepare (as it should be, seeing as how this is imitating fast food!). Lay out a Boca chik'n patty and the shoestring fries on a baking tray, put in the oven at 425° F for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through (the patty takes longer than the fries). Serve the chik'n (on a bun with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mustard) and fries with a pickle and baby carrots (not pictured), as well as ketchup for dipping the fries. (The pickle and carrots were never part of the meal, but I like to add them now.)

I enjoyed fast food chicken sandwiches before I was vegan, but even so, it took me a while to finally get around to making a vegan version. 

 

Mayonnaise always seemed to be a default condiment for this sandwich, but I was never a fan; when I would request that it be left off, it often still was put on. So, in my veganizing of the chicken sandwich, I've also modified it so that even vegan mayonnaise has no place in it; instead, it's good old ketchup and mustard as condiments.

We didn't get fast food that often when I was younger, so when we did, it was a fun treat, especially because that meant we could also order soda, which we otherwise only drank on special occasions. However, I only remembered this little tidbit about the soda as I was typing out this post! I'd already eaten, with a nice glass of water as a drink, so no soda was included with this meal. (But I'm OK with that, as I'm really not much of a soda person nowadays.)

One final related nostalgia moment has only to do with the lettuce and nothing to do with the chicken sandwich. I have so many nostalgic food memories that remind me of Me-Me, the woman who minded my sister and me when we were little; she was like a grandmother to us. From chicken noodle soup to the candies she would have in jars in the kitchen, I have many great food memories, but one of my favorites in its beautiful simplicity (and "accidentally vegan"-ness) is that of lettuce and a sprinkle of salt. Sounds weird, I know, but it is a special memory to me; while we were making sandwiches, Me-Me would let me take a piece of lettuce, shake a bit of salt onto it, and munch on that while we finished up the sandwiches. I absolutely loved the taste of the salty, crisp lettuce! Every now and then when I'm putting lettuce on something, today being one of those times, I think of Me-Me and break off a piece, adding a dash of salt. :)

Whenever I have a Boca chik'n patty, I have to keep an eye on Mystery, as she once stole a couple pieces of chik'n from my unattended plate. Now she has a taste for them and always follows me around in the kitchen when I am preparing one.

"I guess you won't be sharing..."

P.S. Just a week now until the season premiere of Parks and Recreation! My Parks & Rec theme week begins on Sunday! I'm still tweaking some of the details, but I'm getting really excited!

Peace. :)

Chicken Nuggets and French Fries

Hello on the 18th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today as part of Nostalgia Week, I tried the Health is Wealth Vegan Chicken-Free Nuggets for the first time and really enjoyed them.

Chicken Nuggets and French Fries

This is probably the simplest of my Nostalgia Week meals to prepare: Just lay out some vegan "chicken" nuggets and fries on a baking tray, put in the oven at 425° F for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Serve with corn and baby carrots, as well as ketchup for dipping.

Growing up, "Chicken Nugget Wednesday" was great because it featured one of my favorite foods, but it was even better because it was the one night a week that my sister and I had the privilege of not having to sit at the table for dinner. Instead, we were allowed to eat in the den and watch TV or a movie, while our mom and dad stayed at the kitchen table to eat together. It was simple but fun, definitely a nice memory from when I was younger.

I used to put the ketchup on top of the nuggets instead of dunking them.

Here's Mystery being a "helper" when Zach was setting up our TV trays.

Peace. :)

Grilled Cheese

Hello on the 17th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today for Nostalgia Week, I decided to post about a wonderfully nostalgic lunch.

Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

--two slices of bread

--two slices of Daiya cheddar

--vegan butter (Earth Balance)

Butter a side of one of the bread slices; place it butter-down in a heated pan (medium heat). Add the slices of Daiya on top (optional: I sometimes add a sprinkle of garlic salt atop the cheese), as well as the second slice of bread, also buttered, butter-up. Press and flip with spatula, repeating until both sides are nicely browned and the cheese is melty. Slice and serve with potato chips and an apple.

My mom always made the best grilled cheese sandwiches, nice and melty-cheesy, the edges crispy but not burnt, the bread with a perfect amount of saltiness from the butter (she also likes to add tomato slices to hers, but always left them off ours since we preferred them plain). I know it's simple, but grilled cheese always makes me feel nostalgic, and I'm glad it's something I can so easily make vegan. 

I've also finished off the last of my leftovers from my Shiitake Bacon and Tofu Scramble; I made hash browns to go along with it today (quartered a potato, boiled it, grated it, and pan-fried it with a bit of olive oil, adding some salt and pepper).

In other news, today is Occupy Wall Street's second anniversary.

Mystery, for her part, loves to occupy strategic areas throughout the apartment, namely doorways and the hallway in front of the kitchen, in order to keep an eye on us, particularly around mealtimes. She plans her occupations so that she can easily intercept us when we walk past, reminding us that it's time for her to be fed (sometimes she starts occupying when there's still an hour or two before a meal).

Here's a picture I took of Mystery during an #OccupyHallway action.

#WeWantNomsNow

Peace. :)

Hot Dog with Mac & Cheese

Hello on the 16th day of the Vegan Month of Food! It's hard to believe that this grand blogging adventure is already halfway over! Today, my Nostalgia Week post is a vegan version of "hot dogs and mac & cheese," which was the quintessential Monday dinner of my childhood.

Hot Dog with Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

(mac & cheese)

--1/2 cup elbow noodles

--1/4 cup soy milk

--1 tsp vegan butter

--1/4 tsp turmeric

--vegan cheddar cheese (didn't measure, but it was probably ≤ 1/4 cup of the Daiya shredded cheddar)

--salt, to taste

(hot dog)

--vegan hot dog (I used a Lightlife Smart Dog)

--vegan hot dog bun (I forgot to get some when I last went grocery shopping, so I improvised with a slice of bread, just making this meal further nostalgic, as that was what we'd do if we happened to be out of hot dog buns)

--mustard

(corn)

Cook noodles, strain, and return to pot. Add remaining ingredients, simmer on low to allow cheese to melt and soy milk to be (mostly) absorbed before serving. In a second pot, prepare a hot dog; I did the stove top option, which was to simply boil water, turn off heat, and place the hot dog in the water for 2 minutes (other options are grilling or microwaving). When it's done, serve on a bun. Enjoy the hot dog and mac & cheese with corn on the side (I later added a pickle, too).

I remember "Hot Dog Mondays" fondly, especially "drawing" on the hot dogs with mustard. My dad (who loves puns, riddles, and jokes) commented once, "This hot dog has my name on it." We looked to his plate only to see his name literally written on the hot dog in mustard. After that, it became a fun little tradition to use mustard to spell out our names or draw something (I often did stick people, for whatever reason) on our hot dogs before digging in to dinner. 

I tried to draw a stick person, didn't turn out too well...

For all the fun that that was, I always enjoyed the mac & cheese more. Growing up, I loved the boxed macaroni, the more creamy and orange, the better. Often my mom would add a handful of cheese in addition to whatever cheese/flavor packet had come in the box to make it even cheesier. As a vegan, I've experimented with a bunch of mac & cheese variations (hello, nutritional yeast!), and I'm a lot less picky than I was growing up (vegetables in my mac & cheese would have been unthinkable back then!), but it's nice to go back to plain and simple versions like this for nostalgia's sake.

Also, yay, I finally did a "Mac-and-Cheese Monday" post (see the Vegan MoFo official daily themes)!

If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out yesterday's Mutts comic for a simple yet powerful vegan message.

Peace. :)

Shiitake Bacon and Tofu Scramble

Hello on the 15th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today marks the start of Nostalgia Week, wherein I will be veganizing meals from when I was younger. I thought it would be fitting to do a vegan version of "scrambled eggs and bacon" today, seeing as how that was my favorite Sunday breakfast growing up. My family always went to the earliest possible Mass (7:30 a.m.), and if we didn't go out to breakfast afterwards, we often either had pancakes or bacon and eggs when we got home. 

Shiitake Bacon and Tofu Scramble

Several months ago, I tried making vegan bacon after seeing Vegan Tweeter's recipe. It sounded so easy with just the three simple ingredients of shiitake mushrooms, olive oil, and salt. I love simple recipes, so I gave it a try, and shiitake bacon is now my go-to vegan bacon (and I am rather finicky about mushrooms, so that's saying something). It has the same crispiness and saltiness that I remember liking about bacon before I was vegan, so I'm a fan. A quick note about baking time: I baked the sliced shiitake in three 10-min intervals and two 5-min intervals (flipping each time). Then I removed the smaller, crispier pieces and put the rest back in the oven for another 5 min. 

As for the "scrambled eggs," I did some research online and came across "Scrambled Tofu Revisited" on the Post Punk Kitchen (PPK). And then yesterday, I saw two fellow Vegan MoFo bloggers post about their tofu scrambles: 403 kitchen and Detroit Made. They both used this same PPK recipe, so I felt encouraged.

Full disclosure, though: I have only bought and cooked with tofu maybe two, three times before today. And each of those times has been a sad, sad failure. I'm just not a big fan of tofu. It looks creepy to me, all squishy and colorless and packaged in water. It just sounds gross and it looks gross. Now, why am sharing my negative thoughts about tofu during the Vegan Month of Food, of all times? Because even though I had my doubts about it, I went ahead and tried this recipe, and I ended up being thoroughly impressed that something as blah-looking as this:

Could be transformed into this:

Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm very stubborn with recipes. This one called for extra-firm tofu, but when I think of scrambled eggs, I don't think of them being "firm" let alone "extra-firm." So I bought soft tofu. And yeah, maybe I should have gone with the extra-firm (it ended up taking a lot longer than I expected for the water to cook out of it, and then to finally brown, but it all worked out in the end). I also didn't have any thyme, or garlic cloves, so those both got left out. Other than that, I made sure to follow the recipe. 

bottom to top: cumin, turmeric (gives the tofu scramble its nice golden yellow color), & salt

Once everything was prepared, I sat down to enjoy my "bacon and eggs" with a (vegan) buttered piece of toast and some milk (soy). 

The tofu scramble looked and smelled great, and it did not disappoint taste-wise either. 

After enjoying a couple bites of the scramble, I had to make the nostalgia complete by creating a mini bacon & egg sandwich with the toast like I always used to. 

I'm so glad I tried this recipe (and I have leftovers, hooray!); it's definitely something I'll make again sometime when I'm feeling nostalgic. 

Here is a picture of Mystery with the only "toy" that she's ever shown an interest in: an old ear bud cord pulled along the floor by me. 

Peace. :)