Vegan MoFo 2019: Wrap Up Day

Hi everyone! Today is the last day Vegan MoFo, and I’m following the prompt: “Wrap up day – what’s been your highlight of VeganMoFo? Make something inspired by a recipe from one of your fellow MoFo’ers!”

My highlight of Vegan MoFo: I really appreciated getting to share my love of the TV show Elementary with all of you! The series finale aired in the middle of August, so my “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” theme for MoFo was a wonderful way for me to process it coming to an end, as well as giving me a reason to rewatch old episodes and remember everything I love about this show! (There was enough food in the first and second seasons that that’s all I was able to get to this month, but maybe I’ll continue this theme in a future Vegan MoFo for seasons 3-7!) I enjoyed lots of great food this MoFo, but if I had to pick, my four favorites would be the pancakes, quiche, risotto, and baked ziti!

My inspired food: I didn’t get a chance to go to Aldi this month, but Sarah of Long Island Vegan had such good things to say about the dessert hummus, so I found this recipe to make some myself! It was simple to prepare and super delicious!

Served with gluten-free pretzels, which I first found out about thanks to Hillary of My cat loves Daiya!

I finished off the leftovers last night, so I think I’ll need to make another batch soon!

Here’s a sleepy Cringer, who I’m sure is reflecting how most of us feel right now after a month of blogging, haha! 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Shepherd’s Pie

Hi everyone! Today is the last day of my Vegan MoFo theme “Elementary, My Dear Vegan,” and the food comes from S2E24 (“The Grand Experiment”) when Mycroft locates Sherrington at a restaurant.

Sherrington: How did you find me?
Mycroft: Best shepherd’s pie in the city. Or so you claimed whenever we found ourselves in New York.

I used this recipe from Rock My Vegan Socks, and it turned out really well!

Leftovers with some gravy!

See you tomorrow for the last day of Vegan MoFo when I’ll share something delicious I was inspired to try this month!

Here is the super-serious cuddler Rogue… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Fruit Loops and a Banana

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E17 (“Ears to You”). Lestrade is seen eating fruit loops while working his case; later in the episode, Watson finds Holmes in the kitchen and asks him why he is working at the table.

Holmes: I’m here, Watson, because this is where we keep the food, and I’m hungry.
Watson: You’re not eating.
Holmes: I’m awaiting a breakthrough. Once I have one, I shall eat that banana.

So here’s a simple but delicious breakfast of Fruitful O’s and a banana… 

Leela’s vet called yesterday evening with her blood work results, and everything is good overall; a few of her levels were off just slightly, but he said nothing indicated a problem, so yay, Leela! She decided to join me for yoga yesterday, settling right in the middle of my towel and keeping a watchful eye on the birds at the window… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Ice Cream

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E14 (“Dead Clade Walking”). Holmes fell asleep on the couch, so Watson throws a coat onto his face to wake him up in the morning, announcing that “after breakfast, we’re gonna go get ice cream.” Holmes sits up, confused, and responds, “It’s the dead of winter. Why would we want to go for ice cream?” While Holmes has his breakfast, Watson explains that she thinks someone who owns ice cream trucks is using them to move smuggled goods.

Leela was due for her check-up today, so after breakfast, I brought her to the vet’s. She was very good and brave, though she did do quite a bit of grumbling, especially since she also needed to get bloodwork done and have her nails trimmed. Once I got us home and got her settled in, I scooped myself out some ice cream… 

Mint chocolate chip for the win!

Here’s a silly snuggly Daisy… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Baked Ziti

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E11 (“Internal Audit”). At the beginning of the episode, Watson brings Bell some food she’s prepared for him so he doesn’t have to worry about cooking during his recovery. “I made you some ready-to-nuke dinners,” she explains, “Nothing fancy. Baked ziti’s about the extent of my culinary skills.”

I used this recipe, and it was absolutely amazing! I followed the recipe that was included for the tofu ricotta (so, so good!) but to save time, I used store-bought tomato sauce and Aldi’s vegan mozzarella, which melted really well! 

Here’s Cringer being a cutie… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Yorkshire Pudding

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E10 (“Tremors”). Watson comes into the kitchen to give Holmes an update and sees that he’s busy.

Watson: You’re making Yorkshire pudding.
Holmes: Well spotted, Watson. Most Americans mistake them for muffins. (slams the tray he’d pulled out of the oven up and down on the stove) When I was younger, our governess would enlist my help in making Yorkshire pudding…. Since then, I’ve found making them to have a calming effect. (goes over to the trash can and dumps out the tray of Yorkshire pudding)
Watson: Yeah, Gregson told me about the hearing. What—?
Holmes: I enjoy making Yorkshire pudding, Watson, not eating it.

I used this recipe, and they came out looking like biscuits, which I guess is close enough, haha! I poured some gravy over them and re-heated some leftover risotto as well; it was a nice and easy dinner and quite tasty, too! 

Here’s a close-up of silly Rogue… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Corn Puffs

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E8 (“Blood is Thicker”). Watson has some corn puffs cereal for breakfast while talking to Holmes at the kitchen table about their current case, so I enjoyed some Nature’s Path Gorilla Munch corn puffs; they were very simple but very good! 

Some bonus quotes: Holmes talks a lot about food and eating in this episode because Mycroft keeps inviting him to his restaurant Diogenes. Holmes keeps standing him up, however, and when Watson reminds him about meeting his brother for dinner, Holmes goes on a rant about taking food too seriously: “You must by now be aware of my opinions regarding food. My wants in life are simple: a loaf of bread and a clean collar. The ritualization-slash-fetishization of eating is as egregious a waste of time as I can think of.” Later, after they finally have had dinner together, Mycroft asks Holmes how it was; Holmes replies that “just because I tend to forgo epicurean pleasures doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them. It was exquisite.”

Here’s Leela hanging out with her little mousies… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Risotto and Cheese Sticks

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E7 (“The Marchioness”). Mycroft, the brother of Sherlock Holmes, requests that they take on a case for his ex-fiancee. Later, Holmes finds Mycroft cooking in the kitchen.

Mycroft: I thought I’d make myself useful. I know you and Joan rarely sit down for a meal.
Holmes: That’s by design. A lingering dinner, especially in the midst of a case, is an indulgence.
Mycroft: You think conversation is an indulgence?
Holmes: The meal itself is an indulgence. Conversation is an annoyance within an indulgence.

Holmes then opens the fridge, takes out some cheese sticks, and starts eating one as he leaves the room, having decided that it would be “harmless enough” for his brother to prepare dinner. In the next scene, Watson and Mycroft are enjoying dinner while Holmes continues working in the other room.

Watson: This is the best risotto I’ve ever had. Why are you hiring a chef? You should do it.
Mycroft: Owning restaurants is a lot more fun.
Holmes: (from the other room) He means less work.
Mycroft: (to Holmes) Yes, I suppose you could say that. (to Watson) I don’t quite believe I’m gonna say this to a grown man. (to Holmes) Your food’s getting cold.
(Holmes comes to stand at his place at the table and eats a single forkful of risotto.)

Last night I made the saffron-scented risotto alla Milanese from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, and it was amazing! I’m definitely going to have to make this again soon! I also tried the Daiya mozzarella cheese sticks (I found them at Wegmans), and they were pretty good! 

P.S. Phoenixville VegFest is today!

Here’s a silly spinny Daisy… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Tea and Tibetan Fried Bread

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E6 (“An Unnatural Arrangement”). Watson, having fallen asleep at the table, wakes up when Holmes sets down a tray beside her head.

Holmes: Watson, you attempted to work through the night. Excellent.
Watson: Mm. Did you sleep?
Holmes: In brief intervals. (gestures to items on the tray as he identifies them) Tea, Tibetan fried bread.

I used this recipe; it was super easy to prepare and turned out great! (Next time I might try cooking for just a minute less on the first side, though, as the bottom got a little too burnt in the very center.) I’d pulled out some apricot jam since I thought the bread might need something with it, but it was actually perfect on its own! 

Served with some Earl Grey tea, a lovely breakfast for this rainy, dreary morning

Here’s a silly close-up of Cringer on the kitchen counter… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Quiche

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is again from S2E3 (“We Are Everyone”). Watson comes downstairs in the morning to find Holmes using the fireplace to cook since their power is out.

Watson: It’s 9:00. You didn’t wake me.
Holmes: I didn’t need to. We’re quite free until 4:22 this afternoon. I thought a leisurely breakfast might be nice.

The specific breakfast foods weren’t stated but there were two plates set out at the beginning – one with various fruits and one with some sort of pastries, perhaps cinnamon rolls or scones? After Watson started eating some fruit, Holmes added to the spread what looked like a quiche, and Watson smiled.

So for my first time making quiche, I used the classic quiche (with mushrooms) recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, minus the crust for a crustless quiche. It turned out nicely and was super delicious, though it did fall apart a little when transferring a slice to my plate, haha! 

Served with some tater tots for breakfast-for-dinner tonight!

Here’s a sweet & cuddly Rogue… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Pineapple Pizza

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E3 (“We Are Everyone”). Watson gets a couple strange calls on her phone and then her computer crashes. The doorbell rings and she gets up to answer the door, while Holmes looks confused.

Delivery man: (holding a huge stack of pizza boxes) Hey. Got your pies.
Watson: Uh, we didn’t order pizza.
Delivery man: Um, yeah, you did. I – I got like 20 more larges with pineapple in my trunk.

My pineapple pizza consisted of an American Flatbread farmers tomato pie, some Daiya mozzarella, and a small can of pineapple chunks. At first, I was skeptical about having pineapple on pizza, but it ended up being really good, and I can’t believe it took me this long to give it a chance! 

Here’s a close-up of Leela in her cat tent…

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Salad

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E3 (“We Are Everyone”). Watson makes herself a salad while Holmes discusses his plan to identify the person harboring the man they are looking for. “In other words, you plan on arguing on the internet all night?” Watson asks, and Holmes replies in the affirmative. Watson then responds, “I think I’m just gonna take this upstairs,” and leaves with her salad.

I’m sharing the jerk Caesar salad that I got at Seed & Soil on Sunday. I don’t tend to make exciting salads myself, so I figured that this one would be perfect for today. It was really good and nicely filling, and the dressing was super delicious! 

Here’s a sleepy Daisy in the cat tower this morning… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Eggs on Toast

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S2E2 (“Solve for X”). Coming back from coffee with the son of the patient who died under her care when she was a surgeon, Watson finds Holmes in the kitchen making eggs (sunny side up) on toast. He offers her some, but she declines. For my eggs on toast, I used this recipe from One Green Planet, minus the avocado because mine had sadly gone bad. But even without the avocado, this was a really fun and tasty lunch! 

Here’s Cringer hanging out on the blue chair in the kitchen… 

Bonus quote from the episode:
Holmes: I’m an expert on poisons, Watson. I know virtually everything there is to know about them. But I’ve come to learn over the last few years that there is nothing on this planet quite so toxic as guilt.

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Burgers from a Food Truck

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E24 (“Heroine”). While on another long stakeout (this time with Holmes and Bell), Watson – having noticed a food truck not far from where they are – says that she is going to “get some burgers.”

Zach and I went to lunch with my sister today to try out Seed & Soil, a new vegan restaurant that recently opened in Pottstown, inside the farmer’s market. The outside of their kitchen is designed to look like a food truck (see their picture on Instagram), which is such a cute & fun idea! The menu is small, but everything we got was really good, including the drinks… 

watermelon lemonade and pineapple lemonade

Alena got the Beyond sausage and loved it… 

I was in a rare salad mood, so I got their jerk Caesar salad (which was delicious but you will have to wait until Tuesday to see it hehe), and Zach ordered the Beyond burger. (I had his leftovers tonight; it was my first time trying the Beyond burger – the most realistic of vegan burgers that I have had so far, which is both weird and good!) 

Here’s Rogue resting on the coffee table… 

And for a bonus pic, before and after lunch, I got to visit with my nephew Hobbs and his foster sister Pola! Here they are having settled down next to each other after Hobbs had gotten ready to go out for a walk… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: PB&J Sandwich

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E22 (“Risk Management”) – Watson brings two plates to the kitchen table and makes peanut butter & jelly sandwiches while she and Holmes discuss the case they are working. So for my lunch today, I made a sandwich with creamy peanut butter and strawberry jelly (I toasted the bread a bit first to give it more of a crunch). It was simple but tasty, and it reminded me how I always packed myself PB&J sandwiches for lunch in college when I had just gone vegan, haha! I’m glad to have enjoyed some more exciting vegan sandwiches since then, but it’s good to go back to the classics every once in a while!

Leela likes to sleep (and stretch out) in the open closet next to my desk…

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Pierożki

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E21 (“A Landmark Story”). During their stakeout to identify the person managing what Holmes referred to as “an army of bee assassins,” Watson gets some food for the two of them, informing Holmes that “the closest place open was Polish,” and adding, “I hope you like pierozkis.”

So, long story short, my unlucky streak with pierożki continues (I tried making some in a previous Vegan MoFo; they were kind of a mess). Long story long, I tried a new recipe, but the dough was so incredibly wet and sticky that I almost bailed on it entirely. I started tidying things up but then considered taking another run at it, so I added more flour and kneaded until I was finally able to roll it out and make eight pierożki. After they finished baking, I sat down for dinner, but I was only able to eat two bites; the pierożki just did not taste good to me. There was still plenty of filling left, though, so I enjoyed most of that as a back-up dinner. I’m not going to blame the recipe (especially since the filling turned out so well); this was my first time using buckwheat flour (as previously noted, I added extra), and I’d also substituted soy milk for the canned coconut milk.

Yummy filling!

Today, I used the last of the leftover filling to make pierożki rolls (with crescent roll dough). I added some Krakow Nights seasoning on top, and these were so, so good! Maybe sometime in the future, I’ll try veganizing one of the pierożki recipes from my copy of Polish Cookery, but for now, making them this way works for me!

P.S. So, I watched the series finale of Elementary; there were multiple times during the episode that I got worried about where the writers were going with it, but yeah, it was a good ending, pretty much perfect, honestly. I’m super sad that Elementary is over, but it was such an incredible show; I’m so grateful for it having existed, and for the ability to rewatch old episodes on DVD to my heart’s content!

Cringer and Daisy were on a stakeout of their own today, keeping an eye on the birdies…

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Bran Flakes

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E18 (“Déjà Vu All Over Again”). Holmes decides that Watson is ready for her first solo case, but she checks in with him when she begins to suspect that the missing woman she was tasked with finding has actually been murdered by her husband. Holmes takes a pause from eating his bowl of bran flakes to discuss Watson’s suspicions with her and eventually offers to “tag in.” Watson wants to continue working the case on her own, however, so when she declines his help, Holmes simply goes back to eating his cereal (which, like eggs, is something he seems to eat often).

So for a simple Holmes-inspired breakfast this morning, I had some Arrowhead Mills oat bran flakes with unsweetened Silk soy milk… 

Bonus quote from the episode:
Watson: I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong about this, too. Maybe, it’s just a coincidence that he has that jacket with a patch.
Holmes: Have I told you how distracting I find self-doubt?

P.S. Tonight is the series finale of Elementary :o (I’m planning to watch it online tomorrow; my fingers are crossed for a good ending!)

Rogue likes to weigh herself on my kitchen scale… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Ethiopian Wat

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E15 (“A Giant Gun, Filled with Drugs”) – Holmes’ former drug dealer comes to him for help when his daughter is kidnapped, and after Holmes and Watson get involved, the kidnapper sends the young woman’s finger to them as a warning. Holmes takes the opportunity to examine it for clues and then shares his findings with Watson.

Holmes: Now, look under the fingernail. Ethiopian Wat. Spiced onion-based stew.
Watson: You can tell that just by looking at it?
Holmes: No, I can tell it by tasting it.

I used the Atakilt Wat recipe from Vegan Richa; it worked out really well and was delicious! I’d planned to make some Injera to go along with it, but I ran out of time today (whoops!), so that’ll be something for next time! 

Leela was my rainy day yoga buddy this morning… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Split Pea Soup

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E13 (“The Red Team”). Before leaving a crime scene, Holmes scoops up Clyde (the pet tortoise of the murder victim) to take him home, commenting that tortoises “make an absolutely delicious soup stock” (Watson groans and walks away). Throughout the episode, Holmes interacts minimally with Clyde – feeding him lettuce (“can’t make soup out of Clyde until I’ve fattened him up”) and using him as a paperweight (“I hardly think he minds”) – and even requests that Watson not call Clyde by his name, as that will “make it harder to enjoy the soup.” At the end of the episode, Watson enters the kitchen and sees Holmes eating at the table.

Watson: You eating soup?
Holmes: I was hungry.
Watson: Please tell me you didn’t cook Clyde.
Holmes: (lifts Clyde up and set him on the table) The soup is split pea. These are magnificent creatures. Clyde will likely outlive both of us. You didn’t really think I would eat him, did you?
Watson: (sighs) I don’t know. I guess it’s hard to know what you’re gonna do.

For my split pea soup, I used this recipe from My cat loves Daiya!, and it turned out great! As convenient as Amy’s canned split pea soup may be, this recipe is so much better! (The leftovers are great, too!) 

Here’s Daisy, the sweetest of sweethearts… 

Peace. :)

Elementary, My Dear Vegan: Spaghetti in a Mug

Hi everyone! Today’s “Elementary, My Dear Vegan” is from S1E11 (“Dirty Laundry”). Rather than washing the dishes that have piled up, Holmes gets creative with how he serves food.

Watson: (looks in the mug that Holmes set down next to her) What is that? Spaghetti in a mug? I take it that, uh, there’s still no clean bowls or plates?

My spaghetti in a mug was nice and simple – just spaghetti, sauce, a few Aldi vegan meatballs, and a light dusting of Go Veggie vegan parmesan to top it off. It was kind of fun to eat it from a mug, though I’m sure I’ll go back to using a plate next time, haha! 

Here’s a cute curled-up Cringer… 

Peace. :)