Random food, post-MoFo

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been away from my blog for a bit. Once Vegan MoFo ends, my posting momentum tends to slow down significantly. My goal is to do a post every other week; today will be a random post of some of the food I've had since Vegan MoFo. Mainly I've been trying to do really simple meals and work on using up ingredients I already have, instead of buying new ingredients for recipes I want to try. But that hasn't stopped me from making exceptions and trying out some of the recipes from Isa Does It.

I decided to make the roasted red pepper mac & cheese (for those without the cookbook, the recipe can be found online here); this was my first time soaking cashews. The sauce turned out OK (I probably should have soaked the cashews longer than the two hours and/or blended them for longer), but I don't know, it wasn't as awesome as I'd hoped it would be. I'll try the recipe again sometime, soaking the cashews overnight and blending for longer and seeing if that helps. 

I mixed the leftovers with corn and baked them with breadcrumbs and garlic salt and pepper on top. 

Other random stuff I've had since Vegan MoFo: Hot dogs with fries and corn...

...baked ziti with mixed vegetables, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and cheddar Daiya, and breadcrumbs... 

...apples with harvest pumpkin hummus from the farmers' market (YUM!)... 

...and a simple pasta with garlic bread.

I also tried a second recipe from Isa Does It: the curried peanut sauce bowl; this time, I was missing several of the ingredients (and also left out the greens because I was rushing), but it turned out awesome (what it ended up being was brown rice, tofu, and a sauce with garlic, ginger, agave nectar, and peanut butter). 

I added some frozen mixed vegetables to the leftovers. YUM and YUM!

Buttons checking it out. :)

I've also been trying out a bunch of Amy's canned organic soups because they've been on sale. I took pictures for all of them, except as it turns out, my favorite, which was the lentil soup. It was so good & I'm definitely going to get it again, though I'd also like to make it myself sometime!

Fire Roasted Southwestern Vegetable Soup (good, but a bit too spicy for me) 

with added croutons

Minestrone Soup (good; cute noodle shapes) 

Lentil Vegetable Soup (really good; my second favorite to the plain lentil soup)

Tuscan Bean & Rice Soup (pretty good overall)

Hearty French Country Vegetable Soup (I was a bit unsure of this one because it had mushrooms, but it was actually pretty good) 

In other news, I'm looking forward to Halloween this Friday! And then on Saturday, I begin my fifth NaNoWriMo! So that will keep me busy; I'll share my writing stats here as I did last year.

And last but not least, Buttons and Leela have been enjoying the sun. 

Peace. :)

Vegan MoFo 2014 Wrap-up

Hello on the 30th day of the Vegan Month of Food! This month has flown by so fast! So much cuteness and so many great themes! Tonight's final Vegan MoFo post will include my five favorite dishes, as well as a super long list of the bookmarked recipes I want to try! But first, here was today's lunch...

Mac & cheese with potato chips and pickles.

...And tonight's dinner.

Avgolemono (with added broccoli, diced red onion instead of shallots, and vegan chicken broth instead of vegetable broth).

Five Favorite Dishes I Made This Vegan MoFo:
 
Garlic Green Beans, Smashed Potatoes, and Spicy Corn
 
Classic Cornbread and Down-Home Chili
 
French Toast
 
Burger, Fries, Veggies, and Spice
 
Meera's Avgolemono

Recipes I've Bookmarked to Try:
 
Banana Breakfast Rollup from A.Cook in the Making

Chilly Monkey Biscuits from Adventures in Vegan Bento

Miniature Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels; Easy Apple Nachos; and One Minute Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Brownie from AfroVeganChick

Thai Chicken Laksa from Alien on Toast

Pizza Rolls from Bake Eat Love

Broccoli, Cheese, and tempeh bacon pot pie; Jackfruit Chick’un Noodle Crockpot Soup; French Onion Soup; and Chamomile Lavender Cupcakes from Banana Curl, Vegan Girl

Fabulously Fruity Muffins from Cat and Ju Vegan Cooking

Sesame Sriracha Noodles; Vegan Jackfruit BBQ; and Harvest Wild Rice Salad from Danielle Atkins

Easiest Weeknight Pasta Ever from East Meets West Veg

Carrot gnocchi with fennel en papillote and Chickpea flour pancakes with cumin and fresh coriander from Eating with the Rabbits

French Fries and Drown Your Sorrow Waffles from Evolution of Jill

Super Cheesy Easy Mac & Cheese; Popcorn Chick'n; and Cinnamon Sugar Bagel Chips from Floral Frosting

Grandma's chex mix; Toasted Walnut Maple Buns; Vegan Cheez Its; and Country Fried Seitan with Homemade Seitan Cutlets from House Vegan

Rosemary and Potato Focaccia from iheartcrapkitchen

Vegan Stovetop Mac and Cheese and Easy Broiled Breakfast Sandwiches and the Best Tofu Ever from Jessicat Cooks

Polish Potato and Cheese Pierogi Made Vegan and Aloo Paratha from The Judgmental Vegan

Potato Cheese Soup from Just the Food

Apple Cranberry Hand Pies from Kim Cooks Veg 4U

Pretzels from KZ Cakes

Onion Cake from Life by Six Mile Creek

Broccoli Corn Chowder and Apple Muffins from Lisa's Project: Vegan

Vegan Buckwheat Tabbouleh and Vegan Orange-Glazed Tempeh from Odd Little Vegan

Garlic Knots from Peabrain and Nosewhistle

Cream of Mushroom Soup from Plant Base Living

RAW LEMON, LAVENDER, VANILLA, PISTACHIO BITES from REAL FOOD + TRAVEL

Cawl; Welsh onion cake; Creamy leek soup with garlicky bagel croutons; and Leek and cashew pizza pie from Rosie's vegan kitchen

Runner Bean Pie; Couscous Stuffed Vegetables; Asparagus Pea & New Potato Pakoras; Homemade Tomato Sauce; and Courgette & Lentil Loaf from Self Sufficient Cafe

Buttermilk Dill Smashed Potatoes and Sprouted Chickpea Hummus from soy division.

Pureed Broccoli and Cheezy Soup from Sprouts and Chocolate

Chikn Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bread Rolls; Smokey Potatoe Baycn Bisque with Dark Rye Bread; Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers; Cheezy French Onion Soup with French Baguette; Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Roti; and Mushroom-Burger Soup with Soft Pretzels from stairway to vegan

Split Pea Soup from the sunflower kitchen

Vegan Orange and Pecan Rooibos Teabread from Tea and Sympatico
 
Filthy Toxic Hot Chocolate from Thistle and Yellow Rose

Biscuits and Gravy; Lentil Loaf; Peanut Sauce with Super Easy Tofu-and-Broccoli; Vegan Chicken N' Noodle Casserole; and Rich Brown Gravy from Tofu Mom

Five-Cheese Baked Pete-aroni and Cheese and Deep Dish Mac & Cheese Pizza from V for Vegan

Cherry Buckwheat Breakfast Salad from Veg Fiend

Chick'n pot pie and Chick'n noodle soup and A Bac*n sandwich the TbLT from Vegan Knyquol 

Sweet Rolls and Sweet and White Potato Pancakes with Mushroom Sauce from Vegan Sweet and Simple

Lemony Risotto with Shiitake Shrimp from Vegan4One

Vegan Ham Cheese Stromboli from veganopoulous

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies and Chocolate-Orange Chia Pudding from vegga

Golden Gravy; Dijon Mushroom Potatoes; and Cheezy Baked Macaroni from VeggieSue's Veggie Adventures

Jewelled Rocky Road Bars from veghotpot

Smoky Chickpea Stew from Walk, Talks and Eats

Sweet & Easy Dessert Rolls and Squirrely Cookies from x means no onions

Pizza Burger from Zsu's Vegan Pantry

New Blogs I've Started Following:
I've updated my “Blogs I Follow” in the sidebar, so check it out! (Some, like House Vegan, Sprouts and Chocolate, and Panda With Cookie won't show up because Blogger keeps rejecting them when I try to add them to my list, but I'll keep trying!) I know I'll be adding more in the coming weeks; I still have a bunch of Vegan MoFo blogs to visit and read through!

Some More Vegan MoFo 2014 Highlights:
Buttons on the Round Up,
Winning the Vegan MoFo mug giveaway,
33 posts,
And nearly 6,000 pageviews!

And finally, an addendum to my favorite themes (how did I forget this one yesterday?): Soup & Bread by stairway to vegan.
 
I hope you all have had a great time this Vegan MoFo! Here's to an even better one next year, and lots of cooking, baking, and blogging in between! 

Buttons and Leela enjoyed meeting everyone this year, but they're going to rest up now; they're all worn out from having their pictures taken so much! 

Peace. :)

*Bonus Post* (3rd) Liebster Award!

I feel so honored; I was nominated for another Liebster Award, this time by Laura of Banana Curl, Vegan Girl! Thanks so much, Laura! 

Here's what you do when you're nominated:
1. Answer the questions given and then come up with 10 new ones to ask your nominees.
2. Nominate 8 other blogs, let them know you have nominated them and put a link to their blog in your post.
3. No tag backs.
4. Nominees must have under 200 followers on any platform.
5. You must tell all the blogs that you nominate that you have nominated them.

Here are Laura's questions and my answers:

1. What is your all time favorite vegetable? 
Broccoli. :)

2. Pick a holiday you celebrate. What would you like to make for the meals you eat for it this year? 
Thanksgiving is at my aunt's house, so she does most of the cooking, though I usually bring along a potato dish. If I were hosting Thanksgiving, here's what I'd make: A Tofurky roast (still have yet to try one!), stuffing, mashed potatoes (in addition to my other potato dish), lots of veggies (corn, peas, maybe roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), nice rolls, oh and gravy, and a soup (maybe my dad's French onion soup, veganized).

3. Do you care about giving veganism a positive example through your life and what you put out into the communities you interact with? If so, how do you strive to maintain that positivity? 
Yes, I always try to be positive and have a sense of humor about it. I can be serious when needed and silly when needed. I also have several vegan buttons on my bag, and a couple vegan message shirts.

4. Do you have a favorite vegan type of saying? For instance, I really like what my Compassion Company shirt says “Anything you can eat I can eat vegan?” 
I have several, but one of my favorites, which I have on a shirt from Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, is a quote from Jenny Brown: “Animals are here with us, not for us.”

5. Are you interested in other types of ethical/philosophical justice issues? What are they and how do you involve yourselves in them? 
Yes, I'm very interested in LGBT+ issues, economic justice, and prevention of DV/IPV (domestic violence/intimate partner violence). I'm a shy person, so I try to be confident in conversations with family and friends, to bring awareness of these issues.

6. What would you tell someone who confided in you they were thinking of going vegan but felt overwhelmed about it? 
I would first say, “YAY! That's awesome!” Then I'd say, “Let's try to figure out a plan...” I'd ask what specifically they felt overwhelmed by, and go from there... For example, cooking for themselves: I could help them identify some kitchen essentials and simple recipes with ingredients that are already familiar to them. Eating out at restaurants: Encourage them check online or call ahead for what vegan options they can get so they won't feel overwhelmed when ordering. Being with non-vegan friends and family: Explain that it can be tough, but discuss some ideas to make it easier. Getting enough variety: Help them plan out a month's worth of meals, picking a new dish for each meal. (Sorry if I went overboard with this answer, I volunteer as a vegan pledge mentor, so I'm used to thinking about this situation, haha.)

7. What was the first thing you cooked for yourself when you went vegan? 
Probably something simple like pasta or rice with vegetables and soy sauce.

8. How long have you been a vegan for? 
I've been vegan for over four years.

9. Do you celebrate your veganniversary? 
I don't remember the exact date I went vegan, so no. I should just pick a day and go with it.

10. If you could travel to any vegan friendly city in the world, where would you choose to go? 
Warsaw, Poland (see Vegan Sweet and Simple's Poland post).

The 8 bloggers I nominate are:
Ana of Ana's Rocket Ship
Danielle of Baking Backwards
Emily of Czech Chica's Noshery
Kim of Daisychains and Dandelions
Katie of katieeatsvegan
Stacey of Plants vs Plump
Sarah of Tofu Sarah
Cate of A Travelling Cook

And here are the 10 new questions for the people I've nominated:
1. What is your favorite recipe?
2. What was the most recent dessert you made?
3. What is your favorite vegan cookbook?
4. What is your favorite place to get vegetables (grocery store, farmer's market, CSA, growing your own, etc.)?
5. If you could pick any animal to be for a day, which animal would you choose & why?
6. Do you prefer sweet or savory dishes?
7. What do you like to use as a vegan egg substitute?
8. What was your favorite book as a kid?
9. If you could be a guest star in any TV show currently on the air, which show would you choose & why?
10. Which of your posts from this Vegan MoFo are you the most proud of?

To my lovely nominees: There's no pressure to participate & answer these questions, especially if you've already been nominated by someone else. 

Finally, thanks again to Laura! (Everyone else, go check out her blog if you haven't already! She's shared so many amazing recipes this MoFo; you'll be sure to get some great food inspiration from her posts!)

Much love to all my fellow Vegan MoFo bloggers!

Peace. :)