This is modified from the recipe in vwav. Makes 2 sandwiches.

4 slices bread
sauerkraut
cucumber
8 oz tempeh, cut into 2 squares, then cut each square through the middle so you have 4 thin squares.

Marinade:
4 parts apple juice
1 part each olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, smashed

Marinate the tempeh for at least an hour, turning once.

Dressing:
1/3 cup vegan mayo
2 Tbsp ketchup
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp sweet relish
Pinch cayenne

Whisk together all dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

When the tempeh is ready, fry in grill pan . Assemble sandwiches with tempeh, dressing, sauerkraut and cucumber. I didn't take a photo because they weren't appealing to look at, but tasted GREAT!

I just picked a peck of apples from the orchard, and need to make lots of apple stuff to use them up! I decided to make a pie last night, and it was delicious. Crust recipe from Veganomicon, filling recipe is part of another pie recipe in VWAV. The crust only has a tiny bit of sugar in it, and the filling has no refined sugar.

Crust (makes enough for top and bottom crust)

3 cups flour
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
--
2/3 cup cold shortening
---
1/2 cup cold water
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Cut the cold shortening in in 3 batches until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water/vinegar mixture in 3 batches, only adding enough water for the dough to hold together. If necessary add up to 1/4 cup more water. Gather the dough into 2 equal portions, ball, and flatten. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.


Filling

2 pounds apples (I used 7) peeled, cored, and sliced
--
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp canola oil
--
2 Tbsp tapioca starch, arrowroot, or cornstarch


Combine all filling ingredients except tapioca starch in a bowl. Roll out one crust and line the bottom of the pie pan with it. Sprinkle the tapioca starch on the pie filling and mix in. Pour into crust and top with second crust. Flute the edges with a fork to help the 2 crusts stick together and cut a hole out of the top crust for steam to escape (or use a pie bird if you have one). Bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. Take pie out abd brush a mix of soymilk and sugar on the crust. Continue baking for 20-30 minutes, until apples are tender but not soggy.

The filling may still look juicy, that's ok. Allow to cool for a minimum of 5 hours to allow the fruit's natural pectin to thicken up the filling. Overnight is best. Slice and serve. Very good warm with a scoop of your favorite non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

Recipe from Vegan With a Vengeance. I use that cookbook more than anything else. I heart it. So there are some ingredients in this recipe that I wouldn't have thought to use, like cocoa powder, cinnamon, and molasses, but the final product was soooo good. It's thinner than the chili you're probably used to, so if you're looking for a thicker, stew-like chili, this isn't the recipe you want.

When I'm prepping for a recipe, I group all my stuff together that's going in the pot at the same time. The way this is divided is the order you're going to add groups of ingredients.

1/3 cup olive oil
--
1 large onion, chopped
1 small jalapeño, minced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
--
3 cloves  garlic, smashed
1 pound seitan, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
--
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
--
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes in sauce
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses (I used regular molasses)
--
2 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and well rinsed (I'd have used dried kidney beans, but I was out. The 2 beans are very similar, and I prefer dried beans to canned.)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
--

Preheat the oil, sauté the onion and peppers for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and seitan and cook for about 8 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add the spices and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, cocoa powder, and molasses. Stir and break up the tomatoes with your spoon. Then add the beans and broth. Cover and bring to a boil, and immediately lower heat and simmer for half an hour. Let sit covered for another 20 minutes before serving.

Like I said in my last post, I've been in an autumny mood today. I made pumpkin waffles for breakfast, also from VWAV (surprise, surprise). They hit the spot and were deeeee-licious. I think they'd work fine as pancakes if you don't have a waffle iron.

This makes 6 waffles using 1/2 cup batter each.

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup soy or rice milk
7.5 oz canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp oil
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Separately, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet to dry and combine. This batter is kind of thick. Cook according to waffle iron instructions. Serve with maple syrup.

This recipe is from Vegan With a Vengeance, the cookbook I use more often than not. I've been in an autumn mood today, and it's drizzly and grey outside, so I made muffins. I deviated slightly from the recipe, I'll list my changes after the recipe and photos.

Makes 1 dozen

Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch salt
canola oil

Mix the dry ingredients, then drizzle oil and mix with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.

Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup apple cider
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup grated apple
1/2 cup chopped apple (1/4-inch pieces)

Preheat oven to 375˚F and grease a muffin pan (or use liners)

Sift together dry ingredients. Separately, mix together apple cider, oil, and vanilla. Add wet to dry and stir (batter is thick). Fold in grated and chopped apple. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full, sprinkle with crumb topping and bake for 20-22 minutes.










Ok, time for what I did differently. I didn't have ground cloves, only whole. I don't have a spice grinder, so I omitted them. I didn't want to buy a whole gallon of apple cider for the recipe, so I got a small thing of apple juice. That's all I changed, and they're still delicious. I used the shredding blade for my food processor on the apple, it worked much better than the box grater was. Though mine is pretty fine, so YMMV. I would also halve the topping recipe next time. I feel like the muffins have a LOT of crumbly topping.

Delicious and highly recommended!

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Soy. I get the store brand organic.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Corn fritters, chili con carne a mole,

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
butter and nutritional yeast

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
apple cider cupcakes last year. They were...weird. No! It was jalapeño poppers. We didn't have a deep fryer and tried to deep fry them in a stockpot...they blackened in seconds and we had to open the windows in the middle of winter to get the smell out. Haha.

5. Favorite pickled item?
cucumbers (dill)

6. How do you organize your recipes?
I have a bunch of cookbooks and when I see a recipe online I like, I screengrab it and put it in a folder labeled 'recipes'. I also have a 3-ring binder for other recipes.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
trash and garbage disposal

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
spaghetti, cinnamon toast, avocados

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
...living in a state where it was warm all year round.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Soy Delicious mint chocolate and Purely Decadent Turtle Trails

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
It was my food processor until that died, now it's my stand mixer.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
thyme

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
VWAV

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Raspberry. Mmmmmm. With lots of seeds.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Seitan in some form. BBQ sammiches are good, and jerk seitan goes over well.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I <3 all 3 and use them equally.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Dinner.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
cat dishes, dog treats, raisins, tortilla chips

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
edamame, ice cubes, frozen fries

20. What's on your grocery list?
nothing, just shopped 3 days ago. Well I am craving avocado.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Meijer

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Jalapeño poppers. I don't count making them since they were such a fuckup.

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
vegan joy, vive la vegan

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
I love dark chocolate, and as far as candy...jelly beans!

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
A big box of Luna bars. Those suckers are 'spensive!!




And the second one!

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
Local

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:
Twice baked with lots of yummy filling! Mmmmm...home fries are a close 2nd.

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
Yeah, I usually put it in a colander and put that in a cereal bowl. Then I set the tofu in, put a small plate on top and a can of something heavy and throw it in the fridge overnight.

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
We don't have any food traditions. I'll have to start some!

5. Any food allergies?
No.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
We don't. There's nowhere fancy.

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
cold cereal. But I eat that all the time anyway...

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
tap

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
None, they're all out there already.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
Food you can't leave the table until you finish

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
hmmm....cacao trees!

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
I'm learning to like mushrooms, so I can't say. I guess just white ones? Is that a kind?

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
Small fridge, 1 compartment sink

14. Last food you burned?
Um...I can't remember. It doesn't happen often.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
Beans. They're the magical fruit, you know.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
Pumpkin

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?
I don't know the name, they're mini and in the gluten-free section.

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?
I don't know, I'd go in and browse and fill up my cart.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
I try to. I'll go through my recipes and see what I need to buy and make a list of recipes I want to make for the next week or 10 days.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
banana or toast

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win?
Martha would probably shank someone. She learned that in the joint, dontcha know.

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
Mmmmm all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I'll chop up an apple and add cinnamon and brown sugar, sometimes maple syrup and sliced strawberries, sometimes nuts and flax seed.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
Italy

24. Favorite late night snack?
Cold cereal.

25. Favorite springtime food?
I don't know what food goes to what season...sorry.

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
don't read any

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
I usually use conventional soysauce because it's the easiest to come by, but I'd like to try Bragg's Aminos.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
carrots

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
ginger cookies and cranberry sauce.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
Anthony Bourdain

I asked my husband to soak some kidney beans for another recipe, and he way overestimated the amount of beans needed. To use up the leftovers, we made "chili" burritos. We had cold rice, which we fried with the beans, bell peppers, onion, chili powder and some other spices. After that cooked a little we added a little canned crushed tomato and heated that through. Served all wrapped up in a multi-grain tortilla.

Early mornings are starting to get pretty cold here in Michigan. I'm a cold cereal girl at heart, but sometimes I can't resist a warm bowl of oatmeal, especially in the fall and winter. I tend to switch up my mix-ins depending on what I have as far as fruit and sweeteners.

This particular morning, I added ground flax seed and a touch of maple syrup, sliced up some strawberries, and nommed. I added the strawberries near the end of cooking, so they were slightly cooked and soft and the flavor infused a little into the oatmeal. Yum!

This started out being the Brooklyn Pad Thai recipe from VWAV, but I didn't have all the ingredients and I had extraneous ingredients, so it became Michigan Pad Thai :D

I added yellow and red bell peppers and 86ed the peanuts and lemongrass. It's been about 10 days since I made this, so I can't remember all the modifications that were made, but it was delicious. I always halve that recipe because it makes a LOT. Serves 4 my butt. I could easily serve 4 with half a recipe.

The light in my oven hood is very yellow, I need to figure out a way to take nicer photos of food on the stove. Flash just washes it out and makes it look flat, and no flash=yellow and blurry. Also, find the heart on the tofu in the last photo. How cute!

First post, and unfortunately it's nothing fantastic. I like spices in my food, but I also love plain food. I was really hungry one night, so I needed something to make up quickly. I cooked some white rice and roasted some brussels sprouts. While the brussels sprouts were in the oven, I lightly pan-fried some tofu. I'd have like it a little more well-done, but I was hungry and impatient! I ate it with some thick slices of crusty french bread, and it was delicious!