I have been having a lot of breakfast for dinner lately!

Have you ever seen that episode of Scrubs where Turk begs Carla to make him breakfast for dinner or "brinner"?  You should check it out if you have not seen it...hilarious!

So, anyway, I made drop biscuits and tofu scramble.

The biscuits did not turn out quite like I had hoped but they are still darn good.  I give them a Vegan Gal rating of 7!  The recipe called for a non-dairy butter such as Earth Balance.  I used Willow Run but I bet they would have turned out more golden brown had I used the Earth Balance.  I added some canola oil to make them rise a bit more.  They are yummy with jam on them or imitation honey.

Then, I made tofu scramble.  With just the seasonings, I gave it a Vegan Gal rating of 4...but once I added the Daiya Cheddar cheese and the tomatoes, I increased the rating to 7!

Tomorrow I will plan to eat the tofu scramble on a tortilla with daiya, lettuce, tomato and possibly tofutti sour cream for a "Sunshine" taco.  You could also make a frittata or other similar "egg bake" recipe with this.  It would be great with green onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomato, etc.  Yummy!

This is what I used:
http://www.fantasticworldfoods.com/products/productdetail.aspx?s=073825122707:Tofu+Scrambler+-+2.7++++++++OZ.

Nutritional Yeast French Toast & Vegan Pie

Check out this amazing french toast.  I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 8 because it is REALLY good!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond or soy milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• bread (preferably crusty bread to avoid soggy french toast)
• oil or margarine for frying

Preparation:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients before adding the almond milk.  Whisk this really well and let stand for a bit while you get the bread and pan ready. Whisk again and then dip each slice of bread into the mixture, coating each side well. Fry on a lightly oiled griddle or skillet until each side is golden brown. You may have to fry it longer than you're used to if you've never made this vegan before. 

This is one of those food that you're non-vegan friends will love and could never guess is vegan!  I just wish I had some vegan sausage to go with it!

For a less sugary meal, skip the maple syrup and eat this with fresh fruit, applesauce, organic powdered sugar or nuts instead.

Also, this evening I made rhubarb strawberry pie.  Very yummy! I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 6.  It is still very tart and sweet.  I recommend adding some warm almond milk or vegan ice cream to cut the tart.

I am hoping to invest in a decent camera so that I can take photos of my veg creations with more than just my cell phone camera.

Happy Compassion Filled Eating!

Tofu Loaf

Check out this tofu loaf:

    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 cup rolled oats
    1 cup panko bread crumbs
    14 oz tofu, mashed (and drained really well)
    6oz protein crumbles
    1/2 cup chopped parsley
    1/3 cup soy sauce
    1/3 cup ketchup
    2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic (depending on your preference)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) Mix all ingredients together
3) Press the mixture into a teflon loaf pan
4) Bake for one hour
5) Let cool about 15-20 minutes before trying to remove from pan
6) Slice and enjoy!

I added a bit of tomato paste on the top of the loaf before baking, you could try ketchup as well.  Also, if I make this again, I would experiment with the flavors a bit more.

It is a bit crumbly but good.  I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 6.

Cookies and cakes and carrots, oh my!

Tonight's menu:

Hot fudge cake - Vegan Gal Rating 5
I got this recipe from the back of Dr. Barnard's book: Breaking the Food Seduction.  Yummy book and yummy recipe.  I love Dr. Barnard for promoting the vegan diet to eradicate you diabetes and other health ailments.

My friend Kelly suggested that I send a dozen of these wonderful vegan cookies to Jennette Turner from Natural Foods Education.  Ha!  I was really disappointed to read her article in the Wedge's June / July newsletter.  I was further disappointed when many of my friends and I advocated with the Wedge editor to request the article be removed and a correction be posted with information stating the real facts and benefits of a vegan diet.  I was later sent this response from the editor:

"An apology was up, with the word "correction." However, word ran round the community that "vegan bullies" were causing "censorship" at the Wedge. Not a good precedent. What do we do when we get pressured to take down the response? We'll go forward with a free exchange of ideas. Ginny will have a great article next issue. The wording about her article is from her - I asked her how she wanted it characterized, which I should have done before responding to you. I am very sorry this article was so upsetting to some of our members."

I guess I'm a vegan bully now.   My intention of getting involved was not to be a bully but to let the Wedge know thta I was highly disappointed. Moving on...

Chocolate chip cookies - Vegan Gal Rating 9

Even the Golden Retriever thinks so! 

Oh and my roommate made carrots.  I think she did a really good job!

Vegan Gal rating on carrots -- 6.5

Vegan Yummy Yum Yum

I attended the Vegan Iron Chef event at the Animal Rights Coalition yesterday.  It got me inspired to cook today, even though it's a beautiful day outside. 

So, I made goulash!

I give it a Vegan Gal rating of 7.  It is great paired with some daiya and crusty bread.

Here's the recipe:

1 lb vegan macaroni, cooked 8 min., drained
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 rib celery, diced small

1/2 cup corn

1/2 package of vegan protein source (soy crumbles, tofu, etc.)
3 to 5 - 12oz. can tomato sauce (depending on taste)
1 12oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c shredded daiya cheddar cheese (optional)


Place the macaroni in boiling water and boil( 8 minutes), then drain.
Sautee vegetables in olive oil until tender, then combine all ingredients into casserole dish, mix together well, and bake in pre-heated oven at 350* for 40-50 minutes.  If you're going to add the cheese, do that towards the end.

This is a great vegan comfort food dish!



My current favorite tune.  Check it out!

I found out that rhubarb is tart!

Check out my raspberry rhubarb crisp.  Boy this stuff is tart and sweet!  It tingles my jaw.  I gave it a Vegan Gal rating of 4 until I added Tofutti vanilla ice cream on top...that took the rating to 6! 

I attempted to make some tofu whipped topping which I have not tried yet but it seems to be less than par.  I'll keep everyone posted.  UPDATE: The tofu whipped cream was not that good.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve it, I'm all ears.  I will definitely be making crisp again, maybe with apples, blueberries or strawberries next time.