Thai Night Out!

Went to Thai with my oldest Sprout, and my girlfriend* Sherrill, tonight. It was fabulous, of course. Woo! No cooking for me!

(*OK, and lest we're confused, that's 'girlfriend' used in the old-fashioned sense, as in: "long-time, platonic, good friend who is a female or girl" not meaning "someone I'm in a romantic relationship with". Sheesh people, can a person not have friends of the same gender without e-mails trying to correct my use of a word describing a relationship. As if it's anyone's business what sort of friends, of what gender, I have anyway.)

Uh, yeah, OK, end of rant...sorry, didn't see that one coming!

Anyway, moving on.

Thai food.

Our little redneck town has been blessed with three wonderfully veg-friendly Thai restaurants, the jewel of which is Ayothaya, a sparkling example of how wonderfully fresh and original Thai food can be - The restaurant is lovely, the staff courteous and fast (they know our names and favorite dishes and greet us like family when we come in the door! This probably speaks more to the amount of times we stop in here rather than their memory skills - heh...) and the food is amazingly delicious, beautiful, and (important for me) affordable.

Now, they do serve regular "omni" dishes, but most everything is "vegan-izable". They don't use fish or shrimp products in their sauces, and they're very contientous and respectful of our family's vegetarian preferences.

(The name "Ayothaya", by the way, comes from the ancient capitol city of Siam, part of what is now Bangkok, Thailand.) If I sound like a restaurant reviewer, it's true - I can't stop raving about this place.

Tonight we had fresh spring rolls with a plum/peanut sauce, Pad Thai, Sen Mei, Panang Curry, some vegetabl-y-basil thing and Pineapple Fried Rice. All of it, amazing and plenty to take home for later.

I got a couple pictures, even though people looked at me oddly. Yay for Thai food.

Falafel!

Falafel Rocks Our Friday!

I've got a huge tub of dried garbanzos/chickpeas in my pantry, mostly we cook them and use them for soups or hummus, but today I soaked too many for the crock pot; and since I tend to love all things fried (obviously!) and spicy, I decided to use the extra chickpeas to make falafel.

It's been ages since I'd made these wondermous little goodies, my kids couldn't even remember if they liked them! (How sad!)

Of course, there was much discussion with my older girls as to whether the online "Falafel Game" really had anything to do with the actual falafel. Yeah, um, I don't know. But the game is a hoot.

While you're waiting for the things to cook, I recommend playing a couple rounds to get you in a falafel-ish mood. (The games developers describe it as: "...a fun and humorous game, which appeals to both adults and children, English and Hebrew versions of the game are available. Enjoy and Bon Appetit!". This is just hysterical to me for some reason, I'm just strange that way and I haven't had my coffee yet, so...).
But I digress.

ANYWAY! In all seriousness - In searching for a recipe using the raw (well, soaked) beans, I ran across this one for Spicy Falafels from fellow blogger Verdant San Francisco. I've always loved the recipes from Tommy that I've tried, and these were no exception. PERFECT blend of spices and all, we LOVED it!!

So, no recipe for me to type out today, just a link (above) and a really fun game which you know you're dying to try, and a picture of our crunchy, spicy, fried falafel goodness (and a picture that continues to elude me and remain itty-bitty for some freakish reason known only to the Blogspot gods).

Yummy perfect falafels today.

That is all.

Watermelon in the Middle of Winter!

One of my old high school classmates - and very best friend - came up from California just to hang out with us last week.

The kids call him Uncle Barry since they've known him longer than their REAL uncles, though he's not technically related I guess. He did get my youngest her very own kitten last visit, so I'm thinking of possibly revoking his "Uncle" status however...
We had a great visit, and even though he's not in any way vegan, he loved everything we cooked. And even better, he treated us to our FAVORITE restaurant, "Rock Pizza" where they do tons of cheesy-meaty gourmet pizzas of course, but they also do the most amazing vegan pizza in the world... and make the best margaritas as you can probably tell.....but I digress.

Anyway, somehow, Barry decided I did not have nearly enough fruit in my kitchen to suit his California tastes, so he surprised us with a whole bunch of goodies one evening... wheeeee... even though they were probably imported in from Australia or god-knows where at this time of year... WOW! What fun we had with all the stuff, I can't even remember what all, but it looked so pretty filling up my kitchen counters - including apricots, peaches and.... WATERMELON!

Now, even with 5 of us in the house, we couldn't eat that much watermelon all at once, so I decided to make some our favorite Watermelon Salsa Salad that is so fun and reminds me of summer. Well, OK, the only time I have ever MADE this is in the summer. (There's a similar recipe in this month's Vegetarian Times I believe that reminded me of this recipe, sorta...).

I know, I know... Watermelon and Salsa sound weird together, but trust me, this works with the lime and mint and jalapeno.... YUM! (Don't bother though, if you don't have access to fresh mint though. Dried just does not do it.)

Well, I was lazy and did not peel the cucumber tonight, and it was fine, but I will remember to cut the cubes smaller next time, it was a bit ...chunky...

Watermelon-Mint Salsa Salad

1/4 lime juice
2 T. sugar
3 cups + diced watermelon (seeded, of course)

1 cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
1/2 cup finely chopped mild, sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 T. finely grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 T. finely minced jalapenos or to taste

Whisk lime juice, zest, ginger and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add watermelon and all remaining ingredients; toss gently.

Serve well chilled - with chips if you want, though we just eat the stuff with spoons!

It's also good with optional ingredients: Sometimes I'll add a cup of honeydew or canteloupe melon cubes, mango, strawberries or small pineapple cubes. :drool:

Vegan Peppermint Patties for Valentine's

I ran into this recipe for Vegan Peppermint Patties over at Vegan-Licious' blog last month. It looked so interesting and since my middle Sprout is insanely addicted to the things, we decided to give them a try for a family Valentine's Day cooking adventure...

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, Peppermint Patties at the regular ol' grocery store usually have those wretched dairy products in them.)

So we got all the (very few, really) ingredients and my 13-year-old vegan-cooking-star-to-be whipped these things up ALL BY HERSELF! I was so impressed!

OH MY GOSH! {{faints}} They were amazing!

Now, by the time I got new batteries in my camera, the "good" looking ones had been EATEN; and they are sorta hard to photograph and not end up looking like little brown chocolate blobs...

But trust me ...wow....

They turned out so incredibly good. And they were so so so so EASY!

I have nothing more to say.

Except TRY THESE THINGS!

I love my 'Sprouts'!

Have I mentioned how much I love my Sprouts lately!?!

And as a matter-of-fact, here they are "modeling" our fabulous new shirts from Purely Decadent (those awesome dairy-free Ice-"cream" people at Turtle Mountain products!! Did I mention I love this stuff too??!!)

OK, so I'm still not sure if I'll actually let the girls wear their tee shirts just ANYWHERE (ahem!) but they are pretty fun.

Yeah, that's all. Just showing off my kids and having a little VEGAN fun...

Cooking Hall of Shame

OK, we all have kitchen disasters, and I had a particularly spectacular one tonight. Just thought I'd share. Well, actually my KIDS thought I should share. I don't always agree with their sense of humor. (And it'd sure help my ego if some of YOU posted your disasters too!)

I made a new seitan ("gluten") recipe that I hadn't tried before. I'm not going to say what recipe, because others might like it, or get discouraged by my horrible efforts...

Anyway, it seemed alright after steaming it. (It looks OK, don't you think?) except maybe a little tasteless... well, in fact, VERY tasteles - definitely more bland than many I've made. And I did follow the recipe to the letter. (Hey - usually I make GOOD seitan!)

I should have stopped here, with the tasteless stuff... but I didn't let that phase me, because, I reasoned, seitan is usually perked up by whatever you cook it in, or with...

So I forged ahead - decided to try a sweet and sour recipe that I'd heard was soo-oo-oo good. It calls for covering the slices of seitan in sauce and baking at 375° for 45 min until sauce is thick and flavorful... should have been pretty good...

So, I whipped up the sweet and sour sauce, poured it over the seitan slices, and baked it.

Only I'd accidentally set my oven at 475°!! So, yeah, you all know what happened. Hard, dry char-blackened seitan slices greeted me when I opened the oven door. They were completely unsalvagable. Totally blackened, dried out beyond recognition... and we tried the un-burned parts... they STILL didn't taste like anything inside. Even the dog wouldn't touch them, and she'll eat ANYTHING!

Ugh... so depressing... I need to go eat chocolate.

Enjoy a laugh at my expense... :D

Valentine's Treats!

So for Valentine's this year, I decided to skip the gift-giving of sugary, non-vegan, and expensive artificially flavored candy hearts and junk, and give useful and interesting if not pretty, gifts instead. So with my Sprouts' help and advice (!) we assembled some pretty cool-looking "Cookie-Mix-In-A-Jar" and "Soup-in-a-Jar" mixes. They looked so pretty I had to share a picture.

The soup mix (on the left) is one I found online and sadly, I don't remember where, but it's got layers of barley, red lentils, split peas, tiny star pastas, vegetarian 'chicken' bullion powder, herbs, a bay leaf, dehydrated onion and oatmeal! We did a test batch and the soup turns out really yummy! Hopefully even though the jars look pretty, people will use them!

The cookie recipe on the right is one we've had in our family forever (I think my Grandma copied it from an oatmeal carton years ago...) but I now use vegan ingredients. I simply layered the ingredients and included instructions on a cutesy card, for adding the liquid ingredients and making cookies...

Chocolate-Chip, Oatmeal, Dried Cranberry Cookie Mix-In-A-Jar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (some Guittard and Ghirardelli, Safeway brand and even Wal-Mart semi-sweet chips are vegan)
1 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans or hazelnuts
1/2 cup raisins or (my choice) dried cranberries

A large canning funnel helps here, as well as something to firmly tamp down the ingredients.
Put white sugar in 1 quart wide-mouth jar. Press brown sugar down firmly in a layer over white sugar.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Place flour mixture on top of brown sugar.
Layer remaining ingredients in order listed above, pressing firmly after each layer. Seal with lid and decorate with fabric and ribbon.
------------
RECIPE TO ATTACH (I used vegan instructions for my vegan friends of course):
Beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened margarine (I prefer Earth Balance) 1 large egg (or vegan option: 4 Tbsp. silken tofu blended until liquidy or equiv. Egg Replacer), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until blended. Add cookie mix; mix well, breaking up any clumps. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 375° F. oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
------------------

HAPPY VALENTINE'S Everyone!

Superbowl Snacks: (Roasted 'Popcorn'-style Cauliflower, edition 2.0)

So even though I could care less about the game, my kids are fans, and besides, the ads are fun...

We went to a friend's for the afternoon (and for the big screen), and of course, there were all the typical Superbowl type snack items: Nachos, chips, dips, pizza, burgers, veggies and Ranch, etc., etc. We brought pretzels, pita chips, hummus, tortilla chips and salsa (which I didn't get a picture of, since they were pretty standard fare) but, by request, I made my Oven Roasted, "Popcorn"-style, Cauliflower snacks.

Only this time, I figured I could improve on (or at least change) the original recipe with garlic, fresh herbs, etc...
I ended up completely inventing my own version... Everyone went bonkers for the things, even the cheesy burgers-and-beer crowd. And the best part? The kids kept saying "I can't believe I'm eating cauliflower!" I love that!

Since my friends read this blog (Hi Sherrill!) they demanded the recipe show up on their computer screens post-haste (whatever happened to scribbling it out on a good old-fashioned recipe card?).

Make two batches. A 7-year-old can inhale almost an entire batch if left alone, unattended in the kitchen for ten minutes during half-time. Not that I would know from experience or anything...

Oven-Roasted Garlic-and-Herb Cauliflower Bites

1 head cauliflower, broken into little bite-size flower-ettes

2 cloves garlic, peeled

handful fresh herbs (I used a couple sprigs rosemary, parsley and sage that are still growing in my garden)

4 Tbsp. good olive oil

2 cups fine, dry, seasoned breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Break cauliflower into small flower-ettes, about as big around as a quarter.
Place in a large bowl.

Put garlic, herbs and olive oil into bowl of food processor and blend until garlic is completely blended.
Or use an immersion blender in a tall, narrow container to liquify the garlic, oil and herbs.

Pour oil mixture over cauliflower.
Stir until all cauliflower bits are evenly coated.
It actually work better and breaks less cauliflower if you toss with your hands until all the cauliflower is coated evenly.

Pour breadcrumbs over.
Toss carefully again untill all breadcrumbs are stuck on to cauliflower. Depending on how dry the crumbs are, or other factors, you might need more crumbs.
The cauliflower bites should be evenly coated and dry.
Lift carefully onto a shallow sided 9 X 12 baking pan.
Roast 10 - 15 minutes or until tender-soft when pierced with a fork.

Serve with vegan ranch or my kids eat 'em with ketchup :P
Happy Weekend y'all.

Olivia's Incredibly Famous Breakfast Potatoes and 'Brats'.

So my 13-year-old "middle Sprout" considers herself quite the cook (OK, I admit, she's an awesome cook in her own right).

Tonight for supper she wanted to make her "famous" potatoes and decided they belonged in Mom's (my) food blog. Her potatoes ARE famous - or at least very-frequently-requested among friends and family. And believe me, they're NOT just for breakfast, though for some reason, that's what we've always called them.

Anyone spending the night at our place is usually treated to these babies the next morning. And what a treat they are. Perfectly seasoned, melt-in-your-mouth crispy-brown home-fried potatoes with chunks of vegan bratwurst-style "Bavarian sausage" and onion. Mmmm.

I've had so many people ask for the "secret" to the recipe, but as far as I can tell, there really isn't any great "secret", just a little time, patience and taste-testing... I think most of us just don't take the time to actually COOK real home-fried potatoes anymore, relying instead on those frozen, microwaved, flash-cooked, pressed-together atrocities that fast food places try to pass off as "potatoes". Blehh...

OK, I swear not everything we make around here is FRIED (there's the evil word yet again) though for some reason the last few posts have all mentioned the word. *sigh* What can I say? We go on jags. Doesn't everyone?
The "bratwurst" added to these are a newer vegan "sausage" product made by the Canadian company, Yves. They can be hard to find, but it happens to be the one brand my kids really like, so that's what we use here. Never gotten any complaints, even from those omnivores who've eaten (gobbled) these. Use whatever product you prefer, or skip them, though they do add a nice touch.

So... the potatoes. I paid attention this time (actually when my kids are in the kitchen, I always pay attention), took notes and pictures, and here ya go!!

Breakfast (or anytime!) Potatoes and Brats

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, boiled until barely tender.
1 sweet onion (like a Maui or Walla Walla)
2 or 3 Yves vegan bratwurst (Bavarian sausage-style) links, "classic" flavor

coconut oil
Lawry's (or similar style) all-purpose seasoned salt
garlic and onion powder
black pepper

In my daughter's words, (she imagines herself the next Food Network star...) here's what you do:
"These work best in an electric skillet. I don't know why, just do them that way. That's the secret.
To start, melt a spoonful (about 1 Tbsp.) coconut oil in the electric skillet - only use coconut oil. Nothing else works right.

Then, since onions hurt your eyes, have your Mom cut the onion into smallish chunk-things. (Take off the peel of the onion first of course). Put the onion in the skillet. Turn the heat on low while you cut up the potatoes. The onions should barely be turning clear when you add the potatoes.

For the potatoes: While they're still warm from boiling, cut the potatoes into medium-large chunks. Like each potato is cut into about ten pieces or so. Put in the pan with the onions and turn heat up to med. high.

Cover pan and cook about 5 min (check a couple times until you get the hang of how hot your pan is...) until getting nicely crisp and med brown on the bottom. Turn in big "sections" don't break them up. (All the potatoes and onions will stick together but that's OK) Leave alone, covered for another 5 minutes or so until the next side browns.

While the potatoes brown, cut the sausage into thick slices.

Now stir and break the large "sections" of potatoes and onions apart and then 'smoosh' them all flat in the pan. Season to taste, a couple good shakes (a little more heavily than you might think you need) with Season salt, garlic and onion powders and black pepper. Gently stir seasonings in.
Put sausage pieces in the pan and stir in and 'smoosh' flat again. Brown the potatoes on one side again, and turn after a few minutes again. Do this a couple more times, stirring and breaking apart and gently 'smooshing' until potatoes are falling-apart with crusty brown pieces and the sausages are browned too..
Serve with lots of ketchup and Tabasco."