Baked Potatoes with Mushroom Stroganoff Gravy

Mmmm... cleaning out the fridge today I found some beautiful little button mushrooms that had survived almost a week without spoiling or shriveling into dehydrated little bits. Amazing.

The kids wanted baked potatoes, so I decided to use up the mushrooms and make some stroganoff-style gravy to go with. Served it with my own (slightly overcooked)"blend" of mixed veggies: edamame soy beans, baby carrots and few green beans left from last weeks trip to the produce market (all rescued from the depths of the fridge).

Insanely quick and easy and quite yummy.

Stroganoff Gravy

2 cups button mushrooms cut into large chunks

4 cloves garlic

1/2 small onion

pinch salt
pinch pepper

pinch of powdered sage

4 tablespoons vegan margarine

2 cups water

1/2 cup white wine

2 vegetarian "beef" bullion cubes

- - or: 1 Tbsp. vegetarian "beef"-style broth powder

1 Tb. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 cup vegan sour cream

Melt margarine in a large pot. Add mushrooms, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and sage and saute until soft. Add 2 cups water, wine and bullion cubes to the mixture. Cook covered on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Mix water and cornstarch, add to mushroom and broth mixture. Bring to simmer or low boil and stir until thick. Add vegan sour cream to the mixture and cook for 5 more minutes on low heat.

Serve over noodles or rice (or a potato if you want!).

Much better than SOME "clean-out-the-fridge" meals I've come up with, at least according to the kids...

Ratatouille

Tonight's supper. Plain ol' easy comfort food.

I know, I know, people get freaked by eggplant sometimes, I think. In this recipe I 'salted' and drained the eggplant cubes (see recipe) so they aren't supposed to be as bitter.

I add garbanzos/chickpeas for a little protein and usually serve over couscous or quinoa.

Oh - and the blue bowl? I made it in a pottery class in college. It's my favorite "comfort food" bowl, wide, deep and easy to hold.

Ratatouille

1 eggplant, cubed
1 Tb. salt (for eggplant!)
1 can (or 2 cups) garbanzos
2 small onions, cut in quarters
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 red bell peppers, de-seeded and cut in bite sized pieces
4 tomatoes, cut in large pieces
1 zucchini, cut in bite sized pieces
1-3 tbs. olive oil
2-3 teaspoons herbs de Provence
(OR: whatever blend works for you - rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme etc...)
salt to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes

Directions:
Cube the eggplant, toss with the 1 Tbsp. salt and put in a colander for 20 min.
In a large frying pan, place the olive oil and saute the onion.
Add the bell pepper and zucchini.
When they begin to soften, add the garlic and raw tomatoes.
Rinse eggplant cubes and drain/blot well on a paper towel.
Add eggplant to frying pan.
Add the seasonings, garbanzos/chickpeas and enough stewed tomatoes so the vegetables don’t stick to the pan, but not so much that they are swimming in liquid.
Cook until vegetables are done to your preference.

Serve over couscous or rice.

VEGFEST, SEATTLE, Part II

VegFest! The day's finally here! An entire convention hall devoted to vegetarian food, product samples (i.e. lots of yummy vegetarian foods to taste or even buy) speakers, chefs, nutritionists, etc...

We met up with friends (see post below) and got a bite to eat first, then headed over...









As we walked over to the Convention Center, I happened to see the Purely Decadent truck parked on a side street and had to run do a happy dance in the street... (Scoops of ice cream bigger than my head... I'm in heaven...).

Once inside the Festival, we wandered up and down aisle after aisle, sampling all sorts of interesting and tasty items. Talk about sensory overload. Wow.

With so much, it was hard to pick a "favorite" but we definitely LOVED the Field Roast booth. Have you tried Field Roast? They call themselves a 'Grain Meat' - basically a really well-done fake meat product. Even if you don't like some of the faux-meats out there, try this!! I know it's not available everywhere, which is too bad. Oh my gosh...

They had generous samples, helpful information and were SO friendly! We jut stood there chatting and trying ALL their yummy items. I am always raving about the stuff to people and getting soy-skeptical omni friends to try it - one time I randomly started talking about it to someone in the grocery store... I should do their PR, I swear! (They're a small artisan company based right here in Seattle, so it's even LOCAL!) it was fun to try everything! If you have access to them in your area, DEFINITELY check it out - the sausages especially? Amazing. My friend's husband, a devout omni :) even gave them his seal of approval!
So of course we had to ham it up (can vegans do that?) a little in front of their sign.

Oh, and one of the staff even recognised me - which was sorta cool; "Hey, you're the Blog Lady" she said. Funny. Yeah, they have a nice little blog here that I'd posted a comment in a while back. My friends called me "The Celebrity Blog Lady" for the rest of the day - :rolling eyes: great!

Other interesting items; samples of Purely Decadent "brand new" flavors they're introducing this summer; Pomegranate-Chip which was just OK, a Coconut Crunch sorta-thing which was too coconutty for me, Strawberry-something which I can't remember the name but we all really liked, and Orange-Creamsicle and Lemon Creamsicle which we agreed were heavenly!

SOOO many other things to try too! Besides the usual - soymilk, granola, energy bars, and so forth, there were about twenty flavors of hummus (we didn't feel a need to sample all of those) lots of salsas, faux meats, rice milk, hemp milk (which I'd never had, really good stuff!) "caviar" made from seaweed which was...um.. interesting...

Speakers included nutritionists, chefs and dietitians. The featured presenter while we were there, was doing a presentation on ways to use nuts. She had good ideas, some of which I already use and others I hadn't thought of, but unfortunately was very soft spoken and it was hard to hear.

There were pretty long lines for some of the more popular samples and sales pitches, so it took us a while to make the rounds, but all-in-all, a really fun and interesting afternoon.

On the hike back to the parking garage we passed the Purely Decadent truck again... and even with tired feet - more happy dances in the pouring (Seattle) rain... yeah, we're weird. Great ending to a great day!
But wait, there's more!

LOOT:

After returning home, I dumped my bag out and took a picture of all the great take-home samples we returned with as well... I had no idea there was so much until I put it all together - and we didn't even hit every booth! I feel like I hit the veggie-sample jackpot all over again.

And last but not least, my 'Sprout', ever the Animal Rights Activist, made several trips past the PETA, Pigs Peace and Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) booths to stock up on stickers... she immediately covered one of her school binders when we got home and took this picture for me to share ...

VEGFEST, SEATTLE - Part I

So the moment I've been waiting for all Spring has arrived: that wonderful, educational and informative (not to mention TASTY!) event known as VegFest... in Seattle!

For those who don't know, VegFest is an annual Vegetarian Food Festival (supposedly one of the largest in the US? I don't know if that's true but it is big) where you can taste free food samples - (over 500 different kinds to try according to their website); as well as see cooking demonstrations by chefs from all over the country and hear the latest information on nutrition from doctors and dieticians who are specialists in vegetarianism.

Fellow veggies to hang our with? Free samples of the latest vegetarian products and yumminess, you say? I am all over that! My kids and I have gone the last couple years and had a BLAST!

So my Middle Sprout and I met fellow veggie-friend "4EverGrounded" (I'll use her VeggieBoards screen name, like I do with all my friends, just in case they're hiding from the IRS or whatever) for an afternoon of veggie-ness.

But first, Lunch! (I know, with all those samples, this may seem like overkill, but venturing into Seattle is, in itself, a rare treat for us, so we decided to hit up one of our favorite all-vegan restaurants "Bamboo Garden" for lunch before braving the wall-to-wall crowds, long lines and hours of walking...

Everything at Bamboo Garden is wonderfully vegan. Many items use faux meat products that are all quite yummy - they have a HUGE menu and narrowing down choices is always difficult.

We ordered some super-spicy Ruby Chicken and Vegetables (my choice), some potstickers which I didn't get a
picture of, and Almond Fried Chicken which my duaghter absolutely adores...

Everything was insanely good, of course.

At the end of the meal, we all got to giggling hysterically because instead of "Iced Tea" I had "Rice Tea".

(My Sprout discovered I'd dropped rice into my teacup and thought it was wildly funny... OK, maybe you had to be there).

After lunch we headed out to VegFest. At least this way we figured we wouldn't be starving and cranky waiting in all those lines and ready to chew people's legs off... (which, being vegan, I suppose we really ought not to do anyway...).

Stay Tuned.

Some Awesome Family/Parent Blogs

OK, so I haven't done too many of these Blogger game-thingys (I suppose there's some technical name and I'm once again clueless) anyway, I tend to limit them 'cause I get to thinking too many of them clutter my blog and take away from the main reasons I blog - cooking vegan comfort food, and raising vegan kids...
But this one looked fun, so I'm gonna try it since I don't have anything better to blog about today: Cindy over at her Blog "Ever after...My Way" tagged me for this really great blogroll idea, and I figured it would be fun to play along! So what I'm supposed to do is 'tag' five of you to carry on the list like I did, adding as we go - so I tagged some of my favorites...

So there's rules - and sorry if I don't follow them well, I never followed rules too well...

1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list in the paragraph. You need to break up the duplicate content string. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra linkback. (Tofu Mom's note: "I have no idea what those last two lines mean, I just cut and paste...")
2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword. (Tofu Mom's Note: "Once again... I have no idea...").
3. Take the adds from the blog that added you, and place them in the “Originals” list. (Tofu Mom's Note: "OK, I did that, I think...?")
4. Add up to 5 new parenting or (Mommy/Daddy) blogs to the list in the “My Adds” section. (Tofu Mom's Note: "my 'add-ons' are slanted to vegan parenting but that's mostly what I'm interested in").

OK, Here we go, MY ADD-ONS (Tofu Mom's Note: "I assume these are sites I've chosen that are not on the list before? Hope that's how it works..."):

-- Candi's Vegan Photo Blog
-- Julia's Blog
-- Anything Said (This one makes me laugh 'till I pee my pants, I swear!)
-- Vegan-Licious
-- Vegan Lunch Box (such a classic vegan blog, I know, and it IS about parenting too!)

the original list:
An Island Life
arewethereyetmom.com
HeartSongsKitchen Ramblings from a fairly odd Tofu mom
My Splatter Painted Life
The Adventures of Fantastagirl
A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son
Ever After … My Way
Adventures In The 100 Acre Wood
An Island Life
Adoption and Fire
Lala Girl
The Bookworm Broadcast
Parenting Sites 411
Cass Knits
Geni Desu Yo
No Average Mom
Notes From The Trenches
Busy Mom.net
Groovy Mom
Coffee Time
My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings
Toil
My Single Mom Life
Tips From The Money Goddess
Army Mom: New Jersey
Melissa’s Place
Three Sons and a Princess
Moot Thoughts and Musings
A family runs through it
Uglyhead
Parenting Toddlers

Wheeee! That was fun!

More Cashew Alfredo Sauce, more yum.

Woo. I'm flattered; My wonderful - and WAY too far-away friend Froggy (who's an amazing cook in his own right) read my Cashew Alfredo Sauce recipe and decided to give it a try.

He just sent me this picture so I thought I'd post it for fun. Love the beverage there, heehee! (He said was food "fit for a bachelor" which I take as a compliment since he's a mighty good bachelor cook!)

The pasta's a bit light and hard to see, but you get the idea, and here it is with Blackened Tofu (I need this recipe!!) and baby spinach - yum, the boy definitely knows what to do with tofu!! Maybe I should head off to New Mexico for dinner!

Vegan Ranch Dressing!

Supper was simple and boring tonight, but it's probably one of my kids' all-time favorites.

Sloppy Joes, which I can make blindfolded, and a HUGE bunch of fresh veggies dipped in ranch dressing. The Sprouts and I could live on veggies and ranch, I swear.

BV (Before Veganism) we were all HUGE Ranch Dressing addicts - almost harder to give up than cheese - and it's taken me many trials to find the exact recipe combination that tasted "ranch-y" and tangy and creamy enough for all of us. Here ya go... (Oh, and I'll post the Sloppy Joes another Day).

Enjoy.

Ranch-Style Dressing

2/3 cup Vegannaise (vegan mayonnaise)

1/2 cup plain soy milk

2/3 cup Sour Supreme vegan sour cream

2/3 cup pureed silken tofu

1 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 tsp celery salt OR:1 tsp celery seed AND 1/4 tsp salt

*2 tablespoons chopped green onions (or fresh chives, chopped)

*1/4 teaspoon onion powder

*1 Tablespoon minced parsley (fresh is WAY better here)

*1 garlic clove, finely minced

(*You can whiz the chives, parsley, onion and garlic with a little soymilk in the food processor to speed up making the dressing)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Use an immersion blender to combine all ingredients, or shake in a jar with tight-fitting lid.

Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Chill for an hour or so to thicken and blend flavors.

Makes 2 cups.

Chocolate Lava Cupcakes

My daughter wanted to try making chocolate lava cupcakes after seeing our favorite chef, Curtis Stone (from TLC's 'Take HomeChef' - yum!) make some absolutely decadent ones... but we didn't have much luck finding a vegan recipe. (And while I LOVE 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World' we came up short finding what we wanted there too).

So we experimented with a basic vegan chocolate cake recipe and (after a couple disasters) came up with these!














Chocolate Lava Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2ups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons applesauce
2 Tb. En-R-Gee egg replacer and 1 Tb. ground flax, mixed WELL with 1/4 c. soymilk
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons baking soda

Filling:
1/2 cup Hershey's syrup
1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Topping:
2 Tb. cocoa powder mixed with 1 Tb. granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375.

Make Filling:
Mix Hershey's syrup and cocolate chips together and melt in microwave or over double boiler. Mix well, remove from heat and allow to cool in fridge, stirring once or twice.

Make Cupcakes:
Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredients.
Mix well, but don't over-mix.

Line cupcake tins with paper liners - or grease VERY well. (We did this because we had run out of papers. It can be done, but is SO tricky getting the cakes out unbroken).

Put batter in cupcake pan, filling cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15 min.

Remove from oven.
Spoon a teaspoon size 'blob' of chilled filling onto each cupcake and poke down into batter a bit so the batter oozes up over it a bit. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Return to oven and bake another 10+ min. or so, until set up and edges are firm and dry.
Serve warm with vanilla vegan ice cream of your choice.

I know altitude can affect cakes and such... I'm curious to know if these turn out as yummy for you as they did for my Sprout - it took us a few trials to get it right (though, not to worry - all the "imperfect" versions still tasted good...).

ALOO MUTTER GOBI (Spicy Cauliflower, Peas and Potatoes)

Cauliflower is abundant and cheap in the winter farmer's markets around here so we loaded up on it today - in fact, one of the market sellers told me our valley here in the shadow of Mt. Rainier grows cauliflower commercially for most of the grocery stores and produce vendors in the US! Wow. I knew there were a lot of vegetable farms in the area but still found that fact interesting...
Fortunately, my kids all LOVE the stuff too, so I take advantage of that fact, and here's yet another reason I'm loading up on cauliflower:

"Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and brussels sprouts contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a potent antioxidant that breaks down estrogen in the body, that reduce the risk of breast cancer and other estrogen-sensitive cancers, like cancer of the ovaries and cervix." ~American Cancer Society

So YAY! Great reasons to eat the stuff.
Here's what my lil' Sprout requested for part of the cauliflower tonight. She LOVES all things curried and spicy.

Aloo Mutter Gobi (Spicy Cauliflower, Peas and Potatoes)

I tend to like this with a lot more sauce than you might find at some Indian restaurants - we like extra flavors to soak into the rice with the vegetables. Don't be intimidated by the long list of spices, it's not overly "hot" and WAY easier than it appears, well worth it for the authentic taste.

• 1/2 medium-large head of cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds (can be made without - though it does add flavor)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp. fresh pressed garlic
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2 Tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
• Aprox. 1 cup or 1 8 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup coconut milk

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. (I use a large, rather deep cast iron skillet.) Add the seeds and stir until they sizzle and "pop". This releases the spices flavor and infuses the oil with it.

Add the onion and ginger, stir-fry for a few minutes until onion is starting to brown at the edges.
Lower the heat and add in the spices from garlic to curry powder. Stir only a few seconds to get the spices coated with oil and just starting to heat.
Add the potato and cauliflower and stir well to mix in the spices. Add the salt and garam masala.
Add the water and let the vegetables cook until tender. I cover the pan and let the veggies cook in their own juices which are released due to the salt.
Stir every 5 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables.
When water has evaporated or vegetables are cooked, add green peas, garam masala, tomatoes and coconut milk.
Simmer for another 10 min. Turn off heat and allow to sit for a few minutes. This really blends the flavors.
Serve with rice.
(OK, I served it with quinoa today because I discovered we were OUT of rice. No one complained!)

Kale "flowers" and Cashew Cream Alfredo Sauce

Searching for something green tonight among the meager supply of veggies in the 'fridge, I was most uninspired.
I looked wistfully out at my weed-choked, rain-soaked, moss covered garden space and wished for warm summer weather and fresh grown veggies.

But wait, what do I see? My Lacinato (or Dinosaur) kale is still around, but tall and straggly - what's left has started to flower and gone to seed. Sad. I went out and looked at it closely though - the 'flowers' looked a LOT like little broccoli heads. All sorta the same family, right? I tasted it, expecting that strong, over-grown bitterness you get with the old, tough leaves... Amazingly, these little kale "heads" were tender and SO SWEET!
I picked several large handfuls and steam-sauteed them with a few drops lemon juice and olive oil. Wow. They cooked super-quickly and wilted down quite a bit... but still... Insanely deLISH! I've discovered a new favorite green!

I paired the kale flowers with some caramelized onions and red-peppers, and whole wheat rigatoni with our family's absolute favorite pasta sauce - Cashew Garlic Alfredo (which I somehow got MUCH too thick tonight).

I threw some kalamata olives in the pasta sauce, maybe a bit too salty but they went well with the kale and peppers.

Cashew Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

1/2 cup raw cashews (not roasted)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I don't measure, just a good squeeze)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp. extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tb. nutritional yeast (optional)

Pulverize raw cashews in the food processor until very fine. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. (*The BEST way to do this, is to make the sauce while the pasta cooks - scoop out 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted pasta-cooking water and use it - the starch from the pasta-cooking water thickens the sauce PERFECTLY!) Add water to cashews and process until smooth... this will take several minutes.
Add nutritional yeast (optional - my kids prefer it without), garlic clove, olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice. Process again until smooth, another couple minutes, it'll start to thicken a bit too! Makes a decadently creamy sauce. Serve over cooked pasta.

This stuff is wonderfully simple and tastes SO very good. I often add sauteed mushrooms, chives, chopped olives or sundried tomatoes, depending on my mood.

NOTE: Recipe has been edited, I forgot to add the olive oil!

-----------

Thanks for all the kind thoughts while my Sprout is off traveling the world (or Ecuador). She e-mailed this AM and they all arrived safely and everyone was fine. So far, so good. Yay.

Off to Ecuador...

Allow me a few moments of "Mommy Funk" while I miss my oldest "J" Sprout.

It just wasn't the same tonight; making supper for three of us instead of four.
Not having to help with homework.
Not having to move the ever-present pair of Converse tennies off my couch before I went to bed.
Not having to fight for the TV remote or bathroom space or hope for hot water in the morning... ...
J Sprout is off to the jungles of Ecuador for two weeks with friends, classmates and teachers for a school project. They'll be building classrooms for a small school that needs expansion, as well as doing some sightseeing and "educational" type things.
J's been on two similar trips and is an old hand at all this international travel, time zones, different cultures, languages and such, but I still have to worry 'cause I'm a MOM! That's what we do.

Yes, I reassure myself, she's with plenty of intelligent, experienced, trustworthy adults whom I know well and have the utmost confidence in, but still I have to fret and fuss for a day or two.

And (what was I thinking!?!) her younger sister leaves with her grandparents on a similar trip in three weeks!

Of course it's the experience of a lifetime - I'm thrilled for the adventures they'll have, I'm flattered they were chosen to go, I'm impressed with the hard work and fund-raising they did, I'm proud as anything of the services they're providing and the hard work they'll be contributing... but yeah... I'll keep biting my nails 'till they're back safe under my roof again too!

Eating (vegan) Ice Cream helps.
(Actual ice cream, actual spoon...)



So yeah.
Keep us in your thoughts, prayers or whatever it is you do.

I'm sure I'll post pictures when both my lil' travelers return!

Ooooh! Presents in the Mail!

WOO! I LOVE SURPRISES!

Got home this afternoon and found a surprise package waiting for me in the mail box!

I adore surprises! And it's not even my birthday!

Well, this little package was SO AWESOME (and thoughtful)! Wow! It was from my friend Antonio Garlic-Boy - a fellow vegan, Washington resident and wise VeggieBoards.com member. (OK, that's obviously not his name, but you get the idea). Anyway, I just had to show you all my little goodies!

First, this totally cool green "VEGAN" bracelet which I think I shall wear all the time. I love, love, love it!! My kids are green with envy! (You knew I had to say that, right?)

It's like those yellow wristbands they first had for Lance Armstrong, I think? Tried to get a picture but all I have is my webcam right now so it's rather an odd angle and the "VEGAN" word doesn't show up - squint your eyes a little... (I think it's from VeggieWristBands.com - the only source I know of for the things. Cool though, huh?)

Then, not necessarily anything to do with being vegan, but these darling frog earrings.

Antoine knows all about my froggy fetish, heh. I have no idea where he got these but they are just CUTE CUTE! The green ones look sorta like clay or something, handmade and very crafty - I love it!

Once again, tried to take some pics, but webcams have such limitations! Aggh! The really blurry one here (use your imagination, if you will) is some teeny, tiny little froggy stud earrings. So sweet, but evidently too tiny to photograph. *pouts*.

Anyway, Thank You Anthony!

*I may repost with better pictures later, however my oldest Sprout is off to the jungles of Ecuador today - taking my digital camera with her...

Dinner with Family

Dinner with my kids, my parents and my sisters (and a bro-in-law). We celebrated my Dad's 65th birthday last night in vegetarian style!



My brother-in-law being tortured by my littlest Sprout.


Some yummy Pineapple Veggie Fresh Spring Rolls for our appetizer...



Sorry. I didn't take any more photos. The meal was too yummy and the company too good.

Tastier? Eh... How About Some Asparagus Soup?

My wonderful - and VEGAN friend "Froggy" (whom I met at VeggieBoards) was in town recently and we spent the afternoon at Pike Place Market in Seattle. In our wanderings throughout the market stalls, we ran across this sign. Couldn't resist a picture.

Seriously. Check out their slogan... "Whey Tastier Pork". Gives me the willies...

Needless to say we did NOT make any purchases, at this stop anyway.

A bit further down the market we did find a market vendor with rows and rows of beautiful Walla Walla asparagus. (I went to college in the Walla Walla valley, and became absolutely spoiled by the abundance of wonderful, tiny, tender, spring asparagus that grows in the rich soil there.)

Finally it's time for my favorite spring recipe... Asparagus Soup!

This stuff is so easy and so good, the ultimate veggie 'comfort food' since I LOVE soups AND asparagus!

I originally posted the recipe over at Veggieboards, but recently had a friend ask me to add it to the list in my blog, so, here ya go!

--------------------------------

1 pound fresh asparagus
3/4 cup chopped Walla Walla sweet onion (or a leek works great here too!)
1/2 cup vegetarian 'chicken-flavor' broth
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other margerine
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups vegetarian "chicken-flavor" broth
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup soy yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese (optional, but really adds to finished product)

Place asparagus and onion in a pan with the 1/2 cup broth. Bring broth and veggies to a boil, turn down the heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
If you want to be fancy - save a few asparagus tips for garnish.
Place all the remaining cooked vegetables and broth in an electric blender or food processor and puree until smooth (I use an immersion or "boat-moter" type blender and blend CAREFULLY right in the pan thn save in a bowl or something.
Melt margerine in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the margerine. Don't let the flour brown!
Let the mixture cook 2 minutes.
Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups of broth and increase the heat.
Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir the vegetable puree and soymilk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls.

Garnish with reserved asparagus tips.
Sprinkle with Parmesan "cheese" if desired.


This is the absolute perfect "spring" comfort food for me (I think I said that already?) ... sometimes I'll garnish with fresh Lemon Thyme from my herb garden - a match made in heaven!

Mashed Sweet 'Taters

More produce from the winter farmer's market: ---> --->

I had several of these beautiful "Southern Ruby" sweet potatoes from a local farm that specializes in wonderful heirloom vegetables.
They really look pretty orange to me, OK, maybe slightly 'redder' than other sweet potatoes. (And what is UP with my pictures on Blogger lately? Either they post weird, don't post at all, or are blurry! ACK!)


At any rate - I needed to use the potatoes up, and wasn't feeling in the least bit creative, so I simply boiled them, slipped the skins off and mashed them with a little maple syrup, Earth Balance and vegetable broth.

Served 'em with a H-U-G-E green salad and that's pretty much all.
Sooooo yummy.

In case you needed convincing that these things are good for you - from the Texas Sweet Potato Growers website:

"As a main dish or prepared as a dessert, the sweet potato is a nutritious and economical food. One baked sweet potato (3 1/2 ounce serving) provides over 8,800 IU of vitamin A or about twice the recommended daily allowance, yet it
contains only 141 calories making it valuable for the weight watcher. This nutritious vegetable provides 42 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, 16 percent of the RDA for calcium, 10 percent of the RDA for
iron, and 8 percent of the RDA for thiamine for healthy adults. It is low in sodium and is a good source of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals.
A complex carbohydrate food source, it provides beta carotene which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers.
For the most food value, choose sweet potatoes of a deep orange color. "

Thai Sweet-and-Hot Cole Slaw

Time to use up the cabbage!

(I swear, not everything I make is fried!) OK, so today I had several heads of cabbage from the winter farmer's market, as well as some cilantro I'd been meaning to use, so I made this wonderful spicy "sort-of-Thai" coleslaw! It keeps well for several days, which is great, since only one of my Sprouts is helping me get through it... usually I make it in the summer but two heads of cabbage took up too much 'fridge room so I had to do SOMETHING!

I love the bright colors as you assemble this salad, the purple cabbage and orange carrots especially, are such a pretty contrast!

Thai Style Cole-Slaw

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (from 3 to 4 limes - oh please use fresh! I have issues with that bottled stuff!)

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated (less if you're not crazy about ginger)

1 or 2 jalapeno chiles, minced or to taste

1 small green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced or coarsley shredded (or use 1/2 red and 1/2 green)

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced or 4 green onions (scallions) sliced thin as far up into the green part as possible

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Dressing: Pour the soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice into a small bowl, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Add the garlic, ginger and jalapenos. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

1/2 hour or so before serving, put the cabbage, carrots and red onion into a large bowl and mix together. Pour the dressing over, toss again, cover and refrigerate.

To serve, toss the cabbage mixture in the dressing and put on serving platter. Add half the cilantro, toss with tongs and scatter the remaining cilantro on top.

I could eat this stuff for days on end but it never lasts that long! It gets a little "wilted" and juicy the second or third day but it is still really good! It's GREAT in a taco shell with crispy tempeh too!

Bryanna's "Beefy Seitan" = Chicken-Fried Steak

Friday Night, what to make for dinner... I always debate this on the drive home from work.
It's the one night of the week my Sprouts and I are all home at dinner time - together! No basketball or choir practice, no snowboarding, no youth group, no tutoring, no working late. It's the one night I know we'll actually sit down at the table, so I like it to be, at least a little bit special...

So I decided to use the seitan I'd made from Bryanna Clark Grogan's "Beefy Seitan" Recipe a couple weeks ago, (and frozen it for future use*).

*(I'm weird about seitan that way, once I've gone to all the work to make it, I'm usually tired of looking at the stuff and not interested in eating it.)

I had been thinking about making a Brocolli-Beef stir-fry thingy, but the Sprouts had other ideas: baked potatoes and "chik" nuggets" were their request. So, no big deal, stir-fry is just as good another day and I'm usually willing to let them make menu suggestions.
Alas, no nuggets to be found in the freezer, and the seitan was already defrosted, so I decided to try my hand at turning 'beefy' seitan into good ol' American 'chicken-fried' steak.

(Not being a meat eater, I had never understood why beef was called "chicken" anything... made no sense. But I guess it's the breading, pan frying and gravy that make it similar to fried chicken? I don't know. Doesn't matter really, this may not be anything close but that's what it makes me think of... Heck, call it whatever you want, I figure anything fried and covered in gravy should be called heaven on a plate :)

"Chicken-Fried-Style" Beefy Seitan Nuggets

• 1/2 recipe "Beefy Seitan", already cooked, cooled and cut into nugget-size pieces, about 24 pcs. or so (my "steaks" always turn out pretty big so I cut them apart into 3 or 4 pieces each)
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 2 Tb. vegenaise (or blended silken tofu)
• 1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 Tb. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tb. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. each: sage, salt, onion powder, black pepper

Cut seitan into small pieces. Pat dry. Whisk soymilk and vegenaise (or blended silken tofu) together. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in skillet. (I like coconut oil here, or peanut oil is good too). Dip seitan in soymilk mixture and then roll in crumbs. Place carefully in hot skillet and fry on medium heat until golden and crunchy - 3 - 4 minutes. Turn carefully and fry other side. Remove to paper towel to drain, keep warm in oven if doing two batches. Continue until all "nuggets" are done.

Here's the gravy I did tonight. Maybe not my favorite recipe, but I'll post it, just the same 'cause it's quick and easy. This was on a card they hand out at the co-op near the bulk bins, so I can't really give anyone credit.

Un-Chik Gravy

• 2 tablespoons soy margarine
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or sage
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• dash salt, to taste
• dash of pepper
• 2 cups vegetarian 'chicken' broth
• OR: 1 vegetarian bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
• OR: 1 cup broth and 1 cup soymilk for a creamy gravy.

Melt the soy margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and let it bubble a moment. Add nutritional yeast, and seasonings, stirring quickly with a whisk.
Add the broth, (and/or soymilk if you want it creamy) stirring until blended. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes, or until thick, adjust seasonings to your taste.

My littlest Sprout came home sick from school today. Her tummy was upset but she wanted chicken soup (vegetarian of course). We had leftover Chicken Coconut soup from last night, which, dispite it's name, was pretty light, so I reheated some of that and she was happy on the couch with PBS and the cats for company.

I "invented" this soup by combining two of our family favorites: "Chicken" Noodle and Thai Coconut, though I think there is a form of it available in some thai restaurants... Yum.

Thai Coconut Chicken-Noodle Soup

2 stalks lemongrass OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
1 package Thai rice noodles
1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
4-6 cups vegetable broth or vegetarian "chicken" broth (6 cups serves 3-4 people)
1/2 package firm tofu, cubed and browned, OR wheat gluten or soy chicken (or other meat substitute), cut into bite-size pieces (I use Morning Star Soy Chicken Strips)
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces - like bok choy or Napa Cabbage works well...

1-2 carrots, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 can good-quality coconut milk
roughly 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
Optional: Thai or Vietnamese chilli sauce

Put the rice noodles in a pan of boiling water.

Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soak in the hot water while you make the soup.
Place broth in a soup pot along with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces), ginger, and tofu or "Chicken-style" seitan.

Let it boil, then turn down to simmer while you chop up the vegetables.

Add the chopped carrots first, then the broccoli and finally the cabbage.

Stir it and simmer 2 more minutes.
Add the coconut milk and stir in. Reduce heat as low as possible.
Add soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add 1-2 tsp. chilli sauce (OR simply serve it on the side for those who like it).
Do a taste test - if it's too salty (this depends on how salty your broth is), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice.
Check rice noodles to make sure they are cooked (if still a little hard, boil briefly). Drain the noodles and add to soup.

Serve with fresh cilantro or basil sprinkled over.

Major Yum.

Thursday Thirteen: Something a little fun and different.

Thirteen Things about Fairly Odd Tofu Mom 1.) I'm terrified of thunder and lightning storms, but little else. 2.) I started out homeschooling my oldest daughter, but ended up having to go back to work, so my kids attend private school now - still a huge home school fan though I wouldn't change the way things worked out for anything. 3.) Without my trusty rice-cooker, I can't cook rice to save my life. 30+ years of attempting and it never turned out 'till friends took pity and gave me my wonderful rice cooker! 4.) I'm allergic to cats even though we own three. 5.) Except for parsnips, I think there's no vegetarian food - fruit, vegetable, beans or grain, that I don't like. 6.) Even though I call myself a "life-long vegetarian" there was a brief period in college where I ate fish - because other so-called vegetarians convinced me that vegetarians DID eat fish, and I really couldn't find any information to the contrary... I'm so glad there's more information out there for people now. 7.) I was considering making the change to veganism for quite some time, but really got serious about it 3 years ago, due very much to the influence, support and information provided by my good friends Shaun, Dee, Anthony, Brandon, Jessica, Jennifer and others over at VeggieBoards.com 8.) We just got done with the huge, lengthy, and very messy project of remodeling our garage into a laundry-room and bedroom for my oldest Sprout. WHAT a mess! Hmmm.. maybe I should post pix. 9.) My two older Sprouts are leaving for Mission trips to Ecuador in a few weeks and I'm going to miss them like crazy and be depressed for days and eat nothing but chips and chocolate (yeah, yeah, I know they'll have a wonderful time and all, secretly I really am thrilled and so proud of them!). 10.) I'm a huge fan of Food Network, and even though nothing is ever vegan it's fun to try and "veganize" their recipes in my head as I watch. 11.) I changed my eating and exercise habits drastically and lost 75+ pounds two years ago, but somehow got sidetracked and quit before I reached a reasonable goal. (Obviously I still have a LONG ways to go!)I haven't gained it back even with the goodies I do eat, but need to jump-start the whole "losing" trend again. 12.) I love to travel and even though I haven't gone anywhere too exciting, some fun places include hanging with friends, family - people I love - in San Jose, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Denver whenever I've saved up pennies or frequent flyer miles. Looking forward to a possible trip to Boston this summer to hang with Veggie Friends! Woo! 13.) I am the most frugal person you will ever meet, though usually don't say a lot about my tightwad habits. Our family has a pretty limited budget, most weeks, and yet I always manage to stretch it a l-o-n-g ways. Yeah, that's about all for today...

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