Showing posts with label veganmofo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veganmofo. Show all posts

Friday, October 02, 2009

Smoky Roasted Baby Potatoes and Fennel

Here's another of one of my children's frequently-requested favorites.

AND another "Tofu-Mom" version of a Paula Deen recipe (which you can find HERE, just to give her credit for the original).
AND, best of all? (maybe) another entry in this month's frantic Month Of Vegan Blogging!

First, just an ingredient note: You'll notice I've used Bacon Salt in this recipe, (and in lots of Paula "makeovers) instead of her famous and ubiquitous bacon-bacon-bacon. I loved one of yesterday's comments, "she must have her cardiologist on speed dial"!!
Anyway, I've never had "real" bacon, but I love smoky flavors even in vegetarian cooking, and if you're a fan,
(or just miss bacon) this Bacon-Salt stuff is really crazy good!!
It's a smoked seasoning product that, not to fear, is
entirely vegetarian, (and the "Peppered" version is vegan).
You can find it online and in most supermarkets, and it adds a really great smoky flavor to lots of foods (and despite the "salt" in the name, is low in sodium! (I swear I don't work for the company!!) If you can't find it, smoked salt or liquid smoke works equally well here, though use less. But get used to it, 'cause y'all are gonna see it a lot in future recipes!

OK, so back to the recipe; my folks just harvested their potatoes last weekend and gave me a big ol' bunch of wonderful little baby 'taters!! This was the first dish that came to mind, and the perfect thing for a cool fall evening.

Smoky Roasted Baby Potatoes and Fennel

3 pounds baby reds or fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise or left whole if really small
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Bacon Salt (or appropriate amount smoke flavoring of your choice)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, fennel, and onion. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over vegetables and sprinkle with Bacon Salt, salt and pepper to taste, tossing gently to coat.

Spoon mixture in an even layer onto prepared baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally or until potatoes are browned and tender.

Simple and sooooooo good! (Have I said that before? Probably.)

Thursday, October 01, 2009

VEGAN MONTH OF FOOD CRAZINESS

October is VEGAN MONTH OF FOOD BLOGGING!

(Known to my fellow vegan-foodie-Bloggers as "VeganMoFo") you can read all about it HERE, or just let me Google it for you... but it's basically a fun, but frantic month in which we all try and flood the blog world with as many vegan recipes as we possibly can.

I can't commit to a post every day, that's crazy talk. (OK, for those of you that are posting every day, more power to you!) Seriously, no one is going to read that many recipes. Second, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BLOG THAT MUCH.

That said, I will attempt to step it up just a wee bit so that the Vegan Blogging World is not, somehow incomplete due to my lack of recipes. Ha. Hardly.

Since Paula Deen is my hero (yes, seriously, I just ignore the bacon and all) I thought I'd post some of my "veganized" Paula recipes the next few weeks. They're SO tasty and always popular with everyone who tries them, vegan or not!!

Here's one of our favorites, even if it's slightly past garden-fresh-corn season, it's still worth posting... . Her original version is here: Watermelon and Grilled-Corn Salad. Sounds bizarre, but I promise you'll love it. And amazingly enough, it was a vegan recipe to begin with (but I STILL "messed" with it because that's what I do...).

Here then is MY version for y'all to try out - (imagine me talking with Paula's lovely, gentle Southern accent...):

Watermelon and Grilled Corn Salad

4 cups seedless watermelon, cut in cubes
3 ears sweet corn, grilled and kernels cut off the cob
2 small Kirby cucumbers, seeds removed and sliced (Costco has these, cheap right now!!)
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed Lime juice
2 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In medium mixing bowl, toss ingredients gently. Serve chilled.

Yes, that's it!

Very different but SO good!!

Monday, October 06, 2008

Raising a Whole New Crop Of Veggies...



Well, the curse of VeganMoFo has struck again.
Last year, upon addition of the VeganMoFo banner, as I noted a few days ago - my blog crashed, I lost a good dozen posts, couldn't log on, :cry: :whine: etc...

All well and good, I'm simply blogging this year without the pretty little banner acknowledging my efforts to promote a month of good, tasty vegan food.

And two days into the month of food, yes, quite possibly because I dared utter that 'MoFo word... my computer dies a sad, lonely death. Taking with it, about 500 great foodie pictures I hadn't "bothered" to back up.

Yes, pictures of family, friends, birthdays and Aunt Hilda's bunions are all safely stored away, but food pix? Nope. They've gone to that great cyber-graveyard in the sky along with the hard drive and who knows what else.

Fortunately I have a guy. A computer guy. Well, OK, a scrawny 14-year-old hooligan who can fix A-N-Y computer... seriously. (I do NOT want to know what places he's hacked into, but if the FBI should be looking for him, I won't reveal his name here for the blogger world to read...) Anyway, said teenager is repairing my computer as I type this. Big-Name-Store looked at my poor dead computer and said it would take them three to six weeks, and about as many hundreds of dollars... poo on them. I don't need a squad of geeks, I have a guy.

But while I wait (he had to order a part) I'm stuck using my Sprouts' computers (which are MUCH nicer, faster and cooler than mine, AND which I paid for, incidentally, so I feel I CAN use them once in a while without TOO much guilt...).

And since I'm not using my own computer, I don't have any recipe notes or great food photos to show you.... sorry about that. I will continue to blog, however I personally think blog posts just aren't as entertaining without a photo or two, right? Hmmmm... makes me wonder what photos my kids DO have on this machine?

OK. I'll leave you with a couple photos. Since this blog IS about vegan food and all, especially this month, I'll proudly show you some great examples of kids who are growing up extremely healthy AND vegan/vegetarian. (Vegan at home, vegetarian out, but we won't quibble) The photo at the top of the post is my middle "Sprout" (and me, ignore me) at her Graduation this past spring. The photo below, is my oldest, (center) with two of her friends - also vegetarians! Aren't they beautiful? (OK, I'm a Mom, I can't help myself).


Seriously though! Who says we're anemic, pasty white and sickly thin? More than any food idea or photo or recipe I've come up with, this is the accomplishment I am most proud of. Happy, healthy, well-adjusted veggie kids!

Yes, I'll be back to post about food, because I love sharing that with y'all, but it's my kids who are my worst critics and biggest fans, and it's ultimately them who I am cooking and creating for!