WIAW #30 Round Up

Hi Friends!

It's been so long since I've done a What I Ate Wednesday post. I mean I'm always sharing my yummy eats but I miss joining the party and linking it up over at Peas and Crayons. Time to change that! I've got lot's of yummy photos to show you so let's get started!
I took a week off of work while my mom was in town so that we could spend more time together.  My mom spent the weekdays at my brother and sister-in-law's house watching my niece and nephew.  So, during that time, I would come over every day with some yummy food for us to enjoy over lunch.  Once or twice we would take my niece in the stroller (when my nephew was at school) and walk over to the store to pick up some veggie ingredients. Here's a look at the delicious food we enjoyed over that week (or rather, the food I remembered to take pictures of!):

Lunches...

Salad, salad, salad!  Clockwise from top left: We used yummy greens, made croutons from a baguette, and added a veggie burger to make a fab Salad Plate.  By the way, you can never use to much sriracha!;  Seven grain salad medley on top of arugula, cherry tomatoes, avocado and topped with homemade dressing;  Leftover pakoras and samosos added some yummy texture and flavor to the arugula, cherry tomatoes, sprouts and pepperoncini's;  Dessert from Sweets From the Earth!  Peppermint nanaimo bar and a brownie.  So yummy!;  My mom's famous Bread Salad.  I love it!  Chopped baguette with multicolored tomatoes, parsley, green onions and dressing.  Delish!

Dinner when my mom stayed over at my place...

Clockwise from top left:  Tacos!  Veggie ground round with lot's of spices added,  Daiya shreds, sprouts, avocado, green salsa, sriracha and of course, nutritional yeast; Portobella Burger... read all about it here; Veggie Burger, sweet potato fries and a green salad from a pub we ate at during a visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake; Bruschetta appetizer from the same pub, no cheese; Farmer's Market Dinner!  Kale salad, sweet potato English muffins, mixed greens salad and a sweet potato salad.  All from the farmers market.

Food Truck Food!

We went to Holy Food Truck Tuesday again while my mom was here and brought along my sister, sister-in-law and the little ones.  My mom and I split the meals you see above from the vegan food truck karma chaMEALeon. From the top: Jackfruit Tacos with a mango salsa (I added sriracha after I took the photo); Philly Cheeze Steak with fried onions and a side of coleslaw.  Both were pretty tasty but my mom preferred the Philly Cheeze Steak.


I hope you guys enjoyed the food porn.  I'm drooling over the photos and can hardly wait to publish this so I can go and make dinner!  This will certainly teach me to write a post on an empty stomach. Ha!

Happy WIAW everyone!
Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #10: The Ultimate Vegan Cheese Sauce!

Hi Friends!

I have an amazing Cheese Sauce recipe to share with you today.  Let me tell you that I have tried so many different "cheese sauce" recipes and none have come close to this one.  It's thick, creamy, and oh so yummy.  I've adapted this recipe from one that I found on the interweb.  I was so intrigued with the use of potatoes and carrots that I had to investigate but, the rest of the recipe seemed a little too plain for my taste so I jazzed it up a bit.  The result was nothing short of amazing.

Remember, there is no actual cheese in this sauce so don't expect it to taste exactly like cheese.  But, do expect to add this to everything you eat!  You may even find yourself licking the blender.  Don't worry, you're not alone.

Ultimate Vegan Cheeze Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups peeled, boiled, and mashed potatoes (I used 3 medium potatoes)
1 cup peeled, chopped, and boiled carrots (I used 3 medium-large peeled carrots cut in 1 inch pieces)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup vegetable stock (water will work, too)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp Sriracha (optional, but adds amazing flavor)

Directions:
Boil your potatoes and carrots until they are fork tender, measure them in their mashed form (that step is more important for the potatoes than it is for the carrots) and add them to your blender.
Place the rest of your ingredients in your blender and process until smooth.  You may have to scrape down your blender a couple of times.
You can serve this immediately or store it in an air tight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it.  The sauce can be reheated on the stove or in a microwave.  Just  make sure you stir it really well.

I chose to try out the sauce on a Tofu 'Egg' Sandwich.  It was amazing!  I can't wait to smother this sauce onto a plate of vegan nachos!  Yum, yum!

TGIF and have a great weekend y'all!

Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #8: I'll Try Anything Once!

Hi Friends!

   I hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday! It's a little dreary over here by me although it's supposed to be a scorcher today. We'll see about that. For now, I want to share with you something that I recently tried. If you know me personally, and if you've been following my blog for a while, you know how much I dislike mushrooms. And by "dislike" I mean hate. With a passion. I can't stand them. The smell, the taste, the texture. Eeew. You'll also know how much my dislike for mushrooms bugs me.  I mean, what kind of a vegan hates mushrooms?

   Aren't they usually the star ingredient in "meat-based" dishes? It's annoying seeing all of these delicious looking recipes and then realizing that they have tons of mushrooms in them. I automatically turn the page or click on something else if I see a picture of a mushroom. You can't pull one over on me either. I can smell them from a mile away. So unless you've chopped them up into a marinara sauce, I know that they're there. That being said, lately I've been trying to be tolerant towards mushrooms. Before ultimately picking them out of my food, I'll try them first to see if by some miracle my palate has changed.  It hasn't.

   That being said, for some reason I've had this crazy urge to try a portobello burger.  I have no clue why except that I've been seeing them everywhere and I'm super curious.  I had to try them at least once in my life, right?!  So... I convinced my mom (who's still in town, by the way!) to try one with me.  She loves mushrooms but isn't a huge fan of portobello's so this was going to be a first for both of us.  We decided to marinate them in a Thai dressing that my mom makes and is super delish.  My mom whipped up the dressing while I prepped some tomatoes and onions for roasting. 

   We added the leftover dressing on top of the veggies before placing them in the oven.  Since I don't have a grill, we cooked the burgers on the stove.

   When the veggies were done I added some Daiya shreds on our buns and set them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  I also whipped up a quick guac for the burgers.  I was terrified that the burgers would have an overwhelming mushroom flavor so I was basically trying to mask it with all the other ingredients.

   We assembled the burgers by layering the tomatoes and onions and then the portobellos on top.  Guacamole and sriracha (so obsessed with sriracha) were added to round out the flavor and then it was time to taste it.  I loved the flavors in this burger so much and I actually ate a few bites of the whole thing before removing the mushroom.  I was so proud of myself for that.  And although I will probably never have another portobello burger again, at least I can say that I tried it!

When was the last time you tried something you didn't like?

Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #3 Hello Jackfruit!

Hi Friends!

   TGIF, right?!  I'm thinking the same thing.  What a busy week it's been.  The first week of school is over and everyone is starting to establish somewhat of a routine.  Unfortunately (fortunately?), I'm back in vacation mode because my mom is in town visiting.  Although I'm not technically on vacation for another week, it kind of feels like it now.  I LOVE having my mom here.  It's my turn to spoil her!  So... if you're wondering why I didn't blog on Wednesday or Thursday, now you know.  Well, that and I've been staying late at work.  I don't often blog ahead of time so when things get busy in my life, it shows on the blog.  Today's post will be a quick one but I'm sharing a recipe so it's also a good one! ;-)

   I've been experimenting with Jackfruit lately and I'm absolutely loving it!  I've been meaning to try it for a while but it's a little hard to find around here.  I finally found it a few weeks ago at an international market and have been having fun with it ever since.

   If you are unfamiliar with jackfruit, this South Asian fruit is sweet when eaten fresh and ripe, with a prickly exterior.  However, in this recipe I'm using the young green jackfruit found in a can.  It's best to purchase the kind in water or brine, rather than syrup because although it doesn't have much flavor, it will be more meaty in texture.  Don't worry, it's kind of like tofu, in that it takes on any flavor that you give it.

Jackfruit Tacos
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 can of young green jackfruit , in brine or water, not syrup
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons chile powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces salsa sauce*
1 tbsp coconut oil
juice from one lime
*(I strained my salsa to use for another dish and saved the sauce to use here.  You can use regular salsa if you don't feel like going through the trouble of straining it.)

Directions:
Drain and rinse the jackfruit thoroughly. Squeeze the moisture out of each piece and set aside.  Meanwhile in a sauce pan over medium heat add a touch of coconut oil and saute the onions for a few minutes until translucent.  Add the garlic and saute for a minute more until fragrant. Add the jackfruit and then add the chile powder, cumin, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper, stirring to coat each piece.  Cover the seasoned jackfruit with the salsa sauce and lime juice, making sure to cover everything.  Bring everything to a boil, then simmer on low, covered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  If the mixture sticks, add a little more salsa sauce or water.  When finished, most of the liquid will be cooked out and the jackfruit will be soft and slightly shredded, giving it a meaty appearance and texture.

 I served the jackfruit taco meat on top of sauteed peppers, stuffed in corn tortillas, and garnished with some chopped green onions.

By the way, I'm in the middle of reading an awesome series called the Mortal Instruments.  I'm on the third book and I love it!  If you're not familiar with it you can check out the first book in the series: City of Bones.  The movie just came out last month but I've been hesitant to see it.  I've heard that it doesn't do the book any justice.  Have you seen it?  Thoughts?

Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #2 Summer Obsessions

Hi Friends!

   Today I was thinking about passion in the workplace and for a while there I felt like I had lost a little bit of the love I had for my job.  Do you ever feel that way?  Like some day's it's just hard to remember what you loved about it in the first place?  Well, at my 9-5 I get to work with children so I don't necessarily forget... but, at the same time, the spark I once felt has been slowly fizzling away.  I have so many other things that I am passionate about that I stopped putting extra effort into my day job.  Thankfully, I was able to take a nice break from work this summer and just focus on relaxing.  And not only did I take a vacation from work, but I also took a vacation from thinking about the million other things that I'd like to accomplish.  It's such a relief to just be able to press pause on everything and to focus only on yourself.  I really feel like this summer helped to refresh and rejuvenate me and my brain (ha!).  My coworker and I have been dreaming up big plans for our classrooms and we finally get to start implementing them this week.  I can't wait to get started.  In fact, we stayed late at work just to draw up the plans, and I'm happy to say that the passion I once had for my job is coming back. Woohoo!

But enough about that... let's get to the fun stuff... or as I like to call it:  My Summer Obsessions!

Veggie Burger Bliss! 

    One of my favorite things to make this summer has been veggie burgers.  Homemade or store-bought I have to have them on hand at all times!  I love knowing that there are veggie burgers in my freezer for those nights that I'm too exhausted to cook or I've come home late and want something quick.  I rarely use a bun but I found these delicious sprouted buns at my natural food store and so it's fun to use them once in a while.  The brand that I have is from Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery.  You can click on the link to check them out.

Field Roast Heaven!

    My other food obsession has been hotdogs of all things!  I am so not a hotdog person but my natural foods store finally starting carrying Field Roast Sausages.  I have been dying to try them since becoming vegan over two and a half years ago and I have to say that they were worth the wait.  Have you guys tried them?  They are so good!  Nothing like the soy alternative that was my only option.  These are made using grains and all natural ingredients.  So far I've had the Smoked Apple Sage sausage and the frankfurters.  Next up I plan on trying the Mexican Chipotle sausages.  If you haven't experienced Field Roast you really should.  However, stay away from them if you have a gluten intolerance because they are made using wheat gluten.


My other summer obsessions include:

   Sissiboo Coffee!  I love this coffee and the philosophy behind the company.  They are a small-batch roaster offering fair trade and organic beans.  You can purchase their freshly ground or whole beans at local Farmer's Markets and shops in Halifax, Annapolis Royal, Yarmouth and Weymouth.  Yup, only in Nova Scotia.  But, I think I saw that you can order online and they will ship to you.  This coffee is so worth it!

   Spending time with my sis!  Well, it's not really an obsession, but we have been spending a lot of time together so I though it was worth adding!

   And finally, here are just a few songs that I've been obsessively repeating on my iPod during the past couple of months:

Awolnation - Thiskidsnotalright

New Politics - Harlem

Kings of Leon - Super Soaker

Lorde - Royals

The Neighborhood - Afraid

Bastille - Pompeii

Grouplove - Ways to Go

   There are so many songs that I could have added to this list but these are the ones that get the most play right now.  And, I just realized that I didn't list any fun "upbeat" songs.  Ha!  Believe it or not all of the songs on this list make me dance around while I'm cooking, cleaning, or getting ready to go somewhere.  No joke.  Well, all of them except Royals and Afraid. 

By the way, recipes are coming very soon.  I promise!

Til next time....

Love,
Ves xx

I Think It's About Time... and Vegan MoFo #1ish

Hi Friends!

   It's so nice to be blogging again!  Summer is slowly winding down and I am doing my best to establish a new routine.  Okay, I haven't actually established a new routine I'm just thinking about doing it.  That's the same, right?  I thought so.  Speaking of routines... I totally failed the July blogging challenge that I set for myself, but, in my defense, it wasn't about food so I lost interest quickly.  Sorry about that.  But, the good news is that Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food) is on for this month and I've signed up for it.  You can check out last year's posts in my archive under October 2012 if you'd like.  I haven't really come up with a theme for this year but I'm thinking it will center around food from the Farmer's Market.  There's an amazing one near my house that I try and visit every Wednesday.  That's the plan so stay tuned for some yummy recipes.  Before I get to any recipes though, I thought I would share some of the highlights from my summer.  Enjoy!

 4th Of July....

4th of July Highlights:  The Food

 Food:  I always try and make "American food" for Independence Day or at least what I think is American food.  In this case it's coleslaw, potato salad, corn on the cob (thanks to my sis-in-law for bringing that) and veggie burgers.  For dessert I made shortbread cookies and a Vanilla Pudding and Berry Parfait.  Drinks: My sister found this really fun drink called Crazy Uncle - Basil and Lime Daiquiri.  The flavor combo was super yummy and it even comes with sugar to garnish the rim of your glass.  So cool.  The only downer is that this particular drink has honey in it.  Bummer.  There's two other flavors by Crazy Uncle so maybe I'll try them... after I read the ingredients!

Sushi...

Note my mad chopstick skills

This wasn't my first time trying sushi but it was my first time going out for sushi on purpose.  My friends and I went to Spring Sushi which is really close to my house (incentive to visit again!).  I love that you get to order off an iPad.  You get to see the photo and description of every item which is so helpful if you are a newbie like me!  Luckily there are a lot of veggie options so I was able to try a variety of different items from the menu.  What were some of my favorites?  Well, any roll I got with avocado was the bomb; there was a bean curd one that was really good (not the very top right... I wasn't a fan of that one); and one with sweet potato... so good!  But my absolute favorite thing was the seaweed salad.  We ordered it twice because we couldn't stop eating it!  Plus they serve it in a bowl the size of a tea cup so you don't get much. Ha!

Vacation in Nova Scotia!

Airport Shenanigans

I love that my youngest nephew Michael dropped me off at the Hamilton airport and my oldest nephew Connor met me at the Halifax airport!  That was such a nice surprise seeing Connor and my parents as soon as I got off the plane.  Connor was waiting to board the flight home and since he was a minor traveling on his own, he needed an escort to wait with him.  Both my parents were granted permission to wait at the departure gate.  Which means that I was the only one with an entourage greeting me before baggage claim!  My mom and I went down to the airport restaurant to catch-up while my step-dad waited for Connor's flight to take off.  We ordered the only vegan thing on the menu plus a glass of wine and enjoyed some girl talk.

Highlights...

Savary Park

My mom's gardens, super hero step-dad, my parents house, silly girls, Bear River, crazy cat...

Green and blue fire and fireworks for my last night.

Last day in N.S....

Halifax Harbor Front

We spent my last day in Nova Scotia walking along the Halifax Harbor front and then stopping to eat lunch at the Hart & Thistle.  My vacation was super relaxing and there were many, many highlights in between my arrival and departure.  But, if I were to include everything then this blog post would never end.

A very special Birthday...

The Birthday Girl, her handsome brother and her cakes.

My sweet little niece Alexandra celebrated her first birthday last month.  It was such a nice day.  So many people came out for her special day, we enjoyed delicious food and the highlight (for me) was getting to make her birthday cake.  I couldn't just make her one cake so I made three, plus two kinds of cupcakes for good measure.  To say that I spoiled her would be an understatement.  Of course, she won't really know that until she's much older... but that's okay!  And since I baked everything, it was all vegan.  I think that was the best part.  And also, hearing everyone say how much they loved the cakes and how they never would have guessed they were vegan.  I never get tired of hearing that.


I hope you enjoyed my summer recap.  Tomorrow I'll share some of my food obsessions over the past couple of months.  There have been many but I will try and condense them!

Happy Labor Day Monday and Vegan MoFo!

Love,
Ves xx

You Mean I'm Not From the South?

   Hi Friends!

   A couple of weeks ago, when I was gearing up for Thanksgiving, I got a huge craving for Mac 'n' Cheese.  I blame it on Carla Hall and all the other Southern Chef's on Food TV.  It seems as though Mac 'n' Cheese is a staple on Thanksgiving tables in the South.  Well, it turns out that I'm not from the South but, that didn't stop me from getting a craving for some cheesy macaroni!


   I took this as a sign that it was time to taste test one of those Vegan boxed mac 'n' cheese that I see at the store.  I have never had one before so I have nothing to compare it to but, I have made Vegan mac 'n' cheese from scratch twice.

This is the brand that I tried:

First, I made it according to the package instructions...

And then I tasted it... Yum!

After that, I decided that I wanted a Baked Mac version.

So, I put the Mac 'n' Cheese into two small casserole dishes, added a tiny bit of Daiya Havarti, crumbled some Bean Chips on top, and put it in the oven.  

Much better!

   All in all, I enjoyed this version of Vegan mac 'n' cheese.  I don't think it tastes anything like I remember Kraft Dinner tasting, but the flavor does resemble my versions of vegan Mac from scratch.  So if you don't have time, or a recipe, I would recommend this if you're craving some cheesy macaroni.
   Oh, by the way, I do think that it's yummy enough to serve to non-veg people!

Happy Monday!
Love,
Ves

   Have you ever tried boxed Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese?  

What brands do you like?

Pecan Tarts - Recipe!

   Hi Friends!

   I made this recipe over the weekend and absolutely loved it!  Plus everyone who tried it loved it, too.  Pecan Tarts are amazing, but definitely full of fat and calories.  I was thrilled when I found this recipe on SparkPeople.com and was even more thrilled when I only needed to tweak it a bit. 

Here's how I made it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Layer the Phyllo dough and brush a bit of coconut oil between each sheet.

Cut out circles using a round cookie cutter (if using mini cupcake pans) or the bottom of a bowl.

Place each piece of dough into the greased well of the cupcake pan.

Add the filling into each piece of dough and bake in the oven for 23-25 minutes.

Allow to cool before removing them from the muffin tin.

Enjoy!

Pecan Tarts 

(adapted from a Spark Recipe)

Makes 12 OR 24 Tarts 

depending on the pan that you use

Ingredient: 
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed 
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
+ 1.5 tbsp for greasing the pan and extra for the phyllo dough
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 
1/2 cup pure maple syrup 
2/3 cups old fashioned oats 
1 cup pecans, chopped 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
pinch salt 
2 Flax eggs (2 tbsp flax mixed with 6 tbsp water)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two mini muffin pans (or 1 regular sized muffin pan) with a bit of coconut oil.
2. Place one sheet of the phyllo dough on a cutting board. Brush lightly with remaining 1 tbsp of coconut oil.  Repeat with 3 more layers, brushing the coconut oil between each layer. Cut the dough into circles using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter or using the bottom of a bowl and a knife.
3. Place one piece of dough into each well of the muffin pans.   Repeat with the remaining 4 sheets of dough.
4. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Spoon a large tablespoon of the batter into each prepared dough shell. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature.  Refrigerate after cooled if serving the next day.

   Promise me that you will make this recipe for your upcoming Holiday party?!  You will not be disappointed and everyone will love you.  It is so unexpectedly (yet so obviously) delicious!

   And speaking of the holidays, I put my Christmas tree up on Sunday and guess who helped me with the decorations?

You'd think it was her first tree!

Patchie - so curious about what is occupying her couch!

The finished product!

Happy Monday everyone!

Love,
Ves xx

Thanksgiving Recap... OR: WIAT

   Two Thanksgiving Dinners down and one full happy belly!  I hope everyone enjoyed some yummy food and fun family time on Thursday.  We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday and Saturday, since I had to work on Thursday.  Yes, two Thanksgivings!  My belly was doing a happy dance all week.  Which is probably how long I've been planning and preparing this meal!  Ha.

   Even though I planned and prepped ahead of time, it still wound up being a race to the finish.  And I must admit, even though both parties were a success in terms of yummy food, Saturday's was way more calm and relaxing for me.  I served the Stuffing and Lentil Loaf from the day before, and made the Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts and Gravy fresh.  I also made the Appetizers and Pecan Tarts on Saturday, as well.  So, it's not like I did any less, but maybe I was just less stressed on day two?  Hmm?

Here's What I Ate on Thanksgiving:

Appetizers: 

Grilled Cheese and Apple on a baguette (click here for the recipe)

Herb and Cheese Drop Biscuits

The Sides:

Garlic Mashed Potato and Parsnips, Biscuits, Brussels Sprouts and Gravy + a bevy of fun juices and of course, some wine!

 Mashed Sweet Potatoes

The Main: 

Glazed Walnut Apple Lentil Loaf and Apple Sage and Sausage Stuffing (click here for the recipe)

My Dinner Plate - Day 1

We had a simple green salad with Balsamic dressing because I ran out of time to make a dressing.

My Dinner Plate - Day 2:

We started with an Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad with a homemade vinaigrette. 

PLUS the usual suspects!

The Dessert:

Sweet Potato Pie with Pecans and a Gingersnap Crust (click here for a similar recipe... I tweaked it a bit)

Apple Pie Pudding with Ginger cookie crumbs (click here for the recipe)

Pecan Tarts

Deconstructed Sweet Potato Pie

Nephew approved!

   So there you have it!  What we ate on Thanksgiving (or the day after, and the day after that!)

For more yummy meal pics head over to Peas and Crayons and check out other mouthwatering Thanksgiving dinners!

I'm off to go decorate my tree and work off some of these holiday calories... before stuffing my face with leftovers!  Ha.  

Love,

Ves xx