The Survey

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

I'd prefer not to like it so much, but Silk seams to work best for my taste buds.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

1 - Shepard's Pie

2 - I should really make something with my pumpkins, so maybe pumpkin coconut soup

3 - I should also use my butternut squash, any suggestions?

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

carmel

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

I'm sure there has been plenty...

5. Favorite pickled item?

Sauerkraut

6. How do you organize your recipes?

In my blog, unless I forget to post them!

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

If I lived in a house I would compost (and have in the past) but now its the garbage or disposal.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

Potatoes, chickpeas, and granola

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

I always took the meat off my hamburgers and cheese and pepperoni off my pizza. I liked it that way, and couldn't understand how people ate it otherwise.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

cookies n cream or pralines (Purely Decedent)

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?

Coffee pot

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

Ok, I am going to be boring and say parsley. I have a new found love for parsley.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?

Not totally a cookbook, but it's called "Vegetables" It just describes all the veggies and tells you how to prepare and cook them, and they each have a recipe. Not a vegetarian, but many are.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

a local-made cinnamon peach

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

Soup

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

Seitan

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

Dinner

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

Containers of beans, silver wine glasses, post-its, pen...

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

frozen berries, ice and breastmilk (Hey, you asked!)

20. What’s on your grocery list?

toothpaste, and coffee

21. Favorite grocery store?

Good Earth (local Health Food Store)

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Tater-tot casserole, for my husband.

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?

Fat Free Vegan I probably visit the most, but I love so many more. Vegan Lunch Box got me starting in the food blog world, so props to her!

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

Newman's own mint sandwich cookies.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

maple syrup.. seriously, that stuff is expensive. I keep meaning to get some at Costco.

26. How did you get so pretty?

I don't know, but if you add my good looks with my husbands good looks, you get one VERY good looking baby!

NoTurkey Day ~ Wild Stuffed Squash

I had this vision for Thanksgiving, that I've had for years now. But every year it seams I take the easy way out, and just do a Tofurky. Last year I was pregnant, so I didn't feel like it, and this year no one else shared my vision. I've wanted to make an all indigenous Thanksgiving, with all foods from the American continents. Since no one else shared this vision of mine, it was not at all what I wanted, BUT I am not complaining. It turned out to be a wonderful holiday, filled with my favorite vegan food, and family. We had Wild Stuffed Squash, Blue Corn Bread, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, stuffing, and Tofurky.

I made the Wild Stuffed Squash, and it was very simple. All ingredients (besides olive oil and sage) are indigenous ingredients, and very savory & sweet.

Wild Stuffed Squash Recipe:

• 4-5 acorn squash, sliced in half, seeded.
  
• 2 cups wild rice
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs chopped fresh sage
• salt to taste

Brush squash with olive oil and roast on 400, faced down for about 30-40 mins. Meanwhile, cook the wild rice as indicated on the package. When wild rice is cooked and the water has evaporated, combine with sage, cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Scoop into cooked acorn squash and roast for about 10 mins.



For the Blue corn bread, I used this recipe on vegweb. I only had blue corn meal, so I used that instead of yellow. I ommited the pimentos and forgot to put in sugar (oops). It was good, but kind of dry, and I didn't use muffin pans (I really need to buy some).


I hope everyone else had a great holiday, filled with lots of yummy vegan comfort food!

Hubby's Pad Thai

My hubby found this recipe on vegweb for Pad Thai. He pretty much followed it exactly, but ommited the chili paste and the tofu. He used paprika too. It was delicious! It's not often we have Asain food at home, but this was better than any pad thai I've had at a restaurant here.

Sundried Tomato, Pine Nut & Parsley Pesto

My husband came up with this wonderfully tasty dinner last night. It was really simple:

• Cooked spaghetti noodles, as much as you can eat :)
  
• 1/4 c. pine nutes
• 1/4 c chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
• Olive oil

Combine all, and serve.

Early Tofurky Day

Saturday night we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with my family, because my sister was in town for a few days. My folks rented 2 condos in the mountains, just north of Salt Lake City, to have our early holiday feast. I was not even going to bother with a Tofurky this year because I figured it would just be my hubby and I eating it, since my 95% vegetarian mom wants meat for thanksgiving, and my sister stopped being vegetarian for more convenience foods. But, she asked for a Tofurky this year, so I made one. And it was good, as always.

This will be my 3rd holiday season that I've been meat free. I went vegetarian right after Thanksgiving 4 years ago. Since then, I've always bought the fake turkey roast at the store instead of making up something else. It's been a lovely tradition, but I'm ready for a change. This year, I've been wanting to make an all indigenous foods Thanksgiving, but I knew I would miss that Tofurky!



Anyway, I'll quit blabbering on about how much I love Tofurky... For our traditional early Thanksgiving celebration I made Tofurky, mashed potatoes & gravy, and green bean casserole. The first 2 are easy no-brainers, but that green bean casserole was amazing! I found a recipe on vegweb, but I forgot to bring it with me, so this is my own vegan green bean casserole:

green bean casserole ingredients:

• 2 cans green beans
• 1 larger sized can french fried onions
• 4-5 cups plain soymilk
• 2 Tbs corn starch
• 1 cup mushrooms, minced
  
• 1 tsp garlic & onion powder
• salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat to 375 F. In a med saucepan add soymilk, mushrooms, corn starch and seasonings, and bring to a boil until it thickens into a soup. In a casserole dish, combine green beans, soup mixture, and 1/2 can of FF'd onions. mix together, then top with remaining onions, and bake for about 25 mins, covered.