Vegan Treat to Start the Week

My roommate suggested that I start a weekly post featuring a good vegan snack. "Not one that is horribly hard and time consuming to make, something that can be purchased at the local grocery store or co-op," she said. I assume that means my baking over the weekend won't qualify: I made vegan coffee chip muffins and vegan cornmeal drop biscuits. I found both recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For. And they are both delicious.

But, per my roommate's request, here is something a bit easier to make (i.e. buy), but still full of vegan goodness: goraw's Pumpkin Super Chips. Keeping with the roommate theme of this post, my roommate and I picked these chips up a few days ago. They make for a lovely raw snack; the agave nectar gives them a bit of sweetness. Check out all of goraw's products here.

Adventures in Vegan Cooking

Due to the massive March snowstorm in the Northeast, I have extra time this morning to write a really long post about my adventures in vegan cooking of late. I know; it's not vegan fashion . . . but, vegans have to eat, so I thought I would share. Consider it a brief timeout from the fabulous vegan fashion. I've made all of the following from scratch either from recipes in vegan cookbooks or from recipes I found online and/or invented / changed drastically myself. Get ready for some vegan yum yum!

First, my best creation -- vegan butternut squash soup. This can (right) of pureed butternut squash had been sitting in my pantry for at least 3 months. When I finally took it out, I realized it had a really simple recipe for butternut squash soup on the back of its label that could be easily veganized. So, I switched out the cream for soy creamer (the Silk original) and the butter for soy butter (I use Earth Balance) and omitted the offensive onions and garlic . . . and created a lovely, sweet soup. Here it is on the stove:

The soup ended up a bit more watery than I expected, likely because I switched the cream out for soy creamer. It also was much sweeter than I expected; next time I might use half of the sugar the recipe called for. So, to thicken it up a bit and offset the sugar, I added white rice to it. (I cheated and used one of those ultra-expensive Uncle Ben's ready rice packets.) The final product:

Coming off the vegan cooking high from the soup, I decided to venture into the world of substantial main courses. To start, I made vegan sloppy joes (called "snobby joes" in Veganomican, where I got the recipe from). Basically, its lots of lentils, tomatoes, and veggies with some spices, maple syrup, and yellow mustard. Instead of using offensive onions and garlic, I used green and red peppers. Here it is in the pot; the recipe makes four enormous servings:

For my first meal, I heaped one serving on a hamburger buns (Arnold's). The recipe called for a kaiser roll, but I didn't have any . . . it was great on the bun. For the next three meals, I paired it with Tostitos scoops tortilla chips (I like the baked version). Perfect meals; I'm definitely making this again!

Next, I made a vegan mac and "cheese" casserole using a recipe from Veganomican. It wasn't a smashing success. To be blunt, it was awful, though edible and I slowly have been working my way through the remaining servings. Perhaps I have had real mac and cheese too many times to really enjoy a vegan version. The meal's only saving grace was the peas I mixed into the casserole. The finished product, much of which is still in my fridge:

After the mac and "cheese" failure, I decided to return to my baking roots; I am so much better at baking. I found a recipe for cheddar and scallion scones (really biscuits, I think) via 30 Bucks a Week -- this post. I switched out the butter for soy butter, the egg for egg replacer, and the cheddar cheese for soy cheddar cheese pre-shredded (the Veggie Shreds version). Like Tina at 30 Bucks a Week, I used unsweetened soy milk. The biscuits turned out fabulous. The recipe made 6, but they were so good fresh out of the oven that I ate 2 before I could arrange them for a picture. Here are the remaining 4:

Thanks for a great recipe 30 Bucks a Week!

The Professional Vegan Bakes . . . Again!

This weekend, I baked vegan cookies 'n cream cupcakes in honor of one of my co-worker's birthday. Read all about it at Tales of Expansion. To pique your interest, the final product:

The Professional Vegan Bakes!

Vegan Apple Pecan Muffins! Check out my guest post at Tales of Expansion! The final product:Per my new obsession with the iPhone "Lose It" application, I calculated the calorie count of each muffin so I could input the correct calories into my phone. Calorie count: 203! Not bad at all! And the muffins are quite filling. Read more about my baking adventure at Tales of Expansion.

Vegan On The Weekend: Trip To The Shore

I am going to the Jersey Shore this weekend for a girls' night at the shore -- we're going to watch movies and have massages and, of course, eat -- my contribution is vegan chocolate chip cookies (recipe via The Joy of Vegan Baking), vegan mocha chocolate muffins with coffee-infused frosting (recipes via Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World), vegan blueberry muffins (recipe via The Joy of Vegan Baking), and vegan apricot bean dip (recipe via Bush's vegetarian baked beans -- mine turned out a bit more soupy than the online picture, although it still solidly stays on tortilla chips).

Although it's still very cold, preparing for going to a beach house made me think of actually going to the beach. And then I remembered a magazine I received from Nordstrom at the beginning of January which highlighted tons of beach and summer wear -- some vegan. Here are a few items I especially covet; as an aside, I don't actually like to go in the water at the beach, or, really, uncover more than minimal amounts of skin, which may explain some of my choices:

Laundry by Shelli Segal Anorak: I love the bubble bottom and the drawstring waist and the buckle tabs at the convertible sleeves (so I can say: see, I am wearing short(ish) sleeves!). The coat comes in the pictured khaki (left) and black. Made from cotton and nylon; $138.

On the topic of spring/summer-weight coats, I also like the Calvin Klein "Asymmetric Trench," which comes in aqua (bright blue) and yellow--two colors that are a bit much for me, even in the summer, but lovely nonetheless. It's made from cotton and spandex, and is $148.

To wear to the beach to maintain maximum cover-up, while still appearing "beachy," I recommend James Perse's "Racer-Back Maxi Dress" (pictured right in the "deep"). Some may say this isn't beach appropriate -- but I love the length and the dark color and think it will look great over a bikini. The dress also comes in black, porcupine (grey), and vintage (white). Made from cotton; $155.

Finally, while on the beach, keeping time is of the essence (for those sunscreen applications, of course!). While flipping through the "magazine," Zodiak's "SeaDragon" watches caught my eye. Stainless steel case with a rubber strap. Comes in three colors combinations (see left). My favorite is the turquoise with the pink face. The watch is $150.