5.16.2010
Yummy Bread Sticks with Olive Oil
Get a package of pre-made pizza dough (you can definitely make your own if you're ambitious enough), separate and roll dough into balls about 2.5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle some dried oregano and salt on surface. Drizzle some olive oil on top and place on cookie sheet. Preheat oven (if you're using a toaster oven, which was what I used, you can save energy and don't need to preheat.) Bake at 400 degrees in oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a minute and serve with more olive oil/balsamic vinegar or marinara sauce.
5.15.2010
Polenta with Portobello Mushroom
5.14.2010
Real Food Daily
RFD has a regular menu, a monthly and a weekly rotating menu with new dishes. For the month of May, their special was Two Hot Oaxacan Tamales made with two seared tofu and vegetables tamales, spicy mole sauce, anasazi beans and spicy cole slaw with toasted pepitas.
In addition, we ordered the Pizza You Can Eat-za. If you were to order this, I would suggest you erase all your preconception of what a typical pizza should be like. Perhaps it was the cornmeal crust that made it taste more like flat quiche, but it was tasty, nonetheless.
As part of their weekly menu, we ordered the cleverly named, My Hands Are Thai. A dish of spicy glazed king mushroom, noodles, cabbage, avocado, snow peas, cilantro mint, basil, peanuts with spicy thai dressing. Great for a warm close-to-summer day.
Real Food Daily is definitely a place to try, vegan or not. I would eat here everyday if I could, simply because their menu changes. It definitely has an eclectic following of hip LA peeps but flip-flop wearing San Diegans won't feel out of place.
5.04.2010
"Egg" Muffin
This Egg Muffin doesn't need a real recipe. It's just a toasted English Muffin with a slice of Follow Your Heart cheddar. I used a little oil to fried the Yves Canadian Bacon and a thick slice of firm tofu until browned. My suggestion is to thinly slice the cheddar to ensure it melts. My cheese was definitely too thick in the picture but delightful nonetheless.
4.29.2010
Spicy Miso Garlic Bok Choy
Spicy Miso Garlic Bok Choy
2 bunches of bok choy, chopped
2 cloves of garlic (more if you want a more "garlicky" flavor)
3 Tbsp miso paste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Dash of chili powder
Heat up pan with vegetable oil. Add garlic until slightly browned. Stir in bok choy and miso paste. Continue stirring until bok choy will begins to wilt and miso paste look more like a sauce. Add chili powder.
4.26.2010
Chinese "Chicken" Salad
Chinese "Chicken" Salad
2 hearts of romaine, chopped
Vegan "Chicken" strips (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/8 cup green onions, chopped
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
1/8 cup of slivered almonds, toasted
Fresh ground pepper
Chop up the romaine lettuce and place in large bowl. Add chicken strips, bean sprouts, green onions, mandarin oranges and cilantro. Add dressing to taste. When ready to serve, sprinkle with slivered almonds and fresh group pepper.
Chinese Salad Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir together and add to salad.
4.25.2010
Trader Joe's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
4.23.2010
Tempeh Potato Burritos with Guacamole
Tempeh Potato Burritos
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tempeh patty
Half of a red onion, diced
6 large flour tortilla
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Guacamole
3 avocados
3 tbsp cilandro, diced
3 tbsp red onion, diced
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
Ribbon Cutting
My husband and I have been meat-free for three years now. In an attempt to be a good domestic partner, I would volunteer to make dinner. My special talent was ruining everything I made. I burned chicken breasts in a George Foreman Grill. My eggs would still have eggshells in them. My chocolate cakes became brownies. Then, I had an epiphany: veggies don’t need to be fully-cooked to be safely consumed! What an idea!
Since I was still the main chef in the relationship and my husband (then, boyfriend) still ate meat, I cooked my yummy portion of vegetarian meal and threw in some bland chicken strips on the side (heated up in the microwave) for him. A month later, on Earth Day, after bingeing at a Brazilian all-you-can-eat meat buffet, he gave up meat. We both agree we felt healthier, lighter and had more energy.
A few months later I became vegan. I cut out dairy cold turkey. I admit there were times I’ve fallen off the wagon but for the most part, I had the intention to remain dairy-free. After going through an entire pregnancy with our daughter as a vegan, we decided once solids were introduced, we would become a vegan family. This blog will not only document our journey but also serve as a resource for anyone interested in becoming vegan, incorporating more meat and dairy-free meals in their day or even raising a vegan family. I am excited to share this part of our lives with you and hope you can find some of the presented ideas useful!