Tyler and I have decided to move to Southern Illinois, in order to enjoy such perks of small town life as peace, quiet, and financial stability.
This, of course, means I will be living in a place where vegetables actually grow, and get to experiment with all kinds of fun new ingredients. I've already checked out the vegan-friendly shopping situation there, and it looks like the region has clawed it's way out of the dark ages after all.
Needless to say, I am very, very excited about this move. We're planning on leaving Tucson at the end of May, just in time to enjoy the sweltering heat and humidity of the lower Midwest. Never again will I have to hear the words "Yeah, but it's a dry heat!" 110 degrees is fucking blazing, dry or not.
Anywho, expect a new recipe sometime in the next couple days!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Spicy Peanut Stir Fry and Cookbook Meltdowns
I'm really tired of opening vegan cookbooks and seeing nothing but labor-intensive, weird, gross, hippie food. I am not a person who wants to live on quinoa and flaxseed. I'm a meat-and-potatoes vegan, I guess, and it's becoming increasingly frustrating to find delicious, relatively simple, realistic recipes. I work full time and I don't want to come home and cook a fucking four-course, soak-your-own-black-beans, go-to-the-market-across-town-and-find-this-totally-obscure-ingredient-and-it-will-still-probably-be-disgusting meal. I like to eat healthy, but I also like to eat simply. Don't get me wrong - there are absolutely times when I love to spend an afternoon cooking a ridiculously elaborate vegan meal, but on a day to day basis I'd really prefer to be eating no more than forty-five minutes after I've started cooking.
In the spirit of this cooking breakdown, I would like to post a very, very simple recipe for Spicy Peanut Chik'n Stir Fry.
The Chik'n!
I use Smart Strips, but if you want Seitan, use Seitan. If you want tofu, use tofu. Two cups should do it, or one whole package of the Smart Strips.
The Vegetables!
anything you want, chopped. I like:
*sugar snap peas
*water chestnuts
*broccoli
*carrots
*onions
*mushrooms
*bell peppers
OR
*a bag of frozen veggies!
Chop as much or as little as you want. Three cups usually does it for me...enough for leftovers.
The Sauce!
*1/2 cup peanut butter (room temperature)
*2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
*1 tbsp white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
*1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (decide how spicy you'd like it. If you like it really spicy, I'd add a teaspoon or so of hot chili oil.)
*2 tsp garlic powder
*2 tbsp vegetable oil
*2 tbsp water
The Rice!
*some cooked rice
1. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
2. In a preheated, non-stick skillet, saute the chik'n in a little oil until browning.
3. Add the veggies, continue sauteing until they're pretty well cooked.
4. Add as much or as little of the sauce as you'd like. Whatever you don't use, put in a sealed container and save for another day.
5. As soon as the sauce is heated through, turn off your skillet, and serve over rice.
This is one of those super easy, fairly healthy (maybe a little fatty, but if you make it the one fatty thing you eat that day it's not bad), really satisfying meals that I so cherish. The leftovers are also great for lunch the next day.
In the spirit of this cooking breakdown, I would like to post a very, very simple recipe for Spicy Peanut Chik'n Stir Fry.
The Chik'n!
I use Smart Strips, but if you want Seitan, use Seitan. If you want tofu, use tofu. Two cups should do it, or one whole package of the Smart Strips.
The Vegetables!
anything you want, chopped. I like:
*sugar snap peas
*water chestnuts
*broccoli
*carrots
*onions
*mushrooms
*bell peppers
OR
*a bag of frozen veggies!
Chop as much or as little as you want. Three cups usually does it for me...enough for leftovers.
The Sauce!
*1/2 cup peanut butter (room temperature)
*2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
*1 tbsp white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
*1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (decide how spicy you'd like it. If you like it really spicy, I'd add a teaspoon or so of hot chili oil.)
*2 tsp garlic powder
*2 tbsp vegetable oil
*2 tbsp water
The Rice!
*some cooked rice
1. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
2. In a preheated, non-stick skillet, saute the chik'n in a little oil until browning.
3. Add the veggies, continue sauteing until they're pretty well cooked.
4. Add as much or as little of the sauce as you'd like. Whatever you don't use, put in a sealed container and save for another day.
5. As soon as the sauce is heated through, turn off your skillet, and serve over rice.
This is one of those super easy, fairly healthy (maybe a little fatty, but if you make it the one fatty thing you eat that day it's not bad), really satisfying meals that I so cherish. The leftovers are also great for lunch the next day.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Zucchini Bread
It's cold and rainy here, so I finally managed to get it together and make the much-anticipated zucchini bread. I even took a picure of it, but Photobucket is being a pud, so it may be a while before I actually get that posted. Anyway, I'm going to try to post pictures of (most of) my recipes from now on.
OVEN 325°
*equivalent of 3 eggs
*1/2 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 cup soymilk
*2 cups sugar
*2 cups very finely grated zucchini
*3/4 cup chopped walnuts
*1 tbsp baking powder
*3 cups flour
*2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven, and lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the "eggs", vegetable oil, soymilk, and sugar.
3. Add the zucchini, and stir until well-combined.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the walnuts, baking powder, flour, and ground cinnamon.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and fold in until just combined (like you would with muffins).
6. Divide the batter into the two loaf pans, and bake about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.
This bread is really good with a little margarine, and with tea or coffee. Yum.
OVEN 325°
*equivalent of 3 eggs
*1/2 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 cup soymilk
*2 cups sugar
*2 cups very finely grated zucchini
*3/4 cup chopped walnuts
*1 tbsp baking powder
*3 cups flour
*2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven, and lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the "eggs", vegetable oil, soymilk, and sugar.
3. Add the zucchini, and stir until well-combined.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the walnuts, baking powder, flour, and ground cinnamon.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and fold in until just combined (like you would with muffins).
6. Divide the batter into the two loaf pans, and bake about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.
This bread is really good with a little margarine, and with tea or coffee. Yum.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
To shower or to blog?
I should be showering right now, I really should. I have to be at work in less than an hour, but here I am, on the computer, feeling guilty about (once again) not posting a new entry in a very timely fashion. Oh well. I honestly haven't been cooking anything too blog-worthy lately. Last night I ate garden ribs, steamed green beans, and half a baked potato, and that's pretty much been the standard meal set-up this week. Tonight I can't promise anything better, but I'll post a zucchini bread recipe because I have been promising Ursula a loaf of the stuff for at least a week now. What can I say? Procrastinator is just one of my incredibly charming personality traits.
By the way, those garden ribs (from Gardenburger, in case that wasn't obvious) are really tasty. I'd almost forgotten about them until a pilgrimage to Wild Oats found me in the freezer section going "Ooooh...I won't have to spend more than a half hour cooking for at least a week!" Hahaha, everyone needs a break now and then.
By the way, those garden ribs (from Gardenburger, in case that wasn't obvious) are really tasty. I'd almost forgotten about them until a pilgrimage to Wild Oats found me in the freezer section going "Ooooh...I won't have to spend more than a half hour cooking for at least a week!" Hahaha, everyone needs a break now and then.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Triumphant Return (Vegan Stroganoff!)
Sorry to the whopping three people that read my blog, but Robbie took the computer to California and left me deprived and blog-less for a week or so.
Fortunately, he's back and I can post this recipe for vegan stroganoff that is both tasty and easy. A very winning combination, if I may say so myself.
*1 tbsp vegetable oil
*1/2 medium onion
*1 package (12 oz) faux ground beef
*1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (Criminis or Portobellos are best)
*2 tbsp garlic powder
*1 1/2 cups veggie broth
*1 container (12 oz) vegan sour cream
*cooked rice or pasta, to serve sauce over
1. In a nonstick pan, saute the onion in the vegetable oil until translucent. Add the faux ground beef and cook until slightly browned.
2. Add the mushrooms and the garlic powder, saute until the mushrooms begin to absorb moisture.
3. Pour the veggie broth in the pan, and simmer about fifteen minutes.
4. Add the sour cream, and cook another five minutes.
5. Pour over rice or pasta, and eat!
This takes about half an hour to make, and serves four to six people.
Tyler gets home from tour tomorrow afternoon!!! Finally!!!
Fortunately, he's back and I can post this recipe for vegan stroganoff that is both tasty and easy. A very winning combination, if I may say so myself.
*1 tbsp vegetable oil
*1/2 medium onion
*1 package (12 oz) faux ground beef
*1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (Criminis or Portobellos are best)
*2 tbsp garlic powder
*1 1/2 cups veggie broth
*1 container (12 oz) vegan sour cream
*cooked rice or pasta, to serve sauce over
1. In a nonstick pan, saute the onion in the vegetable oil until translucent. Add the faux ground beef and cook until slightly browned.
2. Add the mushrooms and the garlic powder, saute until the mushrooms begin to absorb moisture.
3. Pour the veggie broth in the pan, and simmer about fifteen minutes.
4. Add the sour cream, and cook another five minutes.
5. Pour over rice or pasta, and eat!
This takes about half an hour to make, and serves four to six people.
Tyler gets home from tour tomorrow afternoon!!! Finally!!!
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