Hello friends,
I'm writing to let you know that I have to take a bit of a hiatus from blogging.
Graduate school is require a lot more energy than I anticipated, and I am becoming increasingly overwhelmed with balancing all of my commitments (school, two jobs, family, friends, etc.).
Perhaps if I can find a decent way to balance and manage everything, I will post here and there, but my projected return is sometime after May 10.
Thanks for reading!
Xo
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Vegan Cheese: Not All Created Equal
We have had some really fantastic culinary experiences during this journey so far, and I can say with certainty that I have thoroughly enjoyed nearly every substitute we have tried. The reason for not enjoying "every single" substitute is that not all vegan cheese is worth adding to your grocery list.
Here are some of the products we have tried so far:
Nutritional Yeast (the brand we use is Bragg's) is delicious in sauce for Vegan Mac'N'Cheese. I also enjoy it sprinkled on freshly popped popcorn with a little salt. Xavier doesn't care for it, but it's a nice little treat for me.
Tofutti makes a fantastic vegan cream cheese that has the flavor and texture of regular cream cheese. We enjoy it with pepper jam on toast or crackers every so often.
Tofutti also makes cheese slices that are pretty decent! I struggle a bit with the texture, but they are probably the best vegan cheese slices we've tried so far. The texture is a bit like Velveeta cheese (very creamy).
Teese makes a vegan mozzarella, which is tolerable in small amounts, but it is VERY coconut-y, which was unexpected and overwhelming. I don't know if we'll buy it again, but it was interesting to try!
Daiya makes "cheese" shreds that are....awesome! We made a pizza on New Year's Eve and it was fantastic! This is my favorite so far! Now that we've found a vegan cheese that goes so well on homemade pizza, I think we're set.
I purchased some GoVeggie cheese slices, mistaking them for the brand Xavier purchased (Tofutti). BIG MISTAKE. Maybe some of their other products are tasty, but this was literally the first time I have spit something out during this whole experience. I'm not even sure how to describe these cheese slices. They are dry, almost brittle, flaky, flavorless, and just downright awful. Like I said, perhaps their other products are worth trying, but if you're looking for a slice of cheese to put on a veggie sandwich, try something else.
Now, before we started this vegan adventure, I wondered how I would ever live without cheese? We loved pizza, cheese on crackers, cream cheese, salads with cheese, cheese with cheese, you get the point. However, it only took about a week or two until we realized, "Hey, I'm not craving cheese!" I think back to when we used to order pizza because we were too lazy to cook anything, and I always felt like total garbage after eating. I feel so much better these days that it doesn't make sense to go back to our old habits (at this time in our lives).
So, for all you cheese-lovers out there...if you're considering veganism but not sure if you can give it up, I challenge you to try it for a week or two and then decide what you like best. A vegan diet is not for everyone, and I understand that, but it is fun to challenge yourself. We've also found that it is helpful if we reframe our options...it isn't that we "can't" have a certain food item...we just choose not to. Instead of focusing on "all of the food I can't have," focus on all the food that IS fair game!
Here are some of the products we have tried so far:
Nutritional Yeast (the brand we use is Bragg's) is delicious in sauce for Vegan Mac'N'Cheese. I also enjoy it sprinkled on freshly popped popcorn with a little salt. Xavier doesn't care for it, but it's a nice little treat for me.
Tofutti makes a fantastic vegan cream cheese that has the flavor and texture of regular cream cheese. We enjoy it with pepper jam on toast or crackers every so often.
Tofutti also makes cheese slices that are pretty decent! I struggle a bit with the texture, but they are probably the best vegan cheese slices we've tried so far. The texture is a bit like Velveeta cheese (very creamy).
Teese makes a vegan mozzarella, which is tolerable in small amounts, but it is VERY coconut-y, which was unexpected and overwhelming. I don't know if we'll buy it again, but it was interesting to try!
Daiya makes "cheese" shreds that are....awesome! We made a pizza on New Year's Eve and it was fantastic! This is my favorite so far! Now that we've found a vegan cheese that goes so well on homemade pizza, I think we're set.
I purchased some GoVeggie cheese slices, mistaking them for the brand Xavier purchased (Tofutti). BIG MISTAKE. Maybe some of their other products are tasty, but this was literally the first time I have spit something out during this whole experience. I'm not even sure how to describe these cheese slices. They are dry, almost brittle, flaky, flavorless, and just downright awful. Like I said, perhaps their other products are worth trying, but if you're looking for a slice of cheese to put on a veggie sandwich, try something else.
Now, before we started this vegan adventure, I wondered how I would ever live without cheese? We loved pizza, cheese on crackers, cream cheese, salads with cheese, cheese with cheese, you get the point. However, it only took about a week or two until we realized, "Hey, I'm not craving cheese!" I think back to when we used to order pizza because we were too lazy to cook anything, and I always felt like total garbage after eating. I feel so much better these days that it doesn't make sense to go back to our old habits (at this time in our lives).
So, for all you cheese-lovers out there...if you're considering veganism but not sure if you can give it up, I challenge you to try it for a week or two and then decide what you like best. A vegan diet is not for everyone, and I understand that, but it is fun to challenge yourself. We've also found that it is helpful if we reframe our options...it isn't that we "can't" have a certain food item...we just choose not to. Instead of focusing on "all of the food I can't have," focus on all the food that IS fair game!
Spicy Sausage Spirals and That One Time My Hair Cooperated
I enjoy pasta dishes almost as much as I enjoy soups. Especially if they are easy to throw together and easy to make in big batches (hello, leftovers!).
Spicy Sausage Spirals
Ingredients:
1 pound Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style (found at HyVee on Minnesota Ave.)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
1 box of spiral pasta (or other pasta you like)
salt to taste
Directions:
Grab a pot and get some water boiling and cook your pasta according to the directions. Drain and rinse whenever it's done. While that's going on, heat a skillet over medium with olive oil. Open your package of Gimme Lean and pull it into little bite size pieces. It is VERY sticky and if you don't break it apart by hand, you'll have a big headache. Now, wash your hands, you sticky mess! Let the "sausage" brown, stir it around so each side gets a kiss of heat. Now you can add the pepper flakes and other spices. Stir in the tomatoes and sauce, and give it a good stir. Bring it to a simmer. Depending on the size of your pan, you may wish to pour everything into the pot you used for your pasta, but I sometimes just add the pasta into the pan I used to brown the sausage. Use your own discretion. Mix it all together, turn the heat off, and cover it for a few minutes to let it meld together and get warm. Serve with bread or a salad.
Spicy Sausage Spirals
Ingredients:
1 pound Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style (found at HyVee on Minnesota Ave.)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
1 box of spiral pasta (or other pasta you like)
salt to taste
Directions:
Grab a pot and get some water boiling and cook your pasta according to the directions. Drain and rinse whenever it's done. While that's going on, heat a skillet over medium with olive oil. Open your package of Gimme Lean and pull it into little bite size pieces. It is VERY sticky and if you don't break it apart by hand, you'll have a big headache. Now, wash your hands, you sticky mess! Let the "sausage" brown, stir it around so each side gets a kiss of heat. Now you can add the pepper flakes and other spices. Stir in the tomatoes and sauce, and give it a good stir. Bring it to a simmer. Depending on the size of your pan, you may wish to pour everything into the pot you used for your pasta, but I sometimes just add the pasta into the pan I used to brown the sausage. Use your own discretion. Mix it all together, turn the heat off, and cover it for a few minutes to let it meld together and get warm. Serve with bread or a salad.
This recipe is quick, easy, and tasty. The nice thing about it is that you can adjust it to your preferences. Don't like heat? Eliminate the red pepper flakes. Can't get enough spice? Add more red pepper flakes or other spices/hot sauces. The next time I make it, I plan to add some bell peppers, minced onion, mushrooms, and whatever other veggies we have that might go well with it.
I also had to share the one time my hair did what I wanted it to. Usually I end up braiding my hair, throwing it in a pony, or leaving it down. It gets pretty boring, but I don't know how to style my hair very well. My excuse is that it is just too dang straight and smooth! Because of how straight it is, it tends to be flat, which I hate. I tried a new hairstyle a couple months ago and of course every time I try to recreate the "effortless" style, it doesn't cooperate. Here's proof that my hair looked good once:
On that note, if you have any hair tips or tricks, send 'em my way! Or a personal hairstylist that can come do my hair daily at no charge...that would be cool, too.
Happy New Year!
It is hard to believe that we are already in a new calendar year, but I'm pretty thrilled. We are finally in the year that I will graduate from grad school. I cannot adequately express how happy I am to realize that in just about 4 months, I can breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm not much for resolutions with the start of a new year, but I do like to assess where I am and where I want to be. I like to set goals, which you may argue are the same as resolutions, but I disagree. It is a good time to do some forward-thinking and plan for the upcoming months. We have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to.
I spent a few hours yesterday searching for decently priced shelving for our garage and bins to store some items in. I found some good deals and after having a healthy breakfast, I turned some music on and began organizing. I took everything out of our extra bedroom closet (our main storage closet), grouped like-items together, and after a few hours, we can actually access all of our things! I love organizing...I tend to neglect it when I am overly busy or highly stressed, but a messy household can also cause stress!! Next on my list is my bedroom closet. I'm too short to reach the top shelf, but I store sweaters up there, so they usually wind up in a jumbled mess when I try to throw them up there. I also hope to organize the files on my computer within the next couple of days. I like to start a new semester on a good, organized foot!
Now is also a good time to purge our fridge of all of the delicious vegan goodies we accumulated over the holidays. We have enjoyed the treats, but now it's time to get back on track. Neither of us likes to waste food, but with how many goodies we have, they are becoming a bit of an annoyance. Ugh, we still have how many peanut butter presents and thumbprint cookies? Alright, fine, I'll have one...or two. I'm almost sick of sweets!
Xavier and I have been talking about our vegan adventure a lot the last couple of days. No, we don't sit around and dwell upon it day in and day out :) We have had a lot of people asking how long we're doing this and when we plan to quit. Aside from having a tummy ache from too many sweets, we feel so much better mentally and physically by eliminating animal products from our diet. At this time in our lives, we are happy with being vegan and we do not plan to set an end-date. That kind of thinking reminds me of a smoker setting a quit date, and what we are doing isn't harming anyone. But we do appreciate that people care enough to ask us how things are going :)
That's all for now! I have a couple other posts to publish and some more cleaning to do.
Take care, friends!
Xoxo.
I'm not much for resolutions with the start of a new year, but I do like to assess where I am and where I want to be. I like to set goals, which you may argue are the same as resolutions, but I disagree. It is a good time to do some forward-thinking and plan for the upcoming months. We have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to.
I spent a few hours yesterday searching for decently priced shelving for our garage and bins to store some items in. I found some good deals and after having a healthy breakfast, I turned some music on and began organizing. I took everything out of our extra bedroom closet (our main storage closet), grouped like-items together, and after a few hours, we can actually access all of our things! I love organizing...I tend to neglect it when I am overly busy or highly stressed, but a messy household can also cause stress!! Next on my list is my bedroom closet. I'm too short to reach the top shelf, but I store sweaters up there, so they usually wind up in a jumbled mess when I try to throw them up there. I also hope to organize the files on my computer within the next couple of days. I like to start a new semester on a good, organized foot!
 |
| Top: Only SOME of the mess. Middle: We DO have a floor! Bottom: It feels so good to be organized!! |
Now is also a good time to purge our fridge of all of the delicious vegan goodies we accumulated over the holidays. We have enjoyed the treats, but now it's time to get back on track. Neither of us likes to waste food, but with how many goodies we have, they are becoming a bit of an annoyance. Ugh, we still have how many peanut butter presents and thumbprint cookies? Alright, fine, I'll have one...or two. I'm almost sick of sweets!
 |
| Just a FEW of the vegan goodies we have around the house. Chocolate chip, pumpkin molasses, snickerdoodle. Not pictured: cinnamon rolls, peanut butter presents, thumbprints, cheerio bars, ribbon candy, movie theater candy, ginger chews...OVERLOAD. |
Xavier and I have been talking about our vegan adventure a lot the last couple of days. No, we don't sit around and dwell upon it day in and day out :) We have had a lot of people asking how long we're doing this and when we plan to quit. Aside from having a tummy ache from too many sweets, we feel so much better mentally and physically by eliminating animal products from our diet. At this time in our lives, we are happy with being vegan and we do not plan to set an end-date. That kind of thinking reminds me of a smoker setting a quit date, and what we are doing isn't harming anyone. But we do appreciate that people care enough to ask us how things are going :)
That's all for now! I have a couple other posts to publish and some more cleaning to do.
Take care, friends!
Xoxo.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Seitan Buffalo Wings
We have both been huge fans of spicy foods, and prior to going vegan, we enjoyed buffalo wings for their flavor. I did some scouring of the internet and found a recipe for Seitan Buffalo Wings, and we decided to give them a try! They were a hit! I changed the recipe a bit, from the linked recipe above, as I didn't want to make such an extravagant sauce...maybe we'll try their sauce next time!
Seitan Buffalo Wings
Seitan Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
3 cups "chicken-style" seitan
2 Tbsp oil
Sauce Ingredients:
6 Tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance)
6 Tbsp Franks hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne
1 Tbsp vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the seitan, whisking well. Add the seitan pieces and toss well. Place coated seitan pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake for about 25 minutes until the coating is crisp, turning them over once, halfway through baking.
While the seitan is baking prepare the sauce. Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan, then add the Franks hot sauce, stirring well. Add a pinch or two of cayenne and the vinegar, stir well and keep warm until the wings are done.
Once the wings are done, toss them in the sauce to coat and serve hot, with carrots and celery or your favorite side dish. We enjoyed ours with some homemade oven fries.
These were pretty darn tasty! Next time I will do the sauce differently, as it became a little too thick for my preferences once the wings were tossed in it, but Xavier loved them! Maybe next time we can do something with some spicy BBQ sauce. Mmm...
Stay warm, friends!
Seitan Buffalo Wings
Seitan Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
3 cups "chicken-style" seitan
2 Tbsp oil
Sauce Ingredients:
6 Tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance)
6 Tbsp Franks hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne
1 Tbsp vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the seitan, whisking well. Add the seitan pieces and toss well. Place coated seitan pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake for about 25 minutes until the coating is crisp, turning them over once, halfway through baking.
While the seitan is baking prepare the sauce. Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan, then add the Franks hot sauce, stirring well. Add a pinch or two of cayenne and the vinegar, stir well and keep warm until the wings are done.
Once the wings are done, toss them in the sauce to coat and serve hot, with carrots and celery or your favorite side dish. We enjoyed ours with some homemade oven fries.
These were pretty darn tasty! Next time I will do the sauce differently, as it became a little too thick for my preferences once the wings were tossed in it, but Xavier loved them! Maybe next time we can do something with some spicy BBQ sauce. Mmm...
Stay warm, friends!
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
I love soup. It's easy to throw together and easy to heat up the leftovers. It is comforting on chilly nights, and makes the house smell fantastic.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small bunch of celery leaves, torn into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional, but they provide good flavor)
2 boxes button or baby portabello(portabella?) mushrooms, cut into pieces (I diced mine)
1 box or large can of vegetable stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
Salt
Pepper (I used ground white pepper for this)
12 oz wild rice (I believe I used a blend of sorts)
Water (this will vary)
First off, get a large pot and drizzle some olive oil in it. Once that's heated, toss the carrots, onion, and celery in and get it simmering. Cook until the onions start to become translucent and the carrots seem a little tender or look like they're getting a little browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they start to become softened. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and seasonings. If it isn't covered with liquid, add water. Maintain a simmer, stirring every so often, and checking to make sure there is water covering the vegetables and rice. You don't want it to get too thick. Continue cooking for 35-40 minutes, maybe longer, depending on the temperature and frequency of stirring. Taste the rice after 30 or 35 minutes to check for tenderness. You don't want it to be mushy, but you also don't want it to stick to your teeth. This is also a good time to adjust seasonings. If you need to cook it longer, go ahead and do so. You can adjust the thickness of the soup to your preference. I like a heartier soup, but some people prefer a more brothy soup. Use your discretion. Enjoy warm with a nice piece of bread.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small bunch of celery leaves, torn into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional, but they provide good flavor)
2 boxes button or baby portabello(portabella?) mushrooms, cut into pieces (I diced mine)
1 box or large can of vegetable stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
Salt
Pepper (I used ground white pepper for this)
12 oz wild rice (I believe I used a blend of sorts)
Water (this will vary)
First off, get a large pot and drizzle some olive oil in it. Once that's heated, toss the carrots, onion, and celery in and get it simmering. Cook until the onions start to become translucent and the carrots seem a little tender or look like they're getting a little browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they start to become softened. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and seasonings. If it isn't covered with liquid, add water. Maintain a simmer, stirring every so often, and checking to make sure there is water covering the vegetables and rice. You don't want it to get too thick. Continue cooking for 35-40 minutes, maybe longer, depending on the temperature and frequency of stirring. Taste the rice after 30 or 35 minutes to check for tenderness. You don't want it to be mushy, but you also don't want it to stick to your teeth. This is also a good time to adjust seasonings. If you need to cook it longer, go ahead and do so. You can adjust the thickness of the soup to your preference. I like a heartier soup, but some people prefer a more brothy soup. Use your discretion. Enjoy warm with a nice piece of bread.
Rilo
As many of you know, we have a new member of our household. Her name is Rilo. She isn't vegan - we just want her to be happy and healthy!
We have wanted a dog for quite some time now, and we had been talking about timing of things (house, kids, dog, etc.) and we started to do some research on different breeds that would be good for our lifestyle. We found Rilo's picture and knew that we had to visit her. We originally were going to wait until the Spring to get a dog, but we are so thankful to have her in our lives. We adopted her from the Aberdeen Humane Society just before Thanksgiving. They didn't have much information about her, but she seemed to be well behaved and mild mannered, so we took a leap of faith. We have been working on some things with her (like how protective she is of our "pack"), but after having her for about a month, we can't imagine life without her.
When we first brought her home, she needed some serious TLC and gentle grooming. I went to work with a scissors and cut a lot of her dreads and matted hair, and we worked on brushing her. We had to wait about a week to bathe her because she had just been spayed and we wanted to get her stitches removed and ensure proper healing before putting her in water. I tried bathing her by myself, which was a total disaster, but when Xavier got home from work, we were able to get the job done.
Thinking about it now, I'm glad we adopted her when we did. The winter months in South Dakota can get to be so dreary and draining, and Rilo does really lift our spirits. I feel so strongly that dogs can have a very positive effect mental health - some doctors even "prescribe" dogs to people with emotional turmoil or instability because they provide an outlet or something else to focus on besides "all of my terrible, awful, horrible problems." I'm not saying that I feel like I have emotional distress, but come Spring semester when I'm getting ready to defend for my Masters Degree, I will probably be very high stress, and it will be good to take Rilo for a run or just snuggle with her.
Xavier and I have had such a blast with our little pup. She is always making us laugh or making our hearts sing. I saw a car magnet a week or so ago and it made me smile - it said "Who Rescued Who?" Perhaps the grammar is a little wonky (I'll have to consult my husband on that), but I just loved the saying.
 |
| My buds on the ride home from Aberdeen. So much to see! It's a big world out there! |
 |
| She eventually settled down during the long ride back to our home. |
 |
| Rilo hates pictures - which typically results in me making goofy faces. |
 |
| Pre-Haircut |
When we first brought her home, she needed some serious TLC and gentle grooming. I went to work with a scissors and cut a lot of her dreads and matted hair, and we worked on brushing her. We had to wait about a week to bathe her because she had just been spayed and we wanted to get her stitches removed and ensure proper healing before putting her in water. I tried bathing her by myself, which was a total disaster, but when Xavier got home from work, we were able to get the job done.
 |
| Those paws!! |
Thinking about it now, I'm glad we adopted her when we did. The winter months in South Dakota can get to be so dreary and draining, and Rilo does really lift our spirits. I feel so strongly that dogs can have a very positive effect mental health - some doctors even "prescribe" dogs to people with emotional turmoil or instability because they provide an outlet or something else to focus on besides "all of my terrible, awful, horrible problems." I'm not saying that I feel like I have emotional distress, but come Spring semester when I'm getting ready to defend for my Masters Degree, I will probably be very high stress, and it will be good to take Rilo for a run or just snuggle with her.
 |
| We weren't going to allow her on the furniture, but we caved (only if we have a blanket for her to lay on). |
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| Bedtime Stories. |
Xavier and I have had such a blast with our little pup. She is always making us laugh or making our hearts sing. I saw a car magnet a week or so ago and it made me smile - it said "Who Rescued Who?" Perhaps the grammar is a little wonky (I'll have to consult my husband on that), but I just loved the saying.
 |
| "Ruff" Life. |
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