Chick'n Salad Sandwiches- MoFo Day 12.

I just recently found out that Schneider's Oh Naturel line is now vegan! Can you hear me screaming, singing, rejoicing? The chick'n nuggets were a favorite of mine when I was vegetarian, they taste so close to the real thing it is almost hard to believe. I was really sad when I realized that I could no longer eat them but thanks to a friend I met on the Vegan Forum  I was able to rekindle my love with these little golden nuggets of joy! They are amazing on their own, but since I discovered the awesome yeast free sourdough from Bubby Rose's Bakery  I have been obsessed with sandwiches.

Chick'n salad was the first thing that came to mind. Instead of the traditional mayo base, I used plain soy yogurt for a lower fat version. I have also recently become obsessed with turmeric and find a way to incorporate it in almost every dish so that's why my mixture is a tad on the orange side.

Ingredients:
10 Schneiders Oh Naturel Meatless Chick'n Nuggets (cooked and cooled)
1 stalk celery
1/4 white onion
1 green onion
1/2 single serving size of plain soy yogurt (use 2/3 for a creamier mixture)
1 tsp flax oil
pinch of garlic salt
couple shakes of mustard powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
couple shakes of dried dill
pepper to taste


Cut up the chick'n nuggets into small peices. Mince the celery & onion (you can do larger chunks if you like, I prefer mine to be small). Put veggies in a bowl, add the flax oil, garlic salt, pepper, turmeric, mustard powder and dill. Toss in your chick'n bits, then add the soy yogurt and mix thouroughly. At this point, taste the micture and add any spices you feel it may be missing. Spread onto your favorite bread, toasted if you like.

You could also add dried chopped cranberries or pumpkin seeds to give it a warm, winter flavour!

MoFo Day 11- Shepherds Pie

I spent my morning at the SPCA, hanging out with the kitties. It was a lot of fun, so much fun that it kinda wiped me for the day. I knew I needed some comfort food. Something warm, filling and full of flavour. What better to satisfy those needs than Shepards Pie. I came up with this recipe last year during a very cold Autumn/Winter. I am not a huge fan of potatoes unless they are mashed, garlicy, buttery and a top some veggies & faux meat. I think the mushroom cream sauce is the icing on the cake for this dish. The best part about this dish is it does not require baking, just throw under your broiler to crisp the top and it is ready to serve!

You will need:


Chopping Block
Sharp Knife
Frying Pan
Large Pot
Small Pot
Casserole Dish

Ingredients:

1 pkg Yves Veggie Ground Round
1/2 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 1/4 cup Mixed Vegetables

1/2 cup Mushrom Broth
1/2 cup Rice Milk (Almond or Soy will work as well)
1/2 cube veggie bullion
2-3 tsps cornstarch

6-8 Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 tbsp Earth Balance
1/4 cup Tofutti Cream Cheese
1/3 cup Rice Milk
Garlic Salt to taste



Directions:

In frying pan heat Veggie Ground Round, add taco seasoning with 1/4 cup of water. Heat thoroughly.

Heat mixed vegetables in microwave or on stove top.

In small pot, bring mushroom broth, rice milk and veggie bullion to a gentle boil. Add cornstarch and stir unter thickened. Keep on low heat.

Chop potatoes into quarters. Boil in salt water until soft. Mash potatoes, add margarine, tofutti & rice milk and mix until creamy.

Add mixed vegetables and creamy mushroom broth to the ground round. Pour into casserole pan. Top with potatoes. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Stick under broiler for a few minutes to brown top. Serve and enjoy :)

The BATmelt...MoFo Day 10

I will apologize in advance as I am feeling rather lethargic today and this post will be short.

I love sandwiches. Everything about them is awesome. Bread! Yes, bread...oh so carby and delicious. Mayo! YES freaking please...slather that shit on there. Avocado! Tomato! Cucumbers! Pickles! Cream Cheese! You name it, I want to put it in there. My moto for sandwiches is the more the better. I like a good messy sandwich that you stuff so full things fall out and then you get mini meals. lol. One of my favorite pregan sandwiches is the BLT. Although it is not as complex as I like my sandwiches to be, it is the perfect combination of flavours! I have never been one for lettuce in a sandwich, I feel like it is just filler and really, who wants filler? watery filler. No thanks. Instead of lettuce, I prefer avocado. Creamy, buttery, subtle and delicious. So instead of a BLT, I am more into what I call the BAT, Bacon, Avocado, Tomato. Booyah! what better to enhance a sandwich than cheese and so the BATmelt was born. dundundun.

To start this sandwich right I used an awesome multigrain bread from Bubby Rose's Bakery, lightly toasted with a bit of margarine and Spectrum Light Canola Mayo a cheaper alternative to Veganaiise and also a little more mainstream. I like fatty sandwiches, so I butter and mayo both sides! Next up is Yves Veggie Bacon, I must say I am very impressed with this product, it reminds be more of turkey bacon. Then I add some mozza Daiya shreds and toast for about 30 seconds under the broiler, browning it slightly. Thick slices of avocado are next, followed by thinly sliced beefsteak tomato. Slap those suckers together and BAM! Sammich time. oh oh oh oh. (Sung to the tune of Hammer Time!)

Well ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy my version of a timeless classic. Enjoy :)

Cream of Brocolli Soup. Mofo Day 9

So I am not quite sure what happened, it would seem the last 4-5 days vanished into thin air...Redemption time? Me thinks so. Cream of Brocolli soup has been on my mind for quite some time now. I made a version not too long ago using Rice Dream , it was a little on the sweet side but I kind of liked it. However, I was really craving that super rich, creamy, homemade soup that I grew up with. It was the only way I would eat brocolli as a kid.

I recently got the chance to go to Food Fight in Portland and I picked up some Mimicreme. I have been dying to try it and it just made sense to snatch it up because I don't even know where I would find it here. It is damn good, but super rich. I'm going to share my recipe with you but I would highly suggest halving the creme and using veggie broth otherwise you may not make it through a bowl in one sitting. What better to go with soup than a grilled Daiya & Tofurky sandwich!

You will need:

1-16oz (473mL) Mimicreme
2-3 tbsps vegan margarine
3 large heads brocolli, chopped (no stems)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 package Daiya shreds, I used mozzarella
1-2 cups Rice Dream or Veggie Broth
Turmeric
Mustard powder
Salt
Pepper

In a large pot, melt margine over medium heat, add brocolli, garlic & onion with a little salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat until soft. You can add a bit of water and throw a lid on to speed up the process. I was doing other things and lost track of time but I would guess it was around 10-15 mins. Turn head Pour in Mimicreme, and a bit of veggie broth or Rice Dream, I used 1-2 cups, you can use more for a thinner soup. (Rice Dream adds a subtle sweetness, veggie broth will keep it savory). Throw in your spices. I just sprinkled the turmeric in, probably a 1/2 to 1 tbsp. Go easy on the mustard powder unless you like it really spicy. Add you Daiya and let the soup simmer on low for 10 minutes to let the cheese melt and spices do their thing. The longer you leave it, the more the flavour develops. I like quick easy soups, I would say start to finish it took about 30 mins. The flavour was awesome but was really good the next 2 or 3 days that I ate it. More time=more flavor!

Beacon Hill Park

This isn't a food post but something about the fall always inspires me to get creative in the kitchen. The fresh, crisp, clean smell of dew on the grass, the unsuspecting cold bite in the air...it reminds me of when I was young, coming inside after playing for so long that I could no longer feel my toes, eating warm sandwiches with homemade soup, my mom boiling cinnamon sticks in a pot of water to make the house smell nice.

These are the reasons I love Autumn. Vibrant colors reminisant of the seventies, looking at these photos bring me way back even though I took them moments ago. There is something nostalgic about this season. One of my favorite memories would have to be when I was living in my first apartment, I used to have a friend who would make me these awesome cds filled with funk, jazz, techno and all sorts of crazy beats. I would wander for hours around my neighbourhood, enjoying the scenery, jumping in piles of leaves, dreaming of one day living in the old character homes I passed each day.

xoxo...Momo

Cats & Pattycakes

Cute Cats playing Wing Chun Sticky Hands! @ Yahoo! Video

Day 3 of Mofo with a side of quiche

I must say, I absoultely love Vegan MoFo. Such an awesome concept, I love reading other vegan blogs and am super stoked that I now have 16 followers! I know some of you are probably thinking 16 is not very many but I had under 5 when I first started the blog so it is really exciting to see that other people out there are interested in what I have to say.

Another thing I love about MoFo is the challenge of not only blogging daily, but creating new dishes and trying new recipes I may have otherwise pushed aside or overlooked. On the menu is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Brocolli (why does this word never look like it is spelled correctly) Quiche.

Ever since going vegan I have struggled with recreating dishes containing eggs, be it cookies, cakes, omelets, custards or what have you and because of that I had never even entertained the idea of attempting quiche. It is one of my all time favorite pregan meals and was scared I would never again know the love that is that flaky, buttery, salty pastry filled with a deliciously spongy centre of savory goodness. I was pleasantly surprised with the recipe I used with much guidance from the PPK forumers. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner...I did in fact do that today! To go with it I roasted some beets, (a new found love of mine), along with brussel sprouts (also a new discovery for me) and some yams (a long time favorite)!

I think now that this eggless creation turned out so well, I will attempt a few more dishes I never thought possible. See you all tomorrow.

xoxo.......Momo

What Your Momma Didn't Know...: CSN stores giveaway, perfect for vegan MoFo!

What Your Momma Didn't Know...: CSN stores giveaway, perfect for vegan MoFo!

My Vegan Story

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Vegan MoFo is here!!!

Vegan Mofo is here!! For those of you who don't know what it is all about, it's basically where a whole bunch of vegan bloggers dedicate a whole month to posting as much as possible about vegan food. Neat right? I think so :) I found out about it through  The Post Punk Kitchen and hummed and hawed about participating since I have been pretty bad about updating my blog lately, but after reading all the awesome threads on The PPK Forums , I got really exicted and totally wanted to be a part of it.

This morning we decided to go to Mo:Le for breakfast. It's one of my favorite places to eat since they have vegan food, raw food and regular omni food for the manfriend. My favorite dish used to be the vegan basic scramble but somewhere along the line the portion got really small and the flavour was super bland so I kind of abandonded it for a while, but today was a scramble kind of day. I was hesitant to order it because I have taken quite a liking to my own cooking...I was pleasantly surprised once it arrived in front of me and I took my first bite. It was nothing like the scrambles I make, not better, not worse, but different in a good way! It had a bit of kick which it never had and I am not usually into spicy food but this was all sorts of awesome.

Served with pesto hashbrowns, sourdough toast with a side of peanut butter, a roasted red pepper which I scored from my man's dish (I still don't understand how anyone can hate on a red pepper), garnished with pea shoots, red cabbage and carrots this definitely made my morning. I was so stoked on the comeback of my favorite dish that I made a scramble for dinner! Behold my version of a timeless vegan classic. The Tofu Scramble.

You will need:

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 175g package extra firm tofu, pressed of excess moisture
1/2 avocado
Braggs Liquid Aminos
spice combo: generous sprinkle of turmeric, pinch of garlic salt, a little mustard powder, pepper to taste
Olive Oil or Vegan Margarine

Over medium heat, sautee onion & peppers in oil or margarine until tender. Crumbled in tofu, give 2-3 squirts of Braggs, add your spices, stir and cover for 5-10 minutes. Plate and top with avocado. Yeah, it's that easy! Serve with hashbrowns, veggie bacon, and fresh tomatoes or avocado slices.

I did it! My first MoFo post. :)