The Star of the Show!

I know I just showed this yesterday, but it deserves all the attention, and it was heavily involved in what I ate yesterday!

For breakfast I roasted a Portobello mushroom and had a delicious sandwich on lightly toasted gluten free bread, with clover sprouts, veganaise and zhoug sauce. This was so good I'll probably have the same today!
I also had a celery and pineapple juice. I forgot to take a picture, but we all know what celery juice looks like!

I snacked on some dill pickle popcorn from Trader Joe's. If you love pickles and pickle-y things, you must try this!! It's only around in the summer!

I got some vitamin D and had some hibiscus tea and read some of my book. I really love that my apartment is in the city, but also on a very tree lined dead end street, right next to a school with a huge yard.

For dinner I made a cashew cream sauce and blended in some of the zhoug sauce. I stirred that with some gluten free rotini, and topped it with some white beans I marinated in the zhoug sauce all day. With a little butter lettuce salad on the side. I wish the picture really showed how amazing this was!
I want to make some homemade falafel this week, and use the zhoug as a dipping sauce, maybe even make a zhoug hummus?

This was the latest scene from the couch cuddle sessions. Never change girls, never change!!

Trader Joe's Haul!

It's been awhile since I've braved Trader Joe's. Even though they limit the number of people allowed in the store, it still stresses me out. It's like people are still meandering and clogging the aisles, but also in a rush. It's a weird energy and I just don't love it. But, yesterday I was pleasantly surprised, I was breezed right in, and there were very few shoppers. I had lucky timing, because when I left there was a pretty long line to get in!

Ginger, butter lettuce, romaine, celery, frozen pineapple,lemons,russet potatoes,black beans,water kefir,onion, garlic,tofu sour gummies,sweet potato,dill pickle popcorn, fruit frenzy bars,sunflower butter cups,zhoug sauce,carrots,portobello mushrooms, blood oranges

I went shopping on an empty stomach, so I impulse bought these to eat while waiting for the bus home. They're made with dates and nuts or seeds. They remind me of stuff you eat while camping or hiking. I would definitely take some of these on another road trip.

The star of the haul is this sauce!! I've wanted to try this for so long, and for one reason or another never do. I finally grabbed some yesterday, and I'm so glad I did! It's spicy, and herb-y and just really fresh. Like a pesto, but made with jalapenos and cilantro!

Last night I made some herb-y roasted potatoes, some nooch-y, herb-y soy curls, and a little butter leaf salad. The sauce is zhoug sauce mixed with a little veganaise. Really delicious. I'm dreaming about all the ways to use that delicious sauce!

Dinner and Dessert

This was my delicious, kind of thrown together dinner last night. I had rehydrated some soy curls, and decided to marinate them in some Korean BBQ sauce/marinade. I sauteed the soy curls in a pan until they got a little golden, then tossed in some cooked rice noodles, and a sauce I made with black bean sauce, hoisin and some sambal oelek. Served with some romaine tossed in a sesame dressing. So simple and tasty!

About a month or so ago, I found these oatmilk bars at Target. They have raspberry and mint. I bought them both, but lost that picture and the box is gone. It looks just like this except green.
I'm a fan of Chloe's fruit pops, especially the mango, so I figured I would LOVE these. Boy, was I wrong!

They aren't bad, but they also aren't great. They lack flavor.  I thought for sure the raspberry would be my favorite, but it's just so dull. It needs more raspberries, or maybe some lemon juice, or more chocolate chips, just something! The mint was a bit better just because mint is a stronger flavor, but it was still dull. The texture is pretty nice and creamy, but man I can't get past the dull flavor. Five out of ten, will not buy again. Maybe the mint if it's on clearance!

Some Soothing Meals

Years ago, way back when I lived in PA., I came across a recipe for a sunflower seed "tuna" salad. It used raw, unsalted sunflower seeds that you soaked overnight. Then, you pulsed them in a food processor to kind of shred them so they resembled tuna. I remember loving it, and I was shocked that sunflower seeds could be used this way. I tried to find that exact recipe, and I couldn't so I kind of just made my own recipe.

I just used the usual no tuna salad ingredients. Vegan mayo, red onion, pickle, salt and pepper and also a little old bay.

I've been enjoying the salad on lightly toasted gluten free bread with clover sprouts. So tasty!

I was feeling a little blah the day after my road trip from all the snacks and junky food. I knew I wanted lentils for dinner, so I made a curry, peanut-y lentil and soy curl stew. So satisfying and very soothing on my stomach.
I was watching a What I Eat in a Day video starring Padma Lakshmi, and she said when she gets home from  day tasting all those rich foods on Top Chef, all she wants for dinner is lentils and rice!!

Last night I had to have baked tofu with some romaine, rice and spicy peanut sauce. Always makes my stomach happy!!

Road Trippen'

Saturday I went on an impromptu road trip to Dinosaur Colorado! It's a very small town, and apparently the town is full of dinosaur bones, and some mountains are shaped like dinosaurs!! I didn't see any of that, but I love road trips so it was still a fun day. I want to go back sometime and do some real exploring. Who didn't love learning about dinosaurs as a kid?
Since it was unplanned, I didn't have food made for the trip. I tried stopping at a Whole Foods to get some kind of ready to eat food so I could avoid fast food, but since Covid most groceries have really cut back on stuff like that. The few vegan offerings were really expensive, and not gluten free. I did find some Kite Hill French onion dip on sale for $2.50, so I scooped that up with some mini rice cakes for snacking.

You guys, this stuff blew my mind!! My non vegan traveling companion loved it too!! It has a really deep, onion-y savory flavor. Delicious!!! I will definitely be buying this again, with some Ruffles plain chips for dipping!!!

I also found this Dunkin Donuts cold brew coffee. It's caramel flavored black coffee. You guys, I don't know how they did it but it tastes like it has cream or milk in it. It's so smooth, and just the right amount of sweet. On the way back I stopped at the gas station where I found this for two more. I've never seen them anywhere else. Now I know why I've always heard good things about their coffee!!

The drive was very, very rural, so not a lot of options for food. I decided to try the Impossible Whopper, since I've never had it. We stopped in a tiny, super old fashioned town called Duchesne Utah. I was surprised and impressed that the Impossible Whopper was offered at this location! I just ordered it with no mayo or cheese, and no bun because alas, gluten. This was really good, although I wish they had whole pieces of lettuce as more of a wrap. I am uncomfortable with shared grill space, and also eating at restaurants in general, especially during a pandemic, but sometimes you have to let some of those things go when there are no other options. All that aside, this is a delicious option for vegans and non vegans alike!

We stopped at a viewing area. The water was almost green, but you can't really tell from the pictures. There were people on the water, and also people camping. 
I love road trips so much!! I know people think I'm weird for preferring greyhound bus trips over flying, but I just do. I love seeing parts of the country I would never see otherwise. And I find it soothing to my soul. I guess in my heart I'm a ramblin man!

Vegan Sprouts Haul!

I went to Sprouts for some groceries Friday morning. I was feeling testy for some reason, and I felt like Trader Joe's would just be too much. Sprouts is very peaceful early weekday mornings. And it's getting to be that time of year in SLC where being out past eleven AM is so scorching hot it's unbearable. Well, unbearable if you aren't a Utah native.
Also, you really can't beat their prices on produce. Sometimes they're almost giving it away!

These are three clearance items I scored. The unrefined, organic coconut oil was $1.99!!! I would have gotten more, but it was the last one. And finding Califia Farms creamer on clearance is a huge score! The avocado crisps are TERRIBLE!! Like sawdust in both testure and flavor. Even on clearance, I feel totally cheated!!!

Coconut milk, tomato, raspberries, fresh salad rolls, kombucha, mango, apple,celery, cilantro,lemons,lime popsicles, tofu, lemongrass ginger tea, gluten free bread

I realized as I was taking this picture that this is a very green haul! It makes me feel so healthy, Ha!

Bubba has discovered the joy of catnip!! It's so funny to watch him play and roll around with it! I give them all catnip hoping that one of these dayss they'll all play together. Right now they all kind of awkwardly watch him play, and he does the same!!! Kind of like middle school!

Simple Truth Vegan Alfredo is.... AMAZING!!!!!!

 Simple truth is Kroger/Smith's/Fred Meyer's house brand of organic products, including food and cleaning supplies.. They have quite a few vegan offerings, including tofurky like sausages and deli meats.
I found a Simple Truth vegan Bolognese sauce a few weeks ago, and then last week I found a vegan Alfredo!
The sauces are under three dollars which for vegan and organic is a great deal! I remember trying the Victoria Vegan Alfredo and it was horrible, and seven dollars a jar!! Ouch!

The sauce is vegan, and gluten free. It's made with unsweetened soy milk and soy, which I assume might be silken tofu? Not sure, but it isn't too high in calories or fat.

I made some gluten free spaghetti, and added some baked tofu for protein and some of the sauce. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement!! The sauce is rich and thick, and somehow has that kind of rich, fatty taste. It coated the noodles perfectly!! I enjoyed this mean tremendously! It did need a little dash of salt, and of course lots of black pepper, but that's it. I also added a little extra nooch, although it does have nooch in the sauce.
I really, really enjoyed this sauce. It didn't have that bean-y aftertaste that sauce made out of soy can have. It just tasted like a rich Alfredo.
I would serve this to non vegans very comfortably. I don't even know if they would be able to tell! Especially with a little vegan parm on top!!
Ten out of ten I will buy again, and I highly recommend!!!

If you notice, almost all of the cuddle pictures I post include Kiki! She knows how to get, or force the best cuddles!!!

Thursday Stuff!

                                    
If you have two minutes and fifty seconds, please listen to this beautiful, heart wrenching song. I've listened to it several times already, and it gets me every time. As beautiful as this piece of art is, I hope that a song like this never has to be made again.

I've made a million and one red lentil curries, but I've never made a lentil Dal. I came across this recipe last week, and it sounded so tasty I knew it was time to expand my horizons! I left out the mustard seed and curry leaves because I didn't have those items, and I halved everything because although I love leftovers, I don't like a ton of leftovers. Anyway, this was so freaking easy and tasty. I love green lentils of course, but nothing beats a red lentil for any kind of soup or stew.

Here's a budget tip, if you live near a Winco and love beyond burgers, look at this, under four dollars, what? Even for Winco that's super cheap!!! And they have the sausages for six something, which usually they are around eight dollars at Winco!!

What I Ate on a Gloomy Tuesday

Before I do my What I Ate post, I wanted to say it's a wonderful day because Quaker has finally decided to discontinue Aunt Jemima. They say it's never too late to do the right thing, but damn it's sad that it's taken all this time for them to figure this out. Honestly, I don't buy breakfast stuff, so I assumed this brand was gone a long time ago. I can remember being a kid and my mom losing her mind over the fact that this was a thing. This is just one of too many examples of why we need to DO BETTER!

I always start my day with lemon water. And lately I've been making and enjoying cold brew coffee. Caffeine isn't really recommended for people with hypothyroidism, but I feel most days I need a little help. I use half regular coffee, and half teecino which is an herbal, caffeine free alternative. Compromise, right?

I've been really loving veggie sandwiches for breakfast. This has hummus, avocado, clover sprouts, cucumber and pickle. Oh, and a little yellow mustard. So, so good!!!

This is another decent gluten free bread. The seeds and grain is my favorite, because it has a lot of pumpkin and sunflower seeds which add a nice crunch, and distract from the lack of gluten.

Orange, carrot ginger juice!

Home brewed kombucha! Mango lemonade!

Yesterday was a grey, cool and dreary day. My mood matched the weather, so that usually means mashed potatoes for me! I used Oatly and a little pat of Miyoko's amazing vegan butter. These were some dreamy, creamy mashed potatoes. Can't wait to have leftovers for breakfast!

I've mentioned a million times I don't have gravy making skills, so I always use this packet. It's really, really delicious, and the ingredients don't terrify me! I like to mix in some cooked lentils because lentils!

Can you handle the cuteness?? Look at Afro's paws around Kiki, she's totally cuddling her!!! No matter how funky I feel, these guys always cheer me up!!!

So Much Catching Up!

I was at Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago, and spied these. They're made with cashews and coconut, and are around three something a package. I didn't pick them up during that trip, but I'm sure I will eventually try them.

I did get these to try. I already was a fan of the original spud crunchy things, and adding ketchup flavor makes them even better! I highly recommend, and definitely will buy again!

I'm always complaining about gluten free everything, in my opinion gluten free anything is always way too expensive, and not good at all. These gluten free sandwich buns are of course not amazing, but they are under five dollars which sadly is a deal, and they aren't too bad. I will definitely buy again. I found them in the freezer section of Smith's.

Ever since the pandemic hit, Natural Grocers has been out of soy curls. I've missed them so much, and luckily they've finally restocked!!

Last night I put some to delicious use. I made spicy hoisin soy curls, with some rice and served it in creamy butter lettuce wraps. Butter lettuce is so tender and flexible, it really makes the best lettuce cups!! I dipped my cups in a spicy peanut sauce. Delicious. Soy curls, don't ever leave me again!!

Hello!

I think I'm ready to come back to regular blogging! I didn't know how long I'd stay away, or when I'd feel like coming back. I've missed the routine. So much of my life is up in the air right now, I feel like I need some grounding.
Before I talk about food, I want to say that Black Lives Matter always. Racism and hate have no place in this world. I hope that the protests coincide with voting numbers. I know getting the racist politicians out won't solve the problem, but it's a start. I have to believe that we can all make a change. No Justice, No Peace.
Now I guess I can talk about some fun new stuff I've found and either tried, or am going to try!

Smith's/Fred Meyer/Kroger has really been stepping up their vegan game and I love it. They have a ton of faux meats like deli slices and sausages that seem to mimic Tofurky, but alas they are full of gluten. I miss tofurky peppered slices so much! But they also have two vegan pasta sauces, a Bolognese sauce and a vegan Alfredo!!! I have both in my pantry! I will definitely be reviewing it soon!

I love Yuba noodles, and really anything by hodo soy, but unfortunately their stuff is a little expensive for me to buy on the regular. I swear I could live on their curried tofu nuggets! I found these on clearance, yay!

I swear I've looked at these in the past and they had milk in them, which never made sense. Where does milk fit in with dill pickles? Well, either I'm crazy, or they changed their recipe, because these are now vegan friendly!! These are now my second favorite chip, after Snyder's of Hanover BBQ, which I can't find anywhere! They are tart, and salty and dill-y. Ten out ten!!!

I got my groceries from Sprouts this week, and they had Oatly coffee creamer on sale, so I decided to see if it's as good as all they hype. It really is. I usually prefer flavored creamers, but this is thick and creamy and really nice.
Sprouts had a new product with the Miyoko's farmhouse cheddar block. I didn't even know this existed! It was the last block, so it was my treat of the week! I haven't tried it yet, because I want to think of the perfect ways to use it!
And lastly these holic sauces. One is a spicy tahini that is total Yum, and the second is a jalapeno sauce. I cannot wait to try that one! I'll probably make some tacos this week and try it out!

I wouldn't say Bubba is part of the gang yet, but we're getting there. I don't know why, but it brings tears of joy to my eye when he's sleeping on the bed with other kitties! July third will be our one year anniversary!!!
I've fallen behind on my blog reading, I just was in a dark hole. So I look forward to catching up over the next few days, I've missed you guys!!!