Clearing Out and Trying New Things

 The condiment section of my fridge has gotten a bit out of control. I'm trying to go through the various sauces and dressings to use them before they go bad. I'm a sucker for a sauce, especially on sale!

I found this on sale awhile ago, and I don't love it. It's okay, but I'm not reaching for it all the time. The other day I wanted to make a noodle dish, and I decided to make some kimchi slaw to go on the side.

I just tossed the noodles in some garlic chili oil, added some baked tofu and had the slaw on the side. I probably won't buy the mayo again, but it's fun to try new things!

Awhile ago I was watching someone make pizza, and their crust had such a crunch that mine never gets. I noticed they were using bread flour so I picked up a bag and made this roasted garlic and broccoli pizza. What a difference the bread flour made! The crust had a nice crunchy outside, but it was still soft on the inside. I don't think I'll ever go back to all purpose again! Apparently bread flour has more protein than all purpose, so I think if I ever decide to try the Tik Tok washed flour seitan, I'll try with bread flour. 

This pizza was so good, I really should have tried to get a better picture, but my nerves were frazzled from renovation noises plus more handy men having to come in for the never ending drain issues. Yes, that's still happening. 

A few weeks ago I grabbed these as a treat/impulse buy at Sprouts. I wish I could say that I loved them, I really, really wanted to love them but they were just okay. They were very, very sweet. Like sweet is all you taste. It took me three days to eat one, and the other two are in the freezer for a rainy day when I need a serious sugar rush!

Last summer I discovered this peach tree down an alley near my apartment, and the other morning I saw some little baby peaches! I can't wait till they're ripe and falling off the tree. "Millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free!"

Small Whole Foods Haul plus Lentil Sloppy Joe's!

 I've been struggling with my mental health lately, and since I only needed a few groceries to tide me over, I decided to have some Whole Foods groceries delivered again. The order needs to be thirty five dollars or more for free delivery and that fits in my budget window. Could I get more for my buck at Trader Joe's? Of course. But this week it was worth it. 

Garbanzo and black beans, marinara sauce, oranges, potatoes, oatmilk, coleslaw mix, strawberries, kombucha, celery, cilantro, strawberry popsicles, broccoli, taco seasoning, gravy mix, red onion, jalapeno

Last night I made some sloppy lentils. It's basically the sloppy Joe's recipe from Veganomicon with a few changes I make depending on what I have. I didn't have hamburger buns so I used a hoagie roll and topped it with some creamy slaw. Fries on the side of course! I've made these so many times I have the original recipe memorized. It's one of my favorites, leftovers get better and it's so inexpensive and filling. The leftovers are great stuffed in a baked potato!

Happy Weekend!

Rambly, Vegan What I Ate!

 I was cleaning my refrigerator yesterday and and tried to use up a few things that I don't love, so they got shoved to the back and need to be used. That led to me deciding to do a What I Ate post strongly featuring lentils!

I wanted lentil soup for breakfast, and I have this vegan pesto from Sprouts that I don't love, along with half a jar of red sauce, and some frozen gnocchi from Trader Joe's I'm also not crazy about. So, I cooked some lentils, drained them and then simmered them with red sauce, garlic water to thin it out and the gnocchi. When the gnocchi were done I put it in a bowl with nooch and added a dollop of the pesto. For having two things I don't love, this was actually pretty tasty!

Carrot, Orange and ginger juice!

I found these on the clearance rack Tuesday! The carton was banged up so they taped it and marked it way down. The cans inside are fine. I had several of these yesterday!

Afternoon Delight!

I don't love coconut water, but this pineapple flavored coconut water is my choice when I do have it. Sometimes it's just so freaking dry here that I really feel like I'm losing my mind, and sometimes I'll have a coconut water. Not sure if it really helps, but i feel like it does so that's all that matters!

Not in my fridge, but I found this with my spices and had forgotten all about it! I've never had jerk anything, other than dating them. ( I could not resist!!!) I decided to try my hand at jerk marinated tofu for dinner. 

I made a marinade with soy sauce, lime juice, some of the jerk seasoning and garlic. I let it marinade for a couple of hours and baked it till it got that nice chewy texture I love. While the tofu was baking I made a turmeric lentil and coconut rice. This meal was so tasty, and I now can say I love a littler jerk in my food! New flavors and spices are always so fun!

I had a lemonade citrus pop for dessert. These are so freaking good, I love all the flavors, but I really wish they sold only the lemonade! 

Well, it took two more visits from the handy man, but he swears the leak is fixed. So, for now they are still renovating the apartment downstairs but at least they don't have to come in here anymore, for now. 

The Ridiculous Cost of Plant Meats, Flat Water Kefir and the New Pink Sweater!

 

Another Simple Truth find, although this one is terrifying to me. It looks like long worms which I have an unreasonable fear of. I found this right next to the Beyond and Impossible, which are right next to regular beef. I didn't buy it, but there is yet ANOTHER beef substitution out there. My problem with the never ending market of plant meats is the cost. I've started and deleted so many posts talking about this, because I don't want to shame people for having more money, or be a negative Nelly trying to bring plant meats down. But every time I go to Sprouts there is a new plant meat, and each is more expensive than the last. We like to tell ourselves it's great, more choices! Easy accessibility for everyone. Except it isn't. It's easily accessible to those who can afford it. But how much are these helping the animals really? The bottom line is a lot of people are on tight budgets, live paycheck to paycheck like me. Some of these plant meats are a third or more of my weekly budget. And I'm just me, if I have a family, especially hungry teenagers, there's just no way. I actually haven't gotten the protein question in years, when it comes up that I'm vegan the first question is always the cost. "How do I afford it" "Isn't is expensive" "I could never afford to go vegan" and on and on. And of course beans, rice, pasta and potatoes are cheap, but non vegans who have been eating more of the SAD diet are most likely going to want some plant meats for at least the transition. And if you can't afford something there's not much else to say. Sorry to start out my post this way, but I do feel like there isn't enough discussion in this community about the ridiculous cost of these items. 

Remember that weird, too mustard-y cheese sauce I had? Well, I tried some in a baked potato with a little Buffalo sauce and I loved it! The mustard wasn't as strong in a potato for some reason. At least I have a way to use it now!

I'm struggling with my water kefir brewing. I'm having a hard time making it fizzy. After I make the water kefir, I add some juice for flavoring and let it sit for another twenty four to forty eight hours and it's supposed to get fizzy. Mine is flat as flat can be. It's still okay, but it's not what I wanted. I need that fizz! Does anyone have any suggestions? 

This was an impulse buy at Trader Joe's. It's only $1.99 a container, which is a steal for prepackaged hummus! It's really not that spicy, but since I have a high spice tolerance, I had a spice sensitive coworker try it and they agreed, it has a tiny kick but definitely not blow your face off spicy.

Falafel pita with all the fixins including the spicy hummus!

Same meal, just salad form. So good!!

Last week my stomach was a wreck from anxiety so I had to make some coconut red lentil dal. This is what my body craves when I'm really feeling the need for a hug.

I think we have a new pink sweater! I bought some used jeans at a thrift store to make cut offs, and the kittens have voted, the legs stay! They really help me stay on track with reducing, reusing and recycling!!!

Vegan Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Haul

 I have a small Whole Foods and Trader Joe's haul. They're both a bit random. I've had a really hard time focusing for awhile, but especially the past two weeks. I always say I'm not a meal planner, but usually before I shop I at least make a list of things I'm out of, or have some kind of idea of what I'm going to eat. This week I could only think of lemons, toilet paper, paper towels and cat food. Other than that my brain went blank. So I did the best I could, and we'll see what I come up with this week!

Tomato, coconut milk, hummus, fruit bars,frozen falafel, peanut butter, spinach, ciabatta bread, scallion pancake, Jasmine rice, tomato paste, lemons,carrots, blood oranges, garlic

If you guys remember, I tried Beanfields vegan cracklins and really, really hated them. And I love Beanfields chips! I just cannot bring myself to try any other brand but these are a thing, and I've seen a few people on the Gram rave about them!

My Whole Foods haul was delivered to me! Prime is my streaming choice, because I get more bang for my buck because of savings on both Amazon and Whole Foods. And they really helped me out on Wednesday. I needed toilet paper and paper towels in addition to regular food. It's been one hundred plus here already and I've been miserable. So, after perusing Whole Foods on prime, I saw that the 365 brand of tp and pt aren't really much more than what I usually buy at Smith's. If you're a Prime member they will deliver Whole Foods groceries to your door!! No fees other than a five dollar tip which is optional but of course I chose to tip. I would have had to spend $2.50 to take the bus, and believe me the $2.50 extra was worth the savings to my soul to not have to take the bus and not have to walk in the relentless, blazing sun! And I got my groceries an hour and a half after I ordered!!! Honestly, this summer is really unbearable already so next time I might start doing this like once a month or so. It was really, really nice and Whole foods can be affordable if you avoid all the vegan specialty stuff. This week they had tofu on sale of eighty cents!!!

Well, to give an update on the never ending construction saga, Wednesday was the day I couldn't use my shower all day, and the handy man did have to come to my apartment, and he made a very uncomfortable joke about watching me take a shower, but he meant watching the drain below but chose to make it gross and awkward when it didn't need to be. Like don't joke about watching women because that shit happens. And also it's just gross and icky to joke like that. So, Wednesday I was told the leak was fixed, then yesterday was told it still leaking!!!! So who knows who's going to come by this weekend. I wonder if anyone has thought of a plumber, because maybe this is out of the handyman's wheelhouse because this seems to be an issue. But what do I know!

Too Much Mustard, Too Much Dirt and Dust!

 

A lot of times when Sprouts gets in a new product, they will put it on a super introductory sale. Like almost give the stuff away. They get you hooked, and then the next time you go in the product is ten million times more money. Le sigh. This is one of those such items. I got it for I can't remember, but under three dollars. Last week I noticed that it is over ten dollars!! Both for the cost and the flavor I won't be buying this again!

I cooked some medium shells and stirred in some of the sauce. The texture and consistency are both great. The problem is that it's very, very mustard forward. I love mustard, and always add a smidge when I make homemade mac and cheese, but this is too much. I could still eat the mac and cheese, but I regretted not making my own cheese sauce. For the price of this sauce that should not be the feeling one has.

I did dip some crackers in it, which was much better. I think this would be great with pretzels or even a hot pretzel since mustard already pairs nicely. I think I might also try some in a baked potato. 

All in all I give this a four out of ten. It's definitely cheaper to make your own, and there are other, cheaper cheese sauces out there. Simple Truth has a vegan queso that is one of my favorite things ever, and it's under four dollars all the time! I know it isn't made with cashews, but it doesn't need to be. Even if money is no object, I'm sure there are better cheese sauces out there that I haven't tried. Miyoko's makes a roadhouse cheddar dip or something like that, I've had it once and it blew my mind. I think even though it's Miyoko's it's still cheaper than this! 

Thanks for all the well wishes regarding my anxiety over the renovations going on in my building. The handy man has had to barge in here two different days this week, both with about five minutes notice which isn't even really supposed to happen. There's a reason there are certain laws about notice. My landlord just informed me that all day tomorrow I can't use my shower and bath. I asked how long exactly and her answer was "all day" Thanks for clearing that up buddy. I just hope no dirty men in their dusty, dirty boots have to come trampling in here!!! Send good, clean thoughts my way please!!

Vegan Almond Cajun Alfredo

 

Yesterday I made this almond Cajun Alfredo sauce which was kind of an experiment, but it turned out really tasty and I wrote down measurements, so I figured I'd share! I saw a recipe for Cajun soy curls awhile ago, realized I've never had Cajun seasoning that I know of, got stuck down a Cajun wormhole and learned that Cajun Alfredo is a thing!

I used slivered almonds in  this recipe instead of cashews because blanched, slivered almonds are much cheaper than cashews or even whole almonds. Almonds do have a stronger flavor than cashews, but the garlic and Cajun spice cover that nicely. 

 Almond Cajun Alfredo

• 1/3 C. Blanched, Slivered Almonds
• 2/3 plus 1/2 to 3/4 C. Water
• 1 Medium tomato and 3 cloves garlic roasted ( cut the tomato in chunks, peel garlic cloves and pour a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425 for thirty to forty minutes)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

• 2 T. Nutritional Yeast

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. I ended up using the full 2/3 plus 3/4 cups of water, but I would start with the 2/3 and add a little more as needed. 

When you're making your paste, save a little of the paste water and stir that plus the sauce with your paste. This made enough sauce for a little over a half of a pound of spaghetti.

 

I Went Chasing Waterfalls

 

I was brewing my own kombucha for a long time, and all of a sudden one day when I went to bottle my latest batch, I saw all these little gnat looking bugs on my scoby! I looked it up and I think they were white mites. Apparently this is common when brewing booch, although I never had this issue in PA. or Seattle. I got stuck in a white mite scoby wormhole for awhile, and almost everyone said to rince the scoby and keep brewing. I just couldn't do it. the thought of all the mite poop and pee all over the scoby. So, I threw it all away and haven't brewed since. Kombucha is not cheap so I have felt that hit.

Since that happened, I've discovered water kefir and I love it's light, refreshing fizziness. I looked into making your own, and it's a much shorter process, so I'm hoping that means less time for little bugs to find a home. Fingers crossed. I'll be activating the crystals starting today, so hopefully by Thursday or Friday I should have homemade water kefir!! The package says you can use water, coconut water or juice, so I got some mango lemonade to use. Sounds nice and summery, right?

I mentioned that the last couple of weeks have been pretty bad for me mental health wise, so Saturday I went with a friend for a drive through both big and little cottonwood canyons. It was nice to see actual green, and I even saw a waterfall which really surprised me given the dryness of it all. I'm still not happy living in Utah, but it was nice to see some beauty and green. 

I was surprised to see so much snow still on this mountain. It's been so hot already!

Part of a ski resort with a rooftop pool very swanky!

Next time we're going to find a nice trail by the river, and try to find a not very people-y spot to sit by the water. 

I still feel a little shaky, but I do feel better and I hope to be back more this week, a little peppier. We'll see, it's going to be a hot, dry week.

Two No's Don't Make a Yes!

 

Well, I tried this No Tuna salad, and at least one word is correct. No. Remember yesterday when I said I never buy this because I think of how easy chickpea salad is? Well, as usual I should have listened to myself. Not only is chickpea salad easy and inexpensive to make, but it is also so much tastier! This is made with very firm tofu, and it has no mayo or mustard or anything with moisture in it. Well, it has tamari but given the lack of flavor I'd say not much. This stuff is DRY!

I want to say it's almost like cream cheese, except it's not at all creamy. It's very crumbly, which makes it difficult and frustrating to make a sandwich!

I did the best I could spreading it on some bread and making a tuna melt. Although I guess it wasn't really a melt because I didn't add cheese. But it was a toasted sandwich.

It's really, really bland. Picture eating plain, uncooked tofu with a little tamari and a little seaweed. I know there are people who eat plain tofu, so maybe this is for them, but this is a no from me dawg.On a sandwich, with tomato that I salted and peppered, and some sprouts it was better. I also dipped the sandwich in yellow mustard which added flavor and moisture. I will finish this container, but I definitely do not recommend and I will never buy this again.

Honestly, I don't even see this as a convenience item. If you were trying to eat this in a car, or a break room it would be so stressful because it is so crumbly. You'd have to vacuum your car after eating. 

Do you guys remember awhile ago I found a Rojo's vegan pancake sandwich on clearance? I have been scared to try it because it's a pancake with sausage and cheese, and that just doesn't make sense to me. 

The other day I decided to be brave and try it. It was pretty much as I expected, weird. They use Field Roast breakfast links, and I didn't like the texture of the sausage at all, and the cheese added nothing. I couldn't process savory cheese being paired with a sweeter sausage and the sweet pancake. It just was very confusing and unpleasant. I'm glad I got it on clearance. I will say this to be fair, I don't eat breakfast foods. Not even breakfast for dinner. So, I'm probably not going to like many foods like this. I would say if you like breakfast foods, especially Field Roast sausages, you would probably love this.

Helloooo

 So, I've been a little MIA this week. As I mentioned awhile ago, they are renovating two of the apartments in my building. I live in a small, five apartment building so the sound is very close to home. In addition, one of units being renovated is under me, and apparently my bathroom drain leaks in to that apartment, so there has been a plumber coming in and out of my apartment, and some other guy is going to fix the grout or caulk or something in my bathtub sometime. Then, I started having internet issues and dealing with Comcast never ends well for my mental health. I really try to be nice to customer service workers, but I have definitely cussed out a few Comcast employees. I always feel bad, but man they are the actual worst!!All this to say I've been a mess. I've learned how to function with my depression, I know when I need to really take a break and when I need to force myself. But anxiety is newer to me, and I haven't learned how to function. I just have a constant fast heartbeat and feeling well, anxious. It's taking a toll on me, and it makes me so tired!

At least Sprouts has made my week easier. I haven't been eating junk, but I've definitely been eating a lot of freezer and pantry meals because between the noise and the extreme heat I just haven't been doing proper grocery shops. I was just thinking yesterday that I need some fresh produce in my life, and here comes a little coupon from Sprouts for five dollars off if you spend twenty dollars on produce!! Thanks Sprouts, I needed the lift!

Bananas, lemons, sliced sourdough, strawberries, baked tofu, no tuna salad, chocolate, broccoli sprouts, tofu, onion, garlic, potatoes, coconut milk, green onion, green tea, Asian salad mix, kombucha, spinach, cilantro

 

I was hoping to get nectarines, but it's still a bit early in the season and they were super expensive and also rock ass hard. Soon nectarines, very soon!

I swear I have looked at this a million and one times. I think about getting it, then I think about how easy and simple chickpea salad is and put it back. But since I had that coupon and was very careful with my choices I decided to give this a try. Today I'm going to make an epic "tuna" melt on sourdough with broccoli sprouts and some juicy tomato. I will definitely report back!

I love these whatever they are flowers! They remind me of giant dandelion fluffs! I have a new appreciation for the silent beauty of nature!

Simple Truth Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing!!

 I thought since my last post was a negative product review, why not balance things out with a positive review!

I was at Smith's last week, and I saw that their organic store brand Simple Truth has a vegan blue cheese dressing!! Blue cheese dressing was my all time favorite in my pregan days. I loved the really thick blue cheese, the kind that came in a wide mouth jar because it was so thick. 

Daiya has a blue cheese dressing, and while I do love the taste, it is on the thinner side so it doesn't give me the full experience.

I had one of those days the other day, and I really couldn't be bothered to cook. Luckily I had some frozen morningstar nuggets in my freezer, and of course I needed a dip! 

The first thing I noticed is how thick this is! I mean, I had to really shake the bottle to get some out. So I really love that. And just like the daiya, it somehow really does have that blue cheese flavor, funk and tang! I mean, this stuff is GOOD!! 

As I said in the beginning, I tried this with some basic nuggs. But now I'm dreaming of Buffalo soy curls, and a big iceberg wedge salad! 

The Simple Truth dressings are a little over a dollar cheaper than daiya, and almost two dollars cheaper than Follow Your Heart. I definitely give this a ten out of ten, and I will for sure buy again!

One Bad Egg

 I went to Sprouts bright and early Friday morning, to beat the crowds and the heat. Summer has come in with a bang. It's really not worth showing a haul, because for whatever reason the store was very empty. Especially the produce section, which is the main reason I go to Sprouts!! So, I only got a very small haul. I'll have to pick up more things some other day. 

I did find this on my trip. I've never heard of it, and since it was brand new, they had it on an introductory sale. It's so new they didn't even have a regular price tag on the shelf.

The ingredients seem pretty similar to Just Egg, except that Just uses either mung bean or yellow lentil, and simply uses lupin protein. 

I hadn't eaten yet, so as soon as I got home I cooked some up. I noticed the texture was clunkier than Just, almost more like a chickpea pancake batter. It also took A LOT longer to kind of set up to be scrambled. It was dense and soggy, not fluffy like Just. I did the best I could, and put it on a toasted Dave's English muffin. 

You guys, this is one of the worst things I've bitten into. Taste wise, it's pretty close to Just. They're both pretty mild. But it's the texture. It's soft, almost like soft cheese or a stiff hummus or who cares, it's not the texture I expected or wanted. I took a few bites of this and couldn't eat even half of it. Such a huge NO!!!

Every time I open my fridge this bottle is looking at me, and I couldn't stop thinking that maybe I did something wrong. I mean, this product could not be as bad as this sandwich. The first few chickpea pancakes I made were pretty horrible, now I can make one with my eyes closed. 

So, today I tried to make another batch, cooking it lower and slower. This time they set up faster, but it just formed into one omelette shape and did not want to be scrambled. Instead of little fluffy pieces, you kind of get dense, stodgy pieces.

I cooked it longer than usual hoping to maybe dry it out, and make it less soft but that never happened. it kind of cooks to a certain point and seems to stay that way.

Worst breakfast tacos EVER!!

Several people on the gram commented that this stuff didn't work for them either. I genuinely don't know how this got the okay to send out to market!! I give this a zero out of ten. I would never buy this again, even if it were on clearance. I cringe at the thought of a non vegan trying this and being turned off from any vegan food ever. Please, do yourself a favor and don't try this!!!