Dunkin'

I just bottled up my kombucha and put it in refrigerator to chill and then it's ready to drink! I'm so excited to be back into brewing! There are so many different brands and flavors in Seattle, I'm sure I'll still buy a bottle every now and again, but I will save so much money by brewing my own!
I had some leftover lentil, tomato, potato soup so I heated that up and made a delicious grilled cheese with some Chao. It makes the best grilled cheese ever. I really think it's the coconut oil that gives it a similar fattiness of dairy cheese. You know how daiya melts, but gets a little runny? Trader Joe's vegan shreds get really liquid-y if it gets too hot. Chao really melts, but stays thick and robust. I'm sorry, I don't have the perfect food critic wording, but it stays intact, but melted is what I'm trying to say! It's been too long since I've had soup and grilled cheese. That combo really reminds me of my grandma. Anyway, it was a comforting meal on yet another grey rainy day!

What I love about soup is for the most part you can throw odds and ends of things together, and if you use the right spices come out with pretty good results. For this soup I had the tail end of a tube of tomato paste in the back of my fridge that needed using, two potatoes that needed attention ASAP, half an onion, and some lentils. I got four servings of this soup, and it was under two dollars to make. There is a reason why lentil soup has been my go to for years!

It's fuzzy wuzzy as most of my pictures,(sigh) but still, look at that melt! It looks so much like dairy cheese, and tastes so good I just can't imagine why people still feel the need for dairy cheese! Maybe it's my inner child, but I am a fan of meals where dunking is involved!

I had a few of these for dessert. I found these at The Grocery Outlet and was pleasantly surprised to see they were vegan! They're those little crunchy oatmeal cookies with icing! They're super cinnamon-y which I think is a must for oatmeal cookies.
I have a tofurky in my fridge that I got a few weeks ago, and I'm going to get a Trader Joe's vegan holiday roast which is the gardein holiday roast repackaged, and today I am going to do a battle of the vegan holiday roasts. I don't have an arsenal of holiday recipes to share, but I want to help anyone who is dealing with the very non vegan friendly holidays coming up. Family dynamics can be enough of a nightmare, and add in being a vegan and it can be overwhelming. Tofurky gets a bad rap, but I've always enjoyed the roast. Fun fact, Dylan loves the tofurky slices, like loves them hard, but he won't go near a little piece of the roast. Cats.
For some reason last winter living in the snow belt made me really crave stuffing. I made stuffing usually one day a week for dinner. Please don't judge! I don't know what it is, but it made me feel better while dealing with the worst winter ever. So, I will be making stuffing, and roasted Brussels sprouts to go with my roast battle. I'm excited for my own taste buds of course, but I'm also excited to maybe help someone out. I feel like we can introduce delicious vegan food to some non vegans, and it could change some people's perceptions. We can talk about animal rights till the sun comes up, and we can judge, and show graphic footage, on and on, but I'm convinced that for a huge majority of people if we hit them in the taste buds, we just might be able to save some animals.
I also plan on coming up with some fun stuff to do with the leftovers. I have a puff pastry in my freezer, so I'm already thinking vegan turkey pot pie! But I'm getting so ahead of myself here. Right now I'm going to go visit my boyfriend for a vegan holiday roast, and some Brussels sprouts! Check me out tomorrow for the results of the cook-off!