Grocery Outlet + Vegans = Love!

I was in the neighborhood of a Grocery Outlet yesterday, and I just couldn't not go in. It's always like an adventure, a vegan treasure hunt if you will.

Chicory root beverage, Udon noodles, Heinz vegetarian baked beans,Ritter bar,Chia pods, pineapple,baked tofu

If you look closely, you can see Scrappy's paws. She was dying to get to that pineapple, even though I bought two, and left one on the floor to be chewed on. Cats! They had Udon noodles for ninety-nine cents! And they are vegan, and organic! On of the reasons I don't buy Udon noodles that often is the price. They're usually double the price of rice noodles. And the chia pods were also only ninety nine cents! I got blueberry and mango. The Caf-Lib stuff is a coffee substitute, made out of roasted chicory, and barley. I found this jar for only ninety nine cents! I'm sensing a theme here! Anyway, I made a cup when I got home, and consider my mind blown! I've heard of people drinking Dandy Blend, but I've never been able to find it. I used to have a serious coffee addiction. Like well over two pots a day. In between coffee I would sip on Red Bull. I gag thinking about it. I really miss coffee, and though I still treat myself every now and again, I don't keep it in my home, and I haven't owned a coffee pot in years. But, sometimes I miss the rich bold taste of coffee, and yerba mate will never fill that void! This Caf-Lib sure will! It was love at first sip. It's like coffee without the harsh caffeine, and also without that bitter aftertaste of coffee. I am obsessed, and I plan on going back to Grocery Outlet to buy many more jars of this stuff. It's a game changer. If you love coffee and want to cut down, I seriously recommend looking into roasted chicory beverages. And you know how instant coffee has that GRODY instant taste? This does not. It's everything.

Califia Farms is making lemonade now!  They have this Meyer lemonade, and also a lime ginger which sounds great too. They are also making their vegan coffee beverages in single serve bottles, which means competition for Starbucks! Woot woot! This lemonade is really tasty. It has that sweet and pucker taste that I find essential in a good lemonade.
I decided to try my hand yet again at making Eggplant Parmesan. I have struggled with making this dish for my whole life. I haven't had it since going vegan, and every time I attempt it it is a disaster. Like completely inedible. This time, I salted the slices first to pull out the bitterness, and I have to admit it helped. It is totally worth the extra step and time. I also used the batter technique for my favorite recipe maybe ever, General Tso's Cauliflower. I baked the slices alone for twenty minutes or so, and then assembled the casserole and finished baking. I can't believe it, I liked it, I really liked it! The eggplant was cooked, and it was not a greasy mess! It was delicious! I made a cashew cheese sauce, and drizzled it with a little leftover pesto when it came out of the oven.

It was actually really easy to make, and it was so delicious! I really felt like I did something nice for myself. In  the past, I've always tried to kind of fry the eggplant slices in some olive oil, and I always feel like the eggplant sucks up all the oil, and it just becomes a greasy mess. Other times when I've tried to bake the slices, I've dipped the slices in plant milk, and then Panko, and the breading doesn't stick, the eggplant don't cook, and it's just an ungreasy mess. But using a flour/water mixture then Panko seems to be the key to making oil free eggplant slices.
Finally, I'll leave you with an Angelic shot of Kanye. Like her namesake, she can be difficult, so this picture is a rare moment. She also wanted me to remind everyone that she is named after Kanye West, not Kanye Kardashian!

Very alert!

Happy Sunday!