Aloo and Aloha

 I mentioned Wil Yeung's amazing YouTube channel last week. He is a photographer and he makes the most incredible vegan food! His videos are to the point, and beautiful. I want to make everything! 

Yesterday I made vegan Aloo curry potatoes! This was really easy to make, but it felt fancier than my usual curry dishes, and it felt like a treat since it's something I've never made. It's creamy, spicy, a little sweet and so, so, so AMAZING! Here is the recipe!

 

 

I've only seen this kombucha sold at Winco and Natural Grocers. Which is strange because it's brewed right here in SLC, so you'd think it would be everywhere. Anyway, I tried the Aloha flavor, and it tastes like Willy Wonka bottle caps candy!! This is an eleven out of ten, will most definitely buy again!!

Twenty Bucks at Winco

 Yesterday I needed a few things but didn't have it in me to take the bus to any of my usual haunts. Since I can easily walk to and from Winco, I decided to pick up a few essentials to tide me over till I can drag myself to Sprouts or Trader Joe's. 

I didn't want to spend too much, because I want to get lots of fruit and veg wherever I decide to go next week, (Winco's produce quality isn't the best) so I challenged myself to spend no more than twenty dollars. I spent eighteen and some change. Not too shabby!

Garlic, avocado,celery, ginger, 2 apples, onion, grapes, bulk rice and split peas, green onion, Italian Ice, hummus, tofu, Yukon gold potatoes, lemons, oatmilk, strawberry lemonade

I recently found some almond butter on clearance, and I couldn't resist such a bougie ingredient for under two dollars! The only problem is that I don't really love almond butter. So, last night I used it in place of peanut butter for a spicy tofu veggie bowl with almond butter sauce! I definitely see lots of these kind of sauces in my future!!

Chickpeas and Crumbles

 I've been finding new cooking and food channels on YouTube. Some vegan, some just very vegan friendly. I recently discovered a channel called Delish, and I watched series on chickpeas, specifically called 19 shocking chickpea recipes!! I got some great ideas and was reminded of Kung Pao chickpeas which I haven't made in awhile!

 

The delicious Kung Pao sauce really clings and coats to the chickpeas, so it's really flavorful. It also comes together really quickly, and of course chickpeas are friendly on the old budget. 

 

I've passed this by so  many times at Winco, because other than their tempeh, Tofurky is a pretty gluten-y company. So I always assumed it was made of seitan like their slices, but it's made from tempeh! You know what they say about assuming!

I'm excited to try them, and I definitely want to do something other than tacos! I was thinking of maybe trying to make some Kebobs, or maybe Bulgogi. I haven't decided, but I definitely feel like trying something new!

Have you used these crumbles?

Oodles of Noodles!

 Last week I made the best ramen I've ever made or eaten. It's a peanut satay ramen, and it tasted and felt fancy, but was actually very easy to make. 

The broth is rich and peanut-y, and it's a little sweet, a little salty and a little spicy. So, so good!

I found the recipe for this dish on a new to me YouTube channel that I have become obsessed with. His name is Will Yeung, and he's a photographer and an amazing vegan chef! He makes recipes that really speak to me, and they're easy to follow. He also gets right to the point, which I really love and appreciate. Sometimes I just want the recipe! Here is his amazing channel, I really hope you check it out! 

This picture does not do the dish justice, but last night I used his recipe for these amazing Singapore noodles! I swapped the bell peppers for carrots and added some chili crunch oil on top. Really, really great! 

He also makes a lot of recipes for one serving, which I really appreciate. I don't always love making recipes for four or six people, because I don't love eating the same thing for days. Although a lot of his recipes I really wouldn't mind living on!

Sunday Finest!

 I found a new to me flavor of kombucha the other day. I always love finding a new flavor or brand!

It tastes like a booch-y root beer! I enjoyed it, but I like the Live root beer probiotic soda a little better. Still delicious, and I really appreciate all the seasonal flavors they come out with!

I organized my freezer the other day and found some Impossible ground I found on sale awhile back. I didn't want to make the usual tacos, so I decided to try to make meatballs! I didn't even use any breadcrumbs or egg replacer. Just the impossible and some seasonings and nooch. I baked them first, and then simmered them in marinara. Tossed with some gluten free pasta, this was really tasty!

I got this a few weeks ago at Whole Foods, and just WOW! This might be my new favorite chocolate! The oatmeal cookie dough has the perfect amount of cinnamon, and the sweetness of the cookie dough helps with the bitterness of the chocolate. Ten out of ten!

Who needs books when you have cats?

It's hard enough keeping things dust free around here, and my bookshelf is no exception. It's one of Joan's favorite hanging out spots!!!

 

Thursday Things

 Yesterday I was downtown so I ran in to Harmon's, which is a local grocery store that makes Whole Foods look like Aldi. They are very vegan friendly though, and they get lots of the super expensive specialty vegan stuff. Stuff that sometimes is too bougie for even Sprouts or Natural Grocers. I rarely buy anything, but I like to see what's new and totally out of my reach!

They now sell Impossible ground, and the deli department is using it for their house made takeout meals! Insane pricing, but then again I'm not their target consumer. 

Even though it's crazy expensive, I'm sure the non vegan takeout meals are just as expensive, and it's really cool that they are embracing vegan alternatives and using them. 

Harmon's did have Kevita kombucha on sale so I grabbed a citrus flavor. Citrus is hard to find, and it's so good. Like a booch-y sprite.

Last night I made spicy sweet potato mac and cheese! I just blended a sweet potato with some cashews, salt, pepper and nooch, and then added that back to the pot with my cooked pasta, black beans, green chili and some Miyoko's shredded pepperjack. I also stirred in some cholula and topped my bowl with green dragon sauce. Creamy, spicy and delicious!

Scenes from my couch!

SorBabes Bars!

 

I just randomly found these the other day, and when I tell you it's the best ice cream treat I've ever had, I mean it. 

I first tried the lemon strawberry crunch, and I almost cried it was so good! The strawberry sorbet is sweet but not too sweet, and halfway through there's strawberry jam which is so good, and then the outer layer is lemon which tastes like the best lemon bar/icing you've ever had, with little crunchy quinoa pieces. 

I loved the lemon so much I had to go back for another box, and I decided to try the wildberry crisp to see if it could even come close to the lemony goodness. Much to my surprise, it is just as tasty! The berry sorbet is creamy, the jam is jammy and the outer crisp is dark chocolate with the same quinoa crunchies. 

These are all the tens in the world out of ten. The lemon strawberry is my favorite because I love lemon, but the wildberry crunch is really just as good!

 

Some Food I've Been Eating!

 I am now the proud owner of an immersion blender! I love making creamy, blended soups and it's just so much easier to use a hand held blender.

Curried cauliflower and potato soup!

I used the Thai yellow curry paste I found at the Asian market for this soup. I also added in a handful of cashews and some coconut milk while blending. And I drizzled it with some chili crunch oil. Delicious!

Green dragon sauce makes everything better!

I found some quinoa flour tortillas at Whole Foods that are a decent price so I had to try them! I made some quesadillas with refried beans and cashew queso. The tortillas taste great and are pretty pliable, although they did crack a bit when I folded them. Still really tasty and I will definitely buy again. I love quesadillas!

Potatoes!!

Yesterday I had some roasted potatoes for breakfast. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and some BBQ spice. Always one of my favorite breakfasts!

Mind Blowing!

Treeline is my favorite vegan cream cheese, especially the garlic chive flavor. But this is definitely nipping at Treeline's heals! It tastes like one of those holiday cheese spreads. And the texture is spot on too! Ten out of ten!

These were on a last chance sale so I had to try them. I love the texture of cassava chips! The texture is great, light and crispy, but the bag says lightly seasoned and they weren't joking. The BBQ flavor is nice, but very faint. Tasty, but you can tell it's a healthier chip.

New Thangs!

 I've discovered that Smith's not only has clearance sections and WoHoo sales on food, but you can find awesome WooHoo sales upstairs in the kitchen and bath section. I've found a few great deals recently, and yesterday I found an adorable bowl and plate that were both on clearance, with an extra thirty percent off. So I paid a little over a dollar for each. Almost thrift store prices!

While I was in the area I popped into Whole Foods for a few things. I really wanted to go to Sprouts, but in this heat walking those extra blocks wasn't worth it. 

Yellow and red plums, cassava chips,potatoes,sweet potato, nectarine, pear, grapefruit kombucha, fruit freezeies, gold kiwi, Miyoko's aged smoked cheese, chickpea pasta,rice paper wraps, macadamia creamer,romaine, method cleaner, quinoa flour wraps,cilantro, carrot,coconut milk, gochujang, chili crunch, tom yum paste

Look what I made last night! I finally succeeded in making salad rolls! These have baked tofu, romaine, cilantro and shredded carrot. I saw someone make these in a video, and she only added tofu and veggies, no noodles. She made it look so easy I decided to try her method and it worked! These were delicious, and I can't wait to make them all the time with all kinds of different veggies!

Simple Truth Vegan Mayo!

Simple Truth is Kroger/Fred Meyer/Smith's and Ralph's house organic brand. They've always been pretty vegan friendly, but lately they've really embraced vegan or plant based products. They have vegan deli slices, sausages, burgers, plus various condiments.

I used the last of my veganaise last week, so I decided to give the Simple Truth a try. It was on sale for $2.49, but I think it's regularly $2.69, so it's pretty budget friendly.

It's made with canola oil and pea protein, plus the usual vinegar, lemon juice etc. The ingredients aren't too funky.

I got a gorgeous tomato this weekend, so yesterday for breakfast I had a tomato sandwich and I tried some of the mayo. It's got a great texture, very mayo-y, and the taste is pretty on par with other vegan mayo. I would say it reminds me most of the Hellman's vegan mayo. I will definitely buy this again, you really can't beat the price, and it really does taste great!

I sent Banza a little email telling them how much I loved their pasta. They sent me this really nice canvas tote in response! Canvas totes are the best because they're washable, durable, you can really load them up with groceries, and most importantly they don't dig into your shoulders. Very important when you're a pedestrian!

Tea Time

Giving up my daily coffee habit is one of the best decisions I've made for my health. I used to really abuse caffeine, I'm talking one or two whole pots a day, plus several red bulls. Yikes and Yuk. Many years ago I switched from coffee to green tea and yerba mate. Both still have caffeine, but much less and I don't abuse either.

When the pandemic hit, between stress, sluggishness and depression I started having coffee more and more, until I was having it daily, sometimes more than one cup. So, I've replaced regular coffee with decaf so I can still have my iced cold brew latte, just minus the caffeine, and I've restocked green tea and yerba mate. I found some yerba mate on close out at Smith's, so the universe seems to support my choice!

Cashew milk, kale, instant gravy, kombucha, matcha, sporttea,yerba mate, rice ramen, mint yerba mate, cilantro, green onion, zucchini, jalapeno, grape popsicles, nag champa, coconut water

I feel like a walking zombie. I'm not getting the horrible caffeine headaches because I'm still taking in caffeine, but since it's so reduced I'm definitely in a fog!

Last night for dinner I  made ramen! I used brown rice ramen noodles, and added mushroom, kale, cabbage, garlic and baked tofu. I seasoned the broth with tamari, mushroom powder and some of the chicken-less seasoning from Trader Joe's. This definitely hit the spot!

GT's is not my favorite kombucha. I remember when it was pretty much the only choice, but now there are so many better options! But I am a sucker for pineapple, and it was on sale. Hands down the best GT's booch I've tried. Nice pineapple flavor and the least vinegar-y. Eleven out of ten!!