Two Cats One Haul

Avocados, pasta sauce,red pepper, kombuchax3,almond yogurt,English cucumber,Valencia oranges,lemon,guacamole,iceberg lettuce,salsa,bean thread noodles,gluten free pasta, green onions,cilantro

I made it to the grocery to pick up a few more things to get me through the week. It's so weird seeing the lettuce and bagged salad sections everywhere looking so bare. Last week I had butter lettuce which I opened and use half the bag, and the very next day it had gone slimy which never happens so I decided until this is all sorted out I'll avoid bagged salads. I swear I need to have a garden! Oh, and Blake, if you're reading this picture is for you! My sandal and Afro make a cameo! The sandal is one of her favorite pillows for some reason.

Rice, mayacoba beans, iceberg lettuce, cilantro, green onion, salsa, guacamole, an a few chips for balance!

I cooked some mayacoba beans in the morning so they'd be ready for a burrito bowl later. I swear I tried to make it pretty but she's actually pretty messy. It was really, really tasty though. It's funny I always miss burritos, and I'm always hoping and wishing for a pliable, delicious gluten free tortilla and somehow I forget about burrito bowls!
There's a small part of me that likes that Romaine isn't an option because honestly I love iceberg lettuce for certain things. But I sometimes guilt myself into buying the romaine because I know it's better. But for things like tacos and burritos or bowls iceberg is really my favorite.

Monday Feelings!

I really, really get Joan. Here she is all in her little blanket fort. The blue blanket was completely covering her but I moved it to invade her privacy. She likes to be warm and cozy and always finds a private spot for some alone time. We are so alike!!

Return of Beige Food plus a Mini Haul!

Friday was a dreary day here in SLC. Grey, cold and half rain half snow. These kinds of days always remind me of Seattle. All I wanted was soup, so I made a tomato-y lentil soup and a grilled daiya on gluten free bread. Delicious, cozy and comforting.

Booch, brown and white bulk Jasmine rice, baby carrots, oranges, frozen berries, orange spice and lemon ginger tea, tofu, white onion and chocolate soy milk.

Here's my little mini Winco haul. Remember my groovy 70's or 80's jug I found at a thrift shop to make my kombucha? Well, I keep it on the top shelf of my pantry while it ferments and the other day I noticed something was leaking. It was my kombucha, somewhere along the way the jug developed a small crack in the bottom. So it made a big vinegar-y mess and ruined that batch of kombucha. Now I just have to back to the thrift shop for another jug, or just buy one of those huge jars of pickles, whichever comes first!

Last night I had an old favorite. Oven fries seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder and tofu nuggets. All dipped in curry Just Mayo. In my pregan days I thought people who dipped their fries in mayo had serious issues with taste. But now Just Mayo is one of my favorite condiments and I almost always have a jar in my fridge!

What I Ate on a Thursday

I've been a little off for about a week or so. Just not feeling my best, feeling a little sluggish and I've definitely been going to war with depression. I'm trying to eat really simple nourishing foods to kind of help with my energy. Gotta have energy to fight depression! I had the day off yesterday, and it was cold, grey and rainy so I stayed in and cleaned and snuggled with some kitties. I also took a picture of my simple meals!

Carrot, orange, fresh turmeric, celery and ginger

I toasted up two slices of BFree sandwich slices, and topped them with mashed avocado and green chile sauerkraut. Oh, and there's also nooch of course. This was so tasty!! I might have it again today!

For dinner I made a tofu bowl with rice, baked tofu, carrot, green onion and a delicious gochujang peanut butter sauce. This bowl was supposed to have lettuce but my lettuce had gone slimy. It was still really, really delicious once everything was mixed together.

Trying Some New Stuff

I've tried a few new to me items in the past few days and I thought why not share my thoughts and opinions.

I'm a big fan of Brew Dr. kombucha. I've tied several of their flavors and loved them all and I expected to love this one but I just didn't. It's made with white tea and flavored with rose so I expected it to maybe be too floral-y but actually I thought it was just dry and bland. It had a mild floral taste but it was too dry for my taste. It did not make me happy.

I love hodo soy tofu. They make these tofu curry nuggets which are one of my favorite things ever. The texture of their tofu is hands down the best of any tofu I've ever had. I would eat their tofu all the time if my budget allowed. Luckily for me Natural grocers has a sale on hodo soy so I finally got to try these burgers, and I'm so glad I did!

These are basically their amazing tofu shape into a burger. It has that chewy delicious texture. It has that meaty texture without being too meaty. In addition to tofu the burgers have cabbage, carrot and shitake mushrooms. You can eat these right out of the package, or if you heat them up it takes minutes because it's just already cooked tofu. These are probably the best vegan burger I've ever had. I love everything about these. The flavor is mild so you could take it a lot of places with sauces and the texture!! These get a nine out of ten and the only reason a point is deducted is because of the price. But flavor wise these are beyond a ten!

I've been trying to add more probiotics into my diet. So, everyday in addition to my kombucha, I try to have miso or sauerkraut. If I can ever find a sale on vegan kimchi that will be in the rotation too. I found this Farmhand Organics green chile kraut on sale and had to try it. It definitely has a kick. This would be great on a tofu pup with some mustard.

Last but not least I found these at Winco for a decent price. I've seen them at other stores an they're pretty pricey for only three popsicles. They're made with strawberry puree, water and cane sugar. That's it. They taste like the ingredients. Like frozen strawberry pie filling. Yum!

These get an honorable mention because I saw these at Trader Joe's on Monday but haven't tried them. They must be brand new because they didn't even have a price or description yet. I never had a crab cake in my pregan days, and honestly the crabless cakes by gardein are my least favorite of their products so I don't know about trying these. But I know a lot of people might be really excited for these!

Vegan Gluten and Soy Free Stuffed Mushrooms

I had an idea to try and make a stuffed mushroom. I found some beautiful stuffing mushrooms on sale the other day and so it seemed meant to be. These would be great little finger food for all the holiday parties this month. Or even football/sports parties! Or you can just have them with some pasta like I did! I stuffed them with a garlic-y cashew cheese plus the stems and garlic sauteed. They are savory and cheese-y and taste great hot or room temperature. Oh wait, I just tried a leftover shroom straight out of the fridge. Also tasty!

Before Baking!

Fresh Out of the Oven!

These are pretty easy to make. You can also stuff them ahead of time and bake them when you're ready!

                                                          Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
 Preheat oven to 350 F.

• 12 Lg. White Mushrooms
• 3/4 C. Raw Cashews Soaked for at least two hours
• 1/2 to 3/4 C. Water
• 4 Cloves Garlic, 1 whole 3 minced
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1/8 Tsp. Pepper
• 3/4 Tsp. Miso paste 
• 1 T. Nutritional Yeast
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Tamari, Soy Sauce of Liquid Amino

To make the filling, remove the stems from the mushrooms. Dice them up along with three cloves of garlic. Saute in fat of choice or water saute. I used about a teaspoon of coconut oil. Saute over medium heat until slightly browned and soft, about five minutes. Add tamari, soy sauce or aminos and remove from heat and make your cashew cheese.
Add the soaked and drained cashews to a food processor. Add 1/2 cup water, your whole clove of garlic, salt and pepper, miso paste and nutritional yeast. Process until smooth. If you have to add more water start slowly. You don't want your cheese to be too runny. In the end I added 1/2 cup plus about three tablespoons.
Once the cheese is done, fold in your sauteed stems and garlic.
Gently wipe off the mushroom caps and place in a very lightly greased baking dish. Fill each cap with the cheese and place in the dish. Once all the little caps are filled, place a sheet of foil over the mushrooms and bake for twenty five to thirty minutes.
Since I have the Miyoko's smoked mozzarella that needs to be used very soon, I grated some and added it on top. But they really don't need extra cheese. Or if you wanted it I'm sure daiya mozzarella or Trader Joe's vegan shreds would be really, really tasty.

Two Vegan Hauls in One!

I have another haul! I actually went to Trader Joe's again. I got a super early start and went when they opened. I was still shocked by how many people were there, but it wasn't crowded and it was tolerable. I also had to exchange the items I bought and hated from Old Navy so I picked up a few things from Whole Foods and Natural Grocers.

Butter lettuce,tomato paste,almond chocolate peppermint creamer,tiny avocados,onion, garlic,bananas,tofu,tempeh,cauliflower pizza crust,basil marinara, green onions,garbanzo beans,coconut milk, English breakfast tea, gluten free pasta not from Trader Joe's!

I got the gluten free pasta at Smith's, along with more gochujang. I've been able to find a few brands that are vegan, but never gluten free so this was a great find!

Cilantro, Mary's gone crackers, Miyoko's smoked mozzarella,  green chili sauerkraut, baked tofu,wellness shots,probiotic soda and booch,ginger fizzy water, Epsom salts

This was really, really good! Like sparkling grape juice!

I scored at Natural Grocers. The baked tofu and smoked mozzarella were both in the clearance section. Gotta love those close to the date sales!!

Some Stuff I Ate on a Sunday!

Ever since sparkling water has kind of blown up, I've wondered why there's never a ginger flavor.I mean La Croix alone has nine million flavors, and there are so many fizzy water brands and flavors, but never ginger. Until I walked into Whole Foods! This is the perfect flavored fizzy water. The ginger flavor is strong but not too spicy. It's like a ginger ale without the sugar which for some might sound awful, but for people who don't drink soda this is perfect! This might be my new favorite flavor of fizzy water, sorry grapefruit!

I forgot to show in my mini haul, but I picked up some fresh turmeric root from Whole Foods. So I added it in my orange, celery, carrot juice. This is my favorite combo, especially in the winter. The cheerful color and surge of vitamin c give me a little pep and cheer me up.

Yikes I miss natural light so much! I have two favorite recipes from Veganomicon. They are the lentil Joe's and the lemon-y roasted potatoes. I've made both recipes so many times I have them memorized! I have made one change from the original.  The original recipe calls for 1/4 or 1/2 cup of olive oil and I use about one tablespoon. I've made it both ways and I swear I don't notice a difference. I also use half of the lemon before roasting and I squeeze the other half after to keep the flavor super fresh.
I had my potatoes with some stuffed grape leaves from Trader Joe's. This was a really, really delicious meal. This is another dish you can prepare ahead of time and pop in the oven when you're ready.

I finally found one of the newish flavors of Ben & Jerry's awhile ago and it's been in my freezer for over a month! I finally tried some last night and just WOW! They are very generous with the peanut butter. And there are huge chunks of brownie which I'm sure aren't gluten free. It was worth the cheat and it's so rich I only had a small amount. Remember when the only vegan ice creams were chocolate or vanilla soy milk ice cream?? Which I still love by the way!

legs crossed like a good royal!

Here's my little diva Roxy being her cutest self. And if you gaze off to the right you can see the floofy sleepy Afro! She has kind of taken over that chair. I call it her throne!

Mini Haul and Pasta

I need a new pair of jeans so I made the insane mistake of going to find a pair yesterday. Seriously, black Friday weekend, what was I thinking?? I went to Old Navy and while I didn't get trampled I also did not get jeans, and got a different pair of pants that I don't even like, and weren't even on sale! Now I have to go back and exchange and all of that. I don't shop well under stress. I had planned on going to Trader Joe's thinking it wouldn't be too busy after such a big food holiday, but after seeing the carnage of black Friday I wasn't willing to take a chance. There is a very small Whole Foods next to Old Navy so I just picked up a few things to get me through until Monday when I feel it might be a little safer.

pasta,pasta sauce,,Miyoko's sun dried tomato cheese,grapefruit and ginger fizzy water, wellness shots,potatoes

The pasta, sauce and Miyoko's are actually from Smith's. They had the Miyoko's on a WooHoo sale because it's close to the sell by date.

I never buy stuff like this, but they were on sale at Whole Foods and I was feeling very frazzled and in need of extra nutrients. I had the vitality when I got home and it was very tumeric-y.

For dinner I had gluten free rotini with roasted garlic pasta sauce and shredded violife Parmesan. Plus nooch.

If you have a Smiths, Fred Meyer or Kroger near you, I highly recommend this sauce. It's one of their store brands and it is really, really tasty. It's not too acidic, not too sweet and no funky ingredients.

I stopped at Petco and they're handing out these little hats. Etta is the only one who would allow it. It's now become a toy, and they all are working around the clock to remove the white ball!

Feel Good Lentil Soup

I went all out for my mac and cheese on Thanksliving and used three different cheeses plus cashews, plus stuffing/dressing so I was feeling a little blah yesterday. I decided to stick with a smoothie and juice during the day, and a simple lentil soup for dinner. It must have worked because I feel back to normal today.
Usually I just throw whatever in a pot, especially when it comes to lentil soup. But I decided to write down what I did, and I'm so glad because I will definitely make this again. I also thought I would share because it is the season for soup!

                                     


                                                               Feel Good Lentil Soup

• 1 Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Stalk Celery, Diced
• 1/4 Tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp. Curry Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Turmeric
• 1/4 Tsp. Smoked Paprika 
• 1 1/4 Tsp. Garam Masala 
• 1/2 Cup Red lentils
• 1/4 Cup Green Lentils
• 2 to 3 Cups water
• 1 Can Light Coconut Milk

Saute onion, garlic and celery in coconut or olive oil or water saute on medium heat for about four or five minutes. Add all the spices and saute for another minute or so. Add the lentils, water and coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for thirty to forty minutes. You might need to add a little more water, depending on how thick or soupy you like your soup. I started with two cups of water, and ended up adding about 3/4 of a cup more. I also added about a tablespoon of sambal oelek and about a tablespoon of Bragg's liquid aminos. Those are optional, but I find that a splash of tamari, soy sauce, aminos gives soups and curries that little extra oomph.
This had the perfect amount of warm spices and creaminess from the red lentils an coconut milk. It really hit the spot! I had it with a gluten free roll, but if you aren't gluten free it would be great with some vegan Naan or even warmed pita bread!

Thankful for Sides

Although I didn't go all out yesterday, I did make some gluten free stuffing and gluten free mac and cheese. Although I really love stuffing, or I guess dressing because I didn't stuff it,  I only like it one time a year. I don't know why but I never feel that great after eating it, even gluten free.

I also had some salad for balance! I know it seems crazy that I of all people didn't include mashed potatoes in my feast, but the ten pound bag of potatoes I got on sale had quite a few pounds of bad potatoes. It's okay though, I was more than satisfied after this meal.
The mac and cheese turned out really cheese-y and creamy thanks to a trick I learned from Edyn Jacks. I used the last of my violife cheddar slices and I blended them with the cashews instead of cutting them and letting them melt into the hot pasta. When I first saw her do this I thought she was crazy, but I've done it now many times and it makes the sauce so thick and creamy.

Kiki was very thankful for a moment alone on the pink sweater!