Vegan MoFo 2015- Where Am I?

Howdy Friends! It has certainly been a while since I've blogged. A LONG while! I've been busy with my sweet baby boy since January! I've had the intention of blogging, but it hasn't happened. I hope to at some point, but it isn't going to happen on this blog right now.

However, I am blogging for Vegan MoFo on another site with a group of friends. Our site is called Veggie Product Reviews. Please head on over and give us a follow! We also have a Facebook page, Twitter and Pinterest account. We will be following the daily MoFo prompts and fitting in our favorite products. If you are MoFo'ing this year, let me know and I'll be glad to follow you!

I hope to come back after MoFo and blog about my amazing new son....so stay tuned for that too!

Happy MoFo!

Vegan Artisanal Cheese Tasting: Kite Hill

One of the hardest things that I have heard people say about going vegan is giving up cheese. I can attest to that feeling. One of the reasons it took me longer to come to veganism from vegetarianism was cheese. I made the transition to vegan once I could no longer refute the evidence about how dairy cows and calves are treated. I had to stop ignoring the facts. My body was also kicking me into it because I am lactose intolerant and eating cheese was an assault on my entire body. I gave into my conscious and body and went vegan. The end result was that I felt good and was exposed to a world of vegan cheeses to satisfy my want of eating cheese. 

What I discovered were spreads, shreds, slices, cream cheeses and more. Most of these were every day cheeses like cheddar, jack, and mozzarella flavors. I have not run into very many specialty vegan cheeses until recently. The Durham Whole Foods was looking for local bloggers to taste Kit Hill artisanal nut milk based cheeses. I happily contacted them agreeing to get a sample of the product, taste it, and blog about it. What a hard job! ;-)

I was given a sample of the soft ripened cheese from the store. I noticed that they also carried soft fresh original and decided to buy that one to taste and compare. The website indicates that they have two other varieties, but I did not see it at Whole Foods. The two products that they do carry were located in the specialty cheese section with dairy cheeses. I did not realize this and first went to the produce section with tofu and tempeh. Then I went to the section of the store that carries the spreads and shreds. I wonder if the location of the cheese will harm the sales. As a vegan, I would never walk up to the cheese counter and look around for a vegan product. I think if this cheese is going to be viable product at Whole Foods, they need to let customers know that the vegan cheese is among the non-vegan cheeses. Otherwise, I am concerned vegans and dairy freers will never locate the product. 

One of the first things that I noticed about the package is the few ingredients that it contains. It is a list of around 4 ingredients focusing mostly on nuts and enzymes. This product is dairy free, soy free and gluten free (well, at least the ingredients do not indicate soy and gluten ingredients). I really like that this product has so few ingredients. While I love vegan cheese, many of my favorites have more ingredients than I care to consume. 

The soft ripened cheese is like a brie, while the soft fresh original is like a basket cheese. I am pleased that I bought both kinds because they are different. The soft ripened cheese has a casing around it like a brie does. I am not a cheese connoisseur and I ate the casing with the cheese, so if that is not the way to consume a soft ripened cheese, then whoops! I enjoyed the flavor of this cheese, but was not a huge fan of the flavor of the casing. The casing has a strange aftertaste. However, I think it it was served with a jam, fruit, or agave nectar then I think the casing taste would be quieted. I also know that brie is often baked and I wonder how this would turn out baked. 

The soft fresh original was perfect the way it is. I would not change a thing about it and really enjoyed the flavor on a cracker. I am not sure how else it could be served, but I could also see it pairing well with fruits, jams or agave nectar. One of the notable things about both products is that they were delicious at room temperature. Many of the current vegan cheeses out there are only good when warmed up. I am not sure how these cheeses fare warmed up, but room temperature or cold they are delightful. 

The verdict on both is that I see myself buying these for parties or holiday gatherings often. The prices on both were a bit steep (9.99 and 10.99), so I cannot justify them for every day consumption. However, I see them being a wonderful addition to any party, gathering, celebration, or as a treat. I also plan to experiment with the soft ripened to bake it and serve it drizzled with agave nectar. 

If you are in your local Triangle Whole Foods, look for these cheeses. If you do not see them, ask. They are worth a try! 

Sweets Galore

I have been mostly slack about posting this season of MoFo. We have been cooking up a storm and eating a lot, but I have not been posting as I should. At least I have been eating though, right? 

While the nauseation is mostly gone, I have developed other unpleasant symptoms. I have a pain in my right side under my ribs. The midwifes/nurses have several theories of what it could be and I'm trying different solutions. What seems the most likely now is that it is reflux. I tried taking tums last night and threw up. This is the second time during my pregnancy that I have thrown up after tums. While they might not be the reason I threw up I can't help but think my body is rejecting them. So I am on to other solutions, mostly natural. 

My side rant here is to share something about myself. Before pregnancy one of my biggest fears (besides spiders) was throwing up. My fear skyrocketed during the time when I was sick before my Celiac diagnosis. I had a 12 year long streak of not throwing up. I'd be nauseated for hours after a gluten attack and prevented myself from throwing up each time. It was pure misery. When my nauseation set in for pregnancy, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to throw up. And throw up, I did! While it still isn't a fun activity for me, I allow myself to do the dirty deed if my body requires is. All of this was so say that my future little vegan one has changed me. This change I feel is for the better. I did not want to go through life being afraid of throwing up. I still get nervous when I am nauseated in public, but I have been dealing with it better than before. 

Now that I have gotten the grossness out of the way, I wish to share sweets with you all. I think I have mentioned that my love of sweets has upped since becoming pregnant. I do not eat them all of the time, but I eat them more often than I did before. In moderation, they are not horrible for me. In addition, they are vegan and gluten free, so they can't be horrible- right? 

For my Mom's birthday, I made a sponge cake with a pudding/creme, jelly, and strawberry topping. I found the recipe on another MoFo post and started salivating at the picture. My Mom likes all desserts, so I felt it was a good experiment to try for her. The cake was moist and spongy like what I remember of a sponge cake. I really liked the topping as well. The pudding was easy to make and is a recipe I will keep on hand for other uses. 

The next creation that I decided to whip up was a request from a special friend's birthday. She wanted a vanilla cupcake with a coffee buttercream frosting. I pulled out my Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for the gluten freedom cupcake recipe and made a vanilla cupcake with some coffee extract. The icing was a buttercream frosting flavored with coffee granules. I was impressed with both the cake and the icing. A non vegan tasted them and requested the recipe. I think she was surprised how good something vegan and gluten free could be. 

Those of you that have read my blog posts this MoFo have seen my asking, begging and longing for scones! After much hinting from me, John decided to make a delicious chocolate orange scone with an orange glaze that we found posted on Facebook by an animal sanctuary we follow. John got out the ingredients and the recipe and got to work! The scones were absolutely amazing! They were rich and chocolatey with a lovely hint of orange. I enjoyed them as a snack with a smear of vegan butter. I think I could eat these scones for every meal! I'm thankful to have such a caring husband and father of the future vegan little one.

The last sweet I will share is a chocolate cake with blueberry icing and blueberries in between the layers. This wonderful cake was made by Joie de Vegan for a birthday party of a special three year old. His parents were so kind to get a cake that we could eat. It was so beautiful that people lined up to try a slice and found it amazing. I had to agree with their assessment. The blueberry icing and the pops of blueberries in between the layers set this cake apart from others I have tried. 

Hopefully your taste buds have been tantalized enough to go make yourself a vegan and gluten free treat of your own.

Pasta Vegan Alla Puttanesca

We are over halfway through Vegan MoFo 2014 and I have not been as diligent as usual about posting. Every other MoFo that I have participated in, I have done at least 20 posts. I know I will not make that this year. I am not beating myself up about it. I realize that my expectations are a bit different this year.

I have been cooking more than normal since the pregnancy now that food is becoming more appealing to me. I am starting to look forward to some meal times and I am having to remind myself less and less to eat. Mealtimes are becoming less of a chore for me. They are not up to where they were before, where I looked forward to the next one, but I am no longer dreading what I will eat next. I am also not having to worry about sickness as much. I still feel nauseated at times, but not the every minute deal like I felt before. New challenges have sprung up- such as every night I feel a pain in my right rib. I think it is my stomach being pushed into my ribs, but I am not for sure. I know my organs are shifting around to make room for the future little vegan one, but I just don't know where they are being pushed.
It is still warm here, in the 80's and our produce box through our CSA is flourishing. I am happy that we are still getting pints of cherry and sungold tomatoes. We are also getting larger varieties of tomatoes. They are amazing, as usual. One night when I looked at the pint of sungolds, I thought puttanesca. Lucky for me, we had kalamata olives in the fridge.  I had everything I needed to make a simple puttanesca dinner. 

I am not an expert on the original as it contains ingredients that I do not consume. However, as a note of substitution, I used pepperocini instead of anchovies for a mildly spicy bite. The other change was that I used sungold tomatoes instead of roma or other red tomatoes. Sungolds are orange and a bit sweeter.

Pasta Puttanesca

- 12oz gluten free pasta

- 1 garlic clove

- 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped 

- pint of your favorite tomatoes, chopped

- 3 or 4 pepperocini- chopped 

- Olive oil

- Ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to the directions. Meanwhile, place the olives and garlic in a bowl and use a pestle to grind the two together to make a paste. If you don't have a pestle, chop both the garlic and olives small- set aside. 

In a medium pan, heat a little olive oil and add the tomatoes. When simmering, add the garlic and olive mixture and pepperocini and continue to simmer. You can cook this for as little or as long as you like. I like to have the tomatoes break down a little bit and I cook for about 15 minutes. Add ground pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done add a little more olive oil to the pasta so that it doesn't stick. Then add the sauce and serve. 

Just Desserts

I have not been as diligent this year about posting as I have in years past. I am a little behind this week. I decided that I have enough to worry about, so I will post when I can. I might not meet the 20 posts, but I am not too concerned about that. 

My pleads and ribs last week finally prompted John to make the scones I've been begging him to make. Last Friday night he came home with the ingredients for the scones. Of course, I had to text him to tell them what we needed. He gave me the option of making scones or cinnamon buns. I want the cinnamon buns, but I think the level of baking might require 20 questions from him. Let's face it, I'm pregnant and tired- I sometimes just want dessert to appear without being involved. Call me crazy, but I'm making a life here! 

He produced an after dinner treat of scones for us and they delivered! He adapted a recipe from the Gluten Free Bible to be vegan. The recipe called for yogurt and John used soy yogurt. The end product was a success! They were dense and sweet, just like a scone should be. They reminded me of our time during college of studying abroad in Scotland. I remember in particular a breakfast place we went to where we enjoyed tea and scones. At the time we were vegetarian, not vegan, and had a breakfast of eggs, hash browns, tomatoes, and beans. We sat in a seat by the window and go to enjoy the view of a downtown Sterling street. That time will always be special to me. It was in 2000 and we were just starting off in our relationship as more than friends. 

Thank you John for taking care of me and my dessert wants these days. I will take any other sweets you want to throw my way!

Down Home Cooking Take Two

During MoFo 2011, I created three dishes to imitate a favorite meal a mostly vegan restaurant in Asheville, NC. The place is called Rosetta's Kitchen and since my original blog post, the restaurant has created a gluten free version. The meal is just amazing and when we visit, we usually get the dish at at least one meal. We were in Asheville last fall and got the vegan gluten free version. While I loved it, I started to realize that mine is actually better. Don't get me wrong, their version is amazing, but I like mine a little better. It could be since I put so much work into creating the dish- by tasting and re-tasting. Although, I will admit that it is nicer to have someone else make this meal for me. 

During one of my more motivated days during this pregnancy, I decided to make this meal and surprise John. When pregnant, this meal feels like a lot of work. I was warn out after I made it and to top it off, we had a friend stop by to pick up something right as it was finished. We all talked for an hour, so by the time we got to the meal, I was overly hungry and the food was cold. The meal still delivered! And protein content is very high in this meal, making it a perfect candidate for a vegan pregnant woman and her future little vegan one. 

I made a couple of changes to the original. The first change was that I made a raw kale salad with red bell peppers from our CSA produce box. The dressing consisted of raw lemon, a splash of tamari, and flax oil. The other change that I made, was that I added a little soy creamer and more than the 3 tablespoon of vegan sour cream. I wanted rich and creamy mashed potatoes! The originals are rich, but I wanted something a little richer. 


As the weather gets colder, I see this dish making an appearance again. Maybe John will even make it, but I won't be holding my breath. I'm still waiting on the cinnamon buns he has been promising me. Hint, hint. Ok, how many times can I keep hinting on my blog about items that I want? Let's see how long it takes to get them or scones. Anyone want to bet take bets?  I mean, sure, he is doing a lot- but I'm incubating a life and I'd like a cinnamon bun. Is a vegan, gluten free cinnamon bun too much to ask for? Or what about a scone? Maybe it is!

Scones, cinnamon buns or not- I still love him to pieces! And he is being a loving and supporting husband- but I still want a cinnamon bun!

Loaded Hash Browns

As I have mentioned in previous posts, eating has been a challenge in my pregnancy. Many times, I have just been eating to nourish myself and the baby. John has had to be the gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, reminder to me that I have to eat. I learned the hard way that not eating can bring on nausea. One of the hardest things for me to learn how to do was to eat through the feeling of nausea. In the past, when I would be nauseated my impulse would be not to eat. When you are pregnant, you have to eat as you have another life to nourish. 

To help make this all easier for me, John has been cooking a lot more than before. Sometimes he asks me what I want and others he makes something and sets it in front of me to see if I could stomach the meal. The tactic turned out to be smart. I do not always know what I want or could stomach until it was put down in front of me. John knew my aversions each week and was respectful of them. 

One of his creations turned out to be a hit with me- loaded hash browns. Potatoes have been one of the few items that have been more appealing than other foods. I think it is the starch that helps settle my stomach. I have always been a huge fan of hash browns, but we usually have made them as side dish. John made them into a main dish by adding different combinations of veggies and proteins. He has added tomatoes from our produce box or garden, spinach, tofu, tempeh, pepperocini, salsa, carrots, vegan cheese, and other items from our refrigerator.

He has repeated this dish for me several times, often with a salad on the side. I smother mine with ketchup. I know, I know, it isn't a nutritious food- but I like it and it isn't too bad of a splurge for a pregnant woman. 

Thank you to John for caring for me and the future little vegan one. The one thing that I can say for sure is that I would not be able to do this without your love and care. Future little vegan one is lucky to have a caring father, like you! 

Peanut, Pretzels and Party!

I already told the story of how I told John I was pregnant the day before he left for Turkey on a business trip. That whole week, I was by myself and this fresh news. I do not remember a lot of that week, other than the visit to my primary care physician. I do remember that I was not sick yet and was still interested in eating and cooking. That same week, I had one of my bi-annual clothing and accessory swaps with friends. As I was only five weeks when I had the swap, I was still keeping the news quiet. 

I thought it would be hard for me to keep silent, but I had no problem. I was not ready to start sharing because it was still so new to me and I had not had time to fully process it all. One friend knew, however, because she guessed based on my questions "for a friend". She also did a great job of keeping my news secret. There were even some kid items and maternity clothing that she helped me snatch up without anyone noticing. From the swap I came away with two maternity tops, a toy for baby, and two pairs of toddler/baby jeans. 

It was nice to be able to prep and plan for the party as my life still felt normal. Currently, I'd have a hard time making food, cleaning, and prepping all by myself. The next swap will have some serious modifications. The food that I made for that night turned out well and my friends make wonderful dishes to add to the food and festivities. One of the best of the dishes I made that night were peanut butter pretzel truffles by Minimalist Baker. The truffles took a little time, but the effort level and the number of ingredients was not at all daunting. The recipe is pretty simple for truffles, but the flavor is complex. They were a serious hit that night! 

Since I haven't had a lot of motivation to cook, I have not made these again. As soon as I get my baking/cooking motivation back, I will make these beauties! I would hint to John to make them, but I have already hinted at several other things that I'd like that he has not made (scones, cake, cinnamon buns, etc). I am not complaining, because he has been making dinner most nights....but sometimes a pregnant lady just wants her partner to make her some sweets. 

Ok, so maybe it was a hint! ;-)

McMuffin Cravings

The title of this blog post is a bit misleading. I didn't actually crave the meat filled, gluten filled, dairy filled, egg filled, artery clogging, cruelty ladden breakfast sandwich seen on a popular fast food chain. I craved a vegan version, of course (and crave is a strong word here, I just knew I wanted to try it)! Some omnivores love to ask if I crave meat (more so when I wasn't pregnant- odd, huh?). I'm quick to point out that food is more than just taste to me, it is about the where it comes from, why it is being used, and how it was treated. I cannot ignore the treatment of animals in my meal. Since I was 14, I have believed that an animal should not have to suffer and die for my benefit. There are so many options out there that didn't have to suffer.

When I discovered The Edgy Veg video for the McMuffin, I did start to want this creation! The version on screen was not gluten free, but I knew I could easily make it that way. For the English Muffin, I used Food for Life and for the veggie meat, I used Sol Veggie Breakfast patties. I didn't use an orange vegan cheese, like cheddar, because I had some provolone flavored vegan cheese. If making this again, I'd use cheddar and melt it on the bottom of the bun. Since the muffin and egg mixture was warm, most of the cheese melted. 

This was probably the first thing I cooked after morning sickness set in. I was able to get through making this whole meal without any incidents. I even was able to eat the sandwich.! I had only wished that I also bought hash brown patties to serve with it. The "egg" mixture looked so much like the original. Once it cooked it got bright yellow giving it a real egg look. The texture was interesting and I wouldn't have liked it on its own. I think I would also like to try this sandwich with firm tofu, flavored to be "eggy". It was fun to use the top of a mason jar lid to form the egg. It really made it seem like the real thing.

While I done it yet, this made me want to transform other fast food menu items to be vegan and gluten free. I don't know what because it has been many, many years since I have eaten fast food. I am not even sure I remember the flavor of most products. My parents didn't rely much on fast food when I was growing up, which I'm thankful for. My family focused on home cooked meals with a lot of vegetables! :-)

Neatball Subs Made with Love

I have generally been the one to cook more in our house. Mostly because I am anal about food groups and what we eat for dinner. We still consistently took turns cooking, but I tended to cook more. Since pregnancy, sickness, and aversions have set in John has become the main cook in the house. Mostly because he is always trying to get me to eat food. Sometimes he makes a bunch of things to see what I'll eat. He is the one who has ended up eating for two (or three or four). I have been cooking more these days, but he still does the majority of the cooking.

I always thought pregnant women indulged in huge meals and endless snacks. Maybe that happens to some, but that has not happened to me. I mostly have to force myself to eat. Making and eating food used to be two of my favorite activities. Now, I have no interest in either. However, I have a sweet future little vegan one on the way and I have to be mindful of eating enough calories.  John has tried to make food more exciting for me or taking something he knows I like that he can add to a meal. 

I must have seen a meatball sub somewhere and indicated that I'd love a vegan gluten free version. Being the awesome husband he is, John got on it. He used Neat to make the meatballs, a gluten free baguette, tomato sauce, and vegan cheese to complete his creation. To add a healthy component, he roasted broccoli with salt and pepper.  He served this all to me and encouraged me to eat it all. Lucky for me, I didn't have an aversion when I saw this. Instead, I was ecstatic to try it!

The sub was exactly what I had been looking for and I gobbled it down. I even had leftovers for the next day's lunch. Me and the future little vegan one are lucky ducks to be able to have delicious meals made with love. :-)

Celebration Lunch

I found out I was pregnant just as I hit 4 weeks (fast forward now to 19 weeks). I had the thought, "I wonder if I am pregnant?" and then bought a test to confirm. I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. I didn't even tell John that I suspected I could be. I didn't want him to get his hopes up and in my mind I didn't even believe I was. I hear of woman just "knowing". I guess I am not that in tune with my body because the only thing I noticed was an absence of a period, which wasn't all that odd for me. It was because of the absence that I went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. When I came home, I secretly took the test. To my surprise, I was pregnant. 

John was working in the office, unsuspecting. I walked up, shaking, and said "We have to talk". I wasn't scared, I was just stunned. One minute before I had found out I was pregnant and I didn't yet know what to think. I told him the news and he jumped up and hugged me and was ecstatic. I calmly told him not to get too excited because it was so early and anything could happen. We took 2 two more tests to confirm. 

It was a Sunday, so I couldn't call my Doctor for an appointment until the next day. In addition, John was also leaving for a work trip to Turkey. I ended up getting an appointment for that Wednesday. The appointment consisted of a pregnancy test and my Doctor talking to me about a few things. And she confirmed that I was indeed pregnant. 

Now, I had my confirmation and I was only 4.5 weeks in. I needed to head back to work, but I wanted a little something to eat- to celebrate. The nausea and tiredness had not yet set in. My Doctor is near Cafe' Love- Live Organic Vegan Eats. I felt like I had to stop by before going back to work. The news had not even set in yet, but all I knew was that my life was going to change and that anything was possible. I had no reason to think I'd have a miscarriage, but I am Ms. Cautious when it comes to risk. 

It was hard to keep the news from people, but I knew I had too for a while. It was even hard walking into Cafe' Love not saying anything about my new news. After looking through the daily options, I picked out avocado and "rice" sushi and mushroom enchiladas. All raw, delicious, vegan and gluten free. There are always so many enticing choices, but I didn't feel like buying the whole menu that day. (And while that sounds like a joke, I have bought every item on the menu before. :-) It did not occur to me that I forgot to buy a raw dessert until I was in the car and on the way home. How could I forget dessert? It seems almost like a crime! Especially since their desserts are just heavenly! I mean HEAVENLY!!!!

I brought my selections to my office to eat after exchanging pleasantries with Jane Howard and Matthew- the owners. They are both such happy and friendly people. I think it is all of the vitamins from the raw veggies they eat! :-)  They also have the knowledge that their food is delicious and nutritious. 

I ate every last drop and enjoyed it to the fullest. I love sushi in raw or cooked form (vegan only though) and any time this is on the menu, it is in my order. I can't pass it up. The enchiladas are simply amazing. The tortillas are dehydrated, but still moist and flexible. The filling and the sauce is decadent. You wouldn't believe how filling raw food was until you tried it yourself. It never looks like enough food until you consume it. The nutrient density and fat from the nuts really fill you up. As I licked the container that the enchiladas came in, I wished I would have bought more of the menu for dinner and snacks. Again, how could I have forgotten dessert?

I will always remember this meal as my celebratory "I'm OFFICIALLY pregnant!" meal!

Fresh Tomatoes, Food Aversions, and Pasta. Oh My!

We continually sign up for our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share each season that it is available. This season has proved to be interesting for us now that I'm pregnant. Instead of the cravings you commonly associate with pregnancy, I have had more aversions. Onions have been one of the largest culprits so far. And what do you think we have gotten pounds and pounds of each week? Yep, you guessed it! We have given them away to friends and hidden them in our vegetable crisper, hoping that they'd disappear. 

I always thought that pregnancy was filled with late night cravings for things like pickles, potato chips and chocolate ice cream. I expected to ask John to run out to the store several times a week to meet one of my cravings. That vision couldn't have been further from reality. While I have craved several things now and then (like a specific candy, potato chip, and pickles), it hasn't been constant cravings. What has been constant is my aversions to food. Each day has been different which what turns my stomach. It has taken John some time to understand that if I say I don't want something, I mean it. We have learned the hard way that forcing me to eat something could send me running to the bathroom.  

One of the things I have loved getting and eating consistently is tomatoes. I have quite enjoyed tomatoes. We have made fresh sauce, slow simmered sauce, pasta ponza, added them to vegan GF bagels, had tempeh/tomato/lettuce sammies, and so much more. One of my favorites is a vegan an gluten free version of Giada DeLaurentiis's Pasta Ponza. This dish is still delicious with store bought tomatoes, but I'm not going to lie- garden fresh, organic, farmers market, and CSA tomatoes are the best. 

Pasta Ponza 

• Olive oil for the bottom of the pan
• 4 cups (24 ounces) red/yellow cherry, grape, peach or small tomatoes, halved (larger tomatoes should be quartered)
• 1/4 cup capers, drained 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning 
• 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs, seasoned with about a teaspoon of dried basil and oregano 
• 1 pound gluten free ziti 
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or rub the olive oil an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, following the package directions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the nutritional yeast and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and basil. S
erve immediately.

Happy MoFo 2014: A New Journey

It is the official start of Vegan MoFo 2014. I had intended on starting a new blog to share my new journey, but I haven't had the chance to work on the design. Before I knew it, MoFo was here! My posts will be a bit different this year as I am entering a new chapter in in my life-the journey of becoming a vegan gluten free mama! My MoFo journey will take you through a month long tour into my pregnancy through food.  I hope to post my struggles, triumphs, thoughts, pictures, and and food adventures this month. The start of September marks my 19th week being pregnant. 

Before we get to the fun and interesting food bits of the month, let me reintroduce introduce myself to you. I am a 34-year old vegan and gluten free mama to be. I never thought I would utter those words. You see, I had a plan and it didn't involve children-at least not naturally. My plan since age 16 was to someday adopt, but that day was far ahead in the future, if ever at all. I never really considered myself a mama. I saw myself as a vegan, a wife, a friend, an animal lover, an environmentalist, and many other things. None of which included the title of mama. Then the end of 2013 rolled around and things changed. I began contemplating the idea of motherhood. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was something I could do and wanted to do. John had been gently nudging me for a while and I finally took the time to ask myself "what do I want out of life". The answer was a little vegan one. 

Once I realized my answer, things changed inside me. I started to want to be a mama and to spend time with my future little vegan one. As I approached my 34th year, I realized that is was time to act now. John agreed with excitement. And so it came to be that the future little vegan one was on the way. 

In accordance with most things we do, we decided to take this journey by educating ourselves and preparing to do things as naturally as we could.  By only taking medication when absolutely necessary and getting care by practitioners who believe in an approach that includes listening to your body during pregnancy and delivery while following scientific practice. I think medical doctors are wonderful human beings and am thankful for their presence and care, but for this time frame we have decided to rely on the care of nurse practitioner midwives and to hopefully give birth at a nearby birthing center. 

I want to share this time with you over the next month and let you see the interesting things I've been eating (or not so interesting things). My whole taste palette has changed. I may not share many recipes, but I plan on sharing pictures and stories. Thank you for being part of my journey I to welcoming the future vegan little one into this world! 

Happy MoFo! 

Spicy Tamales- MoFo Post Twenty

Post #20 for Vegan MoFo 2013. 

Welcome to post 20! I have made my goal by posting 20 times in one month. This might be my last post for the month and for MoFo. My goal was to post 20 times during the month and I have met that goal. I am considering one more post before the month ends sharing more Puerto Rico pictures. The trip was a little over a month ago and I have not yet had the time to sort through all of the pictures. This month has found me busy and a bit too distracted to do that.

Here are the tamales all wrapped up

I have not decided if I will have any more posts for the month, so I wanted to leave you with one of my favorite meals- spicy tamales. This meal was a lot of work and took longer than I would have liked, but the end result was delicious! It was great at dinner and just as great the next day warmed up for lunch at work. I unwrapped them the evening before and placed them in my glass lunch containers for lunch the next day. I normally add hot sauce to my lunch foods, but I had no need because the spice was inside! 

It had been years since I have had a tamale because they generally contain dairy. I have been thinking for a while about recreating this dish. As a child, I have a memory of making them with my mother. I do not remember eating these more than once, but I wish we had. There are so many fillings that could be used inside the tamale, but I decided to go with vegan cheese and a green chili and chipotle and adobo pepper mixture. I wanted to keep it relatively simple, but spicy. It had been a while since I purchased canned chipotle and adobo, but had been craving the smoky flavor of the pepper. The tamale was a perfect vessel for that craving. 

Left: filling, Right: Guacamole

The tamales take quite a while and can be labor intensive, but I feel that with practice the process will go faster. I have not tried it, but I wonder if the corn mixture can be made in advance by a day or two. The recipe makes about 12 tamales, but it is best to soak more than 12 husks in case any break and for the ties. I soaked about five more than I needed and ended up having to double up several because of rips in the husks. 

I hope you enjoy these tamales as much as we did! I expect to try these beauties again with plenty of other fillings. Along side the tamales, I served a homemade guacamole.

Spicy Tamales 

• One package of dried corn husks
• 1 c vegan cheese
• 1 can chipotle and adobo
• 8 oz chilies, any spice level
• 16 oz frozen corn, thawed
• 1 c cornmeal
• 1/2 c masarepa (I used this bc I had it leftover, but you could use masaharina)
• 1 tbsp vegan butter

Soak the corn husks in water according to package directions (should be about an hour or two). When finished soaking, take one of the husks and tear off strips to use to tie the tamales.

While soaking, make the cornmeal filling. In the food processor process the thawed corn until it forms a thick paste. Add in the cornmeal and masarepa and process until a dough forms. Set aside. 

Remove four peppers from the can and chop. In a bowl combine the chipotle and adobo and the chilies. Mix until incorporated.  Add in some of the sauce in the can and mix again. Taste for spice level and add more, as desired.

Remove the corn husks from the water and dry them off so that they are not dripping wet. Place a flattened husk on a work surface and place several tablespoons of the corn filling on the husk. Flatten out the cornmeal with your hands to make a square in the center of the husk. Place some of the cheese and pepper mixture in the tamale. Fold the sides of the husks to enclose the filling. Then fold the bottom of the husk over the tamale and use the torn husk pieces to tie the tamale together. I used two ties per tamale. 

Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan. When the water comes to a boil, add in the steamer basket and place the tamales on top of each other in the basked. Place on the lid, turn down the heat to medium low and steam for 45 minutes. When finished, unwrap the tamales and serve!

South American Quinoa- MoFo Post Nineteen

Post #19 for Vegan MoFo 2013. 

Before the quinoa was added

Most of my posts up to this point have featured Latin dishes that are popular in this country. Dishes that could commonly be located on restaurant menus and food trucks. I decided to go a little less traditional today and focus on a food item that is not necessarily associated with Latin cuisine. Quinoa is a "grain" that originated from South America, yet we do not see it featured in may traditional Latin foods. Since becoming gluten free, this grain has made its way into many of our meals. 

Finished product

Quinoa is considered to be a complete protein and is a good source of fiber, calcium, and more.  The flavor tends to be nutty and can be crunchy if not overcooked. I tend to prefer it a bit crunchy and less cooked. I guess we could call it al dente! We try to incorporate quinoa about once a week. John even enjoys it for breakfast at times. It is versatile enough to be served savory and sweet, like rice. In my opinion, it can be substituted for rice in many dishes. While I love rice, I like to change it up a bit by using quinoa. 

After going gluten free, I received a cookbook that was made up of all gluten free recipes. The book contained meat and eggs and therefore I immediately dismissed it. Then it brought up the passion that I used to have of veganizing recipes. Years ago, I used to watch Food Network and veganized recipes that enticed me. This died away after the diagnosis came. The presence of this book seemed to rekindle that love of veganizing recipes. There are some items in the book that are vegan, but I have enjoyed veganizing many of the recipes. 

One such recipe was a South American Chicken and Quinoa dish. I made several substitutions and changes to the recipe, enough to even call it my own. While the dish might not be what we consider to be traditional Latin cuisine, it has a lot of flavors like coconut, turmeric, peppers, and onions. The coconut milk added richness and creaminess to the quinoa. The addition of curry powder made it almost seem Indian in nature. I find it nice to have a product like Beyond Meat that is both gluten free, vegan, and a good cruelty free version of chicken. If you are soy-free consider removing the Beyond Meat and using beans! 


South American Quinoa

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 package of Beyond Meat
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 bell peppers, green or red, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 c quinoa
• 1 c vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 c light coconut milk
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp of grated ginger

Combine the turmeric and thyme in a bowl. Dredge the Beyond Meat with the spice mixture to thoroughly coat. Set aside. 

Heat a half of teaspoon of oil in skillet and add the bell pepper and onion. Cook two minutes. The vegetables should be tender. Remove from the pan and place it back on the stove and add the remaining half of teaspoon of oil. When warm, place the Beyond Meat and cook for 3-4 minutes to warm. Set aside. 

Meanwhile combine the quinoa, broth, coconut milk, curry, and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 12 minutes. When finished, add the vegetable mixture to the skillet with the Beyond Meat. Then add the quinoa mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes until the remaining liquid is absorbed.

 

Papusas Failures- MoFo Post Eighteen

Post #18 for Vegan MoFo 2013. 

Papusa failures. Don't they look good though?

Only a couple of posts left for the month of September and MoFo 2013! I made it to post 17 without a failure......then came the post 18 about papusas! So here you have it! My failure for MoFo. I think it is important to share our successes and our failures. We are all creators and every creation cannot be a success, I feel as though I have had many failures that lead me to successes. As I read all of these lovely blogs full of successes, I wonder about the failures. Not because I am a crumudgen who wants my fellow MoFo'ers to fail, but because it brings out the humanity. I have seen several blogs this year with failures and it gave me the courage to post about one of my own.

Many years ago, we had a restaurant in the area that served Nicaraguan and and Salvadorian food. One of my favorite items on the menu were the papusas. They came with a meat and a vegetarian option. The veg option had beans and cheese. They were crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The dough seemed to be made of corn flour of some sort. They were a favorite served with salsa, rice, and beans. I was sad when the restaurant went out of business as they had so many dishes that I had never seen before. 

These are the papusa balls before I shaped and stuffed them

Since that restaurant, I have had papuses one other time. They were at a place that told me they were gluten free, but then I later found out that they used the same oil as gluten (therefore not gluten free). Since that incident, I have wanted to try the round gooey pockets. I reviewed techniques online and set out to make them using what I thought was going to be my own spectacular recipe. 

I encountered trouble as soon as I started putting the papusas together. I was not able to get a proper seal and many of the pockets leaked the filling. I pan fried them in a little bit of oil and they were heavy and oily tasting. I used olive oil, which was probably among one of my many mistakes. The oil flavor was not appealing one bit with the corn flour. My second mistake was that I used masarepa from my very successful arepa posting earlier in the month. It felt like the flour was a bit too dense for the papusa. From what I had seen online, masa harina is commonly used. 

The papusa pockets were heavy, oily, and did not have enough vegan cheese in them. I was not able to get much filling inside the pockets and the beans seemed to dry the inside out. There was obviously a technique that I was missing. They were not inedible, but they were not something I would ever want to eat again. I plan to remake them again, but will most likely follow a recommended recipe. 

This failure, led me to think of another idea that ended up being quite successful (post to follow this week). I would like to know, what have been your cooking 
failures and did they lead you to any successes?

Lime Avocado "Cheese"cake- MoFo Post Seventeen

Post #17 for Vegan MoFo 2013. 

Cheesecake after baking, but before it set in the fridge

I have focused all of my recipes on savory entrees thus far. I am a fan of savory items, but I also enjoy sweets once and a while. Lately, I have been eating more sweets than normal because of all of the birthdays and the amazing friends that I have. In keeping with my sweet-eating month, I thought it was time to create a Latin inspired dessert. The thought of Flan went through my head, but I am not a fan of the consistency or the dessert in general. I know that it is a widely loved dessert, but it just is not my thing. Not to mention the large reliance on eggs in the dessert. 


As I pondered my options, I was reminded of two things. First was margarita pie that I had seen people eat at a previous job. It was not the most appetizing looking dessert as it was bright green and was made of sorbet. However, it was served with a pretzel crust and that was of interest to me. I am not a fan of sorbet either. I have not had a vegan sorbet, but before I went vegan I had tried it several times and felt was not worth the calories.

Cheesecake after it had set in the fridge

Second, at Paladar Vegetariano we were served a lime and avocado pie that was out of this world! The pie was raw and delicious and a perfect ending to that nice evening. I originally wanted to recreate the raw pie, but I made an attempt that I felt was a pure failure. I brought it as an experiment to dinner at a friends house and it was not edible to me. John and my friend ate it and said that they liked it, but I am convinced they were being nice. It was hard for me to stomach. I did not put in enough lime to avocado ratio left out a sweet element to the dessert. 

Thinking of the margarita pie and the pie from Paladar Vegetariano, I had the idea to create an avocado lime cheesecake. One of my first attempts at making a vegan dessert was a cheesecake and it was a pure success. I was able to fool carnivores with the dessert, thinking it was a cheesecake made from cows milk. The recipe is such a success, that I wanted to follow a similar structure. The difference was that in this creation, wanted to remove some of the vegan cream cheese from the recipe. Avocado is creamy and seemed like a good substitution for some of that cream cheese. So I set out to replace some of it with the creamy avocado to see how the cheesecake would turn out. 

I brought cheesecake experiment to a birthday dinner for a friend. Some people asked for seconds, so I think the recipe was a success. I would like to use the pretzel crust for other pies and plan to try a different crust with the cheesecake as well to experiment even further. The pretty green of the cheesecake was fun! I also enjoyed the creaminess of the avocado and vegan cream cheese. The lime was quite strong in the pie, but it felt appropriate. If you are not a fan of lime, I suggest cutting the recipe down to one lime juiced.  I plan on making this again! What fun desserts have you created lately?

Lime Avocado "Cheese"cake

Crust:

• 2.5 c gluten free pretzels
• 1 tbsp vegan butter, melted
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Pie filling:

• 1.5 avocados
• 1 tub of vegan cream cheese
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 c vegan sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c sorghum flour

For the crust, set the oven at 375 degrees. Crush the pretzels in to small pieces using a bag and the back of something flat (I used a measuring cup). Mix in the melted butter and brown sugar. Press into a large pie pan. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling. 

Place the avocados and cream cheese into a bowl. Use a mixer to make the filling smooth. Add in the lime juice, vegan sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix more incorporating all of the ingredients. Then fold in the flour. Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust and bake 40 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let cool. Then place in the refrigerator over night to set. Serve as is or you can use whip cream or berries on top.

Gluten Freeversary- MoFo Post Sixteen

Post #16 for Vegan MoFo 2013. 

I am deviating from my theme today. Vegan MoFo generally happens in October, but this year it falls in the month of September. This month is filled with many birthday celebrations and smiles, but it also reminds me of a difficult time in my past. I blog about this every year as a remembrance of what I have had to overcome. Many have had to overcome much more than this, but this is nonetheless a milestone in my life that I need to share yearly.

In my late 20's, I began to develop an odd health condition. My life had become unpredictable, planning it around when I might get sick. I started to fear social interactions, especially ones that involved food. In every situation, I had to know where the escape route was or have access to my keys in case I needed to leave suddenly. My heart would often race and I would become flustered with the thought of getting sick. My only way of comfort would be to run to the bathroom or a private area and breathe. I feared that people would notice I was getting up too often. I would make excuses, spill items on myself, and pretend to get phone calls.

People that spent a lot of time with me started to notice that something was wrong. I also had excuses for that. I started avoiding certain situations so that people would not notice. The thought of eating out in a restaurant would give me heart palpitations. I tried by ordering light and taking little nibbles praying that sickness would not set in. Sometimes that plan failed. When it failed, I would begin sweating and running to the restroom. I worried about ruining everyone's dinner.  There were times where I kept people waiting while I paced in the dark to beat off the nausea. Pepto bismal and ginger chews became staples in my purse and my diet. 

The more I felt this way so unpredictably, the more I started to worry. I had just entered my thirties and something was very wrong. Was I dying? What was happening to my body? I kept a food diary, but could not link what was happening to food. Sometimes, I would not have eaten for hours, but the smell of food would turn my stomach. No signs pointed to food. I began to think that I had a mental condition.

After many months of worrying, doctors appointments, and different diagnosis my Doctor suggested that I had Celiac Disease. She suggested that I go to a specialist to confirm. There were many things that followed after that, but the end result was an a blood test and an upper endoscopy to confirm that I in fact had Celiac Disease. 

The news came to me three years ago today. I had come home from work, John was making Pad Thai with wheat noodles, and I went out to get the mail. The mailbox contained a thick envelope addressed to me. With fear, I opened up the package alone on the front steps. My worst fears confirmed, I had Celiac Disease. I walked in the door, handed the packet to John, and then fell apart. The next day I headed to Madison, WI for work even though I felt as though I had just fallen apart. At the time, if felt like my whole world had come crashing down before me.

I will never forgot my last gluten meal. In hindsight, I would have chosen something different like a pizza, sourdough or Italian bread, or maybe even cake. While John suggested that I ease into the diet, I disagreed and decided jump in with both feet. September and October were extremely hard and depressing months for me, but I made it. I survived it and it has made me a stronger person today.

So I break my MoFo theme to recall these memories. For me it is important to remember this time and realize how much I have grown from this whole experience. While I do not have an allergy, I have come to have an understanding for those who have allergies and/or sensitivities. This all is a good reminder that when life gives you lemons, you should make gluten free vegan lavender lemon cupcakes! :-)