Tuesday, November 30, 2010

vegan mofo: quinoa and purple cauliflower casserole

i got over-hyped about the purple cauliflower.  c'mon... it happens to the best of us.

status: somewhat fail.

why i'm including it: it really wasn't terrible, but it was my first time cooking with purple cauliflower AND with quinoa (this is an old pic).   it was sort of a melty cheese casserole thing that i still have the recipe for.  it was like a C+ meal...  but i really just wanted to post a picture of purple cauliflower.


would i make it again:  it was the first and only time i've seen purple cauliflower.


Monday, November 29, 2010

vegan mofo: millet loaf

i was inspired by many fellow bloggers to work on some more gluten-free recipes, so i opted for a main base of millet.


status: good eating!

why i'm including it: the millet is an awesome grain for veggie loaf.  and it's gluten free!  for whatever reason, i totally forgot to write anything down.

would i make it again:  an enthusiastic yes.  recipe forthcoming in 2011.


ps - see previous vegan mofo post about those spicy green beans in the background.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

vegan mofo: grandma's eggplant parmesan

my lovely italian grandma surprised me with this dish of something wonderful earlier this fall.


status: foodgasmic!

why i'm including it: i visited my grandma for her birthday earlier this year...  she's an amazing woman who has inspired me more than she knows.  and she's made some of the best italian food  i've ever tasted (and still trying to emulate).  she taught me about black pepper on pizza!   anyways, she embraced my veganism and made this eggplant parm for us to share, complete with vegan mozzarella.

would i make it again:  if only i could do her cooking justice.


 

ps - happy thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

vegan mofo: cheeseburger casserole

it's amazing what sounds good after a LOT of beer.


status: drunk food.

why i'm including it: i have no idea what spawned this idea, but i think it was another fourth meal concoction.  we whipped up some sort of red bean burger crumbles, topped with some nooch sauce, french fries and bacon bits on a big hoagie bun. 


would i make it again:  my arteries hurt just remembering it. 

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

vegan mofo: grilled kohlrabi

this was my first year trying kohlrabi, and i was totally impressed.


status: needs enhancement.


why i'm including it: this was actually really tasty - we put in on the grill in a foil pouch with some grilling spices and green peppers. it was okay, but lacked something by itself. my plan is to make it again and serve it as a condiment on something - like vegan brats.


would i make it again: as soon as the spring time rolls around, it'll be on my blog.

Monday, November 22, 2010

vegan mofo: chili infused vodka

simple, but awesome.  we just popped some chili peppers in a decanter of high quality vodka... and two weeks later, we had some kick-ass bloody marys.


status: good drinkin'! 

why i'm including it: again, i wasn't sure if this was real recipe, or just more of fun experiment.

would i make it again: we're still working through the first decanter.  (we also made black pepper vodka - so good)!

Friday, November 19, 2010

vegan mofo: ambercup mash

i was given an ambercup squash and had no idea what to do with it.

status: epic fail!


why i'm including it: it seems every vegan and their mother loves some sort of squash mash or hash. i guess it's just not for me. it was too sweet.


would i make it again: nope, i'm sticking with the spicy chili squash soup (which i've now also made with butternut and love)!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

vegan mofo: broccoli & brown rice casserole

really simple recipe that actually tastes good, but is it too simple for vegan blog recipe post?


status: good eating?

why i'm including it: i made this like 2 years ago.  simple, tasty, easy.  i have the recipe, but it just seemed so simple.  maybe i'll glamorize it a bit and re-post.  it might taste okay, but really has no personality.

would i make it again: i do, for easy dinner nights. it needs something more to be blog-worthy.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

vegan mofo: fourth meal

i love my man v. food. it's horribly hedonistic and terribly unhealthy, but still, i love the glee adam has for each new foodie encounter.   

status: foodgasmic!

why i'm including it: i reserve wednesday nights for fourth meal - typically made right after watching man v. food. this was some sort of concoction involving a sammie of french fries, vegan queso, chili beans, tomatoes, tapatio sauce, and jalapenos.   it was drunk food, but it tasted sooo good.

would i make it again:  not the healthiest or calorie-friendly, but i probably would for a rare indulgence.


ps - once i remake this, i'll post a recipe for all my non-calorie-countin' vegan friends.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

vegan mofo: homemade polenta

i have some italian heritage and feel that all italian foods should just come naturally to me.  not so easily, i learned.


status: somewhat fail.

why i'm including it:  i love the tubes of polenta you can buy, and thought there was no better was to use up some cornmeal than to cook up an authentic version.  unfortunately, i don't believe i ever saw my grandparents make homemade polenta (although i've heard stories).  a LOT of effort and time later, the results were just 'meh'.  (i added in some bell peppers to make it tastier)

would i make it again:  not sure. is buying it all that unauthentic?  i've seen one of the tubes in my grandma's fridge, after all.  :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

vegan mofo: asparagus miso soup

remember when my brother brought me 28 pounds of asparagus?  that gave me a ton of leeway to create recipes...  and this was one of them.

status: somewhat fail.

why i'm including it: it really wasn't bad, but felt it could have been better?  i don't know - maybe it was the miso?

would i make it again:  i might try to swap out the miso, or change the recipe some.  the next time i have 28 pounds of asparagus lying around, i'll let you know.

Friday, November 12, 2010

vegan mofo: baby bok choy in oyster sauce

i like baby bok choy and i like (vegan) oyster sauce.  where did this go wrong?

status: somewhat fail.

why i'm including it: i saw a great recipe about baby bok choy in oyster sauce.  sounded awesome.  turned out...  just meh.   i'm not sure what could be done to improve it other than making it into a different dish.

would i make it again:  i might try some changes, but i'm not enthusiastic.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

vegan mofo: mom's first vegan meal

my mom is pretty chill about my vegan diet.  my pops was whipping up chicken enchiladas for the family and my mom went out of her way to make vegan ones for me.  this was a couple years ago, but i kept the picture because it was awesome and it was made with some serious love.

status: heart warming.

why i'm including it:  don't get a lot of vegan meals cooked for me, and this was just a act of foodie love by my mom.  plus she introduced me to a vegan cheddar that actually melts!

would i make it again:  i would, but i'm waiting on mom to make it again.  hint hint, mama.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

vegan mofo: tofu scramble

most vegans love their tofu scramble, as do i.  however, after reading about the amazing egg flavour you can get from black salt over at bianca's vegan crunk blog, i went a little overboard.  do you ever do that?  seriously, this was soooo salty that i didn't even finish it.


status: epic fail!

why i'm including it: although this was a one-time tofu scramble fail, it still stands out as one of my worst meals in the past year.

would i make it again:  i do, but i keep that black salt in check.

Monday, November 8, 2010

vegan mofo: purple cabbage & jicama slaw

a mix up on cabbage slaw that didn't light my fire.

status: epic fail!

why i'm including it: although it wasn't quite an epic fail, this particular recipe definitely need some improvement.  the cabbage, jicama and pistachios definitely rocked.  the dressing, however, is a bit tricky with those ingredients.

would i make it again:  parts - yes.  look for an improved recipe in 2011.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

vegan mofo: homemade taco bowls

i rarely have a meal cooked for me - especially one with such effort!

status: foodgasmic!

why i'm including it: i do 99% of the cooking in my household, but sometimes i just want to come home to a home-cooked meal.  despite the marinated tofu and home made taco shell, i never posted it because i don't really know how he made it. but i will say it was delicious!

would i make it again:  never have made it, but would love to have it made for me again (hint, hint)! 

Friday, November 5, 2010

vegan mofo: apple butter and salsa

a couple of years ago for christmas, i canned some organic homemade apple butter and salsa.  supplied were limited, so only my near and dear friends got a jar. 

status: good eating! (i hope!)

why i'm including it: i took pictures with the intent of posting the recipes.  however, i never got around to it.  plus i don't have any pictures of the 'making' of it - just the dolled up christmas jars.

would i make it again:  i'm thinking about making the apple butter again this year.  i'll be checking my list if you've been naughty or nice.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

vegan mofo: brussels sprouts, two ways

i love roasted brussels sprouts and make them a variety of ways.  

status: good eating!

why i'm including it: i have pics of both roasted bbq brussles and spicy cheesy ones, but this is only a couple of ways i dress them.  however, the pictures are less than glamorous.  

would i make it again:  definitely and with different sauces every time.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

vegan mofo: spicy green beans

spicy green beans are one my faves!  

status: good eating!

why i'm including it: i decided not to make this a normal post since it's really just french style green beans with hot sauce.  sometimes i use a mexian (like tapatio) or sometimes i used frank's.  in the background, you can see the chickpea cutlets from veganomicon with jessy and dan's white bean gravy and then a some roasted garlic mashed potatoes

would i make it again:  i do. all the time!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

vegan mofo: seaweed and soba

next up: seaweed with soba noodles, with shittake and some sort of sauce (don't recall!)


status:  epic fail

why i'm including it: a few reasons.  i like seaweed, but not that much of it.  it became like eating seaweed.  the second reason is that what ever combination of sauce i created wasn't that great...  so it was just 'edible'.  plus, the pic wasn't great.

would i make it again:  nope. see the seaweed details above.

Monday, November 1, 2010

vegan mofo: epic fails and then some

vegan mofo is one month where vegan bloggers post a new recipe or do some sort of blogging about veganism or the vegan community every day (or as much as possible). this year throughout the month of november.
this year i thought i would really try to post once a day, and for a theme, i thought would do vegan mofo: epic fails (and then some).
each day for the month of november i will post a picture of an epic fail: something i made that either didn't stand up taste-wise or was just a badly framed photo. and for the 'and then some': i'll post some foodie pics that actually tasted good, but for whatever reason didn't make it to my blog.  there will be no recipes, but a dedication to vegan food nonetheless.

after november, i will go back to my regular two or three posts a month.  so i apologize in advance for the atrocities that you are about to experience.

first up: polenta with tomatoes and toast. 

why i'm including it:  i actually like polenta slices and garden tomatoes (and toast), but the picture was just sort of random.   this was back in 2008 before i knew how to take a half-way worthy blog pic.  plus, was it really a recipe?

would i make it again: sure, although i don't eat a lot of breakfast meals.