Flight of Fancy

There are still a lot of things to fix. I'm not so sure about the music, the continuity is off and well... it is not what is in my head yet. I do think it has some great potential.

Say What?!?! Seitan!!!!

I decided to venture into the world of homemade seitan. I love seitan and I get it as a meat substitute in restaurants all the time but I have never used it at home. Well, I decided to do a little research and found out that while it is time consuming to make (1-2 hours), it is super simple to make. All you need is

1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill, a company that is becoming a regular in my pantry.)
3/4 cup Better than Bouillon No Chicken Vegan Base (or any veggie broth.)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce

 
Mix the broth and the soy sauce together then add them to your flour and mix until you have a ball.

Next bring

6 cups Better than Bouillon No Chicken Vegan Base

to a boil. Once it is boiling, cut the heat back to simmer.

Knead your ball of Gluten for 10-15 minutes. It's a nice little workout. After you knead it, let it rest for 5 minutes.

Next, you'll want to knead it for another 5 minutes and then start chopping it into pieces. I would cut off a bit, then flatten it down to make it thinner.

I put each of the pieces into the broth. Once I was done with that, I watched the movie 27 Dresses. So super cute. I love James Marsden and Katherine Heigl. I'm a sucker for this stuff.

Fast forward 2 hours and I have something delicious.

You can still taste the bready undertones but it has a great texture and it chews like chicken would. I even think my boyfriend might like it and he's pretty committed to his meat. I definitely ate a few pieces before putting it away in my fridge to save for Chicken Mole. You'll want to either freeze it or store it up to 5 days in an airtight container with its own broth in the fridge. It does take some time to make but it is definitely cheaper than the store bought seitan and tastes just as good. Now its time to have some Vegan Vegetable Eggrolls from Trader Joe's. Yum!

 

Crispy Tempeh and Polenta

I decided to take on two new ingredients for me today. Tempeh and Polenta. Tempeh is fermented soybeans that have been formed into a patty. It has a really nutty flavor. Polenta is cornmeal that has been cooked in water to form what reminds me of fine grits. This recipe is not hard, it just has a lot of steps.

First you want to make your marinade for the Tempeh.

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp balsamic
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp mild chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all of these ingredients together in a bowl.

8 oz tempeh

Slice your tempeh into thin strips and let it soak while you move on to your next step.

1 lb Brussel sprouts
1 small onion

 Chop your Brussel sprouts and onion and set them to the side.

Head back over to your tempeh. Save the remaining marinade from your tempeh. Heat up a pan on medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.

Once it's hot cook your tempeh in the pan until it is crispy. It took me about 5 minutes on each side but you decide what is crispy and black enough for you. Once the tempeh is done, place it off to the side on a plate.

Add your onions and saute them until they start to look a little glassy. Next add your brussel sprouts. You want to sear the cut sides of the brussel sprouts. Add1/2 a cup of water to the leftover marinade then add that to the pan with the brussel sprounts and onions and let it simmer until the marinade has absorbed into the brussel sprouts and it starts to look dry.

While your veggies are simmering you want to make your polenta. Mmmm, polenta. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Next add

1 cup of Polenta

and let that simmer for 5 minutes. Add another cup of water  and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. It will start to get thick. Finally add

1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp almond butter

and remove it from the heat and let it cool.

Your veggies should be done by now. I broiled mt veggies for 10 minutes because I stupidly used frozen brussel sprouts and they were super soggy.

Put your veggies on top of your polenta and your tempeh on top of that. I really liked the tempeh and the polenta. The brussel sprouts were just ok but that was because they were super soggy. Hopefully next time I can make those better.

Unfortunately I had to run out the door to work and now I've eaten all of it so I don't have a picture of the final product. :( But I was totally digging the tempeh and polenta. Yum.

Still Vegan

Still going strong as a vegan. I lost 15 lbs which is a huge motivator but I also feel a lot healthier. I hate to say it but I don't know much about my body. I'm terrible about doing check-ups but my family does have a history of heart disease and I think this diet is going to be a strong contributor in my fight against that.

I've also started reading some books. My first one is called The Vegan Girls Guide to Life. It goes into many of the reasons why people become a vegan, nutritional information, and some great tips and recipes. It is also really strong on girl power and features several female bloggers and business owners who are vegan. I made myself a reading list yesterday of some blogs so as I read them, I'll post the ones that stand out to me.

My boyfriend has been a lot more tolerant about this whole vegan thing too. We went to Gracias Madre last night for dinner which is a vegan Mexican restaurant. He took me to a vegetarian restaurant last month and it was the worst vegetarian food ever. It was vegetarian food by people who don't know how to make vegetarian food so I was hoping going to a good vegan restaurant would help him appreciate vegan a little more. Well, he stands by his previous place even though he complained about the food when we were there and thought Gracias Madre is just ok. I on the other hand enjoyed it. He did suggest we make vegan Mole tonight so big gold star to him. We ended our meal with a discussion about whether or not beer is vegan. I tried to explain that some beers use animal bi-products but he was stuck on the argument that no beer can be vegan because it contains yeast. Did I mention my boyfriend has aspirations of becoming a lawyer and loves any opportunity to practice arguing?

I will hopefully post a new recipe soon. I got really busy with work but I think it is slowing down again. I'm going to experiment with polenta and tempeh today. Yeah!

Eggplant Curry

Curries are one of my favorite recipes to make because they are so easy but can make me feel so fancy so I was excited to see that eggplant is a good vegetable to put in one. I prefer red curry with tofu, red pepper and mushrooms. This one is a little different.

1 block of tofu

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

1 large eggplant cubed

1 chopped red pepper

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp ground lemongrass

1 can Coconut Milk

2 tbsp red curry paste

2 tbsp chopped basil

First I prepared the tofu like I did before by slicing it and browning it on low heat (3-4). I still have not mastered this and I feel like it takes me forever to brown it. 

Once it is browned, using the same heat temperature I add the sesame seed oil, eggplant, red peppers, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and saute it.

After a quick saute, I add my can of coconut milk, the red curry paste and bring it to a boil. Once that has combined and turned red, I then add my tofu and basil.

I have to say that this has been one of my best attempts at a curry. I put it over some rice and had a super awesome lunch at work.

Eggplant Recipe #1

So yesterday I bought a giant eggplant at the Farmer's Market and decided it was time to learn something about cooking eggplant. I've eaten it before in restaurants but I don't cook with it much at home so I decided to make it my Vegetable of the Week.

So after a little searching I found Broiled Eggplant in a Garlic Sauce. Yum. The recipe is so super simple. 

1 Eggplant

Salt

1 tsp miniced garlic

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1tbsp Sesame Seed Oil

1 tbsp Rice Vinegar

Olive Oil

First you want to chop your eggplant into slices and salt the cut sides. I did some research anf you do this to cut down on the bitterness of eggplant.

Let the salted eggplant sit for 30 minutes and make your sauce. Combine the garlic, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and rice vinegar in a bowl. Once that is mixed and after the 30 minutes is finished turn your broiler on to high. I put aluminum foil on the bottom of my pan so I would have less clean up to do later. I washed off my eggplant and then brushed the top of each eggplant as I placed them in the pan. I only did 3 slices at a time because I didn't want to layer them. I wanted to make sure they all got equal heat. I placed them on the top shelf of the oven for 3 minutes. That's it. They cook really quickly. Next I flipped them and brushed them with olive oil and the sauce mixture. Another 3 minutes and voila! I added some spinach salad on the side with a little balsamic and olive oil.

Cupcake!!

I've been enjoying some Monday afternoon cupcakery but it is time to get some food so along with my spinach, basil and strawberry salad (with no dressing) and fresh tomato (all from the farmer's market), I also picked up a protein smoothie and a Coconut-Lime cupcake from The Plant.

I added some chia seeds to the smoothie and it was soooooo delicious and the cupcake rocked my world. Definitely made desk work much better.

Farmer's Market Day

Yea! It's farmer's market day. Unfortunately since I was in Oakland I haven't been able to hit up the farmer's market so today was my first time in a few weeks.

I love this time of year and I am a huge fan of summer fruits like peaches and cherries.

I also got some great stuff like kale, spinach, basil and a giant eggplant.

I'm really excited about that. I'm excited to get more veggies in my diet this week. It's great to be back home. Now it's time to head to Kara's to share some sugary sweetness with everyone. They might get a cupcake too.

Date Night

My boyfriend and I had a plan to go see a play tonight but had to postpone til next week so we grabbed dinner at the Westfield mall food court. I know. Doesn't sound very appetizing but we have a decent food court at the Westfield Mall. Not a Chick-fil-a in site. He got Pasta Bolanaise(sp?) from a pasta place and I got a Vegan Tofu Burrito from Andale.

It was nice to have so many options for both of us. We finished off our meal with vegan cheesecake from The Loving Hut and he liked it!

Then before we walked home we watched a light show on the top level.

Not a bad evening.

Last day

in Oakland. I have to leave my little entourage of animals and head back to the city. Hopefully it will be a lot sunnier. At least it is not the rainy season.

At least there was some sunshine in my breakfast.

No coffee. I'll be sure to make some once I get to work this morning.

Something Fantastic

So being vegan has had its downs and ups. It gets hard when you feel like you have a very limited variety of food available to you. Sometimes you're just hungry and stressed and miss just being able to run across the street and grab a slice of pizza and the instant gratification that is connected to it. I am an emotional eater. I love food and how it makes me feel. But I also love myself and I know that I have not been as healthy as I should be. I have read in a lot of different places the importance of plants in a healthy diet. So part of the ups in this experience is taking the time to really evaluate what I eat and how it makes me feel. 

The first week I was totally on board and super psyched. I had a ton of energy and didn't feel deprived at all. The second week I started to have some sugar cravings (after all, I stopped eating the cupcakes that I am surrounded by and talk about all day long.) and I cheated a little and took a little bite of frosting here and there. This last week (the week I went to Oakland to watch my friend's dog) was hard because I'm not at my house with my food so I brought some staples with me but didn't have the comfort of my own kitchen. I was also a bit more tired because I'm still commuting to the city for work and I haven't been able to exercise since I've been here. I'm in my last week of doing the Engine 2 Challenge but not in the last week of incorporating what I have learned and will hopefully keep learning. 

I am happy that I have forced myself to cook more and to experiment with food more. I would have never experimented with seaweed, chia seeds, and cabbage if I didn't do this. I had gotten very lazy with cooking and was relying on other sources like pizza places. I love cooking too so I'm glad we've reconnected. I'm also happy that I have discovered a whole new world of seeds, grains, veggies and fruits. It wasn't that I had tons of choices before and now I don't. I just need to look in a different direction to see the world of possibilities. I'm also getting more comfortable with eating like this and don't have as much trouble "whipping something up." 

Finally, the cherry on top of it all-- I bought a new pair of jeans today and they were 2 sizes smaller than the last pair I bought. I can't give this up. I mean, I bought jeans.

Chia! Not just a plant.

I'm really digging these Chia Seeds in my breakfast. Chia Seeds are kindof like Flax Seeds. 

They have a ton of fiber (twice as much as flax), and a lot of protein. Two things I value in my diet. Plus, you don't have to grind them up like flax seeds and you can use them to make a simple gel pudding or as an egg replacement. I can't wait to try that. It's only 1 tbsp Chia Seeds and 3 tbsp water and you can use that instead of one egg. 

I like them in my cereal because they form a slight gel around their shell when they are wet and fill me up more. It doesn't change the texture or taste of my cereal. People also like to drink them in lemonade. Final word about Chia Seeds. They've been known to help your complexion. Here's to hoping.

Biking and Cabbage

Today I decided to be a little adventurous. Had my super awesome breakfast and then decided I must go to Ikea. I didn't really have a lot I wanted to buy from Ikea but I love going there and wandering around. I also decided I should try biking there. I've ridden a bike before but not as my get from Point A to Point B transportation. I've also never ridden in the street before. I hate to say it but I think the last time I rode a bike outside was when I lived in Houston and it was legal to ride on sidewalks. I was extremely cautious about this whole experience. I wore a helmet the entire time and did a quick test run around the neighborhood. I also didn't make any left turns. Next thing I knew I had my backpack on and I was off. It wasn't bad. I was either on back streets in neighborhoods or in a well marked bicycle lane. When I did get over to Ikea the last little stretch was a hill next to a freeway. I decided I walk that. I wouldn't want my legs to give out on me on my way up.

It doesn't look that steep in the picture but it was enough to make me nervous. So I walked over the hill and explored Ikea and the mall on the other side.

 I even found a cute little bakery but alas, no vegan baked goods. Don't worry. I'm making these soon. I've found some great stuff on the internet I want to experiment with.


After I got home I was starving so I whipped up what I like to call the Everything but the Kitchen Sink Stir-Fry. It consisted of some carrots, some broccoli stalks, cabbage, cucumbers, tofu, kelp noodles, seaweed, pickled ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. I don't really have a recipe. I just took everything I had leftover in the fridge and used it.

The tofu takes a bit of time for preparation. I had bought the tofu yesterday and so I took it out of the container and the water and then set it on a plate. I found another moderately heavy plate and put that on top. That helps to drain the water out. After dinner I dumped off the water and cut the tofu into strips and on very low heat I browned the strips in a non-stick pan. Don't use any oil because the tofu will absorb that. I kept turning them a lot so they wouldn't stick or nudging them around the pan.

 I heated up some sesame oil in a pan, sauteed the cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers. Next I added the seaweed, kelp noodles, soy sauce, pickled ginger, rice vinegar and tofu.

The pickled ginger totally made it for me. It is not a pretty dish but it was tasty and hit the spot.

 Next I want to start experimenting with Ethiopian food.

Street Art

While it has been nice to spend some time in the suburbs of Oakland and enjoy luxuries like Target and Ikea, I am definitely ready to get back to my tiny apartment above the Smoke Shop in the Upper Haight. One of the things that I really love about San Francisco is the sense of community, creation and the art work that is everywhere.

This is just a little bit of the street art I get to see every single day.