tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69686262471730507252024-03-12T20:54:16.691-07:00Dance Vegan DanceA new vegan's triumphs and mishaps as she tries to adapt to life without cheeseDanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-23104915974388150882011-11-08T05:41:00.000-08:002011-11-08T05:41:53.302-08:00Let the Gluten Free Adventures Begin!Since being told I should try out gluten free, life has seemed just a little bit more complicated. There's none of that "I'm tired and don't feel like cooking so I'll just make a sandwich" anymore since, even if I can find a delicious gluten free premade bread without eggs, most fake vegan meat is made with gluten. So I again apologize in advance for a longer period between posts.<br />
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But to recap what's been going on lately, here are a few things I've been trying:<br />
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A pumpkin spice latte:<br />
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Personally I don't drink coffee - don't like the taste, the caffeine, and it tends to make me pretty sick after, but Seth happens to be a big coffee drinker so when I saw <a href="http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/09/pumpkin-spice-latte.html">this recipe</a> for a vegan pumpkin spice latte I knew I had to try it! I tried a little sip after topping it with Soyatoo and some cinnamon sugar and thought it was pretty delicious and considering Seth drank about 4 cups of it, I'd say it was a hit.<br />
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Next up is my organization of all our gluten free flours: <br />
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Yes, this is what your kitchen will look like if you go gluten free and yes, you will find yourself searching down countless aisles at the grocery store for mysterious ingredients like Sorghum flour and Xantham Gum. Whether some, or any, of these will help make delicious meals still stands to be seen.<br />
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It was a pretty relaxing weekend at our house, for once, and a much needed one at that - but as much as I crave relaxing weekends, when I actually have one I find myself slightly jittery. My foot starts tapping, I start searching around frantically for something to do and yes, I recognize this is probably something that means I need to take yoga or some form of meditation, but regardless, it happens. So what better way to spend a "relaxing" day than by crafting?<br />
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My coworker's wife is having a baby and their baby shower is this weekend so a few of my female coworkers and I decided to get together and get them a gift. I took on the task of actually braving Babies R' Us and while I was at it decided to try my hand at making a diaper cake for the first time. Here's how it turned out:<br />
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The company we work for happens to have some ties to owls, hence the theme of the cake. They're made of felt and stuffed! Overall I thought it came out pretty cute - maybe I have a future in diaper cake making?<br />
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And finally, I'll leave you with our most recent attempt at gluten free vegan cooking: spinach and artichoke souffles from <a href="http://cleangreensimple.com/2011/06/spinach-artichoke-souffle/">here</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkUiDf36Jsc/TrkqLXwVEzI/AAAAAAAAAVc/HQw5skDrOwk/s1600/photo%252879%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkUiDf36Jsc/TrkqLXwVEzI/AAAAAAAAAVc/HQw5skDrOwk/s1600/photo%252879%2529.JPG" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-17507259859939647082011-11-03T07:55:00.000-07:002011-11-03T07:55:43.104-07:00Happiest of Halloweens to You (Slightly late)!So I've been slacking lately on my posts - you know it, I know it, but I promise there's an explanation. I recently got a food allergy test and, while there's nothing I'm violently allergic to, I have a lot of slight intolerances (sesame, peanuts, cashews, yeast, gluten, and wheat to name a few) which have resulted in my doctor telling me to adopt a gluten free diet and avoid all those other little ingredients.<br />
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Cue panic-stricken Heather here.<br />
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I don't have the slightest idea of how to even begin to go gluten free, yet alone of how to make any sort of cheesy, creamy vegan sauce without cashews or nutritional yeast, and thus I haven't posted anything because I've basically been eating salad and potatoes and cowering in the corner.<br />
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But I knew I needed at least one last Halloween post, even if I haven't posted it until November.<br />
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Here it is - jack o'lantern personal pizzas on a cornmeal crust <br />
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The crust was straight out of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Uncheese-Cookbook-Creating-Dairy-Free-Substitutes/dp/0913990426">Uncheese Cookbook</a> and these lovely little guys are topped with pepper and pepperoni to make their festive faces.<br />
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We also were lucky enough to have the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival this past weekend and to get to sample all of their goodies. One thing we picked up was this adorable gluten free, vegan pumpkin spice cake because I mean, seriously, how cute is that pumpkin on top?<br />
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And then, for my first fully gluten free vegan meal attempt, mac and cheese with Tinkyada pasta, balsamic roasted potatoes, and steamed asparagus!<br />
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I pulled the balsamic roasted recipe from <a href="http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2008/11/balsamic-roasted-red-potatoes.html">here</a> and the mac and cheese recipe from <a href="http://detoxinista.com/2011/01/move-over-kraft/">here</a> because I'm not quite talented enough in the gluten free world to try to make anything myself yet! But all in all I was pretty impressed with the pasta, though it was a bit mushy and the whole starchiness thing while cooking threw me off a bit. Still, it tasted pretty good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nyi-vVZdoVM/TrKprrumdJI/AAAAAAAAAUs/tWBnDpt5xhE/s1600/photo%252873%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nyi-vVZdoVM/TrKprrumdJI/AAAAAAAAAUs/tWBnDpt5xhE/s320/photo%252873%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-89889026114363564542011-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:002011-10-26T07:42:54.514-07:00BrinnerBrinner, or Breakfast for Dinner to quote Scrubs, is sometimes a necessary event. I'm not a huge breakfast person myself - in fact I'd much rather eat leftover chili or pizza in the morning than any sort of traditional breakfast food, so it makes sense, then, that I'd eat breakfast at dinner instead.<br />
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With the craving for hash brown casserole haunting me, I decided to whip up a little Halloween themed brinner.<br />
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We enjoyed some spooky eye hash brown casserole, Smart Life bacon strips, and pancakes in adorable Halloween shapes courtesy of our <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/halloween-mini-pancake-molds/">Williams Sonoma mini pancake molds</a>.<br />
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The hash brown casserole recipe was copied exactly from Epicurean Vegan's recipe <a href="http://epicureanvegan.com/2010/04/02/hash-brown-casserole-2/">here</a>. Usually I tweak other recipes a bit, but this is so good the way it is thatthe only thing I change is to make my own sour cream because I hate the Tofutti kind. Otherwise, this thing is freaking delicious. Warning: will cause intense cravings at random hours of the day months later and also result in a need to eat the entire casserole dish.<br />
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We were in a super big rush so we didn't have time to be all delicate and cautious with our pancakes, but I still think they came out damn cute:<br />
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Only 5 days till Halloween!! Are you ready?!?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7-j-FVyG0s/Tqgb9kTPkAI/AAAAAAAAAPs/YXSxymWc-XY/s1600/Vegan-Witches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7-j-FVyG0s/Tqgb9kTPkAI/AAAAAAAAAPs/YXSxymWc-XY/s1600/Vegan-Witches.jpg" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-66173871761353135802011-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:002011-10-25T08:46:28.554-07:00Mummies, Pumpkins, and Costumes, oh my!This week is turning out to be absolutely insane for us - full of work commitments, Dr. appointments we've been putting off, and ridiculously necessary hair cuts so free time to make dinner has not been readily available. So yes, I'll admit, the recipes this week have been somewhat thrown together and are probably going to continue to be widely reliant on pre-packaged vegan delights. With that caveat in place, I give you last night's meal:<br />
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Mummy dogs and jack o'lantern burgers.<br />
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The mummies are of course just crescent roll wrapped vegan hot dogs and the Amy's burgers are made festive with some creative cutting into vegan sliced cheese. And what meal would be complete without a ketchup and mustard spider web!<br />
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Now I seriously need to get on our costume hunt! Anyone want to throw one together for me?DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-82155533234135563372011-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:002011-10-24T08:34:48.217-07:00Woodstock Farm Animal SanctuaryThis weekend Seth and I decided to take a long, 4+ hour car ride out to Woodstock, NY to visit the <a href="http://woodstocksanctuary.org/">Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary</a>. I had heard about the farm sanctuary from various vegan sites and, after exploring a little more, found that for a $50 donation you can buy a family membership which gets you unlimited visits to the farm as well as discounts at some vegan restaurants in NYC. Plus you get to know that you're helping support the animals, which is always worthwhile.<br />
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So we woke up early on Saturday and headed out. It was definitely a long trip, but it was worth it! The tour is informative and interesting. You get to hear the back story of some of their animals as well as see how well they're doing now. It was amazing to see the employees call each animal by its name and to see how much the animals loved them - we're talking pigs that roll over to get their belly scratched, sheep and goats that nuzzle into your hands to be pet, and a dog that paws you when it wants some attention. Seeing how I love cows and pigs, I was pretty much in heaven. Here are a few pics from our trip:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0r3Zy15mt-c/TqVsu-WbAOI/AAAAAAAAANs/51vdDUt5rh0/s1600/photo%252858%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P2_RxtIFYzI/TqVsultzJZI/AAAAAAAAANk/9FdoFqg7ka4/s1600/photo%252857%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P2_RxtIFYzI/TqVsultzJZI/AAAAAAAAANk/9FdoFqg7ka4/s1600/photo%252857%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P2_RxtIFYzI/TqVsultzJZI/AAAAAAAAANk/9FdoFqg7ka4/s320/photo%252857%2529.JPG" width="238" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0r3Zy15mt-c/TqVsu-WbAOI/AAAAAAAAANs/51vdDUt5rh0/s1600/photo%252858%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0r3Zy15mt-c/TqVsu-WbAOI/AAAAAAAAANs/51vdDUt5rh0/s320/photo%252858%2529.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w35ZllA6HNU/TqWEPfYc5kI/AAAAAAAAAOc/FOQoZmEwwUA/s1600/P1010283_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w35ZllA6HNU/TqWEPfYc5kI/AAAAAAAAAOc/FOQoZmEwwUA/s320/P1010283_1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnQNicvTYIU/TqWESyjm40I/AAAAAAAAAOs/rxzRaM5XmuU/s1600/P1010287_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnQNicvTYIU/TqWESyjm40I/AAAAAAAAAOs/rxzRaM5XmuU/s320/P1010287_1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qbNQQN6IHy4/TqVsvFvxJNI/AAAAAAAAAN0/jlcBlwFwr7M/s1600/photo%252859%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qbNQQN6IHy4/TqVsvFvxJNI/AAAAAAAAAN0/jlcBlwFwr7M/s320/photo%252859%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gxAQ_5AfaWw/TqVsvrp5vjI/AAAAAAAAAOE/Uqnm-bWsPcA/s1600/photo%252861%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gxAQ_5AfaWw/TqVsvrp5vjI/AAAAAAAAAOE/Uqnm-bWsPcA/s320/photo%252861%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkkgiLLy050/TqWERLKTBiI/AAAAAAAAAOk/bQa5UAgKkkA/s1600/P1010285_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkkgiLLy050/TqWERLKTBiI/AAAAAAAAAOk/bQa5UAgKkkA/s320/P1010285_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkWzNkxbf7g/TqWET_wlDRI/AAAAAAAAAO0/KIxV9akw6vQ/s1600/P1010293_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FRp6UiAgkfQ/TqVsvVrtkqI/AAAAAAAAAN8/bDEhI7_KgAA/s1600/photo%252860%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FRp6UiAgkfQ/TqVsvVrtkqI/AAAAAAAAAN8/bDEhI7_KgAA/s320/photo%252860%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>For more information and to help support the farm check out their <a href="http://woodstocksanctuary.org/">website</a>. They're also going to have a booth at the Boston Vegetarian Festival this weekend so be sure to stop by!<br />
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After such a long drive that weekend, Sunday we were pretty beat so I tried to come up with something Halloween-y that wouldn't have me slaving over the stove for a lot of time.<br />
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So here it is, Barbeque Jack O'Lanterns with Forked Adder Tongues and Roasted Ogre Toes:<br />
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The sliders are made from Gardein BBQ pulled shreds with BBQ sauce eyes and a celery stalk stem and of course they're paired with steak fries, brussel sprouts, and a spider's web made from ketchup and mayo.<br />
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The mummy is just some pizza sauce, strategically placed mozzarella Daiya, black olives and chives. Laying the cheese is the most annoying part and had me desperately wishing for a vegan string cheese alternative, but c'est la vie.<br />
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The calzones are crescent rolls filled with a mix of chopped Yves pepperoni slices, Tofutti cream cheese, and Daiya mozzarella that are sprinkled with a basil/garlic seasoning mix and embellished with some cut pepperoni to add a little pizazz to the hat.<br />
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Oh AND I just got in a recent order from <a href="http://www.veganstore.com/">Pangea</a>! Is there anything this store doesn't have?!?<br />
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In case you can't tell from the picture, we got a chicken noodle soup mix, Nacho Mom's Voodoo Queso, two different Dr. McDougall big cup soups, Parmazano, vegan caramels, and three different types of Sweet n' Sara marshmallows - pumpkin spice, mini marshmallows, and that adorable ghost!<br />
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I see a lot of soup, caramel apples and hot chocolate with marshmallows in my future and I'm not upset about it.DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-83705397590352657432011-10-20T16:23:00.000-07:002011-10-20T16:27:46.072-07:00Monster Taco SaladSo last night's premiere on ABC Family was a bit of a disappointment - a Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars. I don't watch the show, know anyone who watches the show, or have any interest in ever watching the show, so needless to say, I passed.<br />
<br />
But tonight is a win! HOCUS POCUS baby! Is there anyone who doesn't like this movie? I mean seriously, Bette Midler, vintage SJP, and it takes place in Salem! It's classic.<br />
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And yes, I own this movie. And yes, I can just watch it anytime I want, but there's something more fun about catching it when it's on TV during Halloween! <br />
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So in honor of the movie tonight I made up Monster Taco Salads.<br />
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I probably should have made something witch themed, but let's not talk about that right now.<br />
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The idea was taken from <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Eyeball-Taco-Salad">here </a>but obviously veganized and changed a bit.<br />
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The Monster Taco Salad is made up of a layer of crushed blue corn tortilla chips, refried beans, Boca crumble mixed with taco seasoning, Daiya mozzarella and cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce.<br />
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Assemble the first four layers then stick in the microwave for about a minute to melt the cheese.<br />
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Sprinkle the shredded lettuce around the bean/crumble/cheese mixture.<br />
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The eyeballs are made out of slices of tomatoes that are filled in with a sour cream/taco seasoning mixture and topped with a sliced black olive.<br />
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And the mouth and fangs are just another slice of tomato with plain tortilla chip fangs.<br />
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Does anyone else think this kind of looks like Oscar the Grouch? Minus the fangs of course.DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-90351916714775157842011-10-19T17:01:00.000-07:002011-10-19T17:02:13.625-07:0013 Nights of HalloweenFor those of you who happen to watch the childish movies or teen dramedies ABC Family is famous for, you know exactly what I'm talking about in the title. For those of you who don't, every year ABC Family runs a 13 day countdown to Halloween where they show a different Halloween themed movie. And because you all are now painfully aware of my love of Halloween, it's not too big of a surprise that I tune in anxiously every year for this countdown!<br />
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So of course I've been waiting somewhat patiently for this to start and I am happy to say that tonight marks the first night!! In honor of this glorious time of year, I've decided to make one Halloween themed dinner for each night. They may not be the most inventive or intense recipes, but I can guarantee they'll be spooky!<br />
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But first, a quick Wonton Wednesday post - Mini apple pies complete with lattice tops!<br />
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I used a variation of <a href="http://greenlitebites.com/2009/12/09/mini-apple-pies/">this recipe</a> I found and added the lattice tops and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This actually used up all of our wontons, so I guess Wonton Wednesday is dead until I can find another package of vegan wontons!<br />
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Now, for the main event and to kick off the 13 Nights of Halloween - Tofu cutlet tombstones with smashed potatoes!<br />
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I was inspired by a Halloween post I saw on <a href="http://veryveganholiday.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/tofu-tombstones-and-smashed-spirits/">Very Vegan Holiday</a>. The cutlets are made from Vegan Dad's <a href="http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2011/04/golden-crispy-tofu.html">Crispy Tofu</a> recipe and the gravy is just a quick Bisto mix. And of course no graveyard would be complete without some broccoli shrubs and a tofu cutlet coffin!<br />
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What Halloween movie do you like to watch to get you in the mood?DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-71560543323979659922011-10-18T05:39:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:44:46.344-07:00Mean Gene's Pepper SteakBack in my meat eating days (I know, I know, it's hard for me to even talk about it) there were a few meals that were on constant rotation in my house. Tomatoey chicken with peas and potatoes, chicken with mushrooms and rice, burger nights, and, of course, pepper steak. This was my dad's dish - Mean Gene the Dancing Machine himself - and even though I was never a big red meat eater even back then, it always provided that warm comforting feeling that I didn't want to miss. I have fond memories of leftovers smothered with cheese and ketchup on sub rolls.<br />
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So when a craving for this hit me the other day I knew I had to try and veganize it.<br />
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<b>What you will need: </b><br />
<br />
1 package Gardein beefless tips or other meat substitute of your choice<br />
1 package baby bella mushrooms<br />
2 peppers (*you can use whatever colors you want, but I used an orange and a red*)<br />
1 cup diced onion<br />
1/2 tsp minced garlic<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes<br />
1/2 tbsp tamari<br />
1/2 cup water <br />
2 tbsp Bisto (*For those of you who don't know, Bisto is a gravy granule mix from England that is fantastic. You could use the equivalent amount of your favorite gravy, but I used to live in England so I'm partial to Bisto.*)<br />
1 package instant brown rice (*You can use slow cooked rice or whatever type you want here, but I was all about making a quick dish so the instant rice was my best friend.*) <br />
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<b>How to get it done:</b><br />
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Start by preparing your veggies.<br />
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Core, de-seed, and slice your peppers into thin strips.<br />
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Slice your mushrooms.<br />
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Chop up 1 cup of your onion.<br />
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I happen to have a little fancy mini chopper that I always put to work when it comes to onions since I hate them so much and am seriously sensitive to their tear-inducing power. With that said, I recognize that sometimes I have to use onions and in these cases I have a routine to decrease the amount of pain. I chop off the part of the onion I'll need, throw it into the mini chopper, throw the onions wherever they need to be, then quickly put the chopper in the sink and fill it with water and soap. It's probably hysterical to watch this happen since I freak out and run around trying to get it done before I'm forced to wrap a scarf and sunglasses around my eyes so I don't die from the onions. But regardless, it works.<br />
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Mince your garlic.<br />
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Prepare your rice and set aside in a covered pan to keep warm.<br />
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Heat your olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.<br />
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Throw in the onions and garlic and saute until the onions take on a slightly translucent look.<br />
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Throw in the mushrooms and peppers and saute for another 5 minutes.<br />
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Add in the can of diced tomatoes, the Bisto, soy sauce, and water. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes so that the flavors can mix together.<br />
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Add in your Gardein beefless tips or whatever other protein you are using and allow to cook for another 5 minutes or until the beef is completely heated through.<br />
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Serve over cooked rice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Voila! Super quick and easy pepper steak!<br />
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</a></div>This was pretty tasty for a thrown together meal, but next time I would probably saute the Gardein first to get it a little bit firmer and crispy on the sides and them mix it in at the very last minute since it was a little bit soft for my taste. Seth, however, had no complaints. I think this would be pretty delicious on a sub roll with some melted Daiya on top and some ketchup (you'll learn that I add ketchup to most things). It wasn't exactly like I remembered, but I think with some tweaking it could be pretty freaking fantastic.<br />
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<b>Next up on Dance Vegan Dance:</b><br />
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A small Wonton Wednesday and the beginning of my 13 Days of Halloween!DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-55727844468814352112011-10-14T08:09:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:41:52.852-07:00La Bella Italia and Lasagna RollupsAs someone who lived in Italy for four years, studied abroad there, and still tries to desperately grasp onto some vague knowledge of the language, I frequently get cravings for Italian food (*also read as, my excuse for posting A LOT of pasta recipes in the future*). Unfortunately thinking about Italian food results in visions of mozzarella balls, parmesan cheese, and rich pasta dishes dancing in my head, which obviously no longer really appeals to the vegan side of me. Nevertheless, once a craving hits you, it's impossible to resist. And so, with the lure of melted mozzarella and thick tomato sauce pulling me in, I decided to make a vegan version of the lasagna rollups my grandmother makes every year for Christmas. This one includes a ricotta/bechamel combo to help keep things nice and creamy which isn't exactly traditional for my gma, but I'm sure she wouldn't be too offended by my adding it.<br />
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Buon Appetito!<br />
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<b>What you will need:</b><br />
<br />
1 package lasagna (*I used whole wheat, don't use the no boil kind here since you need to be able to roll it*)<br />
2 jars tomato sauce of your choice or comparable amount homemade<br />
2 cups shredded vegan mozzarella (*I used Daiya, of course*)<br />
1 recipe <a href="http://blog.allisonsgourmet.com/2010/09/20/monday-yumday-za-za-ziti-2/">Alison's macadamia nut ricotta</a> from her Za Za Ziti recipe (*which is also fantastic btw* <b>NOTE</b>: you will need to soak the macadamia nuts for at least four hours before making this so plan ahead)<br />
1 package frozen chopped spinach<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning<br />
2 tbsp flour<br />
1 cup unsweetened original almond milk (*you can substitute soy milk here, but I like the creaminess of the almond milk for this recipe)<br />
2 tbsp vegan margarine (*I used Smart Balance*) <br />
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
nutritional yeast for sprinkling<br />
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<b>How to get it done:</b><br />
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Preheat your oven to 350.<br />
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Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray or lightly oil it with olive oil.<br />
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Make up the batch of macadamia nut ricotta and set aside.<br />
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Thaw the frozen spinach in your microwave or by running water over it in a colander in the sink.<br />
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Squeeze and drain the spinach until most of the water has been removed. Set aside.<br />
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Cook the lasagna according to package directions. (*I like to do this in small batches since it makes the noodles easier to work with and then I used tongs to remove them from the hot water so I could keep the water going. I'm sure there's an easier, more refined way to do this, but I don't know it so there you go.*)<br />
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Place a long sheet of aluminum foil across a flat surface in your kitchen.<br />
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Spray lightly with nonstick spray. This is so your noodles won't stick when you lay them out.<br />
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As your lasagna noodle batches are cooked, place them flat across the aluminum foil.<br />
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Get to work on the bechamel.<br />
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Heat the margarine in a small pot over medium high heat.<br />
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Add the flour and mix until you form a roux and the mixture is smooth.<br />
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Continue whisking for several minutes (about 6-7) until the mixture turns a light sandy color. This is a pretty subtle change, but it's noticeable.<br />
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Add the almond milk slowly, continuing to mix as you do so to ensure that there are no lumps.<br />
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Continue cooking until the mixture begins to thicken (about 10 minutes), whisking fairly constantly so it doesn't burn.<br />
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Once thickened enough, add the nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.<br />
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Combine the drained spinach with the ricotta until fully mixed.<br />
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Add in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning and season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir til well combined.<br />
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Start assembling the rolls by spreading 1.5 - 2 tbsp of the ricotta mixture across the sheet of lasagna. Repeat this process until all of the sheets are covered.<br />
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Add 2 tsp of beschamel sauce on top of the ricotta mixture and spread across the sheet of lasagna.<br />
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Sprinkle lightly with nutritional yeast.<br />
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Spread enough marinara sauce across the casserole dish to cover the bottom completely. (*You can use homemade in this case, but I happen to have found jars of Barilla's Marinara sauce in my local Target, which just so happens to be the jars I used to eat when I lived in Italy and that I am insanely obsessed with, so I went with that and was not disappointed*).<br />
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Start rolling those babies up!<br />
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Roll the lasagna sheets up, placing the seam down onto the layer of sauce in the casserole dish. Continue until all of the rolls are complete (*I didn't have a big enough casserole dish so this ended up being one 9x13 and one 8x8*).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w68nsaRzoRA/TpRcAtQkgLI/AAAAAAAAAH8/OZCPZNxZti4/s1600/photo%252829%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w68nsaRzoRA/TpRcAtQkgLI/AAAAAAAAAH8/OZCPZNxZti4/s320/photo%252829%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ladel tomato sauce across the tops of the rolls until fully covered. (*I ended up with about half a jar left from the two jars after this stage which was perfect for heating up to serve alongside the rolls at dinner*).<br />
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Sprinkle the mozzarella across the top of the tomato sauce.<br />
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Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.<br />
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Remove the tin foil and sprinkle generously with nutritional yeast. Place bake in the oven to cook for another 5 minutes.<br />
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Mangia!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T4viyQpy4BU/TpRcDzghHcI/AAAAAAAAAIU/CIU1tjB1Bzk/s1600/photo%252832%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T4viyQpy4BU/TpRcDzghHcI/AAAAAAAAAIU/CIU1tjB1Bzk/s320/photo%252832%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-90262838203784193832011-10-12T06:54:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:42:18.280-07:00Wonton Wednesday - First EditionThe other day I was taking a much needed break from life by perusing Pinterest when I came across one of the cutest things I have ever seen - mini taco salads made with wonton wrappers. I immediately knew that I wanted, no NEEDED, to make these and so sent poor Seth out on a wonton wrapper run (try saying that one 10 times fast). Loving to make tacos as often as I do, we already had all of the other ingredients we needed to make up these lovely little things and voila - 16 miniature taco salads ready to be eaten in 2-4 bites! And let me tell you, these were just as cute and delicious as I imagined they would be. Check them out for yourself:<br />
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These were super easy to make. All you need are a package of wonton wrappers, a can of refried beans, and any other taco toppings you would like. I used shredded lettuce, a mix of cheddar and mozzarella Daiya cheese, chopped up tomatoes mixed with canned corn, salsa, and <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-tofu-and-cashew-sour-cream-vegan-247817">sour cream</a> that I mixed with taco seasoning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bRwghD3Wb-4/TpSal8pQWHI/AAAAAAAAAIs/HpIhQM5s2WM/s1600/photo%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bRwghD3Wb-4/TpSal8pQWHI/AAAAAAAAAIs/HpIhQM5s2WM/s320/photo%252835%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray your muffin tins with nonstick spray and push the wonton wrappers into the cups. Finish by lightly spraying the tops again.<br />
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Bake in the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool.<br />
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Assemble the tacos by placing shredded lettuce in the bottom of the cup. Top with refried beans, the tomato/corn mixture, the sour cream mixture, salsa, and finish with shredded cheese. Little bites of heaven.<br />
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Here's a closeup of one in all its glory:<br />
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While I was super excited and happy with how these turned out, using only 16 wrappers for these babies means I now have A LOT left. Searching on Pinterest again I realized just how versatile wonton wrappers are...and thus began Wonton Wednesday!<br />
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Each Wednesday I'll post one or two new things I've done with my wonton wrappers...that is until I run out of ideas or the wonton wrappers are gone, whichever comes first!<br />
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So here's another one for you - mini wonton breakfast bites!<br />
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I woke up on Saturday morning with a serious craving for an egg mcmuffin. Obviously since I no longer eat cheese or eggs or bacon for that matter, I had to improvise. I decided to use the omelette recipe on <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2010/07/tofu-omelets/">The PPK</a> and made up a delicious little morning treat that Seth and I gobbled up. But since the recipe makes enough for about 4 omelettes we had leftovers - enter my idea for mini breakfast bites!<br />
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I only had enough omelette mix for about 6 so I preheated the oven to 350, lightly sprayed my muffin tins, and sprinkled on a thin layer of vegan cheese.<br />
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Bake these in the oven for about 5 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted and the wontons have a slightly brown hue (you're going to bake these again, so don't worry about them being done yet). <br />
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While these were baking I fried up a couple of slices of <a href="http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=smartbacon">Lightlife's Smart Bacon</a>.<br />
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When cooled, crumble the slices up and add them to your omelette mixture.<br />
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Fill the wontons up about halfway with the egg/bacon mixture. You don't want to fill them too high or the egg won't set before the wontons burn (I found this out the hard way).<br />
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Bake for another 12 - 15 minutes. Make sure you watch these so the wontons don't burn. You want the egg to set enough so that a toothpick will come out clean.<br />
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Drizzle with ketchup and enjoy!<br />
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Stay tuned next week for another episode of Wonton Wednesday!DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-87654922524654946212011-10-05T14:27:00.000-07:002011-10-05T14:32:09.765-07:00The Ups and Downs of WritingSo I haven't mentioned this yet, but my sister and I are writing a book. It's a long and painful process that started two summers ago when my sister randomly had an idea for a book about fairies. Yes, you read that right, fairies. And for some reason writing a book about fairies seemed like the greatest idea ever known to man and we immediately and passionately started scribbling away at pages upon pages and hoping that one day we'd be able to piece them together into something vaguely coherent and interesting. The book was going to be done by the fall, then the winter, then the next summer, then the next fall... Queue an insane amount of wedding planning on my end and a new baby on hers and needless to say the book is still not done.<br />
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As anyone who has attempted to write a book, or really anyone who has started a project that can't be completed in one quick afternoon, can testify to, there are a lot of obstacles in the process. It seems to be a never ending loop of moments of extreme motivation (I like to call these the "We can totally finish the book in the next month if we just write and edit every day" moments, also known as the "Moments of Improbable Optimism") and those where you can't even stand to look at the pages yet alone pick up a pen to work on them (I call these the "Most Frequently Occurring Moments"). And to make matters worse, all the while, throughout this up and down, "I can do it", "I can't do it," never-ending saga, is an underlying feeling of guilt every time you even consider spending a minute doing anything other than working on the book.<br />
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And so, like any respectable underachieving slacker, you find numerous other things to occupy your time instead in the hope that avoidance will somehow result in spontaneous motivation.<br />
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For instance, creating a craft storage cubby area:<br />
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Or reorganizing all of the books on your bookshelf by color:<br />
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and all of the movies:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JKvQE4rDCI/Toym4nsXZkI/AAAAAAAAAHA/-iM-t-TuAYE/s1600/photo%252827%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JKvQE4rDCI/Toym4nsXZkI/AAAAAAAAAHA/-iM-t-TuAYE/s320/photo%252827%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7YhNb36jkU/Toym5kRXPNI/AAAAAAAAAHE/m3qb6bjk0_A/s1600/photo%252828%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7YhNb36jkU/Toym5kRXPNI/AAAAAAAAAHE/m3qb6bjk0_A/s320/photo%252828%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Or making an earring holder out of yarn:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hHKIok9x3NY/Toym3uG1qMI/AAAAAAAAAG8/ZAXmouykjh4/s1600/photo%252826%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hHKIok9x3NY/Toym3uG1qMI/AAAAAAAAAG8/ZAXmouykjh4/s320/photo%252826%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Until you reach a point where you realize that if you don't work on the book more months will inevitably pass and the possibility of EVER completing the freaking thing will fly out the window as quickly as the idea first popped into your head.<br />
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But of course that's easier said than done. So in my final attempt at procrastination, I decided to make something that might actually help me become motivated to write again.<br />
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So, for your viewing pleasure, and inspired by a pinterest post by my lovely friend over at <a href="http://rebekahmcgowan.blogspot.com/">Make It Sing</a> here it is:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77OzFqDPsP0/TozLQ1Vb6XI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/PIGdcio46NM/s1600/photo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77OzFqDPsP0/TozLQ1Vb6XI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/PIGdcio46NM/s320/photo-1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
In case you can't read it it says:<br />
<br />
Write<br />
Some letters make a word<br />
Write<br />
Some words make a sentence<br />
Write<br />
Some sentences make a page<br />
Write<br />
Some pages make a chapter<br />
Write<br />
Some chapters make a book<br />
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...and in its new home on my desk with Bobblehead Seth:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGhevGyiG5s/TozKXXmqVEI/AAAAAAAAAHM/aETWW00e49A/s1600/photo%252830%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGhevGyiG5s/TozKXXmqVEI/AAAAAAAAAHM/aETWW00e49A/s320/photo%252830%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-66147475142413595552011-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:42:43.066-07:00Potluck and A Moment of Silence...and the Halloween themed potluck dinner finally arrived this past Friday and it was everything I had always dreamed it would be! Ok, well to be honest, it was a bit of a stressful event considering I happen to be the biggest overachiever and spent the entire week planning all of the genius Halloween themed finger foods I could make - but hopefully my craziness paid off! <br />
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Take one house full of Halloween decorations, add several bottles of wine and a large pitcher of homemade butterbeer, mix in a table full of food, and end with 5 lovely ladies and I'd say you have quite the recipe for success.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DP9Nt-O0w1M/Toi6Bx9-ukI/AAAAAAAAAFc/poJ5qsEE3AE/s1600/photo%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DP9Nt-O0w1M/Toi6Bx9-ukI/AAAAAAAAAFc/poJ5qsEE3AE/s320/photo%25285%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Chipotle black bean and pumpkin sliders from <a href="http://veryveganholiday.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/pre-trick-or-treat-meals/">Very Vegan Holiday</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz0GeKyhzsA/Toi6JMZTxXI/AAAAAAAAAGE/WefmQH_TBP4/s1600/photo%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz0GeKyhzsA/Toi6JMZTxXI/AAAAAAAAAGE/WefmQH_TBP4/s320/photo%252815%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><a href="http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Spooky-Spinach-Dip-in-Bread-Bowl-Cauldron-Recipe.html">Spinach dip</a> in a cauldron bread bowl<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cZmDfvKjYXs/Toi6Ijk9O8I/AAAAAAAAAGA/OMq9Yt-5y0w/s1600/photo%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cZmDfvKjYXs/Toi6Ijk9O8I/AAAAAAAAAGA/OMq9Yt-5y0w/s320/photo%252814%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Candy corn shaped crudite display for dipping<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIm4WBaVabw/Toi6LHHJTdI/AAAAAAAAAGM/em6D91h2nUs/s1600/photo%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIm4WBaVabw/Toi6LHHJTdI/AAAAAAAAAGM/em6D91h2nUs/s320/photo%252817%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Moldy cheese log made of <a href="http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/html/soy_bleu.html">Sunergia blue cheese</a> and <a href="http://www.tofutti.com/btcc.shtml">Tofutti cream cheese</a> with black sesame seeds<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLfiS9NUjq8/Toi6MBNz3QI/AAAAAAAAAGU/96V2kCGzJFk/s1600/photo%252819%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLfiS9NUjq8/Toi6MBNz3QI/AAAAAAAAAGU/96V2kCGzJFk/s320/photo%252819%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Black bean and pepper quinoa salad (courtesy of the lovely Meg)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7xP0cm1ikaI/Toi6Lhe3ZvI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/f7DN6UBIE9I/s1600/photo%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7xP0cm1ikaI/Toi6Lhe3ZvI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/f7DN6UBIE9I/s320/photo%252818%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Spooky ghost tortilla chips with "dried bat wing" chips<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWF_wL3LHFA/Toi6JvnArUI/AAAAAAAAAGI/FoOyVM5g0Do/s1600/photo%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWF_wL3LHFA/Toi6JvnArUI/AAAAAAAAAGI/FoOyVM5g0Do/s320/photo%252816%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Mini Halloween shaped cheezy crackers from <a href="http://havecakewilltravel.com/2007/08/12/cheezy-quackers/">Have Cake Will Travel</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WsOmx3R9NiY/Toi6Mf0Db1I/AAAAAAAAAGY/vzd369WnwUg/s1600/photo%252820%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WsOmx3R9NiY/Toi6Mf0Db1I/AAAAAAAAAGY/vzd369WnwUg/s320/photo%252820%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>The poor pumpkin wasn't feeling so well and vomited up a heap of guacamole!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mqps_qI4Gxg/Toi6G43mloI/AAAAAAAAAF8/DD0-pJ2MgdY/s1600/photo%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mqps_qI4Gxg/Toi6G43mloI/AAAAAAAAAF8/DD0-pJ2MgdY/s320/photo%252813%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Shortbread witches' fingers with almond nails and jam from <a href="http://chefchloe.com/sweets/witches-fingers-cookies.html">Chef Chloe</a> and "Just Bitten" red velvet cupcakes from <a href="http://vegancupcakes.wordpress.com/">Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xXeOPj9ZwsM/Toi6GXfVQHI/AAAAAAAAAF4/xnvqy31SfKo/s1600/photo%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xXeOPj9ZwsM/Toi6GXfVQHI/AAAAAAAAAF4/xnvqy31SfKo/s320/photo%252812%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>The desserts and butterbeer (butterscotch schnapps and cream soda = heaven in a glass)<br />
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And the full spread:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-efMRLOXLSH8/Toi6OKjZUTI/AAAAAAAAAGg/iYeXgWxG7N0/s1600/photo%252822%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-efMRLOXLSH8/Toi6OKjZUTI/AAAAAAAAAGg/iYeXgWxG7N0/s320/photo%252822%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqyatOavq5g/Toi6M7lfXtI/AAAAAAAAAGc/ZwGIqtj4Y50/s1600/photo%252821%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tqyatOavq5g/Toi6M7lfXtI/AAAAAAAAAGc/ZwGIqtj4Y50/s320/photo%252821%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QHSgIIHgwow/Toi6F7kr7mI/AAAAAAAAAF0/BkK_8zuVw-c/s1600/photo%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QHSgIIHgwow/Toi6F7kr7mI/AAAAAAAAAF0/BkK_8zuVw-c/s320/photo%252811%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Overall it was an awesome evening and I can't wait for Halloween!!<br />
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And now for the serious part of this entry. A tragedy occurred Saturday that I think needs to be brought to light. As a present for my friend's ho-down themed first birthday party for her son I spent hours slaving over the cutest vegetable themed cupcakes (adapted from <a href="http://www.hellocupcakebook.com/">Hello Cupcake</a>) only to have them destroyed in a monumental accident involving my friend's mother, a cupcake tier, and a lot of broken glass.<br />
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And so, in their honor, a moment of silence for our fallen brethren and one last chance to see them in all their glory. Cue Will Ferrell and "Dust in the Wind".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAxcIR3A8D8/Toi-utfpm_I/AAAAAAAAAGs/zC4uqxheMm8/s1600/peas_carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAxcIR3A8D8/Toi-utfpm_I/AAAAAAAAAGs/zC4uqxheMm8/s320/peas_carrots.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VNZNn_YKzQ/Toi6EfbMMBI/AAAAAAAAAFo/JZpLgFi3004/s1600/photo%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VNZNn_YKzQ/Toi6EfbMMBI/AAAAAAAAAFo/JZpLgFi3004/s320/photo%25288%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GVyzb8Ps-sI/Toi6E3jXvnI/AAAAAAAAAFs/LExHqbwPJP4/s1600/photo%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GVyzb8Ps-sI/Toi6E3jXvnI/AAAAAAAAAFs/LExHqbwPJP4/s320/photo%25289%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-frXrEzSJQw0/Toi-tuX4BCI/AAAAAAAAAGk/ztxdEkT6NQk/s1600/corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-frXrEzSJQw0/Toi-tuX4BCI/AAAAAAAAAGk/ztxdEkT6NQk/s320/corn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D_IAeAZsouY/Toi-uGj1eKI/AAAAAAAAAGo/n6znC9We2b8/s1600/peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D_IAeAZsouY/Toi-uGj1eKI/AAAAAAAAAGo/n6znC9We2b8/s320/peas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-78342814795384863452011-09-28T08:07:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:43:08.619-07:00Halloween Lovin' and Pumpkin RigatoniFollowing the theme of things that I love created by the last post, it's time to talk Halloween.<br />
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I grew up in a house where Halloween was the be all and end all of holidays - we're talking a Halloween tree (a black spray-painted fake Christmas tree), a 6 foot Frankenstein monster complete with all the appropriate moans and groans, and even a Halloween village. It's been so ingrained in me that the first sign of pumpkins instantly lifts my spirits and the plethora of Yankee Candle Halloween scents sends me into a dizzying spell of bliss.<br />
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So it's no surprise that I've decided to continue my family's tradition by buying as much Halloween crap each year as is humanly possible. It's gotten to the point where Seth has decided to limit my spending to "one Halloween item a year, dear" (at least that he knows about). This year he's been particularly generous and I'll admit to buying a lot of the newest Yankee Candle Halloween creations (Have you seen how awesome they are this year? I mean how could I resist!), but he was being rather stingy about when I could put our decorations up and my patience was running out!<br />
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Queue the genius idea of a Halloween themed potluck for some of my lovely coworkers - the perfect excuse to have to put up the Halloween decorations earlier than any normal person would ever do AND to get to create fun Halloween themed food! (*stay tuned for a post on the food for this event*)<br />
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And thus began the process of taking all of our decorations out of boxes.<br />
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I really can't imagine why Seth won't let me get more....<br />
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So with pumpkins on the brain, the mood was right to try to veganize a Pumpkin Cream Rigatoni recipe I had seen earlier on pinterest!<br />
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**If you don't already know what pinterest is, you need to look into it asap! It's the most addictive website for the crafty and a perfect way to procrastinate any sort of work**<br />
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So here it is - adapted from <a href="http://www.espressoandcream.com/2010/09/rigatoni-with-pumpkin-cream-sauce.html">Espresso and Cream</a><br />
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<b>What you will need</b><br />
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8 oz rigatoni pasta<br />
1 tbsp vegan margarine (*I used Earth Balance*)<br />
1/4 cup non dairy milk (*I used unsweetened almond milk to add to the creaminess*)<br />
3/4 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp black pepper<br />
1/4 tsp marjoram<br />
1/4 tsp thyme <br />
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (*Unfortunately Seth was sent out to find this and apparently it was "make something with pumpkin" day because 4 stores were sold out. We ended up getting a sugar pumpkin, coring it and scooping out the guts, microwaving that sucker, peeling it, and pureeing it with two burnt fingers in the process. If you can find the canned kind, you are a lucky devil.*)<br />
1 recipe <a href="http://www.allisonsgourmet.com/skin/frontend/default/blank/images/recipes/Mar2011VegNewsRecipe.gif">Allison's Gourmet Alfredo</a><br />
1/4 cup tomato soup<br />
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chiles, rinsed and drained<br />
Freshly ground pepper to taste<br />
Nutritional yeast (optional)<br />
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<b>How to get it done </b><br />
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Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, drain and set aside making sure to keep it warm.<br />
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Drain and rinse the tomatoes and set aside.<br />
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Whip up one batch of <a href="http://www.allisonsgourmet.com/skin/frontend/default/blank/images/recipes/Mar2011VegNewsRecipe.gif">Allison's Alfredo</a>. Set aside and keep warm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iwL6yG28eNU/ToMu4U0nhcI/AAAAAAAAAEw/6UOTlI3AMcc/s1600/photo%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iwL6yG28eNU/ToMu4U0nhcI/AAAAAAAAAEw/6UOTlI3AMcc/s320/photo%252813%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat.<br />
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Add the non dairy milk, marjoram, thyme, and black pepper and stir until mixed. Continue cooking until the mixture is heated throughout, about 2-3 minutes.<br />
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Add in the pumpkin puree and 1/3 cup of Allison's Alfredo sauce, stirring until mixed. (*Feel free to add more or less of the alfredo as you see fit depending on how creamy you want the recipe.*)<br />
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Stir in the tomato soup and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes until all the ingredients are heated through.<br />
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Remove from heat and add the diced tomatoes, stirring just until mixed.<br />
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Spoon sauce onto pasta, only adding enough to coat the pasta lightly not smother it!<br />
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Serve garnished with freshly cracked black pepper and nutritional yeast to taste. Enjoy!<br />
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And because we had some homemade pumpkin puree left, we whipped up some <a href="http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=2161">pumpkin walnut bread</a> from Hell Yeah It's Vegan.<br />
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And because sometimes I love spoiling Seth, I took one of our freshly picked honeycrisp apples and made an apple topping with margarine, brown sugar, and cinnamon that we put over some <a href="http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/product.php?p=purely_decadent_purely_vanilla">So Delicious Purely Decadent vanilla ice cream </a>with a graham cracker crumb sprinkle!<br />
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<b>Is it October yet?</b>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-63022023232947594832011-09-25T12:22:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:43:24.412-07:00The Veganization of the Cheesy Gordita CrunchI have a confession to make. I love Taco Bell. I mean serious love here. I love it so much that before I went vegetarian I had to check Taco Bell's website to make sure that the beans were, in fact, vegan/vegetarian because the idea of giving up meat was completely fine but the idea of living without Taco Bell? To quote Fezzik from the Princess Bride, "Inconceivable!" Is it the healthiest love? Probably not, but it's a love of the deepest, purest, truest kind.<br />
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In the spirit of confession, I'll make another one. Everytime I've slipped in my quest to be vegan it's been under the lure of Taco Bell's infamous Cheesy Gordita Crunch. There's something about the gooey, melted cheese, the crunchy/soft shell combo, and the slight kick of the baja sauce that I can't resist. (And for all you Taco Bell haters out there, one bite of this and you'll be converted - it's heaven in a wrapper)<br />
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So with my weakness for this blissful creation in mind, I knew that if I was ever going to fully commit to being vegan (and be able to keep at it) I'd have to find a way to replicate it with a vegan twist. And thus began my journey to veganize the Cheesy Gordita Crunch.<br />
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I knew the biggest challenge would be recreating the baja sauce - not only a vegan version, but the regular "these poor animals" kind so I started to research any copycat recipes on the web I could find. I finally decided on one I found on food.com which you can see here:<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1272029832"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/taco-bell-baja-sauce-clone-37352">Baja Sauce</a><br />
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I was ecstatic to find that all that needed to be changed was to substitute Veganaise for the regular mayo and get moving! Then I just needed to take care of the beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes.... Ok, it sounds like a lot - I'll just post my recipe and break it down that way.<br />
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So here you go, my vegan Cheesy Gordita Crunch (apologies ahead of time for the photos - hopefully one day I'll have a grown up camera and a kitchen with better lighting).<br />
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*Warning: these amounts are what I tend to buy when I'm thinking about making tacos in general because I'm a huge fan of using the leftovers to make taco salads, but obviously feel free to scale down to what you need* <br />
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**Note: I used Taco Bell products when possible to feel more authentic, but feel free to use whatever you prefer**<br />
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<b>What you will need:</b><br />
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1 box Taco Bell Gordita shells (*I couldn't find these in my store for some reason, so we used a flatbread instead - I'm sure you can make your own, but I'm not that fancy*)<br />
1 box hard taco shells<br />
1 package vegan cheddar cheese shredded<br />
1 package vegan pepperjack cheese shredded (*I used Daiya brand for both because it's my favorite and I also mixed in some mozzarella shredded Daiya because I happen to like the flavor a bit more, but it's up to you and your taste*)<br />
1 package vegan crumble (*I used Boca vegan crumbles*)<br />
1 package taco seasoning mix<br />
2/3 cup water<br />
Refried beans (*I tried to make my own for the first time ever and I'm not quite sure it was worth all the time or really tasted any better than the can variety, so it's up to you - I'll provide the refried beans recipe we used just in case*)<br />
1 recipe baja sauce<br />
chopped tomatoes for the topping<br />
shredded lettuce for the topping<br />
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First things first, if you're making your own refried beans you're going to need to get them started just about first thing in the morning so make sure you plan ahead.<br />
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This is the recipe I used to make our own:<br />
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<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/vegetarian-refried-beans/detail.aspx">Refried Beans</a><br />
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The recipe says it takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes, but we put our beans on at 2:30 and there were barely ready at 10 (in fact we had to save the "re-frying" aspect of this until the next day because I like my sleep) so again, this is where canned refried beans come in handy.<br />
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Our lovely beans cooking:<br />
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...and 8+ hours later:<br />
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If you have a favorite refried beans recipe I say go with that. This one in general was a bit bland for my taste and I ended up adding a lot more spices into it to give it more of a kick. I'm sure if you soaked these bad boys overnight you'd have a better experience - as for me, I'm sticking to the canned from now on until someday when I'm feeling newly adventurous and less hateful towards pinto beans from scratch!<br />
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Now onto the actual cooking!<br />
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Get the baja sauce out of the way and into the fridge so the flavors can settle together!<br />
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<b>Baja sauce:</b><br />
*1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped<br />
*1/2 to 1 large jalapeno chopped in half (depending on how spicy you like it)<br />
*2 tbsp diced spanish onions<br />
*1 cup Veganaise or your favorite vegan mayo<br />
*1 tbsp vinegar<br />
*1/4 tsp black pepper<br />
*dash of cumin<br />
*dash of garlic powder<br />
<div class="pod directions"></div><br />
Get started by seeding and chopping your red bell pepper. Don't worry about being precise with the chopping since it's all headed for the food processor anyhow.<br />
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Next make sure to chop your jalapeno and dice your onions like so: <br />
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Then it's off to the food processor to puree the mixture until it's evenly mixed and smooth.<br />
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Mix up four tablespoons of the pepper/onion mixture with the Veganaise.<br />
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Add the rest of the spices and mix well. That's it! You're done! (Unbelievably easy, right?) And it should look something like this:<br />
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Don't be worried if it doesn't taste EXACTLY like you think it should, the flavors still need to sit. Put that sucker in the fridge and go take a nap, get a drink, watch some Saved by the Bell reruns, you know, the usual.<br />
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Start getting the rest of the food ready about half an hour before you want to eat since it all comes together pretty quickly (isn't that the beauty of tacos?).<br />
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Preheat your oven to 325. <br />
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Set up hard taco shells on an ungreased cookie sheet.<br />
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Make the taco meat by placing the package of frozen crumble into a skillet over medium high heat. You'll want to break up the crumble as much as you can.<br />
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Next add in about 2/3 the packet of taco seasoning (you can add more or less depending on your taste) and add about 2/3 cup water.<br />
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Mix thoroughly and heat until the water is completely absorbed and the crumble is heated through. This should take 10 minutes max. Feel free to add a little more water as you see fit depending again on how strong you want the flavor of the meat to be. Once done, remove from heat, cover, and set aside.<br />
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Bake hard taco shells in the oven for about 5 minutes or until crisp. Make sure to watch these so they don't burn. Remove from oven and place on a plate covered with tin foil to keep warm.<br />
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Once done, set oven to broil on low.<br />
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While the crumble is cooking and the shells are baking, shred your lettuce and chop up your tomatoes for the topping.<br />
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Mix together a cup of the pepperjack shredded cheese and a cup of the cheddar shredded cheese.<br />
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Lay out your gordita shells on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Sprinkle generously with the pepperjack/cheddar combo.<br />
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Place the gordita shells in the oven on broil just until the cheese is melted. Be sure to watch these as you don't want them to burn or the shells to get crispy! It should only take a minute or so.<br />
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Start the assembly line!! <br />
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Place the heated hard shell on top of the soft gordita shell and push together. You may want to hold for a minute or so until the melted cheese keeps them together. (*The flatbread was a bit larger than the hard shells so I had to use a pizza cutter to make it smaller to fit*).<br />
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Add a layer of the meat, followed by the refried beans, lettuce, baja sauce, tomatoes, and finally sprinkle lightly with the leftover pepperjack/cheddar cheese combo.<br />
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TADA! You have a delicious, vegan version of the Taco Bell classic.<br />
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Verdict?<br />
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Was it exactly like the original? Not quite. But was it enough to stop my cravings for one? Hell yeah. I think using the gordita shells instead of flatbread would make a huge difference and I may scale back a bit on the jalapeno in the baja sauce next time or maybe try to add some vegan cheese to the sauce itself (like I've seen in other recipes), but all in all it was damn delicious and Seth's plate was cleared and he was up for seconds in no time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CK_DDyhLdVI/Tn8dlmNlHTI/AAAAAAAAADw/5-g1_doD1Qg/s1600/photo%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CK_DDyhLdVI/Tn8dlmNlHTI/AAAAAAAAADw/5-g1_doD1Qg/s1600/photo%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q2WdUeMAWUA/Tn8dl0zBYLI/AAAAAAAAAD0/_duZLC_4Bug/s1600/photo%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q2WdUeMAWUA/Tn8dl0zBYLI/AAAAAAAAAD0/_duZLC_4Bug/s1600/photo%25283%2529.jpg" /></a></div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968626247173050725.post-9973709539746430982011-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:002011-09-23T08:05:05.507-07:00Greetings and Salutations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yWbo9ctOcM/TnyfrsBxA9I/AAAAAAAAAAM/ynUETaLjugE/s1600/76648_568019312602_2101761_33023904_774412_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yWbo9ctOcM/TnyfrsBxA9I/AAAAAAAAAAM/ynUETaLjugE/s320/76648_568019312602_2101761_33023904_774412_n.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So you're probably wondering who I am and why there's any need for another vegan food blog considering how many exist all over the internet (seriously - google it, you'd be surprised). To answer the first part, I'm a newly married, recently vegan, 25 year old who never thought going vegan would be possible because of the sheer delicious-ness that is cheese. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Married life has somehow reverted this fairly independent, Wellesley woman back to the 1950s housewife stage and I seem to find myself wanting to have a home-cooked meal on the table waiting for my husband when he gets home (apron, perfectly curled hairdo, and full skirt dress optional). So this is my account of my many attempts at finding vegan food that not only satisfies, but doesn't leave me running out for that block of brie at the store. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And as for the second part, there's absolutely no need for another vegan food blog, especially one by someone who tends to make recipes from cookbooks or online and is not at all a qualified chef. But my friends wanted me to do it, and peer pressure won out, so deal with it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh yeah, and the dance part of the title: I just happen to really like dancing, but am, once again, not a professional in any way - think the sprinkler, the cowboy, and the penguin.</div>DanceVeganDancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793672592288074noreply@blogger.com0