Baked Apple French Toast - Vegan Style

I am always promising The Husband (@isitvegan) that I will write up and post some of the recipes that he posts about on Twitter. I'm finally resolved to do it, so I'm starting with some Holiday recipes. Hope you enjoy!

A few years ago my Mother in Law got a fantastic recipe for baked french toast. This was some super rich, super bad for you, and super delicious baked french toast. Definitely the kind of thing you save for special occasions, as the eggs, cream, and unbelievable amount of sugar makes this an over the top recipe. While the original recipe wasn't vegan, she did veganize it so that @isitvegan could partake in the in apple-maple glory of this breakfast food.

This is a 2 part recipe. You make a bottom layer of syrup and apples, then you add your day old bread, and then you top it off with a soy milk mixture. Oh, and I should mention that this recipe is no healthier for you than it's original non-vegan counterpart, except that I suppose it's cholesterol free.


1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Melted Margarine
3 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

3 Tar Apples (Peeled & Sliced)
1 Loaf of day old french bread

3 TBS Ground Flax Seed
1/4 Cup of water
1 1/2 Cups of Soy Milk
1 TBS Vanilla Extract

1. Slice the apples and arrange them into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt the margarine and then add the Brown Sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon & nutmeg.
3. Pour the syrup mixture over the apples and the place the bread slices on top of that.
4. In a large mixing bowl add the flax seed and water and whisk together making a thick paste.
5. Then add in the Soy Milk and Vanilla and mix together and then pour over the bread, making sure to soak each piece.
6. Bake, covered in tin foil at 375 for 30 mins. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 mins.

Variation- reduce the maple syrup and brown sugar down a it and replace with about 1/2 cup of orange juice. You could also add dried cranberries to the bottom of the pan.

Mushrooms Berkeley

I am always promising The Husband (@isitvegan) that I will write up and post some of the recipes that he posts about on Twitter. I'm finally resolved to do it, so I'm starting with some Holiday recipes. Hope you enjoy!

This recipe appeared in my email one day. Sent to me by my Great Uncle Cliff.

Cliff, who I don't think would mind if I described him this, was a child of the '60s...so in other words is now an "old hippie". (Which I say with affection, because what is better than those stories about Woodstock and backpacking around Europe and communes). Anyway, this was a favorite recipe of his taken from a true original vegetarian cookbook, The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. Which is something I don't own but, hey, Christmas is coming!

This is technically a side dish, but my family tends to eat it as an appetizer with crackers or on crusty bread. The sauce is delicious, thick and rich tasting but certainly on the sweet side. This is worth making for a mushroom lover, and is pretty simple. It's great for a party, because it can simmer while you're prepping other things.

24 oz. Fresh mushrooms (halved or quartered, but not sliced)
2 Bell peppers (I like red, cut into long strips)
1 Medium sweet onion (finely chopped)
2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS Brown Mustard
2 TBS Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (The Wizard makes some, and so does Annie's)
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Red Wine
Black Pepper to taste

1. Mix together the mustard, Worcestershire, brown sugar and red wine and set aside while you heat sauce pan or electric skillet to medium heat.
2. Add the olive oil and saute the onion until it turns translucent.
3. Add the peppers and cook for 2-3 mins.
4. Add the mushrooms and then cook covered for 2-4 mins.
5. When the mushrooms begin to brown around the edges, uncover and add the sauce.
6. Simmer uncovered for 45 mins. The end result is a thick, caramel colored sauce and juicey mushrooms.

Thoughts- I'm thinking you could dial down the Brown Sugar to a 1/4 cup and still have success. I'm also wondering if the addition of some hot sauce near the end might punch it up a bit.

Mac'n'Cheez Vegan Style

I am always promising The Husband (@isitvegan) that I will write up and post some of the recipes that he posts about on Twitter. I'm finally resolved to do it, so I'm starting with some Holiday recipes. Hope you enjoy!

This is a great casserole-style dish that is quick and easy for a weeknight, or can be jazzed up and brought to a potluck. I've served this to my cheese-loving family and they really enjoyed it. I typically make it with whole wheat pasta, but since going on the gluten free experiment I've been using rice pasta and it's just as good.

16 oz of pasta (I prefer fusilli, mostly because of Fusilli Jerry)
- Cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 Cup of the cooking water before draining.

Cheez Sauce:
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Cup Plain Soy Milk
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 Cup of Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

1. Whisk together these ingredients in a medium sized pyrex measuring pitcher.

2. Drain the pasta (remembering to reserve about 1/2 Cup of the pasta water) and then immediately add the pasta back into the warm pot. Turn the heat off.

3. Add the wet mixture over the pasta and mix. Usually this will work just fine, but occasionally the sauce will be a bit thick or a bit thin. Add the pasta water if it's too thick and sticky. If the sauce is too thin, turn the heat to med-low and keep stirring until the sauce is thicker and a better consistency.

Variations:
Add any spice/flavor combination you like. Sometimes I add miso, or lemon pepper, or smoked paprika might be nice.

Add a vegetable. Some ideas: caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, roasted butternut squash cubes, frozen peas, broccoli florets....

Baked: Another option is to add that pasta water to the pot, place this in a casserole dish or individual ramekins, and sprinkle with some vegan bread crumbs that are drizzled with olive oil. Then bake or broil for a few mins until the top is nice and crunchy.

I usually serve this with something green, either steamed broccoli or sauteed collards, spinach or kale.

Soy Nog Bread

I am always promising The Husband (@isitvegan) that I will write up and post some of the recipes that he posts about on Twitter. I'm finally resolved to do it, so I'm starting with some Holiday recipes. Hope you enjoy!

I'm not vegan, but I am a vegetarian who limits the amount of dairy I eat. So several years ago when Whitewave began making soy nog it was like a revelation. Why? Well ,it wasn't too long before that the only soy milk available was brown and kind of clumpy and came in those aseptic containers. While it wasn't so gross you couldn't drink it, it certainly wasn't doing anyone any favors. As soon as Silk started becoming mainstream and they started making flavors (like soy nog) a dairy-free corner was turned for sure.

This is a favorite recipe at our house during the Holidays. This is a quick bread that's great for breakfast or an after dinner snack. It also wraps up and freezes well, if you're interested in giving it as a gift. I have NO IDEA where this recipe came from, but I do know it was adapted from a recipe that used real egg nog. So, have I changed it enough to call it my own? Who knows. What I do know is that this is a hit.

2 Eggs (I use the Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Melted Margarine
1 Cup Soy Nog
2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla
21/4 Cup Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (plus a little more for sprinkling on top)

Preheat the oven to 350
1. In a small bowl whip up the eggs using a whisk per the box directions.
2. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients and whisk together with a fork.
3. In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients.
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with the fork until it's just mixed. A few lumps are okay.
5. Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan (or 3 or 4 of those tiny loaf pans).
6. Sprinkle nutmeg on the top. and bake the large pan for 45 - 50 mins. (the small pans for about 25 mins)

Spiced Autumn Cutlets

I am always promising The Husband (@isitvegan) that I will write up and post some of the recipes that he posts about on Twitter. I'm finally resolved to do it, so I'm starting with some Holiday recipes. Hope you enjoy!

Wanting to keep our Thanksgiving protein not only vegan but gluten free, I was at a bit of a loss this year. I knew I wouldn't be picking up a Tofurky and taking the easy route (not that there's anything wrong with that. But I knew I'd be making something from scratch.

Cut to me rummaging through my store of cookbooks in search of inspiration. So last Sunday I was was reading the expansive Mark Bittman classic, "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" and came upon the recipe for Spiced Autumn Vegetable Burger. I figured that I could make them into a pan fried cutlet and the flavor profile of sweet potato, greens, and some Serrano chili pepper would compliment the Thanksgiving feast. I improvised the recipe a bit to account for the ingredients on hand as well as the gluten free factor.

2 Cups Cooked Kale (I used raw spinach)
2 Cups cooked Cannellini Beans (I used pinto)
4 TBS Olive Oil
1 Medium Sweet Potato -Peeled & Grated
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (I used toasted & cubed GF Bread)
1/2 tps Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Pinch Cayenne (I used a Serrano chili pepper and garlic instead)

1. Squeeze the water out of the greens and finely chop it. In a large bowl, mash the beans roughly and then stir in the greens with a fork.

2. In a deep skillet on medium heat, add 2 TBS oil. When the oil is hot add the sweet potato, salt & pepper. Stir and cook the sweet potato (about 15 mins). Once it's cooked, stir in the bread crumbs and other spices. (I started by shopping 2 cloves of garlic and the Serrano chili pepper. I added this to a cold skillet, added the oil and turned it to medium -creating an infused oil. Then I added the sweet potato, salt & pepper, but found the sweet potato was sticking to the pan- I added about a 1/4 cup water and let it cook.)

3. Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl of greens & beans and mash it all together. You can add a little all purpose flour to help it stick together. I didn't have to - it came together really nicely.

4. Form into patties, about 4 inches long by 2 inches wide. Heat a nonstick pan to medium and add a Tablespoon of olive oil. Fry each patty until they reach a nice golden brown (about 4 mins on each side). Careful when flipping. They will become less fragile as they cool down a bit.

I brought these to Thanksgiving dinner on an oven safe dish and reheated them covered in the oven. (well actually I think my Mom did that part.) They were served over mashed potatoes today- but could easily be served on top of salad greens, rice or even a bun.

Overall this was a hit, and they got good reviews from the non-vegans as well.

When Crafts Go Wrong

Has anyone seen this? A website devoted to making fun of crafts...Regretsy.

Admittedly, I feel bad giggling over people's crafty work, but come one, look at some of this stuff. Go to the cat section. Seriously? Seriously.

Just a friendly reminder that people are weird. And now you have another site to make you chuckle when you've already read all of FML.

ps....if you've already read all the Cute Overload, you can check out ZooBorns.

Bad Blogger...yada yada yada

Right, so I'm terrible at updating this lately. I've had important stuff to do like watch both seasons of True Blood and have Fall Family Fun Day. The reality is that work has been crazy, I've been updating my work blog, going to the gym, cooking healthy meals, and getting ready for our convention (that finally happened last weekend! woot!).

So, essentially, same old story...life gets in the way of life...blah blah blah...(I know you know the truth...I'm better at watching tv than I am at updating this page.)

Here's a good story for you, though. Last Monday I was gearing up for a SUPER busy week. With the convention (which included me leading sessions), the blog, my insurance work, and being in Boston for three days, I was stressed. So naturally, I came down with a cold. By Tuesday, when I drove my boss and her assistant into Boston and dropped them off at the hotel, I felt terrible.

You know how you just feel awful, tired, cloudy, spent, snifflie, and just a tad pathetic? I had that, but staying home in bed was not an option. I scheduled an acupuncture appointment, bought a quart of orange juice, and a neti pot all in an attempt to make myself feel better. However, the reality was that I could only think about ONE MAGICAL THING. In my cloudy, mind only OE MAGICAL THING would make me feel better...or at least provide me a moment of being less pathetic than I appeared with the tissue box attached to my arm.

That ONE MAGIC THING: Wendy's French Fries with ketchup.

I can't even recall the last time I was at a Wendy's. Literally, it could be 15 years. But its all I could think about. So on my way back from Boston, I got off the Mass Pike, drove down Route 9 and bought myself a small french fry and a bottle of water. I dunked every one of those square french fries in ketchup and savored each one. They were every bit as good as I wanted them to be. Salty, crunchy, sweet - a rare (and weird) moment of bliss. I finished them, took a sip of my water and drove back to the office.

And all of that was well and good until I realized that I had carelessly thrown the water bottle into my purse, but had failed to screw the cap on with the strength of 1,000 men. That, dear readers, is how I spilled water in the bottom of my purse, which drown my iPod and everything else in my bag. Each item was wet and stuck together which created a big soggy pile of chap stick, tea bags, receipts, shopping notes, tissues, coupons, tampons and credit cards. Not to mention my gloves, ear buds, and check book. One by one each item came out of my bag and laid on the floor of my cubicle to dry.

But those French Fries were really worth it.

10 Things I Like - Fall Edition - Sort of

1. The way the leaves have changed soooo incredibly slowly this year. The extended foliage season is deserved after the months of awful weather here. (apparently all that rain was traumatizing as it ended like 2 months ago)

2. The way the neighborhood smells like campfires at night.

3. That once a week, apple crisp is a perfectly acceptable breakfast.

4. Having great friends.

5. That I actually feel disappointed if I don't make it to the gym 4 times a week.

6. Podcasts. I love them. My iPod recent reset and it killed everything on my nano. I have only
restored the podcast section.

7. Sweaters. Warm, cozy, cotton sweaters.

8. Deer pajamas.

9. Slow roasted tomatoes.

10. Spiked apple cider.

FLIP FLOPS!

I mentioned that my birthday was not too long ago. A perk of birthdays is getting gifts from really nice people. Sometimes these gifts come in the form of checks. When that happens I like to take that money and spend it on shoes. I'm no Carrie Bradshaw, so I head directly to DSW instead of Jimmy Choo.

I had a few boxes stacked up and was trying on a few pairs of shoes and was doing the obligatory walk up and down the isle testing shoes for comfort and heel height and trying to imagine which pants I could wear them with, and thinking all the while that my Mom was going to pop out at any given moment and ask if my toes were hitting the end. In other words, I was in my own little world. The trying on shoes by myself mode.

As I was walking up and down the isle this woman leans over from the next isle and says something to me. Of course, I had no clue and wasn't paying attention at all, so I asked her to repeat herself. Again, she muttered something that was totally inaudible (or my hearing loss is getting worse). My response was "excuse me, I just can't hear you". I imagine my face actually said "WTF lady, why are you taking to me?"

She took a deep breath, looked me in the eye and then shouted "FLIP FLOPS!"

And with that I'm sure the look on my face went from WTF? to WTF!?!???

Again, she looked at me and continued shouting, "Flip flops. I've never been here before. Where are the FLIP FLOPS?"

Then it became clear. She thought I worked there and was PISSED that I was not paying her the attention she so obviously needed. So she decided to shout at me.

My brilliant response, "I don't work here." I followed it up with "It is September, I think the flip flops are in the clearance rack in the back."

Then she was suddenly embarrassed and found it quite funny that she had made such a silly mistake. I'm still wondering what part about me trying on shoes makes me look like like I work at DSW. Weird. I hated the way she only felt it okay to be nice to me after she found out I was not an employee.

People are weird.

***
Where have I been?
I've been blogging at work and somehow that's taking up some (or most) of my mental energy. I'm not sure what that says about me. I'll get back to writing more regularly soon.

5 Things

I haven't written up any stories for a while here. Things have gotten...busy.

We had a new roof put on. That was awesome and expensive and actually still requires some thought because now our house is sans gutters. The other day I noticed that there is a roofing nail that somehow landed just right and is poked right through one of the leaves of our rhododendron bush. I see the nail every time I get out of the car and it makes me wonder exactly how that happened - the nail falling so perfectly as to pierce the leaf and then sit in the bush in suspended animation - instead of falling to the ground. When I think of this I don't think about spending more money on gutters and that's probably good for my sanity.

I have been spending time at the gym. Yes, really. I think I started going back in June. While I haven't lost a single pound - I have gained a bit of knowledge. 1. Exercises keeps the anxiety at bay. 2. Starting slow was in fact the way for me to play the game. (Not once has a piece of gym equipment shut off while I was using it) 3. I actually work out harder when distracted by reading a book. 4. I still hate lifting weights due to the boring-ness of lifting weights and the need to count and pay attention while doing so.

Never in a million years did I think it possible, but I have started using Twitter at work. Of course, this required setting up a new account as my @drivedaily account was less than relevant to the world of insurance. Since then I've been trying to tweet on both - which seems excessive for me. How many Twitter accounts does one person need?

Why can I not find true love in a throw pillow?

One last thought- I am really liking that new show Glee. Why? Don't know. It should be something I loathe - with all the singing theater nerd kids - but I find myself hoping that I didn't miss it because I can't seem to remeber what day it comes on.

Today

Today is my birthday! I still approach my birthday with child-like enthusiasm, but each year I find it a little harder to pull it off. It helps to have a piece of cake, great friends and family and a wonderful husband to help celebrate.

Speaking of that wonderful husband... we have now been married to for FIVE years. Today is also our wedding anniversary. The past five years have been filled with a lot changes, a lot of fun and I am so thrilled to be able to say that I married my best friend - the love of my life - and all that stuff you think only happens to people in movies with happy endings.

And if that weren't cool enough, I feel like I have one more reason to celebrate. I've recently been asked to take on a new project at work. After talking about it for years, our leadership has finally decided to take the plunge and explore some social media avenues. A few weeks ago I was asked to put together a plan for a blog. After presenting my plan and some sample posts, I was given the Thumbs Up to start (and promptly commenced learning Wordpress and giving out twitter tutorials). It's been a little crazy for me trying to balance this new part of my job, but I can honestly say this is the most excited I have been about work in a while.

So that's what I'll be celebrating today over a few cups of espresso, a few surprises for my husband, and nice dinner in the North End.

Done!

People, I am DONE with bacon.

I decreed this last week on twitter, but seriously folks I am done.

Cake should never look like bacon.
Martini glasses should be made out of glass.
Vodka should be mixed with lemons.

Now I understand, bacon tastes good, it smells good, it conjures up memories of your mom frying it on Sunday mornings and all the rest. (Actually, it reminds me of camping - every camp site frying up it's own bacon and eggs and pancakes.) And yes, I know, I don't actually eat bacon anymore, but this does not preclude me from voicing what you all need to hear:

Bacon has jumped the shark!

(From @reneemca's lips to your ears, internet.)

*****
Related: other things I am DONE with:
Alice 'n' Chains
Smokers who throw cigarette butts on the ground
People who complain about completely irrelevant nonsense...oh wait

****UPDATE****
Upon posting this the very next thing in my feed reader was a recipe for, you guessed it,
Lentils with Bacon. People, Bacon is NOT sexy!

I sighed very loudly. The Husband asked what was wrong. I told him I had been a victim of the internet. He rolled his eyes.

Pot-Luck Pesto (vegan style)

We headed to a pot luck last night. A real pot luck. No theme. No advanced warnings. No sign up sheets. The possibility that we would get there to find a table full of green salads crossed our minds, but I had a pretty good feeling we'd have pretty good luck.

This is what I intended to bring:
Almond Pest Spirals topped with Cherry Tomatoes
Multi-grain Sourdough Bread
Blueberry Pie

I actually left the tomatoes and bread on the counter, which really bummed me out, but we pressed on and figured we could enjoy all the tomatoes ourselves...without sharing.

The almond pesto has been a favorite dinner lately and is a recipe I made up using almonds instead of pine nuts. Why almonds? Because I keep raw almonds around to snack on and throw in oatmeal. I have to admit to not really caring for pine nuts, hating walnuts, and only tolerating roasted peanuts a few at a time. Almonds however are my friend and they make a nice base for a vegan pesto. Almonds seem to have a creamy flavor which makes me not miss the cheese at all. They also pack some protein (albeit not that much) into this carb-tastic meal.

Pack into a food processor:
1/3 Cup of toasted almonds
30 -40 basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbs of olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste

-Pulse your pesto into a paste in the food processor. Add a bit more oil if you need you loosen it up a bit, but it should be paste-like.

-Cook your pasta in salted water. I like whole a whole wheat penne or fuscilli. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

-Drain the pasta and then transfer to a large bowl.

-Add the pesto to the bowl and mix into the pasta. Add some of the pasta water as needed to loosen up the pesto and get a good coating over the noodles.

-Top with quartered cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Naked Chef as Village People

I wasn't going to post anything tonight. I had a little culinary project to attend to and didn't plan anything to write, however, I found something worth noting.

So please, if you have any love for the Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver, you'll want to check out the promo he did for his new show "Jamie's Road Trip" where he plays ALL of the Village People.

via slashfood

10 Things I Like

1. Browsing Etsy and Decor8 for the soothing inspirations.
2. Cooking a meal and serving it to hungry people.
3. The companionship of dogs.
4. Ah-ha! moments. (For instance:one day I realized that I'm not even 29 yet. It was a revelation.)
5. Wondering my favorite vintage shops on a rainy day.
6. Dreaming about living on the beach - while I sit on the beach.
7. Nights when you need to pull the comforter up.
   
8. Reading a memoir.
9. That straw hat I have but was too embarrassed to wear in public until recently.
   
10. Box fans.
    

My Teddy Kennedy Memory

It was on my 8th Grade field trip to Washington DC that I snapped this picture of Senator Kennedy. Like so many 8th grade classes before me, I sat on the steps of the US Capitol while he talked to my classmates. We were from Massachusetts and he made time for even the youngest of constituents. What he said that day...I have no idea. All I knew was that it was IMPORTANT that I had photographic evidence that I had met the man. That my Nana would be very happy about such things.

I'm not sure why I have kept this photo all these years. Is it partially based on the fact that I think The Nana would want me to? Yes. Is it because I want to hold on to a little piece of Kennedy lore? Perhaps.

Creepy Facebook People I Don't Know

So I have really started to dislike the way that Facebook suggests friends you may know by featuring someone on your home page.

Why does this bother me?

1. I rarely know anyone that they suggest
2. Even if you close that picture, they come back at some point
3. Sometimes the pictures are really creepy

This one chick, whom I have never met in my life, has been staring at me on the Facebook while I chat with my cousins and look at pictures of people's weddings for weeks. She is creepy and looks a bit evil. She may in fact be nice and lovely just not photogenic or she may be casting spells on me through the interwebs. No matter how many times I close her down...she reappears.

I wish that you could customize your FB homepage so the features you liked (and used) could be placed where you wanted them. I mean- I don't want to get into the ridiculous territory of barf-worthy pages with the music that is Myspace, but simply being able to move the modules around would be cool and then I could hide the creepy girl below the fold.

Heirloom Tomatoes for $3.25/lb

This weekly farmers market thing sure is coming in handy. http://www.abfarmersmarket.org/

Can't wait to go back on Sunday and stock up. I'm hoping they still have these super sweet yellow cherry tomatoes.

Rambutan

The husband and I saw the little basket of Rambutan at Idylewilde Farm on Sunday. Inspired by the Mighty Girl, Maggie Mason, and her Mighty Life List, I purchased this piece of exotic fruit just to try it. When I saw that these spiny little fruits were not only $.69, but also has sign with directions on how to eat them, I splurged. I told the husband it would be an adventure and then I wondered if Maggie Mason has eaten one of these yet. Turns out Rambutan was #35 on her quest to eat 1000 fruits.

The Rambutan looks weird with it's red spiny tentacles. It reminds me of a cactus, except the long things are sort soft.

It was easy to break into using my fingernail to break the rind and then it sort of just popped open revealing a strange white orb on one side. That strange white orb is the fruit, which is similar to lyche fruit, or a really big peeled grape. The flesh is firm and juicy and simply tastes fresh. There is no overwhelming sweetness or smell.

Inside the fruit is a seed that looks very much like an almond.

I wonder what number fruit Rambutan is for me. I'll have to count and report back. I think I'd like to eat 1000 fruits, too, as well as so many other things. I should add writing a Life List to my other list of things I should get around to doing.

Weekending

By far the neatest thing to happen this weekend was the 1/2 hour or so that it rained while the sun was shining. It happens like that maybe twice a year, and to me it is so cool. It allows you to see the world differently by changing the light. It's just one of those neat things I think I'll always love because it reminds me that our world is big and sometimes what seems very grand is really amazingly simple.