Went to Goodwill. Bought Some Glass

Some of this stuff was bought today, some in the past couple of weeks...

Two silicone baking pans and a silicone spatula and two glass baking pans, one Anchor Hocking and one Corning (the small one).
















This is a photo of my dishes. All those plates and bowls are Corelle except the big bowls are Pyrex and some of the smaller ramekins are Fire King.
















Some new cups. Corelle Old Town Blue that matches the plates, whee! A nice green ivy and Sunflower that matches some other plates we have.














Two silicone baking dishes and a two sided rubber spatula, bought at the buy 2 get 1 free sale. Yay... I got two bread pans!















A large storage jar. I will put oatmeal in it. The rubber seal is in good condition.
















Salt shaker and pepper mill. The pattern is Carefree Nordic from Syracuse.
















Another storage jar and a cheese plate with glass top.















Two cup and saucer sets. I think these are promos from the 1950s. Both are Anchor Hocking, the one on the left is Bonnie Blue, I don't know the name of the other. Orange and yellow poppies with green leaves.

Vegan Casseroles are FUN!

Dinner last night was potato and leek soup with a micro-green salad and a quinoa casserole














Nice close up of the casserole















I love making casseroles. This one was black, red and white quinoa, eggplant, zukes, tomatoes, onions and some leftovers from the Indian food I made the other day. Quite yum.

The boy's breakfast this morning was a bagel with vegan buttery spread and a kiwi orange fruit salad.
All vegan...


















He is still eating salad almost every night for dinner.

Todays Lunch is Brought to You By: Salad!

Clockwise from top: Vege juice pulp bread* slathered in earth balance, onion and clover sprouts, sauerkraut, curry carrot salad. Drizzled all over the top with hot mustard.


Footnotes:
* vege juice pulp bread is a regular loaf of soda bread made with some added juicing pulp. It comes out heavier and of course, has a vege taste to it. VERY good toasted.

Oat Walnut Burgers :: Meat Substitute :: Vegetarian Patties AND Whole Wheat VEGAN Hamburger Bun Recipe!!!

It was burger night at casa de Zucchini Breath

I made my own buns














These are the basic soda bread recipe with half whole wheat flour. I used more whole wheat flour to make it dryer, like a biscuit dough. I rolled it out on a floured board with my floured rolling pin to about 3/4" thick and cut the "biscuits" with an over sized coffee mug. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350F for 30 min. Cool on a rack then slice.

I remember my mom doing this but she used a yeast dough. She froze them and we would take one from the freezer and toast it when ever we wanted sandwich or toast.

Here is one, all cut open. It's not the perfect shape but it got the job done.














These buns are not wimpy and won't fall apart with heavy sandwich usage.
Feel free to get all messy with them, they won't let you down.

Dressed up.














from left to right, bottom bun with a hunk of vegan sausage and some oatmeal cheese. Top bun with onion, tomato and avocado, all sliced super thin on my kyocera slicer, oat/walnut patty with seed cheese.

All assembled with homemade ketchup and homemade mustard. I haven't found a good recipe for homemade vegan mayonaise. Yet.
Prepared mustard is really easy to make. I will get in depth on it in a future post but you basically mix ground dried mustard seed with water, 1:1. one part water, one part ground mustard. I put a little salt in mine. You could go nuts with recipes, just Google homemade mustard and you will get... well, a lot of them.

It wasn't a greasy highway burger but it had a lot of flavor. The secret is using a huge amount of grated onion. The onion makes it juicy AND delicious!

The money shot, again...















And the recipe, sort of. I didn't measure, of course.
Approximately:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1 grated onion
all kind of spices. I kinda went by what I put in vegan sausage, but no sugar or vinegar.
Mix it really well. You can put it in the food processor to save some time.
I let them sit for an hour or so at room temp and then make patties with my hands and bake them on a greased cookie sheet at 350F for 30 minutes, flip and bake for 30 minutes more. Eat right away or keep them at room temp until dinner time, then pop them back in the oven with some seed cheese on top for 20 min at 350F. Warm is good, so eat them up!


Oh, and see my new plates? Corelle. Old Town Blue. I'm trying to get all my dishes to be Corelle. I'm not really picky about the pattern right now, there are a lot of fun ones. Goodwill is a great place to get the stuff, cheap. No more dinner plates, lol. I'm looking for nice Corning Ware casseroles, too. The bigger the better!

VEGAN Indian Food Night! Sweet Potato Kulcha :: Baked Vegetable Curry

Sweet potato kulcha. Two whole wheat tortillas (1 c wheat, 1 c white flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 2 tbs olive oil and water) with a filling of steamed sweet and white potato, chopped green onion, a tbs of vegan butter and a bit of salt. Fill one tortilla, put the other on top and press the seam closed with a fork. Sorry, I didn't measure the filling ingredients.

Put sealed tortillas in a nice, hot cast iron pan for about 2-3 minutes until it's has browned spots like in the photo














Flip it with a spatula and cook for another 2-3 minutes (brown spots).


































The curry is a bunch of chopped veges, eggplant, zukes, carrot, bell pepper, cauli, potato, onion, tomato, baked in a sauce of water, vinegar, dates and a bunch of spices, including curry and lots of garlic and ginger.



















I served it with steamed black, red and white quinoa, steamed with a tbs of herbs de provence.

Vegan Yawn

I want to make Indian style food for dinner.

Veges and Potato in spicy tomato sauce with naan and quinoa instead of rice. I could infuse the quinoa with herbs so it would be like jasmine rice. I could put flax seeds in quinoa. That would probably seem exotic.

I will let you know.

My sauerkraut came out good this time. I shredded one med carrot with the cabbage and it gave it a nice flavor.

Ok, off to search for naan recipes. Ooh, maybe I could make a nice kulcha...

I didn't update on Monday. But I did make VEGAN Ravioli with Spinach Basil Sausage Filling (Hail Seitan!) Vegan Pasta Recipe

And now it's tuesday.
Yesterday the school bus didn't come. A lady in a mini van with a bunch of grade school kids passed us, turned around and came back and said something about a substitute bus driver coming ten minutes early...

I said, "Kid, do you know these people?" He said he did, so I put him in the stranger's van and watched it drive away.

It all worked out ok, he came home in time for dinner.

We had ravioli
Here is one pre fold. Vegan sausage, spinach, basil, sunflower seed cheese and about a tsp of ketchup.














To make the pasta dough I put 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbs olive oil in my FP with the S-blade. I turned the FP on and added water until it got to a grainy consistency, then turned it out and kneaded it until a smooth ball. I split that into four pieces and let them rest for a while. Resting is very important.
Roll out the balls in to very thin sheets on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.

Cut them with a large round cutter and fill with your favorite fillings. Once full fold the round in half and press the edges with a fork to seal.

Put these in boiling water. First they sink then they float. Cook for five minutes and serve with marinara or whatever sauce you like. The boy likes his plain. No sauce. I like mine with sauerkraut and vege parm.

I also put up two jars of carrot/cabbage sauerkraut (dang, I go through that stuff fast) and a bottle of ketchup.

We bought an ugly truck :) YAY!

The car we were driving wasn't safe and scared the hell out of me every time I got in it. To the point of panic attack.

Yesterday we bought this:
















1985 Ford F350 with a full back seat and it's a dually.

It has been sitting for a long time but there was nothing wrong with it when it was parked. They freshened it all up but it needs a few minor tweaks still. Windshield wipers, stuff like that.



This End. Needs a good bath and a new coat of paint. It has tinted windows














and That End. It also needs some seals around the windows, there is a minor leak around the newly replaced windshield.














The Loading End. You can see the seat covers are just rotted from sitting in the sun. Other than that the upholstery is old and ugly but usable and not half bad.













Missing tail gate. This is an old, ugly truck.

The Front Tire















Some folks think one gas tank is enough.















We play it safe with two.















Fake wood panel and a bright red interior

















An ashtray that came with complimentary cigarette butts and novelty lighter















A cassette deck that doesn't work but comes with a Journey tape.














It's not even one of the "good" ones.

Seats 6!















Say it with me... "Wing window". I bet some of you don't know what one of those is














Who can tell me what that peg on the floor is for?

















Yeah. A pick up truck. I feel like I really belong here now.

Dammit. But at least we can haul stuff now. I can't wait to get a dining room table... :)

Vegan Recipe VEGAN Garlic Lemon Hummus Chick Pea Garbanzo Bean Dip, Appetizer or Snack

Sprout your beans.* Rinse them again and then put in a large sauce pan with water covering them about 2 inches deep. Bring to a boil and then cook on med heat, keep them bubbling a little, until they are soft, about 2-2.5 hours. Add more water as needed.
When they are cooked, drain them and rinse in cold water. Put in food processor with S-blade and add

2 tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup of tahini or 1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tbs olive oil
water.
mix them all together, adding water as you go to make it creamy. Keep mixing until it's really smooth, this could take up to ten minutes. I have to let my FP rest so it doesn't over heat, but The taste is worth it.

Store in a covered container in the fridge for a week or so.



Footnotes:
* Optional. If you choose not to sprout your beans, just rinse and soak them for about 2 hours. Sprouting instructions. Takes 48 hours. Clean about a cup of dried chickpeas and soak them over night. Rinse them the next day and keep them in a dark place in a sprouting jar or wrapped in a towel for another day.

Bag Tag :: A Meme

Meme as defined by Wikipedia:
The term Internet meme (pronounced /miːm/) is a neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an inside joke.
The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

That being said, I don't think this is really a meme by definition but here we go.
Copy and paste 1 thru 4, remove my answers, replace with your own and post it on your blog. Any of my facebook friends that might see this, feel free to post a note up there :)

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

The canvas shopping bag. The only time I go out with a bag is to the store so I bring the shopping bags.

If I were cool it would have a patch sewn or pinned over the logo, but I am not cool so it does not. Yet.

2) I want to know how much it cost :) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

I don't know how much it cost. Probably a free promo bag. dmnews.com is the name on the bag. It was here when I moved in.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you're showing everyone your bag.

Um.. I wasn't tagged. I sort of crashed this from La Belle Vegan . Check it.
Chicks? How about Brin, Alison, Isle Dance, CocoaBean, JuliePoo, AJ Chanter, and any other breathing female, or male, that happens to be reading this blog. Hell I don't care. Dudes carry bags, just like chicks do. Post it up! Don't wait for an invitation or you will never make it to the party, baby!

I am adding:

4) Dump that bag, take a photo and give us an inventory!















YAY! more bags! and a little plastic tub in case I need something that goes in a tub. I take them to the store and fill them with food that doesn't come in packages. Ooh, look how good I am, reusing bags! I am getting better at remembering it when we go shopping, too!
There is also a wash cloth in case of runny nose or other messy incidents, and two pencils. Writing is important :)
If I were actually going out this bag would also contain a digital camera, a phone that is really just a time piece that doesn't even have any GAMES in it, how am i supposed to entertain a kid who forgot his Nintendo DS? Sheesh, and a shopping list.

You know, every time I got to the store I wish I had a clothes pin to attach the list to the cart. I think I will put one in the bag right now.

Thanks, Meme!

Home Made Flour Tortillas

These were so quick and simple to make! I can see why they have been a staple food for thousands of years!

Vegan Recipe! Home Made Flour Tortillas**

Makes 8 8-10" tortillas

1.5 cups flour*
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 + 1/8 cup warm water















Put your ungreased cast iron pan on med heat.

In a large bowl mix all ingredients well with hands and then separate into 8 balls. Dust the balls with flour and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Letting them rest is very important. It makes them easier to roll out nice and thin. A thick tortilla is just a thin biscuit. No one wants a thin biscuit OR a thick tortilla, so let them rest.

Roll each tortilla with floured rolling pin on floured board, or use your floured hands to press them out into rounds. With even pressure, roll outward in all directions to make a nice, round tortilla approx 10" across.
Lay it gently in your hot pan for about a minute and a half. It will bubble on top. Flip it and leave for another minute. Don't leave them too long or they will be crisp and not soft like you want them.
Put hot tortilla on a clean dish towel on a plate. Spray with a half second spray of olive oil cooking spray and cover with clean towel. Eat them as soon as possible for maximum freshness. If they get cold, re-heat them quickly in your cast iron pan and eat immediately.

Footnotes:

* I used white but I will try them with whole wheat next time
** I looked at a lot of recipes and other than varying the amount and type of oil they were all the same, so I didn't note a website.

Sliceable Vegan Cheese For Sandwiches :: Oatmeal Cheese Recipe :: Vegan Cheesy Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

Yar, a hearty pirate's breakfast for a Saturday morning!















Biscuits I made from soda bread dough with a little more flour. I rolled them out and cut them with a coffee cup and baked them at 350F for about 30 minutes. First biscuits I have made in many years.
I heated the vegan sausage slices and the biscuits in a cast iron pan with a spray of olive oil then assembled them on a plate with slices of cheese, roma tomato and fresh basil. Beautiful!

Then I took the picture, gave them to the man and came back here to write all about it. They were good, trust me! I didn't eat any cuz I'm trying to juice today. It's hard with people all over. I want to cook for everyone all day long. I am cooking beans and will be making chili for dinner tonight. I will try to make some tortillas today. It might be a disaster, I will let you know.

Oatmeal cheese on a flax and quinoa cracker.














I was looking all over for an agar cheese recipe and found this here
Reprinted without permission from No Milk dot com

--------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00 (BB)

 Title: Mostarella Cheeze
Categories: Vegetarian, Vegan, Sandwiches
 Yield: 3 cups

 2 c  ;water
1/2 c  Nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c  Quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 c  Tahini
 4 tb Arrowroot or cornstarch
 4 tb Fresh lemon juice
 1 tb Onion granules
 1 ts Salt

Process all ingredients in a blender for several
minutes until very smooth.

Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly, until very thick and smooth.

Pack into a lightly oiled, 3 cup rectangular mold,
loaf pan, or other small, rectangular conainer and
cool. For round slices, pack into a small, straight
sided, cylindrical container. Cool, cover and chill
overnight. To serve, turn out of the mold and
carefully slice. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Still in the mold after chilling overnight.














Released from the mold and on my cheese plate.
















It really worked. What a great way to use the power of oatmeal to my advantage!
It's soft, but I was able to slice it and put it on the biscuits over hot sausages. It tastes VERY cheesey.
I made the recipe exactly but I used garlic powder instead of onion granules and 1/2 cup of raw, hulled sesames seeds instead of tahini.

Last night the boy ate dinner with the family. We all had grilled cheese, mozz for the omnis and seed cheese for me, tomato soup that I made from scratch and salad.
The boy ate some of everything and didn't have anything special made for him! First time EVER!!

Amazing SUCCESS!

Split Pea Soup and Brussel Sprout and Rutabaga Casserole So good the omnis ate it all up!

I fed both of the omnivorous men that are here last night with split peas soup, salad and brussel sprout casserole.

Split pea with home made condiments on top.













The little one ate garlic bread and something else. I don't know. I gave him fruit and some salad and a spoonful of flax seed oil so i feel like he ate some good food yesterday :)


Agar

It's a substitute for gelatin. Vegetarian. Made from sea vegetables. I can't find it anywhere not even Nightfire.

Here is a Wikipedia article about agar that seems pretty factual.

I want it to make vegan cheese products that can be sliced. just for fun. and for cheese slicing.


Here is a photo of the big white cat.















he likes to sit in cupboards and nap all day.















The ketchup that I made is actually pretty tasty. I keep it in the fridge and it doesn't taste funny or make me sick so, I say Success! I made fermented ketchup! Next time I will make it with more tomatoes and less salt. In a better jar. With more success.
I put a teaspoon or so in my soup and it gives it a nice ketchup-y flavor. I love my condiments.



















We bought some powdered mustard last night so maybe I can make some good mustard that doesn't have honey in it like all the ones in this house do :)



I put some of it on the vegan split pea with seitan sausage soup. It was good. I don't have a recipe, I just threw it together.
This is split pea soup with vegan parm and fermented ketchup, again.
















Here is the casserole I made for dinner last night. It went well with the soup.

Brussel sprouts, carrots, onion, zukes and rutabaga chunks and soaked quinoa in a seed cheese sauce with bread crumbs and vege parm on top.














Here is is, after baking at 350F for two hours, then cooling, on a plate with a slice of soda bread that has a vegan buttery spread on it.