Vegan Challenge!

Chase Daylight is having a vegan challenge. I know I'm already a vegan but I would like to try and go a month without bread!

ooh, hard! What could you challenge yourself to for one month?

And then there were photos from camping trips...

There were fossils.















And hand painted motor homes
















Round river rocks for wrist rocket ammo















There were all terrain vehicles















And goggies













But no kitties


Hundred year old fence posts















Really thick lichens















Rock stacking
















Bike riding. Trick bike riding!















There was laying on your back and looking up at the sky

Raw Vegan Carrot Collard Sandwich with Sunflower Seed Cheese. Gluten Free Sandwich? EEK!

A nice sized collard leaf with some thinly sliced carrot, a large schmear of seed cheese and a sprinkle of vegan parm.














because two kinds of cheese is always better than one!


Roll it up



















Eat it's crunchy goodness.














Repeat as necessary until appetite is satiated. It usually takes me two.

Eco-Veg Footprint Raw-volution

http://ecovegfootprint.blogspot.com/2009/03/raw-volution.html linked to me! Yay! I'm famous! Sort of. And sort of raw. I guess I should start posting more raw stuff and less casseroles.

Speaking of casseroles...















That is a baby greens salad with tomato salad, raw relish, sauerkraut, carrot and cuke garlic pickles and vegan parm sprinkle. In the middle is a hunk of potato and tomato casserole that I made. Yuummmy!

I just love making casseroles. I like the layering the veges and other ingredients, making the sauce, the pouring of the sauce, garnishing the top in a pretty flower shaped thing, baking them in my beautiful glass casserole dishes, cutting them out and putting them on a plate, and eating them... I also make RAW Casseroles...

Thanks again to Nicole for the shout out!

I'll be back with more camping photos this afternoon.

Mini Vacation Camping Vegan Barbecue Photos!

We drove for four hours to Uncle Starvo's property, which is near Oroville, California, in Butte (we say "butt" but it's really pronounced "beeyoot") County.

There were rocks
















And spiders















And more rocks in a dry creek bed















And pumping water from the red pump
















And vegan barbecue

Roasted sweet peppers















Boiled corn on the cob















Sauerkraut















Three kinds of bread, including raw flax bread














Grilled pinto bean seitan vegan sausage which was a hit with the omnis, of course.














Grilled over manzanita wood, it came out very delicious. Lots of flavor from the wood.

Money shot of my sandwich. Agar cheese, sauerkraut grilled vegan sausage and roasted peppers on my home made bread that was toasted on the grill.

Fantastic.












The omnis were jealous because they had to eat ground beef patties that didn't look this good. The cook couldn't get the fire hot enough so he wound up making sloppy joes out of most of the burgers. Mines was better :) Next time I will bring MORE SAUSAGE. People love that stuff.

There was a sunset.















There was bonfire















We had lovely accomodations in a clean travel trailer! No bugs, no drafts! It even had electric light and a fresh paint job.














And, best of all!














A working toilet, that really flushed, right into a real, live septic tank! woo hoo!

There was the wrist rocket that I love to shoot.















Here is the outside of the trailer














A rock with a face or a skull in it. That made the trip home with us, yay!















The stump pile















I love my truck!














It broke down and the man had to replace the battery and the starter. Seems to be working now but he's thinking the solenoid needs replacing and I tend to agree. I love that old pick up truck, I really do. Even though the trip took us 4 tanks of gas...

I have a bunch more photos but i think this is enough for now. I'm off to take a nap and try to detox some of the whiskey I drank, blargh...

Cheers!

I'm home!

Two Days, One Night

I'm going camping. I will be back tomorrow night.

I miss you already!

I'm not a Christian, but sometimes that bible book hits the nail on the head.

For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows that the spirit of man goes upward, and the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes iii., 19, 20, 21.

Agar Brazil Nut Vegan Hard Sliceable Cheese

In blender:
1/3 cup brazil nuts
1/4 cup water
3 tbs lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder and salt

Blend into oblivion and then:

Boil in a small pan until flakes dissolve.
3/4 cups water
1 tbs agar flake or 1 tsp agar powder

Once dissolved, add agar and water to nut mixture and blend until well mixed.

Pour into mold and chill. You have to be quick it hardens up fast.

Slice and serve. I haven't tried heating it yet but I hear it gets "slightly melty" and it's recommended for grilled cheese sandwiches.

It's harder than the oat cheese, but still not grate-able.

The quest continues...


Minnie









What green eyes you have, Miss Minnie Kitty!

Fermenting Vegetables and Sprouting Apples

I read this website today and was inspired to put up some veges.











From left to right:
Cuke and carrot with garlic for pickles.
Carrot and zuke with salt. This will be a carrot-kraut-type-deal
Carrot, zuke, cuke and red bell pepper. I call this one sweet relish.
All three are nothing but veges and salt. The pickles have water in them, too.
It took me about half an hour to do all of this. They should be ready in three days.

I learned today that if it gets moldy on top, just scrap the mold and the under part is good. I have been tossing them out, D'oh! *smacks forehead*





I don't know if you can see it in this photo or not but I left half an apple on the counter over night and it sprouted.















I put the seed in a little pot with dirt but I don't expect much.

Happy Friday!

Raw Vegan Pizza By The Slice

Raw flax seed crust smeared with sunflower seed cheese, vegan sausage (leave the sausage off if you want it really raw), apple/celery salsa* and vegan "parm"** sprinkled over the top.

I put the avocado on the side and ate it like fries, yum yum yum. Best lunch EVAH!!


I wanted to let the world know that this blue funnel:












Is my new favorite kitchen utensil. It is a canning funnel and it makes any jar into a wide mouth jar so it is SOOO easy to get ingredients in.














Thanks again to Goodwill for that.

Footnotes:
*Apple/celery salsa is apple and celery in equal amounts (about half an apple and two small ribs celery), diced
one clove garlic, 2 tbs onion and a tbs ginger, finely chopped,
2 roma tomatoes, diced
4 tbs lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt
mix all in a jar, let rest for an hour and EAT!
** Vegan Parm Sprinkle:
3/4 cup almonds
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
blend until powder, store in a jar in the fridge.

Vegan Eggplant Noodle Casserole

Yet again, I have made dinner.













The casserole is elbow macaroni, dried eggplant slices, a lovely tomato sauce I made, ground vegan seitan sausage and bread crumbs on top. Bake two hours at 350F, covered, take the lid off and let it brown up then serve immediately.
The salad is red lettuce and spinach with some sesame dressing I threw together. sesame, olive oil, water, ACV and oregano.
The things that look like Dolmas are actually collard leaves* I put about a tablespoon of seitan sausage in each one, rolled them up and baked with a table spoon of water in a small covered casserole at 350 for about half an hour. Very simple and very impressive, IMO. I would serve these at a party as an appetizer. I would. You can't prove that I wouldn't :)

I bought this book at Goodwill and have been brushing up my non-existent yoga skills.





























I had the boy take a photo but it came out blurry. That is the fish pose, Matsyasana.
From the book:

Benefits of Matsyasana: The fish stretches the spine and at the same time expands and opens the chest. It helps to regulate the four parathyroid glands in the neck. These endocrine glands control the levels of calcium in the blood. Calcium strengthens bones and teeth. It is also important for the contraction of muscles and the clotting of blood. Matsyasana corrects rounded shoulders, increases lung capacity and helps with breathing problems, relieves stress and regulates moods, increases prana** in the neck, shoulders, lungs stomach and spleen and energizes the parathyroid glands and tones the pituitary.


I find that yoga really does regulate my mood. Since I released all that weight, I have noticed that my periods affect me more than they used to. Or at least I notice it more. I gain 5 lbs every month for a week. WTF is that about. Anyway. If I am in a pissy mood, doing some poses can really change my attitude.

You might also notice I cleaned up my sidebar. I had some affiliate links but since they have been there I haven't made a dime so, bye bye useless clutter!



Footnotes:

* collard leaves are a FANTASTIC substitute for grape leaves. I got four rolls out of one large leaf. Go Collard Greens! Speaking of collard greens and greens in general. I was in line at the supermarket last Thursday, with my usual cart full of nothing but veges. The cashiers LOVE me! (not) I actually had one goth looking chick cashier say, "Oh, no! You again!" hehe. I still get a thrill out of striking dread and terror in the hearts of people. I don't think that will ever fade. Anyway there was a weird lady in front of me in line. She was buying washcloths and sweatpants and wearing very red lipstick and very blue eyeshadow. Sort of your teapot type, ya know, short and stout. She turned back to me and asked me something about some fast food restaurant in the area. I smiled and said that I hadn't the slightest idea about any fast food restaurants. I didn't go on after that, just "Sorry, I really don't know." She then started gazing into my cart. Pointing at the huge bundle of collard greens she said (wrinkle nose) "What is THAT?" Again, I smiled and said, "That is collard." She said "COLLARD? I never heard of THAT!" I said, smiling, of course, "Well, it's a leafy green. You can eat it in salad like lettuce or steam it and eat it like you would spinach." Then it was her turn at the reg and she didn't like the price on any of the stuff she chose so she left with nothing. Strange lady. Then the cashier. They dread me because nothing I buy has a barcode and they have to either know the code or look it up or CALL SOMEONE in the produce department. Fun. The young cashier was a tall blond, corn-fed type looking boy about 18 years old. He did not know what a daikon, a rutabaga, a parsnip or a turnip was. His explanation "My parents just don't buy these kinds of vegetables!" I smiled and didn't say anything to that. And this is the extent of my contact with people outside of my family here is Klamath Falls, Oregon. It ain't easy being green in Klamtucky, I tell you.

**Prana is a Sanskrit word literally meaning 'life-force' the invisible bio-energy or vital energy that keeps the body alive and maintains a state of good health. It's all about creating balance to open psychic awareness, and the nature of reality and one's place in it.

Looking at my Analytics

I don't especially know what the percentages mean but here are a few of the search terms used to find my blog in the past week

713.46% raw vegan blogs
59.62% raw vegan blog
23.85% vegan green leafy vegetables
23.85% "rainbow creatures" mermaid seattle
23.85% raw vegan recipe blogs
11.92% vegan flour tortillas
11.92% tulsi tea and high blood pressure
11.92% hot big boobs
11.92% raw living food pickles recipe
11.92% vegetables used for noodles in raw cooking
11.92% vegan11.92%raw blog vegan
11.92% raw vegan before and after
11.92% recipe vegan blog
11.92% pulp recipes raw
11.92% vegan fermented ketchup
11.92% groovy gravy recipe
11.92% raw onion,raw tomato,raw green cucumber is good for 1yr kids
11.92% sliceable nutritional yeast cheese
11.92% raw green leafy vegetables
11.92% vegan stuffed squash
11.92% raw foods
11.92% raw vegan sandwich recipe sauerkraut
11.92% raw vegan pickle recipe
11.92% recipes with pictures
11.92% Picture Of Green Leafy Vegetables
11.92% green quick bread recipe
11.92% flax seed dressing raw vegan
11.92% sunflower sprouts smell strange after soaking
11.92% "vegan" and "blogs" and "raw"
11.92% raw vegan before and after shots
11.92% eating dinner for breakfast "raw food"
11.92% raw flaxseed crackers carrot
11.92% raw leafy green vegetables
11.92% raw walnut parmesan
11.92% raw vegan corn dogs
11.92% raw irish soda bread
11.92% blog raw vegan

I use http://www.statcounter.com/

I always wonder if people were terribly disappointed when they got here...

Vegan Recipe! Dairy Free Mac N Cheese! Easy Dinner

What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
Frostbite! HAHAHAHAHA!

Last night's dinner was:
Vegan Mac n Cheese!














I didn't get a photo before it was cut but believe me, it was even prettier than it tasted!

Serves 4 as a main course or as a side dish for more.

Ingredients:

2 cups COOKED vegan elbow macaroni
3 cups oat cheese
2 roma tomatoes
About 1 cup chopped vegan sausage
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Lemon pepper

Instructions:

First cook about 2 cups of elbow macaroni until NOT QUITE done. That way the noodles will still have some firmness after baking in sauce for two hours or more.
Next make a batch of Oat cheese for the sauce. Follow the oat cheese recipe up to the part where you pour in a mold... but don't pour in a mold. Fear not, this will take you no more than five minutes, it's a blender recipe consisting of water, oats, nutritional yeast, sesame, lemon, onion powder and salt.

Assemble in a 2 qt casserole:

Half the cooked macaroni on the bottom
Pour some of the warm cheese on top, enough to cover, about a cup.
Two roma tomatoes, cut in thick slices are the next layer
The rest of the macaroni on top of that
A bit more cheese, but not all of it, you have one more layer to go.
Chop together: one cup of vegan sausage and one roma tomato, this is your third layer. Mix them well and spread evenly over the macaroni and cheese.
Pour the rest of the sauce over that and spread it around so no sausage is showing.
about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. I processed two small slices of my home made bread in the blender until they were fine crumbs.
Lemon pepper all over the top.

Bake covered for at least two hours at 350F. 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove the lid and let it brown. Ready to serve immediately but it's even better the next day!

Mostly Raw Vegan Taco for Lunch

This is one of my favorite quick lunches. I have it 2 or three times a week.















Get a nice, big, tortilla shaped and sized, collard leaf and fill it with sliced vegetables, sauerkraut, pickled sweet peppers, some seed cheese and I put a slice of vegan sausage in this one.














Then just fold and eat. You can roll it and tuck in an end to so the fillings don't fall out, or just fold it in half like a taco or eat it with a knife and fork if you don't feel like getting messy.

I always feel like getting messy when it comes to food. I have a huge collection of stained t-shirts that I need to make shopping bags out of.

DIL's Birthday! Indoor (almost) Raw Barbecue Party!

Yesterday was The Man's Father's Birthday (DIL). He likes meat and dairy, even though he knows it's bad and knows he doesn't need it. He hasn't quite convinced himself that he can live without bacon. We are all on a path, right?

We played Simpson's Jeopardy (I played the part of Alex Trebek). The boy won. But I gave points for creative answers. Sometimes I gave points for giving and answer with one of the correct letters in it. I am a generous game show host.

It was quite a spread and a wonderful party. I really didn't get very good photos, I was too busy having a great time.













I love when MIL and DIL come over, they are such fun people. I was very happy to celebrate the birthday of such a great man. The man who made the man I love.

I made apple-sage sausage and buns for everyone and for the raw people there were all kinds of veges and condiments to make raw tacos. The shells were giant collard leaves. You can see one on the right in this photo:















I had a combination of both.














I can't resist vegan sausage.

I also grilled some apples and bananas because grilled fruit is so good. I have gone to many a BBQ with a bag of fruit. Grilled banana, peaches, pears, apples, whatever fruit you can slice and put on a barbecue, it's all good. Slap it on a bun and you are fitting right in and not all tired later when everyone else is rolling around on the grass, rubbing their bellies because they can't digest all that animal flesh! Silly omnivores. Flesh is for carnivores!

The omnis had a cake that was bought at the store and some commercial ice cream.














The rest of us had mashed roots with vegan butter Sweet as candy and a treat that doesn't leave you feeling like straight crap!















A wonderful time was had by all, too much beer was drunk and too much fun was had. There was impromptu jam sessions, exhibitions of gentle acrobatics and lots and lots of laughter!

We should do it again, real soon!