Pioneer Day Vegan Quiche

This is egg free but oh so tasty. This is an easy clean out your fridge recipe. The one I made for the breakfast this morning had spinach, tofu, orange bell peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms. It was awesome and went kind of fast. Like I totally wanted there to be some left to bring home, but no such luck. So I decided to make another one. This time I used some daiya shreds and Tempeh smoky maple bacon in addition to the onion, spinach, garlic, tofu and red bell pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Here is what you do. Sauté the veggies, garlic, and tempeh in a little oil (I used grapeseed oil). Crumble in the tofu and add the cheese. Mix it all together to combine. Bake the pie shell ( I buy the organic ones that are also vegan ) for 10 minutes. Add filling and bake another 30 minutes. Enjoy.

One Year

One year ago today I started out with the goal of a 15 day juice fast. I may have managed to make it only five days, but something happened during those first few days that changed my life. In the last year I have had a few trips and slips along the way, but I have taken each one as an opportunity to learn what my body can and cannot handle.

As most of you know I am predominantly vegan, meaning I eat vegan 90 percent of the time or more. Eating out with friends can be hard especially when there are no vegan options on the menu. I have caved a few times and I admit it I ordered seafood, but I have passed up a lot of goodies at work. It is a process. I am amused at the quizzical looks from several waiters and waitresses when asking about their vegan menu options, but all along I have kept moving taking life one day at a time. I like to think that the changes in my life have been good changes.

One of my closest friends told me this week that I have become a weird hippie girl. When I asked for clarification she said “you eat weird and you dress funny, I mean who wears a skirt as a top.” I just shrugged my shoulders and said that I thought it looked cute. She assured me that it was, but that she would never wear anything like that. Apparently my sense of style is “unconventional” and I have no problem with being outside the box.

I have bought most of my current wardrobe used at thrift stores. Losing 50 pounds requires that pretty much everything in my closet a year ago needed to be replaced with smaller clothes. It has made shopping a lot easier. I fit into almost all larges, some mediums and even occasionally a small fits. It is awesome.

Have I come a long way, heck yes! But everyday holds the opportunity to learn more. Thanks for coming along for the ride. I will be going to the Pacific Northwest next week, so check out my other blog for details on the trip. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Rye Bread

A friend of mine recommended the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. While the title is somewhat misleading it is still a really awesome book and I am in love with this rye bread. I have made two batches so far.

Each batch makes 4 loaves. Which a week before going to Seattle for vacation may seem slightly foolish to make, but I am feeding the missionaries this week and my dad will be staying with me, so I think it will get eaten and worse case scenario I can always take a loaf to work.

Here is what you need:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups rye flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt
2 Tbs caraway seeds
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Slowly add in water until fully incorporated. Place dough in a non-airtight container and let dough rise 2 hours. At this point you can refrigerate dough to be used at a later date for up to one week, or you can divide into loaves to bake right away.

You will need to let refrigerated dough rise for 90 minutes before baking. Place dough on a pizza peel covered with cornstarch to rise. About one hour into your rise time, preheat oven with a baking stone on medium rack to 450 degrees. Place a broil pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. Before baking slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife and brush to paint the top of the loaf with water.
Transfer the dough from the pizza peel to the pre-heated stone and place 1 cup of hot water in a broil pan and close door. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove broil pan. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing.
If you don't have a stone you can bake the loaf on a silpat mat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. If using this method you don't need the steam and the last 10 minutes of baking the bread should be baked directly on the rack.

Vegan Monster Cookies

I used to make these all the time before I went vegan. I will warn you they are not the healthiest treat you could choose. Traditional Monster Cookies call for M&M's. If there is a non-dairy equivalent I haven't found it yet. So I used some of the white chocolate chips I got in this months swap. I also added in some Craisins for additional yumminess. Here is what you need.
INGREDIENTS:

3 bananas
3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar peanut butter
1 stick Earth Balance, softened (these are half sticks)
1 stick Earth Balance Shortening, softened (these are half sticks)
1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the bananas and sugars.


Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop enough dough to make a huge cookie. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. I use a jelly roll pan and it holds 6 cookies. They aren't called Monster cookies for nothing. Bake 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

July Food Swap

I hit the mother load this month in the vegan food swap.
Big shout out to Steffi Derobertis of www.dontfearthevegan.com
She sent me 3 different kinds of chocolate and only one piece melted. Which means I got to eat it right away:) and peanut butter and chocolate are my favorite!

I got a pound of vegan white chocolate chips. I have been searching unsuccessfully for these locally for a year now. I am so excited to have some and will definitely will be making some cookies check out the blog next week for something good.
I also got some local ( to Steffi) newspapers to keep me in the know for my trip to Seattle in 11 days oh yeah can't wait to nosh on some yummy vegan eats on vacation.

She sent me some bee free honee which I have seen in veg news but never tried.

The rest of the items are being hoarded until the end of the month for snacks for my flight. There is some vegan jerky, a box of non dairy cheese crackers, a Snap bar and a sweet & sara rice crispy treat. I can't wait to tear into the rice crispy treat. I have also been looking for this brand of vegan marshmallows to no avail.

Thanks Steffi, I hope your box is as awesome as mine. If you want more info about the swap or to join in the fun for next month check out: http://www.theverdantlife.com/p/vegan-food-swap.html?m=1