Mac and Not-So-Cheesy Bake

Ever since I went vegan, I've been trying to find a good recipe for macaroni and "cheese." Since most vegan cheeses I've come across don't exactly melt, I thought this would be impossible and would definitely not taste like the original. So I kind of gave up on the idea of ever having mac and cheese, which was sad, because I loved it. Then I decided to search again. I came across a recipe at http://vegweb.com/ that had many comments raving about how good it was. It seemed pretty simple but most of the comments also said that while it didn't taste so much like the original, it was still good for what it was. So I decided to give it a try. Fortunately, I had all the ingredients on hand. The recipe calls for Nutritional Yeast, which is found at most health food stores. Many people say it has a cheesy flavor, that's why it's often used in the vegan versions of mac and cheese. I actually forgot to include it in mine(oops!) and it was still good, so if you don't have it, don't worry about it. I have to say, it was really yummy! My non-vegan husband even liked it. We also had it with leftover veggie chili for a delicious chili-mac! Also, I cut the recipe in half because it makes a LOT and even after cutting it in half, we had a lot left over. Feel free to adjust things to make it to your liking. I would probably play with the liquids and amount of tofu if you want it a little "creamier".

Ingredients:
3/4 box of elbow macaroni(for vegs, make sure the noodles don't have eggs)
3/4 cup of soymilk
1/2 cup of water
2.5 tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of paprika
1/2 tbsp of garlic powder
1/2 tbsp salt
1/8 block of firm tofu
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast



1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water in a large pot.
3. Add all the ingredients except the pasta into a blender and blend well. Once pasta is cooked, put into a baking dish or casserole dish. Pour the blended mixture over it and bake until slightly brown and crispy. It didn't take too long, just keep your eye on it.

Asheville, how I love thee....

Sunday, Brian, Logan, Darby(the dog), and I went to Asheville for a couple of nights. I've been to Asheville a few times, mostly to go to the Biltmore house, which is awesome but I wanted to explore the city itself. Also, they have quite a few vegetarian/vegan restaurants that I wanted to check out. We stayed at the Cabins of Asheville. We've rented a cabin before but it was in Gatlinburg and they've always been nice. These cabins were nice but they were smaller than I expected. I wasn't too sure about it when we pulled up but it was a really cozy, cute place. They had the hot tub ready for us and a gas fireplace that looked like a wood stove. Score points for the owners!

That afternoon, we headed to Rosetta's Kitchen. They specialize in vegetarian/vegan comfort-type food. I have to say it was a bit overwhelming to be in a restaurant where you could order anything off the menu! Yay! Brian ordered the Veggie Burger and I ordered the Nacho Plate, hoping to try their vegan queso. No luck, they were out. I really wanted nachos so I went with the black beans and pico, nothing incredibly special but it was good and hit the spot since I was starving. I tried a bite of Brian's burger and it was good. Nice and thick, too not like the little flat ones you get at most places. I'm pretty sure it was handmade with potatoes or beans, maybe even both. Check out their website http://www.rosettaskitchen.com/ and you can read all about their menu and what goes into everything. The atmosphere reminded me of a place I'd probably frequent in college. Funny little side note, as we were driving back into Asheville from the cabin I saw a sign for the Blue Ridge Roller Girls and they happened to have a bout the day before we got there at the Asheville Civic Center. I would've dragged Brian and Lo if we'd been there that day!

The weather wasn't that great, it was too cool to walk around downtown so we headed back to the cabin for a while. Darby was not handling being in a strange place very well. He wasn't terrified but he didn't really want to eat and would follow us around everywhere we went. So he was happy when we came back and didn't leave him to some horrible fate! After we went out to eat, just a quick trip to Fatz Cafe, we went home and called it a night. Logan didn't seem to mind sleeping in a different place but we made sure to bring some comforts from home.

Monday we checked out the Sunny Point Cafe. That was another neat little place, with a cool atmosphere. Not a big place, maybe 10 or 12 tables but there were quite a few people there. This wasn't a solely veg restaurant but they had a lot of options for them. I ordered the Orange Scented Cornmeal Cakes with a side of Tofu Bacon. So yummy! The orange flavor was a nice touch and not overpowering. The tofu bacon was super good and I'll have to figure out what they marinated the tofu in to get that flavor. I really enjoyed this place and they serve breakfast all day, which also scores major points in my book. After we filled up, we ventured to the Grove Arcade. No, not an arcade with games. It is a historical building that now houses various shops, restaurants, offices and even apartments. We went to a shop that sold knit goods and yarn called Asheville Home Crafts. I found a cute, crocheted hat for Logan and a knit hat for myself. While we were checking out, the lady informed us that a 94 year old woman crocheted Lo's new hat. And that she also volunteers at the old folks home! lol! How amazing is that?! She's probably older than most of them, too.







After walking around there a bit we decided to go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we went further up the parkway, we were driving through clouds. The temperature dropped to 32 degrees and we were a little concerned with the sign that said "Watch for sudden icing." Once we emerged from the cloud bank, it was cool to check out the houses. The views were awesome, you could see all of Asheville. That night we ate at The Laughing Seed Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant. This was hands down my favorite place. The place was packed on a Monday night. The menu had a great selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Again, a little overwhelmed with all the choices. We started with an appetizer of Sundried Tomato Hummus with naan points. Really G-O-O-D. I ordered the Harmony Bowl for my dinner and Brian ordered the pasta of the day. My dish was a big bowl layered with brown rice, black beans, seasonal vegetables, grilled tofu and I added a sea vegetable salad and sliced avacado. It comes with a yummy ginger dressing. This was so good and filling. My tummy was happy! I tried a bite of Brian's dish which was like a baked pasta dish with tofu ricotta, mushrooms, seitan and a bunch of other deliciousness. I couldn't believe how good it was! He really enjoyed it as well. Despite being full, I couldn't go away without trying a desert(well, to go). I tried the Vegan Dark Chocolate Raspberry cake. So good! I went to bed quite satisfied that night.

http://www.laughingseed.com/

Tuesday we had to leave but we decided to head back into town one last time. We took Darby to Three Dog Bakery for a treat. He wouldn't take anything from the owner(still a little nervous about staying at a strange place) but he came home with a few goodies. All the ingredients are listed on the trays of treats, so you know what you're getting and they're all natural. It really looked like a little bakery! We also stopped by the Mast General Store. I bought a few little kitchen doo-dads and some bulk candy. They have so much candy and a lot of old school stuff that's hard to find. I had to leave before it got ridiculous! I think we quite possibly spent more on the candy than anything else. We decided that we would come back when it was warmer and walk around downtown. There were so many cool shops that I wanted to check out but not bad enough to brave the chilly wind, being nestled between the moutains, it can really whip through there. I'm looking forward to a return trip and maybe a visit to the Biltmore House since Brian has never been.

Nostalgia Movie Night

I didn't watch the Oscars but I heard about the tribute to John Hughes. It made me think about all the great movies I loved from childhood and how he seemed to be responsible for most of them. Starting with my all-time favorite movie, Pretty in Pink. I can't really say what exactly about this movie struck a cord with me. I knew I wanted to be like Molly Ringwald's character Andie. I must have been around six years old when I first saw the movie and I wanted to get my ears pierced because of her. She had the coolest earrings! Her character designed and made a lot of her clothes which seemed stylish to me at the time. The story is about a girl from "the wrong side of the tracks" who falls for the rich, popular guy. I also loved her best friend, Duckie. He was secretly in love with her but too scared to say anything. Anyway, it's kind of a Romeo and Juliet story. Their friends don't agree with them dating, they get into fights with them and continue to see eachother. It ends happily, even though they "break-up" for a brief moment.

Other movies from Hughes that I loved include; Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. He wrote, directed, and produced so many great movies. They always had a "lesson" but it wasn't preach-y. A lot of his movies dealt with teenage angst. Some were funny, others had a more serious, dramatic tone. I've yet to see anyone make movies quit like his, there was just something about them.

Every time I come across a movie that I grew up watching, I will watch it again, even if I have seen it a hundred times. Seeing those movies takes me back to my childhood and to a time when all you had to worry about was getting homework done so you could go outside and play. Everything felt so simple compared to adult life. So I've decided I'm going to have a Nostalgia Movie Night once a week. I'll pick out a movie, Hughes or not, and transport myself back to a time where life was simple and stress was not a part of the vocabulary. I'll think of it as a nice way to relax.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili with Skillet Cornbread with Smoked Chiles

So I love black beans. I could pretty much eat them everyday. I decided to make this recipe for my mom and husband one Saturday night, after much debate with myself. It comes from a book that my husband bought for me called "Vegan Planet" by Robin Robertson and it's full of recipes. 400 recipes, to be exact. So you can see why I was having a hard time deciding what to make. After much consideration, I decided, you really can't go wrong with black beans or chili. Not to mention, I love one pot meals. I also decided to make the skillet cornbread with smoked chiles to go with it. It was the first time I'd made either chili or cornbread but I was up for the challenge. Turns out both recipes were pretty simple and very delicious!

The chili has a sweet and savory taste to it thanks to the combination of the butternut squash and the jalapeno. It's hard to see from my picture but it's got a cool color contrast between the black beans and orange squash. The cornbread does have a nice, smoky flavor and it's not overwhelming. Both the chili and cornbread were a hit with my mom and husband, so I must've done something right!

Black Bean and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeno (optional), seeded and minced

One 14.5 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped (I couldn't find these so I just used regular canned tomatoes)

1 cup water

1 cup apple juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 cups cooked or two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno (if using). Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, apple juice, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and squash and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the beans, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve hot.

Skillet Cornbread with Smoked Chiles

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk or other dairy-free milk

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 cup fresh, canned, or frozen corn kernels, cooked and drained

1/4 cup corn oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce(I had dried chipotles. If you use these instead, soak them in hot water to cover for 30 minutes to rehydrate them).

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I didn't have a skillet so I just used a metal, round baking pan. If using the baking pan, grease lightly.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the soy milk, maple syrup, corn kernels, corn oil, and chiles and set aside.

4. If using the cast iron skillet, oil it well and heat over medium heat until hot. While the skillet is heating, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a few quick strokes. Transfer the batter to the hot skillet or baking pan and bake on the center oven rack until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or warm. I like to put some Earth Balance spread on mine. Yum!

What's Going On With Me

I've thought about blogging but I've never felt like I had much to say that anyone would be interested in. So I'm just doing it for fun and for myself. If people find it interesting, then great but I'm not going to worry too much about it. This is new to me so until I figure out how everything works, my blog might look pretty boring.

I'm going to share some recipes I've tried and some I've invented. As I mentioned in my "About Me" section, I'm working on being vegan. In certain situations, where I'm not in control of the menu, I can't avoid things like dairy. That's why I refer to it as a work in progress. I'm not going to be preachy about it, so don't worry. I'm just going to do a little documenting of my journey and sharing recipes that I think anyone would like. I've found that I feel so much better on a plant based diet. Also, I never thought much of myself as a cook so now that I'm doing more of it, when I get a good meal out of it, I want to share that success!

I recently decided to try Roller Derby. Talk about random! It's something that's intrigued me for a while, as does speed skating. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I'm not the best skater nor did I spend a lot of time skating as a kid. In fact, I didn't like skating when I was younger because I could never get used to the feeling. I like to challenge myself and this will definitely be one. Not to mention, it's great exercise. We had our first official practice on Sunday and I could absolutely feel it! A lot of squatting is involved. The other funny thing about me doing Roller Derby is that it's a full contact sport and I'm not super aggressive. I'm going to have to channel all the things that tick me off!

I'm the mother to a 3 month old little girl who is my world. So I'm sure I'll be sharing stories and some issues I'm having. Logan is such a character already, I can only imagine what she'll be like when she starts talking and walking! I quit work to be a stay-at-home mom and it's such a rewarding experience. Due to the cut in household income, I've become a coupon using, bargain-loving, thrift shop shopping, sale seeking mad woman! I've kind of always been that way but now even more so. I'll share any good deals I come across, too.

So that's what's up with me right now. My next posts will be a little more focused, I promise!