Veganomicon, page 133

Chickpea Cutlets.

Make 'em. Now.

Chickpea Noodle Soup à la Veganomicon

Tonight, looking for something different to have for dinner fortheloveofgod, I decided to try a sample recipe from the latest vegan cookbook that seems to have all the vegans in a tizzy, Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. I have a copy of Isa's Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock and, of course, Isa's and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule (come off it with the long titles already!) but I have to admit that I tend to just flip through them rather than actually trying out recipes, as I do with almost all my cookbooks.

At this point, I need to ask – is it just a vegan/vegetarian thing to collect cookbooks? Do omnivores collect cookbooks the way we do? I mean, most vegans I know have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks. We buy them the way others buy bestsellers.

Anyhoo, I was browsing the internet for some ideas for meals, and noticed a recipe for Chickpea Noodle Soup on The PPK website – a sample recipe from Veganomicon. Since my copy of the cookbook was hastily ordered just last night from Chapters.ca, I have to wait to browse the full list of recipes until later this week *fingers crossed*

Not being one to follow directions, any recipe I do try is usually tweaked quite a bit. This one I tweaked just a little – added broccoli, included an extra clove of garlic, subbed soba noodles with whole wheat fettuccine, and used a poultry seasoning blend instead of the individual herbs listed. This is also officially my third time cooking with miso and the first time I actually enjoyed it. The soup was warm and comforting, filling and satisfying. There was just the right amount of saltiness and the miso was a very light flavour. I was worried that I used too many mushrooms, but they were not overpowering in the least. If this recipe is any indication of the rest of the recipes in the book, I may just join the frenzied vegans in pimping Veganomicon. I just can't wait to try the highly touted Chickpea Cutlets. Mmmm...

Camping season begins! Let's eat!

This weekend will be the first camping trip of the summer. And that means that I'm starting to think of one of my favourite parts of camping - cooking and eating outdoors!

I'm hoping to not bring too much food this time. When I start figuring out the food list, it's like I'm shopping for an army instead of just 2 people! This is my list so far:

• pre-marinated scrambled tofu: crumbled tofu, marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, nutritional yeast
• (maybe) premade potato salad: potatoes, vinaigrette, broccoli, asparagus
  
• premade quinoa salad: quinoa, red lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, leafy greens, lemon juice
  
• 1 can of baked beans in tomato sauce
• 1 package of veggie bacon
• package of whole wheat bagels
• 1 box of Lick's Nature Burgers
• burger buns
• burger toppings: tomato, onion, lettuce?
  
• potatoes, carrot and onion pouches (vegetables, foil)
  
• Earth Balance, canola oil
• ketchup, dijon mustard
• bannock mix - flour, oil, salt
• peanut butter
• apples
• V8, water, pop
  

We know a couple who went on a camping trip with nothing but trail mix. Just to see if they could last eating nothing else! I think they lasted 2 days before they started trading trail mix for their friends' food.

What veg-friendly food do you using bring with you on camping trips, car trips and picnics?

Raw vegetable soup

I made my first raw meal tonight, besides salad, for the Vegan Cook-a-long - a raw vegetable soup! Raw! Not cooked! It was really surprisingly tasty. Read more here!

My Canada's Food Guide

So, there's been all this buzz about the updated Canada's Food Guide since this is the first time it's been updated since before my mom was born. There's some good stuff, I have to admit, but I still dislike the reliance on a dairy category. I do like, however, that they've changed the name to "Milk and Alternatives". Thing is, it's pretty apparent to vegans and people with dairy allergies that you can get the same nutrients - including calcium! - from the other 3 categories*. A lot of what you find in milk is fortified anyway - so why place such importance on dairy? *squints at the powerful Dairy Council*

I also love how much they're pushing fresh vegetables and whole grains!

Being easily amused, and a lover of all things customizable, I created my own food guide from the website. It is based on my age, gender, and the types of stuff I eat. Give it a try! I created one for me and the boy, and I'm going to start using it as a guide for my meals - both ingredients and serving sizes.

* have a peek at the Vegan Food Guide developed by EarthSave for some great dairy alternatives!

What? A soup swap?

I just read on this blog about a recent Seattle Soup Swap. How much fun would that be?! Make soup, package it into freezable containers, and swap!

Toronto vegans - and vegan-friendly non-vegans! - are you interested??

Quick + Lazy Saturday Soup

The boy was out late last night and didn't feel like going out for brunch as planned (ahem) so I threw together a quick soup to feed my hungry and disappointed tummy.

Quick + Lazy Saturday Soup

1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup brown lentils
water to fill a medium sized soup pot - about 4 cups
2 vegetable broth cubes
4 sundried tomatoes, snipped into small pieces with scissors
1 large white potato, small cubes
3 cloves of garlic, thickly chopped
1 carrot, cubed
lemon juice - optional

Rinse the lentils and place them in the pot with the water and broth cubes. Bring to boil on high heat while you chop the potatoes. Add potatoes, sundried tomatoes and garlic. Stir to mix in the now-dissolved broth cubes. Cover and reduce to medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes then add carrots. Reduce to a simmer. Soup is done when the potatoes and brown lentils are tender. Serve with a squirt of lemon juice if you like things tangy.

tip: I like to vary the size and shape of my chopped vegetables to create a rustic texture

Now, since I feel like getting out of the apartment and my tummy is full, warm and happy, I am going to venture outside!