random eats for the week.

my newfound unemployment means I have more time to spend in the kitchen and less time thinking about how much I hate my job. so, with that said, here's a quick synopsis of what I've been cooking up:


fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies from veganomicon. this is probably the best brownie recipe I've ever used. so moist and fruity and oh god, I need some right now.


cajun tofu, whole wheat fusili with alfredo, and sauteed mushrooms. the first two are from yellow rose recipes and boy, are they delicious. the omni boyfriend was really pleased with the cajun tofu and was thinking of different variations in his head-- that's when you know you have a winner.


lower fat banana bread from veganomicon, but with added chocolate chips and in muffin form. I owe this all to Ash from love like a vegan for this idea. her pictures on flickr of this creation looked so amazing that I couldn't resist. plus, good way to use up the half pound of over-ripe bananas. (I did make a modification to this recipe, and I subbed out 1c of the AP flour and used WW pastry flour. a nice change, if I do say so myself!)


parsnip-scallion pancakes from vegan with a vengeance. parsnips were pretty cheap at the store so I figured why not? wow, I'm glad I made that decision. I think this is the first time I've ever had parsnips before (for shame! I know!) but I'm glad this was my first time eating them. so good, so crispy. mmm.


and last but definitely not least, swell vegan's turkish chickpea balls and joanna's green-wa from yellow rose recipes. this was a really light but healthy and filling meal and I have a feeling I'll be making both of these things a lot.



so, that's it. one day I'll post a recipe of my own, but for now, this is a quick update as to what I've been eating. so my question to you is: what's your favorite thing you've made lately? do tell!

grocery shopping and meal planning.

i'm pretty fortunate enough to have this amazing produce shop a few blocks away from my apartment. when we first moved to chicago, it was a tiny little place but still offered a fairly wide selection (from tofurkey slices to soymilk to avocadoes for 69cents!) and good prices, but now they've moved (about 200 feet away) into a larger location where they can sell more canned goods, international delights, more frozen things, and a larger bakery/deli counter. now, as a vegan, i really only buy my produce, tofu and ciao bella sorbet there. but still, this place excites me greatly. i'm not sure if it's the way the staff gets along so well, or the fact that they're super friendly and the baggers often greet me with "oh, you brought your own bags, bless you!" or maybe it's because i can walk out of there with 2 gigantic bags full of stuff for under $30. sometimes i scoff at the lady in front of me, buying free-range chicken and eggs, organic milk and ice cream, plus produce and her total comes to $100. i promised myself i wouldn't turn into an elitist, but there's something about "cruelty-free" meat/dairy/eggs that really gets to me, so i feel good knowing i'm eating the food i'm supposed to be eating.

but anyway, that is besides the point. the point is: i spend the majority of my money on food, whether i like it (i do) or not. i go to whole foods for essentials (EB, flours, sugars, bulk things, etc.), i stop by the local health food store to see what's on sale (they tend to have westsoy cartons for 4/$5 and random clearance), i check out the corner grocery store to see their clearance produce shelf, and then hyde park produce for my produce and...you got it...the occasional $5 splurge for ciao bella sorbet. my god, the stuff is like crack. so anyway, my newest project is to take pictures of my purchases and record how much i spend. accountability, you know? and i figured: hey, why don't i blog this? so that is what i am doing. i'm blogging it.

(sidenote: i am moving in a few weeks, so the purchases may dwindle as i'm trying to use up what i have but will probably go back to normal once i'm back in florida.)

1 bunch of green onions, 33cents
2 cloves of garlic, 89cents ($1.98/lb)
1 tub of whole white button mushrooms, $1.49
1 pint of organic grape tomatoes, $1.49
1 parsnip, 82cents (.98/lb)
1 bottle of fennel seed, $3.79
1 half pint of blueberries, $1.89
1 bunch of broccoli, $1.27 (.89/lb)
1 bunch of cilantro, 39cents
1 bag of small white potatoes, $1.11 (.79/lb)
3 slabs of white wave extra-firm tofu, $1.89/eax3=$5.67
2 cans of chickpeas, 79cent/eax2=$1.58
sub-total: $20.72 + .41 tax = $21.13

now, when i look at that, it does and doesn't look a lot for $21, but when i break it down into how many meals it will make, it's a good deal. i plan on using the green onions and parsnips for parsnip-scallion pancakes from vegan with a vengeance, the chickpeas will probably be made into hummus and some chickpea curry (a bunch of snacks, and a few meals), the tofu will be made into scrambles for breakfast (1/2 slab feeds me and the boy with some leftover), tofu ricotta for pizza and definitely tofu wingz, the potatoes will be used for breakfast potatoes and maybe some mashed potatoes, the blueberries have already been used for fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies from veganomicon, the broccoli will be used in a stirfry or maybe a soup, the cilantro and garlic are things i always have in my kitchen but so far they have been used for homemade salsa, the grape tomatoes will be added to some pasta, and the fennel side was just a replenishment.

that's how i'm trying to break down my grocery bills from now on: how many meals will we get out of it, and is it cheaper than eating it? the answer is always: so many meals, and yes, it's ALWAYS cheaper than eating out.

and now, i leave you with a picture of my favorite thing ever, pumpkin ziti with carmelized onions and sage bread crumbs from veganomicon:

fiesta burgers.

i've always enjoyed a good veggie burger, even as a meat-eater. there's something satisfying about eating a gigantic veggie/bean burger, smothered in ketchup & mustard, but knowing that the fat and cholesterol aren't going to wreck your arteries like the [disgusting] bacon cheddar cheeseburgers you see on billboards. after spending countless dollars on morningstar, gardenburger and boca boxes, i decided to attempt my own veggie burger. i didn't really have a plan when i went into the kitchen, just some ideas i wanted to toy with. i got my ingredients out on the counter and got to work. this is how it went down:

1 c dry TVP
1 c boiling water/veg broth (to reconstitute tvp)

1 small onion
1 small green bell pepper
1 small yellow bell pepper
(any types of bell peppers will work, this is just what I had on hand)
a few pickled jalapeño slices, diced finely (or fresh jalapeños)

1 t soy sauce
2 T ketchup or tomato paste
few dashes of hot sauce (to taste)

1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 t paprika
1 t black pepper
salt to taste

1/4 c chickpea flour
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/3 c vital wheat gluten

this is how i do it: first, i reconstitute my tvp. i let that sit together for about 10 minutes. during that time, i finely dice my onion and bell peppers and sautee those in a tiny bit of oil. when the onions are translucent and the peppers start to get soft, they're done. allow those to cool. go ahead and mix all your dry ingredients together (spices & flours) in one big bowl. add the onion mixture to the tvp and mix well, then add your soy sauce, tomato paste and hot sauce. once that is all mixed together, add your dry ingredients to your wet. now, it's time to get your hands dirty. i used my hands to mix everything together and then formed these into patties. they should look something like this:

now, i decided to panfry these so i wanted them to firm up a bit and stuck them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. (obviously, the fridge for an hour or so would be better, but i was hungry and in a hurry.) but if you want to bake them (i'll try that next), you probably don't need to refrigerate them. throw them on a baking sheet and go to town. for frying, i drizzled a tablespoon of oil in a pan and went to town. i did about 4-5 minutes on each side until they looked, well, done. time to plate up!

dress your bun however you choose. i used vegenaise, spicy mustard and ketchup and served them with a side of potato salad. there's no rules, really. now, let's talk about the taste. the outside was great and almost crispy, but the inside, while not bad, wasn't how i expected it to be. i assumed that adding vital wheat gluten would help it obtain a sort of chewy texture (dare i say "meaty"?) but maybe the measurements didn't work out. it tasted like a contained sloppy joe, and maude knows i love sloppy joe's, so there were no complaints here. regardless, i plan on tweaking the tvp burger until i get it just right. out of 5 stars, i'd still give this one a 4 because it was filling, healthy and delicious. i'll take it.