Vegan MOFO 2017- Day 30

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

I know I’m a bit behind with my posts.  It’s just been a really crazy month and very busy at work too. 

Here is one of my favorite snacks to have.  I love tater tots!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 29

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

It was a rainy Sunday so our daughter asked for chili.  I made traditional chili for them and then I made a vegan version for me.  I must say it was pretty good.

Our daughter came home for a surprise visit this weekend.  It was so nice to have her home.  Ernie and Toby were thrilled she came home too.  We just hung out and did a lot of eating.  I made a pot of corn chowder before we picked her up from the train.  It’s one of our favorites.



It’s so easy to make and so yummy.  I’ve posted it before on my blog but here’s the recipe again.



Vegan Chili

1 medium onion, diced

3 Tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine

1 container mushrooms diced fine

2 large cloves of garlic

1 cup of red lentils rinsed

1 large can of tomato sauce

2 tsps. Chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 can of black beans



Sauté the onions in the margarine.  Add the mushrooms and the garlic. 



Add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook over low heat until the lentils are soft. 



It hits the spot!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 28

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Our daughter came home for a surprise visit this weekend.  It was so nice to have her home.  Ernie and Toby were thrilled she came home too.  We just hung out and did a lot of eating.  I made a pot of corn chowder before we picked her up from the train.  It’s one of our favorites.

 

It’s so easy to make and so yummy.  I’ve posted it before on my blog but here’s the recipe again.

 

Corn Chowder

1 big onion, diced

3 Tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 ½ bags of frozen corn

Water to cover

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon thyme (dried)

Sauté the onion in the margarine until soft.  Add the other ingredients and cook over medium high heat until the potatoes are soft.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 27

Today I shared my everything roll with my co-worker.  She got the other half of the part I started eating below.  LOL  She really liked it.  It also had my vegan cream cheese on it.  I told her I made the roll and she said she really like the everything seasoning.  I think I’ll have to make some more of those! 

I love it when people like my food!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 26

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Today was another yummy eating day!

Breakfast – coffee, chocolate protein shake and a homemade everything roll

Lunch – lunch was ordered in from Potbelly’s.   I made sure that we had enough vegetarian sandwiches for all and I had mine and another co-worker’s made to be vegan.  We also had two yummy salads.  Everyone loved it. 

Snack – potato chips

Dinner – leftovers

I used some of the leftover dough from the calzones the other night to make these yummy everything rolls.

 

Everything Seasoning

3 Tablespoons minced onion

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon pink Himalayan sea salt

Mix all together and keep stored in a glass container.

 

I just sprinkled the seasoning on two pieces of the dough rolled into a ball.  I baked them about 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

Here they are prebaked.

 

Yum, yum!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 25

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Today was a very yummy eating day!

Breakfast – coffee, chocolate protein shake and an English muffin with vegan cream cheese.

Lunch – mixed vegetables and white rice

Snack – potato chips

Dinner – spaghetti squash, marinara sauce, sautéed mushrooms and garlic English muffins.

Dessert – chocolate caramel So Delicious ice cream bar

Yum, Yum!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 24 - Tuesday Chew Day

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

So today I decided to make some calzones from “The Chew.” 

Here’s the recipe I used for the dough.

 

Pizza Dough

1 ¼ cup room temperature water

1 teaspoon yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups of flour (plus more when forming)

Dissolve the yeast in the water – stirring to incorporate.  Put the flour with the salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir together.  Add the water and yeast mixture and stir until combined.  Cover bowl with a tea towel.

 

I did this part before I went to work.  When I got home from work I punch down the dough and kneaded a little bit and formed into a ball. Then I went to the grocery store so I let I rest again for about an hour.

 

I formed two pieces of dough into about 8 by 5 inch rectangles.

 

We put marinara sauce, sliced black olives, sliced mushrooms, and diced red onion on top of half of the dough.  I folded over the dough and sealed.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 23

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

I’m back to my normal foods.  I had my coffee with coconut milk creamer, chocolate protein shake, rosemary olive oil bread with vegan cream cheese for breakfast and pretzels and tomato soup made with coconut milk creamer and water to sip on for lunch.  I really need to be more creative.  LOL  I do enjoy my chocolate protein shakes.  I need to get some more chia seeds because I really enjoy them with the chia seeds!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 22

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Sunday was a fun day in NYC too.  We walked 8.8 miles.  What a great walking weekend.  I love walking.  I need to get up earlier and walk before work with Toby.   Anyway it wasn’t a very good vegan or plant based eating day at all but I had a great time in NYC with my family.

 
Here’s what happened when I went back to the farmers market.

 

Yup, not there.  Can you believe it?  I was so bummed that it was only there on Saturday.  I would have bought so much stuff and put it in the hotel room if I had known.  Oh well, now I’m on a mission to find that fresh ginger and turmeric. 

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 21

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,


Yesterday was another fun day in NYC.  We walked 8 miles!  On our way to breakfast/brunch we walked through the farmers market in Union Square.  OMG – amazing.  I would like to go there after our breakfast/brunch this morning to get some yummy veggies to bring home. They had a sample of bok choy with fresh ginger, fresh turmeric and garlic.  It was so delicious.  I haven’t seen fresh ginger and turmeric in our grocery store at home.  They also have tons of potatoes at all of the vendors.  So, I’m going to get a bunch of those too. 


Yesterday for brunch I had the little gem salad with green onions, dill, watermelon radishes, lemon vinaigrette and avocado.  It was very light and refreshing.  I can’t really say what else I ate because it wasn’t vegan.  I feel okay with it and I’m planning on being really good when get home and making some yummy entries for my blog. 

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 20

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,


I’m a little behind in my blogging.  We are in NYC for the weekend.  I’ve been trying to be more of my 80/20 approach to my plant based journey.  When I started going plant based I told my family I would do it 80% of the time but I didn’t want it to affect them or hinder where we would eat if we go out to eat. 


I will just say what I did eat on Friday that was vegan.  For breakfast I had my coffee at home with coconut milk creamer and a bagel with vegan cream cheese. On the ride up to NYC we snacked on my home Chex Party Mix.  For dinner we went to an awesome Thai restaurant where I had a veggie spring roll and vegetable Thai fried rice with no egg. 

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 19

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,


Today I had my chocolate protein shake and a rosemary olive oil bread with vegan cream cheese for breakfast.  Lunch was leftover potatoes, carrots and acorn squash.  Dinner was a baked potato, bakes beans and creamed spinach.  Yummy food day!  

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 18

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,


Here’s a yummy dinner we had the other night.  Baked acorn squash and roasted potatoes and carrots.  Need I say more?  Yum, yum.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 17 - Tuesday Chew Day

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,
So, it’s Tuesday Chew Day again.  I made the bbq baked beans from The Chew in my crockpot.  I didn’t add the green pepper because I don’t like green pepper and I also didn’t add the chicken sausage.  Dave really liked this version of the baked beans.  They could probably cook on low a few more hours to make them softer.  I would also cut back on the vinegar and maybe add more brown sugar.  I like sweet baked beans.  Overall a very easy and yummy version of baked beans.  We had them with a baked potato and corn tonight. 

Vegan BBQ Beans

16 ounces of Great Northern Beans

1 medium onion, diced

1 large clove of garlic, minced

¾ cup of ketchup

3 Tablespoons yellow mustard

¼ cup of brown sugar

¼ cup of molasses

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

About 2 cups of water

Put the dry beans in a large bowl and cover; let soak overnight.

Put the soaked beans with remaining soaking water and rest of ingredients into the crock pot.  Cook over low heat 10 hours stirring every hour.

Here’s The Chew’s Recipe

BBQ BAKED BEANS

·        2 cups Great Northern beans (rinsed)

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        1 onion (peeled and small dice)

·        1 green bell pepper (seeded, small dice)

·        2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

·        3/4 cup ketchup

·        3 tablespoons yellow mustard

·        1/4 cup brown sugar

·        1/4 cup molasses

·        3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

·        3/4 pound chicken sausage (diced)

·        Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

directions

·        To Quick Soak Beans: Place beans in a large pot and cover with water by two inches. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover pot. Allow beans to soak in pot for 1 hour. Drain beans. Rinse pot.

·        Return beans to large heavy bottomed pot. Add water just to cover and season with salt. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until beans are just tender, about 30-40 minutes. Drain beans, reserving bean water in a bowl.

·        Preheat oven to 325ºF.

·        In a large/medium cast-iron skillet add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

·        In a medium bowl add the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, molasses and apple cider vinegar and mix to combine. Add beans and ketchup mixture to the cast-iron pan. Cover the beans with reserved bean water. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours until beans are tender, adding additional water if necessary.

·        During the last 30 minutes of cooking place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken sausage until golden brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

·        Remove from the oven, stir in chicken sausage and season with salt and pepper and serve.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 16

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

So, it was an okay vegan weekend.  I had a yummy cucumber sandwich for brunch.  I bought a loaf of the rosemary olive oil bread at Wegmans yesterday, sliced up some cucumbers in long slices, spread on some Just Mayo and sprinkled with salt.  It was very refreshing.  I used to have cucumber sandwiches growing up but my mom only liked Miracle Whip so it has a much different taste.  I really like Just Mayo. 


I also went to a work party with Dave in the afternoon.  I pretty much remained vegetarian for that one.  The pasta primavera had cheese in it but it was very yummy and mostly red sauce.  There was also salad, homemade salsa and lots of yummy desserts.  Hopefully, I’ll be better on being Vegan this week! 

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 15

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

It’s been a pretty relaxing weekend.  We had homemade hash browns with onions for breakfast.  So very yummy.  For lunch Dave made us vegan grilled cheese sandwiches to go with our vegetable soup.  We also took Toby for a long walk which he absolutely loved.  Then I spend the rest of the afternoon finally cleaning my bedroom/clothes.  I’ve been working so much I had clothes all over my bedroom.  I still need to super declutter and get rid of at least half of my clothes and regroup but that will have to be another day. 


Here’s a cute picture of Toby though.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 14

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

I am getting pretty boring with my food lately having chocolate vegan protein shakes almost every morning.  I need to figure something better out. 

I made this Thai Coconut Soup a while back.  It was so yummy.  I need to make it again soon. 

Here’s how I made it.

2 cups of vegetable stock
1 can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of lemongrass (I found it in a jar)
1 lime – juiced
½ large red onion sliced thin
5 medium mushrooms sliced thin
1 carrot peeled and sliced thin
1 bunch of broccoli
Handful of green beans cut into about 1 inch pieces
Soy sauce and brown sugar to taste

Bring vegetable broth to a boil.  Lower heat and add rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until vegetables are cooked to your liking.

Vegan MOFO 2107 - Day 13

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I had to eat yesterday.   

Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate vegan protein shake made with almond milk

Lunch: Vegetable pho soup – vegetable broth with wide rice noodles, cabbage, spinach, green onions, mushrooms, carrots, and water chestnuts

Dinner: Leftover Fuji rice and potato chips and pretzels


Foo Fighters concert was awesome!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 12

 

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I had to eat yesterday.   

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate vegan protein shake made with almond milk

Lunch: tomato soup made with coconut milk creamer and water, cucumbers and carrots with dip

Dinner: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

 

Sorry for the late post.  I went to see the Foo Fighters last night!  Awesome concert!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 11

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I had to eat yesterday.   

Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Lunch: leftover angel hair pasta with sauce and mushrooms

Dinner: Broccoli, onions and mushrooms in a seasoning sauce and over white rice

I love me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Oh so yummy and satisfying!


Our dinner was really yummy too.  I think I would have made my own sauce next time or none at all.  I used a “beef and broccoli” seasoning packet that was actually vegan.  It didn’t really have much flavor but it was okay.

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 10 - Tuesday Chew Day

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Happy Tuesday Chew Day!  I’ll be sharing a yummy appetizer I made this week inspired by another Chew Recipe that I made vegan.  But here’s what I ate yesterday.   

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate vegan protein shake made with almond milk

Lunch: Chocolate vegan protein shake made with almond milk

Dinner: Angel hair pasta with sautéed mushrooms and marinara sauce enhanced with fresh minced garlic and fresh basil

So, I made a version of the Chutney Cheese Ball which Clinton made on the show a few years ago.  I made more like a chutney cheese spread/dip.  I brought it in to work.  Everyone seemed to really like it.  One of my office mates even asked for the recipe.  I served it with wheat thins and slices of rosemary olive oil bread (I got at Wegmans.)

Mango Chutney Cheese Dip/Spread

1 8 ounce container vegan cream cheese

1 heaping tablespoon of vegan sour cream

3 green onions sliced thin

½ jar of Mango Chutney

Mix everything together.  Serve with crackers, bread or veggies.

 

 

 

 

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 9

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 9 

 

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I ate on yesterday(Sunday)   

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a cinnamon raisin bagel with vegan cream cheese

Dinner: Homemade fettucine pasta with tomato sauce

Snack: popcorn

We had a very busy day yesterday.  We met our son and his roommate in Baltimore and we went to see “Love Never Dies” and then we walked around Fells Point and we went to Sabatino’s in Little Italy for dinner.  It was amazing!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 8

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 8 

 

Maple Walnut Salad Dressing

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I ate on yesterday(Saturday.)   

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee, a cup of tea and home fries

Lunch: Chopped Salad – romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, carrots, and maple walnut salad dressing.  We also shared edamame

Snack: Wawa pretzel with mustard

Dinner: Pistachios and crackers

I had the most amazing salad yesterday.  The salad dressing was so yummy and the salad was fresh and crunchy.  On the way home from Pennsylvania we stopped at Wawa and got one of their soft pretzels.  They are quite filling so I wasn’t really hungry for much dinner and we had eaten a late lunch around 3 p.m. 

Here’s a picture of my salad. 

 

I’m going to try to do some more new things this week for my blog!  I definitely want to try make a version of the maple walnut salad dressing this week.

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 7 

 

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

Here’s what I ate on Friday.   

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate protein shake made with almond milk and Vega One protein powder

Lunch: toasted veggie pita from The Perfect Pita

Dinner: French fries (and something not vegan – we were out for dinner L)

My lunch was amazing!  I love that toasted veggie pita.  It’s a warm pita with lettuce, tomato, onions, mushrooms, and black olives.  I got the vinaigrette on the side because I brought it back to eat at my desk.  I actually only ate half and brought the rest home for Dave.  It was a bit soggy but he used the pita I got with the hummus I bought there.  He really liked it once we put the filling on the “fresh” pita.  Yes, he toasted it too.  Note:  The Perfect Pita has very good hummus.  I try to get a big container to bring home when I go there for lunch. 

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 6 

 

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

 Here's what I ate yesterday. 

 Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate protein shake made with almond milk and Vega One protein powder

Lunch: leftover rigatoni and mushrooms and a piece of olive oil rosemary bread

Dinner: vegetable fried rice

The fried rice was relatively easy and so fresh and yummy.  Dave prepared the onions, carrots and broccoli so all I really had to do was throw it all together in the cast iron skillet. (note Dave also had made the rice the other night!) I did use a little fried rice seasoning I found at the Asian market.  It was good but I would probably just season it myself the next time.  Dave loved it!

 

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 5 

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

It's Day 5 and here’s what I ate yesterday. 

Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a vanilla protein shake made with almond milk and Vega One protein powder

Lunch: tomato soup with coconut milk creamer and a little water

Dinner: mini rigatoni, sautéed mushrooms and marinara pasta sauce

I’ve been working late a lot this week but we’ve been able to keep up with the Vegan MOFO for dinner and I must say the rigatoni was very yummy.  I really like the Victoria’s marinara sauce too!

Here's a picture of our yummy rigatoni dinner!

Vegan MOFO 2017 - Day 4

Vegan MoFo 2017 – Day 4

Hey Vegan MOFO Friends,

I was inspired by my Tuesday Chew Day yesterday to make another “Chew” recipe.  I will share my version next Tuesday!

I’m doing pretty well being mostly vegan.  I did grab a slice of pizza at lunch today.  It was brought in so I grabbed a spinach Alfredo slice.  I was almost done when I thought – ugh it’s not vegan. 

Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee and a chocolate protein shake made with almond milk and Vega One protein powder

Lunch: slice of spinach Alfredo pizza

Dinner: rice, corn, peas and Italian green beans and a coconut milk ice cream sandwich