five days of freedom

My boss must think I'm a complete lunatic.  At the end of today, I absolutely lost it - I started laughing uncontrollably and could not stop.  My eye is still twitching.  I was so tightly wound today that I almost couldn't focus.  I didn't realize exactly how high-strung I was, though, until the day ended and the magnificent realization that I was finished until Monday whether I wanted to be or not set in and I felt such incredible relief that all I could do was laugh like a maniac.

I'm blatantly ignoring that I still have obligations for the next two days - at least they are happy reunions with loved ones, which may require effort of travel and a bit of energy, but at least I'm not bent over my desk, frowning at my computer, and trying to map out this logistical nightmare.

Mister didn't feel like eating and I can't honestly say that I was all that interested in cooking by the time I got home, so I reheated my Cajun dinner and poured a glass of wine (surprised?  only if you're new...).  Mister gave me a present:

ironic, don't you think?

Now, before I pour my second glass of Centine SuperTuscan, I'm going to jump on an unfamiliar bandwagon.  Jess of Get Sconed! recently posted the "epic veganmofo survey" from the Post Punk Kitchen forums.  I enjoyed reading her responses, so I thought in the absence of some smarta$$ comments about how awesome my dinner was, I would publish the survey here with my responses.  Hopefully, I'm interesting enough that you'll read it, but otherwise, I'm sure I'll have some fun things to write about after Thanksgiving with the In-Laws tomorrow evening, so you can skip this and I'll see you tomorrow!

EPIC VeganMoFo survey

What's your favorite spice or spice blend? Unquestionably McCormicks Gourmet Garam Masala.  They have the blend of spices perfected to the point I would travel across the country to acquire more (even though there are apparently stores in Philadelphia that stock it...just not near me).

You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). What do you buy?  2lb bag of carrots, bunch of kale, mixed olives, bananas, apples, a bunch of asparagus, and whatever's left goes to bell peppers.

What's your favorite way to make tofu?  marinated and pan-seared

Vegan guilty pleasure?  chocolate

If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?  my Father-in-law, because it would be a two-fer.  He and his wife have a very harmonious relationship and I believe if he became vegan, she would follow.  Also, he appreciates the finer things in life, so I can imagine the great conversations and shared meals we would appreciate together.

If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?  Oh no...I hate this question!  Even though it's subjective, I don't think there's a right answer!  probably Peas and Thank You.

Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?  I couldn't boil water without burning it before I stopped eating animals.  Veganism is one of two things that completely changed my interaction with food - Clean Eating Magazine (unfortunately, full of dead animals) is the other.

Excluding analogues, what new things have you tried that you probably wouldn't have as an omni?  Good heavens - almost everything - french fries were my favorite vegetable as an omni - but I'm going to have to go with Brussels Sprouts, Delicata Squash, and eggplant.

What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can't get behind?  mushrooms.  can't stand 'em.

What was your first "wow, I'm such a stereotypical vegan" moment?  when I started calling "meat" by its animal names to get a reaction and help omni-friends "see the light."

First recipe you veganized? I can't, in good conscience, say pasta sauce, since I think it should always be animal-free.  So, instead I'll say...well, probably Colleen's tofu lasagna, but I didn't actually veganize it, so instead I'll point to my mother's best friend's aunt's casserole.

What would you like to veganize, but haven't yet? I would like to successfully veganize my mother's best friend's aunt's casserole.  Also, I would like to completely veganize one holiday dinner, but that will have to wait until we have a home large enough to actually host a holiday dinner.

Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?  Favorite utensil? my garlic press.  Favorite appliance? definitely the food processor.

Most disastrous kitchen failure?  I don't like to fail, so even if a recipe seems to be going in a disastrous direction, I can usually turn it around since I'm an ultra-anal perfectionist, so I'm happy to say my biggest "failure" was a pizza that had no interest in behaving like pizza...since there was no cheese/Daiya to hold everything together.

First vegan cookbook?  How It All Vegan, given to me after my mother tried to use it and failed ;)  Love you, Mom!

What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?  But...what do you eat??

If you could tell the world one thing about vegans, what would it be?  we aren't actually crazy - we just care about things outside ourselves.

Funniest vegetable?  umm...what does that mean??  I can't think of any that make me burst into uncontrolled laughter at the mere mention, but I guess phallic eggplants are kind of funny.

What is a family recipe you have veganized?  I was going to claim my family doesn't have any recipes, but then I remembered my mom's pineapple casserole.  I have not veganized it [yet], but going back a couple of questions, I think I will give it my best shot if I get to host Easter (like I'm hoping, though that is entirely dependent on a successful mid-winter move - fingers crossed!).

Weirdest food combination ?  normally, I would say this involves crossing cuisines, but I'm going to say caramel and seitan was a little bizarre.

Is there something you wish you could veganize, but can't/couldn't?  rare filet mignon?  I can't think of anything else that would be difficult to veganize that I would actually want to eat.

Favorite ways to prepare tofu, seitan, tempeh, any other vegan proteins?  I love to brown seitan until it gets a little crispy; I very rarely get to prepare tempeh, but I enjoy braising it when I do.

Are your pets vegan? if so, what do you feed them? Angst loves spinach, but Angst is an omnivore.

Favorite non-dairy milk?  Actually, if you're interested, I did a "milk" round-up not too long ago in response to my sister's desire to leave cows alone.  My favorite "milk" for actually drinking is Almond Milk - it has the most palatable flavor.  My favorite milk for everything else is a tie between soymilk and So Delicious Coconut Milk.

What’s one “vegan myth” you’d like to squash?  That mushrooms are the preferred meat replacement.  They are fungus; that is gross.