somethin' in the works

Yes.... I know I suck at posting recently.  I'm sorry.  But you're tired of hearing me apologize for sporadic posting anyway, aren't you?

I could babble about why I haven't been posting but it comes down to this: I don't find it interesting to post about recipes I've made multiple times and if I don't have anything interesting or entertaining to say, I don't want to post just for the sake of keeping up the blog.

Stick with me, folks.  Not giving away anything just yet, but stay tuned - something's coming.

Soon.

:)

While we're waiting, though, why don't you page through some of my older posts?  I used to put together some fairly entertaining posts when I was still figuring out this crazy cooking thing!  Pick a post you enjoyed, then click on one of the tags for other posts like it.  Or, just pick a random past month to check out.

If you want to laugh at someone being completely random and scatterbrained, check out December of any year and January of 2010.
If you want to think deeply, check out October 2009 or the tag Operation Gratitude Attitude (November through December 2009).
If you like faerietales, read the posts I wrote about PIFA, either by using the PIFA tag or by going to April 2011.
If you want to know more about the information that led to my decision to "go vegan," check out my multi-part review of Skinny Bitch between August and October of 2010.
If you need a suggestion, leave me a comment with what you want to read about/learn and I'll point you in the right direction.

No food pictures because you've seen them all before.  How about an Angst picture?

How about his Greatest Hits?

See you soon!

Happy Monday, MoFos!

Anyone who is unacquainted with VeganMoFo is probably pretty offended by now, so let me wish everyone a Happy World Vegan Day!

Welcome, anyone new to Angst Loves Spinach - I hope you enjoy poking around here as much as I enjoy writing!  I'm super excited that VeganMoFo IV has finally begun and I can't wait for the round-ups to start.

By way of a short introduction, I'm Natalie :)  I went vegetarian 8 years ago, following the lead of my then-boyfriend, now-husband, affectionately known here as "Mister."  A brief, uninformed, PETA-induced stint with veganism followed about 6 months later and lasted for about a month.  Most of Mister's favorite things involve cheese or ice cream, and to be honest, for most of my life, I've been pretty in love with those things as well.  Last fall, I got involved with VeganMoFoIII, and learned so much from other bloggers, causing a great amount of introspection and self-examination.  I battled with myself on subjects like honey, wool, cats as natural carnivores, and my own reticence to take that last step.  However, in the course of being vegan for October, to be true to MoFo, I realized that it wasn't nearly as big a sacrifice as I thought, and after the Readers' Choice Awards issue of VegNews came out, I decided it was worth a second shot.  Over the last year, I've grown increasingly "vegan" in my lifestyle choices, and after reading Skinny Bitch three times this summer and then reviewing it here in September, I decided to just go for it.

Angst is my cat.  He loves spinach, various other leafy things (that may or may not include rose leaves and petals), jalapeno potato chips, pretzels, hummus, pizza, Sweetzels, and a variety of other things cats shouldn't eat.  They are all Sometimes Foods, though, so a little taste here and there shouldn't do too bad for him.  He is my little love and I thought his affinity for dark, leafy greens was funny, so now you know where the name of the blog comes from.

my muse, Angst

 
I hope you'll leave me a comment and say hi if you're new.  I'm happy to hear from new people if you've found your way over from VeganMoFo, Twitter, or Facebook (although, if you're on FB, I know you already).  Now, onto the vegan foodie fun!

Mister has recently left his job and is now our little homemaker; house-husband seems long and antiquated.  Anyway, upon my return from work today, I found that he used his first full day at home to clean out a mess that had been building in our entryway/kitchen/dining area (we live in a very small apartment in Philadelphia).  When I thanked him, he told me that he wanted my kitchen to be my happy place!  I found a keeper.  As a reward, I let Mister choose dinner from our weekly menu.  As you may know or will soon learn, Mister Loves Pasta, so naturally, he chose Pasta Florentine from The 30 Minute Vegan, accompanied by sliced artisan bread and a Tuscan olive oil dipping sauce.

The only thing missing was a nice glass of deep red wine and once I started cooking, you can believe I was kicking myself for not picking up a bottle on my way home from work.  We've had this several times since I got the cookbook in February because it's super-tasty to eat and even easier to make.  Oddly, though, I don't think I've ever made it taste the same way twice.  This time, Mister asked if it was normally "this spicy," and I explained that last time I had, in fact, forgotten to add the 1/2 tsp of black pepper.  I'm glad he was happy with the flavors because another difference in this prep was that I used Tempt hempmilk, and through my breakfast adventures, I've discovered that hempmilk and heat don't seem to like each other very much - the hempmilk seems to separate and is not at all attractive in coffee.  It played well with the nooch, though.

What I'm really excited about was this morning's breakfast.  I love breakfast the way Mister loves pasta and Angst loves spinach.  I especially love cold weather breakfasts like waffles and oatmeal and syrupy fruit.  I had some recent success with an apple oatmeal recipe, so I've been playing with some other flavors.  I also have a winter-breakfast cheerleader, so ALB, I dedicate this tasty breakfast to you!

Breakfast Fried Rice
serves 1 (but easily multiplied)

3/4 - 1 cup cold, cooked brown rice
1 [red] d'anjou pear, diced
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used Tempt unsweetened hempmilk)

Heat pear in a large nonstick skillet 2-3 minutes, until the pieces are golden and begin to release their juices.  Stir in the rice and non-dairy milk.  Bring to a lively simmer/light boil, then lower heat to medium-low.  Stir in vanilla and maple syrup.  Simmer, stirring frequently, 2-3 more minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.

Enjoy and please let me know how it goes for you if you decide to make it!

it's right around the corner

"It" could be any variety of things.

It is currently approaching Midnight, which means it's almost Friday.
When I wake up, it will be Friday, which means all I need to do is survive the day and get home to begin my weekend (aside from that pesky working-on-Saturday thing).

Two weeks from today will find Mister and I settled into our hotel room in sunny San Clemente, looking forward to a well-deserved vacation and fun with our distant, beloved family.  The day after we return home will be our anniversary, so our next romantic dinner at Horizons is right around the corner.

Something struck me a couple of days ago.  It's October (if I haven't made that clear by my obnoxious imaginary jumping around for joy) and I hadn't heard a thing about VeganMoFo!  I enjoyed it so thoroughly last year and have been looking forward to it this year, but a week into the month it occupied last year and not a peep from any of the blogs I followed as a result of last year.  Then, finally, Jess from Get Sconed wrote the post I've been waiting for:

VeganMoFo IV is right around the corner!  This year, it will be during the month of November, which will provide a literary cornucopia of awesome vegan Thanksgiving celebrations from which I can steal ideas for next year to read about and enjoy!  I signed up as soon as the form was available on the Official Home of VeganMoFo and I'm already thinking of things more entertaining/insightful than "here's what I had for dinner tonight" to convince a whole new set of strangers that they want to read my nonsense.

Is that a great segue or what?  Here's what I had for dinner tonight:

Udon Bowl from The 30 Minute Vegan - descriptive name, don't you think?  Regardless of the unremarkable name, this dish was delightful.  I had a realization while I was sitting at the table waiting for Mister to wash his hands as the steam and scent wafted up my nostrils: I absolutely love tamari and ginger as a base.  The olfactory satisfaction I gleaned from just sniffing at my dinner was astonishing.  Fortunately for my other senses, it tasted just like it smelled: a charming combination of sweet and salty.  The recipe doesn't make a whole lot, but it is listed under the lunches so that makes sense, I guess.

Anyway, back to VeganMoFo, last year I solicited topics from my readers, so if anyone would like to leave me a comment with a suggestion for something you'd like me to write about next month for VeganMoFo, I'd be happy to hear from you.  Round-ups? Restaurant, book, or product reviews? Why Angst won't stop his relentless pleading for a piece of my Sweetzels?

keeping the R in Random

I have been thinking all day, and now I sit down to type (with my new red fingernails) and I cannot put everything into a logical sequence. Forgive me if I flit from one topic to another without a meaningful segue.

I guess I'll start with dinner, then briefly revisit yesterday's post before ambling through my newest ponderings relating to veganism and the upcoming holiday season.

Actually, I'll start with this week's menu, otherwise you'll be confused about dinner:

1. Two-Broccoli Stir-Fry on Soba Noodles from Vegetarian Times Fast & Easy. It looks fun, and justifies the purchase of two relatively small and useless kitchen tools - a zester (yes, I really don't have one) and a citrus juicer. I don't actually need the juicer, but it would make the recipe easier/more authentic.

2. Penne with Broccoli and Creamy Tomato Sauce also from VTF&E. I am still in awe of blender sauces, so you know where this is going.

3. Moroccan "Meatballs" and Couscous also from VTF&E. My current method of menu planning, homogenous and boring though it may seem, is to grab one cookbook and try to get as many recipes as I can out of it. The next week I choose another one. Last week was so insanely busy that I think I only had time to blog twice. If I take too long cooking and cleaning up afterwards, there simply isn't time unless I want to be more of a zombie at work than I am already sometimes, so I skip it. I don't want to do that, and I foresee this week being at least as busy, so I chose the two cookbooks that could get it done. And so, on to....

4. Seitan & Polenta Skillet with Fresh Greens from Vegan Express, my dear standby. I have skipped over this recipe looking for specific other recipes the last few times I've looked through this book, so this week, I'm making it.

5. Valencian Rice and Red Beans also from Vegan Express. I am absolutely intrigued by this recipe. There is a part of me that thinks it could really suck, but Nava really hasn't let me down yet, so I think I'm wrong. I'm looking forward to finding out!

6. Pasta Jambalaya also from Vegan Express. I will admit it: I sought this recipe out specifically because I miss the Tofurky sausages. I was determined to finish my search with a recipe that would use them, and this one was the lucky winner.

So, then, tonight we had #2 and it was delightful. It was also remarkably fast and easy...which I suppose is how it got into the cookbook, but still! I have made recipes from that book that most assuredly did NOT take under 45 minutes to prepare. I don't think it even took the 30 minutes the book told me it would - it was really fast. The pasta only boils for 10 minutes, the broccoli steams for 7, and it takes about 30 seconds to cut open the Mori-Nu package and watch that ambiguous white brick slurp out and into my food processor, and another 5 seconds to add the marinara. Oh, but let me talk about that for a minute.

I don't make a lot of recipes that call for prepared marinara sauce, and when I make pasta, it's a little too easy to make my own sauce to invest $3-$9 in whatever's on the store shelves. Ordinarily, since I know it wouldn't be the star of the dish, I just get the generic America's Choice marinara (which, by the way, IS vegan). Today, they were all out since it was on sale. However, a lot of the pasta sauces were on sale, so I took advantage of the opportunity to try Bertolli at half the price. I got the Fire Roasted Tomato with Cabernet Sauvignon (also vegan) and combined it with firm silken tofu in my food processor and it was one of the most convincingly creamy concoctions I have made yet! The flavor of the tomato sauce was outstanding, and I am still trying to figure out how the tofu didn't taste like soy. There is obviously a substantial difference between silken tofu and regular, perishable tofu, but it is very difficult to describe. I do know that leftover silken tofu makes a killer sandwich, though.

Anyway, dinner was really tasty - Mister was thrilled - he loves broccoli.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I went to a baby shower. After the week I had, being in a small house with nightmare acoustics was not the most relaxing way to spend my first "day off," but it was great to see loved ones, so I wanted to share a picture and a funny story.

I think it was a Friday afternoon in mid-July. I was off from work and had finished my food shopping, so I decided to pick up a bottle of Riesling. I had located my favored brand, Hogue Cellars, and was at the register when I heard a voice behind me say, "Hello, Mrs. K___!" I turned and with pleasant surprise responded to my cousin-in-law with another hearty "Why hello, Mrs. K___!" We laughed, the cashier was confused, and after we had each paid for our bottles of Riesling (great minds think alike), I walked her home. That was the day I let someone else in on my ideas about starting this blog, and she has been there to encourage me along the way, so here's some cousin-love!

The Mrs. K___s

So, then, let's hippity-hop back down the bunny trail as the winter holidays draw near. I had intended to devote a lot more time and attention to this list, but here it goes.

Reasons I don't call myself vegan (amended from, Why I'm not vegan)
1. I haven't reconciled my feelings about wool, silk, and leather yet.
2. I love make-up and nail polish.
3. I love Godiva.
4. It takes too much damn effort and I don't know if I care enough to commit to it.

The list used to be much longer. October/VeganMoFo really opened my eyes and took away a lot of the reasons I had previously thought were valid. I did my own research and soul-searching and do not wish to consume honey any longer. I have thus far refrained from replacing my winter coat because it would just be my luck to start caring about wool right after making that investment. I used to swear I couldn't live without cheese, but that's not so true anymore. I'm not so hot on eating eggs in any recognizable form, but I'm not completely ready to dissect each and every food in which they could be hiding.

I've already spent a lot of time on #1, so I'm going to leave that alone for now. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are rapidly being deconstructed by one seemingly simple choice I made at Whole Foods today. You know how all stores that have lines have strategically placed "upsells" that you can look at while you wait your turn? Movie stores have candy, popcorn, soda; Pharmacies have mints, candy, and batteries; Grocery stores have candy and magazines - Whole Foods sometimes throws organic, soy, vegan, gluten-free candles in there, too (that was a joke). Anyway, I'm really good at falling for that stuff, and even better when Mister is there to help me. Today, as I waited for my groceries to make their way down the conveyor belt to my bag, I picked up a holiday copy of Vegetarian Times. I flipped through it, remembered how many of their recipes involve dairy and put it back on the rack, feeling very responsible and proud of myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied VegNews and it was over, especially since it was the 2009 Readers' Choice Awards issue. I picked up a copy, plopped it down beside my broccoli and continued waiting.

After dinner tonight, I was looking through it and I had an epiphany. As long as you stay in a relatively metropolitan area, living a vegan lifestyle is barely even challenging! Brilliant strides have been made since I last waded in the waters of veganism (2003). Innovators and revolutionaries have spawned from the fibers of society to provide viable alternatives to non-vegan things like cheese (Daiya), marshmallows (Dandies and Sweet & Sara), and so on. There is a plethora of meat substitutes in various forms, for those who are into that - I know Mister would be sad to live a life without Tofurky. There is soymilk, ricemilk, almond milk, and even cashew milk; soy and coconut milk coffee creamers; soy, rice, and coconut milk yogurts and ice creams...the list goes on and on...

But what about Godiva? All of their chocolate has dairy. SO sad. But it appears there are so many amazing vegan confections, giving up Godiva might not be as tragic as I once thought. So, it looks like I could commit myself to a vegan diet, but what about the other things, like make-up and nail polish? Where do I draw my line? Do I care about bunnies and guinea pigs being sprayed in their eyes and living out their miserable lives in cages with no comfort or loving touch, just living in fear of the next time the humans come to visit? Yes, I do - that's a horrible picture, isn't it? Have I generally pushed that out of my mind when shopping for beauty products? Sad to say, yes, I have. It's really a denial thing, though, because unless I have vastly underestimated human nature, who could remember those things when they're shopping and still buy things from companies who exploit animals - human or otherwise?

Once again, VegNews to the rescue! Granted, this is kind of a "best of" issue, but it has worked wonders in opening up my eyes to a world of quality vegan products that really could replace things I use now. I haven't seen anything about nail polish yet, but one of their cruelty-free companies is Aveda, who is the "mother" company of my make-up manufacturers. This is worth a second thought, after all!

Conclusion? I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and call myself a vegan. Everyday, though, I will examine my choices more thoughtfully and feel good about the baby steps I'm taking towards a better me.

every month has a name

I'm not talking about the names they print at the top of the calendar, either. Have you noticed that every month is National [insert worthy cause here] Month? They all have their specifically colored ribbons, too. I'm starting to lose track - pink ribbons are for breast cancer, blue for prostate, yellow for soldiers...and Lance Armstrong, but didn't he have prostate cancer? Also, because there are more than 12 worthy causes, a month might actually have multiple names and corresponding ribbons, walks, and other fund- and awareness-raising activities.

We started simply enough - February was Black History month, a whole 28 days devoted to recognizing the countless valuable contributions black people of varying ethnicities (not always African) have made to this country. In June we have a Race for the Cure complete with blue ribbons, held around Father's day, to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, even though we had the breast cancer run-walk in May because of Mother's day (non-mothers don't get cancer). They even change the lights on the Philadelphia skyline to be pink in honor of this month. October 1 is also World Vegetarian Day and kicked off the Vegan Month of Food. November is Diabetes Awareness month - I think those ribbons are red - but we had our Diabetes walk in October....you get the point.

Or do you? A blog I read more or less daily named October Hug-A-Carb month and devoted the whole month to the worship of grains and bananas and all those other things that are so bad for you and make you fat. Oops, that's overeating - I confused myself. Moving on then, at the close of Hug-A-Carb month, she wanted to keep the love flowing and in a decidedly against-the-grain move, she has made November a month devoted to kindness. She is paid a certain amount of money based on visits to her site and in return for people trying to click to and through her blog more this month, she will be donating every last cent to charity. For more details about Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness, please read her wonderful blog.

Trying to do my part, I want to share about my breakfast this morning - it was amazing. I had read on Katie's blog about melting a banana to put in your oatmeal and I thought to myself, "Silly girl - bananas don't melt!" Guess what - if you cut them into smallish pieces and microwave them for a minute, they sure do! It was one of the most amazing things I've woken up to, short of my parents' Christmas tree on Christmas morning when I was a child. To sum it up:

melted banana + oatmeal + vanilla soygurt = breakfast bliss

Try it - you won't regret it.

Finally, dinner tonight was Miso-Ginger Red Beans with Broccoli. I think I needed more broccoli or less sauce, because there was definitely a disparity between their volumes. It was still very, very good, though, because miso is awesome. In addition to tasting really good, it has a ton of health benefits (as long as you don't boil it - that kills the friendly enzymes), which might explain why there are so many Japanese centenarians. The smell is a little strange and it doesn't really look like something you would want to eat out of the container, but once you taste it, it's well worth all the courage-gathering it took to try it. Just don't read the ingredients.

MoFo no mo'

Happy November! I can't believe October is gone already - it passed so quickly, especially with all the fun writing and great reading out there in the blogosphere. I am so glad I participated in VeganMoFo 2009; it was such a good experience. I feel like my blogging is much more interactive now, mainly because I discovered from comments people left that someone really was reading my blog and it wasn't just my little online journal of cooking adventures. I'm sad to see it end, but I have greatly increased my repertoire of blogs to read, and after a month of being very conscientious about blogging damn near every day, it was very liberating to take last night off.

So....last night we finally actually did something to acknowledge and celebrate two beautiful years of marriage. We did not get a couch this weekend, and therefore did not watch a movie (a very specific one) like we had intended, but we looked at couches and had dinner at a cute Italian place just down the street, La Fourno.

When I first started getting into cooking with seasonal foods, I had a little "cheat" card at the front of my (overstuffed) recipe box to tell me what fruits and vegetables were in season. There were two reasons I did this - first, I figured seasonal produce would probably taste better since it had a better chance of being ripe. Second, I figured it would save us some money, rather than paying $8 for a bunch of asparagus in December. When I stopped using the recipes I had tucked away in that heavy little box, I stopped referring to that card, quite by accident. What I'm getting at is this:

I don't know when melon season is, but the best honeydew ever adorned our salad.

Oh! And it was made with a mixture of romaine and arugula, so I made good on my promise to eat raw arugula in a salad sooner than I expected! Anyway, the salad was the evening's special and when the waiter described it Mister and I were unanimous (not hard to do with only two people...) about starting our meal sharing that salad and the fabulous bruschetta they serve. As I mentioned, the base was a bed of romaine and arugula and decorated with halved grape tomatoes, cubed honeydew, and mandarin sections, then finished with a peppery vinaigrette. I don't know where they got that honeydew, but it was seriously the best I have ever had.

Tonight, at Mister's choosing, I made Risotto Mexicano. Things were going well, the peppers, garlic, and tomato were simmering away and the beans were heating. The rice was almost ready to join the party and Mister came in to see how it was going.

Mister: What's it doing?
Me: Simmering.
Mister: Then what?
Me: Then I put the spinach in.

This is where I realize I forgot to buy the spinach. Angst is very disappointed.

Me: Then we eat it.
Mister: What's it go in?
Me: Bowls.
Mister: Do we have chips?
Me: Do you want chips?

Mister heads out to the convenience store down the street on a quest for tortilla chips, spinach, and one ripe banana. He returns with tortilla chips, three not-even-close-to-ripe bananas, and some weird sour gummy candy (no spinach). The chips were organic blue corn Tostitos. I don't know if the organic or blue corn really make a difference, but they taste good and purple food is fun.
The forks are just there for decoration. We ate our whole bowls with the chips.

The Amazing Vegan Casserole (part 2)

What a delightful 3-day weekend! I took Friday off so we could celebrate our anniversary, but we ended up carting more stuff over to the thrift store - they ought to be making a fortune off of our desire to have nothing in our home. Also, Mister found (bought) some boxes and threw all the miscellaneous bits and pieces littering the floor into them and tucked them away. Suddenly, there's all this space! We're still not done, but we actually have room to get a sofa now! A little one, anyway.

Angst, stretching out in the middle of the floor

In between rainclouds, I managed to get my shopping done today, so I can get to the last of the purging and sorting at my leisure. We're so close to having a liveable space that I'm actually starting to see our home as cozy instead of cramped. Really, to tell the truth, our apartment has been enough to give an agoraphobic claustrophobia.

Anyway, before I share my wonderful dinner story, let me give you this week's menu (including tonight's dinner):

1. Indian-Inspired Lasagna

2. Seitanic Red & White Bean Jambalaya from Veganomicon.

3. Mandarin Tofu with Peppers & Broccoli

4. Risotto Mexicano

5. Miso-Ginger Red Beans with Broccoli from Vegan Express.

I have made all of the above at least once before (for more info/stories, follow the helpful links!), except the lasagna. I made that tonight and I could not be happier with how it came out!
I'll grant you that it doesn't look much like lasagna, but that is because
A) it is vegan and therefore has no bubbly cheese topping
B) the only thing that really makes it lasagna is that I used lasagna noodles. It probably ought to be called something else, like Layered Indian Casserole, but that is so uninspired.

Anyway, the reason I am so pleased with the "lasagna" is because it is my very first baked dinner recipe! I'm not sure how it happened, but I got this idea in my head to make a chickpea "ricotta" and have an apple layer for texture and that moment of "Oh! That's different!" As I sat and thought about other components of Indian cooking, the other parts all came together. I'll share the recipe, and if you can think of a better name for my first vegan casserole, that would be great.
Indian-Inspired Lasagna (until something better comes along)
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
3/4 cup red lentils
1 1/2 cups water
two 19 oz cans of chickpeas
1-1 1/2 cups V8 Spicy Hot
two 10 oz packages of frozen chopped spinach
28 oz petite diced tomatoes, well drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
8-10 lasagna noodles, oven-ready or cooked

Bring water to boiling and stir in lentils. Lower to a slow simmer and cover. Cook 20-30 minutes, until lentils are mushy and have absorbed all the water. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Saute the mustard seeds, covered, until they start popping. Lower the heat and add the Garam Masala and salt - cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute, then add the frozen spinach and turn the heat back up. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until spinach is no longer frozen. Add drained tomatoes and stir well. Cook, uncovered, on medium-low heat until most of the liquid has cooked off.
Combine chickpeas and V8 juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and of a spreadable consistency, adding more juice if necessary. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and combine with mashed lentils, stirring well.
Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray and place a layer of 4-5 lasagna noodles on the bottom. Spread half of the chickpea "ricotta" over noodles, then half of the spinach mixture over the "ricotta." Arrange the apple slices in three rows across the spinach layer. Top with 4-5 more noodles, the remaining chickpea ricotta and the remaining spinach mixture. Smooth the top and place in the preheated oven. Cook, uncovered, about 45 minutes. Allow it to set for a few moments before serving and it will look more like this:

step by step, oh baby

For anyone who actually got that NKOTB reference, kudos!

A new mental challenge has launched, though unless I am severely underestimating the situation, my decision in this matter will have no effect on my everlasting soul. Regarding the matters of conscience with which I have been struggling lately, I will say this (also related to the title):

I don't need to decide right now. That realization is very liberating! Somehow, I managed to convince myself that by the end of October I had to make an all-or-nothing decision about whether or not I will commit myself to being a faithful vegan, but I don't, actually. I have spent a month avoiding dairy products and eggs. I have also forsaken honey (and found agave nectar to be an equal substitute) and I am thinking more critically about the non-food aspects of a vegan lifestyle. As was evidenced in my 3-part series on honey, it takes me a little time and pondering to come up with the decision I am convinced is right for me.

Speaking of food...dinner last night wasn't terribly interesting and I really didn't have anything interesting to say about it. I guess I could say the same for dinner tonight - they were both good dinners, but neither of them really stood out against some of our favorites.
The Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans & Greens was very tasty and even more photogenic. Angst attacked me from behind (and totally surprised me, to Mister's great delight) when I started to open the bag of arugula. I told him it wasn't spinach, but he didn't care and gleefully ate his piece of arugula while I stealthily added the rest of the bag to the pot. I love the creamy butteriness of cannellini beans, especially in contrast with the peppery bite of the arugula. Someday I'll have to eat it raw, in a salad, like normal people.
Tonight I made Chickpea, Tomato and Spelt Soup. I had never had spelt before, and apparently, neither had my husband, since he didn't know what it was until I showed it to him. He's getting wise to my tricks. He asked me what I was making for dinner and then asked what spelt was (presumably so he could stop me before I made something gross). I forgot to add the salt and I think that made a big difference in how garlicky I perceived the soup as being - I'll make it again someday and I will be sure to add the salt with the spices.

Now, on to the important stuff - my newest dilemma. Having found that I can, for the most part, count on getting feedback and various responses from those of you who read my blog, I hope I'll continue to get some great information, especially from anyone else who loves to cook. When I got married (two years ago, in case you've forgotten already), I felt it was uncouth to tell people where we were registered because it is never my opinion that I deserve gifts. As a result, we got a lot of gift cards. Between my bridal shower and the wedding, we probably got at least 5 gift cards to Bed Bath and Beyond in varying amounts, and I am on the mailing list, so they send me coupons for $ off or % off my purchase. I took my gift cards and my coupons and left very satisfied with myself for purchasing an entire set of name-brand cookware for $85. Well, you get what you pay for, and two years later, I find myself in a position of needing to replace at least half the set.

Initially, I thought that I would just get a whole new set and keep the few pieces that are still in relatively good condition, but then I realized that there are really only a few pieces that truly need replacing:

1. my 2.5 quart saucepan is in urgent need of being replaced. I don't know what happened - I can only guess it's the result of my continuing inability to judge the cooking time of rice and having to scrape the bottom bits off of the "non-stick" pan. In any case, I want to replace it ASAP.

2. my 6-quart stock pot is okay, but definitely showing signs of wear and will need to be replaced eventually...that is, sometime in the next few months. It just makes me nervous when I cook spices and hear them grinding against the bottom of the pot while I stir.

3. my wok (though it's not actually part of the set) is getting seriously scratched up and as I mentioned previously, the last time I used it, it abruptly decided that it doesn't want to be non-stick anymore. Also, it looks like it's starting to rust a little near the scratches and though iron is a vital nutrient, I'm not sure that's the best way to get it.

4. my saute pan does not actually need to be replaced. There is nothing wrong with it - it's not scratched, it still believes it is non-stick, I use it just about every day specifically because it doesn't give me any trouble. However, as I explained when I made the Black Bottom Tofu, since it is a smaller saute pan (3 quarts) it doesn't really allow the food to spread out as much as I would like it to. Also, I have recently learned that things don't really caramelize in non-stick cookware. So I don't need to replace the saute pan as much as I would like to augment my "collection" (aka, start it) of saute pans...So it appears that my first piece of stainless steel cookware will probably be a saute pan.

The first cookware set I ever had was RevereWare that was so old the copper bottom had worn off and it could only be identified by the engraved emblem on the bottom. It was great when all I had to do was boil water, but once I started to actually COOK, I found the metal way too thin and the bottoms were warped which made the food cook unevenly (obviously).

My current set is Cuisinart. I am a Cuisinart queen - almost all of my kitchen appliances are Cuisinart: my beloved coffeemaker, my treasured immersion blender, and my invaluable food processor. I even have a Cuisinart travel mug. So it seemed like a good idea to get Cuisinart cookware, especially when I could get a whole 10-piece set for $85. I get kind of retarded about saving money sometimes. When I was getting ready to buy that set, I knew I didn't know anything about the qualities of various kinds of cookware. I hacked my way through a jungle of explanations about hard-anodized, non-stick, copper-core, enameled, etc. As soon as I saw the "value" of that cookware set, everything I had pored over shot right out of my brain as though it had never even settled there.

So, here I am again, poking around on various websites, trying to make a much more responsible decision than last time in the hopes that this set of cookware will last me until I can afford (and justify) a truly amazing collection of all different kinds of metals and construction - as well as a kitchen large enough to store them. At the moment, I'm leaning towards Calphalon Contemporary because I have a few pieces (like my amazing square skillet) that I love. I have already had some "helpful" suggestions from a couple of friends who also love to cook and know that it's serious business:

Friend #1 suggests that I slowly build my collection of high-quality cookware piece by piece (or step by step?) so that I can get what I really want but can't afford a whole set of. Considering that I don't actually need a whole set of cookware right now, that could work. I have two issues with this.
1. I feel like they put together cookware sets as a bargain - you know, a package discount? So, I feel like I will spend more by buying a piece here and a piece there.
2. Just one piece of the cookware I really want can cost more than half of what an entire set of Calphalon can cost.

Friend #2, who is a very bad influence on me, suggested I get a part-time job at Williams Sonoma for the holiday shopping season and thereby take advantage of the very generous employee discount they offer to purchase the aforementioned very expensive cookware at only a fraction of it's regular cost. I think this suggestion is brilliant. I also think that I would spend every cent I earned there on fun cooking toys. If there was anything left after the toys, I would take it across the street to my other toybox - MAC.

The main problem with that suggestion is that I already work 6 days a week, so I don't know where I would find the time for another job.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or feedback? What do you use? Do you like it? Would you recommend it? If you had all the money in the world, what brand would you buy? My current answers to that question are Le Creuset and All-Clad. If I had a spare $4,000 lying around, I would absolutely buy this.

unpeeled and an appeal

This will be a quick post, since it was No-Cook Wednesday. Actually, that is becoming a misnomer. Last Wednesday I didn't want to eat leftovers, like I've eaten every Wednesday for about a year, so I made my funny little pear-inspired dish. Tonight, I decided to roast my garnet yam because I knew Mister wouldn't want to share and I also knew I wouldn't be motivated to do anything with it when I was already preparing a meal. My dinner ended up being an interesting progression of "courses." While the yam was roasting away (cubed, tossed with olive oil, 30 minutes at 450, stirring once at 15 minutes), I ate the last three bites of Monday's Broccoli with Beef and had a slice of bread with Earth Balance. Then, after waiting only long enough to prevent blistering the roof of my mouth, I went for my roasted yam bits. So good!

I didn't take a picture because they really weren't that attractive. I cubed the yam too small and kind of burnt the hell out of half the pieces. But I believe my future holds many more of these happy little tubers, so maybe next time they'll be prettier. That leads me back to where I was going when I started writing - No-Cook Wednesdays are undergoing a little renovation. I have decided to devote them to all the foods I like but Mister won't eat (tempeh, eggplant, yams, squash) and all the foods I want to try that I don't think Mister will eat (primarily squash). Along the way, perhaps I will come up with some fun cooking-for-one recipes that I can make into a separate section in my imaginary cookbook and give me inspiration for any future out-of-town engagements Mister has, rather than eating cereal for dinner like I used to. I believe a new name is in order - unless anyone can suggest something better, I think we'll go with One-Serving Wednesdays.

Finally, the appeal. This wool thing is really tearing at me. I still have not decided if I think wool is "too cruel" to be worn, but I don't want to go ahead and buy a wool coat just to decide halfway through winter that I DO think it's wrong and then be stuck with a wool coat for another half-decade. Currently in my possession (between me and Mister) are two wool coats and 3 leather jackets and more than a few pairs of leather shoes. If I end up "taking the plunge" and making a lifestyle out of this October Experiment, I will not get rid of those things because I already own them. By now, I have done a decent amount of research about vegan clothing and various alternatives. I am definitely of the school of thought that there is no harm in "using up" what I have and then replacing those items with cruelty-free items when the time comes.

I did a lot of digging for wool alternatives in particular, since I did not get any follow up responses to my post yesterday and I need to resolve this for myself sooner than later. I think the time is drawing near for me to write my "reasons I am not [yet] vegan" post, because a lot of those reason are already coming out (and because October is nearly over). In any case, today's research leads me to these conclusions:

1. The reason only vegans buy vegan shoes and clothes is because they are ugly. If they are not ugly, they are far too expensive to be a realistic choice for most of us.
2. The only wool alternative mentioned by any of the dozens of sites I visited was polar fleece. Like I said yesterday, you would just about have to set the rest of my clothes on fire to convince me to wear that. It's just not my style.
3. If I see the word Hemp one more time, I might give up.

As with any paradigm/belief system, those who follow want to attract other followers and help them to see the truth they have found. Unfortunately, it's normally easier to preach to the choir than the detention hall inhabitants. I have gone to countless vegan "fashion" websites, as well as general cruelty-free lifestyle websites and discussion boards, but I see the same thing everywhere: some regurgitation of what I read on PETA's graphic Save The Sheep site. If I can't get on board with them, you won't win me to your way of thinking by telling me the same things in a different order (and not even changing the words - F for plagiarism). The other thing I see everywhere is the Gospel of Polar Fleece and Cotton. Despite all the great things about both of these materials, even the people promoting them as vegan-friendly alternatives to wool will admit that polar fleece is only really warm if you layer it with other materials and it's only wind-proof if you put a shell over it, and that most cotton garments have at some point passed through the hands of sweatshop labor...which does NOT equal cruelty-free in my book.

So my appeal is this: Can someone point me to a non-PETA referenced/based discussion on wool and alternatives to wool that won't make me look like a hippie?

at last, my love has come along..

My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
At last, the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last

Today marked the anniversary of my second blissful year of marriage to my best friend and love of my life. Ironically, when I woke up this morning, it was gray and pouring rain, just like it was two years ago. I was running ahead of schedule (how many brides can say that?), had collected everything I needed the night before so that I wouldn't have to rush in the morning. All I had to do was shove Angst into his box (kitty carrier) and stumble through the rain to my car with him and all the other stuff I was taking. Oh, and don't forget the umbrella! I finally get out to my car and the remote entry wasn't working. Prepared to hit the killswitch on my car alarm the minute I pop open the door manually, I turn the key in the lock. No alarm. When I turn the key in the ignition...nothing. So about an hour later, after much swearing and pouting, Angst and I and all my stuff have been reloaded into Mister's truck and we're on our way to the beauty salon. At noon on the dot, the rain stopped, the clouds cleared and it was a beautiful sunny day, the wet spots on the road the only indication it had rained at all. Everything went beautifully until about two hours before the ceremony, when my husband's taxi breaks down and they have to get another one and they're still 45 minutes away from the church. Miraculously (obviously), he got there on time and commenced to making me the happiest woman on earth. And he still does, every day.

In any case, there isn't a whole lot of romance you can affect on a Tuesday evening after you've both just worked a full day and it's 8:30 pm. So Mister greeted me at the door with kisses and smiles and while I was putting down my bag and taking off my jacket, he disappeared into the bedroom and came out with gorgeous long-stemmed red roses. They smell so good (and so edible, to Angst) and roses are my favorites (I know, it's cliche, whatever) and red is my favorite color. I'm such a lucky little wife. After more smiles and kisses, I got to work on dinner. We both have off from work this Friday, so we're going to have a date and celebrate for real then. Tonight, we had Chickpea Stew with Fried Polenta and this time I didn't overpulvarize the stew/sauce:
Also, we had some fun accompaniments, resulting a gorgeous (and delicious) still life:
When I was at Whole Foods on Sunday, since I was just picking up olives for the sake of eating them and not because I needed a specific kind of olive for a specific recipe, I decided to get a few of all the different kinds we've never had before. It started with these amazingly emerald green olives, then some very plump purple olives, and I know we've had them before, but these other green olives are just so good, and I'll grab some mezze mix Greek olives while I'm here... So we sampled them with dinner. It's a shame I can't remember any names...the emerald green ones were very oily and mild in flavor, which was in total contrast to the plump purple ones that were SO flavorful and bitter that I forgot for a moment that Balsamic vinegar is not made from olives.

Regarding the newest challenge of ethical decision making: I appreciate the feedback I got on my last post, specifically pointing me towards www.savethesheep.com, another PETA project. I really like it when people not only share with me their own opinions on matters like this but also provide resources that (I assume) helped them to make up their minds. I took quite a while to plod through that website and other links provided, and as always, found PETA's photojournalism to be shocking and in generally poor taste. I understand the point is to show the absolute brutal truth in the cruelty experienced in probably the vast majority of industry-related animal farming, but there is a very good reason people look at PETA fanatics the way they do: it seems like a cult. The tactics are very much the same - evoke a very strong reaction to something in order to win people to your point of view. And it works - after all, exposure to PETA propaganda and videos were what caused my first go-around with veganism in 2003.

The information on savethesheep.com and various other sites it linked to was somewhat helpful, at least in clearing up a few things regarding the treatment of wool-producing sheep and wool-harvesting procedures. I learned a few new and horrific vocabulary words, like mulesing (I'm not going into it on a full stomach - you can look it up if you're interested). However, there is a vital piece of the puzzle missing for me still. PETA has taken the time and extraordinary effort to put together a list of "cruelty-free" brands and vendors of various vegan things (leather alternatives, things of that nature) and at several points they praise the wonderful synthetic materials used in goods made at "value" stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc, as well as Victoria's Secret and other "high-end" retailers. The piece that's missing is people.

I have mentioned before that my primary reason for becoming a vegetarian was actually related to how the meat industry exploits and harms people, though I do find the mistreatment of the animals in question abhorrent as well. But what really helped me make my mind up was knowing how many more people we could share our food with if we just stopped feeding it all to the cows we breed and raise just to kill and use to overfeed our grossly overweight nation. Believe it or not (though, if you're reading this, you probably believe), there actually is enough food in the world to feed all the people of the world, but instead, we're feeding it to livestock that won't live much longer anyway. So when PETA pushes for the purchase of synthetic materials sold in the stores on their special "cruelty-free" list, it makes me wonder if PETA has forgotten that Humans, like Bees, are also animals and also should not be mistreated or exploited for other people's gain. If you took that list apart, you would probably find more of those shops purchase goods made in sweatshops than you'd be comfortable with. I don't care if I sound like a fundamentalist, God-made-man-to-rule-over-the-earth-and-everything-in-it ignoramus - I still think it's important to prevent cruelty to people who are treated about as well as these factory-farmed animals, and if that means wearing wool from a sheep rather than a cotton shirt stitched in the 11th hour of labor by a 12-year-old, well then I guess I'm just not a PETA spokesperson.

Nevertheless, I welcome more of your thoughts on how to be
1. warm
2. ethical/compassionate
3. stylish - I am NOT wearing polar-fleece or any of that other fuzzy crap and puffy coats should not exist outside of the juniors department of {insert store name here}.

So please, if you have insight for me, leave me a comment!

bees and cows and sheep, oh my!

Okay, so maybe there isn't the same sense of fear as there would be when confronted with lions and tigers and bears, but these gentle creatures offer a more cerebral challenge. While the wild beasts of Oz may threaten physical danger, our honey-producing, leather-wearing, and wool-covered friends threaten our paradigms and ethical stands.

I had some great responses to my honey-flavored ramblings. A few helpful readers pointed me in the direction of some other resources I had not found in my own hunt for answers as to why honey was not considered vegan. And though I still needed some time to ruminate on that information before coming to realize that I do, in fact, find so many things wrong with the human consumption (and by necessity, burglary) of honey, I'm going to push my luck and appeal for help again.

It is a gorgeous autumn in Philadelphia. I have more or less given up on believing weather forecasters, because I really think they employ only slightly more science than native Americans who raised their eyes to the clouds and said "I think it will rain." I also put absolutely NO faith in a book written hundreds of years ago and its alleged ability to foresee the weather this winter. Nevertheless, whether we get the super-cold-and-snowy winter everyone is screaming about or not, it really does get very cold in this part of the country.

A few years ago (actually more like five or six), I got a beautiful black lambswool cashmere coat for Christmas. Not only is it beautiful and stylish, it is extremely warm when the winter wind blows. It is also starting to show its age - the lining is beginning to tear and I noticed some "balding" spots where the seatbelt rubs against my coat when I'm driving. If I don't replace it this winter, I will probably have to do so by next year. The urgency, however, to replace my coat comes from the going-on-now Macy's coat sale. When I visited the website, I found a couple of beautiful and warm and comfy looking wool coats for what I found to be a reasonable price.

This, of course, raises the conundrum about how ethical (or not) it is to rob sheep of their wool in order to craft a coat to keep me warm for many winters to come. I am not wasteful. I wear my clothing until it is threadbare or faded beyond what could vaguely pass for professional. I wear my shoes until they have holes in them or are broken in some other way. I drive my cars until they don't go anymore. If there is even enough leftover from a meal I've made to pass as a single-serving side dish, I will put it in tupperware and save it for later. So believe me, my stuff lasts. Like I said, I have had my current wool coat for 5-6 years. I also have a leather jacket that has lasted me a decade of winters and isn't even close to quitting. Unfortunately, it's not quite warm enough for January and February.

Admittedly, I have not done any research into this yet. If I don't hear back from any of you, I will do my usual google nonsense, but if someone already knows a compelling reason why I shouldn't buy a new wool coat this winter, I would love to hear it. Currently, I just can't see the harm - after all, it grows back. Obviously, there is something at least a little exploitative about stealing the fur off an animal to make clothes for me, but unlike silk or leather or a fur coat, which actually involves killing the animal who "supplied" the material, the sheep lives to bleat another day. I guess that is what keeps me from feeling bad about wearing wool.

So if anyone has some insight they would like to share with me, I would really appreciate it.

On a lighter note - I made Stir-Fried "Beef" with Broccoli and Peppers for dinner tonight. The steak strips were so much different stir-fried than they were in that funny Irish stew I put them in last time. I couldn't tell if they were saltier or if that was the soy sauce I sprinkled them with while discovering that my wok has decided (without consulting me) that it no longer wishes to be non-stick.

The Amazing Vegan Casserole (part 1)

That's what a vegan casserole looks like. No eggs, no milk, no butter - just amazing "fruit of the earth" goodness. The same way that vegan cookies and cupcakes fascinate me, so does this casserole, though it also inspires me.

Tonight's dinner was Chickpea Broccoli Casserole from VwaV. There are three things I remember about the first two times I made this:

1. How bizarre I thought it was, but how good Isa made it sound
2. How revolting my mother found it when I told her about it on the phone
3. How good it was the first time and how much better it was the second time

I mentioned when I provided my weekly menu that I had a few tricks up my sleeve for this third time. In addition to the delightful discovery that my food processor is much better at mashing chickpeas than I am, I found that this trick would really only be possible with Mr. CuisinArt's help. The recipe calls for 3 cans of chickpeas - this time, I subbed a can of cannellini beans for one can of chickpeas and it resulted in an even creamier, butterier taste. I didn't use nearly as much broth as the recipe called for, which resulted in this one being a little drier than last time. Even still, it was as tasty as ever and smelled so good!
Mine kind of fell apart in my zeal to get it out of the casserole and into my belly.
Mister's fared a little better than mine.

When I was at Whole Foods today, I did something I have never done before: I picked up a garnet yam. When I was little, I fell into the same trap I imagine most little girls fall into - if my daddy liked it, it must be good. So, until I grew some tastebuds, I followed my father in his love for canned candied yams and eggnog from a carton. I have since realized that eggnog is disgusting (probably more in thought than taste - just knowing what it's made of makes my stomach turn) and that there are probably better ways to eat a yam/sweet potato than soaked in brown sugar and out of a can.

I realize that yams and sweet potatoes are not actually the same thing, or even close, for that matter. Nevertheless, they are used interchangeably in most recipes which resulted in my ponderings. I don't know why, but I have recently developed an impressive desire to eat a yam or a sweet potato. A real one, one that I hand-selected at a market, took home, and cooked without sugar of any kind. I want to eat it as food, not dessert. The problem, however, is Mister's unadulterated hatred for this tuber, which without exception has caused me to substituted carrots where recipes called for sweet potatoes. So my plan is to roast it and let Mister decide if he wants to share with me. If not, I figure I can probably eat the whole thing by myself - it's not that big.

I have recently felt more adventurous than usual - I'm pretty sure I can blame it on VeganMoFo because all the other blogs I've been reading have really gotten my mind working. Also, my father sent me an email with a bunch of "famous" blogs about food, some vegan (VeganYumYum and some others were on there) and some decidedly not. I have come up with a list of things with which I am currently unacquainted (for the most part) but wish to know better:

1. Sweet Potatoes/Yams - I'll let you know how that goes.

2. Squash (specifically acorn or butternut) - My sister asked me for some butternut squash recipes because she participates in a CSA out in Arizona (Tucson) and she got a ton of butternut and doesn't know what to do with it. Neither do I. I made a butternut soup once and it wasn't terrible, but once again, Mister hates squash so we don't eat it, aside from the occasional zucchini.

3. Avocado - that Pasta della California recipe got me thinking...since I can't actually think of anything else to do with avocado, besides turn it into guacamole, and we're really not dip people, I'll probably just make that pasta again, but get a ripe avocado this time.

4. Brussels Sprouts - if anyone EVER told me I would eat these on purpose, I would have laughed my way to 6-pack abs. However, I've seen a ton of recipes sprouting up (yes, that was intentional) in magazines and my cookbooks, and when I stood in front of their bin today at WF, I had to admit, they are actually kind of pretty. Once again, it appears to be Isa winning me over to the dark side with awesome recipes for these little baby cabbages. Also, I remember my cousin going through a phase where she absolutely could not get enough of them, and she and I have very similar taste in food/diet. Besides, since I recently discovered that I enjoy big cabbages, I figure it's probably not all that different.

5. This weird-ass chocolate hummus spread - I have no idea why this is so appealing, but I really want to try it. Thanks, Dad.

6. Instant Coffee - not to drink, thank you very much. Anyone who knows me knows it's even a struggle for me to find happiness in pre-ground packages of coffee which is why I have a coffeemaker that not only can be programmed to wake me with my coffee, but also has the ability to grind big ol' beans immediately before brewing the coffee. Anyway, I want to bake with it. I've seen dozens of cookie, (cup)cake, and bread recipes calling for instant coffee, and I've never made them because I don't stock instant coffee because I think it's gross. Well, I did the best I could today and picked up International Coffee Suisse Mocha instant coffee. I really just couldn't bring myself to get regular - I have horrible memorymares about my dear mother drinking that Folgers crap when I was a kid.

Anyway, I'll let you know how the sweet potato/yam thing goes...

Praise Seitan!

Yes, I said it. Praise Seitan. I remember the first time I had seitan - it was in a Caribbean-style restaurant in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia called Azure. It's gone now, and that's a shame...I miss Azure - amazing grilled seitan, fantastic wine list, and a never-fail dessert menu. Mister and I went there for our first vegetarian Valentine's Day and went back whenever we could after that. It was, and remains the only restaurant in Philadelphia I would move my car to go to.

Don't get me wrong - Horizons is a very close second. In fact, it has two "edges." First, it is 100% vegan food - Azure was an omni-restaurant. Also, Horizons is only two and a half blocks from my home. There is no weather I can't walk through to get there.

All of this was actually necessary to show you exactly how happy I was about dinner tonight. I made the Jerk Seitan with Coconut Rice from Vegan With a Vengeance. I think Isa has officially replaced dear Martha in my affections. I think I've mentioned before that I really was not even remotely adventurous in my food choices in my younger years. I've generally attributed my willingness to try new things in adulthood to my vegetarian diet, but upon further reflection, I think it is my husband's influence. His sisters, my best friends, who arranged our whole courtship it seemed, swore that my husband could eat worms and they would look delicious. It's true - there is something in the way he eats that makes you want to eat what he's eating. I think even if he and I had never become vegetarians, he would have opened my eyes to a whole new world of flavors and foods. Maybe I would have even eaten whatever meat they usually marinate in jerk spices...

Last time I made this, I didn't have the patience to let the seitan marinate in the seasonings, so I just sauteed it in oil and made a sauce with the marinade ingredients. I can't remember ever being more wrong about something. Tonight, I found the patience to marinate the seitan almost as long as I was supposed to and I can't even describe the difference it made! The seitan was so tender, juicy, and flavorful. Also, serving it on top of the Coconut Rice made a great flavor combination - the subtle sweetness of the coconut milk contradicting and calming the very intense flavor of the marinade-turned-sauce coating the peppers and carrots and seitan. It also smelled great!
On another note, today was a sleepy day - it was rainy and miserable and Saturday. I got up when Mister went to work but couldn't get moving for hours. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to do, but tomorrow is another day and since it will be nicer out, I will feel more inclined to be productive since a lot of my errands involve outside-time. I did get the menu done, though:

1. Chickpea Broccoli Casserole from VwaV. Yes, it was on last week's menu - I didn't get to it because I do not have broccoli. I still don't know how I missed that. Grocery shopping is on my To Do list tomorrow.

2. Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans and Greens from the August Cooking Light. I dare you to click that link and NOT want to eat the picture.

3. Stir-Fried "Beef" with Broccoli and Bell Peppers from the July Cooking Light. The recipe calls for real dead cow, but I want to try those beef stirfry strips by LightLife again - even in a stirfry this time!

4. Chickpea, Tomato & Spelt Soup from Body+Soul, an imprint of Martha Stewart's little universe. This looks like such an innards-warming soup...I squirreled the recipe away a while ago and I've just been sitting on it. This last week of October seems a good time for its debut. Body+Soul is a magazine I keep going back and forth on - on the one hand, I love Martha and I want to subscribe to a Martha magazine, but MS Living would break my heart with almost daily reminders that my home is too miserably small to entertain loved ones. On the other hand, though there are a lot of uplifting and helpful (think stress-relief) articles, there's also a decent amount of fruitiness going on. Also, I think this Dr. Weil character is a fraud. If he's not a fraud, he is way too fruity for my tastes. I just hate when celebrities "adopt" a pet doctor - I think it's Oprah's fault..."Dr." Phil ruined it for everyone.

5. Chickpea Stew with Fried Polenta from The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. I don't know what made me think of it, but I remember nostalgically looking back on the first time I made this, over the warmer months, and thinking how awesome this would be as a late October meal. It's been a while, too, since I've sunk my teeth into my beloved polenta. Speaking of favorites - I get to have my pillow-soft polenta with it's crisp outer layer, drenched and warmed in a blender sauce made by my food processor.

In the midst of grocery shopping and donating and organizing and cooking tomorrow, I also plan to get some baking in, so stay tuned!

(you can just see the anticipation in his eyes, can't you?)