Preparing for a whirlwind trip

This weekend DocDufresne and I are flying down to Fort Lauderdale for my youngest brother's Bar Mitzvah. In addition to preparation for the event and running around the day-of, I'll attempt to fit in visits with friends including my friend K that recently had a baby. I'm excited that I'll get a chance to see several of those that I've missed so much!

We found someone to sit for Andy, since we vowed not to board him again. The sitter has a larger dog named Calvin and the two became fast friends. They met a few weeks ago and then again this evening. I'm so glad that it's working out well.

Aaand I finally got Veganomicon last week. DocDufresne and I tried a couple of recipes this week. We made "Snobby Joes" last night and "BBQ Black Eyed Pea Collard Rolls." I omitted the mustard in both of them and they were DE-LISH! While the collards dish took a while to prepare, it was fun and definitely something I haven't made before.

Couchsurfers and Good Eats

This weekend DocDufresne and I hosted a couple of Couchsurfers from NYC. They were so nice and even brought organic vegan dog treats for Andy! They also gave us handmade earrings and a lovely scented oil infuser. So nice! We've couchsurfed several times, but this was our first time hosting.













Also, DocDufresne made a delicious Mungbean Stew for dinner last night. He added sweet potatoes to the recipe he found on Recipe Zaar here. I was exhausted and not feeling so great after leading three natural restoration sessions out in the sun in 95+ degree weather in the past three days. I am just not built for the heat it turns out. Ususally I do the cooking and DocDufresne does the cleaning. I love it when he does both :).
















We also took Andy to Laurel Hill, but only spent twenty minutes there because it was soooo hooot. Andy went through the entire water bottle himself and laid down, panting in the grass in lieu of playing frisbee- unheard of! We miss winter!!!!!
















Other recent good eats:

Pasta with alfredo sauce. Yummm.
















And DocDufresne has been adventuring onto PPK a bit lately. He found a recipe for Ginger Peanut Soba Noodles and made them the other night.

Playing with Molds

DocDufresne and I had a craving for brownies the other night, so I made some and used a muffin tin that produces heart-shaped goodies. I used this recipe from Vegweb, but needed to add 4+ tbsp of soy creamer because the batter, as delicious as it was, was way too thick. I also decided to make a caramel-type topping.
"Caramel-type Topping"

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Earth Balance
1/8 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy creamer

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Spread over brownies before baking.


I also finally used the doggy treat molds that my sister-in-law gave us in December. I made up a recipe for allergy-free treats for the Anderson. Unfortunately, I didn't record the portions of the ingredients.
Mix following ingredients together until it forms a dough that will stay together when squeezed.

powdered soy protein
nutritional yeast
canola oil
water
rosemary
liquid smoke

Press into molds and bake for 30ish minutes at 350 degrees.

A visit from my youngest brother

My youngest brother came to visit during his Spring Break. We went to the park (Laurel Hill Cemetary and Blue Bell Hill Picnic Area) with Andy a few times, went out to eat, played A LOT of Boggle, and toured around Philly. He even helped me out with transplanting native seedlings from a mow-zone for work.

Food Update and New Piggy Planter

My youngest brother has been visiting for the past week for his Spring Break, so I haven't been able to update for a bit.
Food:

Mac and "Cheese" with basil and garlic breadcrumbs.

Chimi changas (see former post) with yellow rice and black bean soup.


Buffalo Tempeh Sandwiches with salad.

Chia Herb Garden (a gift). Cilantro, basil, parsley, and chives.


Aaaand my new piggy planter from Fruitflypie on Etsy. I planted Asparagus Fern seeds.

Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.

DocDufresne (and a kajillion other people) and I went to D.C. last Saturday for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We stopped at Sticky Fingers (twice) and Ella's Pizza. We also visited the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Washington Monument, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Muffins, Soup, and a Cute Andydoodle

I made Triple-Berry Muffins with Crumb Topping the other day. Recipe was mostly based on Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping recipe from Vegweb. I don't have a large muffin tin (and wanted big muffins), so I used my popover pan and as you can see, the resulting muffins weren't able to stand up on their own. Oh well! They were gooood.





Tonight I made a tres yummy soup.

Creamy Cauliflower, Potato, and Roasted Garlic Soup
(topped with sundried tomatoes, sauteed oyster mushrooms, and garlic rosemary-infused olive oil)
makes 5-6 servings


Ingredients:
1 head garlic
2 tbsp Earth Balance
2 tbsp flour
6 cups unsweetened soy milk
2 Russet potatoes, cubed
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 tbsp onion powder
1 package oyster mushrooms
1 clove garlic
more evoo
lemon wedges
sundried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pull off as much skin on the garlic head as possible. Put in an oven-safe container and cover generously with oil. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (Or speed up the process and pull apart the cloves, leaving the skin on. Cover in oil and back for about 10 minutes.)
2. Melt the Earth Balance in a pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and then the soy milk.
3. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and cook until soft.
4. Peel the garlic cloves and add to the soup pot. Add the rosemary and onion powder.
5. Saute the mushrooms in a pan in a little olive oil. Set aside in a bowl.
6. Crush a clove of garlic and add to 2 tbsp olive oil in the small pan used for the mushrooms. Cook on the lowest eat possible for ten minutes.
7. Blend the soup, either with an immersion blender, or in batches (after cooled) in a regular blender.
8. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Top with sauteed mushrooms and infused oil.



Also, cute pictures of Anderson.