VeganIntrovert

Cookie Books

2011-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

VCIYCJ - Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Very tasty.

Vegan Cookie Connoisseur - Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
Very good. I gave it three stars because it doesn't replace my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I can taste the applesauce. I love using applesauce in baked goods, but I don't like to taste it in the finished product.

YRR - sundried tomato cream sauce

It was okay. I've seen rave reviews about this recipe, and my nephew really enjoyed it. I didn't hate it, but I think I have weird taste buds. I liked it but I didn't love it.

Many Recent Eats

2011-02-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Tapioca Pudding from AVK - Four Stars
I thought I'd done something wrong because it was foamy and I couldn't see any of the tapioca, but it tasted really great!

Jalapeno Poppers - AVK
Big hit with my nephew and I. I had to make a few changes to the insides because of my failure to read the recipe before starting, but they still turned out wonderfully.

Fork and Knife Reuben - AVK
It was awesome. I would probably make it again, but I am still going to try out other Reuben recipes.

Mocha Cappuccino Cookies - Vegan Cookie Connoisseur
These were a failure. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but they turned out like pancakes. I added flour, I added soymilk, but they resulted in paste like cookies that resemble a pancake. The book is beautiful, and I'm excited to try some more recipes. This didn't deter me, but I was disappointed in the end result. It may have been this cook's error, but I can't imagine what it was that I could have done wrong.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes - VWaV
Meh. These were easy to put together, but they weren't sweet enough for us. Crazy, right? I was expecting a much sweeter pancake, and it was more of a gentle chocolate flavor.

Tofu Scramble Pocket - Amy's
Super awesome. I eat these whenever I'm feeling flush. I hate dropping the 2.59 too frequently. This is probably from my guilt having eaten one of these or a frozen burrito nearly everyday for the past three years.

American Vegan Kitchen

2011-02-08T05:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was National Fettuccine Day! I dug out American Vegan Kitchen and did the Italian Big Bowl (or something like that). It was good. I marked it three stars in my cookbook. I thought the flavors were really good, but I'm a sauce person. I loooove lots of sauce. If I were going to make this again I'd probably double the sauce or cut the pasta in half.

American Vegan Kitchen

2011-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

I don't care about the superbowl. I can't even remember the last time I watched it, but I felt compelled to make comfort food Sunday night. I pulled out American Vegan Kitchen and decided on the fried chicken and twice baked spud. Actual recipe names are probably much different. Both recipes were a success in my book. I did sub green onion for chive, but overall the recipes were very easy and painless. I'm also going to say that the seitan while a little more labor intensive than other recipes is worth it.

Boca Vegan Burgers

2011-02-06T12:51:00.001-08:00

Boca vegan burgers aren't the greatest. They're not going to win best swimsuit or even congeniality. That said, they're the burgers I buy the most. I like the low calorie count, I like that I can find them at most of my grocery stores, and I like the price.

This is what I did with mine today. I cooked it on the stove top along with some sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions. I then wrapped it in a tortilla with spinach and chipotle Vegenaise.

Scones

2011-02-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

I made the scones from Vegan Brunch. They're really easy, and I like that you don't have to do anything but drop scone batter. It works perfectly with my laziness. I didn't grow up eating scones. I think I like you weird biscuit/muffin hybrid.

Eureka Brownies

2011-02-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

http://wingitvegan.blogspot.com/2010/03/eureka-brownies.html

I made these brownies because like many vegans I'm still searching for that perfect brownie recipe. These brownies were really great, but they wouldn't make me call off the search.

Gardein - wings

2011-02-01T11:27:00.001-08:00

The "chicken" was fine, but the sauce was not. I added hot sauce to the mix which allowed me to eat them, but I wouldn't buy them again. I've tried other Gardein products though and loved them. I blame my own taste buds for not liking the sauce as I am pretty picky about wing sauce.

Veganomicon - Bean Balls

2011-02-01T11:24:00.001-08:00

I've made the spaghetti and bean balls so many times! I can't rave enough about these little guys. Sometimes they fall apart, sometimes they're kind of mushy, sometimes they stick to the pan but I just.don't.care. I almost hate when I love something so much because it makes me reluctant to try anything else!

Vegan Mouse - spinach artichoke dip

2011-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

I made this spinach artichoke dip for New Years Eve. My mom came up, we put a puzzle together, drank some wine, and consumed a lot of junk food. This dip was phenomenal. She and I both could not stop going back to it. I knew when she disappeared for awhile that I would find her hovering over the dip. She could say the same about me! I would serve this dip to any non-veg people!

500 Vegan Recipes - Faux Ham and Denver Frittata

2011-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

The frittata was beautiful when I put it in the pie plate, but I was a little disappointed in the flavors. I was also disappointed with the faux ham. I'm a believer in trying recipes more than once, and I don't like to blame the recipes if they fail the first time I make them. I know these recipes have been tested repeatedly so I'm going to say they were either just not my taste or I need to try them again.

500 Vegan Recipes-Cinnamon PullAparts

2011-02-01T11:05:00.001-08:00

500 Vegan Recipes cinnamon pullaparts. I'm not sure what the difference is between a cinnamon roll and a pullapart but these were delicious. The really soak up the frosting so I'd put it on one at a time instead of all over. I also added a touch vanilla to the frosting. I thought the frosting needed something.

500 Vegan Recipes-Buttermilk Pancakes

2011-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Buttermilk Pancakes from 500 Vegan Recipes
These are a five star in my book.

Cakes

2010-06-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 this year. It was a big deal for me. I celebrated for an entire month, and I tried to do something nice for myself each day. Here are two of the cakes I had this month. The first I made. It was the yellow cake with chocolate icing from Vegan Comfort Food. It is seriously the best cake ever. Normally, carrot cake (the second cake) is my favorite, but the double layer yellow just blew me and my guests away. The carrot cake was made by my co-op and some of my wonderfully thoughtful coworkers surprised me with it on my birthday. They also decorate my office. They were so thoughtful and made my birthday really wonderful. I'm also lucky because my co-op sells vegan carrot cake by the slice!

Viva Vegan!

2010-06-08T17:24:00.001-07:00

Peruvian Seitan and Potato Skewers

This was a very tasty dish even though I forgot the potatoes. I'm not sure how I forgot the potatoes but forgot them I did. I would definitely make this for omnis and will probably break it out at future barbecues this summer to impress.

Home-Style Refried Beans - before cooking down and mashing

I wanted to try a new recipe, but I love this refried bean recipe so much I had to make it again. This is what they look at before starting to cook down.

Home-Style Refried Beans - finished product

The last time I made them I did make them more wet then you see here. I tried this time with less moisture. I have to say I have no preference, and I loved both ways equally.

Puttanesca Scramble - Vegan Brunch

2010-06-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

I made the puttanesca scramble from Vegan Brunch Sunday morning. It is becoming my most favorite scramble! I made it following the recipe exactly weeks ago. It is absolutely perfect as is, but I decided this time to throw in some spinach. I also added some avocado to the top.

Here is the recipe, but I cannot recommend Vegan Brunch highly enough. I have yet to make a recipe that didn't blow me away. It is worth buying for the coffee cake recipe if nothing else!

http://theppk.com/blog/puttanesca-scramble/

Tenth Street Vegetarian Bistro Lawrence, KS

2010-06-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

http://tenthstreetbistro.com/aboutus.aspx

A vegetarian restaurant opened late 2009 in Lawrence. The first two times I went the menu was pricey and limited. After a few months they revamped and started offering lunch portions. I've been going at least once a week since.

Below is the Hummus Plate. It was good. For my personal tastes I prefer the more creamy texture offered at Aladdin's.

This is the Sweet and Sour Vegan Chicken and Tofu. It was entirely too sweet for my taste. I ended up pushing most of the sauce covered tofu and vegan chicken to the side. I will state that this was absolutely a personal thing. I have friends who have ordered it and loved it. I think my salt taste buds have warred and won against my sweet buds.

A few notes on other things I've ordered:

Fried Veggie Dumplings - so wonderful! The sauce isn't as good as Encore, but I order these regularly.
The Fried Eggplant Fingers aren't Vegan. I made the mistake of assuming.
The Monk Bowl is my second favorite thing. I think I love it mainly because their rice is beyond amazing. I don't know what they do to their fried rice, but their fried rice is so forking awesome.
Vegan Duck: It's good, but I think the quantity isn't in correlation with the cost. I would order it again but only as a lunch portion.
Vegan Shrimp and Tofu Fried Rice is really great. It's very simple with no stand out flavors. Because of my love of their rice this was good for me.
Fried Vegan Fish and Chips - meh. Meh especially for the cost. I ate fish and chips in my non veg days primarily for the breading. These are very light on the breading. If you were looking for a more healthy fish and chips these may be for you. The vegan fish definitely reminded me of a flaky fish.
Not on the Menu but Kung Pao Vegan Chicken. This is my favorite, favorite thing. This is what I get my omni people to order. It's something that is generally on special and if it isn't they'll make it for you.

I am trying to branch out each time I go and order something different. The problem is I love their fried rice so much that it just sucks me in. I'll say I think their Oriental Cuisine section is probably their best mainly because the owners of the restaurant also own the Vietnamese place.

Go, eat and help keep them around!

Thai Kitchen

2010-06-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite lunches at work is the Thai Kitchen soup. There are a lot of different flavors, but of those at my coop Green Onion is the only one that states it's vegan. Thai Kitchen is really great about labeling things vegan. The label is generally on the back, bottom left hand corner.

On it's own I'd say it's not enough to keep me full. Rice noodles with some seasonings are not going to last me to my afternoon snack. What I've found that makes the soup super delicious and filling is adding soy sauce and frozen veggies. Here there is frozen broccoli and bean sprouts. I also add soy sauce to the soup. If you watch your sodium this is definitely not for you, but for fellow salt addicts this soup is awesome. I usually top it off with a boat load of sriracha.

Amy's Breakfast Burrito

2010-05-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

I love Amy's. I probably eat 4-5 Amy's products each week. While I know it's not the most economical thing to do I can't help myself! I love the ease of the Breakfast Burrito or Tofu Scramble Pocket at breakfast.

What I most like about this Breakfast Burrito is that it's not overwhelming in flavors. I cook it in a toaster oven, and when it is all toasty on the outside I eat every bite with a dousing of Valentina hot sauce.

Amy's Vegan Mac & Cheese

2010-05-26T17:46:00.001-07:00

I have a wonderful coop. I go there for all of my elusive vegan needs. However, they have yet to get this new Amy's product ... and believe me I've been keeping my eye out for it. I finally found it at a Dillons, and it was only $3.19!!

It cooks up in only 4-5 minutes, and it is well worth the 500 calories. I found it creamy and delicious!

I won't eat it on a daily basis, but I will definitely keep some stocked in my freezer.

Breakfast - Tofu Scramble

2010-05-15T09:25:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of cookbooks. That means I have a lot of recipes for tofu scrambles. Vegan With a Vengeance was one of the first cookbooks I bought, and I loved that tofu scramble so much that I rarely branch off. It's my first tofu scramble love. Most of the scrambles I do now are variations of this scramble. This morning was really just produce about to turn. Green bell, onion, garlic, carrot, cremini mushrooms and frozen/thawed out tofu. The freezing technique is my favorite way to scramble tofu.

My dining companion.

Pizza Night

2010-05-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

I waited for over a month to finally get It's Always Sunny ... from my public library. I finally, finally got it this week. I decided it called for a themed night! I drank PBR and ate taco pizza.

My pizza stone with course ground cornmeal.

The pizza dough is from Vegan Table. My favorite pizza dough is from Vegan With a Vengeance. I've decided to try the other pizza dough recipes out there. The only changes to the recipe I made were adding mexican oregano and garlic powder to the dough. The flavor of the dough was wonderful, but I'm not sure it would sway me from my favorite recipe.

My taco pizzas vary. This time I did cremini mushrooms, diced green bell and yellow onion. I then added a local taco seasoning. The pizza goes from bottom to top: refried beans, taco mixture, cilantro (added after cooking) and finally a little chopped avocado on the top.

Viva Vegan!

2010-05-13T16:51:00.001-07:00

I was so excited when I got to use my birthday gift card for Viva Vegan! a few weeks ago. Their website said they weren't carrying it in stores, but when I went in they had it! It always pays to check! There is a lot I want to make. The cookbook is full of things I've always wanted to be able to cook! Tamales? check. Churros AND Sopaipillas? check, check! Tortillas? CHECK!

I've already made the red and white seitan multiple times. These recipes have completely removed my seitan fears. I've varied the dough (wetter/more dry) and every time they come out perfectly. I've even converted my mom from tofu to seitan. She is coming up next week to learn to make it.

My first Viva Vegan! meal was Home-Style Refried Beans (my favorite, favorite thing), cilantro-lime rice, pan-grilled vegetables in chile-lime beer, and the chipotle-seitan-and potato tacos, and corn tortillas. Everything was beyond amazing and easy to make. I'm already planning my next meal.

This is the doodle bug waiting patiently for bites.