product review fridays

i'm gonna make a regular friday feature: product review fridays. this is because a) i don't always have time to cook so i am on a constant search for quick vegan eats and b) there's nothing like being able to avoid having to be a taste tester and know that you can rely on my stunning reviews so you'll be in the know about what is hot or not.

kashi has gone to great lengths to offer a variety of vegan frozen meals. i believe they are up to six or seven by now. i remember sending them a thank you note for their ranchero beans and begged them to make more vegan meals. could this be an answer to my request? i'm so self-centered, i'd like to think so, but probably not. it is more than likely the collective requests of an awesome vegan spirit.

the price ain't so hot--but i got this baby on sale for $3.50 at kroger's. what i can tell you about this meal is that it is absolutely delicious. the sweetness of the plantains and sweet potato go well with the 7 grain goodness, kale and bad assed ancho chile sauce--(they should trademark the sauce by this very name). BTW, anyone got a good recipe for ancho chile sauce? because i think it is my new favorite condiment. i'm not a calorie counter, but for those that are obsessed with their intake will be comforted to know that it's only 34o. i'm more of a fiber cop and was pleased to see that it has 8g of fiber. most of their vegan options have 11g. we all know that being vegan usually means that we eat enough fiber for 4 or 5 people in one day. sometimes in one sitting.

another thing i wanted to mention is river's awesome kick ass multi-tasking appliance giveaway. so go to her blog and find out more about it. c'mon you need another kitchen appliance.

take care and be good.

you say potato, i say po-tahhhhh-to

pictured above: spicy sweet potato salad, vegan baked beans,
and a chickpea cutlet-(from veganomicon)

nothing says summer like a good potato salad. regular potato salad has all that mayo and eggs in it so it's not a very heart healthy choice. well, i have a potato salad you can live with--and it doesn't taste like crap.
spicy sweet potato salad (makes 2-4 servings)

you'll need:

• 2 really big sweet potatoes
• a small bunch of kale
• about 1/2 c. of veganaise
• ms. dash chipotle blend
• 1T apple cider vinegar
• squirt of lime juice to taste
• sea salt to taste
• chili powder to taste

peel, cube, and boil those taters until tender. drain. in a separate pan, wash, chop, and ever so slightly steam the kale. drain that too. mix the taters and kale with the veganaise, vinegar, and ms. dash. add the lime, salt, and chili powder to your specs. you could also use some sweet chili sauce in place of the ms. dash if you feel like it and it would taste fine. i served mine with the baked beans and the chickpea cutlet-(which i had stored several cutlets in the freezer pre-morning sickness and was pleasantly surprised i had them during a freezer purge!) FYI: the chickpea cutlets hold up really well in the freezer, so if you ever make that recipe from v-con, know that you can stash a few in there and they come in handy for other meals. i like to eat mine with a little yellow mustid.

thanks so much for the love and support dear readers. it's so nice to be back and i got all misty eyed with the congrats, support, etc.

NEWSFLASH! I'm baaaaaaack. Now lettuce shoot the salad.

hi everyone! so to answer the million dollar question of, "where in the hell has that pain in the ass vegan gone for the past two months?" well the answer is.....

PREGNANTVILLE! population me. well, me and and a fetus. i'm about 15 weeks along and due at the beginning of december. now, i was late for my last kid, so i'm banking on being late again which means i'll have a baby with my latkes this year for chanukkah.

so if anyone knows anything about being pregnant, then you know that there's morning sickness. no--not the crapola you see on t.v. when someone gets sick a couple of times then happily basks in the glow of knocked upness for the rest of the day. i'm talking violently ill from the time i got up until the time i crashed every night for about 8-9 weeks. i'm just now feeling better.

during this sickness i didn't want to cook or eat. and i didn't want to eat the things i loved most: veggies and soy products. the thought of consuming any vegetable, smelling any onions, garlic, cinnamon, coffee, or anything with a potent aroma made me vomit. i was so sick, i actually have lost--not gained weight. this sickness meant no kitchen duty for me. i didn't even want to look at food porn. how depressing is that?

this also meant i wasn't (confession time!) vegan. i had to eat whatever i could keep down. some of this is stuff that is so gross, i'd rather not mention. ever had ensure? the most disgusting stuff on earth. soooooo, if you want to be a vegan douchebag and judge me for my shortcomings because of something completely out of my control and a force of biology, then fuck you. read no further. i don't think vegan douchebags really read this blog anyway, but i thought i'd place that disclaimer just in case i have lurkers. my non-vegan eating was and has been a very dark time for me that i'm not proud of. if you ask my spouse, he'll tell you i've cried more than once about this and have beat myself up over having to be flexible. this was something i wasn't prepared to deal with. some women can have completely vegan pregnancies-(which i tried to do) good for them. i was someone who couldn't do it.

but i'm back, transitioning slowly--testing what my body can take. pictured above is a taco salad i made on sunday. it is super easy to make and the perfect summer dish. here's what i did:

• different kinds of lettuces (i used some store bought and some from my garden)
• chopped carrots
• cuke slices
• a chili-type topping: i used a mixture of a can of red kidney beans, some left over vegan chili, cumin, chili powder, garlic granules, and a dash of liquid smoke
• on top of mount chili i added some salsa and guac
• served with corn chips

now below is a picture topped with some creamy vegan cilantro dressing:
the dressing
1/3 c. veganaise
1/2 c. tofutti cr. cheese
1/2 c. water
2T apple cider vinegar
1T lime juice
some shakes of ms. dash chipotle flavor
some onion salt
1/2 c. fresh chopped cilantro

put in a blender until smooth. use within 4 days. this recipe def. needs some tweaking, as i found it to be too runny.

glad to be back, everyone. i've REALLY MISSED YOU ALL.
what's your favorite kind of salad to eat? i need quick summer meal ideas.