The Ultimate Vegan Grilled Cheese

After battle of wits with Kierkegaard over ethics earlier this evening (for a Philosophy essay), I believe I inevitably lost. I needed comfort food. So I used up the rest of my homemade bread, sliced extra-thick, and grilled the hell out of it in earth balance - smothering it with an exorbitant amount of both cheddar- and mozzarella-style Daiya Cheeze shreds. Some always like their grilled cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise or tomato; I like the simplicity of just 'cheese' - as long as there's plenty of it. It was so gooey, I couldn't even believe it. I could only eat half.

I now bear the satisfied battle scars every good cook should have: sore feet, burned hands...and a distended stomach :)

Just look at this magnificent bastard. He was about 3 inches tall!

Penne Rigate with Roasted Vegetables

No better way to use up some veggies before my next trip to the store. Tossed in fresh sweet yellow peppers, yellow onions, tomatoes, garlic, finely diced carrots, and herbs with oil, pepper, and sea salt. After mixing the pasta in, I added the rest of some spring salad mix that would have gone bad in a couple days, & topped with a more-than-generous portion of mozzarella-style Daiya cheeze shreds, to be quickly melted in the oven! Truly a nice, refreshing dish for the first day of Spring :)

Lazy Weekend French Toast

Getting the crispy outsides just like regular French toast is never a problem, but the insides have been a struggle for me - usually come out just a bit too soggy. This time I added a little arrowroot powder for extra thickener, and just barely dipped the bread in the egg replacer/soymilk/vanilla mixture, which seemed to correct the problem. It may be damn near perfect if tried with very thick bread, and perhaps baked in a pre-heated, oiled pyrex dish rather than pan-fried. And sprinkled with powdered sugar. I was in a hurry! But it was good with pure maple syrup & my new roasted Saigon cinnamon, which has a more vibrant flavor than regular - almost like red-hot candies.

Greasy Spoon meets Delicatessen

Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger reminiscent of those local, greasy-spoon diners. I, personally, also love fresh crunchy veggies paried with my vegan 'heart attack on a bun.'  I can't wait to grill out this summer, but I had to settle on pan-searing in BBQ sauce for a smoky yet traditional flavor, and smothered with a ton of Daiya cheddar-style shreds.

I really need to work on my lighting for photographs; I'm beginning to feel quite inadequate in my abilities to really "capture" the essence of the dish. I am also looking for new presentation ideas that don't cost a fortune - think it'll be time to hit the thrift stores soon!

The Accidental Gardener

I started off just wanting to grow a few fresh herbs to cook with, and somehow got carried away into a new hobby. I saw some seeds in the store for 'lemon cucumbers,' kaleidoscope carrots, carnival mix sweet peppers, and I was hooked. I already have a ton of pots and potting soil, but I have no idea where I'm going to put some of the other veggies I'd like to grow - awesome lettuces, peas, bok choy, and my designer pumpkins/gourds. I have some gear to do a small garden in the backyard...which I'm not quite positive I'm allowed to, what wih being a renter and all. What could a few veggies hurt, though? I figure if anyone complains I can just get grass seed next summer :)

This is my little start, after being planted for just one week:

Pepperoni and Cheese Rolls

So, I hadn't had pepperoni/cheese rolls since my birthday party a year and a half ago, so I was swooning for some. I had gotten my favorite vegan cheese, Daiya - which actually stretches and melts, and passed the "four-year-old test" - in a shipment I ordered for Spring break. I also decided to try Yves brand 'pepperoni' slices (I usually make my own from seasoning up some facon--that's fake bacon, lol).

So I put two and two together, there...and decided to make pepperoni rolls :) I read online that they are found mainly in my state of West Virginia, and that they originated from Italian immigrants needing a meal that fits in your pocket to take into the coal mines with them. I'm not sure if the story's accurate, but the heavenly taste is.

I started making some homemade bread (still trying to perfect it - especially the baking time, as I've had to adjust to a new oven the past couple months). I made a double batch of dough to use half for the rolls - there were only six, but they were a fair portion each! The only qualm I had with these is that I might have added a drizzle of earth balance or oil to the fillings before rolling them up & popping them into the oven - they just lacked that trademark orange grease you get from real pepperoni! Next time, I'll use my facon pepperoni, because I make those with a sufficient amount of oil. Other than that, these were very delicious, and definitely satisfied my craving.

 

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A Vegan's First Year: Part 2

Here's a continuation of the highlighted Vegan dishes I've made over the past year. You can see here I'm getting slightly better with the photography ~ I have a friend taking classes that's helping me a bit. These photos should also bear witness to the fact that vegan eating is in no way dull! I'm going to be experimenting with different meat analogues this year (crab, fish, shrimp, and -gasp- -steaks!), as well as with techniques like grilling out with charcoal and wood chips! I really can't wait to grow some of my own foods, too (If I can find room! I will already have quite a bit of things in pots to save space. I may have to hit up a friend to plant a pumpkin patch in their backyard). It will be a magnificent challenge.

Various sushi fillings and shapes/sizes!

Spicy tofu with a dash of peanut oil

My favorite stand-by, cucumber-avocado

Inside-out rolls! Extra-spicy seared tofu with 'better than ceam cheese.'

Tempura sweet potato! Another favorite vegan sushi of mine.

My version of local Chinese take-out: beefless tips and broccoli, lomein noodles with water chestnuts and baby corn, and sauteed potatoes ~ with soy, ginger, white pepper and sugar.

My loaded pizza, with Daiya cheeze, olives, roasted peppers, the pepperoni I make from vegan bacon I buy, & favorite brand of vegan sausage crumbles - all on my yummy herbed dough I'm constantly trying to make perfect. Getting close!

Not-yo' Nachos! With Daiya (the deities' gift to vegan cheezes), all the classic toppings, and homemade guacamole (including sweet onion and a dash of lime).

Chili Cheeze fries! I cheated & used pre-made fries and chili. I would like to recreate this with fresher ingredients this year.

Four-layer Lasagna, with Daiya cheee...'nuff said.

Hush puppies...these were excellent. I think I will re-make these for the vegan fried fish, and maybe fried okra and other not-quite-healthy yums that are essential for a down-home fish-fry.

Red velvet X-mas themed cupcake. I may need to look into online emporiums for sprinkles with no confectioner's glaze; they are getting hard to come by around here.

Almost-Traditional Greek Baklava. I am Greek myself (1/4), so it made me very sad to see the honey go. But with proper preparation and spicing, the agave nectar really held up as a replacement.

Cherry turnover - these were super-easy to make, but it's only because I cheated. I know, I know. This spring/summer I'll try my hand at homemade puff pastry and fresh cherries.

Udon-noodle Stiry-fry ~ another dish I tried to emulate after my local Japanese steakhouse. It's not quite the same, but still awesome. I'm thinking about trying to obtain the actual recipe somehow.

Ultimate Blueberry Streusel Crumb Cake ~ a nice fresh 4 pounds of blueberries went into this!

A Vegan's First Year: Part 1

This is the past year's food highlights (my first year being vegan!) as a sort of preview of what I'll be expanding and (hopefully) improving on. The most obvious things I need to work on are photography skills (I'm learning!) and plate presentation. I'm also trying to up the ante on color and texture contrasts, but all in due time. I'm trying my hand at an organic herb garden this year (with a few veggies too - limited space!) for fresh flavors at their peak.

White bread: working with yeast is an art unto itself. High gluten content and an earth-balancey crust are key for yumminess.

Seitan "Parmesan" - my homemade seitan (wheat gluten meat analogue), breaded and fried, smothered in homemade marinara atop a bed of thin pasta & covered with "almesan" - a surprisingly cheezy-tasting combo of almonds, nutritional yeast, & garlic

My first sushi-maki! I've since fallen in love with it & tried to experiment as much as possible.

"Shanghai Wings" - a copycat of an old Chili's recipe modified: breaded/fried setian chunks with citrus ginger glaze atop fried sai-fun noodles, served with my own dairy-free wasabi-ranch.



Coconut cream pie with a refreshing hint of lime and delicate crunch of toasted coconut...definitely remaking this in the summer.

First vegan pizza ~ love to make herbed garlic yeast dough from scratch, add roasted red peppers, my marinara, olives, and pepperoni I made from vegan bacon I seasoned up first. Then topped with the vegan parmesan. Keep in mind, this is before I discovered Daiya cheeze.

Spinach lasagna~ sometimes I add soy crumbles to the marinara, but sometimes I just like a thick sauce made from chunks of various roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic (with herbs).

Tofu Pot Pie with celery seed pastry. This could have only been better if I used seitan, or seasoned Gardein chik'n scallopini instead of the tofu.

Grand prize winner for best decorated at the Mercer County Fair 2010! I took grand prize in all three of my entries last summer. Keep in mind, this was my first try at homemade fondant icing, and I couldn't find glycerin anywhere. When I try fondant again, I will either buy vegan storebought or find glycerin & do it right!

Cherry-Date Braided Swedish Tea Ring ~ drizzled with icing and almond slivers, this was another winner at my county fair 2010. I'm wondering what to enter in this summer!

French Apple Pie ~ The other winner at my county fair for double-crust fruit pies. I need to work on my lattice.

Fossil Cookies ~ for Halloween! (Thanks, Martha Stewart!)

Seaweed Salad ~ tried to emulate the local Japanese Steakhouse ~ my dressing from sesame oil, chili oil, and rice wine vinegar is dead-on, but I need more experience with various types of seaweed to gett the flavor/texture combo right.

Getting better with sushi ~ cucumber/avocado is my favorite; the flavors just dance on my tongue when they combine. I colored some of the rice for fun around Halloween!

Tempura Sweet-potato sushi with eel sauce (I'm pretty sure that's what the drizzle sauce is; I make mine from soy sauce and sugar).

Vegan Corn Dogs. I had waited so long. I am, however, considering getting a deep fryer to make things like this easier.

Pumpkin Cheezecake for Thanksgiving, with 'better than cream cheese.' This year I'll get a picture after it's been cut!

Thanksgiving spread - the roast I made from tons of Gardein chik'n scallopini, traditional stuffing ("Not Chicken" bouillon is a lifesaver in so many recipes!), candied yams with vegan Dandies marshmallows, mashed taters with gravy, corn, and spiced cranberry chutney.

X-Mas waffles, because my dad sent me a much-appreciated waffle iron for the holiday!



X-mas dinner: I tried to replicate a stuffed pork loin recipe I'd previously modified. Made a "loin" from masked chik'n scallopinis, marinated in merlot, peppers, celery, and spices, then stuffed with fruited curried jasmine rice & covered in infused red wine gravy (made from marinade).

"Steakhouse Stir:"  Sauteed potatoes, garlic, onions, and sweet orange peppers, tossed with seared beefless tips and a dash of that famous A1 sauce.

My version of "Mounds" candy. Very time consuming, but totally worth it ~ LOVE the flavour of fresh coconut milk.

Cordial cherries: another time-consuming candy that is absolutely worth making if you love fresh ingredients and velvety-smooth dark chocolate.

A vegan pumpkin roll? Totally possible. Had a little help from a surprisingly vegan icing, but this year I will make one entirely homemade.

White chocolate Macadamia nut ccokies: I've ordered a couple things online from a vegan website, and those white chips are one of my cool finds. I hadn't had that kind of cookie for probably two years before I made these.