I actually did some cooking last week, but failed to blog about any of it. Well, here it is…

While everyone else is probably sick of Thanksgiving leftovers, I felt like we didn’t get our fair share. All 3 of us were sick on Thanksgiving, which meant (for me, anyway) no appetite. Any Thanksgiving dishes that were suitable for us just didn’t taste right, or I only ate a little bit. Anyway, last Monday when I asked Emma what we should have for dinner, she said we should have “Friendsgiving.” I had to go to the store anyway, so I picked up a pack of organic stuffing mix (basically some croutons and spices), a field roast, some cranberry sauce and some potatoes. Normally, I would be more inclined to make everything from scratch, but sometimes there’s nothing wrong with taking a little help from the store (especially since I was still getting over my cold).
The only interesting topic of conversation from our Friendsgiving meal was the field roast. I’ve never had one before, but the size of it seemed more suitable for 3 people than an entire Tofurky. I’ve never had Tofurky (aside from the lunch “meat” which I like), but I didn’t want anything that big or that expensive– even on sale it was $20! Anyway, I opted for the lentil sage flavor of the field roast. It has a very chewy texture and I’m not sure I would buy it again. It just didn’t appeal to me, but don’t let my opinion keep you from trying it. It was only around $5.

Whenever I find Dandies marshmallows, I like to stock up. At $6 a bag, they are pretty pricey, but they are probably the best vegetarian marshmallows I’ve tried. They are pretty close to the real thing. Anyway, if you live in or near San Francisco, you can find Dandies at Rainbow Grocery and if you live in or near Sacramento, you can find them at the Natural Foods Co-op. The problem with Dandies is that once you open the package and there’s no air to pad the marshmallows, they tend to squish into each other forming a gigantic blob. Once they are in this blob form, it is impossible to pull them apart, which makes them perfect for treat making. I picked up a box of Brown Rice Krispies (they taste the same as the other ones, but are a little bit healthier).
Vegan Rice Krispies Treats
10 oz. vegetarian marshmallows (1 bag of Dandies)
3 TB Earth Balance margarine
6 cups rice cereal (a 10 oz. box is 6 cups)
In a large pot, melt the marshmallows with the Earth Balance. When completely melted, stir in the cereal. Pour into a greased baking sheet and press the treats evenly into the sheet. When cool, cut into squares.

Lastly, I made some Mexican quinoa (like Mexican rice,but with quinoa instead). I have to thank my friend Jen for this cooking method because I can’t cook rice to save my life and have tried to make Mexican rice several times but usually end up with a goopy mess. Once she explained to me how to do it properly, I figured I could do it, but use quinoa instead of rice. It turned out pretty good!
Mexican Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, dry
1 TB canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, or water
Pinch of S&P
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, toast the quinoa in the oil until golden brown. Add the onion and saute until the onion is tender. Pour in the tomato sauce and stock and add the S&P and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, put a lid on it and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove lid and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve!