You should see my freezer (and you will tomorrow when I take photos of it)!  It’s organized.  The door closes with no extra effort.  I don’t need to use the “safety latch” (the piece of duct tape on the side that helps hold it closed when it’s over stuffed).  It’s amazing!

After my spanokopita a few nights ago, I was left with lots and lots of leftover filling.  I don’t like leftovers– they never get eaten and I always really try to only make enough for us to eat in one meal.  Well, not ever having made that dish before, I had no way of knowing just how much filling it would make.

From the freezer: some pie dough that I made in July.  The recipe I followed made a double crust and I only needed a single, so I was left with this crust.  I almost never make pie and I guess I was just holding onto it because I didn’t want to waste it.  Anyway, so I thought that since the spanokopita filling reminded me so much of scrambled eggs, why not wrap it in pie crust and make it like a quiche?!  I mean, c’mon, what doesn’t taste good wrapped in pie crust?!

For the filling, I used what I had left from my spanokopita and added in a sauteed onion, some kale and some frozen peas.  I used up one of my partially-used bags of peas, which was a definite plus considering that I found several.  After sauteeing all that stuff together, I added about 1/2 cup of veggie stock and let it cook off.  While that was all cooking, I rolled out my pie dough.  I cut 2 big circles for mine and Matt’s and used a star cutter to cut out 2 stars for Emma (one for the top, one for the bottom).  Place some filling in the middle, fold over the circle (or press together the stars) and voila!  Just bake it until it’s golden brown.  Now I had a new problem… with all the stuff I added into my leftover filling, I still had the same amount of leftover filling.  Not to worry- for lunch today, I took what was left of my filo dough from the other night, stacked up about 3 layers, put in all the stuffing and rolled ‘em up like a burrito.  These were super tasty!

Anyway, back to dinner… IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD.  They really were like a hand held quiche.  Yum!

With my extra pie dough, I made these little cinnamon sugar roll-ups that my mom and I used to make with pie dough scraps when I was a kid.  So easy: roll out your pie dough, dust with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, roll up and cut into pieces.  Bake until golden and crispy.  The best part was that I used up some cinnamon sugar that was in my pantry.  I don’t know what I made it for, but I had some sitting around in a little container.

I barely scratched the surface last night when I dug out the ingredients for dinner.  My freezer is still a mess, but at least we’re headed in the right direction.  Near the top, I found a box of half-used filo dough and I knew that I had an a$$load of spinach buried near the bottom.  I did, indeed– 2 bags of it!  This combo immediately made me think of spanokopita, which I have never even tried, let alone eaten.  It sounded good, and I had an idea that a tofu ricotta recipe that was heavy on the spinach could work as a filling.

I used the bones of this recipe as a guide, but I omitted several things because I didn’t want it to be too italian tasting.  For mine, I used one pound of tofu that I pressed for 2 hours.  Using your fingers, crumble it up into a bowl and add 1/4 cup nutiritonal yeast flakes, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 cups spinach (either fresh or frozen, but if using frozen, be sure to squeeze out all the excess water).  Mix it all together.

To assemble the dish, I greased up a loaf pan with some olive oil.  Take one sheet of filo, brush lightly with olive oil andn top with a second sheet of filo.  Repeat this process until you have at least 4 layers.  Press into the bottom of the pan.  Add in the filling (I had a bunch left over, you won’t need it all) and top with more layered filo.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Remove from pan and cut into chunks.

This turned out awesome.  Matt and I both had seconds and Emma even ate all of hers (after picking out the spinach of course).  The tofu had the texture of scrambled eggs, but didn’t have an overwhelming tofu (or nutritional yeast) taste.  In fact, I think I will make my tofu scrambles like this from now on by first pressing the tofu and adding in some nutritional yeast.  See, even if you don’t like something, keep trying it because it may grow on you with time.

Since my aim lately has been kid-friendly, easily-freezable stuff, I made two Vegan Lunch Box recipes tonight. First for dinner, we had Pups in a Blanket, which was a biscuit crust wrapped around a faux hot dog. I thought these were awesome, but (no surprise) Emma was not really into them. After picking off the crust after saying her hot dog was “dirty,” she ate a few bites of the dog. Since I had a few dogs left without a blanket, I stuck those in the freezer for later.

I also made some Banana Oatmeal Cookies after reading about them on Jennifer’s blog. The recipe sounded super duper (no oil, no sugar, no salt) and like something Emma might actually eat. To top it off, I had 2 overripe bananas on the counter and about ten thousand in my freezer, so I really think it was in the stars for me to make these today. This recipe is probably great as is, but I made a few changes, of course:

1. Instead of sunflower seeds, I used 1/3 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds.
2. In addition to the cinnamon, I added 1/4 tsp of allspice (I love allspice in banana bread and thought it would be good here too).
3. After mixing in the dates (which I probably used about 1/2 cup of) and seeds, I didn’t think it looked like there was enough “stuff” in the batter, so I added in about 1/2 cup of raisins.

These are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good and the best part was that Emma ate one entire cookie. That, in itself, is a miracle. She is the type of kid who can eat a dessert in the middle of dinner and still finish dinner, so I gave it to her as part of her dinner. I don’t like to use treats as rewards for things– treats are treats. We have them occasionally and she doesn’t have to lick her plate clean to get one. I froze the rest for her to take to Mimi and Papa’s when Matt and I go on our vacation.

So for not being into the pups, she liked the cookies and still managed to eat the rest of her dinner. It was a good night.

I was totally uninspired tonight. Matt took Emma to the park to play some soccer, which gave me the opportunity to throw something together. For some reason, breakfast seemed much easier to cook than dinner did (why? it’s the same amount of work), so that’s what we had!

Low Fat Blueberry Banana Muffins

(veganized from this recipe)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 – 1/4 tsp allspice

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Tofutti BTSC

1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer (whisked with 2 TB warm water)

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Stir until just combined. Pour into greased or papered muffin tins. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

These were SOOOOOOO good. In place of the sour cream, you could probably use a soy yogurt. And in place of the egg replacer, you could probably use a few TB of applesauce or some ground flax seed.

With our muffins, we had a tofu scramble. I threw in whatever we had lurking around the kitchen, which turned out to be some kale (yes, I’m on a kale kick right now), a potato, a green pepper, and some onion. If you make yours with a potato or the kale, remember that they need a head start, meaning that they go in the skillet about 10 minutes before any of the other veggies (unless you are adding other veggies that need extra cooking time too). When the potatoes are cooked through, add in the peppers and onions and cooked until they are tender. Crumble in the tofu and let it brown a bit on all sides. When the tofu is browned up, add some salsa (the amount you add is up to you) and some S&P. I think it’s important to let it brown up because it won’t get mushy when you add the salsa, just FYI.

I first saw this recipe on Yeah… and thought I’d try it out as a possibility for when my parents visit next weekend. They are coming to celebrate my dad’s birthday, so I thought it would be nice to make/reinvent foods that he enjoys. I remember my mom making ribs for him when I was a kid, but I have to admit that I never really developed a fondness for them. They’re too human-like. I was never really a fan of anything that resembled my own body parts. Anyway, so I’m happy that I tried this recipe out first before trying to serve it to guests. They were edible and freakishly rib-like, but the flavor was a little weird to me. I think it may have been the paprika and I may the recipe again without adding it to see if it is better.

I did make my own BBQ sauce for them, which I’m pretty proud of. The sauce was a tad spicy, but really, really tasty. For a hearty side dish (aka a backup in case the ribs were unsuccessful), I made the delicious BBQ beans from Vegan Planet. I also modified the corn bread recipe from there and made the best cornbread I have ever had. Sooooo yummy! It’s a great book and not very expensive if you buy it from Amazon. I totally recommend it for your home library.

So, Emma and I were at the grocery store yesterday morning and I asked her what she’d like to have for lunch. Her response: pizza. Hmm… I know it was an honest answer because there wasn’t anything pizza related in sight. In fact, I have no idea where it came from aside from a craving. I thought it sounded pretty good too and I grabbed a pack of pizza dough (whole wheat, of course). On the way home from the store, I realized that I didn’t really buy anything to put on the pizza other than sauce so I started brainstorming all the things in our fridge and freezer that could fit the bill. Here’s what I came up with: tofu, basil, spinach. It basically turned into an inverted pizza (sauce on the top) and was actually pretty good. All I had was extra super duper firm tofu, which I thought would be too much for this, but not so. Once blended, it was a thick creamy consistency and it only tasted of basil and spinach. I’ll definitely be making this again.  Hers was just tofu and sauce, while mine was tofu, sauce, kalamata olives, green olives and roasted red peppers.  Definitely more tasty with all the stuff piled up on top!

Tofu Pizza

1/4 of a package of tofu (I guess that would be about 1/4 of a pound)

handful fresh basil leaves

handful fresh or frozen spinach (or kale)

1/2 clove garlic

Pinch S&P

Puree everything in a food processor or blender. Roll out your dough. Spread tofu mixture on top of dough and top the tofu mixture with marinara or pizza sauce (I used jarred). Top with your favorite toppings.

I wanted to try a more chicken-y approach to the seitan recipe that I tried earlier in the week. By this, I mean that I wanted to try marinating it and grilling it, the way that one might prepare piece of chicken. So… I used the same recipe (except that I had all of the ingredients this time, minus the poultry seasoning) and I prepared it exactly as the recipe states. After it was done steaming, I marinated it in some lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil and grill seasoning for about 2 hours. Then I fired up the grill. When they were done grilling, I cut into one of the cutlets to test the firmness of the inside. You’ll recall that my chief complaint about seitan is the sometimes mushiness of the center. Yep, these were a little mushy in the middle, so I decided to remedy that by sticking them in the oven while I finished preparing the side dishes. The result was a less chewy center with a very crispy outside. Hmmm… not exactly what I was going for, but not totally inedible either. Emma even choked down a few bites, which really surprised me.

I’m not giving up on this, though. I think it’s totally do-able, but I just need to practice a little with cooking the seitan. Once I figure out the best cooking method or combination of methods, we will be in business.

On the side, we had some kale that I cooked in veggie stock. Boy, do I LOVE kale. We also had some dilly potatoes. I took about 7 baby yukon gold potatoes (my favorite) and quartered them. Boil for about 3 minutes and remove from the water. In a skillet, heat 2 TB non-dairy butter and add the potatoes. Allow them to brown up a bit, then add about 2 cloves of chopped garlic. When the garlic has cooked (and the potatoes are tender), sprinkle in about 2 TB of chopped fresh dill and season with S&P. Delish!

I’ve never been a big fan of seitan (made from wheat gluten). I’ve tried it a few times (purchased from the store) and even tried making it a couple of times, but I’ve found that it always turns out tasting funky with a really soft, mushy texture. Feeling adventurous and somewhat inspired from reading Vegan Dad’s blog, I decided to give one of his recipes a try. I settled on this recipe, except that I shaped it into patties before steaming and I did not make the stuffing. In the midst of making it, however, I discovered that I only had about a cup of wheat gluten and no poultry spice, so I omitted the poultry spice and cut back on the water by 1/4 cup. At the end, it was still a little too mushy feeling and I started adding oat flour until it thickened up a bit. Why oat flour? I have no idea… I guess it was just handy at the time.

Anyway, I did not have high hopes for this seitan recipe considering the amount of substitutions/additions/subtractions/etc. and I decided to make up a batch of nut burgers as a back up. I used a cookie scooper to scoop out the burger concoction onto a baking sheet, thus making nut balls. They turned out good, but a little on the crumbly side.

When the seitan was done steaming, I used this recipe to bread it. The only substitution there was panko bread crumbs in place of traditional because I love the crispiness from the panko. I baked the patties for about 15 minutes per side after spraying them with the oil.

So, the moment of truth… I cut into it, took a bite and, to my surprise, they were really, really good. I think I might be on to something here, so be on the look out for more seitan recipes in the future. I just had leftovers for lunch and it was still good (although better last night when the breading was still crisp).

For those converts who are missing chicken, this would be a really good recipe for you to try out. And for those who are not (yet) converts, this would be a really good recipe for you to try out. I just read something super gross about chicken that I didn’t know and will pass along. Apparently, they are kept so crammed in their cages that disease runs rampant. To keep the diseases in check, their feed is laced with small amounts of antibiotics and arsenic. Yes, arsenic. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!

On the side, I tried out a new recipe for cornbread, which didn’t impress me all that much. It was actually my attempt at veganizing it, so maybe that had something to do with it. I was good, but not what I was going for.  I have a few changes in mind, so I will try those out first before posting the recipe.

Tonight’s dinner was leftover Mexican style tabbouleh salad from the other night topped with grilled tofu “steaks” and grilled veggies.  I’ve made the grilled tofu and veggies before, but this time I changed it up by using a different marinade, which was so awesome!

Lemon Garlic Marinade

2 cloves garlic, chopped

juice and zest of 3 lemons

1/4 cup olive oil

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

1 TB grill seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

A few twists of freshly group black pepper

First, a note about the Worcestershire sauce:  I am still using up a bottle that I have had in my fridge for years.  I know that vegan varieties exist, but I feel like I should use this up before buying a new one.  Now, back to the marinade.  Mix everything together in a baking dish and throw in your favorite veggies.  Tonight, we had zucchini, onions and a summer squash, which were all chopped pretty thick.  I grill mine on an indoor grill and have to do everything in several batches, so I move the done ones into a 250 degree oven to keep warm while I grill another batch.  Cutting the veggies thick (squash especially) keeps them from getting overdone when they are keeping warm in the oven.

I also don’t marinate my tofu because I don’t want it to stick to the grill or the marinade to burn before the tofu is cooked.  I find that it works best if I grill it plain and drizzle the marinade over it after it is done cooking.  Because of this, it’s a good idea to grill the tofu (and anything else left un-marinated) first, and all marinated items second.

Dessert was the last of our white peaches from Amy, which I grilled and drizzled with a vanilla lemon creme.  Oh… my… GOD!  These were insane.  I can’t even express with words how good they were.  Scrub up your peaches (or any other stone fruit) but leave the skin on.  Cut them in half and remove the pit.  Grill on a hot grill for several minutes.  Remove and let cool.  I wanted to drizzle them with something sort of like a whipped cream and came up with the idea for this vanilla lemon creme which was SOOOOOOO delicious:

Vanilla Lemon Creme

2 TB Tofutti BTSC

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 TB powdered sugar

1-2 TB non-dairy milk, either plain or vanilla

Whisk together all the ingredients except for the non-dairy milk.  Add in enough non-dairy milk until you reach the desired consistency.

Matt’s been out of town the last few days and I have not been doing much cooking, which explains my absence the last few days. I woke up starving this morning and thought a nice, hearty breakfast was just the thing I needed, so I went to work on a revamped version of my tofu scramble. I didn’t have any veg sausage on hand, but I did have some potatoes that were becoming less than fresh and I thought they might be a tasty addition.  I was so right!  I think this is my new favorite way to make tofu scrambles.

Tofu Scramble

1 package extra firm tofu

1 onion, chopped

5 baby yukon gold potatoes, diced

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach

1/2 cup chopped frozen kale

pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 cup jarred salsa

In a very large non-stick skillet, heat 1 TB olive oil over medium high heat and add the potatoes.  Spread the potatoes out in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet and let them brown for several minutes.  Keep turning them to avoid burning them, but you want to let them get a little color on all sides.  When the potatoes are about halfway cooked, add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook for another several minutes.  When the onions have gotten some color and the potatoes are nearly cooked, add the rest of the veggies.  Cook for a few more minutes to allow the frozen ones to defrost.  Crumble in the tofu and let it brown up a bit.  Add in the salsa and S&P to taste.

This is so good that you wouldn’t even know it’s tofu.  To me, tofu scrambles are much lighter than egg scrambles- like I can eat a serving of a tofu scramble and not fill like I have a brick sitting in my stomach.  The best part for non-tofu eaters is that you really can’t tell that it’s tofu (it’s important to use the extra firm variety so that it’s not mushy or watery).  I think the addition of the salsa also helps to eliminate the beany taste of the tofu.  This would be really good as a breakfast burrito with some avocado in it.  Yummy!