Some Things I've Tried Recently

I've tried several things for the first time recently.  Some have been amazing, others I can live without, but I'm glad I tried them.  

First off, Rhythm Zesty Nacho Kale Chips.  I have made baked kale chips before at home, and loved them, so I was super excited to try the nacho flavor.

These are pretty good.  They definitely have a little bit of kick to them, so the zesty is an accurate description.  They are raw, which is nice, and have good nutritional stats for a snack food.  I wanted to love them, but I have to admit I wasn't overly impressed.  I would eat them again, if they were offered to me or on a road trip, but with a price tag of almost $7, I will be sticking to homemade.

Next up, Chipotle Vegenaise.  I love Vegenaise and I love chipotle, so again I was stoked to try this.

This stuff is awesome!!  It delivered on every level.  It's got nice heat from the chipotle, and the flavor is out of this world.  I just got this a few days ago and already it has graced many sandwiches.  I have actually been making sandwiches just so I can put this on them.

A Smoky Curl and avocado sandwich with Chipotle Vegenaise and Barbeque Pirate's Booty.

Now I know these have been around awhile, and I may be the last person on earth to try them, but they are really good.  They remind me of a cheese puff in texture, but, of course, they are barbecue flavored.  They don't really have anything going for them nutritionally, so they will be an occasional snack, but I am glad they are vegan.  Non vegan son thought these were the bomb.  I would prefer he eat these to Dorito's any day, and I told him so.  :)

And last, but definitely not least,  Gardein Southern BBQ Riblets.  Oh My Goodness!!

These are AMAZING!!  They remind me of the Gardenburger Riblets I love and have sorely missed since they were discontinued a few years ago.  When I smelled them cooking, I knew it was going to be love, and I was right.  As soon as I tasted the slightly sweet BBQ sauce and sunk my teeth into the riblet, it was pure bliss.  I haven't seen these in any of our local stores yet.  I bought mine through a buying club I just joined, but I am hoping they will be out there for everyone to enjoy in the near future.

Have you tried anything new, or new to you recently?

A Quick Easy Meal You Can't Mess Up And Leftover Lunch

I have to admit I love Gardein products for making meals in a hurry.  They are really quite good and they cook up fast.  The other night I got home late and didn't feel like making what I had originally planned for dinner, especially since it was just going to be me eating.  I had some Gardein beefless tips tucked away in my freezer and it seemed like a perfect night to use them.  I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to make, so I searched online and found the Gardein website has a whole slew of recipes using there products.  I decided that the Korean Beefless Tips Rice Bowl sounded good.

I realized right away I didn't have zucchini or spinach in the house, but I did have broccoli and kale.  I figured they would work just fine, and they did.  I just lightly steamed them before adding them to the other ingredients.  I was pretty much through making my dinner when I decided to look at the recipe one more time, to make sure I hadn't missed anything.  Apparently it was not my night to read a recipe.  Along with the intended substitutions, I had inadvertently used a tablespoon of sesame oil, instead of the teaspoon called for, and I only used 1 bag of beefless tips instead of 2.  I thought one bag didn't seem like much for 4 servings.  :)  Despite all of this, it was delicious and dinner was on the table in no time.

The next day, the leftovers made a nice lunch.  I mixed it all together and threw it in a wrap.

Most of the recipes on the Gardein website, if they're not already vegan, look like they can easily be veganized and will come together quickly.  Some of them use convenience products, but Gardein is often a convenience product for me anyway, and many of them, like the bowl above, use fresh produce and pantry staples.  If you can't get Gardein, or don't want to use it, I'm sure you could substitute homemade seitan or tofu with good results.  I think next on my list to try is the Thai Chik'n Quesadilla.  They had me at peanut butter.   :)

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: My Grilled Cheese Truck

In my last post, I veganized a recipe from an existing food truck, The Grilled Cheese Truck.  This time I made a sandwich I would serve on "My Grilled Cheese Truck" if I had one.

When a food is spicy, sweet, and savory all at the same time, I just can't seem to get enough of it.  This sandwich definitely meets all of those requirements.

This grilled cheese was inspired by the first vegan grilled cheese to win an award in a very non vegan grilled cheese competition.  I love that the winner used fruit in the sandwich, along with vegan cream cheese and Daiya, but I decided to kick it up a notch by adding the spicy and savory components.  I also simplified the fruit process by using a wonderful jam I got at my local farmer's market.

I know in an earlier post I mentioned reason #20 (at least) to love Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, the Greek Scramble.  Reason #1 to love Vegan Diner,  the amazingly delicious Smoky Curls.

These are seriously one of the best things I've ever put into my mouth (and that's saying a lot).  :)  If you miss the flavor of bacon at all, these are perfect.  My non vegan son will literally snack on 1/3 of these, if he's around when I make them, before I even have a chance to use them in anything.  They are that addictive!

For the sandwich, here's what you need:

Whole wheat bread (or bread of your choice)

Earth Balance

Vegan Cream Cheese (I like Galaxy brand)

Daiya cheddar or mozzarella style shreds (or other vegan cheese of your choice)

Smoky Curls (you could use Fakin Bacon or Smart Bacon here, but these are so good)

Blackberry Jalapeno Jam (I am lucky and found this at the farmer's market, otherwise I would use a hot pepper jelly, or maybe mix hot pepper jelly and blackberry or strawberry jam together.  Another alternative might be to add a little jalapeno to your jam, or maybe mix in some red chili flakes, just something to get the spicy, sweet combination)

Powdered sugar for the top (optional, but good)

Get your griddle or your pan started heating.  Spread Earth Balance on one side of two pieces of bread.  On the non buttered side of one of the pieces of bread, spread a decent layer of vegan cream cheese and a layer of jam.  When the griddle is ready, put that piece, Earth Balance side down on the griddle (or pan), then add the Daiya shreds and the Smoky Curls, top with the other piece of bread Earth Balance side up.  Cook a couple of minutes, until the bottom is golden, then flip cooking a few minutes more til the other side is golden.  Put onto a plate and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top.

Delicious!!  

*On a side note, I saw a new technique for flipping grilled sandwiches the other day, and it works well if you're only doing one at a time and are using a small griddle or skillet.  When it's time to flip your sandwich, just pick it up off the griddle or skillet with your spatula, while holding it on the spatula, turn your pan upside down onto the sandwich and flip both back over together.  It makes it easier to keep everything inside of the sandwich.

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: The Grilled Cheese Truck

I was reading on Three and a Half Vegans, Kelly's blog, about a Food Network Monthly Cookalong that she is now hosting.  I had never participated in Food Network Friday on Tami's blog, but I thought with the new cookalong, now would be a good time for me to join in.  

The theme this month is Eat St., which is a show all about food trucks.  The host travels around visiting food trucks and highlights their signature items.  When I looked at the Eat St.website for featured carts, the first one on the list struck me, The Grilled Cheese Truck.  I love grilled cheese, and when I clicked on the recipe link for their truck and saw a beast of a sandwich filled with cheese and mac and cheese and cheese and meat and onions and more cheese I knew I needed to veganize it.

My vegan Cheesy Mac `n No Rib Sandwich

This took a little bit of time to come together, mostly because of the steps and the waiting in between, but it was worth it.  My non vegan son loved it and has requested it again soon.  His highest praise was saying he couldn't even tell it was vegan while bragging about it to his girlfriend.

I started by getting my "pulled pork" ready.  I used the amazing jackfruit.  It is incredible how chunks of hard fruit can transform into a delectable substitute for pulled pork.

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit (Recipe based off of Chow Vegan recipe)

1 can of jackfruit in water or brine

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t smoked paprika

1/4 t salt

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c bbq sauce, store bought or homemade

1/4 c beer, you could substitute broth or water

Drain and rinse the jackfruit and squeeze out any extra liquid.  Put it in a bowl large enough to hold it, and sprinkle the onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt on it and mix the pieces around to evenly distribute the spices on them.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and put the olive oil in, then add the garlic and saute for a minute.  Next add in the seasoned jackfruit, breaking up the pieces a little if possible, and saute for about 3-4 minutes.  Put the jackfruit into a slow cooker and add the bbq sauce and beer, stirring well to blend it all together.  Cook on high, stirring occasionally for an hour to an hour and a half depending on your slow cooker (for me it was an hour and a half).  The jackfruit should shred pretty easily at this point with a fork or spoon. Break it up until it resembles pulled pork and let it cool slightly.  Put it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  This helps improve the texture.  I made my jackfruit one night and kept it in the refrigerator until dinner the next day.

Next make the macaroni and cheese.  I really like baked mac and cheese, but figured it wasn't the best option for this sandwich, so I used my favorite stove top Mac 'N' Cheese recipe by the talented Chef Chloe.  The recipe is located right on her blog.  I left out the broccoli and quartered all of the ingredients.  I also made sure the roux was nice and thick to help it stick together.  After stirring the macaroni into the roux, I spread it into a 9 inch square baking dish, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator.  This amount worked perfect, it yielded enough for 4 sandwiches with a little left over, and was just the right thickness when spread out.  I did this along with the jackfruit the evening before I was going to make the sandwiches, and it worked out great.

When it's finally time to put it all together, here's what you need for four sandwiches:

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit, reheated

Mac 'N' Cheese, cut squares slightly smaller than your bread

8 slices of bread, I used a nice whole wheat

8 T of Earth Balance, at room temperature

6 T of Vegenaise

2 onions, sliced into thin strips

3 T coconut oil (you could use Earth Balance)

1 block of Daiya Havarti, sliced (or other vegan cheese)

Mix together the Earth Balance and Vegenaise, and set aside (this is actually half the amounts of the original recipe and I found it to be plenty, you could possibly even use less).

Melt the coconut oil, add the onions and cook until caramelized.

Generously spread the EB/Vegenaise mixture onto one side of each slice of bread., being sure to go clear to the edges.

On the dry side of 4 of the pieces of bread, layer as follows:

single layer of Daiya

a square of chilled Mac 'N' Cheese

1/4 of the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit, spread out evenly

1/4 of the caramelized onions, spread out evenly

single layer of Daiya

Top with the remaining 4 pieces of bread, EB side out.

Heat up a griddle to medium heat, and carefully put the sandwiches on the hot griddle.Cook one side til golden brown (about 3-4 minutes), then flip and cook the other side til golden brown.  These sandwiches are quite thick, so I placed a skillet on the top when browning the first side to help press them down.  Also, flipping is tricky, I found using 2 spatulas helped me.  After you take them off the heat, let them cool for 1 minute before cutting.

These are definitely a once in a while treat, not your standard grilled cheese fare for sure.  After eating a sandwich, I was full for hours and then felt like I needed to eat something green to offset it.  I do think these would be awesome to pull out and make for that person who doesn't think she/he can give up cheese, or that manly man who thinks being vegan means eating wimpy food.  Not with this sandwich.  :)

ENJOY!!

A Busy Weekend And A Vegan Father's Day Breakfast

Our granddaughter Kaia stayed with us Friday night and we kept her until after dinner Saturday night which meant we had a lot of time for fun activities.  She woke up Saturday morning and wanted pancakes for breakfast.  I didn't get a picture of them, but I used the spiced apple pancakes recipe out of 1,000 Vegan Recipes.  I love all of Robin Robertson's cookbooks, but one nice thing about 1,000  Vegan Recipes is that you can almost guarantee you will find what you're looking for, whether it's pancakes or a recipe using snow peas and lemongrass because you have some and want to use them.

After eating breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, we took baths/showers and hung around the house for a little while.  We decided to make a picnic lunch to take to the park.  Kaia loves going to our local co-op so we stopped by and got drinks to take with us and a little extra snack just because.

The nice workers at the co-op always give the kids stickers when they're with me.  Kaia is showing off the sticker she got this time.  I think it was a leprechaun.  She had a peanut butter and agave sandwich, sweet potato chips, grapes, and Annie's organic fruit snacks.  We got several drinks, but even though it was in the upper 80's, she wanted the Silk Dark Chocolate Almond first.  :)  After the park, we went to the library for awhile, then back home where she played with a water squirter for awhile.  I was so glad we found one that is not at all like a gun at Dollar Tree.

Because the high was actually 90 degrees, we decided to keep dinner light.  Kaia likes it when we go downtown and sit outside, so we went to Cafe Kopi.  

Leaning up against the table waiting for our dinner to come.

The Matty Pooh Pita filled with hummus and veggies.  Kaia loves cucumbers.  She also loves feeding the birds pita bread.  They will almost come right up to you at several of the downtown restaurants if you toss them goodies.  Needless to say the birds were well fed by the time we left.  :)

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that they've apparently stopped serving the Thai Tempeh sandwich since the last time we were there.  The Matty Pooh was very good, and fitting for the weather, but I loved the Thai Tempeh so much.  I usually always asked for extra peanut sauce.

After an eventful Saturday, we had a wonderful laid back breakfast this morning at my parent's house to honor the father's in our family.

This was my first plate (yes I said first).  I had fried potatoes, my mexican inspired scramble, strawberries, a whole grain waffle topped with baked peaches and blueberries, and a vegan sausage patty.  The waffles and baked fruit were made by my oldest daughter, recipes courtesy of The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna Sass and they were absolutely delicious.  My mom did the vegan sausage and vegan bacon (not pictured) along with the potatoes, all of which were wonderful.  I ate way too much.  My mom also found an amazing coconut spread by Olivio.  It's vegan, has a nice buttery taste, is less coconutty in my opinion than the Earth Balance coconut spread (I still love you Earth Balance), and she got it at a regular grocery store.  I'm not sure how much it cost, but it might be worth checking out and might be more widely available.   

Happy Father's Day to all of you father's out there.  You are so valuable and even more important than you probably realize.  Here's a hilarious video honoring dads, I hope you enjoy it and your day!

"My Thai" Food

Monday's we usually play bridge with friends.  Living in a college town, we get a lot of students that come to our club while they're here, then leave when they graduate and move on.  It's sad to see them go, although, thankfully, many of them come back and visit us from time to time.  It's nice to have such diversity in our little club.  It helps keep things fresh and challenging.

Because Monday is a busy night, we usually eat something quick at home, or we go out to eat someplace close to our club.  My husband loves deals (I do too really) and we have a local website that offers deals throughout central Illinois.  Each day they have certificates you can buy, usually there is a restaurant deal, although sometimes there are things like oil changes or massages too.  At least once there was a deal for a local natural food store that I love.  :)  Most of the time you pay half price for your certificate, so, for instance, a $25 certificate costs $12.50.  The certificates don't expire right away, so you can purchase what you like and tuck them away for when you want to use them.

Last Monday we used one of our certificates for a restaurant we love, My Thai in Champaign.  The food is always wonderful and the owners are so nice.  They're a lovely young couple with three daughters,and they also own Siam Terrace in Urbana.  We met a friend, who was back for a visit and bridge.  He had Sweet and Sour Vegetables, my husband had Drunken Noodles, and I had the Mock Duck Curry.

It's funny, up until about five months ago, I had never tried Mock Duck anything.  I think, partially, it's because it didn't sound good (you have to admit it has an unfortunate name).  Once I finally decided to give it a try, after having it suggested to me several times, I was in love.  It is amazing!  Why did I wait so long to try it?!  Now, I get the Mock Duck Curry or Mock Duck Basil more often than not.  :)  I realize what I told my children when they were growing up was wise, don't assume you don't like something without at least tasting it first.

If you live in the area and haven't already, you should definitely give one of these restaurants a try.  Wherever  you live, there might be sights that can offer savings on places you like to go.  I know another good one is Half Off Deals and I think they are more widespread.  Lastly, if you have not given Mock Duck a try, you should.  I haven't tried making anything with it at home yet, but this recipe looks good and is on my list of things to make.

I'm happy vegan food is so delicious!

Scramble and Crisp and Divan, Oh My!

Sunday  I woke up in the mood to cook and bake.  Maybe it's partially because I was armed with goodies I had purchased on Saturday from our local farmer's market and the coop

I wanted tofu scramble, but after a 2 month long love affair with Mexican inspired scrambles, I decided to give something new a try, and boy am I glad I did.

Greek Scramble

This is at least reason number 20 why I love Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson.  The Greek Scramble is delicious with the briny, salty olives, and the oregano and other herbs.  Yum!  The only thing I did different was to use some kale I got from the farmer's market, lightly steamed, in place of the spinach.  Definitely a repeat.

Next up was Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.  I used this recipe from Anne Burrell.  I only made a half recipe, and I'm glad I did, because self control would have been an issue if I had more of this delicious crisp in the house. :)  Along with halving all the ingredients, I subbed out Earth Balance for the butter, and added an extra 2 T. of sugar to the strawberry rhubarb mixture.  I also baked it slightly longer than the 30 minutes listed.  The result was amazing.  Not to sweet, but sweet enough.  I love the fact that this uses whole wheat flour, and the addition of the orange and balsamic vinegar definitely takes it a step above your ordinary crisp.

Straight out of the oven, still bubbling around the edges.

And last, but definitely not least Seitan Divan.

After making the crisp, I decided to make a cheese sauce using the new Daiya Havarti  not being completely sure what I was going to do with it.  Just as I was finishing making the sauce, my daughter Trisha called and asked me to join her for a limeade and a visit, so I put the sauce in the refrigerator figuring I'd come back to it later and off I went.  

After a nice visit, I got home and realized it was dinner time and I hadn't planned anything.  I knew I had the cheese sauce if I wanted to use it, and then I remembered a recipe I'd been pining for since I looked at it about a week ago.  The Seitan Divan from Weekly Vegan Menu.  This is a different variation from what I remember as a kid, but it is a delicious interpretation.  I used Gardein Chick'n  Scallopini because I didn't have any homemade seitan thawed out.  My sauce also had slightly more vegan cheese than she calls for, probably more like 3/4 cup.  Because of the extra cheese, I added a little extra unsweetened almond milk to thin it out.  I don't know if you can tell, but the sauce got this yummy little bit of crisp on it from the time in the oven, but it was still nice and creamy underneath.  I was able to use the 20 minutes it was in the oven to make a nice salad with the farmer's market kale, strawberries, peppers, and green onions.  I even managed to make a simple homemade vinaigrette.  This came together really fast and I had dinner on the table in no time.  This will be a definite repeat, especially since I'm craving it again already.  :)  Next time I will use homemade seitan, so it will be a little less processed, but I love Gardein, especially in a pinch.

Grandchildren

I love having grandchildren!!  All of the things they say are true.  I get to love up on them, without all of the worries associated with being responsible for disciplining them on a day to day basis.  My time with them is so enjoyable and adds such pleasure to my life.

My 17 month old grandson, C we call him, has interestingly been afraid of standing or sitting in the grass.  He's had regular exposure, and his sisters play in it all the time, but for some reason he just did not like it.  Until 2 days ago!  Once he got started running around in it he didn't stop.  :)

We often get the kids and take them to the park, or to the movies, or just bring them to our house and do whatever happens to sound good that day.  One day recently we went to Aroma in downtown Champaign.  The ownership has changed recently, and I'm not sure I like it as much as I used to, but we had fun nonetheless and our food was good.

My granddaughter's both had a peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwich on whole wheat bread.  They love that it comes with "blackberry" jam, and I really like the bread.  I got the hummus plate which comes with a pepper and onion salad.  We all love the hummus and pita bread and usually end up sharing everything.  I think it might even be pita bread sticking out of Kaia's mouth in the picture.

My hummus plate

Lexi munching away.

It's really nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather and the downtown atmosphere with my grandchildren!

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Corn Mushrooms and a New Restaurant in CU

So there is a relatively new restaurant in Champaign called Maize on Green St.  We've been there twice since discovering it a couple of weeks ago and it is really good.  Probably my favorite thing there, aside from the wonderful guacamole and the interesting salsas they serve warm, is something I had never heard of before, Huitlacoche or corn mushrooms as the owner calls them.  I've starting referring to it as corn fungus, but that's just me trying to be funny.  :)  Here is a pic of my huaraches with corn mushrooms:

The huitlacoche is the black stuff you see in there.  I admit it doesn't look very appetizing, but it is definitely yummy.  The huaraches would normally have cheese and sour cream, but of course I requested they be left off.  The owner is really nice and has been very helpful ensuring I get what I want both times we've been there.  I don't have any pics, but the first time we went I tried a dish that came with the corn mushrooms (my favorite obviously), their traditional mushrooms, and pumpkin flower (which reminded me of zucchini flower).

I guess for those of you in the area, I should tell you Maize is very small.  It's in the old Ye Olde Doughnut Shop building and really just has 2 decent sized counter tops with stools.  They can probably seat 20 or so people at a time.  Both times we've been they have been busy, but we were able to sit down pretty quickly and enjoy our food.

If you are in the CU area, I would recommend giving Maize a try, if not you should at least check out huitlacoche or corn mushrooms if you can find them.  :)

Oops!!

I just realized that when I revamped my blog a few days ago all of my old posts disappeared.  I will try to see if I can figure out what happened to them and put them back up.  Especially my carrot crisp from the Vegan Iron Chef challenge.   Thank you all for being understanding. :)

My Current Favorite Tofu Scramble

I love tofu scrambles.  When I first became vegan I remember thinking thanks, but no thanks.  I am so glad I changed my mind and gave them a try because scrambles have made my breakfasts (and sometimes lunches and dinners) so much more enjoyable.

I've noticed that often when I find a combination of ingredients I really like together, I will eat it a lot for awhile, before moving back on to other variations.  This particular scramble is my current favorite.  It's really easy and everything is sort of loosely determined by what I have on hand, but the constant ingredients are as follows:

For 1 large serving or 2 small servings

1/4 lb of firm or extra firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry
soyrizo (I don't use much, I probably cut a 2-3 inch piece off and use what's inside, do it to taste)
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t cumin
a handful of daiya pepper jack shreds
optional:  red or green pepper, zucchini, corn, sweet onion or green onion, spinach, avocado, cilantro,etc..

I usually always do the peppers and onions if I have them, and then add at least one or two other ingredients.  In the above picture it was green pepper, onion, corn and cilantro.  I put the tiniest amount of oil in a skillet along with the soyrizo, pepper, and onion and saute it for a couple of minutes before adding the crumbled tofu and spices.  Depending on what else I'm adding I may put it in now too (ex: corn or zucchini).  I saute it for probably a good five minutes or so until the tofu starts to brown a little, then I throw in the daiya until it gets nice and melty, which doesn't take very long.  I would add the spinach at this point too if I was using and let it wilt.

Put the scramble on a plate and top with cilantro and/or avocado if using and serve with a nice piece of whole grain toast and some fresh fruit on the side.  You can also make an awesome breakfast burrito if you're on the move and need to take it with you, or just because.  :)  This makes for a nice filling breakfast and a great start to the day. 

I Love Peanut Butter and National Doughnut Day

I just found out yesterday that National Doughnut Day was Friday.  Apparently it is always on the first Friday in June.  I'm not sure how I had never heard of it before.  :)  

I have been searching for the perfect vegan doughnut recipe (that doesn't require yeast) and this seemed like a good reason to try out a new one.  I figured better late than never definitely applies to honoring National Doughnut Day!

The doughnut above actually celebrates two things I love, doughnuts and peanut butter.  The recipe I used is here  http://lizlemonnights.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/peanut-butter-banana-donuts-with-chocolate-glaze/

Peanut butter and bananas, oh my!  Plus this recipe uses some whole wheat pasty flour which makes me happy.  The recipe directions don't mention when to add the non dairy milk (I used almond milk, I thought it would pair nicely with the peanut butter) so I added it into the banana, sugar, vanilla, EB  mixture..  The verdict: these were good, although I think I would have liked them even better with a peanut butter glaze instead of the chocolate glaze. A peanut butter glaze would have definitely amped up the peanut buttery goodness.   Despite all these had going for them, I have to admit my search is still on for the doughnut recipe of my dreams, but I would be inclined to make these again with a few tweaks.  Oh, in case you noticed and were wondering, my coffee cup in the picture has my 3 wonderful grandchildren on it.  It's my favorite cup if you can imagine.  :)

As the title states, I love peanut butter, and really anything nutty for that matter.  I was at our local co-op yesterday and one of the soups of the day was their African Groundnut Stew.  This soup is delicious and has ingredients like sweet potatoes and nuts in it, yum!  Even though it's not really stew weather, I couldn't resist sitting at one of the outdoor tables and devouring a cup with a nice whole wheat rockin roll (not pictured) and a Reed's Raspberry Ginger Brew (currently on sale).

All in all a great day!!

Not Quite Chili Cheese Fries (or Leftover Memorial Day Food Nachos)

 

Welcome to the official revamp of my blog.  Unfortunately, my pictures still leave something to be desired  :) but I think I'm going to like the layout a little better.

So right or wrong, I decided to start my revamp with a take on vegan junk food.  My son (who is not vegan) was talking with me a couple of days ago about wanting a chili cheese dog and fries.  Unfortunately (fortunately) that sparked a craving in me that I couldn't ignore.  I really like Amy's chili for a quick fix when I don't have the time to make chili from scratch, however I didn't have any in my pantry that day and I didn't feel like making homemade.  Then I remembered I still had some leftover baked beans from Memorial Day in the refrigerator.  An idea started to form.  I didn't have any french fries in the freezer, again I wasn't going to make them from scratch, then I remembered I still had some potato chips leftover from Memorial Day.  I had a few Field Roast hot dogs leftover from Memorial Day (I'm sure you see the theme) that I sliced up and sauteed in a little olive oil.  Things were starting to come together nicely.  :)  All that was left was the cheese, in this case it was the wonderful, amazing Cashew Queso from the PPK  I didn't have red pepper when I made mine so I used yellow pepper, delicious just slightly lighter in color then normal.  No hot dog buns left, no problem.  I layered it all together and voila!

These were amazing and totally hit the spot.  Another name for them could have been Beenie Weenies with Chips and Cheese, because that is what they tasted like.  Whatever they're called I would definitely eat these again.  I love when necessity (or laziness) is the mother of invention.  Now if only there had been a leftover piece of Julie Hasson's Banana Pudding Pie.  :)