Food Network Monthly Cookalong: Grilled Spice-Rubbed Seitan Tacos

I'm finally posting, with only a day to go, for the Food Network Monthly Cookalong.  The theme this month is grilling.  While I've been grilling off and on this month, it's mostly been simple marinated tofu, or plain Field Roast sausages and frankfurters.  Nothing worthy of the monthly cookalong, until yesterday that is.

I have to admit, I love Bobby Flay.  Maybe it's because he's a fellow red head, maybe it's his smile, I don't know why exactly, but whatever it is, I love him.  :)  That being said, if I was going to do some "Food Network" style grilling, it would most likely be one of his recipes, and it was.  I chose his Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breast Tacos with Grilled Poblanos, BBQ Onions, and Coleslaw.

These were really easy to veganize.  I used seitan for the chicken (I would think you could easily sub tofu or Gardein) and Vegenaise for the mayonnaise, everything else was already vegan.  The tacos and all of its components were quite tasty, although the real standouts for me were the spice rubbed seitan and the grilled bbq onions.  Grilling the poblanos to put on the tacos and in the guacamole, along with grilling the onions, making the guacamole and coleslaw, grilling the seitan (which I had already made previously) and warming the tortillas on the grill, from start to finish took around two hours, which is a lot for tacos.  I'm not the fastest person in the kitchen, but I'm not the slowest either, so these are a bit of an undertaking.  Like I mentioned earlier though, the seitan and the onions were what really made these for me, and I think these tacos could easily be a weeknight meal if you focus on grilling the seitan (or other substitute) and the onions, but keep the rest of your toppings simple.  I could see using shredded lettuce or cabbage, red pepper slices or jarred roasted red peppers, diced avocado, and maybe a little extra barbecue sauce or hot sauce drizzled on top.  I intend to test out my theory in the near future, because the seitan and onions were delicious.  :)

Sorry, really bad picture of the seitan.

I only used the first teaspoon of salt in the rub, I didn't use the extra teaspoon he calls for, I don't think it needed it.  For the seitan, I brushed a little oil on both sides and put the rub on both sides as well.  I grilled it just until it got some nice char marks on it, which didn't take long, probably only a few minutes on each side.  On the onions, I used a bbq sauce we really like instead of the Mesa Grill BBQ Sauce (sorry Bobby).

Right before taking a bite.  :)

  

A Cool Treat For The Dog Days Of Summer

This is going to be a short, but sweet (pardon the pun) post.  :)  I'm not sure about where you live, but around here it has been hot and miserable a lot lately.  Today the high is somewhere between 100 and 105 degrees depending on your source.  I love ice cream anytime of the year, but weather like this seems to call for it.

I discovered a raw, vegan, frozen dessert recently when a friend was ordering it from the buying club, Coconut Secret Berry Fusion Raw Coconut Cream.  This stuff is delicious, light and refreshing.  While I love to make homemade vegan ice cream, sometimes it's nice to just grab a container out of the freezer and scoop it into a bowl (or cone) without having to work for it.  The Berry Fusion flavor includes blueberry, raspberry and acai, along with a new kid on the block, at least to me, maqui berry.  I love that there are so many new vegan products rolling out, and in this heat, I'm glad some of them are of the sweet, cold variety and healthy to boot!

Egg McMuffin I'm So Over You

Okay, I have to be honest here and tell you I was a fan of Egg McMuffins pre vegan.  After I went vegetarian, but before going vegan, I would sometimes still go order an Egg McMuffin minus the canadian bacon.  I know, sad but true.

Since going vegan, I've played around with a few different breakfast sandwiches with some success, but I finally hit the nail on the head after I found this recipe.

  

It must be something about the poaching process with the tofu that does it, because this sandwich tastes just like a traditional breakfast sandwich minus the cruelty.  She named her sandwich a McMaria after her daughter, which is nice, but I kind of like calling it an Egg McNot.  :)  When I make it, I do everything the same as she does with the tofu, except I don't bother cutting mine into a round shape.  It would be cute, and I might do it if I was making it for someone else, but for just me I don't bother.

Look at that close up.

Usually when I make it, I use the Smoky Curls from Vegan Diner, because I love them, but I have made it with the Smart Deli Ham before and it's delicious that way as well.  I really like the new Daiya wedges for sandwich making, but I have used the shreds when that's all I had.  I've been adding spinach or kale to my sandwiches lately, it makes me feel healthier eating them and tastes good.  I like to put Earth Balance on one side of my english muffin and Chipotle Vegenaise on the other side.  Since first trying the Chipotle Vegenaise, I eat it on almost everything I like it so much.  Before that, I used to put mustard on one side and Earth Balance on the other.

Here it is with the Smart Deli Ham on a Rudi's Whole Wheat Bun with Daiya Jack.  When I don't have any english muffins, I use hamburger buns, hot dog buns, wraps, or just plain bread.  I've found it really doesn't matter, this tofu fried "egg" is awesome on anything.

My Baby Boy Turns 23

My son Blake turned 23 yesterday.  I'm waxing nostalgic today, as I always do around my children's birthdays and other milestones in their lives.  Where do the years go?  I know it doesn't serve me well to live with regrets, and I try to avoid doing so when possible, but if I had it to do all over again there are a few things I would do differently.

For one thing, I would slow down and spend more time playing with my children and just enjoying them.  Yesterday, at Blake's birthday party, my granddaughter Kaia asked me to dance with her, and I did of course, but I think sometimes as "Mom" I was too busy to "dance".  If I could go back, I wouldn't be too busy.  It reminds me of the poem 'Babies Don't Keep'

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, shoo out the moth,
Hang out the washing and make up a bed.
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Oh where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

This is Blake with one of his older sisters 20 years ago.  He's a cutie!

Blake wanted to get together at my parents for dinner and have pizza.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to order the Vegan Medley Pizza from One World Pizza that I'd recently heard about.

The pizza was delicious.  Unfortunately it wasn't as warm as I would have liked by the time I ate it, but that was more my fault I think then One World's.  I will definitely order this again.  While all of the pizza ordered wasn't vegan, all three of my daughters tried the vegan pizza and liked it.  My oldest daughter didn't even eat any of the non vegan pizza, and my middle and youngest daughter, after trying it, said they would eat it in the future with no problem.  :)  Yay vegan pizza!

I made the Banana Cupcakes with Lemon Icing out of Chloe's Kitchen for dessert.  The banana cupcakes are moist, delicious little gems.  The lemon icing is really more of a glaze then a frosting, so I actually made a lemon frosting to go on top of the glaze.  The lemon and banana is an interesting flavor combination, it's good, and definitely lighter than say a peanut butter frosting or chocolate ganache topping would be.  I have to admit though that I want to make these cupcakes again and try either peanut butter or chocolate on top.  :)

Here's Blake and Kaia after blowing out his candle.  Kaia sure loves her Uncle Blake.

I am blessed to have such wonderful children and such a wonderful family!

I'll Take Mine Baked, Barbecued and Buffaloed

I have been on a real tofu kick lately.  I've been grilling it and baking it all kinds of different ways.  I've been having it for dinner with sides and stuffing it in sandwiches for lunch.  I just can't seem to get enough of it.  :)

Every time I go to St.Louis or Indy I stop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods if time allows.  I like to get several things I can't get locally.  Luckily, I've gotten smarter and have learned to take a cooler.  I've also gotten better at packing things into it.  :)  All of that to say that one of my favorite sandwich stuffings lately has been tofu that has been marinated in Trader Joe's Island Soyaki and then baked.

The Island Soyaki is basically a teriyaki sauce made with things like pineapple juice and sesame seeds.  It's really yummy.  If you live near a Trader Joe's or have access to getting this I highly recommend it.

Another recent favorite has been BBQ tofu.  I bake it following the directions for Baked BBQ Tofu in Veganomicon but I've been using the Rough Rider Barbecue Sauce in Vegan Diner (I love that cookbook).  Here it's served over quinoa with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and edamame topped with the PPK Cashew Queso.  I love, love, love that queso anywhere and everywhere I put it, but especially over vegetables.

Here's the BBQ tofu and Cashew Queso again in a wrap for lunch.  I also added kale, red pepper strips, and a little Chipotle Vegenaise for good measure.  :)

And here is a Buffalo tofu sandwich.  I put it on a Rudi's whole wheat hot dog bun with regular Vegenaise on one side and chipotle on the other.  I put red pepper strips and kale on this sandwich too, along with extra buffalo sauce.  I used Meet the Shannons Baked Buffalo Tofu recipe for this one.

I love how versatile tofu is!

I Love Chloe's Kitchen

I have made several recipes out of Chloe's Kitchen recently and have been thoroughly impressed.  Her instructions are clear enough for a beginner to follow, and the results are tasty enough for even the most avid omnivore.

The pasta dishes have been super easy, which makes them great for weeknight meals, and are totally delicious.

First up is the Penne alla Vodka with the Best Garlic Bread in the World.  This was amazing and came together in no time.  The sauce is so creamy and the garlic bread is indeed one of the best I've had.  I will repeat this again and again.  Non vegan  hubby loved this dinner.

Next up was the Avocado Pesto Pasta.  This recipe is also available on her blog here.  I found some frozen ravioli hiding in my freezer, so I used it instead of linguine.  Again this came together in a flash.  I didn't have pine nuts so I used almonds, which worked just fine and is cheaper.  I love how creamy the avocado makes this sauce.  This was great on the ravioli and I can't wait to try it on a more traditional pasta.  I think this would also make a nice appetizer spread on baguette.

On a night when I felt like grilling, I made the Tropical Island Kebabs with Cilantro Rice.  I had made her seitan recipe prior to this, it's just a basic simmered seitan.  A sweet and sour sauce recipe in the book is a glaze for the kebabs.  The sauce is really easy and is perfect on the kebabs, although I think it could have many other uses.  The cilantro rice is a nice accompaniment to the kebabs, with slivered almonds and cilantro in it.  Sometimes I forget how easy it can be to dress up plain rice, and it really does add that extra touch of flavor.  When I make kebabs, I always think they are so pretty and look so fancy even though they're really not much work.

For a breakfast treat I made the Baked Sprinkle Doughnuts.  I sprinkled them with peanuts just because.  They were yummy and easy to make.

Things I've made but don't have pictures of:

Easy Peasy Pasta Salad:  I liked this okay, but it probably wouldn't be my first pasta salad choice.  It was light though which is nice for this time of year.

Country Meatloaf and Golden Gravy:  We really liked this, it tasted like Thanksgiving to me.    My non vegan husband, who thought he might grab something out when I was making this, after tasting it, decided to stay home and eat.  I definitely consider this a success since it was competing against a BBQ meat sandwich.

Double Double Drive-Thru Burgers:  These were yummy.  They are a play on a popular fast food burger that starts with big and ends with mac.  I ate them as singles.   I'm not a double burger kinda gal.  :)  The sauce for these really does take them over the top and I could see using it on other sandwiches.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese:  This was good.  I like that it doesn't require any processed vegan cheese, although I have to admit, my favorite baked mac and cheese recipe is loaded with Daiya.  Chloe's stove top Mac 'N' Cheese recipe is very similar to her baked one, and is my favorite recipe to use when I am making a non baked version.

Ice Creams:  Her ice cream recipes are divine.  They are super creamy and dreamy.  She has a couple of ice cream recipes posted on her blog.  I've used her base to make a few of my own flavor combinations quite successfully as well.

There are still so many recipes I want to make out of Chloe's Kitchen.  All in all, you can't go wrong with this cookbook

Vegan Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies And Grandkids

One day recently when Kaia and Lexi were over, I thought it would be fun if we baked some cookies.  Since I had ordered vegan white chocolate chips online a while ago, I figured this would be a good time to try them out.

Vegan Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from this recipe)

1 cup (or 2 sticks) Earth Balance, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 T ground flaxseed (I used golden)
6 T water
2 t vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1 bag vegan white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the Earth Balance and sugar until smooth.  Add 1/2 the flaxseed mixture to the Earth Balance and mix well, add the other 1/2 and mix well again.  Stir in the vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir this into the Earth Balance mixture.  Add in the white chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.(I like to use a small scoop for this).  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing.  Put on wire racks to cool.

Both of the girls loved these cookies.  Kaia ate 5 of them before I finally told her she needed to stop and save some to take home with her.  The recipe said it makes 4 1/2 dozen and that was probably close to true, it felt like we had a lot of cookies to eat.  Luckily my husband and son love cookies, and we sent a container full home with the girls.

Here they are playing in the pool.  I love them so much!!  :)

Vegan Pizza Day And A Happy 4th Of July

Saturday was Vegan Pizza Day.  I made a delicious pizza using Big Stick Pepperoni from Vegan On The Cheap by Robin Robertson.  I love her cookbooks, the recipes are almost always reliable and good.  As a matter of fact, 1,000 Vegan Recipes is the cookbook I turn to most often when I have random ingredients I want to use, or when I want to make something basic but don't feel like looking through cookbooks.  I can almost always find a version of what I'm looking for, and the index is very user friendly.

Now onto the pizza:

This pizza was pretty much a clean out the fridge pizza.  It had the Big Stick Pepperoni, Smoky Curls, red pepper, zucchini, a few green onions, leftover pesto, Daiya mozzarella shreds, and leftover marinara on it.  I cheated and used a store bought vegan crust.  I really need to make my own crust more often.  I know it's not that hard, but for some reason I hardly ever do it.

I just found out yesterday that we have a local pizza place, One World Pizza, that stocks Daiya and makes vegan  pizza crust.  I am super excited to have this as an option now so close to home.  :)


For the 4th of July, we had a cookout, complete with veggie burgers, vegan side dishes and desserts.  I spaced out and didn't get many pictures of the food, and the pictures I got weren't great, but it was quite a feast.

My first plate had a veggie burger, baked beans, macaroni salad, grilled zucchini, asparagus with garlic, and potato chips.  There was also potato salad and broccoli salad (not shown).

Here's at least a better picture of the macaroni salad.  I made it with elbow macaroni, red pepper, green onion, diced zucchini (I have a bunch of zucchini that's been gifted to me right now), corn, diced up Daiya Jack style cheese, Tofutti sour cream, and Chipotle Vegenaise.  I used almost equal parts Tofutti and Vegenaise, with slightly more Vegenaise.  It was zippy and delicious.  The Tofutti tamed down the heat a little, but not to much.  I think this could be good with a lot of different ingredients thrown in.

For dessert, I made Isa's Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie, which I didn't get a picture of, although even if I had, her picture does it much better justice.  :)  It was very good served with vegan whipped topping.  I also made Rice Crispy Treats using Earth Balance and Dandies, and these cute little red, white, and blue kebabs with strawberries, Dandies, and blueberries.

My middle daughter loves anything lemon, so I made Lemon Fruit Dip, subbing almond milk and Tofutti sour cream, to go with the fruit kebabs.  Very yummy and fun.  I was surprised when I found out lemon Jello pudding mix is vegan.  I think several of their flavors are actually.  Of course, I still won't use it often, but once in awhile for something like this, it's nice to know.

I hope everyone was able to celebrate at least one of these events if not both.  :)