MoFo 16 Sweet Potato Bowl and a Meteor

Crazy Boy aka Psycho Boy usually makes something on Wednesday nights. He went shopping for his ingredients and he even took a photo I call, "Still Life With Knife".

He had an allergy attack earlier today, slept a little and then met me on my run tonight. On our walk back from the track,Crazy Boy pointed up at the sky and said, look a meteor! Sure enough it was a beautiful star burst that we got to experience together. Crazy Boy can often see things that other people can't. He can often find the miraculous in the ordinary. I probably would have missed my first meteor if my hero had stayed home. I've probably seen a meteor before but somehow everything always seems more special with C.B.

We watched it fall from the sky and journeyed home, but again my hero was weakened by allergies. Perhaps what we witnessed was not a meteor at all, but a nugget of Krypton.

 

Psycho Boy tries to regain strength from warm towel.

Alas, he could not recover in time to prepare something so his sidekick took over.

Riffin' on Engine 2 Rip's Sweet Potato Bowl (changed up a bit).
Feeds one out of commission super hero and his sidekick.

2 medium sweet potatoes cubed and roasted
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
10 ounces pineapple chunks drained
1 handful of fresh spinach chopped
1 avocado pitted and diced
juice of one lime
2.5 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub and cube sweet potatoes. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with canola oil. Lightly spray sweet potatoes. Roast for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Place everything in large salad bowl and toss gently.

Today:Look for the miraculous in the ordinary. Maybe wish upon a star, or be someone's super hero, you never know who's day you might brighten, just by being you.

A Tale of One Ice Cream

You probably know by now that GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker didn't have much fun together during the month of October. In fact GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker were always at odds!

Sometimes GiGi was eleven, sometimes the vegan ice cream maker was 17, sometimes GiGi was 15, sometimes the vegan ice cream maker was 31. GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker never met on even ground.

GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker even disagreed about the basics.

Back and forth. Back forth. They'd yell! Almond! Rice! Almond! Rice! Almond! GiGi would get so upset she would scream, "That's enough! You know what happened to Frosty the snowman don't you? That's right just a puddle and a carrot for a nose. Don't push my buttons, Frosty!" Yes GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker bickered and they even arm wrestled!

GiGi wins match 3002!

Come November neither GiGi nor her vegan ice cream maker felt good about their relationship. Vegans shouldn't act this way. So GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker decided to meditate for their higher good.

The vegan ice cream maker opened his eyes and peeked during meditation.

And then GiGi has a divine frozen dessert moment, where she is given the answers.


GiGi and her now vegan ice cream maker friend are ecstatic about GiGi's inspiration. They are now convinced that their vegan ice cream will take over the world, (but where has GiGi heard that before...take over the world?). GiGi and her vegan ice cream maker pal must make this new recipe right away, but first GiGi has to look up this cranberry recipe from Veganomicon  she has remembered in meditation. "I'll be with you in a minute, little buddy...hey bet we can make nutty buddies too bahaha :)"

GiGi opens Veganomicon to turn to the cranberry thingy and then she sees it. OMFG! Right there in front of GiGi is a recipe, but not just any recipe and not the cranberry thingy recipe either, but GiGi's divinely inspired frozen dessert recipe. It's right there in Isa and Hope's freaking book. Did Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero the two wunderkinds of the vegan cooking world think of this recipe first? or did GiGi? or more likely did Isa and Hope invade and take over GiGi's brain??? Just like they said they would?!!! Please watch below reenactment.

Well after I run around the block and exorcise the those two ^^^, I will claim this recipe as all mine...MINE! MINE! (I'm very sorry my lawyer just phoned and I have to say it's partly their recipe, damn them)

The Recipe
This works better if all your ingredients are cold.

About 8oz silken tofu drained
1/2 C creme of coconut  milk (Isa and Terry say)  Place can in frig over night and scoop 1/2 C off top
3/4 C almond milk
3/4 C agave
1 banana (peeled of course)
3/4 C Almond butter
1 tsp almond flavoring

Add to food processor or blender and blend well. Pour into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions.

O, woe is me; To have seen what I have seen, see what I see! - from Shakes and Vegan Hamlet 
I bid you g'night.
xo
music and direction by
Sir Larry  AKA Psycho Boy

Spare a Farm Animal Eat Soy Curls



Set design by Psycho Boy

Even if you don't have the dough to adopt a turkey this year, you can spare a chicken or a pig or a turkey and eat soy curls. I heard about soy curls during MoFo season and couldn't find them in any of my local haunts. And here I thought I lived in the mecca of vegan products. I can't even get Ricemellow- the vegan answer to Fluffernutter around here anymore. This is very disturbing to me, why would anybody with a couple of brain cells discontinue Ricemellow? I considered upping my meds, but instead chose the all natural option and ordered hard to get goodies from Food Fight.

Food Fight is so great! Look at these goods, but not so close, huh!

We scarfed down the Ricemellow in about two days. We ate lots of almond butter and Ricemellow on whole grain. We're still on E2 you know.

Since I'm a soy curl neophyte, I had to check out Butler soy curls' site for prep tips. The package directions say to soak them in water or veggie broth but there are no measurements provided. It turns out it's a one to one ratio. Butler soy curl also recommends using their soy curl "chicken" flavoring to enhance the curls. I like to enhance my curls but didn't know I needed the flavoring. I decided to move on and check out the Nacheez site for nifty recipes and hints. I met the very cool owners of Nacheez at a vegan event a while back and had the opportunity to try their awesome product then. When I surfed their site I found a recipe that utilized the soy curls and Nacheez. How lucky is that?! I didn't have the flavoring or the broth so I tweaked the recipe a little. Check out their recipe though! They use a microwave and a griddle. I used neither. No nuking here.

1 C Butler’s Soy Curls

1 C water
2 green peppers
1/2 onion
2 T salsa
1-2 T sea salt
1T 21 salute
2 T NACHEEZ®
2 Whole grain rolls

Preheat oven to temperature desired for your rolls.
Combine water with soy curls. Let stand for 10 minutes. Spray fry pan and saute peppers and onions for about for ten minutes. Pour off any excess water from the soy curls and add soy curls, salsa and seasonings to the pan. Cook for another 6 minutes. Heat rolls.

Pile the Soy Curls/pepper liberally onto heated rolls. Spoon NACHEEZ® over the top and serve.



Enjoy! Don't be a chicken, you can always foster a new attitude. Cluck, cluck and Peace to all creatures :)

Product Review PureFit Vegan Bar with Before and After

When the lovely people over at PureFit Nutrition Bars approached me to do a review on their energy bars, I sifted through the myriad of reasons of why they would choose me.

Could it be that:

1. I eat energy bars like Halloween candy. (I put them in an orange pumpkin and ring my own doorbell).

2. I missed a few blogs, lost my zeal, and one of PureFit's mottos is Say No to Nodose.

3. I live in the United States.

4. I tweet tweet.

5. I am an ex-athlete and coach now relegated to the couch. PureFit encouraged me to get out the door and buy a new couch.

6. I have a blog.

7. I like free vegan stuff.

Hey number 7 is where it's at. PureFit sent me these. Check it out. These bars are all-natural, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, vegan (of course), kosher, high in protein and diabetic friendly too.

Granola Crunch, Almond Crunch, Chocolate Brownie, Berry Almond Crunch, PB Crunch

Granola Crunch

Peanut Butter Crunch

Berry Almond Crunch

Of course we had to try them all. Me and Crazy Boy had a little PureFit party.

Almond Crunch

Chocolate Brownie

View GiGi's Results Below. Larry refused to be photographed.

PureFit and GiGi's Lawyer's Disclaimer
Not everybody will achieve the same results as GiGi has, bikini sizes may differ.

We really enjoyed 5 out of the 6 flavors with Almond Crunch being the clear winner. PB crunch was not far behind with Granola Crunch and Berry Almond Crunch bringing up the rear, (as you can see from my after pic above). They do taste a lot like Power Bars, but without all the added dairy junk. I used to like Power Bars a lot, so this is a good comparison. The chocolate reminded me of the body building MetR-x bars when they first came on the market. We refrigerated what we did not consume and had a couple this morning. They are great right out of the frig. I haven't run a marathon yet, but I did buzz around the kitchen this morning. It's great to know that there is another vegan bar available. I will definitely add the Almond Crunch to one of my go to energy bars. Watch out I might just be back in action, right after I pick out a new couch. Thanks PureFit! Oh you can find PureFit on FB. And Twitter too.

MoFo Day 31 Post 26 What Can I Say?!

But Boo! And Well ..

It has been a journey worth taking. I have so appreciated meeting all of you. Thank you for reading and commenting and laughing with me. It has been an absolute joy to read other blogs and get to hang out with more of the vegan community.

A Journey is Nothing If I Don't Remain Teachable
The Bump in the Road- Stupid camera acts out 
The Aha- Take Pics of Leftovers

The Bump In the Road- Ice Creme Maker is Very Mean
The Aha- Use As Blender

The Bump in the Road- Raw Food Is Not the Same As Baked. It Is Not Always As Pretty.
The Aha- I Can Bake and I Don't Have to Eat It, But Raw Does Taste Good!

The Mime- Know when to be silent and Detach With Love, know when to stand up for your rights even though it could make you feel a lot of raw emotions.

Count Your Victories

1. 26 Posts

2. Stayed on the E2 Plan Throughout MoFo

3. Read A Trillion Blogs

4. Have Not Used That Many Hyperboles

5. I Married the Right Guy!

6. We Are Still Married After MoFo

The Brownie we are holding is Adapted From Gratitude Cafe's Marbled Fudge Brownie.

Look forward to our continued journey. See you in November. After I snooze.

In Gratitude and Love,

GiGi 

MoFo Day 23 Is My Visitor Fried or Baked?

The last time I made a polenta dish Martha S. that's right "S"as in Stewart came over to "help". I thought about giving her another chance tonight, yeah for like 2 seconds I thought about it. Do you remember how Martha left me to do all the heavy prep work while she disappeared into my bathroom? I can always tell when a guest has been snooping in my medicine cabinet, (ahem ahem), Martha.
Without further ado. Tonight's recipe..
Ding dong
Excuse me, reader. I'll bring you this kick ass recipe in a minute.

GiGi: Who is it?
Voice: Trick or Treat.
GiGi: You're early. I'm not opening the door.
Voice. Trick or Treat. Smell my sheet. It's been air dried in lavender.
GiGi: Oh no is that you Martha? What did you come dressed as... dental floss? (see earlier post where Martha suggests cutting polenta with dental floss)

(GiGi looks through peep hole)

Martha: Very funny,GiGi. I brought you something.

GiGi: Martha you know I don't drink. Oh. Just hand it under the door.

Martha: That's not very hospitable. What are you making?

GiGi: Um. Vegan Parmesan Polenta Fries with dipping sauce. Colorful Salad. And..

Martha: Polenta Fries?

GiGi: Yes. Now go away.

Martha: That's my recipe.

GiGi: No it's not.

Martha: Yes it is.

GiGI: Is not.

Martha: Is too.

GiGi: Is not.

Martha: Too.

GiGi: Not.

Martha: What? No dessert.
GiGi: There is dessert. But I'm going to post that tomorrow. You took up too much time.

Martha: Did not.

GiGi: Did too.

Martha: Not .

GiGi: I can't stand at this peep hole any longer.
Martha: Well. If you feel that way, GiGi.
GiGi: I do.
Martha: Oh.
GiGi: Bye.
Martha: Bye.

Sorry everybody.

Baked Polenta Fries My Way

1 tube (18 ounces) plain prepared polenta

canola oil spray
2-3 T nooch
2 tsp dried oregano
sea salt to tasteDirections

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with canola oil. Unwrap and cut tube of polenta in half crosswise, (no need to use dental floss). Then cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges.


2. Place polenta wedges on baking sheet; season with salt and pepper, and turn gently and spray again to coat with oil. Arrange wedges in a single layer. Sprinkle with nooch, sea salt and oregano.


3.Bake, turning once with a thin metal spatula, until golden and crisp, about 55 minutes. Serve with marinara or dressing or dipping sauce and salad.

Salad with fresh beets from my friend Mo's sis' garden

Hey Remember those Mozz Stix from Days of Yore... These taste surprisingly similar, but with no fat, no fried and cruelty free. I'll be back tomorrow with some dessert. Martha will be happy. Thanx for stopping by.

MoFo 19 Masquerade Balls

My friend Molly just asked if I had a sizeometer on my blog. All food blogs should have sizeometers. Don't you think? I like to calibrate things. I'd really love to know how many pounds of almond butter, and dates I've downed since I've started MoFo. I'm a raw foodist trapped in a cooked vegan's body. The dehydrating trips me up though.  I don't own a dehydrator. Why? I don't want everything I make to look like prunes.
 In addition to salads and raw veggies, I make balls. I make balls in my food processor. Add any kind of nuts with some dates and some agave to your food processor, process to a paste. Spatula out. Scoop up the paste and roll  and you got your self some balls. I'm eating so much of these cylindrical beasts that I'm turning into a nut ball. Now after the sizeometer is finished measuring the almond butter and dates, it will be the sizeometer's job to measure the balls.  
Molly just texted me to tell me that a sizeometer is really a blog feature that basically counts the number of people who read your blog and then a sizograph tells you where they are from. It is the same thing as the "stats" feature on blogger. I just checked my stats. Yay.
Big shout out to my one reader Solveig, in Antarctica.

You can find the recipe here, I switched up the brown sugar for a bit of agave, and added more dates, I think you could probably cut the brown sugar completely and keep the original date amount and it would work just fine...but that's up to you Solveig :)





Mofo 13 Faker Feta With Kalamata Olives and other Stuff

Now that that is settled,(See video above) the manufacturer's directions tell me I need to leave the barrel in the freezer for 16 hours. 16 hours? 16 hours? I read the info about the 16 hours after I read the recipe booklet that said the ice cream would take 2 hours to sit in the freezer. Now that's 18 hours. There goes my big big plan of eating ice cream for dinner.

There is no way me and crazy boy are having popcorn again for dinner tonight. I feel like the Dead Sea after all that sodium. This of course won't keep me from salting our dinner tonight. I like to wake up looking like a cross between a Cabbage Patch Doll and Rodney Dangerfield.

Just for an update... Remember the 28 day Engine 2 Plan Diet Larry and I were on...we're still doing it. It's about day 35 of the 28 day plan. So we are still off sugar, oils, fats and any white (even unbleached organic) flour. I love doing it. The plan is great. It has kept me from noshing on too much sugar in the kitchen. I no longer have frosting jowls. I have more energy, and our skin looks good. We've lost our tire tummies too. I've lost a few inches (no not in my height). The scale arrow would go farther down if I could just kick the confounded almond butter addiction.

Tonight's Reluctantly Healthy Dinner is...

Broccoli with Cherry Tomatoes, Kalamata olives and Tofu Feta over Rice Penne
1 Package Rice Penne
2 Cups broccoli chopped
1 C kalamata olives
1.5 C cherry tomatoes halved (easier to half with a bread knife so they don't squirt in your eye)
1/4 C salsa
1 T vegan pesto (optional)
1 clove garlic
TJ's 21 Salute
canola spray

Feta
1 package of firm tofu, drained and pressed (about 15 minutes each side)
1 T sea salt
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T oregano
1 T basil
(dill and 2 T olive oil optional)

Put water on for pasta, while draining and pressing tofu. Spray skillet with canola spray, saute broccoli with kalamata olives, about 6 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and saute another 6 minutes. If you are not on the Engine 2 plan feel free to add 2 T olive oil to the skillet or to the tofu faker feta. 

For the Faker Feta
Crumble drained and pressed tofu into bowl and mix with remaining ingredients. Add to skillet and cook for about 12 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.

Buy some coconut ice cream for dessert unless you have 18 hours to wait. See you tomorrow. I promise to drink some water before I see you, so I Iook a little better.

MoFo 10 Polenta: Made Martha's Method or GiGi's Way

I'm giving you a couple of options today. Let's say you've got oodles of time in the kitchen, an organic greenhouse on your estate, boy toys who massage your feet while you wait for your manservant to serve your casserole piping hot and bubbly direct from your "Wolf" oven. You savor this fragrant bit of magnificence that you have created while your winning show dog, (who has not come from the pound), fetches your slippers. If I have just described you, then Option 1: "The Martha Method" is for you.

Are you sweating it out with a day job that barely pays the bills? Do you work crazy ass ridiculous long hours on calloused feet? Is the only time you get to sit during a 15 hour day is when you blog for MoFo? Is the only garden you see an aloe plant you artfully placed on your garbage can? Would you love to gaze at this aloe plant through your kitchen window but your kitchen has no window? Do your domesticated ferals shed all over your Salvation Army chairs? Do people often confuse your apartment with an MRI machine? Then hurry up and make this quick and wolf it down, and post the recipe for MoFo or "GiGi's Way" is the one for you.

Polenta Casserole Option 1: "Martha's Method"
Martha's Polenta
10 cups cold water
1 heaping tablespoon coarse salt
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups coarse-ground polenta meal
Freshly ground pepper


Directions


1. Put 6 cups cold water, the salt and bay leaf into a Dutch oven or a heavy stockpot, and bring to a boil. Bring remaining 4 cups cold water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add polenta to large pot in handfuls, separating your fingers to let the grains slip through and whisking constantly until combined. Reduce heat until only a couple of large bubbles appear at a time.
3. Whisk 2 ladlefuls of simmering water into polenta, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Continue to add 2 ladlefuls of water every 5 minutes, stirring often and waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more, until polenta is creamy and just pulls away from sides of pot, about 45 minutes. (It may be necessary to adjust heat.)
4. If not serving immediately, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover pot and keep warm until ready to serve. (Up to 1 hour). Remove bay leaf. Season with pepper.
5. For soft polenta only: Stir in butter. Sorry GiGi. Earth Balance. Use a damp spoon to serve. Top each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Sorry I didn't mean that, GiGi! I mean nutritional yeast, GiGi!
6. For set polenta only: Pour into a slightly damp medium bowl (or a 13-by-9-inch baking dish). Let stand until no longer steaming, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered until cold and set, about 1 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Up to 2 days). Turn out polenta. Using plain dental floss, cut horizontally in half, pulling string toward you. Cut in half crosswise, pressing string downward. Cut each half lengthwise into 1 1/2 inch-wide strips, cut strips crosswise into thirds, and then into triangles or squares if desired. (Alternatively, cut polenta with a knife.)


Option 2: "GiGi's Way"
ZzzzzzOh come on Martha, I mean I really appreciate you blogging with me but, dental floss? Dental Floss!!?

For the polenta part, "GiGi's Method":
Purchase one cylinder premade polenta and slice into rounds, then half moons. That's it. Your turn Martha.

Option 1: Sauce "Martha's Method"
Be sure to pick the ripest greenhouse tomatoes. Remember how you lovingly tended to the vines while the pool boy watched.

I'm sorry Martha. Again I really appreciate you helping me blog here, but me and the readers have to get some sleep and we haven't eaten yet. And your revery as delightful as it may be is just taking a little too much time. Say good night Martha :)

Sorry folks no more options tonight. Let's cook this baby up. I can't believe Martha was about to use real parm...what was she thinking? And dental floss?

GiGi's Fast and Effective Polenta Casserole continued from above.
1-2 Cups marinara sauce
2 C roasted broccoli (spray foil lined roasting pan with olive oil and bake at 450 degrees about 15 minutes)
1/2 C pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1 C Daiya mozzarella
1/4 C nooch (nutritional yeast)
1 tsp dried oregano

Pre Oven Polenta

1. Lightly spray casserole dish with olive oil. Place rounds or moons in dish layer with 1 T sauce per round, and one piece of roasted broccoli per round. Layer until there is no more polenta :(
Top with Daiya. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. Eat.
3. Now would be a good time for you to use use Martha's floss.
4. Go to bed.
5. Tomorrow's is another day of Mofo.Sweet vegan dreams. Lalalala.

Post oven Polenta

MoFo Day 2 Wedding Anniversary and a Theme Within a Theme Within a Theme

Guess what? Today is me and Psycho Boy's 21st wedding anniversary. We got married kind of young. We both were ten years old, but we had fake proof. Isn't it funny how our wedding anniversary coincided with World Veg Day? Today we are going to World Veg Day and then having dinner at Gracias Madre. Gracias Madre is the Mexican food sister to Cafe Gratitude, the vegan raw joint where every meal starts with an affirmation.

I would like the "I am phenomenal" almond shake please.

Then the wait person, repeats back to you., "Yes, you are phenomenal". Then you say, "you are phenomenal."  No, you are. And they say, well you get the picture, because "You are phenomenal!".

Here's something else about affirmations I really should tell you about. Never repeat an affirmation in the negative. For instance, do not say,"I do not suck as a food blogger". Instead say,"I am the queen of food blogging". Even though you may not  think that. If the universe hears you say, "I am the queen of food blogging" enough, you might begin to think that you rule the food world and one day you might even become infant Jesus' personal chef. Ever notice how Chef jackets and straight jackets look remarkably alike?

You might be thinking....Where's the food on this freaking blog today, GiGi? Well. Seems like some photo genius whiz blogger just posted about "Gracias Madre", the very restaurant I was going to take some less than average pictures of. Check these crazy ass pictures out. OMG. They are featured over at the drool worthy Vegan Culinary Crusade blog.
I suck! Whoops I mean I am the queen photographer of below average pictures .Maybe I'll take a photo essay of me jumping off the Bay Bridge today.

Here's the other thing. Yesterday while reading all 850 MoFo blogs I saw that most of the  smarty boots bloggers have come up with themes for MoFo. I might not be the sharpest measuring spoon in the drawer but I thought MoFo was the theme. I think that these bloggers' themes are themes within a theme. Ohhhhh. I get it. I think.  So if we can drive past the Bay Bridge safely today, here are a few themes I will include in the month of Vegan Food.

GiGi's Theme within a Theme

Martha's Peas

1. Veganizing Martha- I will veganize some of Martha's recipes from her pre-jail bait days, (pre 2005). I will also include a few recipes Martha came up with while she was in the can. Who can forget how Martha made eyeliner out of peas for the other pen gals?
1.a. Peas might also make a good theme.

Martha walking towards the yard to pick some veggies.

Inmate with green pea eyeliner, Martha whipped up in the pen.

2. Ripping off Rip- You know Rip Esselstyn the writer of the Best selling, "Engine 2 Diet"? His diet is more of a plan, plant based of course. It includes, no sugar, no white flour, no oil. Today is day 21 for us on the plan. Shorthand for this plan is E2, but since I will be ripping off most of Rip's recipes, let's call this the G2 plan.

Fireman Rip and his fruits.

3. And back by unpopular demand, I will include more Video footage of inanimate objects. Happy Mofo Day 2. And Happy Anniversary, Baby!

MoFo Morning 1 Pie Jolt

MoFo Morning

MoFo Morning Espresso Yourself Pie
If you eat this for breakfast, you must eat broccoli for lunch. Below see components sans soy yogurt and cocoa powder I decided to add while processing.

The above espresso is better as a food ingredient, because really who wants to drink instant any kind of instant coffee.

First let's make the crust. If you are new to my blog , let me give you a quick recap of the last few weeks. My crazy man and I have been on the Rip Esselstyn Engine 2 Plan. Since we run a vegan baking company this has been a wee bit of a challenge. Plus Rip himself has not been very supportive, (he has deleted my last post from his site), even though I wanted to do an Engine 2 giveaway. More about that later. Here is the crust I ripped out of Rip's book.

Riffin on Rip Crust
1 C dates
2/3 C walnuts
1/3 C raw cashews
1 tsp non-alcoholic vanilla

Mix all the above ingredients together in a food processor until it's kind of sticky, because you are going to pour it into a pie plate. Press the crust evenly onto the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of pie plate.

Caffeine Mousse
1 package silken tofu
2 T instant espresso
2 T cocoa
1.5 T vanilla soy yogurt
1/3 C agave

Raspberry Topping
As many raspberries as you want (washed)
1T raspberry jam
1T water

Sprinkling of cacao nibs

Blend all the Caffeine ingredients together so that they will go down smooth and give you a good buzz. Fill pie crust.
Add raspberries in concentric circles or just plop them on, who can see in the dark anyway. In separate cup mix water and raspberry jam to make a quickie glaze and paint on the plopped on raspberries.

Sprinkle with cacao nibs for an extra jolt. You might want to make this pie the night before so it sets in the frig over night. Remember to set your alarm for MoFo 2!

Autumnal Pumpkin Pancakes with Bob's Dread Mill

The vegan boards are in an upheaval. That's right. Apparently Bob and Mrs. Bob the retired founders of Bob's Red Mill have considered donating a hunk of money to an Oregon corporation that does animal testing. This is not good, especially since lots of vegans, me included have at least one of Bob's products in their pantry. Bob's face is even on the front of the package. We have a package of unopened Bob's Gluten Free all purpose baking flour in the cupboard. Now what should we do with this brand new bag of Bob's? Well, rationalize of course. See no evil, hear no evil...doesn't usually  work for me. However I did purchase said bag before Bob's Red Mill became Bob's Dead Mill. So after much deliberating, Crazy Boy and I decided to see what would happen if we used some of evil Bob's flour. Would we be struck down? Would we be ostracized from the vegan community? My activist friends know where we live. Would we wake up to find that our apartment had been leafleted, toilet papered and bloodstained in the middle night? Would my reveries of being a poster child for PETA end?
C'mon, please dear vegan friends, we bought this gluten free flour way before Bob and Charlee donated to the evil corporation and we besides we want pancakes for dinner.

Psycho boy googled an Engine 2 suitable pancake recipe and without reservation, tore open the Bag with his teeth, and got to work. For some crazy reason he used a waffle recipe for pancakes. Sometimes waffle and pancake recipes are interchangeable. Sometimes waffle batters are thinner. Personally I didn't want to take any chances. I was scared enough using the butcher's bag of gluten free flour. PBoy mixed the batter together and heated the pan. I hid in the closet with a crucifix and some roasted garlic.
Let me know when it's ready, I'm freaking starving, I croaked from my place of darkness.
Stop panicking it's just a bag of gluten free flour, your friends won't find out, PBoy said.
Yeah they will. They know everything there is to know about butchering. And then they'll show up with picket signs.

And then I heard it, bloodcurdling Linda Blair screams coming from the man who was once my husband.
I ran to the kitchen, stopping on the way to pick up another makeshift rosary. Actually it was two Popsicle sticks and a necklace stuck together.
What is it????
Oh these stupid pancakes have no oil in the pan because we're on this E2 Plan and they are sticking to the skillet. Damn it!
So add some more spray.
Okay.
Anything else?
NO..They're almost ready.
Good I'm starving.

I must say they were excellent pancakes, except for their obvious deformities, hence no pics.
Use this recipe at your own risk! Bahahaha.

Sideshow Punk-in Pancakes Gluten Free


11/4 Bob's Dread Mill Gluten Free Fix
2 T cornstarch
1 T ground flax seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2  tsp ginger
1/ 2 tsp allspice
1 T agave
3/4 C solid-pack canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
11/2 C rice milk or any vegan milk thereof
2 tablespoons orange juice

 Spray skillet with canola spray, heat pan. Mix all ingredients together. (Batter will be thick; add more liquid if you want a thinner batter.) You will need to spray skillet between batters. Proceed at your own risk. Oh stop waffling. Any thoughts on the Bob's Red Mill debacle?

The Art of the Baked Potato

Day 11 on Engine 2. If you've been diligently following the Veganville blog, (my mommy won't even add herself as a follower), you would know by now what Engine 2 or E2 is without googling. Don't feel like googling? Just take a gander at Veganville's most recent blogs and you'll garner enough top secret information to understand the fundamentals of the E2 eating plan.

Yep, today is 11 with no sugar, flour or oil. Here's an update of how I feel, which includes the perks and the challenges.

Perks:
1. I have so much energy that I have appointed myself leader of the free world.
2. My skin is as soft as a baby's bottom that has been injected with botox.
3. My middle age tire tummy is almost flat.
4. I am less of a slug.
5. My brain is not as foggy as London town.
6. I get to call my jeans, "skinny jeans".
7. Those 2 stupid and annoying water pimples vanished.
8. Psycho boy is nicer- (this really should be top on the list of perks)
9. It's easier to choose what to have for dinner, since there is not much to choose from.
10. The food bill has decreased. If you fold the bill in half it will have a crease.

Challenges:
1. Initially it was hard to determine portion size. I don't think Rip the E2 fireman guy meant for me to eat 20 corn tacos in one sitting. Yes corn tacos are E2 approved food and Rip really doesn't indicate how many you should eat in one sitting. "Sitting" being the operative word here, if I continued on with those portion sizes my barrel tummy would never let me up.
2. Brownie edges! I always cut the edges off trays of PB brownies for orders. Those brownie edges are MINE! The rest of the tray is for your order. Okay, you can have the edges now.
3. When Swedish Fish are in the house.

Ooh look the perks outweigh the challenges. In all actuality me and crazy guy feel so much better that we plan to keep on keeping on with this. This plan does not feel like deprivation. It feels healthy and cathartic and we can differentiate between real exhaustion and sugar lethargy.

The other night we even had a baker party. A baker party is a perfect way to initiate non-vegans into the vegan fray. The food is recognizable and the toppings rock. I am bummed that no one thought of taking pics. We were having too good a time to stop for a photo op. I made 2 pots of awesome chili and 23 baked potatoes. If you really want to bake them, never put the potatoes in foil. That only steams them. Way back when, I used to hang in a jazz club in Los Angeles that served all kinds of stuffed baked potatoes. It was called "The Baked Potato"!

I made a dessert buffet that included Sam Sam loaf, cookies, voopees, 3 different Rice Dream ice creams, almond mousse, and chocolate mousse. We had friends bring potato toppers. There was so much we could eat on E2 that Larry and I were even full. Don't worry we'll have another baker party for MoFo and post pics and a chili recipe then. In the meantime, here is sugar free mousse.

Almond Mousse

1 silken tofu
1/4 C almond butter
2 T agave

Add ingredients to food processor and well...process. Refrigerate. Enjoy.

The Perfect Potato

1 - 1000's of potatoes, scrubbed not peeled
canola spray
sea salt to taste
seasoning of choice




http://www.thebakedpotato.com/

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spray scrubbed potatoe(s) and sprinkle with sea salt and seasoning of choice. Bake 1/2 hour, then flip potatoes over and cook another 1/2 hour. Take them out of the oven. The outsides will be crispy and the insides will be fluffy. Like me :) 
The bottom line is we feel good! I intend to bring this plan all the way through October. I would love for you to join me on it. Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Here's to your health!What's your favorite baker topper?