A Dickensian Tale and 2013 Pie

We were going to do a Kickstarter campaign to get some funding for Veganville, which is how the above video began. We couldn't figure out a mission statement, and then we realized our mission was just to stay out of the Mission. Let's get real here, our real mission is to keep Larry out of the poky so we need money for that. Yeah, so our mission is to raise money...um for us. When you think about it what else could be more altruistic than giving money to our cause. Remember you can save your tax dollars by keeping us on the outside, and  you'll be giving to a worthy vegan cause- US. 
Please give what you can, and if your can't right now, please keep coming back to this blog, because it's never too late to donate to US. Thank you. 

Below please find  last year's Thanksgiving pie, called "Home Sweet Home Spelt Pie." I made this with the hope that it would not be our last home cooked meal.

This is not a baking mistake or a burnt crust from my baking. My "Home Sweet Home Spelt Pie" looked really good out of the oven. Unfortunately it got singed when Larry lit the house on fire. Still it manages to look festive, Right?

The recipe can be found in babycakes. It's a wonderful book, but Erin couldn't think of calling this anything other than "Apple Pie."  Hmmmph.

In the meantime...we've got these people to thank.

Video
Written and Directed: GiGi
DP/Director all cinematography except interview: Jeremy Fukunaga
DP and Post Production film editors, Directors:
Jake Gomez
Rick Lee Rahn

Director Interview: Tim Mull

Order of Appearance:
Fletcher Brooke: Brooke Fletcher
Skutch Sandalman: Tim Mull
Larry: Larry Tasse
GiGi: GiGi 
Zombie 1: Molly McCormick
Zombie 2: Noreen Poli
Zombie 3: Brooke Fletcher
Zombie 4: Tim Mull


Coming Soon:
Our Gargantuan Donation Button!!!
and some cookies.

Thank you for reading and viewing.

xxx
GiGi

Winner of the "It's a Cookbook" contest announced!

Hi everybody! And now the moment you all have been waiting for, that is if you remembered that you entered our Veganville giveaway.

Yeah, remember you played for a chance to win this? Take a gander at the book below! That's the prize!

And don't cry if you didn't win. Nobody wants to see a big vegan baby, and if you have a hissy fit I won't let you play our next giveaway, because you are a big baby and a sore loser. Crying is okay during "Earthlings" but not during my giveaway. Let's be happy for the winner, shall we?!

So I placed everybody's name even anonymous people's names in the random number generator. The generator spit out the following winner.

 ILSA HESS 

Ilsa, please step forward and claim your prize! Sorry about the generator spit. Congratulations!!
Thank you all for playing.

Stay tuned for our next video sometime in the next few days.

xxx
GiGi

Mofo 2013 The GiGi Doppelganger and Gluten Free Cookies

Good morning everybody in Mofo Land. Larry, here. Did GiGi ever mention to you that we live in a destination spot? It's true, people come from far and wide to hangout on the famous Solano Avenue which is a mile and half row of restaurants, boutiques, an indie movie theatre etc. and just happens to be around the corner from us. Living here in this cool area makes up for our MRI sized dwelling. The cat kids and Jerry love it. Anyway, yesterday was the annual Solano Stroll. Since 1974 Solano Avenue and the twin-cities of Albany and Berkeley CA, have hosted the Solano Avenue Stroll, the east bay's largest street festival! They feature over five hundred vendors including entertainers, food booths, government and non-profit agencies, hand-crafters and more! Participants and the event guests visit from everywhere throughout California! (Some even from out of the state.)

Now I am well aware that I might be a suspect in the disappearance of GiGi, however I have decided to take the matter into my own piano playing hands. I decided to scour the streets of the stroll for GiGi and because there are not a lot of vegan options at the Stroll for GiGi, I figured she might be hungry. I brought some GF sugar free, oil free cookies she had frozen just before she... she, you know went missing from her blog. Maybe the cookies would entice her. First the cookies, then the footage and stills. Do you think this is GiGi or a GiGi doppelganger? 

Gingersnaps

3/4 C melted coconut oil
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp sea salt
3 T molasses
1 C agave
2 T non-alcoholic vanilla
2 1/4 C GF  "Perfect Blend" flour
1/4 C flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
jam optional

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In medium bowl combine the first 5 ingredients. In another medium bowl whisk the dry ingredients. With a spatula carefully add the dry to the wet ingredients until a grainy dough is formed. Using a small scoop scoop dough onto prepared baking pans, spacing 1 inch apart. Flatten with heel of your hand. Bake cookies 1 inch apart for 9 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 6 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks for ten minutes and then remove cookies from pan. Let cool and then spread one cookie with jam of your choice and top with another cookie. 

Is this GiGi?

Anyone with any information concerning GiGi is urged to contact: 

Jerk Tempeh, Slaw, and a Library Book

I observed a blogging trend in the first week of 2013. Quite a number of vegan bloggers listed their favorite posts of 2012. Since I am a mover and a shaker, (worth my salt, baha ha shaker- salt ?!), and like to get the leg up on the competition, like being number one in the universe, am incredibly brilliant, am humble enough to respect what other writers in the vegan community do, and like to be on the cutting edge, I bring you Veganville's Best of...

which would be the post before this one, my only 2013 post and this one if I finish it. I had a really great New Year's Day she-bang but none of my friends took any food pics. Only vegans do that. Apparently my friends are more than happy to take pics of back room Bingo Parlors, but none of my spectacular Hoppin' John. I am beginning to think my friends suck. I mean none of them go to the library either. They have kindles and nookies and unlimited credit for Amazon. My friend Noreen reasons that she doesn't like the gook she's found stuck to library pages. I say she doesn't know what she's missing. I scored a lime green lollipop once. Page 72 of the Shirley Temple Black autobiography. 

Last week I was super stoked to take out a new Raw dessert cookbook from my local library . Yep, as you know I dig those raw date nut crusts and and all things nut. I am not mentioning the book because I don't like giving any body a bad rap or rep except maybe well hmm, Ann Coulter but she did not write this book. All these stupid recipes said was, put this cookie in your dehydrator for 36 hours, put this fruit in your 535 dollar Vita-Mix. Put this in that and that in this. If I had 36 hours I would make ten batches of cookies, and if I didn't spend all my money in a tattoo parlor, don't you think I would have a Vita-Mix by now? I did find a dried fig on page 32 though. I love the library.

I just took out Bryant Terry's newest book out of the library, and now I am the library patron who gunks up the book, (not true, not true). I am totally going to buy this book, but a new one without green sauce smeared on page 65. I like this book so much I decided to make it overdue.

Look inside to see if you got something.

I made Jerk Tempeh, which took about 1/36th of the time to cook as those stupid dehydrator  cookies and whipped up my own kale-tahini sauce. I riffed on Bryant's cabbage beet slaw, and instead made a pineapple broccoli slaw. The sweet slaw definitely complimented the spicy tempeh. We even had leftovers. Because I am mighty generous I left a little tempeh chunk for the lucky patron who takes this book after I return it to the library. Nicer than a lolly, don't ya think?

GiGi's Kale-Tahini Sauce-(that's the green stuff on top of Terry's tempeh)

1 clove garlic minced
1/2 C water
2 T Rotel (Kendy over@ Miss Muffcake turned me onto this, it's chopped tomato with diced chili)
2.5 T tahini
1 C packed kale torn from it's ribs-(this is not violent!)
2 T lemon juice
sea salt

Spray a pan with canola oil and saute garlic and sea salt for about two minutes. Transfer to blender and puree with remainder of ingredients.

Broccoli Slaw with Pineapple-(riffin' on Terry)

1/2 Bag of TJ's broccoli slaw mix
1 C pineapple chunks (juice reserved)
3 T pineapple juice
2.5 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp non-alcoholic dijon mustard
1/4 C kale torn into pieces
2 tsp agave
1/4 C silken tofu 
1/2 C chopped pecans
1.5 Granny Smith apples cored and julienned

Place broccoli slaw and pineapple chunks in bowl. Set aside. In upright blender combine and puree all ingredients except pecans and apples. Salt to taste. Pour enough dressing over slaw and massage, (wash your hands please), as if you would kale. Layer onto plate. Slaw, apple, slaw, apple,top with pecans and drizzle with dressing. 

You can find Bryant Terry's recipe for Jerk Tempeh on page 132, along with the surprise I left you.

Thank you for stopping by. 

A Cooler Quiche

I must have ordered a custardy quiche at least once when I was a young veg. Quiche, lentil loaf, sprouts, carob almonds from a bin, and fresh squeezed carrot juice were the kind of foods I could find in a Venice, California hippie store in the late 70's early 80's.
I know I had a dog eared copy of Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook which featured a Swiss and mushroom quiche. I bought Molly's follow up book the Enchanted Broccoli Forest and that had a spinach and broccoli quiche in it's contents. I don't remember making either quiche. I do remember an ex-fiance creating a cheezy eggy delight he paired with a green goddess salad and served up with too many bottles of wine. Years later a kind boyfriend's mom cooked a veg version of her quiche Lorraine just for me. Still I don't remember ordering or particularly caring if a quiche was part of my culinary arsenal or not. Truth be told, I appreciated everyone's efforts but quiche reminded me a little of dust.

I had one spelt pie crust left from the pie shell two pack, (sounds like a rapper), after I used one for the apple pie ice creme fiasco. As you know I eventually triumphed. You can read about the victory here. I just so happened to have all the ingredients on hand for a quiche from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch. If Isa thought a quiche was cool, then what the heck.

Based on Isa's Classic Broccoli Quiche

canola spray
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
3 C broccoli finely chopped
1 tsp thyme
TJ's 24 salute spice
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 C raw cashews
1 lb extra firm tofu
3 tsp mustard
2 vine ripened tomatoes
9 inch pie crust

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Poke bottom of pie shell with fork about 5 times to prevent it to puffing up. Bake for ten minutes. Preheat skillet and spray. Saute onion and garlic for a bout 3 minutes, add broccoli and seasonings and cook for about ten minutes until soft. Add water if it gets dry.

Meanwhile in food processor pulse cashew into fine crumbs, give tofu a squeeze to remove some excess water and crumble into food processor with the mustard. Process until relatively smooth. When the broccoli is done cooking add one cup to food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer cashew mix to mixing bowl and add remainder of broccoli mixture and combine. Taste for salt. Use a spatula to get everything into the crust and smooth top. Place tomatoes around pie and bake for about 40 minutes until edges of the crust are slightly brown. Let sit for twenty minutes before digging in.

As you can see I did not cook the tomatoes and still it was quite good and not at all dusty.

Love and quiches, (so 80's I know).

GiGi

MoFo 22 Breakfast For Din Din

Week 2 of Crazy Boy being out of commission. You know how every Wednesday Crazy Boy makes something, or signed on to make something for my blog. Well this is the second or third week in a row that he putzed around and didn't show up for his turn at the blog. As far as I can tell he is really sneezing. And he's coughing a little but not exactly hacking and he did sleep a lot today. I don't know. Do you think Crazy Boy is faking it? Do you think as Andrea from Andrea's Cook Easy blog suggested Crazy Boy might have to be confined to a bubble during allergy season? I could pump in some Michael Jackson music, visit once or twice a day and hand him some smoothies through the little flap in the bubble. Crazy Boy likes it when I dress up in my Haszmat suit. Do you think Crazy Boy might just be allergic to Wednesdays?

I made breakfast for dinner tonight in the hopes that CB would think it was Thursday.

 Homemade Granola with mixed fruit and an Orangenana Smoothie



I included Orange juice and coconut milk, flax seed and rice milk with a little Stevia and about 3 ice cubes in a blender. I flaked and did not pay attention to the measurements I used. :(

Here however is the Granola. It's based on Bryant Terry's black, brown and green granola  from the Vegan Soul Kitchen.

4 C old fashioned rolled oats
1 C chopped roasted almonds
3/4 C shredded coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C apple juice
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1/2 C pure maple syrup
2 tsp non-alcoholic vanilla
1 C chopped dried dates
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and evenly spread the oats. Bake for 20 minutes stirring every five minutes for even toasting. Remove from oven and transfer to large bowl. Add the almonds, coconut and cinnamon and stir well. Reduce oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix the apple juice, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla together. Pour over granola mixture and mix until the granola is well coated.
Pour mixture back on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown stirring every 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water to reconstitute. After a minute drain and return to bowl. Set aside.

When granola is done pour back into bowl, mix in dried fruit and pour back onto baking sheet to cool.

I look forward to making dinner for breakfast tomorrow.
So what do you think? Is Psycho Boy just a big baby faker?

Hey You, Want Some Candy?

I've been down and out. Me and crazy boy really hit the skids. In my experience, nobody shares almonds. It's hard to get a nutritious meal from the food banks. We once got a fifty pound bag of potato flakes and three 16 ounce jars of sugar and oil laden generic peanut butter. One church attendant called us entitled when I gave back the cans of spam and deviled ham that were in our bounty. Well true, we still had our teeth and a toothbrush to share. We even had  jobs and  we could clean ourselves up in the sink of the local Amtrak lavatory. Hmmm, maybe we were entitled, maybe we were a special kind of homeless couple. Our kind of homeless was way before the 99% occupy was fashionable. We were the one per cent. Homeless employed vegans, but stuff happens even to those who are cruelty free. The good news was that my Bloomies card hadn't totally run out so, I had my last hurrah and ran up credit for a couple of bad ass bras. I guess I could have purchased some almonds or shoes instead of the undies, but it's tough on those mean streets and it's good to feel like you got some under armour.

Chocolate Almond Boats with Strawberry Topping

I've tried making quite a few raw chocolates and thus far this has been my favorite. The chocolate base is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty's You Won't Believe It's Vegan.  We also made some bark which was equally delicious.

Chocolate Base
1 C raw cacao nibs
1 C agave
1.5 C coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
1/2 C almond slivers

Blend all ingredients, except almonds in food processor or blender, until completely smooth. Stir in almonds. Pour into candy molds or spread on parchment lined sheet pan. Freeze until firm. Store in freezer until firm.

Almond Mousse Recipe (in the Veganville archives)

Strawberry Topping (also in the Veganville archives, but hidden under the code word blueberry...oh just exchange fruits)
Well it is our sincere hope that this post has given you some food for thought. You can't always judge a book by it's cover. And because we've been through it and have lived to tell it we encourage you to say hi to your local panhandler, give them a smile, some dental floss and some much needed greens. We usually protect our anonymity when it comes to our charitable deeds, but we hope you can follow our example.So, in addition to helping one or two animals every 6 months, Veganville now contributes two jumbo cupcakes every 5th Saturday to our favorite Vet on the street. Next month we will be contributing to Junkie Joe and his pitbull Axe. Won't 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

Riffin on Robin- Sweet Potato Enchiladas

It saddens me every time someone jumps the vegan ship. There are always a couple deserters after MoFo. This is always balanced out by the bloggers and readers who make a true commitment after experiencing all the enticing vegan food and many more reasons to come over to our side. I can't help it. Those cry babies kind of bug me." I can't live without my Dennie's bypass breakfast, and what about the cute hot dog vendor I used to support?" Waaaa Waaa Waaa. How 'bout a tofu scramble with tempeh bacon, and there are lots of hot vegan sausage vendors out there too, you know.  Meh, they'll be back!

That being said, I scored a great vegan cookbook from one of those vegan traitors. I don't know the Benedict Arnold personally, BA gave the book to my buddy Mo who's a veg and usually just cooks with me. Mo passed this awesome book on to me. Thank you :)

I am an avid reader of recipes and cookbooks. I often like to put my own twist on the basic recipe. Oh, by the way, said cookbook is Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet. I think the following recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or "Be Grateful Day". Either as a side or main dish. Thank you Robin Robertson for the great inspiration.

Riffin on Robin's Sweet Potato Enchiladas

I left out the oil, added crumbled tofu, liquid smoke, and roasted chilies. This recipe is awesome by itself but would also be great with some guac on top and maybe some melted Daiya Pepper Jack.

Recipe Riff

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
canola spray
1 large garlic clove minced
1/2 can Ortega roasted chilies
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 T liquid smoke
1 tsp Tabasco
sea salt to taste
1 14 oz firm tofu drained pressed and crumbled
2 C salsa ( I used TJ's  roasted garlic salsa)
8 large whole grain tortillas
1/4 red onion finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and press tofu for about 15 minutes each side. Spray cookie sheet with canola spray and add peeled and diced sweet potatoes in a single layer. Roast for about 12 minutes, then turn the potatoes over and roast 12 more minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees.
While the potatoes are cooking you can get the rest of the filling going. (if you are so inclined)

Filling with Sweet Potatoes

Spray skillet with canola spray and heat to medium high. Add garlic and chilies and saute for about 30 seconds. Add beans, tomatoes, liquid smoke and Tabasco. Stir for about 5 minutes. Mix in tofu and then sweet potatoes. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Spread a thin layer of salsa over the bottom of sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan/dish. Set aside. Place a tortilla on a flat surface and spoon about 2-3 T of the filling down the center. Roll it up and place seam down on the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Spoon any remaining salsa over the panned enchiladas. Top with remaining salsa and red onions. Cover loosely with foil.

Pre Oven

Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let those turncoats get a whiff of this. They'll be back!!









Transylvanian Stroganoff and Comfort

I'm waiting for last minute entries to trickle in and watching the weather channel for updated hurricane news. I've been praying for all my friends and family back on the east coast. Some of my friends have been evacuated. My FB page really has the most up to date news that is fit to print. What kind of meals are served in evacuation shelters anyway? What's happening to the stores and the restaurants? Wishing you all safety, warmth and nourishment. Here is some comfort food.

Thursdays are our day off in Veganville, so we either take time to experiment in the kitchen or hit up a new vegan restaurant. I asked Crazy boy what he wanted to do and he said he wanted me to whip up some stroganoff. I've had Vegan Vengeance for years. The pesto stains and melted chocolate in the margins indicate how it's one of my go to books. Although the stroganoff looked like a great dish I've never been a seitan worshipper, so this beautiful recipe has been abandoned until now. CB promised to chop the onions into little half moons like Isa suggests. Onions make me weep, which can be cathartic when I'm not famished. He promised to photograph the stroganoff in stages too. It was a done deal.
We were very happy with the results and it made enough for three dinners. I'm still not a huge fan of seitan but I do love pronouncing "stroganoff" with a Transylvanian accent. It makes the dinner more fun. Hey did you ever take "transylvanian meditation"? Bahaha.

Transylvanian Stroganoff Variation on Isa's Stroganoff

2 T arrowroot or cornstarch (I used cornstarch)
2 C vegan broth or cold water (I used 365 vegan broth)
8 tsp olive oil
1 C shallots thinly sliced
1 large onion cut into half moons by Larry (if you don't have a Larry, anyone who doesn't sob will do)
3 cloves garlic minced
2 C cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
2 portabello caps thinly sliced
2 T thyme
1 package seitan (we used a smoked seitan) or 3.5 C seitan all sliced in wide thin strips
2 tsp sea salt
Isa uses 1 C burgundy wine (we are allergic to wine so we used 3/4 C water with 1/4 aged balsamic)
1 T Hungarian paprika
1/2 C nooch
1/2 C plain soy milk
2 tsp Dijon mustard (I use 365 mustard- sans wine)
1 C frozen peas
1/2 pound wide noodles (we used fresh pasta)

Dissolve the cornstarch in the 2 C of broth. Set aside. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, all the mushrooms and thyme. Saute for 15 minutes.

While this is sauteing heat a cast iron skillet with remaining 2 tsp of olive oil. Add seitan and saute over medium heat 'til brown and crispy. If you use store bought like we did this will take ten minutes. If using homemade seitan it will take about 25 minutes.

Okay, back to the sauce. Add salt, water and balsamic or wine and paprika. Turn up heat to high so liquid reduces, about ten minutes.
Lower heat to medium high and add cornstarch mixture, stir well and let the sauce thicken for about 5 minutes Add nooch and mix 'til well dissolved.

Add soy milk and mustard and bring heat down to low. Isa says to be very careful here not to let the mix boil, since boiling can make the soy milk and mustard bitter.

Add the seitan and peas, and cook for 10 more minutes. Prepare your noodles according to package directions. Divide noodles amongst dishes and top with the stroganoff. Tofu sour cream is really good on top too.

Hey thanks for the pics CB. I'll be back with a winner of Veganville's most recent contest a little later today.Thanks for playing everyone. In the meantime, may you all  find comfort in the middle of life's storms.

Time Warp Salad

Way back when, in a land of 8 track cassettes, iron on band tee shirts and bands called Iron Butterfly...back when tiny sawdusted hippie granola stores were the only places this veggie kid could slop together something kind to eat... mostly fresh peanut butter and carob rice cakes... Yeah way back when, my sister Heidels and I turned orange. And No... our orange tint wasn't from some Timothy Leary- Jerry Garcia sunshiny thing either. And no one of those primordial QT tan tubes didn't do it either. Remember those things? My mom tried QT on her tennis tan- white feet first. This gave her George Hamilton tootsies. Boy oh boy fake tans have come along way. No sirree no QT for Heidels and me. And still one day we woke up looking like a couple of tangerines.
We put our two noggins together and explored our furnished Los Angeles apartment for the culprit. Hmmm- no radiation leak. We had traded our screwdrivers and "tango" in for tequila so orange juice wasn't the problem. Where were we last night anyway? Our detective work didn't last long. We needed some strong ass coffee fast. Besides we reasoned, maybe everybody looks like "Tang" in LA.  Grab your shades, Heidels, my heads pounding let's go get some Joe. We got in Heidel's bug with the sunroof and were off.

Breakfast
GiGi: We'd like a pot of the strongest coffee you got.
Heidels: And a couple of margaritas.
GiGi: Ooh look they have carrot juice.
Heidels: Oh yeah and 2 large carrot juices. We're dehydrated.
GiGi: And look this is the place with the best carrot salad ever. Lets get 2 quarts to take home.
Heidels: Here's to vitamin D.
GiGi: And A.
Heidels: Gotta stogey?
GiGi: Yeah. Here you go, you grub.
Wow I forgot how much I love carrot salad. Really. Let's reinvent the decade!

I paired the carrot salad with a kashi and bow tie recipe from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet,(great book), and topped the kashi with vegan sour cream. The flavors all really complimented each other. You're delicious, said the carrot salad. No, you are scrumptious, said the kashi. The bow ties remained mum. Yuk. Yuk.

Flashback Carrot Salad
Ingredients:
•3 cups grated carrots
•1/2 cup raisins
•1/2 cup vegenaise
•2T agave

•1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple

Add all ingredients except fruit to a large bowl and stir until combined well. Chill. I mean really. Just chill, man.

I'm Hungry!!!

Two of my buddies and I have tipped the scales again and have vowed to get back on track tomorrow. Actually, yesterday! This is not like my hefty blogs of yore, (remember that pissy nurse who weighed me last year?). Remember when that nasty ass nurse told me my bra was too tight...? That a too tight bra can cause back problems. Well that's not going to happen this time. I've stopped a bit before the booby trap snapped. I've also gotten more sane about food and brassieres. If I can spend money on food, (or in my case eat the remainders and profits of someone's order), I can afford a well made bra. I can also afford to purchase Isa Chandra Moscowitz',

"Appetite For Reduction"...Wonder if I can get it at a reduced price. I really wanna try it. I think we had our last hurrah this weekend.

It started off innocently. Yep Mo and I were going to split this portabello sandwich with yummy 1000 Island, (made with vegennaise, pickle relish and vegan BBQ sauce).We thought of making a lightweight vegan antipasto. Mo is some dicer/sous chef.

Instead we wound up with pounds of potato salad, (say that three times fast). Recipe coming soon.



Later that weekend we just had to down some Mexican Wedding Cookies we were making for a friend's surprise package. The recipe can be found in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy Of Vegan Baking". They are delish. A little too delish!

And these foods were all just the tip of the iceberg. And I'm not talking iceberg lettuce.

There's been a food fest all weekend. Hey don't worry. We can still eat great here at Veganville even though me and the home girls have to lose a few pounds. I'll be back with that kick ass potato salad recipe, right after I have my dinner of wilted watercress and boiled lemon.

Let's All Holler for Challah and a Contest Winner

Let's all holler for Challah! Challah Challah. The braided bread that's not just for Challah-days anymore. Enough of the bread jokes...Apparently I missed my Challing...yuk yuk and should have been a dumb joke writer, but hey wait a minute I was.
Anyway, while I was patiently waiting for another contestant to show up for the "I Got Into My Account" Contest I decided to make bread. Why not? Or in the case of Challah why knot? (Couldn't help myself). It takes hours and yep I had hours to go until I could rest.
Rest...you know that's a bread term don't you? The yeast has to rest and rise and rise and rest, just like a real person. Yeast is alive!! Bahaha. Anyway I like experimenting even after being in the kitchen all day. I haven't made challah in years and have always had a lot of fun with the braiding part. I would include a pic but the challah bread braid came out more like dreadlox.
I got the recipe from Amey's adorable cooklet. I won it last month and finally got an opportunity to make some. Check out  Amey's blog and her delcious properly braided challah. I must say our bread was quite delicious despite it's conspicuous hairdo.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for. No not that moment, silly! The winner of the "I Got Into My Account" Contest is (drumroll please)!
Big Bad Art! Check out their blog collective at http://bigbadartcollective.blogspot.com/
and while you're at it check out their ultra cool Etsy shops. Black Bird and Peacock makes some awesome journals. Larry totally loves this keyboard journal. Check it out!

Totally great, isn't it. Now, go give Blackbird and Peacock some love.Thanx for playing! Enjoy your recipe cards too!

MoFo 15 Throb,Throb, Food, Food

I don't want to get all maudlin on you or anything but I got something funky going on with my mouth. Why now? Couldn't something like this wait until MoFo was over. I need my mouth. My mouth contributes to my senses. I've been so busy that I've ignored the pain and never really took a good look at my mouth until the other night. Some nudnick was going on and on whining and boring the lot of us so I took the opportunity to excuse my self, find a public restroom and explore the inner workings of my mouth. Although the Pac and Save bathroom was not as good as my dentist's office I could tell that I have a tooth growing out of my left cheek. So rather than cook dinner last night I opted for a vanilla vegan milkshake, (my favorite), from Saturn Cafe http://saturncafe.com/, and had to forgo the awesome vegan nachos. Soft food is helping a little. Anyway, Saturn Cafe bills itself as, "your favorite vegetarian space age cafe", has a few vegan options and promise to add more. I'm crazy for their shakes and fat fries and chipotle, and wasabi dipping sauces. 

My buddy Marcia is going through a tough time and hanging with me and Larry for a while, so tonight we made comfort food and soft food to satisfy everybody.

I whipped up my fave sweet cornbread recipe, sauteed some mustard greens with lemon and garlic. Larry made mushroomy gravy from Veganomicon, and since I am partial to thick gravy, I made a slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch to 2 tsp cold water and added it to the already prepared gravy and cooked it for about 2 more minutes.

The food was deliciously soothing, however it did not heal this strange molar problem.

Do I look a little weird to you?

He who sleeps feels not the toothache. William Shakespeare

Night. See you tomorrow.