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!

I Smell Pot...Pie

So remember when I promised you the best pot pie recipe ever? It's coming up. I never made a pot pie before. Sure I made oodles of pot brownies but that was way back when- like pre-pokey.
Hey...where did those cats come from...I didn't know we had cats, do you have cats? Apparently we do, for some time now. Oh sorry, I'm back now. Larry directed me back to my blog.

Hi. So we made this with my students. They did a bang up job too, if I do say so myself.

Filling

The Filling
4 carrots, chopped
3 medium potatoes, chopped

3 scallions, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth (I make mine with water and bouillon cube)
1 cup frozen peas thawed

10  mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup 1/2 vegan chicken strips roughly chopped (about 8 strips)
1 cup firm tofu drained pressed and cubed

Crust:
2 C flour
1/2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 C oil
1/4 tsp bkg powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup water


1 T oil
3/4 C fresh spinach
1C Daiya or shredded vegan "sheeze"


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss carrots, potatoes, broccoli into a large stove pot, add the broth, bring to boil then simmer on low heat (covered) for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat oil in fry pan and saute scallion, vegan chick (you know what I mean) and cubed tofu. Saute for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. While the carrots, and potatoes and brocc are cooking up, go ahead and make that crust. Mix the crust ingredients together in a bowl. Lightly flour a work surface. Pat dough out on surface and divide in half. Evenly press 1/2 the dough onto the bottom of a deep rectangular glass baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
Tip: I always transfer my dough from the work surface by wrapping it onto a rolling pin and then unrolling it from the pin into the pan.

3. When the broth mix is done. Add the remaining veggies, chick mix shredded "sheeze" and nooch. Mix well.
 4. Spoon  filling into crust packing it down. Press the remaining dough on the top, and bake for 20-25 minutes. The top will be golden brown when it's ready.


This recipe is a variation on a recipe I found on Vegweb. Great pot dude. Hey- no bogarting. Anybody out there?








Lucky MoFo13 Paella Explained

Paella has often been confused with non related food items. Today I will clear up this mess.

Paella is sometimes mixed up with payos. Payos, is a side curl. Paella is sometimes a side dish. Paella although sometimes acidic is not at all Hasidic. In a dirty restaurant you might find a hair in your paella it still does not make a paella peyos.

Paella has sometimes been called payola, not crayola although yes, Paella is a colorful dish. I can understand the mix up. Paella is so tasty that you might want to give a local DJ some shekels to broadcast just how great paella is. Don't do it I say. Alan Freed's last dinner on the outside was Paella. Payola is not paella. Remember you don't want to wind up in the Big House.



So kids, now that we straightened that out, let's make the Valencian dish, Paella. I used turmeric because there was no saffron readily available.

1C basmati rice

2 C boiling H20

1 T olive oil

3/4 of an onion
1 green onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1 tomato diced
110 oz can of artichoke hearts drained
5 hearts of palm
2 Tofurky sausages sliced
1 C frozen peas thawed
1 tsp turmeric
1 T paprika
sea salt

Mix rice and boiling water and let stand for 20 minutes. When ready pour off water. In the mean time heat oil in large fry pan over medium heat,(I like to spray the pan first), and saute onion and garlic until translucent. 5 minutes or so.
Add tofurkey, peppers, tomato and saute another 3 minutes. Add broth, rice and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. Add sea slat, paprika, turmeric, peas, artichokes, hearts of palm. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

See ya manana.





Somewhere Beyond the "Dee"/Easy Indian Food

I bet you're not particularly fond of narrow minded people either. I mean why pass judgement when you don't have the facts. You know that old adage. Point one finger and there are three pointing back at you. I'd like to think of myself as a kind, just, non-discriminating person. The other day while minding my own business I realized how much I love to create other people's biographies without even knowing one iota about them. Oh come on, I don't care what a good hearted little vegan you are, you know you do it too. It's true.To add fuel to the fire, I mix people up. I don't have a television but I love to watch the Food Network in my head, (of course I'm the star), and I often visit their site to peruse their recipes. Because I don't have the Food Network outside my cerebral palace, I honestly thought that Sandra Dee, who incidentally died in 2005, had a new cooking show. I didn't even know Gidget could cook. I glanced at one of her books once. She has this 70/30 ready made philosophy going. She believes that 70% of your ingredients should be ready made and 30% from scratch. What a cheater. Poor Bobby Darin. Sandra Dee's teeth are a little too white, and her makeup is a little too perfect. I think she should be wearing a nose ring in her cookbook author picture.

Much to my chagrin I just went over to the Food Network to look at her true story. My apologies, Sandra Lee - Lee. Lee. Lee, as in Bruce Lee. Sh**



GiGi 70/30 Vegan Apology Recipe

1 Butternut Squash

2 T Agave

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

sea salt to taste

1 Bag TJ Biryani Rice

1/4 Bag frozen organic Peas thawed

1 C raisins (optional)

1 Jar TJ's  Vegan Curry Sauce

1 10 oz. Firm tofu drained and pressed or drained and wrapped in non-fuzzy towel and water leached

2-3 T olive oil

1 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Cumin

sea salt to taste

canola spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash squash, cut in half and spoon out that yukky stringy stuff and seeds. Cut in half or thirds. Spray with canola spray. Place face down on lightly greased pan. Drizzle each half with one T of agave and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Bake for 45 minutes, turn over halfway through baking.

Tofu Sticks. Cut tofu in half width wise, then cut into 6 sticks lengthwise, which will give you a dozen, smarty pants. Lightly spray pan and place tofu sticks on top.Spray tops with canola spray, then turn over and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Place in oven with the squash. It's the same (400 degree temp). Bake for 20 minutes and then flip and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Here's the Sandra part. Cook Biryani Rice according to package directions. Add thawed peas half way through. Open jar and heat in sauce pan. When everything is ready to go, plate and pour curry sauce over whatever your little heart desires. Now take credit for a beautiful meal. I won't tell.

Easy Peasy

This vegan recipe is so easy you'll be pleasy!
This dish has so many good things going for it too.
It's vegan-but you already knew that.
Lots of the ingredients are already prepped for you.
You can purchase just about everything in one- stop shopping.
Just one skillet so there's less clean-up.
Even your meat chomping pals will love it.
For those of you who think you suck as a cook, you can just throw that culinary self-loathing out the window.
With this new signature culinary masterpiece you can now tape this quote to your bathroom mirror and repeat after me..."I am a vegan culinary goddess/god".


Easy Peasy
(serves 2)
1/4 of onion diced (optional)
1 pre packaged polenta (Trader Joe's is good) cut in circles then quarters.
1/4- 1/2 bag frozen organic peas thawed
1 vegan chorizo link
1/2 tomato chopped
olive oil and olive oil spray
1/2 avocado (optional)
Dollop of Vegan sour cream(optional)
Cilantro (optional)


Polenta has a tendency to stick to the pan so I like to spray the pan first so go ahead spray the pan. Heat pan and add 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil not spray. Chop the polenta quarters and onion if using. Sautee onions for 2-3 minutes. Add polenta and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. You can add olive oil if the polenta starts to stick. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add chorizo and peas. Ready when hot.
Serve in bowls with avocado slices, vegan sour cream or cilantro. See, told ya... Easy peasy!