Cashew Dill Dip, Coin Update, Pain Update, Vegan Grocery Hauls, Veganized Great Depression Cooking, & Tomato Cakes

I'm really trying to make the most of this crappy weather that we have been experiencing but it's difficult.  Especially when my parents are soaking up the sun in St. Lucia for about a week.  Lucky Stinkers!

I've been testing new recipes, doing research on several topics, and making mini goals for myself.

Yesterday I made this Cashew Dill Dip.  It's made up of 2 C Cashews, 2 C Water, 4 T Lemon Juice, 1 Small Onion, 6 Cloves Garlic, Dill and Black Sea Salt to taste.

Today I had some HAPPY MAIL - about 30 coins from all over the world.  I was VERY excited to add these to my collection.  I'm up to 98 countries now!

I've been trying to tackle ongoing pain issues that seem to mirror Fibromyalgia.  I've upped my intake of Spirulina & Chlorella and hope to up my Vitamin C, B, D, & Magnesium mostly thru foods. 

Today I did 2 mini budget hauls.  This first one was at my local herbs store.  It was unplanned but these items caught my eye because they were on the discount shelf (except for the Hemp Hearts which I needed).  Those were over $8.  Other than that the rest of what you see here was roughly $10.  As an afterthought - I don't think I have ever tried the Kamut Spirals, Spinach Spaghetti, or those Simply Organic flavors before.  The last couple of times I bought Hemp Hearts online they were about $6 so I know they can be found cheaper but since I was already there and it is a small business and locally owned business I thought I would splurge a bit.

As for this other grocery haul - it was 'sort of' planned.  What I mean by that is - I watched The Vegan Zombie's video on Vegan Shopping at Dollar Tree and thought I would see what I could find at ours. I found 2 soups that were clearly marked vegan, Gnocchi, Soy Milk, Bread, Olive Oil, Chickpeas, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Saltines, and Diced Tomatoes.  The Diced Tomatoes were 2 for $1 and the Corn was 79 cents...other than that the rest was $1 each.  That bought my total to $12.79.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I have been doing a lot of research.  I like to call it 'personal enrichment' or throw it in the 'more you know' category.  Regardless...check this out!  One of the many things I have been researching lately is Great Depression Cooking.  I have looked into that topic in the past before but the spark was re-lit the past couple of days.  This also falls into 'Eating on a Budget' that I like to do as much as possible.  What you see here are Tomato Cakes.

Tomato Cakes are made up of 2 ingredients.  Canned, Diced Tomatoes and Saltine Crackers.  All I did was crumble up about 30 Saltines and mixed them in with 1 can of diced tomatoes.  I then made patties out of them and pan-fried them with a little oil.  If you want you can kick it up a notch and use Basil infused oil for a twist.  These turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  I topped them with leftover Cashew Dill Dip.  I will be making these again and soon!  They cost $2 or less for an entire batch.  I easily made 10 patties out of these ingredients!

Blabbing About Bottled Finds!

I almost wasn't sure what to blog about today but then I quickly remembered I was lucky enough to go on a 2 day shopping spree for food so I thought back about some of the things I was able to find and thought about my TOP 3 bottled finds and thought I would share them with you.

First...Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar Drink - specifically their Apple Cinnamon Flavor.  WHY?  Well, some of you might know that DH has Crohn's and each day is a different experience.  Because of his Crohn's he has had other issues and we are finding out all go hand-in-hand in his case.  He was lucky enough to talk to a local doctor about his sinus infections and come to find out this same doctor also has Crohn's and seems to have many of the same problems as DH.  Long story short he needs to increase his intake of fermented foods.  Some of which he has already been doing.  DH doesn't seem to have a problem with ACV which I think is AWESOME.  This past weekend he tried this Apple Cinnamon flavor for the first time and LOVES it!  Problem?  It's hella expensive.  I'm going to try and make it myself soon!  I will keep you posted!  Something else I wanted to mention about this ACV Apple Cinnamon Drink is that I have now seen a vegan and an non-vegan version.  One version has honey in it so it's not technically vegan.  However, the one I bought for him had Stevia in it and no honey.  Interesting.  I wasn't aware of this until now!  Tricky, tho!  So keep your eyes peeled.  Unless you are a Apia(n) Vegan or Beegan that is.

Next up...Tahini from Trader Joe's!  I have yet to try TJ's Tahini but I'm certain it will be a winner!  Tahini was one of the many staples I have been out of in my pantry lately.  When I took that trip to TJ's I was able to find a FRESH and refrigerated version of it but I was looking for the self version.  When I got up to the check out there was a YOUNG looking 75 year old in front of me claiming that she was a first time shopper to TJ's and the WONDERFUL cashier let her in on some of their secrets.  Secrets?  I have been to 3 different TJ's thus far and I didn't even know about their secrets!  So I listened.  He was telling her that if you wanted to try/sample anything in the store that wasn't already prepared that they would OPEN IT for you and let you try it right there in the store!  Heck!  I didn't know that!  Then he was saying that if you bought something and didn't like it they would give you your money back.  That's always a good thing, eh!?  He even said that with their wine if you didn't like it to bring back the empty bottle and they would refund you!  NICE!  When I stepped up to check out I had a nice conversation with the cashier, too!  I was telling him that I was having a hard time finding this Tahini so the cashier-assistant ran back and grabbed one for me!  AWESOME!  In the meantime I was telling him I was from out of town.  I jokingly asked him if it was always so CRAZY at this TJ's and he said YES especially on Saturdays and Sundays.  He said the BEST TIME to shop was right when they opened.  I told him I noticed that the one time I shopped at the one near Buffalo.  When I was paying him for what I bought I noticed he put something in my cart that I didn't buy.  I looked up and he said 'There you go - sorry it was so busy in here today"...MY GAWD...it was a bouquet of FLOWERS!  How sweet!!!!!  What a wonderful store AND guy, eh!?

So this blog post was a complete blab-fest, eh?  Sorry about that!  I'm not quite finished...teehee!  Another bottled YUMMY I found this past weekend was Just Thousand!  It was available at Target in Erie.  This was yet another first for me.  I know Just Mayo is my most favorite vegan mayo to date and I like their flavored vegan mayos, too!  I know that my buddy Hillary is pretty obsessed with a few of the Hampton Creek Dressings and rightfully-so!  I tried the Ranch before and it was pretty good!  I thought it was more of a Peppercorn Ranch than a Buttermilk Ranch but that's ok!  This Thousand Island was pretty spot-on!  I have to say that I make a pretty awesome vegan Thousand Island Dressing, too, if I do say so myself.  I think the main difference is the consistency.  Mine is thicker than Hampton Creek's.  So they have me there!

Anyhow...I'm pretty excited about these 3 finds for one reason or another.  Now I just have to find the ACV for CHEAP in BULK or make my own...which is probably what will happen at some point.

Sweet Earth Curry Tiger Burrito & Homemade Vegan Curry Dipping Sauce!

Yesterday I mentioned that I will be blogging about various things I have been grabbing at MANY stores as of late.  One of the things I have stocked up on is Sweet Earth Burritos thanks to TARGET in Erie!

I've had a few of the Sweet Earth Burritos before and have enjoyed them BUT I think they are even better with dipping sauces!  So...I have taken it upon myself to create a Curry Dipping Sauce to go along with their Curry Tiger Burrito!  I have to say - it was pretty YUMMY if I do say so myself!

I know it's NOT the best photo I have ever taken but you will get the idea!

Here is the recipe for this Homemade Vegan Curry Dipping Sauce:

3/4 C Vegan Mayo

Drizzle of Oil (I used Pumpkin Oil but it's optional)

2 t Curry Powder

1 T Lemon Juice

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1 t Dill

Pinch of Cayenne

Pinch of Smoked Paprika

Pinch of Lemon Pepper

Pinch of Black Sea Salt (optional)

I was able to get about 6 of the Sweet Earth Burritos and 2 of their Bowls on sale!  Woot!

MidWeek Munchies: Trader Joes & Walmart

It's MidWeek Munchies Time! 

For this link up, all you have to do is blog about your VEGAN shopping experiences and LINK UP! You can share your hauls, finds, farmers market trips, or online shopping purchases. Even a Vegan Munchie you created yourself! We will be posting the link up each Wednesday and it will remain open until the following Tuesday. The next day we will start another one! Today I will be sharing my trips to Trader Joe's in Buffalo and my local Walmart. I MIGHT have a Part B to my MWM later this week with local produce. 

Over the weekend I traveled to Buffalo to visit the Trader Joe's there! It's been too long since my last visit! Here are a few items I picked up! Tempeh - again because it's been too long since my last Tempeh Attemp - Beet Hummus which was AWESOME - their Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa - and their Vegan Moz Cheese. This was the first time I have seen their cheese so I grabbed it. It's ok in a pinch but I don't love it. It melts almost 'too well' and gets a little oily and runny when melted. It might be good as a melted cheese for pasta but for bread items such a bagels or pizza I found it to be too thin.

Hubby actually picked out this Tomato Basil Marinara! And I actually grabbed the Strawberries from Wegman's in Lakewood, NY.   I blogged a little bit about why I made a last minute purchase of these strawberries HERE. They strawberries didn't last long only 2 days. Thankfully I used most of them before they went bad.  I was sorry that I couldn't find the Indian Vegetable Burger that I used to love from TJ's this time again. I hope they didn't discontinue it. It had a Potato Base and it was awesome!

I did pick up some convenience items while I was at Trader Joe's because it's not often that I am around a TJ's. It takes me about 2 hours to get to the Buffalo Trader Joe's. I think I only go about twice a year if that. I also picked up some corn chips. The total was about $27.

The only thing I bought at Wegman's were the strawberries and I think they were $3.99.

I also went to my local Walmart and grabbed some Organic Garbanzo Beans. I am loving they are carrying more organic items! I was craving Brussels Sprouts and bought 2 bags of the only frozen kind they had. Their frozen veggie section was a little thin over the weekend. In fresh produce I did add a head of lettuce to our cart. The real surprise was seeing Sweet Earth Seitan Bacon in the Freezer Section at my local Walmart. This might not be a big deal for some of you reading but it is to me because my local Walmart only has a limited stock of Morningstar, Amy's Kitchen, and Boca at the most!

And speaking of Morningstar...when I first went veg I grabbed what I could when I could for transition foods. At that time it was ONLY MorningStar. I have to admit I wasn't really fond of (m)any of their products. And when I dropped dairy I found even less that I ever picked up. BUT...here's one of their offering I actually kind of like. I don't buy them often but if we are going camping I have them on standby.

Soooo...it's YOUR Turn!

An InLinkz Link-up

More MidWeek Munchies!

Yesterday we brought back MidWeek Munchies so I thought I would do another post today about it.  If you would like to participate the current link-up is active THRU next Tuesday the 13th!  Read more about it HERE.  In this first photo you will see it's all produce!  I stopped at my favorite produce stand (Lindell's Hatch Patch) and grabbed a few things...Spring Mix/Greens, Celery, Red Bell Peppers, Spaghetti Squash, Kabocha Squash, and I even grabbed a FREE SAMPLE of one of their newest apple offerings...it's a Blondee Apple.  Kabocha Squash and Blondee Apples are new-to-me so more on that soon!

I then ran to Walmart and noticed these vegan options!  Amy's Kitchen Vegan Burrito (might be my dinner), Hummus (my lunch), Organic Carrots (my Lunch), 2 types of Fig Bars (I LOVE these and now they carry the VEGAN Seal!), Coconut Milk, and I couldn't pass up a new-to-me TRIO of non-dairy milk (Coconut, Almond, Chia).  I also bought a small cutting board and pairing knife for my car/office/Lunches-on-the-go!

Also part of my lunch today was 2 of the Red Peppers from the first photo!  YUM!

One thing I forgot to mention earlier this week is this new-to-me beverage my father gave me.  It's Alo Watermelon Peach and it tastes just like a smoothie!  YUM!  I've had a few of their other flavors before but I have to say this is by far my favorite!

Yes, I have been driving around a lot again and eating and munching on-the-go so you can see I'm in my Fiat while taking this photo!

Have you tried any of the Alo drinks yet?

Last night I had the hee-bee-gee-bees and need to make something in my blender to snack on.  I ended up making this...it's close to a Vanilla Pudding or some sort of Cake Batter Cashew Cream type thing.  It was pretty yummy!  I submitted the recipe to The Raw Food World NEWS Site and their Recipe Section so be on the look out over there.  It contains the following ingredients: Cashews, Almond Milk, Organic Vanilla Extract, Coconut Butter with Coconut Sugar, Agave Nectar and/or NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia, a pinch of sea salt.

After having a little bit of this pudding last night I spent most of the evening doing research and writing.  Cricket sat at my feet when I was at the computer.  She was so patient - which isn't usually her strong point.  So I laid with her for a while before falling asleep.  She seemed to really LOVE it.  Paco was a bit of a slug last night because I had to give him a pain pill for his knees/hips.  He was still running around but you could tell he was like a penguin on slick ice half the time.  Riley was lazing-out, too!

Remember there is still time to LINK UP on this week's MidWeek Munchies - CLICK HERE!