Vegan Finds, Changes, & Updates!

I was going back thru a slew of photos I have been sitting on since my hiatus and realized just how many I still have yet to post - to blog about - and to share!  This post will be just as busy as yesterday's if not BUSIER!  First I wanted to share with you a salsa I made.  I was lazy the other day and opened a cheap storebought salsa.  It was pretty underwhelming.  Once I added sweet corn and black beans it made all the difference in the world!

Before fair week I went to Wegman's for one last shopping session before all the fair craziness!  My mother and I went and had their salad bar.  This is what I was able to find and it was tasty!  There were 2 kinds of greens for salad base, pickled sweet peppers, butternut squash zoodles, carrots, mushrooms, various seeds, cabbage, peas, artichokes, etc.  I believe I topped it with a Pomegranate Balsamic of sorts. 

One of the items I finally broke down and purchased was Miyoko's Vegan Butter.  I had not yet tried this because it's usually quite pricey.  I remember it being on sale by a buck or two so I figured WHY NOT.

I grabbed a package of these to have in the camper freezer.  I have had them before and with the right dipping sauce, they are pretty good.  

In my travels over the last couple of months I have been seeing more and more places carrying Lenny & Larry's!  I remember having them when they first hit the food shows last year and enjoyed the ones I tried up to that point.  I was just so excited that I saw these at our local Sheetz that I had to grab one!

I picked up these but I cannot remember where I got them.  I want to say they were over at the new Giant Eagle in Erie but I could be wrong.  They were pretty tasty.  I would probably purchase them again if I came across them.

These Vegan Potato and Onion Pierogies were something left from last last Ohio Trip.  They were YUMMY and I remember making a Cashew Based Alfredo Sauce which was even better than the Pierogies themselves!  I was just sooooo thrilled to find a storebought Vegan Pierogies that I couldn't pass them up!

About a month ago or more I made my first online BRANDLESS purchase.  There were a few things that didn't go as planned with my order but it all worked out in the end.  This was one of the things I bought and I am so happy I did!  It's delicious!  And I'm not going to lie...I recently had a couple of spoonsful stand alone and straight up.  I know that's weird but it was tasty and I bet would make a good soup!

One thing I made before Fair Week kicked in was this Lentil Curry.  I just used what I had on hand (which wasn't much) but I made do with what I did have.  Lentils from a Halal Market in Buffalo, Frozen Spinach, Canned Coconut Milk, Canned Stewed Tomatoes, and some spices.  It turned out fine and dandy!

Next up is this Vegan Camping Food Plate.  I have to apologize for the foam plate.  I don't usually buy them or use them.  It was someone elses and it was a thrown together potluck meal.  My mother made Baked Beans which were vegan and no one even knew.  I made the Sweet and Sugary Tomato Salad and there wasn't much of that left.  I used an organic and vegan natural sugar for it.  I also made the Vegan Macaroni Salad which is now being requested by many on the fairgrounds.  Of course that makes me smile.  I'm glad I'm not the only one eating the vegan stuff...eventho...the other people aren't vegan.

One of the new things over at the VIP Tent during fair week was the 'throw back' looking popcorn machine.  The accidently vegan kicker was the 'buttery' look...it was actually a non-dairy coconut oil base.  YAY!

Our fair was the first full week of August but this past weekend we went to a neighboring fair.  We were treated to a special 'ice cream' and because it wasn't vegan I wanted to participate somehow.  I noticed they had frozen bananas on a stick.  I asked if they could do one PLAIN and she said yes.  Oddly...I HATE BANANAS!!!!  But I thought I would step out of my lil box of comfort and try it.  When it was completely frozen it wasn't too bad.  When it started to thaw I couldn't handle the banana taste or aroma.  I ate what I could and shocked my husband in the process!

I did find another accidently vegan option this past weekend, too!  This was a Blooming Potato!  I asked the vendor about the oil and the fryers all they used in the fryer was potatoes and the oil base was vegetable.  There were tons of toppings you could opt for but I stuck with the basic potato and hit up the condiment bar.  I put onion, relish, and ketchup on them and they were VERY filling!  It was a WHOLE POTATO afterall!  I shared with about 6 other people, too!  It was a real winner!

Not sure if I mentioned on the blog but I mentioned on my IG that our town recently got a new Ollie's Bargain Outlet!  I used to visit the one in Erie when I was around and always had to hit up their book section for vegan cookbooks!  Now I don't have to go to Erie!  I have one right here!  So far I have bought at least 4 or 5 discount vegan books there and added them to my collection.  This was one of them.  It was only $2.99.

I absolutely LOVE this photo I was able to take of one of the stray cats in our neighborhood.  I felt bad for her that she was stray but she seems to be fine with being outside.  Prior to leaving for fair she was laying and sleeping on our front steps and stoops.  As soon as I approached her she would run away.  I haven't seen her in about a month.  I hope she's ok.  I always worry about our busy street and animals getting hit.

Another thing I haven't updated you all about in a while is my adorable niece who FINALLY started walking the past couple of weeks.  My mom and dad watch her 3 times a week and took her to a local park yesterday.  Here she is with my mother and their dog Lexi.

And speaking of furkids...here are my two pups!  They have been doing more and more of this since we lost Paco.  Riley is about 17 years old and our feral cat Charlie is 18 so I'm afraid what the future may bring with the two of them being older at the same time.  

Cricket is about 5 now, I think.  She is still the Queen of the Castle.

And another thing I forgot to tell you was that I finally cut my hair a couple of months ago and think I'm already due for another haircut!  With my last two haircuts they cut off about 14 inches of hair!  WOWZA!

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.

Eton on Chagrin, Miyoko's Vegan Cheese, Vegan Mushroom Melt at Melt Bar & Grilled, Another Vegan Dipping Sauce, & Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk...

I've been telling you bit and pieces of my trip to Trader Joe's and other places in and around Woodmere, OH, which is near Mentor, OH.  We usually go to the Whole Foods Market out there when we do go but I wanted to specifically stop at Trader Joe's this time around!  It's was INSANELY busy!

This Trader Joe's in Woodmere is within a shopping development called Eton on Chagrin Boulevard.  If you have a minute be sure to check out the website...the design of the shopping center is STUNNING!  I wish I had more time to visit the other stores.  Hopefully in the spring.

I've also been chatting about the Whole Foods Co-Op in Erie, PA, the last few days and I forgot to tell you that they now carry Miyoko's Vegan Cheeses.  I was able to grab this one!  It's the first of the Miyoko's I have been able to try and I have to say I'm in LOVE!  It was on sale for $2 off!  It's expensive but a little bit goes a LONG way!  It's creamy and much more of a spread than a hard solid cheese.  The flavor is very rich and flavorful!  I'm so grateful I was finally able to locate it and purchase it!

I couldn't help but try it with pasta!  I added a few table spoons of the vegan cheese and melted it with a little Earth Balance and Almond Milk.  It was tasty!

Also I have been telling you more about our latest trip to MELT Bar & Grilled!  I was telling you about their Mushroom Melt I brought home.  This is one of their graphics - of course I opted for the VEGAN one!  The Caramelized Onions really took it to the next level flavor-wise!

Last night for dinner I had the Anasazi Burrito from Sweet Earth and I made a Peanut Dipping Sauce for it.

Again...not the BEST photo of the sauce...but you get the picture!  Here's the recipe...

About 1 C Peanut Butter

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Water

5 Squirts Bragg's Liquid Aminos

4 T Agave Nectar

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

Lemon Pepper to taste

More Water if needed

On our way home I saw something beautiful!  Something that I don't ever remember seeing before!  It ended up being a Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk.  This photo isn't mine but it's very close to the bird I saw!  You can read more about these birds HERE.

Day Trip - Fringe of Cleveland

This past weekend Hubby and I needed to get-out-of-dodge at least for a day...so we decided to take a trip over to 'our side of Ohio'.  We didn't want to get smack-dab in the middle of Cleveland so we stayed on the fringe of it with Lyndhurst, Woodmere, and Mentor on our minds.  We decided to drive to the farthest point and work our way back.  It was just under 3 hours there.  We went to a very LARGE music store in Lyndhurst called Sam Ash Music.  It's the first branch we have been to.  We usually frequent World of Music in Erie, PA, or various Guitar Centers but this shop blew all of them out of the water!  This is a FIRST...Hubby didn't buy anything but I did!  I found a fabric Ukelele Case with a shoulder strap for about $20!  In was in a nice little plaza section with various other stores and we walked by the store fronts but didn't go inside any of the other shops. 
We then moved on to Woodmere.  I found out they had BOTH a Whole Foods Market as well as a Trader Joe's!  I was limited to one stop because there were other places we were interested in going so I decided to choose Whole Foods.  It's only the 2nd Whole Foods Market I have ever been to!  Usually when I speak about Whole Foods I am referring to Erie, PA's Whole Foods Co-Op which is owned by members and not by a chain like the market is.  Anyhow...the only other one I have been to is the one in Las Vegas.  I really liked the store but because we were only there for about a week and staying in a hotel I didn't purchase much, then.  I did notice that the Las Vegas store had a large Juice/Smoothie Bar that the Woodmere location didn't have but I have to say I really enjoyed the Woodmere location.  The staff was AMAZING, the store very clean, the selection was very nice, and I ended up buying about $45 worth of stuff.  Mostly things I couldn't find in my area/region as well as items that were lower in price than I am used to finding.  I also chose Whole Foods over Trader Joe's because they are supposed to be building a new Trader Joe's in Amherst, NY, during 4th Quarter, and that is half the time to get to once it's up!  I'm looking forward to it very much!  I have only been to one other Trader Joe's, as well, and that was the one in Pittsburgh about 2 years ago.  Saturday they were having a Vegan BBQ to raise money for a local Sanctuary and had I known I would have tried to participate but hubby had his heart set on The Winkin' Lizard and we sort of build the trip around that original thought in the first place. 

I think it's been about 5 years since we've been to the Winkin' Lizard last and I remember liking it.  So after Whole Foods Market we drove to Mentor where we ate at Winkin' Lizard there.  They have various locations as well.  I wanted to sit outside so we did.  I had a veggie wrap - without the dairy - and we shared one of their 'Drinks for 2'.  It was very nice.

We were going to try and look for a winery or two on our way back thru but we were driving on a different route and went back thru Erie and stopped to see my brother in law for a few minutes and then drove home.

It was a nice drive!  A nice day!  I'm so happy we stopped at the places we did and now Hubby has a new Music Store and perhaps we can swing by Whole Foods Market a couple a times a year now.  What did you do this weekend?  Anything special!?  Any plans for this week or upcoming weekend?