Thrifty Vegan & Raw Vegan Cookbook Finds!

Hi Folks!  A bit of an easy-out on a post today.  It's all about Thrifty Finds from Ollie's, mostly, on vegan cookbooks and raw vegan cookbooks.  WHY?  Because, I'm still trying to catch up on blogging things and because we received more bad news 2 days ago...my step-father-in-law passed away.  His viewing and funeral are Sunday and Monday.  This year has been a rough one.  At times I feel pretty numb.  Including right now.

  Anyhow...the first book I wanted to tell you about was Hannah Kaminsky's Vegan A La Mode.  I haven't been able to make anything out of these books YET but I'm thinking about getting together with my mother once a week and trying to make something out of each book this fall and winter as long as the weather cooperates.

This was another book I found this past spring.  Funny thing...I don't have an Instapot YET but hope to soon!  I think all of the books I have found at Ollie's were only $2.99 each!  I do know that I have to invest in a different bookcase for the house at this point.

This is one of my newest ones to my collection.  Matthew Prescott.  I found him on Instagram and it seems like he and his wife have done books on different things.  This one was plant-based and had a lot of vegan (and non-veggie) contributing comments so I thought I would grab it.

These last two are both from Susan Powers.  And they are BOTH Raw Vegan books.  Something I need to start doing more of again and soon!  I have been relying too much on store-bought processed vegan stuff lately.  For a couple of reasons, one being I have been on the go and not really at home much in 6 months to concentrate on cooking and the other being I have been finding so many interesting vegan options and products in stores as of late that I have given into those temptations.

I'm LOVING that these books are available locally in our rural area and for CHEAP!  What kind of books have you found lately?  What kind of CHEAP stuff have you spotted near your home, too!?  Do tell!

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!

Hummus Pods & Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook

A little teaser to start things off today!  But I can't tease you for long...so...here's what you are looking at...

These are new-to-me and I have to say I fell in LOVE with them at first bite!  They are Hummus Pods!  I found them on one of my recent road trips.  I hope they become more readily available because I want to stock up on them!  They are YUMMY as-is and on their own but you know me...I need to make dips and sauces for stuff, too, so I did!  I used homemade leftover Vegan Sriracha Aioli.

And speaking of recents...here is another recent cookbook I added to my collection!  I can't wait to dive in!  I randomly opened the book today and immediately wanted to try the Pistachio Mustard!  OMG!  I need to try it and ASAP!

This is a short post today but I have a lot going on - good - but busy - and I hope to share more of that with you SOON!

In the meantime...have you seen or tried these Hummus Pods yet?  Do you have the new Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook?  If so - what are your fave recipes or at least ones that intrigue you!?

Vegan Bowl Attack, Vegan Blender Recipes, Vegan Curry, & Random Oddity!

I've had the sniffles over the last couple of days which is odd for me.  It doesn't really feel like a head cold but I have never been one to have sinus issues so I don't know what the difference in how I feel would be if it were sinus issues.  It's not bad, really, it's just different.

Here is one of the cookbooks I purchased recently and the more I thumb thru it the more excited I am about it!  I need more bowls in my life and this book has some great ideas!  Plus, Jackie, over at Vegan Yack Attack is the author! 

I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover but I have to say this one really drew me in!  Do you have this book?  If so - what are some of your favorites from it?

Earlier this week I wanted some sort of Broccoli Soup based on what I already had on hand so here is what I made all in a blender:

1 C Cashews
1 Can Chickpeas
4 T Nutritional Yeast
1 T Mild Miso
1 T Lemon Juice
3 T Minced Garlic
1 Carrot
1 Celery Stalk
2 C Water
3 C Broccoli
Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, Nutmeg to taste

After our trip to Taste of India last weekend I was hungry for more curry type dishes so I threw this dish together - the cheaters way:

1 Can Garlic/Roasted Tomatoes with liquid
1 Can Chickpeas
1 Small Onion
1 Frozen Minced Ginger Cube
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 t Garam Masala
1 t Curry Powder
1 Can Lite Coconut Milk
Black Sea Salt, Lemon Juice, Grapeseed Oil*
*if and as needed*

Last night I needed a snack and didn't really want to think about it so I grabbed some corn chips and made this Vegan Cheese Sauce:

1 C Cashews
Small Handful Nutritional Yeast
1 T Mild Miso
1 T Minced Garlic
1 t Onion Powder
1 T Lemon Juice
5 T Water

Nutmeg, Smoked Paprika, Black Sea Salt to taste

I stumbled across this lil guy while walking around downtown the other day.  He was standing all by himself in between a lamp post and trash can.  Upon further inspection, I noticed it was Rodney Dangerfield. 

I think originally he was supposed to talk and move but either he didn't have batteries in him or he was broken.  Regardless, seeing this, where I saw it, was random yet comical, and much needed that day!

There are antiques and oddity shops nearby so I don't know if the one store owner decided to put this there to make people stop OR if someone thought it was broken and wanted to dispose of it.  Regardless, it's not something you see every day so I had to take a photo!

10-Minutes or Less Vegan Recipes, Women's Right To Vote Coin, & Hail Merry Chocolate Mint Tart

Yesterday it hit 70 degrees!  Woot!  I sure enjoy that much more than -7 degrees!  I have to say between the weather getting better - or being better for the moment - and my pain management - PLUS - my new volunteering and cookbooks I have been in a pretty good mood as of late!

This book - Real Food, Really Fast is the next book I wanted to share with you!  I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first of Hannah's books I have bought so far (So Sorry) but I have a feeling it won't be my last!  This is a pretty neat book!  I already see LOTS of things I want to try!  And with the recipes being ready in 10 minutes...no one has an excuse, eh!?

Last night I attended a League of Women Voters Coffee & Conversation topic on Refugees.  We had a nice turnout and the feedback on the topic and speaker was great!

Speaking of women and voting...

I recently received this coin from a swapping buddy!  It's the 100-year commemorative coin for Women's Right To Vote in Canada. 

Rumor has is the US might release one for their 100 year - which is 2020.  I hope they do!

I now have 146 different coins present in my Foreign Coin Collection!

This was another item I picked up over the last weekend.  I found this at the Erie Wholefoods Co-Op and it wasn't badly priced.  There were only 2 left so I decided to try it.  Last night I cut it in 4's and only had 1 small piece.  That was really all I needed!  It was very sweet and rich!  Mint Chocolate and Orange Chocolate are my two favorite kinds of chocolate when I do eat it so this was FAB!  Oddly, I thought it tasted a bit like coconut.  I re-read the ingredients and it DOES have coconut oil in it but I doubt it was THAT flavorful.  Regardless it was tasty and I'm looking forward to another little piece tonight after dinner!

Dirty Vegan, Vegan Cookies, Vegan Blue Cheese, Pink-Headed Warbler, & BFF Chi's!

Let the next round of Vegan Cookbook Chatter BEGIN!  I know I posted on last week but I received the rest of them in the mail today and I hope to spread them out over the next week or two along with some other FUN stuff!

The Dirty Vegan is one of 8 more on my list to share with you!  Just by thumbing thru it I saw a lot of Vegan Comfort Foods and what I would call 'cheater' recipes that might use store bought vegan items within another recipe but this book also has some really great from-scratch solutions that are quick and easy if you don't want to buy the storebought version of some ingredients!

Here is the other mini-pack of cookies I grabbed while at Mustard Seed Market over the weekend.  They were SO VERY RICH I could only eat one at a time.  This pack had 2 cookies - whereas the Thumb Prints had 3 cookies.  These were Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips in them.

Both cookie options were pretty tasty!  Especially for someone who doesn't eat a lot of sweets.  It was a nice few-and-far-between or once-in-a-blue-moon type of treat.

This is another past-find I had yet to blog about!  I found it at Wegmans a while back and it's vegan Blue Cheese!  It was pretty yummy!  I, personally, would LOVE to find a chunky Blue Cheese but this is good in the meantime.  I do like the texture of Daiya's a bit more than this one but the price was more impressive on this one for the size difference. 

This is quite versatile and I really hope I can find some of the other flavors I have seen online of WayFare's Vegan Cheeses!  Have you tried any of them yet?  If so - what did you think!?

For about a year - I have received the Bird of the Week from the Audubon Society.  It has become a weekly 'thing' with DH and I an now my dad's in on it!  When I get the bird of the week I forward it to them!

This was last week's Bird of the Week!  Isn't the Pink-Headed Warbler AWESOME?

Last night when I finally sat down and started relaxing (after a failed Carrot Soup attempt) I looked over and saw Cricket jump up and sit right next to Paco.  They were cheek-to-cheek and I don't mean their faces! LOL! 

I have to pick Paco up every time he wants on the sofa and Cricket usually don't get THIS close to him - but I'm glad he did!

Laos Style (Cheater) Pumpkin Coconut Soup, Veggie Based Vegan Cheese Sauce, Cashew Sun Dried Tomato Topped Veggie Ravioli, & Tribute to Buffalo Broadcasting Legend!

It was 3 below zero when I left the house this morning on my last 'day off' of the year.  It's beyond cold - it's damn frigid!   I've said it before and I will say it again and again - I hate winter!  The only thing it's good for is SOUP!

This was inspired by Vegan Street Food by Jackie Kearney that I obtained a while back.  It's loosely based on her Laos-Style Roasted Pumpkin, Coconut, and Chili Soup.  But I changed it so much that I thought it would be ok to share my recipe and take on it with you!  I have 2 photos here - one in a bowl and one in a mug!  The one you see here has an added nutmeg sprinkle on top!

My take on the ingredients:

1 Can Pumpkin Puree
1 Can Lite Coconut Milk
1 T Vegan Broth/Powder
1/2 t Minced Garlic
1/2 t Minced Onion
1 T Grapeseed Oil
Sea Salt to taste*
Pinch Cayenne

As many of you know I don't add much sea salt to my foods and when I do it's not even a pinch.  But here I used about 1/2 t or so and it was tasty!

Yet another Vegan Cheese Sauce on this spiral!  Here's what I threw in my blender for this...
2 C Potatoes
1/2 C Water
1/4 C Grapeseed Oil
1 T Lemon Juice
2 Carrots
1 C Corn
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
Handful of Cashews
1/4 t each of: Onion, Garlic, Turmeric, Paprika, Vegan Stock/Powder, Yellow Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt (or to taste)

Check out this super creamy Cashew & Sun Dried Tomato Sauce I made to top the Engine 2 Diet Roasted Veggie Ravioli I found at the Buffalo Whole Foods the last time I went!  I did a basic Cashew Sauce with Cashews, Water, and Lemon Juice.  I added in about 5 Sun Dried Tomatoes and blended.  On top of that you will see that I sprinkled Smoked Paprika and Parsley on it, too!  YUM!  A closer look - see below!

I know I'm jamming a lot in to one post here but I have a lot of catching up to do!  Sorry about that!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Engine 2's Roasted Veggie Ravioli.  There was a slight kick to the veggie mixture inside the Rav's which was neat!  This creamy, smoky, tangy sauce accompanied it well, too!

I wasn't able to find a good pic of the packaging but here's a visual for you...

This is the first product I have been able to find other than a package of the wraps which I wasn't thrilled with.  This Roasted Vegetable Whole Wheat Ravioli - on the other hand - was pretty tasty!  Yes...it did have the stereotypical whole wheat ravioli pasta texture but the veggie mixture inside greatly made up for it.  And the sauce was a nice finishing touch - if I do say so myself!

Before I end this post I wanted to insert a video from the other day.  It's about 9 minutes but worth it especially if you are in radio, TV, or from the Buffalo area.  It's a tribute to Irv Weinstein - a Buffalo Broadcasting LEGEND would passed away the day after Christmas from complications of ALS (AKA Lou Gehrig's Disease).  I grew up with this guy!  He was a staple in the Western New York Community and a life-long radio and TV guy!  He had a heart of gold and touched the lives of many.  When he retired back in '98 he was hardly able to make it thru his final broadcast before retiring.  Have 9 minutes?  I would love you to check it out!

Thai Tom Yum, Snowstorms, & Veganize It!

I had to order this Thai Tom Yum online because I haven't been able to find it in ANY of the stores I have been thru the last several months.  It's a vegan version of Thai Tom Yum and the brand is Dr. McDougall's.  I have to say - I am a fan!

It sure helped with the extreme cold we have experienced the last couple of days.  We had a back-to-back snow storm hit us with COLD temps.  Yesterday I don't think it passed the 15-degree mark.  When I was driving home it was 12.  Over the last 2 days, we have had between a foot and a foot and a half of snow so far.  Eventho I live in the snow belt I still don't like it. 

I've been doing a lot of thumbing thru my new vegan cookbooks as well as a lot of online research of recipes from different countries that I can try and veganize.  ANd speaking of Veganizing...look at my other new book!!  It has some really great ideas in there but there is a large fake meat chunk I will probably never do anything with.  I've also been able to collect a lot more flags on my flag counter which is really exciting!  HELLO to my newest visitors from the countries of Georgia, Albania, Cambodia, Armenia, Costa Rica, Libya, Mali, and United Arab Emirates.  I smiled when I saw newbies from Columbia, Djibouti, Timor-Leste, Serbia, Burundi, Greenland, Somalia, Algeria, Seychelles, and Palestinian Territory.  Plus my new friends from Malawi, Botswana, Ethiopia, and various islands including Pitcairn Islands, Virgin Islands, and Christmas Island.

Vegan Street Food & Popcorn

I've had a rough day.  I needed a brain break.  Just a few moments to travel far, far away somewhere...if only in my mind.

It made me think of one of the books on my bookshelf...Vegan Street Food from Jackie Kearney.  In this book, she takes you on a culinary journey from the Himalayas to the South China Sea.  There are recipes for vegan street food from India to Indonesia.

As much as I would like to ACTUALLY travel - I know it's not possible.  So I need to use the resources I do have to daydream to far away places.  Between that and world food dishes - they somehow make me feel a bit better.

I did find a lot of the recipes complicated or the ingredients hard to find for someone who isn't near a large city with access to a lot of world food spices and ingredients.  But I still adore this book for other reasons.  The stories, photos, maps, and escape of it all.

Another thing I have gnawing on lately is Lesser Evil's Buddha Bowl Avocado-Licious Organic Popcorn.  It's made with Avocado Oil.  It's vegan and gluten-free - among other things.

Brain Break Complete...for now.