Vegan MoFo ~ Moldovan Fasole făcăluită & A New Friend

Yesterday I was scrolling thru my Website Stats for 'who comes from where by country' and noticed I had a visitor from Moldova.  To my knowledge this is my first visitor from that country!  I was THRILLED!  Welcome!  It tempted me to learn more about the country and foods they call 'theirs'.

If you have been here before you know I LOVE learning about world foods and how to veganize them.  Here is a soup I made - inspired by Moldovan Fasole făcăluită...which...from what I understand can be both a dip and/or a spread.  Moldova is near Romania and they share many traditional flavors and foods between the two countries!

Here's what I put in this dish!

1 C White Beans (I actually used Lima Beans, here)

2 Carrots

1 VERY Large Onion (or you could use 2 to 3 small onions)

3 Cloves Garlic

2 Tomatoes

1 T Tomato Paste

Splash of Grapeseed Oil (I used Wildtree Roasted Garlic)

1/4 to 1/2 C Water (depending on the consistency you desire)

I've VERY VERY VERY pleased with this dish!  It tastes delicious and it's something I did in my Ninja so it's incredibly easy and awesome!  I will certainly do this again!  YUMMY!  Totally worth the attempt!

Yesterday at the office we found this Youth Pigeon on the 'middle' roof of our building.  He hung around all day and we were fairly concerned about him since it was so hot and muggy and it didn't appear to be any food or water anywhere in sight.  Near the end of the day I found an old Ice Cube Tray stashed away in a closet and decided to fill it up and take it out to him.  He acknowledged that it was there so that's a start.  I didn't want to get too close.  I didn't want to scare him.  But by the end of the day 3 of us were able to get really close to him so he might be starting to trust us.  He's still out there and looks to be ok and roaming around and trying to fly a bit more.  I hope it's just in the middle of his learning process and that there isn't anything wrong with him.  We'll keep an eye on him in the meantime.  I know exactly were a bunch of the Pigeons live back there but it's almost like they are ignoring him.  We've named him Bubba.  A few years ago there was a Red Tail Hawk back there that stood about 2 and a half feet to 3 feet tall and we named him Rudy.  But we haven't seen him in YEARS.

Participating Post: Vegan MoFo, What I Ate Wednesday, 

Swedish Green Beans w/ Garlic & Herbs AND Cauliflower Chickpea Casserole & Sandwich Filling

Last night I got a little creative in the kitchen again - based on what I had ON HAND.  I still didn't make it to the stores and produce stands in our area.  I know, I know...shame on me!  BUT...I did get a bunch of stuff done around the house which was nice!  Above you will see one of the side I made which is Swedish Inspired!  It's Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs!  Really quick and easy with a bit of a different flavor.

2 C Frozen Green Beans
3 to 4 Cloves Garlic

Splash of Grapeseed Oil (for Pan Frying) - I used Wildtree Garlic Dipping 

Salt & Pepper to taste - I used Wildtree California Garlic Pepper to taste

Handful of Vegan Bread Crumbs

1 T Parsley

1 tea Thyme

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Next...I wanted to make a sandwich filling for my lunches this week but didn't have a lot on hand.  Based on what I DID have on hand I made this lil gem with my handy Ninja Blenders on the 'assist'!  It ended up working well as a casserole to eat as-is but it also was very tasty as a filling for sandwiches and/or wraps or pitas.  The recipe I drew inspiration from featured broccoli but I didn't have any so I used Cauliflower.  There were other ingredients I didn't have on-hand based on that original recipe so I strayed from it quite a bit.  I was very pleased with the outcome, tho!  Check it out!  Here is what's in it:

2 C Chickpeas

1 Pound Frozen Cauliflower

5 Carrots

2 Handfuls of Chives

1 C Vegan Bread Crumbs

1 C Water

2+ T Grapeseed Oil

1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore

To Taste Wildtree California Garlic Pepper

I 'cooked' the carrots and chickpeas prior and once combined and heated briefly I baked at 350 for about 45 minutes.  On a small portion of this I added a little Vegan Cheese just for kicks.  I sampled a bit of the plain one last night and loved it as a casserole.  I added it to flatbread/sandwich bread for lunch today and thought it was super tasty that way, too.  Tonight or tomorrow I might try a bit with the vegan cheese.  I am very excited about this one!  YUM!

Hats, Chickpeas, Raw Sauce, Chi-Wee, and Global Juice

 Good Morning!  I've been talking HATS with a few people and thought I would post another one of my winter hats here!  I purchased this one from a local artisan back in December.  She not only makes hats and scarves but she's a Photographer, too!  All of her work is wonderful.  I procrastinated during the 'craft show' and didn't make my purchase until the end...prior to buying this one I had my eye on a RED one.  But I do like this one, too!  I'm wearing it much more than I thought I would.  I know I look like a 'goof' but you can see how long my hair is these days...it goes beyond what you see here, too!  Sorry for how 'yellow' these look.  Our Living Room has that sort of lighting so you will see that in many of my Living Room Photos that I take.  I have a few other things to share with you today, too!

 Some Bubbly...and I don't mean Champagne!
Check out these chickpeas!  They are from last night!

I did them on stove-top with Garlic Grapeseed Oil, 1/2 C Parsley, 2 T of Tahini, and 1 T Lemon Juice as well as a little Wildtree Lemon Pepper to taste and cooked down.  It BUBBLED! 

 Here's a closer look at them and when they were done and ready to serve.

They were pretty good!  I'm going to be testing some more Tahini Sauces out soon!  This was a neat start!

One of my new favorite blogs is The Raw Project!

She's really making me WANT to try a lot of new things!  PLUS...she's a fellow Chihuahua House Hold!

I even 'stuck to' the recipe - which I rarely do!  Mine didn't turn out as awesome as hers!  You will have to check her post out!  I didn't do it justice!  I am going to try this one again and SOON.  Mine wasn't CREAMY enough.  I think I might try adding more water.  It could be that I didn't have it in the blender long enough, too!  I'm using a NINJA.

I did, however, take half of this and added some of the batch of this and added a little bit of Aztec Chocolate Spice Blend from Made With Love Detectible Edibles.

I think I would still want it thinner and creamier so I am totally blaming this one on myself!  I think it's a neat recipe and LOVE that the original recipe she posted was RAW :)

The Sweater Adventures continue!  Last night I put a different sweater on Paco right after dinner!  He didn't mind me putting it on him and I will now say I am CONVINCED it totally changes him and his attitude!  So we have decided to let him rip-roar thru the house for a while and then when it's 'calm-down' time we will put the sweaters on him!

Towards the end of the night when he was all about MAXIN' and RELAXIN' he went under the blanket on my legs and vegged out for a while.  When I called his name he struck a pose that I captured here.

 Earlier in the evening I caught him sitting rather 'prim and proper' on the arm rest of DH's recliner!  He's never done this before.

I put him thru another 'test'.  I went up to my Craft Room for about 20 minutes.  He's been chewing on one of our end tables to get my attention or chewing on the banister to the stairs to get my attention lately when I go upstairs or go in the kitchen and don't let him come with me...I would like him with the other dogs in the living room sometimes, ya know?  Anyhow...this TEST...worked!  I'm now sure what it is about this Sweater Method but he's being so much better...WAY LESS mischievous!  It's a Chi-Miracle!

And of course...I HAD to share this one with you!  This was him watching TV late at night (prior to the darker photo above!).

We were catching up on The Office.  After that we watched a documentary about Black Bear Ranch - a Commune in California on Netflix.

I'm gearing up to participate in some of the calls over at Global Juice Fasting Day starting tomorrow.  I probably won't do the actual Juice Fast NOW but I LOVE the info and always learn a lot from them when I do listen in.  I also try and increase my juices and smoothies even if I don't do the actual FAST...so hopefully you will be seeing some of those tidbits here soon! 

Well, that's all for now but I might be back later today or tomorrow at the latest!  Have a great day!

Manic Monday & Weekend Food

I'm optimistic this week will be better than last week.  That's all we can really, do, right?  Talk ourselves into a better week!?  Anyhow...I have LOTS to share with you today!  Lots of RANDOM Stuff but still - it's STUFF - at that!

I ended up LOVING the Peanut Butter Company's Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter and when I went to Tops on Saturday THEY had Mighty Maple so I got that one!  And BOY oh BOY is it GOOD!  I put it on toast yesterday for Breakfast and it was YUMMY!  I also did Vegan Cheesy Grits with Daiya Cheddar - those were pretty awesome, too!  I found Potato Cakes at Aldi's a while back and they didn't have any animal ingredients in them!  Woot!  I did two of those in a frying pan with some Earth Balance and that was my LARGE Sunday Breakfast.  I'm not usually a Breakfast person but I am REALLY trying to be because I know how important it is!  I made a Potato Cake for my husband and that is why I used Earth Balance instead of Grapeseed Oil.  I am out of my Nautral Flavor and I don't think he would have liked the Garlic or the Basil Pesto with this!  I also have a little bit of the Discontinued Chili left...I'll have to savor it!  I might have to try and make my own.  I know it won't be AS good but it will be an option to my flavored Grapeseed Oils.

Last Week I did a few Ethiopian Dishes and I enjoyed them both.  This week I am going to try a few things from Thailand.  I do like Thai Foods but haven't MADE very many...YET.

Friday Night I was waiting for my Husband's Dinner to be done (in the oven) and while I was waiting I decided to do some "Thai Curry Chickpeas".

They turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!  I would 'chalk this one up' as one I would do over and over again!

Here is what I did for these Chickpeas!

12 to 14 ounces of Chickpeas

1/2 C of Cilantro or Coriander (I used Cilantro)

1/4 C Lemon Juice

1/4 C of Onion & Chive Blend (Wildtree)

1 T Garlic Galore (Wildtree)

1/2 t Cayenne

1/2 t Cumin

1/2 t Ground Coriander

2 T Braggs Liquid Aminos

2 T Garlic Grapeseed Oil

4 T Coconut Milk

Dog Break!  Yes!  I have more food in this post but I have to add some pics from the furkids this weekend, too!  Eventho it was SUNNY it was COLD and WET and all-around questionable weather!  At least we didn't get the FEET of snow they were calling for!  

Here is Riley and Suzie.  If you zoom in you might see that Riley was sticking his tongue out.  Suzie was barking at my husband.  He likes to mess with them sometimes.  He'll talk and she'll bark and half howl back.

I ended up finding some Tofurky items at Tops, too!  I will post more about those on Midweek Munchies.  But I did jump right in with a dish last night for dinner.  It was a Saute of Sorts.  

2 Carrots

2 Celery Stalks

A Random Amount of Green Beans

1/4 - 1/3 C Onion & Chive Blend (Wildtree)

1 Tofurky Italian Sausages (the ones with Sun-Dried Tomatoes) 

2 T Garlic Grapeseed Oil

This is what it ended up looking like when it was done!  I decided to do some Brown Rice to put underneath.  This is WAY different than most of the foods I have been making flavor-wise.  I think next time I would add Potatoes and FOR SURE Some Balsamic.  It's pretty good the way it is here but I liked it even more when I tossed and mixed everything together!  I also added some Vegan Parmesan Cheese on top, too!

I stepped outside my comfort zone on this one and it was a pretty good attempt!

Another Furkids break!  This Furkids Break is being brought to you in part by...PACO!

This was a rare capture!  I just happened to have my iPhone on me and him on my lap FACING me and somewhat vegging-out for the afternoon on Saturday!

I'm so excited I got this pic of him.  He looks so serious...it makes me laugh!  Of course shortly after this photo he was back up and running around!

I warned you I had a lot to post today!  Here is ANOTHER thing I did Last Night!

It's a Mediterranean Walnut Sauce!  Again, VERY different from anything I have ever tried doing before but I was very excited about it!

I used one of my Ninja Blenders for this and it worked awesomely!

For this sauce I used...

1/2 C Walnuts
1 C Parsley
2 T Garlic Grapeseed Oil
1 T Tomato Paste
3 Cloves Garlic
1/4-1/2 C Water to thin

I used half of this sauce to top Bowtie Pasta which you see here and I am going to use the other half to top Veggies, I think.  So...I think that is about it for now but I hope to do my Meal Planning later today and need to do another dish for tomorrow...so stay tuned for additional posts!

This is a participating post in the following:

• Blue Mondays
• Just Another Meatless Monday
• Macro Monday
• Made By You Monday
• Make The Scene Monday
• Mandarin Monday
• Meal Plan Monday
• Meatless Mondays From A - Z
• Menu Time Mondays
• Mix It Up Mondays
• Monday Mellow Yellows
• My Meatless Mondays
• Postcards From Paradise
• Project 52
• Simple As That
• Veggie Mama's Meatless Monday
• Marvelous In My Monday 
• Camera Critters
• Shadow Shot Sunday
• Clever Clicks 
• Getting To Know You Weekend
•  
•  

Ethiopian Peppers & Portabella

 Good Morning Everyone!  I stuck with my Ethiopian Foods for the week and made this last night!  Ethiopian Peppers and Portabella.  This first picture is the beginning of the prep.  It's just the Red Peppers with the Baby 'Bellas in a glass pan.


Then I added the sauce/marinade.  I will list everything in the dish at the end of this post.  I ended up using one of my Ninja Blenders for the first time with this Marinade and it worked awesomely.




 I covered it with foil and baked it for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees!  The Marinade I used with the spices in addition to the natural juices of the mushrooms and peppers gave it a truly unique flavor.  It was quite Stew-Like and I was very happy with it.  It was aromatic and extremely flavorful.  The spices really were the key to this!  I ended up doing two dishes out of this, really.  I couldn't resist putting some of it over Cous Cous.

And that you can see here!  Of course by doing this the juices were absorbed by the Cous Cous but it does give you another option or an idea for leftovers or larger batches.

6 Red Bell Peppers

1 T Ginger

1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore

1/2 T Skordalia (or you could just use more Garlic)

1/4 t Turmeric

1/2 C Wildtree Balsamic Dipping Oil (I added a little water)

1/2 t Cinnamon

1 T (extra) Grapeseed Oil (I used Wildtree Garlic)

A Dozen or so Babby Portabella Mushrooms

(for the 2nd dish all I did was place it on top of cooked Cous Cous)

Mini Vegan Bagel Bites, Riblets and a Side, Rice and Veggie Dish, Long Week!

It's been a LONG week!  I'm not sure if it's because of the weather or the work load or JUST BECAUSE but it has been a LONG one, regardless!  I rarely post pictures of myself - mostly because I am the one BEHIND the camera and not in front of it.  Since I upgraded my iPhone to 4S it has what I call the "flip flop" feature where with the click of a button the camera flips around and you can take a pic of yourself.  I took this at work yesterday.  As you can see I'm TIRED.  The dogs have been keeping me up at night this week!  Last night was the best night of sleep I have had in a week.  I am feeling a lot better today!  I'm also feeling better as far as my ankle/leg/foot is concerned.  It's been almost a week and I'm feeling about 85% better.  That's a major improvement!  I think between the shoes I have been wearing and the specific inserts I have had in them they are working quite well.  I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying so!  This makes me assume the I could possibly have a Sciatica issues as well as an Arch issue.  BUT...if things are improving - I must be doing something right, eh?

This just might be a LONG Blog Entry!  I just realized how many projects and pictures I have on tap for this post!

This was my dinner last night.  I made it in 4 minutes!

I had a Vegan Riblet (I haven't had them in a good-long while).  I threw together a little side dish!

It consists of Corn, Black Beans, Diced Tomatoes, and Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub.  It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

And I'm trying to use up the Zima Tomatoes before they go bad!

For a little snack last night I wanted to get rid of a few things that I was almost out of!  I said to myself

- SELF I SAID - 
I haven't had Bagel Bites in FOREVER!  So that is what I decided to do!  I did a Vegan Version of Mini Bagel Bites!  If I were to do a Super Bowl Party I think these would be a HIT!  All I did was toast them for a little bit in my (new) Toaster Oven.  Then I added Daiya Mozzarella, and topped with Salsa!  You can see the Salsa below!  I hope to also be doing a post about my Toaster Oven in the near future.  Funny thing about my toaster oven - it's the first and only toaster over I have ever had! I really like it!

Here is the Salsa I used!  It has a nice KICK to it! And there are no animal by/products in it!  Woot!  I got this at a great price at BigLots but I cannot find it on their website so I assume they are discontinuing it which is usually the case when I find something I like at BigLots (either that or they are repackaging it!)  It was darn tasty while it lasted!

I LOVE trying different salsas!  I also like to make my own!  I will probably be making some of my Wildtree Fiesta Salsa, soon!

Stay Tuned!

In other Foodie News...I continued on with using "leftovers" and "things in my cupboards" to create my lunch for today! I used Lundberg CountryWild Rice (see below for Rice Package), and Corn, Black Beans, Dice Tomatoes, and I added the rest of my Lentil Sprouts in this as well!  All I did for flavoring was to add Garlic Grapeseed Oil for a little extra "something".  I did have a little bit of Diced Tomatoes Left with liquid and then leftover rice since I made a pretty big batch of that since it took 50 minutes to cook...so I will probably do something with those two things over the weekend!

The aroma of this rice fulled my kitchen and living room ALL NIGHT!  Lundberg isn't kidding when they say it's fragrant!  Here's their product description:

Want rice that's rich and tasty for your next meal? Put Countrywild^® on the table. This outstanding blend of Wehani^®, long grain brown rice and Black Japonica™ has plenty of fragrance, color and flavor with an attractive separateness of grain.

So...that's pretty much how yesterday panned-out!  Like I said...I am VERY MUCH ready for the weekend!  We are supposed to continue getting winter weather - and I am NOT looking forward to THAT - but I'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the weekend turns out to be like, I guess!  What are YOUR plans for this weekend?

Participating Post:

Aloha Fridays

Find + Follow Friday

Foodie Friday

Fantastic Friday

Freakin' Friday

Freaky Friday Follow

Freedom Fridays

Friday Chaos

Friday Flash Blog

Friday Food Fight

Friendship Fridays

Healthy Vegan Fridays

Hop Along Friday

Orange You Glad It's Friday

Strange But Good

Color Connection

Vegan Veggie Spinach Alfredo Topped Ravioli & Tabouli Salad & Tabouli Salad Sandwiches

 Last night I made this Ravioli.  I've been hungry for Ravioli since dropping dairy from my vegetarian diet.  I ended up ordering some Garlic & Veggie Stuff Ravioli online and topped it with several things I had around the house.  I used Chreese Alfredo Sauce but added more almond milk to it than it required.  I simmered that in with Spinach and Mixed Veggies including: Carrots, Potato, Corn, Peas, and Lima Beans.  It was quiet good.  It wasn't overly seasoned and I LOVE seasonings.  I did use a little bit of Garlic Grapeseed Oil within the mixture and next time I might had some onion and/or chives and more Garlic.

 I also worked ahead last night and made my lunch for today and will have plenty leftover for the next day or two or more.  I cheat.  I use a box mix for Tabouli!  That's what this is.  I just added water, Garlic Grapeseed Oil, Lemon Juice, and Zima Tomatoes. I like this stand alone but also put it in wraps or on top or IN tossed salads...as well as...

 Sandwiches!  So today I'm having Tabouli Salad Sanwiches and they are darn tasty!  Between the Lemon Juice, Mint, and Zima Tomatoes - I think that flavor combo is my favorite part!

Yes!  I can be messy but it's OH SO GOOD!  And Good FOR you! 

Participating In The Following:
Link Party Tuesday
Sweet Shot Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday Party
Tasty Tuesdays
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesday Friend Connect
Vegan Tuesdays
Simple As That
Project 52
Mix It Up Mondays
Made By You Monday