Thrown Together Meals, Vegan Sour Cream Recipes, & Fur-Siblings!

I'm back to eating mostly from my stash/pantry with the exception of some fresh avocados I bought on Sunday.  I rarely by Vegan Sour Cream because it's NOT in my area and I would rather spend money on something else so you will be seeing more and more Sour Cream alternatives that I have made myself at home here on my blog.  Take this one for example.  On top of this heaping pile of nachos I made a sunflower seed based sour cream.  I also used chickpeas, avocado, corn chips, taco sauce, nutritional yeast, and tomatoes. With the chickpeas I put them on stove top first with paprika, onion, cumin, and garlic and chili sea salt.

The Sunflower Sour Cream had 3/4 C Sunflower Seeds, 3/4 C Water, 2 T Lemon Juice, 1 t Wildtree Garlic Galore, and 1/2 t Wildtree Absolutely Onion which is NOW Vegan AND Organic!  The old version of their Absolutely Onion Blend had whey in it.  Since it now has the organic label on it they revamped the ingredients and recipe and it's now on the VEGAN list!  YAY!  So many of the Wildtree products are naturally vegan and nearly the whole catalog is at least vegetarian (with the exception of just a few items)!  If you would like more Wildtree ideas when it comes to vegetarian and vegan dishes go to the search box on my sidebar and type in "wildtree" and they will all pop up!  If you are ever interested in purchasing anything let me know!

Here's another meal I threw together using what I had on hand.  I made another sour cream but this time it was made with a Macadamia Nut base.

Here's the recipe for this specific vegan sour cream using Mac Nuts...

1 C Macadamia Nuts, 1/2 C Water, 1 t Grapeseed Oil, 1 t flax meal (or flax seeds that you grind yourself), 1 T Minced Garlic, 1 T Lemon Juice, Pinch of Black Himalayan Sea Salt.

I found this one was creamier than the Sunflower Seed recipe but both were tasty in their own right.

Yes - those are plain black beans on the left.  And on the right that is cubed tempeh that I did on the stove top with Wildtree's Golden BBQ Sauce.  I really like this product - it has a subtle mustard base.  It doesn't really taste like a 'BBQ Sauce' but has a nice flavor regardless!  Yes!  It's another Wildtree Vegan offering!

And just for fun...my fur-siblings!  YES...siblings!  These 3 are my sisters and brother - my parents furkids!  Lexi is the dog and the cats are Bernie in the middle and Jeter on the right.  And in case you didn't make the connection - the cats are named after Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter both former New York Yankees!

Sometimes I think my parents put this sun room addition on just for the furkids! LOL

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

Vegan MoFo ~ Vegan Foods in the Cabin

While on vacation at the Cabin we decided to eat-in.  This was my dinner earlier.  Roasted Red Bell Pepper stuffed with White Rice seasoned with Wildtree's Garlic & Herb.  On top just a little bit of Daiya Cheese.  We also roasted up some zucchini and added Wildtree's Opa! Greek Seasoning.  It was wonderful!

Thanks to the local Kroger here I was able to find more vegan options than I thought I would.  The Daiya Cheese was at a super low price, too!  Only $1.50...I couldn't believe it!  Since I didn't want to overbuy I will be using these 4 ingredients quite a bit so I will be seeing what I can do with what I have.  I've posted a few things over at the Travel Blog if you want to check it out...it's heavy on the photos...and mostly about WonderWorks so far!  It was FUN! 

Short On Time But Not On Meals!

The last few weeks I have literally been throwing together whatever I could to make most of my dinners. 

The post today will give you some ideas but not full recipes, per say.

This first one is basically what you see!  Corn and Broccoli - steamed - with a little bit of Wildtree Dill Dip Blend for added flavor.

It's simple but tasty.  I enjoyed this side dish a while back.

Then one night I threw together this hardy meal.  Tofurky Italian Sausage, Baby Bella Mushrooms, Corn, sauteed in a pan and mixed with melted Daiya Cheese. 

It's more of a convenience meal with both the Tofurky and the Daiya but it did the trick.

PLUS...I was able to use-up leftovers with this.

Tofurky's Italian Sausage and Kielbasa I don't mind - once in a blue moon - when it comes to meat substitutes.  The vegan meats that I do enjoy are few and far between.  I don't really eat a lot of them to be honest.

Every once and while I make my own vegan garlic bread, too.  Sometimes I will use Earth Balance and other times I might use a very little bit of Grapeseed Oil.  I will use either Wildtree Scampi Blend as a sprinkle or the Garlic Galore or Garlic and Herb.  All 3 of them are vegan.

For this thrown together meal a while back I did some macaroni up  with a vegan cheese sauce that I made with almond milk, nutritional yeast, and a few other ingredients - and added corn, carrots, and peas along with some left over Tofurky Italian Sausage like you see above.

It's rare if I go to a 'fast food joint' but since my husband is NOT vegetarian he chooses to eat the food.  Most of the time I won't get anything and come home and make my own meal instead. 

For the first time in a long time I grab a salad from a chain...mostly because the salad fixin's at my local store looked pretty picked over that day. 

I noticed they had a salad that I could easily make vegan.  It wasn't much but it was a good base.  It was mixed greens, avocado, and strawberries.  I then took it home and added some leftovers to the top including Tempeh and Corn.

After I dressed the salad up a bit - it wasn't too bad - and I didn't even add dressing because the amount of Avocado made it creamy enough.

So eventho I have been short on time - I haven't been short on meals! 
AND...it is a good way to use left overs, too!
 

Catching Up From Last Week

Well, hello there!  I really don't mean to NOT post last week!  Life seemed to have gotten in the way!  But I still have a lot to share with you since I did take pics and notes the whole time I was NOT blogging! 

Needless to say this is going to be a long post and a mish mash of different things that happened last week.  Hope you don't mind!

First off...leftovers!  I made this dish with Couscous, Peas, leftover Tempeh, and some seasonings.  No real recipe for this but an idea, rather.

As for this next photo - it's a picture of the Cashew Tomatillo Sauce or Dip I made last week!  Yes...I had bought some Tomatillos at our Farmers market and needed to use them. 

2/3 C (or more) of Cashews
About 7 to 8 Tomatillos
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Onion (I used a Stuttgarter Onion)*
1/2 tea Cumin
1 C Almond Milk

This turned out pretty tasty!  It had a nice kick to it from the Garlic and Tomatillos as well as the onion but it was also creamy and scoopable!

A little more about the Stuttgarter Onion I mentioned above...I got that from a local farmer as well.  It has a good, pungent flavor.  They are among the "Best Keepers" when in comes to onions which is nice.  They are smaller than Yellow Onions you would buy in the store and are more punchy and less sweet but still very flavorful.

Here's another photo of this dip I made with the Cashews and Tomatillos!  It's on a Flax Cracker.  I've kind of been on a Flax Cracker and Chia Cracker kick lately.  I finished up my Italian Zest ones from Foods Alive and now I am craving more!  I think I am going to try and make my own, soon, too!  I really LOVE Foods Alive Products and hope to place an order soon!  They have some really awesome products available!  I LOVE their Oils, Flax Crackers, Dressings, and their Maca Powder as well as their Nutritional Yeast!

I have so much to share with you and will be posting all this week - sometimes multiple posts in a day so please check back!  I also have a lot of new-to-me products I want to blog about, too, with more on the way!

Well, I did end up doing some roasted (Pan Fried) Chickpeas a while back as a side dish.  All I really did was use some of my Wildtree Garlic Dipping Grapeseed Oil and at the very end throw in just a pinch of the Rancher Steak Rub which is basically Pepper, Garlic, and Salt.  They were pretty good.  Quick and Easy, too!


I have been finding these neat little Vegan Facts online and on instagram and thought I would post a few from time to time.  Just as a spot check and friendly reminder for some, basically.  Plus...it gives me a reminder as well about certain foods I haven't had in a while. 

I usually eat a lot of different foods but I have REALLY been stepping it up with some old favorites as well as some new-to-me foods and have been incorporating more produce that I haven't tinkered with too much in the past.  When I worked at a Grocery Store 17+ years ago I used to challenge myself to pick up at least one new-to-me-produce item each week.  It was so fun and educational.

Speaking of trying new things...last week I made some Vegan Oatmeal Spelt Pancakes.  My mother thought this photo looked gross but the taste was pretty good, actually.  The reason I wanted to try these were to use and incorporate both Steel Cut Oats  as well as some Spelt Flour into a breakfast-type food.  I also wanted to push myself to try and tackle more breakfast foods - as you can see from my previous posts.

Here's the recipe for this one...

3/4 C Almond Milk
2 tea Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tea Grapeseed Oil (for oiling pan)
1/2 C Steel Cut Oats
1/2 C Spelt Flour
1 tea Baking Soda
pinch of salt if desired

I also drizzled Wholesome Sweeteners Maple Flavored Agave Syrup over top and it was very tasty!

The weekend of the 28th Hubby's Band played at the Amvets in Titusville, PA.  Here is a photo of him and the boys!  Nicole (Tom's Wife) and I went to watch them and have a few drinks. 

From left: Tom on the Mandolin, Bud on Guitar, Joel on Stand-Up Bass, John on Banjo (Dale's Uncle), and Dale on the end with Guitar.

It was a fun time.  I think Nicole and I will be going to more of their gigs.  We hope to get together for dinners more often, too!  We are talking about maybe even doing a long-weekend trip in the future as well.  We've tossed around the idea of trying to find a used RV or Camper/Van but we are looking for 'quite the deal'.

In other news - in the community where I live there was a recent teen suicide and rumor has it - the boy killed himself because of being bullied.  Bullying is a REAL problem in our society and it really MUST STOP. 

I'm going to try and look into outlets and groups in our area that support Anti-Bullying messages and activities.  I truly believe that Middle/High Schools are really tough place but I also think there is a lot of adult bullying and workplace bullying in our society as well as it all must end.

Tangy Black Bean Dip, Vegan Macaroni Salad, Fiesta Chickpeas, Full Plate Shot

I'm kind of a posting-fool today!  This is one of 3 entries so be sure to scroll down to see the others!  I did a different sort of a Black Bean Dip a few days ago!  I used 2 C of Black Beans, 2+ T of Wildtree Balsamic, 1 to 2 T of Ketchup, about a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, a little dash of California Garlic Pepper, as well as a bit of Red Pepper Flakes.  It turned out pretty good! 

If you look at the post from earlier today you will see that I went camping over the weekend.  I'm not sure what it was but the Macaroni Salad was calling my name - and I didn't even like Mayo before going (near) vegan.  Regardless - I stood my ground - I didn't cave - I went home and made a Vegan Version afterwards.  This is right after mixing!  Over night everything blended in and blended together even better!  I was VERY impressed with myself for this attempt!  I used about 4 C of Elbows, 1 C of Vegan Mayo, 1/3 C of Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sugar, 2 T of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4 C of Grey Poupon Mustard, a couple of dashes of California Garlic Pepper from Wildtree, and at the end I throw a small handful of Wildtree's Savory Spinach in there, too!

This made a HUGE batch!  I have already eaten in with 3 meals!  My husband who is a meat eater even said it looked good - he said it even looked "normal" which is a compliment! LOL :)

Next time I want to add Carrots, Celery, and Peas to it!

You know I LOVE Chickpeas!  Well, I have come up with yet another side creation with those lovely Garbanzo Beans as the 'beef' of the dish!  Check this out!

I used Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil in a Wok (only because my Frying Pan was in need of some TLC).  I then added 3 T of Wildtree Fiesta Salsa Blend as well as 3 heaping T of Diced Tomatoes.  This was so simple it's CRAZY yet it was so flavorful!  The Fiesta Blend gave it a nice kick and the Tomatoes a wonderful tang!  I would totally do this again!  I went back for 2nd's!  My husband told me I should write a cookbook of 101 Chickpea Vegan Dishes.  I doubt that will ever happen.  Maybe a few years from now there will be 101 Vegan Chickpea Dishes on my blog, tho!

I've been TRYING to work on Full-Plates of Vegan Goodness lately!  Here is one from last night!  Starting from the top is leftover Vegan Macaroni Salad, then clockwise - is Applesauce with Organic Cinnamon, then the Fiesta Chickpeas, then some bare Green Beans, and finally some Maple Bacon Tempeh at about 11 o'clock - on the plate.

This was a very complete meal and very filling!  I was very happy about this!  The only other thing I would have added was a salad but I didn't have any on hand.  I need to go shopping for produce!  I hope to this weekend!

Cheesy Veggie Rice Casserole

 Above you will see this casserole being assembled - before baking - without the 'sauce'.

In the above you will see:
Broccoli
Yellow & Red Bell Peppers
Celery
Chickpeas
Basmati Rice
Slivered Almonds

(tossed in some Wildtree Onion & Chive and Garlic Galore)

Here you can see it after I combined everything and baked it.

What I did for the 'cheesy sauce' was the following...

1 1/4 C Soy Milk
1/2 C Nutritional Yeast
2-3 teas Cornstarch
Splash of Lemon Juice
1 teas Wildtree Onion & Chive Blend
Squirt of Mustard
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 T Tahini
Wildtree Lemon Pepper to Taste

I made this to lunches and will certainly try it this way - be itself - first - but might add some or all of the following for the left overs or future batches:

Tofu
Tempeh Bacon
Crumbles
Corn and/or Peas

I was also thinking about using as a filling for pitas and wraps, possibly.