Bulk Shopping, Vegan Sandwich Spread, Leftovers!

This past weekend I was with my parents on a mini shopping spree!  More so them than me but I did grab a 6 pack of these babies at Sam's Club!  I just saw on Amazon that they are between $19 and $21 for 6 pouches...at Sam's I found them for under $10...closer to $9 actually!

The other night I threw together a new homemade vegan sandwich spread.  Here's the recipe:

1 can of Organic Chickpeas

2 Carrots

1/4 C Just Mayo

1 T Yellow Mustard 

1 T Dijon Mustard

1 T Lemon Juice

Handful of Cashews

1/2 T Wildtree Garlic Galore (or minced garlic)

Sprinkle of Onion Powder

Pinch Black Himalayan Sea Salt

Topping: Sprinkle of Smoked Paprika

All in the blender!  YUM!!!

I had it on that new seeded bread I LOVE and then with the leftovers it was good enough to eat as a side with last nights meal.  I had a plate of sides - it seemed - I also had a hefty helping of the brown rice and quinoa you see above.

Vegan Power is doing a $5 a day vegan challenge and I'm game for it, too!  I will mostly be eating from my pantry and/or $5 a day or less if possible.  Mostly this was out of my pantry with the exception of the new quinoa/rice which probably averaged out to be about $1.50.

Confession...I STILL need to be better about breakfasts!  Eeeeeeek!

Much more on the way very soon!  I have some visits and photos to share as well!

Vegan MoFo ~ Best Sandwich Ever!

I'm a simple food person and don't take a lot of time to 'cook' things often.  When I saw the prompt for Vegan MoFo today I thought of all of the multi-layered massive sandwiches that I am sure to see and be in AWE of.  But when I do sandwiches I usually just use what I have on hand.  One of my favorite things to do is make some sort of a Chickpea Salad or Chickpea Spread to use on my sandwiches.

This is a flashback of a post a did a while back but tweaked a bit...

2 C Chickpeas (mashed or in food processor)
1/2 C Dried Cranberries
1/4 C Chopped Walnuts
1/2 T Minced Garlic

Another one I have done is this...

1 can of Chickpeas
1/3 C of Vegan Mayo
2 tea Yellow Mustard
2 T Chopped Relish/Pickles
1 Rib of Celery, Chopped
1 tea Wildtree Onion & Chive Blend

In case you are new to my blog and haven't heard of Wildtree they have a LOT of vegan options! 

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!

I Forgot I Didn't Have BUNS!

 I re-ordered my MOST FAVORITE Veggie Burgers EVER and decided to have one last night.  I totally forgot I didn't have any Burger-Buns on hand!  I didn't want to go back out just for those - so I used Whole Grain Bread instead.  It was what I had on hand.  I toasted the slices of bread and added what little bit of lettuce I had left in my produce section of my kitchen as well as adding some Lentil Sprouts and the actual Veggie Burger.  I topped it with Wildtree's Discontinued Ketchup and NEW Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.  I've said it before and I will say it again...I LOVE this Dipping Sauce because it's Egg/Dairy-Free (Vegan accept for the Honey...so...Apia(n) Vegan if you want to put a label on it, I guess.) UNLIKE most you find in stores and restaurants!  YUM!

Here it is assembled.  It was really good!  I did the 'patty' on stove top with some Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich Filling

I apologize for the quality of this photo.  It was taken with my iPhone under Florescent lighting.  I brought this for lunch today.  I made it last night.  It's a filling for a Chickpea Salad Sandwich.  A vegan alternative to Egg Salad.

What went into this dish?

1 can of Chickpeas

1/3 C of Veganese (Mayo Alternative)

2 tea Yellow Mustard

2 T Chopped Relish/Pickles

1 Rib of Celery, Chopped

1 tea Wildtree Onion & Chive Blend

 

I'm really wanting to eat this now but am trying to wait a little closer to lunch!