Pizza Time

Pizza is, always has been, and always will be one of my most favorite foods in the world. Let's go ahead and say I invented it. You're welcome. Ever since I was a kid, the giant, cheesy, oozy, pepperoni be-speckled slices consumed in copiousness during TMNT cartoons still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. 

But now I'm vegan, so what do I do about my intense pizza cravings? Most of the time, I order it sans cheese. I know it's the right decision, but to be quite frank- it bores me. I went to the Hi-Tone a while back with Sher and Bianca (from Vegan Crunk, if you didn't know) where they offer a Daiya cheese pizza. It was pretty good, but they were running low on cheese, so it was it was bit light. Still tasty, but I'll have to go back and review it again when they're fully in stock. 

Sher and I love to make our own pizza, which I've posted about in the past, but we've been very traditional in our approach. Until the other night. We used a dough recipe from EatingWell.com and a white bean aioli sauce from Veganomicon and created one of the best pizzas I've had in a long time. NO CHEESE! What? 

Walk Like A Vegan

I've been a Vegan for almost a year now, but I've been wearing Saucony shoes for twelve. I've made a lot of adjustments to my life since the big switch, but I did not want to exchange my awesome kicks for velcro potato skins. I've been amazed at how much of my wardrobe contains animal skin. It is nearly inescapable. In an attempt to be the best example of compassion as I can, I do not want to purchase anything new that isn't vegan friendly. With that in mind, however, I don't think one should throw away clothes they have that aren't vegan. But I have been trying to slowly replace some articles when I can, and donate what I don't feel comfortable wearing any longer.

Check this out: My mom, who has been very supportive of my veganism, decided to buy me some shoes. I'm a starving artist and I have a tendency to wear my shoes until they disintegrate. My mom and I went to the mall, I searched for my shoes ( the Saucony Jazz), but came up empty handed. I tried other shoes on, but nothing I found was really "me."  Later that day, I went to the Saucony website and found VEGAN SAUCONY JAZZ!  Seeing these shoes was the first time I had even thought about wearing vegan shoes or vegan anything. I realized that my diet was becoming my lifestyle. So, if you want some slick, comfy, vegan kicks, I highly recommend Saucony. (It's pronounced SOCK-u-nee)

Caulisteaks. Bring it on.

Our friend Joel came over sporting a sack full of beer and what looked like a brain. It was not a brain... it was an orange cauliflower. We were going to feast on caulisteaks! This was a first for us. Sher and I had placed them in the week's menu, but we had no intention of using an orange cauliflower. Surprise! Honestly though, it just tasted a bit more cauliflowery. 

But of course, there's more...According to Cornell University's 

 in an article by Krishna Ramanujan, 

"The genetic mutation 

... allows the vegetable 

to hold more beta-

carotene, which 

causes the orange 

color and is a 

precursor to the 

essential nutrient 

vitamin A."

We also ate mashed potatoes with a delicious silky chickpea gravy from Appetite for Reduction. And of course, we had something green on the plate. Steamed kale is a staple in our diet. It's so good, so simple, and so incredibly healthy. Dip this business in A1 and it's the best stake you'll ever eat. BRAINS!!!!

Good Eats From The Week

Check it. I'm a bit behind on blogging. I don't have the blogging prowess of my wife, Sheridan - Vegan in Arkansas - or our good friend Bianca - Vegan Crunk - so I'm posting about a few dishes Sher and I have enjoyed over the past few days. We cook awesome vegan adventures nearly every night, and the following were particularly scrumptious. Here we go. Boom.

Eggplant SPAGHETT Explosion: We breaded and fried some eggplant from my father's garden, laid them on a bed of whole wheat spaghetti, generously sprinkled on some Daiya mozz, and poured on some doctored up jar sauce. This dish was so freakin tastey i couldn't wait to come home from work the next day and gobble it down for lunch. Reheating it was amazing. I would eat this in my dreams.

Man,  I don't even know what this is. But i'm sure it was awesome. I think it was one of our grain bowls with roasted veggies. Now that it's fall, we are trying to get produce that is thriving at this time of harvest, and this bowl is a creation of pure, unadulterated pleasure. Butternut squash, cauliflower, and onions (probably) and some o' dis and some o' dat. Mmmmm.....

If you're a dude, you know what I'm talking about when I say "WINGS!" I don't miss the carnage, but the flavor of buffalo wings is one of my favorite things in the world. I would totally use a Buffalo flavored Scope if they made it. This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals: Buffalo Fickin Salad. Gardein is a fantastic source of fake meat products, and they make a mean buffalo chicken. What we do is, simply fry up the fake chicken as per directions provided, and top on a mixed green salad with assorted veggies. The we drizzle on some Franks, which is a staple in the sauce department, and accompany the salad with a dollop of Annie's Goddess Dressing. EAT IT!!

Chickpea Cutlets, or Garbanzo Grillers, as I like to call 'em, are a regular go-to at our pad. It's an easy recipe to follow and fun to make. The trick, I have found when making faux meats, is to smack it around a bit. Really get your hands dirty and slap it. SLAP IT. It's fun, and I think it gives it the necessary texture. Steam a bit of kale and snag a buffet of sauces, and BOOM, you gotta a great meal. It's comfort food, it's healthy, it's vegan. How can you not love all of those things!?

Tasty Date

Sher and I love to cook, and eat, but sometimes we just have to forego the whole cooking endeavor and just eat. DATE NIGHT! We rarely plan the outing, but we both feel the urge at the same time. It could be a hard day at work, or worthless day at work, a beautiful night outside, or perhaps I just made a little extra bread by selling a painting or working on a side project, but what ever the tipping point is, the urge to go eat at a restaurant will not be satiated by any other means than by sitting down and having people serve us for a change. Unfortunately, there are not many dining establishments that offer vegan cuisine as there are that offer, let's say, ribs. Once a favorite, fleshy feast, the idea of stripping meat from the bone with my teeth is now abhorrent to me.  ROAR!!!

Here is a list of vegan friendly restaurants at which Sher and I love to dine:

The Root Cafe
Cafe Bossa Nova
Lilly's Dim Sum
4 Square Deli
Saigon
Boulevard Bread Co.
The House Gastropub

The last date we enjoyed was at The House. A laid back environment, fun art work, and a few delicious vegan options all wrapped up in the comfort of home make The House one of our favorite places to eat, drink and hang out with friends.  James, a waiter and friend, has been very helpful in our quest for vegan cuisine by informing us of every option they have; such as, ordering ciabatta bread with the vegan burger instead of the bun. We never leave without licking our plates clean.

Chocolate Apple Chili

My chili is not from Spain. My chili is not made with meat. My chili does not contain an actual chili pepper or meat, but i assure you, my chili is chili. I begin with Gimme Lean Sausage, browned, and add my super secret spice mixture that makes my chili so addictive (William's Original). I saute an onion, bell peppers of various colors, and an apple. I prefer a Braeburn, but Gala will do fine. All the while, I add a bunch of beans, fire roasted tomatoes, Chili Fixens Rotel, brown sugar and additional spices to taste. I usually add about a table spoon of cocoa powder to the pot, but I only had a bit of a dark chocolate bar in the fridge, so i chopped it up and chucked it in.

The chili was great at first bowl, but the next day, when the flavors deepened and the spices matured, it was like a kung fu kick of awesome in the mouth. Enjoy the pics, but if you have the means to attempt a recreation of my delicious Chocolate Apple Chili, then i dare you. I double dog dare you.

Paella

PAELLA

Cinco Za Mayo

Its Cinco de Mayo! So what do we make? PIZZA! This was the first home made pizza dough I've ever made, and it took all day. Literally. I got up at 6:30 to begin the process of creating the stickiest messiest dough in the world. When I got home for my lunch break, the dough had risen to quadruple it's size. I punched it. When I got home at the end of the day, the dough risen again. I punched it. Then I tossed it like a mad man until perfectly round. I slapped it down on a stone and Sher topped it with sauce, Daiya, shrooms, green olives, bell peppers, onions, and thinly sliced tomatoes. It was scrumptious. 

Engrish Brekfirst

I haven't got much of a sweet tooth, so I often enjoy a savory breakfast. I would brush my teeth with sriracha if I wouldn't be breath punching everyone around me. So, this is a fairly regular morning meal Sher and I have~ it's based on a typical English breakfast of beans on toast. This is pinto beans and rye toast. I've thrown in some So Delicious Coconut Milk Vanilla Yogurt and a small glass of OJ. Eat it!

Cheese Steak Sammich

Cheese Steak! What I gotta do! We used Bianca's seitan recipe to create this awesome sandwich. huge fan. LOOK AT ALL THAT CHEESE AND STEAKY RADNESS! Double boom.

Lentil Burger Burrito

I'm back tracking a bit, but I think this is a Lentil Burger Burrito Sher and i made the night after we ate the awesome lentil burgers from PPK. We added sauteed shrooms and onions, rolled them up in whole wheat tortillas (Ole) and grilled them on a panini press. Topped with hot salsa and sprinkle of Daiya Mozz made this leftover meal a flippin punch in the face.

SPAGHETTI NO'S

Joel bought some little pasta o's and brought them over so we could make vegan spaghetti o's with meatballs. We were all totes stoked! We took them over to Kayce's when she made veggie kabobs. MIND BLOWING! Check out PPK for the recipe. Be sure your brain is strapped in tight.

Olive~Lentil Burgers & Baked Onion Rings

Sher whipped up these awesome olive-lentil burgers and baked onion rings. Joel came over and we utterly destroyed everything she created. With our mouths. And finally our stomachs. The entire process was a glorious experience. I arranged my plate with a trio of sauces; ketchup, sriracha, and yellow mustard. I love a buffet of sauces.  The meal's recipe came from the PPK website. check it. eat it. 

Tofu and Veggie Kabobs

My friend Kayce got a new grill because spring is finally here and she wanted to have a cookout. Fortunately, she wanted an all vegan grilling experience. While I was preparing the coals, Sheridan and Joel were juicing oranges and appels to make fresh fruit cocktails, and Kayce was chopping up a whole mess of veggies and cubing tofu. After drizzling with oil and a few spices, we threw the suckers on the grill and watched the magic begin. I knew the veggies would be good, but I had never put tofu on the grill before. I was surprised at the smokey flavor. The kabobs were delicious!