Souley Vegan Po Boy Delight

Matt and I turned on DDD  - Food Network to see our town featured. First up though they showcased Souley Vegan in Oakland - a place we have been to before. We were both happy to see a 100% vegan place on Food Network. The item that stood out most was the Po Boy. We both decided we have to get one next time in town.
The menu online only sates a 'shrimp' version is offered but the restaurant menu offers a 'chicken' version. Both of us are not a fan of seafood like tastes so we opted for the seitan based chicken. Our food came out fast but the side of fries did not appear on our plates so we had to ask for them and got indifferent looks. Same with the hot sauce - once on the table - free flowing, now served in a dinky lil bowl. One bite of the sandwich though I was happy! First time in weeks I said how much I enjoyed eating and was hungry. Each lil seitan nugget was crunchy and flavorful. The veggies are crisp and cooling. A big sloppy sandwich but sure worth the mess!

We have found the food in the past mediocre here but this sandwich was awesome. It had loads of flavor - something we found lacking in the past. Try it with a cayenne lemonade (my fave drink!)  like I did!

Easy Weeknight Meals Made With Gardein Meatless Meatballs

Cooking after a night of work and errands is often the last thing one wants to do on a weekday night. I am always looking for tasty fuss free meals that require 30 minutes or less of your time, minimal prep, minimal dirty dishes but loads of flavor! Bonus if I can use leftovers, the products are on sale, come from one store (instead of driving all over) and I can use the ingredients again if there are left overs.

Enter Gardein Meatless Meatballs. These are tasty and my favorite on the market. The spice and texture are right on making them awesome for Italian dishes - one of my favorite go to food choices. I pick them up at Target, 8 good sized balls (heh - I said balls!) for about $5, on sale the price drops down to under $4 a package.

I did sliders recently. The mini (and totally kawaii buns!) are from Trade Joe's. I just cooked the Gardein  Meatless-balls in marinara sauce, melted some vegan moz on top and placed them on the buns. Served up with a side salad and fries this was a yummy meal! The longest cooking time was the fries - I like mine golden crunchy which means there is a 30 minute wait! All the food stuff came from Target and Trader Joe's, the moz was left over from Matt's M-F lunch bag sandwich. I made my own dressing to pour over organic greens (I buy a box of greens from Target - no prep) and if we have left over tomatoes or veggies from the week it goes in the salad. Even left over bread can be cut into cubes and toasted for croutons.

The balls are perfect in pasta, on a bun or in sauce over fries. Next time I am going to soak them in a buffalo sauce for a out of this world (hopefully!) spicy experience!

[Veagn MOFO] Friday Finds - Vedge Sauce

A few months back while shopping in the bay area Matt and I went to Williams Sonoma - because we are fancy like that. Well, actually I was on the lookout for the sauces that VegNews posted about by Vedge Restaurant. After asking a few people and looking around we found them, I decided on the tamari sesame flavor and Matt plopped down $16 and we were good to go.

A sauce that costs as much as a meal was going to be saved for something special I told myself. Well, 2 weeks ago I forgot BBQ sauce for our weekly night of BBQ soy curls and as I scrambled around to find something to use I came across the sauce. I said why not and gave it a go.

Matt and I both like this sauce - I super really like it. It has a sweetness to it that is not to sweet, just a sweet kick. I taste garlic and giner along with other spices. It goes well with a bit of Sriracha or Middle Easter hot sauce thrown it to kick up the heat.I know $16 (with tax) is a lot for a sauce but I will buy it again. I am using a bit at a time so I can hold off on making it another pricy habit.

[Vegan MOFO] Throwback Thursday - Mama's Banana Nut Bread

Banana Bread Is Love

Growing  up my mom would often bake during the holiday season. She even baked things like cookies for the class for special occasions (back when parents were allowed to send in homemade treats). Everyone who tries her banana-nut bread falls in love with it, even those on the fence about banana-nut bread. So now she makes it vegan - she even says it tastes better vegan. I request it for the holiday season and for my birthday. I do not know her recipe - I just want to have her make it, it is a comfort food treat that screams 'love from mom'...

I have been playing around with sugar free baking lately, mainly so I can share treats with my diabetic neighbors. After buying the Forks Over Knives cookbook at Costco I tried the Better Than Mom's Banana Bread, well it is not better than my mom's but it is good. I have been playing around with the recipe, different spices and flours...

Sugar free takes on classics is not as scary as it may sound, people often equate sugar free, oil free and vegan as bland. Not so! Sweet treats are a cinch if you keep things like maple syrup and agave around. I am really into spelt flour lately, maybe it is a gateway to other flours! Do you bake sugar free? How about oil free? What is your favorite flour? I want to know!

Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce - Perfect Heat - Perfect Treat

I recently bought a bottle of Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce and have been using it a lot since I got my order in. It has a nice hot taste that kicks in after you take a bite, but the first second or two you are met with a sweetness that adds to the kick at the end. I love hot sauce, some just do not cut it, this does though, nice heat with a nice flavor.

I have been going salad crzy lately. If  you follow me on Instagram (missmuffcake) you will see my love for salads! On Thurday it was corn/wheat tortillas baked into bowl shapes piled with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, chili-lime marinated tofu, garbanzo beans (because I had them on hand), a bit of left over Daiya, and habanero ranch dressing. Everything was great but the spicy ranch stood out and it is a cinch to make! Check out my recipe below!

Easy Habanero Ranch

1/2 up of vegan mayo

a squeeze of fresh lime juice

a big plop of  Secret Aardvark sauce

a pinch of dill

a crack of black pepper and pink sea salt

a tiny pinch of onion powder
a tiny pinch of garlic powder

In a small mason jar mix everything together until blended. You can use it right away or let it chill in the fridge to set up and have the flavors come together more.It is yummy!

Friday Night Nachos Revised

We have some food traditions around the house. I think the most anticipated one is Friday Vegan Nacho Night! Matt says it is the right way to kick off the weekend, I just like this quick, easy and delicious meal!

Updated Vegan Nacho Recipe

1 package of trader Joe's Meatless Crumbles

1 can of original Rotel 

1 can of black beans

1 big plop of Sriracha 

a bit of oil for cooking

a bag of organic white corn  tortilla chips

Food For Lovers Queso (a must here!), hot sauce, your fave toppings (optional)

In a large frying pan heat a bit of olive oil - enough to lightly coat the pan on medium heat. Add meatless grounds, cook for a few minutes. Open & drain the Rotel and black beans. Add those and Sriracha to the pan, mix and cook on a medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes. 

Place a bed of nachos on a plate, spoon on pan mixture and top with toppings of choice!

As you can tell I have made a few changes from my original recipe found here. As with most dishes it only gets better after experimenting. This meal was one of my original meals I started cooking. It is now a kitchen staple and something that I can't wait to make for tonight dinner! Happy Friday! Rock the weekend!

Pumpkin Mac, Baked Tofu And Broccoli

 

I have had the pumpkin cheeze sauce from Oh She Glows in my to do recipe pile for awhile now. I finally got around to it and was not let down! It is really creamy and satisfying. I did not really get a pumpkin taste, the nutritional yeast does come into play though. I was hesitant to give it to Matt because well, it's pumpkin based and he is often odd about things like this. He liked it though and he said it went well with the broccoli. I also made baked tofu from Appetite For Reduction - since I am trying to cook along with the cook book challenge over on the PPK.

The broccoli is easy. Take a few cups of broccoli heads, steam in a pan with a lid and a few drops of water, till the water is gone ( a few minutes) on low heat. Add a bit of lemon olive oil to the pan, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of S&P and a nice sized pinch of red pepper flakes. Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes and serve!

This is a pretty fast meal - one of those 30 minute meals, if you do not count the tofu marinating for a hour. However that is down time and does that really count?

This Weeks Eats: Tex Mex & Peach Tofu

The Tex-Mex plate:

Chili lime rubbed tofu (Appetite For Reduction), black beans in a simple sauce (2 cans of rinsed & drained black beans, a dash of Mexican spice blend and a couple of shakes of hot sauce), red rice with lemon and salsa on the beans! Tasty, spicy but not crazy so and comforting!

East meets East sweet & savory plate:

Smoky peach  tofu (from Cooking With Trader Joe's Vegetarian - I love this book!), coconut water lime basmati rice (cook white basmati, replacing 1/2 of the cooking water with coconut water, juice of a lime and slices of lime floating on top (pick 'em out after cooking). I served pakoras from Trader Joe's on the side baked in the oven and toped with the sauce. Sweet and savory, comforting and tropical!

I love tofu, it is comforting and pretty cheap. I go for the super firm pressed stuff. That way no roll of paper towels goes down the drain and no extra prep. You can just use one paper towel to dry it off and cut and get busy with your dish. 

Rice is another cheap staple. I go for basmati, it has a texture and nuttiness that I enjoy. I buy my rice from Trader Joe's or go for something in the natural foods section. I check over my rice carefully because pantry moths are known to go for it in stores, especially in the bulk area. Icky right?

 

[Vegan MOFO Day 13] Trying Out New Products

When we went to Whole Foods last Saturday we got to sample some yummy vegan products! I was happy because when I go to Costco I rarely get to sample anything!  Actually everytime we have been to the Oakland Whole Foods in the day time they have vegan demos! Yes!!! 

 

I saw Genuto in VegNews magazine and when the demo was setting up I got really excited. We tried the Double Espresso flavor and the Simply Pistachio flavor. We both think the Double Espresso won the taste off! It had a nice coffee flavor balanced out with a chocolate richness that was nice and smooth. Both flavors had a nice texture and were really creamy.  I wanted to get back in line to try Chocolate Cardadmom...the line was to long - bummer! Right now you can find Genuto in N.CA stores but I am sure it will be expanding soon!

I am a fan of chocolate energy/snack/meal replacement bars. However, I find some taste chalky or powdery - yuck!  I liked Square Bar after sampling a bite - no chalky taste here. They are gluten free, contain stevia, are a sweet and satisfying chocolate fix without making you feel all groggy. I brought home a bar in the Cocoa Crunch flavor and it was a good after gym pick me up!

Yay for sampling some new products and buying some to take home! I wish more stores did vegan demos! There have been times when I bought something that looked good only to hate it! Sampling fixes that and saves money! I know Trader Joe's often demos vegan products - but they often mix vegan products with non vegan products to create the little sample dish - oh no! Little cups of coffee do not count!
The downside of samples are that people are slobs. Walk around a store that gives samples and you will see sampling cups, plates forks just tossed all over the place. Honestly find a trash can - throw it out!