Vegan For A Day

I am a Vegan!  Just for today.  Michelle and Katy set up this challenge for the week and I was so excited to be a part of it…

I am always up for trying new things, especially when it comes to food!  Being a vegan is a tough assignment.  It means ditching some of my loves:  cheese, milk, yogurt and… did I say cheese?  Yeah, that’s a hard one.  But, I can try anything for one day, so I signed on for Vegan For A Day where on Thursday everyone could be a vegan!

First, I started the day off with a yummy breakfast of Fat-Free Pumpkin and Raisin Biscuits …

and a steaming pot of French press coffee…

Then, I was off to meet my MIL.  She was taking me to an open house at a quaint tea room called The Painted Tea Cup…

The tea room is set in an old Victorian-style home built in the 1900’s …

The interior has been transformed into a charming gift shop and tea room.  For the open house, the tea room’s seating was removed to make space for the holiday decor and gifts that were available for purchase.  It was a sight to see!  There were so many interesting items to explore including  jewelry, home decor, crafts, beautiful teapots and cups, Victorian- inspired decor, handmade gifts and of course food items!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My focus always goes toward the food items!  I spied a display of dip mixes that were so delicious sounding, I knew a few would be coming home with me…

This one was especially interesting…

How good does that sound?!

There were shelves filled with homemade jams and jellies…

and candies…

As we browsed around the store, the owner offered us a cup of Apple Cider Spiced Tea which was amazing…

There was a nice offering of dips to sample…

I had to sample 2 teeny bites (don’t look vegan friends!):  Pineapple Pecan dip and Raspberry Zinfandel  which the owner told us won top honors at the Fancy Food Show…

There was also another appetizer tray of water crackers piped with a mix of  homemade Red Pepper Jelly and cream cheese, all dusted with powdered sugar.  I didn’t sample these, but they looked fabulous…

Such a festive morning!  Of course, I came home with 3 different dip mixes which I can’t wait to try!  I’m looking forward to going back for High Tea soon.  And maybe, more dip mixes :)

After my minor detour from the vegan way, I got back in the game at lunch.  I made it quick and easy with a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty …

served on an Ezekiel Hamburger Bun.  This seeded variety is my favorite…

I put it all together with some baby spinach, a drizzle of Cranberry Honey Mustard and a juicy orange on the side…

Then, it was time for some vegan fun-in-the-kitchen!  I had an idea for a fun dinner involving “pepperoni”!  A couple of years ago, I dabbled in vegetarianism and had a blast researching and making all kinds of cool recipes.  One of those recipes included a fake-out “pepperoni” made from seitan.  Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan)is a vegetarian/vegan source of protein made from wheat gluten and has a chewy texture similar to meat.  It can be seasoned and cooked in a variety of ways, but my favorite way is with this “pepperoni-type” seasoning and then baking it.  During my vegetarian stint, I played with a few different recipes (here is one) but, one I would use the most was found on a veggie web board (unfortunately, I don’t know whom to give credit to – I had this written on a scrap piece of paper!)…

Baked Seitan

• 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 3/4 c. cold water
• 4 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. ketchup
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. worcestershire or soy sauce
• 1-3 cloves garlic, crushed well ( I used garlic powder)

Mix dry ingredients.  Whisk together wet ingredients, then add to dry.  Knead for a few minutes.  Form into a log, tightly wrap in foil, twisting ends.  Bake for 90 minutes at 325 degrees.  Unwrap and cool completely before storing in refrigerator.

The main ingredient…

Ready to bake…

The end result…

This version actually tastes a lot more like bacon than pepperoni, but I think I was light on the spice (red pepper flakes would have spiced it up more) this time.  Bacon is okay, too!

I decided to use this as my topping for Pepperoni Pizza Potato Skins…

Do you see the melty cheese on there?  It’s legal!  I used Road’s End Organics Chreese (sorry for the blur)…

I’ve used this product quite a bit.  Little daughter was on a vegan diet for the first 5 years of her life due to a milk-protein allergy.  I had to school myself on this allergy (honestly, the docs weren’t much help) and found that milk-protein is in a HUGE number of products.  But, I was able to find some great products to add to her diet and this was one of them.  Their Mac ‘n Chreese is also terrific and the daughters still ask for it sometimes!

I mixed it up (just the packet and boiling water) and added it to my baked potato skins with homemade marinara sauce and the diced Baked Seitan.  I served the skins with some green beans – delish!

I couldn’t let this adventure end without delving into a vegan dessert!  I decided to try out this recipe for Lucky Chocolate Cake.  The black-eyed peas sounded interesting!  I was able to find some yummy vegan chocolate chips in my grocery store, too…

The result was a gooey, chocolaty cake…

A little too gooey – I could’ve baked it a bit longer.  But I snagged a taste from the corner and it was like a fudgy brownie!  This could be dangerous…  :)

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What a marathon post, right?!    Sorry to blog your eyes off! 

I have to say that I really enjoyed this adventurous eating day.  It was fun trying out new foods!   I give vegans tons of credit for sticking with this lifestyle.  It does require a conscious decision and a certain diligence in finding foods that fit the diet and avoiding foods that don’t.  Overall, it was a great experience and thanks to Michelle and Katy for launching such a cool challenge!

I leave you with this long post for the weekend.  I’m going to spend the weekend playing catch-up ( my Google Reader is out. of. control ) and finishing up some projects.  Oh, and celebrating my birthday on Sunday!  Age – let’s not even go there.  OLD sums it up :) 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Quitting Is For Quitters

I was so excited to start my morning off with this…

I bought this mini French press by La Cafetiere in Home Goods the other day and I couldn’t wait to use it!  I had no idea how to use it, but thankfully, it came with directions.

The result was FABULOUS!  Feeding my addiction…

 

I was scheduled to do another 3 mile run this morning.  It was a beautiful day, so I decided to run outdoors again, but had a hard time deciding where.  I wasn’t really in the mood to run, so my hilly neighborhood wasn’t appealing and neither was a local trail;  again hills.  I finally settled on a park trail about 1o minutes away.  The first mile was easy and I was in a nice groove, but I was not feeling this run at all.  I started talking myself into stopping at 2 miles.  It’s good enough, right?  It’s something, right?  NO, I said to myself!  Quitting is for quitters, I said.  Very profound, huh?  LOL!  It’s all I could come up with at 9 a.m.!  I just kept chanting it over and over.  Before I knew it, I was at 3 miles and sprinted at the end, chanting “finish strong”!!!  That was a little more motivational, right?  I think the coffee kicked in ;D

I went back to the car for my dashboard breakfast…

very nutty (like me)…

I finished some errands and headed home for lunch.  I was craving salmon and happened to find some in the kitchen cabinet…

I used it to make a Salmon Roll – my take on a Lobster Roll which is a New England specialty and super delicious!  My Salmon Roll was a tasty alternative. 

To the packet of salmon, I added finely diced red onion, celery, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoon Kraft reduced fat olive oil mayo.  But the star of the mix was this…

I used a couple teaspoons of the Wasabi Mustard.  It made the dish!

Lobster Rolls are traditionally served on a split hot dog-type roll.  To “healthify” my Salmon Roll, I served it on an Ezekiel Hot Dog Bun with a side of red grapes…

Despite this filling lunch, I was stomach growling hungry for a snack in the afternoon.  I steered away from the Cheez-its and opted for a Honeycrisp apple and tablespoon of Barney Butter (trying to use it up!)…

Dinner was later than I like, since I had to volunteer in the church office again.  I didn’t have a plan , but after digging around, I came up with a dinner idea – Zucchini “Spaghetti” and Turkey Ricotta Meatballs…

I heated up Turkey Ricotta Meatballs from the freezer and made some “spaghetti” using 1 medium zucchini and this tool…

A zester!  I rarely ever use it for zesting, but I found a new use for it now!  I’ve seen lots of veggie “pastas” in the blogworld and most of them call for using a Spiralizer.  I’m a gadget lover and have been thinking of getting one, but in an effort to “declutter” my kitchen, I have been holding back from buying it.  Using a zester had the same effect, although probably took a bit more effort than the Spiralizer!

I cooked the “spaghetti” in a teaspoon of olive oil for about 3 minutes in a nonstick pan, along with the diced remnants of the zucchini.  Before serving, I tossed it with a teaspoon of pesto, seasoned with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  It was delicious!

Spaghetti!!

ONE GOOD THING:  Pushing myself to finish my run gave me such a good boost of confidence and energy.  I like the feeling of finishing what I’ve started :)

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Enjoy your day!  Looking forward to my Vegan For A Day adventure today!