millet

for lunch yesterday, we made up a millet stir fry kind of thing. we cooked the millet then added it to some cooking onions and garlic. then we added halved grape tomatoes (squish them while cooking to get some juices into the flavor), frozen peas, and some soy sauce. mom taught us how to make this delightful dish over the holidays, and the addition of tomatoes made it even more festive!

valentine cookies

for valentines day i made up a batch of heart shaped chocolate chip cookies. i veganized the toll house recipe with willow run margarine, corn starch for the eggs (2T+2T water=1 egg), and ghirardelli semisweet chips. before baking, i formed the dough into little hearts.

new york bagels

bagel world was one of our favorites. saturday morning bagels became our brooklyn tradition. i even learned to like the vegan cream cheeses!

our typical route, along the residential streets

choices, choices

thrilled to have a bagel (and no coat in november)

vegan junk

now that i have a camera again, i was able to get my old pictures loaded. here is some vegan junk food from foodswings in brooklyn. vegans, too, need our occasional fast food fix.

"chicken" wings with fries and vegan bleu cheese dressing

chick'n bac'n ranch salad

butterfinger shake - chocolate soy ice cream with chico-stick candies

things you would see if i had a camera...

once again, my camera is being repaired. it's been at the shop since christmas, which is quite maddening. here are some of the things you would have seen if my nikon wasn't always breaking.

- black bean soup
- lentil chili (made with karis for the chili cookoff)
- french toast
- dry-fried tofu with quinoa and some sort of fantastic sauce
- bbq tofu pizza
- peanut sauce with tofu and broccoli
- lentil soup

hopefully an exchange for my camera will be approved. then i can post pictures of these and other things without further interruption in service.

broccoli almond seitan

keen on quinoa

this quinoa salad was nutritious and filling. the added bonus is that it was also delicious and easy to make. i'll tell you what i did, so you don't have to bother with extra nonsense of the real recipe.

the quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 tsp salt

the others

1/2 or more of a hot pepper, minced

2 or more cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a green pepper, sliced or diced

1/2 of another color pepper, sliced or diced

1 tsp cumin

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 or more handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 or more scallions, sliced

the dressing

2 tbsp lime juice, fresh

1/4 cup olive oil

a little cilantro (i use dried because i don't like cilantro)

salt & pepper to taste

a pinch of cayenne or chili powder

to make the quinoa

soak it in cold water for a while to remove the bitterness (1/2 hour was recommended, but who has that kind of time?). rinse it a few times and put it back in the pot. add 1 1/2 cups cold water and the salt. bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. when it is finished, set it aside to cool a bit.

the salad

saute the garlic and hot pepper in oil until the garlic browns a bit. then add the bell peppers and cumin. saute for a few minutes.

in a bowl, stir up the dressing ingredients. check the flavor for necessary adjusting.

mix everything in a large bowl, adding the quinoa last so you can get the amount that is right for you.

the eating

serve it hot or cold. it would probably make a great burrito stuffer, but we ate it with chips and salsa. feel free to try some guacamole or margaritas or something else exciting on the side as well.