Hash Browns and Mushrooms

Yesterday was a beautiful day!  The weather was cool, instead of the 90+ degrees that we have been having, and everybody was in a happy mood.  I decided to make hash browns for breakfast, so the picture is of shredded red potatoes cooked in a hot, nonstick pan, with sliced button and portabella mushrooms.  So good!

Fruit and Veggies

I have been snacking on too many high-calorie foods the past couple of weeks, so today I took fresh raspberries and baby carrots to work with me.  They made a great addition to my lunch, which was cold bean soup.

Eggplant Stew With Many Mushrooms

I made this meal a couple of days ago.  It is eggplant stew, which is wonderful, with three kinds of mushrooms in it:  oyster, shiitake, and crimini.  I have to be honest, it was horrible!  I stewed the mushrooms seperately with garlic first, then added them to the stew.  It was like chewing on your nose or something gross.  I have always thought I was a person who LOVED mushrooms, but that changed with this meal.  Blech!

Red Potato and Beets

Sometimes, simpler is better.

Watermelon and Mango

Vegan eating doesn't get any easier than fresh fruit!  Today my family cut up a huge watermelon and a mango to munch on this afternoon and to take for lunch tomorrow.  It has been in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and now tastes sweet and feels cool and wet.  Mmmmm!

Baked Tofu

Last week I found myself with some REALLY short lunches at work and not much to eat.  I had not prepared food and the town I live in is famous for its BBQ places.  I got a plain baked potato one day, but I need to have some things ready to take with me.  So tonight I am making a bunch of baked tofu  that I can stuff wraps with.  I love this stuff!

Just slice the tofu into 8 slices, press as much water out as possible with paper or cloth towels, marinate in your favorite liquids (I like soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and a dash of cayenne pepper), then bake in the oven at 350 for an hour, turning once half-way through.

Dinner At Ka-Prow

Dinner at Ka-Prow again--so good!  Steamed tofu and no oil were used.  The chef is wonderful about cooking with no animal products and no oil if asked.  Of course the food tastes different than if it was stir-fried in oil, but it is still wonderful.

Spicy Peanut Tofu Sandwich

This sandwich was the centerpiece of this meal, shown in the bottom right picture.  We enjoyed a spicy peanut tofu sandwich, cantaloupe, corn on the cob, and beer.  So good!  I got the recipe on another site that I was looking at as Vegan MOFO has gotten underway, spicy peanut tofu sandwich. 

I modified the recipe a bit--I only sprayed the pan with oil instead of using a couple of tablespoons and I did not use the vegan mayo.  I did squeeze extra lime juice on the sandwich since the mayo was missing and it was a wonderful substitute.

I ate a cold leftover sandwich for lunch today.  It was so good that I think I am going to fix more of the tofu this weekend to have for lunches next week.  The fresh lime juice and cilantro really make the entire sandwich taste great.

Sushi at Ka-Prow Sushi and Bistro

Sushi—yum!  This sushi came from a restaurant named Ka-Prow.  I love sushi right after it is made.  The one in the picture has steamed tofu and avocado in it.  So good!  I actually ordered two of these….but I did share the first one.

Black Bean Burger and Daikon Carrot Salad

Today is day 2 of Vegan Month of Food!  My lunch is simple and cheap:  daikon carrot salad and a black bean burger.  I put the burger on toasted Ezekiel Sprouted bread.  It is really good with pickles and mustard.

 Who said eating vegan had to be expensive, unhealthy, or difficult?

Vegan Month of Food--Enchilada Casserole

Today is the first day of the Vegan Month of Food.  I will be trying to post some of the meals that my family eats this month and am beginning with this enchilada casserole I made last night. 

It has layers of corn tortillas, onions, mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, shredded potatoes, salt and pepper, ground New Mexico Chilies, and tomatillo sauce on top of it all—and in between the layers.  

This turned out great!  Some of my family liked theirs with Daiya cheese sprinkled on top, but I liked it without.

 My plan is to show quick and inexpensive ways to eat vegan and healthy.  I have been picking up sushi at a couple of restaurants recently and will show some this month, but even then it is inexpensive and in the $6-7 range.  The food tastes great and is usually easy to make.  Dive in and try it!