My 6th Vegan Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving internet! As you can see, I had a good one. Spent it with my parents, husband, brother and his girlfriend. We ate lots and had very good wine. I was lazy this year and only took a photo of my plate but if you were to look back at my older Thanksgiving posts, there are better pics of pretty much the same foods. On the plate: Tofurky roast with orange herb gravy and cranberry sauce, Susan V's green bean casserole, Brian McCarthy's herb stuffing, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, dijon glazed carrots, roasted butternut squash and roasted brussels sprouts.

Giving thanks to my family, friends- old and new, and for everything I have and for everything that I have learned along the way. Looking forward to growing and moving forward in my life, with the support of all the people I love. Have a great holiday!

Long time no blog...here's a soup recipe.

Trying to get back into blogging. Things have been kind of dull around here. No sweet puppy to come home to anymore. I haven't been motivated to do much more than go to work, come home, shower and make very simple dinners that don't require much effort, ingredients or time. These past couple of weeks I've been focusing on soup because throwing things into one pot and walking away while dinner cooks itself is so appealing right now. I've been inspired by the soups on Fran's Ayurvedic blog. The one I made tonight is just a variation of what I've been doing the past two weeks. Whatever veggies I have on hand goes into the pot. It always turns out tasty.

Pureed Veggie and Lentil Soup With Pumpkin

1/4 to 1/2 cup mung dal (split mung beans)
2-3 cups chopped kale leaves
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp yellow mild curry powder
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup pureed pure pumpkin from a can (ingredients should be just: pumpkin)
salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils and vegetables, (except pumpkin) in a pot. Add water to cover about 1" above the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Add spices/seasonings, stir and lower heat to medium and cover. Cook until all vegetables are tender and lentils are mushy. Blend half of the soup and pour back into the pot while simmering on low. Add the pureed pumpkin and stir well to incorporate. This will thicken up the soup. Simmer until heated through. Adjust spices and salt/pepper as needed. Serve with a drizzle of tahini and a squeeze of lemon.

I miss you Buster.

A week ago today, my family and I took Buster on his last car ride to the vet and in a small exam room we said goodbye and "I Love You" for perhaps the millionth time to our dear baby. I never talked about it much on my blog, but Buster had been sick for quite some time. The cancer had pretty much spread throughout his body in the past few months and in the past two or three weeks, we had been noticing a decline. The last days of his life, he was definitely not his bouncy and energetic self and we could see that he was just tired of it all. It was then we made the decision to not let him suffer any longer. He still had his dignity in the end. We love him and miss him so much. The photo above was taken on his last day. Still the most beautiful dog I've ever seen!

Rest in Peace Buster Brown. 2001-2012.

PS. It's because of you Buster that I'm vegan.

Mushroom Risotto

Made mushroom risotto tonight and it was FAB! Thanks to my cousin Wendy for helping me stir (and stir, and stir and stir....). I used the recipe here. I veganized it of course and changed a few things around. My substitutions:
Veggie broth instead of chicken broth
4-5 TB of olive oil instead of 3
Cremini mushrooms, 1 carton (instead of white mushrooms/portobello combo)
1 small onion, chopped instead of shallots
red wine instead of white
2 TB Earth Balance margarine instead of butter

The risotto was so creamy and rich. I served it with a spinach/arugula salad with cranberries, walnuts and poppyseed dressing.

Chinese "Chicken" Salad.

Made with romaine, red/yellow bell pepper, celery, carrots, red onion, cilantro, chow mein noodles and Gardein chipotle lime crispy fingers!

Tossed with creamy sesame dressing.

Tonight's dinner.

Came home from work today and threw some mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers on the grill and served it atop couscous with a side of crinkle cut fries and leftover quiche from the weekend. Yum.

Puff Pastry Quiche

Got the recipe here but I used a whole 14oz package of firm tofu and added a bit of garlic powder and about 2 TB of chickpea flour in the filling. You can't tell but there are mushrooms in there too. Came out very tasty!