Live It Up Vegan !

Fourneau fou infernal et fils

2011-02-19T12:18:00.003-05:00

A quick post today to tell you that, in case you haven't heard, Viva Vegan Store now has a physical store front!
We are so happy to be meeting people in person, some of them internet friends from long ago, new friends too. It's quite the adventure to be running the store and we love it.

One of the best thing that comes from meeting new people is the incredible amount of talent there is out there. If you have not heard about Fourneau fou infernal et fils, here are a few pictures of the deliciously amazing VEGAN DONUTS (you read that right) that we get to be surrounded with all day.
When Laurence comes in with her creations of the day, it's always a magical moment.
Then we have to show restraint and leave her baked goods for our customers.

You should definitely come down and see for yourself, though :p

Have a great weekend everybody!

Our New Storefront:

Boutique Viva Vegan Store
4148 St-Laurent
Montreal QC
514.903.VGAN (8426)

Viva Granola in Montreal @ The Big Veggie Gathering

2010-11-28T16:24:00.004-05:00

I have been meaning to post a recipe since forever, I swear. But life has kept me more busy that I had ever imagined, with a big insanely quick move related to another event I hope to be able to write about soon!

For today though, I wanted to post this event mentioned in the post's title that is coming up in Montreal: It's the 4th edition of the Big Veggie Gathering, on December 4th at noon! At the HEC once again, there will be a Vegan Potluck (with best dish contest), speakers, a culinary demo and kiosks.

We will be there with Viva Granola Vegan Store once again! We can't bring all our inventory with us though so if you are attending and there is something in particular you would like to see, just send us a quick email and we'll do our best to include it =)

All the details for the Big Veggie Gathering can be found here!

Lazy Baklava

2010-06-16T22:13:00.007-04:00

Lately I have been in the mood for baklava and so I wanted to drool over my picture (lower on the page) and rethink of how my lazy idea turned out really, really well.

Baklava is definitely one of my favorite desserts but I have only made it a couple of times. The first reason being that I don't really like working with filo dough. The second reason was that for years, I had no access to a butter substitute (Earth Balance) and I would never have dreamed of making baklava with vegetable oil. Blasphemy! ;-)

I know I'm exaggerating as Aunt Trudy's Maple Walnut Baklava is absolutely delicious AND made with vegetable oil. Its only problem is that when you have to share with 4 other people, Aunt Trudy doesn't make her baklava big enough ;-)

So for years, no baklava for me... that is until I realized that the vol-au-vent lying around in the freezer since Christmas could not possibly wait until next Christmas. And I needed a dessert, stat!

So here is the result:

And here is the recipe, with absolutely no need to twist one of my arms:

Lazy Baklava
Brigit

6 large vol au vent shells, vegan friendly and uncooked (or more of the tiny variety)
300 to 350g of finely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup organic sugar
¾ cup water
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice (you will not taste this in the final product)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 or 4 tablespoons Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread

Place the vol au vent shells on a serving platter or dish that has been greased with a bit of melted Earth Balance. Put aside.

Mix the walnuts with the cinnamon. Stuff each shell with the nut mix, and put the rest of the mix around each shell.

In a small pot, mix the water and sugar and heat until all the sugar crystals are dissolved. Add maple syrup, vanilla and the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add Earth Balance and let simmer 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.

When lukewarm, pour the syrup over the nuts in the middle of each baklava shell and then on the rest of the nut mix around the dish/plate. Add maple syrup if desired.

To serve, share one shell with someone you like :)

Asian style Braised Vegetables

2010-04-02T10:20:00.004-04:00

Here is a little recipe that's very simple, super tasty and what's best is it can be adapted to what you have on hand. I love that.
First thing I did: I added more pineapple-y goodness.
Second thing I did: I removed most of the mushrooms asked for by the recipe, although I love mushrooms. My mom had found this recipe on the website of a Quebec cooking show and it asked for lots of different types of mushrooms that are impossible or really difficult to find in regular grocery stores, depending on where you live.

Be creative and add/substitute what you want while respecting the base for the sauce, pineapple and general guidelines and you should end up with something delicious :)

Bon appétit!

Asian style Braised Vegetables
The "What's in Brigit's Fridge This Week" version

- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 carrots, thickly julienned
- 1 to 2 cups snow peas, (to taste - or other green vegetable, like green beans)
- ½ cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
- other vegetables that are waiting in the fridge for your consideration, to taste
- 2 cups pineapple with juice, fresh or a 540ml can, cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Heat oil in a large heavy pot or wok and add garlic, carrots, peas and cabbage (and *other vegetables, if used) and cook for 5 minutes on high heat.

Add the mushrooms and pineapple chunks.
Stir well.

Add pineapple juice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and simmer for 10 minutes stirring frequently or until vegetables are done to your taste.

Serve with a bowl of jasmine or brown rice.

Holiday Recipes: Sucre à la crème

2009-12-07T16:33:00.009-05:00

I have been meaning to post Holiday recipes for the last two weeks but we are so busy it has been hard to find the time. Finally, I'm here today with an old Quebec favorite, Sucre à la crème.
It's a brown sugar fudge that is famous for being one hard recipe to succeed at making and the proof is that I have never, ever, ever, ever, succeeded in making it before. It took me trying to veganize it for it to finally work for me. It might be a good thing, it might be a bad thing... because although a lot of Québécois eat Sucre à la crème all year long (it's now widely available in most grocery stores), I have to think of it as a Holiday treat. That way, I put it in the Once-A-Year category and it's better for my curvy figure.

Some people like their Sucre à la crème on the hard side, some prefer it creamy. Some prefer it with nuts, some would never add nuts. You can customize it the way you like and yes, that means that you will have to play around with the recipe which is the perfect excuse if you want to practice making it now, or after the holiday season.

By the way, I would like to thank Jojo for her help testing this recipe and for her variation suggestion.

Brigit's Vegan Sucre à la crème

· 750ml (3 cups) organic brown sugar, packed
· 225g Earth Balance buttery spread (preferably not the Mediterranean one)
· 160ml Belsoy Creamy Preparation (Jojo liked using Coconut Milk instead - I find it gives a bit of a bitter flavour but it is still good)
· 500ml (2 cups) organic Vegan Icing Sugar
· 1 Tbsp good quality pure vanilla extract or if you prefer, maple extract (or a mix of the two)
· a Candy Thermometer

In a medium size heavy cooking pot, melt Earth Balance Spread with the brown sugar, stirring constantly. This is important because the sugar must not burn - it would affect the flavour.

Continue stirring until boiling stage is just reached and then add the Belsoy Creamy Preparation or coconut milk, then let it reach the boiling point again.

Lower heat and let simmer to 240F on your candy thermometer (this can take from 3 to 5 minutes - using the thermometer is more precise and it is highly recommended). The more you cook the mixture, the drier(harder)the end result will be. This is where you can tweak to your liking. If you prefer your Sucre à la crème creamy, cook it slightly less.

When 240F is reached, immediately transfer the mixture to clean medium bowl and with the help of a hand held electric mixer, add the good quality vanilla and gradually add the icing sugar. If you find your mixture too dry, you can add a bit more Belsoy cream, one teaspoon at a time. Be aware that adding too much will change the end result, maybe making it too creamy for your liking.

*If you would like to add walnuts, this is where you would do it, with the help of a wooden spoon, just before pouring the delicious mixture in a mold to let it set.

Pour in a square mold and let cool completely in the fridge. When set, cut into squares and share with all the people who have been nice to you during the year.

OR you can freeze the squares you want to eat later :)

James Barber's Tofu on Pita

2009-10-27T10:25:00.004-04:00

We discovered this recipe many years ago. Thinking about it, I guess it was the first recipe that we tried that contained tofu. And we fell in love with it at first bite :)
It is very simple & quick to prepare, inexpensive, very fresh and totally satisfying. It is on our menu list this week and we will be serving it with Tofutti's Supreme Sour Cream (Viva Granola Vegan Store now carries it, if you can't find it near you)... Plain soy yogurt is also good with this.

We have been making it for more than 10 years, have given the recipe to many people, including lots of non-vegans, and each time, we hear great feedback about it. It would be so good for our ego if it was our recipe, but it is originally James Barber's.

Mr. Barber passed away in 2007, sadly. You might have followed his CBC cooking show, The Urban Peasant. Not a lot of his recipes were vegetarian, and even less, if any, were vegan - honestly, I don't remember as I didn't even know what veganism was when I used to watch his show, back in the early to mid 90s. But I discovered tofu because of him (or I learned to really love it though his recipes) and loved how he had a no-nonsense approach to cooking. He gave great tips and you could even learn some trivia before and after commercial breaks. I loved that. So, I liked to watch The Urban Peasant and Mr. Barber encouraged me to cook without feeling too self-absorbed, focusing more on my natural love of food, experimenting and creativity.

Without further delay, here is this super yummy, peanuty tofu recipe! Try it and have fun cooking!

James Barber's Tofu on Pita

- 1 block of extra-firm tofu, cut into fries
- 1/2 to 1 white onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil - I love to use sesame oil for this but canola or sunflower works fine, too.

Brown or sauté the above ingredients in a heavy-bottomed frying pan.
When the tofu is golden and crispy on all sides, temporarily remove pan from heat and quickly stir in*:

- 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lemon
- salt, to taste
- a bit of cayenne, or to taste

Put the pan back on the burner to heat.
Serve on/in pita bread garnished with crispy romaine leaves, spinach leaves, vegan sour cream or soy yogurt.

*You can prepare the little peanut sauce in advance and add it in all at once to "deglaze" the crispy tofu.

Tofu & Zucchini Pasta

2009-08-31T13:42:00.002-04:00

Today I am passing on a recipe that was originally from my dear Aunt Lucie which is quick to make and delicious. You can replace the tofu with tempeh strips, seitan chunks, TVP or SoyCurls, your choice.

As always, have fun, be creative and thanks for visiting! :)

Tofu & Zucchini Pasta
Gaia's Aunt Lucie's recipe

• 900g pasta
• 1/2 - 1 bloc tofu, cubed
• 3 cups zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups green peppers, cubed or sliced
• 1 1/4 white onion, diced
• 56oz diced tomatoes, with juice
• 20 fl.oz tomato condensed soup
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili peppers
• Sauce sauce, or tamari, or Bragg's

Cook chosen pasta according to directions - meanwhile, prepare "sauce":

Sauté tofu in a little oil and season with sauce sauce.

Add vegetables and cook on medium heat while stirring constantly until vegetables are tender.

Add all other ingredients and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

Gently incorporate pasta OR serve over pasta.

Cake ... and Stew!

2009-07-28T17:36:00.004-04:00

Mmmmmmm!

Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm!

Now that I have your attention :)

I know that summer is not the ideal time of the year for hot and delicious stew but who said it was summer?
With the weather and general lack of summer heat we are having here... although it is quite hot and humid today, which means it will probably snow tomorrow (because rain sometimes gets bored of raining, you know). So there, I'm posting this wonderful stew recipe in case it snows tomorrow.

It comes from an old issue of Animal Times that my mom typed for me under the threat of more threats. Even the photo is hers. Thank you maman! xoxoxoxo...

You can replace the seitan with grilled tofu or SoyCurls or more vegetables.

Hearty Country Stew

1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz seitan chunks (or tofu, SoyCurls, etc)
6 carrots, peeled and diced into bite-size chunks
3 potatoes, scrubbed and diced into bite-size chunks
10 oz frozen peas
4 cups vegetable broth
1 - 14oz can diced tomatoes, including liquid
1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch, dissolved in a small amount of cold water.

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for several minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the corn starch mixture, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken.

Serve hot when it's cold outside ... or when it should be hot outside but you live in an alternate universe.

A note for those of you who still have the above cake burned on your retinae: it's again, a Moosewood cake, but Elvis style or Banana Split style (a VCTOTW idea) and you can find the recipe in the index on the right.... or here :)

Rigatoni with Chickpea Sauce

2009-06-25T13:45:00.003-04:00

Today, I'm giving you a recipe that as been a regular at our house for more than 10 years. It comes from Susan Powter's Food, one of the first books I have read explaining the link between health and nutrition or more to the point, all the junk and crap that is in the foods we eat (or used to!).
Taking care of ourselves and cultivating health is above all, taking responsibility for our food and lifestyle choices. Each thing that we eat is a choice that we make, sometimes a conscious one. But all too often, people refuse to learn where their food comes from and what the implications are. Not to mention, what they are supporting with their money.
So it's definitely an entertaining read from a colorful woman. I learned lots from this book and it opened doors in my mind to help me learn more about the subject and make better choices all around.

So to get back to the recipe, I hope you'll want to try it because rosemary in this is wonderful and the pureed chickpeas give a creamy texture that is very interesting, too! Add fresh parsley from the garden, if you have it!

Rigatoni with Chickpea Sauce
From Susan Powter's book Food.

- 2 19oz cans chickpeas, rinced and drained
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups white onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 28oz diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1-lb rigatoni (I use a 700g bag)
- fresh parsley, chopped

In a blender, puree half of the chickpeas with the tomatoes. Set aside.

In a big pot, sautee onions and garlic until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add in the tomato/chickpea mixture, the rest of the chickpeas, broth and rosemary.
Simmer 20 to 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, cook pasta to al dente).

Remove from heat, stir in fresh parsley, salt and pepper and serve over rigatoni.

Bon appétit!

Apple Bok Choy Salad

2009-05-31T13:28:00.005-04:00

Hey gals!
How have you been doing? Do you have nice and sunshiny weather where you live?
Here, we are still waiting for a real Spring... I haven't started gardening yet. Too cold, too wet. Very depressing. My tulips didn't grow past 15cm in height and lots of flowers are dead. I've said this before but I want to move! Somewhere warm!

In any case, I feel kind of pathetic for not taking better care of my blog and I've decided, again, to go by a different format. I'm not too interested in showing pictures after pictures of everything dish I have made, although that is nice too. But I've done that and I need a change. So I want to try posting more recipes. Here is the first one of this "new era" ;-)

This Apple Bok Choy Salad recipe was not vegan when my mom came across it and so she proceeded to make it better, meaning, she veganized it. It is very simple and very, very fantastic with its crunchiness and freshness and all around goodness. I could eat the whole bowl by myself. Be prepare to read that often here :p

Try it soon and tell me about it!

Apple Bok Choy Salad
Gaia's Mommy

3 or 4 rounded Tbsp Vegenaise/Veganaise
2 or 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp unrefined sugar or agave nectar
½ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp sea salt
6 cups finely chopped bok choy
1 large apple (I like Fujis), julienned
1 large carrot, julienned
½ cup red oignon (or white onion), finely sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the veganaise, vinegar, sugar and salts until smooth and creamy.

Add bok choy, apple, carrot and onion.

Mix, adjust seasonings to taste if necessary and serve right away or chill before serving.

Long overdue

2009-01-20T11:14:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!
(we're still in January so I'm not that late, really).
I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season and that 2009 will bring you all the best of everything good.

You might have noticed that I have not been around here in a while and I have no other excuse than I didn't feel like blogging although I have quietly been visiting most of you.
Today though, I'm finally posting a bunch of photos to make myself want to cook.

I'll start by saying that I'm still very much into Breakfast Ice Cream.

But I finally tried it in a cone (I'm a big baby that way).

Believe me, an ice cream cone for breakfast makes you very popular with your own kids and they will gladly clean off their bedrooms after this if you play your cards right.

This was a fresh garden salad (it was fresh, back in September) with Goddess dresssing. I just can't wait for the snow to melt and start gardening again. OR, I want to move someplace where I can garden all year long. I would actually REALLY prefer the second option. Feel free to make location suggestions.

Could not resist :p

Veganomicon's White Bean and Leek Cassoulet. So good and satisfying! And there is never enough.

Rice Crispy Chocolate Swirls Squares made with Sweet & Sara Vegan Marshmallows! Again, my boys loved me :)

Vegan Bubble and Squeak with Gravy. This was an experiment and we totally loved it. I need to make some soon.

Thai Curried Chickpeas OR Curried Thai Chickpeas. I'm not sure. But it is one of those meals that is simple and done in 10 minutes (or so) and that makes you go mmmmmm! with every bite.

Vegan Swedish Neatballs (a variation of Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe). Another successful experiment. Now when we go to IKEA, we can bring a thermos of that stuff ... and shop, of course.

Vegan Maple Pecan Buns that are oooh, so good! Quick base recipe below. Have fun with it :)

One of the best things in the world: Jo Stepaniak's Vegan Gyros, from Vegan Vittles.

Same basic bun recipe but with date spread filling. Amazing, too!

I really recommend you try the following recipe if you like Cinnamon buns. Very quick to make and all my attempts were hugely successful. It was originally posted on the internet by Oneness, so thank you, whoever and wherever she is!

So here it is for today. Keep cooking, keep baking and Happy Vegan Eats!

Gooey Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:
3/4 C unsweetend soy milk
1/4 C Earth Balance, softened
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C plus 2 TBS water

Filling:
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1/2 C Earth Balance, softened (I use about 1/3 cup or a bit less)

Glaze: (I half the glaze recipe)
2 tsp corn syrup (I use brown rice syrup)
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C icing sugar
4 TBS unsweetened soy milk

Instructions:
Heat the soy milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove
from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until
lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt;
mix well. Add water and the soy milk/margarine mixture; beat well. Add
the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each
addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a
lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon,
softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with
margarine/sugar mixture (if you want you can add in some raisins or
nuts).

Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 2 lightly
greased rounds pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30
minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Combine
all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and mix until
smooth. Let rolls cool a few minutes then drizzle with glaze.

The Green Elephant in Portland, Maine

2008-10-16T12:29:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying the beautiful Autumn colours!

I have been meaning to blog about this great restaurant we visited during our vacation to Maine at the beginning of September. It was so great to relax by walking on the beach!
Before leaving though, we had the good sense of asking Happy Cow for some good restaurant suggestions and we printed out menus and were really looking forward to trying out The Green Elephant, the most interesting option for us this time around.

The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
"Here at the Green Elephant, we offer Asian-influenced cuisine. Relax in our nice, cozy, and elegant atmosphere.
Come to celebrate the joy of eating with a nutrious meal from our innovative vegetarian menu."
That could not be more true. We absolutely loved our evening there and can't wait for our next trip. The atmosphere was awesome and the personnel, simply wonderful!
We wish we could have tasted everything vegan on the menu but there was simply too many options to try out in one visit! Only a handful of dishes are not vegan (they contain egg). (See the menu for yourself by following the link above).

Here is a few pictures of the tasty dishes we tried this time:

King Oyster Mushroom Tempura
That was my selection. Very fresh and wonderful!

Soy Nuggets with Chili Sauce
Simply the best chicken-style nuggets we have ever had!

Deep Fried Spring Rolls
Crispy good and the sauce was amazing! And 4 of them, too!

Crispy Wonton with Chili Sauce
So, so good! Stuffed with vegan cheese and spinach.

Veggie Citrus Spare Ribs
"A stir-fry w/broccoli, bok choy, carrot, zucchini, mushroom, bell pepper, onion" - and some tempeh!
Every dish was really, really fresh.

Far East Duck
"Stir-fry w/broccoli, bok choy, carrot, zucchini, mushroom, bell pepper, onion "
This was my husband's selection and it was spicy good!

Organic Green Tea Noodle
"In miso soup w/napa cabbage, soy filet, seaweed, scallion"
Simple, yet so delicious!

Spinach Noodle and Vegetables
"Stir-fry in shitake-ginger sauce,w/bok choy, snow peas, and carrot, soy meat"
This was my plate but I was forced to share with everybody more than I wanted to :p
We all agreed that this simple noodle dish was the most impressive of all. I would so LOVE to be able to make this myself!

Tofu Cheese Cake
The two desserts we just had to try, even though we were more than stuffed, were totally amazing. This Tofu Cheese Cake with caramel sauce was insanely good. The best we have ever had.

Chocolate Orange Mousse Pie
And this, OMG! There is simply no words for it. Just go and try it, you won't be disappointed!

The Green Elephant is a wonderful restaurant, our favorite so far. It is an 8hour drive from home and totally worth it.
If you are ever in Maine, visit beautiful Portland and treat yourself to amazing food... and bring me back a doggy bag!

The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
608 Congress St. Portland, ME Tel. 207-347-3111 Fax. 207-347-3112
Tuesday-Saturday Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm Dinner 5pm-9:30pm
Sunday Dinner 5pm-9pm
Monday- Closed

Cakewoman

2008-08-19T19:38:00.003-04:00

I should post something, right?

It's not like I spent all summer lying in the sun... It feels like we had rain everyday so that was out of the question because I'm made of chocolate.
It would have been great to enjoy the sun more than I actually did though but there was rain, work to be done on the house (still is!) and all the regular.
We still don't know why we bothered with the pool this year... Summers are getting stranger and ... well, looking more like autumn each year.

But in the now, I'm taking a couple of minutes to posts some yummy pictures of yummy food. A lot of cake pics, actually. Between April and September, we have one birthday to celebrate each month... and no one here wants a pie for his birthday.

So here we go:

Gromit turned 8 on his birthday and he wanted a Moka Cake. I use the traditionnal Moosewood recipe using strong coffee instead of the water and made a Coffee Ganache, which is always awesome.

He was completely happy and covered in chocolate after two pieces. :)

For Flopsy's 16th Birthday (yes, already!), he chose the Decadent Almond Cake from Hannah Kaminsky's My Sweet Vegan.

Served with fresh strawberries macerated in a little bit of Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar.

And then, for Steven's birthday, a little experiment on my part that turned out to be my favorite cake this year (so far) :
Blueberry (or Raspberry) Swirl Cake.

I just used a box of President's Choice Vanilla Cake Mix, fresh homemade jam (a good quality store bought one works fine too), made a streusel mixture and topped with toasted almonds.
Spontaneous creativity is the best!

Other blog worthy food since last post where:

Sesame Orange Soy Curl Salad ... simply delish!

Mac & Cheese, a VegNews recipe.
It is different from other Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe because it doesn't rely on nutritional yeast... it used potatoes instead.
Trouble was, I truly am a nutritional yeast maniac and although I love potatoes too, I'm not sure I would make this recipe again without adding NY. :p But I know other people absolutely love it so give it a try and tell me how you liked it.

This simply delicious high in colour meal was lovingly prepared by "Weeny", our 11 year old son.
He is a great and wonderful boy <3

This is from Dreena Burton's Vive le Vegan :
Sunflower Lentil Pie with the Tahini-Sesame-Mustard sauce. I really enjoyed this, even if I had used twice the amount of lentils.

Nasturtiums from our rock garden.

A "That's Why I'm Fat" Banana Peanut Choco-Chips Scone.
Served with a cup of wonderful Fairtrade Raspberry Earl Grey tea.

Southern-Style Fried Soy Curls.
OMG-good! Used the tofu-based recipe from Vegan Vittles.

Tofurky Beer Sausages and Potato Salad - with a Dijon-style sauce.
Love small potatoes...

Unfortunately the picture is not that great, but Susan's Fat Free Vegan Blueberry Oat Bars
were really good. Not too sweet, I will make these again for sure.

So there your go. You can see I still had time to eat :p

What have YOU been up to? Spill the beans!

My Carrot Cake Recipe

2008-06-09T14:16:00.009-04:00

Hello and bonjour!

First, thank you to everybody who left us a comment on the last post. As I thought, my boys were very happy to read each one of you. I personally feel very touched for your nice words. Thank you!

Also, thank you to everyone who visited our little blog after my recipe for my Favorite Bean Salad was published on Meatout Mondays' Newsletter last week.

It was a complete surprise! I'm a subscriber myself and when I saw the picture I thought "Wow, this looks a lot like my salad!" and then came "Wow, it IS my salad!". I was giddy like a schoolgirl, I must admit.
So thank you!

Some news, for those of you who speak French or who know somebody who does, you might be happy to know (you should be happy) that The China Study has finally been translated in French! Yes!

It is published by Ariane and the French title is Le Rapport Campbell (the Campbell Report).

So without further babbling, here is a sample of our meals during the past weeks (or months!) :p

Answer: "Yes, with Soy Curls!"
Question: "Can you eat Hot Chicken?"

SLT Sandwich : Sheese (cheddar style , Lettuce Tomato.

Creamy Sheesy Spinach on Toasted Baguette.

Sweet Chinese-style Soy Curls.

Bryanna's Seitan Pork Tenderloin Roast.

Lemon Custard Cake.

Pineapple Soy Curls.

My favorite Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing.

Grilled Polenta with Tomato-Portabello Sauce (President's Choice).

And finally, my Carrot Cake. I posted the recipe on VivaGranola's Blog but I thought it would be nice to copy it here too.

I started making this cake 16 years ago and it has changed a lot over the years. It has of course been veganized but I think it is as good, if not better than the original. Sometimes I choose to change the type of flour I use (spelt, all whole wheat, a mix of the two) or I can replace the Creamy Sheese with crushed pineapple… No matter what, it is always good!

But here is my official recipe, which I took time to write down, thanks to my aunt Kathleen.

Brigit Gaia’s Carrot Cake

1 cup all purpose whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose unbleached white flour
3/4 cup fine turbinado sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3 cups grated organic carrots (not too packed)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For Cream Sheese filling:

about 1 container of Creamy Sheese original (about 250g) (or non-hydrogenated Tofutti Cream Cheese)
1/4 cup fine turbinado sugar
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp water

1. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly oil a Bundt Cake pan (or a 9-in round cake pan - or even a muffin pan for cupcakes or muffins). Grate the carrots with the food processor and set aside until needed.

2. In a big bowl, sift together the first 7 dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whip together the oil, water, applesauce and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, mix the Creamy Sheese, sugar and cornstarch/water mixture. Set aside.

5. Add the liquid ingredients in the medium bowl to the dry ingredients in the big bowl. Mix to incorporate only (don’t overmix). Add 3 cups of grated carrots and the walnuts. Again, mix to incorporate only.

6. Pour half to 2/3 of the cake batter into the Bundt cake pan. Pour the Cream Sheese mixture on top of the batter. Then delicately spread the rest of the cake batter on top of the Sheese to cover it completely.

7. Bake in the oven between 45 and 55 minutes, depending on your oven or the cake pan you have chosen (it may very well take longer for a regular 9-in pan and a shorter amount of time if you use a muffin pan - generally 20 to 25 minutes for muffins). Verify “doneness” with the blade of a knife or a long skewer, if you have one - I find that toothpicks are too short for this cake when baking in a Bundt pan.

8. Let cool completely then turn over a serving plate and sprinkle with unfiltered icing sugar (Wholefood Sweeteners) before serving.

Bon appétit and enjoy what's left of Spring!

Tribute to Wonderful Sons by a Proud Mommy

2008-04-10T12:08:00.008-04:00

Hi all!
I have been thinking about today's post for a while. My boys don't know I'm doing this so it will be (hopefully) a nice surprise.

You might remember that my kids love to cook. Lately, our 11 year old ("Weeny") really started to explore cooking and baking and his 8 year old brother ("Gromit") has been helping and getting involved more in day to day meal preparation. Although I don't have recent pictures of his creations, their older brother ("Flopsy", almost 16) is also involved daily. He will make breakfast (wonderful pancakes, oatmeal, cream of wheat), prepare soups for lunch, help with supper or sometimes prepare it all by himself but his preference is always for baking us cookies, like his Choco-Mint Cookies.

So what you are about to see is what Weeny and Gromit have made, together or alone, and I will mention it if I helped in any way.

You will understand how proud I am. I have wonderful sons who really are happy with their decision to become vegan and I am so glad that they taught us to eat with compassion and creativity.

If you are a regular visitor, you will remember this delicious looking chicken-style soup from my last post...

And of course, the Coconut Cups that Weeny made for us for Valentine's Day. I don't have a picture (and we could kick ourselves for forgetting to take one) but we received another wonderful present for Easter. Weeny had made Peanut Butter Cups and Flopsy tried his hand at Almond Cream Cups. They were simply amazing (cups and sons)!

This one, I still can't get over it. Weeny made that pizza, and with very little help. I helped him cut up some green pepper and onion but everything else, he did alone. He used Bryanna's Pizza Crust recipe from Twenty Minutes to Dinner after studying a couple of recipes and created this Veggie Ham and Pineapple Pizza.

And then, he wanted to make a Coconut Cream Pie. He wanted to make it by himself, crust and all. I actually helped pipe the Vegan Whipped Cream and gave him the idea for the toasted coconut on top but that's all. He used a box of commercial pudding mix (veganised the instructions) and chose a crust recipe from Vegan Vittles.

And here is a picture of a slice of that marvelous pie :)

And Weeny made pizza again when his grandparents came over for lunch. Left, a slice of Veggie Ham and Pineapple Pizza and on the right, a slice of Spinach and Cheddar Sheese Pizza. Again, he made the crusts by himself... His grandma wanted to help so he had her help him prepare the vegetables.

Now, this next creation was a collective endeavor.

Since we saw his Hogwarts Cake on YouTube, we have been watching Chef Duff and his show Ace of Cakes on The Food Network.
So the boys and I have been thinking about vegan wedding cakes, and vegan guitar cakes, and vegan Tower of London cakes LOL and we wanted to try our hand at fondant. Well, that needs a bit of looking into so for now, Weeny and Gromit planned this Three Layered Tower Cake and decided to drench it in rich 65% couverture chocolate. They made the cake batter and baked them by themselves, I didn't help at all with that. I also didn't help melt the chocolate and with the vegan buttercream icing. I helped spread the melted chocolate and tried to use the piping kit we have that is not worth very much, I afraid. And I don't have the technique :p

It was really cool to work together and we managed to learn a lot during the process. The cake was so amazing that I'm sure that we will repeat the experience... and I hope they let me play with them again :)

There you have it, a little glimpse into my boys creativity as of late. Aren't I a lucky mom?
Please leave them a comment if you want... they will really appreciate it!

Thanks again for your visit! I can't wait to see what you have been up too!
And Happy Spring!

Sausages, cookies, cake, soups, oh my!

2008-02-25T12:02:00.005-05:00

Goodbye and thanks for visiting! This is Gaia Quite Contrary and I hope you had a rotten February.

Ok, I'll stop right now, I can't do this for a whole post or I'll have to kick my own butt. :p
I'm saying "Hello my friend!"
I'm saying "I hope you had a great month!"
I'm saying, "When will spring be here?!??" Pleaaaaaaaase! I can't do this winter thing anymore.

You will now be viewing food pics that made the last month a bit warmer, in a comforting way.
First, I jumped like all of you on the Vegan Sausages Craze. Julie is such a dear! She gave me permission to translate the recipe for my French blog <3

I made Choucroute Garnie with them.

This is called Tourte Étoilée aux Pois Chiches. Google translates it to "Tourte Star to Pea Chiches". It manages to get two words right.
This is very comforting and marvelous. The sweetness of the yams with the coriander is amazing. The star shaped biscuits are cooked on top of the dish. I should post the recipe for you someday.

Currently my favorite sandwich : Fontaine Santé's Baba Ganouj and Bruschetta, two of my favorite things in the world.

One day for supper, my 11 y. old and 8 y.old sons, decided together that THEY were cooking and they made this delicious soup. I didn't help at all! I was so amazed! They used Bryanna's Homemade Vegan chicken-style Broth powder recipe, of course.

Speaking of Bryanna, her Ginger Molasses cookies. Love them so much! The recipe is on her blog, here.

Simplicity at its best: So Good Vanilla ice dream with walnuts and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

My Chedda'Chowder. Spur of the moment but I used a "cheese" sauce recipe I found on the web many years ago now, as a base and added all the vegetable I had available.

Don't underestimate de power of a bowl of Basmati Rice with Earth Balance, salt & pepper.

More sushi and spring rolls stuffed with fresh veggies and Roasted Portabellos (Veganomicon) served with peanut sauce.

Chocolate Bundt Cake (The Joy of Vegan Baking) for Valentine :)

I thought it was amazingly good. I *might* like it more than the Moosewood cake... many more tests are needed for me to select a winner :p

This was our Valentine gift from our 11 y. old, Roasted Coconut Cups. I worked with him this time because we had never tried to make something like this and I must say, they really were amazing. We will remember those little cups for a long time because our son had been planning making them for a while and we had a great time making them. I also absolutely LOVE that he always thinks of making something himself to give as a gift.

So, until next time, take care and see you on your blog!

Vegan Sushi, Vegan Cheesecake and other veganities

2008-01-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!

Hope you had the best Holidays ever and that you were not surrounded by people with colds and stuff.

I'll be visiting your blogs in the next few days and can't wait to see what you have been up to!

I'm jumping right in with photos, not really in the mood to talk as I'm listening to a big argument in the background about a bag of frozen corn. Yes, you read that right. Kids!

So here is a picture that I should have posted back in November but I had forgotten it somewhere. This was my first sushi attempt and boy, they were a huge hit. Almost didn't get to taste them, they disappeared way too fast.

What do you put in your vegan sushi? I having a hard time being creative because I love those ones so much. Btw, I don't really like wasabi - sometimes, it's just too hot for me - so what else do you suggest?

Next, the marriage of two recipes from two different cookbooks:

Pancakes (with blueberries - my freezer is still full of them) from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I love that recipe! And Celestial Cream from Dreena's Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Triple wow!
Eat it by the spoon!

This is Breakfast Millet from The Optimal Diet cookbook, by Darlene Blaney & Hans Diehl.
I want to try a lot of recipes from that book.
I really liked this millet recipe. It was sweet due to the dates and so simple to make. A nice breakfast and a welcome change from toast or oatmeal.

This was my first homemade pizza using Sheese (Creamy Cheddar style & mozzarella).
We decided to make this around midnight, on a Saturday, while watching a movie. It was so, so good that I have been craving pizza every night at around the same time ever since.
I used Bryanna's Quick Pizza Dough recipe (from Twenty Minutes to Dinner).
Great recipe for people who get pizza urges in the wee hours of the night, like us, crazy people.

This is a picture of Sweet & Sour SoyCurls. I love the texture of SoyCurls.
Very easy to prepare, too!

I named this dish Flopsy Noodles because it is one of my eldest son's favorite meal and if you remember, his internet name is Flopsy LOL
I used TVP and should have doubled the recipe. When will I ever learn?!?

This is Pizzeria Pizza with added Gouda Sheese. Is it possible that we hadn't had pizzeria pizza in two years? I'm afraid so. It's nuts. We have to make up for that.

I made this Apple Cinnamon Sheesecake for our middle son's birthday yesterday. This is before putting it in the oven, of course.

Out of the oven...

...and finally, a half eaten piece of it.
It was, what's the word..... ah! Delicious, rich and decadent!
That's more like three words actually but you are welcome to complain in the comment section. :p

So, that's it for today. I have pictures from December that have gone missing so we'll have to go back in time in the next post, if I ever find them, and if you are not afraid of time travel, of course.

Take care and stay warm! (it's like -31F/-35C here).

Yuan Restaurant - A Fantastic post about "Fantasticness"

2007-12-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

Back in November, we were in Montreal for the Big Veggie Gathering at McGill University for Viva Granola's first ever "in person" event. It was great, great fun and we met some fantastic people. We left that night full of wonder and energy and we hope that a similar event will take place soon.

But the amazement of our weekend in Montreal didn't stop there. When I knew we were spending the night in Mtl, I asked one of our Veggie Stars, Cécil Gagnon from Aequo Animo, what restaurant she would recommend we try. Her suggestion: Yuan Restaurant, at the corner of St-Denis and Sherbrooke. Apparently, she was nervous from that moment that we wouldn't like the restaurant. How would that be possible ? Yuan Restaurant was and is so FANTASTIC that while tasting all the different dishes, we kept saying that we just HAD TO come back every two months, we just HAD TO. I'm sure we were very annoying to other diners with all our Aaaahing and Ooooohing and OMGing. I almost want to apologize to them but instead, I'll just post a warning: we are going back in January and if amazement annoys you, you should choose another day to go and keep all YOUR amazement bottled up inside :p Poor little amazement, though! It only wants to be let out!

You can't imagine what looking at those pictures does to me. I start salivating right away. I remember the freshness, the incredible taste, the fantastic presentation and the atmosphere Yuan restaurant. And Alex, our waiter, was so helpful, patient and friendly that he made our time there even more enjoyable.

I will let you look at the pictures and decide for yourself if you should jump in your car (or on a plane!), and take a trip to Yuan in Montreal!

By the way, you should know that almost everything at Yuan's is vegan. There are a few dishes made with soba noodles that contain egg and very few dishes that contain cream or cheese (it's says so in the dishes names). Eveything else is vegan and you have so much choice that it can contribute to you wanting to go back regularly, just so you can try everything.

In no particular order:

This was my dad's plate, VegeChicken à la General Tao. It was part of the Table d'Hôte and so he had a few dishes before this that I stupidly didn't think to photograph, like the WonTon soup that was (guess!) fantastic!

This was one of the entrees though, the best Dumplings that I have ever had.

P. our eldest son's choice and it was a great, fantastic one! VegeFish à la Yuan with black bean sauce.
I will choose this for myself on one of our future visit.

This was my choice : Fantastic Lemony VegeFish. I kind of feel stupid writting "fantastic!" everytime because you'll think I don't know any other superlative but I find great comfort in knowing what a superlative is!

This was my sweet gorgeous husband's choice and we fantasticly loved it.
Five Spices Crispy Tofu on a bed of sweet and sour cabbage that was so, so good!

For the life of me, I can't remember what this Delicious Dish was called. It was my mother's choice and I'll ask her if she remembers and edit it later. It was very different from all the other dish, very subtle and very good. Made with fresh tofu... yum, yum, yum!

This was our son E's choice; he wanted Fried Fice and he got it.
Everybody ended up exchanging a bit of their plate with everybody else so his plate got finished (which would never have happened otherwise because it was huge for a 7 year old boy.) It was simple and satisfying.
Next visit, I would order this and put it in the middle of the table so that everybody can dig in.

OMG - OMG - OMG type of Fantastic!
When our son S saw Fried Sesame Mushrooms on the menu, he knew right away that this was the right choice for him and I knew right away that I would steal some from his plate.
BUT, when this dish came, still bubbling and fuming, we almost broke into a fight over the table trying to steal the whole thing from him.
Because we are sensible people, we ended up leaving it to him but we managed to take a few bites by exchanging bites from our plates and with the promise of an increase in allowance.
Whatever it takes.

A close-up...
Next visit, this is my choice. Decided two month in advance from the first bite.
Leftovers where as (once again) FANTASTIC cold.

This is the wonderful Alex. Give him a big tip!

Next are two pictures of the Salon de Thé. We didn't get to eat in that section of the restaurant because we didn't know it existed. Found it on our way to the bathroom.
I want to go there with my love, alone together, making googly eyes at each other over our plates full of wonderful food. Maybe for our 17th anniversary :)

The room is so warm and welcoming too...

I leave you with the address :
Yuan - Cuisine Créative Végétarienne (Creative Vegetarian Cuisine)
400 Sherbrooke East (corner of St-Denis)
Montreal, Qc H2L 1J6
(514) 848-0513
Website

Go, have fun, take a couple of bites for me and tell me all about it.

I will probably not post again (here anyway) until the beginning of 2008 so I want to extend all my warmest wishes for this Holiday Season. I am so grateful for your comments/visits, for your blogs, for the inspiration you give me and want to thank you for being wonderful blogging friends!
May you and your loved ones be blessed with Health and Joy, Love and Prosperity. You are all in my heart!

May you have an FANTASTIC year! Did you think I would not say it one more time? :)))

Finally, Sheese ! Sheese ! And more Sheeeeeeese!

2007-12-11T17:49:00.000-05:00

We waited for it patiently (or not so patiently) and it's finaly here!
We are impressed on multiple levels: completely vegan (and so suitable for people who are allergic to dairy), great consistancy, great taste, great price. What more could we hope for!

Visit VivaGranola's blog to drool all over your keyboard and take this opportunity to clean the keys with a cloth at the same time... those little guys are always filthy.

Ciabatta Pizza (a Bute Island Foods recipe)

Sheese on Toast (a Bute Island Foods recipe)

I have a lot of pictures to blog about so I hope to do that soon!
Thanks for your visit :)

Potatoes, Pie, Cutlets, all baked together... or not

2007-11-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Wow! I'm managing to post twice in November! Yay for me!
Let me first say thank you for all your nice comments and well wishes for VivaGranola. We are having a great time ordering products, my favorite part :) and discovering new things. We are going to have great news for customers soon and I can't wait to spill the beans.

And please, don't forget to enter the draw if you are in Canada or the US, the deadline is tomorrow night. You only have to send us a product suggestion, that's all! Wouldn't you like to win vegan goodies ? I'm sure you would so don't wait any longer. The odds are better than winning the state or national lottery, I promise! :)

I have a lot of photographs to post. I have not been cooking and baking as much as usual but I've tried a fair number of new things and loved them all. Of course, I will have to find some time to jump in the cookbooks I have ordered recently. A few more days before they get here so I have to get some sleep! I will be reading them in bed and putting scraps of paper between pages. I can't wait to try the White Bean Cassoulet from Veganomicon. I salivate just thinking about it. A lot of you have already blogged about it and I'm blaming you for that last shopping spree.

This is the view form our dining room window, by the way.

I took Bryanna's Cutlet recipe from Everyday Dish and made nuggets for a friend's birthday. They were as easy to make and so delicious with Cherry Sauce (bottled).

A close-up.

We were invited to a vegan birthday party last year and invited again this year (we must be good people :p) and there was a lot of delicious food.

It was J's 10th birthday and he had asked for the same buffet as the year before.

That was Flopsy's plate :) Everythig was delicious. Emma made a Moosewood chocolate cake and I think that she does it better than anyone I know.

This is another Almond Sesame Stir-Fry (in the Good Stir-Fry category) that I made very quickly one night.

And this is my favorite Pumpkin Pie. I had blogged about it last year. Is is so creamy and easy and delicious!

It doesn't last long here! Follow the link for the recipe. Try it, it's wonderful!
Pumpkin Custard Pie

If you own Vegan Vittles, I hope that you have tried the Potatoes Gruyère recipe!

It was something I hadn't had or made in a long time but I thought it was even better than the non-vegan recipe I made in my pregan days.

Here you see it cut, served with a green salad, "caesar" style, and sautéed veggies.

So I'm off to try and translate this for our french speaking visitors. I hope November was good to you and that December will be even better. I expect to read a lot about pre-festivities cooking and baking in the weeks to come and we will all have eachother glued to our computer screen, I expect.
Enter the draw, thanks for coming to see me, for commenting and be well!

The Shameful Plug Post... and a Draw !!

2007-11-03T12:17:00.000-04:00

When I last posted, I knew I would spend a couple of very busy weeks... however, they turned into a very busy month but I have come back today with some fresh news.
You will probably have noticed that new little banner on the right : Viva Granola ! What does that mean? Well, it doesn't mean that my husband's name is Viva and that his father was a Granola descending from the French Hugenots. No. The woman at the post office always asks "Is your name Viva Granola?" No, mam. My husband's name is quite ordinary. Steven. That's fine with either of us, actually. LOL

But here is the news ! Viva Granola is our new little online vegan boutique, probably the first ever vegan business in Quebec (not that it would be less fun if it was the second vegan business in Quebec) ! We had a whole lot of fun working on our project during October and we finally opened for business on World Vegan Day. We have managed to get some sleep... not good sleep mind you but it was sufficient to let us live through our adventure. We greatly hope that we won't fall flat on our faces and that we will actually be able to make veganism more visible in Quebec. Come take a look and make your suggestions. That is where the Draw comes in! If you are in Canada or the US, suggest products you would like to see in our catalog and would be likely to buy from VG and be entered in a draw to win Vegan Goodies! All it takes is an email. We would love your input as we will ship everywhere. We are starting small so a lot of things will be added over the next months, if everything goes well.

So now, you want to look at food? You never change, do you? Well, that's fine and dandy by me! :p

Gaia's Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A month or so ago, I borrowed a book at the library and it was all about chocolate chip cookies. None of the recipes were vegan so I played with them. I only had one rule : no Kingmill or Ener-G egg replacer. I ended up with this recipe that I can now call my own and they were perfect for my taste. Crispy outside and chewy inside. If I had chocolate chips in the house right now, I would leave this post right here and go make some. I added the recipe at the end of this post!

Seroga's, and Gaia's Sauerkraut Soup
When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what should I do to convince grandpa Seroga that I really don't like his soup? And she was no help. No singing, no nothing. Only me and that soup. So I said to myself this could be heaven, or this could be hell and I ate all of it, everytime my grandfather would serve me some. It was that or a smack behind the head (the hell part). But guess what, my taste buds ended up brainwashed (yes!) and now I LOVE his soup (of course, I veganised it). You can see little vegeroni cubes flotting in there and tofu sour cream (Bryanna's recipe). I just might give you the recipe some day (those of you who are sauerkrautly courageous - it has quite the kick!), when I sit down and actually write more than "add a bucket of this and a truckload of that".

Gaia's Old Style Apple Pudding
I really should translate and type that out for you too. It's originaly from an old Jehanne Benoit recipe that called for a gazillions eggs and other heart-attack enducing ingredients.

Scaloppini Alla Marsala
So, have you heard of the Everyday Dish dvd, yet? I love Bryanna's cutlets recipe because they make a terrific burger (when breaded) with vegenaise and lettuce but you can also make her Scaloppini Alla Marsala with them. Very quick and tasty. I didn't make enough. And the collards greens and roasted cauliflower were terrific, the word terrific being used in its non-frightening definition.
If you are in Canada, you can now find the Everyday Dish dvd right here ! You must also have heard of Viva Granola ! by now. Go check that dvd out :)
By the way, you can also find that veg-documentary I told you about back in April, A Veggie Meal. Not only is it very informative (especially for non-vegans who don't like to be preached to), not only will you see my entire family and me for about 30 seconds, but you will also look very cultivated when people realise you are actually watching a movie in French with
!! English Subtitles !!

So, there you have it. Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you on your blog soon !

* * * * * * * *
In Other News : We will be at Montreal's Big Veggie Gathering on November 24 and we hope to see you there!

On Saturday November 24, several vegetarian and vegan groups are inviting the public to come and get themselves informed about vegetarianism and veganism in a potluck type setting.

Participants are invited to bring a vegan food contribution of 3 or 4 portions. No alcohol is permitted during the meetup.

Information kiosks and silent auction. Profits of auction to go to McGill's Animal Liberties.

Will be present :
- McGill Animal Liberties Club
- Montréal Veg Association
- Global Action Network
- Aequo animo
- Ahimsa
- Quebec City's Veg Network
- MeetUp Vegetarian Taster
- VeganQuébec
- Concordia Animal Rights Association (Cara)

Where :
Ballroom (3rd floor)
William Shatner Building, McGill University
3480 McTavish
Montreal, Quebec

When : Saturday, November 24th

Schedule:
17h30 à 18h : Arrival
18h : Opening and Presentation
18h30 : Potluck !
19h30 : Wegmans cruelty screening
20h : Discussion
20h30 : Cooking demo with Jean-François Guyon & Anne-Marie Roy
21h15 : Silent auction
21h30 : Closing

Price of admission : Free

For more info :
Laura Jane, McGill Animal Liberties Group, animalliberties@gmail.com, 514-586-8867

* * * * * * * *
Gaia's Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups of unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 cup brown sugar (pack lightly only)
1/2 cup fine turbinado sugar
1 T vanilla
6 T soy milk, regular or vanilla
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (you could also use organic corn syrup)
1 to 1 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift the flour into a bowl and then mesure 3 cups. Re-sift those 3 cups with the baking soda, the baking powder, the salt and cinnamon. Put aside.

In a large bowl, cream Earth Balance margarine. Gradually add the sugars and beat with wisk until you obtain a nice fluffy texture. Add vanilla, soy milk and brown rice syrup and beat again. When this mixture is light and creamy, slowly add the flour mixture, then the chocolate chips and the pecans.

Now, eat some raw dough and nicely laugh at people who can't to the same because they insist on putting eggs in their cookie batter.

Form balls of dough (approx, 1inch in diameter, depending on size you want) and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper - about 9 to 12 per cookie sheet- and make sure they are far enough apart. Lightly flatten each cookie with your fingers.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are a light golden color. (My oven is old and wants to retire but I left them 10 minutes. You should check at 8 minutes and if they are too pale, check again every minute after that until you reach the light golden stage). Leave the cookies on the hot cookie sheet for one or two minutes and then transfer them on wire racks to cool.

Enjoy and keep what you don't eat right away in an air-tight container. :p

Where did september go? ... and food of course

2007-10-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

I actually started writing this post two weeks ago, while half dead and naked in my bed, having remnants of crocodile/alligator dreams, those darn predators that keep you from entering Maine on your bicycle. Anyway, at some point I just had to get up and start wiring it down because I just knew I wouldn't remember all of it and I was very afraid of specifically not remembering to tell you that I actually started writing this post two weeks ago, while half dead and naked in my bed.

This is going to be such a creative day!

On to semi-intelligent stuff : I need your help with something. I need somebody to send me a tutorial about pie crusts, preferably one that will teach me to make them without feeling frustration to the point where I feel that throwing it against the wall would be helpful. Honestly, I'd prefer you would make all my pie crust for me, for life, but I'm willing to be reasonable. That's why I'm requesting the tutorial (with audio track and picture - please include relaxing music) or, ok, an actual recipe that will have me succeed without having pulled out all my hair.
If the recipe isn't shortening based, I'll erect a statue in your honor in our garden.

Did you know that enough flesh-eating predator-free sleep will make you more sane (or saner) ? Anyway, I highly suggest it.

Now, pictures !

The photo isn't good but the dish is exquisite.

If you haven't tried Susan's recipe for Eggplant Paprikash, you must!

Fruit and Nut Bars from Vegan Lunchbox. I really liked these. Very simple to make, too.

Where-Ze-Heck-did-they-come-from Blueberry Muffins. They where delicious and I can't remember if I created the recipe myself or if I took it from a recipe book or whatever. I probably will never make them again because of that.

I told you about this grilled sandwich a while ago but didn't have a picture then. So let's make this a game and you try to find out what kind of sandwich it is. Clue : the recipe comes from Vegan Vittles.

Roasted Veggies tossed with garlicky Kale. Worth fighting alligators for, that's all I have to say.

This was taken on top of Mount Laura, about 10 to 15 minutes from here. It was a gorgeous day.

And we got around to hug a few trees that day too.

There you have it. Another one of Gaia's insane posts. Maybe she is just exhausted from a month of working on the house and other stuff I'll talk about later, or she was just born that way. Why is she talking about herself in the third person now ? Only insane people know.
Hope you are well!
I'll post again soon.
See you !

Catching Up

2007-08-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been a month since I blogged last.
I admit that I haven't cooked or baked a lot during the summer though, eating mostly raw veggies and salads. And I've been staying away from the internet to work on the house and just enjoy the sun. But when I felt like it, or simple had to, this is what I thought was blog-worthy.

Pineapple Pizza made with Bryanna's Quick Pizza Dough (20 Minutes to Dinner, p. 100)
You make the dough in the food processor. I love it and so we ate many homemade pizzas during the summer (when I felt like turning the oven on) because it could not be easier or quicker.

This was Gromit's Birthday Cake (vanilla) with fresh Balsamic Strawberries and lots of Soyatoo and Belsoy "cream". The next time though, I will make sure that the cakes are flat because the Soyatoo only wanted to slip off them.

Something I put together one evening, "Fishy" Oat Burgers based on Jo Stepaniak's Vegan Vittles Chickpea-Oat Burgers recipe. It was quick, heathly and simple.

And I served them with Sweet Potatoe Fries with Herbes de Provence. Delicious !

Another cake ?? Nothing's too good for Flopsy's 15th birthday ! Another recipe from Bryanna's Newsletters, this Almond Cafe Latte Cake with Moka Ganache and Coffee Buttercream Frosting was delicious all around but I admit I would have been very happy eating only the ganache. Heavenly !

A simple meal but really good, this is Breaded Chickpea Patties which went really well with tartar sauce.

Sundried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta.
This was based on another recipe from Bryanna that you can find here. It was really creamy and mushroomy but I didn't have enough sundried tomatoes.

Bryanna's Peanutty Hot Fudge Pudding Cake made in the slow-cooker. It could not be easier.

So as you can see, Bryanna has occupied a lot of my thoughts during the summer as I have been going through her blog, her newsletters and Twenty Minutes to Dinner (which I love!).

I hope you will enjoy what is left of summer. I know I plan to ! ;-)

Until next time :)

A Recipe, Gardening, Neatballs and The Big Bee

2007-07-06T20:30:00.000-04:00

Hello all !

Thank you so much for your kind words and well wishes. My back is almost 100% better... I still have a bit of pain now and again when I’m on the verge of doing too much or working too hard :p Seriously, I wanted to install that infamous wood flooring with my hubby and was able to (without actually lifting a box – I can do without that) and my back didn’t hurt at all... my knees are all bruised up though. Didn’t think of using something to kneel on, that is, before the next morning when I tried to kneel again. Ouch! Anyway, I’m satisfied with the floor... it looks a whole lot nicer than plywood ! LOL

I had another adventure though... I was stung by a bee. A HUGE bee. I saw it coming, I found it “Oh, so cute!!!!” and let myself be stung. That is how much I love bees. Didn’t hurt at all ! It was like a BIG kiss...
I took a picture, before it came for me, here it is :

Do you have bees like that where you live ? I sure hope you do !!! :))))
The size of them would help us understand quickly that it’s better to let them keep their honey ;-)

On to other things, here is a picture (taken a couple of weeks ago) of one of my flower boxes... although I have to say that it doesn’t look as good right now.

I think the lobelias ( blue flowers) are kaput. Don’t know what I did wrong but I’m very sad about it. And the dalhias are not doing very well either right now. But the nemesias are gorgeous, as always. I use to say that I could spend all day in a bookstore (it’s still through but not as much) but now, I have to say that gardening centers are like heaven to me. I’m already planning what flowers and perennials to buy next year :)

Another gardening picture before I go on about food.

Here is a photograph of one of my “square-foot garden” boxes. I absolutely love gardening this way. I have three boxes (more coming next year) and I have pulled out, five “weeds”. Five tiny ones ! My “traditionnal” garden on the other hand is full of them and I have pulled every one two times already because they look like they are planning to overrun the place. A lot of work and space compared to the very energy and space efficient square-foot garden. If you want to know more about SFG, visit this link and of course, the official SFG site. If you have poor soil, if you want a garden closer to your house (so worth it!), if you want to work less, save a ton of space, not use any fertilizer or want to grow a lot of stuff on your balcony, consider buying the latest edition of the book. You won’t be dissapointed.
We have already eaten baby bok choy, swiss chard, parsley, basil and lettuce that are growing in that box. And for the “first time ever!!!”, we will have decent tomatoes (in the two other boxes) and zucchinis (the zucchinis are growing in the traditionnal garden though). Also in that particular box, wax beans, green string beans, roma beans, soy beans (edamame), watercress, sweet peas, butterhead lettuce, beets, orange zinias (flowers), chicory varied mix. There was also spinach and radishes... ate'em and resowed in another box.

I’m going to give you a recipe that everybody loved but first, here is a picture of Linguini with Tomato Sauce and Bryanna’s Neatballs (from her Newsletter).

Absolutely delicious AND so easy to make ! I will be having a lot of fun with that recipe.

So now for the recipe that we tweeked a little, Cheeze and Onion Pull-Apart Bread.

We used a different flavor of cheeze, didn’t use the soy parmesan (can’t find that here) and I think we changed something else although I can’t remember what it was and I can’t check because I don’t have the original recipe anymore.
Anyway, here it is. I’m sure you can have fun with it too. My mom told me that it was a big success with non-vegans. (Recipe at the end of this post)

Thanks again for your visit. I hope you are enjoying summer and eating lots of deliciously fresh fruits and vegetables.

I’ll come back soon with pictures of cakes, cookies, pizza and stuff... if I make any of those ! :D

Blessings !

Cheeze and Onion Pull Apart Bread
adapted from an Animal Times recipe (winter 2006)

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp egg replacer
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp Earth Balance
• ¾ cup soymilk
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard (old fashioned style)
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 2/3 cup Vegan Gourmet cheeze
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup Redstar nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and egg replacer. Add the Earth Balance and with your fingertips, work the mixture until it ressembles fine bread crumbs.

In another bowl, combine the soymilk and mustard and add to the flour mixture. Mix to form a soft dough. Turn the dough over onto a well floured surface and knead lightly.

Divide into fourteen pieces (they don’t have to be exactly the same size). Line a greased 5 X 9 inch loaf pan with parchement paper and place half the dough pieces over the base.

Sprinkle with half the onion, cheeze, and parsley.
Cover with the remaining dough and the rest of the onion, cheeze and parsley.

Sprinkle the Redstar yeast on top.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Vegan Yummies just commented on the Moosewood Chocolate Cake post and unfortunately, I can't comment back on her blog. So I'm going to answer her here, in case she comes back and sees this. :p
Her comment made my day ! She is 15 and the only vegan in her family and she usually receives negative comments about vegan food. I don't know why ! Go see her creations ! Anyway, she baked the cake and was surprised to find that half of it was missing when she came home. That is just great !

Recently, my mom baked that cake for my omni SIL and she loved it so much that she asked my mom to bake another one before she left so she could take it to her mother. She told her mom on the phone "This cake is terrific and it doesn't have eggs, butter or milk!" and her mom answer "That's impossible ! You can't bake a cake without them !" :p
Well, "Oh yes you can !"
Vegan Yummies, I hope you get more support from now on ! Hugs to you !

MICROSOFT FUNDING ANTI-HUNTERS

2007-07-05T12:10:00.000-04:00

Just read this :

June 10, 2007

-- AN animal-rights group gained a powerful weapon in its fight against hunting and fishing: a lot more money. According to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA), Microsoft has formed a partnership with Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a notorious anti-hunting and anti-fishing group. The software giant will make a $100,000 donation to the HSUS and is partnering with the group on a pilot program called the "i.m. Initiative," USSA said.
Through the new program, whenever a Windows Live Messenger user has a conversation using instant messaging, Microsoft will give a portion of the program's advertising revenue to one of 10 organizations selected by the user. The HSUS is one of the choices, and there is no limit to the amount of money that can be donated. The
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, the nation's leading sportsmen's advocacy organization, has urged Microsoft to end its support of HSUS, but the company refused. "Microsoft is going to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably more, into an organization that recently issued a manifesto that targets hunting for extinction," USSA president Bud Pidgeon said. "If there ever was a time for sportsmen to take grassroots action, this is it."
More here !

Food and Silliness... the usual me

2007-06-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone !
Some of you might know or remember that we are currently finishing two bedrooms and so we have been working hard, although very slowly. We want to be finished before July. But we have encountered a problem : me hurting my back. Yes, my friends. I thought I was as strong as The Hulk probably because of my resemblance to him, same build, same irate look in the morning and that healthy shade of green. Anyway, I lifted too many boxes of wood-flooring and there you have it, I’m on vacation.

The good part of it is that I’m being pampered like a queen, or I try my darndest to be :p
I haven’t cooked or cleaned in a week. If that gives you any ideas, I highly suggest you pretend to have hurt your back. You’ll have the attention without the pain. The pain is NOT recommended. Just so you know.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures, taken back in the day when I could stand up straight.

I’m in love with the Daliahs and Nemesias in my flower boxes. Completely in love.

This is one of my favorite. Simple Bok Choy and Fried Tofu. I’m almost sure I blogged about it before. I would eat it everyday.
I just toss the tofu in a very little bit of oil, deglaze with tamari or other, remove it from the pan, toss in the Bok Choy and then drizzle the whole thing with Braggs. Sharing IS hard.

I’ve been working on French Crêpes (with Maple Syrup, of course!) for a month now and I’m nearly there. It works well if the batter is spread very, very thinly. I love the taste. And look at those beautiful frozen raspberries. Love those (ate the whole bag by myself, shhh!) !

And this is another stir fry, stirred (and fried) to perfection. Loved it. You can see it is steaming hot from the steam... or you may prefer to imagine that the steam is in fact a ghost hovering over the hot pan, envious of my taste buds. If so, please tell me it’s a friendly ghost :p
What an imagination you have, though... a ghost in my kitchen. Spooky !

So, I'm going back to my lying on my back... well, I'm actually on my back right now and using the laptop. I'm becoming very good at Majhong and Placer Racer but just can't stand Solitaire anymore. So if you can recommend computer games, go ahead ;-)

Take care and read you soon !

Experiments from Vegan Vittles

2007-05-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Here I am. I hope to have more time blogging when summer gets here ... although, that is the time of the year when I REALLY don't feel like cooking :p Maybe I'll talk about my garden or how I'm doing nothing :))

I recently bought two books that I love... no, three books.
1. All New Square-Food Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew
2. Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education, by Grace Llewellyn (if you homeschool/unschool or want to, read it ! It's a must. I wish I had read it sooner)
3. Vegan Vittles, by Jo Stepaniak

Let's talk about that last one.

I have so far tried four recipes from it and love them all and would do them again, and again.

First, I tried Jo's Baked Seitan recipe and that inspired her to make her Gyros recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture because we had been working outside and were SO hungry. I thought it was fantastic. I admit I added more salt and more garlic to the Cucumber Sauce.

Next, I tried the Grilled Kale and Kraut Sandwiches but because I couldn't find kale, they became Grilled Swiss Chard and Kraut Sandwiches. OMG, OMG, OMG !!! From the first bite, that has become my favorite sandwich, E-V-E-R !
I know it sounds weird and that is especially why I wanted to try it LOL
You see, I also own her Ultimate Uncheese book and love her recipe for Pickle, Tahini and Tomato Sandwiches which also sound weird so I wasn't afraid to try another weird sounding sandwich, I couldn't wait ! By the way, the PLT's recipe is also in Vegan Vittle, like a number of favorite Uncheese recipes.

And then lastly, and now I have pictures to show, thank goodness :
The Better Burgers.

Here the patties are cooking and I want one just like that, now.

Here is the Better Burger, all dressed up, and I want one just like that, now.

And that is a close-up, as you can see, because I was fascinated by the look of the patties LOL

I thought the burgers were incredible the next day, perfect. I had tripled the recipe and wrapped some in foil and refrigerated them. We got to eat them cold for lunch. So good !

I have bookmarked eleven more pages in Vegan Vittles and I will be having a lot of fun in the near future. What will it be next ? Lentil and Walnut Pâté ? Radical Reubens ? Unstuffed Shells or Chickpeas à la King ? Can't wait !

Your Sweeties' Recipes and Experiments with Vanilla Cake

2007-05-04T12:23:00.000-04:00

The day as arrived !
I had challenged you, a few weeks ago, to post about one of your sweetie's recipe or creation, after posting about my dh's Banana Loaf.
And I'm so happy that some of you were up to the challenge. I don't know if you had to bribe your man to cook or if he was up for it or whatever but the creations you posted are look incredibly yummy :)

Let's start with Art, Vicki's sweetie : his fabulous creation is called Spicy Tofu with Peaches over Rice.
Go drool over it buy clicking on the link !

And then came Gorditas, lovingly prepared by Bazu's amoureux, Daiku.
Those Gorditas look so good that we were inspired to make our own tortillas this week.

And lastly, I heard about Andy the Shirtless Chef.
Yes, you read me correctly.
Theresa's boyfriend made amazing Twice-Baked Potatoes. Go visit Theresa's Blog NOW ! LOL

Well, that was fun ! Thank you Vicki, Bazu and Theresa for participating :))

Now, I'll tell you about my experiments with Vanilla Cake. For the longuest time, I have been thinking about a perfect, moist, rich vanilla cake, dreaming about strawberries and butterscotch sauce, to go with it and all sorts of wonderful additions.
So, I tried fiddling with a couple of recipes and my first try ended up wonderful because of the combo of Whipped Tofu Cream and Balsamic Strawberries. But the cake itself, I wasn't satisfied with.

It didn't rise enough and it tasted too much of baking soda. I wanted a vanilla cake recipe that you could eat by itself, so it had to taste perfect.

So, while I should have been sleeping, I thought about vanilla cake and I got inspired to try fiddling with the Moosewood Chocolate Cake recipe. So when I go up the next morning, I ate breakfast and then started working on that cake. Wow ! It was perfect ! I frosted it with Coconut Icing (regular vanilla icing with the addition of coconut extract) and sprinkled it with toasted coconut.

So, sometimes, not sleeping is a good thing. :)
Have fun in the kitchen !

Awards, Buns, Movies and the Vegeronni Craze

2007-04-23T15:32:00.000-04:00

A big sunshiny Hello!

I have a lot of things to say today!
First, thank you to all who have voted for Live it Up Vegan! at the
Blogger's Choice Award. I have to go and see who else has been added since I last visited :)

My dear hubby, the banana bread guy, has nominated the French blog, Vivez Végé, in the same category. I have to say that I love that he did it because you must know that the whole vegan thing is not very common in the Quebecois community and so this little publicity *might* have a positive effect for veganism here. So again, thank you to those of you who have voted for Vivez Végé. You are probably helping by putting veganism in the French spotlight, something that I think greatly needs to be done. Thank you :)

Second : what a weekend we have had ! Friday the 20th, we spent the day outside with family and friends because my friend Emma came over with two cakes and supper to celebrate my birthday two days before my actual birthday :) Her husband had also brought me, as a gift, a river of maple syrup. I feel like a moron for not thinking of taking pictures of the cakes and meal. But believe me, both cakes were wonderful and they didn't last until my bd.

We then had to leave the house in a hurry to go to the Premiere of a Veg Documentary :) We were invited to go by the directors, Stephane Groleau, Sonia Delisle and Mathieu St-Jean, because, some of you will remember, our family was filmed for the movie (a 30sec segment). We received a free copy of the dvd when we got there and really appreciated it. The movie is great ! If you go to the Toronto's Veg Fest, you might get a chance to see it there, as they included English subtitles. If would like to purchase a DVD copy of the movie, write to the directors at filmvege@yahoo.ca and ask for your copy :)
We ended up buying two more copies as they only cost 10$ each and will probably buy more to lend them left and right. If you understand a little French, you can watch the trailer here. We volonteered to translate a small part of the movie to include English subtitles and we were only sorry not to be able to do more translation. If you see the movie and remember my ChickPea Roll, you will see it in the spotlight. Nice surprise that was, too !

Sunday, I made myself another cake :) I decided on Jennifer's Tahinopita and again, really loved it. STILL didn't think to take a picture. I really am getting older...

Finally, here are a few pictures I did manage to remember to take :

Good Friday Brioches, made by our son Weeny (his internet name, don't worry) and myself, with the help of our good friend, Bread Maker (real life name).

Better than store-bought.

Then, ta dah !!
Susan's Veggeroni How could we not ?:)

Vegan intenet crazes have no boundaries.

That encouraged us to try making a pizza. I prefered to eat the veggeroni alone but the pizza was still very good.
If you haven't heard about Seitan O'Greatness, see Lachesis' recipe !

So that's it! Thanks for you visit, have fun, enjoy spring and see you later !

(thanks Tanya!)

Steven's Banana Bread

2007-04-14T11:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody !

**UPDATE**
That beautiful Hottest Mommy Blogger, our friend Candi, has nomited this blog in the Best Food Blog category. So I'm asking you to go vote for Candi, twice if you have to, not only because her blog is wonderful but also because she's so darn nice :)
While you are at it, if you vote for every veg blog that is nominated, imagine all the visibility for vegetarianism and veganism ! Congrats to eveybody !!!

It's time to go on to something else and so I'm back to finally post that Banana Bread recipe.

The last time Steven made this, he thought he would try and eliminate the need for Kingsmill or Ener-G egg replacer. I don't know if you are like me, but I don't like giving out recipes that ask for egg replacer because non-vegans will just say "well, why should I replace two eggs with this stuff when I have two eggs right here!" The thing is, I much prefer to show people that you can cook without eggs and not have to buy a "replacer product". And we won't even mention the ethical, environmental and health aspects of this issue.

So because the recipe already called for wonderful and miraculous baking soda, he just added one tablespoon of cider vinegar and let chemistry do the rest.
He kind of forgot to modify the liquids accordingly though so it was a little dry but not too much.

So here is the recipe. We LOVE it and we hope you will, too.

Oh, and I forgot!
Because I'm posting my hubby's recipe, I'm tagging you to post one of your Sweetie's recipes before the end of April. If you join in, please come and tell me so I can link to you in my next post ! And remember, HE/SHE has to cook it! (you can take the picture) :)

Gaia's Steven's Banana Bread :p

½ cup of Earth Balance (or 1/3 cup vegetable oil)
1 cup sugar (or 2/3 cup)
2 rounded tsp Kingsmill/Ener-g + 6 Tbsp water
2 ¼ cups flour (a mixture of unbleached white and whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp soy milk
3 mashed bananas, as ripe as possible
if desired : walnuts and/or non-dairy chocolate chips, to taste

NOTE: if you want to try replacing the egg replacer (ha!), add 1 tbsp cider vinegar to the soy milk but I would suggest keeping in some of the water (or replacing the water by more soy milk).

Using a wooden spoon, DON’T USE A MIXER, cream Earth Balance(or oil) and sugar, then add the Kingsmill/Ener-g mixture.

Add soy milk then add flour to which soda has been added. Finally add mashed bananas being careful not to overmix.

Bake in a oiled and floured bread pan for 1 hour (check at 45 minutes) or until done in a 350F oven.

Dear "Anonymous"

2007-04-05T20:47:00.000-04:00

I was going to post about a fabulous VEGAN banana bread recipe but I have just received this comment on my Valentine's Day post :

why don't you pick on aboriginal hunters huting caribou? why don't you go stand next to a factory farmer and take pictures of him? there is nothing cruel about the seal hunt, it's just media hype about a "cute" animal.

And it is signed "Anonymous". Anonymous is about as anonymous as the millions of people on this planet who just don't get it. So Anonymous could be Roger, Jean or dear old aunt Mildred.

It has somehow escaped Anonymous that this is a VEGAN blog and therefore, I don't object to the Seal Hunt because they are "cute animals". I object because it's barbaric, unnecessary and just plain mean and stupid against beings who suffer, feel pain and who choose life if given a chance.
It also somehow escaped Anonymous that this blog, and other vegan blogs, will post about and against factory farming and other stupid and barbaric human practices, not just the Seal Hunt going on right now.

You might be ignorant or oblivious to certain truths, dear Anonymous, but don't imagine that every human on this planet is.
And stay tuned for the next time I post about animal liberation...it just might educate you out of the Stone Age.

Chocolate Cake

2007-03-19T16:45:00.001-04:00

Spring is here ! Spring is here !
Well, not right this minute but when you'll read this, chances are Spring will be here ! And I am so happy about it :))

And I want to celebrate with this Chocolate Cake even though we ate it two weeks ago.

We found this recipe a long time ago now and we are still in love with it, well, with the cake.
You might already have this recipe...
I sometimes modify it with excellent results and the cake is then better, mostly because you can eat more of it :p
I cut the oil, the sugar and sometimes substitute the white flour for spelt flour.

For the icing, I used a homemade Carob-Date Spread with Rhum and Orange extract. I just soaked the dates (three or four cups) in warm water, drained them and puréed them in the food processor, adding a bit of Carob powder (Cacao is also great !) and the extracts, to taste. Couldn't be simpler and it's good for you :) That spread is also wonderful on toasts, for breakfast or on muffins, or by the spoonful (shhhh !)

Oh and because I wanted a huge cake, I doubled the recipe.

Moosewood Chocolate Cake (double the recipe if you love cake)

- 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (I used spelt)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar (I generally put only 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I generally put 1/4 cup + water or soymilk)
- 1 cup cold water or brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into an big bowl.

In a separate bowl,mix the oil, water or coffee and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix the batter with a whisk (I will generally whisk for one to two minutes, to incorporate air into the batter).
When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir only until the vinegar is evenly distributed into the batter.

Transfert the batter into an 8 inch square or round pan... or two if you doubled the recipe (you know you want to !)

Bake for 25-30 minutes (do the toothpick test). Cool completely.

Bon Appétit les amis and Good Wishes for a Marvelous Spring !

2007-03-02T07:15:00.000-05:00

Hello all ! I hope you are having a great time ! I am so excited that spring is coming ! How about you ? I'm sure some of you already see flowers blooming. Lucky you !

Here I am again with a very simple thing to make that is so fresh and good. I usually make it for breakfast, when I need to eat lightly. I will also make this when we are fighting a cold. The mixture of fresh ginger and pineapple is wonderful.

Pineapple Cocktail (another breakfast idea)

1-14oz can of pineapple chunks, or same amount of fresh pineapple, with juice
fresh ginger root, finely grated, to taste (I usually use a 3/4 inch cube)
1 T of fresh lemon juice
1 T of agave nectar
6 ice cubes, or more

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until the ice is crushed.
Serve immediately.

Cheers !
Thank you for your visit and all your wonderful comments :))

My Favorite Bean Salad

2007-02-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody !

You might have noticed that I haven't blogged or even blog-hopped for a while. I have been SO busy with other things !

I have decided to change the way I blog for a while, to give me some room for some other projects that are taking a lot of my time right now and are somewhat urgent. I will not show you all that I eat ;-) but will choose a recipe that I love and give it to you (with a picture, of course !).

So this is a Black Bean Salad and my fave bean salad ever. It's like eating colors ! LOL
It is so fresh and lemony and wonderful ! I don't make it enough !

So here it is, have fun with it and see you soon !

Gaia's Black Bean Salad

· 2 cups cooked black beans, rinced and drained
· 1 cup cooked corn, or more, to taste
· 1/2 of a green bell pepper, finely diced
· 1/2 of a red bell pepper, finely diced
· 4 to 6 green onions, finely chopped (or finely diced red onion)
· 1/3 cup (or more) of green stuffed olives, sliced
· black olives, sliced (optional)
· fresh parsley, chopped
· salt & pepper
· lemon juice, to taste
· the tiniest bit of olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together and let the flavors meld, in the fridge, before serving.

Happy Valentine's Day... and your help is needed...

2007-02-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

May you have the best Valentine's Day, ever !

I received the following message from GAN (www.gan.ca). If you want to help, please read on and stand up against the Canadian Seal Hunt.

Thank you !

* * * * * * * * *

URGENT ACTION NEEDED BY FRI FEB 16!

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is trying to restrict observation of the seal hunt by doubling the distance we must remain from sealers from 10 to 20 meters.

If implemented, this increase will make documenting the seal hunt difficult - and at times impossible.

Please email the DFO at resatl@dfo-mpo.gc.ca by February 16th, and tell them NOT to increase the minimum distance. Please be sure to cc. contact@gan.ca so that we can keep track of how many people respond.

Here are some points you can make:

* The Canadian seal hunt occurs in public space. Our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees us the right to document this activity. Canadians must be able to document exactly what happens at the hunt, or it becomes a one-sided debate.

* The proposed increase in distance will make filming the seal hunt difficult and at times impossible. The sea ice on which the hunt occurs is not flat. Ice formations and ocean swells create many visual obstacles between observers and sealers - so even with zoom lenses, an increase of 10 metes could mean not being able to photograph and film the killing.

* The only violence towards people that has ever occurred at the seal hunt has been from sealers towards observers. But while observers must remain ten meters from sealers, sealers are not required to stay away from observers. If there is to be any change surrounding observation, it should be to require sealers to stay an equal distance from observers.

Instead of restricting observation of the seal hunt, the
Canadian government should work to end the seal hunt, given it is opposed by the majority of Canadians.

Thank you.

Seitan and Cupcakes...but not together, thank heavens

2007-02-06T15:23:00.000-05:00

I have been enjoying not blogging for a while. Instead, I took my time to visit you guys, sometimes leaving a comment and sometimes not, depending on Blogger's mood. You are all so creative ! Thank you for the inspiration and for your wonderful ideas :)

It was Weeny's birthday a little while ago and we had friends over to celebrate. I decided on making another Seitan Pot Pie because I had everything I needed and I could prepare it the day before. With the leftover seitan and vegetables, I made this Seitan Soup, using the broth and adding Herbes de Provence. It was incredibly delicious and I would definitely make seitan just to make this soup, although I don't remember exactly how I made it. :p

Here is a photo of the Seitan Pot Pie before I added the gravy and the crust. I had a lot of little boys hovering over it, trying to steal pieces of seitan or vegetables.

This is what Weeny wanted for dessert : VCTOTW Banana Split Cupcakes. They were decadent, very, very decadent. I would definitely make them again, but on very special occasions only ... or I could be lying. Who knows ?

These Lemon Nut Brioches where very good although I would make them more lemony the next time. And there is going to be a next time, again on a very special occasion like "Pen and Eraser Appreciation Day" (or Yo-yo Day).

But, this little gathering wasn't exactly ON Weeny's birthday so we had to make these for his actual birthday, Coffee Cupcakes... his choice. We didn't like them much.

And this is the guilt-free dessert that was also on the table that day. Can't wait for summer to get here, maybe for the first time in my life.

How are you guys doing ? How is winter treating you ?
So far, we have had days where the temperature drops to -20F ( about -35C) and that's not including the wind-chill factor. Who loves winter that much ?

Now Blogger, you better be nice to me...

2007-01-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

...or I won't like you anymore !

Here is take 2.
And just so you know, I again, saved this as a draft and I just came back to it and it had all disappeared again ! But this time, I had saved everything I wrote in Word. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. So there, Blogger ! I win, end of story, goodbye, the end.

Now, on to a more mature me... :p

One of my favorite meals as a child was Cabbage Rolls. My Ukranian grandpa made wonderful cabbage rolls and my mom's were even better in my opinion. I have made them a couple of times myself, following my mom's recipe and of course, veganized it a few years ago. But I never liked making them because of the "cooking/boiling the cabbage" part of the recipe. That is, in my opinion again, a real pain in the butt.
BUT, this time, Bryanna came to my rescue with her fantastic newsletters (so happy I subscribed !) and when I read how you can just freeze the whole cabbage and then thaw it and remove the leaves easily, making the cooking process not necessary, I could have jumped on a plane to go give her a huge hug.

I was able to successfully remove more than half of the leaves of the thawed cabbage and with great ease, too. Then, they started tearing and I decided to boil the rest but that took like 10 minutes. I was so happy :)

Bryanna, by the way, I loved reading about the Ukranian Christmas :))

I love barley and I thought of doing a simple Barley Salad with it... sometimes, you just can't look at rice or millet or bulgur anymore. This was so simple that it was too simple.
But dh LOVED it ! Go figure...

This doesn't look like much but it's fantastic. It's a McDougall recipe and I can't remember where I found it. It was called Fantastic Mushrooms, I think (because I only have my translated version now). The recipe calls for mushrooms and a good dose of Fantastic, some other stuff and a cup of red wine.
Now I have your attention, eh ! Yes, red wine. I just know who is suddenly interested in this recipe ! LOL
I remember that evening really well because I had a glass of red wine with my red wine (and the mushrooms, let us not forget the mushrooms), which I almost never drink and I let my husband clean up and take care of the three tornadoes disguised as three "little" boys so I could go chat with my friend on MySpace. We zapped and slapped each other silly, laughed at zombie loving people and fell asleep on the keyboard. Of course, I'm not exaggerating ONE BIT. :p

James Barber's Tofu Pita. That is another fantastic meal although it does't call for fantastic in the recipe but only pure and wholesome ingredients. Canadians might recognize the name of the Urban Peasant, creator of the recipe. I hadn't made that for a long time and I must have been nuts. It is SO good ! Quick, easy and c'est magnifique :)

And lastly, a little photo to remind myself that I REALLY am (or should be) on Eat to Live right now. Salad. Fruit. Salad. Vegetable. Salad. Don't touch that bread. Salad.

Thank you for visiting me again. Have you made salads ? That is all I will look for on your blog, I swear ! :p

Where is my post ?

2007-01-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

I have spent a lot of time today downloading pictures and preparing my next post and because I needed to do something else before actually publishing it, I saved it as a draft.

Then I thought I would publish it before actually going to bed. My hubby has his guitar out and I want to enjoy that as much as possible so I'm putting off going to bed :p

So I opened my document and it is blank ! Everything I had written is gone ! All my photos are gone !
That is so infuriating !

I will come back with some sort of post soon, though. But I just had to complain a little.

Talk to you soon !

Vegan Doughnuts for Vegan Kings

2007-01-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

Aren't you lucky that all your red bell peppers smell normal !! LOL
Well, I managed to be lucky myself and find normal smelling peppers for 3.99$ a pound ! What a bargain ! :p Seriously, they smelled so much like nothing that I had to buy two. Way to treat myself to fresh vitamins, hey ?

What have you all been doing ? I have personally been eating salads. All day long. Oh, and fruit. And not eating past 7pm (when I can stop myself). My life is way, way fun right now. Of course, I'm exagerating, but not that much. I have also eaten cooked veggies and my "cup a day" of cooked cereal. I have nothing to complain about really but I miss my snacks, like Dreena's Banana Oat Bundles.

I know it doesn't look like much but I loved that meal. Simplicity will surprise you like that sometimes. Garlicky Chards, Ginger Carrots, Sautéd Green Peppers and Mushrooms with Tofu deglazed with Tamari "over" brown rice. That was not my plate. Too much rice on that one (just in case the ETL police is visiting) :p

Seitan Pot Pie. I took everything I had left in the fridge and added some Provence Herbs and a brown gravy and topped that with a Vegenaise Crust. Simple. Delicious. Just add a green leafy vegetable and you are set.

I loved these Millet Patties. I found the recipe a long, long time ago on Ahimsa's website and thought they were a bit bland at the time. So I added colorful veggies, more spices and herbs and did "the sesame seed thing" just before frying in a tiny bit of oil. I also had made a gravy to go with them and vegetables (of course) and it was just wonderful. I wrote down the recipe somewhere... I just might post it if I ever find it again.

Now, don't get excited. They just LOOK good. They were actually very blah. But I had to try to make baked doughnuts again using the recipe that comes with the doughnut pans. Why the heck do we trust tv ads, why ? But we had fun with them anyhoo by putting a bean in one to crown someone as our King. That should make you guess the exact date I made these LOL
Gromit didn't break a tooth when he found the bean in his doughnut (and that alone is a reason to throw an impromptu party) and won the right to boss us around for the next 30 minutes, which prompted Weeny to say that if HE is crowned King next year, he won't make us do stuff for him but he will do stuff for US. What a great king he will be ! I have to make sure he gets the bean next year :)

Thanks for dropping by !

Lemony Chickpea Hummus

2007-01-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much everybody for your kind and comforting words. I was sure you would know what I was taking about and what I was feeling. It is everywhere, isn't it ? They have now moved their equipment farther down the street and are working behind the houses there. We can no longer see them, hear them or physically feel them when inside the house. We will go and see the results first chance we get.

Did any of you notice that I had wished you a Happy 2006 ? Please know that although I wish 2006 was a great year for you, my wishes are now for 2007 and I hope it’s an even better year ! LOL

Today, I will pass on a recipe I found on the net somewhere while looking for something else entirely. I had to immediately try it because I love chickpeas and almost anything lemon flavored. I thought it was only ok at the time and so I added more stuff to it and it still might change in the future. If you make it and change it for the better, please do share !

But I find it pretty good when you are looking for an out of the ordinary humus and I loved the pita sandwich I made with it.

“To Your Taste” Lemony Chickpea Hummus
Re-imagined by Gaia from Rosie Schwartz’ recipe found on Dr. Weil’s website (although I didn’t find it there :p)

• 1 garlic clove
• 3 Tbsp of lemon juice (or more, to taste)
• 2 to 3 rounded Tbsp of Vegenaise (depending on desired texture, dip or filling)
• 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley (or more, to taste)
• ½ rounded tsp of rosemary
• 19 oz cooked chickpeas, rinced and drained
• 1 tsp of Umeboshi Plum vinegar
• salt and pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor with metal blade attachment. Adjust vegenaise to taste.

Adjust everything, to taste. :p

Changing subject, have you noticed a weird smell and taste to red bell peppers lately ? I swear the one I bought at 4.99$ CAN/pound this week tasted like moth balls. No kidding !
And they usually smell horrible right there in the store. This time it started smelling bad when it got here or else I would have kept my money. I just hate having to through away food and even more when I paid top dollar for it. And I hate to not have red pepper around but what else am I going to do ? Eat Moth Balls Peppers ? I think not !

Anyway, I’d love to have your input on this. Is this just a problem in Quebec ??

First Post of 2007

2007-01-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year my friends, Happy New Year !

I wish you and your family, Health, Joy, Love, Peace, Wisdom, Abundance and Compassion... May every moment be filled with Hope and Purpose ! :)

The end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 was and is somewhat difficult for us. We are all fine and healthy but we are sad and angry. I'll tell you about it in a little bit.

But first, the upside of this post !! :p

I will not tell you all that I made and all that we ate. Just know that I have gained back the five pounds I had lost a couple of months ago and am doing something about it right now : I'm "butt-flexing" while I'm writing this :p
No, as of this morning, the husband is back to work and I'm back on Eat to Live.

I, of course, made cookies and fudge but our favorite part of the holiday season, food wise, is the traditional Potato Donuts. Made fresh from my Grandma's (Veganized) Secret Recipe (don't even try to ask for it. Just marry into our family. THEN, you will have it.)

This was our Christmas Dinner. My mom didn't want to cook so she bought Tofurky Roasts and I made my first Vegan Tourtière. I combined Bryanna's ideas with my mom's tourtière recipe, which was really the famous Jehanne Benoit's recipe and it was a complete success. A Million times better than any store-bought tourtière.

For desserts, more donuts, cookies, fudge and Fruit Cake.

Last food photograph for today : ChocoBananaWalnut Pancakes.
If you were by Candi's blog, you will see that we are blogging about almost the same pancakes. We are just crazy like that.

Now, for the depressing and infuriating part of the post. Sorry in advance :( I just know it's going to p... you off too.

This is one of the pictures I took on December 26th. It was so beautiful outside that I teared up looking at it all. I felt so happy to be here and be surrounded by such beauty, like I have rarely felt in my life.

This picture really didn't compare to the live version.

Then, on the 30th, we woke up to the sound of the trucks and tractors ripping it all apart.

The Monsters, parked next door, sign that they will be here for a while.

The first day. This picture really doesn't compare to the live version.

I can't tell you the anger and sadness I feel right now. As of today, they are still at it. Animals are dying and/or leaving/fleeing, beautiful trees are being ripped from the earth and all I feel is anger, despair and anguish. "There is nothing we can do about it". Those are eight horrible words, when put together. We can only hear the carnage and see it. And we will have to live with it. Find money so we can plant other trees that will shield us from all this madness.

And, you wouldn't know that we are living in Quebec's "City of Nature".

I'm still here

2006-12-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

I just thought I would check in to say that I'm still here and that the cold has not made me into a complete couch potato. I've been working on finishing the upstairs' half-bathroom and trying to finish off some other stuff at the same time.

I can't say that I have or had a cold. I think I am still fighting it off. I will get up in the morning with a soar throat and sneeze for 30 minutes then I make myself a cup of hot water with lemon juice and agave nectar and I feel better. I'm very tired though so I sleep in late... I'm sure that all this extra sleep helps me not to have an actual cold although I wonder if it wouldn't be better to have it, get it over with and stop having mild symptoms every now and then LOL

I also wanted to tell you that I did cook things and I can now show you a few things. I made a Pizza with Tofu Feta that was truly delicious !

and I tried Isa's Fronch Toasts (from VwaV)

I added nutmeg and a bit of sugar to the recipe, used only rice milk and they were totally scrumptious.

I also veganized a Robin Hood Fruitcake Mix, substituting the suggested egg with Kingsmill egg replacer and flax seeds. Oh, and I added two Tbsp blackstrap molasses to the water, for a darker fruitcake.

It was heaven, if you are a "fruitcake" (lover) LOL

Also made Braised Brussel Sprouts and Cashews with Bulghur.

Isn't it wonderful when kids love brussel sprouts ? :p

I also realized YESTERDAY that it is Christmas NEXT WEEK. I thought I still had two weeks ahead of me, a sign that I was really busy with a lot of things lately. So I have not even started baking anything for Christmas at all. I think I will do that soon though :p

So thank you to everyone that comes by our blog. Sorry I don't have a lot to say that is exciting and interesting ! I hope that unlike me, you are not stuck in a tiny bathroom and that you are baking cookies and treats and all sorts of neat things :) I'll live through you for a couple more days :))

Talk to you soon ! Candi, I'm thinking of you ! You are almost home !!!!

Sweeeeeeeet(s) !

2006-12-11T22:52:00.000-05:00

I have a cold... it's not a bad cold mind you but just enough to be annoying and make me want nothing more then sleep and relaxation.

I think we ate too much sugar these past weeks. It doesn't that too me. But, it was GOOD ! :p

Here are a few photographs and then I'm off to read in my comfy, comfy bed :)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I loved them. Really, really loved them.
I used less sugar and less oil than the recipe calls for.

This is a Pineapple Brioche. This is a veganized recipe from a little Robin Hood flour "flyer" my mom has had for more than 30 years. About time someone made a recipe from it ! LOL
Very good. I used my bread machine, of course :p

What is the difference between Chop Suey and Chow Mein ?
You can tell me what exactly I made there LOL Because I don't know what to call it but it was delicious. The best CS or CM I ever made LOL, thanks to the shitake mushrooms.

This might not look like it but it was the best dessert I have made in I don't know how long. It is Vanilla Cake with Bryanna's Butterscotch Sauce. It was simply amazing. I used the Vanilla Cupcakes recipe from the famous cupcake book and reduced the amount of sugar and oil as always and baked the mixture in a square 8inch pan.
When the cake had cooled, I cut it in half to make two layers. When the time came to actually eat the cake instead of just looking at it and smelling it, I poured the Butterscotch Sauce on the bottom layer. I assembled the two layers together again and poured more sauce on the plates when serving. To make it even more special, I would add a big scoop of Vanilla Ice Dream on top and add more Sauce. OMG, that would simply be sinful.

And now, it is time for me to go relax and read something. I'll try to read something else than a cookbook for a change. Maybe I won't wake up so hungry LOL

Chickpea Roll & Maple Nut Buns

2006-12-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

I’m back with photographs and recipes!

We had a nice time at the potluck and met very interesting people. We ate, we sang and the little ones danced. They had a great time !
Our family was also filmed for an upcoming documentary movie that will be presented at an Ecological Exposition in April 2007. Most of us didn’t want to participate but our son Weeny, who is a little comedian, said yes and that gave an idea to the producers. Weeny would say his name, say he’s a vegan and add that his whole family is vegan (grandma and grandpa, mom and dad and his two brothers). At that point, the camera would pan out and we would see all of us, next to him. So how could we refuse being there by his side, for support ? Anyway, I couldn’t wait for it to be over but I faced a fear, Candi !! LOL

Here are a few pictures of the buffet table…

My mom's Chili and multigrain tortilla chips, on the bottom right corner :p
I tasted a very, very interesting thing : Marisa had Hummus or Babaghanoush from RAWvolutions and it was so, so good ! She showed me the book too :) I love it. It will be on my wish list.

My Chickpea Roll. It's the only picture I have of it cut :p It disappeared fast.

And as promised, I am here with the Chickpea Roll and the Maple Nut Buns recipes. You will notice I’m not very talkative today. It’s only because my eyes are burning and I must give them a rest. I will take time to bloghop though ! I’m so behind !
Thank you to every one of you who left a comment and to those of you who gave me tips about the whole wheat flour ! I don’t think I’ve ever seen white whole wheat flour but I know I can find Spelt ! So thank you very much, that’s a great idea !

Gaia's Rock N’ Chick Pea Roll

2 1/2 cups cooked chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup minced white onion (or more, to taste)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced finely
1/2 red bell pepper, diced finely
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 to 2 tablespoons dried dill, or more if fresh (or less/more, to taste)
1 tsp dulse powder
1 to 2 Tbs nori flakes
1 TBS relish
1/2 to 1/3 cup Vegenaise
salt and pepper
Vegenaise Crust (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas leaving only a few whole chickpeas. Add the onions, garlic and peppers. Add the seasonings, to taste. Fold in the relish and Vegenaise.

Adjust the seasonings, adding more dill, dulse powder, salt & pepper.

Spread the mixture evenly on the Vegenaise dough.

Roll the dough like you would do for a Jelly Roll Cake.

With a sharp knife, cut little indentations in the dough to let steam escape.

Brush the roll with soymilk and sprinkle sunflower seeds or sesame seeds on top. Black sesame seeds would make it pretty :)

Cook at 375F for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine changes one time to the next so I'm sorry that I can't be too precise. The outside crust should be nice and golden, even crunchy if you like.

Let cool completely if you wish or eat warm.

A long, long time ago, I would have leftovers and they would be so good in my lunch the next day LOL

Ze Vegenaise Crust

2 cups of whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ cup Vegenaise
¾ cup soy milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Put aside.

In a medium bowl, beat Vegenaise into the soymilk. Add to dry ingredients.

Blend with fork until a ball of dough forms.

Roll out in all directions on floured surface.

Spread chosen mixture on top and roll up. Brush lightly with water or soy milk and sprinkle with sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.

Gaia’s Maple Nut Buns (Bread Machine)

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 3 Tbs canola oil
• 1 Tbs agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1 Tbs egg replacer (like Kingsmill) mixed with 6 Tbs water
• 1 cup whole wheat (or spelt : 1 1/3 cups)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 ¼ tsp of bread machine yeast

• 2/3 cup of chopped nuts (I used half walnuts, half almonds)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbs of Earth Balance
• 12 sour cherries, cut in half
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Put 1 of the cups of flour aside.

In the bread pan, put the warm water, the oil, the agave nectar/maple syrup and the egg replacer/water mixture. Add 3 cups of flour on top of the water without mixing. On top of the flour, put the salt on one side and the yeast on the other side.
Plug in the machine and choose the Dough Mode.

When the machine starts kneading, add the remaining cup of flour at the “add ingredient” beep. Let the machine knead for about 10 minutes more, then unplug it and let the dough rise for 10 to 15 minutes.

While the dough is rising, prepare the nuts and maple syrup mixture with the melted Earth Balance. Transfer to a non-stick 9-inch cake pan. Place the cherries cut side up on top of this mixture.

In a small bowl, mix the turbinado sugar and cinnamon. Put aside.

When the dough has risen for 10 to 15 minutes, take it out of the pan and put it on top of a floured surface. Roll out into a 14-inch square. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon blend on top of the dough and roll it into a log and seal the seam. Cut into 8 equal pieces.

Put the pieces in the cake pan, cover with a clean dish towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden.
Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove from the pan and let cool on a cookie rack.

Notes :

The next day, I wanted to make buns that had the cinnamon swirl on top so I only put a bit of maple syrup in the cake pan and made a thick syrup with more maple syrup, the Earth Balance and the nuts. When I removed the buns from the oven, I poured this syrup on top and let cooled.

I also make little tiny buns by cutting the rolled out dough into 4 equal pieces and cutting each of the four rolls into 8 pieces. I ended up with a 9-inch cake pan full of tiny buns plus a bread pan full of them as well and we ate those ones all by ourselves :p

Have fun with those sticky buns. It’s good to be Vegan !

Pre-Potluck Buntastic Post

2006-12-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

UPDATED

I will post something very quickly to thank you all for your wonderful suggestions.
I appreciate them so very much. :)
I have thought about it and my first idea was to make my Rock n' Chickpea Roll and I have decided to stick with that idea because it is familiar and because we all want to eat that again LOL

I have been thinking about desserts too, I want to bring both a meal and a dessert as there are five of us. So I experimented yesterday and right now, I'm feeling love *for myself* LOL
I have used my bread machine to make Maple Nut Buns.

The only thing I would change about the buns is the taste of wheat flour. So I will change that. I had put almost half ww, half uwf and still, the taste of the wheat flour is too intense for buns. I don't really like the idea of using only unbleached white flour as the original recipe suggests so I will add maybe a quarter of the quantity of whole wheat flour this time.
I've decided to bring little tiny Maple Nut Buns for dessert and so, I'll be working on that today.

We are expecting some snow and so I will start baking and cooking today, instead of waiting until tomorrow morning. I might just get a few more hours of sleep, tomorrow morning.

I will post the recipe next week and talk about our Potluck experience.
Until then, have a nice and safe weekend and talk to you soon !

UPDATE :
Here I am coming back to post a picture of the Little Maple Nut Buns that I have baked since posting earlier today. They look so good ! And I don't know if I will get to taste them tomorrow so I needed that picture LOL

I'm afraid that at our house, Vegan Buns Will Take Over Our World for a while. I'm having a lot of bun ideas right now and I am imagining Chocolate Buns and Cranberry-Orange Buns with Almond Slices in our future ....mmmmmmmmm !

Ok, time to think about something else ! ;-)

See ya !

A Susan Inspired Day and Bananes Flambées

2006-11-26T10:53:00.000-05:00

It is Sunday and I intend on cooking, cooking and then cooking some more. I should also wash the floors, they are screaming for it and they are loud little demons. :p

I will post my pictures and comment on each one but before I do, I just have to say that I'm very excited about an event that will take place this Saturday. Last year, my oldest son and I created a Yahoo group for Veg people in Quebec City. In December of 2005, they had their first gathering at Le Commensal and I use "they" because we could not go. We had just moved here and were so lacking time and money.
This year though, I wanted to have a potluck, our first potluck :) So I expressed the desire to have one and a member of the group, Stephane Groleau from the Vegan Québec website, was like a wonderful genie in a bottle : he found a place where we could have one and basically organised the whole thing. All we have to do is show up... with the food, of course :) I so appreciate this ! Can't wait to tell him in person :)

Anyway, I have been thinking of what we could bring to this wonderful gathering of like-minded people. My parents will come too, of course, and also our friends, Emma's family. In your opinion, what type of dish is a good choice for a vegan potluck ?
So please share your thoughts on this !

On to the food already made and eaten :p The first three things "were made possible by" (you can tell I have watched a lot of TV) : Susan's Fat Free Vegan Blog !
That wonderful Susan doesn't know how happy I am that she has a blog :))

The idea behind this soup comes from Susan's Stormy Black Bean Soup recipe. I admit I didn't make it exactly like hers because I didn't have chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Also, when I tasted it, I could hear someone in my ear saying over and over again "Kick it up a notch, Kick it up a notch..." Again, it's the TV's fault and also probably because of all the drugs I didn't take during the 80s. Sometimes, being a nice little girl who doesn't use drugs turns you into a TV freak. Anyway, I added the juice of a lemon (didn't have a lime) and I pureed a quarter of the soup so it was thick and good and wonderful. I used Red Curry Paste instead of the chiles.

This is the only picture I have of the corn bread I made to go with the soup. Susan didn't put corn in her soup because of her cactus corn breads but I thought "let's be Corny with a capital c". And so we were, and are, and will be Corny Corn Loving People.
Susan must have 24 corn bread recipes in her index :p but I used the Deluxe Corn Bread one.

Now this is something else ! I love this Fat Free Pineapple Coffee Cake. It's the second time I made it and can't believe I don't make it every single day. I used fresh pineapple this time and it was all the better for it. Try this soon, or else ! "Go ahead, make your day !"

Rice Noodles with Isa's Peanut Sauce from her Cold Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan recipe (VWaV, page 165). I love this sauce and although I will probably never make the whole dish, I will keep making the sauce. I cooked the edamame and bits of asparagus quickly with the noodles and I had less pots to clean. Because my hands, although "they're soaking in it", they don't like it, Madge !

And finally, the Coup de Grâce or translated, the Grace Hit. It was an Amazing Grace Hit :p
This is a big dollop of So Good Vanilla Ice Dream with Bananes Flambées. What I did is I melted a tablespoon of Earth Balance in a heavy non-stick pan and fried chunks of bananas for a few minutes. Then I added 2 tablespoons of Brandy (didn't have cognac or rhum, we are not hard liqueur drinkers, we only have a 50ml bottle of brandy for "bananes flambées purposes" LOL) and then I added a mixture of Silk Soy Creamer and brown sugar to make a thick sauce. We did try to "flambé" the whole thing but it didn't work LOL I kept the name anyway :P
All we had to do next was spoon that over the ice dream and have a contest of who likes this sinful dessert more. I think I won or it's a toss up.

So there you go, "it's time to say goodbye to Prince Abooboo".
"In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight"!

Happy Thanksgiving !

2006-11-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

I have cooked anything "blog-worthy" in the last few days but I wanted to take this opportunity to wish those of you who are celebrating today, a

Very Happy and Joyous Vegan Thanksgiving !

And here are two photos of "a very expressive and happy for you" Pumpkin :p

Girly Cupcakes and Stuff

2006-11-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

I'm back !
Well, I never actually left but we had problems with the laptop this week and I couldn't blog or visit you guys as easily as I usually can so I've not spent as much time on the computer. It always is hard at first but then I start to appreciate doing other things like watching TV ! LOL No, just kidding :p
I did cook though and I couldn't wait for the infamous cupcake cookbook to get here. I only was able to have it in my hands on Saturday though because they had taken the Amazon box to the post office.
Anyway, I made other yummy things, starting with Bryanna's Crunchy Ginger Cookies.

They were totally scrumptious ! I decided to follow her advice and replace some of the corn syrup with applesauce. I put half of each. They look less crunchy than hers. They were so, so good ! Not too sweet, which I love :)
So see her recipe here.

This is Alton and Gaia's Waldorf Salad. It was originally Alton Brown's Waldorf but I changed it to the point that it is now "our" Waldorf Salad. I used to love watching his show but we don't have the Food Network anymore. I never buy different kinds of apples for the purpose of this salad, I just use whatever I have on hand. It is always really fresh and tasty and minty and I just love it. Oh and I don't put as much veggienaise as Alton does. I put half a cup (or even less than that) and that is enough.

This is the kind of dish you make when you don't have a recipe and it is a good day. Don't you love it when you just lose yourself in creativity and whip up something awesome on the spur of the moment ? I do ! It often means that it is frugal and really quick to make but it can also mean that I will never be able to recreate it exactly like the first time LOL

Crunchy Tofu with Sweet Chilli Sauce has really made me realise that I need a wok.

Ok, now for a bit of cupcake madness. It all started when VCTOTW landed in my hands. No, it actually started the day before when I made Lemon Gems (from VwaV) for the first time and went : "OMG! Toooooooo darn sweet !"
You know, I would never have guessed I would reach a point in my life when things are just too sweet but I'm right there. And the worse of it is I had cut the amount of sugar in the lemony cupcakes... the icing was the culprit. So before I had the Cupcake book in my hand, I just knew there was NO way I would follow the recipes exactly.

So yesterday, I woke up intending to make the "Boston Cream" cupcakes and then I realised that I didn't want to have to wait all day to eat a cupcake, I wanted one yesterday, one to flush away the memory of the Lemon Gems. So I took Isa's Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe and messed it up in a very good way, I think. You must not forget that I have three very energetic boys and if I give them anything that might induce a sugar fit, I might not be able to blog from a sanatorium.

So what I did is I only put 1/2 cup of sugar (instead of 3/4 cup) and only 1/6 cup of oil (instead of 1/3).
But, I also used half carob powder/ half cocoa powder instead of just using cocoa because I had forgotten to buy more cocoa. Turned out really good.

Also, when making the icing, I used only 1 1/2 cup icing sugar and a little less than 1/4 cup Earth Balance (plus soy milk and raspberry jam without seeds) AND I didn't frost the cupcakes with 1 cup of icing each :p They were still really, really moist and good and wonderful. Those are little things that you can do to maintain a certain level of sanity in your house.

The other thing you can do is psyche your boys into thinking that those sweet little cupcakes are Cupcakes for Little Girls by making them as pink as you wish and putting all you stuffed animals next to the plate. So you know that it would calm them down right there BEFORE they actually taste the cupcakes, IF they still wish to taste them.

Because my boys are not macho in the least, I didn't get to eat all the cupcakes myself, which is somewhat sad but also makes me appreciate that I'm raising them well... or my husband is, I don't know who can be blamed for that.

Now, those are cute, you can't say they aren't. And you didn't even know that the insides are piped with Sour Cherry Jelly and the top is not decorated with a Maraschino Cherry but with a Polish Sour Cherry. Delicious ! So my Little Girly Cherry Cupcakes were really, really good and because they were just sweet enough, you can get away with eating three of them in a row. Yes, you certainly can.

Something to meditate on.

Have a good week !

Veggie Star : Philippe Nicolitch

2006-11-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

It's time for a Veggie Star !

It is very possible that you already know Philippe Nicolitch, owner of B & B Chez Philippe.

I have heard so many good things about his B & B and my guess is, you have too. "Chez Philippe" is located in Montreal and is the only Vegan B&B in the Province of Quebec. But did you know that the B & B is also eco-friendly and that the breakfasts that Philippe prepares for his guests are also made from organic fair-trade ingredients ?

Philippe also recently penned an article for VegNews entitled « Magnifique Montréal » in which I learned just how much vegan-friendly Montreal is. I had no idea ! :)

Philippe credits his partner and his love of the environment for making him vegan for the last two and a half years. He loves mushrooms and says that his favorite vegan discoveries are cakes :) He says he owns a lot of cookbooks and that he loves fresh organic fruits and vegetables that he tries to buy directly from the grower.

His two favorite restaurants ? Fressen in Toronto and Millenium in San Francisco.
Favorite Vegan Quote ? "Eat your vegetables !"

He also wants to say that he finds it difficult to find vegan shoes for men that are somewhat descent looking and so, if a designer is reading this blog, he should know that there is a market for that :))

Philippe, I wish you long lasting success. Thank you for the inspiration, for this wonderful service you are offering the vegan community and finally, thank you for agreeing to be a Veggie Star !

Bed & Breakfast Chez Philippe
2457 rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Montreal Quebec H2K 2J9
Canada

(514) 890-1666
Toll-free :1-877-890-1666
Email: phn@sympatico.ca

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My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

2006-11-12T11:09:00.001-05:00

It is so grey here today and naturally, it is also raining. I normally love rainy days but in November, even if it's not winter yet, I prefer snow to rain. Anyway, I have a feeling I will spend my day cooking. I would SO love to be the kind of person who cooks all her meals for the week on Sundays LOL

I thought I would show what I have made this week that I haven't yet blogged about.

This is Jerk Seitan from VWaV. I love how easy the sauce was to prepare, how it doesn't require things you don't have on hand. And the taste is quite unusual in a very good way :p
What I don't like, or rather, what I like less is the presentation. I am very affected by the look of a meal so I will work on that next time. I would prefer smaller pieces of pepper and more color so I might add a red or orange bell pepper. Anyway, it was still good and I'll make it again.

This is one of our favorite meals ever. I have been making it forever it seems and I don't think I'm going to give it up anytime soon. But lately, I've been messing with it a bit and I like what I have discovered as it gives me more choices.
I think I'm one change away to give you the recipe LOL
This is Cauliflower-Chick-pea Sauce with Shells from Susan Powter's Food.
As you can see, I didn't use shells this time because I didn't have any. When I have a cauliflower in the fridge, I want to make this dish but because I eat a lot less pasta, I have been serving the sauce on rice (I have blogged about it before). But I had the idea of cooking a cup of bulgur directly in the sauce. I liked it way better this way than with rice and the preparation becomes really quicker with less dishes to do (always a good thing). I also not only put black olives in but Kalamata Olives as well. And I always put more red wine vinegar than the recipe calls for ... someday, I will try it with red wine. That is when I will be able to get away with the "3 Changes Rule" and give you the recipe. That day is coming ! :) It is soooo good, you have to try it.

This is the only Spaghetti Sauce I make and my favorite spaghetti sauce ever. I don't really like acidic spaghetti sauces (although I will eat them without complaining):p This is the same sauce I have always made, and the sauce my mother has been making forever but we veganized it many many years ago. The only difference between my mom's version and mine is that I'm so lazy, I chop the onions, garlic, pepper and carrots in the food processor (though she has followed my lead on this) and I'm so frugal (or cheap !) that I won't put in the different "sauces" the original recipe called for like Worcestershire (I'm of course talking about VEGAN worcestershire sauce, like The Wizard's brand - see comments), Hp, Heinz 57 and Chili sauces.

I always make a double batch of this sauce and freeze what I don't use. So the following recipe is doubled.

Gaïa's Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

2 cups diced white onion
5 to 8 minced garlic cloves
2 cups finely chopped green onions (I rarely put some in)
2 cups diced celery
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups green bell pepper

4 - 10oz cans of condensed tomato soup (No Name brand is vegan)
20 oz of soy milk
2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 - 5.5oz cans of pure tomato paste
4 tsp soy sauce
tabasco or cayenne pepper, to taste

4 to 8 laurel leaves
2 tsp sage
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp allspice
1 package of Yves Veggie's Ground Round

Chop all vegetables, in a lazy way or in a Martha Stewart way.

Heat a little olive oil and sauté the vegetables beginnning with the onions and the garlic. Add the other vegetables and cook 5 to 10 minutes.

Add all other ingredients. When it boils, turn the heat down to low or simmer (depending on you stove - mine is way high !) and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add the Ground Round 5 to 10 minutes before serving, it only needs to be heated through.

Serve on pasta (or eat it with whatever you like !)

Bon Appetit, Blogger Friends and have a good week !

Shopping Surprises

2006-11-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we were going to the movies to see Flushed Away. We were going to. But when we got there after a 60km drive, we were told that our airmiles passes were not valid on Saturdays. What ? Steven was not impressed and I was dissappointed. They are not even good for Sundays during the day. We have always gone on Saturday afternoons before so we didn't think to check the passes and didn't know about the change. Anyway, we were not going to pay 40$ to go watch a movie that we could very well see on DVD for not even 3$. So what do you do when you don't want to spend 40$ on a movie ? You go spend 50$ on food (sigh) LOL

We thought that while we were in Quebec City, we would take the opportunity to visit that little Asian grocery store called Aliments Toyo that we had found in the Yellow Pages. So we drove there and were really excited to find food that we had been looking for for a long time.

So we bought Edamame, which we had never had before. Also found Vegan Spring Roll Sauce, dried shitake mushrooms, Nori Sheets, Black Bean Sauce, Minced Ginger in a jar, Red Curry Paste, Spring Rolls, fresh Mint (sometimes hard to find where we live) and Spring Roll Pastry. Everything was so affordable ! And we have since found out that we LOVE edamame ! We will hopefully always have some in our freezer :)

Right next door, I was so happy to discover a Polish/Russian Grocery Store called Chez Vladimir. OMG !!! I'm of Polish/Ukrenian descent so it was like walking into a candy shop, litterally. Candy, sweets, and other wonderful products waited for me to discover them. The boys were beside themselves, Steven included. We so like to discover new things and VEGAN things especially :)

So here you see Polish candied peanuts (rhum flavored) called Orzechowe, a huge "bitterchocolate" bar that was "OH SO GOOD" ! On the plate, Pierniki Uszatki (sugar coated gingerbread cakes - Polish) and Izumenka Dry bread (Ukrainian). Also there, Ajvar, a Bulgarian vegetable spread that is sooo delicious and Pindjur, a Bulgarian Roasted Red Pepper Spread that is wonderfully spicy and flavorful. We also bought two different Polish soups (just have to add water). One is a Split Pea Soup that I would eat without water, straight out of the jar and also a Green Borsch with Sorrel that reminds me of my grand-father's sauerkraut soup. Lastly, HALVA !! I love Halva, always have, always will.
We were all so pleased with our purchases and we will enjoy them longer than a 90minute movie.

Then Monday, we had our first major snow. It was so beautiful when we got up. I love snow... it makes everything pretty and peaceful. It also makes it cold LOL What kid doesn't like snow ? Of course, I'm a big kid myself :)

Oh and I almost forgot ! Look what else we found in Quebec City !

Tofurky ! Of course, we had to try it and also encourage the grocery store to keep it on the shelves !

That is what we ate last night. Needs a big colourful salad though. I can't say that I liked the Tofurky's texture at first and I think it was because it was too hot and I had cut the slices too thick. But cold, real real good and I loved the dumplings. I won't say that we will buy it very often but it's nice to know that is is offered as an option. For 20$, it is a very filling meal and less expensive than a cheeseless pizza for 5 people. And you have very little to prepare. I would not offer it to meat eaters though. Maybe you have to be vegetarian or vegan to appreciate it or maybe not. I'm sure there are veg people who would not like it or eat it.

So there you have the latest news ! I'll be blog-hopping tomorrow to see what you have been up to. See ya !

Modern Blogging

2006-11-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

UPDATED !

So this morning, I'm trying out a new concept. I call it Modern Blogging... sort of like a Modern Art of Blogging. The concept consists of posting my more recent pictures and not telling you what they are or what the heck is going on. You can then try to interpret what I'm trying to say with these dishes like you are inside my head. Should be fun. Have valiums on hand.

The reason for this is simple : I'm going out in an hour to catch a movie (Flushed Away) and I'm still in my jammies.
So here is Modern Blogging. I'll come and say lots of silly things (as per our agreement) in the next hours/days (don't know how long the movie is).

Let the madness begin !

So this is the "Magic" Salad that my mother made last Thursday. My father and her were babysitting Gromit because the rest of us were going to the Opera. The salad was beautiful and fresh with a hint of something magical, but Mozart kicked butt ! I feel very lucky to have met him in person although the salad looked fresher than him. He must not be an "Autumn type".

These are my dad's potatoes or the potatoes he made with Herbes de Provence. He forgot the oil which was a good thing because I wouldn't have been able to eat the whole plate (or fantasize about eating the whole plate - even fantasy has a tendancy to accumulate in my thighs).

These are the French Fries (I'm sorry but Freedom Fries ? Sorry, it sounds stupid and you know me. I stay as far from stupid as I possibly can... But stupid is a stalker) that we ate on the same night because I wanted it to be a Potato Day or because it was fast and cheap, I was hungry and I hadn't had Stupid Freedom Fries in months.

Introducing our little precious little poopoo dispenser friend, or if you prefer, our precious friend Weenie who is 8 years old and a Pisces. :p She has taken a liking to napping there and it's so cute. We love her forever !

Now, this is interesting because it's a dessert and desserts are interesting. Do you see how life is simple when you are me ? These were Tampered Pumpkin Cookies from VwaV. I thought that the recipe called for an insane amount of sugar and so I brought a little sanity to this recipe, that is why they weren't that wonderful. I just don't like cakey cookies. That doesn't prevent me from eating them but hey...

Now this was something else! It looks kind of bizarre when you don't know what it is but it was really good except too sweet. I'll have to call up the creator and say "Gaia, less sugar next time ! Are you crazy ?"
So this is my own creation and I call it Vegana Banana Pie. I'll share the recipe sometime soon I hope.
Oreo Cookie Crust with Chocolate Swirl Banana filling. All gone like it was on that High Speed Motorboat from August.

Thank you to aTxVegn who played my little game. As you can see aTxVegn, you were really close and so you win ! LOL

Two Cakes OR How to Go Overboard OR Another Vegan Birthday

2006-11-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

Happy World Vegan Day everybody !

I thought I would post something quickly because I’m head over heels engrossed in a thousand different things and once again, I’m only exaggerating slightly LOL And it's a Lost Night ! Yaaaaaayyyy !
We are going to the theatre tomorrow and I hope my imagination is not making it way better than it will end up being. We are going to see Mozart’s The Magic Flute and I’m very excited about that !

So on to my mom’s birthday “party”.

She arrived at our house with a bunch of food : two tourtières, a bag of carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, cranberry sauce (in a can – no time to make her recipe which is way better but still) so the only thing I ended up making was the Chicago Diner Gravy for the tourtières which are from Le Commensal Restaurants. Disappointed we are : because Le Commensal “have our health at heart” (or “want to save a few bucks”), they removed the bottom crusts on all their tourtières. Gee !
Anyway, they were still good for store-bought tourtières which are somewhat long to make yourself but I will definitely take the time to do just that for Christmas though because MY tourtières have a bottom crust.

So here it all is.

The tourtière on the left is Seitan Tourtière and the one on the right is Millet Tourtière. I find the Seitan Tourtière a whole lot “gooder”.

Now, time for a confession. I’m a perfectionist. If you are one too, you know what a plague being that way is. :p So I made My Famous Carrot Cake and I thought it looked blah… what I mean is it usually looks better. The photograph doesn't help.

I followed my recipe exactly and frosted it with Isa’s Coconut Icing from VwaV but the coconut is chopped too finely (nothing I can do about that) and I think the icing ended up looking somewhat like cottage cheese. For some reason, that grossed me out at first… still ate it though because I got over it :p

So I kept thinking about the cake and how I had messed it up and so I decided that I needed to make a totally different cake. And so I did and I messed up the presentation of that one too, I thought.

Here is a slice of the Dark Spice Cake I made, from More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan.
So there for Karma. And it got worse when I couldn’t get one decent picture of any of the two. I was happy that there were a couple of pieces left because I was able to take more pictures the following day... they are still not perfect but me neither ! LOL

But, the good side of this story is that both cakes where incredibly good !
INCREDIBLY good, I tell ya !
And my mom had never had two cakes for her birthday before so she will remember how her perfectionist daughter’s two not exactly perfect cakes were still wonderful...anyway, I hope so.

She always deserves two cakes.. and maybe three. Something to think of for next year !
Bye for now !

A Vegan Birthday Party !

2006-10-29T21:16:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you are like me but I love a Good Stir Fry. Who would like a Bad Stir Fry, I don't know but they are strange and crazy people in this world and so, I would not be surprised if I met a Bad Stir Fry Person somewhere in this galaxy. Because, as you might have heard, "God/Krishna/Bob" gave us free will and people can fry Coke and cover Chocolate Cake in Camembert Cheese if they wish...it is in our Spiritual Constitution. I can not speak for "God/Krishna/Bob" but I'm sure it looked like a better idea on paper.
Anyhoo, to come back to the original topic, a good stir fry is really quick and easy and you don't need a recipe. You just throw everything you have together in a pan, stir it, fry it and eat it. A bad stir fry is exactly the same but you only have bad things in your fridge and stir in a counter clockwise direction.

So I make them a lot (good ones)... with rice, with bulghur, with pasta, with whatever vegan grain "Bob" created. Real good healthy food without use of a lot of brain power. That would have been a good title for this post ... "A Post About Brain Power and How Not to Waste it on Crazy Stir Frys". Stir "Fries" is another name for Poutine...let's not go there...

Yesterday, we were invited to a Birthday Party ! Yaaaayyyy !
A VEGAN Birthday Party !!!!! How awesome is that ? I know you are all jealous right now and I'll have to get you invited next year LOL
I had to fight with my friend Emma to have her let me bring something, contribute something to the meal but she wouldn't hear of it... she is always like that and it is somewhat annoying but hey, I wasn't going to fight with her about it because I'm very polite that way, there was no room inside and it was snowing outside.
So I have absolutely nothing to do with everything you'll see in the next pictures. Again, brain power vacation :p
I did manage to smuggle in some Amaretto Teecino though and I hope she likes it when she will actually notice it's in her pantry.

So it was my friend Emma's son's birthday party, 3 days before his actual birthday. Her family has a way of making birthdays last LOL So J turned 9 yesterday and is turning 9 everyday to Tuesday !!!!!
And he decided that he wanted a buffet for his Day One Birthday. He made a list of everything he wanted that day and there you have it. This picture was taken by me, standing on a chair and managing not to take a plunge in the Vegan Buffet.

Everything was very good and we ate more than we should have and that is the way it's supposed to be at a buffet. So mission accomplished ! I probably gained back 3 pounds that will take me 3 months to shed... oh no, it's Christmas in two months, forget that !

Next came this beautiful Chocolate Cake and it's creation was a family affair.

Emma's hubby made the bottom layer and Emma the top layer. The two layers were different and really good. The bottom one was like one huge brownie, really fudgy and chocolaty. And the top layer was as chocolaty but also very moist and fluffy !

We left our friends house very tired, very well fed, and with more things than we arrived with. Steven got a recessed light to put somewhere in our house and I got, guess what ?? A new coat !!!!! Well, a new used coat but a very comfy and beautiful new used coat. Emma had been saving it for me for some time. It was given to her and when she saw it, she said that it had my aura all over it LOL It was ruined for her by my aura... I have a very bendy aura because she lives 70km away.
So that was my Fortune Cookie moment right there LOL

But today, I'm in Chocolate withdrawal. All day, I felt like making our own Chocolate Cake but ended up making other stuff that I will not blog about because I didn't take pictures and it's all gone LOL But I didn't make any dessert though because tomorrow is my Mommy's Birthday ! Yayyyyyy ! And I'm making her a Carrot Cake ! Yaaaaayyyy ! Another Vegan Birthday Party !

So there you have it... for some reason, I want sugar right now.... I think I'll put on my new coat and go lick a Maple tree outside... or just go for the can of Maple syrup in the fridge ;-)

Have a good week !

Chinese !

2006-10-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

Again, a short post but we are still very excited about this meal.

Megan has blogged about this in the last week (Thank you Megan!) and so we were very happy to find Spring Roll Wrappers at our local grocery store ( happy and stunned !).

So, without a recipe, Flopsy and I proceeded to let our creativity run wild and this meal was created. The kitchen was a wreck though !

We loved working with the wrappers ! The hotter the water, the better and we were glad to be working as a team.
We didn't want to fry them so like Megan, we baked our Spring Rolls and although ours look pale, they were still delicious and crunchy. It would be very interesting to find better quality Wrappers at an Asian grocery store though. I suspect that it plays a huge part in the end result. Still, since Tuesday, I cannot count the number of times that the kids have talked about how wonderful our Chinese meal was.

Spring Rolls : cabbage, carrots, fresh grated ginger, cayenne, rice vinegar and teriyaki. The Chop Suey is quite simple : the only thing that is in it that you can't see is the Tamari LOL At the top of the plate, raw spinach drizzled with a bit of Soy Sauce. We also made a little dipping sauce for the Spring Rolls with Teriyaki, Rice Vinegar and Agave Nectar.
Next time, I will be more prepared and will make "Fried" Broccoli too :)

This supper could not have been complete without the traditional Fortune Cookies :)

And guess what ! I'm going to have some new clothes !!! LOL

There you go ! Bon Appétit !

Pear Turnover

2006-10-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

Thank you everybody for your comments and answers to my question. I totally agree with the "3 ingredients rule" :) I will feel more comfortable posting recipes that I have played with now that I know the "rules". And thanks to you Susan, for explaning copyright laws. I'm taking note of what you said.

This is going to be a short post. I have not cooked or baked many things out of the ordinary in the last couple of days because we were quite busy with a lot of things around the house and (for Bryanna) the 500$ expense for the car. ;-)
I have sore arms this morning and the back of my thighs are also letting me know that I may have lifted too many rocks. Anyway, here is one special thing I made : A Pear Turnover.

It was the best Turnover ever and I am not lying. What I did is quite simple. I had some leftover Spice Mix from the Apple Dumplings I made for Thanksgiving and some leftover dough from the Pumpkin Pie so I used them. I spread the spice mixture on the rolled-out dough, put slices of two pears on top, added a little agave nectar on top of the pear slices, et voilà !
It was incredibly good and it's a good thing it wasn't bigger because I would've had to lift more rocks to burn the extra calories.

Give it a try and come work on our yard ! ;-) LOL

Have a nice week, everybody !

An Answer, A Question and Some Tampered Cookies

2006-10-19T20:24:00.000-04:00

I have not been cooking very much in the last few days so I don’t have a lot of pictures to post but I do have two or three.

First though, I have to say a few things :

The wonderful Ariix has left a comment on the French Blog to say that the Chu Chai Restaurant in Montreal is not completely vegan. It is completely vegetarian though and about 90% vegan. So there you have it and thanks to Ariix for the correction.

Bazu has asked me the difference between the French words Végétarien, Végétalien and Vegan, saying that she thought that Végétalien is the French translation of Vegan. Because Laura had asked the same question last week (I believe), I thought I would explain for everybody to see.

Bazu is right of course, VégétaLien is, officially, the direct translation of Vegan.
But because VégétaLien is very often used to describe a diet without mention of the philosophy of veganism, some VégétaLiens choose to use the term Vegan instead. If so, they generally want it understood that they embrace the ethical aspect of Veganism, meaning that they don’t use any animal products such as leather, suede, wool, fur, other animal ingredients and don’t buy products tested on animals.
Comparatively, I have heard that some vegans now use the term "Vegitan diet" instead of "Vegan diet". Vegsource says "The key is that the word "vegitan" in and of itself connotes no political, ideological or philosophical ideals. It's simply a word that describes a diet."
So because VégétaLien often means “Vegitan”, some francophones use Vegan instead. The words chosen are a personal preference I think because some VégétaLiens will, of course, not use any animal products at all and some Vegans will eat honey or wear wool, or whatever. A word can hardly describe everything that we are. LOL So that is about it.

Eat to Live update : I have been mostly off Eat to Live in the last week as money is really tight because of tires, brakes, and new “used” clothes so I couldn’t splurge on fruits and vegetables as I have been doing in the last few weeks. And I am having such a hard time finding great fruit ! I don’t know what is happening but the last two batches of nectarines were so awful that nobody ate them. It’s apple season and that is mostly what I have had for fruit. It gets boring rather quickly. I still don’t eat vegetable oil though. BUT, the BUTT is still there, and I am stuck at 164. I eat bread, pasta, and I don’t limit the amounts. I have been exercising, still, I don’t feel I’m getting anywhere. So, we’ll see what will happen from here. I’m sure that a non-veg person following ETL’s vegan version would get fantastic results right away but I think that a vegan that already eats rather healthy can’t see the same fantastic results as quickly (or at all ?) So I lost 5 pounds in a month and I never followed it exactly… that is still good. But Crystal was right. It is expensive to follow ETL when you are already on a tight budget. Again, I’m sure a meat-eater would not see as much of a difference on their budget.
So if I end up eating more fruits and more salads forever, that will at least be better health wise.

On to the next subject, this time a question for anybody who might have an answer and/or everybody who has an opinion.
I will generally not post a recipe without the author’s consent. I might post a recipe that is already on the internet though, like that Pumpkin Pie recipe found in Dr. Neil Barnard’s book AND on PCRM’s website. I will give a beloved recipe to close friends though and I don’t have an army of close friends ;-)
Because of that, some of them have, as a result, bought the book where it came from.
But here is my question : What amount of tampering makes a recipe yours ?
I very often tamper with recipes, and I can see that a lot of you do, too. :) Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize the original recipe but other times, even though I change two or three things and I play with the quantities, maybe the author could recognize that the original recipe was from them, I don't know. I would like to share that kind of recipe without offending the author though.
So if you have an answer to that, please raise your hand. ;-)

Now, on to the good stuff : pictures of foooood !

First off, here is a picture of some cookies I made this week.

They come from a tampered recipe. LOL
I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients needed to follow the recipe exactly and I played with the quantities AND made them with applesauce. They are not Fat Free though because of the chocolate and the cashew but still, they are a Lower Fat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Here is the salad I had for lunch yesterday. Really Good ! With Kalamata Olives and Feta Tofu.

And second, here is what we ate last night.

This is called Chick Pea Sauce and Rigatoni and is from Susan Powter’s Food (the book). That book is the first “health-food” book I have ever read. Very entertaining read and very informative. Two of the recipes from Food are staple meals at our house.

So that is it. I have to go concentrate on something else for now and try to grow two more arms… that would help out a lot.
Thanks for visiting and see you soon !

Jacques Godin : Veggie Star

2006-10-17T18:02:00.000-04:00

Since I've been looking for Veggie Stars, I have always been really excited and so happy to have a person accept becoming one and answering the questionnaire. But this was the first time that I litterally jumped for joy, screamed and danced in my kitchen ... for a Veggie Star, I mean... I do scream and jump often, and my kids would probably say "too often". The last time was last week when, while changing channels, I saw that Sara Gilbert was now part of the show ER. I love her. I also woke up a whole neighborhood each time Lord of the Rings won an Oscar. I lost my voice right after Return of the Kings' big night.

So Jacques Godin made my day back in September and I have had a really hard time not talking about it because I wanted it to be a surprise. He is a very, very talented and accomplished actor, here in Quebec. I love his presence and voice (I really could listen to him read the phone book!) and most of all, his humanity.

Mister Godin was vegetarian for 20 years and has been a vegan for the last few years.
He was against animal cruelty and consequently, he realized that not eating animals was the thing to do. He later realised the environmental aspects of vegetarianism and the health benefits too ! He also finds it inconceivable that doctors don't advise their patients about the negative effects of an animal-based diet when we know the billions it costs our medicare system and the suffering that results from such a diet.

For two days last April, he presented a one-man show called Réflexions (Reflections), with which he wanted to sensitize the public about the exploitation of human beings, animals and the environment by interpreting texts and songs such as these two : "Quand les Hommes Vivront d'Amour" (When Men will Live for Love) and "Ne Tuons pas la Beauté du Monde" (Let's Not Kill the World's Beauty). An article describing his show said that "(Jacques Godin) Wants to Change the World" to which I reply : "Please, let him ! And let's help !"
I so wish I could have attended Réflexions! We need more people like him to open people's hearts, throughout the world.

Jacques Godin is truly an amazing Star : he is a wonderful example for people to follow, especially men, I would say. I feel truly honored that he accepted to be a Vég-Étoile and yes, I'm still dancing :)

Fun Facts :

Favorite Veg Product : Vanilla Soy Milk
Favorite Restaurant : Chu Chai in Montreal (completely vegan restaurant)
Favorite Meal : Tofu Bavarian Sausages with Sauerkraut and Grilled Seitan
Favorite Veg Book : Diet for a New America by John Robbins and Vegetarian Times magazine for the recipes.
Most Comical Thing Heard About Vegetarianism : "If we stopped eating meat, we would be overrun by animals."

Frothy Date Milk

2006-10-15T10:08:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I would usually skip breakfast. I just wasn't hungry in the morning, and even less if I was expecting a stressful day at school. Even though I was a good student, I really didn't like school and so for me, most days WERE stressful days. I would never skip breakfast during the weekends though ;-)

I have been having breakfast regularly for several years and like it much better that way, even though, I'm not a toast person. I usually eat fruit, Breakfast Ice Dream (thank DGMGV for the expression !) or a Smoothie. I love Smoothies :)

The first Smoothie recipe I've ever made is called Frothy Date Milk. I had never been one to eat dates as they looked to me like overgrown raisins and the last thing I wanted was even more raisin chewiness in my mouth. But one day about 10 years ago, my mom bought Medjool Dates and she came over with the express purpose of having me try them. She first had to twist my arm behind my back to make me promise to taste them and then I did. OMG ! The only way I could describe it is "it's like biting into creamy maple syrup. From that day, I was hooked !
Of course, Medjool dates very well may be the most expensive dates on earth. But, they are worth it. One kilogram (2.2pounds) costs about 12$ here though yesterday, I saw a 2pound package for about 9$ at Costco. I think they make such a great present !

The Frothy Date Milk is WAY better with Medjool dates but of course, you could try it with other types. I did, with Bam Dates which are not expensive at all. It turned out good but I would add more dates next time, if I don't have Medjool on hand. Bams are not as sweet and are softer. I think they would be perfect for raw desserts, though.

Frothy Date Milk
Serves two.

1/4 cup raw almonds or cashews
4 Medjool dates, pitted and fresh
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup water
1 cup soy milk

Grind nuts into a fine meal with the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for a few minutes. Serve immediately in a tall glass.

* Note : Prefer it creamier ? I usually do ! Than just omit the cup of water and use 2 cups of soy milk.

And why not try it with Almond Milk !

Medjool dates are bigger than other dates. Their names mean "Queen of the dates".

Dates - Food Uses
Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may
be seeded and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, candied orange and lemon
peel, and marzipan. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and
savoury dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings, bread, cakes and
other dessert items. Dates are also processed into cubes, paste, spread, date
syrup or "honey" called dibs, powder (date sugar), vinegar or alcohol. Recent
innovations include chocolate-covered dates and products such as sparkling date
juice, used in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic version of champagne,
for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan.

Other Uses
Date seeds are soaked and ground up for animal feed. Their oil
is suitable for use in soap and cosmetic products. They can also be processed
chemically as a source of oxalic acid. The seeds are also burned to make
charcoal for silversmiths, and can be strung in necklaces. Date seeds are also
ground and used in the manner of coffee beans, or as an additive to coffee.

Date Palm leaves are used for Palm Sunday in the Christian religion. In
North Africa, they are commonly used for making huts. Mature leaves are also
made into mats, screens, baskets and fans. Processed leaves can be used for
insulating board. Dried leaf petioles are a source of cellulose pulp, used for
walking sticks, brooms, fishing floats and fuel. Leaf sheaths are prized for
their scent, and fibre from them is also used for rope, coarse cloth and large
hats.

http://www.medjool.info

Finally, here is a photograph of the Mushroom Lasagna I made a few days ago.

It was quite beautiful (the photo doesn't do it justice). Although it was wonderfully colorful, it was kind of bland. The orange bits on top look like bits of carrots but they really are bits of Cheddar Vegan Gourmet that just didn't want to melt. But they were crunchy good with all the cheddar flavor. I promised myself I would work on the recipe so it is worthy of sharing with you, Blogger Friends :)

Have a great Sunday !

Canadian Thanksgiving 2006

2006-10-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

First, let me thank you for your warm wishes. My dad read your comments and appreciates them. And so do I !! So Thank You All so very much ! He must feel better because my parents decided to drive down to Montreal today (a 3hour drive) to go help my brother with something. My dad will have to drive with his injured hand... it worries me but I'm not the boss. I can tell you without a doubt that I would not hear the end of it if I decided to go for a 3h drive less than one week after I got injured somewhere that is essential to driving a car. Crazy parents ! They think that only parents have the right to worry about loved ones. Anyway.

This year, because of my dad's injury, I was rather alone preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, meaning my mom wasn't here to help as much. So I got up early and started preparing a lot of things so that I would mostly only have to put things in the oven or turn the burners on when that time came. So glad that Steven was available and ready to clean after me ! And I'm so glad I got up early because I was able to take a nap in the afternoon. I really needed it.

I also opted for a simple meal although we still had a lot to eat and we had to go for a walk afterwards :p I have a tendancy to think that I never do enough but I have been working on that so all in all, I think I did good.

Everything was really good ! Such a relief when you spend time cooking that you could spend doing something more fun... like "playing" outside or taking a longer nap ;-)

So here it is :

Mashed Garlic Potatoes and Yams, Sweet Carrots with Thyme, Green Beans with Basil and Garlic.
Chick Pea Roll (délicious !) and Lentil Loaf (awesome !).
Chicago Diner Gravy : if you haven't tried it, you should !

Chicago Diner Gravy
The Chicago Diner Cookbook

There are three parts to this recipe: the dry spice mix, the roux, and the base. Any of the parts can be stored and used separately in other dishes.For example, it's nice to keep a jar of this dry mix on hand to add to soups & sauces.

Spice Mix:
2 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1/3 cup dried parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dried dill weed
2 1/2 tablespoons celery seed
2 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons each basil, oregano & thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary

In a small, dry bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Store in a dry container.

Roux:
1/3 cup soybean oil
1/3 cup unbleached flour

Heat the oil in a saucepan. When hot, gently whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, until the flour develops a nutty aroma. (Be carfeful, it burns easily.) Set aside.

Base:
4 cups water or light vegetable stock
1/3 cup tamari
1/4 cup spice mix

In a medium pot, bring all the base ingredients to a high simmer. Gradually whisk in the roux and cook to desired thickness. Add a little freshly ground pepper to taste.

Lentil Loaf

½ cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp water
1 onion, dices
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 big carrot, shredded
2 cups small brown lentils (Eston are my favorite)
1 cup cooked brown rice
¼ cup vegetable broth
½ cup uncooked cream of wheat
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp sage
1 tsp parsley
2 rounded tsp of Herbes de Provence
¼ tsp rosemary
2 Tbsp Redstar yeast
1 Tbsp of Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp tamari
black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grind the sunflower seeds with food processor.
Cook onion, garlic and carrot in the 2tbsp of water for about 5 minutes.

Mix all ingredients and vegetables, mashing with your hands until everything is a bit sticking and holds together nicely.
Put in a loaf pan that has been covered in parchment paper and cook for 45 minutes to one hour.

Let rest 10 minutes and unmold on a serving platter.
Serve slices with Chicago Diner Gravy.

As you can see, I used the Christmas china :p

Apple Dumplings

• 4 small apples
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance spread
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 4 tsp jelly or raspberry jam
• 1 roll vegan Pillsbury Croissants dough

Preheat oven to 375F.
Remove peel and cores from apples. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the Earth Balance with brown sugar and spices. Set aside.

Divide the Croissants dough into 4 rectangles, pressing on the perforations to seal. Put an apple on each rectangle and fill the hollow part with jelly or jam. Spread 1/4 of the sugar/spices mix on each apple. Cover the apple completely with the corners of the dough, stretching it if necessary and sealing on top.

Place on a jelly roll pan covered with parchment paper. Cook 20 to 22 minutes or until nice and golden.

Pumpkin Custard Pie
Recipe from Food for Life, by Neal D. Barnard, M.D.; recipe by Jennifer Raymond.

1-1/2 cups soymilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup raw sugar or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth, then blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, or until firm. Cool before cutting.

So here you have it ! I sure could eat another slice of that pie !

The Dad Incident

2006-10-11T13:31:00.000-04:00

As promised, here I am with the story.

My dad has been helping us working on our house. He is the kind of man that ABSOLUTELY has to be doing something or he makes everyone around him nuts. He also will go nuts himself but that would not be so bad if we could remain sane LOL
So everytime he comes here, I have something for him to do so he his happy and that actually helps us out ;-) The weekend before last, he and Steven started working on a new balcony for the front door. Last Friday, there was still work to be done on it and so my dad decided to continue working on it alone. When he saws something with that darn table saw, I NEVER look his way. If I have to hold a piece of wood, I still look the other way, I always fear an accident and I don't want to SEE it happening. I have always been afraid of electric saws and their sound is enough to make me anxious. Anyway, that day, I wasn't outside with my dad and so he was free to "take chances", as he put it. I was inside with my mom and oldest son. Weeny and Gromit were outside but playing pretty far away from my dad, at the other end of the yard.

So here I am talking with my mom and the door opens. My dad says "I have to go to the hospital" and before we could ask what was wrong, I notice that he is holding his hand, that blood his dripping on the floor and he says "I cut myself with the table saw". So I get up, fly to the bathroom, take a couple of thick towels and give them to him at the sink, being careful not to look. The way he said it, I thought that we might have to go look for bits of fingers in the wood shavings outside. But he said that only the tips were cut. So right there I knew that I was the one who would drive him to the hospital because my mom hasn't driven in more than 10 years and by the look of her, she was not going to choose that day to start driving again ! I was not in much better shape, my heart was beating so fast and I was shaking all over. But I managed to almost throw myself down the stairs to go get my purse and change my pants (I have never ever got dressed so fast in my life !) and when I came back upstairs a minute later, my dad was already sitting in the car, supported by my mom. Who was supporting her, I will never know ! She was ghostly white. My father was suffering, moaning and saying that it hurt (that alone is frightening) but I was more scared for my mom. She was holding her chest and breathing with difficulty, as if she had just run a marathon. We had to run back to the house because we didn't have his health card and after that we were on our way. I never drove so fast in my life.
When we got to the hospital, I called my mom to check on her and told her to take four drops of Rescue Remedy every 5 minutes until she felt better. And when I called back 15 to 20 minutes later, she was a whole lot better, breathing normally and more calm.

That is when I saw my dad's fingers... OMG ! Three of them are cut but one only on the tip. But his right index and middle fingers are cut on a 45-degree angle right in the middle of the nail and I'd say that they were cut 2/3 of the way through. They took x-rays to see if the bones were cut too and it turned out that the tip of the bone of the middle finger is 45 degrees also. So they cleaned that, tried to find the pieces of bones, made stitches and sent him back for an X-ray.

So we stayed at the hospital almost three hours. Steven left work immediately when Flopsy called him and he came directly to the hospital. When I saw him walk towards me, I saw how pale he was and I was sooooo happy to have him there with me and I'm sure he felt the same.

As it turns out, our youngest, although he was far away from my dad, he saw him cut himself because he saw my dad jump, almost fall backwards and grab his hand. By the time he had made his 9yo brother understand that Papi had hurt himself, my dad had turned off the saw, unplugged it and was in the house.
I had no time to talk with him before I left for the hospital... I feel bad and I have talked with Gromit so that he can let out whatever he felt. I was expecting a least one of them to have nightmares but they didn't. I am very happy they didn't see my dad's fingers.

Now we know what happened : my dad "took a chance"... it's his way of saying that what he did was really stupid.

Here is a picture of the piece of wood he was cutting at the time, found at the “scene of the crime” afterwards.

He was trying to remove a ¼ inch piece of wood from that 1 ½ inches block of wood WITH A TABLE SAW ! Holding the block with his fingers !
The piece of wood jammed, it flew away and his hand went forward, right on the blade.

So what is the moral of this story ? The moral is that a 63 yo man with a lot of experience cutting wood can still be like a 63yo man with no experience whatsoever.
Will my dad go crazy doing nothing for quite a long while ? Will my mom ? Will I ?
I’ll let you know ;-)

This story will go in the vault of “Stupid Things Men Do” along with the “
Screwdriver Through the Nail” incident, the “Cut the Hand Open and Sow It Back Together With a Needle and a Thread” incident, the “Ax in the Knee” incident, the “Two Scratched Corneas Because of Tree Branches” incident and multiple “Cuts and Splints Everywhere Possible” incidents…

…what is bad is I’m sure that I’m forgetting some…

2006-10-10T19:48:00.000-04:00

I had a CRAZY weekend ! It all started when my father cut three of his fingers with his table saw. (Yes !!)
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when I blog about our Thanksgiving Weekend. But for now, I'm testing uploading my photographs with Flickr.

What a cliffhanger, eh ? ;-)

See ya soon !

Autumn, Angry Cat and Applesauce Cake

2006-10-06T12:40:00.000-04:00

Autumn is here to stay and we managed to have a couple of days of sunshine in the last week. I thought I was bizarre for loving autumn so much but I can see that a lot of you love autumn too. Maybe it's a vegan thing :p

I have not cooked much in the last week, having been immersed in Lost Season 2, but I did manage to experiment more with fat free baking, replacing vegetable oil with either puréed prunes or applesauce. Muffins are not my favorite thing in the world. They go too quickly and are generally too much like cake... The only muffins I went nuts for were those huge Lemon Poppy Seed muffins at Costco or Superstore. Of course, I haven't had those in years and I hope I will find a recipe that comes close. They have to be huge to be good I think. But generally, I like more compact muffins and you don't get that a lot if you don't mess up the recipe somehow. So with that in mind, I tried to replicate muffins I bought at a health food store last weekend. They were not fat free but were sugar free. So I wished to make them free of both fat and sugar (for me to eat some) because they were the best muffins I have tasted in a long time, really heavy and dense. You really feel that you are eating something, not just air.

I had kept the wrapper but left it in the car so I ended up winging it. I think I did good. They were not exactly the same but really close and we didn't miss the vegetable oil at all. I'm really liking baking without oil so far. Haven't tried cookies yet but I will. I don't have a picture of my muffins but I only used dates, prunes, bananas, whole-wheat flour, vanilla and baking soda. When dh brought the wrapper in the next day, I discovered that I had forgotten the baking powder. I had thought of adding some but decided against it at the last minute. Next time, I'll add some and see how it turns out.

Made a couple of salads this week that were quite similar. The first one had Thompson raisins and the other one didn't. :p
Raisins make it better.... and I couldn't stand raisins when I was younger...how about that ? I still don't like mushy raisins much but I will make a big girl of myself and eat them. That is why I won't cook with Sultanas... I prefer Thompsons and currants.

This is the stir-fry that I made...

I cheated a bit and used some oil to fry the tofu... maybe 2 teaspoons. I think that you need oil for frying tofu in the pan... it is just not the same without it... or I haven't found THE way to fry tofu without oil. I have been using a lot of tarragon this week and in this, it was quite good. I served that with whole-wheat & flax spaghettini.

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Because we were celebrating 15 years of love, the boys decided that we should get dressed nicely and they set the table extra nice, with candles and quilled hearts. They decided that Pumpkin should join in the fun and they made him wear a bow tie. Now, Pumpkin is not very tolerant of anything, and of things around his neck even less. We can't put a collar on him because he will find a way to take it off, even if it means that he ends up almost choking on it. So he doesn't have one. He tolerated the bow tie long enough for us to take a picture where you don't see him fighting with it... and then, the camera battery died. So we don't have a picture of us at the beautifully decorated table because the boys just had to have a picture of an annoyed handsome Pumpkin with no sense of fun LOL

I had made Susan's Applesauce Cake for the occasion and managed to save a piece so I could photograph it later.

It really was quite delicious and I will definitely make it again. I think that a nice Rum Sauce or Brandy Sauce would be exquisite with this...
So there you have it, quite short and sweet. I wish you a wonderful weekend !

Veggie Star : Cécil Gagnon

2006-10-03T14:22:00.000-04:00

When I first thought of who was a Veggie Star according to me, Cécil Gagnon was definitely on my must-contact list.
I could describe her has the President of Aequo Animo, an extraordinary person, always giving her time to educate and inform people on vegetarianism and the cruelty that animals endure, rescuing animals, offering support and understanding to new vegetarians, writing very touching and informative texts, and enlightening people she meets during Aequo Animo activities. But I could also offer something more personnal : I love Cécil Gagnon !
She is a person who, because she gives so much of herself with joie-de-vivre, gives me the desire to become a better person. She gives me the example that it is always possible to make better choices.... with a smile :)

Cécil was vegetarian for 11 years and when she realized that eggs and milk products also came from cruelty towards animals, she became a vegan which she has been for the last 7 years. I love how she says that it is "unthinkable for a thoughtful being" and "immoral for a moral being" to take the life of another being when there are so many better alternatives to this cruelty. That doing this is abuse of power and that there is no nobility in living at the expense of others' lives. She says that her mission is to inform people about vegetarianism.... she is doing a great job !

She concluded with Martin Luther King's words : "Cowardice asks the question 'Is it safe?', expediency asks the question 'Is it politic?', vanity asks the question 'Is it popular?'. But conscience asks the question 'Is it right?' and there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."

I consider Cécil Gagnon my friend. She really is a Veggie Star, and a great one at that !

Photograph : Cécil with two of her rescued friends, Fred and Sophie
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Screaming Neighbors Pineapple Ice Cream

2006-09-28T13:08:00.000-04:00

As you might have noticed, I don't blog everyday. Because I have (as in "choose") to translate in French, it is a lot of time on the computer and so I appreciate having a break every couple of days. But of course, it also means that I have a lot more pictures to show when I do blog. So prepare to be blinded by color, once again LOL

A little update, weight wise. I was back to 164 the day after my period started. But the next day, I was 165 again. I ate bread. Not a lot of bread mind you but I ate it before bed. I shared a tomato sandwich with my hubby.
So I have decided to not weigh myself everyday anymore, it is only going to discourage me. I'm happy to say that I have lost an inch from my thighs, though. That's good. Who says "Scales are for fish ?" Is it Dr. McDougall ? I think so. So the scale will stay where it is and I will let it surprise me later on. Like Meesh said, my clothes will tell me how I am doing.

So, now for the food. Two days ago, Candi and I were both inspired by Don’t Get Mad, Get Vegan !’s Super Fresh Chick Pea Salad. So we made it the same day ! How funny is that !
It was really good ! If I’d make it more “me” I would add a bit of dill. I didn’t use the oil and put a little more lemon, though. I really liked the crunchiness and the freshness. And it looks so pretty.

For supper that night, we had Dreena’s Lemon Herb Tofu again. Yes, I know, again.
I made Green Beans with Garlic and Basil and also a stir fry of different vegetables that were lying around with nothing better to do.

So the next day, I receive an email. My mom asks me “Is it ok if I send you this comment on your blog ? : Your food looks so good that I’m inviting myself over for dinner. See you soon !”
Isn’t she the sweetest ? That’s my mom being spontaneous. But she is so respectful that she asks permission to be spontaneous. LOL

So my mom was coming to dinner and I had been telling her for a week to try this really neat recipe that I had made. What better way to explain than to make it for her !
So we made Dreena’s Lemon Herb Tofu ! I think I haven’t told you about it yet. It’s very very good. Quick, simple and Greek-like. Because my mom had bought us a huge bag of Costco Ciabatta Bread, I thought that they could make themselves sandwiches with the tofu, fresh veggies and Vegenaise. I would have the tofu with my cooked veggies and I would make enough for everybody. We all like eating simple sandwiches when we know that we will be busy working around the house or renovating. Preparing a big meal after a hard afternoon is just too tiring.

I think that plate is so beautiful ! Being vegan is wonderful ! The beautiful colors of fruits and vegetables ... nothing else compares to that.

And because we had visitors, I decided to try out an idea inspired by Crystal. She made these beautiful Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes and that gave me the idea to make cupcakes with Steven’s Banana Loaf recipe.

I made it completely no-fat, using puréed prunes and only used a quarter of the sugar the recipe calls for. I frosted them with my Choco-Peanut Frosting (used only dates as sweetener) and decorated them. The boys went nuts and I had one too although mine had less frosting. I think that next time, I will try using applesauce instead of puréed prunes as an oil replacement.

And finally, this morning I made Breakfast Ice-Cream again. I will give you the recipe but you have to promise, if you make it, to follow the recipe exactly.

This time, it’s really important. It will taste horrible if you change just one thing. If you can’t commit, skip it altogether. Trust me !

So here it is :

Pina Cabana Ice Cream

The night before, freeze one banana and one cup fresh pineapple, in chunks.
The next morning, you are ready to begin.

Put the chunks of banana in the bowl of the food processor and with the S blade, process until very creamy and smooth. Add ½ tsp of vanilla while it is running.
Then, and this is the important part, reach into this part of you that is totally crazy and corny. You NEED to add the chunks of pineapple while singing Copa Cabana BUT changing the words to Pina Cabana. You can say Colada instead of Cabana if you wish but change nothing else ! It could explode right there ! And you have to sing OVER the sound of the food processor. Pretend you are at a Barry Manilow show and people are thrashing everywhere… that will help. When you have sung a whole verse and the chorus twice, your dog is howling, your cat is scared to death (figure of speech), the neighbors have called the police and the mixture is smooth, add ½ tsp coconut extract.
I hope you can follow these instructions to the letter because it’s really good.

Decorate with a little coconut (toasted would be pretty) and eat immediately. Think to take a picture after you have already eaten half the bowl.

With that, I’m Chiquita Banana and I’m here to say, that I wish I was organic and have a nice day !

Dijon-Dill Dressing and the Two Pound Fat Free Pancake

2006-09-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

I’m still here !!!!! It feels like I haven’t been around for a while but I never left. I have had a crazy week, that is all I have to say. I’ve been really busy trying to be three places at once. I’m sure you can relate. Oh, and I received a proposal of marriage and I accepted ! I don’t know what my husband is going to say though LOL
My new fiancée, somebody named "Le Bonbon", has left me a comment in French on the French blog with the help of “The Translator”. So you are all invited to our wedding which will take place on a High Speed Motor Boat. Bring your hairspray !
Seriously, she didn’t say anything close to that and it was actually not bad a translation. Darn ! I really like it when it makes no sense whatsoever. LOL
But I also like to have this nice surprise of reading a comment that I didn't expect.
And Le Bonbon always makes me smile... Thank you {{{{{Bonbon}}}}} :D

So, here I am. Thank you so much for commenting on my novel ! I appreciate it so much ! And I love that some of you did ETL. You are really encouraging me to continue. It’s not too hard but I miss my cookies ! LOL

I tried Susan's Vegan Eggplant "Parmesan" and it was amazing. Didn't take a picture of it though because my knife wasn't sharp enough and it made quite a mess of the whole thing. It was less pretty than hers, take my word for it. ;-)

Over the last days, I have continued losing a pound every two days so yesterday morning, I weighed 164 pounds ! Then, I kind of cheated… well not really. I had a pancake for breakfast, with my usual bowl of Breakfast Ice Cream (I can see this getting old anytime now). It actually was a McDougall “Best Pancakes Ever” (their actual name) so it was not really cheating. I did put a teaspoon of maple syrup on it though. But that could not be enough to make me gain two pounds, right ? Well, this morning, imagine my surprise when I weighed 166 again. Noooooooooooooooo !

I just can’t believe that 4 inch diameter pancake would do that. If I’m mistaken, then that is bad ! But it can’t be. Could it be that those two pounds are the result of my usual bloating just before my period ? I am always 3 to 5 pounds heavier a few days before my period starts and then go down by the same number of pounds anytime during the first three days. So I will keep a close watch on that and I hope I’m right because if not, it discourages me a little (read “a lot”).

UPDATE : this *might* be more than you wish to know about me but if not, if you too are puzzled and bewildered by The 2 Pound Mystery, guess who started her period two hours after posting this message ? And 5 days early too !
Case closed.

McDougall “BestPancakes Ever” (doubled) to which I added 2 shredded apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. The one I had was good …………………….but wasn’t 2 pounds !!!!

This is my salad from Friday. Romaine with a lot of fresh vegetables, alfalfa and chick peas. I made a little dressing with orange juice, tahini and a splash of Braggs. I think it looks fantastic. It looks and tastes like you did something good for you body and your mind. LOL

I tried Dreena’s Lemon Herb Tofu and just love it ! I left out the oil except for one tsp and cooked at a higher temperature to firm up the tofu (I think my oven is 25degrees too low). So so good… it might be my favourite new way to eat tofu now…

I served that with Beets with Dijon-Dill Dressing and a mixture of chard and broccoli.

Then last night, we had Tempeh. It was only the second time we tried it. Both Gromit and Weeny didn’t like it much. I think that I would really like it if I found the right way to make it. That way, it was just ok for me.

Here you have my plate…

And the rest of the family’s plate (yes, they share just one plate !
No wonder they are so thin, you say…)

What I mean to say is that their plates are like that one (this is actually hubby’s plate, I believe).

It’s now time for me to go visit your blogs. Did you make cookies ? Then I will live through you ! Thank you in advance !

Dijon-Dill Dressing
From New Country Nutrition

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1tsp sugar or other sweetener (I used agave)
• 1tbsp fresh dill (or 1tsp dried dill)

Combine and poor over the beets.
Toss to mix.
Serve hot or cold.

Lovin’ Eatin’ to Live !

2006-09-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

I thought that I would explain why I was interested in reading Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman and why so far, I am loving it sooooo much ! But beware : this might be long. You will know more about me though…

First of all, I should say that I have a passion for food. There is little food that I don’t like and won’t eat. There are things I would never eat when I wasn’t vegan but honestly, it wasn’t because the taste disgusted me. The idea did. I would always taste something before making an opinion, though. With that love for food also comes the habit of using food for comfort and/or as a stress reliever. I could get away with it until I hit 18. Then, it got out of control.

At 16, I was 5’8 and 135 pounds.
At 18, I was 140.
Then my two grandfathers died, the second one nine months after the other. That period of my life was, because of what it did to my spirit, the worse period of my life : comfort and stress relief became really important. I always ate a lot (although my mom says that when I was very little, she used to cry because she thought that I didn’t eat enough and she feared that I would die…. She must really laugh at herself now !) and sometimes would eat as much as my dad, which is saying a lot. My father is kind of insane that way so I was insane and still can be if I feel the need to “fill a void” in me somewhere. The difference is that my dad was very physically active and I am not. I always have an excuse to not exercise and basically hate exercising. I took ballet (jazz) for 8 years and loved it though but that is basically it. Oh no, I also used to love biking but haven’t biked in 18 years. I know, it’s bad, it’s sad… also a tad mad. ;-)

So by the time I was 19, I was 150pounds. At 21, 160 pounds. I had a low period that year but also “found myself” because of it. I decided who I was going to be, who I didn’t want to be, how I wanted to believe in the “Wisdom of the Universe”, and that I was really going to try and make it on my own, without a guy to occupy my mind and my space. I also went back to 150 in the process, on tomato soup, raw carrots and popcorn (you see how I didn’t invent that menu out of thin air ?) Then I miraculously met my sweet husband, all my single plans were out the window and because we mostly ate out, I gained back the 10 pounds.

From there, I had 3 children and loosing the pregnancy weight after each ones was a very long and tedious process. But funnily enough, I would always loose 15 pounds just before I became pregnant with our sons, by having vegetarian periods. But I gained something like 60 pounds and maybe more while pregnant and when I was pregnant with “Gromit”, I weighed 240some pounds. Even though I had started to be interested in vegetarianism between the birth of Flopsy and Weeny, I was too insecure to have vegetarian pregnancies ( I know better now !). So after our family was complete, I started to inform myself better and changed my diet more and more.
In 2001, I was 200 pounds and struggling to keep my weight down as I was obsessed with cheese. I had lost a bunch of weight by becoming vegetarian for more than 6 months at a time but would have months, around Christmas mostly, where I wasn’t vegetarian for social reasons (I feel stupid about that now because I wasn’t being myself to “ease the tension” or to please others outside my immediate family).
But being a vegetarian obsessed with cheese, I was also often sick with really bad indigestion and migraines and abdominal pains. I had those problems growing up too but to a lesser degree. While being a vegetarian, I replaced meat with cheese and would eat insane amounts. So I started cutting down and read more about dairy products. Ewwwwww !! “The reading and the knowing” did it. We cut all dairy products and eggs from the diet in early 2004 and I went down to 175 pounds.

I found overcoming the cheese addiction hard at times. But the worse thing I have ever done, diet wise, and I really mean it, is not eating a snack in the evening, after supper. That is just torture. But when I succeeded for a couple of days straight, I would loose one or two pounds but often gained them back if I failed not eating that snack for too long. So my weight until the beginning of August was always between 170 and 175 pounds. It is and was so frustrating ! Over the years, I had started being more active but not enough. I became interested in Tai Chi and still am although it’s very hard for me to muster the will power to make it a regular thing. I walk more, I physically work more and I am very excited at the prospect of owning a bicycle again !

In August, I got the flu. It had been a long time since I had been sick and it did quite a number on me, probably because I was so tired and exhausted because of the renovating of the house. But I went down to 165 pounds and since then, have been having that boxing match with evening snacks and with Dreena’s cookies. So I have been hovering between 165 and 169 for the last few weeks.

Although I came a long way (I think), I still am overweight and my goal weight has always been 150 pounds because that is my “I’m so Happy, Life Is So Beautiful Weight”. So it’s a goal based on good memories and on the fact that it is not too far away.

We are now entering the Eat to Live zone. But first I have to tell you that last year, I became interested in The McDougall Program. Still like it very much and am very happy to have bought his set of DVDs because it is great education about food and the drug industry and the medical “Industry”. I recommend that you check the dvds out, by the way.
Then I read The China Study and I recommend that also, it’s a must read for everybody on earth. So now here is Eat to Live. Eat to Live is like a blend of TCS and McDP. It is, in my opinion, an easier read than TCS (but I’m not an Anglophone, that may play a part) and supports quite a bit of what the McDougall program says (if I understand correctly). The major difference between the two programs would be the suggested diet.
Dr. Fuhrman talks positively about the McDougall Program and programs by Dr. Barnard and Ornish but adds this : “they differ somewhat in their interpretation of the scientific literature and are generally not as nutritionally aggressive as my plan. The main drawback to some of these other worthwhile books is that they may not be effective enough for the individual with a serious metabolic hindrance to weight loss.” (p.113)

I have to say though that Dr. McDougall’s recommendations to people who have a lot of weight to lose quickly for medical reasons and who want to get there faster are really similar to Dr. Fuhrman’s Vegetarian Six Week Plan, again, if I understand correctly.... see The McDougall's Program for Maximum Weight Loss.
A difference between the two programs is that the Dr. Fuhrman will include fish, eggs and chicken in the Non-Vegetarian Six Week Plan and after and to my knowledge, Dr. McDougall promotes the Vegan diet, while saying that eggs and small amounts of animal parts and foods, are ok on very rare occasions. But the McDougall program also limits the amount of soy foods and mostly recommends low-fat soy products, like tofu and soymilk. And potatoes and corn are almost deified ;-)

Gosh, that post is just too long… I just thought that I have to translate all that now and feel like crying … LOL. Yes, I always write in English first… it’s really bizarre.
Have you read all that ? How boring it must be...and with only one photograph so far...
Here, I’ll post a photo of Pumpkin The Chick Pea Loving Cat taking a breath of fresh air this past week end.

Anyway, I decided that I need to lose that extra weight once and for all before I’m 40 (in 4 years) and so I started Dr. Fuhrman Six Week Plan. If you don’t need to lose weight, I still recommend you read the book, it is really educational and everybody should know what it has to say. We should all aim for lasting good health. Life is more beautiful and more joyful when we don’t have all sorts of health problems, even little ones.
I’m still aiming for 150 pounds because I’m afraid in the disappointment if I aim “too low”… but I’d be happy between 140 and 150 pounds too ;-)

Before I talk about the results so far, I have to say that I’m finding it really easy and I just LOVE it ! I am never hungry and I eat huge plates AND have my evening snack ! The snacks are supposedly off-limits but I make my own adjustments because I choose healthy snacks instead of a toast with raspberry jam, for example and not having an evening snack is torture for me. So there !

I started Day 1 (this past Saturday) at 169 pounds.
Waist at belly button (like suggested) : 37 inches.
Evening snack : Blue grapes

I had this for breakfast a couple of time in the last 5 days. One banana, 1 cup or more frozen blueberries, 1 cup or more frozen strawberries + 1tsp vanilla. Breakfast Ice Cream !

Day 2 : 168 pounds
Evening snack : Chick pea salad with Bryanna’s Low Fat Veggienaise, Horseradish and Dill

Day 3 : 167 pounds
Evening snack : didn’t feel the need for one.

That is what I have been doing so far : I make a regular meal like Cauliflower and Chick Pea Sauce. Actually, Flopsy made this. I messed it up by adding the parsley too soon so it got mushy. It's not as pretty as it is normally. And I removed the black olives from my portion which also makes it less pretty. So I take a portion of the meal everyone is having because I can forgo the grain ( I had a pita earlier for lunch) and add my cooked greens. About one pound steamed broccoli here with a bit of red wine vinegar. My boys and hubby had the same thing except served on organic brown rice, all the olives and less broccoli.

Day 4 : 167 pounds (notice how I didn’t have my snack and didn’t loose a pound ?)
… thought of measuring my waist again at this point, in the evening : 36 inches ! What ?????
Evening snack : a very juicy and messy nectarine.

My lunch : Salad with Tofu Feta. That salad was so good that I made another one for lunch today.

Day 5, this morning : 166 pounds – Waist : 34 inches !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Re-measured 3 times because just didn’t believe it.

My breakfast this morning. The pineapple was heaven.

The funny thing is, I am not really a huge fan of fruit. I mean I like fruit but love them under perfect conditions only : perfect sweetness and shape and perfectly ripe. Because perfection is hard to attain, I never ate much of it. I will eat apples and grapes and canned pineapple, etc, but under normal circumstances, I don’t even eat one fruit a day. A fruit salad is NOT my idea of dessert. But for the last 5 days, I am really loving the fruits. I eat more that the 4 fruit minimum that Eat to Live calls for.

Candi was under the impression that potatoes where not permitted on ETL. They are but because the Six Week Plan goal is to make you lose your excess weight rapidly, they are limited to 1 cup a day until you get to your ideal weight as are other cooked starchy vegetables like corn and cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squash and also breads and cereals. Unlimited foods are all raw vegetables including raw carrots, cooked green vegetables including these non-greens : eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions and tomatoes. Also unlimited, and am loving this, beans, legumes, bean sprouts and TOFU !!! And of course fruit.

Limited foods are the cooked starchy vegetables mentioned above and whole grains, raw nuts and seeds (1oz. max/day), avocado (2oz. max/per day) and ground flaxseed (1T/day).

Off-limits : non vegan animal food including dairy, between meal snacks (I disobey and eat fruits), and fruit juice (eat fruit instead !!) and dried fruit.

So there you have it so far. If you have survived reading this, and I hope so because I like you very much and want you around, then I like you even more. You are very tough and courageous !

I probably never will write such a long post again, though… if Blogger crashes, you can all point your fingers this way ;-)

Good health to you all !

Veggie Star : Dominique from Aequo Animo

2006-09-18T22:34:00.000-04:00

I am very pleased to introduce the next Vég-Étoile because she is an extraordinary person. Dominique is co-founder of Aequo Animo a Quebec non-profit organization that promotes vegetarianism, the protection of animals and the environment.

When I think about her, I think of how generous she is with her time and energy, working to keep people informed about cruelty to animals. I don't know how she can be so well informed of the latest news but she just amazes me. When I think of the time that I have to give, Dominique really is a source of inspiration and because of her, I can always manage to find that extra 5 minute to give.

A little about her : She is vegan (she says 99% vegan) and she has been concerned with animals and their well-being from a very early age. She would take care of animals she would find who needed help and thoughout the years, she helped a lot of them and gave the ones she could save a safe place to live until their old age.

It was when she worked on a webpage dedicated to the memory of her son in 1993, and on another one offering free greeting cards, that she decided to use her time to create a webpage exposing Canada's barbaric seal hunt. From there, she found out more about the cruel treatments given to animal, including those she ate. She then vowed to never be part of their exploitation and she says she felt totally liberated by that decision.

Dominique is a ray of sunshine and extraordinary woman. I thank her for inspiring me each day and for her incredible generosity !

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Be safe and throw the spinach away !

2006-09-16T21:42:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to tell you that if you haven't heard yet, you should read
the following and throw your spinach away.
E-coli is serious businness.

CNN : http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/15/tainted.spinach.ap/index.html
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen : http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

A Peak at my Week and a Slice of my Pie

2006-09-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

It's time to leave Maine if we want to go back to Maine at some point, right ?

So I thought I would let you know how my week went, other than the slight depression that quickly left me and of course, I have several things to say all at the same time.

First, or maybe second but there is no particular order I should follow, a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed to be concerned with the book selection of the library my parents belong to. They have a few English books but not enough. How dare they ! How is anybody going to know learn anything interesting about veganism if we wait for every interesting English book to be translated ? I sure don't know. But one thing I do know is that there are a lot of books out there and I just can't afford to buy them all. The public library should take a bit of this burden off of my shoulders. So once in a while I use my father's card and ask them to order a book for me. Sometimes, I have actually already read the book but hey, they don't have it and they should be ashamed ! So I suggest a title, they order it, they lend it to me first (I deserve the privilege!) and if I have read it, it gets lost in the house for three weeks and I return it. If I haven't read it, I do that. So this is how this book came to be in my hands :

Because I have about 25 pounds of blueberry butt to loose, I'm finding it really interesting. I know that Crystal has done an amazing job at calculating how much following Eat to Live costs, but maybe I could pull it off if we live without electricity for a month. After all, if I only consider the weight loss perspective, only I need to be following Eat to Live.
There is no point in asking my sweet hubby or our three wondeful boys to lose weight. They would just break in two at the slightest wind. They are really annoying me with their thinness.

I just might give it a try (or commit to it, if I want it to work). I just baked some Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars so it will have to wait until tomorrow, though. :p

Next book to make them order : The Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Wont Eat Meat. Haven't read it either and can't wait to.

In other news, I don't know if you remember Marjolaine Jolicoeur, our first Vég-Étoile, but she asked me to write a text explaining how we became veg. I have been waiting to feel particularly inspired but it was not going to come easily. Finally, I did write the text today and it should be published in the next AHIMSA newsletter, if she likes it. I feel quite the little star myself now ;-)

And lastly, I should post a photograph of something we ate. I have many faults but one thing I do like about myself is that I really know who I am and what to expect of myself. I just knew that at some point, I would not feel like cooking because I really don't feel like cooking most of the time. I cook in phases it seems and if I were not a mom, if I lived by myself, I would often just eat huge bowls of popcorn, tomato soup and raw vegetables. This is how I am. I mostly cook because it's my job and sometimes I like my job and sometimes, I think that cooking just stinks (although what I make always smells pretty darn good... you know what I mean, don't look at me like that !)

So, I kept my secret stash of stuff I cooked in the last little while and just didn't tell you about it. Yes, I'm sneeky like that. But now, I can just show you the pictures and go "Look what I made !" and if I hadn't told you that I made such and such a meal three weeks ago, you would just think that I'm the best mom in the world for making so much food in a week. But that is just not me. I tell the truth and therefore, I can tell you that I haven't made anything this week, except for all the meals everyday of the week.

So here are two things. First, the Blueberry Pie I made last year... I mean last month.

It is really beautiful but don't be fooled. It was nice until I cut it and then it just fell apart. All my pies do that if they are baked in a pie plate. I just don't understand why. It was good all the same and more so if you closed your eyes while eating it (so as to not see the huge mess in the plate).

And second, the Lemony Red Lentil Potage that we slurped for supper tonight.

I really like that soup because it's easy, spicy and lemony and unlike any other soup that I make. But I'm sure it pretty much resembles any other Red Lentil Soup I see on everybody's blog.

I will now return to my book and decide if I can live without pasta for a while... I think I can. I had started cutting back on pasta a little while ago and don't eat it as much, maybe once a week, maybe twice if I'm lazy and it's almost always whole grain. So I should not suffer too much.
If I'm mistaken, don't tell me ;-)

Back from the "States" (booohoooooo !)

2006-09-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

We are back from one of our most beautiful weekends ever. It went by so quickly, though. I’m ok today but yesterday, I was quite depressed. It always does that to me, when we go to a wonderful place and have to come back. Coming home before we want to is harder than coming home when you miss home and can’t wait to get there. Steven was quite bummed out too when we drove back home. We took a couple of photographs and you can just see it on his face.

The drive there went very well although it was unbelievably foggy from Beauce to Old Orchard. We left our place at 3h30 am and got to Quebec City around 4h15am, where my parents were waiting for us. So we all left together and crossed borders a couple of hours later.

Maine is really beautiful… I could live there. We were quite shocked and saddened to see a dead moose on the side of the road, though. It had been hit by a truck. The sadness stayed with me for several hours, I kept seeing the body in my head. How many animals die on our roads every year and is there something that is going to be done about it, soon ?

We arrived at the Old Colonial Motel at around 10h30. Luckily, my parents’ room was ready so we unloaded the cars and went onto the beach immediately.

Even though it was foggy, it was still beautiful.
Very poetic.

The boys were so happy. They were not jumping everywhere with excitement but you could feel them charged with awe and emotion.

There is nothing like the ocean…
Nothing like a stroll in the beach with your loved ones.

Something in me changed, I felt it. I have always said that I prefer the mountains and forests but I could not say now which one I like more between the Rockies and the ocean. I think I need both at the same time LOL.

We had planned on going to see Ogunquit and Kennebunk Port and Boston even but we found that time went by too quickly and the weather was so nice that we just didn’t feel like driving anywhere more than a couple minutes away. So we stayed on the beach and walked and only got into the car to make a quick trip to Wild Oats in Portland. Again, we were the French Canadians dancing in the alleys LOL

I cannot believe how lucky you are, although you probably don’t know it :)

It is the best Natural Food Store that we have ever seen, and I read that Whole Foods is even better ! My gosh, it’s almost unbelievable !
We tried not to go nuts and it cost us less than 50$. But the restraint we had to muster !

Of course, we bought two containers of Earth Balance and Better than Cream Cheese, and Vegan GummyBears, and Vegan Boca Burgers and Tofurkey anything and Soy Delicious ! Do you know how much a small container of Soy Delicious costs here ? Between 5$ and 6$ and we don’t have all the flavours ! We paid under 3$ for one small container at WO ! And the bulk section ! And all those Vegan cookies ! Mon dieu !

Anyway, we tried a lot of foods we don’t have here like those Tofurkey Bratwurst and the Boca Burgers. We don’t eat a lot of “fake meat” stuff usually but we just had to let ourselves go wild. I like the Tofurkey slices, they are better than Yves Veggie slices, in my opinion and the Boca Burger I thought was really tasty, the best I have had, flavour wise, although I found them a bit too soft. Maybe if we had heated them in the oven instead of a frying pan. But there you go, we didn’t eat only sandwiches for three days because my parents had a cute little kitchenette in their room so we used it. LOL

Saturday was spent swimming and playing and walking and it went by much to quickly as I said before so when Sunday morning got there, I was almost in tears. I really felt like crying but tried to hold the tears back because I’m afraid that everybody else would have followed suit.

I remember too well the times we went to Banff and when it was time to go back home to Edmonton, we would cry a bit. But when we would pull into our driveway, Weeny, then 3 or 4, would start crying and crying and crying because he wanted to go back to the Red Carpet Inn. Your children’s tears are even more heartbreaking than your own.

So there you have it, and below are a couple more pictures. I could go on telling you everything that we saw, everything that disappointed us (like the people fishing on the beach and gutting the fish right there, throwing pieces of dead fish everywhere around them) and every feeling of happiness I felt watching our boys play and run and be marvelled but I’m sure that you already understand.

I hope you too had a beautiful weekend and made wonderful memories !

Going to the "States" !

2006-09-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

I had quite the day ! We decided that we ARE going to Maine after all, come rain come shine. We want the boys to play in the waves, we want to walk on the beach, we want to enjoy being together, far from home, on a real vacation, even though it will be really short : only three days. But it will be fun !
I remember going to Old Orchard twice when I was young. Those are two of my best childhood memories. It’s not like home at all. It’s a different country all together, yes ! LOL
Different money, different language, different sunshine and looooooong beaches. Never mind that Old Orchard is always full of Quebeckers ! It won’t be like home. We like home but a change in scenery is always nice.

So I cooked and baked all day, trying to figure out what to bring with us, food wise. We don’t have a lot of money to spend (what else is new !) so bringing a cooler full of vegan stuff is always nice and practical. We WILL eat sandwiches for three days but hey, we’ll survive ! The point is to have a good time, to have fun and relax.

Délice Feuilleté aux Nectarines

So I had to do something with those nectarines I had bought and I kind of copied on Candi. I made a tart much like hers, but without the blackberries or the blueberries I was planning to use because I only had frozen ones and I didn’t want the whole thing to turn out blue. It was really good ! Really really good. Not too sweet, almost not sweet enough but that was the beauty of it. You could taste the nectarines, which is the point really. I added a little maple syrup on the plate when serving and it was perfect. Of course, we ate it all so I had to work on something else.

So I also cooked some barley and some Eston lentils to whip up a nice crunchy salad with them and some vegetables. I made hummus and Végé-Pâté which is kind of like a Foie Gras spread without the sheer horror and without the Foie (Liver) and the Gras (Fat, Grease). Actually, it’s more of a Pâté Campagnard which would be a “Country Pâté” in English??? Anyhoo, it’s a must because it’s good, it’s easy, you always have the ingredients on hand and it smells so darn good when it’s in the oven. I swear everybody comments on the terrific smell and people would come “a knocking on our door” if I didn’t keep them away with a pitch fork. “Stay Away ! It’s our Végé-Pâté !” Wow, that is a tv ad !

Pa : “Hey Ma ! There’ some strangers coming up the road ! It must be cause o’your Pâté !
Ma : Well come’on Pa ! Get the Pitch Fork… and the dawg ! The mean dawg !

Ma and Pa, outside in their jammies : “Y’all STAY AWAY ! It’s our Country Pâté !” wouf wouf grrrrrr ggrrrrrrr wouf !

Pronunciation guide : “Vay-ge’ay (like Jay but without the “d” sound) Paw-tay” … "Vay-ge'ay Paw-tay" ...that looks weird…

Do I have time to give you the recipe ? mmmmmmm, ok.

“Pa ! PA ! PAAAAA ! Get off your rocker and go get me my recipe box !
“You do it, ol’ mad woman !
“Oh shut up, you senile monkey !”

Gaia’s Vay-g-ay Paw-Tay (Végé-Pâté)

• 1 cup sunflower seeds, “grounded” (for a week !)
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 raw potato (how ever you pronounce it), grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup tamari
• 1 rounded tablespoon basil
• 1 rounded teaspoon thyme
• garlic
• fresh pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or in the food processor.
Transfer to a 9 X 9 non-stick pan and bake one hour at 375F.

Delicious on crunchy bread with mustard (Dijon or regular), fresh tomatoes and lettuce.
Or however you want. You’re the boss.

Back on Monday ! Have a yourself a perfect weekend !

Another Veggie Star !

2006-09-05T13:37:00.000-04:00

If you go to our French Blog today, you will notice that we are presenting another of Quebec's Veggie Stars.

Patricia Tulasne is an actress here in Quebec and a beautiful woman, inside and out. She also co-authored a book called Végétariens… mais pas Légumes !
The title means that "Vegetarians are not Vegetables." It works better in French ;-)

It is a very informative book and it offers 60 mostly vegan recipes. We got a free copy back in 2003, when we went to the "Eating Healthy Fair", here in Quebec City. Patricia was at her booth, presenting her book, and she was so happy to meet two 12 y.o boys (Flopsy and his best friend) who at such a young age, had made their parents see that we all needed to be vegetarians. The same Flopsy who along with his brothers, made Steven and me see that we had to be vegans, if we wanted to be completely kind to animals. Anyway, we soon discovered after that Fair that sharing a book between two families is not so practical and we bought another one for us and my parents bought one too.

Now, to come back to Patricia - because it's supposed to be about her - she as been a vegetarian for 20 years now and vegan for the last 4 years. She understood at an early age that she could not eat her animal friends.
She is never afraid to speak her mind about vegetarianism, whether on tv, on the radio or in her book and that is one reason we applaud her !

We are so happy she agreed to complete our little questionnaire :)

Gaia's Choco-Peanut Vegan Ice Cream

2006-09-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

We had been planning to make Vice Cream for a few days and so the bowl of the ice cream maker was stored in the freezer. But when we got the book out, I didn't feel like making any of the recipes in it or I didn't have all the ingredients or didn't want to use all of some ingredients, or some other excuse. I wanted to use less maple syrup, and wanted something really different than what we had tried so far. So I let myself go into a transe and channelled the spirit of aVery Creative Vegan of the Great Beyond, or as I call Her, VCV OTGB.

Candi is a psychic too! Both her guesses were right ! Peanut butter AND Cashews. It is rich, it is good, it is fattening. Don't eat to much now ! ;-)

Gaia's Choco-Peanut Vegan Ice Cream

• 1 ¼ cups of cashews
• 1/2 cup (well packed) dried dates
• ⅓ to ½ cup water used to soak the dates
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ⅓ cup cocoa
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ to ¼ tsp almond extract
• 1 cup purified spring water

Place the dried dates in a medium bowl, add ½ cup of hot water and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Put the cashews in the food processor and reduce to a fine meal. A spice grinder could also be used to grind the cashews more finely. If you prefer the latter method, grind small amounts of the cashews at a time then transfer the meal to the food processor. Next, drain and add the dates (saving the water) and let the blade run at high speed to reduce the mixture to a purée. Then, add about 1/3 cup of the water used to soak the dates continuing to mix at high speed until you get a smooth creamy consistency. Add the maple syrup, peanut butter, the almond and vanilla extracts and a little more of the water used to soak the dated (if necessary). Next, add the cocoa and verify the consistency. When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the 1 cup of spring water and let the processor continue mixing for another minute.

Pour the mixture into an airtight container and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour, or overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready, transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Return the Ice “Cream” to the freezer for a harder consistency or eat it right away if you like a softer ice cream.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can still make yourself Vegan Ice Cream, although it’s more work and it might turn out less creamy. Just freeze the mixture until almost solid and then return it to the food processor and mix it up, again, with the blade attachment. Repeat this process several times until you are satisfied with the texture.
The secret is in the mixing that is why an ice cream machine yields good results. It freezes the “cream” while mixing it constantly.

You can cut down on the amount of maple syrup used, for a “darker chocolate flavour”.

And guess what, you can also make Choco-Peanut Icing with this recipe (or a spread for your morning toast) !
Simply omit the 1 cup of water and use a little less than ¼ cup of the water used to soak the dates, or more depending on the desired consistency.

More Concerning Blogger Beta AND something COOL !

2006-09-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

Yet another Update :

It should be noted that not everyone can switch, as of yet, to Blogger Beta. You need to have received an invitation to switch and when that time comes, you will see it advertised on your Dashboard.

In the meantime, you can still post comments on blogs.

If you have already switched to Blogger Beta and wish to leave a comment on a blog that isn't switched, simply select Anonymous and write your comment. Sign with your name and leave your blog address. (Thanks to Crystal who showed me this was possible !)
If you have not switched, you can use your Gmail account to leave comments or select Anonymous, as stated above.

This is what I understand as of now.
Thank you ! Happy blogging !

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Coming up next (I always wanted to say that) :

An extraordinary thing just happened at our house !
I created the BEST VEGAN ICE CREAM I have ever tasted.
And everyone here agrees !

AND I'm going to give you the Recipe !!!!!!!

Stay tuned ! ;-)

Can't post comments anymore...

2006-09-03T09:47:00.000-04:00

Friday night, I wished to congratulate Dori on her tART but simply could not post my comment.
Last night, I tried 3 times to post a comment on Urban Vegan's Blog and it would not let me.
This morning, I was inspired by Candi's Tart and could not post a comment either.
And guess, what, same thing happened at Kleo's.

I think Blogger Beta is blocking non-beta bloggers. How sad is that ? Noticed how fewer comments you have on your blog since you switched ?
Now I have to go and find a solution to this !
Nobody is going to prevent me from talking to my blogger friends ! ;-)

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UPDATE : it gets better ! If you are now using Blogger Beta, you probably can't post comments in our blog either !

And I can't switch to BB because I haven't been invited !
It feels like elementary school all over again : I'm the kid in the corner that wasn't invited to the Birthday Party because of her red head. It was just as painful as being kicked and pushed because of your hair colour.
Yeh, I have issues... ;-)

Want to talk to me ? Write me at essentiel.hs@3web.net

Seitan Nuggets & Sesame Seitan Teriyaki

2006-09-01T20:59:00.000-04:00

The World of Blogging is Awesome !

What would you get if Crystal's Seitan got married to Made in Alaska's Nugget's Coating ?
You would get these mind blowing Vegan Nuggets ! Don't they look good ?

There is a "funny" story behind this picture... litteraly. Last week, I went to the Dollar Store and bought two plates because I thought they were very pretty. Each have a rooster on them. I love roosters because they represent the dawn of a new day and they are so gorgeous to look at. So that is why I bought the plates.
When I made the nuggets, I thought that it would be very pretty to photograph them on one of the two plates so that is what I did. When we looked at the picture today, our 14 y.o Flopsy, said immediately : "You're not going to show those nuggets on that plate, right ? They look like Chicken Nuggets so that is kind of gross !"
I had not thought about this at all ! To me, it's just some vegan nuggets on a beautiful rooster plate. But he was right, it was sending the wrong message.
I will be very careful about what I use those plates for in the future. So I WindowZImageComposered the photograph (another word for the new dictionary I'm working on - "Dictionary of Dummies") because I really don't fry things often and I really wanted to blog about them. I wanted to show you NOW, not in six months. But know, if you care about this stuff, that I used very little organic canola oil, the bottom of the pan wasn't even covered in oil and of course, I let them rest on paper towel to remove the excess oil.

The Plate : Un-Edited and Un-Nuggeted Version

The VEGAN nuggets, here shown on a very vegan and ethical plate, were great. I followed Made in Alaska's suggestion and cut down on the corn starch and replaced some of it with whole wheat flour. They were still very crunchy. The texture of the seitan became really different with frying.
I think next time, (in six months, remember ?) I'm going to try and bake them in the oven and will add Redstar Nutrional yeast somewhere in there.

I also made another dish with the seitan and I called it Sesame Seitan Teriyaki.

It was really good although I found that the pieces of Seitan were too big. I love asparagus, looooooooooooove asparagus. And sesame seeds, well, I love them too and they are full of calcium and good things.

While we waited and waited for the new fridge (and "dishwasher that is lacking a hose so we washed dishes by hand tonight") to be delivered, I thought about my little assignment that was given to me by Laura. She tagged me and so I have to list my top picks of things I think everybody should eat before they die OR don't need to eat anymore because they are a "prana yogis". So I came up with this :

1. All Fruits and Vegetables, especially Raspberries, Cantalope, Asparagus, Bok Choy, Braised Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms, Rapini, Spinach. I know I'm cheating with this category (listing 8 things that count for one) but I've got a good lawyer.

2. Redstar Nutritionnal Yeast : simply could not live without it. On pop-corn, on bulgur, on pasta with a little olive oil with salt, pepper and herbs, on tofu, e-ve-ry-where !

3. Hazelnut Oil : soooo good ! A little goes a long way. Delicious on rice or bulgur or millet with salt, pepper, herbs. A little bottle costs almost 15$ but it is so worth it and such a nice gift to receive. My friend Emma gave me the bottle I have now last year and I'm making it last LOL

4. Dill !! I adore dill. I put it in potato salads, in cabbage soup, in my tofu spread. Reminds me of my ukrenian grandfather.

5. Vice Cream and cookies, together, apart, in any flavor. I'd eat dill cookies and Asparagus Vice Cream, even without being pregnant. I'm known as a very crazy person and also as The Queen of Exageration ;-) (also included : Soy Delicious, Tofutti Ice Cream, Rice Dream and the likes)

I am sure I will wake up in the middle of the night thinking "How could I have forgotten this and that" and have to wake up Steven so he can explain why I forgot this and that. Or maybe not... wake him I mean. I'm sure I'll wake up at 3am because I forgot something. Anyway, I'll let you know. Be here at 3am.

So it's my turn to tag somebody and of course, Candi is sooooo tagged ;-)))
And so are Dori ...
Made in Alaska ...
Valentina ...
And Carrie of the Toronto Maple Leafs ! ;-)))

So who will be the first to tag Trac ?? :-)))))

You're it, gals !

Red Cabbage & Corn Salad with Simple Pink Dressing

2006-08-31T13:59:00.000-04:00

A short post today. A pile of dishes are waiting for me on the counter. Hey ! I should take a picture ! Wait a minute...

I don't know if Crystal, the Vivacious Vegan, is going to drop by today but if she does : "Crystal, the pot on the stove is simmering your seitan!" ;-)

Anyway, they are waiting for me so I have to go wash them or put everything outside and hope it rains.

A week ago, I was looking at what was lying at the back of the fridge and saw that if I didn't react quickly, I would have to throw away that little red cabbage I had bought the week before that.
(Sounds like a children's book "The Little Red Cabbage").
I also saw four corn cobs lying there. So I created this little salad by throwing things together, not expecting much. Imagine my surprise when it turned out deliciously good !

So here is the recipe, in case you too find a little red cabbage at the back of your fridge and four corn cobs that somebody forgot to eat.

Red Cabbage & Corn Salad with Simple Pink Dressing

· 1 lost little red cabbage, finely chopped
· 4 forgotten corn cobs (only the nibblets, if you want to keep your teeth)
· ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
· 1 green pepper, diced
· ½ cup Thompson raisins
· salt & pepper

Pink Dressing :

· canola oil
· red wine vinegar
· agave nectar or maple syrup

Mix all the vegetables, raisins and seasonings in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and let rest in the fridge for a little while. Serve (obviously).