the eggplant casserole disaster

So that eggplant casserole I've been planning to make? I finally made it last night.

I peeled the eggplant, I chopped the onions, I boiled them. I strained them, added soy milk and some corn starch. I mashed it all. I covered it all with the nastiest smelling "cheese" ever and I cooked it. Aaaand cooked it. And cooked it for well over an hour (I couldn't tell when it was done).

The "cheese" never melted! It never melted!

And I don't know how to tell when an eggplant casserole is cooked. Mike is in the next room literally gagging because it smells so terrible (that is all the "cheese"s fault). I put the spoon in and give it a try, and I wish I could tell you I was pleasantly surprised; But it was the most disgusting thing I've ever had in my mouth (and there have been some shameful things in there). I tried. I tried so hard to swallow it but in the end it dropped out of my face like the glob of shit it was, and the entire casserole was thrown out.

Just about ready to throw in the towel and head to McDonald's, Mike - the wonderful man that he is - encourages me to stick to what I've started and just make something else. He also said that being vegan most of the time was a lot better than being vegan none of the time (which happens to be what I tell myself before I eat a Ritter Sport.)

So in the kitchen I go, once again. I boil some noodles. I chop some tomatoes and some avocado, I mince some garlic. I drain the noodles and add all of the chopped up stuff, plus some olive oil and salt and pepper. It was simply divine. Light, tasty and perfect. I was back on the wagon once again.

Now. As much as I'd like to encourage others to give a vegan lifestyle a try, it really is hard work. I have great willpower and I struggle sometimes.

2 things in my fridge that I regret buying and will never touch again: soy yogurt and that nasty "cheese" that doesn't melt and smells like the basement of a haunted house in hell. I don't exaggerate. It is that gross.

So yes, try to cut down on meat products and meat bi-products. It's better for you, better for the environment and better for your chi (yes, I do believe that). Try living a cruelty-free lifestyle! It's not just for hippies anymore. Just ask Zooey Deschanel. But heed my warnings and stay far away from the yogurt and cheese.

mum jams: Aerodynamic - Daft Punk

how being a vegan has turned into being anorexic.

No, I do not refer to Anorexia lightly. However, my new diet has forced me to reflect on my eating habits and I don't think it's much of a habit anymore.

You see, I don't really cook. I've never been great at it and anything besides Kraft Dinner and Sloppy Joes is a veritable kitchen fire. So when I took on this new diet (for health, for my son, for furry creatures the world over) I guess I just overlooked the fact that easy preparation for a vegan dinner just doesn't exist. Even recipes referred to as "easy" call for ingredients I don't recognize and don't have in my pantry yet.

So I eat Muesli every morning. I drink coffee with soy milk. I snack on Ritz crackers and vegan cream cheese. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables but aside from that, I haven't had a real MEAL yet!

So I am doing it. I am heading to the grocery store later and I am getting an eggplant and I am going to make an eggplant casserole if it kills me!

This one is from vegweb.com

Easy Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 to 2 small eggplants
1 medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1 to 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
Salt and pepper
Vegan cheddar cheeze
Splash soymilk

Directions:

1) Peel the egglant and cutting it into cubes. Discard the purple skin. Add the eggplant to a pot with the minced onion and margarine. Cover with water and cook until the eggplant is soft. Drain the eggplant and onions in a wire strainer or cheese cloth for several minutes to remove any excess water.

2) Put the eggplant and onions back into the pot, add salt and pepper to taste and add a splash of soymilk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour. Mash until creamy with a potato masher.

3) Transfer the mixture to a small, greased casserole dish and top with the cheddar cheeze. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until cheeze is melted and the eggplant is hot and bubbly.

Serves: 2 to 3 Preparation time: 20 to 30 minutes

Save the date Cards, or "Lindsay has another meltdown"

So! Our wedding plans change more often than my panties. I mean that. BUT we finally decided to be frugal. We are going to have our wedding and reception where we met - which is where mike's best friend and my cousin had their wedding. AND I have figured out that my colour scheme is going to be brown and pink. Sounds reasonable enough...

But it's not!

Today we went out (I know, I was excited too!) to look for some save-the-date cards. We went to more than a few places. All of the super expensive make-them-yourself invitation kits were crappy silvery gold with ribbons garbage that people with no imagination buy. And they're so expensive because - why? - because Bridal magazine has their name on the top? Women can be so stupid.

Anyway, I didn't find any that I liked, let alone any that I liked that suited the colour scheme I've chosen. So I have to get creative here. I will buy some plain card stock, some fuschia and some chocolate brown, and some cheap embellishments from the dollar store or something and give them a personal touch - maybe handwrite them? I don't know yet. But the final decision was that I am going to be as hands-on with this wedding as I can.

And after the event is over and done with, we are heading to Cuba and inviting all of our closest friends to come along and party on the beach with us and stay drunk for 7 days. Bliss.

Anyway, I keep going off on a tangent. The point I'm trying to get at is that after all of this card hunting, and finding nothing, I was absolutely crestfallen. I was in a bitter mood for a couple of hours afterwards, but then I gave the baby a bath and he cheered me up. But I am so bloody sensitive about everything that I let these frigging pieces of paper send me flying off the backswing. There's a figure of speech I haven't heard in too long.

The moral of the story? I really need to get out more.

calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean...

In other news, the difference between a Harvey's veggie burger and a Harvey's angus burger are completely undetectable to me. This is a very good thing. Booya!

mum jams: Humming Bird - Born Ruffians

5 Ways to Prepare Tempeh

This will be more of interest to me than anyone else, I think; especially those who are not vegetarian. But as a new vegan, I'm trying to gather as many cooking tips as possible and this list came from the kitchn @ apartment therapy.

1. Steamed. If you find tempeh to be too bitter straight out of the package, steaming it can help. Place sliced tempeh in a saucepan and cover with water or vegetable broth. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the tempeh and proceed with marinating, grilling, baking, or otherwise seasoning and cooking it.

2. Marinated. Tempeh can be rather bland on its own, but it takes well to marinade. Good tempeh marinade ingredients include soy sauce, vinegar, citrus juice, coconut milk, peanut butter, ginger, spices, or sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar or honey. Even a quick coat of soy sauce and a few other seasonings significantly heightens the flavor.

Here's what we do on busy weeknights: Cut an 8 ounce block of tempeh into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Marinate for 10-20 minutes in a mixture of Bragg's liquid aminos (1/4 cup), rice wine vinegar (1 tablespoon), sesame oil (1/2 teaspoon), and minced garlic (1-2 cloves). Pan-fry over medium heat until golden brown and crispy.

Marinated tempeh may also be grilled or baked.

3. Thinly sliced. Grilling or pan-frying tempeh until the edges turn crispy enhances its natural nutty flavor. Of course, different recipes call for various slice sizes and techniques, but in general we like to slice tempeh about 1/4 inch thick. At this thickness, it can acquire just the right amount of crispiness on the edges while retaining a nice, chewy interior.

4. Blackened. Tempeh coated and seared with with blackening spice makes a tasty addition to salads and vegetable bowls. Use a prepared Cajun-style seasoning or make your own with equal parts paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, and salt. Brush tempeh patties with oil, coat them with the spice mixture, and sear in a hot frying pan. Let the spices smoke for 5-10 seconds to blacken.

5. Crumbled into sauces and stews. Like tofu, tempeh takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked in, making it a versatile way to add heartiness and protein to a meal. Add crumbled, grated, or cubed tempeh to spaghetti sauce, stew, chili, or curry.

homemade fruit leather! VEGAN FRIENDLY!

This is awesome. Forget the fruit roll-ups, it's time to get a little crafty and make some fruit leather at home with our kids. Mine's too young, but I'm blogging about it to keep it in mind in the future.

I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy, and they found it on Instructables.

1. You will need fruit, pick your favorite. You can use anything from frozen, to fresh from the garden! For this I used two mangos, a half a bag of fresh cherries, and a lemon. As for tools/appliances, you will need a cutting bored, a knife, a blender, a pot and stove, something to mix with, a cooking sheet, and an oven.
2. Preheat your oven to 200ºF, if you have a convection oven I recommend using it, if not a regular bake will do. Next blend your fruit together. No need to add any sweetener. I do strongly recommend using lemon juice though, just as much as you can get out of a single lemon. Blend until smooth. Make sure you are not getting any pits or seeds from the lemon in it
3. Next, you want to pour it in a pot and bring it to a boil, I put it on medium high heat. Once it starts to simmer, make sure that you keep it in motion. It does not need to be in constant motion, but the bottom needs to keep from burning. It should get fairly thick. You want it to be boiling for a few minutes. The goal is, to get it thick enough to the point it will not spread too much when you pour it on a flat surface. You will notice that it is slower to fill the space when you move it, and will all fall in clumps.
4. Pour your fruit on a baking sheet (I used parchment paper, just because I use it with everything I put on a baking sheet, but it should not stick to much if you rather not use it) it does not need to still be boiling, but it shouldn't be too cold either. Smooth it out*, and pop it in the oven that has already been preheated to 200°F. Leave it for at least an hour. You will know it is done when you can touch it, without any coming off on your fingers.
5. My favorite way to serve these fruity snacks is to cut them into long strips, roll them up, and place a cute sticker on them. You could also use a cookie cutter to make them fun shapes though!

Day 2 of the Vegan Diet

Actually, day one wasn't really a whole day considering I started the day with cereal and milk... But no matter.

For breakfast today I enjoyed a bowl of Muesli and Almond Breeze as a milk substitute (beats the hell out of soy milk and rice milk...), and for lunch I had some pita and hummus, and some grapes. Simple stuff. For dinner Mike barbecued sausages (tofu and pork for himself). I was surprised how tasty the tofu sausage was! It was such a weird consistency and smelled funny, but it ended up tasting pretty damn delicious! So today was just a raving success! I'm proud of myself, actually. I can't make any vegan recipes yet because I just don't have the ingredients that any of the recipes call for. It takes a while to build up the vegan pantry. And I'm in no hurry, just taking this day by day. I still haven't deciding if I'm going all the way or if I am going to eat butter and chocolate anyway, because (fact!) no substitute will do for butter or chocolate. I don't care what other vegans say.

Crazy heat waves this week. Thank God for air conditioning. Anybody too cheap to invest in air conditioning is probably about ready to buy a gun today. It is 76 degrees in the house (AC is set to 65!), and the AC is just pumping and pumping. I am not very energy-savvy. I broke a sweat just vacuuming the house this afternoon. Poor Mike has to build houses in this weather. What a man.

mum jams: Flash Delirium - MGMT