Hug [Something] Vegan

Since November is the Vegan Month of Food I figured I should “hug” something vegan before the month is over.  [Wow. I am writing this on the last day of November...talk about procrastination.]

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In honor of Vegan Food Month I chose to bake a loaf of Estela‘s Vegan Carrot Cake Bread.

[HUG!]

I love Carrot Cake so when I found a recipe for Carrot Cake Bread I knew I had to make it.  Unfortunately after a few weeks of sitting in my bookmarked recipes folder I forgot about it.   It wasn’t until Saturday that I realized I had totally forgotten about this amazing bread. 

[Note:  I didn't bake this bread exclusively for Hug A Vegan, it was purely a coincidence!  I noticed it was vegan after I baked it!]

This bread is great!  As my brother would say, “It doesn’t even taste vegan!”

My question is how can something taste vegan?!  But I’ll save that for another post.

Although this bread is great on its own, it is even better drizzled with some Coconut Butter!

I enjoyed mine over a steaming bowl of oatmeal. ↓

I really need to start experimenting with vegan food more often!

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Question of the Day:

1. Have you ever gone to a vegan restaurant, if so what did you order?  If not, what is your favorite vegan dish/food?

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Hope you have had a great day so far!

Cashini + Blueberries

= Heaven, of course!

Seriously, the not-so-classic combination is really, really good!

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A few days ago I received a huge package of samples from my friends at Artisana.  The package included many nut butter squeeze-packets in addition to a whole jar of Cashini and a jar of Raw Almond Butter. ♥

Yeah that’s a lot of nut butter, but I’ll have no problem eating it all!

Now you may be asking, What in the world is Cashini?!  [And if you already know...SHHHH...just roll with it for now.]

Cashini is a mixture of cashew butter and tahini.

And if you don’t know what tahini is…it’s sesame seed butter.

Now, don’t worry, I am going somewhere with this.

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When I recieved my Cashini the first thing I thought was “How am I going to use this?”  After pouring over several blogs, and Google-ing “What goes well with Cashini,” I finally found an acceptable flavor duo. 

Something that wasn’t too overpowering.  Something that I had in my house.  Something that I could work into my breakfast.

I found this something over at Angela‘s blog in the form of her Grilled Cashew Butter and Blueberry Sandwich. 

Cashini + Blueberries

Breakfast:

Chia Overnight Oats with ~1 tablespoon melted Cashini and a handful of frozen blueberries

I love warm, melty nut butters!  Heating them brings out so much flavor and spreads it out so you get more nut butter per bite!

Plus I kind-of had to heat the Cashini because it got so hard after sitting in the fridge. ↓

Oh well…

It was still a very good breakfast!  I think I am in love with Cashini. ♥

 

101 Ways To Use Leftover Turkey

So maybe I don’t have 101 ways to use up Thanksgiving Turkey and other Thanksgiving sides.

But these ideas are one in a million!  Don’t believe me?  That’s okay, you be the judge!

                                                [Source]

 101 [or 25] Ways To Use Leftover Turkey [and other Thanksgiving dishes]

1. Turkey Soup:  Use your favorite Chicken Soup recipe and use turkey in place of the Chicken.
2. Turkey Kabobs:  Thread turkey on skewers with apples, pears, or pineapple.  Bake or grill until meat is reheated and fruit is soft.
3. Turkey Gyro:  Top pitas with turkey meat, lettuce, onion, and fresh tzatziki sauce. 
4. Turkey Chili:  Combine the turkey meat with kidney beans, red and green peppers, onions, pureed tomato, and a package of chili seasonings.  Let simmer and serve with leftover cornbread or rolls.
5. Turkey Omelets:  Chop up turkey and add it to the egg mixture when making omelets.  Serve with toast spread with cranberry sauce.
6. Turkey Pot Pie:  Line a pie tin with homemade or store-bought pie crust.  Add turkey, half a can of cream of chicken soup, a package of thawed mixed veggies, and the remaining pie crust.  Bake until the pot pie is bubbly and hot.
7. Turkey, Brie and Cranberry Quesadillas
8. Mexican-Style Turkey:  Replace the meat in tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, or enchiladas with leftover turkey.
9. Buffalo Turkey Pizza:  Toss leftover turkey with melted butter and hot sauce.  Use the seasoned meat on top of a homemade or pre-made pizza dough sprinkled with shredded cheese.  Bake and enjoy.
10. Turkey Nachos:  Top tortilla chips with chopped turkey meat, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, and guacamole.
11. Turkey-Tossed Pasta:  Add strips of turkey to a dish of pasta and top with your favorite pasta sauce.
12. Turkey Panini:  Slice a thick, crusty bread and spread the outsides with butter.  Add layers of turkey, cheese, and cooked bacon.  Cook on a panini press or George Foreman Grill until panini is golden brown and cheese is melted.
13. Pulled Pork-Style Turkey:  Chop up or pull apart leftover turkey meat.  Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce.  Serve on soft sandwich buns or bread with a side of cole slaw.
14. Turkey Salad Sandwich:  Mix chopped turkey with mayo or creamy salad dressing, diced celery, onions, and shredded carrots for a refreshing cold sandwich filling.
15. Turkey and Veggie Stir-Fry:  Heat a wok or skillet with a little oil and saute onions, garlic and favorite stir-fry veggies.  Add the turkey to heat and season with soy sauce or teriyaki.  Serve over steamed rice.
16. Turkey Macaroni and Cheese:  Prepare a box of macaroni and cheese according to package directions and add 1 cup chopped turkey meat, diced green peppers, onions, and crushed almonds. [or try this recipe!]
17. Turkey Club:  Layer leftover turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, cooked bacon, and mustard on a soft sandwich bun or sliced bread.
18. Tex-Mex Turkey Soup
19. Turkey Tetrazzini
20. Creamed Corn Bread:  Make your favorite cornbread substituting creamed corn for corn, milk, and butter.
21. Loaded Turkey Sandwich:  Layer leftover turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and sliced avocado on a toasted ciabatta roll.  Top with arugula and enjoy.
22. Sweet Potato Casserole  Pancakes
23. Cranberry Sauce Shake:  Blend ice cream, milk and ice cubes with a few spoonfuls of cranberry sauce.  Pour into a glass and enjoy.
24. Mashed Potato Pancakes
25. And last but not least…Sweet Corn Pancakes!

Most of the recipes/ideas listed were taken from other blogs and articles.  Some were made up by me, and the last one was so good that I think it deserved a special place on FFF. ♥

Sweet Corn Pancakes

A FFF Original ♥

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Creamy Creamed Corn or creamed corn of choice
• 2 heaping tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
• black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until evenly combined.
2. Spray a pan with nonstick spray and heat to medium high.  Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the greased pan, flattening with the back of the spoon.
3. Cook for 90 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.  Serve.

Serves: 1

*For a sweet and spicy twist, spread the pancakes with ~1 tablespoon of jam [preferrably apricot or peach] and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

These will be sure to please!

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Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

This post is a little late. But I guess it’s better late than never!

For the past few years the entire family has come over to our house to celebrate Thanksgiving.  This year was a little smaller than usual, but still fun!

The Family:

Three Generations: Mom, Erika, Babi

Both Grandmas: Babi and Grannie

Grannie and Dad

Philip and Uncle Ozzie

Everyone came over around 3PM and we all sat around and talked.  After an hour or so of ”family bonding” the women retired to the kitchen to start preparing side dishes and setting the table while the men turned on the TV and switched to the football game.

The Table:

We each had our own jobs in the kitchen.  I was in charge of Kickin’ Cranberry Sauce, Creamy Creamed Corn, and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.

The Menu:

Appetizers:

• Cheese and Crackers
• Grapes
• Shrimp Cocktail

The Cheese

Dinner:

• Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Stuffing
• Gravy
• Crescent Rolls
• Green Bean Cassarole
• Asparagus
• Creamy Creamed Corn
• Kickin’ Cranberry Sauce
• Glazed Carrots

Dessert:

• Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Mixed Fruit

Everything was delicious, if I do say so myself!

My Plates:

Dinner Plate

Everything was later topped with gravy.  I got seconds on the cranberries and stuffing.

Dessert:

I was surprised at myself! Usually I choose pumpkin pie over apple, but I was craving apple, so I went with it.

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At the end of the meal I was full without being stuffed, which surprised me.  Usually I feel like I am about to explode!  The only thing I did differently was try to eat slower and I guess it worked!

After everyone left and it was just the Rojek’s we changed into our pajamas and curled up on the couch to watch Miracle on 34th Street.

All I can say is “What an amazing movie!”  Everyone loved it! We’ll definitely be adding this to our Christmas Movie collection.

After the movie was finished, we all went to bed for a Turkey-induced slumber.  Ahhh, what a great Thanksgiving!

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Questions of the Day:

1. How was your Thanksgiving?
2. Do you go shopping on Black Friday, or is it too crazy for you?  It’s waaaayyy too crowded for me!

Creamy Creamed Corn

Great title, right?! 

As you have probably noticed I am a bit behind with my Thanksgiving recipe posting.  But I should be caught up soon enough.

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The first few years my family held Thanksgiving Dinner at our house, my Mom and I just served regular buttered corn.  However, last year we started experimenting with creamed corn.  Our first experience with creamed corn was at a family friend’s house and we figured that the canned stuff would do the trick.  Boy, were we wrong!  It tasted terrible!

That started our mission to find the perfect creamed corn recipe.  And now I’ll share it with you!

 

Creamy Creamed Corn

Slightly adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat until it’s frothy.  Add corn and stir constantly for 1 minute.
2. Pour in the milk or cream.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring until the liquid has thickened, about 12 minutes.  Turn off the heat, cover, and let steam for 2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Serves:  6-8 people

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Not only was this corn delicious, but it was pretty healthy too!  [As long as you use low-fat milk in place of heavy cream.]  Plus, have you seen the sugar content on the canned stuff?!  You’d think there was a pie inside with all that sugar!

[Oh, and if you have leftovers you'll want to make these corn pancakes too!]

Happy Black Friday!