Pizza Night!

Thai Chickun Pizza from Let Them Eat Vegan has been on our weekly menu for a while, but somehow it's never made its way from the menu to the table. Last night, it finally made the leap. It's been a couple years since we've made this pizza, but we both remember it being delicious and love peanut sauces. It turned out just as good as we remembered and it was a big hit with Will. He carefully ate the toppings off his piece, scooped the peanut sauce one finger-full at a time and ate every crumb of the crust. Poor Schatzi didn't get a drop from Will's plate! We definitely won't be waiting years to make this pizza again!

Will and Mr. Carrot!

 

On one of our many IKEA trips before Will was Will, we found a book called "Heroes of the Vegetable Patch."  We had to have the book and the book just wouldn't be as fun without the matching giant plush carrot!  Once Will was born, I had the idea to take his picture with the carrot each month to show how much he was growing.  Some months were easier than others, some months Will was more cooperative than others, but I'm glad I took time to document 12 months with Mr. Carrot!



 



1 week

 

 

2 weeks

 

 

3 weeks

 



1 month

2 months

 

 

 

3 months

 

 

 

4 months

 

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 year!!



Gyros!

It's been a while since we've made gyros, but they are still a family-favorite around here.  I don't know if it's the sloppy tzatziki sauce, the cool cucumbers, the warm seitan or the slight resemblance to the beloved Doener, but we love them.  We made them last Friday and we cleaned our plates!  Will loves seitan and we've been trying to fill him with yogurt (he's on antibiotics for pink eye and an ear infection), so it was a win-win for him.  It was a lazy version, because we already had some seitan in the freezer that we just marinated quickly in broth, oregano and a few other spices before heating, whipped together a cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce and through it all in a pita with cucumber, lettuce and tomato.  Quick, but satisfying and delicious!

Chad loves gyros!

Almond, seitan and sesame Tagine

I bough Vegan Eats World about a month ago and I've been a little intimidated by it.  So many recipes, so many ingredients, so much prep... but everything looks so good!  I thought if I try just one new recipe each week it won't be so daunting.  First on the list-- almond, seitan and sesame tagine (page 159).  It really wasn't as hard as I had myself convinced it would be (maybe it helps that I made it on a snow day, so I had plenty of time!) and it was well worth the time and effort.

Toast the almonds and sesame seeds.

Sautee onions.

Add seitan and garlic.

 

Spice it up!

Everybody in the pot.

Add toasted pitas and serve!

I don't think this was in the directions...

Day of Snow

Baby's 1st Snow Day!

Also known as... SNOW DAY!  My favorite part of snow days, aside from the obvious staying home, is breakfast.  In my opinion, there's no better way to celebrate than with a big, keeps-you-full-all-day, made-from-scratch breakfast.  Today was a big surprise snow day.  We were predicted to get 2-10" of snow from yesterday evening until early morning.  I thought, no way, especially if we were closer to the 2" side.  Well, surprise, surprise. I checked TMJ4 just before hopping in the shower and here we are... the hum of snowblowers, the smell of breakfast, a lazy day at home.
 

Tofu Scramble and Cinnamon Rolls

Another favorite breakfast addition of ours is tempeh bacon.  Chad just posted about it on his blog, I Run and I Eat.  Check it out!

Garbage Pizza... a la Trader Joe's

I made an impromptu trip to Trader Joe's yesterday and decided it was a good day for homemade pizza.  I usually make my own crusts, but in the interest of time decided to try Trader Joe's whole wheat yeast crust.  Other toppings that filled my cart... and later our pizza?  Pizza sauce, BBQ chicken-less chicken, marinated red and yellow bell peppers, Kalamata olives, organic grape tomatoes, spinach, navy beans and (because we really wanted to try it) Trader Joe's new vegan mozzarella shreds.  I stretched the crust, spread a thin layer of sauce and piled the toppings high!  15 minutes later, this came out of the oven...

 

 

 

 

Lazy Lunch for Two

I've been waiting for a good time to try tahini with Will again.  Chad was out of town this weekend, so I was lazy on the food-prep end.  We had some chickpeas in the fridge from earlier in the week, leftover rice and a 5-pound bag of carrots.  Out of those came our lazy lunch... hummus with extra garlic, seasoned rice and carrot sticks.  I topped my plate with an extra sprinkle of salt and sesame seeds and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.  It was surprisingly delicious!  I even had more for a snack later in the evening.

 

 

Will enjoyed his lunch, too.  Carrots are always one of his favorite foods.  He reached for his carrot sticks immediately, and barely touched anything else on his tray for ten minutes.

 

Okay, best part of the lunch?  I made the hummus with tahini (of course) and Will did just fine!  No mess besides the bib and tray.  He shoveled the hummus in by handful once he finally set the carrots aside.  It wasn't  a colorful lunch, it wasn't a gourmet lunch... but it was quick, and it was rather delectable!

 

Happy Baby... and Happy MoFoing :)

Tahini?

My intent for VeganMoFo was to blog about what Will's been eating, but I haven't had time to go through and find good pictures or write fun stories.  Finally, here's a little story about Will and tahini.

 

As I've mentioned before, we just moved a couple weeks ago.  I knew it was going to be a busy weekend, so I took a personal day on Monday to get some more painting/cleaning/unpacking/settling.  I also decided to take Will to the sitter for the whole day.  Well, I slept in a little bit, got up with Will, fed him breakfast, and off we went to the sitter.  Chad and I worked on painting his room and were just heading to the basement to sort through boxes when the sitter called to say I needed to get Will.  Apparently, he had a few less than pleasant diapers and woke up from his nap in a mess.  Ugh.  Not what I had planned for my day, but whatever.  I cleaned the paint off myself, tossed the paint supplies in the basement and just as I was about to get in the car, she called again.  Now he had just thrown up!    On my way to get him, I called and was able to get in to see the doctor.

 

Long story short, he was smiley and chatty the whole time at the doctor and for the rest of the afternoon.  My day off wasn't a total bust, because I got to spend it with a happy baby.  The only thing I can figure out is that I gave him tahini (which he had never had before) and avocado for breakfast.  Maybe it was too rich?  Maybe it didn't sit well?  I'm not sure.  The doctor suggested we try it again soon, and since he was happy and had no rash, we would hopefully be okay. 

Avocado and Tahini... fine for finger painting and messy diapers?!

We tried tahini again this past weekend, and I'll give the update on that tomorrow.  Until then, Happy MoFoing :)

Native Foods #2

Chad ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend, so we couldn't resist another visit to Native Foods.  

 

This time I had the Scorpion Burger (with their homemade tempeh and cheddar) with a side of sweet potato fries.  The tempeh was  melt-in-your-mouth, the cheese was gooey, and best of all, it was sloppy by the end!

 

 

And Chad had the Bistro Steak Sandwich.  As soon as we read "bleu cheese dressing," I knew he would order that.  I was delicious... peppery seitan, crusty bun, messy dressing!

 

 

I forgot to take a picture of dessert.  I couldn't decide between the Pumpkin Pie and the Pumpkin Cheesecake, but finally went with the cheesecake.  I don't know what the pie was like, but the cheesecake was a pretty solid choice.  The crust was crispy, granola-y, nutty goodness and it was served with a side of pecan caramel.

 

Well, I couldn't quite keep up with MoFo this week, but things are really coming together at home!  Our furniture is coming tomorrow, Will's room is just about done, we have pictures on the wall (although more along the floor, but it's progress), there are few boxes (on the main floor at least!) and my sister even took Will for a few hours one night so Chad and I could be extra productive!  Here's to being more productive with the blog next week.  Until then, happy MoFoing :)

Cafe Manna

Me:  Chad, do you remember what you had the first time we went to Cafe Manna?

Chad:  Something that wasn't on the menu the next time we went.

Me:  Yeah, I remember that, but what was it?

Chad:  Some kind of yummy raw lasagna maybe I think. It was tasty.

 

 

Okay, so to be honest, I don't remember what either of us had.  Will was still tiny and slept the whole time, so it was early spring the first time we went to Cafe Manna.   One of the great things about this place is that the menu is different every time we go.  A few things are always on there, like their awesome Limonade, but the menu changes seasonally.   They also have amazing desserts-- like triple chocolate cake, chocolate fondu, cheesecake;  they offer fun cooking classes (which I haven't attendeded... yet); and they also have specials dates in the summer where you can dine with your dog on the patio!

 

Another reason I wanted to share these pictures today is Chad has a way of always ordering the best thing on the menu.  I'm often jealous of what he orders (although he's willing to share a taste with me), because he always ends up with something super fun and fancy!  Not to say my food isn't good, but based on the pictures, which would you rather have the server bring to you?!  I suppose I make up for it, because I'm the one who usually orders dessert... and what can be better than something dripping in gooey chocolate or piled high with peaks of frosting?

 

Happy Monday... and Happy MoFoing :)

Native Foods

Let me apologize in advance.  The pictures for today's post aren't the prettiest, but they're from my phone. 

 

Today's food comes from Native Foods, which we visited in Chicago this past spring.  It was amazing, super fresh and super flavorful.  The best thing?  It's 100% vegan.  Nothing's better than going to a restaurant knowing you can order ANYTHING from the menu and not have to ask 100 questions about the ingredients.  Go ahead, order the nachos loaded with cheese and sour cream.  Ranch with your burger?  Yes, please.  Carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting?  Why not!  The only bummer of this visit was that they were out of their homemade tempeh. 

 

Nuevo Native Nachos

Steamed Kale Macro Bowl

Chicken Run Ranch Burger

We're going back for a second visit this weekend, and I can't wait!  I have a tough decision to make... pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake.  Or both?  I'm sure I won't be disappointed!  Happy MoFoing :)

Comet Cafe

 One of our favorite places to eat in Milwaukee is The Comet Cafe.  If I'm picking where we go, chances are I'm picking Comet!  Their brunch has tons of great options-- tofu scramble, giant pancakes, breakfast burrito, biscuits and gravy (mmm, biscuits and gravy!).  It's usually packed on weekend mornings, but the wait is never awful and the food is well-worth the wait.  As a bonus, they have a decent selection of vegan cupcakes and pies that varies from visit to visit.  One of my favorites is the Banana Split cupcake-- almost banana bread-like, with chunks of bright red maraschino cherries and topped high with fluffy frosting and another cherry.

 

 



Cookies and Creme Cupcakes

31 days of October.  One of the days has to lend me more than 5 minutes to toss up a post, right?!  Well, at least today's post is homemade... Cookies and Creme Cupcakes.  I made these when I was visiting my mom this spring and found an UNOPENED box of Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's.  Unopened!  In spring!  I didn't know it was possible.  I always buy a few boxes and intend to make cupcakes with maybe one box (or half even, hey, I'd actually be happy with a row for baking), but before I know it they've all been dunked in a glass of cold almond milk or simply devoured.  If I have enough self-control this year to save some for baking, I think these would be cute with a little tint of red in the frosting. 

The house is becoming more and more void of boxes, which is a good thing.  The living room has a visible floor, our bedroom closet is housing clothes, the washer and dryer have been humming all evening... it's starting to look like home!  Here's hoping to settling in quickly and having a little time to relax.  Happy MoFoing :)

Green Owl

Another day, another lazy post.  Today's food comes from The Green Owl Cafe in Madison, Wisconsin.  The Green Owl is "Madison's only vegetarian restaurant."  It was Chad's second visit, but my first.  Anywho... onto the food.

I had the BBQ Jackfruit with a side salad...  

Chad had the Vegetarian Italian Beef with oven roasted red potatoes...

We shared the Middle-Eastern Platter, but the pictures are MIA.  Perhaps I will find and add them later.  Until then... happy MoFoing :)

Ian's Pizza

 I should probably start out VeganMoFo with something a bit more exciting, but I am lucky to have found my computer amidst the boxes of our move.

 

So... here is is, short and sweet... or saucy and delicious!  Earlier this year, Ian's Pizza started a "Vegan Slice Night" every Tuesday.  Having attended UW Madison, I had my fair shair of late-night slices at Ian's on State Street.  I was psyched to hear that some of my favorite slices were now going vegan, so Chad and I headed over there the first chance we had.  I think this was sometime in March, because we had a wee-little baby with us (who slept the whole time).  On this particular visit (there have been many subsequent Tuesday stops), we tried Mac 'N Cheese, Pepperoni and Barbeque.  The Mac 'N Cheese was unreal and definitely my favorite.  It's a gooey cream cheese base, macaroni, seasonings and all topped with shredded Daiya and black pepper.  Soooo good.

 

There you have it... Post #1.  Here's hoping tomorrow's post is a little more inspiring!  Happy MoFoing :)