Couple'a Things

I think I had a little too much wine last night.  A few family members had been out of town for a while, and last night everyone came over for dinner.  A wine fairy kept topping off my glass of red, which I appreciated last night but not so much this morning.

Meh, enough whining (heh, wine-ing).  I have some delicious food stuffs to talk about, but first I must say that if you haven’t heard Dan Auerbach’s Keep It Hid, you should probably check it out.  I’m going to be bold and say that The Black Keys are my favorite band of all-time, tied with The Head and The Heart.  I discovered the lead singer’s solo album whilst browsing iTunes and have become obsessed with this album.  I especially love Goin’ Home, I Want Some More, When I Left the Room and Heartbroken, In Disrepair.

And hey, while we’re talking music, I can’t wait for the release of the new Mumford & Sons album!

What have you been listening to lately?  I also recently discovered Ray LaMontagne and was immediately lulled into a trance by his voice.  Not typically my style, but I really love his music.  Next thing you know I’ll be admitting that I like John Mayer’s new stuff.

(I kind of do.  Don’t judge me!)

Okay, on to the food…

Last weekend I made Gena’s Cherry Berry Beet Avocado Smoothie:

Before I added sweetener it was pretty earthy thanks to the giant chunk of beet that I tossed in, but after adding a packet of stevia it was perfect- creamy, rich and packed with nutrition.  Good stuff!

I also made FatFree Vegan Kitchen’s Old Fashioned (Tofu) Chicken Salad and IT CHANGED MY LIFE.  The tofu is baked in a delicious marinade of broth, soy sauce, thyme, sage and pepper and firms up nicely with crispy, golden edges.

You let the ‘fu cool and then rip it into small chunks with your fingers.  It looked a heck of a lot like actual chicken!

Next, add celery (which I forgot), vegan mayonnaise, sweet relish, mustard, sliced almonds, chives (didn’t have any) and salt & pepper to taste.

And that’s it!  Cover and place in the fridge to chill.  I ate the not-chicken salad on two toasted slices of sprouted grains bread with a simple side of roasted broccolini:

This was so good.  Not the most appetizing picture, I know.  I hope you guys will try this recipe so that you can experience the glorious deliciousness! Make it and then tell me it’s not good- I dare you.

I double dog dare ya!

The menu last night for our family shindig was pretty awesome: sausages, baked beans, twice-baked potatoes and coleslaw- all vegan!  My brothers made the twice-baked potatoes and prepared a separate vegan version for me, my Mom and sister using Earth Balance, Tofutti sour cream and Daiya cheddar:

I was in charge of the coleslaw and dessert.  I used the classic coleslaw recipe from Vegan Diner, which is so simple and good:

It’s the same slaw that I use on vegan ribz sandwiches, which I am thinking I need to make again very soon.

My plate:

Delish!  Those potatoes were ridiculous.

Notice the Mysterious Bottomless Wine Glass in the background. 

For dessert I made a double batch of Mama Pea’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars:

I threw some mini chocolate chips into the crust because I am crazy like that.

After a few hours of chillin’:

Falling apart and absolutely delicious:

Yum.

It recently occurred to me that I have tons of leftovers in the freezer.  I have a serving of Cheezy Summer Pasta, four falafel, a serving of channa masala with brown rice and a couple servings of Smoky Refried Bean Soup!  Not sure what I’ll be cooking in the next week, but I should probably use up at least some of this stuff.

I’m off to do some cardio and shop for E’s birthday party favors.  His birthday is in December but we decided to celebrate it in August since no one is in the mood for a party two days after Christmas (and I’m not really in the mood for another toy explosion then, either!).  It’s his first big party with friends from school and daycare, and he is ridiculously stoked.  Should be a lot of crazy fun!

Have a great Wednesday. 

XO,

Sara