Holy monkey you guys… I’m moving this week! AHHHH! I don’t feel ready, but I feel really really really excited! I just hope these little dudes are ready…

Aren’t my cocker babies adorable? And man, looking at that picture makes me miss lazy evenings spent sprawled on the couch with them, binge-watching something on Netflix. The move and reno have kept me SO busy lately, no down time at all. 

Also, since my old kitchen is packed up and my new kitchen is still (mostly) in boxes, I don’t have a ton of new recipes for you. But I do have re-shoots of another old favorite. This time, it’s my Lemon Couscous with Sweet Potatoes and Kale. Tons of nutrition and flavor make this a winner as a side dish or a main. I also happen to love it for work lunches- it reheats beautifully! You can get the recipe here. 

As for the move, please keep your fingers crossed that I don’t lose my freaking mind. I’m scheduled to move Thursday and then I’m taking a long weekend to get the doggers settled in and work on unpacking. My mama is coming to visit in a couple weeks so I have to get the place all spic n’ span for her. 

Oh wait, who am I kidding? It’ll probably still be a crazy mess when she gets here 🙂

Don’t forget to check out this delicious recipe! 

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Garlicky Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries. Just let that sink in for a minute. A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and a whole lotta flavorful!

I know sweet potatoes aren’t everyone’s favorite. And although I truly love them (like, mad passionate love them), usually when I’m making oven fries, I’ll opt for the more traditional russets. But then I had this idea…

I was like “Hey! What if I took a sweet potato fry and made it kinda spicy?” and then I was like “That’s a great idea, you’re sooo smart! And pretty!” And that’s how the Garlicky Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries were born. I used a McCormick Grill Mates seasoning to keep it simple, and these made the best side to go with the Sweet Earth frozen burgers that had come earlier that day. 

The Santa Fe flavor was my absolute favorite, it’s what I served with the fries. The teriyaki I heated up in a pan, chopped up and used to top a salad, and the Za’atar I served in a pita with some hummus and sliced cucumber- made a great take-to-work lunch.

Sweet Earth is great. They make a TON (literally, a ton) of vegan foods, both refrigerated and frozen. They have burgers, breakfast burritos, seitan, bacon, soups, pies… all vegetarian and many vegan. 

Speaking of breakfast burritos…

I could probably live on nothing but their Curry Tiger burrito for at least a couple months before getting sick of it 🙂 Check out their store locator app and pick some up, ASAP. I’ve seen their products at Target and Sprouts, they’re pretty widely available.

And don’t forget about these fries!

*I was provided free product to review but the opinions are 100% mine!

Garlicky Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

2015-02-18 08:01:50

Serves 2

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

1. 1 large sweet potato
2. Olive oil
3. 1+ tablespoon McCormick Grill Mates 'Chipotle & Roasted Garlic' seasoning
4. S&P

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400, and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Slice the potato into fries, and arrange on the pan. Drizzle with just a little bit of the oil, and work the fries with your hands to make sure they're all covered. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning and stir a bit more with your hands.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping once. Taste and add more seasoning and S&P as needed.

By Barb@ThatWasVegan

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Hello my friends! Just swooping in for a quick update on the progress over in condo-land… Here’s what my living room is looking like with some GORGEOUS new flooring:

And the kitchen (which will have the same flooring as the living room) with all the new cabinets stacked up… and you can see we had started tearing out the old ones:

And the focus of SO MUCH of my rage… the mirrors glued to the wall in my new bedroom. Which, thankfully, have finally come down. Now I just need to patch the wall and paint. Seriously people, the next time you’re like “Ooh, I should totally glue these mirrors to the wall!“, please don’t. 

Gah! Looking at these pictures reminds me of how much work I still have to do. Trying to breathe and not freak out too much 🙂

I’d have to say though that the best part of my new place is the neighbors. Especially these guys (although the human neighbors are really nice too!):

Not pictured is the alpaca. What a strange looking creature he is! And no, I didn’t move to the country. I live in Denver… I just happen to live next door to these adorable creatures!

When all the work is done I promise to do a proper before and after like I did with my last house! In the meantime, please keep your fingers crossed for me that I make it through this without losing my mind, haha!

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While I’m spending my long holiday weekend tearing out kitchen cabinets and painting like my life depends on it, I thought I’d share some of my failures not-yet-successes with you. 

Sometimes the universe is totally on your side and everything comes together perfectly. You have a bright idea for a new recipe, you grab the ingredients from your local market, the dish comes out deliciously and the pictures are drool-worthy. All that’s left is to write a witty post, right? Well… like I said, sometimes. More often, it’s a case of “This tastes pretty good but I think it could be better” or “WTH did I put so much garlic in here?” or my personal favorite “Eff it, I’ll just have wine for dinner!”

Here are some of those… Recipes that haven’t quite worked out but that I’m not quite ready to give up on!

This one I am totally dedicated to completing! It’s a Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous, Sweet Potatoes, and Sausage:

Crunchy Spicy Chickpeas… these actually came out wonderfully, but I can’t find the notes I jotted down as I made them. Sheesh!

Mmmmm Pretzels. They just weren’t chewy enough. And I burnt the bottoms. 

This Cranberry Pumpkin Bread had great flavor, but kept turning out way too moist… plus the season for pumpkin and cranberry has kind of passed, so I think it’s on hold till next fall!

This one is on hold too, for the same reason: Pumpkin Pancakes with Chocolate Chips. They just weren’t quite right. Super cute though!

There was absolutely nothing wrong with this salsa except that it was thrown together on the fly with no notes taken at all… so I’ll have to recreate it!

And finally, this monstrosity (and another reason you should be following me on Insta!): Cheesy Maple Sausage Waffle Breakfast Sandwich! It was too big… and needs a better name, haha!

Hope you all have a great weekend, and never let your “failures” in the kitchen get you down! 

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Here’s a nice simple recipe for you. Warm Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad makes a perfect side dish, or a wonderful packed lunch! Healthy AND delicious! The peanut sauce is just a little spicy, with one little jalapeno diced up in there. 

The most time consuming part of this recipe is roasting the cauliflower, which – let’s be honest – isn’t that big of a deal because the oven is doing all the work for you. Basically you prep it, put it in the oven, then drink some wine. Then take it out and serve.

Additional wine is optional. 

I just love the charred, roasted cauliflower. It’s so good! I haven’t been cooking much lately, and roasted veggies are really one of the things I miss the most. That, and homemade seitan, which I haven’t made in ages. 

I don’t miss wine though… I’ve had plenty of that <wink, wink>

 Craving more cauli? Try some Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza, or maybe some Cauli Corn Chowder!

Oh, and about that news? I bought a condo! It needs a ton of work – paint, new flooring, new kitchen cabinets… but I love it. It’s perfect for the cockers and I, and once that kitchen is done it’ll be perfect for creating tons of yummy new vegan recipes! I promise to share plenty of before and after pictures 🙂

Warm Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad

2015-02-05 13:50:00

Serves 4

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. 1 head of cauliflower
2. Non-stick spray or olive oil
3. S&P
4. 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5. 1 small jalapeno, diced
6. 1/2 sweet onion, diced
7. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of your favorite pre-made peanut sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Squirt a little non stick spray (or oil) onto a baking sheet, and set aside.
2. Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and place in thin layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring after 15. Sprinkle with more S&P after you stir.
3. Combine the beans, jalapeno, onion, and peanut sauce in a saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes to get the flavor all through. Combine with the cauliflower when its ready, stirring well so the sauce covers everything. Add S&P as needed. Serve warm!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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It’s a twofer! Oskar Blues Brewery and Spirit Hound Distillers, both in Lyons, Colorado! First up: the brewery…

I’m not gonna lie… Oskar’s doesn’t have a ton of vegan-friendly foods BUT if you’re going for the beer and need a bite too, they have you covered. They have a vegan Boca patty, and a couple salads that can be veganized.

Burger and fries…

The Summertime Salad, with no cheese. Ignore the dressing off to the side there. When I ordered they swore it was dairy-free… but it was white? And creamy? I don’t know… It was a really good salad though. I love candied walnuts.

On the way home we passed Spirit Hound Distillers. Anyone who has even passed through Lyons on their way to Estes Park or RMNP has seen this sign…

They have a great tasting room, friendly bartenders who are happy to serve up the samples… and the best part? Their milky drinks are all made with So Delicious coconut milk!

What brought us to Lyons on this particular day, you might be asking? We were bored… wanted to go somewhere new, and figured a community so devastated by the 2013 floods could use our dollars. So off we went.

Here are just a few shots I took from the car as we drove by. It’s shocking how long it takes to rebuild (altho, these were taken last year). 

 Want more Denver-area restaurant reviews? Check out my Mile High Vegan Eats page!

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Tacos, tacos, tacos. I can never get enough tacos. And during these frigid winter months what better to fill them with than roasted veggies and hot green chilies. And agave, for just a hint of sweet. My Vegan Agave-Green Chile Roasted Veggie Tacos truly have it all!

Also, if I ever start my own band, it’s gonna be called Tacos, tacos, tacos.

The sweet and spicy combination is so delicious. You could actually sub in any veggies you have on hand, but personally I think sweet potatoes are the greatest invention since cocker spaniels, so that’s what I went with. The yellow squash just soaked in all that green chile flavor like they were made for each other!

Look at those beautiful veggies! And if you saw my What I Eat post, then you’re not surprised at all to see that I served them with a hefty side salad.

Want more taco recipes?

• Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Tacos with a Spicy Cream Sauce
• Korean BBQ Chickpea Tacos
• Zucchini and Tofu Soft Tacos (these are SO GOOD!) 

Agave-Green Chile Roasted Veggie Tacos

2015-02-03 10:43:43

Yields 6

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

1. 1 small sweet potato
2. 1 small yellow squash
3. 1/2 sweet onion
4. Zest of 1 lime, plus 2 tablespoons lime juice
5. 1 cup diced, roasted green chilies
6. 1/2 cup agave
7. 1 teaspoon salt, plus pepper
8. 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
9. 6 taco shells

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 and spray baking sheet with non-stick.
2. Uniformly dice the veggies- except for the onion, you can make those a little smaller. Arrange in single layer on the baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the lime juice and zest, green chilies, agave and salt. Pour half the mixture into a small blender and puree for 5-10 seconds. Pour back into the mixing bowl.
4. Reserve a 1/4 cup of the sauce, and pour the rest over the veggies, stirring a bit so they're completely covered, yet still in a single layer. Give 'em a couple cracks of black pepper and put in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake another 5 minutes.
5. Heat the chickpeas in a small saucepan over low/medium heat with the reserved sauce, about 5 minutes until warmed through. Combine with the veggies in the taco shells and enjoy!

Notes

1. I found these to be SO flavorful I didn't need any additional toppings, just a nice side salad!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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I learned something interesting in this first month of Reading with Intention, and that is: I can’t actually predict what or how much I’m going to read. Which is okay! This isn’t about doing my homework to get a passing grade. This is really just about tracking what I read, and trying to make sure I’m mindful about my choices, as opposed to just reading whatever happens to be lying around.

Also, I joined Goodreads, based on your suggestions. Here’s my Reading with Intention bookshelf, and please feel free to friend me!

So, last month I set out to read five books. And I did read five, just not the five I thought I would! Funny how that works. Here’s what I read:

• The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless … This book left me pretty speechless. It was so well written and moving and heartbreaking. If you read Into The Wild and want to learn more of the story, especially about the abusive childhood Chris survived, I can’t recommend this book enough. Unless childhood domestic abuse is a trigger for you, then this might be a tough read. It inspired me to re-read Into The Wild, so you’ll see that on my list soon!
• The Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle … I’ve read two other books by Boyle (When the Killing is Done and The Women) and I have no idea why I haven’t read more of his work. But anyway, this book takes a brilliant look at real-life racism. It’s frightening at times how recognizable some of the characters are, and reading what the undocumented Mexican family goes through is heart-wrenching and eye opening. Obviously I never thought people who came across the border illegally have it easy (far from it!), but this daily struggle just to stay alive was shocking. Really great book. My girl Angie recommended it. She does a lot of posts about books she reads, among other things.
• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill … These stories weren’t all scary, which wasn’t what I expected, but I enjoyed them all. Two in particular really stood out for me: Pop Art and Best New Horror. And for totally different reasons- these two short stories couldn’t have been more different (and thanks to Reia for the Joe Hill recommendation!)
• My Story by Elizabeth Smart … What this young girl went through was beyond horrifying, and the fact that she has rebounded in such a way is truly amazing. It’s difficult not to compare yourself and wonder if you’d have her strength.  This book was very religious, and that part didn’t speak to me at all, but overall a good read!
• The Feminist and the Cowboy: An Unlikely Love Story … There is no eloquent way to say how much I hated this book. I couldn’t even finish it, I was so sickened by it.  I slogged my way through her self-loathing, and her acceptance of his emotional abuse. Not even just acceptance. I’d say she was bragging about it, how he was a real man because he played mind games and controlled her. WTF!? She finally lost me while defending his moronic opinion that animals don’t feel fear or any emotion at all. The cowboy is a shitbag, that’s all I can say. I’m just glad I got this piece of garbage from the library, because it would be ME feeling self-loathing if I had given these idiots any royalty money.

Books I set out to read but haven’t quite finished yet?

• Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction by Annalee Newitz
• Entering the Shift Age: The End of the Information Age and the New Era of Transformation by David Houle 

I’m leaving them off the list for February because a bunch of other books just popped up at the library, but they’ll be back on my list soon!

Books for February 2015

1.  West of Sunset by Stewart O’Nan … O’Nan is hands-down my favorite fiction writer. I discovered him sort of on accident, via a book about the Red Sox he co-wrote with his BFF Stephen King. I was interested, so I picked up Wish You Were Here which is my favorite novel, one I re-read each summer. Anyway, this one is about the last three years of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life. Not a topic I was necessarily interested in, but it just came out and as an avid fan of O’Nan, well, it was a must-read.
2. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran … Can’t even remember who recommended this to me, but it’s supposed to be good! It’s described as “…The Bell Jar – written by Rizzo from Grease”. Sounds like something I’ll enjoy.
3. Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado … I read an excerpt on Slate and found it interesting and enlightening. It’s an up-close look at the life of the poor in our country, but the author is humorous, honest, and I’m really looking forward to reading this and gaining a better understanding of how so many people in our country live.
4. 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam … A book about prioritizing your tasks to maximize your time. I need this.
5. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters … A novel about a 1920’s  widow forced to take lodgers to make ends meet. I haven’t read anything by Waters before, but she has a huge following and her books are always being recommended to me.

 So yah, that’s my list for this month. Have any recommendations for me? PLEASE SHARE! And tell us what you’re reading right now!

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It’s nearly impossible for me to look at these pictures without swearing. As in “Holy F*&%ing Gawd I want these right now!” It’s also damn hard not to do a gloaty little dance and brag about how we vegans can still enjoy all the same foods, only better and more compassionate! I mean, doesn’t this Vegan Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich prove that??

Not only insanely stuff-your-face-worthy, they’re pretty easy to make too. Especially if you’re like me and keep a couple loaves of delicious homemade seitan in the freezer at all times! Then all you have to do is saute some peppers and onions, whip up a delicious Daiya cheese sauce, and dinner is served!

Or lunch. Like I said, these are easy and aren’t going to take up much time. They’ll taste like they did though! All that flavorful seitan, veggies, just a hint of heat… smothered in creamy cheese sauce! 

I don’t think I had ever eaten an actual Philly cheese steak until I moved to CO in 2006. I was never a big meat eater and this particular sandwich seemed pretty greasy and not terribly appetizing. The vegan version though? WONDERFUL! You should make it this weekend!

Vegan Philly Cheese Steak

2015-01-29 08:04:06

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1. 1 large onion, sliced
2. 1 1/2 bell peppers, any color, sliced
3. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4. 2 loaves homemade seitan, thinly sliced
5. 1 tablespoon oil for frying
6. 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
7. Salt
8. 2 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
9. 8 ounces Daiya cheddar
10. 1/4 cup almond milk
11. 4 soft rolls, warmed

Sandwich

1. Water saute the onion and bell peppers over medium heat with the crushed red pepper, 8-10 minutes, until soft. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat the oil over medium heat. When it's hot, add the seitan strips. Flip after 3-4 minutes and add the worcestershire sauce and the steak seasoning, along with a dash of salt if desired. When the seitan is about as crisp as you want it, add the peppers and onions back in just to warm them.

Cheese Sauce

1. Combine the Daiya and almond milk together in a small pot over low heat, stirring until smooth. Add the seitan and peppers to the warm buns, then top with the cheese sauce, about a quarter on each. Add other toppings as desired (jalapenos, diced tomatoes, whatever!). Serve immediately.

By Barb@ThatWasVegan

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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