Thursday Thoughts: PMS

Otherwise titled, “I’m about to throw this rice whip across the room. How are you?”.

I can be super-enlightened om-tastic girl the rest of the month, but immediately before and during this special time, it’s best to tread lightly. I *usually* know this, and *usually* will try to wall myself off as best I can. I should also say that in reality, I forget this a lot. Until after the fact. Sorry, honey!

On balance, I do things that I know will bring joy. Today, I went to the store. I hadn’t been to the cute little health food store in months. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve pretty much avoided the whole bulk section in the past because I’m allergic to everything. (Ok, I’m not allergic to everything, but a lot of things.) This time I read the labels on the bins, and it turns out, there’s only one aisle I need to veer away from. Unfortunately, that aisle is across from the cookies, but I’m sure they have their reasons. Actually, I can figure that out right now: nuts are snacks. So are cookies. Boy, am I smart.

Learning that I had a whole new world of bulk foods to enjoy was nice. I didn’t see what I really needed/wanted, which was crap what is it called you make seitan with it? See below for answer. Thanks, Frenchie! But, I did see some things that have a lot of potential. Like barley. I used to eat barley years ago, and just stopped. I don’t think there was ever a reason.

What I did get is pictured above. A couple of the purchases were inspired by bloggers. The rice whip came from a conversation over at The Cruelty Free Review. She got the soy whip. I’m allergic to soy, but she was nice enough to research the rice version. She didn’t have any trouble with the nozzle that I know of, so maybe the problem is specific to the rice version. Either way, it tasted great, and I was thrilled to find it, but now I need to get it out of the container. My can is now torn with little teeth marks from desperately trying to open the darn thing with a can opener because the nozzle stopped working right. Apparently, it’s the propellant that’s the problem, as in, there’s none left after that initial burst. Apparently, it is also good that my can opener couldn’t do this because of trapped aerosol that would be inside. *The More You Know*.

The Field Roast… um, roast (They call it a Celebration Roast) was inspired by a blogger, too, but I forget which one. Someone got it as a gift and liked it. They had it for Thanksgiving. I wish I could remember. Mystery blogger, who are you?… Oh! It was Turning Veganese! It was on sale, so I figured I’d try it. (I’ve enjoyed all of the Field Roast products I’ve tried, and though I’m not receiving any compensation for saying so, if they ever want to send some my way, I will not complain.) Speaking of which, I’d tried the Italian faux sausages while camping this summer, and loved them. They are best grilled, but I liked them fried, too.

I’ve had the chips before. I think. I know I’ve had sweet potato chips shaped like that in a spicyish flavor, so I figure they were probably the same ones. This was the first thing I opened… (Ahem.) I bought the rice cream to go with the rice whip why won’t you work right. This was the first nondairy faux ice cream I ever tried, and I still like the brand. I hadn’t yet tried this flavor, but what’s not to like? It was goooood. At least I got to put some of the whip on it before the can stopped working right. Propellant. Blargh.

The Quorn nuggets are a treat. I’ve had them before and have written about them. The chili is a first time try that was on sale. I’ve had their crumbles, so I figure crumbles with chili should be good.

Does anyone else get fuzzy-headed around that time of the month? It’s hard writing a post when you can’t remember half of the things you wanted to say. Writing this was also an experience because I started out all passion and fervor, and then in the process of writing went through each one of the stages of grief. Over rice whip. PMS, go figure…

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Quorn Nugget Prep

As we’ve already established, I am not paid to say nice things about Quorn. They don’t even send me samples… not that I wouldn’t love some. This is just my humble opinion, nothing more.

I’m not a huge fan of processed foods. Most of my meals are vegetable-based, and I only rely on processed foods to supplement what I already have going on: for example, boxed pasta or rice to go with my veggies.

But, Quorn is a protein, and I need protein. It is not on my list of allergens, and I like the taste. The nuggets were pretty tough to find years ago, but you should be able to find them anywhere now, if you’re so inclined. Out of all the products they make, the nuggets have been the easiest for me to locate. (Though sometimes they are in strange locations- like next to the Grover waffles…)

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Rule #1 of cooking with Quorn: Ignore the directions. Really, just take the box and recycle it. (Now, keep in mind, this is my opinion. You might like what they have to say. I don’t.) Microwaving the nuggets makes them too flexible- not a good consistency. Baking them results in a passable, but mediocre, experience. You need to fry them in good olive oil. Do not skimp on this, because that’s what makes it work.

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Tools:

Large fry pan

A fork

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Ingredients:

Quorn nuggets

Spray Olive Oil

Bottled Olive Oil

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Directions:

Step 1: Spray pan with olive oil (This can be the cheap stuff).

Step 2: Place nuggets in fry pan.

Step 3: Lightly coat the nuggets with good extra virgin olive oil from the bottle. Turn them over  using fork & repeat. Be careful you don’t drown them- just a nice coating.

Step 4: Fry them on medium heat. Turn them over when necessary.

Step 5: They will be done when they look like the above. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. The breading will be nice and crispy. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil before serving.

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Enjoy!

Sloppy Veg (Beta 2.0)

There’s a reason they call it “comfort food”. Most of these kinds of foods have little nutritional value, but fill the belly & the heart. Sometimes… let’s say about every 28 days or so, a little comfort food is in order.

I have fond memories associated with the Sloppy Joe. As a kid, I ate the horrid kind that comes in a can. I can’t even think of what was in it now! Sloppy Joes are not the most visually appealing of foods, are they? In fact, I think the traditional mixture kind of looks like dog food… But this does not change the memories, nor the feelings they create.

In my sepia-toned version of the past, lunch ladies scooped the mixture onto nutritionally deficient fluffy hamburger buns, and we scarfed it down, staining our little fingers bright orange in the process. It tasted like some unknown spice mixture, which I was certainly not accustomed to, and so Sloppy Joe day was always a treat.

Then, I grew up, became vegetarian, and didn’t eat meat substitutes, until I discovered Quorn. I hate even mentioning it by name without them sending some my way (*waves to Quorn rep*), as it’s not particularly cheap. But the thing is, they’re the only ones who make this product, which is a type of fermented fungus. I can’t eat TVP or similiar foods because of the overwhelming soy content. Upon my discovery, I conjured up a vegetarian Sloppy Joe that I actually could eat, and even perfected it, but never thought to write anything down. Shortly thereafter, the crumbles vanished from my radar, and the recipe vanished from my memory.

From the bits and pieces I do remember, making it was absolutely hilarious, but I wanted to get it right this time. I sought advice and tried this the grownup way, playing around with it until I was happy. So, we are definitely still in beta mode here, until I remember all of my little tricks, but this was good and filling for both heart and tummy.

Sloppy Veg (Beta 2.0):

Tools:

Burner

Olive Oil Spray

Fry pan

Microwave

Something to stir with

Storage container

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Ingredients:

Quorn crumbles

Onion

Mrs. Dash (I ended up using a lot of this. You might not want to use as much. Just check after each little shake & stir).

Nutritional yeast

Lettuce

Peppers

Tomato Sauce

Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

Sliced Bread (I used multigrain).

Vegetarian BBQ Sauce

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Directions:

1. Spray pan with olive oil.

2. Set burner to medium.

3. Place diced onion in pan. (I used about a teaspoon, & that was not enough for me. I like my Sloppy Joes on the spicy side.)

4. Place about a half bag of crumbles in fry pan. (It’s about 3+ servings once you add everything else).

5. Dump about a half a jar of tomato sauce on crumbles. Stir in some Mrs. Dash.

6.  Turn it up to 8 here for a little while, stirring & letting the sauce soak in, & adding another round of Mrs. Dash. Stir. A lot. (Steps 7 & beyond were me randomly improvising.)

7. After everything is mostly soaked in, place into a storage container.

8. A few hours later, take it out, toss in some multicolored peppers, some Daiya, BBQ sauce and more Mrs. Dash, stir, and microwave for about two minutes. Check at intervals. It just needs to be hot throughout.

9. Meanwhile, toast the multigrain bread, sprinkle nutritional yeast on the toast, and add some lettuce to one slice.

10. After taking the mixture out of the microwave,  put it all together and enjoy!

(Mixture yields about 3 + servings)

 

Needless to say, it was yummy! But, I’m still going to play with this some more to see what I can remember. If you have an existing veggie version that doesn’t use soy/tofu/TVP/nuts (did I forget anything?…), please feel free to share in the comments! Thanks!

Inner Peace in Aisle Three

This day…

It just hasn’t gone according to plan. We get so frustrated when that happens, don’t we? Should I say we? Maybe you don’t. If that’s the case, I envy you.

Generally, I am a pretty mellow person, but everyone has their limits, and I haven’t been sleeping well lately. But, I got my butt out of bed, had an uneventful breakfast & started my day. This particular day had driving in it. 15 minutes into the drive, on a two lane road east of nowhere, there is bumper-to-bumper, ain’t gonna happen, put it in park traffic. Huh. Ok universe, I’m cool. *Twiddles thumbs while looking desperately at other vehicles passing by*… After about 10 minutes of this, it’s clear that we’re not going anywhere, so people start turning around. Should I join them? Oh gee, the only other way involves doubling back. I’ll wait. *More twiddling, more smart people turning around*. Ok, I get it. I need to turn around. And I do.

Throughout the course of the morning, countless other unexpected changes of plan emerge. I smile outwardly while losing it internally, and I develop a headache. I try to be patient as loved ones start monologuing. I’m nice to random strangers. Meanwhile, I can feel my eyeballs throbbing in their sockets.

I decide then, to stop at the health food store.

As I walk through the aisles of beautifully colored organic juice, bottles reflecting the florescent lighting, I try to collect myself.: “Ooh, look at that… carob rice milk! I didn’t know they made that. Oh, those bins have nuts in them, can’t go over there, but cool textures! Ooh, tea! I got that great tea last time. OMG, they have a tea for sleep on sale. Mine!”

This goes on and on, until I’ve managed to successfully fill my little basket with not only the tea, but also the rice cream treat I was after, a honey chamomile iced tea, and everything pictured above. The thing is, I’ve been looking for these foods everywhere! I’ve easily found the nuggets, but I haven’t had the crumbles in years! I’ve never tried this particular type of soy-free vegan cheese, or the soy-free vegan mayo, but I’ve heard good things about both.

On the ride home, I enjoyed my rice cream sandwich with the delicious iced tea, and thought about sharing my little adventure. When I got home, I made this cute little sandwich with the vegan mayo, which I loved. And the headache? Nowhere in sight.

Thanks, Universe!