flowering tea I got for Christmas Thanks Mom

white bean dip- great northern beans, toasted pine nuts, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, feta, and parm. For tonight
Tracie

Vegan treats for the HOHOHO party. Seitan sausages and spinach dip
Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Been Busy and more to come

Holidays are here and I am putting together appetizers for various parties. I have some vegan and veg-head friends so I am going to make some of the following. Will post pics next week.

More Seiten Sausage to use sliced with crackers.
A vegan spinach artichoke dip.

I am going to try and make that Katie Brown bean dip that I previously link to.

The addition on the house is coming along slowly but surely and we have opened it into the house.

Bad news is my abdnominal pain is back and I don't know if it is recurrent adhesions or reactivation of endometriosis. I am in a lot of pain and just trying to get through the holidays and not let it consume me.

I have also been thinking about NYE and goals for 2010. I think reducing negativity is going to be a big one.

Happy Holidays!!

Katie Brown - Where's Katie

Katie Brown - Where's Katie link to bean dip

Katie Brown - Where's Katie

Katie Brown - Where's Katie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Veggie Hash (my take on the vegetarien restaruant, Gaia's Veggie Hash)

My take on Gaia's Veggie Hash

saute garlic and onion in olive oil.
add some water, 2 tbsp Bragg's or soy sauce, 1 tbsp Better than Boullion veggie, 1 tsp powdered ginger ( you could use fresh but not sure how much)
then add sliced potatoes(I used red and purple), beets, carrots, brocolli, califlower, carrot, mushrooms zucchini, chopped red and cabbage

simmer until potatoes are tender

serve topped with cheese and sour cream.

Paella fritters and coleslaw
Tracie

Veggie paella: rice, saffron, garlic, shallots, onion, rosemary, tarragon, eggplant, corn, zucchini, carrot, baby bella mushrooms, tomatoes, and vegan chix broth
Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

fresh gazpacho with sour cream and pepper
Tracie

Forgiveness

I have been trying to do some soul searching today and found these quotes and wanted to share them.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.-- Mahatma Gandhi

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. --Cherie Carter-Scott

Many people are afraid to forgive because they feel they must remember the wrong or they will not learn from it. The opposite is true. Through forgiveness, the wrong is released from its emotional stranglehold on us so that we can learn from it. Through the power and intelligence of the heart, the release of forgiveness brings expanded intelligence to work with the situation more effectively. -- David McArthur & Bruce McArthur

Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.----Sidney and Suzanne Simon
Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time—just like it does for you and me. --Sara Paddison

How to Cook Tofu Like the Pros: Dry-fry and Marinate Method

How to Cook Tofu Like the Pros: Dry-fry and Marinate Method




OMG this is soooo yummy. Finally a good way to fry tofu.

Wild Blackberries from my backyard

Tracie

French Toast with Blueberry and Wild Blackberry Compote and Greek Yogurt

Tracie

Zuchini Noodle Salad

Tracie

Zucchini "noodle" salad

1 large zucchini--use a julienne tool to make noodles, peeling the outside until you get to seeds (this isn't the one I have but it is similar)
1 can of black olives halved
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 red onion diced
1 jar of roasted yellow peppers chopped
3 medium bulbs of garlic roasted
1/2 cup of Grana Padano cheese freshly shredded
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts.
1/4 EVOO
1/4 of balsamic vinegar
fresh basil, garlic chives, and Italian parsley to taste

Tracie

Cabbage salad with Walnuts and Dried Cherries

I have a great cabbage salad recipe

Please note that messurements are approximate, you might want to adjust to taste. I don't messure anything


I use a mandoline slicer or food processor for this

1/2 head of cabbage thinly sliced/shredded
1 medium cucumber julienned
sliced
1 medium carrot julienned
1/4 cup of crushed walnuts or slivered almonds
1/3 cup of dried cherries

dressing:
1/4 of apple cider vinegar
1/4 of light olive oil
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of sugar

toss all together.

I made it last night and it was yummy

Tracie

Flowers from my Garden

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

Tracie

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Tracie

Construction Hell

Well the addition has begun and is delayed already because of rain. Makes for a very cranky husband. He started brewing beer instead for our wedding reception picnic. I have been slacking off on cooking and hope to get back into it over this weekend. I want to make somemore seiten so I can make mock chicken salad again as it is sooooo yummy. Need to try to figure how to post pictures from my new phone--enV Touch. All for now--Tracie

Support Meat Free Monday – Eat less meat for a better planet

Support Meat Free Monday – Eat less meat for a better planet

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June already?!!!

Wow I can't believe summer is here. Been really busy the past few weeks. Spent
Memorial weekend at Drummond Island.



Had a party at the Witt's. I made BBQ Seiten and a great salad. Spinach, artichoke
hearts, vadalia onions, sundried tomatos, and pinenuts. Dressing was balsalmic vinegar, some of the marinade from the artichokes, and olive oil.

GR Festival is this weekend.. Can't wait.

It is only Wednesday?

I am dragging this morning. My daughter was dragging also which made for a very stressful start to the morning. I need to kick it back in gear and start working out. I have been really bad this past week. I was going to get up this morning, but I decided to make more chicken seiten last night and was up until midnight. I boiled it again, this time I decided to throw all the veggies I had that looked like they might start going bad over the next few days and ended up with a lovely soup that I put some of the seiten in. I will post a pick later as I brought some for lunch. I put baby yellow potatoes, golden beets, vadalia onions, fennel, celery, carrots, asparagus end pieces, mushrooms, cabbage, and then sage, savory, saffron,tarragon, rosemary, bay leaf, vegan chicken bullion, Lawreys, Bragg's, and garlic. It is yummy!!

Hayday in May

Wow, Mother's Day was awesome yesterday. I got breakfast in bed. Yes that is prosciutto and dairy. Although I do eat at lot of vegan food I am not vegan. So I ate in bed and read until around 11:00am. Then we went on a 10 mile bikeride and then went to visit the moms.




For lunch today I had this.


That is Root Veggie Salad in the middle which is baby yellow potato, sweet potato, golden beets, celery, and vadalia onions with veganaise, white wine, cider vinegar, celery salt, dill, and lemongrass. I originally made this on Sat with Fennel smoked Rainbow trout which I got from a Bar-B-Q cookbook I have. Basically you soak fennel stems and lay them on the coals and then grill the rainbow trout that is bastated with lemon juice. Then you melt 1/2 cup of butter with chop fennel leaves and juice of 1/2 lemon. I changed the recipe and added lemon grass on the fish and in the sauce. The rest is baby greens, avocado, tomato, and artichoke hearts.

This month is going to be great. My birthday is Friday and about 16 of us are going to dinner at the Blue Water Grill in Grand Rapids. Then next weekend we are going to Drummond Island for 5 days.

Ok, so I am still trying to not get upset at my ex but WTF? He calls my cell phone at 8:40pm last night and leaves a message that he just called to wish me a happy Mother's Day and oh, also please tell our daughter that he misses her and loves her. Well my question is, why the hell didn't you call earlier and tell her yourself? Why haven't you called since her birthday and oh, by the way, why didn't you send her a present or even a frickin card? What is wrong with him? Ok, I am done. Trying to be the better person and not let him irritate me but he is such an ass it hard. Enough of wasting my time and energy.....letting it go. Breath........

Tracie

Spring Cleaning

I feel like cleaning gives me a new start. Today I cleaned my desk at work and it feels nice to be caught up and uncluttered. If only our house was that way!!! I plan on doing some this weekend but Sunday I am sleeping in!!!! I went to Brickroad Pizza today and had a yummy vegan pizza with spinach, seasoned tofu, and vegan cheese. http://www.brickroadpizza.com/ YUM-EEE.

I am very frustrated with my exhuband and trying not to let him get to me. Our daughters birthday was 4 weeks ago and her present him has yet to show up. I guess his 2 min 10 sec phone call will have to do. She calls my husband Daddy anyway. I am trying sooo hard to just let it go and let him be who he is. I haven't talked to him in months and have no desire to either. Sometimes I just try to breath. It is beautiful today and I long to lay in my hammock. Last weekend an old sweet friend of mine from St John died in a car accident. She touched so many lives with her spirit and her art. I must look at as I look at all bad things. It must have happened for a reason, even if I cannot see what that reason was. Maybe there was pain and suffering on a different path for her and this path was better. RIP Annie Love.

Seitanic Success!

Well I tried baked seitan sausage following the Seieten O'Greatness recipe going around but changed the spices. I used a cajun spice mix instead of cayenne and paprike and it was awesome!!!

I also made some steamed sweat italian sieten sausages following this recipe http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=109 but changin the spice to a Tuscan spice blend and added 2 tbsp of brown sugar. I really like the textured of these better as it wasn't as dry. But they were both awesome!!







Baked Cajun Seitan



Sweet Italian Seitan





This is some tofu mock crock cheese.

Can your head REALLY explode?

I have a killer sinus headache today. I am going to attempt to make seitan sausage tonight and will have my friend Jeff who is a seasoned vegan try it tomorrow. I was told by another vegan that my chicken seitan was incredible. I attempted to make vegan Sloppy Joes last night and added too much Braggs, so family wasn't impressed.

Even though I am trying vegan foods, I am a flexetarrian. Here are some photos of some salads I made recently.


Salad Niçoise


Grilled Sockeye Salmon

Ta For Now,
Tracie

I could eat this everyday.

I am soo excited that Sami's The Pita House just opened another location close to my work. This is one of their Vegetarian Platters. Yummy!

Spinach salad with tarriaki glazed seitan, green onions, and mango

This is my lunch today. I took some of the seitan I made last week and sliced it into 1/4 slices, brushed with a tarriaki glaze and bake at 400 degreees for about 17 minutes turning and basting half-way. Then refridgerated over night. The salad is just baby spinach, the seitan, mango, green onions, roasted sesame seeds and Newmans Own Asian Dressing spray. YUMMY

The Rain Won't Get Me Down!!

We went to my friends cottage this weekend. The forecast disappointingly went from being sunny and in the 80's on Thursday night to being in the 60's and rainy all weekend. But we still managed to have a bonfire, make some-mores(sp), and the kids blew bubbles in the mist. My daughter and her friend Ava had a riot. Ava is a really cool kid. At the age of 8, she decided on her own to become a vegetarian, while her parent are not. They are very supportive of her efforts. I am surprised that an 8-year-old has such will power. Her and Renee had girl time all weekend, either upstairs on the balcony or in our pop-up. I can't believe my baby is a big girl now. She really didn't want anything to do with me all weekend. It was good to see this independant side of her.

My friend always goes to the Variety in Hesperia to by some odd and crazy gifts for the people staying. While we were looking I spotted this crazy angel baby doll with a black eye.