I plotted this out last night, because I had just the right combination of veggies & sausage for some heavenly hash. Along with the chipotle chorizo (from Viva Vegan!), I've recently made the chicken & Italian sausages from Vegan Diner. So, so good. My freezer is full of assorted veggie sausages, what could be better?!
This "recipe" is pretty loose. Use whatever veggies you have on hand, and if you can make it without using so many pans, go for it. I just wanted everything cooking at once, but didn't want watery sausage, so I kept things separate till the end...
Hearty Hash w/Chipotle Chorizo
- olive oil for sauteeing
- 7 small potatoes, cubed (I peeled mine, since they were sprouting)
- 1 chipotle chorizo, chopped
- 15 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 a medium sweet onion, diced
- salt & pepper to taste
- shredded pepper jack, sour cream, & hot sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 400*F. In a large cast iron pan, toss the potatoes with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring them halfway through cooking time.
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, saute the chorizo in a tablespoon of olive oil until golden on most sides. (I recommend a little hotter than medium-low, and make sure to stir them often.)
In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute the mushrooms till they're golden; place them in a separate bowl & set aside.
Using the same pan you used for the 'shrooms, saute the onions & peppers till tender, but not mushy (I didn't need to add more olive oil, but you can).
By the time all the components are sauteed, the potatoes should be just about ready. Take them out of the oven & dump everything over the potatoes. Season them well with salt & pepper, & give them a good toss. Serve with cheese, sour cream, & hot sauce, or whatever you like. Ketchup would be good too! Enjoy!
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I hit the crafty mother-lode at Goodwill the other night. Someone must have been ovah their beading hobby, because there were probably 60 tubes of seed beads, all 99 cents each. I limited myself to 20 tubes (a couple aren't pictured, because I forgot to grab the 2 that were in my bag), so now I've got to put them to good use!
Yesterday was a productive day for me. After I did homework, went to the Farmer's Market, & walked to the store, I cooked all evening! So fun. The first thing I made was a new batch of granola. I used the honey I got at the Farmer's Market, but you can also substitute maple syrup or agave, if you're vegan or don't have honey on hand.
The recipe that inspired my "regular" granola is from the Vegan Spoonful blog, which no long exists, so that's why I'm not linking to it. :(
Honey Granola
- 4 cups oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2-2 cups dried cranberries (set aside till granola has baked)
Preheat oven to 325*F (honey burns easily, hence the low temperature). Prepare a large jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, nuts, coconut, flax seeds, salt & cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey & olive oil. Pour the honey/oil mixture over the other ingredients & toss till combined. Spread granola over the prepared pan & bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Toss in the dried cranberries. Let cool & store in an airtight container.
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I recently re-watched Food, Inc., which was depressingly inspirational. I went through all my food & donated the "healthy" processed stuff & possible GMO crap to my sister & stocked up on staples at the store. I decided that, instead of munching on a Tiger's Milk Bar when I'm heading out, I'd make my own emergency energy bars. They're mostly raw, & totally delicious. The recipe is inspired by Chow's Figgy Fuel Bars, but I didn't follow it exactly.
I love how the owl is side-eying the bar...
Knock-off Lara Bars- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1 pound Medjool dates, pitted
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Line an 8X8-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. In a food processor, pulse the nuts till pretty finely chopped. Add the dates & pulse until the nuts & dates form a sticky, chunky dough. Add the remaining ingredients & pulse until combined; you'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl & push the mixture down to the blades. Pack the mixture into the prepared pan & smooth the top. Freeze till firm, then cut into 12-16 bars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving.
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I also wanted to make something from Viva Vegan!, which I got from the library. It's a really awesome cookbook, so I might buy it myself. The chorizo recipe in it kicks the ass of the one from Vegan Brunch.
I'll write the recipe as I made it, which is pretty close to the Chipotle Chorizo variation. It's tangy & spicy! I subbed a couple things, plus baked it low & slow, which I do with all homemade sausages. Amazing...
Chipotle Chorizo
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 2/3 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup garbanzo flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 325*F. Tear 4 square pieces of foil & set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, chipotle puree, olive oil, vinegar, & garlic. In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, & all the spices/seasonings. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones & mix to combine (the recipe says to knead the dough to activate the gluten, but I like mine tender).
Divide into 4 portions & place each blob on a piece of foil. Pat into a long log & then roll up the sausages, twisting the ends (don't roll them too tightly, or they'll burst open in the oven). Bake for one hour, rolling them over about halfway through. Let cool completely before slicing, or you'll have a mushy sausage log.
The book says they'll keep in the fridge for two weeks; freeze what you won't be able to eat in a timely manner.
It's difficult to take an appetizing shot of a sausage schlong, sorry!
One of my favorite ways of eating veggie sausage is with baked homefries. As soon as the potatoes are almost done cooking, sautee some diced sausage in a separate pan till crispy & fragrant; toss with the potatoes & serve with some nutty wheat toast!
I love the new bike signs on Clinton. So cute! They have a bunch of colors, but I took a picture of a pink one.
This is one of my favorite Spring views in the neighborhood. It's so much prettier in real life though! 
I'm embarrassed to say that my trip to the Farmer's Market this morning was my first visit of the season. Damn. I usually end up talking myself out of going, since I spend what feels like my entire existence at the PSU campus. This morning, however, I forced myself to go & battle the yuppies, ha ha, & I'm glad I did (sorry, but the PSU market crowd is pretty bourgie!). We'd been out of honey for so long, & I always seek out the lovely people from Raynblest Farm. I got a nice, tall beeswax candle too; they last forever & smell amazing!
I rewarded myself with a nice bouquet of flowers, even though our apartment is crammed with houseplants. The more the merrier!
Things are quiet around here, without Ethan, so I've been intermittently studying, gardening, & making cards. There are more cards on my Flickr page, but this one turned out pretty cute.
For now, I think I'm going to walk to the store, then make some energy bars & a batch of granola for the week.
<3 <3 <3
Ethan is going to visit his parents this weekend, while I suffer with gobs of homework, so I made some cookies for Cathy & David. These are vegan chocolate chip cookies, which are just a veganized version of the Toll House recipe. So good! I make these all the time at work.
Vegan Toll House Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- egg replacer for 2 eggs (I use Ener-G)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 375*F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, & salt; set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together the margarine, sugars, egg replacers, & vanilla; beat till light & fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl a couple times. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl; mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips & nuts. Place 2-tablespoons-sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, letting them cool on the sheets before removing.
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I had to get a few pictures of the garden. It's so sunny today & everything is growing like mad!
Here's some of the mint, hanging with its gnome guardian:
Begonia & Salvia flowers:
Violets:
Enjoy the day, wherever you are!
Today we got back from our 5th annual UFO FEST in McMinnville (it was actually the 12th year of the festival though). The festival is sponsored by McMenamins, & is the product of so much hard work & planning by many people, especially Tim Hills. <3 <3 <3
The festival is in honor of Evelyn & Paul Trent, local farmers who (reluctantly!) witnessed a UFO on May 11, 1950.
We always camp in Champoeg State Park, then head into McMinnville for the guest speakers & events. So much fun!
And it's beautiful too!
We camped in our tent Friday night, then had to pack up early Saturday morning, since we had different arrangements for Saturday. On the way into McMinnville, we stopped at the Goodwill & I found this Finel mushroom bowl. I'm embarrassed to say that I had a serious shopping high after finding it; I've wanted one for years & they're always WAY overpriced on Etsy!
The guest speaker on Friday night was Robert Salas, a teacher & former air force captain who, while working at Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1967, experienced a systematic shut-down of 10 nuclear missiles. This occurred as guards sighted a UFO outside the gates! This presentation was amazing. Mr. Salas believes the aliens did not intend anything harmful, but were sending us a message about the dangers of nuclear weaponry. This was not the only time missiles were shut down, nor was it an "accident" of engineering. So fascinating! He is a proponent of disclosure, & does a lot of research through FOIA & interviews of military personnel.
The next morning, we heard from Stan Gordon, who shared a wealth of info about UFO incidents around the Pennsylvania area, and specifically the Kecksburg Incident. He also talked about the prevalence of Bigfoot sightings in the area, & how they often go hand in hand with UFO activity. He was a great speaker & had a ton of eyewitness accounts & photographic evidence. I could have listened to him all day!
Saturday afternoon, we staked out a perfect spot to see the UFO Costume Parade down Third Street. We were going to wait in front of Third Street Books, but moved up to another spot where we could get closer to the road.
I love this shot of the Hotel Oregon rooftop.
The turnout was huge! Everyone gets into it---even babies & pets!
Emcee Peter Davenport, from NUFORC, greeted local fans!
Stan Gordon too!
The final speaker was Paola Harris, an amazing teacher, researcher, & journalist, who has worked with pretty much every well-known ufologist out there. She is adamant about young people getting into ufology, as well as interviewing our elders before they pass on. Many of them have witnessed things that they were hesitant to come forward about, especially if their families or employers swore them to secrecy. She believes we need to unite as a species & develop a method of exopolitics, in order to peacefully welcome alien visitors.
I got a shot of Stan Gordon, visiting people after Paola Harris' presentation. All the speakers are down-to-earth (ha ha) & are very approachable. Of course I'm too chicken to do so, but Ethan has!
After listening to Ms. Harris, we headed back to Champoeg & stayed in a cabin for the night. It was our first time renting a cabin there; we usually camp in a tent, but thank goodness we got the cabin for Saturday---it POURED rain all night & morning. :)
My sister checked on Yoda & gave him some snugglin' while we were gone, but he was so thankful & affectionate when we got home. Poor behbeh.
I barely finished the project in time, since Mom & Sean came out to visit yesterday, instead of today! It was fun. My sister came over, so Smels, Mom, Sean, Ethan & I went to Namaste Indian Cuisine, for delicious Indian food. It's so good. Sean ate three ice cream cones! They're those baby cones, but still!
This photo of the cross stitch is hard to read, so I'll type out the text. It's based on an affirmation by Louise L. Hay. I thought it would inspire Mom to keep on her path of self-healing. She's such a strong woman. I love you, Mom!
"I am one with Life, and all of Life loves and supports me. Therefore, I claim for myself an open heart filled with love. We are all doing the best we can at any given moment, and this is also true for me. The past is over and done. I am not my parents, nor their own patterns of resentment. I am my own unique self, and I choose to open my heart and allow the love, compassion, and understanding to flush out all memories of past pain. I am free to be all that I can be. This is the truth of my being, and I accept it as so. All is well in my life."
Send your moms some loving vibes, today & every day!
Last night, I came home & decided to use the beautiful orange cauliflower I'd gotten last weekend.
I LOVE getting colorful fruits & veggies, especially ones we're not used to seeing that often. Since the cauliflower is orange, I thought Cheesy Cauliflower Soup would be perfect! I just winged it, & kept track of what I put into it. Try it sometime, if you need to use a head of cauliflower, or even a large head of broccoli.
The cauliflower lightens up when it's cooked, so Ethan thought I'd put corn in it. :) Sorry about the wonky lighting, but it was dark outside when the soup was done.
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 of a medium onion, finely diced
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 ounces Sharp Tillamook Cheddar, diced
- salt & pepper to taste
Place the cauliflower in a medium pan; add about an inch of water to it & cover it with a lid. Steam cauliflower for 5-7 minutes, depending on size & how soft you like it; drain & set aside.
Meanwhile, in another medium pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions & saute until soft & translucent. I turned the heat down towards the end, because I didn't want the onions to brown. Once the onions are softened, add the flour, stirring often for several minutes (you want to cook the "raw" taste out of the flour, so the soup tastes just right!).
Add the water and whole milk (or just use 4 cups of 2% milk), stirring often until it thickens up. Remove from heat, stir in the cauliflower & cheese cubes. Stir gently until the cheese is melted. Season well with salt & pepper. Enjoy!
What a gorgeous Sunday!!! And it's International Workers' Day too! Workers of the world, unite! :)
I woke up @ 7:00, for some odd reason, & was so full of energy. Everything in the Universe was full of potential. This is what happens when the sun shows in Oregon, ha ha.
Ethan was promised a hearty, homemade breakfast, so he could finish his mid-term paper with proper fuel. It was delish, consisting of chipotle-roasted potatoes, whole wheat toast, maple-y tempeh bacon & eggs from Coral & Ryan's chickens (I'm not a big egg-eater, so I abstained).
Here's my plate of delicious brown foodz:
After doing some Spring cleaning, I headed to the nursery & got a ton of plants: tomato starts, pink sage, a curry plant, several succulents, lavender, rosemary, pea seeds, salvia, & a shit-ton of various flowers. I still need to get a bit more potting soil, as well as a few more large pots for the remaining tomato starts.
Rainbow flower pots:
Side View:
Some of the tomatoes:
Pansies & marigolds:
After all that gardening fun, Coral & my sister came over for a crafty night. Coral worked on a couple flower girl dresses for her upcoming wedding, my sister worked on a dress she was fixing up, & I worked on Mom's Mother's Day present---it's a surprise, so I can't have any spoiler pics. Here's a clue though...
