Greetings from Philly

My husband and I are in Philadelphia from today till Sunday to celebrate our anniversary, 6 years this Saturday!!! I will attempt to keep you updated with all the fun and exciting foods that we are eating.

Tonight we walked right out the door of our hotel and saw a pizza place called SliCE. Pizza sounded good so we decided to give it a try. Can you believe they had Vegan Mozzarella Cheese!! We started with Garlic Bread with Marinara. Our pizza was awesome, we got mozzarella, spinach, onion, and fresh garlic. What a great find when we weren't even looking.

Pick Ax Burrito

Dinner tonight was fantastic and for two reasons. One David loved it (he can be hard to please sometimes). Two it was a Mexican dish that didn't have beans, which can be hard to find in a Vegan recipe. We have tried burritos before with Boca crumbles and not liked them. I found a new recipe and decided to give it another go, it turned out great! The key is to really let the crumbles get browned and crispy on the stove top. Here is the recipe:

1 onion, diced
16 oz frozen vegetarian meat crumbles
1/4 c water
1 tsp Bragg Liquid Aminos (you can find it in a health food store, Whole Foods, etc)
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
Whole Grain Wraps
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded Romaine Lettuce
Salsa

In a skillet on high heat, saute the onion for 3 min. Add the crumbles, water, Bragg's, and spices. Cook on med-high heat for 10 mins (or until browned and crispy). Fill wrap with "meat" and all the toppings (ie. corn, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa).

For a bonus I had a leftover potato and sauteed it with some green onion in a skillet and used it as a filler/topping also. It was a wonderful addition!!

Stunning Changes

When my family went vegan there were certain changes that I expected, cooking at home, weight loss (yay!!), and cravings for foods we loved but were now "forbidden". But there have been many changes that I never expected and have come as such a great surprise.

We have gotten away from making food the entertainment. Going out on date night...where are we going to eat? Hanging out with friends tonight....where are we going to eat? Now instead we actually do things that are, well...entertaining. When some friends came in town we went to the Horse Track Races, now when I want to get together with family/friends we get our bikes and go for a ride. I am finding all these things that are fun and healthy for me and my life!

Another extraordinary surprise came today at an unexpected time. My daughter and I went to a graduation party and there was food everywhere, none that I would/should eat. Audrey, of course, wants a snack. I ask her what she wants, there are chips, dips, sweets, and what does she pick out of all of this.....carrots!!!! What?!?! Have I accidentally taught her something invaluable? My McDonald's loving, cookie eating monster picked something healthy all on her own. This is the best reward I could have asked for.

Oh and as for the craving of forbidden foods, not an issue. I have found SO many alternatives. I can truly say that there is nothing that I am missing!

I LOVE BBQ Chicken pizza and today ran across a recipe for BBQ pizza. I gave it a try and it turned out fantastic!!! Super easy, here is how:

1/2 c tomato paste mixed with 1 c barbecue sauce and 2 tsp dried oregano
2 store made pizza crusts
1 red onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 can pineapple chunks, drained

Follow cooking instructions on pizza crust.

This is enough to make 2 pizzas. By the way-I love sauce on a pizza but I would suggest going light, it gets to be a bit much.

Talking the Talk and Walking the Wok

Tonight for dinner I used my new Wok for the first time. It is so fun trying something new and having it turn out successful. We had Vegetable Stir-Fry with Seitan (a chicken like substance and taste). It was great, here is how I made it, give it a try!!

1 lb seitan, strips
1/2 onion, sliced into half rounds
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP tamari and 1 TBSP brown sugar, combined

Heat a large, sprayed wok. Add the ingredients in order listed, stirring for 1 minute after each addition. Serve over rice.

Popsicles

I had a lot of left over fruit from the birthday party so I decided to blend it all together and make popsicles. They were delicious and all natural. Here is a picture of my 3 year old enjoying hers.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Yesterday my adorable son turned 1 so, of course, we threw him a birthday party. We had family and friends over for a barbecue, which would mean meat by their standards. So I had to get creative and managed to have everything at the party Vegan with the exceptions of the burgers and cake. No one was aware that they only had Vegan options and everyone enjoyed all the delicious things available to eat.

We had bruchetta, chips and hummus, and salsa for appetizers. For dinner we had burgers, vegan brats, fresh fruit, edamame succotash, chips, and pasta salad. And for dessert we had the classic birthday cake, but as a treat to my family we got vegan cupcakes!!!!

I threw a great party and successfully fed and satisfied my guests!! And I managed to be true to my new lifestyle without making excuses or exceptions.