Crispy Asian Setian Crunchies

This recipe started as a discussion with my daughter and I, when we were thinking about alternatives to a typical hamburger bun.

Ingredients:
1 package rice or bean noodles (ramen noodles would also work here), cooked
2 tsp. Vegg + 0.5 c. water (or other egg replacer)
1 package Upton's Seitan (traditional)
1 green pepper, sliced
0.5 onion, sliced
3 carge carrots, cut in strips
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced
Sirachia for topping




Mix the cooked and drained noodles with the egg replacer thoroughly  Then set in a container for at least 30 minutes.  I made my noodles the night before, so they could set overnight.




Stir-fry the seitan and vegetables in a large skillet over medium heat.

Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large pan (1-2 inches) until it is near smoking. Your noodles should have set into a patty or loaf (taking the shape of your container.  I used a rectangular container, so I have a loaf).  Slice your loaf or patty into uniform pieces, and drop pieces into your pan, swirling them around over the heat.  When they turn a golden color, and look crispy, flip them over.  You will need less time on the second side than the first.

 


Plate the crunchies, and top with the seitan vegetable mixture.

Pair with a Chianti. Serve with steamed edamame, and share with friends!

A Hectic schedule for a "Fall-back" week!

Sometimes, Nothing goes the way you have intended.  That's not a bad thing, though.  In this life, I think it's best to roll with it, and enjoy life, no matter what twists and turns it takes you on.

First of all, let me share this great picture of Rob and I, this was taken at the Rivers Edge Restaurant on Pax River Base for his awards dinner. Look at how skinny I look! And these great (vegan) boots!

The weather has been quite fall-like this week, with wind and rain. Good one for a easy workout week.  

Tuesday evening the sky was really fantastic to see. My crummy camera only captured a bit of it.

Rob was a sweetie and brought me home sunflowers on Monday! They're among my favorite flowers! The colors seemed to go well with my autumnal state of mind, too!

Of the five planned meals for this week, I've only successfully made two of them! Ah, well, we'll see those recipes again next week.

Two of these sweet potatoes are organic, and one was purchased at Safeway. Any guesses?

Monday night I made The Vegan Zombie's twice baked sweet potatoes. They came out beautifully!

First, I baked three sweet potatoes for about 45 minutes at 350. Being that two of my yams were supersized, I could have baked them an additional 15-20 minutes, and my mashing process would have been easier.

After I pulled them out of the oven, I cut out the insides, and mixed them with some vegan plain yogurt,  hot red pepper flakes, a little earth balance, and some vegan organic bacon bits. Then I refilled the skins, topped them with more red pepper flakes, bacon bits, and some daiya. They were beautiful to look at and extremely tasty!

Wednesday evening we ended up having Winesday at Annie and Bart's house. They played the part of host(ess) with the mostest. I love our little tradition of Winesdays! It is something I look forward to each week, and when we miss it, I miss my friends!

Bart ( not an anti-vegan, but a serious carnivore) has been perfecting his veg grill skills, and turned out a fantastic looking vegan dinner! Grilled potatoes, and a basket full of mixed grilled vegetables.

 

 Friday night, I made these adorable mini pot pies from Plant Based on a Budget. They came out so cute, that we gobbled them up without remembering to plate them for pictures! This was a super easy and comforting recipe that I will use again!

Some pictures for a Tuesday afternoon

Thought I'd share a few pictures with you on this beautiful Tuesday!

Now, I know it's Tuesday, but in my head it's not.  It's Winesday.  Each week, my BFF Annie and I get together and drink a little wine and hang out.  Generally this happens on Wednesdays, but this week I have to attend Honors Convocation tomorrow night, so Winesday has been rescheduled.  Now, Annie and I take turns hosting Winesday, and this week it's my turn.  

Big Bowl of Chopped Veggies:

Very often we have hummus, carrots, and pita chips.  As a vegan, I'm required by law to love hummus, which I do, but I thought we'd try something different this week.

This is a veggie dip I made with soft tofu, veganaise, cilantro, parsley, chives, some black pepper, and lemon juice.

For dessert we'll have some fresh strawberries and a blueberry coconut yogurt dip (vegan) I made with some vanilla coconut yogurt, some blueberry preserves, and a little brown sugar.  Yum.

I'm ready!  We've been on a Cupcake Winery kick lately.  Annie prefers the Chianti, and I love the Malbec.

Annie (and her hubby, Bart) aren't here yet, so I took a step outside to admire my flowers.  These Irises are gorgeous!  

I love that different flowers grow at different times here, the colors are great.  I can take NO responsibility for these beauties, though.  The previous owner of the house planted bulbs all around the yard- it's obvious that they took a lot of care to plant things that would bloom at different times.  This little raised garden is pretty weedy, but it's still beautiful.  I keep telling Rob I'd like to dig up this entire yard and have a huge garden (I'd love to be self-sustaining!) but that would mean I had to dig up these pretty things.

This ivy growing up the side of the house is new this year.  Probably not good for the integrity of the house, but it sure is pretty.  This window is the one in my office that I am now sitting next to at my computer.  I love that hint of pink right outside the window.

The dogs were helping me look at the flowers.  Copper was interested in me being interested in the Irises.

Little Jack wasn't interested in the flowers at all.  He wanted to dig a hole.  He's got one that he and Lily have been working on all year.  Rob keeps telling them "China's a lot further than you think it is!"  Lily didn't come out to look at the flowers.  Our run this morning tired her out, and she is taking a nap on the bed.

Have a beautiful day, friends!