Author Archives: Melissa

Nov 26 2012
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Thoughts

Thanksgiving Recap!

Today was a definitive Back to Reality day. After a long and lazy weekend (though I did have to work on Friday), it was time to get back into gear. I felt a little gross about having pigged out for a few days straight, but I felt really good because I managed to have a 100% vegan meal for Thanksgiving! Though the turkey smelled pretty good cooking in the oven, I was extremely happy with the Wild Rice Cranberry Roast en Croûte that my loving sister ordered for me from Schmole Broods. Oh, what the heck! We ordered Thanksgiving from Whole Foods this year, including my vegan meal.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the vegan roast, but it was really delicious. It tasted like Thanksgiving! Unlike turkey, it had no cholesterol and stayed delicious even though I reheated it. It looked nice and fresh before I heated it, but I won’t be surprised if this was a frozen product to begin with. Field Roast has a product that is a doppelganger for the roast if not the actual roast that I received. This doesn’t disturb me one bit. My original Thanksgiving choice was going to be a Tofurky meal since I have never tried it, but this was different, I don’t recall having seen it before, my soy-sensitive sister is able to enjoy it, and I’m totally psyched that I can buy a frozen version to have any time.

The following sides came with the meal:

  • Health Starts Here® Ginger Mashed Yams (5 oz): I was a little disappointed. There wasn’t much flavor here except for shocking busts of very strong ginger.
  • Health Starts Here® Garlicky Braised Greens (5 oz): This was really good.
  • Health Starts Here® Wild Rice and Whole Grain Stuffing (5 oz): This was hearty and the grains were plentiful, but I had to add some salt to it.
  • Fresh Cranberry Relish (4 oz): I’m not a cranberry person so I didn’t try this.
  • Vegan Mushroom Gravy (4 oz): YUMMMMMM

I will definitely try the Field Roast version. My sister even expressed interest in getting a whole loaf for everyone to share over the holidays. I’m glad I tried the Whole Foods vegan meal, but I’ll definitely make all the vegan side dishes next time. Until then, it’s back to reality! –Melissa

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Nov 21 2012
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Thoughts

Celebrating Our One Year Anniversary With Easy Penne!

Some of my favorite recipes are the ones that are the result of desperation: there’s lots of little things leftover in the fridge, half a box of pasta, nothing new or exciting, just random ingredients and your brain!

 

I cooked some about a cup and a half of penne. Then, I heated up some olive oil, garlic, onions,  and about 2/3 cup of marinara that I had leftover. I added a bit of balsamic vinegar and then I seasoned it with crushed red pepper and Italian seasonings and topped it with some capers. It was easy and delicious and I was able to finish off some of the things I had sitting in my kitchen and fridge.

On another note, today is the one year anniversary of our first post on Turning Veganese! It came up really fast and it’s been a wonderful year of learning and bonding with friends and cooking and eating and getting healthy. We have an exciting giveaway coming up to celebrate this fantastic year! But first, we shall celebrate the US Thanksgiving holiday. We at Turning Veganese are grateful for YOU! Thank you for your support and for all the fun.

Love you guys! –Melissa

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Nov 19 2012
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Recipes

Tahini-Soy Chickpea Salad

Life is thus that I am basically a Lazy Vegan 24/7 and haven’t had a chance to sit and plan and be creative with my cooking. I really want to turn things around, so I decided to make a different sort of chickpea salad to eat with my Boca Chik’n Patty sandwich.

Tahini-Soy Chickpea Salad

1 15 oz canned chickpeas (I would have used dry beans if I had planned ahead)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of one lemon

I drained the chickpeas and set them aside. I then mixed all the other ingredients together in a bowl.

I mixed the beans with the dressing. Note: I only used about half of the dressing.

To make things a little more interesting, I added some grated carrot, sesame seeds, ground coriander, and dried parsley flakes. I’m sadly lacking fresh herbs at the moment and certainly would have added fresh cilantro or parsley instead.

I added some crushed red pepper after plating the salad. This ended up being a delightful and hearty meal! –Melissa

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Nov 14 2012
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Thoughts

Vegan Thoughts

I haven’t been experimenting much with vegan cooking these days, so I thought I would share a few random thoughts with you guys.

I’m really excited about having a 100% vegan Thanksgiving this year. I’ll be ordering my dinner and plan to make a delicious vegan dessert.

I get a real bad hankering for eggs about two or three times a month. Whereas my pizza cravings are more about taste and wanting something junky, my egg cravings seem physiological. I wake up on those days and I think, “I NEED SCRAMBLED EGGS TODAY OR I MIGHT DIE.” I don’t really get it, but I do give in to it and feel zero guilt because it makes me feel better physically. That’s weird, right?

I’m not comfortable calling myself vegan. That’s probably because I eat eggs and cheese sometimes. So, if it ever comes up, I most often will simply say, “I don’t eat meat.” That’s definitely a true statement.

I get really upset with vegetarian restaurants that aren’t vegan-friendly. I feel like they should be called creamy-and-cheesy restaurants.

We are approaching the one year anniversary of Turning Veganese! Can you believe it?? –Melissa

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Nov 12 2012
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Dining Out

Adventures in Dining Out: Karyn’s Cooked

I dine out quite a bit. It’s not really healthy and I definitely should cook more and it can be really frustrating because vegan options are so limited. So it was really fresh and new and quite overwhelming when I had a late dinner at Karyn’s Cooked in River North.

It’s hard to believe that this is the first time I’ve visited one of Karyn’s restaurants. Karyn Calabrese is a very popular Chicago vegetarian and it was a really big deal when she opened a raw foods restaurant. Her empire has expanded: she has a raw cafe, a raw bistro, an inner beauty center, and her cooked foods restaurant. I’ve heard a lot about her and she seems like an amazingly positive and inspirational person.

Karyn’s Cooked is vegan, though they are quick to mention that they use honey in some of their desserts. One look at the menu and I think you will understand why I was overwhelmed. There is so much to choose from, it all sounds really good, and it’s all vegan. There’s no guessing, there’s no having to ask questions about ingredients or request that they hold the cheese. It was really refreshing!

I wasn’t super hungry but needed to nosh on something. I decided to go with the vegan pizza, mainly because I’ve been craving deep dish pizza lately. I was amused when the pizza arrived since the description basically said “vegan cheese, seitan, and veggies.” It was topped with a lot of goodies – peppers, broccoli, kalamata olives, and a ton of onions. The cheese and seitan were deceptively good, in my opinion. I would have liked to have a little more cheese on it. The crust was thin and crispy and the sauce was tasty. This is a great deal at $10, especially after I consider how much a frozen vegan pizza costs. It’s under Appetizers so it’s clearly meant for sharing. Two slices and I was stuffed!

My friend Chris, a non-vegan, ordered the jerk tofu sandwich. I’ll take his word for it when he says it was good. It looked delicious and non-intimidating and was served with potato wedges and cole slaw. The cole slaw looked really good and I couldn’t wait to try it myself. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed and so was Chris. My response when I tried it was, “Hmmm… it tastes like… cabbage.” Now, I realize how crazy of a response that is, but it was really the most cabbage-y cole slaw I’ve ever had. Let me take a sec here and thank Chris for taking me to a vegan place. I didn’t even realize how considerate he had been until well after dinner was over. I’m grateful for thoughtful friends!

I absolutely want to visit Karyn’s Cooked again. The vibe is really laid back, the space isn’t big but it’s roomy with pleasant contemporary decor, and there were lots of tasty-looking sweets on display. There are so many things on the menu that I want to try: lasagna, enchiladas, meatball sandwich, chili, ribs… and they have beer, wine, and cocktails!

Cheers! –Melissa

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Nov 10 2012
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Lazy Vegan, Snacks

An Apple a Day…

I realized today that I haven’t been eating much fruit lately. I forced down some oranges earlier in the week but have otherwise had no appetite for fruit… or really, any food. I wanted to be good today, so I snagged an apple from my sister’s kitchen and sliced it up into wedges.

To make things more fun and interesting (and inspired after rummaging through my nieces’ Halloween candy), I took a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and softened it by heating it in the microwave for 10 seconds, stirring it, and then heating it for another 10 seconds. I took the melty peanut butter and drizzled it on the apple slices.

Voila! One of the easiest snacks ever!

Don’t forget to eat fruit, you guys. –Melissa

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Nov 07 2012
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Dining Out

Adventures in Dining Out: Yolo Mexican Eatery

I’m going to go ahead and say that being vegan is the reason that the cold I had two days ago only lasted about 16 hours. It was the shortest bug I ever had! I’m still taking extra care of myself but I did take the opportunity to dine out for dinner tonight.

It was my first time vising Yolo Mexican Eatery in Skokie, not to be confused with #yolo.

Yolo is a small BYOB restaurant tucked away on Brown street in downtown Skokie. I’ve passed it hundreds of times but wasn’t really aware of its existence until I started researching vegan-friendly places. It’s a cozy place and, from what I could gather, it’s family owned and operated. It wasn’t exactly packed tonight, but I can imagine that it gets busy on the weekends.

We started with a guacamole appetizer which was yummy. It’s funny… I’m not used to non-spicy guacamole anymore, so it was different in that regard, but I wouldn’t describe it as bland. It was tasty and fresh!

 

I ordered the Enchiladas de Platanos for my entree. The enchiladas came smothered in mole sauce and was served with a side of rice and beans. This dish had very interesting flavors in it — very different but delicious. I’m no mole expert, but my best guess is that this is the most authentic mole sauce I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I could actually taste the chocolate. It wasn’t overwhelming in any way, and  my taste buds were hit with sweetness followed by a very satisfying spicyness. The texture of the sauce was also perfect. It wasn’t too thick nor was it gritty. I think I would have preferred the plantains to be a bit more, well, slimey. They had more of a tostones texture.

I expect that I will visit Yolo again. I will probably opt for one of the salads and a vegetarian taco option. I like mole but I need to be in the mood for it. Considering that Yolo is labeled as vegan-friendly on sites like Yelp, I was hoping for more vegan and vegetarian options. That said, it’s the only place where I’ve seen plantain enchiladas on the menu, so I’m glad for that!

YOLO! –Melissa

 

 

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Nov 05 2012
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Thoughts

Not Chick’n Noodle Soup & a Hot Toddy!

Having been born and raised in Chicago, I know it’s only a matter of time before I catch a cold during the fall or winter. I have made it a point to get a flu shot every year since my oldest niece was born, and I either end up with a really violent flu about two weeks after getting the shot or I am in the clear. I got this season’s flu shot a month ago, so my educated guess is that I will not the flu. However, I cannot escape the cold!

It’s not completely unexpected: I was the one idiot in Chicago who wasn’t wearing socks while walking outside yesterday. And then, today, when I couldn’t concentrate and was trying to stay awake at work, I came up with the genius idea to get some fresh air — in the balmy 43 degree weather.

The point is, I feel like total poop right now. I’m sneezing, my nose is running, I’m chilly and achy (uh oh, I hope my flu theory doesn’t get debunked), and I’m exhausted. My body absolutely wants to shut down. My appetite has also been measly all day, but I had to eat something, so I made a really basic Not Chick’n Noodle Soup for dinner.

It doesn’t look like much, and that’s because it isn’t much:

1 cube Edward & Sons Not Chick’n bouillon
2 cups warm water
1 8oz package of traditional Shirataki Noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

I put the water and bouillon in a medium sized pot and let it sit while I drained and rinsed the noodles. I started heating the water and this helped to fully dissolve the bouillon cube. Once it was boiling, I added the noodles, brought it back to a boil and let it cook for about 3 minutes.

This is actually the first time I tried Shirataki noodles! I liked them a lot and I love that the traditional version, made with white yam, is soy-free and has zero calories (along with being gluten-free and vegan).

You can definitely add more to this, but I was really in need of a bare bones broth and noodle dish with little embellishment. I was worried that it would be bland, but it was perfect as-is with just a tiny bit of salt and pepper.

Before going to bed, I definitely wanted to warm up with some hot tea. Why not add some spirit to the mix? I didn’t have whiskey so I used rum for this particular hot toddy. I started with a cup of hot ginger water, but you can start with any tea. I added some agave nectar to sweeten it, and then added just about a tbsp of rum. That isn’t a lot of rum, but I wanted to be pleasantly relaxed, not buzzed.

What vegan cold remedies do you use? –Melissa

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Oct 31 2012
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Lazy Vegan, Reviews

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween from Turning Veganese! Um, now here’s the part where I apologize because this isn’t really a Halloween-themed post, but a Lazy Vegan review of Amy’s Rice Crust Roasted Vegetable Pizza. I liked Amy’s products a lot in my pre-vegan days. Their stuff is just better than other frozen prepared foods in many ways.

This pizza is single serve and topped with shiitake mushrooms, sweet onions, and roasted red peppers. It has no cheese (dairy or otherwise) and is gluten-free. It’s easy to cook in the oven, but what I really loved is that they provided toaster oven directions as well. I love using my toaster oven!! Bonus: no cheese means no potential mess in your oven or oven rack. Sadly, it is not soy-free. It’s not a thousand calories and was the perfect portion for a dinner, though I did make a salad to accompany it.

At the first bite, I was kind of weirded out by the rice crust. I got over it quickly, though. The crust had a nice crunchy texture. The sauce was good and not slimey like on other frozen pizzas. The veggies were good; the sweet onion was the real star among them. I have to admit that the pizza was kind of bland. I sprinkled some garlic salt and red pepper flakes on it and topped with some fresh cilantro that I had in the fridge. It made a HUGE difference!

Here’s a photo of the salad I made. Doesn’t it look delicious? It was!

So, yeah… mine doesn’t exactly look like the version on the box. It might look a little burnt on the edge, but there was no burnt taste and it was just as edible as the rest of the slice. I am likely to buy this again, but I might watch to see when it’s on sale or I have a coupon. Amy’s has a lot of great products, but, unfortunately, you won’t find their vegan products in many (or any) stores outside of your neighborhood Whole Foods.

Now, I have to go back to resisting all the non-vegan Halloween candy I have! –Melissa

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Oct 29 2012
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Lazy Vegan

Jazz Up Gardein Crispy Tenders

I have professed my love for Gardein products before, but what’s great about food and cooking is that we can always experiment and make tasty foods even tastier. I had some Gardein Crispy Tenders, which were going to feed my craving for something (seemingly) deep fried, but I was also craving Chinese food. Those cravings led to this:

All I did was bake the tenders according to the package instructions. Five minutes before cook time was over, I took the strips out of the oven and coated it with a sauce (recipe follows). Then, I covered the strips and let it bake for the last five minutes. I served it with white jasmine rice.

Plummy Sauce (perfect coating for 5 tenders)

3 tbsp plum sauce
1-2 tbsp chopped green onion
Sriracha or other hot sauce, to taste (optional)
sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients together. You can mix it up by adding some freshly minced garlic and ginger.

Easy and delicious! –Melissa

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