That Was Vegan?

Would it surprise you to learn that I have a cutting board the shape of Colorado?

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking… “Everyone has a cutting board the shape of Colorado because Colorado IS A RECTANGLE!” Ok, so would it surprise you to know that you’re wrong!? We are not a perfect rectangle. There is actually a smallish indent along the Southwestern edge of the state. So, now you know.

Annnd now you’re also wondering why I’m giving you a geography lesson, right? It’s because the kind folks at Epicurean sent me one of their State Shape Cutting Boards to try out.  Fun, right? Who doesn’t want a cutting board the shape of their state? They’d also make good gifts, I think.

I’ve had mine for a couple months now, and haven’t had any problems with it. I chop and dice on it, and it’s still in great shape. I run it through the dishwasher, same story. Good as new. I’ve spilled wine on it, and it didn’t stain. I even dropped it on the floor once and it didn’t crack or splinter, so it’s all good in my book! It’s easier to clean than the wooden boards I have, yet nicer and much sturdier than my plastic ones from IKEA.

According to their website, these cutting boards are:

• Made of natural slate
• Dishwasher safe
• Eco friendly: Made using materials that leave a low carbon footprint)
• Knife friendly: Will not dull knives by allowing surface to slightly score, protecting knife edge
• Heat resistant: To 350 degrees F/ 176 degrees C, and can be used as a trivet without leaving a blemish, and
• Are made in the USA!

So if you’re in the market for a new cutting board, check out these fun state shaped fellas.

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This Lemon Butter Quinoa is like some magical combination of rich, buttery corn on the cob and healthy quinoa and veggies. It’s magic, I tell ya!

I made this a few weeks ago as a side dish, and loved it so much I made another batch the next day for work lunches. Tons of protein and vitamins in there, and then the sweet combination of butter and lemon… it’ll be your new favorite too!

In addition to the corn, I just used scallions and mini peppers. Love those mini peppers! They’re always $2.50 for a big ol’ bag of them around here, and I love a good deal!

And yes, it’s kind of a summer dish but you could continue to make it throughout the winter using frozen corn and bell peppers. It would still be delicious and healthy! I’m certainly planning to. I just love when simple dishes turn out to taste so fabulous, don’t you?

Lemon Butter Quinoa with Grilled Corn

2014-09-05 12:56:55

Serves 4

A delicious side dish bursting with fresh flavors!

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 2 ears corn
2. 1 cup quinoa (any color)
3. 1 small lemon
4. 2 tablespoons vegan butter
5. sea salt
6. 1/2 bunch scallions
7. 5 mini peppers

Instructions

1. Shuck and rinse corn, then cook. You can boil but I recommend grilling them over medium for about 20 minutes, flipping once.
2. Rinse the quinoa then place in a pot. In a measuring cup, add the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons vegan butter, then fill with water up to the 2 cup mark. Pour into the pot with the quinoa and add a pinch of salt, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is gone.
3. Slice the scallions and set aside. THINLY slice the peppers and add to the pot for the last 5 minutes or so.
4. Slice the corn off the cob and stir in. Taste and add S&P as needed. Top with the scallions before serving.

Notes

1. If you're grilling the corn, shuck it down until there's just a few layers of leaves left, then soak them in water for 10 minutes before grilling.

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Longtime readers know I grew up in NH, and I try to get back a couple times each year to visit. Well, only once so far this year, but it was a great trip!!  My mama and step-dad and grandma picked me up at the airport and whisked me away to my favorite Mexican restaurant EVER, Hermanos Cocina Mexicana in Concord. They have delicious seitan made by Cafe Indigo (which, sadly, is not a cafe anymore but still sells their goods wholesale and online), as well as Daiya cheese and vegan sour cream (not sure what brand or if they make their own).  I had a spicy seitan chimichanga with rice and beans!

The next day Mama and I headed back to Concord for acupuncture (Five Seasons– Julie is flipping amazing, if you live in that area and are interested!) and lunch at the Co-op, where they have so many vegan options it’ll make your head spin. Even more than I’ve seen at the big Whole Foods here in Denver! We had vegan chili off the hot bar, and some cupcakes. I swear, we each only had one and took the rest home!

That night I cooked dinner for everyone at home.

I made my Sweet Potato & Tomato Soup, and Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas. That’s right, step-dad and grandma ate vegan cheese and vegan bacon and vegan crumbles, and loved it! Here’s Grandma:

Pretty sure that was the strangest food she’s eaten in her 85 years 😉

There was a TON of relaxing. I love a mug of hot tea in the morning, rocking in my mom’s screened in porch, enjoying the view:

And of course afternoon cocktails on the dock with Grandma:

Ain’t she adorable!? I hope I’m as healthy, spry, and funny as she is when I’m her age!

On Sunday my mom and I went for a hike. We actually climbed a mountain!

On Monday we headed over to Portsmouth to visit and spend my last night. We had lunch at The Friendly Toast (which I’m totally going to do a separate post on cuz it was FANTASTIC!). Here’s our crew, drinking and eating. From right to left, there’s me, my mom, my brother Bob, my cousin Gail and her husband Pat, and my Aunt Sandy:

It was a great trip, but I already miss my mom. Can’t wait to go back!

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First off, let me just say: This is not a sponsored post. I didn’t receive any free product, or even a pat on the back. I’m sharing this because I think IT’S SO FREAKING GOOD and I want to make sure you all know about it!

I’ve only tried the cheddar so far (pictured), and loved it. I’ve actually had it twice, but still really want to try the white cheddar kind. It’s so nice to be able to keep a box of this in the pantry for a quick meal. You prepare it exactly as you used to with that non-vegan stuff in the blue box. You cook the pasta then mix milk and butter in with the packet of powdered cheese. Easy! And while they are pricier than the non-vegan kinds, they’re still reasonable: $3.99 at my local Whole Foods. Totally worth it. It’s creamy and the flavor tastes exactly like the stuff I used to make after school.

And on that note, I’m leaving you guys for a few days. I’m going to Grand Junction for work, then I’m off to NH to visit my Mama… But I’ll be back next week!

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I mentioned these last week when I shared my Spicy Kale Salad, and here they are! Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshakes, also known as Cheeseshakes! (All the credit for that cool nickname goes to Emily, of course)

I don’t live as close to my girls as I used to, so I need to bust out this sort of recipe on occasion, to entice them to drive all the way to my house 🙂

The idea for this milkshake was inspired by a recent visit to the Diaya food truck…

See that tray he’s holding? That, my friends, is heaven on earth! They had samples of pizza, quesadillas, and grilled cheese sandwiches. All were amazing.

I had heard the truck was going to be nearby via twitter, so Cynthia, Denise and I headed over. ALL the way over. It was on the other side of downtown Denver. And it was hot and humid out.

Cynthia is a lifelong vegetarian (Mom, if you’re reading this, I feel like you kinda dropped the ball! Just kidding! Sorta!) and Denise has been vegetarian for a while, and is mostly vegan. I still find it shocking that I just happen to work with these fabulous women who happen to eat so similarly to me. It’s a growing movement, people. We’re everywhere!

Anyway, we got to the truck and were distressed to learn that they weren’t actually selling food (I had planned to eat like 4 entire quesadillas myself), they were just handing out samples. But when we shared our sad, sad story (walked in the hot sun, dying for some vegan cheese, etc…) Ryan and Kevin totally hooked us up. They made us our own tray of samples that we didn’t have to share with anyone AND made us each our own grilled cheese sandwich with their new jalapeno block cheese. It was phenomenal. The three of us basically rolled ourselves back to the office.

One of the goodies we got from the truck was a booklet of Daiya recipes, one of which was a no-bake cheesecake. I had never made my own vegan cheesecake, but it sounded delicious. But it was so hot out, I started thinking of other ways to get that cream-cheesey-goodness inside of me, which led to the milkshake idea.

I actually skipped the whole part about MAKING the cheesecake, and instead just included some Daiya cream cheese in the blender along with So Delicious coconut ice cream (actual coconut ice cream, not just ice cream made with coconut milk), coconut milk, and fresh strawberries. I think Daiya’s new cream cheese (even the plain) tastes pretty sweet, so it totally did the trick. Try it!

Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshakes

2014-08-18 10:14:57

Serves 4

Can't decide between ice cream or cheesecake for dessert? Now you don't have to!

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

10 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

10 min

Ingredients

1. 8-10 fresh strawberries
2. 1 pint So Delicious Coconut ice cream
3. 5 Tablespoons Daiya plain cream cheese
4. 1 cup So Delicious coconut milk (I used unsweetened, but any would work)

Instructions

1. Clean and chop the strawberries, being sure to more finely chop 2-3, to set aside for sprinkling on top.
2. Add everything to the blender and blend until you reach that nice, thick consistency. You know what I'm talking about! Pour into glasses and sprinkle with strawberries. Serve immediately!

Notes

1. Makes 4 milkshakes... or 2 SUPER big milk shakes!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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There’s something so wonderful about kale salads. It’s a very special sort of synergy when something can be this delicious AND this insanely good for you!

My Easy, Spicy Kale Salad is full of raw veggies too: broccoli, cucumbers, and shredded carrots.

And avocado. And chili powder.

I made it for dinner a couple weeks ago when Jamie and Emily came over. We also had grilled tofu with a chipotle cream corn sauce (recipe coming!), corn on the cob, and… Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshakes! Cheeseshakes! I’m planning to post that recipe on Monday. So good! Plus it kind of balances out how healthy this salad is, haha!

This salad probably deserve a better name, like Glorious Green Goddess Salad, or Killer Kale or something… But, it IS easy, and it IS spicy, so there you have it.

I should warn you tho, that eating it apparently causes your fingers to grow freakishly long…

Easy Spicy Kale Salad

2014-08-14 09:26:24

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

15 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. 1 bunch kale
2. 3 carrots
3. 2 cups broccoli florets
4. 1/2 cucumber
5. 1 avocado (2 if it's a big bunch of kale)
6. Juice and zest of small lemon
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
8. 2 teaspoons chili powder (more to taste)
9. 1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

Instructions

1. De-stem, chop and rinse the kale, grate the carrots, and rinse the broccoli. Slice the cuke in half lengthwise, then thinly slice. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, mash the avocado and then add the lemon and seasonings. Mix in the kale, massaging well for 3-4 minutes or until each piece of kale is coated. Mix in the other veggies and stir well. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Taste for salt and chili powder before serving.

Notes

1. Serves 2-3 as a main dish, and 4+ as a side.

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Vegan Breakfast Lasagna. Yes, really.

I’m one of those people who will gladly eat savory leftovers for breakfast. Soup, pasta, cold pizza, it’s all fair game. Even regular (vegan) lasagna would find a happy, welcoming, breakfast home in my tummy!

This version is even better though. It’s hearty and full of noodley-lasagna-goodness, but it also has the wonderful flavors we associate with breakfast, thanks to a batch of homemade tofu scramble and some delicious maple sausage. There’s plenty of delicious Daiya on there too!

There’s also a savory gravy and tomatoes, and you could absolutely add in whatever vegetables you would normally enjoy in your (regular) lasagna!

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the flavor combination of cheddar with maple. If you’ve never had it, it might sound odd, but I promise it’s delicious.

I made this for dinner on a Sunday evening, and it was really good, but not as earth shattering as I was hoping. Then, the next morning at work I popped a tupperware full of it into the microwave, and 2.5 minutes later I was in tastebud heaven! Seriously! It was a million times better reheated. From now on I think I’ll make it on Sundays while I’m prepping meals for the week, and have all of it as leftovers.

This would also be great to put together ahead of time and then pop into the oven for a big, hearty family breakfast! I’m thinking Christmas or Thanksgiving mornings would be all that much brighter with this in yer belly!

Breakfast Lasagna

2014-08-13 14:42:38

Serves 6

This breakfast is perfect for special occasions and hearty enough to keep you going 'til lunch!

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

1 min

Total Time

1 hr 20 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

1 min

Total Time

1 hr 20 min

Ingredients

1. 1 batch tofu scramble (I left out the kale)
2. 4 vegan breakfast sausages
3. 2 tablespoons maple syrup
4. 3 tablespoons vegan butter or margarine
5. 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
6. 2 cups non dairy milk
7. 14oz can diced tomatoes w/ chilies, drained
8. S&P to taste
9. 10 oz box no-boil lasagna noodles
10. 2 cups Daiya cheddar shreds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Prepare sausage in frying pan per package instructions, drizzling with syrup as they cook. When done, chop into small pieces and set aside.
3. In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk with the flour. Once combined and hot, slowly stir in the milk, continuing to whisk until smooth and thick. Stir in the chopped sausage and the tomatoes. Taste and add S&P.
4. In a 7x11 baking dish, begin to layer in the following order: 2-3 tablespoons gravy, spread across the bottom; 1 layer of noodles, 1/2 the tofu scramble, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 the remaining gravy
5. Then: Another layer of noodles, the rest of the tofu scramble, 1/2 cup cheese
6. And finally: Another layer of noodles, the rest of the gravy, and the rest of the cheese.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes covered with foil, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes. Serve warm!

Notes

1. For the sausage I used King Soopers (Krogers) Simple Truth brand, which are vegan. Also, a combo of cheddar and mozzarella Daiya would be really yummy!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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We set out to climb both Grays and Torreys, but in the end we only summited Grays. Which is okay, because oh what an adventure it was!

Of course, as a wise man once said… “There’s a fine line between adventure and a bad idea!” 😉

We stayed the night before in the truck, near the trail head, where I spent more time wishing everyone else would STFU than I did actually sleeping. While we weren’t the only ones who thought it was a good idea to camp and get an early start on the trail, apparently we were the only ones who didn’t see it as a great opportunity to get completely wasted and party all night.

We got up at 2:45 and it was coooold! Breakfast was bagels toasted on the camp stove with vegan cream cheese and Lightlife “turkey” slices, and diet Mountain Dew. The breakfast of champions, you heard it here first! We hit the trail at 3:25, later than I had planned but oh well. There was a super moon but it was also pretty cloudy, so we had to use our headlamps. The trail was rocky, but with a little focus and a slower pace, it was fine.

Hiking at night was quite the experience! We could see stars, and we could see the outline of the mountain tops, but that was about it. Oh, and we could see other hiker’s headlamps waaay up ahead of us. We saw them on top of Grays, and then we saw them crossing the saddle to Torreys.

After about an hour we encountered our first fellow hikers, a group of three that had decided to turn back before the summit. They were concerned about the clouds, but I’m a professional weather lady person with the wunderground app on my phone, so I knew they were just cumulus clouds that meant us no harm. We actually passed 5 more people before the sun came up, another group of three that had turned around, and two people that had hurt themselves and whose friends had gone on without them.

Oh, and we also go lost. We managed to lose the main trail for some sort of mountain goat trail that petered off into the middle of nowhere, so we had to backtrack and lost about 30 minutes. That sucked, and combined with our late start meant we weren’t quite to the top when the sun rose…

So we just turned around and watched it from the trail, before continuing on to the top. This was just my second 14er, but it was 100% different from my first, at least at the top. On Bierstadt there was a party- dozens of people crammed onto a few rocks, sharing sandwiches and PBR, chatting and laughing. On Grays, we had the whole place to ourselves!

And I didn’t have to share my PB&J 😉

It was sunny in that last picture, but right after the clouds came rolling back in. There was a 40% chance of thunderstorms starting at 10am, and honestly I think we both had a touch of altitude sickness, so we decided to call it a day and head back down. The clouds broke up a bit though, so it was a really nice trip back down, and I gradually got the feeling back in my fingers.

Overall, I would rank Grays as more difficult than Bierstadt. The trail itself was easier to navigate, and there was no scrambling, but it was really long. And steep.

Here are TONS of pics for ya!

That’s Torreys to the left…

And here’s another shot of it. It looks imposing right?

There were SO MANY wildflowers, which is unusual for this time of year. We’ve been getting tons of rain, which has helped a lot. This shot was taken when we had about an hour left of the hike before the parking lot. Looking back over my shoulder and seeing how enormous Grays is made me glad we did this part of the hike up in the dark. If I’d seen that, I might have gotten discouraged! Look how far away it seems!!

This was the very beginning of the trail, which we did in the dark. Such a beautiful hike!

And finally, a fun little graphic from the trailhead that shows what we accomplished!

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Whew! What a hike yesterday! I’ll be back tomorrow with pictures and the whole story, but in the meantime…

It’s been a while (or, like, four weeks) since I’ve graced you with any Korean recipes, so here you go: Veggie Dogs with Vegan Kimchi Relish.

I know, I know. You’ve heard of kimchi, but kimchi relish makes no sense to you. I thought it was kinda odd too, at first. My friend Shawna (guru of all things Korean, from recipes to babies) told me about this ages ago, and swore up and down that it was delicious. And she was right! It’s easy too. You take a bottle of store-bought vegan kimchi, and you mix in some agave and vinegar and gochujang. Beyond simple, yet it gives your veggie dogs a whole new personality. The crunchy, spicy veggies with just a hint of sweet are the perfect topping when you want something different. It’s really a fantastic topping for veggie dogs!

This was dinner a couple weeks ago, on a super rainy day with temperatures in the 60s. I wanted sweatpants and slippers. I wanted gin. And I wanted comfort food! And since a dinner of just veggie dogs seemed a bit lacking, I whipped up some Taco Fries to go with them! I did half sweet and half regular, and it was the perfect combination with the spicy taco seasoning.

Haha, I also did half Korean and half Mexican, which is also the perfect combination, go figure! Isn’t it funny how sometimes the simplest dinners, the ones you throw together with the least amount of thought, can turn out to be the best? This meal really hit the spot, it was just what I needed on that stormy day. It was warm and filling and flavorful. And it was easy, which left me more time to mix up yummy gin drinks to chase away the chill. I’m thinking I’ll need to make this meal again for our next rainy day!

Kimchi Relish

2014-08-05 14:34:25

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1. 1 cup vegan kimchi (I used Mother in Law's brand)
2. 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
3. 3 teaspoons agave
4. 1 teaspoon gochujang

Instructions

1. If there are any large pieces of veg in your kimchi, give 'em a chop. Then mix in a bowl with remaining ingredients, stir, and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Notes

1. This makes enough to top 4 veggie dogs!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

Taco Oven Fries

2014-08-05 14:41:48

Serves 4

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

1. 2 potatoes, russet or sweet
2. Spray oil
3. 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
4. 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
5. S&P

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400, with baking sheet in the oven while you prep the potatoes.
2. Slice the potatoes into wedges or fries. In a mixing bowl, spritz them with your favorite oil, then cover with the taco seasoning and chili powder. Mix until well covered.
3. Spray hot baking sheet with a little oil, then lay out the fries in a single layer. Cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring at least once. Finish under the broiler if you want them a bit crispier! Sprinkle with a bit of S&P if desired.

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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