Almost Vegan

Danielle, a regular comment contributor to Almost Vegan, left another tip on my Taco Bell post. She asked if I had a Baja Fresh near me.

She explained how Baja Fresh was incredibly vegan friendly and also had a very clean, nice environment. Judging from their website, I think she is right, unfortunately there’s not one within 100 miles of me.

You know, I am so happy people come to my blog and are nice enough to leave comments, but the downside is I hear about living real close to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and now this Baja Fresh place. (sigh) I actually walk my dog every day on a sandy-dirt road surrounded my woods and a couple of small lakes. I “shop” at farms where they just picked the fruits and/or vegetables I am buying… but God I miss big cities. I really do.

Oh boy, I’ve done it this time. I have made some of the best minestrone soup I have ever tasted, and it is because I just used the ingredients I had in the house. I usually put mushrooms in it, because I love mushrooms, but the ones I had-had gone south.

So, I only used some fresh zucchini, yellow squash, onion, garlic and then canned stewed tomatoes, (stewed are perfect for minestrone) garbanzo beans, and great northern beans. I actually liked it better without the mushrooms.

More of a purist’s minestrone.

The secret vegan ingredients are Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon and Soymage Vegan Parmesan Alternative.

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A very old family recipe – veganized. Every year, when the blueberries come off the bushes, we take out this pan (9×13) and make a blueberry coffee cake. This is the most simple, but the best thing to eat in the world. It’s also blue food, so no matter how sweet and decadent, it’s good for you.

You’ll need 2 pints of blueberries, a (flour) sifter (very important), 1 cup vegan margarine, Egg Replacer, soy milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, for the most amazing vegan taste treat!

The ultimate blueberry coffee cake and it is completely vegan.

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Look at this, Wal-Mart is marketing its own brand of soy milk!

I take this as a huge sign that soy milk is really catching on. That is great. Now all we have to do is work on the soy ice cream, soy cream cheese, and soy sour cream. All of which are so good that if people knew, Wal-Mart would be marketing its own brand of those things too.

Taste test: It’s actually pretty good.

(Again, please don’t hate me for shopping at Wal-Mart. I really have to do it or I’ll starve!)

I go out, I drive past fast food joints, and I am not so strong or so militant that I do not weaken. I actually like to grab something at a drive thru (I’ll admit it) and eat it on the run.

I can do this and stay vegan if I go to Taco Bell, and I really like their Raspberry Iced Tea.

I get a bean burrito, NO CHEESE — “No cheese?” — Yes, that’s right, no cheese, and I want rice, lettuce, onions and tomatoes on it, Okay? — “Sure, that’s okay.” — Thank you very much.

You really don’t need a grill to eat one (or more) of these chick’n patties. Even if you fry them in a pan they taste like you grilled them over an open flame.

Gardenburger Chick’n Patties are an amazing feat of technology. I still marvel at the thought that people can create something out of soy that tastes so close to the real thing. Actually, I have had chicken burgers at fast food restaurants that taste less like chicken than these vegan patties.

Enjoy… and they are good cooked on the grill too.

Wanna kick, vegan style?

If you like the spicy green relish that comes with sushi called wasabi, you will absolutely love this snack. I used to buy these in bulk in my local health food store, great place called Sawall Health Foods, but the quality of their wasabi peas was spotty. Nice and green one time I’d be there and then too yellow to buy another. So no wasabi peas for me in a while, but then I happened upon these Hapi Snacks brand wasabi peas (sorry, no website) in my local grocery store and grabbed them. They are really tasty and consistently good every time, and I also like getting them in a can with a seal up lid. Completely vegan.

Oh Betty…

When I was going to college I had a roommate/best friend that was a genius at keeping us alive. We would have absolutely nothing in the house, food-wise – not even milk, and she would get up in the morning and make us the best coffee cake in the whole wide world.
 

Bisquick was her secret and if you are vegan and have armed yourself with Ener-G Egg Replacer [or any vegan egg re-placer], you don’t even need an egg.

Just add water, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and vegan margarine, all stuff you can keep on hand.

Streusel Coffee Cake
Cinnamon Streusel (below)
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup water or *milk – (you can use soy milk, but to my taste it makes it a bit gummier – cut it with 1/2 water if you do)
2 tablespoons sugar
*1 egg – Vegan Egg Replacer

1.) Heat oven to 375? F. Grease 9-inch round or square pan. Make Cinnamon Streusel; reserve.
2.) Stir together remaining ingredients until blended. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with Cinnamon Streusel.
3.) Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Cinnamon Streusel
1/3 cup Original Bisquick mix
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons vegan margarine (firm)
Mix all ingredients in small bowl until crumbly.

*non-vegan ingredients suggested in Betty’s recipe.

I have never made falafel before this week, but I am always on the look out for high protein foods these vegan days. I happened upon this box of telma Falafel Mix in my supermarket’s Jewish food section.

I appreciate Jewish food, I love how they have the food marked – PARVE – so I know it’s vegan without having to read the box. I don’t know if this is necessarily the best falafel mix, but it is made in Israel under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate of Haifa.

I also bought the telma tehina sauce to go with my falafel. (Unfortunately they don’t have a website) I didn’t make the serving suggestion on the front of the box, I made a nice salad with them instead.

It is a pain to have to fry them in a 1/4 inch of corn oil, but other than that, I really loved them and the tehina sauce.