5 posts tagged “veg”

I loved the stuff that I got!!  I was lucky and got an artist, so everything was beautiful
 

Since my partner and I both received our stuff, time to post it!
For those who don't know, on Craftster there are 'swaps' with different themes that people create and you sign up for.  There is a set number of projects (and the sizes of the projects) and then you send them to the person the swap mod set you up with! 
So, since it was the beginning of summer, I signed up for a Vegan/Vegetarian swap!

Here is the stuff I SENT

One of my market bags, inside all fused plastic as usual.  'Too Cute To Eat' on one side, and 'Powered by Tofu' on the other.  Then, the box is a recipe box, with recipe cards inside, double happiness on the top in gold paint.  I had fun painting that :)  And then little magnets, ideally, to hold the cards up while cooking.
And no, I didn't send my cat.

Next post: What I received!  Really awesome stuff, so prepare yourself :)

~Nikki

So, I was running out of food and didn't want to go out food shopping until I could start my massive cook-a-thon over Spring Break.  So, I said....'what do I have in my fridge?'  Not much.  Odds and ends that I couldn't think of how to use them.  So, I stuck all my ingredients into google and found this!  Relatively easy.  First time I got to use the food processor my mom gave me, so I was excited.  It was like 'ZIP' done.  So much better than mashing tofu with a fork.

The recipe is here, I'm not sure if I've looked around that site before, so I'll go back when I have more time.  If you are anywhere besides America, go there.  If you are in America, here is the recipe converted from grams to what we generally have on our stupid measuring cups.   My comments are in the pretty blue.

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TofuQuiche (1)

Serves 2 as a main meal, or 4 as a side. I had a quarter slice and I was plenty full!

INGREDIENTS:

5/8 c plain wholemeal flour
3.5 tbl plain white flour

     --->This adds up to 7/8 cup (200g), use whatever mix of the two flours you like
7tbsp vegan margarine [soft or firm]
4 tbsp water
100g firm tofu [well drained]
100g silken tofu

  -->I used half a block of regular firm tofu
6 tbsp soy milk
1 small red pepper [half]
1 medium onion
Handful of broccoli florets
Handful of steamed spinach
1 clove garlic
½ tsp  turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
Black pepper to taste
Handful of pine nuts

--->I had some Parmesan cheese in the fridge, first cheese I've bought in months, so I put some of that on top.

Rub pieces of the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add enough water to make a dough, knead well and roll on a floured surface to fit a flat tin or quiche dish. Grease the tin and bake the pastry blind at 220 degrees (425F) for 10 minutes.

Saute the onion, red pepper and brocolli. Blend the tofu, soy milk, turmeric, garlic, chili and pepper in a food processor or by hand. Add the vegetables, including the spinach, to the tofu mixture (I threw in some nutritional yeast, just because). Pour into the pastry crust and bake at 180 degrees (350F) for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on your oven. 10 minutes before it has finished cooking, sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and lightly brush with olive oil.

Serve warm, not hot.

The idea for this recipe came from the kitchen section on the Vegan Family House website, check it out!!

http://www.veganfamily.co.uk

TofuQuiche (3)

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I have to say that I'm an idiot.  I didn't realise until posting this (my quiche is currently in the oven) that the 'degrees' were 'celsius'.  Hopefully it will be cooked....I thought that seemed low.  Good thing I had it up higher (yay intuition) anyway.

[EDIT]

Finished it.  It was delicious.  Full of flavour.  I was afraid that it would be spicy, with all the red pepper seasoning, but it wasn't.  Quite tasty :)  I would definitely make it again and definitely recommend it.  It tasted like a real quiche!  Without feeling gross after from the eggs.  Great recipe.  Yum Yum

If we had, as Benjamin Franklin had suggested, made the turkey the US national bird, would people still be eating them on Thanksgiving?
Just a question that popped into my head.

A question that comes up during the holidays(Thanksgiving is early this year!):
Difference between Faux Turkeys

Check out some vegetarian thanksgiving recipes

Or get into the season with some pumpkin cookies or pumpkin bread.  I know I already bought my pumpkin puree :)

I'm sure other people will be posting their own recipes.  I'm still trying to plan out what to bring to the family gathering!  Has anyone tried the Thanksgiving 'meatloaf'?  It looks a little too much like meat for comfort, but as long as it doesn't taste like it.  I'm thinking it'll work out well for my diabetic mother who loves my vegetarian food.

~Nikki

I consider this sort of my hobby journal, books, movies, buddhism (more than a hobby to me, but still), etc, so I'm adding my new hobby....Sewing.  Mainly clothes, but other things also. 
This here is my first sewing project (with the exception of the boxer shorts I made for PJs, but those hardly count), which was probably dumb seeing as how I'm pretty much teaching myself.  When I started the dress I hadn't even entirely learned how to use my machine.  I've used sewing machines before, but this one was my grandma's and it is ancient, so quite a bit different.  I'm a fan of it now though, my little antique machine that swivels into the table :)  With all metal parts that don't break, lol.

Anyway, here are some pictures of it in progress.  I made a practice bodice to make sure I got the pattern and everything right, I didn't use it as the lining though, I just threw it away, lol

I ended up using a brown satin for the lining of the bodice.  Another dumb move on my part as I haven't sewn much (though it isn't very hard) and satin is THE DEVIL to sew with.  But, here is the finished product, I loved how it turned out.  I had to do a lot of tailoring one the whole thing was together and I found it didn't quite fit right, so I hope it isn't noticeable.  My sister said it looked like it could have been bought out of a store.  And don't get me started on installing the zipper.  I nearly had a mental breakdown because of it.  My fl over at LJ know all about that.  Disaster doesn't quite cover it.

So, that was quite a project.  Got a lot of movies watched.  A lot of movies.  It felt like it took me ages and I was constantly running into problems, but, live and learn.  And, hell, it isn't like I'm having a shortage on extra time.

And here is my next project.  A grocery bag.  I used a bag that I had gotten on Earth Day as a 'template'.  I have vowed not to accumulate any more plastic bags, so I figured I needed to make some new bags to take to the store with me.  I picked up the fabric (a durable feeling canvas) at Wal-mart, one of those cheap, pre-cut, mess up fabric things.  And for lining, I thought that I would be environmentally friendly and use those hundreds of plastic bags that are stuffed under my sink.  SO, I made a lining out of them :)  Last night I stuck in some Stargate Atlantis and followed this tutorial on how to make sewable fabric from plastic bags.  Made the bag today in just a few hours.  Now that I know what I'm doing though, I could definitely make another one much faster.  Found some things I did wrong/more difficultly than necessary, so, once again, a learning process.
And so, here we are.  First, some process shots...

And the finished product :)  If anyone wants me to make a more detailed tutorial or anything, let me know.  I can tell you when to not make the same mistakes I did, lol. 
I'm also considering adding some embellishments on to it.  Something cute, you know 'Club sandwiches, not seals' or 'please don't eat me' or little veggies dancing around, or maybe 'I'm not a plastic bag', those are a big hit at Whole Foods, I just saw an article about them.  Eh, well, we'll see, maybe, maybe not.  Maybe the next bag.