Vegan MoFo Day 9: BLT Casserole

Tonight I made one of our all-time favorites from La Dolce Vegan, Wolffie's BLT Brunch Casserole.

Layers of toast, scrambled tofu, cheesy sauce, bacon bits, lettuce and tomatoes...slightly trashy, totally awesome casserole goodness!

Play-doh giant squid says, "Eat your vegan bacon, boys and girls!"

Vegan MoFo Day 8: French Toast and Sushi

Rocky from The Vegg sent me a sample of this new vegan egg yolk substitute, along with an adorable little cookbook. And, guys, if you haven't tried The Vegg yet, it's pretty awesome. I made French toast for me and the kids for breakfast, and it tasted exactly like the egg-dipped French toast my mom made when I was young. Savory/sweet, crispy on the edges and tender in the middle. Jackson and Olivia loved it; so did I.

For lunch we used a Groupon for Roll On Sushi. We started out with edamame, Jackson and Olivia's favorite green finger food. I also ordered a small wakame seaweed and cucumber salad which was dressed with rice vinegar and was soooo good.

Out of curiousity, I had to order the Fruity Vegan roll -- tempura fried japalenos on the inside, avocado on the outside, topped with strawberry mango salsa. I'm pleased that they offer a vegan option that's out of the ordinary, but the flavor combination didn't quite do it for me.

The Hippie roll, filled with cucumber, asparagus, avocado and root vegetables, was more my jam. I guess I'm a veggie sushi traditionalist. Overall a good meal and a kid-friendly establishment, so we're likely to return and try their rice bowls.

Vegan MoFo Day 7: Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

Last month we vacationed in New Mexico. It was my first time visiting the state and I fell in love with the mountains, the Pueblo Revival architecture, and of course the food -- especially enchiladas topped with red or green chile sauce (or both, which they call "Christmas.") Lucky for me, fresh chiles from Hatch, NM find their way to Austin every summer, and the canned varieties are available year-round. I was able to find four different kinds of Hatch enchilada sauce at my local supermarket (actually, there were more than that, but some were not vegan.)

I decided to try the "Tex-Mex style" sauce first. Olivia helped me prepare the filling. I doubled this cashew cheese recipe and mixed it with one finely chopped, sauteed yellow onion.

I filled twelve corn tortillas, poured the sauce over them, and sprinkled plenty of black olives on top. Baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  

So good! Can't wait to try the other sauces and see which is our favorite.

Vegan MoFo Day 6: Just Food

A simple dinner and dessert bring my first week of Vegan MoFo posts to a close.

Dinner: Vanessa's Lentil-Quinoa Stew from La Dolce Vegan. A favorite of Tony's. I use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar, and omit the cilantro.

Dessert: Raspberry Apple Crisp, also from LDV. Tart raspberries are an excellent late-summer addition to the traditionally autumnal apple crisp.

See you next week!

Vegan MoFo Day 5: Quiet Day

It was a quiet day for Olivia and me while Jackson was at school. We took a walk, did some laundry, swept the floors, watched her favorite Bubble Guppies, and colored.

For lunch, we made a pot of Simply Lovely Carrot Soup from How It All Vegan, a warming, golden soup flecked with dill and black pepper. Olivia is getting good with the carrot peeler. 

For dinner I tossed rotini pasta with roasted broccoli, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, olive oil and lemon juice. For the kids, I served all the components separately and let them pick what they wanted on their pasta. They love broccoli and olives, but can do without artichoke hearts and basil.

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Back to School

Jackson started back to school this week. The house feels oddly quiet when he's there, after having my energetic little man home all summer. But he is only going two days a week, so we still have plenty of time together.

And while he is learning and playing with his friends, I get some one-on-one time with Olivia. After we drop Jackson off, we take Monster for a walk around the block and talk about whatever is on her mind.

Our back-to-school dinner was the Veggie Pot Pie from La Dolce Vegan. I have been making this pot pie for years; it's a comfort food favorite and the buttery, flaky crust can't be beat.

I also made a spinach salad with Maple Dijon Flax Oil Dressing from The Garden of Vegan. I will occasionally impulse-buy flax oil and then forget to use it. I think it's because it needs to be refrigerated, and I am so used to just reaching in the pantry and grabbing the olive oil. This dressing was a good reason to get my bottle out of the fridge, as well as being light and tasty.

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Identity

Olivia usually takes her bath first, followed by Jackson. While he splashes in the tub, she likes to make faces in the mirror. Often, there is dancing and singing involved.

And sometimes she will simply stare intently at her reflection, inspecting the details of this face looking back at her, this little person who is Olivia. It's clear she is pleased with what she sees. Why shouldn't she be? I hope she always feels that way whenever she looks in a mirror.

Lunch was Humble and Hearty Vegetable Soup from Celebrate Vegan. My favorite recipe from that cookbook. The barley truly does make it hearty.

For dinner I made Rooted Vegan's Mango Chutney Tofu Salad. We enjoyed the combination of sweet mango, crunchy celery, and smoky toasted cashews.

I also made the Creamy Squash Casserole from Cookin' Crunk, made with summer squash which is abundant right now. It was a tad on the bland side -- you wouldn't want to eat it as a meal on its own, but it's fine as a side dish.