Some Recent Meals

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini: This is a great product to keep in the freezer for nights when you need something fast and convenient to fix. I served it with a spring mix salad and Near East's Israeli Couscous.

Chickpea "Tuna" Salad in Avocados: I got this recipe from 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this book filled with fantastic recipes for appetizers and snacks, salads, sandwiches, pizza, , soups, pasta, desserts, and tons more.


Marinara Chick'n Good Stuff by Gardein: More Gardein! This one also comes frozen. It's filled with marinara sauce and Daiya cheese. This was my first experience with Daiya. It melted great in the oven and tasted pretty good. I'm looking forward to picking some up soon and trying it out for pizza, etc.

In December 2008 it snowed in Portland and not how it normally snows in Portland. We occasionally get a dusting, enough to cause traffic delays and countless fender benders but this year it didn't stop. It snowed for almost two weeks. Schools closed and holiday plans were canceled, leaving us with two weeks of grocery store trips via street car and too many hours spent in a 600 sq. foot apartment. Boredom was inevitable and I created a blog--Vegan Vitalogy. Then, the snow stopped, winter break came to an end and my days were once again filled with lesson planning, teaching, and mundane tasks. I glanced at the blog a couple of times during the next 13 months, thought about writing something, yet proceeded to find something more important to fill my time with. All of that being said, I don't know if I'll regularly update Vegan Vitalogy but I am really going to try this time.

Tempeh Pizza

Blake is constantly asking for tempeh pizza. His wish was answered last night. I make this pizza using two different recipes in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. I start by preparing the Seasoned Tempeh on page 85, omitting the vegetable oil, salt and pepper, and the sauteing step. Then, I follow the recipe for Italian-Style Tofu Pizza on page 279, substituting the tofu with the seasoned tempeh. I also substiute 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for the cayenne pepper the recipe calls for. I've found that the cayenne pepper makes a pizza that is a bit too spicy for my taste. Blake, on the other hand, would probably appreciate me using the cayenne and adding an extra teaspoon of it! I have traditionally used a loaf of french bread for the crust. Wanting something a little less heavy on carbs this time, I tried Whole Food's prepared Organic Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. I was pleased with the results and found this version easier to eat. This meal is excellent with a side of garlic brocoli.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I baked these classic peanut butter cookies from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Collen Patrick-Goudreau last night. They are quick, easy, and delicious. They are almost identical to the peanut butter cookies I grew up eating and are perfect with a glass of vanilla soy milk on a snowy night.

Welcome to Vegan Vitalogy!

I've been meaning to create a vegan food blog for a long time. Life and work kept getting in the way as they do. This week's snow storm in Portland inspired me to stop procrastinating. School was canceled all week for most of the Portland metro area. As a teacher, I had an extra week of winter break to get some things accomplished and finally bring my vegan blog to fruition. Enjoy!