Gardein seven grain crispy tenders

Oh my goodness! I have a new favorite food! These Gardein seven grain crispy tenders are AMAZING! I even made my sister try one, and she loved it! I had heard that Costco was going to be carrying a big bag of these, but I called a couple local Costco stores and they didn't have them. But, the good news is that these are sold at Sunflower Market and Whole Foods. The Gardein website says that they may even be available at Albertson's and Bashas in Arizona. They have an online look-up on their site, so you can find them in your state. I liked the fresh gardein varieties I have tried, but these are over-the-top amazing. I don't know how they do it, but kids would love these. The texture is identical to a chicken tender. I find them to be a perfect compliment to a vegan caesar salad. They are crispy, flavorful and are actually good for you!

Veganomicon recipe: Vegan ceasar salad (topped with chile cornmeal-crusted tofu)

I am so excited to be finding amazing vegan salad dressing recipes. I've always loved caesar salad, but I've never made my own dressing at home. Vegonomicon has a great recipe for caesar dressing. It's so good that I think I'll need to make a batch of it every week!
Caesar dressing
1/3 cup slivered or sliced blanched almonds
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 pound silken tofu (also called soft-don't use vacuum-packed variety)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon capers
4 teaspoons caper brine (I didn't have this, so I used 4 teaspoons vegetable broth)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
salt

Pulse the sliced almonds in a food processor or blender until crumbly, Empty the ground almonds into an airtight container that you'll be using to store the finished dressing. Blend the garlic, tofu and oil in the food processor or blender until creamy. Add the lemon juice, capers, caper brine, sugar and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. Adjust the lemon juice and salt to taste. Pour into the container with the ground almonds and whisk to combine. Cover and allow the dressing to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum 30 minutes, optimally 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

I filled a bowl with romaine lettuce and some mixed greens and put a small amount of the dressing on top and tossed the salad. I topped with leftover chile cornmeal-crusted tofu. What a divine combination!

The caesar salad is wonderful tossed with Gardein seven grain crispy tenders.

Veganomicon vegan recipe review: Chile cornmeal-crusted tofu po' boy

I was so excited to try my first recipe from the vegan cookbook Veganomicon. I gathered up ingredients for the chile cornmeal-crusted tofu po' boy recipe. I've never had a non-vegan po' boy, so I didn't really know what to expect. This recipe is amazing. I liked the tofu leftovers more than the po' boys because it went was the perfect compliment to another Vegonomicon recipe; ceasar salad.

Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu Po' Boy
Serves 4
1 recipe chile cornmeal-crusted tofu (recipe below)
1 recipe creamy coleslaw (recipe below)
Sandwich pickles (I left out)
Chipotle mayo (just veganeise with chipotle powder to your taste preference)
Buns, rolls or bread (we used wheat kaiser rolls)

Chile cornmeal-crusted tofu
Corn or vegetable oil for frying (we broiled, so you don't need frying oil, but an oil spritzer)
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup soy or rice milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Slice the tofu widthwise into eight slices, then cut each of those slices in half diagonally-from the upper left corner to the lower right corner-so that you have 16 long triangles. Set aside.
Combine the soymilk and cornstarch in a wide shallow bowl. mix vigorously with a fork until the cornstarch is mostly dissolved. In another bowl, toss together the cornmeal, spices, lime zest and salt.
Broiling directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the coated tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray with oil until lightly coated. Flip over and spray the other side. Bake for 12 minutes on each side.
(I broiled, but here are the frying directions:)
heat about 1/4" of oil in a large skillet, preferable cast iron, over medium heat. To test if the oil is ready, sprinkle in a pinch of batter. When the battler sizzles and bubbles form rapidly around it, you're good to go. Dip each individual tofu slice in the soy milk mixture. Drop it in the cornmeal with your dry hand and use your other hand to dredge it in the mixture, so that it's coated on all sides. Transfer the tofu to the skillet in tow batches so as to not crowd the pan. Fry tofu for 3 minutes on one side, use tongs to flip over each piece, and fry for 2 more minutes. Drain the fried tofu on a clean paper bag or paper towels.

Creamy Coleslaw
3/4 cup slaw dressing (recipe below)
3 cups finely shredded purple or white cabbage (or combination of both)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded finely
Pinch of dried dill (optional)

Slaw Dressing
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain soy yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of white pepper, or to taste
Pinch of mustard powder, or to taste

Prepare the recipes of the components. Spread mayo on the bottom halves of the bread and place the tofu, then the coleslaw, then the pickles on the bread, close the sammiches, slice in half on the diagonal, and serve.

Things I love: Running Stuff

I don't like to shop at stores, but I love shopping online. It's kinda my jam. I can debate for days over what to buy and ask myself if I REALLY need it. And, when I make up my mind, my items are usually still there for me to buy. I often have windows open on my computer throughout the day with full shopping carts. Sometimes I buy, sometimes I don't. I shop everything on price and always look for online coupons. My latest obsession has been running apparel and accessories.
 
Things I Love: Pink Running Shoes
I really wanted new running shoes, so I went to Zappos to order some New Balance 7500 running shoes. The ones I ordered had a light pink/purple accent color. They arrived the next day (signed up for www.vip.zappos.com for guaranteed overnight delivery FREE). But, something told me not to take them out of the box. They are definitely good running shoes, but they don't motivate me to get out and run....

I have always worn New Balance. That was until I spotted a girl at the Target checkout last week with bright pink soles on her sneakers....and a Nike swoosh! I got home and searched for 4 hours to find the shoes online. I have to say that if I select "pink" from the drop down menu on Nike.com, I should have been able to find the shoes in like under 1 minute. Instead I had to search google to find out what the shoe was called, then go back to Nike's site and find it that way. Yeah 4 hours. I though they might have been European or something, as the only ones I could find for sale were on Ebay with reference to being "rare". Rare....more like hard to find because the web person doesn't consider these shoes to have pink in them!
Here are what the new pink-soled beauties look like. The style is called LunarGlide+.

Things I Love: Big Sunnies
I always buy ridiculously cheap sunglasses because I lose them, scratch them or break them constantly. I haven't seen a chic pair of oversized wayfaers that called my name, but these ones did. Can't wait for them to arrive, so I can retire my scratched pair of $7 forever 21 ones. These are $28 from www.shopnastygal.com . I know these don't look like sunglasses you'd wear running, but I would...because I am awesome. ;)

 

Things I Love: Asics capri running leggings
I am one of those people who wear layers to work out. Like 2 shirts and long thick pants for hot yoga. I'm not crazy, but I just have a hard time finding workout clothes that "work" on me. I took my sister with me to try on capris at Sports Authority, so that I could lighten up my wardrobe and try to be more comfortable when working out. I found these lovely below knee length Asics running capris and I love them. They don't nip at the waist and the length is great for tall girls.

 
Things I Love: Garmin 305 wristband GPS
I was introduced to the Garmin wristband GPS units by my friend Stephanie. I was always asking her during our runs, "How fast are we running?" And, she'd look at her wrist and tell me. I didn't need a super fancy one like the 405, but I wanted one that tracked my pace every second, not just an average like the lower-end models.  The 305 is perfect for me. I even have a virtual trainer, which allows me to see my progress against previous runs. I am overly excited to learn everything it can do. I already put it to the test this morning and ran my fist 11:05 mile...I haven't ever ran faster than a 12 minute mile (maybe I have, but I didn't have any proof before).

I am waiting for some MyChelle natural chemical-free sunscreen to arrive....it's the last thing I need to have a successful, burn-free run!

Vegan Eggplant Lasagna Recipe

My grandma bought me the recipe book 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.  The book has so many recipes I want to try. I have never made traditional lasagna, but I don't think I'll ever need to. This vegan eggplant lasagna recipe was surprisingly good....ridiculously good!
This recipe has NO noodles and is completely gluten-free.

We picked fresh basil from the backyard kitchen garden...Lala helped.

 

I realized I didn't buy any tofu at the grocery store, but luckily I had some firm tofu in the freezer. I slowly thawed the tofu in the microwave. We cut the tofu out of the packaging and put it into a bowl. I put the tofu on defrost for about 2 minutes, then chiseled off the frozen liquid around the tofu. I defrosted for another 4 minutes and it came out perfect for crumbing into "tofu ricotta cheese".

Eggplant Lasagna

2 1/4 Cups marinara sauce

2 eggplants, sliced 1/8" thick

40 large-sized leaves fresh basil

1 recipe tofu ricotta (See below for recipe)

6 roma tomatoes, sliced 1/8" thick

Tofu Ricotta "Cheese"

14 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

1/4 cup raw cashews, ground into a fine powder

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Have ready a 9 x 13-inch baking dish

A quick note before assembling the lasagna: you will have 4 layers in all, so divide each ingredient accordingly.

Place a very thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Place a thin layer of eggplant slices over the sauce.

Place a thin layer of sauce over the eggplant.

Place about 10 leaves of basil on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle with a layer of ricotta

Add a single layer of tomatoes over the ricotta.

 

Repeat until you have 4 complete layers.

Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving, so that the portions don't fall apart when cut.

 

Sprinkle with from "rice parmesan" and viola....heaven!

Vegan Weight-watchers apple crisp

Sometimes, you just gotta make apple crisp. This vegan version is rad.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp (veganized)
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Calories: 222 • Points: 4.5 pts

Filling:

• 5 medium apples, peeled and diced
• 1.5 oz raisins (I left out)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Topping:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar-not packed (I used organic brown sugar)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted (I used Earth Balance margarine)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine apples, raisins, cinnamon, agave nectar and lemon juice in large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish.

Mix remaining ingredients.
Sprinkle over fruit. Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden
brown and fruit is tender.