Shannie's Sinful Seven

As American as (vegan) Apple Pie

2008-11-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me just say Welcome,This was the first time in my life I supported/voted for a member of the two main parties. I happen to be strongly opposed to the two party system our country has fallen into based on money, habit, and the media (I was Ralph Nader in my schools mock election in '00)-- but I can honestly say I am proud to be an American in this moment of history. We have a long, hard road ahead of us and I hope Obama is able to keep inspiring the masses to come together to get the job done. Community outreach and community involvement will be key in the coming years.

Speaking of community, THANK YOU CALIFORNIA! While you may have let me down in a few regards, Passing Prop 2 is such a beautiful and amazing thing you did for the members of our community that can't speak up for themselves! You all deserve extra cuddles from the animals in your life. Our friend Melisser wrote an article about it, check it out and leave her some love for all of her hard work!
In food related news... I have a brunch post half done I'll probably post tomorrow (but I'm getting a massage so I'm not making any promises). I went to an election party last night and made Obama's family chili recipe (veganized) and Chicago Styled "Hot Dogs". Oh and I made this 'cuz I was bored (I HATE pie by the way but Ian and my derby wife Boo ate the whole thing so I think it must have been decent)
It actually looked better AFTER it was cooked but I haven't uploaded those pictures yet.

I interrupt your boring morning...

2008-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Can we just take a moment to talk about how gorgeous this man is? I mean it's ridiculous. And completely not fair, and I'm not a big baby person but he looks good holding a baby. (Side note, any idea what that random thing braided into his arm hair is all about?)

Maybe it's the unclear sexual orientation, the vegetarian pride, the amazing artistry, the fact that The Smiths got me through my freshman year of college by being ridiculous and amazing... who knows but Moz can do no wrong-- maybe that's not completely true. But damn, he's looking good.

I've got an update later today after I finish the daunting candy corn making process... thanks for that by the way Melisser, the hell home made candy corn has put me through may have ruined the confection for me forever :D

What can I say...

2008-10-19T04:20:00.001-07:00

I'm a promise breaker. *Insert excuse about Derby taking over my life here*.

But seriously folks, derby HAS taken over my life. I do something derby related every day of the week (does it count as derby related if I go over to a friends house, eat vegan pumpkin pie and watch Veronica Mars for 13 hours? Yes? Good to hear!). But have no fear, although late I come prepared!

My camera is being fuuuuunky so I don't have pictures of all of my creations but alas, the imagination is a great thing. All prices are for at least two servings-- filling up my husband & I. Prices are based on my local co-op, and the amount I use for the recipe. We came into some luck this week... but more on that later. All ingredients are organic unless otherwise stated.

So here we are, easy peasy delicious meals for those of us who aren't kitchen geniuses!

1.) Avocado & Kidney Bean Tacos $4.67 (About 15 minutes)

1 can Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed (sub black beans if you'd like... but I get bored of black beans) ($.85)

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced ($1.00)

1 T Garlic ($.08)

1/4 packet taco seasoning ($.21)-- I normally make my own spice blend but I had this laying around the pantry and finally decided to put it to use (not organic)

Dash red wine vinegar (about a teaspoon and it was too difficult to price it out, sorry)

1/2 Avocado ($1.25)

1 cup cooked brown bismati rice ($.54)

2 T pickled jalapenos, diced ($.21)

4 soft tortillas ($.62)

We already had cooked rice in the fridge... if yours isn't cooked already throw it on the stove now. When rice is ready to be "fluffed" toss in 2 tablespoons of pickled jalapenos (the kind that come in a jar at the grocery store). This gives the rice a nice flair.

I always thought I was happy with plain ole soft tortilla shells. Then I lightly fried mine and my world has never been the same. Spray a medium frying pan with cooking spray and warm it over medium heat. Toss a tortilla on it and give it a minute or two on each side. Once you've got four use the warmed pan to make your filling!

Spray medium frying pan with cooking spray (I always use olive oil flavored but I doubt it matters). Heat garlic & red pepper over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to soften- stirring to prevent from sticking to bottom of the pan. Toss in kidney beans, vinegar, and taco seasonings. Heat about 5 minutes, until kidney beans are heated through but before they begin to break down.

Halve your avocado. With a sharp knife put cuts in the pit-less half going vertical and then horizontal, then scoop out the chunks into a bowl-- perfect for topping salads or in this case tacos!

We had plenty of filling for two generous soft tacos each. If you're satisfied with just 1 taco each, or are only making it for one-- the left overs make an AWESOME rice bowl to pack in your lunch for work, or toss the left overs in some veggie broth and add some chili pepper flakes for a taco soup (save the avocado to enjoy with chips as a side dish).

2.) Italian No-Tomato Herb Pasta ($6.25 though you could easily cut the recipe in half) (15 minutes)

2 teaspoons pine nuts ($.25)
Italian fresh herb pack (usually has basil, thyme, rosemary and can be found in the veggie section of your grocery store) ($1.99)
2 cups macaroni or small tubular pasta ($1.44)
4 mushroom caps ($.57)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (we used the other half in the taco recipe) ($1.00)
1/2 can of artichoke hearts in oil or water ($1.00)

Cook pasta and drain. In a food processor (or blender) add the pine nuts, herbs (MAKE SURE YOU PULL THE STEMS OFF THE HERBS UNLIKE MY LOVELY HUSBAND, yucko stems), artichoke hearts (with about 2 teaspoons of the liquid from the can), and bell pepper. Pulse until everything is combined and almost "paste" like.

Slice mushrooms and put over medium heat in a sauce pan. Toss in pasta and herb mixture. Heat until everything is coated and uniform.

This recipie is SUUUUPER easy and makes a lot of great pasta. Ian and I both had our fill and had at least half of the pasta left over which I made into DELICIOUS pasta salad for his lunch two days in a row by adding a little vegan mayo to taste. The second day I added nutritional yeast (a decent pinch) to the vegan mayo before mixing in with the pasta-- delicious and a bit cheesy, he was stoked on that addition.
3) Tomato Soup ($1.31) (an hour, 45 minutes of which you can sit on your bum and grade papers)

See those GORGEOUS, ORGANIC, HEIRLOOM tomatos up there? That I didn't use in the pasta? Yeah our friend grew those and since it's nearing the end of the tomato harvest and he was sick of them-- he gave us a whole grocery bag full of them. All different varieties, all gorgeous and tasty and wonderful.

2 pounds tomatoes, diced (hey, I'm counting this as free, 'cuz they were-- moral of the story take free food when offered. whatever is on sale at the store will work-- cherry tomatoes are great in this as well)

2 cups veggie broth (I used two cups of water with two cubes of not chicken broth for a grand total of $.36)

6 cloves of garlic, crushed & diced (smash the clove with a can and run your knife through it) ($.45)

4 fresh basil leaves ($.50, I used half a package of fresh basil from the veggie area of the store)

2 tablespoons olive oil (this is under my cut off for pricing olive oil, see how I'm tricky like that?)

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Place diced tomatos, garlic and basil in an oven safe roasting dish (we used this ceramic job we got for our wedding since we don't have a technical roasting dish)-- sprinkle with olive oil & generous amount of salt and pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to break down. I checked in about 30 minutes into the baking because it smelled incredible-- the juices were there but the tomatoes were still too intact for my preference, after 45 minutes they had broken down and the skins were all wrinkly and gorgeous. Spoon tomatoes into a blender and pulse until "semi-chunky". Pour tomatoes, juice from roasting dish and broth into a soup pot-- heat on medium heat until it has slightly thickened... we like thinner tomato soup and Ian was jumping around the kitchen begging for soup so I heated it about 15 minutes.

This made an incredible amount of soup... I was giving soup away to my derby girls and we still had soup for a week. That being said, Ian ate all the soup in that week so it must have been good. This recipe can easily be cut in half and enjoyed as tomato soup one day, throw in some small tube pasta or rice for a variation another day, stir in some vegan half and half (or vegan cheese if thats your thing) for a creamy version another day.

*** A NOTE FROM SHANNIE: See that? If you make only one variation of each of these meals we're already 6 meals in for the week... pretty amazing huh? And I promise, the variations change things up enough that you won't get sick of it, 'cuz trust me, Ian hates leftovers and he was a happy happy husband all week***

4.) Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Quiche, adapted with fewer ingredients because I didn't want to run to the store... because I am lazy... and also poor. ($10.40 will feed four guests... or two quiche loving freaks of nature like my husband and I). I don't have the cooking time because Ian made this while I was off watching Veronica Mars... he had been begging me to make it all week and I kept slacking. It's an extra effort recipie, but one of our ALL TIME FAVORITES and totally worth it.

1 package low fat, firm, silken tofu ($1.59)

1/4 cup Soy Milk ($.25)

2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast ($.77)

1 tablespoon Corn Starch ($.25)

1 teaspoon Tahini ($.06)

3/4 teaspoon salt (or a nice sized dash)

Red Bell Pepper ($2.00)
1 tablespoon garlic ($.08)

2 cups cooked Brown Rice ($1.08)
1/2 pound asparagus ($1.88)
1/2 pound mushrooms ($1.44)
1/2 red bell pepper ($1.00)

Preheat oven to 350. Put first 6 ingredients (tofu through salt) into blender. Puree until completely smooth, stirring a couple of times between blending.

Mix rice with 3 tablespoons of the tofu mixture. Add black pepper to taste. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray or canola oil, and press the rice into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut off the top 3 inches and set aside. Chop the remaining stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.

Spray a medium non-stick saucepan with olive oil and heat. Add the garlic, asparagus (but not the top 3"), and two tablespoons water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, and 2 more tablespoons water. Cover and cook 2 more minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two until most liquid has evaporated.

Spread the vegetables (excluding the asparagus tips) on top of the rice crust. Pour the remaining tofu mixture over the vegetables, stirring lightly to distribute it through the vegetables. Arrange the asparagus tips over the top and spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake for 60 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting (this helps make the quiche slice more cleanly, but if you don't care about that, go ahead and dig in; we did!)

So there you have it. At least seven meals. Not counting the left over options, these 4 recipes average out to.... *drum roll* $5.68! Pretty amazing!

Here are some tips on getting your dollar farther at the grocery store:

* Find a place you can buy in bulk-- we buy our rice, our nutritional yeast, our pasta, our corn starch, our flour, our nuts, our dried spices, our tofu... A LOT of our pantry staples in bulk. It took an initial investment for air tight containers but I know we've saved so much by buying in bulk-- plus its an amzing option for the environment. Our co-op allows us to bring in our containers to fill directly-- saving the use of a plastic or paper bag!

* Compare, compare, compare. I really really REALLY wanted to get organic tri-color pasta spirals for the pasta dish this week... but could you believe they were almost a dollar more expensive then the organic macaroni??? Ridiculous. As far as I know the only difference is in look and while the spirals are certainly more fetching-- that extra dollar is better saved in our house hold.

* Talk to your grocery workers-- even in big chains the produce people can often tell you when things will probably be going on sale. I got HUGE avocados for half price (not used in any recipes here) by coming in the day after I do my grocery shopping. I spoke to the produce girl and she told me they weren't moving as fast as they'd like so they were putting them on sale the next day. Hey, I'm pretty shy but when you're gonna give me produce half off I'm up for a chat!

*Only buy what you need. We have the option of buying mushrooms in those great little blue packages with the wrap over them, or picking out 4 from the produce counter... only get what you need and you'll save bundles. 5 pounds of potatoes for $1.88 sounds great, but when you're only cooking for one or two... two or three potatoes is all you really need.

*Weigh your produce! Instead of guesstimating how many peppers, or mushrooms, or tomatoes make a pound. I'm surprised at how little I see people use those handy little scales.

*Use measuring cups/spoons instead of guesstimations-- especially with expensive oils & vinegars. I'm often surprised at how far 1 tablespoon of olive oil goes in coating a pan-- I must have been using 3-4 tablepoons before! I even measure out salsa if I'm going to put it in a taco-- a tablespoon goes a long way and we've totally expanded the shelf time of our salsa jar.

*Make what you can at home. Like that salsa jar I was just talking about? Mere pocket change to make homemade!

Next week... whenever I get around to it, I'm planning breakfast/brunch ideas. Y'know... for those times you have special guests or people you want to impress. Ian and I make brunch every sunday before... dun dun dun DERBY PRACTICE!I love this picture of Sunnybrooke... Meat is Dead... GREAT STICKER! Though, I must admit as many forward thinking eaters that we have on our league, derby is surprisingly vegan unfriendly. I'm stuck with the "low end" skates since I don't do leather, and it took me FOREVER to find wrist guards that didn't have leather on them. Yucko.

Vegan tattoos!

2008-10-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Becoming vegan really does effect your whole life-- not just the stuff you put IN your body, but what products you use in your every day life. Beeswax lip balm, lotions and makeup tested on animals or that use animal products (fish scales, dyes from insect shells), fragrances, dyes, fabric, beer... Everyone chooses the level they're most comfortable committing to their veganism and as far as I'm concerned every little bit helps.

Luckily making the switch wasn't too difficult for me. My husband is sort of a "freak" about cleaning products/body care products that are natural and healthy in our household-- luckily, as far as that goes, these same products meet our ethical standards. I don't tend to buy things new-- if we need something my first stop is always goodwill and then various thrift stores or consignment shops around town. I have, from time to time, purchased wool sweaters or leather shoes for Ian. I wouldn't think of buying these types of things new, but when you need shoes and that's what they have to offer second hand that's going to be my priority. We all make choices that best fit our life and none of them are "wrong" as long as we're keeping our societies best interest at heart.

Boring discussion aside, let's talk fun stuff. Tattoos. Who would have thunk tattoos aren't inherently vegan? Well. They aren't. Various black inks can use bone char or beetle shells, other inks may contain animal based glycerin, lubricants have been tested on animals or use animal derived ingredients, stencil paper may have gelatin in it, the razor's moisturizing strip can even be a problem! Sheesh! Thankfully, one of my (okay probably my only) very favorite tattoo artist is a vegan who works in a vegan shop in the middle of the "Vegan PDX" district of Portland.

Ryan Mason is incredible. I've been following his work since way back when I lived in Florida and Scapegoat (the shop he works at) is one of the main reasons I was so excited to move to Oregon. Dorky? Probably. Rad? Totally. I finally got the time to stop in and set up to be put on the waiting list way back when Melisser was visiting... it's been MONTHS and today was my first session! I told Ryan I wanted to give him "artistic freedom" and I just wanted a general vegan baking themed piece-- I didn't want any finished treats, no cute-sy colors, and I wanted this very specific cookie jar from the 1940's. I thought I wanted sort of baking utensils and things swirling around my arm all free form like. Then I saw what he came up with.

1.5 MILLION times better then anything I could have EVER thought I wanted. It's PERFECTION in the form of a tattoo. After I saw the mock up I had none of my usual "omg what if he fucks up" feelings about getting it done, I was just stoked on life. He just did the outline today since I had derby practice tomorrow and don't want to risk fucking it up too much. But for an hour and a half of work? It's pretty incredible in my humble opinion. We're going to add "something" in the heart-- not sure yet, but Sarah Kramer suggested "Be Vegan" instead of "Be Mine" like a conversation heart... I loooove that idea... maybe have it look like it's written in frosting? We're finishing it up in December so I have until then to play around with it.

Then I got to run next door and meet one of my IDOLS Sarah Kramer co-author of "How it all Vegan" and "La Dolche Vegan" and now soul author of "Vegan A Go-Go" which has EASY recipies to make when you're traveling, travel tips, and a bit of a biography. Plus it's tiny enough to throw in your purse to carry along at the grocery store! *Note, I am not a giant, she is just teeeeny tiiiiny, adorable, precious, and all around lovely where as I did not dress to impress as much as I dressed in something I didn't mind ruining with tattoo ink.*

What a fantastic day if I do say so myself!

Next Tuesday, 15 minute meals for my dear friend Nicole! With lots of tips of turning left overs into ammmmazing lunches or dinners for the next day! Plus vegan pantry staples, grocery lists and whatever else I decide to throw in.

Mo' Money Mo' Problems...

2008-10-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

As the late, great Notorious B.I.G. reminds us

"It's like the more money we come across, the more problems we see..."

Well Biggie, I hate to differ but I'm poor. And that's a problem.

Alright so I'm not poor-- I actually have a beautiful life that I share with my beautiful husband, cat & dog in our beautiful apartment that over looks beautiful woods where deer and giant squirrels frolic (I'm not kidding, Oregon is just THAT amazing.). But while I may not be poor by any stretch my family is definitely feeling the economic pressures that everyone else is worried about.

My job as a baker for a local cafe has turned into part time due to lack of sales-- so even though I'm in there every night still, I'm only baking half as much and thus only getting half the hours. My husband is kicking ass and taking names as he blows through his Phd program at OSU-- and while we are so thankful that his tuition is covered through his GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistantship) he gets a minimum living stipend. So we break even each month-- if we're lucky.

Breaking even barely affords us the basics in life without stressing about money every waking moment (and I rarely sleep, so I stress about money A LOT), much less doing extra special fun things-- like baking and playing with fondant for fun like I used to. It's frustrating that I don't get to bake as much for pleasure anymore, but it's the reality of the situation. Where I used to make dozens of cupcakes each week for Ian to bring in to his school mates, plates full of cookies for neighbors and friends, and the occasional (alright nightly) treat of scones for us to enjoy while watching a movie... we just can't afford it right now.

I am so lucky to have found a partner who feels the same about living outside of our means as I do (meaning we don't live outside of our means, for instance as much as I wanted that beautiful sweater that was on MASSIVE sale I didn't get it because I would have had to put it on a credit card-- which I haven't used in A YEAR!). So at our monthly budget meeting last month I came up with a great idea.

Since I'm home all day (I work over nights at the bakery) and the job market... well it sucks (so no real use in looking for a second part time job)... it is now my job to cut every corner possible financially (I've already cancelled our cable subscription and lowered our cell phone plans). I already cook 95% of our meals at home so I couldn't really see where I could scrimp & save there until a girl on my derby league mentioned some challenge on the reality show 'The Biggest Loser' where they had to make $7 meals.

That really got me thinking. $7 a meal? I could do that-- that would be a big help. Then the all mighty "but" butted it's head in. You see, it's a priority to Ian and I to eat organic and local where ever possible. While this is awesome for your community and body, it's not so easy on the wallet. Well... it wouldn't be a challenge if it was easy right? So I've decided to do it!

Please check in each Tuesday for seven new meal options that will average out to $7 (or under) a meal!

A meal will feed at least one serving to myself and my husband (and hopefully more because that man can eat!). The average of all the meal prices will be $7 or under-- meaning one meal may be a bit more then $7 but the same week I will make a meal much lower then $7 so it will all average out.

I will break down every ingredient by price with the exception of salt & pepper, spray style cooking oil, and left overs (if I've already counted it for the week and am using the left overs to make something else it doesn't make sense to count the price again).

Next Tuesday I will update with the vegan kitchen essentials and start to break down these items by price per serving. How exciting and mathematical of me! It won't be a full post with meals and recipes because I'll be busy getting tattooed by Mr. Ryan Mason of Scapegoat Tattoo (sooooo excited)! Some come back, and check in every Tuesday! (See people like my cooking, I promise)