Squirrel’s Vegan Kitchen

Where has the time gone? It’s been so busy this summer and it’s rolling right into September now and doesn’t seem to be letting up. Jim’s birthday is this weekend and I’ve been extra busy preparing for his big shindig. It’s his “Almost 30th” birthday and we’re having a big BBQ to celebrate with Tofurky, Field Roast, some teriyaki tofu kabobs and other assorted treats. But more about that later, after it happens!

I’ve been being a good girl and taking advantage of all the amazing produce that is thriving despite our strange summer weather. Look-see:

A creamy white bean, garlicky sauce over whole wheat fettuccine noodles and fresh carrots, green beans and carrots on top. Yum! I basically just sauteed some garlic in a little olive oil and mixed in a little flour, about a cup of soy milk, some basil and a can of white beans and cooked it until it thickened a little. Super yummy and very garlicky.

Some minestrone that a friend shared her recipe for:

The usual suspects were present, green beans, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, some summer squash, kidney beans, quinoa noodles, spinach and herbs. It was an awesome way to incorporate bulk veggies and was also welcome during our little cold snap a few weeks ago.

Tofu scramble! I think my tofu scramble count is starting to rival my pizza post count- how many times can I post about it? As many as it tastes good for, I suppose. This one was extra special because I got to use a new treat I picked up at Whole Foods- frozen fava beans. I got hooked on them earlier in the season, but now the time for fresh favas has come and gone. I don’t make it over to Whole Foods very often, as we have a local chain that is more conveniently located and that I like better, but these will have me making the trip more often. Also included is a sweet potato, some spinach, herbs, olives and zucchini. Some of Dave’s bread on the side with a smear of Trader Joe’s new blackberry jam and it was happy breakfast for dinner night!

And now for the not-quite-as-healthy portion of this post:

Batter-dipped tempeh sticks with mashed potatoes and fried zucchini. I learned something about myself the night we ate this. Even though 3 tempeh sticks doesn’t seem like much, IT IS! Geez, I know that Jim and I aren’t the healthiest of eaters, out of the vegans we know. But apparently we have our bodies adjusted to a certain standard. Three sticks and I felt terrible! I didn’t fry them for very long, they were well drained and not greasy, but it was enough to make me feel like I ate some serious junk food. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go back to eating the kind of crap I used to eat when I was younger, in my preveg days. Subway, Wendy’s, yes even McDonald’s. Veganism aside, I just can’t imagine…

I hope you all are well! I will have a super big food blowout soon, between Jim’s b-day and mine there will be much goodness to be consumed. Thanks for stopping by!

~Kris