Southwest Pinto & Black Bean Burgers

Happy Sunday evening, all... I have a recipe for you! It all started with a 4 for $5 sale on organic beans. And what is one to do with a surplus of beans on hand? Well, making burgers is one option, that's for sure. Knowing I had both pinto and black beans in my cupboard it seemed only natural to make a spicy southwest burger...

Topped with a creamy hot sauce/Vegenaise concotion... they would be really great with guac and salsa, too!

Southwest Pinto & Black Bean Burgers

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 - 1/2 c frozen or fresh corn kernels

3 T hot sauce

1/2 t dried cilantro

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t Mexican seasoning

1/2 c cornmeal, plus 1/4 c more for coating

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mash all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Pour reserved cornmeal onto a plate.

3. Form into patties and coat in cornmeal. Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-45 minutes, flipping every 10-15 minutes, until desired consistency is reached.

The key is draining the beans as best you can, otherwise the mixture will be too difficult to form into patties. It would be very tasty to include bell peppers or jalepenos in the burgers, as well, but I didn't have any today. These aren't very spicy, so crank up the heat if that's your thing. Experiment! And enjoy.

Meal Planning - Great Success!

Hello, all! I'm pleased to bring you a blog about the pleasures and pains of meal planning, or at least about how things go in the Vegan Noms household. As a single person who lives alone ('cept for my pup!), meal planning can be quite a hassle. Just like every-damn-thing else to do around the house there's only one person in charge of following through. Over the last few weeks I've been trying to pay special attention to my budget, the quality of foods I am eating, and creating dishes in bulk so I save on cooking time. Some tips I have discovered:

1. Drink a green smoothie every day. This has saved my ass on many an occasion when I've had the dreadful thought: "Crap, have I eaten any vegetables today? Hmm, does the soymilk in my latte count?" (I know, legume-milk doesn't count!). Each morning I whip up a delicious green monster to take to work. Jam-packed with goodness, this guarantees that I am getting some nutrition in my tum-tum and also makes me feel more energized and better about myself, so I'm likely to continue making healthy food choices throughout the day. My favorite combo so far:

• Frozen naner
• Combination of frozen raspberries, mangoes, grapes, peaches, pineapples, strawberries
• Good Karma Unsweetened Flax Milk (this stuff is AMAZING - I splurge every week or so)
• Huge handful of spinach
• Regular-sized handful of kale
• Occasional add-ins: chia seeds, flax oil (if I'm out of flax milk), citrus fruits

2. Make a giant serving of a simple, nutrient-packed dish you can snack on all week. This tip has also saved my apparently danger-prone ass many times, as well. For mid-morning snacks, lunch or dinner sides, post-work out protein punch, late night class meal, or nutritious hangover food whatever you make can serve all of these functions if it includes a couple variables: protein, carb, veggie, and a little bit of fat.

I made a ginormous batch of lentils and brown rice on one Sunday afternoon and dressed it with Garlic Expressions (aka liquid, garlicky crack), some cracked pepper, and chopped grape tomatoes. This stuff was incredible. I ate it as my meal a few times - with a side salad, you're all set! Easy to grab in a hurry, packed with nutrients, and so very tasty.

Another great dish I made is Mediterranean Hempseed Israeli Couscous:

• 2 cups Israeli couscous, dry
• 1/4 lb. of selections from olive bar (kalamatas, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, beans artichokes, etc.), diced
• 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
• 2 T Garlic Expressions dressing
• 1/4 c hemp seeds
• Couple handfuls of torn up spinach
• fresh cracked black pepper

Cook the couscous on the stove (1.5-2x cups of water for each cup of couscous) until tender. Drain. Add rest of the ingredients. Can be enjoyed hot or cold!

3. Legit make a dish meant for a family of four. This can backfire at times if it ends up being meh or inedible, but it can really work in your favor. I made stuffed peppers from the book 4 Ingredient Vegan, which were incredibly easy to prepare and quite tasty. The recipe is basically 4 gutted peppers (flash boiled), a can of veg chili, and a cup or so of brown rice. It also called for salsa, but it wasn't needed (especially if you have my unhealthy fetish with ketchup). And one of these bad boys is a huge serving, beware!

4. Make burgers. Yep. Simple old veggie burgers, they're all the same, right? Wrong! Joni's Best Veggie Burgers On The Planet is an ever-inspiring masterpiece dedicated to the most versatile way of preparing food ever. I've made a few selections and my favorite so far is the Denver Omelet Burger, but these Edamame Burgers are also pretty fab. I made a batch and have frozen them, so they can provide quick protein-packed meals in a pinch.

Lemon garlic aioli? Yes, please!

5. Budget. For serious. This is so stupid-simple, but I wasn't following a food budget up until about 4 months ago. Keep track of how much you're spending on food, especially eating out. Record where the best deals on certain foods are (I bounce between 4 or 5 grocery stores, depending on what I need), because if you shop around you will feel the horror of learning you just paid $X.XX for XX oz. of XXXXX at the XXXX Market and holy crap I could've been getting it for half-price here the whole time?! It's worth it, if you plan your trips well (to save on gas/biking energy expenditure!). I have a wonderful iPhone app, Ace Budget 2, which helps keep all of my finances in order so that I know where every penny has been spent. Highly recommended (it's a dollar, btw, if you have an issue with paying for apps).

So, tell me, what are some of your best tips for meal planning? And can you recommend a great recipe for small, nutrient-packed meals throughout the week? I'd love to hear from you!

A Vegan Oasis: Mustard Seed Cafe

An oasis in what is now, since the closing of Akron's first and only 100% vegan restaurant, Vegiterranean, a proverbial vegan desert, Mustard Seed Market and Cafe is one of the best little spots to grab a nice, healthy vegan meal. There are some other little gems lurking around the Rubber City, yet Mustard Seed has been a consistent provider of nourishing meals to local vegheads.

The bestie and I had lunch during quite a blizzard this afternoon. We were pleased to find a very special... special listed: raw/vegan caesar salad!

A lovely bed of lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, in-house-made vegan parm (walnuts and nooch), raw flax crackers, and a very nice dressing made from cashews and apple cider vinegar. I will most definitely try to replicate the dressing and will share!

Oh, yes... we each ordered the classic tempeh reuben, complete with sauerkraut, Italian-style Daiya, and vegan thousand island dressing. One of the best reubens I've ever had; the tempeh is cooked perfectly so it is nutty and chewy and not the least bit bitter.

Could we resist the chocolate raspberry torte? Hell to the no.

Mustard Seed Cafe also offers soy milkshakes, veggie sushi, stir fry, a Middle Eastern plate, macrobiotic meals, and an assortment of other healthy veg fare. Also, you can overlook the market while you dine, scoping out what treats you'll undoubtedly take home with you. For example, Mustard Seed is the only health food store in the area in which I have found Dandies, Ricemellow (just the one time...), gluten free Chreese sauce, and the new Good Karma flax milk! They are also going to be building a location right down the street from me, in my 'hood, in the next year or so. It's wonderful to have a locally owned, dedicated spot which provides water to often-quenched NE Ohio vegans.

Stop back for more reviews of local vegan gems, as well as sure-to-please recipes from cookbooks I dusted off and dog-eared for this week's meal planning. It's time to get this blog back in gear! Who's with me?!

Holiday Recap... Yum

Happy Holidays, everyone! Oops. As usual, I'm late with the posting. But don't we all love to have our season linger on? So, you're welcome and quit yer bitchin'.

Anywho, the month sped by in a whir of Amazon purchases, baking, and twinkly lights. As per tradition my doggie and I headed over to my mom's house on X-mas Eve, where our family gathers to munch on finger foods and laugh. I baked myself into a tizzy again this year preparing nice boxes of treats for my extended family; this year it was peanut butter fudge, apricot jam kolaches, and s'mores bars. I regret not taking a photograph, so just trust that each of these recipes is a winner!

Me decorating Dori before the guests arrived.

Now an annual tradition: homemade baklava using amber agave nectar (mapley!). This was a huge hit with my omni family and surprisingly not difficult to make, just time-consuming. Highly recommended!

A poor shot of the other two dishes I brought: spinach dip with pumperknickel (who would eat it any other way??) and broccoli salad. Practically the only green on the table!

My awesome mother made a hearty vegetable soup with rice, chickpeas, potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, onions, celery, carrots... it was amazing! She even bought nooch for X-mas dinner, which was perfect to pile onto this warm bowl of goodness.

A perfectly pleasing X-mas dinner. My mom made a big pan of homemade puttanesca sauce for my dinner (about which my stepdad raved and requested for future dinners), accompanied by steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, olives, and a cocktail. I was so stuffed, but so happy.

And this little darling... she was ready for a nap, too.

Family Holiday Party

Last weekend I hosted a holiday party with my immediate family in my new(ish) apartment, complete with real Christmas decorations - including a full-sized tree! Ha! What a grown person I am. It was a nice, quiet event with plenty of appetizers, cocktails, and laughs to go around. And wiener dogs!

Would you look at that tree?

Melted snowman sugar cookies! I stumbled upon this idea on a random blog while looking up something at work and HAD to make these. Aren't they pathetic/adorable??

My first cheezeball! This is typical holiday party fare, right? Recipe: take one tub vegan cream cheese, one cheddar-style Chreese packet and MOOSH. Roll in a ball, roll in chopped scallions and chill. This is beyond fantastic... I would totes make it again.

These little nuggets were perfect for dipping in said cheezeball! My amazing mother made mini Daiya-cheddar chive biscuits! These reminded me of Red Lobster's biscuits and were omni-approved.

Mini Daiya-Cheddar Chive Biscuits

(4 dozen)

3/4 c vegan margarine

2 c shredded vegan cheddar (Daiya, ftw!)

2 c flour

1 c vegan sour cream

1 T baking powder

2 T chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat. Add cheese & cook for 2 minutes, stir constantly so it will melt evenly.

2. Stir in flour, sour cream, baking powder, and chives. Mixture will be very thick.

3. Spoon batter into ungreased mini muffin pans (2/3 full).

4. Bake 20-22 minutes & remove from pans immediately.

Ahh... what party with dip-ables would be complete without tapenade? My mama also brought over this lovely sun-dried tomato olive tapenade with pita chips! Delightful.

Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade with Capers

1 4oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (reserve oil)

1 c fresh black olives

2 T fresh chopped basil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c capers

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine ingredients in food processor. Add 2-3 T oil from tomatoes and process until coarse & chunky.

I made some simple salad pinwheels (although they were a bitch to make and I'll never do it again) with spinach tortillas. The filling was tomato basil hummus, kale, red peppers and cucumbers. They were a hit! Also pictured: tartlets!

My dad's partner made sushi for us again! And, more importantly: she left a crap-ton of it for me as leftovers, yum. She's a pro, you guys, I'm jealous. I couldn't make sushi this simple.

Ahh, yes, tartlets. These were inspired by a sandwich which used to be served at the hip joint downtown called Crave. The sandwich was ciabatta bread with grilled vegetables (asparagus, onions, red peppers, etc.) with a hot pepper jelly. It was out of this world! But then they changed the menu and now nothing is easily veganized. Jerks. Here is a bite-sized version:

Mini Balsamic Vegetable Tarts with Red Pepper Jelly

2 pkgs frozen mini phyllo shells

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

1 small yellow summer squash, chopped

5 oz mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

1 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 jar of red pepper jelly (spicy!)

1. Preheat oven as directed for phyllo shells. Heat up oil in a pan.

2. Add veggies and saute for a minute or so. Add balsamic vinegar and saute until fragrant.

3. Spoon mixture into phyllo shells and bake for 5 minutes (until shells are crispy).

4. Spoon a dab of red pepper jelly onto each of the tarts and serve immediately.

The whole spread! And I was worried we wouldn't have enough food for 6 people...

My dad, cuddling with one of my mom's dogs, Calpurnia. She brought both of the weenies over so they could mingle and play with my pup. All of the family was there!

Can you spot 3 pooches in this pic? My mom, surrounded by doggie-love. Here's the recipe for the cocktail she brought - fantabulous!

The Poinsetta

1/2 oz triple sec

3 oz cranberry

champagne

1. Combine triple sec and cranberry juice in a champagne flute and top with the bubbly.

2. Act fancy.

I'll keep m'blog updated with other holiday events as they arise, including all of the schtuff I plan on baking as gifts for my extended family and friends. See you soon!

Vegan Tour of Pittsburgh

Living in the northeast-midwest-Great-Lakes-region of the US (huh?) has its benefits. Little does the vegan world know that there are pockets of stunning vegan communities, restaurants, and shops hidden all throughout the country. A few weekends ago my mother and I took an overnight trip to Pittsburgh, PA for some retail therapy and mother-daughter goofing around time.

The 2 hour trip was mostly motivated by the draw of the fabulous IKEA, which is always an afternoon of fun. I couldn't walk away without grabbing some vegan caviar! So strange... but I will soon attempt some sort of tasty bite with this topping - anyone ever tried it before? Recipe suggestions??

After IKEA we went downtown to scope out an omni grille I had researched, which boasted a modest selection of vegan fare. I was enticed by the promise of yummy seitan wings, although when we were presented with the dish I was disappointed. My mom said that the chewy texture of the "wheat meat" was off-putting and I agreed. Plus, they were dredged in cornmeal, fried, and then covered in BBQ sauce - the combination didn't make sense to my taste buds. Perhaps the hot sauce version would have been better, but I doubt it.

Following the wings was their lentil burger. They were out of the vegan buns and so it was served on dry wheat toast. And dry it was. This burger was... interesting. It probably would have fared better in meatloaf form with a tomato glaze of some sort, it wasn't that great on a sandwich. Plus the square shape reminded me of Wendy's burgers! Creepy. All in all, the Double Wide Grille was not a place that I would enthusiastically try again.

Afterwards we spent a few hours walking around a quaint artistic district of town, including vintage clothing shops, one awesome hippie shop, local coffee places, and other interesting stops. The weather was kind to us and we enjoyed having nowhere to be and no time constraints.


Dinner was an obvious choice: Loving Hut! I appreciated there being an all-vegan joint close to our hotel. Loving Huts are found all over the place, yet they allow each location's chefs to create a distinctive menu.

This was found on the ceiling in the dining room!

I loved the wall decals - they covered the space with inspirational veg-conscious quotes.

Being intrigued by the "drumstick" appetizer, I had to try! It was a mixture of mushrooms, veggies, and soy protein wrapped and fried with a plum dipping sauce. See also: mom's wontons in the background. She approved!

This feels so... wrong?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to finally try soy shrimp, I ordered the "Spicy Cha Cha". Although, I didn't realize that the shrimp would be fried; I was expecting a stir-fried dish with sauce over rice and had already gorged myself on a jumbo fried drumstick. Most of what you see turned into leftovers as my belly protested! Still: very yummy.

On the way out I fell under the spell of the dessert case... You mean I can have anything? You mean I can have EVERYTHING?! Such tough decisions.

Two walls covered in notes from happy customers!

Chocolate cheesecake. Nom.

Cookies & cream cake. Extra nom.

Three different kinds of doughnuts: pumpkin, s'mores, cookies & cream. Yum!

That night my fried food coma turned into a sugar coma as I tried bites of all of my desserts. My mom and I snuggled down with a movie before passing out after a long day of awesome.

The next morning, after dyeing my mom's hair (so girly!) we packed up and headed back downtown for brunch at the vegetarian Quiet Storm. My mom got a creamy frittata and I ordered the "hangover hash": potato hash with soy chorizo & veggies, and a curried tofu scramble. I also ordered a side of steamed kale because, holy shit, I needed some green!

As we drove home I realized how close we were to The Flaming Ice Cube in Boardman, OH. We had to stop! The original location has a large shop to the side with all sorts of goodies. We browsed for a while, my mama picked out some lovely earrings, and I ordered the "Mediterranean panini" to go. Creamy artichoke spread, kalamatas, tomatoes, spinach... yes. Yes. Lovely last meal of a lovely trip.

I wish I could go on a mini-vacation every weekend with my mama. :) Where have you been on a mini-vay-cay that was too much fun??

Oh yeah... Thanksgiving.

What a whirlwind this fall has been! MoFo came and went in the blink of an eye, Halloween whizzed by, and Thanksgiving is already in the past! Slooow down, life. Anywho, here's my Thanksgiving post. It was the 4th year I have been vegan during T-give and have hosted my own feast for my family! And... each year I have hosted I have lived in four different places. Weird. Let's check it out!

I set up my table for four with my new chairs, new fall decorations, and resurrected passion for cooking and entertaining. How lovely!


I was joined by my father, his partner, and my brother. My dad's partner, who is Korean, made a huge dish of veggie sushi! I have always envied those who can make sushi... I tried once and have been afraid to dare try again. This stuff was an excellent, nonconventional appetizer. Carrots, cucumber and radish, mmm.

The Dordles, reveling in all the attention and love she received.

Aw, photo opp. Why isn't my dog focused?! So cute. :)

My li'l bro. Isn't he handsome? Yeah, I know.

The fall feast staple: Vegan YumYum's butternut squash bisque. Wildly addictive, super-creamy, and always a hit.

My full plate! This year I served Gardein's Stuffed Turk'y, which sparked loud praise from my omni family ("It's so moist!", "This is really good!", etc.). I recommend this for any meal in which you would like to showcase vegan meats for omni folk. And it comes with bomb-ass gravy! Also, Isa's greenbean mushroom casserole, mashed sweets, mashed golds, and maple-dijon sprouts.

Best breakfast-lunch-and-dinner leftovers you could imagine.

Instead of making a pie I made a pumpkin roll. This recipe is tried and true. I accidentally spread the dough too thick and so it didn't bake to a moist-cakey texture, but instead stayed kind of creamy. It was like a pumpkin pie/cream cheese roll, which was 100x better! Yum.

Stay tuned for my vegan tour of Pittsburgh, PA!