So it starts. Hopefully this month will get me back into blogging and I will continue it after November ends. I have to say that I'm definitely having a bit of a hard time remembering how to post pictures and setting up my page, but hopefully it will all get easier. I hope in a few days to have a cheetah print background or even have figured out how to tag posts. For now I will just work on the simple things I have figured out which are typing and posting pictures.
Since this is my first MoFo post I'm going to keep it short and just go over some ideas I have for things to post about. This will give you an idea of what to look forward to and will remind me so I don't forget them.

1. I would like to once a week gain inspiration from all the Bon Appetit & Food & Wine magazines an old foodie friend from work gives me. I usually go through a stack at a time and tear out pages that interest me. So I plan on taking a recipe idea and then go from there, using my own techniques to make it something I would eat.

2.My favorite cookbook to date is The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen.


It's the only cookbook I have ever taken a recipe from and followed it from top to bottom. That night me and my husband got dressed up and had a fancy dinner. I made the Peppercorn-encrusted Portobello Fillets with Tomato Bearnaise & cauliflower mashers

I would like to have at least one more fancy dinner party for two this month and once again cook straight out of his book.

3.My dog Riot has been vegan for the last 6 years. I think a great post would be to talk about the dog food she eats, the reason for me choosing to feed her a vegan diet and include some dog treat recipes I have come up with. Actually let me just say know i don't think I go an hour without bringing up my dog so be ready for lots of Riot inserts, pictures, and an explanation on why her nickname is noodles. If I could figure out how to record my voice on here you would be also forced to hear the 30+ songs I have made up about her.

4. I'm excited that vegan MoFo will coincide with Thanksgiving. Working in a kitchen I will have to work that day but plan on cooking a huge meal the following day and celebrating thanksgiving then. I will finally record all the recipes that have been floating in my head for years and show the process of the seitan roulade that I have been tweaking for the last few years.


5. Music is HUGE in our house so I'm going to post my current 5 favorite records and try to come up with a recipe to go with each album. This may be a stretch but I think I can do it. I will also be posting what bands I'm listening to on days that I blog about what I cooked for the day.


So what do I hope to accomplish with this blog? In the words of The Little Killers....To have some god damn fun

A lot has happened since my last post

My last post to this blog was January 2008. I was in such a different place then and so much has changed. Two months after that I met my now husband and on September 12 2009 we got married.
The ceremony was amazing including 2 punk bands plus his band playing and a night full of great friends, great music, vegan food, and the prettiest flower girl I have ever seen.




I worked at a dog daycare/ rescue for 2 years which I loved.
I still work withPuppy Love/Love Cats www.puppylove-lovecats.org/ I'm her facebook admin and try to support Linda and her amazing rescue when ever time allows. Me and two friends held a fundraiser for the dog rescue in April and now hope to make it a annual event.

I got a job back in a kitchen again and although its not my ultimate dream job I have learned a lot and made a couple great friends along the way.
The reason for doing this blog again is because I feel that I finally have the time to do it and a man to back me and motivate me in this process. I have had a rough time in Chicago and after meeting my husband I now feel like I can finally relax. He has taken me to more places than I ever thought I would visit, motivated me more than anyone ever has, and made me believe that this is the first step I need to take if I want to get to where I want to go.
So I start vegan Mofo

eggplant-tofu stacks

grilled eggplant and grilled tofu stacked in between a tomato basil sauce on a bed of zucchini noodles

thrown together dinner

spaghetti squash with balsamic marinated tempeh
tomato cream sauce with mushrooms, artichokes & sun dried tomatoes

breaded okara

Why I decided to fall back in love with this vegetable right at the same time of it being out of season I will never know. This is breaded with nutritional yeast and assorted spices and baked in the oven. I served bbq sauce with it.

mushroom stroganoff with baked tofu over spaghetti squash

with fake beef strips


Cheesy mushroom stroganoff
1 small red onion
12-15 cremini shrooms (3 cups)
soy sauce
garlic
2 cups veggie broth
1 2/3 cup nooch
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice
liquid smoke
black pepper
salt

cook down red onion with as much garlic as you like..I'm italian so i never admit to how much garlic i use. When onions are translucent add mushrooms, a splash of soy sauce and a splash of liquid smoke. Saute mushrroms for about 10 minutes.
In a sauce pan combine veggie broth, nooch, mustard, garlic, a dash of liquid smoke and soy sauce, & salt and pepper to taste. Whisk all the ingredients together and turn to a low simmer, letting the sauce thicken. *
* If you want it to thicken without adding so much nooch you could add less nooch and arrowroot powder or flour.
Pour sauce over mushrooms and fold everything together. Use sauce to top noodles and add baked tofu, fake meat, seitan, or tempeh for protein.

AN ADDED BONUS:
vegan shrimp scampi over noodles

dessert of the summer

grilled pineapple with vanilla soydream and chocolate syrup---granola on top

baked tofu wth nooch basil & balsamic sauce

I made a basic nutritional yeast sauce but added balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, and tons of garlic. Served over baked tofu

fart party

if anyone else could describe me being flakey better she would be me click on the picture to read in a better size thru flickr

happy hour--

-this food is usually greasy gross & offered at a bar..here is the healthy vegan version of the typical slop
onion rings--breaded and baked..but soo good


stuffed shrooms with a spicy TVP mixture


the same mixture stuffed into mini breaded peppers

memorial day

here is the memorial day spread which proves how behind I am

tofu fries


spinach, artichoke & sun dried tomato dip


veggie tray, dip and crackers


vegan pigs in a blanket



skewers


my secret homemade bbq sauce




after the grill

breaded eggplant

cheesy potato bake..white trash vegan G-Ballz--thanks!

dessert..mini raspberry banana cheescake..thanks Marge


the grumpy chef I'm actually not mad and not sure why I look so pissed

tofu lettuce wraps

I wanted something really fresh and light for dinner..here is what I came up with

Raw veggies thrown into the cuisinart included red onions, green onions, garlic, celery, cucumber, baby portabello's, zucchini, broccoli, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, & a lil lemon juice...all chopped up
topped with tofu I threw in the broiler for about 10 minutes after tossing it in a mix of spices


I served it with a balsamic mustard dressing i whipped up

seitan fajitas

Here is the fajita filling...seitan, peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro & heat!


Here is our meal plated with lettuce, pico de gallo, beans, homemade guacamole & homemade sour cream

breakfast for dinner...

muffin pan quiches filled with red peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli

Served with tempeh sausage

taco salad with a view

raw mushrooms, lettuce, onions, sprouts and peppers with leftover TVP taco fillings, salsa, and homemade guacamole. Just threw the tortilla over a glass bowl in the oven for about 10 minutes.

spicy tempeh & spaghetti squash

This meal started with a squash that kept calling my name. Mostly because although they last a long time..it was on it's way out. I marinated the tempeh with balsamic vinegar and italian spices and steamed it. I made a sweet but spicy roasted red pepper and tomato sauce. with portabello mushrooms, eggplant, & sun dried tomato. It turned out really well considering I just made the recipe up as I went along.

oh panini grill.....I love u so

I love this panini grill my parents got me. I have been using it almost daily. It grills tofu and other veggies to perfection. My newest fascination is tofu fries. It's just tofu cut super skinny then put on the grill for about 5 minutes, They really remind me of french fries but a lot healthier.


here are 2 sandwiches I have recently made

peppers, tofu, red onion, portabello mushrooms & tomato


Breakfast Sandwich---Grilled Tofu "cheese" slices and Tofurky slices

grilled cheese

Grilled cheese with fancy criss cross marks accomponied by sliced pickle and chips

mac n cheese

mac n cheese 2
Originally uploaded by anita riot.

cheesy delicious,VEGAN .... enough said

portabello eggplant sandwich

Basic sunday or lazy day sandwich
whole wheat bread-portabello mushroom-eggplant-basil-red onion-artichokes-sun dried tomato
I got a panini grill so sandwich city is sure to come