good times

We're home again. We had a great time visiting w/ my family. Let me just say there was no vegan love in Ketchikan even the salad and my Granny's 80th birthday party had shrimp in it. Oh well. Fun was had by all.. Exhibit A- My brother- aka Uncle Rick showing Eli wearing a tie ain't all bad...On with the food....So here we have the black bean and sweet potato chili from the Vegetarian family cookbook. Little Eli had requested that one night we make herbs chili again, from Cooking with Herb the Vegetarian Dragon cook book. Well, the kids didn't really like it the first time we made it. I think they just liked making it. Herbs calls for tvp which the kids haven't quite taken too (YET). So, I suggested we make this chili and from the Herb book we also made Flora's crispy polenta and cut them into stars and hearts w/ a cookie cutter. Well, this time the chili was a hit! You really can't go wrong w/ sweet potatoes and black beans. And hey look after MUCH practice both kids can peel potatoes! My little helpers.
Next is Vanessa's Lentil-Quinoa stew from La Dolce Vegan. Good, simple and quick to prepare. Really hits the spot on a chilly fall day. Paired w/ what we call crunchy broccoli at our house (raw) and some organic wheat u-bake dinner rolls I found at Costco (quite a deal I might add-12 rolls for .97 cents)
So Daddy is going away on a business trip again. So last night had our vegan comfort food send off dinner. Evidently I have become addicted to frying. I have not fried anything in over 20 years, since the fried chicken incidence of '85 when my brother and I tried frying chicken for the first time - the oil was way too hot- in shorts -you get the idea. And now I guess I am just making up for lost time. (Sounds like a guilty confessional doesn't it?) Anyway using some seitan from the freezer (I use vegan w/ a vengeance seitan recipe and add 1tsp each Rosemary, thyme, sage and 1/4 tsp each cumin and garlic powder) Then used this "chicken" fried recipe. Which by the way makes WAY to much of the dry ingredients, I only used half. Gravy comes Vegan Vittles- golden gravy. And well, EVERYBODY loved dinner! Again, what's not to love? Daddy also got a tub of Dreena's creamy hummus (his all time favorite hummus) to take on the plane w/ carrots and bread. As well as Vegan w/ a Vengeance Lemon Gems cupecakes - what a lucky boy.