Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I eat out a lot with my mother-in-law, Patti. She is vegetarian and I am vegan, which really does limit the amount of places you can go, especially in Glendale. One place we have gone is PF Chang's, where I get the tofu lettuce wraps. Lately, though, I leave and I am full, but within an hour I am hungry and often sleepy.

Wanting my fix of tofu wrap goodness, I set out to make my own. I used super firm tofu, crimini mushrooms, cashews, and green onions in addition to spices, seasoning, and love. This is what I created! It was healthier and tastier than the ones from the restaurant, and a whole lot less expensive.

If you have a favorite dish from a restaurant, create it at home! If you have a favorite dish from an omnivore past, veganize it! What you eat is up to you, and only you know what you love.

Hot Wing Pizza

Last night I created fire! Actually, I made my hot wing pizza. It was amazing! Everyone devoured it, and both vegans and omnivores raved with equal joy about it. The garlic crust was the right choice – it added another layer of flavor without being annoying. I just sent my recipe off to the Vegan Culinary Experience, so if you get the magazine, you will be able to create this delicious devilish bite.

The Cookbook Shelves

I went to the bookstore with Jason. Recently, due to Jason giving me a much needed break from teaching, I have fallen in love with food of all types again, and cookbooks. Therefore, the second we hit the door I happily went to camp in the cookbook section. I found three books I will be adding to the collection. Two are on making doughnuts. Now I just need to locate our deep fryer and some willing test subjects. Bwah-ha-ha!

               

While I was looking, I came across a book I thought I had. That meant when I got home, I started scouring the cookbook shelves. I was unprepared for what I found. I found a ton of memories on those shelves.

I found Wookie Cookies. This was the first cookbook I ever got for Jason when we were dating. It is cute because I inscribed it to him, without knowing he likes his cookbooks permanently mint. To his credit, he never said a word about me writing in it. I love that book.

Tropical Vegan and Vegan Soul Food are the first and second cookbooks Jason bought for me.  Right after our first date, he bought Vegan Soul Food for me because it was on my wish list, but I had bought it the day before because I wanted to impress this sexy new Chef I met. We have both copies still, a testament to the fact that great minds think alike. Jason followed that up with the Tropical Vegan book as a gift. I had a hard time finding the ingredients for it in Flagstaff, but by then it was our fourth date and I was spending a lot of time in Phoenix, anyway.

Others, like Veganomicon, How it All Vegan and My Sweet Vegan come from a time when I was the only vegan I knew. Isolated and alone, I bought every vegan cookbook that came on the market because it was a way to know that I was not alone. I have a ton of cookbooks from that time, and they have sad and beautiful memories on every page.

Now, there are many more memories. My favorite vegan cookbook is the 21 Day Kick Start to Weight Loss. Jason did all the recipes for that book and it became a New York Times Bestseller. I started teaching our local classes because he needed time off to write, and now I am the regular teacher. But every time I see that book, I remember Jason’s look on concentration as he stared at his old Toshiba laptop and typed like his life depended on it.

New cookbook memories come usually about once a week, because we add them quickly. Some will be powerful memories, and some will make less of a mark. All will be artifacts of the amazing journey I am on with the person I love the most.

Tuesday Recipe Time!!

I can’t stop. I might need to find some form of 12 step program. I cannot stop using my Zoku. Since Patti got it for me, I have been making at least a batch of six pops a day, and I am thinking about getting another set of sticks and another case so I can ramp up production. All this might have something to do with the fact it is 110 degrees here, and the Zoku makes pops that are low calorie, light, and refreshing. Of course, it does not do this on its own, it needs you there to pour in the mixtures, inset the pop sticks, and talk to it lovingly while it freezes them for you. Wait, you don’t need to do that last part?

Today I made yet another batch, and they were the best yet, according to Jason. My husband gets lots of credits for being my brave Zoku tester. Even my bachelor friends are super excited. I showed them the case and told them they could help themselves. There were lots of happy faces for that! After all, what is better than playing a great role playing game and nibbling an icy treat?

If you don’t have a Zoku, don’t worry. You can use these recipes with any ice pop mold. There are some great ones out there that are BPA free. The biggest adjustment is how many pops it will make, and that changes how many calories each Zoku is. One mold that seems to be about the same size is the KidCo mold from Amazon, but I have not tried it so I do not know for sure. Here is a link if you want to check it out. http://www.amazon.com/Kidco-Healthy-Snack-Frozen-Treat/dp/B0012S9D4S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=37T685KR2YA8A&coliid=I1IJ4SFC47O376

Today’s recipe makes about 7 Zoku pops. Jason and I just drank the leftover, ended up with six pops, and we were happy.  By the way, if you look at the picture, the mold isn’t defective, I just bit into it before I took a picture, because I didn’t want to wait another 30 seconds. :<

Peach Orange Cream Bars

1 6 oz container of vegan Peach yogurt

1 cup of organic orange juice (I like unpasteurized)

1 tablespoon agave nectar

½ teaspoon guar gum

¼ cup soy coffee creamer

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend. Use with your Zoku according to manufacturer’s directions. Makes 6-7.

About 60 calories each, with 1 gram of protein and about 1 gram of fiber.

NOTE: The guar gum will be in the baking section of the health food store, or you can grab it online. It is a little bit of an investment, but one bag will last you for years and years. By adding it to the mix, you are adding fiber (1 teaspoon = 9 grams fiber) and it helps reduce the ice crystals, which results in a creamer pop. You can skip it, but your ice pop will be harder and less creamy if you do.

Hope you are enjoying my Zoku adventures. Don’t worry, upcoming blogs will eventually feature things that are not icy little treats of joy, but right now I can’t get enough.

Berry Cherry Pops with Recipe!

I did it! I made my first pops with the Zoku! I was scared and worried that I would mess it up, but I didn’t. The thing that seems to be the key is using all your senses. After nine minutes, my pops were not quite ready, so I waited an extra five minutes, and they were more than ready! Using the removal tool was also odd, until I read the directions and suddenly, it was there! My ice pop! I was so excited. I got the idea to try making one that was healthy and low calorie. I love how these turned out.

P.S. You don’t have to add the liquid vitamins, but the ones I have are drops that are sweet and fruity tasting. They do not use any artificial sweetener, so I just placed a few drops in the blender with everything else. It blended right in and I just got an extra little dose of vites!

P.P.S. These gave me an awesome bust of energy and made me want a healthy dinner or some weird reason. And another ice pop. That isn’t weird. These are good.

Berry Pineapple Pops

Makes 6 zoku sized pops

½ cup of pineapple

½ cup of mixed berries

1 cup of cherry cider

¼ teaspoon of guar gum

Liquid vitamins (B12, D, and Folic Acid)

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Pour into ice pop mold. If using a zoku, this will make 6 pops.

Best of all, these are about 40 calories each, with 2 grams of fiber and they have vitamins! Talk about a great way to satisfy your late night cravings. Also, I got most of my ingredients at Trader Joes. The entire batch cost way less than $1.00, so they are tasty and inexpensive!

I have a Zoku!

 

I am excited almost beyond words! This afternoon my wonderful mother-in-law, Patti got me a Zoku ice pop maker for my birthday. I went back and grabbed a few accessories, including a case and tools. Now my mind is racing with a thousand flavor combinations. I have planed peanut butter and chocolate pops, chai latte pops, and lots of frozen fruit pops. I picked up some cherry cider from Trader Joes that will find its way into that ice pop mold. I think the flavors are endless, and the best thing is I get to take pictures and post recipes up here!

 So far, the actual Zoku looks easy to use. It does say on the website and some blogs that thick mixtures or mixtures with low sugar do not do very well. Therefore, I am going to get a backup, plain old ice pop mold from Amazon, too. I love the idea of making food for my loved ones, including icy treats.

The mold will be ready to use tomorrow, because you have to freeze it overnight. The first one I am thinking of making is Mojito so I will let you know how those work out.

Yay! Off to plan recipes!

Tomato Olive Pizza

I did it! Today Jason taught class for me, so I stayed at home and got in the kitchen. I made this heirloom tomato olive pizza sprinkled with fresh basil. The crust is a flavored crust of chili and roasted garlic. The full recipes will be in the next issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience. Also, since my recipe made two crusts and it is just Jason and I, made breadsticks out of the other crust and gave them away. Yay!

I also used the organic onion flowers from the Farmer's Market to make biscuits, but I need to have something to talk about tomorrow. :>