My first Seitan Sausages & Chickpea Pasta Soup

I've been battling a cold for over a week now. All that's left of it is a nasty cough, so tonight I was craving some hot, spicy soup. I chose Chickpea & Pasta Soup and it did seem to clear my cough a bit temporarily. The recipe is shown below. Add other veggies if you have them on hand.

Since I've been sick my favorite past time has been surfing the internet for veg recipes or recipes I can veganize. Out of my huge stack, seitan sausages made it to the top of the list.



Just finished a batch of seitan sausages and I am so proud! I'm not posting the recipe yet because I think they need more flavor. The texture is good but they need more taste appeal. I'm encouraged enough to keep working on these.

Chickpea and Pasta Soup

If you don't like spicy, this won't be for you. It isn't super hot but more than some people will want. It turns out like a cross between veggie chili and veggie soup.

4 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes
3/4 c chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 T italian seasoning
1/8 t crushed red pepper
1 C farfelle (bow tie) pasta
2-3 t lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste


Combine all in large stockpot, cover and cook over med-low for 45 minutes to hour.

Raw V8 Style Juice

I've had a V8 or 2 in my day an while I liked the flavor, there are a few things about it that make it less healthy than juicing your own fresh veggies.

For one thing it contains a lot of sodium which didn't really matter to me when I was younger but I try to watch it now. And, everything is from concentrate and it's been pasteurized so you aren't getting the full effect of the veggies. I've also heard rumors that V8 isn't vegan, it is however listed as vegetarian according to this page. There's a little vegetarian icon included. This does not mean it doesn't contain dairy derivatives hidden in the "natural flavors".

V8 Juice Ingredients: Tomato Juice from Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Reconstituted Vegetable Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach), Lemon Juice from Concentrate (Water, Lemon Juice Concentrate), Salt, Natural Flavoring, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Citric Acid.





If you don't have a juicer, get one as soon as you can! You'll be able to make wonderful concoctions like this Raw Veggie/Fruit V8.

All you need is a juicer and a variety of veggies and fruits. I used 1 cup salad blend, 1 bag baby carrots, 1 tomato, 1/2 a bunch of celery. I only had one tomato or I would have used 3 or 4. You can add a pinch of sea salt if you like. More tomatos will make it taste more like V8. You can also add some fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, oregano

This juice is super fresh and very good for you!

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Have I mentioned how much I love vintage owl stuff? Well, this is an owl necklace from my collection. It's really big and really great! I've not seen another one like it and the best part is I paid only $1 for it at a junk store. Baaahahahaha!!

Tempeh Reubens, Owls and Stained Glass

Danny had a JCPenney gift card from Christmas so we got this fabulous Dale Tiffany Stained Glass Lamp. I love it! The colors are bold and vibrant and it looks perfect in the corner of the living room.

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I got to work today and on the counter was this super cool owl necklace. Mom made it and surprised me!!

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Tonight for dinner we had Tempeh Reuben Sandwiches which turned out good. The recipe I used called for more soy sauce (1/3 cup soy sauce and only 1/2 cup water) and though I LOVE salt, it was too much. So I have adjusted it for you in this recipe. Also, low sodium soy sauce would be better but I did not have any. You can use less soy sauce if you want or maybe substitute something else for part of it, but I think 1/4 cup would be a good amount.

Tempeh Reuben Sandwich

Makes 2 sandwiches

You will need:
8 oz package of tempeh

Marinade:
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium if you can get it)
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t caraway seeds
2 t spicy brown mustard
a clove of minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 c sauerkraut
2 Hoagie Style Buns

Sauce:
3 T mayo
3 T ketchup
3 T minced pickles
1/4 t lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Cut tempeh in half then slice down the middle to create 4 pieces.
So the tempeh will soak up the marinade better you need to boil it for 20 minutes.

While tempeh is boiling prepare marinade by combining marinade ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.

Prepare sandwich sauce by combing all sauce ingredients with a spoon and sit aside.

After you have boiled the tempeh, remove from water and blot with a paper towel to absorb excess water.

Put tempeh in a small baking dish and pour marinade in. Shake to be sure all the tempeh is covered. Bake for 40 mintutes. Flip tempeh over half way through. While this is cooking, warm sauerkraut over low heat until warmed throughout.

Remove tempeh from pan and start preparing your sandwich. Bottom of bun, tempeh, sauce, kraut and top of bun.

Optional: you could top this with lettuce, tomato and onion if you want.

Mystery Plant, Antique Vanity & Michael Jackson

Beautiful day today, in the 50's. Made Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches (recipe in earlier post), big salad with butter lettuce, green olives, avocado, red peppers and Italian dressing. I can't get enough butter lettuce, it's so tender and has a nice flavor.

Just finished watching This Is It!- documentary of Michael Jackson's final days. Michael had it all the way up to the end!

"I really feel that nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement" - Michael Jackson

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plant with no name

Danny got me this cute houseplant today and though I've seen them at Lowes before, I have no idea what it's called. The tag just says assorted houseplants. It looks like peas growing all over it. The plant had to be hung, if not all those little peas would make great cat toys and I don't know if it's a cat-safe plant or not.

If anyone out there knows what this is, let me know.

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I love antiques, not country crocks and old tools but functional furniture, jewelry, scarves, clothes, etc. We found this vanity back in the summer and got it for the bargain price of $90. I'd been wanting a vanity forever, but all the new ones lacked the character I needed. This one had just a few flaws but made up for it in charm... lots of mirror space, visible drawers and hidden drawers behind 2 doors. The vanity didn't come with any kind of seat which was okay because there was this rough looking old stool we'd brought with us from the last house. Stain and a fabric cover made from a vintage sweater and now it looks like it belongs with the vanity. See the top of it in the middle there? I fell in love with the fabric but the style of that sweater was not good! Makes a much better stool seat cover.

Wow, how embarrassing, I really need to clean this STREAKY mirror!

Vegan Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

You will need:

Hoagies or other buns
vegan cheese, blend of American and mozzarella is good

2 T Earth Balance Margarine
6-8 oz Gimme Lean or other veg burger substitute
4-6 button mushrooms, chopped
1 T minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped


Put Margarine and onions in skillet and saute until onions are translucent. Add minced garlic and mushroom and sautee another 2-3 minutes. Add Gimme Lean and heat until mixture is warm throughout. Stir well, place cheese on top and let it melt. I like to put the buns on top this mix and cover with a lid to steam them a little.

That's it, serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 sandwiches

Cheesy Pleasy Rice

This will satisfy any cheese craving you may have as long as you like rice. It's like broccoli au' gratin. I would definately try this with broccoli but just didn't have any on hand.


You will need:

Brown Rice (I used the boil in bag kind, one feeds me)
"Cheese" Sauce Mix
1 T dried parsley flakes
1/8 t celery salt
1 T Earth Balance Margarine

To serve one person a good size bowl, make 1 bag of rice by following package directions.

Follow the directions on the Cheese Sauce Mix (1/3 cup plus 1 T mix and 1 cup water or milk). This should be enough cheese sauce for 1 bag of rice. To your cheese sauce add the parsely flakes and celery salt.

When rice is done, cut bag open and put it in the saucepan with the cheese. Add Earth Balance while rice is still hot so it will melt.


Stir and enjoy!

Soyatoo and Product Review of Amy's Tamale Verde

It was a pretty nice day in Southern Ohio today. The temperature finally made it to 40 and it hasn't been that high forever! I tend to get depressed this time of year waiting for spring to come. It's close I hope.





I'm home alone tonight so I decided to try a new frozen entree from Amy's called Tamale Verde. It's made with organic corn masa, tomatillos and black beans, and comes with rice. The meal is vegan and gluten free. It contains 10 grams of fat, 780 mg of sodium (yikes!) and 7 grams of protein

I don't recall ever having Tamale Verde so this is new for me. The rice is pretty good, no complaints there. The tamale shell itself tastes exactly like corn bread, exactly. It fell apart which made me a little sad. The tamale is filled with black beans, onions, zucchini, corn and peppers and was all around pretty good. Now, for the sauce... yummy. The sauce was the best part but there wasn't nearly enough of it for me. I'd buy it by the jar if Amy sold it that way.

All in all, this was a pretty good frozen entree but it definately needed about 3 times as much sauce. I may buy this again.



After I finished I still felt a little hungry and wanted something chocolatey so I turned to my old stand-by Ahlaska Hot Chocolate . I usually put Sweet & Sara Marshmallows in my cocoa but I had some Soyatoo whipped cream in the fridge that seemed like a nice topper. I love soyatoo on pie but I did NOT like it in my hot chocolate. Can't really describe what it tasted like but it was unpleasant for me. Since I'm low on almond milk I didn't get a chance to make another cup with marshmallows in it. So, I'm left feeling disappointed.

Super Easy Vegan Cheesecake

You will need:

2 tubs (16 oz) of Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1/3 c sugar
Egg substitute equivalent to 4 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
juice of 1 lemon

can of cherry pie filling
ready made pie crust

Preheat over to 375 degrees

I use flax seeds for egg replacer, but you can see them in the final cake, so if that bothers you, use an egg replacer mix instead. To use flax seeds combine 1 T ground flaxseeds with 3 T hot water for EACH egg and let sit for about 20 minutes.

After you have let your flax seeds soak or made up your egg replacer according to directions, combine first list of ingredients together. Hand stirring should be fine, no need to blend.

Pour mixture into crust and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature, then put in the fridge overnight.

The next day, remove from the fridge and cover with cherry pie filling.

Keep this in the fridge between servings so it will keep its shape.

VARIATIONS: You could do different kinds of toppings or maybe a chocolate crust