GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLING UP TURKEY-FREE FOOD!

That's right, people. Dessert is first around here! Shown is a spiced rum chocolate pecan pie. Toss one back for all ye Capt. Morgan fans out there. (you know who you are :) )

Sur la table.

A la table.


A sanctified marriage of greens.
Green beans amandine and chipotle swiss chard all wrapped up in one!
Mushroom and merlot gravy, simmering away.

Garnet yam and coconut soup, souped-up thai style with curry and lemongrass.

Yeeeeeee-um.

Soup's on.

Celebration roast in puff pastry, rolled with curried and roasted

red pepper, yellow squash, and carrot.

The innards.

(It was so fabulously hot it broke my beautiful polka-dotted dish clean in half!)

Before it was all drowned in gravy. Especially the garlicky mashed golden yukons.

Can't forget the spiced cranberry apple compote!

...and herbed garlic butter (earth balance, bien sur!), with fresh herbs from my
"green room": basil, parsley, oregano, and sage.

Not pictured is a 12 grain/seed bread fit for slathering.

Finally, let's be thankful for that super-hot kitty love!

(and they weren't the only ones lounging around in cozy baskets after that huge meal!)

That's it for my photo-journey for the month.

Just a few things that I LOVE

This is the way TomLucas rolls, and I love it!

You can't really tell from the photo, but he is roosting high up above the earth.

Anytime can be SAMMICH time!

I love sammiches. on crusssty bread.
I love critters who love each other.

2 honky brothers, in this case.

I love thai spring rolls. I wish I had taken a foto of the pre-roll-your-own layout. A beautiful tray full of all sorts of enticements, including zucchini strips, carrot strips, marinated tofu strips, portabellos (lightly sauteed), red bell peppers, mung bean sprouts, bean (cellophane) noodles, leaf lettuce, cilantro, peanuts...what have I forgotten. oh yeah, fresh basil, of course! Served with a thai peanut lime sauce (with coconut milk and jalapenos and other goodies).

I love chocolate on chocolate cupcakes!

with fresh sprigs of chocolate mint!

and cat butts!

can you find the cat ears in the first photo?

I love good ol' southern comfort food.

Macaroni and "cheese" (with an added creamy tahini lemon sauce for pure zesty goodness)

Sauteed spicy swiss chard

Mushroom and onion turnover

FANNNNNNTABULOUS.

Morning glories and morning coffee

with the first hint of a fall breeze

wafting through my morning breath

Kitties who hold down the bad chi in the disastrous office zone.

2 person desk.

bad chi.

good kitties.

I also love love.

and I love loving love.

and I love others who love loving love.

and I think I might love lovage.

Crazy mixed up starry weekend and more

Suffer ye no more, the bad camera and its subjects hath returned! I will let pictures speak mostly for themselves this time around.....the monotonous photo uploading has wearied me for the day. Plus, I need to go trim mine fingernails.

very hard to see what this is, so I will tell you. Goulash. With real Hungarian paprika, carrots, red bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, red wine, vegetable broth, jalapenos, mushrooms, potatoes, a hint of butter (earth balance), and fresh marjoram. oh YEAH, of course there was pasta (creste di gallo---which means rooster's comb, but it reminds me of dinosuars), which I cooked right in the stew.

I topped it with a dollop of suncheese, to really drive home the richness. It was served with french bread, marjoram-garlic butter/olive oil combo, and Pepperwood Merlot (altho something spunkier, like a Pinot Noir or Chianti, would be nice)

"Last night's leftovers" Salade Nicoise

I had grilled herb potatoes leftover from a cookout, and tomatoes,red onions, and jalapenos leftover from taco night, so I threw together a salad for lunch. I very quickly sauteed the potatoes, onions, pine nuts, green olives, and capers, tossed them on top a bed of shredded red leaf lettuce, threw on the diced maters, then drizzled with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. A little mustard added to the dressing would also be superb.
I had some leftover sauteed shiitake shrooms and julienned carrots, so I decided to make a couple of sushi rolls. I spread a little umeboshi paste on the rice to cut the richness of the mushrooms, and served with seaweed salad. Another semi-light lunch.

So-Easy After Dinner Love Bites
Just grab some frozen prepared filo pastry shells, add a spoonful of vegan custard to each
(I had some leftover from my Boston Cream Bundt cake), sprinkle in some vegan chocolate chips, top each with a raspberry, and bake until the chocolate has melted.

Things got reeeeeally HAIRY Labor Day Weekend! I just couldn't leave these out.
So solly.

Megan has decided that black wigs make the best sleeping partners

I've finally found the star characters for my new comic series

oops, how'd that get in there??


How "The View" would look under my direction

Scooby Doo, where the HELL are you?

the evidence is in: what vegan food can do to you. It's totally addictive.

The entire Labor Day Weekend was a bachelorette blow-out for my neighbor Jennifer. And that's 7pm Friday eve through Monday morning, when it was finally time to start drying out. However, it started even a couple of days earlier for me, because I was asked to cater the Sunday morning Brunch/Negligee party. I thought I had taken a couple of shortcuts to make it easier on myself; alas, I was running around harum-scarum until the very last second.

Here is the bride-to-be. Looks like she puked up a pink explosion.

lemon blueberry cupcakes with lemon frosting (real lemon juice and zest). sprinkled with confetti
I had a star theme going on (the bride is a fan of them). Thus, the star-shaped bowl, with star confetti pasta salad.


Here is an upside-down Boston Cream Bundt Cake (the chocolate is on the bottom layer). I thought I had screwed this one up, but it came out tasting terrific. Notice the star formations on top...

Star-shaped Gimme Lean soysages, with pesto mashed potatoes dolloped on top. I also made a hollandaise sauce to go with...

blueberries, scrawberries, and bananas tossed with lemon juice and cinnamon

chocolate blueberry croissants. not shown are spinach and chipotle cream cheese (vegan, of course) croissants

the table, also befitted with a pitcher of mimosas that kept on flowing

there were bagels and spreads, as well, and someone else made up a batch of scrambled eggs

(I was the only vegan in the house)

It was an overall success. YEAH!!!

Ok, that's all for this time, my friends. If anyone wants to donate a camera, I'll give you my address!

"doo-DOO-doo-doo"

o.k. I just have to mention something really serendipitous about my last post...

You see where I said "what is the DEAL with cupcakes...." meant to be spoken in a Seinfeld whine? And then you see further down, where I make the link to the VCTOTW website? Well, if you go to that website, and read the current blog, she makes the EXACT SAME REFERENCE! Get - OUT! How weird is that?! I swear I hadn't already read this post; in fact, hadn't even been to the website in a while...

I AM CUPCAKENATOR.

It's too bad I wait so long to upload pics of past repasts sometimes. by the time I sit down to tell you about them, I've oft forgot what half the d'rn ingredients were. (ahhh, the dangling participle conundrum)

Below is Double Sins on a Dime, i.e. carbo-overload mixed with conveniently cheap and dangerously devilish crescent rolls in a tube (eh-hem... PHO. partially hydrogenated oils.) Generally I try to stay away from artery-clogging glue, but on this day I was desperately craving a croissant-filled something, so I "craved-n-caved" to Pillsbury. It is a spana-croissanta, filled with spinach and tofutti cream cheese, mixed with cumin, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Soooo not healthy. But still VEGAN!! The shells were baked atop Muir Glen chopped tomatoes and diced peppers, and a tofu feta, mixed with fresh herbs from my stairgarden (all of which are shrieking like mandrakes as they wither up and die in this unremitting heat).

and outta this world nachos (with ingredients leftover from taco night). it's a damn shame you can't see all of the goodies that went into this whopper. To name a few: veggie ground round; seitan stir-fried with lime juice, chili powder, curry powder, and broth from the "chicken-style" seitan container; red onion; jalapenos; FYH monterey jack; shredded lettuce, cilantro (ya gotta LOVE that cilantro!); and of course, salsa and hot sauce of choice. Oh, I almost forgot: also thrown in were some broiled summer squash, zucchini, and red bell pepper in a "special sauce" .
There. I think I named all of 'em.

yes, my gut was hurting a bit afterwards, but it was definitely worth it.

why do cats insist on being outside when it is hotter'n blazes???? here is Blackboy playing dead amongst dying flowers...

I also baked up some uber-fab mini lemon bundt cakes, with lemon frosting, served with fresh scrawberries. They were thigh-packing good, but some of the bundt stuck to the pan, so not necessarily photo-worthy this time around.

Speaking of baking, what is the DEAL with all the cupcake-orama going around lately? Is it a part of the vegan credo?

"thou shalt commit vegecide once a day, thou shalt bake fancy colorful cupcakes 3x/week"??

It seems that every vegan blog I visit (and many "other" eaters as well) are way into the cupcake thing. At first I thought it was a phenomenon started by the rockin' VwaV girls (that's Vegans with a Vagina to you), but then I found a couple of sites where you-know-who-you-are had not yet heard of their book, Vegan Cupcakes take over the World. So WHAT IS GOING ON??

Let me clarify; I have nothing against cupcakes, or any girlie baking for that matter. Actually, I hadn't really given them much thought in the post-Brownies years of my life. But now I am just jealous! Jealous of everyone who makes them expertly, and shows them off in such confabulous fotos. I even have my very own copy of VCTOTW just waiting on the counter in the kitchen for me to dive into whole happy hog. But, make no mistake, I will show you all that I am truly vegan. I, too, can be a cupcakenator, just like the rest of you. You - just - WAIT.

Come play Vegan Hangout-opolis with me!

Obligate foto of the day

Anyone out there want to move to Asheville with me (or somewhere else 4-seasonish, beautiful, artsy, counterculturish) and open a small vegan cafe/rock and theatre venue/art and gift store? This is just a portion of one of my long-standing dreams, and I'm not getting any younger (in fact, I am getting older and older! blechhh!!)



Though I do not currently have any start-up cash, history has proven to me (by default) that I am at my most motivated, creative, ambitious, and positive best when I have a partner to chase a dream with. The "vegan entrepreneurial" movement is growing at a fast-pace these days, and I am far past ready to hop on the train they call the VBOTOTW.....that's vegan business owners take over the world to you. or more like CVTOTW=creative vegans take over the world. One problem: I do not personally know any vegans (how sad is that? it's not like I live in bumfuck antarctica), much less someone excited by the prospect of opening a funky little cruelty-free artspace cafe. But I know you people are out there!



This place that has been only in my imagination for the past 15 years or so is destined to be in reality; I just want to make sure I'm the one to do it! However, although I am not disclosing all details of said venture, if this sends shockwaves of warm fuzzy bubbles through your body because it is the exact same dream/goal you have, and even better, if you've got the business know-how but need a creative partner (I can also add/subtract and spell good. g-o-o-d. see?), then let's tawk tofurkey. Maybe, just maybe, we will hit it off.



I am ready to start anytime. The kitty jungle and I have to find a new home in 3 months time, and I'm searchin hopin wishin for some wonderful bit of grace in the face of bleak reality...

If you have ever loved an animal...

If you are someone who has happened upon this blog, and you are not yet convinced that veganism is the only way to live a worthwhile life on planet Earth, please set aside a small portion of your day to watch this video (preferably not right before dinner). http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1282796533661048967

The choice is yours, of course, but the choices we all make each and every day should be informed choices.

Here is a description of the video--Earthlings--pulled from the same page:

EARTHLINGS is a feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and ... all » scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human providers." The film is narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix (GLADIATOR) and features music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby. With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animals shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, EARTHLINGS uses hidden cameras and never before seen footage to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. Powerful, informative and thought-provoking, EARTHLINGS is by far the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation between nature, animals, and human economic interests. There are many worthy animal rights films available, but this one transcends the setting. EARTHLINGS cries to be seen. Highly recommended!

NO COMMENT

What I manged upon while the rest of the crew went out for fried sea animals scooped from the Atlantic...

Oh, I am weary with blurriness. I am bleary with worriness. Does anyone else out there own a Sony Cyber-shot 6.0? It is almost impossible to take a focussed foto!

In any case, it's whole wheat pasta with snap peas, broccoli, carrots, cherry maters, fresh basil and garlic in a kick-tush lemon caper sauce...one of the best I've made. I wined and dined myself in front of the super-mega-deluxe-hi-def-flat-screen-boob-tube (I had my choice from about 15 of these things) in the sun room overlooking the bay. It was ALRIGHT!

All American Break Fasting O' Champions

Oh my freakin' gourd, I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry I have denied all ye fellow plant-eaters out there for so long. What is my blogdarn problem? They say habits take 21 consecutive days of practice to form, (some say 28, tho, and some say 7), but my writing practice is so rusty that I can't seem to come up with more than 50 words per week. That being said, this will again be a sadly unprolific post, as I am currently hanging with the family unit back in ol' Weirdginia Beach, and there is much spelunking and cavorting to do.

Before continuing, however, there is one thing I want to make clear. Being holed up for 5 days amongst 10 extremely flesh-eating fanatics (half of who have animal companions that they, like, totally love), the vegan mind tends to roll certain topics over and over inside the skull, keeping one awake at night in silent conversations, and constantly on their toes during the daytime, either running away from horrific visions on plates or putrid smells of searing carcass, or straining to keep mouth shut regarding inconsistencies and hypocrisies in the carnivorous lifestyle. These thoughts led me back to this blog, in which I suddenly realize that I have as yet to make the point to all my fellow readers and bloggers out there that I have, FIRST AND FOREMOST, chosen the vegan lifestyle for ethical, compassionate reasons. While my focus here so far, and perhaps, mostly, is to show the world how enticing, healthful, and varied eating a plant-based diet can be, I still have my ingestion vices, and I did not choose veganism for "health" reasons (altho many a long time ago I did, and guess what? it was not the glue that stuck me to it). It is the fundamental obligation to others---in this case other species---that is the casein-free adhesive that binds.... On that note, as someone who tries to live compassionately in whatever way I can, I also believe in being compassionate to myself (admittedly, these words at times speak louder than my actions); taking care of my body in turn takes care of my mind, and, yes, feeds my soul. The purely plant-based diet (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, seaweeds, etc.) is the most beneficially healthy way to stuff one's gullet in a temperate clime, ......which is just my set-up to boast to you that after my blood panel last week, the doc said to me "You are disgustingly healthy"; in fact, she said "disgustingly" in such a dramatic, drawn out way that I thought for sure she was about to give me horrible news about my state of health!

O.k. Now we can move on...these pics are from the last week and a half from my life. For some reason, I switched to an "Americanized Diet", in the vegan vein, of course, for several days. This includes your typical meal staples: cereals with "milk" and fruit, waffles, sammiches, tots, crap like that. So, even though I just went on above about how yummy and creative vegan food can be, I am not really offering up a lot of creativity in this post. Solly. Better luck next time! But to keep you abreast of my mouth-shoveling habits, here goes:

I bought a huge batch of blueberries which I ate almost every morning for breakfast. Here, thrown over a bowl of wheat-free granola. I had no plain beanjuice in the house, so I used a little chocolate soymilk as my "wettener", and oddly, the flavor combination was awesome!

After eating so many blueberries, it is necessary for one to take a long, hot bubble bath to release the toxins...

salad and spanakopita from Cafe Life. yum.

oh yeah, my token lounging felines pics:

another extremely simple breakfast: brown rice cakes, nanners, and cinnamon.

see how easy it can be when you need to take a break.....fast?

extremely blurry picture of a durn good stirfry: rice, swiss chard, purple peppers, daikon, carrots, broccoli, almonds, and I-d0n't-remember in a garlic-ginger-shoyu sauce

more of those blue balls!

I made brown rice with a coconut curried dal, and topped it off with tamari sweet pertaters and collard green rolls. the filling in the rolls is simply leaf lettuce hearts in an almond/coconut "dressing". OMG they were soooooo good!

and of course, one needs pappadam to scoop up the curry.

sammich time! it was tasty, but sorry for you, I don't remember what-all went in it. use your imagination.

below are 2 different versions of an interesting meal: soy nuggets served with creamy pesto, sweet potato/carrot/garlic mash, and pesto yellow squash mash. don't knock it. it was super-tasty, so much so that we were still talking about it the next day. the pesto is a cashew, parsley, basil, chive mixture (with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt)

Ok, there is a svimming pool calling my name, so in the words of a band from long ago that I sadly can't remember the name of now in my old age: "that's it tell next time, yellow-bellied toadsuckers!" (eh-hem, which I hope none of you really are)

keep on rockin in the free animal world of our hopes and desires!