Cyber Monday/Meatless Monday

Hi Kids, I wanted to say thank you for following along with my blog, and in celebration of cyber Monday I wanted to offer you 10% off on everything in the Gilding Lilies Shop. Just use the coupon code "Holidays2011". Happy shopping!
Now, for the meatless part. I wanted to let all the local veggies that the Caspar Community Center has an amazing breakfast on the fourth Friday of the month, and to make it even better they always serve a vegan option, hooray! I went yesterday, and it was so delicious! I can't wait for next month. Next time, I'm taking my camera, because it really was a feast for the eyes, as well as the mouth.

Not The Average Meatless Monday Recipe - Flax Seed Curling Gel

I have a riot of long red curls. Some days they are beautiful, but on a bad hair day...Well, you get the idea. With that much volume it can get a bit crazy and frizzy. The other day I came across a recipe for a Flax Seed Curling Spray, and I decided to give it a try, and I really like it! You bring one cup of water to a boil, then you reduce the heat to a simmer, and add 2 tablespoons on flax seeds. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain the seeds out of the gel that has formed. Next time, I'm going to try putting the seeds in a cheese cloth pouch so that I don't have to strain it. Allow it to cool, and pour it into a bottle. You can keep it for about a week in the fridge.
To use it, just pour a small amount of the gel into your hands, rub it around, and apply to damp hair. Style as usual. It feels healthy, soft, and not at all "crunchy". It really helps the curls get along, stay together, and fights frizz. Good stuff!

Meatless Monday - Seitan Bourguignon

This last weekend I made Martha Stewarts' Seitan Bourguignon and it was really delicious! It had a great rich, hearty, homey flavor. I think it's a wonderful comfort food for the fall.  Highly recommended! The meat eaters in my life were amazed that it was a vegan recipe. FYI - For those of you that are unfamiliar with it, seitan is a nice chewy meat substitute that is made from wheat gluten.

Meatless Monday - Banana Sundae

Yum! I've started making this yummy treat. I freeze bananas, then whip them up in the Vitamix (love my Vitamix!) until they are the consistency of ice cream. Place in a little bowl, pour on some chocolate syrup, sprinkle with peanuts, and totally enjoy! I use Living Tree Community Foods Organic Chocolate Syrup - it's raw, vegan, and delicious.  

Meatless Monday - When Seasons Meet

Today, I really felt the seasons begin to shift. I had a huge bunch of very ripe tomatoes, and an ear of fresh corn, that needed to be used. It seems like everyone was giving me tomatoes from their garden, and it's such a treat, but I wasn't keeping up with the supply. So, I decided to make a pot of tomato soup with fresh corn kernels. It was all overcast, and cool here today, perfect weather for a pot of soup. It was so delicious to be so clearly on the cusp of two seasons. And the soup was great too!

Meatless Monday - Orach With Pesto Cream

Orach is a red leaf veggie that is very similar to spinach. I've never seen it at the grocery store but it can readily be found at local farmers markets. This evening I took a bunch of orach and lightly sauteed it. At the last moment I added some vegan pesto and soy cream and tossed it around. It couldn't have been easier but boy was it delicious! I think it would be wonderful served on top of gnochi (Italian potato dumplings), and I think they might turn a pretty shade of pink. 

Meatless Monday - Happy 4th Of July

Summer Watermelon Photo Available Here

Happy 4th Of July Everybody! I hope you are all having a good one. I just sliced open a nice juicy watermelon. Nothing says summer like a watermelon. I bought some El Mexicano Pico Limon Hot Seasoning For Fruits at the Mexican food store. It's made of mixed hot peppers, salt, and lime juice. It adds a brightness and a little kick to the flavor to the watermelon. 

Have fun! 

Meatless Monday - It's All About The Blueberries



I bought this giant basket of blueberries and I have been enjoying them all day long. They are as much a treat to my eyes as they are to my mouth. For nostalgia sake, I have to eat at least one bowlful of these beauties the way my grandmother used to eat hers. She loved them with a dollop of sour cream (I go with the vegan version) and a sprinkle of brown sugar. The rest will be enjoyed au natural - delicious!

Meatless Monday - Fresh Yuba

Have you ever had Yuba? Yuba is the “skin” that forms on the top of heated soy milk. It is labor-intensive to make and is a real treat to eat. Up until now, I have only had the dried variety that I found in specialty markets in China Town.  Soaked in a flavored mixture that includes liquid smoke, then fried, it can taste remarkable like bacon.
To my delight, my local market (at Harvest - for the local readers) started carrying Hoda Soy Beanery Fresh Yuba. The fresh yuba has a delightful texture and creaminess. These thin sheets can be cut to form noodles, used as a wrap, or cubed and added to a wide variety of dishes. It is chewing like a fried egg, and bland like tofu, so it is extremely versatile.
Today, for lunch, I cubed it and fried it in a mixture of vegetable oil, sesame oil, and chili oil. Adding minced ginger, garlic, and salt for flavor. Oh my gosh, was it ever delicious!

May 2011 Desktop

DOWNLOAD the 768x1024 pixel version here
DOWNLOAD the 800x1280 pixel version here

Hi kids, happy Monday. Here is this months desktop, I hope you enjoy it. Today is also Meatless Monday. I'm going to keep it simple today. As soon as I'm done here, I plan to go and drain a package of seitan, saute it with some onions, pour on a little vegan BBQ sauce, place it on a toasted roll, and call it late lunch.

I have some big changes brewing, and I really hope I will have some fun news to share really soon - fingers crossed!

Also, for the locals, I have a show of my photography work hanging this month at Toto Zaida. I hope you can stop by and check it out. As always, thanks for the support.

Meatless Monday - Tomato Alfredo Polenta

We all have them. The cheats, the meals that we throw together, using ready made ingredients. Well, this is one of mine. It is so quick, but so yummy. I take a tube of ready made polenta and slice it into thick rings. I fry it in a cast iron skillet, on both sides,  until it is a little crispy. I pour half a small jar of my favorite marinara sauce over the polenta. Next, I pour about a 1/3 of a cup of vegan creamer over the top. Sprinkle on some vegan cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the sauce thickens and it gets all bubbly. Serve with some salad and a crispy baguette. 

Somehow, when the red sauce and the creamer get together they effortlessly create this super delicious creamy tomato-y Alfredo-y yumminess.  

Meatless Monday - No, Really

So, I do this little Meatless Monday post most Monday's. And maybe once in a while you give one of the recipes a try, or maybe you just look at the pictures and think - Hmmm, that looks good. All this is fine, and good, and I'm more than happy to be the one that gets your mouth watering, but there is more to it than that. The Meatless Monday movement is really gaining momentum because it is so beneficial to your body, and the planet. And I would be thrilled if I could get you to think about adopting it. After all, it's just one day a week.  So, on this Monday, I ask you to really think about it for a moment. Click the link, check it out, try it for a day, it really is an easy, yummy, and wonderful thing to do. Really. 

To all my vegan and vegetarian followers - Yippee!

Thanks everybody.

Meatless Monday - Millie's Spanish Rice With Seitan "Chicken"

I recently made some Spanish Rice following Millie's recipe, found over on her wonderful food blog, Nuestra Cena Vegan Cuisine. Boy, was it good! I really wanted to share the recipe with you, so I asked Millie if it would be OK. Enthusiastically, she agreed. Thanks Millie! Unfortunately, I couldn't get her photo's to transfer over here, but they are really helpful, so I recommend you stop by her blog to take a look. I hope you give this recipe a try, it is so good. (I found the Savon, and the Jamon, at my local Mexican food shop)

So, here it is, take it away Millie...


No matter how many meals I make, my favorite has always been my Spanish rice. I love rice! Usually this dish is made with chicken breasts, chicken wings or chicken thighs. Since we are (ALL) vegans we cook with seitan chicken instead. My family though I was nuts, but the truth is that I am really "nuts" for seitan chicken and I must admit it was delicious.


Spanish Rice With Seitan "Chicken"

1 package of seitan chicken (cut into strips)
2 Jamon flavoring
1 med. yellow onion
2 Sazon envelopes with "culantro & achiote"
1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 mashed garlic
6 sprigs of cilantro
1 green bell pepper
1/2 can of tomato sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 -1/2 cups of brown rice
 cups of boiling water

Step 1....Soak the brown rice in warm water for 20 minutes before using.

Step 2....place in a blender or food processor your garlic, onion, green pepper & cilantro, then blend in the chop mode. Set it aside.

Step 3....In a large non stick cooking pot pour in the veg. oil and warm it up on med heat. Add to the oil all the spices from the blender, saute and then add salt, black pepper, tomato sauce, jamon & sazon.

Saute and enjoy the smell, its wonderful.

Step 4...add your chopped seitan, saute.  Then drain and add the rice to the pot. Saute, then add the boiling water.

Your water level should be in the middle of your large cooking spoon.

Let it boil until the water has completely evaporated. Then stir lightly, cover with foil and then cover with the pot lid, turn the heat down to low for 25 minutes, then stir again, cover and cook for another 20 minutes.


Serve with either beans or a nice salad like I did.

Meatless Monday - Bean Fritters

Bean Fritters

2 cans soybeans, drained and mashed (I just throw them in the blender)
1/2 cups water (as needed)
1 cup flour
1/2 tablespoons baking powder
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 can whole garbanzo beans
Oil for frying the fritters

Combine mashed beans with remaining ingredients, folding the garbanzos in last. Batter will be thick.

Heat about 1 inch of canola oil in a large skillet until hot. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Working in batches, drop soybean batter (about 1/4 cup per fritter) into hot oil and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned on all sides. I usually make as many as needed, then reserve some batter for leftovers.
Remove fritters and drain on paper towels.

Serve warm with a dipping sauce made of half vegan mayo and half mustard.

They are also really good formed into patty's, and cooked as above, but made into sandwiches, with the sauce used as a sandwich spread.

Meatless Monday - General Tao's Tofu

Today, I am going to make a suggestion. That is, to go, and make some General Tao's Tofu, as soon as you can! Don't alter the recipe, just serve it with rice and steamed broccoli, and enjoy. It is so good!

Meatless Monday - Coconut Curry Cauliflower

Here's another one of my non-recipes. I took a head of cauliflower, and broke it into pieces. I added the cauliflower to boiling water and cooked it about three quarters of the way. It should still be very firm when poked with a fork. I drained it in a colander, and set it aside. In the same pot, I sauteed some chopped onion (about a 1/4 of an onion), minced garlic, and minced ginger in a little olive oil, until the onion was translucent. I poured in a can of coconut milk and season it with Cayenne pepper, curry powder, salt, and pepper. I cooked the sauce for a few minutes, then added the reserved cauliflower, and cooked it until the cauliflower was done. Served it over a bed of rice. Really good stuff!

Meatless Monday - Oops

So this is where you would usually find a pretty picture of food, and often a recipe. Well, not today. Not that I didn't try. I made a really awful rice dish. Really, I had great intentions, but come on, we've all had a dish go awry, right? Well, it happened to me today. I think I can salvage it by tossing it into a pot of soup, to dilute its over-the-top seasoning, although that might just create an even bigger pot of inedible food. All I can say - better luck next Monday.

Meatless Monday - Breakfast Mochi

Mochi (say: Moe Chee) is a traditional Japanese food made from sweet brown rice. I have had this weird relationship with mochi for years. I always thought I should like it, I'd  buy it, prepare it as directed on the package, and then I'd go YUCK! I recently came across a recipe for mochi, prepared in an entirely different way, and I decided to give it another chance. I confess I was not optimistic. To my great surprise, I really liked it! It puffed up, and was chewy on the inside, and crispy on the outside, just like they always promised! The secret was to put the cut up pieces in dry cast iron skillet, and cook it over a medium/low heat for about 5 minutes per side - and never, ever try to bake it like the package says.

The plate of mochi pictured above is the raisin & cinnamon variety, served with maple syrup, fresh blueberries, and sliced almonds. Yum! It's like a healthy, chewy, easy version of homemade pancakes.

Meatless Monday - Kombu

First of all, let me say Happy Valentines Day! I hope you are having a good one! Are you feelin' the love today? I hope so.
And now, onto the Meatless Monday part. How was that for an abrupt segue?

Today, the featured food is Kombu. I'm going to suggest that everybody gets a package of this super sea veggie, and keep it in a jar in your cupboard, and start enjoying it regularly. Why? Because I love you, and it's Valentines Day (see how I turned that around, and made it all come together?) It is a wonderful thing to drop a piece of kombu in any pot of soup, grains, or beans. It has glutamic acid which will tenderize, add  rich flavor, and thicken bean broth. Most importantly, it will make things, like beans, easier to digest - if you know what I mean!
It cuts down on the salt that you need to add to things. And get this, it has algins that have been shown to remove heavy metals from the digestive tract. Kombu is a good source of vitamin C, B-complex, carotene, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, and fiber. What more could you want from a sea veggie that you can easily just throw in a pot?
Aren't you feelin' the love now? Hugs for everybody, and thanks for being my Valentines.

Meatless Monday - Falafel Sunshine Patty

Today, I offer another food recommendation. Falafel style Sunshine Patties are really delicious. I am a big falafel fan, and I made my own for many years, but I have to say these are as good as the ones I made myself. The flavor is excellent, they are super convenient, and they are made of really good quality ingredients. I'm sold. Take a pita bread, spread on some tahini sauce, stuff it with a slice of tomato, lettuce, and one of these cooked patties, and you are stylin'. I'm not sure how readily available they are (for my local readers I get them at Harvest Market), but they are worth looking for.