Is This Blog Dead?

Yep, I'm still off the baloney pony (hahaHA!) and will be until April 12th, when I shall enjoy a delicious and juicy Easter ham. But lately I haven't had the time or energy to record everything I eat for dinner every night. Especially since my dining habits have become rather prosaic; I recently ate the fabulous kung pao tofu that I recorded some weeks ago again, as well as the tofu manicotti and others. Also, my efforts have turned to another ambition- going back to school for the first time in seven years. If all goes well, I shall be accepted to the graduate art history program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. And if all really goes well, I will be able to enter it too. There may even be a PhD somewhere in my distant future. What I'm going to do with it, who knows, but it's something I've wanted for some time now. 

Right now I'm off to the library to spend the day doing research for my scholarly writing sample. And maybe I'll break for a falafel at the downtown Purple Onion sometime in the day.

Chicken and Dumplings

(I have given up on numbering the days. I've finished my original commitment, after all.) Even when made with seitan, and even with dumplings made with soymilk mixed with vinegar instead of buttermilk, chicken and dumplings is good ol' American  comfort food.

You definitely don't want to make the dumplings too big. They will take too long to cook, and may also take up your entire bowl when you go to serve. But this is overall a very easy dish to cook- enjoy.

• 1/4 cup margarine
• One large onion, chopped
• One cup celery, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 package chicken-flavored seitan

And for the dumplings:

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 2 cups flour (self rising)
• 1/4 cup margarine

1. Saute the onion and celery with margarine in a large dutch oven. Add bay leaves and flour when tender. Slowly mix in the broth, bring to a boil, and add seitan.

2. While simmering, make the dough for the dumplings. Combine soy milk and vinegar, and allow to sit for a few minutes. In a bowl cut the flour and margarine together until crumbly. Add the milk mixture and stir until combined. 

3. Drop the dough into the soup by spoonfuls. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes (don't overcook- the dumplings will be rough).

Soy yogurt makes the BEST muffins!

I used to do a little baking, but I obviously haven't done much over the past couple of months. I decided to change that today. Here we have carrot spice muffins- NO eggs, NO dairy, and NO oil. Woohoo! I will probably take these to work tomorrow and leave them in the break room; otherwise I'll be tempted to eat them all tonight. The main tip I can give is to go easy on the ginger. You really don't need the full amount called for here.

The recipe:

• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour (whole wheat if you can find it)
• 1/4 cup natural sugar (dehydrated cane juice)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt (I used vanilla because I couldn't find the plain kind)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 grated carrots
• 1/4 cup raisins (I used golden raisins, but you can use either kind)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the cups of your muffin tin with vegan cooking spray.

2. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Blend the wet with the dry and stir just until combined. Add carrots and raisins.

3. Spoon into muffin cups, about 1/2 to 2/3 full. (This recipe will make 12-15 muffins. Don't use paper liners unless you spray the insides first- they will stick.)

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, more if you like them slightly brown on the bottom.