Well, grocery shopping was a success as usual! Too much of a success actually…as usual 😉 I got some good stuff to make yummy dinners with next week and some nice fresh fruit and veggies. I just love having a fully stocked kitchen!
Now, yall that have been reading this blog from day 1, before I stopped eating meat, know how much I absolutely love hot pressed sandwiches. Well, I had some leftover wheat pitas on hand that I needed to eat before they went bad so I had a revelation: toasted whole pita with tofurky, cheeze and honey mustard. And MAN, was it good!!!!!!!!! I finally found a brand of cheeze that I really like: Vegan Rella. It actually melted and tasted pretty close to the real thing. Def. the closest I have tried yet! This one is not made with soy and perhaps that’s the secret. All the soy cheezes I have tried have sort of tasted like rubber and when melted, gotten oily and had a weird aftertaste. This had no aftertaste at all and was thoroughly yummy! I’d like to try making a pizza with this actually and see how that fares, because that will be the real test! So, I stuffed my pita pocket with a couple slices of tofurky, a slice of the mozzarella cheeze and a squirt of honey mustard and toasted that bad boy up in my cast iron skillet. The result was a gooey, yummy hot sammie on my soft pita!
I’m off to do laundry, clean and hit the gym for a little bit. See you for dinner!
Brianne
February 23, 2008 at 5:29 pmVegan Rella is so good hey? I love that it is not made with soy- I don’t want to eat too much processed soy! It melts better than cheese! I’m so glad you liked it too.
SawSaw
February 23, 2008 at 5:30 pmLooks like Jenna might be making homemade hummus 🙂 I spy TAHINI and GARBANZO BEANS…
Romina
February 23, 2008 at 5:47 pmI looooooooooove Vegan Rella! I was so excited when I first tried it, and that it melted. It tastes amazingly close to real cheese. I find that the cheddar variety tastes a bit too salty, but the mozzarella one hits my tastebuds just right. I’ve always got a stash in the back of my fridge somewhere. I also like that it’s made from oat and rice milk instead of soy. =)
Looks like you had fun shopping! I am addicted to those Lifestream waffles, sometimes I have them for a snack when I’m craving something warm.
Sarah
February 23, 2008 at 6:03 pmOh my goodness…that looks amazing! I never once thought about stuffing a pita and melting it to get it all gooey and delicious….yum!!
Meghan
February 23, 2008 at 6:19 pmMmmmmMmmmMmmmmm! That pita looks absolutely delicious. I always try to buy store-bought pitas but they’re just never very good….rather disappointing, indeed! Have a good saturday, everyone.
VeggieGirl
February 23, 2008 at 6:24 pmHaha, as you know, I love food-shopping, so your grocery load is so wonderful to view – and I’m particularly excited to see all the fresh produce, the hempmilk, and the Larabar (a few of my daily staples!)
Yes, yes, yes, I’m BEYOND elated that you like the VeganRella brand of vegan “cheese” – my family and I love that brand too!! Great for grilled “cheese” sandwiches especially – just like your delicious hot-pressed sandwich!! :0)
Betsy
February 23, 2008 at 6:35 pmShopping at whole foods is soooo dangerous. I just went on the way home from the gym to pick up ONE ingredient for the homemade oreos i’m making (that’s right…homemade oreos), and all of a sudden I found myself with a basket full of stuff I “needed”. I then reminded myself that I had $5 in my wallet and amazingly put everything back except for my intended purchase. Cause I can’t deny myself of homemade oreos.
ibex hk
February 23, 2008 at 7:02 pmdelish! so envious of the pitas, YUM! 🙂 happy weekend
Jtine
February 23, 2008 at 7:32 pmJenna,
I knew you stopped eating meat but I noticed you’d been experimenting with different imitation cheeses, so have you decided to be vegan? Why did you decide to cut out animal products besides just meat?
jenna
February 23, 2008 at 7:39 pmNope–I’m not a vegan…or a real vegetarian I suppose either because I still plan to eat seafood whenever I want. I also use honey, which you can’t use when you call yourself a vegan. So…I guess I just sort of do my own thing, which works for me and I would rather not have a label on it! My diet is more vegan than anything because I don’t eat meat or dairy, but I am not a “full” vegan.
jenna
February 23, 2008 at 7:40 pmOh, and I stopped eating dairy because I believe I have some lactose sensitivities and, really, our bodies don’t need it anyways! I feel a ton better without it!
Natalie
February 23, 2008 at 7:52 pmJenna, just made dumplings out of my squeezed out firm tofu. Much better tasting tofu! Thanks.
Vegandancer
February 23, 2008 at 8:01 pmJenna,
‘A Moveable Feast’ is such a pleasure (as is Bishop!). I never could warm myself to Hemingway in the past, and now I actually feel inspired.
…just thought I’d say hi 🙂 Keep up the beautiful blogging,
xo
R
Mom
February 23, 2008 at 8:12 pmJenna is coming for dinner tomorrow w/ Ryan. I thought I would share with all of you one of her favorites! I will be making it tomorrow!
Sweet and Spicy Bar-b-que Beans:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup h2o
1/2 cup hickory barbeque sauce
2 tbl dijon mustard
1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans,I use small red beans
~ Preheat oven to 350
~ Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients; spoon into a 2-qt casserole. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Can also be made in advance. After spooning into casserole dish, cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refridge;bake as directed. ENJOY!!
Erica
February 23, 2008 at 8:24 pmThat recipe sounds wonderful “mom”! Haha, I think I might try it tonight! Thanks so much. 🙂
ibex hk
February 23, 2008 at 8:25 pmthanks, “mom”-
that sounds realllly good! I love beans, so this seems just perfect to try out for a nice, warm meal!
have fun with Jenna and Ryan!
Meghan
February 23, 2008 at 8:39 pmWow, I love BBQ beans! I’m definitely gonna have to give this one a try!
BethT
February 23, 2008 at 9:01 pmJenna, I have a homemade energy bar recipe that uses maple syrup as a sweetener. Do you think agave nectar is a good substitute for syrup? The recipe calls for 1/3 cup syrup.
jenna
February 23, 2008 at 9:15 pmYep–agave nectar would most likely work since the two are comparable in sweetness.
ahhh I LOVE the beans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BethT
February 23, 2008 at 9:24 pmit is SO cute that your mom posted – sounds like something my mom would do :0
Amy C.
February 23, 2008 at 9:30 pmMmmmm the beans recipe sounds so good! Thanks for posting the recipe, Jenna’s mom. 🙂
Jenna, I made the vegan chocolate chip cookies! OMG! They are seriously better than any store bought or bakery one I’ve tried. I had to make a couple of substitutions. I don’t use maple syrup so I used sugar free syrup that I had on hand and used whole wheat flour. They still came out delicious! I was planning to wait until after dinner to try one but I had to “test” one right out of the oven. Mmmmmm
Now off to make bbq tofu!
Katers
February 23, 2008 at 10:01 pmJenna, I tried a Sunshine Burger today on a Food for Life roll with some goat cheese – oh my goodness, was it good!! Thanks for the awesome tip!!
Blaire
February 25, 2008 at 2:47 pmDo you find going vegan to be more costly at the supermarket?
jenna
February 25, 2008 at 3:01 pmHi Blaire!
First and foremost, I am not claiming to be a vegan. To uphold the true meaning of the word, I would have to not eat any animal products at all, including honey. I still eat seafood and honey…so technically I am not a vegan, nor a true vegetarian either. I’m just trying different things to see what works the best for my body.
But, back to your question–My grocery bills are the exact same. I save money by not buying dozens of yogurt or deli lunch meat. And..veggies are cheaper anyways! I think its def. a myth that a vegetarian diet is more costly!