Quesadilla Time!

So today I had to work.  The New England Patriots were playing in the AFC championship game, and I was at work for the entire duration.  As a consolation prize, my boss bought us lunch!  But my only choice was the pizza/burger snack bar next to our bookstore.  It was Sunday, and the students have not moved back to campus yet, so pickings were slim.  They do have a black bean and veggie quesadilla, which I could order with OUT cheese and sour cream.  But, I have been told, that even loaded with cheese, it is still one of the blandest things on the planet....

So, I ordered one to-go, knowing I had my lovely Smokey Mountain Cheese sitting at home in my fridge, as well as a freshly baked batch of chorizo sausages from Viva Vegan.  This was going to be good!

So, when I got home, I scraped the flavorless black beans, peppers and onions into a bowl.  I think they just need to add a bit of salt and some cumin or chili powder...  But either way, I was going to fix all that!

I added about 1/3 cup of the smokey mountain cheese, mixed it well, and zapped it in the microwave for a minute or two.  Then I chopped up about 2/3 of a link of chorizo (I had nibbled a bit of the end earlier, just to see if it tasted good)! I sautéed the bite size pieces over medium heat in a pan with a bit of cooking spray until crispy, then tossed it into the cheesy vegetable mixture.  I then RE-stuffed the tortillas, and placed them in my nonstick pan to get some brown action on them!

The result:  packed with smokey, spicy flavor, melt on your mouth Mexican quesadilla goodness!!  (If only I had guacamole...)

This MORE than made up for the fact that I missed the game... Now I can't wait for the SUPERBOWL, and the awesome game day grub I'm gonna make! GO PATS!! ^_^

Great Smoky Mountain Cheese!

I am happily cooking my way through Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, and loving every second of it!

At long last, I finally found agar-agar POWDER at the Asian Market down the street from my house.  I've been searching for it everywhere, and these little packets were the perfect size for my initial investment.

*Telephone Brand* I like that!

I have lots of plans for these little packets, so I got two of them to start. Smokey Mountain Cheese was on the top of my list of recipes to try, (and then, there are some pies in Vegan Pie in the Sky that are next...)

The cheese came together quickly, which I liked, despite the fact that I threw paprika all over my counter trying to put the lid back on :/

Nice going... At least it was only my plain, sweet paprika, and not my beloved brand new jar of smoked!

So, now that I have this beautiful round of yummy cheese, what do I do with it??

I made the obligatory Grilled Cheese and Tomato sandwich:

NOMNOMNOM! Haven't had a grilled cheese in a while, so this was quite delicious!

Please excuse the grape tomatoes that I sliced, instead of actual tomato... I was improvising.

But, I'll ask again:  What else (besides polishing this whole round off with a box of crackers)?!?

I was thinking maybe jalapeño poppers ^_^

What are your thoughts?  All ideas welcome!

Oh, Smoky Curls, You are Shamefully Addictive

I would almost have to say:  It is a sin how good these are...  Perfect for Sunday Brunch, next to a huge stack of pancakes.  And don't even get me started on how amazing these are on whole wheat toast slathered with Veganaise, lettuce and tomato...

If you don't have Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, run to your nearest bookstore and buy it!!  I have this cookbook on my Nook Color, and I have to say, every recipe I've tried so far has been a winner!  Google books just so happens to have a sneak peek of the Smoky Soy Curl recipe here, if you'd like to check it out.

So, Soy Curls... 

When dry, they kind of remind me of shriveled up witches' fingers  Not very appetizing, I know, but when re-hydrated, these little babies take on a life of their own!  Soy Curls are not sold in stores anywhere in Rhode Island, so I decided to order me some bags to keep in the pantry.  I ordered quite a few... but the price was better the more you bought!!  They also threw in a container of their Chickn Seasoning too, (kewl)!

The beauty of the soy curl is two-fold. 
ONE: although they are technically a processed soy product, Soy curls are actually made from certified Non-GMO, WHOLE soybeans, grown without chemical pesticides.  Many of the vegan "meat" products on the market today are made with “soy protein isolates”. These protein isolates are obtained through a rigorous chemical process, often using the chemical hexane, where the soy protein is actually separated from the fat of the soybean.  Thankfully, soy curls leave this chemical bath behind when making their product
TWO: Soy curls have no FLAVOR, whatsoever. Which gives you, the cook, the power to impart any flavor your heart desires!  The suggested method of re hydration from the Soy Curls website is plain ol' boiling water. I always thought that was a little pedestrian, considering there are so many broths and spices one could use to infuse flavor RIGHT into the curl!  I'm thinking something more like veggie broth, a splash of soy or Bragg's, some sage, thyme or rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder...something!



That's what makes Julie's recipe so great.  The curls are re hydrated in a mix of water, soy sauce and LIQUID SMOKE, the vegan equivalent of smoky, bacon-flavored goodness!  These smoky curls can be whipped up, marinated, and sauteed to a crispy-sweet and smoky goodness in about 15 minutes.  Julie's recipe, as written, makes an abundance of smoky curls! 

I have about a third of them leftover, and am going to attempt a Pasta Carbonara.  Will let you know how it goes!  If I can pull it off, my meat-eating better half will be MINE foreverrrrr!!  ^_^