Wednesday, May 28, 2008

All Wrapped Up

The wedding details are all being finalized as I type. I spent today assisting my mother in wrapping up the loose ends of the blessed event. We went to Sam's to buy bulk items for all the crowds that will be passing through our house: Stouffer's Lasagnas, massive bags of trail mix, and enough beer to intoxicate an army. Oh, and I managed to sneak in a bag of Gala apples and some button mushrooms. The matrimonial plans are not the only things being wrapped up today--my food is too! I subconsciously had a wrap of some kind for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They're all relatively different from one another, so hopefully you won't be too bored with today's pics.

Tuesday
I finally got a chance to try a waffle breakfast sandwich! Over the past few months, I have been coveting the breakfasts of you bloggers with toaster access while I was trapped in my ill-equipped dorm kitchen. At last I have both frozen waffles and a toaster! I made my breakfast sammie with Whole Foods brand organic flax waffles and PB & Co. Cinnamon Raisin PB. Fresh watermelon rounded out the morning meal.
Lunch was an old "lazy" favorite of mine; I have been making "Tofuna" since my first days of vegetarianism. I even wrote about it in my college entrance essay! Anyway, it consists of mashed chickpeas, Nayonaise, a bit of mustard, lemon juice, and sometimes paprika. It's not exactly like the real thing, but I appreciate the flavor for what it is. I had some rice cakes, broccoli slaw, and a big apple on the side. I ended up grabbing a handful of cashews too...
For dinner, I made Lindsay's Mock Meatloaf and Katie's Mashed Cauliflower. The two recipes made for an excellent meal! My mom ended up making regular meatloaf after I mentioned what I planned to make for dinner for myself. I wonder if the family would be able to tell the difference between the two...I made a 1/3 recipe, fully intending to save some for the next day's lunch--I love meatloaf sandwiches--but it was so good, I ate the whole thing! Oh well. By the way, I used Weetabix again for the breadcrumbs:)
Last night's shake was phenomenal. I made my favorite flavor: Samoas (coconut with a touch of chocolate). It consisted of: nonfat organic plain yogurt, organic silken tofu, vanilla Spirutein, shredded coconut, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Yum! I savored every last slurp of this.
Wednesday
I woke up this morning and really didn't feel like running outside in the near 100% humidity (and it was not raining). I used the stationary bike for about an hour instead, then did some strength training on my arms. I am trying to get some definition on my toothpick arms for my sister's wedding (strapless bridesmaid dresses! Eek!). Anyway, my stomach started yelling at me as I did my bicep curls, so I needed a hearty breakfast. Scrambled tofu to the rescue! I love this stuff! I think it's the tahini that makes me love it so much. In case you don't know, I use the Chicago Diner Cookbook's recipe. I wrapped up the tofu in a whole wheat tortilla and had some more watermelon on the side. Delish.
I got inspiration for my lunch from Jen, the VegTriathlete. She posted a recipe for Peanut Veggie Nori Rolls the other day, and the flavors sounded right up my alley: peanuts, pineapple, veggies...I had intended to follow the recipe, but I got lazy and hungry so I didn't soak the veggies, nor did I use fresh pineapple. I used the sauce as a dip, and I used pineapple from a fresh fruit cup (preserved in juice). Despite my laziness, it turned out delicious! I also had the last of the broccoli slaw (tossed in rice vinegar, mustard, and agave) and an unpictured Rudi's Flax English Muffin. Success!
The third and final wrap of the day was pretty boring, as we didn't have a formal dinnertime tonight. My sister and I don't really feel well, my mom was obsessing about some wedding detail, and my dad was at a work function. As a result, I just made a hummus wrap with my new mushrooms and some romaine. I served it along with Acorn Squash Mango Soup, three-bean salad, and an unpictured bowl of sliced peaches with maple syrup.
Now I should probably get myself organized for next week school-wise, since this weekend we'll be celebrating my mom's birthday. Speaking of which, do you all have any birthday cake/dessert recipes to suggest? She likes chocolate and, um, chocolate. I bet Katie over at CCV has a few ideas...Ciao for now!


19 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hooray for the wedding plans being finalized!

Oh man, a Samoas shake?!?!??! THat HAS to be the best shake of yours yet!! Yum!!

Try any and all of the cake recipes in 'My Sweet Vegan' or ED&BV - all winners!! :0)

Anonymous said...

A waffle sandwich with watermelon?! YUMMY!!! Two of my faves!

Cassie said...

I have never had meatloaf before but that mock meatloaf looks delicious! Lindsay is a genius!

Anonymous said...

yay for waffle sandwiches!!!!! plus watermelon... yum!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Oh my gosh, you are a GENIUS with that samoa shake! Those were my favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookies. I think I will make myself a chocolate-coconut shake tonight, thanks to your inspiration.

And you are the queen of good-looking wrap sandwiches.

Ugh, I hear you about the toothpick arms. Strength training has helped me a *little* bit, but not much... if you ever come across an exercise that is especially helpful in bulking up toothpick arms, let me know too!

I love Lindsay's loaf and am happy to hear that 1/3-ing the recipe works out well. When I make it, I usually just freeze some of the leftover slices, but in the future I'd rather just make a smaller loaf so I can have it fresh (not that the frozen slices are bad-- the loaf actually freezes pretty well).

Ah, your mom is so smart to like chocolate. I haven't had this recipe in a while, but it's sooo good (if she likes peanut butter): http://pleasantlyplumpvegan.blogspot.com/2008/03/peanut-butter-chocolate-silky-pie.html

This chocolate cake recipe is always a hit whenever I serve it, and it works well with chocolate frosting too: http://www.post-gazette.com/food/20021219vegbooksc.asp

I'm sure other bloggers will have lots of yummy chocolate-y recipes to suggest, so I'll end this comment now, because all this writing about chocolate recipes has gotten me craving chocolate, so I need to go do something about that...

J said...

Katie's mashed cauliflower is so good. I've only made it twice, but both times Brett and I chowed down on cauliflower like you wouldn't believe. Mmmm, looking at your picture makes me want to make her mashed cauliflower again!

That nori wrap looks amazing. It sounds perfect to me!

I adore hummus wraps, nothing boring about htem at all. It looks so good! And the mushrooms, mmmmm, I can't believe I used to hate them!

I hope all goes well with the wedding! And I'm sure you'll look amazing in your dress 'stick arms' and all. ;-)

Ruby Red said...

The whole wedding process sounds really exciting!
I've been wanting to follow suit with the waffle sandwiches too, but you beat me to it! I even made a carob chip Belgian waffle this morning, but I'm still hungry for your wafflewich!
If you ate all of the veggie meatloaf, that must be a sign of a winning recipe! Mmm, it's so funny that I never tried "meat"loaf until I became vegan, and now I like it!
That Chicago Diner tofu scramble recipe is so delicious. I really want to make it again soon! It was probably really yummy wrap-style.
I always suggest blondies for dessert ideas. ED&BV's Maple Pecan Sticky Blondies are one of my favorites to make!

Anonymous said...

Mmm...I LOVE vanilla Spirutein!! :)

ChickPea said...

VeggieGirl: You MUST try the Samoas shake! I have a tub of plain Silk in the fridge right now, and I think I have a use for it...
Romina: It WAS a winner of a b-fast:)
Brenda T: Thanks for the tip.
Cassie: Haha, I have had more than my fair share of meatloaf. My grandmother used to make it and bring it in her suitcase when she came to visit us...
loveofoats: It's a great combo!
CCV: Glad to hear that someone understands my toothpick arm dilemma. No matter what I do, they just won't gain muscle. Sigh.
Thanks for the recipes! Turns out she wants an ice cream cake though...might be more difficult to veganize!
Jennifer: The mashed cauliflower IS good. This was my first time trying it, and I will definitely be making it again in the future!
Ruby: Carob Belgian waffle?! That sounds divine, no sandwiching required.
It seems like a lot of people, vegans or no have never experienced the wonder of meatloaf. As I mentioned above, my grandmother used to bring some every time she visited, so I have grown up with it. I think I like the mock version better!
flvegan: Yay for a fellow Spirutein fan!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

If you wanted to make a vegan ice cream cake, I've heard only wonderful things about this stuff: http://www.purelydecadent.com/products/purely_decadent_chocolate_obsession.html

or http://www.purelydecadent.com/products/purely_decadent_Coconut_Milk_Chocolate.html

BUT it IS your mom's special day, so maybe you should stick to a non-vegan cake, just in case she doesn't like soy ice cream or coconut milk-based ice cream. Vegan or not, you're such a sweet daughter to make a birthday cake for your mom :o).

Unknown said...

Ah, I make that Tofuna ALL of the time...it's SO yummy!! I can't get over how a few simple substitutions can make a meal so much better! All of your wrap meals looks delicious...I really need to try a tofu scramble soon!!

ChickPea said...

CCV: Yep, I've tried a few non-dairy ice creams, and they ARE good. I really like the Mexican Chocolate variety:)
However, I think I'll stick with regular ice cream, since it is HER b-day. Then again, maybe I'll try making both and have people guess which one is vegan...
Allison: I love Tofuna! It's so easy and quick, plus I (obviously) love chickpeas. Perfect!

Eric said...

Wow, great pictures! Especially the first ones. All that food looks so good!

I absolutely love tofu scrambles. Its my favorite!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

your waffles and watermelon have stolen my heart! and horray for wedding photos being settled! (I know how stresful weddings can be - you;re doing a great job!)

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

oh snap! it posted before i was readY! mean blogger comment box!

thanks for making the loaf & I'm really excited it was able to be made into a single serving -- and thanks CCV for saying it freezes well.

ChickPea said...

Eric: Thanks! I have absolutely no experience with photography, so sometimes my pictures are not the best--glad these were decent.
Tofu scrambles are pretty awesome.
HH: Most of the wedding stress is not on me, actually. My mom and my sister (the bride) have taken on most of that burden. I'm just along for the ride:)
I LOVED the mock meatloaf! Almost every recipe I make is in single serving portions because I am the only veg in my fam, and I am not a fan of leftovers.

Unknown said...

Oh, and I read you were looking for an icecream cake recipe, and I just saw one on Vegan Dad's site...it looks really good! :)

Alicia said...

It's difficult to decide which one of your wraps looks better! but I think the nori wrap is my favorite :-)

ChickPea said...

Allison: Thanks for the tip!
Alice: Yep, I really like nori too. So crunchy and salty:)