Substance of Living

Buffet Table Setting as seen on Divine Dinner Party This has to be one of my more politically correct, non-offending party ideas.  You may already know this, but in case you forgot or are new, I'm 99% vegan, my oh-so-fabulous husband is pretty much 95% vegetarian, and our family and friends are probably 100% meat eaters (with a vegetable or two thrown into the mix).  Oh!  I'm also gluten-free.  I'm overstating this but I think you get my point. In the eyes of our family and friends, we are the non-normal ones out of the whole bunch of bananas. It used to scare our family and mostly our friends to come over and eat at our house in fear that they may have to eat seaweed and tofu.  lol What DH and I like to do is come up with a theme for the party / event / dinner and work from there.  So, say we are going to have a Father's Day buffet, a Mystery Murder Buffet, or a Theater Buffet.  Once we figured that out we would decide on a bunch of food...

You will forever and always be my Sweet Valentine. How do you and your special Valentine spend the evening?  Do you go out to a nice restaurant , purchase a beautiful card or exchange gifts?  Do you send roses or a bouquet of balloons? DH and I used to do all that.  In fact, we still do to a certain degree.  One year we might go out and splurge and another year, like this year, we will stay in.  (Sta ying wi thin the full-disclosure g uidelines, DH and I will celebrate with friends at a restaurant the day before). I thought we might have the following romantic dinner menu and present DH with a heart pillow Lilly and I made him. (Promise to show you how she and I made this)   Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine Dinner Menu Porcini Crusted Tofu with Shallot Gravy Sweet Heart Valentine's Day Cocktail Decadent Truffles Hope you have a wonderful evening.  Sharing Valentine's day with a special someone is always nice, but it can...

Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Grilled Stone Fruit Peaches Plums Nectarines You might also like to try Yogurt, Granola Monday Grilled Cheddar-Jalapeno Eggs in Peppers 2 large red bell peppers 6 large eggs 1/4 cup whole milk or cream 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers Tuesday Orange Cupcakes Unsalted Butter Vanilla Sugar Baking Powder Vanilla Bean Paste You might also like to try Using a Cake Mix Wednesday Brunch Bake Turkish Bread (Focaccia Bread) Chipolata Sausages (Short Breakfast Sausage) 2 Red Capsicums (Bell Peppers) 4 Tomatoes Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley Leaves Thursday Bloody Mary Tomato Juice Celery Salt Worcestershire Sauce Fresh Lime Juice   Vodka You might also like to try Horseradish Sauce Friday Breakfast Burrito 1 Russet Potato Cherry Tomatoes 1 Fresh Ear of Corn 6 Green Onions 1 Jalapeno Pepper Fresh...

  Ingredients 1 16 oz Tofu, drained and pressed 1 Onion, chopped 1 Lemon, sliced 5 Garlic Cloves 16 oz. Vegetable Medley, fresh or frozen 1/2 cup White Wine or Water 1/2 cup Quinoa 1 cup Water In a saucepan, add 1 cup water and the quinoa.  Cook according to your package directions.  If you don't have directions, bring to a boil and then simmer until the quinoa grain comes apart and soft. Meanwhile... Over medium heat add about 2 Tablespoons oil in a skillet, along with the onions and garlic.  Stir and when the onions become translucent add the sliced lemons.  Remove skillet from heat and add the wine. Return the skillet to the heat.  Add the vegetables and tofu.  Allow to simmer. This recipe seems too easy to be delicious but it really is.  The tangy flavor of the lemon makes this light and refreshing. What are your favorite tofu recipes? Please share me with your friends! Please forward this post to your fr...

Do you ever get a craving for food or a drink when you're watching a movie?  DH and I do all the time.  In fact, that's when we seem to be the most creative with our concoctions. We just finished watching " Today's Special " and were getting ready to watch " Extract " when DH came up with the idea of making something with bananas and coffee.  Maybe it had something to do with both movies being about food.  :-) He was wanting something hot and I wanted something that would be good cold too.  We didn't have any ice cream.  In fact, we were talking about going up to the store so we could use the bananas in a drink but found some plain yogurt and thought we could do something with it. Ingredients 3 Ripe Bananas 2 Cups Cold Coffee 1 Cup Milk 1 Cup Plain Yogurt 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder 1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee Granules 2 teaspoons Agave Syrup 2 Shots (3 ounces) Coffee flavored Liqueur Some notes about what we used:   We u...

July 15, 2012 - July 21, 2012 Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Grilled Vegetable Lasagna Lasagna Noodles 1 Medium Eggplant 2 Medium Squash (or 1 Squash and 1 Zucchini) 2 Onions 2 Green Bell Peppers 3 Cloves Garlic 2 28 oz. cans Diced Tomatoes (or use fresh if you have them!) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese Monday Grilled Veggie Pizza 1 Large White Onion 1.5 lb. Tomatoes 1 Full Head of Garlic 6 ounces of Soft Goat Cheese Dried herbs: any combination of rosemary, oregano, thyme 9 x 12 inch sheet of pre-made focaccia bread often sold in supermarkets. Or Purchase Your Favorite Ready-Made Pizza Tuesday Spicy Sriracha Grilled Tofu Extra Firm Tofu Sriracha (Thai Hot Sauce) Roasted Sesame Seeds Soy Sauce or Amino Acids White Miso Paste Scallions 2 Cloves Garlic Wednesday Lemon Achiote Grilled Tofu Achiote (Annatto) Powder Cayenne Pepper Brown Sugar 3 Cloves Garlic 1 Lemon or 1/3 C Lemon Juice Extra Firm Tofu Thursday Port...

June 24, 2012 - June 30, 2012 Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Vegetarian Chorizo Firm Tofu Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)** Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth 1 can D iced Tomatoes 1 small Y ellow Onion S moked Paprika Powder C umin T hyme G round Allspice M arjoram X anthan Gum S oy Lecithin C ayenne Powder R ed Chili Powder 1 R ed Ancho Chile 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste White Vinegar 2 cloves G arlic 1  Shallot Monday Enchiladas  1 can (15 oz) Enchilada Sauce 1 can (15 oz) of Vegetarian Refried Beans 1 Onion 1 Bell Pepper 6 to 10 Mushrooms Cheddar Cheese 6 Flour or Corn Tortillas Tuesday Tofu in Apricot Tamarind Sauce Extra Firm Tofu Cremini and Shiitake Mushrooms Dried Apricots Tamarind**** Piloncillo or Brown Sugar Lime Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce Apricot Preserves Rice Wednesday Flautas Vegetarian Refried Beans Shredded Cheese Mini Corn Tortillas Thursday No-Queso Quesadilla Nutritional Yeast Cornstarch Lemon...

Tofu.  You've seen it in the grocery store.  Read about the benefits.  Now you find yourself with a tub of tofu in your refrigerator and wondering what on earth you're going to do with it. Here are 10 delicious recipes that ought to get you started.  Who knows, tofu might become your favorite "meat".   Spice Seared Tofu from the Gourmet Guy at Men's Health Crispy Breaded Tofu by Angela Liddon at Oh She Glows Baked Tofu by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen Tofu Walnut Meat Balls by Helen Fried at What's Cooking America Quick Easy Vegan Tofu Vegetable Quiche at the Savvy Vegetarian provided by Lonica Lee Eisenbraun of The Organic Company Tofu Scramble with Spinach by Jolinda Hackett at About.com Tofu, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich by Eating Well Macaroni and Cheesy Tofu by Strollingtroll at Recipes with Tofu Grilled Herbed Tofu with Avocado Cream provided by chef and TV host Giada de Laurentiis at The Food Network Tofu Cacciatore by Kozmic Blues ...