Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes & Menu is your go-to guide for faux T-day this November. All things delicious, all things festive, and all things healthy. Say whaaa?! I was encouraged to serve vegetarian and meat last year for T-day. I said, “fuck that!” That is demeaning to both myself and my kitchen. Why would my vegan grub taste any different than my vegetarian grub? So, naturally, being who I am, I did what I wanted. After all, it was me, and only me, who was cooking for 8 people. I’m not complaining, I love doing it solo, just don’t tell me what to do in my kitchen. Now, hope you’re not thinking I’m a cruel, control-freak kinda asshole, I assure you, I’m not. I am speaking in defense of food. If you make it well, it tastes good. Simple as that. A lesson to be taught to many who think that no food can be a meal without meat or cheese. That’s nuts-o. It’s 2018. I think by now, we should all be aware that plant-based food is DOPE! Just like any food! If you cook chicken or pasta without flavoring, it sucks. It’s alllll about flavor. I had 2 meat eaters, a gluten free-er, 5 vegetarians and moi last Thanksgiving. The result? Everyone loved the food! And I mean alllll of the food. I made everything GF as well. For me, this holiday is about eating amazing food, drinking copious amounts of delicious wine, shoveling some pie in your overflowing and about-to-burst belly, unbuttoning your pants, or losing the tights, and then enjoying good company with some good games. Last year, we somehow made it to the dart board. I have NO idea how anyone was standing long enough to make that happen. It was awesome.
Below are recipes for: soups, salad, appetizers, entrees, and an amazing cocktail. Enjoy the grub and please leave a comment if you make these, or even one of these recipes, and let us know what your thoughts are! -FGG
Click on recipe to bring you directly to the link!
PS- Sorry for the day-late post! It was my kiddo’s bday party (HUGE) on Saturday, and his actual bday on Sunday. He got all of me. No time for anything or anyone else. My heart, G-man. 😉
PPS- The featured image is by: RUNNING ON REAL FOOD
PPPS- I remember seeing this when it aired. I LOVED Adam Sandler. Cheers to the past! 😉
The BEST Pumpkin Seeds Ever! Are Italian Style and crazy delish. As with all pumpkin seeds, the recipe couldn’t be any easier. I wanted to post this yesterday, as per my Sunday & Wednesday food posts, however, my little man with his Halloween fun came first – hands down. We were by our lonesome yesterday, his baba was away for business, so I made it extra special. We started our day with pumpkin pancakes in shapes of all things Halloween, first costume of the day & trick-or-treating and face painting at his school, out to dinner at his favorite restaurant, costume change #2 and out in the ‘hood, then finished it up by completing our Halloween movie from the night before. I was fucking SPENT this morning! It was all worth it. 😉 Below, I’ve added pics of our day because shit, G is just too damn cute. Especially in costume!
I am not including an exact recipe here. Honestly, it’s just too easy. Combine the ingredients below to your liking and voila – done! Enjoy the Italian style pumpkin seeds that will no doubt become an annual Halloween event. -FGG
The BEST Pumpkin Seeds Ever!
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Dried oregano,
Salt (I prefer Himalayan)
Vegan Parmesan or regular for you non-vegans! (I use Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Parm – I think it’s by far the best out there that I’ve tried thus far)
Directions:
Be sure you seeds are rinsed and dried, toss your desired amount of all ingredients together in a bowl with pumpkin seeds, bake at 300f for approximately 30-40 minutes (pending upon how well done you’d like them)
Done!
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)! Are SOOO freakin’ good that I almost ate the entire plate myself. I then remembered how desperately I love my clothes in my closet, how much they missed seeing the sun, and promptly stopped myself. 😉 A lesson in self-control! I often lose battles involving such a crazy concept as ‘control.’ I suppose that’s why I have 37 years of batshit crazy stories that sound as if they belonged to one who has at least 50 years behind them. Hang with me and I’ll keep things interesting! 😉 Hopefully, you’ll join me on my journey into podcasting (airing next month) for some real, low-down, Heather shit.
Anyway, I love fried green tomatoes. I go to my friend Heather’s house on Wednesdays after work for a glass of wine (and sanity) before I go home. Perfect break in the middle of the week. She gave me these gorgeous green tomatoes and I have been itchin’ to cook them up. I only grew sun cherry and marzano tomatoes this year. I wanted to make a sauce that would be the perfect dipping sauce for these bad boys. And, shit! It was soooo good! You could use this special sauce as a dip for an incredible amount of appetizers. These would be a crowd pleaser at a party for sure. It’ll be making an appearance in many more of my posts – no doubt.
For those of you who get this, you rock!: “TOWANDA!” On that note, ladies, have a badass kinda day. 😉 -FGG
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)!
Ingredients for tomatoes:
3 medium-large sized green tomatoes – sliced into 1/3 inch circles
1/2 C non-dairy & unsweetened milk (I used soy)
1/2 C flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 C vegan panko (or other vegan breadcrumbs)
1 Tbl tapioca flour (starch)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients for special sauce:
3 Tbl vegan mayo (personally, I think Vegenaise is far superior to any other I’ve tried)
1 medium avocado
1 Tbl buffalo sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt to taste
Cooking tomatoes:
Put non-dairy milk in a small bowl (see pic) & put all dry ingredients in another small bowl and mix
Dip tomato in milk, covering both sides, and then dip and fully coat tomato slice in dry mix (repeat with all tomatoes)
In a large frying pan, pour vegetable oil to a depth of approximately 1/4 inch
Gently place the tomatoes in the pan on high
Fry each side for approximately 2 minutes, or until golden brown
Remove from pan and place on paper towels
Done!
Special Sauce:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and smash in avocado with a fork
Stir until almost smooth
Done!
Beer & Wine Pairings:
Beer – Mildly bitter pale ales or a hoppy IPA
Wine – A dry sparkling rosé, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio
7 Amazing Vegan Tofu Breakfast Recipes! Is a post that is long past due. There is no breakfast that I love more on a Sunday morning (or any morning for that matter) than a tofu scramble, or other delicious tofu concoctions. It all depends on what’s in the fridge. FGG’s mantra: “Like the mind, food is a terrible thing to waste.” Use what you’ve got before you buy new grub, or you could go back in time to the 80’s and use every mom’s most favorite ‘eat your food’ excuse: “THERE ARE STARVING CHILDREN IN AFRICA!” It made zero impact after the billionth time my mother bellowed it out of her mouth. My sister, Danella, ever clever, used to place the teeniest bits of food into the teeniest portion of a napkin and hide it under the rim of her plate. She did this until her plate was mostly fully surrounded by an army of our mother’s nightly staple of peas and zucchini. When the rents would get up to clear their plates (my sister was always the last one at the table), she’d run to the bathroom and flush the mush of food. Done & done. Pretty fucking swift thinking for a 7 YO. Now, she’s a lawyer. She left behind her career of stealth ‘criminal’ acts like a bad fucking habit when she turned 10. Then her goal was to be an astronaut (for like, a million years), then to cure Aids in Africa, and now a law firm. Shit, man… when did we take two totally different roads in life?! Honestly, probably since the womb. However, I do love, love, love, writing this blog and my books etc. My upcoming podcast (One More Sip of Whine – motherhood in the raw) will hopefully be another creative outlet for my needy brain. 😉
Okay, back to tofu (said sister above is a veg-head as well). Two of the recipes call for cheese. This was from the early days of my blog when it was vegetarian, not vegan. Simply replace them with vegan cheese. Like all of my original shitty posts and photographs, I refuse to wipe them from this blog. This has been my journey. You can see how FGG has grown, where we came from and where we’re currently at, and that my friends, is pretty dope. Most of us don’t start out awesome, we get there. I take pride in my original blog because it got me to the here and now. Love you all! 😉 -FGG
*CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE RECIPE TO BRING YOU DIRECTLY TO THE LINK*
PS- I truly believe that your diet is YOUR choice. We are lucky, living in the first world, to even have the option to choose. This song always fuckin’ cracked me up! My brother put it on my road trip CD when I drove cross country from NY to Cali. Thanks for the introduction, brotha. 😉
My Favorite Fall Fashion Trends – 2018! If you follow my blog regularly, you’ll know that autumn is my all-time favorite season. Along with the weather, pumpkin patches, pumpkin spiced lattes etc comes… FASHION! Another one of my loves. As usual, there’s a load of weird and awful (in my humble opinion) shit out there. Amongst all of that shit there are always some gems. Clueless style plaid – say wha?! I full-on wanted to be Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. In the shoe department, I’m not a huge fan of most of the boots in the kitten heel trend, however, I’ve shared a pair that I could totally get down with.
The fall fashion trends that I love & that you see below are: Hoods, Clueless Plaid, Floral, Corduroy, Animal Print, Kitten Heels, Cowgirl Boots, and…drum roll please… FANNY PACKS! Which gets a huge YAAAASSSS! from me.
When I was 6 years old, I remember crying for a pair of these white leather fringed moccasin boots with colorful studded rhinestones all around the ankle. If I can find my picture me wearing them, I’m totally gonna upload it to this post! I came out of the womb loving all things fashion. My closet and my 3 YO kid’s closet are color-coded and organized by style. It’s obsessive and I love it. Since I made the decision to switch my meds last month, I shed 12 lbs in a mere 4 weeks. This means all of the beautiful clothes hanging in my closet that haven’t seen the light of day in 15 months will hopefully be making their grand appearance very soon! I literally walk in my closet and touch my clothes like a total fucking weirdo. LOL. Perhaps it’s a subconscious way of motivating me? 😉 I still have tags on a least 10 items in my closet that I never got to wear because the weight piled on so quickly. Crazy excited to get back into them, buy some of the awesome styles shown below, and feel totally babelicious and sex-i-fied once again. 😉 Enjoy the good tune to listen to when looking at these crazy cool styles! -FGG
Valentino Hood
Lovers + Friends Ellie Mini Dress | $148 REVOLVE
Gwendolyn Floral Jumpsuit, $168 at Anthropologie
M.i.h. Drayson All In One, $385
Floryday Long Sleeve Collar Blazers
Currently: $56.99
Was: $102.00 45% OFF
Sam Edelman Kinzey Booties $140
Steve Madden Corpus, $129.95
Urban Outfitters Studded Belt Bag
$29.00
Unknown (Maybe Kendall?)
8 Awesome Vegan Pasta Dishes! The title says it all. 😉 I’ve collected my top 8 pasta recipes and compiled them all into one post for your ease and delight. They’re packed with flavor and loaded with crazy healthy ingredients. Think like a fatty, but eat like a fit f***. Side note: I feel like that should be a quote on a tee-shirt. Onwards… What’s better than that?! Short answer? Nothing. Food is life! Hence this crazy blog. Food shouldn’t taste like shit to be healthy as shit. Food should taste like delectable dopeness and be healthy as shit! I’ll stop now so as not to subject you to a ‘Heather’ diatribe. You’re welcome. 😉
Ooohhh pasta. Yesterday was National Pasta Day, which inspired today’s post. I f’in’ love pasta more than Bradley Cooper AND Brad Pitt combined. Say wha?! Yeah, I said it. And I meant it. The most challenging thing in the world for me is cutting back on carbs. However, I just have to do it when I’m not working out very much. It’s a fact. A shitty fact, but fuck, my thighs don’t lie. I literally find it more difficult to quit my carboholic ways than I did to quit my pack-a-day smoking habit. 🙁 #addictionisreal LOL. Now, with all of that being said, these 8 Awesome Vegan Pasta Dishes! are a much better alternative to their dairy partners. And remember, there are always zoodles to substitute for the grains! I’m a big fan of my spiralizer for that very reason. And of course, my thighs are its biggest fan. 😉 On that note, mangia! -FGG
PS- Feeling guilty about wanting carbs? Take a note from our musical selection below. Call up your pusherman, have a toke, and I promise, you’ll be chowing down on carbs guilt free. 😉 Similarly, I used to be super poor, go to the mall, swig down 2 well-mannered martinis from the Cheesecake Factory, as I knew this would easily open my wallet up for business, and then shop for clothes – guilt free. Until I came home, and hid them in the trunk of my car so my all-to-astute boyfriend wouldn’t notice that I had new clothes but somehow, couldn’t pay the rent. Oh man… from days of old!
CLICK ON RECIPE TO GO TO LINK!
The Sexiest Blackberry Syrup Ever! is the best thing that happened to my shitty sparkling wine, pancakes, and vanilla ice cream all year. I literally use this stuff in or on anything I possibly can, hence why I make about 4 cups of it at one time – you can’t ever have enough. If there’s a new syrup in town, this babe is the sexiest syrup around.
BLACKBERRY PICKING:
I sometimes go up to the old property I used to live at the first time I lived in OR. Once called and forever known as, the house on the hill. We had 30 acres but were only responsible for 3. It had a barn, a bunk house (with a dilapidated old piano to make it extra fucking cool), an old & unused chicken coop (where my roommate would write like a madman on my grandpa’s old typewriter I had given him – downing cheap beers and lighting the next cigarette with the last… ahhh the good old days ;)), a huge garage where we shot darts daily, played super unsafe drinking games almost nightly (this involved axes, chinese stars, nails, and flying hammers, all whilst pounding AMAZING IPA’s and yes, PBR – our stock for beer pong – ’cause yeah, we had that in there, too), HUGE veggie and flower gardens that thankfully one member of the household could actually be responsible enough to water, an old boat that someone had started to build but never finished (drinking and smoking happened here, and was a viewing point for the horseshoe pit that we built, and the turkey vultures circling above), a homemade forge where my other roommate made some suh-weet stuff, and how the rest of us thought we’d die in a fire one day due to lack of safety (naturally, we didn’t do anything about it), a fire pit where some (hehe) fell asleep in the wee hours of the morn, and woke up to a sunburnt back at 9:00 AM face first in the grass (and only because the painter who was painting the exterior of the house told a roommate, “those 2 girls are gonna fry, wake ’em up,” and then that same dude never missed a chance to comment on her sunburnt back’s “racing stripe” in the creepiest of ways), and of course, the house, that had an old western style piano (compliments of the 2 awesome and crazy hippies next door who frequently rode up drunk on their ride-on mower) where I could rock out on some old Bob Dylan (Keep it with Mine, anyone?), 2 fireplaces, and a ton of crazy cats (pun intended, both the animal and people). Damn! Now that I’ve written all of this, I am, for the very first time, acknowledging how incredibly dope my life was! The crazy days… and they were most definitely cah-raaaaaazzzyyyyy! And shit… I just realized I have SOOO many more insane stories about this house that this could be its own book! Hey! Maybe one day!
Okay, I digress, a lot, however, the property stills exists (as of recently sans house, and is being turned into a park soon – most of it has already turned into a park – hey, at least they didn’t pave paradise!). I go up there to pick blackberries and all kinds of fruits and nuts still. Reminds me of good times and shit. Free, fresh, and organic goods! Hell yeah! I came home with bags, I mean bags of blackberries, stained sneakers, and torn up arms. It was a great day. 😉 I knew I wanted to make blackberry syrup. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of making it that I realized how versatile it could be. All of the photos below will show you a few of the ways I used this sexy deliciousness. Crazy easy, crazy tasty, and crazy quick. Enjoy this babe! 😉
Please leave a comment below and let me know how you use yours! -FGG
For this recipe, nothing but the Led Zeppelin tune that is most fitting for the sexiest of syrups… 😉
The Sexiest Blackberry Syrup Ever! (Makes approximately 4 cups)
Ingredients:
8 cups fresh blackberries
2 1/4 C sugar
1/4 C honey or agave
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice
2 tsp pectin – add a bit more for a syrup that is a bit thicker
Directions:
In a pot, bring the blackberries to a boil over medium to medium high heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes – should be very soft
Mash the berries
Put the blackberries in a sieve and strain the juice
Scoop out the puree (I save the scooped berries for toppings on ice cream etc)
Put the blackberry juice back into the pot and add the sugar and lemon juice
Boil for approximately 3 minutes
Add the pectin and stir for a minute or two more
Done!
“B is for Bath Time & Brandy,” is a chapter from my book, One More Sip of Whine. I had sent my book to one agent, an incredibly dope and off the charts agent, and as expected, heard nothing. I went too big for sure. I thought, “go big or go home, right?” was a good first step. It was not. I’ve been thinking about sending it out into the world again – actually, I’ve just been too fucking lazy to do it – until I have been obsessing over this book, “Crushing It!” – in which I mentioned in my previous post. I have SO much that I want to do in order to shift my life, my career, in such a totally major way that I may just self-publish this. I’m wanting to focus on all of the other awesome odds and ends that I need to push forward and pursue in a very serious kind of way. If anyone has any thoughts on whether I should self-publish, please feel free to leave me a comment! Also, if you want to read more chapters from this book, click on the tab at the top of the screen that says, “my books.”
“B is for Bath Time & Brandy,” is a funny chapter about the hells of bathing and/or showering your little one in their first two years on this earth. If you’re a momma or dadster, and are reliving these painful memories as you read, I implore you, crack open a lil’ somethin’ – somethin’ to numb the vicious pains of such horrid memories. Cheers, to all the moms and dads suffering with the bath time blues. I hear ya… the struggle feels real. 😉
*image found on Google Images via sillybunt.com
B is for Bath Time & Brandy
I WAS IN NEW YORK VISITING MY MOTHER a little over a year ago, and she was constantly volunteering to give Greyson a bath. I was so baffled by this. Then, when I finally told her she didn’t have to feel obligated to take on this horrible nightly duty, she said, “I love giving the grandkids baths! I’ve always loved bathing babies!” (She’s had 5, yes 5 children by the way.) “Eh-hem, what? Are you some sort of masochist? Have you taken some happy pills today?” I did not say these words verbatim, however, I most certainly was thinking them. Kids are squirmy and slippery, hate to get their heads wet, require about 6 hands to safely and effectively get the job done, and throw water out of the tub, and I don’t know about you, but I feel as though I need some sort of back-y-otomy after this torturous ritual is through. Alas, this is not the job for me. As Greyson got older, I thought maybe popping him in the shower with me would not only be easier, but more time efficient, as well. This newfound idea was as fleeting as a fairy. It went down like this:
Shower #1: I tried to shave my legs. No room. Jumping toddler. Shaving cream missing from my leg. Child licked said shaving cream off of my leg, only to say, “Mmmm…yummy!”
Shower #2:
G: Mommy, you have a penis?
ME: No, Mommy has a vagina. Girls have a vagina, and boys have a penis.
Shower continues. I wash my hair and suddenly scream, shampoo streaming down my face and into my eye. My child has poked me with his finger right into my va-jay-jay while joyously laughing. “VAGINA!”
Shower #3: Greyson thought that jumping up and down, trying to “stomp Mommy,” was fun. This was not fun at all. In fact, it fucking hurt! Also, he decided that helping wash me and eating soap off of his hands was the new shower time fashion… Fuck showers.
Night #4: Back to the hellacious nightly bath time routine. Surely this is better than poking, prodding, and licking me in the shower.
I decided I needed something else, something with the ability to help me relax and let the bath time blues just roll off of my tightened shoulders, something with a bit of a kick, yet with a smile. Something smoother than my baby’s bottom but stronger than his screaming shrieks. Ah-ha! And this was the “ah-ha” moment of the week, of the month, in fact! This is when “B” was not only for bath time, but for brandy. Bath time with brandy… ahhhh… and bath times have never been so very, very sweet.
So, it’s been a while… a long while. I am making a vow right now that I am going to get my shit together and start blogging like I was doing before summer hit. In fact, I’m gonna blog ten times f’in’ harder than that! Why? Well, one, because I LOVE it! Two, because I’m listening to “Crushing It!” by, Gary Vaynerchuk and I am sooo inspired! It literally makes me want to pull my car over mid-drive and start blogging, writing my book, and starting my podcast. I freakin’ heart you hard, Gary. 😉
Okay, back to the title of this post: 15 Awesome Vegan Recipes for the Fall! I have compiled 15 of my favorite autumnal recipes (appetizers, salad, soups, pasta, cocktails etc) from the archives of this blog that make my soul warmer and happier in what should be called, the BEST season of the year. Who doesn’t love fall foliage, the crisp air, apple and pumpkin picking, tractor rides at farms, corn mazes at farms, all things pumpkin spice, all things maple, and of course, some warm food on a cold day?! Obviously, only the soulless! Click on the recipe title to bring you directly to the link. See you all soon… -FGG
PS- My mother had said she was listening to George Winston’s “Autumn” the other day which has inspired the musical selection for this post. Totally reminds me of my childhood!
SOUPS:
Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup, Creamy Vegan Carrot Sweet Potato Mushroom Soup, Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup, Lentil Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms
APPETIZERS & SALAD:
Artichoke & Balsamic Parmesan Hummus (replace real parm for vegan parm – GO VEGGIE is my fave), The BEST Vegan Nach Cheese Sauce Ever! (who doesn’t love nachos during game season?!), Sautéed Veggie & Farro Spiralized Zucchini Salad
MEALS:
Vegan Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese, Vegan Mushroom and Lentil Wellington, Crazy Delicious Veggie Couscous, Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara, Lentil Sloppy Joe’s (replace shredded cheese with vegan shredded cheese like Daiya’s)
COCKTAILS & DESSERT:
A Maple Bourbon Fling Named Rosemary, Warm & Delicious Spiked Choco-Coffee, 3 Minute/4 Ingredient Hot Chocolate Mini-Mug Cake (Replace Egg with Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg – this stuff is awesome!)
Eggplant Meatballs (Vegan) are truly one of the most delicious faux ‘meatballs’ one can make. I love the flavor, texture, and the fact that they are crazy easy and quick to chef up! This recipe comes from my mother via my Aunt Lisa, or so I think. The original recipe calls for egg and cheese so I’ve made my own vegan version for y’all. Honestly, they taste exactly the same and hold together just as well.
I became a vegetarian when I was 8 years old. I never faltered for even a moment after I had made the decision to go meat-free. Thankfully, my mother rarely cooked meat anyway and was incredibly health-conscious – far beyond where the rest of the world was. I was eating quinoa balls, tofu dishes, going to vegetarian cooking classes at the local health food store, chowing down on eggplant meatballs, etc FAR before anyone had ever heard of the word ‘quinoa’, none-the-less could even pronounce it! I am beyond grateful to have had a parent with this understanding of nutrition and food many moons before the health trends (grains, tofu, non-dairy milks, etc) hit the US.
I shattered both of my wrists when I was eleven. Yup. That sucked. I started my very first day of middle school with two casts and a new set of metal in my mouth. People would walk up to me and say, “So you’re the girl with two broken arms!” To which my drugged up and angry self would reply, “Who else do you think it is?!” It’s amazing that I had friends and wasn’t a freakin’ social pariah. Anyway, my point in sharing this with you is to mention that my doctors were concerned that I wouldn’t heal quickly because I was a vegetarian. My mother argued that I was far healthier than most children. Alas, I healed weeks before they expected. My sisters were quite thankful as well, as I no longer had two hard weapons to bang heavily atop their heads. Okay, so I wasn’t the model older sister. I was more of an asshole. So sue me! I was a pretty crazy kid. I’ve grown, or so they say. 😉
Eggplant Meatballs (Vegan) are a must for your recipe index. Give them a go and send pictures or use my Heyoya to speak your comment instead of writing it! Mangia! Your listening tune for this recipe below:
EGGPLANT MEATBALLS (VEGAN)
Yields: Approximately 15 eggplant balls
Ingredients:
3 Tbl olive oil
3 cloves garlic – chopped
1 large eggplant – peeled & diced
1 Tbl water
1 C seasoned bread crumbs (I used Panko & seasoned with Italian herbs)
1/2 C fresh parsley – loosely chopped
1/2 C grated vegan cheese (I grated Follow Your Heart’s Mozzarella)
Olive oil for pan
Marinara sauce
Your favorite pasta if serving as a meal (I used whole wheat spaghetti for a classic ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ dish)
Instructions:
In a large saucepan heat the oil and add the garlic – stir occasionally for about 1 minute
Add the eggplant and water and then cover
Reduce the heat and then steam until the eggplant is very soft – about 15 minutes
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggplant, bread crumbs, parsley, and cheese
Mix very well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes
Form the mixture into balls and either:
Fry in oil
Bake at 400f for about 25 minutes on a sprayed baking sheet – turn them after 12 minutes
Done!
Add sauce and pasta for a delicious meal!
Wine pairings:
Red – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Chianti, or Sangiovese
Greek Fusion Tofu Scramble (Vegan) is the perfect blend between an Italian & Greek style tofu scramble. With any good scramble, one must have potatoes. I made what I call hash brown nest potatoes and loaded them with Everything but the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s. So simple, yet SO delicious. Kale, olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and more make up this flavor explosion. This recipe is healthy, easy, and will make you drooooolllll. 😉
I’m going to keep this post short and suh-weet since I decided to get back in bed after dropping my kiddo off at school. I never do that, however, I am binge watching a show right now and stayed up until 2:30 am doing just that. Sounded like a great f’in’ idea at the time until my alarm went off. Anyway, two cups of Stumptown Hair Bender and I’m officially back in the human race, annnddd with Rizzoli & Isles on the screen behind me (my binge). I’ll have to do a longer workout to make up for the fact that my ass hasn’t moved at all today, and I’ve eaten way too much of my Greek Fusion Tofu Scramble (Vegan). I don’t ever have these lazy days so it feels fabulously welcomed today! Plus, the Funeral March has officially begun as I count down the last 7 days of my freedom. Work (I’m a music teacher) begins then. 🙁 I’m not ready. I’m never ready for the summer days to die. With that depressing news, I shall leave you with this happiness: Enjoy!
Yum print recipe card still not working! I’ll write the recipe below for y’all:
Serves: 2-4 // Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu – drained well
2 C loosely packed & chopped kale
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes – diced
1 1/2 Tbl capers
1/2 package of Gimme Lean Sausage – divide into little balls
1/3 C white mushrooms – sliced thin
1/3 C black olives – whole or sliced (I used them whole)
1 small yellow or red onion – diced finely
3 cloves garlic – chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1/3 C fresh basil – chopped
Olive oil for pan
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
In pan, heat olive oil on medium
Add onions & salt and stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes
Add garlic and stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes more
Add mushrooms and stir occasionally for 3 minutes
Add the tofu by crumbling it through your fingers – mix well and cook for 3 minutes
Add oregano, olives, capers, and any more salt and pepper you’d like – stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes
Add the sausage and sun-dried tomatoes – mix well and stir occasionally for 5 minutes
Add the kale and any s & p you’d like – mix well and stir occasionally for 5 minutes
Add the fresh basil – mix well and remove from heat
Done!
Pair with:
Breakfast: Bloody Mary
Lunch/Dinner:
Red wine- Zinfandel OR Burgundy
White wine- Oaked Sauvignon Blanc OR Dry Riesling
Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara (Vegan) made all the members of my household drool. Seriously. I knew there would be skepticism at first sight, but mouth-watering, “MORE PLEASE!” hollers as soon as this was tasted and immediately scarfed down… annndd, I was right. The beauty of this meal, outside of the delish factor, is how incredibly easy and versatile it is. I made the adults spaghetti squash with shredded Miyokos vegan mozzarella, vegan meatballs (Trader Joe’s), and freshly chopped basil from my garden. I made my kiddo spaghetti squash with Quorn Chicken and parmesan cheese. The following day, I threw some left over olives I had from my Greek infused tofu scramble (recipe coming soon) in my bowl and my mouth melted just a teeny bit more. My point being, throw in whatever you’d like and it will still be awesome!
Many, many moons ago, my exe’s sister was in culinary school and taught us how to use spaghetti squash as pasta. I was hooked. As you all know, I’m a total f’in carb-whore, and my thighs really don’t appreciate that portion of my personality, so this discovery was pretty freakin’ fantastic to say the least. His sister also taught us a trick for cutting cilantro and parsley off the bunch. One day, when I actually have my YouTube channel that I’ve been talking about creating for over a year now, I’ll totally share that fabulous trick with you all. For the “one day…”
Anyway, enjoy the grub and the tunes! -FGG
Okay, so TOTALLY disappointing! My Yum Print Recipe card template isn’t working! Ugh… 🙁 I’ll post the recipe below without it. When I sort it out, I will revise this post with the recipe card.
30 minutes // Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash
25 oz jar of garlic marinara (I used Cucina Antica)
2 C shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Miyokos or Follow Your Heart)
1/4 C fresh basil – chopped
Optional add-ons:
Vegan meatballs (I used Trader Joes)
Vegan chicken strips (try Gardein)
Vegan sausage (Gimme Lean OR Tofurky: Italian Sausage with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil)
Olives
Capers
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Fresh Parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half – length wise and place in a large pot with boiling water, face down, for 25 minutes on medium high
While the squash is cooking, shred your mozzarella and chop your basil. Prepare any other ingredients you are using as well
When the squash is through cooking, scrape out the seeds with a fork or spoon. Next scrape each half of the squash with a fork. You should be able to scrape all the way to the shell leaving no “meat” left in the squash shells
Place the scraped squash back in the pot on low, and add the sauce, basil, and cheese. Stir well until the squash is thoroughly covered in sauce and the cheese has begun to melt
Add any other ingredients you are using and stir again
Remove from heat and serve immediately
Done!
Wine Pairings:
Red – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo OR Pinot Noir
White – Pinot Grigio OR a crisp Sauvignon Blanc
Creamy Rigatoni with Lentils & Fresh Oregano – Vegan! was so freakin’ good that my kiddo housed it like a drunken frat boy chowing down on pizza after a wild night out. 😉 … Yeah, so that statement just produced a litany of SUNY New Paltz memories racing through my brain. Ahh… the good ole days. When livers were strong, friends were family, stoners still laughed when they got high, cigarettes were cheap, the walk of shame was lived by all – every weekend, and life was… well… fucking great! THAT’s how unbelievably awesome this pasta dish is.
This Creamy Rigatoni with Lentils & Fresh Oregano – Vegan! is made with a cashew and pesto based sauce. It’s loaded with vitamins, omega 3, iron, and all things good for your mind, body, soul, and of course, your tastebuds. 😉 This dish talks the talk and walks the walk. I have a load of oregano and basil pumpin’ in my garden. I dried the oregano the night before to use for this meal. I had to stop myself from over-carbing, as usual.
Since I hadn’t written a post in ages until my previous gyoza post, I totally forgot to do my new thanggg. Music! I’m super into adding some good tunes to every post. I always cook with music. If you have my e-cookbook, you’ll know that each recipe has a link to a song that accompanies that specific dish. Enjoy the dope tunes and grub! Mangia!
I am officially back from my month long vacation and hiatus from all things blog! This past school year, I taught 52 classes per week, finished getting two books edited, and published a cookbook. This is on top of a bit of a roller coaster in my own life. I desperately needed time away from everything. I went to Long Island, NY (my hometown) and was a literal recluse. I only left my mom’s house for the beach (daily), the arboretum, Teddy Roosevelt’s house, my friend’s house in Queens (one time), and the city for an evening. That might sound like a lot, but remember, I was there for an entire month! I finally began working out again – thanks Jillian Michael’s for kicking my ass daily! My mom gave me a Fitbit so I’m now watching my steps, and I’m on the road to less boozing and carbs (insert the BIGGEST sigh ever here). I have a long way to go but made some progress this past month. That all being said, I’m back and ready to get to blogging twice a week! I’ve missed my cyber home and creating daily deliciousness!
Vegetable Gyoza Recipe – Vegan is an awesome recipe that stemmed from some serious disappointment. If you follow my blog, you know that I am practically the best advertisement ever for Trader Joe’s. Alas, the time has finally come when I just can’t get down with one of their meals: Thai Vegetable Gyoza. I decided I’d have a go at making my own recipe for a flavor palette better suited to me. For an even better flavor explosion, I fried these vegetable dough filled delights in tamari sauce. So freakin’ delish! Hope you love them as much as I did! Enjoy! -FGG
Okay, so I’m even more excited about my China book making it out into the world than I was about my first e-cookbook! I started an outline of ridiculous stories that were happening to me and the people around me when I first moved to Beijing, China in 2011. This outline grew & grew over the five years that I was there. I finally began writing it my final year when I was alone with Greyson (my then newborn) every night. My husband was at work spending quiet time on his master’s so that he could change careers. Lots of craziness was going on and I needed an outlet. I thought it would be INSANELY difficult to put pen to paper and actually gather these thoughts, this outline, and try to form it into an actual book. Alas, it was not! It was word vomit spewing out of my mouth faster than my pen could move! I had never written a book before this and was surprised at how quickly and easily this process was moving along. It was f***ing awesome! I originally wrote it for my friends and family so that they could understand what expat life was truly like for me. It was impossible to share those stories when you had a 15 hour time difference and didn’t often have the opportunity to chat with people. When I did have a moment to talk with friends or family I wanted to tell the nicer stories, the shinier ones that were fun and exciting. I didn’t want to run through my daily horrors. That being said, this book, “Crazy China Sh**,” is about the insanity of being an expat in China. It’s told through my own personal lens and through stories from fellow expats as well. It’s foul-mouthed, funny, absurd, and almost unbelievable at times. Whether you plan on ever visiting or living abroad in such a place, it is a good read that will hopefully make you laugh out loud and appreciate the insanity of an expats life in China, or any other incredibly foreign place. Coming soon to Amazon! This book will be available in print, Kindle, and eventually, Audible as well. Woo-hoo! Here is a snippet to get you excited…
Chapter 1
ASININE ALICE
“Oh Alice, Alice, Alice.” This is a phrase I muttered on many occasions and on many days, often followed by many a stream of complete and utter verbal diarrhea. Alice was my welcome wagon upon arriving in Beijing. She continued to be this force of insanity in my life until she retired, two years ago. Judging by how quickly she went gray, from the day I met her until the day she left, I’d say it wasn’t a retirement as much as a timely retreat to save any ounce of sanity she had left. Okay, I feel badly about this introduction of Alice. She was, in fact, a very, very nice individual. However, as incredibly nice as she was, Alice was also incredibly inept and incompetent. (Incompetence will be a running theme in this book and quite possibly, or rather almost definitely, deserved an appearance in the title.) Alice’s job is to assist the foreign staff with their living needs. I’m not sure she ever read her job description.
Funny, my heart rate has literally just spiked whilst starting this chapter. This is a bad sign for my health and the future of this book. It could also be the fact that I’ve had two coffees, two oolong teas, and am on my second giant glass of red wine. No, no, we’ll go with the first of these two statements. Onwards.
When I was a teen, Go Ask Alice was one of my favorite books. I was tempted to name this chapter just that until I realized it would’ve read more like, “Go Ask Who? Are you f’ing insane?” or, “Great, just great! Like my problem wasn’t big enough already, now I have to go ask Alice?” and it would just have continued like this: “Instead of Alice having a serious problem with drugs, she had a serious problem with the most basic skill sets of her job.” The chapter title, “For F*** Sake, Alice!” would also be fitting.
Creamy Avocado Sauce over Black Bean Pasta is the combination the world has been waiting for. Two soulmates who have finally found one another. A duo so perfectly paired there can never be another. Intrigued? Then this is the dish you MUST try this week! Seriously, SO tasty, healthy and easy! Also, it only takes a mere 10 minutes to chef up. What’s better than that? I literally feel like there are not enough minutes in my day for all that I do and try to get done. Ten minute meals are a slice of heaven for this busy soul of mine. Plus, my kiddo scarfs this shit down, aaand I hide spinach and white beans in the sauce – so that’s two for the win – Bam! I had mine with a margarita… naturally.
I’m obsessed with avocados. I eat 1/2 an avo/day. I blended spinach and small white beans plus a few more ingredients for this delicious Creamy Avocado Sauce. When I looked in my pantry and saw the black bean rotini it was a duh moment. Obviously, anything black bean is totally perfect with anything avocado. Thus began the sexiest pasta affair that man has ever known. You could swim in this sauce, bathe in this sauce, drink this sauce, and have a creamy avocado ‘mud fight’ in this sauce.
Remember, I have Heyoya now! Leave a voice comment instead of a written comment! Enjoy saucin’ yourself up! -FGG
Easy Vegan Mexican & Italian Inspired Food Cookbook is my FIRST published e-cookbook! I wanted to thank everyone who has purchased it, and encourage you all to write me a review! If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, then check it out on Amazon for a mere $2.99! Every recipe comes with a music and drink pairing. The music is hyperlinked to send you directly to the YouTube video as well! You don’t need a Kindle to read it. The Kindle is a free download that will most likely automatically download on your device with purchase of the book. You can read it on any device! Let me know your thoughts in the comments as well. Remember, I now have Heyoya so you can leave me a voice comment, too. So cool! Hope you’re enjoying for those of you who have purchased my Easy Vegan Mexican & Italian Inspired Food Cookbook. Love, FGG
Two Vegan Breakfast Toasts! Why two? Because it’s twice as nice. 😉 These delicious delights are incredibly easy, healthy, and quick to make. Everything you want in a breakfast! Lord knows, no one has endless amounts of time in the A.M. Mornings are the foundation of my day. If they start out shitty, the road is long for the rest of the day. I am a believer in starting your day right.
The first toast is loaded with avocado & shiitake mushrooms, and the second is loaded with spicy roasted red pepper hummus (click the name for link to my hummus recipe) & Italian veggie sausage. I LOVE glorified toasts in the morning. I usually have them with a green fruit smoothie and a cup of hot water with lemon, agave, ginger, and cayenne pepper. I feel like that perfect trifecta starts my body’s day at some form of homeostasis. No doubt I need that to cope with my 10 or 11 classes/day with 25-35 kiddos/class. Sigh… This is why my thighs will always touch. 🙁 Haha. I’ll never have enough energy to go nutty enough on the working out scene and I’ll always need my medicine, I mean, wine ;), after a long and crazy day of teaching, mommy-ing, cooking, blogging, writing, and house cleaning. INSANE! Let these two fabulous toasts at least ease some of the burden of your day, too! Wanna vent about it? Do it here! Leave your crazy lives and morning stressors in the comment section. I now have Heyoya as well which means you can leave voice comments. SO cool! Let’s get to know one another and our insane day-to-days!
Lastly, my very first e-cookbook, Easy Vegan Mexican & Italian Inspired Food, is now officially available on Amazon for a mere $2.99! And, no. You DON’T need a Kindle to read it! The Kindle is free to download (mine did it automatically with purchase) and therefore you can read on your iPhone, computer etc. What makes this cookbook so unique?! I have songs and well- researched drink pairings for every single recipe including slightly racy, and “Heather-style” inappropriate commentary for each page as well! Please leave me a review if you purchase it! They’ll be more to come by the end of the summer! Thanks for all of your support! Love, FGG
This album below (and Come Away with Me) are my 2 favorite Sunday morning albums to cook to and start the morning with!
UGH! CAN’T FIX THE GIANT GAP B/W THE PIC AND THE RECIPE CARD. WORDPRESS KILLS ME!
Vegan Mexican & Italian Food! Is a post that is revisiting two of my most all-time favorite blog recipes: (Click on recipe name for direct link to page)
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style!
I have just written a cookbook called, Easy Vegan Mexican & Italian inspired Food, and it will be released on Amazon within the next 72 hours! Only $2.99 for amazing Italian & Mexican style grub with music and booze to accompany each recipe… not to mention my inappropriate banter before you even get to the ingredient list. 😉 You know me! Wasn’t gonna keep my personality out of this cookbook or any cookbook that I’ll be publishing. My goal is to have 3 e-cookbooks out by the end of the summer, and my, “Crazy China SH#%” book will be released next month – tales of my expat days in Beijing, China told through a very candid and raw lens.
Above are two of my recipes from the archives to get you super stoked about the upcoming Foodgalleygab cookbook! Enjoy! Love, FGG
Spaghetti Marinara with Chard & Burst Tomatoes is loaded with veggies and incredibly healthy. I had left over vegetables in my fridge (as usual) that I didn’t want to go bad so I loaded what I had into this sauce and it was totally amazing! I am not a lover of anything bland so I am always guaranteeing a ton of flavor in my recipes! This one is no exception. I literally ate the entire pot of pasta in 2 days. Perhaps this is yet another reason why I am on a no carbs for the month of May (insert the saddest emoji ever right here) diet now. I’ve had a massive affair with carbohydrates over the past year and like most affairs, it’s completely blown up in my face, and then it trickled down to my thighs and some. Now that the weather is warm, I am missing my wardrobe, another thing that this “affair” took from me. Sigh, sigh, sigh… However, if you’re NOT reeling from a breakup with pastas and the like, than this is a fabulous Italian spaghetti dish that I highly recommend you eat… for me, if not for yourself. I can try and live vicariously I suppose. I’m gonna keep this short today, as I am short of time. Live, eat, (diet), be happy! 😉 XO
As per usual, my listening suggestion for you whilst you chef up this dope dish! MWAH!:
Vegan Green Creamy Peanut Udon Noodles are made with healthy and simple ingredients, but these ingredients result in a delicious peanut buttery flavor that will leave you drooling with sauce down the sides of your mouth… SO good!
I made these a few weeks ago. Didn’t get any good pics but had to post because this recipe is too good not to share! I’m never selfish when it comes to sharing food, only in other facets of my life. 😉 Anyway, my kiddo and I were ‘chefin’ it up in the kitchen, and as per usual, I was trying to avoid spillage and contamination of the sauce. Epic fail I might add. The word “no” seems to fall on ears that participate in active selective hearing or out right deafness. Sigh… However, he’s so f’ing cute that sometimes I don’t give a shit. I pretend that I do, but I really just don’t. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you understand. If I chose to engage in every battle, I’d have bald patches on my head from pulling my hair out, wine red stained teeth from self-medicating with booze, and slurred speech – not from the vino, but rather, the Xanax. Permanent battle scars. LOL. It’s like the road’s divided. Thankfully, I just decided to take the more sane route, ’cause otherwise a crystal ball would totally show “alternate Heather” looking like the hot mess I just described above. Taking the sane and wise route? I’ve always massively sucked at this. Being a parent has made me a much better human being. Haha. 😉 Okay, back to the food. It’s just crazy freakin’ delish and you should eat it now. If you need to hide vegetables from your children in pureed form like I must do, I recommend this for your kiddo as well. Happy Thursday! MWAH! -FGG
PS- Not sure how to fix this, but my recipe is not appearing properly on a phone display…
PPS- My listening recommendation for you as you’re cooking:
The Cheesiest Vegan Broccoli & Cheddar Baked Potato Ever! is made with an incredibly easy, cheesy, healthy, and delicious vegan cheddar cheese sauce. This is my staple sauce for nachos (I add taco seasoning and cilantro to that one), some of my mac n’ cheese recipes, or to pour over veggies or fries. If you are NOT a lover of nutritional yeast (nooch), this isn’t the sauce for you. However, if you ARE a lover of nooch, like myself, you’ll find yourself drooling even thinking about this cheesy goodness! To me, this is sex in a potato. If a potato were ever sexy, this potato would have high heels and look like Christy Brinkley.
I received loads of potatoes from my Organics to You delivery and kept saying that I was going to make these broccoli and cheddar baked potatoes. However, I kept making fries on the grill because my wee man is totally obsessed with them. Last week, the craving was real so I made a TON of my vegan cheese sauce to make sure that I could fully smother my two potatoes with cheesiness and broccoli (they weren’t both for me, I’m not that much of a fatty – though my soul totally is 🙂 – carb whore 4eva!). Besides having a baked potato that’s actually baked well, the gluttonous cheese factor is most definitely the foundation for goodness in this recipe.
I stabbed the crap outta the potato (great way to let out post-concert rehearsal stressors – LOL), and rubbed it with olive oil, Himalayan pink salt, and cracked pepper, then baked it. The rest is on the recipe card. Easy as _________ (whatever works for you – certainly not pie, that’s not easy, that’s BS). Lastly, as per my new Youtube additions to my posts, I’ve left you with what I was listening to when making this glorious cheesy vegan broccoli & cheddar baked potato. Enjoy the tunes and the grub! -FGG
Vegan Kale, Broccoli, & White Bean Soup! Welcome to bein’ green and feelin’ oh so goooood. 😉 Vitamin packed, protein packed, and flavor packed makes this my soup of the month! As usual, it came to be because I had a bunch of veggies that I needed to use up before they went south. Also, my kiddo is still refusing to eat vegetables in their true form so I am constantly making pureed soups, pureed sauces, and smoothies so that G-man is getting in his greens, oranges, reds etc. For this soup, I used kale, spinach, broccoli, white beans, oregano, garlic, leeks, and veggie broth… pure heaven.
Being that I’m trying to lose some weight before summer comes a’ knockin’, ’cause I know that’ll be around the corner if I don’t hop on that train now, I am really gettin’ down with soups, salads, veggies, and grains. I did something hilarious: didn’t drink for the month of January. Then I said something even MORE hilarious: I wouldn’t drink until June. Then reality had a big f’in laugh out loud and handed me a glass of wine… and I’ve been imbibing ever since. 😉 Life’s too short, right? Also, it’s twelve o’clock somewhere! My point being, I can justify anything, anytime, anywhere. Life is too short however to eat shitty food and diet like a nutter, so I eat amazing foods that are healthier. Even if you’re not trying to shed some lbs (though I feel like everyone I know is always trying to do that), this Vegan Kale, Broccoli, & White Bean Soup will hit your special soup spot – no doubt. Sip, slurp, repeat! -FGG
Fun facts: These beautiful shell spoons were purchased on my amazing trip to Indonesia a few years ago. The wine is a pinot noir rose from the best winery around my neck of the woods – Ponzi! Lastly, that beautiful wine glass was my grandma Rugile’s. I was living with her in Asheville, North Carolina when she passed away. Had a stroke on her opening night on stage (was an actress). I was working backstage. We drank wine out of these glasses every night. She loved when I played the piano for her, and she could keep me out until 11pm with friends drinking B&B. What a lady!
PS- Being that I always listen to tunes when I cook and am constantly touting the amazingness of Billie Holiday and dinner time cooking, I’ve added my all time favorite Billie Holiday tune in my all time favorite arrangement of hers at the bottom of this post: You Go to My Head (Strange Fruit is a second close) 😉 Enjoy!
My Yum Print recipe card template is not working so here is the recipe sans template!
Title: Vegan Kale, Broccoli, & White Bean Soup
Description:
Vegan Kale, Broccoli, & White Bean Soup is packed with healthy ingredients, easy to make, loaded with protein and vitamins, and is CRAZY DELICIOUS! Lunch or dinner!
Serves: 6 Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
10 oz bag of tuscan kale (this equals more than 1 1/4 C – it is about 4-6 loosely packed cups of chopped kale)
2 cups broccoli florets
4 C baby spinach – loosely packed
1 15 0z can of canellini beans – do NOT drain
6 cups of veggie broth (I used 1 1/2 Tbl of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base Stock & 6 cups water)
2 leeks – chopped (use every part but the leaves at the top)
6 cloves garlic – diced
Dried oregano to taste
Pinch of salt
Pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan
Directions:
Heat pan with olive oil on medium (medium high depending on your stovetop) and then add the leeks and salt – cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add garlic and cook for approximately 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally (I like my leeks to brown a little bit)
Add canellini beans and stir occasionally for 1 minute
Add broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add kale and cover pan with lid. Let cook on medium for approximately 5 minutes, remove lid, stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes more
Remove from heat
Option 1:
Put contents of pan in pot on medium or medium-low depending on stovetop, add broth, spinach, and oregano if using, cook for 5 minutes, then puree with immersion blender, heat for another 5-10 minutes
Done!
Option 2:
Put contents of pan in crock pot on high, add broth, spinach, and oregano if using, let cook for 30-40 minutes
Blend with immersion blender and let cook on high for 2 hours
Turn crock pot to medium and let cook for 1 hour more
Turn crock pot to warm and let simmer for 30 minutes
Done!
Notes:
Wine pairings:
Red- Rosso di Montalcino, Chianti Classico
White- Chardonnay, Riesling
(I used a pinot noir rose because that’s what I had in my fridge. Was an okay pairing)
Vegan Kale Pesto Spring Primavera! will be your next favorite spring pasta dish! Crazy colorful, flavorful, and incredibly healthy… not to mention quick and easy to make. This is one of those meals where I sometimes say, “if you could purchase it in a store and didn’t absolutely love it, I’d give you a refund in full.” Dem be powerful words, pasta lovers! A rainbow of deliciousness awaits you. I found this rainbow array of veggies in my fridge left over from my Organics to You delivery and had to use them before they went bad. I had also purchased Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew, and Basil Pesto. However, if you don’t wanna go out and spend too much dinero on that bad boy, I have an AMAZING recipe on my blog for a pesto just like Trader Joe’s – in the search box, type – crazy creamy pesto (not sure why my hyperlink wasn’t working).
On this fine and fabulous afternoon, I went nuts-o cooking dishes for the week and for the blog. Breakfast toasts, red pepper hummus, a spaghetti marinara with peppers and chard (recipe coming soon), and of course, the one and only Vegan Kale Pesto Spring Primavera! I was a cooking machine. It was sunny, I had the door and windows wide open, and I listened to some My Bubba. If you don’t know these super hot, folk-esk, Scandinavian duo, get to know their music asap. They’re freakin’ amazing! So amazing, that I feel the need to add one of their recording sessions from a totally dope hostel in Iceland to this very post. You’re welcome. 😉 To sum this short post up (well, for me, haha), if you like incredible pasta and fantastic tunes, I implore you to make this recipe asap whilst listening to these superb ladies serenade you. Mangia!
PS- There’s a gigantic gap b/w my last photo and the video and recipe card. I can’t fix it! UGH! WordPress woes… 🙁
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style! are officially my most favorite appetizer/meal/party food of the month. The flavor is as loud as the bright & bold colors in the pictures. Imagine the loudest and ‘bestest’ mariachi band in your mouth, costumes included, and you’ve arrived at the level of deliciousness in this dish. 😉 I’ll definitely be making these for a Cinco de Mayo party this year for sure.
I sliced and grilled sweet potatoes on the BBQ – french fry style. However, first I coated them in grape seed oil and taco seasoning for an even bigger flavor explosion. MWAH! I sliced up some sweet bell peppers I had to get rid of, grilled corn and then cut it off the cob, and then smothered the nachos in avocado, cilantro, and a DELICIOUS vegan nacho cheese sauce with spinach. I scarfed them down at a disgusting speed and then washed them down with a frozen homemade mango margarita. All my calories for the day? Yeah, probably… Worth it? TOTALLLYYYYY!
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style! can easily be a lunch, dinner, appetizer, party plate, Cinco de Mayo grub, summertime grub, or literally anytime grub! Go getcha mariachi on in yo’ mouth and groove it up with a mango marg! 😉
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are the next best thing since Cuba let us ‘Murica folk back into their country. 😉 Helllloooo Havana, dope music (Buena Vista Social Club anyone?), the rainbow of colonial architecture, real mojitos, and cigars! Now, without further adieu, I give you Cuba’s next best thing – state side: Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch. Totally f_____g delicious!
I can’t wait to go to Cuba. I’m totally in love with the music there. Not to mention all of the other things that I just mentioned above, and some. I’m definitely a traveler. Five years in Beijing, China as an expat had me exploring the world. I filled up my passport living there. Was freakin’ awesome. I haven’t went anywhere outside of the US in the past year and a half and it’s totally killing me! However, I’m super excited to be traveling this beautiful country.
Anyway, the Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are incredibly healthy and easy to make. Cuban style black beans and rice, red pepper, spices, all smothered in an avocado ranch and cilantro. Chow your way down to the smoke rings and colors of your very own Cuba. 😉
PS- My new and awesome vegan blogger friend, Tully Zander, has an amazing blog: vegansfirst.com. She has fabulous recipes and vegan products. Her blog has a load of information about veganism in general. Since this post is on the topic of yummy burritos, check out her delicious breakfast burrito recipe here!
The BEST Avocado Toast Ever! was created because I had left overs from my Organics to You delivery AND because I was tired of my everyday avocado and vegan cream cheese breakfast toasts. I mean, avocado, everyday, on almost anything, right?! However, I thought there’s always room to jazz up even the simplest of breakfasts… so, I did! I had left over rainbow chard and I sauteed that up with some seasoning. Threw in some julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, cut fresh chives from my garden, topped it with left over cilantro, and layered that on top of my avocado smash toasts. Lastly, I drizzled the shit outta them with hot sauce and a vegan ranch dressing… OMG!!! They were crazy AMAZING! I was totally pleased with myself as I was chowing down like a machine on ‘roids leaving a trail of sauce dripping down my face. I had just devoured true love in its most honest form… food. 😉 Hence the name of this post: The BEST Avocado Toast Ever!
My aunt lives in southern California and her neighbor has these beautiful avocado trees that extend into her yard and drop on her grass. This is like my freakin’ dream! She also has lemon trees that produce like crazy every year. Honestly, I think I’d quit teaching and start selling avocado toasts every morning at a stand in front of my house on the street. I’d graduate to selling various styles of guacamole in the afternoon with homemade tortilla chips and fresh lemonade from my lemon trees. I’d soak up the sun (well, from under my umbrella. If you knew me, you’d know I hate direct exposure to sun for too long), blast dope tunes from my old school radio, and chat with my customers – all day, everyday. What a suh-weet way to spend my days! Alas, I don’t live in or amongst that beauty. This is not to say that where I live doesn’t have its own incredible beauty as well, because shit, it TOTALLY does, it’s just different. Still, a girl can dream of lemons, avocados, the sun and a stand… aahhhh…
Please feel free to comment and let me know what kind of breakfast toasts you’re eating! Always looking to mix things up in the kitchen! Let’s share the food wealth, people! 😉
Vegan Easter Bunny Waffles! were SO fun to make with my little dude this morning! It’s my spring break (woo-hoo!!!) and today G didn’t go to his nanny’s. We declared it a day of Easter fun! Easter bunny waffles, egg dying, and nail painting… was totally awesome! These waffles were super easy to make and crazy cute! They were almost too cute to eat! As you all know, I’m a sucker for any kind of holiday/event decor, so the food styling for this post was incredibly fun. I’ve also included the link and picture to last year’s Easter Bunny cake, and pics of my table’s decor (and my new and fabulous plants). I’m gonna keep this post short and sweet because the little man and I are headed to the Audubon Society for a suh-weet hike! Happy early Easter! Love, FGG
PS- Beware! Picture heavy post! 😉
Creamy Vegan Carrot Sweet Potato & Mushroom Soup was originally going to be my classic Carrot Mushroom Barley Soup. That is until I realized I had a sweet potato. I’ve been wanting to try a different take on this soup using a sweet potato for more sweetness and creaminess. Result? I LOVED it! It was crazy creamy, incredibly packed with flavor, and super healthy. Not to mention, very easy to chef up.
Garlic, onion, fresh oregano, sweet potato, carrots, and cremini mushrooms are the flavor explosions in this dish of delish. I was literally slurping it up, and it sounded a lil’ somethin’ like this:
sip, slurp, oh shit, wipe, sip, slurp, oh shit, wipe, repeat etc.
It wasn’t graceful, but I was slurpin’ solo and didn’t give a shit. If you like the ingredients listed in this soup, you’ll love this recipe.
Slurp responsibly. 😉 Love, FGG
Creamy Vegan Pasta with Shiitakes and Veggies! is flavor packed, nutrition packed, and simply: CRAZY DELICIOUS! Like I’ve said a million times before; I’m a total carb-a-holic so pasta scratches that itch hard core for me. Not to mention, anything crazy creamy is just icing on my carb-cake. I had no intention of blogging this recipe until I made it and it tasted like a creamy cloud of shiitake heaven in my mouth. So, the next afternoon I took some pics in crap lighting, but still needed to share this gem with all y’all. In my Organic to You delivery last week (see previous post) I received these tiny and scrumptious looking shiitakes. Mushrooms are my all time fave! Outside of missing traveling the world, the other thing I really miss about living in Beijing is the abundance of super cheap and plentiful mushrooms. I had such a wide variety to pick from that virtually every meal I made had some type of shroom in it. Ahhh… the expat days… I digress (I know, shocking, right?!), I used this vegan cashew-based alfredo sauce that I had purchased at Whole Foods and was curious to taste. In a sauce pan I cooked shiitakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in onions, garlic, olive oil, and fresh oregano, with a pinch of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth, nooch (nutritional yeast), a pinch of ground flax, and then combined that with the alfredo sauce. Feel free to use any vegan alfredo sauce, however, being that this didn’t actually taste like an alfredo sauce per se, but a lighter and very tasty creamy sauce, I believe it made up a good part of the flavor palate in this dish. If you don’t want to use it, I have a recipe right here for a homemade alfredo sauce. For the pasta, I used Barilla Veggie Rotini and smothered that creamy and delicious sauce all over the pasta, and then drooled all over my bowl. After basking in my pasta glow of pure heaven, albeit, one bowl too many, I knew I had to share this Creamy Vegan Pasta with Shiitakes and Veggies! with the world. Mangia! -FGG
Alice in Wonderland Themed Party for Adults & Vegan Party Platter Spreads! is a post that comes from my AMAZING 37th birthday party a few weeks ago. If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I am a girl who not only loves a good party, but loves to host and throw a great soiree. Entertaining has always been a love of mine and I’ve been doing it since my early 20’s. Actually, since I was a kid! I planned an incredibly dope Clue themed party for my sister, Danella, and a hippie party for myself when I was in elementary and middle school. If I don’t have a specific reason to throw an awesome bash, you can bet I’ll make one up!
This year, I decided to throw an Alice in Wonderland themed party… adult style. Now, mind you, there were children there. However, they were doin’ their own thang, but I did accommodate for them as well. I strive to be the hostess with the mostest (yeah, yeah, I know that’s crazy cheesy, but I really do)! I am an avid decorator for parties. I go BIG. Amazon was my best friend this year, as I could find things there that I could not find anywhere else. Also, Pinterest seriously rocks for decor ideas and inspirations. I have an Alice in Wonderland themed board on my Foodgalleygab Pinterest page if you want to check it out! My one request for my guests was that they came dressed in costume. I did my invite on Facebook and used a picture from Alice in Wonderland (AIW) for the face of the event page. Here is a list of what I did to decorate and some:
Vegan Snack & Food Deliveries! was what this past week was all about for me. Firstly, I had the pleasure of getting a free box of vegan snacks from Vegan Works delivery (www.vegan.works). This.Was.AWESOME! Plus, it came with a note from one of the owners of the company on a piece of unicorn note paper that said, “You’re MAGICAL.” If you knew me, you’d know how totally super I thought that was. 😉 Thanks, Justin! I had no idea what was coming in ‘said box’ so it was a spectacular surprise. I LOVE vegan jerky. I buy it anytime I take a road trip to the Oregon coast, as there is a little hole in the wall shop that sells it en route. So, I was very happy that it arrived in my snack box. The chips, bars, chocolate were all delicious and though the price was free for me, it is only $39.99 and delivered to your door! Convenience and the ability to try new vegan snacks that I didn’t even know existed, as well as items that I didn’t even know were vegan make this snack box totally worth it. Sold!
Secondly, I received an incredible box from Organics to You this past Wednesday. I don’t always get one weekly, but if my fridge is fairly empty and I love the box, I’m down for a delivery! I get the “small bin” which is $38.00 and I always add a buck or two for a tip to the driver. This week I received:
I feel as though that is an incredible amount of organic fresh fruit and veg for free delivery and $38 “buck-a-roos!” I’m going to make a pasta dish with vegan alfredo or cream sauce with shiitake mushrooms and kale tonight. I’ll post that recipe soon!
Anyway, I know it’s difficult to find the time to shop for all this stuff, and, it can be pricey. Therefore, I truly love finding amazing places for vegan grub that doesn’t involve breaking the bank or me having to wrangle my child down the grocery isles after work during my kiddo’s witching hour. #neverfun
Enjoy the new deliveries if you haven’t already used them before. Feel free to comment about any other amazing vegan deliveries that you know of. Share the vegan love! -FGG
*I was NOT paid to write these reviews and all of the opinions are mine and mine alone. 🙂
Crazy Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo! Totally satisfies my creamy pasta cravings. I’ve read so many recipes about how to make a vegan version of fettuccine alfredo but wasn’t loving the seemingly bland ingredient lists in these sauces. This recipe is somewhat plant-based, but also uses heavier ingredients like a true alfredo sauce would. This is how I finallllly came to create an actual delicious version of vegan fettuccine alfredo! Amen.
My mother used to make an AMAZING alfredo sauce in which she accurately called, “a heart attack on a plate.” So true, but too delicious to care; especially, when I was young and fabulously fit… ahhh… sigh… the good ‘ol days. I ate the shit outta her alfredo and definitely was devouring (very ungracefully might I add) more than a single serving of pasta. I’m now officially salivating on my keyboard. Side note: When I was younger, my mother told me never to eat pasta on a date. Another accurate statement from the madre. If you’ve ever seen me eat pasta, you’d understand. 😉
This recipe blends together cauliflower, cashews, vegan butter and cream cheese, and some. You definitely won’t be disappointed! If you’ve been underwhelmed before by bland alfredo sauces, I definitely encourage you to try this ‘Crazy Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo!’ recipe, as it is anything but bland! Mangia! -FGG
Mediterranean Tofu Scramble is one of my most favorite breakfasts in the entire world. Bold statement. Totally true. Sooo very past the point of bold, that it is even past my love for my over-use of exclamation points. ‘Nough said.
Okay, I’d love to leave this post there, but we all know I love to talk too much. Every time I have a snow day (9 last year!), I feel compelled to do two things: Drink copious amounts of mimosas, and eat too much tofu scramble. Done & done. Love that my 3-day weekend turned into a 5-day weekend. Love you OR for your lack of snow preparedness! MWAH! Anyway, my mother is “doing Purple Carrot.” Yeah, I guess I’ll say it that way. She told me about a recipe that called for tofu feta cheese and I was totally enamored with this idea. Therefore, when the snow came and school did not (insert chorus to “Hallelujah” here), I immediately went to work on this Mediterranean Tofu Scramble. Tofu, vegan feta, loads of basil & oregano, garlic & onion, sun-dried tomatoes, beans, spinach, Kalamata olives, fresh lemon, and a side of potato hash… hell yes!
Tofu scrambles are kinda my speciality. I’m surprised I only have 3 posted on my blog! I’m now motivated to put all of my tofu scramble recipes here for you. Next, my Thai tofu scramble… sooooooo good! From my kitchen to yours… happy scramblin’! XO
Vegan Quinoa Fruit & Veggie Infused Pancakes! Was an idea I’d been thinking about for a while. On Instagram, everyone seems to be going mental for quinoa pancakes. I needed to see if they tasted as good as they looked! Also, I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned that my kiddo has some sort of insane death like reaction and unnatural aversion to eating whole vegetables these days… kill me. 🙁 Therefore, I sneak them in any way I can, anytime I can, and in any form I can. I decided that our morning pancakes should be no different.
I’m going to keep this post short because right now, as I write this very post, I am sitting in bed with mimosas (cheating on my non-drinking binge… yes, NON-drinking binge), slurping up way too expensive coffee (Stumptown – worth it), staring out at the “snow storm” that really is a light sprinkling, a wee dusting of 38 degree snow, Karen Alpert’s, “I Want My Epidural Back” (which all mothers with any sense of mediocrity and humor in their bones should read – NOW), and loving the fact that Portland, OR cancels school for a mere single flake of snow… thus turning my 3-day weekend into a 4-day weekend. And, oh yeah, the highlight? My kiddo is playing his fabulous little ass off at pre-school! Win-win, baby! Mwahahaha!
PS- This day will be ending with me soaking in a tub, mimosa in hand, and General Hospital playing on my computer whilst I sink into my glorious bubbles (the bath, not the mimosa… though, that sounds disturbingly delicious). 😉
Okay, so these Vegan Quinoa Fruit & Veggie Infused Pancakes! are crazy delish, healthy, cute, and easy. Loaded with applesauce, spinach, beets, raspberries, strawberries, and more. Enjoy!
Vegan Banana Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! Is literally the best ice cream ever! And, it’s done in 5 minutes. On top of the fact that it’s caaa-rrrraaazzzzyyy delicious, it is also healthy and beyond simple to make. Score! My sister, Jessica, was saying that she had been blending frozen bananas for ice cream and that gave me the ever-so-delicious idea for this glorious treat. Thanks, J-Ru! Frozen bananas, coconut milk, dark chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract: blend in high powered blender (I used my Vitamix), and done!
My mom had an ice cream maker when we were little. I LOVED making ice cream recipes over the summer. I also totally remember making the vanilla and chocolate Jello pudding frozen bars which were my absolute favorite! Especially, the vanilla. Okay, this has definitely triggered a craving. It’s also reminded me of a camp my mother sent me to in Old Bethpage, Long Island when I was about 8; very interesting memories… I remember having to wear a bonnet and a long hand-sewn dress, high boots, and a metal can tied to a rope that wrapped around my waste so we could have birch beer on tap at the end of the day (let me tell you, this was the HIGHLIGHT of my afternoons). It was about 95f one day and I took off my bonnet, only to promptly be told to “put it back on, as the children back-in-the day could not remove their bonnets.” Yeah, I was living in olden times… just in 1989… sigh… We played with wooden circles and sticks, wrote with feather pens in old classrooms, made pickles, churned ice cream, and sang songs of the old. This is just one of the many strange camps I attended in my childhood… In hindsight, I can now appreciate these experiences. The key word there being “hindsight.” 😉 I’ll have to share a pic of myself from this time. Anyway, enjoy the delicious Vegan Banana Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! I hope, you too, can reflect upon any old camp or ice cream churning memories from your possible crazy youth! 😉
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Really, anything Italian style and carb loaded ticks the box for comfort food in my world. My mom had no idea how to cook when we were little. She was raised on shitty German food at best, but my other gma had learned to cook ca-razzzzy good Italian food from her Italian hubster, and from living in Italy for a bit. Jealous! She gave my mom a cookbook that she had typed out for her. Totally amazing! My goal is to one day replicate this book vegan style! Anyway, now-a-days, my mother is an incredibly amazing cook and chefs up all styles of food. For many of my single digit years, I spent most of it consuming loads of delicious Italian grub… not too shabby! However, I definitely blame my love affair with carbohydrates on this long-winded stint in my life. 😉
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta is incredibly simple to make. It has a kale/arugula pesto (click for my recipe), pureed spinach, tofu, nooch (nutritional yeast), flax, and more as a vegan ricotta cheese, plus marinara. I love this because it gets in loads of protein and vitamins, plus, I can get my kiddo to eat all his veggies since he’s decided that whole vegetable are no longer for him… sighhhhh… Enjoy the good grub! Mangia!
Vegan Valentine’s Day Cake! was the easiest thing ever. I really had my mind set on buying a heart shaped bundt cake mold this year, so when I found one at Target I snatched that sh#$ up asap! It’s SO cute and makes the perfect heart shaped cake for your ‘lova’ or day of celebration… whatever that may be or look like to you. Now, I love any excuse to cook, especially for a holiday of sorts, however, a secret for you: I don’t particularly enjoy baking! I don’t like measuring things and not having the freedom to create on my own. Plus, I don’t have a sweet tooth, I have the sharpest and fiercest carb tooth you’ve ever seen! Seriously… it’s deliciously awful, just ask my thighs. Anyway, for Valentine’s Day I always feel the need to bake. This year, I cut some serious corners. I’ve recently found out that a lot of cake mixes and frostings are naturally vegan! This was AWESOME news for my lazy baking self. I used Trader Joe’s Vanilla Cake Mix and a pink frosting specifically for V-day with heart confetti and red and white sprinkles. I replaced the egg with Follow Your Heart Vegan Eggs, cow’s milk for almond milk, and replaced the butter with Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread. Done!
My little man “helped” me as usual. So cute, yet so hindering. 😉 As you can tell from the pics below, clearly he decided to do some form of ‘push-up’ off the couch next to my ingredients, lick and eat half of the batter, and drip cake everywhere, but alas, we had a badass time together… as always! My little stud muffin! Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, FGG
Vegan Appetizers for Super Bowl 2018! This will be my 3rd year posting Super Bowl apps. In the past, they’ve been both veg and vegan. This year, they’re solely vegan! (Like me) 😉 Now, I’d be totally lying to you if I said that I knew shit about football. I’d also like to state that I was in the marching band in HS. Still, I know nothing. To be fair, we had the WORST football team on Long Island. We excelled only in soccer and lacrosse. However, our marching band was the best on the island. Aahhh… memories… me and my lil’ clarinet, band clinic, hat & plume, a uniform that didn’t fit well, crushes on virtually all jazz musicians, scavenger hunts, Hofstra performances etc… good times. I digress (as usual), in that trip down memory lane, I should’ve included: football games. I’ve always wanted to be into football. My husband and I used to chat about coming back to live in the US and becoming huge football fans. Bringing our kiddo to the games, wearing jerseys, having people over to watch the Super Bowl etc. So far, none of this has happened. I LOVE the comradery that football fans have with one another. I envy my friends who all get together to watch games, drink, and eat. It sounds amazing! This year, I’ve purchased a Nerf football and I am adamant that I will toss this with my wee man, paint black lines under our eyes, eat game time appetizers, and shout things like “Blitz!,” “Get rid of the ball!,” “RUNNNN!!!” All whilst not having a f#$%ing clue as to what I’m sayin’, ya know?! Anyway, it seems fun and better than simply watching it for the commercials and the halftime show (which often blows). Okay, done with my stories. Enjoy the Vegan Appetizers for Super Bowl 2018! Game time! “Go ___________!”
Here are the links to all of the pictures! (CLICK ON RECIPE TITLE FOR LINK)!
Tofu Tuna (As a dip-replace greek yogurt with vegan yogurt or mayo)!
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Bruschetta (Use a vegan parm or nooch)!
Vegan Blueberry Pancakes (Healthy!) is the best pancake recipe I have ever made. Not only are they loaded with flax and whole wheat, but they’re super tasty as well! I knew I wanted to make a nice breakfast on Sunday for the fam, and my wee man has been on a waffle/pancake kick for bfast during the week. I’d been spending stupid amounts of money buying organic, whole grain, blah, blah, blah… healthy frozen waffles/pancakes for him. I doubled this recipe and froze a TON of pancakes so he now can have these homemade, and WAYYYY cheaper breakfast delights. Grey eats them every morning topped with PB & coupled with a side of strawberries. Not a bad way to start his lil’ day. 😉
Usually, whilst I cook, I either listen to music or catch up on TV shows on my computer. This Sunday, it was the latter. I had been itching to watch the last episode of “This is Us.” I’d been actively evading all of the articles I’d seen about it, as I could basically smell the sorrow and plot give-away from my screen. Let’s just say that these Vegan Blueberry Pancakes (Healthy!), are made with love and LOTS of tears… literally. OMG… Jack! The music, the crockpot, all mixed together! I can’t! Instant sobbing. Kate! You almost didn’t buy that dog after you totally had pulled her Audio heart stings! And, who could pass up an animal with that name?! I mean, c’mon! Finally, I’ll never look at my crockpot the same, and my borderline OCD was just kicked backwards a giant step simply because I’ll now be checking all appliances more than I already do to ensure, that they are, in fact, turned OFF. 🙁
Okay, now that I’ve let that out, I’ll leave you with this: Vegan Blueberry Pancakes (Healthy!) are freakin’ amazing, super easy, super quick, super healthy, and must be made! Think brunch, lunch, dinner, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day… or, any day! MWAH! -FGG
