Sausages

One of my favorite things to make these days is sausage. Whether I use Julie Hanson's recipe which is mostly vital wheat gluten, or Isa's recipe that mixes gluten with mashed beans, I love that it makes so many sausages in the end. I find that I can't eat them all within a few days, so I just throw them into the freezer for another time.



Seeing as though I had about a dozen sausages hanging around, I decided to whip up some mac and cheese using some Creamy Cheddar Teese. I've never used Teese before for mac and cheese, or any other kind of block cheese for that matter. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I just melted the Teese on the stove. I'm used to making a cheesy sauce in the blender and then throwing it in the oven for a half hour to harden up a bit.



It came out less appetizing than I had hoped. I was able to eat most of what was on my plate, but the thought of eating the rest of it grossed me out. Sorry, Teese! I wanted to like you in my mac and cheese, but it's just not happening. I still love your mozzarella, and I'm going to make some pizza on my new-ish pizza stone someday.



All plated up. I also fried up a tomato, but it just didn't come out that great. I can't wait until tomoato season starts so I can eat real tomatoes again. After eating ones fresh from the garden all my life, I can't stomach those terrible ones they sell at the store year-round.

Wow

I can't believe it's been over two months since I last posted anything. I was very bogged down by schoolwork and worrying about finals, that I could hardly be bothered with making food, taking pictures of said food, and blogging about it afterward.

Isa's Vegan Brunch book just came out, and I got my copy in the mail about a week ago. Not to brag, but my name is in the acknowledgments. I think I tested a good amount of recipes while testing was going on, but when I was flipping through the book I saw the banana flapjacks. Knowing I had bananas that were close to becoming compost, I decided to make them. They looked very promising while they were cooking, but alas they did not come out the way I expected. They seemed to not want to cook fully. It may have just been that the bananas kept it too moist and squishy to become a proper pancake. I did have fun making them, though. After I tried the first few and found that I disliked them, I decided to make a giant pancake with the rest of the batter. I didn't want to pour the batter in the trash incase it leaked, and this way it was just something solid I was throwing away.

Regular size:


Gigantic:


Since I was still in the mood for a breakfasty meal, I decided to make some Fronch Toast. Isa tells us that we should never toast our bread, but rather let it dry out in the oven. Well, I toast. It has always worked for me and has never given me a problem. I also just use regular bread instead of a loaf of italian.



From "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

"Fronch" Toast

1 loaf of Italian of French bread, baguette style
1/2 c soy creamer
1/2 c rice milk or plain soy milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c chickpea flour
Several tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Slice the bread into 1-inch thick rounds. The bread should be a bit stale, if not you can put in a 350 oven for 3-4 minutes to dry it out. Pour the soy creamer and rice milk into a wide shallow bowl. Mix in the cornstarch and stir until dissolved. Add the chickpea flour and mix until it is mostly absorbed; some lumps are OK. Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add enough oil to create a thin layer on the bottom. Soak the bread slices (as many as you can fit in the pan) in the mixture and transfer to the skillet. Cook each side for about 2 minutes; if they are not brown enough, heat for another minute or so on each side. They should be golden brown.


And speaking of eating breakfast, I am currently eating a delicious Egg McVegan, as usual. For some reason I get in the mood to eat them when I blog. Or I get in the mood to blog when I eat them.