Chilly Enough For Chili

Okay, okay, okay, so maybe it didn't snow,
maybe it just felt like it was going to. Do
you buy that?

Even Southern California gets cold. Stop laughing. Believe me, when your blood gets as thin as ours does, what with living in a temperate clime, when that thermometer hits sixty something, it's time to turn on the furnace and put on another sweater. Now add pouring rain into the mix, skies as dark as dusk, and clouds hovering low, and you have perfect chili weather. Just like today.

Wouldn't you know, my favorite recipe for this thick, watch a spoon stand up in the middle of the bowl, concoction isn't vegan. Yet I wondered if I could change things around a bit, delete a  little of that and add some of this. So I gave it a try. Doggone, it's every bit as good as my non-vegan recipe. I kid you not. I served the heady mixture in big, steamy bowls and sprinkled the top with vegan sour cream, minced green onions and Daiya cheese shreds. Corn muffins hot from the oven were my only side. I ate two. Since I was now too full  to move, I rolled myself into the living room, covered up with a favorite afghan, and laid on the floor to watch the Movie Channel.

Life doesn't get any better than that.

Vegan Chili for Chilly Weather

No vegan sour cream left for this photo-op.
We used it all during the actual eating.

Into a soup pot put:

2 Tbs. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small jalapeno, minced, seeds and ribs removed

Cook until the onions are translucent, about five minutes.

Add to the pot:

1 14 oz. can red beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. paprika

2 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Cook everything together over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn it to low, cover, and let simmer for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. I let mine simmer an hour. If the chili is too soupy, remove the lid and continue cooking till the mixture thickens to your liking.

Serve with vegan sour cream, minced green onions, and vegan cheese shreds.

Yummy.

Perhaps I ought to warn you that this is a spicy chili. It won't make your mouth burn to eat it, but it you don't like any heat at all, leave out the jalapeno and the cayenne pepper. But be warned! You'll be turning a GREAT chili into a mediocre one.

Posole--Mexico In A Bowl

Try this authentic
Mexican recipe and I
bet you'll feel like
dancing too.

I've told you before that I have a housekeeper who comes to help me every week, largely because osteoporosis and arthritis in my spine have made it incredibly difficult to walk. Every so often I take advantage of her cooking skills and ask if she'll create something wonderful for my supper. She always agrees.

Because she's seen me grow so slim and healthy by eating vegan, she has done the same thing and while she's lost weight, it is her teenage daughter who has really slimmed down. All by eating vegan with only a few exceptions, such as family parties or church picnics.

To be honest, I've never eaten Posole. Yet I knew if Irma cooked it, it would be great. She grew up in Mexico City, taught to cook by her mom, and knows how to make original Mexican food that teases the tongue with spice and tickles the back of the throat with heat. Because I'm a sissy, she doesn't make the food she cooks for me as spicy as she would for her own family. If you're a diehard heat fan, add more chili powder and some jalapenos when you make this dish. I like it as is. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

POSOLE--MEXICO IN A BOWL

In a large soup pot, combine:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large poblano chile, chopped (sometimes called pasilla)

Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 8-10 minutes.

Add:

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. ancho chile powder (regular chile powder can be substituted)

1  24 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice

1  15 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1  15 oz. can of white hominy, drained and rinsed

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. lime juice

1 Tbs. browning sauce--I used Kitchen Bouquet

black pepper to taste

Simmer the soup on a back burner, uncovered, for at least an hour so  the flavors have time to marry. 

Serve piping hot with avacodo slices and fresh cilantro as garnishes.

Irma warmed flour tortillas over an open flame so they had a slightly charred taste, which went great with the posole. 

The whole masterpiece was good to the last drop.

If you don't have ancho chile powder, do yourself a favor and buy some. The depth of flavor this spice brings to the party is so much more than that of regular chile powder.

Seitan, Onion, and Mushroom Pasta

You can use any type of pasta in your cupboard. The first night I used  penne; the second night, I used spaghetti. They were what I had in my pantry. The sauce is what makes this dish. Now if only I could figure out how to take food photos as well as I do scenics, you wouldn't have to take my word for how good this recipe tastes.

Seldom does any dish, vegan or otherwise, taste so good I make it two nights in a row. That all changed when I created the following recipe. You can call it good luck or blessed endeavor. I call it serendipity. I had no idea what I was making when I began throwing things together and nobody was more surprised at how it turned out than me.

While there have been many times in my life that I've eaten the same thing twice in a row because of leftovers, never have I purposely cooked the same thing twice. From someone who hates to be in the kitchen as much as I do, my belief is that every meal should be something quite different than the one before it or else why bother cooking at all?

I suppose that belief came out of living with my husband of 53 years who never ate a leftover in his life until he married me. He came from such a poor family that there was barely enough food to go around, let alone have any left. So when I placed leftovers on the dinner table just a few weeks into wedded bliss, he kindly informed me not to do it again. That began my quest to turn leftovers into something entirely different by dragging things out of the frig and cupboards to disguise the original meal. I got really good at it. And even though Jim figured out what I was up to, he didn't mind because the whole result tasted far different than what I'd started with.

Now all of that to say that when I looked in my frig this week and saw a bunch of mushrooms that needed to be used and a package of seitan, which I'd yet to try, I decided to put them together. The dish was a process of tasting and adding and then declaring it good. Truthfully, the result tasted like I had put meat in it. Perhaps pork or chicken. But it was just a seitan trick to fool my palette. A vegan friend had informed me that seitan tasted nasty and that's why I had let mine sit in my frig for so long. However, the store bought seitan I used was to the point of being delicious. Figure that one out.

The recipe is so simple, you may laugh at me for bragging about how it turned out. Considering I've been a vegan for only 5 months, I ended up patting myself on the back for creating something that was not only edible but enjoyable. Give the recipe a try and see what you think. Then let me know. The people I served it to the second night I made it devoured it with relish and declared it one of my best vegan meals yet. Who knew?

SEITAN, ONION, AND MUSHROOM PASTA

This recipe involved cooking the pasta, making the bechamel sauce, and sauteing the vegetables. You can choose the order in which you build the meal.

In a saute pan put:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 of a medium onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Cook till the onions are translucent. Turn them onto a place to cool.

In the same pan put:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 of an 8 oz package of purchased seitan, cut into thin strips

Brown the seitan till it resembles meat. Set aside with the cooling onions.

Wipe out the saute pan so it's dry.

Add to the pan:

1/2 lb. of brown mushrooms, chopped. I used criminis.

Cook on low till all the water is evaporated and the mushrooms are completely dry. Do NOT salt the mushrooms and do not use oil for browning. It will make the mushrooms slippery.

Into the saute pan place:

All the onion and garlic mixture, the seitan, and the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the pan on a back burner to stay warm.

COOK THE PASTA

While the above ingredients are cooking, set a pan of salted water on the stove to come to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. I used 8 oz. for this recipe and it was plenty.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

4 Tbs. olive oil

4 Tbs. flour

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the flour and cook about 3 minutes or until the flour comes together. The mixture will be lumpy. That's normal. Do not shorten this step or the raw flour taste will ruin your sauce.

Using a whisk, slowly stir in:

2 cups of creamy soy milk, either warm or at room temperature. Do not use it cold as it won't whisk in well.

Cook the sauce, whisking continuously until it begins to thicken. Lower the heat and cook a minute or so longer. If the sauce is too loose, let it cook another minute or so; too thick, whisk in more soy milk.

When the sauce is the consistency you wish, grate fresh nutmeg into it and add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a tiny pinch of cayenne because I like spicy.

Add the sauce to the saute pan with the seitan/vegetables/mushrooms in it. Mix well. Now add the pasta, along with a bit of the pasta water if need be. Stir everything together and let it cook a minute or so to blend flavors. Serves 3-4

Roasted Vegetables, Farfalle, and Vodka Sauce

Although this recipe seems complicated, it isn't. It's comprised of only three elements. Roast the veggies, which can be done ahead if you wish; make the vodka sauce, which can also be done ahead of time; assemble the main ingredients while you cook the pasta and then combine the whole thing into one great meal. 

I went a little crazy this week. My local health food market had such great prices on vegetables, I bought way too many. I mean, there sat these large red, yellow, and green bell peppers at 3 for $1.00. Mixed or matched. I couldn't resist and put two of each color in my basket. The market also had portabella mushroom caps, palm-sized, at 3 for $1.99. Who would pass up a deal like that? I came home with 6. The list of good buys goes on and on. Do any of you know what I'm talking about?

Of course the day rolled around when a peek into the Frig told me I'd better use up what was left while everything still looked appealing. Next thing I knew, I was creating another mystery dish. Vegan, of course. Since I've always loved Pasta Primivera, I thought I'd model my dish after that. Imagine my surprise when it turned out better than it's role-model. Does that mean I'm a master chef hiding in grandma clothes? No. It means I poured a vodka sauce over the whole thing in an effort to ramp up the flavor. It was an inspired decision. Give it a try. I bet you'll like it.

ROASTED VEGETABLES, FARFALLE, AND VODKA SAUCE

Roast your vegetables. I used red, yellow, and green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and portobello mushrooms. Cut the vegetables into sections, spread them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Do not cut the vegetables into tiny pieces as they will burn and have to be thrown out. You can roast any amount of veggies on hand. At my house, leftover veggies are used in many ways.

Prepare the vodka sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. vegan butter or margarine
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (I buzzed mine in the food processor as I wanted a smooth sauce)
1/2 cup soy milk or soy cream
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup vodka

In a large skillet, heal the oil and butter. Add the crushed tomatoes, cream, salt, and pepper. Cook for a minute or so, stirring once in a while. Add the vodka and continue cooking on low for about 5 minutes. Because I like thick sauces without the addition of flour, etc. I let the sauce cook down on a simmer burner until it was the consistency I wanted.

Fill a pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. In the meantime,


Assemble the vegetables
2 cups roasted vegetables, cut into small pieces. 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 box frozen peas, thawed but not cooked

8 oz extra firm tofu, cut into small pieces. I used tofu with herbs. It's become my favorite.

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste. Remember the roasted veggies have already been seasoned.

Put the oil in a large skillet with the minced garlic. Saute on low for a minute. Do not burn the garlic or you'll have to start over.

Add the tofu to the pan, stir until the it browns a bit. Add the roasted vegetables, seasoning, and salt and pepper. Saute everything until the flavors marry. Add the thawed peas and continue cooking on low until the peas are warmed though. The peas pop in your mouth as you eat, making them a welcome addition to the roasted vegetables. Canned peas will not perform the same as frozen ones. 

Drop 8 oz. farfalle into the pasta pot. DO NOT forget to add salt to the water or your pasta will be tasteless. Cook the pasta until almost al dente. It will finish cooking in the vegetable medley.  Drain the pasta, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water, and add directly to the roasted vegetable mix. Cook everything together for approximately 2 minutes. If the veggie-pasta mix seems too dry, add just a bit of the reserved pasta water and continue cooking. Pour the vodka sauce over the pasta-vegetable mix and gently stir everything together, being careful not to tear the farfalle.

Bow ties you can eat rather than wear? Who knew? Obviously, the Italians did. They named the bowtie shape, "farfalla," which means butterfly. The more common name in this country is farfalle and is commonly called bowtie.

Farm House Soup--White Bean, Kale, & Sausage

I loved growing up on the Minnesota plains. WWII was finally over, rationing ceased to exist, and while I'm sure my parents dealt with the headaches of the day, a kid no worries. It was a time when I could walk by myself at night, ride my bike out to the woods, or sit by the river and read. My sisters and I knew no fear. How I wish it were like that today--if only for my grandkids sake.

I love homemade soup. Any kind. For some reason I can't explain, they all remind me of my farm country childhood. Just a whiff of their steamy goodness and an image of our family dining room with its ponderous claw-foot table flashes across my mind. Sub-conscious memories, I suppose. 

My mom made soups in the winter; I make them any season. Sometimes I serve soup with biscuits or garlic toast or cornbread. Once in a blue moon, I indulge myself with popovers. Popovers are my favorite, but off the books now that my new doctor says I have to be vegan for my health's sake. If I wasn't past 70, I'd suck my thumb.

Because our crazy Southern California weather can't make up its mind as to which season we're supposed to be in, there came a dark, rainy June day when my soup cravings came out of hibernation. Someplace in the back of my mind came a whispered word. "Soup." The whispers played their song for half a day, like one of those tunes you hear someplace and then can't get out of your head.

I finally convinced myself that the only way to get rid of the continued nagging was to give in. So I dug out my big blue soup pot and got to work. I dug around in the refrigerator, scoured the pantry, and invaded the spice cupboard. I pulled this and that and the other things, just as I'd watched mom do for the first sixteen years of my life. How could I have known what a tantalizing creation was about to be born?

White Bean, Kale & Sausage Soup

 2 cans of great northern beans, rinsed

1 Tbsp. oil

2 small onions, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 celery stalks, diced

Cook the vegetables together until the onions and celery are semi-tender. Then add to the pot:

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

2 large bay leaves, or 3 small ones

1 large can of diced tomatos with its juice

Simmer all ingredients together so the spices work through everything in the soup pot.

Now add:

6 cups vegetable stock (more flavor than broth)

1 pound fresh kale, white stems removed, and the leaves chopped

Cover the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes. Just before serving, add 2 tofu Italian sausages, cut in bite size pieces. Cook another 5 minutes to bring the sausages to temperature.

_____________________________________________________________

I like the kale thoroughly wilted, so I cooked the soup on a back burner for about an hour. If you like your kale more toward the chewy side, add it to the pot about 10 minutes before you plan to eat.

For such few ingredients, I was shocked at the many layers of flavor this soup had. I suspect it was from the long simmering time but I'm not sure. What I do know is that no matter what you serve this with, it will be a winner all around. My two guests even went back for seconds. Is that a compliment or what? Mom would be proud.

Copyright 2011 by Sandra L Keith, All rights reserved
Beginning photo is courtesy of MS Clip Art
Soup photo is the property of the owner and may not be reproduced

Ahh Bella, How I Love Thee....

For me, mushrooms of any kind have always been right up there with tofu as my least desirable edibles.  I've had a real change of heart since I learned how to turn them into burgers. Who knew?

I have been having an affair with portobello mushrooms. I've configured them every way I could imagine and while the food was tasty, it wasn't a winning recipe. Not until I stole Marie Callendar's version of the giant fungus. Now it's worth blogging about. Let me tell you how it came to be.

There was a day when I had a doctor appointment close to Marie Callendar's Restaurant. Considering I hadn't eaten lunch, I stopped by, thinking I'd have some pie and coffee. Before I could mention my desire, a menu was plopped next to me. Thinking I'd just give it a once-over strictly for fun, I opened it up and began looking at the pictures. And there it was. A portobello mushroom burger. The photo set me to drooling. (I hate it when that happens, it's so un-ladylike) and the next thing I knew, I heard myself ordering it.

I was somewhat taken aback when the burger was set in front of me. No kidding, the whole thing had to be more than two inches tall. One bite convinced me it was meaty, juicy, and while it didn't taste anything like a hamburger, it was so good I considered taking another to-go so I could have it for supper. Then along comes the waiter, asking how everything was. I did my ooh and ahh thing and then asked him to see if the chef would give out the recipe. He hesitated a moment, then agreed and off he went. A few minutes later he informed me the mushrooms were oven roasted with a covering of fresh thyme and rosemary. I knew that wasn't the real recipe because I could detect hints of basalmic vinegar and olive oil and chipotle. Chefs are so tricky.

First chance I got, I cooked up the biggest portobello I could find, using my Marie Callendar knock-off recipe. Can I say it was delicious? Or even outstanding? Or simply the best mushroom burger I'd eaten since the restaurant one? The other portobello burgers I'd tried paled in light of this new find. I hope you'll give it a try and then write and tell me what you think. After all, you know what Shakesphere wrote  in Romeo and Juliet. "A portobella by any other name would taste as good." At least I think that's how it went.

The roasted portobello looks enough like meat to fool the eye. It won't fool the palette, but the whole package is so juicy good, you won't care. I served my burger with corn on the cob, oven roasted in its husk. Can I say delicioso?



PORTOBELLO BURGER---My Restaurant Knockoff 

Portobello mushrooms, 1 per serving. Remove the tough, woody stems. Place the mushroom caps in a zip lock bag for marinating.
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Allow the mushrooms to marinate at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the mushrooms on a cookie sheet lined with foil (easy cleanup), with the top facing up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes. Fewer mushrooms will take less time. Gigantic ones will take more time. You will know they are done when they look like a hamburger, all brown and toasty. Save the marinade for another use. Most recipes I've tried say to cook the mushrooms only a few minutes on each side. For me, it wasn't enough, as they still looked and tasted like mushrooms. I wanted a beefy taste and that's what I got via roasting for a length of time.

Make the mayo for the buns. I used 1/4 cup vegan mayo and 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder. Stir together. If you like things spicier, add more. This ratio was fine for me.

Warm the buns. I purchased extra large buns because the bella's were so big. Smaller bella's, use smaller buns.

I put my mushroom burger together the old fashioned way with generous portions of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. I left off the ketchup, mustard and pickles because the bella was zingy enough having been marinated in the vinegar. You do as tastes best to you.

If you can't find chipotle powder at your grocery store, you can purchase it from www.penzeys.com--which is what I did.


Copyright 2011 by Sandra L. Keith, All rights reserved
Top photo is courtesy of MS Word Clip Art
Middle photo is the property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.

Spring Has Sprung



An early Mother's Day surprise came to my door this week. A lovely gift from two of my adopted troops serving in Afghanistan. Each has a mom of his own, yet they teamed up to make sure I knew how much they enjoyed being part of my family and reading all the dorky letters I send them every couple of weeks. I've written them for what seems like eternity and love each of them dearly. I pray every day for their safety and that God bring them home soon.


Spring has sprung,
The grass has riz.
I wonder where
The flowers is?



I'll tell you where the flowers is. All over my yard, all over town, all over Southern California, and also sitting on my kitchen table. The glorious colors of spring. They make me happy just to look at them. My iris's are in bloom, so are my amaryllis, so too the azaleas, and even the invasive poor man's orchid is boasting a large crop of look-alike cymbidium orchids. The red geraniums are spashing color against my brick wall, the verbena is spilling over the edge of my herb pot and the daylilies are budding. It's just plain exciting to go outside and walk the yard each day, snooping to see what's new.

But this is a blog about food, right?

This past week I poked around three different grocery stores. Since the frig was pretty much empty, it was a chore I had to do, whether I felt like it or not. Turned out to be an eye-opening adventure. The shelves were full to overflowing with fresh greens, peppers of every color, cucumbers so fresh from the field I swear I could still see early morning dew on them, all manner of summer squash and local strawberries, so big and fat and red and affordable that customers were hauling them away by the box fulls. The winter avocados are plentiful, Hass by name, and the only one worth paying for in my estimation. Right now the Hass is inexpensive enough to lead me to believe California must have produced a bumper crop this year.

Was all this magnificence the result of so much rain this winter? Or sunny days of warm temperatures? Were farmers fertilizing more often or planting seeds meant to produce the jolly green giant of crops? I can't remember a time when the shelves were so full of lush vegetation good enough to eat. Even with California's year around growing climate, the stores seemed unusually full of plump, juicy things fresh from the earth. Just walking the aisles was as good as opening the door to The Secret Garden, albeit filled with veggies rather than flowers.

As I inspected each store and its bulging produce, I found that I wanted some of everything. However, sanity reigned as the farm kid in me knew that a week's worth of fruit and veggies wouldn't remain fresh and tantalizing sitting in my refrigerator. But what to choose? I was now hungry for it all. That was when I began thinking about how many of those veggies I could actually pile into one sandwich. A Dagwood kind of sandwich. I practiced unhinging my jaws, but to no avail. I would have to content myself with a mouth-size veggie experience. I didn't think it would be easy. I was wrong.



I should have taken the photo before I cut the sandwich. I should also have left the toothpicks in to hold the whole thing together. But alas, I didn't. This sandwich is messy to eat, but most tasty--which makes having to use about six napkins worthwhile.

 Everything But The Kitchen Sink Vegan Sandwich


2 slices grainy wheat bread, fresh and pliable so it can bend without breaking
1/4 cup hummus. I used regular but it's your choice
1 buttery avocado, preferably Haas
1 red onion, sliced as thin as possible
1 red bell pepper, roasted, with skin and seeds removed
1/2 of a cucumber, sliced long ways into strips
1 fresh tomato, sliced
Kalamata olives, sliced thin
Sprouts. I used Daikon radish sprouts for their puckery tang

Spread hummus on both pieces of bread. Use it all as it's the protein I chose for this sandwich
Slice the avocado and lay it atop the hummus on one piece of bread
Add as much red onion as you wish.
One whole red pepper goes next
Now add as many strips of cucumber as you wish. I used a lot because I love cucumbers
Add the sliced tomatoes
Toss the sliced olives atop the tomatoes
Add the sprouts. As many as you wish. I put about an inch worth atop mine
Lay the other piece of bread/hummus atop the whole creation. Use toothpicks to hold it together.

Remember to salt and pepper lightly as you build the sandwich. Each level should be full of flavor. I drizzled a smidgen of a really good extra virgin olive oil over the top of my sprouts. Don't get heavy handed; it will make the sandwich greasy. No olive oil on hand? Use a good Italian salad dressing.

I ate every single bite and enjoyed it all. For dessert I peeled two tangerines, so sweet they were just short of being candy. A cup of tea finished it all out. I rolled into the kitchen to clean up, decided I was too full to move, and left everything in the  sink for another day. You can do stuff like that when you live by yourself because the dog and four cats never complain.


I LOVE LIVING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE WE HAVE SUPER FRESH PRODUCE ALL YEAR LONG AND MOST OF IT LOCAL!

Some Thoughts On Cheating

My Hoagie was so big I had to nestle it inside a small bowl to contain it for picture taking. It was delicious--if I do say so myself.

I cheat. A lot. Woe is me, vegan for less than a year, trying to come up with three meals a day and maybe a snack too. In the beginning, the whole process seemed an impossibility. My brain kept spinning at the thought of what I'd make for the next meal when what I really wanted it to do was think about the quilt I needed to finish or the hand knitted socks just short of being done. After all, I've tried for years to make food just a necessity of life rather than something my whole world revolved around. I have to say that I pretty much accomplished that goal. Until the vegan thing entered my life.

All of a sudden I was thinking about food all day long. For someone who hates to cook only slightly less than I'd like running with the bulls in Pamplona, I could forsee a future filled with sallow cheeks, droopy skin and hollow eyes. I'd have to just quit eating. My 70 year old brain had thousands of recipes in its storehouse, but none were what the doctor had told me to eat in order to be rid of the painful abdominal disease that had plagued me for decades. So I decided to make my own rules. I could still be vegan. I'd just cheat. So I took myself to the nearest health food store.

What an amazing array of tofu products I discovered. Sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pizza, and row upon row of pretend cheese--more food than I'd ever dreamed possible. And while it was on the pricey side, I decided that now that I live alone, it would be cost effective because I would no longer be buying meat or dairy. Besides, it would give me reason to experiment. I LOVE experimenting in the kitchen. I always have. For while I despise cooking, I thoroughly enjoy taking a product and changing it into something of my own. So I filled my cart with all manner of bland, tasteless tofu products formed to resemble something they are not and brought them home. I would work my magic on them and pass on the best of the best results to my vegan friends so they could cheat too.

Sausage, Cheese, Pepper & Onion Hoagie

Makes 1 serving

One tofu sausage, any kind you want

1/2  cup beer of choice

1/2 of a medium onion, sliced

1 tsp. herbs de provance

1 sprig fresh rosemary, bruised to release its essence.

With a toothpick, prick small holes in the sausage, then place all of the above ingredients into a plastic bag and let marinate for at least an hour to overnight. Retain the marinade in case you really like the finished product. It can be used again and again. If you do not enjoy highly spiced food, you may wish to change the spice amounts. I grew up eating food with lots of flavor from spices, so anything else is boring to my palette.

Peppers, according to choice. I used 1/2 of a red bell and 1/2 of a yellow bell, and 1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed.

The other half of the medium onion, minced

Saute the above in 1 Tbs. olive oil and a splash of vegetable broth. Cook till the liquid is evaporated and the peppers and onions are barely tender. Remove to a plate to keep warm.

Add the sausage to the pan along with 1/4 cup of beer or vegetable broth and cook on low until the liquid is evaporated. Add the vegetable mix back into the pan and saute everything together for a few minutes. Do not overcook.

Take a warm hoagie roll, line the sides with soy cheese of your choice. Add the hot sausage and then scoop the pepper, onion mix all across the top. I chopped a few cold sun dried tomatoes and some parsley and dotted the top of the hoagie with them.

While the hoagie was a meal unto itself, I served mine with a small salad of shredded carrots and raisins, dressed with a mixture of mayonaise, sugar, soy milk, and a hint of freshly grated ginger.  

Since I was now too full to move, I took my latest mystery book and went outside to laze in the warm winter sun while I read. I probably would have dozed off had I not let the dog accompany me. It was in Bonnie's mind to play. Now where did she hide her favorite tennis ball? She looked at me as though she expected me to beat the bushes for it. I told it to go find it herself. I was too tired from all that cooking and eating.

Bonnie was my husband's dog. We adopted her from the Humane Society when she was two years old. She fit into our home perfectly because she was what Jim wanted and she liked cats--which is what I wanted. Bonnie is half Golden Lab and half German Shepherd and while it took her many months after my hubby's passing to be my friend, she is now my faithful guardian and I have not one doubt she would protect me with her life.

Springtime in the South

This is a big week in Savannah. One of the largest St. Patrick's Day Parades happens in this town. The weather is beautiful and Spring has sprung. The dogwoods are blooming, the trees are budding, the azaleas are ready to pop and the fountains in all the squares around town are green. Everything is GREEN. It is a little piece of heaven in Savannah right now and I am in Rochester, NY. That is another story. Let it just be said that I am in good company, the food is delicious and the wine is flowing.

SPRING. St. PATRICK'S DAY. GREEN.

This recipe fits the bill for Vegans and Irishmen. A single green spring ingredient. Simply perfect.

Roasted Spring Onions

15 baby Vidalia onions (Vidalia, Ga. just down the road from me) or other large-bulb

spring onions. Trim ends, halved lengthwise.

1 tsp fresh thyme

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place onions in a baking pan. Sprinkle with thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add butter in slivers, especially around the bulbs. Roast onions until tender, browned, and caramelized, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a warmed bowl and drizzle with pan juices.

Erin Go Bragh!