Learning curve, and an intro...

When I told my big goober husband that I was starting a blog, his first question was, "Do you think it'll be something people will want to read?" Which makes him sound mean. Which he's not. But I guess with everyone and their dog having a blog now, it's a fair question. Do I have anything interesting enough to say that people will actually read my blog? I have ABSOLUTELY no idea. But, you know, I've never been able to keep a diary. So even if nobody reads this, it can be kind of like my diary that no one will ever read. I can write it for myself. So that's exactly what I'm doing.

I guess the most interesting thing I have to write about right now is the fact that my gooblet daughter and I are now vegan, I guess. It wasn't one of those things where you wake up one day and go, "I think we're going to be vegan from now on." It just kind of happened. I made a horrible awful roast one day just over three years ago and we decided no more beef (I already didn't eat pork). Then a couple months later my husband and I decided poultry just wasn't our thing anymore. Then about a year after that, we decided that if we were going to be completely fair, we wouldn't eat fish or seafood anymore. I mean, to get a decent serving of seafood, a dozen little creatures have to die, as opposed to one big cow. How was that right? And I wondered this whole time, "Do I have what it takes to be vegan? Could I do it?" Of course, Michael (big goober) already didn't want to eat eggs anymore...just found them yucky. So they kind of disappeared from our menu except for the occasional baked eggy thing. But then a few weeks ago, my gooblet daughter and I got together with my new vegan friend and her son, and I thought, "hey, they make this look pretty easy!". So we played with it for a week. And my brand new, kinda tight jeans seemed to magically expand. At the end of the week was a vegan potluck, and mini gooblet and I went. Everyone was so fantastic, and the food was all SOOO good. So we decided to make this a permanent change. I say "we", and I mean it. My daughter was an integral part of this. She's helped me try new "fake" cheeses and new recipes, and has told me which ones are good and which are not. At the store she helps me look for whether or not there is dairy in the inredients (or eggs, which we were already used to looking for a bit). Although Michael still likes and eats cheese, he's very understanding of our decision. And we feel pretty good about it.

Some days are better than others. It's definitely a learning curve, as my friend put it. Like Monday night, I was so proud of myself. We had this yummy, gooey enchilada casserole, corn with red peppers, and zesty kale. Oh, it was all sooo good! I was so pleased with how everyone ate! And then, yesterday, we had carrot salad sandwiches. I like them, but I guess no one else does. Michael even asked me "Is this some kind of joke? Is there a camera somewhere??" (Once again, it sounds mean, but he was laughing the whole time with his mouth full...silly goober.) So yeah...learning curve.

Sooo...that said...we get a lot of "So what do you eat????" So I decided I'd put our menu for two meals every day on here, and recipes for the more complicated stuff. It's mostly pretty easy, actually. Frankly, with a 3-year-old running around (gooblet), I don't have time for fussy, comlicated recipes, and probably no one besides me would eat them anyway. So here goes for today!

LUNCH: Greek goddess pitas, fresh fruit.

CREW'S REVIEW: My crew loved these (except for my daughter, who wouldn't even try it and has been boycotting lunch all week, hoping for a sweet treat after lunchtime even if she didn't eat lunch. Not happening. I suspect that by the end of the week she will be back to eating lunch). And I felt good about what was in them.

They could have been improved with some chickpeas and some tofeta, but since nobody around here likes those things but me, these were the best they could be. They probably wouldn't hold up very well in a lunchbox, though, unless you put the veggie mixture separate and put in a spoon to scoop it all into a pita. But add some lettuce and you've got a decent salad, or add some lettuce and stick it in a wrap. That might hold up a bit better. Here's how to do it:

Thinly slice olives; quarter, seed, and slice a tomato; and quarter and slice half an English cucumber. Mix them together with a couple tablespoons of Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing (by the way, as far as that yummy goddess dressing goes...a little bit goes a LONG way for us). Put this inside whole wheat pitas and voila! Healthy, yummy lunch.

DINNER: "Chicken" and dumplings, canned spinach (one of Michael's fave veggies lol), and homemade whole wheat rolls with nonhydrogenated margarine.

CREW'S REVIEW: OH MY GOSH, little gooblet ate her spinach!! She's been an adamant spinach hater for as long as I've been trying to feed it to her!! I am AMAZED! I guess it just goes to show that it's true, just continue trying new foods and maybe eventually they'll stick. Also, it probably didn't hurt that I called it "greens" tonight instead of "spinach". She actually said to me, "This tastes so greeny. It's much better than spinach!"

I wasn't crazy about the dumplings, but the gravy and "chicken" was good. It was Morningstar Farms dinner starters, and if you throw it in at the last second and just let it heat through it's great that way. If you put it in too much ahead of time, it ends up just thickening your gravy. Not quite the same. The rolls were FANTASTIC. Hearty but fluffy, nutty and moist, these are sweet enough to be able to tell they're whole wheat, but not coarse. Even my "wonder bread girl" gobbled these up. I just modified the recipe on the back of the flour bag. Here's how I made them:

2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp. lukewarm water
1 c. lukewarm water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. molasses or maple syrup
3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. soy milk or rice milk (preferably unsweetened)
1 1/4 tsp. salt

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log or 18 rolls. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and allow the bread to rise for about 30 to 60 minutes, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly. OR place the rolls into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray, cover the pan with a kitchen towel, and allow the bread to rise for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Baking: For bread: Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow) or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (should register at 190 degrees F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store in a plastic bag at room temperature.
For rolls: Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or until they're crusty on the top. Rub tops with nonhydrogenated margarine for a nice shine.