Yesterday was a day I needed to celebrate. celebrate all the wonderful things life has given me. celebrate this journy that has taken me to beautiful places and challanged me more then I thought I could handle and showed me I could. celebrate all the loving people I have in my life..... or I just needed a reason to make French Toast. 

I have never made French Toast before. I was to scared! I always thought it was one of those delicate recipies that if you don't get just right it is not good. specailly making the vegan verson.

But I found that is not true. with the research I did into a bunch of different recepies for this, I found that they are all good. 

To make this recipe I called my brother who is anamaizing cook to ask him advice. and I also borrowed from one of my favorite dessert books Love, Eric Delicous Vegan Macrobtiotic desserts. 

Makes 8 pieces of Toaste

Batter

1 cube of silken Tofu

1/2 cup of Rice Syrup

1 cup of Almond Milk

1 tsp of Cinnamon 

1 pinch of Salt 

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8 pieces of Bread of your choice (I used Pane Bello)

Mix all ingredients in a blender untill smooth

Transfer mixture into a large bowl

Soak the 2 pieces of bread at a time for a minute or so

Heat up the pan and start with a thin layer of a good high heat oil like safflower or sunflower 

Cook untill golden brown, about a minute on both sides. I found it useful to press down on the bread to get an even golden look.

Then cover it in maple syrup and berries and eat it cause it is so delicous!! 

I would love to hear how to make French Toast. I can't wait to try out different versons of this. 

 Thanksgiving is coming up. To the be honest I don't have a big connection with this holiday and the meaning behind it. 

But I do love Thanksgiving food! 

I know Thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for vegetarians and vegans.

 So I wanted to share some ideas that you could make this Thursday great! 

I want to share how I make Stuffing, which is my favorite dish on Thanksgiving. I cover it in gravy and just love it!

I also wanted to give an idea for a Side Roasted Veggie dish and a Baked Apple Dessert

The photos are from last years stuffing post. 

This year I am sharing the recipe plus a gravy recipe.

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Chop the Bread in small bite size pieces. and place in oven on low heat until the bread dries out.(you can do this the night before)

Chop up all your ingredients into small bite size pieces.

Saute Onions with the garlic and a pinch of salt, until they start to sweat then add celery. and a tiny bit of water.then cover. 

Add chopped up Seitan and a splash of shoyu in with the onion mix after the onions are cooked and provide a good about of liquid.

When the Seitan has halfway cooked (about 4 minutes) add herbs to your liking. 

Mix roasted nuts with chopped apples 

Then mix all your ingredients together, apples, nuts and bread in with the sauce mixture, and let simmer until bread has rehydrated a bit. (do not let the bread cook too much) 

Lay out the mixture out into a baking dish, cover and then put into the oven for a half of an hour (or until done) on medium heat (350 .F-160.C)

Gravy Recipe 

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Onions, 2 large ones

 Mushrooms, handful

Olive Oil, 

Salt, 

Flour 1/2 of a cup

Caramelize onions with plenty of olive oil and a good size pinch of salt for a 20 minutes until soft and sweet.  Then add sliced mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. Add flour little by little and whisk so that no lumps form. After the flour has mixed in well with the onions and mushrooms, add 4 cups of water/vegetable stock little by little while constantly whisking. Let cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

For a side dish. I made Roasted Potatos, with Brussel Sprouts, Onions, and Carrots.

with Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper. I drizzled on some Balsamic Vinegar and some Cilantro right after it comes out of the oven. 

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For Dessert: 

Baked Apples with a Raisin, Nut, Maple Syrup Mixture. Served with homeade Coconut Ice Cream 

The Mixture had Pecans, Rasins, Cashews, Rolled Oats, Tahini, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Salt.

I hope this gives you some ideas for what you can make for yourself this holiday, or anytime you want some feastive food.

For Lunch

Hummus! 

made with Chickpeas, Lemon, Salt, Olive Oil,and Garlic 

garnished with chili pepper, olive oil, and Cilantro 

-

Steamed Peta Bread

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Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

with Ground Almonds

-

Salad with Creamy Tofu Dressing

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Blanched Bok-Choy and Kale

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Sautéed Wakame 

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Miso Soup

(watch and learn how to make Miso Soup here)

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

garnished with Scallions

-

Cucumber Salad

-

 Carrot Pickles

-

Natto Miso 

(watch and learn how to make Natto here)

-

Blanched Collard Greens

-

Adzuki Bean Soup

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For Dinner

for the first time all by myself I made a Lasagna!

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with a roasted Tomato, Onion, Basil, Oregano, Shoyu, and Sea salt  Sauce 

layers with home made Seitan.

(watch and learn how to make Seitan here)

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and a Tofu Cabbage Corn mixed with Salt layer.

(watch and Learn how to make Tofu here)

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and of course Sheets of Lasagna Pasta 

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Garlic Bread

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Cucumber, Totsoi, Ice Berg Lettuce Salad with a Lemon Tahini Dressing

For Lunch  

Millet

-

Cauliflower Pickles

-

Nishime 

with Carrots, Cabbage, Onions

(watch and learn how to make Nishime here)

-

Blanched Baby Daikon with a Sesame Dressing

-

Miso Soup

(watch and learn how to make Miso Soup here)

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For Dinner

Brown Rice with Roasted Almonds

(watch and learn how make Brown Rice here)

-

Garlic Fried Kidney Beans

-

Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

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Cabbage Salad with a Sesame Dressing

-

Root Vegetable Monk Soup

Academy Awards Party! 

we never eat the same food every year.

 2013 we had delicious Lasagna!

2014 we had all Asian style foods including Dumpling and Tempura and Udon!

The food is usually different because the people who get inspired to plan the menu every year is different. 

This year we had a amazing Sandwich Buffet 

with all types of variation to choose from 

starting with 

Baked White Sourdough Bread

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Steamed Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

-

White Flour Tortillas 

your choice of protein to choose from

Tempeh

-

Tofu 

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Seitan 

(watch and learn how to make Seitan here

-

Falafel Balls

with all kinds of accents to add!

Lettuce

-

Tomato 

-

Red Onion

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Dill Pickles

-

Olives

-

Pickled Artichoke Hearts

-

Pickled Peperoncini 

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Pesto

-

Hummus

-

Corn and Peas

-

Pasta

-

Caramelized Onions with Seitan and Mustard 

(watch and learn how to make Seitan)

-

Sprouts

-

Saukraut

-

Sautéed Mushrooms

-

Vegenaise 

 -

Tahini Sauce

you can make all kinds of different Sandwiches with those options 

I ended up with one Tofu Sandwich with Tomato and Avocado

-

one Tempeh Sandwich with Sauerkraut 

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and one Falafel wrap with Tahini Sauce

and a Pasta Salad

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and some Apple Juice (cause I am a gangster! ;)

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For Dessert 

a Strawberry Kantan, Oatmilk Cream, Granola Parfet

For Dinner at my sisters place

Pinto Beans cooked with Vegetables 

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Polenta with Sweet Corn

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Iceberg Lettuce Salad with Cucumbers

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Bread with Tomato Sauce

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Dinner I made at a friends house

Millet with Yams and Onions 

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Stifry Veggies with Tofu, Bok-choy, Kale, Broccoli, Daikon

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Salad with Cucumbers 

and a Tahini white Miso, Maple Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

-

French Lentil Soup

For the Last day of the macro event here in Belgium they asked me to cook a dinner for the remaining staff and visitors. and so I decided to go with a old favorite of mine Upsude down Polenta!! 

For Breakfast 

Soft Millet

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Cooked pears and Raisins

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Sesame Seeds

-

Blanched Cabbage and Fennel 

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Bread and Peanut butter and Apple Butter

-

Miso Soup

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For Lunch

Fried Udon

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Seitan with Kudzu Sauce

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Blanched Cabbage

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Leftover Pressed Salad

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Miso Tofu Scramble 

-

Nori Condiment

-

White Bean Soup

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For Dinner

Polenta with Squash

-

Hijiki Cabbage Tofu Salad 

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Ginger Shoyu Broth

 2nd day at this wonderful conference for macrobiotic dutch speaking people near the town of Hilversum in Belgium. meeting some wonderful people! 

For Breakfast 

Oat Porridge 

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Cooked fruit compote 

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Blanched Broccoli

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Bread and Peanut Butter

-

Miso Soup

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For Lunch

Quinoa Salad

-

Deep Fried Natto Nuggets 

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Blanched Parsley with Sesame Seeds

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Adzuki Beans with Squash

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Pickles

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Beets cooked with Tahini Sauce

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Sautéed Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Kudzu Sauce 

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For Dinner

Brown Rice 

-

Gomashio

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Tempeh Sautéed with Sauerkraut 

-

Leftover beets from Lunch

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Pressed Salad

-

Fried Udon Noodles

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Hijiki Sautéed with Carrots and Onions 

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Blanched Broccoli 

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For Dessert 

Stewed Apples with a sweet Chestnut Cream