Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The last few days


I've been enjoying tea so much with my vegan creamer...


This pasta was a Christmas gift, I used much of it today...


I made a roast veg mix with veg oil, juice from 1 lemon and tarragon (dried not fresh),
loosely from this recipe.  It was pretty good!





My Husband is reading Tolkien's letters at the moment
and I am loving seeing him so happy reading them.
I was reading a not-as-simple book  
(a teen I care about loved it and I wanted to know why)
and he and I would both stop to read sections of our books 
to the other, and it was such a great moment in our day,
I hope for more moments like this.


We were given this book of chocolate for last Christmas and it's vegan,
so it has been fun to break into this week... 



So I made a vegan cream sauce. I had 2 cans coconut cream, roasted onions and garlic + nutritional yeast and heated them together (using immersion blender with onions and garlic). Then I added the roasted egg plant and squash and pureed that too. I found it sweet and so added some minced garlic + garlic powder. I did not want to add tons of salt but it was a bit sweet. I liked it with roasted tomatoes and salt on top. I however wanted it to taste more like a garlic cream sauce and the overall flavour was creamy, sweet with a more tang after taste. Maybe I should do a cream sauce with almond milk instead of coconut? Or more of a blend of almond and coconut? I did like it with the tomato roasted on top (and salt added to that). This dish needs more acidity in it... meanwhile, for the left overs (1 more meal of it for Husband and I), I am thinking of getting some more tomatoes to roast and put on top!
****
I discussed this recipe with a dear friend today and 
I think I will try using a vegan milk and oil to make a roux,
add more garlic; or perhaps try raw cashews with a vegan chicken broth...next time...
I love how I can cook and try things
and then try them again another way if what I tried did not work exactly as 
I wanted it to... 
that's the fun of an experiment! 
***
Well, it's late so that's all for today.
I am hoping for a date with my Husband later this week and to be 
able to pick up some more tomatoes to roast for the left over
vegan pasta sauce I made....

6 comments:

Mary said...

Can you please tell me the name of your vegan creamer?

elizabeth said...

Hi Mary: Sure! It's not going to be identical to dairy by any means but the one I use is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Califia-Farms-Better-Creamer-Unsweetened/dp/B071CNRVFY

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

I do enjoy reading about your cookery and literary adventures:-)
What is the title of Mr Husband's book about the Tolkien Letters? I will ask the library if they have a copy.

karen said...

Once my morning errands are done, I'm going to sit and make a menu plan inspired by you :) I need to do this and I put it off all the time.

elizabeth said...

Elizabeth @ G.W: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-letters-of-jrr-tolkien_jrr-tolkien_humphrey-carpenter/ ... it's a very lovely book!

Karen: well, thanks for the compliment! I feel very much undeserving of it, as I am so sporadic at cooking! :)

Angie said...

You seem to have a lot of fun time experimenting with new tastes and ingredients during fast. I usually take the opposite approach. Since I am the only one fasting in the family I cook a meal for them but for me it has to be something very simple( boiled vegetables or potatoes or
spaggeti or soya with tahini sauce and other times I go raw food like nuts,fruits,olives and tomatoes. I have no big desire for meat or dairy products but when I sacrifice oil or my glass of wine... I push myself. Through fasting though I have realised how much a slave to food I am. I have tried almond juice to make fruit smoothies and it is a great product but for cooking I never even thought. All in all I believe fasting is for going simple and master the ....I don't care about material things attitude of the monks.Tomorrow Friday I will do my oilfree fast day.Wish me free of temptation.
How very thoughtful of you to read a book a teen proposed to find out what is in there! I have to show this interest to my teenagers! Inspired!!!