Tofu Tacos

Ok, so it's not really a taco...it's more like a tofu pita. Still yummy, just the same.

Saute red, yellow, and green peppers, along with

red onions, swiss chard, and chili peppers.

Add some cayenne, garlic powder, and cumin.
When carmelized, spoon into pita with some hot sauce.

Add the tofu.....enjoy.

Oven baked tofu.

The secret to cooking with tofu is to slice and press the water out first.

I buy extra firm tofu, organic.

Slice and lay on paper towels.

Top with paper towel and then place a heavy object on top to help squeeze out the water.

Once drained (they can sit for hours or 30 minutes), dip in egg and then bread crumbs.

Spray cookie sheet with pam and then spray the top of the slices.

Bake until brown and crunchy.

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Cocoa Mulch

Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk . Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'

This Snopes site gives the following information:http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp <http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp>

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ' Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!!!

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Indian Corn Soup and Spinach/Swiss Chard Paranthas

The final product of my Indian dinner tonight.

The spinach/swiss chard paranthas were alot more work then I would have like.

Even though they were good, i don't think i'll make them again.

The soup was amazing!

The cut up veggies for the soup.
I love the colors.

Indian Corn Soup
(www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/06/20/corn-vegetable-soup/) (i changed the recipe a bit)
Ingredients:
1 can of creamed corn (2 would be better, but I only had one)
1 medium tomato
About 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
8 to 10 string beans
1 small carrot
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (adjust to taste)

cilantro

Method
Chop cabbage, carrot, and string beans into very small pieces.
Chop tomato in small pieces. Set aside.
Puree the corn in a blender.
Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and set aside.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
Now add the cumin seeds. After the cumin seeds crack, add the carrot, cabbage, beans and 1/4 cup of water. Cook the vegetables on medium heat until they are tender.
Next, add the pureed corn, cornstarch mixture, and three cups of water to the vegetables. Bring the soup to a boil and lower the heat to medium low.

Add the tomatoes.

Let the soup cook for another five minutes.

Add the lemon juice, top with cilantro, and serve.

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Spinach and Swiss Chard Paranthas
If you are interested in the recipe, go to:
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/01/27/spinach-paratha/

Rolling out the dough.

Stuffing with spinach and swiss chard.

Letting the dumplings sit before rolling out again.


Frying the paranthas.

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Dinner in India

I tried some new recipes yesterday, that were worth putting on the blog. Thank you
http://vegandad.blogspot.com/ and
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ for the recipes.

If you like indian food and always wanted to cook it, go to manjula's website. Her recipes are easy and she has a short video to show how to make it. The rice was the best i've ever made!!


Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes
http://vegandad.blogspot.com/

INGREDIENTS
Makes 12
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup diced green pepper
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying
METHOD
1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion, green pepper, and celery for 5-7 mins, until softened. Remove from heat.
2. Place chickpeas in a food processor along with the onion mixture. Pulse until chickpeas are no longer whole, but dont process them too much. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add spices, hot sauce, and parsley. Mix well. Add flour and cornstarch and mix well. Place in the fridge for 30 mins.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan over med/med-hi heat (around 350 degrees). Shape chickpea mixture into 12 patties and fry in batches, about 2-3 mins per side, or until crispy and browned. Flip a few times if they are browning too quickly. If you have trouble forming the patties, add some more cornstarch to hold it all together.

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Vegetarian Zucchini Rice
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/04/zucchini-rice/
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 cup shredded zucchini (with skin)
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (rai)
4 red peppers whole
2 Bay leaves (tajpat)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Small piece of cinnamon stick about 1/2 inch (dal chini)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Method:
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to oil; if the cumin cracks right away oil is ready.
Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds to the oil. After seeds crack add red pepper and bay leaves. Add rice and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Add water, zucchini, salt and lemon juice and a small piece of cinn. Stick.. Stir and bring to boil.
After rice comes to a boil turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook rice for about fifteen minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated.

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Sunday in Galveston

Yesterday, we went to Galveston for the afternoon and evening. Our friends just moved back into their house after Hurricane Ike did considerable damage. They still have lots of work to do. Here's some pictures from our visit. The 2 dogs are their puppies, Bluebell and Bella. Lady, the momma, looks like the brown and white pup. Here's a picture of when they were born.

Sept. 2007

Feb. 2009

We arrived just as the Carnival ship was leaving. This is their view from the backyard. The Royal Caribbean passed by a little while later.

The sunset was beautiful.

You can see some of the red glow from the sunset.

Galveston is in sad shape. So many boarded up businesses and homes.

Mardi Gras was this weekend, but we stayed clear of that.

That's why we don't eat animals

One of the good things about blogging is that you can broaden your interest on any given subject and find others who are just as passionate about certain subjects. Though I am not a total vegan at this point, I am certainly trying to get to that point. The hardest thing to give up is the eggs, afterall, most things I cook include eggs. Have you ever tried to bread tofu w/o the egg batter ...impossible. Anyone have any suggestions?

Anyway, one of my daily blogs that i visit : (vegandad.blogspot.com), talks about this wonderful new children's book coming out in May. Take a look at the interactive website, it is wonderful. I can't wait to order this book: http://www.wedonteatanimals.com/

Sunrise Sunset

I'm always in awe of the beautiful sunsets that I can see from my backyards.

My camera just cannot capture the beauty of the fire reds and oranges.
This is just a sample of what I see most days.

Isn't it great!

My First Heena

My son, Eric, always has a heena design on the palm of his hand.

I love it, especially since it's temporary.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to get my first heena.

The heena is put on similar to writing on a cake.

It takes about 30 minutes to dry.

Once it starts to crack, then it can be washed off.

Here's the final product.

It should last at least a week or more....I don't know since this is my first heena.

I'm hooked!

Happy 22 Birthday Josh

Today is Josh's 22 bday. Wish we could all be together.

I hope all your wishes come true.

Enjoy you day!

I love you,

mom

Happy Birthday Sophie

Sophie turned 2 years old last Thursday.

Here's some pictures from her party over the weekend.

Here's the wagon we gave her:

Adam climbed through the blow-up princess castle.

And finally a game of mah jong.

I'm Back, Finally!!!!

After a long long stretch of not blogging, I'm finally back.

My newest grandchild, Matthew Alan, was born a month

early after Dana spent one week in the hospital with premature labor.

Matthew is named after my brother, Alan,

who passed away 2 years ago.

Sophie celebrated her 2nd birthday today.

Wow, time goes fast.

She loves having a baby brother.

I love being a grandma.

Sophie calls me "Mee Ma", I don't know where she got it from, but I love that it's my special name from her.