This Week in My Kitchen: Veggie Chorizo 3 Ways + Vegan Prailines

The last time I made veggie sausages they were good, but I didn't like the bean skins in them. This time I set out to make better ones, so I used the recipe in Vegan Brunch as a jumping off point, but ground the beans in the food processor to make a smoother texture and adjusted the seasonings more to my taste. The chorizo came out great (although the first batch was a touch too spicy), and we ate it all week!

Chorizo Stuffed Poblano Pepper, Grilled
I stuffed fresh poblano peppers with chorizo crumbled and sauteed, then Kirk grilled them just until the skin was scorched. Yum! I made a Mexican style red sauce and served it with over the peppers, which we ate with salad and grilled pineapple. I love having a barbeque! Grilled pineapple is seriously my favourite food right now.

Chorizo Jambalaya with Polenta and Salad
When my friend Stephanie came over for dinner, I used one of the packages I got in New Orleans to make jambalaya, which I served with polenta (because I suck at making corn bread), salad and young pickles. Now I need to learn how to make jambalaya from scratch!

Huge Salad with Chorizo
I did not feel like cooking tonight, so I made a HUGE salad with baby greens, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, green onions and chorizo. Definitely satisfying!

Pecan Pralines
I had a sweet tooth this week, and was craving the (non-vegan) pralines I had in New Orleans. I found this vegan praline recipe and, because I am obsessive about keeping my pantry well-stocked, I had all of the ingredients on hand. So I decided to give it a shot. I have never made candy of any kind before, so I was a little nervous about that. I did do a little internet research beforehand and came up with this handy site. One thing I'd recommend to anyone attempting candy-making is to invest in a proper candy thermometer. I just have this kind, and I had to rig it to the pot with a binder clip. Not ideal! But it did work out in the end and the pralines turned out fabulously. I totally overdosed on sugar for two days, and finally gave the rest to my mother today.

Here's a bonus shot of Jerry in her new bed, given to her by her Aunt Nova (Mum's cat).

Click below to see the products mentioned in this post:

Postcards from the edge...

... Well, not really. More like postcard from my couch. I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do the laundry today (it's raining and I have to go outside to get to the basement), so instead I made this fun promotional postcard for Kirk:

Now I guess I'll get on with the laundry. Sigh.

Umm, ewww...

Via: Online Schools

Lotsa Workin', Not Much Cookin'

Whew! I've been busy lately. Consequently, I haven't been very creative in the kitchen. No new "This Week in My Kitchen" post for a while - sorry!

I have been working on a few fun little projects though, while working full-time (only for two weeks) at a real estate brokerage making sales brochures for properties I'll never be able to afford...

First, I made a new print portfolio for Kirk. Here's the cover page, based on his web site design:

Then I worked on an ad for Adrenaline. Look for it in Vancouver buses soon!

I also got to do a brochure for the Stanley Park Ecology Society's Schools programme. Here's the inside page:

Right now I'm working on a fun website and flyers for Walk 'n' Piddle Dog Walking. This is the flyer:

Lastly, here's a little goldfish illustration I did for myself. I think I'll make it into t-shirts with my new Yudu that Kirk got me for my birthday last month!

How to be a Soy-free Vegan...

My family history has a lot of endometriosis, and although I understand that it's bad, I never really knew much about it. After some recent health issues and some unpleasant testing (Ever have a hysterosalpingogram? Ugh!), I have a tentative diagnosis of endometriosis. The only way to get a confirmed diagnosis is through surgery, and I'm scheduled for a laparoscopic procedure next month. They are going to remove any errant endometrial tissue at the same time. There are other treatments besides surgery, but they negatively effect fertility, and I'm really not willing to do that. Kirk hates the idea of my having surgery, but I'm kind of happy about getting definitive answers as to what's gone wrong. Then I can make an action plan. I don't like surgery, but I really like action plans!

So in the meantime, what do I do? Being the internet research junkie that I am, I started searching. There are lots of nutritional changes I can make to help, but one really stuck out: Some studies have shown that soy foods can aggravate endometriosis because of the high levels of phytoestrogens found in soy. I've read about the whole phytoestrogen debate before, which mostly seemed alarmist and one-sided to me. But now it's different. Now I already have a health problem that I could be exacerbating through my seemingly healthy diet. Damn!

How am I supposed to follow my strict vegetarian diet, which I believe in very strongly, without consuming soy foods? It's possible, but it's just that much more difficult. I've been eating soy foods in some form or another for nearly twenty years. I love miso so much! I am at this very moment wearing a t-shirt that says "I Heart Tofu" on it for goodness sake! I guess I'll be eating a lot more beans and quinoa!

Any of you have any favourite soy-free vegan recipes or cookbooks?