Pecan Crusted Tofu Salad with Tangy Maple Dressing

When I moved away from home nearly 10 years ago, I didn't have a whole lot of cooking experience. When I was 8 or 9, my dad bought me an apron, kids cookbook and a few kitchen tools, such as pans and spatulas. I think I made pancakes once or twice but other than playing around in the kitchen once in a while, I did not have much common sense in the kitchen.  When I got my first apartment, I remember being so excited to make my first trip to the grocery store by myself. I had cut coupons for all of the staples. Windex, bathroom cleaner, wood cleaner, Lysol,  toilet paper, paper towels, milk, fruity pebbles, peanut butter, jelly, bread, Kraft Mac and Cheese, Jar of Marinara sauce, Angel Hair pasta, salt and pepper, butter, etc...  Very basic. One night I boiled pasta and heated up marinara and was thrilled that I made spaghetti. About a few months or so, my mom came over and was looking in my pantry for the marinara sauce and open the lid to find 3 inches of mold growing in the bottle. She was cracking up and I was so confused! I bought the marinara off the shelf and not in a refrigerator section. Yes, it clearly said "refrigerate after opening," but I didn't read it. I just assumed it was like the peanut butter. There are several stories like this. Once, I made a batch of cookies and I said (to my coworkers) something like, "I'm not sure why they aren't turning out very well, it must be the high altitude." I had gotten this idea because I was in a  2nd floor apartment and on the box (yes, I managed to screw up a boxed cookie recipe) it gave special instructions for high altitude. There is no high altitude in Dallas, TX. I was clueless (and sheltered).  

Thank goodness for Rachael Ray. I just loved her show, 30 Minute Meals. It was on several times a day so I would watch and take notes so that I could learn how to cook. I even bought a knife like hers so that I would be fast at chopping veggies like her. I would say things like Yum-O and EVOO. Every birthday and Christmas, I would get at least 1 of her cookbooks from my family. I would get so excited when I would hear her 30 Minute Meals jingle on the TV every day after work. It would be the motivation that I need to get in the kitchen a whip up a meal in 30 mins (more like 60 minutes for me). As cooking became a little easier for me, I found that I loved cooking. I loved researching recipes. I get excited when I get a new cookbook. I wish I had more time, discipline, talent to be a full time food blogger. Ha ha. Lately (since June 2010) I started cooking Vegan/Vegetarian. I find that it takes a lot of planning and creativity but I really enjoy it.

The other day, I was thinking about all of my dusty Rachael Ray cookbooks and decided to pull out an old favorite.  RR's Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Tangy Maple dressing. It was always a crowd pleaser so I decided to try it out with Tofu and it turned out pretty well.

I used Almond Milk instead of eggs which worked very well. I also used whole wheat flour to try to make them a little healthier. Pan frying was where I think I made a mistake. I should have baked the tofu. The tofu was a little soft and the pecan crust started burning. That's ok though because I loved it and so did LT. He went for 2nd and 3rd helpings of the tofu.

I tried to take better pictures by using my aprons to block out the clutter in the background. LOL. I realize I am an armature. I wonder if there is such thing as food photography lessons???

On another note, the wedding plans are coming along nicely. We purchased my shoes, the table decorations and our sand ceremony items.  :) Not much left to do!  47 days!

Hugs!

I've abandoned my post...

Where has time gone?

So much has been going on in my life and it's about time I update my blog.

The most exciting news of all is that I am engaged!

Our engagement story:
Christopher Columbus Park, Boston Harbor. The weather was mild, slight breeze and overcast. We strolled through the park as sailboats cruised through the harbor and families played in the grass with their dogs. It was a few minutes before 7 o'clock, May 12, 2011. We took a moment to sit and relish the surroundings. It was here that LT asked Ashley to take his hand in marriage. A beautiful evening on Boston Harbor, followed by a wonderful celebration on October 15, 2011.  - LT wrote this for our wedding website. Isn't he sweet!

Here I am moments before he popped the question...

It was so romantic! I felt like I was in a movie! I was so excited that I forgot to take any more pictures that night. Can you believe it?

Here we are the next day.

We have set the date for Oct 15th. It's less than 3 months away but we are doing very well with planning. We have our pastor, venue, caterer, dj, my dress, his tux, bridesmaid's dresses ordered, tuxes ordered, and our honeymoon planned. Tonight we are doing our cake tasting! I'm super excited about this! I've chosen to taste Champagne, Mocha Fudge, Strawberry and Red Velvet. No they are not vegan but that brings me to the next topic.

Battle with being Veg.

I went back and forth between Vegan, Vegitarian and Pescatarian (a pescatarian is someone who abstains from eating all meat and animal flesh except for seafood).

Vegan Pros:
My body felt the best
Weighed the least
Had less guilt
Felt I was helping the environment more

Vegan Cons:
Socially difficult
Cost a lot for convience foods
I felt guilty about not knowing how to be a perfect vegan.

Vegetarian Pros:
Easier
Cheese plates
Lot less expensive

Vegetarian Cons:
A little guilt

Pescatarian Pros:
More fun to eat at restaurants

Pescatarian Cons:
More tummy aches

So bottom line is that I have decided that I will eat Vegan for the majority of the time, Vegetarian in social situations and rarely I will enjoy a little seafood. This has created some balance in my life. =)

Here are a couple ohsheglows.com vegan recipes I made last week.

Protein Power Goddess Bowl

 

 

Cookie dough "blizzard" ~ LT loved this one!

 
They were delish! =)
 
Well that's all for now. I will try to be better about blogging. ;)
 

Pumpkin Latte =)

Have you seen this??

Vegan Chili

I entered Oh She Glow's Vegan Chili into a church chili contest a few weeks ago. I didn't win which isn't surprising considering the voters were meat eaters but I did get several votes and compliments. =)

I literally had a Tablespoon of this but it was very yummy!


We had to dress up since we did a Trunk or Treat for the kiddos. It was a lot of fun!

 Our Life Group decided to do a western theme so we dressed up as cowboys and girls. Ricky and Ang did not dress up as you can see. Lol!


Well, LT is telling me I need to get ready so we can go see my sis! Yay! See y'all later!

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Today, I was craving something creamy and delicious. This is not always so easy on a vegan diet. Sometimes I crave non vegan things, such as fish dip, ranch, queso dip, etc. Fortunately, my cravings are easily solved with a little creativity in the kitchen! =)

Today,  I decided to make Spinach and Artichoke Dip. 

Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sweet Onion, chopped
Minced garlic
Canned Artichoke Hearts, chopped
Cumin
Dried Thyme
Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Nutritional Yeast
Baby Spinach
Soft Tofu ~ liquefy in a blender or food processor
Wheat bread and/or Corn Chips

Saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic. Be careful not to burn. Add Artichoke, spices and nutritional yeast. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add tofu and stir until well incorporated.

Serve with chips and toasted or warmed bread.

Delish!

LT said it was awesome! =)

I will have to remember this one for the next potluck or party.

RawSome!

Have you ever eaten Raw? Not like raw meats. I don't know much about it yet but consists of unprocessed, raw plant foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees. It makes since but I couldn't eat this way 100% of the time since it means no coffee, warm foods, bread or wine but I am excited to try out some new raw recipes.

I made 2 recipes by Ani Phyo this week.


Tomato Chili with Taco "Meat"





I didn't take any pics but it was surprising delish! LT even liked it. I topped my chili with Diced Avocado. Yum!

I also made Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake.



It was so creamy, sweet and gooey! =)

Can you believe it! No sugar, eggs, cream, butter or flour! According to Ani, you could eat this every day and not gain weight! Lovin it!

My next treat is going to be Angela's Pumpkin Woopie Pies. Can not wait!


Ta ta for now.

Microblog

As suggested by my Mom, here is a Microblog of what's been up. ;)

Fall decorations provided by Luke:

I whipped up some yummy fall recipes too:

Wild Rice Stuffed Squash

I didn't save the seeds. I remembered as I was scooping them into the trash. Oops. But I did make Pumpkin Seeds. Luke practically begged me to make them. Very sweet. =)

My Pumpkin Seed "Butter"

I almost forgot to take a picture of the seeds, luckily there was a little left after we all devoured them after dinner.

Everything tasted better when being washed down with a Pumpkin Ale. Mmmm.

That's what I call a Microblog. =)