Eating Out-Pad Thai with Tofu

It's Friday! What does that mean? Well, a paycheck, the start of the weekend, and a lunch not brought from home.  Today I thought I would try the Pad Thai with Tofu from the Asia Cafe'.  First let me be honest.  I am scared of tofu.  I have a problem with the texture if it isn't made into something creamy.  I normally order the spring rolls and plain lo mein, but today I wanted to be brave and mix it up with something new.  Their description of the dish sounded wonderful.  Pad Thai: Stir fried narrow noodles wtih bean sprouts, carrots, crushed peanuts, and egg with tofu.  It had the little spicy warning label next to it, heck yeah!  I got it to go and once back at my desk I opened up my wondeful smelling dish.  It looked great.  I tasted it, expecting a heat explosion in my mouth and .....nothing.  Hmmmm....maybe the heat was at the bottom.  I tried again.....still nothing.  This was not bad tasting at all but there was a general lack of any flavor.  I gave some to my friend at work and she agreed that it was bland.  Not bad, just bland.  And as for the tofu...it was as I feared.  Mushy.  The outside was browned a little but the texture left much to be desired.  Meh, I will be sticking to my lo mein and spring rolls. Those are lovely choices if you should trek there. You also must try their mango iced tea; it is made in house and absolutely delicious! 

Asia Cafe'

1600 Leestown Road, Ste 164

(next to Kroger)

859-455-8028

Vegan Banana Pancakes!! Best Served in Jammies....

Who doesn't like warm banana pancakes?  Well if you don't, then I'm not sure that we could be friends.  Saturday morning in our house is the day that mom (me) fixes more than a bagel.  Don't judge me I have a toddler.  We still get up at the butt crack of dawn (see toddler), but at least we generally don't have anywhere to rush off.  I came up with this recipe because I wasn't in the mood for our traditional blueberry pancakes.  They were a complete hit!  So the next time you are craving some yummy comfort food try these Vegan Banana Pancakes. MMMMM!!



Vegan Banana Pancakes

• 2 C of Bisquick
• 1 C of Soy Milk (I like using the Vanilla for more flavor)
• 2 T of Golden Milled Flaxseed (this is in place of the eggs and makes pancakes super fluffy)
• 1 T of Vanilla Extract
•  1/2 t Cinnamon
• 1/2 t Ginger
• 1/4 C Sugar
• 1/2 t Nutmeg
• 1 Large Banana sliced about 1/8 in thick

Mix all of the ingredients except for the banana. Get your skillet hot (med-high heat) and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into a pancake shape (circle-duh!).  After bottom starts getting nice and golden place a few slices of bananas onto the top and then flip the pancake and cook the other side.  Serve with syrup or in the case of the above picture, homemade whipped cream.  This batter should make at least 8 pancakes so you can totally halve the recipe if it's just for one person.  Or be a glutton and make the whole batch for yourself cause they are that good!  They also keep well in the fridge and are a yummy snack cold!

Fast, Cheap and Easy

I like my food just like I like everything else in my life; fast, cheap, and easy ;) That being said it probably comes to no surprise that one of my favorite foods is Ramen Noodles. The Top Ramen brand (oriental flavor) is actually vegan believe it or not. After you nuke those bad boys in the microwave I like to class them up a bit with mushroom pasta sauce and add veggie "sausage" (the brand that is on sale at the time). If you're feeling really frisky you can add diced peppers, mushrooms, and onions to taste. And that my friends makes a nice five star dinner. Okay, maybe not but I bet it was the cheapest thing you've cooked in a while and no one was harmed in the making!
-Keep calm and veggie on

MorningStar Farms® Vegan Sloppy Joes

MorningStar Farms® make these meat crumbles that are advertised to be meal starters.  Having some members of my household (who shall remain nameless) that still eat meat I thought this might be a great way to sneak in a meatless meal for them.  I cooked the meat crumbles in a non stick skillet using a little bit of olive oil and then added in onions and greenpeppers and cooked them through.  I tried to get the meat substitute crispy like hamburger and had moderate success at it.  After the mixture was cooked through I added a can of Manwich. Viola'! Sloppy Joes! 

Review: I don't know if it was the meat substitute or the fact that I haven't had a sloppy joe since I was 12; but these were just okay.  ** (2 stars)

Whats a Happy(Veg)Meal?

We are sisters.  One of us is a vegetarian, and the other vegan.  Our blog will give recipes and other insight on true happy meals, those that are created without suffering; something to really smile about!  You will be seeing meal ideas, recipes, and general meat free merriment.  If you have any questions about going veg, just let us know!