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I stumbled across a bunch of faux vegetarian meats at the local Asian grocery store–who knew? I bought a roll of something called ‘Shamwell Vegetarian Ham’ from a company called vegeUSA. This stuff’s pretty good, made ’sham salad’ and tried a hash that was very satisfying, here goes.

1 medium sized potato, quartered
1/3 medium onion (I used Vidalia), chopped
2 ’slices’ Sham, cubed
Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Thyme

Cook the potatoes in a covered skillet with 1/2-1 inch of water, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit and cut into hash sized pieces. Add some oil to the skillet and cook the onions, adding the potatoes and sham after a minute or so. Cook until it looks like hash, and add thyme and nutritional yeast to taste. Go easy on added salt as the sham is salty. Mix and eat, serves one. I meant to add some tofu but forgot–feel free to try (& post). Welcome to posterous cooking!
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I can’t say enough good about this stuff…still think it should rebranded as ‘tasty healthy stuff.’

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This recipe isn’t rocket science. I am a BIG carbohydrate fan and recently had all the makin’s for burritos with no tortillas in the house. The trick to a burrito bowl is to make sure it is tasty enough to satisfy you without the tortilla. Here’s what I did, feel free to substitute, we’ve all had plenty burritos to know what goes in ‘em!

Black beans, cooked or canned
Nutritional yeast flakes
Rice, cooked
Tomatoes or salsa
Onions, grilled
A lil kick–sriracha sauce, hot peppers, if needed
Chopped cilantro or lettuce

Mash the beans (I use a potato masher) and add about a quarter of the amount of nutritional yeast flakes and stir to mix (e.g. 0.5 c. for 2 c. beans–or to taste). This will lend a cheesy taste to the beans and add amino acids (protein) and vitamin B12. If you like, you can also add more flavor to the beans with a lil garlic or cumin. To assemble the bowl, add approx 0.5 c. each rice and beans (warm if needed), and add the other ingredients on top. Enjoy with a beer as I did
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Sesame Street started when I was at the ‘prime viewing age’ of 1. Fantastic show for kids and adults. What do I remember most? The urban, racially diverse scenes of every day life. I still think about it sometimes around 10 a.m. if I’m out walking. Of course it’s always been very educational. Congrats Sesame Street! You’ve made an impact on us, and we should all continue to support our local PBS station.

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You can still enjoy comfort foods as a vegan! It won’t taste exactly the same, but I think the comfort level is at 11.

Ingredients
1 lg or 2 sm carrots
1/2 lg or whole small onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp Oil
Few stalks celery or bok choy
1/3 block firm tofu
1 Zucchini
Vegetarian ‘chicken’ stock, vegetable stock, or nutritional yeast flakes, to taste
Thyme, to taste
1-2 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut carrots and onions into soup sized pieces–smaller always cooks faster. Mince garlic and add all to soup pan with oil–saute until onion translucent. Add water (or stock)–you’ll have to eyeball it–just don’t add too much. Add celery/bok choy, tofu, and seasonings. Cook for 20 mins or until it starts to look like soup. To make the Noodls, either cut the zucchini lengthwise into noodly size pieces, or use a spiral noodle cutter thingy. Add the Noodls, adjust water/seasonings as needed, cook for 5 more mins, and enjoy! Just a note that you can definitely find/use vegan noodles (most except egg noodles are vegan), I am just trying to be clever here

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OK, OK, I’ve been tres lame on updating the old blogio. What can I say, running a home, a business, and preparing for becoming a foster parent is a bit trying. However, here’s a lil’ something to tide you over. Was talking to sister Dede this a.m. about her new low sodium diet and she seemed pretty bummed about it. We started talking about things that taste ’salty’ but that aren’t, and we started talking about nutritional yeast flakes. Now, if ever a product needed a marketing department to rename it, that’s it. Seriously, this stuff tastes awesome–cheesy goodness for noodles, toppings, I even have a ‘quesadilla’ recipe that uses it (will post soon…). Anyhoo, I came up with a recipe using this wonder product based on this one to make fried green tomatoes. I added the nutritional yeast to the flour in a 50:50 ratio, and passed on the bread crumb step. I also added minced garlic to the dry mixture, and dill to the wet (but could add to dry I suppose). Used organic green and red heirloom tomatoes from the local CSA Be Wise Ranch. Enjoy!

If you know my Dad, you don’t really need an explanation for the title. ’nuff said. I was going to wait until Father’s Day to write this, but Dad just had hip replacement surgery and might be feeling discouraged because he can’t leap over tall buildings right now (at least in a single bound). We know you will be able to soon, Dad, because of who you are.

The picture shown is when my Dad was in the Army–he put himself through college through being in the ROTC. See the way my Mom’s looking at him, with love and admiration? Says it all. My Dad’s father spent time in Metropolis, Illinois, which is fitting, because my Dad really >is< Superman. Here are some of the amazing things he’s taught me, and continues to teach me.

1. Family comes first. Our family, like many others, has had its share of struggles, and we have stayed strong as a family through many ups and downs. This is because of Dad’s strength and the fact that he always put family first. Dad, I wouldn’t be where I am, happy and successful, if you hadn’t continually put us first in your life, and I hope you know that.

2. You can do anything, really. You may know that Dad built two of the houses we lived in, meanwhile supporting five kids. My Dad can build and do anything, I’m not kidding. We never hired a plumber, electrician, etc. that I can remember. I don’t think that any of us are as handy as he is–he always leaves us ‘gifts’ in our own houses that we are very grateful for. It really taught me a self-sufficiency that I’m sure has shaped me in many ways.

3. Find humor in all things. Dad has a spectacular sense of humor. He always keeps us on our toes with a quick wit. Laugh a lot and often, and it’s OK to recycle jokes if they’re good. (Side joke to sister Suzy: ‘Funny part’s when I fall!’)

4. Don’t ever cut across parking lots. It’s a good way to get into an accident! (OK, I don’t always follow this one, or his rule ‘Don’t do home improvement projects without shoes on’).

5. It’s OK to be sensitive. Dad probably doesn’t remember this, but I do. One day in church shortly after a family friend had died (Betty McIlnay, she had debilitating arthritis) the pastor announced it and I could tell my Dad was trying not to choke up. That little act made an impression on me. Dad is very sensitive and so am I, and it’s OK to be that way. Heaven help the person who wants either of us to do a eulogy!

6. Take care of your money, and it will take care of you. OK, this one I’m still trying to learn. I don’t know how Mom & Dad raised 5 kids on a single salary, and we still always seemed to live comfortably.

7. Clean your plate and don’t complain. Dad will eat just about anything (exception: yogurt). Mom’s a great cook, but over the years we’ve had a few culinary mishaps. The famous story is that when we were vacationing in Florida, he gladly ate spaghetti made with rubbing alcohol (don’t ask). Anyway, even though I don’t eat meat which can be a problem when people have me over for dinner, the sentiment should remain…be grateful for the food you have and the hospitality of the cook.

8. Find music you enjoy, and enjoy it. Dad loves bluegrass music. Although our musical tastes mostly differ, we have found some commonalities (and yes, I did have a ‘country’ phase). I saw the joy that music brought to my Dad and I’m sure it helped me to find my own taste in music. (Dad, I can’t wait to take you to the “Bluegrass brunch” we have at a local restaurant when you visit next).

9. Work to live, not vice versa. Dad worked a good job with reasonable hours, and we had dinner together every night at 5 p.m. I’m sure this was important in keeping our family strong. Goes along with #1.

10.  There is no other friend like Man’s Best Friend. Dad loves his dogs. From Edith (RIP), to Spike, to his kids’ dogs Oscar (RIP), Roger and Daphne, he takes excellent care of them all, and they all love him almost too much. I’m sure Spike is anxiously awaiting Dad’s recovery so they can enjoy their walks together again.

In summary, Dad, you’ve made it your top priority to take good care your family in every way, and taught us how to enjoy life and be successful, and you should be as proud of this as any of your other accomplishments. I think I can speak for all of us in the family in saying that you are our Superman. We love you very much and can’t wait for you to recover so that you can do all the things you enjoy. Does this mean you’ll be able to climb ladders again? I’ve got some roof work that needs to be done…lol…