Road Trip!

We're STILL recovering from a whirlwind trip to New York this past weekend to see some family. Poor Sammy is not the biggest fan of the car, but he stuck it out like a trooper.



I think that he 'puts up' with the car ride because he knows that once he gets there there is an unlimited source of treats & people food at his disposal. People who aren't dog owners tend to cave into his undeniable cuteness within about 2.2 seconds. He's such a con man.

Also, he remembers that the extended families homestead contains LOTS of carpet, whereas home is hardwood and throw rug. Carpet is much preferred by the Samhound as it gives him something to feel between his paws when he scratches about 50 million times before laying down.

Though the above rate beyond wonderful to Sam, they pale in comparision to his passion; the very thing that he desires most in this world...



The couch, of course.

Since Sam was spending so much time on the couch luxuriating, he left me time to whip up a feast for our gracious hosts. I figure it's the least I can do when I visit...especially when my little one deprives them of such an important piece of furniture for an extended period of time.

I decided to make some simple "stealth vegan" dishes that I thought would go over well.

1. Lentil Soup



This ended up being the absolute most delicious lentil soup I've ever eaten. It was crazy good. It's also one of those things that is so simple that I don't even have a recipe for it! It's just carrots, celery, scallions, garlic (I used a whole head), veggie broth(whole foods brand-about half a container), veggie cubes (rapunzel), water, lentils and within the last 15 minutes of cooking some fresh rosemary. The trick is letting it simmer for a wicked long time (I did about 3-4 hours).

2. Eggplant Lasagna



This is the simplest recipe ever. Three ingredients: Eggplant, your favorite marinara sauce, and one batch of Tofu-Basil Ricotta as prepared in Vegan with a Vengeance-or whatever version of tofu ricotta you like. I just slice the eggplant (no salting, peeling or anything funny) and alternate layers of the eggplant with sauce and ricotta, saving a whole load of ricotta to shove on top. I bake it at 400 for about 45-60 min until the eggplant is really soft and tender.

3. Hummus



This was a dud. Well, not really, it was REALLY yummy. I just didn't take into account that M and I were the only ones in the house who actually liked hummus. It's okay, I took home the leftovers. Oh, and it was HELL trying to make this in the blender at the house. I really missed my food processor!

4. Apple Crisp



There was an abundance of apples at the house because there had been mention that there was the possibility of making some pies. I was too darn tired to attempt pie crust, so I did a crisp instead. Very very easy! A little brown sugar, lemon, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and Earth Balance. The apples we used were Macs and Cortlands. I had to fight to get a picture! It was that good...

So what was Sam doing all this time I was in the kitchen?




Lazy Bug!

Monday came around and it was time for us to head home. Sam was again a little unhappy in the car, crying ever so softly...



Something tells me I *know* what he's missing... I wonder if any furniture stores will let me bring him in to test out some models?

I wasn't feeling too hot when we got home either, but I did have the energy to whip up something so ridiculously quick and simple it would make Rachael Ray jealous.

Not so Sloppy Joes!



This is just some TVP (I used Bob's Red Mill) rehydrated in some hot water mixed with half a jar of marinara I had in the fridge (I used the Whole Foods generic). I served up with some leftover roasted potatoes as the only bread I had in the house was Ezeikel Bread, and those make for some difficult Sloppy Joe eating. Simple and good. I won't say the Y-word, but I'll think it.