Stir Fried Eel with Green Beans

Too tired for elaboration. Have a tasty dinner recipe. (PS eel is one of my favorite fishes in the universe, 2nd only to white tuna sashimi.)

Stir Fried Eel with Green Beans
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 SMALL red onion (or 1/4 medium red onion)
1 yellow onion
6-8 baby bella mushrooms
1/2 lb frozen green beans
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb eel (precooked in eel sauce)

Heat oils in large pan. Add onions and mushrooms, sautee until onions are translucent and mushrooms tender. Add green beans, sauces, brown sugar and salt. Cook until green beans reach desired texture, then add eel and continue cooking until heated through. Serve over basmati rice.

Ta-da! Dinner was easy tonight. This recipe serves 3-4, I made it for 2 with lunch for us both tomorrow.

Grocery note: eel can be found at any international food store. Go straight to the frozen section -- unless you live in a super-cool place near the ocean, this is where you will find it.

Shameless Self-Promotion

This post has nothing to do with food. Instead, I wanted to share with you that I've started up a shop to sell my paintings. Visit mtaylo59.etsy.com to see what I have listed :)

October Top 10: French Fries

Welcome to the first installment of what I plan will be a monthly event: the top 10 list! I know, not a creative title, but that is what it is. Today's top 10 list is something near and dear to the hearts of all veggies: french fries. Why, you omnivores may ask, would french fries be so important? Well, the answer is simple, really: when all your buddies go "Hey, let's go to [fast food establishment]," do you want to sit at home just because you can't have a cheeseburger? Doubtful. Instead, you tag along, and have some fries. But, to be fair, you really can't compare the fries at, say, Red Robin (which btw are perfection!) to those at a fast-food drive through, so I narrowed it down to fast-food establishments only. And to mix it up, we're doing the top 5 and the bottom 5. Because a top 10 is too boring :P

Top 5 Fries:
5. Taco Bell: Yes, I know, T-Bell doesn't have fries. But they do have more vegetarian options than any fast food establishment ever. Therefore, they must make every fast food top 5 list.
4. Jack in the Box: They give you 3 different options for types of fries! How cool is that? No one kind is amazing, but choices are nice.
3. Chik-Fil-A: These folks have figured out the secret of fries -- a big grippable surface, perfect for dipping.
2. Checkers/Rally's: 1 order of seasoned fries + 1 milkshake = oh happy day :)
1. Arby's: Two words: Curly fries. Oh yeah, and horsey sauce! Are you thinkin' Arby's? 'Cause I am.

Bottom 5 Fries:
5. McDonald's: Honestly, McDonald's fries are not bad. If ever you will go through a drive through and receive cold, ancient french fries, though, this is the place it will happen.
4. Wendy's: There's really nothing wrong with Wendy's fries, they just bore me. I wouldn't pick them if given a choice.
3. Burger King: They just taste funny. I don't know why, I can't describe it, but they do.
2. White Castle: The fries taste like they were fried not only with the onions that fill the entire establishment with their odor, but with the meat too.
1. Steak 'n Shake: If your friends want you to tag along to Steak 'n Shake, don't friggin bother. The fries are pathetic, and not even cheese sauce can save them (plus, the grilled cheese is not much better). If it's Steak 'n Shake or bust, I'd rather bust.

Swordfish Steaks with Sweet Cream Sauce and Asparagus

Long title for today, because this dish was so freakin' good it deserved it. I always struggle with making fish steaks that don't come out either raw or tough as leather, and this time I actually managed to pull it off, with a sauce that makes even the dry outer edges taste creamy and delicious! You will love this, unless of course you're exceedingly lame.

Swordfish Steaks with Sweet Cream Sauce and Asparagus

fish:
2 single-serving-sized swordfish steaks
salt and pepper
1 T peanut oil

sauce:
3 T butter
1 T flour
1/2c coconut milk
1c milk
1t vanilla
2t cinnamon
1t brown sugar
2t salt
1/2 lb asparagus

1c rice
2c water
1T butter

Start with preparing the rice, because once that's done nothing weird will happen to it if it sits for a little while. Mix rice with water, microwave on high for 5 minutes uncovered, then 15 minutes on medium, covered. Mix the butter in, then put it back in the microwave so it doesn't get cold.

While the rice is cooking, start the sauce in a large pan over medium heat. Make a roux with the butter and flour, and slowly add the coconut milk and milk, stirring constantly until consistent. Mix in seasonings, continuing to constantly stir so it doesn't stick to the pan. Add the asparagus (chopped into 1-inch segments), and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

Once you've covered the sauce, start the fish. Salt the fish-steaks on each side. In a medium-sized pan, heat oil over high heat. I do not recommend butter for this, as it burns at a fairly low temperature. Peanut oil can withstand the heat much better. When the pan is hot (test by dripping a little water in the pan -- if it pops like crazy, the pan is hot) add your fish steaks. Stay out of the way! I don't want to be held responsible for oil burns. Cook the fish over high heat 2-3 minutes on each side, then remove promptly! Overcooking results in not delicious fish.

To serve, make a bed of rice in the center of your plate. Place a fish steak over the bed of rice, and arrange asparagus around the edge of the plate. Spoon sauce generously over fish, and garnish with a little black pepper.

The combination of the bitter vegetable flavor of the asparagus with the sweet sauce and the rich meaty swordfish is absolutely divine, believe me. Or, don't believe me and make it for yourself.

Argentinean Red Shrimp

I was at Trader Joe's the other day, looking to restock the freezer with protein, and I came across a bag of "Argentinean Red Shrimp." They were the same price (give or take some pennies) as the regular boring raw shrimp, so I thought I'd give them a try. It was the best seafood decision I have ever made. These shrimp are the poor man's (or woman's) lobster. They have that perfect, rich, meaty, I think of it as a red flavor, that you find in lobster, but for a tiny fraction of that cost. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is really just a basic shrimp alfredo that I'm using to showcase this amazing shrimp, so you don't have the excuse of "well those sound good but what would I do with them?"

Shrimp Alfredo

2 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp flour
2c milk (or 1c milk, 1c cream)
1 lb Argentinean red shrimp
3/4 cup grated parm
3-4 artichoke hearts, rough chopped
salt & pepper
1 lb penne
2-3 medium-sized basil leaves, shredded

Heat large pan of water, when water boils add pasta.

Meanwhile, make a roux (heat butter and garlic, add flour until dissolved). Slowly add cream and/or milk, mixing constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the milk is added and the sauce is heated through, add shrimp (peeled and deveined). When the shrimp starts to shrink up and look curly at the edges, add the parmesan, gradually until melted through the sauce. Add artichokes (I get them out of a jar, but frozen is just as good), and salt and pepper to taste.

Dran pasta, and mix with sauce in large bowl. Garnish with fresh basil. I had some green beans as a side dish to this, just to make sure I got my serving of veggies :)

Beer Cheese Soup

The alternate title for this entry was "Ode to Schlafly," because not only does the recipe use Schlafly Oktoberfest beer, it was actually inspired by their beer cheese soup.

One of my very favorite places to eat in St Louis, and the one place that I will inevitably take every non-St-Louisan who visits me, is the Bottleworks. I recommend pretty much every item on their menu that I've ever had. They have a wide variety of vegetarian options, and lots of things made with beer! If you like to actually drink beer (which I can't imagine why anyone would) there are many varieties of that as well. While I really dislike beer for drinking, I love to make things with it -- bread, biscuits, and of course, cheese soup! The beer cheese soup at the Bottleworks, unfortunately, left me a little disappointed. So I went home and made my own. And now I am sharing it with you, in the hopes you can find the cheesy joy that I did :)

Beer Cheese Soup

3 tbsp butter
1 leek
1 carrot
1 tbsp flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 12 oz bottle amber-type beer (As I mentioned, I used Schlafly Oktoberfest, but Sam Adams is a good one if you don't have anything local available)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
8 oz mild cheddar cheese (also shredded)
2 tsp garlic salt
generous grinds of black pepper

First and foremost, open the bottle of beer and pour it into a large measuring cup to go flat (try to pour it pretty quickly -- the more head builds up, the more quickly it will go flat). Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and the carrot, and cook until both begin to get soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour to make a roux, then SLOWLY add vegetable broth, followed by beer; stir constantly while adding liquid. When vegetables are cooked to desired consistency, add cheese gradually, stirring until there are no lumps of cheese or puddles of cheeseless broth. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 2 minutes or so until soup is heated through (adding cheese lowers the temperature). Serve with thick slices of bread (I recommend sourdough!) and enjoy.

When I made this soup, I found I should have put more vegetables in it, but it was quite tasty even as it stands. Next time I'll probably try adding some corn, and maybe a little bit of celery.

Sweet Ginger Shrimp

Like every food item I post on here, I must include the story behind the dinner. I was attempting to make an Asian noodle stir fry type thing, and I cooked the shrimp separately so I could have two different flavors and then stack them. Well, I made an important discovery: I do not have the ability to make Asian noodles successfully. Whenever I try, they end up in a clumpy, starchy noodle cake. Also, unfortunately, I didn't have a good selection of vegetables to put in it, so the overall result of the noodle-fry half of the meal was, while tasty enough not to be an utter failure, certainly nothing to write home about (or to write you all about, for that matter). The shrimp, on the other hand, were fan-freakin-tastic, so I will now share that very simple and utterly delicious recipe with you.

Sweet Ginger Shrimp

1/2 lb large (16-20 count) raw shrimp
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp ginger
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
salt & pepper

Peel and de-vein shrimp, if necessary, then put into a medium sized bowl. Add ginger, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat with the butter and garlic. When the butter starts to bubble, add the shrimp. Cook until pink and opaque, then serve over rice (or a tasty Asian stir fry! :P). Enjoy -- and trust me, you will!

Protein Tidbit: Eat More Nuts

I know for a lot of vegetarians and vegans (and sometimes for us peskies too) finding new and interesting sources of protein can be difficult. There is only so much tofu one person can eat. One thing that I like to do is to sneak nuts into recipes that normally don't have any other protein-sources in them, so you don't have to find a particular dish to cook just to get protein.

EXAMPLES!

Raw sliced almonds are very delicious in fried rice. I know, the rice already has an egg in it, but when you're feeding 3-4 people, 1 egg is about 0 protein.

Walnuts go well with Italian-type dishes; anything with garlic/olive oil/pesto/alfredo type flavor is good. One of my favorites is to put walnuts in garlic-sauteed spinach.

Cashews are good in sweet-savory dishes. Anything with sweet-and-sour, gingery stir-fries, teriyaki, that ballpark.

I tend to keep at least 3, if not 4 or 5 different types of nuts in the pantry at all times to fit into various recipes. It's a good idea, I promise! That, and they're good to snack on while you're cooking :)

Steak Dinner, hold the steak

For this meal what I really wanted was something to reflect the classic steak dinner, meat-and-potatoes-type of thing, but (obviously) without the steak part. This is extremely simple, and the BEST part of it (I think) is that I've finally perfected southern-style green beans without bacon or salt pork.

Steak Salmon Dinner

2 1/4 lb salmon fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp steak seasoning

2 potatoes*
2 tbsp low-fat sour cream or cream cheese
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

fresh green beans (2 servings' worth -- can't really measure these by cups, they're too big. I'd say I used about 1/2 lb and had lots of leftover)
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot
1/3 c vegetable broth
generous sprinkling of bacon salt
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Start with the potatoes, 'cause they take a LONG time. Preheat the oven to 425, and toss the potatoes in it. Bake 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

When your 'tatoes have about 30 minutes left, start the beans. Dice the shallot. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat, then add shallot, heating until it begins to become translucent. Add green beans, seasoning with bacon salt and tossing to coat. Cook 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly. Add vegetable broth and reduce heat to low; cover.

When the potatoes have maybe 5 minutes left, prepare the salmon. This one's tough, so pay attention! Take a baking pan. Put the salmon in it. Coat them with a little olive oil, sprinkle them with steak seasoning. When you take the potatoes out of the oven, put the salmon in for 20 minutes. See? Really friggin difficult.

Turn off the green beans about 5 minutes before the salmon comes out. Split the baked potatoes and dress with cream cheese/sour cream and chives. Garnish the green beans with the parm. Then you eat it! :)

*potato note: When I made these I used red potatoes, but if you like baking potatoes or yukon golds or whatever, use what you like. It's just a baked potato.

Curry, my way

In my food I believe in two very important principles -- one is, obviously, deliciousness, and the other is simplicity. This has both. And it's ethnic, which makes you look impressive to your friends ;)

Sweet Tofu Curry

1 pkg extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil for those with allergies)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 heaping tbsp curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup frozen spinach

First, and most importantly, the morning before you make this recipe, drain the tofu! The longer tofu drains, the more it will absorb flavor. I recommend slicing it into 4 or 5 pieces, then laying those pieces out on a pile of paper towels and leaving that in the fridge. If you don't have time for that, then before you start preparing anything else, lay out the tofu slices with paper towels on both sides, and put a weight over the whole thing (like a dinner plate or something) and leave it until it's ready to be sliced.

When you're ready to start cooking, finely chop the garlic, thin-slice the shallot, and cube up the tofu. Add your oil to a large pan on medium heat, and add the garlic and shallot. When the shallot gets translucent, add your curry paste, mixing it into the oil until it is consistent, then add your tofu. Cook tofu about 3 minutes with the curry paste mixture.

Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, and white wine, mixing until consistent. Stir in frozen spinach, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is reduced by about half, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add salt and pepper as you find necessary, but I don't think it really needs it.

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.

So good it disappeared!

Ok, I meant to take a picture of this -- I really did. It's lovely, and colorful and worth photographing. But...uh...well, I ate it all before I remembered to take a picture.

Tri-Color Veggie Salad

1 c frozen whole kernel corn
1 c frozen green peas
1 fresh tomato
1/2 small yellow onion
1 c fat-free sour cream
1/2 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp adobo
2 tsp black pepper

This is about the easiest assembly ever: thaw the corn and peas. Chop up the onion and the tomato very small. Put everything in a bowl and mix together. The only note that I do have is about the adobo: I actually have a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that lives in my fridge, and that was where I got my seasoning from. If you prefer, feel free to substitute that with cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, pepper sauce, or anything else slightly spicy that would make you happy.

This salad is awesome for picnics because it is SUPER easy and looks really pretty because of all the colors.

Absolutely Not Beef Stroganoff

I know what you're thinking: "What title could possibly be less descriptive than one where all we know is that we have ruled out one of the billions of meals in the world?" But please, bear with me here. There is a story:

Growing up, my mom would often make what she would refer to as "beef stroganoff," though she and the rest of my family knew that what she was actually making was nowhere close. The primary ingredients of her recipe were ground chuck, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. These things do not a stroganoff make, but what they did make was a delicious dinner of which I was a very big fan. The "stroganoff" is served over egg noodles, and was a favorite in my family.

My adaptation doesn't even have beef in it, so it is not just "beef stroganoff" with air quotes, it is absolutely not beef stroganoff. It is, however, yummy.

Absolutely Not Beef Stroganoff

prep time 15-20 minutes
serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil
1 bag of Boca or Morningstar ground crumbles
1 package sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
milk or cream
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 bag egg noodles
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese (optional)

recommended seasonings:
bacon salt
fresh oregano
fresh chives
paprika

Set your pan of water over high heat for the egg noodles. Simultaneously with preparing the egg noodles, add olive oil to a large, deep skillet (or electric skillet if you have one). Add crumbles, onion, and mushrooms, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add soup and sour cream, stirring until well blended. Slowly add milk or cream until you reach desired sauce consistency. Once desired consistency is reached, add corn and cook until heated through, then season to taste. Serve sauce generously over egg noodles and garnish with parmesan. Enjoy!

It may be a little early for this, but GUEST RECIPE!

I know this is only a new baby blog, but my finacee Jim made such an awesome dinner last night that I had to have him write out the recipe so I could share it. I'll post a recipe of my own tomorrow, I promise!
Sour Cream Pasta with Spinach

1/2 lb medium seashells (or whatever shaped pasta makes you happy)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped (or 1 leek for a milder onion flavor)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (optional)
2-3 heaping tablespoons of sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine
1 cup fresh or frozen spinach
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
basil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp iberico cheese, grated
salt
pepper

Cook the pasta according to directions. Saute the onion, garlic, green onion, and carrot in olive oil until the onions are soft. Season with salt & pepper. Add the wine and basil; reduce over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sour cream, heavy cream, spinach, and grated cheese- stir until consistent and simmer for 12 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Add more heavy cream or sour cream according to accomplish the desired texture. Toss with the pasta in a large bowl and serve hot with garlic toast.

MATTIE'S CHEESE NOTES:
With this particular recipe Jim used a combination of parmesan cheese and iberico, which is a semi-hard white cheese with a very subtle sharpness to it. You can certainly substitute the iberico with romano, or just more parmesan if you choose.

What I had for lunch today

I spent a good portion of this morning trying to figure out what to post today. I have a pretty substantial number of tasty dishes waiting in the wings for days when I can't think of anything new, but really it's way too early in the game to be breaking out the old faithfuls. Fortunately, I happened to make a sandwich for lunch today that was just so good I had to share it.

Fresh Veggie Ciabatta Sandwich

Prep time: 10 minutes

~take & bake multigrain ciabatta rolls
~cucumber
~artichoke hearts
~alfalfa sprouts
~carrot
~kalamata olive tapenade
~fromager d'affinois

I'm not including any measurements here, because you can make this recipe for one or for fifty, it's all up to you. For my sandwich, though, I used one ciabatta roll (and if you can't find the take & bake ones at your grocery store, feel free to just get a regular one and warm it up in your oven or toaster oven on "warm"). The take & bake roll needs to heat for about 8 minutes (follow the instructions on your own rolls, of course) and while it's baking, you can multi-task and get your veggies prepared.

Peel and thinly slice the cucumber(s) into rounds, and peel and shred your carrot(s). If the artichoke hearts came from a can, chances are they're already quartered, but if they're whole, you need to quarter them, and you may also want to peel them apart just so the sandwich isn't too tall and falls apart.



Once the bread is done, slice the rolls in half lengthwise. Spread one side with the kalamata tapenade, and the other with the fromager d'affinois.

Cheese always deserves a special note from me. I love cheese, and use it in almost everything. For this specific sandwich I used fromager d'affinois that was actually made from goat's milk instead of cow's milk, which gave it that wonderful subtle bite that only goat cheese can offer. If you want the cheese milder to offset the tapenade, however, you could certainly use the regular cow's-milk variety, or if you would prefer it a brie would be just as tasty. For the timid, or those on a very tight budget, cream cheese might also be a yummy substitute.

The rest is even simpler than it started. Spread a few cucumber slices on the bottom half of the roll; place the artichokes on top of that, followed by your sprouts and some shredded carrot for color and crunch. Put the lid on your sandwich, and enjoy!

I know, I know, this is ridiculously easy, but it's the flavor that counts. We all love a challenge, but I love a good lunch even more.

Biscuits and Gravy 2 Ways

Let me warn you, just because I said this was a pescy/veggie blog doesn't mean it's a health-food blog. I love old-fashioned country meals; my mother was an expert, and she made two things that became my favorite foods as I grew up. One was meatloaf which, I'm sorry to say, I still have not been able to recreate without it's main ingredient: meat. The second, though, was biscuits and gravy -- sausage gravy, to be specific. I am proud to say that I have designed not one, but two new ways to make that old favorite: one is vegetarian, the other vegan. As my favorite food, I thought it would be only fair to make it my first post.


Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy

Mom's biscuits

Prep time: 20 minutes
Oven: 450 degrees F

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together with french whip or fork. Stir in melted butter (or vegetable oil for lower-cholesterol biscuits) with a wooden spoon. Add milk gradually, stirring until soft dough is formed. Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased (nonstick!) baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool 5-10 minutes.


"Sausage" Gravy

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

1/2 lb Gimme Lean sausage (or other meatless ground sausage-flavored product)
1 small yellow onion
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
generous grinds of black pepper
medium pinch of kosher or sea salt

other suggested seasonings:
smoked paprika
toasted onion powder
garlic powder
Bacon Salt

For anyone accustomed to making gravies with a roux, my method will seem a little strange here. Traditionally, one would brown the sausage, scoop out the meat and use the pan drippings as the fat for the roux. There are two problems with using fake sausage: one is that it doesn't produce any drippings, and the other is that it does need to be browned in a pan before it can join the gravy (even though all it really needs is to heat up, if it doesn't brown first the texture is all funny). I also dislike doing dishes, so I refuse to cook the sausage in a separate pan and add it later. That being said:

Pour your milk into a measuring cup or other container, and set aside (this works much better if the milk is at room temperature).

Use a medium-sized skillet with high edges, on medium heat. Melt the butter, adding the "sausage" and onions after the butter is melted but before it's gotten too hot (brown butter is not delicious in this situation). Break up the "sausage" with a spatula into small-bite-sized pieces and season, stirring with the butter until the sausage is slightly browned and the onion is translucent. Spread the flour over the mixture, stirring until it looks like the "sausage" has gotten coated in a paste or dough (which is your roux).

SLOWLY (I cannot stress that enough) add milk to the mixture; a tablespoon at a time is really enough. Stir constantly, incorporating each portion of milk as you add it. If you add the milk too quickly, the gravy will never thicken and it will be very lumpy. Continue to add milk until you reach the desired consistency (you may need more or less than called for).

Sample the gravy at this point (the fun part!) and add additional seasonings as needed.


Vegan Biscuits and Gravy

"Mom's" Vegan Biscuits

Substitute 1/3 cup butter with vegetable oil, and 1 cup milk with plain soy yogurt. Follow recipe as above.

Also, for a really lovely subtle sweet flavor, try using vanilla soy yogurt. This is great if you'd like to eat the biscuits plain, or with preserves, and surprisingly they're also very good with gravy!

Vegan "Sausage" Gravy

Substitute butter with vegetable oil, and milk with vegetable broth. For a little extra creaminess, you could use a mixture of soy milk and vegetable broth, but I personally feel that the soy gives the gravy a weird flavor. Follow recipe above.

The most fun part!
Crumble a few biscuits into a bowl, cover with a generous portion of gravy, and enjoy!

Welcome!

Hi! My name is Mattie, and I am a recently-converted pescatarian (get it? pesky Mattie, pesky-tarian? punny, no?). While I discovered, to my chagrin, that pescatarian is not, in fact, a real word acknowledged by the OED, it is nonetheless what I have become. I have eschewed all meat products save for fish and select other seafood products, as well as leather, fur, gelatin, and any cosmetic or cleaning product tested on animals.
Being someone who loves to cook, the first crisis I encountered after the change was "How do I make this without bacon?!" So many recipes just don't seem the same without their traditional meaty ingredients, and making dinner delicious without the aid of pan drippings, chicken stock, or any of the other animal products I used to take for granted is proving to be quite a challenge. My adventures in creating new, meat-free and delicious foods needed chronicling, and I've decided to share those chronicles with the lovely audience of the internet. This is where you come in.
Here you can share in my adventures, mishaps, and discoveries, as well as occasionally laughing at my horrific failures. I hope to be able to include images with as many recipes and stories as possible, as encouragement to try some of the dishes posted. Many dishes will be seafood or fish meals, but I'm also making endeavors into vegetarian, and occasionally even vegan meals. I even have some vegan baking recipes to share!
So if you've ever faced a time-honored family recipe, and been stymied by the question "How do I make this without bacon?" I might just be able to show you.