Please Help Amelia the Puppy This Christmas!

Amelia, the Christmas Pup Who Needs Your Help!

They say it's the season of giving...Well, I have a request. Not for me, but for my close friend, Erynne, who has one of the biggest hearts out there. 

Erynne recently adopted her puppy, Amelia, whose medical conditions have worsened rapidly over the last week or so. She's been on and off oxygen, and the vet thinks it may be a dangerous form of pneumonia, considering Amelia's other medical conditions. 

Knowing Erynne as well as I do, I can tell you that she will NEVER give up on this dog, just like I would never give up on my Adelaide, who's had many a costly health issue. (If you've ever had a dog, you know how strong the bond is, especially when you've struggled with the same kind of pain they're going through.) 

This pup is just as sweet as her owner, and would lick your face a thousand times for any bit of help you can give, no matter how small!!! 

If you would like to help out, here's the link for Amelia's Medical Fund: http://www.youcaring.com/medi…/amelia-s-medical-fund/281914… 

And if you would take a moment to pass this along, please do! 

Thank you from me, Erynne, Amelia, and all who love them. 

Spicy Fries w/Special Sauces

   

It's Vegan MoFo, Day 5!

Time for a classic: homemade french fries! I adapted this recipe from the one in Vegan with a Vengeance, and always serve it with two special dipping sauces: sriracha vegenaise and curry ketchup. Both sauces are extremely easy to make, but are still very special. 

Actually, this entire recipe so easy that I almost gave it one of my "For Really Lazy People" epithets, but I got weirdly attached to the name I'd already chosen.  

The following recipe makes 1 large serving.

S p i c y  F r i e s  w /  S p e c i a l  S a u c e s

Ingredients

For the fries:

1 very large russet potato

olive oil*, 2 TB-ish

paprika

cayenne pepper

oregano

chili powder

sea salt

freshly ground tricolor** pepper

For the sauces:

sriracha

Vegenaise

ketchup

curry powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Rinse and scrub the potato until clean. I leave the skin on mine - it looks better and adds interesting texture - but some people may choose to peel it off at this point. 
3. Slice potato length-wise into 1/4'' strips. 
4. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and spices. The first 4 spices are listed in order of most to least, in terms of how much I use. Lots of paprika, a fair amount of cayenne, and just a tiny bit of both the oregano and the chili powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
5. Toss potatoes in bowl until strips are mostly coated. 
6. Bake on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, for 30-32 minutes, flipping them about 20 minutes through.
7. While the fries bake, prepare your sauces. In a small bowl, mix a few TB of Vegenaise with as many squirts of sriracha as you like, and in a separate small bowl, mix a few TB of ketchup with as many shakes of curry powder as you like. Using a chopstick or similar, stir each sauce until ingredients are fully blended. 

Notes

*Any oil with a high smoke point will do. I used Spanish olive oil, which I love for its buttery-ness.

**The tricolor pepper gives these fries such a great flavor - and it's so colorful - but black pepper will do if you can't find tricolor!

Polenta Bruschetta

It's Vegan MoFo, Day 4!

Today's recipe uses leftovers from yesterday's Californian Bruschetta recipe, with the addition of sauteed spinach and Kalamata olives, and polenta instead of bread. You can mix and match the toppings however you like. Makes a great appetizer, party snack, or meal on its own.

Toppings combinations, from left to right: sauteed spinach + tomato mix + sliced olives; ricotta mix + tomato mix; ricotta mix + tomato mix + sliced olives

P o l e n t a  B r u s ch e t t a

Ingredients

tofu ricotta mixture

tomato basil mixture

pre-cooked roll of polenta*

olive oil

2 cups fresh baby spinach, sauteed (optional)

Kalamata olives, sliced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. 
3. Slice polenta log into 1/2'' slices (the log I used made about 12 slices).
4. Cover each slice with any combination of the following: a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture, a heaping spoonful of the tomato basil mixture, a spoonful of sauteed spinach, and a few slices of Kalamata olives.
5. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes.

Notes

*I used the 18oz package of organic, pre-cooked polenta, from Trader Joe's

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P.S. I missed the deadline to sign up for the Vegan MoFo RSS feed/blogroll, so if you enjoy my posts, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you added me to your feed! 

If you aren't sure how, here's an illustrated how-to guide I created! Or, if you're using feedly, you can simply enter "chooseyourownfoodchain" in the search box, click on my site, then add me! 

Here's my RSS feed url, if you need it: http://chooseyourownfoodchain.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

P.P.S. You can also find me on Instagram 

(http://instagram.com/megvegmeg). :)

Californian Bruschetta

It's Vegan Mofo, Day 3!

Tonight I made what I'm calling a "Californian" variation on an old Italian favorite: bruschetta. Why Californian? Because it's healthier (ahem, it's vegan), and as ya'll know, California is notorious for its healthy lifestyles, and because I used sourdough bread, which although I've read originated in ancient Egypt before spreading to Northern Europe and then to Northern California, is considered a staple bread here in all of California. 

Because it's so late, I'm just going to post some teaser photos for now, and I'll be posting the full recipe tomorrow.  The recipe is now posted, below the photos!

tofu ricotta, which is also used in my famous Stuffed Shells recipe!

The bruschetta mixture of tomatoes et al.

Finito. Bella, salubre, e deliziosa!

C a l i f o r n i a n  B r u s c h e t t a

Ingredients

Sourdough bread, sliced 

(I used San Luis Sourdough, but any kind will do!)

For the tofu ricotta:

1 package (~16oz) of firm tofu

1/2 cup (or slightly more) of Vegenaise

2 to 3 TB nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

For the tomato mixture:

2 1/2 large tomatoes*, chopped

1 cup basil leaves, cut Chiffonade style

2 garlic cloves, minced and sauteed

2 TB olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground pepper**, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F***
2. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil and balsamic. Add the rest of the tomato mixture ingredients, and toss well. It's best if you can let it marinate for an hour, but not totally necessary.
3. Pat the tofu dry, and mash into a bowl. Add the remaining ricotta ingredients, and mash with a fork until all is blended. 
4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and/or lightly oil both sides of each slice of bread.
5. Add heaping spoonfuls of ricotta mixture to each slice of bread. Bake slices in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until ricotta has slightly darkened and firmed. 
6. Top with generous heaps of fresh tomato mixture and serve! This would make a great party appetizer, but is also good on its own! 

Notes:

*I used what I had, which was 1/2 beefsteak tomato (don't you hate the name?), 1 large garden tomato, & 1 cup of cherry tomatoes. The latter of the two, I picked from my neighbor's garden. I'll have to ask her what kind the garden tomato was. But 2 1/2 large tomatoes, whatever kind, should approximate the amount I used just fine.

**I really love using rainbow peppercorns. I buy mine at Trader Joe's.

***If you plan to let your tomato mixture marinate for an hour or so, no need to preheat your oven right away.

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P.S. I missed the deadline to sign up for the Vegan MoFo RSS feed/blogroll, so if you enjoy my posts, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you added me to your feed! 

If you aren't sure how, here's an illustrated how-to guide I created! Or, if you're using feedly, you can simply enter "chooseyourownfoodchain" in the search box, click on my site, then add me! 

Here's my RSS feed url, if you need it: http://chooseyourownfoodchain.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

P.P.S. You can also find me on Instagram 

(http://instagram.com/megvegmeg). :)

Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles & Rice Noodles

 

It's Vegan MoFo, Day 2!

I posted two how-two guides earlier, to help folks who are having trouble setting up their feeds and/or adding individual blogs to their feeds, so I'm only now posting my recipe of the day.

I'd never made this dish before, and I must say, I'm already pretty fond of it. In fact, it might be a new staple. It's a recipe that I adapted from The Stoner Vegan's recipe, "Peanut Noodles." I even brought it with me tonight to share with my weekly creative writing group, and I think it was a pretty big hit. ;)

Without further ado, I bring you...

P a d  T h a i  w/  Z u c c h i n i  N o o d l e s  &  R i c e  N o o d l e s 

Ingredients

8 to 10 oz of rice noodles, cooked according to package* 

1 large zucchini, julienned

1/2 large yellow onion, sliced into short half moons

sesame oil**

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup water

3 TB tamari***

powdered ginger (or fresh), to taste

sea salt, to taste

1 lime****

1 carrot, shaved

2 green onions, sliced thinly

*I used over half a box of Thai Kitchen brand's "stir-fry rice noodles."

**I used spicy sesame oil, because I like hot foods, but whatever you fancy.

***You could use soy sauce or shoyu if you don't have tamari. And if you want to make this dish gluten free, use tamari but just make sure it doesn't contain wheat.

****Don't skip the lime. It's the magic ingredient, trust me.

1. In a large wok, saute the onion in the sesame oil until onion is fairly translucent.
2. Add zucchini to wok. Toss periodically.
3. Add the water, then the peanut butter. Stir well, until peanut butter is fully blended, but being careful not to break the zucchini.
4. Add the tamari, ginger, and sea salt. Toss.
5. Add the (already cooked) noodles. Toss.
6. Squeeze 1/2 (or more) lime over the mixture. Toss.
7. To serve, top with shaved carrots, sliced green onions, and lime wedges from the remaining part of the lime. Bonus: If you have fresh cilantro, that'd make a great topping, as well. 

_________________________________________________________________________________
P.S. I missed the deadline to sign up for the Vegan MoFo RSS feed/blogroll, so if you enjoy my posts, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you added me to your feed! 

If you aren't sure how to do it, here's an illustrated how-to guide I created! But if you're using feedly, you can simply enter "chooseyourownfoodchain" in the search box, click on my site, then add me! 

Here's my RSS feed url, if you need it: http://chooseyourownfoodchain.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

P.P.S. You can also find me on Instagram 

(http://instagram.com/megvegmeg). 

Vegan MoFo Special Post | How-To Guide: Adding Individual Blogs To Your Existing Blogroll Feed!

Hello MoFo'ers!

Due to popular demand, I've made a second, illustrated How-To Guide for adding individual blogs to your existing blogroll feed! If you first need to know how to import the OPML file to your feed, see my first How-To Guide. Note: This guide refers to using feedly.

It's as easy at one-two-three.

1.  While on the homepage of your feedly account, click on the three dots at the bottom left.

From my feedly.com homepage. See the dots at the bottom left, next to my name and the word "Upgrade."

2.  Click on those dots and select "Organize" from the drop-up list. It's toward the top of the list.

From my feedly.com homepage

3.  Once you've clicked on "Organize" from the drop-up menu, you'll be taken to the screen below. From there, type in the name of the blog you want to add.

Let's say you're trying to add my blog to your feed (which you should, because mine won't be contained in the VeganMoFo 2014 OPML - All Blogs file, as I missed the sign-up deadline!). Click inside the search box at the top right, and just type in "chooseyourownfoodchain." A drop-down list will appear. Click on the one that shows up under the subheading "Sites" (in this example, it's the second one down).

From my feedly.com Organize page

Almost there, I promise.... Now, click on that green "+feedly" button to the right of Chooseyourownfoodchain (or whatever blog name it is).

From my feedly.com account. This is what appears after you click on the blog you just searched for.

You'll be taken to the following screen:

From my feedly.com account, as I show you how to add Chooseyourownfoodchain to your list!

You now have the option of re-naming the blog (but why would you do that? ;)), and selecting which list you want it to appear in. I have checked the box next to "Vegan MoFo 2014," because that is what I named my Vegan MoFo 2014 blogroll feed.

Click the green "Add" button and VIOLA! You've added me (I hope) or whichever blog you've chosen to your feed!

Note: In some cases, you *might* need to know the blog's RSS url. If it's a blogspot blog, it follows the same general format. Mine is:  http://chooseyourownfoodchain.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
(for other blogspot blogs, just switch out "chooseyourownfoodchain" for whatever the blog name is).


Hope this helps,
foodchain / megan

Vegan MoFo Special Post | How-To Guide: Importing the Blogroll to Your Reader!

Hello MoFo'ers!

I'm making this post for anyone who's having problems with importing the blogroll file into your feed burner/reader. I think it's more difficult this year because there is no longer such thing as Google Reader. I don't know about you, but that's what I used to use, and it was a lot easier and quicker to figure out.

This year I am using Feedly. Here's an illustrated step-by-step guide to help you do it, too!

1.  Download and save the file that Kate posted on the Vegan MoFo site, which you'll find here. Remember where you saved the file (on some computers, it'll save automatically to your Downloads folder).

2.  Set up an account on feedly.com (it takes less than a minute).

3.  On the left side of your feedly page, toward the bottom, there should be a little "..." button. It looks like three little dots. Locate that.

From my feedly.com account homepage.
The three little dots are bottom left, to the right of my name and the word "Upgrade."

4.  Click on the three little dots, and a drop-up menu should appear.

Drop-up menu pictured above, bottom left side. From my feedly.com account homepage.

5.  Select "organize" from the drop-up list. It will take you to the screen shown below.  Click on the grey button that says "Import OPML," which you'll find next to the bolded, black "Organize."

From my feedly.com account's Organize page. Note: I'd already imported the file, so yours won't show the Vegan MoFo 2014 list just yet.

6.  Now you'll click on the grey "Choose File" button. From there, you'll select the blogroll file from whichever folder you saved it in. Unless you renamed it, the file should be called "VeganMoFo 2014 OPML - All Blogs." Select that, click "open." Finally, click the blue "Import" button.

From my feedly.com account's Import OPML page

7.  Ta-Dah!! You have now added the Vegan MoFo 2014 blogroll to your feed.

Trouble-shooting FAQ:

Q1:  "But Megan, I tried that, and I don't see my own blog listed on the blogroll!"

A1:   Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that! I know the folks running Vegan MoFo are working on it. Maybe try commenting on their blogroll post to alert them to the trouble? But wait - are you sure you named it correctly? I know some folks' blogs *are* showing up, but listed as a different name.

Q2:  "I tried commenting on their post, but my comment didn't get approved. What do I do?"

A2:   Sometimes the comments go to the spam folder, in which case, they didn't see your comment in order to approve it. Try emailing them? 

Q3:  "Megan, why is Choose Your Own Food Chain, this very blog I'm reading now, NOT listed on the feed?"

A3:  I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. It's because I missed the sign-up deadline. :( But the good news is that you can still add me to your personal feed list! It's as easy as typing "chooseyourownfoodchain" into the search box on your Feedly's Organize page, but I've also created an illustrated guide to adding individual blogs to your feed. I did that for several of my friends' blogs that - for whatever reason - did not show up when I imported the OPML file.

Q4:  "Why are only three hundred-and-some blogs showing up on my feed, when I know that OPML file contained WAY more blogs than that?" 

A4:  I know, happened to me, too. Wish I had the answer to that one! I think that's another question for the folks at MoFo. I know they are working fervently on solving that one, though.