I made some PadThai yesterday that everyone in my family loved so much. My kids have aksed me to send this for lunches when school starts.

i also made some MooShi tofu and veggies.. this is one of my favorites ever! I created this recipe because I missed the made to order Mooshi at The Tea Garden in Concord, NH. I always asked for no meat and to replace the eggs with tofu. It was so good and I had to have it one day, so I came up with this. I love it as much, if not more, because it's less greasy.

Moo-Shi Vegetables with Tofu
Serves 4

-3 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 lb firm tofu that has been crumbled
-1/2 capful liquid smoke
-1 onion, cut into half moons
-4 tbsp fresh ginger (less if you aren’t a fan of ginger)
-1 jalapeno chile or thai bird chile
-6 cloves crushed garlic
-1/2 medium cabbage, shredded
-2 large carrots, shredded
-1 red bell pepper
-6 oz sliced mushrooms
-1 bunch scallions
-soy sauce to taste
-1 tbsp vinegar, lemon or lime juice
-1/2 cup hoisin sauce plus extra for the table
-1/2 cup water or stock
-2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-salt/lots of black pepper
-tortillas, moo-shi pancakes or rice

Method:
In a heavy bottomed pan heat the veg oil, until almost smoking. Add 1 tbsp ginger, the chile, smoke, onion and tofu. Stir -fry over high heat until the tofu is brown. Add a splash of soy sauce. At this point add the rest of the ginger, garlic, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, pepper and another splash of soy then add the scallions. Cook for several minutes on medium-high heat. Now add the vinegar, hoisin sauce, water, sesame oil, and salt/pepper.
Serve over rice or with tortillas or Moo-shi pancakes. Have extra Hoisin at the table and some spicy chile-garlic sauce.

-melody

http://melomeals.com/

You always hear cats have nine lives, but a Hinesville dog is starting on her second.

Animal Control was putting her and three other dogs down, but after 30 minutes in the gas chamber, she still survived.

People who run the Liberty County Humane Shelter say they're not sure how, but they're hoping her story can serve as a catalyst for shutting down the gas chamber for good.

Watching her tail wag Friday afternoon you would never guess what horror this happy-looking dog had gone through just a day earlier.

Deborah Palpal-Latoc, with LCHS, says "It will never leave me. I have had nightmares and don't think I'll ever forget this as long as I live."

Palpal-latoc saw first hand. When a chamber filled with carbon dioxide failed to kill the two year old dog, she helped pull her out of the cage and get her to a veterinarian.

"the dog above her -- it's bodily fluids were dripping all over her," recalls Palpal-Latoc with tears in her eyes. "And she was cowering and scared and foaming at the mouth and trying to get out."

Now the dog, who's since been named "Amazing Grace," is serving as an example.

People at the humane shelter say gas simply isn't a humane way to euthanize stray dogs.

"It is very hard. I would never do it again," says Wendy Thompson, who worked as an animal control officer for three months.

She says long before Amazing Grace showed up, she probably put several hundred dogs and cats to death in the same cages: "Having to put an animal down, I actually did cry several times. I had to walk off and do what I need to do, get through it."

The humane shelter's been fighting gas for years -- and thinks that with Amazing Grace's help -- they may have finally won. They've been told that Animal Control will be moving to lethal injection next week.

A lot of people probably would like to adopt Amazing Grace, but she's already been spoken for.

Workers at the humane shelter say instead, folks should try and save a different animal instead.

WTOC talked with one person at animal control, but did not hear back from a manager to get official word on if they're shutting down the CO2 chamber or not.

Reported by: Chris Cowperthwaite, ccowperthwaite@wtoc.com

I am so sick.. so sad... I can't believe that it is acceptable to use GAS to "euthanize" dogs.. (or any animal, I'm sure they do it to cats too)... How can anyone do this? How is this legal, OK? We have to figure out a way to stop this.

Could you do this to her?

Habanero mixture cooking

When the veggies are soft, add them to the blender. You can either add them hot and be careful by putting a towel over the top of your blender or you can wait until the mixture has cooled. I ususally just add it hot. Blend until totally smooth, then pour into glass containers and let it come to room temperature on the counter.

Finished Sauce

At this point, put the top on and put it in the fridge. I use the plastic mason jar caps. This will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks, but I usually make a very large batch and freeze the cooled sauce in ice-cube trays. This is very hot, a tsp or so will be more than enough for most people. I'm weird, so I can eat large amounts of it. If you want a delicious sauce to serve over fries or sweet potato fries add some strawberries to it. YUMO! The ice cube portion is perfect to add to a pound of black beans or rice or other meals. I also like to add one when I make tomato based salsa. This mixed with avocado is out of this world.

I did some big batch cooking yesterday. I didn't take pics at the time, but here's a pic of my fridge full of all the goods. On the top shelf there is mashed potatoes, black bean/tvp/cilantro mixture, steamed broccoli and greens beans tossed with mustard vinagrette, Whole wheat pasta with spinach and crumbled tofu tossed in a sauce made out of coconut milk, garlic, ginger, cilantro, siracha, kafir lime leaf, lime juice and a little bit of sesame oil, bread, soymilk, KOOLAID (my dirty little secret, I make this for my kids , their friends and my husband, but I use KAL STEVIA.) The middle shelf has a sauted spinach, tofu salad and various fruits/tofu and tortillas, the third shelf has okara bacon burger mix, fried rice with seitan and veggies, unprepped/cooked veg and yes, a GALLON of Vegenaise. My local health food sells it that way for 16 bucks and it keeps for 6 months after opening. Then I re-use the container.

Should I feel weird about the fact that I took a picture of my contents of my fridge and posted them on the internet? lol

http://www.melomeals.com

Okara crabcake with roasted asparagus

Okara crabcake lettuce wrap

http://www.melomeals.com

So, wicked hot here, but I didn't let it stop me. I didn't complete my list, but that's OK. I got enough done to be happy and will do more tomorrow. I got a little distracted though, and ended up making several things not on the list. I couldn't help myself! I've been wanting to try Isa's Punk Rock Chick Pea Gravy for a long time, but never got around to it until today. I almost followed the recipe, only adding more corriander (By accident) than it called for and adding some fresh sage. Let me tell you, DO NOT PASS GO, MAKE IT NOW! Delicious. Both my oldest boy and I loved it. I plan to make this a staple.

Punk Rock Gravy, brown rice, spicy tofu stir fry, kale

I served it over brown rice. The tofu dish was scallions, garlic, ginger, siracha, tofu and zukes. Hot and spicy. The kale was sauted and charred a little bit with garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.

simple, basic quesadilla

My husband and yougest son had quesadillas for lunch. I worked at a vegetarian restaurant years ago, and these were our biggest sellers. They are sooo easy to make and really good. If you want to be extremely naughty you can fry these up in a little earth balance, but they work well with nothing at all in a cast iron skillet. The great things about quesadillas is you can easily make them as healthy as you want... but back to the basic recipe. In the restaurant we used refried beans, cheese, picante sauce and avocado. That's it. It is delicious with tofu or soycheese. I'm fond of it with some cashew cheese spread on thinly. My all time favorite filling is my lime infused black beans, lots of cilantro and homemade habanero sauce. YUM!

For breakfast today, I had a huge spinach salad with pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, red onions, cukes, tomatoes and mustard vinaigrette. I love starting my day off with salad. I feel the best that way (in the summer). I am thinking of making a kidney bean, pumpkin seed type hummus thingy.. I love those two flavors together. It probably won't be the most attractive hummus, but I think it will be good. I'm going to play around with the recipe a bit and if it's good, I'll post it.

So, I've been doing Bikram's Yoga (at home) for the past week. I started a yoga blog here too.

Ok, so I prepped all the greens, cleaned the fridge, cooked the kale and the chickpea gravy, brown rice, sliced up the watermelon, attempted some Okara burgers (they sucked, so I threw them away and threw the mixture out after 3 burgers were cooked.. I was NOT going to have a repeat of the other day!).. I used the funky ruined salad dressing as a binder and it was just nasty, so I dumped the almost 64 oz of FUNK down the disposal. I made more soymilk (obviously because that's where I got the Okara).. then cut up a bunch of raw veggies to have around for snacks, cleaned out my freezer, made some veggie burger mix (haven't fried up the burgers yet), made some tvp sausages, cut up the rest of the homemade bread and put it in the freezer so it won't spoil.. and that's it. I'm done for the day.

Did I mention that I've been up since 2:30am? I have horrific insomnia... it's been really bad the last 3 nights. I stayed in bed til 5, but watched TV around 4am. I hope I can sleep tonight.

www.melomeals.com

This was inspired by a picture on Stephen Cooks blog. I was sitting here, wondering what to make for dinner when I came accross his pic of the corn salad. I had leftover grilled veggies I needed to use immediately, so I tossed those with some blanched corn, carrots, edename, fresh rosemary, thyme, and chives, and mustard vinaigrette, then topped it off with some grey celtic sea salt and ground chipotle pepper. Delicous. I have some leftovers too. You know, if it was cool outside, I'd toss this with potatoes and some cashew milk for a nice veggie chowder. I'll probably mix this in with some pasta and creamy pesto sauce for a pasta salad later on today. That will be good.

I'm thrilled to report that my oldest son LOVES my new seitan. (post before this) I admit, I lied and told him I made it all out of soyflour and it is kind of like homemade tofu. I haven't cooked it in a dish yet, I just gave him a piece of the teryaki marinated seitan. I know he'll love a grilled teryaki sandwich with it. Woohoo! This makes me very happy.

-melody

www.melomeals.com

1 lb soy "chicken" seitan

www.melomeals.com

This was made from the leftover grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic from the other day. I used a low carb, whole grain lavash bread (only 100 calories for the entire lavash!) and spread it with my cashew pimento cheese, toasted it in the toaster oven and then sprinkled it with alfalfa sprouts, raw tomatoes and some diced red onion.

Mustard Marinated Lentils, Baby Greens and Crostini with Cashew Pimento 'Cheese'
I marinated cooked lentils in dijon mustard, Braggs apple cider vinegar, olive oil, oregano, stevia and of course, garlic. I used that as my salad dressing as well. The rest of the lentil salad is just cucumbers, red onions, radish and fresh tyme, baby greens avocado and a sprinkle of walnuts. The cashew cheese was made very soft, out of cashews, onion powder, garlic powder, miso, lemon juice, green olives, roasted red peppers, paprika, cayenne and salt/pepper blended with water and agar powder. The crostini is just my homemade whole wheat french bread, grilled and rubbed with garlic.

My lovely sprouts, drying on a platter. I use a 64 oz glass Mason Jar and specially made lids (you can find the lids on the links later in the post) to sprout most of my seeds. When they are done, I rinse them well and lay them on a platter for a day or two to dry and green up. I make sure to turn them over several times a day and line the platter either with paper towels or a clean dishcloth. This batch probably made around 10 cups of sprouts and cost me a whopping 50 cents! I buy organic seeds online at The Sproutpeople. I love sprouting... I usually have at least 4-5 different types of sprouts going and they are a delicious, very cost effective way to eat your veggies. Plus, if you have kids, it is a fun science project for them and will make them excited about eating healthy food! Yay Sprouts!!

-melody

www.melomeals.com

-4 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 TSP Cumin
-1 TSP Coriander
-1 large Onion
-7 cloves Garlic
-1 Green Pepper
-1 Red Pepper
-1-2 (depending on how hot you like it) Chipolte Peppers in Adobo
-1 29oz can Black Beans, drained
-1 cup TVP
-1 cup water
-Salt/pepper to taste
-Juice of 2 limes
-1 cup Cilantro
-Salsa to taste

Method:-
In a large skillet heat Oil, spices, onions and garlic until very fragrant over medium flame making sure not to burn the garlic. Add peppers and the Chipolte and sauté for several minutes. Add beans, TVP and water; heat through and check for seasoning. Stir in cilantro and limejuice

You can use this base as a taco filling, a layer for 7 layer dip, burrito filling, mix it with some veggie stock and orange juice for a quick black bean soup and finally, as a base for burgers. I usually just add oatmeal to bind my burgres. I will take a picture the next time I do it, so you can see the texture that you want. It's hard to tell you how much to use because the humidity in the air makes a difference. If you use around 3 cups of the bean mixture you will usually use around 1.5 cups of oatmeal. It is also very important to chill the mixture for at least an hour or so or they will fall apart. This will make around 8 burgers. I cook them over medium heat in my cast iron skillet. If you cook them halfway on the stove, you can park them in the fridge and finish them up on the grill. I serve mine with vegan "sour cream" and guacamole, but my kids love melted cheese on theirs. Pickled jalapenos and salsa are great on them as well.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

www.melomeals.com

My kids are vegetarian and I'm vegan. That means I don't eat any animal products. No dairy or eggs. I still cook with them for my kids and husband though, I just make my food a little different.

I had a big salad for breakfast. I used a little bit of olive oil mixed with dijon, garlic and apple cider vinegar as the dressing, much more vinegar than oil because I sprinkled nuts on the salad and had a piece of my whole wheat bread with 1/4 of an avocado, nutritional yeast, seasoning and crushed red peppers spread on it. Delicious!

-melody

www.melomeals.com

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 small bouillon cube
2 inches of peeled ginger, smashed
1 large garlic clove, smashed
-make sure to rinse the quinoa, then bring it all to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes, put the lid on it and turn the heat down as low as it will go. It should be ready in 20 minutes.
Cool the quinoa.

In a large bowl add the cooled quinoa and these ingredients, then toss with the dressing:
2 large carrots, diced
1 cup daikon, cut however you like it
1 large english cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 has avocado, diced
1/2 cup nori shreds

Dressing:
1/4 cup soysauce
1/2 cup water
1 clove pressed garlic
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1-3 tsp wasabi paste (start with 1, then taste)
juice of 2 limes

-Chill for at least an hour and serve, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Add salt/pepper if desired.

www.melomeals.com]]> 2006-06-27T20:37:41Z 2006-06-27T20:13:04Z tag:www.blogthecoast.com,2006:/frugal_vegetarian/9.1144 2006-06-27T20:13:04Z

mpolakow www.melomeals.com melody@melomeals.com I've been taking advantage of the fresh produce available and doing some grilling. One of my favorite things to do with grilled veggies is to use them on a sandiwch with grilled or baked tofu.

Roasted veggie sandwich with basil mayo.

I made a pesto out of roasted sunflower seeds, basil, garlic, miso, lemon juice and olive oil and spread that on one half of the whole wheat baguette, veganaise on the other half, then topped it with roasted red pepper, scallions, eggplant, zucchini that had been marinated in a spicy vinaigrette. The tofu was baked in a diluted soy sauce, garlic, ginger and lime juice bath. The end result was delicious.

-melody

www.melomeals.com

Moo-Shi Vegetables with Seitan
Serves 4

-3 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 lb seitan or tofu that has been frozen, thawed and drained of water
-1/2 capful liquid smoke
-1 onion, cut into half moons
-4 tbsp fresh ginger (less if you aren’t a fan of ginger)
-1 jalapeno chile or thai bird chile
-6 cloves crushed garlic
-1/2 medium cabbage, shredded
-2 large carrots, shredded
-6 oz sliced mushrooms
-1 bunch scallions
-soy sauce to taste
-1 tbsp vinegar, lemon or lime juice
-1/2 cup hoisen sauce plus extra for the table
-1/2 cup water or stock
-2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-salt/lots of black pepper
-tortillas, moo-shi pancakes or rice

Method:
In a heavy bottomed pan heat the veg oil, until almost smoking. Add 1 tbsp ginger, the chile, smoke, onion and seitan. Stir -fry over high heat until the seitan is brown. Add a splash of soy sauce. At this point add the rest of the ginger, garlic, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, scallions and another splash of soy then add the scallions. Cook for several minutes on medium-high heat. Now add the vinegar, hoisen sauce, water, sesame oil, and salt/pepper.
Serve over rice or with tortillas or Moo-shi pancakes. Have extra Hoisen at the table and some spicy chile-garlic sauce.

Sesame Glazed Snap Peas and Mushrooms
Serves 4

-1 inch fresh ginger, grated
-6 cloves garlic, crushed
-2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-1 tbsp vinegar
-3 tbsp honey
-4 tbsp soy sauce
-1/2 cup cold water or stock
-1-2 tbsp cornstarch (start with 1)
-1 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 lb frozen snap peas, broccoli or green beans
-6 oz mushrooms, sliced
-salt/pepper to taste
-2 tbsp sesame seeds

Method:
-Heat a heavy bottomed wok pan or large sauté pan while preparing the marinade. In a small bowl mix together the grated ginger, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, water and 1 tbsp cornstarch. When the wok is smoking add the veg oil and the frozen veggies and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 30 seconds or so then pour the marinade. Bring to a bubble making sure to stir frequently. Now cook for about 3 minutes or until the veggies are cooked to your liking. Just before serving, stir in the sesame seeds and add salt/pepper if desired

Cold Sesame Noodles
Serves 4-6 as a main dish

-1 lb pasta, cooked to al dente, drained
-1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-2 cups natural peanut butter or tahini
-1 inch ginger, grated
-4 cloves garlic
-4 tsp chile sauce
-2 tbsp honey or brown sugar
-3 tbsp vinegar
-2 cups stock or water
-4 tbsp soy sauce
-juice of 2 limes
-3 scallions
-1 cup cilantro
-3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:
While the pasta is cooking blend together 1 tbsp sesame oil, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, chile sauce, honey, vinegar, water, soy sauce and lime- juice. Puree until very smooth. Add to the pasta and toss until coated then add the scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds and a squirt of more lime- juice if desired. It will seem like a huge amount of sauce, but the hot pasta will soak it all up. You can eat now or cool and eat cold.

Thai Veggies and Bean Curd in Coconut Sauce
Serves 4-6 as a main dish

-2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-4 tbsp fresh ginger
-10 cloves garlic, minced
-1 large onion, diced
-1 kafir lime leaf (optional)
-1 large sweet potato diced
-1 lb extra firm tofu; frozen, thawed and squeezed dry
-1 tbsp chile-garlic paste or Siracha
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-15 oz can coconut milk
-2 cups stock or water
-1 lb broccoli
-salt/pepper to taste
-1 red bell pepper
-1 cup cilantro
-juice of 2-3 limes

Method:
In a heavy bottomed, large wok or sauté pan heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, onion and a pinch of salt/pepper. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so then add the sweet potato, tofu, chile paste, soy sauce, coconut milk and water or stock. Bring to a boil. You can cover this to speed up the cooking process. When the sweet potato is tender (around 20 minutes or so) add the broccoli and cook until it is bright green. Add lime-juice, cilantro and red pepper and taste for seasoning. Add salt/pepper and more lime- juice if desired. Serve over rice.

Spicy Eggplant
-Serves 4

-1 large eggplant
-1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
-garlic powder
-1 tbsp chile-garlic sauce
-2 Thai bird chilies
-1 bunch scallions
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
-3 tbsp soy sauce
-2 tbsp vinegar
-1 cup water or stock
-1/4 cup hoisen sauce
-2 tsp cornstarch
-1 cup cilantro
-3 scallions
-salt/pepper to taste

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400

Peel the eggplant if desired then chop into 1- inch cubes. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil, garlic powder, a couple pinches of salt and a couple pinches of pepper. Arrange (in a single layer) on a baking sheet and bake for around 20-30 minutes turning after 10 minutes or so.
While this is baking make a sauce out of the chile-garlic paste, garlic, ginger, soy, vinegar, stock, cornstarch and hoisen. Set aside. Heat a heavy -duty pan or Wok and add the rest of the sesame oil and the vegetable oil. When it is smoking add the scallions and the thai bird chilies. Stir-fry for a minute or two and add the roasted eggplant and sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for around 5 minutes adding water if needed. Just before serving taste for salt/pepper and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the scallions and cilantro.
Caution: Do not eat the thai bird chilies unless you can handle a lot of heat!!!

If anyone is interested in joining the Recipe of the Week email list drop me a line and I'll add you.

melody@polakow.com

Melomeals.com (coming soon)
melody@polakow.com

Method:
Process all of the above in a food processor. Taste and adjust seasonings. Try to let this sit for at least an hour or so before serving.
Serves 6 as a dip for breads, crackers and veggies.

Tomato Basil Soup:
-2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-5 cloves Garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
-1 onion, diced
-1 29oz can Whole Tomatoes, crushed with your hands
-3 cups Veggie Stock
-1 cup Fat Free Half and Half or
1 15 oz can white beans blended until smooth
-1/2 cup Fresh Basil, torn
-Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:
Start in a COLD, heavy bottomed pan and slowly bring the garlic and the dried red pepper up to a medium temperature. When the oil is sizzling add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent (around 5 minutes or so), then add the tomatoes, stock and pureed beans if using. Bring to a gentle boil for several minutes. Turn off heat and add Salt/Pepper to taste. Stir in Half and Half (make sure it is OFF the heat or it will curdle)
At this point you can puree the soup if desired. Just before serving add the fresh basil.
Serves 6-8 (1 cup servings).

Pumpkin Sage Pasta Sauce:
-4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-7 cloves Garlic, minced
-1 large Onion, diced
-1 tsp Dried Thyme
-1 tsp Dried Sage
-1tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
-2-3 cups Stock
-One 15oz can Pumpkin
-1/4 tsp Nutmeg
-Pinch of Cinnamon
-1 cup Fat Free Half and Half
-1 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese OR instead of the cheese and half and half add a can of White Beans pureed until smooth.
-Salt/Pepper to taste
-Fresh Sage and Fresh Thyme as a garnish

Method:
Over medium heat add olive oil to a heavy bottomed pan and add the onion, dried thyme, dried sage and a pinch of salt and pepper; cook for around 5 minutes or until translucent. Add Garlic and sauté for several more minutes. At this point add the vinegar and then the stock. (If you don’t have veggie stock add water and 2-3 bouillon cubes.) Bring up to a gentle boil and add the Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Pumpkin. Let the sauce boil gently for around 5-10 minutes. At this point take it off the heat, stir in the half and half and cheese. Taste and adjust for seasoning and sprinkle with about 1 tbsp of fresh sage and 1 tbsp fresh thyme or more if your taste permits.
Enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta.

Stir-Fried Greens
-2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes, more or less depending on your personal taste.
-1 lemon, juiced and zest
-1 extra large bunch of greens (or 2 smaller bunches)
-Several grates Nutmeg
-Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:
Start in a heavy bottomed, COLD pan and bring the oil up to medium temperature with the garlic and red pepper flakes. When the garlic is sizzling add the greens and turn the heat up to high and stir-fry until the greens are done to the level you like. Just before serving stir in the lemon juice, zest, nutmeg and taste and adjust the salt/pepper.

Chocolate Espresso Cake
-3 cups Flour
-1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp Cocoa
-2 tsp Baking Powder
-2 tsp Baking Soda
-1 tsp Salt
-2 cups Sugar
-1 tbsp Vanilla
-2 tbsp Vinegar
-1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 cups cold, strong coffee
Method:
Preheat Oven to 325
In a large bowl, stir together the flour; cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt At this point spray 2 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and sprinkle a bit of the dry batter in the pans. Then, to the bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, vinegar, oil and coffee and mix together gently. Pour into 2 prepared cake pans and bake for around 40-45 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if done. Cool and serve.

Raspberry Glaze:
1 small jar seedless raspberry All-Fruit warmed and poured over the cake

Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a sprig of mint.

Melody Polakow
melomeals.com (coming soon)
melody@polakow.com

I have to go back to meal planning, so here is my dinner menu for the next 10 days:

Tonight: Black Bean Chili Nachos, Guacamole and Salad

Thursday: Tofu and Broccoli Thai Stir- Fry over Brown Rice

Friday: Spaghetti, Marinara, “Meat Balls” and steamed veggies

Saturday: L-Corn Chowder, sandwiches or salad
D-Homemade Pizza, salad

Sunday: L-leftovers
D-Indian Spiced Lentils, Basmati Rice, Curried Veggies, Raita, Mango Chutney

Monday: Seitan Reuben Sandwiches on homemade Rye bread and Coleslaw

Tuesday: MooShi Veggies and Tofu with Hoisen over brown rice or tortillas

Wednesday: Pumpkin Sage Sauce over whole wheat pasta, steamed cauliflower and green beans

Thursday: Cauliflower, Potato and Cheese Soup, salad and homemade bread

Friday: Spinach lasagna with marinara, broccoli with lemon and garlic

If I stick to my menu I can get away with only spending about $50 bucks for the next 10 days.

I need to make:
Yogurt
Veggie Burgers
Seitan
Bread
Pumpkin Muffins
Chocolate Espresso Cake
Refried Beans
Large Batch Marinara to freeze for later
Serrano Chile Salsa
Black Bean Burgers

I think I’ll make a double batch of the cake and freeze one 9 inch just to see how it does. I’m making this cake for an upcoming cooking class. I’m sure my husband will be thrilled I’m testing this recipe!

My dog is sooo adorable I can’t stand it. I took her to the beach today for the first time and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the sand. She was a little nervous.

Miss Jorda