It's called a Haystack

To build an amazing haystack of food, you go like this:

Layer 1 -- Frito's corn chips
Layer 2 -- Beans
Layer 3 -- (Vegan) cheese
Layer 4 -- Lettuce
Layers 5+ -- Veggies; usually including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, jalepenos, avocadoes, etc.
Additional layers -- Salsa, Tapa Tio, (vegan) sour cream

This is one of my favorite meals in the world.  I've been eating 'stacks since I was a kid and they are just the best!  There are so many variations, and they never get old.  Thank you to Michael Tucker who posted a picture of the haystack he was eating, thus inspiring me to make them immediately.

Rice with Avocado and Tomato

This week I was back to my crazy work schedule of 6:30am - 7:30pm.  That includes commuting, but still, it's a long day.  By the time I get home, I'm ravenous and need something to eat ASAP.  I made a detailed menu for the week and instructed the husband to please feel free to start the daily meals so that they would ready, or close to ready, by the time I get home.  :)  He happily obliged. 

This one is super simple and easy to make.  It's been a steadfast meal in our household and we love it. 

1 -- Make rice
2 -- Cut up some fresh avocado and tomato
3 -- Put avo's and tom's on top of rice
4 -- Add sriracha
5 -- EAT!  

I had two packets of instant miso soup in the pantry, so we added boiling water to those and had that with the rice as well.  Not too shabby.

Baked Potato Goodness!

Oh my goodness these were the best potatoes ever! 

Toppings are:

Earth Balance vegan margarine
Cooked spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower
Sauteed mushrooms and onions
Baby corn
Dijon mustard
Salsa
Salt and Pepper
Daiya vegan cheddar cheese.

I Love Chloe's Kitchen!

 This is turning out to be a great cookbook.  I tried three more recipes and they were all so delicious.

First of all, I made the No Soy Soy Sauce for the Chow Mein the other night, and it was surprisingly good and tasted just like soy sauce.

Then,  I made the "Pancakes for Dinner!" for breakfast yesterday.  I almost didn't attempt these at all because I have NEVER had luck with vegan pancakes.  Believe me, I've tried.  A lot.  Not only that, but I was going to use Gluten-free flour, which I've never used before.  All these factors did not equal favorable odds of a successful pancake.

I decided to make steel-cut oats instead.

While that was all boiling, I finally gave in to the pancake temptation and whipped up the batch from Chloe's cookbook.  AND THEY TURNED OUT!  It worked!  I made vegan, gluten-free pancakes and they were delicious!  I can not believe it.

The next recipe I tried was the Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a Butter Sage Sauce for dinner.  Again, this was totally gluten-free and who would know?!  I can't even begin to describe how delectable these were.  Get this book and make them ASAP.  By the way, these are a huge husband-pleaser.

Side note:  I didn't read beforehand that the recipe called for red-skinned sweet potatoes, so I just bought the potatoes that were under a sign saying "sweet potatoes" and not the ones under a sign saying "yams."  I think these gnocchi are supposed to be orangey like yams.  Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?  I don't know, but they were still really good. 

Vegetable Chow Mein

I just bought the vegan cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen, by Chloe Cascarelli and I have been salivating all week looking at the recipes!  They all look so amazing, I couldn't wait to make one.  Tonight I tried her recipe called Chinese Takeout Chow Mein.  Score!  Recipe #1 is a success!  I can't wait to make more from Chloe's book!

Due to a lingering sinus infection, I've recently decided to try a gluten-free, soy-free diet as a self-diagnosis for possible allergies.   Therefore, I modified the recipe a little bit, but it still tasted amazing.  I also made rice which might seem redundant, but what's Chinese food without rice, right?

Stuffed Mushroooms and Cream of Broccoli Soup

The Skinny B* cookbook never fails.  Never.  I love this book.

This week I made the stuffed mushrooms and cream of broccoli soup recipes from this cookbook and what can I say?  They were amazing!  I think Will agreed because he couldn't get enough. 

Quinoa for Dinner

I just threw this together last minute and it turned out to be pretty amazing.

Quinoa
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/4 cup fresh carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cup frozen vegetables: edamame, corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper

Spicy Sauce
1 tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1/2 tablespoon Chili-Garlic sauce
1/2 freshly squeezed lime
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Cook everything according to packages, except the carrots, and then mix all together with the spicy sauce (to taste.) 

It was perfect as a main dish to go with my salad.  I'll be having leftovers for lunch tomorrow, thank you.