Adventures in Seitan and Tempeh

I have discovered Vegan cooking and it has forever changed my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a vegan and I don't have plans on becoming one any time soon. (I have a nasty cheese addiction). I'm just saying the discovery of cookbook authors Isa Chandra Moskowitz and
Terry Hope Romero has blasted open a new door in my culinary adventures.

You see, I had a boring summer and I found myself wandering the aisles of my local bookstore looking for a new cookbook. After years of attempting to master all of my favorite dishes from the series of Moosewood cookbooks - I was ready for something new. Enter Vegan with a Vengeance and Veganomicon.

I am in love. I find myself seeking out all sort of interesting ingredients I had never considered trying: nutritional yeast, vital wheat gluten, agar agar, agave nectar, the list goes on and on. A trip to Whole Foods is now like a trip to the amusement park. Any exotic sounding fruit, vegetable, or product now gets an exciting trip back to my kitchen. At the farmer's market, I have picked up brussel sprouts, cauliflower, acorn squash, dried ancho chili peppers, and seaweed. I'm still working up the nerve to attempt kale.... Baby steps, baby steps. I find myself eating and loving a larger variety of foods than I ever thought possible.

My last few months have been filled with making homemade vegetarian sushi with creamy avocado, learning the art of making seitan (also known as wheat meat) for jerk seitan and coconut rice, and devouring beer marinated tempeh tacos with a creamy cilantro sauce. Oh, and lets not forget roasted brussel sprout and cauliflower thin crust pizza. My family has loved black bean and corn empanadas dipped in homemade cilantro salsa, winter squash tamales smothered in mole, and an abundance of fresh stews and chilies as the winter months approach.

So, with seitan simmering on my stove top, I beg of you - run to your local bookstore and check out Isa's and Terry's masterpieces. Do a little vegan baking, rediscover brunch vegan style, or drown your sorrows in a vegan margarita cupcake......

Namaste!