AuburnChick's Adventures

You might recall that the Mr. bought me a box of vegan mac and cheese from Publix a few days ago.

I might have also mentioned that I heard angels singing.

Being lactose-intolerant stinks, but the world is a different place, food-wise, than it was twenty years ago when I suddenly, as in over night, woke up to a body that rejected anything made with milk.

Thanks to that tasty frozen dinner the Mr. bought, I am now on a mission to find a mac and cheese recipe I can make at home.

Go ahead and stop laughing.  I know you are because you know how often I cook.

Anyhoo…

I did a bit of searching and found Detoxinista’s recipe here.

Two things about this concoction appealed to me:  the small number of ingredients and the amount of work/time required.  I’m both lazy and allergic to spending inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen.

heehee

I found the elbow macaroni and cashews at Walmart.

I couldn’t find the nutritional yeast at either Walmart or Publix, but I got lucky when I visited my favorite health food store.

I made this recipe twice.  The first time, I baked it after mixing the macaroni and sauce.  The Mr. was appalled when he saw paprika sprinkled on top, but the taste was delicious anyhow.  I will say that if I ever bake this again, I’ll make more sauce.  It lost much of its creaminess because of the baking.

For fun, and as part of my experimenting, I made it again the next day.  This time, I decided not to bake it.  I was reminded of the years I spent preparing Kraft Mac and Cheese…the kind with the foil cheese packet…for my children.

It took about the same amount of time to make this recipe as to open a boxed kit.  The sauce can be made while the pasta is cooking.

As you can see from the picture below, the result was a much “cheesier” pot of yumminess.

Here are my thoughts about the recipe.

Use a food processor bowl instead of a blender.  I have the Ninja system, and the first time I made it, I used a blender.  It was a little harder to scrape down the “cheese” in the larger container.  The second time I made it, I used the larger food processor bowl.

You need to blend the cheese mixture between 7-10 minutes, scraping down the sides every so often.  The longer you blend, the smoother and thicker the mixture becomes.  It really does look like cheese, thanks to the tumeric and mustard.

The first time I made the recipe, I used yellow mustard; the second time, I used Dijon.  I couldn’t discern any difference in taste.

This recipe packs a punch flavor-wise…a pleasant and unexpected surprise given the limited number of ingredients.  It will now be my one of my go-to dishes and a comfort food for sure!

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: vegan | 1 Comment »

Tonight, we went to a local hibatchi restaurant.

We’ve always enjoyed watching our food being cooked.  The entertainment is fun.

Everything was going along swimmingly.

I had ordered vegetable hibatchi and had swapped out white rice for the fried.

Remember, I am a vegan.  I don’t eat anything animal-related.

As the cook began preparing our food, I smiled.

Until…

He started messing around with the vegetables.

The first problem:  He slid the vegetables over to the area he’d just used to cook steak, seafood, and chicken on.

Not cool.

Sure, he had scraped the grill, but still.

The second problem was when he grabbed a pat of butter and stuck it in the middle of the vegetables.

I started seething.

The Mr. quickly looked over at me.

He knew that this was a problem.

Butter has milk in it.

I am lactose-intolerant.

I seethed.

The third problem occurred while the cook was stirring the vegetables.

Guess what he used?

Yep.

The same utensils he’d used to cook the meat with.

This is obviously not a restaurant that thinks about vegetarians or vegans.

Perhaps nobody has brought these types of no-no’s to their attention.

I picked at my food after it was served.  I had lost my appetite.

I realize that people don’t mean to cook in non-vegan-friendly ways, but seriously…if a person orders a no-meat dinner, shouldn’t that be a red flag?

One would think that further questions should be asked…

Are there allergies?

The restaurant industry is making strides to become more friendly as far as offering alternatives for those of us who choose (or don’t choose but must live with) certain diets.

Restaurants can go further.

If a person asks for steamed broccoli, don’t steam it in butter, and don’t add cheese to the top before serving it.

Ask before sprinkling cheese on anything for that matter.

Let customers know if something is cooked in beef stock.  A lot of soups that are advertised as “vegan” have an animal base and, thus, are not.

What happens to me if I eat non-vegan friendly food?

What’s the big deal?

I get sick.

As do others like me.

I watched a coworker get violently ill a couple of years ago after she’d eaten a salad that did not have cheese on it.

There was cheese in the dressing.

I learned this last weekend when I ate at the same restaurant and had the foresight to ask what was in the dressing.

I had to choose a different dressing altogether.  Actually, I think I went without because there wasn’t a viable option available.

But I didn’t get sick after dinner.

People wonder why I don’t eat much.

Consider yourself educated.

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: vegan | Leave a comment »

Yesterday evening, Rooster and I had one thing on our minds…

Dinner.

The Mr. was working late, so it was up to us to fend for ourselves.

I did what all good mothers do.

I called and placed a to-go order at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

I always get two bean burritos but substitute the cheese sauce for enchilada sauce.  Not only am I vegan, but I am lactose-intolerant.

Rooster requested plain chicken and cheese nachos.

The gentleman who took my order repeated it back to me.  Everything was set to go.

I arrived at the restaurant, asked about Rooster’s order to ensure that my wishes had been adhered to, and made my way home…eager to dig in.

Take a look what I found when I opened my meal…

Do you see the cheese?

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

I was also angry.

Very much so.

This is a restaurant I frequent often.

They know me.

They know my order.

I can tell you how much it costs before and after tax.

I quickly called them up and explained what had happened…IN VERY FIRM WORDS.

I was ticked off royally and vented, explaining to the gal that I knew she was just the person who’d answered the phone (actually, she was also the one who gave me my order, so in reality, she should have checked it).

She knew I was mad.

I told her that I did not want to go back right then because 1) I was tired and 2) I was about to jump in the shower.

She offered to replace my meal the next time I go back…even mentioning how she knows me but still didn’t check my order.

Seriously?

Sheesh.

I meekly agreed to get a replacement meal on my way home from work the next day, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, I’m going to ask for my money back…sans the meal.

I jumped into the shower with tears flowing down my face…heartily disappointed.

I didn’t have dinner.

It sucked.

I feel as though I am constantly sending dishes back to the kitchen because SOMEBODY DOESN’T PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I’VE TOLD THEM.

How hard is it to write my order down or, if you’re the cook, READ the order?

If you’re the person picking up the order to deliver it to my table, shouldn’t you CHECK THE ORDER?

Last week, the Mr. and I visited our local Bennigans.

I was thrilled because I’d called ahead to make sure that the veggie burger didn’t have an egg binder…that it truly was vegan-friendly.  It was, so we traipsed to the mall.

I ordered STEAMED broccoli…strictly requesting that it NOT be cooked in butter because of my ALLERGY TO MILK.

Guess what I got?

I got an order of steamed broccoli with PARMESAN CHEESE!

Seriously?

The server was mortified when I called her to my table.

That order should never have even made it to my table!!

Here’s the deal, folks.

If a person asks you to hold the cheese, white sauce, or butter, ACQUIESCE to the request.

Most of the time, it’s because there is an allergy that the person HASN’T CHOSEN to have to live with.

How would you like to be stuck in the bathroom for hours while your body tries to get rid of the stuff that’s been put in without the owner’s knowing it?

How would you like to have to call in sick because SOMEBODY FAILED TO DOUBLE-CHECK AN ORDER?

Been there and done that, which is one reason why I went totally vegan.

That’s the reality of my life.

My Mexican restaurant has lost a fan.  It’s too bad.  I don’t trust them any more.

In fact, I’m going to have to buckle down and stick with what I know…plain and simple home-cooked meals.

I’m really very tired of having a spotlight shine on me nearly every time I go out to eat…all because of something I cannot help…all because someone can’t see fit to hold the cheese.

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: vegan | 1 Comment »