I created a Facebook fan page for I Married an Omnivore! as a way to keep in touch with you between blogs. Lately, I’ve been using the page to share content with you in lieu of writing a blog. I feel like I’m still connecting and sharing, but in a way that’s more manageable with my schedule. It’s made me much happier on a personal level. Yet, not updating this blog on a regular basis is a weight on my shoulders… a burden I’d like to address.

I’m not ready to give up blogging… yet. Although I love the ease of posting on the I Married an Omnivore! Facebook page, I want a home base for my original content… but I’d like to simplify. I’ve been mulling a switch to Tumblr. I love WordPress and advocate its use all the time, but the more I see of Tumblr, the more it looks like it could be a good fit for me at this time.

I wanted to give you a “heads up” on the switch. Don’t panic if you come back here and things look totally different! I have some time off coming up soon, so the changes may come within the next week or so. I haven’t decided if I will try to convert the entire blog into Tumblr in one swoop or start fresh while sprinkling in older content among the new. Decisions, decisions!

I made these in mini loaf pans, which unmolded perfectly but, as you can see, were very tender when sliced. Still, they were quite delicious. And, the serving is very generous… could definitely get by eating only half the mini loaf. (For those following the Weight Watchers program, one mini loaf is 9 points according to my calculations.)

Oh, and, as some of you may know, hubby isn’t a squash fan… he hates the stuff, but enjoyed his mini loaf. He said he could taste the squash. Yet, we also debated whether or not he would have “tasted” it if he didn’t know (prior to eating it) that it was made with squash. Next time, I ain’t sharing my secret ingredients with him. :-p

Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Meatloaf – Serves 4
2 – 12oz. packages Boca crumbles
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened applesauce
1 large-ish zucchini, peeled and shredded
2 large-ish carrots, peeled and shredded
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 egg
1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic pwder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist four mini loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Combine Boca crumbles, oats applesauce, squash, carrots, ketchup, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Scoop mixture evenly into the four mini loaf pans, packing it down into the molds. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before turning the loaves out onto a plate.

On our second to last day in Acadia, we hiked the Jordan Pond Trail, which is a moderate 3-mile trail around, well, Jordan Pond! The trail is fairly easy and flat but gets its rating from a stretch of rocky path that some folks might find challenging. I was really excited to hike this trail because it put us in the vicinity of the Jordan Pond House—the only restaurant inside Acadia National Park.

After the morning trek around the pond, we took a break from our trail food and stopped inside the House for lunch. The Jordan Pond House lunch menu had a few vegetarian options, including Cranberry Island or Kitchen Garden salads; Hummus or Vegetarian Panini sandwiches; and Vegetable Quiche. I ordered the panini with a cup of tomato bisque soup, and hubby got the roast beef sandwich with a cup of lobster stew. We enjoyed the food, but felt it was a bit over-priced. We definitely seemed to be paying for the privilege of dining inside the Park rather than exceptional food. Still, it was a nice to eat from a plate rather than a plastic bag in camp!

I’ve got lots I’d like to share with you in the coming weeks… ideas for vegetarian camping meals, stories about our trip… possibly some video, too!

While I sort through and prepare these cool blog items, I thought I’d post this “almost camp meal” that we ate today at home for lunch. We originally took two packages of Tasty Bite lentils and flour tortillas with us in our camping food tub. I thought we could pick up a fresh tomato and onion at a local Maine market and make easy camp burritos. I overestimated our meals so the burritos never made it to the camp stove. But, that’s OK… they hit the spot today and made for a quick lunch while we scrambled to unpack, wash clothes and put our lives back in order before the weekly work grind resumes tomorrow.

Lazy Lentil Burritos

1-2 pkgs Tasty Bite “Lentil Magic”
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large onion, sliced and sauteed until soft
Flour tortillas

Slice onion and saute in lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Open can of diced tomatoes and place in a colander to drain. While onion is sauteing and tomatoes draining, heat package of Tasty Bite lentils in microwave per package instructions. Combine the lentils, onion and tomato atop flour tortillas and wrap burrito style… and enjoy!

If you want to bake vegan cupcakes for non-vegans, you really need to own Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (affiliate link). Every recipe I’ve tried from this book so far has been amazing.

I was charged with making dessert for my parents’ birthday party. It was a small affair—hubby and I, my sister and her husband, my mom and dad. Still, my decision to make an animal-free dessert over a “normal” dessert has gotten mixed reviews in the past. Of course, that was several years ago now and my family has had more opportunities to learn that vegan desserts can taste just as rich and delicious as those made with animal ingredients. Especially if you’re making cupcakes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s book!

Pictured above is the “Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes,” which I topped with walnuts and a piece of Chocolove’s Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate Bar. Definitely a chocolate lover’s dream. Very, very rich. And quite irresistible. Because the recipe makes more than a dozen cupcakes, hubby taste-tested these (three of them!) before we left for the party. The birthday boy and girl also took “seconds” home with them. I think it’s safe to say these cupcakes were a winner!

Have you served a vegan dessert? What did you make and how did it go over with the omni-crowd?

This is a recipe I spied in a magazine earlier this year, but just got around to cooking it this week. It comes together quickly—the longest part is the cooking time—and by throwing in a package of Italian vegetarian (or vegan) sausages, it makes for an easy meatless weeknight meal that is sure to please any omnivore at your dinner table.

(Yes, I took a short cut and used package veggie sausages… feel free to give this a try with your favorite homemade vegetarian sausage recipe, too!)

Roasted vegetables with vegetarian sausage

2 crisp red apples, quartered
2 yellow potatoes, cut into thin wedges
2 leeks, halved crosswise and lengthwise (use only the white and light green parts!)
1 pkg your favorite faux sausages (I used Lightlife’s Smart Sausage’s, Italian), cut in half
1/2 TBSP dried thyme
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degree F. Slice and cut your veggies, place them in a large roasting pan and then toss them with the salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil, coating well. Once oven reaches cooking temperature, place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Retrieve the pan from the oven and gently stir vegetables, adding the halved sausages into the mix. Place back into oven and roast for about 10 minutes more, or until the sausages are heated through and the vegetables are tender.
3. Plate immediately and serve hot. Enjoy!

I’ve been trying out Door-to-Door Organics and had lots of organic carrots to use up. As I may have mentioned previously, hubby loves carrot cake so it was a perfect opportunity for me to try another vegan carrot cake recipe. Those who follow me on Facebook know that I made the vegan carrot cake cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (affiliate link) for Easter and boy were they delicious! That recipe still is probably my favorite thus far in terms of animal-free carrot cake, but the Nasoya recipe was pretty good too. Nice and moist, more brownie-like than cake-like. Hubby loved it though and we snacked on it all week.

As for the peanut butter pie… hubby loves peanut butter, too. We somehow got on the topic of the peanut butter banana ice “cream” I made last year, which hubby didn’t care for. To redeem myself, I offered to make the frozen peanut butter pie you see above and it was quite delicious! Easy too. Just bake the pie shell and combine all the other ingredients in blender, pour into cooled pie crust, freeze and voila, you have a tasty vegan summer treat!

I love it!  Do you?

Animal-friendly French toast with maple syrup

One of my favorite breakfast foods is French toast.

Traditionally made by dipping slices of thick bread into a beaten egg and dairy mixture to coat, then frying the bread in a pan or griddle slathered in butter or oil, French toast is one of those dishes that you don’t have to “give up” when choosing to eat a meatless or vegetarian diet.

In fact, even those following a strict plant-based or vegan diet can devour an awesome plate of French toast that is… dare I say… even better than the dairy/egg version.

I make this claim because *I* think the recipe below is awesome and my meat-eating hubby called this recipe “the best French toast” he’s ever tasted. Seriously! This coming from the man who still uses “real” dairy when he’s cooking for himself. Yet, he doesn’t miss any of the dairy or eggs in this recipe, which is my favorite breakfast food from Vegweb.com.

Do you have a favorite plant-based French toast recipe?

The Yummiest French Toast

2 cups vanilla soy milk
4-5 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
dash of cinnamon
bread slices (your choice)
oil or vegan butter (I use Earth Balance) for frying

Combine the soymilk, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, whisking it together to form a batter. Dip each bread slice into the batter one at a time before placing in a lightly greased pan, frying the slices until golden brown on each side. Prior to serving, sprinkle with vegan powdered sugar or simply top it with pure maple syrup instead!

! TIP ! Use day-old bread, or let the bread slices dry out and harden a bit overnight to help avoid completely soggy toast.

"Lazy and Hungry Tofu plus Broccoli"

Orange construction barrels and expressway closures have extended my daily commute now through October.

So lately, I’m all about “easy” when I arrive home and begin cooking late in the evening. The faster I can plate something for hubby and I, the better.

Cue this awesome recipe for Lazy and Hungry Tofu and Broccoli which was shared by “feelinsoreal” on Vegweb.com. This dish is a simple and quick vegetarian dinner when you need something made in a short amount of time.

Not only does it go from the stove to table quickly, but the meal is calcium-rich, too. With about 94 mg of calcium in a cup pf cooked broccoli, and 80-330 mg of calcium per 4 ounces of tofu (depending on how its processed), this plant-based dish makes an excellent contribution to the daily recommended 1000 mg of calcium for adults ages 19-50.

The only change I made from the original recipe was that I used peanut oil because I didn’t have sesame oil on hand. I chose to serve this with brown rice that I cooked using veggie broth instead of water. Deelish! Cook up the entire package of tofu if your appetite depends on it.

Lazy and Hungry Tofu and Broccoli

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp peanut oil
1/2 of a 14 oz block extra-firm tofu
1 cup broccoli
1 tbsp soy sauce
sesame seeds (optional)

Press tofu to remove excess water, then chop tofu and broccoli into bite-size chunks. Pour both oils in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. When oil is warm, add tofu pieces to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring to brown tofu on all sides. Add broccoli and soy sauce, stirring to combine with tofu and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is heated through and slightly tender. Serve over a grain. Garnish with sesame seeds and voila, dinner is served!