Beer-Battered Green Beans

So, we've been a little MIA lately. We had computer issues that ended up being a bigger deal than I thought because we needed that computer for our photos. We also had a photo shoot for our "about the author" section with V.K.Rees Photography that was literally magical. She was able to take photos of me that I actually like. It's was like some kind of Harry Potter moment. I've been setting up 2 completely awesome contests for December. You're going to love these. And of course, there is the book...

The deadline for the manuscript for our book is about 2 weeks away and I admit I'm nervous and excited and busy. There's the recipe testing and writing and the typing out of recipes and then double checking there's no typos and just so much to do. I've been so terrified of mistakes and I've literally been micromanaging myself while being excited to finally have the best job in the world.

I had to stay in Brooklyn over Thanksgiving and missed out on The Shannons' Annual Vegan Feast. I can tell you I did make the best of it by getting a lot done - including a Peking Tofurky with drumsticks and Asian vegetable wild rice. But I missed going to Boston to see everyone and spending the holiday with family. This is the first time I have missed Thanksgiving since Dan and I became "us" and it was kind of sad.

But enough with the sad stories, today we're going to talk about Beer Battered Green Beans. You've seen Green Bean French Fried whatever on the menu of all those TGIF-ish places. I've always kind of joked that this trend was a dubious attempt at "healthy fries" after Super Size Me*. I mean after that movie, everybody seemed to be deep frying their green beans. Weird or wonderful? Maybe both.

Having said that - These fries are good! They are delicious. I mean I was really shocked at how fraking good these fries were. Green beans are one of my very favorite vegetables so it was fun to play around with a new way to make them but you have been warned just because these little guys are green doesn't mean they are "health food"... They are a fun, vegan, basket of food that will go great with a cold beer and some Hockey. We should love them for who they are.

Game on!

Moving Week! Vegan Creole Spice Popcorn Chicken

So it's our last week in Norfolk before we head off for our new life in the big city. I go back and forth between thinking we've made a lot of progress and are going to totally make it out of here in time in an organized way and thinking we are living in utter chaos and pretty much screwed. It's not really an ideal situation for making culinary masterpieces. I mean last night I searched forever for a cork screw that I am now remembering was packed in the box with baking gear the day before. I mean we have stacks of clothes and magazines I haven't touched in months in easy to access piles around the apartment right now but I can't open a bottle of red wine to make a simple summer sauce for dinner. SIGH.

Last night was also a big night for anyone who has ever loved The Celtics* or loves anyone who fits that description. They swept the New York Knicks in the playoffs and made all those New Englanders proud yet again. I could bore you with rants about my job, the move, boxes, learning to drive a stick or even chatter about getting to see my friends' baby this weekend. I won't do that. Last year we celebrated the Celtics kick ass in the playoffs with Big Baby Vegan Hot Wings... This year we're going to veganize a different sports bar favorite : Popcorn Chicken - Creole Spice Popcorn Chicken actually.

Super easy and fast and perfect for a kitchen in flux that has limited access to gadgets. So what are we waiting for? Let's do this...

The Betty Crocker Project : Pear & Cranberry Cobbler

Before

So you may have noticed we have been having some technical difficulties over here. Crazy margins and spell check OKing words that well aren't words - that combined with the holidays and various social engagements have lead to our Christmas Pear and Cranberry Cobbler not getting posted till today. I thought about it though and really there is nothing that Christmasy about this cobbler really. It's just our adaption of Betty's Peach Cobbler. I mean you could make this tonight and enjoy it with a big mug of tea and be quite happy with it. I actually wish I had some right now.

You may have heard the news about The East Coast and our blizzard yesterday... we are literally snowed in. Our kitchen is pretty bare too since I purged a lot before we left for Boston. I wish we had even some basic groceries - like a vegetable or I could find a restaurant that would deliver. I wish I could be the kind of person who is perfectly content living off stale bread and jelly. Dan hiked through the snow this morning to get us some juice, coffee, tortilla chips and salsa from a 7-11 that was open. SIGH.

I miss you Pear & Cranberry Cobbler. Hope we get to see you again real soon!

Postcard from Boston! They may call it Beantown - but Vegans have way more options...

So you've probably guessed we've been away for Thanksgiving... well in Boston to be exact... Going to Celtic's games, visiting the Museum of Fine Arts and of course enjoying The Shannon Family vegan Thanksgiving! But when it comes to Boston they have a lot to offer as far as good vegan food besides what you find in the Shannon  kitchen...

The night before The Celtics beat The Raptors 110 to 101 in The Garden, we literally feasted at My Thai Vegan Cafe. We may have been a little too excited when we ordered because we got an appetizer, bowls of soups, 2 entrees and a beloved pot of green tea (that night was freezing) - which may sound like a normal meal but the serving sizes are so generous we had didn't have any room left for the gorgeous carrot cake they had in their bakery cases. Oh well - Guess we have to go back!

We started with Golden Triangles - which are medium sized fried won tons filled with a spiced fake chicken that came with a peanut sauce to dip them in. Dan was smart and got the Sweet & Sour Soup. This was some of the best Sweet & Sour Soups I've had since I moved from the Puget Sound area. It made me regret my Coconut Tofu Soup - which was also good but not a rock star like the Sweet & Sour. We both got entrees to share but really I'm not a great sharer when it comes to food. Dan's lucky I love him so much.

I got the Lemongrass Vegan Chicken and loved that I could actually taste the lemongrass. I adore the flavor and am often disappointed when it is over powered by salt or ginger. This was perfect. Dan took a chance and got the Tamarind Vegan Duck. I was worried it would be too sweet - a lot of times folks use jellies rather than fruit for the glazes and the sugar just kind of takes over. But the glaze was just the right amount of sweetness and savory and the vegan duck was firm and flavorful. The dish came on a huge plate surrounded by vegetables and was a meal on it's own. Man - I'm a getting a bit nostalgic just thinking about it.

But that's just one spot you should check out if you find yourself looking for vegan food in Boston...

An Open Letter To My Fantasy Football Opponents

Sirs,

It gives me great displeasure to inform you that the team of professional football players unknowingly associated with my imaginary team will score more points via an arbitrarily-generated scoring system than the team of professional football players unknowingly associated with your imaginary team in the weekly statistical contests that shall began last night.

The athletic achievements of the modern-day gladiators waging a unwitting war at your imaginary team's behest are certainly worthy of praise. However, if one should take the time to execute a dispassionate comparison, one would find that my own squadron of behelmeted Ben-Hurs have performed in the past, and posses the capability to perform in the future, feats of physical prowess far surpassing those of yours.

Therewith, I submit to you my argument: that the professional football players unknowingly associated with my imaginary team will score more points via an arbitrarily-generated scoring system than the team of professional football players unknowingly associated with your imaginary team. You have now been duly notified of this matter.

Good day.

The Betty Crocker Project : Beer Batter-Fried Fish (Marinated Tofu) & Tartar Sauce

Sometimes you just get what you need.

The other morning I woke up and thought: "I'd love to watch a detective story that has something to do with submarines while I drink my coffee today."

And you know what? I stumbled across a random episode of a CSI-type of show with Mark Harmon as a Navy FBI/police-type-person (?) that... guess what? Solved The Mystery of the Sailor Swap on a submarine!

This morning I woke up and thought: "I think I need more Richard Dreyfuss movies in my life."

And Jaws was on! Yes, I know, it's like an X-file.

Last night, I needed to come up with a new plan for dinner because my Match Vegan Chicken wasn't defrosted... and there she was. A little, forgotten package of extra-firm tofu. She waved and said "Remember me? You were going to make me into vegan fish sticks!"

I smiled and thought, "I can do better than, that my little friend*."

Herbivore Meets The Shannons Contest!

It's been almost a year since Dan and I invited a handful of friends and family to Lynch Park to witness us make a public, lifelong commitment to each other. I could rattle on about the how the dresses, shoes, ties, suits, whatever were all cruelty-free. No wool or silk in anything, and my dress was second hand. I made my veil myself, to look like one I saw Sophia Loren in. I also won't bore you with the details that went into flowers and wine bottle centerpieces. I won't brag too much about the spreadsheets and budgeting and other nerdotechnics* that went into planning a wedding in Massachusetts from Virginia. I'll also skip over how excited I was to marry my best friend, and how much fun we had dancing at the wedding to old school Chuck Berry and rockabilly music. You probably don't even want to hear about how our buddy Josh Hooten over at Herbivore Clothing designed the best wedding invitations ever for us. You guys aren't here for any of that.

What you want to know is how you can win a $25 Gift Certificate and a stash of buttons and stickers from Herbivore Clothing**. I know how you guys think.

So here's the contest! Our wedding had exceptional food - I mean really good stuff. Since Dan and I are both half Italian, the food at our reception was a 100%-vegan take on classic Italian dishes. Some the dishes were a bit harder to make than others, but they are all worthy recipes to add to a vegan resume. So please VOTE below in a comment for which menu item from our wedding reception you want to see featured as a Meet The Shannons recipe. We'll randomly choose one follower (sorry to be so strict, but we have to have a way to contact you) to win a $25 Gift Certificate and some awesome stickers and buttons from Herbivore.
We'll announce the winner and recipe on Monday, August 2nd.

Here are the contenders:

• Italian Wedding Soup with Focaccia Bread
• Fig & Apple Summer Salad
• Tofurky Sausage & Peppers
• Gnocchi with Marinara
• Pesto with Bowtie Pasta & Vegetables
• Coconut Vanilla Cupcakes
• Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
• Almond Biscotti

So let's get this vote on!

*Yeah that is a made up word.
**We were trying to think of a prize that we'd want to win, and this was at the top of the list. I mean, besides the clothes, there's a wide variety of cookbooks and other cool stuff you can get from Herbivore. You want to win this.

The Betty Crocker Project : Thai Chicken with Basil & Lemonade

This weekend we had a Shannon invasion!

Dan's parents and little sister came down from Boston and NYC to hang out at the beach, watch some soccer, and celebrate his dad's birthday/retirement/belated Father's Day--a perfect-storm celebration with the Virginia Shannons.

Yes, the US team is out of the World Cup, and that was a bummer. But you have to admit Ghana's keeper is talented. I mean, it would be really hard to think of another man dressed in head-to-toe periwinkle who kicks that much ass.

Saturday in Virginia was hot. Not really living on the Sun hot; more like Mercury, or that binary star they thought was a moon around Mercury until the 70s. So I thought it would be a good idea to skip the oven. We pulled out the rice cooker and scanned the "20 minutes or less" section of Betty's Big Red for something kinda light and healthy. The thing I didn't expect was the steam from the wok.

Yeah, I kinda cooked myself making this, but it was so worth it! We paired it with Betty's Lemonade recipe and it had a lovely dinner with some loved ones... after I drank about 4 glasses of icy lemonade. Sigh - what a world.

The Betty Crocker Project : Chicken Fingers & Oven-Baked Potato Wedges

I'm not sure if you knew this... but yesterday was vegan Christmas!

Yes, there was a huge box of Match Vegan Meats left on my doorstep yesterday. Poor little buddies, just looking for a kitchen to call home... until they're cooked and eaten, that is. MUAHAHAHAH.

We started with the "chicken," because we had tried the Betty chicken fingers recipe recently with our May Wah surplus and had been less than thrilled with the results (pictured below). I mean, they tasted pretty good, but the corn flake coating kept falling off and they were really messy to eat. The Match chicken comes in a uncooked sort of paste form, so you can make it into fingers and bread it without ending up with a lap full of baked crunchy bits.

Don't get me wrong... it hurts me say it. I mean, there hasn't been a competition this fierce since Kirk had to fight Spock. But I have to say that the Match Vegan Meat chicken fingers were freaking amazing! They made the May Wah ones look greasy and sad. If you can make these tonight - just do it.

And then do this.

The Betty Crocker Project : Special Leftovers Edition

We get a lot of questions about what to do with leftovers. So we thought we'd share some of our favorites thus far.

The Betty Crocker Project : Italian Chopped Salad & Asiago Bread

So you had to know this was coming. We're going to talk about Star Trek today.

Many people know that Dan and I live in a house divided. He grew up in the Red Sox Nation and I'm from Yankee stock. I love TV that is so bad it is amazing and Dan would prefer to spend his TV time with nobler pursuits like killing Xbox mutants. When it comes to one of the most heated debates in The Nerd Nation, my husband, The Love of My Life, thinks Jean Luc Picard is the baddest cat to wear a Federation Starfleet uniform. OK, I have to admit that the photo the Picard link goes to is sweet but I can't help it- I'm more a Kirk girl.

It's not like we're Trekkies or anything. Though I would put the movie Trekkies in my top 100 desert island movies. I find them fascinating. This is just one of those things that comes up in the life of someone who is not exactly "cool" and you develop a stance on. Probably in the same way people who are "cool" have opinions on Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirts and spray tans. I'm getting to my point. 

This week you are going to notice a lot of vegetable recipes because we totally loaded up at the farmer's markets on the way home from Assateague Island. You may love some more than others but unlike Star Trek Captains - you don't have to have a favorite. You can love them all equally. *

Ready to eat? Make it so. 

The Betty Crocker Project : Asian Tuna with Wasabi Aioli and Sesame Buttered Broccoli

You know those nights. . . the ones where everything just kinda works out? The nights when you're a little worried The Cleveland Cavilers may live up to their reputation and beat The Celtics but instead Kevin Garnett goes Berserker on them with his metal face and all.* The nights when you're a little unsure what dinner is going to turn out like and you were kinda grumpy all day so you're worried you may unknowingly stumble into a fight with your significant other but you don't and dinner turns out actually kinda amazing. You eat a dinner at home that you would pay to eat at a restaurant except this dinner is even better because you get to eat it in your slippers and a comfortable chair trying to keep kittens off the table. I really like those nights. Sigh. Thank you Betty for your role in this lovely evening.

OK enough gushing . . . more eating. . .

Doc Rivers, Head Coach Of The Boston Celtics, Consults With My Wife During A Timeout

ANNIE: Doc, I feel crowded in this kitchen because there isn’t enough counter space.

DOC: You’ve just gotta stay focused. Maintain your intensity in the kitchen. You’re a cook—this is what you do. If you stay focused, the tiny kitchen can’t beat you.

ANNIE: But our fridge is small too, so there’s no room for leftovers.

DOC: Look, we all want to cook this recipe. But we’ve got to do it together. OK? We’re trying to do it ourselves. We’ve got to do it together.

ANNIE: I’m all out of Supernatural since the new season isn’t on DVD yet. What am I supposed to do while I cook?

DOC: Just stay aggressive. I love your tempo right now. That’s who you are. That’s how you’re gonna win. Cook at your pace. Don’t cook at someone else's pace. Cook at your pace.

ANNIE: So we have this Aerogarden to grow herbs, but the basil has taken over and it’s choking out all the other herbs.

DOC: It’s a 45-minute recipe. OK? That’s all. Just cook the recipe for 45 minutes. That’s all you gotta do. 45 minutes. That’s all. Leave all the other stuff at home.

ANNIE: Percy keeps biting my ankles while I cook because he thinks it’s funny when I squeal. I’m worried I’m going to drop something on him.

DOC: Just stick to the game plan. Cook the recipe the way it’s drawn up. Percy’s going to try to draw you out of your recipe, out of your comfort zone. OK? Don’t let him. It’s your recipe. Just commit to it. You can make this vegan.

ANNIE: But there’s still not enough counter space.

DOC: Just maintain your intensity out there. Just stay focused. OK, bring it in. Energy, on three. Ready? One, two…

The Betty Crocker Project : Buffalo Chicken Wings

NBA Playoffs - Where vegan Big Baby Hot Wings happen. . .

Welcome to the shameless Meet The Shannons/NBA Playoffs cross-promotion. Though not as shameless as this one - at least ours makes sense. 

When I married an Irish-Italian boy from Boston I knew what I was getting into - unlike the Miami Heat this week. They may have thought that since Kevin Garnett was suspended they had a chance. Even the die-hard Boston fans were like : "How will we live without him?"

What they didn't count on was Big Baby Davis stepping up and proving to us all that just because someone or something is a substitute doesn't mean they can't BRING IT!  Just like these faux chicken wings - that we have renamed  Big Baby Hot Wings. . . because even The Heat have nothing on how hot they are!

• 1 Package of your favorite Fake Chicken on/and skewers ( We went with these Chicken Drumsticks from May Wah that are very similar to these but are not "spiced" - but I think this recipe would work just as good with Chicken Seitan or  Morningstar Chikn Strips on bamboo skewers or toothpicks. The Fake Chicken should be put on the skewers AFTER being coated in the Flour mix. Fake Chicken should be defrosted. )
• 2 Tablespoons Margarine 
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of Hot Sauce 
• 1 Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning  
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin 
• 1 Bottle of Tahini or Vegan Ranch Dressing
• Celery Sticks, Carrots or other raw veggies

Preheat oven to 425.

In a 13x9 pan, melt the butter in the oven. In a large zip lock bag, mix Flour, Salt and Pepper. Put the Fake Chicken in the bag and shake  - 2 at a time - until the Chicken is completed coated. Place coated Chicken in the pan.

Bake uncovered for 3-5 minutes and then flip the Chicken to make sure it gets completely covered with the Margarine. It should take about 10 minutes for the Fake Chicken to be a golden color and have a crispy coating. . . If you are using smaller pieces of Fake Chicken - it will take less time - so keep an eye on them.

During that time mix BBQ Sauce, Hot Sauce, Cajun Seasoning, Liquid Smoke and Cumin in a bowl.

Once the Fake Chicken has a golden crispy coating pull it out of the oven and pour the BBQ mix over the Fake Chicken. Flip the Fake Chicken a few times to make sure it gets completely coated in the BBQ mix.

Bake uncovered for around 10-12 minutes. or until the BBQ Sauce reaches a desired moistness. . . some people like them more sticky than saucy.

Serve with Dressing and Veggies.

The Danannie Wedding

It has only been a few weeks and though they say things don't really change all that much after you get married . . . things are different . . . just the slightest bit better.

Not to brag or anything - BUT we had a pretty beautiful wedding that was actually fun and full of dancing, wine, lots of flowers, gnocchi, Tofurky, tattoos, smooth suits and cupcakes and it had a distinct lack of drama or real mishap. There was no unwanted crashers and just a slight threat of rain. And although we didn't have any of the hilarious disasters or heartbreaking mishaps that are so common amongst wedding themed cinema - At one point during the reception - I said to P.T. "I feel like this is the end of a movie. All these old friends from all over the world coming together on this one weekend and now we are all dancing and hugging . . . I feel like any minute now - we're ready for the camera to pull away into the credits . . . I'm ready for our happy ending now."

Or was it just the beginning. . . . DUHDUHDUH!