The Betty Crocker Project : Louisiana Vegan Chicken Skillet Dinner

 I debated if I should post this recipe today because even though this is a very easy and delicious dinner - the photos just didn't really show that. I mean this dinner has it all. There's leafy kale, Vitamin C packed red peppers, cute little back-eyed peas, smokey vegan bacon and big Creole kick. It's great.
It's also one of those almost one pot wonders that Americans have come to know as "skillets."

Back in my wasted youth, my friends and I used to call each other "Home Skillet" when we were feeling what Emerson called "the comradery of peers."

So I guess it makes sense that an easy dinner than requires less clean up would earn this term of endearment. I mean we loved it. During all the soul crushing recording of receipts and organizing papers that was going on around ehre last week -- there was this recipe to look forward to. Not just as a dinner but for lunch the next day as leftovers. Yeah. This dinner is my "Home Skillet."

The Betty Crocker Project: BLT Crostinis

Keep an open mind - This is actually a pretty remarkable appetizer.

I've heard that a 'fear of commitment' is one of the most popular self-diagnosed phobias in our society. I understand it but it's not really a phobia I have. I mean I'm not perfect. Needles can send me into a panic attack and sandwiches with wet pasty bread give me the chills. I also might have a mild case of social anxiety issues that I should Google more about. Though I'm pretty sure it's just run-of-the-mill shyness. Don't worry I'm getting to my point.

See recently something pretty awesome happened. I was featured in vegan chef superstar Kathy Patalsky's 2011 Veggie Girl Power series over on Healthy.Happy.Life. I'm beyond flattered to be part of this interview series that includes Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgar, Stephanie Morgan, Anya, Kathy Freston, and Portia de Rossi. This is an amazing group of women doing extraordinary things in the world by promoting healthy living and helping animals. My excitement combined with the fact that we are currently writing our book created this perfect storm of chattiness that made my interview a bit long but completely sincere. I hope you'll take a minute today to check it out if you haven't already.

In there I talk about all the different crostinis we've been making lately for the party section of our book and briefly walk through how to make Mexican crotinis. This lead to a few emails last night asking us what crostini recipe so far is the most random/unusual/delicious. See many of the folks who have been following The Betty Crocker Project know that sometimes Betty comes up with some dishes that might seem kinda random but that's how our little project fills it's danger and adventure quota. Going into this project we had to commit to going into each recipe with an open mind. Today's post is one of those recipes where that pays off.

I had intended to save this recipe for the book but there is a little smudge on the plate that ruined the pictures and so many of you seemed really into having crotinis at your holiday dinners and potlucks - I had to share. If you're following along in your own Big Red you probably noticed there are lot of changes but really I think these changes only make these little buddies better. I actually love these crostinis in a way that I've never really loved BLT sandwiches. I hope you'll give them a chance and add some kitschy Betty-Style novelty to your next party.

Leftovers Edition Episode II - Vegan Ranch Mashed Potatoes

 It's starting to feel like autumn in Brooklyn. The trees on our street are starting to lose their leaves and I'm trading in my afternoon iced tea fix for a mug of Earl Grey. Hot. The other day Dan and I left our apartment to walk around the city and drink coffee by the fountain in Bryant Park. I'm even thinking of starting my triennial* Buffy & Angel marathon to celebrate the season change but have been distracted with the second season of the British Being Human while I bake and bake and bake. I know you're all judging the choice but sometimes it's nice to mix up your vampire television consumption.


Because our oven is full of baked goods and our stove top is crowded with pots of caramel and berry fillings... it's been hard to find the time and space to make a proper dinner. That's where all those leftovers come in handy and lord knows we have enough. We get a lot of questions about what we do to make those leftovers special and for tips on how to reinvent a dish. In particular, how to make the Ranch Mashed Potatoes I mentioned like a year ago. So here they are! Ta-Da! One of my very favorite ways to enjoy potatoes! Sorry for the delay.

I think if you're looking for an easy recipe to make your dinner a little more special, you've found it. The vegan sour cream does make them a bit creamier and I recommend getting some vegan bacon bits like Bac-Os to toss over the top because the smokiness and ranch really work. And if you're one of those folks who doesn't just live off potatoes... I recommend grabbing some Match Vegan Meats and making these "chicken fingers" and making a pot of smokey collared greens too. And if you're an over acheiver who really loves food and your friends, you'll toss all that on a piece of toasted baguette and pour a little gravy over the too. You'll have an open-faced sandwich that will win over the heart of even the meatiest of your loved one. I mean that sandwich is like the Kenny Rodgers of sandwiches**, little bit country - little bit rock & roll and a whole lotta awesome.


SIGH. Now I'm hungry. To the electric hand mixer!

Vegan Rock-toberfest & The Betty Crocker Project!

I'm not German but I love love love Oktoberfests! I mean what's not to love? Polka dancing, pretzels, cheap random imported beers, sauerkraut, beer brats (vegan of course) and all kinds of other awesome-ness. When we were in Budapest we hid out from a biblical thunderstorm in a German-fest tent (not an Oktoberfest but it had the same vibe) and watched some pretty amazing accordion* accompanied karaoke. Of course in Budapest around May Day festivals aren't hard to find but it was one of the best nights we had there during one of the best weeks ever. This month we're going to be Deutsching it up with a handful of vegan recipes to help you rock-toberfest!

In America, we're used to our potato salad chilled and with more mayo than potato but in Germany there is a very popular dish called Kartoffelsalat that is actually a potato salad served warm and with bacon.We made our own tweaks of course on Betty's Recipe to make it our own vegan noms and so you can add this side to your party with some Roasted Vegan Black Pepper Beer Brats (recipe also included)! I know! two recipes in one day! It's OK to say "Hölle ja!" right now.

You would think in Germany they would call this "Das Gutes" but they don't. Silly Germans.

I know I promised news to explain my bad blogging habits lately so here ya go : I recently resigned from my job to focus on this blog and our upcoming book full-time. This is going to be my last week balancing working a full-time (plus) job and busting through The Betty Crocker Project! It's been a bit of a challenge wrapping up a job I've had for 6 years but it's time. I'm sure you don't want to hear about that though... you want to hear about the contests and guest posts we have lined up this month for Vegan MoFo but this isn't a time for spoilers... Now is when you need to open a bottle of your favorite Bier, put on some Hasselhoff and get on your Pleiderhosen**!

You ready to Rock-toberfest?

The Betty Crocker Project : Diablo Beef-less Lentil Chili Mac

Every food blogger has been there. You make this kick ass casserole-ish dish, a dish that you have a responsibility to share with the world and it's pretty much as photogenic as the monster in Cloverfield. It can be hard to see in photos what makes this casseroley dish special and different than all the other casseroley dishes in the universe of the casseroles and casserole wanna-bes. See if you're the kind of eater that loved our 3 Alarm Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger then you will love this casserole. It's all "beefy" and "cheesy" while sparing those poor cows. It also has that "smokey" and "salty" bacon flavor that makes hipsters and the hipsteresque crave it like Gollum and that evil ring without harming any little piggies. And then on top of all that - it's also spicy. The Chipotle peppers make a nice, deep, rich, smokey, warm spicy that will make you glad you made some Limeade to go with it. You remembered the Limeade right?

 OK - Devil Casseroley Dish, prepare to be made and not in a Goodfellas way...

The Betty Crocker Project : Spaghetti alla Carbonara

So a funny thing happened the other day. We had been warned for years that a black cloud was rolling in that would shake the foundations of our relationship and destroy our marriage like a lighting bolt from above . I mean we even heard from some folks that the very nation we lived in would be sucked into the ocean this weekend. But a funny thing happened...

We woke up still married and in still love. We had plenty to eat and a roof over our heads. Kittens to pet and give treats. Life as we knew it did not end, or even change at all. There were no locusts at the door or frogs falling from the sky. The only thing of note that actually happened was that we woke up proud to be New Yorkers... and Italian.

To send internet thanks to two Italian gentlemen from the Empire State that did the right thing and played key roles in not legalizing bigotry*... We are posting this Italian classic Spaghetti Carbonara. Yeah, we're looking at you, Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Senator Mark Grisanti **.

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of those dishes that many of heard of, but no one really knows where it came from. I mean, there are some that claim it is a dish passed down from the Romans. But I feel like I can be honest with you... they say that about anything awesome in Italy. There are many who think it has something to do The Carbonari, a 19th century secret society that played a key role in unification of Italy. But really the first documentation of it was found around WWII. While the US occupied Italy, the troops sometimes traded their powdered eggs and bacon with the people. Many returning troops fell in love with Spaghetti. They brought their passion for this pasta with them and Spaghetti Carbonara hit menus everywhere.

OK la lezione di storia sopra! Mangiamo della pasta già!

Restaurant Review: WildFlower

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For someone with just the tiiiiniest bit of ADD like myself, the concept of the pop-up restaurant seems like the best idea on the planet. You develop some exciting new recipes, cook them for people for a few days in a brand-new space, blow some minds, rock some worlds, and then move on to the next exciting new thing before you get bored (there may be one or two other steps involved in creating a pop-up restaurant that I left out). I kind of want everything I do to be a pop-up-whatever-it-is from now on. I might stop writing this review two paragraphs in. You’ll get the gist of it. I’ve got other projects to work on.

For serious chefs like Ayinde Powell, of course, a pop-up restaurant like WildFlower is a chance to experiment, to take risks, to try new things, and to give people a unique dining experience that they’ll never forget. Last week Annie likened it to being at an epic (sorry, but it’s appropriate here) concert, where the only people who will ever truly understand are the ones who shared that concert hall with you. Concert hall or, in my case, dormitory basement, where I saw At The Drive In open for the Get Up Kids at Conn College in like 1998. I had my concept of what punk rock could be completely altered, and my face rocked right the fuck off. I am excited to report that WildFlower—New York City’s very first vegan pop-up restaurant—resides squarely in that category.

The 3 Alarm Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger

Hot.

There is a monster of a heat wave hitting NYC right now* which I have to admit is cramping our style a bit. There are all these great fruits and berries hanging out in our local farmer's markets and grocery stores that I want to bake into pies and various other treats but all my will to turn on that oven has been... well to be honest... punched in the face.

So it would seem ironic that we would post a burger that is "Hot" but these spicy burgers give you room to get creative and take less than 20 minutes to make. They also gave us a chance to combine a bunch of awesome vegan things we've finally been able to locate in our new home :

• Gardein Beefless Burgers - If you haven't had these yet you need to try them! They have to be the best vegan burgers we've had in forever. Sorry Boca - but no one forced you to change your vegan burgers. We still love you Boca and plan on eating you regularly but really I think we are prepared to go on record that The Shannons love Gardein Beefless Burgers more than sunshine (especially right now).
• Lightlife Smart Bacon - It's no secret we love a great fake bacon. We like to mix it up and use smokey tempeh sometimes but sometimes it's nice to have something really crispy and super smokey. That's when you want smart bacon.
• Daiya Pepperjack Cheese - I don't think I need to tell you how awesome Daiya's vegan cheeses are but I feel like I should let you know as a friend that if you haven't tried the pepperjack yet... you're missing out.
• Rick's Pick Hotties (spicy sriracha-habanero pickles) - We found these last weekend at the farmer's market and have fallen in love with them. I mean pickles made with sriracha. Here's some great news for you folks not in NYC - you can order them online!

About now, your elementary schooling has kicked in and you're saying "Um, that's only 2 alarms."

You are correct my learned friend. We decided to use sliced jalapenos for our 3rd alarm but really that is the beauty of this burger... you can add as many alarms as you want and make them whatever you want! Here are just a few suggestions for other alarms you might want to try :

• Pepperoncinis
• Spicy Kim-Chi
• Any of the millions of Hot Sauces out there including the beloved Sriracha
• Chipotle Peppers
• Hot Salsa (obviously)
• Wasabi
• Smart Deli Pepperoni
• Spicy Mustard
• Jerk Sauce made with Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper

If you have any more suggestions - Please share! We'd love to hear about hour favorites.

So ask yourself... Are you ready see how many alarms you can handle?

* Seriously everyday the cats look at me and ask : "Mommy why did you bring us to this bad place? I'm melting." - with their little gestures of course - not vocally. I haven't been driven insane by the heat yet.

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Quiche Lorriane & A Revisit with Julie & Julia - 1 Year Later Episode 1

Julia Child learned how to make quiche at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France around 1949 and has been credited as creating the best Quiche Lorriane several times over since. When it came time to watch Julie & Julia again to mark the one year anniversary of The Betty Crocker Project creation... well it only seemed to make sense we would also celebrate with one of Julia Child's favorite dishes. Especially since we absentmindedly already made Cobb Salad a few months ago during a salad kick.

Now I could have adapted Julia's famous recipe but that's not what we are doing here. This project is really all about Betty and I didn't want to steal her thunder. But a funny thing happened, I compared the two recipes and they were similar enough that I feel like Julia, the pretend Ghost of Quiches Past Julia anyways, would approve and here is why : See Julia Child's apparently never warmed to the Julie & Julia blog. Julia's friend and editor Judith Jones was quoted as saying "She didn’t suffer fools, if you know what I mean." Julie being the said "fool". Julia also never cared much for vegans. In fact she was quoted as saying:

"Personally, I don’t think pure vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle. It’s more fear of food—that whole thing that red meat is bad for you. And then there are people who don’t eat meat because it’s against their morals. Well, there’s nothing you can do with people like that. I’ve often wondered to myself: Does a vegetarian look forward to dinner, ever?"  

But the part of me that wants to see the best in people wants to believe she felt that way because her first exposure to vegetarianism was in the 60s when a cruelty-free lifestyle was labeled a "health food fad" and a weight loss diet. Two things she had little patience for. She also never had our Quiche Lorriane with smoked tempeh and Daiya. The world Julia lived in was much different than ours. In just the past 10 years, technology has come far enough that really anything can be made vegan with little to no sacrifice in taste or texture at all. She has been remembered as being a very kind and compassionate person and so I would like to think that although she would probably never go vegan (I mean the woman basically bathed in butter) I would hope she would be intrigued by today's vegans and at least recognize our shared passion for food like so many other of today's top chefs have*. She was a sincere believer in her mantra : "Life itself is the proper binge.” and like I've said before... no one loves food like a vegan.


The day I made this, I was full of a thrill and humming Doris Day songs for hours. I won't lie - this is not my first dance around the floor with quiche. I make them a lot and Dan loves them even more than I make them. In fact this quiche was almost completely eaten by my love in a 24 hour period. But this one was special because it combined all the good things about Julia and Betty and maybe some of me too. 


So enough yakkity yaking - Let's make some freaking quiche already...

The Vegan Bacon & 3 Cheese Frittata of Your Dreams

Wednesday night can mean a lot of different things to folks out there. Now just going off your emails, I know a lot of you are pretty loyal Top Chef watchers. Now Dan and I aren't the kind of people who plan our lives around what's on TV that night. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But ever since Baby Jesus invented TV shows On Demand and putting whole seasons out on DVD - so you can have deep long term relationships with marathons of your favorites - Dan and I go about our lives and watch what we want when we want. With the exception of Top Chef and Wednesday night*. Why you ask? What makes Top Chef so special? Don't they make like a ton of meaty - eggy - cheesy  stuff? They do and just like with Betty - we watch to get ideas and inspiration. We watch for the food photography and styling. We watch it because it is a Shannon family tradition to watch and talk about what we would do to make dishes vegan. I mean some families travel around in pimped out school buses wearing matching outfits singing pop songs. I mean if that's your thing - that's cool I guess. We watch Top Chef and we like to eat schmancy vegan eggy breakfast dishes.

This one was a big hit around here and is going to be a regular for Sunday Brunch... I recommend making some toast to go with it. 

The Betty Crocker Project : The Old School Twice Baked Potatoes

 

In college, we used to eat brunch every Sunday (or basically whenever) at this kinda rundown diner. The short cut there was this random road through the woods but it was kinda off the highway so all the logging trucks could stop by there on their way to and from the Olympic Mountains. They were pretty famous for their Potato Boats. What is a Potato Boat you ask? Well my friends, Potato Boats are huge twice baked potatoes with various "works".  I mean they are obviously not organic - I mean these guys were like Cadillacs. OK - maybe they are more like the size of a shoe but that's still pretty big. They were the perfect hangover cure and pretty much one of my favorite food memories from my years in Olympia, WA. 

Everyone loved Potato Boats. Who wouldn't love Potato Boats?

When we hit this recipe, I keep thinking about those long lost boats and how much we all love twice baked potatoes now matter how big or small they are. This recipe is the Betty Classic but who knows maybe if you guys like it - I'll recreate some of those old boats. Let me know what you think.

Before we start doing some double baking - I wanted to show a little love for Girlie Girl Army and 2 Girlie Girls in particular. Kathryn Hostettler recently interviewed us for her The Best Vegan Thing I Ever Ate series on GGA and I have to admit we were beyond flattered but also we loved her fun and original questions. Especially coming up with our guest list for our dream dinner party (we went the time-space continuum not a liability route). And of course Chloe Jo Davis who has always been very supportive of our little project!

OK - Let's make some boats!

The Betty Crocker Project : Cheesy Potato Skins

Apparently the original owner of the Washington Redskins was a huge racist. I know SHOCKING.

Betty’s recipe for potato skins, which I’ll tell you how to make in a hot minute, is pretty much the perfect accompaniment to a football game [Ed. note: or Puppy Bowl]. And, lo! There just so happens to be a game this weekend. A big one, in fact. What fortuitous timing. But before we get to the food, allow me to digress onto one of my favorite rant topics, also pertaining to skins and football.

Here where Annie and I live in Virginia, the local team of note is the Washington Redskins. Yep, you read that right. That’s actually the name of the team. Can you honestly believe, in this day and age, that they still call the team “Washington” even though they actually play their home games in Landover, MARYLAND!?!? The mind reels! It’s also super racist.

Seriously, universe: there is a professional sports team named after a racial slur used against Native Americans as part of an ugly historical relationship that also includes, you know, genocide… and no one really seems to notice? Or care? What the hell is going on here? How is this OK? I swear, every time I hear an announcer say “…and the Redskins take the field against the Eagles today” my brain just goes “OMG YOU GUYS DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE JUST SAID? THAT’S SO RACIST!” But the rest of the world just seems to be like “boy, the Skins sure do suck this year.” Which, I mean, they do. But you what else sucks? Racial slurs.

There is not a single viable argument in defense of the team’s name. None. There isn’t even like a bullshit defense that everyone sorta knows doesn’t hold water, but agrees to just go with anyway because it’s easier than facing the truth (what I like to call the “Carnivore Defense”). Pretty much every Redskins fan I know will admit that yeah, the team’s name is racist. The closest thing to a “defense” I’ve encountered is “Yeah, I know, but what else are they gonna call them?” Excellent question. How about this: ANYTHING ELSE. In fact, to help out, I’m going to make a list of 15 other things that the Washington Redskins could be called other than the Washington Redskins, without stopping to think or brainstorm. I’m just going to type 15 things in a row. Go.

1. The Washington Drainage Authority
2. The Washington Bobcats
3. The Washington Polecats
4. The Washington Anythingcats
5. The Washington Washingtonians
6. The Washington Senators
7. The Washington Grays
8. The Washington Not The Redskins (I guess that doesn’t work)
9. The Washington Football Team
10. The Landover, Maryland Football Team
11. Annie Shannon
12. The Washington Hogs
13. The Washington Gridlock
14. The Washington Corruption
15. I Hate the Redskins (also doesn’t work)

See? At least one or two of those are totally usable. Ergo, there is no excuse. So help me out here. Annie and I are activists—that’s what we do. When we don’t like something, we do something. So let’s all do something together today. Please go this site and send a message to the Redskins management, asking them to change the team’s name to something less racist. Normally I would say “send a polite message,” but honestly, I’m not sure you really need to be polite to racists.

Oh right, potato skins. These tasty treats are a delicious snack that’ll satisfy any Super Bowl appetite, and go great with a goddammit I hate the fucking Redskins. Sorry, Annie, I tried.

Click Read More to get this great recipe... 

The Betty Crocker Project : Spicy Split Pea Soup and a Side of Chatter

So we're taking a little detour from our chocolate suicide to enjoy soup season and talk about some updates we've made around here. We're also going to man up and answer some of the questions we're getting since I boasted yesterday that we might not need New Years Resolutions this year. Now, if you haven't checked out some of the changes we made to this site over the past few weeks, you really should. We've put in a Pantry page to help you locate recipes by ingredients, and we updated our Frequently Asked Questions, As Seen On and Nerdery pages. We're still working on The Family Tree, but keep checking back--I think you'll like what we're going to do.

Also, if you look on the right hand side of the page, you'll see a button to check out our Finding Vegan Page, as well as a link to Ecolissa. Meet The Shannons readers can get 20% on Ecolissa - eco friendly and vegan clothing by entering Vegan20 at checkout. If living a greener life is one of your New Years Resolutions, you should really check Ecolissa out.

We've had a few people ask me a wide range of questions about reusable shopping bags & totes*. I hope these tips answer your questions.

• Keep your shopping bags in your car, and if you're really forgetful, put a sticky note on your dash reminding you to bring them inside. I think you'll be surprised how fast you make this a good habit.
• Recently someone who loves large, uncompromising landfills went around the internet telling people that reusing shopping bags will lead to a pandemic of food born illnesses. Let's be honest here--like anything in life, if you are worried about getting sick... be cleaner. Wash your hands. Wash your bags regularly, and your food before you eat it. Soap don't hurt.
• If you feel like some weirdo using a tote in places outside the grocery stores and farmers market, get yourself one of these cute little ones that fit in your purse. There are a few that are more manly too for pockets.

Time for soup!

The Betty Crocker Project : Hoppin' John

Around here is just wouldn't be New Years without some Black Eyed Peas.

It's kinda hard to say where the tradition started but everyone knows that eating these little cuties on New Years Day is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. The Talmud talks about eating bowls of black eyed peas on Rosh Hashana but in case you aren't friends with any Jews - that's in the fall. During the Civil War, these sweeties were cooked up with ham bones and collard greens, given a heavy dose of hot sauce and served with cornbread. Legend has it when Sherman marched through the South leaving a trail of ruined farms and burnt cities, he left these humble little peas alone thinking they weren't worth the trouble. Survivors left behind came to think of these legumes as being "lucky" - either because they survived the burning or because they helped folks survive the aftermath - maybe both. Some folks in the South take it so far they make sure to eat 365 peas on New Years so they never have a bad day.

This tradition is probably why Hoppin John has become of one of the most popular adapted West African/Soul Food dishes served in the South. I couldn't really figure out a good explanation for where the name came from but interesting Nerd Fact : There is a recipe for Hopping John in The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, which was published in 1847. I love food history.

Our Hoppin Johns skipped the ham bones - but still has a lot of flavor. We just think that makes it luckier - for those sweet little pigs that is.

The Betty Crocker Project : Avocado & Smoked Sheese Salad with Toasted Walnut Dressing

So I've been watching all the Star Trek Movies. It's been a bit of a marathon - if you will - and pretty much an awesome 48 thus far. Here are just a few of my preliminary observations :

• Best Line : Please, Captain, Not in front of the Klingons - Mr. Spock in Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
• Best Klingon (guest star): Christopher Plummer as Gerenal Chang in Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country
• Best Vulcan (guest star): I have to give it to Kim Catrell's smug Valeris from Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country because Kristie Alley's Saavik in Wrath of Khan is just dreadful. Really just a terrible guest Vulcan for an otherwise great movie. 
• Best Villain :  DUH?! Ricardo Montalban giving the performance of a lifetime as one of the best space villains ever. Though I do give props to Eric Bana for his role as Nero in the latest Star Trek (the reboot). 
• Biggest Tear-Jerker : SPOILER ALERT - OK - I admit I got a little torn up when Spock says “Jim. Your name is…Jim” in Search for Spock. Oh Man...But I have to go with Voyage Home and when the crew of the Enterprise saves George and Gracie from whalers and brings them to a time when they will be safe. Getting a little worked up just thinking about it. Makes me wish Sea Shepherds had a Bird of Prey.

Oh and while I was trying to complete my mission to write this blog post - I found  a pretty amazing picture of Spock punching Wolverine in the face and had to share.

Another mission I have had lately is to try to eat a salad a day. There are a lot of cookies floating around this home of ours right now and other various deliciousness and although we are still having smoothies for breakfast and I have stopped drinking caffeine... well I still wanted some salad in my life. I do admit that this salad has heaps of avocado and sheese so it might not be the healthiest but it is still one of the best Betty Salads we've made since starting this project. I love this Toasted Walnut Dressing and can't wait to try it with some fresh bread or just some baby carrots. I am pretty much in love with it x1,000.  I love it like Captain Kirk loves women with big hair.

The Betty Crocker Project : The Incredible Green Monsta Casserole

OK - So there is no Green Monsta in the Betty Crocker Cookbook but there is a Spinach-Bacon-Chicken casserole that I was veganizing and just kept going. I couldn't help myself. The casserole was very good on it's own but sometimes I see opportunities to work a little more kale or broccoli in my life and I just can't stop. Call it poor impulse control. Call it leveling up. Whatever. This dish is the prefect example of Shannons Gone Wild.

You'll be eating this for dinner for a week. Which also makes it perfect for this time year - when your nights are full of wrapping presents, writing out Holiday cards, baking cookies and drinking huge mugs of vegan chai or cocoa. We've been reheating bowls of this for days and it's been a nice break.

Oh and if you're wondering why I called it the Green Monsta since it kinda has nothing to do with Boston or The Red Sox... Well... Much like the mild mannered yet highly intelligent Bruce Banner this casserole may not look like much but stick it in the microwave and shoot a little radiation at it and it is unstoppable and kinda ugly.

The Family Album : Jasmin Singer from Our Hen House Meets The Shannons

Jasmin's Spinach & Bacon Salad Featuring The Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg

Our Family Album is one of our favorite segments on Meet The Shannons. Over the years we've been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing animal advocates on the planet. I won't lie technology like Facebook has made it easier than ever for vegans all over the world to connect, learn from each other and build a strong online community that is promoting a more compassionate world for animals on a scale that has never been seen before. One of those marvelous and outstanding advocates I've had the privilege of  meeting is a lovely lady named Jasmin Singer. You may know her as 1/2 of the talented and dedicated duo at Our Hen House - a website and resource that is really leading the way in helping folks find their own way to change the world for animals. I know her as Kick Ass Activist All-Star Sista and am honored to have her as today's guest blogger! XO - Annie 


I'm not a cook. Which is why I was nervous (petrified?) when Annie asked me to guest blog and try out one of her and Dan's recipes. I won't admit to you how many months it took me to decide on what to cook. Most things just seemed too difficult for me, which is probably because my regular diet consists of really a lot of blender concoctions, the occasional stir-fry (no recipe, just going by the seat of my pants and the contents of my freezer), and the good old standby, tofu and broccoli at Suzie's Chinese Restaurant on Bleecker Street.

Now Annie wanted me to cook? Really? Me? Like, in a way that holds me accountable for my actions? Was this really a path I wanted to stumble down?

Truth is, I do know food. Aside from being a proud vegan food-lover (cliche', I know), back when I was a struggling actor, I decided that becoming a holistic health counselor would be a good field for me, allowing me to have my own business that promoted veganism, while maintaining the flexibility that allowed me to audition for plays (that I rarely got cast in). So I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, followed by pursuing an MA in -- ready? -- Experiential Health and Healing. I kid you not. Oh, to be 20-something and confused... (I'm allowed to say that, since I'm now 30-something... and confused.)

The Betty Crocker Project : Double Corn Chowder

There's been a lot going on around here lately. Busy busy busy*.

Saturday morning, I woke up and watched The League in my boxers while I drank my coffee. I admit I'm not a football fan, so about 1/3 of the jokes are kinda gibberish to me. But I am married to Dan Shannon, fantasy football addict, which allows me to find another level of humor in this show--one that I have come to adore. I hope they bring back Mr. McGibblets this season. After my morning chuckles, I turned on the Xbox and played Fable II for 10 hours. It might have been more like 14. Somewhere in all that busy, I ordered some Thai food and ate soup with my husband, but it is all kind of a blur of shooting Hollow Men with fire balls and keeping that Bandit Coast free of the, well, bandits.

Sunday I was more productive.

We have a pretty good little system around here. Every Sunday, I try to make a casserole or soup that we can eat all week. It usually works out pretty well, although some recipes are better than others. This Sunday, I not only put our kitchen floor on blast (see link above), I also made New York Cheesecake and this soup. This creamy, wonderful, meal-in-a-bowl soup.

Now, if you're following along in your own Big Red, you'll notice some additions to our version. Here's why: as much as we freaking love corn and potatoes, it needed some protein to be eaten as a meal--hence the garbanzo beans and extra veggies (note the peas and green beans). Betty's version would be perfect with a side salad or sandwich, but for our needs, the recipe was a solid building base for this hearty fall soup that we've been enjoying all week.

I think you'll enjoy it too.

Oh and did I mention there was an article about Meet The Shannons is on The Food Channel website? Please take a minute to check it and share it with friends.

The Betty Crocker Project : Cornbread & Bacon-Stuffed Pork Chops

Dan and I are a pretty normal American married couple*. Kinda textbook, really.

We watch Top Chef. We talk about taking trips to sunny-beachy places, and on the weekends take road trips to American historical landmarks. We listen to NPR in the morning and recycle. Last night, we played a board game about escaping zombie hoards and ate vegan pork chops.

Maybe this weekend we might hit up Target and Trader Joe's... I don't know. I don't know if we'll have enough time.

These pork chops didn't actually take much time at all. I think they look kinda fancy, and I have to admit I'm really grateful that Match Vegan Meats exists so we could make these. I'd say they took about 20 minutes and were seriously good news. According to Top Chef, things this good are called "Da Biznus."

The Betty Crocker Project : Bacon & Spinach Salad featuring The Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg

It does seem a little silly to make tofu look like an egg. But what's wrong with silly?

This morning, I watched Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead while I drank my coffee. I was enjoying some deja vu with my Richard Dreyfus and Gary Oldman. See, a few years ago, I wrote a simple little blog entry on another blog (posted below). It's really just a blip about drinking coffee, this movie, death, and boats. I'll try not to ruin the end of the movie for you, but I think we all remember what happens to everyone at the end of Hamlet. And yet this movie/play is exceptionally silly for something with such a lurking and impending doom to it.

Thursday, September 11, 2008 : Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn’t drink coffee.

Rosencrantz: Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?\ Guildenstern: No, no, no... death is not. Death isn't. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not-being. You can't not be on a boat. Rosencrantz: I've frequently not been on boats. Guildenstern: No, no... what you've been is not on boats. Today, I watched the Movie Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead while I drank my morning coffee and updated my schedule/planner ... Throughout the movie I kept stopping to dwell a bit on their reoccurring thoughts on death ... I think death is a excel spreadsheet with no color coding

So on to my point. There's nothing wrong with silly. In fact, in this case it made a simple salad actually kinda noteworthy. I've included both the fancy "eggs" recipe and the not-so-fancy version in this blog post. I'll let you decide how silly you want to be.