dinner on a lazy night #2

When I say dinner on a lazy night, what I really mean is "Still motivated enough to make something instead of hitting up the boxed foods." Because there are definitely even lazier nights than this. I should mention that I found a boxed vegan macaroni & "cheese". :-D Road's End Organics makes a product called "Shells and Chreese", and it's the closest approximation to real (boxed) mac & cheese that I've found yet.

But! This post is not about that. This post is about my attempt at polenta croutons, and my grilled un-cheese sandwiches. So yes -- the polenta croutons were tasty, but still a bit squishy. They browned up more than I expected, so I think I took them out of the oven too soon. They have a lot of promise though, and I'll definitely make them again. If you don't have ED&BV, it's the simplest recipe ever: Use a pre-made tube of polenta, cut off the smooth outer coating, cut into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch cubes, then toss in olive oil with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or so.

Instead of the traditional cheddar for grilled cheese, I like to use Tofutti mozzarella slices and sprinkle a bit of dill on top. I worked at a restaurant in the past that made a sandwich like that, and I loved it -- and still do, with my veganized version.

So, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I'm a little bummed out about the fact that it won't be a vegan one. The more comfortable I become with vegan cooking (and cooking in general!), the less comfortable I am eating any animal products anymore. I was looking at pamphlets at VeganOutreach.org today for something I could give my mom with recipes for vegan cooking/baking, but of course they also have pamphlets talking about the whys of veganism, and the cruelty to animals just makes me cry to read about and look at. But it's important information anyway; a good reminder to me. It's important to know where animal-based food products come from, and to get upset about it, and make more compassionate choices. I never forget why I want to be vegan, but sometimes it becomes a more distant thought. So, it'll definitely be my New Year's resolution to go fully vegan. I think I'm finally getting to a place where that can be practical for me, and given a couple months I think I'll feel confident in that -- even if my meals won't always be awesome, they'll at least be nutritious, and I've gotten the hang of cooking from scratch regularly so I won't be living on boxed Shells & Chreese, haha. Even though I now know that it's an option. ;-)