Christmas Content!

As a team we survived the treachery that is working retail on Black Friday. But like all of those wide eyed midnight shoppers, we're eager for a bargain and a way to find everyone the perfect gift-- especially for our vegan brethren!

Here's just a few of our favorite gift ideas for the vegan/vegetarian in your life. Have a look see!

Stocking Stuffers:
Vegetable Soap- Available @ Ten Thousand Villages. Cost- around $4 (they have some really great scents which will leave the stocking smelling amazing!)

Peta Donations-Click the link below and give your loved one the gift of a donation to help animals! This has become one of our Christmas traditions-- why not start it as well? Check out Peta's site or click here: https://secure.peta.org/site/Donation2?df_id=6680&6680.donation=form1&set.custom.Campaign_Code=H11LWAXXXXJ&s_src=FACEBOOK&s_subsrc=113011?utm_campaign=1111%20Doghouses%20Winter%20Campaign%20Promo%203&utm_source=PETA%20Facebook&utm_medium=Promo

Gifts for Under the Tree (slash just to buy if you don't do Christmas!):

Vegan Cook Books-Any and all of Isa Chana Moskowitz's Cook books to be exact! For Meatless Fleet Vegan Pie in the Sky is at the top of our list! We also highly suggest Appetite for Reduction  and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! Her books are not pricey and will be beloved by your friend for years to come! She makes Vegan cooking fun and delicious- what's not to love? Order them online @ http://www.theppk.com/books/ 

T-Shirts/Prints- The adorable scene below is brought to you by Threadless.com! It's also available in a print and is at the top of our list!

Aww we like the Long Neck who's bringing Hummus!

Find the T-Shirt @ http://www.threadless.com/product/2733/Who_Invited_the_Herbivore/tab,girls/

We can't give away much more for fear that our significant others will figure out their gifts!
Here's to Staying Meat Free in the City- The Meatless Fleet Team

Tofurky or Not Tofurky?

For us here at Meatless Fleet that is the question! 

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we struggle with our love of all things traditional (hello apple pie!) and the crazy reality that is the odd life of a turkey and the atmospheric change up at the dinner table when one family member abstains from eating said bird. 

We've been scouring our recipe books, envisioning ourselves gorging on Pecan Crusted Seitan cutlets as the day's bird stand in, and then we hit a wall. Not literally, as did "The Situation" upon his visit to Italy but figuratively as in we just want to enjoy the holiday this year with little to no fuss or muss. 

With that in mind this past weekend our plan was to head to the Super Giant on Lititz Pike and get ourselves a Tofurky Vegetarian Feast (which would enable us to focus on the sides and dessert-- hello apple pie!). Anyway, the head of Natural Foods over there is always helpful and was the only person who had "The Feast" at all last year. But alas and alack this year despite all of their pre-ordering efforts the veg. feast is not yet in. We've got high hopes that it will be in-- and of course we will post if we get word that it has arrived but it could be as late as tomorrow Wednesday, November 23rd.

The only "turkey" we're hunting this holiday season

In the mean time, we're going to focus on finalizing our ideas for desserts and sides. Sure it's last minute but sometimes the best recipes take form that way. For more Vegan Thanksgiving ideas check out this great article found by one of our favorite relatives in Maine. http://bites.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/18/8877285-vegan-thanksgiving-it-can-be-done-deliciously
The author of the article can come off a tad skeptical of the meatless masses but the vegans and the recipes featured are awesome. We're desperate to try out the easy looking but oh-so-bad-for-you cheesecake recipe!

So whatever you and your stomach end up filled with this Thursday (whether Tofurky or Turkey) it's nobody's biznass but your own! We encourage vegans/vegetarians and omnivores alike not to be Judge Judy's this holiday and to just enjoy your family's company. Just keep in mind that you never know when you might next get the chance to hear them berate your lifestyle -- again.  ; )

Here's to staying Meat Free for the holidays - The Meatless Fleet Team

Fun Fact Friday!

This week's fun fact stems from a favorite Meatless Fleet quote, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

We asked some of our meat eating friends who they thought provided this quote and here are some of our favorite responses:

Somebody over at Occupy Lancaster

A hippy dippy well meaning earth mother

An angry member of Peta

Dwight Schrute- you know, 'cause of his beet farm...

... While all of these reminded us how funny are friends are but none are correct. 

The pro vegetarian lifestyle quote was actually said by none other than ALBERT EINSTEIN.

Since he's the smartest man ever to have lived on the planet we find it fascinating that he not only supported meatless dietary ideas but that toward the end of his life actually followed them as a vegetarian!

For more meat-free Albert Einstein mind blowing awesomeness check out this site: 

http://www.ivu.org/history/northam20a/einstein.html

Here's to staying "Meat Free" in the City- The Meatless Fleet Team

Für Amanda (Potato Version)

My my it's time for some Sweet Potato (Spicy Casserole) Pie!

There are two things we don't like to mess with here at Meatless Fleet; Chocolate and Sweet Potatoes. But when either is done right the possibilities of joyful indulgence can be endless! 

On the sweet potato end of things we found a recipe we really liked about three years ago in the Vegan On the Cheap Cookbook. Over the years we've added our own je ne sais quoi, called it a "casserole pie" to cover all of our culinary bases and finally had to share the delicious, healthy and oh so affordable end results!

Sweet Potato (Spicy Casserole) Pie 

Ingredient List:

5 Sweet Potatoes

1-2  Chipotle Peppers* (find these canned and in adobo sauce at C-town on the cheap!)
*We like the amount of spice we get from using 1½ peppers, the number used depends on your heat preference. Also, the more seeds you leave in your peppers the spicier the dish will be. In order to decrease the spice, use a knife to scrape out as many seeds as you can. Be mindful of not touching your eyes with your fingers and thoroughly washing your hands after this step!

2 Tablespoons of Water

2 Tablespoons of Butter (veganize it using best life buttery spread!)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Sweet Onion diced

3 Carrots peeled and chopped (chop small for time efficiency)

2 Cans Black Beans

3 Cans Zesty Diced Tomatoes (Giant brand saves $'s!)

1 ½ Cups Corn (thaw frozen corn before using)

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Aleppo Chili

Pinch of Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

What to do with everything:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes for about 12 minutes. Peel and cube them and put them in your largest pot with a steamer apparatus.

2. While you're steaming the sweet potatoes, puree the chipotle chiles with the two tablespoons of water and set aside (we use the amazingly huge food processor we got for Christmas last year, if your family remains unaware of your evolving culinary prowess and your need for one of those bad boys, don't be too sad because you can use a regular blender for pretty much the same results!).

3. Using a potato masher, mash up the sweet potatoes. Pour one half of the pureed chipotle/water mixture over the potatoes as you continue to mash them. Then add in the butter and salt and pepper. Leave the other half of the puree in the food processor (or blender) for later use.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly cover a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. 

5. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and carrots then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer your veggie mixture to the casserole dish. Add in the black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, crushed aleppo chili and the remainder of the chipotle puree. Stir all around until combined!

6. Spread the delicious mashed sweet potatoes over the top of the veggie/bean mix.

7. Place in the oven for 50 minutes

8. Enjoy creamy yet spicy mashed sweet potato goodness (as seen below)!

Mmmm sweet and spicy deliciousness!

Additional Notes:
 
-If the mash sweet potatoes are too thick you can thin them with a little veggie broth in addition to the butter. Just add it in one tablespoon at a time.

-This reheats wonderfully and makes for amazing leftovers! 

- Due to our love of a good play on words and the classic rock we were brought up with, we almost titled this blog "Sweet Yam O' Mine." 
However since we consider this particular casserole pie to be a symphony (albeit a culinary one) much like Beethoven's Für Elise, the title "Für Amanda (Potato Version)" won out. It is in honor of the divine Ms. Dita Forry who loves her some of our Sweet Potato (Spicy Casserole) Pie!

Here's to staying "Meat Free" in the City- The Meatless Fleet Team

Ipso Facto Saturday. A Tale of Two Chocolates.

To go along with the strangest week we've ever had here at Meatless Fleet- we've decided to post this Friday's fun fact on Saturday. You're welcome for the dose of spontaneity.

This week we write to let you know that it is OK to ad lib when utilizing a vegan recipe. We know it can be scary to change up things you may not know much about-- can I replace sugar with agave? can you substitute tapioca flour for arrow root? We also know the substitution questions are endless and worry not because we will get to all of that later but for now we want you to focus on the fact that switch up results are fantastic fun!

For example we got our paws on a lovely little double chocolate chip cookie recipe that we found on Pinterest and just knew we had to make our own adjustments to enhance the chocolatey goodness. The results were a crowd pleasing batch of brownie cookies and a Meatless Fleet vegan cookie star was born. 

Here's our adjusted recipe for all to enjoy :

Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly coat two non stick cookie sheets w/ cooking spray

2. In one large mixing bowl combine the following ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Regular Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (Bob's Mill Brand is only about $3.00 @ Giant!)
2 tsp. Baking Soda 
1 Cup Sugar (or raw sugar)
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder

3. Combine the following in a separate medium sized mixing bowl:  
1/4 Cup Butter Substitute 
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1/4 Melted Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (Ghiradelli's Chips are milk-fat-free) To melt the chocolate chips use a small glass ramekin and place in the microwave for about one minute. Mix chips to a good melted consistency with a rubber spatula and pour into the medium sized mixing bowl with the oil, milk and butter.
Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Use a rubber spatula to mix well.


5. Fold 2/3 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips into the mix.

6. Spray an ice cream scoop with non cooking spray and use to scoop cookie dough onto baking sheets. 


7. Place cookies in oven for about 15 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so we recommend checking on them after 10 minutes. 


8. Remove cookies from oven and let sit 5 minutes to cool.


9. Enjoy with a cool glass of almond milk and/or a scoop of Rice Dream Ice Cream!
 

Here's to changing up recipes and staying "Meat Free" in the City- The Meatless Fleet Team

FUN FACT FRIDAY!

Don't get your pretzels in a twist - or do!

Before you head off for the various Friday adventures that await you, we'd like to give you our weekly factoid.

Auntie Anne's At-Home Pretzel Baking Kit is VEGAN.

We know it's exciting and trust us this random nugget of truth also blew our minds too!

We loved Auntie Anne's pretzels and lemonade but never knew for certain if there was egg or milk fat in the pretzel batter. 

Now we can all rest a little easier knowing that all you have to do is pick up one of their At-Home Baking Kits and there's no dairy involved! Simply add your own vegan butter to the dough (reminder about our recommended Best Life buttery spread!) and follow their step by step instructions. In no time you will have the deliciously warm and oh so perfect pretzels we all know and love at your finger tips. 

The box shown below makes 10 pretzels and here at MFT we have big plans to make "bread bowls" using our pretzel dough. Hopefully we'll have time for a soup with bread bowl night this weekend so we can show you our meat free finished product!

Here's to staying "Meat Free" in the City- The Meatless Fleet Team

Vegan cat is not included in Auntie Anne's Baking Kit

A vegan and a vegetarian walk into a bar...

... Well technically it was a restaurant and bar.  For tonight was a family dinner night here at the Meatless Fleet Team and we happily got our meat-free grub on for the amazing cost of $FREE.99!

For me a typical family dinner usually means really involved conversations about crazy weather patterns, baseball, football, the Beatles, the 3 Stooges and/or W.C. Fields, the list goes on! 
But most importantly- successful family dinners must avoid any and all politics (trust the vegetarian living in Lancaster on this one!)
 
Tonight no real political talk was discussed and so it was just what we needed as we came out of an intense sickee stupor. Family, food, and crazy Park City Mall fun was just what the doctor ordered (you take your pap to the Apple store and tell me it isn't the cutest thing ever!)

As for the food, we went to J.B. Dawson's and were treated to a delicious meat free dinner! 
While Pap and Dad happily chomped away on their meaty burgs, my partner in crime and I ordered the Meatless Fleet way: one of us ordered the Veggie Burger (made with brown rice, mushroom, and onion) and the other ordered the Tomato Basil Flatbread (full of garlic, mozzarella, tomato and basil.) Both dinners were delicious but truly, the veggie burger wins this one! Order it with a side of BBQ sauce and you won't be disappointed!
 
So if you're getting treated to a dinner and need the restaurant to be a place that your whole family can enjoy (IE they can order steak and other animals) I would recommend J.B. Dawson's.

It is a bit pricey for our blood so we won't be dining there too often (reminder- I just said it's a good place to go when someone's treating you- unless you're a veggie baller in which case well played!)

If you have the cashola to splurge on a meat free menu item and have slightly more adventurous meat eating companions please do yourself a favor and visit TULSI. More to come on that later (suffice it to say that you must not let yourself be tricked by the Travel Lodge that this amazing restaurant is for some reason connected to.)

In the mean time, if ever you should find yourself at the mall against your will (which sounds like something a family member would lead you to do) stop in at J.B. Dawson's with them and get your meat free grubbin' on!

Here's to staying "Meat Free" in the (Park) City- The Meatless Fleet Team

Veggie Burger. $10.99 @ J.B. Dawson's

Roasted Tomato & Basil Flatbread. $12.99 @J.B. Dawson's