Vegan MoFo Day 8: Cider, Bread, Seitan, Squash!

OH MY. The Emperor and I stayed home today and we did just a TON of cooking. Can I tell you how happy I am that he's getting to the age where he likes to play in the kitchen and I don't have to pay 100% attention to him 100% of the time while I'm cooking? It's really great.



What is it: Leftover Arroz con Soy Curls!
My thoughts: Delicious breakfast. J took the rest for lunch and left me this miserly little portion...
Emperor's reaction: ... and then this little guy was ALL over it. He ate about a third of what's in the picture. Sometimes he acts like brown rice is his very favorite thing on earth, and this morning was one of those mornings.



What is it: Apple cider oatmeal
My thoughts: You heard right! It's oatmeal... with cider in it! I usually combine a big scoop of oats with boiling water, cover it with a plate, and eat it after a few minutes with a pinch of this and a pinch of that. Today I got the idea to use slightly less water and add a couple of spoons of hot cider, since my cider was boiling nearby.

It was really incredible. Tart and spicy and punchy and yet... oatmeal. I could eat SO much of this.
Emperor's reaction: He didn't want any! I think he filled up on Arroz con Soy Curls and the banana that he proceeded to hide under his dad's computer.



What is it: CIDER!!!
My thoughts: Boy, sure shrinks down a lot when you mull it, huh? It's delicious, though... so good.
Emperor's reaction: He hasn't had any yet, but I think he'll get a sip before the jug is through.



What is it: Gorilla Munch cereal
My thoughts: Nooooooooo thank you. J loves this stuff and discovered that the Emperor likes it to, but it reminds me of crappy kids cereals I ate when I was a kid.
Emperor's reaction: He ate about 10 of these in a row, then threw the rest on the floor and shouted "uh oh!" a bunch of times.




What is it: Bread! Basic whole wheat (the loaf) and rosemary-thyme whole wheat (the boule).
My thoughts: Really, IS there anything better than freshly baked bread? Anything? I don't think so. These are fine loaves.
Emperor's reaction: He really, really likes both breads. He ate about half a slice of the plain one and most of a (small) slice of the herbed one.



What is it: crabapple!
My thoughts: So good. What IS a crabapple anyway? I think maybe they're just small apples. They looked so good that I couldn't not buy them.
Emperor's reaction: He had three or four bites of his (tiny, dainty bites) and then put the remaining apple in the sink. He loves putting things in the sink.



What is it: Seitan "sausage" cutlets.
My thoughts: These are a mishmash of a bunch of my favorite seitan recipes. I went heavy on the sage today because I thought it'd go well in the final dish (see below). I flattened them using the tortilla press, which worked wonderfully... so fast, so free of fuss. No stretching and pulling and all that drama-rama. Also, I baked them. Also, they're delicious.
Emperor's reaction: He likes them! I think this is the first time he's been interested in seitan ever.



What is it: Squashsage sandwiches with sunflower sprouts on top.
My thoughts: Squashsage = roasted butternut squash puree (with a bit of EB and a ton of white pepper) plus sausage-y seitan cutlets on homemade rosemary-thyme whole wheat bread plus sunflower sprouts equals sooooooooo good. All this work for a sandwich?? But a mighty fine sandwich.

Santa Cruz denizens: you're TOTALLY right if you think I stole this idea from the Delmarette! I did! At least the squash and the sprouts and the open facedness.
Emperor's reaction: He is really hardcore anti-squash these days. I don't know why. He ate a little of everything else but I think he was still full of bread from earlier.

Bonus pictures ahoy!

The Emperor tries to drink some water. Apparently he'd been in the desert for a while:


I know I'm biased because I'm his mom, but don't you think he's kind of beautiful: