Jenny Vs The Venus Fly Trap #1

It's a carnivorous plant! How do I feel about it? I don't know. Let's talk more about my trip to San Diego.

Terminal 2, people! Virgin America! It's cheap. You can go to San Diego on a random weekend! 'Weekend' being Mondays and Tuesdays when you work in the food industry, bitches!

Terminal 2 has THE PLANT CAFE, as one of the little restaurants you can buy food from. I WOULD NEVER BUY SPRING ROLLS FOR $8.25, normally, but my vacation started the minute I wasn't late for my flight, so I indulged. Shitake, tofu, peanut sauce. Yes AND YES. Plus, I hadn't eaten at Plant Cafe yet, so NOW I CAN SAY I HAVE. They have vegan cupcake available! VEGAN CUPCAKES. In an airport.

Delicious. Boarded. Now I'm in San Diego. My friend, Matt, brought up the venus fly trap. What can I say? It's a plant that eats meat? I'm CONFOUNDED. And have a lot of beer in my system.

Matt will be forced to eat vegan food all 'weekend' and I will be on vacation. It's going to be good people.

"I'm a perpetual underdog" Lady Gaga.

I watched a very intense interview of her on the flight.

I'm going to join a gym. A cheap one downtown. Eat better. Drink less. Not this weekend, of course. I had a lot of time to think, on the plane ride to San Diego. I feel like a new person. Nevermind the fact my normal commute takes the same AMOUNT OF TIME AS FLYING DOWN TO SAN DIEGO. So much intellectual pondering goes on during my commute to my job as well. (Or waking up. Napping. I'm a good sleeper.I kept waking up as I was hitting my head on my laptop sticking out of my purse/duffel bag on the BART ride to SFO.)

Could I commute to San Diego for a job? Possibly. It'd take the same amount  of time. The cost, though. I can't afford it.

I'm going to get back to you about this carnivorous plant thing. And eating vegan in San Diego. Traveling while vegan is soo exciting!

 Laughing over brewskies, or in PAIN, in my company?

Marinara Sauce FOR EVERYTHING! Seriously.

You can use this for anything! It's all purpose!

You will need:
     *2lb of fresh tomatoes (or 2 large cans of diced tomatoes.)
     *Olive oil
     *1 large red onion
     *5 cloves of garlic (I'm just assuming what a normal person would use. I use 10)
     *1/4 cup wine (I prefer red, but white would be good too)*
     *2 tsp agave nectar
     *Salt and pepper
     *1 Tbs Italian seasoning
     *3/4 a pound of mushrooms
     *1 bag or 1 bunch fresh spinach

First, chop your onion. Add about 2 Tbs of olive oil to a pan and turn it onto medium heat, bringing down heat to medium/low once your onions start sizzling. Saute until soft and transparent (7-10 minutes) or caramelized (20 or longer). When your onions are close to done, add your Italian herbs, so they can cook into the onions.

Dice your tomatoes, trying your best to de-seed them as you go (or open your cans of diced tomatoes).  Add to the onions, turn up to medium/ medium high, and cook for about 20 minutes. About 15 minutes in, add your chopped garlic.  Don't let it burn! When tomatoes are cooked down, add agave nectar, 1/4 cup red wine, 1/2 Tbs of salt and a dash of pepper.  Let go for another 5 to 10 minutes.

 Melody of colors!  Why I like using fresh tomatoes as opposed to canned.

Cooked down

Wine!

While your tomato sauce is cooking, chop your mushrooms and cook in olive oil, in a separate pan, until brown. Add spinach and saute until cooked down. Remove from heat.

Taste tomato sauce. Does it need anything? More salt and pepper? More Italian herbs? Add whatever is lacking. Now, do you like your sauce smooth? Chunky? A little of both? I usually put about 3/4 of my sauce in my food processor or blender until smooth, then put back in pan. Next, I add the spinach and mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes on medium heat. That's it! It's done! Now what are you going to make? Pasta? Pizza? Lasagna? Can I come over?

*If you don't have wine, balsamic vinegar is good too! Use about 1/8 of a cup. 

Sometimes a person a budget has gotta do what they gotta do. 2 lbs of fresh tomatoes is EXPENSIVE! So, the last time I made this sauce I used canned. I was worried about the results, but it tasted just as good! When I gots the cash though, fresh it is!

I used two large cans of these....

And I was happy with the results!

Italian Style Cashew Cheese

I LOVE this stuff! I use it on all my veganized 'italian' food -- pizza, eggplant 'parmesan', plain old pasta (low carb noodles, of course). It is amazing! I really like having cheese alternatives that are neither soy based or processed.

You will need:
     *1 cup soaked cashews
     *3/4 cup water
     *Juice of half a lemon
     *4 cloves of garlic (maybe you should start with 2)
     *salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)
     *1/2 tsp Italian herbs

Put water and cashews into a food processor, blender or VITA-MIX, and blend until smooth. Add the rest of your ingredients, all EXCEPT Italian herbs. Taste. Want more zip? Add more lemon juice. I end up using about a tsp of salt, and probably between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp pepper. Too thick? Add a little more water. Once you get your base right, add Italian herbs. Blend them ever so slightly, until incorporated. You don't want them to break down too much and turn your cheese green!

And now you have it! Soy free, gluten free, fresh, vegan mozzarella. Or whatever you want to call it. Italian style cashew cheese! So DELICIOUS drizzled on pizza or baked between eggplant layers.

This cheese comes out so fancy if you have a squeeze bottle.

Then you can make SUPER FANCY Eggplant Casserole! Layer of pasta, marinara sauce, grilled eggplant, cheese, eggplant, marinara and more cheese! Can you tell I miss Eggplant Parmesan?

The Rumors ARE True! Escape From New York Pizza DOES Have Daiya Cheese!

I'll take my pizza with spinach, mushrooms and pineapple, kthanks.

I didn't mean to eat half of this pizza, but I did. WHAT?! It was so exciting to get a pizza covered with 'cheese', specifically one that I didn't have to make myself. So exciting that it was necessary to make myself kind of sick with fullness. And then go back for more.
Escape From NY is right next door to my apartment. Goodbye outside world.

I really like this song. I have to remember to play it at a party. A PIZZA PARTY. 

Stuffing. Arrigoni-Nelson-Bradley Style!

 Hey, everyone! I make my own stuffing and tofurkey from scratch. In my PJs on Christmas morning, no big deal. Do you love the ceramic bunnies as the audience? I do!

I haven't been updating with recipes lately. Yikes! My new job just takes so much out of me and I have been broke, which means I cannot buy the ingredients I want to make beautiful, delicious food. But I do have a back log of recipes I need to post, so that's what is going to go down.

Now, I don't know if I'm really supposed to do this, but I'm going to anyway -- give you a FAMILY RECIPE (and secrets at that!!)! Inside family secret - my Great-Grandpa is not actually my relative,  and unfortunately he died before I got a chance to meet him. But he was one of those men who married a woman with a child, and took in said child as his own. It takes a STRONG man to do that. So, I am honored to feature his recipe that I love so much, that my Grandma (said child) and Mom make every holiday. I have only very slightly altered it to make it vegan.

Here is a recipe for the best stuffing you will ever make/eat. And it features all my most very favorite ingredients -- spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic!

You will need:
     1 package of croutons. Make sure they are vegan.*
     2 or 3 packages of frozen, chopped spinach*
     3 or 4 short cans of sliced mushrooms*
     1 tsp Bell's Seasoning
     Between 3 - 6 white onions (obviously your discretion. I'm an onion girl. 6 it is!)
     4 - 5 ribs of celery, chopped
     1 TBS Italian seasoning
     3 or 4 cloves of garlic (Or if you are me, 8)     
     Olive oil!
     Salt and pepper to taste

*I use fresh ingredients these days. This stuffing is so good with the packaged stuff, I remember telling my mom "if it's not broke, why fix it?", which she agreed with wholeheartedly. I mean, both my mom and I were raised on this stuff! I snicker at Stovetop. Anyway, I've slowly ventured to using a bag of spinach and about a pound of fresh mushrooms. Oh, and as for croutons, I made my own for Easter this year. So I'll do this**  to get back to you about how that turned out.

Chop your onions, your celery, your garlic. Drizzle yo' pan with olive oil. A couple Tbs olive oil, if you are into measuring stuff out. Turn it on medium/medium high.  Saute onion until transparent (I caramelize, bitches!) Put in celery, cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic. DON'T LET YOUR GARLIC BROWN. That's why you add it last. Cook the flavor in, but it gets bitter when it browns. If you've had it on medium high, turn down to medium at this point. Add Italian herbs, salt, pepper and  Bell's too. Let the spices cook in.

If you are using packaged spinach, cook according to directions. Don't even think about using the microwave. I'm serious. Boil it. Open your cans of mushrooms.

In a PRETTY LARGE BOWL, pour in croutons, cooked onions/celery/spices/garlic, canned mushrooms and cooked spinach! Mixed together! Let sit overnight. If your are going to stuff something, do that. I bought one of those whole vegan turkeys this last year (pic above is two years ago, tofurkey from scratch - this year, frozen whole vegan turkey. I stuffed it, baked it, and ate half of it. It was meant for 10 people. Seriously. That was the serving size. I'm disgusting.) OH! If you aren't stuffing anything, you just want delicious stuffing, bake covered at 350 til heated through and through. Take off covering (foil?) and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes until top is lightly browned.

So easy! I just add too many stories, so it comes off as a long recipe. NOW - it's super delicious with fresh ingredients. But it gets MORE complicated. Let's put on some music.

What? I'm not bitter about anything. I just like this song!

Okay. Fresh ingredients. Do all the onion/celerygarlic/spices stuff in one pan. In a separate one, saute your mushrooms, then add spinach. Saute til they are cooked through and through. Put aside. Then do everything according to above recipe. You know, mixing everything together. Sit overnight. Stuff a vegetarian something or other. Or bake.

**This year, for Easter, I took a loaf of sourdough bread, chopped it up, drizzled it with olive oil and baked it until it was toasty. I called that croutons. I followed above recipe. Turns out I don't know how to chop bread into small pieces. But! My friend Evan described my 'stuffing' as a savory bread pudding! I LOVE bread pudding! Score. I guess, I, unintentionally made it. Savory style!

For Easter, 2011.

Christmas 2010
This is how the stuffing looks when my Grandma makes it, all perfectly chopped and delicious. She sets some aside for me before she puts the egg in it (to bind-I've come to find it's not necessary- but traditional).

Oh! And here's how my tofukery from scratch came along, 2 years ago? A year and a half ago? My beloved Grandpa Nelson had just passed, no one was into cooking that year except me, so I had the kitchen to myself! I needed something to do. Keep busy. Grieving is hard.
I have no after pics. Why? I don't know, grieving is hard. Hopefully this Christmas/Thanksgiving I can revisit the tofukery from scratch again.

 Tofu, tahini, spices and some cornstarch. That's really all it takes for the 'meat'.

 Rolling it up.

Ready to bake!

I Am An Elegant Lady (With the Mouth Of A Sailor)

So, my last post was a little angry. I gave myself a self imposed two day break from the internetz because even I wasn't sure with how to deal with the tone of that last one.

I really do believe in live and let live, but I also feel so devastated and frustrated when I see the actions of those around me continuing to harm both the animals and the earth that we live on. Sometimes I hear talk about trying to get humans able to live on Mars? I don't know how relevant this is, but my first (and only) thought is 'great, another planet for humans to destroy'. The truth of the matter is, with our meat and diary rich diets and over consumption of EVERYTHING, we are DESTROYING our planet. Quite rapidly. And I know that my fellow species members are not oblivious to it. It must be denial? I know that I am in denial sometimes most of the time when it comes to consumerism, especially when it comes to buying products I don't need, in plastic wrap, plastic containers, plastic ANYTHING (and clothes). I am really good at telling myself I deserve said items. I wonder where I learned that from?  (The incessant commercials between Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jersey Shore  THE VERY IMPORTANT NEWS PROGRAMMING Chelsea Lately I watch?)

The damage the Earth is undergoing is not something we can deny for much longer. As I am getting older, many of my peers are beginning to have children. Having children is not something I am sure I'm going to do, as I don't want to bring more people onto this overcrowded planet. And, at the rate we are destroying it, why would I want a generation I loved and raised to deal with the consequences? I love the saying "Well, it's not going to happen in our lifetime". I'm not so sure that was ever true.

I've been hearing a lot of talk about 'The Rapture' and 'Judgment Day'. I'm not Christian, though I certainly have been ingrained with Christian ideals, ethics and morals due to growing up in the United States. I've been thinking about what 'The Rapture' and end of days means to me. I don't believe it has anything to do with God's anger, or Jesus rising again. I think we will see the end of days due to our destructive tendencies. Other species around us are going extinct everyday. How long will it be before we do it to ourselves?

Sometimes I am an angry vegan. An angry, frustrated person. People ask me all the time if I think I'm going to be vegan for the long haul. I believe so. I can't turn my back on all that I've learned in the last four years. For me, veganism started as a means to deal with a war that had been going on too long. I felt so helpless to all the brutality going on in the Middle East -- veganism seemed a way to stick up for life, to bring sympathy and compassion back into my own life. I was at a place, at 25, where I felt desensitized. The war had started when I was 20, and continuing with full speed. I had been to two countless protests, none of which seemed to matter, to change anything. I had seen pictures of brutalized prisoners of war, footage of be-headings and portraits of soldiers younger than I, who would be coming home in coffins. How do you get back from that?

Now, four years later, I still feel sick about the war, about articles I read (WITH PICTURES) of soldiers torturing civilians for fun. I feel sick when I see images of factory farming -- of farm workers torturing defenseless animals for the 'sake' of our hamburgers, steaks, chicken wings, eggs, cheese, etc. I hate what our species is capable of. Sometimes that makes me an angry vegan. And I love a reason to use the 'f' word!

 

(Another video by Shelly Williams. I feel as though watching this directly resulted in the last blog post.)

The Angry Vegan

Sometimes I am angry. Right now I am angry. I swear the next time I hear, 'I just couldn't give up cheese' I'm going to flip the fuck out.
You know what kind of meat and cheese eater I was? I'd buy steaks with my barista tip money, bake them, and gorge out while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs, pretty much every afternoon the year I was 23. I would dip cheese in mayonnaise for a snack. I chowed down at the annual Arcata Oyster Fests like there would be no tomorrow. I get it: meat/dairy/seafood-- it's really, really tasty. But what I hear, when someone says "Oh, I just could NEVER give up cheese" is "I know how viciously animals are treated -- that dairy cows are kept constantly impregnated and then their babies are ripped away from them at birth -- the females to be used for more dairy farming and the males for veal-- and that the mother cries for days, looking every where for her young calf, like any mother would. I know factory farms are inhumane, and the way animals are abused and slaughtered is horrifying, but cheese just tastes WAY too fucking good for me to give it up."
People often ask, in awe, "How do you do it?". I opened up my fucking eyes, that's how.

 

Tip - you don't have to tell vegans you could just never give up meat/cheese/seafood....we 'get it'. We see you eating it. 

(You Tube Video of Shelly Williams)

TIME FOR TOBY! Let's Do It People!

I thought there was no room in my heart for dogs. Cats — I understand them. They are moody, picky, sassy, make no qualms about wanting to scratch your eyes out if you mess with them and when they love you - it’s like being initiated into a super secret club in which you two are the only members. My cat is a little different as she likes to whore herself all over all my friend’s laps (I have no idea where she learned that from…..)
My cold, dark heart began to melt last summer when I met my sister’s dogs, Jake and Billy. They loved me the instant they met me (I do always appreciate having the upper hand) and followed me around as if I was the leader of their playful, slobbery doggie pack.

(Billy and Jake. Jake suffers from red eye, much like myself.)

But now, it’s official. Toby has stolen my heart and is running with it. I read this little guy’s updates everyday, and just bought the homemade vegan dog biscuits for Jake and Billy. Hopefully my sister will be able to give me a review by the end of the week!


Toby is having a slew of medical problems, yet his parents, John and Veronica, can see the fight in his eyes and are doing everything they can to get him healthy again.

John explained to me, “Toby is family, by choice we don’t have kids, our dogs are our kids. Toby has a shot at a normal (or closely monitored normal-sh) life but he needs time to get regulated. The idea to sell the biscuits was inspired by the Apron Campaign (http://theaproncampaign.blogspot.com/) which I got Veronica for her birthday last year. We looked for ideas of what we could do to help raise money for Toby so we could afford to keep his treatment going.”


(Toby and his ‘sis’, Meg)

I’m rooting for you Toby! If we lose you, I’ll never find it in my heart love dogs again! Okay, not true. You’ve actually opened my eyes to the adorable world of dogs, and perhaps one day, when I have the living space, I will have a pooch companion.

 Toby, I love you so.

Buy the vegan doggie biscuits, or just donate five bucks, if you can. Try to tell me this lil' guy has not captured your heart as well...

Betrayed!

Oh, Ginnifer Goodwin. Where do I begin?

Considering this recent clip of you on Jimmy Kimmel, and the new romcom you chose to star in, I can’t help but notice you are caught in a cycle of bad decision making.

Yes, Big Love is over. I’m apprehensive too. What could possibly fill that void?  Predictable movies costarring Kate Hudson and eating meat - those are not the answers.

I feel betrayed. I loved the issue of VegNews, in which you were the cover girl and saying all sorts of wonderful things about how veganism changed your life. I actually started watching Big Love because of it! I took notice of you, and started to appreciate you as an actress, but more importantly, I respected you as an activist. Whereas before, I have to admit, something about you rubbed me the wrong way.

“Boring health issues”? Humane butchering? BACON MEATLOAF? Rolling your eyes at and belittling your family’s veganism?

WTF?!!? I am not pleased. I'm actually kind of speechless. My main issue with you is not that you started to eat meat again (though it is distressing) - I have plenty of friends and family that do just that, and I still like them (for the love of our planet, JUST GO VEGAN ALREADY, kthanks). My problem is how flippantly you laughed off veganism, made stupid jokes about it with Kimmel and completely disregarded EVERYTHING you talked about so eloquently in VegNews a mere year ago. You come off so hypocritical, it’s unbearable, not to mention offensive.

Dislike, Ginnifer. Major Dislike.

Staycation! Eating Vegan in San Francisco - Nick's Tacos at Underdog's.

Underdog's is a Sports Bar, which serves Nick's Tacos. Nick believes in slow food, fast, which I guess I love. I don't take part in the slow food movement so much, as it is really meat heavy. Unless we are talking about cooking dinner in my apartment. My old roommate Vanessa said I am a great cook, but damn, she can't wait two hours to eat. What?! I like the flavors to meld....and I cook on low so I can check FB every two seconds (omg, just kidding. I have a life. No, actually, I really do this.)
I went to Underdog's on a whim last year with some friends, as Travis knew the bartender and therefore we'd get 'hooked up'.  Whatevs.  I love drinking and I love tacos. I could tell I was gonna like the food as soon as our chips and salsa came.  SO COLORFUL AND FRESH! I mean, really? In a bar? I was not expecting this.
I ordered the vegetarian tacos, which come Nick's Way, as in a crispy corn tortilla wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.  YES AND YES.

I went again today, as I like to hit that place up after shivering my ass off at Ocean Beach. I mean, I always tend to get some color, which is why I go, but that wind chill I could do without.
Taco Salad.  SO AMAZING. The best part is that it is a vegan entree, so I don't have to waste time asking for no cheese, no sour cream, and then stress out it's going to come with those condiments anyway. Cilantro Lime vinaigrette? Done. Fresh tomatoes and delicious guacamole? Done. The best part, other than how it tastes, is that it doesn't come in a heavy, fried tortilla shell-the part of the salad I always try to abstain from and then demolish in 30 seconds flat.  Nope. Instead they decoratively top the salad with tortilla spears.

The first time I went to Underdog's, my other friend, Jerome, informed me of a second Underdog's up the street (different place of business completely). Second Underdog's serves sausages and has an extensive vegan menu! Plus it's organic. So after gorging on chips, salsa and tacos, I found room in my stomach for a vegan sausage.  And then went home and made seitan.  It's not like I'm a marathon runner-I cannot explain this appetite.
Go to the beach and then treat yourself right at The Taco Shop At Underdog's. It's tiring trying to keep warm/drinking all afternoon on the sand. Believe me, I know. But if you go to the beach with your friend and his kid, who happens to be under two years old, this might not be the best place. It's one thing on an average day, but if it's game day, this place can get pretty bro-y. Someone might yell, "Kids in a bar, great idea' at you. Dislike.
Underdog's is located at 19th and Irving. 1824 Irving Street in the Mid Sunset.

Elegant Debauchery

I like to live my life in a style I refer to as Elegant Debauchery. Hard to achieve, yes, but some of us are just born with a natural panache for it. I can teach you the ways sometime if you'd like.
Sometimes (every time) when living the vivacious and raucous, yet very sophisticated life, alcohol is involved. NOT ALL SPIRITS, BEERS AND WINES are created cruelty-free.  "How is my favorite beverage inhumane?!", you ask.  Well, during the filtering and clarifying processes, animal stomachs, bladders and bone char are used. Gross. And so unnecessary.
I use Barnivore to help me out in this department! So helpful and informative! Plus, you can get a free app, so you always have the resource to make cruelty free decisions when choosing what to drink/drown your sorrows away (haha, just kidding. I'm never emo. I never sit in the corner and cry to Cat Power/Elliot Smith/Bright Eyes.).
It was a sad, sad night when I realized my beloved Cooks Champagne is NOT vegan.

Bud Light - VEGAN!

 Great White - VEGAN!

Lone Star - VEGAN!

Tecate - VEGAN!

Mickey's - VEGAN!

  Night of Elegant Debauchery.

Tofu X-Press

To be honest, when I saw the first ad for the Tofu X-Press, I was curious, but very skeptical. Gadgets are so infomercial-esque!

But, after seeing it featured in VegNews magazine, I decided to give it a chance. I love it! I can't remember life without it.  Yes I can: wasted paper towels, waiting hours on end to drain my tofu, making a huge mess in my mom's kitchen....

The days of wrapping up tofu in paper towels and setting heavy items (cans of beans, encyclopedias no one is using) on top are OVER!

It only takes about an hour to drain most of the water out. Or you can let it go for hours (I may or may not have left mine in the fridge for two days).  You can set it up and put it in your fridge before you go to work, and when you come home you will have super dense tofu! Tofu that picks up every flavor it's marinated or cooked in! It's become the only reason I wake up in the morning. This and my Vita-Mix!

More Angles

Tofu X-Press, Vita Mix and Coffee Maker. Best threesome EVER.

Roasted Fennel

OMG ROASTED FENNEL IS SO DELICIOUS! I love it. New favorite side dish.

Fennel can be on the expensive side, so I only bought two bulbs.  Next time I am buying double that!  Maybe TRIPLE if I'm feeling like a high baller.

You will need:
     *Fennel bulbs
     *Olive Oil
     *Balsamic Vinegar
     *Salt and Pepper
     *Garlic Powder (Optional)
     *Vegan Cheese (Optional)

Preheat your oven to 375.

Cut your fennel bulbs up, about 1/3 of an inch thick.  Put them in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar.  Mix everything up - you want each piece of fennel coated!

Place in baking dish and roast for about 45 minutes,or until fennel is tender.  (I decided mine was done when I could stick a fork through the thickest pieces).  If you want to add cheese, take out 5 to 10 minutes before it's done and sprinkle it on. 

SO EASY!

Green Bean Casserole, Simplified. BUT SO MUCH SOY!

I'm really proud of my vegan green bean casserole. However, it's one of those recipes I would look at and say, 'Too complicated, too many ingredients'.  The most time intensive part of this recipe is making your cream of mushroom from scratch.  I like using cashew cream - soy is in everything and as a vegan, I gotta find interesting and tasty ways to lessen it from my diet.  Cashews are perfect!  However, if you don't have a Vita-Mix, blender, food processor, or tons of time, cashew cream might not be an option.
So I've tried to make it as easy as I possibly can.

Everything about this recipe is almost the same as the original.  I used about a pound of frozen green beans instead of fresh (seriously, do fresh if you can), and instead of cashew cream I used 4 cups of unsweetened, plain soymilk.

You will need:
     *1 medium red onion

     *olive oil

     *6 - 8 cloves of garlic

     *10 oz mushrooms (a little over half a pound)

     *4 cups of unsweetened soy milk

     *1 1/2 Tbs flour

     *About 2 lbs frozen green beans

     *1 - 2 Tbs Italian herbs

     *2 tsp pepper

     *1 1/2 Tbs salt

     *3 - 4 green onions 

     *1 large can (6 oz) French's Fried Onions

First and foremost, I chop up my mushrooms into very small pieces and saute them in olive oil on medium heat. I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie 'Julia and Julia', but one thing I learned is that mushrooms won't brown if you crowd them in the pan.  So I cook them first and put them aside in a bowl. 

Mushrooms

Next, I add a little more oil to my pan, dice my red onion and saute it until caramelized, but you can go until they are just transparent.  Add chopped or minced garlic, being careful not to burn it.  I like to add the Italian herbs, salt and pepper at this point, so they can cook into the onions and garlic.  Add mushrooms and let cook together for about a minute or so.

Mushrooms, onions, garlic, Italian herbs.

Add your 1 1/2 Tbs flour to the mix.  Let it coat everything and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Don't let it burn.  Pour in 4 cups of soymilk and whisk until thick. Taste.  Seasoned enough?

Now is the fun part!  It's all coming together! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, mix your green beans and cream of mushroom soup together with about 3/4 of the can of french fried onions. 

Spread out the mixture in a casserole/baking dish.  Bake for 20 - 30 minutes.  Every oven bakes differently, so it's a good idea to check on the casserole every few minutes after the 20 minute mark.  I'm guessing at about 25 minutes, you'll want to pull it out and sprinkle the remaining french fried onions on top.  Bake for another 5 minutes.

 Before the oven

Done and done!

Something that I have started doing is adding about 2 Tbs to 1/4 cup of sherry to the mushrooms and letting it cook in. So delicious!