Dear High School seniors,

 This weekend at work, I was having a discussion about naps with someone.  I said, "Naps are honestly why I dropped out of college."  The high school senior going to college in the fall was sitting near us and was like why is that? In honor of all of the graduations that are going on in these few weeks, I thought I would write a special edition of my blog with some Dos and Don'ts for high school seniors (mostly don'ts).  

I asked around to my friends and came up with a few tips with some help from my friends 

1) DO screen your Craigslist roommates.  Even if you have a friend in common, still get some references because you might end up with a pathological liar with a dog that is also a terrorist living in your basement like my roommate Synna and I did.  Michael McCoy: If you're out there.  You owe us FIVE HUNDRED dollars and we still want to sue you.   

Dovakhin: Terrorist dog by Ivana Goal

2) DON'T spend your days drinking wine and napping instead of going to class.  You're going to kid yourself and say that you can just email the professor and you will pass the exam if you do the readings, but you are lying to yourself.  Especially if you go to a school with small class sizes.   Unless you are taking a class where the grade is 100% based on your final and midterm exams, then you will be SOL.

3) DON'T care about the hype of Greek life.  I got this one from a few of my friends, even those in sororities and fraternities.  If you're in one, cool and I'm happy for you, but don't make it the center of your life or you're going to be that girl/guy at parties years later talking about your "sisters" and "brothers" and someone is going to be like, "Oh wow you have a lot of sisters." and you'll be like, "Oh no it's my sorority sisters." and then there will be an awkward silence followed by pity.  I know, I saw it happen.    

So wise.

4) DON'T feel like you need to be set on a major.  One of the reasons that my college career was so unsuccessful was that I was set on Political Science and about 1.5 years in, I realized that I was not ready to study it for 2.5 more years, let alone deal with it for a living.  I would have been WAY better off if I switched my major then, instead of continuing on, hoping that I would change my mind.

5) DO get a pet.  Even if you live in the dorms, you can probably pull off having an animal.  I had my Mr. Buns for about three years.  He was great when he wasn't chewing on wires, but even when he did, it didn't matter because he was so darn cute!

Mr. Buns wearing his leash!

  6) DON'T build a relationship with your college roommate based on mutual hatred of someone/something else.  I feel like with my first roommate, we only really got along because we hated all of the same things.  That's not a great way to form a lasting bond.  It's going to end really badly with some paranoia and some really mean texts.  My second roommate and dearest friend, Synna and I had a stronger bond based on mutual hatred and mutual interests and mutual hotness and just all around enjoying each others company.  Our relationship might have borderlined on enabling destructive behavior but hey who is keeping track? NOT ME! 

7) DO wear a slutty Halloween costume at least one year.  You deserve it. 

 8) DONT forget to bring a towel with you to the bathroom when you're going to take a shower.  Because then you're going to have to dry off with paper towels or you'll have to put your original clothes back on and that's just awful.  The best method is going to the shower in just your towel.  If that is too much for you, then you need to not be living in a co-ed dorm.  Also don't forget to bring toilet paper to a party! EVER!


9) DON'T go to college for your Mrs. Degree.  Chances are that your education will be worth far more than your future husband


10) DON'T schedule classes before 10.  Unless you are super motivated, you will NEVER. MAKE. IT. 


11) DO utilize office hours.  Most professors are actually pretty nice and want to help you.  I definitely did not utilize office hours because I was scared of professors and look at where that got me.  
 

From Jezebel.com read more in the link I posted below

12) DON'T dabble in the sketchy frats.  I went to American University.  If you are ever on the Internet AT ALL you probably saw something abut the "Rapey" frat.  If you didn't see it, click HERE.  After finding out the identities of the men that sent those emails, I actually recognized a few of them.  People, there is a REASON that they have a reputation for sketchiness and unsavory behavior.  Don't kid yourself, "Oh I'm friends with them, they would never act that way to me" or "The other fraternities are just jealous so they made up these rumors."  Honestly, the fact that you are okay with them behaving that way towards other women as long as they leave you alone makes me want to throw up in my mouth and all rumors have a base somewhere.  


13) DON'T believe that your college has your best interest at heart.  I'm not going to go into detail, but I firmly believe that you need to look out for yourself.  Question EVERYTHING.  


14) LAST BUT NOT LEAST, College isn't for everyone.  Don't force yourself to do something that you know isn't right for you.  Plenty of successful people didn't go to college and plenty of unsuccessful people did.  Even if college is for you, don't rush it.  I'm almost starting year six and I figure as long as I graduate before my little sister, I'm good. 

Good luck!
xo -Katelyn

ps. Completely forgot to add that the Craigslist roommate from Number One also had a ferret named Skrillex whose cage he never cleaned and I may or may not have released into the wild.  Have you ever smelled a ferret? 

Pad Thai Grilled Tofu/Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from Wine and Vegan Cheese! Today my mother got the wonderful gift of my sister coming home from college to spend the summer here.  I mean, she already has me living at home as a 22 year old and she does all of my laundry, so I feel like I am just the gift that keeps on giving.  Just in case that isn't enough, I also got her this cute little chicken pitcher from Deruta, Italy.   

My family (aka actually my Dad) also got her a swing because our old one was a little decrepit and she likes to sit outside in the sun and read.  I really wish that my mother would give me the Mother's Day gift of telling me where my bottle of Pinot Grigio is because I need it.  (update: there is no wine left, she drank it all)

New swing!

 The weather has finally been nice for more than 3 days at a time!  I have the next three days off and I am looking forward to sitting in the sun in my bathing suit and reading The Fall of Giants by Kenneth Follett.  His books are addicting.  I already preordered the third book in the trilogy and I am so psyched, even if it doesn't come out for a few months.

The only place I want to be until I leave Naples

In other news, tonight my family is grilling.  I never eat dinner with them but Tara is back and it's Mother's Day so I though, why not?  They're grilling steaks or ribs or something.  I scoured Pinterest for a good grilled tofu recipe because I have a few blocks in my fridge and I've never done it before.  I was feeling wild, so I whipped up this tofu! It's inspiration was Pad Thai!

Pad Thai Inspired Grilled Peanut Butter/Lime Tofu

1 block of tofu
1/2 cup of lime juice (the original recipe says use fresh, but I'm not made of limes so I used store bought)
1/3 cup of agave nectar
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 heaping tablespoons of smooth peanut butter (I had to use chunky because it was all that I had)
3 tablespoons Sriracha (I think I ended up adding more)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (set aside)

Press your tofu.  I use the tofu EZPress but you can always just use paper towels.  Cut it into strips and lay it in a tupperware container or baking dish so it is all laying flat in one layer.

Mix together all of the ingredients.  Pour the sauce over the tofu and cover.  Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours.  I put some cilantro on top.
 
When you're ready to grill, take it out and put it on an oiled grill.  Ten minutes each side!  Make sure you watch it though just in case because I'm sure times will vary.  Serve hot and pour the rest of the sauce over it if you'd like! Garnish with the cilantro!

The tofu ready to marinate!

This was really tasty.  Grilling the tofu gives it a smoky flavor but because it's marinated in lime juice, it also tastes really smoky.  It's sweet because of the agave but it's salty because of the soy sauce.  Overall this was a really great dish.  

Unfortunately there was a miscommunication in the kitchen and my mother threw away my leftover sauce so I couldn't eat the finished product with it, but honestly, it didn't even need it because it was that flavorful!  

 I sat in the sun for a few hours in my bathing suit, and I just examined my body and I am still the exact same shade of porcelain as I was before.  I'm determined to at least get a little tan before the summer is over.  

Overall, a really great day off! 

ciao ciao! -Katelyn

A letter from your cashier,

I am a cashier.  However, when I fill out forms that ask me for my occupation, I write "student" because I am not about to write down that I am a cash register operator by profession.   But at the moment, cash register operating pays the bills so that is what I am.  I actually really enjoy my job, I work with a lot of people that I like the company of and I get to talk talk talk to people all day long.

This is my most frequent conversation.
Me: Hey! How are you today?
Them: I'm great! How are you?
Me: I'm alright.
Them: Just alright?
Me: Yes.

Sometimes people don't want to chit chat and the conversation is as follows:
Me: Hey How are you today?
Them: Fine. Thank you.
Me: Okaaaay then.

I've had a pretty terrible bout of cold/allergies lately, so my conversations have mainly centered around that.  But sometimes people feel the need to explain their purchases to me.  One woman who was buying like fifteen packets of balloons told me how it was her son's birthday the next morning and she left all of her balloons that she bought at work.  I thought that was sweet and I am genuinely interested in most people's lives.   

This is me

 A lot of customers come up to my register proclaiming "This must be the most random assortment that you've ever seen."  No sir, your purchase of pens, razors and toilet paper isn't random.  The guy that brought up rope, duct tape and some surgical masks raised some red flags though.

11 Things that bother me as your cashier:
1. When the item doesn't scan and you say, "must be free!" No. It's not free.  Stop. Also I guarantee that I've heard that five times today.
2. When you read my name on my name tag and address me by my name.  I know you're trying to be nice, but it's kind of creepy.  
3. When you place all of your things ON TOP of the scanner.  How am I supposed to scan your stuff if the object that I use to scan your items is covered by your items?
4. When you have twenty articles of clothing, you express that you do not want the hangers and then watch me struggle to take all of the hangers off. AND THEN you tap your foot impatiently because it's taking me so long. 
5. This one might just be me, but it really bothers me when people ask for bags for tiny items that could fit into a pocket.  Wasteful. 
6. When the light on my lane is clearly off and I am clearly trying to clean up my space and people come to my line.  Respect the light people!
7. It doesn't bother me one bit when people are on the phone, but if you completely ignore my, "Hello, how are you?" you are rude.
8. When something was on sale last week and you want a sale on it now.  Sorry, that's not how that works, I wish it was.
9.  Arguing about the wording on the sign.  I didn't write the sign, someone else wrote the sign and I'M SURE that they wrote it that way to mislead you, but they did it for a reason and it is just my job to enforce the sign.  Sorry.  
10.  Asking for $150 cash back during the first 10 minutes that the store is open.  Seriously? Use your brain. 
11.  When you reach over and rip off your own receipt.  I do not have much power in my job, but one of the teeny tiny bits of responsibility that I have is to rip off the receipt.  When you take that from me... I have nothing.  Also I have to resist the urge to slap your hand.  So stop that. 

I feel like a lot of responses to this post will be like, "You get paid to do your job" but honestly, most of the things that I just listed are common courtesy and common sense.  

I honestly like my job and 99.9% of customers but this just turned into a rant, but honestly, some of these things needed to be said.  Sorry that I'm not sorry.  And remember, the cashier ringing up your condoms and lube feels just as awkward as you do. 

ciao ciao -K

Spring Cleaning

So it is spring in Naples! Since the weather is mostly chilly and rainy, you really wouldn't be able to tell if it weren't for my itchy swollen eyes, runny nose and full body rash that I get every time spring time comes to Naples.  With spring, comes spring cleaning.  Anyone who knows me and has seen my car, or my room or my work locker knows that I'm not big on cleaning.  If it's going to take me longer than five minutes, my  attention span drops to zero and you can find me reading a book or watching TV, or cooking, or trying to learn a new language... literally anything other than cleaning.

However, this year it's going to be different.  I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things that I own.  I wear maybe 5% of my clothing on a regular basis.  I have so many things that are purely decorative.  I took part in a community flea market on Saturday with my boyfriend and while we unloaded a lot of things, it's still ridiculous what I have that I am NEVER going to wear.  Why don't you just get rid of it? you ask.  Well, the truthful answer to that is I have no idea.  On one hand, it makes me a little angry that I purchased this item and I didn't wear it and will probably never wear it so I essentially just wasted my money.

The beginning of my "good-bye" pile

 On the other hand, I am a little bit emotionally attached to all of my things and I just need to let it go and grow up!  There are people that travel the world with just a backpack!  I'd like to think that I  could do that.  But for as long as I can remember, I have been personifying inanimate objects.  Like, I feel bad when I have to throw away Mr. Toothbrush because he is more than 2 months old and then I feel bad for Mr. Corkscrew because I called him a POS.

 Yesterday at the flea market, I realized that I probably wasn't going to sell all of my stuff, so I gave some of it to the women that were selling things to benefit TNR which is a local organization that assists the local stray population by Trapping, Neutering and Releasing them.   It's kind of killing me that I didn't get any pictures of the flea market but it is what it is.

Glad to get all of that gunk off of my brushes.ewwwww

 Today I cleaned my makeup brushes out the way I usually do because it has been TOOO long, I could probably just apply my makeup using the residue on my brushes:
-1 part water
-1 part hyrdrogen peroxide
-few squirts of soap.
 
This time I used Dr. Bronner's Hemp Lavender Pure-Castile soap because I was curious about it.  Have you ever read the label on that thing? It's like a cult handbook.  Kind of creepy.  But it worked really well in my brush washing and now my brushes smell like lavender. 

Also, something terrible has happened to me.  I ran out of/can't find my Vital Wheat Gluten so I can't make any seitan and I am very upset about it.  I ordered more but who knows when it's going to get here.  I don't have anything that I want to put in wraps or on salads and it is not a good time :(

So I've been compensating by making baked tofu bites marinated in balsamic vinegar.  Here's the gist of it in a recipe but I usually just wing it.

Balsamic Baked Tofu Bites
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Press your tofu.  I use the EZ Tofu Press.  Then cut it into cubes or triangles or however you'd like, but I have realized that the smaller the pieces are, the better it is because the pieces are more seasoned, here are what my pieces looked like.

Not very aesthetically pleasing, but so tasty!

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl that can be covered and sealed and then add the tofu.  Cover the bowl and shake it up.  Let sit for a bit.  The longer you let it marinate (with occasional shaking) the more flavorful the pieces will be.  I usually let mine sit for like 30-45 minutes.

Then place them on the baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees F for 30 mins, flipping over halfway through.

I really like them to add flavor and protein to salad or wraps.  I tried to make it as a copy cat of the balsamic tofu that you can find in Whole Foods' salad bar, but I haven't had that in so long because I've been overseas and this recipe has evolved so much, it's probably not similar at all. 

I'm sorry I don't have a finished picture of the batch, but they basically look like what I posted above just a little crispier.

Also a few nights ago I made THE BESTTTT dinner ever.  I used the basil tofu that I picked up at Mondo Bio in Sorrento, sauteed it with some garlic and then added it to some Newman's Own tomato sauce to make a kind of "meat" sauce.  I served it over the vegan raviolis I picked up there too.  So good.  Even my omnivore boyfriend loved it!  

The ravioli, not sure what was in it but is says Vegan!

The basil tofu tomato sauce

Anyways, pretty uneventful week for me, but I really enjoyed it because who doesn't love to relax? and also I got to spend basically 24/7 with my boyfriend, so that was magical. Now I have to get back to adding to my pile of things I do not need or want anymore!

ciao ciao! -xo Katelyn

ps. My friend and hairstylist Brittany did my hair and it's awesome. I did ombre again but there are highlights too.  Honestly I have no idea what she did to it, but it looks fantastic and really natural.  Also there was the bonus of a puppy being present for my appointment (she does hair out of her house).

No makeup and I still look good

Not sure what they decided to name her, but I called her Banshee

A Very Vegan Day in Sorrento!

On Thursday, Peter, my new friend and coworker, Tasha and I went to Sorrento for the day.  It was amazing.  I just planned on doing the usual down there, see the views, try the free limoncello in every single shop, pet some puppies, but Tasha found this wonderful store/restaurant conveniently located by the train station near the center of Sorrento! So we had to go.  I'm going to take you through our day.

We got a late start in the morning so we decided to drive.  My car has seen better days, so let's just say after the windy, twisted roads on the about 1.5 hour drive to Sorrento, I needed a big old glass of wine. 

When we started our walk, we ended up near this giant lemon grove in the middle of a city block.  It was a pretty long walk through the grove, and it ended at a limoncello tasting-station.  Unfortunately, around then, the weather started to get bad so we were running from raindrops for a bit.

Tasha took this in the lemon grove

Then we get to Mondo Bio (click here for more info), which is the sixth ranked restaurant in Sorrento, to find that it's also a store and that the restaurant doesn't open up for a few more hours so we decided to walk around and see the shops and the views.  When I go to Sorrento I like to do this thing where I get a free sample of limoncello at every shop that I go to.  You usually end up hitting about 5 shops.  Worth it. 

There were a bunch of old men zesting the lemons to make limoncello, it was pretty cool.  

Soooo muchhhh limoncello and meloncello.

We all made some purchases and went on our way.  We decided that we were too hungry to wait for Mondo Bio Cafe to open and that we would be totally fine with eating a second time in like an hour and found a cafe to sit at.  We asked for the Vegetarian menu, and ordered a LOT of bruschetta, some grilled vegetables, french fries and a bottle of wine.

Yummm bruschetta

 We still had a little bit of time so we decided to go out and see the view of the coast.  Even though it was a little rainy, we were not disappointed!

The church courtyard right before the view of the coast

A pic I took before the weather started to get bad

Finally it was time to go to Mondo Bio and purchase tons of vegan items!!! I was super duper excited.  So was Tasha.  I think we both spent like 45 euro, which is basically like 65 dollars.  We got there at around eight, and the store closes at eight and the restaurant closes at like 8:30 so we had to make it quick.  It had everything I wanted!!! TEMPEH, SEITAN, NUTRITIONAL YEAST, all sorts of vegan lunch meats, some vegan cheeses.  It also had a very large selection of organic produce for sale.  Safe to say it is one of my favorite places in the Naples area now.

About half of their refrigerator selection after Tasha and I cleaned them out

A few of the items I picked up! Check out the basil tofu and rice milk mozz.

Then after we finished up with our shopping, we sat down to have a nice meal, even though we had eaten about an hour previously, but whatevs.  Tasha and I both got gnocchetti alla sorrentina with vegan mozzarella and Peter got an organic egg omelet.  The gnochetti were pretty great!! The tomato sauce was obviously fresh and I can't wait to go back and try their seitan-stuffed ravioli!  They also had an extensive selection of vegan wines to choose from but I had to drive back in a few, so I abstained.  

 I already started to make tempeh bacon and I have a feeling that I'm going to be making a few more trips there in the future!! Also, on the way back, my data was used up on my phone so we had no GPS and all of the streets that we needed to take us home were closed because of a Holy Thursday procession, so we had a pretty rough time getting home, but we made it eventually! 

Here are some pics from Tasha's camera!

Sometimes we are just awkward

To any vegans/vegetarians living in the Naples area, I HIGHLY recommend checking out Mondo Bio Cafe! The address is Via Degli Aranci, 108-110, 80067, Sorrento, Naples.  There's parking up the street that isn't too expensive.  Maybe a 10 minute walk.

Overall, it was a great day.  I love showing people around the Naples area and I am SO glad that Tasha looked up this restaurant/store.  I will probably return as soon as I use up all of my tempeh and once the weather gets perfect it'll be an even better day trip!!

ciao ciao! xo - Katelyn

Recipe Thursdays - Not actually spicy Peanut Butter Tofu

I hate eating peanuts.  Roasted, honey roasted, plain, I am just burned out on peanuts.  Not. A. Fan.  However, I am a fan of things that have peanuts in them.  Like pad thai and peanut butter and recently the peanut butter and chocolate Pro Bar.

I found THIS recipe on Pinterest (of course, where else?) from Kalyn's Kitchen and I knew I had to make it.  Usually I just browse through and pin stuff, but with this one, I knew I had to make it because 1) it looked ridiculously easy 2) peanut butter 3) soy sauce 4) tofu.

I tweaked it a little bit to fit my own tastes/also I didn't have all of the ingredients I needed.  Enjoy!  I made if a few days ago, and I really cannot wait to make it again!

Vegan Asian Peanut Butter Tofu
Tofu: 
1 block of extra firm tofu sliced into diagonal pieces
1 tablespoon of peanut oil
3 cloves of garlic sliced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Sauce:
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable stock
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (the recipe stressed to use natural peanut butter but all I had was jif.  Sorry I'm not sorry haha.)
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons of Sriracha or rooster sauce

Press your tofu to get rid of all of the excess water.  For a while I was pretty ghetto and I would just wrap my tofu in paper towels and place it in between two plates with some books on top.  Now I have my Tofu EZPress that I got from Amazon and it saves me a lot of time and paper towels.  I highly recommend it!!

Mix together all of the sauce ingredients!  Put in as much Sriracha as you would like!  I surprised myself and kept adding the rooster sauce until I was satisfied with the spiciness.  It took me a while to work up to medium salsa so this was not expected.  

Heat up a pan.  Throw the oil in there, then let it heat up a bit.  Then throw that garlic in there.  Let the garlic stay in the pan until it smells really strong.  Then take it out and set aside or throw away.  I personally set it aside to reuse in my next recipe because I felt bad throwing it away.

Now put the tofu in the oil. Cook until it is lightly browned on each side.  Then put the pan on low heat and add the sauce.  Cook until the tofu is coated and the sauce is getting a little thick.

Place the tofu on a plate and pour the sauce over it.  Garnish with green onions if you have them! I didn't think I had any but apparently my family has tons in the garden! I didn't find this out until after I ate it though.  Sooooo not cool.

When I was making this, my mother was cooking sausage for my dad right next to me.  Seeing my nice tofu cooking in this light, plant based sauce next to the sausage, which had gone from red to purple (how does that even happen??!) cooking in basically a mixture of water and its own fat was really interesting.  My mom was like, "Oh well I'd eat healthier if it wasn't for your father liking this food."  She also said, "We come from a different generation."  Not sure why being from a different generation is an excuse to eat junk and animal fat, but that's their prerogative.

ewwwwwwwwwwww

 I'm actually really glad that growing up my mother didn't let me eat sugary stuff and provided me with balanced meals before I was able to feed myself and was moderately supportive of my decision to become a vegetarian at the age of 12.  I just wish there was something that I could do that would help my family let go of what I can only assume is an emotional attachment to fake food.  There's some type of chicken product in the freezer right now called "Wyngz".  What? No. Stop.  Right now.  That's not a real word and those are not real things. 

I have a few non-recipe blog posts in the works except I haven't really materialized them yet.  I'm working on it! Haven't been doing much except working and being lame because Peter is in Barcelona but he comes back today yay! Doing spring cleaning today and I cleared out so much stuff that I don't need anymore! 

I'm going to bring it to our community flea market in a few weeks.  That's one of the biggest things I miss about being in the states (other than the number one which is obviously Target), when everyone can just get together and sell stuff in their yard.  In the community here, people either live in apartments on base or out in the Italian economy so it's basically impossible. 

I've been trying to get into some new music because I feel like I have been listening to the same stuff over and over again for the past few weeks.  I can't stop listening to Hozier.  I've been doing a lot of pet sitting and here are two of my new favorite little furry friends, Bella and Daisy.  Their cuddle game is on point. 

Ciao ciao! - x Katelyn

Recipe Thursdays - Breakfast Burrito

I try to eat relatively healthy.  I include very little processed foods and frozen meals in my diet.  What I've noticed about my eating habits is that if I eat a healthy breakfast, I'm on track for basically the rest of the day.  If I start my day out with a wrap or a salad, I'm good to go for a few hours.  However, if I start my day off with ten handfuls of pretzels during my drive to work, then I'm in trouble.   

As I was browsing Pinterest one day, I came across a recipe that advertised itself as "The Best Breakfast Burrito in Town" and I was intrigued.  I put it on my "To make" list.  What really sealed the deal for me was that you can freeze them for a few months, you just have to take them out of the freezer the night before you want to make it.  I had a few days off so I decided to make them!  Also I thought it was time for me to make something not from my Isa Does It cookbook.  You can read the recipe that I used HERE but I'm including the way that I made it below.  

Vegan Lentil Breakfast Burritos

2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided

1 cup of crumbled seitan

1 small onion, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper,chopped

1 pound package (16 oz.) lentils

2-1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt for the lentils

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used button)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup vegan cheese

your favorite salsa

however many soft tortillas you need

Directions:  Put the lentils and the teaspoon of salt in a large saucepan.  Add the water to cover the top of the lentils.  Bring to a boil and cover the pot.  Turn down to medium low heat.  Cook 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the lentils are tender.  I added a splash of soy sauce.  Taste to see if the texture is done but not mushy.  Set lentils aside.

 

Anyone who ever ate Dinosaur Egg oatmeal will recognize this bowl

Heat the oil in a skillet to medium high heat.  Brown the seitan on all sides. Set aside.

Add your onion and bell pepper to the pan.  If the pan is dry add a little bit more oil.  Saute until the onion is translucent and the peppers and onions are turning a bit brown.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the sliced mushrooms to the same skillet and saute for about 15-20 minutes.

Now place a little bit of everything in a tortilla until you have enough to fill up a burrito.  You should google, "how to fold burritos" because I'm terrible at it and will not be able to help you in this.  If it is possible, i actually got worse with each burrito. 

Heat each burrito in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Serve immediately. 

To serve after freezing:

Put in the refrigerator the day before serving.

Unwrap from the plastic wrap.

Heat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and then flip over. Heat 15-20 more seconds. 

Edit: Okay so after actually "serving after freezing" I have realized that 15-20 seconds isn't going to cut it. I do 30 each side!

 

My tower of burritos

Reasons I like this recipe: 1) I really like the flavor that coconut oil adds to the food.  2) Although it's a little time consuming to make, I ended up making 15 burritos so I'd say it was worth it!  3) they keep really well in the freezer.

What I would do differently: 1) I would season the lentils with some southwestern seasoning because I think they were a liiiittle too plain.  Also, let's be honest, lentils taste like dirt. I know the flavor is described as "earthy" but we all know it is actually "dirt-y".  2) I would add more vegetables, maybe some chopped carrots.  3) I think I would add some avocado or guacamole.  

If you are like some people I know (not me even though I'm working on it) and like to make your meals in advance, then this would be a really great addition to anyone's food prep day.

ps. Here's a bonus pic of my super cute dog Cleo.  She's almost 15, deaf and blind but she's still pretty spry and gives cats a run for their money.  

I love this face. 

ciao ciao -Katelyn