Green tomatoes don't actually taste all that much like ripened red tomatoes. They're a little tangier, and their texture is firmer, making them all the better to fry because they don't just fall apart in a gooey, tomato-y mess. Here's how I like to fix them:
You'll need a few green tomatoes, depending on how much you want to make. Make sure they don't have any red on them, because those parts will end up soggy. Slice them up in about half-inch thick slices (any thinner and they'll fall apart, and if you do them too much thicker, it'll take them forever to cook). You'll need plenty of oil in your pan on medium heat (and use whatever oil suits you best - vegetable tastes fine and that's what I usually use with these, but olive and canola are healthier choices that taste good, too). Once your oil is heated up, start dipping the slices of green tomato in original-flavored soymilk. Then, you want to dredge them in the good stuff that makes them crunchy. I like to use a half cup of yellow cornmeal, a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, and 2 teaspoons of flour all mixed up. If you don't like spicy foods, nix the Cajun season and just use some of Lawry's Season Salt; it's got more flavor than just plain salt and doesn't have any MSG. So anyway, after dipping the slices in soymilk, you dredge them in your cornmeal mix, and drop them in your pan with the oil. Then you watch the magic. As the oil sizzles and pops around the edges of the tomato, the batter on them turns golden brown and super crunchy. After about two or three minutes, you want to flip them over and let the other side cook. I like mine a little more done than some people, but once you've reached a light golden brown, they're ready to eat. Drain off the excess oil on a paper towel on a plate, and you can eat them just like that. I like them best right off the plate and plain, which is how I ate them last night.
Another really great way to have fried green tomatoes is to make a sandwich with them. Put a few slices on thick-cut pumpernickel bread (yum!). Before I turned vegan, I'd put a couple of slices of mozzarella cheese on top right after I took the tomatoes out of the frying pan and let it melt a little and put them on the bread. Instead, now I'll use Vegan Gourmet brand non-dairy mozzarella cheese (it promises to melt!).
A really good spread to put on your bread for this is a vegan ranch dressing that's super easy to make and tastes pretty damn good, too, plus you can use it with literally a million other things. To make it:
1/2 cup original soymilk
1/2 cup soy vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
You just mix all your ingredients up in a blender and let it chill and thicken some. I like to use my handy-dandy Ninja mixer-thingamabob my sister Tracie bought me as a wedding present (thank you again!!!!)
Another really great recipe I just made up myself yesterday (I'm so brilliant, I know) is for a really good strawberry milkshake. I love strawberry anything and everything, and milkshakes are just one of those really good old-fashioned favorites that are really hard to give up when you make the decision to be a vegan. But, this recipe was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. By the way, this was for one individual milkshake.
5 strawberries, hulled (scrape off the seeds, or leave them if you feel like, whatever makes your little heart happy)
6 cubes of ice
1 cup of soymilk
2 tablespoons artificial sweetener (or sugar, if you so wish)
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream made with coconut or rice milk
Blend up the ice first, then add the milk, then the ice cream, and lastly the strawberries and sweetener. Then just pour it into a cup and if you're feeling sassy, garnish it with a sliced strawberry, too. I used my nifty Ninja for this, too, and it literally took about no time to blend the ice up.
Lastly, I'm leaving you with some pictures of the little baby chick I had as a pet, Chanel. Out on RT. 75 every spring, there are some people who sell baby chicks, rabbits, and ducks. Well, over four years ago now, I was driving out there to go to my husband's parents' house and saw the sign. I got him to go with me and he got me a baby chick and a bag of feed for like, $3. I named my little darling chick Chanel (who later turned out to be a boy, but I've always been down with the mo's and trannies so it's all good). You know how chickens are supposed to imprint on the person they believe is their mother? Well, Chanel imprinted on me and followed me EVERYWHERE. I would hang out in the front yard picking weeds and planting flowers and little Chanel would hop around in the flower bed right by me, eating worms when I'd pull them out and she would very inquisitively inspect my work. Inside, she'd follow me everywhere I walked and would hop up on my shoulder and even on top of my head. I loved that sweet little chicken, but after several weeks she'd already grown so big she just couldn't live in my bathroom anymore. Bathrooms aren't really suitable for chickens, you know? So, I knew some people who have a bird farm where they take care of a bunch of sick and injured birds, and I sent her off to live there in peace and happiness the way she was meant to live. I still miss that damn chicken, though, and wish I hadn't ever had to let her go. Maybe one day I'll get another one (if I can dupe my husband into it).
Chanel!
She would hop up on my shoulder and nuzzle up to my neck - how sweet.
That's my niece Lexie with Chanel - she was fascinated by her.
In bed with me. Yes, she slept in my bed sometimes. No, she never pooped or anything in it.
She would stand there while I was doing my makeup!
