veganmofo #9: ball? no, ball!

i had a massive craving for a hot tomato saucy sandwich last night, which is weird because it's not like i ever used to eat that kind of thing anyway, regardless of my dietary outlook. i am all about giving in to my urges right now, though, probably because i feel some pressure to get a veganmofo post up at least every other day. it's a good feeling of obligation, though, because it's (partially) torn me away from really simple and unbalanced dinners. i haven't made angel hair in weeks!

still, the downside of getting home from work in the late afternoon, only to start thinking about dinner around 6PM or so, is that i have ended up eating well past 8 o'clock most nights these past couple of weeks. i have finally gotten my sleeping schedule regulated, giving up my much-loved long afternoon naps, so i try to be in bed by 11PM. that doesn't give me a whole lot of time between eating and sleeping. in an ideal world, i guess i'd start thinking about dinner before i got home, but i'm too busy worrying whether my students are learning enough, dodging meetings and extracurricular commitments, and generally trying to sort out the tangled web that is my worklife. i hop from milestone to milestone with very little forethought: go home. walk dogs. do NOTHING. consider food.

anyway, when the craving for sloppy balls on a roll came over me last night, i deliberated for a few, considering a quick-fix meal, but ultimately gave in. am i ever glad i did.

the beanballs are from veganomicon and not only are they really tasty, but they come together really quickly, too! i baked them for this sandwich, but next time i'll likely pan-fry. my oven is a wonky old beast and heats really unevenly, so baking is always a risk. they turned out good, but i lost a few to overheating. (when i say lost, i mean i had to dip them in sauce and eat them bread- and cheeze-less.) too bad, because the huge benefit of baking them is that i don't have to hover over a skillet and can get some work/nothing done from my couch. after baking, i assembled rolls, extra sauce, and a couple slices of tofutti mozzarella on some italian bread and chucked it in the convection oven for final toasting and melting madness.

i confess...i didn't actually end up eating the hoagie for dinner last night. i cut an inch-thick slice off of it and had that, but then bagged the rest to take for lunch today. so good!

why, you might ask, did i delay enjoying the loaf of my labors? all the while i was mixing, rolling, and preparing the beanballs, i was snacking on a bag of boulder canyon malt vinegar & sea salt potato chips. i've not been able to find salt & vinegar chips near my apartment in washington heights, but stumbled upon these at carrot last night, while out in search of vegan mozzarella. they're kind of a little too apple cider vinegary for my taste, but they were good enough to eat an entire bag of for dinner, so i'm not even sure it's worth mentioning.

(note: that bottle of brooklyn local one was not part of dinner. it's awaiting shipment to mike in california and by including this picture, i'm guaranteeing myself an earful tomorrow when he reads this. what? i'm a gift delayer! there are worse things i could do!)