We're back at it again! My doctor (who is actually a nurse practitioner) recommended for the third time that I try going gluten-free and sugar-free for at least a month and asked that I document how I feel. I picked the month of June because, leading up to this point, I haven't been feeling so great. I've been sluggish, been getting more headaches, stomach pain in the evening, and my acne has been out of control. So I started on Tuesday with a well-crafted meal plan and a lot of conviction.
Week one has gone pretty smoothly, though not without some ups and downs. On Tuesday, I had a mild headache which I attributed to sugar withdrawal. On Wednesday, the headache morphed into a tension headache - sugar detoxing coupled with high stress from work, a pending storm, and not enough calories in my system? It was the set up for a bad scene. I ended up leaving work early and, after eating a handful of almonds and drinking two big glasses of water, I actually felt a lot better. I'm sure stepping away from work and my computer screen was a big help too. Thursday through today I have been feeling great! I'm not craving sweets and gluten was really easy for me to cut out.
Here's a sampling of our meal plan last week - I started by using other people's recipes so that I can get the hang of it and then begin writing my own!
Tuesday
Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Shake from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Vegan Macro Meal from lunchboxbunch.com
Wednesday
Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Shake from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Bake Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from lunchboxbunch.com - modified, we just topped them with diced tomato, broccoli, and tahini
Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Shake - 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 cups almond milk - Serves 2
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Celebratory dinner at Green Elephant (it was J's last day of work at his old job!) - I had the spicy green leaves salad with gluten free dressing and brussels sprouts
Friday
Breakfast: Homemade Shake (see above)
Lunch: Lunched at Local Sprouts - I had the fiddlehead salad special with balsamic dressing
Dinner: Sesame Miso Zucchini Noodles & Tofu from Snixy Kitchen
Saturday
Breakfast: Almonds, peanuts, and blueberries (we bused down to Boston and need something easily portable!)
Lunch: Tofu Pad Thai at My Thai Vegan Cafe in Boston's China Town
Dinner: Sesame Miso Zucchini Noodles & Tofu from Snixy Kitchen
Sunday
Breakfast: Sweet Citrus Avocado Dreamboat from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Power Tower Salad from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Raw Macro Bowl with Knock-Off Dragon Sauce from Raw Food Recipes
Our snacks throughout the week consist of homemade oil-free hummus with veggies, frozen grapes, apples, and baby carrots.
So far, I've lost 6 pounds. I'm hoping to add at least 20 minutes of walking to my days to continue on this track and I'll keep monitoring the effects of GF/SF eating - maybe you'll want to test it out too? Check out other recipes we're considering on our Pinterest board!
Insights, quips, and queries on the vegan way of life
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Guest Post by Lindsay!
Today we continue our theme on how to be a vegan on the go! Below is a post written by a fellow vegan who lives in New York. She's a busy artist in graduate school who doesn't have time to fuss with complicated recipes. Lindsay proves that it's easy to be a vegan on the go if you put a little thought and planning into it.
TIPS ON BEING A TIME EFFICIENT VEGAN
Being a gluten-free, soy-free (even coconut-free) vegan is not always the easiest thing
when you are out and about all the time. Plus, I am a full-time student commuter. Fast
food or even supposed “health food” venues are not always friendly to my way of eating.
I have, however, come up with the perfect way to pack food and prepare for the day that
stays within my restrictions, tastes yummy, and treats my body right…in just one hour (I
do a variation of this EVERY morning…so if I can do this, so can you). Think of it as a
morning food meditation. If you set your alarm one hour earlier tomorrow, and continue
to do it one day at a time, by the end of the week you will be used to it, and you will
naturally start going to bed earlier. This way, you won’t be grabbing unhealthy
snacky foods, wasting money on food out, or wasting time trying to read every
label in a store to find something you CAN eat.
Let’s go through this step-by-step.
1) Put brown rice and water into rice cooker (this takes one hour). I cook 2 cups of dry
rice (with 4.5 cups of water) at a time, and it stays good in my fridge for 3-4 days. I can
eat brown rice (in lieu of oatmeal) as a breakfast cereal, add it to my salads, or throw it
into an evening stir-fry to make fried rice. I can even make a quick rice dessert pudding.
It is ridiculously easy and good for you. Make sure you always have some on hand. To
make it extra delicious, soak the rice overnight, and the texture turns out creamy. You
wont be able to go back to using non-soaked rice. It also adds to the nutritional value of
the rice and ensures that it is clean (we’ve been hearing in the news about all that arsenic
in rice, so it’s never a bad idea to do an overnight soak). In an extra hurry?? Put on rice
first first thing before you even brush your teeth, and it will be done before you know it.
2) Put on oatmeal water. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats. One
serving needs one cup of water. When it boils (after about 3 minutes), I add ½ a cup of
oats, and let it cook until most of the water has evaporated. Then I let it sit for 2 minutes.
While this is cooking, I prepare my fixings. I add these things to a bowl: 1 tablespoon of
chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of ground flax, 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, 4-6 strawberries, a
banana, two tablespoons of SunButter, and a sprinkle of salt. Then when the oatmeal has
finished sitting, I add it to my bowl, add a little almond milk, and the effect is divine. It’s
like dessert for breakfast, but every ingredient is good for you. I use Himalayan sea salt
and unsweetened almond milk. Take your vitamins with this and drink some green tea,
and you will be ready to face even the toughest of days.
Note: If I’m really in a rush, I eat my breakfast while I am preparing my food for the day.
The macrobiotic people would censure me, but we’re talking about efficiency here!
3) Packing snacks. I need to pack at least 2 snacks each day. Usually I pack some
conglomeration of: raw nuts and dried fruit, an apple or any other fruit (sometimes with
nut butter), some carrot sticks or other vegetables (sometimes with hummus), a health bar
(the brands that I like are Macrobars, Luna Bars, Pulsin' Bars), and rice, corn, or kale chips.
And the amount that I need depends on whether I make a smoothie or not as I leave the
house…I’ll get to this in step 8.
4) A cooler and lots of food storage containers. You are going to need a cooler of some
sort if you are going to be gone all day with no access to a refrigerator. As a student I
don’t have any fridge access. I use a cold compress and an aluminum water bottle filled
with ice inside of a soft cooler that I got at Whole Foods. It keeps the contents cold and
food safe for at least 8 hours (as long as there’s no dairy or meat…but if you are vegan,
you have no need to worry).
5) 2-4 BIG salads at once. Always make more than one salad at a time. Salads take a
long time to prepare, and it’s way easier to just cut up a few extra vegetables than it is
to pull out all the vegetables again and again. If I have leftovers from the night before,
I only need to pack one salad for the day; otherwise, I eat one for lunch and dinner. To
put into your salads: any kind of vegetable that you want. Be creative. If you aren’t
creative and need help, today my salad consisted of: mixed greens, chick peas, avocado,
red onion, kalamata olives, carrots, and cucumber. Anything goes. Dressing lately has
been balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and flax oil with a few herbs from my spice rack.
Simple yet delicious.
6) While you are waiting for your rice to finish: read the newspaper, empty the
dishwasher, check email, write out your to do list for the day, check your Facebook, go
to the bathroom, take a shower, put on your makeup, brush your teeth etc, etc. Pack up 2
servings (3-4 cups) in a preferably glass container and continue to step 7.
7) Putting it all together. So, today, you are going to eat:
breakfast: oatmeal and fixins
snack 1: green smoothie (step 8)
lunch: fun salad with brown rice and balsamic vinegar, an apple
snack 2: raw cashews, raw almonds, dried figs & gogi berries (or any other snack
from the list)
dinner: leftovers from last night OR fun salad #2, with brown rice and balsamic
vinegar, and an extra fun snack.
Put all of these things into your cooler. Pack a fabric napkin and metal silverware (let’s
be good to the environment too). And you are almost ready to go.
8) Just before you head out the door, make a GREEN SMOOTHIE. The most efficient
way of doing this is buying a pre-made green drink (my favorite is the Bolthouse Farms
Green Goodness, but Odwalla and other companies make them too), and throw it in a
blender with a serving of protein power. This becomes your morning snack that you can
sip on for an hour or so while you are commuting, or in my case during my first class of
the day. There are thousands of green smoothie recipes to be found online if you feel
more creative or have 4 extra minutes (I don’t always).
Please note: If you are sick of brown rice, you can use other grains to supplement,
such as making a quick cold quinoa salad with chick peas, red onion, cherry tomatoes,
cucumbers, turmeric, and cumin.
There are thousands upon trillions of variations to my morning routine and food listed here, but this serves as a basic day. Sometimes I buy a veggie sushi at a local supermarket for my dinner and eat it with a bag of chips.
Also, please note: If you are wondering about all the dishes this creates, sometimes I
have time to wash them and throw them in the dishwasher right at the moment, and other
times I don’t, so I fill them with water and leave them until I get home at night (at 10pm
sometimes?!?). I tell myself that soaking the oatmeal pan, oatmeal bowl, and blender is
the best way. How you do your dishes is up to you, but if you do this every day, you’ll
find the dishes do themselves.
9) Go about your day as usual and wait for people to be impressed with how prepared
you are for your life! Remember efficiency is key. Time is money.
Lindsay Garcia
www.lindsaygarcia.com
lindsaydgarcia@gmail.com
TIPS ON BEING A TIME EFFICIENT VEGAN
Being a gluten-free, soy-free (even coconut-free) vegan is not always the easiest thing
when you are out and about all the time. Plus, I am a full-time student commuter. Fast
food or even supposed “health food” venues are not always friendly to my way of eating.
I have, however, come up with the perfect way to pack food and prepare for the day that
stays within my restrictions, tastes yummy, and treats my body right…in just one hour (I
do a variation of this EVERY morning…so if I can do this, so can you). Think of it as a
morning food meditation. If you set your alarm one hour earlier tomorrow, and continue
to do it one day at a time, by the end of the week you will be used to it, and you will
naturally start going to bed earlier. This way, you won’t be grabbing unhealthy
snacky foods, wasting money on food out, or wasting time trying to read every
label in a store to find something you CAN eat.
Let’s go through this step-by-step.
1) Put brown rice and water into rice cooker (this takes one hour). I cook 2 cups of dry
rice (with 4.5 cups of water) at a time, and it stays good in my fridge for 3-4 days. I can
eat brown rice (in lieu of oatmeal) as a breakfast cereal, add it to my salads, or throw it
into an evening stir-fry to make fried rice. I can even make a quick rice dessert pudding.
It is ridiculously easy and good for you. Make sure you always have some on hand. To
make it extra delicious, soak the rice overnight, and the texture turns out creamy. You
wont be able to go back to using non-soaked rice. It also adds to the nutritional value of
the rice and ensures that it is clean (we’ve been hearing in the news about all that arsenic
in rice, so it’s never a bad idea to do an overnight soak). In an extra hurry?? Put on rice
first first thing before you even brush your teeth, and it will be done before you know it.
2) Put on oatmeal water. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats. One
serving needs one cup of water. When it boils (after about 3 minutes), I add ½ a cup of
oats, and let it cook until most of the water has evaporated. Then I let it sit for 2 minutes.
While this is cooking, I prepare my fixings. I add these things to a bowl: 1 tablespoon of
chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of ground flax, 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, 4-6 strawberries, a
banana, two tablespoons of SunButter, and a sprinkle of salt. Then when the oatmeal has
finished sitting, I add it to my bowl, add a little almond milk, and the effect is divine. It’s
like dessert for breakfast, but every ingredient is good for you. I use Himalayan sea salt
and unsweetened almond milk. Take your vitamins with this and drink some green tea,
and you will be ready to face even the toughest of days.
Note: If I’m really in a rush, I eat my breakfast while I am preparing my food for the day.
The macrobiotic people would censure me, but we’re talking about efficiency here!
3) Packing snacks. I need to pack at least 2 snacks each day. Usually I pack some
conglomeration of: raw nuts and dried fruit, an apple or any other fruit (sometimes with
nut butter), some carrot sticks or other vegetables (sometimes with hummus), a health bar
(the brands that I like are Macrobars, Luna Bars, Pulsin' Bars), and rice, corn, or kale chips.
And the amount that I need depends on whether I make a smoothie or not as I leave the
house…I’ll get to this in step 8.
4) A cooler and lots of food storage containers. You are going to need a cooler of some
sort if you are going to be gone all day with no access to a refrigerator. As a student I
don’t have any fridge access. I use a cold compress and an aluminum water bottle filled
with ice inside of a soft cooler that I got at Whole Foods. It keeps the contents cold and
food safe for at least 8 hours (as long as there’s no dairy or meat…but if you are vegan,
you have no need to worry).
5) 2-4 BIG salads at once. Always make more than one salad at a time. Salads take a
long time to prepare, and it’s way easier to just cut up a few extra vegetables than it is
to pull out all the vegetables again and again. If I have leftovers from the night before,
I only need to pack one salad for the day; otherwise, I eat one for lunch and dinner. To
put into your salads: any kind of vegetable that you want. Be creative. If you aren’t
creative and need help, today my salad consisted of: mixed greens, chick peas, avocado,
red onion, kalamata olives, carrots, and cucumber. Anything goes. Dressing lately has
been balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and flax oil with a few herbs from my spice rack.
Simple yet delicious.
6) While you are waiting for your rice to finish: read the newspaper, empty the
dishwasher, check email, write out your to do list for the day, check your Facebook, go
to the bathroom, take a shower, put on your makeup, brush your teeth etc, etc. Pack up 2
servings (3-4 cups) in a preferably glass container and continue to step 7.
7) Putting it all together. So, today, you are going to eat:
breakfast: oatmeal and fixins
snack 1: green smoothie (step 8)
lunch: fun salad with brown rice and balsamic vinegar, an apple
snack 2: raw cashews, raw almonds, dried figs & gogi berries (or any other snack
from the list)
dinner: leftovers from last night OR fun salad #2, with brown rice and balsamic
vinegar, and an extra fun snack.
Put all of these things into your cooler. Pack a fabric napkin and metal silverware (let’s
be good to the environment too). And you are almost ready to go.
8) Just before you head out the door, make a GREEN SMOOTHIE. The most efficient
way of doing this is buying a pre-made green drink (my favorite is the Bolthouse Farms
Green Goodness, but Odwalla and other companies make them too), and throw it in a
blender with a serving of protein power. This becomes your morning snack that you can
sip on for an hour or so while you are commuting, or in my case during my first class of
the day. There are thousands of green smoothie recipes to be found online if you feel
more creative or have 4 extra minutes (I don’t always).
Please note: If you are sick of brown rice, you can use other grains to supplement,
such as making a quick cold quinoa salad with chick peas, red onion, cherry tomatoes,
cucumbers, turmeric, and cumin.
There are thousands upon trillions of variations to my morning routine and food listed here, but this serves as a basic day. Sometimes I buy a veggie sushi at a local supermarket for my dinner and eat it with a bag of chips.
Also, please note: If you are wondering about all the dishes this creates, sometimes I
have time to wash them and throw them in the dishwasher right at the moment, and other
times I don’t, so I fill them with water and leave them until I get home at night (at 10pm
sometimes?!?). I tell myself that soaking the oatmeal pan, oatmeal bowl, and blender is
the best way. How you do your dishes is up to you, but if you do this every day, you’ll
find the dishes do themselves.
9) Go about your day as usual and wait for people to be impressed with how prepared
you are for your life! Remember efficiency is key. Time is money.
Lindsay Garcia
www.lindsaygarcia.com
lindsaydgarcia@gmail.com
Monday, February 20, 2012
Green Elephant Birthday Dinner
On Saturday night, J took me out for my birthday to Green Elephant on Congress Street in Portland, Maine. The Green Elephant is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant in Maine. Everything is vegan or vegetarian and Asian inspired. Food is made with fresh, local ingredients and the restaurant's decor is simple, but elegant.
We showed up and were told it would be a 20 minute wait, so we popped in next door to Downtown Lounge for a glass of wine. No sooner did we sit down and get our glasses when the buzzer went off - shortest 20 minute wait ever! We downed our wine, apologized to the waitress explaining that we don't normally chug nice glasses of wine, and were seated at the Green Elephant within minutes. Our waitress, one we'd never had before, was so kind and attentive. We started by sharing two appetizers - soy nuggets with chili sauce and green leaves wrap with mango and herbs. The soy nuggets - oh man - we want to figure out how to make them so badly! They are crispy on the outside and have so much flavor. The green leaves wraps were a refreshing raw appetizer made with very fresh ingredients.
We showed up and were told it would be a 20 minute wait, so we popped in next door to Downtown Lounge for a glass of wine. No sooner did we sit down and get our glasses when the buzzer went off - shortest 20 minute wait ever! We downed our wine, apologized to the waitress explaining that we don't normally chug nice glasses of wine, and were seated at the Green Elephant within minutes. Our waitress, one we'd never had before, was so kind and attentive. We started by sharing two appetizers - soy nuggets with chili sauce and green leaves wrap with mango and herbs. The soy nuggets - oh man - we want to figure out how to make them so badly! They are crispy on the outside and have so much flavor. The green leaves wraps were a refreshing raw appetizer made with very fresh ingredients.
Soy Nuggets
Green Leaves with Mango & Herbs
Although we were celebrating, we wanted to keep with our plan of eating healthy and curbing portions sizes so we shared the Siamese Dream Curry Noodle dish. So delicious and just the right amount by sharing. We didn't feel stuffed when we left, just satisfied. I'd suggest sharing dishes if you're trying to lose weight or just maintain if you're the kind of person who has trouble not cleaning your plate. I was always taught to finish everything and when I try to go out to eat and tell myself I'll only eat half and will take the rest home, it normally doesn't pan out so well. So sharing a dish ensures that you'll only eat half and believe me, at most restaurants, half is enough!
Siamese Dream Curry Noodle
If you're ever in Portland, Maine, the Green Elephant is the place to go. The prices are comparable to the service and quality, the atmosphere is charming and modern, and the food is the best vegan food you'll find around!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
27 is here
Today I turn 27 and the day is always bittersweet. I'm happy to be another year older and don't fear the approaching 3 - 0 as many do. What's makes it bittersweet is that someone isn't here to celebrate with me. In 2007, my mom died from an extremely aggressive version of cervical cancer. She was my idol, my hero, my best friend. And so on this day, I'm spending the day at home by myself with the kitties, baking for an event on Sunday, remembering her life, and feeling thankful she brought me into this world.
I'm glad today is quiet. I'm going to test out two new types of cupcakes: Cookies n' Creme and Peaches n' Cream. It's another test of my willpower over sweets! I've lost another pound this week and am down by 17 since starting, so I'll just keep reminding myself that fitting into those jeans and that skirt and that blazer are WAY more worth it than scarfing down a cupcake.
Yesterday, I took off work and treated myself to a haircut in the morning and then walked around the city with J. We went into LeRoux Kitchen, an amazing kitchen supply store in the Old Port. While there, we did buy a little Taza Chocolate that was salted almond and I stowed it away in my purse. Taza Chocolate is incredible and if you haven't tried it, you need to. It comes as a small circle and although it looks and feels like a dense chunk of chocolate, it tastes incredibly airy and light. Then we walked around a bit more and started feeling hungry by 1:30, so we went over to the Portland Public Market and visited our friends at Granny's Burrito, Kamasouptra, and Market House Coffee. Whenever I visit the Public Market, I try to spread my wealth around by purchasing something small from several vendors. So for lunch we shared a burrito filled with peanut tofu, rice, lettuce, and hot sauce from Granny's, a small cup of vegan chili from Kamasouptra, and a pineapple coconut water from Market House Coffee. It was certainly a larger lunch than we're accustomed to and I was glad we'd skipped both our morning and afternoon snacks. We also spent the good part of the day walking at a good pace - I'm guessing we walked 5-6 miles by the time we were done.
It's all about balance! My coworker says it's simple, "Calories in must be equal to or less than calories out." I think it's important to celebrate things once in a while and to not deprive ourselves of things forever because that is exactly what causes me to fall off the weight loss wagon.
So for dinner last night we had a very very light dinner of 1/2 cup of brown rice over arugula with 1/2 cup of shiitakes and a wedge of lime squirted on top. We followed dinner by a few bites of the Taza chocolate and then ran some errands for my day of baking today. After returning home, we were both hungry. Stomach grumbling hungry. So I suggested we make some Ginger-Lime Hummus and have a little with some carrot and bell pepper sticks. It totally did the trick and I'm pretty sure Ginger-Lime Hummus is our new favorite flavor!
Tonight, J's taking me out for a birthday dinner at the Green Elephant - my favorite restaurant. We've already talked about the idea of getting an appetizer to split and then sharing one entree so that portion sizes are smaller. Green Elephant makes vegetarian and vegan food and it's wonderfully fresh and elegant. I'm excited :) J's birthday present to me is a two night stay in Camden, Maine next weekend and I'm super excited about that!
Since 2006, I've thought my birthday was "cursed." In 2006 and 2007, my mom was re-diagnosed with cancer once on my birthday, once the day before. In 2008, we were told my grandmother (my mom's mother) going to die from cancer just days before my birthday. So I've had trouble celebrating these last few years, no wonder. But I'm going to move past the past and look to the future. A future filled with healthy happiness and a celebration of the strong and beautiful women who helped shape me into the woman I am today.
I'm glad today is quiet. I'm going to test out two new types of cupcakes: Cookies n' Creme and Peaches n' Cream. It's another test of my willpower over sweets! I've lost another pound this week and am down by 17 since starting, so I'll just keep reminding myself that fitting into those jeans and that skirt and that blazer are WAY more worth it than scarfing down a cupcake.
Yesterday, I took off work and treated myself to a haircut in the morning and then walked around the city with J. We went into LeRoux Kitchen, an amazing kitchen supply store in the Old Port. While there, we did buy a little Taza Chocolate that was salted almond and I stowed it away in my purse. Taza Chocolate is incredible and if you haven't tried it, you need to. It comes as a small circle and although it looks and feels like a dense chunk of chocolate, it tastes incredibly airy and light. Then we walked around a bit more and started feeling hungry by 1:30, so we went over to the Portland Public Market and visited our friends at Granny's Burrito, Kamasouptra, and Market House Coffee. Whenever I visit the Public Market, I try to spread my wealth around by purchasing something small from several vendors. So for lunch we shared a burrito filled with peanut tofu, rice, lettuce, and hot sauce from Granny's, a small cup of vegan chili from Kamasouptra, and a pineapple coconut water from Market House Coffee. It was certainly a larger lunch than we're accustomed to and I was glad we'd skipped both our morning and afternoon snacks. We also spent the good part of the day walking at a good pace - I'm guessing we walked 5-6 miles by the time we were done.
It's all about balance! My coworker says it's simple, "Calories in must be equal to or less than calories out." I think it's important to celebrate things once in a while and to not deprive ourselves of things forever because that is exactly what causes me to fall off the weight loss wagon.
So for dinner last night we had a very very light dinner of 1/2 cup of brown rice over arugula with 1/2 cup of shiitakes and a wedge of lime squirted on top. We followed dinner by a few bites of the Taza chocolate and then ran some errands for my day of baking today. After returning home, we were both hungry. Stomach grumbling hungry. So I suggested we make some Ginger-Lime Hummus and have a little with some carrot and bell pepper sticks. It totally did the trick and I'm pretty sure Ginger-Lime Hummus is our new favorite flavor!
Tonight, J's taking me out for a birthday dinner at the Green Elephant - my favorite restaurant. We've already talked about the idea of getting an appetizer to split and then sharing one entree so that portion sizes are smaller. Green Elephant makes vegetarian and vegan food and it's wonderfully fresh and elegant. I'm excited :) J's birthday present to me is a two night stay in Camden, Maine next weekend and I'm super excited about that!
Since 2006, I've thought my birthday was "cursed." In 2006 and 2007, my mom was re-diagnosed with cancer once on my birthday, once the day before. In 2008, we were told my grandmother (my mom's mother) going to die from cancer just days before my birthday. So I've had trouble celebrating these last few years, no wonder. But I'm going to move past the past and look to the future. A future filled with healthy happiness and a celebration of the strong and beautiful women who helped shape me into the woman I am today.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Vegan Laptop Lunchtime!
Spinach and Kale salad with chickpeas, kidney beans, carrots, yellow bell pepper, broccoli, red onion, and chia seeds and a dressing made from raw garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper; carrot sticks; homemade hummus topped with a little olive oil and chickpeas; sea salt pita chips.
I've been really sick for the last maybe 8-9 days with an infection I've been getting for the past 9 years. Some doctors say it's staph, some say shingles, some say it's a mold allergy - who knows?! All I know is that I'm uncomfortable and unhappy, dang it! So today's lunch is the "Immune System Booster" lunch. Kale, broccoli, spinach and raw garlic are HUGE immunity helpers and I'm trying to get down 1-2 raw garlic cloves a day. Of course this means I smell like I'm warding off the vampire apocalypse as I leak garlic from every pore. Hopefully no one around me notices/cares....although - why should I care anyway? If it's helping me get better, then, "More Garlic!" I say!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Top 10 Money Saving Tips for Going Vegan
At the request of my friend Liz and because I hear it so damn often, this will be a post about how to be vegan and save money. So often I hear people telling me, "Oh, I'd go vegan/vegetarian if it didn't cost so much, but it's so expensive I just can't do it." I want to laugh when I hear this. Are you kidding me? Switching to veganism is WAY cheaper than consuming meat, but only if you are a smart and conscious shopper. Sure, you can go to Whole Foods and purchase pre-made seitan, wheat balls, veggie burgers, polenta, etc. And yes, your shopping bill will be high. No doubt about it. But if you follow these few tips, you'll find you'll be saving money in no time!
Christi's Top 10 Tips for Saving $$ on a Vegan Diet:
1. Avoid fancy specialty items. They're packaging is enticing and their easy to use but they will jack your bill up, so be prepared. We do purchase Tofurkey deli slices on a regular basis and we'll often buy Field Roast. But we know they're more expensive and we can afford it right now. These aren't vital items to be a good vegan cook and you can totally make amazingly delicious food WITHOUT them. I promise :) You can also find recipes that tell you how to make them. Homemade seitan is far more cost-effective than pre-made store bought seitan. Homemade veggie burgers are way cheaper and you don't have to worry about egg whites being included.
2. Plan your meals in advance. Every Saturday I sit down with our cookbooks and pick out 4-5 meals for the week. I write out my shopping list based on these meals and I write down the meals, cookbooks, and page numbers and stick it to the fridge for the week. You're thinking, "I see how this would save time, but money?" But it does! By creating a shopping list around the things you plan to eat for the week, you won't be tempted or even need to purchase things that are not on your list (ALWAYS food shop with a list). You'll also find that you're buying the appropriate quantity of food for you and your family and you aren't wasting food by letting it go bad. If you find that food is still going bad, make smaller shopping trips.
3. The bulk aisle is your best friend (most of the time). For the most part, items in the bulk section will cost less than buying that fancy
4. Beans, Beans, Beans. I know it's a pain in the ass to buy dry beans, but MAN do they cost less than canned. Seriously! So here's what you do...you buy your beans on the weekend and on Sunday afternoon, soak a big batch, boil them, drain them, and put them in tupperware and stick them in the freezer. You're set for a while if you do a good amount and a variety. Beans are an awesome source of protein and numerous vitamins - so eat 'em up!
5. Shop Local. Farmers Markets, road stands, local orchards are a fantastic way to save money. Check out some of my earlier posts with shots of all the food I've gotten for $10. It's incredible and it's fresh and local and so much better for you. Think about how far some of our food travels to get to us, how it's banged around, gets dirty....local food at the Farmers Market traveled up to an hour on the back of a truck and the person who grew that tomato is handing it to you. Fantastic! I don't know why you wouldn't shop there :)
6. Use substitutions in fancy recipes. So your mushroom risotto recipe uses morels which are like $5.99 for a small bag. Substitute! You don't have to use morels. The amazing thing about veggies is how versatile they are. You should use recipes as a guide and not feel tied to them. If your recipe calls for expensive mushrooms, substitute with criminis or white mushrooms and you'll save $3. You have a recipe that tells you to deglaze the pan with red wine but you don't have red wine or can't afford it, use veggie stock or water instead.
7. Choose your proteins wisely. Many people, when they first become vegetarian or vegan, feel that they need to buy meat substitutes to replace the protein they were getting from animal foods. Not true! There are many, many, MANY other sources of protein that, at times, have more protein than the meat subs. Here are some examples of protein content from plant food from Vegan for Life:
- 3 ounces of seitan = 22.5 grams
- 1/3 cup of soy protein powder = 23 grams
- 1/2 cup of soy beans (edamame, if you will) = 14.3 grams
- 1/4 cup of peanuts = 8.6 grams
- 1/2 cup of firm tofu = 20 grams (firm has a higher protein content than soft)
- 1 cup of soy milk = 10 grams
- 1/2 cup of quinoa = 4 grams
- 1/2 cup of frozen spinach = 3.8 grams
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter = 8 grams
You don't need soy meat alternatives if you learn about nutrition and make smart choices throughout your day. If you understand the nutrition behind it, you'll save a great deal of money! I can't stress that enough - you really need to learn nutrition and make sure you're doing vegan right - you'll save money and ensure your health. Don't be a junk food vegan (french fries and Oreos).
8. Waste not - make stock. We're getting back into soup season and I cannot stress enough how silly it is to buy veggie stock. Seriously - don't make me come over there to give you a swift kick in the pants. Here's the trick - as you're cooking throughout the week, keep a large tupperware container in your fridge and add any veggie odds and ends - carrot peels, onion ends, avocado skins, kale stems - you name it, if it's veg, throw it in! Then, at the end of the week, throw all the ends into a big pot with a little olive oil and saute them. Once the veggies are warmed and smelling good, add water, a bay leaf, some fresh ground pepper and 1-2 tsp of soy sauce or Braggs. Cover the pot; bring it up to a boil and then simmer for a few hours. After you turn it off, allow it to cool so you can work with it and strain the liquid into a pitcher or large container you can store in the fridge. Squeeze the veggies to get excess liquid out (it's crazy how much liquid they hold). And now you've got stock for the week to make soups, cook rice and other grains, use in sautés, etc. If you have a composter, throw the veg in. Sadly, we don't have one, but at least we're getting as much food as we can out of the veggies we buy.
9. Make your own snacks. Snack foods are so tempting to buy. If you're dieting right, you know you need a snack or two throughout your day, but snack foods like granola bars, veg chips, trail mix, etc. can get really pricey. So make your own! Make a nice big batch of granola bars - there are tons of great recipes on VegWeb and there's a great one on The Vegan Stoner. Make your own trail mix by purchasing a some nuts, seeds and raisins or cranberries in the bulk section and then just mix them together. Ta-da! Trail mix. Make your own veg chips - you've got an oven! If you buy kale chips, I will smack you. They are SO much cheaper to make at home and you can do fun things like add a good amount of cayenne pepper and sea salt or coconut...Google kale chip recipes and you'll find tons of combinations.
10. Set a take-out/dine-out limit. This rule applies to all diets but it's easier when you're vegan because there are less dining options to begin with! Set a rule for your household limiting the number of times you eat out or order take out. Our rule is 2 times per month and we seriously save a good chunk of change. It's hard to stick to this rule when you've got a lot of friends pulling you in all different directions, wanting to dine with you. Don't fret - just suggest small dinner parties at your houses. The setting is more intimate, you can actually hear what people are saying, and there is something so satisfying about cooking for the people you love. In other cities, there are a lot more dining-out options for vegans than in Portland, Maine, but you should still limit your meals out. Think about it, often times the bill for a dinner for 2 is equal to your week's food shopping trip. And you only get one meal out of it. If you don't believe that it will help you save money, start tracking how much you spend, not only on eating out, but record every time you purchase a latte and how much it cost you. It's so easy to drop a few bucks here and there, but then when you track it and look back at your months expenses, you'll be shocked to discover that you've spent maybe $50 on coffee. $50?! That's a food shopping trip providing food for a week!
So all of these tips are awesome, but maybe they don't answer the question at large - is veganism cheaper than being an omnivore? Well, let's look at the cost of ground beef, pork chops, and chicken.
Average cost of ground beef, per pound, in August 2011 = $3.21
Pork chops, bone in per pound, in August 2011 = $3.65
Chicken, boneless per pound, in August 2011 = $3.25
Tofu, with a price that rarely fluctuates, 14 ounces = $1.69 (365 extra firm tofu)
Ok so, a pound is 16 ounces, so the beef is 20 cents an ounce, the pork is 23 cents, and chicken is 20 cents. Tofu is 12 cents an ounce. Maybe you don't think that's very much, but it all adds up! And these prices on meat are averages, the region you live in and store you're shopping at can cause major fluctuations. As I noted above, the price of tofu very rarely fluctuates and so we always know how much we're going to spend.
Here's some additional reading if you want more info:
MSN: Go vegetarian to save money
20 Something Finance: Frugality through Vegetarianism - How to Save $2-$3K per Year & the Planet by Moving Away from a Meat - Based Diet
Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A Farmers Market Dinner
It's Wednesday which means it's Farmers Market day! Wooo! My goodies, for $10, included a bag of basil, 2 yellow tomatoes, 2 lemon cucumbers, 1 other kind of yellow cucumber I didn't catch the name of, rainbow chard, 1 summer squash and 2 purple bell peppers. Seriously people, you can get a lot of food for just $10 when you shop local - so shop smart!
So we winged dinner and made up our own little stir-fry creation using a bunch of this week and last week's Farmers Market findings and the result was a delicious sweet and spicy Thai-style stir-fry. I just gotta say, since going vegan this past January, I have realized that vegan cooking is SUPER easy. I'm amazed that so many people think it's harder to cook vegan. Our meals generally take less time to cook, are lower in cost, and there's never any fear of getting sick from not cooking something or eating something bad (it's pretty easy to tell when veggies have gone bad!).
I know many of you reading this blog are not vegan, and hey, that's totally ok! But I hope that you'll at the very least try out some of my recipes and the recipes that I try and start thinking about how the cooking part of going vegan is not the difficult part at all (at first it's really just the cheese cravings, but they go away, I promise. Especially after you take the time to learn more about the dairy industry).
Ok - so here's the recipe and dude, you should try it because it's delish and had us saying mmmmm every other bite. So do it. Go cook this up NOW!
Farmers Market Fresh Stir-Fry
1 block of tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess water, then cubed
olive oil or sesame oil
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, we used purple
1/2 summer squash, sliced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow tomato, sliced, seeds removed
1 red tomato, sliced, seeds removed
A handful of basil leaves
About 2 Tbsp shredded kohlrabi
salt & pepper to taste
Sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
3-4 Tbsp Braggs
1 tsp Peanut Oil
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 drops Liquid Smoke
In a non-stick skillet, dry-fry the tofu (just lay the tofu in the pan without any oil and let it simmer the water out, pressing on the tofu every once in a while to squeeze out more water). Continue to cook until all the sides are browned.
In a wok, saute onion in some oil until they are translucent. Then add veggies in the order listed in the ingredient list, sauteing each one as its added until it's fully cooked.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Then add the cooked tofu and let it sit until you're finished adding veggies to the wok. Once the veggies are cooked and the flavors have melded, dump in the tofu and sauce and mix. Saute for another minute and then remove from heat and serve! You could serve it over rice if you want, but we had fresh corn on the cob and homemade kale chips so we found it wasn't needed.
So we winged dinner and made up our own little stir-fry creation using a bunch of this week and last week's Farmers Market findings and the result was a delicious sweet and spicy Thai-style stir-fry. I just gotta say, since going vegan this past January, I have realized that vegan cooking is SUPER easy. I'm amazed that so many people think it's harder to cook vegan. Our meals generally take less time to cook, are lower in cost, and there's never any fear of getting sick from not cooking something or eating something bad (it's pretty easy to tell when veggies have gone bad!).
I know many of you reading this blog are not vegan, and hey, that's totally ok! But I hope that you'll at the very least try out some of my recipes and the recipes that I try and start thinking about how the cooking part of going vegan is not the difficult part at all (at first it's really just the cheese cravings, but they go away, I promise. Especially after you take the time to learn more about the dairy industry).
Ok - so here's the recipe and dude, you should try it because it's delish and had us saying mmmmm every other bite. So do it. Go cook this up NOW!
Farmers Market Fresh Stir-Fry
1 block of tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess water, then cubed
olive oil or sesame oil
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, we used purple
1/2 summer squash, sliced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow tomato, sliced, seeds removed
1 red tomato, sliced, seeds removed
A handful of basil leaves
About 2 Tbsp shredded kohlrabi
salt & pepper to taste
Sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
3-4 Tbsp Braggs
1 tsp Peanut Oil
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 drops Liquid Smoke
In a non-stick skillet, dry-fry the tofu (just lay the tofu in the pan without any oil and let it simmer the water out, pressing on the tofu every once in a while to squeeze out more water). Continue to cook until all the sides are browned.
In a wok, saute onion in some oil until they are translucent. Then add veggies in the order listed in the ingredient list, sauteing each one as its added until it's fully cooked.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Then add the cooked tofu and let it sit until you're finished adding veggies to the wok. Once the veggies are cooked and the flavors have melded, dump in the tofu and sauce and mix. Saute for another minute and then remove from heat and serve! You could serve it over rice if you want, but we had fresh corn on the cob and homemade kale chips so we found it wasn't needed.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Making do with an emptying fridge
Last night, after finishing my last baking order for the week, I peered into the fridge for dinner ideas. A lone cucumber, bag of carrots, and emptying jar of salsa stared back at me, daring me to make my move. As I uttered comments of discontent, Justin yelled in and said, "Let's just order out." I thought about it, but then I thought, No way! We need to save money because we may be moving in a month or two and we've eaten out too much lately (our original goal of one eat out pass per month has fallen by the wayside recently). I mustered up courage, flung the fridge back open, and rolled up my sleeves.
Our pantry is always well stocked with grains, so I pulled out the rice cooker and started a batch of brown rice. Then I heated a skillet with some olive oil and added the rest of an onion - less than a 1/4 cup, but hey, at least it didn't get wasted. After the onion was cooked, chopped up 3 carrots and threw those in. I followed with beans and some spices, and ended up with a really nice Mexican rice and beans dish. Ta-da! My man even went back for seconds. Here's my recipe:
Odds & Ends Mexican Rice & Beans
2 cups brown rice
olive oil
onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2ish veggie stock
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/3-1/2 cup TVP
Mild - hot salsa
salt & pepper
chili flakes
chili powder
cayenne pepper
Heat the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Once onions are translucent, add carrots and cook until they are tender. Add veggie stock, beans, and TVP and cover. Let the mixture simmer covered for a while, allowing the beans to soften, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more veggie stock or water as it gets soaked up pretty fast by the TVP and beans. After 10 mins or so, add in the tomato (I did it here because I didn't want them soggy, but you could add them earlier) and salsa and mix. Add spices - I didn't measure, so just be mindful of how spicy you want it to be.
Serve the mixture hot over the brown rice, or mix it all together and then serve.
Makes 4-5 servings.
And of course after dinner, there were cookies left over from the 3 orders I had this week, so dessert was a cinch :)
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So I took some leftovers for lunch, and also brought some cucumber salad. Cucumber salad is SO easy to make and so refreshing when it's hot outside. Pick up some fresh dill and cukes at your local farmers market and just chop them up, throw them in a container with some white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and let it sit in the fridge for a day or so. Yum!
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Today's lesson: Even when you think there's nothing in your kitchen, try to make it work and you might surprise yourself with a new recipe. You just need to think outside the box and let the ingredients you have on-hand inspire you!
Our pantry is always well stocked with grains, so I pulled out the rice cooker and started a batch of brown rice. Then I heated a skillet with some olive oil and added the rest of an onion - less than a 1/4 cup, but hey, at least it didn't get wasted. After the onion was cooked, chopped up 3 carrots and threw those in. I followed with beans and some spices, and ended up with a really nice Mexican rice and beans dish. Ta-da! My man even went back for seconds. Here's my recipe:
Odds & Ends Mexican Rice & Beans
2 cups brown rice
olive oil
onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2ish veggie stock
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/3-1/2 cup TVP
Mild - hot salsa
salt & pepper
chili flakes
chili powder
cayenne pepper
Heat the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Once onions are translucent, add carrots and cook until they are tender. Add veggie stock, beans, and TVP and cover. Let the mixture simmer covered for a while, allowing the beans to soften, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more veggie stock or water as it gets soaked up pretty fast by the TVP and beans. After 10 mins or so, add in the tomato (I did it here because I didn't want them soggy, but you could add them earlier) and salsa and mix. Add spices - I didn't measure, so just be mindful of how spicy you want it to be.
Serve the mixture hot over the brown rice, or mix it all together and then serve.
Makes 4-5 servings.
And of course after dinner, there were cookies left over from the 3 orders I had this week, so dessert was a cinch :)
Vegan Linzer Tarts
Photo by Justin Lewis, filmaperture Photography
Lunch: Mexican beans without the rice, cucumber salad, grapes, and a small salad with radish and hummus.
Today's lesson: Even when you think there's nothing in your kitchen, try to make it work and you might surprise yourself with a new recipe. You just need to think outside the box and let the ingredients you have on-hand inspire you!
Monday, April 25, 2011
YumYum
This recipe is absolutely a keeper. I had never used the "dry frying" method of preparing tofu, but it worked out really well and I think we'll probably do it again. We actually still pressed the liquid out like we normally do, but it's impossible to get it all out just by pressing. I also love her "tofu math" way of cutting the tofu down into small triangles.
As for the recipe, we made it as is since it was our first attempt, but we'd like to make some changes next time. My fiance thinks kale would taste better (he's not a fan of the earthy underlying taste in collard greens), as Veganoogle suggests, we'd add more garlic, and perhaps some other veggies - shredded carrot, onion, sauteed mushrooms. Rather than make more of the sweet chili lime sauce (which is awesome and could be used in so many other ways), next time we'll just reserve some because we really didn't need to use all of it to glaze the tofu. I also think I'd only use 2 Tbsp sugar in the sauce - 3's a bit much.
I'd like to try more of VeganYumYum's recipes. We made the Mac & Cheeze (take two) about a year ago and that was pretty good. I'm bummed that it looks like she's stopped posting though; it's a really great blog with some awesome recipes, but it ends in January of 2010 and doesn't pick up again. Bummer. If you click on the archives though, you'll find a really nice listing of some awesome sounding recipes. More reviews of her stuff to come, I'm sure!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Left-over Veggie Syndrome
I looked into the fridge this afternoon and noticed that we've got all these odds and ends and a shit-ton of veggie stock. I also noted that we have 4 containers of veggie ends waiting to be made into stock for next week. Eep! Stock overload!
I figured the easiest way to use up a quart or two of stock would be to just make some soup, but like I said, most of what was lurking in the fridge was sort of random. And so, voila, Random Soup was born! Honestly, 9 times out of 10 you do not need to hit up the food store when your pantry's getting low, you just need to switch on some creativity!
I wanted to serve a salad with my Random Soup so I started by roughly chopping up an onion, 3 carrots, 2 russet potatoes, some left over eggplant, garlic, and some Portland Winter Farmers Market goodies - a turnip, golden turnip, and rutabaga. I tossed them all into a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme and let them roast for about 1.5 hours, stirring every once in a while.
I figured the easiest way to use up a quart or two of stock would be to just make some soup, but like I said, most of what was lurking in the fridge was sort of random. And so, voila, Random Soup was born! Honestly, 9 times out of 10 you do not need to hit up the food store when your pantry's getting low, you just need to switch on some creativity!
I wanted to serve a salad with my Random Soup so I started by roughly chopping up an onion, 3 carrots, 2 russet potatoes, some left over eggplant, garlic, and some Portland Winter Farmers Market goodies - a turnip, golden turnip, and rutabaga. I tossed them all into a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme and let them roast for about 1.5 hours, stirring every once in a while.
Portland Farmers Market goodies: Olivia's Garden Greens, Turnip, Golden Turnip, Rutabaga, & some kind of potato that looks like a large version of fingerlings
After the soup was completed, I served it with the cooled root vegetables on top of Olivia's Garden greens, also from the Farmers Market. You could use some dressing if you want, but I think the flavors of the roasted veggies against the crisp salad greens are glorious and that a dressing would just cloud the flavors.
Here's the soup recipe, but I didn't measure things so the measurements are just guestimates. I recommend you try making soup from the random odds and ends in your fridge too - it's pretty fun :o)
Random Soup
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 eggplant, cubed
1 can black beans
1 can white beans
1-2 cups of kale, chopped
salt & pepper
cumin
turmeric
cayenne
3/4 cup wild rice
Lots of veggie stock
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add carrot and cook until softened. Then add beans and eggplant - cook 1-2 minutes. Add kale last and cook until it turns dark green and has softened a little. Add spices to the saute mix and saute for a while until the flavors combine. Then add veggie stock followed by rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30-60 minutes until rice has softened and flavors are combined. Add spices if needed.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Eggplant "Lasagna" Bake
A while back my fiance and I (yes, we are engaged now - woot woot!) tried the vegan lasagna recipe from How It All Vegan. It includes a homemade tomato sauce recipe and "ricotta" mixture made from tofu. It was delicious, but we found that it was really heavy compared to what we've been eating more recently. So he came up with a novel idea - substitute the lasagna noodles with eggplant.
Last night he made a giant pot of tomato sauce that is so yummy I could eat a bowl of it on its own. Seriously. Amazing. Then tonight after work he whipped up the "ricotta" mixture and layered the mixture with sauce, eggplant sliced thin, and Daiya cheese. Then he popped it in the oven...and we waited. Oh man, it was worth the wait. In retrospect, I think he should have skinned the eggplant for the sheer reason that it's difficult to cut through it, but at the same time, I like that the entire eggplant was used and the skin has lots of nutrients in it. The dish was hearty without being heavy, warm, comforting, and incredibly flavorful. This dish will certainly remain in our culinary arsenal.
And might I just say, I'm really lucky to have a man who is not only willing to get in the kitchen and cook dinner, but who actually enjoys it. We have so much fun in the kitchen and cook together every night even if one of us takes the lead. Our meals are satisfying because we're becoming really great cooks and because we have fun preparing them together.
Later tonight I'm going to make some chia pudding...yes, chia, like Chia Pet. We were in Whole Foods and stopped by a taste test station to try out some chia pudding. The pudding is very similar to tapioca - without the dairy. Fantastico! So we picked up a bag of seeds after learning that these little guys are high in fiber, antioxidants, and omega 3's (something we struggle with getting a healthy intake of since it's mainly in fish products), and we learned that you can use them in shakes or oatmeal, make pudding, or grind them up and use them in baking! The pudding was made by soaking 2 Tbsp of the chia seeds in 1/2 cup of almond milk, and then mixing in either honey or agave or jam or fresh fruit. I'm going to try it with a little honey and some berry preserves. I'm excited to try experimenting with them more though - will let you know the results :)
Last night he made a giant pot of tomato sauce that is so yummy I could eat a bowl of it on its own. Seriously. Amazing. Then tonight after work he whipped up the "ricotta" mixture and layered the mixture with sauce, eggplant sliced thin, and Daiya cheese. Then he popped it in the oven...and we waited. Oh man, it was worth the wait. In retrospect, I think he should have skinned the eggplant for the sheer reason that it's difficult to cut through it, but at the same time, I like that the entire eggplant was used and the skin has lots of nutrients in it. The dish was hearty without being heavy, warm, comforting, and incredibly flavorful. This dish will certainly remain in our culinary arsenal.
And might I just say, I'm really lucky to have a man who is not only willing to get in the kitchen and cook dinner, but who actually enjoys it. We have so much fun in the kitchen and cook together every night even if one of us takes the lead. Our meals are satisfying because we're becoming really great cooks and because we have fun preparing them together.
Later tonight I'm going to make some chia pudding...yes, chia, like Chia Pet. We were in Whole Foods and stopped by a taste test station to try out some chia pudding. The pudding is very similar to tapioca - without the dairy. Fantastico! So we picked up a bag of seeds after learning that these little guys are high in fiber, antioxidants, and omega 3's (something we struggle with getting a healthy intake of since it's mainly in fish products), and we learned that you can use them in shakes or oatmeal, make pudding, or grind them up and use them in baking! The pudding was made by soaking 2 Tbsp of the chia seeds in 1/2 cup of almond milk, and then mixing in either honey or agave or jam or fresh fruit. I'm going to try it with a little honey and some berry preserves. I'm excited to try experimenting with them more though - will let you know the results :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
What a crock!
Sunday - I looked at my calendar for this week and felt anxious. A stressful work week, several after work obligations, etc. Something I've learned as I've embarked on this vegan journey is that I cannot just "wing-it" for dinner. I need a plan in place. Whether it's a recipe from our coveted Vegan on the Cheap, something we've made up in the past, or homemade pizza, I need a plan. So I looked at our busiest nights and the nights I thought, "Wow, I am not going to want to come home to cook" and I remembered my faithful old crock pot.
Now I had always thought that crock pots were for cooking meat balls, or sausage, or chili, or beefy stew. But low-and-behold, Vegan on the Cheap's got an entire slow-cooker section and just do a search on "slow cooker" on VegWeb and the possibilities are endless!
My yellow and maroon crock pot, handed down to my from my grandmother, was sitting below a shelf on our kitchen floor collecting dust. This old girl may not be new and flashy with all of the nicer amenities like a timer or alarm, but I knew she'd get the job done. I set my alarm for 6:20am the next day, hopped out of bed and threw a bunch of veggies into the deep marroon basin - onion, carrots, black beans, kale - some spices - cumin, salt, pepper, paprika - 5 cups of homemade veggie stock, and set the dial to low.
9 hours later, I'm greeted at the front door by a hungry crying kitty and an amazing aroma filling every space of our apartment. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to come home to the smell of food that's been cooking all day and know that all you'll need to do is wash the dishes. Exhausted from a long day at work, my boyfriend and I grabbed bowls and ate the hearty stew like Black Beans & Kale Soup while watching LOST in bed. A perfect end to a tiring day.
Now I had always thought that crock pots were for cooking meat balls, or sausage, or chili, or beefy stew. But low-and-behold, Vegan on the Cheap's got an entire slow-cooker section and just do a search on "slow cooker" on VegWeb and the possibilities are endless!
My yellow and maroon crock pot, handed down to my from my grandmother, was sitting below a shelf on our kitchen floor collecting dust. This old girl may not be new and flashy with all of the nicer amenities like a timer or alarm, but I knew she'd get the job done. I set my alarm for 6:20am the next day, hopped out of bed and threw a bunch of veggies into the deep marroon basin - onion, carrots, black beans, kale - some spices - cumin, salt, pepper, paprika - 5 cups of homemade veggie stock, and set the dial to low.
9 hours later, I'm greeted at the front door by a hungry crying kitty and an amazing aroma filling every space of our apartment. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to come home to the smell of food that's been cooking all day and know that all you'll need to do is wash the dishes. Exhausted from a long day at work, my boyfriend and I grabbed bowls and ate the hearty stew like Black Beans & Kale Soup while watching LOST in bed. A perfect end to a tiring day.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
We'll call it....Neat Joseph!
Last night, after an exhausting day, my boyfriend and I were relaxing and realized we still hadn't eaten dinner around 9pm. I was starving and had NO desire to cook. So, my ingenious boyfriend gets an idea-- he takes a can of Manwich (which, surprisingly, is vegan- no joke!) and cooks it with some left over rice, TVP (he cooked the rice and TVP with a little veggie stock and soy sauce in the microwave first), fresh spinach, and some cayenne pepper. We toasted some bread and made amazing sandwiches!
I was standing there in the kitchen and I said, "Well we just can't call these Vegan Sloppy Joes." I'm tired of naming vegan food after other food that already exists---I don't want it to taste like a real Sloppy Joe...I don't like meat and don't expect or want it to taste like meat. So my boyfriend exclaims, "I've got it! We'll call it Neat Joseph!" Love it.
So we took our Neat Joseph's into the bedroom where the plugin electric heater was warming up the room, shut the doors, dove under the covers, and had dinner in bed while continuing our LOST re-marathon. The sandwiches were wonderfully filling and nice and warm on a bitterly cold night. This was an easy dinner and I totally recommend it for those nights when you're in a rush or just want something fast. And...the awesome part, it was wicked cheap. I mean, think about it- the can of Manwich is less than a dollar and we buy TVP in bulk. Good job, boyfriend :)
I was standing there in the kitchen and I said, "Well we just can't call these Vegan Sloppy Joes." I'm tired of naming vegan food after other food that already exists---I don't want it to taste like a real Sloppy Joe...I don't like meat and don't expect or want it to taste like meat. So my boyfriend exclaims, "I've got it! We'll call it Neat Joseph!" Love it.
So we took our Neat Joseph's into the bedroom where the plugin electric heater was warming up the room, shut the doors, dove under the covers, and had dinner in bed while continuing our LOST re-marathon. The sandwiches were wonderfully filling and nice and warm on a bitterly cold night. This was an easy dinner and I totally recommend it for those nights when you're in a rush or just want something fast. And...the awesome part, it was wicked cheap. I mean, think about it- the can of Manwich is less than a dollar and we buy TVP in bulk. Good job, boyfriend :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Polenta Pizza...you heard me right.
My walk home from work put me in a nasty mood last night because most of the neighborhood hadn't shoveled their sidewalks and my usual 10 minute walk turned into 20 minutes. I walked into the house to find a sink full of dishes and felt defeated. I had NO desire to cook, however, my boyfriend and I have enforced a new rule that we are only allowed to dine out twice a month (take out included) and I didn't want to waste our second dine out pass on my nasty mood. My wonderful boyfriend hiked up his sleeves and got to work on the dishes while I casually flipped through Vegan on the Cheap without much intention of cooking.
I came across Robin's recipe for Polenta Pizza and was intrigued. Polenta is one of the easiest grains to cook. It's super cheap, but very filling and tastes great if seasoned well and paired with veggies. We didn't have all of the ingredients to make Robin's version, but we figured we'd wing it and see what happens!
Results: Not too bad! But I'd like to try my hand at it again. I don't think we seasoned the polenta enough (interestingly Robin's recipe doesn't call for anything other than salt, but that still leaves the polenta tasting fairly bland). Also, although it's called "pizza" you still need to eat it with a fork unless you want to make a crazy mess on your lap. I'm going to experiment with various sauces and toppings next time...but for now, I'll give you the basic recipe so you can try it at home!
Polenta Pizza adapted from Vegan on the Cheap
3 cups water
olive oil
1 cup corn meal (polenta)
salt
herbs....basil, Italian spices, experiment!
Boil the 3 cups of water with some salt and olive oil. Add in the polenta, stirring the whole time. Reduce heat to Medium and cook for about 12-15 minutes. BE CAREFUL! Polenta is a crazy beast that likes to bubble and pop and make a mess on your stove if you aren't keeping a watchful eye on it and stirring constantly.
Once it's finished and seasoned to your likings, spread it out in a thin layer, about 1/4 inch thick, in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (pre-oiled so it doesn't stick when you're all done). Bake at 425 for 12 minutes so that it becomes nice and firm.
After that---add your toppings! We sauteed some veggies (spinach, broccoli, onion sauteed in white wine & olive oil) but you could also do a layer of tomato sauce with veggies on top; roasted veggies; seitan...the possibilities are endless!
Then bake it for another 10-15 minutes....and serve!
I came across Robin's recipe for Polenta Pizza and was intrigued. Polenta is one of the easiest grains to cook. It's super cheap, but very filling and tastes great if seasoned well and paired with veggies. We didn't have all of the ingredients to make Robin's version, but we figured we'd wing it and see what happens!
Results: Not too bad! But I'd like to try my hand at it again. I don't think we seasoned the polenta enough (interestingly Robin's recipe doesn't call for anything other than salt, but that still leaves the polenta tasting fairly bland). Also, although it's called "pizza" you still need to eat it with a fork unless you want to make a crazy mess on your lap. I'm going to experiment with various sauces and toppings next time...but for now, I'll give you the basic recipe so you can try it at home!
Polenta Pizza adapted from Vegan on the Cheap
3 cups water
olive oil
1 cup corn meal (polenta)
salt
herbs....basil, Italian spices, experiment!
Boil the 3 cups of water with some salt and olive oil. Add in the polenta, stirring the whole time. Reduce heat to Medium and cook for about 12-15 minutes. BE CAREFUL! Polenta is a crazy beast that likes to bubble and pop and make a mess on your stove if you aren't keeping a watchful eye on it and stirring constantly.
Once it's finished and seasoned to your likings, spread it out in a thin layer, about 1/4 inch thick, in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (pre-oiled so it doesn't stick when you're all done). Bake at 425 for 12 minutes so that it becomes nice and firm.
After that---add your toppings! We sauteed some veggies (spinach, broccoli, onion sauteed in white wine & olive oil) but you could also do a layer of tomato sauce with veggies on top; roasted veggies; seitan...the possibilities are endless!
Then bake it for another 10-15 minutes....and serve!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I know where my cabbage came from, what about you?
I am a huge advocate of the Portland Winter Farmer's Market. If you have access to local produce- USE IT! I took a little trip over last Saturday and, although it's mostly root veggies (and unfortunately a whole lotta animal products), I was still able to snag a few goodies. I ended up coming home with a delicious package of Lilibela Farm's black bean tempeh (which I used on Sunday in my Tropic of Tempeh dish), Hollis Honey, a GORGEOUS head of purple cabbage, butternut squash, 2 yellow carrots, & 2 purple carrots. The timing of the market is perfect because I create our weekly menus on Sundays, so of course I was able to incorporate almost everything I got into our menus so NOTHING goes to waste!
Last night my boyfriend and I made Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu, a recipe from Vegan on the Cheap (yes, you're picking up on a theme, and yes, you should purchase Vegan on the Cheap!). We used the gorgeously vibrant purple cabbage which had an beautiful maze like pattern when cut in half and I marvelled over how something from nature can look so beautiful- like a piece of modern art. We also used the 2 yellow carrots and after shredding both the cabbage and carrots into a large bowl, the colors were just incredible, I had to stand back and admire it! I've actually learned to take the time to admire the beauty of food, which makes you really appreciate what you're consuming and the effort it took to not only prepare it, but for the farmers to grow it.
Needless to say, the meal was a winner and we will definitely be making it again. I hope you'll try this one out! It's crisp and tangy and very refreshing. Try it and let me know what you think!
Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu from Vegan on the Cheap, with my modifications included
Makes 4 serves (or more depending on how you're using it)
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained & patted dry
1/2 cup soy sauce (I'd use a little less in the sauce next time)
5 cups shredded cabbage (she doesn't specify type- but purple looked beautiful and tasted great so I'd recommend using that. We just used the whole head and didn't measure)
2 medium carrots, shredded (We used 2 yellow carrots and one orange)
3 green onions, minced (I still can't find these at WF so I used 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 and it was potent enough!)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp Asian chili paste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp water
Preheat oven to 375 & lightly oil a baking sheet. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch slabs and press to remove excess water (this is really important b/c it will crumble and just fall apart if you don't). Cut the slabs into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with 1/4 of the soy sauce. Arrange the tofu on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, and onions. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, sugar, chili paste, remaining soy sauce (I'd use a little less than a 1/4 cup), vinegar, oil, and water.
Pour dressing over the cabbage mix and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Serve topped with tofu.
Last night my boyfriend and I made Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu, a recipe from Vegan on the Cheap (yes, you're picking up on a theme, and yes, you should purchase Vegan on the Cheap!). We used the gorgeously vibrant purple cabbage which had an beautiful maze like pattern when cut in half and I marvelled over how something from nature can look so beautiful- like a piece of modern art. We also used the 2 yellow carrots and after shredding both the cabbage and carrots into a large bowl, the colors were just incredible, I had to stand back and admire it! I've actually learned to take the time to admire the beauty of food, which makes you really appreciate what you're consuming and the effort it took to not only prepare it, but for the farmers to grow it.
Needless to say, the meal was a winner and we will definitely be making it again. I hope you'll try this one out! It's crisp and tangy and very refreshing. Try it and let me know what you think!
Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu from Vegan on the Cheap, with my modifications included
Makes 4 serves (or more depending on how you're using it)
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained & patted dry
1/2 cup soy sauce (I'd use a little less in the sauce next time)
5 cups shredded cabbage (she doesn't specify type- but purple looked beautiful and tasted great so I'd recommend using that. We just used the whole head and didn't measure)
2 medium carrots, shredded (We used 2 yellow carrots and one orange)
3 green onions, minced (I still can't find these at WF so I used 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 and it was potent enough!)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp Asian chili paste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp water
Preheat oven to 375 & lightly oil a baking sheet. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch slabs and press to remove excess water (this is really important b/c it will crumble and just fall apart if you don't). Cut the slabs into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with 1/4 of the soy sauce. Arrange the tofu on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, and onions. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, sugar, chili paste, remaining soy sauce (I'd use a little less than a 1/4 cup), vinegar, oil, and water.
Pour dressing over the cabbage mix and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Serve topped with tofu.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Art of Packing your Lunch
Today's Lunch: A spinach salad with yellow pepper, tomato and cucumber with freshly ground pepper and lemon juice; green beans, snap peas and radishes with black bean dip; and celery with freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter. Not shown: 2 clementines for later :)
I have a theory: if lunch doesn't look exciting, I will find myself in line at Starbucks by 3pm asking for an overly sweet scone and a large coffee. This may not hold true for everyone, but I think it does for a majority of us whether it's Starbucks, the office cookie jar, or the local convenience store. The fact is, it's hard to find a satisfying and healthy snack on the fly these days, so it's super important to pack a lunch that will get you through quitting time.
I like to make my lunches look pretty. I'm a HUGE fan of bento boxes and actually own one of the Laptop Lunch boxes (not shown here because I was too tired to wash it last night <shame>). They allow me to pack a nice variety of foods, while keeping in mind portion control. I try to make my lunches colorful: Rule of Thumb: the more colors your meals include, the more nutrients you're getting, the more likely you are to get your fill of the daily required amounts. I also try to include veggies, fruits, nuts and legumes in all of my lunches. I know that carbs like bread and pasta make me laggy so I steer clear when it comes to lunch. Normally I pack leftovers, but last night was one of the first that we didn't cook up a really nice dinner; we just used various leftovers in the fridge to concoct 2 portions for dinner.
If you're trying to lose weight, or just trying to avoid spending money on "quick" afternoon snacks, I suggest getting creative with your lunch so that you don't feel tempted. Check out the Vegan Lunchbox blog for ideas to get you started!
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