A beer blog!!

Hello! This is just a quick post. I just wanted to let you know that I've just started a new blog about beer over at A Taste of Beer. If you love beer, you might want to check it out. I will be updating it with all sorts of new beer that I try from around the world.

Just a warning....it may not ALL be vegan beer.  I do my best to keep up with what's vegan and what isn't, but I don't always know until after I've already consumed the beer.  The best way to keep up with that is on Barnivore, but that is not a complete list of beer either. They do their best to keep it updated, and I have also submitted emails I've gotten from breweries. You can too!

Please join me over there if you're so inclined. Cheers!

Eat smart,
T.

Random Eats

Hey there! I think I'm finally getting over this stupid sickness. Still a bit of coughing and a runny nose, but hopefully that will subside soon enough.

And even though I haven't been blogging about it, I HAVE been cooking.  So here are some recent eats:

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (with date sugar)

Home grown arugula,greens, kale, & sprouts in my homemade bagel!

Udon noodles with Lindsay's Almond Butter Sauce & Soy Sesame broccoli (& other veg)

SO GOOD!!! (I tried to use more almond milk to replace some of the coconut milk, for less fat)

Ummm, more roasted vegetables??

Valentine's dessert: Strawberry Peach Cobbler with vegan granola.Yum.

From the Happy Herbivore Cookbook!

Hawaiian Chickpea Teriyaki. Excellent! Just needed a bit more sauce to go over the rice :)

Roasted Veggies with Lindsay's Cheddar Cheesy Sauce, although I've also made her Quick Queso Sauce (also very good and so easy to make)

Other stuff:

A broccoli rice dish....might post a recipe if I can remember it :)

My Broccoli/Cauliflower a la Lemon dish atop Trader Joe's Harvest Grains.

And there you have it.  

I'm thinking of starting a beer blog.....about beer tasting.  You know, since I drink so much of it.....and I love to try new beers all the time....might make sense.  I'm ALWAYS taking pictures of my beer, so why not?

Here's a question for you bloggers out there: Wordpress or Blogger?  Which is better and why? Which is easier to blog from the road/travel?

Eat smart,

T.

Sickness and Diet

It's been almost a year since I was sick last....and guess what? I'm sick. Yup, I got that tickle in my throat on Saturday morning...and it stayed there. By Sunday, it was a major tickle, and today I've got phlegm. Sorry to be so gross about it. Last time I got sick, it lasted maybe 2 days..it was very quick. I got the tickle in my throat, and the same day my nose started running, then the next day I had a cough...and then...POOF....it was gone. Just like that. Cool, huh?

I think I'm on day 3, but hoping it will be gone soon. I've got the official cough today, which means it's moved and that's good. Just a bit of runny nose, but not like I used to get in the old days where I'd have tissues all over the place and had to take some sort of drugs for it.

Anyhow, it may be a coincidence, or not. You decide.  For the last two weeks or so, I've been trying to save money by cutting down on the amount of produce. We spend a ton at the grocery store and most of it is produce, including my daily broccoli, kale, carrots, zucchini....you get the idea.

At work recently, a colleague that sits next to me has been sick.  So I'm thinking that because I reduced my normal consumption of veggies AND whole grains, and was eating cheaper things like pasta and even some pre-packaged foods (although vegan), my immune system was compromised. Could this be? I suppose it could be coincidence or maybe it was just time for my body to have its share of "the common cold"....???

I decided to go back to my regularly scheduled eating habits, even if I AM buying 6 bunches of broccoli per week!! Am I insane?  I probably buy that much in a week, and a couple of bunches of kale, and maybe 4-6 bell peppers and well, at least 6 pounds of carrots (yes, each week)....S LOVES carrots and eats several per day.  Is this wrong?  Are we buying too much produce? It's two of us. I usually steam up veggies once per day and the other meal is either raw or roasted. And I eat brown rice or something similar almost everyday.

Do any of you shop at a bulk store, such as Costco or Sam's Club? How is the produce and is it worth it just to shop there for that? I mean, I'm sure I could use up 10 pounds of broccoli in a week! :)  Maybe I eat too much broccoli....

Help me out here....tell me I'm not insane for buying that much produce.  Or....tell me I am and tell me how to save money on produce.

Eat smart,
T.

And we've got some winners.....!!!

(My tasty bagels made with Bob's Red Mill flours)

I've got three winners for the Bob's Red Mill giveaway! Yup, three of you will get a nice giftpack of goodies sent directly from them.

And the winners are.....

Jill:

      "My favourite grain is quinoa...i use it to make salads or substitute it for rice."


AND.....

Elisabeth:

    "I tweeted @CzechVeganBlog"

AND....

 Purplelarkspur:

     "I guess I am boring.. but my favorite whole grain is whole wheat! I love to bake whole wheat english muffins"

Congratulations to all of you! Please email me your full name, address, and phone number, so I can get that info off to Bob's Red Mill right away. Thanks to all who entered!!

Eat smart (& stay warm),

T.

Sprouted Lentil Dip and a new cookbook

I've been sprouting lots of lentils as of late.  (I just tried chickpeas: MAJOR FAIL). They smell so bad, I'm going to throw them out.  I don't know what went wrong. They have long sprouts on them.  I wonder if I soaked them too long..the book said about 24 hours. But I'm reading around, and it says more like 8-12 hours. I rinsed them 2-3 times a day for 3 days. Maybe that's too long too. Anyone have experience with sprouting chickpeas/garbonzos?

On the other hand, my lentils are delicious! So here's a recipe for you:

Sprouted Lentil Dip:

4 cups sprouted lentils (green)
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3-4 TB water (for texture)
salt to taste
dash of paprika


Blend everything in a food processor.  It may take a few tries, scraping down the sides, as the lentils like to stick to the side of the bowl. Add a little extra water if it's too thick for you. This has a very 'earthy' flavor. I find that sprouted lentils have a very different taste than cooked lentils, so try eating the sprouts first...if you like the strong flavor, you'll love this dip!


I made some raw mustard from one of my new raw books too! I can't even eat it. It's WAY too strong, like horseradish. S loves it, though.  Next time I won't let it "ferment" so long (2 days).

I recently downloaded the Happy Herbivore Cookbook for Kindle. This will be my last cookbook purchase for a while, as it's now time to save money. (if you're listening, DaCapo books or anyone else...you're welcome to send me cookbooks for review!!) Hahaha.....

Well anyway, this is a great cookbook. It's full of Fat-Free and Lowfat Vegan recipes and I've already made 3 things from it:

Red Lentil Dal:

So tasty! I served it on top of barley and kale.

5-Spice Harmony Bowl:

Wow, this sweet potato dish is delicious!! And pretty easy to make.

And for a quick dessert, Instant Cookie Dough:

Mmmm, just eat it by the spoonful!

Go get yourself this awesome new book, just released!!

And of course last Saturday was National Vegan Pizza Day, so here's what I made:

My whole grain pizza crust, made with Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat and 10-grain flours, topped with sauce, Daiya cheese,  and onions, green peppers, and tomatoes! So good! You can find my recipe for it here.

Speaking of Bob's Red Mill, my giveaway just ended....with a surprisingly low number of entries. Nonetheless, three winners will be chosen this week, so check back often!

On another note, it's 70 degrees and pouring today. It will be 33 degrees by 4 in the morning. Major weather changes are happening. This is pretty typical for this area this time of year.

Hope you guys don't have an overload of snow and ice...

Eat smart,
T.