Risotto for the Fall and upcoming Vegan Queso!

First off, here's what I got at the market this week (I know, I'm going again tomorrow...I can't seem to catch up!): apples, turnips, kale, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, green beans, satsumas, mixed greens, mustard greens, and yellow squash.

Next up, a great recipe for this time of year, especially with all the sweet potatoes I've been getting at the market!

Sweet Potato Barley "Risotto":

1 cup hulled barley
3 cups water (or broth)
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large bunch of kale
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 TB Creole Seasoning (less, if you add salt)
garlic & onion powder
juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
some extra water, possibly

Put the the barley and water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until chewy (1-1 1/4 hrs). It will take less time if you use pearl barley-follow package directions for that.


Put the cubed sweet potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft (30-40 minutes, depending on size of cubes). When done, drain and set aside.


When the barley is done, add in the sweet potatoes and stir well, mashing it up. You may need to add a bit of water so it doesn't stick to the bottom and to make it a bit creamier. Add in the seasonings and mix. Add the kale, cover, and cook another 5 minutes. When done, add the lime (or lemon) juice.  Add salt if needed at this point. Serve!


Other stuff I've been eating:

Amazing salad dressing from Ani's Raw Food Essentials: Asian Greens with Lemon-Tahini Dressing-

(goes great with hemp seeds on top!)

Made my whole wheat pizza again, with Daiya, of course:

Sometimes I crave mac n' cheese, so here's my version:

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 TB almond milk, unsweetened
1 slice Galaxy Nutrional Foods Vegan Cheddar
1 TB nutritional yeast
1 tsp each garlic powder & onion powder
salt & pepper


Heat up the rice (unless you just cooked it)
Mix in the almond milk. Tear up the slice of cheese and add it in. Stir well. It may take several minutes for the cheese to melt in.  Then add in the rest of the ingredients. Add more almond milk, if you like it creamier. Enjoy!


And I am currently addicted to Robin Robertson's Tahini-Miso Sauce. Yup, I've been making tons of brown rice and steamed veggies with that stuff all over it! Delicious. It's in her 1,000 Vegan Recipes cookbook.

And last but not least.....who wants VEGAN QUESO??? ME!!! Ok, so I ran out of the best stuff ever: Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso. That's a disaster right there. I had to think of something. So I made my own! Yup. But it still needs another test, so I'm not putting up the recipe yet.  Now, it's not going to be nearly as delicious as Nacho Mom's, but I'm doing my best. And as soon as it's available here, I will buy it up :) But here's a sneak peek:

Eat smart,
T.

Lots of good food and some great Fall recipes!

I know! I know! I'm lazy. Posting barely once a week....what is that?? Now that I'm back at work, it's a bit more difficult to post every other day. So sorry. I'll do my best.

Anyway, be sure to go all the way to the bottom of this post for an amazing Fall recipe!! One of my better ones, if I don't say so myself :)

Remember I bought Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso??? It's so amazing....one of my new addictions. Unfortunately, I only bought 2 jars. One jar is gone....I'm waiting to open the other because I know when I open it, it will be gone...sniff....and then there will be none.

And I've been eating my awesome Dr. Cow Cashew Cheese (Kale flavor).....so good, you gotta try it:

Other stuff I've been eating-

(Teese and Arugula Quesadilla on a Sprouted Grain Tortilla)

(Cold rice salad with leftover zucchini spirals)

(filling for a burrito:rice,black beans,peppers, onions,squash)

(millet with a creamy cashew tomato sauce based on VeganYumYum's sauce)

And this week's Blogger Recipe is an awesome Alfredo Sauce from Healthy.Happy.Life. 

(served with sprouted grain pasta)

This was really delicious! The Vegenaise gives it a nice tangy flavor. I don't use Vegenaise all that often, but it's a real treat when I do. Thank you, Kathy :)

Here's a great recipe for couscous salad, using the Toasted Pine Nut Couscous from Near East!! Really tasty stuff.

Cold Couscous Salad

1 pkg couscous (toasted pine nut is great in this)
2 small tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbsp Orange Juice (or juice from tangerine,satsuma,etc.)
pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp orange zest (I used dried)


Cook the couscous according to the directions, adding the raisins in with the water. Add the rest of the ingredients to the cooked couscous. Mix well. Cool before serving.


I also made an amazing sauce for my grains & veggies bowl from Robin Robertson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes: Miso-Tahini Sauce. SOOOO good. I doubled the recipe and added lots of extra lemon juice.  Wow was that delicious over my veggies and brown rice!

And now for that awesome Fall recipe:

Autumn Rice and Beans

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp each: paprika, cinnamon, chili powder

1 tbsp Creole Seasoning (or some cayenne and salt)
garlic & onion powder to taste
juice of 1 lime
1 bunch of kale, chopped


Peel the sweet potatoes and cube them.  Put them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil. Boil lightly until soft (~30 min).  Drain.  Put the rice and beans into the pot you cooked the sweet potatoes in.  Add 1/2 cup water. Cook on medium heat until heated through, adding water as needed.  Add in all spices. Stir well. Add in the kale and let it wilt for a few minutes. Then, add in the cooked sweet potatoes. Stir very well. At this point, the sweet potatoes will mash up very easily in the pot. That's ok. I like it mashed up well. Add in the lime juice last. Again, stir. Serve with more lime juice on top!


Phew.....that took forever. Hahaha....but at least it's done.  I'll be out and about this weekend eating some great food....can't wait to post about it!!

PS-Have any of you been to Ireland?  (thinking about a possible future trip) We've never done any actual escorted tours on buses....but I'm tempted to do one or two there, since a lot of the great scenery/coastline is not accessible by train.  Thoughts?? Have any of you done coach tours before?


Eat smart,
T.

Butternut Squash "Risotto" and Tortilla Pizzas!

Boy do I feel lazy.  Haven't felt like posting a whole lot.  But I keep taking pictures of the stuff I make....and they pile up!  So here we are...lots of pictures ahead.

But first, don't forget to enter my Bloggiversary Giveaway! Win Dr. Neal Barnard's "The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook". Click here to enter.

Farmer's market purchases: tomatoes, turnips (with greens), mustard greens, brown rice, limes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, okra, peaches, white button mushrooms, and fresh basil.

I made some Butternut Squash Barley "Risotto" the other day. It was really good and so here's the recipe:

Butternut Squash Barley "Risotto":

1 cup hulled barley (you can use pearled, but the cooking time will be shorter)
3 cups water/vegetable broth
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 cup almond milk, unsweetened
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp sage
1 tbsp curry powder
salt/pepper

Steam the cubed squash for about 30-45 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.


On medium heat, saute the onion & garlic in a little water until translucent.  Add wine and cook ~5 minutes.  Add the barley & water/broth. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 1-1 1/4 hours until the barley is mostly soft (still chewy).  

Mash up the steamed squash with: almond milk, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, sage, curry & nutmeg. When almost all the water is absorbed by the barley (there can still be some left, it will make it creamier), add the mashed squash & tomatoes, and mix well.  Add 2 tbsp more nutritional yeast and salt/pepper to taste. Cook another 5 minutes.


Yesterday, we wanted pizza and I wanted to use up these awesome sprouted grain tortillas we had (you should freeze them if you're not going to use them within a couple of days):

So I laid out 2 tortillas on parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread some of my tomato sauce on it (pureed tomatoes, minced garlic, onion powder, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes), followed by sliced peppers, mushrooms, onions and fresh basil & chard. I sprinkled on some Daiya mozzarella shreds and topped with a little more sauce.  Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes on 375 or so.  They do get a bit soggy in the middle, whereas the outer edges are VERY crispy.  You could try spraying the bottom of the tortillas with oil before you put it on the parchment paper (I didn't).  They were pretty darn good!

Next up, a Tafajito:

Thinly slice up red & green bell peppers and onions.  Saute the onions in a pan on medium heat with a little water.  Let the water run out and continue dry-frying them.  They will start to burn. Keep mixing them every few seconds while they burn.  After doing this for a minute or two, add in a little water.  It will sizzle, so WATCH OUT!  Then add the peppers.  Do the same thing....let the water run out, dry fry them. Let them burn. As you mix, add in some cumin powder/seeds, coriander powder, chili powder, black pepper, and salt.   Finally, add in a little water and let sizzle again.  Turn off the heat.

Lay out 2 sprouted grain tortillas.  Spread guacamole on them. Then, spread on some of Ani Phyo's "Taco Nut Meat" (awesome stuff!), then the veggies.  Wrap how you want...taco style, burrito style, fajita style.....it's up to you!

Then I tried to make Ani's Basic Flax Crackers from Ani's Raw Food Essentials.  I think they were way too thick...I should've spread them on 2 baking sheets.  They never really crisped up except for a few edge pieces.  I baked them on 300 degrees for at least 45 minutes per side. Still good though.  I added garlic powder & onion powder. Note to self: buy Excalibur Dehydrator, when I can afford it and have space!

Since I still had plenty of butternut squash, I decided to make the Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup with Chard from Robin Robertson's "1,000 Vegan Recipes". Delicious!! I left out the oil and used pureed tomatoes from a jar, instead of the crushed.

Other stuff I've been eating:

My black bean burgers with BBQ sauce and a side of my mashed potatoes(mash up some cooked potatoes, add a little almond milk, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and Creole Seasoning)

I tried a Gardein product for the first time and it was really tasty. I try not to eat/buy too much in the way of pre-packaged foods, but I had a coupon and finally broke down and went to Whole Foods:

I bought up a bunch of bulk items: oat groats, buckwheat groats, raw sunflower seeds, raw cashews, and sweet brown rice:

Also got some essential seeds: flax and hemp (plus my favorite falafel chips!)

Ok, I think that's quite enough for now, don't you? Tired of looking at millions of photos yet?

Another giveaway: Chocolate Covered Katie is giving away a TON of Larabars!!

Eat smart,
T.

Cold Cucumber Soup, Raw Butternut Squash, and Brownies!

Wow was it hot today.  96 degrees with a heat index of 107.  Tried to walk as much as I could, considering.  Drank lots of water.  I think it's going to be the same tomorrow, but at least tomorrow is technically my "day off" but I'll be doing weights instead of cardio. Bought myself some heavier weights, thanks to Averie's post and I'm looking forward to it, although I know my muscles will be burning for a while afterwards :)

It was so hot, I needed to make something cold for dinner.  Here's my recipe for cucumber soup.

Tanya's Cold Cucumber Soup
(serves 2, medium bowls or 1 large)

2 large cucumbers, peeled & cut into chunks (you can leave in the seeds!)
3 tbsp vegan sour cream (or you could use yogurt)
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 tbsp dried dill plus a little extra for garnish
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Blend all ingredients together until creamy.  Pour into bowls and top with extra dill. (If your ingredients are not cold, you may want to chill this before serving)

The other day I wanted a recipe using butternut squash, since I'd gotten one at the farmer's market.  It really wasn't big enough to put into an oven to bake and for some reason, baking/roasting squash/eggplant, etc, annoys me.  Hahaha....I don't know why.  Anyway, I found a recipe using raw butternut squash! I didn't even know you could eat it raw.....and it was really good (except next time I would use half the salt...seemed quite salty to me).  Thank you, Ani Phyo.  It's the Walnut Cranberry Squash "Rice" recipe from her book "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". I just keep finding amazing recipes in the two books I have of hers.

BROWNIES! They have to be my absolute favorite dessert.  And last night, I just needed some.  I know they're not the healthiest dessert in the world, but I've been doing pretty well as far as that goes.  So I thought I'd splurge.  I made the Double Chocolate Brownies from Robin Robertson's "1,000 Vegan Recipes".  I used mostly spelt flour, with a little whole wheat thrown in (ran out of spelt), cut down the sugar to just under 1 cup and ended up adding a good amount of extra water.  They were really tasty.  Perhaps a tad dry, only because I used whole grain flour, but still really good and cured my craving.  Thank you, Robin!

Today was market day: watermelon, peaches, golden zucchini, shiitakes, bell peppers, tomato, herbs, lima beans, limes, cucumber, baby eggplant, sprouts, and rice.

My indoor gardens: mizuna and swiss chard!

GIVEAWAY!!!
Don't forget to enter my $40 CSN Stores gift card GIVEAWAY!!! You only have a few days left and so far, your chances are lookin' pretty darn good.

Eat smart,
T.

Spicy Pea Stew, Stuffed Tomatoes, and A Smoothie

I got a TON of pink-eyed peas from the farmer's market this week and last week, so I decided to go ahead and finally cook them!  Boiled them for about 1 hour.  Drain and done.

This week's market: pink-eyed peas, lima beans, baby shiitakes, peaches, nectarines, plums, fresh oregano, cucumbers, butternut squash, little eggplants, tomatoes, and bell peppers.

And that leads me to today's lunch!

Tanya's Spicy Pea Stew

1 1/2 cups cooked pink-eyed peas (or black-eyed)
1 cup strained tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels 
1 large bell pepper (any color), chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium/large tomato, chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp Creole seasoning (or a mix of cayenne & other peppers)
1 tsp salt
garlic powder & crushed red pepper flakes


Saute the onion in 1/4 cup water.  Add water as needed, so it doesn't stick.  When soft, add the celery and peppers.  Cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.  Add the corn and a little more water and cover.  Let steam for 2-3 minutes.  Add the peas and all spices, except the salt.  Stir and add the strained tomatoes.  Add in the chopped tomato and cook for another few minutes.  Just before serving, add the salt and stir.  Serve over couscous or brown rice.

I served mine over Near East couscous, as they were kind enough to send me a few boxes. I haven't had couscous in a while and it was very tasty :)

Speaking of couscous, they also sent me their Toasted Pine Nut flavored couscous, which went really well in the Sicilian Stuffed Tomatoes I made from Robin Robertson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Some with a little Daiya on top, and some without:

One of the blog's I read is Mama Pea's Peas and Thank You blog.  You should check it out, especially if you have kids (her girls are so cute!).  And I've probably bookmarked a billion of her recipes by now.....so I decided I should finally make one. I made her Simple Black Beans and Corn and Millet Pudding. The only problem I had was that the millet would NOT grind up.  I still put it in, but I added in a few spoons of cornmeal to help.  Not sure why the millet wouldn't grind up in my food processor.  Maybe it would have, in the Vita-Mix?? Anyway, it was all delicious!  Now I have a ton of beans....I froze most of them :)

On to another smoothie recipe:

The "what do I call it?":

1/2 banana
1 peach, pitted
2 carrots
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup water


Blend. I think ginger might go nicely in there, but I haven't tried it yet.

Stevia:
Have any of you tried Stevia? I tried it (and spent a lot of money for the little container) and can't stand it.  I do love licorice flavor, but that was just toooooo much. Bleh.  I bought the powdered stevia extract.  But I also tried my mom's regular stevia powder (not extract) and still didn't like it.....I tried both in my oatmeal.  Maybe it's better in a smoothie?? Any other suggestions?

Other stuff I've eaten:

Nori rolls with Ani Phyo's "Sushi" Rice made from jicama:

My friend's eggplant dip:

Ok, that's all for today.  Glad we didn't get a tropical storm this week after all :)

Giveaway:

LeslieLovesVeggies is giving away 2 copies of "The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East" cookbook!

Look for a post Monday or Tuesday about my giveaway!!

Eat smart,
T.