Chili, cornbread, Ani's slaw, my weight loss, and a smoothie

Well I've been at a weight plateau for quite a while now.  Although only in numbers.  I can see the progress of my new weight lifting regimen, especially in my arms.  I work out with weights 3 days a week now and do lots of walking on the other days.  They say you don't often see the numbers go down on a scale when you're weight lifting, but you may go down in sizes.  Anyway, my numbers did finally start to go down the other day....even if only a tiny bit.  Every bit counts!  And I think I'm in my last 5-10 pounds of losing anyway, which apparently are the hardest to lose.

Ok, on to the food :)

Saturday's market: eggplant, tarragon, okra, tomatoes, peaches, white button mushrooms, baby bellas, basil, fairytale eggplant, mustard greens, butternut squash, limes, asian pears, cucumbers, rice,  and more black bean salsa!

Today I made a great juice!

Apple Carrot Ginger juice:

2 medium carrots
1-2 stalks celery
1 fuji apple
small slice ginger (depends how gingery you like it)
1 cup water (or 1 1/4 if you want it a bit more watery)


Blend in your Vita-Mix!

I needed a good raw meal the other day and found Ani Phyo's Black Sesame Asian Slaw with Ginger Cashew Mayo in Ani's Raw Food Kitchen book. I didn't use Chinese cabbage, but used plain old shredded cabbage and coleslaw in a bag.  (I ended up having to add quite a bit more water to the mayo, because it was pretty thick) I also used a mixed seaweed bag a friend brought me from Japan, instead of just Hijiki.  It made enough "mayo" that we had the slaw again a second day for lunch.  It was delicious!

I made some of my bean chili the other day, with whatever veggies I had on hand.  I added pink-eyed peas, since I had some in the freezer that I'd previously cooked.  I served it with this cornbread, which was absolutely awesome!  Just the right amount of sweetness.  Only thing is, I forgot to add the vegan butter when I processed the kernels of corn, but it still tasted great.  And the batter was so tasty, I didn't even bother adding the topping of vegan butter and sugar!  You definitely need to make this :) (I left out the bell pepper too)

Other stuff I've eaten:

A variation of my Indian Curry  (served over millet):

Another variation of my Indian food with added eggplant and okra, served over plain couscous:

Giveaways:

Check out Averie's blog. She's giving away a bunch of awesome Tempt stuff!!

Eat smart,
T.

Tempeh Cakes, Raw Oats and Indian Curry!

First I'll start with my raw breakfast, since I've recently gotten a couple of books on raw food.  I thought I'd try my oat groats raw for the first time.  I got the Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe from Ani Phyo's Cookbook Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.  Since I normally use whole oat groats (I cook them in my rice cooker, thanks to my brother for that tip), I already had them in my kitchen to soak.  Anyway, I soaked them overnight and made the oats this morning in my food processor.  It's really good!  I didn't even need to top it with agave or anything, since there are dates already in the oats.  I made a normal batch for my week of breakfasts...

The other day I made Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes from her book Vegan Brunch.  I bought a couple of packages of tempeh on our way home from FL last week...can't find them in my normal grocery store.  These were quite good...I think they tasted like crab cakes (I haven't had one in years, so I'm not sure if I remember them correctly). I left out the oil (of course) and I used Apple Cider Vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.  I also didn't have any fresh peppers, so I used one roasted red pepper from a jar.  I also used some Furikake (seaweed, sesame seeds, salt) instead of the Nori, since I had some on hand, and I used whole wheat breadcrumbs instead of panko.  Last thing: I left out the capers (bleh) from the sauce. I'll definitely make these again and you should too!

And now for my Indian Curry I made for lunch today, seeing as how our local Indian restaurant decided yesterday they weren't going to serve off the menu (pfft).  How can a restaurant do that? Randomly.  We've been there so many times for lunch and they've ALWAYS served us off the menu, even though most people go there for the buffet. Guess we won't be going back there again.

Tanya's Indian Curry:

1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tomato, cut into small wedges
1/2 head cauliflower, broken into smallish florets
1 head of broccoli, broken into smallish florets (you can use part of the stem too)
1 tsp black mustard seeds (you can toast them first, covered, before adding them, if you want)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2-2/3 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
3 tsp arrowroot (mixed with 3 tsp water)
3 tsp hot curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
salt, red pepper flakes to taste


Saute the onion in 1/4 cup water until soft.  Add the celery and saute another 2 minutes.  Add the cauliflower & broccoli and another 1/2 cup water.  Cover and steam for about 5 minutes.  Add the tomato, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and turmeric.  Cover and cook about 3 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce (or crushed/pureed tomatoes), garam masala, and almond milk.  Stir and cook about 2 minutes.  Add the arrowroot and bring to boil.  Stir and add salt to taste.  Serve over whole grains (rice, barley, etc.)

Oh, one last thing.  Remember that Sunflower Seed Falafel??  Well, I used it as a spread.  I made a delicious sandwich out of it, on sprouted grain bread, with tomato slices and mizuna. You should try it like that.

Until next time....
Eat smart,
T.

Spicy Indian Food

So my husband wanted something extremely spicy for dinner....he loves Indian food.  I decided to make some sort of sauce to go over his steamed broccoli.  Here's what I came up with:

Tanya's Spicy Curry:

5-6 white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped or sliced
~1/2 cup crushed tomatoes or pureed tomatoes
~1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (you could try coconut milk instead)
2 tsp Hot curry powder (I use Sharwood's)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you want it really spicy)
black pepper, salt


Put about 1/4 cup water in a saute pan.  Add the onions and celery and cook until soft.  Add the mushrooms and cook another few minutes.  You may have to add a little water every few minutes, so it doesn't stick to the pan. Add all seasonings except the red pepper flakes.  Let cook another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir.  Then add in the almond milk. Now add the crushed red pepper and more salt to taste.  You may want to add some water to create more of a sauce(more liquid).  I probably added at least 1/2 cup.   Let it lightly boil for 5 minutes to thicken.  Serve over rice, potatoes, or steamed vegetables.

I had mine over a couple of red potatoes I cooked in the microwave. I also had to add a little extra crushed tomatoes and almond milk to my bowl....because the sauce was way too spicy for me :)

Working lots this week, so not too many postings....but look for my Mediterranean burgers this week!!

Eat smart,
T.

SHEESE. FAIL.

Ok, people, I tried....I really tried.  I just can't do it.  I can't eat the Strong Cheddar Style Sheese.

I ate it alone.
I ate it on a cracker.
I put it on some rice to melt.
I put it on toast to melt.
It did not melt.
It smells bad.
It tastes bad.
I tried.

There's my Sheese poem for the day.
I'm so sorry.  I really wanted to like it, especially because it's so expensive.  Thank goodness I have my Dr. Cow as a backup.

If you know a way I might like it, please PLEASE let me know.
(this is what happens when you don't vote on my vegan cheese poll...I have to test for myself!)

On to good food.  Made a variation of my Indian dish today for lunch.  Still not spicy enough for my husband.  Oh well.  Again, I tried.  I need some good red chili paste or something.  What has a LOT of kick and is vegan? (& is not a fresh pepper, because I'd have to use gloves and that's a pain)

Tanya's Gobi Curry:
(see here for my original Indian dish)


Instead of potatoes, use steamed cauliflower (lower calorie and tastes just as good).  Make sure it's not too soft though, you don't want it to totally disintegrate into the food.

Cook onions and celery in a little water to start, before adding some grated carrots and the chickpeas.  


This time I used a new spice I bought: Sharwood's Hot Curry Powder (it's not spicy hot though....sigh.) instead of the garam masala.  


I cut up a fresh tomato into small wedges and added that with the grated carrots.  


Otherwise, the recipe is still mostly the same....so go have a look at the original!

The exciting news: I got my copy of 1,000 Vegan Recipes yesterday!!  I won it off of OneFrugalFoodie's blog.  Thank you to Alisa from OneFrugalFoodie and to Robin Robertson (the author of the book) for their help in getting that sent out again after a problem with the first shipment of it!

A quick addition.....I made a version of VeganYumYum's Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Home Fries yesterday. Delicious!  I made them in the oven instead, as baked fries.  And I forgot the sugar, which turned out fine. No oil, except for the spraying of the pan and I left out the celery root, because I didn't have any.  Great flavor...will make again!

Well, I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Until next year,
Eat smart,
T.


CWF8PXWRCXKZ

Oven baked chips and Dal

My first attempt at baking my own potato chips: 6 out of 10.  Hmmmm, perhaps next time I'll be more successful.  I tried sweet potatoes first.  They tasted great!  But maybe they were too thick?  They'd start to burn in the oven, but they weren't crispy yet.  I'd take them out, add salt, and eat them anyway....a bit soft.  Still flavorful though.  Next, 1 single red potato.  Closer!  Should have sliced them even thinner.  I even got a mandoline slicer finally, just for this!  So they were tasty, but a bit soft.  Next time: slice thinner.

On to HappyHerbivore's Red Lentil Dal.  I got this recipe from one of her e-cookbooks (look it up on my last post!).  Had some really good flavors in there.  It turned out a bit watery, more like a soup.  And that's ok.  I think perhaps next time I'll serve it over something......cooked potatoes or brown rice? Something to soak up the extra liquid.  I did have to cook it a bit longer than 15 minutes....maybe an extra 15 minutes or so, just to cook the lentils.  But I definitely give it a thumbs up for flavor!

Had my leftover vegan lasagna for lunch and will have a Monk Bowl for dinner (have leftover rice and sauce from last night's monk bowl!).

You know what's a great snack?  Cooked potato with some simple canned tomato sauce on it and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast!  Yum.

Eat smart,
T.

My Indian Food

Remember, I said I was going to use up the leftover cooked potato and make my Indian dish?? Well here it is, in all its glory.  Ok, it's a pretty easy and quick dish to make.  But it sure does taste good!

Tanya Masala:


2-3 cooked red potatoes, in wedges or cubed
4 stalks celery, sliced
~8 oz canned chick peas
1/4 cup almond milk (I use unsweetened)
3-5 Tbsp crushed canned tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
salt & pepper
crushed red pepper flakes (optional: if you want it spicy)

Put celery in pot, add 1/8 cup water.  Heat on medium.  When the water starts to boil, add chickpeas.  Stir and let cook for a few minutes.  When the water has boiled out, add the potatoes and another 1/8 cup water. Stir and cut up the pieces of potato into smallish pieces.  Let cook for a few minutes until the water is boiled out.  Add another 1/8 cup water and stir.  Add the spices and stir.  Add the almond milk and the tomatoes.  Stir.  If you notice it sticking to the pot, add another 1/8 cup water and stir.  


Notice I keep adding water.  I think that's what you have to do if you don't use oil.  It helps loosen up whatever wants to stick to the bottom of the pot/pan. You're welcome to add whatever vegetables you like.  As I was eating this today, I thought perhaps I should've used up some of the okra that's really piling up in the fridge.....next time, I guess.  You could add onions or peppers or anything else.  Feel free to experiment!

Today's a rainy day....guess we won't be getting our walks in today.  And I did REALLY well on the McDougall plan yesterday!  No oil.  And no dairy!  And I didn't even have a beer.  Ok, I might have to have a beer tonight after work.  Today: so far, so good.

Please, don't forget to take part in my poll along the right side of the screen!!

Tomorrow's a day off, so hopefully I'll get to post something good!
Eat smart,
T.

Bhindi Masala or OKRA

Hello eaters,

And for the last post of the day, I'm sharing my recipe for Bhindi Masala, which is a combination of recipes really.....I've searched and searched and took a little from each. So I guess it's not really my own, but it's nobody else's either :)

Tanya's Bhindi Masala:

8-12 medium sized okra

1 tomato, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 large can of crushed or diced tomatoes

1 Tbl olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

salt/pepper

Following spices: coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric, black mustard seeds, garam masala, crushed red pepper flakes and cajun spices (if you want it spicier)

Heat oil in pan, add cumin seeds. Stir for a couple of minutes. Add onions and ginger. Cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add the 1 fresh tomato and stir. Add some of the spices, like chili powder, turmeric, mustard seeds and coriander. Stir and cook a few minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and the "spicy" spices. Cook another couple of minutes. Cut both ends of the okra, slice lengthwise, then cut in half across. Add to the pan. Make sure the okra is covered by the sauce. Let it cook for another 8-10 minutes or so. Add salt,pepper, and garam masala. Cook a couple more minutes and it's done. Don't let the okra get mushy...it's good when it's still firm and crunchy.

Last time, I sliced the okra like a cucumber, into small pieces. I think I prefer that. So it's up to you how to cut it. I also sauteed it first last time, letting it brown, then put it aside until the very end, then added it back into the pan. Again, adjust as you need to! It's all a matter of taste.

In these pictures, it's served with red rice.

Nobody solved the breakfast bowl challenge from earlier?? Hmmm....well the first picture is quick cooking oats (my husband's breakfast). The second picture is the cooked whole oat groats (my breakfast). Which one is more nutricious? MINE! :)

I'm going to tune out now.....thanks for listening.....or reading.

Eat smart,

T.