Millet Patties and Irene

(the "road" in front of my parents' house)

Well let's just say, Irene sure did a number on the east coast. My parents live in Vermont and they got an unbelievable amount of flooding! Their whole road in front of the house was covered in water and yes, they got water in their basement (which couldn't be pumped out due to the flooding in the road). But luckily, they are fine! There was the typical power outage, but they have a generator. Their alpacas and other animals are also ok. And the CSA farm, which uses their land, did pretty well in the storm. On the other hand, the one bridge to my sister's cabin across the street was washed away. Luckily, nobody was renting at the time. They will have to rebuild that soon.

As of yesterday, some rivers in NJ and VT had not yet crested, so some places were still under water, like Paterson, NJ (15 feet). I hope you are all staying safe. There IS Katia out there, and we've got our own little "tropical wave" arriving in the Gulf shortly.

On to the food part of this post!

I had some leftover items in the fridge, and instead of making my typical "bowl" of grains, veggies, and sauce, I decided to make it in a different form: patties.

Lemon Tahini Millet Patties:
(makes 8-10 patties, depending on size)


1/2 onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup kale, chopped
1 cup broccoli slaw (or shredded broccoli and carrots)
1 cup mushrooms (any kind, I used white button), sliced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (you can prob. use regular oats too)
1 cup cooked millet
1 cup juice pulp (carrot/beet based)
1/2 cup (plus a few extra tablespoons for serving) *Lightened-Up Tahini Lemon Dressing


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the millet, oats, and pulp. 

Put 1/4 cup water into a pan, and add the onion, zucchini, broccoli slaw, kale, and mushrooms. Cook on medium heat until slightly soft. (you don't need to cook all the way through). Let it cool for a few minutes. Add the partially-cooked vegetables to your food processor and pulse several times until mostly chopped. You can also puree it until it's mashed, but it won't have a nice texture and will have a lot of extra moisture (you may have to add a few extra oats if it's too moist). 


Add the processed vegetables to the millet mixture. Mix well. Add the dressing to the bowl and mix. Bake on a Silpat (or parchment paper) on your baking sheet for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and let them sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top! (I ate mine in a sandwich the first time, but the second time I just drizzled some sauce on top: delicious!)

*This dressing has become my new staple. It is absolutely amazing...I put it on salads all the time! I also serve it on top of my "bowls" as a sauce on top of grains and vegetables. I highly recommend you make at least double the recipe and keep it in your fridge!!

PS-Yay, I finally found a use for some of that juice pulp from my new juicer!!

Meanwhile, we've got a nasty marsh fire burning here and I just can't go outside anymore. It's so smokey and my lungs hurt even if I'm only going from the front door to the car! I sure hope they put it out soon. Maybe the rain that's coming will help.

I'm almost 3 weeks into my p90x program! I think I can see a little difference already. Today my glutes and obliques are pretty sore. Today's workout: Kenpo X.

Are any of you on a strict workout program? What do you do for exercise?

Eat smart,
T.

Road Trip Pics, Part 3

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted.  Oops. Well, I promise I'll be back to a normal posting regimen soon!

So here are more tales from the road.

Let's see....I believe the far north is next: Vermont.

Vermont beer:

Magic Hat: Blind Faith (IPA...a bit too hoppy for me) and Wacko(summer beer colored with beet juice)

Rock Art Brewery: The Vermonster (WAY too hoppy for me)

Food in Weston, VT:

Was able to get this without the bread and without the cheese (although they brought it out with melted cheese first time around...) Pretty good.

Otter Creek ale brewed for The Bryant House, very good, refreshing (where we ate):

Londonderry, VT:

Cute health food store, if you're in the area! They actually had a vegan muffin (although not that tasty) and soy, coconut milk, etc...for coffee :) The Garden Market/Natural Foods.  I think it's right on route 100 in Londonderry.  If you're in the need for soymilk, etc...and you're in the area...this place is for you!

Something else I found at the  Brattleboro co-op:

The taste takes getting used to, but I think it might be even better hot on something, like potatoes or steamed veggies!  And they've got great stuff in bulk too. I picked up some sweet brown rice while I was there. They've got pretty much any grain you're looking for!

Hartford, CT:

A real find!  I used my GPS  on my phone to find this place. Wasn't too out of the way and TOTALLY worth it: Alchemy Juice Bar

S got the Alchemist Wrap:

I got the Live Veggie Wrap (WOW, delicious!):

I also ordered the Live Chai, yum:

If you're ever near Hartford, CT, you MUST go.  The folks in there were so nice too :)

Ok, well I've got one more set of pics for you, which I'll post in the next few days.....

Eat smart,
T.

Happy Earth Day and pics from my trip!

Wow, I guess it's been a while since I last posted.  I've been out of town for a few days....went to visit my parents in Vermont and meet my nephew for the first time too! So I'm going to post just a few pics from my trip, since this is really a food blog.

Me and my nephew, Finn:

My parents' alpacas:

The amazing Brattleboro Food Co-op:

My dad drove me back to the airport yesterday and I got him to stop for lunch at a vegan cafe I'd found online! He liked it (he's not even a vegetarian).  I thought the food was amazing (we both tried the specials).  The folks working there were really nice too.  I definitely recommend the place if you're going anywhere near Northampton, Mass. It's not far off of I-91.  Check our their website: Cafe Evolution.

The Spring Bowl Special with potatoes, tempeh, and asparagus:

The Lentil/Parsnip Curry Special with a side salad:

Both were delicious.  And yes, I bought several items to take on the plane with me back home...a chocolate cupcake with mint cream cheese frosting, a mocha cupcake, a blondie, a brownie, and a cowgirl cookie.  I couldn't help it!  The cupcakes got squished on the plane a little....so I didn't take pictures, but they sure are tasty :)

And as a late birthday present, I made my mom a birthday cake while I was up there.  It's the Decadent Almond Cake I'd made previously.

Oh, and yes, I got sick on my trip.  My ears are still blocked from the plane ride.....and wow, was my ear in absolute pain on our descent. Ouch!

Update: Airport info.

I flew through Chicago O'hare on my way to Hartford.  There was a Saladworks there!  You can create your own salad, which is really nice. I've eaten at a lot of those in New Jersey.

On the way home, I went through Atlanta.  I found a Nature's Table Bistro in Terminal E.  The gentleman in front of me happened to be vegan as well (he heard me asking about vegan options), so he pointed out the items he's eaten.  I got the vegetarian chili and hummus with pita crackers.  It was all very good!

I think that about covers it for my trip.  For now anyway....hope you're all having a great Earth Day!!

Eat smart,
T.