Market Vegetables, Sprouted Breads & more...

We finally got to the market this week! And we even played some music there this week (they were looking for musicians to play). We played a Cajun duo (video here) by David Rimelis (written for us) and a duo (Nocturne) that Scott (my husband) wrote. You can hear it here (#3).

So here's a list of what we got at this week's market: lemon cucumber, brown rice, golden zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, tomatoes, green pepper, celery, onions, pattypan squash, peaches, shiitakes, cucumbers, green beans, those tiny little eggplants (forgot the name), and yellow cherry tomatoes.

A while ago, I ordered some sprouted grain breads from French Meadow Bakery (they only ship one day a week, so get your order in early).  I got a bread, some bagels, and tortillas.  I LOVE bagels, so it's been rough for me without them (trying not to eat so much processed flour).  The bagel was very good, not the traditional kind I'm used to getting when I visit New Jersey, but still very good.  I think it needed to be toasted longer, because by the time I ate it, it almost was as if I hadn't toasted it at all!  Ate it with my Tofutti Cream Cheese.  Tried the tortilla out yesterday with leftover Sunburgers and Raw Ranch Dressing with raw veggies. The tortilla was very fresh tasting....good stuff.

Made some hummus the other day. Since I'd cooked up a bunch of garbanzos.....it was different. Not as moist as my usual hummus.  Made it with just a little tahini, lemon juice, salt, broccoli and roasted red peppers.

Also with the garbanzos......I found a recipe for Simple Chole, from VeggiePlatter's blog. It was really good and pretty simple. Next time I think we'll add some red pepper flakes to spice it up.

And here's a special picture of my grapefruit.....and it's alien:

Giveaway:
-LeslieLovesVeggies is giving away a copy of Ani's Raw Food Desserts, which looks like an awesome book.

Blogger of the Week: Kelly at Vegan Thyme.  Her posts are so witty and she's got some great recipes!

Eat smart,
T.

Beer and other good food

Ok, so the NOLA Brewing draft packs finally showed up at my local grocery store...yay!  Got the blonde ale....you can see the bottles of the new Abita seasonal too: Strawberry Harvest.  I think we're set :) Pictures were taken before we opened up the sucker....it is now officially open.

I finally roasted some chickpeas, after reading several blogs about it.  I soaked the chickpeas overnight, then cooked them in the morning (yes, I'm trying to cook more of my own beans rather than buying cans).  So I needed to do something with them.  Made hummus and the roasted chickpeas. I froze the rest of the chickpeas. You can find the recipe I used for roasted chickpeas here.

I made that Broccoli Bake again, but left out pasta.  Used only vegetables. I used lots of broccoli, some shiitakes, carrots and kale.  It was a bit mushier than normal....I guess because there wasn't any pasta to hold it together, but it was still really good.

I also made my whole wheat spelt chocolate chip cookies, but left out the oil and used EnerG instead of real eggs. Well, it wasn't great.....still tasted good. They are more like biscuits rather than cookies. I think the oil adds crispiness which these didn't have.  Well it was worth a try.  I had to add a ton of water through the mixing process because it was so dry.  Still good though :)

And now for the Blogger of the Week: Choosing Raw.  Gena's got a great blog and talks a lot about raw food, which is my new thing (no I'm not going totally raw). It's the website where I got my delicious banana "ice cream" from!! Thanks, Gena!


Eat smart,
T.

Tomato Chickpea Soup and Raw Cauliflower Salad

So yesterday I made two recipes, neither of which were my own, but both were delicious.

First, I made a Raw Cauliflower Salad with Orange Vinaigrette.  I came across it on a raw food blog.  You should really check it out! The only thing I did differently, was I left out the asparagus (I didn't have any), I used the purple raisins instead of the golden (didn't have any of those either), and I replaced the oil in the dressing with water.  It was a perfect recipe for yesterday's weather, which was around 70 degrees.  A perfect summer salad, if there ever was one :)

To go with the salad, I made VeganYumYum's Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup.  I don't have a blender, so blending it wasn't an option.  I did however puree the chickpeas in my little food processor before putting them into the pan.  I also used crushed tomatoes instead of diced. Tossed in a bit extra turmeric...it's good for you! And once again, I  left out the oil....didn't need it.  I saute everything in water these days.  It was quite nice and spicy.....thumbs up.

And I also just wanted to say...I LOVE KALE AND BROCCOLI!!! I really do.  I think I'm addicted to them now.  I buy it up at the farmer's market, but I always run out in a couple of days (kale)....I'm almost out of it now and should've gone to the market (yup, they're open on Tuesday afternoons now too) to get some.  Too tired.  They haven't had any broccoli in a while, so I buy that at the supermarket, but we eat it practically every day.  Is there such a thing as overdosing on green stuff????  Jeez, I hope our blood doesn't just run out of us if we get cut, LOL!

Next post will be that FL trip post (Disney)....coming soon.  I've got the pictures all ready to go :)

Eat smart,
T.

Mediterranean Veggie Burgers and Help for Haiti

Ok, I finally made those mediterranean veggie burgers I've been talking about.  The only problem was that they tended to want to fall apart a little when eaten as a sandwich.  My husband ate them with a knife and fork, only because he didn't want the bread.  The flavor is really good though!

Mediterranean Veggie Burgers:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 jarred roasted red pepper
2/3 cup artichoke pieces
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 3 hours
1 cup cooked millet
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc.)
garlic powder
salt & pepper


Put the chickpeas in a food processor and process just until still a little chunky.  Put aside in a medium bowl.  Put the roasted pepper, sunflower seeds, and artichokes in the food processor and puree until pretty smooth. Add to the chickpeas.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The mixture will be pretty wet.  Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Shape into patties and fry until browned on both sides.  Makes 6-8 burgers.

I had mine on sprouted grain bread with kale, tomato, and some Vegenaise.  Tasty! If you want, you could try brown rice instead of the millet.....it might help it keep its shape better when cooked.  I'll probably try that next time.....and maybe more breadcrumbs?  The artichokes, tomato, and roasted pepper are pretty moist ingredients, so you need something to dry it out. Any ideas?

UPDATE: I just had them as leftovers (no bread) with some brown mustard and they are delicious! If you make sure you brown them almost until burnt on both sides, they'll mostly stay together.  I ate them tonight with kale chips...great combination :) I LOVE KALE!!!

UPDATE #2: So I just had the last of the leftover burgers.  I added some whole brown rice (cold from fridge) and baked them.  I could've baked them a little longer.  They did turn out a bit crispier because of the rice, which was nice.  So you could try replacing the millet with whole rice and bake them about 12 minutes on each side on 375.

On to dessert! I made some tasty vegan brownies.  You can find the original recipe here.
My changes: I replaced the oil with water, I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of oats (I ran them through the food processor first), I used 1 1/2 cups of turbinado sugar,  and I didn't add nuts.  So this is my fat free version I guess.  They didn't rise very well, probably because I left out the oil.  Perhaps I could've added in a banana to help?  But they are still really good.  Next time I might try them  in an 8x8 pan.

And of course I went to the market this morning in freezing cold weather.  It was 40 degrees! Brrrrr.  The wind chill was around 33 or so.......so cold.  This is what I got: meyer lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kale, collard greens, mizuna, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, turnips, rice, white button mushrooms, and strawberries.

How YOU can help Haiti:

Check out the list of vegan bake sales going on around the country. There's probably one near you.  There's even one here in New Orleans on February 6th near the uptown Whole Foods on Magazine Street from 11-3 pm. I'll update this info as I get it.UPDATE: the vegan bake sale will be rescheduled due to Mardi Gras and the SuperBowl....stay tuned for a new date!

There will be a concert here in New Orleans to benefit Haiti as well.  Click here for info.

And you can always text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross.  The charge will be on your next cell phone bill.

Eat smart and stay warm,
T.

Greens Stew and Pasta w/Alfredo

Yay, two meals in one day for the blog!  That's cuz I finally had a day off. Another day off tomorrow, but we're going to a pizza place for our friend, Dave's birthday.

So for lunch I thought I'd try my colleague, Kate's suggestion to parboil mustard greens.  It worked!  No bitterness.  Thanks Kate!  Here's my recipe for it:

Tanya's Greens and Beans Stew:

1 large bunch of mustard greens (& any other greens you have, like kale, if you want)
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk green onions, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup water
salt, pepper, creole seasoning
optional: cornstarch or arrowroot (if you want a thicker sauce)

Tear the greens into small pieces and wash.  Drain well.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, with some salt.  Once boiling, add the greens.  Boil for a few minutes until the color is brighter....my water turned green and purple!  Drain.  In a saute pan, pour in the 1/4 cup water and onions. Cook on medium heat until soft.  Add the garbanzo beans and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes (w/liquid) and seasonings.  Add in the greens.  If there's too much liquid, go ahead and mix a little cornstarch with water, then add it to the stew. I didn't, but I probably will next time. (I feel like I"m forgetting ingredients...if I think of any, I'll add them)
Serve over brown rice, or another grain if you want. I mixed mine up in the bowl.

And now on to dinner! I thought I'd try VeganYumYum's Hurry Up Alfredo. Didn't look anything like the picture in the cookbook, but it was very good! I used almond milk instead of soy and I left out the margarine. I also thought I'd try the new Sprouted Grain Pasta I bought in Alabama the other day.  It was kind of strange, and very sticky. But oddly, it tasted pretty good.  Since I'm trying not to eat too much flour these days, it looked really interesting to me (I love pasta). It was very chewy, but again, not bad.  I've got one more box to test out :) The sauce itself was really tasty.  I added fresh basil and parsley to the past, after adding the sauce.  And I steamed broccoli to mix in.  Needed a bit of salt, but that's about it.  I prefer VYY's Creamy Tomato Pasta, but I would make this again.

We bought a great Franken wine at that health food store in Alabama.  This stuff is hard to find! It's easy to spot, because it comes in a round green wine bottle.  We've got one more bottle to go through...

Until tomorrow...
Eat smart,
T.

Broccoli-Barley AND Eggplant!

Ok, wow....so today I did two meals.  BUT.....the first was from (mostly) the McDougall cookbook I have.  Dinner was my own concoction....but was pretty darn good, if I don't say so myself!

Let me start with lunch.  I made the Broccoli-Barley Toss from "The New McDougall Cookbook".  I only changed a few things.  First, I added kale, because I love kale! Second, I used Shiitake mushrooms instead of regular ones (actually, he doesn't specify, to be exact).  I didn't have snow peas or bean sprouts and I left out the green bell peppers.  I think that's it.  And technically, I didn't toss it!  I put the vegetables on top of the barley.  It was very good, but it could've used just a bit more flavoring.  Maybe next time I'll use real ginger and something else.

On to dinner.  I still had some eggplant left...I had already sliced it and put it in a bag, raw.  I'm really not a fan of eggplant....I'm sure I've mentioned that before.  My husband wanted me to make something with it....something with tomato sauce and something spicy.  So I did.  And I actually liked it!  It tasted very much like eggplant parmesan, except there was no cheese in it.....it was vegan!

Tanya's Eggplant Parmesanless:


1/2 big eggplant (or a whole one), sliced 1/4-1/2 inch thick
1 large green bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
32 oz can of crushed tomatoes
italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, creole seasoning

fresh basil


Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle a lot of salt on it.  Let it sit for 30 minutes to draw out the water/bitterness.  Rinse, dry, and set aside.  Spray a bit of oil on a cookie sheet.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the seasonings (unless you have pre-seasoned crumbs), to taste.  Put the almond milk in a bowl.  Dip the eggplant in the milk, then cover with breadcrumbs.  Lay them all out on the cookie sheet, single layer.  Broil about 7 minutes on each side.

Spray a little oil in a 9x13 pan.  In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes with the spices (unless you are using jarred sauce, with seasonings).  Spice it up!  It's really good spicy.  Put about 1/3 of the sauce at the bottom of the pan.  Lay half the eggplant down on top of the sauce.  Then add the peppers and squash.  Pour more sauce over it.  Then add the basil all over the top, followed by the rest of the eggplant.  And top with more sauce.  And sprinkle a good amount of seasoned breadcrumbs all over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. 


I made some extra red wine sauce to go on top, but as it turns out....we didn't need it.  There was plenty of sauce in the baked dish.  You could add zucchini, onions...etc...if you want.  

We invited our friend, Dave, over for dinner.  I think it was maybe a bit too hot for him.  But if you like it spicy, go for it!  I hope I didn't forget anything because I never write this stuff down. 




I forgot, I made some hummus as an appetizer:


Tanya's Hummus:


1 16 oz can chickpeas
juice of 2-3 lemons (I like it lemony!)
1 tbsp tahini
salt, pepper


Blend it all together, add a little paprika and it's done! Served it with some raw veggies.


And I guess that wraps it up!  Still going to make millet soon......maybe tomorrow?

Until then....
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.