Stewed Tomatoes and Okra

It's the second day of Vegan MoFo 2011 and I've got a new easy recipe for you!

Stewed Tomatoes and Okra

3 very large tomatoes, cut into 1/8ths
1 lb okra, washed, trimmed, and sliced thickly
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into medium sized pieces
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 TB arrowroot mixed with 2 TB water
salt to taste (or use Creole Seasoning for a spicier version)


Saute the onion in 1/4 cup water until soft. Add the tomatoes. Cover and cook on med-low for about 10 minutes. Add the okra, peppers, garlic, and sugar. Cook , covered, for another 25-30 minutes. Mix in the arrowroot (mixed with water) and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, until thick. Salt to taste. Eat as is, or serve over brown rice or other grain of your choice!

The peppers, okra, and tomatoes all came from our local farmer's market! The tomatoes help to keep the okra from becoming too "slimy" (in case you are scared of the okra like I used to be).

This was the box from that market. Yes, it came with a big ol' piece of sugar cane. It does grow locally here! (so does that rice that you see) How long does sugar cane last anyway? I STILL haven't done anything with it. Could it still be good? What happens if I just peel it and put it in a food processor and use it like regular sugar? Sprinkled into my oatmeal..??

It is finally "cool" here for a few days! 73 degrees right now and perfectly sunny. It was 65 this morning. Loved it :) Do you have the typical Fall weather where you live already?

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.

Potato Vegetable "Saute"

Went to the market this morning, on my way to work.  Sorry, no pictures....was too busy.  But here's what I got in today's "box":  mustard greens, eggplant (not a big fan), yellow squash, apples, rice, satsumas, okra,  cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and white button mushrooms.


Ok, I'm really not a fan of eggplant.  Maybe I'll make a dip out of it.  I had a friend with an amazing recipe.  Actually, her dad made it (may he rest in peace) and it was absolutely amazing.  I keep losing the recipe.....guess I'll have to ask her for it again.  If you have a great eggplant recipe, let me know....you know, as long as it disguises the eggplant texture :)

Since I was at work all afternoon, I didn't have much time to make dinner.  I boiled potatoes this morning...remember.....it's really great to have boiled potatoes on hand, when you don't have much time.

Tanya's Potato Vegetable "Saute":


2-3 red potatoes, cooked and cut into smallish pieces
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 very small yellow squash, cubed
3 big white button mushrooms
7-8 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
salt, pepper, garlic, creole seasoning, paprika

I call it saute, but I used NO oil.  This is my new "McDougall"ism.  Put onion in a pan, put on medium heat.  Add about 1/8 cup water.  When the onion starts to stick, add another 1/8 cup water.  Stir.  After about 5 minutes, add the peppers, squash, and mushrooms.  Add another 1/8 cup water and cook up the vegetables. When the water boils out and the vegetables are partially cooked, add the potatoes and spices to your liking. You may need to keep adding water, 1/8 cup at a time, so the vegetables don't stick to the pan.  (I'm using nonstick).   Not sure I'd recommend stainless steel for cooking w/o oil.  At then end, add the tomatoes and let cook for another couple of minutes, until heated.  


I wasn't originally going to add the tomatoes, but I realized I had some in the fridge that needed to be used up and it's pretty low calorie.  That's another staple I HAVE to have in the pantry: cans of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes.  I use those in almost everything!

And I'm excited, because I have some cooked potatoes left and I realized I haven't shared my Indian dish with you yet!  So that will be next!!

Have a good weekend!
Eat smart,
T.

Creamy Tomato Pasta for Fall

I think I'm starting to feel a bit better today, and it helped that it was quite Fall-like today.  I even have the kitchen window open!  Feels good.

I had work today, but what I made was so easy, I don't even think it counts as cooking :)

"Creamy" Tomato Pasta adapted from Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta from the VeganYumYum cookbook

6-10 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used a  mix of shells and rotini)


Sauce:
1 - 1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes ( I needed my fresh tomatoes, so I used leftover crushed)
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp tomato paste
1-3 tbsp red wine

salt, pepper, garlic, fresh basil

Throw the 1st 5 sauce ingredients into a food processor (the original recipe uses a blender, but I don't have one) and process until creamy and thick.  Boil pasta.  While pasta is cooking, put sauce into a pan and heat.  Add salt, pepper and garlic to taste.  Add the wine. Simmer.  When past is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce.  Toss and add fresh basil.  Yay, done!


It was really good.  I'm not sure if it would've been even creamier using a blender???  I've never used cashews in cooking before...gives it a nice texture and flavor.  I left out the oil from the original recipe (trying to follow McDougall's no oil rule when I can).  Of course he doesn't like nuts either....oh well.

Anyway, this was a great recipe for an easy quick dinner after work, so you should try it.

Time to go relax now.
Eat smart,
T.

Easy Vegetable Bake

I think I took the easy way out tonight to try and use up some of the vegetables in the fridge.  I made an "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" casserole.

Tanya's Easy Veggie Bake:


Saute: chopped onions, celery, and mushrooms.
Put in bowl: sliced yellow squash, golden zucchini, large tomato (in wedges), 1 green bell pepper, and anything else you need to use up.
Add the sauteed vegetables to the bowl with other veg. 
Add garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil
Put in a 9x13 baking pan.  
Spoon some canned diced tomatoes all over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  
Sprinkle mozzarella (or Daiya Mozzarella) on top and bake for another 5 minutes.
Done!


So easy.  I need to work harder this week.....more interesting recipes.  It's not easy when you have to work.
Oh, and I have to say it paired very nicely with the Riesling we had leftover from last night!

Still have a list of recipes I want to make, including brownies and no bake chocolate peanut butter something or other....the list goes on.

Good night folks, until tomorrow.
Eat smart,
T.

Turnip Slaw!

I'd searched and searched the internet for something interesting to make with the little white turnips I got from the market last week.  I found a nice recipe and adjusted it for my taste.  I only had about 8 small turnips, so I had to add some other things.

Tanya's Turnip Slaw, adapted from Baby Turnip Slaw from A Good Appetite blog.

8 small white turnips
1 cup shredded cabbage/slaw mix
1/2 cup broccoli slaw mix or any other shredded vegetable (carrots,etc.)
2 Tb Vegenaise
1-2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
salt/pepper


Cut the turnips like slaw (as in the picture above).  Put in bowl with the other shredded vegetables.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

This was a pretty simple recipe, but I had no energy to do more.  This weekend I will pick up my share from the market again and will hopefully come up with some nice recipes too! But for today....I still have to work, and I'm so tired.

I think I saw a sneak peak for next week's vegetables: muscadines (could I make wine???), black apples (never heard of those), and more sasquash (as my husband calls it), okra, etc.....I'll let you know!

So for now, get some sleep (that is, I need sleep...after work tonight). And tune in tomorrow for the market vegetable list!

Eat smart,
T.

Roasted vegetables and something peachy

Ok, before I start in on tonight's meal, I'll start by saying that I've had a "roasting" bug for several months now. Three of my favorite roasting mixes: tomatoes/peppers/onions, root vegetables, and most recently cauliflower/broccoli.

Tonight I'm making my old favorite. I just cut up tomatoes, green peppers (or red if you can afford them!), and yellow onions. Put them in a bowl. Add italian spices (or fresh basil, oregano, etc), freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and sea salt. Sometimes I throw in Herbes of Provence for extra flavor. I'm not even sure I know what spices are in herbes of provence. Anyone? I think there's some lavender.

Spread the veggies on a cookie sheet/roasting pan. Bake at 400 for around 30 minutes. So good. You can't go wrong. If you're light on the oil, it's a very low-calorie meal. Sometimes I serve it with plain polenta or whole wheat pasta.

Oh, and I've got peaches on the stove. Don't ask me what I'm making. Jam? Compote? Preserves? What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves anyway? Well that's a whole other discussion I suppose. But if you know, please do tell!

So I guess that's it for tonight's food. Tomorrow I think I'll make omelettes with yellow squash, since I rarely eat eggs and I have some. Also got yellow squash from the farmer's market. Maybe i'll even post pictures later, if you're lucky :)

Thanks for tuning in!

Eat smart,

T.

PS-The 1st 2 pics are the ready to eat pictures, the 2nd 2 are the before (raw) pictures.