Post Birthday Post

So yesterday was my birthday!  Ok, it wasn't really all that exciting...got in some good walking and a good workout session.  Made myself a cake and we went out to Houston's for lunch.  I got the veggie burger sans bun and sans cheese.  It's REALLY good!  And I got a side of wilted spinach sans oil and cheese....topped my burger with it.  Good stuff! Unfortunately, they don't offer soymilk for coffee or any vegan dessert, so I had to wait until I made my cake :)

It's the Simplest Rich Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting from Sweet Utopia.  You can see my review of the book here. The cake was really good. I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and I cut down the oil to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup.  I also used almond milk instead of soymilk.  It was a tad dry, but still very chocolatey and tasty!  I added some coffee to the frosting for a mocha flavor, since I always have some sort of coffee frosting on my birthday cake.  Didn't have raspberry jam to put in the middle this time, so I just used the frosting, which was barely enough!

After dinner, I opened up the fridge and found a birthday card under my cake, along with some birthday beer from S.  Thank you :)

Saturday's market: brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, turnips, mustard greens, tomatoes, sprouts, arugula/mizuna mix, peaches, eggplants, jalapenos, okra, and sweet potatoes.

I thought I'd get in an order from Pangea as well, before work starts (in a week!), so I'd be here when UPS arrived.  Here are the goods:

(Primal Strips, Liz Lovely Cookies, Sweet and Sara mini marshmallows, Dr Cow cheese (incl. the new KALE flavor!), Teese (gotta make some calzones), MimicCreme, and the new Dr McDougall's Asian entrees.)

We'll be in Atlanta soon.....and I'm hoping to stop into Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe just north of Atlanta!  If you guys have suggestions for vegan/raw places to eat......let me know and post them on that post please.

And if you have NYC suggestions, please post them there too......I'm surprised nobody's posted anything yet! I know a lot of you have been to NYC and have places you love to eat. But please don't post them here. I want them all in one place, so I know where to find it.

Other stuff I've been eating:

Sweet Potato Lentil Chili:

Raw zucchini noodles with "peanut" sauce:

French Fries (cut up potatoes, put on parchment paper-no oil, sprinkle with Creole Seasoning or other favorite seasoning, put in oven for 25 minutes, turn over, bake for another 15 minutes-on 400 degrees):

More recipes coming soon: Black Bean Polenta Bake and Black Bean Dip (yes, I cooked a ton of black beans).

Upcoming post: special vegan care package swap post!!

Eat smart,
T.

WHO DAT! and Vegan Burger Week.

Ok, first of all, I have to say GEAUX SAINTS!!  Off to the Superbowl....

Now that I got that off my chest, I can move on to the food portion of this post.

Today's Burger: Tanya's BBQ Black Bean Burger:


1 cup cooked brown rice
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 small carrot, sliced
~4 oz white button mushrooms (1/2 small container), sliced
1/4-1/2 yellow onion, sliced
a handful of kale
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (seasoned, if you want...I seasoned my own)
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
Creole seasoning (for the cayenne)
salt, pepper, onion powder


Put the rice in a food processor and process until it looks like millet.  Small, but not totally pureed (like the picture).  Put it aside in a medium mixing bowl.  Put the beans in the food processor and do the same.  You want it a little chunky still. Add that to the rice and mix.  

In a saute pan, put about 1/4 cup water and set it on medium heat.  Add the carrot, garlic, onion, and mushrooms.  Cover with a lid, so the carrots cook faster.  When they're almost soft, add the kale and recover.  Cook until the kale is wilted and bright green.  Let it cool for a few minutes, then put the vegetables in the food processor and puree until it's mostly smooth.  A few chunks are ok (I like to see my vegetables!).  Add the vegetables to the rice and bean mixture.  Add in the breadcrumbs. Mix well.  Add the rest of the seasonings until it's flavored the way you want.  Put the mix in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Shape into patties.  Spray a pan or skillet and cook the patties for about 5-7 minutes each side on medium heat.  Serve with BBQ sauce, and on a bun if you wish.  Makes about 6 burgers.  

I made the lunchboxbunch BBQ sauce and it's really tasty! I left out the liquid smoke, because I didn't have any and I halved the oil.  It didn't turn out very thick, so maybe I could've added a bit more arrowroot.  But the flavor is really great.

For the NOT meatloaf version, click here.

I served my burgers last night with a side of homemade baked french fries:

Take 1 med red potato for each person.  Slice them about 1/4" thick.  Then take each slice and cut those the long way.  You know, cut them to look like french fries :)  Spray a cookie sheet.  Lay the potatoes down and sprinkle with salt and paprika (maybe garlic).  Bake on 375 for about 30 minutes, turning them over after 15 minutes.  


Today for lunch (leftovers), I served my burgers on sprouted grain bread, with crispy kale on the side.  So good.

Look for my Mediterranean Burger later this week!


There's a new dessert ball in my life: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.  Yup, they taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  I used to LOVE Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.....oh how I miss it.  But now I can just eat these and taste the deliciousness.

Quick recipe: 3/4 cup raw cashew pieces, 4-5 pitted dates, handful of chocolate chips, & a splash of peppermint extract.  Process with a little water until the right consistency.  Shape into balls (makes about 6) and put in the fridge.  Thanks again, CCK! She's the founder of these babies. Click the link to get more of her great fudge baby recipes.

Oh, and I found the ultimate food processor: Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-cup Food Processor.  Yup, it's amazing (and also very expensive).  Comes with 3 different sized bowls, which is so helpful.  I will be saving up.

And finally, another giveaway (nope, it's not mine...maybe one day): An Opera Singer in the Kitchen is giving away some great stuff, including coffee, agave nectar, and Larabars.  Check her out!

I can't forget the market on Saturday (almost didn't include it): satsumas, oranges, grapefruit, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, cabbage, broccoli, brown rice, coffee(locally roasted, for charity), tomatoes, turnips, and white button mushrooms.

Yesterday, I made some tasty turnip slaw with the fresh turnips from the market.  Check out the recipe.

Until next time,
Eat smart,
T.