Tasty Stuff

Last week we got a HUGE amount of produce at the market: lettuce, mixed greens, radishes, turnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, shiitakes, kale, swiss chard, satsumas, sprouts, mustard greens, broccoli, green beans, and cucumbers.

I sort of made Robin Robertson's Fusili with Potatoes, Green Beans, and Lemon Basil Creme from her cookbook, "Vegan On the Cheap". I made noodles...udon noodles.  I left out the potatoes. I left out the oil & used almond milk instead of soy. Basically, I made her sauce and spooned it over the udon noodles with steamed vegetables (yellow squash, zucchini, & carrots). Then I had leftover sauce spooned over a baked potato with steamed veggies. Both were delicious! I'll definitely make this one again.

The other night, we had a friend over and I needed something quick for a starter, while I finished cooking my main meal. I found a recipe for Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus in "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen."  I thought I had sun-dried tomatoes.....I KNOW I have them.  I couldn't find them. Oh well, it's basically made from zucchini, which I DID have.  So I made the recipe, and just left out the tomatoes.  It was pretty good....perhaps a bit too much tahini for my taste. Next time I won't put in as much, and will add maybe a bit more salt or lemon juice.

Then for the main meal I made two parts: my mix 'n mashed potatoes and one of my Indian dishes. You can find them on my recipes page.

(the curry is in the front, the potatoes in the back)

BROWNIES! I've been craving something sweet and chocolate for a while now. I hadn't baked anything in a while, so I finally made some brownies the other night.  Found a recipe in Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet" for Coffee Fudge Brownies.  They're excellent! And I just happened to have some decaf coffee from the morning, still around. How convenient :)

I used whole wheat flour only and used raw cane sugar (1 1/4 cups).  I did add oil (what??). I mean, the recipe called for oil and I used some, but not all. I usually leave out the oil entirely. I also left out the nuts & glaze. Didn't really need the extra calories on top of the brownies themselves. The brownies were very cake-like. So if you like dense brownies, these are not for you. They are delicious though!

Remember when I went to NYC and brought back Murray's whole wheat everything bagels??? I finally pulled one out of the freezer the other day and smothered it with Tofutti Cream Cheese.  The fine folks over at Tofutti sent me some coupons for free products so I thought I'd pick up some of their cream cheese and sour cream.  They both use NON-HYDROGENATED oil! I don't use these products all that often, but for once in a while use, like my 'once every couple of weeks'  bagel n' cream cheese, it's really delicious!

(my half bagel with Tofutti Cream Cheese)

And for the sour cream, I made my Sour Cream Dip! So good!

Coming up: My CSN Store item review. It's a very cool item!

If you missed it, check out my own recipe for Vegan Queso.

What are your thoughts and experiences with these stores? Which are your favorites? (I've only shopped at Pangea & Cosmo's so far)

Pangea Vegan Store
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe
Vegan Essentials

Eat smart,

T.

Road Trip Pics, Part 2

I think my husband is getting annoyed with me.  I research health food stores like crazy and I want to try ALL of them!!  Is that so wrong?  Ok, he hates shopping, so I guess that's understandable.  Sorry S.  Thanks for putting up with me :)

I've found some really cool stores on our travels though.

Knoxville, TN: Three Rivers Market.  Awesome store.  They have TONS of vegan stuff, including Daiya cheese, several different yoghurts and non-dairy milks.  They also carry bulk grains, although the one grain I wanted, they didn't carry....sniff.....my whole oat groats.

Cool stuff I got:

Cincinnati, OH: I stopped at Jungle Jim's.  I LOVE that place.  I used to shop there regularly when we lived there.  I so miss it.  Their beer selection is to die for.  I picked up several.....Wheach (a peach wheat from the St. Louis area), BBC Nut Brown Ale, and several others in single bottles.  They have a huge selection of natural/vegetarian foods as well as international foods galore.  This store is measured in acres...

One of the beer's I purchased...it even says it's vegan friendly on the back! A bit too sweet, but not bad:

A farmer's market in an undisclosed location:

They even had a table with tons of vegan goodies (I had to try them!)

(fresh pickles out of the barrel, broccoli, peaches, blueberries & vegan baked goods...all local!)

An awesome natural food store in an undisclosed location:

Falafel chips...amazing!

No-fat Hummus (that's hard to find....it's just like I make it at home!):

And other stuff I made:

Cold Cucumber soup (cucumbers, coconut milk yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, and dill):

Cold pasta with peanut sauce (a little peanut butter, agave, apple cider vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, & water):

In Cincinnati at the hotel restaurant (a vegetarian special, couscous with tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze):

Cincinnati, OH: Emanu, an East African restaurant.  Excellent! The veg. combo has no dairy or animal fats and the injera is awesome :)

Ok, that's about it for part 2.  Stay tuned for part 3.....

Eat smart,
T.

Book Review: Speed Vegan and other things

So the folks at Book Publishing Company were kind enough to send me a few books for review, and the first one is Speed Vegan: Quick, Easy Recipes with a Gourmet Twist by Alan Roettinger.

In the beginning of the book, Roettinger explains what kinds of appliances and kitchen gadgets you really need and what you could possibly do without, but would make things easier.  Then he goes on to tell you what you should keep in your vegan pantry (if only I had an actual pantry....). And the recipes are divided into the following:

Jumpstarts (purees, pastes, and sauces)
Snacks
Soups
Salads
Pasta and Grains
Vegetables and Legumes
Sweets

He lists a few online stores in the back of the book, but there are several vegan stores online he does not mention unfortunately.  He's got a couple of nice color photos in the middle of the book, but again, I really prefer to have lots of color pictures. Somehow, it makes the recipe seem easier and I can see what it's supposed to look like when I'm done.  I've tabbed several recipes to try, including White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale, Grape Tomato and Garbanzo Salad, Asparagus with Sesame Seeds, and Miso and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  They all seem to use items that I'd have on hand without having to make a special trip to the store for special ingredients.  I made the Quick Beet Slaw, which, as it turned out, was not quite as quick as I'd hoped.  It took me forever to grate the beets by hand, as well as the carrots and turnips (I used turnip, since I didn't have radishes).  And boy, was it messy!  Next time I will use the food processor, even though it doesn't have a grater attachment.....it will just be easier.  But, it was a delicious salad! I love the raw veggies and the dressing was excellent. Great for a summer day. Here's the recipe (with permission from the publisher), and you'll see my adjustments in parentheses:

Quick Beet Slaw
from Speed Vegan


Makes 4 servings


1 medium-size beet, scrubbed or peeled and grated
1 carrot, grated
1 roasted red pepper, quartered and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced (I left it out)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I only had freeze-dried)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 radishes, grated (I used 1 large turnip instead)
1/2 cup flax oil (I used water)
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
Grated zest of 1 lime (I used lemon)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (I used lemon)
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Combine the beets, carrots, red pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the basil, and all of the celery and radishes.


Put the flax oil, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour over the vegetable mixture. Toss well. Eat.

I'm looking forward to trying those other recipes, especially the salads....they look like they'll be nice and refreshing for our hot weather.

Other things I've been eating:

Quick gluten free pasta mixed with Daiya shredded cheddar and a little almond milk, with garlic, salt, and pepper:

A beer sampler from the Avenue Pub:

Tex Mex rice, inspired by Bankrupt Vegan's Tex Mex Dip. Mine was a mix of brown rice, black beans, guacamole, and taco seasoning, eaten as a meal:

Mama Pea's Chocolate PB Protein Cookies (I used Sunbutter and agave and didn't have any protein powder!):

And that's it for today.  I've been walking a ton lately....and it was 88 degrees yesterday! Gotta go do my next walk of the day....

Blogger of the Week: Peas and Thank You She's always got the cutest pictures of her kids, so if you're a family person, this site's for you! And of course she always includes some great recipes with great pictures :)

Eat smart,

T.

Stuff I've been eating and an apology

I'm so sorry I haven't been posting....been so busy with taxes and rehearsals, etc....and I know I missed last week's farmer's market and blogger of the week post. Again, I apologize.

It's 77 degrees and I finally have a day off.  In a week, I get to meet my 1 1/2 year old nephew for the first time, so I'm excited about that! Taxes are finally done...except for one small detail, but I have a lot on my mind.  I've been contemplating about buying a new camera and/or a new smartphone.  If I'd won the lottery, I'd buy both before my little trip next week. But......I don't know what to do. Maybe I shouldn't get either.  I don't want to take my big Panasonic camera with me on the plane....just too big. The one I've been looking at keeps getting more expensive and out-of-stock everywhere, because everyone wants it! Grrrrr......And I wish I had a bigger and better phone to use while in the airport waiting. They've replaced mine twice already....although I've had it for a few years by now. Maybe it's ready to go. And my wall phone charger just died too. Was that a sign??  I just feel cheated, because I've paid for insurance for the phone, yet they keep giving me ones with problems and that's what they'll keep on doing if I bring it back.

Ok, sorry....off topic.

This week's farmer's market: strawberries, rainbow chard (excited about that...and it's so pretty!), collard greens, kale, shiitakes, brown rice, lots of lettuce, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Stuff I've been eating:

My Mix n' Mashed Potatoes with Kale/Tomato gravy:

Sprouted Grain Pasta with brussels sprouts, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, fresh basil, salt, garlic, and pepper:

Refried bean quesadilla on corn tortillas with assorted sauteed veggies and a slice of melted Rice Vegan cheddar:

And I won a jar of Artisana Cacao Bliss from Elena's blog!! Thank you, Elena :)

We held auditions the other day and I made some Cocoa Banana Muffins in mini-muffin form from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. I used all whole wheat flour instead of half barley and half oat. I also used agave nectar instead of maple syrup.  They were really good and not too sweet.  I should've filled the tins a bit more, as they were rather small muffins (leftover batter used for regular sized muffins in this picture):

Blogger of the Week: Elena's EatHealthyBeHappy Blog.   She's written some really great posts, including one on reversal of hypothyroidism....very interesting. She's also got some really good recipes and giveaways!

Other giveaways:

Avery at LoveVeggiesAndYoga is giving away a $25 shopping spree for Chocomize! Go check it out...it's a really clever idea.

Elena's Green for Life giveaway!

I think that's about all I can handle for today.

Eat smart,
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.

World Vegan Day!!!

HAPPY WORLD VEGAN DAY!!!!

And now to the food......yes, vegan food.  Tonight I made the Creamy Sweet Potato Bake from the VeganYumYum cookbook.  A very different combination of flavors, but well worth it!  It took a bit of prep time, since I had to cook the pasta first, and cut and boil the sweet potatoes beforehand.  But bake time was only 20 minutes. I only have one medium pot to cook this stuff in, so I had to do them one after another in the same pot.  Here's what I own: 1 HUGE pot, 1 MED pot, & 1 LITTLE pot.  The medium pot is where I do all my boiling.....pasta, potatoes, etc....

Anyway,  I really liked the flavors in this.  My little chopper (mini food processor) had a bit of a melt down and started leaking all over the place (I don't have a blender), so my "alfredo" sauce was a bit soupy with little pieces of cashews in it.  Well it still tasted good!  I could've used more kale, less pasta (I used whole wheat pasta).  I left out the Earth Balance Margarine and thyme (didn't have either) too. And I did add a little tiny bit of salt onto my plate.  I'll make this dish again!

So far, except for those candied sweet potatoes, all of VeganYumYum's recipes have been great and I'd make them again and again.  

That's it folks! Still wondering what to do with all the turnips.....can you cook and mash them like potatoes???

Eat smart,
T.

A Day of Mushrooms

Hello again!  Welcome to mushroom day.  I had leftover Shiitakes and White Buttons from the market, so I thought I should use them up.  Tonight I made Experimental Stuffed Mushrooms and Teriyaki Udon Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms.  Both were pretty easy (especially the Teriyaki dish).  The most time consuming part was taking the stems off the mushrooms and chopping them.

So here are the recipes!

Tanya's Experimental Stuffed Mushrooms:
(makes 8 mushrooms)


8 large white button mushrooms
1 slice of a yellow onion, chopped
1-2 TB whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup canned chickpeas
1 TB canned crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)


Preheat the oven (I used my Cuisinart Toaster Oven) to 375 degrees. Saute the onion in a pan with a little water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Pull the stems out of the mushrooms (so you get the whole thing and have lots of room to fill) and chop them up.  Add them to the onions.  Add a bit more water, if it's sticking to the bottom.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Put the cooked onions and mushroom stems in a bowl.  Add the bread crumbs and the chickpeas.  Mash up the chickpeas really well in there.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Take the mushroom caps and put them on tin foil or a sprayed cookie sheet. Fill them evenly with the stuffing.  Bake for about 15 minutes. (If you like cheese, you could probably add a bit of parmesan on top near the end of the baking)


Tanya's Udon Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms:
(serves 2-3)


6 oz dry udon noodles (cook as directed on package and set aside)
2 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms (you can add more...they really shrink!)
~1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (add more or less depending on your taste)


Add mushrooms to pan with a little water (1-2 TB).  Cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.  Add the udon noodles and the teriyaki sauce.  Stir often, so it doesn't stick.  You may want to add another tablespoon or so of water while it cooks.  Again, stir often!  I like it a bit crispy, so I cook it until the noodles have browned and crisped up.  Stir, stir, stir. Done. 


Now, I don't usually measure anything when I'm cooking, so I hope it all comes out right :)  And I'm not sure that Italian style and Japanese style go together.....but it was fine by me!

See? Pretty simple, huh? Watch, I probably forgot a step.  Hehehe......for your sake, I hope not.
Eat up!

Coming up soon: my Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

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.